Angels
• Mike Trout is not “running, hitting or throwing”.
Rendon is ahead of Trout in the rehab process. Trout has yet to progress to light baseball activities after he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on May 3. Trout has utilized the Alter-G treadmill but hasn’t tested out running, hitting or throwing like Rendon has. Still, Washington said Trout remains on schedule and hasn’t suffered any setbacks.
• Driveline has adjusted its Stuff model with a major change boosting up sinkers.
Again, this can likely be tied back to the fact that the purpose of these two pitches is different. 4-seams are generally better at generating whiffs, while sinkers are better at generating ground balls. With whiffs being harder to get as batters have adjusted to higher velocity around the league, the sinker profile becomes more valuable than 4-seam at lower velocities.
• Eno Sarris discusses the pitch mix changes for five starters including Tylor Megill.
The single most predictive stat for a pitcher’s success is fastball velocity. Then you go through all the other things that matter like extension (how close to the plate the pitcher releases the ball), vertical movement (or ride), release point height, spin and the rest. But if you make the fastball go brrr, you can mitigate a lot of flaws on the rest of the list. In Megill’s past couple starts, the fastball was going brrr again.
Whenever Eno says “brrr” on a podcast, all I can think of is this classic from Maddox.
Angels
• Nolan Schanuel has been playing with a thumb injury for a couple of weeks.
Schanuel recently said he injured his thumb while hitting in the batting cages in Houston during the Angels’ three-game series from May 20-22. He has been in a slump recently, going 2-for-23 over six games before missing the series in Seattle. He said he tried to play through the injury but it wouldn’t get better and it was affecting his swing. An MRI revealed there was no structural damage.
• Kevin Pillar will remain in a part-time role so he doesn’t get “stale”.
Despite his otherworldly start offensively, the Angels have utilized Pillar in more of a platoon role, starting him mostly against left-handers. Pillar hasn’t been an everyday player in nearly three years, and they don’t want to overplay him despite his hot bat. They also are mindful of the development of Adell and Moniak, who both need consistent at-bats this year.
“We need to try to get Moniak going,” Washington said. “Pillar knows he’s not going to be on the field every day. But I’m not going to let him get to the point where he’s stale, to the point where he loses what he had. But there will be times where he has a good night and he’s not playing the next day.”
Stale? What is he? Bread?
Astros
• José Abreu plays better with an off day.
Until Sunday, Espada had been coy about Abreu’s playing time and how he plans to proceed at first base. Upon his return, Abreu said he spent his career as an everyday player and had put himself in a position to do it again. Abreu has started five of Houston’s seven games since his return.
All three of Abreu’s hits, including his solo home run on Saturday, arrived in games that immediately followed an off day. During Abreu’s resurgence last October, team officials and coaches cited the plethora of postseason off days as one factor for Abreu’s increased production.
I examined this quote in more detail in a previous article.
• Without being prompted, the GM mentioned A.J. Blubaugh and Jake Bloss as rotation options.
Lauer and Henley would likely be the first calls if Houston needs another starter in the immediate future, but Brown also bragged about both AJ Blubaugh and Jake Bloss. Bloss has made just six starts above High A. Blubaugh has made just 10 appearances and tossed 45 innings at Triple A.
Blue Jays
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will get more starts at third base.
“It’s really going to be a lot of fun today to see Vladdy playing third base, but that’s been something we’ve been working on collectively. He’ll get some starts there,” GM Ross Atkins said Sunday on MLB Network Radio. “He’s got an incredible ability and feel for the game of baseball. I think his arm and his hands will allow him to play some third base for us. That’s another way to deploy a lineup that maybe creates a little more offense.”
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Manager John Schneider said Guerrero could start at third “a couple days out of a week and a half,” but he reiterated that this isn’t a position change. So many factors outside of Guerrero’s own plan need to line up for it to be a third-base day — particularly a good matchup for Turner and Vogelbach — but it looks like the Blue Jays are now comfortable with Guerrero’s side of the bargain.
Guardians
• Daniel Schneemann worked on raising his launch angle.
Schneemann decided to focus on lifting the ball more this winter, which has resulted in a noticeable change in power and pop. His 10 homers in Triple-A were the second most by any of Cleveland’s Minor League players, so it was no surprise when he finally got his chance to play in the big leagues on Sunday.
Here are his launch angles from the past two seasons.
Year (Level): LA
2023 (AAA): 8.0
2024 (AAA): 14.7
2024 (MLB): 15.8
Mariners
• Victor Robles will only be used against lefties.
Robles was not in Tuesday’s starting lineup, but is expected to be installed as soon as Thursday’s series finale against lefty JP Sears — or if any favorable matchups surface before then, as manager Scott Servais indicated.
“He told me to just be ready, especially when we’re facing a lefty,” said Robles, who will be in the mix with righty-hitting outfielders Mitch Haniger and Dylan Moore, the latter of whom is seeing more time at second base while Jorge Polanco is sidelined.
Over his career, Robles has a .727 OPS vs LHP and .642 OPS vs RHP.
Rangers
• Wyatt Langford only faced fastballs during the offseason and struggled with pitchers who threw him other pitch types. Additionally, he has struggled as the DH.
“There was a lot going on, a lot more than I like [with my swing],” Langford said. “I’d say the biggest thing is kind of getting back into playing. Guys start throwing different pitches at you. In the offseason, you’re used to just hitting one pitch, and it’s a fastball, really, so getting back on time, fixing the timing of everything and seeing pitching, I think that definitely played a part in it throwing off my timing a little bit. So I’m just getting back to that.”
With Evan Carter, Leody Taveras and Adolis García mainly holding down the three outfield spots, Langford has been the Rangers’ designated hitter in 20 games compared to 15 appearances in left field, entering Sunday. The 22-year-old acknowledged that DH-ing almost every day has been an adjustment for him, especially at this level.
He has struggled against slower pitches with curves, changeups, and splitters having between a 14% and 19% SwStr%.
The DH quote is malarky with him posting a .656 OPS as the DH and .502 OPS when in the field.
Red Sox
• Ceddanne Rafaela has been reworking his swing.
On Tuesday in Baltimore, Rafaela tried something different to spark his offense. For the past month in the batting cage, Rafaela had been practicing a new stance in which he brought his hands down a bit, angling his bat upward, rather than holding his hands above his head and his bat flat, almost parallel to the ground. The new stance was designed to allow him to get into his swing quicker and catch up to fastballs. The process of getting a feel for the new stance, locking in cues and timing was gradual, but Tuesday, hitting coach Pete Fatse suggested to Rafaela he was at a point to try the adjustments in batting practice.
Tigers
• Mark Canha is playing through a hip issue.
However, Canha’s status is also a question mark after he was scratched from Friday’s lineup due to soreness in his left hip.
“It’s been bothering me for a week or so,” Canha told reporters, including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “It was getting worse and worse and today was the pinnacle. It got to a point where I had to shut it down.”
Twins
• Jose Miranda will play all over the field with Royce Lewis back.
Though he’ll lose playing time at third base to Lewis, who is a superior defender, Miranda is healthy again and one of the team’s top performers hitting with runners in scoring position. The Twins can rotate Miranda between both infield corners and designated hitter to keep him in the lineup.
“We’re going to move him around and find ways to get him in the lineup most days,” Baldelli said.
• The team’s high-leverage pitchers will only throw one inning at a time. The rest of the arms are expected to throw multiple innings.
During those previous MLB stints in 2024, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had been firm in asserting that any relief pitchers not in his leverage group would have to throw multiple innings — even Alcala, who was coming off nearly two full seasons lost to elbow and forearm issues — and Minnesota used the right-hander accordingly in lower-leverage situations.
But in Alcala’s last two outings, the Twins have used him for one-inning stints to protect leads — and, notably, he’s been pulled after only one inning each time.
…
“He’s working his way into the leverage mix,” Baldelli said. “That’s it. What he was throwing [Thursday] was — and I think the outing before, too — that was not what we had seen from him previously.”
…“Three weeks ago, his fastball was 92, 93, 94,” Baldelli said. “And then he was throwing 99 [Thursday], touching 100. If we want the guy to throw 99, we probably shouldn’t be throwing him 45 pitches an outing expecting him to come in when we need him to.”
White Sox
• Players on the team like to “pick Pham’s brain”.
Young White Sox players often pick Pham’s brain, which he appreciates and understands, as he is considered a consummate professional for his preparation and focus.
“Guys are still learning what it takes to be a big leaguer, how to be a better big leaguer,” Pham told me during the White Sox previous homestand. “Guys are asking me a ton of questions, which, I look back at when I was in their shoes — I was asking Matt Holliday a ton of questions.
The four most popular discussion points are:
Yankees
• The team thinks Anthony Rizzo’s struggles are timing-related.
Both Boone and Rowson believe Rizzo’s struggles at the plate are timing-related. Rowson said Rizzo’s inconsistent timing has led to him being unable to square the ball up. Poor timing is what led to Aaron Judge’s struggles in April. That’s why the Yankees think Rizzo can still turn around his numbers.
“When your timing’s not right, you would expect some of those things to not be right in line with your norms,” Rowson said of Rizzo’s numbers. “That means you’re not getting the ball right where you want to or you’re a little early or you may be a little late, and all of a sudden that’s gonna affect how you hit the ball, how the ball comes off the bat. All those things will be results of your timing being a little inconsistent.”
• The team is expecting Clarke Schmidt back in August.
Boone said Schmidt will be shut down from throwing for four to six weeks. Rehab will follow as the Yankees build him back up. Realistically, the earliest Schmidt could return is August.
Braves
• The team believes Jarred Kelenic’s swing is almost right.
“As far as the evolution of [Kelenic’s] swing since he’s had our uniform on, it’s really heading in the right direction,” Seitzer said. “I like where it’s going. I feel like with his strengths and vulnerabilities, it’s putting him in the best position to where he’s able to barrel balls more often. And to leave off-speed, leave chase pitches alone more often, which I’ve already seen since he went to this stance in Chicago. I wasn’t there, but I watched the first freakin’ game and I was like, ‘On my gosh, what’s he doing, that looks awesome!’”
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“Way better,” Seitzer said. “For me, all the tinkering and adjustments are heading in the right direction. He’s a little taller, a little narrower with his stance, hands are a little lower. He wanted to get the tension out of his shoulders to stay looser, to where he could stay on the ball more. And it looks so much better.”Kelenic said with the adjustments he’s made, he’s in a better position to let the ball travel deeper and still drive it up the middle or the other way.
Cardinals
• Andre Pallante added a two-seamer.
The difference now, as opposed to earlier in the season when the 25-year-old reliever had a 6.30 ERA in nine relief appearances, was a two-seam fastball that consistently ran in on the hands of righties and kept them from leaning out over the plate looking for his curveball and four-seamer.
Cubs
• The two biggest knocks on Shota Imanaga from scouts were his low-90s fastball and being short.
Ultimately, for some teams, the lack of louder tools made Imanaga feel like more of a risk.
“The availability of pitch data from the Pacific Rim has theoretically made these valuations more sound, but there’s still a leap to take when you can’t hang your hat on high-end velocity,” Zaidi said. “I imagine there are scouts around the game that did see him as a high-end starter in the big leagues, but I suspect that the teams that were highest on him put the greatest stock in their pitch-model valuations.”
But as Cubs manager Craig Counsell likes to say, hitters don’t like anything that they’re not used to seeing, and Imanaga compensates for velocity with a four-seam fastball that drops far less than expected. The effect is often described as “rise.” The rise on Imanaga’s four-seamer is 2.9 inches better than average, per Statcast, so hitters find themselves under the pitch more often than not. That deception has turned Imanaga’s fastball into one of baseball’s best pitches.
Among scouts, there was some concern that Imanaga might not be able to consistently locate that pitch at the top of the zone. He wasn’t accustomed to it because the high strike isn’t called as often in Japan. And if not located well, the pitch will be hit hard. Scouts also flagged workload capacity as a possible issue, given Imanaga’s 5-foot-10 frame and a career high of 170 innings.
Giants
• Alex Cobb should be activated in July.
Cobb started taking a nerve medication, gabapentin, and was encouraged last week when he had four consecutive pain-free days and started his throwing progression anew. He hopes to throw off a mound by next week. There’s almost no point in trying to predict a return date at this point, but Cobb is eyeing an activation in July.
• Robbie Ray hopes to return around the All-Star break.
There’s no expediting the schedule from here based on team need. Ray will have to keep checking off boxes in order as he eyes a return shortly after the All-Star break in July. The good news is that optimism abounds that he will be the best version of himself when he joins the Giants rotation.
“I think so,” said Ray, who checked in with Giants teammates at Chase Field on Monday. “I feel really good. The ball is coming out really good. All my stuff, I’ve been super happy with the way things have been going. I’m just looking forward to getting into a game.”
• Spencer Howard is out of options.
Spencer Howard gave up some loud contact Monday but pitched credibly behind an opener after he adjusted and started to throw early-count offspeed pitches to Arizona’s aggressive, fastball-hunting lineup. Giants manager Bob Melvin said Howard pitched well enough to remain in his role. Critically, Howard is also out of minor-league options.
Phillies
• Edmundo Sosa will start getting some outfield reps.
While he’s certainly playing well enough to stick in the lineup, he’s not going to displace Turner when the latter is healthy. Neither Bryson Stott nor Alec Bohm is offering much of an opportunity for Sosa to take over at second or third base. While Sosa has never started an MLB game in the outfield, Thomson suggested over the weekend the Phils could consider playing him in a corner outfield spot once Turner comes back.
“Absolutely [a possibility],” the manager told reporters (link via Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “If he keeps hitting like this, it’s going to be tough to keep him out of the lineup. So, got to find a spot for him someplace.” The Phils subsequently lost Brandon Marsh to the injured list, leading them to call up the hot-hitting David Dahl to man left field. Nick Castellanos is playing everyday in right field. He has been a rare weak point in the Philadelphia lineup, struggling to a .214/.277/.342 line through 256 plate appearances.
• Teams are using lefty specialist openers to minimize the impact of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
In his 20 appearances this season, Koenig has thrown two innings or more seven times and recorded four or five outs four times. Tuesday marked the fourth time he’s worked as an opener, giving Murphy an option against lineups featuring dangerous lefties up top — such as Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, for example.
“It’s a strategy — and it’s a strategy because of some of the necessity,” Murphy said. “You don’t want certain guys to face certain guys three times or whatever it might be. You have to have the right ingredients, and I think we do. This might not be the last time you see it.”
Rangers
• Evan Carter has been playing through his back injury for a while.
He missed time in the Minors with a stress fracture in his back in 2021, so the Rangers have been trying to be cautious with him.
That being said, manager Bruce Bochy said he believes Carter tried to play through this particular back injury without disclosing to the coaching or training staff how much it affected him.
“With Evan, I think he knew, honestly,” Bochy said. “I don’t think he was being totally honest with us. Even the last game, I guess, it was really starting to bother him. It was pretty evident. Now when you look back at some of the at-bats, he just had a hard time getting his swing off.
Rays
• Shane Baz might be in the minors to manipulate his service clock.
Though there’s some logic to keeping him in Durham and monitoring him, it will nonetheless have consequences for Baz. The righty came into this season with two years and 14 days of major league service time. Had he stayed on the active roster or injured list all season, he would have finished this year at 3.014, just enough to automatically qualify for arbitration and to be on track for free agency after 2027. If he ends up spending significant time on optional assignment, he could alter both of those trajectories, though he could still get to arb as a Super Two guy even if he’s shy of the three-year mark.
For now, he’ll continue with whatever plan the Rays have for building him up over the remainder of the season. Perhaps his return to the big leagues will be motivated by an injury to one of his teammates or it could just be based on some sort of workload checklist that Baz has to hit.
Yankees
• For now, there are no plans to limit Luis Gil.
Boone said the Yankees are keeping a close eye on Gil. He didn’t rule out a workload limit at some point but said that currently it’s “full steam ahead.”
Pitching coach Matt Blake said the Yankees will use a variety of data points to track Gil’s readiness. In spring training he said the Yankees used workouts to get a baseline of what Gil looks like when he’s healthy, mentioning range of motion and “power output.” The team also uses slow-motion video to judge how his delivery progresses. The footage captures minute details regarding the shapes and speeds of his pitches, his release points and where he’s landing on the mound. The team also consults with Gil.
Braves
• David Fletcher is stretching out to be a knuckleball pitcher.
Yes, that David Fletcher.
The utility infielder told team officials several weeks ago that he had a knuckleball, and they agreed to let him show what he could do with it in a game. When they saw it was a legit knuckler, they told him they’d use him at least once a week as a pitcher at Gwinnett and see what he could do. Fletcher was thrilled.
After four relief appearances — two good, two not so good — he got a start Wednesday against the Norfolk Tides and pitched five innings of three-hit ball in a 5-2 win, allowing two runs and one walk with six strikeouts, including a strikeout of baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Jackson Holliday.
No one is getting carried away with it just yet, but the Braves plan to see how far Fletcher can go with his knuckleball-based repertoire. It’s such a rare pitch these days, perhaps he could eventually factor in as a pitcher with the Braves.
• The team has made several moves to work Spencer Schwellenbach into the rotation.
[Schwellenbach] was then informed that his next start was actually coming in Atlanta, less than 13 months after making his pro debut last April.
“I was not expecting it,” Schwellenbach said. “I was totally taken off guard and very happy about it.”
But the Braves had been hatching this plan for a while — really ever since learning the severity of Smith-Shawver’s injury last week. They adjusted their bullpen plans the past few days and leaned on Charlie Morton to eat more innings than they typically would have during Monday’s loss in preparation for Schwellenbach’s debut.
• AJ Smith-Shawver was working on his changeup before going on the IL.
Smith-Shawver had two walks and four strikeouts and topped out at 99.3 mph with his fastball. The Braves were especially pleased with Smith-Shawver’s secondary pitches, including his changeup, which accounted for 20 of his 87 pitches. He used the changeup for strike 3 on first-inning punchouts of Mike Tauchman and Cody Bellinger, each swinging.
“I’ve been working on that all year, just trying to throw it more (for) strikes down in the zone, just kind of executing it more often,” Smith-Shawver said.
His 6.10 ERA in eight Triple-A starts didn’t concern Braves officials because they knew he’d been working on his off-speed pitches, rather than just mowing down minor-league hitters with 98-100 mph heaters. “That (changeup) is what I’ve spent the majority of my time down there working on,” he said.
Note: While you might not care one bit about Bryce Miller (Mariners), read the article on his splitter and how it is three different pitches. Guys who can manipulate pitches like he can, might be able to get away with fewer pitches.
Astros
• Joey Loperfido will work on playing first base in the minors.
During spring training, Loperfido himself said the team never hit him groundballs on the back fields. He started just seven Triple-A games at first base before his promotion. He worked with bench coach Omar López to learn the nuances of the position during his time with the major-league team, but the coaching staff never felt comfortable testing it.
Monday, Espada said he envisions “kind of the same” division of playing time for Loperfido during this stint in Triple A, which includes first base “three or four times a week.”
Astros
• Hunter Brown has added a sinker.
On May 5, Brown reached a last resort. He had not thrown or thought about a sinker since starring at Wayne State University in 2019. Spring training is the time to test out anything, but even then, Brown never brought out his forgotten pitch.
…
In four appearances since introducing his sinker, Brown has lowered his ERA from 9.78 to 7.06. He has allowed nine earned runs across those 20 1/3 innings, stabilizing a season that threatened to spiral. His six innings of two-run ball Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels were the most encouraging example of what Brown can be.
“That’s the Hunter that we all know. He can be that type of pitcher. He’s got the stuff,” manager Joe Espada said. “That sinker was a game-changer — throwing that stuff in on their hands and setting up the four-seamer up, the breaking ball.”
• The Red Sox (quote) and Royals have moved from focusing on fastballs to utilizing their best pitches.
“That message at the very beginning was keeping the main thing, the main thing,” said Kevin Walker, who joined the Red Sox as an assistant pitching coach in 2020 and transitioned to bullpen coach the following year. “For each pitcher you have certain attributes that you’re really good at and we want to make sure that you use your best attributes more often.”
With the teams’ successes, I expect the league to go full copycat mode and do the same. For fantasy, I think there might be three actionable items. First, expect the overall offense to drop as hitters see fewer fastballs. Second, batters who can hit secondaries might have more value. Finally, pitchers who have good secondaries and throw their fastballs too much might be good targets for improvement.
• I could put up everything Lance Brozdowski writes when he examines pitcher changes, but I can’t and won’t. What I can do is recommend following his Substack to at least stay even with your competition.
Angels Patrick Sandoval continues to abandon his four-seam fastball. Usage through his first four starts was 31%. Usage in his last 4 starts has been 9%, toggling it down to 3% in yesterday’s gem. In those first 4 starts, the pitch had an xSLG of .502. The main beneficiaries have been his slider and his sinker, which are both up about 10 percentage points in usage. His overall xwOBA has gone from .324 in those first 4 starts down to .191 in his last 4. Smart adjustment by the Angels. Driveline Stuff+ has the four-seam as his worst pitch at 95. His slider is a plus-plus pitch at 133 Stuff+ and the sinker is marginally better than the four-seam at 99 Stuff+.
Astros
• Jeremy Peña will not move up the lineup because his manager doesn’t want to disturb his rhythm.
Espada acknowledged Bregman’s extensive history of rebounding from brutal starts but must also consider how any adjustment will impact the rest of Houston’s lineup. One logical adjustment could be moving Jeremy Peña past Bregman and higher in the batting order, but Espada is wary of disturbing Peña’s rhythm during a torrid start to his season.
“I think that’s why he’s having the year he’s having. He’s in a spot where he’s comfortable and confident. I don’t want to mess around with that,” Espada said. “We need somebody behind our top four to drive those guys in and continue to move our offense forward. I think that’s why he’s having some success — he likes that five or six spot.”
• Joey Loperfido is still working at first base.
That Espada chose Mauricio Dubón to play first base over Loperfido in the 10th inning of Wednesday’s game again signals the lack of comfort. Jon Singleton’s continued emergence might mean Loperfido remains in the outfield full time, but he has been working with bench coach Omar López on the intricacies of first base. Espada pinch hit for him twice in the Mariners series when Seattle summoned a left-handed reliever, too, opting for a better platoon matchup over testing a prospect in a tight spot.
Red Sox
• The team is focusing on “first-pitch strikes, best pitches in two-strike counts, lowering walk percentage, increasing strike percentage, and limiting barrels.”
First-pitch strikes, best pitches in two-strike counts, lowering walk percentage, increasing strike percentage, and limiting barrels became Boston’s North Star. In spring training, the metrics were tracked and prizes for top pitchers in each category were distributed. It’s continued in-season despite the marathon nature of a 162-game schedule. To maintain accountability, every two weeks players get updates on where they stand in each category. The internal competition has helped the group thrive and sustain success for nearly a quarter of the season.
Twins
• Royce Lewis is struggling with this rehab more than his other ones. Right now, he’s just waiting for the torn muscle to reattach.
He sees his friends having fun and pursuing a club record winning streak. He feels like he’s healing from his right quad strain from Opening Day, but the Twins aren’t telling him too much about his recovery as he waits — and he doesn’t like talking to doctors anymore, because all they give him is bad news, it seems, about how he still can’t play baseball with his friends.
“It’s the most challenging rehab I’ve ever had,” Lewis said.
And that’s coming from the guy who spent the bulk of two years recovering from two different ACL surgeries on the same knee.
…
But now, he’s just waiting until the doctors clear him to play. He’s not sure when that will be. He’s five and a half weeks into what was expected to be a two-month timeline at minimum, but that depends on how he heals. He feels good, but he reluctantly acknowledges that he’s still waiting for the torn muscle to reattach.
Yankees
• When Jasson Domínguez starts rehab, he will be the designated hitter.
Boone offered several key injury updates Tuesday, including the latest on top outfield prospect Jasson Domínguez. The 22-year-old center fielder could start playing in minor-league rehab games within the next two weeks, and when he begins, he’ll likely start as a designated hitter, Boone said.
“He’s been doing all live (batting practice) and all of his defensive stuff,” Boone said. “He’s getting close.”
Cubs
• Cody Bellinger is still experiencing pain.
“I wouldn’t say I’m fully pain-free,” Bellinger said. “But with something like this, it takes quite a bit of time to get fully pain-free. Where it’s at, it’s a matter of pain tolerance. And I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot with it.”
• The General Manager wants a set closer.
“When I think back on some very calm moments in my career, having Jonathan Papelbon and Aroldis Chapman back there is a good feeling,” Hoyer said. “I wouldn’t mind getting back to that where you can sort of pack up your stuff in the ninth inning and not have a lot of anxiety. That’s where we all want to be. There’s not many guys in the game you can say that about. Obviously, our job is to trade for one or to sign one, or to develop one. The teams that have those feel really comfortable.”
• Dansby Swanson’s knee has been bugging him for a bit.
Before Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the San Diego Padres, manager Craig Counsell said Swanson’s right knee was “bugging him a little bit” and they’d use Thursday’s off day to get him off his feet for a couple of days.
“He hurt it on a slide on the last day game here against Houston,” Counsell said. “Through the road trip and homestand, it’s not improving. So we’re going to try to get him a couple days here and see where we’re at.”
Dodgers
• With Jason Heyward about to come off the IL, the Dodgers are most likely to demote James Outman or release Chris Taylor.
With Pages here to stay, the Dodgers now have a decision to make with James Outman. Last season, it was Outman who burst onto the scene with a hot April (.966 OPS) before cooling off the rest of the season. This year, Outman has really struggled offensively, with a .169 batting average and three homers. On Monday, the Dodgers had Outman hit ninth for the first time all season. To his credit, the 26-year-old responded by hitting a two-run homer and putting together some of the best at-bats in weeks. Still, Outman striking out in more than one-third of his at-bats is concerning.
If not Outman who makes way for Heyward, which would be understandable given his defense in center, the Dodgers could look to give Chris Taylor a blow of sorts. Taylor has been a key part of the Dodgers over the last few seasons, but his struggles at the plate have become impossible to ignore. Taylor is 4-for-54 (.074) this season, striking out 26 times. Taylor, however, is under contract until the end of the ‘25 season, which makes everything more complicated.
Padres
• Joe Musgrove has been dealing with triceps tendonitis for several starts.
Four days after his sharpest start of the season, Joe Musgrove went on the 15-day injured list. The Padres cited right elbow inflammation as the reason. Team officials described the move as precautionary, comparing it to a recent IL stint for Yu Darvish that ended after the minimum 15 days. Musgrove attributed the inflammation to triceps tendonitis, a condition he said he had “worked through for the last couple” starts and at times in previous seasons.
• Adam Mazur and Ryan Bergert are the two prospects the team would call up first according to their GM.
The Padres view starters Adam Mazur and Ryan Bergert as two of their readiest prospects, although they still could be weeks, if not months, from reaching the majors. Another Double-A pitcher, 20-year-old Robby Snelling, might be a bit further away.
“They’re definitely on our radar,” Preller said in an interview Tuesday on 97.3 The Fan. “They’re guys we’re monitoring all the time, both for their development and then also their ability to help and progress, whether it’s at Triple A or the big leagues. … I think they’re on that track, and hopefully we’re having more of that conversation here in the next couple months.”
Pirates
• Oneil Cruz will need to constantly deal with his ankle injury.
“That’s just something that we’re going to have to continue to work through from the foot and the ankle as we’ve talked about. Last year, a little bit this spring with the medical performance teams and most notably Oneil, we’re going to have to continue to work through. He’s ready to go and he’s in the lineup today.”
Although Cruz is healthy enough to play, Tomczyk said finding a way to keep him on the field is a big focus for him and his team.
“We’ve tried and they’ve tried just about everything,” Tomczyk said. “Those braces are really good, but they’re predominately for proprioception. What I optimally want to do is create a solid foundation, and that begins with the foot intrinsics, the ankle and all the way up the kinetic chain. So Oneil, the rehab team, medical team, performance team are always working on daily exercises to make sure everything is activated, first and foremost, and then strong to prepare him for the demands of the game. In short, we’ve tried everything. Sometimes he tapes; sometimes he doesn’t. We prefer, he’d prefer to wear nothing.”
Reds
• Noelvi Marte should return on June 27 and Matt McLain in August.
Noelvi Marte has 46 games remaining on his suspension. The first game he’d be eligible (if there are no more rainouts) to play would be June 27, the team’s first game of a four-game series in St. Louis. He can start a rehab assignment in the minor leagues 15 days before that.
Bell was also optimistic about the possibility McLain could return in August.
Rockies
• Kris Bryant’s back is messed up. He’s on my do-not-draft list for next season based on this quote.
“My disks in my back are pretty much dried up — there are a couple of disks that don’t function like they did 10 years ago,” Bryant said. “My facet joints are a little — not a little — they’re pretty severely arthritic and a lot of bone spurs and stuff like that. That’s part of just getting older … that’s the way the doctor explained it to me and I just have to find a way to manage it as best I can.”
In 2022, Bryant dealt with plantar fasciitis in his left foot after he struggled with the back. Bryant’s problems are on the right side of his lower back.
“Sure there is a connection — left foot, right back,” said Bryant, going as far as his medical knowledge would allow.
Astros
• Hunter Brown may only get one more start before getting demoted.
Brown may only be guaranteed at least one more turn in the Astros’ rotation, but the impending return of Cristian Javier could force the club into a difficult decision between him and top prospect Spencer Arrighetti. That Brown sat in the bullpen during both of the team’s games in Mexico City as a long-relief insurance policy may have signaled its intentions.
Astros
• The team may be forced to roster and play José Abreu since the owner made the move.
Brown and Espada are in brutal positions. Espada can only play the roster he’s given and Brown did not sign Abreu — owner Jim Crane did during his three-month cameo as a general manager.
Both men are now forced to answer for a problem they did not create. The remaining money and year on Abreu’s contract means Crane is in control of his ultimate fate — and there’s no precedence in his ownership tenure for eating this much money due to underperformance.
Blue Jays
• Yariel Rodriguez is working with a pitch limit and won’t go long into games. He could end up in a tandem with Bowden Francis.
With a pitch limit of 70 or so, Rodríguez worked until two outs into the fourth inning, when he ended his outing with a called strikeout on Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers. In all, Rodríguez allowed four hits — including a solo homer by centre fielder Brenton Doyle — along with two walks and six strikeouts.
…
Coming out of the bullpen for the first time this season, Bowden Francis took over in the fourth inning. Combined with Rodríguez, they allowed just three runs over six innings — what a club is generally looking for from a traditional starter.The Blue Jays hinted at using Rodríguez and Francis as a piggybacking tandem, and given the results this time around, it’s a strategy the club can turn to again, though Francis can also be used in spots out of the bullpen in the games between, too.
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“We’re gonna build him up a little bit, but it’s not going to be, again, outrageous to where we’re really pushing him, six, seven, eight innings, things like that,” Schneider said. “Things could change, for sure, based on how he’s feeling and how he’s doing, but I think we’re going to play the long game a little bit.”
Astros
• The team needs to determine which starter will leave the rotation when Justin Verlander returns from the IL. Just a week ago, it was assumed to Ronel Blanco.
When Verlander does return, Houston could have a compelling rotation crunch to address. Ronel Blanco profiled as the odd man out, but after throwing a no-hitter on Monday, he may be given a longer look. The Astros have four off days from April 18-30, so a six-man rotation isn’t feasible.
Nearly two no-hitters later for Blanco, the narrative has changed to Blanco, J.P. France, and Hunter Brown.
Justin Verlander’s impending return could move Blanco, J.P. France or Brown into the bullpen as long relievers, too, but Houston has more immediate needs.
Blanco is probably safe but France and Brown have both been struggling.
Name: IP, ERA, xFIP
Brown: 7.0, 6.43, 4.94
France: 11.1, 4.76, 4.96
Blanco: 15.0, 0.00, 4.58 Read the rest of this entry »