I know it has been a few days but I am still laughing at this:
🔊 SOUND UP!! 🔊 #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/kM5PflUjyM
— @SFGiantsMemes (@SFGiantsMemer) June 17, 2023
Happy first Father’s Day, Nolan Arenado:
Dad strength activated. 💪
Nolan Arenado clobbers his second homer of the day. pic.twitter.com/xxQwO1aaZd
— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2023
On the Agenda:
This is my kind of parenting:
Pete Fairbanks returns from the IL with a black eye, but don't worry, he didn't lose a fight… He dunked 🏀 on a 3-year-old…@RaysBaseball | #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/Ytp0UO8PQe
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) June 15, 2023
Good grief, Ronald:
461 feet to dead center! 😳 pic.twitter.com/NeWrriJJeV
— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2023
With that mammoth blast (his second of the double-header), Ronald Acuña Jr. became just the second player (J.D. Martinez) in the Statcast era to hit a home run over 460 feet to dead center at Comerica Park. Acuña Jr. is now slashing .333/.405/.580 over 311 PA, with 15 HR, 59 R, 44 RBI, and 29(!) SB. Also, it is June.
Just a friendly reminder that he’s somehow still just 25 years old. Read the rest of this entry »
Pretty cool night in Oakland
The largest #Athletics crowd of the year erupts as Oakland wins its MLB-best seventh-straight game over the Rays.
An incredible night at the Coliseum gets a happy ending.
The reverse boycott was memorable, that’s for sure. pic.twitter.com/0L2QuE8Am6
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) June 14, 2023
Pretty nice night for Realmuto:
J.T. Realmuto is the 17th catcher in baseball history to hit for the cycle! pic.twitter.com/Q66HnGqW4K
— MLB (@MLB) June 13, 2023
A replay of my first softball game of the season:
This first pitch didn't go as planned. 😅 pic.twitter.com/z4g2fdFHWR
— Cut4 (@Cut4) June 8, 2023
Big Wiemer double dong – now with a mullet!
Joey Wiemer crushes his second home run of the game! pic.twitter.com/tWHEVTLfdZ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 8, 2023
On the Agenda
News and Notes
Two games were postponed yesterday due to the poor air quality from the smoke generated by the Canadian wildfires. Both Detroit at Philadelphia and the White Sox at the Yankees will instead be played today, the latter as part of a doubleheader.
Aaron Judge (toe) was officially placed on the IL. He received an injection and is eligible to return on June 14 but a more concrete timeline won’t be known until late this weekend once they see how he responds to the treatment.
Pete Fairbanks is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Friday and it appears likely he could be activated from the IL when first eligible on Monday. During this most recent absence, Jason Adam allowed one run in six innings, picking up three more saves.
Carlos Rodón threw to live hitters on Wednesday and will have another session soon. If all continues well, a return before July is possible. AKA, it’s officially stash season if you haven’t done so already.
Roansy Contreras had his doors blown off by Oakland in the first inning, allowing seven runs and retiring just one batter before being mercifully pulled. In case you were wondering, that’s good for a 189.00 ERA and 24.00 WHIP. Manager Derek Shelton was utterly unimpressed with the performance and said they had yet to decide whether Contreras would make his next start. If so, it will be next Wednesday on the road against the Cubs.
Luis defeated Ramón in the first ever Urías Bowl, but the real stars of Milwaukee’s 10-2 win over Baltimore were Corbin Burnes and Joey Wiemer. Burnes pitched eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out nine, and Wiemer went 4-for-4 with the aforementioned double dong, along with 5 RBI. Wiemer is on a nice little eight-game hit streak, made double-nice by it having been preceded by one of his worst stretches of the season, in which he went just 3-for-30 with 11 K.
Gunnar Henderson returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games with back discomfort, going 1-for-3. While his back was healthy enough to play, it is still yet unknown whether his performance vs LHP is still suffering from being an absolute calamity.
The ghost of Noah Syndergaard was again dragged around (3 IP, 6 ER) but will now live on forever as the answer to the question, “Who had a baseball murdered by Elly De La Cruz for the first home run of his career?
Elly De La Cruz casually goes 458 feet for his first MLB career home run… pic.twitter.com/diImkK58YP
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 7, 2023
TJ Friedl (hamstring) took batting practice on Wednesday and with no further issues is expected to be activated when first eligible on Saturday.
Brandon Lowe has a herniated disc and won’t take part in any baseball activities for two to three weeks before being reevaluated. IE. Returning around the All-Star Break seems a likely best-case scenario. That’s me saying boo not boo-urns.
Load management comes to MLB – Anthony Rendon was pulled in the eighth inning as part of the Angels plan going forward for keeping him healthy. I’m sure it will totally work.
Willy Adames (concussion) made his return to the Milwaukee lineup last night, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run. Rookie Andruw Monasterio performed admirably in his absence, slashing .320/.393/.520 over 28 PA, with 1 HR, two doubles, and 1 SB but will likely return to Triple-A. Nope! Monasterio stays up and Brice Turang was optioned to Triple-A after slashing .198/.247/.297 since the start of May.
Danny Jansen (groin) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this weekend and could return to the team by early next week. Jansen has 6 HR and 26 RBI but also a .207 AVG and .273 OBP…And is still more valuable than Alejandro Kirk.
With Hunter Renfroe hitting the paternity list, Jo Adell was recalled from Triple-A. Adell is slashing .278/.365/.593 over 242 PA at Triple-A this season, with 18 HR and 4 SB but is still striking out at a nearly 30% clip, with a 14% SwStr%. He’ll likely last only as long as Renfroe is gone.
Justin Steele (strained forearm) is likely to return from the IL when first eligible on June 17 in a start against the Orioles, according to manager David Ross.
After a good report from his foot specialist, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is set to rejoin the Marlins on their current road trip and can begin baseball activities. If all goes well, a rehab assignment could be in the near(ish) future.
Bumps and Bruises
Pete Alonso left after taking a 96 mph four-seam from Charlie Morton off his left wrist in a loss to Atlanta. Mets fans were able to exhale, though, as the initial X-rays were negative. Consider him day-to-day.
Edward Cabrera exited after five innings due to a blister, after allowing one run over five innings and striking out four batters in what was eventually a 6-1 win over Kansas City. His next start isn’t scheduled until Tuesday (@SEA) but we’ll have to wait for an update from the team.
Jake Fraley was scratched Wednesday with a bruised wrist after getting hit with a pitch on Tuesday. Consider him day-to-day.
Streaming Pitcher
Streamer for Today: None – It’s a short-slate Thursday and there aren’t a whole lot of options to be found on most wires, let alone good ones. Chase Anderson at Coors, Tyler Holton, and Matt Dermody; oh my!
High Risk: Again, not really. When Colin Rea vs BAL seems like the best option, maybe today is not the day you try to do any streaming.
Ice cold:
Everyday I'm shufflin'. pic.twitter.com/FNVvACGxQA
— MLB (@MLB) June 4, 2023
On National Cancer Survivors Day, it was Liam Hendriks getting the W:
Liam Hendriks. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4HlERsTN8o
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 4, 2023
On the Agenda
News and Notes
Teres, smeres. Triston McKenzie returned in high fashion, striking out 10 batters in five innings, allowing just one single, with zero walks. His four-seamer averaged 93 mph (max 95.1 mph), while his slider and curveball each posted over a 50% CSW%. His next start is scheduled to come against the Astros at home next Saturday.
José Alvarado started a rehab assignment on Saturday (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) and is scheduled for another outing on Tuesday. If all goes well he could rejoin the Phillies by the weekend but what role he’ll return to remains uncertain. Alvardo had seized things prior to his injury but Craig Kimbrel has been very good in his absence, collecting 5 SV in 1o IP, with 16 K and a 1.80 ERA.
Michael Soroka and the tattered remnants of what used to be considered an Achilles tendon made his return on Sunday, allowing 5 ER on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings. Soroko threw 80 pitches, leading with his slider, but managed just two whiffs total. So, he’s still Mike Soroka. He lines up to make his next start at home against Washington on Saturday. Don’t expect any strikeouts. As in, it might be zero considering how stingy Washington is with their whiffs.
Remember that year Zach Plesac was good? Okay, remember that 1/3 of a season when Zack Plesac was good? Well, virtually nothing has gone right for him since that 202o high and the story came to its conclusion with Cleveland designating him and his 7.59 ERA for assignment.
Tarik Skubal (flexor tendon surgery) began a rehab assignment on Sunday, pitching two innings at High-A (West Michigan). While no clear timeline has been announced, Skubal, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since August 1, will clearly need multiple rehab starts to build up his arm strength.
Marcell Ozuna was pulled for lack of hustle after hitting a 415-foot single due to standing at the plate and just watching the ball. Because of course he did. Consider him dumb-to-day.
Bumps and Bruises
Poor Bane Cook can’t catch a break – Nestor Cortes is headed to the IL with a shoulder injury. While it’s not believed to be something serious, the Yankees say they won’t have a timeline until after he gets imaging done on Tuesday. Jhony Brito will likely be recalled to take fill in the rotation after being sent down in late May with a 5.58 ERA over 40.1 IP. He has a 3.60 ERA over 10 IP in his two starts since the demotion.
Why can’t the Twins have nice things? The perennially injured Byron Buxton hasn’t played since taking a fastball in the ribs last week and on Sunday Royce Lewis, in an attempt to not run over opposing first baseman Gabriel Arias, tried a new type of somersault where you land directly on your head. It looked scary but Lewis eventually walked off on his own and apparently is only dealing with a sore shoulder. Which in Twins-speak, means he might be dealing with the ol’ amputation situation. Consider him day-to-day.
Aaron Judge was held out of Sunday’s win over the Dodgers after hurting his right big toe on Saturday while making a spectacular catch that took him into the wall. It’s not thought to be serious but the Yankees have an off day on Monday to evaluate it further.
Xander Bogaerts has been dealing with a lingering wrist injury for a few weeks but things came more to a head after he was removed in the eighth inning of Saturday’s win before sitting out on Sunday. Consider him day-to-day but I’d have a backup plan in mind.
Jose Siri and Brandon Lowe were both scratched from Sunday’s game, the former with a sore shoulder and the latter with a back that “locked up” according to manager Kevin Cash. Consider them both day-to-day.
Anthony Rendon (groin strain) is expected to be activated early in the week. Gio Urshela’s playing time will likely bear the brunt of his return.
A day after being pulled in the fourth inning with knee soreness, Amed Rosario was held out of the lineup on Sunday. Consider him day-to-day.
Jose Altuve missed his second straight game after straining his oblique during a swing on Saturday. Consider him day-to-day but we all know by now how these side injuries can go. And don’t let that oblique come knockin’ on Mauricio Dubon’s fantasy coffin:
Streaming Pitchers
Streamer for Today: Johan Oviedo, PIT vs OAK – Oviedo has allowed just 1 ER in three of his last four starts but those were also against real, live MLB teams. Oakland, on the other hand? Only technically.
High Risk: Andrew Abbott, CIN vs MIL – Rookie debuts are never a sure thing but Abbott has been very impressive over seven starts at Triple-A, with a 3.05 ERA and 54 K over 38 1/3 IP.
Streamer for Tomorrow: Zack Greinke, KC @MIA, Tommy Henry, ARI @WSN
