Mining the News (7/22/22)

American League

Orioles

• Many of the starters will be on innings limits including Tyler Wells, Dean Kremer, and Kyle Bradish.

Hall isn’t the only starting pitcher who will be on an innings leash in the second half. The Orioles want to do the same thing with Tyler Wells and also will be watching Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hall is piggybacked with one of those guys once he is promoted.

This philosophy may change if the Orioles get closer to the wild-card race, but Elias has said repeatedly that 2022 is designed to put his inexperienced starters in a position to not have any major limitations next year. And that means nursing them along through the full season this year with a manageable workload.

Rangers

• Elier Hernandez has reworked his stance prior to his promotion.

This season, however, has been a revelation. Hernández says that — among other adjustments — he altered his stance, changing the position of his right foot. The results? A .910 OPS with just 45 strikeouts and 20 walks in 62 games.

The main difference from his 2021 and 2022 AAA stats is his strikeout rate dropping from 30% K% to 20% K%.

Tigers

• While in AAA Akil Baddoo has been working on his swing.

And it took some time for the swing to click. Baddoo worked on a number of small adjustments in Toledo. He’s holding his hands further back in his setup. He ditched a leg kick he implemented over the offseason. The Tigers wanted Baddoo to get back to his contact-oriented ways, but they also wanted him to smooth out what can sometimes be a choppy swing, too.

Twins

• The linked article goes over the various scenarios that might happen when Miguel Sanó comes off the IL. Here is one:

We’re about to see this situation come to a head in the next few days, because the 20-day window for Sanó’s minor-league rehab assignment is almost closed. Once his rehab assignment ends, the Twins will have to clear room for him on the active roster or say goodbye, via trade, waivers or outright release. I believe there’s a decent chance we’ve seen the last of Sanó in a Twins uniform.

• When Kenta Maeda returns from the IL, he will head to the bullpen.

Maeda’s comeback from elbow surgery has advanced to throwing fastballs off a mound and he recently clocked in at 85 mph, so everything is going according to plan thus far. It sounds like he’s aiming for a September return, with a relief role the most likely goal considering how much more time it would take him to build back up to a starter’s workload.

National League

Brewers

Christian Yelich will continue to have back problems.

On his back:

“Yeah, I was doing a better job of staying on the field. Obviously, I’ve had to manage this thing over the years. It’s frustrating when it pops up. We kept it in a pretty good place, stayed on it. I was just kind of getting loose, and it decided that that was enough. It just kind of tightened up, and I could feel it grab and go, and once that happens, it’s a wrap. It’s a different spot than it usually is, though, which is good. So I don’t think this one will be a long time by any means, which is good news. Not like last year.”

Padres

• MacKenzie Gore’s workload will be limited and he’ll eventually move to the bullpen.

Already this season, the Padres have managed to limit Gore’s workload to the point where he’s pitched only 68 1/3 big league innings (in addition to five in the Minors). That should line him up to be very available in the second half.
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As such, Gore will continue as a starter after the break. But at some point, his workload will be limited. If the Padres want to make sure he’s available for the stretch run, his best path might be a relief role. Some in the organization wonder whether Gore might even become something of a late-season relief ace, with his stuff playing up in short bursts.

Phillies

• Jean Segura is hoping to come off the IL earlier than expected but not at 100%.

Segura broke his right index finger on May 31 and had surgery on June 3. The Phillies said then that he would miss 10-12 weeks. The 10-week mark is August 12, which means he is nearly five weeks into his recovery. But Segura said Wednesday that he plans to beat his original timeline and rejoin the Phils’ lineup earlier than expected.

“I’m not letting this thing go 10 to 12 weeks,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. As soon as I feel I can grip the bat and take a couple of swings …”

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So he really thinks he could be back before 10 weeks?

“The way we look right now, probably,” Segura said. “I still have a couple of tests — gripping the ball, throwing, hitting. So if everything goes well in the next couple of weeks, we might. … I’ve been doing some aggressive therapy. Getting it moving. The more I move it, the quicker it will heal, and I’ll get mobility. When mobility is 70 to 80 percent, I think that’s enough for me to play.”