Mining the News (9/12/25)

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

American League

Angels

• Mike Trout has been dealing with knee pain
…

[Trout] also hasn’t played defense since April, due to lingering soreness after tweaking his surgically repaired left meniscus.

… and might rework his swing to cut down on his strikeouts.

The Angels have approached Trout about making swing changes surrounding his leg kick and hip placement, and while he has been open to them, he’s yet to actually implement those changes.

He’s described his mechanical issue as his back side collapsing. This, Trout said, causes his head to move back, which makes pitch recognition more difficult, and creates an “uphill” swing. Hence, copious strikeouts and a lack of hard contact.

It’s a problem he’s dealt with for years, he said, and acknowledged “I don’t know” when asked if it’s a product of aging.

Astros

• Brandon Walter will have elbow surgery.

Astros left-handers Brandon Walter and John Rooney will undergo season-ending elbow surgery this week, the team announced. Houston did not specify the sort of procedure either pitcher will require. Walter landed on the injured list due to elbow inflammation back in late July.

I thought Walter might be a nice late-round DC add, but not anymore.

Guardians

• Gabriel Arias will play through some wrist pain.

Arias underwent testing on his right wrist after he exited Monday’s 10-2 win over the Royals due to inflammation. While the Guardians continue to push for a spot in the postseason, it has been determined that Arias can play through the issue, which followed consultation between Arias, the Guardians’ medical staff and hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham.

“He’s going to be playing through some pain,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said on Wednesday. “It’s kind of to his tolerance, kind of how he was before. [The testing] really didn’t show anything that he can’t play through.

Red Sox

• Payton Tolle will not pitch long into games.

Tolle, pitching for the first time on four days’ rest on Wednesday, was limited to two innings of work, allowing two solo homers. He’s set to make a normal start next week, but the team expects to limit his innings going forward. Early, meanwhile, debuted for the Red Sox on Tuesday with an outstanding 11-strikeout performance in five innings, allowing just three singles and a walk. The 11 strikeouts matched Don Aase’s Red Sox franchise record for a pitching debut.

• Trevor Story is hitting better because of a new pregame hitting routine.

Here, with only Boston Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse, he begins the batting routine that has powered his unlikely revival.

Just as it’s been since early June, Story digs in for pitch after pitch against Fatse, who does his best to mimic that night’s starter. Story doesn’t mind the extra work — he actually enjoys it because he’s finally healthy enough to put himself through those rigors.

Those efforts have been the impetus for his most successful season in a Red Sox uniform, and one of the biggest reasons that Boston is closing in on its first playoff appearance since 2021.
…
Story’s renaissance seemed unthinkable at the end of May, when he was hitting .216 with a .585 OPS. That’s around the time that he suggested an idea to Fatse. During his most successful seasons in Colorado, Story and then-manager Bud Black adopted a similar routine of extra work in the cage. It came in handy when Story was struggling against lefties.
…
In 86 games since June 1, Story has hit. 295 with an .863 OPS, 17 homers and 23 doubles. In that stretch, the Red Sox have gone 53-33.

Twins

• David Festa will likely need shoulder surgery.

Festa, who was shut down on Sept. 2, met with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday. After an MRI and a clinical evaluation, Meister believes Festa has neurological thoracic outlet syndrome. He referred Festa to Dr. Gregory Pearl, a vascular surgeon in Dallas, for further evaluation.

According to Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta, neurological thoracic outlet syndrome is usually caused by the overdevelopment or underdevelopment of a muscle that impedes the brachial plexus nerve, the nerve in the shoulder.
…
Treatment options for Festa can include diagnostic injections with botox or in the worst-case scenario, surgery. Either way, Festa’s evaluation with Pearl won’t be for another few weeks, and the Twins want to wait until he’s formally diagnosed before speculating on a timeline for his return or rehab program.

Yankees

• Anthony Volpe has been dealing with shoulder pain since May.

nypost.com/2025/09/11/sports/yankees-anthony-volpe-gets-cortisone-shot-months-after-pop-in-shoulder/ Anthony Volpe was given a shot in his left shoulder (the one that he heard go "pop" in May), the Post has learned.

— Joel Sherman (@joelsherman.bsky.social) 2025-09-11T15:31:17.084Z

National League

Braves

• Sean Murphy has dealt with a hip injury for three years and will have surgery on it …

Murphy will have surgery and require about 4 months of rehab. #Braves expect him to be ready for spring training. He said it’s bothered him to some degree for three years but worsened lately. https://t.co/181wt3jdCE

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 8, 2025

… because the team just found out.

#Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos said Sean Murphy has dealt with a hip issue for the last three seasons but had not informed the club until this week when the pain became unbearable. He'd only recently started seeking treatment. He Will have surgery on Thursday.

— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) September 8, 2025

Cardinals

• Masyn Winn is dealing with knee soreness and will need offseason surgery.

Masyn Winn, the Cardinals’ starting shortstop and a top candidate for the National League Gold Glove award at the position, was a late scratch due to knee pain. He had been battling lingering knee soreness for weeks, and both he and the Cardinals had agreed to monitor his prognosis on a day-by-day basis. That he was taken out of the lineup Tuesday was not all that surprising. What was revealed about his diagnosis after the Cardinals’ 5-3 loss was much more telling.

Winn has a meniscus tear in his right knee, manager Oli Marmol said to St. Louis-based reporters Tuesday night. Winn will require arthroscopic surgery in the offseason, but is expected to have a “very normal” winter, per Marmol.

Diamondbacks

• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will be out nine to 10 months.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will undergo ACL surgery this Thursday.

The Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder is expected to need at least 9–10 months of recovery.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) September 9, 2025

Reds

• Miguel Andujar is not playing much because of a quad injury.

When Andujar got to the Reds, he didn’t just hit lefties. He hit everyone. In his first 16 games with the Reds, he hit .388/.444/.673. But a quad injury has limited him since then, limiting him to designated hitter and pinch-hitting duties.
…
Francona said Andujar’s quad was improving, but he was hoping to let him get through the off day before playing him. But with a lefty on the mound and just a base hit needed, he went with Andujar.