MLB News and Notes
Baseball is considered America’s pastime, and on Memorial Day, we should not forget the patriotism and ultimate sacrifices of the soldiers who also played MLB when they weren’t fighting for America on battlefields around the world. According to Gary Bedingfield, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the operator of baseballinwartime.com, 535 baseball players have lost their lives in military service since the Civil War. We remember them and all the others who have fought for our freedoms.
Fantasy owners are holding their collective breaths as Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña exited Sunday afternoon’s game against the Red Sox after suffering a knee injury while running to first base. In his first 129 major league plate appearances, he’s hitting .265/.326/.453 with five home runs, 13 RBI, and 19 runs scored. His status should be monitored carefully.
Here is what happened to Ronald Acuña Jr.
He was able to walk off the field.
Stay tuned for updates. pic.twitter.com/Qj9NUAD0EE
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 27, 2018
Red Sox slugger Mookie Betts was removed from Sunday’s lineup after experiencing tightness in his left side. He’s considered day-to-day while the Red Sox try to determine whether the issue is more serious than it appears. Blake Swihart took Betts’ place in left field for Sunday’s series finale against the Braves.
Felipe Vazquez was forced to leave Sunday’s game against the Cardinals with left forearm discomfort. Edgar Santana could be the next man up in the ninth inning for the Pirates.
Yu Darvish went on the 10-day DL on Saturday for the second time this season, this time with tendinitis in his right triceps. Darvish is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts. He will have an MRI exam in the coming days to assess the severity of the injury. Mike Montgomery will be added to the rotation and is scheduled to start Monday.
Madison Bumgarner threw 3 2/3 hitless innings in his first rehab start for Triple-A Sacremento, striking out eight and showing good fastball velocity and command of his whole repertoire. The performance was so good that there is speculation that Bumgarner may return to the Giants rotation this week.
If you are looking for some pitching help, keep an eye on Tampa pitcher Nate Eovaldi. The right-hander is scheduled to make his first major league start this week since having a second Tommy John surgery. Eovaldi is looking to become the 12th pitcher to start a major league game after having two Tommy John operations. Eovaldi has a career record of 38-46. His best season came with the Yankees in 2015 when he went 14-3 with a 4.20 ERA. He last appeared in the majors on Aug. 10, 2016 while with the New York Yankees. He underwent a ligament replacement surgery nine days later.
"It definitely feels like it's been forever.'' — Nate Eovaldi #RaysUp https://t.co/7Vqg3W5h1w
— Spectrum Sports 360 (@SpecSports360) May 25, 2018
Clayton Kershaw is nearing his return to the mound, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Kershaw has skipped a minor league assignment and will rejoin the rotation on Thursday. He was diagnosed with biceps tendinitis as the team closed out their Mexico Series at the start of the month. He has not made a start in several weeks but was finally able to resume throwing last Sunday and managed to get through two successful bullpen sessions.
Greg Bird was activated from the disabled list Saturday and says he’s ready to play every day at first base. Tyler Austin owners can take heart that Yankees manager Aaron Boone says he will find at-bats for the first baseman, who filled in quite well while Bird was on the disabled list. Bird played a total of 12 rehab games, the last four with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, during which he hit two homers, five RBI, three runs and two walks along with seven strikeouts. Ronald Torreyes was sent down to make room for Bird.
Shohei Ohtani likely will rejoin the Los Angeles Angels’ rotation next week. He was scheduled to start Sunday against the Yankees, but the Angels pushed his start back as part of his “workload management.” Ohtani is 4-1 with a 3.35 ERA in seven starts.
As other young stars and prospects keep making news, Gleyber Torres continues to crush baseballs. Last Friday night, Torres became the youngest player in American League history to have homered in four straight games. He seems to be the real deal, and many a wise fantasy league owner is looking to see what it takes to get him on their roster.
On Saturday, Andrew Miller landed back on the 10-day disabled list with right knee inflammation. Miller hasn’t looked like his usual sub-2.00 ERA, though he paired a 4.40 ERA and 6.3 BB/9 with an impressive 14.4 SO/9 across his first 14 1/3 innings. A left hamstring strain and minor back injury hampered his effectiveness on the mound, though this appears to be a more serious issue.
Cardinals right-handed reliever Greg Holland has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right hip impingement. The reliever hasn’t looked quite himself this season, posting a 9.45 ERA, 10.1 BB/9 and 6.8 K/9 in just 13 1/3 innings of work. A healthy Holland would eventually help the Cardinals and fantasy owners with some saves.
The Tampa Bay Rays have traded closer Alex Colome and outfielder Denard Span to the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners will likely slot Colome into a setup role in front of closer Edwin Diaz, which is a bit of a bad break of owners of Colome. Chaz Roe and Jose Alvarado will see the first chances at closing for the Rays. Sergio Romo may get some chances when the Rays are done with him being a spot “starter.” Span will take over center field in Seattle, allowing Dee Gordon to cover for the suspended Robinson Cano at second base once Gordon recover from a fractured toe. Seattle traded righties Andrew Moore and Tommy Romero to the Rays.
The Red Sox have activated Dustin Pedroia from the disabled list. The related news is a little more surprising: The Red Sox designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment. The problem is that given how well Mitch Moreland has hit at first and J.D. Martinez has hit at DH, there is simply no room for Ramirez in the lineup. He should land somewhere and still could be fantasy relevant if he lands in the right situation.
Pirates outfielder Starling Marte is back in the lineup after the team reinstated him from the 10-day disabled list on Saturday. Prior to landing on the disabled list, Marte was off to a strong start, as he slashed a solid .308/.366/.503 with six home runs, 10 stolen bases and a .869 OPS in 175 plate appearances. Outfielder Jose Osuna was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. The move came as somewhat of a surprise, as the Pirates elected to retain top prospect outfielder Austin Meadows rather than the more established Osuna. However, Meadows has had a nice start since being called up.