Here’s the latest from the game’s western divisions:
- Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin may be fighting for his roster spot over the next week, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. The speedy outfielder is sporting a .270 OBP on the year, and with Delino DeShields and Josh Hamilton set to return before long, the club may soon have viable replacements in center. Martin can still be optioned, so Texas can give him some time in the minors to work things out if it wishes.
- The Rangers also have new options in the rotation with Matt Harrison seemingly nearing readiness for a big league start, Grant further writes. A six-man rotation is possible, says manager Jeff Banister, as is the potential of resting one of the current rotation members with a DL stint. Regardless of the team’s course of action, it’s remarkable that we’re at this point, as it once seemed that Harrison might never pitch again.
- Diamondbacks hurler Archie Bradley is headed for a visit with Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his balky right shoulder, Nick Piecoro reports (Twitter links). The club’s physician found only tendinitis, but Bradley continued to feel discomfort in his latest rehab outing. It’s far too soon to speculate, of course, but at a minimum it seems it’ll be a while longer until Arizona gets Bradley back into its rotation.
- The Giants are working hard on the July 2 market, Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs tweets. San Francisco is “trying hard” to land Bahamian shortstop Lucius Fox and may be the single team most closely pursuing Eddy Julio Martinez, says McDaniel. But the sense in the industry is still that the Dodgers will get both players, he adds.
For some reason I envision the Diamondbacks team doctor smoking a cigarette during his examination of Archie Bradley. Teeth clenched around a smoke… “C’mon son…say ahhh…let’s see if you’re gritty!”
Lol, now that one is gonna be stuck in my head every time the Diamondbacks have an injury question.. “Come on its just a torn rotator cuff..” “Walk it off!!”
With Harrison’s return imminent, Detwiler might as well start packing his bags now. His outing tonight included 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 homer over an inning of work, raising his ERA to 7.26. Adam Rosales pitched an inning tonight and only allowed 1 homer. I find it funny that Detwiler pitches more like a utility infielder than an actual utility infielder does.
Really rooting for Harrison to have a healthy and strong comeback. I’m not a Rangers fan but still hope that he comes back to baseball strong and has many healthy years to come!