The Phillies are placing Aaron Altherr on the DL after the outfielder aggravated his injured hamstring, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Altherr spent ten days on the DL due to a hamstring problem last month. When healthy, the 26-year-old has been a highlight of the Phillies’ season, batting .285/.357/.536 with 16 home runs in 336 plate appearances, but now it appears he’ll be on the shelf for at least a short time. Here’s more from the East divisions.
- The Braves are “almost certain” to retain manager Brian Snitker next season, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Snitker took over as the Braves’ interim manager last season, and the Braves hired him full-time (although only for a one-year deal plus an option) after he led the rebuilding club to a 59-65 record following a brutal 9-28 start under Fredi Gonzalez. After a 50-58 start this year, it appears both the Braves’ players and its front office appreciate having Snitker around. Snitker has “done everything possible to help us win,” says Freddie Freeman. “He deserved the managerial job when he got, and we all hope that he’s back.” Team president of baseball operations John Hart suggests Snitker will return. “[L]et’s just say that Brian hasn’t done anything to make us look around for candidates like we were doing at this time last year, when we were compiling names,” says Hart. “If you broke into my office in the dead of night, you would find no slips of paper in my desk.”
- Prior to yesterday’s game, the Rays optioned lefty and former top prospect Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times noted. They also recalled lefty Jose Alvarado (giving the Rays’ bullpen an extra arm for the time being), activated infielder Daniel Robertson, and optioned infielder Taylor Featherston. The 24-year-old Snell has a 4.98 ERA this season with 8.0 K/9 and a too-high 5.1 BB/9. This is the second time he’s been sent down — he also spent a six-week stint with Durham beginning in mid-May. Topkin notes that it’s unclear who will take Snell’s rotation spot, although the team has an off-day Monday, so there will be time to sort that out. One possibility is that Austin Pruitt (who pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston earlier this week) could remain in the rotation after Jake Odorizzi returns from a back strain. But Topkin also mentions that the team could promote 22-year-old top prospect Brent Honeywell, who has a 3.95 ERA, 11.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 100 1/3 innings in his first season with Durham.
Free Honeywell
I lost all hope in Snit between the bullpen and the whole Dansby incident
He’s not the GM. Can’t really blame him for Dansby at all. He has to put the best team out there to win as the manager, it’s up to the GM to put the players in the right place to develop them.
I get what your saying, but Snit has a lot of pull. Anyway, I was referring to benching Dansby and barely playing him for a month. The guy needs regular playing time. Honestly we had no shot for the playoffs, so then you have to weigh keeping your (hopefully) long term SS out there vs sitting him for the hot hand
He was the AAA manager for years, I think he has a good feel for what to do with kids that need to get it together. Dansby came out blazing last year and came back down. Maybe a dose of humility is what was needed. Just a guess.
Probably not good for the guy to go out there everyday and chase sliders from the entire league. Everyone knew he couldn’t hit one and that’s all he was seeing. He couldn’t work on anything at the highest level.
Not Snit’s fault on the players given.
All hope, really? Come on. Tone down the dramatics a bit.
Snit has been more than fine. I hope they bring him back. He had a couple of bullpen issues early on, but he’s gotten better working with what he has.
I think sending Dansby back to triple A to work on his swing against sliders was the best thing for him, he was overmatch for the majority of his last few at bats. How can you not play the hot hand. Camargo had been hitting and playing good defense at short. It might be a lost season, but at the end of the day you still want to win.
Double edged sword. Want to bring up the young stud but he won’t develop against major league talent. Swanson should be up in the show I hope it doesn’t ruin his confidence.
Is batting .160 good for his confidence?
If a demotion to work on things ruins Swanson then maybe he’s not the player we thought he was. Game is about adjustments
True
After 40 years of service for the same franchise and leading a bunch of vets and underwelming rookies to a decent, but still disappointing record, the most vote of confidence Snit gets from the Pres of Ops is “if you were to break into my office in the dead of night, you would not find (any other candidate names on my desk)”? It ain’t a gold Rolex.
He certainly has his faults, but if you’re going to commit to him, give him something more than that, like an extension.
I’m sure they will. IMO, those are off-season things, not August.
I agree. Hart didn’t say much, especially within the context you described so effectively.
I’m sure they’ll exercise his option and he’ll probably get an extention at some point between November and March.
Totally agree with above statement. Dansby situation completely mishandled. Strategic and tactical in game decision making very questionable with not only bullpen, which has been terrible, but pinch hitting situations as well. Think back to Lane Adams over Matt Adams decision. Luckily it worked out, but everyone had their heads in hand when it was made. That was luck, not tactical. How is Sean Rodriguez in line up? He has struck out at higher rate than Dansby. Dansby added things that are not measurable. Just look at win/loss record since Dansby went down. Strength of schedule dominates the reason for record, but look at the line ups that were put out there. Talent and heart is why we are winning. Imagine what we could do with a manager capable of making game winning decisions based on strategy. Where is Bobby Cox. Camargo is good and should be at 3rd, but if Bobby was there, he would have already been benched for jogging to first on ground balls hit to infield
“Luckily it worked out” then you proceed to question. Come on man. Give credit where credit is due.
Everyone thinks they know better, yet none of us are in MLB making the important decisions.
I think that I have missed watching 5 games all year.
Where would we be without the late inning offensive come backs? Was that due to managerial moves or was that overcoming poor moves in the first 6 innings.
Snit is better that F. Gonzales, but there is a reason that he spent 4 decades in the minors.
We need someone that can take us to the next level as the future is bright.
So it’s his fault everytime they are losing but it’s because of the players everytime they win. Interesting….
Were Coppy and Hart reading my post? lol.
Rodriguez traded, lmao
Glad we got a return on him.
Follow Cubs model ( never thought I would write that ). They had a manager occupy the position while talent developed and then went out and signed Maddon. Experience and wisdom!!
Oh what I would give to have Maddon. Can you imagine having that mind and energy in the dugout? Just seems like his players love playing for him the way the mid 90s guys talked about loving playing for Bobby.
Starting to lose hope the braves are going to do the right thing and let him walk. At this point I’m hoping he’ll retire soon. Been in the game four decades, so hopefully it’s coming.
… and who replaces him?
Too bad Yost contract does not expire until 2018….
Pete McKannin
“John Hart suggests Snitker will return. ‘. . . Brian hasn’t done anything to make us look around for candidates . . .,” says Hart. “If you broke into my office in the dead of night, you would find no slips of paper in my desk.”
“Hasn’t done anything [bad].” Now there’s a real positive vote of confidence! Sounds like a C-minus to me…..
(As an aside, I wonder how many of such slips of paper Mozeliak has in his desk?)
Please get rid of Snit. His bullpen decisions are awful. He keeps putting Krol, a LOOGY at best if even that, in at high-leverage roles vs RHB