Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre left the team’s game Sunday after re-aggravating his left hamstring, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. Another stint on the disabled list may be in the offing for Beltre, who suffered a strained hamstring on April 24 and didn’t come off the DL until this past Tuesday. When Beltre has been healthy enough to take the field this season, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer has put together a .314/.375/.422 batting line in 120 plate appearances.
More injury updates from around MLB…
- Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward won’t come off the seven-day concussion DL on Monday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com relays. It’s unclear when Heyward will be ready to go, as manager Joe Maddon said Sunday that there’s no timetable for his return. In better news for the Cubs, right-hander Yu Darvish will take the ball against the Braves on Tuesday, per Muskat. Darvish will end up missing the minimum, then, after going on the 10-day DL retroactive to May 4 with flu-like symptoms.
- Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison will begin a rehab assignment Monday at the Double-A level, Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror reports (Twitter link). Harrison has been on the shelf since suffering a fractured left hand on April 15. It seems he’ll make it back to the majors within the expected six-week window, though.
- Indians left-hander Ryan Merritt will put his rehab assignment on hold on account of inflammation in his throwing shoulder, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. Merritt has been on the mend from a separate injury – a left knee issue – which has sidelined him all season. He’ll now go three to five days before throwing again. The out-of-options Merritt could be a fifth starter option for the Indians when he returns, given Josh Tomlin’s disastrous output thus far.
- The previously reported MRI on Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario’s left wrist came back clean, according to the 24-year-old (Twitter link via Jason Beck of MLB.com). Candelario will “try to rehab and strengthen it,” Beck writes. He was out of the lineup for the Tigers’ game against the Mariners on Sunday, though manager Ron Gardenhire said afterward that “everything’s going to be fine” (via Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, on Twitter).
“It’s unclear when Heyward will be ready to go, as manager Joe Maddon said Sunday that there’s no timetable for his return.”
Cubs fan chant: “Opt – Out! Opt – Out! Opt – Out! Opt – Out! Opt – Out! Opt – Out!”
Freakin hilarious
Pretty much. I think anyone with an IQ over room temperature knows that Heyward is only on the disabled list because he sucks, but the Cubs will most definitely need to force him to opt-out.
The defense is great, but it’s like having another pitcher in the lineup. You can’t have that kind of weakness on a championship caliber team.
Pretty sure Heyward is on the DL because he has a concussion, given that he sustained a concussion. They’re still paying him even if he’s on the DL, so not sure why they wouldn’t want his gold glove defense at least on the bench.
I’m also not sure there’s an ethical way to “force”somebody to opt out, since it’s his choice in the contract.
Plus his OPS was near league average over his last 15 games. He’s a guy who doesn’t strike out much, moves the runners over, and is a good base runner.
Don’t know why I have to explain all this, seems anybody with an IQ would know this.
But that great defense
and near league average everything else is still not worth $23 million a year or the rest of the insane contract the Cubs are paying him !
“Plus his OPS was near league average over his last 15 games”
But what about his OPS that has been way below league average for the past 2 1/4 seasons? It’s true that he doesn’t strikeout much, he also doesn’t get on base much.
What they tell you and what reality is are two very different things. Not saying he didn’t sustain a concussion, but he can be held out longer if the team tells him they need him to go ali g with the program. Teams routinely use the disabled list as a resting place for healthy (or very VERY lightly injured players). Common knowledge.
Also, ethics? In business? He isn’t performing up to standard. He isn’t fulfilling his astronomical contract, and he’s handicapping this team. Sorry, hardly an ethical issue. If anything, he’s stealing money.
You obviously don’t watch a lot of Cubs baseball, and for you to not even know how the disabled list is routinely REALLY used shows you don’t know much about how things really work.
Defending Heyward is a comical move. Thanks for the laugh, however. He’s another pitcher in the lineup. End of.
Opt out contracts rarely work for the team that gives them. Say you project a player to give you 3 WAR each year for the next seven years and you pay him accordingly, but you offer an opt out after three years. If that player becomes a 5+ WAR player, he opts out, and you lose his services. If he deteriorates to a 1 WAR player, you’re on the hook to overpay for a sub-par player for seven years. You lose the star; you keep the chaff.
The team loses UNLESS the player plays nearly as projected and rarely sees the disabled list. How often does that happen?
Opt outs don’t hurt a team’s present, they hurt their future. General Managers often focus on the present and near future. Smart owners need to focus on a sustainable long term future. Consequently, smart owners rarely allow their General Managers to offer opt out contracts.
Is your favorite team’s owner smart? You can see if he’s not.
But they are still paying him. Pretty sure Heyward will not opt out nor can the Cubs force him to.
What are you talking about? No one can be forced by a team to opt out of any contract. Heyward maybe overpaid but he’s got above average defensive skills and covers a lot of short comings the Cubs have in outfield defense.
And his hitting is so atrocious, it doesn’t matter what he does well. Absent that contract, he would already be out of the league.
That’s a bit of reach as there are worse offensive players who are signed strictly as D players. That being said…..if Heyward was a FA this offseason….he would likely only get somewhere around $8M/year
You are severely overvaluing right field defense.
I think the part where I said he was overpaid means no. Do you watch Cubs games, or are you purposely trying to be a contrarian?
And how do you suppose they “force” Heyward to opt out?
Shoot him. Right in the head.
Cubs have subcontractors in the Chicago syndicate set to pay Heyward a visit and make a compelling case to him for opting out.
As long as he’s on the DL the club Dosent have to pay. …. insurance does. …
Yes we do not have to go get home something to eat dinner and then I’ll leave.
Get some help…
That’s incorrect. Insurance only typically covers a team if a player has a chronic/recurring injury or something major like TJS or a torn ACL. of course, every insurance policy is different but I’m pretty positive that most of them are very limited in terms of what they cover
That’s not true ! A player has to be out like 75% of the year with an injury before the insurance kicks in . Of course there are different riders written into each players contract that makes them all unique , but this is usually the norm .
Insurance only kicks in if a player misses a large chunk of the season due to a severe injury. Then there’s the matter of the insurance only kicking in if a team pays for the insurance (not all teams do)
Well I feel for the Cubs and what a very large contract has produced. You think it’s bad for the cubs, look at what the RedSox have been stuck with the last few years….. over pay and under production… yeah go on take the money and run…but the worm is turning guys, and teams are starting to back away from these silly contracts… anyone think David Price has earned his 30 mil a year the last three years? Sandoval ? H Rameriz?
Merritt will never be a starter for the Tribe. Bieber will be ready soon.
And that’s a real shame since a healthy Merritt would have a golden opportunity right now to claim that 5 slot in the Tribe rotation. You just get the impression he’s contracted the same perpetual injury virus that Salazar’s had for the past few years.
Bieber and Plutko both stronger options than Merritt. No need to hurry him back.