A pair of Nationals infielders are currently dealing with injuries, as the club placed Ryan Zimmerman on the 10-day injured list with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Meanwhile, third baseman Anthony Rendon is dealing with a contusion on his left elbow that caused him to miss four games before he returned to the lineup for Friday’s series opener versus the Padres, only to feel soreness after the game, keeping him out of action on Saturday and Sunday. Though Rendon has thus far avoided a stint on the IL, manager Dave Martinez told Mark Zuckerman of MASN (Twitter link) that the Nationals may have to “do something different” if the injury prevents him from playing again on Monday. It’s certainly not welcome news for the Nationals, who have already seen injuries to fellow infielder Trea Turner, who is still recovering from a broken finger. There’s no timetable for Zimmerman’s return, though it figures to be several weeks before he is able to return to the diamond. Since Rendon has missed six of the last seven games, it seems somewhat curious that he wasn’t placed on the injured list, a decision that has left the Nats with a thin bench for the past week. And if an IL stint is necessary, it could keep Rendon out of action for longer than necessary, a loss that the Nationals can ill afford in the midst of a tight division race.
Here’s the latest news from around the National League…
- Despite the Mets’ recent decision to designate catcher Travis d’Arnaud for assignment, it does not appear that veteran Devin Mesoraco plans to report to Triple-A Syracuse. Mesoraco, currently on the restricted list after refusing a minor league assignment, has an “open door” to rejoin the team, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen told reporters, including Tim Healey of Newsday. However, all indications are that Mesoraco will instead elect to retire, though the backstop has not taken any formal action towards that end, says Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Sans d’Arnaud, the Mets will turn to Tomas Nido to back up Wilson Ramos, and while Mesoraco remains officially part of the organization, it seems unlikely that he will return to the catching mix.
- Brewers right-hander Jimmy Nelson will have to wait to begin his rehab assignment, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Originally scheduled to make his first start with Triple-A San Antonio on Sunday, Nelson instead returned to Houston to be with his wife for the premature birth of their twin daughters. Nelson missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2017 and is working towards returning to action for the Brewers this season, though his rehab assignment will have to wait for the time being, with no timetable for Nelson’s next pitching assignment.
- With Cubs infielder Addison Russell eligible to return from his 40-game suspension as early as May 3, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score writes that the team will have to consider a reconfiguration of its infield rotation should Chicago choose to reinstate Russell. A shortstop by trade, Russell is currently blocked by Javier Baez, who has excelled at the position in 2019. Russell has not played second base in the Majors since 2015, and the keystone is currently occupied Ben Zobrist and Daniel Descalso. In an already crowded infield, the Cubs may not have room for Russell, owner of a career .704 OPS.
Given the infield depth, keeping Russell and tendering a contract looks like a bad baseball decision. It was already pretty indefensible given the allegations
Never bad to have depth around the diamond! They can leave Russell in AAA as long as they want to. Ideally, he would rake in Iowa & build his trade value.
Don’t let this distract you from the fact Russell was part of a 15 run inning for the Iowa Cubs tonight.
Or distract you from the fact he beat his wife.
Yankees will trade for him probably. Somehow it’s ok when the Yankees pick up these guys on the cheap.
Russel is making peanuts. Who cares.
I’m thinking put Russell and Happ on the trading block together, perhaps we could find a closer?
Just putting it out there you trolls
Armchair GMs are saying they won’t be traded because both of their values are an all time low right now. Kind of agree with them though, it would be hard for either of them to sink much lower.
Bigger issue is Bote moving Bryant to OF or put Bote at 2B and deal Russell based on past performance and potential. Tough call. Russell and Schwarber in a deal?
What would the Cubs want back from the Yanks for Russell and Schwarber?
Jacoby Ellsbury
Yo
I’m not sure why you think Bote factors into this at all…
Baez will move back to 2B and Russell will start at SS. SS has nothing to do with Baez’s offensive success, and he’s a great fielder anywhere you put him.
Russell deserves a chance to prove he’s changed. People do stupid things for many reasons. It doesn’t excuse anything, his actions were still awful, but wiping your hands of someone doesn’t provide accountability for anyone.
Addison Russell for Mychal Givens would make sense for both teams.. selling low on Russell, but I don’t think you can ever really sell high on him as long as he’s with the Cubs.
Sure, fine. But when are Keuchel and Kimbrel singing?
After the draft. Why do people keep asking this? Nobody is giving up a pick for them now. Houston and Boston have a month to give it a shot since they issued the QO.
He is what,25? I know I made some bad decisions at that age. Some because I didn’t know any better. Everyone deserves a second chance, but it still doesn’t excuse what he did. I hope he is learning to be a better person. We do not need to give the Yankees another potential star for 10 years. Didi is possibly done and may want Russell. Can you see Russell and Gleybor in their infield because the Cubs gave them to them? Russell has better defensive numbers at short than Javy. Keep Russell at short. Bote stays. A trade involving Almora, Descalso, Happ, or Schwarber makes sense. Zagunis needs to be the 4th outfielder.
Everybody at his age either knows better or is human garbage, so that’s a really terrible excuse…
Personally, as a Cubs fan, I’d rather people stopped trying to make excuses for what he did and keep it purely about him as a baseball player ans nothing else, because there is no defense for him as a person.
Giving him another chance doesn’t excuse anything. The Cubs have, in fact, given him another chance. MLB has, in fact, given him another chance. That’s why a 40-game suspension does not = lifetime banishment from the game.
What does “keep it purely about him as a baseball player” even mean? Human beings play baseball. You have classified him as human garbage. How are you supposed to separate the two?
Oh look, he hit a home run. Great job, Addy. You are worthless in all aspects of life except for that. Well done!
If you’ve put him on the bottom rung of the humanity ladder I don’t know how on earth you could value his baseball talent.
Gee, that Hitler sure could paint.
Keep it about him as a baseball player means any justification for him playing should be based purely on what he does on the field.
And no, not everyone deserves a second chance. Cubs should have cut him and spared them and most of the fan base the embarrassment of having to see comments like these…
“And if an IL stint is necessary, it could keep Rendon out of action for longer than necessary,”
An IL stint is by definition not necessary if it will keep the player out longer than necessary. (It was necessary that I pointed this out.)
Except if he is hurt and doesn’t get listed right away, then he is better and he can’t come back right away.
Well done
Russell is one of the top 2-3 defensive SS in the world. Baez is a ++ defender, but there is a reason Russell is always the SS when both play.
The Cubs defense is INFINITELY better with Russell at SS and Baez at 2B. Also, the writer’s mention of Zobrist and not Bote clearly shows he doesn’t understand the pecking order already in place.
When Russell is available, he starts at SS. If he hits, her stays. If he doesn’t hit, he sits. Here’s not going to play 2B.
Or, per fangraphs, 10th!
Here to remind everyone that this exact same thing happened with Rendon when he broke his toe I think 2 years ago. Spent 15 days on the bench, then his IL stint couldn’t be backdated far enough. Stupid.