After he missed all but two games last season, the Astros are set to welcome back slugger Yordan Alvarez this year. It appears the 2019 AL Rookie of the Year will be limited solely to designated hitter, though, as manager Dusty Baker said Friday (via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) that it’s “very unlikely” he’ll play any outfield in 2021. Alvarez underwent surgery on both knees, and Baker commented, “It’s shown in the past that whenever [Alvarez] plays in the outfield, he’s hurting for two or three days, you know what I mean?” If Alvarez doesn’t see any action in the grass, it’ll leave left field to Michael Brantley, who battled his own injury troubles a year ago and spent most of his season at DH.
- Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will return to the mound Saturday when he throws two innings in a simulated game, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com relays. That’s welcome news after Rodriguez missed all of last year because of myocarditis and COVID-19. Rodriguez was one of Boston’s top pitchers during the previous couple seasons, and as a pending free agent, the 27-year-old is heading into a pivotal campaign.
- Reds right-hander Brandon Bailey announced on Twitter that he underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday. It was the second TJ procedure for the 26-year-old Bailey, whom the Reds acquired from the Astros in November. The 26-year-old Bailey made his major league debut last season in Houston with 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball, six hits allowed, and four walks against three strikeouts. During his most recent minor league action in 2019, Bailey recorded a 3.30 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning across 92 2/3 Double-A frames.
- Brewers catcher Jacob Nottingham is not recovering from late-December thumb surgery as quickly as expected. Nottingham is only doing “small baseball activities” right now and will not be ready for the start of Cactus League play, according to manager Craig Counsell (via Todd Rosiak and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). A healthy Nottingham and free-agent pickup Luke Maile figured to jockey for the No. 3 catcher position behind Omar Narvaez and Manny Pina, so Nottingham’s injury could help Maile in his quest to land that job. Nottingham, who is out of minor league options, amassed 54 plate appearances last year and hit .188/.278/.458 with four home runs.
- Nationals outfielder Gerardo Parra underwent right knee surgery in the fall and is currently at 70 to 80 percent, he told Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post and other reporters Friday. Parra expects to be ready for Opening Day, but having signed a minor league deal in the offseason, he has work to do this spring in order to earn a spot on Washington’s roster.
darn, really had high hopes for Bailey
Another stupid mark for the Reds front office. Another team sold them more damaged goods.
Yeah terrible move giving up the highly rated “cash considerations” for him.
Yeah, after all he can become a free agent in 2027.
Yeah, well they better get their cash back.
Okay, cause TJ surgery is career ending …
You seem like the kind of dude who wants his money back when your steak comes medium instead of medium-rare.
I’m not seeing anything wrong with that. If I have a fully loaded bacon-cheeseburger, and it is not quite right,I just go with it.
If I am paying $30 for a nice cut of steak, and I don’t see any red inside, it really should go back
Even with Alvarez coming back to the Astros, the division belongs to the A’s now.
Lol
How is Yordan Alvarez already this bad defensively? How does a player in his very early 20’s end up in a DH role? The man is in his early 20’s and was rookie of the year the last time he played. I understand that it is caused by his leg injuries. What I mean is: This has to be unprecedented, right? A guy wins rookie of the year, gets shifted to DH, has serious leg injury problems that virtually guarantee he will stay a DH, misses an entire season, does it all over a span of 2 years (including his rookie of the year season), and that all happens while he is still in his early 20’s? This guy is only a year or 2 older than Tatis. I get how it could happen but man… It seems his best hope is that he is what Nelson Cruz is now for the rest of his career… and Nelson Cruz is over 41 years old.
It isn’t a downward tumble, though. He was always a DH. Pretty much every scout said he was a DH only player. There was never really a thought of him being an everyday outfielder. The simultaneous knee surgery at 23 is a bit strange. Seems like a great hitter with horrible genetics. I just hope the knee issues don’t sap his power, because if he can’t hit at an elite level he isn’t even a major leaguer anymore.
He’s about 8 months removed from surgeries on both knees first of all. Second, he’s not at the big league level to play LF. It’s smart to DH him and utilize his strengths without risking his health. He’s a huge guy, Judge has had plenty of injuries for that exact reason. I’d really like to see Yordan become a 1st baseman in the near future.
A reasonable comp for Alvarez would be Mark Carreon who came up with the Mets in the late 80s. When healthy the guy was truly a professional hitter who was consistently productive throughout his career, but he had knee problems from the jump that kept him on the DL for long stretches over the course of his career. He had braces on both knees most of the time. Was such a shame because he was very talented but cursed with bad wheels.
Is he in his early 20’s?
Couldn’t agree more. Well said. Pretty crazy and unbelievable. I hope he does have a great career as a dh. But slim chance that works out.
Mark “Carreon luggage” was never close to the hitter that Alvarez is (.766 career OPS) and only played 15 games as a DH. He did have injury issues though
David Ortiz was pretty much a full time DH at age 24. He was never an outfielder, but really, never was Alvarez.
That division doesn’t belong to anyone right now. It’s really a toss-up between the Astros, A’s and Angels. If any of them won the division, it wouldn’t surprise me.
Angels fan, huh?
Lol
I’m standing hard by this when I say: The M’s will be better than the Angels this season. Their pitching is all around better, and the talent they have coming up this season is going to make their lineup the more athletic version of the Angels’ lineup. That team is gonna be sneaky good.
Rangers29….I think that you’re slightly being facetious. But even if you’re not, it’s funny that you’re taking a bold stance on 3rd and 4th place predictions.
Rangers2914 mins ago
I’m standing hard by this when I say: The M’s will be better than the Angels this season.
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So you’re predicting that the team that had a better record in 2020, will have a better record in 2021?
I seriously believe that lol. It may seem facetious, but in all honesty, it’s not. For the past couple of years the Angels have put together these good lineups as they try their hardest to compete, but they never get the pitching. And every year they don’t have pitching, they don’t win. Until they get the pitching that they so very need, they will not win.
Well JoeBrady, people have been saying all off-season that the Angels are in the running for the A.L West title, and they aren’t. I’m just going as far to say that the team that is supposedly worst than them (the M’s) is actually better despite the pleading coming from LAA advocates.
The Angels could ask their neighbour about David Price though. Its no secret the Dodgers is 8M short of 250M and dumping Price (16M) or Joe Kelly (8M and 4M buyout) could make them below 250M and avoiding more penalties. 16M a year for 2 more year contract seems cheap for the Angels IMHO and giving their rotation more good SP. Its my two cents though..
Have they done it yet thought? No. I think it’s an intriguing scenario, but until it actually happens I don’t believe in their team at all.
Rangers2919 hours ago
Well JoeBrady, people have been saying all off-season that the Angels are in the running for the A.L West title, and they aren’t.
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It’s the spring, and all hope runs eternal. After listening to the WS fans and the NYM fans, I am surprised we are even playing the regular season.
I think it was a tossup before the A’s just completely revamped the bullpen. Now, I think they are the clear favorites.
If Valdez and Javier continue to do well for the Astros, it’s difficult to see the A’s taking the division over a 162 games schedule. But under Beane, the A’s have surprised everyone more than a few times.
A’s lover, I applaud you homerism, but nah. Houston has the best lineup on the AL and they have enough pitching to win.
I respectfully disagree. I will give the Astros lineup an edge over the A’s, but our starting pitching, relief pitching, and defense is much better than the Astros. I think we are significantly better overall.
If you think so…lol
He’s an 85-Ye old man lol, and future Ortiz
Playing the outfield beats up Alvarez’s knees like an Astro beats a trashcan.
Still going on with the trashcan thing, huh? I guess it never gets old for some people. I’m not one of those people.
thanks for sharing that with us, we can all feel more miserable about our lives for rubbing it in to a team that cheated for years and got caught…
The name is still synonymous with cheating and that’ll last as long as the core of the team remains intact. The MLB let them down by not suspending players which could have made it much easier for the rest of the league’s fans to move on.
So the Astros replaced Springer with Alvarez this season? They are too good…
This is why I hate the DH….not because I care about seeing pitchers hit (although I do like the extra strategy of double switches and tough decisions about bringing out a pitcher in 1-0 game when he comes up to bat in the 6th with runners aboard)……What I hate is a guy being able to bat regularly when he can’t field a position at all….teams should have to decide if a bat in the lineup is really worth it….I’d be for 8 man batting orders over the DH or pitchers hitting as a compromise..
I’d rather a guy who seems to have an unavoidable injury history have a chance to make life changing money hitting the lights out of a baseball and entertaining millions of fans rather than strip everyone of the positive outcome. But maybe I’m wrong and the game should be boring.
^ Passive aggressive version of what I was gonna say.
Or maybe, you are only a baseball player if you can play the field too….and I dont really care about any one person making life changing money, because if it’s not him…it would be somebody else taking a roster spot.
And I don’t find anything exciting about a guy that can’t play first base or RF, lumbering up to the plate 4 or 5 times a game and then going to sit on his butt the other 3 hours.
I don’t get the thought that a guy isn’t a baseball player if he doesn’t play defense. Hitting a baseball well is an extremely difficult skill…he may not be a “complete player”, but he’s certainly still a player worth watching. Do you think defensive minded players who can’t hit a lick should be banned too?
There’s 9 positions on a baseball field. 1 baseball player in each position. Each position is used to play defense. Each position SHOULD be used on offense as well. If they want to ADD a batter only position, so be it. I mean look how many players already hit for low average. I’d rather see Kershaw, Greinke, Lorenzen, Ohtani hit AND pitch than watch these can’t field only bat guys.
I love the DH. Pitchers shouldn’t have to be taken out early in a game in which they’re pitching well. And there’s no increase in strategy in NL games. It’s pretty simple. If you have less than 2 outs and runners on with the pitcher up to bat, you bunt.
It’s not that simple
And you just admitted there is strategy…by saying a pitcher “shouldn’t have to be taken out when he is pitching well” you are admitting that without 5e DH a manager has to consider sometimes doing that…..hence, making a strategic decision one way or the other.
What you are arguing for is artificial strategy. Make the game harder for the sake of making it harder. It doesn’t actually add integrity to the game.
Lawson –
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this part of baseball “strategy” you’re so hung up on. That’s why teams carry so many bullpen arms these days. There’s plenty of other aspects of strategy involved in the game that don’t force fans to watch a pitcher make a pathetic attempt at hitting a ball
Lawson here’s an idea; no player can DH more than 80 games in a regular season. That would force Alvarez to buy a glove.
It’s not an idea I’d advocate.
So you like poor fielding? Guys like David Ortiz aren’t going away. So instead they’re put in the field, for their bat. Not to mention terrible hitting pitchers strikeout, and eighth batters pitched around to get to those hitting pitchers.
What about football? Should punters be required to quarterback. Hockey and Soccer? Goalies required to score. Many team sports have specialists.
I prefer to watch the best challenge the best, even if it requires Designated Hitters, Goalies, Receivers, Punters, etc.
Prior to 1973 every starting player and any replacement were required to play offense and defense. Comparing other sports to baseball is apples and oranges. Your logic suggests baseball ought to have a game clock rather than 27 outs to complete a game. Since you want to compare baseball with other sports…
Asking players to own and operate a baseball glove on defense is not too much to ask. Also not too much to ask pitchers to hit better, yet that seems to be too much for today’s baseball fan. Learn to play on both sides of the ball, show your value.
Many people don’t want to see pitchers hit just as much as they don’t want to see guys like alvarez, Carlos Lee or old man Manny Ramirez trying to run and throw in the outfield.
Really pulling for ERod this year. Crazy talented. It would be great to see him succeed after such a scare.
Gerardo Parra has low-key had a good career. Not a guy you think of as having as long a tenure as he’s had.
Sherwood forest had high hopes for Nottingham, he seemed to be moving up the charts in 2015 then rebounded in 2018, but he has definitely showcased high quality AAA – org depth for MLB
only 25 he is reaching the age to prove himself or find himself buried.
I had high hopes for him. He just can’t hit consistently. Actually reminds me alot of Mike Matheny. He won’t be on the ML roster again, I think buried has happened already.
The guy (Nottingham) is built like a Mack truck and can really crush a ball when he gets a hold of one. He hasn’t hit consistently yet but to be fair he hasn’t really been given a legitimate opportunity either. He’s really been focused on improving defensively over the last few years and has become pretty solid behind the plate….I wouldn’t be surprised if he figures it out offensively a little late like catchers often do
Did the Reds have any clue Bailey needed another TJ surgery?
A health report and no mention of Bellinger and his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery? I’m not even a Dodgers fan but I am curious to see if he is ever going to be great again. A bad shoulder could certainly alter your swing and he doesn’t want 2 bad years in a row.
What
You heard me.
They mentioned Bellinger the other day.
That was a whole three days ago. Coop wants hourly reports on Bellinger’s recovery.
OK so I missed it. He is a critical piece of my fantasy baseball team.
Hourly? Come on, do you think I’m that crazy? Geez…I mean, every 4 hours would be fine.
E-Rod’s return needs to be watched carefully by the trainers because to me he rushed his recovery from the heart condition. I hope he’s fine but it would NOT surprise me if he has issues since he didn’t take the full 6 months recommended for not conditioning after his heart issues.
It’s great that he’s back but I’m going to stay cautiously optimistic about his health. Shortcuts to recommended recovery plans often don’t turn out well. The Red Sox need E-Rod to pitch all year if they want to stay ahead of Baltimore. They also need the 2019 version of E-Rod not the pre-2019 version. Typically a SP with a 3.8 projected ERA and 1.30 projected WHIP is a #5 SP but with Sale out and Price in LA only Eovaldi represents a SP with better projected stats. That speaks volumes to how bad the pitching staff is without Sale and Price. Houck has the potential to out-perform E-Rod and possibly Pivetta if he realizes his potential. Richards is such a crap shoot that who knows if he can be the guy he once was and put up nice numbers or will he be the guy that pitched the last two years. Red Sox fans need to hope for a E-Rod type year from Richards, 3.80/1.30 ERA/WHIP.
Looking at the numbers in Baseball Reference, it’s been since the 1959-1966 era that the Red Sox have been as bad as they are now. 8 years below .500 with Pinky Higgins, Johnny Pesky and Billy Herman as managers compared to the clown they have now. It took hiring Dick Williams to get them out of their funk. Hopefully, the ownership will snap out of their zombie state and realize they need a real manager and GM to get things back on track quickly..
First question is why did the Red Sox sign Marwin after signing Kiki?
Second question is does the offseason acquisition process push Chavis to the bench, or AAA, and why?
Third question is can Devers play well enough defensively at 3B?
Forth question is couldn’t the Red Sox add another SP by not adding one of the aforementioned players?
Fifth question is did purging the ex-Padre castoffs to play the OF improve the team?
Last question is when is Sale back? Sale, a healthy E-Rod along with the rest of the staff might not be that bad.
Jury is still out on Bloom IMO. Hasn’t done much to deserve praise.
WereAllJustGuestsHere3 hours ago
First question is why did the Red Sox sign Marwin after signing Kiki?
Second question is does the offseason acquisition process push Chavis to the bench, or AAA, and why?
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On Marwin, my guess is that they liked his ability to back up Dalbec against tough righties. I think he looked good in limited ABs, but he is far from a sure thing.
IRT Chavis, I hope he is headed to AAA. He’s got some talent, but it is painful to watch him swinging at pitches high & inside, and low & outside. He’s only had 103 ABs in AAA, so the experience might help him.
Marwin only makes sense if one of the LH outfield hitters is benched against LHP. I figured Kiki does what Marwin can do, only better. But I am only a rival AL East observer here.
I think the issue is that the RS want to go with a 3-man bench, Which means that they need a backup 1B, and a heck of a lot of versatility.
WereAllJustGuestsHere – Great questions.!!
Answers:
1 – They are idiots
2 – Chavis will be the utility player 1B, 2B, LF, and 3B
3 – Devers must move to DH so for that to happen JD needs to hit so he can be dealt for pitching and payroll relief. Dalbec is better at 3B than Devers so the JD move would fix things for the future.
4 – Yes. The new Red Sox approach is to hire people and train them on the job. Cora first now Bloom. Young arms or Marwin? Good call Bloom.
5 – No. Since they’ll be gone in a year maybe treating Duran like Cora and Bloom and letting him train while on the job would be more effective than the purged SD outfielders.
6 = Sale normally would have been back by April. The mishandling of him continues and they will probably bring him back in July. If it were up to him, he’d be pitching Opening Day and would be just fine like all the other TJ surgery guys who were elite prior to the surgery.
E-Rod debuts soon and hopefully his rushed recovery won’t cause a relapse. He should have taken the recommended 6 months off from activity that was recommended after his heart diagnosis. Cross your fingers that he doesn’t relapse and Sale is back May 1. Best chance of a .500 season.
If you’ve watched the first two Spring Training games, you can understand just how optimistic it is to think anything over 65 wins in 2021.
The Reds are a joke franchise
He’ll never get into the Hall of Fame as a DH. Somehow a guy who pitches 70 innings a year can be a first ballot unanimous vote, but a guy who comes to the plate 600+ times a season has no business being in the Hall of Fame because he doesn’t play defense. Honestly, stupid.
Whyhayzee – Bravo. Completely Agree with you!! The HOF is a joke. Sports writers have screwed with the membership since the beginning of the Hall. Now with Rose, Shoeless and the entire generation of players who used a juiced ball in the 1990s and early 2000s not getting in!. It’s ridiculous. It needs to be renamed as a club not a Hall of Fame for Baseball. Rizzuto over Bonds? Rivera, a failed starter, the unanimous selection because he played in NY. Jeter, never the best player at his position during his career yet he gets in on the first ballot. The list of travesties is too long to mention here. The Sport needs a real HOF based on performance.