Red Sox ace Chris Sale worked off a mound today for the first time in his recovery from March 2020 Tommy John surgery, Jen McCaffrey of the Athletic was among those to relay (Twitter link). There’s still no timetable for Sale’s potential return to game action, although getting on the mound obviously represents a notable step forward. At 18-13, the Red Sox are off to a strong start and could be a legitimate contender in a tough AL East. Boston’s rotation looks to be the weak point on the roster, but it’s held up fairly well so far. Sox starters have a middle-of-the-pack 4.02 ERA/4.00 SIERA over the season’s first month-plus.
Other health situations around the league:
- This morning, the Mariners announced they’ve placed reliever Keynan Middleton on the 10-day injured list with a right biceps strain. Fellow righty Wyatt Mills was recalled in his place. Middleton, 27, has tossed 11 2/3 innings of five-run ball in the early going, striking out nine against six walks. Middleton, who underwent a Tommy John surgery in May 2018, spent the 2017-20 seasons with the division-rival Angels.
- The Yankees placed infielder Rougned Odor on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. He’s dealing with a left knee sprain. Right-hander Albert Abreu was recalled to take his place on the active roster. Odor, acquired from the Rangers at the beginning of the regular season, hasn’t offered a whole lot offensively in the early going. He’s hitting just .164/.271/.361 over his first 70 plate appearances with New York. To his credit, Odor has massively improved upon his strikeout and walk rates from recent seasons though.
- Padres outfielder Jorge Oña underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow yesterday, Dennis Lin of the Athletic was among those to pass along (Twitter link). He’s expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks. Oña, 24, made a very brief MLB debut last season, tallying 15 plate appearances over five games. Other than that limited major league time, Oña only has 103 trips to the plate above the low minors (in Double-A in 2019), so he likely would’ve started the year at Triple-A El Paso even if he’d been healthy.
- Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol, placed on the injured list last week because of forearm tightness, was known to be headed for an MRI. Fortunately, testing showed no structural damage, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). That’s especially welcome news since the flamethrowing Graterol underwent a Tommy John procedure back in 2016. There’s still no indication when he might return to game action.
Sale is a Q-tip with too much ear wax on it.
Funny stuff. Must be a Sale hater. He’s one of the best in the league when healthy and he has been healthy until the elbow blew out for the most part..
As for the Sox rotation.. They continue to give perez starts. He’s a legit back of the rotation guy, who could be a part of nearly every team’s rotation in that spot, but with Boston, they are keeping Tanner Houck at the alternate site/AAA who is better and really should be getting those starts right now instead. The front 3 of the rotation.. Rodriquez ,Eovaldi, Piveta are decent
Perez is giving us quality innings with not a lot of run support. Houck will get his chance, but he needs better control, just like Pavitta, and to last longer then just 5 innings every night.
And Connor Seabold is on his way up too. It’s too bad that their top pitching prospect underwent Tommy John surgery in April but with Houck & Seabold @ AAA and Sale on the mend, the Sox have adequate pitching depth for the first time since 2018. It’s really nice to see. That Workman/Hembree deal for Pivetta & Seabold looks better and better.
The Red Sox rotation is decent, and the rotation has been more consistent then both the bullpen, defensive, and offense.
Houck is working on his third pitch. He gave up 8 hits in 3 innings in his first start.
Odor looks like a whole different person without his beard.
It’s a shame he’s still a AAAA player no matter what facial hair he has.
His bat is the worst in baseball, he doesn’t deserve playing time, its terrible scouting and front officing by deciding to continue to let him play in the first place. His defense is bad too. Strange move by the Yankees, they could have gotten any blocked 27 year old who has at least good numbers at AAA instead.
I wonder if Odor has literally bullied his way onto starting lineups because the managers are scared he will do what he did to Joey Bats to them, if they send him down to AAA? There’s not much other than his contract keeping him in the game at this point. K rate or not, all he does is make outs and hit an occasional homer.
ROTFLMAO!
Is that what it takes for me to get a starting gig on the Yankees? I can mix it up a little, so if I take Odor in a(n) (un)fair fight, I can start at 2B for the NYY?
FWIW, I am not an Odor fan, and I hate the NYY, but he has more than held his own with the NYY. The NYY, to my chagrin, are 10x better off with Odor than with Bruce.
Please tell us what you really think about him…
10 hits, 11 RBI and has out-produced the starting (ex)catcher, SS, LF and CF then in that context, yes, he has been “excellent”. Throw in the low expectations, which are supported by his overall stat line, and he’s been an asset. I still think the trade was unnecessary and expect him to not be on the roster by the end of the season.
Sheesh. His k/bb ratio improvements are a pretty solid change and the guys had some big hits. Surface level numbers suck and I get it hes been bad for a while now but give the org a chance to unearth a gem and you never know. Defense serviceable and who else do u wanna see? Tyler wade? He’s had 70 plate appearances but I’m pretty bummed to see him out.
Problem is when Voit is back Odor won’t have much PT. Doesn’t offer much help with the depth/production issues with SS & OF.
He becomes a dangerous bench bat when Voit returns. I foresee a few pinch hit HRs from Odor once Voit is healthy.
I’m not sure how valuable he can be if his only purpose is to PH for whoever is playing LF, assuming Frazier & Gardner continue to struggle.
No, he’ll PH for whoever is struggling. No need to use him in the field. PH for Sanchez vs. a righty then put Higgy in as catcher
My point is that anyone hitting worse than him won’t be playing all that much as time goes on (i.e. Sanchez). Odor’s only hope is an injury or Stanton playing some LF. I don’t see odor’s slash line improving with less PA’s.
Angels looking dumb passing on Middleton.
Wow, was I ever so wrong about Odor. His play was excellent. I really miss him in the line-up. I can’t wait for him to get better. He fits perfectly with the Yankees. Nice lefty bat, and plays better defense then I thought. Maybe he just had to shave his beard? Lol.
Nice to see someone admit when they’re wrong.
Well done.
Too early but I want to see the fans that complain about Peralta trade do the same.
Cashman is good at this GM thing.
Lol
Admitting you were wrong about someone playing well on your favorite team. Yeah, that takes guts.
Are you guys joking, or delusional??
“He’s hitting just .164/.271/.361 over his first 70 plate appearances with New York.” and has a 0.0 WAR, and you are LAUDING Cashman for this dreck?
Why are you guy talking like he’s a legit MLB-piece and a good player? He’s AAAA trash and is one of the worst players in the league???
Are you blind???
Cashman has 1 ring in 21 years with unlimited money and resources – he’s absolutely NOT good at this GM thing, period.
The Yankees are getting what they paid for in Odor – league minimum. People can spin it any way they want, but the numbers don’t lie. The only players hitting .164 who get continued reps are pitchers.
A’sfaninUK – Comment of the day!!! Hundreds of millions more in payroll and no rings in a decade and he gets to keep his job. In Boston, Cashman is gone 2 years after their last ring (if you can remember back that far!!)
His hits have been timely for sure but he’s still as advertised even with the improved K and BB %’s. Average defender who only plays 1 position, high K, low BB and avg. And will hit a few HR’s. He won’t get much PT when Voit returns.
.164/.271/.361 is something you’re going to miss? Offense really is down this season, isn’t it?
Completely insane comments above by those saying that slash line is “excellent” – what kinda twilight zone comments section is this???
Is this your first day on the internet?
He’s missed because his hits have come at the most important times. He’s had several hits that have tied or put the Yankees ahead late in games. Trust me. If he sucked, we would be happy to say so.
gbs42
.164/.271/.361 is something you’re going to miss?
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When your sample size is this small, you need to look at backup statistics. His BABIP is an unsustainably low .128. Someone with 4 HRs in 70 PAs, with a 10/7 K/W is hitting the ball really well.
So far, this has been a really good pickup for Cashman.
The Cardinals are in a similar position with Matt Carpenter, aside from his high K rate. Poor surface numbers but good numbers (exit velocity, hard-hit rate) behind them.
For both of them, the question is, will the triple-slash line pick up over time, or are the supporting numbers inflated?
As JoeBrady says, these are small sample sizes. Of course, there are the 2019 and 2020 seasons to add in, and those larger sample sizes don’t look good for either player.
It’s going to be interesting to follow both players’ progress.
From my perspective, 19/20 don’t count for Odor. Cashman, imo, only acquired him to tide them over until Voit returns. That alone is a HR. If Odor becomes their UIF, at minimum wage, that’s really pretty good.
It’s obviously not a ‘real good” pickup, as Odor’s performance has been far from ‘”real good”. But it hasn’t been a bad pickup either. Just a pretty ordinary one, getting a fringe player to fill a temporary hole.
Big sigh of relief for Graterol. Tjs is a death kiss, and to a 23 year old. That’d be brutal
Graterol has already had tommy john surgery dog. Lost the whole 2016 season.
Yea…that was supposed to say “TJS #2 is a death kiss”. Not sure how I messed that comment up. I’ll blame autocorrect? Good looking out
True, looks like my Red Sox dodged a bullet.
Brusdal just has a bruise, y’all. Nothing to worry about! I’m still happy Boston got Jeter Downs & Connor Wong instead of Graterol though.
Yeah Graterol might have improved the bullpen when Downs and Wong will rot in the minors due to a complete lack of talent. Seriously? If they offered Graterol for those two clowns you’d be insane not to take the deal. Graterol has talent and upside potential. Wong will be a back-up his whole career if he makes the majors and Downs won’t make the majors unless he figures out how to actually make contact with the ball and have it go between players rather than fly outs, ground outs and strike outs. He is good for keeping fans cooled in the front row near the plate with his bat speed and lack of contact!! Not sure that’s needed at Fenway.
Graterol has an unusual delivery where it looks like he is putting little effort yet throws 98+. Must place more strain on forearm/elbow.
True, looks like my Red Sox dodged a bullet.
Nope they took the bullet!! No Mookie and Price and three clowns from LA. The bullet got them right between the eyes!! And not getting Graterol was a mistake too!!
It’s over. Mookie has been hurt, but Verdugo is outplaying him and is one of the best outfielders in baseball. Price has a 5.59 and is on the DL. Graterol has a career 4.19, his K/9 with LA is down to 5.1, and he is on the DL.
Right now, the RS are 4-4 on the trade. Betts should recover, but right now, this is a huge win for the RS.
JB – Lets start with – would you rather have Mookie or Verdugo? The answer of every knowledgeable baseball fan is Mookie. LA wins that part. Would you rather have Price for $32M or Richards for $26M? Too early to say. Price is the better pitcher but as you mentioned he is hurt AGAIN. But Richards is injury prone too so too early to call. Would you rather have Graterol or Downs/Wong? No question Graterol. Hurt or not. One of the three players has proven talent the other two are over-rated minor league players who won’t contribute at the major league level.
JB – Just be happy the bubble hasn’t popped yet. If you believe they can maintain a 9 – 2 record on the road, great. I’m not seeing it. .500 seems more reasonable since they are 9 games over on the road but that may be a tad bit optimistic. The .500 home record is a bit better than expected and it could continue but again it’s not likely since there have been no key injuries, no key pitching break downs and no hitting slumps yet as a team. Once those start happening, lets see how things proceed.
Take the 6 weeks of bliss and don’t think about the disaster that is coming.
would you rather have Mookie or Verdugo? The answer of every knowledgeable baseball fan is Mookie. LA wins that part. Would you rather have Price for $32M or Richards for $26M? Too early to say. Price is the better pitcher but as you mentioned he is hurt AGAIN. But Richards is injury prone too so too early to call. Would you rather have Graterol or Downs/Wong? No question Graterol.
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1-Betts for $30M per year or Verdugo for 4 control years? Verdugo,and it is not even close. Let’s say we can extend Bogaerts for $30M. It is the equivalent of asking me whether I want Bogaerts + Verdugo, or Betts. It isn’t close. Money still counts in the equation.
2-While I didn’t it necessary to include Price in the Betts deal, and I like Price, right now, I’d prefer Richards contract by a fair margin.
3-And Graterol, who hasn’t pitched well in the last year+, and is dangerously close to a 2nd TJS, again, is not close either. Unlike the first two questions, this one is obviously way too early to call. If there was a way to future bet on whether Downs or Graterol will have a higher WAR with their respective teams, Downs would be a substantial favorite.
But while Downs is too early to call, the first two are not particularly close at this point.