In a bit of good news for Orioles’ fans, Trey Mancini will participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, per The Athletic’s Dan Connolly (via Twitter). Mancini should provide some feel-good coverage for the 2021 All-Star festivities. Having missed last season while being treated for stage 3 colon cancer, Mancini has returned to lead the Orioles with a .260/.337/.466 triple-slash line with 14 home runs and 52 runs batted in, good for a 121 wRC+. Let’s check in with the other clubs in the AL East…
- Alejandro Kirk has joined the Blue Jays’ Triple-A club in Trenton with the possibility of returning from the injured list as early as July 1, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Kirk must first prove himself ready in Triple-A. After making the team out of spring training, Kirk has been out since May 2nd with a flexor strain. The Jays have also been without starter Danny Jansen for almost three weeks now. Riley Adams, who has three options remaining, will head back to Trenton whenever Kirk is ready.
- Nick Anderson threw his second bullpen session for the Rays, and he appears on track for an August return. per Adam Berry of MLB.com (via Twitter). Anderson’s value as a bullpen ace is well-known after last year’s breakout campaign — 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 regular-season innings. The Rays leaned hard on Anderson to get them to the World Series: he appeared in both games of the Wild Card sweep of the Blue Jays, two of the five games in their ALDS win over the Yankees, and three more apiece in the ALCS and World Series.
- Brendan McKay is in line for a 30-pitch bullpen soon, Berry also notes, and if that goes well, he’ll start to build his strength up to a starter’s workload. McKay last appeared in competitive action in 2019, when he threw 49 innings at the big-league level with a 5.14 ERA/4.03 FIP.
- The Yankees don’t expect to get Corey Kluber back until August at the earliest, but it could be as late as September, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). Kluber gave the Yankees exactly what they’d hoped in his ten starts: 3.04 ERA/3.77 FIP in 53 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, he also realized their fears when he suffered a shoulder strain that will ultimately knock him out for more than half the year.
Jays have a very interesting catcher problem developing with Reese playing very well right now and everyone getting healthy does it push Kirk back to aaa or Jano off the team? as I believe Reese and Jansen are out of options.
I get the feeling, Atkins & co almost hope Jansen gets dumped on the 60-day DL (if he isn’t already) or find a way to put him there. I also would guess, they deal some of thier catching depth at the deadline (though that almost seems to be a given).
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
Jesus Christ
Jano has options right? So might need to go down to AAA and figure out how to hit again and earn his way back. Reese doesn’t have options so can’t risk losing him at this point
Googled and verified that Jansen has options left (2 option years left, actually). So yes, Jansen should go to AAA.
I think that has to be the play.
McGuire has been the better player, bats left and would be a lost asset if you DFA him. There is zero reason to keep Jansen over him right now.
Problem is only a problem if they choose to put Jansen back in the majors. Is it coincidence that the starting staff started pitching better when Jansen went on the DL. Is it coincidence Ryu has one of his longest outings of the year after McGuire only caught him for the second time and there was no stepping off, head shaking, mound visits or broadcasters explaining how Ryu is difficult to catch, like we saw all last year and early this year with Jansen catching him.
Yes, it’s coincidence. Catcher ERAs are nonsense, superstition and small samples. As illustrated by how well Ryu pitched with Jansen catching last year and early this year.
Ryu has pitched better with Jansen behind the plate.
agreed. Ryu was a more effective/efficient pitcher when Jansen was catching him (per the stats/the fact he finished top 5[?] for Cy young)
Jansen caught the majority of his starts this year so whats your answer for that?
What I was making reference to last year was how long it took Jansen vs. other catchers (Dodgers and Blue Jays combined) to get on the same page with Ryu. It took Jansen more than a season where most catchers do it with in a couple games.
Well Jansen was the only one to catch him last year and up until 3 starts ago Jansen caught all this years starts so outside of the 1 Riely caught and the 2 McGuire caught its hard to compare on a large scale other than to say what I said above.
Nice try. Your argument that it took Jansen longer to be on the same page with Ryu is ludicrous. Also zero proof of that and if it’s your opinion it’s completely wrong.
It’s also not some coincidence the pitching staff is pitching better as of late. It is a by-product of facing some weaker teams the last few weeks. Ryu, however, continues to prove Jansen is his best battery mate. If you want to talk yourself out of that fact go ahead. It’s wrong but have at it.
Yup, time to flip Kirk for Pittsburgh’s Rodriguez!
Flip McGuire (while he may momentarily have trade value), Jansen, Adams. Keep Kirk and Moreno.
Nice for Boom Boom to be selected…nice story. And of course, all the Rays need is more pitching….
Helloooooo Tanaka
Kluber gets hurt n Richards is a cry baby like Cole is. You just gotta shake your head at all of them.
There was not much quality starting pitching on the off season free agent list. Most choices were past their prime with injury risks, but no one would have guessed that the mlb would enforce the no foreign substance rule that has been on the book what like 100 years….. Richards can’t pitch without it!
I bet if the Yankees had it to do over they would have pulled Kluber after 7 innings in the no-hitter (considering his past injuries) instead of letting him go past 100 pitches then missing the next three to four months.
I am not a huge Cora fan, but at least he pulled Pivetta at 6 2/3 innings with the no-hitter still going. He was nearing 100 pitches and totally evident he was not going to complete it….
it is definitely a good hindsight conversation. not sure on PC in 7th, but ended @ 101. the one thing I noticed was first time on only 5 days rest, all others were 6 or more only threw 85 game before. he was coming off a few rough games, throwing that no hitter was a huge boost to confidence.
I am very happy fir the Oriole fans to have Mancini play at the home run derby. He’s a great guy n deserves all good things to happen fir him.
Jansen has to stay on the DL or take the slow train to Trenton. Who can tolerate any more of his hitting slump excuses other than … I’m not a major league player.
Joe, yup. Fully agree. Or trade. He does have defensive value.
Kluber would have helped, but the Yankees are a 500 team. Even with Kluber they weren’t winning the division or probably even making the playoffs. Hope they are sellers in the trade mart, time to think about next year.
Chapman gets another ring elsewhere then goes running back to the Cash-Man!
Everyone loves the Mancini story, myself included, but is he really “leading the Orioles with a .260/.337/.466 triple-slash line with 14 home runs and 52 runs batted in, good for a 121 wRC+,” or is Cedric Mullins, snaggin’ it in CF, with his 313/383/538 w/13 HR, 42 R, &12 SB?
Mullins seems criminally underrated right now, just sayin’.
Mullins and Mountcastle are the guys in that lineup. Mancini, great comeback and great story. Mullins should not be overlooked. Guy can play.
The Orioles are more like a AAA team with a few stars playing on it.
Everyone remember Klubers no hitter and his near no hitter. They conveniently forget his other 8 starts. He has 3 quality starts in 10 starts. 2 great outings will really skew 7 outings where he averaged under 4 innings per start.
LOL
I didn’t know people actually cared about the blue jays this much ♂️♂️
They have talent. Fans like that.
Meanwhile, at Trenton, Alejandro has already been voted into the official position as…………………..
CAPTAIN KIRK !!
I just SPOCK-ed that.
It’s the real MCCOY
I can now CHECKOV that off my to-do list
SULU for now
Got to attend to my SCOTTY
Before I go to CHAPEL
UHURA and out
Kirk belongs in the minors for now. He is a great fastball hitter but can’t hit a curve or changeup to save his life. Teams are starting to figure that out.
McGuire has earned the right to stay in the big leagues.
Jansen is awful at the plate but okay defensively and play calling. I would keep him in the big leagues and see if he can build some trade value then move him and then call up Kirk.