Top Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker left today’s spring training game against the Astros with a shoulder strain suffered while sliding into second base, according to MLB.com’s John Denton (Twitter links). The team is listing Walker as day-to-day and he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow, but manager Oli Marmol said the team’s medical staff is “not overly concerned,” and that Walker even wanted to keep playing.
The 20-year-old Walker has been on fire in Spring Training, raising speculation that he could break camp with St. Louis and make his Major League debut on Opening Day. The 21st overall pick back in 2020, Walker has crushed minor league pitching and wound up with a .306/.388/.510 line slash with 19 home runs at Double-A last year. It remains to be seen how Walker’s shoulder problem might impact his immediate future or the Cards’ development plans, though since Walker has yet to play any Triple-A ball, there was some sense that he might not break camp with the Cards no matter how well he performs in spring action.
More from around the majors….
- Rays manager Kevin Cash provided reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) an update on Tyler Glasnow, saying that the right-hander is still in the “treatment” phase of his recovery from a Grade 2 oblique strain. Glasnow hasn’t thrown a ball in almost two weeks, which tracks with the 6-to-8 week timeline initially attached to his recovery process.
- The Dodgers don’t see having a set closer as “a necessity,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “I think the most important question to answer is whether you think our ‘pen is going to be really good, and we do,” Friedman said. “And then it’s about the mindset of each one of those guys, keeping them in the best headspace to go out and have a lot of success…. I think our bullpen is going to be a real strength and exactly how it’s deployed, I think we have some time to figure it out.” Evan Phillips might be the key figure as the bullpen’s fireman, though as manager Dave Roberts hinted, Phillips’ ability to pitch in all manner of high-leverage situations might conversely make him too important to be restricted to just the ninth inning. Brusdar Graterol, Daniel Hudson, Caleb Ferguson, or Alex Vesia are also among the relievers who could be called upon for save situations.
Oblique strain or contract extension?
I wouldn’t se surprised if both happened to a player at the same time.
I’m confused. How does Glasnow’s oblique strain have anything to do with his contract extension?
He already signed a friendly extension so rays Can trade him at deadline or post this season if they are making a playoff run. In any extend the contract has already been done
Dodgers stretch run & Postseason closer (only for 2023): Walker Buehler
Pendejo
He could be filthy out of the pen running fastball slider cutter whilst dropping in the occasional curve
For them to need a closer in the playoffs would require them to have a lead in the 9th inning. For that to happen, they must hit w/RISP. This is something that eluded them last postseason..
I truly hope Marmol is correct, because Walker has been playing incredibly well. Am looking forward to see what he can do in an extended shot in the majors this season.
Closer by committee doesn’t work, no matter what team tries it. The Dodgers will end up trading for a Closer by the deadline
The Reds nasty boys did alright.
Even in 1990 when the Reds won the World Series the majority of Save opportunities went to Randy Myers (31 Saves, next closest was Rob Dibble with 11), Norm Charlton even made 16 starts that season.
In ’91 they flipped and Dibble got the majority of saves (31, next closest Myers with 6)
And in ’92 Myers was gone and Dibble and Charlton split the load almost 50/50 but thats not really “by committee” when it’s two guys alternating. The Montreal Expos did the same thing (though to a somewhat lesser extent) with John Wetteland and Mel Rojas, same situation as it was the same two pitchers sharing the job
They have pitchers capable of closing, Friedman doesn’t want to give anyone that label and be stuck using them in the 9th. I’m surprised they gave the role to Kimbrel last year and it backfired on them.
Evan Phillips is one of the best relievers in the league. He’s there closer most nights anyway.
Tampa Bay is successful moving backend pieces around. With Bautista dinged up, hoping the Os try this by committee approach. IE basing who sets up and who closes on the other teams line up on that particular day.
No matter who is in the mix for the ninth, it’s still a better situation than having Kimbrel stagger and stumble through an inning like it’s the most difficult undertaking in the history of mankind.
I think Dodger Pen will be just fine!
Rays have been very successful with a closer by committee approach for years now.
Walker COULD be the NL Rookie Of the Year if he breaks camp with the team and if he can stay healthy and make adjustments at the Major League level when he struggles…Yes he will struggle, happens to all players. Will be interesting to see how or if he breaks out of it.
I think a ROY race between Walker and Carrol could be the story of next year.
Walker as good as he’s been I believe will start the year at AAA, just because of the Outfield depth the Cardinals already have? From an organizational standpoint and pmayer development standpoint. Eventually someone is going to be traded to make room for Walker if an injury doesn’t happen first
I agree. If everyone else is healthy Walker should go to AAA. By May someone will be hurt and he’ll get the call. Hopefully he’ll play so well that they won’t be able to send him back down.
Brusdar Graterol as potential part-time closer… give me a break! Much too emotional to be dependable. Come playoffs time, the closer situation reveals Andrew Friedman’s blind spot!
Graterol is filthy. I guess you never watched guys like Rob Dibble or AL Hrabosky slam the door.
Another face palm moment from Andrew Friedman. A year ago he traded for a closer. Then when he cratered, the strategy shifted to the team not needing a closer. So why did you…? And I suppose two weeks is technically “some time.” Just not a lot. My fan headspace is a lot clearer when Friedman doesn’t try to explain his thinking.
The Kimbrel trade was a ledger move designed for clearing not only Pollocks 2 yr deal but playing time for Lux and Co last year (success, major success)
Was never never ever about Kimbrel being the “man” . Dodgers played it right holding on as long as the waters were calm ( outta respect, 5 months) . Then when it heated up you miraculously no longer saw Kimbrel…. ….Along with the Pollock 24′ salary ..,almost as if it was by design huh?
Winner winner chicken dinner, it was never suppose to be so complex or riveting or carry over any meaning towards the future (well other than not having to see Polock again ofc)
You’ve argued this at the time, and I wasn’t buying it then either. The Kimbrel and Pollock contract values were (for 2022) identical. It wasn’t as if Pollock’s contract was unmovable, especially not in comparison to Kimbrel’s.
We all know that if a team has a Mr. Lights Out in the bullpen he’ll be called on in closing situations way more often than not. The reality is they made the trade in hopes of getting that guy. They didn’t. The closing by committee idea didn’t even come into the conversation until it was totally clear that the Kimbrel trade was a flop. By committee was a total Plan B response, just like it is this year. No escaping it.
I hear all the time about how Friedman has some secret sauce that makes even bad trades taste really good. Not really. This one was lousy, no matter how you flavor it up, and the fact that no plan is the plan for this year too doesn’t taste any better.
Pollock isn’t on our payroll today and Lux got 421 quality abs last year so its a win. Got to see a little Thompson and Outman as well as a bonus
Both players were irrelevant last year, as Andrew, and a lot of us figured the day the trade was made
This isn’t a secret sauce, its just basic flour and pretty straight-forward
*Dodgers have the richest history of these ledger gymnastic trades of all MLB teams- Have histories with Bos, ATL, Cincy and Sd just in the recent past
Your argument is based on the premise that the only way to trade Pollock was for a closer who couldn’t close. Obviously false. Friedman has some theories about the construction of bullpens that are far from reliably successful. We’ve seen many times. So this will be the second season for trying out the theory that having that hammer available in the ninth isn’t really important. It’s all part of Friedman’s secret plan. So secret, even he doesn’t know what it is.
Pollock was very much underwater- Nobody wanted 2 years of that so unless they wanted to add prospects (glad they didn’t) taking some dead money (ON A 1 YR deal) was the only way to do it..
Not to mention the 65 inns of 4 era was more valuable than having AJ clog us up
Nobody inside the LAD org thought Kimbrel was a hammer.
By May 1st it was wildly apparent he wasn’t going to be closing on Oct 1st…to everyone…his reputation, and moreso the fact we were up 15 games gave him 4 more months rope
** And what are you talking about with the Dodger bullpens not being successful? They have been absolutely fantastic for years with a pipeline full right now of live nasty arms……I’m not an AF fanboy but he’s killed the bullpen since arrival and its all been for relatively cheap/internal
He was coming off one of his best seasons in years when he was traded and was still worth $7m to the Mariners after one of his worst in years. So, no. Either way he was objectively traded for nothing, and obviously that wasn’t the only trade scenario open to them, just the one they chose. The Friedman bullpens have come up short when it mattered so many times it’s hard to know how you can even ask the question.
By your personal metrics, maybe not, but by everyone else inc Mlb.com, Fangraphs ect ect the Dodgers have had a top 3 bullpen for the last half decade
Mostly built on the cheap by savvy moves AF made
As you know I’m capable of being critical of AF I just think your completely off here with the pen
The bullpen is probably the biggest strength of that Dodgers club right now. There is going to be a lot of talent let off that roster when camp breaks.
It’s always frustrated me when you see a setup guy blow a lead in the 8th, when he’s facing the meat of an opposing lineup. I sort of like this fireman approach where your best pitcher matches up with the best three hitters in a lineup. It seems like they are trying to stay ahead of the 3 batter minimum rule to start an inning. It seems like it would be easier for a pitcher to prepare and game plan, if they knew which three guys they were going against, as opposed to having to be prepared for facing whichever hitter comes up in your dedicated inning.
even the Pirates have a closer….the “I think we will wing it” mentality is pretty funny stuff for the Dodgers., actually its pathetic.