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MLB To Experiment With Designated Pinch Runner In 2023 Atlantic League Season

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Major League Baseball announced today that it will experiment with various rule changes in the Atlantic League this season, which begins April 28. Since 2019, the Atlantic League and MLB have had a partnership whereby the latter uses the former to test out rule changes before they are brought to the majors, with the general goal being a better pace of play and more game action.

This year’s season will be testing the following rules, with direct wording from the MLB release:

  • New to the Atlantic League this season will be the use of a Designated Pinch Runner. Each club will list a player who is not otherwise in the starting lineup as a designated pinch runner. That player may then be substituted at any point into the game as a baserunner. The player who is substituted for, as well as the pinch runner, may then return to the game without penalty.
  • Unlike the new MLB rule which allows a pitcher to disengage from the pitching rubber twice during an at-bat, the Atlantic League will permit only a single disengagement per at-bat in 2023.
  • The ALPB will continue the use of the “Double-Hook” DH rule, which allows clubs to use the designated hitter throughout the game provided that the club’s starting pitcher has completed at least five innings. If the starter fails to make it through the fifth, the club then loses the DH for the remainder of the game.

Of these three changes, the first one is clearly the most significant. The “Double-Hook” rule is not in place in the majors, but was previously attempted in the Atlantic League in 2021. Initially, a team would lose its designated hitter as soon as the starter was removed from the game. Last year, that was modified so that a team could keep its DH if the starter lasted five innings, with that modification continuing into 2023. The goal here seems to discourage creative pitcher usage, such as deploying openers or bullpen games. This would also increase the importance of strong starting pitching, something that has waned with time as teams rely more and more on relievers to finish games. Even if this rule were to ultimate make it to the major leagues, it wouldn’t be a drastic change, as it would simply revert certain teams to pre-DH rules on a temporary basis. The universal DH only became permanent a year ago with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The disengagement rule is already in place at the major league level, with this just being a slight modification of it. The goal there is to increase action by having more base stealing attempts. Along those same lines, we have this new designated runner rule. It’s easy to see how this would lead to increased action on the bases, with the league having many players who can hit but who lack speed, or vice versa. Pinch running is obviously not new to baseball, but it has traditionally involved the removed runner also being removed from the game entirely. This new rule would allow a pinch running specialist to repeatedly ply their trade throughout the game, whereas a slower player could be removed early in a game but continue to hold their place in the lineup.

Like all proposed rule changes, the intended goals will be tested to see if they actually work, while many will debate whether the changes are worth it. Some baseball fans are resistant to any change whatsoever, while even some who don’t consider themselves traditionalists might still have problems with certain proposals.

It’s worth stating that it’s not a given that a rule tested in the Atlantic League will inevitably make it to the majors. Some changes have made the jump, including the three-batter minimum for pitchers, the bigger bases, defensive shift restrictions and others. But there are also changes that were tried and ultimately abandoned, such as moving the pitching rubber back one foot.

Revisiting A Win-Win Trade Between The Brewers And Rays

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It’s generally rare for a significant trade to happen in the first few months of a season. Teams have just finished a winter of assembling their rosters for the campaign and don’t give up and start selling so early. Some teams dealing with injuries might want upgrades, but it’s not the time of year to send out a top prospect just to patch a temporary hole in the lineup or rotation. Front offices these days seem to like to push whatever time limits they have, saving their moves until the last moments before the trade deadline, non-tender deadline or what have you.

But there are exceptions, including one prominent one that occurred just shy of two years ago. In May of 2021, the Rays sent shortstop Willy Adames and right-hander Trevor Richards to the Brewers in exchange for righties J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. The trade was rare not only because of the timing, but the significance. Three of the players involved were relief pitchers, but Adames was established as a solid everyday shortstop who still had three-plus years of control. Trades of such players are rare at any time and especially so at at that part of the season.

What’s also of note is that both teams were in contention. The Rays had made the postseason in the two previous years, going to the World Series in 2020. They were 27-19 when this deal was struck, just a game behind the Red Sox in the AL East. The Brewers had made the playoffs three straight years and were struggling a bit in early 2021, but their 21-23 record still had them in the mix, four games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.

There were a few stars that aligned to make this happen. On the Rays’ end, they had a middle infield surplus that was inevitably going to lead to some kind of move. Wander Franco was the top prospect in the game and on a path to take that shortstop job from Adames. Franco was at High-A in 2019 but jumped to Triple-A in 2021 after the pandemic wiped out the minor leagues in between. At the time of the deal, Franco was hitting .283/.333/.533 for a wRC+ of 126. The Rays had other prospects of note, Taylor Walls and Vidal Bruján, in line for middle infield jobs. Walls actually got called up in the immediate aftermath of the Adames deal, but Franco was up a month later.

On the Brewers’ end, they were in a bit of a bind at shortstop. They had Orlando Arcia at the position for many years but decided it was time to move on. His defensive marks were okay but he had a career batting line of .244/.295/.366 at the end of 2020 for a wRC+ of 71. They opened the season by moving infielder Luis Urías to short, but that went sideways pretty quickly. He had already made nine errors in the first few weeks of the season and wasn’t hitting much either.

Those factors all contributed to bring this rare trade to fruition, which was since gone well for both clubs. Adames fortified the shortstop position immediately and has been a fixture there since. He was out to a slow start at the time of the trade, hitting .197/.254/.371 as a Ray, but he hit 20 home runs for the Brewers in the remainder of the 2021 campaign and produced a batting line of .285/.366/.521 in that time for a wRC+ of 136.

The Brewers ended up winning the division by finishing with a record of 95-67, five games up on the Cards. They just missed the playoffs last year, but that was no fault of Adames. He hit 31 home runs and slashed .238/.298/.458 for a wRC+ of 109. His speed and defense helped him tally 4.6 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, tying Corbin Burnes for the team lead. He’s still with the club this year and can be retained via arbitration for 2024.

As for Richards, he was only with the club for about six weeks, getting flipped to the Blue Jays in July alongside Bowden Francis, with first baseman Rowdy Tellez coming the other way. Tellez has also been a key contributor for the Brewers, tallying 35 home runs last year and hitting .219/.306/.461 for a wRC+ of 110. Though that was very similar production to Adames at the plate, he doesn’t provide nearly as much in terms of speed or defense, leading to lesser tally of 0.8 fWAR on the year.

From the Rays’ point of view, they got more than just a few relievers, as they almost immediately started stretching Rasmussen out into a larger workload. Three of his first five outings as a Ray were of the single-inning variety, but he ramped up as the campaign went along. He eventually made 10 starts on the year, including eight to finish the season. And these weren’t just as an opener in the Tampa style. Those eight starts to end the year were all at least four innings long, with Rasmussen completing five innings in five of them.

This was a surprising development as it seemed like Rasmussen’s starting days were over, mainly due to health concerns. He had required Tommy John surgery in college in 2016, but was still drafted by the Rays in the first round, 31st overall, in 2017. They didn’t end up signing him due to concerns over that elbow, so he returned to Oregon State but needed a second TJS in August of 2017.

Despite those two surgeries, the Brewers grabbed him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He returned to the mound in the minors the following year, pitching mostly as a starter but logging just 74 1/3 innings. In 2020, with the minor leagues wiped out by the pandemic, Rasmussen was pitching out of the bullpen with the big league club. He tossed 15 1/3 innings over 12 appearances, posting a lackluster 5.87 ERA. He continued in that relief role early in 2021, logging 17 innings over 15 appearances with the Brewers with a 4.24 ERA.

It seems the Rays hadn’t given up on the pitcher they liked so much that they used a first-round pick on just a few years prior. They nabbed him in the Adames deal and, as mentioned, stretched him out as the season wore on. With pitchers like Tyler Glasnow and Chris Archer on the injured list and alternatives like Michael Wacha, Josh Fleming and Ryan Yarbrough posting middling results, the rotation was in need of some help. Rasmussen eventually tossed 59 innings for Tampa that year over 10 starts and 10 relief appearances. He posted a 2.44 ERA, striking out 20.9% of batters faced, walking 5.7% and getting grounders at a 51.5% clip. The Rays finished 100-62 that year, eight games ahead of the Red Sox and Yankees for the division crown, though Boston would eliminate Tampa in the ALDS.

It would have been fair to wonder at that time if Rasmussen’s success with the Rays was sustainable. It was still a small sample and his total workload in the three years since his second Tommy John procedure was light, 177 innings between the majors and minors over the 2019-2021 period. But last year, he pushed those doubts aside, tossing 146 innings over 28 starts. His 2.84 ERA came with a 21.4% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate and 46.6% ground ball rate. He’s looked sharp through three starts here this year as well, currently sporting a 2.60 ERA with his strikeout rate up to 29.2% in the early going. He won’t reach arbitration until after this season and can be controlled for three more seasons beyond that.

Feyereisen was no slouch himself. He posted a 2.45 ERA for the Rays after the deal and then tossed 24 1/3 innings last year without allowing a single earned run. Unfortunately, he landed on the injured list in early June and wasn’t able to return, eventually undergoing shoulder surgery in December. The recovery from that procedure required a four-month shutdown period, which meant the club would be without him for the start of the 2023 campaign. He was still under club control through 2026, but the Rays were dealing with a roster crunch and designated Feyereisen for assignment shortly after that surgery, with a deal seemingly already in the works at that time. He was dealt to the Dodgers the next day in exchange for minor league lefty Jeff Belge, who posted a 3.66 ERA in High-A for the Dodgers last year. He’s started his Rays tenure with three scoreless outings in Double-A this year.

In the end, the Brewers shipped out some talented pitchers who weren’t the most essential arms on their roster. Even without Rasmussen and Feyereisen, they’ve still had excellent pitching from Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Devin Williams and others. In exchange, they received an excellent everyday shortstop and, indirectly, a potent bat in Tellez. The Rays parted with that excellent shortstop, but replaced him easily from within and were able to bolster their rotation and overall pitching depth.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Boston Rain Cuts Ohtani Start Short

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Shohei Ohtani took the mound at the historic Fenway Park in Boston for his fourth start this season on Monday. Ohtani’s start was unfortunately cut short to two innings due to over two combined hours of rain delays.

The Angels’ ace, who entered the game with a 0.47 ERA, held Boston hitless but allowed a single run in the short outing. The combination of poor weather and delays initially seemed to play a role, as the Japanese right-hander’s early season control issues continued. Ohtani walked leadoff hitter Raimel Tapia, then threw two wild pitches that moved Tapia to third. Tapia then scored on a Rob Refsnyder groundout. Ohtani bounced back and struck out his Team Japan teammate Masataka Yoshida on an elevated 98.4 mph fastball, the hardest pitch he threw on the day.

During Ohtani’s warmup at the start of the 2nd inning, the Fenway Park grounds crew rushed onto the mound to pour quick dry dirt, leading to a short delay. The delay took about 10 minutes and was extended even further by a PitchCom issue. The delay did not faze Ohtani, who tossed a clean, efficient inning and struck out two.

During the top of the 3rd inning, the rain had reached a level where the tarp had to come out, causing an 85-minute delay. Angels skipper Phil Nevin knew that Ohtani would have to come off the mound during the second rain delay. “As much as I know he [Ohtani] keeps himself ready to go and pitch, it got past that 30-40 minute mark and I wasn’t going to send him back out,” Nevin said.

The preparation for this game was already challenging for Ohtani and the Halos even before the rain delays. The original start time on Monday was 11:10 AM EST for Patriots’ Day, which meant that it was an 8:10 AM start for Angels players. Because of the unique start time, the Angels rested core players including Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. “That was the hardest part,” said Ohtani regarding the early start, through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “The bus left at 7:30, so I was up and moving by 6:45,” said Ohtani.

The game was Ohtani’s second start at Fenway Park. When asked about his experience, Ohtani said, “It’s one of my favorite parks, so I always look forward to pitching here, but the conditions didn’t allow me to have fun fully. Other than that I always look forward to pitching here.”

Ohtani’s first pitching appearance at the famed ballpark last May was one of the most dominant pitching performances in his big league career. He tossed seven shutout innings, struck out 11, got a career-high 29 swings-and-misses, and threw 81 of his 99 pitches for strikes.

Monday wasn’t the first time Ohtani has expressed his fondness for the ballpark. “That’s one of my favorite ballparks,” said Ohtani after the shutout performance last year. “I was looking forward to pitching here, and I felt like it left a really good impression on me.”

The Red Sox reportedly came close to signing Ohtani out of high school back in 2012, however, they were not on his final list of destinations when he was posted in 2017.

Ohtani is now at a 0.86 ERA, and his next turn in the rotation is supposed to be on Sunday, but today’s short outing might change the Angels’ plans. Angels beat writer Jeff Fletcher reported that Nevin said that “they will talk” about Ohtani’s upcoming pitching schedule.

UPDATE: The Angels have decided to move up Shohei Ohtani’s start from Sunday to Friday, according to Angels beat writer Jeff Fletcher. Ohtani will face the Kansas City Royals on Friday at home in Anaheim. Ohtani works on five days of rest, so his next projected start after Friday will be on April 27th against the Oakland Athletics, which is also at home. Based on Fletcher’s projected schedule, the move will allow Ohtani to face AL West rival Houston Astros and also squeezes an extra start out of him since his turns in the original schedule would have had him pitching on rest days.  

Injury Notes: Burnes, Blackburn, Hendricks, Haniger

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Brewers ace Corbin Burnes called for the trainer and exited last night’s game after recording the first out in the sixth inning, with 85 pitches under his belt. After the game, manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Burnes had a minor strain of the left pectoralis in his chest (link via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Burnes incurred the injury in the fourth inning after picking off Eugenio Suarez at second base, catching him in a rundown, and stretching to make the tag on the play. Burnes explained that the injury cramped up beginning in the sixth inning. “I had zero command and then clearly the velo started to drop,” said Burnes, who began the inning with a four-pitch walk.

It’s a surely a relative sigh of relief for Brewers fans, though the team figures to have more info on Burnes in the next day or so as he progresses. For now, it seems the 2021 NL Cy Young winner has avoided a major injury, which is particularly important with righty Brandon Woodruff facing a lengthy absence due to a shoulder strain.

Some more injury scenarios to monitor around the league…

  • Right-hander Paul Blackburn’s return to the Athletics could be further delayed by a blister issue on his pitching hand, tweets Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 29-year-old Blackburn rode a first-half breakout to an All-Star nod last summer, but his season went off the rails in mid-July, when he was torched for 21 runs in a span of 14 1/3 innings. He was diagnosed with a torn tendon sheath in his pitching hand, which ended his season. Blackburn looked to be on track for the 2023 campaign, but a fingernail avulsion shelved him briefly. He’s made a pair of rehab starts but will see his third rehab outing delayed by the current blister troubles. Through his first 16 starts last season, Blackburn pitched to a 2.90 ERA with a below-average 18.8% strikeout rate but strong walk and ground-ball rates of 6.2% and 48.7%, respectively, while yielding just an 87.7 mph average exit velocity.
  • Cubs righty Kyle Hendricks threw 36 pitches in a two-inning simulated game yesterday and came away from that session feeling good, tweets Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Assuming he doesn’t incur any setbacks in the coming days, that could put Hendricks on pace for a minor league rehab stint sooner than later. He’d likely need multiple starts to build up, which generally aligns with Hendricks’ previous statements that he’s aiming to be on a rehab assignment by May. The 33-year-old Hendricks was one of the NL’s most durable and consistently effective starters from 2015-20, pitching to a 3.17 ERA over the life of 967 innings in that time. He’s stumbled to a 4.78 ERA in 48 starts over the past two seasons, however, as he’s become increasingly homer-prone. Hendricks is entering the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $55MM contract, though the Cubs hold a net $14.5MM decision on him for the 2024 campaign ($16MM option with a $1.5MM buyout).
  • Mitch Haniger is slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment today, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants signed Haniger to a three-year, $43MM contract over the winter (which contains an opt-out after 2024), but he’s yet to make his team debut after suffering an oblique strain during spring training. He went 3-for-10 with a pair of doubles in 10 official spring at-bats before sustaining the injury. Haniger dealt with myriad injuries in 2019-20 and 2022 but played in 157 games apiece in 2018 and 2021, slugging a combined 65 home runs between those two seasons. Once healthy, he’ll add some more thump to a Giants lineup that somewhat surprisingly ranks fourth in the Majors with 25 homers so far.

The Opener: Injuries, Kershaw Milestone, MLBTR Chat

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As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Incoming updates on pitcher injuries:

A handful of updates on pitchers are expected around the league today, led by a pair of aces who exited their starts yesterday: Jacob deGrom left his start with the Rangers after four innings with wrist soreness, while Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) that Corbin Burnes left his start against the Mariners with a left pec strain. Both aces are expected to be evaluated later today.

We could also receive updates on Reds right-hander Hunter Greene, who left yesterday’s start with a right tibia contusion, with Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer noting that initial x-rays came back negative. Meanwhile, Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that Kris Bubic would require a second opinion after tests yesterday revealed a flexor strain for the young lefty.

2. Kershaw goes for No. 200:

Pitcher wins aren’t exactly en vogue among front offices and analysts in 2023, but they still hold an important place in the hearts of many fans and in most pitchers themselves. That’s particularly true when it comes to milestones; round numbers always grab our attention and are often cited when looking back at a player’s career through a historical lens.

Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the 405th time in his career tonight (402nd start), and with a victory, he’ll become just the 121st pitcher to ever reach 200 wins in his career. In an era where teams have shorter leashes for starters and are more reliant on bullpen arms than ever before, reaching such heights is extra difficult. Howard Cole observes (Twitter link) that Kershaw would become just the third pitcher to ever accumulate 200 wins solely in a Dodgers uniform, joining Hall of Famers Don Sutton and Don Drysdale.

Kershaw’s place in Dodgers lore is already cemented, but this will be another feather in his cap and another achievement on his own eventual case for Cooperstown enshrinement. So far in 2023, his 16th Major League season, the 35-year-old Kershaw has a 3.50 ERA and 17-to-4 K/BB ratio in 18 innings.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

We’re now around 10% of the way through the 2023 regular season, with plenty of interesting early season trends to discuss. If the beginning of this season has spurred any questions in your mind about your favorite team or the league as a whole, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Dodgers Notes: Gonsolin, Pepiot, Smith

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Tony Gonsolin is getting closer to making his season debut. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Gonsolin got through a 30-plus pitch bullpen session today (relayed by Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Gonsolin will begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, with the expectation he’ll throw around four innings.

Gonsolin is rehabbing from an ankle sprain he suffered midway through Spring Training. Roberts indicated he’d need at least two rehab starts before he’s ready to head back to the MLB rotation. That could position him for a return towards the tail end of next week. That’d be a very welcome development, as Gonsolin worked to a 2.14 ERA through 130 1/3 innings in an All-Star season last year.

Ryan Pepiot had been expected to take Gonsolin’s rotation spot out of the gate. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, he suffered an oblique strain at the end of Spring Training. It appears he’s a ways off, as Roberts said the righty is still limited to plyometric work and hasn’t yet started throwing (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). While the return timetable isn’t clear, it’s apparent that Pepiot’s progress has been slower than initially hoped.

L.A. has turned to Michael Grove with Gonsolin and Pepiot out of action. The West Virginia product was hit hard in his first two starts of the season before a strong showing on Saturday. He allowed just one run with six strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings in a win over the Cubs. Even that solid work still brought Grove to a 9.00 ERA in 13 frames this season.

The Dodgers were dealt a hit on the position player side last week. Catcher Will Smith landed on the concussion injured list retroactive to April 13. That only contains a minimum stint of seven days, meaning Smith could return as early as Thursday. The star backstop attributed the injury to a series of recent foul tips off the mask (link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Smith said he’d proceed with understandable caution given the nature of the injury but noted that he’s already working out and plans to travel with the club on their road trip spanning April 20-27.

It seems he’s on track to return without a rehab stint if all goes well, perhaps not long after he’s first eligible. The Dodgers signed Austin Wynns to a major league deal to back up Austin Barnes while Smith is out. Wynns has exhausted his minor league option years, so his stay on the 40-man roster may prove brief if the Dodgers don’t plan to carry three catchers once Smith makes his return.

Don Leppert Passes Away

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Former All-Star catcher Don Leppert has passed away at age 91, the Pirates announced this afternoon.

“We are deeply saddened to hear the news on the passing of Don Leppert,” team president Travis Williams said. “He touched many lives during his more than 40 years in baseball and was a valuable part of the Pirates’ coaching staff during the 1971 World Series winning season. Our hearts go out to his wife Daphine, and the entire Leppert family.”

An Indianapolis native, Leppert (not to be confused with a 1950’s infielder of the same name) began his professional career at age 23 in 1955. The right-handed hitter didn’t first reach the majors until 1961. As a 29-year-0ld rookie, he connected on three home runs in 22 games. Leppert appeared in 45 contests for Pittsburgh the following season. He joined the Washington Senators the next year, which proved the best season of his career. The 6’2″ backstop hit .237/.305/.375 over 73 games, earning his All-Star nod in the process.

After struggling in 50 games the following season, Leppert spent two years in Triple-A. He retired as a player after the 1966 campaign. While Leppert only appeared in 190 games through parts of four big league seasons, he earned a trip to the Midsummer Classic and kicked off a lengthy career in the professional ranks. He began managing in the Pirates’ system in 1967 and was promoted to the MLB staff the following year. Leppert would also spend time with the Blue Jays, Astros and Twins for the next couple decades.

MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Matt Manning Aiming To Return To Mound In Six Weeks

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Tigers righty Matt Manning suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot last week when he was struck by a comeback liner, and the team placed him on the 15-day injured list the next day. Manning told reporters Sunday that after his x-rays were examined by multiple specialists, the agreed-upon treatment would be let the fracture heal with rest (Twitter thread via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). The alternative would’ve been to have a screw inserted to help stabilize the fracture, but both options came with recovery timelines of six weeks anyhow. He could begin a throwing program as soon as next week and is hopeful he can meet that six-week timeline.

Manning’s foot fracture is the latest in a growing line of setbacks for both Manning himself and the Tigers’ rotation at large. Manning’s career to date has been slowed by both shoulder and forearm troubles, which combined to limit him to just 85 1/3 innings between the minors and big leagues a year ago. He, along with fellow right-hander Casey Mize and lefty Tarik Skubal, was generally viewed as a the foundation of what the Tigers hoped to be their rotation of the future. Mize, however, had both Tommy John surgery and back surgery last summer. Skubal went on the injured list just prior to the trade deadline with what was originally billed as a minor forearm strain, only to undergo flexor surgery a few weeks later.

With that trio now shelved, the Tigers are looking to the quintet of Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen, Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Joey Wentz in the rotation for the time being. Rodriguez is playing out the second season of a five-year deal that has thus far not panned out. Both Lorenzen and Boyd signed one-year deals in free agency. Turnbull is looking to bounce back from his own Tommy John surgery (performed in 2021), while Wentz, a former Braves top prospect who came over in the Shane Greene trade, is merely hoping to establish himself at the big league level.

Of the Tigers’ once-touted trio of youngsters, Manning could still be the first to rejoin the team. He’ll certainly beat Mize back to the field, barring any kind of major setback, as Mize’s Tommy John procedure and back procedure both came last June. Skubal, at last check earlier this month, was doing some low-intensity throwing nearly every day but hadn’t yet built up to mound work. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so the earliest he’d be able to return is late May.

Manning, a former No. 9 overall pick in the draft, climbed as high as No. 17 on Baseball America’s annual Top 100 prospect list (pre-2020) but has yet to solidify himself as a big league regular. After a brutal debut in 2021, when he was tagged for a 5.80 ERA in 85 1/3 innings, he improved to a 3.43 ERA in 63 frames last year — albeit with a middling 18.3% strikeout rate. His velocity during spring training was a point of concern, though the 93.2 mph he averaged on his heater in two regular-season starts is generally in line with the 93.5 mph he averaged last season.

Manning only turned 25 years old two months ago, so there’s plenty of time for him to get healthy and step up as a vital member of the Detroit rotation, both in 2023 and for the foreseeable future. Given the health troubles elsewhere among the team’s formerly ballyhooed  collection of pitchers, it’s all the more pivotal to the team’s outlook that he does so.

Jacob deGrom Removed From Start With Wrist Soreness, Hopes To Make Next Start

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9:16pm: deGrom met with the media after the game and downplayed the issue (relayed by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and Jeff Wilson). He’ll be reevaluated tomorrow but indicated he didn’t feel it was a series problem. deGrom said he hopes to make his next scheduled start.

8:05pm: Jacob deGrom was removed from tonight’s start in Kansas City after four no-hit innings. The Rangers later called it a precautionary decision after the superstar experienced right wrist soreness.

Texas added that deGrom will go for continued evaluation. It’s obviously too early to draw any conclusions about the issue’s severity. That the Rangers specified the removal as precautionary is a welcome development, though any arm-related issue is at least a bit concerning considering deGrom’s history. The righty was limited to 26 combined appearances during his final two seasons as a Met. Shut down midway through the 2021 season with a forearm issue, he missed the first half of last year on account of a stress reaction in his right scapula.

On the optimistic side, deGrom didn’t look any worse for wear during tonight’s appearance. He retired 12 of 14 batters, only walking one and seeing another hitter reach on an error. His final pitch of the night was a 97.9 MPH fastball that turned into a Kyle Isbel fly ball.

The Rangers are sure to provide more information in the next few days. deGrom is up to 20 2/3 innings of 3.48 ERA ball with a ridiculous 32:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the first season of his five-year free agent deal. The Rangers have an off day on Thursday; if they stick with a five-man rotation, deGrom would next be lined up to pitch on Sunday against Oakland.

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