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NL East Notes: Soroka, Sanchez, Garcia, Rogers, Phillies, Doolittle

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The Braves optioned Dylan Dodd to Triple-A today, creating a question about who might start against the Athletics on Tuesday during what was supposed to be Dodd’s next turn in the rotation.  Whether Bryce Elder pitches on Monday or Tuesday, Atlanta will need another starter for one of those two games, and it seems possible that Michael Soroka might be on the verge of his return to the big leagues.  Manager Brian Snitker downplayed the idea to Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other reporters, saying that Soroka was just one of “all options” the team was considering.

A decision will have to come relatively quickly, as Soroka is slated to start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.  The right-hander has a 4.33 ERA, 23% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 35 1/3 innings for Gwinnett this season, though one rough outing against Buffalo on April 30 (seven ER in three innings) somewhat skewed Soroka’s numbers.  If Soroka does return against the A’s, it will mark his first MLB appearance since August 3, 2020, as Soroka has had his career interrupted for close to three years due to a pair of Achilles tears.  It remains to be seen if Soroka can pitch anywhere near his 2019 All-Star form, but for an Atlanta team that will be without Max Fried and Kyle Wright for some time yet, the Braves would love to see Soroka at least eat some innings and stop a revolving door in the rotation.

More from around the NL East…

  • Jesus Sanchez plans to return from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, the Marlins outfielder tells Kevin Barrel of Fish On First (Twitter link).  A right hamstring strain put Sanchez on the IL on May 14, but he is making a relatively quick return, assuming Sanchez comes out of his third Triple-A rehab game fine on Sunday.  The IL placement cut short a major hot streak for Sanchez, who was hitting .290/.364/.551 over his first 77 plate appearances of 2023.  In other Marlins injury news, the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson was among those to report that Avisail Garcia will start his own Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday, and Trevor Rogers will start rehabbing at A-ball next week.
  • Teams have been calling the Phillies in search of starting pitching, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.  If that sounds unusual given Philadelphia’s own rotation needs, Dombrowski noted that teams are constantly looking for arms, but especially this early in the season, asking prices are “exorbitant” in trade talks.  Though the Phils have only a 25-27 record, they’re still in the thick of a crowded wild card race, and obviously the 2022 Phillies are an example of a team who roared back after a slow start.  It doesn’t sound like the Phillies have any plans to be deadline sellers of any kind, but in regards to the team’s own rotation, Dombrowski said the club might still be open to using Matt Strahm as a fifth starter if necessary later in the year.  “If we have to do that….we’d rather save that.  Because if you do it now, [Strahm is] going to be done by the first of August, and he’s very valuable for us,” Dombrowski said, referring to Strahm’s lack of workload while pitching as a reliever from 2020-22.
  • Sean Doolittle pitched a scoreless inning for the Nationals’ high-A affiliate in Wilmington tonight, marking the veteran reliever’s first game action of the 2023 season.  Doolittle has been working his way back from the internal brace procedure to his left elbow that prematurely ended his 2022 season last July.  There isn’t yet any timeline for Doolittle’s possible MLB return, as Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman) that “Right now, we’ll just continue to let him build.  He’s going to have to pitch seven or eight times before we figure out what the next step is for him.”

NL West Notes: Garcia, Padres, Feltner, Dodgers, May

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The Padres placed Luis Garcia on the 15-day injured list today, as the left-hander is suffering from a left oblique strain.  Righty Domingo Tapia was called up from Triple-A to take Garcia’s spot on the active roster.  Garcia has a somewhat misleading 4.66 ERA this season, as nine of his 10 earned runs allowed came in two disastrous appearances (totaling two-thirds of an inning) against the Diamondbacks.  Against every other team in baseball, Garcia has allowed just one earned run in 18 2/3 frames.

Despite a few shaky moments, the Padres’ bullpen has largely gotten on track, as San Diego’s relievers have combined for the sixth-best (3.31) bullpen ERA in baseball heading into Saturday’s action.  Losing a generally reliable veteran like Garcia won’t help matters, and the team has yet to comment on the severity of the left-hander’s oblique strain, or how long Garcia might be sidelined.

More from around the NL West…

  • Ryan Feltner suffered a small skull fracture and a concussion after being hit with a Nick Castellanos line drive on May 14, but the Rockies right-hander hasn’t given up hope of returning to the field this season.  For now, Feltner is focused only on his recovery, and he gave a positive update to Patrick Saunders and other reporters.  Feltner said he has “a headache from the concussion, dizziness, but today there’s no pain.  I’m sleeping well, and the day-to-day stuff has become a lot easier.  So the feeling is that I’m in a really good spot compared to where I could be.”
  • With injuries hampering the Dodgers’ rotation, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team could “potentially” target pitching at the trade deadline, but it will still be a while before the Dodgers know a firmer recovery timeline for Julio Urias or Dustin May.  “Right now with where we are, it’s gonna be a little more shell game-ish if we have more injuries.  But we’re thinking through that and trying to be as prepared as we can be if that happens,” Friedman told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters.  May won’t be able to return until at least mid-July due to his placement on the 60-day IL, and Harris writes that May received a PRP injection as part of his treatment for a flexor pronator strain.  Beyond the injuries, Noah Syndergaard’s rotation spot might also be a question mark as the righty continues to struggle.

Andrew McCutchen Plans To Play In 2024, Wants To Remain With Pirates

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Andrew McCutchen’s return to Pittsburgh has thus far been a dream.  While the Bucs’ hot start has normalized to a more modest 26-25 record, it still represents a clear step up from the rebuilding and losing baseball of the previous seven seasons, and McCutchen has been a big part of that resurgence.  In addition to his expected clubhouse mentorship of the young Pirates team, McCutchen is also having a return to form on the field, hitting .269/.364/.462 with eight homers through his first 184 plate appearances.

After signing a one-year, $5MM deal last winter, McCutchen will be a free agent again this offseason, but he made it clear to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he isn’t viewing 2023 as a farewell tour.

“Tom Brady said he would stop playing when he [stunk].  I don’t want to put it in the same context, but when my body tells me I’ve had enough, then I’ve had enough,” said McCutchen, who turns 37 in October.  “My body is still saying, ‘Nah, you’re good.  You’re fine.’ ”

Obviously quite a bit can still happen with over four months remaining in the season, but on the surface, McCutchen’s comeback year doesn’t look like a fluke.  McCutchen’s BABIP is only .301, his wOBA/xwOBA are almost identical, and most of his other Statcast numbers are above average, including a 43.8% hard-hit ball rate that ranks as his highest since 2015.  The right-handed hitter is also posting roughly similar numbers against both lefties and righties, after a dropoff against right-handed pitching contributed heavily to McCutchen’s borderline average numbers from 2020-22.

After playing with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies, and Brewers from 2018-22, McCutchen has regained some stability in returning to Pittsburgh, and as a result he naturally wants to remain with the Pirates in the future.

“As long as things continue to be the way that they are, I’m going to continue to keep going,” McCutchen said.  “I want to do it here.  I don’t want to do it anywhere else.  I don’t want to continue my career on another team…..That ballpark gives me a different boost or jolt of energy that I didn’t really have.  I don’t know if it’s familiarity or the comfortability of being in Pittsburgh once again.  The surroundings, the vibe when you’re on the field, I didn’t have that anywhere else.  It’s good to be able to feel all those things again.”

McCutchen and the Pirates have yet to discuss an extension, though as Mackey notes, a new contract “shouldn’t be much more than a formality” considering how openly McCutchen wants to stay put.  From the Pirates’ viewpoint, it’s easy to imagine that the Bucs would want to retain a franchise icon who has continued to be such a productive player.

Royals Notes: Lynch, Yarbrough, Hosmer, Pasquantino

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Daniel Lynch is ready for his first appearance of the 2023 season, as the Royals announced the left-hander as their scheduled starter for Sunday’s game with the Nationals.  Lynch suffered a left rotator cuff strain in the final few days of Spring Training, and after a brief shutdown period returned to action in a minor league rehab assignment in early May.

Lynch tossed six shutout innings last Tuesday in what ended up being his final rehab outing, as he looked a lot shakier in posting a 5.65 ERA over 14 1/3 innings of work in his previous four outings.  As he told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters, Lynch felt he had “to do something to show them that I’m 100 percent ready.  There were some conversations that weren’t easy to have, some conversations that I didn’t necessarily want to have.  But [I] ended up going and stepping up.”

A struggling rotation has been one of many reasons behind the Royals’ dismal 15-37 start, and if Lynch is able to provide help, it would be a huge boost to both Kansas City’s pitching staff and Lynch’s bigger-picture future.  The 34th overall pick of the 2018 draft has yet to deliver much at either the MLB level or even at Triple-A (5.16 ERA over 82 innings), and his 2 1/3 innings of Double-A rehab work this season represents his only experience in Double-A ball.  Lynch’s work at the team’s alternate training site in 2020 made the Royals confident that they could fast-track him to Triple-A in 2021, but the southpaw has yet to deliver on his top-100 prospect potential.

There hasn’t been much to like about Lynch’s 199 2/3 innings in the big leagues, as he has allowed a ton of hard contact en route to a 5.32 ERA, 19.4% strikeout rate, and 9.1% walk rate.  The Royals completely overhauled their pitching development team (including the hiring of Brian Sweeney as pitching coach) during the offseason in the hopes of getting more from Lynch and other high draft picks like Lynch, Kris Bubic, or Jackson Kowar, but the results haven’t been there with the youngsters or even the more veteran members of the K.C. staff.  Brady Singer looked to have broken out in 2022, but he has struggled to a 7.48 ERA over his first 49 1/3 innings of 2023.

Beyond any on-field struggles, the pitching staff was also dealt a scarier blow when Ryan Yarbrough was hit in the face by a Ryan Noda line drive on May 7.  Yarbrough sustained multiple facial fractures and was placed on the 60-day injured list, but fortunately, the left-hander gave a positive update when visiting teammates and the media today.

“I have a four-week appointment to see where I’m at with the healing process and just kind of go from there,” Yarbrough told the Kansas City Star’s Jaylon Thompson and other reporters.  “Until then, just kind of staying active and doing everything I can….It’s one of those freak accidents and something that is really out of everyone’s control.  It wasn’t something you can really avoid.  It’s an unfortunate part of the game and luckily it doesn’t happen very often.  I’m very blessed to be here right now and feeling a lot better and progressing in the right direction.”

In other Royals news, manager Matt Quatraro said the Royals “haven’t even discussed” the possibility of bringing Eric Hosmer back to Kansas City after the veteran first baseman was recently released by the Cubs.  Speaking during a radio interview with KCSP 610AM (hat tip to Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star), Quatraro noted that the Royals don’t really have space for Hosmer, as Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Pratto have the first base and DH positions covered.

“So, you bring somebody in, then what you’re talking about is not as an everyday player that’s going to take somebody else’s spot that needs the at-bats or need the innings pitched, so that’s the kind of thing you have to balance,” Quatraro said.

After a strong rookie performance in 2022, Pasquantino has kept things going this year by hitting .260/.344/.474 with nine home runs over his first 219 plate appearances of the 2023 campaign.  The 25-year-old certainly looks like a nice building block for K.C. going forward, though it isn’t really known if the Royals have made any attempt to lock Pasquantino up to an extension.  Pasquantino told Grathoff that he had “no information” about any contract talks, and Royals GM J.J. Picollo also declined comment.

Pasquantino is already under team control through the 2028 season, so the Royals don’t have to be in any kind of real rush to sign the first baseman to an extension, and might simply prefer to wait to see what they have in Pasquantino before exploring a longer-term deal.  Reiterated an earlier point he made on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, Pasquantino said that for his part, he wants to remain with the Royals, saying “I think for every player, you dream of playing for the same team your entire career.  I really enjoy this organization.  So on the surface, yes, I’d love to stay here.”

Royals Release Hunter Dozier

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TODAY: The Royals announced that they have requested unconditional release waivers on Dozier.

MAY 22: The Royals announced Monday that infielder Hunter Dozier, who’s playing out the third season of a four-year contract worth a guaranteed $25MM, has been designated for assignment. His spot on the active roster will go to infielder Nicky Lopez, who is returning from the 10-day injured list.

Dozier, 31, was the No. 8 overall selection in the 2013 draft, though that was generally regarded as an underslot deal that allowed them to go over slot to sign lefty Sean Manaea 26 picks later. Dozier was still a well-regarded prospect himself, but he struggled considerably in his first few pro seasons before a breakout showing between Double-A and Triple-A in 2016. He struggled in his first two big league looks in 2016 and 2018 but looked to have a breakout campaign in 2019, when he slashed .279/.348/.522 with a career-high 26 home runs.

Of course, as is commonly known at this point, that 2019 season saw a host of odd offensive breakouts around the league as MLB worked with a juiced baseball both in the big leagues and in Triple-A. A comical 58 players belted 30 or more home runs that season, and were it not for a three-week stay on the injured list, Dozier might very well have been a 59th.

The 2020 season saw Dozier take a step back, but his .228/.344/.392 batting line still clocked in right around league-average, per metrics like wRC+ and OPS+, after weighting for his pitcher-friendly home park and a reduced leaguewide run-scoring environment. On the whole, Dozier batted .267/.347/.492 with 32 home runs in 772 plate appearances from 2019-20 — showing the Royals enough that they felt comfortable making that four-year extension offer prior to the 2021 season.

Things went south almost immediately, and Dozier has batted just .222/.286/.384 with a 27.2% strikeout rate in 1134 plate appearances since putting pen to paper on that contract. He’s oscillated between first base, third base and right field without drawing positive defensive grades at any of the three spots. This year’s struggles have been particularly pronounced, as Dozier has limped to a .183/.253/.305 slash with a career-worst 31.9% strikeout rate in 91 trips to the plate.

The Royals will have a week to trade Dozier, pass him through waivers or release him. Given that he’s being paid $7.25MM this season and is owed both a $9MM salary in 2024 and a $1MM buyout on a 2025 club option, there’s no way he’d be claimed on waivers. The Royals could perhaps try to engineer a swap that sends Dozier elsewhere in exchange for another bad contract, though they’ve presumably looked into such scenarios (or trade scenarios where they pay the bulk of the contract) without striking up a deal.

Even if Dozier goes unclaimed on outright waivers, he has more than five years of MLB service time, meaning he could reject an outright assignment, elect free agency and still retain the remainder of his salary. It’s most common for players in similar situations to this one to wind up simply being released. One way or another, it’s likely that today’s DFA will spell the end of Dozier’s time with the Royals organization. If he ultimately does end up becoming a free agent, he’d be able to sign with any of the 29 other teams, who’d only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster/injured list. That amount would be subtracted from what the Royals owe Dozier, but they’ll remain on the hook for the vast majority of his contract regardless.

Injured List Activations: Davies, Whitlock

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Updates on some prominent players returning from the injured list…

  • The Diamondbacks reinstated Zach Davies from the 15-day IL, while also calling up Drey Jameson from Triple-A and optioning right-handers Brandon Pfaadt and Luis Frias.  Davies made just two starts and threw 9 1/3 innings before going on the IL in early April due to a strained left oblique, but he’ll now return to Arizona’s rotation, beginning with tonight’s game against the Red Sox.  Between Davies’ injury and Madison Bumgarner’s release, the D’Backs have turned to several of their younger pitchers to try and stabilize the rotation, but none of Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry, Pfaadt, or Jameson have done particularly well in starting duty.
  • Garrett Whitlock will be the opposing starter against Davies tonight, as the Red Sox have activated the right-hander from the 15-day IL.  The corresponding move took place yesterday, as Boston optioned left-hander Brennan Bernardino to Triple-A following Friday’s 7-2 win over the D’Backs.  Whitlock has missed a month due to ulnar neuritis, or essentially inflammation of the funny bone near his right elbow.  Whitlock has a 6.19 ERA over three starts and 16 innings this season, and while his results as a starter have been middling over the last two seasons, the Red Sox will continue to give Whitlock looks in the rotation.  Struggling veteran Corey Kluber will be moved to the bullpen to accommodate Whitlock’s return to the starting five.

Phillies Notes: First Base, Painter, Song, Pache, Alvarado

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TODAY: Hall and Pache will both begin rehab assignments at lower A-ball Clearwater this week, with The Athletic’s Matt Gelb tweeting that Hall will start action on Tuesday and Pache on Wednesday.  Alvarado played catch today but didn’t throw his bullpen due to feeling “a little sore.”

MAY 26: After long-time first baseman Rhys Hoskins suffered a torn ACL during Spring Training, the Phillies were left entering the season with a hole at first base for the first time in years. That appeared to open the door for Darick Hall, who impressed in 41 games last year, to take the lion’s share of the starts at first base this season, but Hall suffered a torn ligament in his thumb just six games into the 2023 campaign that required surgery, and has been on the shelf ever since.

Since then, the Phillies have relied on a timeshare between Kody Clemens and Alec Bohm at first base to acceptable but uninspiring results. In 22 games with the Phillies this season, Clemens has slashed a solid .241/.302/.483 that’s good for a wRC+ of 109. That wRC+ figure improves to 127 against right-handed pitching, with Clemens posting a much stronger .255/.321/.529 slash line against righties so far, albeit in a small sample size of just 56 plate appearances. Bohm, meanwhile, has slashed .269/.324/.409 with a wRC+ of just 99 in 204 plate appearances this season, though in 60 plate appearances against lefties, that slash line improves to a healthy .268/.300/.518 figure that’s good for a wRC+ of 115.

While a platoon of Clemens and Bohm has held down the fort capably at the cold corner so far this season, as the club’s wRC+ of 98 at first base this season ranks just 20th in the majors. Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests that recently-released Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer could be a fit, though Hosmer has slashed an abysmal .234/.280/.330 in 100 plate appearances this season that’s 32% worse than league average in terms of wRC+. The Phillies have reportedly also considered using superstar Bryce Harper at first base as a way to open up the DH spot while protecting Harper from high-intensity throws in the outfield, though Harper has spent just a third of an inning at first base during his career to this point.

Fortunately for the Phillies, such drastic measures may not be needed at all, as MLB.com notes Hall could begin a rehab assignment as soon as next week, putting him on track to potentially return shortly after he’s eligible to do so on June 5. Hall, who slashed .250/.282/.522 with 18 extra base hits in just 41 games last season, could provide a significant boost to the club’s production at first base with a healthy return.

Hall is far from the only injured Phillies player who has received a positive injury update in recent days, as GM Dave Dombrowski has also expressed optimism that top prospect Andrew Painter and Rule 5 pick Noah Song will both pitch competitively this season. As noted by MLB.com, Dombrowski left open the possibility that Painter, who is currently throwing off a mound from 50-55 feet, could impact the big league club at some point this season. As for Song, he will of course have to be added to the active roster within 30 days of beginning a rehab assignment, and will shed Rule 5 restrictions after spending 90 days on the club’s active roster.

Meanwhile, both center fielder Cristian Pache and lefty reliever Jose Alvarado are targeting returns to big league action at some point next month, with rehab assignments expected for both players in the coming weeks, per MLB.com.

A long-time top prospect, Pache struggled badly with the bat during the first 126 games of his big league career, with a slash line of just .156/.205/.234 during that time. That brutal offensive production led the A’s to trade him to the Phillies just before the start of the 2023 campaign, where Pache got off to a hot start with a .360/.360/.600 slash line in 18 games before hitting the injured list with a torn meniscus at the end of April. An elite defender in center field, Pache figures to shore up an outfield defense that currently features Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in the corners flanking center fielder Brandon Marsh upon his return.

Alvarado, meanwhile, was placed on the injured list early this month with elbow inflammation after his own hot start to the 2023 campaign where he pitched to a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings of work. The 28-year-old Alvarado, who signed an extension with the club during the spring, threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and figures to throw another tomorrow before progressing to facing live hitters on Tuesday. Once Alvarado returns, he figures to be an immediate factor in the club’s late inning mix alongside Seranthony Dominguez and Craig Kimbrel.

Rangers Place Ezequiel Duran On 10-Day Injured List; Travis Jankowski Activated

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The Rangers announced a series of roster moves this afternoon, most notably the news that Ezequiel Duran has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 24) due to mild discomfort in his right oblique.  Outfielder Travis Jankowski was activated from his own 10-day IL stint and will take Jankowski’s place on the active roster.  Left-hander Cody Bradford was also called up from Triple-A to take the spot of Dane Dunning, as Dunning is going on the paternity list.

One of many contributors to the red-hot Texas lineup this season, Duran has made the most of some extended playing time when Corey Seager went on the 10-day IL.  Duran became the Rangers’ top choice as the fill-in shortstop, and since Seager returned last week, Duran had been getting some DH time in order to keep his bat in the lineup.  After a modest .643 OPS over 220 plate appearances in his 2022 rookie season, Duran has broken out with seven homers and a .301/.340/.515 slash line over 144 PA this year.  While Duran’s 2.8% walk rate is near the bottom of the league and he has benefited from a .358 BABIP, he has still been making a lot of hard contact, and his plus speed has contributed to that good fortune with balls in play.

Duran missed the last few games with what was initially described as rib soreness, and while the new designation of an oblique problem isn’t exactly good news, the injury does seem to be relatively mild.  If all goes well, he might just miss only a minimal amount of time, plus he already has a few days banked via the retroactive IL placement.

Jankowski returns after missing just shy of three weeks due to a right hamstring strain.  Signed to a minor league contract during the offseason, the veteran has hit well (.309/.382/.412) over 77 PA while seeing time in mostly in left and center field.  Left field has been a relative weak link in the Texas lineup, with the Rangers juggling Jankowski, Robbie Grossman, Bubba Thompson, Josh H. Smith and even Duran in and out of the position.  This could be a regular spot for Duran when he returns from the IL, or the Rangers might look for a bigger left field upgrade at the trade deadline.

Giants Place Thairo Estrada On 10-Day Injured List

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The Giants placed infielder Thairo Estrada on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 26) due to a left wrist sprain.  Infielder David Villar was recalled from Triple-A to take Estrada’s place on San Francisco’s roster.

Estrada has been dealing with the injury for a few days, as The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly writes that Estrada hurt himself during a swing in Wednesday’s 7-1 loss to the Twins.  After trying to tough it out on Thursday, Estrada was out of the lineup on Friday and will now need at least a 10-day hiatus to recover.  The good news is that an MRI revealed just inflammation and no structural damage in Estrada’s wrist.

Estrada has quietly been one of the better all-around players in baseball this season, as only 16 players have a higher fWAR than his 1.9 total.  Beyond hitting .301/.345/.466 with six homers and stealing 13 of 16 bases, Estrada’s versatility has also been a weapon for the Giants, as he got a lot of time at shortstop when Brandon Crawford was on the injured list earlier this season.  Most of the time, Estrada has settled in as San Francisco’s regular second baseman, and he has also made a few appearances in left field.  MLBTR’s Anthony Franco profiled Estrada in greater depth earlier this month, and how the Giants have gotten a ton of return out of a rather unheralded player since acquiring Estrada from the Yankees for cash considerations early in the 2021 season.

There’s no easy way to replicate Estrada’s production over even a 10-day stint, and given the Giants’ penchant for platoons, they probably won’t turn to a single player to replace Estrada.  Villar, Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt, and Wilmer Flores could all pitch in at second base, though Schmitt has been seeing an increasing amount of time at shortstop in Crawford’s place.

West Notes: Urias, deGrom, Bogaerts

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Dodgers lefty Julio Urias was expected to throw a bullpen session off the mound for the first time since going on the injured list with a hamstring strain last week, but the 26-year-old lefty felt some soreness after working out yesterday and threw off flat ground instead, as noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Ardaya notes that the planned bullpen session has been moved to Tuesday, and that the next step afterwards would be to face live hitters.

Urias’s setback opens the door for young right-hander Bobby Miller to make another start after the 24-year-old top prospect threw five innings of one-run ball against a tough Braves lineup in his MLB debut earlier this week. With Miller looking effective, there’s plenty of reason for the Dodgers to proceed cautiously with their staff ace as he works his way back from his current hamstring ailment. Urias entered the 2023 campaign with a career ERA of just 2.82 (148 ERA+), but his platform season before he’s slated to test free agency in the offseason hasn’t gotten off on the same dominant foot as usual. Through ten starts this season, Urias has posted a surprisingly pedestrian 4.39 ERA (101 ERA+) with a worrisome 5.31 FIP. That season line is weighed down by a final brutal stretch of six starts immediately preceding Urias’s placement on the IL, where he posted a 6.25 ERA and 6.86 FIP in 31 2/3 innings of work.

More from around MLB’s West divisions…

  • Rangers ace Jacob deGrom has been on the injured list with elbow inflammation for a month now, as the club has taken their oft-injured ace’s ramp-up back to game action slowly. After throwing a 25-pitch, fastball-only bullpen session last week, deGrom progressed to a 31-pitch bullpen session yesterday per MLB.com, during which he began to mix in sliders and change-ups. Manager Bruce Bochy noted that deGrom will be evaluated over the coming days as he recovers from the session while the club attempts to establish a clearer timeline for his return. As arguably the best pitcher in the world when healthy it’s hard to overstate the value deGrom, who has posted a 2.67 ERA and 1.57 FIP in his first six starts as a member of the Rangers, has for the club. Nonetheless, Texas has been able to excel even without their ace thanks to excellent performances from Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, and Martin Perez.
  • Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts is out of the lineup today while the 30-year-old star deals with discomfort in his wrist. As noted by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the issue is in the same wrist that required a cortisone shot during spring training. Acee notes that it’s still too soon for Bogaerts to receive another shot, so the shortstop has opted to instead play through the discomfort on and off throughout the season. The discomfort could help to explain Bogaerts’s struggles this past month, as he has slashed just .195/.290/.268 in 21 games so far in May. Acee notes that the hope is that Bogaerts will be able to return to the lineup tomorrow, but the situation appears to be day-to-day.

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