The Opener: Abbott, Cortes, Lowe

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. Abbott to debut:

With Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott expected to make his MLB debut in a start today against the Brewers, roster moves to clear space for Abbott on both the 40-man and active rosters will be necessary before this evening’s game. The No. 95 prospect in the game according to MLB Pipeline, Abbott has dominated the upper levels of the minor leagues all season to this point, with a 1.15 ERA in three Double-A starts before the Reds promoted him to Triple-A, where he’s posted a 3.05 ERA in seven starts. He’s fanned 42.7% of his opponents between those two levels. That dominance has already earned Abbott not just his first start in the big leagues, but his second, as manager David Bell has indicated that Abbott will not be a spot starter and get another start this Saturday against the Cardinals.

2. Cortes to undergo MRI:

After revealing that left-hander Nestor Cortes was likely headed to the 15-day injured list with a shoulder issue, Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that Cortes was set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. After pitching to a 155 ERA+ between the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a regular member of the Yankees rotation, Cortes has struggled so far in 2023, with a 5.16 ERA and 4.60 FIP in 59 1/3 innings of work across 11 starts.

If Cortes has been dealing with a shoulder issue throughout the season that, as Boone describes it, has caused problems with his recovery between starts, it’s no wonder that New York plans to utilize a trip to the IL to hopefully get their lefty’s season back on track. The Yankees are already without Carlos Rodon and Frankie Montas, neither of whom have thrown a pitch in the Majors this season.

3. Lowe day-to-day with back injury:

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe was initially scratched from yesterday’s game against the Red Sox with what was termed “left leg discomfort,” but after the game manager Kevin Cash (as relayed by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) indicated that the issue actually involved Lowe’s back. Lowe noted to reporters that the issue cropped up after he “felt something” during a slide into third base, and that he wasn’t able to get his back to loosen up after taking swings in the batting cage. Lowe indicated he was hopeful that he would be able to play today, though he admitted that it was “too early to say anything” at this point.

Lowe has struggled after a hot start, hitting .199/.294/.392 overall on the season (96 wRC+). His performance has been particularly brutal since the end of April, with a .167/.255/.267 slash line and just five extra base hits in his past 102 plate appearances. If Lowe were to require a trip to the injured list, options to replace him would include Taylor Walls and Isaac Paredes.