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Royals Select Matt Beaty, Place Michael Massey On 10-Day IL

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The Royals announced that they have selected the contract of utiltyman Matt Beaty from Triple-A, and placed second baseman Michael Massey on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand laceration.  MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reported earlier today that Beaty had a locker in the team’s clubhouse, and that Massey was likely headed to the IL with “a deep cut right on his knuckle, so he’s unable to move it much right now.”  Vinnie Pasquantino (whose season has been ended by shoulder surgery) was moved to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for Beaty.

After signing a minor league deal with Kansas City in January, Beaty was traded to the Giants on Opening Day, and he ended up appearing in four games for San Francisco while being optioned to the minors on multiple occasions and eventually designated for assignment.  Beaty elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, and then returned to the Royals on a new minor league deal earlier this week.

Now, Beaty finally looks set to make his official debut in a K.C. uniform.  The 30-year-old made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 2019, and hit .262/.333/.425 over 556 plate appearances in part-time action over the next three seasons, earning a World Series ring in 2020.  Los Angeles traded Beaty to the Padres in March 2022 but the SoCal move went poorly, as Beaty played in only 20 games for San Diego last season while missing the bulk of the year due to a shoulder injury.

Beaty has experience at both corner infield and outfield positions, with first base and left field being his primary positions.  He could help out at all four spots plus the DH role in Kansas City, though first base might be a less-frequent role since Beaty and Nick Pratto are both left-handed hitters.  In what is already looking like a lost season for the Royals, the team will surely prioritize giving Pratto everyday at-bats as a small silver lining to the blow that was Pasquantino’s shoulder injury.

Massey has seen most of the playing time at second base this season, though Matt Duffy, Nicky Lopez, and Maikel Garcia have also gotten some work at the keystone for platoon reasons and because Massey hasn’t hit much.  The 25-year-old has batted .217/.279/.315 over 204 PA, with four home runs.  Beaty’s availability for third base could open the door for Garcia or Lopez to play second base in Massey’s absence.

Mets Activate Pete Alonso From 10-Day Injured List

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Pete Alonso has made a quick return from the injured list, as the Mets announced that the first baseman has been activated from the 10-day IL after just the minimum 10 days.  In the corresponding move, New York optioned Mark Vientos to Triple-A.

Alonso was hit on the left wrist by a Charlie Morton fastball back on June 7, leaving the slugger with a sprain and a bone bruise.  While Alonso at least escaped a more serious injury like a fracture, he was still expected to miss at least 3-4 weeks recovering.  Instead, the Polar Bear easily beat that timeline and is already on his way back to the Mets lineup.

Getting Alonso back so soon is a nice outcome for a Mets team in dire need of a break.  After losing 10 of their last 13 games, the Mets are 33-37 and sit in fourth place in NL East — a wholly disapppointing result for a team that won 101 games in 2022, and is spending at record levels this season.  While there’s still plenty of time for the Mets to get on track, the Amazins have already dug themselves a big hole, and a wild card may be their only path to the playoffs since the Braves lead them by 11.5 games.

An inconsistent offense has been one of the factors in New York’s slide, so Alonso’s power bat will be welcome.  Even after missing time on the IL, Alonso still leads the National League with 22 home runs, and only Shohei Ohtani (23) has more homers league-wide.  The first baseman is hitting .231/.326/.546 over 261 plate appearances, and Alonso’s batting average and OBP are both down from career norms.  Still, Alonso is making tons of hard contact, and his incredibly low .199 BABIP indicates that Alonso could be hitting a lot better than his already-productive slash line.

Vientos was called up to the majors about a month ago, and he hit .178/.224/.244 over 49 PA.  It was an underwhelming performance for a hitter considered one of the Mets’ top prospects, though Vientos also didn’t receive much in the way of consistent playing time.  Working mostly as a DH with a few appearances at both corner infield positions, Vientos only played a full game in seven of his 16 appearances.  He’ll now head back to Triple-A to await his next opportunity, though Vientos may not have anything left to prove in the minors, given his 1.104 OPS over 166 PA at Syracuse this season.

Orioles Make Three Roster Moves

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The Orioles placed catcher James McCann on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain.  This was one of a trio of moves announced by the club, as the O’s also selected the contract of catcher Jose Godoy and designated right-hander Reed Garrett for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot for Godoy’s arrival.

McCann suffered the injury in yesterday’s game while sliding into first base for an infield hit.  The sprain forced McCann to make an early exit, and while it isn’t considered to be a serious injury, the Orioles have opted to place McCann on the IL just to provide him with enough time to fully heal.  Teams only have so much flexibility with catchers with day-to-day types of injuries, especially in Baltimore’s case when Adley Rutschman is already playing basically every day as either a catcher or designated hitter.

Reflecting Rutschman’s workload, Godoy now looks to be the fifth different catcher to get some time behind the plate for the O’s this season.  McCann has seen the bulk of the backup duty, though this is his second IL stint of the season, after he began the year with a brief absence due to a minor oblique strain.  McCann has hit only .194/.232/.344 over an even 100 plate appearances, but as long as he continues his solid defense (including throwing out nine of 16 baserunners attempting to steal) as Rutschman’s understudy, the veteran will retain his backup spot.

Godoy was acquired in a trade with the Yankees earlier this month, and the 28-year-old figures to get his first MLB action of the season while McCann is sidelined.  Godoy has appeared in 26 big league games with the Mariners, Pirates, and Twins since the start of the 2021 season, and he has also bounced around to several other clubs on waiver claims and minor league deals over the last three years.

The Orioles just selected Garrett’s contract earlier this week, and his tenure in Baltimore has thus far consisted of three runs allowed over 2 2/3 innings of relief work.  Garrett signed a minors deal with the O’s in the offseason, and he has posted a 1.59 ERA and a 28.4% strikeout rate in 22 2/3 innings with Triple-A Norfolk.  Garrett has been outrighted before, so if he clears DFA waivers and Baltimore wants to outright him off the 40-man roster, Garrett can opt to decline that assignment and become a free agent.

Royals Designate Mike Mayers, Select Brooks Kriske

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The Royals announced that right-hander Mike Mayers has been designated for assignment.  Mayers’ roster spot will be filled by fellow righty Brooks Kriske, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

Mayers signed a minor league contract with Kansas City during the offseason, and when that contract was selected last month, Mayers added an eighth MLB season to his resume by appearing in six games for the Royals.  Working as a bulk pitcher in four outings and as a proper starter in his other two games, Mayers had a 1.35 ERA over his first 13 1/3 innings before things soured, as he has given up 16 earned runs over his last 13 innings of work.

All in all, Mayers has a 6.15 ERA over 26 1/3 frames, with a tiny 14.3% strikeout rate.  Mayers has generally not been a big strikeout pitcher over his career, apart from his two best seasons.  He broke out with a 30.5 K% over 105 innings with the Angels in 2020-21, posting a 3.34 ERA while working mostly out of Anaheim’s bullpen.  However, Mayers struggled in 2022, leading the Angels to outright him to Triple-A before waiving him after the season.

With teams always in need of pitchers who can eat innings, there’s a chance another club could put in a claim on Mayers.  If he clears waivers, Mayers can elect to become a free agent again rather than an accept an outright assignment to Triple-A, since he has been outrighted before in his career.

Kriske was another minor league signing during the Royals’ offseason, as he made a return to North American baseball after spending the 2022 season in Japan.  Pitching for the Yokohama BayStars, Kriske had a 2.57 ERA over 21 innings in Nippon Professional Baseball, while also making 14 appearances for the BayStars’ top minor league team.  Kriske’s MLB experience consists of 15 innings with the Yankees and Orioles in 2020-21, with Kriske posting a 14.40 ERA in that small sample size.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Manoah, Bader, Fleming, Kittredge

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The Red Sox are looking to acquire an infielder who can play multiple positions, MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam writes, with a focus on the middle infield.  McAdam notes that Aledmys Diaz’s name has “been linked to the Red Sox,” though it isn’t clear how deep talks might be between the Sox and Athletics.  Diaz is struggling through a tough season (.208/.266/.264 over 173 plate appearances) but he is also an experienced player who could help a Boston infield that is still trying to figure itself out, particularly at shortstop until Trevor Story is healthy.  That said, Diaz’s contract is hefty enough that he would be more than a stopgap, as Diaz is owed roughly $4.1MM for the rest of this season and then $8MM in 2024.  The A’s are naturally looking to unload salary and might eat some of that money, but one would imagine the Sox might explore cheaper options if they truly only want a short-term option.

The Sox could possibly also be dangling an infielder in trade talks as the deadline approaches, if the team wants to move on from Bobby Dalbec.  The former top prospect was already the subject of trade speculation over the winter, and Triston Casas seems to have supplanted Dalbec as Boston’s next first baseman of the future.  Back at Triple-A for much of this season, Dalbec is posting big numbers, and a scout told McAdam that “I thought he looked much more confident at the plate, with more of a plan.”  That said, the scout has a modest view of Dalbec’s trade value, saying “my guess is, he’s only a second piece in a (larger) deal, or the only piece for an average bullpen arm or some infield depth.’”

Some more from around the AL East…

  • Alek Manoah threw 75 pitches during a simulated game on Friday, and is slated for another sim game later this week.  Blue Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and other reporters on Friday that “everything that we were talking about in terms of delivery and stuff [for Manoah] was good, so making some good strides in the right direction.”  A proper minor league rehab game could follow the next simulating outing, meaning that Manoah could be back with the Jays by July 1 if all goes well, though the plan is still quite fluid given the unusual nature of Manoah’s situation.  The third-place finisher in AL Cy Young voting in 2022, Manoah posted a 6.36 ERA over his first 58 innings this season, pitching so poorly that the Blue Jays optioned him to their Florida complex in order to fully explore what has gone awry.
  • Harrison Bader is slated to be activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty and other reporters.  The initial aim was for Bader to return this weekend, but the outfielder requested a couple of extra minor league rehab games in order to better test his injured hamstring.  Bader gave Boone a positive report via text message last night, so everything seems lined up for Tuesday when the Yankees host the Mariners.  Between an oblique strain and his hamstring strain, Bader has been limited to 26 games this season, and his return will be a huge boost to a New York outfield that is still missing Aaron Judge.
  • Rays manager Kevin Cash updated reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) on some injured player, including Josh Fleming and Andrew Kittredge.  Fleming is on the 60-day IL due to elbow soreness, but the good news is that it doesn’t appear surgery will be required, as Cash said that the left-hander will continue to rehab without going under the knife.  Kittredge had a Tommy John surgery just over a year ago, but he will throw a live batting practice this week in the latest phase of his rehab.  Kittredge is expected to return to the Rays sometime in August, while Fleming’s 60-day IL placement means that August 3 would be the earliest date for a possible return.

Tanner Houck Suffers Facial Fracture

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TODAY: The Red Sox officially placed Houck on the 15-day injured list today, and called up right-hander Kaleb Ort.

JUNE 17: Red Sox starter Tanner Houck exited last night’s game against the Yankees in the fifth inning following a frightening incident that saw the right-hander struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka. After walking off the field on his own power, Houck was checked out and received stitches at a local hospital last night. More information on Houck’s situation was revealed this evening, as the club announced on Twitter that the young right-hander had suffered a facial fracture and was currently resting at home, with follow-up appointments scheduled for next week that would determine a treatment plan and next steps for the pitcher.

While the news that Houck is safely home and avoided more catastrophic injury is certainly heartening, the news is nonetheless a major blow for both Houck and Boston. Just weeks shy of his 27th birthday, Houck was getting his first extended look as a member of the club’s starting rotation this season, and had performed solidly despite his 5.05 ERA in 13 starts leaving something to be desired. Much of Houck’s struggles in the run prevention department have been thanks to an unusually low strand rate of just 64.5%, as indicated by his stronger expected stats: in 2023, Houck sports a 3.86 xERA, a 4.22 FIP, and a 3.78 xFIP, all strong numbers bolstered by solid strikeout and walk rates of 22.5% and 8.1%, respectively.

Now, of course, Houck figures to head to the injured list in the coming days as he recovers from yesterday’s injury. That leaves the Red Sox in a bit of a bind regarding their rotation with Chris Sale also on the injured list while both Corey Kluber and Nick Pivetta have been recently demoted to the bullpen. Pivetta has taken well to his new role, with a 2.70 ERA across 13 1/3 innings in nine relief appearances. Both he and right-hander Josh Winckowski could be considered too vital to the club’s bullpen as things stand to step into the rotation, though Kluber’s 6.75 ERA in 52 innings between the rotation and bullpen are hardly an enticing option either.

The club has Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter all starting at the Triple-A level while already on the 40-man roster, though each comes with checkered marks at the level. That being said, Murphy did pitch 3 1/3 scoreless relief innings for Boston earlier in an appearance earlier this season, leaving him as perhaps the most likely option of the trio should the club look to dip into the minor leagues to cover Houck’s next start, which had been scheduled for Wednesday in Minnesota.

Braves Designate Charlie Culberson For Assignment

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The Braves announced that Charlie Culberson has been designated for assignment.  The veteran utilityman will hit the DFA wire to make room for Chadwick Tromp, as Atlanta has called the catcher up from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Already a member of the Braves from 2018-20, Culberson spent the last two seasons with the Rangers before catching on with the Rays on a minor league deal this past offseason.  He opted out of that deal towards the end of Spring Training and then signed a new minors contract with Atlanta, and the Braves selected Culberson’s contract to the active roster almost a month ago.  Curiously, Culberson hasn’t played in even one game since being called up, so his latest stint with the Braves could end without an official appearance.

If Culberson clears waivers, he has enough MLB service time to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A and elect free agency.  It’s possible the Georgia native might pass on the open market and instead remain in his hometown organization, or he could again seek a new job elsewhere given that the Braves don’t appear to have much of a role for him on their 26-man roster.

Culberson is a Major League game away from making it 11 seasons in the Show, as he has appeared in 585 games for five different teams at the big league level over parts of his previous 10 seasons.  The 34-year-old has a career .248/.293/.386 slash line over 1311 career plate appearances, but is known more for his defensive versatility than hit bat.  Culberson has played all over the infield and spent a lot of time as a left fielder, with a few appearances as a right fielder and even as a mop-up pitcher.

Sean Murphy is the other key player in today’s transaction, as the catcher left yesterday’s game with a right hamstring injury suffered while running the bases.  Murphy underwent an MRI that showed some inflammation (Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was among those to report the news) but not any severe damage, so the Braves called up Tromp to provide catching depth while Murphy takes some time to recover.

Since Atlanta doesn’t play on Monday, we should know by Tuesday whether or not Murphy has healed well enough to return to action, or if a 10-day IL stint is ultimately required.  Assuming that Culberson isn’t claimed on waivers, it’s possible his DFA is something of a handshake move that would see him accept an outright assignment with the promise of being called back to the Braves’ roster in a few days if Murphy does go on the IL.

Reds Open To Buying, Spending At Trade Deadline

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While the Reds only moved back to the .500 mark after yesterday’s 2-1 victory over the Astros, Cincinnati’s 35-35 record puts them only a half-game behind the Brewers for first place in the NL Central.  Considering how the Reds were 21-29 just on May 25, the team’s surge over the last few weeks has included both a five-game winning streak and the Reds’ ongoing six-game winning streak.

Such highly-touted prospects as Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain have sparked the lineup, and Andrew Abbott has started his MLB career with 17 2/3 scoreless innings (setting a modern record in the process).  Since the youngsters are contributing already and the NL Central seems to be wide open, the Reds could be in the unexpected position of finding themselves looking to add at the trade deadline.

To this end, general manager Nick Krall told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal) that the front office is prepared to act if Cincinnati remains in contention.

“If we’ve got a chance to make the playoffs, we try to make the playoffs any way we can.  It’s not about getting top farm systems.  That’s great, but at the same time, you’re trying to make moves to sustain winning on your big league club and figure out what that is,” Krall said.  As to whether or not ownership will increase payroll to accommodate a deadline move, “there’s nothing I see that is going to impede us from making an acquisition,” Krall said.

As per Roster Resource, the Reds’ payroll sits just shy of $83MM, with Joey Votto accounting for $25MM of that figure.  The team topped the $130MM mark (putting the Reds about in the middle of the league in payroll size) during the 2019-21 seasons, as Cincinnati’s previous rebuilding process saw the team augment its young talent with such notable free agents as Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas.  The result was a wild card postseason appearance in 2020, but the pandemic seemed to curb ownership’s desire for any more spending, leading the front office to start cutting payroll and rebuilding anew, resulting in a dismal 62-100 season in 2022.

It’s probably safe to assume that the Reds aren’t going on a spending spree at the deadline, both because of the past history of modest payrolls, and because the club has so much young talent that it doesn’t want to block any positions with veterans.  However, as Rosenthal noted, Cincinnati’s prospect depth is naturally also a big advantage in swinging trades.  Obviously the likes of De La Cruz or McLain aren’t going anywhere, but the Reds could conceivably dangle some minor leaguers who are further away from their MLB debuts in order to land some win-now help.  Offering a higher caliber of prospect might also entice a rival team to eat all or most of the money owed on a veteran player’s remaining contact, thus allowing the Reds to sidestep a major payroll increase.

Despite Abbott’s early success, starting pitching is the most obvious need for the Reds.  Hunter Greene and Ben Lively have performed decently, but Graham Ashcraft has struggled and is currently on the 15-day injured list, while Nick Lodolo (who also wasn’t pitching well) is out until August due to a stress reaction in his tibia.

Krall said that Ashcraft and Lodolo could provide some pitching help, and implied that the Reds might be looking just for rental players for further rotation adds.  “Anything else you do, you’re doing it for the short term but you also want to add quality guys if possible.  You’d have to find the right match to make that trade,” the GM said.

Another creative route would be for the Reds to perhaps buy and sell in equal measure, trading some veteran players just to clear roster space for all of the youngsters that are knocking on the door for more playing time.  Injuries have created some openings for the prospects, as Votto has yet to play this season and Wil Myers and Jake Fraley are currently on the 10-day IL.  Nick Senzel was only just activated off the 10-day IL yesterday, and if everyone is healthy at the same time, the Reds simply won’t have enough at-bats to go around.

Cincinnati’s outfield has more question marks than the infield, which is why Christian Encarnacion-Strand has been getting a tryout as a corner outfielder at Triple-A.  Considered to be the next top prospect on the verge of his big league debut, Encarnacion-Strand is a corner infielder by trade, yet the Reds are well stocked for first and third base options (i.e. Spencer Steer, De La Cruz, Senzel, Votto, Myers, Kevin Newman).  Encarnacion-Strand’s outfield work has thus far consisted of one game each as a left fielder and right fielder, but if he can provide at least passable glovework on the grass, it will create a quicker path to playing time.  Hitting-wise, CES seems more than ready for the Show, with a whopping .345/.413/.691 slash line over 218 PA at Triple-A Louisville this season.

Dodgers Notes: Taylor, Peralta, Urias, Hudson

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Dodgers veterans Chris Taylor and David Peralta are both out of the lineup today after exiting yesterday’s game against the Giants. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register notes that Peralta’s hamstring feels better today, and that manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Peralta could be available off the bench in tonight’s game, though he likely would not be tasked with playing the outfield for a few days.

As for Taylor, Plunkett notes that the veteran utility player underwent an MRI on his knee today that showed he had suffered a bone bruise, a diagnosis that came as a relief to the 32-year-old. Roberts expanded on Taylor’s comments, noting to reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that Taylor was dealing with “cartilage discomfort” for which he was poised to get a cortisone shot. While both Taylor and Roberts acknowledged that he’ll be out of action for a few days, the pair also expressed optimism that he would be able to avoid a stint on the injured list, though Ardaya notes that infielder Yonny Hernandez is with the team to step in should a roster move be necessary.

With Taylor and potentially Peralta out of the lineup just a day after the club put Max Muncy on the injured list with a hamstring strain, the Dodgers are facing a significant test to their position player depth. While youngster Michael Busch helps to bolster the bench and Mookie Betts is capable of playing both the middle infield or in the outfield as necessary, the club was still forced to get creative with today’s lineup, penciling DH J.D. Martinez into the starting lineup in left field. It was Martinez’s first start anywhere other than DH since 2021, as the veteran slugger hasn’t played the outfield on a regular basis since 2017.

In more positive injury news, left-hander Julio Urias appears to be progressing in his rehab of a hamstring strain, as Plunkett notes the 26-year-old threw a 40-pitch up and down bullpen session today. According to Plunkett, Urias’s next steps will be a live sim game before beginning a rehab assignment shortly thereafter. Urias’s return would be a major boost for LA, as the club lacks certainty in their rotation behind the trio of Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and youngster Bobby Miller.

Also approaching a potential return to action is right-hander Daniel Hudson. As Roberts noted to reporters, including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Hudson is set to move his rehab process from Arizona Complex League to Triple-A in the coming week as he looks to face stronger competition en route to a return to the Dodgers’ bullpen, which Roberts believes could happen before the end of the month. A return to action for Hudson, who sports a 2.96 ERA and 2.84 FIP since the start of the 2021 campaign but hasn’t thrown a pitch in 2023 while rehabbing knee surgery, would be a major boon for the Dodgers as they look to improve a bullpen that sports an NL-worst 4.90 ERA despite a strong nucleus of Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, and Caleb Ferguson.

Giants Place Wilmer Flores, John Brebbia On IL

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves ahead of tonight’s game against the Dodgers, placing 10-day injured list Wilmer Flores on the 10-day IL and right-hander John Brebbia on the 15-day IL while activating left-hander Alex Wood and recalling right-hander Tristan Beck. Flores is suffering from a foot contusion, while Brebbia was diagnosed with a grade 2 lat strain that Susan Sussler of the San Francisco Chronicle notes could keep him on the shelf for 4-8 weeks.

Flores, 31, has been a steady veteran presence in San Francisco’s infield over the past four seasons, slashing an above average .249/.322/.437 in 398 games with the club since the start of the 2020 campaign. During that time, Flores has logged time at each of first, second, and third base in addition to the DH slot. Aside from his versatility, the highlight of Flores’s toolkit is his plate discipline, as the veteran has struck out in just 15.7% of plate appearances as a member of the Giants while walking at a 9.1% clip. Fortunately for the Giants, the club seems well-equipped to weather the loss of Flores, as Thairo Estrada, J.D. Davis, and Lamonte Wade Jr. are all having excellent seasons around the infield while veteran Brandon Crawford mans shortstop, backed up by youngster Casey Schmitt.

Brebbia’s role on the roster, on the other hand, figures to be more difficult to replace. The 33-year-old righty sports a 3.14 ERA, 38% better than league average by measure of ERA+, and a 2.72 FIP in 28 2/3 innings this season. While Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers, and Taylor Rogers have all been similarly excellent, none of them have shown the valuable versatility of Brebbia, who works effectively both in the late innings and as an opener, recording appearances that last both a single out and multiple innings throughout the season so far.

Filling in for Brebbia in the bullpen is Beck, a 27-year-old right-hander who made his major league debut with the Giants earlier this season. In 31 1/3 innings of work, Beck has posted a respectable 3.73 ERA (116 ERA+) with a 4.23 FIP with a 21.7% strikeout rate and a minuscule walk rate of 3.9%. During his time in the big leagues this season, Beck has been used for multi-inning relief in the majority of his appearances, including an 81-pitch outing that lasted 5 1/3 innings against the Mets.

Also rejoining the Giants roster is Wood, who went on the injured list earlier this month with a low back strain. It’s been a difficult road for Wood since he signed a two-year, $25MM deal with the Giants ahead of the 2022 campaign, as he posted a well below average 5.10 ERA last season despite solid peripherals. He’s struggled similarly this season, with a 4.80 ERA and 4.58 FIP across 30 innings of work.

While those run prevention numbers are largely held down by six-run, 4 1/3 inning start immediately preceding his trip to the injured list, Wood has also struggled to pitch deep into games this season. He’s finished the fifth inning just once all season while throwing more than 75 pitches just twice. In his return to the rotation, Wood figures to attempt to stabilize San Francisco’s rotation alongside Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, and Alex Cobb.

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