The Diamondbacks had a couple of injury scares during Saturday’s 11-1 rout over the Phillies, but neither seems to be a serious concern. Two-time All-Star Ketel Marte exited in the fourth inning after hurting his ankle on a play at second base. Thankfully, the team announced after the game that the injury was merely a left ankle contusion, and Marte is unlikely to miss more than a game or two. He told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic that he hopes to be back in the lineup on Monday. The 30-year-old is enjoying the best offensive season of his career, with 30 home runs, a .932 OPS, and a 153 wRC+ in 113 games. He is also playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at second base, with 7 Outs Above Average and 11 Defensive Runs Saved.
Meanwhile, Zac Gallen was cruising along through 4 1/3 innings, but he appeared to suffer a lower-body injury after throwing his 87th pitch. He was subsequently pulled from the contest. Following the game, however, he told reporters (including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports) that he had a cramp, and he is not concerned about a serious injury. Gallen, an All-Star and Cy Young finalist in 2023, has a 3.69 ERA this season, and the D-backs have won 12 of his 20 starts.
Over in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers also had to pull their starting pitcher in the fifth inning. Top prospect River Ryan was through 4 2/3 scoreless against the Pirates when he started shaking his right hand in discomfort. The team later described his injury as “right forearm tightness” (per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). After the game, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com) that Ryan will need an IL stint, and he will get an MRI tomorrow. Until then, the team won’t know how serious the issue is, but the words “forearm tightness” are always worrisome, especially for a hard-throwing young pitcher. Roberts confirmed that Landon Knack will be recalled to take Ryan’s place on the active roster (per Ardaya).
In more positive news, reliever Brusdar Graterol is already playing catch, inspiring hope that he will be able to return before the end of the regular season (per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). In fact, he could be back by the end of the month. The right-hander told Plunkett that he could realistically return to the mound in three weeks. If he can meet that optimistic goal, he’d be back in the Dodgers bullpen on August 31. Graterol thought his season was in jeopardy when his injury was originally diagnosed as a Grade 3 hamstring strain. However, that diagnosis was later downgraded to a Grade 1 strain, which is far less severe.
Plunkett also notes that starting pitcher Walker Buehler will return from the injured list on Wednesday to start against the Brewers. Meanwhile, reliever Ryan Brasier is getting ready to rejoin the Dodgers for their series against the Cardinals next weekend. Buehler has been out since June with inflammation in his right hip, while Brasier has been out since April with a right calf strain.
As for position players, Plunkett mentions that Max Muncy and recent trade acquisition Tommy Edman both began their rehab assignments at Triple-A Oklahoma City today. Muncy suffered an oblique strain in May, while Edman has been out all season as he works his way back from offseason wrist surgery.
Wow!
TJ surgery forthcoming for Ryan?
Sounds like it could be. Just don’t understand why the coaching staff & the pitchers themselves don’t do something different to prevent this. Keeps getting worse and worse, some teams more so than others. I guess if you want a short career, be a mlb pitcher.
How could you prevent these sorta things? Not play? Hide? Injuries are a part of any game.
Streaking
“How could you prevent these sorta things?”
There are hundreds of millions of dollars riding on these guys’ arms. You can bet that teams are putting plenty of resources into figuring out how to lessen the probability of injuries
Nature of the beast at this point. Pitchers are expected to throw every 18 seconds while also throwing 95+ MPH every fifth day. None of these facts are conducive to staying healthy. It’s just too much strain on your body. Hope Ryan avoids the knife, but if history is any indication…
Could also be that teams have decided that from a W-L standpoint, it’s better to have everyone go max effort all the time and risk injury. 105 percent of he next guy up is better than 90 percent of the current guy. The goal is to win games, not to preserve careers. This seems foolish to fans, but I wouldn’t put it past the Dodgers in particular.
Brasiers back and the Pads are gonna be in trouble..hey ya hey ya Brasiers Back!!!
Olm – Where ya been? That was our man Ort mowing down the Sox on Friday night, he is having a sensational season!!
I never hope for a player injury, but I was hoping Walker Buehler might decide to shut it down for 2024. He’s exactly the guy I would like to see the Cardinals try and sign this offseason.
If he pitches well the rest of the way, he’s going to be too expensive for us. The Cardinals of course, need to keep cash free for a Goldy extension.
I like Buehler because he’s high risk high reward and because he’s from Lexington which is only 5 hours from St Louis. I really wish he was a lefty.
But you’re okay with his hair color?
Huh?
Well you seem to like him for arbitrary reasons.
Guys like to play close to home. That’s a big reason why Sonny Gray signed and signed for a decent price. And the team needs a lefty starter. This isn’t a video game this is real life they are real people.
I think guys like to play where people have a sense of humor.
Lefties have rights too
I wish Buehler could fly and had X-Ray vision.
Left handed people generally don’t live as long as righties.
That’s a rather sick way of looking at things. Cards’ fans…
If they extend Goldy – an iffy proposition – it shouldn’t cost much, under $10M for one year.
Buehler would not be getting a huge contract–from anyone at this point. He likely will sign a “pillow contract,” as was noted here recently. He needs to re-establish himself. And he likely would return to the Dodgers for that.
Another Dodger pitcher headed for TJ surgery. What are they doing to those guys up in Chavez Ravine.
And to think that he could have been a Padre right now but he was traded for Matt Beaty. Oh.
350 pitchers and 51 position players have had Tommy John. And that doesn’t count modified brace procedures. No team has escaped. The list is on Wiki.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_baseball_players_w…
Joe Hesketh is a name I thought I’d never see again.
The Dbacks don’t have many that throw the Cutter, it’s the least devastating pitch but most got hurt throwing it this year.
Merrill Kelly, Kyle Nelson, Bryce Jarvis, Blake Walson. If Kelly keeps on throwing it he will be back on the shelf.
Ryne Nelson throws the cutter. It’s not a put away pitch like his Roger Beshens Football Slider. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nelson went down with a injury.
River Ryan, something wrong with that Grip, Tilt or wrist action. Better contact Roger Beshens Football Slider, the guy who influenced hundreds of ML pitchers to throw his football slider. He’s talking with a ML pitching coach in the NL right now.
In 2017 Miller, Hand, Corbin, Romo were the best slider pitchers in MLB. In 2018 guys like Snell, Cole, Glasnow, Flaherty….80 more learned the Roger Beshens football slider. He didn’t create the pitch he got the non traditional slider revolution started in MLB. You may know it as the Sweeper or Gyro Just simply his football slider thrown from different arm angles.
Is PetTango Roger Breshens’ MLBTR username?
He was all over the comments section spamming like this last offseason so that probably is his account just under a different name
Strom asked Beshens about his Football Slider.
I think that’s a pretty big deal if you’re a ML baseball fan.
Hi Roger!
He’s busy talking with Strom. I don’t think he has time now.
A brasier helps you stick your chest out and gives you a lift. It will be hard for the Padres and D’backs to keep abreast of the Dodgers.
I love titty references
OK. Brasier will nip opponents’ rallies in the bud.
Milk this joke for all it’s worth
I don’t know that I would say he was “cruising. “…87 is a lot of pitches over 4.1 innings. So, he must have struggled to throw that many balls during that relatively brief period.
Considering that it took 26 pitches to get through the 1st inning, 61 pitches through 3.1 IP is comparatively settling in. Granted, still not very efficient.
I heard that when they took away sticky stuff injuries went up because of the grip.
Bingo