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Riley Greene, Jasson Dominguez Added As 27th Men For Little League Classic

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The Yankees and Tigers square off in Williamsport tonight for the Little League Classic, and due to the special nature of the game, both clubs are allowed to add a 27th player to their active rosters.  The two teams have each addressed this extra roster spot in a particularly noteworthy way, as the Yankees called up star prospect Jasson Dominguez from Triple-A and the Tigers activated outfielder Riley Greene from the 10-day injured list.

While Dominguez is in tonight’s starting lineup, it looks like it’ll just be a cup of coffee in the majors for the 21-year-old, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that Dominguez will be returned to Triple-A after the game.  Obviously plans could change in the event of an injury, but for now, it looks like the Yankees are just utilizing the right-hitting Dominguez to spell lefty-swinging Alex Verdugo in left field since southpaw Tarik Skubal is starting for Detroit.

Tonight will mark Dominguez’s first MLB game since last September, when he hit .258/.303/.677 with four homers in his first 33 plate appearances in the big leagues.  However, just as “the Martian” appeared to be living up to the hype, he had to undergo Tommy John surgery, which kept him on the shelf until he returned for a rehab assignment in single-A ball in mid-May.  Dominguez quickly moved back up the ladder to Triple-A but then suffered an oblique strain in June that kept him out of action for another six weeks.

Dominguez is hitting .298/.365/.477 with seven homers over his 167 combined PA at three levels of the Yankees’ farm system this season, so while he isn’t dominating minor league pitching, his numbers are still quite solid (especially for a player battling so many injuries).  Under normal circumstances, he would likely be in the majors already if it wasn’t for the crowded nature of New York’s outfield picture.  Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Verdugo are the starting outfield trio, and Giancarlo Stanton has the DH spot on lockdown, leaving little room for Dominguez to find regular playing time.

GM Brian Cashman stated last week that “There’s currently no lane for us to bring him [up].  It’s nice to know he’s there. He’s just knocking rust off and waiting for his opportunity if it comes.”  Tonight’s one-game cameo doesn’t really counter Cashman’s statement, as the team would surely prefer to see Dominguez continue his development with regular reps in Triple-A rather than only sporadic playing time in New York.  It is worth noting that Verdugo has been in a deep slump for over three months now, so as we continue down the stretch to the postseason, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Dominguez promoted to take the lion’s share of work in left field.

Greene last played on July 25, as a right hamstring strain has kept the outfielder sidelined for the better part of a month.  The Tigers don’t need to make a corresponding roster move today because of the 27th man rule, but some kind of roster adjustment will need to be made before Detroit’s next game, on Tuesday against the Cubs.

Now in his third Major League season, Greene has continued to take strides as a budding star for the Tigers, hitting .264/.357/.485 with 17 home runs over 427 PA.  Between this production at the plate and some excellent glovework as Detroit’s primary left fielder, Greene has already generated 2.8 fWAR, and his success was acknowledged with his first All-Star nod.  While the Tigers haven’t yet turned the corner in their rebuild process, Greene certainly looks like a cornerstone player within the club’s future plans.

Details On The Dodgers’ And Phillies’ Pursuit Of Garrett Crochet

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The July 30 trade deadline came and went without a Garrett Crochet deal, even though several teams reportedly had interest in the White Sox southpaw.  The Dodgers and Phillies were two of the clubs involved in Crochet’s market, and while The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the two NL contenders made “attractive” offers to the Sox, the bidding only went so far.

Beginning with the Phillies, they weren’t willing to include Andrew Painter, who remains a top-34 prospect in the view of both Baseball America (20th) and MLB Pipeline (34th) even though he hasn’t pitched since September 2022.  A UCL sprain sidelined Painter during Spring Training 2023 and he underwent a Tommy John surgery in July 2023, putting the highly-touted righty on pace to be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign.

The 13th overall pick of the 2021 draft Painter has only pitched 109 2/3 pro innings, including 28 1/3 innings at the Double-A level.  He could start 2025 back at Double-A if the Phillies want to relatively ease him back into action after his long layoff, though if all goes well, Painter could move up the ladder pretty quickly and become an option for Philadelphia’s big league staff before the end of next season.  Since Painter is still just 21 years old, it is understandable why even a win-now team with a pretty crowded pitching staff would be wary about moving a top prospect with front-of-the-rotation potential.

Rather than make a big splash of a Crochet trade, Philadelphia instead made a more modest set of moves prior to the deadline.  The Phillies’ discussions with the White Sox about Crochet might’ve spun off into the trade that brought Tanner Banks to Philadelphia, and the Fightins’ deadline adds also includes the likes of Carlos Estevez and Austin Hays.

Chicago’s talks with Los Angeles were still ongoing in the last hour before the deadline, before the Dodgers apparently pivoted and instead landed Jack Flaherty from the Tigers.  Since Flaherty is a free agent after the season and his trade market may have been impacted by some injury concerns, naturally the Tigers’ ask for the right-hander was much lower than what the White Sox were seeking for Crochet, who is arbitration-controlled through the 2026 season.

Top catching prospect Dalton Rushing wasn’t included in the Dodgers’ offers for Crochet, but River Ryan was, though Rosenthal notes that “the White Sox had concerns about [Ryan’s] health.”  Chicago’s focus was on the shoulder problem that cost Ryan the first two months of the minor league season, but Ryan has since been sidelined by a Tommy John surgery that will likely keep him out of action for the entirety of the 2025 campaign.

The Dodgers had such a need for pitching that Ryan got a bit of a fast track to the majors following his shoulder injury, as Ryan amassed only 24 1/3 innings in the minors (16 1/3 at the Triple-A level) this season before he was called up for his MLB debut.  To this end, moving a big league-ready starter for Crochet probably wasn’t an ideal scenario for an L.A. team that basically needs all the arms it can get at this point, yet the Dodgers were obviously going to have to give up a lot to pry Crochet away from the White Sox.

Rushing’s name has been involved in trade speculation even before Will Smith signed his big contract extension with Los Angeles in March.  Smith’s status as the Dodgers’ catcher of the foreseeable future could make either Rushing or fellow catching prospect Diego Cartaya expendable, yet it could be that L.A. didn’t want to move Rushing before experimenting with him at another position.  Rushing has been playing only left field since his promotion to Triple-A earlier this month, and he has kept up the hot hitting even while adapting to a new position and facing a higher caliber of pitching, so it isn’t out of the question that Rushing could make his Major League debut before 2024 is over.

In another note about the Crochet trade talks, Rosenthal writes that “the White Sox also entertained offers in which they would have received lesser [prospect] packages but gained salary relief.”  These particular discussions reportedly involved Andrew Benintendi, so in this scenario, an unknown team would’ve eaten all or most of Benintendi’s remaining contract as a sweetener to obtain Crochet.  Rosenthal didn’t specify which teams made such offers, though the Dodgers and Phillies both seem less likely candidates, as adding Benintendi’s contract would’ve come at an even heftier cost for two teams deep into luxury tax territory.

On the one hand, Benintendi’s five-year, $75MM contract is already looking like a misfire less than two seasons in, so packaging him along with Crochet might be Chicago’s only reasonable method of getting Benintendi off the books.  That being said, Crochet is also the team’s best trade asset, and moving him for a prospect package of maximum value is a clear way for the Sox to bring more talent into the organization.  Diluting that return just to save some money wouldn’t seem all that prudent, especially since the White Sox reduced payroll in other deadline deals.  Benintendi is owed $47.5MM over the 2025-27 seasons, but the Sox have just under $41MM committed to their entire 2025 payroll, as per RosterResource.

Phillies Select Tyler Gilbert

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The Phillies announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Tyler Gilbert from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  In corresponding moves, right-hander Tyler Phillips was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Spencer Turnbull was shifted from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

It’s something of a homecoming for Gilbert, who was a sixth-round pick for the Phillies in the 2015 draft.  He spent his first five pro seasons in the Phils organization before he was traded to the Dodgers for Kyle Garlick prior to the 2020 season, and Gilbert’s tenure in L.A. didn’t consist of even a single game due to the canceled 2020 minor league campaign.  The Diamondbacks then selected Gilbert in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft and he posted a 4.32 ERA across 91 2/3 MLB innings for Arizona from 2021-23, highlighted by a no-hitter in his first Major League start on August 14, 2021.

Almost exactly three years after that history-making game, Gilbert finds himself going full circle, as he is now in line to finally suit up for the Phillies in a big league contest.  Gilbert signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati during the offseason and started the year with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate before the Phillies acquired him in a cash deal in May.  The southpaw has been nothing short of outstanding since the trade, as Gilbert has a 2.06 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, 4.2% walk rate, and a 58.1% grounder rate over 35 relief innings in Lehigh Valley.

This is the first time Gilbert has been used exclusively as a reliever in his career, and it certainly appears to have unlocked something in the 30-year-old.  If Gilbert can deliver anything remotely close to his Triple-A numbers at the MLB level, it would be an enormous help to a Philadelphia bullpen that has posted the third-worst ERA (5.32) in baseball since the All-Star break.  Phils manager Rob Thomson Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer and other reporters that Gilbert will be deployed as a multi-inning reliever.

Turnbull hasn’t pitched since he suffered a right lat strain on June 26, and the June 27 placement date of his 15-day IL stint still stands as the start date of his new 60-day window.  Turnbull had his planned return to mound work last week delayed by some soreness, so given that he’ll still need a good deal of ramp-up time before he’s ready to rejoin the Phillies, his absence is almost sure to extend beyond the 60-day minimum.

A’s Select Grant Holman

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The Athletics announced a quartet of roster moves, including the news that right-hander Grant Holman’s contract has been selected from Triple-A Las Vegas.  Star slugger Brent Rooker is also back from the paternity list, and right-hander Will Klein and infielder Armando Alvarez were both optioned to Triple-A to create the two needed opening on the 26-man roster.

Holman will be making his Major League debut whenever he makes his first official appearance for the A’s.  A sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft, Holman has worked exclusively as a reliever since he was promoted to Double-A in 2023, and his results this season have been spectacular.  The righty has a tiny 0.55 ERA over 48 2/3 combined innings at Double-A (19 1/3 IP) and Triple-A (29 1/3 IP), along with a strong 29% strikeout rate and a more modest 11.83% walk rate.  It should be noted that Holman has received a lot of batted-ball luck in the form of a .174 BABIP against Triple-A competition, but allowing just one homers in 29 1/3 frames of Pacific Coast League action is quite impressive.

MLB Pipeline rates Holman as the 21st-best prospect in Oakland’s farm system, and he received a 60-grade on his 95mph fastball.  Beyond that top offering, Holman also has a decent slider and a rather lightly-used splitter.  It makes for a pretty solid arsenal for a reliever, and Pipeline’s scouting report observes that “much of Holman’s step forward this season has come simply as a result of being healthy and getting regular reps,” following two seasons of elbow and shoulder problems.

There’s plenty of intrigue in Holman’s arsenal, and the 24-year-old should get opportunities for an Athletics team that continues to evaluate young talent as part of its rebuild.  Mason Miller has deservedly drawn most of the headlines, but Oakland’s bullpen has been pretty decent as a whole this season, and Holman will become the latest rookie arm to try and earn higher-leverage work.

Rockies Outright Riley Pint

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The Rockies announced that right-hander Riley Pint has been outrighted off the team’s 40-man roster.  Pint wasn’t known to have been designated for assignment, but he apparently cleared waivers and will now likely be headed to the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate.  This is the first time Pint has been outrighted and he has less than a year of MLB service time, so he can’t reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Taken fourth overall in the 2016 draft, Pint briefly retired during the 2021 minor league season after dealing with multiple injuries and a lack of performance over his first six years as a professional.  Pint returned to the mound in 2022 but couldn’t shake the severe control issues that have plagued his career, and to date he has a whopping 17.77% walk rate over 300 2/3 minor league innings.  His brief time in the majors has been even more extreme in terms of free passes, as Pint has walked eight of the 27 batters he has faced at the MLB level — between all these walks and two homers allowed, Pint has a 22.09 ERA over his 3 2/3 career innings in the Show.

Pint’s weeklong stint on Colorado’s active roster ended on Thursday when he was optioned to Triple-A, and he has now been removed from the 40-man roster altogether.  It isn’t yet clear if the outright assignment could hint at the end of Pint’s time in the organization, even though his ability to miss bats (33.1% strikeout rate at Triple-A) remains elite.  This strikeout ability helped Pint post a 3.10 ERA in 29 innings with Triple-A Albuquerque this season, albeit also with a 19.8% walk rate.  The possibility exists that Pint could be a valuable reliever if he can manage even decent control, yet he hasn’t made any progress in this area.

AL East Notes: Refsnyder, Bichette, Lowe, Coulombe, Trevino

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Rob Refsnyder turns 34 next March, and the utilityman is considering calling it a career after the 2024 season comes to an end.  Speaking with Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, Refsnyder said he is “undecided” about returning for what would be his tenth MLB season, and was even thinking about retirement even before he joined the Red Sox during the 2021-22 offseason.  Once this year is over, Refsnyder said he’ll “take it step by step from there and decide what I do….You can still make a big impact not being in a uniform and it’s a lot easier for your family and their schedule.”

As per the terms of the contract extension Refsnyder signed in June 2023, the Sox hold a $2MM club option ($150K) on his services for 2025.  This option looks like a lock to be exercised if Refsnyder wishes to keep playing, as he has an excellent .298/.384/.472 slash line over 251 plate appearances in part-time duty for the Red Sox this season.  Still, Refsnyder is eager to spend more time with his family, and is perhaps keen to start working towards his longer-term goal of working in a front office.

Other items from around the AL East…

  • Bue Jays manager John Schneider gave MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson and other reporters an update on Bo Bichette, noting that the shortstop has started to increase baseball activities while working out at the Jays’ spring training facility in Dunedin.  A timeline isn’t yet in place this early in Bichette’s recovery from a right calf strain, as the club will monitor his progress in the coming days or weeks before deciding on a possible rehab assignment.   Bichette suffered the calf strain on July 19 in Toronto’s 5-4 loss to the Tigers, continuing an all-around disastrous season that has seen Bichette bat only .223/.276/.321 over 330 plate appearances.  The former All-Star’s struggles are one of several reasons why the Blue Jays are out of the playoff race, and if Bichette isn’t showing progress in relatively short order, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jays just shut him down for the remainder of the season.
  • 2024 is the last guaranteed season of the six-year, $24MM extension Brandon Lowe signed with the Rays prior to Opening Day 2019, but Tampa still has a pair of club options ($10.5MM with a $1MM buyout for 2025, $11.5MM for 2026 with a $500K buyout) covering Lowe’s immediate future.  “Whether they pick up the option or they don’t, I feel like I’m putting myself in a good position to still be on a team next year,” Lowe told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, but Lowe noted that playing with the Rays “is all I know.  I like it here.  My friends are here.  We have a house here.  It’s comfortable.  I don’t know anything else.  I know this.”  Given how the Rays dealt a number of higher-priced veterans at the deadline, Topkin figures that Lowe’s continued presence on the roster means that the team will exercise the 2025 option and keep Lowe in Tampa Bay for an eighth season.  Lowe is more than doing his part at the plate to sway the Rays’ mind, as he is hitting .248/.330/.488 with 14 homers over 282 PA.
  • Danny Coulombe is “on track” in his rehab process and is aiming to return in late September, the Orioles left-hander told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko.  Coulombe is on the 60-day IL after undergoing surgery in June to remove bone spurs from his left elbow.  While he is still a few weeks away from getting onto a mound, Coulombe is up to throwing from 90 feet in games of catch.  The Orioles’ bullpen has struggled badly in August, leaving Baltimore in even greater need for whatever the ace setup man can provide whenever he is able to return to action.
  • The Yankees activated catcher Jose Trevino from the 10-day injured list on Friday, and Carlos Narvaez was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Yesterday’s game marked Trevino’s first action since a left quad strain forced him out of the Yankees’ 4-1 win over the Orioles on July 12.  Trevino figures to resume his catching platoon with Austin Wells, though Wells’ hot bat over the last month might have earned him a larger share of the playing time.

Pirates Place Andrew McCutchen On 10-Day Injured List

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The Pirates announced that Andrew McCutchen has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to left knee inflammation, and infielder Alika Williams was called up from Triple-A to take McCutchen’s spot on the 26-man roster.  Ryan Palencer of the Bucs On Deck site (X link) was the first to report yesterday that Williams was headed back to the majors, after McCutchen was removed from Friday’s game due to left knee discomfort.

While there’s no truly good time for an injury, the knee problem arises at a particularly unfortunate juncture for McCutchen, as the veteran was in the midst of his hottest stretch of the season.  McCutchen has hit .281/.375/.483 with four home runs over his last 104 plate appearances, boosting his overall slash line to .235/.336/.405 in 437 PA.  That works out to an 109 wRC+ and yet another year of above-average production — now in his 16th MLB season, Cutch has only once dipped below the 100 wRC+ average threshold, as he slowed to a 97 wRC+ when playing with the Brewers in 2022.

Losing McCutchen to the IL is another blow to a reeling Pirates team.  The Bucs’ 5-3 win over the Mariners yesterday snapped a 10-game losing streak that all but ended the club’s chances of snagging an NL wild card berth.  Even that win was bittersweet due to McCutchen’s injury, which occurred while he was running to first base after hitting a single in the seventh inning.

Apart from handful of appearances in right field, the 37-year-old McCutchen has been utilized almost exclusively as a designated hitter over his two-season return to Pittsburgh.  The Pirates will probably just shuffle several players through the DH spot to try and make up for Cutch’s absence, while also giving more at-bats to some younger players in what has suddenly become another evaluation period during the team’s lengthy rebuild.  McCutchen can hopefully be back in short order to put a positive coda onto his season, and continue to set himself up for another contract in 2025.

Rays Place Zack Littell On 15-Day Injured List

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11:55AM: Littell described the IL trip as precautionary, and he told Topkin and other reporters that he could miss just the minimum 15 days.

11:07AM: The Rays announced that right-hander Zack Littell has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to fatigue in his throwing shoulder.  The placement is retroactive to August 15.  Left-hander Tyler Alexander has been called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Littell threw five innings of one-run ball in his last start on August 14, but threw only 68 pitches, perhaps indicating that his shoulder issue might’ve hastened a relatively early exit from the game.  The 68 pitches tied Littell’s second-lowest pitch count of the season, as the veteran has been a reliable and durable presence in the Rays’ rotation, and leads the team in both innings (129 2/3) and starts (24).

These are both career bests for Littell, who had only 172 2/3 innings and 18 starts at the MLB level before Tampa Bay acquired the righty on a waiver claim off Boston’s roster back in May 2023.  At first, Littell worked as a reliever and opener with his new team, but over the last two months of the 2023 campaign, he thrived after being given the first extended starting job of his six big league seasons.

This success gave Littell another spot in Tampa’s rotation this year, and he has continued to pitch well, posting a 3.89 ERA over his 129 2/3 frames.  Littell’s 4.7% walk rate is one of the best in baseball, though the rest of his secondary metrics (such as a 21.1% strikeout rate, 39.6% hard-hit ball rate, or 9.7% barrel rate) are below average.  Home runs have also been an issue for Littell, but overall, his 4.05 ERA isn’t far beyond his bottom-line ERA.

At the price of a $1.85MM salary in his second year of arbitration eligibility, Littell has been a bargain, and he’ll continue to be a cost-effective rotation piece even after he gets a healthy raise this winter.  As MLBTR’s Steve Adams observed in a subscriber-exclusive piece back in May, Littell has been the latest unheralded pitcher to suddenly gain a new level of success after joining the Rays.

Today’s IL placement interrupts the righty’s overall solid season, and given the calendar, the injury could potentially threaten to end Littell’s 2024 altogether.  Another bout of shoulder fatigue cost him about three weeks last season, and while every situation is different, it could be that this placement is a way to let Littell rest up after almost a full year of an increased workload.  The Rays could use Alexander as a bulk pitcher behind an opener while Littell is on the IL, or the team again dip into the farm system for a replacement arm.

Tigers Promote Spencer Torkelson

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10:01PM: The Tigers officially announced Torkelson’s recall and Madris being optioned to Toledo.

8:18AM: The Tigers are set to recall first baseman Spencer Torkelson from Triple-A Toledo today, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.  Torkelson will take the place of Bligh Madris, as Petzold reports that Madris was optioned to Triple-A after the Tigers’ 3-0 loss to the Yankees yesterday.

It has been over two and a half months since Torkelson’s last Major League game, as the Tigers decided the first baseman was in need of a refresh after a brutal start to the season.   Torkelson hit only .201/.266/.330 with four home runs in his first 230 plate appearances in 2024, translating to only a 68 wRC+.  With his Statcast numbers not hinting at any underlying reasons for optimism, Torkelson went back to Toledo looking to get himself back on the track.

The results in Triple-A have been mixed.  Torkelson has hit .239/.356/.443 with 11 homers in his 275 PA with the Mud Hens, so his numbers have been solid yet far from dominant.  He also posted a 30.9% strikeout rate in the minors this season, well above his past strikeout rates at either the Major League or minor league levels.  As Petzold notes, a lot of these strikeouts are coming against sliders and changeups, though Torkelson has at least been performing better against higher-velocity offerings.

A winning record is still within reach for the 59-64 Tigers, but with a playoff run looking quite unlikely, Detroit is using the rest of the season to evaluate its young talent.  Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney were just called up yesterday for their respective MLB debuts, so between those rookies, Torkelson, and Colt Keith becoming a fixture in his first Major League season, the Tigers could be getting an early look at what might be their infield of the future.

Torkelson still must be considered part of that future, as he hit .233/.313/.446 with 31 homers over 684 PA during the 2023 season.  The first overall pick of the 2020 draft doesn’t turn 25 years old until next week, and while the Tigers naturally would’ve liked to have seen the youngster adjust to the big leagues in much smoother fashion, it is still far too early to wonder if Detroit should be looking to move on from Torkelson.  Of course, Torkelson will need to hold up his end of the deal against MLB pitching, and even average-ish production won’t cut it from a bat-first player expected to deliver big numbers from the first base position.

West Notes: Eovaldi, Scherzer, Gurriel, Musgrove, Graveman

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The Rangers are heading to Boston for a series with the Red Sox beginning tomorrow, but Nathan Eovaldi and Max Scherzer are both going to Texas for injury-related checkups, GM Chris Young told the Associated Press and other reporters.  Eovaldi left his start Saturday after three innings due to tightness in his left side, though the meeting with team doctor Keith Meister is seen as precautionary since Eovaldi “thinks he can pitch through” the issue, Young said.  “He’s so important to us that we’re not sure we want to push him.  We may end up pushing him back or skipping a start.  We don’t think it’s an IL at this point, but we will clearly decide that once he sees Dr. Meister.”

Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 31 due to right shoulder fatigue, and Young said the veteran “just hasn’t turned the corner with his shoulder.  Our hope is that maybe we get back and explore some other diagnostic measures and get him back on the mound.  But I don’t know what the timetable is going to be.”  Between this IL stint and an extended absence at the start of the season while recovering from back surgery and a nerve issue in his thumb, Scherzer has pitched only 39 1/3 innings over eight starts.

More will be known about both pitchers’ situations after the tests are complete, but there is clear cause for concern given how both Eovaldi and Scherzer have checkered injury histories.  For Scherzer in particular, his situation is worrisome given how much time he has already missed, and whether or not his abnormal ramp-up this year simply kept him from being fully ready to pitch.  If either Scherzer or Eovaldi are revealed to have more serious issues, it could put the rest of their seasons in jeopardy, as the Rangers might consider shutdowns if the team continues to fall back in the playoff race.

Some other notes from both the AL and NL West divisions…

  • Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the Diamondbacks’ 12-5 win over the Phillies today due to left hamstring tightness, but manager Torey Lovullo downplayed the injury in postgame comments to MLB.com and other media.  Lovullo said the removal was precautionary and that Gurriel is day-to-day, plus the outfielder isn’t even being sent for any tests at this time.  Gurriel is hitting .269/.302/.414 with 14 homers over 453 plate appearances as the team’s regular left fielder, translating to a 98 wRC+ in the first season of the three-year, $42MM contract he signed to rejoin the D’Backs last offseason.
  • The Padres will be activating Joe Musgrove from the 60-day injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Pirates, after bone spurs in his right elbow cost him about two and a half months on the shelf.  Talking with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Musgrove made changes to his mechanics and delivery in order to help manage the injury.  “The spur is going to be there, the structure of the elbow is not going to change unless I get an operation,” Musgrove said.  “So [I’m] trying to find a way to be able to throw and still execute and still have good stuff.  Hopefully it will alleviate some of the stress on the elbow is kind of the goal….I felt great in this build back.”  Between this injury and a previous elbow-related stint on the IL, Musgrove has thrown only 49 1/3 innings this season, with a shaky 5.66 ERA.
  • Kendall Graveman wasn’t expected to pitch in 2024 after a shoulder surgery last January, but his hopes at an in-season comeback gained some momentum Saturday when he threw a 10-pitch bullpen session.  Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that Graveman hit 86-87mph in his first time throwing off a mound since the surgery.  As Kawahara notes, there might simply be not enough time left in the season for Graveman to get fully ramped up and then complete a minor league rehab assignment, but that won’t stop the veteran from trying.

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