Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Mike Trout Slated To Begin Minor League Rehab On Monday

By Mark Polishuk | July 20, 2024 at 1:48pm CDT

Mike Trout’s last health update came in late June, when the Angels superstar was aiming to return to action before the end of July. That timeline appears to be coming into focus, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger writes (via X) that Trout could be back in the Angels’ lineup before the end of the week. The first step is facing live pitching at the Angels’ Spring Training complex this weekend, and Trout is then expected to start a Triple-A rehab assignment on Monday.

Bollinger suggests that Trout could be activated from the 60-day injured list on Thursday, when the Halos return home to start a four-game series with the A’s. Assuming this date holds up, that would make it almost exactly three months since Trout’s last game, as the outfielder last took the field on April 29 before suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee. The injury required surgery and another lengthy absence for Trout, which has unfortunately become far too common an occurrence for the three-time AL MVP. Between a right calf strain, back issues, a left hamate fracture, and now this knee surgery, Trout has played in only 266 games since the start of the 2021 season.

In typical fashion, Trout has still been outstanding in that limited playing time, posting a .951 OPS over 1133 plate appearances since Opening Day 2021. Those numbers include 10 homers and a .220/.325/.541 slash line in 126 plate appearances this season, and while this translates to a 138 wRC+, that impressive number still counts as a step down from Trout’s usual level of Cooperstown-esque production. Trout was making much less hard contact than usual but also with a drastic reduction in his strikeouts.

While it may be overstating things to read too deeply into a 126-PA sample size, some kind of dropoff is perhaps inevitable given Trout’s age (33 in August), his recent injury history, and simply the fact that only a few players in baseball history have ever kept Trout’s prior level of production over a longer period of time. Trout’s 135 wRC+ over the last two seasons comes on the heels of a 174 wRC+ and a .305/.418/.592 slash line from 2012-22.

Of course, Los Angeles reached the playoffs just once during that 11-year run, and the team hasn’t had a winning season since 2015. Trout will return to another lost season, as the Angels have languished to a 41-56 record and are again looking to sell at the deadline, albeit in perhaps a somewhat limited fashion. Finishing out the year in his usual form and in good health would provide Trout with a nice platform for 2025, though questions will persist about how long Trout might continue putting up with the Halos’ struggles before asking for a trade. Or, if a deal would be feasible given how Angels owner Arte Moreno has long resisted rebuilding, plus how Trout’s huge remaining contract ($212.7MM over the 2025-30 seasons) and his health history would certainly make interested suitors wary of taking on such a big salary commitment.

Cardinals Agree To Sign First-Round Pick JJ Wetherholt

By Mark Polishuk | July 20, 2024 at 1:37pm CDT

The Cardinals have reached agreement with shortstop JJ Wetherholt to a $6.9MM bonus, according to Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo (X link). Wetherholt’s first pro deal is slightly above the $6,823,700 slot value assigned to the seventh overall pick.

Based on pre-draft rankings, St. Louis might’ve gotten a bit of a steal in nabbing Wetherholt with the seventh pick, as the West Virginia shortstop was a consensus top-four selection. Fangraphs had Wetherholt as the top prospect in the entire draft class, while Baseball America, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic’s Keith Law had him third in their rankings, and MLB Pipeline put Wetherholt fourth. There was some speculation prior to draft night that the Guardians could take Wetherholt with the first overall pick, but when Cleveland opted for Travis Bazzana, Wetherholt then slid all the way to the Cardinals at seventh overall.

It seems possible that teams might’ve been wary of Wetherholt’s recent injury history, namely a lingering hamstring problem that has cropped up in each of the last two years. He is also listed at 5’10” and 190 pounds, and thus “doesn’t have the prototypical physical tools and frame of a top pick,” as McDaniel writes. Drafted as a shortstop, he might end up at second base or third base, with the latter position maybe a question mark depending on his arm strength.

Despite these potential red flags, the Cardinals focused on the big pluses of Wetherholt’s all-around hitting skill, as evaluators praised his batting eye, contact ability, raw power, and ability to hit to all fields. Seen as perhaps the top available hitter in the draft class, this was enough for Fangraphs to put Wetherholt atop their rankings, and their scouting report also feels “he should be a fine second base defender at peak.”

Wetherholt carries even more import within the Cardinals’ draft class since the team forfeited its second-round pick as a condition of the Sonny Gray signing. Because Gray rejected the Twins’ qualifying offer last autumn and hit the open market, St. Louis had to give up its second-highest pick in the 2024 draft as well as $500K in international pool money as penalty for inking Gray to a three-year, $75MM contract. Wetherholt’s bonus will cover the majority of the Cardinals’ overall draft bonus pool of $10,213,000.

AL East Notes: Crochet, Red Sox, Yankees, Rasmussen, Tiedemann

By Mark Polishuk | July 20, 2024 at 1:11pm CDT

While Garrett Crochet has been a popular trade candidate heading into the deadline, the Red Sox are one team that doesn’t appear to be in the mix for the White Sox left-hander. In a recent edition of the Fenway Rundown podcast, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo said that Boston has “not talked about Crochet at all….That is, at this point, not something they’ve aggressively tried to do.” Since the Red Sox are loath to move any of their top three prospects (Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel) in trades, it seems hard to imagine that Chicago would accept a offer from Boston that didn’t include at least one of those three minor league stars.

The Yankees may also be limited participants in the Crochet sweepstakes, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post hears from a source who says the Bombers “are not that into” Crochet as a trade target. Since Heyman also wrote a couple of weeks ago that the Yankees “very much like Crochet,” this could indicate a change in New York’s plans, or perhaps the Yankees’ interest has been tempered by Chicago’s asking price. The White Sox are understandably asking for a huge return for Crochet in any trade, and Chicago’s particular interest in Spencer Jones as part of a Crochet trade package may have clashed with New York’s inclination to keep one of its top hitting prospects.

Rays Place Yandy Diaz On Restricted List

By Mark Polishuk | July 20, 2024 at 10:38am CDT

10:38AM: Rays manager Kevin Cash told Topkin and other reporters that Diaz is away due to a matter involving his family, and that his potential return is a day-by-day situation.

9:41AM: The Rays announced that first baseman Yandy Diaz has been placed on the restricted list, and infielder Curtis Mead was called up from Triple-A to take Diaz’s spot on the active roster. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (X link) writes that Diaz didn’t play on Friday due to what the Rays described as “a personal matter.”

Given the private nature of this situation, we may not learn any specifics about Diaz’s absence until he is activated or at least closer to a return. The absence comes at a financial cost to Diaz, as he’ll lose salary (as well as MLB service time) for any time spent on the restricted list. Diaz has about $3.3MM remaining on his $8MM salary for the 2024 season.

A staple of Tampa Bay’s lineup for the last six seasons, Diaz has gotten regular time at both corner infield positions and quietly delivered consistent strong offense. Diaz hit a new level in 2022-23, hitting .314/.406/.475 over 1158 plate appearances — among all qualified hitters over that two-season stretch, only six players had a higher wRC+ than Diaz’s 155 mark.

That production has dipped in 2024, as Diaz’s .273/.329/.396 slash line over 416 PA translates to an 111 wRC+. While he has been hitting better after an ice-cold start over the first two months, Diaz’s power numbers have dropped off significantly, as his .123 Isolated Slugging figure is well below his .192 mark from 2023. His .123 ISO is at least more consistent with previous seasons beyond 2023, yet Diaz’s 7.5% walk rate is far below his career 12.2BB%.

Even a lesser version of Diaz is still a big part of Tampa’s lineup, so the Rays now have to deal with an unexpected absence while trying to stay afloat in the playoff race. Diaz has been utilized only as a first baseman and DH this season, so it seems likely that Isaac Paredes could be shifted from third base to first base, with Mead stepping into the mix at the hot corner along with Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario.

Diaz’s absence also creates another wrinkle for whatever plans the Rays might have heading into the July 30 trade deadline. Tampa is 48-49 and sits 5.5 games out of the final AL wild card slot, so there is still plenty of time left for the club to make a run towards another postseason berth. However, it has been speculated that the Rays could look to operate as both sellers and buyers at the deadline, perhaps bolstering for both this season and for the future while also trimming some salary from the payroll. If Diaz is still on the restricted list by July 30, it stands to reason that the Rays might pursue some infield help, though it is worth noting that Paredes could be a potential trade candidate. Star prospect Junior Caminero is just returning to Triple-A action in the aftermath of a quad injury, and it is assumed that a healthy Caminero will again be called up to Tampa Bay’s active roster to join the infield picture.

Red Sox Notes: Casas, Story, Mata, Hernandez

By Mark Polishuk | July 20, 2024 at 8:43am CDT

“It will be a while” before Triston Casas is ready for a minor league rehab assignment, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams and other reporters on Friday. Casas hasn’t played since April 20 due to a rib fracture and torn rib cartilage, and he is already well beyond even the broad 3-to-9 week timeframe Casas initially floated three months ago, though the first baseman noted that the nature of the injury led to a lot of fluidity.

In yesterday’s update, Cora said Casas was taking soft toss swings and is hitting off a tee, but is still dealing with some nagging discomfort in his side. Until that discomfort entirely subsides, Casas and the Sox can’t really move forward with any kind of concrete plan for even a steadier ramp-up, let alone any minor league rehab work. Cora did say that Casas would play again in 2024, but “we don’t know yet” when a return was feasible.

Casas finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, and was off to a hot start (.244/.344/.513 with six home runs) in his first 90 plate appearances this season. Dominic Smith and several other players have gotten time at first base in Casas’ absence, but since nobody has been producing, it stands to reason that the Red Sox could target a first base-capable player at the deadline if Casas is still several weeks away from factoring into the club’s plans.

Some more unexpected later-season reinforcements could come from Trevor Story, who told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam) on Friday that he and the Red Sox were “having conversations about” Story getting back onto the field before the 2024 campaign is over. Both Story and Cora stopped short of saying that a return was in the cards, yet it is notable that Story has made such quality progress rehabbing what was thought to be a season-ending shoulder surgery in April.

“Just getting the strength back and getting the motion back…I’ve made a lot of really good strides there,” Story said. “It’s close, man. It’s close. Especially from how it was early on. It was not in good shape. It’s been a crazy turnaround the last month and a half and we’re riding that momentum.”

Story injured his shoulder while diving for a grounder in just his eighth game of the season, continuing what has been an injury-plagued tenure in Boston for the former All-Star. Since inking a six-year, $140MM free agent deal in March 2022, Story has played in only 145 games — UCL surgery cost him all but 43 games of the 2023 season, and wrist and heel injuries limited him to 94 appearances in 2022. Unsurprisingly, these health woes have led to subpar performance when Story has been able to play, as he has a modest .227/.288/.394 slash line in 598 PA in a Red Sox uniform.

Bryan Mata is also no stranger to injuries, as Tommy John surgery and a teres major strain sidelined him for most of the 2021-23 seasons. This year, hamstring and lat problems emerged to keep Mata again spending most of the year rehabbing, and now his latest rehab assignment has been halted due to right elbow inflammation. Mata was right at the end of the 30-day window for that assignment, though his latest injury now resets the clock and Mata will be able to start another 30-day rehab assignment when he is able to get back onto the mound.

Though he has yet to make his MLB debut, Mata is out of minor league options, leaving Boston in a bit of a quandary when it comes to his future. The Red Sox can’t assign him to the minors without first designating the right-hander for assignment and exposing him to waivers, so when Mata is finally ready to play, the Red Sox will have to put him on the active roster or go the DFA route.

While getting healthy has obviously been more important than the on-field results during Mata’s rehab work, he has a 4.50 ERA over 22 total innings for four different Red Sox minor league affiliates this season, with a 19.15% strikeout rate. It isn’t nearly the form that Mata showed in his past days as one of Boston’s top pitching prospects, and with another setback again stopping his progress, it is still a question about when or even if Mata might eventually surface as part of the team’s big league staff.

In other Red Sox news, the team was known to have been interested in Teoscar Hernandez last offseason, and the slugger said this week in an appearance on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast (hat tip to WEEI’s Rob Bradford) that the Sox and Dodgers were the two finalists for his services. Hernandez said the Red Sox offered a two-year, $28MM contract, but he instead opted for a one-year, $23.5MM deal with Los Angeles.

“At the end, I thought [the Red Sox] were going to make it, but unfortunately they had to wait because they had to make some moves and other stuff,” Hernandez said. “I couldn’t wait any longer, so that’s why I decide at the moment to go to the Dodgers.”

Hernandez went into the winter seeking a three-year contract, but when neither Boston or any other suitor was willing to guarantee a third year, he instead opted for the one-year contract with the Dodgers, to allow for a chance at a rebound season and a quick return to free agency next winter. The strategy has worked out quite well, as Hernandez has hit 19 homers with a .261/.326/.476 slash in 406 PA for Los Angeles, and now has a much stronger case for a three-year pact as he enters his age-32 season.

Beyond the contractual logistics, Hernandez also admitted that the Dodgers’ win-now approach and track record of success further attracted him to the organization, though he was quick to note that “the Red Sox are really good right now and they have amazing players.” The Sox and newly-hired chief baseball officer Craig Breslow were often criticized for their relatively low-key offseason that didn’t see a lot of high-dollar splurges, yet Boston has a 53-43 record and is in possession of an AL wild card berth.

Guardians Select Travis Bazzana With First Pick Of 2024 Draft

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2024 at 11:31pm CDT

The Guardians chose Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana with the first overall pick of the 2024 amateur draft. Bazzana becomes the first second baseman to ever go 1-1 in the draft, as well as the first Australian-born player taken first overall. This is also the first time the Cleveland organization has ever had the top selection in the draft, as the Guardians beat the odds last December to win the draft lottery.

Cleveland plays its cards close to the vest about its intentions with the top pick, as several names were linked to the Guards, including some prospects a bit further down the draft board. There was some thought that the Guardians might go with a somewhat less-regarded prospect who would take a below-slot signing bonus (the 1-1 pick has an assigned slot value of $10,570,600), so that the Guards could spread their $18,334,000 bonus pool around to multiple players.

While it remains to be seen how much Bazzana will land with his bonus, it ended up being something of a chalk pick for the Guardians. Fangraphs, Baseball America, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, and The Athletic’s Keith Law all ranked Bazzana as the second-best prospect in this year’s draft class, while MLB Pipeline ranked Bazzana at the top of their list.

Bazzana (who turns 22 in August) had a handful of pro games under his belt already, appearing in 19 games with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League from 2018-20. During his three seasons at Oregon State, Bazzana crushed NCAA pitching to the tune of 45 homers and a .360/.497/.660 slash line over 904 plate appearances. He added an MVP-level performance in the Cape Cod League last summer, with a 1.037 OPS in 158 PA for Falmouth.

Pundits are united in their praise of Bazzana’s hitting ability, citing his advanced approach, bat speed, hard contact rates, and plate discipline. (The latter factor might’ve particularly attracted the Guardians, who have long prized batters who can put the ball in play and avoid strikeouts.) Bazzana is already starting to show more power, with 28 of his 45 Oregon State home runs coming in his most recent college season. Beyond what he can do at the plate, Bazzana’s plus speed makes him a threat on the basepaths, stealing 66 bases in 77 attempts in college.

Defense is a bit of a question mark, as second base has been something of a default position since Bazzana is considered both too athletic to be a first base-only type. Baseball America’s scouting report notes that he could potentially play the outfield or even center field due to his athleticism, and the presence of Andres Gimenez at second base in Cleveland indicate that the Guardians could be open to testing Bazzana at other positions. That said, there is a consensus that he’ll be able to hit whenever he ends up on the field.

The Guardians had a 76-88 record in 2023, and would’ve received the 10th overall pick if the lottery picks adhered directly to last season’s team records. Cleveland had only a two percent chance of winning the first overall pick, and the Reds (who were 82-80 in 2023) had another surprising dose of lottery luck in winning the second pick, making it quite a night for Ohio’s two Major League teams.

In the second year of the draft lottery’s existence, the Guardians’ surprise win underscores the element of randomness that has now been introduced into the draft process, and the vagaries involved in the league’s desire to curb tanking. Cleveland has been one of baseball’s most consistent winning franchises over the last decade, yet its one-year blip in form in 2023 has now paid off handsomely in the form of a blue-chip prospect like Bazzana. The Guards enter the All-Star break back in first place in the AL Central, so both the present and the future are looking bright in Cleveland.

2024 MLB Draft, First Round Results

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2024 at 11:29pm CDT

This year’s amateur draft is officially underway, and we’ll be updating this post throughout the night with every first-round selection. More details and scouting reports on all these young players are available in pre-draft rankings from Baseball America, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. As well, Pipeline has the breakdown of the slot values assigned to each pick in the first 10 rounds, as well as the bonus pool money available to all 30 teams.

The first-round picks…

Cleveland Guardians: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State
Cincinnati Reds: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
Colorado Rockies: Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Georgia
Oakland Athletics: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest
Chicago White Sox: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
Kansas City Royals: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida
St. Louis Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, 2B/SS, West Virginia
Los Angeles Angels: Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee
Pittsburgh Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Jackson Prep High School (MS)
Washington Nationals: Seaver King, SS/3B/OF, Wake Forest
Detroit Tigers: Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake High School (CA)
Boston Red Sox: Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M
San Francisco Giants: James Tibbs III, OF, Florida State
Chicago Cubs: Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State
Seattle Mariners: Jurrangelo Cijntje, LHP/RHP, Mississippi State
Miami Marlins: PJ Morlando, OF, Summerville High School (SC)
Milwaukee Brewers: Braylon Payne, OF, Elkins High School (TX)
Tampa Bay Rays: Theo Gillen, OF/MI, Westlake High School (TX)
New York Mets: Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State
Toronto Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina
Minnesota Twins: Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State
Baltimore Orioles: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina
Los Angeles Dodgers: Kellon Lindsey, SS, Hardee High School (FL)
Atlanta Braves: Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguero High School (AZ)
San Diego Padres: Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk City High School (OK)
New York Yankees: Ben Hess, RHP, Alabama
Philadelphia Phillies: Dante Nori, OF, Northville High School (MI)
Houston Astros: Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston
Arizona Diamondbacks: Slade Caldwell, OF, Valley View High School (AR)
Texas Rangers: Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford

All 30 teams will have picks in the first round this year, though the Mets, Padres, and Yankees all had their first-round selections dropped back by 10 slots. These three teams surpassed the third luxury tax tier ($273MM) in 2023, and thus their punishment included a 10-space drop in their opening draft choice.

The 2024 draft will take place over three days, consisting of 20 rounds of selections. Rounds 3-10 will take place on Monday, rounds 11-20 will take place on Tuesday, and the draft’s first 74 picks will come off the board tonight. Those 74 picks consist of the first two proper rounds, the two Competitive Balance Rounds, two sets of compensatory rounds (giving picks to teams who lost qualifying offer-rejecting free agents), and two Prospect Promotion Incentive picks.

The two PPI selections will go to the Diamondbacks at 31st overall and the Orioles at 32nd overall, awarded since Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson fit all of the criteria for their teams to receive the bonus picks. Carroll and Henderson won Rookie of the Year honors, both young stars were included on their respective teams’ Opening Day rosters, and were rated as top-100 prospects in at least two of three sets of preseason prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and ESPN.

AL Notes: Soroka, Harvey, McCullers, Pederson

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2024 at 11:17pm CDT

Michael Soroka only three pitches in today’s outing before leaving with what the White Sox announced as right shoulder soreness. More will be known once Soroka undergoes testing, though shoulder inflammation brought an early end to both his 2022 and 2023 seasons, and he had other shoulder issues in his first two Major League seasons in 2018-19. Beyond these shoulder problems, Soroka missed almost the entirety of the 2020-22 seasons due to a pair of torn Achilles tendons, but he returned to the Show to pitch 32 1/3 innings of 6.40 ERA ball with the Braves last year.

Atlanta then shipped Soroka and four other players to Chicago in the Aaron Bummer trade last November, and Soroka’s first season with the Sox has been a struggle, as he has a 5.25 ERA over 72 innings and he lost his rotation job in May. Soroka’s 3.49 ERA as a reliever is a big step up from his 6.39 ERA as a starter, though this latest shoulder injury could bring another unwelcome wrinkle to his career. It could also impact Chicago’s trade deadline plans, as an impending free agent like Soroka is an obvious trade candidate, and a healthy multi-inning reliever would appeal to several teams.

More from around the American League as we head into the All-Star break…

The Royals started their deadline moves with a bang on Saturday, acquiring Hunter Harvey from the Nationals for third base prospect Cayden Wallace and Kansas City’s Competitive Balance Round A pick in this year’s draft. (Washington used the 39th overall pick on Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita.) “What we came to realize is if you’re going to acquire a quality relief pitcher with years of control, it’s not going to be a comfortable trade to make. You’re going to have to give up something to get something,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters. K.C. was known to be looking for bullpen help, and Harvey brings “great depth” to the relief corps, though Picollo said the team was “happy with” James McArthur’s work as closer. “The depth was the focus for us and having more options at the back end of the game,” Picollo said.
Astros GM Dana Brown provided an update on Lance McCullers Jr. during a pregame radio appearance today (hat tip to Chandler Rome of The Athletic). McCullers’ rehab from flexor surgery was halted earlier this week due to some soreness in his right arm, and Brown said “we just have to let time heal and we can’t push him.” A return by September to work as a reliever is a possibility, Brown said, which is itself notable since McCullers has started 127 of his 130 career big league games. A variety of injuries have cost McCullers the entirety of both the 2019 and 2023 seasons, and limited him to 265 innings over the 2020-22 campaigns. The exact nature of McCullers’ latest issue isn’t known, but Brown somewhat ominously said that the righty had gotten “his second opinion” about the setback.
The Blue Jays were known to be pushing to sign Joc Pederson last winter, before Pederson landed with the Diamondbacks on a one-year deal worth $12.5MM in guaranteed money. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith recently spoke with Pederson about his offseason talks with Toronto, and Pederson said he had a FaceTime conversation with GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider that seemed to go well, though negotiations didn’t progress much further. “They just I guess didn’t want me as bad as some other teams and weren’t able to really put together an offer when it was time for me to make a decision….From the conversations we had on the phone and how interested they were in adding a left-handed bat, their actions didn’t match their words, I guess you could say,” Pederson said. “They said everything went really well and then didn’t want to offer what other teams did.” The veteran slugger didn’t have any displeasure with how things worked out, and even left the door open to potentially play for the Jays in the future. Pederson is having an excellent season as a righty-mashing DH in Arizona, hitting .273/.374/.498 with 13 homers over 277 plate appearances with the D’Backs.

Padres Notes: Arraez, Tatis, Musgrove

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2024 at 10:21pm CDT

The Padres completed their first half with a 6-3 loss to the Braves, and San Diego enters the All-Star break with a 50-49 record and a +12 run differential. While the National League wild card race is still very crowded, the Padres are a game out of a playoff spot and still in good position to make a run in the second half, though they’ll need good health and continued production from their star players to make it happen.

With this in mind, Luis Arraez told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) today that he won’t be playing in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Arraez was named to the NL’s bench squad and will still attend the festivities in Arlington since his parents and sister will be in attendance at the Midsummer Classic for the first time, but the infielder won’t be taking the field because “I need the rest” for his injured left thumb.

Arraez jammed his thumb while sliding into third base during the Padres’ 9-7 win over the Nationals on June 25, and has since been trying to play through some serious discomfort whenever he fields the ball or takes a swing. Scans haven’t revealed any structural damage to the thumb, but Arraez recently told Acee and company that he has been wrapping the base of his thumb for every game.

“I don’t feel 100 percent. But every time I touch the line, I want to give 100 percent to the manager and to my teammates,” Arraez said.

It is a testament to Arraez’s toughness and ability that he has still continued to hit even while playing through this pain, even if his power has been even more limited by his thumb injury. Arraez is batting .309/.321/.346 over 56 plate appearances in the 13 games he has played since hurting his thumb, yet only two of his 17 hits have been for extra bases (both doubles). Though Arraez is known for his contact hitting moreso than his power, that .346 slugging percentage is well below the .427 career mark he posted in his first five MLB seasons with the Twins and Marlins.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is also hoping to take a step towards getting back onto the field when he undergoes an MRI during the All-Star break. Tatis was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 22 due to a right femoral stress reaction, and told The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and other reporters on Friday that he was no longer feeling any pain in his right leg. This is good news considering the uncertain nature of the injury, though while Tatis said he will “definitely” play again in 2024, he didn’t have any other updates on when exactly he might be able to return.

The fact that the injury was potentially seen as season-ending is certainly a concern, and itself perhaps a sign that Tatis isn’t out of the woods of being on a path to full fitness. The upcoming MRI will potentially shed some light on a recovery timetable, and for now, Tatis’ baseball-related activity has been limited to only dry swings.

Moving from lineup injuries to rotation injuries, Joe Musgrove is slated for a full bullpen session on Wednesday. Musgrove is eligible to return from the 60-day IL when his minimum absence time is up in late July, but his return from bone spurs in his right elbow will surely be delayed into August since the righty is only just in the early stages of his throwing progression. As per Acee, Musgrove will limit himself to throwing only fastballs in his first couple of bullpen sessions.

Between this IL stint and another visit to the 10-day IL due to triceps tendinitis at the beginning of the season, Musgrove has thrown only 49 1/3 innings in 2024, and struggled to a 5.66 ERA. This marks the second straight injury-marred year for Musgrove, as a broken toe and shoulder inflammation limited him to 97 1/3 innings in 2023, though he was more effective when he did pitch, delivering a 3.05 ERA.

Yankees Notes: Stanton, Soto, Brubaker

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2024 at 9:27pm CDT

Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t played since June 22 due to a left hamstring strain, and the slugger said at the time of his 10-day IL placement that he figured to be out for around four weeks. That timeline look to be pretty accurate, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and other reporters that Stanton is “really close” to being activated from the injured list. While Stanton won’t be ready on Friday for the Yankees’ first game of the second half, Boone said Stanton’s return isn’t expected to last much beyond that point, and Stanton might not even require a minor league rehab assignment.

Considering how injuries have often wrecked havoc on Stanton’s career, missing “only” a month counts as a relatively good outcome for the former NL MVP. Leg and hamstring injuries in particular have plagued Stanton, and (as Hoch noted) this is the eighth time Stanton has visited the injured list during his six seasons in a Yankees uniform.

These injuries started to impact Stanton’s production in 2022-23, but he got off to a nice start this year, hitting .246/.302/.492 with 18 homers in 281 plate appearances. Usually hitting either fifth in the lineup or as the cleanup hitter behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, Stanton provided some pop to a New York batting order that has been lacking in consistency apart from those two superstars. In the 19 games since Stanton hit the IL, the Yankees have gone 6-13, and enter the All-Star break a game behind the Orioles for the AL East lead.

The trio of Soto, Judge, and Stanton is a fearsome sight for opposing pitchers, but beyond Stanton’s hamstring issue, Soto is also not exactly 100 percent as he continues to play through soreness in his right hand. Soto has been bothered by the injury since hurting his hand on a slide into home plate in a June 28th game against the Blue Jays, even he has continued to mash at the plate.

“I’ve been grinding through it,” Soto told Hoch and other reporters today. “It’s right there. It’s been good so far. I’ve just got to make sure I hit the ball.” The star outfielder is still planning to play in the All-Star Game, which Boone said is fine with the team as long as Soto is comfortable.

In other Yankees injury news, JT Brubaker’s recovery from Tommy John surgery has hit a roadblock in the form of an oblique strain. Brubaker suffered the injury during his Triple-A rehab outing last Thursday, and has been shut down for the time being.

It’s another tough blow for Brubaker, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 and missed all of the 2023 season recovering from his TJ procedure. New York acquired the right-hander from Pittsburgh at the start of this season with an eye towards using Brubaker as rotation depth once he was healthy, and he has tossed 13 2/3 innings over five rehab games to date. The severity of the strain isn’t yet known, but given how more serious types of oblique strains can linger, it is possible that Brubaker might not be able to return to action this season.

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