As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Lee receiving second opinion:

Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee exited Sunday’s game against the Reds due to a dislocated shoulder suffered while trying to catch a fly ball off the bat of Jeimer Candelario at the wall. Since then, Lee has undergone an MRI that (as noted by MLB.com’s Maria Guardado) that revealed structural damage in his shoulder. That’s a worrisome discovery, but Lee and the Giants will not determine next steps until a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles that’s scheduled for later today. The 25-year-old has flashed strong defense in the outfield while slashing .262/.310/.331 (89 wRC+) in his first taste of big league action.

2. Series Preview: Pirates @ Cubs

Thanks to a quirk in this year’s schedule, the Pirates and Cubs are set to face each other their second series over the past week with a four-game set starting at Wrigley Field this afternoon. Over the weekend, the Cubs took two of three from Pittsburgh in a series that notably included the debut of top pitching prospect Paul Skenes, who ultimately allowed three runs in four innings of work but struck out seven batters in his first big league appearance.

Skenes will get a second bite at the apple in Chicago, but not before fellow youngster Jared Jones (2.68 ERA through eight starts) takes on Cubs ace hurler Justin Steele (4.73 ERA through three starts) this afternoon. On Friday, Skenes (6.75 ERA) will face veteran righty Kyle Hendricks (10.04 ERA), and the series will wrap up over the weekend with a pair of tough match ups for the Pirates as Bailey Falter (4.15 ERA) and Mitch Keller (3.93 ERA) face off against Shota Imanaga (0.96 ERA) and Jameson Taillon (1.61 ERA) respectively.

3. Pending DFA resolutions:

Astros right-hander Brandon Bielak and Pirates right-hander Roansy Contreras were both designated for assignment five days ago. While the DFA window technically lasts for a whole week, outright waivers are typically a 48-hour process, meaning if either player is going to be traded it’ll very likely be today. If no trades are agreed upon, they’ll be run through the waiver wire and made available to all 29 other clubs.

The 28-year-old Bielak pitched  to a 4.05 ERA in 142 1/3 innings from 2021-23, striking out 19.2% of his opponents against a 9.8% walk rate. Metrics like FIP (4.76) and SIERA (4.65) aren’t as bullish on that stretch as his ERA, but he’s a fairly experienced righty who’s familiar pitching in long relief and out of the rotation. Meanwhile, Contreras is a former top-100 prospect who gave the Bucs 98 innings of 3.67 ERA ball to begin his career. He’s since struggled and been dropped to the bullpen, however. Both pitchers are out of minor league options, so any team that acquires either pitcher will need to add him directly to the MLB pitching staff in some role.

As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Suspension looms for Blanco:

Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco was ejected from his start against the A’s last night following a foreign substance check by the umpires. Given that players ejected due to a failed foreign substance check are subject to an automatic ten-game suspension, it’s likely that MLB will announce that punishment for the right-hander later today. Blanco indicated last night that he intends to appeal any suspension levied against him, although no suspension for violating the league’s foreign substance policy has been overturned since the automatic suspension was put into place back in June of 2021.

A noteworthy quirk of the suspension is that teams are not allowed to replace players suspended for foreign substance use on their active rosters. That makes the loss of Blanco, who n0-hit the Blue Jays during his first start of the season and has posted a 2.09 ERA through eight starts this season, even more devastating as they will essentially be forced to use a 25-man roster for the next week and a half. Houston had been planning to go with a six-man rotation over the next few weeks because they only have one off-day between now and June 6. Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, and Spencer Arrighetti could perhaps hold things down while Blanco is out but a challenging part of their schedule may now prove to be even tougher.

2. Hoerner to be re-evaluated:

Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner was a late scratch from yesterday’s game against the Braves due to tightness in his left hamstring, and manager Craig Counsell told reporters (per MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) after the game that Hoerner had felt some discomfort during batting practice. Counsell added that Hoerner would be re-evaluated today, while Hoerner suggested that his injury was day-to-day.

An absence of any length for Hoerner is a notable blow to the Cubs, as the second baseman had been tabbed to cover shortstop with Dansby Swanson on the injured list due to a right knee sprain. Utilityman Miles Mastrobuoni made his first career big league start at shortstop last night in Hoerner’s absence, with Nick Madrigal covering second base. Shoulder Hoerner be in for a longer absence, it’s possible the Cubs could look to add a player better suited to shortstop, such as youngster Luis Vázquez, to the roster as a stopgap option. Vázquez, 24, has not yet made his major league debut but is already on the 40-man roster and has hit a solid .280/.381/.424 at the Triple-A level this year.

3. Winn to undergo MRI:

Giants right-hander Keaton Winn departed last night’s game against the Dodgers in the fifth inning due to what the team described as forearm tightness, as noted by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Winn is slated to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue later today. Any sort of issue with the forearm is a somewhat ominous diagnosis, although Winn told reporters (per MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) after the game that he doesn’t believe the issue is serious, instead attributing his dip in velocity to fatigue.

Winn, 26, has struggled badly through nine starts for the Giants with a 6.17 ERA despite a decent 4.38 FIP. While a trip to the injured list could afford the youngster an opportunity to reset, it would be a devastating below for a Giants rotation that’s already down to just four healthy pitchers with Blake Snell, Alex Cobb, Tristan Beck, and Robbie Ray all already on the injured list. Should Winn require a trip to the shelf, right-hander Mason Black appears to be the most likely candidate to step into the rotation in his stead.

As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Hoskins to undergo MRI:

Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins exited yesterday’s game against the Pirates in the second inning after tweaking his right hamstring. As noted by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the slugger will undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the issue. Even a brief absence for Hoskins would be a brutal blow for the Brewers, as the 31-year-old has been among their top power hitters since signing a two-year deal with the club this past offseason. In 38 games as a Brewer, Hoskins has slashed .233/.340/.474 with nine homers. Gary Sanchez and Jake Bauers could be among the club’s options to handle first base if Hoskins ends up requiring time off. Sanchez has of course been a catcher for the bulk of his career but has already made four appearances at first base this season.

2. Lowe to visit specialist:

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe has been on the shelf for over a month now due to a grade 1 oblique strain. In recent days, he’s begun a rehab assignment at the Triple-A level with solid results to show for it, slashing .300/.462/1.000 in four games. However, manager Kevin Cash revealed yesterday that Lowe “felt something” in his oblique over the weekend and is expected to see a specialist today to determine next steps (X link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Richie Palacios and Amed Rosario have split time at the keystone in recent weeks while Lowe is unavailable.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

The 2024 season is now in full swing, and trade season has begun to get underway as the likes of Luis Arraez, Robbie Grossman and Luis Guillorme have already changed clubs. If you have questions regarding your favorite club’s start to the campaign, or perhaps questions that look ahead to this summer’s trade deadline and the 2024-25 offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.

With one-quarter of the 2024 season now in the books, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Lee undergoes MRI:

Giants center fielder and marquee free agent signing Jung Hoo Lee suffered a worrisome injury during last night’s game against the Reds when he leapt at the wall in an attempt to rob Jeimer Candelario of extra bases in the top of the first inning. The Giants later revealed that Lee had suffered a dislocated shoulder and that he would undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue, the results of which should be available today.

The 25-year-old is hitting .262/.310/.331 in his first 37 games of stateside action with quality defense in center field, and the already unfortunate prospect of losing his services for an extended period is further compounded for San Francisco by recent injuries to fellow outfielders Michael Conforto and Austin Slater. If Lee requires an absence of note, Mike Yastrzemski, Luis Matos, and Heliot Ramos figure to be the club’s primary outfield group.

2. Wood headed for the IL?

A’s manager Mark Kotsay told reporters (including Martin Gallegos of MLB.com) that veteran southpaw Alex Wood has been attempting to pitch through a shoulder injury that contributed to Wood’s lack of velocity in last night’s short start against the Mariners, where Wood allowed five runs (one earned) in just two innings of work. Kotsay implied that a trip to the injured list could be in the works for the lefty, saying that Wood “gave us everything he had” and that the club would “have more news” about the situation today.

If Wood has been plagued by a nagging shoulder issue, that could help to explain his difficult start to the 2024 campaign. Through nine starts, the left-hander has a 5.26 ERA and a nearly identical 5.27 FIP. He’s struck out just 17.7% of batters faced against an elevated 10.2% walk rate and has already surrendered a whopping six home runs in just 39 1/3 innings of work. Lefty Hogan Harris and righty Osvaldo Bido are among the possible candidates to take Wood’s spot in the rotation in the event he faces an extended absence.

3. Pitchers’ Duel in Atlanta:

For the second time during the young 2024 season, the best left-handed starter by ERA is poised to take on the best right-handed starter by ERA (min. 30 innings). Last time this happened, left-hander Shota Imanaga of the Cubs faced right-hander Kutter Crawford of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Imanaga, who sports a 1.08 ERA and 2.37 FIP through seven starts, is once again on the bump for today’s match. This time, he’ll be pitching in Atlanta opposite Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez.

The 30-year-old righty hadn’t been a full-time member of a big league starting rotation since the 2020 season but has returned to the role with the Braves this year with fantastic results. In 35 1/3 innings of work across six starts, Lopez boasts a 1.53 ERA with a 3.02 FIP and a solid 25.5% strikeout rate. He’ll be challenged by a Cubs lineup that recently returned both Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki from the injured list, while Imanaga will face a stacked Braves lineup featuring heavy hitters such as Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, and current NL home run leader Marcell Ozuna. The game is set to begin at 7:20pm local time.