Astros Activate Jose Urquidy From 60-Day IL
The Astros have activated right-hander Jose Urquidy from the 60-day injured list, as noted by The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. To make room for Urquidy on the 40-man and active rosters, the Astros optioned left-hander Parker Mushinski to Triple-A and designated right-hander Spenser Watkins for assignment.
Urquidy, 28, made just six starts this season prior to going on the injured list with what was initially described as shoulder discomfort at the beginning of May. Urquidy was initially expected to be ready around the All-Star break, but fell behind that timetable as he has spent the past three weeks on a minor league rehab assignment, during which time he has posted a 4.50 ERA across four starts at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Prior to going on the shelf, Urquidy had struggled to open the 2023 campaign, with a 5.20 ERA, 5.62 FIP, and a diminished 18.7% strikeout rate across 27 2/3 innings of work.
Despite his struggles and injuries this season, Urquidy’s return is nonetheless surely a relief for the Astros. With Urquidy, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. all on the shelf throughout the 2023 campaign to this point, the Astros have been forced to rely on youngsters like JP France, Brandon Bielak, and Ronel Blanco to fill in alongside regulars Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier. With the return of Justin Verlander at the trade deadline and now Urquidy’s return from the injured list, the club’s rotation of Valdez, Verlander, Javier, Urquidy and rookie Hunter Brown is now firing on all cylinders. The Astros currently hold an AL Wild Card spot and figure to attempt to catch the AL West-leading Rangers over the next two months, with 2.5 games separating the division rivals.
Clearing the way for Urquidy’s return to the active roster is Mushinski, who sports a 2.79 ERA in 9 2/3 innings of work out of the Astros’ bullpen this season. Going forward he’ll return to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land, where he sports a 2.86 ERA in 22 innings of work this season, as he awaits his next big league opportunity. Meanwhile, Watkins appears poised to exit the Astros organization just six weeks after the club acquired him in a cash deal with the Orioles. Watkins never made an appearance with the big league club in Houston, but he has previous big league experience in the form of 39 appearances (30 starts) with the Orioles between 2021 and 2022, during which he posted a 5.85 ERA and 4.97 FIP in 160 innings of work.
The Astros will now have seven days to waive or release Watkins, who they will have the option of assigning outright to Triple-A in the event he is successfully passed through waivers. That being said, it’s certainly possible a rival club in need of rotation depth could see value in Watkins as an optionable starter who can be stashed in the minors as a potential fill-in option down the stretch.
Twins Notes: Paddack, Lewis, Kirilloff, Jeffers
Twins right-hander Chris Paddack is making progress in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, per The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Hayes relays that, according to Twins training staff, Paddack is around ten days away from facing live hitters for the first time since he went under the knife last May.
Initially, Paddack was hoping to return to the big league mound this month, though given the time he’ll need to spend building up stamina after graduating to facing live hitters, it’s hardly a surprise that timeline was more recently pushed back to sometime in September, with the distinct possibility that return will have to come out of the bullpen rather than as a member of the rotation. While sixteen months away from the majors following Tommy John surgery is a certainly a longer rehab process than has become the norm in recent years, it’s worth remembering that this is Paddack’s second surgery, as he also went under the knife as a prospect back in 2016.
Regardless of if Paddack ultimately makes it back to pitch for the Twins this year, the 27-year-old hurler figures to be a key piece of Minnesota’s pitching staff in the long term. The Twins agreed to a three-year deal with Paddack this past offseason that guaranteed him $12.5MM while buying out what otherwise would have been the first year of his free agency. With Paddack locked up through the end of the 2025 season and current rotation pieces Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda both slated for free agency this coming offseason, Paddack figures to join Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Pablo Lopez as part of Minnesota’s rotation of the future.
For his career, Paddack has been a roughly league average starter with a 4.20 ERA (97 ERA+) and a 3.94 FIP in 330 1/3 innings of work. Those career numbers are somewhat hampered by Paddack’s struggles in a pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and an injury-shortened 2021 season; the Twins are surely hoping that, once fully healthy, Paddack can return to the form he displayed in 2019 when he posted a 3.33 ERA in 140 2/3 innings of work.
Also taking positive steps in his attempt to return from injury is infielder Royce Lewis, who has missed the past month with an oblique strain after starting the season on the injured list while recovering from knee surgery. Per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune, Lewis took batting practice on the field yesterday as he continues to ramp up his rehab process. Nightengale indicates that Lewis could rejoin the Twins’ lineup as soon as this month, though he cautions that Lewis’s return is still a matter of weeks away rather than days.
Lewis’s return would surely provide a major boost to a Twins lineup that has suffered a variety of injuries throughout the season, with Byron Buxton, Alex Kirilloff, Nick Gordon, and Jose Miranda all currently joining Lewis on the shelf. In 26 games this season, the talented youngster has slashed .326/.354/.474 that’s good for a 131 wRC+. That figure would represent a massive upgrade over the club’s current production at the hot corner, as Twins third basemen have combined for a wRC+ of just 90 this season with a 0.7 fWAR that ranks bottom ten in the majors.
While Minnesota’s lineup has received encouraging news on Lewis, the same cannot be said regarding first baseman Alex Kirilloff, who went on the injured list with a shoulder strain at the end of July. Per MLB.com, Kirilloff, who previously underwent an MRI and received a cortisone injection in his ailing shoulder, “was still in the resting and strengthening phase of his recovery” yesterday, with no clear timetable for return. The 25 year old was enjoying something of a breakout season at the plate prior to his injury, locking down first base for the Twins with a slash line of .270/.357/.442 (124 wRC+) in 258 trips to the plate this season.
With Kirilloff on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Twins have needed to look elsewhere in the lineup for offensive production. Fortunately for the club, they’ve found it in the bat of 26-year-old catcher Ryan Jeffers. While he’s played just 63 games this season thanks to sharing time behind the dish with offseason acquisition Christian Vazquez, Jeffers has slashed a phenomenal .292/.392/.503 (152 wRC+) in 203 trips to the plate this season. That production has seemingly earned Jeffers additional playing time, as The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman relays that manager Rocco Baldelli has indicated Jeffers will receive starts at DH while Buxton is on the shelf in addition to his usual timeshare with Vazquez.
Ken Suarez Passes Away
Former major leaguer Ken Suarez recently passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, per an obituary from a Texas funeral home. He was 80 years old.
Originally from Tampa, Suarez was a catcher at Florida State University in Tallahassee during the 1963 season, when the team went to the College World Series. The following year, Suarez was signed by the Kansas City A’s as an amateur free agent as a member of the last class of prospects to sign prior to the implementation of the MLB draft in 1965. Suarez made his big league debut for the A’s in 1966, appearing in 35 games before heading back to the minor leagues. 1967 marked perhaps the best year of Suarez’s career in the majors, as he slashed .238/.388/.413 with two home runs in 82 trips to the plate.
Prior to the 1968 campaign, Suarez was drafted by Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft thanks in part to his connection to new manager Al Dark, for whom Suarez had played for in Kansas City. Across two seasons in Cleveland, Suarez slashed a respectable .274/.378/.358 with more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) in 113 trips to the plate as the club’s backup catcher. Suarez did not appear in the majors in 1970 but played in 50 games in 1971 before being dealt to the Rangers ahead of their inaugural season in Texas.
During his age 30 season in 1973, Suarez became the Rangers’ primary catcher, slashing .248/.334/.299 while playing quality defense behind the plate. That increase in playing time led him to seek a raise from Rangers brass, and when the sides were unable to reach an agreement, Suarez became the first player in Rangers history to send a contract to arbitration.
That decision prompted the Rangers to trade him back to Cleveland, though Suarez ultimately decided to retire from professional baseball rather than report to camp that spring. In all, Suarez played parts of seven seasons in the majors, batting .227/.330/.297 across 785 plate appearances. Following his playing career, Suarez did color commentary and scouting work for the Rangers.
MLBTR extends our condolences to Suarez’s family, friends, and loved ones.
Angels Notes: O’Hoppe, Ohtani, Ward
The Angels have been without top catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe since he suffered a torn labrum in late April, with a timetable for return of 4-6 months. Fortunately for the Halos, however, O’Hoppe appears to be on track to return at the early end of that timeframe, as the backstop told reporters (including The Athletic’s Sam Blum) that he’s set to go out on a rehab assignment next week. MLB.com adds that O’Hoppe is likely to require a maximum-length rehab assignment of 20 days as he attempts to build back up to game shape, though that should still line him up to make his return to the Angels before the calendar flips to September.
With fellow catcher Max Stassi having spent the entire season on the shelf due to hip issues, O’Hoppe’s injury has meant the Angels have relied on a catching tandem of Matt Thaiss and Chad Wallach throughout most of the 2023 campaign. That duo has allowed the club to maintain roughly league average performance behind the plate, as Angels catchers this season rank 16th in the majors with 1.4 fWAR while their wRC+ of 95 ranks 11th. O’Hoppe, who was a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport entering the season and slashed an impressive .283/.339/.547 (138 wRC+) in 59 trips to the plate prior to his injury, figures to provide the Angels with a major boost as they head into the stretch run of the 2023 campaign.
More from the Angels…
- Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to make his regularly scheduled start on Wednesday against the Giants, as noted by J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register. That’s surely a relief for Angels fans, given Ohtani exited his most recent start after just four innings due to finger cramping. It’s been another sensational season for Ohtani in 2023, as he seems to be the clear favorite to earn his second AL MVP award with free agency on the horizon following the 2023 campaign. On the mound, Ohtani has pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 21 starts with a 31.8% strikeout rate, while he’s slashed .310/.413/.683 with an MLB-leading 40 home runs in 489 trips to the plate.
- Outfielder Taylor Ward saw his regular season likely come to an end last week when he was placed on the 60-day IL with facial fractures after being struck in the face by a sinker from Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah. Today, Angels brass provided on update on Ward’s condition, with manager Phil Nevin confirming that the outfielder underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair his left orbital bone and insert internal splints into his nose, per Hoornstra. While the loss of Ward is a major blow to the Angels in 2023, Nevin emphasized that the club “got the best news possible” regarding Ward’s condition as he appeared to avoid any damage to his vision. While ward, who slashed .278/.368/.500 from June 1 onward after a slow start to the season, is seemingly done for the regular season, a potential return in the postseason has not been ruled out, should the Angels manage to make it there.
East Notes: Red Sox, Verdugo, Severino, Narvaez, Perez
The Red Sox issued a positive update regarding the status of right-hander Garrett Whitlock today, with manager Alex Cora (as relayed by MassLive’s Christopher Smith) indicating that he’s poised to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week. Whitlock has been on the 15-day injured list due to a bone bruise in his elbow for just over a month. Meanwhile, both right-hander Tanner Houck and left-hander Chris Sale could also be nearing returns, with Houck expected to make three rehab starts before rejoining the club while Sale will be evaluated tomorrow as he nears a return to the majors.
Whitlock’s return to the Red Sox, according to Cora, could come with a change of role, as the manager indicated there was “a good chance” that Whitlock would be used in a multi-inning relief role rather than as a member of the rotation. That’s a role that has suited Whitlock quite well throughout his career, as he owns a sterling 2.24 ERA in 112 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen, a far more impressive figure than his rather pedestrian 4.76 ERA in 19 starts as a member of the rotation.
Even with Whitlock seeming ticketed for the bullpen, the impending returns of Houck and Sale could create a logjam in Boston’s rotation. With the aforementioned trio on the shelf, the club was recently forced to move right-hander Nick Pivetta back into the rotation alongside regular starters James Paxton, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford despite the fact that Pivetta sported a dominant 1.98 ERA in 41 innings coming out of the bullpen since he was removed from the rotation back in May.
With Paxton, Bello, and Sale all likely locked into rotation spots when healthy, the Red Sox will have to pick one of Pivetta, Houck, or Crawford to join Whitlock in the rotation unless the club plans on moving to a six-man rotation upon the return of Sale and Houck to starting action. While Pivetta’s 5.98 ERA coming out of the rotation is the weakest figure of that trio, his 7 1/3 inning, three-run outing in his return to the starting rotation may to have given Red Sox brass renewed confidence in him as a starting option going forward.
More from around MLB’s East divisions…
- Sticking with the Red Sox, outfielder Alex Verdugo was scratched from today’s lineup shortly before the game started. Following the game, Cora briefly discussed Verdugo’s situation with reporters, including Smith. In his comments, Cora indicated that Verdugo’s absence from the lineup was not injury-related. While neither Cora nor Verdugo commented on the specifics of the situation, Cora stressed that it was “the manager’s decision”, saying: “We need everybody available. I decided the reason that he didn’t play. But he wasn’t available today. He was ready to play but he wasn’t available. … The manager decided not to play him today. And he has his reason. I’m not going to go into details or whatever.” After a hot start to the 2023 campaign, Verdugo has slashed just .157/.245/.277 in 94 trips to the plate since the start of July.
- Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated to reporters, including The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner, that “everything is on the table going forward” regarding right-hander Luis Severino, including a move to the bullpen. Once a rising star in the game as a reliable, front of the rotation arm, Severino has struggled massively in 13 starts this season with a 7.74 ERA and 6.56 FIP. Severino has made fifteen appearances out of the bullpen during his career to excellent results. He’s posted a microscopic 0.31 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout rate in 29 1/3 innings of work as a reliever. If Severino were to exit the rotation, that could open up starts for a younger arm like Jhony Brito or Randy Vasquez.
- Sticking to New York, Mets catcher Omar Narvaez indicated to Will Sammon of The Athletic that he would “probably be back next season” when discussing his upcoming $7MM player option for 2024. Narvaez opened the season as the club’s starting catcher but suffered a calf strain early in the season. While Narvaez was on the shelf, youngster Francisco Alvarez emerged as the club’s everyday player behind the plate, leaving Narvaez in a part-time role upon his return. In addition to his diminished role, Narvaez has struggled badly at the plate this season, slashing just .189/.281/.245 with a wRC+ of 54 in 24 games this year.
- The Marlins figure to welcome young right-hander Eury Perez back to the rotation on Monday, according to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. Perez made his last big league start on July 6 before being optioned to the minors in an effort to manage his innings and keep him fresh for the stretch run. Perez’s return figures to be a significant boost to the Marlins rotation, as he impressed with a 2.36 ERA and 3.70 FIP in eleven starts during his first stint in the majors earlier this season. The Marlins currently sport a 58-54 record and are just half a game out of the final NL Wild Card spot. That spot is currently occupied by the Reds, against whom Perez is slated to make his return on Monday.
Angels Designate Jacob Webb For Assignment
The Angels have designated right-hander Jacob Webb for assignment, per a team announcement. Left-hander Kenny Rosenberg was selected to the roster in a corresponding move. J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register was first with the news.
Webb, 30 later this month, made his MLB debut with the Braves back in 2019. Over 32 1/3 innings in his debut season, Webb impressed with a 1.39 ERA, though a roughly league average 4.30 FIP indicated some good fortune baked into those results. His ratios normalized somewhat over his next two seasons of work with the Braves, as he posted a 3.25 ERA and 3.76 FIP in 42 appearances between the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
That solid track record seemed to leave Webb poised to play a role in the Atlanta bullpen as a useful relief arm with options remaining, but he struggled badly in the minors during the 2022 campaign, with a 6.06 ERA in 35 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level as Webb was shuffled between the Braves and Diamondbacks organizations. That performance led to him being outrighted off the club’s roster in June, allowing him to elect free agency last November. Shortly thereafter, Webb inked a minors deal with the Angels, bringing him to his third organization of the calendar year. He was selected to the major league roster back in May and pitched fairly well in 29 appearances with the Angels this season, posting a 3.98 ERA in 31 2/3 innings of work, though his walk rate, which stood at a 9.6% figure for his career entering the 2023 campaign, spiked to a concerning 14.3%.
Going forward, the Angels will have seven days to waive or release Webb. In the event he clears waivers, the Angels will have the opportunity to outright Webb to Triple-A, though as a player previously outrighted in his career he’ll have the opportunity to reject that assignment and test free agency. While the command issues Webb has faced this season are certainly cause for concern, the right-hander could nonetheless be an interesting option for a team looking to add to their bullpen depth.
Webb’s roster spot will go to Rosenberg, a 28-year-old southpaw who made his MLB debut with the Angels last year, tossing 10 2/3 innings with a 4.22 ERA and 4.52 FIP. This will be Rosenberg’s first appearance in the big leagues this season, as he’s operated as a starter at the Triple-A level to this point in the season. His 4.93 ERA certainly leaves something to be desired, but that figure is inflated by the heightened offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. Rosenberg has punched out 27.8% of the batters he’s faced this season while walking 10.7%. He figures to be a multi-inning relief option for the Angels going forward, a role he’ll share with Jaime Barria.
Padres Outright Brandon Dixon
The Padres announced this afternoon that infielder Brandon Dixon had cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A El Paso. Dixon had previously been designated for assignment to make room for newly-acquired reliever Scott Barlow on the day of the trade deadline last week.
Dixon, 31, has never hit much in big league stints with the Reds, Tigers, and Padres. In 658 plate appearances throughout his major league career to this point, Dixon owns a slash line of .224/.266/.397 with a wRC+ of 72, though those figures are higher than his 2023 output of .203/.244/.329 (56 wRC+) in 86 trips to the plate. While Dixon contributed versatility to the club’s bench, with big league experience at all three outfield spots in addition to first, second, and third base, his lack of offensive output made him little more than a depth option for a club that already features versatile players like Ha-Seong Kim and Jake Cronenworth.
Prior to Dixon’s DFA, the Padres had already optioned the journeyman to the minor leagues five times this season. Per the terms of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, once a player has been optioned to the minor leagues five times during a season he must be placed on outright assignment waivers in order to be returned to the minor leagues. That likely made the club’s decision to designate Dixon an easier call, since they would not be able to rely upon him as optionable bench depth going forward this season even if he was retained on the 40-man roster. Going forward, Dixon will be able to choose between accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A or rejecting the assignment and electing free agency as a player who has been outrighted previously in his career.
Rays Claim Cole Sulser
The Rays announced this afternoon that they had claimed right-hander Cole Sulser off waivers from the Diamondbacks. The Rays had an open space on their 40-man roster following the cash deal that sent right-hander Luis Patino to the White Sox prior to the trade deadline earlier this week. Sulser was designated for assignment as part of a series of roster moves on the day of the deadline.
The move reunites Sulser with Tampa Bay, where he made his major league debut back in 2019 with 7 1/3 scoreless innings of work during which he struck out 9 and walked 3 while surrendering five hits. That solid debut didn’t stop the Rays from designating Sulser for assignment at the end of the 2019 campaign, at which point he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. He struggled in Baltimore during the shortened 2020 campaign but broke out in a big way in 2021 with a 2.70 ERA (166 ERA+) and 2.98 FIP in 63 1/3 innings of work. Those strong ratios were backed up by a excellent 28.4% strikeout rate against a walk rate of 8.9%.
Since his 2021 breakout, however, Sulser has struggled during his time in the majors. In 39 1/3 innings of work split between the Marlins and Diamondbacks the last two seasons, the righty has managed just a 5.49 ERA, with a 5.09 FIP that offers little optimism regarding his underlying performance. Meanwhile, his once-strong strikeout rate has dipped to a more pedestrian 24.4% while his walk rate has spiked to 11%. When those issues are combined with a whopping 20.5% of his fly balls leaving the yard for home runs the past two seasons, it’s easy to see why the Diamondbacks made the decision to move on from Sulser.
That being said, Susler fits the mold of an optionable relief arm that the Rays frequently covet, and has had previous big league success, including during his previous time with the organization. What’s more, Sulser’s downturn in production in recent seasons has coincided with lat and shoulder injuries that have sidelined him for much of the past two seasons. If the Sulser is fully healthy again, it would hardly be a surprise to see him return to being a quality relief arm as a member of the Rays down the stretch. Should he join the big league bullpen immediately, he figures to cover the middle innings for the Rays alongside the likes of Robert Stephenson and Kevin Kelly.
Blue Jays Designate Thomas Hatch For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves this morning. The club has selected the contract of infielder Davis Schneider from Triple-A, optioned infielder Ernie Clement to Triple-A, reinstated right-hander Jay Jackson from the family emergency list, and designated right-hander Thomas Hatch for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster stands at 40.
Hatch, 28, came over from the Cubs in a 2019 trade that sent reliever David Phelps to Chicago. He made his big league debut with Toronto in 2020 and has seen Major League action every season since. The 2016 third-round pick has pitched to a 5.28 ERA in 44 1/3 big league innings, fanning 21.3% of his opponents against a 12.4% walk rate.
While he’s worked primarily as a starter in Triple-A, Hatch has moved to the bullpen for the majority of his work in the upper minors this season. He’s pitched to a 4.40 ERA in 30 games — 45 innings — and notched a 27.8% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate. Hatch has typically kept the ball on the ground at average or better rates in Double-A and Triple-A, and this year’s 4.40 ERA in Triple-A is right in line with the 4.45 mark he’s posted in 240 2/3 total innings at that level.
Hatch can still be optioned for the remainder of the 2023 season. Add that to his respectable results in parts of three Triple-A seasons, his ability to work multiple innings in relief, and his experience as a starter — and it pique the interest of another club seeking some depth now that the trade deadline has passed. The Jays can’t trade Hatch at this point, so they’ll have to place him on outright waivers.
As for the 24-year-old Schneider, he’ll be making his big league debut the first time he gets into a game. A 28th-round pick in 2017, Schneider has been primarily a second baseman in the minors but also has more than 900 innings at the hot corner, more than 600 innings in left field and has added eight games at first base in the 2023 season. He’s posted an excellent .275/.416/.553 batting line in 392 plate appearances this season, walking at a massive 18.4% clip against a 21.9% strikeout rate.
L.A. Notes: Kershaw, Buehler, Ohtani, Drury, Trout
The Dodgers were well-established as searching for pitching upgrades ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. In the end, they managed to make some minor additions, adding right-handers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly in a deal with the White Sox and picking up left-hander Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals, but failed to land any of the impactful starters that were moved like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Jordan Montgomery. The club had a deal in place with the Tigers to acquire lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, though Rodriguez vetoed the trade using his 10-team no-trade list, which included the Dodgers. After failing to acquire an impact starter at the deadline, the club will have to lean heavily on the group of arms already in the organization down the stretch.
To that end, the Dodgers relayed good news regarding a pair of arms currently on the injured list yesterday starting with lefty veteran Clayton Kershaw. The 35-year-old future Hall of Famer delivered a 2.55 ERA in sixteen starts prior to going on the IL at the end of June and could return to the mound as soon as next week for the Dodgers. As noted by J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register, Kershaw’s most recent simulated game inspired confidence in manager Dave Roberts to the point that he suggested Kershaw likely won’t require a rehab assignment in the minor leagues before returning to the big league club. Per Hoornstra, one more bullpen session is on the docket for the club’s veteran ace before they decide whether he’ll make his return in Arizona on either Tuesday or Wednesday or wait to face the Rockies at Dodger Stadium later in the week.
The Dodgers also had positive news to offer regarding right-hander Walker Buehler, who has missed the entire season to this point while rehabbing Tommy John surgery. As relayed by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Roberts indicated yesterday that Buehler has nearly reached the point in his recovery process where he will begin a minor league rehab assignment. Earlier this season, Buehler expressed a desire to make it back to the majors this year, with a target date of September 1. That goal seemingly remains unchanged, though it was initially thought that a September return for Buehler would likely come as a member of the Dodgers’ bullpen. Roberts indicates that isn’t the case, however, as the righty will be built up as a starter as he aims to return to the majors next month.
A healthy and effective Buehler would be a huge boon for a Dodgers rotation that has seen its starting staff struggle to a 5.86 ERA since Kershaw’s last start back in June. Prior to his injury-shortened 2022 campaign, Buehler had been one of the best starters in the game over the past four seasons, with a 2.82 ERA and 3.16 FIP across 564 innings of work between 2018 and 2021. That included a sensational 2021 campaign, where Buehler finished fourth in Cy Young award voting after throwing 207 2/3 innings of 2.47 ERA baseball.
More from the other side of town…
- Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani exited his start against the Mariners yesterday after just four innings due to cramping in his middle finger, as noted by ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. The Angels phenom stayed in the game as a hitter, but the departure continues a worrying trend of issues hampering Ohtani on the mound, as he dealt with a cracked fingernail and blister on that same finger last month. Since his battle against those injuries began, he’s struggled on the mound with a 5.52 ERA across his last five starts. While the combined thirteen scoreless innings from his last two starts would normally be encouraging, the prospect of Ohtani potentially missing a start is a worrisome one for the Angels, who at 56-54 need every win they can get if they’re to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
- While Ohtani’s health is in question, the Angels received a positive update regarding the status of infielder Brandon Drury yesterday, per MLB.com. Drury, who has been on the shelf with a shoulder contusion since the end of June, started a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday and is scheduled to play another rehab game tonight. If that goes well, it’s possible he’ll rejoin the major league roster as soon as tomorrow to contribute to an infield mix that has primarily relied on Mike Moustakas, C.J. Cron, Zach Neto, Luis Rengifo, and Eduardo Escobar in recent weeks. When on the field, it’s been a strong season for Drury, who sports a 122 wRC+ in 75 games with the club while playing first and second base for the Angels.
- While he may not be as close to returning as Drury, the Angels also received good news regarding veteran superstar Mike Trout yesterday. Trout underwent surgery to remove a fractured hamate bone in early July with a four-to-eight week timeline for return. It sounds like Trout’s return may come on the earlier end of that spectrum, as manager Phil Nevin reports that Trout had progressed to hitting off a tee yesterday, per MLB.com, adding that his ramp-up to returning to game action should be a quick one. It’s been a relative down season for Trout, as he’s slashed “only” .263/.369/.493 with a wRC+ of 137 in 81 games. Those excellent numbers may be a far cry from his career wRC+ of 170, but the 31-year-old superstar is well established as not only one of the greats of today’s game, but one of the finest hitters in baseball history.