Yankees Shut Down Clarke Schmidt For 4-6 Weeks
The Yankees are shutting down starter Clarke Schmidt for 4-6 weeks. Manager Aaron Boone announced the news to the New York beat before tonight’s game with the Angels (X link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Schmidt underwent an MRI yesterday and landed on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain this afternoon.
Schmidt’s absence will extend well beyond the minimum. He’s almost certainly out through the All-Star Break at this point. There’s a good chance he doesn’t return until after the trade deadline. Even in the best case scenario where Schmidt is able to begin a throwing program in the first half of July, he’ll need multiple weeks to return to MLB readiness. He’ll go through bullpen sessions and live batting practice before heading on a minor league rehab stint that’ll likely require at least two or three starts.
It halts what had been an excellent start to the season for the South Carolina product. Schmidt has a 2.52 ERA over 11 starts, punching out more than 27% of opposing hitters. He had performed at a back-of-the-rotation level in 2023, when he allowed 4.64 earned runs per nine over 33 appearances. Schmidt was building a reasonable All-Star case, a major reason why the Yankees have an AL-best 38-19 record.
[Related: The New and Improved Clarke Schmidt]
New York’s rotation has been stellar despite losing Gerrit Cole to elbow inflammation in Spring Training. Only the Phillies have a better ERA from their starting staff than the Yankees’ 2.69 mark. New York starters also trail just Philadelphia in strikeout rate and are behind the Phils, Mariners and Royals in innings.
That’s a remarkable couple months for a team operating without the defending AL Cy Young winner. They have had essentially perfect health following Cole’s injury. Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Schmidt have taken all but one start. The Yankees will face some rotation uncertainty for the first time since March.
Cody Poteet took the lone other start, working six innings of one-run ball against the Guardians as part of a doubleheader on April 13. Poteet is the first choice to step into Schmidt’s rotation spot; Boone announced that the right-hander will take the ball in San Francisco on Saturday. While Poteet has been on the minor league injured list for a week because of a blister, he’s expected to be ready two days from now.
The Yankees signed Poteet to a split contract in January. The 29-year-old righty turned in decent numbers in 58 2/3 innings for the Marlins between 2021-22. He underwent Tommy John surgery in August ’22, leading Miami to cut him loose. That the Yankees gave him a 40-man roster spot was a surprise, but he’s thus far rewarded their faith with an impressive two months in Triple-A. Over seven starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he has a 4.05 ERA with a 28.1% strikeout percentage and a solid 8.1% walk rate.
Poteet may only need to hold a starting spot for a couple weeks. Cole has been throwing for more than a month and is closing in on a rehab assignment. Boone said that the six-time All-Star could head out on a minor league stint as soon as next week (relayed on X by Chris Kirschner of the Athletic). He’ll need to make multiple starts but could be back at Yankee Stadium by the latter half of June.
Schmidt’s injury doesn’t immediately look as if it’ll impact the Yankees’ approach to the deadline. By late July, New York could have a rotation of Cole, Rodón, Stroman, Cortes and Gil with a Schmidt return on the horizon. That’d be one of the strongest units in the majors. Any more injuries would test the depth, though, particularly with Gil’s 63 1/3 innings already well beyond his combined workload of 2022-23 because of May ’22 Tommy John surgery.
Garrett Whitlock To Undergo Internal Brace Procedure
MAY 30: Whitlock will indeed have the internal brace procedure today, Cora tells reporters. Chris Cotillo of MassLive was among those to relay the news on X.
MAY 25: Whitlock is tentatively set to undergo an internal brace procedure, he told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey and other reporters. The details will be confirmed after more testing this coming week. Assuming the surgery takes place as planned, Whitlock will miss roughly 11-12 months in recovery, as opposed to the longer 13-15 month timeline associated with Tommy John surgeries.
MAY 20: Garrett Whitlock has suffered ligament damage in his throwing elbow, Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced to reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive). The Boston right-hander will go for further evaluation tomorrow to determine whether he can avoid surgery.
This was the outcome which the team and its fans feared last week. Whitlock reported elbow soreness coming out of a rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. He’d been working back from an oblique strain that had shelved him since the middle of April and had been hoping to return to the MLB team in the coming days.
Instead, there looks to be a good chance that his 2024 season is over. If Whitlock does need surgery, it would threaten his ’25 campaign as well. Whitlock has already undergone a Tommy John procedure in his career. That came back in 2019 when he was pitching in the Yankees farm system. Whitlock also had two elbow-related injured list stints in 2023, the latter of which cost him five weeks between July and August. Neither of those involved any ligament damage, but this injury unfortunately appears to be more serious.
The 27-year-old hasn’t had a full season as a starting pitcher since his time in the minors. He was an excellent multi-inning relief weapon for his first two MLB campaigns. Boston gave him 10 starts last year before his July injured list placement. Whitlock worked out of the bullpen after returning. The Sox moved him back into the starting staff to open this year. He allowed only four runs in 18 1/3 innings prior to the oblique injury.
Cooper Criswell has stepped into the rotation behind Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck. Signed to a $1MM contract last winter after being non-tendered by the Rays, Criswell has been quietly excellent through his first 29 1/3 frames for the Sox. He owns a 2.76 ERA with a solid 23.3% strikeout percentage and a tidy 5.8% walk rate.
Criswell, who will take the ball tomorrow against his old team in Tampa Bay, should hold a rotation spot for the foreseeable future. Starting pitching could be an area that first-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his staff look to address around the deadline, assuming they hang in postseason contention. Boston blanked the Rays this evening to pull back to .500 at 24-24. They’re long shots to stick with the Yankees and Orioles at the top of the AL East but are firmly in the Wild Card picture.
While Boston’s rotation has been a surprising strength thus far, their front five is light on experience. Pivetta is the only member of the group who has ever started 30 MLB games in a season. He and Bello are the only ones who have surpassed the 130-inning threshold at the big league level.
That lack of volume is a big reason that Boston signed Lucas Giolito, who had been one of the league’s most durable pitchers, to a two-year free agent deal. Giolito immediately down with a partially torn UCL in Spring Training. He underwent an internal brace procedure and will miss the entire season.
Even if Whitlock is able to avoid going under the knife, he’s certainly in for a long-term absence. The Sox will move him to the 60-day injured list when they need a 40-man roster spot. Whitlock, who signed an extension back in 2022, is playing this season on a $3.25MM salary. He’ll make successive salaries of $5.25MM and $7.25MM over the next two seasons. Boston holds a $10.5MM option on his services for the 2027 campaign.
Mets To Designate Jorge Lopez For Assignment
The Mets are designating reliever Jorge López for assignment, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link). The move comes after the right-hander tossed his glove into the stands following a rough outing this afternoon against the Dodgers. After the game, López said he didn’t regret the incident and called the Mets “the worst team in probably the whole f***ing MLB” (video provided on X by SNY).
López, a native of Puerto Rico, conducted his postgame media scrum in English. While it was initially unclear whether he intended to call the Mets “the worst team” in the league or if called himself “the worst teammate,” he answered “probably” to a follow-up question when asked whether he called the Mets “the worst team.” MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that López subsequently indicated he intended to criticize both himself and the club — calling himself the worst teammate on the league’s worst team.
The Mets may very well have been prepared to move on from López even before his comments. Called on to pitch in the eighth inning with the team trailing 5-3, he surrendered a double to Miguel Vargas that scored a pair of inherited runners. López retired Mookie Betts before serving up a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani. He was ejected during the next at-bat after arguing with third base umpire Ramon De Jesus on a check swing. López flipped his glove over the protective netting on his way off the field. After the game, manager Carlos Mendoza called López’s behavior “not acceptable” and said the team would address it internally (video from SNY).
A veteran of nine MLB seasons, López inked a $2MM free agent deal with the Mets in December. This afternoon notwithstanding, he had serviceable run prevention numbers. In 26 1/3 innings, he turned in a 3.76 earned run average. López only punched out 17.2% of opponents while walking nearly 10% of batters faced. While he probably wouldn’t have been cut loose if not for today’s glove toss and postgame comments, it wasn’t a resoundingly impressive performance either.
López was an All-Star with the Orioles back in 2022, when he turned in a 1.68 ERA with 19 saves in 48 1/3 frames for Baltimore. The O’s controversially traded him to the Twins at the deadline. López’s production plummeted after the deal, as he turned in a 4.81 ERA in Minnesota. He continued to struggle after being swapped to the Marlins last summer and in a late-season return to Baltimore.
The Mets are riding a three-game losing streak and have dropped 19 of 26 this month. They’re a season-worst 11 games below .500 and ahead of only the Rockies and Marlins in the National League. The bullpen entered play today with a 4.42 ERA in May, ranking 21st in MLB. They lost the struggling Edwin Díaz to the injured list before the game. Adam Ottavino, Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman are taking high-leverage work.
Ronald Acuna Jr. Suffers Torn ACL, Will Miss Rest Of 2024 Season
Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a fully torn left ACL during today’s game, as the Braves announced following an MRI examination tonight. Acuna will undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
Acuna was taking a lead off second base during the first inning of today’s 8-1 Atlanta win over the Pirates when he faked a possible steal attempt with a move towards third base. However, Acuna’s left leg twisted under him and he fell to the ground in obvious pain. Speaking with reporters after the game, Acuna said that he didn’t feel a pop in his knee and expressed hope that might perhaps miss just a month of action if his knee was only strained, but unfortunately the MRI has revealed the worst-case scenario for the star outfielder.
This is the second major knee surgery of Acuna’s career, as he previously tore his right ACL on July 10, 2021. He was able to return to action quicker than expected and was back in the Braves lineup by the end of April 2022, though it didn’t seem like he was quite back in full form, as Acuna batted a relatively underwhelming .266/.351/.413 over 533 plate appearances that season.
With a full and normal offseason of prep and recovery over the winter of 2022-23, Acuna bounced back with not just his best season, but one of the best all-around seasons in the history of the sport. Acuna was a unanimous choice as NL MVP after hitting .337/.416/.596 with 41 homers and 73 stolen bases (in 87 attempts). This made Acuna the first player to ever have a 40-50 season, let alone establishing the 40-60 and 40-70 clubs to boot.
That type of season would’ve been a tough act to follow for anyone, but Acuna was hitting only .246/.348/.356 over 221 PA heading into what ended up as his final game of the 2024 campaign. Acuna’s barrel rates were still above average but well below his career norms, and both his home run total (four) and his overall power numbers sharply dropped. He also reverted back to his pre-2023 free-swinging ways, after he was one of baseball’s toughest hitters to strike out last season.
We’ll now never know if Acuna could’ve shaken off this slow start, as he is facing yet another brutally long absence from the Braves lineup. Since Acuna suffered a complete tear in his ACL, his recovery figures to be on the longer side of the usual 7-10 month timeframe for such surgeries. This would still put him in line to return by Opening Day 2025, though it seems quite possible Acuna and the Braves might explore a longer rehab this time given that it is Acuna’s second ACL tear, and because his previous relatively quick return in 2022 seemed to result in nagging knee soreness and his comparatively lackluster numbers.
More will be known about Acuna’s recovery timeline in the coming weeks and months, but the bottom line is that the news is devastating on all fronts for Acuna, the Braves, and for MLB itself in losing a signature star. Acuna still doesn’t turn 27 until December, and yet while he has plenty of time to continue building on what seems like a Cooperstown-worthy career, it is anyone’s guess if he’ll be able to again recapture his old form after ACL surgeries on both knees.
The Braves overcame Acuna’s previous ACL injury to launch an unlikely run to the 2021 World Series crown. Atlanta chose to double down on its attempt to stay in the playoff race by adding four outfielders (Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, and Adam Duvall) prior to the trade deadline, and the entire quartet stepped up to help carry the team in the remainder of the regular season and during the postseason. Soler even won World Series MVP honors and Rosario was the NLCS MVP, cementing Alex Anthopoulos’ bold decision to reload rather than not give up on the season in the wake of losing Acuna.
With this in mind, it is impossible to say that Acuna’s latest injury will doom Atlanta’s chances in 2024, even if president of baseball operations Anthopoulos now faces another tricky path to building a championship team. Though the Braves are six games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead, Atlanta’s 30-20 record gives them a comfortable five-game edge for the top NL wild card berth, and it certainly looks like a return to the postseason in the cards. This is despite middling seasons from most of the Braves’ lineup (save Marcell Ozuna and Travis d’Arnaud), Sean Murphy missing almost the entire season with an oblique strain, and staff ace Spencer Strider undergoing a season-ending surgery of his own with an internal brace procedure.
Since the Braves still went for it in 2021 despite a sub-.500 record at the start of August, they will obviously still be all-in on a title now given their team-record payroll and one of baseball’s most enviable collections of long-term talent. Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall have been splitting time in left field so either could shift over to right field for the time being, or Atlanta might just stick with the left field platoon and look to find another full-time replacement on the trade market. Making an early strike in a trade could be costly for Anthopoulos, yet he might look to replicate 2021 by adding multiple outfielders in somewhat lower-tier deals.
If the Braves really wanted to get the band back together, Rosario (now with the Nationals) figures to be available as a deadline rental and Pederson might be the same if the Diamondbacks can’t get back into contention. In terms of internal help, Atlanta’s tendency to rarely rest its starters means that Acuna, Kelenic, Duvall, Michael Harris II, and (with one inning in right field) Forrest Wall are the only players who have gotten any work in the Braves outfield all season. Wall, J.P. Martinez, and Luke Williams are all at Triple-A and on the 40-man roster, plus Eli White and Skye Bolt are among a few other Triple-A outfield options with Major League experience. Newly-acquired utilityman Zack Short has also gotten some time in the corner outfield during his career and figures to be part of this mix as well.
While there will be no shortage of trade speculation surrounding the Braves heading into the July 30 deadline, the obvious fact is that there is no way to truly replace Acuna, his 2024 struggles notwithstanding. Losing Acuna for the season puts even more pressure on Atlanta’s other bats to get on track, and on the club’s pitching staff to continue its solid work. The Braves’ attempt at a seventh consecutive division title is already in jeopardy thanks to the Phillies’ hot start, and without Acuna, it will be much more difficult for the Braves to navigate their way back to the World Series.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ronald Acuna Jr. Exits Game With Apparent Knee Injury
4:22PM: Speaking with The Athletic’s David O’Brien (X link) and other reporters after the game, Acuna said he will be placed on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, but he feels he might miss only about a month rather than a longer absence. Acuna compared the feel of the injury to his 2018 ACL sprain rather than his tear three years ago.
2:49PM: Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. exited today’s game against the Pirates in the first inning due to an apparent injury suffered while running the bases, and he limped off the field while gesturing to his left knee. The Braves later termed the issue “left knee soreness.” Of note, the ACL tear that required surgery during the 2021 campaign affected Acuna’s right knee.
The severity of the injury is not yet clear and likely won’t be known in detail until after the game, but it appears likely that Acuna will miss at least some time due to the issue given his history of lower half injuries. In addition to the aforementioned ACL tear in his right leg, Acuna has also suffered a left knee injury before in his career. During his rookie season back in 2018, the phenom suffered a left knee contusion and mild sprain of his left ACL that kept him out of action for one month.
An absence of virtually any length for Acuna would be a major blow to the Braves on the heels of a tough month of May that’s seen them fall to second place in the NL East, seven games back of the surging Phillies for the division crown. That’s particularly true given the offensive funk the club has found itself in this season; Atlanta’s hitters have collectively posted a wRC+ of just 88 in the month of May that leaves the Braves bottom-six among all major league clubs.
Acuna has been in the thick of that slump. It’s been a rather pedestrian start to the season for the 26-year-old, as he’s posted a roughly league average .246/.348/.356 slash line in 221 trips to the plate entering play today. Despite those uninspiring numbers, there’s no denying Acuna’s ability to carry an offense when he’s at his best; the star outfielder is of course just one season removed from a historic 2023 campaign that saw him win the NL MVP award while crushing 40 home runs, swiping 70 stolen bases, and leading the major leagues with a .416 on-base percentage.
Acuna’s offensive malaise in 2024 after a standout 2023 season is shared between much of the Braves’ lineup. Austin Riley has not appeared in a game in two weeks amid an intercostal injury but sported a wRC+ of just 102 when healthy enough to appear in games, and other key pieces such as Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II have posted similarly pedestrian numbers at the plate this season after the club’s incredible 104-win campaign last year.
Looking at the potential roster impacts of Acuna’s injury, Adam Duvall and Jarred Kelenic are handling the corner outfield spots in Acuna’s absence this afternoon, though it’s possible the club could turn to Forrest Wall or J.P. Martinez to supply additional depth should Acuna require a trip to the injured list. It’s also possible that Acuna’s injury forces the Braves to make a decision regarding Riley’s injury, as the club has effectively been playing a man down for two weeks while he’s been unavailable and the club may not be able to afford the lack of production without Acuna’s bat in the lineup.
Report: MLB Teams Planning For Roki Sasaki Posting This Offseason
Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki had plenty of eyes on him this past offseason when it was reported that he had asked to be posted for major league clubs ahead of his age-22 campaign, and while he ultimately remained with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines for the 2024 campaign, that’s done little to quell speculation about his future in stateside baseball. That speculation may not be entirely unfounded, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reported this morning that MLB clubs are “planning” for the possibility that Sasaki is posted during the 2024-25 offseason. Neither Sasaki nor the Marines have confirmed the youngster’s plans for the future.
Sasaki is generally viewed as the biggest rising star in Japanese baseball today. MLBTR contributor Dai Takegami Podziewski discussed Sasaki back in September amid his return from an oblique issue that had sidelined him for most of the second half, noting his triple-digit velocity was present even in his abbreviated three-inning return to the league’s highest level. That outing contributed to a dominant overall line in NPB play last year, as Sasaki pitched to a 1.78 ERA while striking out a whopping 39.1% of batters faced in 91 innings of work.
As noted by both Podziewski and Janes, durability appears to be the only box left for Sasaki to check in the Pacific League, where he sports a career ERA of 2.03 across 337 1/3 innings of work. Sasaki’s career-high innings total as a professional to this point in his career stands at just 129 1/3, well below the 150-170 inning range that’s standard for front-of-the-rotation arms in Japan. For example, Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 171 innings between all levels of NPB play during his final season in Japan last year, while Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga completed 159 frames. Sasaki is currently on pace to reach that threshold this season, with a 2.18 ERA in 53 1/3 innings of work across eight starts while Janes notes that the righty threw 119 pitches in a start last week without issue.
While Sasaki and the Marines have been fairly tight-lipped about the right-hander’s future plans, Janes notes that people around Sasaki, including teammate and former big leaguer Gregory Polanco, have made it clear the right-hander is excited to make the jump to the majors. Whether that move will come following the 2024 campaign remains to be seen, although it’s worth noting that Janes suggests that some teams are keeping a portion of their international bonus pool available in case Sasaki is posted.
As a player under the age of 25, Sasaki would not be eligible for the typical posting process that Yamamoto and Imanaga both participated in this past offseason, where there are no limitations placed on the contract the player can sign. Instead, Sasaki would be considered an international amateur, who can only be offered a rookie contract in the majors along with a signing bonus that comes out of the signing club’s international bonus pool.
Given the substantial decrease in financial compensation available for both player and team if an NPB player is posted before his 25th birthday, it’s extremely rare for a player to take that avenue; to this point, Shohei Ohtani is the only player to make the jump from NPB to MLB using this method rather than arriving in the majors via the posting system or free agency. For Sasaki to follow in his footsteps, Lotte would have to agree to post the right-hander. Janes notes that one way a player could secure an early posting from his club is by stipulating it in his contract with the team, although it’s not known if Sasaki has such a clause in his deal with the Marines. Indeed, it’s not even known who currently represents Sasaki, although Janes notes that Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe, who serves as Yamamoto’s agent and negotiated his $325MM deal with the Dodgers, is “rumored” to be set to handle his move to the majors.
If Sasaki were to be posted this winter, he would join a 2024-25 free agent class that figures to be exceptionally deep in starting pitching talent with Walker Buehler, Max Fried, and Corbin Burnes among the front-of-the-rotation talents expected to be available. Previously reported rumblings among executives seems to indicate that the general expectation within the game is that Sasaki is most likely to sign with the Dodgers, though that appears to be nothing more than speculation at this point. After all, teams would enjoy a much more even financial playing field in bidding for his services this winter than one would typically associate with a free agent of his caliber thanks to the aforementioned spending restrictions regarding players posted before the age of 25. The Dodgers are joined by the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, and Rangers among teams that have reportedly already begun to scout Sasaki’s NPB starts this season.
Red Sox Sign Brad Keller
11:50AM: The Red Sox have officially announced Keller’s signing and optioned Kelly in the corresponding move.
10:12AM: The Red Sox are nearing a deal with right-hander Brad Keller, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. The deal is pending a physical and the club hopes to make it official before today’s game against the Brewers, which is scheduled to begin at 1:35pm local time. Cotillo adds that right-hander Zack Kelly has been optioned to the minors to make room for Keller on the active roster. Boston’s 40-man roster currently stands at 39, so no corresponding 40-man move will be necessary to add Keller.
Keller, 28, signed with the White Sox on a minor league deal back in March and made five appearances with the club, including two starts, before being designated for assignment last week. Keller subsequently elected free agency and returned to the open market with a 4.86 ERA in 16 2/3 innings of work with Chicago under his belt. That performance may be better than what Keller earned, as he struck out just 17.1% of batters faced while walking 7.9% and allowing a whopping 29.4% of his fly balls to leave the yard for home runs. Those iffy peripherals left him with a 6.55 FIP and a 5.16 xERA, although a 4.02 SIERA and 4.09 xFIP both suggest Keller’s ERA was actually higher than what should have been expected based on his underlying performance.
Regardless of the results from Keller’s time with the White Sox, he’ll now get another opportunity to re-establish himself at the big league level in Boston. Keller was once a promising mid-rotation arm with the Royals, as he posted a 3.50 ERA and 3.90 FIP across his first 360 1/3 innings of work in the majors between 2018 and 2020. Since then, however, his results have declined drastically. His final three seasons in Kansas City saw him post a 5.14 ERA with a 4.79 FIP before he was ultimately sidelined partway through the 2023 campaign by a shoulder issue before undergoing surgery to correct Thoracic Outlet Syndrome back in October. TOS is a particularly difficult injury for players to come back from, and players such as Stephen Strasburg and Chris Archer have seen their careers negatively impacted by the issue in recent years.
Keller will hope to buck that trend with the Red Sox, joining a pitching staff that appears poised to lose right-hander Garrett Whitlock to elbow surgery after already losing righty Lucas Giolito to that same procedure earlier in the year. The club is currently relying on a starting rotation of Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell, and Nick Pivetta. While it’s possible that Keller could slot somewhere into that mix, a more likely scenario would be Keller joining veteran righty Chase Anderson as a potential multi-inning relief and spot starter option in the club’s bullpen mix.
Making way for Keller on the club’s active roster is Kelly, who is in his third season as an up-and-down reliever for the Red Sox. The right-hander has generally pitched to solid results when in the majors for the club, with a career 3.18 ERA across 39 2/3 innings of work. Kelly has been particularly effective this season, with a strong 2.16 ERA in 16 2/3 frames despite a 19.4% strikeout rate and a massive 13.9% walk rate that have left him with a lackluster 4.99 FIP. Now back in the minors, Kelly figures to act as optionable depth for the club going forward alongside Josh Winckowski and Naoyuki Uwasawa.
MLB Announces Host Venues For 2026 World Baseball Classic
Major League Baseball announced the four venues for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Thursday, revealing that Miami’s loanDepot Park will host games in all three rounds of the tournament for a second straight season. Japan’s Tokyo Dome, which has been a part of all five previous WBCs, will host first-round games in 2026. Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium will host first-round games as well — the first time games have been host in Puerto Rico since 2013. And, for the first time, Houston’s Minute Maid Park will host WBC games — making the Astros the eighth MLB team to see their home venue host a portion of the event.
“We are excited and honored to be hosting World Baseball Classic matchups for the first time,” Astros owner Jim Crane said in a statement within today’s press release. “Houston is a global city with the best baseball fans, and we are proud to welcome fans from across the globe to watch international competition at Minute Maid Park. Thank you to MLB, the MLBPA, and the City of Houston for their support – we are looking forward to an exciting tournament in 2026.”
Each of the four venues will play host to one of four pools in the first round of play. Minute Maid Park and loanDepot Park will then host the quarterfinals, with the final stages of the tournament playing out at loanDepot Park in Miami.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic, which saw Japan topple the United States in the finals, was the first in which the field of teams expanded from 16 to 20. The 16 that finished top-four in their 2023 pools will return to participate in the 2026 WBC. Four additional teams will join the field by way of a series of qualifying events scheduled to take place in 2025.
Xander Bogaerts To Miss Significant Time Due To Shoulder Fracture
The Padres announced that they have placed infielder Xander Bogaerts on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 21, with a left shoulder fracture. Outfielder David Peralta was selected to take Bogaerts’ place on the active roster. To open a spot for Peralta on the 40-man, right-hander Luis Patiño was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune previously relayed on X that Bogaerts would be going on the IL and a follow-up tweet provided more information about the fracture. At this point, it doesn’t appear as though surgery is required, though Bogaerts will need to miss time as the bone heals, with more tests planned for today. “Late summer” is floated as a possible return time, which leaves a lot of vagaries about the months to come, though Acee says Bogaerts will be out at least two months in a column at the SDUT.
On Monday, Bogaerts appeared to injure himself when diving to field a grounder off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. (video link from MLB.com.) The initial imaging was negative, as relayed on X by Acee on Monday, but it seems subsequent tests have revealed a fracture.
The veteran infielder wasn’t off to a good start this year, currently hitting .219/.265/.316 for the season, but has been far better in the past. He hit .285/.350/.440 for the Friars last year and produced similarly for the Red Sox in the five prior seasons.
The Padres would have been expecting Bogaerts to right the ship in the coming months but that won’t happen now, at least not soon. The club is below .500 at 25-26 but nonetheless currently holds the final Wild Card spot in the National League. They will have to try to cling to that spot without that Bogaerts turnaround in the weeks to come.
The club recently acquired infielder Luis Arráez, largely with the plan of putting him in the designated hitter slot. But he’s played second base since Bogaerts hurt himself and could stay there for the foreseeable future. Arráez is one of the best contact hitters in the game but is generally considered a poor defender at the keystone. Bogaerts just recently moved to the position from shortstop and has -2 Defensive Runs Saved this year but four Outs Above Average.
Offensively, the club may now rotate various hitters through the DH slot if Arráez is going to be playing the field regularly. The past two games have seen Manny Machado and Donovan Solano DHing, with Jurickson Profar in there today.
The 36-year-old Peralta joins the outfield mix alongside Profar, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and José Azocar. It was just over a week ago that Peralta opted out of his minor league deal with the Cubs, which led to a minor league deal with the Padres over the weekend.
With Triple-A Iowa, Peralta was drawing walks at a 14.1% rate but slashing just .217/.341/.348 for a wRC+ of 84. He’s also coming off a down year in the majors, as he hit .259/.294/.381 with the Dodgers last year for a wRC+ of 82.
But Peralta has hit .279/.335/.450 overall in his career, which translates to a wRC+ of 108. He’s also been considered an above average defender in the outfield, mostly in the corners. His lackluster results last year may have been due to a flexor tendon injury, which popped up around the All-Star break and later required surgery. The Padres will surely be hoping for Peralta to return to his pre-2023 results.
Peralta is in left field tonight as Profar is in the DH slot. As mentioned, manager Mike Shildt could give various players DH time for semi-rest days going forward. Though with the Arráez trade, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has shown he’s not afraid of a midseason deal, even if we’re nowhere near the deadline yet. Perhaps another move will be forthcoming as a response to the Bogaerts injury. But for now, it’s a tough development for a club in an extremely tight playoff race.
As for Patiño, he underwent Tommy John surgery just over three weeks ago and is going to miss the remainder of the season.
Guardians Designate Ramon Laureano For Assignment
The Guardians have designated outfielder Ramon Laureano for assignment, tweets Zack Meisel of The Athletic. In his place, the team is promoting outfield prospect Johnathan Rodriguez for his MLB debut. Rodriguez is already on the 40-man roster, so the move also frees up a 40-man spot for Cleveland. Guardians Prospective first reported that Rodriguez was getting the call to the big leagues.
Laureano, 29, came to the Guardians early last August after the A’s placed him on waivers in hopes of finding a taker for the remainder of last season’s salary. The Guardians obliged, hoping that Laureano would provide a boost down the stretch as they tried to keep pace in the American League Central. The veteran did provide a bit of offense, hitting .243/.342/.382 following the claim (106 wRC+), but the Guards wound up missing the postseason.
It was something of a surprise to see a budget-conscious team like Cleveland tender Laureano a contract this winter. He wound up agreeing to a $5.15MM salary, which amounted to a significant portion of the Guardians’ very limited offseason resources. The team made that commitment despite Laureano having turned in a bleak .224/.304/.371 slash (91 wRC+) on the season overall — and a .218/.296/.373 batting line in 2022-23 combined (93 wRC+).
The decision didn’t go at all as the Cleveland front office or the player himself hoped. Laureano’s strikeout rate has absolutely erupted to a career-worst 38.6% this season. He’s hitting just .143/.265/.229, albeit in a small sample of 83 plate appearances. Just four of his 10 hits have gone for extra bases (one homer, three doubles). The Guardians will have a week to try to trade Laureano, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Given the pronounced nature of Laureano’s struggles at the dish and his relatively notable salary, they won’t find a trade market for his services. Laureano is overwhelmingly unlikely to be claimed on waivers due to that salary and will thus likely clear and become a free agent. He has enough service time to retain all of his salary even if he rejects an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Earlier in his career, Laureano was a quality regular in Oakland. From 2018-21, he turned in a sound .263/.335/.465 batting line (119 wRC+) with 49 homers and 34 steals over the life of 1257 plate appearances. That came while playing strong defense across all three outfield spots. Laureano was an oft-rumored trade candidate and might well have been part of Oakland’s fire sale, but an 80-game PED suspension midway through the 2021 season tanked his value. That proved all the more costly, as his suspension surely played a role in pushing the A’s to part with left-hander Jesus Luzardo to acquire Starling Marte from the Marlins in a rental deal while Oakland made a push for the postseason.
As for the 24-year-old Rodriguez, he’ll step into the Cleveland outfield for his MLB debut after hitting .276/.389/.449 in 185 Triple-A plate appearances this season. The 2017 third-rounder entered the season ranked 23rd among Guarda farmhands at Baseball America, 16th at MLB.com and 30th at FanGraphs.
The 6’0″, 225-pound Rodriguez draws praise for his plus raw power but also some skepticism for his penchant to chase and whiff. He’s walked in a huge 15.7% of his plate appearances in Triple-A Columbus but also fanned at a 25.4% clip. That’s a suboptimal mark against Triple-A pitching but also a marked improvement over 2023’s 32.4% strikeout rate in 202 Triple-A plate appearances. Rodriguez is a former switch-hitter who now bats exclusively from the right side of the plate. He popped 29 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and he’s already slugged seven long balls on the season.
Strikeouts will likely continue to be a part of his game, but probably not to the extremes that Laureano experienced this season. Rodriguez will also add some legitimate thump to a Cleveland lineup that in recent years has been light on power but is turning a corner this season. Thanks in part to a big step forward from emerging star Josh Naylor, the Guards rank ninth in the majors with 51 big flies on the season. Rodriguez gives them another power bat. He won’t be nearly as strong a defender in the outfield corners as Laureano was, but MLB.com pegs him as a potentially average right fielder and Baseball America touts his plus throwing arm.