Athletics Agree To Sell Their Share Of Coliseum Land
The African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) announced today that they have agreed to a deal to acquire 50% of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum site from Coliseum Way Partners, the Athletics affiliate, for $125MM. AASEG already has a deal in place for the other 50%, so this will give them full ownership of the land once everything is complete. It still needs to be approved by Alameda County Board of Supervisors. The press released was sent out on X and on MLB.com.
In 2019, CWP acquired an interest in Alameda County’s half of the Coliseum site for $85MM. Of course, much has changed since then. Negotiations over a new stadium to be built in Oakland eventually broke down, with reporting from April of 2023 revealing that the A’s had bought land in Las Vegas and were pivoting to a relocation plan. Just a few months later, MLB owners approved the move to Nevada in November of 2023.
There was still a chance that the A’s would stay in Oakland for a while, as their Vegas stadium isn’t scheduled to be ready until 2028. Their lease at the Coliseum runs through 2024 and they had some talks with the city of Oakland about staying through 2027. During those discussions, the city attempted to get the club’s share of the land and also have the A’s pay to convert the facility to a soccer pitch for United Soccer League’s Oakland Roots SC franchise. But the A’s then announced in April that they would relocate to Sacramento for the 2025-27 seasons.
That left the unresolved matter of what the A’s would do with their remaining stake in the stadium site. Back in February, it was reported that the club and AASEG had opened talks about a sale. Per the reporting at that time, AASEG also tried to purchase the land the prior year but were rebuffed. Last week, AASEG and the city of Oakland signed a term sheet that would see AASEG acquire the city’s 50% stake in the land for $105MM. Now that they are set to get the other 50% from the A’s, they will eventually own the entire property for a total outlay of $230MM.
“The AASEG is grateful to have reached this historic agreement with the Oakland Athletics to purchase their interests in the Oakland Coliseum complex,” said AASEG Managing Member Ray Bobbitt in the press release. A’s president Dave Kaval, Alameda County Supervisor Dave Haubert and Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Nate Miley also provide quotes supporting the project in the press release linked above.
Carlos Castañeda of CBS covered today’s deal and also provided some more details about what’s next for the Coliseum site. His piece notes that “AASEG is planning a $5 billion redevelopment project to include housing, an amphitheater, restaurants, and a new convention center.” He adds that 25% of the housing built on the land must be affordable, per the term sheet of the deal between the city and AASEG.
The A’s will likely use the cash to help with their moving process. Per reporting from back in May, the club had secured $380MM in government funding for the project, roughly a third of the $1.1 billion projected price tag. Reporting at that time indicated that the A’s were looking to raise $500MM in private funding and may have been willing to offer minority ownership shares of the franchise to incentivize investment. The expected costs have seemingly grown in the past few months, as Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote about the ongoing demolition of the Vegas site last week and listed the projected cost of the stadium at $1.5 billion. Akers added that the A’s are planning to make up some of the difference with $300MM in debt refinancing and $850MM in equity from the family of team owner John Fisher. Fisher’s parents Don and Doris Fisher founded The Gap, the clothing chain, and Forbes estimated the family’s net worth at $8.9 billion in December of 2020.
Perhaps the $125MM will help them balance the books there but they also may have to make some upgrades to Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park to get it more in line with MLB standards. Currently home to the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants, the A’s are slated to play there for the next three major league seasons. Concerns have been expressed by various parties that the facilities are of a lower quality than players have come to expect from other big league ballparks and the club may have to pump some money into renovations there as well. Back in April, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic spoke to current MLB players, including Cody Bellinger and Rhys Hoskins, about some of the notable challenges with the environment.
Rangers Sign Chase Anderson To Minor League Deal
The Rangers have signed Chase Anderson to a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He was released by the Red Sox earlier this month.
Anderson, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates during the 2023-24 offseason. He was released shortly before Opening Day, and not long after, he signed a major league deal with the Red Sox worth $1.25MM guaranteed. Primarily a starter throughout his career, the veteran right-hander joined Boston’s bullpen as a multi-inning arm. Over 27 games, he tossed 52 innings, pitching to a 4.85 ERA and 4.92 SIERA. Despite his move to a full-time bullpen role, his velocity was not meaningfully higher on any of his pitches, and his 15.6% strikeout rate was the lowest of his career. Ultimately, Anderson was a serviceable mop-up arm but not much more for the Red Sox. As they bolstered their bullpen at the trade deadline, they no longer had room for him on the roster.
Over 11 MLB seasons, Anderson has suited up for eight different clubs: the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Reds, Rays, Rockies, and Red Sox. He has also spent time with the Rangers, Tigers, and Pirates organizations, although he did not pitch for their big league clubs. If his second stint with Texas is more successful than the first, the Rangers will become the ninth team he has played for in his big league career.
As for the Rangers, there’s no such thing as too much pitching, and this team could surely use some veteran bullpen depth. Aside from those on the active roster, Texas does not have many healthy relievers in the organization with significant big league experience and any amount of recent big league success. If the Rangers select Anderson’s contract, they will only owe him a prorated portion of the minimum salary for however long he remains on the roster. The Red Sox are still responsible for the rest of his guaranteed 2024 salary.
Phillies Sign Ryan McKenna To Minor League Deal
The Phillies have signed Ryan McKenna to a minor league contract, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The outfielder was recently released by the Giants, who claimed him off of waivers from the Orioles in May. He will report to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
McKenna, 27, made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 2021, six years after the team selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. Across 284 games and 508 plate appearances with Baltimore from 2021-23, McKenna slashed .221/.299/.318 with a 75 wRC+. While his bat was underwhelming, he stole eight bases on nine attempts thanks to well-above-average sprint speed. He also provided 7 OAA with his glove while spending time at all three outfield positions. Ultimately, however, he could never secure a full-time position with the big league club, and the Orioles shuttled him back and forth between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk several times each year.
Out of options in 2024, McKenna was designated for assignment on Opening Day and sent outright back to the Norfolk Tides. The Orioles selected his contract less than a month later, but despite his impressive performance in a brief stint with the club (3-for-8 with two home runs), he was DFA’d again in mid-May. The Giants claimed him off of waivers, but his cup of coffee with San Francisco wasn’t nearly as productive; McKenna went o-for-6 over four games before the Giants, too, designated him for assignment. This time, however, he passed through waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A. Unfortunately, things continued to go downhill for McKenna after that. He missed some time with an injury, and when he was healthy, he hit just .227/.308/.348 with a 62 wRC+ for the Sacramento River Cats. He played his last game in the organization on August 1.
McKenna will provide the Phillies with a bit of additional outfield depth at Triple-A. His ability to play all three outfield positions could make him an asset on the bench in case of an injury.
Reds Outright Eric Yang
The Reds have sent Eric Yang outright to Triple-A Louisville, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. The team selected his contract last Monday, and the catcher made his MLB debut two days later. He was optioned back to Triple-A on Friday and, evidently, removed from the 40-man roster at some point between then and today. There was no prior indication he had been designated for assignment. Yang does not have the right to reject an outright assignment, so he will remain with Louisville.
Now 26, Yang joined the Reds organization at 21 when the club selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. The UC Santa Barbara alum quickly made a strong impression, batting .290 with an 11.0% walk rate and a 135 wRC+ across 51 games of Rookie ball during his first professional season. He was not a highly-regarded prospect across the industry, but Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him among his top 30 Reds prospects in 2020. That same year, Keith Law of The Athletic included Yang among the “others of note” below his top 20 Reds prospects, describing him as “a solid catch-and-throw guy who rarely struck out in college.”
Following the canceled minor league season in 2020, Yang began to rise up the ranks in the Reds organization. He played for the High-A Dayton Dragons in 2021, and since then, he has bounced back and forth between the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts and Triple-A Louisville Bats. According to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Yang developed a reputation in the system as a catcher who builds great relationships with his pitchers. However, he failed to make much of an impression with the bat at any of those three levels, producing a .613 OPS and 76 wRC+ across 192 minor league games from 2021-24.
Nonetheless, Yang earned his first call to the show last week as a roster replacement for veteran backstop Austin Wynns, who suffered a teres major tear in his right shoulder. Wynns himself was only on the MLB roster as a replacement for Luke Maile, who landed on the IL earlier in July with a herniated disc in his back. Thus, the Reds optioned Yang back to Triple-A when they reinstated Maile on Friday. Presumably, they decided they did not need to carry four catchers on the 40-man roster, so they must have designated Yang for assignment shortly thereafter.
Yang made it into one game during his brief stint with the Reds, pinch-hitting for Tyler Stephenson in the ninth inning of a blowout loss to the Cubs on July 31. He struck out swinging against Cubs righty Porter Hodge.
Marlins Were Among Teams Interested In Brett Baty
The Marlins were the sport’s most active seller on deadline day, showing willingness to listen on virtually every short-term asset they had while also targeting controllable young players around whom they could potentially build future iterations of the club. One player sought by Miami’s front office was within their own division; the Fish showed “heavy interest” in third base prospect Brett Baty, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post, adding that Miami was one of multiple clubs interested in buying low on the former first-rounder and top-100 prospect.
Selected 12th overall back in 2019, Baty ranked on MLB.com’s top-100 prospects list every year from 2020-23. By the time the 2022-23 seasons rolled around, just about every publication of note ranked Baty among the game’s 50 or so best prospects. He and current third baseman Mark Vientos — second-round pick in 2017 — ranked highly in the Mets’ system throughout their prospect tenures, but it’s Vientos who’s taken the reins at third base and run with the opportunity. In 259 plate appearances this season, the 24-year-old Vientos owns a hearty .280/.336/.547 slash (148 wRC+) with 16 homers and 15 doubles.
The emergence of Vientos naturally led to some speculation regarding Baty in the lead-in to last month’s trade deadline. However, Vientos’ presence alone hardly means there’s no long-term fit on the roster for Baty. He’s seen minor league work at second base and also played left field in the majors. Current second baseman Jeff McNeil is no stranger to the outfield corners and could shift there. The Mets will also see both Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez become free agents at season’s end. Baty is considered a superior defender at third to Vientos, so if Alonso and/or Martinez depart in free agency, Vientos could work in more of a first base/DH role next year (or rotate between the two infield corners and DH). That’d free up third base for Baty — if he hits enough to merit the opportunity.
To this point in his career, Baty simply hasn’t done that. He’s played in parts of three big league seasons but managed only a .215/.282/.325 batting line (73 wRC+) in 602 trips to the plate. However, he was also rushed to the majors in ’22 despite only having six games of Triple-A experience to his credit. And, of course, Baty would hardly be the first prospect to struggle at the plate in his first few MLB looks before hitting his stride in his mid-20s. Even Vientos flailed away at a .205/.255/.354 clip through his first 81 games in 2022-23 before hitting his stride in the majors this year.
It’s worth noting that while he didn’t hit in the majors this season, Baty’s still showing plenty of promise in Syracuse. He’s taken 203 turns at the plate with the Mets’ Triple-A club there and posted a sound .260/.360/.497 line (119 wRC+) with 11 homers, eight doubles, a big 12.8% walk rate and a lower-than-average 18.7% strikeout rate. Baty still has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season as well, so even if he struggles next spring or early in the season, he could still be freely sent to Triple-A for additional refinement.
Ronny Mauricio has missed the entire season due to a torn ACL but will be back in the mix next year. A top prospect himself, he has hit at least 20 home runs in each of the past three minor league seasons while playing shortstop, second base and third base. He recently underwent surgery to clean up some scar tissue in his right knee, per Will Sammon of The Athletic on X, but that isn’t expected to have a noticeable impact on his timeline. Francisco Lindor has shortstop locked up for the foreseeable future but Mauricio could eventually factor into the infield picture at third or second base, depending on other developments around the roster.
The offseason will be interesting with regard to the Mets’ corner mix. They’ll surely receive interest in Baty again while simultaneously exploring the possibility of keeping a franchise cornerstone (Alonso) and a still very productive veteran DH (Martinez). Baty could arguably be used as a trade chip to acquire help on the pitching front — Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana can all become free agents at season’s end — but there’s also a possible long-term role to be had in Queens, especially if Alonso signs elsewhere.
From the Marlins’ vantage point, targeting Baty is perfectly sensible. They don’t have a long-term solution at third base. Jake Burger has handled that spot regularly since being acquired prior to the 2023 deadline, but he’s a defensive liability whose free-swinging, low-OBP approach at the plate leads to wild fluctuations in terms of offensive output. He’s better suited at first base or at designated hitter. Deadline pickup Graham Pauley could get a long-term look at third, but he’s a versatile prospect who could bounce around the diamond in a semi-regular role.
Adding Baty and his remaining five seasons of club control surely holds some appeal, but the Mets are presumably wary of sending Baty to another NL East club and watching him blossom into a regular. Still, the Marlins will have pitching to peddle again this winter (e.g. Jesus Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Weathers and potentially even former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara), so they could rekindle their interest in Baty. He’ll likely draw interest from both rebuilding teams and others simply looking for a long-term option at the hot corner, but it’s far from a given that the Mets will actually move Baty this offseason.
White Sox Promote Ky Bush For MLB Debut
August 5: The White Sox made it official today, selected Bush’s contract. They also reinstated right-hander Dominic Leone from the 60-day injured list. Right-hander Prelander Berroa and left-hander Sammy Peralta were optioned in corresponding moves. The 40-man roster is now full.
August 4: The White Sox will select the contract of left-hander Ky Bush prior to their next game on Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Daryl Van Schouwen reports (via X). Bush will get the start against the A’s in his Major League debut. No 40-man roster move is required, as the Sox have space available after all their moves at the trade deadline.
A second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Bush was part of a unique Angels draft class that saw the team use all 20 of its selections on pitchers. He pitched at the Double-A level in 2022-23 and at the start of the 2024 season, with both a lat strain and a trade to Chicago interrupting his progress last season. Bush and Edgar Quero were the prospects sent from the Angels to the White Sox in the July 2023 deal that brought Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to Los Angeles.
Bush settled in with his new organization this season, delivering a 2.12 ERA over 80 2/3 Double-A innings. This earned him his first taste of Triple-A action, though he has a 6.16 ERA in 19 innings and four appearances in Charlotte. For the season as a whole, Bush’s ERA is 2.89 over 99 2/3 frames, with a 10.45% walk rate, and 23.4% strikeout rate.
Baseball America ranked Bush sixth on its midseason ranking of the White Sox prospect pool, noting that the 24-year-old has “”No. 4 starter potential” and an arsenal of “solid pure stuff.” To that latter point, BA’s scouting reports puts a 50 grade on all four of Bush’s pitches, though his slider is considered his best offering.
It isn’t the standout resume that would immediately land a pitcher a ticket to the big leagues, but the 24-year-old Bush will get a chance to show what he can do against MLB competition. The rebuilding White Sox will be giving plenty of playing time to young players down the stretch, so a good showing could certainly earn Bush more looks in the rotation. If the pressure of making his debut in the Show wasn’t enough, Bush will also be trying to help the White Sox end a 20-game losing streak that is nearing record levels.
Marlins Claim Brett de Geus
The Marlins have claimed right-hander Brett de Geus off waivers from the Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville, per announcements from both big league clubs. Seattle had designated him for assignment last week when they claimed righty Jonathan Hernández off waivers from the Rangers. The Fish opened a 40-man roster spot earlier today when infielder/outfielder Nick Gordon was designated for assignment to open an active roster spot for Derek Hill, another waiver claimee.
de Geus, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the offseason and was selected to their roster in the second week of April. He spent most of the season on optional assignment, only making four appearances for the big league club.
He also pitched for the Rangers and Diamondbacks in 2021 and the combination of those different MLB stints now gives him 53 1/3 big league innings with a 7.26 ERA. His 17.1% strikeout rate is subpar but his 9.9% walk rate is passable while his 51.4% ground ball rate is strong.
That’s generally been the recipe with de Geus. He has 32 Triple-A appearances this year with a 15% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 56.6% ground ball rate. The 6.60 ERA at that level this year isn’t pretty but a .365 batting average on balls in play and 59.4% strand rate have surely helped pushed some extra runs across the plate. He spent most of last year with the Double-A affiliate of the Royals, tossing 35 1/3 innings with a 2.80 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate and 56.4% ground ball rate.
The Marlins have undergone a massive roster shakeup in the past two weeks. They traded away A.J. Puk, Jazz Chisholm Jr. Trevor Rogers, Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing, Bryan De La Cruz, Huascar Brazobán, Josh Bell and JT Chargois prior to the deadline. They brought back numerous prospects in those deals and also had open roster spots to claim Forrest Wall, David Hensley, Jesús Tinoco, Cristian Pache, John McMillon, Hill and de Geus off waivers.
de Geus will provide the Marlins with some depth in the minors who could be called upon whenever they need a ground ball specialist or just a fresh arm in general. He can still be optioned for the rest of this season and two additional campaigns. He also has just over one year of service time, meaning he could theoretically stick on the roster for a long time if he continues to justify his spot.
Marlins Designate Nick Gordon For Assignment
The Marlins are designating utilityman Nick Gordon for assignment, reports Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Miami picked up Gordon in an offseason trade sending reliever Steven Okert to the Twins. He’s out of minor league options and thus wasn’t eligible to be sent down without first passing through waivers — which is where he’ll head now that he’s been DFA’ed and the trade deadline has passed. Miami has since announced the trade and formally added weekend waiver claim Derek Hill to its active roster.
Gordon, 28, has primarily played left field for the Fish this season but has also logged 16 games in center and another six at second base. The former No. 5 overall pick has swatted eight homers — one shy of his career-high — but carries a generally tepid .227/.258/.369 batting line in 275 plate appearances. This season’s 24.4% strikeout rate is higher than the 22.7% mark he carried into the season and miles above the 11.8% mark he showed in 93 plate appearances with Minnesota during the 2023 season.
Originally drafted as a shortstop, Gordon never saw much run at the position by the time he reached the majors in 2021. The Twins only gave him 155 innings there from ’21-’23, and the Marlins haven’t played him there for even one inning. Minnesota broke Gordon in primarily as a center fielder and second baseman, giving him ample reps at the former spot during IL stints for oft-injured center fielder Byron Buxton.
Though Gordon hasn’t lived up to that draft billing, back in 2022 he looked to have carved out a nice role as a heavily used bench/utility piece for manager Rocco Baldelli in Minnesota. He hit .272/.316/.427 (111 wRC+) with nine homers, 28 doubles, four triples and six steals in 443 plate appearances — all while splitting his time between center field, left field and the three non-first-base infield spots. Gordon got out to an awful start in 2023, however, and compounded that sluggish beginning of the year with a major injury when he fractured his tibia upon fouling a ball into his leg. That proved to be a season-ender, and he’s not yet returned to form following the offseason trade that shipped him to Miami.
The Marlins gave Gordon a decent look in the outfield but are turning things over to a younger contingent following their deadline dealings. They acquired corner outfielder Kyle Stowers from the Orioles in their trade of Trevor Rogers, and Stowers will likely step into Gordon’s slot as the primary left fielder. (Infield prospect Connor Norby, acquired alongside Stowers, could also get a look in left field if the Marlins don’t view the bat-first Norby as a long-term option at second base.) Post-deadline waiver claims of center fielders Hill and Cristian Pache further squeezed Gordon out of the picture, it seems.
Both Pache and Hill are now on the active roster. Gordon will be placed on outright waivers or released in the coming days. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment to the minors if he clears, but doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of this season’s $900K salary, so he’ll very likely head to Jacksonville if he’s not claimed by another club.
Padres, Austin Davis Agree To Minor League Deal
The Padres are re-signing lefty Austin Davis on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. The KHG Sports client was designated for assignment after the trade deadline and elected free agency over the weekend. He’ll presumably head back to Triple-A El Paso on this new deal and continue to serve as depth for the Friars.
Davis, 31, appeared in seven games with the Padres after having his contract selected to the big league roster in late June. He yielded seven runs in seven innings, though four of those runs came home in one regrettable outing against the D-backs on July 7. Davis has spent the bulk of the season in El Paso, where he’s been sharp: 29 innings, 3.10 ERA, 29.8% strikeout rate, 12.9% walk rate, 47.7% ground-ball rate, no home runs allowed. Certainly, the Padres and Davis would prefer a lower walk rate, and it’s not realistic to expect any pitcher to keep up such a lengthy stretch avoiding home runs. That said, Davis’ blend of strikeouts and grounders has been quite strong in Triple-A this year.
This brief run with the Padres was Davis’ first big league action since 2022. He’s now pitched in parts off six big league seasons. A 5.77 ERA over the life of 151 1/3 innings isn’t going to stand out (at least not for the right reasons), but Davis has continually shown an ability to miss bats, keep the ball in the yard at a respectable clip, and avoid hard contact. He’s fanned 23.7% of his career opponents, held batters to 1.18 HR/9 and yielded an average 87 mph exit velocity with just a 33.5% hard-hit rate in his MLB career.
San Diego’s aggressive deadline added Tanner Scott, Jason Adam and Bryan Hoeing to what was already a deep and talented big league bullpen. Scott joins Adrian Morejon and Yuki Matsui as lefties in Mike Shildt’s bullpen, giving the Friars’ skipper a trio of southpaw options in the majors (to say nothing of the currently injured Wandy Peralta). Davis will add an experienced lefty to the El Paso roster, one who could be among the first in line for a call should the Padres need another lefty or simply a fresh arm at some point.
Braves Place Reynaldo López On Injured List
The Braves announced that they have recalled right-hander Bryce Elder, who will start tomorrow’s game, per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on X. To open a spot for Elder, righty Reynaldo López was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm inflammation, retroactive to August 2.
López last took the mound on July 28 but left after three innings and the club later announced he was dealing with right forearm tightness. He was sent for an MRI that thankfully revealed no structural damage and the club was initially hoping the righty could avoid the IL. However, he still hasn’t thrown a bullpen since that start, per David O’Brien of The Athletic on X. It seems the soreness and/or inflammation aren’t receding as quickly as hoped and so the club put him on the shelf. Though he hasn’t pitched in almost a week now, IL stints can only be backdated a maximum of three days.
While it’s good that López isn’t facing some kind of season-ending surgery, it is still a notable challenge for the rotation. After working as a reliever in recent years, López moved into a starting role with Atlanta and was having great success with a 2.06 earned run average through 19 starts. His 86.1% strand rate has undoubtedly played a role in lowering his ERA but even his 3.18 FIP and his 4.05 SIERA suggest he’s been a serviceable starter this year.
The club still has Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, Max Fried and Spencer Schwellenbach but subbing in Elder or one of the club’s other depth starters for López is going to be a downgrade. Subtracting a pitcher with a 2.06 ERA would be less than ideal for any club but Elder has a 5.67 ERA on the year. That’s only nine starts and there’s a bit of bad luck in there from his .352 batting average on balls in play and 66.6% strand rate, but even his 4.23 FIP and 4.18 SIERA are a downgrade from López.
Even if one considers the drop from López to Elder manageable, it thins out the overall depth. AJ Smith-Shawver is having a poor year with a 5.40 ERA in Triple-A while Hurston Waldrep has been hurt and just allowed four earned runs over 2 2/3 innings in his most recent Triple-A start after coming off the IL. Ian Anderson is coming back from Tommy John surgery but has a 6.23 through three Triple-A starts so far.
Atlanta came into the season as the division favorites and started the season strong but they have fallen back this summer. They were 19-9 at the end of April but have gone 41-42 since then, leaving them at 60-51. That’s still good enough for the top Wild Card spot in the National League but there are three teams within two games and then another five clubs within seven games, making the grip on a playoff berth fairly tenuous at the moment.
Ideally, López will see be able to recover fairly quickly and make this a temporary issue, but the rotation will feel on the flimsy side until then. Sale is having a great year but missed most of the past four years due to injury and is now 35 years old, while Morton is well past his 40th birthday. Schwellenbach has been doing very well but still has just 11 major league starts under his belt. Fried just returned from an IL stint due to forearm neuritis but his first start back resulted in five walks and five earned runs allowed in 3 1/3 innings despite facing a hollowed-out Marlins lineup. The fans in the Atlanta area will undoubtedly be hoping for López to make a speedy recovery and return some time in the middle of the month.