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Angels Designate Nick Robertson For Assignment

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The Angels announced a series of roster moves today, highlighted by the return of right-hander Carson Fulmer from the 15-day injured list. To make room for Fulmer on the active roster, left-hander Samuel Aldegheri was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to September 14 with a blister on his left middle finger. Meanwhile, outfielder Bryce Teodosio was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured right middle finger. Outfielder Gustavo Campero has his contract selected to replace Teodosio on the roster, and right-hander Nick Robertson was designated for assignment to make room for Campero on the 40-man roster. Additionally, manager Ron Washington told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that right-hander Ben Joyce will not pitch again in 2024 due to shoulder inflammation.

Fulmer, 30, is a former top ten overall pick in the draft but has never quite managed to stick in the big leagues. After struggling through four seasons with the White Sox to a 6.56 ERA in 94 2/3 innings of work across 44 appearances (15 starts). Since then, he’s bounced between the Tigers, Orioles, Reds, and Angels organizations but has never gotten an extended shot in the majors until this year, when the Halos began using him as a swing man. He’s performed solidly in the role, with a 4.15 ERA (103 ERA+) and 4.56 FIP in 80 1/3 innings split between eight starts and 24 relief outings. The right-hander went on the IL at the end of August with elbow inflammation, but now will get the opportunity to finish the year strong and prove himself healthy ahead of the offseason, when he’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career.

Making room for Fulmer on the roster is Aldegheri, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday later this week. The youngster will be eligible to return to the big league roster in time for the final game of the regular season if the club wants to see the lefty make one more start before the offseason, though it’s also possible he’s made his last appearance of the 2024 campaign. Aldegheri has made three starts for Anaheim this year after being acquired from the Phillies in the Carlos Estevez trade back in July, though this stint in the big leagues hasn’t gone especially well as he’s surrendered a 4.85 ERA with a 6.40 FIP in 13 frames since being promoted to the majors.

Of course, Aldegheri’s struggles come with the context of the youngster being just 22 years old and having been called up directly from Double-A not long after changing organizations for the first time in his career, so it’s not necessarily shocking the the southpaw has struggled. Looking ahead to 2025, he’ll surely figure into the club’s big league pitching staff in at least some capacity, though it’s not yet clear what his role will be at this point. Washington told reporters (including Fletcher) today that lefty Jose Suarez will replace Aldgheri in the rotation for the time being.

Joining Aldgheri on the IL is Teodosio, a 25-year-old rookie who signed with the club back in 2021 as an undrafted free agent. In 114 games at the Triple-A level this season, Teodosio has slashed .276/.339/.418 with an 89 wRC+ with an excellent 40-for-44 record on the basepaths. Teodosio got the call to the majors last week when Jo Adell and Kevin Pillar were placed on the injured list but struggled in his first taste of big league action, going 1-for-12 with five strikeouts in five games. Teodosio will be replaced on the roster by Campero, a 26-year-old who converted to the outfield after beginning his pro career as a catcher. He’s split his 2024 campaign between the Double- and Triple-A levels, with a .279/.392/.472 slash line in 107 games this year. He’s now set to join Mickey Moniak, Taylor Ward, and Jordyn Adams in the club’s outfield mix going forward.

Robertson departs to make room for Campero on the 40-man roster, just a month after he was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals. The 26-year-old is a product of the Dodgers organization who made his big league debut with the club last year but struggled to a 6.04 ERA in 22 1/3 innings of work between the Dodgers and Red Sox organizations, although he did show some signs of promise with a 3.88 FIP and a 24.5% strikeout rate. Robertson was dealt by the Red Sox to the Cardinals over the winter in the deal that brought Tyler O’Neill to Boston but ultimately appeared in just eight games for St. Louis with a decent 4.38 ERA and 4.55 FIP in 12 1/3 frames. In addition to his time in the majors this year, Robertson has struggled badly in 34 2/3 innings of work at Triple-A this year between the Cardinals and Angels organizations with a 7.27 ERA in 31 appearances.

As for Joyce, the right-hander has been on the 15-day IL for a few days now due to a shoulder issue that the club described yesterday as an impingement (as noted by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger). Joyce was scheduled to undergo an MRI this weekend and while the results came back showing only inflammation today (as noted by Fletcher), Washington suggested that the hard-throwing righty was “too important” to the club’s long-term plans to risk further injury in the final weeks of a season where the club has been eliminated from playoff contention. Joyce wraps up his 2024 campaign with a sterling 2.08 ERA and 3.20 FIP in 34 2/3 innings and figures to be a key piece of the club’s late-inning mix in 2025.

Yankees Release Victor Gonzalez

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The Yankees have released left-hander Victor Gonzalez, as noted by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Gonzalez has been pitching for the club’s Triple-A affiliate since he was outrighted to the minor leagues back in June.

The 28-year-old southpaw made his pro debut with the Dodgers back in 2013 but didn’t make it to the majors until the shortened 2020 season. He excelled for the club in 20 1/3 innings of work across 15 games that year, posting an excellent 1.33 ERA and 1.67 FIP while striking out 28.8% of his opponents. That small-sample performance, along with a 2.70 ERA during the club’s World Series run that October, earned Gonzalez a spot in the club’s bullpen headed into the 2021 season. While the lefty’s first full 162-game season in the big leagues didn’t go quite as well as his rookie year during the shortened season, he still held his own with a solid 3.57 ERA and a 4.27 FIP in 44 games with L.A.

Unfortunately, injury would stop Gonzalez from attempting to repeat that success in 2022, as he was shelved by elbow debridement surgery early in the year and wound up missing the entire big league season. He returned to the majors in 2023 with the Dodgers but posted somewhat middling results, with a 4.01 ERA in 33 2/3 innings of work despite a solid 3.40 FIP and a 22.2% strikeout rate. That mediocre season left the southpaw overtaken on the club’s depth chart by Alex Vesia, opening the door for the Dodgers to deal Gonzalez over the offseason. They did just that come December, when he was shipped from L.A. to the Bronx alongside Jorbit Vivas for Trey Sweeney, the latter of whom would go on to be dealt to Detroit in exchange for Jack Flaherty over the summer.

Now outside of the Dodgers organization for the first time in his career, Gonzalez made the Opening Day roster with the Yankees a member of their bullpen. While he put up solid results for the club across 27 games with a 3.86 ERA in 23 1/3 frames, Gonzalez’s peripherals were quite concerning during his time in New York. After posting a solid 23.2% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate in his three years with the Dodgers, Gonzalez actually walked more batters (13.4%) than he struck out (11.3%) in New York. While the grounder specialist continued to keep the ball on the ground at a 55.1% clip, his .149 BABIP in the Bronx was obviously unsustainable and left him with ghastly peripherals including a 5.96 FIP and 5.74 SIERA.

Those peripheral numbers clearly concerned the Yankees enough to designate him for assignment, and other clubs enough that he ultimately went unclaimed on waivers. Since then, Gonzalez has been pitching for the club’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate, but his time in Triple-A has not gone especially well with a 4.50 ERA in 22 innings of work. Now headed for the open market for the first time in his career, Gonzalez will look ahead to the 2025 season in hopes of finding a club who can help him get his career back on track.

Chase Anderson Elects Free Agency

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September 15: The Rangers announced this morning that Anderson has cleared waivers and elected free agency.

September 12: The Rangers on Thursday designated right-hander Chase Anderson for assignment, the team announced. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker, whose previously announced promotion to the big leagues is now official. The Rangers have formally selected Rocker’s contract, and he’ll start tonight’s game against Seattle.

Anderson, 36, spent the bulk of the year with the Red Sox but was cut loose and signed a minor league pact with Texas in August. The Rangers selected him to the big league roster on Aug. 31 and now stand as the ninth team for which the journeyman Anderson has pitched in the majors. He appeared in only two games as a Ranger, pitching 6 1/3 innings and surrendering seven earned runs. In 52 innings with Boston, Anderson logged a 4.85 ERA.

Earlier in his career with the D-backs and Brewers, Anderson was a solid mid-rotation starter. From 2014-19, he pitched 857 innings of 3.94 ERA ball, striking out 20.2% of his opponents against  a sharp 7.9% walk rate. He’s never been a flamethrower, but Anderson was able to miss enough bats, limit walks and duck enough homers that he had a nice six-year stretch of quality big league innings.

In the five seasons since that time, however, Anderson has regularly been hit hard. He’s posted an ERA north of 5.00 each year since 2020, ultimately combining for 250 1/3 innings with a flat 6.00 ERA. His velocity has been up and down along the way, and he’s seen both his strikeout and walk rates trend in the wrong direction — all while yielding higher levels of hard contact and significantly more home runs. He’s served as a cost-effective innings eater in multiple stops along the way — Toronto, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Colorado — but hasn’t found sustained big league success since the first six years of his career.

Anderson will be released or head to waivers now that he’s been designated and the trade deadline is behind us. He’ll very likely clear outright waivers if the Rangers go that route, at which point he could reject in favor of free agency right now or accept and wait until season’s end to become a minor league free agent.

Latest On Cody Bellinger

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A year ago, Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger was putting the finishing touches on a fantastic rebound campaign that saw him place in the top ten of NL MVP voting and earn his second career Silver Slugger award. On the heels of back-to-back disastrous campaigns with the Dodgers in 2021 and ’22 that led to him being non-tendered, Bellinger took a one-year deal with Chicago and slashed an excellent .307/.356/.525 (136 wRC+) with 26 home runs and 20 stolen bases, setting him up for what seemed sure to be a significant payday in free agency over the winter.

That, of course, did not come to pass. Bellinger was one of several free agents who found himself struggling to find a deal that met expectations, and ultimately returned to the Cubs on a three-year, $80MM deal that included opt-outs after each season. The 29-year-old’s second season in Chicago hasn’t quite lived up to his first, as he’s posted a .269/.332/.468 (114 wRC+) slash line in 518 trips to the plate while his elevated .319 BABIP has fallen to a .287 figure that’s more in line with his career norms and his power production has dipped to more closely match his batted ball metrics.

As Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, ponder whether or not to exercise his upcoming opt-out opportunity this November, it’s fair to wonder if there’s any reason for him to consider opting out coming off a worse offensive season than his previous platform year, which already resulted in a relative disappointment on the open market. Indeed, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote this morning that Bellinger is “fully expected” to remain with the Cubs rather than exercising his opt-out a returning to free agency this winter. Despite those expectations, however, the possibility that Bellinger could instead look to hit the open market for the third consecutive offseason cannot be overlooked.

After all, Bellinger’s offensive numbers this season, while worse than last year, are still well above league average. More importantly, however, his 2024 production is generally backed up by his peripheral numbers and appears likely to be sustainable for the 29-year-old. That’s thanks in part to the outfielder setting a career-best for strikeout rate for the second consecutive season this year, punching out at a 15.1% clip that’s good for 16th-best in the majors this year, just ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. and Jurickson Profar.

That improved combination of contact and discipline at the plate has helped to make up for the downturn in power production Bellinger has experienced this year, and is still more than enough to make Bellinger one of the top bats at his position in the majors. Among qualified center fielders this year, Bellinger’s aforementioned 114 wRC+ this year ranks seventh in the majors while his .332 on-base percentage is tied with Jazz Chisholm Jr. for fourth behind only AL MVP candidates Aaron Judge and Jarren Duran. Bellinger’s ability to play a quality center field while also delivering above average offense would make him stand out in a free agent class that without him would have Harrison Bader, who has hit just .244/.287/.390 (91 wRC+) in 407 trips to the plate with the Mets this year, as the top player available.

Given the fact that Bellinger also has an opt out following the 2025 season, it’s easy to imagine that he might simply be better off sticking with the Cubs, collecting a $27.5MM salary next year, and then returning to free agency prior to the 2026 season, when he would be leaving just $20MM on the table rather than the $50MM he’d forgo by opting out this year. While it’s true that a dominant offensive season from Bellinger could boost his profile, he’d also be marketing his age-30 campaign as opposed to his age-29 season and entering free agency on the wrong side of 30 can significantly depress a player’s earning potential. What’s more, he’d face much more competition in center field next year: The 2025-26 free agent class currently projects to include other notable center field options like Cedric Mullins, Willi Castro, and Trent Grisham, to say nothing of the possibility that Bader signs a one-year deal and returns to the open market himself next winter.

Bellinger’s status among free agency’s top center fielders would be diminished further by the fact that, he would almost assuredly not be used in center field next year if he were to remain with Chicago. The club’s recently-graduated top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong has already taken over center field on a regular basis in recent weeks, pairing elite defense at the position with nine homers and 27 stolen bases in just 356 trips to the plate this year. The 22-year-old’s 90 wRC+ on the season doesn’t immediately jump off the page, but it’s worth noting that he’s improved drastically over the course of the season with a .269/.319/.477 slash line (119 wRC+) since the start of July.

With Crow-Armstrong all but certain to be the club’s everyday center fielder in 2025, that would likely leave Bellinger forced to move to right field on a daily basis should he play for the Cubs next year, putting more pressure on his bat to produce at a level commensurate with the expectations of the position. Impressive as Bellinger’s offense has been for a center fielder, he ranks just 20th among 49 qualified outfielders this year in terms of wRC+, leaving him as a somewhat middling option offensively for an outfield corner. Without a significant step forward offensively next year, it’s easy to imagine Bellinger leaving money on the table by not exercising his opt-out this year and returning to free agency while he’s still under 30 years old and playing center field on a semi-regular basis.

NL East Notes: Albies, Marte, Bohm

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11:01am: The Mets told reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com) that Marte’s x-rays came back negative, though he’s out of the lineup due to soreness for today’s game. Meanwhile, the Phillies have activated Bohm from the IL ahead of schedule and will bat him fifth in today’s lineup.

9:15am: The Braves have been without second baseman Ozzie Albies for nearly two months now due to a fractured left wrist, and since then the club has had to rely on veterans like Whit Merrifield and Cavan Biggio who were added following his injury to handle the keystone. While Merrifield has performed admirably in Albies’s absence with a .269/.374/.370 slash line with Atlanta, the club is surely anxious to return the three-time All-Star to the lineup as the Braves fight to remain in a playoff spot with just two weeks to go in the regular season.

When manager Brian Snitker and Albies himself spoke to reporters on Friday about the second baseman’s status, the update was somewhat mixed. Snitker (as relayed by David O’Brien of The Athletic) raised some alarms for Braves fans by saying he wasn’t sure if Albies would play again this year before clarifying that because Albies is still feeling discomfort in his injured wrist only when he bats from the left side, the switch-hitter would be able to return if he was willing to bat from the right side exclusively down the stretch. Per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Albies is willing to drop switch-hitting for the time being in order to return to the lineup and hopes to be back sometime next week.

Albies, 27, has batted much better while hitting right-handed throughout his career, including this year where he’s posted a 151 wRC+ against left-handed pitching for the Braves compared to an 80 wRC+ against righties. It’s a similar but less extreme story over his career as a whole, as he’s posted a 146 wRC+ while batting right-handed and a 96 wRC+ while batting left-handed. It won’t be the first time Albies has faced right-handed pitching while as a right-handed batter in his career, although his experience in that regard has been limited to just 14 plate appearances throughout his MLB career. With that being said, that extremely small sample size has seen him find a great deal of success as he’s gone 3-for-11 with three walks and two homers in those handful of trips to the plate.

More from around the NL East…

  • The Mets suffered a bit of an injury scare last night when outfielder Starling Marte was struck by a pitch on the forearm from right-hander Jeff Hoffman in last night’s loss to Philadelphia. Marte remained in the game to run the bases and play the outfield, but manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (as relayed by SNY) that the veteran was scheduled to undergo “precautionary” x-rays on his forearm to make sure that the 35-year-old hasn’t suffered a more serious injury. Marte has hit a decent .271/.320/.399 in 83 games with the Mets this year but has struggled a bit at the plate since returning from the IL last month, with a lackluster .241/.286/.328 slash line in 17 games since being activated. If Marte misses time, it seems likely that Jesse Winker will slide into a more regular role with the club down the stretch.
  • The Phillies have been without third baseman Alec Bohm since late August due to a strained hand, but it seems that may change in the coming days as manager Rob Thomson recently told reporters (including The Athletic’s Matt Gelb) that Bohm has “shown progress” in his recovery. He’s currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A but could be back with the big league club as soon as Monday. The return of Bohm to the starting lineup would provide a huge boost for Philadelphia, as with Edmundo Sosa also on the IL (and, coincidentally, joining Bohm on his Triple-A rehab assignment) the big league club has had to rely on a combination of Kody Clemens, Weston Wilson, and Buddy Kennedy at the hot corner in recent weeks. 2024 has been something of a breakout season for Bohm, who has slashed a strong .290/.343/.462 in 131 games this year.

Phillies Activate Alec Bohm, Designate Aramis Garcia For Assignment

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The Phillies announced this morning that they’ve activated third baseman Alec Bohm from the 10-day injured list. Catcher Aramis Garcia was designated for assignment to make room for Bohm on the club’s active roster. Bohm was previously expected to return to action later this week but will now join the team ahead of schedule, batting fifth in today’s starting lineup.

Bohm, 28, has been on the injured list for just over two weeks due to a hand strain. The third baseman has enjoyed something of a breakout season this year, slashing .290/.343/.462 with a 122 wRC+ that stands as the best of his career over a full season. He’s also made major strides defensively at third base, developing from a fringe defender at the position (+1 Outs Above Average, -9 Defensive Runs Saved) in 2023 to a well above average glove (+6 Outs Above Average, +1 Defensive Runs Saved) at the hot corner this year. In all, Bohm’s steps forward on both sides of the ball this year have made him the fourth most valuable third baseman in the sport by fWAR in 2024 behind only Jose Ramirez, Matt Chapman, and Rafael Devers.

As the Phillies wrap up the regular season with an eye toward their third consecutive playoff appearance, the club is surely hoping that Bohm will be at full strength going forward. The infielder began to slump a bit in the weeks leading up to his placement on the injured list, with a lackluster .232/.283/.304 slash line over his final 15 games before being placed on the shelf. With that said, even a somewhat diminished version of Bohm would be a substantial improvement for the Phillies going forward, as an injury to Edmundo Sosa shortly after Bohm’s own injury left the club to cobble together a solution at third base between Kody Clemens, Weston Wilson, and Buddy Kennedy. That experiment hasn’t gone over well, as that trio has slashed a collective .107/.167/.143 since Sosa was placed on the IL earlier this month.

As for Garcia, the 31-year-old has participated in parts of five big league seasons since making his MLB debut with the Giants back in 2018, primarily acting as a reserve catcher who fills in for clubs facing injuries. His longest stint in the majors was with the Reds back in 2022, when he hit a lackluster .213/.248/.259 in 115 trips to the plate across 47 games. Overall, Garcia is a career .211/.248/.325 hitter in the majors. He was added to the Phillies’ roster last week to provide some depth behind Garrett Stubbs while J.T. Realmuto was out of commission due to a day-to-day injury. Realmuto has returned to the lineup in recent days, however, rendering Garcia’s continued presence on the roster unnecessary.

Orioles Designate Cole Irvin, Nick Maton For Assignment

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The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve designated left-hander Cole Irvin and infielder Nick Maton for assignment. The moves open up active roster spots for outfielder Heston Kjerstad and right-hander Jacob Webb, both of whom were activated from the injured list in corresponding moves. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 38.

Irvin, 30, is in his second season with the Orioles. The lefty was acquired from the A’s prior to the 2023 season to help provide stability at the back of Baltimore’s rotation, and while he’s struggled to keep a consistent hold on a spot in the rotation (or even on the roster) during his time with the club he has offered the Orioles a versatile depth option capable of pitching out of the rotation or bullpen as needed. In his two seasons with the club, Irvin has posted a combined 4.68 ERA with a 4.56 FIP in 184 2/3 innings of work while appearing in 49 games, 28 of which were starts. He struggled in his latest stint with the Orioles, surrendering three runs on four hits (two homers) while striking out five in four innings of work spread across two outings.

Maton, 27, has spent most of the 2024 season at Triple-A for Norfolk and while he’s hit quite well at that level with a .273/.429/.455 slash line in 86 games, his track record with the big league club has been far less impressive. Maton has made it into just five games with the Orioles as a pinch hitter this year, and has gone hitless with two strikeouts in those five at-bats. Prior to joining the Orioles, Maton excelled in a bench role for the Phillies with a .253/.330/.434 slash line in 216 plate appearances before being traded to Detroit and struggling in a larger role with the Tigers, for whom he hit just .173/.288/.305 in 93 games.

Meanwhile, Kjerstad returns to the active roster to re-enter the club’s outfield mix. The 25-year-old suffered a concussion when he was struck on the head by a pitch from right-hander Clay Holmes on July 12 and previous attempted to return just over a week later. Kjerstad hit just .111/.238/.111 in his 21 trips to the plate after returning, however, and ultimately went back on the IL on August 1 due to the issue. Overall, Kjerstad sports a strong .261/.370/.420 slash line in 81 trips to the plate at the big league level this year and should provide the club with another quality outfield option behind Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, and Colton Cowser over the season’s final weeks. It’s even possible that Kjerstad could make an appearance at first base, where he has 46 games of experience in the minor leagues, given deep slump since the start of August and Ryan Mountcastle’s wrist sprain.

As for Webb, the right-hander has emerged as a key piece of Baltimore’s bullpen since being claimed off waivers from the Angels last August. In 71 2/3 innings of work with the club since then, Webb has posted an excellent 3.14 ERA with 3.35 FIP and struck out 25.4% of opponents. The righty was sidelined by a bout of elbow inflammation in early August but now figures to return to the club’s late inning mix alongside Seranthony Dominguez and Yennier Cano headed into the postseason.

Tyler Glasnow “Highly Unlikely” To Return This Year Due To Elbow Sprain

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts delivered some tough news to reporters this afternoon, as he indicated to the team’s beat (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com) that right-hander Tyler Glasnow has been diagnosed with a sprained elbow and will be shut down indefinitely, leaving him “highly unlikely” to pitch again in 2024. Glasnow suffered a setback in his throwing program yesterday and underwent testing that ultimately revealed the sprain.

The update is a devastating blow to a Dodgers rotation that has been in flux for much of the year due to injuries despite the extreme depth they came into the season with on paper. The 30-year-old Glasnow was an All-Star for the first time in his career during his debut season with L.A. and posted a 3.49 ERA with a 2.90 FIP and a 32.2% strikeout rate this year, but he was unfortunately limited to just 22 starts and 134 innings this season. While that volume falls short of a full season of work, both totals actually constitute career-bests for the righty, whose previous career-highs were set last year at 21 starts and 120 innings of work respectively.

Glasnow’s lack of durability throughout his big league career didn’t deter the Dodgers from dealing outfielder Jonny DeLuca and right-hander Ryan Pepiot to the Rays to acquire him alongside outfielder Manuel Margot this offseason, nor did it get in the way of the club finalizing an extension that guaranteed the right-hander just over $111.5MM in new money from 2025 to 2028. Pepiot, who has posted a 3.76 ERA in 23 starts with the Rays this year, has dealt with injury issues of his own this season, and given Glasnow’s success with the club when healthy the Dodgers surely don’t regret adding his top-of-the-rotation caliber arm to their starting mix.

That doesn’t make the news regarding Glasnow’s likely absence from their postseason run any less frustrating, however. The Dodgers laid out well over a billion dollars in guaranteed contracts this winter in pursuit of their first World Series championship in a full season since 1988 and in doing so added Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Teoscar Hernandez to a core of players that already included stars such as Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. While the additions of Hernandez and Ohtani have taken the club’s offense to new levels even in spite of absences from Betts and Freeman throughout the year, the rotation once again figures to be a significant question mark for the club this October without Glasnow to help stabilize things.

Yamamoto returned from the 60-day injured list earlier this month and figures to start Game 1 for the Dodgers this winter, with deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty standing out as their most likely contender to start Game 2. Who will follow those two in the club’s postseason rotation is not yet clear, however. Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller have both struggled badly in the majors this year with ERAs of 5.95 and 8.17 respectively, making them lackluster options to start potentially pivotal playoff games. Rookie Landon Knack has pitched fairly well in ten starts for the club this year, but the Dodgers surely would prefer a more experienced arm to follow Yamamoto and Flaherty.

Of course, the returns of other injured pitchers could help to bolster the club’s rotation ahead of October. Rookie Gavin Stone would be a tantalizing option given his 3.53 ERA in 25 starts this year, but the righty is currently on the shelf due to elbow inflammation with no clear timetable for return. Veteran southpaw Clayton Kershaw is also on the injured list, but has expressed hope that he’ll be able to return this year and would help to fortify the club’s rotation mix even as he’s posted a pedestrian 4.50 ERA in seven starts this year. Roberts also suggested earlier this week that there was a “very slim” possibility that Ohtani could be made available to pitch during the postseason, but it’s impossible to imagine the Dodgers changing their plans for the superstar based on today’s news regarding Glasnow.

Diamondbacks Notes: Moreno, Gurriel, Thomas, Lawlar

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After a shocking run to the World Series last October, the Diamondbacks once again find themselves inching towards the playoffs with a 1.5-game lead over the Braves and Mets in the AL Wild Card race. Arizona is in the second of three spots, leaving Atlanta and New York in a tie for the third spot. While there’s still room for things to change, Fangraphs gives the Snakes a strong 86.4% chance of making the postseason for the second consecutive year when all is said and done. Even with those solid odds, the club will surely want all the help it can get to secure its positioning and head into the playoffs strong.

Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way as manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZSports) that both catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are “very close” to being activated from the injured list. The duo were scheduled to play in a game at the club’s Spring Training complex today where Moreno was set to both hit and catch while Gurriel would hit without playing the field. That leaves Moreno, who has been out for six weeks due to a groin strain, a bit closer to playing in the majors than Gurriel, who’s been out two weeks now with a strained calf.

Moreno, 24, is in his second season with the Diamondbacks after being acquired from the Blue Jays alongside Gurriel in the Daulton Varsho trade prior to the 2023 campaign. Moreno has established himself well as a solid two-way catcher and has posted a .262/.344/.385 slash line with a 105 wRC+ while playing excellent defense behind the plate. That two-way talent has left the Snakes missing Moreno dearly, as they’ve utilized a combination of the light-hitting but defensively gifted Jose Herrera alongside youngster Adrian Del Castillo, who sports a 138 wRC+ but questionable defense behind the plate.

As for Gurriel, the 30-year-old has hit .274/.316/.428 with a 105 wRC+ that’s identical to not only Moreno’s own figure from this year but also the production Gurriel posted in his first season with Arizona last year. Fortunately for Arizona, however, Gurriel’s absence hasn’t been felt as much as may have been initially expected due to an offensive explosion on the part of Pavin Smith, who has slashed an incredible .286/.385/.905 with four home runs in nine games since taking over for Gurriel in left field alongside Randal Grichuk. While Smith’s 72-homer pace is obviously not sustainable long-term, his hot streak has allowed the club to post MLB’s best offense by wRC+ (138) in September despite losing a key cog in their lineup for whom they didn’t have an obvious replacement at the ready.

Gurriel and Moreno aren’t the only two players who could be called upon to help the Diamondbacks headed into the postseason, however. According to a conversation between GM Mike Hazen and MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, outfielder Alek Thomas and top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar are both regarded as “possible” contributors down the stretch and into the postseason. Thomas was optioned to the minors back in August and subsequently suffered an oblique strain at Triple-A but, per Gilbert, is nearly ready to return to action. Thomas has had another disappointing season offensively with a .191/.248/.362 slash line in 32 games at the big league level, but he offers excellent defense in all three outfield spots that could make him an asset in a bench role.

Lawlar, meanwhile, made it into just 13 games before the calendar flipped to September this year between thumb surgery and a hamstring strain but finally made it back into Triple-A earlier this week. Per Gilbert, Lawlar is expected to play winter ball this offseason to make up for the reps he lost to injury this year, but it’s not hard to imagine the club preferring the 22-year-old to their other bench infield options like Luis Guillorme and Kevin Newman headed into the postseason. Lawlar was similarly included on the club’s postseason roster last year, when he appeared in three games and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Kwan, Olson

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The Twins recently welcomed a pair of key players back from the injured list, returning both center fielder Byron Buxton and shortstop Carlos Correa to the starting lineup. Buxton was activated in advance of yesterday’s game after missing the past month with a hip injury, while Correa has been out for the past two months due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The duo’s return to action is surely a relief for Twins fans. After all, only Matt Wallner’s 162 wRC+ surpasses Correa’s 152 and Buxton’s 142 figures among the club’s regulars, and the two stars also play key defensive roles at shortstop and center field respectively.

As important as both Correa and Buxton are to the Twins’ pursuit of an AL Wild Card spot and impending postseason push, however, they won’t be in the lineup every day down the stretch. As noted by Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters earlier today that both players will be in the lineup on a truly game-to-game basis, with the team’s medical staff evaluating them both after each game to determine whether or not they’ll be available to play in the club’s next game.

That aggressive management of the club’s two top players might seem counter-intuitive for a Twins club that’s clinging to a 2.5-game lead over Detroit for the final AL Wild Card spot, but it’s fairly understandable given the pair’s significant injury woes. After all, Buxton’s injury woes throughout his career have been extreme enough that the next game he takes the field for will mean he’s played more games in 2024 with 93 than he has in any season of his 10-year big league career except 2017. While Correa’s injury woes haven’t been quite that extreme, the shortstop has been limited to just 75 games this year by injury and is now attempting to play through plantar fasciitis for the second consecutive September. For a Twins club that hasn’t made it to the ALCS since 2002, keeping Correa and Buxton as healthy as possible for the playoffs is clearly a top priority.

For his part, Correa seems to be on board. The shortstop told reporters (as relayed by Gleeman) that “Realistically, [he’s] not going to play every game” before adding that he wants to be on the field for the Twins “as much as possible” going forward this season. When Correa and Buxton are unable to play, Brooks Lee appears to be the club’s primary backup at shortstop while Willi Castro is the top option in center field.

More from around the AL Central…

  • The Guardians are dealing with an injury scare regarding one of their top hitters, as club manager Stephen Vogt told reporters (including Mandy Bell of MLB.com) that outfielder Steven Kwan has been out of the lineup in recent days due to what he described as “back soreness.” While that diagnosis may seem fairly benign, it’s at least somewhat concerning that Vogt added Kwan has been sent for testing to determine the severity of the issue. While it’s nearly impossible for the Guardians to miss the playoffs at this point, the club holds a fairly tenuous three-game lead over the Royals for the AL Central crown, which is likely to come with a bye through the first round of the playoffs. The loss of Kwan, who has excelled as the club’s leadoff hitter with a .291/.364/.419 slash line this year, would surely complicate the club’s hopes of holding onto its present playoff positioning and an lengthy absence could even jeopardize Kwan’s availability in the early rounds of the playoffs. Will Brennan, Angel Martinez, and Daniel Schneemann are among the club’s options in left field while Kwan is unavailable.
  • The Tigers have been without Reese Olson for virtually the entire second half this year after the right-hander went on the IL back in July due to a shoulder strain. Fortunately, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic) this afternoon that the club hopes to activate Olson from the IL during the club’s upcoming series against the Royals early next week. A healthy and effective return from Olson would be a huge boost for a Detroit club that sits just 2.5 games back of Minnesota for the final AL Wild Card spot, as the 25-year-old righty was in the midst of a breakout season with a 3.23 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 19 starts before being sidelined.

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