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NL East Notes: Strasburg, Syndergaard, Phillies, Braves

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Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg left his start Friday after two innings with “a little inflammation” in his pitching shoulder, manager Dave Martinez told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post and other reporters. Strasburg revealed that the issue began bothering him a few starts ago, and he’ll undergo an MRI on Saturday. Injuries have long been a concern for the 29-year-old Strasburg, though he has always delivered terrific results when healthy. He has once again offered high-end production this year, having notched a 3.46 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 2.12 BB/9 in 80 2/3 innings. The Nats can ill afford to lose Strasburg as they seek a third straight division title, then, especially with fellow starter Jeremy Hellickson currently on the disabled list with a hamstring strain.

More injury notes from the NL East…

  • Mets righty Noah Syndergaard won’t come off the DL to make his scheduled start against the Yankees on Sunday, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Syndergaard, who has been out since May 26 with a strained finger ligament, experienced a setback after playing catch this week. It’s unknown how much more time Syndergaard will miss, but with him unavailable, the Mets will start fellow righty Seth Lugo on Sunday.
  • Phillies left fielder Rhys Hoskins could return from the DL on Saturday, Matt Breen of Philly.com reports. That would represent a quick comeback for a player who suffered a fractured jaw May 28. In other positive news for the Phillies, the club has ruled out the possibility of thoracic outlet syndrome for injured righty Jerad Eickhoff, general manager Matt Klentak announced. Still, even though the Phillies have “ruled out a lot of bad stuff” for Eickhoff, according to Klentak, they’re unsure what’s causing the numbness in his fingers. Both that problem and a strained lat have shelved Eickhoff for the entire season thus far.
  • Braves third base prospect Austin Riley is set to miss “several weeks” after suffering a sprained PCL in his right knee, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. The promising 21-year-old had been faring nicely in his first action at Triple-A, where he has slashed .284/.345/.431 in 113 plate appearances (with a 33.6 percent strikeout rate, however). It’s possible Riley’s injury could affect his chances at a major league promotion this season and influence the Braves’ trade deadline plans. Atlanta’s top two options at third are Johan Camargo and Ryan Flaherty, but both players’ numbers have fallen off as the season has progressed. In the event the Braves seek a veteran upgrade at the hot corner over the summer, there should be some proven commodities available, as MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and Steve Adams pointed out Friday.

NL Notes: Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Padres, Giants

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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig is slated to go on a rehab assignment Monday and come off the disabled list Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. It has been a short stay on the DL for Puig, who suffered a hip pointer and a bruised foot on April 28. Meanwhile, third baseman Justin Turner took batting practice Sunday for the first time since suffering a broken left wrist on March 20, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register was among those to report. Both the Puig and Turner updates are much-needed positive news for the Dodgers, who have been victimized by key injuries all year. Ace Clayton Kershaw became their latest cornerstone player to hit the DL on Sunday.

More from the National League…

  • Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes exited the team’s game Sunday with a right quad issue, Tim Britton of The Athletic tweets. Cespedes has dealt with right quad problems in the past, but he’s optimistic this isn’t a serious issue. The 32-year-old said after the game that he might play the Mets’ series opener in Cincinnati on Monday.
  • Braves third base prospect Austin Riley is getting closer to the majors. The Braves promoted the 21-year-old from Double-A to Triple-A on Sunday, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Riley, whom multiple outlets ranks as a top 100 prospect, slashed an incredible .333/.394/.677 (193 wRC+) with six home runs in 109 plate appearances at Double-A this year. He might push for the Braves’ starting third base job as early as next season, per O’Brien.
  • Padres righty Bryan Mitchell could lose his starting job before he’s scheduled to take the hill again on Thursday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com relays. “Going forward, we’ll sit down and talk about it,” Padres manager Andy Green said Saturday after Mitchell allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings against the Dodgers. Although Mitchell’s ERA is now up to 6.47 across 32 frames, during which he has logged 4.5 K/9 against 7.31 BB/9, it doesn’t seem as if those struggles will cost him his roster spot. Rather, the Padres would move the out-of-options 27-year-old to the bullpen, Cassavell suggests. Mitchell’s output this year clearly isn’t what San Diego had in mind when it acquired him and third baseman Chase Headley (and $12.5MM of his $13MM salary) from the Yankees for outfielder Jabari Blash over the winter.
  • Giants outfielder Mac Williamson’s return from the seven-day concussion DL isn’t imminent, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests. Williamson, who suffered the injury April 24, will likely need a rehab assignment even when he’s healthy enough to play again, Schulman notes. As such, he might not suit up again for the Giants until mid-May or later.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Riley, Braves, Garcia

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“There may be no ownership group in baseball that is more involved in the selection of its manager” than the Nationals, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes as part of a look at Dave Martinez’s hiring and owner Ted Lerner’s influence.  Martinez’s three-year contract is “normal for the industry, outlandish for the Nats,” which indicates that Lerner (who just turned 92 last month) is more committed than ever to finally capture that elusive World Series championship.  It could also hint at an aggressive offseason for Washington as it tries to add the final pieces to an already strong team.

Here’s more from around the NL East…

  • The Braves have a need at third base, but David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution considers it unlikely that the team will look for a major upgrade at the hot corner this winter thanks to the presence of prospect Austin Riley.  The 41st overall pick in the 2015 draft, Riley has shown solid power potential in his young career, including a .900 OPS in 203 Double-A plate appearances last season.  With Riley perhaps on pace to crack the big leagues as a September call-up this year and then be in the mix for regular duty at third base in 2019, Atlanta doesn’t want to block his progress by adding a veteran on a long-term contract.  MLBTR, for the record, predicted Mike Moustakas as a Braves signing this winter in our list of the top 50 free agents.
  • The Braves’ front office situation is still up in the air, though potential GM candidates could include such names as Alex Anthopoulos, Dan O’Dowd and Josh Byrnes, as per O’Brien (Twitter link) and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.  One interesting aspect of Atlanta’s search is that many of the names connected (this trio plus Jim Hendry, Dan Jennings, Ben Cherington, and rumored top choice Dayton Moore) are all former or current Major League general managers.  This could indicate that the Braves want an experienced baseball operations leader who would be better equipped to operate despite whatever punishments or restrictions the organization could face once MLB concludes its investigation.
  • The Marlins are considering stretching out left-hander Jarlin Garcia in Spring Training to give him a shot at a starting job, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes.  Garcia made his MLB debut last year, posting a 4.73 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 2.47 K/BB rate over 53 1/3 innings out of Miami’s bullpen.  His numbers worsened as the season went on, however, which add to durability concerns about Garcia’s potential as a starter; Frisaro notes that the southpaw was converted to a relief role due to past concerns about his ability to stay healthy and effective as a starter.  Assuming Garcia doesn’t run into any injury issues, the Marlins have little to lose by at least kicking the tires on his rotation potential, given how the club is sorely in need of starting pitching help.

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