Rays outfielder Carlos Gomez has been activated from the 10-day disabled list; he’d been sidelined since May 16th with a strained groin. The injury was thought to be minor at the time, and the fact that Gomez missed only the ten-day minimum leaves little room to doubt his health at this time. That doesn’t mean his performance comes without questions, though, as the veteran is slashing just .200/.252/.345 on the season. No corresponding move was required for Tampa Bay, as their roster was two men short following yesterday’s surprising trade with Seattle.
And now a flurry of other injury-related items from around the league…
- David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests that Anibal Sanchez could be the Braves’ starter on Tuesday following a successful rehab start on Friday. Mark Bowman of MLB.com takes it a step further by quoting manager Brian Snitker, who reportedly said that Sanchez is indeed penciled in to start Tuesday’s game. Sanchez has a 1.29 ERA in three appearances (two starts) on the season.
- Adam Berry of MLB.com writes that Starling Marte will be activated from the DL by the Pirates today if he reports to the ballpark feeling ready to play. It’d be a remarkably quick return for the 29-year-old outfielder, who has been sidelined with an oblique injury. Injuries of that type have a reputation for lingering and causing players to miss extended time. One has to wonder what Marte’s potential activation would mean for the red-hot Austin Meadows, who’s managed more homers in the big leagues thus far (3) than strikeouts (2).
- The Yankees have reinstated first baseman Greg Bird from the disabled list, optioning infielder Ronald Torreyes to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Marc Carig of The Athletic notes that the move makes plenty of sense considering the versatility of Gleyber Torres and the fact that a removal of Neil Walker from the roster isn’t reversible. Bird entered the season with plenty of hype surrounding him, but has yet to make his 2018 debut thanks to right foot surgery.
- In a move that was widely expected, the Marlins placed Martin Prado (hamstring) on the 10-day DL today, recalling J.T. Riddle from Triple-A to take his place on the roster. It’s the latest in an unfortunate series of injuries for the formerly-durable Prado, who made only 147 trips to the plate last year following eight straight seasons with at least 500 PA.
With Meadows start and Dickerson’s start I have to wonder if the Pirates don’t try to flip Dickerson. I don’t see them trading Polanco.
This was the definite right move by the Yankees. Walker provides versatility in the field, is a switch hitter, and provides a much needed veteran presence for those young infielders.
Walker doesn’t have a minor league option. Torreyes didn’t deserve the demotion, he was great in his role but he had the minor league option. Given his history Bird won’t be thrown out there everyday. Austin provides the natural platoon at 1B given his ability to mash lefties unlike Bird.
Well said. The move was more about options. Neil has zero and Austin is on his last one. Torreyes has played very well but is the most expendable when it’s all said and done.
Bird can hit lefties. Did you forget the blast against Andrew Miller? One of MLB’s best LHP
Needs to show consistency…
Bird can’t hit lefties. He can’t righties.
Bird’s historical health suggests a platoon to start is the best way to go. If he shows an ability to stay healthy, he should get most of the crunch time work in September.
@Steven
The only reason there hasnt been consistency is because he literally hasnt been on the field.
@Judge
Guess you forgot the blast off Ken Giles too
@dewey
I agree. It might be best to ease in the work load than to throw it on him all at once. As you said, he should get most of the work once he is settled in because he is the most talented 1B on the roster. Just as much pop as Austin but with a better eye, a more compact swing, and more composure at the plate.
Birds defense really remains to be seen, though. Did bad on defense in 2015 but from what I have seen from him since hasnt been too bad.
Back in the early 80s, my dad before he passed compared Darryl Strawberrys swing to that of Ted Williams. Not the player, just the fluid swing. When I see Bird, I see that same beautiful stroke. I seldom give Yankees’ compliments but try to be objective. In that regard, I’ll again push my agenda: Evan’s, Tiant and Munson for the HOF. Sox have a reunion game today with the teams managed be Tiant and Evans and Munson’s omission from the HOF is just as big of an omission. He was the batter that wasn’t going to beat me. Reggie would have been perfect in today’s game with his Ks. Game on the line and Munson was as clutch as anyone. ROTY, MVP, two world championships and the best player in the field in a third (1976). Overall compares favorably to Puckett except he was snarly to the press.
In their short careers has Bird hit lefties like Austin has? Not close. Regardless they won’t run Bird out there everyday. Makes sense to keep Austin up and rest Bird when a lefty starts. Walker will still spell starts at 1B, 2B, 3B and even DH. Yanks have few off days coming. Keeping the extra reliever makes sense. The drawback to sending Torreyes down is removing a capable defender behind Didi at SS.
Hopefully Torreyes’ stint in AAA is a short one. An elite bench player to have. Can play 3B, SS, and 2B effectively and be able to hit well after long absences. I think that once the Yankees are 100% confident in Birds health they will move either Walker or Austin and bring Torreyes back up. Hoping its Walker who gets moved and hoping he is moved in a trade.
Barring something unforeseen, I don’t think Toe is going to see our major leagues roster the remainder of the year. As you said, he is a valuable bench player but that is the point…he is a bench player not a player on the bench that can and should be starting.
His versatility is a plus, but too many younger, bigger bat options with versatility to also choose from and while its a hard choice to make, it needs to be made.
Austin isn’t going anywhere, and neither is Walker unless as you said, he is included in a package for a starter at the trade deadline. Right now, he is too valuable for offensively and defensively to get rid of.
I like Torreyes but if he comes up it probably means someone else is injured. Let’s just hope he stays healthy and productive in AAA.
That or a trade. I dont expect the Yankees to keep carrying 3 first basemen on the roster for too long. They might trade Walker or Austin.
But on the bright side, the Yankees AAA team is looking better than some other MLB teams
I agree. I think Cash trades Walker as soon as that one year contract deadline allows, which I think is a week before the trade deadline. He will need to free the money so he can land a starter and not exceed the tax so I think it’s a waiting game.
After that maybe Toe gets called back up.
I have my own reservations about the Torreyes move, but it’s important to note that Neil Walker has a .979 ops in May. The continued narrative of his lack of production simply doesn’t fit his current performance. Moving on from Walker would essentially be a permanent move, and it’s too early to give up on a guy with his track record and improving performance. Will bird stay healthy? Can Austin continue to rely on plus power to support his batting line? Walker is both an infield substitute and a backup option at first if Bird and Austin can’t hold it down.
Walker is much better with the glove. They’re not gonna just move on from Walker or seek his “permission” for a trade at this time.
Exactly, the permanence of any move with walker coupled with his increased and clutch performance as of late made this the better move.
The thing with Neil Walker is that we all know he has a high floor and a moderately high ceiling (at worst he is .260 guy with little pop and at best a .280 hitter with decent slugging numbers). His recent performance is not unexpected. But the Yankees just had a guy like that in Chase Headley. Theres much more potential production in Bird/Austin than there is with any combination including Walker. However, I do think it makes the most logical sense to keep Walker around until Bird proves he can stay healthy. Maybe if that happens the Yankees can find a way to move Walker and bring back Torreyes, who can play more positions (unless Walker can play OF, SS, or 3B on top of 1B and 2B) and be able to do well after long periods of no playing time
I suspect if they need to cover shortstop for whatever reason they would have Torres play SS and have Walker play 2B. With the roster they currently have they have backups ay every position if someone needs a night off. If someone gets hurt than Toe comes back up.
I thought the yanks might DFA AJ Cole and go to the 7 man bullpen, but this is still a smart move. Toe is a great bench player, but he’s just that, a bench player. Every other infielder on the active roster is capable of starting and provides much more offensive potential. I do hope he makes it back to show soon though, definitely a fan and clubhouse favorite.
I think AJ Cole is just keeping Warrens seat warm so even if you did move Cole you would have to move another player (in this case Torreyes) to make room for Warren. But even then I would argue to send down Holder. He has had better games as of late but I have seen a lot of solid contact off of him and a lot of warning track pop flies. Too many close calls in my opinion.
I think they are going to keep Cole.
The Yanks didn’t need to bring Bird up yet. He has options if his DL rehab time is up. He needs to to show that he can hit in minors before he gets to play for the Yankees. He’s just gonna go 3 for 30 while he gets used to the pitching. He was hitting .200 in 3 levels of the minors.
Same with Kanhle. Why do they bring these guys back if they can’t get minor league hitters out?