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Injury Notes: Cano, Puk, W. Davis, M’s

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Let’s check in on a few injury notes from around the majors…

  • Mets second baseman Robinson Cano is hopeful that he’ll come off the injured list when he’s eligible on Aug. 14, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Cano went to the IL on Tuesday with a Grade 2 left adductor strain, which halted what may have been a redemption story for the 37-year-old. While Cano endured a nightmarish first season as a Met in 2019, he got off to a blistering .412/.462/.559 start in 39 plate appearances this year prior to his injury.
  • Athletics left-hander A.J. Puk remains an exciting prospect for the club, but various arm injuries have prevented the 25-year-old from making a major league start. It doesn’t appear as if that will change in 2020. Manager Bob Melvin said that Puk, who’s working back from shoulder inflammation, is expected to pitch out of the bullpen if he takes the hill this year, per Shayna Rubin of the Mercury News. However, the A’s still don’t have a timetable for Puk’s season debut.
  • It appears the right shoulder strain that sent Rockies reliever Wade Davis to the IL over the weekend will keep him on ice for the foreseeable future. Manager Bud Black said Wednesday that Davis still hasn’t begun throwing yet, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post relays. Davis’ injury is the latest setback in what has been a horrid Colorado tenure since he signed a three-year, $52MM deal with the club going into 2018. The three-time All-Star has recorded a 6.18 ERA/4.67 FIP in 110 2/3 innings as a Rockie.
  • With right-hander Kendall Graveman on the injured list because of neck issues, the Mariners are calling on lefty Nick Margevicius to step into their rotation, according to manager Scott Servais (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). The 24-year-old Margevicius picked up 12 starts as a Padre in 2019, but his year didn’t go well. He wound up with 57 innings of 6.79 ERA/5.64 FIP pitching and 6.63 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.

Latest On Astros’ Rotation

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The Astros are reshuffling the back end of their rotation, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com relays. Right-hander Josh James will head to the bullpen, while fellow righty Brandon Bielak will slide into their starting staff. Bielak’s first-ever start will come Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

The perennially contending Astros have gotten off to a so-so start this season, and the dominant rotation they boasted last season is no longer intact. Reigning AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander is on the shelf with a forearm injury, and the club lost Gerrit Cole in free agency. Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr. remain in the fold, though neither has prevented runs at a quality clip in 2020. McCullers took a beating at the hands of the D-backs on Wednesday. If you want to take an optimistic approach, though, Greinke’s a longtime ace, McCullers has enjoyed a fine career and shouldn’t be discounted in his return from a Tommy John procedure, Cristian Javier has been one of the best rookies in baseball in the early going, and Framber Valdez was terrific in a win over the Angels last weekend.

Unfortunately for Houston, opposing offenses have battered James so far. The 27-year-old opened the season with two starts and six innings of seven-run ball before the Astros booted him from their rotation. James only yielded four hits in that span, and he struck out nine, but he issued an alarming number of walks (11) and saw his average velocity drop from 97-mph plus to under 96. For at least the time being, James will head back to a relief role for a Houston club dealing with numerous injuries in its bullpen. James worked 61 1/3 innings (49 appearances, one start) last season and logged a 4.70 ERA/3.98 FIP with 14.67 K/9 and 5.14 BB/9.

Bielak, 24, was an 11th-round pick of the Astros in 2017 who ranks as a top 15 Astros prospect at multiple outlets. He has been a useful hurler for the club at the outset of his career, having combined for 5 1/3 frames of one-run ball with six strikeouts and three walks in his first two appearances.

MLB To Implement 28-Man Rosters For Balance Of 2020 Season, Postseason

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AUG. 5: The league announced that it will go to 28-man rosters and, if clubs choose, five-man taxi squads for the regular season and playoffs beginning Thursday. Teams will be able to carry 29 players for doubleheaders.

AUG. 4: While the initial plan for the shortened 2020 season was for rosters to begin at 30 players, drop to 28 after 15 days and drop to 26 two weeks later, it appears that plan will change. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that rosters will drop to 28 players as scheduled on Thursday, but they’ll remain at that level through the end of the regular season and through the postseason. The three-man taxi squad that teams have been allotted will also be expanded to five players. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted earlier today that some potential alterations to roster reduction were being discussed.

The implementation of 28-man rosters for the balance of the season comes in a direct response to the number of injuries that have popped up throughout the league and the Covid-19 outbreaks within the Marlins and Cardinals organizations. The hope is that carrying a pair of extra players over the standard 26-man rosters can help to reduce strain on players — pitchers in particular — after an abbreviated three-week ramp-up period during Summer Camp. There’s no indication that the change will carry over beyond the 2020 season.

Larger rosters will leave managers with more flexibility and reduce the need to put extra stress on pitchers, though the extra relievers being carried by each club won’t do any favors in terms of limiting game times, as MLB has sought to do in recent years. That’s far from a pressing concern at this point, however, as all involved with the league are prioritizing player health and simply being able to get through a 60-game regular-season schedule before playing an expanded 16-team playoff format.

Latest On MLB’s Coronavirus Protocols

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With the coronavirus already having disrupted multiple teams’ seasons, commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly warned union chief Tony Clark last week that Major League Baseball could shut down the campaign prematurely if clubs don’t follow its protocols. Baseball has continued on since then, though, and Manfred seems confident the league will finish its current season.

The Marlins and Cardinals are well behind schedule because of positive COVID-19 tests, though Manfred told ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers on Wednesday that most of the league’s players have behaved properly under tough circumstances.

“I think the vast majority of our players have done a really good job adhering to what are difficult protocols,” Manfred said. “They’re contrary to the way people normally live their lives.”

As Rogers explains, MLB’s protocols include surgical masks instead of cloth masks and social distancing on airplanes. According to Manfred, the league’s even considering a way to “spread” relief pitchers out in teams’ bullpens. With no fans in the stands, Manfred suggested some relievers could sit there.

Moreover, the Manfred-led league sent its 30 teams “severe, revised protocol measures” on Wednesday that say it could suspend players or staff members if they’re guilty of “repeated or flagrant violations,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Nightengale details those measures in his piece, but in short, the league’s hammering home the importance of wearing face coverings, socially distancing from one another and limiting travel to essential personnel.

“The behavior of every covered individual affects the players and staff on his or her team, and on other clubs as well,” the league said in a memo to its clubs.

Latest On Simmons, Ohtani

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Angels skipper Joe Maddon provided an update on the injury situations of shortstop Andrelton Simmons and starter/DH Shohei Ohtani. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times was among those to cover the chat (Twitter links).

In the case of Simmons, who is nursing an ankle injury, he’s not going to be activated as soon as eligible. Fortunately, it isn’t as serious as the one he suffered last year, but there’s still some healing left to be done.

Simmons is “still pretty sore,” Maddon explains, and will likely not be back in the “real immediate future.” Maddon continued: “From what I read today, it’s progressing but not as quickly as it could.”

Meanwhile, tantalizing talent Shohei Ohtani is expected to be back in lineup tomorrow. That’s a consoling development after the recent news that he’ll be sidelined from mound work for the foreseeable future after suffering a forearm injury.

Ohtani, who didn’t pitch last year due to Tommy John surgery, spoke to media members including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter link) this evening. The injury isn’t that severe, by Ohtani’s reckoning, which at least seems to indicate he’s not at risk of another procedure.

When asked about the possibility of ultimately focusing only on one side of the game, Ohtani said he’d rather keep trying to do both. At the same time, he indicated he’d be open to considering that possibility if the team made such a request. It seems unlikely at this point that the Halos would forgo a chance to see Ohtani reemerge on the mound.

Max Scherzer Departs Early With Hamstring Injury

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7:59pm: Thankfully, Scherzer is not dealing with an arm issue. He says he has a hamstring issue that flared up during the game, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to cover on Twitter.

5:32pm: The Nationals pulled ace Max Scherzer from tonight’s game after one inning. It’s not yet clear what drove the decision.

Scherzer had a bit of a rough frame, throwing 27 pitches and allowing one run. He had exhibited lower-nineties velocity — not necessarily a bright red flag in its own right, but a step down from his typical heat.

This is a developing story …

Marlins Sign Brandon Leibrandt

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The Marlins have inked lefty Brandon Leibrandt, Craig Mish of Sports Grid reports on Twitter. He’ll join the organization’s 60-man player pool.

There’s little doubt the deal is of the minor-league variety. Liebrandt, son of Charlie, comes aboard after participating in the Somerset Professional Baseball Series staged by the indy ball Somerset Patriots.

The 27-year-old Leibrandt, a former sixth-round pick, turned in a sterling 1.42 ERA over 50 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2018. Despite recording only 32 strikeouts, he also limited opposing hitters to ten walks and just a single long ball.

Unfortunately, Leibrandt ended up requiring Tommy John surgery and was sidelined for all of the 2019 season. He had not returned to the affiliated ranks until this move to join the Miami organization.

Rockies Add Brian Serven To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Rockies have added catcher Brian Serven to the 60-man player pool, per a team announcement. He’d still need to be added to the 40-man roster in order to be brought onto the active roster.

Serven, 25, was taken in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He had a rough offensive season in 2019, turning in a .202/.286/.364 slash in 276 Double-A plate appearances. The organization is obviously still holding out hope that his abilities at the plate will catch up to his skill behind it.

Royals Outright Oscar Hernandez, Place Starling & Sparkman On IL

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The Royals have announced a series of roster moves. Backstop Oscar Hernandez was outrighted after clearing waivers.

In other moves, the team has sent outfielder Bubba Starling and righty Glenn Sparkman to the injured list. The latter is dealing with a forearm strain. To replace them, catcher Meibrys Viloria and righty Scott Blewett were called up to the active roster.

Hernandez will report to the Royals’ alternate training site. The 27-year-old has seen minimal MLB action in three of the past four seasons. He’ll remain a depth option for the club.

It’s not yet fully clear what kind of absences are anticipated from Starling and Sparkman. The former has continued to struggle at the plate with limited opportunities. The latter has allowed three earned runs on nine hits in his five innings on the season.

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