A few injury-related items from around the majors…
- The Angels are shutting down infielder Franklin Barreto for four to six weeks because of elbow inflammation, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com relays. It’s yet another disappointing development for the 25-year-old Barreto, a former top 100 prospect who hasn’t matched the hype in the pros. Barreto, who’s out of minor league options, joined the Angels last summer in a trade that sent second baseman Tommy La Stella to the Athletics. He collected just two hits in 18 plate appearances with the Halos after that deal. Barreto’s injury means the Angels will likely open the season with Luis Rengifo in a utility role, Bollinger notes.
- Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin has dealt with a back issue since last week, but it doesn’t look as if it will keep him from making his first start of the regular season. Eflin will throw a simulated game Wednesday and then appear in a Grapefruit League game next Monday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports. While Eflin’s pitch count might be somewhat limited in early April, he’s still on track to be part of the Phillies’ rotation at the outset of the season. Eflin enjoyed a career year last season with 59 innings of 3.97 ERA/3.50 SIERA pitching and a tremendous strikeout-walk percentage of 22.4.
- Righty Julio Teheran exited his appearance Monday with back tightness, according to an announcement from the Tigers. The injury doesn’t seem serious, but it’s notable because Teheran is pushing for a spot in the Tigers’ rotation after signing a minor league contract in free agency. Detroit has to make a decision on Teheran’s status this week, as his deal includes an opt-out clause. As of now, the former Brave and Angel is “likely” to wind up on their roster, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
- Giants lefty Alex Wood threw a bullpen session Monday and “felt really good,” Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Wood, who underwent an ablation procedure on his spine earlier this month, will throw a live bullpen later in the week, per Pavlovic. It’s unclear whether he’ll be ready for Opening Day. The Giants signed the ex-Brave, Red and Dodger to a one-year, $3MM guarantee during the offseason.
Adell is the next Baretto…
Cool.. and??? Troll much
That’s a good one Adell 1.5 seasons of development and is 21 years old. Barretto is 25 years old with 8 years of development
I’m secretly hoping Wood doesn’t start the season healthy because Logan Webb would be in line for a rotation spot. He’s been nasty this spring (though if it were up to me, Webb would replace Aaron Sanchez in the rotation)
Baseball 1600:
Well I guess it’s not a secret anymore.
Not sure I get your logic in hoping that a guy isn’t healthy so another guy will get a spot in the rotation. Seems to me that having everyone healthy, with the guys that are throwing the best getting the spots, is far more preferable for the team.
Plus, given the innings limits that will be imposed on pitchers going into a full season, after last season’s truncated one, there will be plenty of starts and innings for all the pitchers. Logan Webb will get his starts and innings even if Wood is healthy all season long.
i don’t think Wood’s starting the season in the pen regardless.
whoops messed that up. i believe he is starting the season in the pen.
Maybe Ohtani can be the utility infielder too. He can do everything.
Well, except stay healthy to be on the field but he sure has looked good this spring.
I think it’s silly he’s batting and hitting, somehow my inclination he’d be injured played out much sooner than expected. I get strong Robert Griffin lll vibes, unsustainable production.
Morever, they should have him either batting or pitching full time.
Exactly. Hitting. He has a lot of power.
It’s not like Ohtani is playing a position. He pitches, takes a day off, then he’s the DH.
He was having arm problems when he joined the Angels (and probably before). Now, he has that fixed, and hopefully we can really see what he can do, both piching and hitting.
This is under mentioned. He came over with a slight tear and he finally fixed it and recovered it. Ya’ll gripping your pearls claiming “he shouldn’t do both” would be the same people saying “quarterbacks should throw! They get plenty of yards on the run” in 1950. You’re watching the evolution of peak athleticism and the upside for the future best athletes in the sport far dwarf the downside of this world. Enjoy it instead of acting like Woody Allen (the neuroticism not the step-daughter stuff).
Ohtani throws the ball over 100 mph per hour and might have the most unhitable pitch in baseball. And his first two years playing he was one of the 20 best hitters in baseball. It would would be foolish to give either up. He’s unique.
Since their is is no data supporting the viability of a two way player with this kind of talent, no one can form a knowledgeable opinion. Just a feeling.
I say let it play out and enjoy it. You won’t ever see it again.
Could be. I was just thinking the Angels might want some ROI. So far very little.
Kevin’s, you were thinking? Have you ever started thinking?
Return on investment? He was Rookie of the year in 2018 and was in the top 20 in wRC+ combined for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. You people are nuts.
He had an arm tear and some birth defect with his patellar tendon. His legs were simply not under him last year.
If he breaks down this year, after getting everything fixed, I’ll change my tune. As of now, I’m hoping to see history.
If you’ve ever played golf you know how easy it is to tweak something swinging for the fences. Similarly I think that it’s just too much on the body not getting proper rest and recovery from pitching then going and and hitting.
At this rate it’s not like we’re seeing him anyway.
We are now using a golf analogy to explain why Ohtani can’t do it?
Can he do it? Don’t know, but I should have fun watching him try.
Watch Joe burn his arm out by May. He’s either a quick hook or leaves the guy out to die. Pitch count 65 in the sixth inning and Angels up 2-0. A man gets on he will pull the starter. If the starter is getting hammered (already given up five runs) and has thrown 75 pitches thru 2 2/3 leave him in save the bullpen.
Correct.
Rengifo is playing well. This is fine.
It does appear Barreto has shortened his swing a bit. His hands look a little lower and closer to his body. He’s looked pretty good this Spring.
HalosHeavenJJ8 hours ago
Rengifo is playing well. He’s looked pretty good this Spring.
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He has an 8/1 K/W No one survives with an 8/1.
its 2021. everyone strikes out and very few take walks.
He’s a bench piece. Didn’t realize it was that bad, but he rarely walks.
Defense looks good, he’s making decent contact
I’m not a big fan of Rengifo because he’s a loud baseball player. Nothing he does is smooth or quiet.
Hadn’t considered that. Everything is kind of chaotic with him.
He’s slimmed down and is moving well. For a utility guy, he’s fine in my book. No Maicer Izturis, but who is?
Joe. Adell has 6 walks and 6 strikeouts. Can you glean anything from that. He’s a utility infielder, catch the ball. Anything other than that is a bonus.
IRT Adell, it is a great sign. I would still leave him in AAA to prove he can hit, but it is a solid step forward.
But IRT Barreto, even as a UIF, you still need to do more than just catch a ball. Over the past three seasons, he strikes out almost half the time he comes to the plate. For $2M, you can actually get someone that can actually hit the ball.
I don’t know if he has options left, but he belongs in AAA learning how to hit.
Tehran should go pitch for the Rockies. The home run derby that would happen would be exciting to watch
You obviously haven’t watched him pitch this spring, he is one of the best arms Detroit has atm. Of course that’s more of an indictment on them, but he looks good.
Teheran, imo, is one of BB’s most underrated pitchers. In the 7 years between 2013-2019, he has a ERA+ of 111, and averaged 191 innings.
i get he was probably not fun to watch for Braves fans, but id have to imagine any team with him as the #5 in his prime was set up well.
Joe, can you throw out 2020 because he had Covid? If he pitches ok this year, I think you can
Throw out an entire season because he tested “positive” for Covid? Get out of here!
An “entire season” implies 162 games. Putting a 60-game season in it’s proper context is not throwing out an entire season. 2020
shouldn’t be ignored, but it shouldn’t carry the weight of a full season either.
I don’t know how to apply the Covid factor to 2020. I’m amazed so many people think they do.
The problem for Teheran in my opinion, was that he was expected to be the #1 and face off against every other team’s ace. Let him be the #4 or 5 and face the Sunday (off day for regulars) lineups. If he can give you 175 innings of 4.00 era out of the 5 spot, his numbers should look better than most #5’s.
I think the Angels expected him to be a number four or five and give innings with a mid four ERA. That’s what I expected.
Nobody who knows the game expected Teheran to be the #1 for the Angels staff last season. He was nothing more than a lottery ticket, a chance to buy low and maybe get a mid-level starter for cheap.
I pretty much expected Quintana to have the kind of season I expected Teheran to have.
If Q can keep his ERA within jogging distance of 4.0, and take the mound every six days, he’ll be of value.
As a RS fan, I was hoping we’d sign him. Referring back to Darkside’s comments, I think part of this is expectation management. If you’re expecting him to be a #2, you’ll be disappointed.
OTOH, if you have a good 1-4, then having a #5 supply a 4.50 with 175 IPs, at a cheap price, is pure gold.
FWIW, I am seldom impressed with Detroit’s moves, but signing Teheran as a NRI, imo, is pure gold. I know it is only ST, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he got traded real early.
Halo11Fan:
It is difficult since, in normal seasons, most players don’t play to a consistent level all season long. There are plenty of guys that have had good seasons, but their first 2 months weren’t, and their last 4 were.
In general I think 2020 carries about a 40% or less validity in pure stats. But again remembering the caveat of the 2 month/4 month example, their career stats need to be factored in. What I mean is, a guy who has had a good career, but a substandard 2020, is probably better than his 2020 stats, and vice versa for someone whose best season was 2020.
Still, I wouldn’t declare anything as a sure thing based on how weird 2020 was. Maybe that guy that had his best career in 2020 is also entering his prime. So I agree, people that think they know the real affects of the COVID season, probably don’t.
Morgan. It was about a month, not really an entire season and you or I don’t have any idea how much it might have affected him.
I continue to be amazed how so many people are comfortable basing conclusion on data obtained from unprecedented times.
From my point of view, it’s not only ignorant, it’s arrogant. I’m not that smart, and I’m pretty sure no one here is either.
Teheran was a guy who out performed his peripherals for a long time. At some point he was going to have a bad year. Add in a positive Covid test, the likely loss of strength and a short season and you have no idea what he’ll look like in 2021.
Whomever wins the offseason..,