Mike Minor is finally set for his 2022 debut, as Reds manager David Bell told reporters that the veteran southpaw is scheduled to start Cincinnati’s game on Friday against the Nationals. Acquired in a trade with the Royals in March, Minor developed some shoulder issues during Spring Training and then had a setback in his rehab process in April. However, with four outings completed in his rehab assignment, Minor is ready to take the hill and participate in what will be his 11th Major League season.
More injury updates from around the NL Central…
- Brandon Woodruff left Friday’s game prior to the fifth inning due to right ankle irritation, though both Woodruff and Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that the problem may not be serious enough to keep the right-hander from making his next start on Wednesday. With Freddy Peralta already on the injured list and the rotation further stretched by a doubleheader on Monday, losing Woodruff for even one outing would be a setback for the Brewers, though the club obviously isn’t going to risk pushing the right-hander if he isn’t ready.
- Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki suffered a sprained left ring finger in Thursday’s game, which kept him out of the lineup yesterday. It isn’t yet clear whether or not Suzuki will require a visit to the 10-day IL, as Suzuki indicated to reporters (including NBC Sports’ Gordon Wittenmyer) that his finger was feeling only a little better. Suzuki has a solid .245/.344/.432 slash line in his first 163 MLB plate appearances, though he has cooled off considerably after a great start.
- The Cubs are also monitoring Wade Miley, whose start yesterday was scratched due to shoulder soreness. There is some hope Miley will be able to start one of the games in Monday’s doubleheader, but that will depend on how he fares after a long-toss session today. Miley has only made three starts this season, as some elbow inflammation arose during Spring Training and delayed his Chicago debut until May 10.
- Tyler O’Neill received a cortisone shot in his right shoulder after additional testing revealed some fluid buildup, the Cardinals outfielder told reporters (including Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat). O’Neill has been on the 10-day IL since May 20 due to a shoulder impingement, and after some rest, he hopes to begin a rehab assignment sometime this week. After what appeared to be a breakout 2021 season, O’Neill has slumped out of the gate this year, slashing just .195/.256/.297 over 133 plate appearances.
Brewers and Cardinals going down against the Cubs this week….haha, wouldn’t that be funny?!
Tyler O’Neill might be the most disappointing player in MLB this season. Except for his 34% K rate, 2021 was an excellent season for O’Neill and he looked like he would become a regular All-Star player for the next few seasons but this year, he has been atrocious. He still has time to turn his season (and career) around ,but he looks completely lost at the plate. I’m not a Cardinals fan but I like to see talented players do well so I feel for the guy.
Those K rates always come around to haunt a player
He will be fine once his shoulder is healthy. This is what happens when players try and play with an injury.
He’s been hurt the whole time. When Ton comes back healthy, the Cards are going to roll.
Linda Kaye Henning will be glad to get Mike Minor out of the house.
But maybe he’ll sing to the batter.
Nelson Velasquez is getting called up today. Probably with spot open from Wade Miley going to the IL. Should be fun to watch. Christopher Morel has been a breath of fresh air for the cubs.
Velasquez is hitting .214 in Iowa.
Don’t know what to tell you man. It’s probably for 27th man for a doubleheader later this week.
Suzuki still banged up too.
That’s a good reason to do it too. It’s probably early for him but I hope he succeeds like Christopher Morel has early on.
With the way Suzuki came out of the gates, I thought the Cubs had another Ichiro on their hands (offensively). He has definitely come back down to earth now that teams have MLB game tape on him, but I do see Suzuki heating up again after he makes the necessary adjustments at the plate. He should be close to a .300 in MLB once he figures everything out. The one thing he desperately needs to get there is more protection in the Cubs lineup. The Cubs really don’t have the offensive ‘stars’ needed to protect him at the plate, so most teams can afford to pitch around Suzuki right now and hope that he chases some bad pitches.
Pretty optimistic. What evidence leads you to think he’ll be a .300 hitter? Power hitting .300 average is not very common nowadays.
As always, we await developments.
.300 hitter???? Not with that k rate….
33.7% k rate
Reds front office: Hey, let’s trade from this gray haired guy…
.245 is solid nowadays ? Lol ⚾️ how standards have fallen