The Twins are surely breathing a sigh of relief, announcing to reporters Thursday that an MRI revealed right-hander Tyler Mahle’s shoulder to be structurally sound. Mahle, acquired from the Reds in exchange for three prospects earlier this month, exited yesterday’s start after just 2 1/3 innings due to shoulder fatigue. That was of particular concern, given that he also missed time in July with what was termed by the Reds as a “minor'” shoulder strain. For the time being, there are no plans to place Mahle on the 15-day injured list, though it’s not yet clear whether his next start will be pushed back at all.
Mahle’s Wednesday start saw his fastball clocking in around four miles per hour shy of his typical 93.4 mph average, so there’s still some obvious concern, but the absence of a tear or any structural issues is about the best news for which the Twins could have hoped. In 14 1/3 innings as a Twin, Mahle has pitched to a 2.51 ERA with a 23.1% strikeout rate and a 7.7% walk rate. Mahle, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy are in line to make the majority of the Twins’ starts down the stretch, though they’re expecting right-hander Bailey Ober back in September and just this week promoted prospect Simeon Woods Richardson from Double-A to Triple-A.
Some more injury scenarios of note from around the league…
- As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Tigers, manager A.J. Hinch announced this week that outfielder Austin Meadows has once again been pulled from a rehab assignment (link via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). Meadows first hit the injured list back in mid-May due to vertigo-like symptoms and returned a bit less than a month later. That return lasted only eight games, however, before he was placed on the Covid-related injured list. Just as Meadows was getting ready to head out on a rehab assignment, he was transferred to the 10-day injured list owing to the bizarre diagnosis of an Achilles strain in both legs. This now marks the second time that Meadows has had a rehab assignment for this injury halted. Hinch’s only update was that Meadows was headed to Detroit for reevaluation and that the Tigers still have hope he can return in 2022. It’s been a nightmare of a season for Meadows, who has been limited to just 147 plate appearances and seen his power disappear: .250/.347/.328.
- Mets righty Taijuan Walker left his most recent start due to back spasms, with an MRI revealing a slight disc bulge in his lower back, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. However, it’s possible he could make his next scheduled start on Sunday. Walker tells DiComo that he is “shocked” to be feeling so good so soon after experiencing “the worst pain I ever felt.” Although he’s feeling better, he still won’t take the mound on Sunday unless he’s feeling 100 percent, per DiComo. If he is indeed recovered, it would be a tremendous gift for the Mets, given the current pressures on their rotation. With Carlos Carrasco recently landing on the IL and the Mets having a doubleheader on Saturday, having to make it through Sunday without Walker would certainly be a challenge. How his back responds over the next few days will determine if the club can avoid that tricky scenario.
- Padres reliever Pierce Johnson is heading out on a rehab assignment, tweets Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Johnson had an excellent season for San Diego a year ago, throwing 58 2/3 innings with a 3.22 ERA and 31.6% strikeout rate. The Friars held a $3MM club option over Johnson’s services for this year, which they exercised based on that strong showing last season. Unfortunately, Johnson landed on the IL in April due to elbow tendinitis. He’s yet to return, meaning he’s only been able to get into six games this year. After a layoff of about four months, it seems he’s healthy enough to get back into game shape. Once he’s ready to return to the big league club, he should give the bullpen a boost for the final few weeks of the season.
At this point just put Meadows in the iron lung.
Rays absolutely fleeced the tigers in that deal
Al Avila got fleeced in most deals he made.
It’s still surprising they traded paredes. He’s only 23! If he gets a more at bats, I believe he can be around a .270 hitter, and couple that with his k/bb numbers he can be a solid everyday player.
His babip is crazy low, but his expected is also low. The guy hits the ball pretty hard, just on the ground too often and too many iff this year. But, again, he’s only 23!
Its a little early to say one team won the trade when both teams still have the players for several years. I say the trade favors the Rays at this point, but should Meadows hit .280 with 30 hrs and 100 FBI next year, that could change quickly.
3B Nick Quintana, the prospect traded for Tucker Barnhart, is doing well in AA. I bet he sees AAA next year and MLB in 2024. Just saying
Meadows will need to out produce Paredes by about 2 fwar next year just to break even. He’s had exactly 1 season where he produced above 2 fwar.
Paredes is still the same .218 hitter he was with the Tigers
Might have the same BA, but has a .450 slugging percentage and 15 more extra base hits than he did with the Tigers in only 63 more plate appearances.
Too late. He’s already in the HOF.
21-Or so said many of the posters on this site in 2019.
Of the four players involved in the 2018 Chris Archer trade the only one to have a decent year in 2022 is,well Chris Archer.
Ok, so if you just ignore all of the time between the trade and now, then it doesn’t look awful? Cool story. Chris Archer provided 1.5 fWAR for PIT.
Meadows has out produced Archer, by himself.
Glasnow has outproduced Archer, by himself.
Shane Baz is one of the best pitching prospects in MLB.
I didn’t Say that nor even imply it.
But it is not clearly going to be one of the worst trades of all time.
Were you one who said that three years ago?
Certainly seem to imply it. If not, what’s the point of your post and that addition?
As far as worst trades, no definitely not. You can call me biased and I probably am, but I don’t think any of the modern trades will go down as the worst ever because there is a more homogeneous valuation of prospects and players across the league now compared to many past eras.
None of them are out producing anybody. They’re all hurt.
Bag- No,you only thought that I implied it.
Many Pirate fans knew why that trade was made.The Pirates were going for the playoffs in 2018 and had just swept the Brewers in a five game series.They needed a #2 and thought that Archer was him.
My concern was seemingly the gratuitous addition of Baz.
It still could turn out to be an awful trade.
But my frustration with the numerous negative Monday morning quarterbacks who think that they know baseball history was similar to 21’s.
And I found it ironic that for this year at least that the results are not nearly as strong as those Monday morning quarterbacks predicted.
Those are the reasons for my post.
And there still can be very bad trades.This one could turn out to be one of them.But for right now,four years later,not so much.
It is certainly a credit to Archer and the Twins coaching staff that he’s made 20 starts and hasn’t lost 18 of them
The twins still haven’t learned 2 things about MRI… 1 reading it is more art than science. 2: MRIs don’t see newly dead tissue… and if taken too soon or not repeated 3-4 days later they will often miss injuries… and the twins have had an endless list of guys who were diagnosed as ” fine” that are on the DL or lost their careers to bad diagnosis… ask Glen Perkins about why they pitched him with that torn Labrum… thus ending his career… ( Sayno and His broken leg… now his torn knee)… etc…etc…etc…
Meadows, yikes ! Just one of the coffin nails in Al Avila’s firing. On the surface, a no brainer trade. You just lost Greene, and his brother is down on the farm. You have Baez, Schoop, and Candy holding down the infield, with a rookie at first. Meadows at 4 million now becomes Meadows at 8 for 2 years. Add Schoop, and Candy, that’s another 12 million down the drain.
On the plus side is Detroit got a solid 2 year + look at it’s pitching because of all the injuries. Illitch not letting Avila’s team trade anyone beyond the 2, was a great benefit to the incoming management. The new K.C. is the sunshine on this dull season. Watching this kid is fun, and he’s sparked up the gang like Greene did when he came up. Baseball, always has next year.
Austin Meadows does not want to play for the Detroit Tigers. His injuries this year are not measurable. They are solely a player’s “perception”. Vertigo? In a 20-something major league baseball player??? What would Mickey Mantle say? Achilles “issues” with BOTH legs???? No MRI to prove or disprove. Just the player’s “I’m hurt. My legs hurt. Wah…I can’t play.”
He wants the Tigers to non-tender him an arbitration contract. The Tigers are in an awful bind with him. If they sign him to an arbitrated contract (probably several millions) he’ll pull the same thing next year. If they don’t, he goes FA and signs an incentive laced contract with someone like the Cardinals, Braves or Giants and he’ll rake and probably make the same amount of $$$.
Just watch.
Rays will just pick him back up on a cheaper deal and let him rake. Trade made sense on paper, Meadows just doesn’t seem to take great care of himself. Thought he was supposed to be an awesome CF prospect to replace McCutchen and now he’s a DH who can’t stay on the field.
If this isn’t the worst post in the history of this site, it’s definitely on the Mt Rushmore of Horrific Comments.
It’s one thing to attack a player’s ability, but to disparage his good name based on nothing but your hate-filled fantasies, is quite another.
What reasonable human being wouldn’t believe Austin wants to play in Detroit next year for the simple reason he very well could be playing on the same field as his little brother?
Dude, just stop being an internet douche!
You obviously haven’t followed Tiger baseball. 2 weeks into the season you could tell Meadows was checking out. Comerica is a huge park. Lots of area to cover in the OF and hard to hit HR’s.
Meadows has tons of ability.
Just wait. Meadows will soon be shut down. Meadows will not be a Tiger next year. He will be right back there….with someone else in 2023.
You’re acting as if this is the first time Meadows has ever gotten hurt and he’s been as tough as iron in his professional career. He missed a good chunk of 2019 and had two injury list stints in 2020. Even back in MLB Pipleline’s summary about Meadows in 2017 when he was still a Pirates prospect, they included in this in their write-up: “On the one hand, the toolsy outfielder has had trouble staying healthy, with hamstring issues, a broken orbital bone and an oblique injury”. He’s consistently had muscle issues since 2017, so acting like this is the first time he’s suffered a season-long injury is nothing new. In the 8 full professional seasons he’s played, he’s appeared in 100+ games just four times.
I’ll say it again. Vertigo???? VERTIGO????
This is my opinion. I think Meadows gets the punies too often.
“Why…why…I’m a 27 yr. old professional baseball player…and…gee…I’m dizzy. It won’t go away. For weeks. I can’t play….I’m sorry….I’m…I’m dizzy.”
Am I the only fan who has had a horrible opinion about a ballplayer? I have one of Austin Meadows.
You’ve obviously never had vertigo. As a lifelong vertigo haver, let me tell you, when it flares up, it’s a lot more than mere “dizziness.” I doubt Mickey Mantle, your chosen example, would have been a Hall of Famer had he had strong vertigo symptoms every time he stepped to the plate or tried to judge a fly ball. Vertigo isn’t something one can just “suck it up” and play with. Strong enough vertigo makes it so you can hardly see straight.
@warnbeeb. Please read up on the syndrome before making a fool of yourself. With severe vertigo one can’t stand up, nor get out of bed, you can’t sleep, you get nauseous to the point of convulsions. High suicide rates accompany the syndrome.
He has experienced all those symptoms and despite treatment, it continues to make his life a living hell.
It’s nice Meadows managed to avoid hia injury issues for a few years, but they seem to be catching up to him now.
Let Meadows be yet another shining example/cautionary tale that you should not trade with the Rays
Though the Padres trades for Soto, Drury and Bell were meant to boost the anemic offense (and all 3 are underperforming badly since the trade so that hasnt happened), what they needed even as much was help at RP. They’ve blown 15 games when leading or tied from the 8th inning on.
Woeful Hader just replaced woeful Rogers, and the pen remains in a season-long shambles. Hopefully Melvin finds someone to close out games, maybe Suarez, Pierce Johnson, and Pomeranz can help, anyone who can toss a clean inning?
But SOS doesn’t favor Pads to make playoffs, and that would be a monumental fail.
Brew88 Soto is the same top 3 player he’s always been.
What is it about his play you haven’t liked?
“Underperforming badly”?
Soto with the Padres:
.302/.456/453
Such underperforming….
The collective 3 players are underperforming badly. Sorry but that’s just a fact. Soto only slightly (453 slg, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, not top 50 numbers)
Soto done fine . Preller probably is hoping to get help with poms, Johnson, and maybe Castillo . Bell and Drury like the rest of the team besides Soto,Manny,Kim, are slumping and aren’t hitting.
sports.yahoo.com/sleeping-van-overnight-longshorem…
This 50+ yr old longshoreman drives from California to NY, sleeping in a rental van and shoots 64 and makes it into a Senior Tour event.
And 27 yr old Austin Meadows is dizzy.
Did your wife cheat on you with a guy with vertigo or something? Why the Meadows hate?
Because I love my Tigers and this guy has checked out. Please tell me if any other MLB player has been out for months because of vertigo in say….the last 20 years.
Yeah, you get hit in the head and have a concussion. Did Meadows get hit in the head? No.
Did Meadows try out to become an astronaut? Did he get on a merry-go-round and forget to get off…for a month?
Vertigo…sheesh.
I’m hoping he reads these threads and realizes there’s at least one baseball fan who sees through his charade.
@ warnbeeb. Here you go: di-vertigo.com/5-athletes-who-suffer-from-vertigo/