Guardians righty Nick Sandlin departed yesterday’s win over the Rays with right upper arm tightness, reported by Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal. Sandlin has a small history of shoulder problems, missing the last month of the 2021 season with a right shoulder strain, but it is unclear of the exact nature of his new ailment.
Sandlin, playing in his second major league season, improved upon his strong rookie season (2.94 ERA in 33 2/3 innings) and pitched to a robust 2.25 ERA in 46 appearances this season, allowing only 2 homers in 44 innings pitched. He has been particularly tough on right-handed hitters, holding them to a measly .149/.265/.238 line.
With the Guardians earning a trip to the ALDS following their two-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, Sandlin will have two days to recover before facing the New York Yankees. If he is unable to return to the field, right-handed Aaron Civale, a notable omission from the Wild Card roster, is a possible candidate to replace him on the postseason roster.
In other Wild Card series injury news, Blue Jays outfielder George Springer was carted off the field in yesterday’s game following a collision with shortstop Bo Bichette in the eighth inning. Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider said in his postgame conference that the All-Star center fielder, who signed a six-year, $150MM contract with the Jays prior to the 2021 season, was “doing ok” and that Springer was going to “be evaluated for a couple of different things,” per Julia Kreuz of MLB.com. Schneider followed up by saying that the team would know more about Springer’s injury in the next few days.
Springer has had another successful year, slashing .267/.342/.472 en route to his fourth All-Star game appearance while playing slightly above average defense in center, earning one Outs Above Average. With the Jays ending their 2022 season following yesterday’s defeat to the Mariners, Springer will have a few months to recover before the start of the 2023 season.
Geroge Springer
If I got his name in Scrabble, I could spell the word groggeries. A sign that at some point in his career he’ll end up with the Brewers.
I could see the Jays paying down his contract and offloading it to some club in another year.
Probably 2.
Yeh, if .267 with slightly above average defense is considered another “successful year” given the money this guy is making then this “all star” than the league truly is watered down……his all star years ended in 2019.
We are going into next year with Springer, like it or not. I don’t think he’s been fully healthy at all with TO and hasn’t been that bad.
He’s probably shifting over to LF next year after Gurriel gets traded. If he can stay healthy he should have 2 more good years left in his bat. The 3rd will probably be DH only in a best case scenario
There’s no easy path in FA to fix the OF, no LHH OF worth paying and Judge will break the bank before they can pay Guerrero/Bo/Manoah
Bauer (iffy) Rodon and Syndergaard are the only SP worth giving a deal to SP wise to replace Stripling who’s probably priced himself out of TO. (The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t?)
Stripling isn’t going to get a starters contract from TO, will probably be seeking one from someone else (and deserved) after his year this year.
Diaz and Chapman are the only real RP options that would fit what they need in FA.
I dont see the Jays risking big on any of those FA plays, so expect the likes of Gurriel Kirk Biggio and the rest of the farm system to be traded away to shake things up
That’s still a .267 with 25 home runs out of center field. I don’t think Springer will ever be his 2019 self when he had an OPS approaching 1.000 and on pace for over 40 home runs in 600 PA’s, but I think he’s more of a .850 batter. Of course, anyone would take an outfielder with an .850 OPS and 25-30 home runs with decent defense, but Springer has had constant injury concerns since 2019.
He put up 4 War with an .800 ops while obviously playing I hired for the majority of they year. What world is that not good? Stating a batting average provides zero context to your argument.
His 4.2 fWAR puts him 10th among all outfielders. That’s more impressive when he did it in only 133 games.
Injured*
I personally don’t see a team taking a chance on Bauer. He can probably still pitch. But any team that signs him opens up a PR nightmare. But who knows?
First I hope Springer is OK never like to see a guy get hurt.
I want to ask a serious question do you feel Munoz threw at Anyone on purpose especially at Winfield’s head? The game was tight when Whitfield got hit no reason to give a free base at that time. Seattle has also not played that type of play all year.
The team that had that huge comeback is the team I and all Ms fans have been watching a few weeks before the AS break. I was nervous but never lost hope I knew they had it in them. I say that to honestly tell you it wasn’t a fluke. This team thrives on playing behind.
I know Bluejay fans might disagree but it was a fun series. This three game series is great I hope they keep it. It does suck the one team doesn’t get a home game but it gives the team that finished higher in the standings they earned it. I hope there is not some hangover bitterness especially with Whitfield. If you think about it it made no sense to hit him and really not in the head.
Next years games will be fun it is always a full house here with your BC fans coming across the border. Will not be as many because more home team tickets will be sold. Here is looking to a fun series next year.
The Jays need to get Springer out of center field. Dangle a package around Guerriel and see if they can get somebody half decent to take over there.
In hindsight, I wonder if they should have put in JBJ when Merrifield went out, since they already had a sizable lead.
Putting in Tapia left them with below average fielders in both LF and CF.
skydome is a hitters park, especially during the playoffs.
In hindsight, it should have been springer’s ball to catch depending on his range. though I didn’t see any arm calling motion from springer. Bichette had his arm extended. verbally calling for it in a noisy stadium is a non starter.
I feel like you could land a pretty good starter with a package of Gurriel and one of their catchers. I’ve believed for a while one of Teoscar or Lourdes had to go after this season, and the playoffs just proved who should stay. Hernandez stepped up big time, and Gurriel was too soft to even play. Replace him with a lefty bat next season.
Yea
Gurriel is as good as gone.
Moreno or Kirk (preferably kirk) are also gone
Bellinger would look nice as a LHH in this lineup, I know he’s been poor since his surgery. But you don’t just decline that fast from MVP caliber. Stick him in front of Vlad. Get him non stop fastballs in the zone.
We certainly have peices others want, we still have a decent farm to trade from.
A BIG trade is needed though. At least 1 SP who can give Manoah a run at the #1 spot. At least 1, 100 mph releiver to come in those high leverage spots and the LHH OF
Gurriel, Biggio, Kirk or Moreno, and Orelvis should all be on the table
Tieddeman is off limits, he’s the only one I think has a spot going forward as a LH starter
I don’t know that one year of Gurriel is going to get you a CF of any consequence. Seems like any team with a guy worthy of playing CF regularly wouldn’t subtract that for a LF. I think Nimmo would make all kinds of sense short term, but he’s probably not a CF for the duration of his next contract either. His offensive profile is exactly what the team needs though. Bryan Reynolds? Pirates want a lot but the Jays can’t let Moreno depreciate if they are invested in Kirk as their catcher. Moreno could go a long way there. Although they could move Kirk too if they don’t think he can catch a bigger workload given that it increasingly looks like Springer is headed for more DH time. Can’t really have multiple primary DHs and still have the day to day flexibility you’d like to have.
I guess the first thing is just hoping Springer is okay. Head injuries are scary and have so many different possible symptoms and recovery times. So many angry Blue Jays fans last night and today that it has overwhelmed any sentiment of concern for Springer.
At this point. I’d be talking to Pittsburgh about Reynolds. He fits the need.
I feel like BC would want Moreno over Kirk. Considering the pedigree and age. Not that Kirk is old lol.
If Moreno is going. It’s going to be a bigger trade than 1 for 1. But I don’t see anything of Pittsburgh that’s realistic to trade with him. The available RP and SP Pittsburgh has isn’t what the Jays need.
Reynolds for Martinez and Biggio? Probably not enough
And as for Springer’s health. I hope he is ok. I hope nothing serious happened and his health matters before caring about his contract etc.
But im not seeing an overwhelming amount of Jays fans unconcerned. It’s not fair to say they are
1. Reynolds is not really a CF. He belongs in a corner.
2. Two of the Pirates top prospects are catchers. One they took with the #1 pick in the draft. They’re not trading Reynolds for yet another catcher.
3. Because a CF and SS had a miscommunication on a play is not a reason to be a reactionary and not address the issues. The issue is that the Jays blew a large lead. Their pitching is great in spots, but weak elsewhere – both starting and relieving. Their hitters are mashers, they don’t do much situational hitting…..easy to defend. Their defense is uneven.
4. Their roster construction is a Mark Shapiro / stats /rotisserie league thing thing that most posters here project on all teams – get some stars in places, then fill in the other stuff. Well, it takes 26 players on a roster to win in today’s MLB. The other guys have to pitch, hit, field, run the bases, and make plays at times.
You must be kidding, right? Biggio has no trade value. Zero. None. Every team already has one or two journeymen.
Samuel, thanks for that input. Further to your comments.
1. Reynolds has been good in CF in previous years and seems athletic enough. Reads and jump seem to be the weak spot. Do you not see improvement possible there? Especially if he can make up for it with other athletic traits. Most true defensive CF aren’t really everyday in the lineup quality guys. I’m just looking for passable at the position while addressing a lineup need.
2. I was under the impression those catchers had questions about their ultimate defensive home. They aren’t ready now and a team needs two catchers anyway. It’s especially nice if your backup catcher plays other positions like the Pirates’ prospects do.
3. Their offense really needs some balance as you say they are easy to defend. That’s why I suggested exploring a LH CF like Nimmo or Reynolds. CF is the one place around the diamond they could add that.
4. I think Shapiro has transferred a lot of the baseball operations stuff to Atkins and the big front office they have. Shapiro is more CEO than President of Baseball Operations I think. Someone asked him about Schneider’s candidacy for manager longer term and he gave a pretty exasperated answer saying it was a question for Ross. Maybe he meddles more than he pretends to, but he does seem to be more focused on building the business of the Blue Jays than the roster of it.
KamKid;
1. The Jays didn’t lose because of the play in CF. They lost because they gave up 4 runs in the 6th inning and had one run in and 3 guys on base in the 8th inning when that happened.
You want to improve CF, fine. The Jays were screwing round with that all season in 2022. Currently there’s a shortage of quality CF’s.
2. I’ve watch Reynolds a bit. It’s not just his reads and jumps (want to see a great first step? Watch Mullins of the O’s). His arm is not just weak for CF, half the time I don’t know where he’s throwing the ball. He misses the bases and the cut-off man. I can’t figure out if he’s unaware of the game situation or his arm is inaccurate. I will say that I’ve seen numerous SF’s to short CF with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs expecting a close play at the plate – only to see Reynolds throw it 10-15 feet up the 1st or 3rd base line or far into foul territory.
He belongs in LF. That’s what Pirates fans wrote last year. I watched in 2022 and they’re correct. Furthermore, I think 2021 may have been a bit of a fluke offensively. I believe Reynolds will be in MLB for at least the next 7 years. But the idea that he’ll be an upper-level / yearly All-Star may not be in the cards. We’ll see. Fact is that the Pirates should have traded him after the 2021 season, and his value has dropped this year.
Thanks for the notes on Reynolds.
I’m aware they didn’t lose because of the CF play. They lost because they didn’t win the division and were playing in sideshow coin flip short series. And I’m fine with Springer’s ability in CF. But mostly, I would like Springer to be able to have another decent year or two in the lineup and it sure seems like that’s less likely if he continues to play a lot of CF. I think you at least need a part time CF that you are willing to give plate appearances to (unlike Bradley Zimmer who played almost 100 games but had fewer plate appearances than games played). Mostly for me it’s not really even about improving CF so much as addressing the team’s biggest weakness which is a lack of lineup diversity and performance in leverage. Maybe you get a corner guy or a 2B. It seems cleaner just to get that in a CF who could add a different look/strength to the lineup while also facilitating a healthier season from Springer.
I know you can’t always judge a player based on the performance of others, but Springer will be entering the third year of a free agent contract signed in his thirties. I can’t think of many other multi year 30 something outfielder contracts that continued to provide value beyond the first year or two. Upton, Cespedes, Fowler, Cain. Maybe Springer will break that trend, but I kind of think if he’s going to, they’ll need to manage his health.
CF isn’t the issue with this team, it’s our bullpen. You need a bullpen ace! Ross Atkins never invested in the backend of our pen and it desperately needs two high quality arms.
scissormetimbers;
Bullpen pitching is the most volatile component of a MLB team. You don’t “invest” in them – most guys that are very good one year don’t do it the next. It’s hard to find a quality closer and at least 3 consistent set-up guys each year….and then you need to run out another 5-7 other guys during the season as they blow games and are moved off and back on the roster.
Teams like like the Guardians, Astros, Dodgers, etc. that always seem to have strong bullpens develop their bullpen each year – including picking up guys from their farm system, that were DFA’ed, and found in the Rule 5 draft and working with them.
Am not impressed with the Jays pitching coaches.
Springer was about to make the catch of the year before sub-par-fielder Bichette got in the way.
Civale was left off because they only needed 3 starters against TB, and he was #4. They planned to use Plesac (#5 starter) in relief if they needed a long reliever. Francona said they felt Plesac was more suited to relief, and they planned to use Civale as a starter against the Yankees if they advanced. Civale started the last regular season game so they could keep him stretched out.
Exactly. The plan was always for Civale to be on the ALDS roster.
The question now is whether they want to hold onto their last position player (Bo Naylor), or do they want to replace Sandlin with a reliever (likely Cody Morris)?
Wouldn’t be surprised if Bichette has forearm surgery from the collision with Springer. Basically closed lined him. Looked like he was trying to shake it off after.
Springer, Buxton, Mondesi all walk into a bar. Who is the first one to get hurt lifting his mug?
The correct answer is Mitch Haniger, who hurt his nut(s) just sitting on the bar stool.
Roman Quinn or Brendan McKay
Nate Pearson would get injured during the ID check
Kris Bryant got hurt just reading this.
Ryu read this and now needs Tommy John surgery on his other arm from laughing
Someone doesn’t know how to use apostrophes for possessives…
At first glance (real time), it appeared to me as though Bichette may have kneed Springer in the head. Looked nasty. Then, the slow motion replays showed Bichette’s inside forearm hitting Springer across the top of the head. Springer seemed a bit too injured for that type of contact.
I’ll never poke fun at an injury, and I don’t typically question them, but that just didn’t seem to warrant Springer almost losing consciousness, or not being able to stand under his own power after several minutes. I wondered why Bichette didn’t run right over to Springer, but the replay seemed to confirm why – I don’t believe Bichette thought Springer could’ve been that hurt either. It looked like he just got sucker punched by Mike Tyson of old.
Either way, I hope the guy is okay. Perhaps it’s just another freak injury or whatever. Weird though.
Obviously you have never seen the damage caused by one of wrestlings all time greats.. “Iron” Mike Sharpe. Who coincidentally is Canada’s greatest athlete.
George Springer barely bumped the wall and he acted like a truck hit him.
I’ve been saying the Jays will lose if they have to play baseball.
They lost when I was traded.
I’ll never know whey Randal Grichuk didn’t end up in Milwaukee. Almost every pitcher the Brewers have is an upgrade in Toronto and everyone knows the Brewers needed a CF.