As the second month of the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Verlander’s Mets debut:
Reigning AL Cy Young award winner and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is set to be activated from the injured list ahead of this afternoon’s game against the Tigers. Verlander signed with the Mets on a two-year deal ahead of his age-40 season, replacing longtime ace Jacob deGrom in the Mets’ rotation, but he has yet to throw a pitch for the club during the regular season due to a teres major strain. Verlander’s debut comes at an opportune time for the Mets, who are 2-8 in their last 10 games and fell to 16-15 after the Tigers swept yesterday’s doubleheader. Verlander will take the ball at 12:10pm CT, looking to help the Mets avoid a series sweep against the Tigers’ Eduardo Rodriguez.
2. Taillon to be activated:
The Cubs are set to activate right-hander Jameson Taillon from the IL ahead of today’s game against the Nationals. Taillon, who’s been out the past two weeks with a groin strain, signed with the Cubs this past offseason on a four-year, $68MM deal. In his three starts to this point in a Cubs uniform, Taillon posted 4.50 ERA (seven runs in 14 innings) — but with a far more encouraging 16-to-4 K/BB ratio (25.8 strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate) and 1.93 FIP. Taillon rejoins the Cubs as they’re in the midst of a slide in the standings, going 4-9 over their last 13 games, including a 1-5 record on their current road trip.
3. Braves dealing with injuries:
Braves right-hander Kyle Wright left yesterday’s start with a shoulder injury and is headed to the injured list, his second trip of the young 2023 season. Aside from his expected return to the IL, manager Brian Snitker provided few details regarding Wright’s condition, though more information could be available as soon as today. More information could also be made available regarding outfielder Michael Harris II, who left last night’s game with a knee injury. He isn’t currently set to make a trip to the IL, but he’ll be further evaluated today.
The club is expected to call up left-hander Dylan Dodd, who was tagged for eight runs in 9 1/3 innings in two early season starts, to start this afternoon against the Marlins. It’s currently unclear if Dodd is simply going to make his pre-planned spot start before returning to the minors, or if he’ll stick in the rotation for the length of Wright’s absence. Fellow lefty Jared Shuster and right-hander Michael Soroka are among the other options to take over Wright’s spot in the rotation while he’s on the shelf.
Year 2 of the Michael Harris experiment isn’t going so well!
This is why the Braves can’t neglect their outfield and punt one spot entirely.
Last year they actually had two gaping holes and were fortunate Harris stepped in. That went about perfect as you could ask for. Everyone just assuming that would continue and it wasn’t a big deal to also neglect the remaining corner outfield spot for another year are seeing how that neglect can turn on a team.
I don’t expect Harris to be this bad all year but should I assume he’ll play as well as last year? I think that’s an equally foolish perspective. Over the long run I do still trust he’ll be a valuable piece.
That said, it’s inexcusable to continuously have the worst corner outfielder from a production perspective in MLB and claim to be a WS contender.
He missed time with a back injury and has finally started lifting the ball after he came back, hit a bomb yesterday. Not mention he’s probably the best defensive centerfielder in the NL. He’s got all of 38 total at-bats this season. What are you guys even talking about?
@mj-2: Speaking of “foolish perspective,” why don’t you post some more of those laughable rants about what a lousy deal the Braves made when they traded for Sean Murphy. Remember calling all the Braves fans who disagreed w/you about Murphy “clueless”? You know—–when you called him a bust after his first 20 ab’s this season. It’s been explained to you a couple of dozen times why the Braves signed Hilliard, White, Pillar, and Luplow in the off season. They didn’t “neglect” anything. They’ve got close to $30M in salary tied up this season on of’ers other than Harris II and Acuna. That’s more salary than any other position. How much more should they spend??
You can’t really call it an “experiment” when a player finishes as the Rookie of the Year the season prior.
Fortunately this sounds like a minor injury they just want to be cautious with, which is the correct call. The season is a marathon, not a sprint.
You’re a fool
The doctor is just a troll. Since his beloved Mets are a mess.
Yes, anybody who has a different opinion than a Braves clown is a troll. Go cry to mommy, adults are speaking here.
You’re the only one crying, mommasboy!
Pee Wee Herman over here with the ‘ol
“I kNoW wHaT yOu ArE, bUt WhAt Am I” comeback…
Stick to your adult movie theaters, Pee Wee.
Says the one quoting PeeWee
Glad that Mets are welcoming deGrom’s replacement by treating him the same way they treated him so many years — no run support.
It’s hard to be a Mets fan.
Verlander will be dominated by the Kittens today. Mets pitching is trash this year. I look forward to the sweep of the Mets today.
Let’s Go Kittens!
The Tigers are on a roll, and the edge today goes to E rod. It’ll be a fun day, and Verlander’s first game this year should be a low scoring game for the first 5 innings today. 10.10, and still no line up yet, so perhaps they are waiting to see if Miggy is well enough to play today.
The Harris moves are working out good for Detroit. The Tiger’s looked very good yesterday, and that’s without Carpenter either. Ibanez looked like how he was hitting in Toledo, so that was very good too. Should be a great game today.
Really nice to see the Tigers pulling off a string of wins and see them 3rd in the division. Had not seen them that high up in a long time. Happy for the fans, it’s been a rough go.
Yes, the death of Big Mike Ilitch was the down slope of the team. It was his team, and his fortune he spent it on was created in Metro Detroit. He built a very good series of teams, and they had chances to win it all. His death, and the decline of the team has been a long road till now.
As the last of Big Mike’s player’s Cabrera closes out his career, the team finally has a good feel for going back on the road to competing again. Harris is building it up, and this draft will promise can’t miss picks for a lot of teams. The line up is out, but Miggy is not playing, I’m sure he wanted to get in there against J.V. He must still be under the weather.
Mets game is at 1, not 12.
MLBTR posts all times in CT.
Like Nick Deeds wrote, 12:10 pm CT. Yes, there are time zones other than eastern.
One thing I would like to see is MLBTR writers start writing in layman’s terms when talking about injuries. Teres major is not exactly common knowledge for the average person. It wouldn’t take much effort to say teres major, a muscle in the upper arm, injury to save people the time of Googling.
Teres major is my third-favorite constellation, so yeah, a breakdown would be welcomed.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
We didn’t even have a teres major or obliques when we grew up. We just had arms and stomachs.
Verlander still has some work to do before we call him a future hall of farmer. He’s for sure on the fence on my ballot. His lack of post season success is what’s keeping him currently out. If he can somehow get the Mets in the playoffs and take them on a run, he’d change a few minds, but like Kershaw, neither are guaranteed.
3 Cy Young Awards, 3 No-hitters, well over 3000 strikeouts, will finish with over 250 wins, an MVP Award and (at least) 2 World Series rings and still has some work to do?
One MVP in 17 years isn’t a big deal. Jose Canseco won one in his 17year career too.
This is a really odd take. Kershaw, Verlander, and Scherzer are surefire hall of famers.
Kersh, Scherzer, JV are all locks for the HOF even if they all retired today. Three of the most dominant pitchers of an entire generation. All three in the top-35 all time of career pitcher WAR and they arent even done yet. All three are champions. Find it hard to believe they wont all three be first ballot entrants. Bizarre take.
And if it wasn’t for his open use of steroids and being the poster child for the Mitchell report Canseco’s 462 HR’s would have gotten him in back in the early 2000’s
Only 9 starting pitchers in history have won an MVP. Not a good comparison
What? First ballot lock. @Rsox with the resume. Playoffs: 16-11 record, 3.64 ERA, 207 IP, 163 hits, 230 K”s
If JV isn’t getting in on the first ballot I’d be shocked. He has done everything that we let modern pitchers do and excelled. His awards, counting stats, and longevity speak to a level of excellence few pitchers could match in the modern era. Like, no modern day pitcher whose getting into the league in the current era is going to hit 300wins, a select few might match JV who should be able to get more than 250 but it’s wrong to hold the modern starting pitcher to pitchers from before the 90s.
Also Kershaw might not be a first ballot no doubt candidate but I’d be surprised if he didn’t make it in eventually.
And I’m a Yankees fan who despises JV and the dodgers.
Kershaw gets in on the “era of dominance” argument that got Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martinez in. From 2011-17 there was not a better pitcher in the game. Like Verlander Kershaw has 3 Cy Young Awards, an MVP Award, a No-Hitter (which he struck out 15) and (at least) one World Series ring. They are both first ballot Hall of Famers
Dude, put down the crack pipe.
Cubs need to send Rios to AAA and bring up Mervis.
Without Gomes, the bottom of the line up gets rough, they need to get Hosmer out of the line up and Madrigal in for the time being. Madrigal and Hoerner need to play some small ball/hit and run. I’d probably swap Swanson and Happ as well, get three guys back to back to back who can make contact and make some productive outs.
I’m still scratching my head on why Hosmer instead of Madrigal was up there trying to bunt with 2 runners on in the 9th inning of a one run game.
murph—-dead on—terrible bunt by Hosmer—was fortunate it wasn’t a double play there.
Personally, I’m not 100% sure that Wisdom’s ball would have gone through a pulled in infield with runners on second and third (with a good bunt)—but it would have given one more at bat, even if Seiya was thrown out at home.
drascoo—slightly disagree with you—and, gulp, dare I say I’m with uncle mike on this—-it’s time to cut the inexpensive bait on Hosmer if you are bringing up Mervis. If Mervis is up he has to take the at bats of Hosmer, not Rios who isn’t getting any.
Do 100% agree with you on the small ball–last night they put up the graphic that they stole 22 bases the first 15 games and only five the next 15. The interview with Ross said that it was a conscious decision to slow down the running game because they were hitting a lot of home runs and didn’t want to risk losing guys on.
Coincidentally, that decision has brought a stark losing record during that time with four of the last five by one run—-get back to running on almost all occasions and take the homers when they happen. Starting today!
I’m not for DFA Hosmer just yet because he is a guy that is extremely well liked and also a guy I don’t think needs “a lot of at bats” to get going. I think he’d be a fine PH while providing leadership.
If Mervis proves he can handle first base and or hit well enough to DH, then you can DFA Hosmer and bring up Morel at some point.
I’m curious where all these home runs are… Wisdom hit a lot, when we were robbing the bases blind, Bellinger is/was hot, Mancini also. So Gomes?
Rios, Happy, Swanson, Suzuki are not hitting home runs so where are all the home runs? Maybe don’t run yourself into outs when the wind is blowing out but keep running otherwise.