The Royals expect injured right fielder Jarrod Dyson to be ready to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha by the end of their current homestand, writes MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Kansas City hosts Minnesota for three games this weekend before going on the road, so that would indicate that Dyson could begin a rehab assignment by Sunday. There’s no word yet on how lengthy his rehab assignment will need to be, but Dyson was said in early March to be on the shelf for six weeks due to an oblique injury. Accordingly, he logged just one Spring Training plate appearance, so he could require a fair amount of time to get up to speed. Dyson has taken batting practice on consecutive days without feeling pain and isn’t limited when it comes to swinging a bat or running, Flanagan adds. However, Dyson himself tells Flanagan that he’s uncertain as to the length of his rehab assignment due to the lengthy down time.
Here’s more from the AL Central…
- Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press revisits the December 2007 blockbuster that saw the Tigers acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins in exchange for a six-prospect package headlined by then-elite prospects Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin. Fenech spoke to former GM Dave Dombrowski (now the president of baseball ops in Boston), who explained that he received a rare call from owner Mike Ilitch to his home phone around Thanksgiving. Ilitch had gotten word that Cabrera could be available, and while much of the focus was on the Angels and Dodgers, Ilitch told Dombrowski to enter the mix and see what he could do, despite the Tigers’ payroll already being stretched thin. Fenech spoke to Dombrowski about discussions with Ilitch in which he outlined a Cabrera contract extension, and he also chatted with former and present members of that front office about the talks between the Marlins and Tigers at the ’07 Winter Meetings.
- Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer hasn’t yet adjusted to his new role as a member of the Cleveland bullpen, writes Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com. Bauer says he’s not yet certain how long it’ll take him to get warmed up or if he’ll need to trim his pitch arsenal. The former No. 3 pick and career-long starter admits to Meisel that he was surprised by the decision to place him in the bullpen. “I think I had the best spring that I’ve had in pro ball,” said Bauer, who indeed logged a 2.14 ERA with a 20-to-5 K/BB ratio in 21 innings this spring. Manager Terry Francona tells Meisel that the club didn’t feel it could take Josh Tomlin (who signed a two-year deal this winter) or Cody Anderson out of the rotation, specifically noting that Anderson had a strong debut in 2015 and increased his velocity this winter.
- Also of note on the health front, Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall is slated to begin a rehab assignment today, writes Meisel’s colleague, Paul Hoynes. Chisenhall tells Hoynes he’s pain free after being shut down with a forearm strain in Spring Training, adding that he got about 20 at-bats in minor league games late in camp. Hoynes also notes that Michael Brantley will head to Columbus (home of Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate) to work out when the big league club embarks on a road trip tomorrow, but there’s still no definitive date at which he’ll begin a rehab assignment.