The 2021 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread

[stevenash]

That's kind of how I feel at the moment as well. The Padres season seems to be unraveling at the seams.

Me too.

But I'm very interested in how the NL East plays out, how the Brewers and Chi-Sox close out the last two months.
My wife is New England born and raised (I'm NJ born and raised, moved to New England 16 years ago) but my wife is a huge all Boston teams sports fan, she's loving what her Bo Sox are doing...

So I'm still very interested.

[Stallion]

The Padres aren't done yet.

[JMobile]

The Padres aren't done yet.

Padres are done. Dodgers will beat them in the wild card or the Giants

[stevenash]

Padres are done. Dodgers will beat them in the wild card or the Giants

Dodgers ain't repeatin'

[EmpireMaker]

The Mets placed Luis Guillorme on the IL today with a left hamstring strain, according to Mike Puma of The New York Post. RHP Geoff Hartlieb was added to the roster in a corresponding move. Guillorme has been a solid contributor on a Mets team that has dealt with its fair share of injuries this year. Across 57 games, Guillorme has racked up a wRC+ of 116 while filling in at second base, third base and shortstop. The timing isn’t so bad for the Mets, as they just strengthened their infield by adding Javier Baez in a deadline deal with the Cubs. As for Hartlieb, he’s produced solid results at Triple-A this year. Despite a walk rate of 10.5%, he has an ERA of 1.86, thanks to a hefty strikeout rate of 34.2%. His numbers at the major league level aren’t as good, but in a very small sample size of six innings.
Other injury updates from around the league…

• Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register provides some updates from manager Joe Maddon on various injured Angels. Anthony Rendon “still isn’t doing any baseball activity,” since going on the IL almost a month ago. “I spoke with him yesterday and he wasn’t highly optimistic about things,” Maddon is quoted as saying. This seems to be yet another in a series of disappointments for Rendon this year. He’s been injured multiple times and, even when healthy, played well below his usual level from recent years. There’s also a murky update on Mike Trout and his injured calf. Doctors have told him he’s “free to do more work when he no longer feels discomfort,” which seems to imply that the discomfort remains. The update on Jared Walsh, out with a right intercostal strain, is slightly better. The first baseman “has been able to hit and throw.” As for Shohei Ohtani, who was recently hit on his thumb by a foul ball while in the dugout, Maddon says they expect him to start again on Thursday or Friday.
• The Red Sox swung a trade before the deadline to add Kyle Schwarber, even though he was on the IL at the time with a hamstring injury. But it doesn’t seem like he’s too far removed from making his Boston debut. Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe spoke to Alex Cora, who said that Schwarber is “close” to a rehab assignment. The plan is for Schwarber to get work at first base, since the Red Sox already have their outfield and DH slots filled by Alex Verdugo, Jarren Duran, Hunter Renfroe and J.D. Martinez. The first base playing time has largely been going to Bobby Dalbec and his wRC+ of 74. Before going on the IL, Schwarber’s wRC+ was sitting at 137. Assuming he can play passable defense, that would be a tremendous upgrade for the team. But he’s played only one major league game at first, which was back in 2017.
• Dinelson Lamet is going to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. The plan seems to be to prepare Lamet for a bullpen role, since there’s not much time remaining in the season to build him back up for a full workload, and because he’s struggled to stay healthy this year. The righty was utterly dominant in 2020’s shortened season, throwing 69 innings with an ERA of 2.09 and a superb strikeout rate of 34.8%. This year, in between stints on the IL, his numbers have faded to an ERA of 3.67 and 25.5% strikeout rate. The club will be hoping that a smaller workload will help Lamet bridge some of that gap.

[jrgum3]

Me too.

But I'm very interested in how the NL East plays out, how the Brewers and Chi-Sox close out the last two months.
My wife is New England born and raised (I'm NJ born and raised, moved to New England 16 years ago) but my wife is a huge all Boston teams sports fan, she's loving what her Bo Sox are doing...

So I'm still very interested.

I agree the pennant races this year will be well worth keeping an eye on especially in the NL East. I think the NL Wild Card game will be epic this year too especially if its Dodgers/Padres. I hope the Giants can stay out of the Wild Card game but right now it doesn't seem like they're letting up which is good to see if you're a Giants fan.

[Otters27]

Can the Bluejays go undefeated in Canada.

I really like the rookie pitcher

[stevenash]

Can the Bluejays go undefeated in Canada.

I really like the rookie pitcher

Yeah, too bad Toronto has to leap frog four teams to nab that last wild card
But they're making progress.

[Stallion]

The Jays need to go on a run, and fast to possibly get a wild card.

[JMobile]

Tatis on the injured list for at least 10 days

[JMobile]

Great game between the Giants and Diamondbacks

[Cross]

Seriously a great game involving the DBacks?

[jrgum3]

Seriously a great game involving the DBacks?

They're doing their best to play spoiler right now. I wish the Giants did more to bolster their pen then just adding Tony Watson. It's the one glaring weakness on their team imo and it showed tonight as they coughed up a big lead and had to rally in extra innings just to beat the Snakes.

[EmpireMaker]

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole had been scheduled to start tomorrow’s game against the Orioles but won’t take the mound after testing positive for Covid-19, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters this evening (Twitter link via Tyler Kepner of the New York Times). Boone also revealed that third baseman Gio Urshela is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a hamstring strain.
Cole will presumably be placed on the Covid-19 injured list and, as a player who tested positive, be subject to a quarantine period of at least 10 days, as is stipulated in Major League Baseball’s health and safety protocols for the 2021 season. Boone added that “as of now,” Cole is the only new positive on the Yankees’ roster. Nestor Cortes Jr. is “likely” to get the start in Cole’s place, although the team has yet to make any firm determinations on how they’ll proceed with the rotation.
With Cole subtracted from the rotation mix for the foreseeable future, the Yankees will likely rely on a combination of Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery, newly acquired Andrew Heaney and the aforementioned Cortes to start games. Domingo German recently went on the injured list due to some shoulder inflammation, and Michael King was recently moved to the 60-day injured list because of a finger injury.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are still waiting on the likes of Corey Kluber, Luis Severino and Clarke Schmidt to mend from their own injuries. Severino was cleared last week to head out on a minor league rehab assignment, and Schmidt has already made one minor league rehab start. Both figure to need a couple weeks worth of rehab stints before they’re options, however.
As for Urshela, his absence will also prove costly. He’s enjoying another solid all-around year in the Bronx, batting .274/.315/.439 with 11 home runs in 330 plate appearances and his typical brand of plus defense at the hot corner. Tyler Wade and the versatile DJ LeMahieu can step in at the hot corner for now, and depending on the length of Urshela’s absence and the yet-unclear timeline of the also-injured Miguel Andujar, the it’s possible Andujar could eventually surface as another option. He’s been out since July 10 thanks to a sprained wrist, however, and it’s not yet clear just when he’ll head out on a rehab assignment.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I still can't believe what the bluejays gave up to get Berrios....he better deliver

[Otters27]

Blue Jays pitcher hand sure blew that one yesterday

[stevenash]

Gerrit Cole has COVID now.
As if NY was going places this season anyways.

[stevenash]

Most of these I've seen but they're still great.

[Stallion]

The Jays gave up a couple good prospects for Berrios. The Jays new acquisition of Hand isn't looking good so far.

[stevenash]

The Jays gave up a couple good prospects for Berrios. The Jays new acquisition of Hand isn't looking good so far.

Brad Hand is what he is.
A good, not great, but good ninth inning closer.

[jrgum3]

I was afraid Madbum would be a thorn in the Giants side and sure enough he shut them down tonight.

[EmpireMaker]

Mets ace Jacob deGrom spoke with reporters today, including Tim Healey of Newsday Sports, about his mounting injury woes. He said that his recent elbow inflammation is a separate issue to the forearm tightness that initially landed him on the IL. That forearm tightness caused deGrom to be sidelined on July 18th. A week later, it was reported that he threw off a mound without issues. But a report a few days later revealed the unfortunate development that his rehab would have to be halted for two weeks.
At this point, deGrom seems to think he can come back but doesn’t seem to be overflowing with confidence. When asked if he could miss the remainder of the season, “I would say no, not right now,” he said. “It depends on hopefully the next image of the inflammation.” Before getting injured, deGrom was pitching even better than his own absurdly-high standards, with a microscopic ERA of 1.08 over 92 innings, coupled with outstanding strikeout and walk rates of 45.1% and 3.4%, respectively. The health of deGrom figures to be an extremely important detail in the NL East stretch run, as the Mets are now just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies and 2 1/2 ahead of Atlanta.
More news from around the NL East…

• Travis d’Arnaud is apparently back to full health and rehabbing, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. d’Arnaud has been out of action for more than three months now, after tearing a ligament in his thumb back in early May. Bowman says that his thumb is now fine and that the catcher’s rehab is “just a matter of getting conditioned to play.” A healthy and productive d’Arnaud is potentially a game-changing addition for Atlanta in the upcoming pennant race. Although he had a slow start to this season before getting hurt, his 2020 was superb, slashing .321/.386/.533, for a wRC+ of 144 and 1.6 fWAR in just 44 games. Currently, Atlanta is giving time behind the dish to Stephen Vogt and Kevan Smith, neither of whom are providing much value.
• Bowman also relays that Ian Anderson will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday. Anderson went on the IL a few weeks ago with shoulder inflammation. Before getting hurt, he was putting together a solid season. Over 96 innings, he had an era of 3.56, producing 1.9 fWAR, which is second only to Charlie Morton among Atlanta pitchers.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Nice to see the Dodgers and Giants both lose...

[stevenash]

Nice to see the Dodgers and Giants both lose...

I used Snell last night at FD in a single entry contest.
He was great, didn't cash though as my sticks failed me.

[Otters27]

Day baseball starting at 1 eastern

[JMobile]

Nice to see the Dodgers and Giants both lose...

I'm going big on the Dodgers tonight. Max Scherzer makes his Dodgers debut against the Astros.

[stevenash]

I'm going big on the Dodgers tonight.

Shocker.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Shocker.

[Cross]

Not surprised Gerritt Cole is an anti vaxxer.

[Cross]

Wonder what Trevor Bauer is doing right now?

[EmpireMaker]

The Giants announced they’ve reinstated infielder Tommy La Stella from the 60-day injured list (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Starter Anthony DeSclafani is going on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 3, with right shoulder fatigue. To open 40-man roster space for La Stella, reliever Conner Menez was designated for assignment.
La Stella returns after a three month absence. He initially landed on the IL with a left hamstring strain and then suffered a right hand fracture while rehabbing. It’s been a tough first season in San Francisco for La Stella, who has thus far been limited to 75 plate appearances of .235/.297/.353 hitting. That’s far off the quietly excellent .289/.356/.471 line the lefty-swinging La Stella put up with the Angels and A’s between 2019-20.
Despite the slow start, the Giants are surely happy to have La Stella back in the lineup. San Francisco signed the 32-year-old to a three-year, $18.75MM contract over the winter. There’s little question the front office believes in his ability to return to his prior form. La Stella figures to rotate between second and third base, at least until Evan Longoria returns from his own lengthy IL stint. That’ll free up Kris Bryant to see more time in the outfield and offer manager Gabe Kapler a quality left-handed bat to mix in with the right-handed hitting Donovan Solano and Wilmer Flores at those positions.
In addition to La Stella, San Francisco figures to bring back Longoria and Brandon Belt in the not too distant future. They’ll be welcome reinforcements for the 67-40 Giants, who hold MLB’s best record and lead the Dodgers by 3.5 games in the National League West.
It doesn’t seem there’s much cause for alarm with DeSclafani despite the ominous-sounding diagnosis. Kapler told reporters (including Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic) the expectation is that he’ll miss just one start. The righty struggled in 2020 — his final season with the Reds — but has had a bounceback campaign in the Bay Area. DeSclafani has tossed 126 1/3 innings of 3.28 ERA/4.03 SIERA ball with average or better strikeout (23.3%), walk (6.5%) and groundball (45.0%) rates. He’s already thrown nearly 100 more innings than he did in Cincinnati last season, so the Giants are surely keeping a close eye on his workload to keep him healthy for the stretch run.
Menez is something of a surprising cut, as the southpaw has pitched quite well in his big league time this season. He’s tossed 14 innings with a 3.86 ERA, punching out a decent 24.2% of opposing hitters with a massive 59.1% grounder rate. However, he’s struggled mightily in 22 frames with Triple-A Sacramento, managing just a 6.95 ERA and walking an alarming 15.9% of opposing hitters in the minors.
Triple-A struggles aside, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another team add Menez off waivers. The 26-year-old has a fine 4.04 ERA/4.34 SIERA over parts of three major league seasons and can still be optioned for the remainder of this year.

[jrgum3]

The Giants announced they’ve reinstated infielder Tommy La Stella from the 60-day injured list (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Starter Anthony DeSclafani is going on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 3, with right shoulder fatigue. To open 40-man roster space for La Stella, reliever Conner Menez was designated for assignment.
La Stella returns after a three month absence. He initially landed on the IL with a left hamstring strain and then suffered a right hand fracture while rehabbing. It’s been a tough first season in San Francisco for La Stella, who has thus far been limited to 75 plate appearances of .235/.297/.353 hitting. That’s far off the quietly excellent .289/.356/.471 line the lefty-swinging La Stella put up with the Angels and A’s between 2019-20.
Despite the slow start, the Giants are surely happy to have La Stella back in the lineup. San Francisco signed the 32-year-old to a three-year, $18.75MM contract over the winter. There’s little question the front office believes in his ability to return to his prior form. La Stella figures to rotate between second and third base, at least until Evan Longoria returns from his own lengthy IL stint. That’ll free up Kris Bryant to see more time in the outfield and offer manager Gabe Kapler a quality left-handed bat to mix in with the right-handed hitting Donovan Solano and Wilmer Flores at those positions.
In addition to La Stella, San Francisco figures to bring back Longoria and Brandon Belt in the not too distant future. They’ll be welcome reinforcements for the 67-40 Giants, who hold MLB’s best record and lead the Dodgers by 3.5 games in the National League West.
It doesn’t seem there’s much cause for alarm with DeSclafani despite the ominous-sounding diagnosis. Kapler told reporters (including Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic) the expectation is that he’ll miss just one start. The righty struggled in 2020 — his final season with the Reds — but has had a bounceback campaign in the Bay Area. DeSclafani has tossed 126 1/3 innings of 3.28 ERA/4.03 SIERA ball with average or better strikeout (23.3%), walk (6.5%) and groundball (45.0%) rates. He’s already thrown nearly 100 more innings than he did in Cincinnati last season, so the Giants are surely keeping a close eye on his workload to keep him healthy for the stretch run.
Menez is something of a surprising cut, as the southpaw has pitched quite well in his big league time this season. He’s tossed 14 innings with a 3.86 ERA, punching out a decent 24.2% of opposing hitters with a massive 59.1% grounder rate. However, he’s struggled mightily in 22 frames with Triple-A Sacramento, managing just a 6.95 ERA and walking an alarming 15.9% of opposing hitters in the minors.
Triple-A struggles aside, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another team add Menez off waivers. The 26-year-old has a fine 4.04 ERA/4.34 SIERA over parts of three major league seasons and can still be optioned for the remainder of this year.

Nice to see the Giants getting healthy. Aside from adding Bryant that's the biggest thing for them is getting and remaining healthy.

[stevenash]

Wonder what Trevor Bauer is doing right now?

Humping tranny's?

[Otters27]

Trevor Bauer thought he was invincible

[JMobile]

Wonder what Trevor Bauer is doing right now?

Probably wishing he was the messiah for the Dodgers and not Max Scherzer