The 2022 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread

[Chi_archie]

The Red Sox have placed Rich Hill on the 15-day injured list, as the left-hander is battling a left knee sprain. Right-hander Phillips Valdez was called up from Triple-A to take Hill’s spot on the active roster.
Hill suffered the injury in the fifth inning of yesterday’s start against the Cubs, as he tried to tough it out through two more batters but eventually left the game. Hill told reporters (including WEEI’s Rob Bradford) that he was waiting for the results of an MRI, but he compared the injury to the MCL problem that sidelined him for a month during the 2019 season.
The 42-year-old Hill has continued to post solid results in his 18th Major League season, with a 4.20 ERA/4.35 SIERA over 70 2/3 innings. While his Statcast numbers and advanced metrics (including a 19.5% strikeout rate) aren’t anything to write home about, Hill has still been a reliable presence within a Boston rotation that has been lacking in stability.
At the moment, that rotation is down to just three pitchers, as the Sox have been hit by injuries. Hill joins Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Sale (who has yet to pitch in 2022) and Garrett Whitlock on the IL, leaving Michael Wacha, Nick Pivetta, and Josh Winckowski as the only pitchers remaining in the starting five. Connor Seabold is at Triple-A and figures to be recalled to make at least one spot start.
Among the injured names, Eovaldi threw a 35-pitch bullpen session today, though it isn’t yet known if the righty may need a rehab start. Eovaldi has been on the IL since June 9 due to lower back inflammation. Sale has another rehab outing slated for Wednesday, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora told MLB.com’s Ian Browne that Sale could potentially in line to make his 2022 season debut on July 11 when the Sox play the Rays.
As for Whitlock, he has been out since June 10 due to hip inflammation. The righty has a bullpen session today and will have to make a rehab outing, but when he does return, Cora told Bradford and company that Whitlock will “pretty much likely” return to his old bullpen role, rather than as a starting pitcher. Whitlock had a 4.15 ERA over 39 innings and nine starts this season, but with a theoretical surplus of starters when everyone is healthy, the Red Sox figure Whitlock can best help the team as a multi-inning reliever — Whitlock dominated batters in such a role in 2021.

rich hill is about done

[stevenash]

Woodruff is a beast

[Cross]

Is Judge going to break Maris record this year?

[jrgum3]

Giants are getting tougher and tougher to watch. They have fallen out of the playoff picture and to be honest I'm not surprised as I thought they'd be a third place team this year and possibly a wild card spot or out of the playoffs altogether. They are starting to look like they're going to miss the postseason altogether now that they are having 2-6 homestands against teams like the Reds, Tigers and an underachieving White Sox team.

[Otters27]

Giants are getting tougher and tougher to watch. They have fallen out of the playoff picture and to be honest I'm not surprised as I thought they'd be a third place team this year and possibly a wild card spot or out of the playoffs altogether. They are starting to look like they're going to miss the postseason altogether now that they are having 2-6 homestands against teams like the Reds, Tigers and an underachieving White Sox team.

Giants killed me the other day vs Detroit. Left the bases loaded in the 8th

[Chi_archie]

Is Judge going to break Maris record this year?

I don't think so

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Giants pitching is slipping

The Padres this week are a great cure for that as they are struggling to put up runs

[EmpireMaker]

Mets ace Max Scherzer tells reporters he’ll be activated from the injured list and return to the Major League mound next Tuesday when the team is in Cincinnati (Twitter link via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com).
It’ll be the first appearance in just over six weeks for Scherzer, who suffered an oblique strain in mid-May. That came with a six-to-eight week recovery timetable, and the eight-time All-Star wound up landing on the earlier end of that estimate. Needless to say, that’s a welcome development given Scherzer’s importance to the club.
At the time of the injury, New York sat seven games clear of their competitors in the NL East. That gap has been closed to 3 1/2 entering play Friday, although that’s in large part due to an excellent run from the defending champion Braves. The Mets have gone 21-15 in Scherzer’s absence, regressing a bit from their early-season form but generally continuing to play well in spite of the absence of their two co-aces. Jacob deGrom, of course, has yet to pitch this season after suffering a scapular injury during Spring Training.
Signed to a record-setting three-year contract over the winter, Scherzer had continued to thrive in his new environs before getting hurt. Through his first eight starts as a Met, he’s tossed 49 2/3 frames of 2.54 ERA ball, striking out an elite 30.6% of opposing hitters.

[EmpireMaker]

Matt Olson or Jose Altuve which side of this fantasy trade would you want ?

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Matt Olson or Jose Altuve which side of this fantasy trade would you want ?

Altuve and it isn't close.

He gives you stats in all categories at a position with less depth.

[EmpireMaker]

Someone offered it to me and I accepted it. I felt like I needed to, but wanted to see if anyone thought I had made a mistake. Thanks for the response Jake.

[stevenash]

KC bating up on Houston again.
Go figure

[JMobile]

Matt Olson or Jose Altuve which side of this fantasy trade would you want ?

Altuve... Olson is like Hosmer, overhyped and overpaid.

[Stallion]

Altuve for sure

[Otters27]

As might be of value hitting as +200 or more

[jrgum3]

Thankfully the Braves decided to finish their game after a lengthy rain delay. I needed them to finish off the Cards to win my bet and the game wasn't official at the time of the rain delay. I'm a little surprised they finished because it was 1 am at the time the game ended and there were fireworks scheduled to happen after the game.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Padres can't get on track.

Giants swirling down the drain.

Fukk the Dodgers.

[hotcross]

Giants should be getting Brandon Crawford back today, Tuesday, from his knee ailment.

Let's see if that helps pull them out of their funk. At least should help defensively. They've been error-prone lately.

[EmpireMaker]

Kenley Jansen’s problems with irregular heartbeats have plagued him for over a decade, yet that familiarity has also made this serious issue seem oddly matter-of-fact for the Braves closer. With Jansen again on the injured list, he spoke with reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) about his latest bout with atrial fibrillation. Jansen said he actually first had an irregular heartbeat on June 18, but after a visit with doctors, he pitched five more times before his symptoms continued to the point that some time off was necessary. However, after being placed on the IL on June 28, Jansen said he plans to miss only the minimum 15 days.
More on other injury situations from around baseball…

• Tigers right-hander Alex Faedo left during the third inning of today’s start due to what the club described as right hip soreness. More will be known about Faedo’s condition after the game, yet another injury would continue Detroit’s horrific luck with pitcher health this season. Just about all of Detroit’s starting pitchers have spent time on the IL at some point and several are still recovering, which opened the door for Faedo to both make his MLB debut and then make 11 starts in his rookie season.
• Kyle Lewis has started a Triple-A rehab assignment, and Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer) that Lewis will get “a healthy dose of playing time” as an outfielder. Lewis suffered a torn meniscus in May 2021, and thus far in 2022 has played almost exclusively as a DH in minor league action and in four Major League games. A return to regular outfield work is a positive sign for Lewis, who has missed over a month on the concussion-related IL.
• Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is set begin a Triple-A rehab assignment today, while Justin Dunn will make his next minor league rehab start on Wednesday, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter links). Stephenson suffered a fractured right thumb on June 9, but looks on pace to return within the original 4-6 week projected recovery timeline. Dunn, meanwhile, has yet to pitch at all since the Reds acquired him from the Mariners as part of the Eugenio Suarez/Jesse Winker trade package in March — a shoulder injury sidelined Dunn in Spring Training. Dunn has two rehab outings under his belt already, and he is slated to throw around 60-65 pitches in his next trip to the mound.

[yisman]

Is Judge going to break Maris record this year?

Highly doubtful.

If he stays healthy I think he'll finish around 55.

[Stallion]

The Dodgers are kind of running away in there division, the Padres and Giants better figure it out quick. The only person happy about that is JMobile.

[stevenash]

If the Cubs choke this lead I will not be a very happy camper.

[Otters27]

Whatching Rockies vs Dodgers right now. Mookie bets is back with a hr

[EmpireMaker]

Nice Return
Scherzer struck out 11 in six shutout innings and 79 pitches in the Mets’ 1-0 loss to the Reds on Tuesday night at Great American Ballpark. He gave up no runs and no walks and allowed just two hits in his sharpest outing since the end of April, when he hurled seven scoreless innings and struck out 10 in St. Louis. His season ERA is 2.26.

[jrgum3]

Padres can't get on track.

Giants swirling down the drain.

Fukk the Dodgers.

Yeah it's looking like the Dodgers are going to run away with the division. At least in the Padres case you guys have a shot at the playoffs. The Giants look like they're never going to recover from this slide of losing 12 out of the last 15 games so any thoughts of the playoffs are probably a long shot if this keeps up.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Yeah it's looking like the Dodgers are going to run away with the division. At least in the Padres case you guys have a shot at the playoffs. The Giants look like they're never going to recover from this slide of losing 12 out of the last 15 games so any thoughts of the playoffs are probably a long shot if this keeps up.

Padres starting pitching has covered up a lot of holes on this team. They will probably make the playoffs on the heels of that pitching but will be one and done or maybe lose in 1st round.

[JMobile]

Padres can't get on track.

Giants swirling down the drain.

Fukk the Dodgers.

Dodgers just winning. Playing solid baseball. No slumps.

[stevenash]

Kluber tonight.

[Stallion]

I can't pick a winner to save my life right now.

[Otters27]

Royals big dog hit of the day

[jrgum3]

Royals big dog hit of the day

Yeah beating Javier is a pretty good win because that dude had been dealing as of late but he got lit up today. I hit with my underdog pick of the Rays backing Kluber as a short dog on the road against the Red Sox. I didn't watch the game but I guess the Rays were able to get to the Red Sox prospect Bello pretty early and Kluber was able to cruise from there.

[EmpireMaker]

12:00pm: The Cubs announced that righty Anderson Espinoza is being recalled from Double-A to take Hendricks’ place on the roster.
11:30am: The Cubs have placed right-hander Kyle Hendricks on the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder strain, manager David Ross announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago). Hendricks exited last night’s game after three innings due to soreness in his right shoulder. The team will announce a corresponding roster move later today. No recovery timetable has been provided at this time.
Hendricks, 32, is in the midst of a second straight season of lackluster results, as his 4.80 ERA through 84 1/3 frames thus far is a near-mirror image of the 4.77 he posted through 181 innings a year ago. The soft-tossing righty’s 18.5% strikeout rate is an improvement upon last year’s 16.7% clip (the second-worst of his career), but he’s also seen his walk rate rise from 5.6% in 2021 to 6.7% in 2022. It’s been something of a Jeykll-and-Hyde season for Hendricks, who has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his starts this year but has also been torched for six or more runs on four separate occasions.
Signed to a four-year, $55.5MM contract extension late in the spring of 2019, Hendricks is being paid $14MM this season and is due to earn $14MM again in 2023. The Cubs then hold a $16MM option for the 2024 season, which can be bought out for $1.5MM.
The timing of the injury isn’t great for the Cubs if they had any thoughts about potentially marketing Hendricks prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline. While he’s no longer the steadily excellent performer he was from 2014-20 (3.12 ERA in 1047 1/3 innings), Hendricks might still have held some appeal as a back-of-the-rotation veteran — particularly if the Cubs were willing to cover some of the remaining money on the contract. Instead, he’ll be sidelined at least two weeks and perhaps more. That still leaves some time between his earliest potential activation date and the Aug. 2 deadline, but the shoulder issue makes a deal even more of a long shot than it might’ve already been, due to the financial component of a deal.
Hendricks joins a full rotation’s worth of talent on the injured list for the Cubs, who are also currently without Marcus Stroman, Wade Miley, Drew Smyly, Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay due to various injuries. At the moment, the only healthy rotation options are Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson and Adrian Sampson.
Given that huge slate of injuries, it’s possible that Espinoza, once one of the game’s top-ranked pitching prospects, could get some opportunities in the rotation. Injuries and the canceled minor league season in 2020 kept Espinoza off the mound entirely from 2017-20, however, and he’s had a brutal showing thus far in a dozen Double-A starts. Through 44 1/3 innings with the Cubs’ Tennessee affiliate, the 24-year-old Espinoza has a 7.11 ERA with 10 home runs allowed. He’s fanned 27.8% of his Double-A opponents but also issued walks at a 12.9% clip and plunked another five batters (representing an additional 2.6% of his total hitters faced).

[Chi_archie]

12:00pm: The Cubs announced that righty Anderson Espinoza is being recalled from Double-A to take Hendricks’ place on the roster.
11:30am: The Cubs have placed right-hander Kyle Hendricks on the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder strain, manager David Ross announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago). Hendricks exited last night’s game after three innings due to soreness in his right shoulder. The team will announce a corresponding roster move later today. No recovery timetable has been provided at this time.
Hendricks, 32, is in the midst of a second straight season of lackluster results, as his 4.80 ERA through 84 1/3 frames thus far is a near-mirror image of the 4.77 he posted through 181 innings a year ago. The soft-tossing righty’s 18.5% strikeout rate is an improvement upon last year’s 16.7% clip (the second-worst of his career), but he’s also seen his walk rate rise from 5.6% in 2021 to 6.7% in 2022. It’s been something of a Jeykll-and-Hyde season for Hendricks, who has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his starts this year but has also been torched for six or more runs on four separate occasions.
Signed to a four-year, $55.5MM contract extension late in the spring of 2019, Hendricks is being paid $14MM this season and is due to earn $14MM again in 2023. The Cubs then hold a $16MM option for the 2024 season, which can be bought out for $1.5MM.
The timing of the injury isn’t great for the Cubs if they had any thoughts about potentially marketing Hendricks prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline. While he’s no longer the steadily excellent performer he was from 2014-20 (3.12 ERA in 1047 1/3 innings), Hendricks might still have held some appeal as a back-of-the-rotation veteran — particularly if the Cubs were willing to cover some of the remaining money on the contract. Instead, he’ll be sidelined at least two weeks and perhaps more. That still leaves some time between his earliest potential activation date and the Aug. 2 deadline, but the shoulder issue makes a deal even more of a long shot than it might’ve already been, due to the financial component of a deal.
Hendricks joins a full rotation’s worth of talent on the injured list for the Cubs, who are also currently without Marcus Stroman, Wade Miley, Drew Smyly, Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay due to various injuries. At the moment, the only healthy rotation options are Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson and Adrian Sampson.
Given that huge slate of injuries, it’s possible that Espinoza, once one of the game’s top-ranked pitching prospects, could get some opportunities in the rotation. Injuries and the canceled minor league season in 2020 kept Espinoza off the mound entirely from 2017-20, however, and he’s had a brutal showing thus far in a dozen Double-A starts. Through 44 1/3 innings with the Cubs’ Tennessee affiliate, the 24-year-old Espinoza has a 7.11 ERA with 10 home runs allowed. He’s fanned 27.8% of his Double-A opponents but also issued walks at a 12.9% clip and plunked another five batters (representing an additional 2.6% of his total hitters faced).

let's see what espinoza has

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Cubs playing some decent ball of late...

[JMobile]

Cubs playing some decent ball of late...

They are facing Tony Gonsolin...he is 10-0. He will stop the Cubs