The Weekly Rundown: 8/20/23 - 8/26/23
Ohtani's devastating injury, Mookie returns to Boston, and more.
Good morning and Happy Sunday!
Lots to get to today, so we’ll keep the intro short and sweet. The MLB award races are heating up, so I’ll share my award predictions in a post sometime in the next week. Be sure to subscribe below to get that and these weekly rundowns delivered to your e-mail inbox as soon as they’re published.
Thanks! Now grab a coffee and let’s get into it…
Disaster In Anaheim
In the latest edition of “the Angels are cursed,” we have a devastating injury to Shohei Ohtani. The two-way superstar will not pitch for the remainder of the season due to a partially torn UCL in his throwing elbow. It’s currently unclear whether he needs to undergo surgery. If he does, he won’t pitch in 2024 either.
Obviously, this is just about the worst possible news for the sport. Ohtani is in the midst of arguably the greatest MLB season of all time. Even if he sat out the rest of the season, he’d almost certainly win the AL MVP award. Baseball fans are being robbed of one of the greatest talents in not just MLB, but sports history.
Fortunately, Ohtani will continue hitting as a DH and he hasn’t lost any of his power. He crushed a double with a 115 mph exit velocity on Friday night. But as he prepares to enter free agency, it’s fair to assume he’s set to lose hundreds of millions of dollars due to his injury. Who knows whether he’ll ever be the same on the mound? He may no longer be the $600-700 million man we thought he’d be, and that’s a shame.
The Ohtani market will be fascinating. His injury could actually lead to more teams inquiring about him since he’ll be more affordable. Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he re-signs in Anaheim at this point. Anything is on the table.
Ohtani’s injury wasn’t the only terrible Angels news this week. Fellow superstar Mike Trout returned from his long stint on the injured list only to return to the IL shortly thereafter with his lingering wrist issue. Think general manager Perry Minasian regrets going for it at the trade deadline?
Mookie Returns To Fenway
On Friday, for the first time since Sept. 30, 2019, former Red Sox star Mookie Betts made his return to Fenway Park.
Betts, who was traded to the Dodgers ahead of the 2020 season, received a warm welcome back to Boston from the Fenway Faithful. The 2018 AL MVP got a thunderous ovation as he stepped to the plate in the first inning of the series opener.
Watch below:
It was a well-deserved and long-overdue reception. Now, hopefully we can all put the Betts trade debates and “Did he even want to play in Boston?” talking points in the past.
Betts ended up 1-for-4 with a walk as the Dodgers beat the Red Sox, 7-4. He went 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI in L.A.’s 8-5 loss on Saturday.
Strasberg Hangs ‘Em Up
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the organization’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, plans to retire in a news conference scheduled for Sept. 9.
Strasburg was one of the most hyped pitchers in recent memory when he was drafted out of San Diego State. He was a bonafide ace when healthy, earning three All-Star nods in his career as well as Cy Young votes in 2014, 2017, and 2019. He was the Nationals’ World Series MVP in 2019.
Unfortunately, Strasburg never lived up to his true potential due to injuries, which ultimately ended his career. He had surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021, had a stress reaction in his ribs last season, and was shut down before this season with severe nerve damage. He hasn’t pitched in more than five games since that 2019 World Series campaign.
Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million contract before the 2020 season. The Nationals are still on the hook for all of that money.
White Sox Clean House
Amid a terrible 2023 season, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has decided to make some changes at the top of the organization.
Longtime team president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn have been fired. Reinsdorf announced the move in the following statement:
“This is an incredibly difficult decision for me to make because they are both talented individuals with long-term relationships at the White Sox. Ken is like a son to me, and I will always consider him a member of my family. I want to personally thank Ken and Rick for all they have done for the Chicago White Sox, winning the 2005 World Series and reaching the postseason multiple times during their tenures. … While we have enjoyed successes as an organization and were optimistic headed into the competitive window of this rebuild, this year has proven very disappointing for us all on many levels.
This has led me to the conclusion that the best decision for the organization moving forward is to make a change in our baseball operations leadership.”
Williams was responsible for building the 2005 White Sox World Series team. But the club has failed to live up to expectations over the last few seasons, culminating in a horrendous ‘23 season in which they currently have a 51-79 record. Their fire sale at the trade deadline marked the beginning of a new chapter in South Side Chicago.
The White Sox wrote in a statement that their plan is to hire a "single decision maker to lead the baseball operations department" before the end of the 2023 campaign.
The IL
Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants: 10-day injured list, left forearm strain
Emerson Hancock, RHP, Seattle Mariners: 60-day IL, shoulder strain
Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox: 10-day IL, left toe sprain
J.D. Martinez, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers: 10-day IL, groin tightness
Matthew Liberatore, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals: 15-day IL, lower back tightness
Avisail Garcia, OF, Miami Marlins: 10-day IL, left hamstring strain
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds: 10-day IL, left shoulder discomfort
Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels: 10-day IL, wrist soreness
Michael Conforto, OF, San Francisco Giants: 10-day IL, left hamstring strain
Michael Fulmer, RHP, Chicago Cubs: 15-day IL, right forearm strain
Jake Cronenworth, INF, San Diego Padres: 10-day IL, right wrist fracture
Felix Bautista, RHP, Baltimore Orioles: 15-day IL, right UCL injury
Dominant On The Bump
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Oakland A’s
Dallas Keuchel, Minnesota Twins
6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 0 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Jordan Montgomery, Texas Rangers
8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Jesus Luzardo, Miami Marlins
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. San Diego Padres
Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 1 BB vs. New York Mets
Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 0 BB vs. Oakland A’s
Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 12 K, 0 BB vs. Cincinnati Reds
Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates
8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago Cubs
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 0 BB vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 5 BB vs. Detroit Tigers
Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. San Francisco Giants
Zack Wheeler, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Logan Gilbert, RHP, Seattle Mariners
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Kansas City Royals
Big Bombs
Aaron Judge went deep three times against the Nationals. Surprisingly, it was the Yankees slugger’s first career three-homer game.
Orioles rookie Gunnar Henderson came through in the clutch with a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning against the Rockies.
The Mariners tied a club record with seven homers on Saturday against the Royals.
Web Gem Of The Week
Red Sox righty Garrett Whitlock made a sick sliding grab against the Astros. It didn’t technically count, because the runner already was called out due to interference, but the effort is still worthy of Web Gem of The Week honors.
Welcome To The Show
Parker Meadows, brother of fellow Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows, collected his first MLB hit in his debut on Monday. On Friday, he recorded his first homer: a walk-off blast vs. the Astros.
The Reds promoted prospect Noelvi Marte — who they acquired from the Mariners in the Luis Castillo trade — to the bigs. The 21-year-old notched his first career hit on Sunday (4:24 mark below).
Giants pitching prospect Kyle Harrison made his big-league debut Tuesday vs. the Phillies. He allowed two runs on five hits and one walk in 3.1 innings while striking out five.
Yankees prospect Everson Pereira laced a double for his first MLB hit.
Red Sox prospect Wilyer Abreu collected a double for his first big-league hit Tuesday vs. the Astros. On Thursday, he slugged one 431 feet for his first MLB homer (1:50 mark).
The Cubs called up 2021 first-round draft pick Jordan Wicks, who made his MLB debut against the Pirates on Saturday, allowing only one run on two hits and one walk while striking out nine through 5.1 innings.
Quick Takeaways
The Mariners are surging. They’ve come out of nowhere to win nine of their last 10 and tie the Rangers for first place in the AL West standings. With the Astros only one game back, the AL West race will be among the most entertaining storylines of the final month.
Another M’s item: Julio Rodriguez became the quickest player in Mariners history to reach the 50-homer milestone. Considering some of the legends that have played in Seattle, that’s an amazing accomplishment.
The Orioles joined the Braves in the 80-win club. What Baltimore has accomplished this season has been nothing short of remarkable, and it isn’t going anywhere any time soon with a farm system that is absolutely loaded.
The Red Sox are doing just enough to keep fans interested heading into the final month of the regular season. They salvaged a series split with the Astros to stay within 3.5 games of the third wild-card spot. Their schedule the rest of the way is extremely tough, so they will need a miraculous run to sneak their way into the postseason.
Speaking of wild cards, the National League wild-card race is fascinating. The Diamondbacks, Giants, Reds, and Marlins are all vying for that third spot, which the Cubs currently hold.
Rapid Fire
The Nationals agreed to a two-year contract extension with manager Dave Martinez.
Padres reliever Robert Suarez was served a 10-game suspension after failing a foreign substance inspection.
Reds starter Nick Lodolo, who has been on the IL all year, was diagnosed with another stress reaction in his left tibia and will seek a second opinion.
The Giants signed Paul DeJong after the Blue Jays designated the shortstop for assignment. DeJong’s three hits in his Giants debut matched his total in 13 games with Toronto.
The Mariners signed right-hander Luke Weaver to a major-league contract.
The Reds signed first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini to a minor-league deal.
The Rays designated catcher Francisco Mejia for assignment.
The Guardians released relief pitcher Amir Garrett.
Former MLB All-Star outfielder Adam Jones officially retired as a member of the Orioles.
Thanks for reading. We’ll pick it up same time, same place next Sunday.