Altuve Ailing
On Friday, Jose Altuve was removed from Friday’s game against the Rangers in the first inning after legging out an infield single. The early word from the Astros was that Altuve’s exit was precautionary and that he was dealing with left hamstring discomfort.
On Saturday, Altuve wasn’t feeling any better after sleeping on it, and the tune from the organization changed a bit, as manager A.J. Hinch said before their game that he wasn’t optimistic about Altuve’s chances of avoiding the injured list.
Then, rather than waiting to see how the superstar second baseman was feeling on Sunday, the announcement came after Saturday’s game that Altuve would be heading to the injured list.
It makes all of the sense in the world for the Astros to not want to rush Altuve back into the lineup, allowing him to sit down, rest and let the injury fully heal, rather than risking further aggravation.
Altuve hasn’t been his typical self through his first 39 games, slashing just .243/.329/.472 with nine homers, 21 RBI and one stolen base (in three attempts).Now adding in a hamstring issue, there’s no guarantee that Altuve winds up delivering on the stolen base production that was expected of him by fantasy owners who called his name on draft day.
Aledmys Diaz should see an uptick in playing time while Altuve is sidelined. He certainly made the most of his opportunity on Saturday, crushing a grand slam in a victory over the Rangers. [[ad:athena]]
Glas-No!
Fantasy owners prepared for the worst on Saturday after Tyler Glasnow left Friday’s start with right forearm tightness and was headed for an MRI exam.
Those fears were at least partially confirmed on Saturday when the Rays announced that Glasnow will be placed on the 10-day injured list and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a mild right forearm strain.
The word “mild” and the phrase “4-6 weeks” don’t seem to match up very closely. Forearm strains are sometimes a precursor to ligament damage in the elbow, so this news is a mixed bag. It is good that they have not identified ligament damage and he won’t need Tommy John surgery at this time, and bad because Glasnow is going to be out for an extended period of time nonetheless.
This is a tough blow for the Rays and his fantasy owners. Glasnow is off to a terrific start to his 2019 campaign, going 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 55/9 K/BB ratio across 48 ⅓ innings in his first eight starts.
Given his injury history, let’s hope that the rest and rehab approach takes care of this forearm strain and that the 25-year-old hurler returns to this form for the second half of what was shaping up to be a breakout season.
That’s a Bummer
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic revealed on Saturday the eight teams that are on Madison Bumgarner’s no-trade list. Those clubs -- Braves, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Yankees, Phillies and Cardinals -- would require the veteran left-hander’s approval in order to complete a deal.
With the Giants already long out of contention in the National League West, and Bumgarner set to hit free agency after the 2019 season, it seems like a near certainty that he’ll be moved at the trade deadline. What his limited no-trade clause does however, is give him at least some say as to where he’ll wind up finishing the year.
As Rosenthal also notes, being traded could help Bumgarner financially because he would no longer be subject to a qualifying offer and draft-pick compensation, which lowers the market value of free agents.
In the meantime, the 29-year-old hurler will continue toeing the slab for the Giants. Through his first eight starts, he owns a 2-4 record, 3.99 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51/8 K/BB ratio across 49 ⅔ innings. While any trade would likely improve his outlook to earn victories, Bumgarner has made a living pitching in one of the top pitcher’s parks in all of baseball, and any move away from San Francisco is likely to be a major downgrade.
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Changes in Houston
Astros’ manager A.J. Hinch announced Saturday that he was shaking up his club’s starting rotation, shifting struggling right-hander Collin McHugh back to the bullpen.
McHugh’s transition back to the rotation this season looked to be a terrific idea through his first four starts, but over his last four he’s struggled to a 12.00 ERA and 1.72 WHIP, prompting the change.
While he should revert to being a major asset out of the bullpen for the Astros, it’s hard to see him carving out any mixed league fantasy value in a setup role.
To fill his void in the rotation, the Astros plan to promote right-hander Corbin Martin from Triple-A Round Rock to make his major league debut on Sunday against the Rangers.
The 23-year-old right-hander has pitched well through his first five appearances at Triple-A, posting a 1.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 28/11 K/BB ratio over 24 1/3 innings. While he projects as a middle of the rotation starter, he should carve out some mixed league value if he can stick in the Astros’ rotation.
American League Quick Hits: The Blue Jays acquired Edwin Jackson from the Blue Jays for cash considerations. … Dee Gordon said Saturday that his wrist was “feeling better” and that he is unlikely to require a trip to the injured list… Drew VerHagen cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Toledo. … Andrew Heaney (elbow) has been cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment. He’s expected to require three rehab starts before he’s ready to rejoin the Angels’ rotation. … Dustin Pedroia was scratched from the lineup on his minor league rehab assignment at Double-A Portland on Saturday due to minor knee soreness. … Gary Sanchez underwent concussion testing after being hit in the head by the backswing of Guillermo Heredia during Saturday’s loss to the Rays. He said after the game that he was fine though and isn’t expected to miss any time. … Willians Astudillo (hamstring) is set to return from the injured list on Sunday. ... Shed Long went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in his big league debut against the Red Sox. … Ronny Rodriguez tallied the first multi-homer game of his career as the Tigers took the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader from the Twins. … Shane Greene remained perfect on the season, picking up his 14th save in that one. … Vladimir Guerrero Jr. collected his first career multi-hit game, with a pair of hits and two walks in a loss to the White Sox. … Trevor Bauer allowed a pair of unearned runs while striking out 10 over seven strong innings in a no-decision against the Athletics. … Ramon Laureano delivered a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning, propelling the Athletics to victory in that one. … Albert Pujols crushed a pair of home runs in a victory over the Orioles. … Yandy Diaz homered twice and drove in four runs on Saturday as the Rays topped the Yankees. ... Adalberto Mondesi swiped his MLB-leading 13th base in a losing effort against the Phillies. … C.J. Cron slugged three-run homers in each game of Saturday’s doubleheader split against the Tigers. … Michael Brantley blasted his 10th home run as the Astros walloped the Rangers. … Gerrit Cole racked up a season-high 12 strikeouts over six innings of one-run baseball in a win over the Rangers.
National League Quick Hits: Ryan Braun was a late scratch from the Brewers’ lineup on Saturday with left knee soreness. He did pinch-hit in the game though and is expected to return to the starting lineup on Sunday. … The Pirates acquired Chris Stratton from the Angels for cash considerations. … An MRI on the injured right knee of Brandon Belt came back clean on Saturday. He was held out of action on Saturday as a precautionary measure, but is expected to return to the Giants’ lineup on Sunday. … The Padres placed catcher Francisco Mejia on the 10-day injured list with a left knee sprain. … The Giants claimed outfielder Aaron Altherr off of waivers from the Phillies… The Giants also demoted struggling right-hander Dereck Rodriguez to Triple-A. … The Phillies plan to promote Cole Irvin from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make his big league debut against the Royals on Sunday. … The Marlins purchased the contract of Harold Ramirez from Triple-A New Orleans. He went 1-for-4 with a single in his big league debut on Saturday. … Jeurys Familia (shoulder) is expected to return to the Mets’ bullpen on Sunday. … Willson Contreras clubbed a walk-off solo home run in the 15th inning on Saturday, powering the Cubs to victory over the Brewers in the longest game ever between the two clubs at Wrigley Field. … Jacob deGrom racked up eight strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Marlins. … Zach Eflin fired a four-hit, complete game shutout against the Royals on Saturday, striking out seven in the process. … Wil Myers homered and stole a base as the Padres topped the Rockies. … Kirby Yates secured his MLB-leading 16th save with a scoreless ninth inning against the Rockies. … Yasiel Puig homered and stole a base, leading the Reds past the Giants. … Walker Buehler struck out seven over seven shutout innings in a tough-luck no-decision against the Nationals. … Max Scherzer punched out seven over seven frames in that one, earning his second victory of the season. … Gerardo Parra blasted a grand slam in the eighth inning of that one that proved to be the difference maker. … Jordan Lyles struck out six over six innings of one-run baseball in a win over the Cardinals.
