After catching up on the information from late final evening, right here are some things we’ll be taking note of round baseball right now.
1. Justin Martinez, Christian Montes De Oca to go for imaging:
With two outs and a four-run lead within the ninth inning on Monday, the Diamondbacks had been pressured to drag Justin Martinez, because the hard-throwing right-hander felt tightness in his elbow (per Alex Weiner of AZ Sports activities). The D-backs would go on to win the sport on a walk-off grand slam within the eleventh inning, however they’re not out of the woods but. The phrases “elbow tightness” are at all times scary, and particularly so for a 23-year-old who hits triple digits and has already undergone Tommy John surgical procedure as soon as in his profession. Martinez has not been fairly as efficient this 12 months as he was in his breakout 2024 season, as larger stroll and residential run charges have inflated his ERA from 2.48 to 4.11. Nonetheless, shedding the righty for any period of time can be a troublesome blow for a bullpen that ranks twenty seventh in ERA and a crew that has underperformed expectations this season. Arizona ought to know extra about Martinez’s standing after he goes for imaging right now, however as Weiner notes, the crew’s degree of concern is excessive.
To make issues worse, Weiner reviews that concern ranges are additionally excessive for Martinez’s fellow right-handed reliever Christian Montes De Oca. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut over the weekend, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings in opposition to the Reds. He was unavailable final evening as a result of discomfort in his proper elbow (per Weiner), and he can even go for imaging right now.
2. Giancarlo Stanton to start rehab project:
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been out all season with accidents in each elbows, however he’ll make an enormous step towards his return tonight. The 35-year-old is scheduled to play in his first rehab sport with the Double-A Somerset Patriots, which the crew confirmed this morning. Whereas accidents have plagued Stanton all through a lot of his tenure with the Yankees, he has continued to supply when wholesome. In 2024, he hit 27 house runs and drove in 72 in simply 114 video games, placing up a .773 OPS and 116 wRC+. He additionally added seven extra homers and a 1.048 OPS within the playoffs, serving to the Yankees attain the World Collection for the primary time since 2009. So, New York will certainly be pleased to have his bat again each time he’s prepared, however supervisor Aaron Boone may have his work reduce out for him determining the right way to insert Stanton into the lineup. At this level in his profession, Stanton is a DH solely, however the Yankees have already got a daily DH in Ben Rice. Additionally they have Paul Goldschmidt at first base and a crowded outfield image that features Aaron Decide, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Jasson Domínguez. In the end, having too many good hitters is the sort of downside each supervisor goals of, however it is going to be value watching to see how Boone divides up taking part in time as soon as Stanton returns.
3. Bullpen periods for former Cy Younger winners:
Max Scherzer and Blake Snell have a number of issues in frequent. They’re the one energetic pitchers to have received a Cy Younger in each leagues. They’ve each spent a lot of the season on the IL after signing a free agent contract with a brand new crew over the winter. Right now, they’re each anticipated to throw a bullpen session as they work towards their returns. Snell, who’s at present with the Dodgers in San Diego, threw what the crew referred to as a “touch-and-feel” session on the weekend and can throw a correct bullpen right now (per Invoice Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Equally, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reviews that Scherzer can even throw a bullpen session right now, and if all goes nicely, he may probably rejoin the Blue Jays after only a pair of Triple-A rehab begins. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith suggests Scherzer’s bullpen session may very well be tomorrow as a substitute, however both means, Scherzer is ramping up for a rehab look on Friday. Resulting from accidents, each Toronto and L.A. have struggled to place collectively full five-man rotations this 12 months. For sure, the returns of Scherzer and Snell would make an enormous distinction for each golf equipment.
