Hello there, Razzballers!
Not every article I find makes a reference to “Quantum Leap”, but this is how I found out that (the lobby of Big TV) tried to renew the show in 2022, which was canceled after two seasons. It will be difficult, and perhaps impossible in today’s environment, to recapture the magic between Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell.
Speaking of KWANtum, let’s talk about Steve Kwan.
Significant Injury
AL Central
Steven Kwan (OF, CLE), leg: A big loss for Cleveland as hitting leader Kwan will be out for about a month with a hamstring injury. The Rangers named Kyle Manzardo their No. 2 pick. In the minors this year, Manzardo hit 9 HR and 20 RBIs in 109 AB. In his time with the majors so far (at press time), he had 2 H in 12 AB.
Welcome to the Kyle Manzardo Show!!! What a great moment for his MLB debut!
– Overdue Sports (@OverdueSports) May 8, 2024
AL East
Ryan Pepiot (SP, TBR), leg: Pepiot was late on the leg after being found by the returner. Fortunately, there is no major damage to the leg. Pepiot should be back later in May. Taj Bradley rejoined the Rays lineup as Pepiot moved to IL. Bradley played in the minors this year because he was recovering from a chest injury. In 11 IP, he had 12.27 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9. Bradley started yesterday, and that game was not over at press time. Let’s check with comments how his performance went. (Editor’s Note: 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks vs the Yanks, 4 Hits, 2 BBs…very good!)
AL West
Dane Dunning (SP, TEX), applause: Last week, I talked about Dane Dunning as a potential replacement for Nathan Eovaldi. Well, Dunning now joins six other starters for Rangers IL. The culprit? Filtered rotary cuff. With luck, Eovaldi should be back in a week or so.
Trevor Williams is an option if your lineup is down on Dunning or Eovaldi. In 36.7 IP, Williams has a 1.96 ERA and a 2.50 FIP. Although I think Gray has g-men on Williams.
Wyatt Langford (OF, TEX), hamstring: Some bad news deep in the heart of Texas! Wyatt Langford will be out 3-4 weeks with a hamstring strain. Jonathan Ornelas was replaced by Langford. Ornelas was good at Triple AAA, but let’s consider other options.
The Rangers will place Wyatt Langford on IL with a Grade 1 strain, Bruce Bochy said. It will be a 3-4 week absence
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) May 5, 2024
If you want to stay within the Rangers org, you can take Leody Taveras. Taveras is .254/.326/.377 this season. He has been hot this past week with 1 HR and 5 RBIs in 26 AB. If you want to get more testing, Tampa Bay BY Jonny DeLuca has a small but interesting sample size. In 20 AB, DeLuca has 1 HR, 10 RBIs, and 3 BB. That works out to .350/.435/.650. To be fair, he put these stats up against the White Sox and Mets.
Jonny DeLuca with 6 RBIs and a walk in his first series home run… Not a bad idea for a man! pic.twitter.com/pD4bFpYmG3
– big dog kevin cash? (@ExtendKevinCash) May 5, 2024
NL Central
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B, CIN), arm: CES will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist. He tried to play while still injured, which was as successful as you can imagine. Jeimer Candelario, who suits up at 1B and is warming up, has CES covered immediately. However, the Reds picked up Mike Ford to cover 1B for the foreseeable future. At press time, Ford only has 5 PA. In MiLB this season he has 27 H in 91 PA with 6 HR and 15 RBI.
Another option would be Philadelphia’s Kody Clemens. Clemens is getting more playing time between the exits of Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. In 11 AB, he has 2 HRs and 7 RBIs. The sample size is still small, but they could be a great addition to your list if you have the space.
Kody Clemens is 2-2 with a triple and a home run ? pic.twitter.com/R93ouOoQna
– SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) May 8, 2024
Wilson Contreras (C, STL), arm: The most “I’m Scared to Watch This Replay” injury of the week goes to Willson Contreras. It’s a real shame because he was put on a heater until his injury. JD Martinez iced Contreras with a swing that caught Contreras’ forearm. The result was a broken arm which has been surgically repaired. Contreras is expected to be out 10 weeks. Wow!
Pedro Pagés has been called up to the Cardinals to replace Iván Herrera who will be taking a lot of time. Herrera was doing well at the beginning of the season and crashed. Maybe the promotion will give him the boost he needs.
Changing classes, Yankee Jose Trevino is another option. In the last 51 AB, he is hitting .333/.370/.451. He’s down a bit from his past 11 AB and has been benched for two days (at press time). Tampa Bay’s Ben Rortverdt is also an alternative. In 63 AB, Rortverdt is hitting .333/.432/.381. with 8 RBIs and 11 BB.
NL East
Trea Turner (SS, PHI), leg: Trea Turner will be out at least 6 weeks with a hamstring strain. With Turner out, Kody Clemens (mentioned above), Bryson Stott, and Whit Merrifield all found themselves in high demand.
Outside of the Phillies, a lot of people ended up jumping on the Amed Rosario train. Josh H. Smith is another useful player who can (on a small chance) be found in your league. A more avant-garde option, which Laura covers well in Rolling In The Deep, would be Paul DeJong. In his last 26 AB, DeJong has 8 H with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs.
Paul DeJong has a 111 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR so far this year pic.twitter.com/4PiKF0OpOH
— Julian (@Julian4948) May 9, 2024
NL West
Joe Musgrove (SP, SDP), elbow: Joe Musgrove moves to IL with elbow inflammation. He is due to return on May 17, but it is unclear if that will happen. Randy Vásquez, who was in contention for the starting spot during spring training, was returned to the lineup. In his last 4.3 IP, he has 12 K/9 and 0 BB. His control has been an issue, but he seems to be working on it judging by his last few innings.
Randy Vásquez struck out six
Randy Vásquez struck out six batters in 4 1/3 innings against the Cubs
Padres @ Cubs#LetsGoPadres | May 7, 2024 pic.twitter.com/8OPinwj7Bq
– San Diego Strong (@PadresStrong) May 8, 2024
Jorge Soler (DH/OF, SFG), shoulder: Soler hit IL with a strained shoulder. He is eligible to return on May 15. Heliot Ramos was called up to replace Soler in the lineup. Ramos has done well in the minors over the years but has had a tough time in the majors. Wilmer Flores is also likely to take over some DH spots. Flores is not exactly thriving this season. He is hitting .213/.291/.594 in 89 AB.
Maybe an unlikely option, but Harold Ramirez is in the lineup (especially against lefties). In the past 89 AB, he has been slashing .326/.348/.382 with 29 H, 10 RBIs, and 4 SB. His last few starts were against the White Sox and the Mets, but hey, maybe he’s woken up.
Harold Ramirez @RaysBaseball Monday’s Box-Toppers AL Batter of the Day (2B 4-4 3R BI vs. CHW).
BT Player of the Game winners for all Monday’s games: pic.twitter.com/IEIUIo0GMX
– Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) May 7, 2024
Injury Updates
It’s time for the good, the bad, and the ugly reviews of lightning damage.
- Cody Bellinger (OF, CHC), rib: it has been activated.
- Bryan Bello (SP, BOS), back: it should start tomorrow.
- Jake Burger (3B/1B, MIA), oblique: it has been activated.
- Triston Casas (1B, BOS), ribs: moved to IL for 60 days, might be a while 🙁
- Gerrit Cole (SP, NYY), elbow: bullpen sessions.
- Brandon Drury (1B/2B, LAA), hamstring: what was originally an oblique injury moved to migraines and now a tweaked hamstring.
- Nathan Eovaldi (SP, TEX), groin: should be back around May 18th.
- Pete Fairbanks (RP, TBR), arm: rehabbin’, should work this weekend..
- Braxton Garrett (SP, MIA), shoulder: it has been restored.
- DJ LeMahieu (1B/3B, NYY), foot: moving on to rehab.
- Brandon Lowe (2B, TBR), oblique: constant swelling in his back; going for a second opinion.
- Sean Murphy (C, ATL), oblique: batting in the batting cage.
- Nick Pivetta (SP, BOS), elbow: activated with a hard start.
- Grayson Rodriguez (SP, BAL), elbow: dump the mound.
- Max Scherzer (SP, TEX), back: still recovering from the sixth issue.
- Seiya Suzuki (OF, CHC), oblique: rehabbin’.
- Alek Thomas (OF, ARI), hamstring: re-examination (MRI) after being sent back to rehab.
- Gavin Williams (SP, CLE), elbow: switch to IL for 60 days.
- Bryan Woo (SP, SEA), elbow: back to the list.
- Christian Yelich (OF, MIL), back: it has been restored.
Who did I forget? Looking for an injury update? I’ll see you in the comments.
Good week!
Would you like more injury-related (but mostly random) content? We will see each other Twitter or BlueSky.
