As the 2024 regular season gets underway, here are three things we’ll be looking at around the world of baseball throughout the day today:
1. Sailors under new commanders:
After struggling on offense all season and a 1-8 trip that allowed the Astros to overtake them in the AL West race, the Mariners took action yesterday by firing manager Scott Servais and installing Dan Wilson as the team’s new captain. It’s the second midseason change in a month, as the White Sox changed their coaching staff two weeks ago when they replaced Pedro Grifol. Grady Sizemore in the manager’s seat.
The question for Wilson and the Mariners now is whether or not the changes in the field will help inject some life into a team that has seen its strikeout probability drop to 11.1% according to Fangraphs, or if the club will continue to falter as the Astros pull farther in the AL West race. Chicago has gone 3-8 since the trade, though the club was 1-22 before Grifol’s firing, and even that paltry .272 winning percentage is arguably better. Wilson’s first career win will be tonight’s game against the Giants, which will be in Seattle at 7:10 p.m. local time. Luis Castillo (3.51 ERA) on the opposite mound Hayden Birdsong (5.01 ERA).
2. Is Buxton about to return?
Uber talented but injury prone outfielder Byron Buxton quietly put together a strong, healthy season with the Twins this year. His 90 games played this year are the third-most of his MLB career so far, and he’s taken full advantage of it by slashing .275/.334/.528 (140 wRC+) while posting strong numbers in center field. It’s a big step up from a 2023 campaign that saw Buxton pitch just 85 games to a below-average offense while being limited to only the DH role in the 30-year-old’s last effort as a healthy All-Star.
Of course, Buxton is currently on the injured list with inflammation in his right hip. That’s a worrisome diagnosis for Twins fans given Buxton’s long injury history, but MLB.com’s Injury Tracker offers plenty of reason to be optimistic by noting that the outfielder has been hit, run, and run in recent days and could be shelved as well. Soon today, the first game where he is eligible to return to action. Minnesota is relying on a young man Austin Martin in center field while Buxton was off duty.
3. The Yankees got better:
Yankees fans got some good news yesterday when it was reported about the infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. is set to be activated on the injured list today. The news should provide a facelift to the club’s struggling internal mix, and further reinforcements are on the way for both. Jon Berti again Anthony Rizzo is set to begin a rehab assignment amid a lengthy stint on the injured list this year. Both Berti (87 wRC+ in 17 games this year) and Rizzo (80 wRC+ in 70 games) have struggled to produce at the plate this year, but those issues are par for the course in the Yankees’ spot. Gleyber Torres, Oswaldo Cabrera, Ben Riceagain DJ LeMahieu all post deficit numbers with Torres’s 90 wRC+ leading the pack. With New York clinging to a 1.5-game lead in the AL East over the Orioles, the impending return of Chisholm, Rizzo, and Berti could help the club’s beleaguered outfield show some signs of life down the stretch.
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