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New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
An MLB riser and faller before deadline week. Plus: Active players on track for the Hall of Fame?
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. We're starting to see some bubble teams pop. But one is starting to float … Plus: It's Jayson Stark's annual look at future Hall of Famers, and Ken considers Aaron Boone's role in New York. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — we're off tomorrow, so welcome to The Windup, and we'll see you again on Monday! For the Cardinals, this was supposed to be a year for 'developing young talent' (ie. 'Don't get your hopes up'). Instead, for the first half of the season, they went out and surprised everyone. Could they keep it up? Alas, after the All-Star break, St. Louis was swept by the Diamondbacks and then lost two of three to the Rockies. Ah. Advertisement President of baseball operations John Mozeliak has called the team's deadline plans 'fluid,' but also said: 'Clearly the weekend was not what we wanted to see. Now we have to understand what the future looks like.' Yesterday, the Cardinals DFA'd starting pitcher Erick Fedde, acquired from the White Sox at last year's deadline. Fedde has been pretty bad this year, but there was hope he might rebound and be a trade asset (he didn't). From May 11-19, the Cardinals spent seven out of eight days at one game out of first place in the NL Central. On June 30, they were only three games out. It seems July 1 was their Cinderella's midnight — they're still a game over .500 at 52-51, but 5-12 for the month, 9 1/2 games out in the NL Central and 3 1/2 out (and falling) in the NL wild card. More should-be sellers: From my latest column: It's a fine line. A manager who puts struggling players on blast often will lose his clubhouse. But a manager who consistently defends those players risks losing public credibility. In the view of many New York Yankees fans, Aaron Boone made his choice long ago. His willingness to back players, even amid mental lapses, troubling slumps and defensive meltdowns, overrides any concern from the fan base. Boone's 'all is well' demeanor in interviews, no matter how much it inflames fans who believe he is gaslighting them, ultimately means little. What matters is whether Boone, behind the scenes, is holding his players accountable. If he is, it sure isn't showing on the field. Last night, the Yankees were at their sloppy worst, committing four errors in three innings in an embarrassing 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. They have now made 12 errors in 10 games against the Jays, the team they are chasing in the AL East. Boone, speaking to reporters afterward, reacted with typical restraint. He said the Yankees were 'a very good defensive team' that fielded poorly in their two series at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Perhaps. But fans watching blunder after blunder keep wondering when things will change. Advertisement The Yankees on May 28 led the AL East by a season-high seven games. Their lead on June 12, when they peaked at 42-25, was 4 1/2. Since then, they've gone 14-21, falling four games behind the Jays and showing the same bungling tendencies they've displayed season after season under Boone, regardless of who is on their roster. The embarrassment the Yankees suffered in Game 5 of last year's World Series was merely the culmination of their flaws. By wins and losses, the standard that matters most, it's difficult to be critical of Boone. Since taking over in 2018, he has led the Yankees to the third-highest victory total in the majors, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros. The Yankees reached the postseason all but one of those years, and last season won the American League for the first time since 2009. This season, even with injuries to starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, also is likely to end in a postseason berth. The Yankees currently hold the top wild-card spot in the AL, a league in which few teams, if any, look like powerhouses. If they get hot again, much of the noise surrounding them could subside. More Rosenthal: Ken's notes column is deadline-centric and includes a plea to Brewers ownership, plus notes on the Dodgers, White Sox, Blue Jays, Braves and Diamondbacks. This Sunday is induction weekend at the Baseball Hall of Fame. This year's class includes Dick Allen, Dave Parker, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner. One thing we know about each of those players: The debate is over. They're in. Hall of Famers. So … who've you got for the class of 2039? That's right, it's time for Jayson Stark's annual check-in on which active players are headed for Cooperstown … eventually. (Don't worry, Jacob Misiorowski isn't listed. Yet.) Advertisement This year, Jayson has some new tiers, including the Starters Corner. It's a good addition; our definition of a Hall of Fame starting pitcher is already evolving, and it's going to have to continue to do so. Starting pitchers' usage just looks different now. Consider Chuck Finley, who won 200 games and struck out 2,610 hitters from 1986-2002. When he was eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2008, he received … one vote. One! The only three active pitchers with 200-plus wins or 2,500-plus strikeouts? Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander (all three have both). The catch? Finley threw 3,197 1/3 innings. Only Verlander has more among active pitchers, and has done so in three more seasons. It was just a different time. Stark dives into how voters should consider this. All season long, the book on the Rangers has been: pitching/defense good; hitting bad. But uhhh … Runs Per Game, July 1-22: While we weren't looking, the Rangers have gone 12-6 in July. They're 6-2-1 in their last nine series, including wins against the Tigers and Astros — whom they do still trail by 7 1/2 games in the division. But they're only 1 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot now, tied with the Rays. What changed? Some of it has been good players finally being … good? Corey Seager is healthy again and hit his fifth home run of the month last night, tying him with Marcus Semien for most on the team in July (Adolis García is next, with four). But some success has come from names even Rangers fans might not recognize. On Monday night, Cody Freeman's first big-league hit gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead, then Michael Helman's first big-league home run made it 5-1. Rowdy Tellez — who has somehow never been a Texas Ranger before, despite being named Rowdy Tellez — is there now. Advertisement And the pitching's still good. They entered last night with a league-best 3.21 ERA (then held the A's to one run). Are they going to salvage this season after all? Deadline coverage: Shohei Ohtani has now homered in five consecutive games. When do we start to worry about the Tigers? Swept by the Pirates, they're 1-9 in their last 10 games. Jesús Luzardo's first season in Philly has been extremely … weird. Chandler Rome tells us how the team is adjusting Cam Smith's routine to help him make it through a long first pro season. Keith Law has an updated top 60 MLB prospects list after the draft. (Better Tigers news!) There's a live Q&A here at 1 pm ET. Justin Verlander finally got that first win as a Giant. On the pods: On 'Rates & Barrels': a look at hitters like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jackson Chourio, who succeed despite high chase rates. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: The video of Ichiro's walk-off homer off Mariano Rivera. I never considered it wouldn't be.
New York Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Shohei Ohtani brings the heat in return. Plus: All the Rafael Devers trade fallout
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. Last night, we saw something we hadn't in almost 22 months. Elsewhere: The fallout from a trade that'll reverberate for … years to come. Welcome to The Windup! We have our own MVP-caliber opener today with Levi Weaver on the IL for the moment. Here's Ken Rosenthal: Hall of Famer David Ortiz works for the Boston Red Sox as a special assistant to the Fenway Sports Group. But he said his opinion of the Rafael Devers trade is informed more by his 14 years as a player with the Red Sox than his current role with the club. 'I played for the Red Sox a long time,' Ortiz said yesterday. 'You think everything with me and the Red Sox was roses and flowers? I went through some tough times also. But I was mature enough to understand and keep things internal. Even in the best families, between the best brothers, s—- happens. You need to have the maturity to resolve the problems and move on.' Advertisement Ortiz, 49, experienced occasional turbulence in his contract negotiations with the Red Sox. Some of the squabbles went public, but he ultimately finished his career with the team. In 2017, one year after he retired, the Red Sox signed him to what they described as a 'forever' contract, enabling him to play a variety of roles with the club. Devers, 28, did not resolve his problems with Boston's front office. And on Sunday, the Red Sox (38-36 after last night's win against Seattle) made one of the most stunning baseball trades in recent memory, sending Devers to the San Francisco Giants for right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and pitching prospect Jose Bello. Ortiz, a colleague of mine at Fox Sports, does not consider the Red Sox blameless in the breakdown of their relationship with their best hitter, a homegrown slugger who was in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million extension. But after Devers' initial resistance to becoming a DH and subsequent refusal to play first base, Ortiz said, 'I knew it wasn't going to end well. There was too much going on, you know?' In a situation like the one that developed, Ortiz said, the player is not in control. Devers, lacking a no-trade clause, did not even possess the power to influence where the Red Sox might trade him. He has yet to comment on changing coasts, but Ortiz said, 'I prefer to play in Boston than freezing-ass San Francisco for the next 10 years.' 'I know the communication between Devers and the Red Sox wasn't the best at the very beginning,' Ortiz said. 'But at some point you have to realize the organization has the power over everyone. They can play you, trade you, let you go. Sometimes as a young player, it's hard to understand that. But they have the power to do whatever they want. The only thing you can control is what you do on the field.' More here. A brief break from Devers now to check in on another stunning development: Shohei Ohtani's first start since August 2023 — and first ever with the Dodgers. The right-hander hit 100.2 mph with his fastball last night in an abbreviated outing against the Padres, still a dizzying feat for someone who is also the National League home runs leader. His final line: one inning, two hits, one run, no strikeouts. It's really real: Great to see Shohei Ohtani back on the mound again! — MLB (@MLB) June 17, 2025 Here's Dodgers beat writer Fabian Ardaya on the scene in Los Angeles: Ohtani toed the rubber at 7:10 p.m. for his first pitching appearance in a Dodgers uniform. At 7:22 p.m., he completed his first inning, having allowed a pair of softly hit singles and a run on a Manny Machado sacrifice fly. He flashed eye-popping stuff, even if he looked like someone pitching in a big league game for the first time in nearly two years. Advertisement By 7:24 p.m., the reigning National League MVP was stepping into the batter's box to lead off against Padres right-hander Dylan Cease and struck out on seven pitches. He didn't even have time to stop in the dugout; his gear was laid out for him on the dirt in front of it. Time is at a premium when you're trying to do it all. 'To watch this guy start and then take an at-bat, this is bananas,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Oh, and at the plate, Ohtani went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the Dodgers' 6-3 win. More Ohtani: Everyone loves a buzzy anonymous quote. We just saw it last week with our anonymous player poll. So, great news: Our staff polled more than two dozen people — managers, coaches, front office executives, scouts and agents — about the Devers trade, and Britt Ghiroli delivered the goods: Plenty more comments here. And more trade coverage: While Boston's off the field moves the past few days have loudly dominated the conversation in the AL East, the Yankees' powerful offense has suddenly been reduced to a whisper. A brutal 1-0, 11-inning loss to the Angels on Monday extended the team's scoreless streak to 20 innings and marked the first time they've been shut out in consecutive games since August 2023. To make things worse, the Rays have won their past four games, narrowing New York's division lead to just 2 ½ games. Here's Brendan Kuty's dispatch from the Bronx last night. Has the Yankees' recent slide impacted their place in the latest MLB Power Rankings? Not as much as you'd think. After 14 big-league seasons, 36-year-old Drew Pomeranz nearly retired in the middle of the 2024 campaign. Now he's thriving in the Cubs bullpen. Just a year ago, Trey Yesavage was pitching in the NCAA Regionals for East Carolina. Now the Blue Jays' 2024 first-round pick has become one of the fastest risers in his draft class after a promotion to Double A. Advertisement Speaking of college pitchers, did you see what Gage Wood did on Monday? The Arkansas junior and likely first-round pick threw the College World Series' first no-hitter in 65 years, striking out 19! Murray State hitters. Mitch Sherman captures the spectacle here. And finally, a farewell to former Mets and Cardinals reliever Ron Taylor, who died Monday at 87. Taylor won a World Series ring as a player with both teams and then earned two more while serving as the team doctor for his hometown Toronto Blue Jays for more than 30 years. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Kiké Hernández's support for immigrants amid the Los Angeles ICE raids and protests. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Phillies, meet the Windup Panic Spectrum. Plus: Yordan Alvarez not returning yet
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. The Phillies phlailed, the Royals are calling up a masher, the Yankees and Dodgers made history and the Astros are … well, what is going on in Houston, anyway? I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! When we sent our last edition of The Windup, the Phillies held the NL's best record. Not only is that no longer true, they don't even have the best record in their division. At 36-23, they now trail the Mets (37-22) after being swept at home by the Brewers, including a 17-7 football score of a loss on Saturday. Advertisement The good news: Despite being out of action since a hit-by-pitch on Tuesday, Bryce Harper is not expected to hit the IL. The bad news? Small-picture, it's all bad. After spending the first month-plus of the season with the game's most stable pitching staff, the Phillies are now attempting a slight pitching shuffle. From that link: 'The Phillies will shift Taijuan Walker to a one-inning setup role for the first time in his 13-year career while reinserting prospect Mick Abel into the rotation. Additionally, they removed veteran righty José Ruiz from the mix by designating him for assignment and added hard-throwing Seth Johnson to the bullpen.' Allow me to introduce: WiPS. That stands for Windup Panic Spectrum. In the case of the Phillies, we're at a 1.5/10. Like when your honor student goes to Vegas for spring break: We're not worried long-term, but you're not gonna think back on this fondly, pal. The Royals' 1-0 loss to the Tigers yesterday proved the final straw. After that game, the Royals decided to promote Jac Caglianone, a left-handed hitter who was the No. 6 pick, out of the University of Florida, in the 2024 draft. Only one team, the hapless Rockies, is averaging fewer runs per game than the Royals. Caglianone, 22, is one of the game's top offensive prospects. True, he has played in only 79 minor-league games. But he has torn up Double A and Triple A this season with a combined 15 homers and .982 OPS. Caglianone, 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, plays first base (and also pitched in college). One rival evaluator, in his writeup of Caglianone as an amateur, described him as having 'ridiculous strength' and giving off 'peak Matt Olson vibe, look and profile,' with the potential to one day lead the majors in home runs. Also on the Royals: Rookie left-hander Noah Cameron became only the second pitcher since 1893 to work at least 6 1/3 innings and allow one run or less in his first four major-league starts. The 25-year-old's sample might be small, but in an era of diminishing workloads, Zack Wheeler and Max Fried are the only current starters averaging 6 1/3 innings. Now the Royals must figure out how Cameron fits in their staff going forward, with righty Seth Lugo coming off the injured list Friday and lefty Cole Ragans expected back this week. Yordan Alvarez was expected to be back this week. NOPE. So why did we think he was coming back? He last played on May 2. Logically, a month is roughly the recovery period for what the Astros originally said was the issue — a 'muscle strain.' But guess what! It's not just a strain! It's a fracture, we found out Saturday. Walk with me through this minefield of face-palmery: Does any of this sound familiar? It should. Remember when Kyle Tucker missed a lot of time last year as an Astro? The team insisted for three months that it was a 'shin contusion.' That was (also) a fracture. Pardon my penchant for the petty, but this paragraph by Rome is delectable: 'Nowhere in Brown's team-written biography does it describe any medical education in his past, yet he sat atop a bench on Saturday afternoon attempting to explain how a $2.8 billion entity has now twice failed to discover a fracture in one of its franchise players.' Wanna season that pettiness with some irony? Read this lede. The Astros could certainly use a healthy Alvarez — they're just a half-game behind Seattle for the AL West lead. So when will he return? The team isn't saying. Even if they did, would you believe them? More Astros: An 83-pitch complete game??? That's a Maddux++, right? Framber Valdez was brilliant against the Rays on Friday. More sorta-related-to-this-story: The Cubs say Tucker has avoided a major injury. Let's see if they're being forthcoming! *yawn* I know. They do this all the time, individually. 'That's never been done bef—' yeah, we know. But when these two stars combine to do something that's never been done before, it's a big deal. So when Ohtani and Judge both homered in the first inning of the first game of the Dodgers-Yankees series over the weekend, it sent the game's historians to their laptops. Advertisement The verdict: It was the first time in MLB history that both reigning MVPs had homered in the first inning of the same game. Ever. (It did happen in the same game once: Barry Bonds and Miguel Tejada did it in 2002.) For context, interleague play only started in 1997. But it's not as impressive to say, 'It's the first time this has happened since 'Listen' by Collective Soul topped the rock charts.' The Dodgers, by the way, won the series 2-1, but the Yankees' 7-3 win yesterday hardly swung the tide in their direction after losses of 8-5 (Friday) and 18-2 (Saturday). The Yankees insist it's not a huge deal, but it couldn't have felt great to come up short in their first low-stakes shot at revenge. More Dodgers: We conclude our All-Quarter Century team coverage with this: You, the readers (more than 12,000 of you) validated my claim that Shohei Ohtani should be the DH over David Ortiz. I disagree with you on other picks, but for now: Thank you. Jayson Stark has his rebuttal here. If you enjoyed our foray into the world of ultra-contact-hitter Jacob Wilson of the A's, Sam Blum has a more fleshed-out version here. You don't win rings in December, right? The Red Sox had a great offseason. It has not been a good regular season. If it continues to go badly, the Padres could have interest in Jarren Duran. What's up with the federal investigation into the MLBPA? Our fears were confirmed: Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver has a torn UCL. (That's the Tommy John injury.) On the pods: 'Rates & Barrels' talks prospects and the roundtable takes on Juan Soto's 2025 season so far. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Marvel at these sweet home run robberies. Plus, are we buying the Twins?
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. There's a crime spree: Home runs are disappearing at an alarming rate. Plus: Pete Rose's daughter speaks, the Dodgers replace a clubhouse 'pillar' with their top prospect and are we buying the Twins' hot streak? I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! I am really proud of the work our MLB crew here at The Athletic does. Every day in The Windup, I get to highlight some of our best work and keep you, the readers, informed on the fruits of their labor. But once in a while, we all just get to sit back and marvel at the actual baseball being played. In yesterday's Yankees-Mariners game, the very first play of the game gave us one such moment. Watch this catch by Julio Rodríguez: JULIOOOOOO! Julio Rodríguez brings one back! 😤 — MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2025 Most days, that's gonna be your play of the day. Not today. Not when the Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela teamed up to do … this. TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK — MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2025 Perhaps you prefer the Rodríguez catch — the perfectly timed jump, the classic home run robbery, the slight delay in revealing the ball. Or maybe you're a merchant of chaos and the novelty of the one-in-several-million tip drill is more your style. Pick one! Or don't! Not everything has to be a competition. They were both fun to watch (assuming you're not a Yankees or Tigers fan). More single-serving greatness: that of Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., distilled into a single swing. From my latest column: Pete Rose's daughter was in the Seattle airport, getting ready to fly to Cincinnati for a night honoring her father, when she learned the news. 'The emotion just kind of came over me,' Fawn Rose, the oldest of Pete's five children, said. 'I didn't think the commissioner's decision was going to affect me as much as it did.' Advertisement Fawn Rose's 17-year-old twins, her son Jude and daughter Eden, saw their mother getting teary and looked at her as if to say, 'Oh my God, what happened?' But quickly, they came to understand that what happened was good. Fawn said she wasn't shocked Tuesday when commissioner Rob Manfred removed her father and other deceased players from Major League Baseball's permanently ineligible list. But her brother, Pete Jr., 55, and sister Cara, 35, had the same emotional reaction when she phoned them to share Manfred's decision. And they all thought the same thing. 'I wish our dad was here to share this with our family and with all the fans,' Fawn said. Pete Rose died last Sept. 30 at 83. The very next day, the family's attorney, Jeffrey Lenkov, called Fawn. Referencing his nearly decade-long quest to get Pete reinstated, Lenkov told Fawn, 'We're going to get it done.' Lenkov originally did not plan to bring Fawn with him to meet in New York with Manfred and MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney on Dec. 17. But before the meeting, Lenkov realized it might be the only opportunity he and the family would have to plead Pete's case. 'It was vital to hear Pete's voice through his children, that Fawn was the proper choice as the oldest,' Lenkov said. 'I didn't prep Fawn. I wanted her to organically express her opinion.' Which Fawn did. 'I didn't sugarcoat anything. It was the good, bad and the ugly,' she said. 'He's at fault. But he's our dad. And he's human.' Courtney, speaking for Manfred, declined to discuss details of a private meeting and the impact Fawn might have made on the commissioner. But following the league's announcement Tuesday, Fawn said she joked to Pete Jr., 'Dad should have sent me in years ago. I would have closed it quick (with) the commissioner.' The reality, of course, was more complicated. Advertisement The late commissioner Bart Giamatti banned Rose in 1989 after investigator John Dowd confirmed Rose had violated Rule 21 (d) (2), which states that any player, umpire or club or league official who bets upon a game in which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible. Giamatti told Rose he needed to 'reconfigure' his life as a condition for reinstatement. The next three commissioners, Fay Vincent, Bud Selig and Manfred, kept the ban intact. Manfred twice rejected Rose's petitions for reinstatement, in 2015 and 2020. More Pete Rose: MLB's hottest team isn't the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets or even the Padres. With yesterday's sweep of a doubleheader with the Orioles, the Minnesota Twins have boosted their record from a disappointing 13-20 to 23-20, climbing from fourth place and six games back in the division to … fourth place and 5 1/2 games back in the division. Ah right. The Tigers are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and the Royals and Guardians are both 'only' 6-4. So while the 10-win streak has been a lot of fun for Twins fans, it has also been a matter of survival. I remember not so long ago when it seemed like the AL Central title went to the first team to lazily raise their hand and go, 'OK fine, I guess. We'll take it.' Not any more. So how do we feel about the Twins? The hole they dug themselves into shouldn't be insurmountable. But they were streaky last year, too (remember the gross sausage?). Is the duo of a healthy Byron Buxton and new arrival Harrison Bader enough to convince you? Is the pitching as good as it has seemed lately? I'm not ready to say they're my favorites to win the division. I think the Tigers are legitimate World Series contenders, and I think the Royals have some juice. I somehow always underestimate the Guardians. Like I said, it's a rough division. Advertisement But the Twins aren't rolling over. More Twins: Three under-the-radar Minnesota prospects off to stock-raising starts, led by 'McCrusher.' It is one thing to announce that a team is calling up a star prospect. Dalton Rushing definitely qualifies as that — Keith Law had the 24-year-old as the Dodgers' top prospect coming into this season, and the No. 16 prospect in the sport. It's another when that call-up comes at the cost of the team's longest-tenured position player and clubhouse 'pillar.' That's what happened in Los Angeles yesterday, with Austin Barnes on the tough end of a DFA to make room on the 40-man roster for Rushing. Barnes, 35, has spent his entire big-league career with the Dodgers. He debuted in 2015 after a 2014 trade that is a fun little trip down memory lane: (Hernández made his Dodgers debut before Barnes, but spent two-plus years with the Red Sox, the last an 86-game stint in 2023, so his tenure counter was reset.) As for Rushing, he was hitting .308 (.938 OPS) in Triple A and basically forced the issue. But where will he play? After all, he's primarily a catcher (the Dodgers have Will Smith), but also plays first base (Freddie Freeman) and designated hitter (literally Shohei Ohtani). He has also played two games in left field this year (Michael Conforto). As Fabian Ardaya informs us here, 'That versatility, along with Rushing's left-handed bat, could open up a path to playing time.' In other words … stay tuned? Two similar stories: Cubs prospect Moisés Ballesteros was playing MLB The Show when he got the call that he was being called up to the real big leagues. And at Auburn, Andrew Dutton has spent the season as the first-base coach. He finally got his shot at taking an at-bat. Guess what happened? All is well in Atlanta. Ronald Acuña Jr. has apologized to manager Brian Snitker, and everyone's ready for him to return from his rehab assignment. Advertisement Juan Soto says he's excited to hear the reaction when he returns to the Bronx as a member of the Mets tomorrow. Even the boos? Even the boos. Two pitchers of note have hit the IL: flame-throwing Angels reliever Ben Joyce (out for the season) and Red Sox starter Tanner Houck (no timetable for a return). The Giants' hot start has cooled. What's going on? Three-time All-Star Matt Carpenter announced his retirement at age 39. Jim Bowden gives us this year's 10 biggest surprises. On the pods: Chandler Rome joined 'Rates & Barrels' to talk about all things Astros, including a pitching staff that has been surprisingly effective. Twins Win Streak Counter: The Cardinals lost the first game of a doubleheader against the Phillies, but the Twins now have that 10-game winning streak, so let's change horses mid-stream! Most-clicked in our last newsletter: The 2019 piece correcting some of the myths around the Black Sox, 100 years later. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Oswaldo Cabrera's brutal injury, plus our reporter's lesson from Ron Washington
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. The Yankees' injury situation is getting better and worse at the same time. Plus: A reporter goes to infield boot camp, a former No. 1 prospect talks about his 'last chance' and Ken has notes on the Mets and Cubs. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! Yesterday, Brendan Kuty reported that the Yankees are planning to activate DJ LeMahieu before tonight's game in Seattle. Before last night, it seemed obvious where he would play: with Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the IL, there was an opening at second base, where LeMahieu has played 1,137 games (he hasn't played more than 295 at any other position). Advertisement Alright, look — I gotta just … Not to wreck the fourth wall, but I write these things the night before. I had this section written before third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera suffered a gruesome leg injury last night against the Mariners and was taken off the field in an ambulance. Frankly, it was horrifying, and I'm not sure how to proceed other than to tell you I wrote all this before that happened. Maybe LeMahieu will play some third base, too. Hardly seems important right now. Anyway, here's the rest of the section. *deep breath* LeMahieu's return made me wonder about another guy who should be coming back soon: Giancarlo Stanton. What are the Yankees going to do when he gets back? Ben Rice has been playing primarily at DH this year in Stanton's absence, and he's been having a heck of a year, hitting .256 with a .918 OPS. Rice could move to first base, but Paul Goldschmidt has been busy over there having a personal renaissance, hitting .350 (.895 OPS). Rice has also played a bit of catcher, but guess what: Austin Wells has established himself as the guy. But Rice has been the team's fourth-most valuable player by bWAR, with 1.2 already this season. Surely they're not going to put Stanton back in the outfield, are they? As a wise man once (probably) said: 'LOL, no.' Stanton, 35, hasn't played defense since 2023, and he's not about to pick his glove back up, especially coming back from tennis elbow. As it turns out, Chris Kirschner gave us a possible answer, in a notes column on May 1. He suggests that Rice could catch a couple of times a week, play first base a couple of times a week (since Goldschmidt hits left-handed pitchers better than right-handers, and Rice hits righties significantly better than lefties), and play DH on days when Stanton needs a breather. So there's your answer. Probably. I'm still in shock about Cabrera's injury, to be quite honest. More stars returning from injury: Dave O'Brien has the encouraging news from Atlanta: Ronald Acuña Jr. is starting a rehab assignment tonight. Leftover notes from Saturday's Cubs-Mets broadcast on Fox: Mets rotation: That the Mets lead the majors with a 2.67 rotation ERA is one of the season's great surprises. Two of their free-agent signees, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, have yet to throw a single pitch. The Mets are mindful they will need to monitor the workloads of Clay Holmes, who is in his first year as a starter, and Kodai Senga, who missed nearly all of last season with injuries. But Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning essentially were viewed as depth pieces, and both have been excellent. Montas is expected back in early June, Manaea mid-June. Francisco Lindor: At 31, he is getting on the older side for a shortstop in today's game. Lindor, however, still rated as one of the top defenders at the position last season, and continues to impress with his glove. The key, he said, is maintaining his footwork — once that goes, an infielder's defense starts to decline. In addition to taking grounders, Lindor does agility and movement drills to make sure his footwork remains on point. Juan Soto: Mets hitting coach Eric Chávez played against Barry Bonds, and says Soto has the tightest swing he has seen since Barry. The way Chávez describes it, Soto's swing is so technically sound, it allows him to let pitches travel deeper into the zone. And then, when Soto strikes the ball, he can hit it to the opposite field with power. Chávez also could do that during his playing days, but had to catch the ball more out front. 'His swing is a good foot tighter than mine,' Chávez said. 'He can hit let it travel as deep as anybody.' Kyle Tucker: Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson says he doesn't know if he realized how complete a player Tucker is, describing him as an 'aircraft carrier' who is just what the Cubs needed offensively. The difference is apparent in the Cubs' offense, which ranked 12th in runs per game last season, but now leads the NL. Swanson said Tucker effectively makes the job of every other hitter in the lineup easier. Players are freed of any pressure to perform beyond their capabilities. They can just be themselves. Cubs offense: Two more reasons why the Cubs are the NL's highest-scoring team: The hitters at the top of the order — Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch — all draw walks. And while third base remains an open question, the lineup is much deeper, thanks in part to the emergences of Pete Crow-Armstrong and both catchers. Dansby Swanson had an awful first half last season, Cody Bellinger twice went on the IL, Crow-Armstrong hit poorly and the catching production was among the worst in the game. Cubs catchers' OPS (through Sunday): One of my favorite press box stories comes from Dave Sessions, who now freelances for the MLB site. When Ron Washington was the manager of the Texas Rangers, he once told Sessions to put on one of the flat training gloves he uses for pregame drills with his infielders. One after the other, he fungoed hard grounder after hard grounder at the reporter, shouting instructions on footwork, hand placement and the like. After a few minutes, he was satisfied with Sessions' progress and turned to another reporter. Advertisement 'Now, if I can teach that motherf—er to do it, then I can teach Ian Kinsler to do it!' Kinsler, by the way, later won two Gold Gloves. I linked to this story in yesterday's Windup, but it came in pretty late in my process, so I didn't get to give it the attention I wanted: Our own Sam Blum willingly subjected himself to a pregame infield drill session with Washington to see what the fuss was all about. Wash didn't take it easy on Sam, and it's a great insight into the mind of a coach who has long been considered one of the best — if not the best — infield instructors in the game. Or as Wash himself puts it: 'a motherf—ing expert.' Almost nine years ago, Forrest Whitley was picked at No. 17 in the 2016 MLB Draft. Before the 2019 season, Whitley was the No. 1 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. The sky seemed to be less a limit and more a foregone conclusion. Now he's out of minor-league options, and thanks to a knee sprain, he's on the injured list for the second time this season. He spoke to Chandler Rome about it, and says he's 'embarrassed' at every new injury. The story is an insightful look into Whitley's long and fraught journey. He recognizes that this might be his last chance to stick with the organization that drafted him. And while some of the problem was self-inflicted (Whitley served a 50-game drug suspension in 2018), most of it has been out of his control. It's a read that's worth your time. More Astros: How long can Houston stick with a lineup that is so righty-heavy? Freddie Freeman's ankle still isn't quite right. He's dominating anyway, hitting .376 (1.171 OPS). In news that isn't about not moving to first base: From the eye of the storm, Red Sox DH Rafael Devers won AL Player of the Week. In this week's Power Rankings, the team looks at one 'wish you were here' player for each of the 30 teams. Advertisement The Diamondbacks are calling up top prospect Jordan Lawlar, whom Keith Law ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the game this year. Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer aren't being called up by the Red Sox. Not yet. But when they are, Kristian Campbell has advice for them on how to adjust to the big leagues. Jace Jung has struggled at the plate in the big leagues. He's trying to get it straightened out, because there's a third-base job up for grabs in Detroit. Cardinals Win Streak Counter: They're up to nine games in a row. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Even with the short intro, it was Blum's infield session with Ron Washington. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
