Latest news with #TheWindupNewsletter
New York Times
6 days ago
- 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.
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Was Padres-Yankees a World Series preview? Plus: Mookie Betts' perfectionism
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. To be fair, I did tell you to watch Padres-Yankees. Plus: We learn what's been wrong with William Contreras in Milwaukee, and Mookie Betts is working on bat speed (while the Dodgers training staff is just working on getting some pitchers healthy). I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! Actually, let me start over. Assuming you are not a Padres fan, Padres-Yankees did not disappoint. If you are a Padres fan, you are exempt from reading any furth— OK, they already scrolled to the next section. That's fine, I understand. For the rest of us … wow. I feel pretty good about my recommendation earlier this week. And it's not impossible we'll see a rematch in October. According to Baseball Reference, the 21-16 Yankees currently have a 19.7 percent chance of reaching the World Series, and the 23-13 Padres are at 19 percent. The only two teams with higher odds right now? The 23-13 Tigers (31.9 percent) and 22-16 Cubs (24 percent). Yeah, I know — I thought I was going to say Dodgers (17.6 percent), too. Speaking of which … From my latest story, expanding on something I discussed recently in The Windup: Talking to Mookie Betts, I almost wanted to pull an Allen Iverson. 'Bat speed? You're worried about bat speed?' An eight-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger and three-time World Series champion is about the last player you would expect to fret, especially when he is still an elite performer. In April, The Athletic grouped Betts with five others in Tier 1 on its list of the top 100 position players in baseball. ESPN ranked Betts third among all players, MLB Network fifth. Still, Betts worries about everything, freely acknowledging he puts too much pressure on himself. And, to a degree, his concern with bat speed is warranted. It is one of the rare weaknesses in his game. Betts, in an interview Friday, attributed a recent 13-game stretch in which he batted .176 to bad habits he created returning from an illness in March that caused him to lose 20 pounds — habits he formed trying to regain his bat speed. 'I have a baseline of numbers as far as bat speed that I try and hit throughout the day to make sure I'm moving fast enough and ready for a game. I could not get the bat to those numbers,' Betts said. 'My bat speed, even fully healthy, is already below average. Now you take off 20 pounds and it's even worse. I'm like, 'Man, I've got to do whatever it takes to get the barrel going.'' A player's bat speed tends to decline with age, and Betts turns 33 on Oct. 7. Still, the Dodgers are not overly concerned. Betts emerged from his slump to bat .324 with a .817 OPS in his last 10 games. And his bat speed does not define him as a hitter. Case in point: Betts is at the top of the leaderboard in another bat-tracking metric Statcast introduced this season, squared-up rate. His success in that area stems from the efficiency of his bat path, his ability to repeatedly connect with the sweet spot and achieve close to his maximum attainable exit velocity. Well before Statcast made bat-tracking data available, teams developed metrics to assess players' swings. Betts was among a group of Dodgers hitters who visited Driveline Baseball just outside of Seattle during the 2022-23 offseason. After the visit, he began using a metal bat with redistributed weight in batting practice, trying to build bat speed. His work seemed to bear fruit. Betts' .987 OPS in 2023 was the second-highest of his career, behind only his 1.078 mark with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, when he won American League MVP. Yet, even in that resurgent '23 season, Betts' average bat speed was below the norm. Statcast measured it at 71.3 mph, in the 38th percentile of all players. He has declined since, dropping in 2024 to 69 mph (13th percentile) and — through Tuesday — 67.4 mph (sixth percentile) this season. More here. Yesterday, we started to get into Eno Sarris' article on 10 early-season numbers that are actually worth being concerned about, but we got derailed when Ryan Pressly made some bad history, fulfilling one of Eno's prophecies. Let's make it two. Here's Eno: Lewie Pollis looked at the numbers and found that managers are going to their bullpen too soon, and it's taxing the relievers. Los Angeles has had a top-three bullpen so far, but will it regress over the course of the season — and most importantly, what will it look like in October? Yesterday, reliever Evan Phillips hit the IL with 'right forearm discomfort,' which is a dreaded phrase in clubhouses around the league. Fortunately, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Fabian Ardaya he didn't expect Phillips to need an MRI. Bullet hopefully dodged (pun noted, unintentional) for now. But the Dodgers are asking their bullpen for more innings than any other team. It's not just a lack of efficacy from starters, it's also that a lot of them are, or have been, injured (13 pitchers, in total, are on the injured list). Blake Snell and Clayton Kershaw should be back soon, which should help. In the meantime, L.A. could use a few seven- or eight-inning starts. The Dodgers have built a Death Star of a roster. The thermal exhaust port appears to be made of elbows, shoulders, knees and toes. Exactly one year ago, Brewers catcher William Contreras was hitting .329/.406/.510 (.917 OPS), en route to starting the All-Star Game and finishing fifth in NL MVP voting. This year, he's at .242/.358/.331 (.689) — the sort of dropoff that starts to raise eyebrows. What exactly is going on with him? Adam McCalvy has solved the riddle: Contreras has a fracture on the middle finger of his catching hand. McCalvy reports that it's an 'old fracture that has bothered him for some time,' and that the 27-year-old Contreras plans to continue playing through it (though he was out of the lineup last night in the series finale against the Rays) For all the attrition the Brewers roster has undergone in recent offseasons and trade deadlines, they have at least been a bit lucky with position-player injuries this year, with just Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins currently on the IL. But Contreras isn't the only one struggling at the plate this year. SS Joey Ortiz — stepping up after the departure of Willy Adames — is below the Mendoza line, and Christian Yelich is barely above it. And yet … the Brewers entered play last night ranked in the top 10 in runs scored. Part of the reason? They're taking a lot of extra bases. They've stolen more bases (46) than any team not called the Cubs (48). Still, when a new star or two leaves every winter, you need the ones who remain to shine a little brighter. Here's hoping Contreras' finger can get healthy soon. Keith Law's Mock Draft 1.0 is here. He has Ethan Holliday going No. 1 to the Nats … for now. After Ryan Pressly's historically bad outing Tuesday night, Sahadev Sharma spoke to Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy about what Pressly is working to correct. Not a great day for the Reds, who put Noelvi Marte on the IL (oblique strain), then saw Hunter Greene leave his start after just three innings (groin strain). They're the third and fourth players to be added to the Reds IL in the last week (and OF Jake Fraley underwent an MRI for his calf yesterday, so … it might be five soon). Advertisement On the pods: The Mariners have a top-five offense in 2025. Will it last? Eno, DVR and Jed discuss it on the latest episode of 'Rates & Barrels.' Don't look now, but the Cardinals have won five games in a row and are back to a .500 record. Katie Woo tells us what's going so right in St. Louis. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Eno Sarris on 10 early-season numbers that could be cause for alarm. Something tells me we might get a repeat champ tomorrow. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Braves have a good problem on the way, plus Soto trade working for Nats
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. Welcome to the week; our pets' heads are falling off. Plus: Reckoning Day in Texas, the Nats are interesting again and — an outfield logjam? In Atlanta?! I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! Ronald Acuña will be back soon. Not soon enough for Atlanta's liking, but late May or early June. Soon-ish. Given the outfield troubles this year for the Braves (now 15-18 after their nightmare 0-7 start), you wouldn't think there would be any complicating factors. Let's start with the simple stuff. Acuña will be in the lineup and starting in right field as soon as he's ready, and not a day later. Early-season slump notwithstanding, Michael Harris II's job as everyday center fielder does not appear to be in the least bit of danger. Advertisement That leaves one outfield spot — left field. And a couple of journeymen are making it a harder decision than anyone would've thought, especially after the Braves lost Jurickson Profar (suspension) and Jarred Kelenic (minor leagues). Check out these two stat lines: Alex Verdugo: .304/.361/.393 (.754 OPS) — 13 games Eli White: .304/.350/.571 (.921 OPS) — 25 games As David O'Brien lays out here, White's performance has been remarkable — a delayed breakout from a 30-year-old who had never been able to quite put all of his above-average tools together at the big league level (I'll never forget this catch, though). But Verdugo's track record is longer, carrying a career OPS of .742 in 800 games before this season (White's was .568 in 171 games). Who would have thought there could be an outfield logjam in Atlanta? Not the Braves, I guess — they brought in Kelenic, Profar and Bryan De La Cruz (since DFA'd and claimed by the Yankees) in the offseason, then added Verdugo and Eddie Rosario after the season began. They have outfield options, and maybe even a hard decision to make between Verdugo and White when Acuña returns. Well, Chris Young wasn't kidding. On Tuesday, Texas' general manager expressed frustration about his team's offense to the Dallas Morning News, saying, 'I'm edgy, and rightfully so.' The Rangers, mind you, are less than two years removed from their first World Series title. But they dropped from third in the majors in scoring in 2023 to 18th in '24 to 30th entering Sunday, at 3.09 runs per game. 'After lengthy discussions and deliberations, we feel now is the appropriate time to provide our hitters with a new voice as we pursue goals of winning the division and reaching the postseason,' Young said in announcing Ecker's dismissal. Advertisement The Rangers lost hitting coach Tim Hyers to the Braves during the offseason, replacing him with Justin Viele, who worked with Ecker in San Francisco in 2020 and '21. Young acquired Burger and signed Joc Pederson as a free agent during the offseason. Burger was batting .190 with a .561 OPS at the time of his demotion. Pederson, who agreed to a two-year, $37 million deal, is 8-for-85 on the season, good for an .094 batting average and .334 OPS. Taveras, 26, is another Ranger whose offensive performance went awry. During the past week he lost playing time in center to Kevin Pillar, a 36-year-old veteran the team signed to a minor-league deal in late February. When the Rangers placed him on outright waivers Sunday, he was batting .241 with a .601 OPS. Any team that claims Taveras by Tuesday would assume the balance of his $4.75 million salary. If he goes unclaimed, he can elect free agency and forfeit his remaining money. If he chooses to stay with the Rangers under those circumstances, he will be removed from the 40-man roster and report to the minors. Young's shakeup is a meaningful jolt, considering the roles both Taveras and Ecker played for the '23 club and the fact that Bruce Bochy, in 28 years of managing, had never made an in-season change to his coaching staff. The season is barely 20 percent complete. But Young clearly determined it's not early anymore. More early AL West struggles: Angels GM Perry Minasian: 'We're going to roll with what we have.' It's not going to happen this year. Not in this NL East. Not with the Mets, Phillies and Braves still built for dominance. But the Nationals (16-19) have the makings of a quality core of young players — and the Juan Soto trade is starting to pay off. Consider this: going into yesterday's 4-1 win over the Reds, the Nats' top three players in bWAR were 22-year-old James Wood (1.2), 26-year-old MacKenzie Gore (1.2) and 24-year-old C.J. Abrams (1.1) — three of the six players Washington received from San Diego in return for Soto in August 2022. (Soto has been worth 1.1 bWAR for the Mets so far this year.) Advertisement Wood, in particular, is starting to look the part of a star, primarily by hitting the absolute mess out of the ball, as Tyler Kepner outlines here. The other three: 23-year-old Robert Hassell III (currently batting .294 (.733 OPS) in Triple A), 21-year-old Jarlin Susana (0-1, 4.30 in Double A) and Luke Voit (last seen: Quintana Roo, Mexico). Granted, 23-year-old Dylan Crews has struggled to start the 2025 season, but he was the 2nd overall pick in the 2023 draft and was on Keith Law's Top 100 prospects list (No. 7) along with shortstop Seaver King, 22 (No. 80) and RHP Travis Sykora, 21 (No. 85). There are still a couple of slow years ahead, and likely some deft maneuvering at the trade deadline(s) to move veterans like Nathaniel Lowe, Kyle Finnegan, Trevor Williams or recently signed Andrew Chafin (who seems to get traded every deadline these days). But the Nationals seem to be on track. Since Friday's newsletter, team physicians and trainers have been kept incredibly busy. There were so many injuries, several of them feel like they lead into each other: At least Garrett Crochet (line drive to the nose) and Matt Mervis (uhh … this) somehow avoided injury. How was your weekend? Signings, call-ups and comebacks: Orioles' No. 2 prospect Coby Mayo is back, Blake Tidwell made his debut for the Mets and Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. is now in Double A. Also: the Blue Jays signed Spencer Turnbull and José Ureña for pitching depth and Lance McCullers Jr. made his long-awaited return to the Astros. Rustin Dodd talking to Negro Leagues Museum president Bob Kendrick? That's gonna be an instant click from me. The video was horrifying. Fortunately, the Pirates fan who fell from the stands last week — Kavan Markwood — is 'awake, alert, and able to speak,' according to a GoFundMe that has been established for his medical treatment. Chris Kirschner's review of the Austin Wells 'favvurito' may have done a better job cooking than the Yankees Stadium concessions stand that sold it. I have absolutely no idea what Keith Hernandez was thinking, but now that he mentions it, I would watch a crossover episode of RuPaul's Drag Bunt. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Jim Bowden's April All-Star teams. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
