Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
Today’s Headlines
Carlos Correa Strains Oblique
The Minnesota Twins have had some awful injury luck from the jump. Already without Royce Lewis, Max Kepler, and a handful of arms, they’re down another key piece after Friday:
Carlos Correa out of the game after grimacing at the plate and holding his side pic.twitter.com/3qXNkjCEEW
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 13, 2024
Obliques are difficult to project from a timeline standpoint. One imagines Correa will be out for a few weeks, at minimum. Correa was off to a fantastic start after a disappointing 2023. He was walking at a 19% clip, had a .450 on-base, and was providing excellent defense. As big a hole as the loss of Lewis left in the lineup, Correa’s absence will leave a struggling offense even more shorthanded. Worse yet, the presumed replacement for Correa, prospect Brooks Lee, is only about halfway through his timeline with a back injury. Early word is that Willi Castro will handle the six in his stead.
Miller Time in Seattle
The Chicago Cubs have been an absolute nightmare for opposing starters. Over the past week, the North Siders have taken such starters as Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, and Yu Darvish to task in running up pitch counts, creating traffic on base, and, ultimately, generating offense early. That was not the case in their series opener in Seattle on Friday night. Bryce Miller pitched into the seventh, ending the evening with 6.1 innings, four strikeouts, and a single unearned run allowed.
Bryce Miller, 95mph ⛽️
And messing with timing. 👀 pic.twitter.com/AxXuEwh6Bn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 13, 2024
The Seattle flamethrower hasn’t allowed a run since March 31st (14.1 consecutive scoreless innings). Yan Gomes was a Millerstrikeout victim twice to the tune of six pitches. It wasn’t quite as notable in the strikeout category as his last two starts, but given the Cubs’ recent penchant for making starters’ lives difficult, his efficiency in continuing the scoreless streak merits a top mention nonetheless.
Milwaukee Benches Clear…Again
For the second time this young season, benches cleared in a game involving the Milwaukee Brewers:
Benches cleared in Brewers-Orioles game. pic.twitter.com/moHe1VNBpb
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2024
The previous spat occurred following a slide from Rhys Hoskins that the Mets’ Jeff McNeill deemed dangerous. This time around, the clearing was sparked by the Brewers, as Willy Adames apparently took exception to something James McCann said behind the plate. As most bench incidents are, though, it ended up anticlimactic. The game itself, however, saw far more action as Freddy Peralta shoved to the tune of 11 strikeouts & the Milwaukee lineup hit a bunch of home runs.
Bad Bad Bunny
With a handful of off-field issues currently — and unfortunately — taking our attention from the Major League product (elbow injuries, the Ippei Mizuhara charges, etc.), we’ve got yet another issue unrelated to the happenings directly on a baseball field. Rimas Sports, the agency led by artist Bad Bunny, is facing ’significant’ punishment from the MLB Players Association:
William Arroyo, the main baseball agent from the Bad Bunny-led venture Rimas Sports, had his MLBPA certification revoked after a union investigation into the agency providing improper benefits to players, industry sources tell me, @JeffPassan and @jorgecastillo.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) April 12, 2024
Although some details remain unclear, the operation at Rimas has reportedly been offering players wild benefits to change up their representation. This includes sums of money, cars, and other incentives. Players represented by Rimas Sports include recent Colorado extension recipient Ezequiel Tovar, Mets catcher (and former Scott Boras client) Francisco Alvarez, Mets infielder Ronny Mauricio, Reds utilityman Santiago Espinal, and Giants infielder Wilmer Flores, among others. Given the involvement of the MLBPA, a globally recognized recording artist, and a handful of notable Major League players, one imagines we’ll hear plenty more about this storyline in the coming weeks.
Ippei Surrenders to Authorities
While my colleague Christian Otteman covered the Ippei Mizuhara charges as part of yesterday’s news, it does seem important to at least note that Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter surrendered to federal authorities on Friday. His court appearance was scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Yariel Rodríguez to Start Saturday
Bouncing back to actual baseball and ending on a positive note, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that Yariel Rodríguez will start Saturday against Colorado:
Yariel Rodríguez will start for Blue Jays tomorrow per mgr John Schneider
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) April 13, 2024
The Jays signed Rodríguez to a five-year deal out of Japan this winter. He pitched in 2023 only for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, having last pitched competitively for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan in 2022. Through two starts in Triple-A this year, he had thrown 6.1 innings across two starts and allowed zero runs. He gets a “lighter” start against a Colorado squad hanging at the bottom of the league standings. They did hang a dozen on the Jays on Friday, though.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Standing O for Francisco
While the New York Mets have shaken off a slow start, the same cannot be said of shortstop Francisco Lindor. Heading into last night’s series opener against Kansas City, Lindor was hitting just .098 and featured a wRC+ of 18. Mets fans, however, gave us a moment similar to one last year from their rivals to the south:
The Citi Field crowd gives Francisco Lindor a big hand in his first at-bat of the homestand pic.twitter.com/0TaFhYNhfA
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2024
When Philadelphia fans gave Trea Turner an ovation in August of last year, he went on a heater. Coincidentally, his ovation also came against Kansas City. Fans in Queens are undoubtedly hoping for the same outcome. Lindor ended up 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.
Ohtani Ties Matsui
The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers each hit a bunch of home runs in what ended up being a very weird Friday night in LA. One of them, though, bears a bit more significance in the broader MLB context:
History for Shohei Ohtani!
Shohei ties Hideki Matsui for most home runs by a Japanese-born player! pic.twitter.com/9JXIBv2Rcy
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2024
Shohei Ohtani’s fourth of the year ties him with Hideki Matsui for the most home runs by a Japanese-born player. Or, exactly what the above tweet says. What the tweet doesn’t say, however, is that Matsui recorded over 5,000 plate appearances in his Major League career. Shohei has recorded just under 3,000.
Elly De La Bomb
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Elly De La Cruz hit a baseball roughly 450 feet:
Elly De La Cruz mashes his FOURTH homer in his last four games 💥
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/HMUG1rxQDh
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) April 13, 2024
If you’ll remember, he hit one 450 against Milwaukee earlier this week (and added another via the wheels). The Reds’ young superstar’s massive blast was his fourth homer in his last four games. Other things he’s done in his last four games: four hits that weren’t home runs and zero strikeouts. Uh oh.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Cardinals OF Lars Nootbaar was activated from the 15-day IL; C Pedro Pagés was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.
⚾ White Sox signed P Cory Abbott to a minor league deal.
⚾ Rays placed 2B Brandon Lowe on 15-day IL with a right oblique strain; UTIL Niko Goodrum was recalled from Triple-A Durham
⚾ Cubs traded C Joe Hudson to the New York Mets, optioned RP José Cuas to Triple-A Iowa, and recalled P Keegan Thompson
⚾ White Sox transferred 3B Yoán Moncada to the 60-day IL due to left adductor strain, designated RP Bryan Shaw for assignment, and optioned OF Oscar Colás to Triple-A Charlotte; selected IF Zach Remillard and P Justin Anderson to the active roster.
⚾ Astros designated RP Wander Suero for assignment; selected RP Joel Kuhnel to the active roster.
⚾ Rockies announce RP Daniel Bard will undergo flexor tendon surgery & miss remainder of season.
⚾ Padres recalled P Adrián Morejón from Triple-A El Paso & designated RP Pedro Avila for assignment.
Articles You Should Read
The Stolen Base Explosion Hasn’t Continued – Ben Clemens (FanGraphs)
Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani, and the Moral Hazard of Speculation – Ginny Searle (Baseball Prospectus)
The most interesting new pitches of 2024 – Mike Petriello (MLB.com)
Fantasy Baseball Coverage