Blue Jays not allowed to play home games in Toronto. I'm guessing their home games will now be in Buffalo or their spring training facility in Dunedin.
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These preseason game are decentComment -
COVID-19 has taken its toll on the baseball world, with Freddie Freeman being one of the most prominent names to test positive for the virus. Now recovered and back at the Braves’ camp, Freeman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Gabriel Burns and other reporters about his experience, which included a week of symptoms that even left Freeman fearful for his life on the evening of July 3 when he ran a fever of 104.5 degrees. “I said a little prayer that night. I’ve never been that hot before. My body was really, really hot,” Freeman explained. “So I said, ’Please don’t take me.’ I wasn’t ready. It got a little worrisome that night for me.”
Fortunately, Freeman’s decreased to 101 degrees the following morning, and three days of fever gave way to four days where “it almost felt like I had a sinus problem. I’d stand up, get dizzy and I’d have to sit back down.” After that, however, Freeman went nine days without any other symptoms. After getting word yesterday that he had tested negative on two consecutive coronavirus tests, Freeman received full clearance at a local hospital and was at training camp that same afternoon. While “we’re going to take it day by day” in terms of getting into game shape, Freeman will try to pack as much work as possible over what remains of training camp: “That’s the whole goal, for me to be ready Opening Day.”
Some more on other pending and cleared COVID-19 cases from around baseball…
- A positive coronavirus test delayed Isaac Paredes’ arrival at the Tigers’ camp until yesterday, but the prospect is now feeling healthy, he told MLB.com’s Jason Beck. Paredes wasn’t asymptomatic, though he was feeling better even before traveling to the United States from his home in Mexico. One of the top prospects in Detroit’s farm system, Paredes is only 21 years old and has yet to play any Triple-A ball, though he could have potentially been a candidate for the Tigers’ Opening Day roster had he been healthy. Instead, Paredes will be assigned to the taxi squad and is “ready and willing to do whatever the staff and the manager want me to do. I’m ready to play whatever position they want me to.“
- The Cardinals provided updates on some of their COVID-positive players (MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold were among those to report the news.) Left-handers Genesis Cabrera and Ricardo Sanchez were both cleared to participate in training, and Cabrera was at Busch Stadium today to play catch while Sanchez will join the Cards’ taxi squad at their minor league training site. Alex Reyes, meanwhile, confirmed that his delayed arrival to training camp was indeed due to the coronavirus, though Reyes was asymptomatic. Once one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, Reyes has been limited to only seven MLB innings over the last three seasons due to various injuries, so the Cardinals weren’t likely to rush him to the Opening Day roster even had he been healthy. It isn’t out of the question that Reyes will emerge at some point in the 2020 season as a hard-throwing relief option.
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Another Padres bullpen arm, Trey Wingenter, had Tommy John surgery.
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AJ Pollock reported that he has the Rona.Comment -
Nice to see Edinson Volquez make the Texas squad.Comment -
The Padres added Abraham Almonte, Jimmy Yacabonis and lefty Dan Camarena to their player pool, which now sits at 55. Almonte and Yacabonis were NRIs in spring. Camarena is added as a depth option for the alternate site. He spent last year in the NYY and MIN systems.Comment -
Players who have opted out of the 2020 season so far:
Ryan Zimmerman
Joe Ross
Ian Desmond
Mike Leake
David Price
Felix Hernandez
Welington Castillo
Nick Markakis
Michael Kopech
Buster Posey
Jordan Hicks
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Who is gonna sign Puig now that he has the golden ticket, Immunity!Comment -
Collin McHugh has opted out. According to Ron Roenicke, McHugh was likely to spend time on the I.L. anyway -- his arm wasn't bouncing back from his elbow injury -- and that being the case, McHugh felt it was better to be with his family.Comment -
The Government doesnt want the Jays to play because then other teams from the USA will be allowed in Canada.Comment -
MLB and the MLBPA released results Friday morning showing that just six of the 10,548 samples tested over the past week came back positive. There was a five-day period in which no new positives were reported, per MLB and the MLBPA.Comment -
Saw a granny by Belinger todayComment -
After tossing 60 pitches in a simulated game today, Jacob deGrom looks likely to be ready for Friday’s season opener. (The New York Post’s Dan Martin was among those to report the news.) While a simulated game isn’t a substitute for a real outing, of course, deGrom’s strong results were encouraging — he didn’t allow a hit against any of the 14 batters faced, and recorded nine strikeouts. Back tightness caused deGrom to leave last Tuesday’s intrasquad game after only an inning of work, leading to fresh questions as to whether or not the Mets ace would be ready for the start of the season.
With the Mets and Yankees squaring off in exhibition action tonight, here are some notes from both Big Apple franchises…
- DeGrom isn’t the only star pitcher showing progress, as Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka looked good during a bullpen session today. Manager Aaron Boone told the New York Post’s George A. King III and other media that Tanaka will likely next face hitters possibly as early as Tuesday, which would mark the first time Tanaka has faced live batters since being hit in the head by a Giancarlo Stanton line drive on July 4. Tanaka fortunately escaped with only a mild concussion, and if he continues to rehab well, Tanaka may end up missing only one start. “It is possible he will be able to start at the back end of the second trip through the rotation,” King writes.
- Aaron Hicks underwent Tommy John surgery last October, but told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch that his right elbow “feels good right now,” and he is on pace to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. Throwing has been a particular source of improvement, as Hicks said “the ball has been coming out really well this past week. I feel like I’ve been able to get a lot more carry on my ball, especially throwing to home [plate].”
- Also from Hoch’s notes piece, Luis Cessa has arrived at the Yankees’ Summer Camp after recovering from COVID-19. The right-hander tested positive before arriving in camp, and went through the standard procedure of a two-week quarantine and two consecutive negative test results before being allowed to join his teammates. Cessa played catch today and will throw off a mound on Monday, though it isn’t yet clear if he will ready for the Yankees’ first game.
- Robert Gsellman has been battling tightness in his right triceps, Mets manager Luis Rojas told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and other reporters. While Gsellman has started to play catch off of flat ground, Rojas wasn’t sure if Gsellman would be available for the Opening Day roster. The right-hander has been a workhorse reliever for the Mets over the last two seasons, tossing 143 1/3 relief innings and posting a 4.45 ERA, 2.55 K/BB rate, and 8.1 K/9. Gsellman missed six weeks with a similar injury last season, though Rojas said “there’s nothing of concern as far as past history.”
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I know that a lot of people think the pitching will be ahead of the hitting at least early on but I'm leaning over in the Yankees/Nats game and possibly the Giants/Dodgers game on opening night. I think with the way pitchers will be handled we'll see alot of offense early on especially by teams with deep lineups like the Dodgers and Yankees.Comment -
This is an awful rotation.
Name IP K/9 BB/9 HR/9 BABIP LOB% ERA FIP WAR Martin Perez 66 6.8 3.4 1.2 0.318 69.60% 4.87 4.67 0.7 Eduardo Rodriguez 64 9.3 3.3 1.3 0.313 72.90% 4.24 4.21 1 Nathan Eovaldi 61 8.7 2.9 1.4 0.319 70.70% 4.6 4.34 0.8 Ryan Weber 49 5.8 2.4 1.2 0.318 69.00% 4.82 4.63 0.6 Brian Johnson 31 7.3 4.2 1.6 0.314 69.10% 5.46 5.46 0.1 Comment -
Don’t recognize most of that staff. What team is that for anyway?Comment -
^^
Red SoxComment -
It appears the Royals have put Jakob Junis on the IL without listing a reason.Comment -
Dusty Baker said the Astros’ rotation for the Mariners series will go Verlander-McCullers-Greinke-James.Comment -
Jays looking to play in a MLB park, might share PNC Park with the Pirates for their home games.Comment -
Jed Lowrie on the IL (DL)Comment -
Maybe bet some overs in the Red Sox games this year???Comment -
The Phillies think Jean Segura is OK after being hit on the hand by a pitch, Joe Girardi said. But the X-ray technician was not at Yankee Stadium tonight, so no images were taken. They might do more tests tomorrow.Comment -
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is still experiencing oblique soreness and might not be ready to return by Opening Day on Friday, manager Joe Maddon said before the team’s exhibition game Monday against the Padres.
Rendon, who suffered the injury on a swing during an intrasquad game on Wednesday, was held out of the lineup at San Diego on Monday. Rendon has maintained he feels fine, but with the Angels’ regular-season opener at Oakland just a few days away, Maddon is preparing a Plan B in case Rendon can’t go. That includes David Fletcher or Matt Thaiss at third. Thaiss started at third base on Monday, but Fletcher is more likely to be the starter there on Opening Day if Rendon can’t go.
“He’s a little sore right now,” Maddon said of Rendon via Zoom. “He’s going to be slow for the next couple of days. Don’t know where that puts him in regard to the end of the week. Needs a couple of days to get that out of there.”
Maddon added that he’s not sure whether Rendon will need a stint on the 10-day injured list or whether there’s a chance he’s back after a few days if he misses the opener. It’s a fluid situation the Angels will continue to monitor, as Rendon is one of the club’s most important players after signing a seven-year deal to join the club in the offseason.Comment
