Happy Saturday, Razzballers!
I hope you had a fantastic week and have an ever better weekend on the horizon.
I am going to watch the White Sox in person for the first time in almost two months because, quite frankly, they are depressing (especially as the trades unfold).
In White Sox-related news that is not depressing, my fellow Sox fan Mike Couillard and non-Sox friend Jeremy Brewer started a new Razzball podcast called “Cards & Categories”. The pod focuses on fantasy baseball and, well, cards. Give it a listen!
Episode 3 now up on all podcast platforms! @Razzball https://t.co/xsE6edpR10
— Cards & Categories (@cardscategories) July 27, 2023
I know what you are here for. So, let’s go ahead and get to it!
Notable Injuries: Week of July 21-28
Kris Bryant (OF, COL)
Here is me every time Kris Bryant shows up on the IL:
Bryant is back on the IL with a fractured left index finger via HBP. Fractured fingers usually take 3-4 weeks to heal. Bryant will be out until at least August 18. This injury is off the heels, pun intended, of a left heel contusion that kept Bryant out around a month.
The Rockies have Brenton Doyle, Jurickson Profar, and Randal Grichuk in the outfield. Randal Grichuk (who may end up with the Yankees) has made a nice run in the last month. In his last 61 PA, he is hitting .345/.377/.586. He currently has a 113 wRC+.
Aaron Hicks (OF, BAL)
Aaron Hicks’ post-Yankee career, which began as a resurgence, was put on hold by a strained hamstring. Hicks sustained the injury making a catch. Hicks has recently struggled at the plate again with just one hit in 14 PA.
In Hicks’ and Cedric Mullins’ absence, Baltimore has Ryan McKenna available to play in the outfield (along with Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, and Colton Coswer). McKenna has been hitting .259/.319/.395 in the majors so far.
One OF who may be available is Cincinnati’s Will Benson. In 64 AB, Benson is hitting .328/.419/.672 with 21 hits and 4 HR.
Will Benson since his return from AAA
.325/.432/.593/1.025
wRC+ | 169
15.8% BB Rate
7 Doubles
4 Triples
7 HR
10 Stolen BasesGuy is possibly a star in the making. #Reds pic.twitter.com/EM2pQxCeDo
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) July 26, 2023
Gabriel Moreno (C, ARI)
Moreno is out with lingering shoulder inflammation. In his first full season of the majors, Moreno is slashing .270/.316/.360 over 244 PA. Moreno was traded to the Diamondbacks last year, and he has not been quite as brilliant as Arizona might have expected. A nagging injury could explain that. Carson Kelly will serve as the starting catcher for Arizona.
If you need a catcher explicitly, Detroit’s Jake Rogers may be available in your league. Rogers has been on a little run with 3 HR and walks his last 66 PA.
Jake Rogers having the same number of HRs as Realmuto was not on my 2023 bingo card lmao https://t.co/fUKMyJIj1p
— Ben Kaufman (@JKBEN10) July 28, 2023
Jose Trevino (C, NYY)
It’s a two-catcher injury week! Trevino has had a nagging wrist injury (a ligament tear) the entire season, and his season sunsets with wrist surgery.
I would imagine you did not have Trevino, but just in case, I already mentioned Jake Rogers above. Yan Gomes might be another option. Gomes is hitting .278/.325/.444 in his last 72 AB and is only 40% rostered.
Jesse Winker (OF, MIL)
Winker is on the 10-day IL with back spasms. Winker has had a rough season (his worst ever, in fact) with a BA of .199 and wRC+ of 66.
Sal Frelick has emerged recently with a decent splash, batting .417/.588/.667 in 12 AB. It is uncertain and no guarantee (at all!), that he will keep performing like this, but hey, if you had Winker, why not?
Still can't believe this big league debut by Sal Frelick!
3-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI & these 2 catches in the same inning!pic.twitter.com/SHNtw3OK55— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 23, 2023
Other Injuries
A few other players hit the IL over the last week:
- Matt Barnes (RP, MIA), hip surgery
- Mason Englert (RP, DET), hip tightness
- Luis Guillorme (INF, NYM), strained calf
- Tucupita Marcano (INF/OF, MIA), knee injury
- Francisco Mejia (C, TBR), sprained knee
- AJ Pollock (OF, SEA), strained hamstring
- Nick Pratto (1B/OF, KC),
Finally, unless you’ve been doing something cooler than watching baseball (sipping a coconut on a beach, saving puppies, etc.), you probably saw that Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Aaron Judge are back. The AL just got a little hotter as much as the AL is capable of in these trying times. The people are asking if baseball is back.
Have a great MLB Trade Deadline, everyone! See you next week.
Has the trade deadline affected your roster? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter: @keelin_12ft.
