Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Meso On The Move?
Friday, June 05, 2015
Devin Mesoraco may be done catching in 2015, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the Reds’ slugger.
Follow @Rotoworld_BB and @Nate_Grimm on Twitter.
Mesoraco, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list and has been limited to just 45 at-bats this season due to a left hip impingement, likely won’t appear behind the plate again this year, but Reds manager Bryan Price said Thursday that the 26-year-old could see some time in left field as a way to get his bat in the lineup.
“We’re going to continue to prepare him to hit and potentially work with him in the outfield a little bit and see if that’s an option moving forward, to see if we can extract some value from him before we write off his season,” Price said. “If he can’t catch and he can only be a pinch-hitter, his value is so limited that it wouldn’t make sense to take up that roster spot if that’s all he can do. If he can play the outfield a bit capably, it’s a way to get him in the lineup every now and again and let his bat do some influence for our club.”
It has been a largely frustrating season for Mesoraco, who hasn’t started a game at catcher since April 11 as a result of the injury. In the weeks leading up to being placed on the DL, he was relegated to strictly a pinch-hitting role outside of a handful of games in American League parks in which he served as the Reds’ designated hitter.
The possibility remains that Mesoraco will require surgery to repair the hip, but even an offseason surgery won’t preclude him from being ready for the 2016 season, Price said. And even if it works out that Mesoraco can play left field — with Marlon Byrd out for an extended period due to a broken wrist, the team suddenly has an opening at the position — Price said it won’t be a long-term move.
Mesoraco still has some work to do to get back on the field, and there’s certainly no guarantee that he even will in 2015. But suddenly there’s a glimmer of hope in Mesoraco’s case, a sensation that has been hard to come by for his owners thus far this season.
Editor’s Note: Play one-day fantasy baseball for cash! FanDuel is hosting a $100,000 league for Friday’s MLB games. It’s just $5 to join and first place wins $10,000. Starts tonight at 7:05pm ET. Enter now!
Rodon On A Roll
With this year’s MLB Draft just around the corner, a top selection in last year’s event is starting to show why he was so highly coveted by teams.
Carlos Rodon, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2014 MLB Draft by the White Sox, struck out 10 hitters over six innings in a no-decision against the Rangers on Thursday. Rodon allowed just one run in the contest.
After a bumpy debut in late April, Rodon has steadily gotten better as the season has gone on. Rodon has turned in quality starts in four of his five outings since May 9, and he’s allowed just one earned run while pitching at least six innings in each of his last three starts.
On Thursday, Rodon showcased the mid-90s fastball and wicked slider that led to his early selection last June. Of his 10 strikeouts on the evening, nine came on the high-80s slider.
Rodon was advanced coming out of North Carolina State, so it’s no surprise that he’s in the majors and having success less than a year after being drafted. He’s still working through some kinks — with three walks in Thursday’s no-decision, Rodon has now walked 22 batters in 34 2/3 innings — but things should only continue to get better for the 22-year-old.
M’s Standing By Rodney
Fernando Rodney hasn’t been firing many arrows lately, but Rodney’s manager is sticking by his struggling closer.
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon defended Rodney Wednesday after the 38-year-old suffered his third blown save of the year in Tuesday’s loss to the Yankees. Rodney gave up two hits and a walk in an inning of work, serving up a game-tying double to Stephen Drew with two outs in the ninth.
McClendon said he won’t be quick to make a change despite Rodney’s 6.85 ERA and 1.79 WHIP through 22 1/3 innings this year.
“Well, Rodney has struggled a little bit, but so has everybody else,” McClendon said Wednesday. “But the fact is, he’s our closer. We need him. We are going to need him to be successful.”
The most common pitcher discussed as a possible replacement for Rodney has been Carson Smith. The 25-year-old has a 1.17 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 28/5 K/BB ratio over 23 innings this year, and he has handled eighth-inning duties for much of the year.
McClendon discussed Smith but said the young reliever hasn’t yet developed the “man muscles” to pitch on back to back days, a concern that may delay Smith’s ascention to the closer role. Still, Smith is the reliever to own in the Mariners’ bullpen in the event McClendon decides he’s seen enough of Rodney’s tightrope act.
National League Quick Hits: Anthony Rendon, finally over knee and oblique injuries that forced him to miss the first eight weeks of the season, returned to the Nationals lineup on Thursday. Rendon batted second, finishing 2-for-4 while being caught stealing in the contest … Doug Fister (elbow) threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday. It’s a step in the right direction for Fister, who has been out since mid-May with a flexor tendon strain … Daniel Murphy left Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks with left quadriceps tightness. The Mets should provide an update on his outlook Friday … Rafael Soriano is set to throw for teams on June 11 in the Dominican Republic … The Diamondbacks placed Archie Bradley on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Bradley had another rough outing Monday and now owns a 5.80 ERA and 1.63 WHIP through 35 2/3 innings … Yunel Escobar left Thursday’s game after hurting his right wrist while checking a swing, but X-rays came back negative. Escobar may miss a game or two, and a DL stint is still in the realm of possibilities … Wilson Ramos sat out Thursday with soreness in his right thumb. He’s just day to day after being hit by a foul ball in a recent game.
American League Quick Hits: An MRI and CT scan of Brian McCann‘s right foot came back negative Thursday. McCann left Wednesday’s game with foot soreness, but it appears he avoided any serious injury … Yoenis Cespedes was removed Thursday after fouling a ball off his foot, a seemingly bad sign for the Tigers, but the club announced shortly after that he left with flu-like symptoms. Cespedes should be fine moving forward … Blake Swihart connected for his first major league home run in Thursday’s loss to the Twins. The catcher is hitting an uninspiring .218/.247/.295 but has shown some signs of life in recent weeks … Stephen Vogt left Thursday’s game with a cramp in his right leg. It doesn’t sound terribly worrisome, but more should be known about his availability on Friday … Matt Shoemaker, who has struggled to a 5.08 ERA this season, will be available to pitch out of the bullpen this weekend. With a few off days, the Angels will skip Shoemaker’s turn at least once … The Twins recalled Tommy Milone while placing Ricky Nolasco on the disabled list with an ankle injury. Milone was subpar in Thursday’s start, allowing nine hits and four runs — two earned — over five innings in a no-decision … JJ Hardy, dealing with some left side discomfort, could return on Friday. Hardy took batting practice Thursday but was held out as a precaution.
Devin Mesoraco may be done catching in 2015, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the Reds’ slugger.
Follow @Rotoworld_BB and @Nate_Grimm on Twitter.
Mesoraco, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list and has been limited to just 45 at-bats this season due to a left hip impingement, likely won’t appear behind the plate again this year, but Reds manager Bryan Price said Thursday that the 26-year-old could see some time in left field as a way to get his bat in the lineup.
“We’re going to continue to prepare him to hit and potentially work with him in the outfield a little bit and see if that’s an option moving forward, to see if we can extract some value from him before we write off his season,” Price said. “If he can’t catch and he can only be a pinch-hitter, his value is so limited that it wouldn’t make sense to take up that roster spot if that’s all he can do. If he can play the outfield a bit capably, it’s a way to get him in the lineup every now and again and let his bat do some influence for our club.”
It has been a largely frustrating season for Mesoraco, who hasn’t started a game at catcher since April 11 as a result of the injury. In the weeks leading up to being placed on the DL, he was relegated to strictly a pinch-hitting role outside of a handful of games in American League parks in which he served as the Reds’ designated hitter.
The possibility remains that Mesoraco will require surgery to repair the hip, but even an offseason surgery won’t preclude him from being ready for the 2016 season, Price said. And even if it works out that Mesoraco can play left field — with Marlon Byrd out for an extended period due to a broken wrist, the team suddenly has an opening at the position — Price said it won’t be a long-term move.
Mesoraco still has some work to do to get back on the field, and there’s certainly no guarantee that he even will in 2015. But suddenly there’s a glimmer of hope in Mesoraco’s case, a sensation that has been hard to come by for his owners thus far this season.
Editor’s Note: Play one-day fantasy baseball for cash! FanDuel is hosting a $100,000 league for Friday’s MLB games. It’s just $5 to join and first place wins $10,000. Starts tonight at 7:05pm ET. Enter now!
Rodon On A Roll
With this year’s MLB Draft just around the corner, a top selection in last year’s event is starting to show why he was so highly coveted by teams.
Carlos Rodon, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2014 MLB Draft by the White Sox, struck out 10 hitters over six innings in a no-decision against the Rangers on Thursday. Rodon allowed just one run in the contest.
After a bumpy debut in late April, Rodon has steadily gotten better as the season has gone on. Rodon has turned in quality starts in four of his five outings since May 9, and he’s allowed just one earned run while pitching at least six innings in each of his last three starts.
On Thursday, Rodon showcased the mid-90s fastball and wicked slider that led to his early selection last June. Of his 10 strikeouts on the evening, nine came on the high-80s slider.
Rodon was advanced coming out of North Carolina State, so it’s no surprise that he’s in the majors and having success less than a year after being drafted. He’s still working through some kinks — with three walks in Thursday’s no-decision, Rodon has now walked 22 batters in 34 2/3 innings — but things should only continue to get better for the 22-year-old.
M’s Standing By Rodney
Fernando Rodney hasn’t been firing many arrows lately, but Rodney’s manager is sticking by his struggling closer.
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon defended Rodney Wednesday after the 38-year-old suffered his third blown save of the year in Tuesday’s loss to the Yankees. Rodney gave up two hits and a walk in an inning of work, serving up a game-tying double to Stephen Drew with two outs in the ninth.
McClendon said he won’t be quick to make a change despite Rodney’s 6.85 ERA and 1.79 WHIP through 22 1/3 innings this year.
“Well, Rodney has struggled a little bit, but so has everybody else,” McClendon said Wednesday. “But the fact is, he’s our closer. We need him. We are going to need him to be successful.”
The most common pitcher discussed as a possible replacement for Rodney has been Carson Smith. The 25-year-old has a 1.17 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 28/5 K/BB ratio over 23 innings this year, and he has handled eighth-inning duties for much of the year.
McClendon discussed Smith but said the young reliever hasn’t yet developed the “man muscles” to pitch on back to back days, a concern that may delay Smith’s ascention to the closer role. Still, Smith is the reliever to own in the Mariners’ bullpen in the event McClendon decides he’s seen enough of Rodney’s tightrope act.
National League Quick Hits: Anthony Rendon, finally over knee and oblique injuries that forced him to miss the first eight weeks of the season, returned to the Nationals lineup on Thursday. Rendon batted second, finishing 2-for-4 while being caught stealing in the contest … Doug Fister (elbow) threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday. It’s a step in the right direction for Fister, who has been out since mid-May with a flexor tendon strain … Daniel Murphy left Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks with left quadriceps tightness. The Mets should provide an update on his outlook Friday … Rafael Soriano is set to throw for teams on June 11 in the Dominican Republic … The Diamondbacks placed Archie Bradley on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Bradley had another rough outing Monday and now owns a 5.80 ERA and 1.63 WHIP through 35 2/3 innings … Yunel Escobar left Thursday’s game after hurting his right wrist while checking a swing, but X-rays came back negative. Escobar may miss a game or two, and a DL stint is still in the realm of possibilities … Wilson Ramos sat out Thursday with soreness in his right thumb. He’s just day to day after being hit by a foul ball in a recent game.
American League Quick Hits: An MRI and CT scan of Brian McCann‘s right foot came back negative Thursday. McCann left Wednesday’s game with foot soreness, but it appears he avoided any serious injury … Yoenis Cespedes was removed Thursday after fouling a ball off his foot, a seemingly bad sign for the Tigers, but the club announced shortly after that he left with flu-like symptoms. Cespedes should be fine moving forward … Blake Swihart connected for his first major league home run in Thursday’s loss to the Twins. The catcher is hitting an uninspiring .218/.247/.295 but has shown some signs of life in recent weeks … Stephen Vogt left Thursday’s game with a cramp in his right leg. It doesn’t sound terribly worrisome, but more should be known about his availability on Friday … Matt Shoemaker, who has struggled to a 5.08 ERA this season, will be available to pitch out of the bullpen this weekend. With a few off days, the Angels will skip Shoemaker’s turn at least once … The Twins recalled Tommy Milone while placing Ricky Nolasco on the disabled list with an ankle injury. Milone was subpar in Thursday’s start, allowing nine hits and four runs — two earned — over five innings in a no-decision … JJ Hardy, dealing with some left side discomfort, could return on Friday. Hardy took batting practice Thursday but was held out as a precaution.
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