Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Reyes Suspended
More than six months after an alleged domestic violence incident in Hawaii, Jose Reyes was disciplined by Major League Baseball on Friday.
The league handed down a suspension through May 31, a total of 51 games when all is said and done. The suspension will be without pay, costing him roughly $7.06 million.
Reyes apologized to the organization, his teammates, fans and family in a statement. Asked what happens next, Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich asked the same question.
“It’s been a long process,” Bridich said. “But it allows us to start moving forward. We are now in Phase 2. OK, so what do we do now?”
What they don’t do, likely, is make a change at shortstop. Trevor Story famously got off to a historic start to the year, and the 23-year-old is still hitting .266/.327/.597 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI.
“It’s kind of out of my control,” Story said Friday. “I don’t really have an opinion.”
When he’s able to return at the start of June, the Rockies will have a decision to make, even if Story remains the unchallenged starter. Reyes is still owed more than $40 million over the duration of his contract, and the Rockies would need to remove someone from their 40-man roster to reinstate Reyes.
Surely they would prefer to trade him, and ESPN’s Buster Olney reported earlier Friday that teams do have interest in dealing for the 32-year-old. It’s hard to imagine who those teams would be, though, given the baggage that now comes with him.
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Cashner (Hamstring) Lands On DL
A nagging right hamstring strain finally got the best of Andrew Cashner on Friday.
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list as something of a precaution, with club officials saying the injury isn’t as severe as the similar strains suffered by his teammates Yangervis Solarte, Alexi Amarista and Jemile Weeks. Cashner left his Sunday start due to cramping in both hamstrings, and the tightness continued to linger to the point that the team decided to be safe with the 29-year-old.
“He’s not at 100 percent, and we’re at a place, with our roster constraints, where we have to have a guy take the ball (Saturday),” manager Andy Green said. “Cash isn’t ready to completely do that. I think he thinks he’s completely ready, which I appreciate, but given the rash of hamstring injuries we’ve had, we thought 10 days on the DL versus a possibility of six to eight weeks if he strains it throwing 100 pitches (Saturday), it’s a better choice for us long-term. It was a tough decision, and he really wants to take the baseball, but we don’t want to put him in harm’s way.”
The injury is the latest blow in what has been a forgettable start to the 2016 season for Cashner. Through seven starts, he is 2-3 with a 4.93 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.
Being a relatively minor injury, Green said he expects Cashner will return on May 24 when first eligible. No MRI on the hamstring has been ordered, suggesting the team isn’t concerned it is anything more than a minor strain. Christian Friedrich was recalled Friday and started that night’s game, holding the Brewers to one run over six innings.
Brantley Slowed By Shoulder Fatigue
Some more concern exists over the surgically-repaired right shoulder of Michael Brantley.
Brantley missed his third consecutive game Friday as he deals with shoulder fatigue, and he was going to be examined by Indians team doctors Friday evening. More information was expected to be known following the exam.
If the news is good, Brantley could resume a hitting program as soon as Saturday. If not, the team will assess its options, but Indians manager Terry Francona said he doesn’t think another disabled list stint will be the result — yet.
“We will certainly do whatever the medical staff tells us we should do,” Francona said. “I think the DL is probably a bit premature.”
Brantley underwent shoulder surgery in November and missed the first 16 games of the season as he continued to recover. In 11 games, the 28-year-old has hit .231/.279/.282 with seven RBI and five runs scored.
National League Quick Hits: David Peralta (wrist) remained out of the Diamondbacks’ lineup Friday. An exam on Peralta’s wrist showed no structural damage, but he remains available only to pinch-hit … Angel Pagan (hamstring) returned to the Giants’ lineup Friday. It was his first start since May 1, as he’s battled a strained hamstring for a couple weeks but managed to avoid the disabled list … the Phillies purchased the contract of 1B Tommy Joseph from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Joseph had to give up catching due to concussion issues, but he’s found himself with the bat again this season, batting .347/.370/.611 with six homers for Lehigh Valley. He figures to serve as a platoon mate at first base with Ryan Howard but could earn starts against righties, too, if he hits … Jason Hammel held the Pirates to two runs — one earned — across 6 2/3 innings in Friday’s win over the Pirates. He’s now 5-0 with a 1.77 ERA on the year.
American League Quick Hits: After leaving his start Friday, Luis Severino was diagnosed with a mild right triceps strain and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list. Severino will reportedly not pick up a baseball for 5-7 days, and the Yankees will re-evaluate his situation after that point … Carlos Carrasco (hamstring) threw off a mound on Friday. It’s the first time he’s done so since suffering a strained hamstring nearly three weeks ago. Carrasco will throw off a mound again Monday and then could be ready for a simulated game … Jacoby Ellsbury (hip) could return to the Yankees’ lineup over the weekend. Ellsbury hasn’t played in a week due to a strained right hip, but he’s making progress … Danny Valencia (hamstring) returned to the Athletics’ lineup Friday, his first game since aggravating his hamstring injury Monday. He showed no ill effects, smashing his first two homers of the season in an A’s win … Alex Rodriguez (hamstring) is hoping to be activated from the disabled list when first eligible on May 19. A-Rod has started hitting off a tee and taking soft toss and hopes to work out on the field in the next few days … Chris Sale improved to 8-0 after allowing one run in a complete game victory over the Yankees on Friday night. It was his 10th career complete game … Kyle Lohse‘s long wait finally ended Friday when he signed a minor league deal with the Rangers. Given the state of the Rangers’ rotation, Lohse will have an opportunity to contribute to the big league club if he shows something while in the minors … the Rangers optioned struggling outfielder Delino DeShields to Triple-A Round Rock … Devon Travis (hamstring) is headed to High-A Dunedin to begin a rehab assignment. Working his way back from surgery last November to stabilize a bone in his left shoulder, Travis has been cleared for “official” games after playing in some extended spring contests. It’s unclear how many rehab games he’ll require, but he’s tracking toward a late May/early June return.
