Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Brantley Banged Up
Michael Brantley was on the disabled list for the first 16 games of the Indians’ season.
He made it 11 games before being sent back.
Fatigue in his surgically repaired right shoulder was attributed to inflammation as the team placed the outfielder back on the 15-day disabled list Saturday. The move is retroactive to Tuesday, the day after Brantley played his last game prior to fatigue setting in and necessitating his removal from the lineup.
“You go off of how a guy feels,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He’s not recovering at times as much as he wants and he has some soreness in there. … The more time he’s down, the more time it takes. It just seemed like, not a fun call, but an easy one. We need to look at the big picture and take care of him.”
The good news is that Brantley’s MRI came back negative, suggesting this go-round on the DL will only last as long as it takes for the 28-year-old to feel more like himself. That didn’t seem to be the case in his 11 games with the big club, as the All-Star hit .231/.279/.282 without a home run in 39 at-bats.
Given that this is his second stint on the disabled list for the same body part, it’s also assumed that Brantley will be encouraged to take it slow to ensure he’s healthy when he does get back. Francona expressed hope that, when he does return, Brantley is no longer plagued by the shoulder to the extent he is now.
“I hope not,” Francona said. “For his sake, for everybody’s sake, I hope not. I think it’s something he’ll have to manage. He had surgery. But even last week, he really felt like he was coming and getting better. I think he was really pleased.”
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Forsythe (Shoulder) Lands On DL
It was a costly way to reach base for Logan Forsythe on Monday.
Forsythe, the Rays’ team leader in on-base percentage, was hit in the shoulder by a Felix Hernandez pitch Monday, and the team placed the second baseman on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a hairline fracture of his left shoulder blade. Forsythe was prescribed rest as he and the Rays wait for the fracture to heal.
“There’s not too much to do,” Forsythe said. “There’s some strength exercises that we can do to keep the shoulder up. Just got to let it rest like anything else.”
It’s a tough blow for the 29-year-old, who has followed up on a breakout 2015 campaign by hitting .308/.398/.523 with four homers, 12 RBI, 16 runs scored and three steals atop the Rays’ lineup. Forsythe’s .398 on-base percentage is seventh-best among qualified hitters in the American League.
With Forsythe out, the Rays will increase their usage of Steve Pearce at the keystone, manager Kevin Cash said. Pearce is hitting a strong .300/.380/.543 with five homers and 12 RBI on the year, but it’s buoyed by a .394/.444/.818 line against left-handers. Pearce will be exposed against righties but is a must-start against lefties in daily fantasy games if nothing else.
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Adam Jones, Sucking Less
Adam Jones sucked for a long time, and he knows it.
“I’ve felt comfortable since day one. It’s just you guys want to talk about results,” Jones said earlier this week. “When I’m not hitting good, [people ask], is something hurting? No, it’s just sometimes you suck, man. It happens. It’s life. It’s sports. You suck sometimes.”
The good news is, Jones no longer sucks. The 30-year-old belted his fourth home run in his past five games in the Orioles’ 9-3 win over the Tigers on Saturday. The homer barrage came after he hit just one in his first 26 games of the season.
That prolonged suckiness, in his words, left some wondering if injury or ineffectiveness had caught up to Jones. But after Saturday’s game the outfielder has a seven-game hitting streak in which he’s 13-for-30 (.433) with the four homers, nine RBI and nine runs scored.
And after his early struggles, Jones has his line up to .259/.317/.431. It’s not where we’re used to seeing it, but more weeks like the one he just had and it will be awfully familiar in no time.
National League Quick Hits: Ryan Braun was scratched from the Brewers’ lineup Saturday against the Padres. Braun is day to day with soreness in his right wrist … Bryce Harper served his one-game suspension in Saturday’s nightcap loss to the Marlins … Wil Myers left Saturday’s game against the Brewers with a leg injury, but it was revealed after the game to be only a cramp. Myers said should be able to play Sunday … Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder, groin) will begin a rehab assignment for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. He’s expected to throw two innings. The plan is for Ryu to build up his arm strength over 4-5 rehab starts before joining the Dodgers’ rotation in early to mid-June … Miguel Montero was activated from the disabled list and started for the Cubs on Saturday. He went hitless but helped guide Jake Arrieta to his eighth win of the season, a masterful eight-inning, 11-strikeout performance … Brandon Crawford was out of the Giants’ lineup for Saturday’s game due to a stiff neck. He was available off the bench and had a pinch-hit appearance in the game, suggesting it’s not an issue that will keep him out much beyond Saturday … Michael Foltynewicz was fantastic in Saturday’s 5-0 win over the Royals, firing eight innings of shutout ball. He has now allowed just two runs in his last 15 innings … Marcell Ozuna went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in a win over the Nationals. The 25-year-old is now the owner of a 14-game hitting streak, including eight multi-hit games this month … Aaron Nola struck out nine while allowing two runs — one earned — over seven innings. Nola yielded five hits and a walk in turning in his fifth consecutive quality start … Melvin Upton hit one of the Padres’ four home runs Saturday, finishing 4-for-5 with two RBI in a marathon 8-7, 12-inning win over the Brewers. The four-hit night upped Upton’s line to .282/.366/.460 with five home runs, 16 RBI, 16 runs scored and seven steals on the year … Will Smith (knee) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday and was encouraged by the outing. He’ll throw another bullpen session Sunday before possibly heading out on a rehab assignment.
American League Quick Hits: Brad Boxberger (abdomen) will start a minor league rehab assignment Sunday with High-A Charlotte. It’s unclear how many minor league games he’ll need to get into before being deemed ready to return, but he should be back in a Rays uniform before the calendar turns to June … Matt Andriese threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over the Athletics on Saturday. It was his second strong start since being recalled on May 8, moving him to 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA and identical 0.56 WHIP … Jonathan Schoop went 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI against the Tigers. The two-homer game was his second of the season, giving him seven homers and 20 RBI overall … Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead three-run homer in Saturday’s comeback win over the Mariners. Pujols clocked his go-ahead three-run shot off of Mariners closer Steve Cishek with one out in the ninth, his eighth homer of the season … Cishek, on the wrong end of the Pujols homer, blew his second save in as many nights. It was bad timing for the right-hander as Joaquin Benoit is getting closer to a return, possibly as early as Tuesday … Kevin Pillar was scratched from Saturday’s game against the Rangers because of chest soreness … Yunel Escobar (thumb) went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in his return to the lineup Saturday. He missed one game with a jammed thumb … the Yankees made official what was anticipated Friday evening, placing Luis Severino on the 15-day disabled list with a mild triceps strain. The club is holding out hope he can return in short order … Clay Buchholz has been flat-out bad this year, but Red Sox manager John Farrell said he expects the right-hander to make his next scheduled start Friday against the Indians. That faith won’t extend very far once Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly return to the big club.
