Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Murphy Hamstrung
The All-Star break wasn’t much of a vacation for Daniel Murphy.
Murphy, who played in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in San Diego, missed Friday’s game with left hamstring soreness, an injury he sustained while playing in the Midsummer Classic. Clint Robinson started at first base in his absence.
After the game, Nationals manager Dusty Baker tried to downplay the severity of the injury, saying Murphy’s leg is “hurt, but it’s not too bad.” Murphy sounded more cautious.
“After speaking with the training staff we thought it was the best idea to give it a day and then we’ll come in tomorrow and see how it feels,” Murphy said. When asked whether the move Friday was made out of caution or concern, Murphy said, “We’ll see tomorrow.”
Any absence is bad news for fantasy owners after Murphy’s incredible first half. The 31-year-old is hitting .348/.387/.598 with 17 homers, 66 RBI and 53 runs scored through 87 games this year. He’s second in the league in runs batted in and third in OPS.
The infielder will be re-evaluated Saturday, at which point more should be known. Owners should check back before the start of the Nationals’ game Saturday for a better idea of his status.
The regular season is already half over, so be sure to keep refreshing Rotoworld’s constantly-updating player news page for all the latest. And while you’re at it, follow @Rotoworld_BB and @nate_grimm if you are on Twitter.
Astros Nab Cuban Import Gurriel
The Astros made a big addition Friday, but it wasn’t by way of trade.
The club and Cuban free agent Yulieski Gurriel agreed on a five-year, $47.5 million contract Friday, the biggest free agent signing the team has made in owner Jim Crane’s tenure. The team is expected to announce the signing on Saturday.
Gurriel, 32, was one of the most coveted free agents available, one of the few available who could make an impact down the stretch this year. In 15 seasons between the Cuban National Series and Japan Central League, Gurriel batted .335/.417/.580 with 250 home runs and 121 steals.
Where Gurriel will play with the Astros, and how soon he might play, is still unclear. Gurriel is an infielder by trade, and with second base occupied by All-Star Jose Altuve, it’s likely that third base will be Gurriel’s home. That would push Luis Valbuena into a reserve role, or possibly force him to first base and make A.J. Reed a part-time player.
Gurriel, spelled Gourriel in some references, hasn’t yet been added to some fantasy sites and won’t until his signing is made official, but once he’s available, he’s worth an add in all leagues for his offensive upside. At whatever position he lands.
A’s Going With Youth Movement
A youth movement will have an adverse effect on at least one fantasy-relevant player in the coming weeks.
Danny Valencia, who is hitting .304/.356/.498 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI this year, was among the Athletics players told recently that they will be losing out on playing time as the team turns its eyes to the future. The A’s promoted third base prospect Ryon Healy on Friday, and Healy got the start at the hot corner over Valencia in Friday’s second half opener.
“It’s going to be tough on some guys, but we’ve put ourselves in this position as a team with our record,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “We have to look at some other guys and see if they’re going to be pieces for us for our future.”
It would stand to reason that Valencia’s offensive numbers this year, if not his defense — one of the reasons he’s been pushed aside is his poor defense at third — would have him coveted by teams with the trade deadline approaching, but San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser says Valencia’s market could be dampened by the fact that he’s well-traveled. Slusser said fact could make him a “clubhouse liability” in some eyes.
Healy, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A this year, was hitting .326/.382/.558 with 14 homers and 64 RBI in the minors before his promotion. The 24-year-old went hitless in his debut Friday.
National League Quick Hits: Noah Syndergaard (arm) played catch Friday and will throw off a mound Saturday. He felt fine after Friday’s workout and could be cleared to take his next turn in the Mets’ rotation if Saturday’s bullpen session goes well. Syndergaard made an early exit from his final start before the All-Star break due to arm fatigue and did not pitch in Tuesday night’s Midsummer Classic, but this is believed to be a minor matter … Yoenis Cespedes (quad) is out of the Mets’ starting lineup again on Friday. Cespedes hasn’t played since last Friday due to a right quad strain. And if he doesn’t show improvement over the next 24 hours, a 15-day disabled list stint will probably be coming … Zack Greinke (oblique) played catch from a distance of 60 feet on Thursday. Greinke felt strong during and after the short workout — his first time throwing a baseball since he landed on the disabled list June 29 with a left oblique strain. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the Diamondbacks are hoping their ace will return to the starting rotation July 25-26 against Milwaukee. That would probably rule out a minor league rehab start … Dee Gordon (suspension) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A New Orleans on Monday. And if all goes according to plan, Gordon will rejoin the Marlins’ active roster 10 days later on July 28. The star second baseman was suspended 80 games in April after testing positive for exogenous Testosterone and Clostebol. Gordon was batting just .266/.289/.340 in 97 plate appearances before the suspension, but he should be a great source of stolen bases and runs down the stretch in his return to an in-contention Marlins team … Arodys Vizcaino is expected to be placed on the 15-day disabled list due to an oblique injury. Vizcaino, who recently missed a few days due to a topical infection in his elbow, threw just three pitches Friday’s game against the Rockies. Oblique injuries are notoriously tricky and could leave him sidelined well into August … Hunter Pence (hamstring) is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Sacramento. Pence, who is coming back from hamstring surgery, is expected to play five innings in his first game back. He’s likely to play at least a week of rehab games, with a possible return when the Giants begin a seven-game homestand on July 25 … Gregory Polanco (hamstring) was not in the Pirates’ lineup Friday night against the Nationals. Polanco is still nursing a hamstring injury that began bothering him July 8. Having a full All-Star break undoubtedly helped, but he remains day-to-day as the second half gets underway … Freddie Freeman had a cancerous mole surgically removed from his upper back during the All-Star break. Freeman has a few stitches in his back, but it didn’t stop him from being in the lineup for the first game of the second half on Friday … Stephen Strasburg was brilliant Friday, tossing eight innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 win over the Pirates. The only run scored on an RBI single from Jordy Mercer in the fifth inning. Strasburg gave up just three hits in all while walking two and striking out six. He has allowed one run or fewer in three starts since coming off the disabled list and now stands at 13-0 on the year to go along with a 2.51 ERA … according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres and Wil Myers have mutual interest in a contract extension. The two sides haven’t had any talks yet, but Myers said that he loves San Diego (who wouldn’t?) and Padres general manager A.J. Preller indicates that they could pursue something over the winter … Cubs activated C David Ross from the 7-day concussion disabled list. Ross took a hard foul tip off his mask last Tuesday but only wound up missing a handful of games because of the All-Star break … according to Marc Carig of Newsday, the Mets haven’t ruled out a reunion with Pirates left-hander Jon Niese. Niese was demoted to the bullpen on Friday and owns a 5.13 ERA and 1.57 WHIP on the year. He has clearly fallen out of favor with the organization, as Pirates general manager Neal Huntington indicated on Friday that he wishes he went in a different direction when he traded Neil Walker to the Mets over the winter.
American League Quick Hits: Wade Davis (forearm) could return to the Royals on Saturday, the first day he’s eligible. That’s what manager Ned Yost told Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com on Friday evening. Davis has been on the disabled list since July 5, retroactive to July 1, because of a strained right forearm … Rich Hill (blister) is in line to start Sunday against the Blue Jays. Hill was originally scheduled to start the opener of the second half on Friday, but he came down with a blister and the A’s didn’t want to take any chances. The southpaw was able to make it through a bullpen session Friday without incident, so he should be good to go moving forward … Red Sox recalled LHP Eduardo Rodriguez from Triple-A Pawtucket. He owns a brutal 8.59 ERA in six starts this year at the major league level, but the young southpaw is healthier now after battling a knee injury all spring and his numbers have been very good at Triple-A. E-Rod is worth a shot in deeper formats under the hope that he can return to his 2015 big-league form … Lorenzo Cain (hamstring) is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week. Cain has been taking batting practice and doing other light baseball activities for the last seven days without issue, and manager Ned Yost said Friday that the center fielder is “85 percent ready” for live games. Cain has been on the disabled list since June 29 because of a left hamstring strain … Dylan Bundy will start for the Orioles on Sunday at Tampa Bay. Bundy opened the 2016 season as a reliever with his prospect shine wearing quickly, but he’s on a streak of 14 1/3 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts in that span and the O’s want to see if he can replicate that success in longer-form outings. The talented 23-year-old right-hander is worth a shot in deeper fantasy leagues, though he might not go more than three or four innings on Sunday. If he pitches well, he probably gets another rotation turn … Ketel Marte is day-to-day with a mild ankle sprain. Marte suffered the injury on an awkward slide into third base on a triple on Friday. Fortunately for the Mariners, it doesn’t appear to be a major concern … David Robertson (leg) said that he was available to pitch Friday against the Angels. Good news. Robertson didn’t pitch in the final series before the All-Star break due to a strained left leg, but evidently it’s not serious … Justin Verlander turned in an excellent outing to beat the Royals 4-2 on Friday, striking out 10 while allowing only one run in seven innings. The dominant outing boosts his record to 9-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 124 1/3 innings. He has a 130/35 K/BB ratio … Shin-Soo Choo (back) was out of the Rangers’ starting lineup Friday against the Cubs. The four-day All-Star break apparently couldn’t totally take care of Choo’s lower back problem. Ryan Rua started in left field Friday … White Sox purchased the contract of RHP Carson Fulmer from Double-A Birmingham. Fulmer joined the White Sox bullpen ahead of Friday night’s series opener against the Angels, presumably in a long-relief role … White Sox activated 1B/DH Justin Morneau from the 15-day disabled list. Morneau batted just .174/.321/.261 over 28 plate appearances on his eight-game minor league rehab assignment, but he is recovered from offseason elbow surgery and the White Sox believe he can be of immediate help coming out of the All-Star break. Morneau should see semi-regular action between DH and first base. We wouldn’t expect much, though, in terms of fantasy production … Hanley Ramirez (shin) was back in the Red Sox starting lineup Friday night against the Yankees. Hanley missed the final two games before the All-Star break due to a bruised left shin. It was never a huge concern. He went 1-for-4 in his return.
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