Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: A Proper Sendoff
It wasn’t a storybook ending for Alex Rodriguez on Friday, but the veteran showed he’s still got a little bit of magic left even as his days as a Yankee came to an end.
Rodriguez, batting third and serving as the team’s designated hitter Friday in his final game with the club, swatted an RBI double off Rays starter Chris Archer in the first inning to give fans one last reason to cheer. A-Rod finished 1-for-4 in the game, a Yankees win.
“It was overwhelming,” Rodriguez told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal on the field after the game. “I’ve put these fans through a lot, and I’ve disapointed a lot of people. … It feels good.”
The 41-year-old, who had his request to start the game at third base denied by Yankees manager Joe Girardi, got his moment in the sun when the skipper told A-Rod to take the field for the top of the ninth inning. Rodriguez stayed in at the hot corner for one hitter before exiting to chants of his name.
“That was so awesome,” Rodriguez said. “That was quite a moment that I’ll never forget.”
Perceptions of A-Rod vary widely, but no matter how you feel about him, it’s undeniable that Friday’s game was the end of an era for a player who will go down as one of the best in baseball’s history. Rodriguez finishes his Yankees career with 351 home runs and 1,096 RBI in pinstripes, and he’s got 696 homers and 2,085 RBI, along with 2,021 runs scored and a .295/.380/.550 career line, in 2,874 games played overall.
Whether it’s the last we see of the 14-time All-Star remains to be seen. For all of his career accomplishments, the slugger has struggled to a .200/.247/.351 line this season, and his 1/3 of an inning at third base was his first action in the field all year. The Marlins are among the teams rumored to have at least cursory interest in the future Hall of Famer.
If Friday was the end, though — and perhaps it should be — it was a nice sendoff for a player who won’t soon be forgotten.
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Harper, Nats Deny Shoulder Injury
The cause of Bryce Harper‘s struggles this season depends on who you ask.
SI.com’s Tom Verducci asked a source close to the Nationals about Harper’s issues, and on Friday Verducci wrote a piece suggesting Harper has been playing with a right shoulder injury for two months. Per the source, Verducci said the injury has “particularly problematic for Harper when it comes to pulling his bottom hand through his swing, the key to creating loft and power.”
If that’s the problem, Harper and the Nationals aren’t admitting it. Asked Friday afternoon, Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said it’s a stiff neck that has kept Harper sidelined for four straight games.
“He hasn’t had a right shoulder injury,” Rizzo said in what Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes described as a “fiery” denial. “He’s got a stiff neck that we’ve been treating — yes with cupping, yes with [massage therapy], like 14 or 15 other players on the team on a routine basis like we always do. The report is inaccurate.”
Rizzo also told reporters he “confirmed it with the training staff, medical staff and the player” and said if the neck was a “DL-warranted injury, [Harper] would be on the DL,” per Janes.
Whatever the reason, there’s little debate that the 23-year-old hasn’t been himself for months. Harper is now hitting .233/.374/.438 in 105 games, with 20 homers and 15 stolen bases. And while his .237 BABIP could lead some to wonder if he’s just been unlucky, Harper’s line drive rate and the amount of soft contact he’s made this year suggest he’s just not hitting with much authority.
If Harper were dealing with something more serious, the team would have had little reason to not disable him sooner. Rizzo on Friday said Harper is day to day and that his level of concern is low.
“I trust that he’s healthy because he tells me he’s healthy,” Rizzo said. “When he says he’s not 100 percent, we treat him like we’ve treated him the last couple days.”
National League Quick Hits: ESPN’s Mark Saxon reports that the Cardinals “are indeed looking into trading for Carlos Gomez.” It essentially confirms a previous report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold, who said the Cards were kicking the tires. Saxon adds that the Gomez’s ability to play center field is “big,” as St. Louis has suffered from a lack of production there all season, both offensively and defensively. Gomez is certainly no safe bet to be an upgrade given his .210/.272/.322 batting line this season, but he’s probably worth a shot since he can surely be had on the cheap. Saxon says that the Cards “might get outbid by the Mets” for Gomez … Mets optioned OF Michael Conforto to Triple-A Las Vegas. Manager Terry Collins indicated after Thursday’s blowout loss to the Diamondbacks that changes could be coming, and it appears Conforto is again the odd man out. He hit just .200/.298/.340 over 19 games since returning from his first demotion and Collins said he thinks the outfielder was “pressing” … Julio Teheran (lat) is on track to rejoin the Braves’ rotation on August 19 against the Nationals. That’s assuming he gets through a rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday with no issues. Teheran has battled a strained lat since the beginning of August but was cleared for game action after throwing a bullpen session Thursday without any problems … Giancarlo Stanton (hip) was back in the Marlins’ lineup Friday. Stanton missed one start with some minor hip soreness, but he’s fine. He went hitless in four at-bats in Friday’s loss … Carlos Gonzalez (ankle) remained out of the Rockies’ lineup Friday. CarGo cleared the bases with a pinch-hit double Thursday, but he’s not ready to start just yet. The Rockies hope he’ll be ready to go sometime over the weekend … Joe Ross (shoulder) played catch on Friday. He’s expected to play catch again at some point over the weekend. Ross isn’t sure when he’ll be ready for game action again, but it does appear he’s feeling better. He had to be pulled off a rehab assignment a week ago due to renewed soreness in his right shoulder … Ryan Schimpf slugged two homers and knocked in a career-high six runs in a win over the Mets. Schimpf took Logan Verrett deep for his first career grand slam in the first inning before connecting for a two-run shot against him in the third inning. This is the second two-homer game of his brief major league career. While the 28-year-old is hitting just .218, he has surprised with 12 homers and a .917 OPS in just 47 games. 24 of his 31 hits have gone for extra bases. With his power, he can’t be ignored in mixed fantasy leagues … Justin Bour (ankle) is not expected to return before September. Bour’s recovery from a high right ankle sprain has come along more slowly than expected, as he hasn’t played in a rehab game in over a week. Derek Dietrich will continue to see the bulk of the playing time at first base … Yasmany Tomas (neck) remained out of the Diamondbacks’ lineup Friday. He’s missed four straight starts with a stiff neck. Tomas remains day-to-day … Zack Wheeler will be examined by Dr. James Andrews next week after feeling renewed discomfort in his surgically-repaired right elbow. Uh oh. Wheeler has gone through some starts and stops in his comeback from Tommy John surgery and hasn’t done any throwing since his last rehab start on August 6. More will obviously be known after his visit with Dr. Andrews, but even in a best-case scenario it looks like he won’t pitch in the majors for two full seasons.
American League Quick Hits: Mookie Betts (calf) was back in the Red Sox’ lineup Friday. Betts didn’t play Thursday after departing Wednesday’s contest with a tight right calf, but he’s ready to go. Unfortunately, he went hitless in his return Friday … Betts’ teammate Hanley Ramirez, who tweaked his back Thursday when he collided with Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, fared better in Friday’s action, smacking a pair of three-run homers against the Diamondbacks. Ramirez victimized D’Backs starter Patrick Corbin with a three-run shot over the monster in the first inning, then took him deep to center field for another three-run blast the following inning. Ramirez finished the day 2-for-4 with six RBI and is now slashing .273/.347/.454 with 16 homers and 70 RBI on the season … Carlos Santana (head) is absent from the Indians’ lineup Friday. It’s no surprise after he was lifted from Thursday’s game when he was hit in the side of the head by a foul ball while sitting in the dugout. Santana said Friday that he’s feeling much better but will undergo additional testing just to be safe. It appears he’s avoided a concussion, though … Steven Wright (shoulder) is hoping to rejoin the Red Sox’ rotation on Thursday in Detroit. Wright was unable to start against the Yankees on Thursday after jamming his right shoulder on a dive while pinch-running last week. He’ll need to throw off a mound by Monday in order to be on track for Thursday … Dustin Pedroia left Friday’s game against the Diamondbacks with flu-like symptoms. Consider him day-to-day … Rays activated INF Matt Duffy from the 15-day disabled list. Duffy has been on the disabled list since June 20 with a left Achilles strain. Acquired from the Giants in the Matt Moore deal, Duffy will take over as the Rays’ starting shortstop. He’s hit a disappointing .253/.313/.358 in 70 games this season, and he went 1-for-4 in his return … Yankees placed RHP Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 11, with a right elbow tendon injury. Eovaldi had to depart Wednesday’s start after throwing only 12 pitches. It’s unclear at this point how long he’ll be sidelined, but it would certainly seem to have the potential to be a season-ending injury. Luis Severino has replaced Eovaldi on the roster and figures to take his rotation spot, as well … Astros placed RHP Ken Giles on the paternity leave list. He’ll miss the entire weekend series against the Blue Jays. Will Harris figures to serve as the Astros’ closer while Giles is away … Joe Musgrove impressed yet again on Friday, limiting the Blue Jays to two runs over seven innings as part of a 5-3 victory. Musgrove was dominant against the Blue Jays in his major league debut on August 2 and he held them in check again on Friday, scattering six hits while striking out seven and walking just one. He gave up a game-tying solo homer to Michael Saunders in the fourth inning before the Astros took the lead back in the fifth. Musgrove now owns a 1.47 ERA and 21/2 K/BB ratio in 18 1/3 innings over two starts and one relief appearance in the majors. The composed rookie needs to be owned in all fantasy leagues for the stretch run … C.J. Cron (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday. He’s missed just over a month of action with a fractured left hand but resumed baseball activities recently with no issues. Cron should be activated by the Angels sometime next week assuming all goes well … Astros purchased the contract of OF Teoscar Hernandez from Triple-A Fresno, and the rookie hit his first major league homer in Friday’s win. He finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored against Francisco Liriano and company. Hernandez has bounced back from a rough 2015 with a terrific showing in 2016, having batted .307/.377/.459 with 10 homers and 34 stolen bases between Double- and Triple-A. The 23-year-old should see a decent amount of playing time between left and center field and might be worth a shot in deeper fantasy formats.
