Roughly a third of the way into the season, Major League Baseball teams are starting to get a better sense of whether they are going to be able to contend this season.
While some teams like the A’s (10-45) and Royals (16-38) have struggled, others have been dominant. In fact, the worst record in the AL East to date belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays, who are still 28-26.
With so much focus on the play on the field, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories off the field this week as well.
White Sox Returning A Couple Of Stars This Week
In an amazing piece of news, the Chicago White Sox are welcoming back star closer Liam Hendricks to the team. Hendricks will officially be activated prior to their game Monday against the Los Angeles Angels.
While having a star player return is already something to get excited about, Hendricks is an especially heartwarming story after beating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and being proclaimed cancer-free last month.
Last season, with Chicago, the 34-year-old had 37 saves to go along with a 4-4 record, 2.81 ERA, 1.040 WHIP, and 85 strikeouts in 57.2 innings of work. Hendricks’ will provide a big boost to a White Sox bullpen that ranks second-to-last in ERA at 5.17.
If that wasn’t enough, the White Sox also activated star outfielder Eloy Jimenez from the injured list on Sunday. Jimenez has been out of the lineup due to having an appendectomy.
Prior to the injury, in 97 at bats, Jimenez was hitting .258/.321/.423 with four home runs, 15 runs batted in, and 12 runs scored.
As a team, the White Sox are a disappointing 22-33. Despite the poor record, they sit just six games back in a weak AL Central division. While there hasn’t been a ton of optimism around the club to this point, the return of Hendricks and Jimenez could potentially give the club a boost as they enter the middle third of the season.
Currently, the White Sox have the third-best odds of winning the AL Central at +1200.
Royals Cut Dozier Loose
Despite being in the third of a four-year, $25 million contract, the Kansas City Royals have opted to designate infielder Hunter Dozier for assignment.
In 82 at bats this season, Dozier is hitting just .183/.253/.305 with two home runs and nine runs batted in.
Despite his struggles, Dozier has still hit at least 12 home runs in three of the last four seasons, and he hit 26 home runs with 84 runs batted in back in 2019.
At 31-years-old, it wouldn’t be shocking to see someone take a flier on Dozier, but it will no longer be Kansas City, the only team Dozier has played for to this point.
Rays Activate Glasnow
Due to injuries to players like Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen, the Tampa Bay Rays’ starting rotation has been in a slight state of flux. Their rotation got a little bit of support on Saturday as the team announced Tyler Glasnow was being activated from the injured list.
Glasnow has struggled with health through much of his career, including having Tommy John surgery back in 2023. In fact, since 2018, he hasn’t started more than 14 games and pitched in just two games last season.
In his debut on Saturday against the Dodgers, he took a no-decision after allowing three earned runs over 4.1 innings. He allowed five hits and walked eight in the game.
Despite the injuries, the Rays still have the fifth-best staff ERA at 3.71. This has helped them get out to MLB’s best record at 39-16.
The Rays are currently the favorites to win the AL East at -240, and they have the third-best odds of winning the World Series at +650.
