Judge Most Recent Yankee To Hit IL
The New York Yankees, already decimated by injuries, can add one more superstar to that list. Judge had to leave Saturday’s game against Kansas City with an oblique injury that has been classified as “significant” and will likely keep him out for some time.
To date, Judge was hitting .288/.366/.431 with 5 home runs, 11 runs batted in and 13 runs scored. As always, his strikeouts are high with 26, but he has also been walked 14 times. Sadly, for Yankees fans, he gets added to a list of players on the injured list alongside Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Didi Gregorious, Miguel Andujar, Aaron Hicks, Dellin Bestances and others.
Amazingly, the Yankees still sit at 12-10 and in 2nd place in the AL East through Monday’s action despite all of the setbacks. Illustrating just how injured they are, though, the Yankees’ lineup on Sunday featured Brett Gardner hitting third and Clint Frazier fourth. One thing for sure is that to remain competitive, they are going to need some of their role players to step up.
Other Injuries Around The League
While Judge may be the most significant injury that has happened as of late, he is certainly not the only one. Other injuries around the league include:
Matt Shoemaker: Sadly, Shoemaker’s season is coming to an end as he left Saturday’s game with a torn left ACL. Shoemaker, who the Blue Jays placed on the 10-day IL initially, was off to a great start this season. In 28.2 innings and five starts, he was 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and opponents were hitting just .163 against him. In those innings, he had allowed just 16 hits, 5 earned runs, 3 home runs and had struck out 24 while walking 9.
Nathan Eovaldi: It looks like Eovaldi, who was re-signed by the Red Sox in the offseason, may be heading towards minor elbow surgery to clean up loose bodies in his pitching elbow. In 4 games this season, Eovaldi is 0-0 with 6.00 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and opponents are hitting .266 against him. In 21 innings, he has allowed 21 hits, 14 earned runs, 6 home runs, while striking out 16 and walking 11.
Jean Segura: Segura, who has gotten off to a strong start with his new team in Philadelphia, was placed on the injured list due to a left hamstring strain. On the season, Segura is hitting .328/.384/.478 with 5 doubles, a triple, a home run, 10 runs batted in and 13 runs scored. The shortstop came over in a deal from Seattle in the offseason and has helped the Phillies get off to a 12-9 start, good for first place in the NL East.
Austin Meadows: It appears that Meadows will be out for a few weeks with a sprained right thumb. The youngster has been on a tear to start the season, hitting .351/.422/.676 with 6 home runs, 19 runs batted in, 11 runs scored and has 3 stolen bases. The Rays, who lead the AL East by 2.5 games early in the season, hope that their time without Meadows will be brief.
Pujols Passes Great Bambino
In what has been a likely Hall of Fame career, Albert Pujols added another notch to his resume. Pujols passed Babe Ruth for fifth place on baseball’s all-time career runs-batted-in list. It came in a big way, too, as he passed him with his 636th home run. Unfortunately for the Angels, they were unable to topple their division-rival Mariners, but it still was a pretty special moment for the Angels and Pujols.
To say that Pujols’ abilities and statistics have taken a dive in the latter portion of his career would certainly be an understatement, but the fact that he is passing the likes of Babe Ruth in career statistics pays homage to just how amazing his career has been. All in all, Pujols, who has been playing since 2001 as a 21-year-old, has amassed 3,097 hits, 636 home runs, 1,993 runs batted in, 1,781 runs scored while maintaining a hitting line for his career of .302/.382/.554.
Gonzalez Opts Out
It appears that another veteran starter will be hanging out back on the free-agent market. Signed by the New York Yankees to a minor league deal, Gio Gonzalez had an opt-out clause if he didn’t feel like he would get an opportunity with the big club. The veteran southpaw has exercised that clause, which gave the Yankees 48 hours to either release him or add him to the big club. The Yankees released him from his minor league contract Monday, making him a free agent.
One club that has reportedly been keeping their eye on him is the New York Mets. With the struggles of some of their pitchers, most notably Jason Vargas, Gio could be an intriguing add for a Mets team that is hoping to contend this season. Last year, between the Washington Nationals and the Milwaukee Brewers, Gonzalez was 10-11 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 171 innings. Across that time he had 148 strikeouts, 80 walks and allowed 17 home runs. Gonzalez now joins Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel as established pitchers who still have not found permanent homes.
Lindor Activated
The Cleveland Indians saw a welcome sight late last week as they welcomed back All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Indians, who sit at 12-9, have struggled offensively out of the gate as they currently rank 23rd in runs per game (3.95), 28th in home runs per game (0.76), and 28th in batting average (.215). Luckily for Cleveland, their pitching staff ranks 8th in ERA at 3.69.
With Lindor out and players like Jose Ramirez scuffling (.152/.236/.228 with 1 home run and 5 runs batted in), it has been a rough start. Hopefully adding Lindor, who hit .277/.352/.519 with 38 home runs, 92 runs batted in, 129 runs scored and had 25 stolen bases will help. Still, in a weak AL Central, the Indians are fortunate to be just one game back of the Minnesota Twins and will look to get on track with Lindor back in the fold.
In a corresponding move, the Indians designated for assignment veteran Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez was trying to revitalize his career in Cleveland but struggled in the early part of the season. In 49 at-bats, HanRam was hitting just .184/.298/.327 with 2 home runs, 8 runs batted in, 4 runs scored and 17 strikeouts (while walking eight times).
