With time running out on a shortened season, MLB teams have been pushing to secure one of the spots in this year’s expanded postseason. With the excitement of the season’s final stretch, there has been no shortage of news.
Let’s take a look at some of the bigger news stories from the last week in Major League Baseball.
Gleyber Torres Activated
The Yankees have been decimated by injuries this season, but this past week they received a little reprieve as they activated shortstop Gleyber Torres from the injured list over the weekend.
Torres has been out due to a hamstring strain since August 24 but appears to be past those issues. He certainly has gotten off to a slow start this season. In 81 at-bats, he is hitting .235/.347/.309 with a home run, six runs batted in, and nine runs scored.
Despite the slow start, Torres is hoping to finish the season strong for a Yankees team that has been struggling, having fallen to third in the AL East at 21-19, 6.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Chapman Leaves Game, Heading For MRI
At 23-14, the Oakland Athletics have not only the best record in the AL West but one of the best in baseball. Despite the comfort of a 3.5-game lead in the West, they were dealt a tough blow on Sunday as third baseman Matt Chapman was forced to leave the game with a hip strain.
Plagued by similar issues in the past, Chapman will undergo an MRI and, best-case scenario, he is likely out for a few days. That could be bad news as the A’s welcome the AL West second-place Astros this week for a five-game series.
To this point, Chapman is hitting .236/.280/.543 with 10 home runs, 25 runs batted in, and 22 runs scored.
Juan Soto Still Dealing With Sore Elbow
The defending champion Washington Nationals have not exactly had the title defense season that they anticipated as they currently sit 14-25. That is good for last in the NL East and 9.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves.
To make matters worse, All-Star outfielder Juan Soto has been dealing with a sore elbow. The good news is that an MRI came back clean, but the Nationals have still been playing conservatively with the outfielder, giving him some extra days off.
Given their poor season, it makes sense that they wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their star’s future. The injury is disappointing, though, as Soto is off to a scorching start. In 99 at-bats, he is hitting .354/.453/.758 with 11 home runs, 26 runs batted in, and 21 runs scored.
Mike Trout Makes History
The Los Angeles Angels had a pretty amazing weekend sweeping the division rival Houston Astros in a 4-game series. Even more amazingly, all four wins included the Angels taking the lead in their final at-bats.
More impressively was what Mike Trout accomplished. Trout has continuously proven that he is one of the best in the game and possibly one of the best ever to play. Over the weekend, he proved that he is the best power hitter in the history of the Angels as he hit his 300th home run and became the leader all-time in terms of home runs in the Angels organization.
In 139 at-bats, Trout is hitting .295/.395/.676 with 15 home runs, 38 runs batted in, and 35 runs scored. Unfortunately, despite Trout’s success, the Angels continue to struggle. Even after the four-game sweep, they sit at 17-25, good for fourth in the AL West.
