MLB Rumors: Rangers All-Stars nearing return before postseason

The Texas Rangers have not had a great run since after the MLB trade deadline. They held first place in the AL West since early April, up until losing it in late August. Now, they are sitting behind the Houston Astros by a game, and hold the second AL Wild Card spot, albeit not by much. It certainly didn't help that they were without two of their All-Stars for a stretch of time.

In early August, third baseman Josh Jung suffered a broken left thumb, which required surgery. Then there was outfielder Adolis Garcia, who left a Sept. 6 game against the Houston Astros due to a right patellar tendon strain.

This past Sunday, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that he expects both Jung and Garcia to return prior to the end of the season. Specifically, Bochy expects Garcia to return by the last week of the regular season, while Jung could return as early as Texas' series against the Cleveland Guardians this weekend (Sept. 15-17), depending on how his meeting with a hand specialist on Thursday goes.

That would certainly be welcome news for the Rangers, who are set to have quite the battle between the Astros and Mariners for first in the AL West, in addition to fighting those two teams and the Toronto Blue Jays for the last two Wild Card berths.

This season, Garcia recorded a .244 batting average, a .322 on-base percentage, a .494 slugging percentage, 34 home runs, 97 runs, 100 RBI, 125 hits, 159 strikeouts, and 56 walks in 512 at-bats (135 games).

As for Jung, he slashed .274/.323/.489 while recording 22 home runs, 67 RBI, 70 runs, 117 hits, 135 strikeouts, and 28 walks in 427 at-bats.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals catcher linked to Yankees as potential trade chip

The St. Louis Cardinals were one of the biggest sellers at the MLB trade deadline, after falling out of postseason contention rather early. The Cardinals moved on from impending free agents Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, and Jordan Hicks to replenish the farm system and build their 2024 roster. Even though they made moves at the trade deadline, that doesn't mean that they are going to have a quiet offseason. Could another trade be in the works this offseason?

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch held a chat with fans and answered questions. One user asked if catcher Andrew Knizner has done enough to bring value in a return trade and if a team is interested. Goold said that he would either stay on the team or be traded, as they wouldn't let him become a free agent. As for who was interested, Goold mentions that the New York Yankees were interested back in the spring.

"The Cardinals are going to find out. They'll see what other teams think in those opening weeks of November. What he's done is assure that he'll be with the Cardinals or be in a trade. It's hard to see them making a choice to free a spot on the roster by letting him become a free agent. He would not be the centerpiece of a deal. But there are notable teams hunting for catching help that have scouted/discussed him before. The Yankees were in that mix this past spring, for example." Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Knizner is 28 years old and currently has two more years of arbitration remaining before he becomes a free agent after the 2025 season. So with team control, he would get some value in return, but as Goold says, not as the centerpiece of a deal.

This season, Knizner recorded a .240 batting average, a .284 on-base percentage, a .438 slugging percentage, 10 home runs, 27 runs, 30 RBI, 46 hits, 52 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 192 at-bats. Defensively, Knizner recorded a .998 fielding percentage by recording 395 putouts, 19 assists, and one error in 415 chances.

As for the Yankees, they seemingly have their catcher for the foreseeable future in Austin Wells, one of their top prospects whom they called up for the final month of the season. Behind him is Kyle Higashioka, who has been with the team since 2017 and is under contract for the 2024 season before becoming a free agent. So, those are two catching spots filled. Could the Yankees flip Higashioka this offseason? Who knows, as the Yankees are going to evaluate things this offseason, as they are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani continues to sit out due to oblique injury

The Los Angeles Angels' season started with promise until it spiraled out of control. They bought in at the trade deadline to make a push for the postseason, only to fall well outside of it not too long afterward. To make matters worse, they watched superstar, AL MVP favorite, and impending free agent Shohei Ohtani pick up injuries.

First, Ohtani suffered a torn UCL that will likely require Tommy John surgery. While he would be unable to pitch for the remainder of the season, that didn't rule him out of serving as the team's designated hitter. However, he has been sitting out for a stretch of games after dealing with a sore oblique.

Ohtani was scheduled to return from said oblique injury for Los Angeles' game on Monday against the Seattle Mariners. However, he was scratched just prior to the first pitch after going through pre-game workouts. Manager Phil Nevin said that he didn't see it as a "setback."

On Tuesday night, Ohtani was left out of the lineup once again, making it the ninth straight game that he sat out due to the oblique injury. Nevin said that the likeliest Ohtani could return is for Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers. However, Nevin didn't rule out the possibility of Ohtani playing in Wednesday's series finale against the Mariners if he told him he was ready to go.

"He's going to come in one day and tell me he's ready to play," Nevin said, h/t MLB.com. "Today, I made the lineup without him. But if he comes in and does his stuff and tells me he's ready to go, then I'll put him in."

On the year, Ohtani leads the American League with eight triples, 44 home runs, 91 walks, a .412 on-base percentage, and 325 total bases, while leading the majors with 21 intentional walks, a 1.066 WHIP, and a 183 OPS+ through 135 games (497 at-bats).