Yankees: Will Carlos Rodon miss the entire 2023 MLB season?
On Monday afternoon, a tweet circulated in which Jomboy Media suggested that Yankees free-agent acquisition Carlos Rodon, who signed a six-year, $162 million contract in the offseason, could miss the rest of the season with what's been a mysterious back ailment. Jomboy claimed a "reliable source" had passed this along, and there were whispers in the Yankees front office that feared the same.
While Rodon's back injury has remained a point of frustration, nothing official has been passed along by the Yanks physicians declaring the starting pitcher out for nearly that long. Rodon, however, hasn't committed to any timetable presented to him by the media.
"I have no idea. I don't put a timeline on anything. I'll get this injection, and I want to throw as soon as I can," Rodon said, while calling his injury chronic. "Whenever my body tells me I can throw and everyone agrees that I can throw, I'll start throwing whatever and whenever that ramp up takes. … I can't set a date for you. I would have thought I've been pitching here for the club now."
Rodon doesn't want to further disappoint fans, and he's been through this kind of thing before. While the back ailment is new, Rodon missed the better part of two seasons in Chicago before signing with the San Francisco Giants, where he revived his career and made himself some serious money.
Carlos's wife, Ashley Rodon, called BS on the report via social media:
That is seemingly good news on the Rodon injury front, but until we hear it from the team, Rodon's return date remains a mystery.
MLB Rumors: Max Fried placed on the injured list again
The Atlanta Braves have placed Max Fried on the injured list for the second time this season. A reminder: It's early May.
Fried is the Braves unquestioned ace for now, with Spencer Strider potentially taking over that role in a couple of years should the right-handed pitcher leave in free agency. But Fried is the most polished pitcher on Atlanta's staff, and it's a shame he'll miss more time with what can only be described as a worrisome injury.
A forearm strain can be nothing, or something serious. It's vague enough that it gives the medical staff plenty of leeway as they examine what exactly is wrong with Fried, and how they can fix it. The treatment plan is unclear for now, but Fried's IL stint is backdated to May 6.
In the meantime, the Braves rotation will be a little shorthanded. Fried and Kyle Wright are on the injured list. This leaves Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder as the workhorses, and possible reinforcements coming up. In their roster move announcement, Atlanta also called up left-handed pitcher Danny Young. It's unclear exactly how he fits into the Braves plans while Fried is absent.
The good news for Brian Snitker and Co. is that they've built up quite the NL East advantage, and are the best team in the National League right now, record-wise. Their lineup is nearing full strength after the returns of Travis d'Arnaud and Orlando Arcia.
In his steed, expect the Braves to make a corresponding move for Mike Soroka, Dylan Dodd or even Jared Shuster. Atlanta needs more starting pitchers at the moment.
MLB Rumors: Willson Contreras gets his revenge
The next phase of the Cardinals-Willson Contreras experiment got off to a productive start on Monday night. Contreras, signed as the team's catcher, started at designated hitter and recorded two hits in four at-bats, driving in two runs in the process.
Contreras embraced the villain role in his return to Wrigley Field. He was booed by his former fans, and routinely turned to the crowd and asked for more. It was a surprising display from a player who admittedly wears his emotions on his sleeve.
On the one hand, it's good to see Contreras succeed at the plate. On the other, it's odd that the Cards felt the need to change anything. Yadier Molina was the backstop in St. Louis for so long, perhaps the Cardinals got used to a certain defensive standard. Most catchers, however, are not Yadier Molina. Contreras isn't an elite defensive catcher.
St. Louis's front office also failed to address some very obvious needs in the starting rotation this offseason. A catcher like Molina can mask some of those problems, but Contreras (and most catchers) aren't capable of such things. As FanSided's Kevin Henry laid out, the Cardinals are using Contreras as a scapegoat.
"With a 1-2 count, opposing batters are now slashing .230/.233/.359 against Cardinals pitchers. At 2-2, the numbers go to .227/.232/.387. The full count numbers, however, are a bit stunning. Look at the jump in the on-base percentage in the slash line (.218/.472/.394) and you'll see an area where Cardinals pitchers have certainly not done their part keeping runners off the bases.
St. Louis pitchers as a whole rank 27th in bWAR at minus-2.5. At catcher, the Cardinals rank 19th at minus-0.1 (with Contreras by himself fifth on the team at 0.6). No other position comes close to matching the inefficiency found on the mound in St. Louis so far this season."
It's easy to blame Contreras's defensive shortcomings for any number of issues, but until the Cardinals add some bonafide starting pitching, they will always be flawed, even should they defeat Chicago this series.