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With the Major League Baseball season in full swing, here are some of the biggest stories around the league over the last week.
Yankees Lose A Couple To Tommy John
Despite dropping a doubleheader Sunday, the New York Yankees still have the best record in all of baseball at 29-12. Despite their early success, though, they have still encountered some setbacks in their pitching staff.
This week, it was announced that both Luis Gil and Chad Green will undergo Tommy John surgery.
For Gil, the 23-year-old made just one start this season, going four innings and allowing four earned runs. Still, after making six starts last season, Gil was expected to be someone who could make spot starts and could work his way into the pitching staff in some capacity throughout the season.
If that wasn’t bad enough, on Sunday, Aaron Boone announced that reliever Chad Green will also have Tommy John surgery. Green pitched in 14 games this season, going 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and had 16 strikeouts in 15 innings.
Still, the Yankees’ hot start has them as the odds on favorite to win the AL East at -230, and they have the second-best odds of winning the World Series this season at +600.
Others Needing Tommy John
Unfortunately, Yankees’ players weren’t the only ones that were revealed as needing Tommy John surgery. Chris Paddack of the Minnesota Twins and Carter Kieboom of the Washington Nationals also need the surgery.
Paddack, who was acquired from the Padres for Taylor Rogers and Brent Rooker prior to the start of the season, had his surgery on Wednesday of last week.
This season, Paddack went 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA in five starts for the Twins. He also had a 1.209 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 22.1 innings.
Minnesota has gotten off to a great start this season as they lead the AL Central with a 25-16 record, four games ahead of the second-place White Sox.
Even with a four-game lead, the White Sox are still the favorites to win the division. The Twins have the second-best odds at +155.
Once seen as the heir apparent for Anthony Rendon in the Nationals’ system, Carter Kieboom has struggled to live up to his once-promising future. Now, at 24-years-old, the Nationals’ infielder will lose the entire season as he will undergo Tommy John.
Last season, in 217 at bats, Kieboom hit just .207/.301/.318 with six home runs and 20 runs batted in. While the Nationals are not writing off Kieboom as of yet, their patience may be growing thin as he has yet to live up to his potential.
Currently, Washington is dead last in the NL East and has the second-worst record in the entire National League at just 14-28.
Orioles Call Up Top Prospect, Extend Veteran
The Baltimore Orioles made news a couple of times this week, and both stories should excite their fans.
The biggest story was the call-up of baseball’s top prospect Adley Rutschman. The catcher has long been seen as a cornerstone of the Orioles’ rebuild for years and now will have his chance to prove his skills at the professional level.
Rutschman was drafted first overall in the 2019 draft and has quickly moved through the ranks since. For Orioles’ fans, this is a major step as the team looks to contend in a loaded AL East.
His ability to hit is unquestioned. Last year, between double and triple-A, he hit .285/.397/.502 with 23 home runs, 75 runs batted in, and 86 runs scored.
In his first two games, Rutschman has gone two for eight with a triple.
Also, in Baltimore, the team agreed to a two-year deal with lefty John Means on Saturday. Means is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will be out until about midway through the 2023 season, but this helps the team avoid arbitration as he works through his recovery.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the deal was for just under $6 million over two years.
Last year, the 29-year-old was solid for the O’s, going 6-9 with a 3.62 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and had 134 strikeouts in 146.2 innings.
At 17-25 this season, the Orioles likely won’t compete this year; however, it would not be shocking to see their stock continue to rise over the next few years.
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