We are just a few days into the Spring Training game schedule and the injuries are already piling up across the Roger Dorn Baseball League. That news is led by shortstop Gavin Lux who suffered a season-ending injury on Monday afternoon that led to his release by the Alamo Short Stacks on Tuesday.
Here's the latest 3 Up, 3 Down with a little under a month until the 2023 RDBL Draft.
Clarke Schmidt (Minors), Fringe
As we'll cover below, the injury to Frankie Montas (shoulder) should open up a door in the New York Yankees starting rotation which could provide even more options for Fringe GM Tony Guglielmi. Schmidt boasted a 3.12 ERA in 29 appearances (3 starts) in 2022 and will battle Domingo German in Spring Training for the fifth starter job. The Fringe are overflowing with rotation options behind Sandy Alcantara, Lance McCullers and Triston McKenzie including new Padres signee Michael Wacha (2FA/$5). Guglielmi also holds options on Taijuan Walker, Marco Gonzales and Lucas Giolito as well as potential activation options on Reid Detmers, Josiah Gray and Grayson Rodriguez.
Schmidt added a cutter to his pitching arsenal and featured it in his two perfect innings against the Braves Sunday. Schmidt struck out five of the six batters he faced Sunday, an impressive start to his quest to lock down that final rotation spot in New York.
JJ Bleday (Minors), Jokers
Bleday was traded from the Marlins to the Athletics in exchange for A.J. Puk on Saturday, opening the door for a 2023 activation by GM Rick Steen. Bleday was the fourth pick of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt, and the outfielder struggled mightily in his 65 games with the Marlins in 2022 with a .167/.277/.309 slash line along with five home runs and four stolen bases over 238 plate appearances. A left-handed hitter, Bleday has easy plus power and a quality approach at the plate, but he's struggled to make hard contact as a professional. There's still time for Bleday to tap into his potential as a 25-year-old, and Oakland's rebuild offers him a chance to earn a starting spot.
C Tyler Stephenson (2R/$3), Heads
Stephenson is expected to catch about 65 games for the Reds this season, manager David Bell told Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday, a plan that should benefit the injury-prone Honolulu Hammerheads. The plan is for Stephenson to catch four out of every 10 games and also make three starts at designated hitter and two at first base during that span. Bell said that the team already has every game planned out, although circumstances can obviously change. Just 65 games seems like an awfully low number for your starting catcher, but it should certainly give Stephenson a better shot to stay healthy after he was limited to just 50 contests in 2022. It's welcomed news for his fantasy outlook. The Reds also have Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Austin Romine, so they have other options at catcher. Stephenson's season ended last year with a fractured clavicle, but he enters camp without restrictions.
SS Gavin Lux (2R/$3), Stacks
With Brendan Rodgers losing shortstop eligibility last year, the Stacks were left without an option on their Active Roster which led them to the off-season acquisition of Gavin Lux, a player the club was internally very excited about entering 2023. The Stacks are back to square one as Lux was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss the 2023 season.
With Lux dropped by the Stacks on Tuesday morning, catcher Will Smith (2/$30) could re-enter the picture as a Keeper option or the club could dive back into the Trade Market to fill the spot.
Obliques for Glasnow, Suzuki
The Clovers and Hammerheads were also hit with disappointing injury news as Tyler Glasnow and Seiya Suzuki were both diagnosed with oblique strains. Glasnow's MRI showed a Grade 2 strain which carries a timeline of 6-8 weeks to return while Suzuki's injury was characterized as a moderate strain with no timetable provided.
The Clovers certainly have a talented rotation, but the injury highlights the volatility with Dustin May, Jesus Luzardo and Michael Kopech all looking to shake off injury-prone labels in 2023.
Musgrove Injures Toe
Las Vegas Aristocrats veteran co-ace Joe Musgrove will miss the start of the season after fracturing his left big toe Monday in a weight-lifting accident. Padres manager Bob Melvin said that Musgrove won’t begin throwing again for at least two weeks, but conceded that's an optimistic viewpoint – and it likely will be a longer absence.
“You don’t want to see [a picture of the fracture]," one Padres player told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. "It is bad. Really ugly.’’
It’s unknown when Musgrove can rejoin the rotation, but a lengthy absence would mean that Musgrove has to re-start his spring-training throwing program.
“I mean, it’s not starting over,’’ Melvin said, “but the longer you go, the more it gets closer and closer to starting over, but obviously he’s a guy who keeps himself in really good shape. It’s going to be more about how it heals and certainly a pain tolerance thing. We’ll have to evaluate how he’s doing and see where he goes.’’
Musgrove made the All-Star team for the first time last season, going 10-7 with a 2.93 ERA in 30 starts as the Padres reached the National League Championship Series.
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