Wounded Bird

Jordan Hicks

Elbows aren’t meant to withstand 100 mph fastballs. Or 105 mph fastballs.
An MRI Monday on Jordan Hicks’ right arm revealed a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. Hicks suffered the injury during an appearance Saturday, and although the initial prognosis was triceps tendinitis, tests revealed the bad news.
The Cardinals say that the next course of action for Hicks has yet to be determined, but obviously Tommy John surgery is a distinct possibility. Rest and rehab is another option, but even in that case he will be sidelined for a long time and the odds of a setback are fairly high. If Hicks does wind up having the operation, he probably wouldn’t be ready to pitch until the second half of next season.
It’s obviously a bummer for the game’s hardest thrower. Hicks has had some bumps in the road this season but overall has pitched quite well, posting a 3.14 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 31/11 K/BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings. He blew his first save chance of the season but converted each of his 14 opportunities after that. If Hicks does indeed wind up going under the knife, we can only hope that he’s able to regain his velocity post-op.

So who is likely to assume the closer duties for the Cards with Hicks sidelined? If you ask Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it’s Carlos Martinez, as he writes that Martinez “is expected to take over most of the closer duties.” However, on Sunday president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated in an interview that John Gant would probably get the first crack at the job.
Manager Mike Shildt has not indicated his preferred option for the role but could offer more clarity prior to the team’s next game Tuesday. Both Martinez (two) and Gant (three) have picked up some saves this season and Martinez also notched five saves down the stretch last year. Either pitcher has the potential to be a fine closer if given the shot, and they’re both worth picking up as you speculate for saves.

Ross Stripling

Stripling Slides into Rotation

Ross Stripling didn’t deserve to be demoted to the bullpen when it happened in late April, but many figured he’d eventually get a chance to start again. Two months later, that opportunity has arrived.
The Dodgers announced on Monday that it would be Stripling moving back into the rotation on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks in place of the injured Rich Hill (forearm). It will be the right-hander’s first start since April 25.
Stripling posted a 2.65 ERA and 32/10 K/BB ratio over 34 innings covering six starts at the beginning of the season before shifting to the bullpen, where he held a 4.02 ERA and 16/6 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 frames. Of course, the 29-year-old was also an All-Star in 2018 following a dominant first half while mostly being used as a starter before he wore down and struggled after the break.
Stripling hasn’t gone more than two innings or thrown more than 45 pitches since April, but manager Dave Roberts thought it was “very fair” for the righty to be able to go four innings and/or 60 pitches Tuesday. While that kind of workload makes him a less than desirable fantasy play Tuesday, Stripling could be in line for home starts versus the D-backs and Padres next week when he’s more stretched out. With Hill likely out until August, Stripling should have a shot to remain in the rotation for a while.
While Stripling is going back into the rotation, Julio Urias will remain in the bullpen, at least for now. Urias fanned five over three scoreless frames last Thursday in a spot start and has flashed dominance at times this season, but he barely pitched last year after coming back from shoulder surgery so the Dodgers want to keep a close eye on his workload. Urias is expected to pitch multiple innings in relief either on Tuesday following Stripling or on Wednesday following Tony Gonsolin, who will make his major league debut.

Caleb Smith

Caleb Cruising to Return

The main thing on Caleb Smith’s agenda during Monday’s rehab start with Double-A Jacksonville was to make sure the hip injury that sent him to the injured list wasn’t an issue. Still, it’s nice to see some positive results, as well, and he certainly got that.
Smith struck out 11 batters over 4 1/3 innings for the Jumbo Shrimp against Pensacola, giving up two runs on a couple solo home runs. The left-hander fanned eight batters in a row at one point, which tied a Southern League record.
And the hip? Smith said that he "didn't feel it at all" during the outing. Check and check.
The Marlins surely will want to see how Smith recovers and also how he feels during his normal between-starts bullpen session, but he would appear to be in line to rejoin the big league rotation this weekend against the Phillies. Smith threw 71 pitches Monday, so he would seemingly be able to handle 85-90 as soon as Saturday.
What’s going to be interesting to see is who the Marlins boot from the rotation to accommodate Smith’s return. Jordan Yamamoto (0.95 ERA, 19/8 K/BB ratio over 19 innings in three starts), Elieser Hernandez (3.78 ERA, 19/3 K/BB ratio over 16 2/3 innings in three starts) and Zac Gallen (1.80 ERA, 6/2 K/BB ratio over five innings in one start) have all pitched well with Smith, Pablo Lopez (shoulder) and Jose Urena (back) sidelined. Perhaps a six-man rotation would make sense for a while since the team needs to monitor the workloads of their young pitchers, anyway? We should have a better idea of how they’ll play things in the coming days.

National League Quick Hits: Noah Syndergaard (hamstring) will make a rehab start with Short-Season Brooklyn on Tuesday before likely rejoining the Mets’ rotation on Sunday against the Braves. ... Jon Lester threw six innings while allowing just two unearned runs and fanning seven in a win over the Braves on Monday. ... Maikel Franco went 3-for-4 with a homer, three RBI and a walk as the Phillies topped the Mets on Monday. ... Bryse Wilson is expected to start for the Braves on Thursday against the Cubs. ... Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI in the Cubs' victory over the Braves on Monday. ... A follow-up MRI on Luke Weaver's pitching arm showed improvement, although there’s no timetable for when he might resume throwing. ... Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) threw a light, 15-pitch bullpen session Monday and is scheduled for a regular bullpen session later this week. ... Drew Pomeranz fanned 11 while allowing two runs over five innings versus the Rockies. ... Jon Gray whiffed six over six shutout frames against the Giants on Monday.


American League Quick Hits: Tyler Glasnow will be shut down for the next three weeks after an MRI revealed right flexor inflammation. ... DJ LeMahieu went 4-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored against the Blue Jays on Monday. ... Freddy Galvis, hit a grand slam, singled and stole a base Monday against the Yankees. ... Diego Castillo has been diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement and is expected to be sidelined for about two weeks. ... Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and walked three times Monday as the Red Sox edged the White Sox. ... Yoan Moncada went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk against the Red Sox on Monday. ... CC Sabathia fanned nine while allowing two runs in six innings Monday in a victory over the Blue Jays. ... The Orioles signed No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman to a record $8.1 million bonus. ... Asdrubal Cabrera's suspension has been reduced from four to three games and he will begin serving it Tuesday. ... Rafael Devers (hamstring) doubled and walked in his return to the lineup Monday.