What MLB needs
Muncy’s flex. He got mad about it. It’s deeply human.
But getting big mad was also relentlessly entertaining. Chavez Ravine is going to be flooded with fans wearing “GO GET IT FROM THE OCEAN” tees as long as Muncy rocks Dodger blue. Every time Bumgarner gives up a bomb, internet dorks who otherwise barely notice baseball will relentlessly clown on him with reaction GIFs. Future Muncy-Bumgarner showdowns could produce the same visceral joy we get from disrespectful dunks and vicious nutmegs. All eyes are on their next matchup and the memes which are sure to come.
Baseball has a long way to go before it can claim a whole stable of interplayer rivalries we can get behind with a clear conscience. We’re only two months removed from White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson’s altercation with Royals pitcher Brad Keller, which precipitated from a pimped home run stare and a subsequent hit by pitch, a situation completely bungled by the league when Anderson was suspended for one game.
Asserting toughness with threats of violence is still a thing and isn’t going away any time soon. Former Giant Aubrey Huff, who has spent much of his retirement rebranding himself as an online bigot, is now daring Muncy to challenge his former teammate to a brawl, with empty threat that Bumgarner is “country strong” enough to “ruin their careers.” No word if Huff also promised that his dad could beat up Muncy’s.
Was Bumgarner being too sensitive? That’s debatable. Was it entertaining? Well, Muncy chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders and ambled along the bases. So should we.
The only harm caused Sunday was to Bumgarner’s feelings. More hardball beefs, please. Aaron Judge could be back before the Yankees head overseas to face the Red Sox in London June 29-30, Brian Cashman said before the first game of the Subway Series was postponed Monday. The Yankees will not push their slugger to try to get him back for MLB’s marquee matchup, the Yankee GM said in an interview on WFAN.
“We could be targeting rehab games, clearly not this weekend, but maybe next weekend at the earliest if everything goes perfect,” Cashman said of Judge, who has been on the injured list since April 21 with a strained left oblique. “We’re not definitely trying to line things up so we have him for London, but it’s certainly possible we could have him before London. It’s a moving target. He’s not in those rehab games yet, he has to finish off another seven-to-nine days of field work and then we can schedule a rehab assignment.”
Judge was hitting off the pitching machine on Monday in Tampa, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
NO NEWS ON BETANCES
Dellin Betances, who has complained of discomfort in his right lat area, will have another MRI on Tuesday, Boone said. The setup man who has been on the IL since the start of the season with right shoulder issues, was shut down from his throwing program on Friday.
“I don’t know what we are dealing with yet,” Cashman said. “We did an MRI on it and didn’t see a thing. We flew him up here because the next day still he still felt something there.”
Betances, 30, struggled with dead arm this spring, which manifested itself with him unable to get his velocity up during spring training. He was initially diagnosed with and treated for an impingement and inflammation. He was later treated for irritation caused by a bone spur in his right shoulder.
“He’s getting an MRI tomorrow. Doc examined him, he’s still a little bit sore, but we’ll get the MRI then have a better feel for things,” Boone said. “We’re going to make sure we isolate the spot the best we can to see if anything’s going in there.”
SEVERINO STRETCHES OUT
Cashman told Mike Francesa that Luis Severino, who has been shut down since early March first with a rotator cuff issue and now with a strained lat, has advanced in his flatground throwing program. Severino threw at 90 feet on Monday.
“He’s feeling really good. I think he’s feels he is being held back,” Cashman said. “All good, but we have to stay disciplined and stay with the program. So after the All-Star break we think we can plug him back in.”
STANTON STARTING REHAB
Giancarlo Stanton, who has been on the IL since April 1 with a left biceps, left shoulder and now left calf strain, is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday with Tampa. The outfielder is scheduled to DH for nine innings on Tuesday and play seven innings in right field on Wednesday. He will join Scranton for a weekend series and then depending on how he reacts — and the weather — could be back the following week.
“He could be back as early as the Tampa series or Houston series, but we’ll see,” Cashman said.
FOCUSED ON FRAZIER
While Cashman said he has been pleased with Clint Frazier’s play, he was not pleased with his ditching the media after his three mistakes cost the Yankees a chance to sweep the Red Sox last week. The GM said he also wasn’t impressed with how he aired his grievances the next time he did talk to the media.
“I think I’ve handled myself for the most part in the press very well, but I have had my bad days. You recognize that. It’s not an easy situation. I didn’t like how he responded to the followup questions. When he had a chance to do a do-over, I didn’t think he did what he should have,” Cashman said. “It’s all part of that growing process and learning process. At the end of the day, it’s his career and he’s producing. He’s an extremely talented kid … the media is your vehicle to communicate that way and you’ve got to be there for the good times and the bad.”
Cashman compared Frazier’s behavior to that of Didi Gregorius after his error in the ninth inning on Sunday allowed the tying run to score.
“I know Didi was at his locker Sunday after he kicked the ball that cost us and forced us to go into extra innings. We won the game, but Didi was there to answer the questions. He didn’t shy away from it. That’s a veteran, he’s been around a long time. Things like that, Clint is noticing, seeing, hopefully learning and growing from (it),” Cashman said. “Regardless of that, if you decide to go the other way and fight back and push through and create turbulence, at the end of the day your performance is going to speak for itself.”