Red Sox, Yanks question Donaldson move
Baltimore Orioles
Outfielder Adam Jones, who can be a free agent after the season, has been around long enough to know the importance of September games for a team that has been out of contention for several months. Sept. 9 marked the third game in a row and fourth time in seven games that Jones was out of the lineup. Manager Buck Showalter said Jones is healthy, and the veteran outfielder is sacrificing playing time to younger players who need the experience.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are 5-10 in their last 15 games against Houston, including 3-4 this season. While that might be a concern for the playoffs, manager Alex Cora — Houston’s bench coach last season — said he’s not worried. “Hopefully we can fix it later on in the year,” he said.
Chicago White Sox
Rookie right-hander Michael Kopech has a significant tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and likely will require Tommy John surgery. Kopech, considered one of the game’s top prospects, felt discomfort in the elbow after allowing seven runs in 31⁄3 innings in a loss to Detroit on Sept. 5.
Cleveland Indians
Third baseman Josh Donaldson was scheduled to be activated from the disabled list to make his Indians debut Sept. 11. The Athletic reported this week that the Red Sox and Yankees “voiced displeasure” about the fact that Donaldson was considered healthy enough to be exposed to waivers but then the Indians were allowed to put him back on the disabled list after they acquired him from the Blue Jays.
Detroit Tigers
Team television announcers Mario Impemba and Rod Allen were suspended for the remainder of the season by Fox Sports Detroit after getting into a fight in the broadcast booth before the Sept. 4 game against the White Sox at Chicago. The duo has worked together for 17 seasons. Matt Shepard is replacing Impemba on play by play, and former Tigers Kirk Gibson and Craig Monroe will split color commentator duties.
Houston Astros
Third baseman Alex Bregman’s sizzling September is among the reasons Houston created distance in the AL West. Bregman reached base in 35 consecutive games, the most by an Astro since 2004, and became the 12th player in franchise history to reach 30 home runs in a season.
Kansas City Royals
Rookie right-hander Jorge Lopez gave the Royals something to think about for 2019 when he took a perfect game into the ninth inning Sept. 8 at Minnesota. Lopez walked Max Kepler to start the ninth, then was lifted after giving up Robbie Grossman’s single. Acquired from the Brewers on July 27 in a trade for third baseman Mike Moustakas, Lopez is 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA.
Los Angeles Angels
Rookie right-hander Shohei Ohtani isn’t expected to return to the mound until 2020 with Tommy John surgery apparently the leading option to fix his right elbow after a short outing against the Astros. Ohtani has increased his role as the designated hitter, and his 19 home runs are the most ever by a Japanese rookie.
Minnesota Twins
Right-hander Ervin Santana is unlikely to pitch again this season after having the first of three scheduled platelet-rich plasma injections in his right middle finger. Santana had surgery Feb. 6 to remove a calcium deposit and did not make his season debut until July 25, then had an 8.03 ERA in five starts. The Twins hold a $14 million option on Santana for 2019 with a $1 million buyout.
New York Yankees
Aaron Judge appeared to be getting closer to a return from a broken right wrist when he took batting practice Sept. 10 at Target Field in Minneapolis and hit several home runs. But Judge said afterward that there still was some pain in the wrist, and manager Aaron Boone said it was unclear when Judge would be ready to face live pitching.
Oakland Athletics
Left-hander Brett Anderson (forearm) is close to returning to a rotation that is down to three starters because of injuries. Reliever Liam Hendricks made three starts in seven days.
Seattle Mariners
With left-hander Marco Gonzales returning, the Mariners decided to switch to a sixman rotation in the season’s final weeks. Right-hander Felix Hernandez’s tight hamstring could change that plan, but it doesn’t appear he’ll miss a start.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays took an obvious unorthodox approach to pitching this season. Less obvious, perhaps, was their revised offensive approach compared to last season, increasing their overall average and stolen bases while lowering their home run and strikeout rate. That’s a stark contrast to most teams.
Texas Rangers
Right-hander Bartolo Colon was removed from the rotation because the Rangers want to give rookie Adrian Sampson a look after he went 8-4 in Class AAA as a starter and reliever.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto has faced criticism from the players union and fans for not calling up top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this month. President Mark Shapiro said the decision to send Guerrero to the Arizona Fall League instead was purely a baseball one and not related to any desire to avoid starting the clock on Guerrero’s major league service time.
Contributing: Maureen Mullen, John Perrotto, Jay Paris, wire reports