Judge, Springer, Epler have HR tales to tell
DH Franmil Reyes went hitless in his last 25 at-bats in April. He also struck out in 17 of those trips to the plate.
“I think as hitters that struggle, you kind of get in between,” manager Terry Francona said. “Sometimes they get the fastball by you and you’re a little ahead of the breaking ball. I’ve been there. It’s not a good feeling. He’ll get out of it.”
The slump dropped Reyes’ batting average to .139 through 19 games. He also had 38 strikeouts in his first 82 plate appearances of the season.
h 2B Andres Gimenez’s first career grand slam not only helped the Guardians win at the Athletics 9-8 on April 29 but won a fan in Cleveland a new vehicle as part of a promotion.
Detroit Tigers
DH Miguel Cabrera, 39, has one more guaranteed season left on his eight-year, $240 million contract. Manager A.J. Hinch hopes Cabrera sticks around the organization forever.
“Miggy is already kind of part of the staff anyway,” Hinch said. “Miggy has a lot to offer, specifically to young players and young Latin players. He’s very approachable and very knowledgeable (whether it’s) a bigleaguer, minor leaguer, young kids on his son’s team. He’s truly in a mentor role.”
h Class AAA Toledo (Ohio) IF Ryan Kreidler, one of the Tigers’ top prospects, sustained a broken right hand last week when hit by a pitch. He was hitting .246 with four homers in 18 games. Kreidler was the Tigers’ fourth-round draft pick in 2019.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals are adjusting after SS Adalberto Mondesi tore the ACL in his left knee April 26 and will likely miss the rest of the season.
2B Nicky Lopez becomes the everyday shortstop. RF Whit Merrifield has moved to second base. OFs Kyle Isbel and Edward Olivares are platooning in right field.
Mondesi was limited to 35 games last season because of left hamstring and left oblique injuries. He led the American League with 24 stolen bases in 59 games during the pandemicshortened 2020 season.
h The Royals debuted their “City Connect Series” jerseys April 30 to rave reviews. The jerseys feature ArtDeco-inspired graphics, a nod to the crown of Kauffman Stadium and the fountains of Kansas City, and the deep blue color that the team wore in the 1970s and ’80s.
Minnesota Twins
SS Carlos Correa went 8for-14 in the final three games of April. He had multiple hits in all three games after doing so just twice in his first 16 games.
“When I can go out there and be myself, it’s going to be a good day for the team,” Correa says.
The Twins signed Correa to the largest contract in franchise history in March that could be worth $105.3 million over three years.
h What goes up does not necessarily come down as evidenced by RF Max Kepler’s second home run of the game April 27 in a win over the Tigers. The ball wedged into the video board that runs along the facing of the Target Field second deck in right-center.
AL WEST Houston Astros
With the abbreviated spring training, a run of 33 games in 34 days and RHP Justin Verlander (Tommy John surgery) not pitching last season, the Astros used a six-man rotation.
Verlander has a 2-1 record with a 1.73 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 26 innings.
The Astros have the flexibility to lengthen their rotation with the pitching of RHP Cristian Javier. He’s flourished in a swing role the past couple of seasons.
h All indications are 2B Jose Altuve (hamstring) is nearing a return to the lineup. Altuve, a six-time American League AllStar who went down on April 18, was expected back for sevengame homestand this week.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have one of the more enviable 1-2 punches atop their order with DH Shohei Ohtani and CF Mike Trout. But the emergence of RF Taylor Ward moved them down a spot in the lineup.
During a hot stretch to start the season (he was hitting .400 entering the week), Ward became the first player since Roger Maris (1958) to produce a grand slam, triple, double and score four runs in a game.
This spring, the Angels released veteran LF Justin Upton, a move that cost them $28 million, to go with Ward.
h IF David Fletcher (back from a hip injury) is expected to get the majority of his work at shortstop, cutting into IF Andrew Velazquez’s playing time.
Oakland Athletics
IF/DH Sheldon Neuse, 27, is getting the opportunity to play on a regular basis. Neuse batted .328 over his initial 67 at-bats, which included two homers, 13 RBI and three steals.
The A’s moved Neuse to Dodgers last year but then reacquired him in March after LA released him.
Neuse’s bat should keep him on the field even after IF Kevin Smith (ankle) returns. Neuse can also play second base and contribute as a designated hitter. The A’s envision his power numbers to rise as well.
h Former Oakland great Dave Stewart’s No. 34 jersey will be retired on Sept. 11 against the
Chicago White Sox. Stewart went 119-78 and led the A’s to the 1989 World Series title in his
eight years with Oakland.
Texas Rangers
Veteran LHP Martin Perez, who came up with Texas but then threw for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins before coming back, is showing stellar form with a renewed approach of attacking hitters and pitching to soft contact.
“That’s as good as I’ve seen a guy throw,” manager Chris Woodward said after Perez threw six perfect innings versus the Astros on April 28. “I think he’s just executing a lot of pitches.’’
h The announced May 1 crowd of 38,316 – which included former President George W. Bush – was the largest at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020 and began accommodating full capacity last year. The previous mark was the 2021 opening-day gathering of 38,238.
Seattle Mariners
On a Mariners squad filled with well-known players, 1B Ty France is performing better than all of them.
France was Seattle’s most valuable player last year and this year he is picking up where he left off. He collected five hits and five RBI, which included a two-run homer, in an April 23 win over the Royals. The M’s acquired France in 2020 from the Padres in a package that included C Austin Nola.
France isn’t the typical power hitter usually associated with a corner infielder spot, relying more on solid contact and finding holes. Still, France’s 21 RBI in April trailed only the Cleveland Indians’ 3B Jose Ramirez for the American League lead.
h OF Kyle Lewis, the 2020 AL rookie of the year, is playing in simulated contests with minor league games up next in his rehab following knee surgery.