Benintendi proves ‘tough’; A’s on way
tial two big-league outings.
h Mize’s rehab assignment in Class AAA was stopped after one start. He was sent to the spring training facility in Lakeland, Florida, where he will try to continue to build up arm strength.
Kansas City Royals
LF Andrew Benintendi won his salary arbitration case May 13, being awarded $8.5 million instead of the Royals’ $7.3 million offer. That night, he hit a three-run home run and RBI triple in a win at the Rockies.
“He’s tough between the ears,” manager Mike Matheny said.
Benintendi said spending part of the day listening to the Royals make arguments against him on a teleconference did not bother him.
“I knew it was going to happen and it’s nothing I haven’t heard before,” Benintendi said. “For me, it was just trying to see it from every side.”
Arbitration hearings are usually conducted in February but were pushed back this year because of the lockout.
h 2B Whit Merrifield played in his 500th consecutive game May 14 in a loss at the Rockies, extending the longest current streak in the major leagues. The streak, which began June 25, 2018, is the longest since Prince Fielder played in 547 games in a row (2010-14).
Minnesota Twins
Highly touted rookie SS Royce Lewis’ hit a grand slam off Cleveland RHP Bryan Shaw on May 13, sparking a nine-run fifth inning in a victory over the Guardians. Lewis received a curtain call from the Target Field crowd.
“I think it was pretty much everything I could’ve imagined and more,” Lewis said.
Lewis, the top pick in the 2017 amateur draft, was playing in his seventh career game. He was called up from Class AAA on May 6 when SS Carlos Correa (right middle finger contusion) was placed on the injured list.
Lewis missed the 2020 and 2021 minor league seasons while recovering from right knee surgery.
h Rookie RHP Jhoan Duran threw pitches of 103.3 mph and 103.1 mph May 14 in a loss to the Guardians. He joined Aroldis Chapman, Jordan Hicks, Mauricio Cabrera, Tayron Guerrero and
Ryan Helsley as pitchers who reached 103 mph since MLB Statcast tracking began in 2015.
AL West Houston Astros
CF Jose Siri struggled from the gate offensively, but just maybe he’s found a trigger for success.
Siri made an adjustment with his hands in loading his swing, a tweak that came after a run in which he went 3for-36. Siri, a plus-runner, responded by going a double shy of the cycle against the Nationals on May 14, spraying the ball around with power.
Last season in Class AAA, Siri, 26, was sensational in batting .318, with 17 homers, 72 RBI and 24 stolen bases.
But those numbers have yet to translate to the big-league level as Siri attempts to hold up his side of a platoon situation with the left-handed hitting Chas McCormick. Manager Dusty Baker often plays matchup with the two players, but his options weren’t as appealing with Siri scuffling.
In addition, OF Pedro Léon, who has been sizzling at Class AAA, might be an option.
h Starting May 19, Houston will begin a stretch of playing 25 straight games against teams that were under .500 on May 15.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are off to a fantastic start and the future looks equally bright after the performances of LHP Reid Detmers and RHP Chase Silseth.
Detmers shocked everyone by throwing a no-hitter against the Rays on May 10. Not since Bo Belinsky in 1962 had an Angels rookie held a team without a hit for nine innings. For Detmers, it was his first nine-inning outing at any level.
Detmers is a prime example of the Angels’ focus on pitching in the draft as he was a first-round pick in 2020. Silseth, one of the 20 pitchers taken by the Angels in the 2021 draft, became the first player from that draft to reach the majors. The 11th-round pick allowed but one hit by the Athletics in a dominating sixinning debut.
h RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani joined Babe Ruth as the only players to hit 100 home runs and record 250 strikeouts.
Ohtani also became the third Japanese player to reach the 100-homer plateau, joining Hideki Matsui (175) and Ichiro Suzuki (117).
Oakland Athletics
The A’s are expecting the return of some key players. LHP Cole Irvin (shoulder) is on track to join the rotation if his minor league rehab outings go as planned. Irvin, who is coming off a career-high 10 wins last season, was among Oakland’s most impressive starters before being shut down.
Speedy switch-hitting OF Skye Bolt (hamstring), who continued to make strides in Class AAA, gives the Athletics depth in the outfield and off the bench.
Veteran RF Stephen Piscotty (calf ) was looking forward to a bounce-back season after setting career lows in nearly every individual category in 2021. He is another A’s player who’s nearly fit. He was restricted to 72 games last season because of injuries to his left wrist, which required surgery.
h CF Ramon Laureano returned on May 8 after serving an 80-game suspension from MLB for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Seattle Mariners
Sweet-swinging OF Jesse Winker was acquired in the offseason to give the Mariners’ offense a lift. That’s yet to happen on a regular basis, although there are signs he will rebound soon.
Winker was a first-time All-Star last
season with the Cincinnati Reds as he finished the year with a career-high 24 home runs while batting .305.
Winker hit .224 in his first 125 at-bats, with his numbers being anchored by a dreadful start. However, his production and power were steadily rising after Winker fell to .130 with no homers or RBI on April 22.
h OF Jarred Kelenic was optioned to the minors after batting .140 with three home runs in 86 at-bats. It’s the second time Kelenic has been demoted since making his debut last year. Kelenic was the key piece the M’s received when trading 2B Robinson Cano and RHP Edwin Diaz in 2018.
Texas Rangers
Veteran LHP Martin Perez continues to fill two roles with the Rangers: be a mentor to their talented, but young, starters and be the staff ace.
Perez, 21, had gone 2-2 with a 2.01 ERA over his first seven starts. A month into the season, Perez’s contract has given the Rangers more value than those of SS Corey Seager ($325 million) or IF Marcus Semien ($175 million).
It’s Perez’s second stint with Texas, after it signed him as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela. Over seven seasons he went 43-49, and then he spent time with the Twins and Red Sox.
Former 2B Ian Kinsler and team executive John Blake will be inducted into the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame.