GIOLITO OUT ON ‘WEIRD’ INJURY

Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito will be placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower abdominal strain.

Giolito was injured during the fourth inning of the team’s opener on Friday.

“Optimistically, maybe a couple of starts,” manager Tony La Russa said Saturday of Giolito’s estimated time out. “We’re going to miss him.”

Giolito felt discomfort during three consecutive pitches and notified the coaching staff after the inning. He allowed one hit and struck out six before departing.

“From my understanding, it’s a random, freak, weird thing,” Giolito said. “It doesn’t happen to baseball players very often. I’m very optimistic this won’t affect my season too much.”

Guardians nail down Straw

Outfielder Myles Straw and the Cleveland Guardians agreed to a $25 million, five-year contract that includes two option years that could take the deal to $39.5 million over seven seasons.

The agreement was the club’s third long-term commitment this week.

Straw was acquired in a July trade with Houston. He has made a quick impact for Cleveland at the top of the order and in center field. His deal includes club options for 2027 and 2028.

The 27-year-old batted .285 with two homers and 13 steals in his two-month stint with Cleveland last season.

Helton joins Rockies ops

The Colorado Rockies are adding a new member to their baseball operations who just so happens to be their career leader in games, hits and pretty much every other hitting category.

Retired first baseman Todd Helton joined the team as a special assistant to General Manager Bill Schmidt. Helton’s new role includes pitching in with some draft preparation and scouting but mostly focusing on assisting at the minor-league level.

Helton spent 17 seasons with the Rockies, who selected him out of the University of Tennessee with the No. 8 pick in the 1995 draft. All Helton did was go on to become the franchise’s leader in runs (1,401), hits (2,519), doubles (592), homers (369) and RBIS (1,406) to name a few.

Also

St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol missed Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after being diagnosed with the flu. Marmol, who was at the ballpark prior to the game and met with the media, tested negative for COVID-19.

Bench coach Skip Schumaker, in his first season with the Cardinals as part of the coaching staff after four seasons with the Padres, assumed managerial duties.