American League notes
Baltimore Orioles: Félix Bautista (right UCL) threw a bullpen session on Sept. 17, according to The Baltimore Sun. “I think it went pretty well,” manager
Brandon Hyde said, according to The Sun. “That was the next step in his throwing progression so we’ll see how he feels.” GM Mike Elias has said the team can afford to be patient with the star closer.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, the team announced last week. Bloom was hired by the team in October 2019, one year after Boston won the World Series, succeeding Dave Dombrowski, after success running the Tampa Bay Rays. Bloom’s tenure infamously began with the team unable to re-sign to Mookie Betts to a long-term contract, and he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2020. In his four seasons as chief baseball officer, Bloom helped develop the Boston farm system, including prospect Marcelo Mayer, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft. But despite the development of prospects, the Red Sox haven’t had successful results on the field. Boston was 267-262 with Bloom . ... Future Hall of Fame executive Theo Epstein, a consultant for MLB, loves his part-time role and has no interest in returning to the Red Sox . ... Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber has ended his minor league injury rehabilitation assignment and won’t pitch again this season. The 37-year-old right-hander has not pitched for Boston since June 20 because of right shoulder inflammation.
Chicago White Sox: Former manager Tony La Russa, Hall of Fame DH Harold Baines and utility player Ron Kittle were on the field before a Sept. 17 home game against the Twins. The White Sox celebrated the 40th anniversary of their 1983 AL West title. Chicago wore 1983 throwback uniforms, as it has done for all Sunday home games this year.
Cleveland Guardians: Guardians rookie Tanner Bibee was placed on the injured list Sept. 18 with hip inflammation, ending a season in which he established himself as a frontline starter while leading a staff depleted by injuries. Bibee was forced to leave his start on Sept. 16 against Texas after 51⁄3 innings with what the team called tightness in his hip. With ace
Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill out for extended periods with injuries, Bibee, 24, stepped up and became the team’s No. 1 starter by default. He finished 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 25 starts, striking out 141 in 142 innings. Bibee will likely receive AL Rookie of the Year consideration.
Detroit Tigers: Through Sept. 17, catcher Jake Rogers was up to 19 home runs in 99 games. The 28-year-old, who missed the entire 2022 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, racked up Nos. 18 and 19 in the second and third innings of a Sept. 17 5-3 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Tigers (70-79) swept the Angels in three games, extending their winning streak to four games
Houston Astros: The Astros, who have struggled at home all season, are extending their batter’s eye at Minute Maid Park after listening to complaints by their players. The Astros are just 38-37 at home this season with a .732 OPS, with only 11 teams having a lower OPS at home. It’s their lowest home winning percentage since 2016, the last season they failed to reach the postseason.
Kansas City Royals: The Royals placed All-Star catcher Salvador Perez on the seven-day concussion list Sept. 18, two days after he left a game against the Astros with what the club initially called a “non-concussive head impact.” Perez was hit in the face mask by a foul ball off the bat of Jose Altuve in the fifth inning. The impact popped the mask off Perez, and the catcher initially told Royals trainer
Kyle Turner that he was fine. But during a later at-bat, umpire John Libka bent down to check on Perez, who had begun
to feel lightheaded. That’s when Turner and Royals manager Matt Quatraro checked on him again and took him out of the game.
Los Angeles Angels: The Angels placed designated hitter/pitcher Shohei
Ohtani on the 10-day injured list last weekend with an oblique injury, effectively ending his season and sending the two-way star into free agency. The 29year-old injured his oblique on Sept. 4 while taking batting practice. Ohtani, who had missed the last 11 games, had cleared out his locker Sept. 15, but the team did not say why. Ohtani’s future with the team has been a source of speculation after the Angels did not deal him at the trade deadline in hopes of making the postseason. But the Angels have been in free fall.
Minnesota Twins: It’s absolutely surreal that Twins infielder Royce Lewis has hit four grand slams in the past three weeks, already setting a franchise record in just 54 games.
New York Yankees: Yankees reliever Anthony Misiewicz was “alert and oriented” after being struck in the side of the head by a line drive during a Sept. 15 game at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. The lefty was pitching in the sixth inning when a 0-2 curveball to lefty-hitting second baseman Ji Hwan Bae resulted in a liner that appeared to strike Misiewicz (pronounced
mih-SEV-itch) near his left ear. Misiewicz, 28, crumpled to the turf in pain and was immediately attended to by Yankees athletic trainers, who eventually got him to a seated position before he was helped to a cart. He was diagnosed with a concussion and placed on the 7-day injured list the next day.
Oakland Athletics: MLB will officially approve the relocation of the Athletics to Las Vegas at their next owners meetings in November. Everything appears to be in place.
Seattle Mariners: Seattle’s Teoscar Hernández was 0-for-4 on Sept. 17 against the Dodgers, ending his careerhigh 30-game on-base streak, which was the longest active run in the majors.
Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays split a four-game series as they vied for the AL East title last weekend. Tampa Bay locked up a postseason berth on Sept. 17. The bid seemed likely all the way back in April, when the Rays looked dominant in winning their first 13 games. They were eventually passed by Baltimore, but they’ve been able to keep winning despite losing ace Shane McClanahan to Tommy John surgery. Wander Franco, Tampa Bay’s star shortstop, has been on administrative leave while authorities in the Dominican Republic investigate him for an alleged relationship with a minor.
Texas Rangers: The playoff-chasing Rangers got a huge boost with the return of two All-Star players on Sept. 18, when rookie third baseman Josh Jung and slugging right fielder Adolis García were activated from the injured list. Jung had been out for six weeks since fracturing his left thumb. García, the AL leader with 100 RBI when he got hurt Sept. 6, had missed 10 games because of a patellar tendon strain in his right knee. It was the first time since July 21 that the Rangers had in their lineup all five of their position players who started for the American League in the All-Star Game in Seattle only 10 days before that. Jung was a leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year before getting hurt.
Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays are playing their way out of wild-card contention after being humiliated in a fourgame series against the Rangers in Toronto, getting outscored 35-9. The Jays have taken a page out of the Padres’ playbook with little fight after being down in games. At press time, they were 0-19 in games trailing by three or more runs this season.