Ambulance Chasers: Mason Miller’s Fist Of Fury

Hello there Razzball Fam!

It was only a year ago that Jarred Kelenic did a dance with a water cooler and lost. You might say he….lost his cool.

Just a few days after the one year anniversary of Kelenic’s Cooler Dance, Oakland’s Mason Miller became the most recent loser in a battle with an inanimate object. Originally, Martín Gallegos posted on X/Twitter that Miller broke his pinky on his non-pitching hand after hitting a training room table in frustration. The tweet (yeah, I am still going to call it that) was quickly deleted and corrected to say that Miller broke his pinky  putting “his hand down awkwardly on the training table.” Awkward, indeed!

But wait! It gets even more awkward! A’s manager Mark Kotsay shared that Miller had the equivalent of a temper tantrum about doing a post-game lift.

Mark Kotsay provided further details on Mason Miller’s injury and confirmed he hurt himself in an act of frustration ? pic.twitter.com/A91iODwwEP

— A’s on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 26, 2024

Who needs Bravo when we have this content? Is this an elaborate ruse to avoid a trade? Who knows THE TRUTH? *puts on tin foil hat*.

Anyway, as the injury is on Miller’s non-pitching hand, the situation is a little less dire. We’ll see how this develops over the next few weeks.

Also, all of the shortstops in existence got hurt over the last few weeks.

Let’s get into it!

Notable Injuries

AL Central

Carlos Correa (SS, MIN), foot: Whelp, the Ambulance Chaser’s Kiss of Death tapped on Correa after his name was mentioned in the Ambulance Chasers: Top All-Star Breaks. Correa is on the IL with plantar fasciitis of the right foot. Last fall, Correa was shut down because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Luckily, this bout of plantar fasciitis appears less serious.

MRI revealed Carlos Correa has plantar fasciitis in the right foot, the opposite one he dealt with last year. Case is said to be not as severe as last season. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 14, 2024

For AL leagues, it kind of sucks that Tyler Fitzgerald and Xavier Edwards (both SS eligble) are both on NL teams. For those who are not entombed (that’s right; I used that word) by the AL, check out these two. Tyler Fitzgerald (SS/OF) is hitting .444/.454/1.074 in his last 27 AB. That includes 6 BB and 5 HR. Butters did a nice write-up about Fitzgerald that you should read.

Tyler Fitzgerald is now on an eight-game hitting streak, where he has gone 11-for-23 and posted a 1.891 OPS ? pic.twitter.com/cyBLBSP3qV

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 25, 2024

Tim Anderson’s loss is Miami’s Xavier Edwards (2B/SS) gain. Xavier Edwards is only 35% rostered in RCL leagues. In his last 63 AB (out of 85 AB this season) he is hitting .381/.466/.429 with 4 SB and 10 BB. However, he hasn’t recorded any HR yet.

If you need an AL option, check out the A’s Max Schuemann. Schuemann has been hot in his last 65 AB, hitting .354/.468/.538 with 3 HR, 15 RBIs, 5 SB, and 12 BB.

Reese Olson (SP, DET), shoulder: The Tigers’ pitching struggles continue as Reese Olson is sent off to the IL with a right shoulder strain. His timeline for return is somewhat uncertain, but A.J. Hinch made it seem like Olson will miss more than two weeks (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). This is a blow to Detroit who are also down Casey Mize and Matt Manning in addition to The Great Kenta Maeda Depression of 2024.

We may see Maeda brought up from the depths of the bullpen per A.J. Hinch (he didn’t say “depths of the bullpen”, but that’s probably what he wanted to say). The A’s Osvaldo Bido is an option worth checking out if you are in dire need of coverage. In his last 6.0 IP, RHP Bido is pitching 10.5 K/9 and 0.0 BB/9. Bido normally has a higher walk rate, but his last few innings were against Houston. Perhaps reserve him for low BB% vs. RHP teams.

MLB’s No. 37 prospect Drew Thorpe lowers his ERA to 3.03 with his fifth straight quality start for the @whitesox:
6 IP
3 H
0 R
2 BB
5 K pic.twitter.com/0lIwaf7rXn

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 21, 2024

AL East

Bo Bichette (SS, TOR), calf: Bichette joins the IL with a right calf strain.  Maybe it will be a nice break before he leaves Canada for some glamorous destination like Cleveland (Do you all mind if I pat myself on the back for my own jokes?). Schuemann could be useful here (as well as Fitzgerald and Edwards).

Ryan Pepiot (SP, TBR), knee: Pepiot has been hospitalized with a right knee infection. As you can imagine, he is on the IL, but he is expected to heal and return without issue. RHP Tyler Zuber was recalled to replace Pepiot.

Robbie Ray is widely available in RCL leagues. Although he has only thrown 5.0 IP, this is a no-brainer.

Robbie Ray retired the final 14 batters he faced ? pic.twitter.com/J13sFNy6wF

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2024

AL West

J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA), hand: J.P Crawford is in the middle on the Venn diagram of injured SS and fractured pinkies this week. Crawford fractured his right pinky and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. It is ironic that a small finger with a cute name can take someone out for that long. I’ve suggested a few potential SS replacements above for Carlos Correa and Bo Bichette. Those apply here as well.

Mason Miller (RP, OAK), hand: Covered this above. If you’re not league bound, Dodger Blake Treinen has been slowly getting back into the groove over the last month. Although, he has only pitched 11.7 IP in the last 30 days, he has thrown 9.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. In his last 3.3 IP he has thrown 13.6 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9. The Angels’ Luis Garcia is another option for those who need an AL RP. Garcia hit a slump, but in the last week he threw 9.0 K/9 and 0.0 BB/9 in 3 IP. Though Garcia may not be an Angel for much longer as the trade deadline looms. And really, are any of us anything at the trade deadline?  JKJ updated the BULLPEN CHART and includes a trio of A’s RPs who could see a save.

Julio Rodríguez (OF, SEA), ankle: More bad news for the Mariners. J-Rod is experiencing another trial in his less than ideal season with a mild high right ankle sprain. The injury occurred when J-Rod had a run-in with the outfield wall. He will rest and then be reevaluated sometime next week. Dr. Google says that the average recovery time is 4-6 weeks to heal, but who knows what is possible with the MLB’s witchery? Some of the options I mentioned above are available for OF. Gavin Lux recently woke up from a deep, cold slumber and is another option. In his past 20 AB, Lux has hit 2 HR, 5 RBIs, and has 1 SB.

Gavin Lux leaves the yard for the second straight game. It’s his 4th straight extra base hit and his fifth home run of the year. Lux is is slugging .800 in his last 10 games. Perfect time for him to get hot.

pic.twitter.com/sI7YIMPxr1

— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) July 22, 2024

NL Central

Christian Yelich (OF, MIL), back: Yelich is back on the IL with lower back inflammation. Unfortunately, there is no timetable for his return as this bout of back issues seems more serious. Surgery is an option though not the first option. In terms of some options for replacements, I will make you aghast with me about Jeff McNeil in the Ozzie Albies entry below. The aforementioned Tyler Fitzgerald is SS/OF eligible and could also fit in here. Gavin Lux as well.

NL East

Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL), wrist: The Curse of Ozzie Albies continues as Albies goes to the IL with a fractured wrist. It took me two seasons in a row to learn about this curse. Albies will be out for at least 8 weeks. There are a few 2B eligible options here: the aforementioned Xavier Edwards (yes, he is 2B eligible in some leagues), Jose Iglesias, and Jeff McNeil. Jose Iglesias is performing above his projections. However in his 101 AB this season, he has hit .366/.413/.554. However, he is lacking in power. Jeff McNeil has had an overall worse season than Iglesias, but McNeil has been on a hot streak recently hitting 4 HR and 9 RBIs in his last 24 AB.

Jose Iglesias has reached the 100 plate appearance mark, and here is how he ranks in Mets history on the wRC+ leaderboard: pic.twitter.com/jGA98nSXPK

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 25, 2024

Max Fried (SP, ATL), elbow: Fried adds to the Braves woes as he hits the IL with elbow neuritis, which is nerve inflammation (nothing too serious). However, Fried has been completely shut down and will have to do some sort of throwing program before he returns. If you have NL specific needs, Jose Butto (mentioned more below) could be an option. Milwaukee’s Colin Rea is another option here. In his last 5.0 IP, Rea is throwing 14.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.

Colin Rea is on pace for a 3.60 ERA and 176 innings. The only Brewers pitchers to do that in the last decade: Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Jhoulys Chacin. https://t.co/NFv0vNftgm

— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) July 24, 2024

Christian Scott (SP, NYM), elbow: Scott heads to the IL with a right UCL strain. Scott will not be throwing for 2 weeks in an effort to avoid a surgical or otherwise season ending surgery. This will bring Jose Butto’s and Tylor Megill’s respective stocks up. Megill has struggled this season (5.08 ERA and 19 BB in 39 IP). Jose Butto, who is still listed as an SP despite his current bullpen role, looks a little better than Scott but also has 26 BB in 51.7 IP this season. In his last 6.0 IP, Butto threw 13. K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. That was in a BP role, but we shall see if that confidence translates back to starting.

José Butto says he’s enjoying coming out of the bullpen “a lot” pic.twitter.com/nm5rC0moU3

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 26, 2024

NL West

Nolan Jones (OF, COL), back: (To the tune of the first line of Eminem’s “Without Me”) Guess whose back’s, hurt again. This news is a little slow coming off of the All-Star Break, but Nolan Jones returned to the IL with a strained lower back. Although he was placed on the IL on July 13, his timeline for return is uncertain. With a recurring injury and a slashline of .202/.311/.313, this stashable becomes unstashed.

Injury Updates

Here are a few speedy injury updates for this week. Typos likely. If I missed someone you want to see, hit me up in the comments.

• Cody Bellinger (OF, CHC), finger: could be activated in the next few days if he isn’t by the time you are reading this.
• Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET), back: moved to the 60-day IL to make way for Bligh Madris; Carpenter shared (via Evan Petzold of Detroit Free Press) that he thinks he will return this season, but there is no timeline for his return.
• Evan Carter (OF, TEX), back: could begin rehab assignment next week.
• Triston Casas (1B, BOS), ribs: rehab still “a while” from happening.
• Alex Cobb (SP, SFG), hip: rehab assignment.
• Yu Darvish (SP, SDP), groin: moved to the restricted list for a personal matter; return still uncertain.
• Tommy Edman (SS, STL), wrist: resumed rehab assignment.
• TJ Friedl (OF, CIN), hamstring: began rehab assignment.
• Vaughn Grissom (2B/SS, BOS), hamstring: began rehab assignment. :0
• Liam Hendriks (RP, BOS) elbow: threw BP session.
• Josh Jung (3B, TEX), wrist: began rehab.
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B/3B/SS/OF, TOR), knee: considered week-to-week with return initially though to be early August.
• Royce Lewis (3B, MIN), adductor: Activated!
• Max Muncy (3B, LAD), oblique: no timetable for return; taking swings.
• Joe Musgrove (SP, SDP), elbow: BP sessions.
• Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, ARI), shoulder: throwing BP session this weekend.
• Jeffrey Springs (SP, TBR), elbow: ramping up volume in rehab.
• Giancarlo Stanton (OF, NYY), hamstring: could be back next week; need for rehab assignment uncertain.
• Fernando Tatís Jr. (OF, SDP), leg: timetable “murky“. Like Swamp Thing.
• Mike Trout (OF, LAA), knee): rehab assignment cut short for further evaluation of the knee.
• Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU), shin: targeted September return.
• Devin Williams (RP, MIL), back: rehab assignment; activation happening soon.
• Justin Verlander (SP, HOU), neck: bullpen sessions.
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SP, LAD), shoulder: timeline uncertain, and “the goal” is to return in 2024, which does not sound promising but better than nothing; playing catch but not from the mound.

So, how are you feeling about the last half of the season? Let me know in the comments, and I will see you same time, same place next week!