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Jeremy Affeldt is in the final year of his contract with the San Francisco Giants. As an effective left-handed reliever who will turn 33 this year, Affeldt figures to find continue his major league career, whether it’s with the Giants or another team.

However, the club that signs Affeldt for next year (and possibly beyond) may want to hire someone else to help him with taking care of duties at home. Because this man clearly needs to be protected from himself. And maybe his children, as well.

Affeldt was placed on the 15-day DL by the Giants on Tuesday with a sprained knee injury. OK, that happens. Pitchers get hurt. Call up a replacement from Class-AAA Fresno, as the Giants did with Travis Blackley, and everybody reconvene in two weeks or so. 

But it’s how Affeldt hurt his knee that raises an eyebrow. 

As the Chronicle‘s Henry Schulman reports, Affledt got home after Saturday’s game and was greeted by his four-year-old son, Walker. Walker was so happy to see his daddy that he jumped into Affeldt’s arms.

That is very sweet, right? I imagine it’s one of the best things about being a parent. I’ve seen how my baby niece reacts to seeing her mother come home from work, and I know it’s the best feeling she’s had that day—and maybe in her life. 

Anyway, according to Schulman, Walker is a pretty big kid for his age. Tall, that is. Four-and-a-half feet already. So when his son jumped into his arms, Affeldt had to shift his weight. And when he did that, he felt his knee pop. 

Uh-oh. Affeldt woke up early the next morning with throbbing knee pain that he put a bag of frozen vegetables on. Hours later, an MRI exam revealed the sprain, which typically takes seven to 10 days to recover from before throwing can resume.

But this isn’t the first home injury Affeldt has suffered.

Approximately eight months ago, he stabbed himself in the right hand while trying to separate frozen hamburger patties with a knife. Affeldt caused nerve damage in his pinky finger and came within a millimeter of cutting an artery. 

(If you’ve never seen it, here’s a link to a post on the story from Big League Stew’s David Brown. Dave’s done plenty of funny Photoshops over the years, but his image for the Affeldt incident might be his finest work.) 

Let somebody else catch the kids next time, Mr. Affeldt.

But if you insist on bonding with your children, let an aide defrost the hamburger patties and/or handle the cutlery. Or perhaps consider wrapping yourself in bubble wrap to prevent you from hurting yourself.

You make big-league money, sir. Pass off the menial tasks to hired help for the sake of your future baseball career. 

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Before the 2012 season began, an early May series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves would’ve been expected to be a big matchup, one that would help determine the NL East winner and likely a postseason wild card. 

The Phillies had a disappointing April, one which has them in fourth place as the calendar turns to May. Of course, it’s early, and Philadelphia hasn’t played so badly as to knock itself out of the race. They are still very much in contention. 

The Braves played well in April, perhaps better than expected. And thanks to the struggles of the Phillies and Marlins, Atlanta has been able to stay up near the top of the division standings. Many expected the Braves to battle for a playoff spot, and they haven’t shown any reason why they won’t.

Meanwhile, the rest of the NL East isn’t exactly knocking the Phillies and Braves out of contention. 

So, do we have a possible playoff preview beginning Tuesday night at Turner Field? It is entirely possible, and here are five reasons why. 

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As much as we’ve anticipated Bryce Harper getting called up to the majors, we apparently weren’t as excited as Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo. Whatever plan he had just got tossed out the window in a desperate hope to inject some offense into an increasingly feeble Nats lineup.

Yes, left field is a disaster for the Nats right now. If you had Xavier Nady, Mark DeRosa and Roger Bernadina in your fantasy baseball outfield, you’d stop playing fantasy baseball. The Nats had to do something, especially when Mike Morse’s return is anything but certain. 

The Nats hold first place in the NL East by a slim one-game margin over the Atlanta Braves, and Ryan Zimmerman going to the disabled list leaves them with virtually no offense other than Adam LaRoche. But is calling Harper up to the majors when he’s struggling in the minors really the right move to make at this time?

This is a stunningly premature decision by Rizzo and the Nationals, one that could blow up in their faces and set back the future of their franchise. 

Here are five reasons why breaking the emergency glass on Harper is a crazy move. 

Even the GM doesn’t think it’s a good idea

Calling up the team’s No. 1 prospect should be a move made with confidence, not out of desperation. Yet the Nationals aren’t putting Harper in a position to succeed. They’re crossing their fingers and hoping. Even Rizzo doesn’t seem to think this is the right move.

“Suffice it to say, this isn’t the coming out party for Bryce that we had in mind,” Rizzo told reporters. “This isn’t the optimal situation developmentally for Bryce.”

How about that for a vote of confidence? 

Rizzo went on to admit that this decision basically blows up the plan they had mapped out for Harper. He knows Harper isn’t ready for the majors, yet he’s calling him up anyway.

That’s not a plan for success. That’s a Hail Mary. Perhaps Harper is the kind of exceptional talent that a typical plan doesn’t apply to. But his minor league performance hasn’t demonstrated that thus far. 

He’s already been rushed

Assigning Harper to Triple-A to begin the season was already rushing his development. He hadn’t exactly conquered Double-A last season.

In 147 plate appearances with Double-A Harrisburg, Harper hit .256/.329/.395 with three home runs and 12 RBI. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers. The slugging percentage, especially, for a player considered a power hitter was a big concern. 

Had Harper shown he could handle Double-A pitching and was making the proper adjustments in his game, maybe the Nats could’ve promoted him to the majors from there. But to jump him two levels when he was struggling could overwhelm his development as a hitter.

Rizzo should dial up Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and ask him about how he handled Cameron Maybin in 2007. Much like the Nats, the Tigers were desperate for left field production when they promoted their top prospect.

But that was in mid-August, when Detroit was in a pennant race. And Maybin was destroying Double-A pitching. Taking a chance then made far more sense.

However, Maybin wasn’t ready for the majors and was hardly a factor for the Tigers down the stretch. His development was tossed out the window, and five years later he is still trying to establish a foothold in the big leagues.

It’s a temporary move

Rizzo apparently felt better about making this decision after watching Harper’s last three games with Triple-A Syracuse.

Yes, Harper hit 3-for-8, showing that maybe he was starting to figure things out. So why mess with that and risk a setback? Rizzo said they’re hoping to catch Harper while he’s hot, hoping he can continue his streak of success in the majors.

But why potentially cut that progress off at the knees for what could be just over a week in the majors (if Zimmerman’s shoulder recovers by May 6, when he’s eligible to return from the DL)?

Also, is three games really enough of a sample to make that kind of judgment? If we were discussing any other minor league prospect, one who hasn’t generated the hype, excitement and anticipation that Harper has, wouldn’t we be talking about what a hasty, desperate decision this is?

Looking for power will create bad habits

Rizzo said one of the reasons Harper was being promoted is because they need some more power in the lineup, especially from left field. Harper should provide more than the one home run and .125 slugging percentage they were getting from that position. 

But Harper was already trying too hard to hit home runs, which is why he hasn’t hit very well in the minors. Now you’re telling him to swing away against major league pitching because the lineup needs some more pop.

Yes, something is better than the nothing they were getting. But encouraging Harper to swing out of his shoes when he needs to take a more patient approach at the plate is going to cement the bad habits he’s been developing.

Someone else is more ready

In his post on Harper’s promotion, Steven Goldman acknowledged Triple-A outfielder Tyler Moore as another option but cited his poor batting average and strike zone judgment as reasons he should be dismissed as a possibility for the Nationals. 

But if the Nats are looking for power, Moore has it. And he has that power right now, rather than trying to find it, as Harper still is. Over the past two seasons, Moore had 62 home runs, and he already has six this season.

No, Moore isn’t the future star that Harper is. He doesn’t have the same upside. But if he fails, the Nationals haven’t made the same investment in him that they’ve made in Harper.

At this moment, Moore appears to be a more finished product, and he’s already swinging the power bat that the Nats are looking for.

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On Monday, we listed five National League players who needed to have a big week. One player not included on the list, as pointed out by Matthew Peary in the comments, was the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ Justin Upton. 

The D-Backs’ star right fielder has no home runs or RBI in the team’s first 10 games while batting .212/.350/.273 with 10 strikeouts in 40 plate appearances. As Peary said in his comment, that’s not what you prefer to see from an MVP candidate, which Upton most certainly is for Arizona.

But as it turns out, Upton might not just be slumping. He may be hurting. 

Fox Sports Arizona’s Jack Magruder reported via Twitter that Upton will see a hand specialist and undergo an MRI exam to check out a nagging thumb injury that has him out of Tuesday’s lineup. D-Backs manager Kirk Gibson said Upton going to the disabled list was “not out of the question.” 

Fortunately for the D-Backs, they have the outfield depth to cover Upton’s absence in the short-term. Signing Jason Kubel as a free agent was one of the more perplexing moves of the offseason. Now, bringing him to be the starting left fielder doesn’t look so bad. 

Gerardo Parra, the outfielder squeezed out of the starting lineup with Kubel’s signing, takes over in right field. The D-Backs’ outfield won’t miss a beat defensively. Though Parra has mostly played in left and won a Gold Glove for his defense there last season, he’s played 60 games in right. 

Unfortunately, Parra isn’t quite the hitter Upton is, especially from a power standpoint. So Arizona’s offense will suffer there. Last season, Parra hit a respectable .292/.357/.427 with eight home runs, 46 RBI and 15 stolen bases. This year, with diminished playing time, he’s batting .316/.350/.474 in 22 plate appearances. 

However, Chris Young has been doing his best to make up for Upton’s struggles. The centerfielder is off to a scorching start, batting .405/.500/.892 with five homers and 12 RBI. His 1.392 OPS is second only to Matt Kemp in the majors.

The key to his adjustment thus far, as Magruder and ESPN’s Buster Olney both wrote about, is being more relaxed and swinging in a rhythm rather than abruptly jumping at the ball from a standstill. 

Obviously, the D-Backs are a far better team with Upton in the lineup. Gibson joked that he’d rather have his superstar than outfield depth. No team could sustain losing an MVP-caliber player for a long period. But for now, that depth will help Gibby’s team stay at or near first place in the NL West until Upton’s injured thumb heals up.

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On Tuesday, the New York Mets announced that they will tip their cap to former shortstop Jose Reyes when the Miami Marlins visit Citi Field next week.

As reported by the Daily News‘ Andy Martino, the Mets will play a video tribute to Reyes before next Tuesday’s game, a big wet kiss to a nine-year career that culminated in the franchise’s first batting title. 

From one perspective, it seems a bit strange to honor a player who just left the team for a bigger free agent payday elsewhere. It could be argued that Reyes is the embodiment of the Mets’ recent failings as a franchise. 

The team has been crippled financially by massive debt, attributable in part to Fred Wilpon’s involvement with Bernie Madoff. How bad are the team’s finances? Howard Megdal reported for Capital New York that the trustee for Madoff victims suing the Mets ultimately settled because he figured out that Wilpon and Saul Katz wouldn’t have been able to pay the $386 million sought in court. 

Several Mets players might end up following Reyes out the door because the Mets can’t afford to pay them market value. 

Honoring Reyes could be the first of several magnanimous gestures to honor several figures who have played a significant role in recent Mets history. The team also announced plans to pay tribute to Chipper Jones, who was a frequent adversary in several NL East division races.

But, might such events also be an attempt to attract fans and publicity when the team on the field isn’t good enough to warrant attention? Given how the Mets are currently playing, with a 7-3 record that has them a half-game behind the Washington Nationals for first place, that’s probably an unfair assessment.

Yet, this team’s success is precariously balanced. If Mets batters don’t begin to produce more runs, the pitching staff might get crushed under the burden of carrying the team. When the Mets eventually fall behind, as most expect, other events will have to draw fans to Citi Field.

Or this could just be standard operating procedure for the organization. That’s the take from ESPN New York‘s Adam Rubin, who points out that Reyes won’t be the only former Met given the opportunity to take a bow in front of the fans. Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo received pregame tributes upon their return to the Mets’ home park. 

As one team source told Rubin, “We even did it for Todd Pratt.”

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After the Ozzie Guillen uproar last week, are you ready to see him and the Miami Marlins in the new season of Showtime’s The Franchise?

A sneak preview of the new season will be shown this coming Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. The series will premiere on July 11.

And yes, the Guillen-Fidel Castro situation is part of the show. How could it not be, right? Drama! Oh, that’s another network, isn’t it?

Sun-Sentinel beat writer Juan C. Rodriguez has provided clips from the show on his blog. Here is a trailer for the show.

Who knew Hanley Ramirez could be such a sore video game loser?

But I like that the show will apparently give us a behind-the-scenes look at the final construction and rollout of the new Marlins Park. Have we really seen that sort of thing before? Plus, maybe we’ll get some more in-depth stuff on the home run sculpture and the choice to go with a lime-green interior.

Judging from the trailer, we’ll also get some insight on the decision to include Muhammad Ali in Opening Night pregame festivities. (Though it’s probably too much to hope for some genuine candor on the matter.) 

The dynamic between Guillen and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria also looks like it could make for some good TV moments. But do we really want to follow Loria around while he’s acquiring art?

I know that’s how he made his money, but let’s just keep those cameras rolling around South Beach instead. That’s an off-field environment unlike any other in baseball. 

You know, if Showtime really wanted to juice things up, it could have a crossover with Miami’s fictional righteous serial killer. Ozzie and Dexter out on the town would be must-see TV. 

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The Washington Nationals made a surprising decision with their final roster cuts on Tuesday. As reported by the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore, the team optioned starting pitcher John Lannan to Class AAA Syracuse and kept Ross Detwiler on the big league roster. 

Perhaps it shouldn’t be a shock that the Nats sent Lannan to the minors, considering general manager Mike Rizzo was trying to trade him throughout spring training.

With the additions of Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson to their rotation, the Nationals appeared to have a surplus of starting pitching. Several rumors had the Detroit Tigers inquiring about Lannan, with the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros also showing interest.

The general opinion seemed to be that the Nats would hold on to Lannan after Chien-Ming Wang suffered a hamstring injury. But Lannan did himself no favors by pitching badly this spring. In six appearances, he allowed 14 runs (12 earned) and 24 hits in 21 innings.

By comparison, Detwiler compiled a 3.06 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.

According to CSNWashington.com’s Mark Zuckerman, choosing Detwiler over Lannan wasn’t simply a matter of spring performance. The Nationals believe Detwiler has more upside and can get even better.

With Lannan, what you see is what you get. He’s a good, not great pitcher and isn’t really going to improve. 

MLB.com’s Bill Ladson reported that the Nats indeed tried to trade Lannan, but were asking for too much in return. No potential trade partner wanted to give up a starting major league position player in exchange for a pitcher that would probably fill the back end of a rotation. 

Above all else, Lannan being squeezed off the roster speaks to how the talent level and depth of the Nationals’ starting five has improved.

Last year, the Nats pitched Livan Hernandez and Lannan in their first two games of the season. But the pitching staff has come a long way.

Stephen Strasburg is back after Tommy John surgery. Jordan Zimmermann made 26 starts after undergoing the same procedure a year earlier. Gonzalez is the rare left-handed strikeout pitcher, almost racking up 200 of them last season.

Edwin Jackson could be a No. 2 starter on many teams. In D.C., he’ll probably be fourth in the Nats’ rotation. 

That is a deep top four which measures up against any other team in the majors, let alone in the NL East. Add Detwiler and you have a fifth starter who could do a lot more than just eat innings and give the bullpen a break. 

This isn’t just an encouraging decision by the Nationals, it’s a bold one. According to Kilgore, Lannan is the highest paid player to be optioned to the minors before spring training ends. He’s on the books for $5 million this year.

Lannan will probably be back in D.C. at some point this year. No team makes it through a full major league season using just five starting pitchers. But the Nats didn’t want to settle as they begin what could be a playoff season for them. 

Many teams would have opted to keep the guy with the larger salary, especially when he posted a 3.70 ERA last season. But the Nationals believe they have a better team with Detwiler in the rotation. That’s the kind of aggressive thinking Nats fans should celebrate. 

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Wednesday night is the regular season debut for Marlins Park, the new home of the Miami Marlins. (The Marlins and New York Yankees played exhibition games there on Sunday and Monday.)

Plenty of attention (and snark) has been given to some of the ballpark’s more notable features, such as the home run feature in left-center field and aquariums behind home plate. 

But the Marlins players will also enjoy several new features that are vast upgrades from what they had at Sun Life Stadium. Some of the new home benefits, as reported by the Sun-Sentinel’s Mike Berardino, include a batting cage directly behind the Marlins dugout. Previously, Marlins batters had to clomp out to a cage in right field, walking with spikes on concrete. 

Other features touted by the players were a bigger weight room and swimming pool, an underwater treadmill (man, I could use one of those) and a new video room that includes a coaching area with floor-to-ceiling mirrors that allow batters (and eventually, pitchers too) to get a look at what they’re doing from virtually every angle. 

But the simple things shouldn’t be overlooked, either. For outfielder Logan Morrison, having bathroom stalls with doors that close is the improvement he appreciates most.

“Couldn’t shut it all the way, couldn’t lock it,” Morrison told Berardino. “It’s not like you have any privacy anyway in a clubhouse, but still, it wasn’t a perk.”

The importance of this really cannot be overstated. Some athletes are able to focus on the task at hand, regardless of the environment. Others can’t perform at their best with distractions and conditions that are less than ideal. And so many of us, whether we’re professional athletes or not, just want a little privacy.

Kudos to Jeffrey Loria for providing his players a little bit of privacy for less than dignified moments. 

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One of the biggest concerns for the Washington Nationals as spring training reaches its end has been the health of closer Drew Storen. Storen hasn’t pitched in three weeks due to inflammation in his right elbow.

As reported by the Washington Post‘s Adam Kilgore, an MRI exam found no structural damage. But Storen has been told to rest and not throw for at least four days. The Nationals expect him to begin the season on the disabled list.

But the Nationals probably won’t have to worry to much about who will pitch the ninth inning, thanks to a savvy offseason signing by general manager Mike Rizzo. Brad Lidge was brought in as a free agent to give the bullpen depth, but now looks like he’ll be a closer again.

Nats manager Davey Johnson told reporters that Lidge or Henry Rodriguez will close out games in Storen’s absence. Rodriguez and his 100 mph fastball will surely get some save chances, but pitching him in different high-leverage situations throughout a ballgame might be the best use of his talents.

Keeping Tyler Clippard as the setup man, a role in which he excelled last year (1.83 ERA, 104 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings), is probably the smart move.

Like many major league managers, Johnson apparently prefers using players in roles they’re familiar with. Lidge, 35, is definitely accustomed to pitching in the ninth inning, having saved 223 games over a 10-year major league career.

Lidge missed the first half of last season after tearing his rotator cuff. And when he returned, his velocity was way down. That forced him to rely on his slider, which he had trouble locating. Yet by the end of the season, he was looking more like his old dominant self.

But Lidge insists he’s fully healthy now, and throwing better than he did at any point last year.

“There’s nothing prohibiting me from throwing inside or outside, throwing sliders wherever,” he told the Post‘s Kilgore. “I was a little tentative when I came back last year. The way I finished off the year last year, command-wise, I feel like I’m there right now. … If I’m throwing 90 with command of my slider, that’s good. Anything above that is gravy.”

Some observers might wince at Johnson leaning toward Lidge because he’s shown he can pitch the ninth inning. (In fairness, Johnson hasn’t been quoted as actually saying that and apparently wants to see Rodriguez close some games, too.) But using him in that role gives Johnson more flexibility, allowing him to use better relievers in more important situations.

Lidge was already signed at a bargain, agreeing to a one-year, $1 million contract. At that price, he could end up being an absolute steal.

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As you probably know, there’s plenty of down time for major leaguers during spring training.

When ballplayers aren’t working out or playing a few innings in exhibition games, they might be playing golf. Or fishing. Or in the case of Florida Marlins reliever Edward Mujica, they’re making t-shirts for teammates.

As described by MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, Mujica had orange t-shirts designed with the words “Sup Girl” on the front. The phrase is above a drawing of the top half of a baseball.

In what could probably be classified as a team-building exercise, Mujica printed up seven shirts for his teammates, each with the individual’s nickname and jersey number on the back.

Is there any chance Mujica will have a t-shirt made for the former Leo Nunez, Juan Carlos Oviedo? Oviedo is still in the Dominican Republic, waiting for a work visa after immigration officials discovered he was in the United States using a fake name. Joking aside, he and Mujica are good friends, so maybe Oviedo does have a t-shirt waiting for him.

Maybe this was Mujica’s way of celebrating his new role as the Marlins’ eighth-inning reliever, setting up closer Heath Bell. More than anything else, the t-shirt is a personal statement for Mujica, as he told Frisaro.

“That’s my favorite phrase ever,” said Mujica, one of the fun-loving players in the clubhouse. ”Sup, how you doin’? The shirt is like baseball, and my favorite [saying]. I want to get everybody’s nickname, and make 18 more t-shirts.”

I suppose we can all be grateful Mujica’s favorite phrase isn’t “WAASSSUP???“

Mujica will make 18 more t-shirts for the rest of his teammates, but is waiting until the team’s regular season roster is set.

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