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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Thursday that they have acquired starting pitcher Bud Norris along with outfielder Dian Toscano, “a player to be named later and cash considerations” from the Atlanta Braves for minor league pitchers Philip Pfeifer and Caleb Dirks. 

Norris, who was in his first year with the Braves, is 3-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 22 appearances this season. 

The deal comes just hours after the Dodgers placed ace Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day disabled list because of a lower-back issue, per ESPN.com. 

It’s just the latest injury to hit the Dodgers’ pitching staff, which was already dealing with an Alex Wood triceps injury that landed him on the 60-day DL. L.A. has also been without Hyun-Jin Ryu for the past two seasons because of a shoulder issue. 

The Dodgers have already had nine different pitchers start through the first 81 games of the season, and without the 11-2 Kershaw, the starting rotation has been nothing more than mediocre, per ESPN Stats & Info:

While Norris isn’t a top-end starter, he can eat up innings and add some depth to Los Angeles’ rotation. 

In five of his first seven major league seasons, Norris compiled a losing record and never posted an ERA better than 3.65. In fact, he put up a career-worst 6.72 ERA last season with the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres. 

That being said, Norris has been pitching well lately, per Fox Sports 1’s C.J. Nitkowski:

Arriving with Norris is Dian Toscano, a light-hitting outfielder who’s batting .226 in Double-A this season. 

In Dirks, the Braves are getting the Dodgers’ 30th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com. The reliever was 3-2 with a 1.44 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 31.1 innings while playing in Double-A with the Tulsa Drillers. Pfeifer did not make MLB.com’s top-30 list, but he was 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in Single-A ball. 

This is the kind of deal the Dodgers needed to keep their healthy arms fresh as the dog days of summer approach. For the Braves, getting anything for Norris was a positive as they continue to try to collect prospects and pieces in an attempt to rebuild. 

Minor league stats courtesy of MiLB.com. Major league stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson was removed from Tuesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers after crashing into the outfield wall and bruising his AC joint. It is uncertain when he will return to action.

Continue below for updates.   

Pederson Out vs. Brewers

Thursday, June 30

The Dodgers announced that Trayce Thompson would take Pederson‘s place in center field for Thursday’s matchup with Milwaukee.

Latest on Pederson‘s Timetable for Recovery

Wednesday, June 29

Manager Dave Roberts implied that Pederson would go on the disabled list if he doesn‘t respond to treatment in a timely manner, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. 

Pederson Looking for Consistency at the Plate 

The injury occurred when Pederson made a spectacular catch in center field with the Dodgers holding a two-run lead: 

The young slugger experienced a tale of two halves last season.

He was elected to the All-Star Game and participated in the Home Run Derby after putting up a nice first half in which he hit 22 home runs. But after the All-Star Weekend, Pederson struggled, hitting just five home runs and ending the year with a .210 batting average. He had difficulty just getting the ball in play at times as well, seeing his strikeout total hit 170. 

Pederson went through a span of 13 games to end the month of September when he recorded just three hits.

He and the Dodgers have been looking for new ways to get his bat going. Pederson‘s practiced with new pitching coaches and made stance tweaks, per Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register. 

Pederson spoke with Moura about his work: “It’s about feel and confidence, and a new feel sometimes brings that confidence back up and puts you in a better position to put together a quality at-bat. Sometimes what you once did great doesn’t feel good, and you’ve gotta go out there and do something to grind that at-bat out.”

This season, Pederson is batting just .236 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI. He’s also struck out 66 times while drawing 30 walks. 

If he wants to see long-term success in the majors, he will have to get that average up and those strikeouts down. Now that his weaknesses are exposed, he is going to have to make major adjustments while trying to develop into more of a contact hitter.

Still, the 24-year-old has shown over his short time in the league that he has the prospect of power and playmaking ability. Now the Dodgers will rely on Enrique Hernandez and Trayce Thompson to split time in center while Pederson recovers.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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New York Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler has experienced a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. According to a Tuesday report by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, Wheeler has felt “discomfort” in his elbow and won’t be throwing a scheduled simulated inning this week. 

Wheeler underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2015 when he tore his UCL. He hasn’t appeared on the mound for the Mets since September of 2014.

Continue for updates.

Discomfort Shouldn’t Stall Wheeler’s Return

Tuesday, June 21

DiComo added that Wheeler will fly to New York on Wednesday and be examined by team doctors, though the Mets don’t believe this is a “serious” concern.

If this discomfort proves to be nothing, then Wheeler should still be on track for a return in early July—the timetable Mike Puma of the New York Post reported in May. 

Before his injury, the 26-year-old Wheeler was yet another young, promising arm in a New York pitching rotation set to take the league by storm. 

Unfortunately for the Mets, they have been unable to get Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Wheeler all in the rotation at the same time. 

As Wheeler compiled an 18-16 record with subpar Mets teams from 2013-2014, Harvey had to undergo Tommy John surgery, which kept him out for the entire 2014 season.

During that Harvey-less year, deGrom was spinning together a National League Rookie of the Year campaign, while Matz and Syndergaard weren’t even in the major leagues with the team. Wheeler, on the other hand, was looked upon as a top-end starter, going 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 187.1 innings. 

Even though the numbers didn’t jump off the page, Wheeler showed flashes of being a major league ace by winning nine of his final 13 decisions with a fastball that lived in the high 90s and a devastating curveball that was almost 20 mph slower, per FanGraphs.

An extended absence hasn’t been easy for Wheeler, though he’s put his faith in the recovery process that helped Harvey get back on the field and helped the Mets win the National League pennant in 2015, per Tim Rohan of the New York Times: “You see all these guys coming back from it doing well. You’ve just got to trust it.”

It’s hard to say the Mets have missed Wheeler all this time given the depth of their pitching rotation. But a healthy Wheeler in a New York starting rotation that is second in the majors with 3.43 runs allowed per game could make the Mets defense even more unstoppable. 

Given that the Mets offense is third-worst in the league with 3.68 runs scored per game, his return could only help a team that is 5.5 games behind the Washington Nationals for the NL East lead. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.

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San Diego Padres center fielder Jon Jay left Sunday evening’s game against the Washington Nationals after suffering a right forearm contusion, the team announced. 

Continue for updates.

Jay’s Status Unknown

Sunday, June 19

Jay was hit by a pitch from Washington’s Gio Gonzalez in the fourth inning but managed to stay in the game for two more innings before exiting.

The team has not disclosed the severity of the contusion or a timetable for his return.

Jay was enjoying a solid start to his tenure with the Padres after six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. Entering Sunday’s game, Jay was batting .299 while leading the National League with 24 doubles and the Padres with 80 hits.

He doesn’t hold an abundance of power, with just two home runs this season, but he is able to make contact and drive the ball to all corners of the field, which has made him a solid contributor toward the top of San Diego’s lineup.

The Padres and Jay will hope the injury doesn’t keep him out for a considerable amount of time. Last season with the Cardinals, he missed all of July and August after suffering an injury to his surgically repaired left wrist.

Travis Jankowski stepped in for Jay after he left Sunday’s game and will most likely take over center field duties if Jay misses more time.

Jankowski had appeared in 45 games prior to Sunday’s contest and was batting .241 with a home run and three RBI this season, so he’s hardly the kind of replacement the Padres can rely on in a long-term scenario.

The Padres headed into Sunday’s contest 16 games behind the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants. If they lose Jay for an extended period of time, that deficit might worsen.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood has landed on the disabled list with a back injury, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reported Sunday. Colorado has recalled Scott Oberg from the minor leagues to take his spot on the roster. It is uncertain when Chatwood will return to action.

Continue for updates.

Weiss Comments on Chatwood’s Timeline for Return

Sunday, June 19

Back Strain Delays Chatwood’s Solid Season

Chatwood suffered the injury during Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Marlins. After an erratic start that saw him throw 20 of 48 pitches out of the strike zone, he was removed from the game in the second inning. 

Chatwood has been Colorado’s ace this season with an 8-4 record and 3.15 ERA. He’s normally been solid for the Rockies, a team that hasn’t received much from its starting pitching, going six or more innings in 12 of his first 13 starts this season.

Chatwood is the only starting arm in Colorado’s staff who’s gone over 80 innings in 2016 and has an ERA under 4.12.

On four different occasions this season, he hasn’t allowed an earned run. On June 6, he yielded only one hit to the Los Angeles Dodgers over eight innings.

But the injury bug has bitten him again, though a mid-back strain isn’t nearly as serious as the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2015 season. Still, this has to be a frustrating delay in the 26-year-old’s development toward becoming a legitimate ace in Colorado. 

This Rockies pitching staff is already without Chris Rusin, who is second on the team with a 4.12 ERA, as he is dealing with a strained shoulder. 

Now, the Rockies will have to rely on the likes of Chad Bettis and Jon Gray to assume No. 1 responsibilities. But they haven’t helped Colorado keep its opponents off the scoreboard. Rockies starters have allowed 5.21 runs per game this season, which is the third-worst average in the entire league. 

For a team that’s already 10 games behind the division-leading San Francisco Giants, the Rockies can’t afford to lose opportunities to get Chatwood on the mound, as he’s been their best chance at winning this season. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that they signed outfielder Will Venable to a one-year contract. 

An eight-year veteran, Venable began the year with the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Triple-A minor league affiliate before opting out of his contract last Friday.   

The Dodgers optioned utility infielder and backup catcher Austin Barnes to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Venable on the active roster. 

Venable has spent most of his career in California, playing his first seven-plus years in the majors with the San Diego Padres. 

The 33-year-old was originally seen as a player capable of racking up 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases per year. But he never lived up to those expectations, only hitting the 20-home run plateau once in 2013. 

After 98 games in 2015 and with free agency looming, though, Venable was dealt to the Texas Rangers for minor leaguers. In 37 games in the American League, he recorded just 12 hits for a .182 batting average with no home runs and three RBI. 

The Dodgers were in need of some added depth in the outfield with Yasiel Puig on the disabled list because of a hamstring injury and with the release of veteran Carl Crawford on Monday, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times.

In 30 games this season, Crawford batted .186 with just one stolen base. That’s hardly the kind of output the organization expects from a player it still owes $35 million through 2017, according to ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla. 

Crawford’s departure also meant the Dodgers had one left-handed bat in the outfield in Joc Pederson and none coming off the bench, where Venable is expected to make his biggest impact in Los Angeles. 

That’s because even with Puig out, Los Angeles could turn to the likes of Trayce Thompson and Scott Van Slyke to see time in the outfield alongside Pederson and Enrique Hernandez. Because of Venable’s left-handed bat, though, L.A. could use him as a pinch-hitting option late in games against right-handed relievers. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter suffered a finger injury during Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. However, he will not miss any additional game action. 

Continue for more updates.

Carpenter Active vs. Pirates

Friday, June 10

Carpenter is in Friday’s starting lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Jim Hayes of Fox Sports Midwest. 

Carpenter Enjoying Strong Season for Cardinals 

He jammed his finger during an at-bat in the sixth inning of Thursday night’s game. Manager Mike Matheny took him out of the game because he didn’t know if Carpenter would be able to make the throws from third base to first, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Heading into Thursday night, Carpenter was one of the Cardinals’ most productive hitters, as he was batting .280 with nine home runs and 39 RBI.

He is a two-time All-Star who led the National League in hits during the 2013 season with 199, which gave him a career-high .318 average. But his game has evolved since then. While his average has dropped, his power numbers have spiked.

Carpenter slugged a career-high 28 home runs last season, 17 more than his previous best from 2013. He also added a career-high 84 RBI and 44 doubles, which led the league.

Fox Sports’ Dave Cameron delved into the evolution of Carpenter’s play:

Previously, Carpenter would yank one over the fence if you threw him a centered-fastball. This year, though, he’s hitting fastballs up in the zone, plus hanging breaking balls and two-seamers running in on the inside corner. Carpenter has never really hit the inside pitch with authority before, but likely at the encouragement of his teammates, he has learned to turn on pitches inside and is now more willing to go after high-risk/high-reward pitches up in the zone.

His durability has been another invaluable asset to the Cardinals. In each of the past three seasons, Carpenter has played in at least 154 games.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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There might not be as much pomp in the MLB draft compared to the other major professional sports in the United States, but on Thursday night, dreams came true for a number of young baseball players who heard their names called for the next step of their careers. 

After 34 selections in the first round, here is a look at the results and my grades for each team:

Philadelphia Phillies: A

There were plenty of options for the Philadelphia Phillies at No. 1. They could have gone with pitcher A.J. Puk, who many believed would have been the top pick had it not been for his underwhelming season at Florida.

Instead, they went with Mickey Moniak, a high schooler who can flat-out hit. He makes consistent, hard contact and can hit to all fields, which is a mature trait for such a young prospect. 

He also impressed MLB personalities such as ESPN’s Buster Olney when speaking with the media:

For a Phillies team that is rebuilding with the likes of Odubel Herrera and Maikel Franco, Moniak is a bat who can one day be inserted toward the top of the lineup.

Given that they are in a division with strong pitching teams such as the New York Mets and Washington Nationals, the Phillies will take all the help they can get.

Milwaukee Brewers: A

It may be unfair to say a player fell into a team’s lap at No. 5, but that’s what happened with the Milwaukee Brewers and Corey Ray. 

The outfielder can hit and do so with power. His blazing speed also makes him a threat on the basepaths and a solid defender.

ESPN’s Keith Law broke down his season at Louisville this year:

Ray is the kind of player who can turn a game on its head with his tools, and if his development goes according to plan, he could be a No. 3 hitter in Milwaukee’s lineup for years to come. 

Cincinnati Reds: A-

It has nothing to do with his playing ability, but when I see Cincinnati Reds first-round pick Nick Senzel, I see Mike Trout. I’m not saying he will develop into a Trout-like player, but he should be a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the Reds lineup some day.

Senzel has a great eye at the plate and finds ways to make contact, which often can’t be taught. After batting .364 in the Cape Cod League, in which he won MVP honors, he batted .352 in his junior year at Tennessee.

If he’s able to develop more power while maintaining his ability to put the ball in play, the Reds are going to have their best third baseman since, dare I say it, Pete Rose.

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An MRI on Tuesday confirmed that Chicago Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler has suffered a strained hamstring and is headed to the disabled list, CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney reported. 

Continue for updates.

Soler Facing Considerable Absence

Tuesday, June 7

The Chicago Tribune‘s Mark Gonzales added that Soler will “likely” be sidelined for more than 15 days, though the extent of the strain has not been disclosed.

Soler suffered the injury during Monday’s 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning while running out a single he hit down the left field line. 

If Gonzales’ speculation is correct, this will be another large blow to the Cubs outfield, which already lost its power-hitting left fielder in Kyle Schwarber for the season because of a torn ACL and LCL. Soler was Schwarber’s replacement in left field when the 23-year-old went down.

In 50 games this season, Soler batted .223 with five home runs and 13 RBI. However, he has seen an improvement in his game lately, batting .318 in his past 17 games, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. 

At 24 years old, he is just one of the numerous young players the Cubs have used to build a powerhouse in the National League.

Heading into Tuesday night, Chicago has the best record in baseball at 40-16 thanks to the likes of 24-year-old Kris Bryant, 22-year-old Addison Russell and 26-year-old Anthony Rizzo, among others. Not to mention excellent pitching headlined by reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta. 

Now with Soler out, the Cubs have activated Albert Almora, per Mooney. MLB.com ranked Almora as the Cubs’ fifth-best prospect. 

However, he is not in Chicago’s starting lineup for Tuesday night’s game against Philly. Starting third baseman Bryant is moving to left field, according to Baseball Press. Matt Szczur will also likely see an increase in playing time with Soler shelved.

This is a team that’s looked downright unstoppable this season, and given the young depth the Cubs have, they shouldn’t have a problem sustaining their high level of play. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard felt the wrath of his home crowd at Citizens Bank Park during Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers when a fan threw a bottle at him.  

On Sunday, he spoke with the media about the incident, according to Philly.com’s Matt Breen:

I’ve done too much in this town to have that kind of stuff. If you want to yell out ‘You suck,’ that’s whatever. But when you start throwing stuff, that’s when stuff gets personal. … We have to be held accountable. If someone throws something, we’re just supposed to sit there and wear it and get hit. Nah man, we’re human beings first and foremost. People get it twisted. They see the baseball stuff and they don’t see you as a human being. They see you as someone that just plays baseball.

On the baseball side of things, Howard has struggled this season, batting .151 with eight home runs and 19 RBI in 49 games. Including Saturday, he hadn’t started for three games, and the 36-year-old has been a shell of the player who won a National League MVP in 2006. 

After being inserted as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and grounding out to end Saturday’s game, Howard was walking back to the dugout when the bottle went flying.

“I turned around and it was down near my feet,” Howard said. “I don’t play that. To me, that’s crossing the line. It becomes a security issue. It’s not necessary. That stuff infuriates me.”

The incident put Howard in an unfortunate situation, as he believes professional athletes are unable to defend themselves in predicaments like these:

If you’re in the street and you do that to somebody, you might get hauled off on. But we’re supposed to hold ourselves to a different standard and what not. Somebody has to do something. Somebody should get reprimanded for it. Because if I would’ve done something, if I would’ve went into the stands and tried to beat this dude up, I would’ve gotten in trouble by Major League Baseball. He probably would’ve tried to sue me. But it’s OK for him to throw a bottle and then go home and be on his merry way? Nah, that doesn’t work.

Conduct like this is nothing new in the city of Philadelphia, as the fanbase has a reputation of being one of the harshest in sports. After all, Philly fans chucked snowballs at Santa Claus during an Eagles game in 1968. 

Much more recently, though, Flyers fans littered the ice with wristbands given out to commemorate late owner Ed Snider during their first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. 

Their behavior earned the Flyers a two-minute bench minor, much to the frustration of Wells Fargo Center public address announcer Lou Nolan, via 94 WIP’s Cindy Webster:

These public displays over the years tarnish the image of Philadelphia fans. On Saturday, though, one fan in particular took it too far in the treatment of a man who helped deliver the Phillies their second World Series title in 2008. 

Howard doesn’t sound like he’s ready to forgive anyone too quickly, either. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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