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Chicago Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler left the field during Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates with right hamstring discomfort. He has been placed on the disabled list, and it is uncertain when he will return to action.

Continue for updates.

Fowler Lands on 15-Day DL

Monday, June 20

The Cubs announced they placed Fowler on the disabled list retroactive to June 19 and brought pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. up to replace him on the roster.

Latest on Severity of Fowler’s Injury

Sunday, June 19

Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported he’s hearing that Fowler’s injury “isn’t serious” and the outfielder is “doing better today.”

Fowler’s Injury Further Depletes Cubs’ Outfield Depth

The Cubs lost 23-year-old left fielder Kyle Schwarber to a torn ACL and LCL at the dawn of the 2016 campaign, which made Fowler’s role with the club all the more pivotal this year.

Fowler has established himself as a viable starter in the midst of a loaded young core that headlines Chicago’s roster. He’s had an excellent 2016 campaign thus far with a slash line of .290/.398/.483.

Jason Heyward has some experience in center field, so he could slide over to help mitigate the impact of Fowler’s absence.

Otherwise, Chicago manager Joe Maddon will have to look further into his bench for a replacement in center field. Matt Szczur figures to be the prime candidate with Jorge Soler (hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list.

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After Jose Reyes was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, per an official team announcement, speculation is swirling about the All-Star shortstop’s future.

Continue for updates.

Royals Reportedly in on Reyes

Thursday, June 16

Alex Cora of ESPN reported the Kansas City Royals are considering signing Reyes to play second base.

Mets, Yankees Not Interested in Reyes

Wednesday, June 15

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported the news on the Yankees, adding the Mets can also be ruled out as a possible destination and indicating the club isn’t interested in reuniting with Reyes.  

Reyes Would Bring Veteran Presence to New Team

The 33-year-old veteran played for the Mets from 2003 to 2011, receiving four All-Star bids, leading the National League in stolen bases three times and winning an NL batting title in that span.

Per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the Rockies have 10 days to either release or trade Reyes and are due to pay him $41 million in salary.

Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich spoke Wednesday about trade offers the front office has fielded.

“There were a lot of things the last week to two weeks that have come and gone,” said Bridich, per Saunders. “(There were) a couple of teams poking around. Nothing real serious ever really materialized. But Jose is still a very talented player.”

Gifted as he may be, Reyes is not the player he once was and can’t swipe bases at near the rate he used to. His defense is rather poor as well—his ultimate zone rating of minus-6.6 was fourth-worst for his position last season, per FanGraphs.

Prospective trade suitors may also view Reyes as radioactive since he just came off the restricted list after a suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy.

It’s unlikely the Rockies will be able to swing a deal for Reyes given his exorbitant contract situation, so they’re bound to release him near the end of the 10-day ultimatum.

Reyes’ outlook to continue his career at the MLB level is bound to improve if and when he hits the open market. Then a team can have him at a massive bargain compared to the money he commands at the moment.

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Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki tied and then passed Pete Rose for the all-time hits record in professional baseball with two knocks in Wednesday’s game against the San Diego Padres.

Suzuki led off the top of the first inning at Petco Park with a base hit off Luis Perdomo and then came around to score on a Christian Yelich single. The 42-year-old moved his professional hits total to 4,256 with that single, tying Rose, as the Miami Herald‘s Clark Spencer noted. Suzuki picked up 1,278 of those hits in Japan.

In the ninth inning, Suzuki doubled, passing Rose with his 4,257th hit, and MLB commemorated the achievement afterward:

When asked about Ichiro’s pursuit of his milestone, Rose seemed dismissive of the feat because of the diminished level of competition Suzuki faced early in his career, per USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale:

I don’t think you’re going to find anybody with credibility say that Japanese baseball is equivalent to Major League Baseball. There are too many guys that fail here, and then become household names there, like Tuffy Rhodes. How can he not do anything here, and hit (a record-tying) 55 home runs (in 2001) over there? It has something to do with the caliber of personnel.

Whatever the merit of his accomplishments overseas, Ichiro has lived up to and even exceeded the hype that accompanied him when he made his MLB transition in 2001.

Ichiro led the American League in hits seven times and is a two-time AL batting champion. He strung together 10 consecutive seasons of 200 hits or more—the same number Rose achieved in his career.

It’s intriguing to imagine what would’ve happened had Ichiro begun his pro career stateside. He may have challenged Rose’s MLB mark. Instead, his achievement of passing Rose in overall hits likely won’t leave much of an impression on most baseball fans.

That being said, Ichiro’s performance Wednesday gave him 2,979 MLB hits. With 21 more hits, he’ll become the 30th player to reach the 3,000-hit mark.

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Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton will miss time due to a concussion. It is unclear when he’ll return to the field. 

Continue for updates.

Hamilton Placed on 7-Day DL

Friday, June 10

The Reds announced Hamilton was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list after leaving Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Per C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the injury occurred when Hamilton hit his head on a slide into third base. 

Hamilton is a uniquely skilled player whom Cincinnati will be hard-pressed to replace. The 25-year-old is a switch-hitter and one of the fastest players in baseball, which makes him an asset on the basepaths as well as in the outfield.

In addition to having stupendous defensive range and a strong arm, Hamilton racked up 113 stolen bases over the previous two seasons. He played in only 114 games in 2015 and had 57 steals on 65 attempts despite missing the end of the year after undergoing right shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Unfortunately, a nagging thumb injury plagued Hamilton toward the beginning of the 2016 campaign, limiting his ability to contribute as the club sought to get off to a strong start following last year’s woeful 64-98 campaign.

The Reds’ official depth chart lists Tyler Holt as the next man up to fill in for Hamilton in center field. Holt, a right-handed hitter, lacks speed and hasn’t proved to be a dependable hitter in his career with a .249/.311/.283 slash line to date.

The Reds are in a rebuilding phase and own the second-worst record in the National League, so they don’t need to rush Hamilton back to try making a postseason push. 

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San Francisco Giants star catcher Buster Posey was removed from the lineup ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox in order to deal with an inflamed nerve in his right thumb, per Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. 

Continue for updates.

Posey Considered Day-to-Day

Tuesday, June 4

According to CSN Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, Posey has dealt with the injury throughout the 2016 season, and the issue is unlikely to keep him out for too long.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy penciled Trevor Brown into the lineup at catcher Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Posey has been an iron man of sorts for San Francisco in recent years, averaging 148 games played over the previous four seasons. Although he had a foot injury near the dawn of the 2016 campaign, it wound up being a mere day-to-day ailment.

The Giants have won three World Series titles since Posey became their full-time backstop. He also has the versatility to play first base when need be, so losing him for any period of time is especially detrimental on defense.

What makes Posey so valuable, though, is his prowess at the plate, as he has posted a career .307 batting average to date. Most catchers never hit that well, but the 29-year-old has proved for years he’s exceptional in that area.

No one can make up for Posey’s individual impact. It will take a collective effort from everyone else stepping up to compensate for Posey’s absence while he recovers.

The good news is the Giants have a promising backup in Brown, who offers a ton of upside and is only 24 years of age. Brown, whom the team called  up for 13 games last season, will benefit immensely from the experience he’ll gain filling in for now.

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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum is bound to make his debut with the club soon enough, but he said Tuesday he’ll have one more outing for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees before returning to the MLB level.

FanDuel’s Jessica Kleinschmidt provided the update from Lincecum on his future:   

Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reported Tuesday the Angels will decide within “the next day or two” who their starting pitcher will be for Sunday’s road game against the Oakland Athletics.

The 31-year-old veteran pitched five innings in his first start for Salt Lake, yielding three hits, three earned runs and three walks to go with five strikeouts, per MiLB.com.

It’s therefore understandable he’d want to get more competitive reps under his belt before making his opening start for the Angels. However, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez pointed out how Lincecum showed marked improvement in his second Triple-A outing on Tuesday:

Lincecum was a two-time National League Cy Young Award winner with the San Francisco Giants and was a part of three World Series championship teams. Unfortunately, degenerative hip issues that required surgery last September caused his form to fall off in recent years.

There’s no getting around the fact Los Angeles is in dire need of help in its starting pitching rotation, though.

Nick Tropeano became the fifth Angels starter to be currently dealing with an injury when he went on the disabled list Saturday with shoulder tightness.

The circumstances may well have Lincecum on the fast track to the big leagues without other experienced options for L.A. to plug in. If Lincecum is healthy, he could provide a desperately needed spark to the Angels staff.

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The St. Louis Cardinals announced Monday that they have optioned second baseman Kolten Wong to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. 

Instead of promoting someone else from the minors to fill Wong’s spot on the roster, the Cardinals expect veteran infielder Jhonny Peralta to come off the disabled list Tuesday.

Wong has appeared in 49 games this season with a slash line of .222/.306/.286, one home run and five RBI.

The move to send Wong down is rather surprising since St. Louis just signed him to a five-year, $25.5 million extension in spring training.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch weighed in on the notable transaction:

But it appears as though the club is intent on shaking up its infield, the makeup of which was recently revealed.

ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon reported last Friday the plans that Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak had for when Peralta returned from the DL. Rookie Aledmys Diaz is slated to stay at shortstop, while Matt Carpenter will take over at second base and Peralta will move to third following a recovery from left thumb surgery.

“Clearly, it comes down to performance. At any point, if he were to take off and get moving, he would find playing time,” Mozeliak said of Wong, per Saxon. “It’s always about finding that piece that, from a trajectory standpoint, is going up. Right now, I think that’s the only position we’re sort of struggling with.”

Per Saxon, Carpenter spoke with St. Louis skipper Mike Matheny and was receptive to playing second. Diaz has earned his spot as an everyday starter with a .328 batting average, eight homers and 30 RBI thus far.

After winning the National League Central each of the prior three seasons, the Cardinals find themselves trailing the Chicago Cubs by 10 games entering Monday’s action.

There is still plenty of season left, but St. Louis appears intent on making up ground with a big push before next month’s All-Star break.

Unless Diaz hits the rookie wall and goes through a huge slump—or another injury occurs—Wong’s outlook to return for the second half of the 2016 campaign seems bleak, barring a monster Triple-A stint.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford was designated for assignment Sunday amid a woeful start to the 2016 campaign. 

The Dodgers announced Crawford’s demotion and added that they recalled catcher/infielder Austin Barnes from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill the 34-year-old veteran’s spot on the MLB roster.

Crawford has appeared in 30 games this season, posting a slash line of .185/.230/.235 in 81 at-bats.

“Father Time gets everyone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. “This game is about performance.”

Making Crawford’s performance all the more disappointing is how much money Los Angeles stands to owe him over the next year-plus, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times:

Trayce Thompson has flashed promise in his first season with the Dodgers thus far, but the outfield as a whole has been lackluster this year.

Gifted youngsters Yasiel Puig (25) and Joc Pederson (24) haven’t lived up to expectations, with batting averages of .237 and .226, respectively. Puig also just went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, which goes to show the Dodgers have so little faith in Crawford that they sent him to the minors.

Andre Ethier is already out for a prolonged period with a fractured tibia, so L.A. will have to count on the likes of Howie Kendrick, Scott Van Slyke and Pederson to pick up the slack in the outfield rotation.

A team ERA of 3.34 entering Sunday has been the primary reason the Dodgers are above .500 with a 30-27 record. Increased production from the batting order will be necessary for surefire playoff contention, but Crawford won’t be doing any more damage at the dish at least for the foreseeable future.

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Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen exited Thursday’s game against the Miami Marlins after experiencing “right thumb discomfort,” per the team. 

Continue for updates.

Rodriguez Replaces McCutchen

Thursday, June 2

McCutchen went 0-for-3 on Thursday before leaving the game. Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects confirmed Sean Rodriguez took McCutchen’s spot in the lineup.

In addition to the potential hazards that roaming the outfield and running toward the wall present, McCutchen has been a magnet for being hit by pitches when he steps into the batter’s box. Pitchers have to be aggressive in going after a tremendous hitter such as McCutchen.

Despite being plucked rather often—12 times in 2015—there’s no denying McCutchen’s toughness and durability, as he’s averaged approximately 155 games played over the prior six seasons.

Injuries haven’t really hampered the 29-year-old at any point in his career, so Pittsburgh fans ought not to worry too much about his long-term future.

McCutchen is nevertheless the face of the Pirates franchise and can’t be lost for any significant stretch of time if the club hopes to build on the recent success it has found. Perhaps the Pirates can rally around McCutchen’s absence and play inspired baseball in the short term.

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St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams left the field during Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals with mid-back stiffness, the team announced. It’s unclear when he will return.

Continue for updates.

Adams Out vs. Nationals

Saturday, May 28

The Nationals announced Adams was not in the lineup against the Nationals on Saturday. 

Adams Provides Cardinals with Power Threat When Healthy

Losing Adams from the lineup is concerning because of the fact he missed 102 games last season after suffering a torn right quad.

The 27-year-old also suffered a left knee contusion back in May, creating further cause for alarm.

Adams is a heavier-set player who possesses upside as a hitter but is limited in terms of defensive ability. He has to be at 100 percent to have a positive impact at his corner of the diamond.

All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday has minimal experience playing first base, so the Cardinals will likely continue to turn to veteran Moss while Adams is out.

Moss and Adams present a positional dilemma, because both have proved to be capable starters. For the latter to have a chance to unseat Moss, who’s on a one-year expiring contract, he’ll have to find a way to stay healthier.

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