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It has been a nightmarish start to the season for 25-year-old Will Middlebrooks, and it’s about to get even worse. 

According WEEI.com’s Alex Speier, the Red Sox have placed the third baseman on the disabled list with a fractured finger:

WEEI’s Alex Speier provides comments from Middlebrooks:

“It’s been a long couple years. I’ve got to hang in there. Things will turn around — hopefully,” said Middlebrooks. “Just keep grinding it out.”

The play on which Middlebrooks suffered the fracture was unusual. With Middlebrooks drawn in to protect against a bunt, Kinsler smoked a ball at the third baseman.

“[Kinsler is] a guy, he’ll drop one down if you’re back. So I was playing up pretty close and he hit a screamer at me, obviously. It had some topspin. Kind of went with both hands for some reason to try to catch it. It went under my glove and just smoked me in the finger,” said Middlebrooks. “I thought it just bruised me, jammed me pretty good. It kept swelling and kept swelling throughout the game, and by the eighth I couldn’t get batting gloves on.”

[…]

“I think I’m pretty due for [a change of fortunes],” said Middlebrooks. “We’ll see.”

As he showed during his rookie campaign in 2012, Middlebrooks has immense talent. But he has struggled to find consistency ever since and is hitting just .197/.305/.324 with a brutal 28.1 strikeout percentage on the season after already spending time on the DL with a strained calf.

Manager John Farrell recently talked about the importance of getting the youngster going at the plate, via the Boston Herald‘s Michael Silverman:

We’ll see — we certainly need him to get going. The bottom third of that order has got to find a way to contribute a little more than it’s been. So hopefully today is a chance to jump-start it somewhat for Will.

Some, such as USA Today‘s Mike Lyoko, haven’t been nearly as optimistic and believe Middlebrooks’ future with the team may be numbered: 

In his stead, Brock Holt has been recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket and will take over at the hot corner starting Saturday, as Speier noted: 

Holt is hitting .348/.429/.435 in 28 plate appearances for the Red Sox this season. With Middlebrooks struggling, and the Red Sox near the bottom of the AL in batting average, the former Pittsburgh Pirate has a real chance to carve out a significant role going forward. 

As for Middlebrooks, he will just be hoping this newest stint on the sideline gives him time to clear his head.  

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Losers of three straight and six of their last 10, the New York Yankees received some more bad news on Tuesday afternoon.     

Carlos Beltran, who left Monday’s game after hyper-extending his right elbow in the batting cage between at-bats, has been diagnosed with a bone spur and will need a cortisone shot. 

WFAN’s Sweeny Murti and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch provided the details:

While Beltran is only day-to-day for now, his comments on the injury, via ESPN’s Wallace Matthews, are certainly less than optimistic: 

Of course, as manager Joe Girardi alluded to, via the Wall Street Journal‘s Daniel Barbarisi, and Hoch confirmed, in-season surgery still isn’t out of the picture for the right fielder/designated hitter:

The Yanks continue to be ravished by injury. The pitching staff has been decimated, with Ivan Nova (out for the season), Michael Pineda and CC Sabathia all on the disabled list, and the 37-year-old might soon be joining them. 

Ichiro, who would figure to replace Beltran, is also day-to-day with knee and back injuries. 

Beltran is hitting just .234 on the season, but he has provided some pop with five home runs and a .430 slugging percentage. The 19-18 Yankees, who are second in the American League in batting average and fifth in slugging, can probably tread water while he’s out, but losing him for a significant stretch is not ideal.

At some point, the pile of injuries is going to be too much for the Yankees to overcome. 

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It turns out Michael Pineda’s 10-game suspension might just indirectly keep him sidelined for a little longer. 

The New York Yankees big right-hander, who was suspended last week after using pine tar in a start against the Boston Red Sox, went through a simulated game to stay on throwing schedule Tuesday, but it resulted in a tight lat after just one inning.     

Manager Joe Girardi, via the New York Daily News‘ Mark Feinsand, doesn’t sound confident about Pineda making his return on time: 

New York Post reporter Joel Sherman later confirmed the bad news:

MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch added specifics:

After missing the last two seasons with various injuries, the 25-year-old had begun to show why the Yanks traded prized prospect Jesus Montero for him a couple of years back. Through 19.2 innings, he had compiled a 1.83 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and owned a sparkling 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

But the pine tar controversy quickly marred that fast start, and now this injury threatens to derail his campaign even further. 

Should Pineda be forced to miss his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, David Phelps, who has been used strictly in relief this season, will likely take the bump.

As Girardi noted, via The Record‘s Jeff Roberts, Phelps’ pitch count will be limited: 

Fortunately for the Yankees, who sit atop the AL East, timely hitting and a lights-out bullpen has helped quell the problems of the starting rotation and will likely continue to do so. 

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Updates from Saturday, April 26

MASN’s Roch Kubatko has some bad news for Orioles fans:

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun noted  Davis was hopeful he could avoid the disabled list:

Original Text

A disappointing start for Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis—at least by his lofty standards—may have just gotten even worse. 

The slugger was forced from Friday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning, and according to MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, he has been diagnosed with a left oblique strain: 

The severity of the injury is still unknown, but as Kubatko noted, there isn’t a lot of optimism: 

However, MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli added Davis’ thoughts after the game:

Through the first 21 games of the season, Davis has been in the midst of a bit of a power outage. After clocking a league-high 53 home runs and slugging .634 en route to a third-place finish in MVP voting last year, he has just two homers in 2014 to go with a pedestrian .392 slugging percentage and .772 OPS. 

As the 28-year-old told The Baltimore Sun‘s Eduardo A. Encina, though, he has been making a conscious effort to be more patient at the plate: 

“I turned over a new leaf this year. I’m trying not to hit any more home runs this year and just walk. Try to swing as few times as possible, take it easy on my body, try to get as many years out of it as possible.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much more ironic than that, as Davis, who played in 160 games last year, is now sidelined. 

Stephen Lombardozzi replaced Davis on Friday, taking over second base while Ryan Flaherty moved to first base and Jonathan Schoop took over third. 

The O’s have been getting lots of production elsewhere. Nelson Cruz, Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and even the 22-year-old Schoop have gotten off to fast starts, and the team entered Friday at 11-10. 

Still, the O’s won’t want to be without Davis’ bat in the middle of the lineup for long. 

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We’re just two weeks into the 2014 MLB season, and there are already problems with the new instant-replay system. 

In the eighth inning of Saturday afternoon’s contest between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, shortstop Dean Anna ripped a pitch by Burke Badenhop down the right-field line and appeared on first glance to beat Daniel Nava’s throw into second base. 

Here’s a look at the play:

Red Sox manager John Farrell came out to argue the safe call, and upon replay, it looked as though it’d be overturned. Although Anna got to the bag first, he lifted his right foot slightly off second as Xander Bogaerts held the tag. 

The umpires confirmed the call, but as Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal later reported, MLB would admit it was the wrong decision:

So, those viewing at home have about 45 different high-definition angles to look at over and over again, but the guys whose decision actually matters don’t have “immediate access” to every available angle?

As Farrell put it after the game, via NESN’s Tom Caron, that is head-scratching to say the least: 

Caron put it simply: 

Fortunately, the botched call had no effect on the outcome of the game. No runs came across the plate after Anna’s double, and the Yanks went on to win the game, 7-4. 

However, if the system is already having problems in early April, you have to wonder if it might rear its ugly head sometime again in a more important game.

The good news here is there is time to iron out the kinks. Hopefully, before a team loses because of a botched replay call, MLB will make sure umpires have all available camera angles—or, you know, at least let them turn on the broadcast—to make an informed decision. 

Replays are supposed to help the game, not make it more controversial. 

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Yasiel Puig’s first home run of the 2014 season may not stop traveling until he hits his second. 

The powerful-yet-sometimes-polarizing right fielder crushed a towering shot off of the San Diego Padres‘ Ian Kennedy in the first inning on Tuesday afternoon, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. 

You can take a look at the majestic home run right here, courtesy of MLB.com.

ESPN Stats & Info gave some details about the bomb, although with the way Puig’s home run carried to the moon and back before landing in the second deck, the final distance doesn’t quite tell the whole story:

Last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up recorded just one extra-base hit in his first 13 at-bats of the season, and it was revealed that he was dealing with some inflammation in his back, but it sure seems like he’s feeling fine now. 

Puig hit 19 homers and drove in 42 runs in 104 games last season, and as long as he stays healthy and out of manager Don Mattingly’s doghouse, the 23-year-old is a strong bet to crush those numbers. 

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For the last two seasons, Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout has played like one of the best in baseball.

Now he’s getting paid like one, the team announced:

According to MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez, the Angels and Trout have agreed on a massive new deal that pays the back-to-back MVP runner-up around $140 million over the next six years:

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports the exact total is $144.5 million:

Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown clarifies the length of the deal:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports breaks down the details of the contract:

Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan provides details on the negotiating process:

Contracts in baseball are typically half breathtaking, half obscene. But considering the kind of money that has been tossed around to players in the last couple of years, there is very little question that Trout deserves this monstrous raise.

In 2013, which was a near mirror image of his 2012 rookie season, Trout hit .323/.432/.557 with 27 home runs, 39 doubles, 97 RBI and 33 stolen bases. He led the league in runs scored (109) and walks (110).

If you want to gander at the advanced statistics, then his value only increases. He led MLB—by far—in WAR (10.4) and trailed only Miguel Cabrera in OPS+ (179). Defensively, Trout’s advanced numbers weren’t nearly as great in 2013 (UZR of 4.4) as they were in 2012 (13.3), but he’s still regarded as one of the premier defensive outfielders in the game.

He has been so transcendent that even the president of the United States, via the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin, talks about his talent:

Oh yeah, and he’s only 22.

The Angels’ 2014 media guide, via ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, listed some of Trout’s particularly astounding achievements through two full seasons in the league:

In major league baseball history, only seven players have amassed 350 hits, 200 runs scored and 175 walks before their age-22 season. The list includes Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline, Ken Griffey Jr. and Trout.

Trout is one of only four players to bat .320 with a total of 50 homers and 200 runs scored in his first two full seasons. The others: Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Trout’s Angels teammate, Albert Pujols.

Last year, Trout was the first player to lead the AL in walks and runs scored since Chicago’s Frank Thomas did it in 1994. He also joined Ty Cobb of the 1915 Tigers and Lenny Dykstra of the 1993 Phillies as the third player in history to collect 190 hits, 100 walks and 30 stolen bases in a season.

Despite all he has done, and despite the fact that, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder, he was set to make less than $1 million this upcoming season, Trout was quick to shake off any talk regarding an extension.

“I’m here to get ready for the season,” he said, via Crasnick. “I don’t want to comment on the contract negotiations and stuff. I’m here to just get ready to prepare myself for the upcoming season.”

Nevertheless, the Angels decided to get negotiations out of the way now, making sure their superstar is around for a long time.

These particular contract talks never really turned into distractions, but now that there’s no chance they ever will, Trout can simply concentrate on further developing his game.

And the scariest part? When this new contract comes to an end, Trout will likely still be in his prime.

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Veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu reportedly will return to the Philadelphia Phillies for the upcoming MLB season.

According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, “El Comedulce,” who turns 40 years old in March, is headed back to the City of Brotherly Love, where he spent eight-and-a-half seasons early in his career:

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman initially reported the news:

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick added that Abreu will sign a minor league contract:

During his stint with Philly, Abreu was a two-time All-Star and won the Silver Slugger award in 2004 when he hit .301/.428/.544 with 30 home runs and 105 RBI. He slugged over .500 five times. 

While he enjoyed a nice career with the Phils and went on to have some productive seasons with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels, he last played in the majors in 2012, when he hit .242 with three home runs in 100 games with the Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.    

He was unable to land a contract in 2013. 

Nevertheless, according to CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury, Abreu hit .322 with three homers, 28 RBI and an .877 OPS in the Venezuelan League this winter, leading to this quote from general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.:

“Bobby has had a nice winter season. We have decent reports on him.”

The chances of Abreu making a significant impact for the Phillies in 2014 aren’t good. But at the same time, he’s a low-risk signing and will potentially provide a decent left-handed bat off the bench.

If he struggles in spring training, then that will likely signal the end of his playing career. If he proves that he can still hit a little bit, though, then perhaps he can play a small role for Philadelphia.   

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Los Angeles Dodgers phenom outfielder Yasiel Puig was arrested on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 28, in Collier County, Fla. for reckless driving—his second such charge of 2013. 

NBC 2 News in Florida has the report:

BREAKING: LA Dodgers Yasiel Puig arrested in Collier Co. this morning. #swfl http://t.co/UsuYFCskTm pic.twitter.com/R9VgwmjP4V

— NBC2 (@NBC2) December 28, 2013

Dave Osborn of the Naples Daily News provides his mugshot:

Arrest mug shot of Los Angeles Dodger All-Star Yasiel #Puig. Read full story at http://t.co/bIvMfQFn5v. pic.twitter.com/i1wZeXIwPx

— Dave Osborn (@NDN_dosborn) December 28, 2013

Per Florida Highway Patrol officials (via the NBC 2 report), the 23-year-old Dodgers star was arrested around 9:30 a.m. after being pulled over for driving 110 mph in a 70 mph zone. He was driving a 2013 Mercedes in Alligator Alley, which is located in the southern part of Florida. 

In April of 2013, shortly before he was called up to the major leagues, he was charged with speeding, reckless driving and driving without proof of insurance, per the Los Angeles Times‘ Kevin Baxter.

”We’re aware of it,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said following Puig’s first arrest. “We take it seriously. We’ll be handling discipline internally.”

The Cuban star has a bright future in the major leagues. 

In 104 games during his rookie season, he hit an impressive .319/.391/.534 to go with 19 home runs, 42 RBI, 66 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. He also provided tremendous defense—most notably a rocket arm—in right field and was a major catalyst in L.A.’s season turnaround when he was brought up in June. 

There have been suspicions about his maturity (he was assigned a mentor last spring, according to Baxter), however, and the youngster needs to stay out of trouble and make smarter decisions off the diamond if he is going to continue to climb the ranks in MLB. 

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Clint Hurdle of the Pittsburgh Pirates was recognized as 2013’s best manager in the National League on Tuesday, beating out the Atlanta Braves’ Fredi Gonzalez and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Don Mattingly. 

The Pirates had the news:

Hurdle had some stiff competition for the award, which was voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. 

Gonzalez managed the Braves to 96 wins and an NL East title, while Mattingly dealt with significant injuries to Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp yet still got 92 wins and an NL West title out of his club. 

But Hurdle’s transformation of the Pirates, an organization with a payroll $20 million less than that of the Braves and $150 million less than that of the Dodgers, according to Cot’s Contracts, wasn’t going to be overlooked. 

The 56-year-old has been steadily building toward this recognition. 

After taking over the hapless 105-loss Pirates in November of 2010, the former Rockies manager delivered a complete 180, leading Pittsburgh to 72 wins in 2011 and 79 in 2012—a 20-win improvement in just two years. 

Both of those seasons were sullied by post-All-Star break collapses, but Hurdle kept the Pirates focused for all 162 games in 2013. Hurdle sounded extremely honored when talking winning the prestigious award (via MLB Network):

With a lineup that featured very little consistency around MVP-candidate Andrew McCutchen (11th/8th/6th in the NL in batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) and a make-shift pitching staff, Pittsburgh won 94 games and made it to the postseason out of the ultra-competitive NL Central.

Ironically enough, it was what Hurdle, a former hitting coach, was able to get out of his pitchers that proved crucial to the year’s success (pitching coach Ray Searage also deserves loads of credit). 

A.J. Burnett had arguably the best season of his 15-year career. Jeff Locke, sporting a 5.82 ERA in 12 career appearances, tossed 30 effective starts. Francisco Liriano won the Players’ Choice Award for Comeback Player of the Year in the NL. Gerrit Cole’s jump to the majors was seamless. Charlie Morton had a career year. 

Moreover, the “Shark Tank,” AKA Pittsburgh’s bullpen, sported the second-best ERA in the NL behind relatively unknowns like Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Justin Wilson and Vin Mazzaro. 

Hurdle squeezed the most out of almost every player on the roster, and it resulted in the team’s first playoff appearance since the first George Bush was in office. 

There is very little question he is deserving of this award.   

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