Rays’ Pepiot to IL with bruised leg after line drive
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a bruised lower left leg.
The right-hander departed his start Sunday after getting hit on the calf by a 107.5 mph line drive off the bat of the New York Mets‘ Starling Marte.
Both Pepiot and Rays manager Kevin Cash said they believe it will be a short-term injury.
“Really feel like this is a smart thing to do for him,” Cash said. “To land on that leg 100 times here in a couple of days probably didn’t make the most sense.”
Pepiot played catch for seven minutes Wednesday, including simulated mound throwing on level ground. He said being placed on the IL is frustrating.
“I don’t want to leave the team in a bad position,” Pepiot said. “Try to make it happen, go out there, and then end up screwing the bullpen for a second time.”
Pepiot hopes to throw off a mound this weekend or early next week.
“Just trying to take it day by day,” Pepiot said. “The swelling has gone down.”
Pepiot immediately fell to the ground but was able to get back up on his own after getting hit by Marte. He was removed after throwing a couple of warm-up pitches from the mound.
Pepiot is 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA in seven starts. He was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December in a trade in which the Rays sent ace Tyler Glasnow to the National League club.
Right-hander Taj Bradley was reinstated from the 15-day IL and will start Friday night against the New York Yankees after being out all season with a right pectoral strain. Bradley allowed one run and two hits over 11 innings in two starts with Triple-A Durham.
“His stuff has been very, very good,” Cash said. “He’s throwing the ball over the plate. He’s controlling the running game. He’s got a lot of confidence with all of his pitches right now. He knows he’s going to have to mix against the Yankees on Friday.”
Other injured Rays starting pitchers could return this season.
Left-hander Jeffrey Springs, coming back from Tommy John surgery, is scheduled for a simulated game Thursday and an extended spring training game May 20.
Right-hander Shane Baz, also rehabbing following Tommy John surgery and a left oblique strain, is slated to make his second start with Triple-A Durham on Friday night.
Righty Drew Rasmussen is expected to resume throwing off a mound this month after undergoing hybrid internal brace surgery on his throwing elbow. He had two previous Tommy John procedures.
Ace Shane McClanahan is throwing at 90 feet following his second Tommy John operation. He is not expected back this season.
MILWAUKEE — Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand, a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.
The three-time All-Star went on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday, and returned to Houston for an MRI that revealed the muscle strain.
“We look at it as good news,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before their Wednesday afternoon game with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Espada expressed hope that Alvarez wouldn’t have to stay on the injured list longer than the required 10 days. He also said the hand issue may have played a role in Alvarez’s slow start.
Alvarez, 27, is hitting .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBI in 29 games this season. He batted .308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBI in 147 games last year while ranking ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player balloting.
He has posted an OPS of at least .959 and has finished 13th or higher in the MVP voting each of the last three seasons.
“Once he heals, once he gets back, I think we’ll see a more aggressive at bat and be not as cautious,” Espada said. “I think it had something to do with it, yes.”
His potential return could go a long way toward boosting an Astros lineup that hasn’t been as productive as usual this season. The Astros entered Wednesday’s action ranked 21st in the majors in runs (136) and 23rd in OPS (.676). Houston has ranked 11th or better in both those categories each of the last four seasons.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway