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The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we're running here at MLBDD and rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be shared? Hit us at @mlbdailydish on Twitter.
Good morning baseball fans!
The injury bug must be going around, because there is a lot of injury news to get to. First off, a bit of an update from over the weekend, as we've now learned that Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier will have to miss 8-10 weeks with a broken hand.
Alex Gordon has a broken bone in his hand, and will have to miss 3-4 weeks.
To potential combat this loss, the Royals (along with the Phillies), are interested in Braves outfielder Nick Markakis.
The Mets are going to be in desperate need for some first base help, as Lucas Duda is down with a stress fracture in his back, and is slated to miss significant time.
Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, but is planning to be ready for next season.
Christian Yelich has arrived for the Marlins.
Yelich is tied for third in all of baseball with Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles in average exit velocity. Only Cameron Rupp of Philadelphia (96.0) and Nelson Cruz of Seattle (95.4) have hit the ball harder with as much consistency. Simply the act of hitting the ball hard does not guarantee power or even hits, but it speaks to the process paying dividends for Yelich as part of his breakout campaign.
Even with some regression, Yelich is finally translating his power potential into games through greater discipline. As long as he stays consistent with this new approach, we have little reason to believe that this can’t be for real.
Sean Burnett and the Twins agreed to a minor-league deal.
Here is a roundup of news from around the National League West.
In a three-player deal, the Braves acquired Brain Matusz and a draft pick from Orioles. Practically minutes after trading for him, the Braves designated Matusz for assignment.
Despite people saying he would regress this season, Yoenis Cespedes is still playing like a superstar for the New York Mets.
Since joining the Mets, Cespedes has basically played like a +7 win player, putting him in the upper tier of Major League players. That remains an unsustainable level over the long term, and he won’t keep hitting for this kind of power all season, but even with an expected level of regression, Cespedes still looks like a fantastic player. Our rest-of-season forecasts call for Cespedes to produce an additional +3.2 WAR over the remainder of the season, putting him in the same tier as Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, and Starling Marte. And that’s with Steamer still expressing plenty of skepticism about his power spike; ZIPS buys into the increase in power, and puts Cespedes at +3.8 WAR rest-of-season, putting him in the same group as Buster Posey and Nolan Arenado.
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Today in Baseball History: In 1930, Babe Ruth hits a home run in both games of a doubleheader, giving him nine dingers in one week.