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The Yankees’ injury situation is getting better and worse at the same time.
Plus: A reporter goes to infield boot camp, a former No. 1 prospect talks about his “last chance” and Ken has notes on the Mets and Cubs. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!
Ouch: Cabrera’s injury, Stanton’s looming return
Yesterday, Brendan Kuty reported that the Yankees are planning to activate DJ LeMahieu before tonight’s game in Seattle. Before last night, it seemed obvious where he would play: with Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the IL, there was an opening at second base, where LeMahieu has played 1,137 games (he hasn’t played more than 295 at any other position).
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Alright, look — I gotta just …
Not to wreck the fourth wall, but I write these things the night before. I had this section written before third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera suffered a gruesome leg injury last night against the Mariners and was taken off the field in an ambulance. Frankly, it was horrifying, and I’m not sure how to proceed other than to tell you I wrote all this before that happened. Maybe LeMahieu will play some third base, too. Hardly seems important right now. Anyway, here’s the rest of the section.
*deep breath*
LeMahieu’s return made me wonder about another guy who should be coming back soon: Giancarlo Stanton. What are the Yankees going to do when he gets back?
Ben Rice has been playing primarily at DH this year in Stanton’s absence, and he’s been having a heck of a year, hitting .256 with a .918 OPS. Rice could move to first base, but Paul Goldschmidt has been busy over there having a personal renaissance, hitting .350 (.895 OPS). Rice has also played a bit of catcher, but guess what: Austin Wells has established himself as the guy.
But Rice has been the team’s fourth-most valuable player by bWAR, with 1.2 already this season. Surely they’re not going to put Stanton back in the outfield, are they?
As a wise man once (probably) said: “LOL, no.” Stanton, 35, hasn’t played defense since 2023, and he’s not about to pick his glove back up, especially coming back from tennis elbow.
As it turns out, Chris Kirschner gave us a possible answer, in a notes column on May 1. He suggests that Rice could catch a couple of times a week, play first base a couple of times a week (since Goldschmidt hits left-handed pitchers better than right-handers, and Rice hits righties significantly better than lefties), and play DH on days when Stanton needs a breather.
So there’s your answer. Probably. I’m still in shock about Cabrera’s injury, to be quite honest.
More stars returning from injury: Dave O’Brien has the encouraging news from Atlanta: Ronald Acuña Jr. is starting a rehab assignment tonight.
Ken’s Notebook: Soto’s swing, Tucker’s impact and more broadcast nuggets
Leftover notes from Saturday’s Cubs-Mets broadcast on Fox:
Mets rotation: That the Mets lead the majors with a 2.67 rotation ERA is one of the season’s great surprises. Two of their free-agent signees, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, have yet to throw a single pitch. The Mets are mindful they will need to monitor the workloads of Clay Holmes, who is in his first year as a starter, and Kodai Senga, who missed nearly all of last season with injuries. But Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning essentially were viewed as depth pieces, and both have been excellent. Montas is expected back in early June, Manaea mid-June.
Francisco Lindor: At 31, he is getting on the older side for a shortstop in today’s game. Lindor, however, still rated as one of the top defenders at the position last season, and continues to impress with his glove. The key, he said, is maintaining his footwork — once that goes, an infielder’s defense starts to decline. In addition to taking grounders, Lindor does agility and movement drills to make sure his footwork remains on point.
Juan Soto: Mets hitting coach Eric Chávez played against Barry Bonds, and says Soto has the tightest swing he has seen since Barry. The way Chávez describes it, Soto’s swing is so technically sound, it allows him to let pitches travel deeper into the zone. And then, when Soto strikes the ball, he can hit it to the opposite field with power. Chávez also could do that during his playing days, but had to catch the ball more out front. “His swing is a good foot tighter than mine,” Chávez said. “He can hit let it travel as deep as anybody.”
Kyle Tucker: Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson says he doesn’t know if he realized how complete a player Tucker is, describing him as an “aircraft carrier” who is just what the Cubs needed offensively. The difference is apparent in the Cubs’ offense, which ranked 12th in runs per game last season, but now leads the NL. Swanson said Tucker effectively makes the job of every other hitter in the lineup easier. Players are freed of any pressure to perform beyond their capabilities. They can just be themselves.
Cubs offense: Two more reasons why the Cubs are the NL’s highest-scoring team: The hitters at the top of the order — Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch — all draw walks. And while third base remains an open question, the lineup is much deeper, thanks in part to the emergences of Pete Crow-Armstrong and both catchers. Dansby Swanson had an awful first half last season, Cody Bellinger twice went on the IL, Crow-Armstrong hit poorly and the catching production was among the worst in the game.
Cubs catchers’ OPS (through Sunday):
- 2024: .601 (26th in majors)
- 2025: .913 (second to Seattle)
Tryouts: Sam Blum learns from Wash
One of my favorite press box stories comes from Dave Sessions, who now freelances for the MLB site. When Ron Washington was the manager of the Texas Rangers, he once told Sessions to put on one of the flat training gloves he uses for pregame drills with his infielders.
One after the other, he fungoed hard grounder after hard grounder at the reporter, shouting instructions on footwork, hand placement and the like. After a few minutes, he was satisfied with Sessions’ progress and turned to another reporter.
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“Now, if I can teach that motherf—er to do it, then I can teach Ian Kinsler to do it!”
Kinsler, by the way, later won two Gold Gloves.
I linked to this story in yesterday’s Windup, but it came in pretty late in my process, so I didn’t get to give it the attention I wanted: Our own Sam Blum willingly subjected himself to a pregame infield drill session with Washington to see what the fuss was all about.
Wash didn’t take it easy on Sam, and it’s a great insight into the mind of a coach who has long been considered one of the best — if not the best — infield instructors in the game. Or as Wash himself puts it: “a motherf—ing expert.”
Journeys: Former No. 1 prospect opens up about ‘last chance’
Almost nine years ago, Forrest Whitley was picked at No. 17 in the 2016 MLB Draft. Before the 2019 season, Whitley was the No. 1 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. The sky seemed to be less a limit and more a foregone conclusion.
- Whitley has thrown just under 170 innings — total — in the minor leagues in the six-plus years since those lists were published. If that’s all you knew, you’d probably guess he pitched one more year in the minors, then got the call-up.
- But no. He’s thrown 5 1/3 innings in the big leagues. Injuries have stolen the rest.
Now he’s out of minor-league options, and thanks to a knee sprain, he’s on the injured list for the second time this season. He spoke to Chandler Rome about it, and says he’s “embarrassed” at every new injury.
The story is an insightful look into Whitley’s long and fraught journey. He recognizes that this might be his last chance to stick with the organization that drafted him. And while some of the problem was self-inflicted (Whitley served a 50-game drug suspension in 2018), most of it has been out of his control.
It’s a read that’s worth your time.
More Astros: How long can Houston stick with a lineup that is so righty-heavy?
Handshakes and High Fives
Freddie Freeman’s ankle still isn’t quite right. He’s dominating anyway, hitting .376 (1.171 OPS).
In news that isn’t about not moving to first base: From the eye of the storm, Red Sox DH Rafael Devers won AL Player of the Week.
In this week’s Power Rankings, the team looks at one “wish you were here” player for each of the 30 teams.
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The Diamondbacks are calling up top prospect Jordan Lawlar, whom Keith Law ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the game this year.
Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer aren’t being called up by the Red Sox. Not yet. But when they are, Kristian Campbell has advice for them on how to adjust to the big leagues.
Jace Jung has struggled at the plate in the big leagues. He’s trying to get it straightened out, because there’s a third-base job up for grabs in Detroit.
Cardinals Win Streak Counter: They’re up to nine games in a row.
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Even with the short intro, it was Blum’s infield session with Ron Washington.
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(Top photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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