Weekend Rumblings - News for March 23, 2024

The last weekend before regular season baseball.

Jaylon Thompson writes about the Royals demoting Nick Pratto despite a hot spring.

“Frankly you know, Vinnie (Pasquantino) is going to play first (base) most of the time,” Quatraro said. “Nick had a phenomenal spring. It was just a little bit of a logjam. He can do other things in playing the outfield. But right now, that opportunity is not there. He did everything he could possibly do this spring. We just need him to continue that in Omaha.”

Anne Rogers has more on the decision.

“We’re not going to rely solely on what they do in Spring Training games,” Quatraro said earlier this month when discussing roster decisions. “That’s not fair on the positive or negative side because you’ve got to use your whole body of work, your projectability, all those things. Performance is part of the puzzle. But it’s definitely not the whole thing.”

She also reports that Carlos Hernández had a bullpen session.

Hernández took his first step toward a return Friday when he threw his first bullpen since receiving a cortisone injection in his right shoulder Feb. 27. It was a light session and not very many pitches, but he walked off the mound saying, “Bien,” to trainers and coaches. The 27-year-old reliever was shut down from throwing shortly after camp opened in February because of shoulder pain. He will begin the season on the injured list, but the Royals will see how he recovers from Friday’s bullpen with the hope that Hernández continues his progression toward returning.

David Lesky writes about why the Royals will need starting pitching depth.

Of these five starters, they’ve completed a combined 26 big league seasons and only three of those have resulted in even qualifying for the ERA title (one inning pitched per team game played) and one of those was Singer in 2020. Again, this isn’t to say that the Royals have five guys who are good for 15-20 starts each, but there is something to the idea that they need to be managed some. Maybe the Royals don’t care about the long-term with Wacha or even Singer, but if they have aspirations to do more than watch the playoffs on television, they’ll need to be smart.

Craig Brown considers what we can expect from Jordan Lyles in the bullpen.

The Statcast data we will be able to glean from Lyles’ relief outings will be interesting. I’m not expecting a Wade Davis-type of transformation, but I do believe there’s a path forward for Lyles in the bullpen. Does his fastball play up in shorter outings? Last year, his four-seamer averaged 91 mph, which was in the 12th percentile of all pitchers. It was also frequently located right down the chute.

Sam McDowell gets opinions from experts that say the Community Benefits Agreement from the Royals leaves much to be desired.

Eric Hosmer will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

The White Sox release Mike Moustakas.

Danny Duffy doesn’t make the Rangers roster.

Texas signs pitcher Michael Lorenzen to a one-year, $4.5 million deal.

MLB opens an investigation into Shohei Ohtani over his interpreter’s gambling debts.

Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford and Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio will begin the season in the big leagues.

Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday will not.

Players rank the most underrated of their peers with Bobby Witt Jr. on the list.

What’s going on with the MLBPA after an alleged power struggle?

A Little League scandal in DC involves elite politicos.

The Chiefs trade cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans.

The first day of the NCAA tournament was the most-watched in a decade.

A gene-edited pig kidney is transplanted into a person for the first time.

What does an SAT score mean anymore?

The Beetlejuice sequel has a trailer.

Your song of the day is Aerosmith with Livin’ on the Edge.