(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)   The Chicago Cubs got some crushing injury news on Wednesday. One of their best players, Cody Bellinger, was placed on the injured list with a rib fracture, per MLB insider Jon Heyman. “Cody Bellinger has a fractured rib and Pete Crow-Armstrong has been called up, Cubs manager Craig Counsell tells @670TheScore,” Heyman tweeted. Cody Bellinger has a fractured rib and Pete Crow-Armstrong has been called up, Cubs manager Craig Counsell tells @670TheScore — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 24, 2024 Crow-Armstrong wasn’t having a great season at Triple-A Iowa ..read more

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)   Before the start of the 2023 season, the Boston Red Sox signed outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract. In his first campaign, he had a .783 OPS with 15 homers and 33 doubles in 140 games. This year, however, he was off to a miserable start and is still hitting a rather disappointing .250/.333/.375. On Wednesday, according to Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo, Yoshida talked to the press and expressed frustration at his decreasing playing time. “Interesting media scrum with Yoshida in the clubhouse. He was very ..read more

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)   We have said many times, even on this site, that Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has little to no support from his teammates. That situation can be partially explained by the fact he has nine home runs to this point and only 12 RBI to show for his efforts. Many of the Angels’ failures in recent years – they haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, for example – can and should be attributed to the ownership and the front office not putting a strong supporting cast around Trout. The players, of course, are also to blame: they are the ones on the fie ..read more

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)   Elbow injuries have eaten pitchers alive this season in MLB. The number of hurlers suffering ligament damage or flexor tendon strains is growing by the day. Of them, Cleveland Guardians young starter Gavin Williams was getting closer to a return to action. He originally suffered elbow discomfort after a weighted ball workout on March 10, and was immediately shut down. He was completing steps towards returning: mound work, live batting practice, and others, but will now have to cease throwing again for a few days after suffering renewed discomfort. “Gavin Wil ..read more

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)   The San Francisco Giants have been forced to place left-handed starter Blake Snell on the 15-day injured list with a left adductor strain. There is a chance he needs more than the 15 days on the shelf, given the place and the nature of the ailment. One has to think Snell has been battling with the injury for at least a few days, because it’s not normal to see him struggling as he has. Of course, his spring training was abbreviated because he signed very late in the offseason, in the second half of spring training. Still, he has made three start ..read more

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)   The Los Angeles Dodgers signed a top player in Shohei Ohtani, a guy with a unique set of skills who had already won two AL MVP awards. What they didn’t imagine is that he had room to get even better. That’s apparently what he is doing right now. “In his first season with the @Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani is off to an incredible start,” MLB tweeted, with a graphic with some key stats. In his first season with the @Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani is off to an incredible start. pic.twitter.com/jq0E5AijVJ — MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024 Ohtani is leading the league in ..read more

(Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)   The San Francisco Giants did everything in their power to bring in some impact talent in the offseason. They were able to sign Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler, Matt Chapman, Jordan Hicks, and Blake Snell, the latter being secured very late into spring training. Snell didn’t open the season on the active roster, but worked hard to stay ready and eventually joined the staff. The early results to his Giants career hadn’t been encouraging, but just when he was starting to build up some stamina and feel comfortable on the mound, an injury will take at least a fe ..read more

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)   As recently as 2021, the Chicago White Sox were contenders and the Baltimore Orioles were terrible. It’s safe to say the tables have turned. The O’s started their ascent in 2022 and are now one of the best teams in baseball, whereas the White Sox went from bad to worse to embarrassing in a hurry. The difference between the two teams at the moment is night and day. One hits home runs by the dozen, while the other struggles to get anything going. In fact, a simple stat tells you everything you need to know about the O’s and White Sox’s seasons. “The O ..read more

(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)   The Detroit Tigers have been surprisingly good this season, with a 13-10 record that is good enough for third in the AL Central. One of the most shocking developments has been their excellent pitching. Tigers hurlers have a collective 2.85 ERA, which is among the best in baseball and surprising, considering Detroit posted a 4.24 ERA in 2023. To be more specific, the bullpen has been a top unit this year. It has been one of the reasons they have been so competitive, and have won more games than people expected. “The Tigers’ bullpen has a 1.70 ERA thro ..read more

(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)   The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently not playing their best ball. While they are, technically, in first place of the NL West division, their win-loss record stands at 13-11. The whole world knows they will be better than this with time, but as of right now, they haven’t shown their best version. Why are people so confident that the Dodgers will eventually be okay? Mainly because of the talent on their roster. As an example, we will show this bit of data brought to us by Codify Baseball. “Mookie Betts is 1st in MLB with a 1.103 OPS. Shohei Ohtani is 2 ..read more