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The Pablo Sandoval situation is only getting weirder
Tuesday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes Pablo Sandoval’s shoulder injury, Ian Kinsler’s quick thinking and the rise and fall of Rafael Palmeiro.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
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Let’s recap: Pablo Sandoval lost his job as the Red Sox third baseman to Travis Shaw, despite still being owed $75 million over the next four years. Before too much of the season got going, Sandoval told the Sox his shoulder hurt, and they placed him on the DL immediately without having Sandoval undergo an MRI first. Initially, it felt like the Sox did this so they could take advantage of an excuse to get Sandoval off their bench and roster and away from the spotlight, especially when a report came out that the two sides were at odds about his role. Things got a bit more complicated after that, though, and now it’s unclear if this was their intention at all.
Once Sandoval did have an MRI, a second opinion was necessary, as it looked like he might need shoulder surgery. Did the Sox place him on the DL immediately because Sandoval’s self-diagnosis made it obvious that was necessary? Or is this just a coincidence for Boston? That itself was a strange twist, but now there is another, as Sandoval couldn’t get the second opinion he was scheduled for from Dr. James Andrews, as his shoulder was too sore for the examination.
Instead, Sandoval received a cortisone shot and will be back in a “couple weeks” according to manager John Farrell. It’s clear his shoulder is a problem, whether it needs surgery not, so even if he’s able to avoid a procedure he might end up with a lengthy DL stint and recovery time. Whether the Sox believe that to be a blessing or a curse is still up in the air, but it does push off their having to answer the Pablo Sandoval question for that much longer.
- Ian Kinsler intentionally dropped a ball so he could get the lead runner out, which the infield fly rule is supposed to keep from happening, but it didn't apply to this situation.
- You've likely heard quite a bit about exit velocity, but little in the way of explaining what it might mean. It turns out there might be some significant implications about pitcher performance we can glean from the data.
- Trevor Story hit his league-leading eighth homer of the year, if you're in the mood to watch it.
- The Phillies are rebuilding now, but it's clear they're going to be legit again in the future.
- Rafael Palmeiro opened up about the days after his suspension for performance-enhancing drugs and his life since.
- The Tigers are looking for rotation depth, and that includes Kyle Lohse, who was a disaster in 2015 but still productive as recently as 2014.
- Mat Latos is at his best when he's using his sinker often, and that's been the plan through two starts in 2016.
- John Lackey defeated the Cardinals on Monday, so now he's officially bested all 30 teams. Lackey had notched a W against St. Louis in the 2013 World Series previously, but that obviously doesn't count toward regular season victories.
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This is how you catch a foul ball
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