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Pablo Sandoval needs surgery and his season is over
Tuesday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes the end of Pablo Sandoval’s 2016, an anniversary for baseball freaks, and fallout from J.J. Hardy’s foot injury.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
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The Red Sox don’t need to figure out what to do with Pablo Sandoval when he returns from the disabled list just yet. That’s now a question for 2017, as Sandoval will undergo shoulder surgery that will end his season before it ever really got going. Sandoval had lost his job by Opening Day following a poor debut season coupled with a defensively poor spring, and with Travis Shaw’s productive start to 2016, Sandoval was going to have trouble getting third base back even if he were healthy: Shaw has now hit .285/.345/.500 over 90 MLB games and 348 plate appearances.
Just when Sandoval will return is up in the air, as the procedure is reconstructive. The Red Sox didn’t insure Sandoval’s shoulder when he signed prior to the 2015 season, as there was no physical need to do so. Since that time, though, his shoulder has obviously suffered and degraded, and for all we know it could have been part of his problem a year ago and this spring.
Will the Sox trade Sandoval when he’s once again healthy? Will they consider making him the designated hitter in 2017 should his recovery go smoothly, and he looks like the player they thought they were signing? It’s far too early to know for sure the answer to those kinds of questions, and the Sox are probably glad they don’t need to consider them just yet. Surgery isn’t a positive -- it’s surgery, people -- but this should help Sandoval and the Sox get the time they need to figure themselves out for 2017.
- Tim Lincecum's showcase is set for Friday, and at least 20 teams are expected to be in attendance to see if he's actually throwing 91 miles per hour.
- The Yankees' offense is sputtering, but Starlin Castro is having himself a fine start to 2016.
- The Red Sox are in first place in the AL East despite the Sandoval issues, despite injuries to key players, and despite the performances of David Price and Clay Buchholz. Things might only get better from here!
- Or, you know, much worse. Baseball is cruel and all that.
- J.J. Hardy is out for six weeks with a hairline fracture in his foot, and the Orioles might just use shortstop-turned-third-baseman Manny Machado in his place at short.
- Sunday was the 25th anniversary of one of the most memorable days in baseball history: Rickey Henderson broke the stolen base record, and hours later, Nolan Ryan threw his record seventh career no-hitter.
- The Mariners' start to the season is exciting! It is also concerning.
- The Tigers thought they were getting a deal when they signed Mike Pelfrey, but here's the thing: he's Mike Pelfrey.
- The Cardinals are hoping their April is behind them and that May, as it usually does, will bring them better news. That's no exaggeration, either: the Cardinals were under .500 on May 2, and that is only the fourth day under .500 after May 1 in their last nine seasons. The other three days were all in 2014, and they won 90 games and the NL Central that year.
- You should probably be paying attention to rookie Nomar Mazara.
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