Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto is projected to miss two to three weeks because of a strained right calf.
New York put the four-time All-Star on the 10-day injured list Monday, a move retroactive to Saturday. The Mets said the typical timeframe for a return to play for this type of injury is about two to three weeks.
Infielder Ronny Mauricio was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
Soto, 27, is in the second season of a record $765 million, 15-year contract. He is hitting .355 with one homer and five RBIs in eight games after batting .263 with 43 homers, 105 RBIs, 38 stolen bases, 127 walks and a .921 OPS in his first season with the Mets.
Soto was hurt Friday night trying to run from first to third during the Mets’ 10-3 win at San Francisco.
The Mets host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game series beginning Tuesday.
The start times for the first two games have been moved up with cold weather and windy conditions expected.
The start times for the first two games of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ road series against the New York Mets have been adjusted due to expected cold weather and windy conditions.
First pitch is now slated for 1:10 p.m. MST for Tuesday and Wednesday after originally being scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
The series finale on Thursday between the two teams remains scheduled for 4:10 p.m. MST.
Both teams enter play Monday sitting second in their respective divisions.
Arizona is coming off back-to-back wins over the Atlanta Braves to wrap up a seven-game homestand and get back to .500 (5-5) ahead of a nine-game road trip.
The Diamondbacks start off in New York before three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles.
The Mets, meanwhile, are coming off three straight wins over the San Francisco Giants to salvage a 4-3 mark on their seven-game road trip. They’re now 6-4 on the year.
New York now gets six games at home, beginning with Arizona on Tuesday.
– Tuesday: Zac Gallen (1-1) vs. Freddy Peralta (1-0)
– Wednesday: Ryne Nelson (0-1) vs. David Peterson (0-1)
– Thursday: Eduardo Rodriguez (0-0) vs. Nolan McLean (1-0)
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks could use some juice in a lineup that has started the season slowly, and Adrian Del Castillo, who is fresh off the injured list, will be tasked with providing thump in the middle of the order.
Del Castillo returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing the first week of the season and all of spring training with a calf strain.
With Pavin Smith and Jordan Lawlar having suffered early-season injuries and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. expected to return either in late April or May, the lineup has depth concerns after the top four.
Manager Torey Lovullo said Del Castillo will step into the five-spot against righties as a designated hitter, batting behind catcher Gabriel Moreno. While the D-backs have to figure out left field with Lawlar on the mend with a broken wrist, Del Castillo naturally fits into Smith’s primary role.
Del Castillo went 0-for-3 in his season debut on Saturday and was out of Sunday’s lineup against a left-handed starter. The D-backs will see two tough right-handed starters in their next series at the New York Mets: Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean.
“I think when he plays, I’m gonna stick him in the middle of the lineup,” Lovullo said Friday. “We need some part of that lineup in the middle to hold down the fort. Not that the other guys haven’t, or they can’t, or they won’t. It’s just for right now, that’s what I want to see. If Gabi were to hit fourth, I think Del fits that spot really well for us.”
Lovullo said Del Castillo is not being barred from catching and could log some innings behind the plate, but he is third on the depth chart behind Moreno and James McCann.
His bat is much more important right now.
Del Castillo played two rehab games for Triple-A Reno to prepare for his return, but he was frequently on the backfields of Salt River Fields to get the at-bats he needed, many times alongside Gurriel and Corbin Carroll.
“I was almost a regular back there, just stealing at-bats from a couple minor leaguers, which I felt bad about, but I needed to get ready, and they understood that,” Del Castillo told Arizona Sports on Saturday. “I’ve been at it for probably like three, four weeks, getting my at-bats and catching, too.”
Del Castillo made a name for himself when he came up in 2024, hitting a grand slam in his hometown of Miami and a walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in his home debut. He slugged .525 in 25 games to jump up prospect lists, showing a power potential that’s not too common for catchers.
Injuries limited his availability last season, although he received regular at-bats against righties after the All-Star break.
He finished the year relatively well with a .784 OPS in his final 25 games, albeit with too many strikeouts.
“I think last year towards the end I started to pick it up … especially when we were having a little bit of a run there towards the playoffs,” Del Castillo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo during spring training. “I got hurt last year, which kind of threw me off a little bit of rhythm. But once I got back and I got a couple more at-bats, I think I started to get in a little groove.”
Del Castillo said beyond rehabbing and getting his body ready, he has been focused on improving putting the ball in play with two strikes. The 26-year-old sports a 34% strikeout rate in the major leagues so far, which is 12% higher than league average.
The Diamondbacks have a top of the order built well to hit righties with switch-hitters Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo and lefty Corbin Carroll. There is not much power from the left side among the healthy position players after them, which gives Del Castillo a key opportunity to re-establish himself in a position of need as the D-backs figure out how they will generate offense early in the season.
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks scored three runs over their last three games entering Saturday, and manager Torey Lovullo was clear on what has to improve from a team perspective.
Clearly there are individuals off to slow starts, but teamwide, Lovullo needs to see his team stop chasing pitches out of the strike zone.
The Diamondbacks have swung at nearly a third of pitches out of the zone through eight games (33%), the fifth highest clip in Major League Baseball, according to Statcast.
This is an area of the game where Arizona thrived in 2023 and 2024 (less than 27%) but was middle of the pack last year. It is very early, but this is an issue that is not sustainable.
“Our chase rate is extremely high right now,” Lovullo said. “If we zone in, try not to do too much, wait for our pitch, it‘s the art of hitting and the beauty of baseball. When you do it, it’s sweet music. When you chase, you get yourself into bad counts.
“Pitchers have nasty stuff. You’ve got to slow the game down, swing at strikes, see the baseball, understand what the at-bat is asking for. That’s the simplicity of hitting for me. We’re a little bit anxious trying to do too much, in my opinion.”
By contrast, the Diamondbacks’ 62% swing rate on pitches in the zone is the third lowest in baseball, which is closer to standard for this team.
Lovullo said that other than Geraldo Perdomo, chase rates are up essentially across the board. Alek Thomas had the eighth highest in MLB entering Saturday, while Nolan Arenado, Gabriel Moreno and Carlos Santana were among the top 50.
The Diamondbacks are not even among the league leaders in swings-and-misses, but they are making contact with most of their chase swings. This is preventing them from barreling up the baseball in ways they have in the recent past.
After getting shut out on Friday by the Atlanta Braves, Arizona’s batting average dropped to .209 as a team with an on-base percentage of .275, which is problematic for a team that does not have the same slug capabilities as the previous couple seasons.
Chasing less won’t solve every problem with the lineup, but it is a recognizable fix for a team that typically prides itself on grinding out at-bats and getting on base.
“We’ve been challenged to score some runs this year, no doubt about it,” Lovullo said. “We’re going to figure that out. We’ve got great hitting coaches. They’ve got a proven track record. They’re going to figure it out with the boys. The boys are working their butts off.”
After Friday’s game, Lovullo said there are some core guys who have yet to get going, saying it was a matter of time.
Ketel Marte (.532 OPS), Perdomo (.683) and Moreno (.519) are in that camp of difference-makers the club expects to heat up.
