Lane Thomas is back on the injured list, and for Braves fans, that means getting a crash course in the same frustration Guardians fans knew all too well.
Atlanta placed Thomas on the 15-day IL on Friday with a left intercostal strain, the result of an injury he picked up while taking batting practice earlier in the week. It doesn’t appear to be a season-ending issue, but the timing is rough for a Braves club trying to stay ahead of the Phillies in the National League East.
The first warning sign came Thursday, when Thomas was scratched roughly 20 minutes before first pitch in Atlanta’s win over the Rays. Because the IL move was backdated to Tuesday, the injury seems to have been nagging him for most of the week.
Thomas began the season with the Royals and put up 10 home runs, 37 RBI and an OPS+ of 104 across 97 games before Atlanta brought him in at the deadline as outfield depth. Since the trade, though, he has hit just .171 in 21 games while working in a platoon with Mike Yastrzemski.
The injury is a new twist for Thomas, whose time with the Guardians was more often defined by physical setbacks. During that stretch, he battled severe plantar fasciitis, eventually had surgery last season, and spent much of his Cleveland tenure dealing with the fallout.
Cleveland had considered bringing Thomas back in the offseason and also showed real interest in him at the deadline, but the Guardians ultimately moved on and landed on Jo Adell instead.
Thomas still could matter for Atlanta in the postseason, but this latest setback may affect what that role looks like.
The Braves entered Friday with a four-game cushion over the Phillies, though that gap could look very different by Sunday night with the teams meeting in a four-game series this weekend. Thomas was expected to start Saturday against left-hander Jesús Luzardo, but that spot now likely shifts to utility man Mauricio Dubon or outfielder Brewer Hicklen.
Atlanta’s corresponding move also comes with a name that should ring a bell for Guardians fans: the Braves called up former Twins outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
Keirsey spent the last two seasons on the edges of Minnesota’s roster, but he went 0-for-11 against the Guardians.
In Other News...
Guardians Top Power Prospect Hits A Bad Time For A Setback
Ralphy Velazquezs late-season surge has hit a brief snag, with the Guardians power prospect sidelined since Sept. 6 because of lingering lower body soreness. Cleveland has been careful not to push him too hard after a strong showing, which makes the timing of the setback frustrating but not unexpected as the organization tries to balance development with caution.
Elsewhere on the injury front, right-hander Shawn Armstrong was scheduled for a rehab appearance, Colin Holderman got in a bullpen session and Rhys Hoskins has begun a return-to-swing program. For a club monitoring multiple recovery tracks at once, Velazquezs status is the one that most directly affects how the Guardians want to finish evaluating one of their top bats. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Need Daniel Schneemann In A New Late-Season Role
Daniel Schneemann has already built a reputation as one of the most movable pieces on the Guardians roster, having spent time at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots during his MLB career. Since being recalled to the majors, he has added another layer to that versatility by getting work at first base, a detail that fits neatly with the way Cleveland has leaned on flexibility all season.
Stephen Vogt has not shut the door on using Schneemann there in an emergency, and not just as a patchwork answer if the position suddenly thins out. For a club trying to squeeze value out of every roster spot late in the year, that kind of extra option can matter, especially when one more move could help a lineup stay intact without forcing the Guardians to reshuffle everything else around it. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Pulled Off A Wild Card Win Twins Fans Wont Like
Taj Bradley gave the Twins exactly what they needed for most of the night at Target Field, carving through the Cleveland lineup with six scoreless innings and keeping Minnesota in position to salvage a tense game. But the Guardians have spent much of this season hanging around the Wild Card chase, and this one turned on the kind of late swing that has a way of reshaping standings in a hurry.
Cleveland left with a 5-2 win, a boost to 75-73 and a better seat in the postseason picture, thanks to a seventh-inning breakthrough and a bullpen that finished the job. For the Twins, it was the sort of loss that stings beyond one night, because a strong start was there and the result still slipped away once the game moved into the later innings. [Read more 🡒]