The Cubs got Dansby Swanson back Friday, and the shortstop wasted no time jumping back into the mix. Reinstated from the 10-day injured list after missing a little more than a month with an oblique strain, Swanson returned for the 6-4 loss to the Reds and finished 1 for 3 with a walk in his first game since Aug. 16.
Even with the injury interruption, Swanson’s season has looked a lot like what the Cubs have come to expect: steady defense at short and offense that sits around league average. In 118 games at shortstop, he has piled up 16 Outs Above Average, 11 Fielding Run Value and 5 Defensive Runs Saved.
At the plate, he’s batting .217/.302/.404 with a 96 wRC+, plus 18 homers and 17 steals across 462 plate appearances. The 32-year-old has also cleared 3.0 fWAR for the sixth straight season, sitting at 3.4.
Down in St. Louis, the Cardinals lost Joshua Báez for the rest of the year.
The 23-year-old outfielder went on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left oblique strain, ending his season after just a brief big league run. Báez made a massive first impression on Aug. 15, when he became the first player ever to hit three home runs in his major league debut in an 8-4 win over the Cubs.
After that debut fireworks show, Báez came back to earth, but his numbers still showed plenty of pop. He struck out 30.6% of the time and walked just 3.7% of the time, yet he still posted a .230/.278/.510 line with a 112 wRC+ over 108 plate appearances.
He hit seven home runs in the majors and 34 more for Triple-A Memphis, giving him 41 on the season. “He’s going to hit a decent amount of homers up here,” manager Oliver Marmol said (via Derrick Goold of the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch). “He showed us obviously in that first game what he was capable of and that the ceiling is super-high.”
The Tigers also had two familiar arms moving toward potential late-season returns. Justin Verlander, who has said he plans to retire after the season, got through a 20-pitch live batting practice session Friday, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
Verlander’s only appearance this year came on March 30, and he has spent the last six months dealing with hip and hamstring problems. The 43-year-old returned to Detroit last winter on a $13MM deal after stops with the Mets, Astros and Giants, and he is still trying to work his way back before the curtain falls on his career.
Jack Flaherty is chasing the same kind of finish for Detroit. The right-hander, sidelined since July 21 with right flexor inflammation, is scheduled for a two- to three-inning rehab start with Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, also per McCosky.
If that goes smoothly, he could be back with the Tigers next weekend. Flaherty chose to stay in Detroit on a $20MM player option last offseason, but the year has been rough: a 4.63 ERA and 4.38 walks per nine across 86 1/3 innings.
That sets him up to hit free agency with his stock down.
Minnesota placed Trevor Larnach on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left wrist sprain, retroactive to Sept. 15, leaving the door open for a return this season. Whether he gets back before the year ends remains uncertain.
If not, Larnach will finish with career highs in several areas, including a 123 wRC+, a .269/.352/.436 line and 13 home runs in 433 plate appearances. He also posted a 10.4% walk rate and a personal-best 18.2% strikeout rate.
The Twins nearly moved him to Houston for reliever Bryan Abreu before the Aug. 3 deadline, but Astros owner Jim Crane blocked the deal. Larnach is earning $4.48MM this season and has one more year of arbitration eligibility left, which makes him a name to watch on the offseason trade market.
In Other News...
Kevin McGonigle Is Making Detroit's Infield Plan Harder To Ignore
Kevin McGonigles rookie season has given the Tigers something they have been looking for, a young bat with real upside and a chance to factor into their infield future. Even with the defensive rough spots, he has put himself into the conversation because the offensive production has been strong enough to keep his name in the mix, and Detroits long-running search for stability on the left side of the infield only adds to the intrigue.
The challenge now is finding the cleanest path forward. McGonigle has split time between shortstop and third base, and the errors have shown how much harder that can make things for a young player trying to settle in. The Tigers see him as a promising long-term answer at third, which is part of what makes this development worth watching closely: if they can narrow his focus and let him grow into one spot, they may finally be looking at a solution to a position they have struggled to solve for years. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Playoff Push Got The Jolt Fans Never Saw Coming
The Tigers found themselves in trouble early against the White Sox in the second game of their four-game set, and it looked like a long night was coming after Chicago grabbed a big lead. A wild pitch helped bring in an early run, then Colson Montgomery delivered the kind of bases-clearing double that can tilt a game fast, putting Detroit in a deep hole before the lineup had really settled in.
Instead, the Tigers answered with the sort of rally that can change the mood around a team in a hurry. Kevin McGonigle delivered the big swing with a three-run triple as Detroit kept chipping away and finally surged ahead on the way to an 11-8 win, a comeback that gave the club a much-needed jolt in the middle of its playoff push. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers On Verge Of Elimination After Brutal Replay Turning Point
Jackson Jobe gave the Tigers exactly the kind of outing they needed on Thursday night at Rate Field, piling up a career-high nine strikeouts and keeping Detroit within striking distance for much of the game. The problem was that the offense could never quite cash in, and in a tight September game against the White Sox, every missed chance felt amplified.
The decisive swing came in the sixth inning, when what looked like a tying run for Detroit was wiped away after a review, and Miguel Vargas followed with a home run that pushed Chicago further ahead in a 3-1 White Sox victory. With the loss, the Tigers stayed on the brink of playoff elimination, leaving little margin for error as the schedule keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]