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The Brewers provided mixed injury news on their rotation. Brandon Woodruff will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville on Saturday, according to an announcement from the Sounds. In less encouraging news, the team informed reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) that Aaron Civale is headed for further evaluation after a setback in his recovery from a left hamstring strain.
It’ll be Woodruff’s first regular season game action since September 2023. The two-time All-Star underwent surgery to fix a capsule tear in his shoulder during the ’23 postseason. Milwaukee declined to tender him an arbitration contract before bringing him back on a backloaded two-year deal. Woodruff made $2.5M while rehabbing last season and is playing on a $5M salary this year. He’ll collect a $10M buyout on a $20M mutual option and return to the open market next offseason.
The Brewers knew at the time that Woodruff would not be able to pitch in 2024. They took things slowly this spring, announcing before camp opened that he’d begin the season on the injured list. Woodruff only tossed one MLB inning during exhibition play. He has continued throwing and will take on a decent workload in his first appearance. Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel relays that Woodruff will work around 65 pitches and/or four innings on Saturday. He’ll presumably need a few turns through the Triple-A rotation before the Brewers are comfortable reinstalling him into the MLB staff.
Milwaukee has needed to stitch the rotation together behind Freddy Peralta. They acquired Quinn Priester from the Red Sox and recalled Spring Training signee Jose Quintana for his team debut tonight. Rookie Chad Patrick has been pressed into rotation work. He has managed 11 innings of three-run ball across his first three big league appearances, albeit with an unexciting 10:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. It’s a similar story for swingman Tyler Alexander, who has surrendered four runs with 12 punchouts and seven walks over 12 2/3 frames.
Woodruff brings far greater upside than anyone else in the rotation aside from perhaps Peralta. He owns a 3.10 ERA with a near-29% strikeout rate across 680 1/3 career innings. It remains to be seen whether he can regain that effectiveness after a major shoulder procedure and an 18-month layoff.
Civale opened the season in the rotation, but he landed on the IL after his first start. Nestor Cortes subsequently suffered a flexor strain that sent him to the injured list. Woodruff, Tobias Myers (who is on a rehab stint), DL Hall, Aaron Ashby and Robert Gasser had all begun the season on the shelf. While details on the setback are sparse, it doesn’t seem Civale is on the verge of a return. He is playing on an $8M salary and will reach free agency next offseason.
More must-reads:
- Brewers Gold Glove-winning 2B on pace for breakout year at the plate
- 20 bizarre baseball team names you won’t believe were real
- The 'MLB managers of the year' quiz
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Cincinnati Reds Option 28-Year-Old Closer to Triple-A Louisville
The Cincinnati Reds have gotten off to a good start to the 2025 MLB season as they are second in the NL Central with a 16-15 record. However, one point of concern has been the back end of the bullpen as Alexis Diaz has struggled. On Thursday morning, the team announced a move that could be telling of what the future could hold for the 28-year-old reliever. Let’s take a look at the move that happened and what it means going forward for the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati Reds Send Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Ahead of Thursday afternoon’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds announced they have sent closer Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Louisville and are calling up right-handed pitcher Luis Mey. Diaz has not been able to do too well this season as in 6.0 innings (six games) he is 0-0 with a 12.00 ERA and a 2.17 WHIP. His command has been atrocious with five walks to three strikeouts and has given up four home runs already. Diaz still has options and is not a free agent until after the 2027 season as he has two years of arbitration remaining. A big reason for the early-season struggles is the fact he is a two-pitch pitcher and hitters can sit on one of the pitches. He has a four-seam fastball and a slider, but his slider has been getting demolished as hitters are 5-for-13 (.385 BA) with two doubles, a pair of home runs, and only one strikeout. Now, the ability to move him down to the minors could be a chance for him to begin developing a third pitch or at least gaining some confidence to be a high-leverage reliever in the majors. It will be interesting to see how long the Cincinnati Reds keep him in the minors as he begins to correct his early-season woes.
NFL team executive expands on what Browns' Shedeur Sanders did wrong before draft
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders falling to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft before the Cleveland Browns traded up to select him with pick No. 144 has become one of the most-discussed developments of the offseason. On Tuesday, league insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic expanded on how Sanders' predraft actions negatively impacted his stock before April 24 arrived. Specifically, one unnamed team executive told Russini that Sanders handled "visits with teams as a recruiting trip versus a job interview." Additionally, that executive "believed Sanders, who did not hire an agent, would have benefited from having one to provide a better level of insight into and understanding of the draft process." Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 is among those who have noted that Miami signal-caller Cam Ward didn't have an agent ahead of the draft. The Tennessee Titans made Ward the first pick of the player-selection process on April 24. The "recruiting trip" line likely has to do with rumors that popped up this past winter claiming that Colorado head coach Deion Sanders could essentially warn teams that Shedeur, Deion's son, would only sign contracts with certain clubs. Former NFL player/executive and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who is close with the Sanders family, later suggested that Shedeur didn't want to be drafted by the Titans, Browns or New York Giants. NFL Draft analyst and league insider Todd McShay of The Ringer reported that at least one of Shedeur Sanders' visits with Giants head coach Brian Daboll went poorly, in part because Daboll allegedly felt Sanders was unprepared for that meeting. One "longtime NFL assistant coach" accused Sanders of being responsible for "the worst formal interview" that coach had ever experienced, and a different report said the 23-year-old "didn’t take blame" when shown "a particularly rough interception" during an interview held at the combine. Per Julia Stumbaugh of Bleacher Report, Russini said during the latest edition of her "Scoop City" podcast that she "did not ever get any intel that the Cleveland Browns had [Sanders] ranked high on their board." Russini added that the Browns only "took a chance that maybe [Sanders] can turn into something and be a player" once he fell to the fifth round. Meanwhile, famous quarterback coach Quincy Avery is among those who believe Sanders won't be more than "a backup at best" at the highest level. Now that Sanders has given "a lesson in what not to do for future quarterbacks" as it pertains to the draft, he'll need to show he can quickly learn the Browns' playbook as he prepares to join a quarterback room that features veteran Joe Flacco, 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett and 2025 third-round choice Dillon Gabriel. As of late Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders as a +370 betting underdog to be Cleveland's Week 1 starter behind Flacco (+116) and Pickett (+220).
NHL Player Safety Makes Official Ruling on Brayden Schenn After Dangerous Hit on Mark Scheifele
Brayden Schenn's suspension fate is confirmed after a controversial hit on Mark Scheifele in Game 5 between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets won 5-3 against the Blues in Winnipeg last night. Scott Arniel's team found momentum after seeing top forward Mark Scheifele leave the game due to a massive hit. Scheifele has been targeted by the Blues since the playoffs started, but last night, in the first period, had to retreat to the locker room after a hit from Brayden Schenn. He later returned to the ice but was sent to the infirmary for good by Radek Faksa in the same period. Schenn received a two minor penalties on the play: one for roughing and the other for interference. Fans and analysts alike shared their thoughts on the hit: Ultimately, the NHL Department of Player Safety opted to not punish with supplemental discipline. The Jets managed to get the win despite Scheifele's absence and will be ready to do it again tomorrow, with or without their top center: 'It's not one guy that needs to fill the shoes of Mark. It needs to be everybody. And the way [Namestnikov] plays, he's been great for the whole series and with a couple of chances here or there, he could have some better results. You see it tonight. He drives hard to the net, plays all hard areas very well, defends well, and obviously was a key contributor on two of those goals.' - Kyle Connor 'Sometimes when you lose your No. 1 center, you lose a key piece to your lineup. There can be a bit of a sag, an emotional letdown. But you know, I thought the guys really rallied around it.' - Adam Lowry With a win, the Jets would clinch their ticket to the second round, joining the winner of the series between the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche.
The 'Points-per-game leaders by NBA team in 2024-25' quiz
The Detroit Pistons will try to once again stave off elimination at the hands of the New York Knicks in Game 6, this time within the friendly confines of Little Caesers’ Arena. The Pistons have already gotten a couple of monkeys off of their back this season by making their first postseason since 2019 and ending a 15-game playoff losing streak with their Game 2 in Madison Square Garden. Which brings us to today’s quiz. A key part of the Pistons’ turn-around has been the jump in play from former No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham, who led the team both in points (26.1) and assists-per-game (9.1). With that being said, can you name every NBA team’s points-per-game leaders from the 2024-25 season? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
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