With so many games on the schedule tonight, here are three things we'll look at in baseball:
1. Tyler Mahle will make his debut in 2024:
Guardians plan to activate it Tyler Mahle from the 60-day IL to start tonight's game against the Astros (according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News). It will be Mahle's first start of the 2024 season and his first since signing a two-year, $22MM deal with Texas during the offseason. The right-hander had Tommy John surgery in May 2023, so the Rangers knew they wouldn't have him for much of the 2024 season when they signed him this winter. Now, he returns at the perfect time to help the team attempt an unexpected comeback in the final two months of the season. The Rangers are five games back in the AL West and 8.5 games back in the Wild Card race, but with Mahle back on the mound (and Jacob deGrom soon), this team still hopes to compete.
Texas has an open position in the rotation after placement Max Scherzer again Jon Gray in IL last week and trading Michael Lorenzen before the deadline. However, the club will need to do the same to make room for Mahle on the 40-man and 26-man roster.
2. Gabriel Moreno suffers from groin:
Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno exited yesterday's game against Guardian after injuring himself running an infield single. The team later described the injury as a “left groin.” While the D-backs haven't discussed the severity of the injury, it didn't look good on Monday, as Moreno went down in pain. Later he got up with the help of the coach and limped off the field. Presumably, Arizona will provide an update on his status before today's game, which starts at 5:40 pm CT at Progressive Field.
The Diamondbacks have the best record in baseball since the start of July, and Moreno has played a major role in their recent success. In 97 plate appearances since returning briefly from the IL (sprained left thumb) on July 2, he is slashing .333/.412/.476 with a 152 wRC+, all while providing his best defense behind the plate. If he misses the time, make a backup Jose Herrera they'll likely fill in as a regular catcher, and the D-backs will need to add another backstop to the 40-man roster — maybe Ronaldo Hernández or Adrian Del Castillo – to take over as a backup.
3. Drew Rasmussen to join Rays bullpen:
Drew Rasmussen is expected to rejoin the Rays today or tomorrow, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Although he was successful as a starter with Tampa Bay from 2021-23, Rasmussen will serve as more of a relief pitcher upon his return. Needless to say, the Rays plan to use caution with the 29-year-old, who has had three elbow surgeries since 2016. He had two Tommy John surgeries in college and had a hybrid internal brace procedure last summer. Very few pitchers ever come back from three major elbow procedures, but Rasmussen is looking to shrug off that setback. He will take the next step towards that goal when he returns to Misebe this week.
The Rays already have two open spots on the 40-man roster, so they will only need to clear a spot on the active roster before they can open up Rasmussen.
4. MLBTR discussion today:
The trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, and the push for the 2024 postseason deadline is on. If you have questions about your favorite team's deadline work (or lack thereof), its direction in the offseason or anything else related to the final third of the season, MLBTR's Steve Adams is hosting a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join live once the discussion has started, or read the transcript once the discussion is over.
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