Spring training games are in full swing and that means pitchers are getting ready for the season and... oh, no!
- The photo above of Yankees righthander Luis Severino at practice last week is one of the only ones you’ll see of him in uniform this year, because he had elbow discomfort not long after that and Bryan Hoch details how Severino found out he needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2020 season.
- Most people don’t feel too sorry for the Yankees, but in case you do, Hoch details how the Yankees could replace Severino internally.
- David Schoenfield says the Yankees might not miss Severino too much because their rotation was kind of in flux anyway.
- Jesse Sanchez has the Diamondbacks management reaction to Madison Bumgarner’s rodeo career. To date, the reaction can be summed up as being very, very cautious, not just with MadBum but with their statements.
- In case you were wondering how much Bumgarner made as a rodeo rider, baseball-reference.com has handily updated Bumgarner’s page with his rodeo winnings.
- The Giants’ California League team in San Jose is going to honor Bumgarner’s rodeo alter ego June 5 by having “Mason Saunders Night.”
- After all that, if you still have questions about MadBum, rodeo rider, Andrew Baggarly and Zach Buchanan (who broke the original story) have all the answers for you. (The Athletic subscription required)
- This isn’t Pinstripe Alley, but Yankees news continues. Gerrit Cole hit 98 miles per hour in his Yankees spring debut.
- Ken Rosenthal writes about Cole, new Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake and how some teams are making bold hires — five years ago Blake was a high-school coach. (The Athletic subscription required)
- Turning to a different A.L. team, Paul Sullivan says the White Sox should go for broke and put two top prospects at the top of their batting order.
- David Schoenfield has “the most interesting non-roster player” for all 30 teams. Hint about the Cub listed: He’s not going to play in a game for a while.
- The creators of the Phillie Phanatic call the team’s new design for their mascot “an affront” to Phillies fans. Craig Calcaterra has details.
- Former big league player Gregor Blanco is retiring and going to work in the MLB offices under new VP of field operations Chris Young. The former pitcher Chris Young, not the former outfielder and not the new Cubs bullpen coach. There are far too many guys named Chris Young in baseball for my tastes.
- Are you an armchair GM who likes to put together potential three-team trades? Zach Buchanan interviewed some real GMs about these and writes that putting them together is an art. (The Athletic subscription required)
- Jayson Stark writes about Shohei Ohtani and the future of two-way players in baseball. (The Athletic subscription required)
- Earlier this week, a sad event happened in Los Angeles with the memorial service for Kobe Bryant. Here’s a happy Kobe Bryant story — his encounter with Manny Machado before the 2018 World Series, where Kobe revealed he was a huge fan of Machado — who had idolized Bryant.
- Bill Francis documents the orientation held at the Hall of Fame this week for new inductees. Larry Walker said he was “trembling” at the thought that he was soon going to be included in the select group of Hall of Famers.
- In case you care about Tim Tebow, he homered in a Mets spring training game Tuesday, his first of the spring. The only thing likely standing in between Tebow and a September callup is the new September 28-man roster limit.
- New A’s reliever T.J. McFarland does a great Harry Caray impression, according to Susan Slusser. But he’s also got a business management degree with a certification in financial management.
- And to wrap this Wednesday morning, I’m going to steal one story from Cub Tracks because it’s so much fun. Cubs infielder David Bote used his “sweet swing,” per Tim Stebbins, to help a couple at Sloan Park do a gender reveal for their baby-to-be.
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.