Let’s go bear hunting.
One downside of having the Friday morning Bytes is that frequently, Thursday’s fall on off days, which early in the season means there isn’t a lot of news about the team. That changes, of course, around the trade deadline, and towards the end of the season (assuming they are in contention) but there just isn’t much about the team as of writing. There are a couple of things to keep your attention though.
(MLB.com) How to watch Cubs vs. D-backs FREE on Apple TV+
Going to include this in the preview as well, but want to make sure as many people as possible get to see it. This is the first Diamondbacks game on Apple TV+, so it’s free to everyone! Just gotta jump through a couple of hoops first. The directions are in the link, so there’s no excuse for you not being able to watch 🙂
(Arizona Sports) MLB insiders: D-backs SS Geraldo Perdomo among most impressive rookies
The original ESPN+ article is behind a paywall, so I’ll link to this summary instead. Yes, Geraldo Perdomo ranked number 8th among rookies making a first impression There are three NL Rookies in front of him, so a ROTY award might be just out of reach, but you can probably bet on him getting a few votes when the time comes around.
MLB News
(WTOP) LEADING OFF: Pitch coach Willis to guide virus-hit Guardians
The Guardians have been having a rough go of it the past few days. Basically their entire coaching staff has tested positive for COVID, leaving them incredibly short staffed, leading to their Wednesday game being cancelled, after I guess none of their coaches were able to be cleared to play. Their pitching coach has been cleared, though, and will be acting manager for their upcoming series, seemingly as the only coach on the team. Should be an interesting week for him.
(NBC Sports Philadelphia) Harper’s injury more serious than feared, but he keeps swinging
Harper has a small tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team confirmed Thursday night. He will not throw for a month and will be treated with a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on Sunday. The procedure will keep Harper out of the lineup when the Phils close out a series in Los Angeles on Sunday and likely Tuesday when the club returns home to host the San Diego Padres.
The Los Angeles Angels announced on Thursday that right-hander Chase Silseth will be promoted and will make his big-league debut on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics. Silseth, selected in the 11th round last summer from the University of Arizona, will become the first player from Major League Baseball’s 2021 amateur draft to reach The Show.
Cano, on the other hand, has been poor so far. He had just eight hits this year with the Mets, only one of which was for extra bases. Still, he may be worth the trouble; Cano will cost the Padres just $700,000 in 2022. Getting Cano, a player who put up an .896 OPS in 49 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, on a league-minimum contract could be good business, particularly if he isn’t slated to play every game.