LEADING OFF: Strasburg returns to majors; Trout, Alonso sit

By: The Associated Press Posted: 7:35 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 8, 2022 Last Modified: 9:02 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 8, 2022

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A look at what's happening around the majors on Thursday:

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2022 (1524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A look at what’s happening around the majors on Thursday:

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WELCOME BACK

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland)

Nationals star Stephen Strasburg is set to pitch in the majors for the first time since June 1, 2021, when he starts against the Marlins in Miami.

Strasburg, who turns 34 next month, has been sidelined for most of the past two seasons. He underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last summer.

The 2019 World Series MVP made three minor league rehab starts in the lead-up to his debut. Washington manager Dave Martinez says he won’t put any limitations on the right-hander.

“We’ll see how far we can take him. We’ll keep a close eye on him,” Martinez said this week.

Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million contract to remain with the Nationals after their championship season. He has made seven starts since, going 1-3 with a 5.74 ERA in those games. The three-time All-Star is 113-61 with a 3.21 ERA in his career.

TROUT SITS

Mike Trout is listed as day to day after the Angels star exited a game because of tightness in his left groin.

The three-time AL MVP was out of the lineup Wednesday night as the Angels hosted Boston and tried to break a 13-game losing streak, tied for the longest in franchise history.

FILE - Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg throws live batting practice in a drizzle during the team's spring training baseball workout March 15, 2022, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Strasburg is scheduled to make his season debut against the Miami Marlins on Thursday. The 33-year-old Strasburg has been sidelined for most of the past two seasons. He underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last summer and has not pitched since June 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

“Definitely better than it was last night. He’s going to stay inside today, do a lot of treatments on it, and we’re just going to kind of see where that takes us by game time,” Angels athletic trainer Mike Frostad said. “He’s not concerned about it. He’s very upbeat, moving around pretty good, and he’s really been in a good frame of mind.”

No MRI was scheduled, Frostad said.

Trout ended a career-worst 0-for-26 slump Monday. He homered early in the game Tuesday, then grimaced while running out a double.

The outfielder is batting .284 with 14 home runs and a .989 OPS. He missed the final 119 games of last season with a left calf strain.

GOOD NEWS, NEW YORK

Mets stars Pete Alonso and Starling Marte got promising diagnoses from injuries suffered in San Diego, and both players think they could be back in a matter of days.

Alonso was hit in his right hand by a pitch Tuesday, but X-rays and a CT scan showed no breaks or fractures. The hulking right-handed hitter, tied for the NL lead with 16 homers, is optimistic he won’t have to go on the injured list. He’s waiting for swelling to subside before planning his return, but still he called it “probably the best-case scenario.”

New York Mets' Pete Alonso is on the ground after being hit by a pitch while batting during the second inning of the team's baseball game against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Marte left Tuesday’s game with left quad tightness but said Wednesday he was feeling better and also hoping to avoid the IL.

Neither player was in the lineup Wednesday for the series finale against the Padres. New York is off Thursday before opening a series at the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

SHUTOUT STRING

Dodgers left-hander Tyler Anderson (7-0, 2.59 ERA) has thrown 26 consecutive scoreless innings heading into his matchup with Dylan Cease (4-2, 3.69) and the Chicago White Sox in the finale of an interleague series between teams with October expectations.

The 32-year-old Anderson can become the first eight-game winner in the majors. A first-round draft pick by Colorado in 2011, he hasn’t finished with an ERA under 4.35 since his 2016 rookie season with the Rockies.

HEATING UP

Braves lefty Max Fried tries to win his fourth straight start when he pitches at home against Pittsburgh.

Fried (5-2, 2.74 ERA) has allowed just three runs in 20 innings during his winning string. He’ll face J.T. Brubaker (0-5, 4.70).

Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout, center right, is checked out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Trout left the game. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Off the field, the 28-year-old Fried still has a salary arbitration hearing in the near future. The cases are usually decided by now, but the timetable was pushed back by the Major League Baseball lockout.

Fried has asked for a salary of $6.85 million and the Braves offered $6.6 million. He pitched six shutout innings in the World Series clincher last year and is off to a good start this season — by agreement between MLB and the players’ union, no statistics or evidence from after March 1 are admissible in the arbitration hearing other than contract and salary comparisons.

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