Tyler Glasnow isn’t exactly sure what’s going to happen with his elbow injury. But the Tampa Bay Rays ace is certain of a cause: trying to pitch slick baseballs without any grip enhancer.
“I 100% believe that contributed to me getting hurt,” he asserted Tuesday.
A day after an early exit, Glasnow was diagnosed with a partially torn elbow ligament, throwing in doubt his future for the rest of this season and beyond.
“My lifelong dream, I want win a Cy Young. I want to be an All-Star,” he said. “Now it’s over and I have to try and rehab to come back in the playoffs. I’m clearly frustrated.”
An MRI showed Glasnow had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and also a flexor strain. The test was done after the right-hander was forced to leave Monday night’s game in Chicago against the White Sox after four innings.
Glasnow said he won’t have surgery for now, and instead will try to strengthen the area. He plans to see another doctor on Friday.
If Glasnow chose to undergo Tommy John surgery, that would sideline him this season and could prevent him from pitching next year, too.
The Rays reached the World Series last year and own the best record in the majors this season.
Glasnow attributed the injury to the inconsistent and often slick feel of baseballs, causing him to grip them tighter and deeper in his hand in his past few starts. He admitted to using a mix of sunscreen and rosin in the past to help, but said Major League Baseball’s new crackdown on grip-enhancing substances used by pitchers was ill-timed.
“I have used sticky stuff before. Select your favorite pitcher of 50 years ago and he was probably using something, too. I have huge hands and I spin the ball fine. I want more grip,” he said.
Glasnow said he went “cold turkey” and used no grip-enhancing mix in a win over Washington on June 8. Because he held the ball differently, he said he “woke up the next day and was sore in places I didn’t even know I had muscles in.”
Manager Kevin Cash confirmed there was no timeline for Glasnow’s return and that the team would seek additional opinions.
Nationals taking no chances with Scherzer
The Washington Nationals placed staff ace Max Scherzer on the 10-day injured list with a groin problem. The team announced the move Tuesday, saying it was retroactive to Sunday.
Scherzer “tweaked” his groin in the first inning during his start Saturday. He warmed up in the outfield Monday before beginning a bullpen session, which was expected to be 31 pitches. Scherzer threw 10 pitches, then stopped, saying the groin issue prevented him from driving through his pitches.
Scherzer was scheduled to pitch Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Nationals considered pushing his start back as opposed to placing the three-time Cy Young winner on the injured list, but opted for the 10-day stint away from the field.
“For me, it was after going through the process, I just want to be more cautious than not,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. “This is an injury right now that’s getting better. We want it to completely get better.”
Scherzer (5-4, 2.21 ERA) should miss one start. He’s been adamant the injury is minor, even hesitating to call it an injury.
Scherzer joins Stephen Strasburg (neck) on the Nationals’ injured list. Strasburg has made just five starts this season. There is no timeline for his return. Will Harris, Daniel Hudson, and Luis Avilán are also on the injured list.
Veteran reliever Justin Miller was called up from Triple A Rochester to take Scherzer’s spot. Righthander Rogelio Armenteros was designated for assignment to free a 40-man roster spot for Miller.
White Sox to be without Nick Madrigal for year
White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair tears in his right hamstring. The AL Central leaders, who have overcome significant injuries this season, said Madrigal was expected to be fully recovered by next spring. Madrigal was hurt last week trying to beat out a grounder. Chicago had put him on the 60-day injured list and held out hope he might recover to play again this year. The 24-year-old rookie had been a sparkplug for the White Sox, hitting .305 while scoring 30 runs and driving in 21 over 54 games. He was tied for the AL lead with four triples . . . Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger is returning to the injured list with a left hamstring strain. Los Angeles recalled righthander Mitch White before Tuesday night’s game against the Phillies to take the roster spot of Bellinger, who left Friday’s game against Texas in the fifth inning. The hamstring injury is the latest physical ailment for the 2019 NL MVP. Bellinger missed 46 games earlier this season with a hairline fracture to his left leg. He had shoulder surgery in the offseason.
Dallas Keuchel, Rays blank White Sox
Dallas Keuchel pitched seven innings of crisp four-hit ball to win his fifth straight decision, leading the White Sox past the visiting Rays, 3-0, in a matchup of the teams with the two best records in the majors . . . Clint Frazier snapped an eighth-inning tie with a pinch-hit double and the Yankees hit three solo homers in a much-needed 6-5 win over the Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y. . . Eddie Rosario hit a two-run double and Bobby Bradley homered as Cleveland beat Baltimore, 7-2, the Orioles’ 17th straight road loss. The Orioles made four errors and moved closed to the major league record of 22 consecutive road losses, shared by the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics and 1963 New York Mets. Orioles starter Matt Harvey (3-8) suffered his career-high seventh straight loss and gave up six runs (five earned) in 3⅓ innings . . . Taijuan Walker struck out a career-high 12, Pete Alonso drove in three runs, and the surging Mets threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the ninth inning of a 3-2 victory over the visiting Cubs.
A’s extend manager Bob Melvin’s contract
The winningest manager in Oakland Athletics history is staying put through at least next season after the club exercised Bob Melvin’s contract option for 2022. Melvin has guided the A’s to an 808-715 record since taking over on June 9, 2011. He recently passed Tony La Russa for most victories by an Oakland manager and last weekend became the 35th person in major league history with 1,300 managerial wins. The 59-year-old Melvin, a Manager of the Year in both leagues, previously led the Mariners and Diamondbacks then took over guiding the A’s during the 2011 season following the firing of Bob Geren . . . The New York Yankees will resume 100 percent capacity at Yankee Stadium starting with Friday night’s series opener against the Oakland Athletics. More than half the 30 teams have announced plans to resume full capacity. Only Texas began this season at 100 percent after fans weren’t permitted during the shortened 2020 regular season because of the coronavirus.