Sunday Morning Roster Noise: Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter and Others

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is scheduled to play at AA Trenton this weekend and be activated on Monday. ESPN's Buster Olney wrote this about Jeter in his Saturday morning blog:

Yankees in Jeter's Absence:

W-L: 13-3

Runs Per Game: 6.0

Team BA: .276

HR: 21

Team ERA: 3.04

Jeter went 1-2 with a walk and a run scored last night at AA Trenton. Joel Sherman from the New York Post had this to say about Jeter's replacement, Eduardo Nunez, in his article today:

Because this is a rigged event. Nunez now has three homers and 11 extra-base hits in 115 at-bats, or one more homer and one fewer extra-base hit than Jeter had in 262 at-bats. Nunez's homer over the Great Citi Wall in left is something Jeter might not be able to do even in batting practice.

The Mets have seen plenty of their top players go down with injury this year, and Jose Reyes, their best player by far, went down yesterday with a tight hamstring. He is scheduled to get an MRI today, so we will learn more this afternoon whether he needs a DL stint or not.

Mets first baseman Ike Davis is waiting for a second opinion on his injured ankle. This doesn't sound too good and could result in season ending surgery for the Mets young power hitter. If you are going for the money this season in a keeper league, Davis is a good trade chip to owners who are bailing.

More Roster Noise after the jump:

Mets third baseman David Wright is making progress in his rehab from an injured back and is slated to return to the Mets lineup after the All Star Break. He has been swinging off a tee recently and could start a rehab assignment in the very near future. The Mets are playing well of late, so I am a bit surprised they aren't rushing him, but then again, that is how the Mets old front office would have handled this, so it is a good sign for current Mets fans that they are not rushing him. 

Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon will more than likely be sent down to AAA on Monday when Rafael Furcal returns from the DL. But, with Furcal's injury history, I can see Gordon back up in short order. Gordon is hitting just .241-.259-.291 with 11 runs scored, 4 RBIs and 8 SBs in 10 attempts. Gordon had a 48% SBO% (stolen base opportunity) as he attempted 10 stolen bases in his 21 times on base. 

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols could return from the DL BEFORE the All Star break as his broken left wrist is healing faster than usual per Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols' fractured left wrist has shown "significant improvement" following aggressive treatment to promote healing of the bone, likely allowing the three-time NL Most Valuable Player to return to the club immediately after the All-Star break, if not before, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Pirates shortstop Ronny Cedeno is heading to the DL with a concussion. I can see the Buccos moving Chase d'Arnaud over to shortstop while he is out, as he played there in AAA this season. d'Arnaud is hitting just .214-.267-.321 with 2 SBs in his 28 at bats since his callup. d'Arnaud stole 17 bases in 20 attempts in AAA this season, and 33 in 40 attempts last year at AA Altoona.

The Diamondbacks put closer J.J. Putz on the DL on Friday night with tightness in his right elbow. Replacing Putz will be setup man David Hernandez, who is worth a pickup in all leagues. Hernandez, a former starter in the Orioles organization, has an excellent K rate of 9.97, but also walks plenty of batters, as his walk rate sits at 5.35, the highest of his career. He has a 3.65 ERA and an xFIP of 3.96.

Giants outfielder/first baseman Brandon Belt started a rehab assignment on Friday and will probably not be rushed by the Giants when he does come off the DL. This per Henry Schulman at the SF Chronicle:

"Our perspective is a little different with Brandon," manager Bruce Bochy said, acknowledging Belt could be activated from the disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Fresno if there is no spot for him in the majors. On the other hand, the Giants probably want to see what Belt can do before they must make potential trade-deadline decisions.

The Giants need an offensive upgrade and may be willing to deal Belt should they enter trade discussions with the Mets for shortstop Jose Reyes. 

The Orioles sent top pitching prospect Brian Matusz down to AAA last week after he was shelled for 8 runs in 3.1 innings in his last start. He has been roughed up all season, as he is just 1-4 with a 8.77 ERA and a WHIP approaching 2.00. He has given up 9 HRs in just 25.2 innings this season, so maybe he is tipping his pitches?

The Rockies traded for Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis a few days ago and Ellis made an immediate impact on Friday night, going 3-5 with a HR and 3 RBIs. For the season, Ellis is hitting just .225-.261-.315 with 2 HRs and 19 RBIs. I think the Rockies already have 2 second baseman who can hit better than Ellis, but they elected to trade for the older, and better defensive second baseman instead of playing a couple youngsters.

Here is an update on the Roy Oswalt injury from Matt Gelb at the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Roy Oswalt saw spinal surgeon Drew Dossett in Dallas on Friday, and he concurred with what the Phillies originally discovered: No disks in Oswalt's back are ruptured, but there is bulging.

The team will continue with treatment that involves more injections, assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said, and Oswalt could begin a throwing program soon.

A week ago, team physician Michael Ciccotti said Oswalt could miss three to five weeks. Earlier in the week, Ruben Amaro Jr. said Oswalt could return before the end of July.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez says he is over the quad and neck issues that landed him on the DL, and is scheduled to be moved up to AA Altoona or AAA Indianapolis tomorrow. Assuming all goes well, he could be activated from the DL before the All Star break or immediately after.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been taking ground balls at first base during batting practice recently and could make a start at first base in the near future. He won't gain first base eligibility in most leagues until he plays 10 games at first. I think Mauer ends up at first base in the next few years though.

Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will miss today's game with a left calf strain. He will be re-evaluated today, so look for updates here should he require a DL stint.