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The Astros’ 2024 bullpen took on more uncertainty when they took another hit with news of a season-ending injury of veteran right-hander Kendall Graveman. Graveman underwent shoulder surgery last week, which ends his 2024 season. While the Astros likely say this coming down the pike for their season, it still winnows the staff’s longevity in innings heading into spring training.
RHP Kendall Graveman underwent surgery on his right shoulder, General Manager Dana Brown announced today. pic.twitter.com/OgKezX9uJN
— Houston Astros (@astros) January 16, 2024
Surgery Ends Kendall Graveman’s Season
2023 Season
Last season, the Astros picked up Graveman for the second time in as many seasons. At last year’s trade deadline, Graveman was acquired and started off with a solid performance to end the regular season. In 23 appearances, Graveman posted a 2.42 ERA in August and September to close out the season. However, he wasn’t available to pitch in October due to discomfort in his shoulder.
In preparation for the upcoming Spring Training starting next month, Graveman underwent a program of rest and rehab. According to the Astros, this was the plan before returning to a flat-ground throwing program. How ever, the discomfort returned shortly after starting this process.
This is not the first time that Graveman has notched a long-distance stint on the injured list. “Any time you miss a season, I don’t care who you’re with or what it is, it’s tough,” Graveman commented on his injury. “I’ve done it once before and it was not really fun. I will say I grew a lot during that season, last time, when I had Tommy John surgery in 2018. I think I came out of it better.”
2024 Astros Pitching Outlook
The hope remains that this second time around, Graveman can find his groove once again upon returning. His absence throughout the 2024 season provides another hit to the Houston bullpen. Free agents leaving the roster, including Hector Neris, Phil Maton, and Ryne Stanek (all of whom remain unsigned) have cut the Astros down by 185 innings from last season. Graveman’s inju ry pushes them well over 200 lost innings heading into the season.
General manager Dana Brown has said finding relief pitching for the team in 2024 remains a heavy focus of the offseason. The agents of those departing pitchers mentioned above have been in discussion about a return offer. That said, other teams have expressed interest in the pitchers as well.
Internal candidates remain a high probability for the defending American League West Champions. The starting rotation looks to be strong heading into the season. After the return of Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia, likely before the All-Star Break, the Astros could lean on displaced starters. Until then, the Astros will either need to pull off a few signings or uncover talent during Spring Training. However, they could just limp along until the rotation and bullpen settle themselves out.
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Unexpected slugger challenging Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP
This season, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is on the cusp of two ultra-rare feats. In MLB history, Barry Bonds is the only player to win three straight MVP awards — he won four consecutively — and he is also the only player to win more than three in his career, as he won seven total. If Ohtani can manage another MVP season this year, he will have won his third straight and his fourth total, joining two separate clubs consisting of just one other player, though Bonds sits alone in two higher clubs of his own creation. But in Ohtani’s quest to make history, there is one surprising slugger standing in the way. When we think of Philadelphia Phillies power-hitter Kyle Schwarber, second-deck home runs are usually the first thing that comes to mind. Truth be told, Schwarber has never really hit for average. His career batting average stands at .232, and his career-high average of any season is .266. Still, this has never prevented him getting on base at a high rate. Typically, players who aren’t well-rounded in all major metrics don’t see as much consideration for MVP honors. However, the NL MVP race seems to be coming down to Ohtani and Schwarber. This season, there aren’t many players excelling at hitting for both power and average. Currently, there are no hitters in the NL with a home-run total of at least 30 and a batting average of at least .290. This leaves an opening for Schwarber, who received MVP votes every year for the past three years, peaking at 15th in the voting. Below are Ohtani and Schwarber’s 2025 stats and their NL rankings in each: In most major stats, both these stars sit at or close to the top. And the fact that Ohtani’s stats lag far behind last year’s blowout performance only works to Schwarber’s advantage. Even Schwarber’s success rate in stealing bases is higher than Ohtani’s this year — and Schwarber’s sprint speed is in the mere 14th percentile. But is Schwarber really the frontrunner for NL MVP? Although Schwarber is having an incredible year, his numbers fall short of Ohtani’s. With 34 games left, there is still time to close the gap, but there is one other aspect of Schwarber’s game that makes his intriguing MVP case just slightly doubtful: He is primarily a DH. There has only been one primary DH win an MVP, and that was Ohtani last season. This season, the Dodgers’ two-way star is both a DH and a pitcher. But that raises yet another question. Ohtani returned to the mound on June 16, having missed over an entire year (in terms of pitching) due to an elbow injury which required Tommy John surgery. Since his return, Ohtani owns a lackluster 4.61 ERA in 10 starts. The Dodgers have been cautious with Ohtani, who is yet to have an outing that lasted at least 4.2 innings, and it isn't clear if Ohtani will be able to return to form before the season is over. Whether or not this will hurt his MVP case remains to be seen, but it surely won’t help unless he can improve. Pitching aside, Ohtani is the current MVP frontrunner. But to say that Schwarber is far behind would be an exaggeration.
Chicago Bears star says coaches are 'overdoing' it at practice
The Chicago Bears roughed up their preseason opponents, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, at joint practices this month. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson said the coaching staff has been trying to walk the line of being aggressive but not going overboard. Sometimes the Bears are going too hard, overdoing it at times. “I mean, even (defensive coordinator) Dennis Allen, he’s telling defense we live every day in practice,” Johnson told Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson during an appearance on “Night Cap” Thursday night. “So just really that mentality, as far as going and playing physical is, like, really, just honestly overdoing it really is the thing… What we say, like, toe the line, toe the line line between going too far and really pushing the limits.” Jaylon Johnson notices a big difference in the 2025 Chicago Bears Johnson has missed much of training camp due to a leg injury. He missed the physical practice between the Dolphins and Bears that had Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald complaining about how Allen was coaching up his defense. Johnson said that the entire coaching staff under new head coach Ben Johnson wants a tough and physical culture like has been seen in recent years with the Detroit Lions. “We’re gonna execute,” Jaylon said. “And it’s like, nah, it’s just about whooping the guys in front of you, like, really, like dominating and instilling your will. And I think really just preaching that goes a long way. Because I feel like even in Detroit, for a long time, they didn’t have talented guys, but they had a lot of guys that had grit, as they like to say over there, and guys that work hard, that are tough, and things like that.” Johnson is embracing the change. The Bears should. Dan Campbell’s teams have been successful in recent years in Detroit. The culture is certainly better than the one that folded under Matt Eberflus last season.
Cowboys' Micah Parsons seen taking bizarre action in preseason finale
Micah Parsons showed up for the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons in body only. The star pass-rusher showed no spirit and did not dress amid his hold-in for a contract extension. On Thursday, Parsons scrubbed the Cowboys from his social media feed. During Friday's game, he couldn't be bothered to be with his teammates on the sideline watching the whole game. Per a photo posted on X by The Athletic's Jon Machota, Parsons was seen lying down on a trainer's table during the contest. Parsons' actions come amid a turbulent week between his representation and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In separate interviews, Jones told both Michael Irvin and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he did not plan to back down from his agreement with Parsons to work with agent David Mulugheta. During the pregame show on Friday, Jones boasted to 105.3 The Fan that defensive end is where the Cowboys have the most depth on the roster. "Frankly, our defensive ends may be the best depth, where we have the most talent of any position on the field," Jones said via Machota. "I'm excited about our depth and our numbers at pass rusher. ... I'm concerned because of having space on the roster to keep that many of our guys that have pass rushing ability." Following Friday night's game, the Cowboys' preseason is over. The situation between Jones and Parsons is not ideal for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is tasked with trimming the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. If Parsons is traded or chooses not to play in Week 1, Schottenheimer is going to have to decide to take away depth from what Jones sees as a weaker part of the team to boost a unit that is without their best player because he won't negotiate with Mulugheta.
New Jersey Devils Reportedly Eyeing Massive All-Star Addition
As the Vancouver Canucks get ready for the upcoming season, the front office is now dealing with the potential of losing an All-Star. That would be Quinn Hughes, who has been involved in different rumors all offseason. There has been some thought that Hughes could leave town down the line, and the Canucks seem to be a little worried that it may happen. If he does leave Vancouver, there is one spot that makes all the sense in the world, and there appears to be interest coming from that team. Quinn Hughes to New Jersey? One landing spot for Hughes could be the New Jersey Devils, and he has been linked to this team for some time now. According to NHL insider Michael Russo, the Canucks want to get a deal done to keep Hughes in town, but the Devils will be pushing to land him. Hughes' brothers, Jack and Luke, both play for the Devils, giving even more thought to him potentially heading to New Jersey down the line. This has been a fear of the Canucks for some time, and will be something to keep an eye on. Hughes has two more seasons remaining on his current deal with the Canucks, and he is scheduled to make $7.8 million each year. The All-Star has been a central force for Vancouver over the years, and parting with him would be tough. Last season for the Canucks, Hughes put up 16 goals and 60 assists over 68 regular-season games. The veteran has posted at least 76 points in three straight seasons for the Canucks organization. But if the Canucks were to get the sense that he could leave the team, trading him would be smart asset management. Vancouver can't afford to lose Hughes for nothing, and the front office will try to do whatever it can to keep him around for the long haul.
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