The good get better: MLB superstars bolster rosters ahead of All-Star break
The cavalry may have arrived for several contending teams with one month to go before Major League Baseball’s All-Star break. Some big-time star power is about to take center stage.
Which star players are getting back on the field?
With apologies to Aaron Judge, who we’ll discuss momentarily, there is likely no bigger star than Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani. His bat continues to be a force, leading the National League with 25 homers. He will again become a problem for opposing teams when it’s their time at the plate.
Ohtani will take the mound for the first time in nearly two years when he opens against the San Diego Padres on Monday night, June 16. Manager Dave Roberts expects the clubhouse and the fans to go “bananas” when he takes the field. According to TickPick, ticket prices have spiked by 174% since the announcement Sunday night.
Ohtani suffered an elbow injury in August of 2023 while a member of the Los Angeles Angels and had Tommy John surgery. This will be the first time he’s pitched for the Dodgers, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The rotation is currently without starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki. Roberts said they took it slow with Shohei’s recovery, and this is the next step.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be one or two innings,” Roberts said. “My guess is probably an inning to start. It’s a good thing. I think that we’ve kind of, the simulated games or whatever, it’s sort of run its course. So, he’s ready to make his debut on the mound.”
Why is the Yankees’ lineup getting even stronger?
In New York, another return from injury, slugger Giancarlo Stanton is slated to make his season debut for the Yankees on Monday, June 16, after missing the first 70 games with tendinitis in both elbows. It’s an injury that dates back to last season. Despite the pain, Stanton was a force for the American League champs in October, smashing seven home runs in 14 games.
The Yankees could use the boost even though their offense is one of the best in baseball. The Boston Red Sox swept them over the weekend. Even superstar Aaron Judge finally looked human, going 1-for-12 with a home run and nine strikeouts in the three-game series. Yankees catcher Ben Rice didn’t seem too concerned.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants have a combined record of 126-88, and all three would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
“I think most of us do a pretty good job of just taking it pitch by pitch, understanding the situation, knowing not to do too much,” Rice said. “Everyone kind of knows who they are as a hitter. I mean, maybe sometimes you can go after one on the edge that maybe you shouldn’t have, but I mean, that’s just baseball.”
Manager Aaron Boone will now have to fit Stanton into a lineup that leads the American League in average, home runs and RBI. It’s a good problem to have. But Boone said Judge wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue.
“It’s hard to be perfect,” Boone said. “So, you’re going to have a game here, or a game there, a series here where they pitch you tough, and you struggle a little bit. That’s, you know, all part of it.”
Why did the Boston Red Sox trade Rafael Devers?
The Red Sox felt good about the sweep, but their best hitter is on his way out of town.
In a trade that stunned fans, players and major league executives alike, the Sox dealt Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, June 15. In return, they got pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, along with two prospects.
Devers, a three-time All-Star, was disgruntled after losing his job at third base to former Astros star Alex Bregman. His relationship with the team soured when Devers refused a move to first base. As a DH, he still led the Red Sox with a .272 average, 15 homers and 58 RBI.
The 2nd place Giants get a 28-year-old, $313 million superstar in just the second year of his contract. All-Star shortstop Willy Adames is thrilled to get some help.
“Raffy, he’s one of the best hitters in the game,” Adames said. “You see what he’s done in Boston and the way he has contributed with the bat. Coming over here, he’s going to be a big decision for the lineup. We needed a bat like him.”
The Giants are on the hook for the big-money contract, but they desperately needed the firepower to chase down the Dodgers in the National League West. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are hoping it doesn’t turn out like the Mookie Betts deal from 2020. Trading away two possible Hall of Famers in a five-year span is not a great look.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
