Pitching injuries are forcing some less familiar names into important roles early in the season
Baseball has been overrun lately by injuries to star pitchers that are forcing teams to make contingency plans they’d have loved to avoid
“Next man up” is a phrase you hear a lot in football, but maybe it's time to apply it to starting pitching in the major leagues.
Baseball has been overrun lately by injuries to star pitchers that are forcing teams to make contingency plans they'd have loved to avoid. Here are a few top starters who have gone down — and what's being done to replace them.
Gerrit Cole, Yankees: New York had an extra spot in the rotation because of Cole's elbow problems, and Luis Gil — himself back from Tommy John surgery — earned it with a strong spring training. He's allowed three runs in nine innings so far, and his 14 strikeouts and seven walks are a good indication of why he didn't make it through the fifth inning in either of his two starts.
Spencer Strider, Braves: A 20-game winner last year, Strider is done for the season after elbow surgery. Allan Winans started Thursday against the New York Mets and allowed six earned runs in five innings. Top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver is off to a rough start at Triple-A. Darius Vines, a 25-year-old righty, is expected to start Monday at Houston.
