Oriental notes: Riley, Rodriguez, Pucci, Winker

Austin Riley He left tonight’s game in the fourth inning with Ma Brave He described it as left-sided tightness. The takedown was specifically referred to as a “precautionary measure,” so there is still no indication that Riley may have suffered an oblique injury. Talking to journalists (incl Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Afterward, Riley said he felt pain in his side during batting practice but didn’t report it to the team because he didn’t think the problem was a major concern.

Although Atlanta has an impressive 24-13 record, Riley is one of the few Braves stars who have yet to step up at the plate. Riley has finished in the top seven in NL MVP voting in each of the past three seasons, and has hit just .245/.319/.388 over his first 163 games, with just three home runs. The drop in power is unusual since Riley’s advanced metrics are very similar to previous seasons, although Riley has also shown some streaks in years past, a breakout could be just around the corner if he’s healthy. Losing Riley for any length of time would hurt Atlanta’s lineup, though the newly acquired Short could have a surprising path to the regular lineup if Riley needs to hit the injured list.

More NL and AL East divisions….

• Orioles Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez I walked out of today’s 30-pitch session feeling “great,” Tell MASNsports.com Rosh Kubatko And other reporters. Rodriguez’s 15-day assignment due to shoulder inflammation was retroactive to April 30, so Wednesday will be his first day eligible for activation, although it appears as if he will be out for at least some period after that date. Rodriguez believes he will throw one more practice session and so it is not yet certain whether or not he will need to start rehab before returning to the Baltimore rotation. With a 3.71 ERA in his first 34 innings, Rodriguez is one of several Orioles pitchers who are pitching well this season, giving the O’s a nice problem to solve once everyone is healthy.
• Mid back tightness sent Colin Bucci to raysFor 15 days on April 24, he had to stop his throwing program to receive “a second dose of cortisone, a more potent type for which he had to be sedated.” Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times He writes. The plan is for Poche to start throwing again on Wednesday, and this setback could push his IL activation to June. Poche has been a quality workhorse for the Rays in 2022-23, but has struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 9 1/3 innings so far this season.
• Jesse Winker He had to go out early today, as Winker’s back spasms forced him out Citizens For an outfielder’s hit in the sixth inning of today’s 3-2 loss to the Red Sox. Winker told Washington Post reporter Andrew Golden,X link) and other reporters that his back was hurting even before the match, but the problem worsened after he dunked for a while Rob Refsnider Single drive line at the bottom of the V. Although he has cooled off considerably since his very strong start to the season, Winker’s .235/.350/.386 slash line and four homers over 157 PA still translates to a 114 wRC+, which represents a nice bounce back from last year Very disappointing 2023 campaign. It appears Winker will miss at least a game or two, and a 10-day IL stint may be necessary if cramps continue.