Wednesday Lineup Card: A Grand Return

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Wednesday's Starters (All times Eastern)

White Sox (John Danks – L) at Cubs (Scott Feldman – R), 2:20
Red Sox (John Lackey – R) at Phillies (Kyle Kendrick – R), 7:05
Reds (Bronson Arroyo – R) at Indians (Justin Masterson – R), 7:05
Tigers (Anibal Sanchez – R) at Pirates (A.J. Burnett – R), 7:05
Mets (Jeremy Hefner – R) at Yankees (David Phelps – R), 7:05
Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann – R) at Orioles (Chris Tillman – R), 7:05
Rays (Roberto Hernandez – R) at Marlins (Tom Koehler – R), 7:10
Blue Jays (Esmil Rogers – R) at Braves (Kris Medlen – R), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Brandon McCarthy – R) at Rangers (Justin Grimm – R), 8:05
Brewers (Marco Estrada – R) at Twins (Samuel Deduno – R), 8:10
Royals (Luis Mendoza – R) at Cardinals (Lance Lynn – R), 8:15
Astros (Erik Bedard – L) at Rockies (Tyler Chatwood – R), 8:40
Dodgers (Chris Capuano – L) at Angels (Jered Weaver – R), 10:05
Mariners (Joe Saunders – L) at Padres (Eric Stults – L), 10:10
Athletics (Tommy Milone – L) at Giants (Tim Lincecum – R), 10:15

Day Game After A Night Game: CHC/CWS

Injuries

Day-To-Day
Ryan Braun, OF, MIL (thumb) – Returned to lineup Tuesday.
Clay Buchholz, SP, BOS (collarbone) – Will return to rotation Friday.
Michael Cuddyer, OF, COL (forearm) – Returned to lineup Tuesday and went 3-for-4 in win over Astros.
Danny Espinosa, 2B, WAS (wrist) – Took batting practice and fielded grounders Tuesday.
Bryce Harper, OF, WAS (knee) – Will sit out Tuesday and unlikely to play next two days but expected to avoid disabled list.
Brett Lawrie, 3B, TOR (ankle) – Ankle remains sore and swollen and will receive next five or six days off to recover.
Starling Marte, OF, PIT (migraines) – Back in the lineup Tuesday.
Brandon Morrow, SP, TOR (forearm) – Left Tuesday's start after two innings due to discomfort in his right forearm.
Mike Moustakas, 3B, KC (quadriceps) – Missed third game in row with injury Tuesday.
Angel Pagan, OF, SF (hamstring) – Remains out of lineup Tuesday.
Ben Revere, OF, PHI (arm) – Was in lineup Tuesday.
Justin Smoak, 1B, SEA (oblique) – Remains out of lineup Tuesday.
Casey Janssen, RP, TOR (shoulder) – Unavailable Tuesday due to sore right shoulder.

Disabled List
Gordon Beckham, 2B, CWS (wrist) – Will resume minor league rehab start Wednesday.
Aaron Hill, 2B, ARI (hand) – CT scan Tuesday showed minor improvement.
Austin Jackson, OF, DET (hamstring) – Reported hamstring was feeling better Tuesday and plans to embark on rehab assignment when ready.
Josh Johnson, SP, TOR (triceps) - On track to return next week.
James McDonald, SP, PIT (shoulder) – Showed a lack of command during first rehab start Monday at Double-A Altoona, throwing only 14 of 33 pitches for strikes.
Will Middlebrooks, 3B, BOS (hamstring) – On track to be activated from DL when first eligible June 8.
Charlie Morton, SP, PIT (elbow) – Threw five-inning outing at Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday and is slated to make one more rehab start.
Brett Myers, SP, CLE (elbow) – Will be shut down five-to-seven days after experiencing pain in right elbow.
Chris Perez, RP, CLE (shoulder) – MRI on Monday revealed mild tendinitis in rotator cuff and will not be able to throw for five to seven days.
Andy Pettitte, SP, NYY (shoulder) – Threw 75-pitch simulated game Tuesday.
Michael Pineda, SP, NYY (shoulder) – Threw well but cracked finger during extended spring training outing Tuesday.
David Price, SP, TB (triceps) – Played catch for second consecutive day Tuesday.
Josh Reddick, OF, OAK (wrist) – Went 1-for-3 in his first rehab game at High-A Stockton on Monday.
Brian Roberts, 2B, BAL (hamstring) – Manager Buck Showalter hopes Roberts can return in about three weeks.
Oscar Taveras, OF, STL (ankle) – Placed on minor league DL with lingering soreness in ankle.
Shane Victorino, OF, BOS (hamstring) – On pace to be activated from DL when first eligible June 5.
Jayson Werth, OF, WAS (hamstring) – Could head out on rehab assignment as early as Wednesday.
Kevin Youkilis, 3B, NYY (back) – Will begin rehab assignment Wednesday at Double-A Trenton.

Transactions

Called Up (from Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Nate Karns, SP, WAS (from Double-A)
Mike Kickham, SP, SF
Bryan Morris, RP, PIT
Brad Peacock, SP, HOU

Sent Down (to Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Alfredo Aceves, SP, BOS
John Baker, C, SD
Billy Buckner, SP, LAA
Xavier Cedeno, RP, WAS
Robbie Grossman, OF, HOU
Martin Perez, SP, TEX
Sandy Rosario, RP, SF
Tyler Skaggs, SP, ARI
Thad Weber, RP, TOR

Activated from Disabled List (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Joba Chamberlain, RP, NYY
Yasmani Grandal, C, SD (activated from restricted list following completion of 50-game suspension)
Tommy Hanson, SP, LAA (activated from restricted list)
Franklin Morales, P, BOS

Placed on the Disabled List (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Sean Burnett, RP, LAA
Jose Contreras, RP, PIT
Eric Surkamp, SP, SF (transferred to 60-day DL)

Designated for Assignment
David Huff, RP, NYY
Ramon Ortiz, SP, TOR
Edinson Rincon, OF, SD

Signed
Alex Llanos, OF, CWS

Closer Watch

Indians – After the team placed Chris Perez on the DL with a shoulder injury Monday, manager Terry Francona said Vinnie Pestano would receive the first shot at closing for the Tribe. Although he has a solid track record as Perez's setup man, it's not difficult to imagine Pestano quickly losing the trust of Francona in the role. In his most recent outing, Pestano allowed four runs on four hits and saw his velocity drop nearly four miles per hour below its norm, a sign he might not be completely recovered from the elbow injury that required a recent DL stint. Joe Smith, Cody Allen or Bryan Shaw – all pitching well right now – would seem to be the top candidates to replace Pestano if Francona decides to look in another direction.

Reds – After Aroldis Chapman blew back-to-back save opportunities in mid-May to raise his ERA to 3.32, some speculated that his occasionally come-and-go control might make him less elite of a closing option than perhaps initially thought. With his HR/FB rate normalizing as Chapman has turned in five straight scoreless outings – striking out two or more batters on each occasion – he's reminding us just what kind of an exceptional talent he his. Assuming he remains in the closer's role all season, he's about as safe a bet as there is in the reliever ranks for a boatload of saves, strikeouts, and excellent ratios.

Yasmani Grandal, C, SD – With his 50-game PED suspension now over, Grandal made his long-awaited return to the Padres on Tuesday. While he'll be thrust into a competition for the starting job with Nick Hundley, it should require little time for Grandal to settle into everyday duty with Hundley batting just .143 in May. Despite playing half his games at the cavernous Petco Park, Grandal still managed to hit eight home runs and compile a .469 slugging percentage over 192 at-bats, with the latter figure ranking fourth among catchers had he qualified. In addition to providing above-average power numbers, Grandal figures to be an asset in batting average, as he's batted no lower than .286 at any level, showing the kind of plate discipline that usually requires years for some top prospects to develop. Because of these skills, Grandal is worth owning in all leagues if he hasn't already been stashed by an enterprising owner. With Mike Zunino scuffling a bit at Triple-A and Travis d'Arnaud sidelined with a foot injury, it may be one of the last opportunities to dramatically improve your team at the catcher position.

Other Recent Recommendations:Nick Franklin, Joe Smith, Leonys Martin, Kevin Gausman and Bronson Arroyo

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DraftStreet Lineup

C: Buster Posey, SF ($9,999)
1B: Justin Morneau, MIN ($7,720)
2B: Jedd Gyorko, SD ($7,023)
3B: Martin Prado, ARI ($6,378)
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE ($6,650)
OF: Mark Trumbo, LAA ($8,776)
OF: Allen Craig, STL ($8,580)
OF: Justin Ruggiano, MIA ($6,675)
U: Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS ($8,733)
SP: Marco Estrada, MIL ($13,591)
SP: John Lackey, BOS ($13,017)
P: Craig Kimbrel, ATL ($2,682)

Total: $99,8224

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