With another Opening Day in the books, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the weekend:
1. Will Contreras miss time?
New Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras is suffering from a knee contusion after getting hit with a Jordan Hicks fastball. Contreras left the game afterwards, and Katie Woo of The Athletic notes that while x-rays came back negative, Contreras was set to undergo further imaging last night. We could have more information on his status as soon as today, though it’s also possible we won’t hear anything until tomorrow given today’s day off for the club. Should the Cardinals’ marquee free agent signing of the offseason miss time, Andrew Knizner figures to split time with either Ivan Herrera or Tres Barrera behind the plate.
2. Several MLB debuts this weekend.
After the likes of Anthony Volpe, Jordan Walker, Oscar Colas and Brice Turang made their MLB debuts in the first game of their club’s season yesterday, several talents on Opening Day rosters have still yet to make their MLB debut. Among them are A’s righty Shintaro Fujinami, who’s slated to start Saturday’s game against the Angels, plus a trio of hurlers who are slated for Sunday starts: Mets righty Kodai Senga, Braves lefty Jared Shuster and Yankees righty Jhony Brito. Senga’s start, in particular, figures to draw plenty of eyes, given the high-profile contract he inked this winter (five years, $75MM) and the pair of injuries the Mets are already facing in the rotation. Beyond that group of debuts, Tigers fans will get to welcome back right-hander Spencer Turnbull on Saturday, when he makes his first big league start since June 4, 2021. Turnbull underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2021 and missed the entire 2022 season.
3. Offseason in Review
MLBTR’s Offseason in Review series continues today, with the Twins installment of the series set to release early today. A pair of live chats are planned for today as well: at noon CT, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be hosting a Giants-centric live chat in conjunction with yesterday’s San Francisco installment of the series. You can click here to ask a question in advance, participate live when the chat begins, or read the transcript afterward. Additionally, a Twins-centric live chat is also planned for today at 2pm CT to go along with today’s post. Here’s a link to ask a question in advance, participate live and read the transcript after it’s complete.
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