Dayan Viciedo out 3-4 weeks with fractured right thumb

By Aaron GleemanMar 10, 2011, 5:45 PM EDT
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Dayan Viciedo left today’s game after being hit on the hand by a pitch and the White Sox just announced that he’s expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a fractured right thumb.

It’s unfortunate timing for Viciedo, as he was seeing action in right field this spring after previously being exclusively a third baseman and first baseman in the minors, but he was unlikely to crack the Opening Day roster anyway.

Today’s injury simply guarantees that he’ll open the season at Triple-A, where he can get more reps in the outfield and work on adding a little plate discipline to his impressive power offensively.

Once healthy he’ll be first in line for a call-up should injuries sideline Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, Carlos Quentin, Juan Pierre, or Brent Morel, and if he impresses at Triple-A the White Sox may even look to clear room for him by dealing Quentin at some point.

Astros talking to Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole about extensions

Justin Verlander
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By Craig CalcaterraMar 22, 2019, 10:52 AM EDT
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It’s extension season and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Astros — who already agreed to an extension with Alex Bregman — are discussing contract extensions with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.

Funny thing about Verlander, by the way: when he got his current $180 million deal, most people fell into the “oh, there’s an overpay!” column. What’s more, this past winter, when everyone was talking about how bad it is to give guys big long term deals, Verlander’s name was notably absent in the conversation despite the fact that his deal has turned out to be quite good. I suppose that says something about how good the anti-long-term deal folks are at cherrypicking.

That being said, Rosenthal says “it would be an upset” if either Verlander or Cole signed extensions. I can see that. Verlander is still locked up, thanks to a team option that will almost certainly be exercised, through 2020, and Cole is a Scott Boras client and Boras clients tend to hit the market rather than sign extensions. Perhaps their former teammate, Dallas Keuchel‘s, terrible experience on the free agent market this winter will alter that calculus. Hard to say.