MLB Rumors: Cardinals get great news for potential trade deadline move
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill is coming back soon. O'Neill, who has been on the injured list since May 5, returned to baseball activities last week and is reportedly scheduled to engage in more dynamic and comprehensive workouts in the coming days.
The 28-year-old has been suffering from back issues this season and flew to see a specialist on his injury earlier this month. The Cards will now ramp up O'Neill's workload and hopefully designate him for a rehab stint soon.
On Tuesday, O'Neill said:
"Recovering well. Sleeping well. No everyday-activity pain. No activity pain. I feel like I'm in a really good spot physically. It's been a really long road for me, but I'm just excited for what's ahead. I feel like I can finally start playing baseball again and that I'm really close."
Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, O'Neill has yet to undergo live batting practice, limited to just tee balls for now.
The hope is that O'Neill can continue to take baby steps in his recovery and progress through the hoops fairly smoothly. St. Louis needs him back as soon as possible.
MLB Rumors: Red Sox remain wishy-washy on trade deadline approach
Will the Boston Red Sox buy or sell at the trade deadline? That's one question the organization is purposefully staying silent on.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told the Boston Globe that these next several weeks will determine the club's approach at the August 1 deadline… which is what a handful of MLB teams are also saying right now.
The Red Sox currently sit 13 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays but are still very much in the AL Wild Card position chase.
Boston's tentative approach feels very wishy-washy, yet it's the same approach of several middle-of-the-pack teams that straddle the line between playoff contender and playoff pretender this season.
Bloom said of the Red Sox's near future:
"If we're able to play well, that should make us more aggressive. That frankly dictates how you go into the deadline and what you're looking to accomplish."
If the Red Sox were to be buyers at the deadline and try to stay competitive, the most glaring position of need is the pitching rotation. Boston has suffered from several key starters landing on the injured list recently, and their collective 4.89 ERA from their starters waves a major red flag.
A few days ago, Bloom dumped cold water on rampant speculation surrounding potential trades for pitchers. However, anything is possible at the moment.
MLB Rumors: Braves roster move could signal team's biggest trade chip
Don't jinx it, but the Atlanta Braves are looking more and more like World Series contenders by the week. The organization is primed to be big buyers at the deadline, and their latest roster move could give the league an inkling about who's available and who's not on the roster.
On Wednesday, the Braves sent lefty Jared Shuster to Triple-A.
Shuster emerged as one of the team's top prospects and enjoyed an extremely productive Grapefruit League season that secured him an Opening Day roster.
Now, however, his future in Atlanta becomes a little more blurry with the Braves perhaps considering including the left-hander in a future trade haul.
Heading into August, the Braves could use help in the outfield and bullpen, and the team could also benefit from landing a mid-rotation starter.
Seeing as Shuster may not be reliable enough to plug the holes in Atlanta's injury-depleted rotation, the Braves may very well trade him for someone who could.