MLB Weekly Digest 4/24/17

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The previous week in MLB was about a squad in the National League losing their ace for several weeks, a stellar outfielder gets suspended, and an infielder lands on the disabled list.

Bumgarner Placed On Disabled List, Might Miss Eight Weeks

The San Francisco Giants won’t have Madison Bumgarner available for quite some time.

The stellar starter was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Friday due to bruised ribs and a sprained left shoulder, which was suffered in a dirt bike accident, per 95.7 The Game’s John Dickinson.

#SFGiants have placed Madison Bumgarner DL w/bruised ribs & left shoulder sprain from a dirt bike accident on team’s off day in Denver.

— John Dickinson (@JDJohnDickinson) April 21, 2017

Bumgarner is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Source: Expectation is that #SFGiants’ Bumgarner will be out 6 to 8 weeks.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 21, 2017

The absence of a starter is crushing for teams, but losing someone like Bumgarner is monumental.

The talented southpaw has tossed at least 200 innings, started 30-plus games and fanned at least 190 batters in each of the last six seasons.

The Giants still have Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Moore and Matt Cain in the rotation. That’s an impressive group, but that can they be effective while Bumgarner is sidelined?

Marte Suspended 80 Games for Violating Drug Policy

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte has been suspended 80 games by MLB for violating the policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Big League Stew provided the press release from MLB about the announcement of Marte being suspended.

BREAKING: Pirates outfielder Starling Marte suspended 80 games for PED violation, MLB announces. pic.twitter.com/39ykJFhMlS

— Big League Stew (@bigleaguestew) April 18, 2017

Marte will begin serving his suspension immediately and won’t be eligible for the postseason if the Pirates qualify, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Starling Marte’s suspension begins immediately. By @MLB rule, he is ineligible for postseason should the #Pirates qualify.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) April 18, 2017

Marte has been a valuable player for the Pirates in his time on their roster.

He has earned consecutive Gold Glove awards for his defensive prowess and developed into an excellent hitter.

Marte compiled a .311 batting average and .818 OPS with 47 stolen bases in 129 games last year.

It’s a significant loss for the Pirates to be without Marte.

Dodgers Place Forsythe on DL With Toe Injury

The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed second baseman Logan Forsythe on the 10-day disabled list with a toe fracture, per the team’s Twitter account.

#Dodgers have placed Logan Forsythe and Rob Segedin on the 10-day DL and recalled Brett Eibner and Chris Taylor from @okc_dodgers. pic.twitter.com/uLD3n01wrI

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 19, 2017

Forsythe will be missed in the Dodgers’ lineup as he started the new season in grand fashion.

The infielder had a .295 average, .407 on-base percentage, scored seven runs and tallied three RBI in 14 games.

The Dodgers have depth in their lineup with Corey Seager, Justin Turner, and Adrian Gonzalez in the middle of the order.

Forsythe was the club’s leadoff hitter and losing him for an extended time is noteworthy as he creates scoring chances for other players in the lineup.

About Post Author

Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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