Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Druw Jones, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft, will have shoulder surgery on Wednesday.

Diamondbacks farm director Josh Barfield told reporters that Jones will have an arthroscopic posterior labral repair procedure done by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported on July 26 that Jones suffered the injury during his first batting practice with the Diamondbacks after being drafted.

It wasn't clear at that point if Jones would need surgery or how long he might be out of action.

Jones signed his contract with the Diamondbacks three days before he suffered the injury. The 18-year-old received a record $8.185 million signing bonus, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

This marks the second consecutive year that Arizona's top draft pick suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. Jordan Lawlar, the No. 6 selection in 2021, suffered a posterior labrum tear after playing two games in the minors last year.

Corbin Carroll, the No. 16 pick by the Diamondbacks in 2019, also had shoulder surgery in 2021. He has 20 homers and a 1.071 OPS in 73 games across three levels in the minors this season.

Per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, Jones' surgery is similar to the one Lawlar had.

There's been no indication that Lawlar is having any lingering effects from the procedure. The 20-year-old is hitting .320/.407/.532 with 29 extra-base hits, 38 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 64 games in the minors.

Expectations are incredibly high for Jones as he prepares to start his professional career. He is the son of five-time MLB All-Star Andruw Jones and has earned high marks for his defensive ability in center field and power potential.

Druw Jones suffered a shoulder injury during his first batting practice with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization Tuesday, per ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Jones would be out for the year as a result.

The Athletic's Zach Buchanan previously reported:

"The 18-year-old Jones has already undergone medical imaging and will meet with Phoenix-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gary Waslewski on Wednesday to determine the next course of action. [D-Backs farm director Josh] Barfield said 'it's too early to say' whether Jones will be ready for the start of spring training next year."

Jones signed with the Diamondbacks last week for a bonus of $8.2 million. He was the second overall pick out of Wesleyan High School in Georgia, being picked behind only Jackson Holliday, the son of former seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday.

Jones, the son of former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones, was named the 2022 Georgia High School State Player of the Year after leading his team to a 35-0 record and hitting .570 with 13 home runs in his senior season.

Jones was also ranked as the top prospect in the 2022 class, per MLB.com.

The 18-year-old's injury is certainly unfortunate for the Diamondbacks, who have seen some of their top picks over the last several years suffer injuries shortly after signing.

Arizona's 2019 first-round pick, Corbin Carroll, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery during the 2021 season after appearing in just seven games. Also in 2021, sixth overall pick Jordan Lawlar appeared in two pro games before missing the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Despite the injuries, both Carroll and Lawlar are among the top-ranked prospects in baseball. Carroll ranks second in MLB.com's Top 100, while Lawlar comes in at No. 11.

Outfielder Druw Jones is going to start his professional career with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.

There has been no shortage of hype around Jones, son of five-time MLB All-Star Andruw Jones, leading up to the draft.

MLB.com ranked the 18-year-old as the best prospect in this year's class with two plus-plus tools in his speed and defense.

Coming from the same genes as Andruw, who is one of the best defensive center fielders in MLB history and won 10 career Gold Gloves, Druw's defensive aptitude doesn't come as a surprise.

Even though Jones' offense at this point isn't at the same level as his defense, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that he can become a good hitter in professional baseball.

As noted in MLB.com's scouting report:

"While Jones' right-handed swing is still somewhat of a work in progress, he understands it well, shows the ability to make adjustments and does damage against quality pitching. He already has plenty of bat speed and drives balls to the gaps, and as he fills out his 6'4" frame he should develop plus power. He's a plus-plus runner when he turns on the jets and is capable of beating out ground balls to the left side."

Jones does have a commitment to Vanderbilt, which could make him a difficult sign. The Diamondbacks clearly have confidence they will be able to lure him away from college based on drafting him at this spot.

The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Arizona's system No. 3 overall coming into the season, with one scout describing the group as not having "a great top 10, but it has one of the best top 50s of any other team in baseball."

That may have been underselling things a bit because Alek Thomas has played well enough since being called up on May 8 (.249/.301/.407 in 61 games). The Diamondbacks also include Corbin Carroll on the verge of reaching the big leagues.

Adding Jones to the mix will go a long way toward ensuring that Arizona's farm system brings in true star power, especially as many of the current top prospects start to graduate.

He will eventually join them in the big leagues as the Diamondbacks look to load up in an attempt to build a consistently dominant team capable of competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

It appears Madison Bumgarner could be available ahead of the August 2 trade deadline.

The Arizona Diamondbacks would field offers for the veteran left-hander, a rival executive told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The team would also entertain offers for outfielder David Peralta and right-hander Zach Davies.

While the Diamondbacks will entertain offers for Bumgarner, one general manager told Heyman that the veteran's salary "may make him untradeable." He is making $23 million this season and will also make the same amount in 2023 before earning $14 million in 2024.

Arizona's pitching staff hasn't been great this season, posting a combined 4.22 ERA, which is one of the worst marks in the league. In addition, the Diamondbacks have dipped below .500 at 30-35 and are losing ground in the NL West standings, meaning a playoff run is unlikely with the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants leading the division.

That said, Bumgarner is having a solid season, which makes him an interesting trade candidate. While the 32-year-old is 2-6 in 13 starts, he's in the midst of his best season since 2019, posting a 3.50 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.

It's unclear which teams might be interested in acquiring Bumgarner. However, MLB Network's Jon Morosi mentioned last week that the St. Louis Cardinals, or a number of other contending teams, could be a fit for the veteran.

The Cardinals lead the NL Central with a 37-28 record, just 1.5 games ahead of the second place Milwaukee Brewers. If they want to make a deep postseason run, they could use another proven veteran arm behind Adam Wainwright.

Bumgarner could be that guy with more than 100 innings of postseason experience and three World Series titles to his name, all of which came during his 11 seasons with the Giants.

That said, there's still plenty of time until the trade deadline, and a lot could change over the next month and a half. We'll just have to wait and see if the Diamondbacks part ways with Bumgarner.

After being designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox last week, veteran pitcher Dallas Keuchel has reportedly found a new club.

According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Keuchel has agreed to a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 34-year-old left-hander will report to Triple-A.

Through eight starts with the White Sox in 2022, Keuchel posted a 2-5 record with a 7.88 ERA. He wasn't much better in 2021, going 9-9 in 32 appearances (30 starts) with a 5.28 ERA. By signing him to a minor league deal, Arizona is minimizing any risk that would come with bringing in a struggling starting pitcher.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported that the Diamondbacks are only responsible for the pro-rated minimum salary for Keuchel. Arizona also has an out if he doesn't make it to the majors by a certain date, per Rosenthal.

The deal will reunite Keuchel with Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom. They spent five seasons together with the Houston Astros (2014-18). Arizona surely hopes Strom will help Keuchel find the success of years past.

During his time in Houston, Keuchel made the All-Star Game twice and won the American League Cy Young award in 2015. He topped the AL in wins that year, posting a 20-8 record, 2.48 ERA and 216 strikeouts in 232.0 innings pitched. Keuchel helped lead the Astros to a World Series title in 2017.

The Diamondbacks are fourth in the NL West with a 26-29 record. The team has a collective ERA of 4.19, which ranks 22nd in the majors. If Keuchel can return to form, he will help improve that number.

Arizona begins a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.

Major League Baseball umpire Dan Bellino has issued an apology following his altercation with Madison Bumgarner in Wednesday's Arizona Diamondbacks-Miami Marlins game. 

Bellino said in a statement, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers:

I would like to address my actions on May 4 involving Madison Bumgarner. When I began my MLB career almost 15 years ago, I received some good advice. I was told to umpire every game as if my children were sitting in the front row. I fell short of those expectations this week. While I can't go back and change what happened, I take full accountability. I will learn from this incident, and I sincerely apologize.

Bumgarner was thrown out of Wednesday's game at the end of the first inning while getting his glove and other equipment checked for foreign substances.

Bellino was rubbing Bumgarner's hand for what appeared to be an unnecessary amount of time, and once the check was done, the veteran pitcher appeared to tell the umpire, "Take your f--ing time," before an argument broke out. 

Bumgarner eventually had to be restrained by his coaches and teammates before things settled down. Bellino was disciplined for the incident, according to Rogers. However, he is still working the Houston Astros-Detroit Tigers series this weekend. 

Bumgarner, meanwhile, is not facing further discipline, Rodgers added. He told reporters (h/t R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports) after the game that he knew why he was thrown out. 

I don't know if I can say anything that would make the situation better, so what I'm gonna say is I'm extremely proud of our team coming back and winning today because I put us in a big hole there. Obviously you didn't go into the game with the intention of throwing one inning, so for them to be able to fight and everyone picked me up today, for that to happen that's pretty incredible. Very proud." 

The 32-year-old has made six starts this season, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 15 strikeouts across 24 innings. He is in his third season with the Diamondbacks after a 11-year career with the San Francisco Giants. 

Arizona enters Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies with a 13-13 record, fifth in the NL West. 

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner was ejected after the first inning of Monday's 8-7 win over the Miami Marlins following a lengthy foreign substance check from first-base umpire Dan Bellino. 

Bellino told reporters after the game that the ejection came in response to Bumgarner directing obscenities in his direction, and not because he found a foreign substance on the pitcher's hand, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

It was a bizarre interaction:

"I wouldn't say he took exception to it," Bellino said. "It was just a hand check."

Bumgarner said after the game, however, that his run-in with Bellino wasn't exactly a standard hand check:

"You guys have seen the video," he noted. "I don't know if I could say anything that would make the situation better. What I'm going to say is I'm extremely proud of our team, coming back and winning because I put us in a big hole there. Obviously, I didn't go into the game with the intention of throwing one inning. ... Everyone picked me up today."

"What led up to that was a little bit probably of Bum being uncomfortable in a certain situation; he said a little bit too much and got ejected," manager Torey Lovullo added while speaking to reporters after the game. "[Bellino's] checking his hand and I think that's where Bum started to get a little uncomfortable, and I haven't had really a chance to talk to Bum about it. But I think he just felt like there was something that didn't make him very happy during that sequence."

Suffice to say, social media had some fun with—and takes on—Bumgarner and Bellino's odd interaction:

Outside of Wednesday's shenanigans, the 32-year-old Bumgarner has had a solid start to his second season with Arizona, with a 1-1 record across six starts to go along with a 1.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 24 innings. 

The Diamondbacks, in turn, have started the season 13-13 and completed a series sweep of the Marlins with their ace watching from the clubhouse.