Bus Leagues Express: May 31

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Manny celebrates 40th birthday with 0/4 game: Although his 50 game suspension is over making him eligible to report to the A’s, Manny Ramirez remains with Sacramento. He turned 40 Wednesday and swung the bat like most 40 year olds would, going hitless in four at bats and racking up three more strikeouts. He’s still expected to return to the majors soon, but his rehab has not looked pretty. Manny is batting .222 in 10 games with a .286 OBP and no extra base hits. It’s natural that it could take some time for him to get back to game speed, but all recent data indicates he might just not be the player he used to be. Still, it doesn’t hurt the A’s to give him a shot.

Wilson faces Durham for first time since no-hitter: Almost a month ago to the day, Indianapolis’ Justin Wilson fired 7.1 innings in their no-hitter of Durham. This time, he wasn’t quite as successful, but he did get five more outs before finally allowing his first hit in the second inning to Juan Miranda. He nearly coughed up a 4-0 lead, being charged with three runs in the 6th before being removed. Miranda got to him again with a two run homer. Indianapolis did eventually completely lose their lead and eventually the game. In the 10th inning, Jeff Salazar homered for the second consecutive game to secure the win for the Bulls.

Brown goes deep: He was once Baseball America’s #4 prospect in all of baseball, but some injuries and a seriously bungled development plan have Domonic Brown back in AAA and struggling. Although he had a hamate injury in spring training last year, his lack of power this year has been surprising. That kind of hand injury is known for sapping power, but it still shouldn’t have taken him until Wednesday night to hit his first homer of the year. He’s now in a bit of a hot streak, batting .400 with a couple extra base hits over his last five games. It’ll take some more time to get out of the hole he dug for himself, but Phillies fans will take any positives they can get.

Simmons promoted: Tyler Pastornicky won Atlanta’s starting shortstop job out of spring training, probably knowing that he would eventually replaced by Andrelton Simmons. He probably didn’t think that day would come so soon. Pastornicky had an OBP under .300 in the early going and wasn’t meeting their expectations defensively, and Atlanta decided this was the time for Simmons. Simmons was having a solid season at AA with a .793 OPS, but he certainly isn’t known for his bat. His field and throw tools both grade at 80, and that means he could have a cabinet full of Gold Gloves when his career is over. He’s never going to hit for power and have to rely on hitting a lot of singles, but in Atlanta’s deep lineup, they can afford to bat him 8th.

Bradley shelled: After a scorching hot April that had everyone incredibly optimistic, Archie Bradley has come down to earth a bit in May, going through the struggles pretty much all young pitchers go through. He allowed a career worst eight runs in 4.1 innings, raising his ERA for the season over 4.00. In May, he made six starts totaling 28.1 innings, and he allowed 19 earned runs on 22 hits and 17 walks. It’s not really concerning at all, and it’ll probably just be a blip on the radar when everything is said and done. With 54.1 innings on the season, if Arizona is really conservative, his season could be halfway over.

Story socks two dingers in doubleheader: Trevor Story was one of the best defensive shortstops in the 2011 draft, and the Rockies popped him at 45th overall, maybe a bit earlier than most expected. There were serious concerns about whether or not he would hit though, and so far he has with a bit of an asterisk. In his debut last year in the Pioneer League, he batted .268 with a .799 OPS, probably better than what people were expecting. He already has 10 homers this year, batting .298 with a solid approach and a .976 OPS. However, it’s important to note that the Pioneer League is nice for hitters, and Asheville’s home stadium certainly is as well. He still has a .816 OPS away from home, but it’s clear his stats are a bit inflated. Still, it’s an impressive start and he’s answering some of the questions about his bat early.

On tap today

MiLB.TV schedule

New York’s Chris Young moves up to Buffalo for rehab

Daisuke Matsuzaka makes another start for Pawtucket

Pat Corbin back in Reno

Zach Britton on the mound again for Bowie

Jose Fernandez hopes to continue incredible season

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