Soul In the Hole, Black Knight Roundup| What’s Up Black?

Out with the new and in with the old as the Kansas City Monarchs, formally known as the T-Bones of the American Association of Professional Baseball for the independent league (partnered with Major League Baseball), kicked off their inaugural season Tuesday night, losing  7-5 to the Lincoln Salt Dogs. It was their first home-opener at Legends Field since 2019.

 

 

The Monarchs name plays an integral part in Kansas City, the surrounding areas, and nationwide, especially for people of color. The unique partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will see most proceeds from ticket sales and merchandising going to the museum, which will continue to educate the masses about baseball’s rich history in the black community.

 

 

The president of the museum, Bob Kendrick, told MLB Central that the whole idea was a rollercoaster of emotions for him. He said, “When Mark Brandmeyer, the owner of the T-Bones, approached me about the idea of rebranding the club as the Kansas City Monarchs, I wasn’t overwhelmed with the idea. But as we continued to have dialog, the idea became increasingly interesting to us.”

Last night was the first time a Kansas City Monarchs team was represented in the field of play since their disbandment in 1965.

 

Baltimore Orioles outfielder D.J. Stewart made his return to the starting lineup Tuesday night vs. the Tampa Bay Rays after suffering a tweaked hamstring this past Sunday.

 

 

Stewart started in right field and batted fourth in the lineup going 1-4 with one hit in the O’s 13-4 rout of the Rays. On the season, he is batting .207/.330/.310. Since May began, the 27-year-old is 5-27 with six walks, four RBIs, and one homer. 

 

Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett made his return to the bullpen after serving a five-game suspension for his involvement in the bench-clearing incident with the Chicago Cubs. Garrett said it was pretty tough being away from his teammates. 

 

 

Although Garrett traveled with the team, he spent most of his time in the hotel or up in the press box after pregame warmups. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “It sucked sitting up there watching my team battle without me. But you live and learn.”

He said, “I was surprised that I got that many games, but I’m not going to talk about it too much or throw others under the bus, but I think that the five games were steep. But it is what it is.” He added, “I understand they probably wanted to make an example out of me. I’ll be the example. It’s all good. I can take it.”

Before his suspension, Garrett was dealing on the mound as he retired 12/15 batters with six strikeouts. His return to action was thorough. 

 

Per sources, the Texas Rangers will look to recall relief pitcher Demarcus Evans from Triple-A affiliate Round Rock Express where he spent time working on his mechanics and his mind. While processing his fundamentals, he accounted for one win in four starts with 12 strikeouts.

 

 

Evans showed signs of dominance during his early stages in the Minor Leagues as he was named top reliever by Baseball America in 2019. One of the main reasons for the Triple-A assignment was a sustained Lat injury during the Rangers time in spring training.

 

Evans Made his big-league debut in the 2020 pandemic shortened season, allowing one run in four innings. The Rangers require another right-handed setup pitcher in their bullpen, said Manager Chris Woodward, who said the call-up is due to Evans great sighting in the minors.