The Phillies announced today that a “mild” strain of his right hamstring will prevent Cole Hamels from making his scheduled start tomorrow. Right-hander Phillippe Aumont will be promoted from Triple-A to take Hamels’ place, which will necessitate a 40-man and 25-man roster move, per the team. That’s interesting in its own right, as the DFA of Dustin McGowan today should have opened a 40-man spot for Aumont, though perhaps the team has a different player in mind for that spot. (GM Ruben Amaro stated specifically yesterday that Aaron Nola would not join the team this weekend, ruling him out.) On a larger scale, any injury to Hamels is extra noteworthy as the trade deadline approaches. The Philadelphia ace will be among the most coveted trade chips on the market this July, if healthy. The ailment seems relatively minor at this time, but his health will be a situation to monitor in the coming days, as anything more serious could have serious ramifications.
Here’s more from the NL East…
- If the Phillies are serious about adding Andy MacPhail as their new club president, the team needs to make the hire sooner rather than later, opines Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brookover notes that acting president Pat Gillick was unavailable for comment yesterday when he tried to reach him and calls it “reasonable to believe” that Gillick was in the process of negotiating with MacPhail at the time. Brookover points out that both assistant GM Scott Proefrock and director of player development Joe Jordan worked for MacPhail in Baltimore, so he does have some connections within the current front office. An expedited hiring process would maximize the amount of time for MacPhail or any other new president to evaluate the organization, top to bottom.
- Though a great deal of focus has been directed at the Mets’ need to add another bat to the lineup, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes that the need to acquire a reliable setup man is perhaps just as important. Injuries to Vic Black and Rafael Montero have thinned out the team’s options, and Bobby Parnell’s velocity is nowhere near its previous heights. Recent discussions about possibly moving Noah Syndergaard to the bullpen for 2015 ended with the conclusion that the promising rookie should remain in the rotation. Jenrry Mejia will soon return from his 80-game suspension, though even he is an imperfect option, because he’ll be ineligible for the postseason, should the Mets make it there. Martino notes that GM Sandy Alderson has been reluctant to trade for short-term upgrades in the past but wonders if the win-now nature of the current club makes someone like Tyler Clippard more realistic than he would have been in previous years.
- Doug Fister will return to the Nationals’ rotation today, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. While a healthy Fister should be a boon for the club, his return creates some questions in the rotation. Both Tanner Roark and Joe Ross have been in the rotation while Fister and Stephen Strasburg have been shelved, and it’s unclear which will be bumped to accommodate Fister. Skipper Matt Williams called those “good decisions” to have to make and said he couldn’t rule out Ross getting another turn, although Strasburg, too, is said to be nearing a return. A free agent at season’s end, Fister has extra incentive to rediscover his previous success. As Janes notes, his ground-ball rate is down nearly 10 percent from its career mark in 2015, and I’d add that his velocity has been a big concern as well. Fister has averaged just 86.1 mph on his heater this season, which is probably a factor in his rapidly declining strikeout rate (4.1 K/9).
Brixton
So the current Phillies rotation is..
Aaron Harang
Sean O’Sullivan
Phillipe Aumont
Kevin Corriea
Adam Morgan?
Bob Smiley
the phillies are going to mess around and lose out on a good return for Hamels.
sergelang
There is a 50% chance any individual pitcher will get injured and go on the DL every season. Phillies need to maximize return for Hamels, and yet they have waited until he became injured. Sounds about right for RAJ…
dylanp5030
You’re right, he should’ve just taken any offer that any team throws out there.
You make the statement that they need to maximize the return for Hamels and then, in the same sentence, imply that they waited too long. That doesn’t quite add up because in order to maximize the return, they must be patient and wait for teams to bid against themselves at the deadline.
hojostache
There is a HUGE gap between, “taken any offer” and “wait until he gets injured”. Early reports had RAJ asking for the sun and moon for him, so that wasn’t exactly going to get a deal done. Now there is a (minor) injury, and the PHL front office is praying it is nothing serious. A few weeks ago RAJ was in a great position (despite himself), but he is still waiting…and waiting. While I never root for someone to injure themselves, it wouldn’t surprise me if Hamels ends up on the DL near/at the trade deadline. He should have been moved already.
sergelang
You get a deal done by asking teams for trades that actually make sense, aiming a little higher than they are comfortable doing, and then talking them into saying “hey, you wanted to give me your second best prospect, whats so wrong about giving me the best? Or maybe the second best plus the third best?” You don’t go in and say “oh, you’re going to give me the second best prospect? Well, I want the best, the second best, the third best, AND the fourth best.”
mookiessnarl
Actually Hamels only has a 40.2% chance of going on the DL this year. The good people at Fangraphs actually did the math.
Draven Moss
It is only a hamstring issue. Sure, it is a concern, but not something that’ll heavily affect his trade value, unless he doesn’t make another start in the next couple weeks. Certainly not nearly as scary as any sort of arm injury.
hojostache
Hamstring injuries can be a nagging injury, and while they are more concerning for position players…any injuries can knock down value…particularly when a team is going to gut their system for that guy. Hamels is a solid pitcher w. a friendly contract, he should get a haul…I just don’t think this has been handled well.
gomerhodge71
Hammie injuries are tricky. We’ve all seen pro athletes miss huge stretches of time. I had problems with my hamstrings in my youth and it seems like you never have one flare-up. They tend to return.
El Duderino
Frenchy is ready to move out of the bullpen if the team needs him!
zxcx
Even with it being a minor thing like a mild hamstring problem, if I’m RAJ, I’m feeling uneasy until all is well and Hamels is back in rotation.
BoldyMinnesota
Why is Mejia ineligible for the playoffs?
NoAZPhilsPhan 2
For the same reason he missed 80 games. Unlike the CBA, the JDA is evaluated each offseason and changes made as needed. when the stiffened the penalties and substantially improved testing, being ineligible for the postseason was part of the new penalties.
YourDaddy
Ouch! Even a slight strain will seriously dampen Hamels trade value if he misses more than one start.
kingjenrry
The Mets should be looking at the Brewers for the reliever. Will Smith could probably be had for a Matt Reynolds (AAA SS)/Leathersich (lefty reliever) package and would be a lot better than Clippard, who is having a terrible season.