AL East Notes: Dominguez, Gallardo, Chavis, Red Sox

The Blue Jays will indeed select the contract of third baseman Matt Dominguez today, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. Nicholson-smith had suggested the move was likely once Drew Hutchison cleared optional waivers and could be removed from the active roster, and it appears that Dominguez will indeed get his first chance at the majors since 2014. At one time, the Astros considered the 26-year-old an important future piece, even dabbling in extension talks after he hit 21 home runs in 2013. But while Dominguez has shown a good bit of power from the corner infield, he’s struggled to reach base at a reasonable clip and has drawn mixed reviews in the field. While he doesn’t strike out much, Dominguez also doesn’t draw many walks and owns a .255 BABIP in the majors. Meanwhile, DRS and UZR were split on his fielding in ’13, but both saw him as a negative the following year. While Jesus Montero seemed a more direct replacement option for the suspended Chris Colabello, Toronto evidently preferred a player who could also spell Josh Donaldson at third.

Here’s more from the AL East:

• Another MRI on Yovani Gallardo’s ailing right shoulder has left the Orioles feeling fairly upbeat about his prognosis, MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli tweets. He only appears to be experiencing tendinitis, which seems to bode well for his chances of returning in relatively short order. Of course, the 30-year-old still faces plenty of questions after a rough start. Among other things, he’s lost over two miles per hour on his average fastball even after showing declines in recent years. And his already-falling swinging strike rate is down to 5.1%.
• The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier corrects a previous report in which he tweeted that Red Sox prospect Michael Chavis has a torn ligament in his thumb (links to Twitter). Speier clarifies that he misunderstood his source when reporting the information, and Chavis’ diagnosis is not yet certain. The 2014 first-round draft pick will undergo an MRI on his thumb, but until that takes place, no diagnosis can be definitively made. A torn ligament remains a possibility for Chavis, per Speier, but the extent of his injury remains unknown for the time being. Chavis was off to a strong .356/.415/.576 start at the plate in a repeat run at the Class A level.
• Shifting in baseball remains a fascinating subject to watch. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains, the Red Sox may be partaking in the strategy more than some numbers might suggest. For Boston, shifting and pitching strategies go hand in hand, with GM Mike Hazen explaining that “pitching to the shift” allows the team’s hurlers to “be more aggressive pitching inside.” While the Sox utilize frequent shifts, the team’s alignments may not be quite as dramatic as some others. “Some teams unilaterally shift,” per Hazen. “We’re more selective in how we shift. Even though we’re shifting in every game on a large group of players, it’s not as unilateral.” The club’s field staff also discusses the concept with Rosenthal in an interesting piece that warrants a full read.