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Archives for April 2017

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/29/17

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Saturday’s minor moves:

  • The Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento has released left-hander Ricky Romero, who first joined the organization in 2015. Romero combined for just 30 2/3 innings with the Giants at two minor league levels, including 14 2/3 frames of 6.75 ERA pitching with Sacramento this season. The 32-year-old had been a highly effective starter with the Blue Jays from 2009-11, a 613-inning span in which he logged a 3.60 ERA, 7.24 K/9, 3.54 BB/9 and a 54.6 percent ground-ball rate. That output led the Jays to give Romero a five-year, $30.1MM contract in 2011, but his performance fell off drastically the next season and he has thrown just 7 1/3 major league frames since. Romero underwent elbow surgery in 2012, perhaps contributing to his on-field woes, and Toronto released him in 2015.

Nationals Interested In Kelvin Herrera

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Barring a turnaround over the next couple months, the 7-15 Royals will be prime candidates to sell several veterans prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. One of those players could be closer Kelvin Herrera, who’s already drawing the Nationals’ interest, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link).

The Nationals were connected to multiple high-profile closers in the offseason, including Kenley Jansen in free agency and David Robertson via the trade route, but elected to begin the year with in-house options. That hasn’t gone swimmingly thus far for Washington, which has seen Opening Day closer Blake Treinen, current closer Shawn Kelley and fellow late-game option Koda Glover post disappointing results. The best of three has been Glover, but the hard-throwing rookie landed on the disabled list with a hip impingement earlier this week after allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a walk, with six strikeouts, in 8 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, in 19 combined frames, Treinen and Kelley have yielded 16 earned runs on 10 walks and 25 hits, with 21 strikeouts, and have blown two of eight save chances. What’s more, given Kelley’s history as a two-time Tommy John surgery recipient, the Nats are wary of using the 33-year-old on consecutive days, having done so just once this season.

At 16-8, Washington doesn’t look like a team with many weaknesses (though center fielder Adam Eaton’s knee injury is troubling), but its bullpen has been a glaring issue in April. The unit’s 6.08 ERA and 5.09 FIP rank toward the bottom of the majors, so it would behoove the Nationals to bolster their relief corps if its performance doesn’t improve in the coming months. Herrera would theoretically help the Nats do that, as he has typically been a premier reliever since debuting in 2012.

In eight innings this season, the 27-year-old Herrera has only allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk, albeit with just five strikeouts. His velocity is at its usual level, though, and both his hard-throwing ways and history of positive results mean he should bring back a quality return for the Royals in a trade. Rosenthal contends that the Nationals have enough well-regarded position player prospects to swing a deal for Herrera, who’s controllable via arbitration through next season, citing three outfielders – the newly promoted Rafael Bautista, Juan Soto and Andrew Stevenson – as potential trade chips. Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline place the 18-year-old Soto and Stevenson, 22, among the Nats’ five best prospects.

Giants Place Brandon Crawford On 10-Day DL

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The Giants have announced that they’ve reinstated shortstop Brandon Crawford from the bereavement list and placed him on the 10-day disabled list with a right groin strain, retroactive to Wednesday.

Crawford left Tuesday’s game due to the groin strain, which he experienced while running the bases. The team then recalled fellow infielder Kelby Tomlinson to take his place on the active roster. Rookie Christian Arroyo has started in Crawford’s place.

Crawford had already been scheduled to leave the club on Wednesday to attend a family funeral, so he has effectively served three of the ten days required for a stint on the DL. There has been no official word on the severity of his injury, although he would, obviously, be able to return quickly if it turned out to be minor.

Crawford was batting .263/.284/.434 in the early going. He has been one of the Giants’ top players in each of the last two seasons, posting a combined fWAR of 10.3 in 2015 and 2016 while batting .273/.335/.431 with outstanding defense.

Angels Designate Greg Mahle For Assignment

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The Angels have designated lefty Greg Mahle for assignment, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The move clears space on the Angels’ 40-man roster for righty Jose Valdez, who was promoted today along with fellow righty Daniel Wright as the team placed C.J. Cron and Tyler Skaggs on the disabled list.

The 24-year-old Mahle pitched 18 1/3 innings of relief as a rookie for the 2016 Angels, posting a 5.40 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 while throwing his fastball in the 89-MPH range. He’s pitched ten innings this season for Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Angels outrighted Jose Valdez in November after he pitched 23 1/3 innings of relief with a 4.24 ERA and 8.5 K/9 but a way-too-high 6 2/3 BB/9 in 2016. He has pitched just twice for Salt Lake since April 20, so he should provide the Angels’ bullpen with a fresh arm.

Shelby Miller To Have Tommy John Surgery

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SATURDAY: Miller has, in fact, decided to undergo Tommy John surgery, writes FanRag’s Tommy Stokke. Details of the surgery are unclear, but he’ll miss the rest of 2017 and quite likely a portion of the 2018 season while he recovers.

THURSDAY: Diamondbacks right-hander Shelby Miller has been diagnosed with flexor strain and a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, Miller himself tells reporters (Twitter links via FanRag’s Tommy Stokke). Miller is considering his options, including Tommy John surgery, and will make a decision sooner rather than later.

The 26-year-old Miller exited his most recent start due to forearm tightness and was quickly placed on the 10-day disabled list, though this new diagnosis guarantees that he’ll miss considerably more time than that — likely the remainder of the 2017 season unless he pursues a non-surgical route such as a platelet-rich plasma injection or stem cell treatment (neither of which would guarantee that he’d ultimately avoid surgery).

The news comes as a significant blow to the D-backs after Miller showed encouraging signs early in the season. After a dreadful first year in Arizona (6.15 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 3.8 BB/9), Miller was showing improved velocity and missing more bats early in the 2017 season. Through his first three outings, Miller logged a 3.50 ERA with a 17-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 48 percent ground-ball rate. His most recent outing, however, back on April 23, lasted just four innings as Miller issued five walks and saw his average velocity dip.

[Related: Arizona Diamondbacks Depth Chart]

With Miller out for a significant time regardless of his ultimate treatment option, the D-backs will have a vacancy in their rotation. Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin, Robbie Ray and Taijuan Walker are presently occupying the top four slots, and right-hander Zack Godley was recalled to make a spot start yesterday (though he’s already been optioned out).

In addition to Godley, right-hander Braden Shipley (a former first-round pick that’s currently in Triple-A and made his MLB debut in 2016) and right-hander Archie Bradley could be candidates to join the rotation. Bradley has been lights out in a relief role early this season, though GM Mike Hazen very recently told the Arizona Repbulic’s Nick Piecoro that the organization still views Bradley as a starter in the long run.

Pirates Place David Freese On DL

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The Pirates have announced that they’ve placed corner infielder David Freese on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Wednesday. To take his place on the active roster, they’ll select the contract of outfielder Danny Ortiz.

Freese has been out since Monday due to hamstring soreness. With the new 10-day DL, the Pirates could get him back on their roster within a week should his injury not prove serious. If he’s out for awhile, though, it would be a significant loss for the Bucs, who are already short regular third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who’s still in South Korea dealing with visa issues. Freese has been one of the Pirates’ most productive players this season, batting .321/.418/.536 thus far. Next up on the Pirates’ depth chart at third are Josh Harrison (the Bucs’ regular second baseman) and Phil Gosselin.

The 27-year-old Ortiz is a longtime Twins and Pirates farmhand who has never played in the big leagues. He has not hit well in either of his two seasons with the Bucs’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, batting just .236/.275/.415 last season and .217/.266/.233 so far this year. He can, however, play all three outfield positions.

Angels Place C.J. Cron On DL

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The Angels have placed first baseman C.J. Cron on the disabled list with a foot injury, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Lefty starter Tyler Skaggs also appears likely to head to the DL with oblique trouble. Both players left yesterday’s game against the Rangers — Cron fouled a ball off his foot, while Skaggs told the team he felt a “pinch” in his right side (as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register explains). The Angels have promoted righties Jose Valdez and Daniel Wright, evidently to take the place of Cron and Skaggs on their active roster.

Cron was off to a poor start to his season, batting just .233/.277/.267 while showing little of the power he demonstrated while hitting 16 home runs in each of the last two years. Luis Valbuena is currently several games into a rehab assignment after beginning his season on the DL with a hamstring strain, and he appears likely to take most of the playing time at first should Cron be out for a significant duration.

Skaggs, of course, has had his fair share of injuries, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2014 and dealing with biceps tendinitis last season. Yesterday, though, he told reporters he was not worried about his current oblique issue. “I am not very concerned,” he said, via Fletcher. “We haven’t talked about an MRI or anything. We’ll take it day to day. … This is a small bump in the road.” Of course, the existence of the 10-day DL would allow the Angels to remove Skaggs from their active roster for only a brief period of time, meaning that it would not necessarily indicate a serious problem if the Angels were to place him there. Skaggs has posted a 3.99 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 29 1/3 innings so far this season.

Alderson On Matz, Lugo, Familia, Duda, Flores

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson spoke to reporters, including the Daily News’ Kristie Ackert, today. We already noted that Alderson said the team doesn’t think Yoenis Cespedes’ hamstring injury is very serious, but here’s more of what he related about the Mets’ outlook.

  • Lefty Steven Matz (who has been dealing with discomfort in his pitching elbow) and righty Seth Lugo (partially torn UCL) are both throwing up to 200 feet from flat ground and will begin throwing off the slope of the mound soon — perhaps tomorrow, Alderson said. Neither pitcher has yet appeared in a game this season; Lugo is trying to avoid Tommy John surgery with a platelet-rich plasma injection and rest. “The further along he gets the more optimistic we become,” said Alderson.
  • Alderson seemingly did not offer a full vote of confidence in closer Jeurys Familia, who has walked six batters in his first four innings this year after missing the first two weeks of the season to a domestic-violence suspension. “As of right now, do we have a closer? You tell me,” Alderson said. Nonetheless, Alderson said he is hoping for “things to settle in a little bit” and added that the Mets are not looking for bullpen help right now. Addison Reed, who collected four saves in the early going, would presumably close if Familia were to be bumped, temporarily or not, from the role.
  • First baseman Lucas Duda (hyperextended left elbow) played in his first game on a rehab assignment with Class A+ St. Lucie yesterday, and Alderson is hopeful that Duda can soon return to the big leagues. “He played last night. His comment after was he felt just about 100%, so hopefully it’s in the next two or three days,” said Alderson. “Monday might be a little early, but we’ll see.” Duda was off to a .238/.360/.571 start when the Mets placed him on the DL last Friday.
  • Infielder Wilmer Flores (right knee infection) will soon start a rehab assignment of his own, Alderson said. Flores hit the DL last Friday, the same day as Duda.

Athletics Outright Raul Alcantara

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SATURDAY: The A’s have announced that they’ve outrighted Alcantara to Triple-A Nashville. They also reinstated infielder Joey Wendle (shoulder) from the DL and optioned him to Nashville.

TUESDAY: The Athletics announced on Tuesday that they’ve designated right-hander Raul Alcantara for assignment as part of a series of roster moves. Additionally, Oakland has placed Rajai Davis on the 10-day disabled list due to a hamstring injury. Right-hander Cesar Valdez and outfielder Ryan LaMarre have been recalled from Triple-A Nashville to fill out the 25-man roster.

Alcantara, 24, made the Athletics’ roster out of Spring Training, though that decision seemingly stemmed in part from the fact that he is out of minor league options. Alcantara struggled tremendously through three appearances (one start) to open the season, however. Through seven innings, the once well-regarded prospect has yielded 13 earned runs (15 total runs) for a sky-high 16.71 ERA. Alcantara has surrendered 10 hits, including three homers, and walked five batters against just two punchouts on the season. That ugly stat line represents a continuation of last season’s woes. In a total of 29 1/3 Major League innings, Alcantara has a 9.51 ERA with a 16-to-9 K/BB ratio and six hit batsmen.

Those struggles notwithstanding, Alcantara certainly has shown some promise in the minors. He was once well-regarded enough to be shipped from Boston to Oakland in a significant trade for then-closer Andrew Bailey, though Josh Reddick clearly proved to be the cornerstone piece of that deal for the A’s. Alcantara, though, posted a 1.18 ERA with a 32-to-3 K/BB ratio through 45 Triple-A innings as recently as last season and has a career 3.52 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 throughout his minor league tenure — a total of 588 1/3 innings.

Injury Notes: 10-Day DL, Mariners, Cespedes

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MLB’s change from the 15-day DL to the 10-day DL has resulted in more DL stays, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes. In the first 25 days of the season, there have been 165 10-day DL placements, compared to 147 players on the 15-day DL over the same period last year. That would appear to be by design, as the 10-day DL was designed to help keep teams from wasting active roster spots on players with minor injuries who might be able to return before the previously required 15 days. “You see this all the time: They say an injury is day-to-day,” says Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. “Then two days turns into four days and four days turns into six. Well, if that’s the case, you might as well put him on the DL [right away] rather than play short for a week.” Here are more quick notes on injuries.

  • The Mariners have announced that they’ve placed righty reliever Evan Scribner on the 10-day DL with a flexor bundle strain. Scribner has had a hard time so far this season, allowing nine runs in his first 7 1/3 innings. To take his place on the active roster, the Mariners have promoted outfielder Boog Powell from Triple-A Tacoma. Powell will provide a bit of depth with the Mariners’ outfield also struggling with injuries — Mitch Haniger is on the disabled list with an oblique injury and Nelson Cruz is dealing with a hamstring cramp. The Mariners acquired Powell in the November 2015 trade that also saw them acquire Nate Karns from Tampa Bay in exchange for Brad Miller and Logan Morrison. The 24-year-old Powell had been batting .261/.424/.326 for Tacoma, walking 13 times in 59 plate appearances.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters, including James Wagner of the New York Times (on Twitter), that he doesn’t think the hamstring injury that placed star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the DL is particularly serious. Cespedes was placed on the DL yesterday, so he’ll be eligible to return May 8. Cespedes was off to a hot start this season, batting .270/.373/.619 with six home runs in the early going.

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