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Pitching Injury Notes: Shields, Rodon, Hamels, Volquez, Kluber, Nats

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The White Sox will put righty James Shields on ice for a bit after he experienced soreness while throwing, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago writes. Shields is on the 10-day DL with a lat strain that hasn’t improved as rapidly as had been hoped. While it would obviously be preferable to have the veteran in the rotation, it seems a slow and steady course will now be required.

Here’s more on some pitching health issues from around the game:

  • It has been a long wait for the White Sox as young lefty Carlos Rodon, who hasn’t yet pitched in 2017 due to a biceps injury. Skipper Rick Renteria was somewhat coy when asked about the southpaw, as Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports on Twitter. While Renteria emphasized that the club was “very happy” with Rodon’s progress, he declined to say whether the 24-year-old has been cleared to work off of a mound.
  • Southpaw Cole Hamels was scratched from his outing for the Rangers today, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweeted. Oblique tightness was given as the reason, though the severity isn’t yet clear. Texas can scarcely afford anything less than a healthy and effective Hamels as the team seeks to dig itself out of the AL West basement. The veteran has managed just 4.1 K/9 on the year, less than half his career average, with a 7.5% swinging-strike rate that’s well off his typical pace (12.3% lifetime). That said, he still carries a 3.03 ERA through 32 2/3 innings.
  • Also leaving with an injury today was Marlins righty Edinson Volquez. As MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes, Volquez had an incredibly unusual stat line, compiling an unprecedented combination of eight walks and nine strikeouts through 4 1/3 innings before departing with a thumb blister. After the game, manager Don Mattingly said that Volquez could miss his next scheduled outing, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets.
  • Corey Kluber of the Indians failed to make it through his start, too, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports on Twitter. The righty was dealing with lower back issues that have been a nagging problem of late. He had struggled through three innings before being pulled. Kluber is off to an uncharacteristically slow start to the year, with a 5.06 ERA through 37 1/3 innings.
  • The Nationals have thrived despite subpar work from their bullpen, but the team would no doubt prefer to see some improvement. It would surely help to get Koda Glover and Sammy Solis back from the DL, though as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports (Twitter links), the outlook seems better for the former than the latter. Glover, who’s out with a hip issue, says he expects to return after the minimum ten days on the DL. But Solis has yet to begin playing catch. While there’s still no reason to fear a significant injury, elbow nerve inflammation has yet to subside.

Brady Rodgers Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Astros prospect Brady Rodgers underwent Tommy John surgery this morning, the club announced. The right-handed pitching prospect will be out until sometime next season as he rehabs.

Now 26, Rodgers earned a spot on the Houston 40-man in advance of the 2015 Rule 5 draft. Unfortunately, it’s reasonably likely he’ll end up losing that slot once it comes time for the Astros to make some tough decisions in advance of this year’s Rule 5 draft at season’s end.

Rodgers went on to throw quite well at Triple-A in the 2016 season, posting a 2.86 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against just 1.6 BB/9 over 132 innings while earning his first MLB call-up. The majors weren’t as kind to Rodgers, who was tagged for 14 earned runs on 15 hits while issuing seven free passes against just three strikeouts over his 8 1/3 frames. But he had responded with an excellent opening to the 2017 season at Fresno, with 16 1/3 innings of 1.10 ERA ball.

For the ’Stros, the loss of Rodgers takes away an easily accessible depth option. He can be moved to the 60-day DL to clear 40-man space, and as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle writes, there are a variety of other potential rotation fill-ins also on hand.

Red Sox To Purchase Contract Of Kyle Kendrick

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The Red Sox will purchase the contract of righty Kyle Kendrick to start on Thursday, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal was among those to report on Twitter. It seems the organization will open a 40-man spot by placing an injured player (likely Tyler Thornburg) to the 60-day DL.

Kendrick, 32, hasn’t seen the majors since a woeful stint with the Rockies two seasons ago. But he is the clear veteran option for the organization, which was already missing David Price from its rotation when Steven Wright went down to a knee injury.

It’s not yet clear just how long Wright will be out. But he is said to be seeing a specialist for a second opinion on the knee, as Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com tweets, which could at least hint there’s some potential consideration of a surgical option of some kind.

Though Kendrick hasn’t fared well thus far at Triple-A, with a 6.00 ERA over 27 innings, he does carry a solid-enough mix of 6.7 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9. The less-experienced alternatives — Brian Johnson and Henry Owens — have outperformed Kendrick and already have 40-man spots, but Boston evidently would prefer to see them continue refining their work in the upper minors.

Romney Group Still Pursuing Marlins

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Just when it seemed all the momentum was lining up toward a sale of the Marlins to a group led by Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush, things have taken another turn. The alternative bidding group, led by Tagg Romney and also including Tom Glavine, has upped its offer to exceed the $1.3B sale valuation offered by the Jeter/Bush team, according to Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel.

Confirming the general situation, commissioner Rob Manfred told the Sun Sentinel that there are “two very strong groups” still in play. While he obviously did not tip his hand in any way, it’s certainly possible the league’s preferences could tip the scales here. Importantly, at present, we know nothing about the deep-pocketed, background investors who’d participate in either ownership group.

To be sure, the competing offers could shift the calculus for Loria and the league, though it seems they aren’t drastically different. While the new price would beat the $1.3B offer of Jeter and Bush, sources tell Barry Jackson and Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald that it is still shy of $1.4B. With both the league and the team looking over the competing bids, a decision is said to be likely to come soon.

The report also provides some details on the earlier agreement struck between Loria and the Jeter/Bush group, which some characterized as a sale agreement but really falls well shy of that. In fact, it’s just a “handshake deal” that was to allow that group “first opportunity” to get the club if financing was found and a deal was signed quickly. But it did not provide exclusivity, per the report; whether it was an agreement that bound the parties in any manner at all isn’t even clear.

Since there’s still no sale agreement in place — and, according to the Herald, the financing has still yet to be proven — it’s all still an open situation. Indeed, Jeter and Bush are now said to be working to bring in Wayne Rothbaum — who had previously led a third bidding effort — to infuse cash needed for their efforts, per Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg (via Twitter).

Orioles Place Welington Castillo On DL, Purchase Contract Of Francisco Pena, Designate Damien Magnifico

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5:02pm: Baltimore has announced that it designated righty Damien Magnifico to open a roster spot. He had been acquired from the Brewers in mid-April. Magnifico made his MLB debut in 2016 but has struggled in limited action at Triple-A this year.

4:55pm: The Orioles will place backstop Welington Castillo on the 10-day DL after he was diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis, skipper Buck Showalter told reporters including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter links). Taking his place will be fellow receiver Francisco Pena.

Fortunately, there does not appear to be any significant structural issue underlying Castillo’s shoulder troubles. It seems there’s reason to hope that he won’t require a lengthy stint on the DL. Castillo has opened the year with a strong .314/.333/.443 batting line.

Adding Pena, meanwhile, will necessitate the opening of a 40-man roster spot. He’ll likely function as the reserve to Caleb Joseph while he’s up. Pena, 27, was outrighted over the winter. He has been productive (.290/.333/.419) in 33 plate appearances thus far at Triple-A.

New Details On Prospective Marlins Sale

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We have heard some conflicting reports recently about just how likely it is that a Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush-led investment group will complete a purchase of the Marlins, but the latest signs point toward a deal. Most notably, the funding for the buyer’s group is now all lined up, according to Daniel Kaplan of the Sports Business Journal (via Twitter).

If the financials are indeed in order, that would represent quite a significant step. Last we heard, Jeter and Bush were looking for additional investors to join their team, but it seems that’ll no longer be an issue. Citibank is advising the would-be owners, Kaplan notes, and presumably will be involved in any financing that’s needed.

There’s also an important note on the reported $1.3B purchase price, which seems more accurately described as a valuation for purposes of the deal. Per Kaplan, that’ll be offset by the organization’s current debt and anticipated operating losses. Joel Sherman of the New York Post had previously noted that possibility while breaking down the significant numbers involved.

Such adjustments will also take a bite out of the share of the sale proceeds that Miami and Miami-Dade County could stand to earn, as Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald writes. So long as the deal closes by April of next year, five percent of the profits would be sent over to those municipalities — a clause in the deal in which the Marlins obtained massive public financial support for the construction of Marlins Park. But debt, closing costs, and taxes will all first be deducted, and the sale price will also be offset by the agreement’s valuation of the organization (per Hanks, that figures to stand at around $500MM). In other words, while it could still be a significant amount, there are some limits to how much the taxpayers can recoup.

Bush, meanwhile, had some very notable comments of his own, as Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel reports. Speaking for the first time, the former Florida governor — who’d be the official control person of the organization — discussed the groups vision. Most interestingly, perhaps, he suggested that Jeter might actually take over the baseball operations department, though certainly the details of just how that would work remain to be seen. Generally, he expressed an interest in “patiently” building a roster — no word yet on what that might mean at the outset of a new ownership — while pushing to take advantage of the Miami organization’s proximity to Latin America.

Rays Activate Colby Rasmus, Designate Shane Peterson For Assignment

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The Rays have activated outfielder Colby Rasmus from the disabled list and designated fellow outfielder Shane Peterson for assignment in order to clear a spot on the active roster, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).

The 30-year-old Rasmus inked a one-year, $5MM contract with Tampa Bay this offseason but sat out the first month of the year as he continued recovery from offseason core muscle and hip surgeries. The veteran is capable of handling all three outfield slots but will presumably work mostly in left field due to the presence of defensive star Kevin Kiermaier in center field. Rasmus joins an outfield mix that also includes Steven Souza, Peter Bourjos and Corey Dickerson.

Last season was a struggle for Rasmus, as he followed up a productive 2015 season (.238/.314/.475, 25 homers) with a woeful .206/.286/.355 slash and 14 home runs. Rasmus was plagued during the season by a cyst in his inner ear that had to be surgically removed — an issue that cost him more than a month of the 2016 campaign. Given that inner-ear issue and the offseason surgeries he had to address a hernia and a torn labrum in his hip, it’s perhaps not surprising that Rasmus had somewhat of a lost year at the plate in his second season in Houston.

Peterson, 29, appeared in 14 games for the Rays and hit fairly well, posting a .263/.317/.395 batting line over the life of 41 plate appearances. The former Brewers and Athletics outfielder has plenty of action at all three outfield slots and has a very strong .298/.383/.470 batting line in 418 Triple-A games (1808 plate appearances).

Syndergaard Injury “Accelerates” Mets’ Search For Rotation Help

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Noah Syndergaard’s injury was a crushing blow to the rotation for an already-struggling Mets club, and general manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged yesterday that he’ll be on the lookout for outside rotation help. As Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes, Alderson offered the following stance on the matter:

“We have looked at that possibility, I would say yes, that this probably accelerates that process. I think we have to be realistic about what may be out there. As I said before there are some pitchers may be available who have not been pitching, would require a certain amount of time to ramp up and may not be available to us until about the time [Steven] Matz and [Seth] Lugo are possibly back, but there may be some other possibilities.”

As Alderson suggests, the situation isn’t quite as simple as it would be in the event of an offseason or Spring Training injury. Free agents like Doug Fister, Colby Lewis, Jake Peavy, Tim Lincecum and John Danks are all unsigned, but any of those veterans would have to ramp up to the point where he is able to take the mound in a Major League game. With the Mets tentatively hoping that Matz and Lugo will be back in a month, adding one of those arms might not offer a closer timeline to a rotation augment than waiting out their internal options. Of course, adding the depth for the remainder of the season wouldn’t hurt, especially considering the fact that Zack Wheeler is on an innings limit after missing the 2015-16 seasons due to Tommy John surgery.

On the free-agent front, it doesn’t seem that a match with Lewis is especially likely. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted last night that the Mets had interest in the longtime Rangers hurler in the offseason, but Sherman adds that Lewis’ agent now tells him that the right-hander isn’t interested in joining the Mets at this point. The Mets did watch Doug Fister last month, but no deal materialized following that workout.

Looking around the league, there aren’t many obvious trade candidates this early in the season. One very logical depth option, in my view, would be to swing a deal for left-hander Tommy Milone, who was designated for assignment by the Brewers yesterday. Milwaukee also probably wouldn’t mind getting out from some of the remaining money on Matt Garza’s contract.

Speculating a bit further, it’s possible that a definitively rebuilding club like the Padres wouldn’t be as reluctant as most teams to part with a starter in early May. (The Braves, for instance, traded Jhoulys Chacin to the Angels around this time last year when the Halos were similarly devastated by rotation injuries.) However, any of Padres’ offseason signees — Chacin, Jered Weaver, Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill — would have to consent to a trade prior to June 15, and Chacin and Weaver have each struggled quite a bit.

Generally speaking, early May is a difficult time to be seeking any type of meaningful upgrade on the trade market. Even teams like the Royals, Blue Jays and Giants — each with a .370 winning percentage or worse — are reportedly still looking to right the ship rather than market veteran players in trades.

Bud Black: Dahl “Still A Ways Away” From Returning

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The Rockies welcomed Ian Desmond back into their lineup over the weekend, and while there’d been hope that he’d quickly be followed by outfielder David Dahl, that no longer seems likely. In an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM earlier this morning (Twitter link), Colorado skipper Bud Black said that Black is “still a ways away” and isn’t able to show “100 percent exertion on the swing.”

Dahl has been working his way back from a stress reaction in his ribcage — an injury he suffered very early in Spring Training — but has yet to progress to the point where he’s embarked on a minor league rehab assignment. As Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes, Dahl said over the weekend that his swing during a Friday batting practice session was “a little bit shaky,” and the 23-year-old took a day off from swinging the following day.

Black notes that Dahl will be back in the Rockies’ outfield mix when he is eventually healthy enough to return, but there’s no defined timetable for when that might be. Whenever that date arrives, Dahl will be fighting for at-bats in what has become a crowded outfield scene in Denver. While Desmond was originally signed to be the team’s primary first baseman, he started in left field on Sunday and will see some time in the outfield as a means of keeping hot-hitting Mark Reynolds’ bat in the lineup (primarily against lefties). Gerardo Parra, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez are all also in line for regular time in the outfield, and like Dahl, each of that trio is a left-handed hitter.

It’s not immediately clear how Dahl will fit into the puzzle upon his activation — other injuries or downturns in productivity may well factor into that decision — the 23-year-old should figure prominently into the Rockies’ plans once he returns to health. Dahl burst onto the scene with a .315/.359/.500 batting line through 237 plate appearances as a rookie last year, and though his .404 BABIP is clearly unsustainable, his blend of power, speed and solid defense should make him a mainstay in the Colorado outfield for the next several years.

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