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Archives for May 2017

Tigers Place Ian Kinsler On DL, Designate William Cuevas

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The Tigers announced this morning that they’ve placed second baseman Ian Kinsler on the 10-day DL with a left hamstring strain. In addition, they’ve optioned lefty Chad Bell to Triple-A Toledo, recalled outfielder JaCoby Jones from Toledo, purchased the contract of righty Arcenio Leon and designated righty William Cuevas for assignment.

Kinsler left a game last Saturday due to hamstring trouble, but returned to play this week. He generally struggled, however, batting 4-for-22 since Saturday. It isn’t clear how long he’ll need to be out. The team has Andrew Romine and Dixon Machado to take his place. Jones also played shortstop during his early years in the minors, but has never played second base as a pro and figures as more of a third baseman and outfielder at this point.

The 30-year-old Leon pitched well for Toledo (3.15 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 in 20 innings, earning what could be his first taste of big-league action after 12 seasons in the Astros, Brewers, White Sox and Tigers systems. His roster spot comes at the expense of Cuevas, who posted a 4.06 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 34 1/3 innings in the Mud Hens’ rotation. Cuevas also appeared once for the Tigers this year, allowing four runs in just a third of an inning.

AL Notes: Jimenez, Kintzler, Hahn, Johnson

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The Orioles have moved righty Ubaldo Jimenez to the bullpen, tweets Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The 33-year-old Jimenez is struggling for the second consecutive season, posting a 7.17 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and a way-too-high 5.3 BB/9 in 42 2/3 innings over nine outings so far. Jimenez is in the last season of a four-year, $50MM deal that largely hasn’t worked out for Baltimore. It appears the O’s will go forward with a rotation of Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Wade Miley, and Alec Asher, who has thrived in a bullpen role this season and who’s set to start tomorrow. Here’s more from the American League.

  • The Twins have not seriously considered extending closer Brandon Kintzler, 1500ESPN’s Darren Wolfson tweets. Kintzler is eligible for free agency this winter, so Wolfson suggests he could become a trade chip later this summer. Of course, the Twins are currently, and somewhat surprisingly, in first place, so while they don’t appear to be considering an extension for Kintzler, a trade probably isn’t yet on their radar either. It would perhaps be mildly surprising if the Twins were considering extending Kintzler, since he’ll be 33 in early August. The righty is, however, off to a strong start this season, posting a 1.71 ERA, 2.6 BB/9 and 12 saves, albeit with a modest 5.6 K/9.
  • In an expected move, the Athletics have announced that they’ve placed righty Jesse Hahn on the 10-day DL with a right triceps strain. To take his place in their rotation, they’ve recalled righty Jharel Cotton from Triple-A Nashville. Hahn’s recent MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, although it still appeared likely he’d need to head to the DL. Hahn isn’t the only Athletics starting pitcher to encounter injury trouble lately — Kendall Graveman is dealing with shoulder trouble and could require a DL stint of his own.
  • In another expected move, the Red Sox have announced that they’ve promoted lefty Brian Johnson to start today, with righty Ben Taylor heading to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room on their 25-man. As Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal notes, Johnson’s stay in the big leagues could be brief with David Price about to return from the DL. But Johnson has a chance to make a statement to a Red Sox team that has struggled to find good rotation depth this season, with Kyle Kendrick and Hector Velazquez struggling in scattered starts and Henry Owens walking 6.6 batters per nine innings at Pawtucket. Johnson didn’t fare well in one big-league start of his own this season, but he’s pitched well at Triple-A, with a 2.82 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over 44 2/3 innings there.

NL West Notes: Kazmir, Segedin, Arroyo, Margot, Bettis, Wall

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says that starting pitcher Scott Kazmir’s velocity is up to 90-92 MPH as he rehabs his injured hip, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. That’s close to Kazmir’s typical regular-season velocity, which has sat in the low 90s over the past several seasons. It’s still unclear when Kazmir will return to the team, however. The hip has been an ongoing problem for Kazmir, as has his velocity, which was well below 90 MPH at various points in Spring Training. He has not yet pitched in the Majors or minors this season. As long as their other pitchers remain healthy, though, the Dodgers should be able to get by without him — they have Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Brandon McCarthy already available and Hyun-Jin Ryu and Julio Urias waiting in the wings. Here’s more from the NL West.

  • Dodgers corner infielder Rob Segedin is set to have wrist surgery on Wednesday and will miss four to six weeks, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets. Segedin was hurt while batting as he was rehabbing an earlier injury to his toe. The 28-year-old was one of Triple-A Oklahoma City’s top hitters last year, and he was off to a good start before succumbing to injury last month, batting .324/.342/.541 in 38 plate appearances. He’s also collected 87 big-league plate appearances over the last two seasons.
  • With Giants rookie Christian Arroyo going through an extended lull at the plate, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that it’s plausible to imagine him being optioned. With Aaron Hill and Conor Gillaspie both nearing returns from injury, and some alternatives on hand at Triple-A, San Francisco may have little choice but to see if it can get more production elsewhere — while letting Arroyo iron out the kinks back at Sacramento. As SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee further writes, the move makes all the more sense when considering the fact that Eduardo Nunez’s glove likely doesn’t belong in left field.
  • The Padres have placed young center fielder Manuel Margot in a walking boot as a precautionary measure, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Margot’s calf issue is likely to send him to the 10-day DL, it seems, though the team is waiting to make a final decision. Through exactly 200 plate appearances on the year, Margot is hitting .259/.305/.389 with four home runs and five stolen bases (albeit in ten attempts).
  • Rockies starting pitcher Chad Bettis sees pitching in the big leagues this season as a “realistic goal” as he continues to recover from testicular cancer, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes. “The way I see it, it’s going to happen,” Bettis says. “At what point in time during the season I would be coming back is all kind of up in the air. But it’s something that I’m going to be pushing to get to.” Bettis had surgery during the offseason but learned in Spring Training that the cancer had returned, weeks before his wife gave birth to his first child. Since then, he’s had several rounds of chemotherapy, although those ended earlier this month. Now, he’s working on throwing at 75 feet and doing cardiovascular work. There’s still no date for his return, however, and he’s watched the Rockies’ strong start from the sidelines. “[I]t’s hard,” he says. “I so wish that I was a part of it.”
  • Rockies prospect Forrest Wall, who had moved from second base to the outfield this year, is slated to miss the rest of the season after suffering a dislocated left shoulder, Vince Lara-Cinisomo of Baseball America writes. The 21-year-old needs surgery, bringing an end to what had been a promising campaign. Taken 35th overall in the 2014 draft, Wall had struggled in 2016. But he was slashing a robust .299/.361/.471 through 98 plate appearances at High-A at the time of his injury.

Twins Designate Adam Wilk

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The Twins have designated lefty Adam Wilk for assignment, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll make way for the call-up of lefty Adalberto Mejia; as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweeted recently, Mejia will take the ball tomorrow.

Wilk, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Mets earlier in the year. He has made two lengthy relief appearances out of the Minnesota pen, allowing three earned runs on eight hits over seven innings while compiling four strikeouts against five walks.

Through four years in the majors, Wilk has compiled just 37 total frames. He had not been off to an impressive start at Triple-A in the New York organization, but did throw 87 1/3 innings of 3.61 ERA ball last year at Triple-A for the Rays.

As for Mejia, the 23-year-old will look to improve upon his 4.96 ERA through his first four starts in 2017. He has been touched for four long balls while allowing ten walks to go with 13 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. But Mejia has looked every bit the solid prospect at Triple-A, where he owns a 3.48 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 over 20 2/3 frames.

AL Injury Notes: Hanley, Paxton/M’s, Graveman/Hahn, Griffin

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The Red Sox won’t count on Hanley Ramirez being capable of playing first base again this year, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters including Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Shoulder troubles have persisted for the veteran, relegating him to DH duties. “The potential negatives of him going out and [playing first], at this point don’t outweigh the positives that we get from having his bat in as our DH,” Dombrowski explained. “We just have to maneuver around it.” For the time being, at least, rookie Sam Travis is up to provide a right-handed-hitting option at first along side lefty Mitch Moreland.

Here’s more on some injury situations around the American League:

  • There’s some welcome news on the injury front for the Mariners, who watched lefty James Paxton through four innings and 55 pitches tonight in a rehab outing, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports (Twitter links). The expectation is that he’ll take the ball for Seattle on Wednesday. Fellow rehabbing starters Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are slated for bullpen sessions in the coming days, too, leading skipper Scott Servais to say that the club is finally “starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.”
  • Two Athletics pitchers, meanwhile, are dealing with injury issues. Right-hander Kendall Graveman is suffering from some shoulder issues, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, though the seriousness isn’t yet clear. And while the MRI results were promising for fellow righty Jesse Hahn, MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports on Twitter, his triceps problem is likely to require a DL stint. Jharel Cotton will come up to take a rotation spot this weekend.
  • Finally, the Rangers will be awaiting the results of further evaluation on righty A.J. Griffin, but he’s heading to the DL, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Per a club announcement, he left his start tonight with a left intercostal strain. Even if Griffin ends up missing some time, though, it may not work out too badly for Texas. As Grant notes (Twitter links), the team could fill the opening with Tyson Ross — if he’s ready. Alternatively, Yohander Mendez could be an option. For the time being, though, veteran Dillon Gee will head onto the active roster.

Felipe Rivero Changes Agents

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Pirates reliever Felipe Rivero has changed his representation, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. Rivero has hired the Boras Corporation, per the report.

Rivero, who will turn 26 this summer, can’t qualify for free agency until 2022. But he entered the season with 1.162 days of service, so he’s nearly certain to qualify for arbitration at year’s end as a Super Two player.

The Bucs will end up paying Rivero at a healthy rate, as he’s currently carrying an outstanding 0.73 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 over 24 2/3 innings. That payday could increase qutie a bit more if Rivero ends up ascending to the team’s closer role — as has been speculated as a strong possibility if the team deals incumbent ninth-inning man Tony Watson at the deadline.

Pittsburgh has to like what it has seen thus far. The club acquired him when it shopped closer Mark Melancon last summer, making a calculated gamble that the young southpaw would continue to progress and make good on his obvious talent. Taking a major-league reliever also meant foregoing the possibility of a prospect-driven return for the veteran Melancon, but that seems a wise choice at this juncture.

Twins’ Nick Burdi To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Twins prospect Nick Burdi will miss the remainder of the 2017 campaign due to Tommy John surgery, reports MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter). It’s a “full thickness tear,” chief baseball officer Derek Falvey tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (Twitter link), thus necessitating the TJ procedure.

A top-rated prospect heading into the 2014 draft and one of the most well-regarded arms in the Twins’ minor league ranks, Burdi’s career had already been slowed by injuries even before today’s unfortunate news. (ESPN’s Keith Law notes that he missed most of the 2016 season with a bone bruise in his pitching elbow.) The flamethrowing 24-year-old reaches triple digits with regularity and had gotten off to a brilliant start to the season; after totaling just three innings last year, Burdi had rattled off 17 frames of one-run ball with an outstanding 20-to-4 K/BB ratio (with one of those free passes being of the intentional variety).

The Twins will now have to wait at least another year before seeing Burdi, whom many felt could be a quick riser through the minors, as a part of their big league bullpen. For a club that has somewhat surprisingly gotten off to a first-place start but still carries questions in the big league relief corps, the loss of a near-MLB-ready arm with Burdi’s upside is a tough blow. Burdi, however, won’t turn 25 until the offseason, so there’s still time for him to get his career back on track and help what the Twins hope will be a competitive club in 2018 and beyond.

Red Sox Shut Down Brock Holt From Baseball Activity

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The Red Sox have halted rehab work for utilityman Brock Holt, as Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe was among those to report on Twitter. Holt was advised “to shut down from playing for the foreseeaable future” by a head trauma specialist, per the report.

Holt, 28, has already missed significant time with vertigo. It seemed he was nearing a return when recurring symptoms arose, leading to the change in plans. It seems the experts advised a more cautious approach after prior efforts at recovery proved halting.

There’s no timeline at present for Holt’s return; indeed, the entire undertaking seems designed to allow the issues to fully abate before Holt pushes again. As Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweets, the plan is to wait until Holt’s “symptoms totally fade.” It’s obviously not possible to know just when that will occur; the focus will surely be on ensuring Holt’s overall well-being before considering how to get him back on the field.

Boston would surely have liked to have Holt available to help out at third base, but instead the club has gone most of the year without the versatile defender. Holt has appeared in just six contests after averaging more than one hundred annually over the past three campaigns. Over that span, he compiled a .274/.335/.381 slash with 13 home runs and 24 stolen bases over 1,325 plate appearances.

Dodgers Claim Mike Freeman, Chris Heston

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The Dodgers have claimed two players off waivers from the Mariners, the teams announced today. Infielder Mike Freeman and righty Chris Heston are now headed to the Los Angeles organization.

Both players have been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to open their tenures with the new club. To create roster space, outfielder Andrew Toles and southpaw Scott Kazmir were shifted to the 60-day DL.

Freeman, 29, is a left-handed hitter with experience all over the field — the bulk of it coming at second base. He has struggled in two brief cracks at the majors in the past two seasons, but has shown quite a bit more in the upper minors. Indeed, through 1,245 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of four seasons, Freeman owns a .316/.378/.427 batting line with 113 walks against just 180 strikeouts. He also has hit only nine home runs in that span, so clearly it would be unwise to expect much in the power department.

As for Heston, it’s interesting to see him land with the Dodgers, who saw him emerge with the rival San Francisco Giants back in 2015. He ended that year with a no-hitter and 177 2/3 innings of 3.95 ERA pitching on his ledger, but has only thrown ten MLB frames since. Heston, 29, was throwing well in his time this year at Triple-A, though, with a 3.41 ERA and 8.0 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 over 31 2/3 frames.

Nationals Acquire Ryan Raburn From White Sox

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The Nationals have acquired veteran outfielder Ryan Raburn from the White Sox, according to a club announcement from Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports that the Nats will send cash or a player to be named later back to the White Sox in exchange for Raburn, who will be assigned to Triple-A Syracuse in the Nats organization (Twitter links).

The 36-year-old Raburn, a veteran of 11 Major League seasons, was in camp with the Reds this spring but didn’t make the roster and ultimately latched on with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate. He’s gotten off to a nice start with the Knights, hitting .277/.419/.434 through 105 plate appearances there and will give Washington some depth and, possibly, an eventual bench option against left-handed pitching. It’s worth noting that outfielder Chris Heisey recently suffered a torn biceps tendon and is waiting to learn whether he’ll require surgery to repair the injury, so Raburn could conceivably give the Nats another veteran option to fill that role on the big league club.

Despite spending the 2016 season playing his home games at the hitter-friendly Coors Field, Raburn struggled through one of the worst years of his career. In 256 plate appearances with the Rox last season, he batted just .220/.309/.404, though he did tally nine homers. Raburn has long been a potent bat against left-handed pitchers, as evidenced by his .261/.341/.487 lifetime batting line when holding the platoon advantage.

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