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Archives for June 2017

Mets Place Zack Wheeler On Disabled List

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10:15pm: The Mets only expect Wheeler to require a minimal DL stint and are hopeful that he’ll miss just one start, writes MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

“It’s just sore. It’s sustained soreness,” said Wheeler. “It might just be from coming back from two years without throwing, I don’t know. All I can do is just take my time off and try to get better physically, and sort of just reset while I am trying to clear this thing up.”

5:11pm: The Mets announced that they’ve placed right-hander Zack Wheeler on the 10-day DL due to biceps tendinitis in his right arm. The team has also optioned infielder Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Las Vegas and, in a pair of corresponding moves, recalled right-handers Tyler Pill and Erik Goeddel from Vegas.

[Related: Updated New York Mets depth chart]

Wheeler, 27, returned to the mound in 2017 after missing the previous two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and lingering complications. After a hot start to the season, he’s cooled off and seen his ERA balloon to 5.29 thanks to a pair of starts in which he’s been tattooed for 15 earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings. He becomes the sixth Mets starter to land on the disabled list this year, as Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Tommy Milone are currently on the DL, while Steven Matz and Seth Lugo were only recently activated.

With Wheeler on the shelf for a yet-undetermined amount of time, the Mets will rely on Jacob deGrom, Matz, Lugo and Robert Gsellman as starters. Presumably, Pill will also be reinserted into the starting mix as well. Wheeler’s workload would’ve become an issue at some point anyhow, so the placement on the disabled list could at least effectively “conserve” some innings for later in the season, assuming he’s able to return to the mound as a starter.

The injury is merely the latest in a season that has been punctuated by health troubles as well as communication issues when it comes to the team’s medical procedures. As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo points out (Twitter link), Mets officials insisted just yesterday that there was nothing physically wrong with Wheeler, only to place him on the disabled list roughly 24 hours later. In addition to the myriad pitching injuries that were previously mentioned, the Mets have also seen extended absences for Yoenis Cespedes, Neil Walker, Lucas Duda and David Wright, among others.

Athletics Notes: Gray Rumors, Semien, Stadium

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It now seems likely that the Athletics will end up moving Sonny Gray this summer, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. There’s likely to be plenty of interest in the righty, who is showing improved form after a forgettable 2016 season; indeed, he just placed fourth on MLBTR’s list of the top 50 trade candidates. The full scope of potential suitors isn’t yet known, but Slusser does provide some interesting observations. The Astros, she notes, are “one of the more realistic landing spots” for Gray, with clear interest on Houston’s part and a history of swaps between the division rivals. (A prior report of that possible connection arose over the weekend.) There’s even an unnamed NL club that, per Slusser, “has toyed with the idea of using Gray as a closer.” (If you’re wondering what team that might be, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs takes a shot at a guess.)

More out of Oakland…

  • Injured shortstop Marcus Semien will embark on a rehab assignment this weekend, writes John Hickey of the San Jose Mercury News, though it’s not likely to be a quick assignment. “It’s going to look maybe a little like spring training,” said manager Bob Melvin. Semien will start off by playing five innings per game and gradually build up to playing full games, per Hickey. I’d imagine that the impending return of Semien will only further trade chatter surrounding Jed Lowrie, as there have already been rumblings that he could be moved to pave way for infield prospect Franklin Barreto.
  • Athletics president Dave Kaval stated yesterday that the A’s will announce the site of a new stadium with the calendar year, as Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area writes. The three locations in consideration are a waterfront venue near Howard Terminal, a neighborhood park next to Laney College or a newer facility at the current site of the Coliseum. “Obviously we’re working as quickly as we can to make the announcement as soon as possible,” said Kaval. “At that time, we’ll not only let folks know what the final location is, but also the timeline to actually develop the ballpark, all the different approval processes and also the groundbreaking and the opening date.”

Brewers Sign Keston Hiura

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The Brewers announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed their first-round pick, UC Irvine second baseman/outfielder Keston Hiura. According to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter), he’ll receive a bonus of $4MM, which comes in a bit south of the $4.57MM slot value of the No. 9 overall selection. Tom Hadricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that Hiura will likely head to the team’s Spring Training facility in Arizona before eventually joining Milwaukee’s Class-A affiliate in the Midwest League.

Hiura, who will turn 21 in August, was considered one of the best college bats in the draft and has drawn immense praise for his plus bat speed, hit tool and power. He ranked 14th on Baseball America’s top 500 list, 15th on the top 100 of Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, 19th per ESPN’s Keith Law and 22nd in the draft per Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo.

Hiura might’ve gone higher in the draft, but an elbow injury prevented him from throwing all season long, limiting him to DH. He’s already seen Dr. Neal ElAttrache for the issue, per Longenhagen. Callis and Mayo write that some scouts believe he’ll  eventually require Tommy John surgery, and BA’s report concludes by stating that many believe he’s headed for some form of elbow procedure as soon as he signs. (An assignment to the team’s Class-A affiliate, of course, would run counter to that belief.)

Because of the elbow issue, there’s no clear consensus on where Hiura will profile defensively in the long run. MLB.com’s report on him notes that Hiura’s footwork in the infield is questionable and needs some work, while the injury to his throwing arm obviously casts some level of uncertainty when it comes to whether he’ll be able to handle center field. He’s also played left field in college, and he could potentially profile at any of the three positions if things break right for him and the Brewers. While all of the linked scouting reports express some degree of concern about his defense, the common consensus is that Hiura has a very good chance to hit wherever he plays.

Mariners Move Yovani Gallardo To Bullpen

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The Mariners selected the contract of top organizational prospect Andrew Moore earlier today, and they’ve informed reporters prior to tonight’s game that Yovani Gallardo will move to the bullpen to accommodate Moore’s arrival (Twitter link via the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish). MLB.com’s Greg Johns was the first to report that Moore would take over Gallardo’s spot in the Seattle rotation.

“He’s been the definition of steady since entering the system,” GM Jerry Dipoto said of Moore, a 2015 second-rounder (link via Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune). “…He’s earned an opportunity to pitch here.”

Seattle is expecting Felix Hernandez to come off the disabled list on Thursday, according to Johns, and he’ll join Moore, James Paxton, Ariel Miranda and Sam Gaviglio in the rotation for the time being. Hisashi Iwakuma is also nearing a return and could push either Gaviglio or Miranda out of a starting role, though he’s still slated to make one more rehab start in Triple-A, Johns writes. Johns also tweets an update on left-hander Drew Smyly, who is set to face live hitters on Saturday and has been progressing well through bullpen sessions.

[Related: Updated Seattle Mariners depth chart]

Acquired in a one-for-one swap that sent Seth Smith to the Orioles this offseason, Gallardo was passable for his first eight turns this season (4.53 ERA in 45 2/3 innings), but he’s been shelled for 30 runs in his past 30 innings. He’s made modest improvements in his K/9 rate (6.8), BB/9 rate (3.8) and ground-ball rate (46.3 percent) in 2017, though ERA alternatives such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA all peg him in the upper-4.00s.

While the results from Gallardo certainly aren’t what the Mariners hoped when rolling the dice on him as a rebound candidate, the offseason trade amounted to little more than a means of jettisoning Smith in favor of more defensively gifted outfield options such as Jarrod Dyson, Mitch Haniger and Ben Gamel. The two had reasonably comparable salaries, so the Mariners effectively took a one-year, $4MM gamble on Gallardo. That hasn’t panned out to date, while Smith has been a productive bat in Baltimore (.272/.350/.463).

As for Moore, he’ll jump into the rotation and hope to lock down a long-term spot among the Mariners’ starting five. He’s the organization’s No. 4 prospect, per MLB.com, and he entered the year rated seventh among Seattle farmhands by ESPN’s Keith Law, fifth by Baseball Prospectus, fifth by Fangraphs and sixth by Baseball America. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com note that Moore has excellent spin rate on his 89-92 mph fastball, allowing him to generate swings and misses up in the zone despite the lack of velocity. While the scouting reports on him agree that he doesn’t come with a huge ceiling, there’s a consensus that he has a strong chance of becoming a reliable fourth or fifth starter that fills up the strike zone.

Through a combined 82 2/3 innings between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma this season, Moore has posted an excellent 2.72 ERA with 8.4 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9.

Cubs Agree To Terms With Brendon Little

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The Cubs have agreed to a $2.2MM signing bonus with first-rounder Brendon Little, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That comes in just below the $2,373,300 slot value of Little’s No. 27 overall selection.

Little, a junior college lefty out of Florida, is listed at 6’2″ and 195 pounds, and he’ll turn 21 this August. He entered the draft ranked 18th among draft prospects in the estimation of ESPN’s Keith Law. Other outlets weren’t quite so bullish, as Little rated 36th on the lists of both MLB.com and Baseball America in addition to a No. 46 ranking from Fangraphs.

Law opines that Little has the draft’s best curveball and notes that his fastball has been up to 97 mph. Law also notes that he feels there’s at least a chance that Little pans out as a starter, while each of the other reports on the southpaw suggest that inconsistencies in his delivery and command have many scouts believing that Little will be a reliever in the long run. His curveball and fastball get above-average to plus ratings across the board, though his third offering, a changeup, is said to need more refinement.

Astros’ Jandel Gustave Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Astros righty Jandel Gustave underwent Tommy John surgery today, writes Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. The hard-throwing reliever had been on the disabled list since April 19 with what was announced as a flexor strain. It’s not clear when the diagnosis of a torn ulnar collateral ligament was made, but regardless, Gustave will be out for the rest of the 2017 campaign and likely most of the 2018 season as well.

[Related: Houston Astros depth chart]

Gustave, 24, was picked out of the Astros’ organization in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft by the Red Sox and bounced around the waiver circuit during Spring Training 2015 before being returned to Houston in early April. He made his MLB debut a year later in 2016, tossing 15 1/3 innings of 3.52 ERA ball with a 16-to-4 K/BB ratio and a 40 percent ground-ball rate. This year, Gustave made the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training for the first time in his career and tossed five innings with the ’Stros before falling to injury. In that brief time, he issued seven walks and fanned just two men.

The Astros have solid bullpen depth as it is, and currently rank 11th, third, and first in the league, respectively, in bullpen ERA (3.85), FIP (3.27) and xFIP (3.43). The loss of Gustave and departure of Luke Gregerson as a free agent this offseason will thin that depth out a bit, though the combination of Ken Giles, Chris Devenski, Will Harris and Michael Feliz make for a formidable top four in the relief corps.

Doug Fister Opts Out Of Angels Contract

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3:29pm: Fister did indeed exercise his opt-out, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. He’ll be on release waivers for the next 48 hours and will then have the opportunity to sign on with another team once he clears. While Fister could technically be claimed off release waivers, any team doing so would have to be comfortable paying him at the pro-rated $1.75MM salary he agreed to with Anaheim, and other clubs may prefer to aim for a lower rate once he clears.

2:40pm: The Angels have released veteran righty Doug Fister from his minor-league deal, per a club announcement. Today was the date for his opt-out opportunity, so it appears likely that the Halos elected not to add him to the MLB roster and instead granted a request that he be returned to the open market.

Fister, 33, had a promising first outing at Triple-A, but his two more recent starts haven’t been as successful. In total, he has a 4.02 ERA with 10 strikeouts and five walks through 15 2/3 innings against minor league opponents.

That showing evidently wasn’t enough to motivate the Angels to clear a roster and rotation spot for Fister. At this point, perhaps, there wasn’t much upside to such a move. It’s now been three years since the right-hander was an above-average contributor in a big league rotation, and his fastball velocity has taken a notable dip in recent years. Last year, Fister was able to make 32 starts last year for the first time since 2013, but wasn’t very effective (4.64 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 45.3 percent ground-ball rate) with the division-rival Astros.

Of course, that’s not to say that he won’t draw interest. There were reportedly five clubs that at least kicked the tires on Fister last time around — the D-backs, Mets, Giants and Blue Jays were all linked to him as well last time in free agency — and there are plenty of clubs that could use depth options in the rotation. While it’s possible that a pitching-needy team (e.g. Twins, Orioles) agrees to plug Fister directly into the rotation, the majority of interested parties figure to be eyeing arrangements similar to the one from which Fister just opted out in Anaheim.

Athletics Release Ryan LaMarre

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JUNE 21: The A’s announced that LaMarre has been released. He’s now a free agent.

JUNE 17: The Athletics have designated outfielder Ryan LaMarre for assignment, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The move clears 40-man space for righty Michael Brady, who had his contract selected today.

The 28-year-old LaMarre began the season in the Angels organization, then headed to the A’s in a minor trade after the Halos designated him for assignment. He briefly played for the Athletics in late April before being optioned to the minors. He’s played briefly in parts of three big-league seasons, also suiting up with the Reds and Red Sox, and he’s mostly played center field in his stops in the Majors. He has struggled at the Triple-A level this year, batting .247/.328/.300 in stops with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake and the Athletics’ in Nashville.

Freddie Freeman: “Mindset” Is To Move To Third Base

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Braves star Freddie Freeman says that his “mindset is to return as a third baseman,” as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (links to Twitter). With Matt Adams emerging as a productive offensive player at first in his absence, Freeman appears serious about attempting a move across the diamond even while completing his recovery from a wrist fracture.

Freeman played the hot corner in high school, but the eight-year MLB veteran has lined up exclusively at first base as a professional. Needless to say, this apparent attempt to move back to third in the middle of the season represents quite a surprising turn of events. Freeman says he himself proposed the idea to the team, so obviously he’s on board; it remains unknown just what the organization would need to see to allow him to line up there.

When Freeman went down with his wrist injury, it seemed clear he’d leave behind a significant hole in the lineup. After all, he was carrying a .341/.461/.748 batting line that dwarfed even his typically excellent levels of output. But the Braves were able to add Matt Adams for a song, and he has stepped in with a .296/.349/.635 line over his 29 games in Atlanta. (Whether he can maintain anything like that kind of output, of course, is an open question.)

Adams’s success has created a bit of a quandary for the Braves as Freeman moves toward a return. The new addition didn’t fare well in his own brief attempt at a position change (to the corner outfield), but also may not receive huge trade interest at the deadline due to questionable demand for a player of his skillset.

Particularly since Adams comes with one more year of arb control, then, the Braves clearly have some motivation to find a way to field both players. Whether Freeman is able to show enough capacity at the position — presumably, in a minor-league rehab assignment — even to earn the chance to play it in the majors is yet to be seen. That’ll be known soon enough, though, as it now seems he’s on track to return right around the All-Star break.

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