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Archives for April 2019

Royals Return Chris Ellis To Cardinals

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The Royals announced Tuesday that Rule 5 pick Chris Ellis has cleared waivers and returned to the Cardinals organization. The right-hander will head to a minor league affiliate (without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster), though the Cardinals’ announcement of the move did not specify the affiliate to which Ellis is headed.

Ellis, 26, was a roster casualty when the Royals selected the contract of Homer Bailey. Though Kansas City manager Ned Yost stated that the organization tried to get as long a look as possible at Ellis, he was designated for assignment after just one scoreless outing to begin the season. Ellis was hit hard during Spring Training, though, allowing 10 runs on 16 hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts through 10 Cactus League frames.

Originally a third-round pick of the Angels back in 2014, Ellis went to the Braves alongside Sean Newcomb in the Andrelton Simmons blockbuster before making his way to the Cardinals in the trade that sent Jaime Garcia to Atlanta. He was torched in his first two brief exposures to the Triple-A level but had a solid season there in 2018 when he pitched to a 3.76 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 79 innings of work. He’ll likely head back to Triple-A Memphis to continue working toward a spot with the Cards at the MLB level.

Royals Select Contract Of Richard Lovelady

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The Royals have selected the contract of lefty Richard Lovelady, as Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM first reported (Twitter link). Right-hander Heath Fillmyer is also on his way up to the active roster.

To create active roster space, the Kansas City organization has optioned down lefty Tim Hill and righty Kevin McCarthy. Both of those hurlers were knocked around in yestreday’s loss.

Lovelady, 23, took an open 40-man spot, so a corresponding move was not rquired there. In some respects, it’s surprising that it has taken him this long to make it up to the majors, as Lovelady has already produced stellar results for three full seasons at all levels of the minors.

Last year, Lovelady mowed down Triple-A hitters in 73 innings over 46 appearances. He finished with a 2.47 ERA and 8.8 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. He was impressive again this spring, turning in an 11:3 K/BB ratio and allowing just two earned runs in 8 2/3 frames, and has already turned in two more quality outings at the highest level of the minors.

Health Notes: Moore, Karns, Padres, Red Sox

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Here are the latest notes on some health situations from around the game …

  • The Tigers and lefty Matt Moore are hopeful that he won’t need to undergo surgery after being diagnosed with a meniscus injury, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News was among those to report. Damage to the joint was diagnosed after Moore experienced some issues in his last outing. While a procedure on the meniscus wouldn’t likely be season-ending, it would make for a fairly lengthy absence. With rather mild symptoms, Moore suggests he’s optimistic he can instead rehab briefly and then pitch through the injury.
  • Orioles righty Nate Karns has gone on the injured list with a forearm strain, the club announced. The severity isn’t know, but it’s obviously rather worrying to see another arm issue for a pitcher that has dealt with significant health issues in recent years. Reliever Evan Phillips, who was acquired in last year’s Kevin Gausman swap, has been called up to take the open roster spot. Phillips struggled in brief MLB action last year but had a nice showing this spring.
  • The Padres announced last night that lefty Aaron Loup and outfielder Franchy Cordero were headed to the injured list. Infielder Luis Urias is taking one of the open roster spots, thus putting another top San Diego prospect at the MLB level, with southpaw reliever Brad Wieck occupying the other. As Jason Freund of the East Village Times explains, arm issues drove both IL placements. The severity isn’t known in either case, but Loup’s forearm strain and Cordero’s elbow strain each echo injuries that those players dealt with last year.
  • Red Sox ace Chris Sale isn’t one for excuses, but skipper Alex Cora did offer up a possible explanation for Sale’s otherwise concerning recent velocity drop. The star lefty was dealing with illness in the run-up to his last start, which reduced his intra-start work and may also have affected him on gameday, Cora told reporters including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (Twitter links). Sale’s velocity has trended back up in the first inning of today’s game, which is certainly a promising sign. There was also generally encouraging news for southpaw Brian Johnson, who was feared to have suffered a significant elbow injury. He’s actually just dealing with inflammation, so it seems reasonable to hope that a rest and rehab approach will allow him to get back to the mound in relatively short order.

Cubs To Place Jon Lester On Injured List

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The Cubs are preparing to place starter Jon Lester on the 10-day injured list, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter). He was due to undergo further medical examination today after suffering a hamstring injury yesterday.

It still isn’t known how serious the injury is. Lester indicated after the game that he felt optimistic, even suggesting he might not need to miss a start. But he’ll be shelved for at least an outing or two with the IL placement.

Losing Lester, even for a brief stretch, will present another obstacle for a Cubs team that has stumbled out of the gates. He has been the anchor of the Chicago rotation ever since he landed with the organization, continuing to produce good results of late even as his stuff and peripherals have faded.

The Cubs would typically just turn the ball over to Mike Montgomery, but he’s hurt. That could mean that Tyler Chatwood will reenter the rotation, though his control problems have yet to abate in a relief role. Alec Mills represents another 40-man possibility.

Mike Clevinger Likely Out More Than Two Months

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10:06am: It turns out the injury is much worse than had initially been expected. Clevinger is going to be sidelined for six to eight weeks before he’s able to resume a throwing progression, manager Terry Francona tells reporters including Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Since he’ll still need to build back to full pitching strength from that point, it seems all but inevitable that Clevinger will miss more than two months.

9:32am: The Indians have placed starter Mike Clevinger on the 10-day injured list. He’s said to be dealing with a “right upper back/Teres major muscle strain.”

Reliever Nick Wittgren is coming up to the active roster to fill the opening and provide some innings, but obviously won’t fill Clevinger’s role. The Cleveland org will ultimately need another hurler to step into the rotation, at least for a couple of starts.

Glancing down the Indians’ 40-man roster, there are several pitchers with MLB experience that could ultimately be called upon. Cody Anderson has spent the most time in the big leagues but is still building back after missing virtually all of the prior two seasons. Adam Plutko might get the nod but is not at 100 percent. Jefry Rodriguez and Chih-Wei Hu have also pitched at the game’s highest level, as have non-roster hurlers A.J. Cole and Asher Wojciechowski.

Filling in shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The real question is: for how long? It did not seem that Clevinger had suffered a significant injury when he left his most recent start, and there’s still no indication that he’s expected to be sidelined for a lengthy stretch. The Indians will take a cautious approach while hoping that Clevinger is able to get back to action quickly. The 28-year-old righty has been nothing short of outstanding of late, with a ridiculous dozen innings (two hits, 22:4 K/BB) to begin the new campaign.

White Sox Select Contract Of Ervin Santana

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The White Sox announced today that they have selected the contract of veteran righty Ervin Santana. He’ll make his first start for the club today after inking a minor-league deal this spring.

The groundwork for Santana’s ascension to the MLB roster had already been laid by the Chicago front office. There was already a 40-man roster spot to work with and the team optioned righty Carson Fulmer back to Triple-A yesterday.

It’ll be interesting to see what the 36-year-old Santana has left in the tank. He was sidelined for much of 2018 with a lingering finger injury and wasn’t effective when he was able to pitch. But he was stellar in the prior two seasons, turning in a 3.32 ERA over 392 2/3 total innings. The peripherals didn’t support quite those results, and expectations ought to be tempered, but there’s reason to hope he can return to being a solid MLB starter.

As for Fulmer, he’ll need to earn his way back into the majors or await an opening. He has now seen action in parts of four MLB seasons but hasn’t come close to fully harnessing the talent that led the South Siders to pick him eighth overall in the 2015 draft. Through 70 1/3 innings at the game’s highest level, Fulmer owns a 6.53 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9.

Red Sox Activate Dustin Pedroia

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The struggling Red Sox will get a boost as they finally play their 2019 home opener, as the club announced today that second baseman Dustin Pedroia has been activated from the injured list. Infielder Tzu-Wei Lin was optioned to Triple-A to create roster space.

The 35-year-old Pedroia played in just three games last year and saw only limited action in camp. His surgically repaired left knee remains a long-term concern, but it’s evidently in good enough form to enable him to get back onto the active roster — and into the lineup. He’ll line up at his customary second base and hit seventh.

When last we saw him in extended action, back in 2017, Pedroia was still capable of turning in a league-average performance at the plate. While he popped just seven home runs in 463 plate appearances and carried a marginal .099 isolated power mark that just barely topped his prior low point, Pedroia still displayed impeccable plate discipline and contact skills.

Pedroia ended the ’17 campaign with a .293/.369/.392 slash. He continued to draw stellar grades for his glovework from Ultimate Zone Rating, though Defensive Runs Saved took a dimmer view. Baserunning was an issue, according to Fangraphs’ BsR measure, which graded Pedroia as a clear negative.

He surely won’t ever be as spry as he once was, but Pedroia could still be quite a useful player for the Boston organization — if he can keep his knee in working order. The hard-nosed star remains under contract for $15MM this year and $25MM combined for the ensuing two seasons. Eduardo Nunez will surely spell him rather often to keep the joints fresh. Lin and Brock Holt (currently on the injured list) are among the options to fill in or supplement Pedroia as the season unfolds.

Nationals Interested In Bud Norris

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The Nationals are showing interest in free agent reliever Bud Norris, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Per the report, the club would still like to stay beneath the luxury tax line with any new additions.

With bullpen issues jumping up right out of the gate this year, the Nationals are understandably looking to find reinforcements. While superstar closer Craig Kimbrel remains available, he’ll still cost quite a bit. Otherwise, the market is largely devoid of appealing options outside of old friend Ryan Madson, who never seemed to be pursuing a contract in earnest.

Norris dealt with some forearm fatigue this spring after signing late. He was cut loose recently by the Blue Jays when he and the team did not see eye to eye on his readiness for MLB action. He had signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto organization — quite a surprising result after he turned in a solid 2018 season.

Working as the Cardinals closer for much of the ’18 campaign, Norris pitched to a 3.59 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 over 57 2/3 innings. He sat at 95 with his four-seam fastball and carried a 12%+ swinging-strike rate for the second consecutive season.

2018 Rule 5 Draft Update

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Let’s check in on the players chosen in the 2018 Rule 5 draft …

Still On MLB Roster

Richie Martin, SS: The first overall selection, moving from the Athletics to the Orioles, Martin is about as intriguing a future asset as we see available in the Rule 5 these days. He has been overmatched early, with a rough showing in camp and 11 strikeouts in his first 26 MLB plate appearances. But the O’s seem all but certain to hang tight and achieve permanent rights over the 24-year-old shortstop.

Reed Garrett, RHP: The Tigers provided Garrett plenty of innings this spring and saw him cough up eight walks to go with 11 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. But they liked the upper nineties heat, which Garrett combines primarily with a cutter. He’s through two clean outings in the majors and seems likely at least to receive a long look — if he’s ever offered back to the Rangers at all.

Travis Bergen, LHP: The Giants were another club with eyes for the Rule 5 this year. They’ve cycled through a few players but only Bergen remains on the 40-man. He’ll be kept from the Blue Jays unless he stumbles. The results so far have been quite encouraging. Bergen was strong this spring and has been thrown right into the mix early, handling himself well in five appearances thus far.

Elvis Luciano, RHP: One of the more surprising Rule 5 decisions this spring involved Luciano, a high-powered but raw hurler who was snagged from the Royals by the Blue Jays. Luciano turned 19 at the outset of camp and looked every bit his age in spring action. But the talent proved too tantalizing to resist for the Toronto organization. That could still change, but this has all the makings of a situation where a non-contender is determined to keep a Rule 5 player it really likes.

Kyle Dowdy, RHP: A 26-year-old left unprotected by the pitching-rich Indians, Dowdy had a marginal spring performance that left the contending Mets unwilling to hang onto him. But the Rangers were there to scoop him up. The numbers have never really jumped off the page for Dowdy, but the Texas organization will see if his varied pitch mix can work in a pen role — with the idea that he could ultimately also represent a rotation depth piece.

Brandon Brennan, RHP: When the Mariners were snubbed by Brennan, who signed a minors deal with the Rockies early in the offseason, they just shrugged their shoulders and grabbed him in the Rule 5. The 27-year-old has already thrown 6 2/3 innings over five appearances, putting up blanks on the scoreboard while recording seven strikeouts against just one walk.

Injured List

Riley Ferrell, RHP: The Marlins were set to give the former Astros third-round pick a look in hopes that he’d finally tamp down on his walk issues and capitalize on his high-K arm. Biceps soreness drove Ferrell to the injured list, an injury that may ultimately make it somewhat easier for the Miami organization to hold onto his rights while limiting his immediate MLB exposure.

DFA Limbo

Connor Joe, INF/OF: Picked by the Reds, then acquired by the Giants, Joe got a look to begin the year in San Francisco. But he managed only one hit in 16 plate appearances and was cast off of the 40-man roster to make way for Tyler Austin. Joe will now be offered back to the Dodgers if he clears waivers.

Chris Ellis, RHP: Plucked from the Cardinals, Ellis moved from the Rangers to the Royals on Rule 5 draft day. He hung on through Opening Day and got his first taste of MLB action, but lost his roster spot thereafter. The Royals evidently liked what they saw from Ellis, so it’s possible they’ll try to work something out with the St. Louis organization if he clears waivers.

Drew Jackson, INF: Another draft-day mover, Jackson was selected by the Phillies from the Dodgers and was promptly shipped to the Orioles for international draft bonus capacity. A power burst last year at Double-A created enough intrigue for Jackson to hang on through Opening Day, but he was moved off the 40-man early on and will be offered back to Los Angeles unless he’s claimed by another club.

Returned

Sam McWilliams, RHP: The second overall selection didn’t last with the Royals, who sent him back to the Rays after an exceedingly rough showing in camp (eight earned runs, 2:6 K/BB ratio in 4 2/3 innings).

Jordan Romano, RHP: Another player that had a look with the Rangers, Romano was dealt to the Texas org by the White Sox after being selected from the Blue Jays. He had solid numbers last year at Double-A but obviously didn’t impress the Rangers’ brass in camp, when he worked to a 3.86 ERA with six strikeouts and five walks in 9 1/3 frames.

Nick Green, RHP: The Diamondbacks sent Green back to the Yankees after watching the 24-year-old struggle through 13 1/3 innings in camp (11 walks vs. 8 strikeouts).

Drew Ferguson, OF: One of many outfielders to get a look from the Giants this spring, Ferguson was sent back to the Astros organization after scuffling badly in Cactus League action (.111/.294/.111 in 34 plate appearances).

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