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Cardinals Expected To Activate Carlos Martinez

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May 17: Martinez is likely to be activated before tomorrow’s game, per MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch.

May 12: Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez, who has yet to appear in an MLB game this season, could rejoin the Cardinals as early as this weekend, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Martinez has been dealing with shoulder issues for the last couple of months, holding him out of action for the first quarter of the season. He recently began rehabbing in the minor leagues, making one appearance at Class-A and three more at the Triple-A level, all out of the bullpen. It would be a welcome sight for the Cardinals to add Martinez, who has an impressive history both as a starter and a reliever, to the existing bullpen mix. He offers a high-leverage option, as well as a potential multi-inning threat to bridge the gap to closer Jordan Hicks.

Goold notes that Martinez is scheduled to pitch for Memphis on Sunday and Springfield, the Cards’ Double-A affiliate, on Wednesday, at which point the Cardinals will evaluate whether he is able to join the Major League team for its weekend series in Arlington against the Rangers. If the team is indeed comfortable adding Martinez to the roster, he will slot into a bullpen role, bolstering a unit that has enjoyed stellar performances from Hicks, John Gant, and John Brebbia. On the other hand, the club could decide that Martinez needs more rehab time and revisit the issue at a later date.

Of course, Martinez returning would require a corresponding roster move. In that case, Luke Gregerson is perhaps the most obvious candidate to be replaced, though Dominic Leone could also be fit for a demotion, with his ERA ballooning to an unsightly 8.20 after an impressive start to the season. Gregerson, who is owed $5MM this season, has made just three appearances for the Cardinals in 2019, but has allowed 3 runs in those games and doesn’t have a history of success with the Cardinals; the veteran righty posted a 7.11 ERA last season, his first in St. Louis.

Mariners Claim Andrew Moore, Designate Nick Rumbelow

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The Mariners announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Andrew Moore off waivers from the Giants and designated right-hander Nick Rumbelow for assignment in order to open space on the 40-man roster.

Moore, 24, returns to the organization that selected him in the second round of the 2015 draft. He’d been traded to Tampa Bay as part of last season’s Denard Span/Alex Colome deal, but the Rays designated him for assignment last month after some considerable early-season struggles. The Giants claimed him two weeks ago but were apparently hoping to pass him through waivers in order to retain him without committing a 40-man roster spot.

Moore made just one appearance in the Giants organization and was torched for five runs in 1 2/3 innings for the club’s Double-A affiliate — a continuation of a disastrous start to the year in the Rays organization. With Tampa Bay, Moore served up 25 runs on 29 hits (none homers) and 10 walks in just 17 1/3 innings of work. His season ERA at the moment is 14.21, and he’s walked nearly as many batters (11) as he’s managed to strike out.

That said, Moore isn’t far removed from being a reasonably interesting pitching prospect. Prior to his arrival at the MLB level in 2017, he’d been touted as a potential fourth or fifth starter who relied on plus control and an above-average-to-plus changeup to compensate for his rather average fastball velocity. He turned in a 3.04 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in a combined 109 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with the Mariners during that 2017 season as well.

The 27-year-old Rumbelow has allowed 16 runs in 15 2/3 Triple-A frames this season and another four runs in 1 1/3 innings at the MLB level. He showed some promise in the Mariners’ minor league ranks last year, notching a 1.83 ERA and a 26-to-8 K/BB ratio in 19 2/3 innings, but he’s yet to find any success in the Majors to this point in his career.

Twins Place Nelson Cruz On IL, Promote Luis Arraez

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The Twins announced that they’ve placed designated hitter Nelson Cruz on the 10-day injured list due to a left wrist strain and promoted infield prospect Luis Arraez for his big league debut. Arraez’s promotion was initially reported by Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base (Twitter link).

Cruz, 38, was signed to a one-year deal worth $14.3MM this winter and has jumped out to a hot start, mashing at a .270/.354/.508 clip with seven home runs and nine doubles through his first 144 plate appearances as a Twin. He’s been out of the lineup for the past few days due to ongoing discomfort that he’s played through to this point, and Minnesota has now opted to give Cruz some additional time to let the wrist heal up. There’s no indication that his absence is expected to be particularly lengthy, and because the move is backdated to May 14, he can be activated in a week’s time if he’s ready.

Arraez, 22, is largely devoid of power but has been a hitting machine throughout his time in the minors. Signed as a teenager out of Venezuela back in 2013, he’s never batted below .309 in any season of affiliated ball and carries a lifetime .331/.385/.414 slash line with him to the Majors. His uncanny knack for making contact has led to a tiny 8.4 percent strikeout rate in the minors, which is scarcely higher than his 7.7 percent walk rate. Both Fangraphs (No. 12) and MLB.com (No. 17) rank Arraez in the middle of the pack in a solid Twins farm system, praising his plus hit tool and making note of his extreme opposite-field approach. Arraez was out to a strong start in 2019, hitting .344/.413/.394 through 179 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.

Defensively, he’s logged the majority of his innings at second base, but Arraez has time at third base, shortstop and left field as well, which points to a possible utility role at the big league level moving forward. His ability to move around the diamond, paired with Marwin Gonzalez’s well-documented versatility, should give rookie skipper Rocco Baldelli plenty of in-game flexibility with regard to his lineup and defensive alignments while Cruz is on the shelf.

Down the line, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arraez settle in as a versatile, bat-first utility option in Minneapolis, even if his initial promotion to the big leagues is brief. It’s possible, too, that Arraez impresses enough to stick on the roster; as noted here last week, out-of-options utility infielder Ehire Adrianza is struggling a great deal this season (.177/.297/.290).

Red Sox Designate Chandler Shepherd For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced Friday morning that they’ve designated right-hander Chandler Shepherd for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Oscar Hernandez, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Pawtucket. Hernandez will join the active roster in place of catcher Sandy Leon as he departs for paternity leave.

Shepherd, 26, has struggled through a brutal start to his 2019 campaign, pitching to a 10.01 ERA through 29 2/3 inning of Triple-A ball. He’s yielded a staggering 53 hits in that time, including 11 home runs, issued 16 walks and also been tagged for another 10 unearned runs. Shepherd, to his credit, has punched out 30 hitters in those 29 2/3 innings and did turn in a solid 2018 season in Pawtucket when he logged a 3.89 ERA in 129 2/3 innings. Despite this season’s alarming home run woes, he allowed just 13 long balls in 2018.

The 25-year-old Hernandez was the top pick in the Rule 5 Draft back in 2014 but saw only minimal time with the D-backs over the next two seasons and hit .167/.239/.262 in a tiny sample of 47 plate appearances in the big leagues. The defensive-minded backstop has thwarted 43 percent of stolen base attempts against him in his minor league career and has consistently drawn above-average framing marks, but he’s just a .190/.2440/.344 hitter in 431 plate appearances at the Double-A level and a .203/.282/.284 hitter in 225 plate appearances at Triple-A. Lack of production in the upper minors notwithstanding, Boston needs a backup catcher with Leon away from the club for a few days, so Hernandez will return to a big league roster for the first time since 2016.

Mets To Select Carlos Gomez

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The Mets have informed veteran outfielder Carlos Gomez that they will select his contract from Triple-A Syracuse, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). He’ll join the club as Michael Conforto lands on the injured list due to a concussion.

The 33-year-old Gomez was a top prospect with Mets back in 2006-07, was traded as one of the focal points of the Johan Santana blockbuster, and nearly returned to the Mets prior to the 2015 non-waiver trade deadline. He’ll now suit back up for his original organization more than a decade after his MLB debut.

Gomez is a career .253/.313/.412 hitter who slashed .284/.347/.491 with the Brewers during his 2013-14 All-Star peak, but he’s coming off a season in which he managed a mere .634 OPS with the Rays. He’s gotten out to a strong .270/.329/.500 start through 140 plate appearances in Syracuse, where he’s hit six homers, nine doubles and a triple in addition to collecting five stolen bases (albeit in 10 attempts). He’ll join an outfield mix that currently includes Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton, although the Mets will need to make a 40-man move to accommodate Gomez, and Broxton has struggled mightily so far in 2019.

AL East Notes: Gurriel, Orioles, Pop, Pedroia

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The latest from around the AL East…

  • The Blue Jays have gotten little from their outfielders this season, though reinforcements could be on the way in the form of Lourdes Gurriel Jr.  Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi checks in on Gurriel’s development as a utilityman, after Gurriel was sent to Triple-A in mid-April following some rough defensive showings at second base.  While Gurriel has continued to see a lot of time (10 games) as a second baseman at Triple-A, he has also been moved around to shortstop and left field.  The latter position seems like Gurriel’s clearest route to playing time with the Jays, as the veteran combo of Freddy Galvis and Eric Sogard have performed well as Toronto’s middle infield duo, plus Brandon Drury and (when healthy) Devon Travis will be in the second base mix.
  • The Orioles are facing more challenges than just an extensive on-field rebuild, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal explores in a wide-ranging look at the organization.  The piece touches on such topics as the ownership transition to John and Lou Angelos from their father Pete, the league’s displeasure at the Orioles continuing their longstanding legal dispute with the Nationals over MASN broadcast rights, and the team’s declining attendance, which reflects both the Orioles’ losing records and the larger economic realities facing the city of Baltimore as a whole.  Despite the latter issues, it doesn’t seem likely that the Orioles would actually move out of Baltimore — Rosenthal notes that negotiations are already underway to secure a new lease for the team at Camden Yards, as the current deal expires in 2021.
  • Orioles pitching prospect Zach Pop underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week, sidelining the right-hander for the rest of this season and likely at least half of the 2020 season.  As MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko notes, Pop was shut down in Spring Training due to a significant drop in velocity, though the 22-year-old did eventually take the field and post an 0.84 ERA over 10 2/3 relief innings at Double-A Bowie.  Pop was one of the five prospects Baltimore acquired for Manny Machado last summer, and MLB.com (which ranked Pop as the 19th-best minor leaguer in the Orioles’ farm system) touted his high-90’s fastball and a “plus-plus” sinker in its scouting report.
  • After his rehab assignment was shut down over the weekend, Dustin Pedroia will be back playing on Friday, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets.  Pedroia experienced some discomfort in his bothersome left knee, though things have improved enough for the longtime Red Sox second baseman to begin games at Triple-A (Pedroia had previously been rehabbing for Boston’s Double-A affiliate).  Knee problems have kept Pedroia out of action for all but nine games since the start of the 2018 season, and with rookie Michael Chavis on fire at the plate, it will interesting to see how the Sox handle things when Pedroia is finally ready to resume regular duty.

AL Central Notes: McCann, Zimmermann, Tribe, Twins, Royals

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It isn’t any secret that the White Sox are eager to keep Jose Abreu in the fold, though another veteran may also be a candidate for a longer-term stint with the club.  While expressing to the Athletic’s James Fegan (subscription link) about how much the Sox would like to continue their relationship with Abreu, GM Rick Hahn also praised James McCann’s work at catcher.  “He’s been everything we had hoped for in terms of in the clubhouse and from a defensive standpoint and quite frankly more than we had even hoped for offensively,” Hahn said.  “He made an adjustment with his stance in the offseason….That’s really clicked for him. He’s been a great acquisition for us. We have control of him through arbitration next year and certainly look forward to having him around for a while.”

McCann signed a one-year, $2.5MM free agent deal with Chicago after being non-tendered by the Tigers in the offseason, and has enjoyed perhaps the hottest stretch of his career at the plate.  McCann is batting .366/.404/.581 through 99 plate appearances, absurd numbers for a hitter who had just a .653 OPS over 1658 career PA heading into the season.  While some regression at the plate is inevitable, Fegan feels the Sox would prefer keeping McCann over Welington Castillo for 2020, since even McCann on an arbitration raise will cost less than Castillo’s $8MM club option.

Here’s more from around the AL Central…

  • Jordan Zimmermann is “probably a month” or so away from returning, Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire told The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen (Twitter link) and other media.  Gardenhire revealed that Zimmermann has been battling a muscle strain in addition to the UCL sprain that initially sent him to the injured list back on April 26.
  • Indians manager Terry Francona provided MLB.com’s Mandy Bell (Twitter links) and other reporters with injury updates today, including the news that Adam Plutko will start for Cleveland on Saturday.  Plutko has missed the entire season due to a right forearm sprain, and has only a 5.38 ERA over 80 1/3 career innings in the majors, though the Tribe is looking to fill holes in the rotation with both Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger on the IL.  Speaking of the Cleveland injury list, Francona also said Tyler Naquin will be kept out of baseball activities for two weeks due to swelling behind the outfielder’s knee.
  • “The expectation both within the organization and outside is that the Twins, like so many other teams, must address their bullpen if they want to be real contenders,” The Athletic’s Dan Hayes writes in a look at Minnesota’s relief corps.  The Twins are around the middle of the pack in most relief categories, with Taylor Rogers, Blake Parker, Trevor May, and Ryne Harper all delivering excellent results thus far, though there isn’t a lot of experience within that group.  While Minnesota will surely explore adding a reliever before the trade deadline if the team remains in the race, GM Thad Levine notes that “I think it’s a little too early to see that market take shape,” noting that teams with bullpen assets to sell right now are putting a big asking price on that pitching.
  • While Alex Gordon is posting big numbers and can be a free agent after the season, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) feels “the safer bet is that he stays put, then re-signs with the Royals and finishes his career in Kansas City.”  The long-time face of the Royals franchise can’t be traded without his permission due to 10-and-5 rights, though if he did want to be dealt, “the Royals almost certainly would try to accommodate him.”  There’s also a notable financial element to any potential Gordon trade, as the $4MM buyout attached to his $23MM mutual option for the 2020 season would become a $4MM assignment bonus in the event of a trade, as the mutual option would then be voided.  Plus, Gordon still has roughly $15MM remaining on his $20MM salary for the 2019 season.

Mets’ Michael Conforto Diagnosed With Concussion

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7:28pm: Carlos Gomez was removed from tonight’s Triple-A game, leading MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo to speculate that the Mets will purchase Gomez’s contract before Friday’s game.

5:27pm: Mets outfielder Michael Conforto suffered a concussion after a scary collision with teammate Robinson Cano during today’s game.  Both Conforto and Cano were chasing after a Howie Kendrick fly ball near the right field line when their signals got crossed, causing Cano to accidentally elbow Conforto in the head.

Conforto was immediately removed from the game, and will head back to New York for further observation, as manager Mickey Callaway told reporters (including Newsday’s Tim Healey) after the game.  Conforto will be sidelined for at least a week, as per the league’s seven-day concussion IL policy.

The 26-year-old was off to a fantastic start in 2019, hitting .271/.406/.521 with nine home runs over his first 180 plate appearances.  As per the advanced metrics, Conforto even had room to grow, as his .387 wOBA still trailed behind his .405 xwOBA.  Between this hot hitting and an above-average defensive showing as New York’s everyday right fielder, Conforto has already amassed 1.6 fWAR, tying him with Nolan Arenado for 18th among all players.

With Conforto out of action, the Mets could be further shorthanded in the outfield for at least a day or two since Jeff McNeil also left today’s game with abdominal tightness.  The good news in McNeil’s case is that the injury doesn’t seem serious, as he told reporters (including The Athletic’s Tim Britton) that he has faced similar issues before in the wake of multiple hernia operations.

Speaking with WFAN’s Mike Francesca this afternoon (hat tip to SNY.tv’s Steve Gelbs), Callaway said that J.D. Davis will handle left field duties on Friday, indicating that McNeil will miss at least one game.  As for the longer-term absence of Conforto, the Mets have Keon Broxton and Juan Lagares on the 25-man roster, though both have struggled badly at the plate.  Veterans Carlos Gomez, Gregor Blanco, and Rajai Davis are all on hand at the Triple-A level, though any of that trio would need to be added to the 40-man roster.

It’s hard to necessarily forecast anything until we know the severity of Conforto’s injury, as concussion symptoms can potentially linger.  If he faces an absence of weeks rather than days, the Mets might want to consider giving Dominic Smith another look in left field, as the team hasn’t allowed him any outfield work this year, Newsday’s David Lennon writes.  Smith offers far more hitting upside than any of the Mets’ other backup outfielders, and while Smith has hit very well in limited playing time this season, his spot at first base has been blocked by rookie sensation Pete Alonso.

Dodgers To Place Kenta Maeda On 10-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers will place right-hander Kenta Maeda on the 10-day IL before tomorrow’s game, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).  Maeda’s placement caps off a busy day of roster-shuffling for the Dodgers, as the team also activated lefty Caleb Ferguson from the IL and sent catcher Rocky Gale and right-hander J.T. Chargois to Triple-A.  Prior to tomorrow’s game, the Dodgers will also call up utilityman Matt Beaty from Triple-A and select the contract of outfielder Kyle Garlick.

Maeda fouled a ball off his thigh in last night’s game, and the Dodgers are thusly putting him on the IL “as a precaution,” Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets.  Since the Dodgers have two off-days next week, it looks like Maeda will miss one start at the most while he recovers from what looks like a minor injury.

Los Angeles has deployed Maeda exclusively as a starting pitcher in 2019, and the righty has delivered his usual strong results.  Though nine starts and 51 1/3 innings, Maeda has a 3.51 ERA, 9.1 K/9, and 2.60 K/BB rate, numbers that are largely backed up by advanced metrics.  Maeda is inducing soft contact on 27% of his batted balls this season, the second-highest total of any qualified starter in the game.

A 28th-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2015 draft, Garlick will get his first MLB exposure after posting a 1.002 OPS over 136 PA for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.  The 27-year-old Garlick has a .283/.341/.519 slash line through 1678 career minor league plate appearances.

Rays Acquire Erik Kratz, Designate Aaron Slegers

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The Rays have acquired catcher Erik Kratz and cash considerations from the Giants in exchange for either a player to be named later or cash, per an announcement from the Giants.  Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was the first to report that Kratz had been dealt to Tampa, adding that he expected right-hander Aaron Slegers to be designated for assignment to make room for Kratz on the 40-man roster (Twitter links).  MLB.com’s Juan Toribio confirmed that Slegers is indeed headed for DFA limbo.

Kratz was designated himself by the Giants earlier this week, and the veteran will now suit up for the ninth different team in 10 Major League seasons.  Kratz will back up Travis d’Arnaud, himself a recent acquisition, on a Rays team that has seen its catching depth depleted in recent days.  Mike Zunino, Michael Perez, and now rookie Anthony Bemboom have all been sidelined with injuries, with Bemboom hitting the IL earlier today due to a sprained left knee.  It’s probably safe to assume that Kratz’s time with the Rays could be short as players begin to return from injury, though that might still be some weeks away, and d’Arnaud himself is no guarantee to stay healthy.

The money changing hands in the deal should indicate that the Rays won’t be on the hook for much of the approximately $900K that Kratz is still owed for the remainder of the season.

Slegers has a 5.90 ERA over 29 career MLB innings, all with the Twins from 2017-18.  After going to the Pirates on a waiver claim in the offseason, he was acquired by the Rays at the end of Spring Training, and Slegers has managed only a 6.15 ERA over 33 2/3 innings for Triple-A Durham this season.

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