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Archives for August 2019

Health Notes: Lopez, Gott, Indians, McKay, Yankees

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Marlins righty Pablo Lopez returned today from the 10-day injured list. The 23-year-old had been out since June with shoulder problems, so it’s good to see he was able to get back up to speed before the end of the season. Lopez wasn’t at his best, allowing four earned in five innings, but averaged 94.1 mph with his fastball.

Here are some more health notes from around the game …

  • The Giants are sending reliever Trevor Gott in for a closer look after he experienced tightness in his right forearm tonight, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to cover on Twitter. That’s not the news anyone wanted at the end of an enormously successful season for the young reliever, who has been among the nicest surprises in San Francisco. At this point, there’s nothing to be done but wait and hope that there isn’t a significant underlying problem.
  • There are a bevy of updates on the health front for the Indians, as MLB.com’s Mandy Bell covers on Twitter. In particular, the club has a big slate of rehabbing hurlers appearing over the next few days. Danny Salazar threw a frame today at Double-A without incident. Jefry Rodriguez is slated to appear with the club’s top affiliate tomorrow, with fellow starter Carlos Carrasco and reliever Dan Otero scheduled to throw in game action on Wednesday. Meanwhile, long-absent outfielder Bradley Zimmer has reached the Triple-A level and seems likely to be an option in the majors again soon.
  • Prized young Rays hurler Brendan McKay, optioned down after a rough recent start, has hit the injured list at Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Juan Toribio was among those to tweet. He’s said to be dealing with shoulder fatigue, which sounds worrisome but doesn’t appear to be cause for any concern. The expectation is that he won’t miss more than a week of action, which means he ought to be ready to help the Rays again soon — if and when he’s needed.
  • As usual, there’s a lengthy list of Yankees injury updates to touch upon. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch has the latest (all links to Twitter account). Key righties Luis Severino and Dellin Betances are just one step removed from possible rehab outings, which puts them back on the map for activation down the stretch — and potential postseason availability. The situation is less certain for outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who “could take on-field batting practice Tuesday for the first time” since going down with a PCL strain about two months ago. And the club indicates it’s possible that southpaw Jordan Montgomery will be ready to throw in the majors before the end of the regular season. He’s slated to continue his rehab work at Double-A. As for shortstop Didi Gregorius, he’s bouncing back quickly after being hit by a pitch. He could be back in the lineup in short order.

NL Central Notes: Moose, Zobrist, Estrada, Cards

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The Brewers dropped a big contest but escaped an injury scare tonight, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy was among those to cover on Twitter. Infielder Mike Moustakas departed after being hit on the wrist while trying to make a play in the field. Fortunately, x-rays after the game were negative. Though he’s expected to take at least one day off, it seems Moustakas has avoided serious injury. That’s good news for a Milwaukee team that’s struggling to keep pace with the two leaders in the NL Central race.

About those two front-runners …

  • It seems the expectation remains that the Cubs will bring Ben Zobrist onto the active roster once rosters expand on September 1st, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. That’s still far from official, and Sullivan notes that the team still likely wants to give the veteran more reps before activating him. It remains a mystery just how this unusual situation will play out. The 38-year-old Zobrist is a treasured presence in the dugout but wasn’t in top form before taking personal leave earlier this year. Through a dozen rehab games — spread out to enable him stretches of time to be with his children — Zobrist is hitting .189/.333/.405.
  • Cubs prospect Jeremiah Estrada announced today that he underwent Tommy John surgery (h/t Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, via Twitter). The young righty had been in notable position on the Chicago prospect chart, in the evaluation of the Fangraphs prospect team. A recent over-slot sixth-rounder, Estrada missed all of 2018 and only threw 10 2/3 innings this year before going under the knife. It’s unlikely he’ll pitch competitively in the 2020 season, though there’s still plenty of time for the twenty-year-old to blossom.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch held an interesting chat with Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. that’s well worth a full read for fans of the club. Pressed on the club’s decisionmaking after three-straight seasons without a postseason appearance, DeWitt did not cede any ground. He rejected any view that the club went cheap this summer, saying the organization remains among the higher-payroll outfits in the league. As for the current front-office leadership group, DeWitt did not seem inclined at all to consider significant change in leadership. “There is always accountability,” he said. “But keep in mind, we’ve had a pretty nice run of success under the current regime with 11 consecutive winning seasons, and when we have missed the playoffs it has been by a very small number of games.” As things stand in the 2019 race, the Cards have a strong chance of breaking their string of playoff absences. But the pressure will increase significantly if that doesn’t come to pass.

Rockies To Promote Rico Garcia

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Faced with increasing rotation needs, the Rockies are slated to promote prospect Rico Garcia, according to MLB.com’s William Boor (via Twitter). Corresponding roster moves aren’t yet known; Garcia will require a 40-man spot.

Just a 30th-round pick in the 2016 draft, Garcia has steadily increased his profile. He has thoroughly dominated the Double-A level, turning in a sparkling 2.07 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 135 frames over 24 starts split about evenly between 2018 and 2019.

Garcia has run into some long balls since moving up to Triple-A, however. He owns an ugly 7.16 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 2.1 HR/9 in 55 1/3 innings this year at the highest level of the minors.

Before his recent rough stretch, Garcia had earned placement in top-thirty prospect lists produced by MLB.com and Baseball America. He also warranted a mention from the Fangraphs prospect team, though the assessment there was that his limited secondary repertoire foretold a future in the bullpen.

The Rockies will evidently give Garcia a shot to show he can stick in the rotation before considering him for a relief job. But this promotion may be as much about immediate need as it is a desire to give a showcase to a promising young hurler. Garcia would have commanded a slot on the 40-man this fall regardless, in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Phillies Notes: Depth, Bruce, Neshek, Ramos, Franco

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The Phillies made a variety of notable offseason splashes, adding significant talent in several areas of the roster. While it might have been hoped that other players would thrive in reduced roles, that simply hasn’t been the case. As Matt Gelb writes for The Athletic (subscription link), the Philadelphia bench has been abysmal this year. In particular, the reserves have lagged the entire rest of the National League in overall batting output. As we explored recently, the bullpen has also been a problem area. It’s easy to look back and blame the front office for failing to add additional roster pieces last winter and/or during the summer trade period, it’s fair also to note that a variety of injuries, failures of young players to make strides, and unforeseen circumstances (in particular, Odubel Herrera’s suspension) have strained the roster.

If the Philadelphia org is to make its way into the postseason, it’ll need to squeeze value out of every corner of the 40-man. Here’s the latest on a few potentially key pieces:

  • Outfielder Jay Bruce appears likely to return at some point this season, though it’s not clear whether he’ll be able to take the field. The veteran slugger is launching a minor-league rehab stint but won’t throw, as Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to cover (Twitter link). Bruce has been sidelined with a flexor strain. Fortunately, the Phils also picked up Corey Dickerson in advance of the deadline. Both of those lefty hitters have performed at approximately league-average rates since landing in Philadelphia. Bruce remains under contract with the Phils for 2020, though the Mariners are responsible for most of the tab.
  • The Phillies’ veteran relief arms have not performed to expectations thus far in 2019. Now, Pat Neshek may join David Robertson and Tommy Hunter with a season-ending procedure. As the Inquirer’s Matt Breen tweets, Neshek’s injured hamstring may require surgery or a platelet-rich plasma injection. Both of those invasive approaches would put him on ice for the remainder of the campaign. Soon to turn 39, Neshek can be retained next season with a $7MM club option, but it seems quite likely he’ll instead be paid a $750K buyout.
  • Righty Edubray Ramos may be a likelier late-season contributor, but he’ll have to avoid any complications as he works to return from a shoulder problem. The 26-year-old is launching a rehab assignment, per a club announcement, which puts him on track to make it back for at least a few weeks. Ramos was a big contributor in 2018, when he worked to a 2.32 ERA over 42 2/3 innings, but he has not repeated that showing in 2019. Through 14 frames this season, he has coughed up eight earned runs on 18 hits (four homers) with a 9:5 K/BB ratio.
  • With those bench troubles in the backdrop, there were some questions about the club’s recent decision to send down Maikel Franco instead of Sean Rodriguez. As Lauber reports, the organization’s goal was to preserve versatility by keeping the multi-positional Rodriguez. (I’d add that the team also would have had to part with Rodriguez, since he can’t be optioned.) Skipper Gabe Kapler also emphasized that the aging utilityman holds an advantage over the younger Franco in his track record of pinch-hitting against left-handed pitchers. In any event, it seems fair to presume that Franco will be back as soon as the minimum ten-day option period is met. But as Lauber notes, it’s increasingly difficult to imagine him as part of the organization’s plans for 2020 and beyond.

Angels Outright Wilfredo Tovar

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The Angels have outrighted infielder Wilfredo Tovar, per a team announcement. He was recently designated for assignment.

Tovar, 28, had briefly appeared in the bigs earlier in his career but had just nine games under his belt when called upon earlier this season by the Halos. He ended up appearing in 31 games with the Los Angeles organization, all at the shortstop position.

Unfortunately, the results just weren’t there. Tovar slashed just .193/.239/.253 in 88 plate appearances. Through nearly two thousand career trips to the dish at the Triple-A level, the defensive specialist owns a .277/.324/.367 batting line.

Brewers Release Jhoulys Chacin

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The Brewers announced today that they have released righty Jhoulys Chacin. He had recently been designated for assignment.

Given that we’re past the point on the calendar when trades are permissible, this outcome was all but inevitable. There was no reason to attempt outrighting him, since the veteran could have elected free agency without sacrificing the remainder of the $6MM owed to him this season.

It’s hard to imagine a rival club taking on that obligation for a hurler who hasn’t been in top form, particularly since Chacin has been on the injured list with an oblique injury. Whether or not he has cleared release waivers isn’t entirely clear from the club’s announcement. Barring a surprise development, he’ll hit the open market.

Chacin, 31, has fallen well shy of the standard he set in the prior two campaigns, over which he threw 373 innings of 3.69 ERA ball (handily outperforming his peripherals in the process). Through 88 2/3 frames over 19 starts in 2019, Chacin has limped to a 5.79 ERA. Fielding-independent ERA estimators didn’t see much cause to blame bad bounces, grading him out at 5.68 (FIP), 5.23 (xFIP), and 5.13 (SIERA).

Even more than he did last year, Chacin leaned hard on his slider, throwing it just over half the time. Doing so likely helped him to a career-high 8.1 K/9 strikeout rate, though Chacin still mustered only a cumulative 7.8% swinging-strike rate.

The biggest problem was with the long ball. He allowed 1.93 per nine on an 18.3% HR/GB rate, both of which are about double the levels he maintained last year. Batters put the ball in the air against him more than ever (38.1%) and did so at a much greater launch angle (16.5 degrees vs. previous high of 11.5). Though Chacin was able to generate a large quantity of harmless infield pops (18.3%), too many balls ended up in the bleachers.

It’s certainly still possible that a team will decide to add Chacin to provide some depth down the stretch. If he ends up making it back to the majors after signing elsewhere, he’ll play at the league-minimum rate for his new club, partially offsetting the cash still owed to him by the Brewers.

Athletics Designate Nick Martini

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The Athletics have designated outfielder Nick Martini for assignment, per a club announcement. His designation will make 40-man room for just-promoted first baseman/outfielder Seth Brown.

Martini was a seventh-round pick of the Cardinals in 2011 who proved to be a shrewd minor league signing for the Athletics last season. He earned his first major league promotion in the first week of June in 2018 and then proceeded to slash an impressive .296/.397/.414 (129 wRC+) with 1.3 fWAR in 179 plate appearances, though he only hit one home run over that span. Unsurprisingly, the left-handed Martini did just about all of his damage against righty pitchers.

Even though Martini was an easily above-average hitter at the major league level a year ago, he hasn’t been much of a factor in the bigs this season. The 29-year-old collected just 13 PA with the 2019 A’s before they cut him, instead spending almost all of the campaign with their Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas. Across 329 trips to the plate, Martini has put up a strong .328/432/.482 line in the minors with eight home runs and almost as many walks (49) as strikeouts (51), good for a 129 wRC+ that matches his MLB production from 2018. With two minor league options left, it’s possible someone will claim Martini on waivers.

Rockies Place German Marquez, Raimel Tapia On IL

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The Rockies announced that they’ve placed right-hander German Marquez and outfielder Raimel Tapia on the 10-day injured list. The club recalled lefty Phillip Diehl and righty Joe Harvey from Triple-A Albuquerque in corresponding moves.

Marquez is heading to the shelf with inflammation of his pitching arm, which will cut off a second straight impressive season for the 24-year-old. Marquez amassed 230 strikeouts and logged a 3.77 ERA over 196 innings last season, which helped the Rockies to the playoffs and earned him a five-year, $43MM contract extension in April. Neither the out-of-contention Rockies nor Marquez have reached that form in 2019, but he has nonetheless been formidable. Marquez has fired 174 frames of 4.76 ERA/4.06 FIP pitching with 9.05 K/9, 1.81 BB/9 and a 49 percent groundball rate.

Tapia’s down with a left hand contusion, but unlike Marquez, he hasn’t established himself yet. Through 393 plate appearances, the 25-year-old Tapia’s a .295/.326/.440 hitter. That looks good on paper, but with park factors in the mix, it only adds up to an 82 wRC+/83 OPS+. Tapia has also struggled to minus-4 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-4.9 Ultimate Zone Rating in 746 innings divided among all three outfield positions this season. The package has been worth minus-0.5 fWAR, making Tapia one of the least valuable major leaguers of 2019 by that metric.

Brandon Nimmo Nearing Return

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Injured Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo could rejoin the club “by the end of the week,” Mike Puma of the New York Post relays. In the meantime, he’ll try to play consecutive full rehab games at Triple-A Syracuse.

Nimmo entered the year as an integral piece for the Mets, but he has since underperformed while dealing with a bulging disc in his neck. The 26-year-old only batted .200/.344/.323 (87 wRC+) with three home runs in 161 plate appearances before going on the injured list on May 22. Just last season, Nimmo slashed .263/.404/.483 (149 wRC+) and swatted 17 HRs in 535 PA to serve as one of the majors’ premier hitters and seemingly establish himself as one of New York’s top players.

To the Mets’ credit, they’ve certainly survived without Nimmo. The team has overcome no shortage of adversity in recent weeks to climb back into the National League wild-card race. Although the Mets are coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the division-rival Braves, they’re still 67-63 and within a manageable two games of the NL’s second wild-card spot. The Mets are in this position thanks in part to outfielders J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith. But McNeil’s also needed in the infield, while the injured Smith hasn’t played in a month, which could make Nimmo an important reinforcement for the Mets as they try to break a two-year playoff drought.

Adam Jones Plans To Keep Playing

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Longtime Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was among many 30-somethings who went through a difficult winter in free agency prior to this season. Even though he’s a five-time All-Star and a highly respected veteran leader, Jones had to wait until March to land a contract. He wound up joining the Diamondbacks on a $3MM guarantee, and though the 34-year-old Jones hasn’t logged great (or even average) production since then, the soon-to-be free agent doesn’t seem interested in calling it a career.

As part of a piece that’s worth reading in full, Jones told Zach Buchanan of The Athletic (subscription required) that he’s “perfectly OK” with playing less than he used to, when he was good for 145-plus games on a near-annual basis from 2010-18. Jones’ wins above replacement total in those days tended to range from two to four, but the current version simply isn’t that player anymore.

Jones has essentially been a replacement-level performer this year, according to both FanGraphs (0.2) and Baseball Reference (0.0), having hit .267/.316/.427 with 14 home runs in 454 plate appearances. Jones’ wRC+ (89) is his worst since 2008, his first full season, though he has improved as a defender since moving from center field to his new home in right this year. With minus-1 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-0.2 Ultimate Zone Rating, the four-time Gold Glove winner has been close to a neutral defender this season – not the overwhelmingly minus fielder he was during his closing years in Baltimore.

Although Jones hasn’t been a defensive albatross this year, he still may have trouble securing a guaranteed contract in the offseason. He had substantial difficulty last year on the heels of a better offensive season, after all. Regardless, having earned just under $100MM in the game (per B-Ref), Jones “figures he can now afford to be picky” when it comes to finding his next deal, Buchanan writes. Jones isn’t closing the door on his Arizona tenure, though, telling Buchanan, “Here would be a great place” to continue his career. Jones believes he’s still capable of being “very, very productive in this game for a few more years,” so it doesn’t seem retirement is on his mind at this point.

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