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Archives for August 2019

Sean Doolittle, Roenis Elias Nearing Returns

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3:38pm: Both Doolittle and fellow lefty Roenis Elias came away from simulated games feeling strong today and could be activated as early as Friday, tweets Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com.

9:47am: The Nationals have been on a lengthy and remarkable run in spite of an ongoing bullpen malaise that has shown no signs of abating. While the team is now in strong position, it seems inevitable that its roller-coaster bullpen will be a key factor in any postseason run. The availability — and form — of injured closer Sean Doolittle is therefore of paramount importance to the D.C. org.

Doolittle tells reporters including Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com that he’s working out hard while sidelined with right knee tendinitis. The idea, he says, is to “kick start the engine a little bit” and “develop that trust” in his joint. He has been throwing bullpen sessions and is now readying for a sim game today, which could lead to a quick return. Doolittle says he’s hoping to be activated during the club’s next series.

Of course, when he hit the injured list ten days ago, it seemed Doolittle was in need of a break for multiple reasons — including the knee issue that technically led to the placement. He was being called upon to rescue the Nats with unaccustomed frequency, with his performance clearly suffering.

Doolittle has mostly maintained his arm speed, but has back-slid in swinging-strike rate (from 16.8% in 2018 to 12.1%), home runs (from 0.60 to 1.73 per nine), and exit velocity (from 83.8 mph to 89.8 mph). He has already exceeded his workload from the prior two campaigns, managing only a 4.33 ERA in 52 frames.

The veteran southpaw acknowledged the wider issues in his comments. Doolittle says he has worked on cleaning up his mechanics, allowing him to “stay on top of, and behind the baseball” and to regain “extension” and “deception.” Some time away has left his arm feeling “a lot better,” as well.

That all sounds promising for the Nats, who have opened a nice Wild Card lead but will need a big final month to track down the Braves in the NL East. It’d be a huge boon down the stretch and into a hopeful postseason run if Doolittle is able to jump back into the closer’s seat and regain his 2018 form.

Giants Release Carlos Torres

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The Giants have released veteran righty Carlos Torres, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. He had joined the organization earlier this month on a minors deal.

Details of the departure aren’t clear, but the San Francisco organization has continued to churn through a large number of relief arms. Torres had been working at the team’s top affiliate, marking his fourth Triple-A team on the season.

The 36-year-old Torres, a ten-year MLB veteran, has thrown 62 1/3 total innings of 4.33 ERA ball this year, with 7.8 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9. He’s not likely to be seen as a major possible addition by a contender, but could certainly help pad the depth of an organization that wants to be sure it’s covered down the stretch.

Padres Claim Nick Martini

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1:04pm: San Diego announced the move. Martini will join the active roster on Thursday, per an announcement.

12:49pm: In an intriguing development, the Padres have claimed outfielder Nick Martini off waivers from the Athletics, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The corresponding roster maneuvering isn’t yet known.

It’s a bit of a surprise to see the San Diego org summoning the bartender for the 29-year-old, left-handed-hitting outfielder. It remains to be seen whether Martini will have a shot at holding his roster spot over the course of the offseason.

To be sure, Martini seemed likely to be claimed by some team — so much so that it might’ve been expected he wouldn’t have made it to the San Diego organization’s spot on the waiver priority list. But the Friars already have an outfield mix that includes Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, Manuel Margot, and Josh Naylor. Only Naylor hits from the left side, but the club also still controls the southpaw-swinging Travis Jankowski.

Making any use of Martini this year will surely mean reducing the opportunities available to those other players. If nothing else, Jankowski’s roster footing now seems more tenuous than ever.

Perhaps the Friars think Martini could be a fourth outfielder candidate in 2020. He’s optionable, which certainly helps. There are some shades of Alex Dickerson, who was jettisoned earlier this year by the Pads. But holding open a role for Martini would create a tight squeeze once Franchy Cordero is added back to the mix, even assuming Naylor is sent back to Triple-A. It’s also certainly possible the Padres simply see this as a value proposition and intend to explore offseason trade possibilities involving any number of current assets.

Regardless, it’s clear that Martini stirred real interest in the San Diego front office. He certainly impressed in a 55-game big-league debut showing last year, though the A’s never saw fit for a second round this season. While he received only 13 MLB plate appearances in 2019, Martini did boast a .328/.432/.482 slash line and impeccable 51:49 K/BB ratio over 329 plate appearances at Triple-A.

Shelby Miller Released After Opting Out Of Brewers Contract

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The Brewers announced yesterday that righty Shelby Miller has been released. He “exercised the release clause in his contract,” per the announcement.

Miller, who is still just 28 years of age despite debuting way back in 2012, had inked a $2MM deal with the Rangers over the winter. The hoped-for bounceback simply did not occur, however, and he was cut loose after 44 innings of 8.59 ERA pitching.

When he landed with the Brewers, Miller was hoping that a fresh start at Triple-A would finally turn his fortunes after several injury-riddled, disappointing campaigns. He ended up throwing 32 2/3 frames over eight starts, producing a 4.13 ERA on 9.9 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9.

The Milwaukee organization evidently didn’t see enough to warrant a promotion. Instead, Miller will see if he can catch on elsewhere. The best-case scenario would probably be to sign with a club that has some 40-man roster flexibility and a need for innings down the stretch. (The Rangers will foot the bill for all but the league-minimum rate of pay.) Miller will be hoping that a late-season showcase can help boost his appeal in the coming offseason.

Cardinals Release Drew Robinson

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The Cardinals have released outfielder Drew Robinson, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). That opens a 40-man spot for the club, though it’s not clear yet how it’ll be utilized.

Robinson recently underwent season-ending elbow surgery, so he could have been placed on the 60-day injured list. But it seems the Cards have decided already that he would not hold a 40-man slot over the course of the offseason to come.

The 27-year-old Robinson, who was acquired from the Rangers over the offseason, appeared only briefly in the majors in St. Louis. He turned in solid offensive work at Triple-A, slashing .265/.385/.423 with six home runs, but obviously had not shown enough to force his way into the plans before the health issues cut short his campaign.

Cardinals Not Planning On September Promotion For Dylan Carlson

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While the Cardinals appear to be more excited than ever about top outfield prospect Dylan Carlson, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the club isn’t giving consideration to promoting him to the majors in the month of September.

As ever, it should be noted that plans can always change. The 20-year-old’s present capabilities are already known well to the Cards, so he’s not likely to change the situation by his play. But it’s possible an injury or other development at the MLB level could create a surprise need.

As Goold notes, Carlson does not need to be added to the 40-man roster in advance of the December Rule 5 draft, so putting him there now would constrain the club. It seems only a run of misfortune involving existing players, or a major change of heart, would create the circumstances for a Carlson promotion. But we have seen that sort of thing occur, as when the Nationals surprisingly promoted Victor Robles back in 2017.

Regardless of how things shake out late in 2019, Goold says that the Cardinals will allow Carlson a full shot to compete in camp next year for a significant role at the major-league level. Service-time considerations and other factors will obviously weigh into the decision; the 20-year-old likely has a high standard to clear to head north out of camp.

While it would still rate as a surprise to see Carlson on the Opening Day roster, particularly if he doesn’t end up seeing any big-league time this year, it seems the St. Louis org isn’t shying away from putting expectations and dangling opportunity in front of the highly regarded prospect. Carlson has already laid waste to upper-minors pitching this year, turning in a .281/.364/.518 batting line at Double-A (which isn’t a hitter-friendly stop on the circuit) and slashing .385/.439/.654 since arriving at Triple-A (good for a 164 wRC+ even in the offensively prolific Pacific Coast League).

As president of baseball operations John Mozeliak puts it, Carlson “does it all” and is a “very complete player.” While prospect evaluators haven’t really hyped Carlson as one of the top pre-MLB players in baseball, Mozeliak says Carlson’s showing this year at Double-A suggests he’s “truly an elite player.”

The focus now is obviously on the Cards’ efforts to win a division title. But it’s hard not to look ahead. The club has already undergone immense change in the outfield in recent years and figures to have more on the way. Marcell Ozuna will be a free agent. Dexter Fowler will be a significant part of the mix (barring a trade). Otherwise, there are a large number of possibilities — Jose Martinez, Harrison Bader, Lane Thomas, Tyler O’Neill, Rangel Ravelo, Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia, and others — but little in the way of clear answers.

It’s likely some players will end up in other organizations, whether that occurs over the offseason or in Spring Training. Keeping Carlson off of the 40-man will help preserve options. But his presence in the organization could ultimately allow the Cards to be more aggressive in parting with other young outfielders, perhaps opening the door to improvements in other areas of the roster.

Recently Minted Free Agents With MLB Experience

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With this year’s August acquisition period drawing to a close on Saturday, contending teams need to act fast if they want to add players with postseason eligibility to their organizations. Non-contenders may have organizational depth needs to address as well, particularly those that end up parting with veterans before the end of August.

Accordingly, it seemed a worthwhile undertaking to pull together all of the most recently minted free agents with MLB experience — those that have been released in the past month or so. In addition to waiver-wire candidates — Nick Martini and any new additions to the wire that might arise — these are the presently available possibilities. Unlike players that have been waiting on the open market since earlier in the season, most of those listed here have been playing competitively against top-level competition for most or all of the season.

Without further ado:

Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments!

Niko Goodrum Unlikely To Return From Injured List In 2019

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Tigers utilityman Niko Goodrum has been diagnosed with an adductor strain, as Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports. He’ll require at least a ten-day to two-week layoff, which puts the remainder of his season in jeopardy.

Fortunately, the strain doesn’t appear to be serious, so there’s no reason to believe Goodrum’s offseason program will be impacted. It is still possible that he will recover quicker than expected and have enough time to ramp up to a return. But the lack of minor-league rehab opportunities won’t help, and there’s not much upside to forcing the issue for the cellar-dwelling Tigers.

Goodrum has been one of the more effective players on the Tigers roster this year. He has plugged gaps wherever need in the field, logging time at every position except the battery spots and seeing significant action in the middle infield, corner outfield, and first base.

On the offensive side of the spectrum, Goodrum’s chief asset has been his legs. He has graded as one of the most valuable baserunners in the sport in 2019. At the plate, he’s slashing a slightly below-average .248/.322/.421. If he can trim back the strikeouts and continue to boost his walk rate, Goodrum might conceivably tick up a bit further offensively.

While he’s not exactly a budding star, Goodrum has established himself as a solid MLB piece over the past two seasons. The 27-year-old could be discussed in trade talks over the winter, not that the Detroit organization has any urgency to move him. Goodrum will have 2.031 years of MLB service when the current season ends, meaning he’ll be shy of qualifying for arbitration. With cheap control rights and ample defensive flexibility, he’s a useful player for the Tigers with a bit of upside to boot.

West Notes: Athletics, Giants, Rangers

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Let’s take a look around the majors’ West divisions…

  • With the Athletics looking to add a third catcher when rosters expand, they’re set to choose between minor leaguers Sean Murphy and Dustin Garneau, manager Bob Melvin told Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. “There will be a lot of talk leading up into Sunday on who that will be,” Melvin said. The more hyped option is certainly Murphy, one of the best prospects in baseball (MLB.com ranks him 44th). The 24-year-old has gotten his first extensive action at the Triple-A level this season and laid waste to enemy pitchers, whom he has teed off on for a .337/.415/.702 line (158 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 123 plate appearances. However, injuries have led to an abbreviated campaign for Murphy, and the A’s might not promote him yet if they don’t expect him to garner much playing time. In that case, the edge would go to the veteran Garneau, who was with Oakland earlier in the season before it outrighted him to Triple-A on Aug. 19.
  • The Giants are shutting down right-handed reliever Trevor Gott for two weeks because of a Grade 1 UCL sprain and a flexor strain, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Surgery’s not an option at the moment, fortunately, and manager Bruce Bochy’s hopeful Gott will pitch again this season. If not, this will go down as an encouraging year for Gott, whom the Giants acquired from the Nationals for cash considerations in February. While Gott has put up an unappealing 4.44 ERA in 52 2/3 frames, he has also notched a 3.12 FIP with 9.74 K/9 against 2.91 BB/9 and almost doubled his swinging-strike rate since last year (from 5.6 percent to 10.8).
  • More from Baggarly, who tweets that righty Johnny Cueto’s another Triple-A start away from rejoining the Giants. The 2018 Tommy John patient’s scheduled to take the ball Saturday, after which the Giants hope to activate him. That would seem to align with Bochy’s Sept. 8 projection for Cueto. The Giants’ playoff hopes are all but dead at this point, but they’ll nonetheless be glad to welcome Cueto back in advance of 2020. Next season will be the second-last guaranteed campaign of the six-year, $130MM contract San Francisco handed the then-ace prior to 2016.
  • The Rangers are contemplating September promotions for hard-throwing minor league relievers Joe Barlow and Demarcus Evans, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Neither pitcher is on the Rangers’ 40-man roster, which is full, but the team plans to add the soon-to-be Rule 5-eligible pair in the coming months anyhow, as Grant notes. The 23-year-old Barlow has largely mowed down pro hitters since he joined the Rangers as an 11th-round pick in 2016, though he has struggled over his first 15 1/3 Triple-A innings this season. Evans, 22, was a 25th-rounder in 2015 who has risen to Double-A ball for the first time this season. He has overcome a high walk rate there (5.4 per nine) to post a microscopic 1.08 ERA with 14.58 K/9 in 33 1/3 innings.

East Notes: Yankees, Cano, Nationals, Marlins

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Injured Yankees ace Luis Severino is set to begin a rehab assignment at the Double-A level Sunday, manager Aaron Boone told George A. King III of the New York Post and other reporters. It’ll be a long-awaited return to game action for Severino, whose shoulder and lat issues have prevented him from taking the hill this season. He’ll “probably” throw around 35 pitches in the contest, per Boone. Meanwhile, in encouraging news for the first-place Bombers’ lineup, first basemen/designated hitters Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion are progressing in their rehabs. Voit, who hasn’t played since July 30 because of a sports hernia, is “on track” to come back Friday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets. The 36-year-old Encarnacion’s not as close, but Boone “believes” he’ll come off the shelf soon, per Hoch. Encarnacion has been down since Aug. 3 with a fractured right wrist.

Here’s more from NYC and a couple other cities:

  • Mets second baseman Robinson Cano is making notable progress as he works back from a torn hamstring, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Cano – out since Aug. 5 – “appears likely” to return sometime next month, per DiComo, which would represent a best-case recovery for someone who was expected to miss six to 12 weeks at the time of the injury. The longtime star, 36, has posted weak production in his first year as a Met, with whom he has slashed .252/.295/.415 with 10 home runs in 346 plate appearances. But Cano’s bat seemed to be waking up in the days before his injury, which aided New York during a white-hot stretch in which it raced into wild-card contention. The Mets are now mired in a four-game skid, though, and sit three out of playoff position.
  • Nationals left-hander Roenis Elias could rejoin their bullpen “by the end of the week,” Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes. Elias has only made one appearance and recorded two outs for the Nationals, who acquired him from the Mariners at the July 31 trade deadline. He succumbed to a hamstring strain on the base paths, of all places, back on Aug. 2. Teammate Ryan Zimmerman has been out for even longer (plantar fasciitis in his right foot has kept him out since July 23), but his return also appears imminent, Zuckerman relays. This has been a tough age-34 season for the first baseman, who has been on the IL twice thanks to foot issues and has mustered a subpar .246/.311/.390 line over 132 plate appearances.
  • After suffering a broken bone in his left hand last Friday, Marlins third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson will indeed miss the rest of the season, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. However, Anderson won’t need to undergo surgery, and will go through “a normal winter” as a result, manager Don Mattingly announced. That’s a silver lining for the Marlins and Anderson, one of their few offensive threats over the past couple years.

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