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Jesus Luzardo Cleared To Rejoin Athletics

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Athletics left-hander Jesus Luzardo has been on the shelf since testing positive for the coronavirus July 7, but he has recovered from the illness. Luzardo has been cleared to practice and will rejoin Athletics Summer Camp on Friday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com tweets.

One of the game’s absolute best pitching prospects, health issues have beset Luzardo over the past year-plus. The A’s hoped he’d be a significant contributor last season, but he ended up missing a large portion of it because of rotator cuff and lat problems. Luzardo was able to make his much-anticipated major league debut in September, though, and the down-the-stretch results he recorded were spectacular. The flamethrowing 22-year-old made six appearances from Oakland’s bullpen and put up a 1.50 ERA with 12.00 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9 over 12 innings. He added three more frames of scoreless, one-hit ball with four strikeouts and two walks in the A’s wild-card game loss to the Rays.

From a long-term standpoint, a best-case scenario for Oakland would see Luzardo turn into a front-line starter. As far as this season goes, though, it’s unclear how the A’s will utilize him. Because of the time he missed, pitching coach Scott Emerson suggested this week (via Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle) Luzardo could fill a short-inning role, at least initially, saying: “It’s just a matter of when we get him on the team, do we start him two innings or do we use him more in a leverage situation and maybe pick his days that he gets to pitch?”

Assuming Luzardo won’t be in their season-opening rotation, it seems likely the A’s will come out of the gates in 2020 with Mike Fiers, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, A.J. Puk and Chris Bassitt as their starting five.

MLB, MLBPA Announce Latest COVID-19 Testing Results

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Major League Baseball and the MLBPA issued a joint press release Friday to announce the latest COVID-19 test results from around the sport through July 16. For the most part, it’s encouraging news that should further pave the way for the regular season to start as scheduled July 23.

The league collected 10,548 samples over the past week, but just six (0.05 percent) returned as new positives. Five of those came from players, the other from a staff member. There was also a five-day period in which no new positives were reported.

To date, the league has collected 17,949 monitoring samples and 23 new positives (18 players, five staff members), which equals 0.1 percent. When combining ongoing monitoring testing and intake screening that began June 27, there have been 93 positive tests (80 players) among 21,701 samples, which translates to 0.4 percent. Twenty-eight of the league’s 30 teams have had at least one positive.

Alex Rodriguez Discusses MLB Economics

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Alex Rodriguez, who’s vying to purchase the Mets, made comments Thursday that could win the favor of Major League Baseball owners. However, they’ve already drawn ire from the players’ side. As the Associated Press writes, the retired 14-time All-Star called for today’s players to accept a revenue-sharing system “tied to a salary cap.”

The MLBPA was able to prevent the league from implementing a salary cap during the 1994-95 strike, but Rodriguez believes the players have lost leverage since then because baseball no longer has “a stranglehold on professional sports.” Rodriguez cited the increased popularity of the NFL and NBA and the rise of various digital media platforms as factors that have hurt baseball over the past two-plus decades. As a result, the owners and players must “really work collaborative” in an effort to return the game to the top.

How can they do that? In Rodriguez’s estimation, “The only way it’s going to happen is if they get to the table and say the No. 1 goal, let’s get from $10 to $15 billion and then we’ll split the economics evenly.”

Union chief Tony Clark fired back, stating: “Alex benefited as much as anybody from the battles this union fought against owners’ repeated attempts to get a salary cap. Now that he is attempting to become an owner himself his perspective appears to be different. And that perspective does not reflect the best interests of the players.”

As the highest-paid player in the history of the game, Rodriguez certainly did benefit from the cap-less setup when he was in the league. The former Mariner, Ranger and Yankee earned over $441MM in salaries according to Baseball Reference, which makes his comments especially surprising and, in some quarters, quite unpopular.

Former major league right-hander and current Rangers special assistant Brandon McCarthy was among those to voice vehement opposition to A-Rod’s observations, tweeting Thursday he hopes Rodriguez – now a television analyst – is “shouted out of every clubhouse he attempts to enter in this and future seasons. Call him a self-serving liar and make him explain himself to a room full of his former peers if he wants broadcast content.”

Rodriguez subsequently took to Twitter in the early hours of the morning Friday to issue a statement.

“Yesterday, when I was asked about the CBA expiring in 2021, I answered honestly, but never mentioned the word salary cap,” Rodriguez wrote. “My goal as a broadcaster and more importantly as a fan of the sport is to grow our game. I suggested on the call that both sides – players and owners – work together to make baseball as big as the NFL and the NBA. I’ve been in contact with Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLBPA, to make sure we’re aligned in taking our sport to the next level and showcasing the world’s best athletes.”

Regardless of whether Rodriguez’s star-studded group does land the Mets, the owners and players figure to be in for a contentious showdown when the CBA expires in December 2021. The two sides engaged in an all-too-public, months-long spat over finances during the COVID-19 shutdown, and with no agreement reached on regular-season length, commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally imposed a 60-game schedule that will begin July 23. The hope is that the two sides’ bitterness toward one another will subside enough in the next year-plus that they’ll be able to peacefully negotiate a new CBA, but that may be unrealistic in light of how the past several months have gone.

Nationals Release Fernando Abad, Add Yasel Antuna To Player Pool

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The Nationals announced that they have released veteran left-handed reliever Fernando Abad. The club also added infield prospect Yasel Antuna to its 60-man pool, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com tweets. Washington now has 57 players in that group.

The Nationals signed Abad to a minor league contract in December, but he didn’t participate in their Summer Camp for an undisclosed reason. It turns out that Abad tested positive for COVID-19 when he arrived at camp, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Fortunately, Abad was asymptomatic and has just finished his 14-day quarantine.

The 34-year-old Abad last appeared in the majors a season ago, when he threw 13 innings of 4.15 ERA ball and notched 6.23 K/9 and 2.08 BB/9 as a member of the Giants. He was far better at the Triple-A level, where he posted a 3.07 ERA and logged a tremendous strikeout-walk ratio (10.0 K/9, 0.8 BB/9) in 44 frames.

While Abad hasn’t pitched much in the majors over the past couple seasons (he didn’t at all in 2018), he has been successful with a few teams – including the Nationals in 2013. He’s the owner of a lifetime 3.67 ERA with 7.62 K/9 and 3.16 BB/9 across 330 2/3 innings.

Antuna, now 20 years old, left the Dominican Republic in 2016 to sign with the Nationals for a hefty bonus of $3.9MM. He has since split his time between rookie and Single-A ball. Although he missed all but three games last year because of Tommy John surgery and lower body injuries, Antuna’s still regarded as one of the Nationals’ most promising prospects. Baseball America (No. 9), FanGraphs (12) and MLB.com (12) each place him near the top of Washington’s system.

Nationals To Play Home Games In D.C.

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JULY 17: The club has confirmed that it will play its home games at Nationals Park, Dougherty tweets. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Nationals reached a deal with the government. The agreement says players who are exposed to COVID-19 but test negative and are cleared to return will have to quarantine at their residences for 14 days when they’re away from the ballpark. However, they’ll be allowed to play as long as they follow MLB protocols. Those players will also be permitted to play on the road, but they’ll have to stay in their hotel rooms when they’re not at the park.

JULY 16: The reigning World Series champion Nationals are scheduled to start their title defense at home against the Yankees next Thursday, but it’s possible the teams’ series will take part outside of Washington, D.C. Because of coronavirus concerns, the Nationals are exploring alternate sites for the beginning of the season, Jesse Dougherty and Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post report.

According to the health protocols in Washington, any player, coach or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19 would have to quarantine for two weeks. D.C. is not willing to make an exception to the quarantine policy for the Nationals, so the club has begun seeking contingency plans. The Nats’ Single-A stadium in Fredericksburg, Va., as well as their spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., are possibilities, according to Dougherty. Virginia would be the more likely venue, Dougherty suggests.

The coronavirus has had a major impact on the Nationals in recent weeks. Even before this news came about, the club had issues with receiving COVID testing results in a timely manner, and three of their players – Ryan Zimmerman, Joe Ross and Welington Castillo – opted out of the season over health concerns. The problems the Nationals have faced further illustrate how difficult it will be for MLB to pull off a season, even a 60-game version.

Pirates Place Keone Kela On Injured List

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The Pirates have placed reliever Keone Kela on the 10-day injured list, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic tweets. The team’s unable to disclose the reason for his IL placement.

Kela hasn’t participated in Summer Camp, and it’s not known how much more time the right-hander will miss. If he does pitch this year, though, he should once again be one of the Pirates’ go-to late-game options.

Kela has quietly been among the game’s most effective relievers for most of his career, which began in Texas in 2015, having regularly run up high strikeout totals and impressive run prevention numbers. Last year, his first full season in Pittsburgh, was more of the same from a production standpoint. A shoulder injury and two suspensions limited Kela to just 29 2/3 innings, though he did post a 2.12 ERA/3.52 FIP with 10.01 K/9 and 3.34 BB/9 in that span.

The 27-year-old Kela isn’t the only notable Pirate who has been absent from camp. Outfielder Gregory Polanco has been out for an undisclosed reason since Monday. Meanwhile, standout third base prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes hasn’t practiced at all. The Pirates haven’t provided details on his status.

Health Notes: Nationals, deGrom, Tanaka, Quintana, Pads

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Outfielder Juan Soto, infielder Howie Kendrick and infield prospect Luis Garcia all returned to the Nationals on Thursday after quarantining for two weeks, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com was among those to report. It’s up in the air whether the Nationals will be able to pencil Soto or Kendrick into their lineup when their season opens next Thursday, but it’s encouraging to see those two and Garcia cleared. Meanwhile, there hasn’t been any change in center fielder Victor Robles’ status, manager Dave Martinez said (via Zuckerman, on Twitter). Robles has been in isolation during Summer Camp.

  • After an MRI on Mets ace Jacob deGrom’s back returned good results Thursday, he had a throwing session and told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and other reporters that he plans to start Opening Day. However, the Mets aren’t ready to say whether that will happen. Manager Luis Rojas stated the club’s taking “a day-to-day approach” with the back-to-back NL Cy Young winner, who probably won’t be able to go as long as expected if he does take the mound for their opener. He’d originally been slated for around 100 pitches, but 85 seems to be a more realistic ceiling now. In the meantime, deGrom will throw 65 pitches in an exhibition game against the Yankees on Sunday.
  • Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka returned to the mound Thursday for the first time since suffering a concussion on July 5. Tanaka threw a 30-pitch bullpen session that was “higher intensity” than the team expected and “very crisp,” pitching coach Matt Blake told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). Tanaka will throw another bullpen session Sunday. The Yankees haven’t ruled out Tanaka from being part of the first turn through their rotation, but it seems likely he’ll miss at least one start, per Ackert. In the meantime, considering the team has an off-day in the first week of the season, it could start with a four-man rotation of Gerrit Cole, James Paxton, J.A. Happ, Jordan Montgomery and then plug in Tanaka.
  • Cubs southpaw Jose Quintana, two weeks removed from left thumb surgery, played catch from 60 feet Thursday, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score relays. Quintana “felt fine,” according to manager David Ross. Still, Levine writes that Quintana will start the season on the injured list, which will be the first IL stint of his career. The Cubs aren’t putting a timetable on exactly how long they’ll go without Quintana, with Ross saying, “Today was a nice positive, but one thing I know from my time in baseball — a lot of twists and turns, so it’s wait and see for me.”
  • Padres righty Trey Wingenter is seeking a second opinion on his ailing pitching elbow, manager Jayce Tingler said Thursday (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). The team previously shut down Wingenter last week because of inflammation. The 26-year-old was among the Padres’ most-utilized relievers last season, throwing 51 innings. Wingenter only managed a 5.65 ERA, and he walked 4.94 batters per nine, but he also put up a 12.71 K/9, posted a 3.61 FIP and averaged 96 mph on his fastball.

Austin Meadows Tests Positive For Coronavirus

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10:00pm: Meadows offered Topkin an encouraging update via text, writing: “The first couple days I was pretty fatigued and some mild cold symptoms. But feeling ready to go now.” There’s no known timetable for his return, though.

8:01pm: The Rays have placed outfielder Austin Meadows on the injured list as a result of a positive COVID-19 test, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The club has also added left-handed reliever Aaron Loup to its 40-man roster.

Meadows has been absent from workouts since last week, so this isn’t necessarily a stunning development. Nevertheless, it’s certainly disheartening to see another positive test confirmation. It’s unclear whether Meadows is exhibiting any symptoms at the moment, but he’ll need to show he’s asymptomatic and test negative for the illness twice in a 24-hour span before he’s eligible to return to the Rays.

When he is able to come back, Meadows will try to build on an exemplary first season with the Rays. The 25-year-old emerged as one of the sport’s brightest young talents last season, hitting .291/.364/.558 with 33 home runs and 12 stolen bases en route to an All-Star nod.

Loup, 32, joined the Rays on a minor league contract in February. His 2019 season, which he spent with San Diego, was largely a wash because of elbow problems that limited him to 3 1/3 innings. Loup has typically been reliable throughout his career, though, having recorded a 3.45 ERA with 8.39 K/9, 2.76 BB/9 and a 54.3 percent groundball rate over 326 frames since he debuted with the Blue Jays in 2012.

Royals Acquire Franchy Cordero, Ronald Bolanos From Padres For Tim Hill

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In a surprising preseason swap, the Royals have acquired outfielder Franchy Cordero and right-hander Ronald Bolanos from the Padres for left-handed reliever Tim Hill. Both teams have announced the trade. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the news. To make room for Cordero and Bolanos on their 40-man roster, the Royals will place infielder Kelvin Gutierrez on the 45-day injured list because of a sprained UCL, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets.

In Cordero, the Royals are getting a power-hitting 25-year-old who was once a fairly touted Padres prospect. Cordero debuted in the majors in 2017, but various injuries have largely prevented him from making an impact in the league. He played in only nine games and totaled just 20 plate appearances last season.

Despite the health issues Cordero has dealt with, there’s plenty to be intrigued about from the rebuilding Royals’ point of view. He carries a lifetime .925 OPS in Triple-A 517 plate appearances, for one. Furthermore, as MLBTR’s George Miller explained in May, Cordero has shown off impressive speed and hard-hitting ability during his limited time in the majors. There are flaws, including Cordero’s penchant for striking out (he has done so 38.8 percent of the time in the majors), but he could prove to be a wise long-term investment for the Royals. As things stand, he’s not on track to reach arbitration until after this year or free agency until the end of the 2023 campaign.

Cordero also has a pair of minor league options remaining, but he may have a chance to play a prominent role in Kansas City’s outfield this season.

Bolanos could also get an opportunity to prove himself in KC as early as this season. He’s only 23, but Bolanos did make his debut in San Diego last year with 19 2/3 innings of 5.95 ERA ball and 8.69 K/9 against 5.49 BB/9. While those numbers aren’t impressive, and Bolanos hasn’t dominated in the minors (4.38 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 324 2/3 innings) since signing for $2.25MM out of Cuba in 2016, he’s still regarded as a promising prospect. Baseball America ranked Bolanos as the 13th-best farmhand in the Padres’ deep system, noting he could at least turn into a power reliever in the majors.

The losses of Cordero and Bolanos could sting the Padres if they realize their potential, but this deal’s an attempt for the long-suffering team to draw closer to contention in the near term. Hill’s the oldest player in the deal at 30 years of age, but he’s also the most proven major leaguer of the trio, and there’s plenty of long-term control (Hill won’t be eligible for arbitration until after 2021).

Hill debuted in 2018 and has since notched a 4.11 ERA with 8.54 K/9, 2.85 BB/9 and an excellent 59.8 percent groundball rate across 85 1/3 innings, though the sidearmer has been much more vulnerable against right-handed hitters (.326 weighted on-base average) than lefties (.239). That’s notable with the league implementing a three-batter minimum rule this season.

The Padres are hopeful Hill’s acquisition will help make up for the absence of injured lefty Jose Castillo, according to general manager A.J. Preller (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). It’ll also further deepen a bullpen that was already set to feature the likes of Kirby Yates, Drew Pomeranz, Emilio Pagan and Craig Stammen in late-game situations.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Blue Jays, Toronto

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6:55pm: Ontario Premier Doug Ford is fully confident the Blue Jays will receive the go-ahead to play in Toronto, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet writes. In the event that doesn’t happen, though, the team has identified Buffalo (home of its Triple-A club) as its Plan B, according to Davidi. Dunedin, Fla., also remains a possibility.

3:27pm: The Canadian federal government has not yet given the Blue Jays clearance to play in Toronto, Mitchell tweets. The city of Toronto and the province of Ontario have, on the other hand, but the Blue Jays will also need approval at the federal level, per Mitchell, who adds that a decision should come within a few days.

3:15pm: Despite MacLeod’s statement, this isn’t a done deal yet, per reports from Scott Mitchell of TSN, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet and David Cochrane of CBC.

3:02pm: The Blue Jays have received authorization from the relevant authorities to host regular season 2020 contests at the Rogers Centre, Ontario’s Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Minister Lisa MacLeod revealed on TSN 1200 (Twitter link).

The organization had previously received clearance only to host Summer Camp activities in Toronto. That’s a much more limited undertaking, as it involved bringing players and personnel into the ballpark complex (which includes a hotel) only once, after completion of coronavirus testing occurred in the United States.

Holding home games in Toronto, while traveling elsewhere for away contests, will present quite a different logistical challenge when it comes to limiting potential COVID-19 transmission. There is presently a mutual ban on non-essential travel between the neighboring nations. Canadian authorities are no doubt concerned with the skyrocketing case numbers coming out of many U.S. cities (including some that host MLB teams).

It’s obviously good news for the Jays that they’ll get to have a relatively normal experience during the season. That’s not to say that there’s much hope of paying fans. But setting up a whole separate operation in some other place might’ve been a costly and challenging venture.

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