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Dodgers To Place Trayce Thompson On 10-Day Injured List

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June 4: These moves are now official, as the Dodgers have announced that Thompson has been placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain, with DeLuca recalled as the corresponding move.

June 3, 11:50PM: Outfield prospect Jonny DeLuca will be called up from Triple-A to take Thompson’s spot on the roster, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports (Twitter link).  Los Angeles selected DeLuca to its 40-man roster during the offseason, to prevent him from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft.  DeLuca was a 25th-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2019 draft, and he has posted strong numbers at every minor league stop, including a .329/.373/.571 slash line over his first 75 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.  His first appearance on the field with the Dodgers will mark his Major League debut.

Baseball America (17th) and MLB Pipeline (20th) each rank the 24-year-old DeLuca within the top 20 prospects of the Dodgers’ deep farm system, with BA seeing him as “a platoon or reserve outfielder who bashes lefties and plays all three outfield spots.”  DeLuca is a solid-to-decent defender, with his plus speed helping both his glovework and his base-stealing (58 swipes in 63 tries over his minor league career).  Beginning his career as a switch-hitter, DeLuca seemed to unlock something after becoming only a right-handed hitter.  Pipeline’s scouting report cites his strength and “raw power” at the plate, “and he’s able to drive the ball without sacrificing contact.”

10:39PM: Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson suffered an injury to his oblique during a checked swing in tonight’s game, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).  The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, but Roberts said that Thompson will be placed on the 10-day injured list.

It’s another setback in what has been a tough season for Thompson, who is batting only .155/.310/.366 over 87 plate appearances.  The outfielder homered three times in his first game of the season and he had three hits against the Rays on May 28, but Thompson otherwise has only five hits over his other 79 PA, including an ugly 0-for-36 slump that was only just snapped with that big game against Tampa.  Naturally, Thompson’s playing time has been reduced in the wake of his struggles, even as the Dodgers’ have been looking for extra outfield help since Mookie Betts spending more time as a middle infielder.

Perhaps a dropoff was inevitable given how Thompson’s 2022 numbers greatly outpaced his otherwise modest careers, but it is still count as a letdown that he wasn’t able to continue his seeming breakout.  After Los Angeles acquired Thompson in a cash transaction with the Tigers in June 2022, Thompson became an unexpected contributor, hitting .268/.364/.537 over 239 PA for the Dodgers last season.

Luke Williams, Yonny Hernandez, and top prospect Michael Busch could all be candidates for another look in the majors to replace Thompson.  The Dodgers have enough multi-position players that they don’t necessarily need to replace Thompson with another outfielder, but Williams does have some outfield experience.  This trio are all on the 40-man roster, so L.A. would have to make another corresponding move if it wished to replace Thompson with someone who isn’t currently on the 40-man.

Brewers Notes: Urias, Adames, Woodruff, Lauer, Bush

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MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy relayed a series of significant updates regarding injured Brewers players this morning. Most encouragingly, the Brewers expect to welcome both infielder Luis Urias and shortstop Willy Adames back from the injured list this week.

Urias, who suffered a hamstring strain on Opening Day and hasn’t played since, is expected to rejoin the club on Tuesday as they begin a homestand against the Orioles. Acquired in the trade that sent Trent Grisham to San Diego prior to the 2020 season, Urias has been a key piece of the club’s infield picture for several seasons now, particularly since his offensive breakout in 2021. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Urias has slashed a solid .243/.339/.424 (111 wRC+) with a 20.6% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate in 1,046 trips to the plate.

Adames, meanwhile, has been on the 7-day concussion IL since getting struck with a foul ball in the dugout last week. McCalvy notes that the current plan is for Adames to play DH for High-A Wisconsin today before moving on to Triple-A Nashville. After two games in Nashville, Adames figures to be activated from the injured list on Thursday.

After the Brewers acquired Adames partway through the 2021 season, the then-25-year-old shortstop raked for the club in 99 games for the rest of the season, with a .285/.366/.521 slash line that was 36% better than league average by measure of wRC+. Adames followed up that performance in 2022 with a solid 109 wRC+ in 139 games, but struggled prior to his placement on the IL this season, slashing a below-average .205/.292/.384 in 51 games.

Still, the Brewers figure to be bolstered significantly by the return of their two most reliable infielders. Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, and Brian Anderson have all produced solid results in the infield while Urias and Adames have been on the shelf. Assuming the Brewers look to keep all three of them on the active roster even after the duo returns this week, it’s possible the club will look toward the likes of Brice Turang, Mike Brosseau, and Abraham Toro when clearing space for Adames and Urias on the active roster. Each of those three infielders (as well as both Monasterio and Miller) are optionable, leaving Milwaukee with plenty of options as they look to make roster decisions in the coming days.

While the updates on Adames and Urias are encouraging, the same unfortunately cannot be said regarding ace right-hander Brandon Woodruff. The 30-year-old righty made just two starts this season before going on the injured list with a subscapular strain in his right shoulder, which came with an initial timeline that figured to see him return later this month. McCalvy notes that Woodruff’s timetable for return has been pushed back, however, as the righty has yet to progress to throwing off a mound, leaving the Brewers to target a return around the All Star break for their ace.

The setback for Woodruff is a tough blow to the Brewers, who have since lost Wade Miley and Eric Lauer from their rotation to injuries (in addition to Aaron Ashby, who has yet to pitch this season after undergoing shoulder surgery). What’s more, Woodruff’s co-ace Corbin Burnes has had a somewhat pedestrian season to this point by his lofty standards, posting a 3.75 ERA (113 ERA+) and a 4.59 FIP across twelve starts while striking out 22.8% of batters faced.

Speaking of Lauer, the left-hander and reliever Matt Bush are both expected to head to Triple-A for rehab assignments on Tuesday. Lauer struggled mightily in nine appearances (eight starts) this season prior to going on the IL due to an impingement in his non-throwing shoulder, with a 5.48 ERA and a 6.73 FIP in 42 2/3 innings of work. Bush also struggled in nine games prior to hitting the IL with tendinitis in his right rotator cuff allowing seven runs on four homers and six walks in just 7 2/3 innings of work.

Giants Place Alex Wood On 15-Day IL

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The Giants announced a pair of roster moves this afternoon, as the club placed left-hander Alex Wood on the 15-day IL with a low back strain and recalled right-hander Tristan Beck from Triple-A.

Wood joined the Giants in 2021 on a one-year, $3MM deal and posted a solid 3.83 ERA with a 3.48 FIP across 26 starts as the Giants won 107 games en route to an AL West crown. That performance earned Wood a two-year, $25MM deal to return to San Francisco during the 2021-22 offseason. That deal hasn’t gone well to this point, however. Despite much of Wood’s underlying performance staying consistent in 2022, his results took a significant tumble as he posted a 5.10 ERA, 22% below average by measure of ERA+, in 130 2/3 innings despite solid underlying metrics (3.76 FIP, 3.41 xFIP, 4.00 xERA) thanks in part to an unusually low 63.9% strand rate.

In 2023, Wood has again struggled to find his footing. He managed just ten innings across three starts before heading to the injured list with a hamstring strain in mid-April that would keep him out for nearly a month. Since returning, he’s struggled to a 6.30 ERA with a 5.14 FIP in 20 innings of work that culminated in a 4 1/3 inning, six run start where Wood allowed eight hits and three walks while striking out just four batters last week. Now, Wood heads back to the injured list where he’ll look to get healthy and hopefully get his season back on track upon his return.

Taking Wood’s spot on the roster is the right-handed Beck, who made his big league debut earlier this season out of the San Francisco bullpen, posting a 4.10 ERA and 4.62 FIP in 26 1/3 innings as a multi-inning reliever for the club. It’s unclear whether Beck will take the ball in Wood’s stead Tuesday against the Rockies, or if that start could perhaps go to Sean Manaea, who was demoted to the bullpen last month but has looked good since then, with a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings of work across four appearances.

Whoever takes the ball on Tuesday, it seems unlikely to be right-hander Ross Stripling, who Susan Sussler of the San Francisco Chronicle reports received a cortisone shot after going on the IL and has made some tweaks to his delivery while rehabbing. Sussler notes that Stripling could progress to facing live hitters soon, though that timeline still puts him a ways away from returning to the big league club.

Reds To Select Andrew Abbott

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The youth movement in Cincinnati continues as the Reds are on the cusp of selecting the contract of left-hander Andrew Abbott, who will make his big league debut tomorrow in a start against the Brewers. The club announced this morning that Abbott had been added to the taxi squad, and details surrounding Abbott’s coming promotion have continued to emerge throughout the morning.

In a session with the media this morning, manager David Bell confirmed the club will go with a six-man rotation for the time being, with Hunter Greene’s next start, originally scheduled for Tuesday, getting pushed back to next Sunday against the Cardinals due to hip stiffness, as relayed by C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic. Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer adds that Bell made clear that Abbott’s call-up is not a spot start, though the club won’t stick with a six-man rotation long term. After Abbott’s start tomorrow, Luke Weaver will start on Tuesday in Greene’s place, followed by Brandon Williamson, Graham Ashcraft, and Ben Lively. Abbott will then get a second start on Saturday before Greene takes the ball on Sunday.

Abbott, who just celebrated his 24th birthday this past Thursday, is ranked 95th in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect list. A second round pick by the Reds in the 2021 draft, Abbott has dominated the upper minors this season, with a 2.50 ERA in 10 starts (54 innings) split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. In 15 2/3 innings at Double-A this season prior to his promotion to Triple-A, Abbott struck out a ridiculous 64.3% of batters faced. His phenomenal strikeout numbers have continued in Triple-A as well, as he’s punched out 34.8% of Triple-A batters in 38 1/3 innings of work.

Abbott is now tasked with joining the big league club and providing a boost to the Reds, who are in third place in the NL Central despite a weak 26-32 record. While the club’s overall record certainly leaves something to be desired, the club has seen improvement in recent weeks as they’ve made way for young prospects to make an impact on the club, highlighted by the performance of shortstop Matt McLain.

Padres Notes: Bogaerts, Odor, Tatis

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Padres manager Bob Melvin provided an update on the injury situations of second baseman Rougned Odor and shortstop Xander Bogaerts after last night’s game against the Cubs. As noted by Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union Tribune, Melvin said that both Odor, who’s dealing with a left groin strain, and Bogaerts, who has struggled with wrist soreness throughout the season, will be assessed today, with Melvin admitting that there is “probably the potential of” a roster move to accommodate their ailing middle infield duo sometime today.

Melvin’s comments come after MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell noted earlier in the day that the Padres are hopeful Odor can avoid going on the injured list. After signing a minor league deal with the Padres this offseason and managing to break camp with the club, Odor has enjoyed a start to the season that, if maintained, would make the 2023 campaign his best since his age-22 season with the Rangers back in 2016. In 99 trips to the plate with the Padres this season, Odor has slashed .216/.303/.420, good for a 101 wRC+ that’s a massive jump from the 78 wRC+ figure he posted across the 2019-2022 campaigns.

Odor’s rebound at the plate has come through a considerable improvement in place discipline, as the lefty has posted a strikeout rate of just 20.2%, a steep drop from the 27.8% rate Odor punched out over the past four seasons. He’s paired the reduced strikeouts with a 10.1% walk rate that would be the best of his career if he can maintain it over the full season.

Bogaerts, meanwhile, commented on his wrist troubles to reporters, with Cassavell relaying that he’ll likely be out of the lineup today, if not longer, though he hopes to avoid a stint on the IL. Melvin confirmed that his shortstop would likely have today off, as Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune notes that the manager says they’ll see how Bogaerts responds to a day off before making a decision regarding a potential IL trip. As noted by The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, Bogaerts notes that this is the longest he’s played through wrist discomfort, citing the absence of third baseman Manny Machado as the reason he felt the need to try and push through the ailment.

With Odor and Bogaerts both at risk of missing time, the Padres will likely need to reconfigure their infield picture aside from Machado, who is entrenched at third base. Ha-Seong Kim has experience at both second base and shortstop, while Brandon Dixon has mostly played first base for the Padres this season but has experience at the keystone as well. Jake Cronenworth can play all three positions, while both Alfonso Rivas and Matt Carpenter could factor in at first base as well if necessary.

One solution the Padres seem unlikely to go with is returning Fernando Tatis Jr. to the infield. A shortstop for the majority of his career, Tatis has moved to the outfield full time in 2023, appearing exclusively in right field so far this season. That being said, more positional flexibility could still be in Tatis’s future, as noted by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune. Acee elaborates that with Jose Azocar optioned to Triple-A, the Padres lack a proper back-up option in center field behind Trent Grisham.

Tatis, of course, previously expressed a desire to play center field earlier this season, and Acee relays that Melvin appears open to the idea, saying that “He plays pretty good right field for us right now… But if we needed to do something or if something happened in-game or we wanted to give Grish another day off, (Tatis) has been taking fly balls in center field.”

Pirates Select Chase De Jong

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The Pirates have selected the contract of right-hander Chase De Jong, per a team announcement. To make room for De Jong on the active roster, Yerry De Los Santos has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. No corresponding 40-man roster move was necessary to accomodate De Jong, as the Pirates had open space on the 40-man roster, which now stands at 38.

A second-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2012 draft, De Jong has fashioned a career for himself as a journeyman reliever since his big league debut with the Mariners in 2017, when he posted a 6.35 ERA in 28 1/3 innings of work. Following his time in Seattle, De Jong joined the Twins and Astros organizations before arriving in Pittsburgh on a minor league deal in January of 2021. Since then, he’s pitched to a 2.70 ERA in 43 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level while posting a 4.33 ERA 124 2/3 innings of work at the big league level.

That includes a brutal start to his 2023 campaign, where De Jong posted a 10.61 ERA in 9 1/3 innings of work with identical 10.6% strikeout and walk rates. That led the Pirates to designate De Jong for assignment last month, though he eventually accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, paving the way for today’s return to the roster. De Jong figures to join Angel Perdomo and Yohan Ramirez in covering the middle innings for the Pirates going forward.

As for De Los Santos, the 25-year-old returns to Triple-A just one day after being recalled to the roster for his 2023 debut. De Los Santos recorded two outs for the Pirates in yesterday’s game while recording a strikeout and a walk. He’ll return to Indianapolis and act as bullpen depth going forward.

Cardinals Select Luken Baker

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The Cardinals have selected the contract of first baseman Luken Baker, per a team announcement. The club also formally announced that catcher Tres Barrera has been designated for assignment. The moves are hardly surprising after Barrera himself told reporters that he had been placed on waivers last night, leading to speculation that Baker, who wasn’t in the Triple-A lineup last night, could be his replacement.

A second round pick by the Cardinals in the 2018 draft, the 26-year-old slugger tore up the lower minors at every level from 2018-2021 before spending the full 2022 season at the Triple-A level. Baker faced his first pronounced struggles as a professional at the level, slashing just .228/.288/.394 with a 78 wRC+ in 124 games.

Baker appears to have put those struggles behind him, however, as the slugger has torn up Triple-A in his return to the level this season. In 244 plate appearances at the level this season, Baker has slashed a phenomenal .313/.434/.641 with a wRC+ of 165. In addition to the vastly improved slash line, Baker has cut his strikeout rate to just 21.7%, his lowest figure since his professional debut in 2018, while his walk rate has skyrocketed to a whopping 17.6%.

That performance has paved the way for Baker to make his MLB debut later today, batting seventh against the Pirates. Going forward, Baker figures to compete with the likes of Juan Yepez and Alec Burleson for DH at-bats with the big league club, while potentially also spelling Paul Goldschmidt at first base on occasion.

As for Barrera, the 28-year-old catcher managed to get into just six games for St. Louis, drawing only two plate appearances. Should he go unclaimed on waivers, he’ll have he option to elect free agency, as he’s received an outright assignment previously in his career. Barrera figures to be an attractive catching depth option on a minor league deal should he hit the open market.

Diamondbacks Extend Torey Lovullo Through 2024

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According to The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro, the Diamondbacks and manager Torey Lovullo have agreed to a one-year contract extension, leaving Lovullo poised to return for an eighth season as Arizona’s manager in 2024. As Piecoro notes, this marks the third consecutive one-year deal for Lovullo. The vote of confidence in Lovullo comes after a hot start to the 2023 campaign where the Diamondbacks have surpassed preseason expectations, posting a 35-24 record that leaves them tied with the Dodgers for first place in the NL West.

Lovullo’s managerial career began with the Diamondbacks in 2017, when the club made the playoffs with a solid 93-69 record that earned him the NL Manager of the Year award. Over the years since then, Arizona has seen the veteran core of that club, which included Paul Goldschmidt, Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin, and AJ Pollock, depart through trades and free agency. While Lovullo managed to lead the team through the 2018 and 2019 seasons without falling below .500, the club finished the shortened 2020 season with a 25-35 record that left them in last place in the NL West.

Arizona’s struggles would grow even more pronounced in 2021, as injuries and under-performance plagued virtually every player on the team en route to a brutal 110 loss season. GM Mike Hazen’s front office stood by Lovullo through that brutal season, however, and awarded him a contract extension in September of 2021. That decision began to pay off in 2022 as the club slowly began to improve, playing to a record near .500 (34-36) after the All Star break. That improvement was brought about in part by the emergence of young players like Corbin Carroll and Jake McCarthy, along with right-hander Zac Gallen establishing himself as one of the best young starters in the game.

Despite the club beginning to lay groundwork for a bright future at the end of last season, few expected Arizona to be as successful as they have been over the first two months of the 2023 season. An offseason swap that saw Daulton Varsho sent to Toronto in exchange for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno has already paid dividends, Ketel Marte has rebounded from a difficult season in 2022, and strong performances from young players like Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, and Emmanuel Rivera have combined to produce an offense that ranks top 5 in the majors in runs scored. On the pitching side, Gallen and Merrill Kelly have formed an enviable top of the rotation, the club’s offseason commitment to Andrew Chafin has paid dividends in the bullpen, and young arms like Drey Jameson and Tommy Henry have begun to contribute as well.

Overall, Lovullo has a 446-483 record as manager of the Diamondbacks with just one playoff appearance. Nonetheless, as Arizona’s future appears to have arrived ahead of schedule the club’s front office has made the decision to assure Lovullo of his role in guiding the up-and-coming club back to the playoffs for the first time since his managerial debut in 2017.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/3/23

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Catching up on some minor moves from around baseball…

  • Jimmy Yacabonis cleared waivers and has been outrighted off the Mets’ 40-man roster.  There isn’t yet word as to whether or not Yacabonis will accept the assignment to Triple-A, as since he has previously been outrighted during his career, Yacabonis has the right to reject the assignment and test free agency.  New York designated Yacabonis for assignment earlier this week, after the right-hander posted a 9.00 ERA over an even nine relief innings this season.

Injury Notes: Garrett, Altuve, Rosario, Rodriguez, Avisail

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The Royals placed Amir Garrett on the 15-day injured list yesterday, with a retroactive May 29 placement date.  The left-hander is suffering from a valgus extension overload in his throwing elbow, which manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including MLB.com) is like a bone bruise.  Garrett will miss roughly 3-4 weeks in total, and will be shut down for the next 5-7 days before being re-examined.

Since Kansas City already seems out of the pennant race, that means Garrett should be able to return well before the trade deadline, and perhaps establish himself as a trade chip for a Royals team that is already open to moving relievers.  Garrett is a free agent this winter, making him even more of an obvious trade candidate as a rental player.  Beyond his current health issue, however, the biggest obstacle in the way of a Garrett deal is his garish 17.7% walk rate, the highest yet for a pitcher who has struggled with control over most of his seven MLB seasons.  While Garrett has only a 3.00 ERA over 21 innings and his strikeout (25%) and grounder (48.1%) rates are both respectable, the walk rate certainly stands out as a red flag for any interesting suitors.

More on other injury situations around baseball…

  • Jose Altuve didn’t play today and likely won’t play on Sunday, as Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle) that Altuve is dealing with a minor oblique problems.  The second baseman felt discomfort after a swing in Friday’s game, and while the injury isn’t deemed serious enough to merit an MRI, the Astros are naturally being careful with Altuve given how oblique problems can linger or become easily aggravated.  It’s a day-to-day situation for now, though Houston doesn’t have an off-day on the schedule until June 12.
  • The Guardians removed Amed Rosario from today’s game in the fourth inning due to left knee soreness.  Rosario is day-to-day for now, and since Cleveland has an off-day on Monday, it seems very likely that Rosario will be sat for Sunday’s game to give him two full days to rest and recover.  Rosario has struggled badly this season, hitting only .224/.270/.314 over 226 plate appearances, and he has the fourth-lowest fWAR (-0.7) of any qualified player in 2023.  Any of Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, or Brayan Rocchio could get more playing time at shortstop if Rosario has to miss an extended amount of time.
  • Joely Rodriguez was warming up in preparation of entering tonight’s Rays/Red Sox game, but Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe) that Rodriguez had to halt his warmup due to soreness in his bicep and shoulder area.  More will be known once some tests are run, but it certainly looks like Rodriguez could be headed back to the IL.  An oblique injury in Spring Training already delayed Rodriguez’s season debut until May 17, and the left-hander has struggled to an 18.00 ERA over his four innings and five appearances.
  • The Marlins told reporters (including Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base) that Avisail Garcia’s rehab assignment has been temporarily halted, as he will receive examination on his sore back.  Garcia has already been on the IL since April 29 due to lower back tightness, so while the team described the setback as “minor,” it is a little worrisome to see Garcia further delayed.  The outfielder has played in four games with Triple-A Jacksonville during his rehab assignment.

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