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Archives for June 2024

Yankees To Select Ben Rice

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The Yankees are selecting the contract of catcher/first baseman Ben Rice, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Rice will take over at first base with Anthony Rizzo expected to miss over a month due to a fractured arm. The Yankees have space open on their 40-man roster, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary to clear a spot for Rice.

Rice, 25, was a 12th-round pick by the Yankees in the 2021 draft out of Dartmouth but has hit quite well at every level of the minors despite his status as a late-round pick. He ranks as the #14 prospect in the club’s system per Baseball America and 12th according to MLB Pipeline. After spending the first two seasons of his professional career at the Single-A level, Rice enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, advancing across three levels of the minors to reach Double-A for the first time in his career. He slashed an impressive .324/.434/.615 in 332 trips to the plate across the Single-A, High-A, and Double-A levels that year—including an excellent .327/.401/.648 line with 30 extra-base hits (16 homers) in 48 games at Double-A Somerset.

Rice returned to Somerset to open the 2024 campaign and once again hit well at the level, albeit in not quite as dominant a fashion as his first taste of Double-A action. in 218 trips to the plate at the level this year, Rice posted a .261/.383/.511 slash line while slugging 12 home runs and going an impressive 8-for-8 on the basepaths. That performance was enough to earn Rice the call up to Triple-A on June 5, and he responded to the call by slashing an excellent .333/.419/.619 in his first 50 trips to the plate at the level. While it’s certainly unusual for a prospect to get promoted to the big leagues just 11 games into their tenure at the highest level of the minors, Rice’s exceptional offensive numbers are hard to deny.

The youngster’s bat is well ahead of his skills defensively behind the plate, a reality that caused the Yankees to begin getting him time at first base back in 2022. He’s split time between first and catcher since then, although between his status as an unfinished product behind the plate and the Yankees’ move to call him up following Rizzo’s injury it seems unlikely he’ll see much time behind the plate in the majors for the time being. Some scouts have suggested that first base could be his long term home, anyway, although there appears to still be some optimism he could stick behind the plate. BA notes that Rice has shown plenty of improvement in his blocking skills throughout his time with the Yankees, even as his ability to control the running game still leaves much to be desired.

Regardless of where the 25-year-old ultimately makes his home on the diamond in the long term, Rice seems ticketed for at least semi-regular reps at first base in his first taste of big league action. Previous reporting had suggested that the infield corners would be handled by Oswaldo Cabrera at third base and DJ LeMahieu at first while Rizzo was on the shelf, and it remains to be seen exactly how playing time will be distributed between the three players. It’s possible that Cabrera and LeMahieu could end up in a timeshare at third while Rice takes the lion’s share of playing time at first, but it stands to reason that LeMahieu could still see some time at first base against southpaws. After all, the lefty-swinging Rice showed a significant platoon split during the 2023 season. In 70 trips to the plate against same-handed pitching last year, he hit just .217/.329/.317. Given those concerns, it would hardly be a surprise if the Yankees decided to protect Rice against some or even all lefty pitchers in the early days of his big league career.

A’s To Designate J.D. Davis For Assignment

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The A’s are designating corner infielder J.D. Davis for assignment, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link). MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos reports (on X) that the A’s are recalling outfielder Lawrence Butler from Triple-A Las Vegas in what is presumably the corresponding move. Oakland hasn’t announced the transactions, which will likely be made official tomorrow with the A’s off tonight.

It’ll end a brief stint in Oakland for Davis, who landed with the A’s in somewhat controversial fashion. He and the Giants went to an arbitration hearing over the offseason. Davis won that hearing and was set for a $6.9MM salary. Arbitration salaries aren’t fully guaranteed until Opening Day unless the team and player agree to terms before the hearing, though. The Giants signed Matt Chapman a couple weeks into Spring Training. Rather than push Davis to the bench, the Giants released him to get out from under most of the money.

San Francisco paid him 30 days termination pay, around $1.1MM, and sent him to the open market. Davis’ extremely late entry into free agency didn’t do him any favors. He signed with the A’s on a $2.5MM deal that contained an additional $1MM in incentives.

His run in green and gold didn’t go especially well. Davis lost a couple weeks to an adductor strain and appeared in 39 games. He hit .236/.304/.366 with four homers in 135 trips to the plate. That’s essentially league average production in a pitcher-friendly home park and a down overall run environment. Yet Davis needs to be an above-average hitter to provide much overall value. He’s a limited baserunner and defender who has spent the majority of his time at first base this season.

Davis has tallied 97 innings at the hot corner and logged 148 frames at first base. His defensive grades haven’t been great at either spot. While this year’s workload is an exceedingly small sample, that’s in line with Davis’ overall track record as a middling defensive third baseman.

Nevertheless, the Fullerton product has been a solid regular for most of his career. He was an above-average hitter each season from 2019-22, running a cumulative .276/.363/.457 slash in more than 1200 plate appearances between the Mets and Giants. Over that stretch, Davis walked at a strong 10.5% clip and showed above-average power to offset a 27.3% strikeout rate. He had a league average .248/.325/.413 line with 18 homers in a career-high 144 games in his final season with the Giants.

At the time they signed him, the A’s planned on Davis playing regularly at third base and hitting well enough to be a midseason trade candidate. He has been nudged to a bench role in recent weeks. Abraham Toro jumped Davis for the starting third base job with an excellent showing in May. Toro hasn’t hit at all in June, yet the A’s have stuck with him at the top of the lineup. He is under arbitration control through 2026. Tyler Soderstrom, one of the top offensive talents in the organization, is playing regularly at first base. Soderstrom came up as a bat-first catching prospect but seems like a better long-term fit at first thanks to the presence of Shea Langeliers.

The A’s will have five days from the time of Davis’ official DFA to explore trade possibilities. (Players can spend up to a week in DFA limbo, but teams need to start the 48-hour waiver process within five days if they can’t line up a trade.) Any return would be modest, but it’s not out of the question the A’s find someone willing to take on part or all of the approximate $1.38MM still remaining on his contract. If there are no takers, Davis will become a free agent in a week’s time — either via release or rejecting an outright assignment to the minors.

There are a few teams that could look to add a corner bat. The Yankees lost Anthony Rizzo for upwards of a month to a forearm fracture. The Red Sox haven’t gotten much out of Dominic Smith at first base, although they could just wait things out with Triston Casas potentially a few weeks from returning. The Astros released José Abreu last week and are relying on a Jon Singleton/Mauricio Dubón platoon at first base. The Nationals and Pirates haven’t gotten much from the position, while the Reds might be without righty-swinging first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand for the rest of the season.

Max Scherzer Nearing Return; deGrom Throwing Off Mound

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The Rangers dropped their fourth consecutive game in an ugly 14-2 drubbing at the hands of the Mets tonight. That continues a tough month-long stretch that has dropped the defending World Series champions six games below .500.

To the extent there’s a silver lining of Monday for Ranger fans, it’s that the team provided some good news on the injury front. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that Max Scherzer’s next start will come at the major league level (X link via Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today). While Bochy didn’t specify a date for the future Hall of Famer’s season debut, it seems likely to fall during this weekend’s series against the Royals.

A herniated disc sent Scherzer to the operating table last December. The initial recovery timeline called for a June or July return. Scherzer seemed to be ahead of schedule early in the year before discomfort in his right thumb slowed his progress. The three-time Cy Young winner restarted a rehab stint on June 9. He pitched twice with Triple-A Round Rock, logging 79 pitches across 4 2/3 innings on Saturday.

Texas has a starting five of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen, Dane Dunning and Andrew Heaney. Unless Texas opts for a six-man rotation, Scherzer’s return will bump someone from that group to the bullpen. It certainly won’t be Eovaldi or Gray. The Rangers signed Lorenzen to fill a sixth starter/swing role, but he has turned in a 2.86 ERA while working six innings per appearance through 11 starts. Even with middling strikeout and walk numbers, Lorenzen has probably pitched his way into a long-term rotation spot.

Heaney, who’ll take the ball against the Mets on Wednesday, has started 13 of 14 appearances. The southpaw owns a 4.19 ERA with a decent 21.4% strikeout percentage and a strong 6.2% walk rate — similar numbers to those he turned in during his first season in Arlington. Dunning has had a tougher go this season, allowing 4.73 earned runs per nine. While his 26.7% strikeout rate narrowly leads Texas starters, the University of Florida product has issued walks at an uncharacteristic 11.6% clip while struggling with the home run ball.

Scherzer has been joined on the injured list all season by Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom. Mahle began facing hitters earlier this month as he works back from last May’s Tommy John procedure. deGrom, who underwent the same surgery in early June 2023, isn’t too far behind. He hit a milestone in his rehab on Monday, throwing off a mound for the first time in 12 months (X link via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). deGrom has been targeting a return to MLB action at some point in August.

Kevin Cash Reportedly Under Contract With Rays Through 2030

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The Rays are having a bit of a disappointing season so far in 2024 but it’s unlikely that manager Kevin Cash is going to be on the hot seat because of it. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times recently took a look at some things the franchise could do but noted that Cash is incredibly safe since his contract runs through the 2030 season.

It was reported back in February that both Cash and president of baseball operations Erik Neander had been signed to long-term extensions. Topkin reported at that time that the deals went beyond 2028, but the exact length was vague. This additional reporting from Topkin puts the specifics out in the open, at least for Cash’s deal.

The Rays have generally been incredibly successful in the Cash era. He took over in 2015 after Joe Maddon left to take the skipper job with the Cubs. The Rays posted losing records in the first three seasons under Cash but then went 90-72 in 2018. That would have been good enough for the third American League Wild Card spot but there were only two at that time. In the five completed seasons since then, the Rays have qualified for the postseason in each of them, going as far as the World Series in 2020.

The club is just 34-38 this year and is currently in last in the American League East, but they’re not entirely buried in the standings, still just six games out of a playoff spot. Even if the club can’t quite get back in the mix, it’s understandable that it wouldn’t fall on Cash’s head. The overall track record of his tenure is strong and this season’s struggles can be attributed to factors outside of his control.

Wander Franco was supposed to be Tampa’s long-term franchise shortstop but he’s been away from the club since August as he is under investigation for engaging in a sexual relationship with a minor. The Rays also traded away players like Tyler Glasnow, Manuel Margot and Andrew Kittredge in the offseason to lower the payroll. Many of the players that stuck around have endured slumps, with Randy Arozarena, Yandy Díaz and others performing well below their previous levels this year.

Perhaps the club will climb back into this year’s race or maybe pivot to a deadline selloff, a decision that will reportedly wait until closer to the July 30 deadline. Either way, it seems like Cash is going to be the bench boss for many years to come.

Roberts: Dodgers Expect Betts To Miss 6-8 Weeks

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The Dodgers placed Mookie Betts on the 10-day injured list this afternoon, a formality after he suffered a fractured left hand yesterday. Miguel Vargas is back up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his spot on the active roster.

That alone didn’t provide much of an update, but skipper Dave Roberts outlined a loose timetable when speaking with the L.A. beat tonight. Roberts said the Dodgers anticipate being without Betts for 6-8 weeks (X link via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). Miguel Rojas will draw into the lineup as the primary shortstop in the interim.

Betts was hit by a 98 MPH fastball from Dan Altavilla in yesterday’s win over Kansas City. The Dodgers revealed after the game that he’d sustained a fracture. It halts what could have been an MVP season. Betts is hitting .304/.405/.488 with 10 longballs through 331 trips to the plate. He has walked 14.5% of the time against a 10% strikeout rate.

On top of the customarily elite offense, Betts has logged 531 1/3 innings at shortstop (plus 97 frames at second base). Public metrics are mixed on his shortstop glovework — Defensive Runs Saved has rated him four runs better than par, while Statcast has him three runs below average — but the fact that Betts was able take over the position on short notice at the end of spring is itself a huge boost.

Rojas is at least a steady replacement. He remains a high-end defender at age 35. Rojas has turned in good offensive results in a utility capacity this year, hitting .278/.328/.444 with a trio of homers in 42 games. He’s not likely to continue hitting at that level in an everyday role, as he ran a .246/.299/.348 line between 2021-23.

The 6-8 week timeline means Betts probably won’t be back before the July 30 trade deadline. Roberts and GM Brandon Gomes told reporters that L.A. is open to reinstalling Betts at shortstop once he’s healthy (Harris link). With an eight-game cushion in the NL West, the Dodgers probably don’t need to change their deadline approach to the shortstop position. Yet middle infield help looked like a potential target before Betts went down. The Dodgers haven’t gotten much out of second base, where Gavin Lux is hitting .212/.262/.280 across 202 plate appearances.

There probably won’t be many significant shortstops on the market. The White Sox will almost certainly trade Paul DeJong for a modest return, but he’s not a clear upgrade on Rojas. Miami’s Tim Anderson hasn’t hit for a second consecutive season. The top impending free agents, Willy Adames and Ha-Seong Kim, are on contenders and unlikely to move. Second base offers a couple more possibilities. The Angels could deal bat-first utility options Luis Rengifo and Brandon Drury, while the A’s would probably entertain offers on Abraham Toro.

Anthony Rizzo Diagnosed With Arm Fracture

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Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo has been diagnosed with a fractured radial neck in his right arm, report Ken Rosenthal, Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner of the Athletic. The Athletic writes that Rizzo will not require surgery but is likely to miss around 4-6 weeks. Though the Yankees haven’t announced the diagnosis, they’ll certainly place the first baseman on the 10-day injured list before tomorrow’s series opener against the Orioles.

Rizzo was injured in last night’s loss to the Red Sox. The veteran hit a slow grounder to Boston first baseman Dominic Smith. Smith flipped to pitcher Brennan Bernardino, who was covering the bag, but Rizzo collided with Bernardino when Smith’s throw was behind him. Rizzo landed awkwardly on his right hand and had to come out of the game.

Oswaldo Cabrera came off the bench to play third base with DJ LeMahieu kicking across the diamond. That’ll likely be the corner infield tandem for the next couple weeks. It’s not a great pairing for a team trying to hold off the Orioles in what should be an extremely competitive division race.

LeMahieu lost a good chunk of the season himself. He fractured his right foot in Spring Training and wasn’t able to make his season debut until May 28. The two-time batting champ hasn’t gotten into a groove. He’s hitting .188 with no extra-base hits through his first 15 games. While LeMahieu certainly won’t continue to perform that poorly, he has only been a slightly above-average hitter over the last three seasons. Between 2021-23, he hit .258/.345/.375 in nearly 1800 trips to the plate.

That’s not the level of power production typically associated with the first base position. Of course, Rizzo hadn’t provided much of an offensive impact this year either. His .223/.289/.341 batting line over 291 plate appearances would easily be his worst pace since his abbreviated rookie season more than a decade ago. LeMahieu should be able to top that production, though the Yankees will now need to turn back to Cabrera for a significant role.

The switch-hitting Cabrera had a great first couple weeks before falling into a major slump. He’s hitting .237/.275/.350 in 56 games overall. LeMahieu’s return had pushed him to a utility role, but he’ll step back into the starting lineup for the time being. The Yanks don’t have much in the way of experienced first base depth in the minors, but former 12th-round pick T.J. Rumfield is hitting .303/.358/.454 in 47 Triple-A contests. Jon Heyman of the New York Post notes (on X) that catcher/first baseman Ben Rice — owner of a .275/.393/.532 slash in 60 games between the top two minor league levels — may soon hit his way to the majors.

Infield help could be a summer priority for GM Brian Cashman and his front office. Rizzo’s reported timeline leaves open the possibility of a return before the July 30 deadline, but he won’t have much time to demonstrate he has turned a corner offensively. The combination of LeMahieu, Cabrera and the currently injured Jon Berti haven’t provided much at third base, while Gleyber Torres is amidst a rough year at the keystone. There aren’t a ton of obvious trade candidates on the infield, particularly if the Rockies hold Ryan McMahon. More opportunities could open up if teams drop out of the playoff picture over the next month and a half.

Orioles Claim Nick Avila Off Release Waivers

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The Orioles announced they’ve claimed right-hander Nick Avila off release waivers from the Giants. San Francisco had placed him on waivers over the weekend when they selected Spencer Bivens onto the big league roster. The O’s optioned Avila to Triple-A Norfolk and placed him on the minor league injured list with a shoulder impingement.

Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers. To take Avila off the 40-man roster, the Giants either needed to place him on the MLB 60-day injured list (which would require paying him at the $740K league minimum rate for however long he’s out) or release him. They chose the latter route. The Giants may have wanted to bring Avila back on a minor league deal, but released players first need to go unclaimed on waivers before they hit free agency.

The Orioles had an open spot on their 40-man roster after waiving Corbin Martin last week. They’ll use that to stash Avila in Norfolk while he rehabs the shoulder problem. It’s not clear how long the 6’4″ righty will be sidelined; he last pitched for the Giants’ Triple-A club on May 29.

Avila, who turns 27 in July, changes teams for the first time in his career. The Giants drafted him in the 26th round in 2019. A Long Beach State product, Avila reached the majors in early April. He allowed 12 runs (11 earned) through his first 11 2/3 MLB frames, though he fanned 14 hitters against three walks. Avila’s fastball sat in the 94-95 MPH range, while he also showed a cutter and a knuckle-curve.

The righty spent all of last season working with San Francisco’s top minor league team. He allowed an even three earned runs per nine over 72 frames, striking out 21.3% of batters faced with a solid 46.2% grounder rate. Avila walked 12% of opposing hitters, but he’d shown slightly better control in his limited work this year before the shoulder injury.

Blue Jays Place Yimi García On Injured List

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The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Yimi García has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis. Left-hander Brandon Eisert was selected to the roster in a corresponding move. The Jays had two open 40-man spots as Cavan Biggio and Daniel Vogelbach were designated for assignment in recent weeks.

It’s unclear how long García will be away from the club but it’s a blow nonetheless, with the club’s bullpen having been hit hard this year. Closer Jordan Romano has twice been placed on the injured list due to elbow inflammation and is still on the shelf at the moment. He also struggled in between those IL stints with an earned run average of 6.59 in his 15 outings. Erik Swanson was supposed to be a key setup guy for Romano but had an ERA of 9.22 in his 17 appearances before getting optioned to the minors. His nine Triple-A outings haven’t been much better, with an 8.22 ERA in those.

García stepped up and has been the club’s best reliever this year. He has five saves and ten holds with a 2.57 ERA, 34.6% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate, but he had to depart yesterday’s game with an apparent injury. The club told reporters earlier today that García’s MRI showed no structural damage, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com on X. Though the prognosis is unclear, it seems the issue is serious enough that the Jays decided to let García rest up for at least 15 days.

The Jays came into the season planning on that Romano/Swanson/García trio anchoring their bullpen but will now have to proceed without all three of them. Romano could be the next to return, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet relays on X that the righty could be back on a mound as soon as Wednesday, but it’s still a less-than-ideal set of circumstances for the Jays. The club’s relievers had a 3.68 ERA last year, placing them eighth in the league, but this year’s bullpen group is in 27th place with a 4.69 ERA.

Chad Green is likely to step into the closer’s role for now, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet on X. Green has a 1.76 ERA on the year but that’s a bit of a mirage. His 21.8% strikeout rate is actually below league average and much lower than his career rate of 32.1%. His strong results this year have been helped by a .167 batting average on balls in play and 100% strand rate that he won’t be able to maintain, so getting his punchouts back will be key for him and the Jays.

Though the news is glum for García, it’s an exciting day for Eisert, as the 26-year-old southpaw cracks a big league roster for the first time. An 18th-round selection of the Jays in 2019, he wasn’t able to make his professional debut until 2021 due to the pandemic.

But since then, he has tossed 215 2/3 innings across various levels with a 4.01 ERA, 29.5% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. That includes 22 2/3 innings at Triple-A Buffalo this year with an unsightly 6.35 ERA, though a .442 BABIP is surely playing a role in that. The Jays are probably more interested in his 33% strikeout rate this year, though Eisert has also walked 13.2% of batters faced. He’ll give the club a fourth lefty arm alongside Tim Mayza, Génesis Cabrera and Brendon Little.

It may end up being a short stay for Eisert since Yariel Rodríguez is going to be reinstated from the IL at some point this week, likely taking the rotation spot opened by Alek Manoah’s UCL surgery. Over the past few weeks, Bowden Francis has been covering that spot as a bulk guy, with Trevor Richards often serving as an opener. But if Rodríguez can take over that rotation spot, Richards and Francis can move to the relief mix to try to offset the loss of García somewhat.

Angels Designate José Suarez, Cole Tucker For Assignment

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The Angels announced that they have reinstated infielder Brandon Drury from the injured list and selected the contract of right-hander Zach Plesac. In corresponding moves, left-hander José Suarez and infielder Cole Tucker have been designated for assignment.

Suarez, 26, had a solid two-year run as a swingman for the Angels. Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he made 45 appearances for the club, with 34 of those being starts. He logged 207 1/3 innings, allowing 3.86 earned runs per nine. His 21.5% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 44.5% ground ball rate were all around league average in that time.

But things have been dire since then. He spent about four months on the injured list last year with a shoulder strain and had an ERA of 8.29 in the 33 2/3 innings he was able to pitch. The Halos clearly hoped for a bounceback, tendering Suarez a contract. The two sides eventually went to a hearing, with the club winning and paying Suarez $925K instead of his requested figure of $1.35MM. He’s avoided the IL this year but the results haven’t improved, as he has an 8.15 ERA in 35 1/3 innings pitched so far this season.

It’s likely not as bad as that seems, as his .375 batting average on balls in play and 57.1% strand rate are both on the unlucky side. But his walk rate has been over 12% this year and last year, which hasn’t helped him. Since he’s out of options, the only way for the Angels to get him off the active roster was to remove him from the 40-man completely.

They will now have one week to try to trade him or pass him through waivers. Perhaps some pitching-needy club with a plan to get him back on track will be intrigued, though his recent struggles will obviously tamp down interest. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would be able to elect free agency since he has more than three years of service time. But since he has less than five years of service, he would forfeit the remainder of his salary by doing so. Given those circumstances, he’s likely to end up sticking with the Angels as non-roster depth.

Tucker, 27, was once a highly-touted prospect with the Pirates but has continually struggled in the major leagues. He signed a minor league deal with the Angels in mid-April and was added to their roster a couple of weeks later. He has since received 57 plate appearances in 25 games but has struck out at a 29.8% rate and produced a meager line of .180/.263/.300. That brings his career output to .213/.266/.316.

The Halos will have a week to figure things out with Tucker as well, but interest is likely to be very low based on his limited production. He has a previous career outright and would be able to elect free agency in the event he’s outrighted again.

When the Angels added him to their roster, Tucker told reporters that he was offered a coaching position by the Mariners but wanted to keep playing. Perhaps he will continue pursuing playing opportunities but it sounds like he will have some fallback plans for whenever he decides to hang up his spikes.

Plesac signed with the Halos in the offseason, a deal with a $1MM guarantee, but later ran him through waivers. He had the right to reject an outright assignment by virtue of having more than three years of service time, but since his service clock is below five, doing so would have meant forfeiting the rest of that money.

He reported to Triple-A and has made 13 starts at that level with a 5.42 ERA, 15.8% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. The Angels announced that José Soriano was scratched from tonight’s start with lower abdominal pain and that Plesac will take the mound instead. Plesac could stick in the rotation but also has a couple of options and can be sent back down to Salt Lake without being exposed to waivers again.

Nats Notes: Deadline, Winker, Hassell, Wood, Crews

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The Nationals have received trade interest in veterans Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey and Lane Thomas but haven’t considered dealing any veteran pieces just yet, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Washington, even with a sub-.500 record (35-36), is tied with the Padres for the final Wild Card spot in the National League at the moment and has not yet made a determination on how to approach this year’s trade deadline, Morosi adds.

It’s sensible for teams to inquire with the Nats, who entered the season as a playoff long-shot after spending the past two years in a rebuilding pattern. The Nats have outplayed expectations thanks to myriad factors (e.g. breakouts from MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin and Trevor Williams; a stronger-than-expected debut for lefty Mitchell Parker; a big step forward by CJ Abrams; a rebound by Jesse Winker). Those positive developments, plus widespread mediocrity in the National League, have thrust the Nationals into postseason conversations in mid-June. Williams’ recent flexor strain is a big damper on the team’s solid showing this year, but it’s only natural that GM Mike Rizzo and his staff aren’t yet ready to concede that they’ll be deadline sellers.

The next six weeks will be pivotal for the Nats. Holding the status quo or even playing winning ball between now and July 30 could push the Nationals to function as buyers. They may not be keen on dealing prospects for short-term rentals in a season like this, but targeting some names with multiple years of club control remaining feels plausible. On the other side of the coin, if the Nats fall a few games back in the standings and/or incur further injury problems of note, then listening on short-term veterans would be far likelier.

All three of the names listed by Morosi are controlled only through the 2025 season. Finnegan and Harvey would both draw widespread interest among contenders, given the perennial demand for bullpen help among playoff hopefuls. Harvey, in particular, has been dominant with a 28.3% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate en route to a 2.75 ERA. Finnegan leads the team with 20 saves and a terrific 1.78 ERA, though he’s benefited hugely from a microscopic .157 BABIP and a sky-high 94.7% strand rate — neither of which feels sustainable long-term.

Thomas drew interest at last summer’s trade deadline, but he’s likely someone the Nats value more than many of the teams seeking to acquire him. Washington reportedly priced him like an everyday player on last summer’s trade market — which is also how they use him — but Thomas carries enormous platoon splits and could be seen by other clubs as a player best deployed in a timeshare. He’s batting .327/.390/.588 against lefties this season (166 wRC+) but has an awful .196/.256/.330 output against righties (65 wRC+). His career splits aren’t quite that dramatic but are quite stark: .305/.364/.524 versus left-handers (141 wRC+) compared to .223/.290/.392 versus right-handers (86 wRC+).

The next few weeks will be pivotal for Rizzo and his lieutenants as they chart a course for this year’s deadline planning. If the Nats fall several games out of the race, all three of the names listed by Morosi could feasibly hit the market, and they likely wouldn’t be alone. Third baseman Nick Senzel and reliever Derek Law are also only controlled through 2025 as well. Veterans Dylan Floro and Eddie Rosario are free agents at the end of the current season, as are the aforementioned Williams and Winker.

Speaking of Winker, he had an injury scare over the weekend when he felt knee pain after taking a big turn at first base, slamming on the brakes and (unsuccessfully) diving back to the bag. He exited the game two innings later. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports that Winker underwent an MRI that thankfully came back clean. He’s listed as day-to-day for now.

Winker, 30, isn’t hitting for much power this season but is drawing walks at his typically lofty rate (13.4%) and has made significantly better contact than he did over the past two seasons in a pair of down years with the Mariners and Brewers. He’s batting .265/.378/.390 with six homers and ten doubles through 268 plate appearances. Like Thomas, he’s better utilized in a platoon setting but has been an everyday player in Washington. Winker, to his credit, has a roughly league-average .239/.345/.338 slash in 84 plate appearances against fellow lefties, but he’s a career .210/.325/.338 hitter (89 wRC+) in left-on-left situations, compared to .279/.383/.467 (130 wRC+) against righties.

Eventual trades of Winker, Rosario and/or Thomas could open the door for any number of Nationals farmhands at the big league level. One near-MLB-ready option, Robert Hassell III, doesn’t seem as though he’ll be an option anytime soon, however. The Nats placed Hassell on the minor league injured list last week, and TalkNats.com reports that he’s dealing with another wrist injury and that the team plans to proceed cautiously. Hassell has had multiple wrist injuries in the past, including a broken hamate bone that necessitated surgery.

One of the most notable prospects acquired in the Nationals’ blockbuster trade of Juan Soto to the Padres, Hassell opened the season with a .278/.369/.369 slash in 215 plate appearances at the Double-A level. Those numbers don’t jump out, but they’re about 14% better than average in his currently pitcher-friendly environment, by measure of wRC+. They’re also a sizable step forward from the .225/.316/.324 batting line recorded by Hassell at the same minor league level last year (476 plate appearances).

Both Hassell and uber-prospect James Wood are on the minor league injured list at the moment — the latter due to a hamstring strain. Wood, in particular, could be an option to make his big league debut later this summer, with Andrew Golden of The Washington Post relaying on X today that Wood could return to game action this week. But Hassell could force his way into that conversation as well if he’s cleared to return sooner than later and continues to show improvement over last season. His prospect stock has taken a notable hit since the time of that swap, but he’s maintained strong plate discipline (11.6% walk rate) and cut his strikeout rate from last year’s alarming 31.9% to a far more palatable 21.4% in 2024.

Dylan Crews will also be in the mix, as he’s being promoted to Triple-A, per @PROducerIOTB on X. That’s come on the heels of Crews hitting .274/.343/.446 in Double-A this year while stealing 15 bases.

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