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Triston Casas Shut Down, Likely Done For The Year

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Two days after placing Triston Casas on the IL, the Red Sox have shut down the rookie from baseball activities, the team confirmed to reporters (including Pete Abraham and Alex Speier of The Boston Globe). With only 12 games remaining on the schedule for Boston, this likely marks the end of the young first baseman’s season.

The team is still waiting for MRI results, but they do not yet have any reason to believe the injury is more serious than the initial diagnosis of “right shoulder inflammation.” Still, they are choosing to play things safe with the 23-year-old slugger. While the Red Sox have not been mathematically eliminated, their postseason chances are beyond slim. Sitting 8.5 games back of a Wild Card berth with 12 to play, FanGraphs has their playoff odds below 0.1%. Thus, the club has little need to rush one of their brightest young players back from injury.

If indeed he doesn’t play another game, Casas will finish with 502 plate appearances, giving him just enough to qualify for the batting title. He currently ranks first among qualified AL rookies in OPS and wRC+, although the red-hot Gunnar Henderson could surpass him in either category before the year is up.

Bobby Dalbec started at first base on Sunday in place of Casas, and he is slated to start again this evening. The 28-year-old will have a chance to make a good impression over the next two weeks, as he tries to work his way back into a regular role with the big league club. After a disappointing 2022 season with Boston, he has spent much of 2023 at Triple-A. The righty batter has played well for the Worcester Red Sox (.938 OPS in 114 games) but has been blocked at the MLB level for most of the season.

Twins Designate Jordan Luplow For Assignment

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The Twins have reinstated center fielder Michael A. Taylor from the 10-day injured list, the team announced. To open up a spot on the 28-man roster, outfielder Jordan Luplow has been designated for assignment.

Taylor had been on the IL with a hamstring strain since September 3. Willi Castro covered center in his stead, with Andrew Stevenson making the occasional start (in addition to some late-game appearances as a defensive replacement). Castro has hit well over the last two weeks, posting an .827 OPS in 56 trips to the plate, and Stevenson boasts a plus glove, but the Twins will be happy to have their regular center fielder back in the lineup. Not only is Taylor a Gold Glove winner, but he is enjoying his best offensive campaign in years. The 32-year-old has an OPS above .700 for the first time since 2017, and his 99 wRC+ is just shy of league average. The righty was hitting especially well before his hamstring injury took him down, slashing .257/.318/.574 with 10 home runs since the All-Star break.

Meanwhile, Luplow was also hitting well with the Twins, so his DFA comes as a bit of a surprise. In 26 games, he had a .751 OPS and a 111 wRC+, with a particularly impressive 13.2% walk rate. However, nearly all of his production came against left-handed pitching. Facing southpaws, he was rocking a .927 OPS, while against righties that number was a meager .473. It’s understandable why Minnesota did not want to guarantee a roster spot to a player with such drastic splits, especially with the switch-hitting Castro also on the roster. Still, the fact that the Twins chose to keep Stevenson instead of Luplow suggests they’re prioritizing defense over offense on their bench.

This is the third DFA of the season for Luplow, who began the campaign with Atlanta. He was DFA’d by the Braves and claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays in April. The 29-year-old played only seven games for the big league team in Toronto, spending most of his time in the organization at Triple-A. He was DFA’d again in August and claimed by the Twins, with whom he played 26 games at the MLB level.

With the trade deadline long since passed, the Twins will have to put Luplow on waivers in the coming days. If he is claimed, he would not be eligible to join his new team’s postseason roster, but he could help a contending team in need of a right-handed bat over the final two weeks of the season. The team that claimed him would only have to pay the remaining portion of his $1.4MM salary – approximately $104K. If he clears waivers, Luplow will have the option to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, although he is just shy of the five years of service time required to reject the assignment without forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.

Shohei Ohtani Out For Season With Oblique Strain

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8:19PM: Minasian told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and other reporters that Ohtani underwent an MRI on Friday that showed continued oblique irritation, so the decision was made to shut him down for the remainder of 2023.  “I don’t have details on [Ohtani’s upcoming elbow] procedure, but obviously he wants to get that as quick as he can and start getting ready for ’24,” Minasian said.  In regards to Ohtani’s early locker clearout, Minasian explained that “I think in his mind he thought there was a possibility for a procedure today, and that’s why he packed.”  Largely sidestepping a question about the Angels’ chances of re-signing Ohtani, Minasian said media would have to ask the player himself, adding that “it’s been a pleasure to get to know him these last three years and hopefully he’s here for a long time.”

2:03PM: The Angels have placed Shohei Ohtani on the injured list with an oblique strain, the team announced to reporters, including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. This marks the end of both his 2023 season, and quite possibly his tenure with the Angels.

Ohtani was in the midst of the best season of his already remarkable career when a UCL tear stopped him in his tracks in mid-August. While he might have opted to address the injury immediately (increasing his chances of making a quick return in 2024) he chose instead to play out the rest of the year as a designated hitter. Unfortunately, he suffered a second injury just ten days later, hurting his oblique during batting practice. At the time, the team believed the injury to be minor, but Ohtani would go on to sit out the next several games. On Friday, after he missed his 11th game in a row, reporters noticed his locker at Angel Stadium had been cleared out, inviting speculation that Ohtani was being shut down.

General manager Perry Minasian is expected to provide further information later today. So could Ohtani himself, who is expected to be at the ballpark when the Angels take on the Tigers for the second game of the weekend series.

While this clearly isn’t the outcome Ohtani or the Angels were hoping for, an early end to his season could give the two-way star a chance to address his torn UCL as soon as possible. Earlier this month, his agent Nez Balelo revealed that some sort of procedure to repair his elbow was “inevitable.” It is not clear what type of procedure (such as Tommy John surgery or an internal bracing procedure) Ohtani might face, but any kind of elbow repair comes with recovery time. Ohtani has no timetable for his return to the mound, but the sooner he seeks treatment, the sooner he can begin the rehabilitation process.

Ohtani is set to become a free agent following the season, and his impending free agency has been the talk of the sport throughout the year. Before his injury issues popped up, many thought he could command upwards of $500MM on the open market, and even now, Ohtani still seems likely to sign the largest free agent deal in MLB history. His durability is a legitimate cause for concern, but when he’s on the field, Ohtani’s two-way ability naturally creates a bigger impact than any of his peers. Over the past three years, he has hit 124 home runs with a .964 OPS and a 2.84 ERA. That level of performance will net him an enormous payday, even if Ohtani doesn’t step onto a mound during the first year of his next contract.

Whether that enormous payday comes from the Angels or another club, however, remains to be seen. Right now, it’s hard to imagine Ohtani is all that optimistic about the direction in which his team is headed; Los Angeles is two losses away from its eighth straight losing season, despite an MVP-caliber effort from their best player. Ohtani will have no shortage of suitors, and he has previously suggested that he wants to play for a winning team. Thus, it’s quite possible he has already played his last game in an Angels uniform – a 10-6 loss to the Athletics in which he went 0-for-3 with two walks, so hardly a storybook ending.

On the bright side, Ohtani still has a chance to go out on a high note when awards season rolls around. He seems like a lock to win his second AL MVP, even though his injury gives other contenders (i.e. Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Julio Rodriguez) a slight chance to catch up. Currently, Ohtani leads the AL with 44 home runs, a .412 on-base percentage, and 325 total bases, to go along with his 3.14 ERA in 23 starts. He also leads the second-place Seager by 2.6 FanGraphs WAR and 3.1 Baseball Reference WAR, which is a cavernous gap to close with just 15 games remaining on the schedule.

Red Sox Notes: Casas To IL, Dalbec Recalled, Kluber Shut Down

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The Red Sox have placed first baseman Triston Casas on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation, the team announced. In a corresponding move, Bobby Dalbec has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester. In other Red Sox news, starting pitcher Corey Kluber was scratched from his rehab appearance at Triple-A this afternoon. He has been shut down for the remainder of the season, the club revealed to reporters (including Ian Browne of MLB.com).

Casas is in the midst of an excellent rookie campaign, putting up an .856 OPS with 24 home runs. He leads the Red Sox in walk rate and on-base percentage and has been Boston’s best hitter by wRC+. He has been especially hot in the second half, posting a 1.031 OPS since the All-Star break. The 23-year-old is one of only seven AL rookies to qualify for the batting title, and among that group, he ranks first in numerous offensive categories, including OPS, wRC+, and xwOBA. He is likely to earn some down-ballot support for Rookie of the Year, although Gunnar Henderson remains the clear favorite to take home the hardware.

Unfortunately, a sore right shoulder could spell the end of Casas’s season. His IL placement is retroactive to September 15, which means he could return on September 25 at the earliest. By that point, the Red Sox will only have six games remaining, and it’s highly unlikely they’ll be in contention for a Wild Card spot. If Casas returns to full strength, his team would surely love to have him for those final two series, but they have no reason to rush him back.

Taking his place on the active roster will be Dalbec, who has spent most of the 2023 season at Triple-A after a poor major league showing in 2022. Dalbec was phenomenal during a brief cup of coffee in 2020, hitting eight home runs in 23 games. He followed that up with a solid campaign in 2021, posting a .792 OPS and a 106 wRC+ in 133 contests. However, he had a rough time the following year. His OPS fell by more than 100 points and his power seemed to disappear.

Dalbec opened the 2023 season at Triple-A, and he has come up only briefly on a few occasions throughout the year. He has impressive numbers with Worcester – 33 home runs, a .938 OPS, and a 131 wRC+ – although he has underwhelmed in ten games at the major league level, going 2-for-12 with eight strikeouts. The Red Sox will hope he can access his power with the big league club to fill the void in the lineup that Casas left behind.

Kluber was scheduled to make his third rehab appearance at Triple-A on Saturday, but the Red Sox scratched him from the game. He will continue his rehab work at home but will not pitch for Boston again this season. The veteran right-hander has been on the injured list with shoulder inflammation since mid-June.

A two-time Cy Young Award winner, Kluber enjoyed a mini-renaissance with the Rays last season, making 30 starts for the first time since 2018. However, he has struggled tremendously in his age-37 campaign, pitching to a 6.26 ERA in nine starts and a 9.45 ERA in six appearances out of the bullpen. His contract contains an $11MM team option for 2024, although it is highly unlikely the Red Sox will exercise the option.

Rays Select Tristan Gray

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2:45pm: The Rays have officially selected Gray to the major league roster and placed Walls on the paternity list. In a corresponding move, Greg Jones has been recalled from Triple-A and placed on the 60-day IL, opening up a spot for Gray on the 40-man roster. Jones has not played since July 22 due to a hamstring injury.

12:32pm: The Rays are planning to select the contract of infielder Tristan Gray from Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He will be taking his spot on the active roster from Taylor Walls, who is going on the paternity list. The Rays will need to make a corresponding move to add Gray to the 40-man roster.

Gray joined the organization in 2018 as part of the trade that sent Corey Dickerson to the Pirates. He has spent the past three years at Triple-A with the Durham Bulls, where he has played all four infield positions. He also occasionally played the outfield corners during his time in college. Indeed, Gray’s defensive versatility is his strongest asset. His bat is serviceable but unexceptional; he has slashed .233/.299/.472 across his three seasons at Triple-A. He has demonstrated impressive power but poor plate discipline, hitting 69 home runs and 59 doubles but striking out in more than 30% of his trips to the plate.

It seems likely that Osleivis Basabe will cover for Walls as the primary shortstop, while Gray takes Basabe’s job as a utility infielder. Basabe has struggled lately, slashing .094/.171/.125 over his last 12 games, but he remains one of the top prospects in the Rays organization, and the team should give him every chance to succeed. He previously started at shortstop while Walls was on the injured list recovering from a strained oblique.

That being said, the Rays are set to face two right-handed pitchers this weekend in Baltimore, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer, which could give the lefty-batting Gray a leg up. Whatever his role, the 27-year-old long-time minor leaguer will strive to impress in his big league debut.

Justin Lawrence Day-To-Day With Ankle Injury

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Rockies reliever Justin Lawrence was removed from Friday night’s contest against the Giants with an injury to his left ankle. He was able to walk off the field, and following the game, manager Bud Black told reporters from MLB.com that Lawrence was likely to avoid a trip to the IL. That’s good news for the Rockies, who have dealt with more than their fair share of pitching injuries this year.

As Patrick Lyons of DNVR Rockies pointed out on Twitter, the team has already tied their franchise record for most starting pitchers used in a season. Starters Antonio Senzatela, Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Austin Gomber, Chase Anderson, and Ryan Feltner have all spent time on the IL. So too have several notable relievers, including Daniel Bard, Brent Suter, Lucas Gilbreath, Tyler Kinley, and Nick Mears.

Overall, Rockies pitchers have the worst ERA in the sport. That’s not entirely surprising, considering they play in such a hitter-friendly stadium, but even park-adjusted statistics paint a dismal picture of Colorado’s pitching staff. They rank last in the majors with a 4.92 SIERA.

Lawrence has been one of the few bright spots for Colorado this season. He ranks second on the team with a 3.95 ERA (min. 40 IP) and third with 1.1 FanGraphs WAR. He has recorded 11 saves and given up just four home runs in 62 appearances out of the bullpen. His performance this year represents a marked improvement over his first two seasons; from 2021-22, he pitched to a 6.52 ERA in 57 games.

That said, the 28-year-old righty has run into a rough patch as of late. On August 15, he allowed five runs on seven hits in a disastrous ninth inning, blowing a save and taking the loss. He hasn’t seemed quite the same ever since, pitching to a 7.00 ERA and 5.15 SIERA over his last 11 games. If his ankle injury is indeed as minor as it seems, it could give him a chance to take a brief rest and reset before returning to the mound for the end of the season.

Mets Giving Ronny Mauricio A Look At Third Base

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Ronny Mauricio played third base in a major league game for the first time last night, as the Mets took on the Reds at Citi Field.

The Mets no. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, has played just nine games at the hot corner in his professional career, two at Triple-A earlier this year and nine in the Dominican Winter League this past offseason. Prior to that, he had played nothing but shortstop since his professional debut in 2018. However, the Mets have Francisco Lindor firmly entrenched at short for the foreseeable future. If Mauricio is going to earn a more significant role in New York next season, he’ll need to learn a new position.

Mauricio played second base in his first ten games following his promotion on September 1. He has more minor league experience at second than third, having played 56 games at the keystone for Triple-A Syracuse this season. However, third base might be a better fit for his glove long-term. His arm is his strongest defensive tool, and indeed, he showed off his cannon with an excellent throw across the diamond last night. He also made a costly error, allowing a scorching grounder to bounce off his glove and into left field, but it was the exact kind of play that third basemen learn to make. Mauricio’s instincts at the position should improve with experience.

As the young infielder told reporters (including Mike Puma of the New York Post) through an interpreter after the game, “I wasn’t sure whether to charge at it or stay back and it just got me there. I think with a couple of more reps and just working on that I can make that play.”

The 22-year-old also spent time in left field for Syracuse, starting 26 games on the outfield grass. However, the Mets have more depth in the outfield corners than at third base, especially if former top prospects Brett Baty and Mark Vientos continue to underperform. Baty is slashing .212/.282/.314 in his rookie campaign, with nine errors and -4 Outs Above Average. Vientos hasn’t been any better, slashing .205/.251/.337 with three errors in only 18 games at third.

If Mauricio continues to hit well (he’s currently slashing .282/.333/.410) and starts to look more comfortable at third base, he could put himself in a good position for next season. The Mets aren’t giving up on Baty or Vientos anytime soon, but with the way those two have struggled, Mauricio has an opportunity to move up the depth chart.

Cardinals Notes: Nicolaisen Resigns, Marmol Staying Put

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Cardinals assistant hitting coach Daniel Nicolaisen has resigned, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed to reporters, including Rob Rains of STL Sports Page. He has accepted a new position as an assistant coach for the University of Mississippi softball team. The Denmark native earned his first big league job this past offseason after two years spent in the Cardinals minor league system. Prior to that, he worked as a softball coach at Seton Hall University. Evidently, he has decided to return to his roots; he grew up playing softball in Denmark.

The Cardinals will be promoting minor league hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn to fill Nicolaisen’s spot on the major league coaching staff, at least for the time being. Funnily enough, it was Steinhorn who initially hired Nicolaisen as a minor league coach back in 2020.

In other Cardinals news, Mozeliak also confirmed to reporters (including Katie Woo of The Athletic) that Oliver Marmol will return to manage the club in 2024, the final year of his contract. Given the team’s disappointing performance this season – this will be their first losing campaign since 2007 – speculation that Marmol’s job was in jeopardy began to arise. However, the president of baseball operations didn’t mince words, saying, “I know he’ll be back next year.”

Mozeliak continued, “There’s always going to be finger-pointing on what went wrong, what could we have done differently. And that starts with myself…but I’m certainly encouraged with what I see from Oli as a young manager.” Indeed, it’s hard to pin too much of the blame for the Cardinals’ misfortunes on Marmol. While some have criticized his public communication skills and player relations (RE: his squabble with Tyler O’Neill and his initial comments about moving Willson Contreras off catcher), there’s only so much a manager can do when his pitching staff is bleeding runs and so many of his players are underperforming.

Moreover, St. Louis recently lost a long-time clubhouse leader when Yadier Molina retired, and they’re soon to lose another in Adam Wainwright. It’s understandable why Mozeliak doesn’t want to go through another major change in leadership; after all, it’s only been two years since Marmol took the helm, and he led the team to an excellent finish in 2022.

However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be changes coming to the organization. Mozeliak offered praise for much of his coaching staff, including rookie pitching coach Dusty Blake. At the same time, he acknowledged that adjustments must occur behind the scenes. As sources told The Athletic, the Cardinals are in the early stages of restructuring their entire player development system, and the team views improving the baseball operations department to be just as important as adding more pitching.

It’s easy to understand why the Cardinals would want to revamp their player development and baseball operations departments. Several of their top prospects and young players have struggled to perform at the big league level this season, including Matthew Liberatore, Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, and Jake Woodford. The team has also struggled to make decisions, such as when they briefly moved Contreras to DH and briefly demoted Jordan Walker. Worst of all, the front office failed to put together a competitive pitching staff over the offseason, instead relying too heavily on a collection of aging veterans, injury-prone pitchers, and rookies. Suffice it to say, it hasn’t worked out.

The Cardinals don’t need to fire their manager, but clearly, they need to make some changes to address everything that has gone wrong in 2023. It seems to be a matter of when, not if, those changes occur.

Shohei Ohtani’s Locker Cleared Out, Update Expected Later Today

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As reported by numerous sources (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register), most of Shohei Ohtani’s belongings were removed from the superstar’s locker at Angel Stadium last night. The Angels are expected to provide an update on Ohtani’s status later today.

Following Friday night’s 11-2 loss to the Tigers, Angels reporters noticed many of Ohtani’s possessions either packed up or missing entirely. Team staff declined to provide answers, other than to state that more information would be made available on Saturday.

The AL MVP frontrunner has not pitched in a game since August 23 nor taken a plate appearance since September 3. He is dealing with a tear in his right UCL, which prematurely ended his season as a pitcher, and inflammation in his right oblique, which has kept him out entirely for the past 11 games.

When Ohtani initially suffered his oblique injury, manager Phil Nevin told reporters (including Alden Gonzalez of ESPN) that it was “just a tiny bit of inflammation,” and he did not expect Ohtani to require a stint on the injured list. However, he also acknowledged that oblique injuries “can be finicky at times,” so the Angels would take things day-to-day with their star player and not rush him back onto the field. It’s possible that the issue has turned into something more than just “minor” inflammation.

Earlier this month, Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo said it was “inevitable” his client would require an elbow procedure to repair his UCL this offseason. Given the uncertainty surrounding Ohtani’s oblique injury, perhaps he and the Angels have decided to get an early start on such a procedure. The two-way star has made it clear on several occasions that he wants to play out the 2023 season. Still, the Angels are all but eliminated from postseason contention, and the sooner he addresses his elbow concerns, the more appealing he’ll be to potential suitors in free agency. If his oblique injury could keep him on the shelf for the rest of the season anyway, he might be wise to get his UCL fixed sooner rather than later.

That said, it remains unclear if Ohtani’s empty locker has anything to do with his oblique or his UCL; there could be an entirely unrelated explanation. However, considering the announcement expected later today, it feels safe to presume this is more than just routine clubhouse cleaning.

Tigers Select Sawyer Gipson-Long

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TODAY: The Tigers officially announced the selection of Gipson-Long’s contract.  Right-hander Brendan White was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

SEPTEMBER 8: The Tigers are planning to select the contract of Sawyer Gipson-Long in time for him to start Sunday’s game against the White Sox, manager A.J. Hinch announced to reporters, including Jason Beck of MLB.com. It will be his major league debut. Detroit has an empty spot on the 40-man, although the team will need to make room for the 25-year-old on the active roster.

This will be the second promotion of the season for Gipson-Long, who earned the call to Triple-A in late July. He has made six starts since then, pitching to a 4.35 ERA with an impressive 33.1% strikeout rate. However, he has struggled in two appearances out of the bullpen in September, giving up six runs on seven hits. The Tigers will count on him to get back on track in the majors.

Gipson-Long joined the Tigers organization at last year’s trade deadline, coming over in exchange for Michael Fulmer. As Beck pointed out on Twitter, he was the final trade acquisition of Al Avila’s tenure in Detroit. The young righty currently ranks as the no. 19 prospect in the Tigers system, per MLB Pipeline. Earlier this season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs called attention to his above-average groundball rate and praised his ability to throw strikes. His groundball rate is down since his promotion to Triple-A, but his strikeout rate has never been higher.

The Tigers expect Gipson-Long to pitch out of the rotation for the rest of the season. He’ll be pitching in place of Matt Manning, who fractured his foot on Wednesday, ending his 2023 campaign. Detroit will have a couple of spots up for grabs in the rotation next season (presuming Eduardo Rodriguez exercises his opt-out clause), so these final three weeks will serve as an audition of sorts of Gipson-Long. A good showing could increase his chances of making the Opening Day roster in 2024.

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