East Notes: Castillo, Jays, Orioles, Marte, Kiermaier, Nationals
Luis Castillo was a Blue Jays trade target last winter, and unsurprisingly, Toronto continues to have interest in Castillo’s services, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Though Castillo missed the first month of the season due to shoulder soreness, he has been in strong form with a 2.92 ERA over 71 innings, even if his Statcast numbers aren’t quite as reflective of top-notch performance. Castillo’s walk rate and hard-contact numbers are only okay, though his strikeout rate (25.3%) is well above league average and he still has elite fastball velocity.
The Reds right-hander is one of the very best players (let alone pitchers) expected to be available as the deadline approaches, making him a natural fit for a Toronto club in sore need of pitching upgrades. Between Hyun Jin Ryu‘s Tommy John surgery and underwhelming performances from Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi, the faulty rotation has been the chief reason for the Jays’ struggles in the last month, which is why Nightengale writes that the Blue Jays “are expected to be the most aggressive team pursuing starting pitching help.” Last summer’s trade for Berrios is an example of how the Toronto front office hasn’t been hesitant to pay a big price for a player they want and need, though the Blue Jays will face plenty of competition for Castillo’s services.
More from both the AL East and NL East…
- Also from Nightengale, the Orioles‘ surprisingly strong play seemingly hasn’t changed the club’s long-term plans, as Baltimore is “expected to unload” several notable veterans. The list of names includes both impending free agents like Trey Mancini, Rougned Odor, and Jordan Lyles, plus more controllable players like Anthony Santander and All-Star closer Jorge Lopez. It’s safe to assume that the price tag will be a lot higher for Lopez and Santander than the others, but regardless, the O’s likely aren’t going to change course and start thinking about a playoff push.
- Starling Marte left Saturday’s game due to a groin injury, and Marte wasn’t in the Mets lineup on Sunday. However, Marte is only day-to-day, as manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo) that an MRI revealed only minor inflammation and no serious damage. Marte has been a big contributor in his first year in New York, and his first-half performance earned him a slot on the NL All-Star team earlier today. With this groin injury lingering, however, Marte might opt to skip the game to rest up over the break.
- Kevin Kiermaier was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier today, marking the second time this month that a nagging hip injury has put the Rays outfielder on the shelf. Kiermaier told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that he received a cortisone shot during his first IL stint, but now that the issue has returned, he’ll be visiting a specialist to further explore the injury. “There’s just a lot of unknowns right now with what’s to come….I don’t really know what the future holds, to be quite honest,” Kiermaier said, noting that surgery was a possibility. A major procedure could quite possibly end Kiermaier’s season, and thus maybe his tenure with the Rays altogether, as 2022 is the final guaranteed year of his contract. Kiermaier has spent all 13 of his pro seasons in the Tampa organization, though that tenure has involved several injury absences.
- There hasn’t been much public information revealed about the Nationals‘ possible sale, but billionaire Michael B. Kim is the first name linked to the list of potential buyers, according to Barry Svrluga and Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post. Kim and another bidding group have met in person with team officials already, and a third group is also slated for in-person meetings later in July. Though there seems to be an increasing feeling that the Lerner family will indeed sell the Nationals, it is still early in the process, since “as many as five or six individuals or groups are expected to meet with club officials.”
Reds Outright Robert Dugger
10:17PM: Dugger accepted the assignment to Triple-A, Bobby Nightengale reports (Twitter link).
TODAY, 3:21PM: Dugger cleared waivers and has been outrighted to the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (Twitter link). It isn’t yet known if Dugger will accept the assignment or opt for free agency.
JULY 8: The Reds have designated reliever Robert Dugger for assignment, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The move clears an active roster spot for closer Alexis Diaz, who has been activated from the 15-day injured list.
This DFA is the latest step in what has become a fairly predictable pattern for the right-hander. This is the fourth time he has been designated for assignment in just over two months, each time after a fairly short stay in the big leagues. He started the year by signing a minor league deal with the Rays. He had his contract selected on May 1 and threw 5 1/3 innings of mop-up duty. After his first DFA of the year, he was claimed off waivers by the Reds. They, too, gave him a mop-up assignment, with Dugger getting to pitch for another three innings before his second DFA. He cleared waivers, was outrighted and then re-selected to the big league team, but got his third DFA without making an appearance. Selected yet again yesterday, Dugger tossed another 3 2/3 innings before this fourth DFA.
In total, he’s now thrown 12 MLB innings thus far this season, faring well in that small sample. He has a 4.50 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 37.5% ground ball rate. Despite those decent results, Dugger hasn’t been granted anything beyond a very brief stay on a big league roster. Since he is out of options, the only way to replace him with a fresh arm is to send him back out into DFA limbo each time. His numbers in the minors this year aren’t quite as impressive, as he has a 5.06 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate through 48 Triple-A frames.
The Reds will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers or release him. He will have the right to reject an outright assignment due to the fact that he has previously been outrighted in his career. But based on precedent, it’s possible that he clears waivers and accepts another outright assignment like he’s already done a couple of times this year.
Reds’ Vladimir Gutierrez To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Vladimir Gutierrez will undergo Tommy John surgery, the Reds right-hander told reporters (including The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale) today. As per the normal recovery timeline for TJ surgery, Gutierrez will be out of action until July 2023 at the earliest, and his entire 2023 season could be in jeopardy if his rehab is on the higher side of the usual 12-15 month window.
Gutierrez was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a UCL strain about a month ago, and the Reds shifted him to the 60-day IL earlier this week. That move to the 60-day IL came after Gutierrez felt a new kind of arm discomfort following a bullpen session last Tuesday, and a fresh set of tests revealed more severe damage.
“It looked like it was worse than it was the first time I got my MRI,” Gutierrez said via a translator. “It looked like there was a lot more liquid. The doctor told me if you keep going through rehabs and rehabs, you’re going to come back here and we’re going to go through the same process again, so you’ll never get better. Or it’s surgery.”
Gutierrez is in his second Major League season, debuting last year with a 4.74 ERA over 114 innings and 22 starts. His advanced metrics were largely below average, though Nightengale noted that Gutierrez struggled near the end of the season due to fatigue — the right-hander’s last six starts and 21 innings saw him post an ugly 9.43 ERA.
Those struggles continued into 2022, as Gutierrez posted a 7.61 ERA over 36 2/3 innings before going on the injured list. It will now be at least a year before Gutierrez can get back onto a big league mound, which represents the latest setback in his pro career.
The 26-year-old was an international signing out of Cuba in 2016, with the Reds making a sizeable $9.5MM investment ($4.75MM in signing bonus, and an equal amount in penalty fees for exceeding the old international signing bonus limit) to land his services. While Gutierrez was a highly-regarded member of the 2016-17 int’l class, he posted only okay numbers throughout his minor league career. He also missed the entire 2020 season and part of April 2021 due to an 80-game PED suspension.
The Reds were surely hoping that Gutierrez would be a viable member of their starting rotation by now, but his absence now creates another question mark on the pitching staff. Cincinnati is hoping that Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft can form the core of the rotation going forward, but Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle are both major trade candidates as the deadline approaches.
Reds Select Buck Farmer, Place Ross Detwiler On 15-Day Injured List
The Reds placed Ross Detwiler on the 15-day injured list and selected the contract of Buck Farmer, per the club.
The veteran Detwiler experienced a kind of renaissance last season, appearing in more than 20 games for the first time since 2015. If he’s healthy, the Reds will likely listen to offers for the southpaw, should there be a contending team looking for a low-cost southpaw to add to the pen. Detwiler has a 4.20 ERA/4.97 FIP in 18 appearances totaling 15.0 innings for the Reds this season.
Farmer, 31, pitched for Detroit from 2014 until 2021, an eight-year span that included 241 appearances (21 starts). He left the Tigers with a 5.33 ERA/5.04 FIP over 320 2/3 innings. He was most prolific from 2018-2019 when he made 139 appearances with a solid 3.94 ERA/4.17 FIP.
He has made 10 appearances with the Reds this season, giving up nine earned runs in 12 innings with a 17-to-7 strikeout to walk ratio. He’s been solid in Triple-A, however, with a 3.63 ERA across 22 1/3 innings in relief.
Reds Activate Tyler Stephenson, Option Mark Kolozsvary
The Reds have activated catcher Tyler Stephenson from the injured list. In a corresponding move, Mark Kolozsvary was optioned to Triple-A, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
Kolozsvary, 26, made just 11 plate appearances in the Majors, doubling once and striking out five times. The Reds drafted him in the seventh round of the amateur draft back in 2017. He’s made his way through the ranks of Cincinnati’s system, reaching Triple-A for the first time in 2021.
Stephenson has arguably been the Reds’ best offensive performer this season. The 25-year-old backstop was handed the full-time starting gig last winter when Tucker Barnhart was traded to Detroit. Stephenson responded by slashing .305/.361/.468 over 155 plate appearances.
Reds Select Robert Dugger
The Reds announced a series of roster moves between the two games of today’s doubleheader, with Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer among those to relay the batch. Right-hander Robert Dugger has had his contract selected while catcher Mark Kolozsvary has been recalled. To make room on the active roster, reliever Luis Cessa was placed on the 15-day IL while catcher Aramis Garcia was placed on the 10-day IL. (Pitchers and position players have different minimum IL stints.) To make room for Dugger on the 40-man roster, righty Vladimir Gutierrez was transferred to the 60-day IL.
For Dugger, 27, this is the latest transaction in a season that’s been full of them. He started the season in the Rays organization on a minor league deal. He had his contracted selected on May 1, worked 5 1/3 innings of mop-up duty and then was designated for assignment the next day. The Reds grabbed him off waivers and treated him similarly, using him for a three-inning appearance before handing him his second DFA of the year. He accepted an outright assignment and eventually had his contracted selected again a few days later, but then got a third DFA without getting into a game. He accepted another outright assignment and has now returned to the big leagues yet again.
In between all of those transactions, he’s managed to throw 48 innings at the Triple-A level between the Rays and the Reds. He has a 5.06 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. In the big leagues, it’s been just 8 1/3 frames with a 6.48 ERA.
As for Gutierrez, he landed on the injured list just over a month ago due to forearm soreness. This transfer means he won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from that initial placement, which would be early August. He recently started ramping up by throwing batting practice but evidently suffered some kind of setback. Manager David Bell relayed the news to Goldsmith recently. Though the severity of the setback is unclear, Gutierrez evidently isn’t close to returning to action.
Garcia’s IL placement is due to a finger issue that’s plagued him in recent games, whereas Cessa’s injury isn’t clear at this time. He left the first game of the doubleheader with something bothering him in his left side.
Reds Place Tyler Mahle On Injured List With Shoulder Strain
2:54pm: Mahle tells reporters that an MRI revealed only irritation but no structural damage (Twitter thread via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Mahle said the issue is “not concerning at all” and that he plans to return shortly after the All-Star break.
1:28pm: The Reds announced Wednesday that right-hander Tyler Mahle has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. The move is retroactive to Sunday. Righty Ian Gibaut, whom the Reds claimed off waivers this week, will take his spot on the active roster. Cincinnati also announced that catcher Chris Okey cleared waivers and will remain in the organization after being assigned outright to Triple-A Louisville.
Mahle, one of the more notable trade candidates in the National League, had been scheduled to start a game for the Reds tomorrow. The team has not yet provided a timetable on his potential return, but the earliest he’ll be able to return is just two weeks prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
The timing of the injury is brutal for the Reds, who have watched as Mahle has shaken off a poor start and rounded into form as next month’s deadline looms. After pitching to a grisly 7.01 ERA through six starts and walking 14 of the first 120 hitters he faced (11.7%), Mahle has rebounded to the tune of a 3.51 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate across his past 66 2/3 frames. Nearly one-third of the 26 runs he’s allowed dating back to May 8 came in one nightmare outing against the Cubs on May 24 (eight runs in four innings). Since that start, Mahle owns a 2.58 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate in 45 1/3 frames.
For much of the season — and for much of the offseason — it’s looked as though Mahle, teammate Luis Castillo and A’s ace Frankie Montas would be the three most coveted names on the trade market. All three are affordably controlled through the 2023 season and have made substantial strides in recent years to establish themselves as (at least) quality mid-rotation hurlers. Now, with Mahle on the injured list for a yet-to-be-determined period and Montas dealing with shoulder inflammation of his own, Castillo suddenly stands as the lone, healthy member of that heavily speculated-upon trio.
It’s still possible, of course, that Mahle makes a quick return from the IL, pitches well and that his medical records look sufficiently clean for a trade to come together. There’s little denying that a shoulder strain just three-plus weeks from the deadline, however, is going to give any number of would-be trade partners a fair bit of trepidation regarding the righty’s short- and long-term outlook. If the Reds are ultimately unable to move Mahle, they’d be able to try again this winter or at the 2023 deadline, health permitting. His value won’t be nearly as high at either juncture, however.
With Mahle shelved for at least the next couple weeks, an even broader focus will be placed on Castillo, who has been excellent since missing the first month of the season recovering from a spring shoulder injury. Utilityman Brandon Drury has become an oft-suggested trade candidate, but the Reds also have a series of other possible candidates. Outfielders Tyler Naquin and Tommy Pham and southpaw Mike Minor are among the other veterans the Reds could peddle in the weeks to come.
Reds Claim Ian Gibaut, Designate Chris Okey For Assignment
2:32pm: The Reds announced Gibaut has indeed been claimed off waivers and Lodolo has been reinstated from the 60-day IL. In a series of corresponding moves, Cincinnati optioned infielder/outfielder Max Schrock to Triple-A Louisville, transferred righty Tony Santillan from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL and designated catcher Chris Okey for assignment.
Santillan has been out since mid-June with a back strain, and his move to the 60-day injured list means he won’t be able to return until at least mid-August. It’s been a tough season overall for the righty, who has pitched to a 5.49 ERA with below-average strikeout (21.9%) and walk (12.5%) tendencies so far.
Okey, 27, made his big league debut last month and went 2-for-12 with five strikeouts in a total of 13 plate appearances. A 2016 second-round pick by the Reds, he’s never produced much at the plate in parts of six professional seasons, as evidenced by a career .209/.283/.331 slash in the minors. The Reds will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers, or release him.
Notably, it seems as though Cincinnati may not yet be done making its slate of pregame roster moves. Both Mark Sheldon of MLB.com and Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer have noted, via Twitter, that Tyler Naquin is in the Reds’ clubhouse after completing a minor league rehab assignment. It seems likely that he’ll be activated for today’s game, but the team has not announced that move (or a corresponding transaction) just yet.
1:58pm: The Reds have claimed right-hander Ian Gibaut off waivers from the Dodgers, reports Juan Toribio of MLB.com (via Twitter). Los Angeles had designated Gibaut for assignment over the weekend. Between the Gibaut claim and left-hander Nick Lodolo‘s forthcoming reinstatement from the 60-day injured list, Cincinnati will need to make multiple 40-man roster moves today.
An 11th-round pick of the Rays back in 2015, the now-28-year-old Gibaut is set to join his third organization in just over a week’s time. He opened the year with the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate and made one long relief appearance upon being selected to the big league roster before Cleveland designated him for assignment. The Dodgers scooped Gibaut up off waivers, but he didn’t pitch for L.A. before a second DFA. Gibaut is out of minor league options, so the Reds will need to carry him on the big league roster.
Gibaut has pitched in parts of four Major League seasons, compiling 34 2/3 innings with a 5.19 ERA between four teams (Rangers, Rays, Twins, Guardians). He posted better numbers with the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate in Columbus to begin the 2022 season — 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings — and has a career 4.15 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate in 136 2/3 innings.
It’s a small sample of 2022 data so far, but Gibaut’s 95.3 mph average fastball (2019-21) has jumped up to 97.1 mph so far. He’s also shown well above-average ability to spin his curveball. Both traits, paired with a solid Triple-A track record, likely appealed to the Reds.
Injury Notes: Jansen, Faedo, Lewis, Stephenson, Dunn
Kenley Jansen‘s problems with irregular heartbeats have plagued him for over a decade, yet that familiarity has also made this serious issue seem oddly matter-of-fact for the Braves closer. With Jansen again on the injured list, he spoke with reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) about his latest bout with atrial fibrillation. Jansen said he actually first had an irregular heartbeat on June 18, but after a visit with doctors, he pitched five more times before his symptoms continued to the point that some time off was necessary. However, after being placed on the IL on June 28, Jansen said he plans to miss only the minimum 15 days.
More on other injury situations from around baseball…
- Tigers right-hander Alex Faedo left during the third inning of today’s start due to what the club described as right hip soreness. More will be known about Faedo’s condition after the game, yet another injury would continue Detroit’s horrific luck with pitcher health this season. Just about all of Detroit’s starting pitchers have spent time on the IL at some point and several are still recovering, which opened the door for Faedo to both make his MLB debut and then make 11 starts in his rookie season.
- Kyle Lewis has started a Triple-A rehab assignment, and Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer) that Lewis will get “a healthy dose of playing time” as an outfielder. Lewis suffered a torn meniscus in May 2021, and thus far in 2022 has played almost exclusively as a DH in minor league action and in four Major League games. A return to regular outfield work is a positive sign for Lewis, who has missed over a month on the concussion-related IL.
- Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is set begin a Triple-A rehab assignment today, while Justin Dunn will make his next minor league rehab start on Wednesday, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter links). Stephenson suffered a fractured right thumb on June 9, but looks on pace to return within the original 4-6 week projected recovery timeline. Dunn, meanwhile, has yet to pitch at all since the Reds acquired him from the Mariners as part of the Eugenio Suarez/Jesse Winker trade package in March — a shoulder injury sidelined Dunn in Spring Training. Dunn has two rehab outings under his belt already, and he is slated to throw around 60-65 pitches in his next trip to the mound.
Lucas Sims To Undergo Season-Ending Back Surgery
Reds reliever Lucas Sims will undergo surgery next week to repair a herniated disc in his back, he tells Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll miss the rest of the 2022 season. The 28-year-old expressed confidence he’ll have a relatively normal offseason and be ready for Spring Training next year.
Sims has been dogged by back issues virtually all year. He opened the season on the injured list and missed the first two weeks. The right-hander was reinstated in late April and made six appearances, but he was tagged for seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. Cincinnati placed Sims on the IL again in mid-May, and he was transferred to the 60-day version last month. He’ll remain on the IL all year but will have to be reinstated to the 40-man roster at the start of the offseason.
It’s a virtually lost season for Sims, who’d shown flashes of emerging as a high-leverage arm in the preceding two years. A former first-round pick of the Braves, he struggled to throw strikes as a starter but looked to have a found a home in the bullpen by 2020. During the abbreviated season, Sims posted a 2.45 ERA across 25 2/3 innings. He punched out a third of batters faced, and manager David Bell increasingly used him in key situations the following year.
Sims even spent some time as the Cincinnati closer in 2021, collecting seven saves. He watched his ERA spike to 4.40 through 47 innings, but that belied excellent secondary numbers. Sims was one of the game’s top strikeout arms, fanning nearly 40% of opponents while generating swinging strikes on almost 15% of his offerings.
The Reds and Sims failed to come to an agreement on an arbitration salary over the winter, and the sides went to an in-season hearing. The team emerged victorious, with the arbitrator setting Sims’ salary at the club’s proposed $1.2MM mark. (Sims’ camp had been seeking $1.6MM). With virtually nothing to show in terms of 2022 performance, he’d command an identical or marginally higher salary if tendered a contract for 2023. Sims will collect his salary and a full year of MLB service while rehabbing, pushing him past the four-year service threshold. He’s controllable through 2024.