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Cubs Notes: Bullpen, Happ, Hendricks

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The Cubs remain open to adding a left-handed reliever, writes Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, though it’s not a lock that they’ll ultimately strike a deal. The Cubs are reluctant to surpass the $233MM luxury tax barrier, and an incentive-based deal for former All-Star Zack Britton could push them past that point if he’s healthy and effective. Chicago has been “monitoring” Mike Minor as well, per the report, though his struggles in recent seasons are an understandable red flag.

President of baseball ops Jed Hoyer said just last week that he “wouldn’t be shocked” to see another reliever come into camp, although the Cubs saw a pair of options come off the board over the weekend when Will Smith signed with the Rangers and Brad Hand inked a deal with the Rockies. Chicago currently sits with a projected $225MM luxury tax figure, placing them $8MM shy of penalization. Even if a deal with Britton or Minor doesn’t come to fruition, that doesn’t necessarily close the book on the Cubs making any kind of addition. Many non-roster veterans throughout the league have opt-out provisions they could trigger if told they’re not making their current organization’s roster, and there will surely be a number of arms being designated for assignment and/or placed on waivers later this month as teams set their Opening Day rosters.

More from Wrigley…

  • Left fielder Ian Happ is slated to reach free agency following the 2023 season and could be positioned as one of the top names on the market with another big season in 2023, but he tells Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that his hope is to remain with the Cubs long-term. “It would be weird to wear another jersey,” says Happ, whom the Cubs selected with the ninth overall draft pick back in 2015. “I would love to stay here and I would love to be a part of the next great Cubs team, but we’ll see.” In addition to Happ, next year’s outfield market is slated to include Teoscar Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe, Cody Bellinger, Joey Gallo and perhaps Michael Conforto, depending on his player option. In general, the 2023-24 class will be a lighter group than this past offseason, and that’s especially true now that Rafael Devers and Manny Machado have foregone trips to the open market in favor of extensions. Happ could do the same, of course, but the Cubs didn’t sign any of Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant or Willson Contreras to extensions before they reached six years of service time (and thus qualified as free agents). Based on Happ’s comments, he’ll at least be open to it if they want to try to change that trend with him this spring.
  • Kyle Hendricks threw a bullpen session on Monday, writes Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. That marks the first full-strength, max-effort bullpen session for the veteran right-hander since last July, when he underwent surgery to repair a torn capsule in his shoulder. (Hendricks previously threw off a mound in late February and earlier this month but did not do so at full intensity.) The plan for Hendricks is to throw 10 bullpen sessions of this nature before he progresses to facing hitters. Hendricks will open the season on the 15-day injured list, and he’s not likely to complete that slate of 10 bullpen sessions until mid-April. From there, he’d need to throw live batting practice before progressing to a minor league rehab assignment, where he’d surely need multiple starts to build up. The 33-year-old Hendricks was one of the NL’s most durable and consistently effective starters from 2015-20, pitching to a 3.17 ERA over the life of 967 innings in that time. He’s stumbled to a 4.78 ERA in 48 starts over the past two seasons, however, as he’s become increasingly homer-prone. Hendricks is entering the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $55MM contract, though the Cubs hold a net $14.5MM decision on him for the 2024 campaign ($16MM option with a $1.5MM buyout).

Yankees Notes: Kahnle, Cortes, Kiner-Falefa

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Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle is in the midst of a 10-day shutdown after battling some biceps tendinitis. It doesn’t seem the club is overly concerned, with manager Aaron Boone saying yesterday he anticipated the right-hander would have sufficient time to prepare for Opening Day.

Kahnle chatted with reporters this evening, likening it to a similar issue he experienced back in 2018 (relayed by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). He estimated it’d take roughly a month to completely dissipate. That doesn’t inherently mean he’ll start the year on the injured list, though with Opening Day three and a half weeks out, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he wound up requiring a brief IL stint. Signed to a two-year, $11.5MM free agent deal, Kahnle will be ticketed for high-leverage work in the Bronx once he’s healthy.

Even more integral to the club’s success is southpaw Nestor Cortes. An All-Star in 2022 during a season in which he worked to an excellent 2.44 ERA through 158 1/3 frames, Cortes has cemented himself as a key starter. On talent, he’s arguably the #3 option behind Gerrit Cole and big-ticket free agent signee Carlos Rodón. Yet the 28-year-old has been slowed a bit in recent weeks after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain in February.

That injury forced Cortes out of the World Baseball Classic but the Yankees have maintained optimism it wouldn’t affect his availability for the start of the season. That remains more or less the case. Boone told the media yesterday the Yankees were planing to move Cortes towards the back of the rotation to give him a few extra days to ramp up (via Erik Boland of Newsday). That might get Luis Severino and either of Clarke Schmidt or Domingo Germán — who appear to be the top competitors for the vacant final rotation spot — on the mound a day or two earlier than anticipated but suggests New York still believes Cortes will avoid a trip to the injured list.

The competition between Germán and Schmidt for the last starting spot, necessitated by the Frankie Montas injury, is one of a handful of position battles for the Yankees to sort through over the coming weeks. On the position player side, the club’s biggest decisions revolve around shortstop and left field. There could be some unexpected overlap between those calls, as Boone told reporters the club could consider getting Isiah Kiner-Falefa some outfield work (link via Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty of the Athletic).

Kiner-Falefa has never played the outfield at the major league level. He started only seven games on the grass while coming up through the minor leagues. After beginning his career as a middle infielder, Kiner-Falefa started to see some action behind the plate during his time in the Rangers’ system. He caught at the big league level from 2018-19 but eventually transitioned back to the infield — first as a high-end defensive third baseman and eventually as a primary shortstop.

While Defensive Runs Saved has loved Kiner-Falefa’s shortstop work, Statcast’s Outs Above Average has rated him much less favorably than when he was at the hot corner. While there might be some debate about his defense, Kiner-Falefa’s bat has been more consistent. He’s a high-contact hitter who doesn’t walk a whole lot or hit for much power. Last year’s .261/.314/.327 performance was right in line with his career track record.

The Yankees broke in top prospect Oswald Peraza late last year and could turn shortstop over to him on an everyday basis headed into 2023. The 22-year-old acquitted himself well over an 18-game MLB cameo on the heels of a .259/.329/.448 line in 99 Triple-A games. With another top prospect, Anthony Volpe, on the horizon, it doesn’t seem Kiner-Falefa will hold the shortstop job for long even if he secures the Opening Day nod.

Branching out into the outfield makes for a reasonable experiment to expand his flexibility for a possible bench role. While Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge have two spots secured, left field mostly seems set to come down to Aaron Hicks or Oswaldo Cabrera. While Kiner-Falefa isn’t the caliber of hitter a team would be anxious to pencil into the corner outfield regularly, it wouldn’t be surprising if he proves himself capable from a defensive perspective. He’s a good runner and has already shown the willingness and ability to adapt to a number of infield responsibilities. Branching out into the outfield could position him to take on a super-utility role if he’s squeezed out of the regular middle infield by some combination of Peraza, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu and eventually Volpe.

A’s Notes: Allen, Snead, Stadium

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The A’s head into what’s all but certain to be a noncompetitive season, one which is more about gauging the progress of young players than short-term results. That’d point towards 24-year-old Nick Allen being the favorite for the shortstop job. Long seen as one of the more intriguing prospects in the system thanks to his defensive ability, Allen indeed impressed with the glove over 809 innings in the middle infield as a rookie. He paired that with well below-average offense, however, posting a .207/.256/.291 line with only four home runs and a meager 5.8% walk percentage through 326 plate appearances.

General manager David Forst was noncommittal about the shortstop position over the weekend, telling reporters he doesn’t “know that we have anything penciled in” (link via Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle). Forst pointed to veteran utilityman Aledmys Díaz — signed to a two-year, $14.5MM free agent deal — as an alternative. Díaz has plenty of experience throughout the infield and is better suited for second or third base defensively, though he’s a more consistent hitter than Allen has yet proven himself to be.

Concerns about Allen’s offense have persisted since his time in the minors, thanks largely to questions about how much impact potential he has in a 5’8″ frame. The former third-round draftee showed decent bat-to-ball skills as a rookie but only made hard contact on 22.3% of his batted balls — the fifth-lowest rate among hitters with at least 200 such events. Forst noted that Allen could continue to see work at second base as well. Aside from Díaz, veteran Tony Kemp and offseason pickup Jace Peterson can work at the keystone and/or at third base.

In other news out of Oakland:

  • Kawahara also notes there could be an opportunity for non-roster invitees Jake Fishman or Garrett Williams to crack the roster as a left-handed bullpen option out of camp. That’s in part due to some health uncertainty for southpaw Kirby Snead. As noted by the MLB.com injury tracker, Snead has been shut down from throwing indefinitely after suffering a strain in his throwing shoulder late last month. Acquired from the Blue Jays last spring as part of the Matt Chapman deal, the 28-year-old pitched in 46 games for the A’s last season. He allowed a 5.84 ERA across 44 2/3 innings, striking out a below-average 16.7% of opposing hitters. Snead, who still has a minor league option year remaining, had been vying for a job as a second lefty behind Sam Moll in the relief hierarchy.
  • The A’s hosted the Reds for a series in Las Vegas over the weekend as part of Cactus League play. While a pair of exhibition games won’t have any impact on the franchise’s ongoing stadium uncertainty, it naturally led to some renewed attention about the matter. Forst downplayed the series’ relevance to the stadium search, pointing out that the A’s Triple-A affiliate plays in Vegas (link via Martín Gallegos of MLB.com). The GM indicated he didn’t have any preference regarding the franchise’s ultimate destination. “I don’t take sides,” Forst said of the cities. “I have to be focused on us getting a ballpark. (Team president Dave Kaval) is focused on where it’s going to be. We (in baseball operations) really can’t spend a lot of time thinking about the ‘where’ right now.” At the Winter Meetings in December, commissioner Rob Manfred pointed to January 15, 2024 as something of a deadline for the A’s to have a binding stadium agreement (Associated Press link). Under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, the A’s would lose their status as a recipient of revenue sharing payments if no deal is agreed upon, either in Oakland or elsewhere, by that date.

Cardinals Notes: Arenado, Fermin, Pitching Staff

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Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado has watched several teammates play into their age-40 seasons in recent years, but he tells MLB.com’s John Denton that as things stand right now, he’s not planning to follow Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright down that path. Arenado tells Denton he’d like to play until age 38 — long enough that his infant daughter can eventually watch him play in the Majors. Calling it quits at 38 would also give Arenado an earlier path to spending more time with his young family, of course. As you’d expect, Arenado qualifies that the age-38 plan is subject to change, noting that his body, on-field performance and other factors will play sizable roles in the decision as time passes.

On a surely related note, Arenado talks with Denton about the intensity with which he prepares for and plays the game, acknowledging that it can take a toll on him. Arenado wonders whether that intensity can be “too much” for both his own psyche and, at times, his teammates, adding: “I actually need to relax more.” It’s an interesting look at Arenado’s personality, mentality and place within the organization. Cards fans — and, more broadly, fans of Arenado in general — will want to check it out in full.

A few more items pertaining to the Cards…

  • Infielder Jose Fermin has a strained quadriceps and will be shut down for at least the next two weeks, manager Oli Marmol announced to reporters this morning (Twitter link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Acquired in a November trade with the Guardians, the 23-year-old Fermin (24 late this month) has been competing for a bench spot, but this injury all but eliminates the possibility of him landing on the Opening Day roster. He’s out to a 1-for-8 start thus far in Grapefruit League play and is coming off a shaky .215/.336/.322 showing in 330 Triple-A plate appearances a year ago. Even while struggling in Triple-A, however, Fermin fanned at a tiny 13.9% clip against a hearty 12.7% walk rate. He’s long drawn praise for his bat-to-ball skills, above-average speed and above-average defensive potential. He has very little power, but a healthy Fermin could seemingly make the Cardinals as a versatile utility player with a knack for putting the ball in play. He’s in the first of three minor league option seasons and is already on the 40-man roster, so he could potentially impact the team’s bench mix for several years.
  • Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat takes a thorough look at the Cardinals’ pitching depth, noting that this is the deepest staff of arms the Cards have carried in some time. A few items of particular note include that righty Drew VerHagen and lefty Zack Thompson, both of whom have been rotation options in the past, have been brought along on reliever schedules this spring. Sophomore righty Andre Pallante started 10 games for the Cards in 2022, but it seems the team is monitoring his workload even as he preps to pitch for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic; the Cards have asked that Team Italy not push him beyond 45 pitches in any outing. Pallante is likely ticketed for a relief role in 2023, given the presence of Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty in the rotation (with Matthew Liberatore, Dakota Hudson, Jake Woodford and top prospect Gordon Graceffo all on hand as depth options). It should be noted that Matz is the only member of that rotation signed/controlled beyond 2023, however, so the Cards will surely be hoping for some in-house arms to step up and prove they can be relied upon in 2024 and beyond (even if the addition of an arm or two next winter feels inevitable).

AL West Notes: A’s, Ragans, Taveras

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The Athletics could deploy a six-man rotation this year, with general manager David Forst discussing the situation with Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. “We’ve mapped it out a lot of different ways,” Forst said. “Things that look like a six-man (rotation) or an occasional bullpen day or an occasional spot starter. There are a lot of ways to do it. I just don’t think we’ll know what they are until we get really into the season.”

At least one factor that is pushing the club in this direction is Shintaro Fujinami, who will be making the transition from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to the majors. Pitchers in the NPB generally take the ball once per week, as opposed to the five-day schedule typically implemented in North America. Fujinami has also been occasionally deployed as a reliever in recent years, meaning his typical workload has been less than that of a typical MLB starter. The club also has many younger pitchers that could run into limitations throughout the season, depending on how things play out.

However the A’s decide to distribute their innings, it won’t be written in stone. “It will not be well-defined,” Forst said. “Whatever it is, we will not say Opening Night, ‘Here’s our six-man rotation, it’s staying like this.’ It will be flexible.”

Some other notes from the American League West division…

  • Lefty Cole Ragans is impressing in Rangers camp, with Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News relaying manager Bruce Bochy’s comments on the southpaw. “He’s just been a joy to watch,” Bochy said, adding that Ragans is “getting talked about a lot” in internal meetings. The lefty has shown increased stuff this spring, including hitting 99 mph with his fastball. “I didn’t go hunting velo this offseason,” Ragans said. “It wasn’t my goal to throw 100. I just wanted to feel good. I wanted to do what I could do.” Ragans had a strong year in the minors last year, posting a 3.04 ERA in 94 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He also made his MLB debut with a 4.95 ERA over nine starts. The club overhauled their rotation this winter by adding Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney and Jake Odorizzi to incumbents Martín Pérez and Jon Gray. Those moves bumped Ragans down the depth chart, but some of those guys are dealing with minor injuries, which could potentially increase Ragans’ chances of getting an opportunity. He could also perhaps get a big league job in the bullpen, with Bochy suggesting it’s good to stay open-minded about make such pivots.
  • Sticking with the Rangers, the club announced that outfielder Leody Taveras was scratched from today’s game due to left side tightness. To this point, it’s unclear how serious his ailment is, but Taveras is a noteworthy member of the club given the state of their roster. Though the rotation and infield appear strong on paper, the outfield has more uncertainty to it. Taveras has appeared in the past three seasons, hitting at a below-average level but impressing with the glove. In 174 games in center field, he’s posted 10 Defensive Runs Saved and 11 Outs Above Average. He’s set to be the top option up the middle for the club, flanked by Adolis García and Robbie Grossman in the corners. If Taveras needs to miss any time, García could move from right field to center. But wherever Garcia lines up, it would mean someone will get bumped up from a bench job into a regular role. The club’s outfield depth consists of players like Bubba Thompson, Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran, Brad Miller and others. All of those guys come with question marks, so the club will likely be hoping that Taveras is fine after some rest and can return to regular action.

NL East Notes: Quintana, Peterson, Kieboom

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Mets general manager Billy Eppler told reporters today, including Tim Healey of Newsday Sports (Twitter links), that left-hander José Quintana had his start limited to just one inning today against the Cardinals due to left side tightness. Healey relays that Quintana will no longer participate in the World Baseball Classic and will attempt to be ready for the MLB season.

Long before he joined the Mets, Quintana spent the first several seasons of his career as a reliable middle of the rotation arm in Chicago, first with the White Sox from 2012-2017, then with the Cubs from 2017-2020 following the deal that sent him across town in exchange for Eloy Jiménez and Dylan Cease. However, Quintana began to struggle toward the end of his time in Chicago: he posted his first below average season by ERA+ in 2019, pitched just 10 innings due to injury in the shortened 2020 season, and had a disastrous 2021 season split between the Giants and the Angels where he pitched to a 6.43 ERA (69 ERA+) in 63 innings of work.

Quintana managed to turn things around in 2022, however: he pitched to a strong 3.50 ERA in 103 innings as a member of the Pirates before being dealt to the Cardinals at the trade deadline last year, where he went on to dominate, posting a sensational 2.01 ERA (191 ERA+) over 62 2/3 innings down the stretch. His overall season line of a 2.93 ERA (137 ERA+) and 2.99 FIP earned him a two-year, $26MM contract with the Mets this winter. At this point, the severity of the injury is unknown, but the fact that he’s dropped out of the WBC and isn’t certain about being ready for the start of the regular season gives a vague timeframe. Whenever he’s healthy, the Mets figure to have Quintana rounding out their rotation alongside Kodai Senga and Carlos Carrasco behind co-aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

More from around the NL East…

  • While Mets fans may be concerned by the news regarding Quintana, they should be encouraged to hear that fellow his left-hander David Peterson is considered day-to-day with a foot contusion after the results of yesterday’s x-ray and today’s CT scan. Peterson had been struck by a batted ball, leaving reason for concern that a more serious injury could have been in play. Fortunately, that does not appear to be the case, and Peterson should slot in right alongside Tylor Megill and Joey Lucchesi among the next men up should Quintana, or any other Mets starter, need to miss any time.
  • Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom is working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery but is facing a setback. Manager Dave Martinez told reporters, including Andrew Golden of The Washington Post, that Kieboom is dealing with some right shoulder discomfort. The youngster recently appeared in a game as the designated hitter but has yet to take the field. As noted by Golden, Kieboom has been employing a routine of not throwing every day. This new issue will likely lead to even less throwing in the days to come, but Kieboom doesn’t seem overly concerned. “The last thing I want to do … is have something like this bother me, and then you start kind of tweaking your own mechanics and start compensating for things,” Kieboom said. “That’s what gets you in trouble again. … It’s important to take care of now; that way, it’s a one-to-three-day thing versus a two-to-three-week thing.” Once one of the top prospects in the league, he’s struggled in his major league time so far. He’ll be looking to regain some of his previous pedigree later this year, but getting healthy will be the first step.

Giants Notes: Luciano, Wade, Pederson

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Marco Luciano hit .269/.350/.467 over 257 combined plate appearances in rookie ball and high-A ball in 2022, a solid performance that was marred by over two months lost to the injured list due to a lower back strain.  To combat the back issues that have hampered him more than once during his career, Luciano told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that he has gained 30 pounds since last season, as he believes “having more muscle will help make my body stronger so I can last the entire season.”

Luciano is one of the Giants’ top prospects and one of the better-regarded prospects in the sport, as Baseball Prospectus, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and MLB Pipeline all had the shortstop ranked between 18th and 22nd on their preseason top-100 lists.  Evaluators are clearly still high on the 21-year-old despite his injury concerns, though it isn’t yet clear if Luciano has recovered enough to participate in any game action before Spring Training is over.  Slusser writes that Luciano’s fielding work has been limited, and he only started hitting on the field a few days ago.  With Luciano expected to start the year at Double-A, it would seem like he might first need some extra work in extended Spring Training before making his on-field debut in 2023.

More from San Francisco’s camp….

  • Left knee inflammation twice sent LaMonte Wade Jr. to the injured list last season, contributing to a tough year that saw Wade hit only .207/.305/.359 over 251 PA over 77 games.  Discussing his injury with Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, Wade said his knee problems first started late in the 2021 season, and following the 2022 campaign, some doctors even suggested that surgery was necessary.  Wade opted for rehabilitation over surgery, and “I’m healthy now and I feel way better than I ever have.”  That’s terrific news for both Wade and the Giants, as the 29-year-old is being counted on for the majority of playing time at first base in 2023.
  • Joc Pederson is getting some work at first base this spring, playing six innings in Friday’s Cactus League game.  While Pederson will mostly be a DH this season and be used in the outfield when he does get into the regular lineup, the Giants were also considering Pederson as a left-handed hitting first base option if Wade isn’t available.  Pederson has “worked really hard at first. He has a really good understanding of his mechanics right now,” manager Gabe Kapler told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters.  Pederson previously played 149 innings as a first baseman with the Dodgers in 2019, but with dismal results, as per the public defensive metrics.

AL Notes: Astros, Kahnle, Abreu

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Astros GM Dana Brown provided an update on his efforts to extend members of the club’s core while speaking on a radio broadcast this afternoon, as noted by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Brown acknowledged that the club is in extension negotiations with Casey Close, the agent of Houston outfielder Kyle Tucker, saying, “We’re optimistic. We think we can get something done.” while also acknowledging that any contract discussions would likely be tabled if a deal was not in place by Opening Day. Brown also mentioned that the club has begun discussions with left-hander Framber Valdez and his agent about a potential extension, as well.

Brown has been unusually candid publicly about his efforts to extend several members of the Astros core, having made public comments regarding a desire to extend not only Tucker and Valdez but also Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Cristian Javier. Of that group, only Javier has inked an extension thus far, though Altuve and Bregman are both under club control for the next two seasons, while Tucker and Valdez aren’t expected to hit free agency until the 2025-26 offseason.

Brown’s front office will certainly have the financial resources to get extensions done, as the club’s payroll situation leaves Houston plenty of room to maneuver. RosterResource pegs the club’s 2024 luxury tax commitments at just under $159.5MM, and though that figure does not include salaries due to arbitration-eligible players, even a significant raise on the $23.2MM the Astros spent in arbitration this year would leave them with plenty of room under their expected 2023 payroll, which stands at just under $218MM for luxury tax purposes.

More from around the American League…

  • Sticking the the Astros, Brown also provided a health update on left fielder Michael Brantley that Rome also relayed. According to Brown, Brantley is still working his way back from the shoulder surgery that ended his season last summer, and while the expectation to this point had been that he would be ready for Opening Day, Brown has softened that expectation, now saying Brantley will be ready “a week into the season at the worst.” If Brantley does miss regular season time, Jake Meyers, Mauricio Dubon, and David Hensley are among those who could benefit.
  • Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters today, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and Marly Rivera of ESPN that reliever Tommy Kahnle is on the third day of a 10-day shutdown from throwing due to biceps tendinitis. Boone said that imaging was done and showed that the tendinitis is the only issue Kahnle is dealing with, and he should be ready for Opening Day. That’s excellent news for the Yankees, as Kahnle has been a very successful reliever when healthy, with a solid 3.58 ERA (123 ERA+) and excellent 2.93 FIP in 161 innings since the start of the 2017 season. That being said, “when healthy” is the operative phrase there, as Kahnle has struggled with injuries in recent years, pitching just 13.2 innings combined the last three seasons. Fortunately, Kahnle’s current injury seems to be a fairly minor one.
  • Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters, including Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, that outfielder Wilyer Abreu will “be out for a while” after he sustained a left hamstring strain. Abreu was not seen as likely to make the Opening Day roster given he has yet to play above the Double-A level in his big league career, but as a player on the 40-man roster, it’s possible he reaches the big leagues at some point this year once he manages to return to the field.

Cardinals Notes: Walker, Flaherty, Wainwright

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Jordan Walker leads all hitters in baseball with a 1.667 OPS in Spring Training, as the young slugger continues to turn heads.  While Walker’s performance has come over only 18 plate appearances, his speed, power, and overall hitting prowess has created some buzz that he might break camp with the Cardinals, MLB.com’s John Denton writes.  Manager Oli Marmol didn’t close the door on the possibility, saying “I don’t know what the tipping point is, but he’s continuing to show he’s capable.  We went into this camp saying there is going to be real competition and that’s what he is making this — a real competition.”

As a consensus top-five prospect in baseball, Walker isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere, but the expectation was that he would begin the season in the minors since Walker has yet to play any Triple-A ball.  Even if Walker’s bat might be ready for prime time, he only started playing in the outfield last season, as the Cards moved him off his original third base position since Nolan Arenado obviously has the hot corner spoken for at the MLB level.  St. Louis also technically has a full outfield complement already, with Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, and Lars Nootbaar slated for starting duty, Alec Burleson and Juan Yepez in backup roles, and versatile infielders Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan able to play on the grass when they aren’t elsewhere on the diamond.  That said, the Cardinals have traditionally not been shy about promoting their top prospects, and the team’s decision-makers might face a real choice if Walker keeps crushing the ball.

More from St. Louis…

  • Jack Flaherty is tentatively scheduled for his first spring outing as part of a piggyback start with Jordan Montgomery, though Flaherty has been dealing with both flu-like symptoms and discomfort in his calf.  Marmol told John Denton and other reporters that the team was monitoring Flaherty’s health and could push the right-hander’s debut back for a second time, with an eye towards getting Flaherty on the mound later this week.  Neither the illness or injury seem like any major concern at this time, and Flaherty was able to throw a simulated game last week. [UPDATE: Flaherty’s outing will be pushed to Monday, Marmol told Denton and other reporters.  Flaherty will get an extra day to recuperate, and is scheduled for three innings of work against the Astros.]
  • Adam Wainwright is also dealing with some aches and pains, as the veteran starter told reporters (including Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that “I had some back spasms stuff going on a couple weeks ago, and it shut a muscle down that I’m really trying to get to turn back on right now.”  Between the back spasms, the related glute muscle issue that is impacting Wainwright’s running, and a minor blister problem, it isn’t surprising that Wainwright’s first couple of Grapefruit League outings have been forgettable, with a 7.20 ERA over five innings.  Wainwright did note that his velocity was slightly up in his second start, and feels he’ll be ready to go when he pitches for the United States team during the World Baseball Classic.

Injury Notes: Peterson, Yarbrough, Garcia,

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Mets starter David Peterson will get an x-ray on his left foot after being struck by a ball there, manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including Tim Healey of Newsday). Peterson tossed two innings in the Mets 15-4 win over Miami today.

Peterson isn’t expected to crack New York’s opening day rotation, although there’s a good chance he’d be one of the first options they called on in the event of an injury to any of the other starters. We’re obviously short on detail until the results of Peterson’s x-ray come back, but any serious injury would be a blow to the Mets’ pitching depth. Peterson worked to a 3.83 ERA over 105 2/3 innings for the Mets last year, combining a 27.8% strikeout rate with a 10.6% walk rate. The 27-year-old does have minor league options remaining, so he could either operate as a starter at Triple-A or out of New York’s bullpen. The Mets do have solid pitching depth behind their projected rotation of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Kodai Senga, Carlos Carrasco and Jose Quintana, with Peterson, Tylor Megill and Joey Lucchesi all shaping up as solid depth options. [UPDATE May 5: Peterson’s x-rays were inconclusive, and he will now get a CT scan, Showalter told Healey and other reporters.]

Here’s a couple of other injury notes from around the game:

  • Royals starter Ryan Yarbrough is dealing with a “slight groin strain” that doesn’t appear to be too serious, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Yarbrough is scheduled to throw a bullpen session tomorrow to see how he feels. Yarbrough tossed 80 innings of 4.50 ERA ball for the Rays last year across nine starts and 11 relief appearances. Tampa Bay designated Yarbrough for assignment and then non-tendered him this winter, and he latched on with the Royals on a one-year, $3MM deal. The leftie owns a career 4.33 ERA over five seasons in the bigs, all for the Rays.
  • Pirates left-hander Jarlin Garcia left today’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies with what the team describes as left arm tightness, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com relays. Garcia gave up four earned runs on a walk and four hits in 1/3 of an inning of work. Unsurprisingly, the language used to describe the injury is very vague, and the outcome could range from a serious injury to nothing at all, and we should know more once the Pirates have evaluated him. Garcia joined the Pirates on a one-year, $2.5MM deal this winter. He’d been a successful member of the Giants bullpen for the past few seasons, working to a 2.84 ERA over 152 innings of work between 2020-22. Like many southpaws, he worked especially well against left-handed hitters, restricting them to a .192/.245/.364 line in 2022, against a .275/.327/.450 line against right-handed hitters. Rule 5 pick Jose Hernandez is the only other left-handed reliever currently projected to be on the Pirates active roster to start the year, although the team does have a number of non-roster invitees, including Caleb Smith, Daniel Zamora and Rob Zastryzny, who could come into the picture should Garcia’s tightness turn into anything that puts him in doubt for opening day.
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