Rockies Select Connor Kaiser
The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Connor Kaiser. He will take the active roster spot of infielder Ezequiel Tovar, who has been placed on the paternity list. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster.
Kaiser, 26, was a third-round selection of the Pirates in the 2018 draft. He rose through the ranks with that club but topped out at Triple-A and was released in 2022. He then signed a minor league deal with the Padres but qualified for minor league free agency at the end of last season.
The Rockies scooped him up on a minor league deal this winter and he’s been playing for their Triple-A club this year. He’s made 205 trips to the plate in 50 games, walking in 13.2% of those. His .278/.376/.506 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 108, indicating he’s been 8% above league average. He’s also stolen six bases on the year while playing primarily at shortstop but also a bit at third base. He hasn’t played second base this year but has in the past.
He will provide the Rockies with a versatile bench piece, at least as long as Tovar is gone. Stints on the paternity list can be between one and three days, meaning it’s possible this will be a cup of coffee for Kaiser, who has a full slate of options.
Reds Reinstate Joey Votto
The Reds are reinstating Joey Votto from the injured list and he will be in tonight’s starting lineup, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Since Votto was on the 60-day injured list, corresponding moves will be required, though those have not yet been announced.
Once tonight’s contest begins, Votto will be playing in a major league game for the first time in 10 months. The last time he took the field was August 16 of last year, after which he required surgery on a torn rotator cuff. It was estimated that it would take about six months for him to recuperate from that procedure, though he’s ended up going beyond that. He once seemed on track to be ready for Opening Day or perhaps in April but continually delayed his return until he felt fully ready.
Much has changed for the club since Votto has been gone. The club was firmly in rebuild mode last year, trading away pitchers like Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, finishing with a record of 62-100. This year, they have been on the upswing with various younger players coming up to the majors and thriving. They are currently 37-35 and just half a game behind the Brewers in the National League Central.
Votto is a legend in Cincinnati, having debuted back in 2007 and racking up many accolades over the years. However, he’s aware that the club’s return to contention puts him in a position where the past won’t matter too much. “I was just called up. And I’m here to compete for a job,” he tells Wittenmyer. “That’s my mentality. That’s my attitude. Everything’s earned in this game, regardless. Guaranteed-contract guys get released all the time… I recognize that I have to perform well at all times.”
Now 39 years old, Votto struggled last year with a line of .205/.319/.370, though he’s not too far removed from an excellent .266/.375/.563 showing in 2021. In his absence this year, Spencer Steer has been getting the bulk of the playing time at first, responding with a strong showing of .277/.361/.477 and 121 wRC+.
Steer is also capable of moving to third base or left field, but the return of Votto is going to lead to a bit of a squeeze. Jonathan India is the everyday option at second while Matt McLain has been thriving at shortstop. Superstar prospect Elly De La Cruz has only played 11 games but has shown tremendous ability so far while playing both shortstop and third base. Perhaps Steer ends up in the outfield mix but he’ll be jockeying for playing time with Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl and Will Benson. There are also other players to consider such as Nick Senzel, Kevin Newman and Stuart Fairchild.
That busy roster situation only figures to get more crowded as Wil Myers is currently on a rehab assignment and infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand is demanding a call-up by hitting .348/.421/.687 in Triple-A.
Votto is in the final guaranteed season of the 10-year, $225MM extension he signed back in 2012. The Reds have a $20MM option for 2024 that comes with a $7MM buyout, making it a net $13MM decision.
Packy Naughton To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Cardinals left-hander Packy Naughton will undergo season-ending surgery on June 26th, with Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Joe Trezza of MLB.com relaying word from manager Oli Marmol.
The specific details of Naughton’s surgery aren’t publicly known and it’s possible those details won’t be fully available until the procedure actually begins, but it was reported last week that Tommy John was on the table. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat adds that Naughton was visiting Dr. Keith Meister, who has performed some internal brace procedures, the TJS alternative that could also be an option.
Either way, it seems likely that Naughton is set to miss significant time. Even in the case of the internal brace procedure, a recovery period of roughly a year is required, which would likely wipe out the first half of Naughton’s 2024 season. The full Tommy John surgery, on the other hand, usually pushes into the range of 14 to 18 months, which could put his entire 2024 season in jeopardy.
That’s surely an extremely frustrating development for both Naughton and the Cards. The southpaw had tossed 32 innings last year with a 4.78 ERA but strong peripherals. He struck out 22% of opponents while walking just 5% and getting grounders at a 49.5% clip. His ERA might have been inflated by a .364 batting average on balls in play, leading to kinder marks from other metrics such as a 3.14 FIP and 3.26 SIERA.
He was looking to build off that platform here in 2023 but landed on the injured list after just four appearances due to a left forearm strain. He seemed on track to return when he began a rehab assignment a week ago but was still experiencing pain, leading to further examination and today’s news about the necessary surgery. That means that 2023 will be an almost entirely lost season with 2024 hanging in the balance as well.
Naughton is already on the 60-day injured list and will stay there for the rest of the season. However, there’s no injured list in the offseason so he will have to be added back to the roster at that point.
Angels Place Anthony Rendon On Injured List
The Angels announced that infielder Anthony Rendon has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left wrist contusion. A corresponding move wasn’t announced and may not come until tomorrow since the club is off today. The move is presumably backdated to Friday June 16 since Rendon last played on Thursday.
Rendon was hit on the wrist with a pitch in Thursday’s contest and then sat out the weekend. The club was hoping that a few days off could get him back into game shape but it seems that hasn’t come to pass and they will now give him another week off to fully recuperate.
While this injury was a fluke that Rendon had little control over, it nonetheless continues a frustrating pattern in recent years as he’s yet to play 60 games in a season since signing a seven-year, $245MM deal with the Angels after 2019. The contract began with the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but Rendon has made multiple IL trips in each campaign since, as this will be his second stint on the shelf this year. He got into just 58 games in 2021 while dealing with a groin strain, knee contusion, hamstring strain and hip impingement. Last year, it was just 47 contests with his right wrist the primary culprit. This year, he’s been limited to 38 games so far due to a groin strain and now this wrist contusion.
Those injuries have coincided with a drop in his production. He hit .286/.418/.497 in the first year of the deal for a wRC+ of 152 but he’s slashed just .238/.338/.364 since then for a wRC+ of 98. Despite that diminished performance, his absence will be a challenge for the Halos as they also have infielders Zach Neto and Gio Urshela on the injured list.
The past two games have seen the club use an infield alignment of Luis Rengifo, Andrew Velazquez, Michael Stefanic and Brandon Drury from left to right. Jared Walsh is also an option to play first base as Drury moves over to one of the other spots. That’s a less than ideal situation as Drury is the only player in that group with much offensive success in recent seasons. Rengifo was decent in 2022 but is hitting just .203/.288/.291 this year. Walsh has some past success but has declined in recent years while battling injuries, currently batting .125/.253/.234 here in 2023. Velazquez has a career line of .193/.244/.295 while Stefanic has just 27 games of experience.
With Rendon now set to miss more time, the club can bring someone else into that mix. Jake Lamb and Liván Soto are options on the 40-man roster while non-roster options include David Fletcher. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register adds that outfielder Hunter Renfroe has been getting some work at first base lately and could be an option there, which opens the possibility of recalling another outfielder like Jo Adell.
Despite the challenges they are facing with their multiple infield injuries, the Angels are playing well, winning seven of their last 10 games and currently in possession of an American League Wild Card spot.
Phillies Designate Dalton Guthrie For Assignment
The Phillies announced that first baseman Darick Hall has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To open a spot for him on the 40-man roster, outfielder Dalton Guthrie was designated for assignment.
Hall seemed like he was destined to take over the first base job in Philadelphia when Rhys Hoskins suffered a torn ACL during Spring Training. However, Hall suffered his own injury early in the season when he tore a ligament in his thumb and required surgery. He’s been rehabbing for the past few weeks but the club has decided to give him some more time in the minors to get into a groove after an extended absence. They’ve been using a platoon of Alec Bohm and Kody Clemens to cover first base and will presumably continue with that arrangement for the time being.
Rehab assignments come with a maximum length of 20 days for position players, so Hall needed to be reinstated from the IL, which has bumped Guthrie out of his roster spot. He was first added to the club’s roster late last year and hit .333/.500/.476 for a scorching hot debut, but in a small sample of 28 plate appearances. This year, he hit a much more tepid .167/.286/.208 in another 28 plate appearances.
He doesn’t have a ton of major league experience but he’s always performed well in Triple-A, hitting .296/.359/.467 over 609 plate appearances at that level. An infielder earlier in his minor league career, he’s moved to being primarily an outfielder as time has gone on.
The Phillies will now have a week to trade Guthrie or pass him through waivers. He has very little service time and a full slate of options, which could make him an appealing long-term depth option for a club that’s intrigued by his Triple-A offensive output.
Fantasy Baseball Chat With Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a veteran of the fantasy baseball industry with a decade of experience in Roto, H2H, dynasty, DFS, and experimental formats. As an expert in the field, Brad participates in the Tout Wars Draft and Hold format and was crowned the league’s winner in 2020. Brad’s writing experience includes RotoGraphs, NBC SportsEDGE, and right here at MLB Trade Rumors. He’s also presented at the First Pitch Arizona fantasy baseball conference.
Click here to read the transcript of today’s fantasy baseball chat with Brad!
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It’s Shotime: Ohtani Tosses Six Strong, Ties MLB-lead In Homers With 22nd Blast
Shohei Ohtani turned in a strong two-way performance on Thursday night to help the Angels clinch a series win against the AL West-leading Rangers at Globe Life Field. The Japanese phenom took the mound for the third time in June and tossed six innings, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while fanning three in the Halos’ 5-3 win.
It was easily the best start of the month for Ohtani, who had a combined 5.73 ERA in his prior June outings. Ohtani now has a 3.29 ERA on the season in 14 starts and 82 innings pitched and has struck out 31.7% of hitters while walking 10.6% and holding hitters to a .178 average.
At the plate, the hottest hitter on the planet continued his torrid streak, hitting his fourth homer of this series in the eighth inning to extend the lead for the Halos. The 443-foot blast was Ohtani’s 22nd of the season, which ties him for the lead with Pete Alonso for most homers in the big leagues, and the third 440-foot+ opposite-field homer of the series.
It was not the prettiest of outings on the mound for Ohtani, who at times struggled with command and gave up a lot of solid contact against one of the league’s best offenses, but he got the job done and limited the Rangers to minimal damage.
He got into an early jam after issuing another leadoff walk to open the game and giving up a bloop single to Adolis Garcia on a jammed shot after a 10-pitch at-bat. Ohtani was able to escape the inning after getting the next hitter, Jonah Heim, to pop out, but he finished the inning with 30 pitches thrown.
After getting through the second inning without trouble, Ohtani gave up three consecutive hits in the third and allowed two runs to score, including an RBI double to Garcia and an RBI single to Heim.
Ohtani was able to get through the rest of the start with no trouble, finishing the sixth inning on 99 pitches, an impressive feat considering the 30 pitches thrown in the first.
It was a four-seam-heavy approach for Ohtani, who threw the pitch 47% of the time. It was intriguing to see that he did not throw the splitter at all, as he struggled to put hitters away on two-strike counts. Angels beat reporter Jeff Fletcher reported that Ohtani’s splitter has been getting misregistered as a two-seamer at times, but that does not seem to be the case for Thursday night’s outing, where he only stuck to his four-seamer, cutter, sweeper, and curveball. The lack of splitter usage could have been a pre-determined gameplan decision, or Ohtani deciding to pivot to a more efficient, pitch-to-contact style after the 30-pitch first inning.
“Obviously, this is a huge series win against a first-place team,” Ohtani said. “All the boys are fired up because we came out on top. So we hope the momentum will continue into the next series.”
The surging Angels are now just one game behind in the Wild Card race with a 39-32 record, winning nine of their last 11. Despite the series win against a division rival, the Angels’ depth will be tested in the coming weeks with a dire injury situation in the infield. The somewhat good news is that they will be facing below .500 teams in 10 of their next 12 games.
Ohtani’s next scheduled start is against the Rockies at Coors Field on June 23 at 8:40 PM EST/ 5:40 PM PT.
Dick Hall Passes Away
The Orioles have announced that former major leaguer Dick Hall has passed away. He was 92 years old.
Hall underwent many transitions in his career, which began as an outfielder and third baseman for the Pirates in 1952. But in 1955, he moved to the mound, tossing 94 1/3 innings over 13 starts and two relief appearances, registering a 3.91 ERA that year. He continued serving as a pitcher for the Bucs and also for the Kansas City Athletics in 1960.
In April of 1961, he was acquired by the Orioles. He would go on to spend most of his career with Baltimore, including his best seasons, gradually shifting into the relief role that he thrived in. From 1961 to 1966, he made 244 appearances for the O’s with a 2.82 ERA over 599 2/3 innings.
That final season of that stretch was the beginning of a golden age of Orioles’ baseball, as the 1966 Orioles went 97-63, led by future Hall of Famers Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson. They won the American League pennant and then swept the Dodgers to win the first World Series in franchise history, though Hall didn’t appear in that series.
Hall was with the Phillies in 1967 and 1968 as the O’s missed the playoffs in those two seasons. But he returned in 1969 and so did the success of the club. They made it back to the World Series in three straight years beginning in 1969, winning a second title in 1970. He made one appearance in that second title-winning series, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless frames as the O’s topped the Reds. 1971 proved to be his final season in the big leagues.
Hall ultimately pitched 1259 2/3 regular season innings in his career with a 3.32 ERA. He went 93-75 while racking up 68 saves, striking out 741 opponents in the process. He helped the club win four pennants, earned two World Series rings and was elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. MLBTR joins those in the baseball world in sending condolences to all those mourning him today.
The Opener: Davis, Nootbaar, Candelario
As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Davis reaches the majors:
As was reported yesterday, the Pirates are expected to promote catching prospect Henry Davis before today’s game against the Cubs. The first overall pick in the 2021 draft, Davis is a consensus top 100 prospect in the game who was ranked as highly as #46 by Baseball America entering the 2023 campaign. Those strong rankings came even after some outlets soured on Davis somewhat thanks to a difficult stint in Double-A last year, where he hit .207/.324/.379 in 136 plate appearances. Davis has left little room for doubt with his performance so far in 2023, however, crushing minor league competition to the tune of a .284/.433/.541 slash line in 232 plate appearances split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
While Davis has spent most of his playing career as a catcher, it appears that may not be his position in the majors, at least on a full-time basis. Manager Derek Shelton already acknowledged yesterday that the club’s current catching tandem of Austin Hedges and Jason Delay would remain on the active roster following Davis’s promotion, while Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette expands on that comment, noting that the expectation is that Davis will play primarily in right field while also getting occasional starts behind the plate. A 40-man roster move will be necessary to accommodate Davis, though that can easily be accomplished by transferring right-hander Vince Velasquez, who will not pitch again in 2023, to the 60-day IL.
2. Nootbaar to return:
The Cardinals have been without outfielder Lars Nootbaar for the entirety of June thanks to a lower back contusion, but the outfielder could be on the verge of returning, with multiple reports indicating that Nootbaar will rejoin the Cardinals against the Nationals in Washington, potentially as soon as today. That’s great news for St. Louis, as Nootbaar’s fantastic .380 on-base percentage in 184 plate appearances this season should help bolster an offense that ranks just 9th in the NL with a team-wide OBP of .322.
It’s currently unclear which players in the Cardinals lineup will see reduced playing time thanks to Nootbaar’s return. With Nootbaar on the shelf, Tommy Edman has moved from the infield to center field, a position he’s taken to rather well. He’s flanked on either side by Jordan Walker and Dylan Carlson on most days, while Paul DeJong, Brendan Donovan, and Nolan Gorman mix and match up the middle. Given the versatility of Edman and Donovan, the club has plenty of flexibility with regard to how it can juggle its position players upon Nootbaar’s return.
3. Candelario to be re-evaluated:
The Nationals could be without one of their key offensive contributors in the coming days, as manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASN) that third baseman Jeimer Candelario suffered a bone bruise on his right thumb on Saturday. Martinez notes that the club plans to re-evaluate Candelario ahead of this evening’s game against the Cardinals. While the Nationals, sporting an NL-worst record of 27-43 that’s set them back 18 games in the NL East, will hardly have hopes of making the playoffs dashed by Candelario missing time, the switch-hitter suffering an injury that causes him to miss significant time would be a major blow nonetheless.
That’s because Candelario figures to be one of the more interesting bats available to potential buyers at the trade deadline. After a difficult 2022 season that saw him non-tendered by the Tigers over the offseason, Candelario has bounced back in a big way with the Nationals, slashing .256/.336/.452 in 283 plate appearances while playing quality defense at third base. Should Candelario miss time, Michael Chavis and Ildemaro Vargas appear to be the most likely options to cover for him at the hot corner.
Pirates To Promote Henry Davis
The Pirates are preparing to call up Henry Davis to the majors on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Twitter link). Davis is expected to make his MLB debut in the game against the Cubs.
Selected with the first overall pick of the 2021 draft, Davis will be making a pretty quick trip to the majors, though it’s hard to argue that the catcher isn’t ready. Davis has been crushing the ball at every level, including a .286/.432/.514 slash line over 45 plate appearances at Triple-A. Though Davis was only recently promoted to Triple-A and has only 10 games under his belt at the top minor league level, the Pirates have seen enough to believe he is ready to contribute in the Show.
The timing of the promotion can’t be overlooked, as if Davis remains on the big league roster for the remainder of the season, he’ll only amass 105 days of Major League service time. This all but ensures that he won’t achieve Super Two status, and thus won’t gain an extra year of arbitration eligibility. Given how the Pirates surely feel Davis can be a cornerstone player for years to come, it perhaps isn’t surprising that the small-market team already has an eye on the catcher’s future price tag, assuming he lives up to expectations as a future star. Finances also factored into the Bucs’ selection of Davis in the first place, as he signed for a $6.5MM bonus that was well below the slot value attached to the first overall pick.
Davis was a consensus top-100 prospect entering the season, with Keith Law (who had Davis 30th), Baseball Prospectus (46th), MLB Pipeline (57th) and Baseball America (73rd) all ranked him amongst the game’s top minor leaguers. Law cited Davis’ wrist injuries in 2022 and his need to improve against offspeed pitching, but Law was perhaps highest of the pundits on the Louisville product’s potential because Law believes Davis will be able to stick at catcher — far from a universal opinion among scouts.
While Davis has played some right field during his young pro career, that could be less a reflection of his defense than the fact that Pittsburgh also has another top catching prospect in Endy Rodriguez. Because Rodriguez can also play the outfield as well as second place, there’s a chance that neither of the Pirates’ “catchers of the future” ultimately end up as catchers, though having both players gives the Bucs some flexibility in determining the best path for both players. Davis’ plus hitting ability makes him valuable wherever he lines up on the field, though it would naturally have the most impact coming from the catcher position.
Austin Hedges and Jason Delay have mostly split catching duties in Pittsburgh this season, with Hedges contributing his usual excellent defense but next to nothing at the plate, while Delay has hit .304/.371/.418 over 91 PA. Since the Pirates obviously aren’t bringing Davis up to sit him on the bench, it creates an interesting short-term issue for the Pirates in determining which catcher stays. Delay still has three minor league options so the likeliest scenario is that he is sent to Triple-A while Hedges stays as a glove-first complement and perhaps a defensive mentor to Davis. Should Davis establish himself as a big leaguer, Delay might become an interesting trade chip for the Pirates to market at the trade deadline.
It’s a whole lot to ask that Davis can provide an Adley Rutschman-esque impact on the Pirates lineup, replicating how Rutschman’s promotion almost instantly sparked the Orioles from rebuilding team to contender in 2022. However, the Pirates have a 34-35 record but are only 1.5 games out of first place in the NL Central and 3.5 games out of a wild card berth. Given the compact nature of the National League standings, the Pirates still have a chance of mounting a playoff push, but at the very least the team has already shown that their rebuilding status is over.