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Twins Place Miguel Sano On IL, Promote Alex Kirilloff

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April 23: The Twins have confirmed that Sano is on the 10-day IL and that both Kirilloff and Gordon have been recalled from their alternate training site in St. Paul. Minnesota also selected the contract of infielder Tzu-Wei Lin to the big league roster and returned catcher Tomas Telis to the alternate site. Telis had been selected off the taxi squad as a replacement player for a Covid IL placement, so he can be sent back to the alternate site and removed from the 40-man roster without clearing waivers. Additionally, the Twins optioned infielder Travis Blankenhorn.

The 27-year-old Lin has seen big league time with the Red Sox in each of the past four seasons, appearing at three infield spots (second base, shortstop, third base) and batting .223/.298/.316 through 218 trips to the plate. Lin hit .300/.440/.600 in 25 spring plate appearances after signing a minor league deal with the Twins and will get his first chance at the MLB level with a club other than Boston.

April 22: The Twins will place first baseman Miguel Sano on the 10-day injured list Friday because of a strained right hamstring, Megan Ryan of the Star Tribune reports. The team will also recall outfielder Alex Kirilloff and infielder Nick Gordon, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Sano suffered the injury on Tuesday, forcing him to miss the second game of the Twins’ doubleheader against the Athletics. The IL placement is the latest negative development in what has been a rough start to the season for Sano, who has batted .111/.310/.244 with two home runs and a career-low .133 ISO (down from a lifetime mark of .253) in 58 plate appearances. Sano has started the vast majority of the Twins’ games at first this year, but when he hasn’t played there, the team has used Willians Astudillo and Mitch Garver.

The 23-year-old Kirilloff, MLB.com’s 22nd-ranked prospect, appeared in two games and took three plate appearances earlier this season, but he may now get a more extensive look with outfielders Max Kepler and Kyle Garlick on the COVID-19 list. Since Minnesota took him 15th overall in the 2016 draft, Kirilloff has more than held his own in the minors with a .317/.365/.498 line and 36 home runs in 1,204 trips to the plate. He’s been ranked among the game’s best overall prospects for each of the past few seasons and made his MLB debut during the postseason last year.

Kirilloff’s impending promotion was a major factor in the Twins opting to move on from Eddie Rosario this winter, and it stands to reason that this promotion to the big leagues will now afford him the opportunity to seize an everyday role and cement his status as a long-term piece for the club. Even with last weekend’s brief promotion as the 27th man in a doubleheader, he’s spent enough time at the alternate site for the club to push his free agency back a year. If Kirilloff sticks in the big leagues from this point forth, the Twins will control him all the way through the 2027 season. He’d likely still qualify as a Super Two player, bringing him to arbitration eligibility after the 2023 campaign.

Gordon, 25, was the fifth pick in the 2014 draft, though his stock has fallen dramatically since then. Gordon did turn in a respectable .298/.342/.459 showing at Triple-A in 319 PA two years ago, but he was unable to play last season after testing positive for COVID. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked Gordon as the Twins’ 37th-best prospect back in January, writing that he “now looks like a fringe role player.”

Angels Notes: Odorizzi, Injuries, Rodriguez

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The Angels’ offseason search for pitching help led them to Jose Quintana and Alex Cobb in the rotation, as well as Raisel Iglesias, Tony Watson, Steve Cishek, Alex Claudio, Junior Guerra and Aaron Slegers in the bullpen. That’s a considerable amount of turnover on its own, but right-hander Jake Odorizzi revealed during last night’s broadcast that the Halos made a strong run at him in free agency as well. The Angels, according to Odorizzi, “were one of the teams that talked to us pretty much from start to finish” (Twitter link via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times). Odorizzi, of course, went on to sign with the division-rival Astros, pushing them right up against the luxury-tax threshold and prompting them to cut Cishek loose from a minor league deal he’d signed with Houston — despite a solid spring effort. Cishek latched on with the Halos on a big league deal and has been solid thus far through his first seven relief appearances. Odorizzi has struggled a bit after signing late, but the fact that he’s punched out 11 of the 36 hitters he’s faced (30.6%) and walked just three (8.3%) is encouraging.

Some more notes on the Halos…

  • Manager Joe Maddon said after last night’s game that he expects injured outfielder Juan Lagares and catcher Max Stassi to rejoin the club this weekend (Twitter link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). Lagares has been out since April 11 due to a calf strain, while Stassi hit the IL two days later owing to a thumb injury. Maddon added that he expects third baseman Anthony Rendon, out since the 11th himself due to a groin strain, to return to the club early next week during the Angels’ series against the Rangers. The 30-year-old Rendon has been nothing short of brilliant since signing his seven-year deal; in 60 games as an Angel, he’s slashed a hearty .286/.413/.482 with 10 homers, 11 doubles, a triple, 43 walks and just 38 strikeouts through 269 plate appearances.
  • Rookie right-hander Chris Rodriguez is expected to remain in the bullpen for the 2021 season, writes MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, but his early work has reinforced the organization’s belief that he can be an impact starter in the future. “He’s a strike-thrower and he can get quick outs by challenging hitters with that fastball and force them to beat it into the ground,” says Maddon of Rodriguez. “You can see him becoming a frontline starter. It gives me a lot to think about now that I’ve seen it.” Rodriguez has indeed been impressive thus far. The 22-year-old has held opponents to four runs on eight hits and six walks in 10 1/3 innings while racking up 14 strikeouts. The command could obviously stand to improve, but Rodriguez is also boasting a whopping 64% ground-ball rate thanks to his power sinker. Hitters have seemingly had a tough time reading the ball out of his hand, too, as evidenced by a 23.4% called-strike rate that ranks fifth among all pitchers (min. 10 innings pitched). Maddon noted that Rodriguez could eventually see late-inning work this year, though for the time being he’s providing ample value in a multi-inning role.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Soto, Harris, Marlins, Garrett, Hernandez

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The Nationals are without a pair of star players, as both Juan Soto (shoulder strain) and Stephen Strasburg (shoulder inflammation) are on the injured list at the moment. General manager Mike Rizzo told reporters this week, however, that he doesn’t expect either to be a long-term issue (link via Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington). “We nipped this in the bud early and before it came really bad, so that’s a good thing,” said Rizzo of Soto’s shoulder strain. Strasburg’s stay on the IL will extend beyond the 10-day minimum, as he’ll need a bit of time to ramp up after being shut down from throwing. The GM didn’t offer as much on Strasburg’s injury but noted that the pitcher himself isn’t concerned at this point.

A few more notes on Washington and a division rival…

  • Nationals reliever Will Harris discussed the right hand inflammation that has delayed his season debut with Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. The veteran righty tells Dougherty he’s still battling swelling in his fingers and forearm that progressively builds as he pitches, only to subside shortly after he’s completed his outing. Harris says he’s pain-free but the swelling has impacted his ability to command the ball and impart movement on his breaking pitches. As Harris and the organization search for ways to reduce its effect on the quality of his stuff, the 36-year-old continues to rehab and says he anticipates he’ll be ready for game action in a “few more weeks.” Dougherty’s interview with Harris is worth a full read for an examination of the rather bizarre situation.
  • The Marlins have passed over former first-round pick Braxton Garrett a few times early in the season when they’ve had open spots in the rotation. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that general manager Kim Ng wouldn’t tip her hand as to whether Garrett would be an option this time around, particularly now with the struggling Nick Neidert optioned back to the team’s alternate site. Manager Don Mattingly spoke highly of Garrett’s showing in Spring Training, noting that the lefty was “more physical” than in 2020 and emphasizing the importance of fastball command for Garrett. The 23-year-old Garrett yielded five earned runs in 7 2/3 frames during a pair of starts in last summer’s MLB debut, and he fired four shutout innings during Spring Training. He’s missed a season due to Tommy John surgery since being selected seventh overall in 2016, but with prospects Sixto Sánchez and Edward Cabrera sidelined due to injury at present, Garrett could factor into the mix at some point early this year.
  • Sánchez and Cabrera aren’t the only Marlins starting pitchers currently sidelined by injury. Elieser Hernández has been on the shelf for most of the month after leaving his first start of the season with biceps inflammation. The righty is currently throwing from 90 feet without issue and is scheduled for a bullpen session next week, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The 25-year-old Hernández earned a spot in the Marlins’ season-opening rotation with six very strong starts in 2020.

MLBTR Poll: Will Nationals Trade Max Scherzer This Summer?

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The Nationals won their first-ever World Series title in 2019, but success has eluded the franchise since then. Washington was unable to seriously defend its title during the shortened 2020 season, as it missed the playoffs with a 26-34 record, and the team has stumbled to a 7-9 mark this year. While it is still very early, the Nationals’ odds of making the postseason in 2021 have already dropped from 22.4 percent to 15.2 since Opening Day, per FanGraphs.

The Nats have ample time to get on track (they have won two in a row), but what if they aren’t in contention around the July 30 trade deadline? Would general manager Mike Rizzo sell off any notable pieces? If Rizzo would be willing to do so (his in-season trade history suggests he wouldn’t be), he’d have a coveted trade chip in pending free agent and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer.

Although he was effective last year, Scherzer was not his typical elite self. However, the soon-to-be 37-year-old is back in superb form this season, having thrown 25 innings of 1.80 ERA/2.79 SIERA ball with a 35.9 percent strikeout rate and a 4.3 percent walk rate. His K-BB percentage (31.5) and swinging-strike rate (15.7 percent) rank in the top 10 among major league starters.

With Scherzer dominating again, both Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com have recently tackled the possibility of the Nationals trading the fiery right-hander this summer. As they note, there are some complicating factors that could scuttle a deal. For one, because Scherzer has 10-and-5 rights, he would be able to veto any trade. There’s also the matter of his $35MM salary – which could limit his market to higher spending teams – not to mention the unconventional structure of his contract. Even though the deal only runs through this season, the Nationals are on the hook for annual payments of $15MM to Scherzer from 2015-28. An acquiring team could take on at least some of that, though it wouldn’t increase his value in a trade.

The deadline is still three-plus months away, but if Washington doesn’t rebound or extend Scherzer by then, he’ll be popular in trade rumors. How do you expect this situation to play out? Will Scherzer stay put through the season or end 2021 in a different uniform?

(Poll link for app users)

Latest On Luke Voit

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The Yankees have gone without first baseman Luke Voit this season, but the slugger is progressing in his recovery from surgery on a torn left meniscus. Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that Voit could make his 2021 debut in approximately two weeks.

The 7-11 Yankees have sorely missed Voit, who swatted a major league-leading 22 home runs last season and turned in a line of .277/.338/.610 (152 wRC+) in 234 plate appearances. Fill-in first basemen Jay Bruce (who retired last weekend), DJ LeMahieu and Mike Ford haven’t approached that type of production this year. New York’s offense hasn’t just sputtered at that position, though, as the unit currently ranks 26th out of 30 MLB teams in both wRC+ (84) and runs scored (65). So far this season, only three Yankees regulars – LeMahieu, right fielder Aaron Judge and third baseman Gio Urshela – have posted a wRC+ north of the league-average mark of 100.

While Voit’s bat ought to help point the Yankees’ offense in a better direction, another potential benefit is that New York should be able to primarily use LeMahieu at second – his natural position. That means the Yankees shouldn’t have to rely as much on fellow second baseman Rougned Odor, whom they acquired from the Rangers on April 6. New York took a low-risk flyer on Odor in the hopes he would rebound from back-to-back dismal seasons, but a change of scenery hasn’t led to positive results to this point. While the 27-year-old did collect a pair of singles Thursday, he’s still only hitting .167/.219/.267 over 32 PA.

Marlins Place Brian Anderson On 10-Day IL, Recall Jose Devers

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The Marlins have placed third baseman Brian Anderson on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 21, with a left oblique strain, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweets. They’ve also recalled infielder Jose Devers and right-hander Jordan Holloway.

Anderson was a quality performer from 2018-20, during which he combined to hit .266/.350/.436 with 42 home runs and 7.7 fWAR in 1,419 plate appearances. However, his production early this year has fallen well short of the numbers he put together during that three-season stretch. Through 65 plate appearances in 2021, the 27-year-old has batted .183/.246/.283 with one homer. Jon Berti looks like the leading candidate to start in Anderson’s place for as long as he’s out.

This will be the first major league opportunity for the 21-year-old Devers, who’s a cousin of Red Sox standout third baseman Rafael Devers. Jose Devers – whom the Yankees sent to the Marlins in 2017 as part of the teams’ blockbuster Giancarlo Stanton trade – hasn’t played above High-A ball yet, and he owns a .278/.339/.348 line with one HR and 37 stolen bases in 784 minor league PA. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked Devers 25th among Marlins prospects last week, writing that his speed and ability to handle both middle infield positions could make him a useful bench player in the majors.

Phillies Sign Greg Garcia To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies have signed Greg Garcia to a minor league contract, the infielder confirmed to Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Garcia, who will report to the Phillies’ alternate site, will have a chance to opt out of the deal on May 2.

The 31-year-old Garcia had been available since the Tigers released him from a minors pact on March 25. Although he hasn’t been able to secure a guaranteed contract since the Padres non-tendered him in December, Garcia has appeared in the majors in every season since 2014. Also a former Cardinal, Garcia has hit .245/.354/.339 in 1,303 big league plate appearances and provided defensive flexibility in the infield. While Garcia is primarily a second baseman, he has also seen a fair amount of action at shortstop and third during his career.

For now, Garcia will give the Phillies some extra infield depth in their organization as they battle through a couple of health issues. Second baseman Jean Segura went on the 10-day IL on Wednesday with a strained right quad, and reserve Ronald Torreyes hit the COVID list earlier this week. Shortstop Didi Gregorius hasn’t played since last Sunday because of an elbow problem, but he’s expected to return Friday.

Padres Place Dinelson Lamet, Keone Kela On 10-Day IL

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The Padres have placed right-handers Dinelson Lamet and Keone Kela on the 10-day injured list, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The team recalled relievers Nick Ramirez and Nabil Crismatt to fill the open roster spots.

Lamet left his first start of the season Wednesday with right forearm soreness, so it’s no surprise he will miss time. The question is whether Lamet will avoid Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in 2018. Manager Jayce Tingler did offer a promising update on Lamet on Thursday, saying (via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times) that he “feels very, very good” and will try to throw Friday.

“If everything goes well, we’ll shoot for him to make the start after the 10 days are up,” Tingler added.

A quick return for Lamet would be a significant boon for the Padres, considering his troubling history of serious arm issues and his importance to their rotation. Lamet was a legitimate NL Cy Young candidate during a breakout 2020 in which he recorded a 2.09 ERA with a 34.8 percent strikeout rate across 69 innings, but his season came to an end in late September because of a UCL strain. His recovery from that injury put him behind schedule entering this year.

Kela’s joining Lamet on the shelf because of shoulder tightness, Tingler said (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). Like Lamet, health problems have held Kela back during his career. Shoulder woes helped limit the former Pirate to 29 2/3 innings in 2019, and then a positive COVID-19 test and forearm tightness held him to two frames last year.

Despite Kela’s lack of durability from 2019-20,  the Padres elected to take a $1.2MM flyer on him in free agency. The results were encouraging until Wednesday, when Kela took a loss against the Brewers after yielding three earned runs on two hits and a walk in a 34-pitch inning of work. Overall, Kela has has allowed four earned runs on eight hits with 12 strikeouts against three walks in 8 2/3 frames.

Cubs Place Joc Pederson On 10-Day IL

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The Cubs have placed outfielder Joc Pederson on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 21, with left wrist tendinitis, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report. They recalled infielder Nico Hoerner in a corresponding move.

The IL placement continues a forgettable start to the season for Pederson, a former Dodger whom the Cubs signed to a one-year, $7MM guarantee in free agency. The left-handed Pederson has typically offered above-average offense, especially against righties, though his numbers have plummeted dating back to the start of last season.

The Cubs were betting on a bounce-back year when they added Pederson, but their plan hasn’t worked out yet. Pederson has batted a career-worst .137/.262/.235 (47 wRC+) with one home run and a microscopic .098 ISO through 61 plate appearances. Nevertheless, the Cubs have stuck with Pederson as their regular left fielder, having started him in 15 of 17 games. Ian Happ is the only other Cub who has started at the position this year.

The 23-year-old Hoerner was Baseball America’s 40th-ranked prospect as recently as 2020, but he hasn’t been able to establish himself in the majors thus far. He combined for 208 PA during the previous two seasons and batted .247/.309/.333 (73 wRC+) with three HRs.

MLBTR Poll: Struggling 2020 Playoff Teams

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This season has not started in ideal fashion for the majority of last year’s 16-team playoff field. While the Dodgers, Brewers and Athletics boast terrific records at roughly the 20-game mark, everybody else who qualified for the postseason in 2020 is, at best, hovering around .500. Eight of those clubs currently have more losses than wins (we’ll get to them in a bit).

With a 162-game schedule instead of a 60-game slate, slumping teams have far more time to rebound from slow starts this season. On the other hand, only 10 clubs will make the playoffs in 2021, so teams can ill afford to dig early holes for themselves.

American League

Twins (2020 record: 36-24; 2021 record: 6-11):

  • The Twins are coming off an 0-4, COVID-interrupted road trip that came to a horrific end with a 13-12 loss Wednesday, when sloppy defense led to an extra-innings collapse against the A’s. Reliever Alex Colome – the Twins’ keynote bullpen acquisition of the offseason – took the loss, continuing a rough start to the year for him. Meanwhile, ace Kenta Maeda turned in his worst performance of the season (seven earned runs in three innings) and has only gotten past the 4 1/3-frame mark in one of his four starts. The Twins will likely need the Maeda of old back if they’re going to push for a third straight AL Central title, though Jose Berrios and Michael Pineda have helped pick up the slack in their rotation so far. Meanwhile, the Twins’ offense hasn’t been a juggernaut (Josh Donaldson, Max Kepler and Andrelton Simmons have missed time with health issues), but Byron Buxton may be in the early stages of a breakthrough year at the plate and Nelson Cruz isn’t showing signs of slowing down.

Yankees (2020 record: 33-27; 2021 record: 6-11):

  • The Yankees were pegged as serious World Series contenders entering the season, but they have looked like bottom-feeders so far. What was supposed to be a high-powered offense has totaled the AL’s fewest runs and put up its second-worst wRC+, owing in part to the absence of injured 2020 home run king Luke Voit. The Yankees’ pitching has been much better than their hitting, but that’s largely thanks to the work of their bullpen – which hasn’t had many leads to protect. Gerrit Cole and, to a much lesser extent, Jordan Montgomery have carried their rotation, while offseason acquisitions Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon haven’t been all that effective coming off injuries, and Domingo German has struggled mightily in his return from a domestic violence suspension. The Yankees should get former ace Luis Severino back from Tommy John surgery during the summer, but there’s no telling how he’ll perform in the wake of two straight injury-wrecked seasons.

Blue Jays (2020 record: 32-28; 2021 record: 8-10):

  • The Jays have dealt with a rash of injuries to their pitching staff, including in their rotation – an area that could be a significant question mark even if everyone’s healthy. They have also had to go without their main offseason acquisition, center fielder George Springer, though he shouldn’t be far off from returning from a quad strain. To the Jays’ credit, they’ve essentially tread water thus far, and their plus-10 run differential does rank third in the AL.

Astros (2020 record: 29-31; 2021 record: 7-10):

  • The Astros sneaked into the playoffs last year with a sub-.500 record, though they still came within a game of reaching the World Series for the third time in four seasons. However, the team then got weaker in the offseason with the loss of Springer, whom it didn’t adequately replace, and was dealt another blow when starter Framber Valdez suffered a serious finger injury at the beginning of the spring. The Astros reacted by signing veteran Jake Odorizzi, who has delivered miserable results through his first two starts. Aside from Zack Greinke and Luis Garcia, Astros starters have not gotten the job done, while their bullpen has also been a letdown in the early going. Fortunately, even without Springer, a healthy version of Houston’s offense still brings plenty of firepower to the table.

Which of the above four AL teams do you believe has the best chance to rebound and make the playoffs? (Poll link for app users)

National League

Braves (2020 record: 35-25; 2021 record: 8-10)

  • The back-to-back-to-back NL East champions have fallen behind in April, thanks in part to injuries to starters Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Drew Smyly. The Braves overcame a series of health problems in their staff last year to earn a trip to the NLCS, of course, but an elite offense led the way then. Their attack has been above average again this year, though Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman are their only regulars who have offered star-caliber production. Conversely, Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Travis d’Arnaud have gotten off to brutal starts at the plate.

Cubs (2020 record: 34-26; 2021 record: 8-9)

  • The most significant move the Cubs executed over the winter was one that weakened them, at least in the short term. The team said goodbye to Yu Darvish, sending the 2020 NL Cy Young finalist to San Diego for fellow righty Zach Davies and a few prospects. Cutting costs was part of the motivation for that trade and in general when it came to the Cubs’ offseason; as a result, many were bearish on their chances heading into 2021. So far, the preseason pessimism has been warranted. The Cubs have not hit much, evidenced by bottom four National League rankings in runs and wRC+, and their pitching staff owns the NL’s third-highest ERA. Of their starters, only Jake Arrieta and Alec Mills have managed to post an ERA south of 5.00 so far. Surprisingly, the club’s best pitcher has been closer Craig Kimbrel, who’s back in dominant form after he was largely written off before the season.

Cardinals (2020 record: 30-28; 2021 record: 8-10):

  • The Cardinals pulled off one of the ultimate headline-grabbing moves of the offseason in acquiring star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Rockies. The hope then was that Arenado would lift an offense that finished 2020 with a less-than-stellar wRC+ of 93. Arenado has indeed notched solid production so far, yet the Cardinals’ wRC+ sits at an almost identical 94 through 18 games. Meantime, the bottom-line results of the Cardinals’  starters have been a far bigger problem, as their rotation – which is missing the injured Miles Mikolas – has recorded the NL’s fifth-worst ERA.

Marlins (2020 record: 31-29; 2021 record: 8-9):

Which of the above four NL teams do you believe has the best chance to rebound and make the playoffs? (Poll link for app users)

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