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Cardinals Notes: Trades, Miller, DeJong, Bedell

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“Opportunities at the margins are sometimes available in the near term.  Opportunities to make…more significant changes are rarely going to happen until six to eight weeks from now,” Cardinals GM Michael Girsch told Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat and other reporters earlier this week.  In short, it doesn’t appear too likely that the Cards will be swinging any notable trades in the near future.  As Jones notes, the club hasn’t really made any win-now types of deadline moves in recent seasons, and it remains to be seen if the Cards will change course by July 30 of this year.

St. Louis entered Sunday in first place in the NL Central, in a tight race with the Cubs and Brewers.  There is certainly room for upgrades on the Cardinals’ roster, with Jones pointing out that (in particular) the bullpen is lacking depth beyond Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and Alex Reyes.  Adding another middle relief type wouldn’t necessarily count as a headline-grabbing move, and by that same token, a team that’s already in “seller mode” might be more willing to part with a reliever now rather than wait until closer to July 30.

More from the Gateway City…

  • Some bullpen help could come from within, as Andrew Miller could be activated from the 10-day injured list this week.  The target date may be Thursday for the start of the Cardinals’ series with the Reds, as manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Guerrero) that wants at least one more Triple-A rehab outing.  Miller has been on the IL since April 29 due to a blister on his right foot.
  • Paul DeJong’s return date is less certain, as Shildt told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters yesterday that the shortstop will require a rehab assignment before getting back to the field.  A non-displaced left rib fracture sent DeJong to the injured list in the middle of May, and the nature of the injury has kept the Cardinals from pushing too hard: “A non-displaced fracture become a fracture if we don’t take care of it,” Shildt said.  DeJong has, at least, been able to take some grounders.
  • Pitching prospect Ian Bedell underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week, as Bedell revealed himself on his Instagram page.  The University Of Missouri product was a fourth-round pick for St. Louis in the 2020 draft, so his first minor league season was already canceled by the pandemic, and Bedell only appeared in two games for high-A Peoria before being sidelined with injury.  Given the 13-15 month recovery timeline associated with Tommy John procedures, Bedell might face a bit of a squeeze in getting back on the mound before the end of the 2022 minor league season.

Mets Expected To Activate Pete Alonso, Select Mason Williams

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The Mets are planning to reinstate first baseman Pete Alonso from the 10-day injured list, reports Buster Olney of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll return from a hand sprain after spending the minimum amount of time on the IL. The 2019 NL Rookie of the Year got off to a fantastic start to the 2021 season, but his production has cratered since he was hit by a pitch on May 5. Mets fans are surely hoping the brief reset will allow him to recapture his previous levels of production.

Alonso isn’t the only Mets position player returning to the field in the near future. Kevin Pillar is expected back within the next few days, Olney also reports. The 32-year-old outfielder suffered multiple nasal fractures when he was hit in the face by a Jacob Webb fastball just under two weeks ago. Considering how frightening that scene was, it’s nothing short of remarkable Pillar is seemingly in line to come back as quickly as he is.

Even once Pillar returns, the Mets will still find themselves short in the outfield. Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Albert Almora Jr. and Johneshwy Fargas all remain on the IL. In their absences, the Mets have mostly relied upon Dominic Smith, Cameron Maybin, Billy McKinney and Brandon Drury in the grass.

To add to that outfield mix, New York is planning to select Mason Williams, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (Twitter link). The 29-year-old Williams has gotten to the big leagues in each of the past six seasons, although he’s never topped 132 plate appearances in any given year. Once a well-regarded prospect in the Yankees system, Williams signed a minor-league deal with the Mets last month. He’s raked at Triple-A Syracuse in the early going, hitting .373/.458/.569 over 59 plate appearances. A 40-man roster move will be necessary to create space for Williams’ formal selection.

Will Harris To Undergo Thoracic Outlet Surgery

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Nationals reliever Will Harris will undergo surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington). It’s expected to end his 2021 season.

The surgery marks the culmination of a difficult year for Harris. The veteran righty was delayed to start the season by inflammation in his throwing hand that affected his feel for the ball. He did manage to get back on a major league mound, tossing six innings over eight appearances. Harris was ineffective in that brief time, though, and he wound up back on the 10-day injured list last week. The Nationals figure to eventually transfer him to the 60-day IL, whenever the need for an additional 40-man roster spot emerges.

The recent track record of pitchers returning from the procedure is fairly spotty. Successful comebacks from TOS aren’t unheard of; current Rangers GM Chris Young and former Cardinals lefty Jaime García stayed healthy after the operation over the long haul. Diamondbacks righty Merrill Kelly has made all his starts so far in 2021 after having the surgery last September. Still, there are a few prominent players (Matt Harvey chief among them) who never managed to return to their prior form after the procedure. It’s a particularly concerning development for Harris, who’ll turn 37 years old in August.

Before this unfortunate saga, Harris built a reputation as one of the sport’s most consistent relievers. The veteran didn’t allow more than 3.49 earned runs per nine in any season between 2015-20. That reliability earned him a three-year deal from Washington over the 2019-20 offseason. He remains under contract in 2022 on an $8MM salary.

Cubs Select Sergio Alcantara, Designate Tyson Miller

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The Cubs announced this afternoon they’ve selected the contract of infielder Sergio Alcántara. He’ll replace David Bote, who is headed to the 10-day injured list, on the active roster. To clear 40-man roster space, righty Tyson Miller has been designated for assignment.

Originally signed by the Diamondbacks as an international amateur, Alcántara was traded to the Tigers as part of the 2017 deal that sent J.D. Martinez to the desert. The utilityman made a brief MLB debut with Detroit last season, picking up 23 plate appearances, but the Tigers designated him for assignment over the offseason. Chicago claimed Alcántara and then passed him through outright waivers themselves.

Alcántara has begun his tenure in the Cubs organization on a tear. He’s hitting .328/.481/.459 with a pair of homers over his first 79 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa, his first crack at the minors’ highest level. That’s a substantial improvement over the decent but unspectacular .261/.340/.317 line he’s managed over 872 career plate appearances at Double-A. Alcántara is out of minor league option years, so now that he’s back on the Cubs 40-man roster, he’ll have to stick with the big league club or again be exposed to other teams. For now, he’ll get an opportunity to fill in for Bote, who separated his left shoulder in yesterday’s game.

Miller, ranked by Baseball America over the winter as the #27 prospect in the Cubs system, made a pair of MLB appearances in 2020. He tossed five innings of three-run ball, representing his only major league experience to date. Miller has managed just a 7.33 ERA over 54 career Triple-A innings, but he’s generally been productive up through Double-A. The Cubs will have a week to trade Miller or place him on outright waivers. The 25-year-old still has a pair of option years remaining, so any acquiring club would be free to shuttle him back-and-forth between the majors and Triple-A this season and next, assuming they believe he’s worthy of a 40-man roster spot.

Twins Notes: Kepler, Maeda, Arraez

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MAY 30: Kepler has indeed been placed on the 10-day IL, with catcher Ben Rortvedt recalled from Triple-A to replace him on the active roster. Baldelli told reporters (including Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com) that Rob Refsnyder is set to get everyday run in center field with Buxton and Kepler on the shelf.

Baldelli also addressed Maeda’s setback this afternoon (via Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press). While the right-hander was initially placed on the IL due to a groin strain, he’s fully recovered from that injury. His current issue is unrelated “general arm soreness.” The timetable for his return is still uncertain, although Baldelli says Maeda could resume playing catch next week.

MAY 29: The Twins’ 6-5 victory over the Royals today may have come at a price, as Max Kepler left the game due to a left hamstring strain.  Kepler came up limping while trying to beat out a grounder in the second inning, and was immediately replaced in the field for the top of the third.

Manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including The Athletic’s Dan Hayes) that Kepler would undergo an MRI and could potentially be heading to the injured list.  At the very least, “I don’t think he’s going to be out there in the next few days,” Baldelli said.

This is the second time in under two weeks that a hamstring problem has forced Kepler out of a game, as he made an early exit back on May 16.  Since that injury, Kepler has sat out four games and also been limited to DH duty in three others in an attempt to play through the issue.  Now, however, Kepler looks to be joining Byron Buxton, Jake Cave, and utilityman Luis Arraez on the 10-day IL as Minnesota will be further short-handed in the outfield.

As per the wRC+ metric, Kepler has delivered exactly average (100) offensive production this season, hitting .212/.303/.424 over 152 plate appearances.  Beyond the lingering hamstring injury, Kepler also missed 10 days recovering from a case of COVID-19.

Baldelli also has less-than-positive updates about two other injured Twins in Arraez and Kenta Maeda.  Arraez hit the injured list (in retroactive placement fashion) on May 24 due to a right shoulder strain, and that strain now looks like a subluxation that will keep Arraez out of action for multiple weeks.

A groin strain sent Maeda to the IL on May 23, and Baldelli said that Maeda suffered a setback during a bullpen session on Friday.  The right-hander was initially expected to miss between 10-14 days, but now it isn’t known when Maeda might be back in the Minnesota rotation.  Maeda has a 5.27 ERA/4.07 SIERA through nine starts and 42 2/3 innings for the Twins this season.

Yankees Select Nestor Cortes Jr.

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The Yankees announced they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. Righty Nick Nelson was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to clear active roster space.

Cortes, 26, began his professional career with the New York organization. Selected by the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft, he made his MLB debut with Baltimore in 2018 but didn’t stick on the roster all year. The Orioles returned him to the Yankees, where went on to log rather significant long relief duty the following season. Cortes tossed 66 2/3 innings over 33 games in 2019, working to a 5.67 ERA with average strikeout and walk numbers (23.2% and 9.4%, respectively). That wasn’t enough to keep his roster spot, as Cortes was designated for assignment and traded to the Mariners for international bonus pool space.

Seattle gave Cortes a brief MLB look last season, but the results were disastrous. He lasted just 7 2/3 innings in five games, allowing 14 runs (13 earned) on a whopping six homers and walks apiece. The Mariners waived him after the season, and he signed a minor league contract with his original organization last December. Cortes has been excellent in fifteen innings with the RailRiders this year, allowing just two runs while running an 18:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

To free a 40-man roster spot for Cortes, the Yankees transferred center fielder Aaron Hicks to the 60-day injured list. Hicks is expected to miss the rest of the season recovering from wrist surgery.

Blue Jays Select Carl Edwards Jr., Designate Ty Tice

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The Blue Jays announced they’ve selected the contract of reliever Carl Edwards Jr. Fellow righty Ty Tice was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Edwards signed a minor league deal with Toronto earlier this month. He’s tossed four scoreless innings with Triple-A Buffalo since, striking out three without issuing a walk. He’s now in line to appear for his second team of the season, having tossed a third of an inning of three-run ball for the Braves a few weeks ago. The 29-year-old once looked like a building block of the Cubs bullpen, but a series of injuries and increasing trouble with his control has thrown him off course over the past couple seasons. If he rights the ship in Toronto, Edwards could be a multi-year piece, as he’s controllable through the end of next season via arbitration.

The Jays will now have a week to trade Tice or place him on outright waivers. The 24-year-old has tossed seven MLB relief innings this season, his only big league experience to date. Those haven’t gone especially well, as he’s allowed four runs while striking out six and issuing four walks. The former sixteenth-round pick showed a three-pitch mix, headlined by a 94.3 MPH fastball. Tice struck out an intriguing 27.3% of opposing hitters in 2019 at Triple-A.

He also comes with some contractual flexibility that makes it possible another team looking to deepen the relief corps will acquire him via minor trade or waivers. The Jays added Tice to the 40-man roster over the winter, so he still has all three minor league option years remaining. He doesn’t have the necessary service time to reject an outright assignment, so if he clears waivers, he’d likely remain in the organization as non-roster bullpen depth.

Pirates Select Chase De Jong, Designate Ildemaro Vargas

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The Pirates announced they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Chase De Jong to start this afternoon’s game against the Rockies. In a corresponding move, infielder Ildemaro Vargas was designated for assignment. Righty JT Brubaker, meanwhile, will be away from the team temporarily on bereavement leave.

When he takes the mound this afternoon, De Jong will be appearing in the big leagues for the fifth consecutive season. Pitching for the Mariners, Twins and Astros during parts of the 2017-20 seasons, De Jong worked to a 7.12 ERA with poor strikeout and walk numbers (14.2% and 10.6%, respectively) in 15 appearances.

Despite his uninspiring major league resume, De Jong has pitched well since signing a minor league deal with Pittsburgh in January. Over four starts for Triple-A Indianapolis, the 27-year-old has worked to a 3.60 ERA across 20 innings, striking out a very strong 33.7% of opponents while walking an average 9.6%. It’s a small sample to be sure, but De Jong is punching out hitters much more often in 2021 than he has in any other Triple-A campaign, so the front office will give him an opportunity to try to carry over that success to the big leagues.

Vargas loses his roster spot less than two weeks after the Pirates claimed him off waivers from the Cubs. He’s picked up 37 plate appearances between Chicago and Pittsburgh this year and has hit just .239/.272/.368 in parts of five MLB seasons. The Pirates will have a week to trade Vargas or expose him to waivers. Having previously been outrighted in his career, the 29-year-old would have the right to reject a minor league assignment in lieu of free agency if he clears outright waivers.

Mariners Place Erik Swanson On Injured List

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Before last night’s game against the Rangers, the Mariners announced they were placing right-hander Erik Swanson on the 10-day injured list due to a right groin strain. Reliever Will Vest was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list to replace Swanson on the active roster. To create 40-man roster space for Vest’s return, righty Casey Sadler was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL.

Swanson, who was acquired from the Yankees as part of the 2018 James Paxton deal, has gotten off to a nice start for Seattle this year. He’s pitched in nine games (including two brief starts) and combined for thirteen innings of one-run ball, striking out fourteen while issuing six walks. He won’t continue to strand every baserunner that reaches against him (the only run allowed came on a Joey Gallo homer) or benefit from a .115 opponents’ batting average on balls in play. However, Swanson has generated swings and misses on a strong 13% of his offerings and was once a decently-regarded prospect, so he looks like a solid middle innings option once he returns to health.

Vest went on the COVID IL alongside a few other Seattle relievers on May 21. He’s pitched 21 1/3 innings of 4.22 ERA/4.93 SIERA ball this season. As a Rule 5 draftee, Vest must remain on the Mariners active roster all year if Seattle wishes to keep his contractual rights long-term.

Sadler went on the IL on May 1 with an impingement in his throwing shoulder. Yesterday’s transfer means he can’t return for at least 60 days from the date of his initial IL placement, so he’ll be out through the end of June at a minimum.

Injury Notes: Chisholm, Duvall, Soler, Garcia

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Two Marlins regulars are nursing injuries, as Jazz Chisholm has missed four games due to an ankle sprain and Adam Duvall has missed games due to soreness in his left side.  Manager Don Mattingly indicated to reporters that both players were being held out largely due to precautionary reasons, noting that “if we weren’t being conservative, I think [Chisholm] probably could have played today.”  Chisholm spent just shy of three weeks on the injured list earlier this season after suffering a hamstring strain, and the Marlins are naturally being careful to ensure that their young star isn’t lost for another extended amount of time.

Chisholm is hitting .286/.350/.486 with five home runs and nine stolen bases over 117 PA this season.  Duvall hasn’t been performing as well (.213/.257/.425 in 171 plate appearances) at the plate, but the veteran has provided some extra utility in the field by playing respectable defense over 53 innings as a fill-in center fielder.  Mattingly described Duvall as already feeling “better” by Saturday, so it’s possible Duvall could be back in the lineup for Sunday’s game with the Red Sox.

More injury updates from around baseball…

  • Jorge Soler left today’s 6-5 Royals loss to the Twins after the first inning due to right groin discomfort.  An injury would further damper what has already been a rough season for Soler, who is hitting just .178/.257/.314 with four home runs over his first 195 plate appearances.  Soler’s last full season in 2019 saw him lead the American League with 48 homers while batting .265/.354/.569 in 679 PA.
  • Nationals infielder Luis Garcia will receive an MRI after suffering an on-field hamstring cramp prior to the third inning of the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader with the Brewers.  While warming up before the inning, a cramp that had bothered Garcia earlier in the game suddenly forced him to the ground, and he had to be helped off the field.  Garcia has spent much of the season at Triple-A, at Washington’s alternate training site, or on the big league taxi squad, and was just called back up to the active roster earlier this week.

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