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NL Injury Notes: Madrigal, Wisdom, Dominguez, Eflin, Wheeler, Bryant

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The Cubs placed second baseman Nick Madrigal on the 10-day injured list due to a right groin strain, and activated Patrick Wisdom (left ring finger sprain) from the 10-day IL to fill the open roster spot.  Madrigal suffered the injury in yesterday’s game, and given the lack of time remaining in the season, it isn’t out of the question that Madrigal might be shut down entirely.  This is the second groin injury (the first strain was to Madrigal’s left groin) and third injury overall for the second baseman in 2022, after a back problem cost him three weeks in May.

Overall, Madrigal has played in only 59 games this season, only slightly topping the 54 games he played during a 2021 campaign that was shortened by hamstring surgery.  While Madrigal is still eyed as the Cubs’ second baseman of the future, this health history is already concerning, and it’s fair to say that his injuries were certainly a factor in his .249/.305/.282 slash line in 228 PA this season.  With the Cubs out of contention, their eyes are on 2023, and aren’t likely to push Madrigal back onto the field unless his current groin issue ends up being pretty minor.

Updates on other injury situations from around the National League…

  • Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson updated reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) on several injured Philadelphia players, including two pitchers ready to return to the mound.  Seranthony Dominguez will be activated prior to tomorrow’s game against the Nationals, after missing a little over three weeks due to right triceps tendinitis.  Zach Eflin will be activated from the 60-day IL prior to Tuesday’s game, with Eflin possibly working as an opener as he embarks on a new role as a relief pitcher.  Eflin has been out since late June due to knee problems, and with less time to ramp up for a starter’s workload, Philadelphia will instead use Eflin out of the bullpen.  Zack Wheeler (forearm tendinitis) won’t be back until at least September 20, but Wheeler threw 15 pitches off a mound today, and Thomson said Wheeler will throw a proper bullpen session on Monday or Tuesday.
  • Kris Bryant hasn’t played since July 31 due to plantar fasciitis, and Rockies manager Bud Black wasn’t sure if the slugger would be able to return before the season is over.  “There is time but I don’t know if it’s going to happen…He hasn’t had a bat in his hand for a while, but he’s feeling much better,” Black told reporters, including The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders.  Bryant has been able to play catch and lift weights now that he is no longer in a walking boot, though it remains to be seen when (or if) he’d be able to take part in fuller baseball activities.  Between the platar fasciitis and two separate IL stints due to back injuries, Bryant’s first year with the Rockies has essentially been a lost season, with only 42 games played.  The one bright spot is that Bryant at least hit well when he was able to play, contributing a .306/.376/.475 slash line and five homers in 181 plate appearances.

Outrights: VanMeter, Vieaux, Bard, Araúz, Medina, Castro, Jewell

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Catching up on some players who were recently designated for assignment…

Latest Moves

  • The Pirates outrighted left-hander Cam Vieaux and infielder Josh VanMeter to Triple-A after the duo each cleared waivers, according to John Dreker of Pirates Prospects (Twitter link).  Vieaux and VanMeter were each designated for assignment earlier this week.  VanMeter hit .187/.266/.292 over 192 PA with Pittsburgh this season, while playing all over the field as a defensive fill-in.  Vieaux made his MLB debut this year, with a 10.38 ERA over 8 2/3 innings in his first taste of big league action.
  • The Yankees announced that right-hander Luke Bard has been outrighted to Triple-A.  Since this isn’t the first time Bard has been outrighted in his career, he can opt for free agency rather than accept the Triple-A assignment.  The righty pitched one game in the pinstripes after being claimed off waivers from the Rays in early August, and for the 2022 season in total, Bard has a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings with Tampa Bay and New York.

Earlier Today

  • The Orioles announced that infielder Jonathan Araúz cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in June and has gotten into 15 games at the big league level this year between the two clubs. The 24-year-old hit just .132/.150/.211 in that time but provided defensive versatility by playing second base, third base and shortstop. In 35 Triple-A games this year, he’s hit .192/.264/.238. Since this is the first outright of his career and he has less than three years of MLB service time, he won’t have the right to reject the assignment and become a free agent.
  • The Mets outrighted right-hander Adonis Medina, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Medina, 25, was acquired from the Pirates in April for cash considerations and has been tossed between Triple-A and the majors all year long. In 23 2/3 MLB innings, he has a 6.08 ERA, 15.5% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. In 26 2/3 innings for Syracuse, he has a much better 3.71 ERA and 20.2% strikeout rate, though a much higher walk rate of 12.1%. This is the first outright of his career and he has less than three years of MLB service time, meaning he will have to accept the outright assignment to Syracuse.
  • The Cubs sent right-hander Kervin Castro outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The 23-year-old began the season with the Giants but went to the Cubs on a waiver claim in August. Between the two clubs, he’s thrown 12 1/3 MLB innings this year, but with a 10.22 ERA and 12.3% walk rate. In 34 2/3 Triple-A innings between the two organizations, he has a 5.19 ERA with a 16% walk rate. He has less than three years of MLB service time and this is his first career outright, meaning he will not be eligible to reject this assignment.
  • The Twins sent right-hander Jake Jewell outright to Triple-A St. Paul, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The 29-year-old began the year with the Guardians on a minor league deal, getting selected to the big league roster in August but getting optioned before appearing in a game. He lasted just over a week on the 40-man roster before getting designated for assignment and landing with Minnesota on waivers. In 48 2/3 Triple-A innings between the two organizations, he has a 3.14 ERA, 25.9% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate. Unlike the others on this list, he has been previously outrighted in his career. That gives him the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency, though it’s unclear at this point if he has done so.

Dodgers Place Blake Treinen On 15-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers have placed right-hander Blake Treinen on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 7.  Right-hander Andre Jackson has been called up from Triple-A to take Treinen’s spot on the roster.

Treinen is dealing with tightness in his throwing shoulder, which is an ominous diagnosis considering that Treinen has missed most of the season due to shoulder problems.  As Treinen told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters last week, he was initially advised to get surgery to repair a partial tear in the front capsule of his shoulder, but instead chose a non-surgical recovery option.  This allowed the right-hander to make it back for two more appearances after being activated from the 60-day IL, but Treinen has now been sidelined again.

It’s probably safe to assume that Treinen will again try to make it back without going under the knife, especially with the postseason nearing.  Whether he’ll be able to return after a minimum 15 days is another question, and it is possible Treinen has already thrown his final pitch of the 2022 season.  It might be that surgery is inevitable to fully correct his shoulder issues, and such a procedure might now potentially threaten his readiness for at least the start of the 2023 season.

In the midst of his IL stint, Treinen and the Dodgers agreed to a contract extension back in May that guaranteed his 2023 salary at $8MM, which was the total of a club option Los Angeles already held on his services.  Another club option for 2024 was also added, worth between $1MM-$7MM depending on Treinen’s health and other benchmarks.  With Treinen still plagued with shoulder problems, this extension might already look like a misfire on the Dodgers’ part, especially if he ends up having to miss a portion of the 2023 season.  While $8MM isn’t a huge amount to a big-payroll team like L.A., that number could certainly impact the luxury tax number for a club that figures to be in tax territory once again next year.

Nationals Sign DJ Peters To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals signed outfielder DJ Peters to a minor league contract, and Peters played his first game with Triple-A Rochester yesterday.  The 26-year-old was a free agent after being waived by the Korea Baseball Organization’s Lotte Giants back in July.

Peters’ time in the KBO League resulted in a .228/.299/.402 slash line over 354 plate appearances, with 13 home runs.  The Giants paid Peters a $600K base salary — well above what the outfielder would’ve earned on a minor league salary, and there was no guarantee Peters would’ve landed a big league deal as a free agent.  Of course, Peters couldn’t have signed anywhere last winter due to the lockout, and thus he opted to take some guaranteed money with the Giants rather than face the unique uncertainty of the 2021-22 offseason.

Power has been Peters’ calling card since the Dodgers selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft.  Over his minor league career (and counting last night’s game with Rochester), Peters has hit .266/.359/.488 over 2197 PA, but after the canceled 2020 minors season, he returned and struggled at Triple-A in 2021.  However, Peters also made his MLB debut last season, hitting .197/.242/.422 with 13 homers over 240 combined PA with the Dodgers and Rangers.

The rebuilding Nationals can offer plenty of opportunity for players who might have late-breakout potential, with 30-year-old rookie Joey Meneses serving as a prime example of how unheralded players can unexpectedly blossom.  Peters’ power bat and strong throwing arm give him a couple of plus tools, and the best could be yet to come if he can cut down on his strikeouts and become a more polished overall hitter rather than just an all-or-nothing slugger.

Manfred: MLB Plans To Recognize MLBPA’s Representation Of Minor League Players

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TODAY: The card-check agreement has been finalized, ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers report, and a neutral arbiter will receive the MLBPA’s union authorization cards on Wednesday.

SEPTEMBER 9: Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced today that the league is prepared to voluntarily recognize the MLBPA as the new collective bargaining representatives for minor league players. The announcement comes less than two weeks after the MLBPA sent authorization cards to minor leaguers seeking to represent them, and just days after the union received “significant” majority support and formally requested that the commissioner’s office voluntarily recognize the seismic shift in player representation. According to Evan Drellich of the Athletic (Twitter link), the recognition is pending agreement between the league and union on a card-check resolution — essentially an independent verification of the authorization cards sent last month.

MLBPA executive director Tony Clark released a statement in response to MLB’s announcement (relayed by James Wagner of the New York Times):

“We are pleased (MLB) is moving forward with this process in a productive manner. While there are significant steps remaining, we are confident discussions will reach a positive outcome.”

Had the league not agreed, the MLBPA would have engaged with the federal National Labor Relations Board to prompt an election among minor leaguers. Assuming a majority of those who voted approved of MLBPA representation, the NLRB could then have forced MLB’s hand in recognizing the unionization. Those extra steps won’t be necessary, following today’s announcement by Manfred.

An MLBPA official told MLBTR last week the proposed unionization efforts would give minor leaguers their own separate bargaining unit under the MLBPA umbrella, adding that any minor league CBA would be negotiated independently of the Major League CBA that was completed earlier this year. The MLBPA recently announced it had hired all members of the group Advocates For Minor Leaguers, a move which bolstered the union’s leadership ranks in preparation for the shift, which will see MLBPA membership grow from 1200 to more than 5000.

MLB’s announcement figures to accelerate the process for eventually getting minor league players under the MLBPA umbrella. League recognition would serve as an implicit acknowledgement that the majority of minor leaguers would likely have voted in favor of unionization had the PA petitioned the NLRB for an election.

It now seems all but certain minor leaguers will soon become members of the MLB Players Association. It’s completely uncharted territory for minor leaguers, who have never previously been part of a union. In a full post earlier this week, Drellich spoke to a handful of minor league players about the process. Drellich noted that players in the rookie level Dominican Summer League will not automatically be included because it’s based outside the United States, but the MLBPA is now likely to represent players from domestic complex ball up through Triple-A and plans to bargain over DSL working conditions despite those players not officially joining the Association.

Drellich wrote this evening that both the league and MLBPA believe it possible to hammer out a CBA for minor league players in time for the start of the 2023 season. Negotiations figure to start not long after MLB grants its formal recognition (assuming it transpires), and Drellich notes it’s possible the card-check agreement could be reached in the near future, barring setbacks.

As he points out, the expected recognition comes just a couple months after Congresspeople from both parties expressed an interest in reconsidering MLB’s antitrust exemption. Low rates of pay for minor leaguers has been one of many legislators’ critiques, but recognition of a union and signing a collective bargaining agreement with minor leaguers would take that issue outside the realm of antitrust law and into labor law territory.

It’s set to be a monumental change for the MLBPA, which also joined the AFL-CIO this week. The union’s efforts at both expanding its membership and increasing its communication with labor leaders in other industries comes on the heels of a few years of labor strife. Clark pointed to the contentious return-to-play negotiations after the 2020 COVID shutdown and last winter’s lockout as reasons for affiliating with the AFL-CIO.

Brewers Place Eric Lauer On 15-Day Injured List

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The Brewers placed left-hander Eric Lauer on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation.  The placement is retroactive to September 8.  Right-hander Trevor Kelley was called up to take Lauer’s spot on the active roster.

Milwaukee has essentially gone all season without its rotation at full strength, and the injuries have now started to mount up as the Brewers chase an NL wild card berth.  Lauer joins Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby as starters on the IL, leaving the Brew Crew with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Adrian Houser, and Jason Alexander as the provisional starting four.  No immediate decision needs to be made about a rotation replacement since the Brewers have off-days on both Monday and Thursday, but Triple-A hurler Ethan Small is the only other pitcher currently in the organization who has made a start for Milwaukee this season.

With two solid seasons under his belt now, Lauer has emerged as a stable member of the Brewers rotation.  The southpaw has a 3.91 ERA over 145 innings this year, albeit with a below-average 22.8% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate.  In fact, Statcast metrics across the board weren’t very favorable to Lauer in either 2021 or 2022, and it seems as though Lauer has benefited from a .257 BABIP.  His 3.58 ERA since the start of the 2021 season is over half a run lower than his 4.19 SIERA.

Still, the bottom-line results are more than enough for a fourth or fifth starter, and prior to this elbow problem, Lauer had also been a pretty stable source of innings amidst several other injuries that sidelined Milwaukee starters.  Losing Lauer and Peralta will further tax an already-struggling Brewers staff — since August 1, Brewers pitchers have a cumulative 1.2 fWAR, the sixth-lowest total of any pitching corps in baseball.  This has contributed to the Brewers’ major slide from NL Central contenders to outside the postseason bracket altogether, 3.5 games behind the Phillies for the last wild card slot.

Padres Activate Pierce Johnson From 60-Day Injured List, Designate Matt Beaty

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The Padres made a series of transactions prior to today’s game, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).  Right-hander Pierce Johnson was activated from the 60-day injured list, right-hander Reiss Knehr was optioned to Triple-A, catcher Austin Nola was activated off the paternity list, and infielder/outfielder Matt Beaty was designated for assignment.

Johnson appeared in six games in April before heading to the IL with tendinitis in his right forearm.  While the bright side is that forearm issue didn’t result in a longer-term injury like a Tommy John surgery, Johnson still ended up missing most of the 2022 season, costing the Padres a key bullpen arm and costing Johnson a chance to build himself a nice platform for his entry into free agency this winter.  Still, the right-hander has time to play an important role down the stretch as San Diego looks to secure a wild card berth.

After playing with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan in 2019, Johnson returned to Major League Baseball when he signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Padres in January 2020.  That contract then become a three-year, $7MM pact when the Padres exercised their club option on Johnson for 2022 — essentially a no-brainer decision given Johnson’s solid work (3.22 ERA, 31.6% strikeout rate) over 58 2/3 innings in 2021.

Beaty also spent time on the 60-day IL this season, with a shoulder impingement limiting him to only 20 games.  Beaty was a solid part-time/bench player for the Dodgers in 2019-21, but Los Angeles designated him for assignment in March, and Beaty landed with the Padres in a rare trade between the two NL West rivals.  It’s safe to say that the injury derailed Beaty’s season, as he has only a .333 OPS over 47 plate appearances.

With these struggles in mind, teams might be wary of claiming Beaty off the DFA wire, though his roughly league-average production as a Dodger could sway teams in need of a left-handed hitter.  Beaty also brings some versatility in the field, as he has experience at both corner outfield and corner infield positions.

Mets Place Starling Marte On 10-Day Injured List

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The Mets have placed Starling Marte on the 10-day injured list, with the placement backdated to September 6.  Marte’s IL stint opens a roster spot for prospect Mark Vientos, whose promotion was reported earlier today.

Marte hasn’t played since Tuesday, when he suffered a partial, non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger after being hit by a pitch by Pirates righty Mitch Keller.  New York delayed in placing Marte on the IL in the hopes that he could recover enough to return to the lineup without an extended absence, but Marte still seemed very limited in terms of baseball activities.  Newsday’s Tim Healey wrote prior to Friday’s game, Marte only “participated lightly in pregame drills” without any throwing or swinging.

The veteran outfielder will now get a full week off to recuperate, though given the nature of the injury, it isn’t a given that Marte will spend only the minimum amount of time on the injured list.  The Mets surely don’t want to rush Marte back and risk further injury, which would then possibly put Marte’s availability for the playoffs in question.  While the Mets are in a tight race with the Braves for the NL East title, the Mets are basically a lock to reach the postseason as at least a wild card team, and Marte will be a big part of any push throughout October.

Through 505 plate appearances, Marte is hitting .292/.347/.468 with 16 homers.  This translates to a 134 wRC+, tying the career-best mark Marte posted just last season.  Marte was named to his second All-Star roster earlier this summer.  It has been an immediate impact for Marte in Queens, and the Mets’ four-year, $78MM free agent deal with the outfielder back in November currently looks like one of the winter’s wisest investments.

Tyler Naquin has taken over in right field in Marte’s absence, and it seems likely that the left-handed hitting Naquin and the right-handed hitting Darin Ruf will work in a platoon until Marte is able to return.  The two trade deadline acquisitions have pronounced splits over their careers, and for 2022, Naquin is hitting .264/.329/.495 in 228 PA against righties, while Ruf has slashed .224/.329/.455 in 167 PA against southpaws.

Mets To Promote Mark Vientos

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The Mets are set to call up infield prospect Mark Vientos, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Vientos is already on New York’s 40-man roster, having been selected in November of 2021 to protect him from the Rule 5 draft that eventually was canceled by the lockout. That means the club will only need to open a spot on the active roster in terms of corresponding moves.

Vientos, 22, was a second-round pick of the Mets, getting selected 59th overall in 2017. He got into some rookie ball games that year and fared well, despite still just being 17 years old. Going into 2018, Baseball America ranked him as the #6 prospect in the Mets system. Since then, Vientos has been creeping up the minor league ladder, largely holding steady in the 4-6 range in the organization, per BA’s rankings.

After the pandemic wiped out the minors in 2020, Vientos got assigned to Double-A in 2021. In 72 games with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, he hit 22 home runs and produced an overall batting line of .281/.346/.580. He also struck out in 28.4% of his plate appearances, but it was still impressive enough for Vientos to get a call-up to Triple-A in September.

He returned to the Syracuse Mets here in 2022, getting into 101 games so far on the season. He’s hit another 24 home runs and slashed .280/.358/.519. He’s still going down on strikes at a high rate, with a 28.6% mark for the year. Nonetheless, his overall production with the bat has been 29% better than league average, as evidenced by his 129 wRC+. He’ll now get a chance to bring some of that tremendous power up to the big leagues with him. He’ll be making his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Although Vientos has played some first base this season, he’s primarily been slotted in at third, which is probably where he’s most likely to take the field since Pete Alonso has first base covered. The Mets already tried promoting a prospect to cover third when they brought up Bretty Baty. Unfortunately, he had to undergo thumb surgery and might be done for the season. He and Luis Guillorme are both on the injured list at the moment, though Guillorme is rehabbing and could return soon. With those two on the shelf, Eduardo Escobar has been at the hot corner. He’s been hot lately but still below average on the season overall, slashing .231/.282/.408, wRC+ of 95.

There’s also the possibility of Vientos being deployed as a designated hitter, where the Mets have been using a platoon of Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf. The left-handed-hitting Vogelbach is doing fine but Ruf is struggling with his part of the deal. Since being acquired from the Giants, he’s hitting just .156/.200/.222. Since Vientos is right-handed, he could take some at-bats away from Ruf. However he’s deployed, the Mets will be hoping Vientos provides a spark to help them in a divisional race that has tightened significantly of late. They had a 10 1/2 game lead in the NL East in early June but have since been passed by a surging Atlanta club that is now half a game ahead.

Giants Release Dominic Leone

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The Giants have placed right-hander Dominic Leone on release waivers, per Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News.

Leone, 30, has had some good seasons and some not-so-good seasons in his career, spending time with Seattle, Arizona, Toronto, St. Louis and Cleveland, prior to signing a minor league deal with the Giants in December of 2020. Leone got called up to the big leagues in June of 2021 and was very strong the rest of the way. He registered a 1.51 ERA over 53 2/3 innings with a 22.8% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 47.5% ground ball rate.

Based on that strong campaign, the Giants retained Leone via arbitration, agreeing to a $2.25MM salary. Everything seemed to be going fine for a while, with Leone sitting on a 2.45 ERA in early July. However, he put up a 6.30 ERA since July 5, pushing his season-long mark to 4.01.

Leone was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday due to elbow inflammation, which perhaps explains his diminished results in recent weeks. With just over three weeks remaining in the season, he wasn’t likely to make a meaningful contribution down the stretch, even if he returned after a minimum stay on the IL. It seems the Giants will nudge him off the roster and give him a headstart on free agency, which he was bound for this winter anyway. By doing so, the club will clear a spot on their 40-man roster. Given Leone’s injury and salary, he’s sure to clear release waivers. At that point, he would be free to sign with any team, though he wouldn’t be able to pitch in the postseason, even if he is healthy. Teams can only brings players that were in their organization prior to September 1 onto their playoff rosters.

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