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Kirby Yates To Miss “Multiple Weeks” With Flexor Strain

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Blue Jays right-hander Kirby Yates is expected to miss “multiple weeks” due to a flexor-pronator strain in his throwing arm, the team announced.  (MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson was among those to report the news.)

Signed to a one-year, $5.5MM deal in January, Yates was expected to provide some veteran experience at the back of Toronto’s bullpen, projected to get the bulk of save opportunities given his past track record.  Yates was arguably baseball’s best reliever from 2018-19, posting a 1.67 ERA and 39.02% strikeout rate over 123 2/3 innings and racking up 53 saves.  In 2019, Yates received an All-Star selection and finished ninth in NL Cy Young Award voting.

2020 was a lost year, however, as Yates made just six appearances before undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his throwing elbow.  More will be known about this latest injury after further examination, and naturally any sort of elbow problem is cause for concern, particularly given that Yates already has a Tommy John surgery on his record.  He underwent that procedure way back in 2006, which resulted in Yates not being drafted and led to the righty beginning his pro career by signing a free agent deal with the Rays in 2009.

The Jays were certainly hoping that a healthy Yates would return to his All-Star form, but his absence now leaves a void in the ninth inning.  Jordan Romano and Rafael Dolis are the most logical candidates to serve as closer, or the Blue Jays might approach the role on a situational basis and use Romero, Dolis, and other pitchers for save situations depending on matchups.

In the bigger picture, Yates’ injury is another ominous loss to the Blue Jays’ pitching mix.  Nate Pearson won’t be in the rotation to begin the season due to a groin injury, while the club is also still awaiting word on Thomas Hatch’s forearm/elbow problem.  With a number of question marks in the rotation, a deep and productive bullpen was even more of a must for the Jays, but the relief corps is now down two arms in Yates and Hatch for the time being.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/22/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Rangers announced that right-hander Joe Gatto has been outrighted to Triple-A.  The 25-year-old Gatto was a second-round pick for the Angels in the 2014 draft and he spent his entire career in the Halos organization before signing a Major League contract with Texas back in December.  Gatto will receive $570.5K in guaranteed salary though he has yet to pitch in the big leagues, posting a 4.80 ERA and 18.3% strikeout rate over 448 1/3 career innings in the minors.  The move opens up a 40-man roster spot that could be filled by one of many non-roster invitees (i.e. Ian Kennedy, Matt Bush, Charlie Culberson, Hunter Wood) in the Rangers’ camp, and the team may have more 40-man moves in the offing to accommodate several of these players.

Indians Hire Dan Otero In Baseball Operations Role

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The Indians have hired former reliever Dan Otero for a job in their baseball operations department, The Athletic’s Zack Meisel reports (Twitter link).  Otero will work with advanced scouting, beginning a new chapter in a baseball career that spanned eight Major League seasons from 2012-19.

Selected by the Giants in the 21st round of the 2007 draft, Otero went on to post a 3.39 ERA/3.16 SIERA over 403 2/3 innings and 358 games in the big leagues.  Armed with only a 90mph fastball and lacking the big strikeout numbers (a career 15.8K%) or spin rates that usually define modern relievers, Otero nonetheless established himself as an effective bullpen weapon.

Otero issued only 56 walks during his career, resulting in a superb 3.4BB% — the second-lowest walk rate of any pitcher with at least 400 innings pitched from 2012-19.  Within those same parameters, Otero also had the seventh-best grounder rate (57.7%) of any pitcher, thanks in large part to his ability to limit hard contact.

The right-hander made his MLB debut with the Giants in 2012 before moving on to pitch three seasons with the A’s, and then four seasons in Cleveland from 2016-19.  That stint with the Tribe included some big innings during the team’s 2016 postseason run, as Otero posted a 2.70 ERA over 6 2/3 playoff frames.  Otero was also a member of the Phillies and Yankees organizations during his career but never made any big league appearances with either team — his last contract was a minor league deal with the Yankees last year, though he was placed on the restricted list prior to the season.

MLBTR congratulates Otero on a fine career and we wish him the best in his new role.

Jose Leclerc To Miss “Extended Time” With Elbow Soreness

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Rangers closer Jose Leclerc is suffering from elbow soreness that will cause the righty to miss “extended time,” according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) and multiple reporters.  Leclerc has already left the Rangers’ Spring Training camp and headed to Texas for further examination.  In more unfortunate injury news, southpaws Joely Rodriguez and Brett Martin will also begin the season on the injured list, though their absences aren’t expected to last as long.

With Jonathan Hernandez already out through at least the first part of April due to a UCL sprain, Leclerc’s injury represents another long-term hit to the Texas bullpen.  Any mention of an elbow problem naturally raises the concern of Tommy John surgery, which would keep the 27-year-old Leclerc out of action until midway through the 2022 season.

This is the second significant injury in as many years for Leclerc, who pitched in only two games last season due to a tear of his right teres muscle.  His return to action was marked by a late arrival at camp due to visa issues, and then Leclerc didn’t have his usual velocity over 3 2/3 Cactus League outings, which perhaps isn’t unexpected as he was rebuilding his arm strength.

Despite it all, Leclerc was the provisional favorite to enter the season as the Texas closer.  He was first promoted to the job back in 2018, during a season that saw Leclerc post a 1.56 ERA/2.60 SIERA and a whopping 38.1K% (eighth-highest of any pitcher in baseball with at least 50 IP) over 57 2/3 frames out of the Rangers’ bullpen.  His performance took a step back in 2019, due in part to both an increase in walks and a big decrease in batted-ball luck (a .306 BABIP in 2019, as opposed to a .211 BABIP in 2018), but it should be noted that most of Leclerc’s struggles that year were contained to the month of April.

Prior to that 2019 season, Leclerc signed a contract extension that paid him a guaranteed $14.75MM through the 2022 season, with the Rangers holding club options on his services for both 2023 ($6MM, $750K buyout) and 2024 ($6.25MM, $500K buyout).  While not a huge financial investment, this extension will end up looking like something of a bust for Texas should the worst come to pass and Leclerc does require TJ surgery.

Rodriguez (sprained ankle) and Martin (back) haven’t yet pitched during Spring Training, but both left-handers could end up spending a relatively short time on the IL, perhaps even just a minimal 10-day absence.  Their returns will be greatly welcomed by a Rangers bullpen that is now suddenly thin on arms.  It remains to be seen who will be the first choice for save with both Leclerc and Hernandez out, and the role could fall to minor league signings Ian Kennedy or Matt Bush.

Quick Hits: Padres, Reds, Yankees

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Dinelson Lamet will not be ready to join the opening day rotation, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). On the plus side, he will get his first Cactus League start on Wednesday. That should get him on track to join the rotation at some point in April. The Padres have plenty of depth to work around Lamet’s absence, especially because of the delayed Triple-A season. In fact, slow-playing Lamet’s return not only benefits the right-hander, but it opens an opportunity for Adrian Morejon to get a start or two before the Triple-A season begins. Elsewhere around the game…

  • Reds owner Bob Castellini spoke recently with Paul Daugherty on the Reds Beat Podcast about a number of topics, including the Reds chances to win the National League Central. Castellini sees a division that the Reds can win. Castellini also said that he never expected that the Reds could be players for Trevor Bauer in free agency. He also gave the team’s reasoning for moving some key bullpen pieces this winter, “We have no idea what the financial aspects of this season is going to be — before, during or after. We have at least two very fine relievers that are possible closers: Sims and Garrett. Maybe even more. For instance, if Michael Lorenzen doesn’t start, he’s another very top reliever. We have five left-handed relievers. We are not trying to understand what’s going to happen financially this year, but we wanted to … keep a little in reserve in case we needed it when we needed it. We feel like our bullpen’s going to be all right. Better than all right.”
  • The assumption for the past few weeks has been that the Yankees are trying to decide between Jay Bruce and Mike Tauchman for their final bench spot. The latest from Andy Martino of sny.tv suggests that both might be in a position to make the opening day roster. Rather than DFA Tauchman and risk losing him to waivers, the Yankees are considering optioning infielder Tyler Wade instead. The Yankees have started trying out Gio Urshela at shortstop should they need him to serve as their reserve infielder in an emergency basis. Who, exactly, would step in for Urshela at third in that circumstance isn’t entirely clear. In the unlikely event that Bruce and Tauchman both made the team, Kyle Higashioka and Brett Gardner would make up the rest of the bench. Presumably, Wade will need to be on this roster sooner rather than later, even if the Yankees use his option to give some extra time to the Bruce vs. Tauchman debate.

Injury Notes: Engel, Lorenzen, Antone, Reds, Kelly

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Adam Engel will begin the season the injured list, as White Sox manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times) that Engel will miss “at least a couple of weeks” due to a right hamstring strain.  Long known for his glovework moreso than his bat, Engel hit .295/.333/.477 over 93 plate appearances in 2020, and was projected to serve as Chicago’s fourth outfielder this year, also getting his share of right field platoon duty with the left-handed hitting Adam Eaton.  [UPDATE: Engel told The Athletic’s James Fegan and other reporters that his injury carries a normal recovery timeline of 2-4 weeks, though that projection will depend on how his body responds to treatment.]

Utilityman Leury Garcia could fill Engel’s role, and La Russa also mentioned three other candidates in camp — prospect Luis Gonzalez, and non-roster invitees Billy Hamilton and Nick Williams.  Mikie Mahtook is another center field-capable player with MLB experience in camp.  If Engel does make good progress before Opening Day, it’s possible his IL stint could be fairly minimal, so the Sox might just use Garcia or Gonzalez as short-term replacements rather than make a 40-man roster move to accommodate one of the players on minor league deals.

More injury situations from around baseball….

  • With Sonny Gray already slated to begin the season on the IL, two more pitching concerns arose for the Reds on Saturday.  Michael Lorenzen suffered a minor shoulder strain while pitching in an intrasquad game, and Tejay Antone ended a side session due to hip flexor irritation.  GM Nick Krall told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that “we got as good of news as possible” on the two right-handers, saying “I think we’re hopeful that both will start the season on time, but we’re still monitoring the situation.”  Lorenzen was taken out as something of a precaution, while Antone may perhaps be taken along a bit slower, considering that he was already trying to recover from a slight groin strain.  Since the Reds have two off-days in the first eight days of the schedule, they could get by with just a starting four of Luis Castillo, Wade Miley, Tyler Mahle, and Jose De Leon should Lorenzen to miss time.  If Antone is healthy and isn’t instead ticketed for the bullpen, he could also pitch as a starter rather than De Leon.
  • Brewers pitching prospect Antoine Kelly underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last November, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy writes, and it isn’t yet certain when the southpaw might be back on the mound.  “I think it’s unlikely for him to be ready by the start of the Minor League season….I think we do envision him pitching over the summer. Exactly when, we don’t know,” Milwaukee president of baseball ops David Stearns said.  Kelly was a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, and he made 10 starts (nine in rookie ball, one in A-ball) that year before working out at the Brewers’ alternate training site last summer.  Baseball America ranks Kelly as the fourth-best prospect in Milwaukee’s system, citing his plus fastball and plus slider, and saying he “has the attributes to develop into a mid-rotation or better starter.”

Royals Sign Salvador Perez To Four-Year Extension

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The Royals announced a contract extension with longtime catcher Salvador Pérez that could keep the backstop in Kansas City through the 2026 season.  The contract’s four guaranteed years will pay Pérez $18MM in 2022, $20MM apiece in 2023 and 2024, and $22MM in 2025.  There is also a club option for the 2026 season that is valued at $13.5MM with a $2MM buyout.  In total, the deal guarantees Pérez at least $82MM with the potential to max out at $93.5MM over five years if the option is exercised.  Pérez is a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council.

The 30-year-old (31 in May) is a face of the franchise, having spent his entire professional career in the Royals’ organization. A workhorse behind the plate and an instrumental piece of Kansas City’s back-to-back pennant winners and 2015 World Series team, Pérez was set for free agency after the season, but now looks to have a shot at spending his entire career in Royals blue.  He is also set to surpass ten years of service this season, locking in full no-trade protection as a player with ten years in MLB and the last five with one team (not that a trade ever looked likely).

Salvador Perez

Were he to play his entire career in Kansas City, Pérez would follow Alex Gordon as career-long Royals. Gordon’s four-year, $72MM deal from January 2016 previously stood as the largest investment in franchise history, Pérez’s extension now takes the title.

The backstop’s standing with the organization no doubt played a role in this extension, but Pérez isn’t being paid off mere nostalgia. He’s coming off the best offensive season of his career on a rate basis, having slashed .333/.353/.633 with eleven home runs over 156 plate appearances last year. Pérez won’t sustain a .345 batting average on balls in play or a .300 isolated power (slugging minus batting average), but he needn’t hit at that level to remain productive. Despite taking on a heavy workload behind the plate, Pérez hit .251/.285/.466 between 2017-18. He has some rather notable on-base deficiencies as a result of minuscule walk rates, but Pérez offers plenty of pop and has outhit most at the position.

Tommy John surgery sidelined Pérez for the entire 2019 season, but he didn’t show any ill effects last year. An eye condition led to a three-week IL stint but was never expected to be a long-term concern. Indeed, Pérez’s quality production at the plate offers reason for Royals’ brass to believe he has put those issues behind him.

Defensively, Pérez has long rated as a below-average pitch framer (although he was around average in last year’s small sample). He has helped offset some of his receiving issues with a plus arm, though, and the Kansas City brass obviously believes strongly in his leadership and softer skills behind the plate, having now reached agreements on three separate extensions with the backstop over the course of his career.

With this deal set to begin in 2022, the Royals’ payroll outlook for this season is unchanged. Pérez will make $14.2MM in 2021 under the terms of his previous extension. Kansas City’s long-term books are fairly clear. Before the Pérez extension, the Royals had just $29.75MM in guaranteed commitments next season (including buyouts of 2023 options). Two years from now, only the recently-extended Hunter Dozier joins him on the books.

Pérez had been the top catcher option scheduled to hit free agency next winter. Excluding players with club options that seem likely to be exercised, Travis d’Arnuad and Yadier Molina are now set to headline the class behind the dish.

Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star was first to report the $20.5MM average annual value (Twitter link). Alec Lewis of the Athletic first reported the existence of the club option and the deal’s specific terms (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Angels Option Jo Adell To Minors

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The Angels announced a series of Spring Training cuts tonight, as outfielder Jo Adell, infielder Matt Thaiss, southpaw Jose Suarez, and right-hander Kyle Keller were all optioned.

None of the cuts were unexpected, though it is noteworthy that Adell put in a very strong showing at the plate, posting an 1.072 OPS over 25 Cactus League plate appearances.  It would’ve likely taken an even bigger spring to convince the Angels to include Adell (who turns 22 in April) on the Opening Day roster, given how he missed an entire year of minor league development in 2020.

Adell didn’t hit well (.264/.321/.355) over 131 Triple-A plate appearances in 2019, his only taste of action at the highest minor league level.  In a normal 2020, Adell would have gotten some more Triple-A experience under his belt and then received a promotion to the big league club, though the cancellation of the minor league season meant that Adell’s development was shifted to the Angels’ alternate training site.  Adell did end up making his MLB debut, but with lackluster results — he hit just .161/.212/.266 with a whopping 55 strikeouts in 132 PA, and also didn’t look good in the outfield.

While some contractual considerations were undoubtedly at play considering Adell already had 153 days of Major League service time, an argument can certainly be made that Adell needs a bit more seasoning before his next appearance in an Angels uniform.  Los Angeles has a pair of veterans (Justin Upton and Dexter Fowler) looking for bounce-back years in the corner outfield, with Taylor Ward, Jared Walsh, and minor league signings Jon Jay, Scott Schebler, and Juan Lagares all providing further depth and platoon opportunities on the grass.  Adell and fellow top prospect Brandon Marsh are both expected to be called up at some point in 2021.

COVID Notes: 3/21/21

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The latest on COVID-19 situations throughout the league:

  • Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull looks unlikely to return to Spring Training before the end of camp due to health and safety protocols, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News).  Hinch didn’t rule out the possibility of Turnbull taking a turn in the season-opening rotation, although it seems he’s now more likely to be pushed to the back end rather than take the ball on Opening Day.
  • Joey Votto returned to Reds’ camp today after testing positive for COVID-19 eleven days ago.  The former MVP is still on Cincinnati’s COVID injured list, but has been cleared for workouts and Spring Training games. It remains to be seen whether Votto will be able to sufficiently ramp up in time for Opening Day, as Reds GM Nick Krall told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters that the team was going to let Votto “get his legs underneath him and go from there.  I can’t give you a timetable.”

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