MLBTR Chat Transcript: Jays, Ryu, Soto, BoSox, Cole, Braves
Click here for the transcript of tonight’s baseball livechat, moderated by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk
Poll: Who Will Be The AL’s Wild Card Teams?
The Twins hold a 2.5-game lead over the Indians in the AL Central after today’s action, and in addition to fighting for the division crown, both clubs are desperately trying to avoid facing even more competition in the AL wild card hunt. Cleveland (74-51) is currently in possession of the top wild card spot, with the Rays (73-52) in the second slot, just a game behind.
Despite taking three of four games from the Astros, the Athletics are still 7.5 games behind Houston in the AL West, leaving the wild card as Oakland’s most realistic shot at a postseason berth. The A’s (71-53) are 1.5 games behind the Rays.
Had this poll been posted even a couple of days ago, the Red Sox would likely have been omitted, yet a five-game winning streak merits them a mention. Boston (67-59) is still 6.5 games behind Tampa Bay, and don’t have many head-to-head opportunities remaining against their division rivals, as the Sox and Rays only play four more times this season. The Red Sox do have a three-game set against Minnesota on September 3-5 at Fenway Park.
The Twins have six critical September games lined up against the Tribe, but beyond those two series, Minnesota has a clear advantage over Cleveland in terms of benefiting from their weak division. Twenty-six of the Twins’ remaining 38 games are against the White Sox, Royals, and Tigers, while the Indians only face the AL Central’s lesser lights 16 times in their final 37 games.
It all adds up to a wild final six weeks of action, particularly since injuries, roster shuffles, and players on both incredible hot streaks and cold streaks continue to change the narrative on a near-daily basis. In particularly, all three non-AL Central teams face looming questions about their pitching staffs. Can the A’s get their long-awaited influx of young pitching reinforcements once multiple arms return from the injured list? Can the Rays get by three-fourths of their regular rotation (Blake Snell, Yonny Chirinos, Tyler Glasnow) still hurt? Can the Red Sox mount a late-season comeback even as their own inconsistent rotation has suffered perhaps a critical blow?
Which two teams do you think will emerge from the fray to play in the one-game Wild Card playoff in October? (Poll link for app users)
Which two teams will win the AL wild cards?
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Rays/AL Central runner-up 41% (5,523)
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Athletics/AL Central runner-up 23% (3,072)
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Rays/Athletics 21% (2,845)
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Red Sox/AL Central runner-up 7% (877)
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Rays/Red Sox 5% (704)
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Athletics/Red Sox 3% (445)
Total votes: 13,466
Prospect Notes: Lux, Adell, Dalbec, Hall
As Gavin Lux continues to shred Triple-A pitching, it isn’t yet clear if the star prospect will make his Dodgers debut in 2019, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman simply said “I don’t know” when asked about the possibility of a Lux promotion, as Friedman cited considerations like finding room for Lux on the 40-man roster while juggling the roster status of other players returning from the injured list. “I think more of our mental energy is being spent on how to configure our pitching staff (for the postseason) more than our position players that are doing pretty well,” Friedman said.
Lux entered today’s action hitting an unfathomable .415/.497/.768 over 191 plate appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City (not to mention “only” a .313/.375/.521 slash line in 291 PA at Double-A before his latest promotion). While he has spent much of his pro career at shortstop, Lux has also seen a lot of action at second base, which would be his logical position both in the event of a September call-up and probably for the future, since Corey Seager isn’t leaving L.A. anytime soon. Then again, the Dodgers’ list of second base candidates is also long — Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez are expected to return from the IL on Tuesday, Jedd Gyorko and Kristopher Negron are utility options, and Max Muncy needs an everyday role if the Dodgers continue to deploy Cody Bellinger at first base. Interestingly, Friedman hinted that Lux could potentially join the Dodgers in a non-roster capacity in September, traveling with the team and learning the ropes of being a big leaguer without actually being on the active roster.
Here’s some more on some of the game’s stars of the future…
- There’s more clarity on a heralded youngster on Los Angeles’ other team, as the Angels currently aren’t planning to call Jo Adell up for his first taste of MLB action in September, Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets. Prospect ranking outlets have Adell as a consensus top-four minor leaguer in the sport, though preseason ankle and hamstring injuries kept him from making his 2019 debut until May 24, and he has only a modest .233/.303/.317 slash line over 67 plate appearances in his first stint at Triple-A. As a result, the Angels look to give Adell more seasoning and some time at winter ball before looking to promote him to the majors. It has been widely speculated that Adell could be an everyday member of the Halos’ outfield as early as Opening Day 2020, as Kole Calhoun is a free agent this offseason.
- Could the Red Sox go with a youth movement at first base next season? Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe wonders if this could be the case, as since Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce will both be free agents, the Sox could turn to either Michael Chavis or top prospect Bobby Dalbec. Abraham notes that while Chavis has played a lot of second base this season, the keystone is “probably not a long-term position for him,” and thus Chavis could be used at first base, in the outfield, all over the diamond as a super-utility player, or potentially even as an offseason trade chip to add pitching. A fourth-rounder for Boston in the 2016 draft, Dalbec (ranked 92nd on Baseball America’s list of the game’s top 100 prospects) has steadily climbed through the farm system and is now hitting well over his first two weeks at Triple-A. Dalbec was originally drafted as a third baseman, but has increasingly seen more time at first base thanks to Rafael Devers establishing himself at the hot corner for the Sox. While Devers and Xander Bogaerts have the left side of Boston’s infield locked down for the foreseeable future, the right side is much more in flux, between Moreland and Pearce possibly leaving and the continued uncertainty about whether Dustin Pedroia will ever be able to play again. The Red Sox are likely to explore the market for first base and second base options this offseason, and Chavis will certainly be in the conversation at either position, Dalbec could also be an important piece of the team’s puzzle for 2020.
- Orioles left-handed pitching prospect D.L. Hall has been shut down for the season following a left lat strain, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports (Twitter link). While the injury isn’t considered serious, Hall won’t have enough time to get back before the Orioles’ A-ball affiliate in Frederick completes its season. The 21st overall pick of the 2017 draft, Hall has a 3.46 ERA and 12.9 K/9 over 80 2/3 innings for Frederick this season, though with a troubling 6.0 BB/9. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Hall 35th in his midseason top-50 prospects list and Baseball America has Hall 38th in their top 100 list, while MLB.com (62) and Fangraphs (63) are just a touch less bullish on his promise.
Felix Hernandez Nearing Return
Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez could be activated as early as next weekend, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. He is scheduled to make a rehab start with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate on Monday, which would put the 33-year-old on track to rejoin the Seattle rotation on Saturday or Sunday, assuming no setbacks.
With the Mariners squarely outside of the playoff picture, the veteran Hernandez won’t be returning to contribute to a playoff contender, something he has missed for his entire career. Instead, it looks as if King Felix will be playing with an eye on his future in the Majors. Playing out the last of a seven-year deal, Hernandez is slated to reach free agency at season’s end, though he won’t be the commodity that would’ve captivated teams less than a decade ago. Indeed, he may not be a lock to receive a guaranteed contract.
Since inking that extension prior to 2013, Hernandez has seen his performance decline from a Hall of Fame trajectory to that of a borderline rotation piece. After eclipsing 200 innings pitched in eight consecutive seasons from 2008-15, Felix has suffered injuries that have only hastened his undoing. That fall from grace has come to a head this season, where the Mariners icon has mustered a 6.52 ERA, albeit in just eight starts. Of course, with a return seemingly on the horizon, King Felix should get several chances to reverse his fortune and finish his Mariners tenure on a high note.
King Felix’s decline has been well-documented, but it’s undeniable the impact that he has had on the Mariners organization and baseball’s landscape as a whole. Needless to say, followers of the Mariners and other teams alike would like to see the former Cy Young Award winner continue to pitch in the big leagues in hopes that he can reinvent himself into a serviceable rotation piece. On the one hand, one might point to cases like Justin Verlander or Charlie Morton, pitchers who have enjoyed renaissances at an advanced age; at 33, one would think there’s something left in the tank for Felix. On the other hand, there’s considerable mileage on Hernandez’s right arm: debuting at 19, he’s accumulated nearly 2700 innings pitched at the Major League level, fourth among active pitchers and significantly more than most of his contemporaries logged through their age-33 seasons.
Cubs Activate Craig Kimbrel
The Cubs have activated closer Craig Kimbrel from the 10-day injured list, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. He will replace Duane Underwood Jr., who has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa, on the active roster.
Kimbrel landed on the injured list with right knee inflammation, which has held him out of action for the Cubs since August 3. Since joining the Cubs, he’s gotten into 14 games with shaky results. He holds a 5.68 ERA, though that mark is certainly volatile, with Kimbrel having tossed just 12 2/3 innings. Notably, 10 of his last 11 appearances have been scoreless, though a number of blowups—largely at the hands of untimely home runs—have inflated his run-prevention numbers.
For the scuffling Cubs, the addition of Kimbrel to the bullpen mix should quell some nerves, especially considering the team’s recent struggles in the late innings. Kimbrel’s Chicago troubles notwithstanding, his extensive track record suggests that he’s a cut above the club’s other late-inning options, which will no doubt come into play as the division race intensifies—with the Cubs no longer pacing the field, for a change.
Underwood, for his part, has flashed some potential as a bullpen piece for the Cubs, having struck out 7 batters in his first 3 1/3 innings of 2019. While that pace is no doubt unsustainable, it may be enough to suggest that Underwood can carve out a role in a Major League bullpen after seven-plus years being groomed as a professional starter.
Rockies’ Scott Oberg Likely Out For Season
The Rockies announced today that they have placed closer Scott Oberg on the 10-day injured list with blood clots in his right arm. To take his spot on the active roster, right-hander DJ Johnson has been recalled from Triple-A.
The Athletic’s Nick Groke adds that Oberg has undergone a procedure to dissolve the clot, which will likely keep the 29-year-old out of action for the remainder of the season. In Oberg’s absence, Wade Davis will be reinstalled as the Rockies’ closer, a role that he relinquished only about two weeks ago. Oberg also saw his 2016 season end prematurely due to the same issue, which required two surgeries and roughly three months away from baseball activities. He was able to pitch a full season in 2017.
Oberg has quietly established himself as the Rockies’ finest reliever over the last two seasons, a span over which he has posted a cumulative 2.35 ERA in 114 2/3 innings pitched. He’s recorded five saves since supplanting Davis as the Rockies’ ninth-inning man. Following the season, he will be eligible for arbitration for the first time, which should earn him a solid payday for his efforts over the last two years.
Johnson, a 29-year-old righty, will get another crack at the big league level with Oberg sidelined. The former has appeared in 14 games for the Rockies this year, though the results have not been promising. He’s walked 11 batters—more than the 10 he has struck out—in 11 2/3 innings. His Triple-A track record is considerably more impressive, as he’s struck out 12.2 batters per nine innings this season in the Pacific Coast League, which could lend itself to some optimism for Johnson’s potential as a Major League reliever. Of course, he’s had limited exposure at the top level, so there’s time for him to figure it out, and he should have a fine opportunity to do so over the season’s final month and a half.
Giants Designate Travis Bergen, Recall Abiatal Avelino
The Giants have designated left-handed pitcher Travis Bergen for assignment and have recalled infielder Abiatal Avelino, according to Maria Guardado of MLB.com.
Bergen, 25, was selected by the Giants in last December’s Rule 5 Draft after spending the first four years of his professional career in the Blue Jays organization. If he clears waivers, the Giants will need to offer him back to his former employer—of course, the Blue Jays are not required to accept Bergen back into the fold, in which case the Giants could keep Bergen in their organization.
In his first taste of Major League action, Bergen has appeared in 21 games for the Giants, striking out 18 batters in 19 2/3 innings. Those numbers have in part led to a 5.55 FIP, which backs his overall 5.49 ERA. With Bergen no longer on the roster, top prospect Logan Webb looks like a good bet to stick around for an extended look, especially after an impressive debut.
Meanwhile, Avelino is slated to make his first big league appearance of 2019 after a six-game Major League stint in September of 2018. One of the fruits of the trade that sent Andrew McCutchen to the Yankees, the 24-year-old Avelino has spent the entire season in Triple-A. With a .771 season OPS, he’s regarded as the Giants’ No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline, which touts his arm strength from the shortstop position and his defensive versatility.
Astros Place Aledmys Diaz On IL, Activate Brad Peacock
The Astros have placed infielder Aledmys Diaz on the 10-day injured list, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Per The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan, Cy Sneed has been recalled to replace Diaz on the active roster, while Brad Peacock has also been activated from the injured list.
While there’s no official diagnosis for Diaz, Rome reports (via Twitter) that the 29-year-old was placed on the injured list after an incident on Saturday ended with Diaz in the hospital. Per manager AJ Hinch, the shortstop is in better health on Sunday and will travel with the team following today’s game.
With Sneed added to the roster, the Astros will carry nine relievers for the time being, a roster construction that will likely hold up very briefly, as Sneed could be replaced by a position player such as Myles Straw or Jack Mayfield.
Peacock, meanwhile, has not pitched for the Astros since June 27, at which point he landed on the injured list with shoulder discomfort. Peacock looked on track to return in mid-July, but a rehab setback prevented him from being activated until today. It appears that the 31-year-old will be deployed as a reliever in the last month-plus of the season after making 15 starts for the club prior to the All-Star break. The additions of Zack Greinke and Aaron Sanchez appear to have mitigated a need that forced Peacock into a starting role after spending nearly all of last season out of the bullpen.
Indeed, Peacock’s reintroduction to the Astros’ formidable pitching staff will only strengthen one of the American League’s juggernauts. While he’s certainly been a serviceable part of the Houston rotation this season, his numbers have taken a noticeable dip from the production he showed as a reliever in 2018, including his swinging strike rate, which sits at 8.8% in 2019 as opposed to 13.5% a year ago. If returning to a bullpen role allows Peacock to revert to the form he showed last year, his late-season return could prove just as valuable as Sanchez’s emergence as a viable starter.
Reds Place Joey Votto On IL
The Reds announced today they have placed first baseman Joey Votto on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain. Brian O’Grady has been recalled to replace Votto on the 25-man roster.
So continues a shockingly difficult season for the former NL MVP. Votto’s .262/.352/.410 line is the first below-average offensive performance of his career. In an era where seemingly every hitter is a threat to launch 20 home runs, Votto’s power has taken a massive dip over the past two seasons, as he’s sitting on 12 homers for the second consecutive year. As recently as 2017, though, Votto hit 36 homers and was arguably the Senior Circuit’s best hitter.
While Votto still has elite plate discipline (albeit not quite to the levels he once did), that lack of impact has to be concerning to Cincinnati, which still owes him $107MM over the next four seasons. There’s reason to believe the 35 year-old can still be a valuable player (projections, at least, believe he’s still a quality hitter based on his track record), the end of that extension certainly doesn’t seem favorable for an organization finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult decade.
O’Grady is a 27 year-old first baseman with five career MLB plate appearances, so he’s unsurprisingly not near the top of any Reds’ farm rankings. Nevertheless, he’s had a strong run at Triple-A the past year and a half.
Nationals Likely To Activate Max Scherzer Thursday
The Nationals will likely activate ace Max Scherzer on Thursday, manager Dave Martinez tells Jamal Collier of MLB.com (via Twitter). Scherzer threw a simulated game yesterday and came out unscathed.
Of course, a Scherzer return will be a boon to a Washington club holding onto a 2.5 game in the Wild Card standings. The Nats just lost their closer and have one of the game’s worst bullpens, so their starting rotation takes on outsized importance. Scherzer, meanwhile, remains arguably baseball’s best pitcher. His 2.41 ERA is tied for second leaguewide (minimum 100 innings), while his combination of strikeouts (35.3%) and walks (4.7%) is the best in MLB. Scherzer’s been among the best pitchers of this decade, having accrued 200+ innings with an ERA of 3.15 or below every year between 2013 and 2018. While the injuries will keep him from that 200 inning mark this season, he remains dominant as ever on a rate basis, making his return one of the most noteworthy around the league as we approach the season’s stretch run.