Rockies Place Dahl On Injured List
Following a dramatic removal from last night’s contest with the Giants, Rockies outfielder David Dahl has officially been placed on the 10-day injured list with a high right ankle sprain, according to a team announcement. In a corresponding move, Colorado recalled outfielder Yonathan Daza from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Even casual NL West observers are probably aware of Dahl’s lengthy relationship with the injury bug. Though the sweet-swinging outfielder has been touted as a future offensive force since being selected 10th overall by Colorado in 2012, his only trouble has been remaining available. Dahl missed the entire 2017 season with a series of torso injuries, and just this April suffered a “left-side core injury”, that–similar to today’s news–resulted in an IL placement and a recall of the 25-year-old Daza.
That recall resulted in just 19 at-bats for Daza–19 at-bats in which the outfielder looked generally overmatched. Though no timetable has been given for Dahl’s return, it stands to reason that Daza could have a longer opportunity this time to convince skipper Bud Black that the 132 wRC+ he has posted in Triple-A this season is more than smoke and mirrors. Regardless, the All-Star Dahl will likely be missed by a Colorado group that has struggled mightily in recent weeks; their 51-59 record has them in sole possession of the NL West cellar.
Brewers Release Alex Wilson
According to an announcement from Milwaukee’s Player Development Department, the Brewers have released veteran reliever Alex Wilson. The 32-year-old had been playing with Triple-A San Antonio since being outrighted back in May.
Details are scarce on the circumstances surrounding Wilson’s release. Though he was torched 11.1 innings with Milwaukee early in the year, he had been apparently healthy and generally effective during his time in San Antonio. Through 38.0 innings, the righty had logged a sparkly 2.13 ERA–even if that marker’s shine concealed a grimy FIP of 5.46.
It will be interesting to see if contenders in search of bullpen help will come nibbling around Wilson’s name. After all, the Saudi Arabia-born Wilson is not too far removed from several years as a mainstay in the Detroit bullpen: over four Motor City seasons, he logged a combined 3.20 ERA with a 5.8 K/9 mark and a 2.1 BB/9 average. Veteran free agents like Wilson represent one of the few ways in which teams can hope to upgrade their rosters past the trade deadline nowadays, so it would not be shocking to see his name resurface in the coming weeks.
Blue Jays Place Nick Kingham On IL, Recall Yennsy Diaz
The Blue Jays have placed pitcher Nick Kingham on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain, per team announcement. Righty Yennsy Diaz will be recalled to the active roster and will be present for tonight’s game at Baltimore.
For the 27-year-old Kingham, this news comes at an especially inopportune time. Formerly a top-30 prospect with the Pirates organization, the righty was beginning to put together his first consistently effective stretch in a major league uniform following his acquisition by Toronto on June 13th. News of his injury comes on the heels of a three-inning scoreless outing on August 2nd; all told, he’s logged 21 innings of 3.00 ERA ball in Toronto, after struggling to the tune of a 6.67 ERA during two stints with Pittsburgh. Underlying metrics have still been unenthused with his north-of-the-border output, but Kingham’s endurance of an ever-tricky oblique injury is still surely an unwelcome development for the organization.
Then again, getting a look at the 22-year-old Diaz should provide something of a consolation. At 6’1, the righty doesn’t cast an imposing figure on the mound, but he’s been nonetheless praised for his plus fastball and average-or-better curve. In 112.2 Double-A innings this year, Diaz has logged a 4.15 ERA, with a 7.03 K/9 mark. He’s primarily been a starter in the minors, though his immediate role with the Toronto parent club remains to be seen.
Yankees Place Encarnacion On 10-Day Injured List
10:36pm: Encarnacion relayed to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that he hopes to be back in 3 weeks; doctors informed Encarnacion that his injury has a recovery timetable of 3-to-5 weeks (Twitter link).
5:13pm: Yankees slugger Edwin Encarnacion has landed on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist fracture, per James Wagner of The New York Times. Mike Ford has been called up from Triple-A to take Encarnacion’s active roster spot.
Encarnacion will earn the dubious distinction of being the 24th Yankee to hit the IL this season. The veteran was hit by a pitch in the first game of a double-header with the Red Sox; though initial X-rays came back negative according to reports, a subsequent CT scan revealed a fracture. Encarnacion underwent surgery in 2013 to his left wrist while a member of the Blue Jays.
For a first-place New York club, this is yet another obstacle suffered by a seemingly impervious group. The Yankees 70-39 record is astounding when considering that the squad has seen maladies both large and small sideline key contributors: Encarnacion, who has hit .223/.312/.489 since being acquired from Seattle on June 15th, will join names like Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez on an exceedingly crowded New York injured list.
For Ford, Encarnacion’s misfortune may represent a limited opportunity. The longtime New York farmhand has posted a 149 wRC+ in 349 Triple-A at-bats this season. Though he didn’t excel in a small eleven-game sample with the big club this year, he may–when considering the lengthy time off often required for wrist injuries–have a more extensive opportunity this go-around.
Twins Place Buxton, Pineda On 10-Day IL
The Twins have placed outfielder Byron Buxton and righty Michael Pineda on the 10-Day IL, the team reports. Buxton’s injury, the third that’s forced him to the IL this season, is a left shoulder subluxation, which is potentially serious and will likely sideline the former number two overall pick for at least a few weeks (per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park). Pineda strained his right triceps; the timetable for his return isn’t yet known, but the absence isn’t believed to be a lengthy one. 1B/DH C.J. Cron, reinstated from the IL, and outfielder Jake Cave were activated in their places.
It’s the latest in a series of early-career injuries for Buxton, who’d hoped to both shake the injury-prone label and deliver a productive season after a lost 2018 campaign. He’s at least cashed in on the latter, pairing a solid 110 wRC+ with his typically sensational center-field defense to post 2.6 fWAR in just 82 games for the division-leading Twins this season. The 25-year-old’s sliced his K rate to an easily-career-low 23.1% and made hard contact over 35% of the time, a near-eight percent jump from his previous career best of 27.6% in 2017. In his absence, the Twins’ll likely shift breakout star Max Kepler, 11th in MLB fWAR thus far, back to center, where he’s acquitted himself about as well as could be hoped over his young career, and have super-utilityman Marwin Gonzalez assume right-field duties.
Pineda, now 30 and no stranger himself to the DL/IL, has turned in yet another productive season for Minnesota, with identical 4.15 ERA/FIPs that, when adjusting for the suddenly-diminutive confines of Target Field, have been good for 2.0 fWAR in just 17 starts. The towering righty’s fastball velocity is down a bit this season, but still checks in at a respectable 92.6 MPH in this, the final year of a two-year, $10MM deal signed prior to the 2018 season. It’s unclear who’ll replace Pineda in the rotation – the team just sent down lefty Lewis Thorpe, and has needed only five starts from hurlers beyond the Opening-Day quintet of Pineda, Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi, and Martin Perez.
Royals Claim Jacob Barnes
The Royals have claimed righty Jacob Barnes off waivers from Milwaukee and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha, the team reports.
Though Barnes did struggle to prevent runs for the Crew this season, it’s a bit of a surprise to see the 29-year-old dangled on waivers given his stellar track record in Milwaukee. In 167 innings for the Crew since his debut in 2016, Barnes posted a very respectable 3.93 ERA/3.68 FIP, numbers which, when park-adjusted for the Brewers’ bandbox of a yard, place him firmly within reliable 7th-inning territory. Barnes’ homer rate, like so many across the league, shot up to a career-worst 1.37 per nine this season, and his command temporarily abandoned him (5.03 BB/9), but it shouldn’t be a lengthy reclamation project for the 6’2 righty.
There’s an argument to be made that Barnes is already Kansas City’s second-best reliever; his track record, anyway, is second to only longtime starter Ian Kennedy’s in its patchwork unit. His initial report to Omaha, if more than simple posturing, should end quickly: the club needs another quality arm as soon as it can get it.
Mets Claim Donnie Hart
The Mets have claimed lefty Donnie Hart off waivers from Milwaukee and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse, the team reports.
Hart, a longtime Oriole, spent much of this season with Triple-A San Antonio, where he posted a 4.10 ERA/4.29 FIP with a 55.4% grounder rate in 37 1/3 IP. Like most low-slot lefties, Hart’s been much better against same-side bats (.312 career wOBA against, compared to .334 against righties), though he’s walked nearly four of them per nine over his career. The lefty’s set down just 5.83 men per nine in 88 career big-league innings, and relies heavily on his 87 MPH sinker to generate grounders for his outs.
It’s possible Hart will soon displace the ineffective Luis Avilan as the second lefty in the Mets’ pen, though judging by the team’s high-leverage deployment of the eight-year vet, it seems higher on him than most. Lefty Justin Wilson makes up the other half of the contingent, though he can be hardly counted on to throw strikes, and fielder-independent metrics (4.66 FIP, -0.1 fWAR) haven’t been fans of his performance to date.
A’s Claim Dustin Garneau, Designate Ryan Dull
The A’s have claimed catcher Dustin Garneau off waivers from the Angels, designated righty Ryan Dull for assignment, and released injured right-hander Andrew Triggs, among other roster moves, the team reports.
Garneau, designated for assignment Wednesday by Los Angeles, had slashed a solid .232/.346/.362 (98 wRC+) in limited action so far this year. It’s a stretch that far outstrips his previous work for three other MLB organizations (including the A’s) since his debut in 2015: the 31-year-old’s previous best was the 60 wRC+ he posted in 75 PAs for the 2016 Rockies. His work behind the dish has graded out mostly average since his debut, so perhaps the bargain-hunting A’s are convinced the mini-breakout is sustainable.
Dull, 29, had a solid 2016 season for the A’s but has hovered around replacement-level since. In 9 IP for the club this season, the 5’9 righty was tagged for four bombs en route to an ugly 12.00 ERA. Dull has long posted dominant K rates in the upper minors that haven’t translated to the MLB level: the 2019 campaign marks the third Triple-A stint in which the righty’s sat down over 11 men per nine.
Triggs, 30, boasts a rare high-strikeout, high-grounder mix, but the low-slot righty hadn’t been able to comfortably rebound from a thoracic outlet surgery late last season. He’d been designated for assignment by the club on Deadline Day.
Pirates Claim Yacksel Rios
The Pirates have claimed Phillies reliever Yacksel Rios, the teams announced Saturday.
Rios, 26, has appeared in 53 games (all in relief) for the Phillies over the last three seasons. He’s flashed consistent bat-missing ability (9.00 career K/9) but has been much too homer-prone (1.96 HR/9) to firmly establish himself among the team’s late-inning options. Rios’ 96.0 average fastball velocity remains prime and perhaps represents fertile clay for new pitching coach Ray Searage to mold, but his shaky command has a long way to go.
Aside from the inimitable Felipe Vazquez, the Pittsburgh pen has been dreadfully short on production of late. Kyle Crick started strong but his again seen his command regress to pre-2018 levels, and neither Richard Rodriguez nor the volatile Keone Kela have been able to reprise past-year performances. Rios, it would seem, should be afforded a long look at some point.
Red Sox Sign Tommy Joseph To Minors Deal
The Red Sox have signed former Phillies 1B Tommy Joseph to a minors pact, MLBTR has learned. Joseph, 28, was released by the LG Twins of the KBO in mid-July.
A former second-round pick of the Giants in 2009 who was shipped to Philly in the 2012 Hunter Pence trade, Joseph made 880 plate appearances for the Fightins in 2016-17, slashing .247/.297/.460 (96 wRC+) with 43 homers. His lack of plate discipline and defensive ability held him thereafter in the minors, though, and Joseph opted for a Korea stint after a solid Triple-A season in the Rangers organization last season. For LG, Joseph posted a .274/.332/.426 line in 217 plate appearances before his July release.
Joseph’ll head to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he’ll likely spend the rest of the minor league season. A September platoon with Mitch Moreland could be in the cards, especially if current partner Sam Travis continues to perform at his languid pace.