Nick Senzel To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Reds rookie Nick Senzel is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery next week to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. A timetable for his return is not yet known.
Though it was already known that Senzel’s season would end prematurely, there were questions whether the injury would require surgery or not. Those questions, of course, have now been answered and that procedure has been scheduled for Tuesday.
While no timetable has been announced, manager David Bell expressed optimism that his young center fielder would be ready to play on Opening Day 2020.
Notably, it’s not believed that the surgery will force a return to the infield for Senzel, who was thrust into a new position in his first taste of the big leagues. For his part, he fared reasonably well in center field as a rookie, credited with -1 DRS and -1 UZR—not bad marks, all things considered (he only started playing the position in spring training). He was drafted and developed as an infielder, though opportunities at second and third base have been scarce, with Eugenio Suarez entrenched at the hot corner. With Scooter Gennett no longer in Cincinnati, there’s a need at second base, although the Reds wouldn’t have an immediate replacement for Senzel in center field in such a scenario, making that an unlikely outcome. Anyway, there’s no reason to move Senzel down the defensive spectrum if he’s shown himself a passable center fielder.
It was an up-and-down rookie season for Senzel, the former second-overall draft choice in 2016. Through July, he had posted an OPS of over .800, though a dreadful month of August dragged that number down considerably. Overall, he drew walks at a 7.3% clip, a solid rate for a rookie. He’s always been lauded for his offensive skillset, which carried him throughout the minors. While he’s yet to really make good on those evaluations, he’s only got 414 Major League plate appearances under his belt. He’s had his moments, and has in reality had just one bad month.
More concerning that his performance, though, is the laundry list of injuries that Senzel’s accrued at just age 24. He missed much of the 2018 minor-league season with a fractured finger and vertigo, then began this season on the injured list with a sprained ankle.
Rays Activate Yonny Chirinos
The Rays have activated right-hander Yonny Chirinos from the 10-day injured list, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com. He’s been on the shelf since early August, when inflammation to his middle finger forced him to the injured list.
Chirinos has enjoyed a nice sophomore season, blossoming into a full-time starter for the Rays. He was able to provide nice insurance against the injury to Tyler Glasnow and has been a reliable part of the Rays pitching staff.
In his age-25 season, Chirinos has given the Rays 126 2/3 quality innings, tallying a 3.62 ERA and a 4.16 FIP, striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings while averaging 2.0 walks. He’s settled nicely into a role as a regular starter, a change of pace after serving as a “follower” in his rookie year and for the first few outings of 2019.
However, there hasn’t yet been any indication whether Chirinos will return as a starter or reliever. He offers some flexibility, so it could go either way, but don’t expect him to offer the same length that he provided prior to the injury. As fellow starters Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell likewise work their way back from injuries, they have been strictly limited in their workloads, meaning that Chirinos could serve as a solid multi-inning option behind that pairing.
While Chirinos hasn’t posted the most promising peripheral numbers, his results have been nonetheless impressive, and the Rays will certainly welcome all the help they can get as they aim for a Wild Card berth.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Kendrick
With the Marlins reaching the vaunted 100-loss mark, CEO Derek Jeter spoke on Friday about his team’s approach to the impending offseason, with the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson speculating on what the winter may hold. This season, the club ranked second-to-last in payroll, dishing out just $70MM in total salary expenditures. However, with Martin Prado slated to hit free agency and the team likely to decline Starlin Castro‘s club option, a considerable portion of that number will come off the books following the season, leaving the Marlins with just about $31MM in guaranteed contracts for the 2020 season, per Roster Resource. That number will rise as the team inks players under team control, but the point stands that the Fish will have significant room to seek upgrades in the offseason. After a trade deadline that saw them bolster the farm system through the acquisitions of Lewin Diaz, Jazz Chisholm, and Jesus Sanchez, the Marlins now find themselves with one of the Majors’ better farm systems, featuring a solid crop of position-player prospects, though few in that group will be ready to contribute in the coming season. With that in mind, Jeter sees his team as needing to strike a balance between seeking positional upgrades and developing youngsters: “You want to give [prospects] enough time to continue to develop but you don’t want to block their way,” he said on Friday. The team has needs all over the diamond, though outfield, first base, and the bullpen stand out as perhaps the most glaring. Jackson lists a number of potential free-agent targets to keep an eye on, including big-name hitters with south Florida roots like Jose Abreu and Nicholas Castellanos; however, it remains uncertain whether the team will target big fish, since projections of increased revenue have yet to actualize, though attendance-related issues may be remedied by making a splash in the offseason.
Here are the latest tidbits from the ever-competitive NL East…
- Just over a week ago, the Mets found themselves at the heart of quite a controversy when Mets starter Noah Syndergaard expressed his proclivity for catchers not named Wilson Ramos, who has been the most productive hitter out of the Mets’ catching group. For the first time, Ramos offered his thoughts on the situation, as relayed by Mike Puma of the New York Post. Evidently, the veteran catcher isn’t bothered by the drama, understanding that there are times when pitchers feel a heightened comfort with a particular catcher. Ramos, who’s been around since 2010, is certainly no stranger to the dynamics of a big-league clubhouse and is instead choosing to focus his energy on getting the Mets into the postseason. Coming off a win last night, his club finds themselves 3.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot with nine games left to play—a deficit that, while not insurmountable, makes them a longshot to play in October. After making a pair of starts with Ramos behind the dish, Syndergaard got his wish on Wednesday, when he threw to Rene Rivera, though that combination didn’t yield much better results. With his next start scheduled to come on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see whether Mickey Callaway turns again to Ramos.
- One of the unsung heroes of the Nationals bid for the postseason has been veteran Howie Kendrick, who has excelled as a pinch-hitter and occasional infielder. As Todd Dybas of NBC Sports writes, he’s enjoying a career year that might not have happened if he weren’t under contract for 2019 following an Achilles tear suffered early last season. Of course, the free agent market has been notoriously cruel to players in their 30s, and Kendrick, 36, may not have gotten another chance in the Majors after such a significant injury. However, with a $4MM salary already in place for 2019 after inking a two-year deal with Washington, Kendrick has carved out a nice role and now projects to play an instrumental part in a potential Nats playoff run, all while setting himself up to draw interest for yet another contract this coming offseason.
Gleyber Torres Headed For MRI
11:47am: Per Hoch, the MRI on Torres’s right hamstring came back negative, revealing some good news for the Yankees. Assuming that he continues to feel better in the coming days, Torres shouldn’t be required to miss an extended period of time.
10:14am: Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres, who exited Friday’s game against the Blue Jays with an injury to his right leg after he slipped and fell on the outfield grass, will have an MRI done today on his right hamstring, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The 22-year-old Torres told skipper Aaron Boone that he felt good this morning, but the team wants to be sure that there wasn’t any serious damage incurred on the fall.
While the Yankees season has been defined by an improbable run of injured stars, Torres has been one of the few regulars that has managed to stay on his feet all year, leading the team with 140 games played. That alone makes it doubly frustrating that the budding star’s health might be compromised so late in the season. However, with Torres citing improvement today and the results of the MRI yet to come, there may well be no reason to panic.
After a fantastic rookie season in 2018, Torres has followed that up with an even better 2019, in which he has slugged 38 home runs. He’s seen his OPS jump to .889 and has even managed to hold his own at shortstop, posting respectable advanced defensive stats in more than 650 innings there. Of course, those metrics are imperfect and ought to be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s nonetheless a surprising development for a player who was forced off of shortstop and only returned as a result of injury.
With the postseason right around the corner and home-field advantage still at stake, another injury scare is surely the last thing the Yankees need in late September. However, one might at least point to the return of Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Severino, along with the impending arrivals of Edwin Encarnacion and Gary Sanchez, as silver linings in the situation.
West Notes: Lyles, Astros, Turner, Pence, A’s
Right-hander Jordan Lyles has been terrific for the Brewers since they acquired him from the Pirates prior to the July trade deadline, but he almost ended up elsewhere before Milwaukee grabbed him. The Astros showed “strong interest” in Lyles leading up to the deadline, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports in a subscription piece delving into his late-season turnaround. Lyles was a first-round pick (38th overall) of the Astros in 2008, but he was unsuccessful as a major leaguer in Houston from 2011-13. The Astros then traded Lyles to the Rockies in a deal for outfielder Dexter Fowler. Lyles has struggled with a few other teams since then, and it’s anyone’s guess whether he’d have thrived this summer had Houston gotten him instead of Milwaukee.
After losing out on Lyles, the Astros still made a couple starting pitching additions at the deadline, landing ace Zack Greinke and another righty in Aaron Sanchez. The Greinke pickup has gone swimmingly thus far, though Sanchez fell somewhat flat before suffering a season-ending injury that might also keep him out for some portion of 2020. Considering Sanchez’s situation, not to mention the pending free agencies of starters Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley, perhaps they’ll circle back to Lyles if he hits the open market in the offseason.
Let’s check in on a few other teams from the majors’ West divisions…
- A lower back strain has shelved Rangers designated hitter/outfielder Hunter Pence since Aug. 23, and though the club’s eliminated from postseason contention, he still hopes to play again this year, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com relays. Regardless of if Pence makes it back, the Rangers will have an offseason decision on whether to re-sign the soon-to-be free agent. The 36-year-old Pence, who has revived his career in Texas, said last week he’d “love” to return to the club. However, manager Chris Woodward expressed some doubt over how Pence would fit on the roster going forward. GM Jon Daniels took a similar tone Friday, telling Sullivan: “He was extremely productive on the field, and he was [a] really valuable member of the clubhouse that you would love to have back. On the other hand, how many at-bats are we going to have for a corner outfielder-DH. On the surface, as we are currently constructed, not a lot. Things could change. That’s the reality.”
- Third baseman Justin Turner will slot back into the Dodgers’ starting lineup Saturday and Sunday, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. He won’t play a full game in either case, though, according to manager Dave Roberts. A sprained left ankle has kept Turner out dating back to Sept. 7, but he’ll now have time to tune up before the Dodgers begin a potential run to the World Series in October.
- Athletics reliever Lou Trivino hasn’t pitched since Sept. 14 because of left oblique and rib soreness. It turns out Trivino suffered the injuries when he slipped in his shower, he told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday. Trivino does expect to pitch again this season, which wasn’t going according to plan for him even before his at-home accident. While the 27-year-old largely stymied opposing hitters as a rookie in 2018, he has only managed a 5.25 ERA/4.53 FIP with 8.55 K/9 and 4.65 BB/9 in 60 innings this season.
Jon Daniels, Chris Woodward On Elvis Andrus
Shortstop Elvis Andrus is one of multiple high-profile Rangers hitters to endure disappointing seasons. The low-value performances of Andrus, second baseman Rougned Odor and outfielder Nomar Mazara have put forth at least partially explain why the Rangers are on their way to a third straight sub-.500 campaign. No member of the trio entered the year with more at stake financially than Andrus, who could have seriously considered opting out of his contract with a highly productive 2019. Now, though, it would be a major surprise to see Andrus vacate the remaining three years and $43MM on the eight-year, $120MM extension he signed with Texas in 2013.
With Andrus looking likely to stay put, Rangers brass is seeking bigger contributions from the 31-year-old moving forward. The club may even push Andrus to improve by making him compete for playing time, which GM Jon Daniels and manager Chris Woodward suggested to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News could happen.
“I think [competition] would be healthy,” Daniels said. “Elvis has got to perform at a higher level. He’s capable of more and we need more.”
Woodward echoed Daniels, noting, “He knows he has to be better,” and adding that no player “is immune from [reduced roles] if they are not producing.”
Andrus did produce during the first half of the season, but like his once-contending team, he has fallen off dramatically as 2019 has progressed. After slashing .303/.339/.453 before the All-Star break, Andrus’ line has dipped to .230/.271/.293 since mid-July. At the same time, his batting average on balls in play has plummeted from .338 to .261, while his isolated power mark has sunk from .150 to a punchless .063. He’s now on the verge of logging his second consecutive well-below-average offensive campaign (though last year’s was limited by injury), having hit .272/.310/.385 (74 wRC+) with 10 home runs and 28 steals on 36 attempts over 609 plate appearances. Meantime, per Defensive Runs Saved (minus-6) and Ultimate Zone Rating (plus-1.1), Andrus has been a mixed bag in the field.
If Andrus’ season ended now, he’d set a new career low with 1.1 fWAR. Ergo, even though Andrus is due $15MM next year, it’s understandable that the Rangers don’t want to hand him a No. 1 job then. The same applies to his double-play partner, Odor, another well-compensated Ranger who has frustrated the team’s higher-ups.
Utilityman Danny Santana could push Andrus and-or Odor for playing time next year (Grant specifically mentions him as potential competition for Andrus), though it’s difficult to forecast without first seeing how the Rangers’ offseason shakes out. The club’s infield figures to be one of its primary focuses over the winter, as Texas has received less-than-stellar overall production from all of those spots. Santana and late-season call-up Nick Solak are the only players in the bunch who have produced to acceptable levels at the plate.
AL East Notes: Torres, Jays, Rays, Red Sox
Another day, another alarming health situation for the Yankees. Second baseman Gleyber Torres left the team’s game against Toronto on Friday after slipping on the outfield grass and potentially suffering an injury to his right knee (video via MLB.com). Torres initially stayed in the game in the wake of his fourth-inning fall, but the Yankees removed him after the sixth. Injuries to stars has been one of the main themes of the Yankees’ season, but they’ve weathered all of them en route to 100 wins and an American League East championship. The Yankees are still playing for homefield advantage throughout the postseason, though, and will obviously aim for a World Series title once the playoffs arrive. With that in mind, New York can ill afford to lose one of the best middle infielders in baseball in the 22-year-old Torres. [UPDATE: Torres “felt a little weak in his lower legs,” manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and other reporters. He’ll get checked out Saturday.]
Here’s more from the division…
- Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun profiles Justin Smoak‘s evolution into a clubhouse leader and mentor for the Blue Jays’ wave of upstart talents. Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are among the teammates who effuse praise for Smoak and the impact he’s already had on their young careers. “He’s a guy who has a relationship with every single guy in this locker room, no matter if they’re an up-and-down guy or if they’re playing every day,” Biggio says of Smoak. “It just shows how much he emphasizes being a good teammate and it just shows the kind of person he is overall.” Smoak fondly reminisces of the 2015-16 playoff runs and discusses how he and his family have come to consider Toronto a second home, though he also sounds like a veteran who recognizes the writing on the wall. MLBTR examined the pending free agent’s 2019 season earlier Friday.
- The Rays are likely to activate right-hander Yonny Chirinos from the injured list Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Chirinos has been a starter for most of the year (a solid one at that), but he’ll work as a reliever for at the least the initial part of his return, according to Topkin. The Rays have been without Chirinos since they placed him on the IL on Aug. 5 with an inflamed middle finger on his pitching hand.
- The Red Sox are “likely” to shut injured infielder Michael Chavis down for the season, per Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald. Chavis will next take the field during winter ball in Puerto Rico, Hewitt adds. An oblique strain has kept the 22-year-old Chavis out of action since Aug. 11, and it appears his rookie campaign will end with a .254/.322/.444 line and 18 home runs in 382 plate appearances.
- Blue Jays minor league righty Luis Quinones received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drugs Nandrolone, John Lott of The Athletic reports. The ban will take effect at the beginning of the 2020 season. The 21-year-old Quinones was a 34th-round pick of the Jays this past June who produced stellar results in 36 2/3 innings between the rookie and low-A levels. He wrapped up his first professional season with a 2.95 ERA and 14.0 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9.
Diamondbacks To Activate Luke Weaver On Saturday
Diamondbacks right-hander Luke Weaver will return from the injured list Saturday to start in San Diego, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. Because he’s on the 60-day IL, the D-backs will need to re-add Weaver to their 40-man roster, though they currently have an opening.
Saturday’s outing will be the first since May 26 for Weaver, whom forearm and UCL issues have kept out of action for almost four months. The 26-year-old was outstanding up to that point, as he notched a 3.03 ERA/3.10 FIP with 9.82 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 over 62 1/3 innings. That was undoubtedly the type of production the Diamondbacks had in mind when they acquired Weaver from the Cardinals last offseason as part of their return for first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
The fact that Weaver’s on his way back this year won’t impact the Diamondbacks’ playoff chances, as the 78-75 club has all but fallen out of contention. But if Weaver can end the season on a healthy note, it would give the team something to hang its hat on going into the winter. Weaver, Zac Gallen (who has thrived since joining Arizona at this year’s trade deadline), Robbie Ray (if the D-backs don’t deal him), Taijuan Walker (who should be back from Tommy John surgery and shoulder issues) and Merrill Kelly ought to give the Snakes’ rotation a solid foundation entering 2020.
Sam Dyson’s Season In Jeopardy
SEPT. 20: Dyson indicated Friday that he’s likely to undergo surgery next week, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
SEPT. 14, 4:10pm: Indeed, Miller reported that season-ending shoulder surgery is on the table for Dyson, who felt pain in his shoulder just two pitches into a bullpen session on Friday. Per Miller, the Twins’ midseason acquisition underwent a procedure that pointed to a joint capsule sprain in Dyson’s right shoulder, which may call for Dyson to go under the knife.
11:20am: More bad news today from the suddenly snakebitten Minnesota Twins. Trade deadline acquisition Sam Dyson is unavailable this weekend, and he may not return at all this season, per Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
Dyson spent a short stint on the injured list at the beginning of August with right bicep tendinitis. He cut a throwing session short yesterday after feeling discomfort early in the session. He has scheduled a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache next week, tweets MLB.com’s Dan Hayes.
It certainly doesn’t look good for Dyson, who has struggled since joining the Twins. After notching a 2.47 ERA/2.72 FIP across 49 appearances in San Francisco, Dyson’s Minnesota tenure began with a thud as he surrendered 6 earned runs while recording just two outs across his first two appearances. His overall numbers as a Twin remain ugly, but he’s straightened out since making an early impression. Dyson penned a 2.53 ERA over his next ten appearances, last pitching on September 3rd in Boston.
Frankie Montas To Rejoin A’s Next Week
Athletics right-hander Frankie Montas will return from suspension during the club’s series against the Angels, which begins Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Montas will be eligible to pitch Wednesday, but it’s not yet clear whether the 26-year-old will start or relieve during his late-season comeback.
With a 2.70 ERA/2.90 FIP and 9.7 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 90 innings, Montas has unquestionably been the A’s most effective starter this year. However, a shocking 80-game performance-enhancing drug ban on June 21 cut off his breakout campaign and will stop him from participating in the playoffs. The A’s aren’t locks to reach the postseason, but at 92-61 and two games up on the AL’s No. 1 wild-card spot, they look to be on their way. Whether from their rotation or their bullpen, Montas could further bolster the A’s chances of a second straight playoff trip over the last week of the season.
Thanks in part to Montas’ absence, this is the second consecutive season the A’s rotation’s trying to battle through adversity and reach the top of the mountain in baseball. Multiple injuries have also added to the difficulty for Oakland, but its starting staff has found some late-season stability. Trade deadline pickups Homer Bailey and Tanner Roark have provided solid results since coming over in July; Sean Manaea has been nearly unhittable since he made a long-awaited return from injury Sept. 1; and Mike Fiers and Brett Anderson have defied unspectacular peripherals en route to ERAs in the low-4.00s this year.