Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Headed For MRI
Sunday: Fortunately, Guerrero won’t need an IL stint, manager Charlie Montoyo tells Mitchell (via Twitter). Guerrero’s MRI showed inflammation, but, in the words of the rookie, “nothing major.” He’ll miss only a few days and hopes to return to the lineup “very soon,” Mitchell adds.
Saturday: Heralded Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was removed from today’s contest with the Mariners due to what the team has called “left knee discomfort”. “Vladito” exited the game after making a diving grab on a ground ball at third base in the top of the second inning, and it appears the move may have been more than precautionary–manager Charlie Montoyo informed TSN’s Scott Mitchell that Guerrero Jr. will undergo an MRI on Sunday (link).
Receiving an MRI is hardly a surefire sign that a player is going to miss significant time, but it also stands to figure that the revelation of even a minor knee issue could spell the end of the 2019 season for the talented third sacker. The Jays currently sit in development and evaluation mode as they play out the string in what will most likely be their second consecutive losing season. Guerrero Jr.–perhaps the team’s most prized prospect of the century, if not ever–would not be an asset to treat with anything less than the utmost caution.
If Guerrero Jr. does indeed make it back to action in the coming days, he will look to build on a more-than-respectable rookie campaign. His .275/.345/.465 batting line corresponds with a 114 wRC+–a mark that ties him with veterans Nolan Arenado and Eduardo Escobar for 18th among third basemen with 250-plus at-bats this year. Of course, that he was hurt on a defensive play should add some extra concern to the situation for Toronto moving forward. Listed at 6’1, 200-lb measurements of questionable veracity, there has long been speculation that Vlad Jr.’s stocky-yet-powerful frame would welcome an eventual move to DH or first base. Regardless of his long-term role with the org, Jays fans will likely wait with bated breath for news of tomorrow’s MRI results.
Red Sox Place Chris Sale On 10-Day IL With Elbow Inflammation
6:37 pm: Ryan Brasier has been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to fill Sale’s spot on the active roster, according to a report from the Boston Herald’s Steve Hewitt (link).
4:52 pm: It appears the issue may indeed be more serious than initially believed. Per President of Baseball Ops Dave Dombrowski (h/t to Bill Koch of the Providence Journal) the injury is “brand new” and the team will seek a second opinion from renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. No timetable has been set for Sale’s return.
4:34 pm: The Red Sox have placed lefty Chris Sale on the 10-Day IL with left elbow inflammation, the team reports.
The 30-year-old Sale’s performance has been much-maligned this season, though apart from his participation in the league-wide gopher-ball parade, his dominant stuff seems very well intact. Sale’s still setting down a league-best 13.32 per nine, walking a minuscule 2.26/9, and getting grounders at a league-average rate. His FIP is a full run lower than his 4.40 ERA, while his 2.94 xFIP (a metric that accounts for his career-worst 19.5% HR/FB) ranks second in the AL to Gerrit Cole.
In short, it’s still all there for Sale, provided the left-hander isn’t dealing with a more serious injury to his left elbow than initially believed. The Red Sox have fallen six and a half games behind Tampa in the team’s quest for a second wild card spot, so perhaps it’d be prudent to give the seven-time all-star all the rest he needs.
Carlos Carrasco Set For Rehab Assignment, Likely To Return As Reliever
Indians righty Carlos Carrasco, out since late May after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, is set to appear in a rehab game for AA-Akron on Monday, per The Athletic’s Zack Meisel. Carrasco will be limited to just an inning in preparation for a bullpen role upon return, per Meisel. The rotation lynchpin, who last appeared regularly in a relief role back in 2014, was “excited” about the imminent transition, according to manager Terry Francona, who offered little window into the timetable for the 32-year-old’s return.
It’s obviously an encouraging development for the surging Tribe, who’ve been stripped near to the bone of the AL’s most intimidating starting corps entering the season. Righties Corey Kluber and Danny Salazar remain on the mend, while righty Mike Clevinger, who’s now pacing the AL is park-adjusted FIP and xFIP, missed much of the season’s first half. Ascendant righties – the team seems to have a near-limitless supply – Shane Bieber and Zach Plesac have kept things afloat, though the latter’s ERA far outstrips his less-encouraging peripherals.
The bullpen has been stellar throughout, though the team’s ERA/FIP gap is the widest in the majors, and the back end, apart from a dominant Brad Hand, is still absent the wipeout bat-missers that populate so many of the games best ‘pens these days. A healthy Carrasco, who’s set down hitters at the highest rate of his career thus far, would seem to be the perfect antidote.
Before the illness, Carrasco’s 2019 season was in some ways his best: in addition to the aforementioned strikeout rate, the 32-year-old had also posted his lowest career walk rate (1.52 per nine) and a swinging strike rate that checked in among the league’s best. His homer rate was off the charts, but a 20.0% HR/FB suggests the 1.94/9 mark is hardly sustainable (though with balls continuing to fly out at record-shattering paces, expectations may need to be adjusted).
Julio Urias Suspended 20 Games
Dodgers lefty Julio Urias has been suspended 20 games under MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse policy, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports. Per Jorge Castillo of the LA Times, the suspension includes the five games Urias served while on administrative leave. Urias will not appeal the decision and will be eligible for postseason play.
The 22-year-old Urias was arrested May 13 in Los Angeles after eyewitnesses and video reports showed the hurler “shoving a female companion to the ground.” He was placed on administrative leave the following day, during which time he missed the five aforementioned contests.
The former top prospect has enjoyed a solid 2019 campaign – mostly in a long relief role – after returning late last season from a gruesome shoulder injury that sidelined him for nearly 15 months. In 67 2/3 IP this season, the lefty’s posted a 2.53 ERA/3.59 FIP with an 8.91 K/9 against 3.06 walks per nine.
The Dodgers’ public statement on the matter reads as follows:
“While we are disappointed in what occurred and support the decision by the Commissioner’s Office, we are also encouraged that Julio has taken responsibility for his actions and believe he will take the necessary steps to learn from this incident.”
Jake Arrieta To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Phillies righty Jake Arrieta will undergo season-ending surgery later this month to remove a bone spur in his right elbow, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Arrieta, 33, had been pitching through the injury since early in the summer, to less-than-stellar results. The 2019 season was the hurler’s worst since his days in Baltimore: though the righty somehow maintained a fastball velocity in the 92-93 MPH range despite the injury, he again struggled to miss bats, command the baseball, and keep it in the park. Though the second half of Arrieta’s season didn’t much differ from the first – apart from his outings often being truncated upon his reaching the 75-80 pitch mark – the pain seemed to intensify, and both team and player finally pulled the plug following a disastrous Sunday outing in San Francisco in which the 2015 Cy Young Award winner was touched for five earned in just three innings pitched.
Arrieta signed a three-year, $75MM deal prior to his age 32 season in 2018. The Chicago reclamation project anchored the Cubs staff for years, but his ERA, on the back of an otherworldly Cub defense, had long outpaced his peripherals, a gap which reached a head in his 2017 walk season, where ERA estimators pegged the righty at the top end of the fourth-starter range. He’s been about that or worse in Philly, where despite steady grounder and walk rates, the former fifth-rounder has seen his strikeout rates slide to worse than eight per nine and his gopher-ball rate ascend to below-league-average totals.
Like its bullpen, the Phillies’ rotation is mostly in shambles now. It can always count on ace Aaron Nola, but it’s now Vince Velasquez, Drew Smyly, Jason Vargas, and Zach Eflin beyond, a quartet that won’t inspire much confidence as the group charges toward its first playoff appearance since 2011.
David Robertson Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
Phillies righty David Robertson, who negotiated a two-year, $23MM deal prior to the season on his own behalf, has undergone Tommy John Surgery and will miss the rest of this season and all of 2020, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Robertson, 34, had been one of baseball’s premier relievers for nearly the entire decade, posting 12.8 fWAR since his breakout 2011 season, fourth highest among all MLB relievers over that span. He’d also been among the most heavily-used, tying Kenley Jansen for fourth in the majors with 521 2/3 IP over the same stretch. Add 33 2/3 postseason innings to that mark, and only Indians righty Tyler Clippard has thrown more reliever innings this decade than the 5’11 righty.
Barring an unforeseen extension or re-up clause, Robertson’s tenure with Philadelphia has likely come to an end after just 6 2/3 total IP. It’s unclear if Robertson will aim to re-stake his claim at the back-end of a big-league bullpen in coming seasons, but elbow reconstructive surgery has not been kind to mid-30s arms, and Robertson’s cutter-heavy repertoire, the staple of a unheralded mix that baffled AL hitters for years on end, may be affected more than most.
It’s the second major elbow injury in the Philly bullpen this season – youngster Seranthony Dominguez also hit the shelf in June with a UCL injury of his own. The club’s also seen lynchpins Pat Neshek, Tommy Hunter, and Adam Morgan beset with maladies themselves in recent months, leaving a shaky back-end mix of Hector Neris, Nick Pivetta, Juan Nicasio, and Jose Alvarez. Not much was done to help the beleaguered pen at the deadline, so the club’ll have to hope its patchwork unit doesn’t come apart at freshly-stitched seams down the stretch.
Astros Option Cy Sneed, Recall Rogelio Armenteros, Reinstate Francis Martes
The Astros optioned Cy Sneed to Triple-A while promoting Rogelio Armenteros, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Armenteros, 25, is up to slated to start today’s game versus the Athletics. It’s been so far so good for Armeneteros this season, with a 1.93 ERA/2.86 FIP in 14 innings thus far, including one start. This will be his third stint with the team in as many months.
Sneed, 26, did a nice job soaking up innings in four appearances. Over 12 2/3 innings, Sneed pitched to a 4.26 ERA/3.93 FIP in his first big league action. The Nevada native has pitched in both relief and starting capacities in Triple-A this year, going 7-6 with a 4.22 ERA overall.
Also noted by Rome, Francis Martes has returned rom the restricted list and added to the minor league injured list. Martes received an 80-game PED suspension in March, but he isn’t expected to pitch until next season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Mets Injury Updates: J.D. Davis, Robert Gsellman
After storming back into the playoff picture after the trade deadline, the Mets took a tough loss against the lowly Royals last night. Coming off a series loss to the first-place Braves, the Mets remain two games out of playoff position. Their aggressiveness at the trade deadline prompted reactions ranging from surprise to accusations of front office overreach, and while they’ve already done enough to quell the harshest critics, they’ll likely need to up their game one more level to leapfrog a still-muddy field of contenders that includes the Phillies and the runners-up from the Central. As the Mets look to reset and charge again at the Royals in Kansas City, let’s check in on a couple of injury updates…
- First-time regular J.D. Davis was removed from yesterday’s game with right calf tightness, but it was a preventative move and the Mets do not anticipate Davis to miss any time, tweets Newsday’s Tim Healey. Acquired from the Astros this offseason, Davis has taken advantage of the opportunity in New York, making himself an indispensable part of Mickey Callaway’s everyday players. While starting 31 games at third and 47 in left, Davis has stroked for a line of .311/.374/.514 with 14 home runs and a healthy .203 ISO. His bat does the heavy lifting, as metrics don’t look favorably upon his defensive contributions at either third (-9 DRS, -5.4 UZR/150) or left field (-6 DRS, -14.8 UZR/150).
- In a full piece, Healey notes that reliever Robert Gsellman has been unavailable out of the pen for the past couple of days because of sore triceps. No word was given as to whether Gsellman would be available today, though the implication is he’ll avoid the injured list. With Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz both giving up big hits this week, Gsellman’s return to health will give Callaway another option with high-leverage experience. The 26-year-old has 14 saves and 22 holds between this year and last, but his record is hardly spotless. He’s registered 10 blown saves over that same span. For the year, he’s been called upon 52 times for 63 2/3 innings with a 4.66 ERA/4.13 FIP/4.67 xFIP.
Orioles Recall Hunter Harvey
The Orioles recalled right-hander Hunter Harvey, the team’s PR department announced. This comes after Tom Eshelman was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk last night.
Harvey, 24, is a former top prospect whose ascent was slowed by a number of injuries. When he enters a game, it will be a major league debut for Harvey, though it’s not his first call-up. Harvey spent three games with the big league club without making an appearance in April 2018, baltimorebaseball.com’s Rich Dubroff reminds us (via Twitter).
The 6’3″ North Carolina native has been a starter for most of his career, including for 11 turns in Double-A this season, where he went 2-5 with a 5.19 ERA/5.57 FIP/3.52 xFIP over 59 innings. Upon a promotion to Norfolk, Harvey moved to the bullpen. In 16 2/3 innings over 12 relief outings, he struck out 22 while walking just 5 batters en route to a 4.32 ERA/3.62 FIP. Fangraphs gives him a 40 FV while ranking him the Orioles 22nd best prospect before the start of the season. MLB.com currently pegs him as the organization’s 15th best prospect.
Eshelman, 25, has been an active traveler this season. He started the year in Reading with the Phillies Double-A affiliate. A month after being promoted to Lehigh Valley, the Phillies traded Eshelman to the Orioles in June. Eshelman made his debut in a spot start against the Rays on July 1. After giving up two runs over five in the 3-6 loss, he was optioned back to Triple-A until a call-up two weeks later.
In total, Eshelman made four starts and six relief appearances for Brandon Hyde’s club. He went 1-2 with a 6.50 ERA/7.33 FIP in 36 innings of work.
Pirates Season Marked By Conflict On-Field And Off
Last night’s walkoff victory against the reeling Cubs aside, the Pirates are mired in a deep funk. They started the second half in free fall, going 6-25 as they’ve dipped from the fringes of the playoff race to (at one point) twenty games under .500. The Pirates have been involved in multiple on-field conflicts, with manager Clint Hurdle stealing focus as he spars with other managers within the NL Central. Hurdle has a well-known strategic proclivity towards pitching up and in – with which certain managers haven taken issue when Pirates hurlers struggle with their command. As a team, they rank 24th out of 30 in BB/9 with a team average of 3.58 BB/9.
Perhaps more worrying to the organization, in-fighting has become a hallmark of this Pirates squad, per The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel. Mercurial reliever Keone Kela is the source of at least some of the conflict. Kela not only inspired the trade deadline fracas with the Reds by throwing behind Derek Dietrich, but he also took a two-game suspension earlier this season for his part in a clubhouse altercation with performance coach Hector Morales. The Buccos explored trading Kela, but ultimately failed to find a suitable deal, and it’s safe to wonder whether his trade worth took a hit, either from recent suspensions, injury history, or a reputation as a difficult clubhouse personality.
On the field, Kela missed too much time to raise his stock, returning from the injured list for just four appearances before the deadline. That put him at 18 appearances on the season with a 3.45 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 15 2/3 innings. Fine numbers not far off from Kela’s career norms, but clearly not compelling enough to drive significant trade interest.
Only a week after Kela’s incident, bullpen coach Euclides Rojas drove a pre-game on-field dust-up with reliever Kyle Crick. The incident nearly turned physical before the two men were pulled apart. Crick had been publicly bemoaning perceived preferential treatment given to closer Felipe Vazquez by the coaching staff.
Birtempfel notes that the clubhouse lacks the veteran leadership provided over the years by vets like A.J. Burnett, David Freese, Josh Harrison and Andrew McCutchen, or more recently from Jameson Taillon and Francisco Cervelli, who have been absent due to injuries.
It’s not all doom-and-gloom for the Pirates, however, as Crick insists there’s a growing camaraderie among this exceptionally young group of Pirates players.
The depth of conflict reported here certainly pulls back the curtain a touch further than usual. Not necessarily evidenced here, however, is the Pirates clubhouse being any more or less destructive than a typical clubhouse enduring a tough stretch on the field. Fangraphs Ben Clemens recently wrote this of the 5-24 stretch that opened the Pirates’ second half:
“Think of it this way: the worst team in baseball since World War II, by winning percentage, was the expansion New York Mets of 1962. They were cover-your-eyes awful, going 40-120, a .250 winning percentage. Let’s assume, despite its absurdity, that the Pirates suddenly transformed to a team with a .250 winning percentage overnight. Their odds of going 5-24 or worse over a 29-game stretch would still only be 23%. Even the worst team in baseball history, in other words, would be unlikely to look this bad over a month of play.”
Any clubhouse might struggle with a degree of in-fighting while losing at that rate. Still, the Pirates seem more combative than your average team. Hurdle seems to set the tone there, and though the team could very well emerge from this season more galvanized as a unit, it’s a troubling environment in which to see the indoctrination of young stars like Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller.