Phillies Option Maikel Franco
The Phillies have optioned Maikel Franco to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a surprising move, the club announced. Brad Miller has been activated from the 10-day injured list to take Franco’s place on the 25-man roster.
Perhaps Franco’s demotion shouldn’t be all that eyebrow-raising. After all, he hasn’t done much to warrant a roster spot. His .231/.296/.405 slash translates to a 70 wRC+, easily the worst offensive output by any of the league’s 24 qualified third basemen. On top of that, Franco doesn’t come with a strong defensive reputation at the hot corner, making his woeful offense all the more troubling. Tied for the National League’s final Wild Card spot, evidently the Phils decided they could no longer tolerate such a lack of production.
Nevertheless, the Phillies have run with Franco as their starting third baseman for more or less four years. He’s never been all that productive, but the club has never gone out and acquired a definitive upgrade, suggesting they still believed in him long-term, at least somewhat. Moreover, Franco’s putrid numbers at the plate seem a bit misleading. His walks and strikeouts are both at career-best levels (although the walks may be a result of his frequently hitting eighth in an NL lineup), and he’s no doubt unlucky to have a meager .228 BABIP.
Evidently, the organization felt whatever positive regression might be forthcoming for Franco at the plate wouldn’t be meaningful enough to wait for. Franco will arbitration-eligible for the third time this winter and is tracking as a probable non-tender candidate, although he’ll have two months to right the ship.
Interestingly, Philadelphia will move Scott Kingery to third base in Franco’s stead, tweets Matt Gelb of the Athletic. A former second base prospect, Kingery has MLB experience all around the diamond but has played mostly center field this season. Presumably, Roman Quinn will get a longer leash in center with Kingery back on the dirt.
Philadelphia will also welcome back the 29 year-old Miller, a longtime utilityman for the Mariners and Rays who had a fantastic showing with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate earlier in the season. He offers a left-handed bat with some power and more defensive versatility than Franco, but defensive metrics have never been fond with his glove at any position and he brings a significant amount of swing-and-miss.
Angels Place Simmons, Canning And Pena On IL
11:20 am: DiGiovanna provides further updates on Simmons (via Twitter). The star shortstop has a bone bruise and left ankle sprain (in a different area of the ankle which sidelined him earlier in the season) and will be out “a least a couple of weeks,” according to manager Brad Ausmus.
10:36 am: Peña and Canning each have worrisome prognoses, DiGiovanna relays. Peña tore his ACL and is out for six to nine months, ending his season and putting his 2020 start in jeopardy. Canning, meanwhile, has inflammation in his throwing elbow. Fortunately, DiGiovanna adds that Canning’s UCL does not appear to be injured, so it seems he’ll avoid an especially serious absence.
9:38 am: The Angels have lost three key contributors, announcing the IL placements of Andrelton Simmons, Griffin Canning and Félix Peña, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). To replace that trio on the active roster, the club has recalled Wilfredo Tovar, Jared Walsh and Luke Bard, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
The news represents a devastating series of blows for the Halos, particularly the loss of the unmatchable Simmons. The defensive whiz was scratched from yesterday’s lineup with foot soreness, which has evidently proved more serious than initially hoped. It’ll be the second IL stint of the season for Simmons, who has otherwise put together a decent season. His .274/.315/.382 slash (88 wRC+) is unremarkable, but even that is reasonable when coupled with his otherworldly glove. Simmons also boasts one of the league’s lowest strikeout rates and had been a slightly above-average hitter over the past two seasons, so there was reason to believe he could offer even more offensively. That’ll be on hold for an undisclosed amount of time.
Peña left yesterday’s start with a sprained right knee, so it’s unsurprising to hear he’ll hit the shelf. He’s been serviceable in a swing role for the club this season, logging 96.1 innings with a 4.58 ERA. Peña’s strikeout, walk and ground ball rates are all solid but unremarkable.
The Canning news comes most surprisingly, as he just polished off a strong start against the Tigers Tuesday, although it explains the upcoming call-up of prospect Patrick Sandoval to start tomorrow night in his place. Canning, a former first-rounder, had some injury concerns as a draft prospect stemming from a heavy workload at UCLA, but his professional health record had been spotless until today. Regarded as a potential #3 starter as a prospect, Canning hasn’t been quite that good as a rookie but has nevertheless been dependable. Like Peña, Canning’s strikeout and walk numbers have hovered around average, although his 37.3% ground ball rate has led to some home run worries. Canning’s injury and prognosis aren’t yet clear.
Tovar is a utility infielder who can offer some shortstop assistance in Simmons’ absence. He’s never hit much, but he’ll be on hand to back up David Fletcher, who seems likely to handle the position in the near term. Walsh is a two-way player, a power bat who has raked in Triple-A this season and has come out of the Angel bullpen four times this year. He’s a uniquely versatile asset for the club. Bard, meanwhile, is a more traditional, fastball-slider reliever who’s been up-and-down during a challenging season.
Cubs Place Willson Contreras On IL
The Cubs announced today they’ve placed catcher Willson Contreras on the 10-day injured list, as expected. Taylor Davis has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take his spot on the 25-man roster.
Contreras came up hobbling in yesterday’s game and was diagnosed with a hamstring strain. The team decided it needn’t wait until receiving the results of tomorrow’s MRI to shut him down. It’s dreadful timing for the first-place Cubs, who lead the NL Central by a mere half-game and just traded away catcher Martín Maldonado. Contreras has been one of the Cubs’ best players, slashing .275/.365/.525 over 340 plate appearances.
In his absence, the club will turn to Víctor Caratini, who has hit well himself in limited time and might be a superior defender to Contreras but can’t match the latter’s offensive track record. Caratini’s no doubt a better reserve backstop than what most teams can run out, but it’s never good news to lose a top five player at one’s position.
Behind Caratini will be Davis, a 29 year-old who’s seen sporadic big league action the past three seasons. Davis has never shown much punch with the bat, and his .250/.358/.350 line in Triple-A in 2019 is fairly underwhelming, considering the high-powered offensive environment he’s played in.
Cardinals DFA Mike Mayers
The Cardinals have designated right-hander Mike Mayers for assignment, tweets Mark Saxon of the Athletic. The club has since announced the move. Additionally, infielder Matt Carpenter has been activated from the 10-day injured list, pitching prospect Ryan Helsley has been recalled, while corner infielder Rangel Ravelo was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.
Mayers, 27, was out of options, so St. Louis had to keep him on the 25-man roster or cut bait. Ultimately, Mayers’ continued big league struggles did him in. He’s logged 13.2 innings in 12 appearances since coming off the 60-day injured list over a month ago, but his numbers were ghastly. Mayers coughed up 11 runs in that time, including two longballs, with matching strikeout and walk totals (10 apiece). That continued a rough MLB go for Mayers, who has a 7.17 ERA in 69 career games.
Mayers has some interesting raw material to work with, though. Per Statcast, his fastball and curveball each have above-average spin, and he’s generally performed well in Triple-A. A contender like St. Louis could no longer afford to keep giving MLB opportunities to an underperforming arm, but perhaps another organization with a less urgent competitive cycle will give a crack at straightening Mayers out. Any claiming team would have to keep Mayers on the 25-man roster or again expose him to waivers.
Carpenter returns from a three-week stint on the shelf with a right foot contusion. His underwhelming .215/.321/.373 line has been a surprising sore spot for an offense that looks stronger on paper than it has played to this point.
With Carpenter back and Mayers gone, the club swaps out the rookie position player (Ravelo) for a rookie arm (Helsley). Helsely’s mid-90’s fastball will return to the bullpen, while Ravelo will look to continue to build on a strong Triple-A body of work.
Injury Notes: Heaney, Means, Elias, A’s
While there was an unfortunate spate of injuries covered at MLBTR yesterday, a few more have emerged in recent hours:
- Angels’ left-hander Andrew Heaney will throw a 60-pitch simulated game Monday, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Assuming that goes according to plan, Heaney could take the mound for the Halos next weekend in Boston, as the organization isn’t planning on sending him on a minor-league rehab assignment. Heaney, who was placed on the injured list two weeks ago with shoulder inflammation, hasn’t had a banner season, pitching to a 5.09 ERA over nine starts despite a strong 27.3% strikeout rate, as he’s been particularly susceptible to the home run ball (1.76 HR/9).
- The Orioles are also set to welcome back a left-handed starter in the coming days. Manager Brandon Hyde tells Joe Trezza of MLB.com that All-Star John Means will be activated from the injured list to take the mound Wednesday. Means will miss just more than the 10-day minimum, having hit the shelf with rotator cuff inflammation in his throwing arm July 26. The previously-unheralded 26 year-old has emerged as the club’s best starter in 2019, working to a 3.12 ERA. While it’s tough to imagine him continuing that level of run prevention with a below-average 19.3% strikeout rate and 34.9% ground ball rate, Means is a volume strike-thrower who looks like a solid back-end starter, a welcome find for the pitching-starved club.
- Nationals left-handed reliever Roenis Elías has “tweaked his hamstring,” tweets Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. There’s no indication yet the injury is serious, but any Elías absence would be a blow to his new employer, who acquired him from the Mariners for two relief pitching prospects at the trade deadline. A fly ball pitcher, Elías has given up his share of home runs this season and is fortunate to be carrying a 3.59 ERA, but he’s still one of the better pieces in a Washington bullpen that has been the worst in baseball at preventing runs.
- Melissa Lockard of the Athletic provides updates on a pair of A’s prospects (via Twitter). Triple-A catcher Sean Murphy, a gifted defender with some raw power, recently re-aggravated a preexisting meniscus tear. Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any new damage- just some pain and swelling- and Murphy could return to action by the end of August. More encouragingly, top left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo threw a simulated game this week as he looks to work his way back from a lat strain. Like Murphy, Luzardo has played his way to Triple-A and looked like he may be able to help the big league club this season before his injury.
Rangers Release Asdrubal Cabrera
The Rangers announced yesterday they have requested unconditional release waivers on third baseman Asdrúbal Cabrera. Texas designated the 33 year-old for assignment Thursday, an unceremonious end to a one-year, $3.42M contract.
It has been a tough season for the long-productive big leaguer, who has limped to a .235/.318/.393 line in 2019 despite calling hitter-friendly Globe Life Park home. After adjusting for the friendly enviornment, Cabrera’s 81 wRC+ means he’s been 19 percent below league average at the dish, not enough for a player no longer capable of manning shortstop.
There’s little solace to take in the underlying metrics, either. Cabrera remains a fairly patient hitter and is sporting his best walk rate in years, but that has come with a career-high strikeout rate. More worrisome, he’s simply lacked punch at the plate, with Statcast’s batted ball estimators pegging him for an anemic .212 expected batting average and .342 expected slugging percentage. Moreover, Cabrera’s been so pull-oriented this year, particularly on ground balls, he’s been exceptionally easy to defend.
Interested suitors will have to look to Cabrera’s lengthy track record instead. Indeed, he was an above-average hitter for the Mets and Phillies as recently as last season. He’ll almost certainly clear release waivers, then be eligible to sign with another club for the stretch run. Given his struggles this year following a lukewarm offseason market for his services, he may be forced to settle for a minor-league pact. Texas will remain on the hook for the rest of his salary, minus the prorated portion of the league minimum for any MLB time he logs with another organization.
Cardinals Place Tyler O’Neill On IL
The Cardinals announced yesterday they have placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist strain. The placement is retroactive to August 1, meaning O’Neill could return to action as soon as next Sunday.
O’Neill’s 2019 production has been more or less what we’ve come to expect from the 24 year-old. He’s got prodigious raw power and shocking speed, but he’s yet to translate those immense physical gifts into consistent big league results. In 266 MLB plate appearances over the past two seasons, O’Neill has slashed a solid but unspectacular .266/.309/.467 (106 wRC+). That output is propped up by an unsustainable .382 batting average on balls in play, masking a dreadful combination of strikeouts (37.1%) and walks (5.0%). As a player with strong exit velocities and elite speed, it’s fair to note O’Neill has the type of profile conducive to maintaining a high BABIP, but even the game’s best hitters come nowhere close to sustaining a figure near O’Neill’s .382 mark over multiple seasons.
While O’Neill’s early MLB stats aren’t the most encouraging, there’s still ample promise in his long-term profile. Injuries and a crowded corner outfield mix in St. Louis have kept him from getting a chance to play everyday at the highest level. This current IL stint will mark O’Neill’s fifth over the past two seasons. It seems too early to label O’Neill an injury-prone player, though, and an extended run of health and playing time could give the prodigious athlete a chance to iron out the plate discipline woes that have been his undoing so far. Further, his career high minors performance has been superb, and unlike some bat-first performers in Triple-A, O’Neill comes with a top prospect pedigree.
Whether that extended big league opportunity comes in St. Louis or elsewhere remains to be seen. O’Neill wasn’t entirely off limits in discussions leading up to the July 31 deadline (although they seemingly never aggressively shopped him either), so the team could theoretically revisit talks this offseason. However, the aforementioned corner outfield crunch may sort itself out organically. Marcell Ozuna, who was activated from his own IL stint to take O’Neill’s place on the active roster, is an impending free agent and has earned a competitive market with a strong platform season. José Martínez, meanwhile, figures to again pop up in trade rumors this winter involving AL clubs, where his bat-first profile is an easier roster fit. It seems the Cardinals can make space long-term for the supremely talented, if still flawed, young slugger.
Indians Place Danny Salazar, Tyler Olson On 10-Day IL
Today: Fortunately, Salazar’s groin strain is “mild,” tweets Zack Meisel of the Athletic. Nevertheless, there is no current timetable for his return, Meisel adds.
Friday: The Indians have placed righty Danny Salazar and southpaw Tyler Olson on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. The former is dealing with a right groin strain and the latter a “non-baseball medical condition.”
To take the open roster spots, recently acquired righties Phil Maton and Hunter Wood were recalled from Triple-A. Those two hurlers were picked up in separate deals during the month of July.
It’s massively disappointing to see Salazar head right back to the IL after just one outing. The 29-year-old had last pitched in 2017, with major arm issues keeping him off the mound in the interim.
Unfortunately, Salazar’s return was less than promising even before the groin problem was revealed. He barely topped 88 mph with his fastball, a stunning loss of velocity for a pitcher who always sat in the mid-nineties.
It’s not yet known how long Salazar might be sidelined, or what his path back might look like. Similarly, there’s no indication whatsoever what kind of absence the club is anticipating from Olson. The southpaw carries a 4.40 ERA in 30 2/3 innings, but has continued to be tough on lefties, who’ve managed only a .245/.333/.367 line against him this season.
Pitcher Notes: Kluber, Stripling, Alvarado
Indians fans will be relieved to hear that Corey Kluber was back to throwing darts at Progressive Field again on Saturday–even if Kluber’s teammates weren’t set to take the field for several hours. Before Cleveland’s game with the Angels today, the decorated hurler threw roughly 35 pitches in a simulated game setting, according to a report from Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. While facing three batters from the organization’s Double-A Akron affiliate, Kluber was able to get his fastball up to 89 mph, which manager Terry Francona saw as encouraging progress. “I was kinda surprised [Kluber] was actually at that point, just because [of] the lack of what he’s been doing for three months,” Francona told reporters. Kluber has been sidelined since May 1st with a non-displaced fracture to his arm’s ulna bone–an injury he suffered when struck by a comebacker off the bat of Miami’s Brian Anderson. After the Progressive session, Francona said Kluber would start his rehab assignment in the minors on Thursday.
More hurler hat tips from around the web…
- Dodgers righty Ross Stripling was also seen on the mend today, as a “max effort” bullpen session didn’t seem to produce any pain in his injured neck and biceps, according to Orange County Register writer Bill Plunkett (Twitter link). Manager Dave Roberts later told Plunkett that Stripling would make an appearance with the club’s affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, with the team still uncertain of his post-activation role on the roster (link). Of course, the Texas A&M product has shown comfort in his career thus far in both bullpen and starting roles: since his debut in 2016, Stripling has posted a 3.24 ERA in 125 career relief innings, contrasted with a respectable 3.70 ERA in 248 starting frames.
- Sidelined Rays reliever Jose Alvarado told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he will likely rejoin his team next weekend for a slate of games against the Mariners, after completing two scheduled rehab appearances with Tampa affiliates (Twitter link). Juan Toribio of MLB.com further elucidates that Alvarado (oblique) will pitch tomorrow for High-A Charlotte–welcome news for a Rays team that has been without the strikeout-inducing arm of Alvarado since July 7th. The Tampa pen unit has pitched well in the last week following a rough July, but would surely benefit from the inclusion of Alvarado into a mix that was augmented greatly by the team’s moves at the MLB trade deadline.
Rangers Release Carlos Tocci
The Rangers released outfielder Carlos Tocci from his contract at Triple-A Nashville today, according to a tweet from team VP John Blake (link).
Tocci originally signed out of Venezuela in 2011 via a $759K agreement with the Phillies. He became a Rule 5 draft pick of the White Sox in 2018 and was ultimately traded to the Rangers for cash. The defensively gifted outfielder was then stashed on Texas’s big league roster throughout the entirety of the 2018 campaign, despite profound struggles in limited playing time (.225/.271/.283 slash in 135 at-bats). At just 23 years of age, it would stand to reason that Tocci would be worth keeping around the Rangers org–if not for his upside, then certainly for the substantial commitment Texas has already placed in him.
Apparently, though, Texas found Tocci’s 2019 production with Nashville to be underwhelming enough to justify walking away altogether. After being designated for assignment on July 22nd, Tocci was outrighted last week to the club’s Triple-A roster–a roster where he recorded just a 55 wRC+ in 367 Pacific Coast League at-bats on the year.