AL Injury Notes: Cruz, Gurriel, Springer
The Twins fell 6-2 in 11 innings to their chaser in the AL Central last night, yet they remain 5 1/2 games ahead of the Indians for the division crown. Minnesota is just 6-8 head-to-head against their eastern rival with five matchups remaining, all in the next ten days. More troublesome to the Twins, they may be without Nelson Cruz for at least these next couple showdowns. Cruz exited the ballgame in the tenth inning with wrist soreness, but he’s being listed as day-to-day, per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park (via Twitter). Cruz carries an MVP-caliber bat when he’s healthy, arguably the best DH in the game with a .305/.385/.631 mark that pairs nicely with his traditional counting stats of 35 home runs and 92 RBIs. The wrist has been an issue for Cruz, however, as it’s already landed him on the IL twice. He was diagnosed with a ruptured ECU tendon back in March, but manager Rocco Baldelli insists the injury is nothing significant, tweets The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Even minor injuries can have significant impact this time of year, of course, so let’s check in on a couple of injury scares for Minnesota’s potential dance partner in the upcoming ALDS.
- Yuli Gurriel‘s thunderous second half in Houston should return after just a brief interlude. The Astros first baseman left yesterday’s game with left hamstring discomfort, but he is considered day-to-day, per Mark Berman of Fox Houston. After authoring marks of .277/.314/.482 in the first half that fell just far enough below his career averages to spark fears of age-based decline for the 35-year-old, Yuli came out with a blistering second half: .351/.409/.660, pulling his overall productivity mark up to 135 wRC+, the 23rd highest mark in the majors. Gurriel’s leveling up paired with the arrival of Yordan Alvarez has made an already-strong Astros lineup certifiable.
- In a separate tweet, Berman provides video of George Springer taking batting practice and having himself a time. This should be a welcome sight for the Houston faithful, who saw Springer suffer a mild concussion while colliding into the wall Tuesday night. It’s been a career year for Springer in this, his age-28 season, as he’s put up his most complete season to date with a line of .297/.389/.573. His 155 wRC+ pegs him as the 7th most-productive hitter in the majors this season, joining four of his Houston brethren in the top-25 among qualified hitters (Alvarez doesn’t yet qualify). From the looks of it, Springer should return to the Houston lineup shortly.
Latest On Corey Kluber
The Indians don’t seem to have much hope of getting veteran starter Corey Kluber back at any point in the 2019 season. As Ryan Lewis of the Beacon Journal recently reported, Kluber is still limited to doing aquatic exercises as he works to recover from an oblique injury.
That status hasn’t changed in the past few days, leading MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian to tweet that it’d be a surprise to see Kluber back in the regular season. Perhaps a postseason return can’t be ruled out entirely — remember Kyle Schwarber? — but it feels quite unlikely.
Trouble is, there just isn’t much time for Kluber to rebuild his arm strength even if he can get past the oblique issue. As skipper Terry Francona put it, “He’s got a ways to go.” Given that Kluber was already working back from a forearm fracture when he suffered the new injury, it’d be difficult to justify an aggressive build-up.
If indeed Kluber is done pitching for the year, it would mean the Indians won’t have a chance to glean further information before deciding on his club option. On the one hand, given Kluber’s still-recent history of dominance, it’s hard to imagine the team passing on the $13.5MM price tag in favor of $2MM in total buyouts. That’s particularly true with another option year still to come for 2021. On the other, the 33-year-old struggled even before he went down and will now be working back from a completely lost campaign. And the cost is far from insignificant to the budget-watching Cleveland organization.
Cubs Injury Updates: Baez, Darvish, Kimbrel
Cubs skipper Joe Maddon provided updates on an important trio of players today, with MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian among those covering the news. (Links to his Twitter account unless otherwise noted.)
- Star infielder Javier Baez is going to undergo an MRI on his thumb tomorrow. There’s still no cause for alarm, but it’s certainly suboptimal to hear that he’s not recovering promptly after getting three games off. Initial x-rays came back negative, but the club is obviously interested in making sure there isn’t some other injury lurking in the digit. Deep as the Cubbies are in position players, Baez — who owns a .281/.316/.532 slash line with 29 home runs on the year — is all but irreplaceable. Baez certainly won’t be in the lineup until Sunday, at the earliest. The organization’s hope is that it won’t be long thereafter before he’s ready to return. Obviously, a significant injury would be devastating at this time of year.
- Issues in or near the elbow are always a red flag for a pitcher, so it was at least somewhat worrisome to learn that righty Yu Darvish has experienced forearm tightness of late. But it seem he isn’t terribly concerned about it, having already managed things since early July — and thrived over that same span. The veteran says he won’t need to miss any further action after being skipped in his last scheduled start. He’ll pitch tomorrow. Maddon said Darvish looked great in his latest pen session and is “ready to roll,” as Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
- Speaking of ailments in the elbow region, the Cubs were holding their breath when closer Craig Kimbrel went in for an MRI. He says that the results were quite promising and that he hopes to be ready to return when first eligible on Thursday. That said, the veteran hurler hasn’t yet resumed throwing after spending some time on ice to let his inflammation subside. As he acknowledged, the precise course of action will depend upon how it goes once he does get back on the bump.
Rich Hill To Start For Dodgers On Thursday
Dodgers southpaw Rich Hill laid out his plan for returning from a flexor tendon strain to reporters including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He’ll start on Thursday and plan to make four total regular-season outings in preparation for the postseason.
If the plan sounds somewhat optimistic, that’s probably somewhat by design. Hill says that he’s going to prepare as if he can fully ramp up down the stretch, without any rehab assignment. If adjustments are needed, they can be considered at the time.
Skipper Dave Roberts confirmed the general plan. He noted that Hill is likely only to throw two innings or thirty pitches in his preliminary outing, as Dodger Talk’s David Vassegh tweets. The ageless southpaw has been sidelined since late June, so he’s obviously in need of a gradual progression in terms of game action.
All things considered, this is excellent news for the powerhouse Dodgers. Hill was throwing brilliantly before he was injured. He could well make for a major addition to the postseason roster, even if he’s ultimately limited in how deep he can work.
This is also a notable development for the coming offseason market. Hill intends to keep playing and hopes to remain with the Dodgers, Andy McCullough of The Athletic reports as part of an excellent profile of the unique left-hander (subscription link). Hill’s health status will surely play a role in the way offseason talks unfold.
This news comes as the team deals with newfound struggles from fellow southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Dodgers will skip his next scheduled start, as DiGiovanna further tweets, in a bid to get the veteran some rest. On the positive side, it doesn’t seem as if there’s any health issue of note to worry about.
Mike Moustakas Struggling To Recover From Wrist Injury
Veteran Brewers infielder Mike Moustakas is struggling to make his way back from a recent injury in the vicinity of his left wrist, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports on Twitter. The club is “not making progress” in getting Moustakas back to full health, says skipper Craig Counsell.
It’s a bit of a surprise to see Moustakas still dealing with what Counsell calls “significant pain.” At the time of the injury, indications were that he had avoided a notable malady. While Moustakas was able to appear in two contests in the interim, he has sat out six games completely and evidently still isn’t making progress despite the wrist.
There’s little doubt that the club would like to get Moustakas back in action. He is a key part of the Brewers roster and there’s still an outside chance of the club staging a dash back into the Wild Card picture. At the same time, there’s little reason to force the issue if he won’t be at full speed. Meanwhile, Moustakas is again preparing to enter the free-agent market. That comes with its own pressures — both to get back on the field and to avoid injury.
Surely, all interested parties would like to simply get to the bottom of the matter and gain some clarity. At this point, though, the next steps aren’t clear. Regardless of how things shake out on the injury front, Moustakas has turned in impressive work this season. Through 520 plate appearances, he’s slashing .260/.331/.522 with 31 long balls. He
Rockies Outright Noel Cuevas; Promote Phillip Diehl, Joe Harvey
The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today as they prepare to finish out a disappointing campaign. Previously designated outfielder Noel Cuevas was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. And the club has recalled a pair of hurlers — lefty Phillip Diehl and righty Joe Harvey — to fill out the relief corps down the stretch.
Cuevas is a versatile outfielder but just hasn’t hit enough to hang onto a 40-man spot. He has put up solid numbers in the upper minors in the past, but produced at just under the league-average rate this year at the Triple-A level. Cuevas managed only a .233/.268/.315 batting line in a 153-plate appearance debut in the big leagues last year.
The two hurlers will be looking for a chance to show they deserve to hang onto their own MLB roster places over the course of the coming offseason. Diehl, 25, debuted briefly earlier this season. He owns a 5.22 ERA in 58 2/3 innings in the upper minors, with 9.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 but an unhealthy tally of 16 long balls. Likewise, the 27-year-old Harvey received his first shot at the majors this year — though his came with the Yankees, who later shipped him to Colorado in the quietest deal of deadline day. Harvey has been knocked around since joining the Rox’ top affiliate but will nevertheless get another look in the bigs.
Giants Claim Ricardo Pinto
The Giants have claimed righty Ricardo Pinto off waivers, per a club announcement. A roster spot was created by moving Trevor Gott to the 60-day injured list.
Pinto has been hit hard in each of his two, brief MLB stints but hasn’t yet received a full opportunity. In 123 1/3 innings this year in the upper minors, he carried a 4.23 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.
One thing that isn’t in doubt is Pinto’s arm speed. He has shown upper-nineties heat whether leaning on a two-seam or four-seam fastball. Perhaps the Giants have some ideas for unlocking Pinto’s potential — much as they did with Gott.
Astros To Release Reymin Guduan
Sept. 7: Guduan has cleared release waivers and is now a free agent.
Sept. 5: Guduan has been placed on release waivers, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic tweets. He’ll become a free agent if he goes unclaimed.
Sept. 3: The Astros have designated lefty Reymin Guduan for assignment. He had been on the restricted list owing to a team-issued suspension.
Details of the Guduan disciplinary situation aren’t known, but it’s obvious the relationship between him and the team has soured. The 27-year-old was suspended for the remainder of the minor-league season, which just ended, but the team decided to drop him from the 40-man rather than reinstating him and perhaps adding him back to the active roster.
Beyond those off-field issues, the results haven’t been there to this point of Guduan’s career. Despite big velocity and some swing-and-miss potential, he’s allowing nearly an earned run per inning over his 24 2/3 MLB frames. Guduan has had wavering command issues at times in the minors, with outcomes varying quite a bit from season to season. Still, there’s obviously talent there; it wouldn’t be especially surprising to see another organization place a claim.
Indians Activate Jefry Rodriguez, Transfer Danny Salazar To 60-Day IL
The Indians announced Friday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Jefry Rodriguez from the 60-day injured list. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Cleveland has transferred fellow right-hander Danny Salazar from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL.
The move puts an end to Salazar’s 2019 regular season after just one appearance, although that already looked to be the case after Salazar asked the club for some time away from the organization after exiting his latest rehab appearance early (link via MLB.com’s Mandy Bell). Salazar, who has been sidelined since Aug. 2 due to a groin strain, missed the 2018 season and much of the 2019 campaign following shoulder surgery. His future with the organization is clearly up in the air following the latest sequence of events.
Salazar, 29, always looked to have front-of-the-rotation potential based on an electric arsenal and his typically gaudy strikeout rates, but he’s only been healthy enough to make 30 starts once in the past six seasons. The 2016 All-Star posted a 3.82 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 587 1/3 innings from 2013-17 but has been rendered an afterthought in the wake of his recent shoulder woes. The Indians paid Salazar a $5MM salary in 2018 and tendered him a contract at $4.5MM for the 2019 season due to the upside he possesses, but the organization will ultimately receive just four innings of work in return for that $9.5MM investment. Salazar is arbitration-eligible again this offseason, but he’s a surefire non-tender candidate at this point.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Rodriguez will return to the Indians after some shoulder troubles of his own. Acquired in the offseason swap that sent catcher Yan Gomes to Washington, Rodriguez started eight games for Cleveland earlier this season and worked to a 4.74 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.03 HR/9 and a 49.3 percent ground-ball rate.
Rodriguez topped out at 3 2/3 innings in his minor league rehab stint, so he’s not fully stretched back out just yet. He could function as a long reliever or perhaps make a start with the understanding that his workload would be limited, should the need arise. Cleveland has club control over the righty through the 2024 season.
NHL’s San Jose Sharks Hire Former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti
In case last night’s report that Carlos Correa has hired Bobby Flay’s agent wasn’t strange enough for you — fear not, cravers of odd baseball news! The NHL’s San Jose Sharks announced today that they’ve hired former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti as a professional scout. Sharks general manager Doug Wilson offered the following statement on the matter:
Ned has an extensive background working in professional sports and talent evaluation and he will bring a fresh perspective to our organization’s evaluation process. This was a unique opportunity to add someone of Ned’s experience to our staff.
Colletti has never worked in hockey before but does join the Sharks with more than three decades of experience working in a Major League front office — including 18 seasons as an assistant general manager or general manager of a Major League team. Clearly, the Sharks are convinced enough of Colletti’s hockey acumen to make a decidedly outside-the-box hire.
[Related: Pro Hockey Rumors’ coverage of the Sharks hiring Ned Colletti]
Colletti isn’t the only notable executive to completely change sports in recent years, but it seems he’ll have a more direct say in player evaluation than Paul DePodesta took on when joining the NFL’s Cleveland Browns as their Chief Strategy Officer in early 2016. (DePodesta, per the Browns, is “tasked with implementing systems and processes to strengthen the Browns organization and decision making” in his role with the team.)
Since being replaced by the Dodgers following the 2014 season, Colletti has been rumored to be a part of the GM searches for both the Diamondbacks and the Orioles, but he’s never signed on as an executive with another MLB organization. Colletti served as an adviser to Dodgers president Stan Kasten after being removed as GM and has also served as a television analyst with Sportsnet Los Angeles.