Indians Call Up Bobby Bradley
The Indians have promoted first base prospect Bobby Bradley and optioned reliever Josh Smith to Triple-A Columbus, the team announced. Bradley’s already on the Indians’ 40-man roster.
The 23-year-old Bradley, an Indian since they selected him in the third round of the 2014 draft, earned his first MLB promotion by destroying Triple-A pitching this season. The lefty swinger slashed .292/.359/.638 (144 wRC+) with an eye-popping 24 home runs in 284 plate appearances prior to his call-up.
While Bradley’s 2019 numbers are great, he didn’t enter the season as a premium prospect. FanGraphs ranked him 20th among Indians farmhands at the beginning of April, though MLB.com places Bradley a more impressive sixth in the club’s system. Two-plus months ago, Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs likened Bradley to the Twins’ C.J. Cron and the Nationals’ Matt Adams.
The Indians’ offense, which has been one of the league’s worst this season, would surely welcome Cron-like production out of Bradley. First baseman Carlos Santana has been outstanding in his return to Cleveland, though primary DH Jake Bauers has disappointed in his initial season with the team. Bradley may eat into Bauers’ playing time as a result.
Dodgers Could Place David Freese On Injured List
Dodgers infielder David Freese is dealing with a knee issue that may require a stint on the injured list, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com was among those to report.
The 36-year-old Freese has been an important cog this season for the first-place Dodgers, having slashed a tremendous .308/.407/.592 (163 wRC+) with eight home runs over 140 plate appearances in a reserve role. While the former Cardinal, Angel and Pirate has been a third baseman for most of his career, he has slotted in almost exclusively at first for the Dodgers this season.
Freese has appeared in more games at first than any other Dodger in 2019, but one of the team’s calling cards is its ability to place capable players at every spot. Therefore, even if Freese goes on the IL, the Dodgers will have no shortage of replacements lined up. Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Matt Beaty, Enrique Hernandez and Joc Pederson have all joined Freese in starting at first this season.
Pitcher Notes: J. Hicks, Phillies, Astros, Padres, A’s
The latest on a slew of major league hurlers…
- Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks is dealing with right triceps tendinitis, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. Hicks will undergo additional tests Sunday. One of the last things the Cardinals need is a long absence for the 22-year-old Hicks, who has put up a 3.14 ERA/3.17 FIP with 9.73 K/9, 3.45 BB/9, a whopping 67.2 percent groundball rate and 14 saves on 15 chances in 28 2/3 innings this season. Hicks is the hardest thrower in baseball, which has certainly aided in his success.
- Phillies relievers David Robertson and Tommy Hunter are progressing toward returns, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. While Robertson hasn’t yet embarked on a rehab assignment, the hope is that he’ll rejoin the Phillies’ bullpen before the All-Star break. Robertson has been out since mid-April with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Meanwhile, Hunter’s in the early stages of a rehab stint. Hunter’s also working back from a right flexor strain, which has kept him out all season. The Phillies have guaranteed $41MM to Robertson and Hunter over the past two offseasons, but they’ve gotten just 6/2 3 innings from them this year (all from the former).
- The Astros could activate righty Collin McHugh from the injured list Tuesday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. McHugh has been out since May 21 with right elbow discomfort. On the other hand, rehabbing reliever Joe Smith won’t return until after the All-Star break, manager A.J. Hinch said. Smith’s still on the mend from the left Achilles surgery he underwent last December.
- Padres righty Dinelson Lamet could return next week, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The 26-year-old Lamet hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2018. Lamet was then coming off his own lone season in the majors, in which he registered a 4.57 ERA/4.35 FIP with 10.94 K/9 against 4.25 BB/9 across 114 1/3 innings and 21 starts.
- The Athletics’ pitching staff, reeling from ace Frankie Montas‘ suspension, may get righties Marco Estrada and Jharel Cotton back soon. Estrada, on the injured list since April 17 because of a lumbar strain in his back, threw his first bullpen Saturday since going on the IL, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He could be a second-half option for the Athletics, according to Slusser. Cotton’s on track to begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break, Slusser tweets. Cotton had been making encouraging progress in his recovery from March 2018 Tommy John surgery before he had to undergo a hamstring procedure earlier this month.
Steven Wright Nearing Activation
It’s “expected” the Red Sox will activate right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com writes. Wright’s at the end of an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. The Red Sox will need to clear a 40-man roster spot for Wright upon his return.
The 34-year-old Wright, a one-time All-Star, has mostly worked as a starter dating back to his 2013 debut. He has logged a 4.00 ERA/4.45 FIP with 6.91 K/9 and 3.18 BB/9 in 263 innings out of Boston’s rotation. Although the Red Sox may now need a starter after Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez, it won’t be Wright. They’ll likely use him as a reliever, per Cotillo, as Wright’s also coming back from 2018 left knee surgery.
The Red Sox’s bullpen ranks an impressive fourth in the majors in ERA, fifth in FIP and ninth in K/BB ratio, but Wright still may be able to help the unit. Neither left-handed hitters nor righties have enjoyed a ton of success at Wright’s expense. Lefties have hit .237/.316/.359 off Wright, while righties have posted a .252/.321/.407 line against him.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yelich, Deadline, Yates, Yordan, BVW
This week in baseball blogs…
- statsswipe tries to imagine how Christian Yelich would be performing had the Marlins kept him.
- Complete Game Loss focuses on a few power hitters who struggle to get on base.
- The Dugout runs down this year’s top deadline rentals.
- East Village Times asks if the Padres should trade Kirby Yates.
- The Runner Sports notes the Astros’ trade for Yordan Alvarez could go down as one of their biggest steals ever.
- Mets Daddy rips general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.
- Call to the Pen breaks down potential trade possibilities for the Phillies.
- Notes from the Sally ranks the top 40 South Atlantic League players at the midway point.
- The First Out At Third examines Jesus Aguilar‘s poor start.
- Chipalatta looks at prospective pitching trade targets for the Astros.
- Pinstriped Prospects talks with Yankees farmhand Tyler Wade.
- Chin Music Baseball (links: 1, 2) lists six players who have erased their hot starts and six who have erased their slow starts.
- Mets Critic wonders if Robinson Cano‘s contract is among the worst in franchise history.
- Joker Mag pays tribute to Dustin Pedroia.
- A’s Farm names its 2019 Mid-Season Organizational All-Star Team.
- Baseball Rabbi (podcast) discusses some of the most prolific home run hitters ever and a few impressive rookies, among other topics.
- Rising Apple looks into whether Corey Oswalt has a future with the Mets.
- Rox Pile names five unique venues where the Rockies should play a game.
Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com.
Jedd Gyorko Suffers Setback
JUNE 22: Gyorko’s now dealing with a right wrist issue that will require minor arthroscopic surgery, Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets. He won’t restart baseball activities for approximately three weeks.
JUNE 19: Injured Cardinals infielder Jedd Gyorko suffered a setback this week and won’t return “for a while,” Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
Gyorko went to the injured list June 8 with a lower back strain, but he may now be dealing with a left calf strain. It’s the latest significant lower body issue for Gyorko, who thrice went on the IL with hamstring and groin strains from 2017-18.
Gyorko’s injury woes add to what has been a contract season to forget for the 30-year-old. Although the former Padre combined to hit .259/.331/.463 (111 wRC+) with 61 home runs and 6.1 fWAR in 1,321 plate appearances from 2016-18, his first three seasons as a Cardinal, playing time has been scarce for Gyorko this year. Stuck behind third baseman Matt Carpenter, second baseman Kolten Wong and shortstop Paul DeJong on the Cardinals’ depth chart, Gyorko has totaled just 62 PA in 2019 and batted a poor .196/.274/.304 (57 wRC+) with a pair of HRs.
Between his injuries and weak production, Gyorko looks as if he’s on track to settle for a much lower salary than his current $13MM when he reaches free agency in the offseason. The Cardinals will have a chance to keep Gyorko for another $13MM then, but they’re sure to decline his option in favor of a $1MM buyout.
Phillies’ Maikel Franco Losing Playing Time
Since 2015, the first season in which Maikel Franco received extensive major league action, he has been the Phillies’ top option at third base. However, Franco’s now in the throes of the second straight season in which he has fallen out of favor with Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, Matt Breen of the Philadelpia Inquirer observes.
After appearing in 150-plus games in each season from 2016-17, Franco dropped to 131 last year and has ridden the bench of late this season. The 26-year-old was almost the Phillies’ sole option at third base into late May, but he has lost his grip on the job since then. Scott Kingery, Sean Rodriguez and the just-acquired Brad Miller have begun eating into Franco’s playing time recently. Franco sat again Saturday in favor of Miller.
It’s not that surprising the Phillies are fed up with Franco, who’s coming off more and more like a one-shot wonder. While the 26-year-old looked like a foundational piece in the making at the outset of his career, his production has fallen flat since then. Thanks in part to his horrid .205/.275/.371 showing in 247 plate appearances this season, Franco has slashed .248/.300/.429 with a 90 wRC+ in 2,357 major league PA. Worsening matters, Franco hasn’t made up for his below-average offensive output with stellar work in the field, having accounted for minus-31 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-7.8 Ultimate Zone Rating at the hot corner in his career.
With Franco failing to contribute to their cause, the Phillies are a disappointing 39-37, putting them five games behind the NL East-leading Braves and a game and a half out of a wild-card spot. Third base may be a priority position entering the July 31 trade deadline for the Phillies, though they could move the versatile Kingery there on a full-time basis and acquire an outfielder instead. Either way, after an aggressive offseason, it’s clear the team’s not in an ideal position at the start of the summer.
A’s Place Blake Treinen On Injured List
7:25pm: Treinen’s dealing with a mild rotator cuff strain, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com.
6:29pm: The Athletics have placed closer Blake Treinen on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The strain’s muscular, not structural, Slusser adds.
While Treinen’s injury may not be severe, it’s the second sizable blow to the playoff-contending A’s pitching staff in as many days. They lost ace Frankie Montas to an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use Friday.
The injury has bothered Treinen for a while, Slusser tweets, which may somewhat explain the 30-year-old’s decline in 2019. Treinen was close to untouchable last year, as evidenced by a nearly nonexistent 0.78 ERA in 80 1/3 innings, but has registered a 4.08 ERA in 35 1/3 frames this season. Treinen’s 4.11 FIP suggests his bloated ERA hasn’t been the product of bad luck. His 9.17 K/9 and 5.35 BB/9 also represent marked drop-offs from his otherworldly production in 2018.
It’s unclear who will take over for Treinen as Oakland’s closer during his absence. Treinen has totaled all 16 of the A’s saves this season, after all. Lou Trivino, Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Buchter, Liam Hendriks and Joakim Soria rank 1-5 in their bullpen in holds. Soria has amassed 220 saves in the majors, which makes him a logical pick to serve as the A’s game-ending solution on paper, but the 35-year-old has had difficulty preventing runs this season.
Wandy Peralta Switches Agencies
Reds left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta has hired The MAS+ Agency to represent him, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
The 27-year-old Peralta debuted in 2016 with the Reds, who signed him as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2010. The hard-throwing Peralta showed promise in 2017, his first extensive look in the majors, but he has fallen off since then. Peralta now owns a 4.89 ERA/4.64 FIP with 7.26 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 50.5 percent groundball rate in 140 innings. He hasn’t been able to completely stifle same-handed batters, who have hit .254/.349/.386 against him since he debuted in the bigs.
While Peralta’s numbers aren’t anything to write home about, his agency switch is relevant because he’s on track to reach arbitration for the first time during the upcoming offseason. Peralta’s also on schedule to hit free agency after the 2022 campaign.
MLBTR will note Peralta’s agency change in our Agency Database. If you see any notable errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
Diamondbacks Acquire Ben Lively
The Diamondbacks have acquired right-hander Ben Lively from the Royals for cash considerations, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was among those to report. Lively will go to Triple-A Reno.
The Royals designated Lively for assignment Thursday after a rough major league showing this year in which he allowed three earned runs on three hits in a single inning of work. The 27-year-old worked to a 4.07 ERA/5.56 FIP with 8.79 K/9 and 4.07 BB/9 in 42 innings with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate this season before the club let him go.
Lively’s likely best known for his tenure with the Phillies, who acquired him from the Reds for outfielder Marlon Byrd in December 2014. Overall, he has pitched to a 4.80 ERA/5.03 FIP with 6.0 K/9 and 2.93 BB/9 in 120 major league innings. He has logged a more impressive 3.12 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 308 2/3 frames at the Triple-A level.