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Reds Acquire Rob Refsnyder

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The Reds have acquired utilityman Rob Refsnyder from the Diamondbacks, according to the Reds’ official Twitter account. In return, the Diamondbacks will receive a player to be named later or cash. Refsnyder will report to Triple-A.

After signing with the Diamondbacks during the offseason, Refsnyder’s stint with the team is over already. The 28-year-old will join a Reds team that has sorely lacked outfield production during the young 2019 season, representing a depth option behind Matt Kemp, Scott Schebler, and Jesse Winker. Should any of that trio’s early season struggles grow into a significant concern, Refsnyder will be in the minor leagues, capable of filling in at a corner outfield spot. Refsnyder can also play first base and, in theory, second base (though he hasn’t appeared at the keystone in the Major Leagues since 2017), but the path to infield playing time in Cincinnati is crowded.

Refsnyder, who broke into the big leagues in 2015 with the Yankees, has appeared in parts of four seasons with three different teams and owns a career batting line of .218/.308/.302 in 423 MLB plate appearances. Last season, he worked to a .760 OPS in Triple-A, though the .588 mark he posted in 40 games with the Rays was less impressive. Refsnyder, out of options and not on the 40-man roster, largely represents organizational depth at this juncture.

Ronald Guzman Placed On IL With Hamstring Strain

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After suffering a right hamstring strain, the Rangers have placed first baseman Ronald Guzman on the 10-day injured list, per a team announcement. To fill his roster spot, the team has recalled infielder Patrick Wisdom from Triple-A.

The 24-year-old Guzman has started off the season hitting just .231, though he has shown more reason for optimism with 4 doubles and 2 home runs through nine games, good for a .615 slugging percentage. The Rangers are hoping for the big first baseman to improve on his 2018 rookie season, in which he posted a .235/.306/.416 slash line that, while respectable, is rather pedestrian for a corner infielder. A power surge from Guzman would be a welcome development for the Rangers, who will also miss Guzman’s defense at first base. It appears that veteran Logan Forsythe will take over as the primary first baseman in Guzman’s absence, with Wisdom assuming a utility infield role off the bench.

Wisdom, 27, was an offseason acquisition from the Cardinals, where he had previously spent his entire career after St. Louis used a first-round pick on Wisdom in the 2012 amateur draft. He made his Major League debut in 2018, playing in 32 games and posting an impressive .260/.362/.520 batting line. Wisdom, who has played third base and first base in the big leagues, boasts an impressive minor-league track record, including the 2017 season, in which he hit 31 home runs in 127 games—albeit in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Expect to see Wisdom earn himself a spot start here and there while the Rangers await the return of their everyday first baseman.

Diamondbacks Place Alex Avila On Injured List

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The Diamondbacks will place catcher Alex Avila on the 10-day IL with a strained left quad, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. In a corresponding move, the team will recall utilityman Tim Locastro from Triple-A to take Avila’s place on the 25-man roster.

Avila, 32, has made four starts for the Diamondbacks in 2019 and has performed well, slashing .333/.524/.800 in his 21 plate appearances. The veteran backstop has also hit two home runs on the young season and has posted an impressive 6:5 BB:K ratio. Though the results were not as encouraging in 2018, Avila’s first season in Arizona, the team will surely miss his presence behind the plate. However, Avila’s absence will open up opportunities for the team to give more ABs to young catcher Carson Kelly, who was acquired in the Paul Goldschmidt trade. Kelly, blocked by Yadier Molina for his entire career, has amassed just 145 career plate appearances in parts of four big league season, first with the Cardinals and now in Arizona.

Since the D-Backs opened the season carrying three catchers on the 25-man roster, the team didn’t need to replace Avila with another catcher. John Ryan Murphy will assume the backup duties behind Kelly, and Locastro will join the Major League roster as a reserve who can play all three outfield spots and second base. The 26-year-old spent several seasons with the Dodgers before being traded twice this offseason, first to the Yankees, and later to the Diamondbacks, who surrendered Ronald Roman and cash considerations to acquire Locastro. With Jarrod Dyson the team’s fourth outfielder and Ildemaro Vargas slotted in as the backup infielder following Jake Lamb’s injury, it’s unclear how much playing time Locastro will see, though he will afford the D-Backs some flexibility to rest outfielders.

Pitching Notes: Keuchel, A. Miller, Cards, Orioles, Royals

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Left-hander Dallas Keuchel reportedly sought a six- to seven-year contract worth upward of $25MM per annum at the outset of the winter, which may explain why he’s still available a week into the regular season. Now, though, it appears Keuchel’s asking price has dropped significantly, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears (video link). An executive’s “under the impression” the 2015 AL Cy Young winner wants a one-year deal worth more than the $17.9MM qualifying offer he turned down from the Astros or a long-term contract at a lower salary, per Rosenthal. Nevertheless, there aren’t any signs that the 31-year-old is close to finding a team, and as Rosenthal points out, the longer Keuchel sits out, the more money he’ll give up on a prorated pact. Although Keuchel has been throwing 95-pitch sim games every five days as he waits for a contract, he still may not be ready to immediately step into a team’s rotation upon signing.

  • Southpaw Andrew Miller looks more like the second coming of Greg Holland than the savior the Cardinals’ bullpen was hoping for this season, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch observes. Signed to a two-year, $25MM contract over the winter, Miller has given up six runs (four earned) on five hits (three homers) and four walks, with just two strikeouts, in his first 3 1/3 innings as a Cardinal, thereby mimicking the awful performance Holland registered last season after inking a one-year, $14MM deal. While it’s clear Miller has looked nothing like the dominant force he was with the Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees and Indians from 2012-17, it’s obviously far too soon to write him off as a bust. Fortunately, both Miller and Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak insist the 33-year-old is healthy after knee, hamstring and shoulder injuries plagued him in Cleveland last season.
  • Right-hander Nate Karns began the season in the Orioles’ rotation, but he’s now shifting to their bullpen on a full-time basis in favor of lefty John Means, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. Means may not be long for the starting five, however, considering the just-signed Dan Straily figures to head to the rotation in short order. A starter in 56 of 66 career appearances, Karns made his first relief appearance of the season Saturday against the Yankees, who collected three hits off him in just a third of an inning. The 31-year-old Karns made two starts before that, though he functioned as an opener in both outings and didn’t go past the two-inning mark in either. After recovering from 2017 thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, the journeyman joined the Orioles in free agency this past winter on an $800K contract.
  • It appears reliever Drew Storen is still far away from potentially joining the Royals’ bullpen, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. Storen, who’s on his way back from 2017 Tommy John surgery, is currently building up arm strength in extended spring training. The 31-year-old signed a minors deal with the Royals in February, meaning he was never guaranteed to crack their bullpen. However, if the horrendous performance Kansas City’s relief corps has turned in thus far is any indication, Storen could get a chance in if he returns to health.

Injury Notes: Indians, Lindor, Brewers, Jeffress, Yankees, Andujar

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Lower-body injuries have kept the Indians’ starting middle infield – shortstop Francisco Lindor (high left ankle sprain) and second baseman Jason Kipnis (right calf strain) – from taking the field this season. The latter is making progress in his Triple-A rehab assignment, though there’s still no timetable for his return, Mandy Bell of MLB.com writes. Lindor, who’s out until at least late April, is only doing light workouts at the moment, but “he’s getting better every day,” manager Terry Francona said. The Indians will reevaluate Lindor during the upcoming week, Bell reports. The absences of Lindor and Kipnis have forced the Tribe to deploy Eric Stamets, Brad Miller and Max Moroff as their main middle infielders. Unfortunately for Cleveland, those three have produced abysmal results, having combined for a paltry four hits (three singles and a double) in 57 plate appearances.

  • Barring any setbacks in his Triple-A rehab stint, reliever Jeremy Jeffress will rejoin the Brewers next weekend, according to manager Craig Counsell (via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). The return of Jeffress, who hasn’t debuted this year on account of right shoulder weakness, will be a welcome one for a Milwaukee team that lost fellow late-game option Corey Knebel to season-ending Tommy John surgery last week. The reigning National League Central champions have nevertheless rolled to a 7-2 start, though their bullpen has lacked a complement to the untouchable Josh Hader. Jeffress filled that role with aplomb in 2018, during which he notched a near-spotless 1.29 ERA with 10.45 K/9, 3.17 BB/9 and a 56.4 percent groundball rate in 76 2/3 innings.
  • Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar expressed optimism earlier this week that he wouldn’t need to undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. Manager Aaron Boone was similarly enthusiastic Saturday, George A. King III of the New York Post relays. While Boone acknowledged that surgery remains an option, he left open the possibility that this injury won’t lead to a long-term absence and added, “We are optimistic just because of the strength he is showing in all his testing.’’ Andujar’s still not swinging a bat, but whether he returns will depend more on how well he throws when he’s cleared to do so, per Boone. Without Andujar and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the injury-stricken Yankees have turned to veteran second baseman DJ LeMahieu to man third and Tyler Wade to handle the keystone. LeMahieu has thrived in the early portion of a two-year, $24MM contract, whereas Wade has been in over his head thus far in 2019.
  • Left-hander CC Sabathia, yet another Yankee on the injured list, could rejoin the team’s rotation next weekend, Boone said (also via King). In the meantime, the 38-year-old Sabathia – who’s working back from offseason heart surgery – will throw 60 to 70 pitches in a low-level minor league game Monday. Sabathia will bump either Domingo German or Jonathan Loaisiga from the Yankees’ starting five. Both right-handers did well in their initial starts of the season, but neither went past the five-inning mark.

Tigers Place Matt Moore On 10-Day IL

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SUNDAY: Moore may need surgery, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets. For now, the team has activated right-hander Drew VerHagen from the IL to take Moore’s roster spot.

SATURDAY: Per a team release, the Tigers will place lefty Matt Moore on the 10-day IL after the lefty sprained his right knee in the middle of today’s outing against the Royals. A corresponding roster move will come tomorrow, per the team.

Moore, 29, signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Detroit in the offseason after successive brutal campaigns with the Giants and Rangers. The former #1 overall prospect in the league – whom Baseball Prospectus famously ranked over Mike Trout and Bryce Harper on their 2012 list – hasn’t much been the same after a 2014 Tommy John surgery. His velocity, which ranged in the 95-96 MPH area in his first two seasons, quickly fell to around 92, and the lefty’s never possessed the requisite command and/or secondary offerings to make up for it.

Still, he’d looked sharp in first two early-season outings before the knee sprain today, so it’s a tough blow for the Tiger reclamation project. Per manager Ron Gardenhire, lefty Daniel Norris will assume Moore’s rotation spot in the interim.

Athletics Release Parker Bridwell

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The Athletics have released right-hander Parker Bridwell, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

This move continues a turbulent several months for Bridwell, who hasn’t been able to find stability since the Angels designated him for assignment in late November. He subsequently went to the Yankees, back to the Angels and then to the Athletics via the waiver wire over the next couple months. The A’s outrighted Bridwell off their 40-man roster almost immediately after claiming him in late January.

Bridwell was a viable starter in Anaheim as recently as 2017, when he posted a sturdy 3.64 ERA with 2.23 BB/9 across 121 innings. That success looked as if it would be hard to sustain, however, given Bridwell’s 5.43 K/9, 38.1 percent groundball rate, .262 batting average on balls in play, 4.84 FIP and 5.07 xFIP. Indeed, the shine wore off during a nightmarish 2018 for the 27-year-old Bridwell, whom injuries limited to 34 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the majors. Bridwell totaled the majority of those frames (28) in Salt Lake, where he logged a hideous 8.68 ERA and allowed 50 hits.

Braves Place Brian McCann On IL, Promote Alex Jackson

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8:22am: McCann’s IL placement and Jackson’s promotion are now official, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets.

12:01am: Braves catcher Brian McCann left Saturday’s game after suffering a right hamstring strain that will almost certainly result in a stint on the injured list.  McCann suffered the injury sliding into third base during the fourth inning of Atlanta’s 4-2 loss to the Marlins, and left the field under the observation of team trainers.

If that wasn’t enough of a blow to the Braves’ catching corps, Tyler Flowers replaced McCann behind the plate and was then hit on the right hand during a fifth-inning at-bat against Miami’s Tayron Guerrero.  Flowers toughed it out for the remainder of the evening, and x-rays on his injured hand didn’t reveal any fractures, the catcher told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman and other reporters after the game.  While an IL placement doesn’t seem likely at this point, Flowers did think he might need a day or two to recover, leaving Atlanta rather short-staffed behind the place.

McCann signed a one-year, $2MM contract to return to Atlanta this offseason, teaming up with Flowers as the platoon replacement for Kurt Suzuki.  McCann was keen to return to his home state and hopes to rebound from a lackluster 2018 season that saw him hit just .212/.301/.339 over 216 PA for the Astros.  Knee injuries plagued McCann over his two years in Houston, and he missed two months last season after undergoing surgery.

Alex Jackson will be in Atlanta prior to Sunday’s game to take McCann’s spot on the 25-man roster, manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Bowman).  Assuming Flowers is still sore, Jackson is on pace to make his Major League debut, close to five years after being selected sixth overall by the Mariners in the 2014 draft.

Jackson was originally a catcher in high school before the Mariners moved him to the outfield upon his draft selection.  Both MLB.com and Baseball America ranked Jackson within the top 30 prospects in baseball prior to the 2015 season, though his stock began to drop after a pair of forgettable seasons in Seattle’s farm system.  Even with these struggles in mind, it was still rather surprising when Jackson was unceremoniously dealt to the Braves as part of a four-player trade in November 2016, though Jackson hasn’t done much since joining Atlanta’s organization to regain his past blue chip status.

The Braves did switch Jackson back behind the plate prior to the 2017 season, however, which has opened the door for his first taste of big league action.  MLB.com cites Jackson as the 28th-best prospect in Atlanta’s system, describing his likely future in the Show “as a power-only backup backstop with decent catch and throw skills.”  The same scouting report credits Jackson with improved defense as he has readjusted to his old position, though pitch-blocking remains an issue.  Still just 23 years old, Jackson has hit .234/.317/.410 over 1580 career plate appearances in the minors.

If Flowers can’t play over the short term but also isn’t hurt enough to require an IL placement, it leaves Atlanta in a bit of a catching crunch.  Rafael Lopez is available at Triple-A, though the Braves would have to make another move to add Lopez to the 40-man roster.  Charlie Culberson is Atlanta’s emergency catcher and could back Jackson up for a couple of days at most, though Culberson didn’t think he’d played catcher since he was a ten-year-old.

Mets Activate Travis d’Arnaud, Option Tomas Nido

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The Mets have activated catcher Travis d’Arnaud from the 10-day injured list and optioned fellow backstop Tomas Nido to Triple-A Syracuse, the team announced.

The oft-injured d’Arnaud is in line for his first action in nearly a year, having undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last April. D’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki were the Mets’ most prominent catchers at the time, but there has been quite a bit of upheaval behind the plate since then. New York signed current starter Wilson Ramos to a two-year, $19MM contract and traded Plawecki to the Indians during the winter. The Mets, led by rookie general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, elected to retain d’Arnaud for $3.15MM even though he looked like a non-tender candidate.

D’Arnaud, a former star prospect who joined the Mets in a 2012 blockbuster with the Blue Jays, has been a mixed bag when healthy enough to take the field. His lifetime .245/.306/.406 line in 1,469 plate appearances is respectable for a catcher, and he has earned solid marks from Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric. However, thanks in part to injuries, the 30-year-old’s impact has dipped since he combined for 6.1 fWAR from 2014-15. Dating back to 2016, he’s a .244/.297/.393 hitter in 668 PA. D’Arnaud, who’s scheduled for free agency after the season, will now take a backseat to Ramos in his long-awaited return.

Quick Hits: Epstein, Cubs, Hunter, Straily, Japan

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After a 1-6 start to the Cubs’ season, Chicago fans are already pointing fingers in many directions, including criticism of ownership for not greenlighting more offseason spending, or of the team’s desultory pitching performance.  President of baseball operations Theo Epstein, however, told ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers and other reporters that the blame falls with him.  “There is always a search for scapegoats when you get off to a tough start.  [Pitching coach] Tommy Hottovy is not the problem. He’s a big part of the solution,” Epstein said.  “[Owner] Tom Ricketts is not the problem. It’s not a resource issue. I know he’s another one that’s been taking a lot of heat. It’s not a resource problem. If people have a problem with the allocation of resources, then that’s on me. And it has been ever since I got here, with a lot of good and some bad.”

While it’s obviously still early in the season, the Cubs are already facing a big deficit in the NL Central due to the Brewers’ 7-1 start, as Rogers notes.  The Cubs can make up some of that ground in their ongoing series with Milwaukee, plus there’s also really nowhere to go but up after this opening week.  “It’s been real close to, if not, a worst-case scenario for us, defensively and in terms of our pitching….We’re sorry we’re putting our fans through this,” Epstein said.

Some more from around the National League…

  • Phillies reliever Tommy Hunter has been shut down from throwing after receiving a PRP injection in his right arm.  (MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki was among those to report the news.)  Hunter won’t resume throwing for three weeks, so factoring in those days plus the time Hunter would require to get into game readiness after missing much of Spring Training, the veteran righty might not be back in the Philadelphia bullpen until late May or perhaps early June.  A flexor strain sidelined Hunter during the spring, and while the injury wasn’t thought to be overly serious at the time, it will result in a lengthy absence for the 32-year-old.  Hunter was a solid contributor for the Phils last season, posting a 3.80 ERA, 3.40 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 64 relief innings in the first year of a two-year, $18MM contract.
  • The Rangers and Blue Jays were two of the teams that had interest in Dan Straily before the right-hander signed with the Orioles last week, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Both Texas and Toronto are dealing with rotation injuries, though the Rangers had a more immediate need for starting help now that Edinson Volquez has been sidelined with a UCL injury.
  • Japan used to be seen as something of a last resort for players that couldn’t crack the Major Leagues, though as The Athletic’s Peter Gammons writes (subscription required), more and more players are returning from stints in Nippon Professional Baseball capable of thriving at the MLB level.  Colby Lewis, Ryan Vogelsong, Miles Mikolas, and Ryan Brasier are some of the pitchers who revived or kickstarted their careers while playing in Japan, which some players and executives feel is a more conducive environment than Triple-A.  NPB not only offers a higher level of competition, but just competition in general — players are playing to win in pressurized games in front of large crowds, rather than the more developmental nature of the minor leagues.  Plus, players can earn much more in guaranteed NPB deals than in playing for meager minor league salaries or even minimum-level Major League contracts, and the extra security allows more focus on performance.  “I’m not looking over my shoulder after every outing,” said Frank Herrmann, who is in his third season as a star reliever for Rakuten Golden Eagles after tossing 135 1/3 innings for the Indians and Phillies between 2010-16.  “When you are that ’4A guy,’ a bad outing or even an extra-inning game in which you did your job could potentially be a demotion to the minors. That’s a grind mentality.”

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