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Injury Notes: Lindor, Gallo, C. Seager, Ellsbury, Rusin

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Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor suffered a right calf strain in February, thus placing his season-opening status in doubt. However, the Indians haven’t yet made a decision on that front. Manager Terry Francona said Sunday (via Mandy Bell of MLB.com) the Indians will determine in the coming days whether Lindor will break camp with the team next week. Needless to say, having Lindor ready on Opening Day will be a sizable boon for the Tribe. The transcendent 25-year-old further established himself as one of the game’s premier players in 2018.

More injury news from around the majors…

  • Rangers slugger Joey Gallo is dealing with a groin strain, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News relays. The Rangers believe it’s a minor issue, and Grant adds they’re not planning “aggressive treatment,” but Gallo’s not certain to be ready for Opening Day. Should the injury force Gallo to begin the season on the injured list, it could open the door for unproven outfielder Willie Calhoun to make the team, Grant notes. On paper, that’s a significant downgrade for Texas, for which Gallo combined for 81 home runs and 5.6 fWAR from 2017-18. [Update: Gallo says he’ll be in the Rangers’ Opening Day lineup, Grant tweets.]
  • Although Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager hasn’t appeared in a spring training game, he’ll be ready for Opening Day, manager Dave Roberts told Bob Nightengale of USA Today and other reporters Sunday. It’ll be a triumphant return for Seager, who starred in full seasons from 2016-17 before missing nearly all of the ’18 campaign on account of Tommy John surgery.
  • Forgotten Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury reported to camp this weekend, though he’s “not close” to being game ready, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets. Ellsbury, who has dealt with a laundry list of injuries in recent years (including plantar fasciitis), is only hitting off a tee and playing catch from short distances at this point. It’s not clear whether the 35-year-old will even suit again with the Yankees, with whom he’s in the sixth season of a seven-year, $153MM contract. The former Red Sox star hasn’t appeared in a major league game since Oct. 17, 2017.
  • Along with the previously reported Antonio Senzatela, the Rockies are likely to begin the season without reliever Chris Rusin, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Upper back pain has shelved Rusin all month, but when he does return, he’ll try to bounce back from an ugly 2018 in he posted a 6.09 ERA/4.64 FIP with 7.74 K/9 and 4.28 BB/9 in 54 2/3 innings.

Andrew Heaney To Begin Season On Injured List

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MARCH 17: While Heaney will resume his throwing program Sunday, he’ll start the season on the injured list, Fletcher tweets.

MARCH 13: Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney has been shut down due to ongoing discomfort stemming from inflammation in his left elbow, the team revealed to reporters (Twitter link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). While that’s clearly unwelcome news for a Halos staff that has been ravaged by injuries over the past several seasons, the good news is that an MRI has already been performed, with no structural damage being found.

It’s not clear yet just when the Angels believe Heaney will be ready to throw. Fletcher notes that Heaney dealt with a similar issue last spring but wound up missing only a week and a half of the regular season. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets that Heaney is optimistic he’ll be able to resume throwing in the near future. However, he’s only totaled 1 2/3 innings this spring, which seemingly makes it unlikely that he’ll be ready to start the season in two weeks.

Heaney, 27, pitched to a 4.15 ERA with 9.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 and a 41.2 percent ground-ball rate in 180 innings of work (30 starts). That marked only the second time in his career that Heaney was able to make more than five starts at the MLB level or pitch more than 100 innings. To this point, the clearly talented lefty — he’s a former first-round pick and consensus top prospect — has been snakebit by injury issues, most notably including Tommy John surgery.

With Heaney now looking decidedly unlikely to be ready to take the mound early in the season, the Angels project to rely upon Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill and Tyler Skaggs as the top three arms in the rotation. Jaime Barria and Felix Pena are strong candidates for those final two rotation spots, although the Angels do have alternatives including offseason pickup Dillon Peters, who has been sharp thus far in Spring Training (one run in 10 innings). Nick Tropeano isn’t expected to be ready for the opener either, while J.C. Ramirez and Shohei Ohtani aren’t options following 2018 Tommy John surgery.

Rockies Release Michael Saunders

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The Rockies have released outfielder Michael Saunders, Nick Groke of The Athletic tweets. Saunders joined the Rockies on a minor league contract in January.

This is the latest disappointing development for the 32-year-old Saunders, whose career has fallen off a cliff since the second half of the 2016 season. Then with the Blue Jays, Saunders earned an All-Star nod on the strength of a terrific first half, but his numbers declined sharply thereafter. While Saunders did land a $9MM guarantee from the Phillies during the ensuing offseason, he fared so poorly with them that they released him that June. Saunders then ended up returning to the Blue Jays, though the Canadian wasn’t able to work his way back to relevance in his second stint with them.

Also a former Mariner – with whom he was a well-regarded prospect – Saunders hasn’t played in the majors since his ill-fated 2017 campaign, and his 2018 minor league production with the Orioles and White Sox was woeful. The lifetime .232/.305/.397 hitter did put together a respectable .261/.393/.348 line during 23 spring at-bats with the Rockies, however.

Yankees Have Made Offer To Gio Gonzalez

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MARCH 17: The Yankees have made an offer to Gonzalez, but there’s “not a great deal of optimism” they’ll reach an agreement, per Heyman.

MARCH 5: Left-hander Gio Gonzalez had at least been discussed “by some Yankees people” even before the team learned of Luis Severino’s rotator cuff inflammation earlier today, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Similarly, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Yankees do like Gonzalez and may inquire with agent Scott Boras about the lefty’s current asking price.

With Severino and CC Sabathia both unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, the Yankees’ rotation depth isn’t quite as strong as it once appeared. Of course, neither Severino nor Sabathia is expected to miss significant time, and the Yankees have quite a few other options on hand to fill in on a short-term basis; Domingo German, Luis Cessa, Chance Adams and Jonathan Loaisiga are all on the 40-man roster and all saw some experience at the MLB level last season.

Beyond that, the Yankees are already projected to enter the season with a luxury tax payroll that sits at just over $226MM, per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. Because they’re already $20MM north of the $206MM threshold, the Yankees are not only subject to the initial 20 percent tax — they’ll also pay a 12 percent surcharge on any additional contracts. In order to sign Gonzalez (or any other Major League free agent), they’d effectively pay an additional $320K in taxes for every million dollars they spend.

As Feinsand points out, as well, there’s the more straightforward question of what to do with Gonzalez if (or when) the team’s rotation is fully healthy. Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and Sabathia are expected to comprise the Yankees’ rotation, and none of that quintet would figure to be pushed out by Gonzalez. Speculatively, the Yankees could deploy a six-man rotation or gauge Gonzalez’s willingness to pitch out of the ’pen. Ultimately, though, a pitcher as established as the 33-year-old Gonzalez seems like a tough fit in the Bronx, given the seemingly short-term nature of the absences with which Severino and Sabathia are currently faced.

That said, the tentative interest in Gonzalez is still of some note. If the Yankees incur further injuries or if Severino’s shoulder troubles prove to be more severe than initial testing has thus far suggested, a match with Gonzalez would suddenly appear considerably more plausible.

East Notes: Orioles, Hays, Yankees, Hicks, Braves, Anibal

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The Orioles announced several roster cuts Sunday, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to cover. Outfielder Austin Hays, who looked like a strong contender for a season-opening starting role, is the most notable player returning to the minors. General manager Mike Elias insisted service time didn’t factor into the decision, suggesting it’s irrelevant in Hays’ case because he already debuted in 2017, Kubatko tweets. Based on his spring, in which he put together a video game-like .351/.385/.892 line with five home runs in 37 at-bats, Hays deserved a roster spot in Baltimore. The promising prospect is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he posted underwhelming minor league numbers across 327 plate appearances, however. Per Kubatko, Hays and the Orioles believe there’s more for him to work on at the Triple-A level, where he hasn’t yet played. “I still haven’t played too many games in the minor leagues,” Hays said. “I haven’t had too many at-bats. I missed almost a whole year last year due to injuries, so there’s some time I need to make up.”

More from the East Coast…

  • The lower back problems that have shelved Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks this month will also sideline him for the team’s season-opening series, ESPN’s Coley Harvey reports. Hicks informed Harvey he underwent a second cortisone shot Sunday, though the 29-year-old is optimistic he’ll return at the outset of April. Without Hicks, it’s likely both Luke Voit and Greg Bird – who have been vying for the starting job at first base – will make New York’s roster, observes MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, who notes the team will have to choose between Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade as its fourth outfielder. Regardless, the Yankees are left to hope Hicks’ injury doesn’t turn into an ongoing issue, especially after they inked him to a seven-year, $70MM extension last month.
  • Braves manager Brian Snitker expects relievers A.J. Minter (shoulder) and Darren O’Day (forearm) to open 2019 on the injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com relays. Minter’s absence could prove especially detrimental, given that the lefty has thrived since debuting in 2017 and figured to begin the season sharing closer duties with Arodys Vizcaino. O’Day hasn’t yet pitched since last June, nor has he debuted with the Braves, who acquired him from Baltimore in July while he was shelved with a season-ending hamstring injury. The absences of Minter and O’Day may make Atlanta an even better fit for free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel, but to this point, it doesn’t seem as if the club has seriously pursued its former star.
  • Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has developed an affinity for right-hander Anibal Sanchez over the past several years, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com explains. Despite that, the Braves didn’t re-sign Sanchez this past offseason after he experienced a career renaissance in their uniform last year. Thanks in part to their collection of young, major league-ready starters, the Braves were hesitant to ink Sanchez to a multiyear guarantee over the winter, Anthopoulos revealed, thereby paving the way for his exit. The 35-year-old ended up accepting division-rival Washington’s two-year, $19MM offer. “Obviously, you never want to see a division rival get better, but I’m so fond of him that I’m really happy for him,” said Anthopoulos, whose club benefited from Sanchez’s presence in 2018 after signing him for just $1MM in late March.

Blue Jays Acquire Jason Adam; Devon Travis, Mark Leiter Jr. Undergo Surgery

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The Blue Jays have acquired right-hander Jason Adam from the Royals for cash considerations, Scott Mitchell of TSN reports. Additionally, the Blue Jays announced notable injury news regarding second baseman Devon Travis and right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets. Travis underwent arthroscopic surgery “to address a small meniscus tear in his left knee” and will be reassessed in four to six weeks, while Leiter will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Adam, a Kansas native, is leaving the Royals via trade for the second time since they selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. They previously dealt Adam to the Twins in 2014 for slugger Josh Willingham, only to bring him back on a minor league contract in 2017 following a stint with the Padres. After overcoming multiple serious injuries to his arm, as ESPN’s Keith Law explained last May, Adam made his major league debut in 2018 and recorded a subpar 6.12 ERA/6.16 FIP over 32 1/3 innings and 31 appearances. At the same time, though, the 27-year-old did manage playable strikeout and walk numbers (10.3 K/9, 4.18 BB/9).

As is the case with Adam, injuries have been a major problem during Travis’ pro career. Left knee inflammation sidelined the 28-year-old for a couple weeks before he underwent surgery, making it the latest lower body issue for a player who hasn’t appeared in more than 103 games in a major league season since debuting in 2015. Notably, Travis totaled just 50 appearances in 2017 on account of right knee surgery. He didn’t perform well last year in a 378-plate appearance return, over which he hit just .232/.275/.381 (77 wRC+). As a result, the Jays weren’t guaranteeing a starting job to Travis entering camp. It’s a moot point now, though, as Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Freddy Galvis and Richard Urena appear likely to open the season as the Jays’ top middle infield options.

Leiter, 28, joined Toronto last September via waivers from the Phillies, but the Blue Jays ended up designating him for assignment and then outrighting him over the winter. While Leiter garnered extensive experience with the Phillies in 2017, when he amassed 90 2/3 innings and put up a 4.96 ERA/5.14 FIP, a flexor strain helped limit him to just 51 2/3 frames between the majors and minors last year. In 23 1/3 innings divided between Philly and Toronto, he only managed a 7.71 ERA/6.98 FIP.

NL Notes: Nats, Brewers, Mets, Giants

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With center fielder Michael A. Taylor on the shelf for a while, the Nationals “appear to be at least considering outside alternatives” capable of playing the position, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Free agency’s not exactly rife with options at this juncture, though, with 30-somethings Denard Span (an ex-Nat), Austin Jackson and Chris Young as the only experienced center fielders on the market. But Span hasn’t played center since 2017, when was among the majors’ worst outfielders; Jackson was similarly poor there last season; and Young hasn’t seen a lot of action at the position in recent years. So, if the Nationals want a legit center fielder to help make up for Taylor’s absence, they may have to turn to the trade market or hope a capable player hits the waiver wire in the coming weeks.

  • Even though he received a major league contract over the winter, Brewers infielder/outfielder Cory Spangenberg may open the season in the minors, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes. The Brewers are likely to opt for a four-man bench which would include Hernan Perez, Manny Pina, Eric Thames and Ben Gamel, leaving Spangenberg – who has a minor league option remaining – on the outside. Not long ago, the former Padre looked like a strong candidate to rack up playing time at second base this year in Milwaukee. Unfortunately for Spangenerg, the Brewers’ late-February re-signing of Mike Moustakas – who’s shifting from third to the keystone – put the kibosh on that.
  • Right-hander Seth Lugo will work out of the bullpen again this season after emerging as one of the Mets’ best relievers in 2018, though the 29-year-old wants to return to a starting role at some point, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes. “I’m not content where I’m at, but I’m happy where I’m at, if that makes sense,” Lugo said. “Especially with the team we have now, I just want to be a part of it.” Lugo totaled 18 starts in 19 appearances back in 2017, but he functioned almost exclusively as a reliever last season, and that should be the case again this year.
  • The Giants have named Rob Dean as their designated interim control person to Major League Baseball, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic tweets. Dean’s filling in for CEO Larry Baer, who’s on leave as MLB investigates a public altercation he had with his wife on March 1. Baer and the Giants haven’t been in contact during his absence, per Baggarly, who adds the club’s awaiting the league’s investigation before it takes any potential action with him.

Rangers Notes: Calhoun, Miller, Pitching Staff

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Here’s the latest on the Rangers:

  • Outfielder Willie Calhoun rededicated himself during the winter after a subpar 2018 campaign, but it’s up in the air whether his hard work will yield a season-opening roster spot. As Jeff Wilson of the Star Telegram points out, fellow outfielders Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, Delino DeShields and Shin-Soo Choo are locks to make the team, while minor league pickup Hunter Pence will likely earn the last spot on the strength of a quality spring. As such, the 24-year-old Calhoun could be ticketed for a demotion to Triple-A Nashville, where he’d receive everyday playing time. Calhoun admitted “it would be really frustrating” to miss out on a roster spot in Texas, adding: “I have so many games played at Triple A. I feel like I’d go there just to get at-bats, but at that point, there’s no getting better for me at Triple A.” The 24-year-old walked back those comments, acknowledging there’s more he could work on at the minors’ highest level, per Wilson. Calhoun batted a so-so .294/.351/.431 in 470 PAs there last year, and fared much worse during a 108-PA audition in the majors (.222/.269/.333). His bottom-line productive hasn’t been any better this spring, albeit over a mere 40 exhibition ABs, with a .200/.298/.250 line. Those numbers notwithstanding, Calhoun has gone “above and beyond,” according to manager Chris Woodward, who said “it would be crushing” to tell the player he’s going back to the minors.
  • Woodward also discussed the Rangers’ pitching plans with reporters, including TR Sullivan of MLB.com and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Of note, using an opener won’t be in the cards for Texas, in part because Woodward believes the strategy wouldn’t mesh with Tommy John surgery returnees Shelby Miller, Edinson Volquez and Drew Smyly. “I wouldn’t do it from a health standpoint,” Woodward said. “I don’t want to put Shelby Miller in that kind of situation. I don’t know if he can warm up in the bullpen. They have a long toss routine. You can’t long toss in the bullpen. I want them to do what they normally do, and it’s not fair for them to put them in that situation.” Miller’s likely to begin the season on an 80- to 85-pitch count, Grant reports. Given the uncertainty surrounding Miller, Volquez and Smyly, who are joining Mike Minor and Lance Lynn in the Rangers’ rotation, the club could opt for an eight-man bullpen, Sullivan relays.
  • Texas’ 40-man roster is at capacity, but if the club needs to create an opening, it’s possible it’ll designate right-hander Connor Sadzeck for assignment, Wilson suggests. A member of the Rangers since they selected him in the 11th round of the 2011 draft, Sadzeck was the team’s 15th-ranked prospect at Baseball America as recently as 2016. Sadzeck struggled in the minors during the ensuing season, however, and didn’t reach the majors for the first time until last year. He then allowed only a single run in 9 1/3 innings, but with seven strikeouts against 11 walks, that success was largely smoke and mirrors. The hard-throwing 27-year-old was solid in his initial taste of Triple-A action last season, though, as he logged 10.18 K/9 versus 3.79 BB/9 and posted a 4.03 ERA/3.59 FIP.

Latest On Twins’ Kyle Gibson

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SATURDAY: Extension talks are off for the time being, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who tweets that the Twins and Gibson didn’t come close to a deal during their discussions.

FRIDAY: The Twins and right-hander Kyle Gibson are discussing an extension that would keep him in Minnesota beyond the current season, Gibson himself revealed to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Gibson is set to become a free agent after the 2019 campaign, but Miller notes that agent Randy Rowley has been in Ft. Myers for the past few days and met with the Twins to discuss a deal. Gibson is already earning $8.125MM this season after avoiding arbitration earlier in the winter.

“It’s really just trying to figure out what makes sense for the Twins and if it is something they want to do as well,” Gibson told Miller, adding that Minneapolis is “definitely” somewhere he wants to be beyond the 2019 season.

A first-round pick by the Twins back in 2009, Gibson’s path to the Majors was slowed by Tommy John surgery. He’s been a mainstay in Minnesota’s rotation since 2014, however, and while he struggled in both 2016-17, Gibson enjoyed easily the best season of his career in 2018. Last year, the Mizzou product totaled a career-high 196 2/3 innings while registering a 3.62 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.05 HR/9 and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate. Gibson upped the use of his slider a bit while throwing his changeup less often and saw his swinging-strike rate increase from its career mark of 9.8 percent to 11.5 percent.

If the two sides can ultimately strike a deal, Gibson would become the third starting pitcher to forgo free agency in favor of a pre-season extension, joining Reds right-hander Sonny Gray (three years, $30.5MM) and Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (four years, $68MM). Gibson’s situation isn’t a direct parallel with either of those righties, however. He’s two years older than Gray but also coming off a demonstrably better season, whereas Mikolas is a year younger and coming off a surprisingly dominant season in his return to the big leagues after a three-year run in Japan.

The Twins likely have some added incentive to try to broker an agreement, as in addition to Gibson, they’ll see right-handers Michael Pineda and Jake Odorizzi become free agents following the 2019 season. Jose Berrios, who rejected an extension overture earlier this spring, is the only established starter that Minnesota controls beyond the 2019 season. Fifth starter Martin Perez has a club option on the one-year contract he signed this winter, though he’ll need to reestablish himself as a viable big league arm in order for that to become a consideration.

SP Notes: Keuchel, Braves, Eovaldi, Astros, Angels, Phils, Kershaw

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With left-hander Dallas Keuchel still unemployed, the big-name free agent’s preparing for the season by “going through a full Spring Training, just like [Kyle] Lohse did,” agent Scott Boras told Jon Morosi of MLB.com earlier this week. Boras was referring to Lohse’s protracted trip to free agency six years ago, which ended March 25, 2013, with a three-year, $33MM agreement to join the Brewers. The majority of MLB followers expected Keuchel, 31, to land a far richer deal than that when the offseason began, but the onetime AL Cy Young winner has instead watched in recent months as most of the majors’ other high-profile free agents have come off the board. Still, the longtime Astro “is receiving offers,” Boras informed Morosi, who writes that the Braves are monitoring Keuchel’s market but are leery of surrendering a draft pick to sign the qualifying offer recipient. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported earlier this week Atlanta would “consider” Keuchel on a short-term deal; regardless of contract length, signing Keuchel would only cost the Braves their third-highest draft pick in 2019.

The latest on a couple other established starters…

  • Nathan Eovaldi re-signed with the Red Sox on a four-year, $68MM contract in December, but only after the right-hander drew serious interest from elsewhere. The Angels and Phillies “really wanted” Eovaldi, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, though the feeling wasn’t mutual. During the free-agent process, Eovaldi informed his agency, ACES, he only wanted to sign with the Red Sox or his hometown Astros, according to Bradford. But the Astros, despite the questions in their rotation, didn’t pursue the 29-year-old. “Houston is home for me,” Eovaldi told Bradford. “I would have had more talks with the Astros but they just didn’t want any part of it so they were out of the question. While Eovaldi added that he was “a little surprised” the Astros ignored him, he’s happy to be back in Boston after helping the club to a championship in 2018.
  • Clayton Kershaw has been the starter for the Dodgers’ last eight Opening Days, but it appears the superstar southpaw’s streak is on the verge of ending. Manager Dave Roberts said Friday (via ESPN.com) it’s “unlikely” Kershaw will take the ball for the Dodgers on March 28 in their season-opening game against the Diamondbacks. Kershaw has been battling shoulder inflammation throughout the spring, which has prevented the three-time NL Cy Young winner from making an appearance in the Cactus League and from throwing offspeed pitches during his rehab. Set to turn 31 on March 19, Kershaw’s entering the first season of a three-year, $93MM contract – a deal that’s off to an inauspicious start.

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