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Yankees Place Gary Sanchez On DL, Option Clint Frazier

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4:00pm: Sanchez has a Grade 1 strain and is expected to miss three to four weeks of action, manager Aaron Boone tells reporters (Twitter link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).

June 25, 2:20pm: The Yankees did indeed place Sanchez on the disabled list today due to a right groin strain, the team announced. Higashioka is up from Triple-A to replace him on the roster. New York also announced that Clint Frazier has been optioned to Triple-A in favor of right-hander Giovanny Gallegos.

June 24: The Yankees will likely place catcher Gary Sanchez on the disabled list because of a right hip/groin problem, manager Aaron Boone told Marc Carig of The Athletic and other reporters Sunday.

The Yankees fell to the Rays on Sunday, thus dropping three in a row in Tampa Bay, and Sanchez contributed to their defeat with an 0-for-4 performance. Sanchez then suffered an injury on the base paths in the top of the 10th inning, forcing him to exit the game in favor of backup Austin Romine.

At 50-25, the Yankees have gotten off to a great start this season, though Sanchez hasn’t been at his best. After establishing himself as one of the elite catchers in the game from 2016-17, Sanchez has opened this season with a .190/.291/.433 line in 265 plate appearances. That’s good enough for a 97 wRC+, which is respectable for a catcher, but it pales in comparison to his lifetime mark (131). Sanchez has still smacked 14 home runs and posted a .242 ISO, to his credit, and he has encountered significant batted-ball misfortune. The 25-year-old ranks fourth in the majors in average exit velocity on fly balls and line drives (99 mph) and 11th in barrels per plate appearance, per Statcast. He also entered Sunday with a terrific xwOBA (.372), easily eclipsing his actual wOBA (.313).

Behind the plate, the cannon-armed Sanchez has thrown out 28 percent of would-be base stealers – just beating out the 27 percent league average – and performed well as a pitch framer, according to Baseball Prospectus. BP has also approved of Romine’s framing work, and the longtime backup has seemingly found another gear at the plate. Romine, 29, has hit .305/.370/.524 with four homers in 92 PAs, also putting up a Sanchez-like xwOBA (.366).

With the Yankees tied atop the AL East with the Red Sox, they’ll hope Romine can continue his apparent breakout in a larger role for however much time Sanchez misses. Fellow backstop Kyle Higashioka will likely come up from Triple-A Scranton to back up Romine, Boone said (via Carig).

Phillies Place Edubray Ramos On DL, Recall Hector Neris

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The Phillies announced Monday that they’ve placed right-hander Edubray Ramos on the 10-day disabled list due to a right shoulder impingement and recalled Hector Neris in his place.

The loss of Ramos is a significant hit to the Philadelphia relief corps, as he’s somewhat quietly been one of the most effective relievers in the National League this season. Through 29 innings, he’s worked to a pristine 1.24 ERA with a healthy 9.9 K/9 mark against 3.1 BB/9 and 0.62 HR/9. Ramos is an extreme fly-ball pitcher (45.1 percent in 2018), but he’s nonetheless proven adept at limiting homers in his big league career. Through 126 2/3 innings, he’s yielded just 11 homers (0.78 HR/9). There’s no indication to this point just how long Ramos is expected to remain sidelined, but certainly any shoulder injury is cause for concern with a pitcher.

Neris, meanwhile, will return to the club just a week after being optioned. He tossed a pair of scoreless innings for the Phillies’ top affiliate in Lehigh Valley, and the team will hope that his abbreviated demotion will help to get the struggling righty back on track. Neris opened the season as the Phillies’ closer and has been an important bullpen piece for the team dating back to 2015. However, after three strong seasons in which he ascended from middle-relief work to a setup role and eventually the team’s closer, he’s struggled immensely in 2018.

This season, Neris has been clobbered for a 6.00 ERA, and while his 11.7 K/9 mark and 17.6 percent swinging-strike rate are excellent, he’s been the most homer-prone reliever in the National League this season. In just 27 innings, Neris has served up eight long balls.

In addition to the bullpen maneuverings, the Phillies also announced that they’ve reinstated infielder Jesmuel Valentin from the paternity list and optioned fellow infielder Mitch Walding back to Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.

D-backs Activate Miller, Place Buchholz On DL, Release Crichton

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The D-backs announced a series of roster moves Monday, activating right-hander Shelby Miller from the 60-day disabled list, placing fellow righty Clay Buchholz on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained left oblique muscle and releasing right-hander Stefan Crichton, who’d been on the minor league disabled list due to a shoulder injury.

For Miller, this will mark his return from a 14-month absence due to Tommy John surgery. He ramped up for his return with four minor league rehab starts between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, working to a combined 4.66 ERA with a much more impressive 28-to-6 K/BB ratio.

While Miller’s first season with the D-backs following the infamous Ender Inciarte/Dansby Swanson trade was an unequivocal disappointment, the righty was displaying some signs of a rebound last season at the time of his injury. Miller only made four starts last season and pitched just 22 innings, but he notched a solid 4.09 ERA with 20 strikeouts against 11 unintentional walks. More heartening, perhaps, was the fact that the lost life on his fastball had been rediscovered; after averaging a career-low 93 mph on his heater in 2016, he averaged 94.9 mph in 2017 prior to undergoing surgery.

[Related: Arizona Diamondbacks depth chart]

Miller’s return could prove to be critical for a D-backs rotation that has lost Taijuan Walker for the season and is currently without left-hander Robbie Ray (who, like Buchholz, is dealing with an oblique injury). Ray is on a minor league rehab assignment right now, and a starting five that includes him, Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin, Zack Godley and a healthy Miller could prove formidable if Miller is closer to the pitcher who notched a 3.57 FIP in 2017 than he is to his 2016 form (6.15 ERA, 4.87 FIP).

Buccholz’s injury is hardly insignificant itself. After the Royals decided not to give him a look in the Majors earlier this year, he signed a minor league pact with the D-backs and has been something of a savior to their injury-plagued staff. Through seven starts and a total of 38 2/3 innings, Buchholz has compiled an outstanding 2.56 ERA with a 31-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 40.7 percent ground-ball rate.

As for Crichton, the D-backs acquired him back on April 2, sending a player to be named later or cash to the Orioles. He ultimately never pitched in the Majors for the D-backs, and he was hit exceptionally hard in Triple-A before landing on the disabled list. In 16 innings there, Crichton logged a disastrous 10.13 RA with 17 strikeouts against eight unintentional walks and four home runs. That said, the 26-year-old was nothing short of excellent in Triple-A last year. In 47 2/3 there last season, a healthier Crichton notched a tidy 3.02 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9.

White Sox Outright Trayce Thompson

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Outfielder Trayce Thompson has cleared waivers and been sent outright to the White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, James Fegan of The Athletic reports (on Twitter). Thompson was designated for assignment last week when the team activated Avisail Garcia from the disabled list.

Thompson, 27, entered Spring Training with the Dodgers but has since gone to the Yankees, Athletics and now back to his original organization, the White Sox, in a series of waiver claims and minor trades. This is the first time Thompson has cleared waivers and been outrighted, and as such, he doesn’t have the option to reject the assignment.

It’s been a brutal year at the plate for Thompson, who has slashed just .117/.162/.211 and fanned 50 times in 137 plate appearances. His struggles at the dish date back to last season, and he’s never really enjoyed a prolonged run of success in the big leagues. That said, the former second-round pick did hit .249/.322/.463 with 18 homers through his first 62 MLB games with the ChiSox and Dodgers. He’s also an excellent athlete who can capably handle all three outfield spots. He’ll head to Charlotte and look for a reset of sorts in hopes of getting back on track and returning to the Majors later this season.

Tigers Sign Casey Mize

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The Tigers announced today that they’ve signed No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize. He’ll be introduced today at a press conference. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that the former Auburn ace received a $7.5MM signing bonus. That’s a new record bonus for the current draft structure, though it still checks in south of the full slot value of $8,096,300. Mize was advised by and is now represented by the Bledsoe Agency.

Mize, 21, was the consensus top talent in the 2018 draft class. He topped pre-draft rankings from Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN, and virtually every mock draft leading up to the draft itself had projected that the Tigers would select him. He’ll instantly become one of the game’s top pitching prospects (and top overall prospects) and will give the Tigers a potential fast-moving, high-end pitching talent to add to their minor league ranks.

In his junior season at Auburn, Mize pitched to a 3.30 ERA with a ridiculous 156-to-16 K/BB ratio in 114 2/3 innings of work. He works with a fastball that reaches 97 mph but sits more in the 93-95 mph range and draws exceptional reviews for his ability to command that pitch as well as a splitter that both MLB.com and Baseball America rate as a 70-grade pitch (on the 20-80 scale). Mize also began throwing a cut fastball this year — another pitch that has quickly earned plus ratings — and throws a slider as well.

The rebuilding Tigers have begun to amass an impressive collection of arms that could be in the Majors by 2019 and certainly by early 2020. Detroit has selected a pitcher with its top pick in each of the past four drafts, and those arms — Alex Faedo (2017), Matt Manning (2016) and Beau Burrows (2015) — are widely ranked as the organization’s Nos. 2-4 prospects. Their top prospect, prior to signing Mize, is right-hander Franklin Perez — another highly touted arm whom the Tigers acquired from the Astros as the centerpiece to last summer’s Justin Verlander blockbuster. With Mize now joining that quartet, and Michael Fulmer and Matthew Boyd controlled for four years beyond the current season, the Tigers have the makings of an impressive up-and-coming pitching staff on which their fans and front office can dream.

Athletics Designate Liam Hendriks For Assignment, Select Edwin Jackson

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10:35am: The A’s have announced Hendriks’ DFA. His roster spot goes to right-hander Edwin Jackson, who has formally been selected from Triple-A Nashville. Oakland also activated lefty reliever Ryan Buchter from the DL and optioned outfielder Nick Martini to Triple-A in his place.

10:09am: The Athletics will designate right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks for assignment today, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Hendriks, 29, once rated as one of the better pitching prospects in the Twins’ minor league system but never cemented himself in the big leagues with Minnesota. After unsuccessful stints with the Orioles and Royals, he landed with the Blue Jays, however, and broke out as a quality bullpen piece in 2015. The A’s made a nice trade in sending right-hander Jesse Chavez to the Jays for Hendriks in the 2015-16 offseason, and he delivered two seasons of solid relief in Oakland. In all, from 2015-17, Hendriks notched a 3.63 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 193 1/3 innings in that time.

The 2018 season, however, has been an ugly one for the Australian-born Hendriks. He missed more than a month due to a right groin strain, and he hasn’t performed well when healthy. In 11 innings this season, Hendriks has allowed nine runs on 17 hits and seven walks with a dozen strikeouts. He’s allowed three home runs en route to that ugly 7.36 ERA.

Hendriks’ average fastball velocity is down two miles per hour this season (from 94.7 mph in 2017 to 92.7 mph in 2018), though he’s regained some of that missing heat since being activated from the disabled list earlier this month. He’s earning $1.9MM this season and is controllable for another year via arbitration to any club that either claims him off waivers or swings a trade to acquire his services.

Trade Rumors: Britton, Red Sox, Beltre, Dodgers, Boyd

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We’re still over a month away from the trade deadline but the hot stove is already percolating.  Here’s some trade buzz from around the majors…

  • The Red Sox are one of several teams who are scouting Orioles southpaw Zach Britton, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reports.  Craig Kimbrel wouldn’t be in any danger of losing his closing job if Britton joined the Sox, though Britton would be a setup man and big left-handed weapon out of Boston’s pen.  Brian Johnson is currently the only lefty reliever on the 25-man roster, though Bobby Poyner (currently in Triple-A) has posted some solid results when pitching for the big league team.  MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently explored Britton’s value as a trade candidate, noting that virtually every contender will, or should, be monitoring Britton as he continues his return from offseason Achilles surgery.
  • Also from Cafardo, he adds the Red Sox and Braves to the list of teams with some interest in veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre.  With Rafael Devers on Boston’s big league roster and Braves top prospect Austin Riley looming at Triple-A, both teams could make sense for a short-term upgrade like Beltre, who is only signed through this season.  While Beltre seems like a natural trade chip for a Rangers team that is well out of contention, there still remains some speculation as to whether or not Texas will actually move him, as the team heavily values Beltre’s leadership and wants him on the roster in 2019.  Beltre also has no-trade protection via 10-and-5 rights.  Still, the Rangers are at least shopping Beltre (and other players) to gauge trade interest, and it can’t hurt that multiple contenders could be in the market for third base help.
  • The Dodgers will be looking for relief help but otherwise don’t have any really obvious areas of need on their roster, Ken Rosenthal notes in a FOXSports.com video report.  This will allow the Dodgers to pursue the best players available on the trade market and “be picky” if they don’t like the asking price for a big-name rental player (i.e. Manny Machado).
  • Left-hander Matthew Boyd “is one of the Tigers’ most coveted players in trade talks,” MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi writes.  Even after a rough outing against Cleveland today, Boyd still has solid overall numbers this season, with a 4.15 ERA and 7.54 K/9 through 82 1/3 innings.  Advanced metrics aren’t nearly as high on Boyd’s work, however, so Detroit could explore a trade when Boyd is at his peak value, even though he is just 27 and isn’t eligible for arbitration until this winter.  Morosi speculates that the Mariners could target Boyd based on their past attempt to trade for him in the 2016-17 offseason, when GM Jerry Dipoto offered Taijuan Walker and prospects to the Tigers for Boyd and J.D. Martinez.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/24/18

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Here are today’s most notable signings from the first few rounds of the draft.  Scouting reports and pre-draft rankings can be found courtesy of MLB.com, Fangraphs, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law (the latter two available to subscribers only)…

  • The Padres signed Texas Tech outfielder Grant Little to an $800K bonus, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link).  The bonus falls just a bit shy of the $812.2K slot price for the 74th overall pick.  Of note, this was the pick in Competitive Balance Round B that San Diego acquired from the Twins last month in the Phil Hughes trade.  Fangraphs ranked Little 65th in their rankings, though the other outlets (MLB.com 128th, BA 158th, outside Law’s top 100) weren’t nearly as bullish.  Scouts believe Little (a left fielder in college) could handle second base, third base, or even center field as a pro.  Little is considered to have strong contact skills at the plate, though he lacks power.

Cubs Sign First-Rounder Nico Hoerner

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TODAY: The deal is official, as Hoerner himself revealed via his Instagram page.

JUNE 12: The Cubs are closing in on an agreement with first-round pick Nico Hoerner, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (via Twitter). The former Stanford shortstop is expected to sign for the full slot value of $2.724MM that comes with the No. 24 overall selection, according to Mooney, and he’ll begin his pro career with the Cubs’ short-season Class-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds. MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets that all that remains for the deal to be finalized is a physical, which should happen later this week.

Chicago, it seems, was a bit more bullish on Hoerner than most pre-draft rankings. Hoerner ranked 37th in the class in the estimation of Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, while ESPN’s Keith Law pegged him 39th, Baseball America ranked him 42nd and Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com tabbed him 52nd.

Those reports indicate that there’s somewhat of a split among scouts as to whether Hoerner can remain at shortstop or will require a move to second base or the outfield. BA makes note of his impressive exit velocity and strong hands, while all of the reports note his quality bat-to-ball skills and above-average speed. McDaniel and Longenhagen note that he has drawn some comparisons to Arizona’s Chris Owings.

Hoerner hit .345/.391/.496 at Stanford this past season, with two homers, 17 doubles, six triples and 15 steals (in 19 attempts) along the way. More impressively, he struck out just 22 times in 57 games played while drawing 20 walks in that time as well.

Beltway Notes: Nationals, O’s, Harper, Britton, Machado, Ramos

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Here’s the latest on the Nationals and Orioles, two local rivals who will be going in opposite directions at the trade deadline…

  • Bryce Harper’s impending free agency is a major subplot to the Nationals’ season, though the team’s larger short-term concern is how to get Harper back in top form.  As per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, some rival executives speculate that Harper’s relative down year (he entered today hitting .212/.353/.465 slash line with 19 homers through 326 PA) could help his chances of returning to Washington in 2019, as the Nats are more familiar with Harper’s ups and downs than any other team.  Harper and the team could explore the possibility of a shorter-term contract with an early opt-out clause, so Harper could re-enter the market as early as the 2019-20 offseason if he puts up better overall numbers next season.  The opt-out clause has been a favored tool of Scott Boras, Harper’s agent, in the past, and it makes particular sense for a player who is hitting free agency at such a young age.
  • Also from Olney, some teams will wait for the Orioles to approach them with solid offers for trades this summer.  The strategy stems from last year’s failed talks for Zach Britton, with Olney writing “the Dodgers and the Astros were among the teams that felt as if they wasted a lot of time talking with the Orioles — because in their view, Baltimore struggles with the process.”  The counter-argument from the O’s, was that they decided to keep Britton after thoroughly weighing the offers presented.  Waiting for the O’s to make the first move in negotiations is a risk unto itself, as there continues to be uncertainty about how large the market will be for star infielders, namely Manny Machado.  “I’m not convinced [the Orioles] will actually trade him because I don’t know how attractive the offers will be,” one rival executive said.  Barring an injury on a contender’s roster, Baltimore may have to settle for a less-than-expected return for Machado rather than just see him walk in free agency at season’s end.
  • There continues to be speculation about what big-picture changes may be coming to the Orioles, as John and Louis Angelos have been taking on an increased leadership role from their father, longtime owner Peter Angelos.  Jon Heyman of FRSBaseball.com even hears from some Orioles-related sources that a sale of the team within the next few years wouldn’t be a total surprise, as the Angelos sons had been previously thought to be in line to take over the family’s law and TV businesses rather than the ball club.  In regards to more immediate rumors, Heyman hears from a source that the Orioles’ interest in Ned Colletti for a front office position was “overblown,” rather than necessarily untrue.  Heyman also reports that there was little-to-no truth to speculation that longtime Orioles names Billy Ripken, Mike Bordick, or Rick Dempsey could be stepping in as the next Baltimore manager.
  • Since the Nationals have been unwilling to meet the Marlins’ demands for J.T. Realmuto, Ken Rosenthal (in a FOXSports.com video) suggests that Rays catcher Wilson Ramos is a “logical” next option as the Nats look to upgrade behind the plate.  Ramos is enjoying a nice bounceback year after an injury-shortened 2017, and he is a known quantity in Washington from his previous stint with the Nationals.  Ramos is still owed roughly half of his $10.5MM salary, though Tampa could ask for a smaller prospect return in exchange for the Nationals taking all of that remaining salary off the Rays’ books.

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