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Anthony Rendon

Nationals Notes: Rendon, Harper, First Base

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The Nationals have made multiple extension offers to third baseman Anthony Rendon, GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com), with Rizzo noting that both sides have interest in a long-term deal.  Rendon is entering the final year of his contract, and he put himself in line for a major payday after his strong numbers in 2017-18.  Extending Rendon would add yet another big contract on the Nationals’ long-term books, and between locking up Rendon and signing Patrick Corbin to a six-year, $140MM pact, it would seem that Washington could be pricing itself out of Bryce Harper’s market.  More on that and other Nats-related topics here…

  • After Nationals managing principal owner Mark Lerner recently commented that the team’s ten-year, $300MM offer to Harper would be its best and final offer for the star outfielder, Scott Boras (Harper’s agent) was in touch with the team expressing concern about Lerner’s statement, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.  Specifically, Boras had some dismay that Lerner had violated league rules about how teams can publicly discuss contract talks with players, though Boras hadn’t contacted the MLBPA about the situation.  Janes outlines how Lerner’s statement didn’t technically breach the rule, though “even those within the Nationals organization were a little surprised to see their new controlling owner speak with such candor.”  Regardless of what has or hasn’t been said, however, Boras said on Monday that his negotiations about Harper and the Nats will be with family patriarch Ted Lerner, a relationship that has paved the way for many Boras client to land in Washington over the years.
  • The Nationals are looking for a first base complement to Ryan Zimmerman that is also capable of playing second base, MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes.  This player would spell Zimmerman occasionally or take over at first base entirely if Zimmerman was injured, while under normal circumstances playing second base a few times per week (with Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo also being in the mix).  Zuckerman speculates on a few names that would fit this description, ranging from Marwin Gonzalez to less-pricey options like Daniel Descalso, Neil Walker, Derek Dietrich, or Yangervis Solarte.

NL East Notes: Nats, Rendon, Suzuki, Mets, Ramos

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Nationals superstar Anthony Rendon is slated to enter a contract year in 2019, but he told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post and other reporters Sunday that he’s “up for” signing an extension. The third baseman revealed that he and the Nats have been discussing an extension for a year, adding that while he hopes to remain in Washington, he’d be content to enter next season without a new contract. The 28-year-old Rendon continued to make a case for a mega-deal in 2018, as he finished top 10 in both position player fWAR (eighth) and wRC+ (10th).

Here’s more from Washington and one of its division rivals:

  • The Mets are hesitant to go after ex-Nat Wilson Ramos, one of the top two free-agent catchers available, because of concerns over his defense and injury issues, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets. New York’s “prioritizing” behind-the-plate defense and putting an extra emphasis on pitch framing, Puma adds. Baseball Prospectus has typically awarded Ramos positive pitch-framing and defense marks, though going by its Fielding Runs Above Average metric, he has been a scratch or minus defender for three straight seasons. Ramos has also torn his right ACL twice, including in 2016, which limited him to 64 games in 2017 as he worked his way back. However, Ramos did catch 96 games last season – 92 more than oft-injured Mets backstop Travis d’Arnaud, whom they tendered a contract Friday. Of course, Ramos is sure to require a pricey multiyear commitment, whereas d’Arnaud’s essentially set to play under a one-year deal worth a projected $3.7M.
  • Keith Law of ESPN (subscription link) applauds Washington’s acquisition of catcher Yan Gomes from Cleveland, writing that the Nationals made a sizable improvement behind the plate without surrendering much. Having Gomes instead of 2018 starter Matt Wieters as their primary catcher could mean at least a four-win upgrade next year, Law posits. Law goes on to assess outfielder Daniel Johnson and right-hander Jefry Rodriguez – whom the Indians received for Gomes – in detail, noting that the former just endured a disappointing, injury-shortened season and the latter may only max out as a righty specialist in the majors. But Law explains that there’s hope for Indians catcher Eric Haase, who may succeed Gomes as their main backstop.
  • Between Gomes and free-agent signing Kurt Suzuki, the Nationals have made a pair of noteworthy additions at catcher in the past couple weeks. Although, as Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post notes, it’s not yet clear how the Nats will divvy up playing time between the two next season. GM Mike Rizzo suggested Saturday that he’d leave it up to manager Dave Martinez, who declared that “they’re both going to split time.” Rizzo added that Suzuki could see action at first base, where he has never appeared in a major league game. Regardless, Suzuki’s “totally on board” with the Gomes pickup, per Rizzo.

Nationals Notes: Rendon, Catcher, Second Base, Payroll

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Though there’s plenty of focus on the Nationals’ reported $300MM extension offer to Bryce Harper late in the season — which the outfielder passed up in order to test free agency — the Nats have also looked at the possibility of an extension for fellow star Anthony Rendon, per Jesse Dougherty and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Nats GM Mike Rizzo said yesterday that the club has “made efforts” to extend Rendon before he reaches free agency next offseason. Rendon, like Harper, is represented by Scott Boras and figures to have a jarring asking price of his own, though that specific number isn’t known. Of note, Rizzo adds that he doesn’t believe the two contract situations are contingent upon each other, and Dougherty notes that the GM believes the payroll could support a new contract for both players.

More Nats chatter…

  • Janes quotes Rizzo in suggesting that the Nationals are looking to add a “frontline catcher” to the roster for the 2019 campaign — that is, one who can catch 120-plus games (Twitter link). It’s only natural that J.T. Realmuto’s name will continue to be tied to the Nationals, given the extensive interest they’ve reportedly shown in him over the past 12 months. They’ll presumably have to explore alternatives, though, as Rizzo himself noted that they’ve been talking about Realmuto for a year without a trade to show for it. (Past reports have indicated that the Marlins asked for Juan Soto and/or Victor Robles in negotiations.)
  • Yasmani Grandal and Wilson Ramos are the top catchers on the free-agent market (MLBTR Free Agent Tracker link), though if the club is specifically looking for a catcher who can handle roughly 75 percent of the team’s games in 2019 and beyond, then Ramos may not be a great fit. He’s a fan favorite in Washington, but he’s also suffered a pair of ACL tears in his career and was limited to 96 games behind the plate this past season between the Rays and Phillies. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd took a further look at the offseason market for catchers as part of MLBTR’s Market Snapshot series.
  • Meanwhile, Dougherty tweets that Rizzo said he’s comfortable with Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo at second base for the time being and doesn’t view an upgrade at the position to be a top offseason priority. A ruptured Achilles tendon cost Kendrick the final four and a half months of the 2018 campaign, but the 35-year-old has been undeniably productive in parts of two seasons with the organization. In 338 plate appearances as a National, Kendrick has slashed .297/.337/.484. It’s anyone’s guess how he effective he’ll be in his return from a major injury suffered in his mid-30s, however, and Difo didn’t give much reason for optimism this past season. The switch-hitter managed just a .230/.298/.350 line in 456 plate appearances. He’ll turn 27 in April. If the Nats do look to add, they’ll have no shortage of options, though (Free Agent Tracker link; Market Snapshot at second base)
  • Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com takes a look at the Nationals’ payroll commitments in an effort to determine how much the club can realistically add to the books in terms of 2019 salary. With roughly $168MM already lined up for next season via seven guaranteed contracts, seven arbitration projections and another 11 pre-arb players, the Nats are about $13MM shy of their 2018 payroll at present. Zuckerman points out that the team’s payroll has increased for 11 consecutive seasons but also notes that ownership could want to steer clear of a third consecutive foray into luxury tax territory. He projects a rough estimate of $20-30MM that could be added while staying under that barrier, though certainly trades and non-tenders present avenues to add further flexibility. Importantly, too, that $168MM-ish figure includes larger-than-average salary outlays for Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer. From a cash perspective, most of what’s owed those two pitchers is deferred; as regards the luxury tax, the AAV on those deals is lower — thus leaving something in the realm of $10MM of added cushion. Just how the Nats’ top decisionmakers view the payroll situation isn’t entirely clear.

East Notes: Rendon, deGrom, Wendle, Rays Stadium

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As I noted in discussing him recently as an extension candidate, Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon remains an underappreciated star despite turning in another fantastic effort in 2018. That’s largely a reflection of his own preferences, of course, so it’s fascinating to see Rendon open up a bit in a chat with Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. He describes himself as a lover of the game who is simply “not a fan of everyone treating you different because you play a sport” and only “want[s] to be normal.” (Indeed, he only took this interview to promote the Nats’ youth academy.) That’s not to say that Rendon isn’t interested in a lengthy career, but he clearly seems more concerned with the upbringing of a young family than maximizing earnings. He emphasized, too, that he’s not interested in turning over his professional direction to agent Scott Boras. What that all means for the future isn’t yet clear — from the team’s perspective, one official calls Rendon “an enigma” — but it’s undeniably relevant. Rendon is eligible for arbitration one final time this winter.

The article is essential reading for fans of the Nationals — or of other teams who wonder whether they might one day hope to cheer for the 28-year-old. In other chatter from the game’s eastern divisions …

  • Speaking of hypothetical extension candidates, there aren’t many more prominent targets than Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who just wrapped up a season for the ages. Andy Martino of SNY.tv examines the situation, noting that the club will first need to resolve its front office before deciding how to proceed. Certainly, it still seems possible that a new contract or a trade could make sense, though it’s also conceivable that the Mets will simply work out an arbitration price. As for deGrom, Martino writes that he “wants to both win and be paid fair market value.” Of course, determining a market price is an interesting proposition, especially since we haven’t seen a pitcher of this quality in quite this contractual situation (two remaining control years) ink an extension in some time. Those interested in considering some recent major contracts can click here to find a list of starters who have signed extensions of $75MM or more in guaranteed money.
  • The Rays obviously saw something to like in infielder Joey Wendle when they acquired him over the winter, but as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes, even they were surprised by his breakout showing in 2018. Senior VP Chaim Bloom explains that Wendle has been “even better than we expected” in most areas — in particular, at the plate — such that “the whole thing has been more than we could have asked for.” That seems fair to say, given that Wendle was acquired for a song and has been among the game’s best rookie performers (as we recently discussed here). It’s an interesting piece on a notable player that includes some quotes from some of Wendle’s former teammates in the A’s organization.
  • In other Rays news, also via Topkin, principal owner Stuart Sternberg gave a bit of an update on the team’s stadium-building plans. The initial announcement, of course, wasn’t quite like the definitive ones we’ve seen from some other clubs in recent years. Presenting a vision was presumably aimed at the key aspect of the project that needs to be determined: funding. Sternberg says the club anticipates paying “well north” of a $150MM figure he has previously suggested. But the park project is estimated at $892MM, so there’s a gulf still to be bridged. In addition to working with municipalities, Sternberg says “corporate support is going to be paramount to all of this and that is still a work in progress as well.” The hope seemingly remains to resolve a direction by the end of the calendar year.

Extension Candidate: Anthony Rendon

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The Nationals will watch their best-known, homegrown position player hit the open market this season. But the team still has another season of control over another top draft choice who made good on his promise, potentially creating an opening for long-term talks.

Sure, Bryce Harper is the bigger star and the more visible talent. But since Anthony Rendon turned into a regular in 2014, he has out-WAR’ed Harper. That’s particularly true over the past three seasons, as Rendon has churned out quality campaigns while Harper’s 2015 MVP effort has faded into memory.

The shadow hanging over Rendon seems to suit his personality. But it has seriously obscured his productivity. Since the start of ’14, he’s among the ten biggest position-player WAR producers in the game, yet he somehow hasn’t yet been named to an All-Star team. True, Rendon has twice finished among the top-ten in the MVP vote, but his profile remains much lower than the quality of his play would support — not even close to that of his long-time teammate.

It’s somewhat surprising that the careers of Harper and Rendon have never been seen as being intertwined in any meaningful way, despite the fact that they were chosen with lofty picks in successive drafts and reached the majors on a similar timetable. There are many reasons for that fact, but it’s all the more interesting to ponder given that there could be a very tangible way in which their outlook is connected. Specifically, if the Nats decide to let Harper walk, or are unable to coax him back, they’ll have vastly more future payroll capacity to work with in pursuing a new deal with Rendon.

To be sure, the Nats have more immediate needs than a new deal with Rendon, who’ll command a healthy raise on his $12.3MM salary through arbitration. But that’s all the more true in the case of Harper, who can be replaced from within by rising young talents Juan Soto and Victor Robles. In the case of Rendon, there’s no obvious heir at third base once he reaches free agency next fall. True, Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia loom as promising young players in the infield, but neither is quite as advanced or as promising as are the outfielders.

Plus, there’s likely more value to be achieved with a Rendon deal than one involving Harper, if for no other reason than that the latter will be on the open market at a rarely-seen point of his career. Convincing Rendon to stay would cost, to be sure, and he’s also a client of Scott Boras (as are many other current and former Nats, including the recently extended Stephen Strasburg). But it is at least possible that the low-key player would be more inclined to take a slight discount to stave off some risk and maintain stability. He won’t be selling as much of his youth; though he only just turned 28, Rendon won’t reach the market at an unusually young age. And he’d also be weighing terms with another year to go before free agency, creating a lever for at least something of a discount.

Risk, to be sure, would weigh in the equation for both sides if talks take place. Beyond the usual, injuries have been a particular concern for Rendon. A variety of lower-leg ailments, involving his ankles especially, have limited him over the years — both before and during his professional career. While he turned in mostly full 2016 and 2017 seasons, Rendon ended up missing a reasonably lengthy stretch this year after suffering a hairline toe fracture on a hit-by-pitch.

That consideration might weigh down the price, but surely wouldn’t get in the way of a deal entirely. As noted above, after all, Rendon has been supremely valuable despite his medical rap sheet.

It’s also true that Rendon isn’t hitting quite as much as he did in his outstanding 2017 season, when he walked more than he struck out and produced a career-high .232 isolated power mark. But that’s not to say that he isn’t doing quite a lot with the bat. Through 511 plate appearances in 2018, Rendon carries a .298/.358/.508 slash with 19 long balls.

This, interestingly, is the most aggressive version of Rendon we’ve seen. His strikeout-to-walk numbers (14.3% vs. 8.6%) have returned to something like his career norms after the uber-patient 2017 showing. He’s swinging (48.1%) and chasing out of the zone (29.9%) more than ever, though his contact rate remains in range of his career mean.

That’s not necessarily a problem, particularly since we know he has the pitch recognition in his pocket if needed. Rendon is also making more hard contact than ever before (38.1%) this season, so much so that Statcast thinks he has been quite unlucky (.403 xwOBA vs. .366 wOBA).

It’s worth bearing in mind, of course, that Rendon is also a high-quality all-around player. He’s not stealing as often this year as in the past but grades as a well-above-average overall baserunner. With the glove, it’s worth noting a sudden downturn in DRS (from +7 to -6). But he’s still a solidly above-average performer in the view of UZR and has long drawn sterling grades from those metrics and scouts.

So, what kind of a price tag might the Nats be looking at?

In truth, we haven’t seen the veteran third base market tested through extensions for quite some time. David Wright (eight years, $138MM) and Ryan Zimmerman (eight years, $126MM) signed those contracts before Rendon was even in the big leagues. Now, they feel a bit longer and a bit lighter on annual salary than we’re likely to see in the present market. The more recent action has been on players with much greater team control remaining, largely rendering them useless for our purposes.

Neither has the free-agent market seen many premium third baggers of late. Mike Moustakas fell flat on the open market with worries over his OBP and glovework. Pablo Sandoval got five years and $95MM, representing one of the closest comps for Rendon, though the Nats’ star is surely in a higher tier altogether. Before that, Adrian Beltre’s five-year, $80MM deal stands out as a laughable bargain for the club … and also a deal that’s far too stale to have any real relevance.

Perhaps, in approaching a Rendon price tag, we ought to consider two far more recent contracts, even if they truly aren’t on all fours with Rendon’s situation. Charlie Blackmon inked a deal in advance of his walk season that put a $21MM valuation on his free-agent seasons. While he was in an older age bracket, thus obviating the value of looking at his years, Blackmon was arguably a similarly situated player in terms of quality. Of course, there’s also an argument to be made that Rendon isn’t that far shy of the ability level of Jose Altuve, who was two years from the open market when he signed a deal with an AAV of over $30MM for his age-30 through age-34 seasons. Then again, he won’t be coming off of a superlative season capped by a World Series win and MVP award.

For Rendon, who’d stand to reach free agency in advance of his age-30 season without a new deal, it’s certainly arguable that a valuation between those two makes sense. Contract length is another variable that can’t be considered in isolation; likewise, options and opt-outs are a factor. Generally, the trend is toward slightly shorter deals that leave players with chances to cut things off a few years into the deal. In this case, perhaps, Rendon would be looking at adding five or six new seasons on top of his existing 2019 arbitration contract. With an AAV range in the neighborhood of $22MM to $26MM, that puts a rough guess in the range of a $130MM new-money commitment.

It’s certainly possible that’d be a bit too rich for the Nats’ liking, especially given the injury history (the details of which they know better than other teams) and the organization’s other needs. Then again, it may not be enough for Rendon to give up the chance of testing the open market. As always, these matters come down to negotiations between parties with real-world interests that can’t simply be reduced to baseball valuations. From the perspective of the baseball market, however, the above number — with a healthy error bar on either side — seems to be a generally fair target.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals Activate Anthony Rendon

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After nearly a month on the disabled list, Anthony Rendon has been activated and is hitting second in today’s lineup, the Nationals announced. He’s been out since mid-April after sustaining a hairline fracture in his toe when he fouled a ball into his foot. To make room on the active roster, the Nats optioned infielder Adrian Sanchez to Triple-A Syracuse.

The 27-year-old Rendon turned in a relatively quiet MVP-caliber season in 2017 when he hit .301/.403/.533 with 25 homers and 41 doubles in addition to terrific defense at third base. He’ll be the first of several key bats to return to a Nationals lineup that is still missing second baseman Daniel Murphy and outfielder Adam Eaton.

Prior to his injury, Rendon had gotten off to a solid .286/.355/.411 start with a homer and four doubles in 62 trips to the plate. He’ll rejoin the Nationals’ lineup at a time when the team is righting the ship after a slow start (in no small part due to the absence of those three aforementioned bats). The Nats have snapped off six straight wins to pull their record above the .500 mark, putting them right back in the mix in a perhaps surprisingly competitive NL East.

NL Notes: Harvey, Braves, Rendon, Hedges, Lamb, Reyes

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After deciding to designate Matt Harvey for assignment, the Mets are now sorting out exactly how his tenure with the organization will come to an end. Initial trade discussions seem not to be generating much traction, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), who says that the team is offering to “eat a significant amount” of the remainder of Harvey’s salary in hopes of securing something in return. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the response from rival officials has to this point been that they’d prefer simply to pursue Harvey if he passes through waivers. If that occurs, he’ll surely either be released or decline an outright assignment, at which point he’d be a free agent who could sign for a pro-rated version of the league minimum, leaving the Mets on the hook for the balance of the $5.6MM he’s owed.

More from the National League:

  • New Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has been discussing his team’s promising start with quite a few outlets of late as excitement has mounted. He largely credited the prior regime with “outstanding” work in accumulating and developing talent in a chat with Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Anthopoulos also says he’ll be “open-minded to do things” if the team is in position to push for the postseason at the trade deadline, though he notes there’s still quite a lot of baseball to be played before making any final assessments of where the 2018 roster may be headed. In comments to MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (via Twitter), Anthopoulos did note that payroll constraints and an ongoing focus on the future would continue to weigh significantly in the team’s decisionmaking.
  • Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon acknowledged after his rehab appearance today that he has a hairline fracture in his injured toe, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets. That explains his somewhat extended absence after fouling a ball off of his foot. The important thing for the Nats, though, is that Rendon seems to be ready to be activated as the club attempts to extend a six-game winning streak.
  • The Padres have a plan in place for assessing the balky elbow of catcher Austin Hedges, as Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports on Twitter. He’ll be given a week or ten days of rest before it’s decided whether he needs to undergo an MRI. Hedges hit the DL recently with a bout of tendinitis. It seems the hope remains that the issue will resolve itself with some down time. Hedges has struggled at the plate in 2018, hitting at a .173/.235/.293 clip to open the season.
  • Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb received an MRI and cortisone shot after reporting continued discomfort in his injured left shoulder, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). That said, the belief is that this will not constitute a significant setback. It’s still disappointing to hear that Lamb is not yet back to health, as the club no doubt hoped he’d already be nearing a return at this point. Given his extended absence, it stands to reason that he’ll require some rehab time once he is cleared for game action. Fortunately for the Snakes, Daniel Descalso has filled in admirably.
  • Prized Cardinals righty Alex Reyes is prepared to begin a rehab assignment next week, as MLB.com’s Joe Trezza writes. As he works back from Tommy John surgery, the high-octane hurler is said to be working in the upper nineties and looking good. That’s great news for the Cards, though the team is expected to handle Reyes with care as he ramps up fully. It’s still not clear how the organization will deploy the 23-year-old, who showed ample promise in his 2016 debut, once he is ready to return. But he’s building up as a starter and figures to be a valuable addition to the MLB roster in any role when he is activated.

NL East Notes: Straily/Chen, Mets, Braves, Murphy

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The Marlins activated righty Dan Straily yesterday, meaning he and fellow starter Wei-Yin Chen are each now officially back in the team’s rotation. The initial results were somewhat mixed, unsurprisingly. Straily managed just one strikeout while allowing four earned runs on six hits and four walks in four frames; Chen was much more effective, limiting the damage to one earned on four hits and two free passes, though he retired only three batters by strikeout in his 5 1/3 innings. From a health perspective, though, the returns are quite promising. Both hurlers worked in their typical velocity ranges and will have several months to build value in advance of the trade deadline. Whether either will be moved remains to be seen, but both could be interesting chips in their own ways. Straily could be an appealingly affordable plug-in for the right contender, perhaps returning some young talent to the rebuilding Miami org. As for Chen, the $42MM guarantee left on his contract beyond the present season remains a major impediment to any trade. But if he can show he’s effective and healthy, perhaps the Marlins can find a taker for some of that cash.

Here’s more from the NL East, which is shaping up to be quite a bit more interesting than most anticipated at the outset of the season:

  • Though the Mets continue to pace the division, the race is only just getting started. Managing a roster all season long, particularly in the pitching department, could be a key to determining how things shake out. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo addresses a host of reader questions, focusing on the club’s variety of swingmen. He suggests that Matt Harvey, Robert Gsellman, and Seth Lugo will likely continue working from the pen unless and until there’s a need for more than a spot start in the rotation. At that point, it seems, the organization could choose among them when the time comes.
  • Likewise, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman answers some queries from Braves fans. Of particular interest, he provides a gauge on what kind of cash the organization may have to spend in the coming winter. Bowman says he has been told there’ll be at least $50MM in payroll capacity to work with for 2019, which is certainly a rather hefty sum for a team that is not among the bigger spenders around the game. Just how much is ultimately utilized, and how it’s allocated, is obviously far from being clear. As Bowman notes, the team will be gather information on its assets and needs all season long, even as it tries to extend a promising start to the year.
  • Meanwhile, the Nationals continue to try to hold things together with several key cogs still on the mend. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com has the latest on the injury front. Second baseman Daniel Murphy, who’s recovering from offseason knee surgery, made an appearance at Nats Park, but his status remains unclear at present. He’s set to be evaluated by the team’s medical staff before the next steps are determined. It’d be a surprise if a return is imminent for Murphy; fellow infielder Anthony Rendon, though, is likely not far from making it back from a toe injury. He may require a brief rehab stint but is expected to head back to the active roster in relatively short order. In other Nats news, the club has dipped into its farm to add another fresh arm. Righty Wander Suero will come up for his first MLB action, with Austin Voth optioned back to Triple-A without having made an appearance.

NL East Notes: Cespedes, Soroka, Braves, Rendon

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Yoenis Cespedes made an early exit from today’s Mets/Padres game, as the outfielder left during the third inning with a thumb injury.  Cespedes suffered the injury while making a headfirst slide during a steal of third base, and remained in the game for the rest of the Mets’ turn at bat before being replaced by Brandon Nimmo in the bottom half of the inning.  The injury is just a day-to-day issue for now, though it is certainly another unwelcome problem in what has already been a tough start to the 2018 season for the New York outfielder.  Cespedes entered today’s action hitting just .218/.279/.416 with a league-high 43 strikeouts.  [UPDATE: Cespedes tells MLB.com’s Tim Powers and other media that he believes he’ll miss three days recovering from the injury, or two games given New York’s off-day on Monday.  X-rays were negative on Cespedes’ thumb and he is likely to undergo an MRI on Monday.)

Some more from around the NL East…

  • Braves pitching prospect Mike Soroka was scratched from a Triple-A start today since he could be needed for his big league debut this week, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, depending on the health of Julio Teheran and Anibal Sanchez.  Teheran’s outing on Friday was cut short by tightness in his upper right trapezius, though the Braves are hopeful that he’ll be able to make his scheduled start on Wednesday.  Sanchez, meanwhile, is tentatively slated to return from a hamstring injury and be activated from the DL in time for Saturday’s start.  Both Teheran and Sanchez felt good after bullpen sessions on Sunday, and Sanchez will also throw in a simulated game on Tuesday before a decision is made about his status.  Soroka, the 28th overall pick of the 2015 draft, is a consensus top-35 prospect according to preseason rankings from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs, and MLB.com.  He has continued to display that promise in his first taste of Triple-A ball this year, with a 1.99 ERA, 9.5 K/9, and a 4.8 K/BB rate over 22 2/3 innings at the top of the minor league pyramid.  It’s likely that Soroka wouldn’t get an extended stint in the majors quite yet if he was promoted this week, though he is a prime candidate for a longer look later this season once rosters expand.
  • In a video update for FOX Sports (Twitter link), Ken Rosenthal believes Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos will be his usual aggressive self on the trade front if Atlanta is in contention at the deadline, though Anthopoulos doesn’t seem likely to deal multiple prospects.  While the Braves have a deep farm system, this pipeline of young and affordable talent is crucial to both the club’s rebuild and its financial situation — Rosenthal notes that the Braves “are saddled by debt.”  Anthopoulos already eschewed trading from that prospect depth last winter, though it will be interesting to see what moves he does make if the Braves continue to keep pace in the NL East.
  • Anthony Rendon is “very close” to returning from his toe injury, Nationals manager Dave Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters.  Rendon was eligible to be activated from the DL today, though he remained sidelined and Martinez said that the activation may not come on Monday, either.  On a more positive note, Martinez said that Rendon went through fielding, running, and hitting drills today with no issue.  The team still has to decide whether a short rehab stint is needed since Rendon has been out of action for over two weeks.

Injury Notes: Teheran, Buchter, Giants, Donaldson, Schoop, Nats

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Braves righty Julio Teheran left his outing today with what the team is calling “right upper trap tightness.” He had shown a concerning velocity drop before departing, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. The 27-year-old Teheran entered the day with a 4.00 ERA in his 27 innings, while carrying a career-best 12.8% swinging-strike rate, but gave up three earned in his three frames. It seems generally promising that there’s a muscular explanation for Teheran’s sudden loss of velo, though of course that does not necessarily mean he’s out of the woods and we’ll have to await further word.

Here’s the latest on some other health situations around the league:

  • The Athletics have placed southpaw Ryan Buchter on the DL, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Danny Coulombe. At this point, the team plans to shut Buchter down for at least ten days and possibly longer, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets. The 31-year-old southpaw, who was acquired over the offseason, has been quite good thus far for the A’s. He’s carrying a 1.69 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over 10 2/3 innings.
  • While the Giants will hold off on putting Mac Williamson on the DL, he’s in the concussion protocol at present, as manager Bruce Bochy informed reporters including Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). In the meantime, the organization has brought fellow outfielder Austin Slater onto the active roster, creating space by sending reliever Josh Osich to the 10-day DL. It’s unclear at this point how long Slater will have in the majors, but he’ll surely be hoping to follow the same track as Williamson, who kept on raking after receiving a promotion. Slater owns a .358/.435/.642 slash with just six strikeouts in his 62 plate appearances on the year at Triple-A.
  • Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson is beginning his rehab assignment tomorrow, as the team announced. He’ll open as a DH as he eases back into action, though the real test will come when he puts his throwing back on display at game speed. There’s similarly good news for the division-rival Orioles, who expect to send second baseman Jonathan Schoop on a brief rehab assignment next week, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. He has been out for two weeks with an oblique strain.
  • The Nationals, who are still waiting for a trio of important players, gave some updates today. (Links to the Twitter feed of Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com.) Third baseman Anthony Rendon is reasonably close and is expected to return in relatively short order after a brief stint on the shelf. It’s not quite as rosy for outfielder Adam Eaton, who has seemingly had some ups and downs in rehabbing his ankle issues, but — GM Mike Rizzo emphasized — also has not experienced any setbacks. As for second baseman Daniel Murphy, who has yet to play at all following offseason knee surgery, there’s still no timeline for a return.
  • A number of other players are already coming off of the DL. The Reds have activated righty David Hernandez and the Mariners have brought back first baseman Ryon Healy. Both were relatively significant offseason acquisitions for their organizations. Meanwhile, the Rays activated infielder Matt Duffy and the Rangers did the same with righty Tony Barnette.
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