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Red Sox Place Connor Seabold, Christian Arroyo On Injured List

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The Red Sox announced a series of moves, including the placement of right-hander Connor Seabold on the 15-day injured list and utilityman Christian Arroyo on the 10-day IL.  Right-hander Phillips Valdez and infielder Jeter Downs were called up from Triple-A in corresponding moves.  As reported earlier today, Boston also selected the contract of Kaleb Ort, while designating Michael Feliz for assignment.

Seabold has an extensor strain in his right forearm, which forced him out of last night’s game with the Yankees in the third inning.  While extensor strains aren’t always a precursor to Tommy John surgery, any forearm-related injury is naturally a concern, and Seabold will undergo further examination before a recovery timeline is known.

With the injury bug taking a big bit out of the Sox rotation, Seabold was called up in late June and has made three starts.  The results haven’t been pretty, as he has an 11.91 ERA over 11 1/3 innings — Seabold sandwiched a respectable one-run performance against the White Sox between a pair of seven-run blowouts to the Blue Jays and Yankees.

Chris Sale is slated to be activated from the IL on Tuesday, and the veteran southpaw will join a makeshift rotation of Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Josh Winckowski and top prospect Brayan Bello.  However, the Red Sox have more than an entire rotation’s worth of arms on the injured list, as Seabold joins Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, and James Paxton.  Eovaldi is tentatively set to return next weekend, but the Sox might have to wait until after the All-Star break to get any semblance of a healthy starting five.

The team will also lose bench depth, as the versatile Arroyo will miss time due to a left groin strain.  Arroyo’s placement opens the door for Downs’ latest opportunity at the MLB level, as the star prospect made his big league debut with a single game earlier this season.

Downs has been on fire in the 14 Triple-A games since his return, as his offense has hugely improved since cutting down on his leg lift during his swing.  (Hat tip to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.)  His role on Boston’s active roster will be of some interest, as Downs has almost exclusively played shortstop this season, with only a single game at third base.  Rafael Devers is currently battling a bad back, and with Downs now up, this could hint that the Sox are considering a precautionary IL placement for Devers.  However, it is also possible Downs might get only another cup-of-coffee stint if Devers’ back heals up after a weekend off.

Roster Moves: Brewers, Red Sox, Twins

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The Brewers have acquired Triple-A infielder Patrick Dorrian from the Orioles in exchange for cash considerations, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (via Twitter). Dorrian, 25, hit .161/.256/.269 over 169 plate appearances with Triple-A Norfolk this season. As recently as last year, however, Dorrian posted a solid .246/.362/.475 in 473 plate appearances in Double-A. The Brewers will see if they can rekindle some of that magic in Triple-A.

  • The Red Sox have optioned Jeter Downs back to Triple-A. The move comes in anticipation of activating Christian Arroyo tomorrow, per Christopher Smith of masslive.com. Downs spent just three days on the active roster, going 0-4 in his debut with three strikeouts. Arroyo is on the COVID injured list but is expected back for Friday’s game. Arroyo has gotten off to a slow start, slashing .187/.227/.319 over 98 plate appearances.
  • The Twins optioned Josh Winder to Triple-A, per Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press (via Twitter). Winder just completed a rehab assignment, so he had to be returned to the active roster and optioned. The 25-year-old right-hander made three starts and pitched four times out of the bullpen this season, pitching to a 3.68 ERA/4.36 FIP over 29 1/3 innings. Winder has three options remaining, so the Twins can easily give him more time in the minors.

AL East Notes: Fairbanks, Jays, Arroyo, Duran, Donaldson

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Rays’ right-hander Pete Fairbanks was removed from today’s game due to right lat tightness, per Rays broadcaster Neil Solondz. Manager Kevin Cash spoke with reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, saying that more information will be forthcoming but that Fairbanks is “going to miss some time.” Topkin relays that Fairbanks will undergo an MRI on Monday.

It’s been a fairly quiet offseason for the Rays so far, at least in terms of bringing in new faces, as their biggest move of the past few months has been to extend Wander Franco. In terms of new additions, it’s been Corey Kluber, Brooks Raley and Jason Adam. Of course, the team wasn’t desperate for upgrades, having won the AL East in each of the past two seasons. Fairbanks has somewhat quietly emerged as a dominant part of the club’s pitching staff over those two seasons. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, he’s thrown 69 1/3 innings with a 3.25 ERA, 31% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate. If Fairbanks is headed for the IL, the club would certainly miss that level of performance. They’d be well-equipped to weather his absence, given the many talented arms they have in their relief corps, such as Andrew Kittredge, J.P. Feyereisen and JT Chargois. However, given that the AL East is expected to be a heated four-team standoff, every inch will count in the next six months.

Elsewhere from around the division…

  • The Blue Jays are set to begin the season with an Opening Day payroll around $171MM, per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That would be a new franchise record, going just beyond the $163MM of 2017, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. But it’s possible that the spending could be pushed even further, according to team president/CEO Mark Shapiro. “Those wins from like 90 to 93 are usually the most important ones and you usually have to outpace revenue at some point,” Shapiro told Scott Mitchell of TSN. “When they start to outpace our budget, then it’s up to me to go (to ownership) and propose and say, ‘Here’s what we feel another addition beyond our budget could mean.’ We never feel limited by that.” The Jays somehow missed the playoffs last year despite winning 91 games, as that was only good enough for fourth place in the stacked AL East. The club has been aggressive in making moves for the upcoming campaign, adding free agents such as Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi, as well as trading for Matt Chapman and Raimel Tapia. Despite looking good on paper, Shapiro knows that they will inevitably need resources to react to events as the season unfolds. “We’re going to face something that none of us are thinking about right now.”
  • Christian Arroyo got his first taste of outfield action on the spring today, manning right field for the Red Sox. Manager Alex Cora was apparently pleased, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Arroyo has played all four infield positions in his career but never on the grass. However, Boston’s recent signing of Trevor Story has reduced his likelihood of seeing any significant playing time on the dirt, forcing him to attempt to expand his defensive repertoire. Enrique Hernandez and Alex Verdugo figure to be fixtures in the outfield mix, leaving one spot up for grabs. J.D. Martinez will still be the club’s primary designated hitter but will apparently see more time in the field this year. Jackie Bradley Jr. is also around, though he’s coming off an awful campaign with Milwaukee, posting a wRC+ of just 35, the lowest in the league among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances. Jarren Duran was thought to be in the mix, despite a lackluster showing in his MLB debut last year, but the club announced today that he’s been optioned to Triple-A. Taking all that into consideration, there’s a path for Arroyo to earn himself some playing time, should he adapt well to the defensive switch. In 57 games with the Red Sox last year, he hit .262/.324/.445 for a wRC+ of 106.
  • Josh Donaldson is under consideration to be the Yankees’ leadoff hitter, according to manager Aaron Boone. Newsday’s Erik Boland relays word from the skipper, who had this to say about the idea: “Guy that controls the strike zone like he does, the ability to get on, power, great hitter…yeah, he’s definitely someone I would consider.” Boone is certainly correct about Donaldson’s on-base abilities, as the slugger has posted an above-average walk rate for each of the past nine seasons. While he might not fit the classic model of leadoff hitter, Donaldson would certainly fit the recent trend of opting for on-base ability over speed. It wouldn’t be the first time the experiment was tried, as he was pencilled into the top spot of the lineup seven times by the Jays in 2015, the year he went on to be crowned AL MVP. In those seven games, he hit .276/.313/.586 over 32 plate appearances. That amounted to a wRC+ of 137, not too far below his season-long number of 154, suggesting Donaldson didn’t seem to be bothered by the switch.

Red Sox Notes: Whitlock, Matz, Arroyo

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The Red Sox are making an effort to retain free agent starter Eduardo Rodríguez, but the club has myriad avenues to potentially address their rotation. Right-hander Garrett Whitlock could be an option, as chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters (including Alex Speier of the Boston Globe) the team is open to the possibility of stretching him out as a starter in 2022.

The 25-year-old Whitlock spent essentially his entire career in the Yankees’ system as a starter, topping out with 120 2/3 innings across three levels in 2018. After plucking him away from their archrival in the Rule 5 draft, the Sox moved him into a bullpen role. That’s typical for a Rule 5 draftee, since teams often prefer to break those unproven players in with lower-leverage innings. But Whitlock proved to be one of the better Rule 5 selections in recent memory, earning himself a role of higher import as he continued to thrive. Ultimately, Whitlock tossed 73 1/3 innings across 46 relief outings (with another 8 1/3 frames in five postseason appearances). He posted a 1.96 ERA with a strong 27.2% strikeout percentage and a tiny 5.7% walk rate.

Moving Whitlock out of the relief role in which he’s been so effective isn’t without risk, but public scouting reports have long suggested he might be a viable starter. His debut campaign offered support for that idea, as Whitlock worked with a three-pitch mix and demonstrated plus control. He did have pronounced platoon splits — lefties hit .293/.349/.475 off him, while righties managed just a .199/.243/.278 mark — that could suggest he’s better deployed situationally, but it’s sensible for the front office to keep the rotation possibility open.

Looking outside the organization, the Sox are also among the teams with early interest in free agent starter Steven Matz, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Boston is certainly one of many clubs in contact with the southpaw’s representatives at Icon Sports Management, and Sherman adds the Tigers and Angels as other potential suitors, in addition to the incumbent Blue Jays.

Matz is coming off his third solid season in the past four years, having worked to a 3.82 ERA/4.12 SIERA across 150 2/3 frames with Toronto. The Jays didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, so signing Matz wouldn’t cost a team draft pick compensation. Entering his age-31 campaign, he looks to have a strong case to land a three-year deal.

While the Sox have seemingly focused primarily on the rotation during the first couple days of the offseason, Bloom tells Speier (separate post) that Boston could look into options at second base as well. It doesn’t seem bolstering the keystone is an absolute must, though, as Bloom went on to express faith in Christian Arroyo’s ability to handle the position. The 26-year-old was limited to just 181 plate appearances this past season because of injuries, but he hit at a slightly above-average level (.262/.324/.445) in that limited time. Jonathan Villar, Josh Harrison and César Hernández are among a few of the lower-cost free agent options available.

Red Sox Place Garrett Whitlock On Injured List

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4:56 pm: Boston has officially placed Whitlock on the IL, retroactive to September 20. He’ll be first eligible to return next Thursday. Ryan Brasier has been recalled to take his place on the active roster. Additionally, Boston reinstated infielder Christian Arroyo from the COVID-19 injured list. Utilityman Jack López has been removed from the active and 40-man rosters and returned to Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move. López had been selected as a COVID replacement, so he needn’t be exposed to waivers to be bumped from the 40-man.

3:44 pm: The Red Sox are placing reliever Garrett Whitlock on the 10-day injured list due to a right pectoral strain, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). Cora stressed that the club doesn’t view the injury as overly serious but wants to be cautious not aggravate the issue. He didn’t rule out the possibility of Whitlock returning after a ten-day minimal absence.

Even if Whitlock is able to make it by the middle of next week, his loss will still be a tough blow for a Boston team in a tightly-contested Wild Card race. The Red Sox enter play tonight up a game and a half on the Blue Jays for the top Wild Card position in the American League. The Yankees are only half a game back of Toronto for the league’s final playoff spot, and the A’s and Mariners are still within range themselves.

Whitlock has arguably been Boston’s best reliever this year, an improbably fantastic outcome for a Rule 5 draftee. Plucked from the Yankees’ system last winter, the right-hander has tossed 72 1/3 innings of 1.99 ERA ball across 45 appearances. He’s benefitted from a bit of good fortune to post such a strong run prevention mark — particularly with regards to stranding baserunners — but there’s little question Whitlock has had a strong year. He’s got better than average strikeout (26.8%), walk (5.8%), ground-ball (49.5%) and swinging strike (12.8%) rates.

That continued strong work has unsurprisingly gained Whitlock more important opportunities as the season has gone on. After deploying him in mostly mop-up situations early in the year, Cora has increasingly leaned on Whitlock in higher-leverage game states over the past couple months. The 25-year-old has continued to perform well in those key spots, holding opponents to a .151/.220/.283 line over 59 plate appearances deemed “high-leverage” by FanGraphs. With Whitlock down, Hansel Robles, Matt Barnes and the resurgent Garrett Richards look likeliest to shoulder the most important innings late in games.

Red Sox Place Enrique Hernandez On COVID-19 Injured List

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Aug. 29: Although he initially landed on the COVID IL as a close contact, Arroyo now has tested positive, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com.

Aug. 27: The Red Sox announced they’ve placed utilityman Kiké Hernández on the COVID-19 injured list. Yairo Muñoz has been selected to the big league roster in his place. Additionally, Jonathan Araúz has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester while Christian Arroyo is landing on the COVID IL. Hernández has tested positive for the virus, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe), while Arroyo has entered protocols as a close contact.

Hernández has been one of Boston’s most valuable performers this season. He has gotten starts at all three positions up the middle of the field while posting one of the best offensive years of his career. Over 483 plate appearances, Hernández is hitting .258/.346/.465 with seventeen home runs, earning himself the leadoff spot in the order.

Muñoz is up for the first time this season. The 26-year-old has spent the entire year in Worcester, hitting .318/.346/.461 with eight home runs over 356 plate appearances. Muñoz hasn’t drawn many walks or hit for a ton of power, but his 13.2% strikeout rate in the minors is minuscule, allowing him to hit for a high batting average. He has also displayed plenty of defensive flexibility, starting multiple games at each of third base, shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions.

That’s nothing new for Muñoz, who logged big league action as a multi-positional player in each season from 2018-20. The bulk of that experience came in his first two seasons with the Cardinals, but Muñoz did appear in twelve games with Boston last season. He owns a .278/.332/.402 line over 555 career trips to the plate at the big league level. Because Muñoz was selected as a COVID replacement, he can be removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the minor leagues without passing through waivers whenever a player is able to return from the COVID list.

AL East Injury Notes: Means, Arroyo, Walls, Borucki

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Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that John Means is slated to return “at some point right after the All-Star break.”  Means hit the 10-day injured list on June 6 due to a shoulder strain, and his timeline wasn’t entirely clear at the time of the placement.  For now, Means is able to play catch, and will gradually work his way up to readiness over the next few weeks.

Though it’s good news that a projected return date is in place, the timing confirms that Means won’t be participating in the All-Star Game, and the left-hander certainly looked like a strong candidate for his second All-Star selection based on his first two months of work.  A return shortly after the July 12-15 All-Star break would allow time for Means to show that he is healthy for any teams interested in a deal prior to the July 30 trade deadline, though since Means is controlled through the 2024 season, there isn’t any immediate pressure on the Orioles to move Means unless a great offer comes along.

More on other injury situations from around the AL East…

  • The Red Sox placed Christian Arroyo on the 10-day IL due to a right knee contusion, with the placement backdated to June 21.  Michael Chavis was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Arroyo left Sunday’s game after a collision with teammate Enrique Hernandez, though x-rays were negative on what the club described as a bone bruise in his right shin.  Arroyo has hit a solid .264/.324/.432 over 138 plate appearances while getting the bulk of playing time at second base this season, though this is his second trip to the IL, after missing two weeks in May with a hand contusion after being hit by a pitch.
  • The Rays placed shortstop Taylor Walls on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 23) due to right wrist tendinitis, and right-hander Drew Rasmussen has been called up to take Walls’ spot on the active roster.  Walls told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that he received a cortisone shot after trying to play through the injury for around two weeks, and he doesn’t expect to miss time beyond the minimum 10 days.  Walls made his MLB debut just over a month ago, and he has posted a respectable 95 OPS+ while hitting .222/.337/.333 over his first 95 big league plate appearances.  The Rays have used Walls as their starting shortstop since his promotion, though now that star prospect Wander Franco is on the roster, Franco is likely to get the bulk of time at the position while Walls is out.  Given how the Rays mix and match players around the diamond, Walls probably isn’t in danger of getting Wally Pipp’d by Franco, who made his own debut on Tuesday as Tampa’s starting third baseman.
  • Ryan Borucki is slated to throw a bullpen session on Friday, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and other reporters.  Borucki hasn’t pitched since May 7 due to a left flexor strain, and while the southpaw was tentatively scheduled to return sometime before the end of June, Montoyo didn’t commit to any firmer timeline.  “We’ll see how he does….If he throws a good bullpen, then we’ll go from there,” Montoyo said.

Injury Notes: Wacha, Widener, Arroyo, Wood, Engel

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Michael Wacha will return from the 10-day injured list to start the Rays’ game against the Blue Jays today.  As noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the plan is for Wacha and Josh Fleming to essentially work in a piggyback capacity today, with Wacha handling the first couple of innings before Fleming takes over for a longer stint.  Brent Honeywell Jr. was already optioned to Triple-A yesterday to create roster room for Wacha’s return.

Wacha has been out of action since May 4 due to right hamstring tightness.  After signing a one-year, $3MM free agent deal with Tampa this winter, Wacha’s first 28 1/3 innings with the Rays has resulted in a 4.76 ERA/4.06 SIERA.  An above-average 6.9% walk rate is just about the only good news for Wacha advanced metric-wise, as his Statcast numbers have been quite underwhelming.

More injury updates from around baseball…

  • Taylor Widener has been activated off the 10-day injured list, the Diamondbacks announced.  The right-hander will get the start today’s game against the Rockies, and he will take the roster spot left open when Josh VanMeter was optioned to Triple-A yesterday.  Widener hasn’t pitched since April 22 due to a right groin strain, after posting some solid bottom-line numbers (a 2.82 ERA in 22 1/3 innings) in four starts for the D’Backs, though Statcast indicates Widener had quite a bit of good fortune in managing that quality ERA.  Arizona’s rotation will get a bit closer to full health with Widener back, as Zac Gallen and Luke Weaver are still on the injured list.
  • Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo will likely be activated from the injured list on Tuesday, manager Alex Cora told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters.  A left hand contusion sent Arroyo to the 10-day IL on May 9 (retroactive to May 7) after he was hit by a pitch.  Arroyo cooled down after a strong start to the season, but he still has a respectable .275/.333/.377 slash line in 76 PA, serving as Boston’s regular second baseman.
  • Hunter Wood was removed from last night’s game due to what the Rangers termed as right elbow tightness.  Wood recorded two outs and issued a walk after entering last night’s game in the seventh inning, but then departed in the midst of an Alex Bregman plate appearance.  Wood has a 3.60 ERA in five innings out of the Texas bullpen this season, after signing a minor league deal with the team during the offseason.
  • Adam Engel told The Athletic’s James Fegan (Twitter links) and other reporters that his minor league rehab assignment will begin tomorrow.  The White Sox outfielder has yet to play this season due to a hamstring strain, as Engel explained that his rehab was slowed by a further injury that tore the muscle off his tendon, increasing his strain from a Grade 2 to a Grade 3.

AL East Notes: Wander, Odor, Arroyo, Hernandez

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Wander Franco has performed well in his first 52 plate appearances at Triple-A, posting a .348/.404/.652 slash line that befits his status as baseball’s top prospect.  However, it doesn’t appear likely that Franco will get a quick promotion to the big leagues, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  The Rays aren’t likely to rush a 20-year-old who is only now getting his first taste of the pros beyond the A-ball level, and naturally, some payroll considerations are likely at play — delaying Franco’s debut until at least late June would probably keep him from reaching Super Two status.  A pre-career contract extension would address that concern, but Topkin doesn’t see such a deal as very likely.

Beyond just the financial aspects, the Rays don’t want to make a development misstep with a prospect who represents such a major part of their future.  “The team wants “to be ’more’ sure a player is ready, and avoiding the confidence crusher of sending him back.  Also, they definitely want to avoid putting a young player in a role of being cast as a ’savior’ as Franco might be if the Rays offense still was struggling when he was summoned,” Topkin writes.  This doesn’t mean that Tampa Bay wouldn’t turn to its farm system in the event of a sudden need, of course, but Topkin feels that Vidal Brujan or Taylor Walls (notable prospects in their own right) would get the call ahead of Franco since Brujan and Walls are both a few years older, and also already on the 40-man roster.

More from around the AL East…

  • The Yankees are hoping that Rougned Odor will be back from the injured list in time to face off with his old Rangers teammates, as per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com (via Twitter).  New York begins a four-game set against Texas beginning today.  Odor was placed on the 10-day IL on May 5 due to a left knee sprain.  Though Odor has hit just .164/.271/.361 in pinstripes, the Yankees are in need of middle infield reinforcements due to Tyler Wade’s similarly underwhelming offense and Gleyber Torres’ COVID list absence.
  • The Red Sox are expected to activate Enrique Hernandez from the 10-day IL on Tuesday prior to their game with the Blue Jays.  Boston made the first move in this direction by optioning infielder Jonathan Arauz to Triple-A today, thus clearing a spot on the active roster.  A right hamstring strain sent Hernandez to the injured list on May 7, so the utilityman would miss only the minimum 10 days of action.  Christian Arroyo’s IL placement due to a hand contusion was also retroactively dated to May 7, but Alex Speier of the Boston Globe notes (Twitter link) that Arroyo won’t join the Sox for the start of their road trip against the Jays and Phillies this week.  Arroyo did begin hitting off a tee yesterday, however, so his return might not be far off.  The Red Sox have played with a three-man bench for much of the season, and if they choose to stick with this roster alignment, Michael Chavis would be the odd man out once Arroyo is ready to be reinstated from the IL.

Red Sox Place Christian Arroyo On Injured List, Shut Down Tanner Houck

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The Red Sox have placed infielder Christian Arroyo on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 7, due to a left hand contusion. Fellow infielder Jonathan Araúz has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

Arroyo has picked up the majority of playing time at second base this season. The former top prospect has held his own at the dish, hitting .275/.333/.377 over 76 plate appearances. With Arroyo and Kiké Hernández both on the injured list, it seems Marwin González is in line to pick up the majority of starts at the keystone for now. As usual, the 32-year-old González has bounced around the diamond a lot this season, but he’s only hitting .208/.319/.313 over 113 plate appearances. González is starting at second and hitting leadoff this afternoon against the Orioles.

In other Red Sox injury news, they’re shutting down right-hander Tanner Houck after he experienced some soreness in his flexor muscle. Manager Alex Cora says the team “is not overly concerned,” telling reporters (including Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald) that Houck is “actually feeling better right now” and the shutdown is one “we feel…is going to be short term.” The 24-year-old has worked to a 4.35 ERA with fantastic strikeout and walk numbers (26.7% and 2.2%, respectively) in 10 1/3 MLB innings this year. Because Houck was optioned to the alternate training site before suffering the injury, he won’t be placed on the MLB injured list, meaning he will not accrue major league service time while he recovers.

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