Jedd Gyorko

Cardinals Exploring Trade Options For Jedd Gyorko

By Steve Adams | July 30, 2019 at 8:00pm CDT

The Cardinals are “exploring trade options” involving infielder Jedd Gyorko now that the 30-year-old is nearly ready to return from the injured list, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis moved Gyorko to the 60-day injured list today, but he’s already spent 52 days on the IL, so he’d be able to return a week after the trade deadline.

Gyorko, 30, has appeared in only 38 games for the Cardinals and has taken just 62 plate appearances. Gyorko opened the season on the IL due to a minor calf strain but has been out since early June due to a low back strain that Goold suggests is now fully healed. The acquisition of Paul Goldschmidt pushed Matt Carpenter to third base, and Gyorko wasn’t starting over either of Paul DeJong or Kolten Wong when healthy, either. In Gyorko’s current IL absence, both Yairo Munoz and Tommy Edman have emerged in the Majors, though neither has performed at the same levels a healthy Gyorko has reached in recent seasons.

Clubs interested in Gyorko will surely be intrigued by his versatility and offensive track record. He’s appeared at all four infield positions as a big leaguer, including 2000-plus innings at second base and third base, nearly 500 innings at shortstop and more than a hundred innings at first base. Gyorko has generally received plus ratings at third and passable marks at second base, though he’s not considered a quality defender at shortstop.

That said, he’s been a highly productive bat throughout his time with the Cardinals, hitting at a .256/.328/.456 clip with 63 home runs, 49 doubles and four triples in 1383 plate appearances dating back to 2016. Gyorko is earning $9MM this season and is still owed $3MM of that sum plus a $1MM buyout on a $13MM club option for the 2020 season.

Cardinals Claim Adalberto Mejia

By Steve Adams | July 30, 2019 at 2:37pm CDT

The Cardinals announced that they’ve claimed left-hander Adalberto Mejia off waivers from the Angels. Infielder Jedd Gyorko was moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in a corresponding 40-man roster move. St. Louis also announced the previously reported demotion of Harrison Bader and promotion of fellow outfielder Lane Thomas.

Mejia, 26, was only with the Halos briefly. He appeared in four games there, allowing a run on four hits with a 6-to-1 K/BB ratio before being designated for assignment a second time this season. The former top 100 prospect had been with the Twins since Minnesota acquired him in the 2016 deal that sent Eduardo Nunez to San Francisco, but he was ultimately cut loose after significant struggles both with injuries and performance.

A former starter, Mejia shifted to a bullpen role on a full-time basis this season but has been tagged for 17 runs on 20 hits and 13 walks with 21 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings of work. Mejia has a solid track record in Triple-A but can’t be sent there to continue sorting things out, as he’s out of minor league options. He’ll take a spot in the Cardinals’ bullpen for now, but depending on what moves St. Louis is able to make between now and tomorrow afternoon’s trade deadline, his stay with the Cards could prove even more abbreviated than his time with the Angels.

Injury Notes: Ozuna, Gyorko, Winker, Longoria

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2019 at 11:16pm CDT

The latest on some injury situations from around baseball…

Marcell Ozuna isn’t sure when he’ll be able to return to the Cardinals lineup, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers writes, as the outfielder is still battling swelling in his right hand. As a result, Ozuna “hasn’t been able to test his grip strength much.” Ozuna suffered a fractured middle finger (and also jammed several other fingers) in late June, and there isn’t a clear idea as to when he’ll be ready to play again, though the team is hopeful the slugger will be back before the end of July. Ozuna had hit .259/.331/.515 with 20 homers over his first 326 plate appearances this season.
Also from Rogers’ piece, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told reporters that Jedd Gyorko will be out of action until at least the middle of August, and potentially not until the start of September. While a back problem was the initial cause of Gyorko’s injured list that began on June 8, his return was delayed by a left calf strain, and then minor surgery on his right wrist. He also started the year on the IL due to a right calf strain suffered during Spring Training. With only 38 games and 62 plate appearances under his belt for the year, it’s beginning to look like a lost season for Gyorko in what might well be his final season in St. Louis. The Cardinals will surely take the $1MM buyout of their club option on Gyorko’s services for 2020 rather than pay him $13MM.
Reds outfielder Jesse Winker left today’s game in the middle of an at-bat due to injury. After swinging at a pitch, Winker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon) that “my lower left back, side area tightened up. I was feeling some tightness in my right rib cage as well.” The problem first arose during his initial swing in the plate appearance, Winker added. He will undergo tests tomorrow to further access the damage, though if Winker has suffered an oblique injury, he would be facing an absence of several weeks. The 25-year-old has a .250/.328/.462 slash line and 13 home runs over 290 PA with Cincinnati this season, playing mostly against right-handed pitching (and with some drastic splits, including a .428 OPS in his only 39 PA against lefties). Should Winker miss time, a platoon of Derek Dietrich and Phillip Ervin in left field would seem to be the Reds’ likeliest response.
X-rays were negative on Evan Longoria’s left foot after the third baseman left after four innings of today’s Giants game due to plantar fasciitis. Longoria told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters that he has been dealing with the nagging problem since last season. The Giants are scheduled for a double-header against the Rockies on Monday and Longoria hopes to play in the second game, though he will get an MRI in the morning to access the damage. Plantar fasciitis could explain Longoria’s overall struggles since coming to San Francisco in the 2017-18 offseason, though he has quietly been roughly a league-average (102 OPS+, 101 wRC+) hitter this year in the wake of a recent hot streak. While a .241/.318/.446 slash line is a marked improvement over Longoria’s 2018 numbers, it still ranks as disappointing considering his track record and hefty contract.

Jedd Gyorko Suffers Setback

By Connor Byrne | June 22, 2019 at 7:56pm CDT

JUNE 22: Gyorko’s now dealing with a right wrist issue that will require minor arthroscopic surgery, Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets. He won’t restart baseball activities for approximately three weeks.

JUNE 19: Injured Cardinals infielder Jedd Gyorko suffered a setback this week and won’t return “for a while,” Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

Gyorko went to the injured list June 8 with a lower back strain, but he may now be dealing with a left calf strain. It’s the latest significant lower body issue for Gyorko, who thrice went on the IL with hamstring and groin strains from 2017-18.

Gyorko’s injury woes add to what has been a contract season to forget for the 30-year-old. Although the former Padre combined to hit .259/.331/.463 (111 wRC+) with 61 home runs and 6.1 fWAR in 1,321 plate appearances from 2016-18, his first three seasons as a Cardinal, playing time has been scarce for Gyorko this year. Stuck behind third baseman Matt Carpenter, second baseman Kolten Wong and shortstop Paul DeJong on the Cardinals’ depth chart, Gyorko has totaled just 62 PA in 2019 and batted a poor .196/.274/.304 (57 wRC+) with a pair of HRs.

Between his injuries and weak production, Gyorko looks as if he’s on track to settle for a much lower salary than his current $13MM when he reaches free agency in the offseason. The Cardinals will have a chance to keep Gyorko for another $13MM then, but they’re sure to decline his option in favor of a $1MM buyout.

Cardinals Select Tommy Edman, Designate Merandy Gonzalez

By Ty Bradley | June 8, 2019 at 2:52pm CDT

The Cardinals have selected the contract of infielder Tommy Edman, the team reported. He’ll replace Jedd Gyorko, who was placed on the 10-Day IL with a lower back strain. Righty Merandy Gonzalez was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man.

Edman, a 24-year-old Stanford product, is a switch-hitter who’d slashed .305/.356/.513 in over 200 plate appearances for Triple-A Memphis this season. The 5’10 utilityman didn’t crack the team’s top ten prospects on most major outlets, though the organization certainly has a history of turning players of this ilk into valuable contributors.

This’ll be the third designation this season for Gonzalez, 23, who was also cut loose by the Giants and Marlins. The six-foot righty threw 25 innings for AA-Springfield this season, striking out 21 and walking an unsightly 20 more. He’ll have to sharpen his command to work his way back to the big leagues, though his upside does remain high.

NL Notes: Chen, Gyorko, d’Arnaud, Kendrick

By Connor Byrne | March 24, 2019 at 12:58pm CDT

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen will open the year in the Marlins’ bullpen, Wells Dusenbery of the Sun Sentinel tweets. It’s the latest less-than-ideal development in what has been a subpar Marlins tenure for Chen. The 33-year-old did take this setback in stride, though, per Dusenbery. Now in the fourth season of a five-year, $80MM contract, Chen has pitched to a 4.75 ERA/4.38 FIP with 7.33 K/9 and 2.49 BB/9 in 289 2/3 innings since going from Baltimore to Miami. Fifty-three of Chen’s 57 Marlins appearances have come as a starter, including all 26 last season.

Elsewhere in Miami’s staff, the club has shut down Rule 5 pick Riley Ferrell because of biceps tendinitis, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The Marlins had been leaning toward keeping the 25-year-old right-hander, whom they plucked from Houston in December. Ferrell could factor into the Fish’s bullpen plans this season if he’s healthy and retained.

The latest on a few other NL teams…

Cardinals infielder Jedd Gyorko is likely to start 2019 on the 10-day injured list, which will lead to roster spots for Yairo Munoz and Drew Robinson, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. Gyorko has been dealing with a calf problem throughout the month. He’ll be an important bench player for the Cardinals when he returns, having posted three straight above-average offensive seasons with the club over a combined 1,321 plate appearances.
Likewise, Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud seems ticketed for the IL, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com relays. The oft-injured d’Arnaud is still working back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on his right elbow last May. With d’Arnaud out and Devin Mesoraco having failed to make the team, it appears Tomas Nido will open the season as Wilson Ramos’ backup. Aside from d’Arnaud and Ramos, Nido is the lone catcher on the Mets’ 40-man roster.
Infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick won’t begin the year on the Nationals’ roster, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Kendrick will instead remain in Florida to continue rehabbing from the hamstring strain he suffered two-plus weeks ago. It’s unclear when Kendrick will rejoin the Nationals, but when he does, he’ll be in line for his first major league action since incurring a ruptured right Achilles last May. That catastrophic injury derailed what was shaping up to be another quality offensive campaign for Kendrick.

Injury/Rehab Notes: Ohtani, Davis, Cardinals, Kendrick, Delmonico

By Steve Adams | March 8, 2019 at 1:22pm CDT

Angels right-hander/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani played catch Friday — his first time throwing since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. The Angels tweeted video of the 23-year-old doing so, and Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times adds that he made about 60 to 70 light tosses from a max distance of “about” 12 feet (Twitter links). It’s an ever so minor first step in the electrifying young talent’s return to the mound — one that’ll be accompanied by a corresponding decline in his swinging for the time being. Ohtani’s hitting drills will be limited to soft toss for the foreseeable future, as the Halos proceed with extra caution regarding his right elbow. He’s reportedly targeting an early May return to the lineup as a DH.

More injury and rehab notes from around baseball…

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis underwent an MRI on an ailing left hip that has kept him out of game action since Sunday, manager Brandon Hyde divulged to reporters (link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). The test was described as “precautionary,” though, and Hyde indicated that Davis has been feeling better as the week has progressed. While spring stats don’t mean much, it’s hardly encouraging that Davis is 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts to begin Grapefruit League play. The soon-to-be 33-year-old turned in the worst season of his career in 2018, hitting just .168/.243/.296 with 16 home runs and a staggering 36.7 percent strikeout rate in 522 plate appearances.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Cardinals righty Carlos Martinez is still another five to seven days away from even being able to throw. Meanwhile, a calf strain will sideline utility infielder Jedd Gyorko for about a week. Martinez has been slowed by shoulder weakness this spring and already received a platelet-rich plasma injection, though a timetable on his readiness for game activity will remain murky until the team can see how he responds to throwing. There’s been talk of him working as a reliever in 2019, as he did late in the 2018 season. Meanwhile, Gyorko figures to be a key backup all around the infield. A longer-than-expected absence for him would open more playing time for Yairo Munoz early in the season.
The Nationals will be without infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick for “at least” 10 to 12 days as he nurses a hamstring strain, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post tweets. Kendrick underwent an MRI earlier this week to evaluate the status of his hamstring after he suffered an injury during a game last weekend. Opening Day is less than three weeks away, so the strain could potentially jeopardize his readiness.
Outfielder Nicky Delmonico has been diagnosed with a “mild” concussion, the White Sox announced Friday. The 26-year-old sustained the injury upon crashing into the outfield wall in yesterday’s Cactus League contest. Delmonico piqued the interest of ChiSox fans with a strong .262/.373/.482 slash (166 plate appearances) as a rookie in 2017, but his production cratered in 2018 as he batted just .215/.296/.373. He’s been vying for an outfield job in a mix that includes Jon Jay, Leury Garcia, Adam Engel Danial Palka and non-roster invitee Brandon Guyer. Top prospect Eloy Jimenez obviously looms in waiting, though the widespread expectation is that the Sox will keep him Triple-A for a couple of weeks to open the season, thus buying an additional year of control over the vaunted slugger.

Jedd Gyorko’s Future In St. Louis

By TC Zencka | October 6, 2018 at 12:38pm CDT

St. Louis Cardinals incumbent third baseman Jedd Gyorko’s power has diminished each of the last three seasons and it may be time to find a replacement, opines Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. It promises to be an important subject for the organization over the offseason.

Gyorko has provided valuable versatility for the Cards, seeing time at all four infield positions the last three years. His OBP has risen each year in St. Louis (.306 to .341 to .346), but his power output has gone the other way (.253 ISO to .200 to .154). On the whole, Gyorko’s proven a good gamble since his somewhat-surprising acquisition from the Padres in 2015 – and though he’s not known as a defensive stalwart, defensive metrics are less certain, crediting Gyorko with 24 DRS and 4.9 UZR at third base since 2016. Contractually, he’s guaranteed one more season at $13MM before a team option in 2020.

Finding a player that complements Gyorko’s skill set may be the judicious solution in the short term. The Cardinals front office is said to be “on the edge of giddy” about three third base prospects in their system who could be ready by 2020: Elehuris Montero, Nolan Gorman, and Malcom Nunez.

Gorman was listed as the Cardinals 6th ranked prospect by Baseball America, but the 20-year-old Montero will likely reach the big leagues before Gorman or Cuban-born Nunez, who is only seventeen years old. Montero tore through the Midwest League in 2018, hitting .322/.381/.529. After 24 games in High-A with the Palm Beach Cardinals, the 19-year-old could reach AA sooner rather than later.

For next season, Gyorko’s role is not likely to change a whole lot – save for possibly in volume. Matt Carpenter started 74 games at third this year, but the Cardinals seem to prefer him on the right side. Top catching prospect Carson Kelly could be an option in short stints, as he played the position in 2013. He hit .269/.378/.395 in AAA and is ostensibly blocked behind the plate by Yadier Molina – but that feels more like a plan D than a plan A.

This year’s free agent class does provide a few palatable options. Bringing home World Series hero David Freese for a season would be a fun retro choice. Mike Moustakas’ name has been thrown out there as a potential stopgap solution as well. Then there are the big names – Josh Donaldson and Manny Machado. It’s unclear if the Cardinals are ready to commit the years and dollars to snag one of the elites, but regardless of the path they choose – they have options.

Check out the 2018-19 MLB Free Agent Tracker for a full list of upcoming free agents.

Cardinals Place Jedd Gyorko On Disabled List

By Jeff Todd | August 29, 2018 at 3:46pm CDT

The Cardinals have placed infielder Jedd Gyorko on the 10-day disabled list, per a club announcement. Fellow infielder Adolis Garcia has come up from Triple-A in his place. Gyorko has been dealing with a left groin strain. While there had been some hope he’d avoid a 10-day minimum stint on the shelf, he’ll instead join fellow infielder Kolten Wong.

On the positive side, the St. Louis organization has several fill-in options with at least some prior MLB experience. Greg Garcia, Yairo Munoz, Patrick Wisdom, and Garcia will all presumably see time as the Cards patch things together.

That being said, the Cardinals are at a point in the season where every win is precious. The club has sprinted into Wild Card position, but is still trying to fend off a number of challengers while also hoping to track down the NL Central-leading Cubs.

The expectation seems to be that both Gyorko and Wong will return in relatively short order. Still, there’s always the potential for aggravation of a muscle injury, and there’s an argument to be made that the club ought to look into opportunities to improve regardless.

A move to add an infielder is far from a sure thing, but there are some options that could be worth considering. Several quality veterans have already reportedly cleared trade waivers. Others could also be considered potential trade candidates, potentially including Josh Donaldson, a player the Cards have targeted previously and who is going through the waiver process as we speak.

Quick Hits: Machado, Cards, Herrera, Bumgarner, Yu

By Connor Byrne | May 27, 2018 at 9:15am CDT

Although the Orioles didn’t find a Manny Machado trade to their liking over the winter, the club did believe it was progressing toward a deal with the Cardinals in December, Buster Olney of ESPN reports. St. Louis backed out of negotiations on a swap that would have sent pitching prospects and third baseman Jedd Gyorko to Baltimore, per Olney. The identities of the prospects aren’t known, though Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported in mid-December that the Orioles had interest in young Cardinals hurlers Luke Weaver, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks. It’s hard to imagine the Cardinals parting with any of those three now, but Olney notes it’s possible they’ll circle back on Machado as the season progresses. Regardless, the Machado trade sweepstakes is likely to kick off in earnest after the June 4-6 draft, according to Olney.

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