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Lonnie Chisenhall

Placed On DL: Rua, Perdomo, Naquin

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Here are a few players to hit the disabled list today…

  • Rangers outfielder Ryan Rua has been placed on the DL with back spasms, the club has announced; they’ve recalled center fielder Delino DeShields to take his spot on the roster. Rua’s been worse than a replacement level player this year, according to both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference, hitting a meager .194/.223/.371 across 132 plate appearances. He’s struck out in exactly a third of his plate appearances while drawing just five walks in that span.
  • The Padres announced that Luis Perdomo is going back on the disabled list due to a strained right shoulder, while left-hander Jose Castillo will activated from the DL in the same transaction. Perdomo allowed six earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings in his most recent start, and the former Rule 5 Draft selection has endured an ugly season to date. The right-hander has barely averaged four innings per start, walking nearly five batters per nine innings while posting a 7.94 ERA for the Friars. It’s surely a disappointing development for a San Diego ballclub that’s been very patient with him in his development since holding him on their active roster for the entire 2016 season.
  • The Indians’ outfield woes continue, with Tyler Naquin becoming the latest player to hit the disabled list. Naquin’s been dealing with a hip injury, as was earlier reported, so the official move comes as little surprise. Right-hander Adam Plutko will be recalled in his place, as tonight’s scheduled starter Mike Clevinger is dealing with a minor illness and may have to miss his start. Naquin’s been only marginally above replacement and sports a .264/.295/.356 slash line, but he was one of few options in the Tribe outfield worth playing and they’ll now likely be intensifying their search for a viable replacement for Lonnie Chisenhall.

Lonnie Chisenhall Out Eight To Ten Weeks

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The Indians announced to reporters today that outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall will miss the next eight to 10 weeks due to a Grade 3 strain of his left calf muscle (Twitter link via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal). That timeline will keep Chisenhall on the shelf until at least early September, and if there are any setbacks along the way in his recovery, it could potentially jeopardize the remainder of his season.

It’s a tough loss for the Indians, to be sure. While Chisenhall has been quite prone to injury over the past two seasons, he’s also been an extremely productive hitter when on the field, slashing .297/.368/.503 with 13 homers, 23 doubles and a pair of triples through 365 plate appearances. He was limited to 82 games last season by a concussion, a shoulder sprain and a calf strain, and this will now be his second extended absence of the 2018 season due to a calf injury.

Cleveland has recently been relying on Michael Brantley, Greg Allen and Tyler Naquin in the outfield, with Brandon Guyer and Rajai Davis also representing options on the big league roster. Former first-rounder Bradley Zimmer also remains on hand as an option at the Triple-A level.

For Chisenhall himself, the timing could scarcely be worse. He’s just months away from free agency, and in a best-case scenario, he’d have roughly four weeks to demonstrate his health to teams before the end of the season. He’s already been limited to a mere 95 PAs in 2018, and it’s now quite possible that he’ll head into free agency having played somewhere in the vicinity of 130 to 140 games combined in the two-year platform to his first trip to the open market. Given his success at the plate dating back to 2016 and the fact that he’ll be 30 years old for all of the 2019 season, Chisenhall should still find Major League offers on the market, but his stock is obviously weakened handily by what is now his third calf injury of the past calendar year.

Indians Option Bradley Zimmer, Activate Lonnie Chisenhall

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The Indians announced on Tuesday that they’ve activated outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall from the 10-day disabled list and opened a roster spot by optioning struggling center fielder Bradley Zimmer to Triple-A Columbus.

[Related: Updated Cleveland Indians depth chart]

Zimmer, 25, has turned in quality contributions on the bases and in the outfield this season, but he’s had a dreadful time at the plate, batting just .226/.281/.330 with a pair of homers in 114 trips to the plate. Those struggles are largely a continuation of a poor 2017 second half for the former first-rounder. Zimmer debuted and hit .285/.339/.450 prior to the All-Star break last season before fading badly down the stretch with a .196/.275/.318 line to close out the season. Zimmer struck out at a 33.5 percent clip in the second half last season, and he’s posted an even more alarming 38.6 percent strikeout rate in 2018.

As for the 29-year-old Chisenhall, he’ll return from a calf strain that has held him out of action since landing on the disabled list way back on April 8. He’s made just 21 plate appearances this season in what is likely the most important campaign of his big league career. Chisenhall, who hit .288/.360/.521 in 270 PAs last season, is set to hit free agency for the first time following the 2018 season. While durability appears to be a legitimate concern for him, he’s been productive at the plate in three of the past four seasons and will look to rebuild his stock as best he can in the four months between now and season’s end.

Quick Hits: Liriano, Mesa, Chisenhall

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Some items as we head into the new week…

  • Even prior to Francisco Liriano’s gem of a start against the Mariners today, the Tigers have been getting trade inquiries about the veteran lefty, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link).  After signing a one-year, $4MM deal with Detroit last winter, Liriano earned a job in the rotation and now has a 3.42 ERA, 6.32 K/9, and 45.1% grounder rate through 52 2/3 innings.  It’s a nice improvement on paper from the struggles Liriano endured as a starter in 2017 and much of 2016, though there are some red flags — the lack of strikeouts, a 9.7% swinging strike rate, a 4.44 BB/9, and a .214 BABIP.  Interested teams could be looking at acquiring Liriano to work out of the bullpen, as the Astros did when they acquired the southpaw in a deadline trade with the Blue Jays last year.  Regardless, it looks like the Tigers should be able to score a decent prospect for their investment in Liriano in the offseason.
  • Victor Victor Mesa is “the best young Cuban prospect to become available since Yoan Moncada,” Baseball America’s Ben Badler writes in a profile of the 21-year-old outfielder that is available to BA subscribers.  Badler assigns a 70 grade (on the 20-80 scouting scale) to Mesa’s speed and throwing arm (the latter meriting “at least a 70”), and compares Mesa to Nationals minor leaguer Victor Robles, a consensus top-10 prospect in baseball.  Since Mesa and his brother only just left Cuba, however, they could face a long wait in getting official league clearance, which will limit their earning power in the 2018-19 July 2 international signing market since most teams have already committed the bulk of their spending pools to other prospects.
  • Lonnie Chisenhall is slated to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Indians manager Terry Francona told media (including Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer).  Chisenhall will only play every other day initially, Francona said, as the outfielder slowly ramps up after missing over six weeks with a strained calf.  It isn’t clear how long it will be before Chisenhall is ready to return to the Tribe’s roster, though the club is in dire need of some help in right and center field.

Lonnie Chisenhall Out 4-6 Weeks With Calf Strain

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Days after getting outfielder Michael Brantley back from the disabled list, the Indians have learned that they’ll be without right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall for four to six weeks. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com first tweeted the timetable, which came from the mouth of Indians manager Terry Francona. Chisenhall left Saturday’s game against the Royals early, and was officially placed on the disabled list early this morning (the club recalled Tyler Naquin to take his place in right field for the time being).

It’s an upsetting development for the Tribe, who saw Chisenhall miss significant time last season with the same issue. The re-aggravation of the injury during a seemingly routine few innings in right field doesn’t bode well for Chisenhall’s 2018 season. The timing is also unfortunate for him financially, as he’s set to become a free agent this winter and would like to erase the injury concerns from the memories of potential suitors.

Chisenhall was a notable beneficiary of the fly ball revolution last season, as he decreased his ground ball rate from 23.9% in 2016 to just 15.8% in 2017, and correspondingly increased his line drive rate and fly ball rate by four percentage points apiece. That adjustment resulted in a career-best .288/.360/.520 batting line. The Indians will certainly be hoping they can get his bat back in the lineup on the shorter end of the injury timetable.

Quick Hits: Duffy, Melky, Indians, Brewers, Giants

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Royals left-hander Danny Duffy was a popular name in trade rumors during the offseason, but he ended up staying put. Duffy remains a trade candidate, however, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. It would take “the right package of prospects” to land the 29-year-old Duffy, Cafardo writes. Duffy’s under control through 2021 for a total of $60MM. He’s off to a rough start this year – albeit over two just two appearances – having allowed eight earned runs on 10 hits and five walks (with eight strikeouts) in 9 2/3 innings.

More from around the game…

  • There are teams interested in signing free-agent outfielder Melky Cabrera to a minor league deal, per Cafardo. It’s unclear, though, whether the 33-year-old would be open to signing a minors pact. An inability to contribute in the field or on the base paths have likely been the main culprits for Cabrera’s unemployment, and it doesn’t help that he hit an uninspiring .285/.324/.423 (98 wRC+) across 666 plate appearances between the White Sox and Royals in 2017.
  • Indians outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall suffered a right calf injury Saturday and will likely head to the disabled list, manager Terry Francona told Joe Noga of cleveland.com and other reporters. Chisenhall previously missed 45 games last year with a right calf issue, notes Noga, who adds that the Indians could recall Tyler Naquin from Triple-A to take his place. Naquin went to the minors Friday to make room for the just-activated Michael Brantley.
  • Left-handed reliever Dan Jennings’ deal with the Brewers is worth $750K, and it includes up to $1.075MM more in games pitched incentives, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Jennings, whom the Rays released before the season, has already made five appearances and tossed 5 1/3 innings with Milwaukee. Thus far, he has allowed one run on four hits, with three strikeouts against two walks.
  • Giants righty Jeff Samardzija is aiming to make his season debut around April 19, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group writes. In the meantime, the plan is for Samardzija to pitch in extended spring training Monday and then make a minor league rehab start. The 33-year-old innings-eater has been out since late March with a strained pectoral muscle. Thanks to Samardzija’s injury and ace Madison Bumgarner’s broken left pinkie, the Giants are without two of their best starters.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

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The deadline for MLB teams to exchange salary arbitration figures with their arbitration-eligible players is today at 1pm ET. As such, there will be a veritable flood of arb agreements piling up in the next few hours — especially in light of a more universal approach to the “file and trial” method for teams. (That is to say, those teams will no longer negotiate one-year deals after arb figures are exchanged and will instead head to a hearing with those players, barring an agreemenr on a multi-year deal.)

Note that you can keep an eye on all of today’s deals using MLBTR’s 2018 Arbitration Tracker, which can be filtered to show only the results of the team you follow and is also sortable by service time and dollar value of the agreement. All projections that are referenced come from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s annual compilation of projected arbitration salarie

American League West

  • The Astros and Evan Gattis agreed to a $6.7MM deal for 2018, per FanRag’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). A free agent next season, Gattis lands within $100K of his $6.6MM projection. The club also has deals (for values unknown) with starters Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers Jr., and Brad Peacock, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Rangers agreed to a $1.05MM deal with infielder Jurickson Profar, tweets Murray. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, meanwhile, tweets that lefty Jake Diekman landed a $2.7125MM deal and righty Keone Kela will earn $1.2MM. Profar had been projected at $1.1MM and is controllable another three seasons. Diekman, a free agent next winter, was projected at $2.8MM. And Kela, still controlled for three more years, matched his $1.2MM projection on the dot.
  • The Athletics and closer Blake Treinen agreed to a $2.15MM deal for next year, tweets Murray. The A’s can control Treinen for another three years. He was projected at $2.3MM. Shortstop Marcus Semien has settled for $3.125MM, Heyman tweets; his $3.2MM projection was nearly spot-on. Oakland has announced that it has avoided arbitration with Liam Hendriks and Josh Phegley as well, but their salaries have yet to be reported.
  • The Angels have a one-year, $7.3MM agreement in place with right-hander Garrett Richards, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Richards, a free agent next offseason, tops his $7MM projection by a margin of $300K. The Halos have also avoided arb with first baseman C.J. Cron ($2.3MM) and left-hander Tyler Skaggs ($1.875MM), tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Cron’s total falls a ways shy of his $2.8MM projection, while Skaggs comes in just $25K south of his $1.9MM projection. Both are controllable through the 2020 season. Lastly, Murray tweets that Matt Shoemaker agreed to a $4.125MM deal. He’s controlled through 2020 and projected at $4.4MM. Fletcher also tweets that the club has agreed with righty J.C. Ramirez ($1.9MM salary vs. $2.6MM projection) and lefty Jose Alvarez ($1.05MM salary vs. $1.1MM projection). Finally, righty Cam Bedrosian has agreed at $1.1MM, Flecher tweets, which represents a payday close to his projection of $1.2MM.
  • Left-hander James Paxton will earn $4.9MM with the Mariners in 2018, tweets Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Murray tweets that the Mariners and David Phelps agreed to a $5.55MM deal. Paxton, controlled through 2020, projected to earn $5.6MM, while Phelps was pegged at $5.8MM. He’s a free agent next winter. Righty Erasmo Ramirez took a $4.2MM deal, MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports. That’s half a million shy of what the model suggested. Fellow right-hander Nick Vincent also has an agreement, but the terms aren’t yet known.

American League Central

  • New lefty Luis Avilan has agreed to a $2.45MM deal with the White Sox, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports via Twitter. The recent trade acquisition came with a projected $2.3MM price tag. Fellow southpaw Carlos Rodon will receive $2.3MM, a bit of a bump over the $2MM he projected to receive. Also, utilityman Leury Garcia gets $1.175MM, which is just $25K short of his projected value.
  • The Royals and righty Nate Karns agreed to a $1.375MM deal for 2018, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports (on Twitter). That lands within $25K of his $1.4MM projection for the coming season. Kansas City controls Karns through 2020. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports (via Twitter) that Kelvin Herrera will earn $7.9375MM in 2018, landing a bit shy of his $8.3MM projection. Herrera is a free agent next winter.
  • The Indians have a $5MM agreement with righty Danny Salazar, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. He had projected to earn just $200K more, this falls right in line with expectations. Cleveland also agreed with Lonnie Chisenhall on a $5.5875MM deal, tweets Nightengale. The third baseman-turned-outfielder, who was projected to earn $5.8MM, will be a free agent following the 2018 season.
  • Trevor May has a $650K agreement with the Twins for the 2018 season, according to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. May, who missed the entire season due to Tommy John surgery (and did some writing for MLBTR during his rehab process), had been projected at $600K. The Twins also agreed to a $1MM deal with infielder Ehire Adrianza, per La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. Meanwhile, righty Ryan Pressly has agreed to a $1.6MM deal, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Both deals are identical matches with their projections. Adrianza has three years of team control remaining, while Pressly has two. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that outfielder Robbie Grossman settled at $2MM, leaving him $400K shy of his projection. Grossman is controlled for another three seasons.
  • Tigers third baseman/outfielder Nick Castellanos will earn $6.05MM, per Heyman (via Twitter). He had projected at a much heftier $7.6MM in his second-to-last season of arb eligibility. MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports (Twitter links) that the Tigers and right-handed reliever Alex Wilson settled at $1.925MM, while fellow righty Shane Greene will earn $1.95MM. Wilson was projected to earn $2.1MM, while Greene was at $1.7MM. Wilson is controlled through 2019, while Greene is under control through 2020.

American League East

  • The Yankees have knocked out some of their biggest arb cases, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). Shortstop Didi Gregorius receives $8.25MM and righty Sonny Gray checks in at $6.5MM. The former had projected to earn $9.0MM while the algorithm was just $100K high on the latter.Backstop Austin Romine will earn $1.1MM, Heyman also tweets, which is also $100K below the projection. Righty Adam Warren and the Yankees have a $3.315MM deal, per Murray (Twitter link). This is Warren’s final season of eligibility before hitting the open market next winter. He’d been projected at $3.1MM. Meanwhile, fellow right-hander Dellin Betances has agreed to a $5.1MM deal, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). That’s just $100K more than Betances had sought last year, when he took his case to a hearing that he ultimately lost. But it’s quite a bit more than the $4.4MM he projected to receive after a subpar season in which he played at a $3MM salary.
  • The Red Sox have agreed to pay $8.5MM to southpaw Drew Pomeranz, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). That’s short of the $9.1MM that had been projected after Pomeranz turned in a productive 2017 season. Boston and Jackie Bradley Jr. settled at $6.1MM, tweets Murray. That’s a bit north of the $5.9MM at which he’d been projected for the upcoming season. Bradley Jr., a Super Two player, has another three seasons of club control remaining. Nightengale tweets that righty Joe Kelly ($3.6MM projection) agreed to a $3.825MM deal. He’ll be a free agent next winter. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez ($2.375MM salary vs. $2.7MM projection) and righty Brandon Workman ($835K salary vs. $900K projection) are two other Sox hurlers that have agreed to terms, Speier reports (Twitter links). On the position player side, catcher Sandy Leon falls a bit under his projection $1.95MM (via Speier, on Twitter) while utilityman Brock Holt just beats expectations at $2.225MM (per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, on Twitter). The team also agreed with shortstop Xander Bogaerts for $7.05MM, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston tweets, which comes in a bit shy of his $7.6MM projection. Boston also announced agreement with backstop Christian Vazquez, who’ll earn $1.425MM, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne (via Twitter). That’s just under the projection of $1.5MM.
  • The Blue Jays and righty Aaron Sanchez agreed to a $2.7MM deal for 2018, according to Nightengale (Twitter link). That crushes his $1.9MM projection, which was likely suppressed due Sanchez’s lack of innings (just 36) in 2017. He’s under Jays control through 2020. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, meanwhile, tweets that second baseman Devon Travis will make $1.45MM next year, falling a bit shy of his $1.7MM forecast. Other Toronto players agreeing to terms include Kevin Pillar ($3.25MM vs. $4.0MM projection) and Dominic Leone ($1.085MM vs. $1.2MM projection), MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets.
  • The Rays and closer Alex Colome settled at $5.3M, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (on Twitter). He’d been projected at $5.5MM and is controllable for three more years. They also settled at $5.95MM with outfielder/DH Corey Dickerson ($6.4MM projection) and $4.5MM with infielder Brad Miller ($4.4MM projection), per Murray (all Twitter links). Steven Souza, according to Murray will earn $3.55MM, placing him right in line with his $3.6MM projection. Dickerson and Miller are controlled through 2019. Souza is controlled through 2020.

AL Central Notes: Kinsler, Perkins, White Sox, Chisenhall, Brantley

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After being tossed from yesterday’s game, Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler was blunt (to say the least) when voicing his displeasure with veteran umpire Angel Hernandez today (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News and Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press). “I don’t know how, for as many years he’s been in the league, that he can be that bad,” said Kinsler of Hernandez’s strike zone. “He needs to reevaluate his career choice, he really does. Bottom line. … He’s changing the game. He needs to find another job.” Kinsler was tossed mid-at-bat for questioning Hernandez’s strike zone, though as he tells it, he never cursed at the umpire. Kinsler also recalled a story from his rookie season in which he was repeatedly “screamed” at by Hernandez for blocking Hernandez’s view on a play at first base.

It’s far from the first time that Hernandez has been called out by a player, though Kinsler’s vitriolic comments — there are many more in the columns from McCosky and Fenech — are likely the most extreme case you’ll see anytime soon. The Tigers’ second baseman acknowledged that he’ll likely be disciplined for his outburst but didn’t let that serve as a deterrent in sounding off: “No one in this game wants [him] behind the plate any more, none of the players.”

More from the division…

  • Former Twins closer Glen Perkins joined the Twins in Minneapolis tonight after a rehab stint in Double-A Chattanooga, writes La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but Perkins has not yet been activated from the disabled list. Perkins is with the team, but the Twins are waiting to formally make a move regarding him, per Neal. The Twins technically still have until Aug. 21 to activate Perkins if they wish to get him more than the 7 1/3 innings he’s thrown on his rehab assignment thus far, and Neal notes that he could either throw live batting practice in Minneapolis or join Triple-A Rochester for another outing or two. That Perkins is even emerging as a consideration at all is significant; the former All-Star has pitched just two innings since 2015 due to a significant shoulder injury that required surgery last summer.
  • White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf spoke with Bob Nightengale of USA Today about the difficult decision to give GM Rick Hahn and his staff the green-light for a full rebuild of the team. “What made it hard for me was my age,” said Reinsdorf. “I’m 81 years old. How long am I going to be around, right? … The decision I made was that I can’t be a factor in this thing. As the owner of this team, I have an obligation to do what’s right for the fans. The real owner of a team is the fans, the owner is a custodian.” Reinsdorf acknowledges that the closely bunched group of teams in the American League suggests that the ChiSox might have had a chance for a Wild Card spot had they kept Chris Sale and Adam Eaton this offseason and made one more attempt at contending. However, he also adds that his ultimate goal of building a perennial contender for White Sox fans and the haul of young talent Hahn & Co. have acquired leaves him with no regrets about the rebuilding decision.
  • The Indians’ acquisition of Jay Bruce could push the injured Lonnie Chisenhall from right field to left field once he’s activated from the DL, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Cleveland has a left field vacancy of sorts at the moment due to Michael Brantley’s ankle injury, and Bastian writes that there’s currently no timetable for Brantley’s return. Per manager Terry Francona, Brantley is still in a walking boot and is still “in the healing stages” of his recovery from a sprained right ankle. Chisenhall has never even played a full inning in left field as a big leaguer, but he made a smooth transition from third base to right field and has graded out as an above-average defender there since 2015, per Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved.

AL Central Notes: Verlander, Miller, Lopez, Sox

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Too often overlooked in the general talk about Justin Verlander’s contract serving as an impediment to a theoretical trade is the amount of leverage that Verlander’s no-trade clause gives him, opines ESPN’s Buster Olney. Verlander currently can’t become a free agent until after his age-36 season, but his recent return to form would give him the ability to hold out for a contract extension in order to green-light a move to another club. (One middle ground, speculatively speaking, could be to push for his $22MM vesting option for the 2020 season to be exercised in advance.) A strong finish could make that all the more true if the Tigers hold him and look to move him this offseason. Verlander’s last seven starts have resulted in a 1.71 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9, though he’s still received some help in terms of BABIP (.229) and strand rate (91 percent) in that time.

More from the AL Central…

  • Andrew Miller is scheduled to make a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday this week, and the Indians are expecting him to need just one appearance before being activated, per Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. If all goes well, that seems to point to a total of roughly two weeks on the shelf for Miller, who hit the disabled list back on Aug. 3. Hoynes also notes that outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall began a rehab assignment on Sunday, so he could return from a lengthier absence (on the disabled list since July 9) in the relatively near future as well.
  • The White Sox will monitor Reynaldo Lopez’s workload over the rest of the season, manager Rick Renteria tells Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times, though the skipper declined to divulge a specific innings cap on the ballyhooed young righty. “I think everybody is very cognizant of pitch counts,” said Renteria. “Like we talked about last night, he has wipeout type stuff. He can strike out a lot of guys. Those guys tend to elevate in their pitch counts sometimes. We will be mindful of that.” Lopez totaled 153 1/3 innings between the Majors, Triple-A and Double-A last season. He’s currently pitched 127 innings between Triple-A Charlotte and his lone start with the ChiSox.
  • Following last night’s trade of Tyler Clippard to the Astros, the White Sox don’t have a single player on their roster with a save in 2017, as MLB.com’s Scott Merkin points out. Clippard, David Robertson, Dan Jennings, Tommy Kahnle and Anthony Swarzak have all been dealt to other clubs in the past five weeks, while excellent setup man Nate Jones is out for the remainder of the 2017 season. Merkin suggests that Jake Petricka and rookies Brad Goldberg and Aaron Bummer could all be candidates to get some save opportunities. Petricka, who has 16 career saves after spending part of the 2014 season as Chicago’s primary stopper, seems to be the logical candidate for saves of that bunch. However, each of the three has struggled considerably at the big league level in 2017. Of the others currently in the South Siders’ bullpen (depth chart), Greg Infante and Juan Minaya have had the best results this season.

Quick Hits: Stanton, Yankees, Rays, Tribe, Cubs

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The Yankees have contacted the Marlins about right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag. Don’t go penciling Stanton and Aaron Judge into the same lineup yet, though, as it seems this was just a case of due diligence on the Yankees’ part. They called the Marlins about Stanton “weeks ago” and haven’t picked up talks since, per Heyman, who reported Friday that the Fish probably won’t seriously market the slugger this summer. As has been pointed out on many occasions, the $295MM left on Stanton’s contract after this season, an opt-out at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign and his ability to block a trade to the majors’ other 29 teams are all notable impediments in the way of a potential deal anywhere.

More from around the majors:

  • The Rays are seeking an “impact reliever” and perhaps some offensive help leading up to the trade deadline, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The club did add to its bullpen when it acquired Sergio Romo from the Dodgers on Saturday, but the 2017 version of the ex-Giants closer doesn’t inspire much confidence. As such, he won’t be their last relief addition, tweets FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. The Rays will take a “responsible” approach to the deadline, writes Topkin, but a willingness to add salary and deal “good” prospects still exists. They’re also not ruling out trading someone from their major league roster, suggests Topkin.
  • Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis and outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall are “still weeks away, not days,” manager Terry Francona told reporters Friday (via cleveland.com). Kipnis has been on the disabled list for most of this month with a hamstring issue, while a calf injury has kept Chisenhall out for a week. Team president Chris Antonetti admitted last weekend that not having the pair has “complicated” the Indians’ approach to the deadline, and the club has since come up as a potential suitor for a couple second base–capable players – the Giants’ Eduardo Nunez and former Indian Asdrubal Cabrera – as well as outfielder Jay Bruce.
  • Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, out for almost two months with a hand injury, will rejoin their rotation Monday against the White Sox, relays Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. This season was a struggle for Hendricks even before he went on the DL on June 5, as the 2016 NL Cy Young contender posted a so-so 4.09 ERA over 61 2/3 innings (up from 2.13 last year) and logged declining strikeout and walk rates. Still, Hendricks’ return – which will send swingman Mike Montgomery to the bullpen – will be a welcome one for a resurgent Cubs team that has won six of seven since the All-Star break and sits just one game behind Milwaukee for the National League Central lead.
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