Matt Wieters

Matt Wieters Undergoes Hamstring Surgery

By Jeff Todd | May 20, 2018 at 10:44am CDT

SUNDAY: Wieters told Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com and other reporters on Sunday that his surgery was to remove a tendon. Wieters believes he could return within six to eight weeks.

THURSDAY: Nationals catcher Matt Wieters has undergone surgery on his left hamstring, per a team announcement. Wieters had already gone on the DL, so no immediate roster moves will be required.

The big question is what kind of rehabilitation timeline will be necessary. Further details are not yet available, but it certainly does not appear to be promising news for the veteran backstop, who had previously only been diagnosed with a strain. Clearly, this is not a typical hamstring injury that requires only rest and rehabilitation.

Wieters, who is nearing his 32nd birthday, has not exactly overwhelmed since joining the Nationals in advance of the 2017 campaign. But he had been a useful player in the early going this year, reversing his struggles at the plate by carrying a .231/.342/.385 batting line with ten walks against a dozen strikeouts.

Even if the Nats have cause to believe Wieters could return at some point during the current season, it now seems likelier than ever that an outside addition will be needed. Spencer Kieboom is currently backing up newly-minted starter Pedro Severino at the position for the time being. While both are considered defensively proficient, they’re also thin on MLB experience and neither has shown much hitting capability in the upper minors. Suspended youngster Raudy Read will be available again before too long, though the preference will likely be to get him back in the swing of things in the upper minors.

For the Nationals, there’s also a longer-term need to consider. Wieters is earning $10.5MM this season before returning to the open market. While Severino ought to represent a reserve or platoon piece for some time, he does not profile as anything approaching an everyday backstop. Read perhaps offers greater upside with the bat, but is hardly a can’t-miss prospect.

There are a variety of hypothetical options out there for the Nationals, who’ll likely find it difficult to make a substantial upgrade until closer to the trade deadline. Bringing in a player such as Miguel Montero, who opened the season in D.C., could help bridge the gap. And it’s conceivable the Nats could give Blake Swihart a crack, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted yesterday, though they’d have to believe more in his capabilities behind the dish than do the Red Sox. It also may just be that the Nationals will prefer to roll with what they have for a bit while seeking to boost the depth at Triple-A.

Looking ahead a bit to the deadline, J.T. Realmuto remains the obvious prize, as we explored recently in a post. But he’ll be widely pursued and figures to cost a significant haul in prospect value. Old friend Wilson Ramos is among the potential rental assets the Nationals could consider, but he and others likely won’t hit the block unless and until the Rays and other organizations decide to pack it in for the season.

Injury Notes: Kendrick, Bumgarner, Mauer, Moore, Souza, Cuthbert

By Kyle Downing | May 19, 2018 at 4:50pm CDT

Things got even worse for the Nationals today; Howie Kendrick appeared to sustain a serious injury while chasing down a Max Muncy fly ball. Kendrick was carted off the field, and was seen pointing to his ankle area. Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports that he’s off to get an MRI. The Nationals are already dealing with injuries to a number of other key players, including Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Eaton, Matt Wieters and Brian Goodwin, and can ill afford to lose another player from their outfield for an extended period of time. They’ll likely be anxious as they await further news on Kendrick.

More injury news from around MLB today…

Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner considers his fractured left hand to be “95% or more” healed, according to a tweet from MLB.com’s Chris Haft. He’s on track to throw live batting practice on Tuesday and begin a rehab assignment on Saturday. Meanwhile, Haft says, Johnny Cueto will head to the club’s rehab facility in Arizona. The Giants will hope for the best-case scenarios as far as the timetables of these two players; their depleted rotation is a chief factor in the club’s sub-.500 record on the season.
Joe Mauer is headed to the Twins’ DL with concussion symptoms once again, according to LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribute. He reportedly did well in regards to concussion tests last night, but is apparently experiencing some sensitivity to light along with some balance issues. Mauer, who has dealt with concussion issues in years past, is walking at a 16.8% clip so far this season en route to a .404 OBP. According to chief baseball officer Derek Falvey (via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger), the club is “not saying at this time that Joe has a concussion.”
The Rangers have placed lefty Matt Moore on the 10-day disabled list with what the club is calling right knee soreness. The move will make room for fellow righty Ariel Jurado, who will make the jump from Double-A to debut in the majors tonight. Jurado has a 2.57 ERA in 35 minor league innings this year, but with a 5.31 FIP that strongly disagrees with those results. He posted a 4.59 ERA at Double-A last season, with 5.45 K/9.
Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza will avoid the DL for the time being, says Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. A key offseason acquisition by the Dbacks, Souza has already spent the bulk of the season on the DL after suffering a pectoral strain upon diving for a ball in the outfield. Fortunately, it seems as though some minor pec soreness will not require a second DL stint for the time being.
The Royals have placed Cheslor Cuthbert on the 10-day DL with a lower back strain, recalling fellow infielder Ramon Torres from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Cuthbert is a career .252/.308/.383 hitter, and is performing especially poorly this season, as evidenced by his -0.5 fWAR for 2018. However, Torres seems unlikely to provide any significant upgrade; he’s hitting just .229/.280/.307 at the Triple-A level so far this season.

Nationals Place Matt Wieters On DL, Select Contract Of Spencer Kieboom

By Jeff Todd | May 11, 2018 at 6:07pm CDT

As expected, the Nationals have placed catcher Matt Wieters on the 10-day DL with a hamstring strain. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by backstop Spencer Kieboom, as the Talk Nats blog first reported on Twitter.

While Kieboom was previously on the Nats’ 40-man, he was bumped off the roster last spring. The Nats have selected his contract again to facilitate his move back to the active roster.

Clearing a 40-man spot wasn’t a challenge with so many injured players susceptible of moving to the 60-day DL. The Nationals made that move with outfielder Adam Eaton, who recently underwent ankle surgery and is expected to be out of commission for quite some time. Since he has been out since early April anyway, his timeline will not be impacted. (D.C. fans looking for a silver lining will note that this decision leaves Daniel Murphy eligible to return before the end of May, though it’s still not clear he’ll be ready by that point.)

At this point, it’s still unclear just what sort of absence the Nats ought to expect from Wieters. The injury has been announced as being to his hamstring, but there was some concern his knee may have incurred damage. It is not known at this point whether the joint is still an area of concern.

The 27-year-old Kieboom, who’s the older brother of Nats prospect Carter Kieboom, drew a walk in his lone prior MLB plate appearance. He has not hit all that much in the upper minors — his .250/.337/.333 slash thus far in 2018 is representative — but does possess solid plate discipline and contact skills (lifetime 8.4% walk rate and 19.2% strikeout rate). Kieboom has long been regarded as a quality defender, too, so he’s a suitable option at least for fill-in duty.

Whether or not Wieters is shelved for a significant time, the Nationals’ questions behind the dish are only getting more pressing. The club is now facing some firm challenges from within the NL East while dealing with the absences of Murphy and Eaton. Though both Wieters and now-starter Pedro Severino have produced at approximately league average offensively to this point of the season, there’s reason in both cases to suspect the output will lag over the course of the season. While the team will surely also be looking for pitching depth at the deadline, the situation behind the plate stands out as being the other area of the roster ripest for upgrade. That’s all the more true since Wieters is set to depart after the current season, meaning the Nats still need to find a near and long-term solution.

Nationals Notes: Wieters, Soto, Outfield

By Steve Adams | May 11, 2018 at 9:09am CDT

Matt Wieters sustained a leg injury when rounding first base after hitting a single and will undergo an MRI this morning, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. It’s not clear if the damage is specific to his hamstring or something in his knee. Wieters told reporters that he felt something “behind [his] knee, kind of go a little bit.” The veteran switch-hitter has been more productive so far in 2018 than he was in 2017, hitting .231/.342/.385 through his first 76 plate appearances. While he’s still not the hitter he was in his best years with the Orioles, the loss of Wieters for any period would put the Nationals in a bind. He’s one of just two catchers on the 40-man roster now that the Nationals released Miguel Montero last month and placed Jhonatan Solano on the 60-day DL (depth chart). Either journeyman Tuffy Gosewisch or longtime Nats farmhand Spencer Kieboom seem likely to have his contract selected from Triple-A this weekend, as Janes notes that Wieters has already been deemed unavailable for tonight’s game and will “almost certainly” land on the DL for a second time this season.

Injury Notes: Rizzo, Kiermaier, Mariners, Wieters, Odor, Morales, Martinez

By Jeff Todd | April 10, 2018 at 11:29am CDT

Anthony Rizzo’s back issues have forced the Cubs to place him on the 10-day DL, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Tribune tweeted and has since been announced. But it seems there’s little reason to anticipate a lengthy absence for the first baseman, who nearly avoided a stint on the shelf altogether. The move was backdated to Friday the 6th, so Rizzo — who has averaged 154 games annually since the start of the 2013 season — is already less than a week away from being eligible to be reactivated.

Here’s more on the injury front from around the game:

Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier has avoided significant damage to his foot, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He has spent some time in a walking boot while the swelling goes down after ending up on the receiving end of a foul ball, but has been cleared of any broken bones. Indeed, Kiermaier now says he’s preparing to work out today with hopes of getting back in game action as soon as tomorrow, as Topkin adds on Twitter.
Likewise, the Mariners are seeing positive signs from a variety of key players, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). DH Nelson Cruz, catcher, Mike Zunino, and outfielder Ben Gamel could also be on the active roster by the end of the coming weekend, with the former seemingly furthest along. That’s certainly good news for the M’s, who have watched the division-rival Astros and Angels set a fast pace to open the new season.
Likewise, the Nationals are nearing the activation of catcher Matt Wieters, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. The veteran will take at least a brief rehab assignment but will likely be ready to go shortly thereafter. With Pedro Severino showing well in the chances he has received early on, it’s quite possible he’ll remain on the roster even when Wieters is back. Skipper Dave Martinez says “there’s a good possibility we keep three catchers” for a stretch, with Miguel Montero rounding out the anticipated trio.
The needle has moved in the other direction for Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza. As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports, an MRI showed fluid in the region of Souza’s pec injury, so he’ll require a few more days of rest. It had been anticipated that he could be ready to be activated by the end of the week. A new timeline isn’t really yet evident, but clearly the Snakes will have to wait a bit longer for their primary offseason trade acquisition.
The Rangers announced that second baseman Rougned Odor left his club’s game today with a left hamstring strain. We’re still awaiting word on a full assessment, but it certainly seems as if the organization is anticipating a DL stint. Likewise, Blue Jays DH Kendrys Morales has received a diagnosis of a grade 1 hammy strain, per a club announcement. That said, skipper John Gibbons struck an optimistic tone after the game, as Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports (Twitter link). Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez also had to depart after a collision with Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain. While it seems the latter will be just fine, the former has been diagnosed with a right Achilles tendon contusion, per the club. Hopefully, that ends up representing the extent of the injury.

Injury Notes: Musgrove, Mercer, Wieters, Cruz, Realmuto, Yankees

By Steve Adams | April 2, 2018 at 3:10pm CDT

The Pirates announced today that right-hander Joe Musgrove has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a muscle strain in his right shoulder. Righty Clay Holmes, who’d previously been returned to Triple-A after serving as the 26th man for yesterday’s doubleheader, has been recalled. (Holmes’ optional assignment needn’t be for the typical 10-day minimum, as he’s replacing an injured player.) As MLB.com’s Adam Berry notes, the move seemed somewhat curious at first, as Musgrove had said he felt good physically not long before the announcement. But testing ended up revealing a strain, leading to the roster move.

Musgrove’s DL placement is retroactive three days, so he can be activated on April 9. In his place, the Pirates could turn to one of Steven Brault or Tyler Glasnow to start in Musgrove’s place on Thursday. At present, it doesn’t seem that the injury is serious. Musgrove was slowed by some shoulder troubles in Spring Training, so it seems the Bucs are just being cautious early in the season. Pittsburgh will also need to evaluate shortstop Jordy Mercer, who exited after jamming his finger into the bag when diving back to first on a pickoff attempt. The Pirates, so far, have only said that Mercer left the game with right hand/finger “discomfort.”

Some more injury news from around the league…

The Nationals recalled catcher Pedro Severino from Triple-A and placed Matt Wieters on the disabled list with a “mild left oblique strain.” Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post first reported today that Wieters was dealing with some type of injury and that Severino was headed to Atlanta in the event that Wieters needed a DL stint (Twitter links). Janes noted that Wieters didn’t take batting practice yesterday on his off day and “looked uncomfortable” throwing the ball back to the mound when catching warm-up pitches between innings for Nats starters. Both Wieters and Severino are coming off down seasons in 2017, as is Washington’s current backup, Miguel Montero.
The Mariners are leaning toward placing Nelson Cruz on the 10-day disabled list so they can have a full bench for their upcoming interleague series, manager Scott Servais said today in an appearance on Brock & Salk on 710 ESPN in Seattle (Twitter link via 710’s Brent Stecker). Cruz suffered an ankle injury when slipping on the dugout steps after a two-run homer over the weekend and had an MRI, though the results of that test haven’t been announced yet.
Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto has progressed to the point where he’s been cleared to resume catching drills, tweets MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. However, Frisaro cautions that Realmuto will probably still require “a few more weeks” before he’s able to return from the lower back injury that landed him on the disabled list to open the 2018 campaign. Chad Wallach, Tomas Telis and Bryan Holaday have been doing the catching in Realmuto’s absence.
The Yankees announced today that they’ve voided right-hander Ben Heller’s optional assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and instead placed him on the Major League 10-day disabled list with a bone spur in his right elbow. There’s no immediate timetable provided for Heller’s return, though he’ll benefit from being on the MLB disabled list instead of the minor league DL, as he’ll now gain big league service time (and be paid the pro-rated portion of the league minimum) while sidelined.

Athletics Expect To Land Veteran Catcher

By Jeff Todd | March 9, 2018 at 3:14pm CDT

3:28pm: The Athletics are nearing agreement with Lucroy, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter).

3:14pm: The Athletics are pursuing a veteran catcher and expect to acquire one, per MLB.com’s Jane Lee (via Twitter). Specifically, the club anticipates either signing Jonathan Lucroy or acquiring Matt Wieters from the Nationals.

Lucroy remains one of the top remaining un-signed free agents. He entered the winter as the top-rated catcher available.

Needless to say, the latter possibility hints at the potential for lots of creative trade scenarios — especially given the long trade history between these organizations’ current front office leadership. The Nats owe Wieters a hefty $10.5MM salary after his poor 2017 season. At the same time, the team would surely only move him (and as much of the salary as it can) if it has an upgrade lined up.

Of course, it could be that the Nats would see Lucroy himself as a preferable option to Wieters, adding yet another potential dimension to the situation. Lucroy entered the winter emphasizing his desire to play for a competitor, after all. Washington has also long been tied to quality young Marlins receive J.T. Realmuto, though it’s not clear whether there has been any recent movement on that front.

At this point, though, the trade possibilities are all speculation.

East Notes: O’s/Cobb, Mets, Nats, Jays, Rays

By Jeff Todd | November 17, 2017 at 11:19pm CDT

The Orioles seem to be casting a wide net in their hunt for starting pitching, as they have been cited as having interest in quite a few arms already. While the organization has become known for doing a good portion of its business later in the offseason, perhaps it’ll be more aggressive on some pitchers this time around. In any event, the latest name connected to the O’s is righty Alex Cobb, with Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeting that the team has interest in a hurler who long tormented them in the division. Cobb won’t come cheap, but could be an option if Baltimore decides it’s able to add a more significant contract. The primary goal, though, will be to ensure there’s enough depth on hand in the rotation.

Matt Wieters Exercises Player Option

By Steve Adams | November 6, 2017 at 10:44am CDT

NOV. 6: The Nationals have now formally announced that Wieters has exercised his player option.

4:44pm: Wieters will indeed exercise his player option to remain with the Nationals, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes reports (Twitter link).

NOV. 4, 8:19am: It “is not at all a done deal” that Wieters exercises his option, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets. The catcher has yet to make a decision in either direction.

NOV. 3, 1:05pm: Agent Scott Boras tells Feinsand that Wieters is still mulling the decision (Twitter link). “What he does for a pitching staff is off the charts & in great demand,” Boras tells Feinsand.

12:20pm: Matt Wieters intends to exercise his $10.5MM player option and remain with the Nationals in 2018, reports MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (on Twitter). It’s not a surprising move for Wieters, considering the poor season he had in his first year as the Nationals’ primary backstop.

The 31-year-old Wieters inked a two-year, $21MM guarantee with the Nats last offseason, with the latter year of that contract coming in the form of a player option. However, Wieters posted career-worst marks in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and caught-stealing rate with the Nats this season, so it’s seemed all but certain that he’d forgo another chance at free agency for quite some time now.

Overall, Wieters batted just .225/.288/.344 with 10 homers through 465 plate appearances. He halted 25 percent of opposing stolen-base attempts, which is only slightly below the league average but is also well south of the career 33 percent mark he carried into the 2017 season. He also rated as one of the game’s bottom pitch-framing catcher, per Baseball Prospectus.

Even with Wieters back in the fold, it’d be a surprise if the Nationals didn’t pursue help behind the plate this offseason. Young Pedro Severino is the team’s top internal alternative, but the 24-year-old Severino batted just .241/.292/.332 in 59 Triple-A games last season.

Given the Nationals’ status as clear-cut contenders — especially in their final season of control over Bryce Harper — GM Mike Rizzo seems unlikely to head in the year with such a glaring question mark on his roster. Myriad trade opportunities could present themselves, and it’s also possible (speculatively speaking) that the Nats could make a run at either Alex Avila or Welington Castillo — the top two catchers on the open market. Avila, in particular, strikes me as a logical candidate; he can play some first base in the event of an injury to Ryan Zimmerman, and his left-handed bat would pair well with Wieters, who has consistently been a more dangerous right-handed hitter than left-handed hitter throughout his Major League career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AL East Notes: Wieters, Rays, Sanchez, Hanley

By Steve Adams | May 8, 2017 at 9:37am CDT

Matt Wieters will return to Baltimore tonight for the first time since signing with the Nationals, and he spoke with Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com about his offseason departure from the Orioles as well the emotions he’s feeling in advance of tonight’s return to Camden Yards. Wieters’ podcast appearance also included talk of Dylan Bundy’s breakout and the experiences he’s had when being managed by two of our generation’s most successful managers: Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker.

Some more AL East-related notes…

Though Rickie Weeks has gotten off to a dreadful start to his 2017 campaign with the Rays, the “clock isn’t ticking yet,” writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. It doesn’t appear that Weeks is on the brink of losing his roster spot, despite an ugly .163/.317/.286 batting line to open the season, though Topkin notes that he’ll need to turn things around sooner rather than later. Topkin also notes that the Rays face a decision when Matt Duffy returns from the disabled list late this month. Duffy is in line to be the starter, but the Rays will have to determine if Tim Beckham or Daniel Robertson is the better option to serve as a utility option.
Both Aaron Sanchez and the Blue Jays were encouraged by a 33-pitch bullpen session yesterday, writes Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Sanchez felt comfortable enough to throw his curveball — the same pitch that has led to the blister issues and a subsequent removal of part of his fingernail — and is now slated to pitch in an extended Spring Training game on Tuesday. If that outing goes well, he’ll be an option to return to Toronto’s rotation this weekend against the Mariners, per Nicholson-Smith.
Hanley Ramirez has yet to appear in a game at first base this season due to a shoulder issue, but he’s ready to take the field for the Red Sox’ upcoming interleague series in Milwaukee, writes Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. That should allow the Red Sox to deepen their lineup against left-handed pitching, he points out, with Chris Young sliding into the DH slot and Ramirez playing at first over the left-handed-hitting Mitch Moreland. While Moreland has more than held his own against southpaws in a small sample of work this season (.879 OPS in 24 plate appearances), he’s struggled against lefties throughout his career. And, as manager John Farrell points out to Mastrodonato, Moreland isn’t accustomed to playing first base on an everyday basis (due largely to his platoon issues), so the ability to keep him fresh by mixing Ramirez in at first base is important in multiple regards.

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