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Giants Claim Braden Bishop

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The Giants have claimed outfielder Braden Bishop off waivers from the Mariners, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. They shifted reliever Reyes Moronta to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move, per Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group.

The 27-year-old Bishop is returning to his native Bay Area and joining the same organization as his brother, Hunter, a fellow outfielder and the 10th overall pick of the Giants in the 2019 draft. Hunter Bishop hasn’t reached the majors yet, but Braden Bishop has taken 99 plate appearances at the sport’s highest level. He only hit .133/.188/.156 as a Mariner, leading the team to designate him for assignment last week.

Despite his struggles in the bigs, Bishop has at least a couple things working in his favor. For one, he still has a minor league option left, so the Giants can call him up and send him down at their leisure for the rest of the season. And Bishop has shown that he can handle Triple-A pitching, having batted .267/.355/.465 in 231 PA there.

Giants Notes: La Stella, Yaz, Moronta, Crawford, Solano

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Tommy La Stella will receive an MRI on his left hamstring and “may be down for a bit” with an injury, Giants manager Gabe Kapler told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly and other reporters following today’s 7-1 win over the Padres.  La Stella pulled up while running home to score on an RBI grounder from Wilmer Flores in the fifth inning, and he was replaced in the field in the bottom half of the inning.

It brought a sour end to one of La Stella’s best days in a Giants uniform, as the second baseman was 2-for-3 (singled and tripled) with two RBI and two runs scored.  Since signing a three-year, $18.75MM free agent deal with San Francisco during the offseason, La Stella was scuffling in the early going with his new team, hitting only .235/.297/.353 in his first 75 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, it seems like he’ll be set back with a visit to the 10-day injured list, joining Donovan Solano as another Giants infielder on the mend.  A right calf strain shelved Solano back on April 21, and Kapler didn’t yet have a timeline about when the infielder could be back in action.

However, the manager’s pregame chat with reporters (including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle) did provide more positive updates on a pair of injured Giants, such as another infield name in Brandon Crawford.  The shortstop is still day-to-day after suffering a bruised left calf when hit by a pitch on Friday’s game, and though Crawford didn’t play in today’s game, Kapler indicated that Crawford was a possibility to be used as a late-game sub.  This would indicate that Crawford might be ready to roll as early as Monday, when the Giants begin a road series against the Rockies in Denver.

Mike Yastrzemski might not be far behind, as Kapler thinks the outfielder might return from the IL after the 10-day minimum.  Yastrzemski suffered a mild oblique strain on April 25 but the team was initially hopeful he could avoid the injured list entirely before finally sending him to the IL with a backdated April 26 placement.  If “Yaz” is indeed able to return as soon as possible, he would be eligible for the Giants’ May 7 game against the Padres.

The news isn’t as good for Reyes Moronta, who is undergoing examination after feeling forearm tightness on Saturday.  Moronta was warming up as part of his rehab from a right flexor strain, and after missing the entire 2020 season due to shoulder surgery, Moronta pitched in only four games in 2021 before being sidelined once more.  Moronta has shown some promise when he has been able to pitch, posting a 2.65 ERA and 29.5% strikeout rate over 132 1/3 innings out of San Francisco’s bullpen since the start of the 2017 season.

West Notes: Rendon, Gonsolin, Moronta, Wade

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Anthony Rendon is dealing with a sore left groin, Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic and Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). Maddon doesn’t expect Rendon to play in tomorrow evening’s game against the Royals, and it isn’t out of the question the star third baseman could require a stint on the injured list. The always-productive Rendon is off to a strong start to the 2021 season, with nine hits (including a home run) and five walks over his first 37 plate appearances.

More out of the game’s West divisions:

  • According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Tony Gonsolin’s return is “a ways away for me with where he’s at.”  Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and other reporters that Gonsolin had yet to begin a throwing program since being placed on the 10-day injured list last Sunday.  Gonsolin is sidelined with shoulder inflammation that began to bother the right-hander around Opening Day, which was why he didn’t get any game action prior to his IL placement.
  • Before today’s game against the Rockies, the Giants placed reliever Reyes Moronta on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to note. While that sounds ominous, especially since Moronta missed the entire 2020 season recovering from shoulder surgery, manager Gabe Kapler said it’s a minor strain (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). To replace the right-hander on the active roster, the Giants recalled LaMonte Wade Jr. Acquired from the Twins over the offseason, Wade went 2-4 with a walk in his Giants’ debut this afternoon.

Giants Outright Three Players

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves today (via Maria Guardado of MLB.com). Right-handers Tyler Beede and Reyes Moronta, outfielder Joey Rickard and catcher Aramís García were all reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Rickard cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento. As a player with more than three years of MLB service, Rickard can choose to reject the assignment and become a free agent.

Also clearing outright waivers were catcher Tyler Heineman and left-hander Anthony Banda. Like Rickard, both players had the right to hit the open market. Banda, though, has already agreed to a new minor-league deal with San Francisco.

Rickard, a former Oriole Rule 5 pick, was limited to six plate appearances in 2020. He’s a career .246/.300/.371 hitter. Heineman has taken 62 uninspiring trips to the plate over the past two seasons but amassed a solid resume in the high minors. Once a well-regarded prospect in the Diamondbacks’ and Rays’ systems, Banda has been limited by injuries to 51.1 innings across four MLB seasons. The southpaw has a career 5.96 ERA/3.67 FIP. San Francisco’s 40-man roster sits at 37 players.

Giants Notes: Gausman, Moronta, Baragar

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The Giants are facing a great deal of uncertainty in their rotation as they head into free agency. Right-hander Kevin Gausman, by far their most effective starter in 2020, is slated to return to the open market in the coming weeks. The Giants bought relatively low on the former Oriole, Brave and Red last offseason on a $9MM pact, and he then proceeded to post a 3.62 ERA/3.09 FIP with 11.92 K/9 against 2.41 BB/9 in 59 2/3 innings. Gausman may now be the second-best pending free-agent starter in the game, trailing only the Reds’ Trevor Bauer, and looks like a lock for a lucrative deal. In the meantime, the Giants will have to decide whether to issue a qualifying offer worth $18.9MM to the 29-year-old Gausman, though it seems “unlikely” they’ll do that, Maria Guardado of MLB.com writes. The Gausman case is one we at MLBTR have discussed at length in recent days, and we do expect him to receive a qualifying offer, in part because free agency will feature so few starters with front-of-the-rotation potential after Bauer. But in the event Gausman’s not tied to a QO, it would only make him and his 95 mph fastball more appealing on the market.

Here’s more from San Francisco…

  • Guardado’s piece also includes a look at potential non-tender candidates for the Giants. Left-hander Tyler Anderson, outfielder Joey Rickard and infielder Daniel Robertson comprise the group. Anderson seems the likeliest for the starter-needy Giants to retain, as he turned in a useful 4.37 ERA/4.36 FIP over 59 2/3 innings this year; moreover, he shouldn’t be in line for a substantial raise over his $1.78MM salary. On the other hand, Rickard and Robertson didn’t play significant roles for the Giants, combining for just 30 plate appearances, so the team could go in another direction.
  • Right-hander Reyes Moronta was one of the Giants’ go-to relievers from 2017-19, but he missed all of this year after undergoing shoulder surgery at the end of last season. Moronta was working his way back this past summer, but the Giants never brought him up. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi explained why, saying (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area): “He was throwing at the alternate site and we just didn’t see him really getting over the hump and showing the kind of stuff that we saw from him last year. It was really as much a medical assessment as a performance assessment.” Still, Zaidi noted that San Francisco has “high hopes” when it comes to the soon-to-be 28-year-old Moronta, who averaged 97.2 mph on his fastball in 2019. Zaidi hasn’t ruled out Moronta evolving into the Giants’ answer at closer, which is something they lacked during a 2020 effort that fell just shy of a playoff berth, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle observes.
  • Reliever Caleb Baragar has hired Wasserman for representation, MLBTR has learned. The left-handed Baragar, a 2016 ninth-round pick who’s now 26 years old, made his major league debut this season. He concluded the campaign with 22 1/3 innings of 4.03 ERA/4.04 FIP pitching and 7.66 K/9 against 2.01 BB/9.

Injury Notes: JV, McCullers, Hoskins, Moronta, Chafin

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Justin Verlander has continued to progress in his late-season comeback effort, as Jake Kaplan of The Athletic writes. The veteran hurler isn’t yet ready to return to the Astros rotation, of course, but he has now faced live hitters in a two-inning sim game. It’s still unclear how things will progress from here. The club would surely like to get JV a regular-season appearance before the season concludes, but it’s also possible he’d make his first start in the postseason. Meanwhile, the ’Stros have now welcomed back fellow right-hander Lance McCullers from his own stay on the injured list, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 was among those to tweet. It turned out to be a brief stay for McCullers, who had a procedure to relieve neck nerve irritation. He’ll look to improve upon a 5.79 ERA through his first eight outings.

Here are some more injury notes from around the league …

  • Phillies first bagger Rhys Hoskins is still in limbo as he deals with an elbow/foream issue. As Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports on Twitter, the burly slugger is holding out hope of a return even while the threat of a season-ending surgery hangs over his head. When and how this situation will be resolved isn’t yet clear. Losing Hoskins would represent a big dent to the Phils’ lineup. He has to this point of the season turned in a productive .245/.384/.503 slash line with ten long balls.
  • It seems the Giants could yet get a bullpen boost from right-hander Reyes Moronta. He’s ready for competitive mound action at the team’s alternate training site, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area notes on Twitter. Moronta has been building up after undergoing shoulder surgery, so the club won’t want to push him too hard. But it’s enticing to imagine adding another postseason weapon, particularly since Moronta is said to be showing typically strong velocity. Jeff Samardzija is also nearing readiness, with a five-inning set scheduled. It’s unclear what role may await for the veteran once he’s deemed a full go. He coughed up 15 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings over his first three starts on the year.
  • The Cubs haven’t yet received a contribution from recently acquired southpaw Andrew Chafin, but that may soon change. The 30-year-old reliever, who was nursing a finger sprain when he was dealt at the trade deadline, is close enough that he could be activated over the next few days, skipper David Ross indicated to reporters including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chafin had struggled to open the year in Arizona, but he’d represent a notable addition to a bullpen that has had its share of issues, especially from the left side.

West Notes: Hosmer, Rangers, Rockies, Giants

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There’s a “very good chance” the Padres will activate first baseman Eric Hosmer from the injured list Saturday, manager Jayce Tingler told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com and other reporters. Hosmer has been out since July 28 with gastritis, which cut off an encouraging start to the season in which he was hitting more fly balls than ever and getting tremendous results. The Padres have mostly turned to Jake Cronenworth at first in Hosmer’s absence, and the rookie has been excellent in the early going.

  • The Rangers announced that they’ve activated righty Rafael Montero and placed lefty Joe Palumbo on the IL with an ulcerative colitis flareup. Montero hasn’t pitched this season, but as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in April, he has been a real find for the club. The former standout Mets prospect amassed 29 innings of 2.48 ERA pitching with 10.55 K/9 against 1.55 BB/9 in his first year with the Rangers last season.
  • The Rockies placed RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez on the IL on Friday with right biceps tendinitis and recalled fellow righty Ryan Castellani, per a team announcement. Gonzalez has made one start for the club this year, but he yielded three earned runs during that three-inning performance. Castellani, meanwhile, ranks as Colorado’s 18th overall prospect at MLB.com. He’s finally in line to make his Rockies debut six years after the team selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft. Castellani struggled to an 8.31 ERA with 9.76 K/9 and 6.23 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings in his first Triple-A action last year.
  • Righty Reyes Moronta and outfielder Hunter Bishop have reported to the Giants’ alternate site, the club announced. Moronta’s continuing to work back from right shoulder surgery, while Bishop has been down since late June because of a positive coronavirus test. Bishop is now a part of the Giants’ 60-man player pool. There’s a chance Moronta will get into the Giants’ bullpen this season, manager Gabe Kapler said (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Moronta has been highly effective since he debuted in 2017, having recorded a 2.66 ERA/3.38 FIP with 11.22 K/9 and 5.12 BB/9 across 128 1/3 innings.

West Health Notes: A’s, D-backs, Mariners, Giants, Rangers

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Players who are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus have the right to opt out of participating this season, but they’d still receive full pay and service time. Athletics reliever Jake Diekman, who has ulcerative colitis and who had his colon removed in 2017, is one of those players. Diekman, however, informed Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has no interest in opting out of the campaign – at least, not yet. “I’ve never thought once about opting out,” said the southpaw, though he added: “Say two or three guys on the team get it, we’ve all been around each other. I don’t know if I’d opt out in the middle of the season, but it definitely worries you.” Slusser also spoke with A’s utility player Chad Pinder, whose wife is expecting a baby in September, about the season. Pinder said, in part: “We have to do it right — or it just might not work. But there is a risk to this.”

  • An unnamed player on the Diamondbacks tested positive for the coronavirus in Arizona within the last month, general manager Mike Hazen said Wednesday (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today). That player was not using their facility, though, Hazen added. It’s unclear how his recovery has gone.
  • The Mariners have “had a few players test positive” for the virus, general manager Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Fortunately, Dipoto went on to reveal that “they’re asymptomatic, and they feel great.”
  • More on the Mariners, who are uncertain whether outfielder Mitch Haniger will be ready for the resumption of spring training, according to GM Jerry Dipoto (via Divish). The past year has been an injury-filled nightmare for Haniger, who only played in 63 games in 2019 and then underwent two offseason surgeries – one a core procedure, the other a dissectomy. In better news for the Mariners, reliever Austin Adams – who underwent surgery on a torn ACL last fall – is set for camp. The 29-year-old Adams may have broken out for the Mariners last season with 32 innings of 3.94 ERA ball and a whopping 14.91 K/9.
  • Giants corner infielder Pablo Sandoval and lefties Tony Watson and Tyler Anderson will all be good to go for camp’s return, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets (1, 2). Catcher Aramis Garcia could be ready to come back in mid- to late August, meanwhile, and reliever Reyes Moronta may be set by then or in September. Sandoval had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last September; Watson dealt with shoulder issues before spring training shut down; Anderson underwent a procedure on his left knee last summer; Garcia’s still recovering from February hip surgery; and Moronta’s on the mend from the right shoulder surgery he had in September.
  • Rangers left-hander Joely Rodriguez is back to throwing after suffering a lat strain in April, but he won’t be ready for the start of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Rodriguez should return at some point during the campaign, though. Texas lured Rodriguez back to the majors on a a two-year, $5.5MM contract in free agency after the former Phillie thrived in Japan from 2018-19.

Giants Sign Wilmer Flores

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February 12: The Giants have announced the signing, adding that right-hander Reyes Moronta has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Moronta underwent shoulder surgery late in the 2019 season and is expected to miss substantial time in 2020.

Flores will earn $3MM in 2020 and 2021, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 2022 club option is valued at $3.5MM and comes with a $250K buyout.

February 4, 7:00pm: Flores’ contract with the Giants is a two-year deal worth more than $6MM guaranteed, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The Giants will also have a club option for a third season.

2:40pm: The Giants and free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores have agreed to a multi-year deal, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). The Giants will need to make a 40-man roster move in order to create space for him.

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The 28-year-old Flores spent the 2019 season with the division-rival Diamondbacks but was limited to 89 games by a foot injury that sidelined him from late May until late July. When healthy, Flores turned in a strong .317/.361/.487 batting line with nine home runs and 18 doubles in 285 plate appearances. While most of Flores’ power output came against left-handed pitching (.337/.367/.615), the longtime Mets utilityman also hit for average and got on base against righties, albeit without much extra-base pop (.304/.358/.404).

The exact manner in which Flores fits into the Giants’ infield rotation isn’t clear. He can back up Brandon Belt at first base and Evan Longoria at third base, although it’s likely that non-roster invitee Pablo Sandoval will also be viewed as a backup at the corners. Flores could log semi-regular reps at second base, with Donovan Solano serving in a traditional utility role, although that doesn’t leave regular at-bats for young Mauricio Dubon at the position. Dubon, though, has been working out in the outfield and could earn himself a lengthy audition in center field, which would help to create additional playing time for Flores at second base.

Bringing Flores aboard on a multi-year agreement doesn’t bode well for 2019 Gold Glover Yolmer Sanchez, who agreed to a minor league contract with San Francisco just last week. Sanchez reportedly passed on big league offers for the chance to earn himself regular playing time at second base with the Giants, but the acquisition of Flores doesn’t help his chances any.

Looking further ahead, the Giants still have Belt, Longoria and Brandon Crawford all signed to guaranteed contracts through at least 2021, so there’s no creation of an everyday spot for Flores on the horizon. That’s nothing new for Flores, however. He’s typically appeared in more games and logged more plate appearances than your average bench bat but has also only topped 500 plate appearances once in seven Major League seasons.

Reyes Moronta Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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TODAY: Moronta’s recovery period is expected to last roughly 11 months, Bruce Bochy told Crowley and other reporters.

Sept. 11: Moronta’s surgery actually went a bit better than expected, tweets Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News. While Moronta’s labrum was damaged and repaired, his shoulder capsule did not need repair.

Sept. 9: Giants reliever Reyes Moronta is slated to undergo surgery on his right shoulder labrum, the club informed reporters including MLB.com’s Maria Guardado (Twitter link). The procedure will end his 2019 season and send him on a lengthy rehabilitation process that will surely extend well into the ensuing campaign.

Shoulder procedures are laden with risk for pitchers, so this is rather concerning news. That said, plenty have made their way back to being quality major-leaguers after going under the knife. The details of the injury, the work that’ll ultimately be done, and the course of rehab will all play into the odds in ways we can’t accurately gauge given what’s known at present.

Moronta has been a major part of the San Francisco relief corps since first reaching the bigs late in 2017. Through 128 1/3 total innings, he owns a 2.66 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. While that walk rate obviously isn’t optimal, Moronta has limited the damage by tamping down on long balls (0.63 HR/9, 7.0 HR/FB%) to this point in his career.

This injury represents a blow not only to the Giants’ 2019 bullpen, but also to Moronta’s earnings outlook. He’ll be a 2+ service-class player next year and will earn service time while sidelined. Barring a stunningly quick return to action, he will not have much of a chance (if any) to compile a platform season in advance of arbitration after the 2020 campaign.

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