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Robinson Cano

NL Notes: Mets, Cano, Braves, McCann, D-backs

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Mets second baseman Robinson Cano will begin a rehab assignment at the Single-A level on Saturday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Cano suffered a torn left hamstring on Aug. 5, which looked like a potential season-ending injury at the time. But Cano has progressed far quicker than expected and now appears likely to return before the original six- to 12-week timeline. If so, he’ll attempt to close the year out in solid fashion after struggling for most of it. The eight-time All-Star has batted a career-worst .252/.295/.415 with 10 home runs in 346 plate appearances during his first season with the Mets.

More on New York and a pair of other NL franchises:

  • The Mets have given special assistant to the general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. permission to look for a job elsewhere, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. They are willing to keep Amaro, per Puma, though Andy Martino of SNY relays that he will indeed leave when his contract expires. The executive’s not in for an “immediate” exit, though, and his departure will be “amicable,” Martino writes. Amaro has been with the Mets for two seasons – he worked as their first base coach and outfield/baserunning coach a year ago – but he’s best known for his run as the Phillies’ GM from 2009-15.
  • The Braves will activate catcher Brian McCann from the IL on Sunday, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. It’ll be a quick return for McCann, who went to the shelf Aug. 21 because of a left knee sprain. The 35-year-old has gone on the IL twice this season (he previously missed time with a hamstring issue), but the Braves icon has still managed respectable production in his return to Atlanta. McCann has hit .264/.336/.423 with 10 HRs across 274 trips to the plate, and has earned positive reviews as a defender from Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner.
  • The season-ending right shoulder surgery Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta had this week went according to plan, general manager Mike Hazen announced (via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Hazen revealed it was a fairly minor “cleanup” procedure of Peralta’s AC joint, and it shouldn’t prevent him from participating in a normal spring training. Peralta’s shoulder troubles forced him to the IL three times this season and limited him to 99 games, in which he batted .275/.343/.461 and hit 12 homers in 423 PA.

East Notes: Yankees, Cano, Nationals, Marlins

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Injured Yankees ace Luis Severino is set to begin a rehab assignment at the Double-A level Sunday, manager Aaron Boone told George A. King III of the New York Post and other reporters. It’ll be a long-awaited return to game action for Severino, whose shoulder and lat issues have prevented him from taking the hill this season. He’ll “probably” throw around 35 pitches in the contest, per Boone. Meanwhile, in encouraging news for the first-place Bombers’ lineup, first basemen/designated hitters Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion are progressing in their rehabs. Voit, who hasn’t played since July 30 because of a sports hernia, is “on track” to come back Friday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets. The 36-year-old Encarnacion’s not as close, but Boone “believes” he’ll come off the shelf soon, per Hoch. Encarnacion has been down since Aug. 3 with a fractured right wrist.

Here’s more from NYC and a couple other cities:

  • Mets second baseman Robinson Cano is making notable progress as he works back from a torn hamstring, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Cano – out since Aug. 5 – “appears likely” to return sometime next month, per DiComo, which would represent a best-case recovery for someone who was expected to miss six to 12 weeks at the time of the injury. The longtime star, 36, has posted weak production in his first year as a Met, with whom he has slashed .252/.295/.415 with 10 home runs in 346 plate appearances. But Cano’s bat seemed to be waking up in the days before his injury, which aided New York during a white-hot stretch in which it raced into wild-card contention. The Mets are now mired in a four-game skid, though, and sit three out of playoff position.
  • Nationals left-hander Roenis Elias could rejoin their bullpen “by the end of the week,” Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes. Elias has only made one appearance and recorded two outs for the Nationals, who acquired him from the Mariners at the July 31 trade deadline. He succumbed to a hamstring strain on the base paths, of all places, back on Aug. 2. Teammate Ryan Zimmerman has been out for even longer (plantar fasciitis in his right foot has kept him out since July 23), but his return also appears imminent, Zuckerman relays. This has been a tough age-34 season for the first baseman, who has been on the IL twice thanks to foot issues and has mustered a subpar .246/.311/.390 line over 132 plate appearances.
  • After suffering a broken bone in his left hand last Friday, Marlins third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson will indeed miss the rest of the season, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. However, Anderson won’t need to undergo surgery, and will go through “a normal winter” as a result, manager Don Mattingly announced. That’s a silver lining for the Marlins and Anderson, one of their few offensive threats over the past couple years.

Brodie Van Wagenen Discusses Mets Roster

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With just over a month left in the campaign, GM Brodie Van Wagenen took stock of his club in a conversation with Jon Heyman and Josh Lewin on the Big Time Baseball podcast. (Audio link.) We’ll cover a few highlights here.

Van Wagenen wasn’t ready to declare victory, as there’s work left to be done to get into the postseason. But he did call it “very exciting and rewarding” to see the club’s mid-season turnaround. “Most importantly,” he said, “we’re playing meaningful games here in August and hopefully September.”

There aren’t many avenues available to improving the club from the outside at this point, but Van Wagenen suggested he’s bullish on the potential for impact from within. Brandon Nimmo, Robinson Cano, and perhaps even Jed Lowrie could return late. As the Mets GM puts it, “we’re getting back guys that we envisioned being core members of our starting lineup.” Notably, Cano is said to have “already resumed baseball activities to a pretty high degree of workload.”

Asked about how the organization was able to revive itself after a long skid earlier this season, Van Wagenen pointed back. “A lot of it … is related to what we tried to do in the offseason,” he said. The rotation is finally firing on all cylinders, while the bullpen has improved and the club has received contributions from some recent acquisitions (he cited Wilson Ramos and J.D. Davis at points in the interview).

Rookie sensation Pete Alonso has, of course, been an immense part of the success. He was “a key part of our offseason” plan, says Van Wagenen, who explains that the club “gave him a clear runway” in hopes of just this sort of breakout.

Likewise, utilityman Jeff McNeil is now a core cog after an offseason of uncertainty. Van Wagenen says that “we really never wanted to lose or give up” McNeil, even after pushing him off of second base by acquiring Cano. The club “never said yes” to any packages involving McNeil in talks on Cano, says Van Wagenen. The GM added, with respect to some other high-profile trade pursuits (e.g., J.T. Realmuto): “Some of those reports are more about which teams liked our players, and which players were of high priority to them.”

Robinson Cano Diagnosed With Hamstring Tear

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6:50pm: Cano has been diagnosed with a torn hamstring, the team announced and David Lennon of Newsday was among those to cover on Twitter. The specific grade is not clear; neither is the precise timeline. While surgery is not expected to be necessary, it certainly sounds as if Cano is headed for a lengthy absence.

11:45am: The Mets announced Monday that they’ve placed second baseman Robinson Cano on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring. Fellow infielder Luis Guillorme is up from Triple-A to take his spot on the active roster. The Mets also officially named right-hander Walker Lockett the 26th man for today’s doubleheader against the Marlins. He’ll start the second game of that twin bill.

Cano, 36, has had a poor overall season in his first year with the Mets but had been heating up at the dish of late. Though he’s hitting just .252/.295/.415 through 346 plate appearances, he’d turned in four consecutive multi-hit appearances prior to his latest injury, which was sustained on what looked to be his third double of yesterday’s game. Cano erupted for a three-homer game back on July 23 but collected just two total hits in seven games between that and the beginning of his recent multi-hit streak.

It’s the third time this season that Cano has landed on the 10-day injured list. The Mets didn’t give an indication as to the severity of the strain or any type of expected timeline for his return. In his absence, the Mets can shift Jeff McNeil to second base and play one of Juan Lagares or Aaron Altherr more in the outfield. Alternatively, if the preference is to keep McNeil in the outfield, Cano’s reps at second base can be divided among Guillorme and Adeiny Hechavarria. It’s likely that some combination of those scenarios will be used to cover second base while Cano is out. He’ll join Brandon Nimmo, Jed Lowrie, Dominic Smith and Yoenis Cespedes as Mets position players on the injured list.

Injury Notes: Cano, Chirinos, Sanchez, Suter

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Robinson Cano went 3-for-3 in the Mets’ 13-2 win over the Pirates today, though the veteran infielder’s big day was tarnished by a left hamstring strain.  Cano had to be removed from the game after suffering the injury while running the bases during a fourth-inning single.  An MRI is scheduled for Monday, and it seems likely that Cano will face the third injured-list stint of the season due to his left leg — a pair of quad injuries sidelined the veteran second baseman earlier in the year.  While Cano is still hitting only .252/.295/.415 over 346 PA this season, he was in the midst of a hot streak at the plate, as Sunday marked his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.

We’ve already had quite a bit of injury news from around the game today, and here are updates on some other situations…

  • Yonny Chirinos’ start was cut short after five innings and 63 pitches today due to right middle finger inflammation.  Chirinos will undergo tests on Monday, though the Rays right-hander told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters that he doesn’t think his finger is a major concern.  Today’s outing boosted Chirinos to a 3.62 ERA and 7.82 K/9 (against just a 1.99 BB/9) over 126 2/3 innings this season, as Chirinos has increasingly been used in a traditional starting pitching role rather than as the “bulk pitcher” behind an opener.  Chirinos’ emergence has helped a Rays rotation that has continued to rely heavily on openers and bullpen games, particularly with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow both on the injured list.
  • Gary Sanchez is tentatively scheduled to return to the Yankees’ lineup during their series with the Blue Jays from August 8-11, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets.  Sanchez is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment, in the wake of a left groin strain that sent him to the IL on July 24.  At the time of the injury, Sanchez was suffering through a brutal slump that had seen him post only a .370 OPS over his previous 93 plate appearances, which dropped his season slash line to .229/.299/.508 over 328 PA.
  • After beginning a minor league rehab assignment for the Brewers’ rookie league affiliate, left-hander Brent Suter will continue the process at Double-A, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.  Suter underwent Tommy John surgery in late July 2017 and is still hopeful of returning to the hill for the Brewers before the season is over.  The soft-tossing Suter posted a 3.91 ERA, 3.54 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 204 2/3 innings for Milwaukee from 2016-18, overcoming his lack of velocity by becoming a master at generating soft contact from opposing batters.

What’s Wrong With Robinson Cano?

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We’re on the eve of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, an event second baseman Robinson Cano has received eight invitations to since his career began in 2005. The former Yankee and Mariner is clearly one of the most accomplished second basemen in baseball history. However, in 2019 – his first season as a Met – the 36-year-old Cano has looked nothing like his usual self. His subpar performance played a key part in a miserable first half for the Mets, who’ve endured a chaotic three-plus months and limped to a 40-50 record thus far.

The Cano acquisition was one of many bold offseason moves by first-year Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, the potential Hall of Famer’s former agent. While inexpensive closer Edwin Diaz was likely the real target in the Mets’ return from the Mariners in a blockbuster December trade, it’s obvious there was confidence in Cano on New York’s part. Otherwise, the club wouldn’t have taken on four years and $100MM of Cano to land Diaz. Unfortunately for the Mets, though, neither player has performed to expectations this year.

The sweet-swinging Cano entered the year a lifetime .304/.355/.493 hitter (127 wRC+) with 56.7 fWAR – the sixth-highest total among position players from 2005-18 – as well as 311 home runs in 8,841 plate appearances. He offered similarly excellent production last year, though a fractured right hand and an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension cut his season in half.

Cano’s 2018 ban didn’t scare off the Mets, for whom he has batted a weak .240/.287/.360 (74 wRC+) with a mere four HRs in 258 trips to the plate. Cano has also accounted for a ghastly minus-7 Defensive Runs and a minus-3.5 Ultimate Zone Rating at second, a position he has typically handled with aplomb. To make matters worse, the once-durable Cano has endured a pair of stints on the injured list because of quad problems. During the 65 games Cano has taken the field, he has posted minus-0.5 fWAR – a stark fall from grace for someone who logged 2.9 during his shortened 2018 and has exceeded the 3.0 mark in nine seasons.

If you’re looking for causes for Cano’s awful offensive production this season, start with a power outage. His ISO’s at .120, 69 points lower than the mean he recorded coming into this season. It’s also 60 points worse than the league-average figure and 18th from the bottom among 195 hitters who have amassed at least 250 PA. As FanGraphs’ heatmaps indicate (pre-2019, this year), Cano typically showed a solid amount of power on the inner and outer halves of the strike zone before the current campaign. His power this year has been confined to the middle of the plate, though, and it’s not even as strong there anymore.

Cano’s still making plenty of hard contact – he ranks in the majors’ 83rd percentile in that category and its 77th percentile in average exit velocity, according to Statcast. But he’s pulling the ball less than ever, striking out a good amount more than he has in prior seasons and swinging and missing at a career-worst rate. A more aggressive approach – evidenced by a personal-high swing rate – hasn’t panned out, as shown by a career-low contact percentage.

When Cano has put the bat on the ball, he has only registered a .283 batting average on balls in play – down 36 points compared to 2005-18. There may be some poor fortune involved in that. As mentioned, he has hit the ball hard. There’s also a 28-point gap between his weighted on-base average and his expected wOBA. Still, though, Cano’s xwOBA is an underwhelming .307. That ranks in the majors’ 28th percentile, while his sprint speed (15th), expected slugging percentage (36th) and expected batting average (54th) are also mediocre or much worse. None of that’s conducive to a high BABIP or quality overall production, nor is Cano’s sudden uselessness against same-handed pitchers.

Although the lefty-hitting Cano has been much tougher on right-handed pitchers in his career, he has at least posed a threat versus southpaws. A lifetime .282/.333/.429 hitter (106 wRC+) without the platoon advantage, the 2019 version of Cano’s at a putrid .206/.275/.222 (43 wRC+) against lefties. Another look at FanGraphs’ heatmaps (pre-2019, this season) shows lefties have lived much more belt-high middle or on the outer half of the plate against Cano this year compared to prior seasons. He hasn’t found an answer yet.

Answers in general have been hard to come by for this year’s Mets, one of the season’s greatest letdowns to date. There may not be time for a team-wide turnaround in 2019, but if Cano returns to his pre-Mets form in the season’s second half, at least the club would have that to hang its hat on going into the winter. Right now, though, the acquisition of Cano looks like a massive misstep by Van Wagenen, who may have saddled his team with an albatross contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mets Place Noah Syndergaard On IL, Activate Robinson Cano

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The Mets have placed right-hander Noah Syndergaard on the 10-day injured list, Tim Britton of The Athletic was among those to report. They activated second baseman Robinson Cano from the IL to take Syndergaard’s 25-man roster spot.

Syndergaard exited his start Saturday with a hamstring strain, though it’s not yet clear how severe it is. Regardless, this will go down as yet another injury-shortened season for Syndergaard, who hasn’t been at his usual form when he has taken the mound this year. Having allowed four earned runs in six innings during a win over the Cardinals on Saturday, Syndergaard owns a career-worst 4.55 ERA in 95 frames. The 26-year-old’s strikeout rate (8.81 per nine) and swinging-strike percentage (12.0) are also all-time lows, though he has still managed to limit walks (2.27 per nine), induce ground balls (47.6 percent) and post a 3.59 FIP.

It’s unclear how the Mets will replace Syndergaard during his absence. Even when Syndergaard was healthy, a lack of starting depth was a problem for the team. It’s possible the Mets will now turn to Triple-A righty Walker Lockett, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com suggests.

Cano, meanwhile, has landed on the IL twice since May 23 with left quad issues. The Mets reinstated Cano from his first IL trip June 5, only to place him on the shelf again after the 36-year-old re-aggravated the injury in his first game back.

With Cano, a first-year Met, set to serve as one of their highest-paid players over the next few seasons, all they can do is hope his durable ways return. Prior to 2018, when he fractured his hand on a hit by pitch, Cano was a pillar of health for the Yankees and Mariners. From 2007-17, he appeared in no fewer than 150 regular-season games each year.

Now, if Cano’s quad problem is behind him, the Mets will need far better production from the offseason acquisition. Cano has slashed a meek .238/.264/.388 (76 wRC+) with three home runs in 183 plate appearances this year.

Mets Place Robinson Cano On 10-Day Injured List

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The Mets have placed Robinson Cano back on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left quad, as reported by several media outlets (including Newsday’s Tim Healey).  Right-hander Tim Peterson’s contract has been selected from Triple-A to take Cano’s spot on the active roster, thus giving the Mets 39 players on their 40-man roster.

After returning from a 12-game IL absence due to a previous quad strain on June 5, Cano almost immediately re-aggravated the injury while running out a grounder.  Cano didn’t play any rehab games during his previous IL stint, though Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that one will be required this time around, as the Mets want to ensure that Cano is fully ready to go once he is eligible to come off the injured list.

While the quick return to the IL is undoubtedly frustrating to Cano, it’s possible the 36-year-old could see it as an unofficial restart to what has been a subpar 2019 season.  Cano has hit .238/.284/.366 (career lows in all three slash categories) with three home runs over 183 plate appearances.  His hard-hit ball metrics on Statcast indicate some level of bad luck, with a .324 xwOBA that is well above his real-world .284 wOBA, though obviously a .324 number isn’t exactly cause for celebration.

It’s also possible that Cano has simply needed some adjustment time to NL pitching after spending his previous 14 seasons in the American League, though the specter of a mid-30’s decline certainly can’t be ruled out — a scary scenario for the Mets, given that Cano is still owed well over $100MM through the 2023 season (though the Mariners will cover $15MM of that remaining salary).

With Cano out, Jeff McNeil is likely to continue seeing the bulk of action at second base, opening up some more time in left field for the hot-hitting Dominic Smith.  Adeiny Hechavarria is available on the bench as further middle infield depth.

NL Injury Notes: Cano, Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals

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While a decision won’t come until Sunday, the Mets are “seriously considering” placing second baseman Robinson Cano back on the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Cano went to the IL on May 23 with a left quad strain, only to re-aggravate the injury when he returned this past Wednesday. While the 36-year-old suggested at the time he wouldn’t require another IL stint, he hasn’t played since then. Even now, Cano insists he “feels good,” per DiComo.

More from the NL…

  • Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo has been playing through “nagging” lower back tightness over the past couple weeks, but it’s “not serious,” according to manager Dave Roberts (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). That may at least partially explain why the rookie’s numbers have nosedived of late, though he’s still slashing a solid .291/.344/.457 (113 wRC+) in 195 plate appearances this season. Verdugo has been the Dodgers’ primary center fielder since A.J. Pollock underwent elbow surgery at the outset of May. Pollock will have the PICC line removed from his elbow Wednesday and could begin baseball activities soon after that, Plunkett relays. Pollock will reclaim center upon his return, according to Roberts, but Verdugo’s still “going to play.”
  • The Phillies placed outfielder Adam Haseley on the IL on Saturday because of a strained left groin, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The club’s not sure how much time Haseley will miss; in the meantime, it recalled outfielder Nick Williams from Triple-A Lehigh Valley as his replacement. Haseley, a 2017 first-round pick whom the Phillies promoted when outfielder Andrew McCutchen suffered a torn ACL on Monday, racked up a mere eight plate appearances before going on the shelf.
  • Nationals reliever Justin Miller started a rehab assignment at the Double-A level on Saturday, when he threw a perfect inning and fired nine strikes on 10 pitches, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. Miller has been on the IL twice this season, including since May 18 with a right rotator cuff strain. The injuries have contributed to a tough year for Miller, who has notched a 4.02 ERA (with an unsightly 7.04 FIP), 6.32 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9, and a microscopic 19.1 percent groundball rate in 15 2/3 innings. He’s one of a multitude of Nationals relievers who have disappointed in 2019.

Robinson Cano Re-Aggravates Quad Injury

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10:30pm: Cano indicated after the game this isn’t a serious ailment, saying (via Laura Albanese of Newsday): “[The injury is] not even close to what it was. I just have tightness. If it was the same feeling, I would have said it right away…They just wanted to be cautious.”

8:38pm: Mets second baseman Robinson Cano departed the team’s game against the Giants on Wednesday with a left quad problem, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News was among those to tweet. Cano suffered the injury while running down the first base line, as video from SNY shows.

This is especially noteworthy because Cano just returned from a left quad strain Wednesday. The 36-year-old went to the injured list May 23 with the issue, which ended up costing him 12 games. Before that, Cano – a much-hyped offseason acquisition for the Mets – got off to a slow start in his return to New York. The former Yankee and Mariner has slashed a career-worst .238/.384/.366 (76 wRC+) with three home runs in 183 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from the star-caliber production Cano has typically offered since his career began in 2006.

Another IL placement could now be in store for Cano, whom the Mets replaced with Adeiny Hechavarria on Wednesday. Excluding Cano, Hechavarria and Jeff McNeil are the only Mets who have started games at the keystone this season.

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