Casilla recently received his walking papers from the A’s, who’ll still pay him the $2MM or so left on his salary for the current season — less any pro-rated portion of the league minimum he earns with the Colorado organization. The 37-year-old has spent his entire career to this point with the two Bay Area organizations.

While Casilla had worked to a 3.16 ERA in his 31 1/3 innings this year in Oakland, he was carrying an ugly 22:20 K/BB ratio. He’s averaging about 94 mph on his fastball still, but the 38-year-old has also seen his swinging-strike rate drop to a personal-low 9.0%.

For now, Casilla will represent a depth option for the Rox. But he could certainly end up becoming an option at the MLB level if he shows well. Though the team has already made one bullpen upgrade, the relief unit is probably susceptible of further improvement.

The 37-year-old Casilla had a solid surface-level ERA, pitching to a 3.16 mark through 31 1/3 innings of relief. However, he’s issued 20 walks, hit four batters and thrown four wild pitches in that time while striking out just 22 hitters. The righty’s 92.9 mph average fastball velocity was the lowest mark of his career, and his nine percent swinging-strike rate is his lowest full-season mark as well.

Casilla is earning $6MM in 2018 — the second season of a two-year, $11MM free-agent deal he signed with the A’s in the 2016-17 offseason. He’s still owed about $2.35MM of that sum through season’s end. As a free agent, he’ll be able to sign with any club, and a new team would only owe him the pro-rated portion of the league minimum through season’s end. The Oakland organization will remain on the hook for the rest of that salary.

While the 2018 season hasn’t been a good one for Casilla, he pitched to a 2.66 ERA with much better marks of 8.4 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 435 2/3 innings between San Francisco and Oakland from 2010-17.

It’s been a solid enough season for the 37-year-old Casilla on the surface, who owns a 3.16 ERA through 31 1/3 innings pitched. But his 4.08 FIP and 5.80 xFIP paint a wildly different picture. He’s also walked nearly as many hitters (20) as he’s managed to strike out (22), in part due to a career-low 9.0% swinging strike rate. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes, he’s likely to go unclaimed; Casilla is in the second season of a two-year, $11MM deal, and any claiming team would be on the hook for the prorated portion of his salary. He’ll likely be given the choice to accept a minor league assignment.

Wendelken will be making his first appearance in the majors since 2016, when he tossed 12 2/3 rough innings for the Athletics to the tune of a 9.95 ERA. The right-hander ultimately required Tommy John surgery, and remained out of commission until the beginning of this season. Thus far at the Triple-A level, he’s chucked a healthy 28 1/3 innings, managing a 3.49 ERA (2.39 FIP). The most impressive part about Wendelken’s performance this year is a whopping 14.29 K/9 against just 2.54 BB/9; it certainly seems likely that he’ll prove an upgrade over Casilla.

Mengden, 25, hasn’t pitched since June 23rd after suffering a right foot sprain during a start in which he gave up five earned runs across just two innings. While Mengden certainly isn’t known as an overpowering pitcher (5.46 K/9), he limits walks (1.89 BB/9) and has posted a 4.47 ERA on the season thus far in 90 2/3 innings.

More from the game’s West divisions…

• The Angels expect Shohei Ohtani to make his next start during their upcoming series against the Tigers, which runs from Monday to Thursday, manager Mike Scioscia said Saturday (via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times). Ohtani had been scheduled to start Sunday against the Yankees, but the Angels elected against that as a way to manage the phenom’s workload. The pitcher/hitter hasn’t taken the mound since last Sunday, when he cruised past the Rays to record his fifth quality start in seven attempts, but has been in the Angels’ starting lineup five times this week.
• The free-falling Diamondbacks may welcome both lefty Robbie Ray and righty Shelby Miller back in mid-June, general manager Mike Hazen told reporters, including Kathleen Fitzgerald of AZCentral and Nick Piecoro of AZCentral. After getting off to a 24-11 start, the Diamondbacks have lost 14 of 16, perhaps thanks in part to the absences of Ray (strained oblique) and Taijuan Walker (Tommy John surgery) since late April. The D-backs’ banged-up rotation is hardly the primary reason for their slide (the club’s offense has only averaged two runs per game during its slump), but the returns of Ray and Miller should be welcome nonetheless. Along with Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin and Zack Godley, Ray and Miller would help form a nice rotation on paper. Miller has been working back since he underwent a Tommy John procedure last May.
• There was optimism about injured Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill earlier this week, but manager Dave Roberts suggested to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters Saturday that his return’s not exactly imminent. Hill’s still “a ways away” from returning from his long-running blister issues, per Roberts. The 38-year-old went back on the DL last Sunday, when Roberts estimated he’d miss at least four weeks. Fortunately for the surging Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw seems to be nearing a return from his own DL stint, and Hill replacement Ross Stripling has been brilliant this season. In a win over the Padres on Friday, Stripling struck out 10 and didn’t issue any walks across 6 2/3 innings of six-hit, one-run ball (unearned).
• The Athletics made a series of moves Saturday, sending Santiago Casilla to the DL with a strained shoulder, optioning Josh Lucas to the minors and recalling Carlos Ramirez and Chris Bassitt. The most notable member of the group is Casilla, who ranks third among A’s relievers in innings pitched this year (21 2/3). Casilla opened his age-37 season with an appealing 3.32 ERA over that span, though he also totaled too few strikeouts and too many walks (14 in each case) and benefited from a .186 batting average on balls in play.

Here’s more on the injury front:

• The Nationals finally got some promising injury news, as they’ll send both Daniel Murphy and Brian Goodwin on rehab assignments beginning tomorrow. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweeted the news with regard to the former; Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweeted manager Davey Martinez’s announcement on both players. Murphy has yet to appear in the 2018 campaign after offseason microfracture surgery, while Goodwin has been slow to return from a wrist injury.
• It’s still unclear just how long the Cardinals will go without shortstop Paul DeJong, but he says he has been given a four-to-eight week estimate by the medical professionals, as Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. More than anything, it seems that broad range indicates that there’s not a lot of clarity at this point as to how long it’ll take to heal. All involved will obviously hope that it hues toward the earlier estimate, as the replacement options all have their warts as semi-regular shortstops.
• It seems the Athletics will go without reliever Santiago Casilla for a stretch. He has been diagnosed with a shoulder strain, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports (Twitter links). Details of his anticipated absence are not yet available, but it’s said to be likely that Casilla will end up on the DL. At the same time, he says he does not believe it’s a serious malady. The veteran entered play today with an ugly 14:13 K/BB ratio, but had allowed eight runs on only 11 hits in his 21 innings of action.
• Though he seemingly avoided a more concerning fate, Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo will likely head to the DL to rest his ailing right knee, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report (Twitter links). Trumbo was diagnosed with a fairly significant case of arthritis, which won’t necessarily put him on the shelf for long but also probably isn’t the best news for a defensively limited player who’s owed $12.5MM this year and $13.5MM next. He has been productive thus far in 2018, though, with a .309/.317/.469 slash through 82 plate appearances. On the other hand, it’s somewhat worrisome that he has managed only a pair of home runs and a single walk in that span.
• In other AL East news … so long as there are no surprises in the interim, Nate Eovaldi will finally start for the Rays on Tuesday, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The Yankees announced that reliever Tommy Kahnle is back from the DL, which represents a promising development given the uncertainty that surrounded him when he went on the shelf. And while the Blue Jays still aren’t planning on a near-term return from Troy Tulowitzki, skipper John Gibbons says the veteran shortstop is at least ready to begin running, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
• While the Padres had hoped to welcome back catcher Austin Hedges in relatively short order, he’s now halting his rehab after his problematic right elbow flared up, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes. It still seems there’s little reason to fear that Hedges is dealing with a real structural problem, though surely it’s frustrating for the organization that he hasn’t yet fully turned the corner.
• Meanwhile, the Angels provided an update on hurler Matt Shoemaker, though it mostly suggests ongoing uncertainty with regard to the root of his arm issues. As the club announced, and MLB.com’s Maria Guardado tweets, the latest examination “ruled out peripheral nerve involvement” but “showed mild edema in the forearm.” Shoemaker is also said to have undergone a bone scan. The results of that weren’t specifically cited, but it seems to suggest that the organization is looking at quite a lot of possibilities to figure out what’s really causing problems for the starter.

More notes out of Arlington and the rest of the AL West…

• Rangers right-hander Andrew Cashner feels that he’s ready to join the rotation after throwing five shutout innings in an extended Spring Training game, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Rangers, though, have yet to make a decision on whether to activate the oft-injured righty. Texas may elect to give Cashner another rehab outing in an effort to further build up some arm strength, which would make sense given the current state of the bullpen. As Wilson notes, being able to exceed 100 pitches would be preferable in an ideal scenario, as that’d spare the Rangers’ relief corps some extra work. Righties Dillon Gee, Nick Martinez and Eddie Gamboa could make a spot start in the interim, Wilson adds.
• The Mariners will have a few roster moves to make today, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes (Twitter links). Outfielder Boog Powell is set to be reinstated after receiving an 80-game suspension for a failed PED test late last June, and Seattle will need to open a 40-man spot to accommodate him. Additionally, Divish reports that the Mariners are slated to promote right-hander Evan Marshall from Triple-A Tacoma to get a fresh arm into their ’pen.
• Though the Athletics opened the season with a closer-by-committee approach, that committee has narrowed to include just two pitchers, manager Bob Melvin said yesterday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link). Per Melvin, left-hander Sean Doolittle and right-hander Santiago Casilla will share ninth inning duties and be called upon based on the matchups the A’s are facing heading into the final inning. That means that righties Ryan Madson (last year’s primary closer) and Ryan Dull will each function primarily as setup men.

Here’s more from the American League:

• While the general vibe around David Price’s elbow health has been positive, details have been sparse, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal writes. Price and the Red Sox have expressed confidence, but little in the way of specifics with regard to the precise injury and what needs to be done for the lefty to get back on the mound. Further, as MacPherson explains, based largely upon an interview with sports medicine expert Dr. Paul Fadale, there’s still plenty of reason for concern.
• The Orioles are continuing to cram power bats in the outfield, with Trey Mancini now joining the freshly re-signed Pedro Alvarez on the grass. As Jon Meoli of the Batimore Sun reports, Mancini spent the winter preparing for the possible transition, but is only now readying to do so in game action. The long-time first baseman would surely be a much more intriguing player if he were capable of playing a passable outfield, though he’ll surely be given plenty of MLB opportunity regardless. Mancini, who’ll soon turn 25, blasted three home runs in 15 plate appearances during his first taste of the bigs last year.
• Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle takes a look at how the Athletics’ pen is shaping up. Righty Santiago Casilla was bombed in his spring debut, though he’s playing catch-up after a visa issue delayed his arrival. Lefty Sean Doolittle, meanwhile, is slated to make his first competitive appearance tomorrow. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be joined by another southpaw in the bullpen, but Slusser says that Ross Detwiler “is emerging as a strong possibility” to claim such a role.

Here are a few more notes from out west:

• Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs will have his next outing delayed after experiencing “a little weakness in [his] shoulder,” Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The young southpaw turned in a shaky performance in his first start of the spring; today’s news, perhaps, offers either an explanation or renewed cause for some concern. While it’s too early to know whether this is anything more than a blip, Skaggs’s injury history suggests it’s worth keeping an eye on. He showed plenty of promise upon his return to competitive pitching last year, but his ability to stay healthy and continue developing remains of critical importance to the Halos in 2017.
• The Angels will welcome back first baseman/DH Albert Pujols soon, however, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets. After running the bases over the next two days, the veteran slugger is expected to appear for the first time this spring on Friday. That suggests it’s plenty possible that Pujols will be ready to go in time for Opening Day, though he’ll obviously need to maintain the health of his surgically repaired plantar fascia over the next few weeks.
• Two notable members of the Athletics pen are moving toward game readiness, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets. Southpaw Sean Doolittle and righty Santiago Casilla are throwing live BP sessions today and tomorrow, respectively, setting them up to appear in Cactus League action sooner rather than later. Doolittle and Casilla currently project to function as the club’s top two setup men, though either could also conceivably wrestle closing opportunities away from Ryan Madson.

Here’s more from around the NL West…

• Santiago Casilla is happy to be back in the Athletics organization after not being offered a contract by the Giants this last winter, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. A reunion between Casilla and the Giants never seemed likely given how Casilla became a virtual afterthought for the team after he was removed from the closer’s job in September, and the two sides didn’t do much in the way of offseason negotiating.
• Corey Seager has missed the Dodgers’ last two games and will miss Monday’s game as well due to a minor back injury suffered while turning a double play on Friday.  Both Seager and manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times) that the injury isn’t considered serious, and the team isn’t even sending Seager in for tests.  Seager has seen little action on the field during Spring Training as he was previously sidelined with a shin injury, though it sounds like the Dodgers are simply playing it safe with their young star.
• Lefty Yuhei Nakaushiro was one of the first cuts from the Diamondbacks’ spring camp but manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including MLB.com’s Chris Gabel) that the Japanese southpaw isn’t far off from his big league debut. “Instead of putting pressure on himself [in big league camp] and every third day getting a look, we felt like he could go down to player development.  The last thing we said to him is that he’s very close,” Lovullo said.  “We will see him at some point during the year. We know that. We feel very comfortable with that.”  The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with Arizona last winter and posted very strong numbers in his first taste of North American baseball; Nakaushiro rose from rookie ball to Triple-A, posting a combined 1.23 ERA, 12.3 K/9 and 3.08 K/BB rate over 29 1/3 combined innings.

• Before signing with the Athletics, Santiago Casilla told reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he also received an offer from the Brewers.  Earlier this week, Milwaukee went in another direction for its closing vacancy by signing Neftali Feliz to a one-year contract.
• The Yankees discussed a multi-year deal with Dellin Betances, GM Brian Cashman tells Dan Martin of the New York Post.  The two sides didn’t reach an agreement prior to the arbitration deadline, however, and thus they will go to an arbitration hearing to determine Betances’ 2017 salary.  “Based on all of our discussions, it was clear our different perspectives were at such a wide bridge, that we’ll go out and basically have a polite discussion about market value and history of where the marketplace sits versus attempts for a new market creation,” Cashman said.  The Yankees filed for $3MM while Betances filed for $5MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility, a number the reliever feels is justified, he told the Post’s George A. King III.  “What I’ve done for the first three years for the team, we’re asking for a fair number and I just want to be treated fairly. That’s all I ask, to be honest with you,” Betances said.
• Lack of depth may be a bigger bullpen issue for the Nationals than their lack of an experienced closer, MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes.  The Nats have been rather quiet as of late but Zuckerman notes that the club has “been looking at available relievers for weeks now,” as well as possible bench options.
• The Astros are still monitoring the market for left-handed relievers, though GM Jeff Luhnow tells reporters (including Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle) that “at this point I’m not sure that anything’s going to get done there.”  Tony Sipp is the only southpaw in Houston’s bullpen right now, while inexperienced options Kevin Chapman, Ashur Tolliver and Reymin Guduan are also on the 40-man roster.
• The Twins bullpen “still needs some work,” Paul Molitor tells MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, as the manager says the team is continuing to look for possible upgrades.

[Related: Updated Oakland A’s Depth Chart and A’s Payroll Info]

The 36-year-old Casilla, who is represented by the Legacy Agency, has spent the past seven seasons pitching for the Giants, and prior to that, he spent parts of six seasons pitching for the A’s (two of those years under the name Jairo Garcia).

Casilla spent parts of four seasons serving as the closer in San Francisco, and he’ll add another intriguing arm to a crowded ninth-inning scene in Oakland. Left-hander Sean Doolittle and right-hander Ryan Madson each has recent experience closing out games for manager Bob Melvin, while righty John Axford is just a season removed from picking up 25 saves for the Rockies. Right-hander Ryan Dull also enjoyed a dominant rookie campaign, posting a 2.42 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 33.2 percent ground-ball rate in 74 1/3 innings across 70 relief appearances. Casilla now joins that mix and gives Melvin another late-inning option with a strong track record.

In his seven seasons with the Giants, Casilla has logged a pristine 2.42 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 51.7 percent ground-ball rate. He’s saved 123 games for the Giants in that time and, of course, been a part of three World Series victories as well. The 2016 season, though, represented somewhat of a struggle. While he finished the year with a respectable 3.57 ERA, Casilla also suffered nine blown saves and ultimately lost his grip on the closer’s role in San Francisco. Casilla has seen his ground-ball rate decline over the past two years, and perhaps unsurprisingly his home-run rate has spiked as well.

The 2016 season came with plenty of positives as well, however, as Casilla’s 10.1 K/9 rate was the best of his career, and his 93.6 mph average fastball perfectly matched his average velocity from the 2011 campaign — his age-30 season. Casilla’s 2.95 BB/9 rate was also the second-best mark of his career. If Casilla can rein in the home runs to which he’s suddenly become susceptible, his mid-3.00s ERA could trend more closely to its previous levels, as the majority of his secondary stats remain strong.

Of course, the addition of another late-inning arm to the Oakland relief corps could also allow president of baseball operations Billy Beane, GM David Forst and the rest of the Athletics’ front office explore the possibility of trading from its bullpen to address other areas of need on the roster (or simply to bolster the team’s farm system).

It’s been a busy week for the Oakland front office, as Casilla represents the third free agent signed by the A’s in that stretch. Oakland has also picked up veteran outfielder Rajai Davis (another former Athletic) and infielder Trevor Plouffe on a pair of one-year deals in recent days.

Robert Murray of FanRag Sports first reported that the two sides were closing in on a two-year deal (on Twitter). Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that an agreement was in place (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reported the financial terms (on Twitter), and Slusser tweeted further details on the incentives.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

• Mets center fielder Juan Lagares suffered an injury while making a diving catch for his Dominican winter league team, ESPN’s Adam Rubin reports.  X-rays were negative, though Lagares will return to New York to be examined by team doctors.  Lagares has himself received some trade attention this offseason but New York wants to keep the slick-fielding but light-hitting outfielder in a backup role.
• It doesn’t look like the Giants will be re-signing free agents Gregor Blanco, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez, Angel Pagan, Jake Peavy or Sergio Romo, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic writes.  Romo has received “at least a couple of offers” from other clubs, according to Giants sources.  Lopez is likely to retire unless he gets “a great offer” from an East Coast team so he can stay close to his home in Georgia.
• GM David Stearns declined to say whether or not the Brewers were one of the teams Greg Holland personally met with at the Winter Meetings, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports.  The Brewers did scout Holland’s showcase last month, however, so the Crew can be added to the long list of teams that have some degree of interest in Holland after his return from Tommy John surgery.  The Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, Red Sox, Indians, Rays, Mariners, Nationals, Padres, Twins, Mets, Phillies, Tigers, Blue Jays and Royals are all known to have sent scouts to the showcase or have other been linked to Holland this winter.
• Gerrit Cole tells MLB.com’s Adam Berry that he has yet to talk to the Pirates about his 2017 contract.  MLB Trade Rumors projects Cole to earn $4.2MM in his first time through the arbitration process following a season that saw him post a 3.88 ERA, 2.72 K/BB rate and 7.6 K/9 over 116 innings.  While the numbers are solid, they were also Cole’s worst in his four big league seasons, as he suffered through an injury-plagued year.  This performance dip and rather checkered health history could be reasons why the Pirates aren’t planning to discuss an extension with Cole and agent Scott Boras over the winter, though Cole said he is healthy and will begin his offseason throwing program on Monday.

Here’s more from around the NL West…

• The Dodgers are telling teams they are “very open” to re-signing Chase Utley even as L.A. is still exploring other trades for second base help, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter links).  At this point, it would seem that Utley could be a backup plan for the Dodgers if they couldn’t land a bigger name like Logan Forsythe, Ian Kinsler or Brian Dozier.
• Speaking of Dozier, Berardino also tweets that there isn’t much cooking between the Dodgers and Twins in trade discussions.  “I wouldn’t hold your breath,” one team official tells Berardino about the chances of a deal.
• The Giants haven’t had serious talks with relievers Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo or Santiago Casilla, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic reports.  Casilla is the least likely to return, as he and the team ended the season on bad terms.  Romo could potentially be an option for San Francisco in January or February if he fails to catch on with another club beforehand.
• As for Lopez, Pavlovic writes that the veteran southpaw is “said to have a very short list of teams that could keep him out of retirement.”  Lopez has previously hinted at continuing his career, though it appears it could be only under particular circumstances, such as staying with the Giants.  Pavlovic isn’t sure that will happen, as the Giants already have Will Smith, Josh Osich and Steven Okert on hand as left-handed bullpen options.

Though he lost his closer’s role after logging 31 saves this season, Casilla was stung by the fact he wasn’t considered at any point in the decisive fourth game of the NLDS, Steward says. As Casilla heads to the open market this winter, it seems likelier than ever that his seven-year run with the Giants will come to an end. “I’m a free agent, so I don’t know,” Casilla said of his future. “I’m just going to wait and see what happens.”

Casilla did make it onto the NLDS roster after a tough end to the year, but made just one appearance in the series. In his 7 2/3 frames from the start of September, he allowed five earned runs with just five strikeouts against three walks. Though he only permitted six hits, two were homers. Of course, he had been solid — albeit hardly dominant — for much of the season, ending with a 3.57 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 over 58 total innings.

Despite his diminished role, Casilla said that he felt confident he could have gotten the job done when the Giants most needed a shut-down inning. “I’m a pitcher. I’m part of the bullpen,” he said. “I know I have had some bad moments in September and during the season, but I have good numbers in the playoffs and I know I can pitch in that situation. I know I can pitch in the big leagues.”

Indeed, Casilla does possess a rather distinguished postseason track record. In 19 2/3 frames, all with the Giants, he allowed just two earned runs on 15 hits while striking out twenty and permitting only five free passes.

It seems, though, that Casilla had already been buried on the depth chart. A parade of his pen mates — Derek Law, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, Will Smith, and Hunter Strickland — was called upon while Casilla sat in the dugout. Regardless of one’s views on the decisionmaking process of oft-lauded skipper Bruce Bochy — certainly, the post-loss questioning is inevitable given the result — the Giants seem to be headed in a different direction with the back of their pen.

Whether or not San Francisco will pursue Casilla in the offseason, and whether he’d be amenable to a return at this point, remain to be seen. But he figures to receive a good bit of interest on the market. Casilla’s late-inning track record certainly doesn’t hurt his case, even if he stumbled at times this year, but teams will mostly focus on the fact that he’s thrown at least fifty innings annually since joining the Giants in 2010, with a cumulative 2.42 ERA. In fact, 2016 was the first time he provided the organization with an earned run average of greater than three per nine.

Here are some more notes from the National League:

• Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock left tonight’s action with what the team announced as a groin strain. The severity of the injury is not known at present, but it represents another turn of bad luck for a player who missed the vast majority of the year with a broken bone in his elbow. The 28-year-old hasn’t quite been himself at the plate since returning, though returning to health is the primary consideration and he has only had a chance to accumulate 45 plate appearances thus far in a star-crossed season.
• The Giants have elected to remove Santiago Casilla from the closer’s role, skipper Bruce Bochy told reporters including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco intends to play the matchups for the time being, but Bochy suggested both that Casilla could still see save opportunities and that rookie Derek Law may get some chances once he’s back from the DL. Law, 25, has posted a 1.94 ERA over his first 51 MLB frames, with 8.3 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9, and could set himself up as the team’s closer of the future. As for the 36-year-old Casilla, the move mostly represents an acknowledgment that he’s more a sturdy reliever than a lights-out presence at the back of the pen. He still carries a solid 3.52 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in his walk season.
• By releasing Hector Olivera, the Padres forewent any chance of avoiding salary obligations that his jail time would otherwise have freed them from paying, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter links). It’s important to note, though, that he is only slated to spend ten days in prison after his domestic violence conviction, and the team would only have been able to recoup salary if the time ended up being served during the season.
• Nationals lefty Sammy Solis has encountered a “roadblock” in his efforts to work through a shoulder injury, manager Dusty Baker told reporters including Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Washington still hopes that the 28-year-old will make it back by the end of the year, which could represent a nice boost as the club enters a highly likely postseason berth. Solis has had quite a nice season when healthy, posting a 2.35 ERA in 38 1/3 frames while compiling 10.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9.