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Braves Win Arbitration Hearing Against Luke Jackson

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The Braves have won their arbitration hearing against right-hander Luke Jackson, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’ll be paid at the $3.6MM rate submitted by the team, as opposed to the $4MM rate filed by Jackson and his representatives.

Jackson won’t pitch this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month, although that factor shouldn’t have impacted his hearing outcome. Arbitration panels evaluate the cases of the team and player based on prior seasons’ performance. Hearings are typically conducted in early to mid-February, if necessary, but the 99-day lockout this offseason got in the way of arbitration proceedings and forced teams and players into the uncomfortable situation of resolving discrepancies of this nature while games are being played.

The 30-year-old Jackson has had a roller-coaster career with the Braves but enjoyed perhaps his finest season in 2021, pitching 63 2/3 innings of 1.98 ERA ball and piling up 31 holds as the team’s primary setup man. He fanned 26.8% of his opponents with a strong 52.5% grounder rate, both of which helped to offset an unpalatable 11.1% walk rate. Jackson struggled considerably in 2020 but otherwise has ranged from a serviceable to high-quality bullpen piece, evidenced by a combined 3.93 ERA in 254 innings from 2017-21.

Unfortunately for Jackson, he won’t have the chance to bolster his earning power with a repeat of last year’s performance. It’s particularly poor timing — not that there’s “good” timing for a major injury and surgery — given that Jackson has five-plus years of Major League service and is slated to become a free agent for the first time following the 2022 season. He could still garner interest on a Major League deal, especially since his surgery was performed so early in the season, but the type of multi-year deal he might’ve commanded upon replicating his 2021 output is no longer feasible.

The Braves have now won hearings over two of their arbitration-eligible players, as they also topped Austin Riley in a hearing last week. They still have unresolved cases against lefty Max Fried ($6.6MM vs. $6.85MM), shortstop Dansby Swanson ($9.2MM vs. $10MM) and outfielder Adam Duvall ($9.275MM vs. $10.275MM).

Injury Notes: Perez, Matzek, McCann

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The Royals placed Salvador Pérez on the 10-day injured list between games of today’s doubleheader with the White Sox. Pérez suffered a sprained left thumb during the opening contest, and Kansas City quickly moved to replace him with Sebastian Rivero on the active roster. Kansas City’s franchise backstop is off to a slow start, much like the rest of the lineup. Pérez is hitting .206/.239/.397 through 34 games. He’s popped six home runs but drawn only four walks with 38 strikeouts, contributing to one of the lowest on-base marks in the big leagues.

While Pérez is out of action, the Royals will get their first extended look at rookie MJ Melendez behind the plate. The 23-year-old backstop led all minor league players with 41 home runs last season, combining for a .286/.386/.625 line between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. That’s obviously elite production for any player, let alone a catcher, and Melendez is now regarded as one of the sport’s most promising prospects. He was recalled for his first MLB promotion at the beginning of the month and will take the majority of the catching time while Pérez is on the shelf.

The latest on a couple other injury situations around the league:

  • The Braves placed reliever Tyler Matzek on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 14, due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. That’s an ominous-sounding diagnosis, but an MRI this afternoon revealed no structural damage (relayed by Mark Bowman of MLB.com). Matzek will nevertheless be shut down from throwing for a couple weeks, indicating he’s likely to require a minor league rehab assignment even if he’s deemed alright to get back to action upon his next reevaluation. Matzek posted a 2.57 ERA in 63 innings for the World Series champions last season. He’s battled significant control woes in the early going this year, doling out nine walks among his 47 batters faced.
  • Mets catcher James McCann underwent successful left hamate surgery this morning, manager Buck Showalter informed reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). The team announced last Friday that he’d require a procedure after being diagnosed with a fracture, projecting a recovery timeline of approximately six weeks. McCann, who signed a four-year deal over the 2020-21 offseason, hit .232/.294/.349 during his first season in Queens. He’s off to a slow start this season, hitting .196/.266/.286 through 21 contests. New York is relying on a Tomás Nido – Patrick Mazeika pairing in McCann’s absence.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Day-To-Day With Groin Injury

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Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. has missed his team’s last three games with a right groin injury suffered in Tuesday’s game with the Red Sox, but it doesn’t appear to be a significant issue.  After undergoing an MRI today, Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) that imaging revealed “nothing big” about the injury.

“It’s the best news possible….He’s just going to be day to day,” Snitker said.  “I don’t know how long it will be.  But there’s nothing from the MRI that showed he’s going to be shut down.”

In other positive news, Snitker said that Acuna’s issues are just with his groin, not with the ACL that was torn last July.  Acuna has played in only 10 games since returning from that long injury rehab, but hasn’t missed a beat in hitting .282/.391/.487 over 46 plate appearances.

It’s possible Acuna could be back in Atlanta’s lineup for Monday’s game against the Brewers, as Snitker indicated that the outfielder probably won’t play on Sunday.  Bowman noted that the team doesn’t yet seem to be considering a trip to the 10-day injured list, though one would imagine if Acuna was still unavailable Monday, the Braves might make a move to keep them from being shorthanded for yet another game.

The silver lining of Acuna’s absence is that Travis Demeritte and William Contreras have both been on a tear at the plate, but naturally Atlanta needs Acuna back healthy as quickly as possible.  Shared struggles from Adam Duvall, Marcell Ozuna, and (the injured) Eddie Rosario have meant that the Braves haven’t gotten much from their outfield mix this season.  Braves outfielders have combined for -0.7 fWAR this season, tied with the A’s for the lowest total among outfield corps in the majors.

Latest On Brett Gardner

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Brett Gardner was one of the top free agents of last winter’s class who didn’t wind up signing prior to Opening Day. That wasn’t on account of a lack of interest in the 38-year-old, as the Blue Jays touched base with Gardner’s camp during Spring Training as part of their search for a left-handed hitting outfielder.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic now reports that Toronto offered Gardner a $6MM contract at the time, but the 14-year MLB veteran turned it down. According to Rosenthal, Gardner also recently declined to pursue an opportunity with the Braves. After losing right fielder Eddie Rosario to late April eye surgery that figures to cost him two-to-three months, Atlanta expressed interest in Gardner but was rebuffed.

Rosenthal suggests Gardner would likely only continue his playing career with the Yankees, the lone organization for which he’s suited up. A third-round pick by New York in 2005, the College of Charleston product first reached the majors midway through the 2008 campaign. By 2010, he’d cemented himself as a regular and wound up spending more than a decade in pinstripes. Gardner hit .256/.342/.398 in a bit more than 6600 plate appearances over that stretch, and for the majority of his career, he was one of the game’s preeminent defensive left fielders. Gardner claimed a Gold Glove award in 2016 and routinely drew excellent marks from public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.

As recently as 2019-20, Gardner continued to produce at an above-average offensive level. That wasn’t the case in 2021, when he hit .222/.327/.362, although he still walked in an impressive 13% of his plate appearances and held his own defensively despite being unexpectedly thrust into a regular role in center field. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference felt Gardner was worth about a win above replacement last season, so it’s not surprising teams like the Jays and Braves were amenable to bringing him in to fill part-time roles.

That level of interest seemingly hasn’t been present on the Yankees’ part, however. General manager Brian Cashman said in Spring Training that he’d had some contact with Gardner’s reps since the end of the lockout, but added the team was “focused on what we have” internally at the time. Both Gardner and the Yankees had an opportunity to unilaterally continue their relationship into 2022 at the start of the offseason. The outfielder declined a $2.3MM player option — which isn’t too surprising given that a team like Toronto was willing to offer a greater sum — leaving the Yankees with a $7.15MM option. New York instead paid a $1.15MM buyout, essentially passing on a $6MM call on Gardner’s services.

Over the season’s first month-plus, the Yankees have had one of the game’s best outfields. New York has a .262/.345/.458 line from their outfielders, translating to offensive production 41 percentage points above the league average according to wRC+. That’s the third-best mark in the league, with only the Angels and Twins getting better production.

The bulk of that great work has come from star sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, both of whom are off to fantastic starts. Center fielder Aaron Hicks has a robust .364 on-base percentage but has offered virtually nothing from a power perspective, while last summer’s marquee trade deadline pickup Joey Gallo has underwhelmed since landing in the Bronx. That said, the Yankees aren’t likely to seriously consider curtailing Hicks’ or Gallo’s playing time given their strong track records, so there probably wouldn’t be a path to regular reps for Gardner in the Bronx barring injury.

Manny Pina To Undergo Season-Ending Wrist Surgery

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Braves catcher Manny Piña has suffered ligament and cartilage damage in his left wrist, the team informed reporters (including David O’Brien of the Athletic). He will undergo season-ending surgery. The 34-year-old was placed on the injured list late last month with what the team called wrist inflammation, and a recent MRI revealed the issue was more serious than first believed.

Atlanta somewhat surprisingly inked Piña to a two-year, $8MM deal over the offseason. Brought in as a veteran #2 option behind Travis d’Arnaud, he only appeared in five games during his first season with the Braves. William Contreras is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Contreras had a nice showing in 44 Triple-A games last year, but the Braves nevertheless prioritized experience in adding Piña behind d’Arnaud — who has had some injury issues throughout his career.

Piña was coming off a decent season backing up Omar Narváez in Milwaukee. The longtime Brewer hit 13 home runs in 208 plate appearances to help compensate for a lackluster .293 on-base percentage. As he has throughout his career, he also rated very well defensively. Piña turns 35 in June and is under contract for $4.5MM next season.

Atlanta has Chadwick Tromp as a non-roster catching option with Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s off to an incredible .367/.400/.750 start over 16 games with the Stripers, so the Braves could call him up if they want the 24-year-old Contreras to see regular reps in the minors. (Selecting Tromp would require a 40-man roster spot, but that could be freed by transferring Piña to the 60-day injured list). It’s certainly possible the Braves could look outside the organization for catching depth via waivers or minor trade, as well.

Braves Defeat Austin Riley In Arbitration

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The Braves have won their arbitration case over third baseman Austin Riley, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’ll earn the team’s $3.95MM filing figure in 2022; Riley’s camp had sought a $4.2MM salary.

Riley reached arbitration for the first time over the offseason as a Super Two player. He’ll be eligible three more times before first qualifying for free agency after the 2025 campaign. Arbitration salaries have a compounding effect based off previous years’ numbers, so the result means he’ll be working from a slightly lower baseline in future years than he would’ve had he won the hearing. In either event, the $250K gap in the two sides’ filing figures was minimal; even in the context of future raises, the result is unlikely to have much of an impact on the Braves’ spending habits.

The 25-year-old Riley is coming off a breakout 2021 campaign. After posting below-average numbers in each of his first two seasons, he hit .303/.367/.531 with 33 home runs and 107 runs batted in last year. Arbitration hearings spilled into the regular season because the lockout froze offseason business for more than three months, but the arbitrator’s decision was based off Riley’s 2019-21 body of work.

While it wasn’t relevant for this year’s hearing, Riley has gotten out to an excellent start in 2022. The raw rate stats (.237/.336/.482) look to be a fairly significant downturn relative to his previous numbers, but that’s only before accounting for the overall drop in league offense. By measure of wRC+, Riley’s early-season work has been 33 percentage points above this year’s league average output. That’s virtually identical to the 135 wRC+ he put up in 2021.

Health Notes: Gray, Murphy, Flaherty, Soroka

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The Twins announced this morning that Sonny Gray has been activated from the injured list to start today’s game against the A’s, with Cole Sands optioned out in a corresponding move. Gray has been out of action since April 16, when he left a start in the second inning due to a right hamstring strain. Acquired from the Reds as the Twins’ biggest rotation pickup of the offseason, Gray has made just a pair of starts with his new club. Despite his three-week absence, Minnesota has gotten excellent production out of their starting staff thus far. Twins starters rank sixth in MLB in ERA (3.12) and eighth in strikeout/walk rate differential (17.1 percentage points). Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Archer, Chris Paddack and highly-regarded prospect Josh Winder each have an ERA of 3.26 or lower; Dylan Bundy is currently on the COVID-19 injured list, but the Twins could have an interesting call on how the rotation should be comprised once Bundy returns.

Some other injury updates around the league:

  • Mariners catcher Tom Murphy left last night’s game against the Rays after dislocating his shoulder on a tag attempt at home plate. After the game, skipper Scott Servais said Murphy will be out for a while (via Corey Brock of the Athletic). The team will presumably provide a more specific timetable in the coming days, but it’s all but certain he’ll head to the injured list before tonight’s contest. The M’s optioned Opening Day backstop Cal Raleigh to Triple-A last week, and it’s likely he’ll be recalled to pair with Luis Torrens behind the dish. Murphy had been off to an excellent start to the year, reaching base in 18 of his first 42 plate appearances.
  • Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty is set to throw a bullpen session before tonight’s game against the Giants, tweets Katie Woo of the Athletic. She notes that it’s Flaherty’s first bullpen work since he was shut down from throwing in Spring Training due to shoulder bursitis. It’s obviously a notable step in the righty’s recovery timeline, but manager Oli Marmol cautioned the club was prepared for a “pretty lengthy (rehab) progression” and still doesn’t have a target date for his return. Flaherty missed a month last season because of a shoulder strain (in addition to a longer absence on account of an oblique issue), so it’s wholly unsurprising the team is proceeding with caution. St. Louis has managed an impressive 3.15 rotation ERA — albeit with more pedestrian peripherals — in the absence of arguably their top starter.
  • Braves right-hander Mike Soroka hasn’t thrown an MLB pitch since August 2020, the result of successive Achilles ruptures that have sidetracked a fantastic start to his young career. The most recent of his surgeries occurred last June and came with an estimated year-long recovery timeline, and he opened this season on the injured list. Soroka remains on track in his rehab, he and manager Brian Snitker informed reporters yesterday (via Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Mark Bowman of MLB.com). The right-hander has thrown off a mound without issue around five times, and he’s soon to begin pitcher-fielding practice. The club is still hoping he can make it back to the majors shortly after the All-Star Break, and Toscano notes they’re not considering transitioning him to relief to expedite his return.

Braves Sign Hernan Perez To Minor League Deal

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Last week, the Braves signed utilityman Hernán Pérez to a minor league contract. He has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he’s already made three appearances. Pérez had opened the 2022 season with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League, but he was granted his release to pursue the opportunity with Atlanta after three games.

Pérez, 31, has seen action in the majors in each of the past ten seasons. He debuted with the Tigers but logged the majority of his playing time as a fairly regular utility player with the Brewers between 2015-19. Pérez’s best season came in 2016, when he swiped 34 bases and hit 13 home runs over 430 plate appearances. His production has steadily ticked down in the years since then, however, and he’s seen only sporadic MLB time with the Cubs and Nationals over the last two years. He spent most of last season with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization, hitting .273/.327/.418 in 58 games.

Even during his best days, Pérez made plenty of outs because of a very low walk rate, reflected in a .250/.280/.382 MLB slash line. For the bulk of his career, though, he’s shown solid bat-to-ball skills and plus baserunning ability. He’s also seen action at every position other than catcher, with the majority of his experience coming at third and second base. Public metrics haven’t liked Pérez’s work at shortstop or in center field, but he’s rated well in his time at second and at all four corner spots.

Atlanta’s starting infield of Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley is well-established. Orlando Arcia, a teammate of Pérez’s for a few years in Milwaukee, is the top utility option. Pérez joins Phil Gosselin and Pat Valaika as experienced, non-roster utility options with the Stripers.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/30/22

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Today’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • Alex Dickerson cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate.  Dickerson was designated for assignment on Thursday, and as a veteran with more than five years of Major League service time, he had the right to reject an outright assignment to the minors.  Instead, Dickerson has opted to remain in Atlanta’s organization and try to get on track in Gwinnett after a dismal start to the season — the outfielder has only four hits and a .407 OPS over his first 36 plate appearances.  In making the big league roster, Dickerson locked in a $1MM guaranteed salary on the minor league contract he signed with Atlanta in March.

Braves Activate Ronald Acuna Jr., Designate Alex Dickerson

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Ronald Acuna Jr. is back. The Braves announced this morning that they’ve reinstated their star outfielder from the 10-day injured list — the culmination of a nine-and-a-half-month rehabilitation process following an ACL tear sustained last July. It’s a bit of a surprise, as the Braves had been targeting a May 6 return according to manager Brian Snitker, though Snitker acknowledged at the time of that statement that the date was not set in stone. In a corresponding roster move, Atlanta has designated outfielder Alex Dickerson for assignment.

The 24-year-old Acuna is one of the game’s most dynamic talents and effectively has been since the moment he reached the Majors as a 21-year-old in 2018. Shaking off a rough couple of weeks to begin that original MLB promotion, Acuna went on an absolute tear and finished out the ’18 campaign as the near-unanimous Rookie of the Year winner, claiming 27 of 30 first-place votes (with two going to Juan Soto and one going to Walker Buehler).

Acuna slugged 26 homers and swiped 16 bases as a rookie, hitting at a .293/.366/.552 clip along the way. He’s kept that pace in the three seasons since that time, and will come off the injured list looking to build on a .281/.376/.549 career batting line and add to his already impressive total of 105 big league home runs (to say nothing of 78 doubles, seven triples and 78 steals).

While some fans may worry that Acuna is being rushed back to the big leagues, he certainly hasn’t shown any rust in his limited work with Triple-A Gwinnett so far. It’s only six games and 25 plate appearances, but Acuna is 7-for-19 with a double, six walks and three stolen bases (in three tries), which certainly paints the picture of someone whose major knee injury is firmly behind him. And, given that the Braves’ outfield is producing — or rather, failing to produce — at an alarming level, Atlanta brass has opted to proactively make a move to inject some life into the offense.

Marcell Ozuna has gotten out to a nice start in left field, hitting .257/.291/.486 with four homers and five doubles on the year. It’s a bit light in the OBP department, but the power production has generally offset Ozuna’s lack of walks. The rest of the Atlanta outfield, however, has been nothing short of a disaster. Adam Duvall is hitting .197/.250/.258 in 72 plate appearances. Eddie Rosario batted .068/.163/.091 in 49 plate appearances before undergoing an eye procedure that’ll sideline him for up to 12 weeks. Guillermo Heredia is hitting .158/.273/.368 in 22 plate appearances. The Braves have gotten some production in small samples from infielder-turned-utilityman Orlando Arcia and former prospect Travis Demeritte, but it’s clear that the current group wasn’t sufficient for a team with designs on defending a World Series championship.

Dickerson, at whose expense Acuna is returning, was also a notable culprit when it comes to the Braves’ general lack of offense. Signed late in spring to a one-year deal, he’s been used primarily as a designated hitter against right-handed pitching but has gone just 4-for-33 with one extra-base hit (a homer) while punching out in a quarter of his 36 plate appearances.

The 31-year-old Dickerson has generally been a productive hitter in his big league career when healthy, though that health caveat has loomed large. Dickerson was out for the entirety of the 2017-18 seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery and back surgery, and he’s spent considerable time on the injured list even during his active seasons. Dating back to the 2019 campaign, he’s been sent to the injured list with wrist, shoulder, oblique, hamstring and back injuries.

Dickerson was a revelation for the 2019-20 Giants after going from San Diego to San Francisco in exchange for minor league reliever Franklin Van Gurp. In 341 plate appearances with the Giants over those two seasons, he raked at a .294/.361/.552 clip, mashing 16 home runs, 23 doubles and four triples while walking at a solid 8.5% clip and striking out in 19.1% of his plate appearances (a good bit south of the league average). Dickerson’s 2021 season, however, included a trio of IL stints due to a shoulder strain, a back strain and a hamstring strain. He posted a diminished .233/.304/.420 slash last season and has yet to right the ship so far in 2022.

The Braves will have a week to trade Dickerson, place him on outright waivers or release him. Given his track record and an affordable $1MM salary on his 2022 contract, it’s possible another club will take a look. It’s equally, if not more plausible, however, that teams will simply wait for Dickerson to clear waivers and hope to sign him as a free agent. Because he has more than five years of MLB service time, Dickerson can reject an assignment to the minors upon clearing waivers and still retain his salary.

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