Sammy Solis, Joe Smith, Lucas Harrell Placed On 15-Day DL
We have already covered several notable injury situations this evening, though none have clear implications for the August trade market. But several other recently-arising health issues could well tie into the transactional world over the next two weeks. August 31st represents the deadline for teams to add players to their organization in order for them to be eligible for post-season play, and several teams could now potentially have added motivation to look into the always-complicated revocable waiver market.
- The Nationals announced today that southpaw Sammy Solis is headed to the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. Soreness and a velocity decline led the team to take a closer look at Solis, who previously missed time with a knee injury. The Nats’ pen is pressed at the moment, though rookie Koda Glover was recalled to provide a fresh arm. Still, he doesn’t throw from the left side, leaving only the scuffling Oliver Perez as a southpaw option at present. With Felipe Rivero traded away in the Mark Melancon deal, Washington’s depth in that area isn’t quite what it was, and it is possible to imagine the club hunting for an option via trade.
[Related: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]
- The Cubs have placed righty reliever Joe Smith on the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain, as Jason Martinez of MLB Depth Charts and MLBTR tweeted earlier. That’s doubly concerning because Smith missed time earlier this year with the same injury. He had been acquired at the deadline in hopes that he’d bolster Chicago’s setup ranks, but the 32-year-old has surrendered three earned runs just one strikeout against four walks in his six appearances with his new club. Fellow righty Trevor Cahill will stay on the roster after coming back from the DL as the 26th man for yesterday’s doubleheader, but he may be needed in the rotation if John Lackey requires his own time away for injury. With Pedro Strop also sidelined at present, there’s an argument to be made that Chicago ought to look around for another righty.
[Related: Updated Cubs Depth Chart]
- Rangers righty Lucas Harrell will head out for his own DL stint after suffering a strained groin. The club has called up fellow right-hander Nick Martinez to fill the void, and Derek Holland still seems to be nearing a return, but the loss of Harrell takes away another depth option from a Texas rotation that is thinner than the team would probably prefer. After all, the Rangers pursued all manner of starting pitching upgrades before the deadline, but ultimately backed away after adding only the innings-eating Harrell. Whether or not the club rejoins that effort remains to be seen, but there was already reason to believe that the Rangers would look at adding arms during August.
[Related: Updated Rangers Depth Chart]
Astros Release Prospect Danry Vasquez After Domestic Violence Suspension
The Astros have released prospect Danry Vasquez this evening, with the team’s announcement coming right on the heels of a league announcement that he has been suspended indefinitely. Vasquez was arrested after allegedly striking his girlfriend at the stadium of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks.
Vasquez, 22, signed with the Tigers as an international free agent, and ended up being dealt to Houston in the 2013 Jose Veras trade. The outfielder had been seen as a legitimate prospect, though he was left unprotected and went unclaimed in last December’s Rule 5 draft and was struggling in his first action in the upper minors this year.
The league was able to move much more quickly with regard to Vasquez than it has several major league players. Because he was not on the 40-man roster, Vasquez is not represented by the MLB Player’s Association and lacks many of the protections available to the other players suspended recently — all of whom agreed to accept punishment after at least some negotiation with the commissioner’s office.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to see the transcript from Wednesday’s MLBTR Chat With Jason Martinez: August 17, 2016
Zack Wheeler Diagnosed With Flexor Strain
5:47pm: Wheeler has a mild flexor strain, Mike Puma of the New York Post was among those to tweet. He won’t throw for two more weeks, which would make a return this season appear to be rather unlikely since he’ll still require a full ramp-up from that point. Of course, if the Mets make it into the post-season then Wheeler could theoretically be in play, but it remains to be seen how the organization will approach things given his somewhat uneven TJ recovery and future importance to the team.
3:41pm: Mets righty Zack Wheeler visited Dr. James Andrews recently after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow, which carries a newly-installed ulnar collateral ligament. Fortunately, the examination revealed “nothing devastating” about the 26-year-old’s arm health, per ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin (Twitter link).
While it seems that we’ll need to await further details on just what Andrews advised, the preliminary news suggests that the scariest possibilities aren’t on the table at this point. Perhaps the worst outcome would be the need for another new UCL, but while that always remains a threat to any pitcher, it appears that Wheeler doesn’t have cause to fear a re-started recovery process.
At the same time, there still doesn’t appear to be much hope that Wheeler will make it back to the big league mound this year. Given the starts and stops he has experienced already, the more likely scenario might involve some fall or winter appearances in hopes that he can ramp back up next spring.
Wheeler owns a 3.50 ERA in 285 1/3 career innings, making him one of the more promising young starters in baseball. But he hasn’t thrown a big league frame since 2014, despite once seeming on track to return in the middle of the current campaign.
Aaron Nola Has “Low-Grade” UCL Sprain & Flexor Strain
Phillies righty Aaron Nola has been shut down for the remainder of the year after being diagnosed with a “low-grade” UCL sprain and flexor strain, as Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to tweet. He has received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
That’s certainly not the worst news possible, though it does seem that Nola’s previously-reported elbow discomfort is rooted in a real injury. Surgery isn’t on the table at this point, according to GM Matt Klentak, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets. “At this time, nobody is talking about surgery,” Klentak said.
Nola, 23, had a solid 2015 season and looked great at the start of this campaign. But things turned in early June, and Nola’s final 33 frames were largely awful. All told, he owns a 4.78 ERA over 111 frames. On the other hand, the peripherals look quite nice: Nola posted 9.8 K/9 against just 2.4 BB/9 to go with a strong 55.2% groundball rate.
Philadelphia will certainly hope that Nola can rest up and take his anticipated place at the top of the team’s staff to open the 2017 season. His ability to stay healthy and make good on his considerable promise could go a long way toward determining the team’s timeline for returning to contention.
Colin Rea To Undergo PRP Treatment Instead Of TJ Surgery
Padres righty Colin Rea will forego Tommy John surgery in favor of a platelet-rich plasma treatment — at least for the time being — as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter links). The decision was reached after consultation with Dr. James Andrews.
Rea is expected to rest for three to four weeks after receiving the treatment, and then begin a throwing program in hopes of staving off a UCL replacement procedure. That approach seems to be paying dividends right now for Angels righty Garrett Richards, and it seems that Rea has elected to follow suit after prior reports suggested he’d be going under the knife.
It has been quite an eventful couple of weeks for Rea, who was surprisingly dealt to the Marlins along with Andrew Cashner. He departed in the middle of his first start with his new team, paving the way for an even more stunning trade that sent him back to San Diego and more or less unwound that portion of the transaction.
Given the timeline suggested, it seems that Rea has designs on returning to the mound in fairly short order. He obviously won’t be ready to make it back to the big leagues in the present season, but perhaps he could join Richards in competitive fall or winter action before making a final call on his surgery, with plans for a normal spring build-up in 2017 if all goes well.
There’s still plenty of risk in taking this route, due largely to the recovery timeline in the event that surgery is ultimately required. Having the UCL replacement now might make a relatively full 2018 season a reasonable target, but if he waits and then ends up having the procedure, that could be jeopardized. Given the upside of returning to action in 2017, though, it certainly makes sense at least to see how his elbow responds to the initial treatment and rest protocol.
Tommy La Stella To Report To Minors
Cubs infielder Tommy La Stella has agreed to report for his optional assignment, as manager Joe Maddon announced in an appearance on 670 The Score (as Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report). Manager Joe Maddon says that he’ll play tonight for the team’s Double-A affiliate.
La Stella, 27, had previously been weighing whether or not to accept his demotion off of the big league roster. As explained in detail at that link, the delay was not tied to any dispute or attempt to protest Chicago’s decision to option him. Rather, La Stella explained that he has previously considered retirement and was not certain whether he wanted to continue to play elsewhere in the organization (or, indeed, any other organization).
The Cubs have shown plenty of patience over the last several days while expressing hope that La Stella would ultimately take the assignment. Losing the versatile performer and solid hitter would have left the team one left-handed bat shy of its preferred array of available players, though it had not yet acted in any attempt to replace him.
La Stella has been quite a useful performer for Chicago since coming over in a trade from the Braves. This year, he owns a .295/.388/.457 batting line over 122 plate appearances. But with a loaded Cubs roster returning to health, there wasn’t space for him, leading to the move. Presumably, the team would’ve intended to bring La Stella back up when rosters expand in September, though the current path back isn’t clear.
Braves Designate Mike Aviles For Assignment
The Braves have designated infielder Mike Aviles for assignment, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets. Atlanta also has activated catcher Tyler Flowers from the DL and placed fellow backstop A.J. Pierzynski there in his place with a hamstring injury.
[Related: Updated Braves Depth Chart]
Aviles was acquired just yesterday — along with minor league catcher Kade Scivicque — in the trade that sent shortstop Erick Aybar to the Tigers. Clearly, he was involved in that deal only to offset part of Aybar’s salary. Acquiring and then designating players is a tactic the Braves have utilized in several recent deals to facilitate financial exchanges.
The 35-year-old veteran had struggled rather notably this year, carrying only a .210/.258/.269 slash in his 181 plate appearances on the season. Aviles is a versatile defender and valued presence in the clubhouse, but he has never been a terribly productive hitter and his results at the plate have steadily dipped over the last three seasons.
Assessing The Indians’ Options At Catcher
The Indians are in first place in the American League Central, yet they possess one of the most glaring weaknesses of any contender in the game. Cleveland catchers this season — Yan Gomes (currently injured), Roberto Perez and Chris Gimenez — have combined to bat a staggering .172/.225/.296 in 457 plate appearances. The company line has been that they’re high on the defensive capabilities of each backstop, but no club in all of Major League Baseball has received worse production out of its catchers. How best to remedy that situation — or whether they even need to — is up for debate.
Obvious Trade Candidates
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes today that Cleveland has had some discussions with the division-rival Twins about Kurt Suzuki in the past, but “there’s nothing happening at the moment.” Suzuki cleared trade waivers yesterday, making him a logical candidate for any club in need of catching help. The main sticking point for Cleveland, it seems, is that Suzuki isn’t regarded as a strong defender, and he would obviously be tasked with learning an entirely new pitching staff in a short amount of time in the event that the Indians made a move. That’s a tall order for any catcher, and it could conceivably lead to further difficulty in framing/blocking pitches if he’s not fully familiar with the full arsenal of each pitcher he’s catching. Then again, Suzuki is affordable (owed $1.5MM through season’s end) and hitting .281/.321/.435 — an enormous upgrade over the offensive deficiencies that have plagued Cleveland catchers in 2016.Read more
AL West Notes: Vasquez, Gurriel, Pinder, Rangers
Astros Double-A outfielder Danry Vasquez has been placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball as the Corpus Christi Police Department and the MLB Commissioner’s Office investigate a domestic violence incident, according to a statement from the Astros. Fares Sabawi of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has obtained an arrest affidavit, which reveals that video footage from the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks’ stadium shows Vasquez striking his girlfriend on three separate occasions during an argument. A Hooks employee also claims to have been threatened by Vasquez on the day in question, and video does show a “heated conversation” between the two, per the affidavit. Said the Astros in a statement: ” The Houston Astros and all of our affiliates, including the Corpus Christi Hooks, are governed by and strongly support MLB’s domestic violence policy. We take this allegation very seriously, and have taken swift response as we do not condone violence in our organization.”
A few other items pertaining to the division…
- The Astros promoted Yulieski Gurriel to Triple-A Fresno yesterday, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes. The previous expectation had been that Gurriel would make his big league debut this week, but after he struggled considerably at the Double-A level, the organization made the decision to give him some additional time to get up to speed and bumped him up another level. General manager Jeff Luhnow told McTaggart that there’s “no specific timeline” for Gurriel to be promoted to the Majors at this point but did add that the infielder “is getting close.” Gurriel collected just two hits in 19 plate appearances at the Double-A level, but he went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run in yesterday’s Triple-A debut.
- Athletics prospect Chad Pinder has been told he’ll be joining the team on Wednesday, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s not entirely clear yet how Pinder will be utilized, Slusser notes, and he could potentially be a short-term sub while Marcus Semien departs on paternity leave. However, Slusser also notes that fellow right-handed-hitting infielder Tyler Ladendorf is mired in a dismal 0-for-19 slump and is 0-for-26 against left-handed pitchers this season, so Pinder could replace him on the roster. The 24-year-old Pinder was Oakland’s second-round pick in 2014 and has batted .258/.310/.425 in 465 Triple-A plate appearances this season. He rates ninth among Oakland farmhands, per MLB.com, and sixth per Baseball America.
- The Rangers‘ injury woes seem to have continued, as Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News writes that righty Lucas Harrell is likely ticketed for the DL due to a groin strain that forced him to exit last night’s start after two innings. Harrell hasn’t performed well since being acquired by the Rangers (5.60 ERA in 17 2/3 innings) but was nonetheless occupying a spot in the rotation and will now force Texas to scramble a bit. Nick Martinez is likely to be brought back to the Majors to serve as a long reliever today, per Fraley, and the Harrell injury will have an impact on Texas’ decision as to when Derek Holland will be activated from the 60-day DL. He’s eligible to join the team this coming Saturday, and Holland himself tells Fraley that feels “very confident” in where he’s at in terms of recovery. Holland last tossed 75 pitches over four innings in a minor league rehab start. Manager Jeff Banister wouldn’t commit to exactly when Holland will rejoin the team, and Fraley points out that a pair of upcoming off-days gives the Rangers some flexibility with the rotation.