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Injury Notes: Richards, Turner, Drew, Zych, Cishek, Price, Hill, Baez

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Angels righty Garrett Richards may be due for a longer DL stint than had first been expected, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports. Richards has yet to pick up a ball since going down with a biceps strain. Given the time he has already missed, and the lack of progress thus far, it seems increasingly likely that some kind of rehab stint could be required. There’ll no doubt be some added caution taken given that Richards is only just returning from a lengthy rehab of a UCL injury. The Halos are going with J.C. Ramirez in his stead; he’ll take the ball to start a game in the big leagues for the first time tonight, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register writes.

  • The Nationals are still waiting to determine a timeline for shortstop Trea Turner to return, as Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com writes. Manager Dusty Baker suggested that the club is willing to allow Turner plenty of rest to ensure that there isn’t a larger setback. The hope, though, is that it isn’t a significant injury. Of course, fellow infielder Stephen Drew — Turner’s would-be replacement — also went down with a hammy strain. He’s more or less in the same boat, it seems. “There’s no timetable,” said Drew. “But I’ll do the best I can to get back as soon as possible.” While it’s hardly the Nats’ preference, they’ll at least get a good look at youngster Wilmer Difo in the meantime.
  • Righty Tony Zych is back in action for the Mariners, with the club announcing he has been activated from the 10-day DL. Southpaw Dillon Overton is heading out on optional assignment to open a roster spot. Shoulder issues hampered Zych last year and forced him into surgery, but he’ll look to regain the excellent form he showed in 2015 — which would be quite welcome for a Seattle club that is off to a dreadful start. Meanwhile, Steve Cishek is nearing a rehab assignment and could be back in the majors, too, after he makes three or four appearances, MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets.
  • The Red Sox are beginning to chart a course for lefty David Price, as Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports. It’s possible that Price could be ready to face live hitters in a few days, with a rehab assignment representing the next likely step. McCaffrey suggests that he’ll require at least four outings in the minors, meaning it could still be another month until Price is back in Boston.
  • Southpaw Rich Hill of the Dodgers is slated for a return on Sunday, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter), the hope was that Hill’s blister wouldn’t prove too problematic during a pen session yesterday. It seems that he has come through unscathed, so he’ll step back into the rotation for L.A.
  • Meanwhile, the Dodgers have activated setup man Pedro Baez, who missed most of camp after being struck on the thumb by a batted ball. The 29-year-old righty continued to show swing-and-miss stuff last year, and somewhat quietly has compiled a 3.08 ERA over 149 MLB frames, with 9.7 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9, over his three years in the majors. Despite four strong appearances thus far (no runs on one hit and one walk with six strikeouts), Josh Fields is headed to Triple-A to make way for Baez.

Jon Gray Diagnosed With Stress Fracture

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7:22pm: Gray has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot, per manager Bud Black (via Groke, on Twitter). The right-hander is expected to miss at least a month of action.

6:09pm: The Rockies have placed top righty Jon Gray on the 10-day DL, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. Colorado also needed a replacement for outfielder Gerardo Parra, who’s on paternity leave, so both Raimel Tapia and Shane Carle have been recalled.

Gray has been dealing with an injury to his left big toe for some time. While there was some concern that he wouldn’t be ready to open the year, Gray nevertheless took the hill for Opening Day and made two more starts. But he left early in his most recent outing with an apparent recurrence of the injury.

[RELATED: Updated Rockies Depth Chart]

It’s still unclear just what is causing Gray to experience discomfort, Groke notes in another tweet. A prior MRI did not set off any alarm bells, but presumably he’ll now be reevaluated. With Chad Bettis likely out for the year, Colorado can ill afford much missed time from their best pitcher. But the club is also surely hoping that rest and a closer look will help the young righty get past the malady once and for all.

The 23-year-old Tapia, who is considered one of the organization’s top prospects, already received his first taste of the majors last year. He struggled in brief action, but hit well in his first attempt at the upper minors last year while also curbing what had been a growing strikeout problem. Tapia is off to a hot start in 2017, slashing .406/.472/.594 through seven games at Triple-A. Whether or not he’s slated for more than a fill-in appearance this time around remains to be seen.

Carle, 25, will get his first shot at the game’s highest level. He has typically pitched as a starter in the minors, but moved to a relief role in the Arizona Fall League and has been working from the pen at Albuquerque. His first two appearances haven’t gone very well, but Carle could help provide some innings as a long man or perhaps even a spot starter. For the time being, though, Chris Rusin will step into the rotation.

Blue Jays Select Chris Coghlan, Place Josh Donaldson On 10-Day DL, Designate Juan Graterol

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5:51pm: Catcher Juan Graterol has been designated to clear 40-man space, the club announced. Graterol was claimed just before camp and seemed slated to function as the third catcher. But the Jays recently added Luke Maile through a waiver claim, and he evidently stepped into the top spot on the minor-league depth chart.

3:00pm: The Blue Jays have selected the contract of veteran outfielder/infielder Chris Coghlan, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca first reported on Twitter. Coghlan would have been eligible to opt out of his deal at the end of the month, Davidi notes.

Unfortunately, the move was necessitated by the calf injury that felled star third baseman Josh Donaldson. He’s heading to the 10-day DL, though it seems the organization hopes that he won’t require an extended stint. Toronto will also need to clear a 40-man spot.

The Jays will hope that Coghlan can provide a boost against right-handed pitching, as he has done for much of his career. He became available when the Phillies cut him loose late in camp, after Coghlan reportedly declined to sign an advance consent waiver that would’ve allowed the Phils to avoid a full-season guarantee by trimming him from the roster within 45 days of the start of the season.

Instead, Coghlan headed to the open market and landed in Toronto on a new minors deal. The 31-year-old will look to pick up where he left off last year with the Cubs. He slashed .252/.491/.388 in 128 plate appearances with Chicago after struggling earlier in the season for the A’s.

Coghlan is best utilized as a platoon player, as his lifetime OPS splits (.766 vs. righties, .618 vs. lefties) would suggest. He does offer some defensive versatility, though, having lined up at second and third as well as his natural corner outfield in recent years.

Orioles Acquire Paul Fry For Int’l Pool Slot, Designate Parker Bridwell

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5:42pm: The teams have announced the deal, which sends an international signing bonus allocation — slot #105 of the 2016-17 period, which is worth $198K in spending capacity — to Seattle. Baltimore has designated righty Parker Bridwell to clear roster space.

5:25pm: The Orioles have acquired lefty Paul Fry from the Mariners, as Rich Dubroff of PressBoxOnline.com tweets. Fry, 24, was designated recently by Seattle.

Baltimore has continued to tweak its pitching mix of late, and now the organization has another optionable arm on hand. Fry spun 55 Triple-A frames of 2.78 ERA ball last year. Though he retired 10.6 batters per nine vi strikeout, he also permitted 5.1 free passes per nine on the year. Fry has yet to appear at the major league level.

Phillies Prospect Elniery Garcia Receives 80-Game PED Suspension

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Major League Baseball announced on Friday that Phillies minor league left-hander Elniery Garcia has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for the banned substance Boldenone. Garcia’s suspension is of particular note given the fact that he is on the Phillies’ 40-man roster. He’ll now be moved to the restricted list for the next three months or so, thus reducing Philadelphia’s 40-man roster count to 38 players.

Garcia, 22, spent the 2016 season with the Phillies’ Class-A Advanced affiliate in Clearwater and is widely considered to be one of the organization’s most promising arms. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked him seventh among all Phillies prospects, while ESPN’s Keith Law pegged him ninth (subscription required/highly recommended) and Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com placed him 18th. Longehagen notes that Garcia made significant strides from Opening Day 2016 to season’s end, improving not only his velocity but his command of his secondary offerings. Law called him the system’s “most pleasant surprise,” and all three scouting reports linked above make mention of his confidence and competitive demeanor on the mound.

Today’s suspension will undoubtedly lead to some questions surrounding the velocity gains he made over the life of the 2016 season, though he obviously made it through the entire ’16 campaign without testing positive for a banned substance.

Garcia presumably wouldn’t have been considered for a promotion to the Majors in the near-term, as he’s yet to throw a pitch above the aforementioned High-A level, so the move doesn’t thin out the team’s immediate pitching depth all that much. But, it’s feasible that a club that is currently light on left-handed pitching could’ve given him a look at some point this summer. Beyond that, the loss of roughly three months of development is a clear negative in the long run for both Garcia and the Phillies. At the very least, it seemed reasonable to expect that Garcia had a chance to reach Triple-A by season’s end, but the 80-game absence significantly slows his path to the Majors.

Reds Promote Jesse Winker

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The Reds announced on Friday that they have promoted top outfield prospect Jesse Winker from Triple-A Louisville and optioned right-hander Barrett Astin to Louisville to clear a 25-man roster spot.

The 23-year-old Winker, the No. 49 overall pick in the 2012 draft, has long been rated among the game’s Top 100 prospects. While a wrist injury led to some diminished power output in 2016, which may have caused his stock to slip a bit, he still entered the season rated as the game’s No. 49 overall prospect on the Top 100 list of ESPN’s Keith Law. (More recently Law rated him 40th among prospects that opened the season in the minors.) Over at MLB.com, Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis ranked Winker as baseball’s No. 63 prospect.

Even with his power dip in 2016, Winker still posted a strong .303/.397/.384 batting line last year in Louisville. Winker’s plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills in Triple-A proved to be exceptional, as last season’s 59 walks matched his 59 strikeouts (both a 13.2 percent clip). In parts of six minor league seasons, Winker is a .296/.399/.454 hitter.

Law notes in his scouting report that Winker would likely have reached the Majors in 2016 were it not for the wrist injury. He further adds that Winker may not have the power to hit 20+ homers on an annual basis but could hit 10 to 15 per year with 30 to 35 doubles and an excellent on-base percentage. Callis and Mayo laud Winker’s bat and approach at the plate, noting that a below-average arm makes him best suited for left field, where he’ll be an otherwise acceptable defender.

The timing of the Reds’ promotion of Winker comes 12 days into the MLB season, meaning if he remains in the Majors from this point forth, he’d finish one day shy of a full year of service time. Of course, it’s far from clear that the Reds plan to keep Winker in the Majors through season’s end; to the contrary, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that this call-up for Winker may be a brief means of adding another bat while waiting until Sunday when they’ll need to add another starter.

While Winker may not be immediately thrust into a starter’s role, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he eventually does take on a larger role with the club at some point in 2017. He’s considered by most prospect analysts to be more or less big league ready, and while left field is currently locked up by Adam Duvall, the right field picture is less certain. Scott Schebler opened the season there, but he’s yet to solidify himself as an everyday Major Leaguer.

AL Central Notes: Naquin, Anderson, Soto, Tigers

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The Indians made the somewhat surprising decision to option outfielder Tyler Naquin to Triple-A Columbus yesterday in order to clear a spot on the roster for the return of outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall. While some may raise an eyebrow at demoting a player who finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .296/.372/.514, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes that the Indians didn’t want Naquin to be playing sparingly in a bench role for now. “It was something that, when I say we stressed over it, I mean it was a lot,” manager Terry Francona tells Bastian. “…I don’t think coming off the bench necessarily suits Naquin right now. Nobody’s giving up on him being an everyday player.” For the time being, Cleveland will go with Michael Brantley, Chisenhall, Brandon Guyer, Austin Jackson and Abraham Almonte in its outfield mix. Interestingly, Chisenhall started in center field for Cleveland yesterday, so it seems he’ll be viewed as at least a temporary option there.

More from the American League Central…

  • White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson appeared on the Baseball Tonight podcast with Buster Olney (audio link) and talked about his days as an amateur, his experience playing basketball in his youth and the decision to ink a six-year, $25MM contract extension before reaching one full year of Major League service time. “It was more so the security level had to meet where I wanted to feel secure with my family,” says Anderson. “It was an exciting moment. We went back and forth two or three weeks, and was able to get this thing — get it figured out and get it going. Just on my family’s side, my daughter and my wife, it was relieving just to be able to tell them and let them see that we’re going to be OK and be fine.” Sox fans will want to give the interview a listen, as it offers some good insight into the background of one of the team’s rising stars and core pieces.
  • Chicago announced yesterday that catcher Geovany Soto was headed to the 10-day DL with elbow inflammation, summoning Kevan Smith from Triple-A Charlotte to take his spot on the roster for the time being. Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago writes that while Soto experienced some abnormal discomfort when making a throw, an MRI revealed everything in his elbow to be “fairly OK” (Soto’s own words). Soto says there’s no tear in his arm but there are “a couple floaters” (presumably referring to spurs or loose bodies). He’ll rest the elbow and use medication to treat the issue, though there’s not yet a clear indication of when he’s expected to return to the White Sox.
  • Though many Tigers fans were upset with the team’s decision to demote ballyhooed relief prospect Joe Jimenez after one appearance in the Majors, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press argues that the move represented a logical course of action for a club in need of temporarily lengthening its bullpen. Detroit would’ve been without a long reliever in the first game against the division-rival Indians and would have been exposed in the event of a short outing from starter Daniel Norris, Fenech writes. And the risk of further depleting the bullpen by having to turn to the likes of Francisco Rodriguez, Justin Wilson, Alex Wilson and Kyle Ryan in the first game of a series against their top competition in the AL Central wasn’t a scenario with which Detroit wanted to be faced. “If something happens tomorrow with Daniel Norris early in the game, we won’t make it nine innings unless Andrew Romine toes the rubber,” manager Brad Ausmus told reporters after the game. Jimenez figures to be back with the team in short order, according to Fenech, though he’ll need to spend at least 10 days in the minors. Fenech also adds that righty Anibal Sanchez “is not going anywhere” in the near future, as he’s the team’s most experienced piece of rotation depth and the club still believes he can get outs in the Majors, even if he won’t ever return to peak form.

NL Notes: Arroyo, Gray, Gilmartin, Cards

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Right-hander Bronson Arroyo is only two starts into his comeback attempt with the Reds, but the 40-year-old is seemingly giving himself a short leash to produce on the mound, writes Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Following an outing in which he surrendered five runs in six innings yesterday, Arroyo told reporters, “The next two times out, if I don’t see something a little bit crisper and able to keep us in the ballgame a little bit better, maybe you’re at a dead end street. I’m not sure.” 

A bit more from around the Senior Circuit…

  • Rockies right-hander Jon Gray left last night’s contest after aggravating a toe injury that bothered him in Spring Training, and MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that Gray will be reevaluated this morning. The problematic toe is on Gray’s plant foot on the mound, and the Rockies want to be careful with the injury so he doesn’t alter his mechanics to compensate for the pain. Gray could miss a start with the injury, though to this point there’s been no talk of him becoming the latest in a long list of Rockies to land on the disabled list.
  • The Mets are planning to promote southpaw Sean Gilmartin prior to tonight’s contest in order to add a fresh arm to their bullpen in the wake of last night’s 16-inning marathon game, per Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link). The Mets went through eight pitchers last night, including four relievers who threw two or more innings. As Helfand points out, Gilmartin and right-hander Erik Goeddel are essentially the only two viable options on New York’s 40-man roster, and Goeddel has been slowed of late by a groin injury. The Mets have long been touted for their rotation depth, but multiple injuries and the trade of Gabriel Ynoa to the Orioles has thinned out their upper-level options on the 40-man roster.
  • ESPN’s Mark Saxon breaks down each element of the Cardinals’ struggles thus far in the 2017 campaign, noting that the team’s rotation and run production figure to be sound in the long run, but the bullpen and defense look far shakier. As Saxon observes, Alex Reyes’ injury now looks costlier than ever with the underperformance of the bullpen. Matt Adams continues to represent a clumsy fit for the Cardinals’ roster as well, with Saxon suggesting the team seek to trade him in exchange for a true fourth outfielder that can play all three positions. That may prove difficult, of course, as the team wasn’t able to drum up much of a market for Adams this offseason in a crowded market for players with similar skill sets.

AL East Notes: Donaldson, Betances, Orioles

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Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson exited Thursday’s contest with what appears to be an aggravation of the calf injury that has plagued him on and off since early in Spring Training, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes. Donaldson doubled into the right field corner but came up lame after rounding first base and ultimately hobbled into second base. There’s no word on the extent of the injury just yet, but Donaldson began to walk off the field almost immediately after play had halted, and Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets that a trip to the disabled list is a possibility. The 2015 American League MVP missed a significant portion of Spring Training and had a brief flare-up of the injury this past weekend.

Elsewhere in the AL East…

  • Prior to the arbitration hearing that led to a controversial string of comments from Yankees president Randy Levine, right-hander Dellin Betances was offered a two-year deal that would have guaranteed him between $8MM and $8.5MM, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports in his latest AL Notes column. However, with Betances’ camp seeking as much as $5MM in arbitration, they elected to go on with the trial. Rejecting the deal seems reasonable, from my vantage point, as even after losing the trial Betances took home a $3MM figure for the 2017 season. Betances figures to earn more than $4MM next year in arbitration, so the downside in aiming high with the arbitration hearing was relatively minimal.
  • Baseball America’s Ben Badler penned a harsh critique of the Orioles’ paltry investments in international free agency, noting that the O’s spent just $260K on international talent this period and signed only five players. As Badler notes, it’s nothing new, as Baltimore has routinely eschewed significant investments on the international market — much to the detriment of the farm system. Badler points out that even the cash-strapped division-rival Rays spent more than $3MM on 36 international amateurs in 2016 despite being in the metaphorical penalty box for shattering their pool in a previous signing period (thus preventing them from spending more than $300K on a single player). “[O]wnership’s antiquated approach toward Latin America prevents the Orioles’ international scouts from having the resources they need to do their jobs,” Badler writes. Indeed, Baltimore’s total spending is a pittance relative to the rest of the league; on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Padres spent nearly $80MM on international amateurs during the current signing period alone. Notably, the O’s traded their top international bonus slot to the Brewers tonight to acquire recently designated reliever Damien Magnifico.
  • The Orioles will turn to Alec Asher to start versus Toronto on Saturday, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. His selection to face a heavily right-handed lineup suggests that Baltimore plans to utilize its upper-level pitching depth on a case-by-case basis to fill Chris Tillman’s spot in the rotation while Tillman is out, Encina adds. Manager Buck Showalter elaborated on that concept a bit, telling Encina: “We know that has potential to be a moving piece until Chris gets back. We can play a little matchup there until we know for sure when we’re going to get Chris back. … The good news is we have some guys to pick from, not only there, but potentially in Bowie, too.” The Orioles added Asher in a minor Spring Training trade and also picked up several other potential options, including Gabriel Ynoa (in a trade with the Mets) and Richard Bleier (in a trade with the Yankees). Lefty Jayson Aquino was also a consideration for this weekend’s start, Encina notes, but the glut of righties he’d have faced led the team to turn to Asher instead. Tillman figures to be out until early May, so there should be quite a few more spot starts up for grabs among this group.

Brewers Acquire Oliver Drake From Orioles

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The Brewers have acquired right-hander Oliver Drake from the Orioles in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, the teams announced. This is the second swap between the two teams tonight, as Milwaukee shipped recently designated right-hander Damien Magnifico to the O’s in exchange for an international bonus slot just minutes ago. The acquisition of Drake needn’t be accompanied by a 40-man roster move in Milwaukee, because the Brewers also designated right-hander David Goforth for assignment within the past hour.

Drake, 30, was designated for assignment by the Orioles earlier this afternoon — a seemingly innocuous move at the time that set off this moderately dizzying sequence of transactions for the two clubs. In 37 Major League innings, Drake has a 3.89 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 4.6 BB/9 and a 50.5 percent ground-ball rate. Drake doesn’t have minor league options remaining, so he’ll have to be inserted directly into the Milwaukee bullpen. The Brewers could quickly try to run Drake through waivers once again themselves, thus allowing him to be optioned to Triple-A, though in doing so, they’d risk losing him to another club.

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