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Archives for August 2017

Giants Place Brandon Belt On Concussion DL, Promote Pablo Sandoval

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The Giants have announced that they’ve placed first baseman Brandon Belt on the 7-day concussion DL. Taking his place on the roster will be a familiar face — that of Pablo Sandoval, who the team recently signed to a minor-league deal.

[Related: Updated San Francisco Giants Depth Chart]

Belt was struck in the head by an Anthony Banda curveball yesterday. Belt has an extensive concussion history that includes three DL stints in 2014, so it’s likely any potential head trauma would be worrisome to the Giants. He’s batting .241/.355/.469 with 18 homers this season.

Sandoval returns to play for the Giants for the first time since 2014, after which he left to begin what turned out to be a disastrous tenure with the Red Sox. Since his return to the Giants organization last month, he’s batted just 8-for-38 in two minor-league stops. Still, the last-place Giants arguably have little to lose in promoting him, and at least something to gain, since his current contract gives them options for 2018 and 2019 (when he’ll still be paid by the Red Sox) at the league minimum as long as he’s on the Giants’ roster.

Mariners Place Felix Hernandez On 10-Day DL

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The Mariners have announced that they’ve placed righty Felix Hernandez on the 10-day DL with right biceps tendinitis. To take his place on the active roster (and to start for him today against Kansas City), they’ve recalled righty Marco Gonzales from Triple-A Tacoma.

Hernandez has struggled in his last two starts, giving up a total of eight runs over 11 innings against Boston and Texas, and he’s in the midst of an uncharacteristically uninspiring season, with a 4.28 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 over 73 2/3 innings. He also missed time earlier this season to a right shoulder inflammation. Nonetheless, the timing of his current injury comes as somewhat of a surprise. It’s unclear, at this point, how much time we’ll need to miss, but a second bout of arm trouble is never welcome news to player or team. As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets, Hernandez’s injury could increase the likelihood of the Mariners acquiring a starter via a waiver trade.

The Mariners last month acquired Gonzales from the Cardinals for Tyler O’Neill. He briefly appeared in the big leagues with St. Louis earlier this season but has not yet pitched in a game with the Mariners, although GM Jerry Dipoto said last week that he was impressed with Gonzales and expected him to appear in the big leagues later in the season. He has a 3.02 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 over 86 1/3 minor-league innings this year after missing all of 2016 after having Tommy John surgery.

Orioles Acquire Brallan Perez From Rangers For Int’l Bonus Spending Rights

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2:04pm: The Rangers will receive $500K in international spending rights, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.

11:25am: The Orioles have acquired minor-league infielder Brallan Perez from the Rangers for the rights to international bonus spending, the teams have announced. The Orioles have assigned Perez to Class A+ Frederick.

The 21-year-old Perez was batting .234/.309/.266 for the Rangers’ Class A+ Down East, although he hit fairly well at the Class A level in 2016 and performed well in a smaller sample at Class A Hickory this season. He’s played mostly second base in 2017, although he’s also played shortstop and third. He signed with the Rangers out of Colombia in 2012. He did not rank among the Rangers’ top 30 prospects, via MLB.com.

For the Orioles, the move continues a recent trend in which they’ve added talent in exchange for international bonus spending rights. They picked up righty Yefry Ramirez from the Yankees for international bonus rights last week, and also added pitchers Matt Wotherspoon, Jason Wheeler and Damien Magnifico and infielder Milton Ramos in separate trades earlier this season. They also gave up international bonus rights in their acquisition of Jeremy Hellickson from the Phillies.

The Rangers, meanwhile, have done the opposite, dealing infielder Yeyson Yrizarri to the White Sox for international bonus spending in mid-July. They currently have a relatively costly July 2 class that includes Venezuelan outfielder Wilderd Patino ($1.3MM), Venezuelan shortstop Keyber Rodriguez ($1M) and Mexican right-hander Damian Mendoza ($1M), although their overall plans for their international spending season aren’t yet entirely clear.

Jay Bruce Clears Revocable Waivers

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SATURDAY: Bruce’s current no-trade list includes the Yankees, Phillies, Marlins, Twins, Diamondbacks, Athletics, Rays and Blue Jays, Rosenthal tweets. Bruce would, however, likely approve a trade to a contending club.

FRIDAY: Mets outfielder Jay Bruce has cleared revocable waivers, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (via Twitter). He is now eligible to be traded without limitation — excepting his eight-team no-trade clause — and seems to be one of the players most worth watching over the coming weeks.

Of course, Bruce was freely marketed before the July 31st non-waiver deadline, and New York did not find a deal to its liking, so there’s no reason to believe the situation is all that different at present. And it seems the Mets are placing value on the idea of issuing the veteran a qualifying offer at the end of the season, so he’s not a sure thing to be dealt.

That said, Bruce remains an appealing potential trade target and could be an especially notable asset if one or more teams come down with injury problems. The 30-year-old carries a .262/.325/.531 slash with 29 home runs through 100 games of action this year, so he’d represent a quality middle-of-the-order threat for a contender.

As ever, salary is a factor — especially at this time of year, when many teams have committed available resources. Around $4MM of Bruce’s $13MM salary remains to be paid.

Curtis Granderson Clears Revocable Waivers

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Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson has cleared revocable waivers, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Like his teammate Jay Bruce, he can now be traded without being claimed. Unlike Bruce, Granderson does not have a limited no-trade clause.

There were various reports about the possibility the Mets would trade Granderson prior to the July 31 deadline, and he was linked to the Brewers. In the end, obviously, the Mets held onto him. Granderson is in the middle of what’s become a fairly typical Granderson season — he has a very low batting average (.223), but compensates for it with walks (48 in 358 plate appearances) and good power (14 home runs). The 36-year-old doesn’t have the speed he once did and rates as a below-average defender in center, although he still grades out fairly well in right. He rated fifth in our recent list of the top August trade candidates.

Granderson is in the last season of the four-year, $60MM deal he signed with the Mets in December 2013. He’s owed a bit under $5MM for the remainder of the season.

West Notes: Gattis, Diamondbacks, Cain, Span

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Astros catcher and designated hitter Evan Gattis appears headed to the disabled list after receiving a concussion diagnosis yesterday, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The end of a Corey Dickerson swing caught Gattis in the head on Thursday. The team currently plans to option first baseman A.J. Reed to Triple-A Fresno and promote third baseman J.D. Davis, who was hitting .282/.345/.527 in the high minors this season. The team will have to make another move to add a catcher if it does place Gattis on the DL, however. Here’s more from the West divisions.

  • The Diamondbacks’ rotation has gone from second worst in the Majors last year to second best this season, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello notes. Petriello credits big improvements in the Snakes’ outfield defense and catching, along with Robbie Ray’s breakout, and Taijuan Walker’s addition. He also notes that Zack Godley moved from relieving to starting for the big club this year, while Archie Bradley did the opposite; both moves had a big impact on the fortunes of Arizona’s starting pitchers.
  • The 42-69 Giants are finding new roles for two veteran players, as Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group noted earlier this week. The team will use Matt Cain, who’s in the midst of a third straight season with an ERA above five, as a long reliever until his contract expires at the end of the season. (The team does have an option on Cain for 2018, but almost certainly won’t exercise it.) Chris Stratton will take Cain’s place in the rotation. And the team has told center fielder Denard Span it plans to move him to left field, although he might not actually make that move until next spring. Span, for his part, since he has “no problem” with the move, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. “If you look around the league, you don’t see too many everyday center fielders who are 33 years old,” he says. “By the same token, I think I can still play center.”

East Notes: Altherr, Snitker, Rays

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The Phillies are placing Aaron Altherr on the DL after the outfielder aggravated his injured hamstring, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Altherr spent ten days on the DL due to a hamstring problem last month. When healthy, the 26-year-old has been a highlight of the Phillies’ season, batting .285/.357/.536 with 16 home runs in 336 plate appearances, but now it appears he’ll be on the shelf for at least a short time. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Braves are “almost certain” to retain manager Brian Snitker next season, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Snitker took over as the Braves’ interim manager last season, and the Braves hired him full-time (although only for a one-year deal plus an option) after he led the rebuilding club to a 59-65 record following a brutal 9-28 start under Fredi Gonzalez. After a 50-58 start this year, it appears both the Braves’ players and its front office appreciate having Snitker around. Snitker has “done everything possible to help us win,” says Freddie Freeman. “He deserved the managerial job when he got, and we all hope that he’s back.” Team president of baseball operations John Hart suggests Snitker will return. “[L]et’s just say that Brian hasn’t done anything to make us look around for candidates like we were doing at this time last year, when we were compiling names,” says Hart. “If you broke into my office in the dead of night, you would find no slips of paper in my desk.”
  • Prior to yesterday’s game, the Rays optioned lefty and former top prospect Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times noted. They also recalled lefty Jose Alvarado (giving the Rays’ bullpen an extra arm for the time being), activated infielder Daniel Robertson, and optioned infielder Taylor Featherston. The 24-year-old Snell has a 4.98 ERA this season with 8.0 K/9 and a too-high 5.1 BB/9. This is the second time he’s been sent down — he also spent a six-week stint with Durham beginning in mid-May. Topkin notes that it’s unclear who will take Snell’s rotation spot, although the team has an off-day Monday, so there will be time to sort that out. One possibility is that Austin Pruitt (who pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston earlier this week) could remain in the rotation after Jake Odorizzi returns from a back strain. But Topkin also mentions that the team could promote 22-year-old top prospect Brent Honeywell, who has a 3.95 ERA, 11.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 100 1/3 innings in his first season with Durham.

Matt Shoemaker Considering Surgery

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Angels righty Matt Shoemaker is now considering a surgical option as he “continues to experience progressive symptoms related to radial nerve compression,” the club announced today.

Obviously, a decision on the course of treatment has yet to be made. And it’s not entirely clear just what procedure — and what sort of outlook and timeline for a return — is under contemplation. Shoemaker had been building back toward the majors after a rest period, but was forced to halt a pen session today, according to Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

The 30-year-old righty last appeared for the Halos in the middle of June, and it seems increasingly likely that he may not make it back to the majors this year. He hadn’t exactly been at his best before that, with a 4.52 ERA over 77 2/3 innings on the year, but was at least giving Los Angeles much-needed innings as they deal with a barrage of pitching injuries.

Rather remarkably, the Angels have stayed in the AL Wild Card picture despite questionable work from the rotation, which has produced middle-of-the-pack results that outpace the peripherals. But the promise of late-season returns from Shoemaker and others — Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney, and Garrett Richards — has held out hope of a real push for a postseason berth.

Shoemaker’s new status certainly doesn’t improve the picture, though there’s optimism still regarding the others. Both Skaggs and Heaney are due back soon. As for Richards, he was able to throw twenty pitches off of a mound today, Moura tweets, and says he has no doubt he’ll return this year as well.

White Sox Sign Al Alburquerque

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The White Sox have signed righty Al Alburquerque to a minors deal, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports on Twitter. He’ll report to Triple-A Charlotte.

Alburquerque, 31, becomes the latest veteran reliever to join a Chicago organization that is stockpiling arms after a flurry of deadline activity. He’ll join veterans such as Mark Lowe, Jean Machi, and Danny Farquhar as recent additions to the depth chart.

Most recently, Alburquerque pitched with the Royals. He took his free agency after losing his roster spot following ten innings of 3.60 ERA ball. He’s still throwing 94 and getting swings and misses, though his career-long walk problems were also still evident. That said, Alburquerque did manage to allow only 1.7 BB/9 in his 26 Triple-A frames on the year, over which he also recorded 9.7 K/9 while carrying a 2.08 ERA.

Boone Logan Unlikely To Return In 2017

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The Indians will likely go the rest of the way without lefty Boone Logan, as Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports on Twitter. While he probably won’t need surgery to address his lat injury, Logan is expected to require a lengthy period of rest and rehab.

If Logan doesn’t make it back, it’ll complicate the team’s decision on his $7MM club option, which comes with a $1MM buyout. Soon to turn 33, Logan has bumped his typically outstanding swinging-strike rate to a career-best 18.5% while averaging a dozen strikeouts per nine, drawing grounders on half of the balls put in play against him, and throwing as hard as ever. He has also managed only a 4.71 ERA, though perhaps he has been unfortunate to carry a .353 BABIP-against as well as a 62.5% strand rate. Cleveland has deployed Logan mostly against lefties, calling on him for only 21 innings over 38 appearances.

Since Logan initially hit the DL, the Indians have also lost star southpaw Andrew Miller — though he wasn’t exactly a situational piece. That potentially adds to the need left with the departure of Logan, though. Cleveland does have some internal options. Tyler Olson has carried his intriguing Triple-A numbers into the majors thus far, though that’s in just a four-appearance sample. And the club just added veteran southpaw Craig Breslow on a minors deal; of course, he did not exactly thrive earlier this year with the division-rival Twins.

All said, the news that Logan is likely down for the count could well spur the Indians to make a move — if, that is, an appealing option becomes available. While deadline targets like Brad Hand and Zach Britton weren’t traded, it’s far from clear that either would represent plausible candidates to move in August. And MLBTR’s list of the most likely August trade chips isn’t exactly loaded with lefty relievers. But it’s reasonably likely a contender or two will make an interesting arm available after they fall out of the race, and there are a few starters (say, Clayton Richard and Derek Holland) that could conceivably move into a relief role.

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