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Archives for April 2018

Brewers Place Christian Yelich on 10-Day DL

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After letting him sit out a few games with a minor oblique injury, the Brewers have elected to place outfielder Christian Yelich on the 10-day DL. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled right-hander Taylor Williams from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

During Yelich’s absence, it seems likely that Domingo Santana will fill in for him in the outfield. Yelich was off to a hot start for the 2018 season; he’s hit .385/.407/.577 across 27 plate appearances for the Brew Crew with one long ball and five runs driven in.  The 26-year-old has played at least 155 games in consecutive seasons, a streak that will now officially come to an end with the news that he’ll miss at least the ten-day minimum.

Yelich, of course, was perhaps the Brewers’ biggest offseason addition. The club sent top prospects Lewis Brinson and Isan Diaz, along with two other minor-leaguers, to Miami in order to bring the young slugger to Milwaukee. He sports a career .291/.366/.433 batting line across his first 2,839 plate appearances, with 60 homers and a 121 wRC+.

Lonnie Chisenhall Out 4-6 Weeks With Calf Strain

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Days after getting outfielder Michael Brantley back from the disabled list, the Indians have learned that they’ll be without right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall for four to six weeks. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com first tweeted the timetable, which came from the mouth of Indians manager Terry Francona. Chisenhall left Saturday’s game against the Royals early, and was officially placed on the disabled list early this morning (the club recalled Tyler Naquin to take his place in right field for the time being).

It’s an upsetting development for the Tribe, who saw Chisenhall miss significant time last season with the same issue. The re-aggravation of the injury during a seemingly routine few innings in right field doesn’t bode well for Chisenhall’s 2018 season. The timing is also unfortunate for him financially, as he’s set to become a free agent this winter and would like to erase the injury concerns from the memories of potential suitors.

Chisenhall was a notable beneficiary of the fly ball revolution last season, as he decreased his ground ball rate from 23.9% in 2016 to just 15.8% in 2017, and correspondingly increased his line drive rate and fly ball rate by four percentage points apiece. That adjustment resulted in a career-best .288/.360/.520 batting line. The Indians will certainly be hoping they can get his bat back in the lineup on the shorter end of the injury timetable.

White Sox Select Bruce Rondon’s Contract

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The White Sox announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Bruce Rondon in advance of today’s game against the Tigers, Rondon’s former team.

One of few players capable of reaching 102 MPH on the radar gun, the Tigers had lofty expectations for Rondon from the outset. A 2013 debut in which he pitched to a 3.45 ERA with 9.42 K/9 was certainly encouraging as well. However, Tommy John surgery prevented him from taking the mound for the entire 2014 season, and though he racked up the strikeouts big time the following year, his 2015 campaign ended with him being sent home due to “effort level“.

The righty’s tumultuous tenure with Detroit came to a close this past December, when the club elected to non-tender him rather than pay him a projected $1.2MM arbitration salary. Rondon sat on the market until February 1st, when the South Siders elected to pick him up on a minors pact. All told, Rondon’s upside lies in his velocity and his strikeout ability, but he’ll have to harness his control in order to be effective with his new team.

Marlins Select Tyler Cloyd’s Contract, Designate Jacob Turner

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The Marlins announced (via the team’s media info account on Twitter) that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Tyler Cloyd from Triple-A New Orleans. In a corresponding move, the team has designated right-hander Jacob Turner for assignment.

The 30-year-old Cloyd joined the Marlins this offseason on a minors pact. He made just a single relief appearance for the Mariners in 2017. Prior to that, he hadn’t appeared in the majors since the 2013 season, during which he pitched 60 1/3 innings across 13 appearances (11 stats). Cloyd’s season stats were ugly overall; he gave up more earned runs more often than he struck out hitters, ending the year with a 6.56 ERA. Since then, he’s bounced around with the Triple-A affiliates of the Indians, Yankees and the aforementioned Mariners.

Turner, 26, has never quite lived up to his pre-2009-draft billing, which prompted the Tigers to select him ninth overall. Fangraphs pegs him as performing below replacement level in each of the past three seasons, while Baseball Reference believes him to have been roughly replacement level last year but worth nearly two wins below replacement in the two seasons prior combined. Though he made Miami’s opening day roster out of spring training, the righty gave up a startling ten earned runs across just 5 2/3 innings spanning four relief appearances to start the year.

Injury Notes: Powell, Ramirez, Blackmon, Rodriguez, Indians

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Athletics outfielder Boog Powell is headed to the DL after suffering a knee sprain, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The left-handed-hitting Powell has hit just .167/.200/.292 in the first week of the season, though he did impress with a 135 wRC+ in limited action with the A’s last season. Powell beat out top prospect Dustin Fowler for the starting center field job during spring training, but he’ll now be absent for at least ten days while rehabbing.

Other injury notes from around baseball…

  • Maria Guardado of MLB.com tweets that Angels righty J.C. Ramirez exited his most recent start with “forearm tightness”. It’s highly disturbing news for the Halos; Ramirez was diagnosed with a partially-torn UCL in his throwing elbow last season, but elected to go with stem cell surgery rather than opt for a Tommy John procedure. Ramirez has thrown 6 2/3 innings this season; he’s struck out four opposing hitters while allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and seven walks.
  • Rockies star Charlie Blackmon is dealing with some back spasms, but told reporters he is not injured (h/t Nick Groke of the Denver Post). “It was a little bit tight for most of the game and kept getting tighter. I’ve dealt with it before and been all right.” Blackmon, of course, just signed an extension with Colorado and is a key component to their contention plans this season.
  • The Red Sox have officially activated left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez from the 10-day disabled list. Right-hander Marcus Walden has been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket in a related move. Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes that Hector Velazquez and Brian Johnson are expected to pitch out of the bullpen for the time being, as the Sox have a number of off days coming up; those days will eliminate the need for a fifth starter for the time being. The 25-year-old pitched to a 4.19 ERA last season in 137 1/3 innings last season, and is coming off a winter knee surgery.
  • Jordan Bastian of MLB.com has the latest updates on a number of Indians injuries. Right-hander Danny Salazar (shoulder) is still unable to throw off a mound with “full intensity”, so he’s still a few weeks away from game activity. Third baseman Giovanny Urshela (hamstring), on the other hand, is just a week away from possibly starting a minor-league rehab assignment. Left-hander Ryan Merritt (knee) has resumed throwing and is scheduled to pitch an extended spring game on Wednesday, while righty Cody Anderson (elbow) is finally back to throwing off a mound following Tommy John surgery in March of 2017; he’s “several week away” from potential game activity. Of these four players, only Anderson has a minor-league option remaining, meaning the Tribe will be facing a significant roster crunch in the near future. In other Tribe injury news, Lonnie Chisenhall has officially been placed on the 10-day DL. Tyler Naquin has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take his place (h/t Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Quick Hits: Duffy, Melky, Indians, Brewers, Giants

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Royals left-hander Danny Duffy was a popular name in trade rumors during the offseason, but he ended up staying put. Duffy remains a trade candidate, however, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. It would take “the right package of prospects” to land the 29-year-old Duffy, Cafardo writes. Duffy’s under control through 2021 for a total of $60MM. He’s off to a rough start this year – albeit over two just two appearances – having allowed eight earned runs on 10 hits and five walks (with eight strikeouts) in 9 2/3 innings.

More from around the game…

  • There are teams interested in signing free-agent outfielder Melky Cabrera to a minor league deal, per Cafardo. It’s unclear, though, whether the 33-year-old would be open to signing a minors pact. An inability to contribute in the field or on the base paths have likely been the main culprits for Cabrera’s unemployment, and it doesn’t help that he hit an uninspiring .285/.324/.423 (98 wRC+) across 666 plate appearances between the White Sox and Royals in 2017.
  • Indians outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall suffered a right calf injury Saturday and will likely head to the disabled list, manager Terry Francona told Joe Noga of cleveland.com and other reporters. Chisenhall previously missed 45 games last year with a right calf issue, notes Noga, who adds that the Indians could recall Tyler Naquin from Triple-A to take his place. Naquin went to the minors Friday to make room for the just-activated Michael Brantley.
  • Left-handed reliever Dan Jennings’ deal with the Brewers is worth $750K, and it includes up to $1.075MM more in games pitched incentives, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Jennings, whom the Rays released before the season, has already made five appearances and tossed 5 1/3 innings with Milwaukee. Thus far, he has allowed one run on four hits, with three strikeouts against two walks.
  • Giants righty Jeff Samardzija is aiming to make his season debut around April 19, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group writes. In the meantime, the plan is for Samardzija to pitch in extended spring training Monday and then make a minor league rehab start. The 33-year-old innings-eater has been out since late March with a strained pectoral muscle. Thanks to Samardzija’s injury and ace Madison Bumgarner’s broken left pinkie, the Giants are without two of their best starters.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Ohtani, Harper, Didi, Bogaerts, Dodgers, Cards

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This week in baseball blogs…

Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com

Mariners Sign Chris Herrmann To Minors Deal

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The Mariners have signed catcher/outfielder Chris Herrmann to a minor league contract, Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto reports.  Curto broke the news yesterday that Herrmann was working out with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, and it may be a couple of days before Herrmann is officially activated in order to give him time to get fully ramped up.

Herrmann will take over from the just-released Tuffy Gosewisch as the primary Triple-A depth catcher for the Mariners, as Curto notes.  The M’s are thin at the position at the big league level, with Mike Marjama and David Freitas handling duties behind the plate while Mike Zunino is on the DL with an oblique injury, so there’s a chance Herrmann could get a promotion sooner rather than later.  (Especially since Seattle is being cautious with Zunino’s recovery.)

The Diamondbacks designated Herrmann for assignment and ultimately released him prior to Opening Day, thus saving themselves three-quarters of the $1.3MM owed to Herrmann in an arbitration-avoiding deal over the winter.  Herrmann is coming off a rough .181/.273/.345 performance over 256 plate appearances with Arizona last season, a major dropoff from the impressive .284/.352/.493 slash line he posted over 166 PA in 2016.  Herrmann can also fill in at first base and in the corner outfield, giving him more versatility than the average backup catcher.

Maikel Franco Switches Agencies

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Phillies third basman Maikel Franco has switched agencies and is now a client of Octagon Sports, Jon Heyman of FanRag reports (Twitter link).

Although he’s still just 25 years old, this may be a make-or-break season in Philadelphia for Franco, who has batted an underwhelming .248/.301/.428 (91 wRC+) through 1,663 plate appearances since debuting in 2014. Franco was outstanding as a rookie in 2015, when he hit .280/.343/.497 (129 wRC+) across 335 PAs and looked like a long-term core piece for Philly. He struggled during the two ensuing seasons, however, and is now fighting to stay relevant for a Phillies team that may have a replacement on hand in 23-year-old infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery, whom they signed to a long-term contract last month. Kingery landed his deal before ever logging a major league at-bat, demonstrating the confidence the Phillies have in him.

Franco, to his credit, has responded to the pressure in 2018, albeit over just 18 PAs. He has thus far slashed .313/.318/.813 (213 wRC+), including a grand slam on Saturday. Regardless of whether he stays with the Phillies, he’s controllable via arbitration through the 2021 campaign. Franco’s on a $2.95MM salary this season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/7/18

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest moves at the top of the post…

  • The Angels have outrighted Juan Graterol to Triple-A after the catcher cleared waivers, the team’s communications department announced (Twitter link).  Graterol was designated for assignment earlier this week to create 40-man roster space for the newly-acquired Miguel Almonte.  Graterol appeared in 48 games for the Halos last season but their offseason signing of Rene Rivera pushed Graterol down to the level of a minor league depth piece.  Graterol has a .493 OPS over 102 MLB plate appearances in his career, and a .271/.321/.336 slash line over 1912 PA in the minors.

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