SUNDAY: Wieters told Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com and other reporters on Sunday that his surgery was to remove a tendon. Wieters believes he could return within six to eight weeks.
THURSDAY: Nationals catcher Matt Wieters has undergone surgery on his left hamstring, per a team announcement. Wieters had already gone on the DL, so no immediate roster moves will be required.
The big question is what kind of rehabilitation timeline will be necessary. Further details are not yet available, but it certainly does not appear to be promising news for the veteran backstop, who had previously only been diagnosed with a strain. Clearly, this is not a typical hamstring injury that requires only rest and rehabilitation.
Wieters, who is nearing his 32nd birthday, has not exactly overwhelmed since joining the Nationals in advance of the 2017 campaign. But he had been a useful player in the early going this year, reversing his struggles at the plate by carrying a .231/.342/.385 batting line with ten walks against a dozen strikeouts.
Even if the Nats have cause to believe Wieters could return at some point during the current season, it now seems likelier than ever that an outside addition will be needed. Spencer Kieboom is currently backing up newly-minted starter Pedro Severino at the position for the time being. While both are considered defensively proficient, they’re also thin on MLB experience and neither has shown much hitting capability in the upper minors. Suspended youngster Raudy Read will be available again before too long, though the preference will likely be to get him back in the swing of things in the upper minors.
For the Nationals, there’s also a longer-term need to consider. Wieters is earning $10.5MM this season before returning to the open market. While Severino ought to represent a reserve or platoon piece for some time, he does not profile as anything approaching an everyday backstop. Read perhaps offers greater upside with the bat, but is hardly a can’t-miss prospect.
There are a variety of hypothetical options out there for the Nationals, who’ll likely find it difficult to make a substantial upgrade until closer to the trade deadline. Bringing in a player such as Miguel Montero, who opened the season in D.C., could help bridge the gap. And it’s conceivable the Nats could give Blake Swihart a crack, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted yesterday, though they’d have to believe more in his capabilities behind the dish than do the Red Sox. It also may just be that the Nationals will prefer to roll with what they have for a bit while seeking to boost the depth at Triple-A.
Looking ahead a bit to the deadline, J.T. Realmuto remains the obvious prize, as we explored recently in a post. But he’ll be widely pursued and figures to cost a significant haul in prospect value. Old friend Wilson Ramos is among the potential rental assets the Nationals could consider, but he and others likely won’t hit the block unless and until the Rays and other organizations decide to pack it in for the season.
Swihart?
For Harper! (laffing) Okay, that likely won’t work…
Probably wouldn’t be enough. Washington might have to swing a trade for Machado and include him in the package, along with a chunk of cash.
Time for another article.
A Catcher with hamstring surgery, he’s done for the year.
He’s 32, he may be done for his career…
Thus ends Wieters’ less than stellar career with the Nats. Now they have no choice but to move on and land a catcher who is also a consistently productive hitter (Realmuto).
Or Wilson Ramos. When the Dodgers throw in the towel, Grandal should be available.
I bet the Nats will go get Ramos back
Makes the most sense. Rays won’t expect a Robles-level prospect in return. They’ll be glad for the payroll savings.
Realmuto price just went up
Pedro Severino is perfectly capable. He is awesome, in fact. Currently hitting .274 with a 104 OPS+ and a 0.7 WAR. Plus a stolen base and great defense. He just needs to learn how to tag runners. Wieters should be his backup anyway. IMO the backup got hurt and as long as he’s back by August, it’s fine.
If Severino’s currently gaudy walk rates and resulting OBP were supported by his past performance at any level, I may be inclined to agree with you. However, a quick glance at his track record suggests that he will quickly come back to earth in that department. Without much in the way of power or a true hit tool, Severino is little more than a potentially plus-fielding backstop with little offensive ceiling.
I keep forgetting that young players can’t improve, and are forever shackled by past performance. Silly me.
Severino is currently riding a .351 BABIP, 50 points higher than league average or so. There is room for regression on his side.
Your right, I love Severino. What I’ve seen from him is he is capable of being one of the top defensive catchers in the MLB.
Also, it’s Spencer Kieboom, Carter his his brother who’s an infielder in the minor leagues right now.
Guys, he may be a good fielder, but his career .633 ops in the minor leagues doesn’t bode well for his offensive ability. That’s not exactly an outlandish observation.
Now, now, no need to bring facts into all this irrational exuberance….
I would say Grandal but I don’t know that the Nationals have anything the Dodgers can use right now.
Maybe if the Nationals took on Grandal’s salary, it would free up the money needed to get someone like Machado while still staying under the cap.
A possibility but since they’d have to give up something significant for Machado and he isn’t going to fix this team’s biggest problem (the bullpen), I’d prefer they eat Grandal’s money to get a good prospect or two in return.
If the Dodgers were willing to part with a significant prospect package.
You could probably pry Machado and a reliever like Brach away from the Orioles whos a FA at years end. Or something long term like Mychal Givens.
Orioles need OF and Dodgers have that in spades with Verdugo, Diaz, etc.
Orioles get Verdugo, Ruiz, White, Peters, Santana
Dodgers get Machado, Brach, Givens (two impact rentals and a reliever for 3.5 years)
I hope they aren’t willing. I don’t see a lot of point in giving up any significant piece of future for this team this season.
Grandal isn’t going anywhere. At the moment he is the Dodgers best hitter.
On a completely hopeless team. It’s time for management to own up to this failed season and move on with the plan for next year. That plan doesn’t include Grandal so it makes no sense for him to play out his contract in LA. It’s a great sell-high opportunity.
I believe you mean Spencer Kieboom. Carter is a shortstop.
Knew I’d do that at some point. Thanks, fixeed.
As of two minutes ago, Spencer Kieboom’s bb-ref page lists his position as “pinch hitter.” I assume that’s because his one MLB appearance was as a PH and isn’t a swipe at his defensive prowess.
That’s correct. BB-Ref won’t list him as a catcher (or any other position) until he appears there on defense.
Hopefully this guy Keiboom makes something of his MLB opportunity he’s been given because with that last name, the possibilities are endless 🙂
“possibilities are endless.”
Could have been worse, x. Imagine the name Kieboom on a closer.
Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse for Wieters…
Nats are probably more likely to go with what they have at this point than add from outside. They’ll look at what’s available, like the Twins are currently and decide from there. If they thought upgrading at catcher would be a difference maker they would have upgraded already.
If I’m the Marlins, Realmuto for Kieboom, Raudy Read, Daniel Johnson and a P prospect gets it done right now.
For all this talk about Realmuto, I think the most likely acquisition target is Jonathan Lucroy. Rizzo and Beane have done such a huge number of trades over the years, and on a one-year deal it’s going to be a lot more reasonable for the Nats.
I remember when I said this was a bad signing and y’all trying to crucify me. Well well well
Not that I’m trying to tell y’all I told you so but in my opinion a good catcher controls the game well and hitting is a plus
Tigers have C prospects galore so they could part with McCann who has power and a cannon arm. Two to three years of control makes around 2-3 million