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J.P. Howell Joins Indy Ball Team

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Former MLB lefty J.P. Howell has joined the independent league San Rafael Pacifics, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Those interested in an enjoyable story will certainly want to give the article a full read.

Howell’s new team is a member of the Pacific Association. While that’s not traditionally the top circuit for players looking to catch the eye of MLB scouts, it’s close to home for the veteran hurler. Howell, who has a dozen years of experience at the game’s highest level, says he’s keen to enjoy the experience but also still hopes to make it back to the big leagues.

Last year, Howell appeared in 16 games with the Blue Jays, but he struggled while dealing with shoulder problems. It wasn’t long ago, though, that he was a productive member of the Dodgers’ bullpen. Prior to that point, he reached the majors with the Royals and spent six campaigns with the Rays. All told, he has accumulated 619 2/3 innings of 3.83 ERA ball in the majors.

Howell intends to work as a starter with the Pacifics, though it’s not clear that he’s necessarily pursuing a dedicated return to the rotation as part of a strategy for a MLB re-run. The 35-year-old, who broke into the majors as a starter, simply tells Shea: “The more reps the better.”

Mets Place Noah Syndergaard On DL With Strained Finger Ligament

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1:16pm: It seems the injury is not viewed as a serious one. James Wagner of the New York Times tweets that Syndergaard could potentially return after the minimum absence. (The placement was backdated to May 26th.) He’ll wear a splint for the time being but could try throwing again this weekend to gauge his progress.

12:32pm: The Mets announced that righty Noah Syndergaard has been placed on the 10-day DL. He was diagnosed with a strained ligament in his right index finger, per the announcement.

At present, it’s not clear how long the Mets will go without their co-ace. But any absence is most unwelcome given the tightly packed group of contenders in the NL East.

The real question here, of course, is whether this injury holds any potential for long-term concern. That’s simply not apparent based upon what is known publicly at this point. Prior to the team’s announcement, after all, there was no indication that Syndergaard was dealing with a problem at all.

There are also more immediate needs to be dealt with. The New York organization is going to have to scramble to account for Syndergaard’s scheduled start tomorrow. That could mean that Jason Vargas takes the ball on short rest, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link), and/or that the club tries to find a fresh arm from its minor-league ranks.

Thus far in 2018, Syndergaard has been in fine form after missing much of the prior season with a lat injury. He owns a 3.06 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 through 64 2/3 innings, with a typically sturdy 47.7% groundball rate. He is throwing his fastballs in the upper-nineties range we’ve come to expect and carries a personal-high 15.0% swinging-strike rate.

Mariners, Jayson Werth Agree To Delay Opt-Out Date

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The Mariners have agreed with outfielder Jayson Werth to delay the opt-out date in his minor-league agreement, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). Werth joined the organization in late March after wrapping up a seven-year run with the Nationals.

Werth’s deal had included an opt-out opportunity yesterday, per the report. But it was agreed that the date would be pushed back since Werth had recently experienced a hamstring injury. It is not known when the new opt-out opportunity will arise.

Since he has joined the roster at Triple-A Tacoma, Werth has appeared in 27 games and turned in a .219/.315/.417 slash over 111 plate appearances. He has four home runs with a 28:12 K/BB ratio.

Needless to say, those aren’t overwhelming offensive numbers, particularly for a player who just turned 39 and has struggled in the big leagues in recent years. Still, Werth might have earned a MLB promotion had it not been for the M’s recent acquisition of his former outfield mate Denard Span. And he could still be considered for a bench role at some point if an injury arises or if the club decides it would like to have a right-handed-hitting complement for Span.

Trade Candidate: Scooter Gennett

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The Reds don’t have much going on at the MLB level this year. Their 19-36 record is a bit disappointing, perhaps, but largely aligns with expectations after a winter that mostly involved acquiring some affordable pitching depth to supplement a returning roster filled with question marks.

There have been some recent front-office wins, though. Offseason additions David Hernandez and Jared Hughes have been nice bullpen buys to this point; both could end up as deadline assets or useful pieces for the 2019 season. The extensions of Tucker Barnhart and Eugenio Suarez have worked out nicely so far. Reclaiming Matt Harvey seems to be a worthwhile, albeit still-uncertain venture.

Perhaps the biggest score of late, though — setting aside the landing of Luis Castillo, at least — has come via the waiver claim of Scooter Gennett from the division-rival Brewers late in Spring Training last year. Gennett was very productive in 2017, but has now elevated his output yet further in the new season. With the picture of the 2018 trade deadline beginning to take shape, he’s a potential source of trade value for the Reds and an interesting player to examine.

Avid readers of MLBTR may recall that, at times in the past, I have shed some doubt on Gennett’s merits as a trade candidate. His effort last year was not accompanied by any improvements to his plate discipline, he carried a somewhat elevated .339 batting average on balls in play with less-than-promising Statcast data (.367 wOBA vs. .322 xwOBA), and he continued to struggle against same-handed pitching (.248/.287/.404 vs. lefties).

Entering the current season, then, my own expectations were not terribly lofty for the 28-year-old, who is playing on a reasonable, but not exactly cut-rate $5.7MM salary. That non-bargain pay grade also weighs down the value of controlling Gennett’s 2019 season via arbitration. It wasn’t all that surprising that he remained with the Reds when the season began, particularly given the relative dearth of demand at second base, a position that he has never fielded with particular excellence.

Rumors of regression have to this point been greatly exaggerated, though, as Gennett is off to a fabulous start in the new year. Through 212 plate appearances this year, he’s slashing a healthy .340/.376/.558 with ten home runs. That’s good for a 156 wRC+. Despite typically middling defensive grades at second base, Gennett has already contributed 2.2 rWAR / 1.9 fWAR on the year.

Basically, Gennett is performing right now like a post-breakout Daniel Murphy. The added benefit here, of course, is that he’s younger and cheaper. Gennett is even torching lefties thus far, with a .364/.375/.545 slash that quiets one of the most obvious critiques of his abilities at the plate.

Impressive as Gennett has been, though, some concerns continue to nag. Surely, he won’t be able to sustain a .405 batting average on balls in play. Statcast numbers again indicate that he has been somewhat fortunate, grading him at a .349 xwOBA that substantially lags his actual .397 wOBA. Gennett certainly has not shown any leaps in the plate-discipline department, as he has an unremarkable combination of a 20.7% strikeout and 5.1% walk rate to begin the 2018 season. And these signals are all the more evident in his 57 plate appearances against southpaws (.514 BABIP, 18:1 K/BB).

It still seems, then, that some regression is in store. But Gennett has shown signs of real change, too. He has quietly converted groundballs to line drives of late. In 2016, he put the ball on the ground 44.7% of the time and hit liners on 20.8% of his batted balls. Thus far in 2018, he’s at 37.3% and 26.6%, respectively. Though he’s not a particularly dramatic participant in the Launch Angle Revolution, Gennett has steadily elevated over time, moving from an average of 10.5 degrees (2015) to 11.7 degrees (2016) to 12.8 degrees (2017). This year, so far, he sits at 14.4 degrees on average. Of late, Gennett has maintained a lofty homer-per-fly rate (20.8% last year, 17.5% this).

An optimist might argue that this interesting blend of data points suggests that Gennett has honed in on being the best version of himself. He’s hitting the ball sharply on a line while generating well-struck high flies when that’s what’s available. That it has come through steady development rather than an obvious change in approach should not necessarily represent a red flag. Pessimists, on the other hand, will cite many of the above figures in support of the proposition that Gennett’s skills simply don’t support this kind of output. By that view, while he’s going well over an extended stretch, Gennett still hasn’t provided good reason to believe it’s sustainable. Projection systems, for instance, generally anticipate that he’ll settle into producing in range of the league-average rate.

We still have about two months of action left before the trade deadline, so the evidence is still being gathered. At some point, though, contending teams with a need at second base will need to decide whether it’s worth trying to pry Gennett loose from the Reds. Just how willing the Cincinnati organization is to deal, meanwhile, could depend in part upon whether and when top prospect Nick Senzel forces a promotion. But the biggest driver will likely be the quality of the offers.

There are a few other second basemen that will surely be weighed as deadline targets — MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently listed a few — but Gennett is the one presently pacing all MLB second baggers in offensive output. It’s hardly certain that there’ll be broad demand at the position. That may not be entirely necessary if Gennett truly stands out, but that’s just where the core question lies. Clearly, he has proven since joining the Reds that he’s a quality MLB player who can help a contender. But unless one or more teams come to believe he’s truly an everyday, high-level type of performer, it’s fair to wonder whether an offer will come in that’s strong enough to pique the Reds’ interest.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Astros To Place Brian McCann On DL, Select Tim Federowicz

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The Astros will place catcher Brian McCann on the 10-day DL with knee soreness, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by fellow backstop Tim Federowicz, whose contract will be selected.

McCann has dealt with knee issues in the past, which perhaps is not terribly surprising for a 34-year-old who has logged over 1,500 games behind the dish in his MLB career. By the description, it seems this placement is more about dealing with the long-term wear and tear than addressing any particular recent, acute injury.

Certainly, the numbers suggest it’s time for a respite. While the ’Stros have surged, McCann has fallen off with the bat. He posted a .271/.397/.407 slash in his first 73 plate appearances but is hitting just .164/.207/.291 in his most recent 58 trips to the dish.

As for Federowicz, he’ll be appearing in his seventh MLB season, though he has only 318 total plate appearances to date at the game’s highest level. He has been doing damage at Triple-A, as is his wont, with a .337/.407/.584 slash in 113 plate appearances this year — boosting his lifetime OPS at the highest level of the minors to a healthy .884 mark.

Generally, this move helps explain why many see the ’Stros as a plausible suitor for catching help at the trade deadline. McCann, who’s controlled by a club option for 2019, has generally been a solid asset for Houston but likely isn’t suited to heavy usage behind the dish at this stage of his career. Current reserve Max Stassi has impressed to date with a .300/.371/.525 slash on the year, though that has come with 29 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances.

AL Notes: Ervin, Lincecum, Beltre, Moustakas

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Twins righty Ervin Santana will continue his rehab assignment with a start today at the High-A level, as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press tweets, after throwing 45 pitches in his first outing.* Santana has spent the first two months of the season on the mend from finger surgery, but is now ramping up in earnest in advance of a return to the MLB mound. The 35-year-old has turned in two-straight excellent campaigns in Minnesota and will be looked to for a boost again this year. Santana’s ultimate return could create some interesting rotation questions for the Twins. Veteran Lance Lynn has lagged Kyle Gibson and eye-opening youngster Fernando Romero in output thus far, so it’s tough to guess how the club will create an opening when Santana is ready. Of course, there’s still time for the picture to change in the interim.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Rangers still aren’t ready to promote veteran righty Tim Lincecum to the MLB roster, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Though he’s now eligible to return from the DL, Lincecum will remain on his rehab assignment for at least a while longer. The thirty-day limit expires on June 5th, so a decision point is coming soon on a player who signed a $1MM contract during Spring Training. Through 9 2/3 minor-league frames, Lincecum has allowed eight earned runs with a 10:7 K/BB ratio.
  • In a mailbag, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan provides some answers to a variety of questions facing a disappointing Rangers ballclub. Of particular interest, he argues that “the odds seem high” that the club won’t deal away veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre. Though he’d surely be of interest to contenders, so long as he can get back to health and show well in advance of the deadline, Beltre is also still highly valued by the Texas organization despite the fact that he’s a pending free agent. Sullivan notes that, while Beltre’s future intentions aren’t yet known, it’s also quite possible that the future Hall-of-Famer will continue playing for at least one more season. It’s worth wondering whether the Rangers will attempt to keep the respected veteran around for 2019.
  • Rustin Dodd of The Athletic examines the aftermath of a disappointing free agency for Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas in an interesting subscription piece. It certainly seems that the veteran has adopted a rather sunny outlook, focusing on the many positives in his life rather than dwelling on the fact he was unable to secure yet more money over a longer term. As Dodd explores, that strikes a bit of a different note for a player noted for his fire. Some teammates feel the 29-year-old Moustakas was “screwed” in a funky market this winter, but it seems he’s making the best of the situation. Certainly, with a .275/.329/.502 slash through 228 plate appearances, he has done all he can to this point to set himself for a second crack at free agency.

*An earlier version of this post mistakenly indicated that this would be Santana’s first rehab outing.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Acuña, Cordero, Davidson, Nova

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(May 28th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

Shelby Miller Set For Rehab Assignment; Latest On Ray, Pollock

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Diamondbacks right Shelby Miller is set to embark upon a rehab assignment beginning tomorrow night, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert writes. That’s encouraging news for both player and team, as it suggests he’s now not all that far from returning to a MLB mound.

Miller, who’s about 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery, will be looking to reestablish himself in advance of his final season of arbitration eligibility. It’s not yet known exactly how many starts he will make in the minors. Presumably, that’ll be determined in no small part by how his elbow responds. The rules allow up to thirty days for a pitcher’s rehab assignment.

Last we saw him in the majors, Miller was giving reason to believe he could put his miserable 2016 season in the rearview mirror. He turned in three strong starts to open the ensuing campaign — including a fastball velocity boost (to 95.5 mph) and swinging-strike rebound (9.6%) — only to see the elbow problem arise and cut his season short.

The Arizona organization will hope that Miller can regain that momentum on the other side of his TJ rehab. There’s clearly some interesting upside; in 2015, Miller threw 205 1/3 innings of 3.02 ERA ball. Whether he has that kind of effort left in his 27-year-old right arm remains to be seen. Miller says he has “felt really good physically” but believes “there’s some room to work on some command stuff” as he prepares for his return to competitive action.

It’s notable, too, that lefty Robbie Ray has a notable date tomorrow. He’s due to have his injured oblique examined for progress. It’s even possible that he will throw a pen session if the imaging looks good. While we’ll obviously need to wait to see how the medical evaluation goes, it seems generally promising that these steps are even under contemplation at this point. Ray hit the DL about a month ago with what seemed to be a rather significant muscle injury.

The D-Backs undoubtedly miss Miller and Ray, particularly with the team presently enduring an extended slide. Every piece of talent helps, after all, even though run-prevention has been a notable strength to this point of the season. But the lagging offense is the real problem, and that’s an ongoing concern that won’t be addressed by the eventual return of those hurlers.

The player the Snakes miss most, surely, is center fielder A.J. Pollock. He’ll also be looked at tomorrow to see how his fractured thumb is healing. When that injury was announced, there was a fair bit of uncertainty in Pollock’s timeline, so the results will be of no little interest for a club that badly misses its most productive hitter through the first six weeks of the season. Pollock, too, is surely anxious to get back in action after missing so much time in recent seasons. Once he’s back, he’ll be looking to shore up his free-agent stock, which had been on the rise before he hit the DL.

Rockies Place Adam Ottavino On 10-Day DL

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The Rockies have placed righty Adam Ottavino on the 10-day DL with a left oblique strain, per a club announcement and as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. He’ll be replaced for the time being by righty Scott Oberg.

Ottavino has more or less been unhittable this year after a rough 2017 season. Through 28 1/3 innings, the 32-year-old has allowed only eight base hits to opposing hitters. He has been scored upon only three times and carries a strong 45:10 K/BB ratio. Ottavino has recorded a dozen holds while working in front of closer Wade Davis.

At the moment, it’s not know how long Ottavino will be down. The team hopes that it’s not a severe injury, per Saunders, though clearly the organization has decided to take a cautious course with a reliever who has become an integral part of the late-inning unit.

It’s unfortunate timing regardless of how long Ottavino will miss, as the Rockies are entering consecutive series against two teams (the Giants and Dodgers) chasing them in the NL West standings. The Rox have other veteran setup options, of course, but none are performing anywhere close to Ottavino’s standard thus far.

Of course, the more important matter remains the long-term outlook. Oblique injuries can be nettlesome, though that’s all the more reason to nip this one in the bud.

For his part, the 28-year-old Oberg will look to improve upon the generally middling work he has turned in at the MLB level to this point in his career. He owns a 5.15 ERA in 153 2/3 innings, with 7.6 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 but also a healthy 55.3% groundball rate.

Injury Notes: Donaldson, Nats, F. Vazquez, Reddick, Royals

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Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson departed their game Monday with left calf tightness, the team announced. Jays doctors are currently evaluating Donaldson, who missed time last season with a right calf strain and was on the shelf earlier this year on account of a shoulder issue. With a playoff berth looking unlikely for Toronto and Donaldson being a free agent at season’s end, he could be a prime trade chip in the coming months. But neither the 32-year-old’s recent injury troubles nor his surprisingly mediocre production (.243/.333/.423 in 159 plate appearances) are helping his stock at the moment. Trade speculation aside, if Donaldson does head back to the DL, calls for the Jays to promote 19-year-old super prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. figure to grow even louder. [Update: Donaldson suggested to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com and other reporters that he’s not dealing with a serious injury.]

More on injury situations around the game…

  • Asked Monday when Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy could make his season debut, manager Davey Martinez said, “I’m hoping it’ll be fairly soon” (via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). The Nats will make sure running isn’t an issue for Murphy before activating him, given that the three-time All-Star underwent right knee surgery in the offseason. Just as Murphy’s progressing, so are fellow banged-up Nationals Adam Eaton and Ryan Zimmerman. Both players took batting practice with their teammates Monday, Zuckerman relays. Eaton, who hasn’t played since April 8, is recovering from left ankle surgery. Zimmerman has been out since May 9 with a back injury, and his absence opened the door for veteran first baseman Mark Reynolds’ promotion to Washington. Reynolds has taken advantage of the opportunity, having slashed an otherworldly .406/.457/.906 with five home runs in just 35 plate appearances.
  • There was fear on Sunday that Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez suffered a serious forearm injury, but it seems he dodged a significant blow. Vazquez told Liz Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other reporters Monday that he’s doing fine, adding that he expects to be available again Tuesday. “I felt like a little pop, but it was not — it looked worse than it really happened,” he said.
  • Astros outfielder Josh Reddick is eligible to come off the DL on Friday, but that’s not going to happen, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes. Reddick, who’s battling a skin infection above his left knee, hasn’t resumed baseball activities and may need to embark on a rehab assignment before he returns, according to manager A.J. Hinch.
  • Royals left-hander Eric Skoglund has a Grade 1 UCL strain and “will be out a while,” Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. Skoglund, 25, had been a fixture in KC’s rotation prior to the injury, though he struggled to a 6.70 ERA during that nine-start, 49 2/3-inning span.

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