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NL Notes: Mets, Braves, Giants, Phillies

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The Mets will send left-hander Jason Vargas to the disabled list and recall righty Chris Flexen from Triple-A, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Vargas is dealing with a strained calf, thus continuing a disastrous age-35 season for him. After joining the Mets on a two-year, $16MM deal in free agency, Vargas has gone on the DL twice (once for a broken bone in his right hand) and managed horrid numbers in between. With 37 2/3 innings pitched in nine starts, Vargas has averaged just over four frames per appearance and notched an 8.60 ERA/6.55 FIP.

  • Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino is battling right shoulder soreness, which has been a concern throughout the season, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Vizcaino had a cortisone injection this week, per Bowman, and manager Brian Snitker noted that “there are times, he’s going to have to be down just to get him through the year.” Despite the 27-year-old’s shoulder issues, the first-place Braves weren’t interested in ponying up for fellow late-game option Kelvin Herrera, whom the division-rival Nationals acquired from the Royals this week.
  • More on the Braves, who optioned outfielder Preston Tucker to Triple-A on Saturday and recalled right-hander Lucas Sims, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Tucker helped hold the fort down in the outfield before the promotion of now-injured super prospect Ronald Acuna in late April, though the former’s output has fallen off dramatically as the season has progressed. After posting a respectable 105 wRC+ in April, Tucker fell to 76 in May and 42 this month.
  • The Giants optioned outfielder Mac Williamson to Triple-A on Saturday and recalled fellow outfielder Austin Slater to replace him. Williamson began the year on a hot streak, but he suffered a concussion in late April and hasn’t gotten back on track since returning May 25. Overall, he has hit a below-average .213/.295/.383 in 105 plate appearances. The Giants’ hope is that he’ll “regain his swing and confidence” by playing every day in the minors, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
  • Phillies reliever Pat Neshek began a rehab assignment at the Single-A level Saturday, though it’s still not known when he could return to the majors, Kyle Melnick of MLB.com relays. After Neshek enjoyed an excellent season between Philly and Colorado in 2017, the Phillies brought him back on a two-year, $16MM deal over the winter. But shoulder and forearm injuries have prevented the 37-year-old from taking the mound this season.

Braves Place Mike Soroka On DL, Select Contract Of Danny Santana

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3:57pm: Soroka says that an MRI cleared him of any structural issues, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. That’s certainly good news for the team, though presumably a conservative course will still be taken.

2:10pm: The Braves have sent young righty Mike Soroka back to the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He’s again dealing with inflammation in his pitching shoulder.

To replace him on the active roster, the Atlanta organization selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Danny Santana. A 40-man roster spot was opened for Santana by moving righty Jose Ramirez to the 60-day DL.

Soroka has been quite impressive this year, throwing 25 2/3 innings of 3.51 ERA ball in his first five MLB starts at just twenty years of age. Unfortunately, though, he already missed about a month with a shoulder ailment and is now back on the shelf.

There’s still no indication that there’s a significant underlying problem at play here, though MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Soroka experienced a velocity drop-off in the midst of his last outing. Needless to say, any kind of issues in the shoulder will certainly be handled with ample care by the Braves, who are counting on Soroka to be a major contributor for years to come.

At this point, we’ll need to await further word before knowing more about Soroka’s outlook. A lengthy absence could certainly impact the team’s plans as the trade deadline approaches. Though rotation depth doesn’t seem to be a particular concern for the Braves at the time being, that can change quickly if injuries or performance issues begin to add up. And an upgrade is always a possibility, too.

The 27-year-old Santana played a significant role down the stretch last year for the Braves, but was non-tendered after the season. He ended up re-joining the organization on a minors deal.

Since his eye-popping debut season in 2014, Santana has struggled to hit at the MLB level. He has produced this year at Triple-A, though, launching 11 long balls and carrying a .539 slugging percentage Of course, Santana also maintains a meager .300 on-base percentage and has drawn just eight walks while going down on strikes 57 times.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/22/18

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Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the game…

  • The Twins’ Triple-A affiliate announced that outfielder Nick Buss has been released. The 31-year-old Buss won a Pacific Coast League batting title in 2017 when he hit .348/.395/.541 with 11 homers for the Padres’ top affiliate, but he’s struggled to a .239/.309/.340 slash through 178 PAs in Rochester this season. Buss has appeared in the Majors with both Los Angeles teams, hitting a combined .180/.229/.300 in a tiny sample of 110 plate appearances and is a lifetime .302/.360/.452 hitter in parts of six seasons at the Triple-A level.
  • The Royals’ Double-A affiliate announced yesterday that they’ve traded minor league outfielder Brandon Downes to the Braves. A return wasn’t specified, though presumably there’ll be cash or a player to be named later going back to the Kansas City organization to complete the deal. The 25-year-old Downes was Kansas City’s seventh-round pick in 2014 but entered the 2018 season with just five games played above Class-A Advanced. He’s hitting .198/.284/.365 in 111 PAs between Class-A Advanced and Double-A this season (including a 1-for-4 debut yesterday for Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate. Baseball America rated him as Kansas City’s No. 24 prospect four years ago, praising his solid-average speed and above-average power potential, though Downes has yet to deliver on that upside.

Anthopoulos On Braves’ Deadline Approach

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Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos had an interesting chat with David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an appearance on the latter’s Truth, Lies & Sacrifice Flies Podcast. It’s essential listening for Braves fans, but we’ll highlight a few notes of broader consequence here.

On the subject of the upcoming trade deadline, Anthopoulos emphasized that the team is focused less on salary — though that’s certainly still a factor — than on carefully managing its “prospect capital.” As he explained it, particularly with amateur penalties slowing the farm intake and an ongoing need for affordable MLB depth, the front office will be calculated in dispensing with its young talent in trades.

“There hasn’t been a baseball opportunity that money has stopped us from doing it,” Anthopoulos said. While that statement was made generally, it seems to have particular importance in reference to the division-rival Nationals’ recent acquisition of late-inning reliever Kelvin Herrera from the Royals.

While he did not really discuss the matter directly, Anthopoulos suggested that the organization knew what it would have taken to land Herrera. Obviously, the Braves decided not to pay it. With over a month left until the deadline and limited flexibility to make additions, it seems the Atlanta brain trust decided to save its chips.

That certainly seems to be a sensible approach for an organization in the Braves’ position. Beyond the ever-present potential for injuries, a team with so many inexperienced performers arguably faces greater uncertainty from the core of its roster. With only so much willingness to part with long-term assets for short-term gains, it stands to reason that the Braves (like most teams) want to gather as much information as possible before making any significant moves.

That’s not to say that there’s any indication that the Braves won’t seek to capitalize on their excellent start to the current season. Anthopoulos says he has reminded himself not to “lose sight of … what’s happening before your eyes” when weighing moves, noting that the team has already shifted its thinking to put the focus on winning games now.

Anthopoulos also emphasized multiple times that he believes the financial assets will be there when they are called for. As he put it: “I believe we will have those dollars available when we think there’s a really impactful move to make.”

There’s plenty more to unpack from this interview, so you’ll want to listen for yourself. Anthopoulos discussed his approach to his first offseason with the Braves as well as the performances of Dansby Swanson and Nick Markakis. He also gave notable thoughts on the team’s still-uncertain future plans at third base, acknowledging some incoming skepticism about Johan Camargo (as well as newfound cause for optimism) and assessing the status of hot corner prospect Austin Riley.

Trade Chatter: Machado, Tepera, Braves, Padres

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The Diamondbacks have once again checked in with the Orioles on Manny Machado, primarily as a matter of due diligence, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com. There’s little surprise there, given that the Snakes were oft-linked to Machado in the offseason and were reportedly one of the more interested parties in obtaining his services. Beyond that, Arizona has received limited offensive contributions from both the third base (.216/.313/.394) and shortstop (.232/.296/.442) positions so far in 2018. The D-backs are currently hanging onto a 1.5 game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West, and adding someone of Machado’s caliber would be reminiscent of last season’s J.D. Martinez acquisition, though Machado has more defensive value even with poor ratings at shortstop so far in 2018.

More trade talk from around the league…

  • Morosi also tweets that Blue Jays righty Ryan Tepera is generating trade interest. It stands to reason that virtually every player of even modest value on Toronto’s roster will draw inquiries, of course, considering that the team is 16 games out of first place in the AL East and is facing a similarly bleak outlook in the Wild Card standings. Morosi notes Tepera’s career-best K/9 rate in 2018, though in this instance, that hardly seems like a reason to expect his value to increase; Tepera’s 9.5 K/9 mark is only nominally higher than last year’s 9.4 K/9, and his overall 26.8 strikeout percentage compares favorably to last year’s 25.4 percent mark. Tepera has made modest gains across the board in terms of fastball velocity (95.3 mph), swinging-strike rate (13.9 percent) and chase rate (34.2 percent), but his greater appeal is simply one of club control. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason and controlled cheaply through the 2021 season. Tepera will turn 31 this winter, which won’t enhance his appeal, but he’s a hard-thrower with a 3.27 ERA and 137 strikeouts against 51 walks in his past 132 MLB innings.
  • The Braves didn’t make a strong effort to acquire Kelvin Herrera before he was traded to the division-rival Nationals, tweets David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While the Atlanta front office liked Herrera’s arm very much, O’Brien notes that assuming his remaining $4.4MM salary (which the Nats were willing to do) would’ve burned through the majority of the funds the team has available to upgrade via trade this summer. That would seem to suggest that the Braves may struggle to land any big-budget players as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches. Certainly, given the team’s place atop the NL East standings, they’ll look to improve to whatever extent possible, but it appears that finances will be a fairly notable factor in any moves the team does make.
  • There’s a widespread expectation that the Padres will sell some pieces this summer, but Dennis Lin of The Athletic (subscription link) takes a deeper look at a factor that could push the Friars into activity: the Rule 5 Draft. San Diego has more than a dozen prospects who’ll be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, Lin observes, which could create further motivation to open some spots on the 40-man by moving assets that are controlled beyond the 2018 season. Brad Hand, Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen all fit that bill and have all already drawn trade interest, Lin writes, and the Padres could also shop outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Travis Jankowski to other clubs as well. Lin speaks with general manager A.J. Preller at length about the upcoming roster crunch in a thorough look at some of the decisions the club will face in the not-too-distant future.

Injury Notes: Morrow, Adams, Franchy, Acuna, Folty

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The Cubs announced Wednesday that they’ve placed closer Brandon Morrow on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to June 17. Morrow was unavailable in yesterday’s doubleheader due to back spasms. Right-hander Justin Hancock, whom the Cubs recalled to serve as the 26th man in yesterday’s twin bill, will remain on the roster for the time being. To this point in the season, Morrow has made good on the Cubs’ two-year, $21MM investment, pitching to a 1.59 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 0.4 HR/9 with a career-best 53.6 percent ground-ball rate through 22 2/3 innings. Chicago has been cautious in its usage of Morrow in an effort to protect the injury-prone righty’s arm; he’s yet to pitch more than an inning in any appearance, and he hasn’t pitched on three consecutive days all season. There’s no indication as to how long Morrow will be expected to miss, though there’s little reason to believe that this’ll be a lengthy absence. With Morrow on the disabled list, righties Steve Cishek and Pedro Strop stand out as the likeliest candidates to get the call in save opportunities.

More injury news from around the game…

  • A fractured left index finger landed Nationals first baseman/outfielder Matt Adams on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday. There’s no word yet as to exactly how long he’s expected to miss, though his absence will surely be felt when the Nats face right-handed pitchers. As has been the case throughout his career, Adams has floundered against lefties this season but thrived when holding the platoon advantage. He’s clobbering opposing righties at a career-best .283/.364/.614 clip this season and has belted a dozen homers in 143 plate appearances against right-handed opponents. With Adams joining Ryan Zimmermann on the DL, it was Daniel Murphy who stepped up at first base last night. Both Murphy and Mark Reynolds figure to be options there moving forward.
  • Padres fans are holding their breath as they await a new diagnosis on outfielder Franchy Cordero, whose rehab has been shut down entirely, as Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. Cordero, who began a minor league rehab assignment this week, “felt something” in his elbow while taking a swing in one of those rehab games, according to Lin. He was evaluated by Dr. Neal ElAttrache yesterday. While there’s been no official word from the team just yet, it’s an ominous-sounding injury at a time when the organization hoped Cordero was nearing a return to the lineup. The 23-year-old Cordero hit .237/.307/.439 through 154 PAs early in the season and had developed a penchant for off-the-charts exit velocity and distance projections from Statcast thanks to his light-tower raw power.
  • The Braves, meanwhile, are hopeful that they’ll get a pair of key players back in the near future. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted last night that Ronald Acuna has upped the intensity of his workouts over the past two days and is expected to be cleared to begin what sounds like it’ll be a brief minor league rehab assignment “real soon.” Atlanta is also tentatively planning on activating righty Mike Foltynewicz for Sunday’s start against the Orioles, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com. While that’s the organizational hope, however, the team won’t use right-hander Brandon McCarthy in relief until there’s greater certainty about the availability of Foltynewicz, who is on the shelf due to a minor triceps issue. If Foltynewicz is determined unready for Sunday’s outing, then, it seems McCarthy will get the ball in his place.

Braves Sign Luke Jackson, Option Luiz Gohara To Triple-A

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The Braves have signed right-hander Luke Jackson to a Major League contract, the team announced via Twitter.  Jackson will return to Atlanta’s roster in place of Luiz Gohara, who was optioned to Triple-A.

Jackson was designated for assignment by the Braves earlier this week, and had elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.  That would have been the fourth time in the last six months that Jackson had been outrighted off Atlanta’s 40-man, so now he has a bit of extra security in the form of an MLB deal.  The 26-year-old tossed 50 2/3 innings out of the Braves’ bullpen last season, and has an overall 4.66 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 1.83 K/BB rate over 56 total IP in a Braves uniform.

Gohara will head down to Triple-A to get some regular action as a starter, as the Braves are looking to get one of their top young arms back on track after a rough start to the 2018 season.  Gohara was hampered by injuries in Spring Training and in early April, and since being called up in early May, he has made just seven appearances for the team (though he also spent a week on the bereavement list).  Gohara made just one start and otherwise worked as a long reliever, struggling to a 6.89 ERA over 15 2/3 innings of work.

Acquired as part of a deal with the Mariners in January 2017, Gohara made a rapid rise in his first year in Atlanta’s farm system, going from high-A ball to a September call-up to the big leagues.  His strong performance (2.62 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 3.34 K/BB over 123 2/3 combined minor league IP) put him on the radar as a big prospect in not just the Braves’ system, but in the minor leagues as a whole.  Gohara began to emerge on top-100 prospect rankings last summer, and Baseball America considered him to be the 23rd-best minor league in baseball in their pre-2018 prospect listings.

Braves Place Mike Foltynewicz on 10-Day DL, Reinstate Julio Teheran

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The Braves have placed right-hander Mike Foltynewicz on the 10-day disabled list with right triceps tightness, retroactive to June 13th. In a corresponding move, they’ve activated fellow righty Julio Teheran from the disabled list, who is scheduled to start tomorrow’s game.

The 26-year-old Foltynewicz has been a revelation this season, pitching to a pristine 2.16 ERA across 79 innings so far. He’s managed to strike out 10.71 batters thanks in part to a fastball that averages a whopping 97 miles per hour. That mark trails only Luis Severino in all of MLB. Foltynewicz has taken his game to a new level in June, having allowed just two earned runs across his three starts this month while striking out 25 batters. That includes a complete game shutout against the Nationals on June 1st.

Teheran has posted a career-high 5.59 FIP so far this season due in part to diminished velocity, a spike in his already-high walk rate, and a catastrophic 39% hard contact allowed. That last mark is the 20th-highest among all qualified major league starters. Teheran’s career has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, but he’ll hope he can turn his season around after a brief stint on the DL for a thumb injury.

Injury Notes: Donaldson, Blue Jays, Ravin, May, Goody

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Former AL MVP Josh Donaldson is expected to miss “at least a few more days” before getting a chance to return to the Blue Jays’ lineup. A report from Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com indicates that Donaldson still hasn’t felt comfortable running at full speed, or as manager John Gibbons puts it, “he still couldn’t cut it loose,” during a series of running drills on Thursday. The third baseman has been out since May 28th with a sore calf muscle. Coupled with the shoulder injury he dealt with earlier this season, one has to wonder just how much these injury concerns will impact the 32-year-old Donaldson’s free agent stock headed into the 2018-2019 offseason. It’s not as though he’s produced while on the field, either: his .234/.333/.423 slash line (despite a .303 BABIP) is a far cry from his typical production, while his strikeout rate sits at a career-high 27.7%.

As for the Blue Jays, they’re at least likely to get Marcus Stroman and Steve Pearce back in the near future, as both are currently embarking on rehab assignments in the minor leagues.

Let’s take a look at some other injury situations around baseball…

  • Nate Rowan, beat reporter for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, tweets that Trevor May is headed to the DL with shoulder inflammation. The move is retroactive to June 14th. May’s only recently made his way back from Tommy John surgery, a recovery he wrote about for MLBTR; he was optioned to Triple-A immediately following his activation. There’s no word yet on the severity of the shoulder situation or how long May is expected to be out. In his most recent major league action, May pitched to a 5.27 ERA across 44 relief appearances for the Twins.
  • Another AL Central reliever received unfortunate news today as well. Nick Goody of the Indians visited Dr. James Andrews after feeling soreness during his throwing program. The diagnosis remains elbow hyperextension and posterior elbow inflammation, and though that’s far from the worst-case scenario, he’ll be shut down for at least three weeks after receiving a PRP injection. It’s bad news for an Indians club that has seen its bullpen go from the upper echelon in the league in 2017 to a bottom-dweller in 2018.
  • Braves reliever Josh Ravin (currently pitching for Triple-A Gwinnett) experienced a scare yesterday when he was struck in the face by a line drive. Ravin’s stable, however (at least enough so to tweet), and is set to be further evaluated on Sunday in Atlanta when the swelling goes down. The current diagnosis is five facial fractures and a concussion. Ravin has yet to allow a run in Gwinnett across 18 innings, during which time he’s struck out 30 batters and walked nine.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/13/18

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We’ll use this post to track Wednesday’s notable agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public) …

  • Reds second-round pick Lyon Richardson scored a $2MM payday to forego his commitment to the University of Florida, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That’s nearly half a million over the slot value ($1,520,300) for a player who has only recently emerged as a high-end pitching prospect. MLB.com’s team was highest among major prospect outlets, ranking Richardson 67th on the basis of his ample upside as an athletic hurler who has shown big velocity despite unpolished mechanics.
  • The Yankees have announced a variety of signings, including deals with second-rounder Josh Breaux and third-rounder Ryder Green. These agreements were first reported by Callis (Twitter links), with the bonus values pinned down by Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). Breaux’s bonus of $1,497,500 handily tops his $1,086,900 slot value, while Green, too, receives an over-slot $997,500 bonus that exceeds his $576,400 slot value. All of the above lists include Breaux among the top 100 available prospects, with an increasingly promising bat and improving work behind the dish justifying the placement.
  • The Braves got second-round selection Greyson Jenista for a $1.2MM bonus that leaves them $250,500 of extra pool space to work with, Callis reports on Twitter. The Wichita State slugger received a fairly broad array of grades from prospect hounds, but the Fangraphs crew was highest. With big power and the ability to draw walks, but also plenty of swing-and-miss in his game, there’s a lot to like about the bat. One major question is whether Jenista will be able to work into being a reasonable defender in the corner outfield, or whether instead he’s destined for first base in the long run.
  • Second-rounder Alek Thomas will join the Diamondbacks rather than heading to TCU, as Callis also tweets. The deal includes a $1.2MM bonus that tops the $1,035,500 allocation that came with the 63rd overall draft slot. Law was quite bullish on the young outfielder, crediting him with “five-tool potential” and “an advanced feel on both sides of the ball.”
  • The Nationals have also agreed to terms with their second-round selection, UConn lefty Tim Cate, Callis adds on Twitter. It’s an at-slot, $986,200 bonus for the 65th overall choice of the draft. Best known for his big hook, Cate is an undersized hurler who has also had some worrying arm health questions crop up. Still, Baseball America ranked him 54th on its board, noting his “exceptional feel to land his breaking ball in the zone and bury it for swings and misses.”
  • Still another second-rounder, Florida Atlantic infielder Tyler Frank, will take home a $997,500 bonus from the Rays, per MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (Twitter link). That leaves the Tampa Bay club with some extra funds to work with, as the 56th slot came with a $1,228,000 allocation. Also going under-slot were Royals second-rounder Jonathan Bowlan ($697,500 bonus vs. $1,168,300 slot) and Twins second-rounder Ryan Jeffers ($800K bonus vs. $1,140,600 slot), according to Callis (Twitter links)
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