Archives for 2019

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/15/19

By Steve Adams | July 15, 2019 at 7:04am CDT

We’ll kick off the week with a handful of minor moves from around the league…

The Mets have released right-handed reliever Arquimedes Caminero from their Triple-A affiliate, as first noted on the International League transactions log. The flamethrowing 32-year-old generated solid results with the Pirates in 2015-16 before signing on to pitch with Japan’s Yomiuri Giants in 2017-18. His return to the U.S. didn’t go smoothly, however, as he’s posted a 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 with the Mets’ top affiliate in Syracuse. Caminero logged 15 strikeouts but also surrendered 10 free passes, continuing to display some of the control issues that plagued him during his last MLB run. In 155 big league frames, Caminero has a 3.83 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 4.0 BB/9 and a fastball that has averaged 97.6 mph.
Left-hander Zac Curtis has been released by the Rangers, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions log. Curtis, who just turned 27, went from the D-backs to the Mariner as a lower-profile piece in the Mitch Haniger/Jean Segura for Ketel Marte/Taijuan Walker swap. He’s bounced to the Phillies and the Rangers since that swap, appearing in the big leagues with each team along the way. Curtis re-signed with Texas after being outrighted this past winter, but he’s had a nightmare season in the hitter-friendly PCL. Despite racking up 40 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings, Curtis has been hammered for an 8.90 ERA due to 25 free passes, four hit batters and a whopping 10 home runs allowed. Prior to this season, Curtis had a solid Triple-A track record, although he’d also issued 35 walks in 38 MLB innings, so the alarming control issues aren’t exactly an out-of-the-blue development.

Cardinals Move Michael Wacha Back To Bullpen

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2019 at 11:56pm CDT

The Cardinals have removed Michael Wacha from their rotation for the second time this season, Wacha told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters. Daniel Ponce de Leon will now take Wacha’s spot in the rotation and start on Wednesday against the Pirates.

Wacha had been originally slated to start on Tuesday, then Wednesday as the Cards juggled their pitching staff coming out of the All-Star break. After back spasms forced Adam Wainwright out of a scheduled outing last Friday, Ponce de Leon pitched well in spot duty, earning him a longer look as a starter. Ponce de Leon now slots in alongside Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, and Dakota Hudson in the starting five.

This leaves Wacha as the odd man out, continuing what has been a frustrating season for the 28-year-old. Injuries have plagued his ability to become a consistently productive member of the St. Louis rotation in recent years, though while Wacha had a brief IL stint due to a knee problem in April, his biggest problems have been a huge spike in home runs allowed (2.1 HR/9) and a continued decline in fastball velocity. After averaging 95.1 mph on his heater in 2017, Wacha saw that total drop to 93.5 mph last season, and 92.6 mph this year. While Wacha has never been a big strikeout pitcher, his 7.31 K/9 is a career low, while his 4.6 BB/9 is a career high.

The result is a 5.54 ERA over 76 1/3 innings for Wacha this season. After a rough start on May 22, the right-hander was first shifted into the bullpen, where he made two relief appearances before returning as a starter on June 10. While Wacha has a 4.10 ERA over his last five starts, the inconsistency has continued, as he was hit hard in two outings while posting quality starts in the other three. Despite the role change, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt left the door open for Wacha to potentially start again, saying that the righty will work out of the pen “until another need arises.”

That said, Hummel raised the possibility that Wacha could be nearing the end of his time with the organization, and could be on the move before the July 31 trade deadline. Wacha doesn’t project as a long-term piece of the Cards’ future given that he’s a free agent after the season, and while his current struggles don’t make him a premium trade chip, St. Louis could add him into a larger package or simply swap him in a more low-profile trade. Rival teams could have interest in seeing if a simple change of scenery is required for a pitcher who has generally been a pretty solid rotation arm when healthy.

Working as a spot starter and reliever, Ponce de Leon has shown some intriguing stuff in his two MLB seasons, posting a 2.37 ERA, 9.6 K/9, and 2.88 K/BB rate over 64 2/3 career innings. Opposing batters have managed only a .243 xwOBA in 31 2/3 innings against Ponce de Leon this season. With the Cardinals fighting to stay close in both the uber-competitive NL Central race and the NL wild card hunt, the team decided it was better to go with a hot hand in Ponce de Leon than continue to give Wacha time to get on track.

Injury Notes: Ozuna, Gyorko, Winker, Longoria

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2019 at 11:16pm CDT

The latest on some injury situations from around baseball…

Marcell Ozuna isn’t sure when he’ll be able to return to the Cardinals lineup, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers writes, as the outfielder is still battling swelling in his right hand. As a result, Ozuna “hasn’t been able to test his grip strength much.” Ozuna suffered a fractured middle finger (and also jammed several other fingers) in late June, and there isn’t a clear idea as to when he’ll be ready to play again, though the team is hopeful the slugger will be back before the end of July. Ozuna had hit .259/.331/.515 with 20 homers over his first 326 plate appearances this season.
Also from Rogers’ piece, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told reporters that Jedd Gyorko will be out of action until at least the middle of August, and potentially not until the start of September. While a back problem was the initial cause of Gyorko’s injured list that began on June 8, his return was delayed by a left calf strain, and then minor surgery on his right wrist. He also started the year on the IL due to a right calf strain suffered during Spring Training. With only 38 games and 62 plate appearances under his belt for the year, it’s beginning to look like a lost season for Gyorko in what might well be his final season in St. Louis. The Cardinals will surely take the $1MM buyout of their club option on Gyorko’s services for 2020 rather than pay him $13MM.
Reds outfielder Jesse Winker left today’s game in the middle of an at-bat due to injury. After swinging at a pitch, Winker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon) that “my lower left back, side area tightened up. I was feeling some tightness in my right rib cage as well.” The problem first arose during his initial swing in the plate appearance, Winker added. He will undergo tests tomorrow to further access the damage, though if Winker has suffered an oblique injury, he would be facing an absence of several weeks. The 25-year-old has a .250/.328/.462 slash line and 13 home runs over 290 PA with Cincinnati this season, playing mostly against right-handed pitching (and with some drastic splits, including a .428 OPS in his only 39 PA against lefties). Should Winker miss time, a platoon of Derek Dietrich and Phillip Ervin in left field would seem to be the Reds’ likeliest response.
X-rays were negative on Evan Longoria’s left foot after the third baseman left after four innings of today’s Giants game due to plantar fasciitis. Longoria told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters that he has been dealing with the nagging problem since last season. The Giants are scheduled for a double-header against the Rockies on Monday and Longoria hopes to play in the second game, though he will get an MRI in the morning to access the damage. Plantar fasciitis could explain Longoria’s overall struggles since coming to San Francisco in the 2017-18 offseason, though he has quietly been roughly a league-average (102 OPS+, 101 wRC+) hitter this year in the wake of a recent hot streak. While a .241/.318/.446 slash line is a marked improvement over Longoria’s 2018 numbers, it still ranks as disappointing considering his track record and hefty contract.

AL West Notes: Astros, Bailey, Santana, Rangers

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2019 at 10:11pm CDT

Pitching is on the Astros’ mind as the AL West leaders approach the trade deadline, and both starters or relievers could be on the menu, GM Jeff Luhnow told The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan (subscription required). “It all depends on whether or not we’re able to acquire a starter and what that means for the rest of the rotation and maybe when [Brad] Peacock’s going to come back and be healthy and all of that,” Luhnow said. “So, there are a lot of variables. But we’ve never ruled out looking at relievers. In fact, several of the pitchers that we have on our wish list are relievers.”

As Luhnow mentioned, Peacock’s injury status adds another question mark to a rotation that was already in need of at least one more starter. While Houston has been linked to any number of big-name starters on the rumor mill, acquiring a reliever would add pen depth, and also perhaps allow the Astros to experiment with using an opener and bulk pitcher for one of the rotation spots, rather than a full-time starter. For the short term, Luhnow figured his team will have to get though something of a pitching crunch over the next few days, though “we talked to a couple clubs about some players who might fit in.”

MLBTR Chat Transcript: Mets, Bailey, Stroman, Twins, Yankees, Greinke

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2019 at 9:20pm CDT

Click here to read the transcript of the Sunday evening baseball chat, moderated by Mark Polishuk of the MLB Trade Rumors writing staff

Indians Notes: Bauer, Otero, Salazar

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2019 at 7:19pm CDT

Here’s the latest from Progressive Field…

While an extra year of control is generally considered as a boon to a player’s trade value, this may not necessarily be the case for Trevor Bauer, as Ken Rosenthal explains in his latest video report for FOX Sports. Bauer has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining in 2020, though Rosenthal notes that some potential trade partners could be wary of acquiring Bauer due to the high price tag he’ll earn next season. After defeating Cleveland in an arb hearing in February, Bauer collected a $13MM salary for 2019, and his aggressiveness in seeking out maximum value on an annual basis makes it likely he’ll go to yet another hearing for another big salary next winter. This could push Bauer’s potential earnings into the $20MM range, which is too costly for some clubs. There is some comparison between Bauer’s situation and David Price’s situation in 2014, Rosenthal notes, as the Rays’ ability to get a big trade haul for the ace lefty was somewhat limited by the big payday awaiting Price via arbitration in the 2014-15 offseason. Of course, with the Indians in the playoff hunt, it remains to be seen if the Tribe will trade Bauer whatsoever, or potentially wait until the offseason to further trades (though there’s already a lot of speculation about Bauer being on the move this July).
Dan Otero will begin a minor league rehab assignment, manager Terry Francona told MLB.com’s Mandy Bell and other reporters. The righty hasn’t pitched since May 30 due to right shoulder inflammation, and Otero’s time on the injured list was extended due to a setback in his recovery process. The ground-ball specialist had a 54.9% grounder rate, 3.33 K/BB rate, 3.8 K/9, and 4.56 ERA over his first 23 2/3 innings for Cleveland this season, with that ERA largely inflated by five earned runs over his last 2 2/3 frames of work prior to his IL stint.
Francona also discussed Danny Salazar’s rehab, as the right-hander continues to make his way back to a big league mound for the first time since October 2017. Salazar has been working as a starter during his rehab outings, though Francona said it’s too soon to say whether Salazar will continue in the rotation should he return to the Tribe’s MLB roster. “I don’t know how you can forecast a month down the road,” Francona said. “We might need three starters by then….There’s a lot of things we need to find out. Information that we don’t have yet.” Keeping Salazar on a regular five-day schedule as a starter could be beneficial to his bothersome shoulder, though a similar argument could be made that limited bullpen innings would be preferable to a starter’s workload.

Astros’ Brad Peacock Has Setback In Injury Rehab

By Mark Polishuk | July 14, 2019 at 5:57pm CDT

Brad Peacock and the Astros were hoping that the right-hander was ready to return to the starting rotation tomorrow, though Peacock will now instead visit with team doctors after feeling soreness in his throwing shoulder, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan). Peacock reported the setback a day after a bullpen session on Friday.

Peacock had a 4.13 ERA, 9.4 K/9, and 3.56 K/BB rate over 85 innings for Houston when he first hit the injured list on June 28 due to shoulder inflammation. Aside from a troubling 1.4 HR/9, Peacock has delivered thoroughly solid results at the back of Houston’s rotation this season, holding opponents to just a .295 xwOBA.

The Astros were already known to be looking to add starting pitching at the trade deadline, and today’s news will only intensify that search. Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, and Wade Miley provide a lot of strength atop the rotation, though aside from Peacock, the Astros’ other starters have struggled. In the short term, Kaplan notes that Framber Valdez (he of the 5.28 ERA over 46 frames this season) is likely to pitch on Monday or Tuesday as either a starter or as a bulk pitcher behind an opener, with Houston going with a bullpen day for the other game.

Jonathan Lucroy To Undergo Surgery, Expected To Miss Three Weeks

By George Miller | July 14, 2019 at 4:53pm CDT

Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy will undergo a brief procedure on Tuesday to mend his nasal fracture, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com adds on Twitter that manager Brad Ausmus expects his catcher to miss about three weeks due to the operation.

Lucroy bore the brunt of a violent collision at home plate with Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick last week, suffering a concussion and a broken nose as a result. He’s currently on the 7-day injured list as a result of the concussion. As Hoornstra notes, Lucroy will be on the shelf for a few days following the procedure to repair his nose, but plans to resume baseball activities within the week following the surgery.

Assuming everything goes according to plan, that timetable would put the 33-year-old on track to suit up for the Angels sometime in early August. To be sure, the club will want to make sure that there are no lingering effects that could be aggravated by Lucroy’s return to the field, especially at such a rigorous position where concussions are not uncommon.

Lucroy’s Los Angeles tenure has been a frustrating one, with unexceptional performance being interrupted by a gruesome injury. Nonetheless, a late season return could be pivotal for a team clinging desperately to postseason aspirations; at 47-46, the Halos will have to overcome several teams, including division rivals in Texas and Oakland if they are to make their way into a Wild Card spot.

Red Sox Activate Andrew Cashner, Place Steven Wright On IL

By George Miller | July 14, 2019 at 4:00pm CDT

The Red Sox have placed right-hander Steven Wright on the 10-day injured list to make room for newly-acquired pitcher Andrew Cashner on the active roster, reports Ian Browne of MLB.com. Cashner is in line to make his first start for Boston on Tuesday.

Wright suffered a contusion on his right foot after being hit by a comebacker in last night’s game. X-rays came back negative on Wright’s toe, but evidently the injury was significant enough to keep him out of commission for the time being, leaving the door open for Cashner to make his Red Sox debut.

Cashner, 32, was acquired yesterday from the Orioles, soundly ushering in trade season, one of baseball’s most exciting couple of weeks. He’s played the last season and a half in Baltimore after earning a two-year contract prior to 2018. He struggled mightily in the first year of that deal, though results have been slightly more promising in year two—evidently, enough to make the veteran righty desirable to a contending club. He’ll slot in as the team’s fifth starter, with Nathan Eovaldi shifting into the closer role when he makes his return to Major League games in the next week or so.

Wright’s stay on the active roster was a relatively brief one, after a suspension kept him out of action for 80 games and he made his return on June 26. Once again, though, he’ll find himself unavailable to play, this time owing to an injury. In 6 1/3 innings with the Red Sox, he’s allowed three home runs and four walks, compared to five strikeouts—all told, good for an 8.53 ERA.

Blue Jays Option Rowdy Tellez

By George Miller | July 14, 2019 at 3:27pm CDT

Following this afternoon’s game, the Blue Jays have optioned 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez to Triple-A Buffalo, per Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star. The move leaves the team without its everyday designated hitter. A corresponding roster move has yet to be announced, though Shi Davidi of Sportsnet suggests that outfielder Billy McKinney could be activated from the injured list.

Tellez has been an everyday player for the Blue Jays, toggling between first base and designated hitter alongside Justin Smoak. Despite an extended look, Tellez has failed to make good on the offensive potential he flashed in a brief big-league stint last season. The 24-year-old has managed just 17 walks this season, good for a 5.9% walk rate and a .281 OBP. He’s slugged 14 home runs, but the overall offensive output has not been enough to justify his presence in the lineup every day. On the bright side, he’ll receive consistent at-bats in the minors, hopefully making the necessary adjustments to vault himself back into a Major League batting order.

With Tellez no longer on the roster and a vacancy at DH, it seems as though the Blue Jays will have a few options as to how they construct their lineup. If McKinney is indeed the corresponding roster move, he could slot into a regular role in right field, while Teoscar Hernandez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looking like the most likely candidates to pick up the bulk of the DH reps—though it’s unlikely the Blue Jays would relegate Guerrero to playing just one side of the ball this early in his development. If not McKinney, Cavan Biggio, who has shown impressive versatility in his debut, could be in line for more regular playing time in the outfield.

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