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Archives for June 2019

Nationals Release Trevor Rosenthal

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The Nationals have released reliever Trevor Rosenthal, the team announced. The club recalled fellow right-hander Austin Voth from Double-A Harrisburg to take Rosenthal’s 25-man roster spot.

Rosenthal was a standout reliever for most of his run with the Cardinals from 2012-17, during which he was a dominant closer at times. However, Rosenthal’s Cardinals career came to an unfortunate end when he underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2017. He sat out 2018 while rehabbing the injury, but Rosenthal parlayed his track record in St. Louis into a $7MM guarantee with the Nationals last November. The Nats still owe Rosenthal approximately $3.73MM.

Washington’s hope upon signing Rosenthal was that he’d help repair a bullpen that was among the league’s worst in 2018. Instead, Rosenthal became the poster boy for an even sorrier Nationals relief corps this season. The trouble began right away for the 29-year-old Rosenthal, who failed to record a single out until his fifth appearance of the season. After a couple more weeks of struggles, the Nationals sent Rosenthal to the injured list April 26 because of a viral infection.

Rosenthal finally returned from a rehab assignment June 10, but his long layoff didn’t lead to a rebirth. Fittingly, he didn’t get anyone out during his final Nationals appearance in a loss Saturday versus the Braves, who posted three earned runs on three walks against him. Rosenthal concluded his disastrous D.C. run with a 22.74 ERA and 7.11 K/9 against an unbelievable 21.32 BB/9 in 6 1/3 innings.

As woeful as Rosenthal has been this year, he still has his Cardinals days and a 98 mph fastball on which to hang his hat. Consequently, teams could pursue Rosenthal on a minor league contract in his return to free agency.

Braves Option Mike Foltynewicz

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9:15am: The Braves have optioned Foltynewicz and recalled reliever Chad Sobotka, per a team announcement.

8:24am: Right-hander Mike Foltynewicz was the Braves’ No. 1 starter a year ago, when he seemingly broke out with a 2.85 ERA/3.37 FIP in 183 innings. Now, after a rough opening to 2019, he’ll be the Braves’ most accomplished starter in the minors. They’re optioning Foltynewicz to Triple-A Gwinnett, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. The club will call up a reliever to fill Foltynewicz’s roster spot Sunday, per David O’Brien of The Athletic.

Foltynewicz started the Braves’ win over the Nationals on Saturday, but he didn’t contribute to his team’s cause. The 27-year-old yielded eight earned runs on eight hits and two walks (with two strikeouts) over four innings. His ERA/FIP combo now sits at a bloated 6.37/6.10 across 59 1/3 frames this season. While Foltynewicz’s walk rate looks normal (3.03 per nine), the rest of his numbers have dipped as his ERA has skyrocketed. After fanning nearly 10 batters per nine a year ago, Foltynewicz’s K/9 is down to 7.58 – his worst since he began his Braves tenure in 2015. His groundball and fly ball figures have also gone in worrying directions, helping lead to a hefty 20.5 percent home run-to-FB rate.

It isn’t just homers haunting Foltynewicz, whose hard-hit rate against has gone up by more than 5 percent since 2018, according to Statcast. As a result, batters have managed a .373 weighted on-base average/.347 expected wOBA off him. A decline in velocity surely hasn’t helped matters. Foltynewicz led all NL starters in average fastball velo a year ago, clocking in at 96.4, but has seen the mean fall to 95.2 this season. With that in mind, it’s worth noting he began 2019 on the injured list because of elbow issues and didn’t debut until late April.

The Braves will now hope Foltynewicz can work his way back via the minors and return to help their cause down the stretch. Despite his struggles, the reigning NL East champions are charging toward another division title, boasting a 45-32 record and a 5 1/2-game lead over their nearest competitor. Standout rookie Mike Soroka has been their ace, while rotation mates Julio Teheran and Max Fried have logged decent production. The club also just added Dallas Keuchel, who made his season debut Friday. It’s unclear who will join them in Foltynewicz’s place, though Bowman names Triple-A righty Bryse Wilson as a possibility.

With Foltynewicz heading to Gwinnett for now, he’ll stop accruing big league service time. Having racked up 87 days of service this year, he’s at four years and 78 days for his career. As things stand, Foltynewicz is on track to reach free agency after the 2021 season. He’s on a somewhat pricey $5.48MM salary at the moment, making his demotion all the more notable.

Yankees Place Cameron Maybin On Injured List

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SUNDAY: The Yankees announced Maybin’s IL placement, which is retroactive to Saturday. The club recalled left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. from Triple-A Scranton to take Maybin’s roster spot.

FRIDAY, 9:31pm: Maybin said after the game he “felt a pop” in his calf. He’s going to be on the IL for “a while,” according to manager Aaron Boone (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).

8:32pm: Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin exited the team’s game Friday with a left calf strain, Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network reports. Maybin will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.

Calf strains often lead to IL stints, which would be a particularly unfortunate outcome for the red-hot Maybin. Then dealing with injuries to starting outfielders Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks, the Yankees acquired Maybin as a stopgap in a late-April trade with the Indians.

New York only gave up cash to get Maybin, who has since played so well that the team hasn’t been willing to get rid of him even as its top outfielders have returned. The club’s unable to send down Maybin, who has no minor league options remaining, so its choices are to designate him for assignment, keep him in the majors or find a taker via trade.

For the Yankees, parting with Maybin this week would have been extremely tough after he hit a home run in each of their four games from June 15-18. The 32-year-old now has five as a Yankee, to go along with an excellent .314/.391/.500 line (137 wRC+) and six steals across 133 plate appearances. For comparison, Maybin hit .254/.322/.368 (92 wRC+) in 3,848 trips to the plate with various teams from 2007-18.

Indians Call Up Bobby Bradley

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The Indians have promoted first base prospect Bobby Bradley and optioned reliever Josh Smith to Triple-A Columbus, the team announced. Bradley’s already on the Indians’ 40-man roster.

The 23-year-old Bradley, an Indian since they selected him in the third round of the 2014 draft, earned his first MLB promotion by destroying Triple-A pitching this season. The lefty swinger slashed .292/.359/.638 (144 wRC+) with an eye-popping 24 home runs in 284 plate appearances prior to his call-up.

While Bradley’s 2019 numbers are great, he didn’t enter the season as a premium prospect. FanGraphs ranked him 20th among Indians farmhands at the beginning of April, though MLB.com places Bradley a more impressive sixth in the club’s system. Two-plus months ago, Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs likened Bradley to the Twins’ C.J. Cron and the Nationals’ Matt Adams.

The Indians’ offense, which has been one of the league’s worst this season, would surely welcome Cron-like production out of Bradley. First baseman Carlos Santana has been outstanding in his return to Cleveland, though primary DH Jake Bauers has disappointed in his initial season with the team. Bradley may eat into Bauers’ playing time as a result.

Dodgers Could Place David Freese On Injured List

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Dodgers infielder David Freese is dealing with a knee issue that may require a stint on the injured list, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com was among those to report.

The 36-year-old Freese has been an important cog this season for the first-place Dodgers, having slashed a tremendous .308/.407/.592 (163 wRC+) with eight home runs over 140 plate appearances in a reserve role. While the former Cardinal, Angel and Pirate has been a third baseman for most of his career, he has slotted in almost exclusively at first for the Dodgers this season.

Freese has appeared in more games at first than any other Dodger in 2019, but one of the team’s calling cards is its ability to place capable players at every spot. Therefore, even if Freese goes on the IL, the Dodgers will have no shortage of replacements lined up. Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Matt Beaty, Enrique Hernandez and Joc Pederson have all joined Freese in starting at first this season.

Pitcher Notes: J. Hicks, Phillies, Astros, Padres, A’s

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The latest on a slew of major league hurlers…

  • Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks is dealing with right triceps tendinitis, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. Hicks will undergo additional tests Sunday. One of the last things the Cardinals need is a long absence for the 22-year-old Hicks, who has put up a 3.14 ERA/3.17 FIP with 9.73 K/9, 3.45 BB/9, a whopping 67.2 percent groundball rate and 14 saves on 15 chances in 28 2/3 innings this season. Hicks is the hardest thrower in baseball, which has certainly aided in his success.
  • Phillies relievers David Robertson and Tommy Hunter are progressing toward returns, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. While Robertson hasn’t yet embarked on a rehab assignment, the hope is that he’ll rejoin the Phillies’ bullpen before the All-Star break. Robertson has been out since mid-April with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Meanwhile, Hunter’s in the early stages of a rehab stint. Hunter’s also working back from a right flexor strain, which has kept him out all season. The Phillies have guaranteed $41MM to Robertson and Hunter over the past two offseasons, but they’ve gotten just 6/2 3 innings from them this year (all from the former).
  • The Astros could activate righty Collin McHugh from the injured list Tuesday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. McHugh has been out since May 21 with right elbow discomfort. On the other hand, rehabbing reliever Joe Smith won’t return until after the All-Star break, manager A.J. Hinch said. Smith’s still on the mend from the left Achilles surgery he underwent last December.
  • Padres righty Dinelson Lamet could return next week, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The 26-year-old Lamet hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2018. Lamet was then coming off his own lone season in the majors, in which he registered a 4.57 ERA/4.35 FIP with 10.94 K/9 against 4.25 BB/9 across 114 1/3 innings and 21 starts.
  • The Athletics’ pitching staff, reeling from ace Frankie Montas’ suspension, may get righties Marco Estrada and Jharel Cotton back soon. Estrada, on the injured list since April 17 because of a lumbar strain in his back, threw his first bullpen Saturday since going on the IL, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He could be a second-half option for the Athletics, according to Slusser. Cotton’s on track to begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break, Slusser tweets. Cotton had been making encouraging progress in his recovery from March 2018 Tommy John surgery before he had to undergo a hamstring procedure earlier this month.

Steven Wright Nearing Activation

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It’s “expected” the Red Sox will activate right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com writes. Wright’s at the end of an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. The Red Sox will need to clear a 40-man roster spot for Wright upon his return.

The 34-year-old Wright, a one-time All-Star, has mostly worked as a starter dating back to his 2013 debut. He has logged a 4.00 ERA/4.45 FIP with 6.91 K/9 and 3.18 BB/9 in 263 innings out of Boston’s rotation. Although the Red Sox may now need a starter after Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez, it won’t be Wright. They’ll likely use him as a reliever, per Cotillo, as Wright’s also coming back from 2018 left knee surgery.

The Red Sox’s bullpen ranks an impressive fourth in the majors in ERA, fifth in FIP and ninth in K/BB ratio, but Wright still may be able to help the unit. Neither left-handed hitters nor righties have enjoyed a ton of success at Wright’s expense. Lefties have hit .237/.316/.359 off Wright, while righties have posted a .252/.321/.407 line against him.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yelich, Deadline, Yates, Yordan, BVW

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This week in baseball blogs…

Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com.

Jedd Gyorko Suffers Setback

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JUNE 22: Gyorko’s now dealing with a right wrist issue that will require minor arthroscopic surgery, Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets. He won’t restart baseball activities for approximately three weeks.

JUNE 19: Injured Cardinals infielder Jedd Gyorko suffered a setback this week and won’t return “for a while,” Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

Gyorko went to the injured list June 8 with a lower back strain, but he may now be dealing with a left calf strain. It’s the latest significant lower body issue for Gyorko, who thrice went on the IL with hamstring and groin strains from 2017-18.

Gyorko’s injury woes add to what has been a contract season to forget for the 30-year-old. Although the former Padre combined to hit .259/.331/.463 (111 wRC+) with 61 home runs and 6.1 fWAR in 1,321 plate appearances from 2016-18, his first three seasons as a Cardinal, playing time has been scarce for Gyorko this year. Stuck behind third baseman Matt Carpenter, second baseman Kolten Wong and shortstop Paul DeJong on the Cardinals’ depth chart, Gyorko has totaled just 62 PA in 2019 and batted a poor .196/.274/.304 (57 wRC+) with a pair of HRs.

Between his injuries and weak production, Gyorko looks as if he’s on track to settle for a much lower salary than his current $13MM when he reaches free agency in the offseason.  The Cardinals will have a chance to keep Gyorko for another $13MM then, but they’re sure to decline his option in favor of a $1MM buyout.

Phillies’ Maikel Franco Losing Playing Time

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Since 2015, the first season in which Maikel Franco received extensive major league action, he has been the Phillies’ top option at third base. However, Franco’s now in the throes of the second straight season in which he has fallen out of favor with Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, Matt Breen of the Philadelpia Inquirer observes.

After appearing in 150-plus games in each season from 2016-17, Franco dropped to 131 last year and has ridden the bench of late this season. The 26-year-old was almost the Phillies’ sole option at third base into late May, but he has lost his grip on the job since then. Scott Kingery, Sean Rodriguez and the just-acquired Brad Miller have begun eating into Franco’s playing time recently. Franco sat again Saturday in favor of Miller.

It’s not that surprising the Phillies are fed up with Franco, who’s coming off more and more like a one-shot wonder. While the 26-year-old looked like a foundational piece in the making at the outset of his career, his production has fallen flat since then. Thanks in part to his horrid .205/.275/.371 showing in 247 plate appearances this season, Franco has slashed .248/.300/.429 with a 90 wRC+ in 2,357 major league PA. Worsening matters, Franco hasn’t made up for his below-average offensive output with stellar work in the field, having accounted for minus-31 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-7.8 Ultimate Zone Rating at the hot corner in his career.

With Franco failing to contribute to their cause, the Phillies are a disappointing 39-37, putting them five games behind the NL East-leading Braves and a game and a half out of a wild-card spot. Third base may be a priority position entering the July 31 trade deadline for the Phillies, though they could move the versatile Kingery there on a full-time basis and acquire an outfielder instead. Either way, after an aggressive offseason, it’s clear the team’s not in an ideal position at the start of the summer.

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