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Archives for September 2019

Gleyber Torres Headed For MRI

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11:47am: Per Hoch, the MRI on Torres’s right hamstring came back negative, revealing some good news for the Yankees. Assuming that he continues to feel better in the coming days, Torres shouldn’t be required to miss an extended period of time.

10:14am: Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres, who exited Friday’s game against the Blue Jays with an injury to his right leg after he slipped and fell on the outfield grass, will have an MRI done today on his right hamstring, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The 22-year-old Torres told skipper Aaron Boone that he felt good this morning, but the team wants to be sure that there wasn’t any serious damage incurred on the fall.

While the Yankees season has been defined by an improbable run of injured stars, Torres has been one of the few regulars that has managed to stay on his feet all year, leading the team with 140 games played. That alone makes it doubly frustrating that the budding star’s health might be compromised so late in the season. However, with Torres citing improvement today and the results of the MRI yet to come, there may well be no reason to panic.

After a fantastic rookie season in 2018, Torres has followed that up with an even better 2019, in which he has slugged 38 home runs. He’s seen his OPS jump to .889 and has even managed to hold his own at shortstop, posting respectable advanced defensive stats in more than 650 innings there. Of course, those metrics are imperfect and ought to be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s nonetheless a surprising development for a player who was forced off of shortstop and only returned as a result of injury.

With the postseason right around the corner and home-field advantage still at stake, another injury scare is surely the last thing the Yankees need in late September. However, one might at least point to the return of Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Severino, along with the impending arrivals of Edwin Encarnacion and Gary Sanchez, as silver linings in the situation.

West Notes: Lyles, Astros, Turner, Pence, A’s

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Right-hander Jordan Lyles has been terrific for the Brewers since they acquired him from the Pirates prior to the July trade deadline, but he almost ended up elsewhere before Milwaukee grabbed him. The Astros showed “strong interest” in Lyles leading up to the deadline, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports in a subscription piece delving into his late-season turnaround. Lyles was a first-round pick (38th overall) of the Astros in 2008, but he was unsuccessful as a major leaguer in Houston from 2011-13. The Astros then traded Lyles to the Rockies in a deal for outfielder Dexter Fowler. Lyles has struggled with a few other teams since then, and it’s anyone’s guess whether he’d have thrived this summer had Houston gotten him instead of Milwaukee.

After losing out on Lyles, the Astros still made a couple starting pitching additions at the deadline, landing ace Zack Greinke and another righty in Aaron Sanchez. The Greinke pickup has gone swimmingly thus far, though Sanchez fell somewhat flat before suffering a season-ending injury that might also keep him out for some portion of 2020. Considering Sanchez’s situation, not to mention the pending free agencies of starters Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley, perhaps they’ll circle back to Lyles if he hits the open market in the offseason.

Let’s check in on a few other teams from the majors’ West divisions…

  • A lower back strain has shelved Rangers designated hitter/outfielder Hunter Pence since Aug. 23, and though the club’s eliminated from postseason contention, he still hopes to play again this year, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com relays. Regardless of if Pence makes it back, the Rangers will have an offseason decision on whether to re-sign the soon-to-be free agent. The 36-year-old Pence, who has revived his career in Texas, said last week he’d “love” to return to the club. However, manager Chris Woodward expressed some doubt over how Pence would fit on the roster going forward. GM Jon Daniels took a similar tone Friday, telling Sullivan: “He was extremely productive on the field, and he was [a] really valuable member of the clubhouse that you would love to have back. On the other hand, how many at-bats are we going to have for a corner outfielder-DH. On the surface, as we are currently constructed, not a lot. Things could change. That’s the reality.”
  • Third baseman Justin Turner will slot back into the Dodgers’ starting lineup Saturday and Sunday, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. He won’t play a full game in either case, though, according to manager Dave Roberts. A sprained left ankle has kept Turner out dating back to Sept. 7, but he’ll now have time to tune up before the Dodgers begin a potential run to the World Series in October.
  • Athletics reliever Lou Trivino hasn’t pitched since Sept. 14 because of left oblique and rib soreness. It turns out Trivino suffered the injuries when he slipped in his shower, he told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday. Trivino does expect to pitch again this season, which wasn’t going according to plan for him even before his at-home accident. While the 27-year-old largely stymied opposing hitters as a rookie in 2018, he has only managed a 5.25 ERA/4.53 FIP with 8.55 K/9 and 4.65 BB/9 in 60 innings this season.

Jon Daniels, Chris Woodward On Elvis Andrus

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Shortstop Elvis Andrus is one of multiple high-profile Rangers hitters to endure disappointing seasons. The low-value performances of Andrus, second baseman Rougned Odor and outfielder Nomar Mazara have put forth at least partially explain why the Rangers are on their way to a third straight sub-.500 campaign. No member of the trio entered the year with more at stake financially than Andrus, who could have seriously considered opting out of his contract with a highly productive 2019. Now, though, it would be a major surprise to see Andrus vacate the remaining three years and $43MM on the eight-year, $120MM extension he signed with Texas in 2013.

With Andrus looking likely to stay put, Rangers brass is seeking bigger contributions from the 31-year-old moving forward. The club may even push Andrus to improve by making him compete for playing time, which GM Jon Daniels and manager Chris Woodward suggested to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News could happen.

“I think [competition] would be healthy,” Daniels said. “Elvis has got to perform at a higher level. He’s capable of more and we need more.”

Woodward echoed Daniels, noting, “He knows he has to be better,” and adding that no player “is immune from [reduced roles] if they are not producing.”

Andrus did produce during the first half of the season, but like his once-contending team, he has fallen off dramatically as 2019 has progressed. After slashing .303/.339/.453 before the All-Star break, Andrus’ line has dipped to .230/.271/.293 since mid-July. At the same time, his batting average on balls in play has plummeted from .338 to .261, while his isolated power mark has sunk from .150 to a punchless .063. He’s now on the verge of logging his second consecutive well-below-average offensive campaign (though last year’s was limited by injury), having hit .272/.310/.385 (74 wRC+) with 10 home runs and 28 steals on 36 attempts over 609 plate appearances. Meantime, per Defensive Runs Saved (minus-6) and Ultimate Zone Rating (plus-1.1), Andrus has been a mixed bag in the field.

If Andrus’ season ended now, he’d set a new career low with 1.1 fWAR. Ergo, even though Andrus is due $15MM next year, it’s understandable that the Rangers don’t want to hand him a No. 1 job then. The same applies to his double-play partner, Odor, another well-compensated Ranger who has frustrated the team’s higher-ups.

Utilityman Danny Santana could push Andrus and-or Odor for playing time next year (Grant specifically mentions him as potential competition for Andrus), though it’s difficult to forecast without first seeing how the Rangers’ offseason shakes out. The club’s infield figures to be one of its primary focuses over the winter, as Texas has received less-than-stellar overall production from all of those spots. Santana and late-season call-up Nick Solak are the only players in the bunch who have produced to acceptable levels at the plate.

AL East Notes: Torres, Jays, Rays, Red Sox

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Another day, another alarming health situation for the Yankees. Second baseman Gleyber Torres left the team’s game against Toronto on Friday after slipping on the outfield grass and potentially suffering an injury to his right knee (video via MLB.com). Torres initially stayed in the game in the wake of his fourth-inning fall, but the Yankees removed him after the sixth. Injuries to stars has been one of the main themes of the Yankees’ season, but they’ve weathered all of them en route to 100 wins and an American League East championship. The Yankees are still playing for homefield advantage throughout the postseason, though, and will obviously aim for a World Series title once the playoffs arrive. With that in mind, New York can ill afford to lose one of the best middle infielders in baseball in the 22-year-old Torres. [UPDATE: Torres “felt a little weak in his lower legs,” manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and other reporters. He’ll get checked out Saturday.]

Here’s more from the division…

  • Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun profiles Justin Smoak’s evolution into a clubhouse leader and mentor for the Blue Jays’ wave of upstart talents. Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are among the teammates who effuse praise for Smoak and the impact he’s already had on their young careers. “He’s a guy who has a relationship with every single guy in this locker room, no matter if they’re an up-and-down guy or if they’re playing every day,” Biggio says of Smoak. “It just shows how much he emphasizes being a good teammate and it just shows the kind of person he is overall.” Smoak fondly reminisces of the 2015-16 playoff runs and discusses how he and his family have come to consider Toronto a second home, though he also sounds like a veteran who recognizes the writing on the wall. MLBTR examined the pending free agent’s 2019 season earlier Friday.
  • The Rays are likely to activate right-hander Yonny Chirinos from the injured list Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Chirinos has been a starter for most of the year (a solid one at that), but he’ll work as a reliever for at the least the initial part of his return, according to Topkin. The Rays have been without Chirinos since they placed him on the IL on Aug. 5 with an inflamed middle finger on his pitching hand.
  • The Red Sox are “likely” to shut injured infielder Michael Chavis down for the season, per Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald. Chavis will next take the field during winter ball in Puerto Rico, Hewitt adds. An oblique strain has kept the 22-year-old Chavis out of action since Aug. 11, and it appears his rookie campaign will end with a .254/.322/.444 line and 18 home runs in 382 plate appearances.
  • Blue Jays minor league righty Luis Quinones received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drugs Nandrolone, John Lott of The Athletic reports. The ban will take effect at the beginning of the 2020 season. The 21-year-old Quinones was a 34th-round pick of the Jays this past June who produced stellar results in 36 2/3 innings between the rookie and low-A levels. He wrapped up his first professional season with a 2.95 ERA and 14.0 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9.

Diamondbacks To Activate Luke Weaver On Saturday

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Diamondbacks right-hander Luke Weaver will return from the injured list Saturday to start in San Diego, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. Because he’s on the 60-day IL, the D-backs will need to re-add Weaver to their 40-man roster, though they currently have an opening.

Saturday’s outing will be the first since May 26 for Weaver, whom forearm and UCL issues have kept out of action for almost four months. The 26-year-old was outstanding up to that point, as he notched a 3.03 ERA/3.10 FIP with 9.82 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 over 62 1/3 innings. That was undoubtedly the type of production the Diamondbacks had in mind when they acquired Weaver from the Cardinals last offseason as part of their return for first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

The fact that Weaver’s on his way back this year won’t impact the Diamondbacks’ playoff chances, as the 78-75 club has all but fallen out of contention. But if Weaver can end the season on a healthy note, it would give the team something to hang its hat on going into the winter. Weaver, Zac Gallen (who has thrived since joining Arizona at this year’s trade deadline), Robbie Ray (if the D-backs don’t deal him), Taijuan Walker (who should be back from Tommy John surgery and shoulder issues) and Merrill Kelly ought to give the Snakes’ rotation a solid foundation entering 2020.

Sam Dyson’s Season In Jeopardy

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SEPT. 20: Dyson indicated Friday that he’s likely to undergo surgery next week, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

SEPT. 14, 4:10pm: Indeed, Miller reported that season-ending shoulder surgery is on the table for Dyson, who felt pain in his shoulder just two pitches into a bullpen session on Friday. Per Miller, the Twins’ midseason acquisition underwent a procedure that pointed to a joint capsule sprain in Dyson’s right shoulder, which may call for Dyson to go under the knife.

11:20am: More bad news today from the suddenly snakebitten Minnesota Twins. Trade deadline acquisition Sam Dyson is unavailable this weekend, and he may not return at all this season, per Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).

Dyson spent a short stint on the injured list at the beginning of August with right bicep tendinitis. He cut a throwing session short yesterday after feeling discomfort early in the session. He has scheduled a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache next week, tweets MLB.com’s Dan Hayes.

It certainly doesn’t look good for Dyson, who has struggled since joining the Twins. After notching a 2.47 ERA/2.72 FIP across 49 appearances in San Francisco, Dyson’s Minnesota tenure began with a thud as he surrendered 6 earned runs while recording just two outs across his first two appearances. His overall numbers as a Twin remain ugly, but he’s straightened out since making an early impression. Dyson penned a 2.53 ERA over his next ten appearances, last pitching on September 3rd in Boston.

Frankie Montas To Rejoin A’s Next Week

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Athletics right-hander Frankie Montas will return from suspension during the club’s series against the Angels, which begins Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Montas will be eligible to pitch Wednesday, but it’s not yet clear whether the 26-year-old will start or relieve during his late-season comeback.

With a 2.70 ERA/2.90 FIP and 9.7 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 90 innings, Montas has unquestionably been the A’s most effective starter this year. However, a shocking 80-game performance-enhancing drug ban on June 21 cut off his breakout campaign and will stop him from participating in the playoffs. The A’s aren’t locks to reach the postseason, but at 92-61 and two games up on the AL’s No. 1 wild-card spot, they look to be on their way. Whether from their rotation or their bullpen, Montas could further bolster the A’s chances of a second straight playoff trip over the last week of the season.

Thanks in part to Montas’ absence, this is the second consecutive season the A’s rotation’s trying to battle through adversity and reach the top of the mountain in baseball. Multiple injuries have also added to the difficulty for Oakland, but its starting staff has found some late-season stability. Trade deadline pickups Homer Bailey and Tanner Roark have provided solid results since coming over in July; Sean Manaea has been nearly unhittable since he made a long-awaited return from injury Sept. 1; and Mike Fiers and Brett Anderson have defied unspectacular peripherals en route to ERAs in the low-4.00s this year.

Rangers Select Tim Federowicz, Transfer Joey Gallo To 60-Day IL

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The Rangers have selected the contract of catcher Tim Federowicz from Triple-A Nashville, the team announced (Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was first to report the move). They transferred slugger Joey Gallo to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster room for Federowicz. Gallo, on the IL since July 24 with a fractured right hamate bone, might be done for the season.

The 32-year-old Federowicz joined the Rangers in a June trade with the Indians. He then totaled 79 plate appearances and posted a subpar .169/.224/.366 line with four home runs in Texas before the team booted him from its 40-man roster on the last day of July. Federowicz wasn’t any better as a member of the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, with whom he batted .140/.190/.193 and hit a single homer in 63 attempts, but the well-traveled veteran did put up a playable line with the Indians’ top minor league club prior to the trade (.278/.353/.411, two HRs in 103 PA).

Brad Peacock Could Return Sunday

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The Astros’ pitching staff received great news Friday when standout reliever Ryan Pressly came back from injury. In yet another welcome development for the club, fellow right-hander Brad Peacock isn’t far from rejoining Pressly and the rest of Houston’s pitchers. Manager A.J. Hinch told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and other reporters Peacock could return from the injured list as early as Sunday. Peacock hasn’t pitched since Aug. 27.

Shoulder issues have limited Peacock throughout the summer, as he sat out all of July and most of August before a brief comeback and another IL placement. Peacock felt a “sharp pain” in his shoulder in his most recent appearance, leading the Astros to put him back on the shelf. The 31-year-old’s latest shoulder discomfort stemmed from nerve damage in his neck, but the Astros are confident he has moved past it, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes.

If he truly is healthy, Peacock should be a boon to the Astros’ cause as they go for their second World Series title since 2017. The club leads the majors with a 100-53 record, putting it in the driver’s seat in the American League West, and is trying to fend off the 100-54 Yankees for homefield advantage in the AL.

Peacock was a competent member of the Astros’ rotation earlier in the year, but he worked out of their bullpen upon his initial return from the IL and seems likely to do so again for the duration of the campaign. In 20 appearances (15 starts) and 88 2/3 innings this year, Peacock has pitched to a 4.06 ERA/4.30 FIP with 9.54 K/9 against 2.94 BB/9.

Ketel Marte Done For Season

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A dream season for the Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte has come to a premature end. The club has shut down the second baseman/outfielder on account of a stress reaction in his back, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The injury doesn’t figure to affect Marte going forward, as general manager Mike Hazen said he won’t need surgery and should be ready for a full spring training.

At 78-75, the Diamondbacks have put up a valiant fight this year, but it’s clear a playoff berth won’t be in the cards. As such, it likely wasn’t an overly difficult decision for the team to shut down Marte, who has emerged as a franchise-caliber player this season.

Marte, who joined the D-backs in a whopper of a trade with the Mariners in 2016, turned into one of baseball’s elite all-around players in 2019. Not only did the switch-hitting 25-year-old slash an exemplary .329/.389/.592 with 32 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 628 plate appearances, but he was an asset on the defensive end. Marte combined for 5 Defensive Runs Saved and a 4.5 Ultimate Zone Rating among second, shortstop and center field (primarily the latter). His overall output was worth a jaw-dropping 7.1 fWAR/6.9 bWAR.

Back in 2018, Marte signed a team-friendly extension that could possibly run through 2024. The deal has gone about as well as possible for the club thus far, and it appears Marte’s on his way to being one of the faces of the Arizona organization for the foreseeable future.

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