Archives for September 2019

Joey Gallo Might Not Return In 2019

By Steve Adams | September 18, 2019 at 5:01pm CDT

While Rangers slugger Joey Gallo was eyeing a Sept. 20 return to the lineup, that’s no longer a realistic return date, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. The Rangers aren’t certain that Gallo will make it back to the team at all before season’s end, he adds. Gallo has been out for nearly two months since fracturing his hamate bone in late July. The initially projected timeline of roughly six weeks has come and gone, but Gallo is still experiencing discomfort in his hand and lacking in grip strength, per Grant.

If Gallo’s season has indeed come to a close, it’ll go down as a strong year even in spite of the lengthy injury absence. The 25-year-old launched 22 home runs in just 297 plate appearances this season while posting a career-best 17.5 percent walk rate. Gallo’s 38.4 percent strikeout rate is still among the highest in the league, and he’s unlikely to repeat the .368 average on balls in play that helped buoy his overall batting line to .253/.389/.598. Even with some regression in terms of his batting average (and, inherently, his on-base percentage), Gallo should still be an above-average offensive producer and among the league’s top power threats again in 2020.

Perhaps the most encouraging development for Gallo and the Rangers, though, came on the defensive side of the coin. Gallo spent the entire season not just in the outfield but in center field for a large portion of his time on the active roster (309 innings). He’s previously turned in sub-par defensive ratings in left field but drew plus marks both there and in center field from metrics such as Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average. If Gallo is able to hack it as even a passable defensive center fielder, the combination of average or better glovework at a premium position and his virtually unrivaled raw power would make him an extremely valuable all-around player — gaudy strikeout rate and potentially low-.200s average notwithstanding.

Gallo will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and should be well served by the 110 home runs he’s already amassed in his young big league career. He’s under team control through the 2022 season, though Texas could certainly explore the idea of working out a longer-term contract with Gallo this coming winter. The two sides have talked extension in the past, but there’s been no indication of any 2019 talks to this point.

Yankees Activate Giancarlo Stanton

By Steve Adams | September 18, 2019 at 2:40pm CDT

Giancarlo Stanton has officially been activated from the 60-day injured list, the Yankees announced Wednesday. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Yankees placed Dellin Betances on the 60-day IL. Betances suffered a partial tear of his Achilles tendon in his first appearance of the 2019 season.

Stanton’s return to the lineup — he’s batting fifth and playing left field tonight — is a more-than-welcome sight for the injury-plagued Yankees. However, Stanton won’t play a full game tonight and will seemingly be eased back into the mix. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters that the slugger will play only four to five innings to get some at-bats under his belt (Twitter link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Stanton could play a full game as a DH on Thursday, though.

While Stanton’s first year in the Bronx didn’t quite live up to the MVP standard he set in 2017, he nevertheless proved to be a force in the middle of a potent Yankees lineup. In 705 plate appearances (158 games) last season, Stanton hit .266/.343/.509 with 38 home runs, 34 doubles and a triple. He’s been limited to just nine games in 2019 thanks to a biceps strain and a knee strain, but he’ll now have a couple of weeks to ramp back up to game speed as the Yankees prepare for the American League Division Series. New York has lost Mike Tauchman for the season and isn’t likely to get Aaron Hicks back, either, so Stanton will be in line for regular work in left field with Brett Gardner lining up in center and Aaron Judge manning right field.

Blue Jays Claim Ryan Dull

By Steve Adams | September 18, 2019 at 2:34pm CDT

The Blue Jays have claimed right-handed reliever Ryan Dull off waivers from the Yankees, per announcements from both teams. Lefty Tim Mayza, who suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament over the weekend, was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding roster move.

Dull, 29, has bounced from the A’s, to the Giants, to the Yankees and now to the Blue Jays via waivers in the past six weeks alone. The righty hasn’t had success in the Majors or in Triple-A this season, but he’s only a few seasons removed from looking like a quality bullpen piece in Oakland. While Dull has been tagged for 17 earned runs through just 11 1/3 innings in the big leagues this year and also has a 5.29 ERA across three Triple-A affiliates, he was one of Oakland’s best relievers back in 2016. That year, he tossed 74 1/3 innings of 2.42 ERA ball with nearly a strikeout per frame and just 1.8 BB/9.

Injuries have hit Dull rather hard since that breakout campaign. A knee injury limited him to a total of 45 2/3 innings in 2017, and shoulder trouble hindered him in 2018. Multiple clubs have been willing to dedicate a roster spot to taking a shot at getting Dull back into form, though, and the Jays will now try their hand. Dull does have a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so the Jays could certainly carry that experiment over to the 2020 campaign if they’re willing to carry Dull on the roster all winter. He’ll be arbitration-eligible this offseason but played the 2019 season on just an $860K salary, so his price tag wouldn’t be prohibitive.

Felipe Vazquez Arrested, Charged In Florida

By Jeff Todd | September 18, 2019 at 1:21pm CDT

Sept. 18: Lacretia Wimbley and Shelly Bradbury of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provide further detail on the series of charges that have been brought forth against Vazquez, including statutory sexual assault of a minor. Even more disturbing is that during yesterday’s interview with the police, Vazquez apparently admitted to sexual contact with a minor, according to a criminal complaint released by Westmoreland County on Wednesday.

Sept. 17: In a stunning and deeply troubling turn of events, Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez has been charged with a series of crimes in the state of Florida, according to James Santelli of CBS Pittsburgh. Vazquez, a resident of Florida, is in custody after being arrested today in Pennsylvania.

The underlying behavior alleged is exceedingly disturbing. Allegations involve an online relationship with a child, with charges including computer pornography, solicitation, and providing obscene materials to a minor. From other publicly released materials, it appears that other charges relating to the unlawful relationship with a child could also be filed.

Vazquez will be placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The commissioner’s office has authority to place players on paid administrative leave, in seven-day increments, pursuant to the collectively bargained Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

That policy also vests broad punitive authority in the MLB commissioner, along with administrative processes to protect the rights of any accused players. It contemplates punishment upon a finding of a violation, without requiring a criminal conviction and regardless of any action or inaction from legal authorities.

Any such suspension that is ultimately issued would be without pay. One of baseball’s best relief pitchers, Vazquez is signed with the Pittsburgh organization through the 2021 season. The club has a pair of team options thereafter.

In terms of criminal process, it is difficult to know how this matter may proceed. If the state is able to move forward with these and/or other charges, Vazquez could reach a plea agreement or face trial. Counts of this severity will come with the possibility of jail time and could also have immigration implications for the Venezuelan citizen.

Jakob Junis Shut Down For Remainder Of 2019

By Jeff Todd | September 18, 2019 at 1:14pm CDT

The Royals have decided to shut down right-hander Jakob Junis for the remainder of the season, skipper Ned Yost told reporters including Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). He’ll be replaced in the rotation by Eric Skoglund.

It seems the club did not want to extend the workload for Junis, who has taken 31 starts and thrown 175 1/3 innings. That’s actually 1 2/3 frames shy of his 2018 tally, but there were some signs that Junis was tiring. His velocity was headed south (though only slightly) and he had allowed four or more earned runs in each of his past five starts.

This decision puts the wraps on a somewhat disappointing season for Junis, who recently turned 27. He owns a 5.24 ERA with 8.4 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9. That’s nearly a run per nine worse than his earned run average over the prior two campaigns.

In some respects, the down year was really just a way for the baseball gods to even things out over a larger sample. Junis now owns a lifetime 4.69 ERA that’s an exact match for his career 4.69 FIP. Metrics such as xFIP (4.47) and SIERA (4.64) generally concur. While his K/BB ratio is decent enough, Junis has consistently given up too many long balls (1.56 per nine, 15.4% HR/FB rate for his career).

Junis will remain shy of arbitration next year, so he’s still an easy and affordable choice to plug back into the rotation. If the Royals can help him solve the long ball issue, there may yet be a path to improved results.

In the meantime, Skoglund will get a brief look. The tall lefty struggled in a half-season showcase last year and has been shelled in 14 innings in the majors in 2019. The former third-rounder was also knocked around this year in the upper minors, so it’s possible he’ll be a roster casualty in the offseason.

Latest On Ender Inciarte

By Jeff Todd | September 18, 2019 at 11:31am CDT

The Braves are hopeful that outfielder Ender Inciarte will be ready for activation early next week, manager Brian Snitker tells reporters including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Inciarte is working to recover from a hamstring strain.

When the injury initially occurred one month ago, it was estimated at a four to six week recovery timeframe. Inciarte is already hitting and running, so it seems he’s at the early end of the spectrum.

That’s great news for the Atlanta organization, particularly since the organization just lost two top reserve players to injury. Optimally, Inciarte would get at least a decent run of live action at the tail end of the regular season to ramp up for the playoffs.

Trouble is, there’s only a brief window left. And the Braves must balance the desire to get the outfielder reps — and assess his readiness to contribute — with the need to avoid further injury. As Snitker puts it, “reports are good” on Inciarte’s progress as he ramps up, “but what he does in drills is a lot different than taxing it and playing in games.”

No matter what happens with Inciarte, the Braves are well covered in the outfield. In addition to star Ronald Acuna, the club has welcomed back Nick Markakis from his own lengthy rehab stint and added speed-and-glove switch-hitter Billy Hamilton. With lefty bench bat Matt Joyce also in the mix for a postseason roster spot, along with right-handed hitters Adam Duvall and Austin Riley, it’ll be interesting to see how the outfield logjam is resolved if Inciarte is able to get back and show he’s healthy.

Cubs Place Addison Russell On Concussion IL

By Jeff Todd | September 18, 2019 at 9:51am CDT

The Cubs decided yesterday to place infielder Addison Russell on the 7-day concussion injured list, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. By doing so, the organization will avoid paying Russell a $100K roster bonus.

As Wittenmyer explains, this outwardly innocuous move makes for a complicated situation from a variety of perspectives. It’s even possible that it could ultimately lead to a grievance, he suggests, though it’s not clear whether that has specifically been contemplated.

With rosters expanded in September, the use of the injured list changes significantly. The 60-day IL remains relevant because it allows teams to open a 40-man roster spot. But the only real reason to use the 10-day or 7-day concussion lists is to make a recently optioned player eligible for an earlier recall.

In this case, the Cubs have nothing to gain beyond avoiding Russell’s next roster bonus. His arbitration contract includes a $4.3MM salary and $100K bonuses at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days on the active roster (plus $200K for 150, which he cannot meet).

The club issued an explanation centered upon respect for the concussion protocol. But as Wittenmyer explains, that wouldn’t seem to mandate this official roster move. While this brand of penny pinching at the expense of an employee isn’t generally justifiable, this contract was negotiated under unusual circumstances. Russell served the bulk of a 40-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy at the start of the 2019 campaign.

There isn’t any indication at this point of tension between team and player. But it’s tempting to wonder whether this hints at things to come. Even if Russell returns to action late this year and/or in the postseason, which remains to be seen, the Chicago organization could well be preparing to part ways at season’s end.

The Cubs already made the widely questioned decision to hang onto Russell despite the shameful circumstances of his suspension. He has been a significant part of this year’s team, spending time on optional assignment but also appearing in 76 MLB games. The Cubs control Russell’s rights for two more seasons and likely wouldn’t owe him a huge raise on his existing base salary. But he has not overcome his offensive struggles, turning in a .227/.303/.389 batting line in 229 plate appearances, so it’s amply possible that the club will simply determine that it’s time to move on from a pure baseball perspective.

Pirates Select Contract Of Jake Elmore

By Jeff Todd | September 18, 2019 at 5:26am CDT

The Pirates have selected the contract of utilityman Jake Elmore, per a club announcement. He’ll fill out the active roster down the stretch.

Elmore, 32, was on and off the Pittsburgh 40-man roster earlier this season. He has appeared in parts of six MLB campaigns, each time with a different ballclub, making him something of the consummate journeyman.

For his career, Elmore carries a modest .208/.287/.269 batting line in 498 plate appearances. He has spent most of his time at Triple-A, where he’s a .294/.389/.381 hitter over eight campaigns.

While he’s obviously not an especially productive hitter, Elmore has carved out a niche as a handy swiss army knife to have stashed when a need arises. He’s primarily a middle infielder. But at some point or another, Elmore has appeared at every single position on the diamond as a professional (including on the mound and behind the dish).

Red Sox Notes: Betts, Price, J.D., Chavis

By Connor Byrne | September 17, 2019 at 11:48pm CDT

Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed left foot inflammation, according to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. The issue has kept Betts out since Sept. 12, and with the Red Sox’s playoff hopes all but dead, he doesn’t seem like a lock to return in 2019. As you’d expect, though, Betts is hopeful he’ll see action again this year, Mastrodonato writes. The reigning AL MVP hasn’t been quite as otherworldly as he was during Boston’s championship-winning 2018, but that’s hardly a knock on his performance this season. Betts has still batted a fantastic .293/.391/.527 with 28 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 680 plate appearances, and his 6.3 fWAR ranks eighth among AL position players.

One of Betts’ injured teammates, left-hander David Price, doesn’t seem likely to pitch again this season. Price’s ailing left wrist continues to stop him from throwing anything but fastballs, per Mastrodonato. Red Sox brass plans to discuss a potential surgery with Price, though it doesn’t seem as if it would be a major procedure. Price’s wrist has troubled him dating back to last season, and the cortisone shot he underwent on it in early August hasn’t produced the type of results he or Boston hoped for at the time. The 34-year-old has made only two starts and totaled 4 2/3 innings since July ended. His most recent outing came Sept. 1.
Designated hitter J.D. Martinez is day-to-day after exiting the Red Sox’s marathon game against the Giants on Tuesday with left groin tightness, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. It’s conceivable the big-hitting Martinez is in his final days as a Red Sox, as he could decide after the season to opt out of the guaranteed three years and $62.5MM left on the contract he signed going into the 2018 campaign. The 32-year-old Martinez would be taking an enormous gamble in leaving the rest of that deal on the table, but he has arguably made a case to do so by putting up yet another huge season at the plate (albeit nowhere near as impactful as his 2017-18 showings).
As of two weeks ago, infielder Michael Chavis looked like a candidate to miss the rest of the season after suffering a setback in his recovery from an oblique strain. It now appears the rookie will play again this year, though, with Mastrodonato noting he could be healthy enough to return over the weekend. Chavis, who hasn’t played since Aug. 11, got off to a sizzling start this season before his production tailed off during the summer.

Latest On Yonny Chirinos, Brandon Lowe

By Connor Byrne | September 17, 2019 at 10:59pm CDT

The Rays’ pitching staff has gotten a couple major injury reinforcements back in recent days as the club attempts to earn an American League wild-card spot. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow returned from a months-long absence Sept. 8, while lefty Blake Snell came back Tuesday after sitting for several weeks. Righty Yonny Chirinos, out since Aug. 4 with middle finger inflammation on his pitching hand, isn’t far away from rejoining those two, Juan Toribio of MLB.com relays. Chirinos’ 40-pitch simulated game Monday “went really well,” according to manager Kevin Cash, who added “there’s a good chance” his next outing will come in the majors.

Like Glasnow and Snell, Chirinos has been one of the Rays’ most reliable starters in 2019. The 25-year-old has recorded a 3.62 ERA/4.17 FIP with 7.82 K/9 against 1.99 BB/9 in 126 2/3 innings (23 appearances, 17 starts). However, it’s not yet clear whether Chirinos will return as a starter or a reliever, per Toribio. Either way, Chirinos doesn’t figure to give the Rays a great deal of length. Notably, Glasnow has worked in two- to three-inning stints in a pair of appearances since his comeback, while Snell threw just 26 pitches against the Dodgers in his first start since July.

Meantime, the Rays will continue to go without injured infielder Brandon Lowe through at least their upcoming homestand, Toribio reports. That runs from Sept. 20-25, so if Lowe does get back on the field this regular season, he’ll play in a maximum of three more games. It would arguably be a bonus for Tampa Bay to receive anything more from Lowe, though, as he not long ago looked as if his shin issue would definitely prevent him from playing again this season.

Lowe hasn’t taken the field since July 2, and though Cash said his timing at the plate and infield work are back to normal, he’s not yet able to run at full strength. Whether or not we have seen the last of the 25-year-old Lowe this season, his rookie campaign will go down as an eminently successful one. Lowe slashed .276/.399/.523 with 16 home runs and 2.5 fWAR in 307 plate appearances before the injury interruption.

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