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Archives for September 2019

Padres To Shut Down Chris Paddack

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As expected, the Padres have brought an early end to star rookie Chris Paddack’s season. The right-hander’s start against the Brewers on Tuesday will go down as his last of the year, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Paddack concluded his season in excellent fashion, tossing five innings of one-run, one-hit ball with nine strikeouts against a single walk in the Padres’ loss in Milwaukee. It was the fourth straight outstanding performance by the 23-year-old Paddack, who yielded a mere two earned runs and totaled 32 strikeouts versus four walks in his last four appearances – a 23 1/3-inning span.

After joining the Padres in a heist of a trade with the Marlins back in 2016, Paddack quickly rose up the ranks to become one of the game’s most coveted young arms. And though Paddack underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after switching organizations, it’s evident he’s all the way back at this point. The 2015 eighth-round pick amassed a professional-high 140 2/3 frames this year, notching a 3.33 ERA/3.96 FIP with 9.79 K/9 and 1.98 BB/9 in the process.

Now, with San Diego out of contention as the season winds to a close, the team understandably wants to preserve a hurler who could be a front-line starter for the long haul. The Padres’ playoff drought will sit at an embarrassing 13 years after this season, but if they’re going to return to relevance sometime soon, it seems likely Paddack will have quite a bit of say in it.

West Notes: Posey, Leclerc, La Stella, Padres

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This has been a career-worst offensive season for Giants catcher Buster Posey, but the hip surgery the potential Hall of Famer underwent a year ago may be among the reasons for his decline at the plate, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle observes. If so, there’s hope Posey will bounce back in 2020, when he’ll turn 33. “It’s at least a year before you get back closer to what you were. Hey, this guy wasn’t able to do much during the winter,” outgoing manager Bruce Bochy told Shea. “We had to watch his workload this spring, and we’ve done it during the season, to be honest.” If Posey doesn’t come close to revisiting his prior form early next year, it could give the Giants all the more reason to hasten the promotion of their No. 1 prospect, catcher Joey Bart, whom they chose second overall in the 2018 draft. Whenever Bart does arrive in San Francisco, he’ll have a tremendous mentor in Posey. “One of the greatest gifts you can give to a young player is to have his back and support him whenever he gets here and try to help him grow,” said Posey, who expresses a willingness in Shea’s piece (which is worth a full read) to eventually see more time at first base if necessary. The 2020 campaign will be the eighth season of a nine-year, $167MM contract for Posey, owner of a full no-trade clause.

  • Rangers right-hander Jose Leclerc was one of baseball’s standout relievers in 2018, but this season got off to a horrific start for the 25-year-old. After he yielded 10 earned runs on 13 hits and eight walks (with 13 strikeouts) in 8 1/3 innings in April, the Rangers removed Leclerc from the closer’s role at the outset of May. Leclerc has since revived his season and regained the job, though, and odds are that he’ll enter 2020 as the Rangers’ go-to game-ending option, according to manager Chris Woodward (via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). “As of right now, yeah,” Woodward said when asked if Leclerc’s the in-house favorite to close next year. The presence of Leclerc – he of the 4.10 ERA/3.66 FIP with 13.15 K/9, 5.09 BB/9 and 13 saves on 17 tries over 63 2/3 innings – should enable the Rangers to focus on more pressing needs when the offseason arrives, Wilson writes.
  • Injured Angels infielder Tommy La Stella was aiming for a mid-September return just a couple weeks ago, though he still hasn’t come back from the fractured right tibia he suffered July 3. Now, with just two weeks left in the Angels’ season, there’s still no timetable for a comeback, Bill Ladson of MLB.com relays. It seems possible we’ve seen the last of La Stella in 2019, which would put him in company with a few notable out-for-the-year Angels in Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton. The 30-year-old La Stella unexpectedly earned the first All-Star nod of his career before landing on the IL, on the strength of a .300/.353/.495 line with 16 home runs and 2.2 fWAR in 312 plate appearances.
  • Padres catcher Luis Torrens hasn’t played in the majors since 2017, the season after the club acquired him during the Rule 5 Draft. Torrens, then 21, was clearly in over his head that year. He batted a meager .163/.243/.203 in 139 plate appearances in the bigs, but the Padres still haven’t given up on him a couple years later. And Torrens performed so well at the Double-A level this season that he’ll be in the mix to win a major league spot next spring, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune suggests. Not only has Torrens hit .300/.373/.500 with 15 homers in 397 trips to the plate this year, but his defensive progress has impressed the San Diego organization. “The video I see, his energy behind the plate is incredible,” said Padres bench coach Rod Barajas, a former MLB catcher. “He’s a spark plug back there.” It seems Torrens will be part of a battle that will also consist of Francisco Mejia, Austin Hedges and Austin Allen next spring. In the meantime, he’ll start “a few” games in the majors before this season ends, per manager Andy Green.

Dodgers Notes: Hill, Stripling, Verdugo, Turner

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Let’s check in on the National League’s top-ranked club as the postseason approaches…

  • The Dodgers have seemingly avoided an especially negative outcome with left-hander Rich Hill, whose season looked to be in jeopardy when he suffered a strained MCL in his left knee last week. The same type of injury kept Hill out for the first month of the season, but it looks as if he’ll slot back into the Dodgers’ staff in short order this time. The MRI that Hill underwent Monday revealed “nothing structural,” manager Dave Roberts announced to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group and other reporters, which paved the way for the 39-year-old to throw a bullpen session Tuesday. Now, barring any setbacks, it seems Hill could take a major league mound again as early as this week.
  • Regardless of whether Hill reenters their rotation this year, right-hander Ross Stripling will not factor into the Dodgers’ postseason starting mix, per Roberts (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Stripling will instead be part of the Dodgers’ playoff relief corps. The 29-year-old swingman has divided 2019 between LA’s starting and relief staffs, and has notched a sturdy 3.40 ERA/3.71 FIP with 8.72 K/9, 2.02 BB/9 and a 50.2 percent groundball rate across 84 2/3 innings.
  • While the latest news on Hill looks encouraging, the same doesn’t apply to outfielder Alex Verdugo. The rookie will officially miss the Dodgers’ National League Division Series matchup, Hoornstra tweets. The hope is Verdugo will be ready to return if the Dodgers advance to the second round of the postseason. Oblique and back injuries have shelved Verdugo since Aug. 4, prematurely ending a solid first season in which the 23-year-old slashed .294/.342/.475 with a dozen home runs and 2.2 fWAR in 377 plate appearances. The Dodgers aren’t exactly hard up for outfield help without Verdugo, of course, as they still boast NL MVP candidate Cody Bellinger, A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson among their main choices.
  • Although there had been hope third baseman Justin Turner would make his way back to the Dodgers’ starting lineup Tuesday, that’s not going to happen. Turner did say he’s “getting better every day” as he tries to return from the left ankle sprain that has shelved him since Sept. 7, though (Twitter links via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times and Gurnick). That said, Roberts still isn’t willing to offer a timetable on when Turner could start again. The Dodgers have recently turned to Matt Beaty, Chris Taylor and Jedd Gyorko at third in lieu of Turner, who has once again posted star-caliber numbers this season when healthy.

NL Injury Notes: Baez, Weaver, Brewers, Rockies

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The Cubs will evaluate shortstop Javier Baez by week’s end to see when he’ll be able to start rehab activity, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. The club has been without Baez for just about all of September because of a hairline fracture in his left thumb, and it’s likely the injury will prevent the star from suiting up again in the regular season as Chicago tries to at least earn a wild-card berth. The Baez-less Cubs have been turning to recently recalled youngster Nico Hoerner at short, and fortunately for them, he has begun his career in outstanding fashion. Thanks in part to Hoerner’s contributions, the Cubs are 6-2 dating back to his Sept. 9 debut.

More injury updates from around the National League…

  • Diamondbacks right-hander Luke Weaver may be a “couple days” from returning to a major league mound, per Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Weaver threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday as he works back from forearm and ulnar collateral ligament issues that have shelved him since late May. The offseason acquisition, who joined the D-backs via their Paul Goldschmidt trade with the Cardinals, had been amid a stellar campaign before landing on the shelf. Weaver owns a 3.03 ERA/3.11 FIP with 9.82 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings on the season. While Arizona’s playoff hopes have faded this year, the hope is Weaver and fellow young righty Zac Gallen will be among those to help drive the team back into contention in 2020.
  • Brewers righty reliever Corey Knebel is “continuing to make progress” in his recovery from the Tommy John procedure he underwent in March, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Knebel expects to return to throwing from a mound when spring training rolls around, per Haudricourt. It’s all the more impressive on the Brewers’ part that they’re in the thick of the wild-card hunt without having received anything from Knebel, who was one of their best bullpen options from 2017-18.
  • Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland is nearing a late-season return, according to Nick Groke of The Athletic. A strained groin has kept Freeland from taking a big league mound since Aug. 20, but he’ll be able to make two more starts (albeit at just two to three innings per appearance) this year, Groke notes. Freeland will attempt to end his surprisingly dismal season on a high note when he suits up again. One of the NL’s premier pitchers just a year ago, Freeland has been just the opposite in 2019. The 26-year-old has logged a 6.98 ERA/6.13 FIP across 99 1/3 frames, and his struggles led the Rockies to demote him to the minors earlier in the season.

Giancarlo Stanton Nearing Return

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Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is one of several high-profile Yankees whom injuries have stunted this year, but with the playoffs around the corner, the former MVP’s on his way back. The Yankees will activate Stanton from the injured list Wednesday or Thursday, manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and other reporters. The team doesn’t expect Stanton to be limited at all when he comes back, according to Boone.

Despite almost no contributions this year from Stanton, a four-time All-Star who was the Yankees’ signature acquisition going into the 2018 campaign, the club has thrived this season. Even though multiple injuries have held Stanton to 38 plate appearances in 2019, the Yankees (98-53) are in a tie with the Astros for the majors’ best record, and they’re shoo-ins to win their first American League East title since 2012. Stanton hasn’t played since he suffered a strained PCL in his right knee June 25. Before that, biceps, shoulder and calf problems shelved him for roughly two and a half months.

The Stanton-less Yankees have unexpectedly gotten terrific production from once-unheralded pickups Mike Tauchman and Cameron Maybin in the outfield, while holdovers Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks have done good work yet again. However, both Tauchman and Hicks are likely done for the season with injuries of their own, which should make Stanton’s return all the more important for New York as it chases its first World Series title since 2009.

Rays Activate Blake Snell

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Rays left-hander Blake Snell is set to make his long-awaited return from the injured list, the team announced. Snell will start for the Rays in a road game against the Dodgers on Tuesday, and his activation will give the club a franchise-record 38 active players.

The Rays have been without Snell since July 25, when it became apparent the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner would need arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow. To that point, Snell had only performed like the dominant force he was a year ago on a sporadic basis, but he has nonetheless been a significant asset this season. The 26-year-old fired six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in his most recent start July 21, helping him to a 4.21 ERA/3.40 FIP with 12.12 K/9 and 3.12 BB/9 across 101 frames in the campaign. Snell’s strikeout rate ranks fifth among all major leaguers who have amassed at least 100 innings this year.

Despite the long-term absences of Snell and fellow starters Tyler Glasnow (who returned from the IL on Sept. 8) and Yonny Chirinos (out since Aug. 4), the Rays have continued to hold an AL wild-card spot. They’re a game back of Oakland for the league’s No. 4 seed and one and a half up on Cleveland in the race for its final postseason position. The return of Snell should only increase the Rays’ chances of clinching their first playoff berth since 2013, though he probably isn’t going to give the team a lot of innings in his first game back from the IL.

Astros Stop Collin McHugh’s Throwing Program

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The Astros have shut down Collin McHugh after the right-hander experienced continued pain during his latest throwing session, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (Twitter link via FOX 26’s Mark Berman). While the team hasn’t formally indicated that McHugh’s season is over, the latest setback certainly calls into question whether he’ll be able to contribute again in 2019 — be it in the regular season or in the playoffs.

McHugh has been on the injured list since Aug. 31 due to elbow discomfort — his second such IL placement in 2019.  The 32-year-old opened the season with a chance to reclaim his spot in the Houston rotation but struggled badly in eight starts, pitching to a 6.37 ERA (5.27 FIP, 4.46 xFIP) through 41 innings of work. McHugh managed a strikeout per inning with respectable control in that time, but he also served up nine long balls in those 41 frames (1.98 HR/9).

Houston dropped McHugh to the bullpen in mid-May, and he landed on the injured list after just two appearances — ultimately missing six weeks due to the aforementioned elbow troubles. That hiatus notwithstanding, McHugh has been sharp since moving back into a bullpen role. In his past 33 2/3 innings, he’s worked to a 2.67 ERA (3.43 ERA, 4.22 xFIP) and averaged 10.7 strikeouts and 4.2 walks per nine innings pitched. Most importantly, he’s managed to once again keep the ball in the yard, as he’s yielded only three home runs in that span.

Today’s news not only clouds McHugh’s chances of returning to the team in 2019 — it calls into question whether he’ll pitch again as an Astro at all. McHugh is set to become a free agent at season’s end, so it’s in his best interest to get back to the mound and demonstrate health in some capacity if he can. Two IL stints for elbow issues in his platform year will be a red flag, to some extent, for all interested parties anyhow, but finishing the year on a healthy note would obviously be preferable.

It stands to reason that McHugh will draw interest from teams both as a starter and a reliever this winter, but that level of interest will surely be dependent on the health of his elbow. If he’s unable to throw before the offseason begins, he could potentially set up some throwing sessions for teams to watch over the winter as a means of proving that his elbow is back up to full strength.

Yankees Activate Luis Severino, Designate Breyvic Valera

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The Yankees announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated Luis Severino from the 60-day injured list. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, New York has designated infielder Breyvic Valera for assignment.

Severino’s return to the rotation tonight will be a boon for a Yankees club that has seen its starters struggle immensely in the season’s second half. If Severino is able to quickly round back into form, he’ll surely play a prominent role in the team’s postseason pitching plans. The 25-year-old righty, who signed a four-year, $40MM contract extension in the offseason, has yet to pitch this season due to shoulder and lat injuries but gave the Yankees 384 2/3 innings of 3.18 ERA ball (3.01 FIP) with 10.5 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 from 2017-18.

The 27-year-old Valera, claimed off waivers from the Giants earlier this season, appeared in a dozen games for the Yankees and hit .219/.324/.313 in 37 plate appearances. He’s appeared with four different big league teams in the past three seasons, having also spent time with the Orioles, Dodgers and Cardinals. (Valera never played in the Majors with the Giants.) Los Angeles sent him to Baltimore in last summer’s Manny Machado swap, though it was clear at the time of the deal that he wasn’t as well regarded as the younger players sent to the O’s in that trade.

In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Valera has a .302/.374/.442 batting line. He’s spent the bulk of his career in the minors at second base but also has 1434 innings at shortstop, 823 innings at third base, 932 innings in left field, 303 innings in right field and 68 innings in center under his belt. Valera will be out of minor league options next season, so any club that claims him would either have to include him on 2020’s Opening Day roster or attempt to pass him through waivers themselves.

Corey Dickerson Out For Remainder Of Season

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The Phillies announced that outfielder Corey Dickerson has been placed on the 60-day injured list due to a fractured navicular bone in his left foot, thus ending his season. Right-hander Edubray Ramos was activated from the injured list in his place.

The move to acquire Dickerson from the Pirates for international bonus allotments and salary relief proved to be a nice pickup for the Phillies, as the 30-year-old slugger went on to hit .293/.307/.579 with eight homers, 10 doubles and a pair of triples in 137 plate appearances. Injuries prevented Dickerson from playing as often as the organization would’ve liked, surely, but he nonetheless proved to be a high-quality bat who came with a low cost of acquisition.

Dickerson’s season didn’t start until June due to a shoulder strain and will end early due to this foot injury, but the portion of time for which he was healthy will serve as a reminder to clubs of just how potent his bat can be as he enters free agency for the first time. In all, Dickerson came to the plate 279 times this season and raked at a .304/.341/.565 clip with a dozen homers, 28 doubles and two triples.

That marks the sixth consecutive season in which Dickerson has been an above-average hitter, although it’s worth noting that last year’s surprisingly excellent defensive metrics regressed toward his sub-par career levels in 2019. Bat-first corner players haven’t been treated well in free agency in recent seasons, and Dickerson’s modest 5.8 percent career walk rate won’t do him any favors in negotiating with clubs. Still, he’s a clear weapon against right-handed pitching who has held his own against southpaws (.272/.310/.409) in his career and should find work as a regular in someone’s corner outfield and/or designated hitter mix this winter.

Because Dickerson was traded midseason, the Phillies won’t be eligible to issue him a qualifying offer — not that they would be likely to do so even if he were eligible — so he’ll hit the open market without the burden of draft-pick compensation.

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