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Hunter Pence On Future Plans, Possible Rangers Return

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For the short term, Hunter Pence is focused only on returning to the Rangers’ lineup before the season is out.  As far as 2020 goes, Pence told reporters (including T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com) that he will head into the offseason in preparation of playing next year and potentially spending another season with Texas, though nothing is yet certain.

“I would love to be a part of this organization. There is a lot to be excited about with the young talent,” Pence said.  “I think there is a wealth of talent here. But I haven’t decided completely what I am going to do next….I want to feel healthy and be able to contribute. I don’t know what the opportunities are going to be. Somebody has got to want me and make an offer.”

Though Pence turns 37 in April, there will certainly be some free agent interest in his services following a tremendous comeback season.  After a pair of subpar, injury-hampered seasons with the Giants, Pence inked a minor league deal with the Rangers and ended up an All-Star for the fourth time in his career.  Pence has hit .297/.358/.552 with 18 home runs over 316 plate appearances, and while there was perhaps a touch of good luck baked into his performance (his .382 wOBA was well in front of his .358 xwOBA), he’s still in the 80th percentile of all hitters in xwOBA and the 90th percentile in exit velocity.  In fact, Pence is hitting the ball harder than ever — his 42.5% hard-hit ball rate is by far the highest of his 13-year career.

Health will definitely factor into Pence’s decisions.  In addition to a groin strain that cost him a month of the season, his current back issue is no small matter, as he said he has a small disk tear.  He has begun rotation exercises but not any actual swinging.  “I don’t think it’s a surgical thing, but if I mess it up, it could be,” Pence said, noting that while he wants to get back onto the field, he won’t take any unnecessary risks.

Pence has played 23 games as a corner outfielder this year and 46 as a designated hitter, mostly splitting time with Shin-Soo Choo in the latter role.  With the veteran Choo still under contract through 2020 and also better suited for DH duty at this stage in his career, having both Pence and Choo in an outfield/DH timeshare is perhaps a bit of a redundancy for a Texas club that also has other outfield options in Joey Gallo, Willie Calhoun, Nomar Mazara, and utilityman Danny Santana.  Trades could open up some room, of course, and Santana’s ability to play all over the field could see him earn more time as a corner infielder than in the outfield.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward acknowledged the logjam, saying “I just don’t know where we stand from a roster standpoint. Is it going to be a fit or not?  Do I want him? 100 percent. There is no doubt about that. It’s just a matter if it fits or not, [that’s] the question.“

Shohei Ohtani To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

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5:23PM: Ohtani’s recovery from his knee surgery shouldn’t impact his Tommy John rehab or his readiness for Spring Training or the start of the 2020 season, Eppler told Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters.

3:52PM: Angels DH Shohei Ohtani will undergo surgery on his left knee tomorrow, as per a statement from team GM Billy Eppler (Twitter link).  The procedure will focus on Ohtani’s bipartite patella, and it will keep Ohtani on the mend for roughly eight to twelve weeks.

On paper, this should leave Ohtani with plenty of time to be healthy and ready for Spring Training, though one potential wrinkle could be how this latest injury impacts Ohtani’s ongoing recovery from Tommy John surgery.  Ohtani underwent the elbow procedure last October and, by all accounts, has been progressing nicely, though this knee issue is certainly an unwelcome complication to the already unique situation facing Ohtani as a two-way player.

The TJ recovery kept Ohtani from making his 2019 debut until May 7, and he was limited strictly to designated hitter duty in his second big league season.  While his numbers took a step back from his 2018 totals, Ohtani went from being elite in his rookie to “merely” very good in 2019, cracking 18 homers and slashing .286/.343/.505 over 425 plate appearances.  It works out to a solidly above-average 122 OPS+ and wRC+, with a .350 xwOBA that only slightly lags behind his .357 wOBA.

The dropoff in production could mark something of a sophomore slump as pitchers get more used to Ohtani, though it could also represent his extra challenges of both coming back from Tommy John surgery as a position player while still continuing to rehab his throwing arm for his expected return to the mound in 2020.  Needless to say, the Angels will be as cautious as possible in monitoring the phenom’s health throughout the offseason and Spring Training, given Ohtani’s dual importance to both the team’s lineup and rotation.

Giants Sign Andrew Triggs To Minors Contract

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In a transaction that flew under the radar back on August 30, the Giants signed righty Andrew Triggs to a minor league deal, as per Roster Roundup (Twitter link).

Triggs hasn’t pitched since an April 10 appearance for Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate.  It was almost a full year ago that Triggs underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and he pitched in just three games for Triple-A Las Vegas before going on the injured list for the remainder of the season.  The A’s released Triggs in early August.

It stands to reason that Triggs’ Giants deal could be a two-year contract, as the team didn’t get an opportunity to see him in any sort of competitive environment in their system, and a deal that covers the 2020 season would allow the Giants to more fully evaluate the 30-year-old’s health and readiness to possibly contribute next season.

Prior to his TOS surgery, Triggs posted a 4.53 ERA, 8.17 K/9, 49.6% grounder rate, and 2.96 K/BB rate over 163 innings for the Athletics from 2016-18, starting 27 of his 45 career Major League games.  He also went under the knife in 2017, as his season was cut short by hip surgery in July of that year.

Braves Activate Grant Dayton, Place A.J. Minter On 60-Day IL

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The Braves have exchanged one left-handed reliever for another off the 60-day injured list.  The club announced that Grant Dayton has been activated, while A.J. Minter’s season was placed on the IL due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder, which will end his season.

After missing all of 2018 due to Tommy John surgery, Dayton returned to a big league mound for 8 1/3 innings over 10 games for Atlanta this season, posting a 2.16 ERA and 11.9 K/9 over his brief stint.  A fractured big toe sent him to the injured list on July 12, however, so Dayton will return after exactly a two-month absence.  Over 58 1/3 career innings with the Braves and Dodgers, Dayton has dominated left-handed batters (holding them to a .574 OPS) and also performed quite well against righty batters (.711 OPS) en route to a 3.24 ERA, 3.33 K/BB rate, and 10.8 K/9.

As a whole, Atlanta’s bullpen has middle-of-the-pack type of numbers against left-handed hitters this season, so Dayton could provide more of an overall boost than Minter, who has struggled through a very rough campaign.  After breaking out and even stepping into a part-time closer role for the Braves in 2018, Minter has a 7.06 ERA over 29 1/3 innings this year, due in large part to major control issues.  He has issued 23 walks (18 international) over those 29 1/3 IP, making for a 7.1 BB/9 that more than doubles his previous highs in that category at either the MLB or minor league levels.

Edwin Encarnacion Leaves Game With Left Oblique Strain

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4:34PM: The initial feeling is that Encarnacion’s injury isn’t overly serious, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Newsday’s Erik Boland).

3:29PM: Yankees designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion left today’s game with the Tigers in the seventh inning due to what the team called a left oblique strain.  The slugger will return to New York to receive tests.

More will be known once Encarnacion is examined by doctors, but on the surface, it’s yet another in a seemingly endless series of injuries to Yankee players this season, and one that could have major ramifications on the postseason roster.  Most oblique injuries generally carry a recovery timeline of 3-4 weeks, though depending on the severity of the strain, Encarnacion may well have taken his last at-bat in 2019.

It already doesn’t look like Aaron Hicks will be back for the postseason, while Mike Tauchman has been more definitively been ruled out for the next 6-to-8 weeks.  One plus is the impending return of Giancarlo Stanton, and if Encarnacion is out, putting Stanton into the DH spot would be a natural move to help keep Stanton fresh and healthy after missing almost all of the 2019 campaign with a variety of injuries.  If the Yankees are okay with using Stanton in the outfield, Clint Frazier or Mike Ford could also see DH duty, or the Yankees could split first base and DH between DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit.

Encarnacion has been no stranger to the injured list since coming to New York from the Mariners in a June trade.  He only just returned from the IL on Sept. 3 after missing a month of action with a right wrist fracture.  When he has been in the lineup, Encarnacion has delivered his typically impressive performance at the plate, hitting .244/.344/.531 with 34 homers over 486 combined plate appearances for New York and Seattle this season.

Royals Claim Randy Rosario

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The Royals have claimed southpaw Randy Rosario off waivers from the Cubs, as per a team announcement.  Rosario was designated for assignment by Chicago earlier this week.  To create a 40-man roster spot, Kansas City recalled infielder Kelvin Gutierrez and placed him on the 60-day injured list.

Rosario posted a 5.91 ERA over 10 2/3 innings for the Cubs this season, a decided step back from the 3.66 ERA he delivered over 46 2/3 relief frames in his 2018 rookie season.  Per ERA predictors, however, Rosario was fortunate (4.68 FIP, 4.60 xFIP, 4.74 SIERA) to escape at least an extra run’s worth of damage in 2018, as the grounder specialist only notched a 5.79 K/9.

This season saw Rosario miss more bats to the tune of an 8.4 K/9 in his brief time in Chicago, though his Triple-A numbers (3.11 ERA, 2.21 K/BB rate, 7.4 K/9) were almost an exact match for his career numbers over 413 minor league innings in the Cubs’ and Twins’ organizations.  Rosario has shown some very good splits against left-handed batters, giving him a possible path to regular work as a specialist in Kansas City’s bullpen.

Indians To Promote James Karinchak

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The Indians are calling up right-hander James Karinchak, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link).  Cleveland has a full 40-man roster, so a move will have to be made to accommodate Karinchak prior to tomorrow’s game.

A ninth-round pick for the Tribe in the 2017 draft, Karinchak made his Triple-A debut in 2019 and posted a 4.67 ERA over 17 1/3 relief innings.  Beyond that fairly unimpressive mark, however, stands an eyebrow-raising strikeout total — Karinchak struck out 42 batters in his brief time at Triple-A Columbus, continuing an incredible season of missing bats for the 23-year-old.  Over 30 1/3 total minor league innings in a year shortened by hamstring injuries, Karinchak has 74 strikeouts.

MLB.com ranks Karinchak as the 21st-best prospect in Cleveland’s farm system, giving high grades on the 20-80 scouting scale to his 95-98mph fastball (a 70 grade) and a “12-to-6 curveball that he can get them to chase out of the bottom of the zone” (60 grade).  Between a high arm slot and a tendency to overthrow, however, Karinchak has also had problems limiting free passes.  He has a 5.5 BB/9 over his 102 1/3 career minor league innings, and a 6.8 BB/9 at Columbus this season.

The Tribe will hope that Karinchak’s live arm can help reinforce a bullpen that has fallen on hard times recently.  Closer Brad Hand’s recent struggles are the largest concern, though Cleveland relievers as a whole have a cumulative 5.20 ERA over the last 30 days, the fifth-highest mark of any team’s relief corps over that span.  While Indians relievers have been pretty good as a whole all season, they rank near the middle of the pack in K/9, so Karinchak promises a particular boost in that department.

Blue Jays Release Clayton Richard, Activate Elvis Luciano

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The Blue Jays have released left-hander Clayton Richard, Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae reports (Twitter link).  As expected, the team used the open 40-man roster spot to reinstate righty Elvis Luciano from the 60-day injured list.

The move ends a disappointing tenure for Richard in Toronto, as knee and lat injuries limited him to only 45 1/3 innings pitched (all as a starter) this season.  The Jays acquired Richard from the Padres last winter in the hopes that he could be a veteran innings-eater, though like similar acquisitions Clay Buchholz and Matt Shoemaker, injuries ultimately scuttled those plans.

Richard wasn’t very effective when he did pitch, posting a 5.96 ERA, 1.22 K/BB, and only a 4.37 K/9, low even by Richard’s standards as a groundball specialist (his grounder rate was a typically sturdy 55.8%).  Home runs have become an increasingly big problem for Richard over the last three seasons, culminating in an ugly 24.3% home run rate, as he allowed nine big flies over his 45 innings.

Richard just turned 36 years old today, making the release a particularly unwelcome birthday present.  Between his age and a lack of effectiveness over the last three years, he’ll likely have to take a minor league contract with his next team.

Luciano hasn’t pitched since June 12 due to an elbow sprain, though he’ll return to the roster in time to clock the 90 days of active duty necessary to keep him in the Blue Jays organization.  The Jays picked Luciano away from the Royals in the last Rule 5 Draft, meaning that the 19-year-old had to remain on Toronto’s 25-man roster for the entire season (or for at least 90 days in case of injury, as was the situation here) for the Blue Jays to permanently secure his rights.

As expected for a youngster who had never pitched above rookie ball, Luciano had a tough go of things in his first exposure to Major League hitting.  Luciano had a 6.51 ERA over 27 2/3 innings out of the Jays’ bullpen, with an equal number (22) of unintentional walks and strikeouts.  Once he’s officially in the organization, the Blue Jays will return Luciano to the minors for 2020.

Reyes Moronta Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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TODAY: Moronta’s recovery period is expected to last roughly 11 months, Bruce Bochy told Crowley and other reporters.

Sept. 11: Moronta’s surgery actually went a bit better than expected, tweets Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News. While Moronta’s labrum was damaged and repaired, his shoulder capsule did not need repair.

Sept. 9: Giants reliever Reyes Moronta is slated to undergo surgery on his right shoulder labrum, the club informed reporters including MLB.com’s Maria Guardado (Twitter link). The procedure will end his 2019 season and send him on a lengthy rehabilitation process that will surely extend well into the ensuing campaign.

Shoulder procedures are laden with risk for pitchers, so this is rather concerning news. That said, plenty have made their way back to being quality major-leaguers after going under the knife. The details of the injury, the work that’ll ultimately be done, and the course of rehab will all play into the odds in ways we can’t accurately gauge given what’s known at present.

Moronta has been a major part of the San Francisco relief corps since first reaching the bigs late in 2017. Through 128 1/3 total innings, he owns a 2.66 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. While that walk rate obviously isn’t optimal, Moronta has limited the damage by tamping down on long balls (0.63 HR/9, 7.0 HR/FB%) to this point in his career.

This injury represents a blow not only to the Giants’ 2019 bullpen, but also to Moronta’s earnings outlook. He’ll be a 2+ service-class player next year and will earn service time while sidelined. Barring a stunningly quick return to action, he will not have much of a chance (if any) to compile a platform season in advance of arbitration after the 2020 campaign.

Brandon Woodruff Expected To Return Within A Week

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It hasn’t been a good week for the Brewers on the injury front (obviously), but they’re on the verge of getting one of their best arms back from the IL, general manager David Stearns tells Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link). Right-hander Brandon Woodruff threw to hitters yesterday, and the organization is “very pleased” with how Woodruff looked in that session. Stearns adds that the expectation is that Woodruff will be able to pitch in a big league game “sometime within the next week.”

Woodruff, 26, hasn’t pitched in a game since July 21 due to what is clearly a rather significant oblique strain. He’s been rehabbing for a bit now but won’t have the luxury of ramping back up with a minor league affiliate, so he could be used in short stints his first few times out, McCalvy adds. There’s not much time to build him back up to a full starter’s workload, though perhaps if the Brewers secure a Wild Card spot and advance into divisional play, he’d be an intriguing multi-inning weapon either out of the ’pen or in a truncated (by design) starting capacity.

Prior to landing on the IL, Woodruff had been the Brewers’ most valuable starter. Through 20 trips to the hill and 117 2/3 innings, he’d turned in a 3.75 ERA with averages of 10.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and 0.92 HR/9 to go along with a 43.6 percent ground-ball rate. Woodruff’s 11.6 percent swinging-strike rate and 33.5 percent opponents’ chase rate were both improvements over the 2018 campaign, as was his 96.2 mph average fastball velocity.

Fielding-independent metrics and Statcast both loved Woodruff’s work on the mound as well. He logged a 3.09 FIP and 3.46 xFIP while generally excelling at limiting hard contact. Woodruff’s average opponents’ exit velocity was in the 93rd percentile among big league hurlers at just 85.7 mph, and only five percent of MLB starters limited opponents in terms of barreled-ball rate.

The Brewers have rattled off six consecutive wins and suddenly find themselves tied with the Cubs for the second Wild Card spot in the National League. Not only that, they’re just four games back of the Cardinals for the NL Central lead and have a three-game series in St. Louis set to begin tomorrow. It doesn’t sound like Woodruff will factor prominently into that series, but his looming return is all the more important to the Brewers now that they’re squarely back in both the Wild Card and division races with 17 games to play.

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