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Archives for August 2020

Pirates Designate Miguel Del Pozo For Assignment

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The Pirates announced Thursday that left-hander Miguel Del Pozo has been designated for assignment. The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for closer Keone Kela, who has officially been reinstated from the Covid-19 injured list.

Del Pozo, 27, has seen time in the Majors in both of the past two seasons — last year with the Angels — but been clobbered for 18 runs on 17 hits and 16 walks in just 13 innings. He’s punched out 13 hitters in that time, but his overall results obviously haven’t earned him any type of staying power. Del Pozo has respectable numbers up through the Double-A level but has yet to find success in Triple-A or the Majors. The Pirates will have a week to either trade him, release him or look to pass him through outright waivers.

Kela’s return was announced by manager Derek Shelton yesterday. He’ll step right into the closer’s role for a Pirates club that has gone 3-13 to begin the season. Long a high-quality reliever, Kela is a free agent at season’s end and figures to be traded in the coming weeks so long as he remains healthy.

MLB To Facilitate Alternate Training Site Data Sharing

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Major League Baseball is developing a plan to allow interested teams to share information about players participating in alternate training sites. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reported the news (Twitter links), noting that it has not yet been initiated.

At this point, it appears that about twenty of MLB’s thirty teams will participate in the initiative. They’ll have the chance to share both data recordings and video. It’s intended to help teams assess players in the absence of games or any in-person scouting.

It stands to reason that this effort will help increase the potential for summer trades. Teams typically gather information right up until the mid-season trade deadline, but there’s a near-dearth of that activity at the moment except for players actually playing in the majors.

There’s no doubt that this plan is imperfect, but it seems at least to be a worthwhile workaround effort. The fact that every team won’t participate is notable. It’ll be interesting to see how that shapes the run-up to the trade deadline.

Nationals Promote Seth Romero, Place Sean Doolittle On IL

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The Nationals have selected the contract of pitching prospect Seth Romero. Veteran reliever Sean Doolittle was moved to the 10-day injured list with right knee fatigue.

This isn’t quite how the Nats hoped things to shake out early, but the team’s supply of southpaw relievers has now been exhausted. The team placed Sam Freeman on the IL earlier today.

Details of Doolittle’s injury aren’t yet known. The placement surely also reflects his difficulties on the mound. He has made it through three total innings in five appearances, coughing up five earned runs while recording only two strikeouts. Doolittle’s velocity has fallen off a cliff, declining three full ticks on average versus 2019.

When the Nats picked Romero in the first round of the 2017 draft, there were whispers that the team might speed him through the system for a near-term relief role. It took some time, and required a few ups and downs but he’s now headed to the majors to work out of the pen.

Romero has averaged 13.1 K/9 in the minors, but that’s in a minimal sample of 47 1/3 innings. His 2019 campaign was wiped out entirely by Tommy John surgery, though that’s now nearly two years in the rearview mirror.

In the long run, the hope surely remains that Romero will turn into a rotation piece. For now, the Nationals need to address the immediate need and will give him a shot to carve out a place on the pitching staff.

Phillies To Promote Alec Bohm

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The Phillies have decided to promote top prospect Alec Bohm, per Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic (via Twitter). Bohm was already in the team’s 60-man player pool but will require a 40-man roster spot. He follows fellow blue-chipper Spencer Howard in getting his first shot at the bigs.

Bohm, 24, was the third overall pick of the 2018 draft. To this point he has made good on that lofty selection status. Bohm slugged his way up to Double-A last year, where he slashed .269/.344/.500 with 14 long balls and a 38:28 K/BB ratio over 270 plate appearances.

There wasn’t much doubt as to Bohm’s readiness for the majors heading into 2020. He finished up his ’19 effort with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League and came into camp hoping to force his way into the immediate MLB plans.

While it was never likely the Phils would start Bohm’s service clock on Opening Day, he was obviously a part of the club’s plans for the present campaign. With the team lagging in the standings out of the gates, and little time to dally, it’s time to see if he can make the final step in his development and turn into a productive major leaguer.

Just how the Phils will line up with Bohm on the roster remains to be seen. He may not play everyday out of the chutes; unlike a typical season, he won’t be missing development opportunities in a minor-league campaign. But with Rhys Hoskins and Scott Kingery scuffling at the plate, and a fair bit of positional flexibility available to work with, the team could give Bohm room to run as a regular at the hot corner and let others battle for the lesser remaining chances.

Nationals Activate Will Harris, Place Sam Freeman On Injured List

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The Nationals have announced a pair of corresponding bullpen moves. Righty Will Harris, who had been sidelined with a groin injury, was activated from the injured list.

To create an active roster opening, the Nats placed southpaw Sam Freeman on the IL. He suffered a flexor mass strain in last night’s contest. Manager Dave Martinez explained that understanding the full scope of the injury will have to await further examination.

While it’s disappointing to lose Freeman after he made seven scoreless appearances, the Nationals are surely glad to have Harris back in the fold. Soon to turn 36, Harris inked a sizable deal in the offseason. He has to this point taken the ball only twice in D.C.

Final Offers For Mets Due At End Of Month

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The timeline for a prospective sale of the Mets has gained clarity. Final bids are due by the end of August, according to Scott Soshnick of Sportico.

There’s more to it than scratching out a number on a piece of paper, of course. As Soshnick explains, August 31st will also represent the point by which a bidding group must be firmed up with verifiable financial resources.

We haven’t seen much chatter on the Mets sale process in recent weeks. There was more gossip than news when last we checked in, including a strongly disputed report about the involvement of Sheldon Adelson and further sports celebrity support for the bidding group fronted by Alex Rodriguez.

While it remains unclear now who’ll come away with the New York club, the process is now set to reach a critical stage. At least five groups are known to be in pursuit, with varying degrees of interest and financial clout. Even as the Mets try to make a September run at the postseason in the final campaign under current ownership, the Wilpons and their advisors will be sifting through bids and deciding who’ll control the next phase of the organization.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Mets, Braves

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Nationals star Stephen Strasburg missed the beginning of the season with a nerve issue in his right hand, but it didn’t shelve him for long. The reigning World Series MVP made his season debut last Sunday, though the Orioles roughed him up for five earned runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. It turns out that Strasburg may not have been at full strength during that outing, as manager Dave Martinez revealed Wednesday (via Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com) that the 32-year-old is still dealing with tingling in his hand. “I was a little bit concerned,” admitted Martinez, who added that “we will definitely have to keep an eye on it.” Strasburg’s scheduled to face Baltimore again on Friday, at least for now.

  • Oft-injured Mets infielder Jed Lowrie will undergo injections in his ailing left knee, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. The Mets won’t have a timeline for a potential 2020 debut for Lowrie until they see how those injections affect him. At this point, though, it’s clear the Mets can’t count on Lowrie to emerge as a late-season reinforcement. The club’s decision to sign him to a two-year, $20MM contract before 2019 has been an abject failure, as Lowrie has appeared in just nine games since.
  • The Braves aren’t expecting either second baseman Ozzie Albies or first baseman Matt Adams to return next week, manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday (via David O’Brien of The Athletic). Both players have been on the injured list since Aug. 5 (Albies for a wrist issue, Adams for a hamstring problem), though Albies is obviously the more important member of the club. After all, Albies turned in terrific seasons in 2018 and ’19 as a full-timer in the Braves’ lineup. They’ve primarily gone to Johan Camargo and Adeiny Hechavarria at the keystone in Albies’ absence.
  • Southpaw reliever Sam Freeman left the Nationals’ loss to the Mets on Wednesday with a flexor strain, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic relays. There’s “a level of concern” over the injury, per Martinez, especially because Freeman underwent Tommy John surgery in the past. Freeman, whom the Nats signed to a minor league contract in free agency, has tossed five scoreless innings for them this year.

Latest On Matt Harvey

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Former Mets ace Matt Harvey may not be far from a return to the major leagues, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com writes. Now with the Royals, Harvey will throw an intrasquad game Thursday, after which the club will evaluate whether it should promote him to the bigs. General manager Dayton Moore has been encouraged by what he has seen from Harvey, whom the Royals signed to a minor league contract in late July.

“He’s throwing well,” Moore said (via Flanagan). “And he’s a guy who can serve a variety of roles for us. He can be a starter, he can be a long man, he might even be able to help us in the back of the bullpen. We’ll see.”

Harvey peaked with the Mets from 2012-15, a period in which he gave the club front-line production, but the Dark Knight also missed a full season (2014) because of Tommy John surgery. While Harvey bounced back brilliantly from that procedure, he hasn’t been able to rebound from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in 2016. For the most part, Harvey struggled mightily with the Mets, Reds and Angels over the previous three seasons. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 7, 2019, as a member of the Angels, and he finished last season on a minors pact with the Athletics.

Although his career has fallen off a cliff, there was no real harm in taking a low-cost chance on Harvey from the rebuilding Royals’ standpoint. If he ever does don their uniform, it’ll be intriguing to see how the 31-year-old fares.

Latest On Ronald Acuna Jr.

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AUG. 12: Acuna missed the Braves’ loss to the Yankees on Wednesday, and manager Brian Snitker said he’ll sit out their series against the Marlins from Friday to Sunday, per Bowman. Acuna is dealing with inflammation.

AUG. 11: The Braves made outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. a late scratch before their game against the Yankees on Tuesday because of left wrist discomfort. He’ll undergo further evaluation in New York on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweets.

Acuna attributes this injury to a recent slide, per Bowman, and it’s not yet clear whether it’s serious. Regardless, it’s obvious Acuna isn’t someone the Braves can do without for long – especially during a 60-game season. The all-world 22-year-old had his best game of the campaign Sunday, a 4-for-4, two-home run rampage against the Phillies which drove up his numbers after an early season slump. In all, Acuna has slashed .258/.372/.515 (145 wRC+) with four homers in 78 plate appearances.

The Acuna-less Braves went with an outfield alignment of Adam Duvall, Ender Inciarte and Marcell Ozuna in their series-opening loss to the Yankees. They also have Nick Markakis and Austin Riley on hand if Acuna misses time, but losing him would be a nightmare scenario for a Braves club that’s already shorthanded. Mike Soroka, Cole Hamels, Ozzie Albies and Chris Martin rank as the most prominent members of the team who are currently on the injured list.

Red Sox Place Andrew Benintendi On Injured List

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9:45pm: Benintendi will probably miss more than 10 days, manager Ron Roenicke told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and other reporters.

6:56pm: The Red Sox have placed left fielder Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list with a right rib cage strain, per a team announcement. The club recalled right-hander Ryan Weber from its alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Benintendi’s IL placement continues what has been an abysmal start to 2020 for the typically sturdy producer. A former star prospect, the 25-year-old Benintendi combined for a line of .277/.354/.442 (109 wRC+) with 51 home runs, 52 steals and 9.0 fWAR in 2,052 plate appearances. So far this season, though, Benintendi has failed to hit a homer and batted an unsightly .103/.314/.128 (47 wRC+) across 52 PA, owing in part to a 32.4 percent strikeout rate that sits 13-plus percent above his lifetime figure. Benintendi has also seen his hard-contact rate plummet, and while he has never been a major power threat, his paltry .026 ISO represents a sharp decline and ranks third to last among 169 hitters who have racked up at least 50 trips to the plate.

Thanks in part to Benintendi’s drop-off, the Red Sox have opened 2020 at 6-11 – good for last in the AL East. They figure to go with a regular outfield alignment of Kevin Pillar, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Alex Verdugo while Benintendi’s unavailable. Pillar and Verdugo have been fairly productive so far, though Bradley has joined Benintendi in coming out of the gates slowly.

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