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Marlins To Resume Season On Tuesday; Updates on Cardinals, Phillies

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9:42AM: Yesterday’s testing of Phillies personnel revealed no new positive cases, according to a team press release.

TODAY, 9:04AM: For the second straight day, the group of Marlins players currently in Philadelphia haven’t had any positive COVID-19 test results, the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson reports (Twitter link).  The team is planning to head to Baltimore today in advance of Tuesday’s series opener.

AUGUST 1: Major League Baseball released a statement this afternoon providing updates on a number of clubs, including the Marlins, who have been out of action for the last week after a COVID-19 outbreak within the organization. As of now, Miami is set to resume its season on Tuesday with a four-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore, which will take place over three days and include a doubleheader. The Marlins will be the designated “home” team for two of those games.

MLB’s announcements, which also include the latest on the Cardinals and Phillies, can be found in their entirety here, courtesy of MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

For a second consecutive day, the scheduled Brewers-Cardinals matchup has been postponed. The decision comes after this morning yielded news that the Cardinals have several more positive tests on their hands. As of now, there’s no word on when the Cardinals can be expected to take the field again.

Meanwhile, the Phillies and Yankees will begin a four-game home-and-home series on Monday. The Phils were also sidelined this week after potential exposure to the coronavirus during last weekend’s series against the Marlins. However, it appears that Philadelphia has avoided the worst-case scenario, with MLB revealing that two of the three positive tests in the Phillies organization appear to have been false positives. No players have tested positive for COVID-19 since the team’s last contact with the Marlins on Sunday.

The proliferation of the virus within the Marlins organization has posed an early threat to MLB’s plans to conduct a baseball season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and the developing outbreak within the Cardinals could be similarly crucial to the outlook for the remaining two months of play.

These intra-team infections mean that the MLB schedule is fluid and evolving, with postponements forcing on-the-fly adjustments to the schedule. This can have a ripple effect throughout the league, as several other teams in MLB’s East division have been forced into schedule alterations despite maintaining comparatively good health. Health concerns notwithstanding, teams like the Phillies and Marlins might be faced with especially demanding schedules as they attempt to squeeze more games into a shorter time period for the remainder of the season.

Additionally, extended “break” periods like those endured by the Phillies and Marlins over the last week could interrupt players’ mojo during an already irregular season; whereas daily games allow players to establish a rhythm, a “stop-and-start” schedule means that players will be expected to jump right back into competitive games after several days off, perhaps akin to a team awaiting an opponent after handily winning a playoff series. We’ll have to see whether that produces any noticeable effects, and even then it will be an imprecise science, but it’s one of many difficult circumstances unique to the 2020 season.

Quick Hits: Cardinals Coronavirus Update, Mize, Kimbrel

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The Cardinals and Brewers scheduled doubleheader for Sunday has been postponed, MLB announced in a statement. The Cardinals had 3 players and 1 staff member test positive for coronavirus this weekend with four pending tests still unresolved, tweets ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The positive tests will affect the schedule for the next week as well. The Tigers and Cardinals were originally supposed to play a home-and-home pair of series this week in St. Louis and Detroit. Following the cases of coronavirus in St. Louis, however, all four games will be played in Detroit, including a doubleheader on Wednesday. The Brewers’ schedule will be unchanged, as they’ll head to Chicago to take on the White Sox.

  • Contrary to earlier speculation, Casey Mize will not make his major league debut for the Tigers on Sunday, writes The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen. Without a minor league pipeline in which to develop, many young players have made their debuts already this season, including highly-touted pitching prospects like Brady Singer of the Royals and Nate Pearson of the Blue Jays. For the time being, however, the Tigers continue to play coy with the future of Mize. Despite the rampant speculation that Mize would earn his promotion to take part in Sunday’s doubleheader, the Tigers finally tabbed Daniel Norris and Rony Garcia instead. Norris will make his 2020 debut after previously testing positive for coronavirus. Garcia, a 22-year-old Rule 5 pick from the Yankees, made his debut on Tuesday getting against the Royals. Garcia went 3 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 of which were earned. 
  • The Cubs are considering moving Craig Kimbrel out of the closer’s role as the veteran fireballer has continued to surrender the long ball at an alarming rate, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and others. Cubs manager David Ross was noncommital when asked to comment on the situation. Jesse Rogers of ESPN noted that Kimbrel has given up a rather shocking 11 home runs in just 22 innings since joining the Cubs midseason last year. Kimbrel is arguably one of the most successful closers the era, but he has yet to figure it out in Chicago. With the bases loaded in the seventh inning today, Ross turned the ball over to Jeremy Jeffress, who would be a top contender to replace Kimbrel. Though he too is coming off a difficult 2019, Jeffress does have experience closing out games (45 career saves). If today’s game was any indication, however, Ross may choose to deploy Jeffress in high-leverage moments while distributing closing opportunities piecemeal to some combination of Rowan Wick, Kyle Ryan, Kimbrel, and Jeffress.

Marlins Acquire Richard Bleier

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AUGUST 1: In a corresponding roster move, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher Bryan Holaday, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Holaday becomes the third catcher on the O’s active roster, joining Pedro Severino and Chance Sisco.

JULY 31: The Orioles announced that they have traded left-hander Richard Bleier to the Marlins for a player to be named later.

For the Marlins, this is clearly an attempt to fill in a roster that has been decimated by the coronavirus. Miami has seen a whopping 18 players test positive for the illness, which has prevented the club from taking the field this week.

In Bleier, the Marlins are getting a 33-year-old Davie, Fla., native who has experienced his share of success in the majors. Despite a measly lifetime strikeout rate of 4.47 per nine and a sub-90 mph fastball, Bleier has managed a 2.99 ERA/3.74 FIP across 177 1/3 innings with the Yankees and Orioles since he debuted in 2016. Excellent walk and groundball rates of 1.47 and 62.4 percent, respectively, have enabled Bleier to prevent runs at such an impressive clip.

While Bleier logged a woeful 5.37 ERA over 55 1/3 frames a year ago, he gave the O’s three scoreless frames this season before the rebuilding club parted with him. Bleier’s on a prorated $915K salary this year and still has two more seasons of arbitration eligibility left.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/1/20

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It’s been a busy sports day with the NBA and NHL back in action, not to mention the many MLB games still underway. As the action rolls along, we’ll use this post to review some minor moves you may have missed…

  • Catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been assigned to the Red Sox alternate training site in Pawtucket after clearing waivers, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). He’ll stay in their 60-player pool after catching a total of two innings behind the plate for the big-league team. Lucroy, 34, has enjoyed a long and productive career, but a steep dropoff in production following his second All-Star appearance in 2016 has led to a meandering period for the veteran receiver. In addition to the Red Sox, Lucroy has dressed for the Cubs, Angels, Athletics, Rockies, and Rangers since coming to semi-stardom with the Brewers.
  • The Cubs signed pitcher Matt Dermody out of the Independent League, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). Everyone is in need of extra pitching depth these days it seems, though the Cubs have a particularly unsettled situation in their bullpen. Dermody is a 30-year-old southpaw who last appeared in the majors in 2017 for the Blue Jays. He made 23 appearances that season, going 2-0 with a 4.43 ERA/6.25 FIP across 22 1/3 innings. Cubs relievers have been the worst such group in the game so far this season. Prior to Saturday’s action, they pitched to a combined 9.55 ERA/9.51 FIP across 21 2/3 innings.
  • The Giants assigned catcher Rob Brantly to their alternate training site, per The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (via Twitter). The 31-year-old catcher cleared waivers after appearing in one game for the Giants, going hitless in three at-bats. Tyler Heineman and Chadwick Tromp are the catchers that remain on San Francisco’s active roster.

Marlins Acquire James Hoyt

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The Cleveland Indians have traded reliever James Hoyt to the Miami Marlins for cash considerations, per TribeInsider (via Twitter). Hoyt was designated for assignment on July 28th.

The Marlins continue their efforts to re-stock their pitching supply after more than half their active roster tested positive for coronavirus. They will need to field a big league roster as soon as Tuesday when they’re set to resume play. Basically, if there’s a pitcher with major league experience on waivers these days, chances are the Marlins will claim them. In the past week, they claimed Josh D. Smith and Justin Shafer from the Reds and Mike Morin from the Brewers. They also signed Pat Venditte and traded for Richard Bleier from the Orioles.

Hoyt pitched for the Astros from 2016 to 2018, making 66 appearances out of the pen across those three seasons. While he owned an unexceptional 4.40 ERA, a 3.84 FIP and 3.92 K/BB ratio suggested a better effort. He made just 8 appearances in his lone season with the Indians, serving primarily as organizational depth. In Triple-A, he continued to put up solid numbers (2.93 ERA, 3.50 K/BB across 30 2/3 innings).

While no spring chicken at the age of 33, Hoyt represents a solid low-cost option for the Marlins as they look to fill out their roster. For Hoyt, these are obviously not the conditions under which he would choose to break out as an MLB regular, but he nonetheless has the opportunity to do exactly that if he can provide Miami some stability out of the pen.

Astros Place Chris Devenski On Injured List, Select Carlos Sanabria

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The Astros have placed pitcher Chris Devenski on the injured list, retroactive to July 29th, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 (via Twitter). To replace him on the roster, Houston selected the contract of Carlos Sanabria.

As with many clubs around the game, consistently fielding a competent pitching staff is going to be bit of a whirlwind this season. Devenski has been a cog in their bullpen for the past four seasons, though a 4.56 ERA/4.57 marks an underwhelming last couple of seasons. Still, the Astros are working a lot of young arms into the mix this season, and Devenski’s veteran presence could help stabilize the relief corps.

For now, however, they’ll look elsewhere. Ryan Pressly continues to be held out of action, though he’s very close to being game-ready, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Pressly figures to be a significant presence in the back end of the bullpen, especially with Will Harris now in Washington.

McTaggart also notes that Forrest Whitley has been dealing with some arm soreness. Despite a difficult season in 2019, Whitley will almost surely make his debut this year since there’s no Triple-A season. Still, he’ll have to get healthy first.

Sanabria, 23, will make his major-league debut should he get into a game. The 6’3″ right-hander pitched only as high as Double-A in 2019, making 37 appearances with a 3.11 ERA despite 5.9 BB/9. He’s a live-armed pitcher with some promise if he can get his command right. Fangraphs has him as the Astros’ 22nd ranked prospect.

Angels Select Jose Rodriguez, Option Kyle Keller

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The Los Angeles Angels announced a pair of roster moves after last night’s ballgame. Right-hander Kyle Keller has been optioned to their alternative training site. In his place, righty Jose Rodriguez has been selected to join the major-league roster.

Keller, 27, made two appearances this season, allowing 2 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. He was acquired this past offseason from the Miami Marlins for Jose Estrada. Keller made his major-league debut with ten appearances last season. He has consistently put up more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings in the minor leagues since being selected in the 18th round of the 2015 draft. He’ll likely find his way back to the major-league roster at some point this season.

Rodriguez, 24, made 9 appearances for the Angels last season as a long man out of the pen (1 start), putting up a 2.75 ERA across 19 2/3 innings. Rodriguez has primarily been a starter in the minors, though it’s been a less-than-stellar last couple of seasons in the upper levels of the Angels’ system. He posted a 6.57 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A in 2019.

Eduardo Rodriguez Out For Season

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Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez has been shut down for the 2020 season as a result of the myocarditis he has experienced following a bout with COVID-19, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. While the Red Sox are confident that Rodriguez will make a full recovery in the long term, his heart issues have persisted and will prevent him from pitching this season.

Since going on the injured list in early July due to COVID-19, Rodriguez has dealt with mild heart inflammation that developed as a result of the illness. Thankfully, the condition hasn’t negatively affected the function of Rodriguez’s heart, though it has not subsided to the point where he’s expected to recover in time to pitch this year.

Needless to say, the outlook for the Red Sox rotation sans Rodriguez is a rather bleak one. Even with the 27-year-old southpaw in the mix, the rotation looked like a thin unit, but it was certainly a bit more inspiring than the patchwork unit Ron Roenicke will henceforth have to count on. With Chris Sale on the shelf for the year, Rodriguez was expected to shoulder a bigger load atop the Red Sox rotation, which currently consists of Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Ryan Weber, and Zack Godley.

Rodriguez emerged as one of the hottest pitchers in baseball late last year, authoring a career-best season on virtually every measurable front. He posted his best marks yet in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, and ERA. And if that wasn’t enough reason to be excited for another year of progress, he was at his best in the final month of the season, averaging 12.7 K/9 over his last six starts—his highest rate in a single month of his five-year career (minimum three starts).

Of course, the focus right now shouldn’t be on the on-field consequences of Rodriguez’s absence, but on his long-term health and recovery. We hope to see E-Rod make a swift return to full health and back on the mound in 2021. For now, his situation is a reminder that even young, world-class athletes are not immune to complications from COVID-19.

White Sox Place Tim Anderson On IL, Promote Yermin Mercedes

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The White Sox have placed shortstop Tim Anderson on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin, according to James Fegan of The Athletic. In turn, they’ve recalled catcher Yermin Mercedes to fill Anderson’s roster spot. It will be Mercedes’s first foray in the Majors after nearly a decade in pro ball.

Anderson, 27, is the reigning American League batting champion, and he picked up where he left off. Through the young season’s first seven games, Anderson has slashed .333/.355/.567 with seven runs scored. The White Sox leadoff man is a big part of their offensive attack, but his effectiveness would be severely limited with a strained groin. Considering the role speed plays in Anderson’s game both with the bat and in the field, Chicago will want to do their best to get him fully up to speed before returning to the diamond.

In his absence, Leury Garcia can slide over to shortstop from the keystone. It’s a small bit of serendipity that the White Sox only just purchased the contract of highly-regarded prospect Nick Madrigal to take over at second base. Garcia has been the primary second baseman thus far while also appearing in right field and at shortstop. He doesn’t bring much to the dish, however, as a career .256/.291/.359 hitter. Danny Mendick, 26, could also help fill the void at shortstop. Garcia and Madrigal make up the middle infield in tonight’s ballgame against the Royals.

Mercedes, 27, started in professional baseball as a catcher with the Nationals back in 2011. After a pitstop with the Baltimore Orioles, Mercedes has spent the last two seasons in the White Sox organization. He can play anywhere on the four corners, finishing last season in Triple-A with a triple slash of .310/.386/.647 with 17 home runs in just 220 plate appearances. He brings some potential with the stick but finding him a position has been much of the struggle in recent seasons. He’s not likely to get a lot of playing time in Chicago, not with designated hitter options like Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Abreu, James McCann, Yasmani Grandal, Zack Collins, and Eloy Jimenez already vying for at-bats.

Yankees Activate Masahiro Tanaka, Designate Chris Iannetta

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The Yankees announced today that they have reinstated pitcher Masahiro Tanaka from the injured list and designated catcher Chris Iannetta for assignment. Tanaka is set to make his season debut after a scary injury suffered in early July, when he suffered a mild concussion after a Giancarlo Stanton line drive struck him in the head.

Tanaka will be thrust into the middle of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, wasting no time getting into the swing of the season. It’s encouraging to see the 31-year-old ready to return to action after a frightening incident during Yankees summer training forced Tanaka to be hospitalized on July 4. Fortunately, he suffered only a mild concussion and recovered quickly. With the Yankees sitting at 5-1, he’ll have missed just one start, which seems like the best-case scenario given the alarming nature of his injury.

In the meantime, the Yankees fared pretty well without their longest-tenured starting pitcher, relying on the foursome of Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, J.A. Happ, and James Paxton (along with a cameo from Jonathan Loaisiga) to start games. It’ll be a welcome sight to have Tanaka back on the mound, with his track record of consistency and playoff success making him a fan favorite in New York.

Last season was in fact one of Tanaka’s worst statistically since joining the Yankees in 2014. Despite garnering his second All-Star selection, he posted the second-worst ERA of his career (4.45) and struck out batters at a career-low rate (7.4 K/9).

The removal of Iannetta from the Yanks’ 40-man roster leaves just two catchers, Gary Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka. Beyond that duo, Erik Kratz, Josh Thole, and Max McDowell are members of the 60-man player pool. The other 29 teams will now have the opportunity to acquire Iannetta via trade or waivers. If no one bites, the 37-year-old will likely hit the open market and have a chance to latch on with a new club.

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