Jonathan Hernandez Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
Rangers right-hander Jonathan Hernandez underwent Tommy John surgery on Monday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. He won’t return to the mound until sometime in 2022. Meanwhile, fellow Rangers righty reliever Matt Bush will miss at least 12 weeks with a flexor strain.
It’s an unfortunate but not unexpected development for Hernandez, who has been on the shelf since March 9 with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. The surgery will at least temporarily derail a promising career, as Hernandez established himself as a key part of the Texas bullpen last season. Thanks in part to a fastball that averaged about 98 mph, the 24-year-old Hernandez registered a 2.90 ERA/3.67 SIERA with a 24.8 percent strikeout rate and a 6.4 percent walk rate over 31 innings – by far the most of any Rangers reliever.
While Bush doesn’t need surgery at this point, it doesn’t mean he’ll avoid going under the knife, with Grant writing that the Rangers will re-evaluate him in six weeks. Bush has already undergone two Tommy John surgeries in the past, and another could be a fatal blow to the 35-year-old’s career. A No. 1 overall pick of the Padres in 2004 and an ex-infielder, Bush reinvented himself as a reliever and had a strong run with the Rangers from 2016-17. But Bush threw just 23 innings from 2018-20 – none during the latter two seasons – and only logged three innings this year before suffering another arm injury.
Rockies To Sign Chris Rusin
Left-hander Chris Rusin has agreed to a minor league contract with the Rockies, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets.
This will be the second stint in the Colorado organization for the 34-year-old Rusin, who appeared in the majors with the Rockies in each season from 2015-19. During his best two-year stretch with the team, 2016-17, Rusin ate up 169 1/3 innings and recorded a stingy 3.19 ERA with a quality 6.1 percent walk rate and a similarly impressive 58.5 percent groundball mark.
Unfortunately, Rusin’s career has fallen off track since his halcyon days with the Rockies. He struggled to a 6.09 ERA over 54 1/3 frames in 2018 and then dealt with back problems in 2019, when he threw only one inning. Rusin latched on with the Braves last year, though he totaled just 3 1/3 innings and yielded three runs before they released him in September.
Also a former Cub, the 34-year-old Rusin owns a 4.65 ERA/4.10 SIERA with a 16.8 percent strikeout rate, a walk percentage of 7.6 and a 53.2 percent grounder rate in 468 2/3 big league innings.
Nationals Reinstate Three From COVID List; Designate Jonathan Lucroy For Assignment
The Nationals announced a series of roster moves as they continue to bring players back from the COVID-19 list. Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber, and Josh Harrison are all back from COVID protocols and are active for today’s game. Infielder Luis Garcia and outfielder Yadiel Hernandez were optioned to the alternate training site but will remain on the Nats’ taxi squad, while left-hander T.J. McFarland and righty Ryne Harper were sent to the alternate site. As well, catcher Jonathan Lucroy was designated for assignment.
Jon Lester is the only player still on the COVID-related injury list, as the Nationals have just about all of their roster back following the coronavirus outbreak that forced the team to postpone its first four games of the season. Washington hasn’t yet announced its lineup for tonight’s game with the Cardinals, but it’s probably safe to assume that at least one of Bell, Schwarber, or Harrison will be able to play, since the team would otherwise be rather shorthanded.
Lucroy was signed to a minor league deal on April 3 and he ended up appearing in five games with Washington (hitting .357/.357/.429 in 14 plate appearances). The Nationals added Lucroy since their catching corps was also depleted by the COVID-19 outbreak, and the veteran could now potentially head elsewhere with at least a decent five-game audition under his belt for a future suitor. As noted by MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other writers, Lucroy is very close to achieving 10 full years of Major League service time, and will continue to accumulate service days while designated.
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Royals Place Jesse Hahn On 10-Day Injured List
The Royals have placed right-hander Jesse Hahn on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder impingement syndrome, the team announced. Righty Jake Newberry has been called up from the alternate site to take Hahn’s spot in the Kansas City bullpen.
It isn’t yet clear how long Hahn might be out of action, though manager Mike Matheny told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that Hahn will miss “some time” with the injury. According to Matheny, Hahn felt a shoulder issue while warming up for an appearance yesterday against the White Sox, though he didn’t tell team trainers or coaches about the problem until after the game. Hahn was clearly affected by the injury — he issued a walk, a two-run homer to Adam Eaton, and then another walk before being removed from the game without a single batter retired.
Hahn is unfortunately no stranger to arm injuries, having undergone a Tommy John surgery and another UCL repair procedure already on his record. Thanks to that latter surgery, he has pitched only 25 1/3 Major League innings pitched since being acquired by K.C. in January 2018.
Hahn posted an 0.52 ERA/3.93 SIERA over 17 1/3 innings in 2020, though benefited from quite a bit of batted-ball luck (an absurdly low .108 BABIP). The Royals were counting on the 31-year-old to serve in a setup or high-leverage role this season, though Hahn had posted an 8.10 ERA and looked shaky over 3 1/3 innings even prior to Sunday’s disastrous outing.
Padres’ Adrian Morejon Placed On IL Due To Left Forearm Strain
TODAY: Morejón has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left forearm strain. The Padres recalled righty Nabil Crismatt from the alternate training site to take Morejon’s spot on the active roster.
APRIL 11: Adrián Morejón left his start against the Rangers this afternoon in the first inning. The young left-hander has a forearm/elbow strain in his throwing arm, the Padres later told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune).
That’s an ominous sounding diagnosis, as forearm strains are often a precursor to Tommy John surgery. There’s no indication at this point Morejón will need to undergo that (or any other) procedure, but it seems he’ll require an injured list stint at the very least. Morejón, who broke into the majors as a swingman over the past two years, began this season as San Diego’s fifth starter.
While Morejón has only managed a 6.03 ERA over his first 31.1 MLB innings, a deeper look shows plenty more promise. The former high-profile international signee has been one of the game’s top prospects over the last four years, entering the season as Baseball America’s #75 overall farmhand. While Morejón has given up far too many home runs in his brief big league time, he’s also demonstrated an ability to miss bats and command the strike zone. His 26.1% strikeout rate, 12% swinging strike rate and 5.8% walk percentage are all better than league average, no small feat for a player who just turned 22 years old.
Should Morejón miss time, the Friars could turn to a handful of other young arms in his rotation spot until Dinelson Lamet is ready to return from injury. Top prospect MacKenzie Gore is widely expected to debut at some point in 2021, while former top ten pick Ryan Weathers already made his MLB debut and has been working out of the bullpen this year. Jordan Humphreys, whom the Padres claimed off waivers last month, is among the other starting pitcher options on the 40-man roster.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/12/21
The latest minor league moves from around the sport…
- Rays catcher Joseph Odom has been outrighted to the team’s alternate training site. Odom was designated for assignment last week and cleared waivers. Tampa Bay signed Odom to a minor league deal in the offseason and the 29-year-old catcher has thus far appeared in two games for the Rays in 2021. Odom made his big league debut with the Mariners last season, posting a .338 OPS over 44 plate appearances in 18 games with Seattle.
Rockies To Sign Ivan Nova
The Rockies have agreed to a deal with right-hander Ivan Nova, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (Twitter link). It is presumably a minor league contract, which would be the second minors deal of the last three months for the veteran hurler. Nova previously inked a minors pact with the Phillies last January but was granted a release at the end of March when he didn’t make Philadelphia’s Opening Day roster.
Nova signed a one-year, $1.5MM Major League deal with the Tigers prior to the 2020 season but ended up pitching only 19 innings (with an 8.53 ERA) due to right triceps tendinitis. With the very notable exception of the Tommy John surgery that cut short both his 2014 and 2015 seasons, Nova has otherwise been a pretty durable pitcher throughout his 11-year career, averaging 174 innings per year from 2016-19 and also banking 335 2/3 frames with the Yankees in 2012-13.
Colorado doesn’t have much rotation depth in the minors, so Nova is by far the most experienced option available at the alternate training site. How Nova might fare at Coors Field is an open question, as he has a 15.2% homer rate since the start of the 2012 season, though he does generate his share of ground balls (career 48.9% grounder rate) to make up for a lack of strikeouts.
Jedd Gyorko To Manage MLB Draft League Team
Veteran infielder Jedd Gyorko has been named as manager of the West Virginia Black Bears, one of six teams in the newly-created MLB Draft League. Originally launched back in November by Major League Baseball and Prep Baseball Report, the Draft League debuts this summer with a 68-game schedule, and the rosters of the six clubs will be filled with players eligible for this year’s amateur draft. The Draft League is intended as a showcase for these prospects to train and play in proper game environments in front of scouts and evaluators, as well as receive “educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes,” as per today’s league media release.
Longtime minor league coach Billy Horton manages the Williamsport Crosscutters, and the other five clubs are managed by former MLB players — Coco Crisp (Mahoning Valley Scrappers), Derrick May (Frederick Keys), Jeff Manto (Trenton Thunder), Delwyn Young (State College Spikes), and Gyorko. While these other names have been retired for years and had moved into other coaching/managerial positions, Gyorko just played 42 games with the Brewers in the 2020 season. Since the media release describes Gyorko and Crisp (who last played in 2016) as “freshly removed from their Major League careers,” it would seem like Gyorko could be hanging up his cleats after eight MLB seasons.
“I am hoping to provide these young players with experiences and give them knowledge on what the next level will look like and hopefully prepare them for successful careers,” Gyorko said in the press release. “I am thankful for the opportunity and look forward to gaining managerial experience, especially in my hometown, where I’ll be able to spend more time with my family.”
The news is a little surprising since Gyorko is only 32 years old, and he is coming off a very productive year. Gyorko hit .248/.333/.504 with nine home runs in 135 PA for Milwaukee last season, while playing at both corner infield positions. Back on March 7, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco listed Gyorko among his top five picks of the best remaining free agents left on the market, observing that Gyorko didn’t draw any publicly-known interest from clubs this winter. Gyorko has long been very productive against left-handed pitching, and has additional multi-positional versatility given his past experience as a second baseman and shortstop.
It could be that Gyorko hasn’t entirely closed the door on his playing career, and is perhaps just taking a season off for (as he noted in his statement) this unique chance to manage a team in his hometown. If this it for Gyorko, however, he’ll be calling it a career after hitting .245/.310/.424 over 846 games and 2983 plate appearances with the Padres, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Brewers from 2013-20.
A second-round pick for San Diego in the 2010 draft, Gyorko finished sixth in NL Rookie Of The Year voting in his debut season, which led to the Padres locking him up on a six-year deal worth slightly more than $35.5MM in April 2014. While the 2014-15 seasons were something of a struggle for Gyorko, he blossomed after a trade to St. Louis, posting a 111 OPS+/112 wRC+ and hitting .259/.331/.463 over 1321 PA with the Cards from 2016-18. After struggling in 2019, Gyorko caught on with the Brewers and delivered one more productive season, though the Brew Crew declined their $4.5MM club option on Gyorko’s services last October.
Rays Option Brent Honeywell
11:37AM: The Rays officially announced the move, with right-hander Trevor Richards called up to take Honeywell’s roster spot.
8:08AM: Brent Honeywell Jr. checked his Major League debut off his bucket list on Sunday: two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts against the Yankees. The Rays would ultimately lose the game, but it was a strong showing from the 26-year-old Georgian.
Regardless, the plan was never for Honeywell to claim a rotation spot at this time. In classic Rays fashion, this was a spot start for Honeywell, a strategic call-up to share the innings load and progress a young arm in baby steps. He has been optioned back the minors, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). For Honeywell in particular, there may be added benefit to the short-stint call-up in that he gets to overcome the mental and physical hurdle of making his debut after so many setbacks.
This was Honeywell’s first game action since 2017 when he tossed 123 2/3 innings with a 3.64 ERA at the Triple-A level. At that point, Honeywell appeared on the verge of stardom. Instead of making his debut in 2018, however, Honeywell was set on a Sisyphean cycle of surgery and rehab that included three surgeries.
He was added to the roster at this time because of an injury to Chris Archer. Archer suffered right lateral forearm tightness, but the Rays expect Archer to return after only a short time off. Given that Archer went on the 10-day injured list on April 11th, however, the Rays will need to bring in another arm when Archer’s rotation spot comes back around on Thursday against the Rangers.
COVID Notes: 4/12/21
The latest on coronavirus situations around baseball…
- The Blue Jays have activated Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the COVID-19 injured list, the team announced. Gurriel left Friday’s game and spent two days on the COVID-IL due to some side effects after receiving a vaccine. With Gurriel and Robbie Ray (elbow) also rejoining the roster from the 10-day injured list, infielder Santiago Espinal and right-handed reliever Joel Payamps were optioned to the Jays’ alternate training site.