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Trevor Story Leaves Game Due To Finger Injury

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Rockies star shortstop Trevor Story left today’s game after being hit by a pitch on his right index finger.  During an eighth-inning plate appearances against the Diamondbacks’ Chris Devenski, Story was hit in the hand and appeared to be in notable discomfort.  Story took his base and actually ended up stealing second as part of a double-steal with lead runner Garrett Hampson, but Story was replaced at shortstop in the bottom half of the inning.

X-rays were negative on Story’s finger, manager Bud Black told The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders and other reporters after the game.  While this might not prevent a brief injured-list stint given the vagaries of finger and hand injuries, it’s at least very good news that Story appears to have avoided a more serious problem.

Story went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer in today’s 8-4 Rockies loss to Arizona, giving the shortstop a .284/.348/.520 slash line and four homers over 115 plate appearances.  It’s the type of strong offensive performance that has become common for the two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner, and between both his bat and his defense, Story will be a heavily-pursued commodity on the free agent market this winter.  (MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes placed Story fourth in the most recent edition of the Free Agent Power Rankings.)

Any kind of injury or potential IL placement is certainly noteworthy given Story’s influence on both the offseason market, and as a potential trade chip this July.  The Rockies dropped to 10-18 after today’s loss, and the recent resignation of Jeff Bridich as the team’s GM is perhaps a sign that Colorado is preparing for a change of direction and perhaps a selloff at the trade deadline.

NL East Notes: Soto, Fried, Guillorme

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Juan Soto was placed on the injured list on April 20, so the Nationals have already been without their superstar hitter beyond the 10-day minimum as Soto works his way back from a strained left shoulder.  However, manager Davey Martinez updated reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com) about Soto’s progress today, noting that Soto has started throwing from 120-foot distances.  The next step is for Soto to throw to particular bases, and Zuckerman suggests that if Soto goes through this drill on Monday’s off-day, the outfielder could potentially be activated in time for Tuesday’s game with the Braves.

Throwing is the only real roadblock to Soto’s return, as Martinez said the slugger doesn’t feel any discomfort while swinging.  As a result, Soto has been staying sharp at the plate by “hitting off that velo machine, we’ve got machines that throw breaking balls,” Martinez said.  Soto was in the process of another big season (.300/.410/.460) in his first 61 plate appearances before heading to the injured list.

More from the NL East…

  • The Braves plan to activate Max Fried from the IL so the southpaw can start Wednesday’s game against the Nationals, The Athletic’s David O’Brien tweets.  Fried suffered a right hamstring strain while running the bases in an April 13 game against the Marlins that saw Fried allow seven earned runs over four innings of work.  After finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting last season, Fried has struggled to an 11.45 ERA over his first 11 innings of the 2021 campaign.
  • Luis Guillorme looks good enough in his recovery from a right oblique strain that the Mets are hopeful he can return after the minimum 10 days on the injured list, manager Luis Rojas told reporters (including Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News).  The return of utilityman Guillorme could be particularly helpful to a Mets team that saw third baseman J.D. Davis leave last night’s game due to a hand sprain — Davis also isn’t in tonight’s lineup.  Guillorme’s return isn’t quite imminent, however, since his IL placement was only retroactive to April 29.  Over the small sample size of 91 plate appearances, Guillorme has hit .333/.440/.413 over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, though he is primarily known for his infield versatility.

Mariners Place Casey Sadler On Injured List, Recall Erik Swanson

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The Mariners announced today that they have recalled Erik Swanson from their alternate site for his second stint of the year with the big-league club. Swanson takes Casey Sadler’s roster spot, who heads to the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Sadler’s placement is retroactive to May 1st.

Sadler has been an asset for the M’s this season, picking up three holds while allowing just two earned runs in 11 innings of work. Though he’s not exactly a household name and he doesn’t boast the high velocity of many of his peers, Sadler has shown some promise as a middle reliever over the years. He owns a career 3.64 ERA in 96 1/3 innings spread out over six seasons dating back to 2014 with the Pirates, Rays, Dodgers, Cubs, and Mariners.

Swanson, 27, came to the Mariners from the Yankees as part of the James Paxton trade. He has one scoreless two-inning appearance this season, making 2021 the third consecutive season that he has appeared in the Majors with the Mariners. For his career, Swanson has a 6.38 ERA/6.06 FIP over 67 2/3 innings across 37 games (including eight starts).

Quick Hits: Cubs, Reds, Phillies

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The Cubs and Reds put on a real barn-burner today in Cincinnati. Cubs’ centerfielder Ian Happ tied the game 12-12 with a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning – the tenth deep shot of the game. Unfortunately, in the bottom half of the inning, Happ collided with second baseman Nico Hoerner on a short pop fly. Hoerner made the catch, but Happ struggled to get to his feet and was ultimately carted off the field. He appeared cognizant, but a concussion could be in play for Happ, who had three hits in his best offensive performance of the year. With Happ out, the Cubs turned to Willson Contreras, who himself was only available in case of an emergency. Contreras, however, was the last position player on the bench, so he came in to catch while Tony Wolters moved to second, Hoerner moved to left, and Kris Bryant replaced Happ in center. While we await an update on Happ, let’s get some roster updates from around the game…

  • The Reds claimed Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Rockies and designated Phillip Diehl for assignment, the team announced. The 6’6″ righty made his Major League debut for the Rockies in 2020, tossing 8 1/3 innings across four appearances. The 28-year-old has yet to make an appearance this season. Diehl also pitched for the Rockies last season. The Reds claimed him off waivers on April 14th, but he did not appear in a game for the Reds.
  • The Phillies have reinstated Roman Quinn from the COVID-related injured list, returning Mickey Moniak to the alternate site, per the team. Moniak, still just 22 years old, has just a .120/.214/240 batting line in 28 plate appearances this season. The speedy Quinn has also struggled at the plate, slashing .083/.250/.111 in 44 plate appearances this season.

Braves Place Travis d’Arnaud On 60-Day Injured List

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May 2: The Braves moved d’Arnaud to the 60-day injured list after it was revealed that he has a torn thumb ligament which will require surgery, tweets the Athletic’s David O’Brien. The Braves hope to get d’Arnaud back late in the season, but that’s far from a guarantee, especially with the injury on his catching hand.

May 1: Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud is headed to the injured list after suffering a left thumb injury in tonight’s game with the Blue Jays, manager Brian Snitker told David O’Brien of The Athletic and other reporters.  More will be known about d’Arnaud’s injury after he undergoes tests, though Snitker bluntly described the situation as “not good.”  D’Arnaud isn’t staying with the team on the road, as he is heading back to Atlanta to visit team doctors on Sunday.

D’Arnaud suffered the injury on a play at the plate in the sixth inning.  The catcher tagged out Randal Grichuk on Grichuk’s attempt to score from first on a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. double, but d’Arnaud immediately indicated he was hurt, and was replaced in the game by Alex Jackson.

William Contreras will be called up prior to tomorrow’s game to take d’Arnaud’s spot on the active roster.  Contreras made his MLB debut with four games for Atlanta last season, and it is perhaps little surprising that the Braves are going with the inexperienced Contreras over 14-year veteran Jeff Mathis, who signed a minor league deal just prior to Opening Day.

Atlanta does have a full 40-man roster, however, and would have to open up a spot in order to officially select Mathis’ contract.  Contreras is also a noteworthy prospect (ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Braves’ sixth-best minor leaguer), and it could be that the team wants to give Contreras some seasoning in advance of a potentially larger role for 2022 and beyond.

D’Arnaud was off to a slow start this season, hitting .220/.253/.341 through his first 87 PA.  Though d’Arnaud has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, he was able to stay mostly healthy in 2019-20 and was very productive, including a .321/.386/.533 performance over 184 PA in 2020 that won him a Silver Slugger Award.  It was a strong early return on the two-year, $16MM free agent deal the Braves made with d’Arnaud in the 2019-20 offseason.

A’s Place Jesus Luzardo On Injured List With Fractured Hand

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The A’s have placed young southpaw Jesus Luzardo on the injured list with a fractured throwing hand, the team announced. Adam Kolarek has been recalled from the alternate site to take his roster spot.

Luzardo knocked his hand against a desk while playing a video game before his start yesterday, and the X-ray revealed a hairline fracture in his pinkie finger, per Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The injury occurred before his start yesterday. Luzardo lasted just three innings, giving up six runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out just one. He took the loss to Matt Harvey and the Orioles.

From a big-picture perspective, Oakland continues to suffer from poor health luck with their young arms as Luzardo joins A.J. Puk on the injured list. With Trevor Rosenthal and J.B. Wendelken also on the injured list, the A’s must make do without four arms they had hoped to play significant roles this season. Without Luzardo out, Bob Melvin’s crew will presumably power forward in the rotation with the five-some of Chris Bassitt, Mike Fiers, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and Cole Irvin.

Kolarek looked to be a potential difference-maker after arriving via trade from the Dodgers this winter, but he struggled in his first eight appearances this season. The lefty-specialist currently owns a 8.44 ERA/8.53 FIP through 5 1/3 innings.

Dodgers Place Dustin May On 10-Day IL, Select Mike Kickham

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TODAY: May’s placement is official, with the “right arm injury” designation.  Left-hander Mike Kickham’s contract was selected from the alternate training site in a corresponding move.  To create a 40-man roster spot for Kickham, the Dodgers moved right-hander Corey Knebel to the 60-day IL.

Kickham signed a minor league deal with L.A. in January, after a 2020 season that saw him toss 14 innings for the Red Sox.  It was Kickham’s first MLB action since pitching with the Giants in 2014, as he had toiled away in the minors looking for another opportunity.

MAY 1, 11:28PM: The Dodgers will place May on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett).  In terms of a longer-term prognosis, Roberts said “we remain hopeful but we won’t know until we get an MRI,” adding that May will get that MRI when the Dodgers arrive in Chicago on Monday for the beginning of a series with the Cubs.  According to the manager, May felt “a shooting sensation” in his arm.

8:34PM: The Dodgers released a very general first report on May, saying that he only left the game with a “right arm injury.”

7:05PM: Dodgers right-hander Dustin May made an early exit from his start against the Brewers tonight due to an apparent injury.  After throwing a pitch to Billy McKinney with two out in the bottom of the second inning, May visibly winced in discomfort, and left the game after a visit from the team trainer.

More will be known when the Dodgers release an update on May’s condition, but obviously any sort of an injury that requires an injured-list placement isn’t good news for either May or the Dodgers rotation as a whole.  Though Los Angeles still has one of the league’s best rotations, the club has been hit hard by pitching injuries, with seven hurlers currently on the IL.  That list of names includes David Price and Tony Gonsolin, who were competing with May for a rotation spot during Spring Training.

May won that battle and has been impressive in the early going, posting a 2.53 ERA, 57.4% grounder rate, and one of the league’s best strikeout rates (37.2%) over 21 1/3 innings heading into tonight’s start against Milwaukee.  A heralded pitching prospect on his way up the Dodgers’ minor league ladder, May posted a 2.98 ERA over 90 2/3 innings in 2019-20, and finished fifth in NL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2020.  As usual with their pitchers, the Dodgers have been pretty flexible with May’s usage, deploying him mostly as a starter in 2020 but moving him to the bullpen and giving him opener-style “starts” during the team’s postseason run.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/2/21

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Let’s round up some minor moves from around the baseball landscape…

  • The Brewers injury-ravaged pitching staff will reach further down the depth chart today. Alec Bettinger will join the Major League club to make his debut, starting today’s game against the Dodgers, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (via Twitter). The Brewers also signed catcher Christian Kelley to a minor league contact, per Robert Murray of FanSided (via Twitter). The 27-year-old will provide much-needed depth at catcher for the Brewers.
  • The Pirates released a pair of minor-leaguers today. Catcher Daniel Angulo and infielder Carlos Arroyo are now free agents, per Kevin Gorman of Trib Sports (via Twitter). While settling on the assignments as the minor league season opens, the Pirates have granted a number of veterans their release.

A’s Place J.B. Wendelken On Injured List, Recall Jordan Weems

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The A’s placed J.B. Wendelken on the injured list with a strained left oblique today, per the team. They recalled Jordan Weems to take his spot in the bullpen.

Wendelken has been a major player out of the A’s bullpen so far this season, appearing in 15 games and tossing 12 1/3 innings with a 4.38 ERA/3.09 FIP, 43.6 percent groundball rate, 24.1 percent strikeout rate, and 8.6 percent walk rate. A too-high .368 BABIP has negatively affected Wendelken’s bottom line so far this season. His fastball velocity has been down to 93.3 mph, and he’s gotten very few hitters to chase (nine percent chase rate). Still, he’s avoided barrels (only one allowed this season) and largely done a nice job of limiting hard contact.

Weems was signed as a minor league free agent after beginning his career as a third round pick of the Red Sox back in 2011. He brings a three-pitch mix to the bullpen, pairing a 94-to-95 mph heater with a slider versus right-handers and a change-up versus lefties. He’s back on the active roster after a little more than a week at the alternate site. He has three appearances on the year totaling 2 1/3 innings, giving up one earned run on one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.

Braves Select Jeff Mathis, Place Alex Jackson On Injured List

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The injury that landed Travis d’Arnaud on the 10-day injured list yesterday appears much worse than originally expected. Per David O’Brien of the Athletic (via Twitter), further testing remains on the docket, but the Braves know enough to move d’Arnaud to the 60-day injured list today, per the team. In addition, Alex Jackson, who replaced d’Arnaud in yesterday’s game, has also landed on the injured list with a strained left hamstring.

Just like that, the Braves have undergone a complete line change at the catching position. Along with William Contreras, the Braves selected the contract of Jeff Mathis. The veteran defensive specialist joined Atlanta on a minor league contract at the end of March. It is not hyperbole to label the 38-year-old Mathis a defensive savant behind the plate. His defensive wizardry has propped up a 16-year career despite a paltry .194/.253/.300 batting line across 3,006 plate appearances.

Interestingly, the Braves also have Tyler Flowers lurking within the organization. Flowers took on a strategic role with the Braves this season helping to integrate analytics into in-game preparation for the Braves’ catchers. While it’s largely assumed that the 35-year-old’s playing career is done, both Flowers and the Braves left open the possibility that he could return to active duty this season. Certainly, the ranks are thinning in Atlanta, and speculatively speaking, they must be considering whether it might be time to give serious consideration to a Flowers return.

For now, however, it seems Contreras will get the bulk of the playing time in Atlanta. The 22-year-old went 4-for-10 in a cup-of-coffee last season. Fangraphs had him as the sixth-ranked prospect in Atlanta’s system prior to this season. He is the younger brother of Cubs’ standout Willson Contreras.

 

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