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Archives for September 2021

MLB Places Marcell Ozuna On Administrative Leave

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TODAY: Ozuna’s administrative leave has been extended through September 24, The Athletic’s David O’Brien reports.

SEPTEMBER 10: Major League Baseball has placed Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna on administrative leave as it continues to investigate domestic violence allegations made against him, reports David O’Brien of the Athletic. MLB has not made a formal announcement.

The league has the authority to unilaterally place players on administrative leave for up to seven days, per the MLB – MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. The leave can be extended thereafter by mutual agreement between MLB and the Players Association. Placement on administrative leave is not a disciplinary action and does not reflect any sort of finding in the league’s investigation. Players placed on administrative leave continue to be paid and to accumulate Major League service time.

Ozuna has been on the 10-day injured list since May 28 after fracturing the middle and ring fingers in his left hand. He has not appeared in a game since bring arrested on May 29 after police responded to a domestic disturbance at his residence. Court filings at the time indicated that the responding officers saw Ozuna place his hands around his wife’s neck, throw her against a wall and strike her with the cast that was on his hand.

Felony charges originally brought against Ozuna were dropped in early August, but prosecutors moved forward with a pair of misdemeanor charges. This week, Ozuna agreed to enter into a three-to-six month domestic violence intervention program that could see those charges dropped if he completes all the required measures.

The joint Domestic Violence policy authorizes MLB to impose discipline in the absence of criminal charges. Even if both misdemeanor charges against Ozuna are ultimately dropped, he could still face a suspension depending upon the results of the league’s investigation.

Twins Select Drew Maggi

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The Twins have selected the contract of infielder Drew Maggi, the team announced.  Maggi will replace Rob Refsnyder on the active roster, as Refsnyder is headed to the 10-day injured list with a right elbow impingement.  Taylor Rogers was shifted to the 60-day IL to create space on the 40-man roster.

The transaction represents the culmination of a long journey for Maggi, who is now set to make his Major League debut after 11 minor league seasons.  A 15th-round pick for the Pirates in the 2010 draft, Maggi has kept hustling through 4077 minor league plate appearances (in the Pirates, Dodgers, Indians, and Twins farm systems) before finally reaching the Show at age 32.

Maggi has hit .259/.353/.356 during his minor league career, and has enjoyed a particularly strong campaign (.261/.364/.486 with 16 homers in 332 PA) at Triple-A St. Paul in 2021.  A versatile player, Maggi has played mostly as a shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman over his career, but also spent time at first base and in both corner outfield positions.

Given the timing of his injury, Refsnyder might not be able to return before the 2021 season is over.  The veteran utilityman hit .245/.325/.338 over 157 PA this season, appearing in 51 games with Minnesota after signing a minor league deal last winter.

Royals Shut Down Brad Keller For Remainder Of Season

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Right-hander Brad Keller has been shut down for the rest of the season, Royals manager Mike Matheny told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters.  Keller hasn’t pitched since August 26 due to a Grade 2 strain in his right lat, and there isn’t enough time remaining in the season for Keller to fully rehab and return to the mound.

The news officially ends Keller’s fourth MLB season after 26 starts and 133 2/3 innings, and beyond reliably taking the ball and soaking up some innings in the K.C. rotation, 2021 was certainly Keller’s most difficult year.  The righty posted a 5.39 ERA/4.84 SIERA, plus strikeout (19.6%) and walk (10.4%) rates that were well below the league average.  The walk rate is the worst of Keller’s brief career while his strikeout rate is actually his best, as Keller has relied on a grounder-heavy arsenal to retire batters.  Keller was aided by a .280 BABIP over his first three seasons, though the combination of a .347 BABIP and some of the worst hard-contact numbers in league contributed mightily to his struggles this year.

While the overall numbers are grim, most of Keller’s issues came in the first half of the season.  Over his last nine starts and 52 2/3 innings, Keller had a much more respectable 3.42 ERA, though his strikeout and walk rates were only slightly improved.  Still, if Keller had somewhat turned the corner on his season, his lat strain cost him the opportunity to make a strong finish and earn a few extra dollars in arbitration this winter.  Keller will be arb-eligible for the second time this winter, after agreeing to a $3.35MM salary for 2021.

Though the Royals have several younger pitchers who will be expected to take on bigger roles in the 2022 rotation, Keller’s tough season likely won’t threaten his spot in the starting five.  Keller is still only 26 himself, and the former Rule 5 Draft pick has had enough success at the MLB level that the Royals aren’t going to give up on him this quickly.  However, Kansas City might still look to add another veteran starter this offseason in order to add some reliability to a rotation mix that struggled as a whole.

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/18/21

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The latest minor league transactions from around baseball…

  • The Astros outrighted Robel Garcia to Triple-A after the infielder cleared waivers.  Garcia was designated for assignment earlier this week, marking the fifth time in the last 14 months that Garcia has gone through the DFA process, though this is the first time he hasn’t been claimed by another team.  After being claimed by the Astros last February, Garcia has spent the entire season in Houston’s organization, posting only a .423 OPS over 117 big league plate appearances but chipping in as a utility infielder.  Garcia has a .189/.321/.422 slash line over 109 PA at Triple-A Sugar Land.

Quick Hits: Reds, Nationals, A’s

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The Reds and pitching guru Kyle Boddy are ending their relationship after two seasons, per a press release from Boddy himself. Boddy and Driveline Baseball, his player development organization, surged into the public sphere not long ago as major disruptors in pitching innovation and date-driven development. The Reds’ hiring of Boddy as their minor league pitching coordinator suggested buy-in on Cincinnati’s side, as did their promotion of Boddy to Director of Pitching. That makes this split somewhat surprising, but the relationship clearly did not progress as planned.

What this means for the future of Reds’ development is unclear. Changing philosophies organization-wide can be a slow and clunky process, but it’s certainly possible that the Reds don’t plan to make wholesale changes. Still, moving on from such a public and outside-the-box hire suggests that the Reds will be moving in a different direction in terms of their minor league development strategy. Elsewhere around the game…

  • The Nationals are planning on avoiding a full-scale rebuild, according to comments made by GM Mike Rizzo, provided by Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Perhaps most interestingly, Rizzo says that the players on the squad now will make the foundation of their next championship club. Juan Soto fits the bill, for obvious reasons, but it’s unclear who else might be a part of that supposed core. Keibert Ruiz, Luis Garcia, and Carter Kieboom are the most obvious candidates given their age and prospect status, but none of the three is yet clearly established as an above-average regular. Time will tell if Rizzo is right about this current crop of Nats.
  • The Athletics continue to take steps towards relocating from Oakland to Las Vegas. Per Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s will winnow a list of potential sites down to a few finalists sometime in November. Although Vegas’ involvement might have seemed like a bargaining ploy to start, there’s clearly a real possibility of a move. This saga is far from done, however, as the city of Oakland remains in negotiations with the A’s about the prospect of building a new stadium.

Shohei Ohtani Battling Arm Soreness, Might Not Pitch For Rest Of The Season

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TODAY: After throwing a bullpen session, the Angels now believe the Ohtani is well enough to start this Sunday’s ballgame against Oakland, per MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (via Twitter).

Sept. 16: Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch during the Angels’ three-game series with the Athletics, though the two-way star had been tentatively slated to start tomorrow’s series opener.  Angels manager Joe Maddon told MLB.com’s Ryan Herrera and other reporters that Ohtani came away with a sore arm after a game of catch on Wednesday, so the team will keep him from pitching so his condition can be further monitored.  Ohtani will continue to regularly serve as the Angels’ DH, though it is possible Ohtani may have pitched his last game of 2021.

While the situation “hasn’t gotten there yet” in terms of shutting Ohtani down as a pitcher, Maddon said “we just have to wait and see” if Ohtani could take the hill for the 22nd time this season.

“He’ll continue to do his thing and be playing catch, and then we’ll determine if he feels good enough to [pitch] again,” Maddon said.  “So I don’t know.  I think he can, but we’ve been caught in these circumstances a lot this year.”

There isn’t much left for the Angels to play for this season, so it wouldn’t make much sense for the team to take a risk with Ohtani during what has already been an injury-riddled campaign for the Halos.  Losing Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon for the majority of the season spelled doom for a club that needed all the offensive help it could get considering the Angels’ pitching and defensive struggles.

The one big bright spot has been Ohtani’s season for the ages.  Combining excellent pitching with elite offense, Ohtani has a 3.36 ERA and 28.8% strikeout rate over 115 1/3 innings on the mound this year, and a .254/.336/.599 slash line and 44 home runs over 564 plate appearances.  This incredible performance has evoked comparisons to Babe Ruth, turned Ohtani into a household name, and made him the presumptive frontrunner for the AL MVP Award.

Quite a bit of Ohtani’s production, however, came in the first half of the season.  Ohtani has hit only .191/.331/.376 with seven home runs over his last 172 PA, and his most recent pitching outing (on September 10) saw him allow six runs over 3 1/3 innings of work against the Astros.  Some decline was probably inevitable given Ohtani’s meteoric start, and his unique workload in staying prepared to both pitch and regularly hit against Major League competition.

Ohtani also pitched only 1 2/3 innings total in 2019-20 due to injuries, including a recovery from Tommy John surgery.  That said, whatever wear and tear Ohtani might be feeling has seemingly impacted his bat more than his arm.  Apart from that one mediocre start against the Astros, Ohtani has otherwise posted a 2.20 ERA over 45 innings since the All-Star break.

Giants Place Jake McGee On 10-Day Injured List

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The Giants have placed reliever Jake McGee on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Because the injury placement is backdated to Tuesday when McGee first felt the muscle acting up, he will be available to return to the active roster by September 24 at the earliest.

Not long ago, it would have been scoff-worthy to suggest that McGee would find a role as the nominal closer for the team with the best record in the Majors – but here we are. McGee was one of the Rockies’ ill-fated bullpen signings back in 2017, and by the time that $27MM contract had run its course, McGee had fallen so far out of favor that Colorado released him before the third season was up. The southpaw posted an unfortunate 5.54 ERA over those two seasons in Colorado with unusually high walk and home run rates.

He’s rejuvenated now, however, having performed well for the Dodgers last season before catching on in San Francisco this year. He owns a 2.72 ERA/3.35 FIP across 62 games totaling 59 2/3 innings with an impressive 31 saves. Since leaving Colorado, his walk and home run rates have returned to normal levels – a 4.2 percent walk rate coming in well below the average mark and a 2.9 percent home run rate being exactly league average. McGee is also striking out a solid 24.3 percent of opponents.

Without McGee, the Giants will turn to Tyler Rogers, Tony Watson, and Dominic Leone to close games, writes Slusser. Rogers has played the part already this season, notching 12 saves while appearing in a league-leading 71 games for Gabe Kapler’s club. Leone has been used more as an opener of late, but he’ll be an option from the right side as well. Watson, a trade deadline acquisition this season, can close from the left side, should the match-ups lean that way.

McGee’s roster spot went to Jay Jackson, who was recalled today from Triple-A. Jackson has spent a decent chunk of time on the active roster and begun to earn Kapler’s trust at times. The 33-year-old has pitched in 22 games for a 3.95 ERA across 20 2/3 innings. Given that Jackson had totaled just 34 2/3 innings in the Majors prior to this season, he’s been a pleasant surprise in limited action for the Giants.

MLB To Require COVID Vaccinations For Non-Player Team Personnel To Gain Access To Field In Postseason

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Major League Baseball will require non-player team personnel, including managers and coaching staff members, to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to gain access to the field and other restricted areas this postseason, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter links). Currently unvaccinated staff members must receive their first dose of the Moderna vaccine by October 4 — with an appointment for their second dose scheduled — in order to have field access, per Rosenthal.

Certain teams — the Nationals, Astros and Cubs reportedly among them — have already mandated vaccinations for full-time employees. (Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reported this morning that two former Nationals’ staffers are filing a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission after being fired for failure to comply with the organization’s vaccination mandate). This is the first instance of a league-imposed vaccine requirement for team personnel to gain field access. MLB has previously relaxed health and safety protocols for teams that had vaccinated at least 85% of Tier 1 personnel over the course of the season in an effort to encourage widespread vaccination.

The league’s vaccination mandate does not directly impact players. Any potential player vaccination mandate, either on the part of MLB or specific teams, would need to be agreed upon with the MLB Players Association, perhaps as part of talks regarding the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.

Angels Select Jhonathan Diaz, Reinstate Jose Marte

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The Angels have selected the contract of southpaw Jhonathan Diaz and added him to the active roster to start tonight’s ballgame, the team announced. Diaz, 25, will be making his Major League debut.

The Angels also reinstated righty Jose Marte from the injured list. Marte, 25, made just one appearance this season, and in fact, for his career thus far, tossing two scoreless innings against Cleveland on August 20. He was originally signed by the Giants and sent to the Angels this season as part of the Tony Watson deal.

In terms of departures, veteran Junior Guerra was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and Elvis Peguero was returned to Triple-A. Guerra has soaked up his share of innings for the halos this season, though he’s struggled to the tune of a 6.06 ERA/4.74 FIP over those 65 1/3 innings. Peguero made just three appearances with the club totaling 2 1/3 innings.

Rangers’ John King Undergoes Thoracic Outlet Surgery

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Rangers reliever John King recently underwent surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, the team informed reporters (including Jeff Wilson). He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2022.

King hasn’t pitched since July 9, landing on the injured list with what the team initially called shoulder inflammation. That he required this procedure to address the issue is a bit discouraging, since some pitchers (most prominently Matt Harvey) never regained their effectiveness after bouts with thoracic outlet syndrome. That’s not to say TOS surgery is automatically a crushing blow, however. As one example, the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly underwent a thoracic outlet procedure last September and has been durable (aside from a battle with COVID-19) and essentially as productive this season as he’d been in years prior.

The Rangers have had a below-average relief group this season, but King had been a bright spot before his injury. The southpaw frequently worked multiple innings, tossing 46 frames over 27 appearances. Despite a below-average 20.7% strikeout rate, King posted a 3.52 ERA thanks largely to his ability to keep the ball on the ground. The sinkerballer racked up grounders at a 57% clip, a top thirty mark among the 320 relievers with 20+ innings pitched.

That performance was impressive enough that King was initially reported to be part of the Yankees’ deadline acquisition of Joey Gallo. He was eventually removed from the deal as part of a later reshuffling, with Joely Rodríguez heading to the Bronx instead. (King was already on the IL at the time and didn’t return to pitch this season).

Assuming he’s ready for Spring Training as expected, King should have the inside track at landing a season-opening spot in the Texas bullpen. The 27-year-old isn’t slated to reach arbitration eligibility until after the 2023 campaign at the earliest, and future optional assignments could push back that timeline even further.

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