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Mariners Notes: Thomas, Sheffield, Dunn

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The Mariners have outrighted Dillon Thomas, according to a club announcement.

The outfielder was initially selected by the Rockies in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. After a decade in the minor league systems of the Rockies, Brewers and Mariners, the 28-year-old was finally selected to a big league roster earlier this year. Unfortunately, he was only able to play four games, accumulating nine plate appearances, striking out in seven of them and getting one hit. His Triple-A numbers this year are solid, slashing .273/.379/.458, good enough for a wRC+ of 110.

Other notes from Seattle…

  • Justus Sheffield will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow, according to Jen Mueller of ROOT Sports. Sheffield has been out almost a month with both a flexor strain and an oblique strain. Before going on the IL, Sheffield was struggling to replicate his solid 2020 season. After 55 1/3 innings of 3.58 ERA ball last year, the lefty has logged 73 2/3 innings this year with his ERA having ballooned up to 6.48.
  • Mueller also provides an update on Justin Dunn. Though this one is not as encouraging, as Dunn has not begun throwing off a mound yet. The righty has been on the IL since mid-June with a shoulder strain. The 25-year-old was enjoying a breakout season before the injury, throwing 50 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.75. He had also increased his strikeout rate and reduced his walk rate, compared to last year.

Reds Sign Ender Inciarte To Minor League Deal

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The Reds signed Ender Inciarte to a minor league deal, according to a club announcement. The outfielder was recently designated for assignment and then released by the Braves. He will now report to the Triple-A Louisville Bats and attempt to earn his way back up the show.

That seems to be a somewhat unlikely scenario at this point, given that the Reds already have superior outfield options such as Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker, Tyler Naquin and Aristides Aquino. The return of Nick Senzel, who is currently on a rehab assignment, would only further crowd the picture and make it harder for Inciarte to barge his way in.

Inciarte’s offence was near league average for the first six years of his career. From 2014 to 2019, his wRC+ was never higher than 100 and never lower than 86 in a given season. Combined with his excellent defence, that made him a valuable player, contributing 14.2 fWAR in that time. But since then, his production has fallen off a cliff, with a wRC+ of 48 since the start of the 2020 season.

This is a no-risk move for Cincy because Inciarte’s salary is being paid by Atlanta as part of the five-year extension they signed with him after the 2016 season. Even if Cincinnati eventually calls him up to the big leagues, they will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum, with that amount being subtracted from what Atlanta pays.

Rockies’ Chris Owings To Miss Remainder Of 2021 Season

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Rockies utilityman Chris Owings will miss the rest of the 2021 season after undergoing surgery to insert a pin in his injured left thumb, manager Bud Black told reporters (including Thomas Harding of MLB.com). The 29-year-old has been on the 10-day injured list since July 20 and seems likely to wind up on the 60-day IL whenever Colorado needs to clear a 40-man roster spot.

It’s a difficult development for Owings, who also missed three months earlier this year on account of an injury to the same thumb. He went on the IL in mid-April, returned to action in late June, but ended up back on the shelf a few weeks later. Altogether, Owings will only pick up 50 plate appearances this season. A hamstring issue kept him to just 44 trips to the dish in 2020 as well, making for a frustrating couple years in Colorado.

Owings has appeared in the big leagues in every season since 2013, compiling a cumulative .243/.288/.372 line in a little under 2400 plate appearances. The longtime Diamondback is slated to hit free agency this winter and should find interest from teams on potential minor league deals if he returns to health.

Trevor Bauer’s Administrative Leave To Be Extended Through August 13

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AUGUST 5: Bauer’s administrative leave will be extended tomorrow, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). This extension will run through August 13, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).

JULY 27: The league announced that Bauer’s administrative leave has been extended through August 6.

JULY 26: “A majority of players do not want [Trevor] Bauer back under any circumstances,” writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, who cites “two people with knowledge of Dodgers clubhouse dynamics.”  Bauer’s paid administrative leave from the Dodgers, which the club has previously extended twice, runs through tomorrow.  In late June, news surfaced of an ex parte temporary restraining order a San Diego woman obtained against Bauer after she alleged sexual assault.

Bauer appeared at a court hearing Friday in Los Angeles, which was pushed to August 2 as his attorney seeks more time to prepare based on recently-received medical records and exhibits.  As Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic wrote, the three-day hearing is now set to take place on August 2, 3, and 19.  At least nine witnesses will be called at that hearing, according to Britt Ghiroli, Fabian Ardaya, and Katie Strang of The Athletic.  It’s known that the woman will call three police officers, while Bauer’s side is expected to call three witnesses of their own.  Bauer’s accuser will also testify, and her side will call Bauer as a witness.  Bauer’s attorney has advised him to invoke his fifth amendment rights.

DiGiovanna’s article is worth a read, as a well-done overview of where the Bauer situation stands at present and how he came to be a member of the Dodgers.  It’s notable that DiGiovanna describes Bauer as a “pariah in his own clubhouse,” as his teammates haven’t spoken publicly on the topic.  In the opinion of the L.A. Times scribe, Bauer’s entire career is in jeopardy.

The timing of a potential unpaid suspension by MLB remains unknown, as they investigate the allegations against Bauer on a parallel track with the Pasadena Police Department.

Molina: Contract Extension With Cardinals Would Be “Awesome”

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Franchise icon Yadier Molina is hoping to work out a contract extension with the Cardinals that keeps him in St. Louis for 2022, he tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Molina’s representatives at MDR Sports Management are expected to be in contact with the team relatively soon, Goold reports.

Molina, who is scheduled to reach free agency at the end of the season, tells Goold he’s hoping to play one more year with the Cardinals. The 39-year-old didn’t explicitly say he’d only play for St. Louis, although he did note he considered retirement last offseason amidst some uncertainty about his future with the organization. Molina remained on the open market until early February, fielding some offers from other clubs before returning to the Cardinals on a one-year, $9MM deal. He’s clearly hoping to avoid duplicating that scenario, calling his free agent stay “a tough time” and saying it would be “awesome … to get something done early” this time around.

It seems likely the Cardinals would have interest in brining Molina back. He’s the longest-tenured active MLB player with his current team, having debuted with the Cardinals in June 2004. Molina’s one of the greatest players in franchise history and looks likely to wind up in the Hall of Fame. As with starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who re-signed for a sixteenth season with St. Louis last offseason, Molina has earned himself a sort of legendary status in the organization. That no doubt plays into the front office’s willingness to keep bringing Molina back, but that’s not to diminish his continued on-field contributions.

Obviously, the ten-time All-Star is no longer the caliber of player he was at his peak. Molina has remained reasonably productive, though, even at his advanced age. The right-handed hitter has put up a .254/.295/.381 line with eight home runs in 319 plate appearances this season, not far off the league average .227/.307/.390 mark for catchers around the league. Despite some nagging health concerns, he’s started 80 of the club’s 107 games behind the plate and ranks sixth leaguewide in plate appearances as a catcher.

It’s a similar story behind the plate. Molina has long been regarded as the sport’s preeminent defensive catcher. Pitch framing metrics suggest he’s now closer to average in that regard, but Molina has cut down a whopping 42.1% of attempted base stealers. By measure of Defensive Runs Saved, he’s been estimated as three runs above average — before accounting for his long-lauded but unquantifiable game calling and leadership acumen.

Should Molina ultimately re-sign, he’d figure to again assume the lion’s share of playing time behind the plate. The Cardinals have Andrew Knizner and Ali Sánchez on the 40-man roster as potential backup options. Top prospect Iván Herrera is also on the 40-man and has picked up his first extended playing time at Double-A this season. Herrera could be a factor at some point in 2022 but he’s been more decent than great in the minors this year (.221/.351/.361 over 302 plate appearances). The organization could prefer to give Herrera, who turned 21 in June, extended playing time at Triple-A Memphis next season before breaking him into the majors later in the year in hopes of his assuming the #1 job by 2023.

Regardless of the long-term succession plan, it seems there’ll be mutual interest between the Cardinals and Molina in moving relatively quickly on an extension to avoid a repeat of last winter’s stalemate. Getting a deal done this summer would solidify the Cards’ catching situation for 2022 while guaranteeing a beloved player returns for his nineteenth — and likely final — season in St. Louis.

Indians Agree To Extend Lease At Progressive Field Through 2036

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The Indians announced Thursday that they’ve reached an agreement with the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio on a “collaboration for the future preservation and enhancement of Progressive Field.” The agreement will include facility upgrades for the stadium itself and, most notably, extend the team’s lease at the ballpark for “at least 15 years to 2036.” The agreement also comes with “the potential for 10 additional years to 2046.” The city and county councils still need to approve the project within the coming months, but it doesn’t seem there’s much doubt they’ll both do so.

“Our organization is proud to continue our long-term commitment to Cleveland by ensuring we keep our ballpark competitive,” owner Paul Dolan said in this morning’s press release. “We want to give our fans, our community, and our players the best ballpark experience possible. We are excited and appreciate the collaborative effort displayed by leadership from the county, city, and state to help make this first step possible and look forward to the next stages in the legislative process to finalize the agreement.”

Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports that the collaboration calls for $435MM worth of renovations, funded by an undisclosed division of expenses among the city, county, state and team. The press release stresses that the government funding involves no new or increased taxes to residents.

Today’s announcement confirms the longstanding expectation the organization will stay in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. While the current lease is set to expire after the 2023 season, Zack Meisel, Jason Lloyd and Bill Shea of the Athletic wrote last month that a lease extension looked likely. The Indians have played at Progressive Field since 1994, making it the tenth-longest tenured active team-ballpark pairing in MLB.

The franchise has been in Cleveland since 1901. Only the Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, Pirates and Phillies have been in their current city for a longer time. Beginning in 2022, the organization is adopting the “Guardians” moniker in homage to the “Guardians of Traffic” statues on Cleveland’s Hope Memorial Bridge.

Gary Sanchez Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez has tested positive for COVID-19, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). He woke up this morning not feeling well and a rapid test came back positive. Rob Brantly is being re-selected to the roster as his replacement.

Sánchez is yet another notable Yankees player to land on the COVID IL. Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery hit the injured list earlier this week, and a few players (including star outfielder Aaron Judge) tested positive immediately after the All-Star Break. One of those players — reliever Wandy Peralta — just made his return from the IL this afternoon. Assuming follow-up testing confirms the positive result, Sánchez will miss at least ten days recuperating, leaving New York to rely upon Kyle Higashioka and Brantly behind the plate.

Brantly was selected as a COVID replacement, so he can be returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at a later date without being subjected to waivers. He’s already been up as a COVID replacement once this season, appearing in four games.

Orioles Claim Jorge Mateo Off Waivers From Padres

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The Orioles announced they’ve claimed utilityman Jorge Mateo off waivers from the Padres. To create active and 40-man roster space, infielder Pat Valaika was designated for assignment.

Mateo has spent the past season-plus in San Diego, tallying his first 121 MLB plate appearances in the process. He’s only managed a .195/.235/.310 line with two home runs in that time, but Mateo’s also never had the benefit of regular playing time on a win-now Padres club. However, because Mateo is out of minor league options, San Diego had to keep him on the active roster or else risk losing his long-term rights. That left the 26-year-old as a sort of designated bench piece, with most of his time coming as a pinch hitter, pinch runner or late-game defensive replacement (primarily in the outfield).

As with the Padres, the O’s have to keep Mateo on the big league roster or risk losing him on waivers themselves. Mateo ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects at Baseball America for three consecutive seasons (2016-18) thanks to his blistering speed and decent raw power. There’s plenty more opportunity for the rebuilding Orioles to give him a regular look against big league pitching if they’re so inclined. If Mateo earns a permanent spot on the roster, he can be controlled through 2025.

Valaika has spent the past two seasons in Baltimore. He broke into the majors with the Rockies, briefly landed with the Diamondbacks, but wound up with the Orioles on waivers. Valaika performed well in a brief look in 2020 (.277/.315/.475 over 150 plate appearances) but he hasn’t followed up on that this season. The 28-year-old has tallied 212 trips to the dish this year and managed just a .192/.251/.280 line with four homers.

Baltimore will place Valaika on waivers in the coming days. Should he pass through unclaimed, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment by virtue of the fact that he’s previously been outrighted in his career.

J.R. Richard Passes Away

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In saddening news, the Astros announced this afternoon that former major league pitcher J.R. Richard passed away at the age of 71. The team will hold a moment of silence in his honor before this evening’s game against the Twins.

“Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, J.R. Richard,” the team wrote in a statement. “J.R. will forever be remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest players in club history. … We send our heartfelt condolences to J.R.’s wife, Lula, his family, friends and countless fans and admirers.”

Richard appeared in the majors from 1971-80, spending his entire career with the Astros. Regarded as one of the most electric pitchers of his era, Richard twice led MLB in strikeouts (1978-79), exceeding 300 punch outs in both seasons. The right-hander led the National League in K/9 and FIP both years, and his 2.71 ERA over 292 1/3 innings in 1979 was the league’s best. He appeared among the top ten in NL Cy Young Award balloting in each of 1976, 1978 and 1979 and picked up some down-ballot MVP support in 1976 and 1979.

1980 was shaping up to be perhaps Richard’s best season ever. He tossed 113 2/3 frames with career-low marks in ERA (1.90) and FIP (1.94), earning his first All-Star nod in the process. Tragically, he suffered a stroke that July that prevented him from ever again appearing in the major leagues.

While Richard’s playing career was cut short, his peak was among the better ones in major league history. He’ll be remembered for his on-field accomplishments as one of the greatest pitchers in Astros’ history, as well as his community work in the Houston area later in life. We at MLBTR send our condolences to Richard’s family, friends and loved ones.

Giants Activate Brandon Belt From Injured List

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The Giants announced they’ve reinstated first baseman Brandon Belt from the 10-day injured list. He’s starting at first base, hitting seventh in the order this afternoon against the Diamondbacks. To create active roster space, starter Kevin Gausman was placed on the paternity list.

Belt returns after missing around six weeks with right knee inflammation, his second IL stint of the season. In between the injuries, the 33-year-old had been having a quietly excellent year at the plate, hitting .253/.363/.512 with eleven home runs across 201 plate appearances. A career-high 32.3% strikeout rate has knocked a bit of a blow to Belt’s batting average, but he’s again demonstrated a very good combination of plate discipline and power.

Going back to the start of the 2020 season, Belt has a .279/.392/.549 line. By measure of wRC+ (minimum 300 plate appearances), only Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatís Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Bryce Harper have been more productive on a rate basis. However, Belt’s injuries have kept him to a little more than half the playing time of some of those star players.

In other positive news for the Giants, third baseman Evan Longoria is beginning a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento this evening, the team told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Longoria has been down since June 6 with a left shoulder sprain, but he’s apparently nearing a return. The 35-year-old was enjoying a resurgent season before the injury, hitting .280/.376/.516 through his first 186 plate appearances. The stellar production from Belt and Longoria has been a significant part of the Giants’ league-best 68-40 record, good for a 3.5 game lead in the National League West.

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