Jacob deGrom Dealing With Right Lat Inflammation
6:12pm: The MRI revealed inflammation in deGrom’s right lat, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. While deGrom will take a few days off from throwing, the Mets don’t plan to place him on the injured list.
4:25pm: DeGrom will undergo an MRI this afternoon, manager Luis Rojas announced (via Healey).
4:04pm: The Mets have scratched ace Jacob deGrom from his scheduled start Tuesday because of “right side tightness,” Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to tweet. Righty Miguel Castro will take the ball against the Cardinals in deGrom’s place.
A major injury to deGrom could have a crippling effect on the Mets’ chances of contending for a playoff spot, but it doesn’t appear this is an especially serious issue, Jeff Passan of ESPN hears. Rather, deGrom may miss just one start, per Passan.
After a highly active offseason, the Mets have come out flat in 2021 with an 11-12 record, but deGrom certainly isn’t to blame. The two-time National League Cy Young winner is in top form at the age of 32, having pitched to a major league-leading 0.51 ERA over five starts and 35 innings. DeGrom is also pacing all starters in strikeout rate (48 percent) and swinging-strike rate (23 percent), and his K-BB percentage (44.7) is second only to the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes.
Rangers Place Brock Holt On 10-Day IL, Select Andy Ibanez
The Rangers announced that they have placed infielder Brock Holt on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 3, with a right hamstring strain. In other moves, the team selected the contract of infielder Andy Ibanez from Triple-A Round Rock and moved catcher Sam Huff from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Huff is recovering from right knee surgery.
This is already the second time this season that a right hamstring strain has forced Holt to the IL, as he missed time in April with the same issue. When Holt has been healthy enough to play, the offseason minor league signing has given the Rangers respectable offensive production with a .250/.377/.295 line in 53 plate appearances. Defensively, Holt has lined up exclusively at third base, where he has shared time with Charlie Culberson.
With Holt down, Ibanez will provide the Rangers with some extra depth in their infield. The Cuba native was Baseball America’s third-ranked international prospect in 2015, when he wound up scoring a $1.6MM payday with the Rangers. Ibanez was one of BA’s top 10 Rangers prospects during his first couple of seasons with the organization, but the 28-year-old’s stock has fallen since, and he still hasn’t appeared in the majors. As a minor leaguer, Ibanez is a .285/.352/.443 hitter with 53 home runs in 1,949 plate appearances.
Padres Activate Dinelson Lamet
5:20pm: San Diego announced that it has optioned righty Miguel Diaz to its alternate site to clear room for Lamet.
4:39pm: The Padres have activated right-hander Dinelson Lamet from the 10-day injured list, per a team announcement. He’ll start their game against the Pirates on Tuesday.
This will be the first start since April 21 for Lamet, who was making his season debut then. Lamet exited that appearance after just two innings with forearm tightness, leading to fears that he would require a second Tommy John surgery. Fortunately for him and the Padres, he was able to quickly work his way back from the injury.
The past several months have been difficult from a health standpoint for Lamet, whose 2020 season came to an end in late September when he suffered a UCL strain. Before that, Lamet enjoyed a breakout year with 69 innings of 2.09 ERA pitching and a 34.8 percent strikeout rate against a 7.5 percent walk rate. That stellar performance led to a fourth-place finish in National League Cy Young balloting.
Even with almost no contributions from Lamet this year, the Padres have begun a solid 17-13 – one game back of the NL West-leading Giants. San Diego’s starters have put up a stingy 2.81 ERA through the team’s first 30 games.
Phillies Select Enyel De Los Santos
The Phillies announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Enyel De Los Santos and optioned lefty Cristopher Sanchez to Triple-A.
Now 25 years old, De Los Santos joined the Phillies before 2018 in a trade that sent infielder Freddy Galvis from Philadelphia to San Diego. De Los Santos was a noteworthy prospect in his younger days, topping out as Baseball America’s sixth-best farmhand in the Philly organization in 2019.
Since a promising showing with the Phillies’ Triple-A team in 2018, De Los Santos’ production has taken a negative turn. Across 30 major league innings from 2018-19, De Los Santos put up a bloated 5.70 ERA with a 19.6 percent strikeout rate and a walk percentage of 10.2. He also threw 94 frames of 4.40 ERA ball with similar strikeout and walk rates during the 2019 Triple-A campaign.
With no minor league season in 2020, De Los Santos’ only hope of getting into a real game was to crack the Phillies’ bullpen. He was unable to do that at any point, though, and the team removed him from its 40-man roster in August.
Brewers Place Christian Yelich On 10-Day IL
The Brewers are sending outfielder Christian Yelich to the 10-day injured list, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. Yelich is continuing to deal with a back issue. Milwaukee announced that it has recalled outfielder Tyrone Taylor to take Yelich’s spot.
Yelich just returned Monday after missing three-plus weeks because of his ailing back, and he picked up two hits in a loss to the Phillies. However, manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Yelich “doesn’t feel good,” per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Brewers haven’t found anything serious in an MRI, but Counsell noted that there is “something else we haven’t diagnosed.” The team’s goal is “to completely resolve this,” Counsell added.
The Brewers have gone through most of the season without the former MVP, who has played in 10 games, totaled 41 plate appearances and batted .353/.463/.382. So far, though, they’ve overcome his absence (and a slew of other injuries) en route to a 17-12 record – good for a first-place tie with the Cardinals in the National League Central. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Brewers will continue to succeed without Yelich, especially considering most of their other outfielders have posted average or much worse numbers.
Giants Place Kevin Gausman On Injured List
4:34pm: Gausman is dealing with side effects from the vaccine, Slusser tweets.
3:54pm: The Giants have placed right-hander Kevin Gausman on the injured list and recalled catcher Joey Bart, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report. The team didn’t provide a reason for Gausman’s IL placement.
Gausman, a former Oriole, Red and Brave who signed with the Giants prior to 2020, has emerged as an immensely important part of San Francisco’s rotation over the past season-plus. He was impressive enough last year for the Giants to put an $18.9MM qualifying offer on the table, which Gausman accepted instead of taking another trip to free agency during the winter.
Gausman has continued to roll in Year 2 as a Giant, which could set him up to receive a lucrative multiyear payday in the coming months. So far this season, Gausman has thrown 39 2/3 innings of 2.04 ERA ball with a 25.8 percent strikeout rate and a 7.1 percent walk rate. He has been one of the leaders of a Giants starting staff that entered Tuesday No. 1 in the majors in ERA (2.34) and second in fWAR (3.8). The work of Gausman & Co. has helped lead to a surprising 17-11 start for San Francisco, owner of a one-game lead in the National League West.
Bart, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, made his debut as a much-ballyhooed prospect last year. The 24-year-old put up a weak .233/.288/.320 line with no home runs in 111 plate appearances as a rookie, and he hasn’t appeared in the bigs yet this season. The Giants have received otherworldly production behind the plate from a resurgent Buster Posey, who sat out last year because of COVID-19 concerns, though backup Curt Casali has posted woeful offensive numbers thus far. Casali has, however, garnered rave reviews for his defense.
Twins Place Luis Arraez On 7-Day Concussion IL
The Twins will place infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez on the seven-day concussion injured list, manager Rocco Baldelli told Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and other reporters. They’re recalling infielder Nick Gordon to take the open roster spot.
Arraez suffered the injury Monday during the Twins’ win over the Rangers on an awkward slide into home plate (video here via Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). That occurred in the third inning, but Arraez didn’t exit until after the sixth. The Twins replaced Arraez in left field with Jake Cave.
Although unheralded compared to some of the Twins’ other hitters, Arraez has done nothing but produce for the club since he debuted in 2019. Dating back to then, Arraez has batted .324/.392/.420 in 590 plate appearances, overcoming a lack of power (five career home runs, .095 ISO) by making contact at a superb 91.9 percent clip. It has been more of the same this season for the 24-year-old, who has hit .291/.398/.372 with 14 walks and 11 strikeouts over 103 PA.
Along with continuing to provide above-average work at the plate in 2021, Arraez has already totaled at least eight appearances at three defensive spots (left, second and third). The Twins have Cave and Kyle Garlick as left field options off their bench, Jorge Polanco at second, Josh Donaldson at third and Willians Astudillo as a reserve infielder.
Nationals Activate Juan Soto, Will Harris; Designate Hernan Perez
The Nationals have activated outfielder Juan Soto and right-handed reliever Will Harris from the injured list, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com. In corresponding moves, the Nationals designated infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez for assignment and optioned righty Kyle McGowin to Triple-A.
The Nationals held an ugly 5-9 record when Soto went on the IL on April 20 with a strained left shoulder. To their credit, though, the Nats did more than stay afloat during their superstar hitter’s absence. After going 7-3 while Soto was on the shelf, Washington sits at 12-12 – good for a half-game lead in the National League East. They’ll have to continue playing without Soto at full strength for a little while longer, as manager Dave Martinez said the 22-year-old still isn’t ready to throw in games (via Zuckerman). For now, he’ll serve as a pinch-hitter. That should continue leaving right field to Yadiel Hernandez, who has come up large with a .362/.444/.500 line in 36 plate appearances.
Harris, 36, has yet to debut this year as a result of right hand inflammation. There was a fear Harris would require thoracic outlet surgery, but he avoided that procedure and will now rejoin the Nationals’ bullpen a month into the season. The club signed Harris to a three-year, $24MM contract entering last season after a strong run with the Astros. Harris did throw 17 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA ball with a 25 percent strikeout rate in 2020, though his fielding-independent numbers (4.09 xFIP, 4.13 SIERA, 4.55 FIP) were less impressive. He also experienced an increase in walks and home runs allowed, while his groundball percentage tumbled by over 12 percent from the previous season.
The 30-year-old Perez signed a minor league contract with the Nationals over the winter and then made their Opening Day roster. Perez couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, though, as he collected one hit (a single) in 21 plate appearances and struck out 10 times, leading the Nats to boot him from their 40-man roster.
Giants Place Tommy La Stella On 10-Day IL
MAY 4: San Francisco has placed La Stella on the IL, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. It’s going to be a long stay on the IL for La Stella, as Kapler said Tuesday he could miss four to six weeks (via Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group). The club recalled infielder Jason Vosler to take La Stella’s roster spot.
MAY 3: The Giants expect to place second baseman Tommy La Stella on the 10-day injured list, manager Gabe Kapler told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters on Monday. La Stella strained his left hamstring Sunday.
An IL stint would continue a less-than-ideal start to 2021 for La Stella, whom the Giants signed to a three-year, $18.75MM guarantee in free agency. La Stella earned that contract on the strength of an unexpected offensive outburst from 2019-20, which he divided between the Angels and Athletics. Last season, the 32-year-old batted .281/.370/.449 with five home runs and 27 walks against a mere 12 strikeouts over 228 plate appearances.
La Stella easily led the majors in strikeout percentage (5.8) a year ago, and though the number has climbed to 13.3 this season, that’s still well above average. While La Stella’s triple-slash line has fallen to an underwhelming .235/.297/.353 across 75 trips to the plate, his .359 expected weighted on-base average is far more favorable than his .288 real wOBA and suggests a turnaround could be on the way. That will have to wait, however, now that La Stella is seemingly on his way to the shelf.
La Stella and Donovan Solano have handled almost all of the work at the keystone for San Francisco this season, but the latter has been on the IL with a strained calf since April 21. Reserves Wilmer Flores and Mauricio Dubon, who have experience at second base, look like logical fill-in candidates.
Royals Sign Alcides Escobar
The Royals turned back the clock Tuesday, announcing that they’ve agreed to terms with veteran shortstop Alcides Escobar on a minor league deal. Escobar, the Royals’ everyday shortstop for their 2014-15 World Series teams, will head to Triple-A Omaha to begin the season.
Now 34 years old, Escobar was one of the key pieces Kansas City received in the 2010 trade that sent Zack Greinke to Milwaukee. Coming over alongside Lorenzo Cain, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress, Escobar quickly established himself as a foundational piece for the Royals. He was never a huge contributor at the plate, but at his best he hit for a respectable average while racking up 30-plus steals per year and flashing Gold Glove-caliber leather.
Escobar has appeared in parts of eight seasons with the Royals in the past, batting a combined .259/.292/.344 in just over 5000 plate appearances. He spent the 2020 season with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, hitting .273/.312/.329 through 104 games.
Escobar is on hand as a depth piece right now, but with Adalberto Mondesi still sidelined and being no stranger to prolonged stints on the injured list, it makes sense to bring in some veteran depth. The Royals have already gotten a notable portion of the 2014-15 band back together, as they currently have Wade Davis, Greg Holland and Jarrod Dyson on the MLB roster alongside franchise cornerstones Salvador Perez and Danny Duffy.
Nicky Lopez has been handling shortstop work in Mondesi’s absence and has performed well in the early stages of the season, but he has a limited track record at the plat. If his bat steps back or if the Royals incur further injuries in the middle infield, it’s possible that Escobar will be brought back into the fold and given another reunion tour in front of the Kansas City faithful.