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Blue Jays Place Hyun Jin Ryu On 10-Day IL, Reinstate Ryan Borucki

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The Blue Jays announced that they have placed Hyun Jin Ryu on the 10-day injured list with left forearm inflammation. Left-hander Ryan Borucki, who started the year on the IL with a hamstring strain, will swap places with Ryu and take his roster spot.

Ryu started yesterday’s game for the Jays but managed only 53 pitches with diminished velocity, an indication that something was likely amiss. No timeline has been given for Ryu’s absence, but any arm injury for a pitcher is concerning. The southpaw had just begun the third season of the four-year deal he signed to join the Blue Jays prior to the 2020 campaign. At the time, the club was coming off a few lousy seasons, but had seen the debuts of prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio, heralding the beginning of a new competitive window.

Ryu was coming off an elite 2019 season with the Dodgers that saw him throw 182 2/3 innings of 2.32 ERA ball. However, there were reasons for concern, as he’d struggled to stay on the mound over the previous four seasons. He stayed healthy in the shortened 2020 season, making 12 starts with a 2.69 ERA, helping the Jays reach the expanded postseason. Last year, he made two brief trips to the IL and managed to log 169 innings, though his ERA ticked up to 4.37 and his strikeout rate fell to 20.4%, his lowest such rate in years.

Although he may have been passed by the likes of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah, Ryu was still pencilled as a regular member of the Jays’ rotation. With him now being shelved for an undetermined amount of time, Ross Stripling will step into his spot, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Stripling made a spot start on Friday and threw four scoreless innings against the Athletics, throwing 62 pitches in the process.

As for Borucki, he will add a fresh arm to the team’s bullpen. After switching from starting to relieving in 2020, the lefty had an excellent showing in the 2020 campaign. He threw 16 2/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, though a concerning 16.4% walk rate. In 2021, he got the walks down to 11.2%, but also saw his strikeout rate fall to 21.4% and ERA jump up to 4.94. The 28-year-old is out of options and will need to stick on the roster or else lose his spot. The current 28-man rosters will shrink to 26 after May 1st.

Twins To Place Sonny Gray On 10-Day IL, Activate Cody Stashak

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Twins starter Sonny Gray left yesterday’s start with right hamstring tightness and will be placed on the IL, per Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Cody Stashak, who began the season on the IL with right biceps tendinitis, will swap places with Gray and join the active roster.

Gray threw 31 pitches yesterday before the hamstring issue ended his start prematurely. In the immediate aftermath of the game, he was considered to be day-to-day and perhaps not in need of a trip to the IL. Now it seems the team has decided to play it cautious and give him a chance to recuperate. As stated by Miller, the club anticipates he will only miss one start. Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com relays that the Twins will condense their six-man rotation down to five in Gray’s absence, with Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer, Chris Paddack, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober as the remaining members. Josh Winder pitched well in long relief after Gray’s departure yesterday (2 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings) but will stay in a long relief role.

Stashak had a nice showing over 2019 and 2020, throwing 40 MLB innings with a 3.15 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate and excellent 2.5% walk rate. In 2021, he threw 15 2/3 innings with a 6.89 ERA, with his strikeout rate jumping up to 34.7% but his walk rate hitting 13.3%. He was placed on the 60-day IL in June with a left back disk injury and didn’t pitch again. The 27-year-old will now look to get back on track after a lengthy absence.

Orioles Transfer John Means On 60-Day IL, Select Marcos Diplan

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The Orioles announced a series of roster moves today, the most notable being John Means getting transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. That opens a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Marcos Diplan, whose contract was selected. To make room for Diplan on the active roster, left-hander Alexander Wells was optioned to Triple-A.

It’s an unfortunate but unsurprising development for the Orioles. Means was initially placed on the IL on Friday with a left elbow strain. Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun relays that it’s actually a sprain, not a strain, clarifying that the latter involves bone-to-bone tissue as opposed to muscle or muscle-to-bone tissue. Although it was reported that Means would be undergoing further testing, O’s manager Brandon Hyde said that the southpaw would be out for “a while.” Now that he has been moved to the 60-day IL, he will be on the shelf until at least mid-June. Hyde said today that they still plan on getting second opinions, but they’ve obviously accepted that there’s no chance of a quick return.

The performance of Means has been one of the few bright spots for the Orioles over the past few seasons, as the club has spent most of the past five years in the AL East basement. Since his 2018 debut, Means has appeared in 70 games, throwing 356 2/3 innings with a 3.81 ERA. His 21.2% strikeout rate is just below league average, though his 5% walk rate is excellent. The 28-year-old (29 next week) can be controlled through the 2024 season and will be making an affordable 2022 salary in the $3MM range. (His arbitration hearing has yet to occur, due to the lockout pushing all hearings into the season. Means filed at $3.1MM with the team filing at $2.7MM. The arbitration process is backwards-looking and won’t be affected by this injury.)

In the short-term, this will thin out a rotation that was already short on proven options. Offseason signee Jordan Lyles is the most-seasoned arm, followed by less-experienced rotation mates Tyler Wells, Bruce Zimmermann and Spenser Watkins. With Means out, a spot is open for someone like Keegan Akin or Zac Lowther. The club does have two very well regarded prospects in DL Hall and Grayson Rodriguez. Both of them are in Triple-A and could be considered for an MLB debut at some point. In the long-term, the club wasn’t likely to be competitive anytime soon, but the injury will certainly take a bite out of Means’ trade value. Due to the fact that he’s been playing well on a poor team, he’s naturally been floated as a speculative trade candidate. Any trade talks will now have to be put on the backburner until he can return to health.

As for Diplan, he made his MLB debut with the Orioles last year, eventually throwing 30 innings of 4.50 ERA ball out of their bullpen. However, his 19.5% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate were both a few ticks worse than league average. He was outrighted off the roster at the end of last year but re-signed to a minor league deal in the offseason. The 25-year-old still has an option remaining.

Several Teams Interested In Justin Upton

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Now that Justin Upton has been released by the Angels, they are on the hook for Upton’s $28MM salary for this year. Any other team that signs Upton would only have to pay him a prorated portion of the new $700K league minimum, with that amount being subtracted from what the Angels are paying.

Although the 34-year-old hasn’t produced above the league average rate since 2018, that no-risk situation has led to interest from several teams, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. However, all of the interested teams are non-contenders, whose interest in Upton is merely in hoping for a quick bounceback and then flipping him to a contending team at the trade deadline.

Upton’s preference is reportedly to play for a contender, which is why he hasn’t accepted any of the overtures from other teams just yet. Although these suitors intend to trade Upton to a contender later, there’s always the chance that a trade doesn’t come together, either due to injury or poor performance, leaving him stranded. It seems he doesn’t want to take the risk of that happening, at least for now. As Nightengale notes, Upton hasn’t played in the postseason in almost a decade, with his last appearance coming in 2013.

It was recently reported that the Diamondbacks were considering a reunion with Upton, which would make for a nice story since that’s where Upton started his career and blossomed into a star. Although Nightengale doesn’t mention any teams by name, it’s possible that the D-Backs fit the mold of a non-contending team that Upton is hesitant to join. They’re coming off a miserable 52-110 season where the top two teams in the division, the Giants and Dodgers, won 107 and 106 games.

It had also been reported that the Twins had checked in on Upton last week. Like the Diamondbacks, they’re also coming off a down year, but were aggressive in reloading for 2022, perhaps making Minnesota a more likely contender than Arizona. Since their reported interest in Upton last week, their outfield need has grown, with Alex Kirilloff landing on the IL and Byron Buxton leaving Friday’s game with a knee injury, although it’s possible Buxton will avoid a trip to the IL himself.

Tigers Place Javier Baez On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Willi Castro

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Apr. 17: Castro is indeed the replacement, as the Tigers announced today that he has been recalled.

Apr. 16: The Tigers have placed shortstop Javier Baez on the 10-day injured list due to right thumb soreness.  The placement is retroactive to April 13.  The Tigers will play a man short in today’s game with the Royals, and add a new player to the active roster before tomorrow’s contest.  Willi Castro looks like he’ll be the replacement, as the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens announced that Castro was scratched from today’s lineup.

Baez has missed four games with this nagging thumb problem, and twice between scratched from the starting lineup.  This would seemingly indicate that the injury isn’t too severe, and while x-rays were negative, the issue ultimately proved bothersome enough for the team to just put Baez on the IL.  Between the retroactive placement and Monday’s off-day on Detroit’s schedule, Baez is eligible to return during the Tigers’ series with the Rockies next weekend.

After signing a six-year, $140MM deal during the offseason, Baez has gotten off to a good start in Motown, hitting .316/.350/.526 in his first 20 plate appearances as a Tiger.  Harold Castro has been filling in at shortstop in Baez’s absence, and will likely continue to get the bulk of the work, though the switch-hitting Willi Castro will also get some action after his probable call-up.

Mariners Acquire Riley O’Brien

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired right-hander Riley O’Brien from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He had been designated for assignment recently when the Reds selected Nick Lodolo to their roster. The Mariners won’t need to make a corresponding move, as a spot on their 40-man roster was recently opened up when Mitch Haniger was placed on the Covid-related injured list.

Drafted by the Rays in 2017, O’Brien was traded to the Reds at the 2020 deadline for Cody Reed. He made his MLB debut in 2021, getting a cup of coffee that lasted 1 1/3 innings. He made 22 Triple-A starts and one relief appearance last year, logging 112 2/3 innings with a 4.55 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate, 45% groundball rate and 11.2% walk rate. Control has been a consistent drag on O’Brien’s performance thus far in his career, as he’s never posted a walk rate below 9.8% at any level.

The 27-year-old still has options remaining, meaning he’ll likely join the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and serve as depth for the Mariners’ pitching staff. The big league rotation already has five members in Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, Marco Gonzales, Chris Flexen and Matt Brash. However, due to the shortened Spring Training this year, many teams are deploying six-man rotations or occasional spot starts from depth arms in order to weather the unusual schedule. O’Brien should be in the mix for such a role, alongside Nick Margevicius and Justus Sheffield. The club also has veteran Asher Wojciechowski in the minors, although he doesn’t currently have a roster spot. Top pitching prospect George Kirby could be an option at some point this season, although he’s started his year in Double-A and would also require a 40-man slot.

Twins Notes: Gray, Rodriguez, Buxton

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Sonny Gray left today’s start because of right hamstring tightness after facing just seven batters, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne (via Twitter). Gray is day-to-day, and they won’t move him to the injured list as of right now, per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park (via Twitter). They should have a better idea tomorrow if they’re going to need to skip him in the rotation. Josh Winder pitched well in relief, and he could be an option for a spot start or two if Gray can’t go. With a six-man rotation, however, the Twins could also make do simply by skipping Gray’s spot. He’s not scheduled for another start until next Friday against the White Sox. In other Twins news…

  • Right-hander Dereck Rodriguez has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A St. Paul, per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park (via Twitter). Rodriguez made one appearance, giving up three earned runs over four innings before being designated for assignment. He spent last season in Triple-A with the Rockies, but did not make it to the Show. He posted a 6.72 ERA over 85 2/3 innings for Albuquerque.
  • Byron Buxton’s MRI came back clean, and like Gray, the Twins are leaning towards leaving him on the active roster as he heals, per The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Buxton had his knee drained of fluid from inflammation, but with no structural damage, the hope is that Buxton can be back on the diamond in a couple of days. Buxton’s health is obviously a significant variable for the Twins this season, and they’ll want to be prudent before sending him back onto the grass.

Quick Hits: Pitch Clocks, Mariners, Brash, Cubs, Baez

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After one day of enforcing new pitch clock rules in the minor leagues, supporters of faster action and shorter games will be encouraged. Per J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, yesterday’s games were more than 25 minutes shorter on average. The pitch clock is set to 14 seconds with the bases empty and 18 seconds with men on base, but equally important is the fact that batters are expected to remain in the box. The experiment will last all season long, and enforcement is expected to be stricter this year than with smaller-scale experiments of past seasons. If yesterday’s sample is any indication, these changes could very well be on their way to the Majors. With all this extra time, let’s check in elsewhere around the game…

  • When the Mariners traded for right-hander Matt Brash at the 2020 trade deadline, their interest was based on a 71-pitch sample from the 5 1/3 innings in High-A that, at that point, made up the entirety of Brash’s professional career. Because of the pandemic, he wasn’t pitching in the minor leagues where the Mariners (or Padres, for that matter) could gather more data. He was at home in Canada lifting weights, per The Athletic’s Corey Brock, who charts the path Brash took from Niagara University to the big leagues. Brash was a surprise addition to the Major League roster this season, making his theoretical breakout an inflection point that could impact the American League West. It’s too early to tell, but Brash is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
  • Javier Baez and the Cubs were on the verge of an extension when the pandemic hit in 2020, per Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. Timing is everything, however. It was timing that allowed those young Cubs stars to converge for a 2016 title, and it was the timing of their free agencies that ultimately pushed Cubs leadership to ship them out.

Reds Place Nick Senzel On Injured List, Recall Daniel Duarte

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The Reds announced a pair of corresponding roster moves today. Nick Senzel has been placed on the COVID-related injured list, though he has not tested positive, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (via Twitter). To take his roster spot, they recalled right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte. They now have an 11-man bullpen with just three extra position players on the bench.

Duarte made his big league debut already this season with a pair of appearances spanning 1 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander played across four different levels of the Reds’ system in 2021, totaling 23 2/3 innings over 19 outings with a 4.56 ERA.

But this move is more about Senzel, who has struggled to stay on the field in his young career. Jonathan India is also suffering from a sore hamstring, leaving the Reds pretty severely short-handed on the bench. They clearly aren’t all that concerned about it in the short-term, however, given their decision to add another arm to the bullpen. Given the COVID designation, there is no minimum length of stay on the injured list, so the Reds may expect to get Senzel back sooner than later. For today, Brandon Drury is getting the start for India again, while Jake Fraley steps in for Senzel as the center fielder of record.

Mitch Haniger Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger has tested positive for COVID-19, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer (via Twitter). He has been placed on the injured list, while Donovan Walton has been recalled to claim his roster spot, the team announced.

With Haniger out for probably at least five days, the pressure should alleviate somewhat from the young duo of Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic, both of whom have started slowly at the plate. Abraham Toro, meanwhile, is the likeliest to move into the starting lineup while Haniger is away. Toro is at the hot corner today, with Eugenio Suarez moving to designated hitter. Haniger has started six games in right field and two at designated hitter for the M’s so far this season. He, too, is off to a slow start, slashing .176/.200/.471 over 35 plate appearances.

Walton, 27, figures to be back and forth from Triple-A a bit this season, as the lefty-swinging utility player has an option remaining. He has appeared with the Mariners in each of the past three seasons, but never seeing more than 69 plate appearances in a given year. In total, Walton has stepped to the dish 92 times and slashed .196/.260/.315 while appearing at second base, third base, shortstop, and left field.

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