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Texas Notes: No-Hitter, Pena, McCullers, Duran, Hearn, Garver

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Cristian Javier, Hector Neris, and Ryan Pressly combined for the 14th no-hitter in Astros history, as Houston earned a 3-0 win over the Yankees today in the Bronx.  Javier handled much of the work over seven innings, with Neris and Pressly each contributing an inning of hitless pitching to stifle the lineup of the league-leading Yankees.  It was the first time in over 19 years that New York had been no-hit, also at hands of the Astros — six Houston pitchers blanked the Yankees on June 11, 2003.

More from both the Astros and Rangers, as we run down baseball news from the Lone Star State….

  • Jeremy Pena is likely to return to Houston’s lineup on Sunday, as the rookie shortstop took batting practice today.  Left thumb discomfort sent Pena to the 10-day injured list on June 15, though an MRI didn’t reveal any damage.  It thankfully looks like only a minor injury for Pena, and he’ll now get to resume his outstanding rookie season.  Making his MLB debut earlier this year, Pena has hit .277/.333/.471 with nine homers over his first 211 plate appearances, though his hot bat had been cooling off in the two weeks prior to his IL stint.
  • Lance McCullers Jr. was the pitcher throwing to Pena, with McCullers tossing around 20 pitches during the overall BP session.  McCullers told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters that his repertoire included changeups, sinkers, and a slider, and he was throwing as hard as 93mph.  Since suffering a flexor tendon strain during last year’s postseason and then a rehab setback in January, McCullers has been slowly working his way back, and is still likely a month or so away from a minor league rehab assignment.
  • After today’s 3-2 win over the Nationals, the Rangers optioned left-hander Taylor Hearn and infielder Ezequiel Duran to Triple-A.  Corresponding moves will be made prior to tomorrow’s game.  Hearn was the bulk pitcher in today’s bullpen game, allowing only two walks over four scoreless innings, though it was a rare quality outing an otherwise rough season for the southpaw.  Even with today’s game on his ledger, Hearn still has a 5.86 ERA over 63 innings, starting 13 of his 14 games.  Texas called Duran up to the majors for his MLB debut earlier this month, and the top-100 prospect hit .258/.281/.435 with two home runs over 64 PA.  Duran had been seeing most of the playing time at third base, but with Josh Smith now back from the IL, Duran will continue his development with an everyday role at Triple-A rather than part-time duty in the Show.
  • Mitch Garver went 0-for-2 with a walk against the Nats today, dropping the veteran’s slash line to .201/.288/.383 for the season, over 170 PA.  Garver has been trying to play through a damaged flexor tendon in his throwing forearm, but he told reporters (including Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News) that he would make a decision by the All-Star break whether or not to undergo season-ending surgery.  With a 7-8 month recovery time required for the surgery, Garver would miss little to none of Spring Training by getting the procedure relatively soon.  It is possible Garver could instead try to rehab the forearm problem without surgery, but Grant writes “that route is more uncertain” in terms of a recovery timeline or what it might mean for Garver’s 2023 season.  Since suffering the flexor injury, Garver hasn’t been able to play catcher, so the Rangers have been limiting him to DH or pinch-hitting duty.

Brewers Place Miguel Sanchez On IL With UCL Discomfort

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6:47PM: In positive news, “nothing major” was revealed by Sanchez’s MRI, Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy).  For now, the plan is to re-evaluate Sanchez after a rest period.

2:50PM: The Brewers announced a batch of roster moves today, with four-right handed pitchers involved. Trevor Gott and Jandel Gustave were each reinstated from the 15-day injured list. To create room for those two on the active roster, Peter Strzelecki was optioned to Triple-A Nashville and Miguel Sanchez was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 22, with right UCL discomfort.

The club hasn’t provided a timeline for Sanchez, but the wording of the announcement is certainly ominous. The ulnar collateral ligament is the part of the elbow that, when damaged, requires Tommy John surgery. If Sanchez is experiencing discomfort in that area, it certainly raises the possibility that he will need such a procedure. Although, to be clear, no announcement of next steps has been made as of yet.

First selected to the big league team in June of last year, he has since thrown 39 1/3 innings out of the bullpen for Milwaukee, with a 4.12 ERA. He hasn’t had a tremendous amount of strikeouts or grounders in that time, but seems to have overcome a 12.4% walk rate by getting infield pop-ups at a 21.6% clip, much better than the MLB average, which is usually just under 10%. His strikeout numbers are more impressive in the minors, however, as he’s struck out 107 of 436 batters faced over four Triple-A seasons. That amounts to a 24.5% rate. The 28-year-old’s career will now be placed on hold while he will surely undergo further testing to figure out how to proceed.

The Milwaukee bullpen has dealt with its share of injuries, as Sanchez joins Jake Cousins, Luis Perdomo and Justin Topa as the relievers on the IL. The return of Gott and Gustave will surely help bolster the squad, though. The bullpen has outsized importance at the moment due to the injuries to the rotation, as Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff and Aaron Ashby are all sidelined as well. With so many arms out of action, each healthy hurler becomes that much more important. The Brewers and Cardinals are deadlocked at the top of the NL Central at the moment, with each club sporting a 40-33 record coming into today.

Phillies Select Mark Appel

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6:11PM: The Phillies have officially selected Appel’s contract and placed Brogdon on the COVID-IL.

8:10AM: The Phillies announced to reporters, including Matt Gelb of The Athletic, that they are placing right-hander Connor Brogdon on the COVID-related injured list. Taking his place on the roster will be fellow righty Mark Appel.

Whenever Appel gets into a game, it will be his MLB debut, thus concluding one of the more unique journeys to the big leagues. As the Astros were in the midst of a years-long rebuild, they racked up a number of premium draft picks, which they were able to use to select players like George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman. Those players ended up forming a huge part of the core of the team, which would go on to make the playoffs in six out of the past seven seasons and is likely to do so again this year, including the now-controversial 2017 World Series championship. One that didn’t quite go as planned for the club, however, was the selection of Appel with the first overall draft pick in 2013.

Appel had actually been selected twice before but wasn’t signed. The Tigers selected him out of high school in the 15th round back in 2009, though Appel wound up going to Stanford instead. By the time 2012 rolled around, Appel was seen as the top talent in the draft, but he came with signability concerns. The Pirates selected him eighth overall but Appel indeed returned to Stanford. Once drafted and signed by the Astros, Appel was instantly considered one of the top prospects in the game, with Baseball America ranking him #39 in 2014 and then #31 in 2015. However, Appel’s numbers seemed to slip as he reached the higher levels of the minors. In 2015, between Double-A and Triple-A, his ERA came in at a middling 4.37, along with a strikeout rate of just 19.1% and walk rate of 8.9%. On the heels of that season, the Astros traded Appel and four other prospects to the Phillies for Ken Giles and Jonathan Arauz.

The change of scenery didn’t seem to help much, as Appel dealt with injuries and underperformance in the Phillies’ organization. He was selected to the club’s 40-man roster prior to the 2017 season but was designated for assignment and outrighted at the end of that campaign. In February of 2018, Appel decided to step away from baseball, opening up about his decision in a candid interview. However, in March of last year, it was reported that Appel was attempting a comeback attempt, after missing three entire seasons.

In 2021, Appel split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, throwing 71 1/3 innings. He managed just a 6.06 ERA, though some rust would certainly be understandable after such a long layoff. He started 15 of his 23 appearances last year but has switched over to relief entirely in 2022, with much improved results. In 19 Triple-A appearances this season, he’s thrown 28 frames with a 1.61 ERA, along with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 47.3% ground ball rate. Based on that performance, he’s now getting the call he’s waited so long to receive.

In spite of all the twists and turns on that journey, Appel is now just 30 years old, turning 31 in about three weeks. This selection to the big league roster is a testament to his determination and perseverance. The hurler himself took to Twitter and attempted to sum up his feelings on this incredible day. “Completely overwhelmed. I have so many thoughts I want to share but can’t find the words, so I’ll just say this: I’m thankful. Today, I get to play a game I love as a Major League Baseball player.”

Rangers Outright Spencer Patton To Triple-A

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The Rangers announced that right-hander Spencer Patton has been outrighted off the 40-man roster and assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.  Patton was designated for assignment earlier this week.

Now in his fifth MLB campaign, Patton has a 3.86 ERA and 52.6% grounder rate over seven innings this season, all in April.  He then missed just under three weeks on the injured list due to an oblique strain, and was assigned to Triple-A after his activation.

This is Patton’s second stint in Texas, as the 34-year-old broke into the big leagues with the Rangers in 2014-15.  An offseason trade to the Cubs saw Patton contribute 21 1/3 innings of 5.48 ball to the 2016 World Series champs, and that was also Patton’s last Major League experience prior to a four-year stretch in Nippon Professional Baseball.  Patton performed well with the Yokohama BayStars, as his 3.68 ERA over 205 2/3 relief innings in Japan caught the attention of big league scouts, and eventually led to the Rangers signing Patton to a split contract in February 2021.

The return to the majors was largely successful, as Patton had a 3.83 ERA, 27.9% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate over 42 1/3 frames with Texas last season.  However, Patton has seemingly become an odd man out of the bullpen picture for now, though by passing through the waiver wire unclaimed, he’ll remain in the Rangers organization and wait for another call at some point this summer.

Royals Exploring Andrew Benintendi Trades

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With the Royals struggling, Andrew Benintendi has been seen as a logical trade candidate as the deadline approaches.  To this end, “the Royals are actively seeking a buyer for” the outfielder, The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham writes.

There isn’t any indication that a deal could be close, and it would be a little surprising to see Benintendi moved with more than a month remaining before the August 2 trade deadline.  That said, Kansas City president of baseball operations Dayton Moore doesn’t always wait until the last minute to swing significant deadline moves.  The Royals dealt Martin Maldonado and Homer Bailey in separate trades in mid-July 2019, and Kelvin Herrera and Jon Jay were moved in June of 2018.

In short, if a team steps up early to make what Moore deems to be an acceptable offer, K.C. could opt to get a jump-start on its deadline plans.  With only a 26-43 record heading into today’s action, the Royals have the second-worst record in the American League, and have sunk to last place in the AL Central.  Since the Royals have several of their best young players already in the majors and more on the way at Triple-A, it remains to be seen exactly how extensive their sell-off could be, beyond obvious pending free agents like Benintendi, Zack Greinke, or Carlos Santana.  Such names as Michael A. Taylor or even longtime staple Whit Merrifield could potentially be available, depending on how much of a remodel Moore feels is necessary.

Of course, this wasn’t the plan for Moore and company, as the Royals thought they were on the verge of a breakout heading into the 2021 season.  That offseason saw the club pick up veterans like Santana, Taylor, Mike Minor, and (in a three-team trade with the Red Sox and Mets) Benintendi to augment their younger core, but the results simply haven’t been there for the team.

Benintendi hasn’t been part of the problem, as he has hit .285/.339/.426 with 20 home runs over 825 plate appearances in a Royals uniform.  With a 110 OPS+/111 wRC+ in that stretch, it represented a solid bounce-back for Benintendi after a subpar 2019 season in Boston and then essentially a lost 2020 season that was limited to 14 games by a rib injury.  In addition to the above-average offense, Benintendi (who turns 28 on July 6) has also been a big contributor in the field, winning a Gold Glove for his left field work in 2021.

Last year’s work earned Benintendi an $8.5MM salary in his final year of arbitration eligibility, with the outfielder defeating the Royals in a hearing last month.  Benintendi has roughly $4.4MM still owed in salary, so moving him earlier rather than later would allow the Royals to save a few dollars.  As a rental player, Benintendi wouldn’t net Kansas City a huge prospect return, but he’d certainly bring back a quality minor leaguer or two.  Any number of clubs in need of left field help and/or left-handed hitting could potentially fit as trade partners for Benintendi — speculatively, the Rays, Yankees, Guardians, Braves, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Mets, Marlins, or Rangers all make some sense as suitors.

Mariners Place Ty France On 10-Day IL With Flexor Strain

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3:47PM: The Mariners have officially announced France’s IL placement, which is retroactive to June 24.  Infielder Drew Ellis was called up from Triple-A to take France’s spot on the active roster.

8:45AM: Mariners first baseman Ty France tells Daniel Kramer of MLB.com that he has a Grade 2 flexor strain in his left arm and will be placed on the 10-day injured list.

France was playing first base on Thursday when Sheldon Neuse hit a ground ball that resulted in a close play at the bag. As France reached for the throw, he and Neuse made contact, with Neuse’s body appearing to bend France’s wrist back. France dropped to the ground in obvious pain and left the game.

Losing France will undoubtedly be a blow to the Mariners, as he has been the club’s best hitter over the past two years. Acquired from the Padres in a seven-player deal at the 2020 deadline, France hit .291/.368/.445 last year. That resulted in a 129 wRC+, the highest such mark among qualified Mariners on the year. This season, he’s taken his game to an even higher level, as he’s currently hitting .316/.390/.476, which gives him a 157 wRC+. That’s easily the best mark among qualified hitters on the team and the 11th-best in all of baseball this year.

Subtracting that kind of production would hurt any lineup, but the Mariners will face a particular challenge, given the lack of obvious options to step up and take his place. France has started all but three of Seattle’s game at first base this year, with Abraham Toro getting one and Dylan Moore getting the other two. Toro is having a miserable season, currently sitting on a line of .167/.217/.307. He’s also the team’s utility infielder, being used to give the occasional off-day to players like Adam Frazier and Eugenio Suarez, making him ill-suited to take over everyday action at first. Moore is hitting .170/.342/.330 in a part-time role. Despite the low batting average, his 14.2% walk rate is helping him to a wRC+ of 107, though that might be harder to maintain with full-time at-bats. Evan White, who once seemed like the club’s first baseman of the future, is currently on the 60-day IL. Kramer recently noted that he’s not close to a return and won’t be able to fill in.

Despite an aggressive offseason and high expectations coming into the season, the Mariners are in a tight spot right now. Their 33-39 record places them six games out of a playoff spot as of today. The trade deadline is just over a month away, making the next batch of games very important for teams to determine how aggressive they want to be as the August 2 deadline approaches. The Mariners will now have to navigate at least ten days of that stretch without their best bat.

Daniel Hudson Suffers Season-Ending ACL Injury

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TODAY: The Dodgers confirmed that Hudson suffered a torn ACL, and placed the righty on the injured list.  Right-hander Mitch White was called up from Triple-A and infielder Hanser Alberto was activated from the paternity list, while outfielder Stefen Romero was designated for assignment.

Romero’s contract was selected earlier this week when Alberto went on the pat list.  Unfortunately for Romero, his few days on the L.A. active roster didn’t result in any game time, so Romero still hasn’t officially appeared in an MLB game since the 2016 season.  Since last playing with the Mariners in 2016, Romero performed well in five seasons in Japan.

JUNE 24: The Dodgers’ bullpen was dealt a massive blow Friday, as setup man Daniel Hudson was diagnosed with what is very likely a season-ending injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, manager Dave Roberts announced to reporters after tonight’s game (Twitter link via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Hudson will undergo an additional wave of testing to confirm the diagnosis, but the team believes he’s suffered a tear of the ligament. Hudson sustained the injury when he attempted to field a grounder but instead collapsed at the front of the mound.

Hudson’s loss is a gut-punch for a Dodgers club that will already be without right-hander Blake Treinen until after the All-Star break due to shoulder troubles. Hudson has stepped up and filled Treinen’s role as the team’s top setup option, pitching to a brilliant 2.22 ERA with a 30.9% strikeout rate against a 5.1% walk rate. He’s turned in a career-high 53.2% ground-ball rate as well, due in no small part to throwing his slider at a career-high 42.3% clip. A massive 80 percent of the sliders put into play against Hudson have been grounders so far this year.

The injury is extra difficult for Hudson due to the nature of his contract. The 35-year-old righty inked a one-year, $7MM contract with Los Angeles that contains a $6.5MM club option for the 2023 campaign. Based on how Hudson had pitched in the season’s first few months, that option looked like a lock to be picked up. Now, coming off a major knee injury, that seems considerably less likely. The contract also allowed Hudson to boost the value of that option based on his number of games finished, and with eight already under his belt, he had a decent chance of pumping up that option value a bit.

Even with Treinen out for much of the season, Dodgers relievers have still combined for a 3.40 ERA that ranks ninth in the Majors. They’ve been even better by measure of FIP, ranking third in the game at 3.25 entering play Friday. Nevertheless, with Hudson out of the picture, the Los Angeles bullpen is now primarily composed of inexperienced arms with minimal big league track records.

Righty Evan Phillips has been brilliant in 2022 (1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 innings) but entered the season with a 6.68 ERA in 67 career frames. It’s a similar story with right-hander Yency Almonte. The Dodgers have again received strong results from righty Phil Bickford and lefty Alex Vesia, but each is only his second full big league season. Brusdar Graterol is having a fine season but doesn’t miss bats at the level one might expect for someone with his velocity. Former Cy Young winner David Price has been solid in a relief role this year, and former division rival Reyes Moronta has shown promise as he looks to reestablish himself after a pair of injury-ruined seasons.

That group all leads to multi-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel, who hasn’t gotten the results he or the Dodgers hoped for at the time of the trade that saw the Dodgers and White Sox swap AJ Pollock for Kimbrel. The 34-year-old Kimbrel fired a scoreless inning tonight and boasts a 33.3% strikeout rate against a 10.4% walk rate in 23innings. However, after a strong start to the season, Kimbrel has given up runs in eight of his past 15 appearances. Tonight’s outing dropped his ERA to 4.30, and it should be pointed out that he’s currently plagued by a sky-high .404 average on balls in play (despite a very low 30.9% hard-hit rate). Kimbrel is probably due for some positive regression, but with him in something of a slump and the team’s top two setup options derailed by injury, the bullpen appears more questionable than expected.

Of course, this year’s Aug. 2 trade deadline is still more than five weeks away, so the Dodgers will have no shortage of time to address the issue, should they see fit. And with Walker Buehler, Andrew Heaney and Dustin May all currently on the injured list, the Dodgers could also be on the lookout for rotation reinforcements once the trade market heats up, too.

Reds Claim Michael Papierski Off Waivers From Giants

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The Reds announced that they have claimed catcher Michael Papierski off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. The Reds recently placed Jeff Hoffman on the COVID-related IL, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster for this claim.

Papierski began this season in the Astros organization but went to the Giants in May as part of the Mauricio Dubon trade. A week later, he was selected to the big league roster as Curt Casali was placed on the concussion IL. Once Casali returned a week later, Papierski was optioned back to the minors. When the Giants claimed Yermin Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox recently, Papierski was designated to create room for him.

Papierski got into five MLB games with San Fran but wasn’t able to manage a hit in ten plate appearances. In 40 Triple-A games between the Astros’ and Giants’ organizations, he’s hit .210/.297/.308. That only amounts to a wRC+ of 53, though more encouraging signs can be found in his 10.3% walk rate and 16.4% strikeout rate, both of those being better than average. His .223 BABIP suggests some positive regression could be forthcoming.

Tyler Stephenson, the Reds’ primary catcher, landed on the IL earlier this month with a thumb fracture. He’s yet to even begin a rehab assignment, suggesting he’s not close to a return. Since he’s been gone, the club has been using Aramis Garcia and Chris Okey behind the plate, both of whom currently have a wRC+ below 25. Papierski will head to Louisville to alongside fellow catcher Mark Kolozsvary, to provide the club with some extra catching depth.

Guardians Select Tanner Tully

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The Guardians announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Tanner Tully. To create space on the active roster, right-hander Yohan Ramirez was optioned to Columbus. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy, thanks to Oscar Mercado being designated for assignment earlier this week.

This will be Tully’s second stint with the Guardians, though this one will be more official. As the club was dealing with a COVID outbreak in April, Tully was one of several players select to join the team and help fill in. Three days later, he was returned to the minors. As a COVID replacement player, Tully was deemed eligible to be removed from the 40-man roster without first being exposed to waivers.

Tully, 27, was able to make his MLB debut in that short window of time where he was on the roster. He made one appearance, logging two innings with one earned run. He’s been working out of the rotation in Triple-A, starting all 12 of his appearances. He’s thrown 63 2/3 Triple-A innings on the year with a 5.23 ERA. His 14.9% strikeout rate is well below average, but his 3.5% walk rate is quite good. He’ll likely be deployed as a long man out of the bullpen.

Twins Place Trevor Larnach On IL With Core Muscle Strain

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The Twins announced that outfielder Trevor Larnach has been placed on the injured list with a core muscle strain. Fellow outfielder Mark Contreras has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

This is yet another challenge for a Twins team that has seen its outfield and DH mix deal with a number of injuries this season. Alex Kirilloff, Kyle Garlick, Miguel Sano, Luis Arraez and Larnach himself have all missed time on the IL this year. Royce Lewis, blocked at shortstop by Carlos Correa, attempted to quickly convert himself into an outfielder in order to stay in the lineup before he, too, was sidelined by injury.

Larnach has seemed to take a step forward this year. The former first round pick made his MLB debut last year and hit a modest .223/.322/.350 for a wRC+ of 89. He’s added a bit more pop this season, slashing .231/.306/.406 for a 102 wRC+. His 10% walk rate is better than average, but it comes with a 31.7% strikeout rate, which is certainly not ideal.

After seeming to be running away with the AL Central in the season’s early going, the Guardians have caught up and made a race out of it. Cleveland’s .545 winning percentage is just barely ahead of Minnesota’s .542. With Byron Buxton dealing with a knee injury recently, the club may have to use an outfield of Max Kepler, Gilberto Celestino and Nick Gordon for the time being. The club hasn’t provided a timeline on Larnach’s absence.

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