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NL Injury Notes: Peralta, Wood, Wheeler, Phillies

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Freddy Peralta hasn’t pitched since September 8 due to right shoulder fatigue, but the Brewers right-hander told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that he believes he’ll be back before the regular season is over, given how well Peralta has felt after preliminary throwing sessions.  The next step will be for Peralta to throw off of a mound, but it seems possible that he might not miss much time beyond the 15-day minimum stint on the injured list.

After an All-Star season in 2021, Peralta has pitched only 70 1/3 innings this year due to his current shoulder issue, as well as a posterior strain in that same right shoulder that cost him over two months of action.  Even with these health woes, Peralta has still posted a 3.45 ERA, and the Brewers can use all the help they can get as they fight for a playoff berth.

More updates on other injury situations from around the National League…

  • One pitcher who won’t be returning in 2022 in Alex Wood, as Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group) that Wood has been shut down for the remainder of the season.  Wood went onto the 15-day injured list at the start of September due to a left shoulder impingement, and since he hasn’t yet been cleared to throw, the Giants opted to keep the veteran southpaw on the sidelines.  Wood will finish his second season in San Francisco with a disappointing 5.10 ERA over 130 2/3 innings, though that ERA was somewhat inflated by a poor finish — with his shoulder injury hampering his effectiveness, Wood had a 7.89 ERA over his final three outings and 12 1/3 innings.  Wood is owed $12.5MM in 2023, the final season of the two-year free agent he signed to rejoin the Giants last winter.
  • With Zack Wheeler tentatively slated to return to the Phillies rotation on Wednesday, interim manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer) said that the Phils will stick with their same rotation order.  This means that rookie left-hander Bailey Falter will retain his starting job, and Noah Syndergaard will be used as a piggyback starter behind Wheeler.  Syndergaard’s next actual start is slated for October 1, when the Phillies have a doubleheader against the Nationals.

IL Placements: Brubaker, Middleton

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Catching up on some injured-list transactions around baseball…

  • The Pirates placed right-hander JT Brubaker on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 16.  Right-hander Luis Ortiz was called up to take Brubaker’s spot on the active roster.  Brubaker was officially listed as sidelined due to right arm inflammation, though lat soreness was given as the reason for his early exit from Thursday’s game, when he lasted just three innings.  Over 141 1/3 innings and 27 starts for the Bucs this season, Brubaker has a 4.58 ERA and some unimpressive Statcast numbers, though his SIERA is a more favorable 3.95.  His ability to eat innings could put him in the conversation for a spot in Pittsburgh’s rotation next season, even if he doesn’t make it back for one more start in 2022.
  • The Diamondbacks placed right-hander Keynan Middleton on the 15-day IL due to a sprained left big toe.  Righty Luis Frias was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  The toe sprain will likely end what has been an injury-plagued season for Middleton, who missed a couple of months due to elbow inflammation and a right ankle sprain.  Between the injuries and time in the minor leagues, Middleton was limited to 17 innings in 18 appearances with the D’Backs, and he posted a 5.29 ERA over that rather small sample size.  Now in his sixth MLB season, Middleton has yet to regain the early promise of his first two seasons with the Angels, before Tommy John surgery sidelined him in 2018.  He inked a minors deal with the D’Backs last winter and probably seems likely to be back on the open market this offseason in search of another non-guaranteed deal.

David Price To Decide On Future After 2022 Season

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3:27PM: Price hasn’t yet made a decision about retirement, telling reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times) that he’ll make the call after the season.  For now, he is focused on recovering from his wrist injury and getting back to the Dodgers before the season is over.

12:16PM: Former Cy Young winner, and two-time runner-up, David Price plans to retire after the 2022 season, announced by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Price stated that “It’s just time,” and that “Everything on my body hurts.”

Price, now 37, was originally drafted in the 19th round of the 2004 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but chose to attend the baseball factory Vanderbilt University. As a junior, he recorded an 11-1 record with a 2.63 ERA in 133 1/3 innings, striking out 194 batters in the process and earning college baseball’s top honor, the Dick Howser Trophy.

After his dominant college career, he was drafted first overall in 2007 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now known as the Tampa Bay Rays) and given a six-year, $11.25MM contract, with a then second-largest signing bonus in MLB history of $5.6MM. Price quickly rose through the minor league ranks, and made his Major League debut in September of 2008, helping the Rays make the postseason and, interesting trivia alert, earning a postseason win before a regular-season win.

Price would then spend his next five and a half seasons tormenting the American League with the Rays, pitching to a dominant 3.19 ERA over 1129 2/3 innings with an 82-48 record and helping Tampa Bay reach the playoffs in 2010, 2011, and 2013. During this stretch Price was a three-time All-Star (2010, 2011, and 2012), finished second in 2010 for Cy Young against Félix Hernández, and edged out Justin Verlander in 2012 for the AL Cy Young award — pitching to a 2.56 ERA in 211 innings with a 20-5 record, garnering some MVP votes in the process.

However, at the 2014 trade deadline with the team below .500, the Rays opted to trade Price to the Detroit Tigers in a three-team deal that brought back Drew Smyly, Nick Franklin, and Willy Adames and sent Austin Jackson to the Seattle Mariners. This Tigers team, headlined by three current Cy Young winners in Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Price, and accompanied by future Cy Young winner in Rick Porcello, barely took the AL Central from the Royals and was swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2014 ALDS.

After the 2014 season, Price and the Tigers avoided arbitration and agreed on a $19.75MM salary for the 2015 season, setting a record for the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player. Price showed he was worth every penny, continuing his dominance in 2015 with a 2.53 ERA in 146 innings and earning a trip to his fifth All-Star Game in his seven-year career. Nevertheless, the Tigers fell flat in 2015 and decided to flip Price at the trade deadline to the Toronto Blue Jays for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt. With the Blue Jays, Price continued to bully batters, pitching to a 9-1 record with a 2.30 ERA in 74 1/3 innings – ending the year making a combined 32 starts across both teams, with a 2.45 ERA in 220 1/3 innings and finishing runner up to Dallas Keuchel in that year’s Cy Young voting.

David PriceAlthough still without much playoff success, Price spun his great career and commanding contract-year performance into a massive seven-year, $217MM contract with the Boston Red Sox and bolding stating that he “was just saving all my postseason wins for the Red Sox.” His first year with Boston was rough, with Price posting a then-career worst ERA of 3.99 in 230 innings, a far cry from the 2.90 ERA he had posted during the 2012-2015 seasons. However, Price did make 35 starts, the highest market for a pitcher since Chris Carpenter in 2010. Price then battled with various elbow injuries in the 2017 season, starting the season on the injured list and returning to it in late July before returning in mid-September as a reliever to help the Red Sox’s playoff run. Nevertheless, Price returned relatively healthy in the 2018 season, posting a 16-7 record in 176 innings (30 starts) with roughly career average strikeout and walk rates, 24.5% and 6.9%, respectively, en route to his first World Series ring. Most notably, Price was able to shake off his substandard playoff performance moniker, pitching to a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings (5 starts), striking out 23 and only walking 12 as the Red Sox won the World Series for the fourth time in 15 seasons.

Price once again dealt with injuries in the 2019 season, first with left elbow tendonitis and later with a left wrist triangular fibrocartilage cyst that ended his season early. However, when healthy, Price provided solid back-of-the-rotation support, pitching to a career-high 4.28 ERA in 107 1/3 innings. Importantly, Price began to lose effectiveness against right-handed hitters, with righties slashing .257/.314/.460 for a .773 OPS in 2019 compared to a slash line of .234/.293/.402/.695 in 2019. After the 2019 season, new Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom shocked the baseball world by sending Price and former MVP Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in what was largely considered a cost-cutting move. The trade brought Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs to the Red Sox.

Finally a Dodger, Price opted out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season before returning in a primarily bullpen role for the first time since 2008. He pitched to a palatable 4.03 ERA in 73 2/3 innings, appearing in 39 games. However, he posted a career-low K% of 17.8% as well as a career-high BB% of 8.0% — seeing his average fastball velocity drop to 91.9 MPH. Additionally, while righties continued to square up the ball, posting a combined .270/.330/.432 slash line good for .762 OPS, lefties also began hitting Price, resulting in a .276/.353/.419 slash line with a .772 OPS – a far cry from the .210/.291/.381/.672 slash line Price gave up to lefties in the 2018 season (his last full season).

The 2022 season has been a strong rebound bullpen year for Price, with the southpaw posting a 2.58 ERA in 38 1/3 innings with a 23.3 K% and 5.0 BB%. With the Dodgers recently securing a postseason berth, Price can look to chase one more coveted ring before walking off into the sunset on his terms.

Price retires as a 5-time All-Star, Cy Young winner, and World Series Champion. For a five-to-six-year period, he was among the best pitchers in the sport. MLBTR congratulates him on his excellent run and successes, and wishes him the best in retirement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Ozzie Albies Suffers Fractured Right Pinky Finger

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3:07PM: Albies will be in a cast for three weeks but he won’t require surgery.  The Braves will continue to evaluate the second baseman for his health and possible readiness for the playoffs.  (MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to report the news.)

8:20AM: The Braves have officially placed Albies back on the injured list, albeit the 10-day IL. To fill the vacant 28-man roster spot, Rylan Bannon has been called up from Triple-A Gwinnett. Bannon has bounced around this season, having begun the year with the Orioles before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Dodgers and then the Braves in mid-August. In 81 at-bats at the Braves’ top-level affiliate, the righty has slashed .323/.432/.477, good for a .909 OPS.

SEPTEMBER 17TH: In just his second game back since being activated off the 60-day injured list, Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies suffered a fractured right pinky finger in tonight’s game against the Phillies.  The injury occurred during a slide into second base in the fourth inning, and Albies was replaced by Vaughn Grissom at second base for the top of the fifth.

The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, though the fact that initial x-rays determined the problem before the game was over could indicate more than just a small fracture.  It would seem like Albies’ 2022 season could be over, perhaps even if Atlanta made another run to the World Series.

Albies was a big contributor to last year’s championship team, earning his second career All-Star and Silver Slugger honors while also finishing 13th in NL MVP voting.  However, Albies was off to a relatively slow start over the 2022 campaign’s first two months before he suffered a left foot fracture on June 13 and had to undergo surgery.  As noted, Albies was sidelined until just yesterday, when he went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Atlanta’s 7-2 win over Philadelphia.

The Braves have managed to thrive even without Albies for much of the season, and Grissom has somewhat unexpectedly stepped up as an immediate contributor after being promoted from Double-A a little over a month ago.  Grissom has hit .304/.355/.482 over his first 121 plate appearances in the majors, leading to some speculation that the Braves would try Grissom in left field in order to keep his hot bat in the lineup.  However, it seems as though opposing pitchers have started to adjust to Grissom, as the rookie has only a .607 OPS over his last 67 PA.

Nevertheless, in the wake of Albies’ injury, it would seem like Grissom will now again be the top choice at second base for the remainder of the regular season and postseason.  Orlando Arcia is also on hand to provide depth, and Ehire Adrianza is also on hand, but currently on the IL himself due to a quad strain.  Pat Valaika, Hernan Perez, and Ryan Goins are some of the Triple-A options with MLB experience, though Atlanta could have to add any of those players to the 40-man roster.

It was less than a year ago that the Braves overcame the odds by winning the World Series despite losing a star player (Acuna) to injury for much of the season and throughout the playoffs.  While the book isn’t yet closed on Albies’ possible availability in the postseason, his absence for at least a few weeks will make it harder for the Braves to overtake the Mets in the NL East, and potentially capture a first-round bye.  The NL East runner-up is all but guaranteed to be the NL’s top wild card team and thus is set to host all three games (if necessary) of the Wild Card Series, yet Atlanta would obviously love to avoid those extra games and an extra chance of elimination.

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/18/22

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Catching up on some minor moves from around the game…

  • Pirates left-hander Dillon Peters cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Peters had been designated for assignment on Thursday. The 30-year-old threw 39 1/3 innings for the Bucs this year with a 4.58 ERA, 15.8% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate and 43% ground ball rate. He was rehabbing from an elbow issue recently but the club evidently didn’t want him retaking a roster spot. Since he’s out of options, that left designation for assignment as their only option. As he’s been previously outrighted in his career, he is eligible to reject this assignment in favor of electing free agency, though it’s not clear if he has made a decision in that regard.
  • Infielder Frank Schwindel has been given his unconditional release from the Cubs after clearing release waivers, per reporter Mark Gonzales. Schwindel had been designated for assignment yesterday. He had an incredible 2021 season where he launched 14 home runs in just 64 games and produced a batting line of .326/.371/.591. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain that here in 2022, slashing just .229/.277/.358. Now that he’s been released, he’ll be free to sign with any team.

Giants Claim Jharel Cotton, Designate Willie Calhoun

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves, claiming right-handed pitcher Jharel Cotton off waivers from the Twins. In a corresponding move, outfielder Willie Calhoun was designated for assignment. Additionally, infielder Jose Rojas, who was designated for assignment on Friday, cleared waivers and elected free agency. Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com was among those who relayed the full slate of moves.

Cotton, 30, has been on and off the Twins’ roster all year long, having been designated for assignment for the fourth time this year just a few days ago. In the previous three instances, he cleared waivers and was outrighted, later getting re-selected to the roster. However, they couldn’t successfully pass him through waivers a fourth time, with the Giants sneaking in for an interception on this one.

In between all those transactions, Cotton has gotten strong results. In 35 big league innings this year, he has a 2.83 ERA, though there’s probably some good fortune in there. His 21.5% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate and 29.5% ground ball rate are all worse than league average, but a .182 batting average on balls in play and an 89.7% strand rate have kept him from allowing too many earned runs. His Triple-A work this season is actually much more impressive, as he has a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings with a 37.1% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 23.5% ground ball rate. The Giants will take a shot on him and see if he can bring some of those punchouts from the minors up to the majors. There’s just over two weeks remaining here in 2022 but Cotton could be retained for next year via arbitration if the Giants wish.

Calhoun, 27, was designated for assignment by the Rangers in June, clearing waivers and getting outrighted to the minors. A couple of weeks later, he was traded to the Giants, who selected him to the big league roster a week ago. Calhoun hit well for the Sacramento River Cats, slashing .299/.386/.465 for a wRC+ of 115 in 41 games. However, since coming up to join the Giants, he’s hit .125/.222/.125. That’s a tiny sample of just nine plate appearances in four games, but the club has decided to move on regardless. Calhoun will now head out onto the waiver wire a second time this year, though he’d be eligible to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he clears again, as is the right of any player who has previously been outrighted in his career.

As for Rojas, 29, he was just claimed off waivers from the Angels a couple of weeks ago and has been in Sacramento since then. In 22 big league games with the Halos before the claim, he hit just .125/.140/.161. He’s fared much better in the minors, hitting .274/.346/.569 between the two organizations this year. Since he was outrighted by the Angels earlier this year before being re-selected to the roster, he now is eligible to elect free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment.

Twins Promote Ronny Henriquez, Designate Dereck Rodriguez

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The Twins announced they have recalled right-handed pitcher Ronny Henriquez, with fellow righty Dereck Rodriguez designated for assignment in a corresponding move. This drops the club’s 40-man roster to 39.

Henriquez, 22, began his career with the Rangers and pitched in rookie ball in 2018 and then A-ball in 2019. He pitched well enough down there that he first cracked Baseball America’s list of top Texas farmhands in 2020. After the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic that year, Henriquez split his 2021 between High-A and Double-A. He appeared in 21 games, 16 starts, throwing 93 2/3 innings with a 4.71 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. Those are strong rate stats, but 17 home runs helped inflate the ERA.

He was added to the Rangers’ 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, which ended up getting canceled by the lockout. Once the lockout was over, the Rangers flipped him to the Twins as part of the Mitch Garver and Isiah Kiner-Falefa deal. The Twins have kept Henriquez in Triple-A all year to this point, giving him 14 starts and 10 further bulk appearances. Through 95 1/3 innings, he’s again posted strong rate stats but has seen the long ball contribute to poor results overall. He has a 5.66 ERA on the season with 19 homers, despite striking out 25.7% of batters faced and walking just 8% of them.

The Twins led the AL Central for much of the season but have slipped recently, thanks in part due to mounting injuries. They are now seven games behind the Guardians with the White Sox in between them and even further back in the Wild Card race. With their playoff hopes fading and their roster decimated by injuries, they’ll turn to Henriquez and see how he fares against MLB hitters down the stretch.

As for Rodriguez, this goes down as an exceptionally short stay on the roster as his contract was selected just yesterday. He pitched 3 2/3 innings in the 15-inning nightcap of yesterday’s marathon doubleheader. He didn’t allowed any earned runs but did take the loss thanks to the Manfred man scoring in the bottom of the 15th. As a thank you for that yeoman’s work, he’ll be sent out to the waiver wire. He’s logged 89 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year with a 5.02 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 30.1% ground ball rate. If he clears waivers, he will be eligible to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency since he has been previously outrighted in his career.

Rockies Select Gavin Hollowell

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The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Gavin Hollowell, while fellow righty Alex Colomé will go to the bereavement list in a corresponding move. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster.

Hollowell, 24, was selected by the Rockies in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. He made an appearance in rookie ball that year before the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020. He returned to official games in 2021, though was limited by injury to just 24 innings. He fared well in that limited action, largely in A-ball, putting up a 2.25 ERA with a 34.4% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate.

This year, he’s finally been able to have a normal season, throwing 48 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. In that time, he’s registered a 3.14 ERA with an excellent 34% strikeout rate and a strong 7.4% walk rate. Baseball America had Hollowell on their list of top 30 Colorado prospects both last year and coming into this year, complimenting his 95 MPH fastball and mid-80s power slurve. He’s also currently #40 on the Rockies’ list at FanGraphs.

With the Rox well out of contention and just over two weeks left on the schedule, the club can use that time to take a look at how Hollowell’s stuff plays in the big leagues. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweeted the roster moves prior to the official announcement.

Nick Solak Suffers Season-Ending Foot Fracture

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Rangers infielder/outfielder Nick Solak is out for the rest of the season due to a right foot fracture, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. He will be placed on the injured list on Tuesday, due to the club having an off-day tomorrow.

Solak, 27, fouled a fall of his foot a few days ago and has been out of the lineup since then. It appears that the injury is significant enough to prevent him from returning this year, with just over two weeks remaining on the schedule. This will put an end to an uneven season for Solak, who has been shuffled around in a few different ways this year.

Last year, Solak got into 127 games for the Rangers, exclusively at second base. He provided solid glovework and stole seven bases but produced a batting line of .242/.314/.362. That offensive production was 12% below league average by measure of wRC+. This past offseason, the Rangers decided to spend aggressively to start digging themselves out of their rebuild, focusing on the infield in particular. They gave mega deals to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, which pushed Solak into more outfield work.

This year, he’s only been able to play a single inning at second base at the MLB level, with the rest of his time being spent in left field. He’s also been optioned a few times, spending more of this season in Triple-A than in the majors. He’s fared well with Round Rock, hitting .278/.371/.489 for a wRC+ of 114 in 57 games. But after 35 major league contests, he’ll finish 2022 with a line of .207/.309/.329, wRC+ of 89.

With the breakout of Nathaniel Lowe and the promotion of prospect Josh Jung to take third base, the path to infield playing time seems closed to Solak going forward. An injury could always change that, but it seems like Solak’s best chance at getting a regular MLB gig is in the outfield. Even in the minors this year, the club only used him on the grass. Right now, the majority of the big league playing time in the outfield is going to Adolis Garcia, Leody Taveras and Bubba Thompson, with the club potentially bringing in outside reinforcements this winter. Since Solak will still have one option remaining next year, it’s possible he’s ticketed for another season of depth duty.

Athletics Promote Jordan Diaz, Place Ramón Laureano On IL

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Sep. 18: The A’s have announced the promotion of Diaz, with outfielder Ramón Laureano headed to the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain in a corresponding move. The severity of the injury isn’t clear, but with just over two weeks remaining on the schedule, it’s possible that Laureano’s season is over. He returned from serving an 80-game PED suspension in May and has hit .211/.287/.376 this year with 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases.

Sep. 17: The Athletics are preparing to call up prospect Jordan Diaz, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase (Twitter link).  Oakland already added Diaz to the 40-man roster during the offseason, so they’ll just need to make one move to add Diaz to the active roster.

The 22-year-old Diaz will be making his Major League debut, six years after signing with the A’s for a fairly modest $275K bonus during the 2016-17 international signing period.  After showing flashes of his potential at the plate in 2017-19, Diaz returned from the lost 2020 minor league season to hit .288/.337/.484 with 13 homers over 365 plate appearances at high-A ball in 2021.  Beginning 2022 in Double-A, Diaz has just kept on hitting, with a combined .326/.366/.515 slash line with 19 home runs at Double-A Midland (407 PA) and Triple-A Las Vegas (120 PA).

This hitting prowess has been Diaz’s calling card, with evaluators impressed by his polish and his increasing power, though he doesn’t take walks all that often.  Diaz has yet to settle into a defensive role, as he began his career as a third baseman but has increasingly seen more time at first base (plus a handful of games as a second base and left fielder).  If Diaz is just a first base/DH-only type, he’ll need to deliver even more at the plate to make up for these defensive limitations.  The A’s will probably give him at look at both corner infield spots over the final two weeks of the regular season.

MLB Pipeline ranks Diaz eighth on its list of Oakland’s top prospects, while Baseball America is a bit less bullish in rating Diaz 17th.  Also of note, BA’s scouting report writes that “opposing teams have coveted Diaz in trade talks in the past,” so it’s fair to assume that rival scouts will be paying some extra attention to Diaz’s first exposure to Major League pitching.  The rebuilding A’s are more in a position to be adding rather than subtracting any quality youngsters from their organization, though Billy Beane’s front office has been known to swing some creative deals.

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