Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for September 2022

Injury Notes: Olivares, Greene, Wheeler

By | at

The Royals announced today that outfielder Edward Olivares was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, with first baseman Nick Pratto getting optioned in a corresponding move. Olivares went on the IL in mid-July due to a left quad strain. The club already had a vacancy on its 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move was required in that department.

The injury was ill-timed for Olivares, 26, as he seemed on the verge of a breakout prior to that. In 36 games this year, he’s hit .303/.358/.434 for a 125 wRC+. With just over two weeks remaining until the offseason, he will try to get back into a groove and go into the winter with a strong finish. He’ll jump into the outfield mix with Michael A. Taylor, Drew Waters, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Dozier and Nate Eaton, with catcher MJ Melendez occasionally heading onto the grass as well.

Other injury updates from around the league…

  • The Reds announced that right-hander Hunter Greene was reinstated from the 15-day injured list. He is slated to start the second game of today’s doubleheader. Fellow righty Raynel Espinal was optioned in a corresponding move, while righty Kyle Dowdy is serving as the “29th man” for the twin bill. One of the top prospects in the game coming into this year, Greene hasn’t exactly been dominant in his MLB debut. He has a 5.26 ERA through his first 102 2/3 innings in the big leagues, though with a very strong 28.8% strikeout rate. Since the Reds have traded away established pitchers like Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle this year, they will need the prospects to step up and form the core of the next rotation. It’s possible there’s already a decent nucleus in place, with Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft all showing some signs of promise this year.
  • The Phillies have been without Zack Wheeler for almost a month but he could return this week without a rehab assignment, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The tentative plan is for the righty to start Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays, though probably not for very long. His most recent work was throwing two innings in a simulated game, which he will be gradually building on over the final two weeks of the regular season. As Gelb notes, Wheeler could potentially be lined up to start the first game of the Wild Card playoff round, but the Phils will have to make it there first. The club is in decent position to make the postseason since they are currently in possession of the second of three NL Wild Card spots, 1.5 games ahead of the Padres and 3 ahead of the Brewers. Getting Wheeler back will be tremendously helpful, assuming he doesn’t have any rust from his absence. Through 138 innings on the season, he has a 3.07 ERA, 26.7% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate and 44.1% ground ball rate.

Cubs Select Esteban Quiroz; Designate Frank Schwindel, Sean Newcomb

By | at

The Cubs are making a batch of roster moves prior to today’s game, per reporter Mark Gonzales. Right-hander Adbert Alzolay has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list while infielder Esteban Quiroz has had his contract selected. In corresponding moves, outfielder Seiya Suzuki was placed on the paternity list while left-hander Sean Newcomb and first baseman Frank Schwindel were designated for assignment.

Quiroz, 30, has taken an unusual path to the big leagues as he was playing in the Mexican League for years, not signing with an affiliated club until he was nearing his 26th birthday. He’s spent time in the minor league systems of the Red Sox, Padres and Rays, before coming to the Cubs as part of the Harold Ramirez trade in March. He’s only been healthy enough to get into 40 Triple-A games this season, hitting .212/.358/.322 in that time for a wRC+ of 89. However, he’s been much better since returning from the injured list at the start of August, hitting .299/.450/.442 in that time. He’s played second base and third base this year, though has also played some shortstop in previous season and some outfield work back in Mexico.

With the Cubs well out of contention and just over two weeks remaining on this year’s schedule, they can use those games to audition players for future roles on the team. Quiroz will jump into an infield mix that also includes Zach McKinstry, Christopher Morel, Patrick Wisdom, Alfonso Rivas, David Bote and Nico Hoerner, though Hoerner might not be a factor for a while. He’s missed time recently with an injury and an MRI just revealed a moderate right triceps strain, per Gonzales. “It was a little worse off than we thought,” manager David Ross told Gonzales.

Schwindel, 30, got a nice stretch of play last year after the Cubs traded away many of their regular at the deadline. He made the most of that opportunity, hitting 14 home runs in 64 games, slashing an incredible .326/.371/.591 for a 154 wRC+. He couldn’t keep the fairy tale alive this year, however, as he’s hit just .229/.277/.358 for a wRC+ of 76. With the trade deadline passed, he’ll be placed on waivers in the coming days to see if any other team believes there’s more magic left in Frank the Tank.

Newcomb, 29, once seemed like a rotation stalwart in Atlanta but has fallen on hard times recently. He was bumped to bullpen work and eventually designated for assignment earlier this year, getting traded to the Cubs. The change of scenery hasn’t helped much as Newcomb has a ghastly 8.78 ERA in 27 2/3 innings this year, walking 14.2% of batters faced in the process. This is the second time the Cubs have designated him this year, with the previous instance resulting in Newcomb clearing waivers and accepting an outright assignment. Based on his unfortunate results this year, he’ll likely pass through waivers unclaimed again. With minor league seasons winding down, it’s possible he could accept another outright and make a couple of appearances in the minors, though it’s also possible he just decides to get an early start on free agency.

Cardinals Place Tyler O’Neill On IL With Hamstring Strain

By | at

The Cardinals announced some roster moves prior to today’s doubleheader, with right-hander Dakota Hudson coming up as the “29th man.” Additionally, outfielders Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill are swapping places, with Carlson coming off the IL and O’Neill heading onto it due to a left hamstring strain.

The injury to O’Neill is a bit ominous it was a left hamstring strain that sent him to the IL for about a month earlier this year. An injury of similar severity would keep him out of action until mid-October, but O’Neill seems optimistic that won’t be the case. John Denton of MLB.com relays word from the outfielder that it’s a Grade 1 strain, which is the lesser kind. Perhaps O’Neill can avoid a lengthy absence, though he will miss at least the next ten days. With just over two weeks remaining on the schedule, anything beyond a minimum stint will make it difficult to return during the regular season.

Of course, the Cardinals are a virtual lock to play in the playoffs, since they are 7.5 games ahead of the Brewers in the NL Central. A deep postseason run would give O’Neill more time to return to the field and get back into a groove, though the Cards will likely have to play the first round of the playoffs. This year, the top two division winners get a bye past the Wild Card round, but the Cardinals are well back of the Dodgers and 5.5 games behind the East-leading Mets.

O’Neill’s campaign got off to a rough start, though he righted the ship a bit recently. Before going on the IL in June, he was hitting just .241/.292/.361, but has hit a much better .214/.323/.423 since returning. The combined batting line amounts to a 100 wRC+, exactly league average, though O’Neill has accrued 1.2 wins above replacement thanks to his baserunning and defense, in the eyes of FanGraphs. With O’Neill out, Carlson will step into the outfield mix and try to keep the club from missing a beat. He has also spent some time on the IL this year, going on the shelf once due to a hamstring strain and then a thumb sprain. He’s hitting just a hair above league average overall, as his .240/.316/.386 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 101. Thanks to strong work in center field, he’s produced 2.3 fWAR in 112 games. He will likely get regular work up the middle, flanked by Corey Dickerson and Lars Nootbaar.

Twins Make Several Roster Moves

By | at

The Twins have announced a series of roster moves, with outfielder Max Kepler going on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 14, with a right wrist sprain. Fellow outfielder Matt Wallner has been selected to the club’s roster. To create space on the 40-man, right-hander Drew Strotman has been designated for assignment. Additionally, Louie Varland has been recalled to serve as the “29th man” for today’s doubleheader.

Kepler’s trip to the IL, his second of the year, will add to a very frustrating pile of injuries for the Twins this year. Kepler joins eight other position players who are currently on the shelf, in addition to eight pitchers, giving them a total of 17 players currently on the IL. The Twins spent months atop the AL Central division standings but have seen these mounting injuries drag them down to five games back of the Guardians, with the White Sox in between.

Kepler’s had a bit of a down year but will surely still be missed by the club. His batting line of .227/.318/.348 amounts to a 95 wRC+, or 5% below league average, but he’s still produced 2.0 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs due to his strong work in right field. Since the move is retroactive, Kepler can return in a week. However, with just over two weeks left on the schedule, there will be a narrow window for Kepler to work with.

Wallner, 24, was selected 39th overall by the Twins in the 2019 draft, climbing his way up the minor league ladder since then. This year, he’s split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, getting into 128 games between the two. In that time, he’s hit 27 home runs and has slashed .277/.412/.541, 144 wRC+. He’s walked in an impressive 17% of his plate appearances but also struck out in 29.8% of them. He’s been in the back half of Baseball America’s top 30 Minnesota prospects for the past few years but jumped up to #8 on their most recent iteration, thanks to his strong season here in 2022. FanGraphs views him similarly, putting him in the #10 slot. Both reports compliment his tremendous power but raise concerns about the whiffs. He’ll try his hand at major league pitching, beginning by starting in today’s game.

Strotman, 26, was drafted by the Rays but came over to the Twins in the Nelson Cruz deal last year. Though he was largely a starting pitcher in his first few professional seasons, he struggled enough after the trade that Minnesota tried moving him to the bullpen this year. Unfortunately, Strotman hasn’t taken to the switch so far, as he’s produced a 6.44 ERA in 50 1/3 Triple-A innings this season. That’s come with a strong 51.1% ground ball rate and 24.2% strikeout rate, but a dismal 13.8% walk rate. The control has been a nagging issue for Strotman, who’s posted double-digit walk rates in all of his recent stops.

Despite those command issues, Strotman has some promising traits and can still be optioned for the remainder of this year and one more season. Teams searching for pitching depth could take him on as a project and try to improve that control. With the trade deadline passed, the Twins will have to put Strotman on waivers in the coming days.

Angels To Place David Fletcher On Injured List

By | at

Angels interim manager Phil Nevin told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that infielder David Fletcher will be going on the 10-day injured list. The corresponding move is not yet known.

Fletcher, 28, was hit on the hand by a pitch a week ago and has been clearly hurt since then. Despite a diminished swinging ability, he has continued taking the field but it seems the ailment will finally put him out of action for a spell. Sam Blum of The Athletic relays that scans on the hand came back negative, which is encouraging. Nevertheless, the club will keep him out of action for 10 days and hope to have him back for the final week of the season. The club is well out of contention, making it fairly logical to let him heal up and get some healthy at-bats before the winter arrives.

Regardless of how things play out from here, it will surely go down as a frustrating campaign for the infielder. This will be his third trip to the IL on the season, having already twice landed on the shelf due to a hip strain. With all that missed time, he’s only been able to get into 54 games on the season so far, producing a .259/.296/.349 batting line that’s been 18% below league average by measure of wRC+.

Fletcher has always provided strong defensive marks at multiple positions, which allows him to be a valuable player even if his bat is a bit below average. The shortened 2020 season is the only time he’s produced a wRC+ above 96, but he’s still produced 7.3 fWAR in 494 career games thanks to his glovework.

Despite having two superstars in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the same team, the Angels have still struggled for years due to subpar performances elsewhere on the roster. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at how the starting pitching may be in a better position than it has been in quite some time. With 2023 being Ohtani’s last season before becoming a free agent, it could be argued that the middle infield is the biggest weakness for next year’s club.

This year’s breakout of Luis Rengifo is an encouraging development in that department, but getting Fletcher healthy and productive could be another boost. In 2019, Fletcher played 154 games and produced a wRC+ of 96 but was still worth 3.1 fWAR thanks to his glovework at second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield corners. Rengifo can also play those positions but not as well, though he has hit .275/.305/.443 for a wRC+ of 110 this year. Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh are expected to be on the corners, though each of those comes with question marks after injury-plagued seasons of their own. Rendon has missed most of this year due to a wrist injury that required surgery while Walsh underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome a few weeks ago. Both are expected to be ready for Spring Training, and Rendon could even return this season, though there’s a great deal of uncertainty hanging over the club’s infield mix for a very crucial season.

Red Sox To Select Frank German

By | at

The Red Sox are going to select the contract of right-handed pitcher Frank German today, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. He will take the roster spot of catcher Kevin Plawecki, whose designation for assignment was reported last night.

German, 24, came over to the Red Sox from the Yankees in a January 2021 trade. The Yanks were looking to offload Adam Ottavino and the last year of his contract, including German in the deal as payment for Boston helping them out in that regard. The Yanks had selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.

Though German was mostly a starter in his first few years in the minors, he has worked exclusively in relief this season, with very encouraging results. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he’s thrown 49 2/3 innings on the year with a 2.72 ERA and excellent 32.5% strikeout rate. His 9.6% walk rate is a bit on the high side, but those are still very encouraging results. As noted in Smith’s report, German has an upper-90s fastball that he combines with a splitter and a slider. He’ll now get a chance to try out that repertoire at the big league level, making his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game.

For the Red Sox, they are 10 games back of a playoff spot with just over two weeks remaining in the season. With their hopes of a postseason appearance gone, they can use their remaining games to audition players for next season and beyond. Since Plawecki was headed for free agency, the club has decided to use his roster spot on a young hurler who could factor into their future bullpen mix.

Red Sox Designate Kevin Plawecki For Assignment

By | at

The Red Sox are designating catcher Kevin Plawecki for assignment, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive (Twitter link). Boston has yet to formally announce the move, but their 40-man roster tally is slated to drop to 38.

Plawecki has spent the past three seasons in Boston, with much of that time backing up Christian Vázquez. The right-handed hitting backstop performed well in a limited role between 2020-21, but he’s had a rough go of things in 2022. Through 173 plate appearances, Plawecki carries a .219/.291/.290 line with one home run. He’s made plenty of contact, but he hasn’t made a huge impact from a power perspective.

Boston dealt Vázquez to the Astros at the trade deadline, but they also brought in the lefty-hitting Reese McGuire in a subsequent trade with the White Sox. McGuire and the right-handed Connor Wong have joined Plawecki on the active roster since the rosters expanded in September. Both McGuire and Wong are controllable for multiple seasons beyond this year, while Plawecki was headed for free agency. With the Red Sox playing out the final few weeks of what’s likely to be a last place campaign, they’ll devote more playing time to their controllable options while cutting Plawecki loose a bit early.

Plawecki will land on outright or release waivers in the next few days. In either event, he’ll hit the open market is he goes unclaimed. That seems likely, as any claiming team wouldn’t be able to carry Plawecki on a postseason roster since he wasn’t in the organization prior to September 1. Plawecki’s also making $2.25MM this season, and while the final few hundred thousand dollars of that deal aren’t onerous, it decreases the chance of another team adding him as a strictly a regular season depth option for the final two and a half weeks. In all likelihood, Plawecki will head to the open market a bit early and turn his attention to next offseason.

NL West Notes: Gonsolin, Belt, Bryant

By | at

Dodgers hurler Tony Gonsolin is continuing to work his way back from a right forearm strain, having been placed on the 15-day injured list on August 29. Gonsolin’s rehab hasn’t moved as quickly as the team had initially hoped, but Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times relays that he’s responded well to a bullpen session earlier this week. Gonsolin’s role with the Dodgers upon his return is not set in stone, with Gonsolin revealing that he and manager Dave Roberts have discussed “different routes” for his role when he returns.

In his first full season starting, Gonsolin has been nothing short of remarkable, pitching to a 2.49 ERA, 23.7 K%, 7.2 BB% in 128 1/3 innings (23 starts). These impressive numbers propelled him to his first All-Star game, but he has already surpassed his previous max innings pitched, 128, set in 2018. Additionally, after dealing with a forearm strain, it makes sense why the Dodgers may be hesitant in pushing their young, controllable starter before their upcoming playoff run.

Elsewhere around the division…

  • Giants stalwart Brandon Belt is entering free agency coming off his third surgery on his right knee, but he told Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic this week that his knee “feels great” roughly two weeks after surgery. Belt says that he feels “like a brand-new person,” while adding that he knows there is “a lot more left in me” and explaining he has already shed his crutches. Belt also added that he has roughly four weeks of rehab before he will be back to normal – plenty of time for a normal offseason preparation. Belt expressed interest in returning to San Francisco but indicated he’d be willing to play elsewhere if the team were “ready to move on.” The 34-year-old did not categorically rule out the idea of retiring, stating that “it needs to be the right situation for me to keep going” and that it doesn’t make sense to “go play for nothing” while stating he wouldn’t accept a minor league contract. Although Belt put forth a disappointing 2022 season, slashing .213/.326/.350 for a .676 OPS, he is less than a year removed from posting back-to-back .900+ OPS seasons and is a career .261/.356/.458 hitter.
  • The Rockies have still yet to officially shut down third baseman Kris Bryant for the season. However, there’s still no timetable for Bryant’s return to the field. In a chat with reporters (including The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney) this afternoon, Bryant stated that the Rockies want him “to feel really good going into the offseason” and that he wants an “offseason that’s as close to normal as possible.” With those sentiments, it appears likely that the 30-year-old will not take the field again this season with the Rockies destined to miss the playoffs for the fourth season in a row. Overall, Bryant is in the first year of a seven-year, $182MM contract, but has only appeared in 42 games with the Rockies while being placed on the injured list three times for a strained lower back and plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Nevertheless, when healthy he performed at a high standard, slashing .306/.376/.475 for a .851 OPS, albeit in a hitter-friendly environment.

Stephen Strasburg Discusses Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

By | at

Stephen Strasburg has made just eight appearances over the past three seasons, which have all been derailed by injury. An ongoing battle with thoracic outlet syndrome has seemingly been at the root of it all, as the nerve issue has continually plagued him despite numerous attempts at mounting a comeback.

In a candid chat with Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post this week, Strasburg conceded he’s uncertain if he’ll ever regain his pre-2020 form. “I feel like every time I’ve had an injury, I felt like I was going to be the best there is coming back,” the three-time All-Star told Dougherty. “This is the one that’s still definitely a big question mark. I realize the clock is ticking. It’s been almost three years since I’ve been able to pitch competitively, and it’s not like I’m getting younger.”

Strasburg suggested he believes he’s battled complications of thoracic outlet syndrome since at least 2018, when he lost a month on the injured list due to what the club termed a cervical nerve impingement. A Botox treatment the ensuing offseason initially worked wonders, and he returned to post arguably the finest season of his career. The former first overall pick posted a 3.32 ERA across 209 innings in the 2019 regular season. He continued to excel during Washington’s run to a championship and collected World Series MVP honors that year.

After the season, Washington re-signed Strasburg to a seven-year, $245MM free agent deal. That, of course, looks like a major misstep in retrospect. Strasburg made just two appearances during the abbreviated 2020 season. He was shut down that August and underwent surgery to address carpal tunnel syndrome, but Strasburg now tells Dougherty he believes the actual issue was thoracic outlet syndrome.

Strasburg returned from the carpal tunnel procedure and opened the season on the 2021 roster, but he lasted just two starts before coming down with shoulder inflammation. He was reinstated a month later, made three more appearances, then was shut back down with nerve irritation in his neck. Last July, he finally underwent TOS surgery that brought an end to his season. He opened this year on the injured list and missed the first two months before debuting on June 9. He made one start, threw 4 2/3 innings, then landed back on the IL with a stress reaction in his right ribcage. Yet again, it brought an end to his season.

The 34-year-old tells Dougherty he’s done “very minimal exercises” in the three months since then. He hasn’t thrown at any point, and he noted that despite feeling “some improvements” in his shoulder, he still “(feels) like the strength is not quite there and (is) not really sure what the future holds.”

It’s obviously not an ideal update for a player who’s both cemented in Nationals franchise history and could theoretically still be a part of the future. Strasburg remains under contract through 2026 at $35MM annually and expressed a continued desire to get back on a big league mound if he’s physically able. Dougherty also speaks to some former MLB hurlers (including current Rangers GM Chris Young) who’d battled TOS themselves in a wide-ranging piece that’s worth checking out in full.

Unfortunately, Strasburg isn’t the only Nationals hurler trying to battle back from TOS surgery. Veteran reliever Will Harris hasn’t thrown a major league pitch since undergoing his own procedure in May 2021. He’s spent the entire season on the injured list, and he continues to battle lingering effects of the condition. Dougherty’s colleague at the Post, Andrew Golden, tweets that Harris recently suffered a setback and is headed for an MRI.

The 38-year-old Harris is in the final season of a three-year, $24MM free agent deal signed over the 2019-20 offseason. That investment didn’t pan out, as injuries kept him to 23 2/3 innings in a Washington uniform. It seems all but certain he won’t pitch this season, and he’ll hit the open market this winter.

Twins Outright Randy Dobnak

By | at

As expected, Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher Randy Dobnak has passed through waivers unclaimed and has accepted his assignment to Triple-A. Dobnak was able to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency having accumulated over three years of MLB service time, but he lacks the five years of service time necessary to do so without forfeiting any salary — $800k for the 2022 season, increasing to $1.5MM next year, $2.25MM in 2024, and $3M in 2025, with team options and buyouts for the 2026-28 seasons.

Dobnak made his Major League debut in 2019, pitching 28 1/3 innings with a 1.59 ERA. He followed that up with a more modest 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings in 2020 before signing a five-year, $9.25MM extension, which could increase to $29.75MM, with the Twins prior to the 2021 season.

Unfortunately, Dobnak then missed the majority of the 2021 season with injuries, pitching only 50 2/3 innings to a poor 7.82 ERA before being shut down with a right middle finger strain that lingered into Spring Training this year. Dobnak’s struggles continued into the 2022 season during his rehab process, giving up nine earned runs in 8 2/3 innings in Triple-A St. Paul, leading to his DFA.

With the Twins’ current core of Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Joe Ryan, Sonny Gray, and Chris Archer (when healthy) there was no space for Dobnak. Even with a roughly average bullpen, 3.85 ERA and 24.7% strikeout rate, the front office decided that Dobnak would not be an addition to the team’s playoff push. Rather than reinstall him onto the 40-man roster after his time on the injured list was up, they moved to pass him through waivers. He’ll try to work his back onto the roster in Triple-A.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top