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Archives for July 2023

Reds’ Reiver Sanmartin Undergoes UCL Surgery

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Reds reliever Reiver Sanmartin underwent surgery to repair his UCL earlier this month, the team informed reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic). It isn’t clear if he underwent a full Tommy John procedure or something like the modified internal brace surgery, but it appears as if his season is over.

Sanmartin is already on the 60-day injured list. He landed on the shelf at the start of May with a stress reaction in his elbow. Apparently, there was also ligament damage that needed to be corrected. Assuming he’s done for the season, he’ll remain on the 60-day IL through year’s end.

The 27-year-old has pitched in parts of three seasons with Cincinnati. He owns a 5.77 ERA through 82 2/3 career frames. Sanmartin has induced grounders at a lofty 53.5% clip but posted worse than average strikeout and walk numbers. He’s controllable through 2028, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cincinnati waived him at the start of the offseason rather than carry him on the 40-man roster throughout the winter.

The Reds provided updates on a few other injured pitchers (via Rosecrans). Hunter Greene will begin a minor league rehab stint next weekend; the club hopes he’ll be ready for the majors by August 20. Nick Lodolo is targeting an MLB return at the end of next month, beginning a rehab stint at a similar time as Greene. Vladimir Gutierrez and Tejay Antone are each beginning rehab work of their own after missing the entire season to date.

White Sox Select Bryan Shaw

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The White Sox selected the contract of veteran reliever Bryan Shaw before this evening’s game against the Guardians, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’s in the majors within a few days of being outrighted off the roster.

Shaw returns to backfill a bullpen that has had a few notable subtractions. Reynaldo López, Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman were all dealt away within the past 48 hours. Keynan Middleton seems likely to follow them out the door, while Aaron Bummer has been the subject of trade attention himself. Chicago will need to cover that lost middle relief work.

The 35-year-old righty has pitched in six games for the ChiSox this year. He’s allowed eight runs in 7 2/3 frames. Shaw has spent the bulk of the season with Triple-A Charlotte, tallying 23 2/3 innings over 23 outings. He carries a 4.94 ERA there, striking out more than a quarter of opponents but issuing walks at a massive 16.5% clip.

Padres Outright Domingo Tapia

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The Padres have sent reliever Domingo Tapia outright to Triple-A El Paso, according to the transactions log at MLB.com. He cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last weekend.

San Diego signed Tapia to a minor league contract last winter. He had an excellent Spring Training and secured a spot on the 40-man roster out of camp. The Friars bounced him between the majors and El Paso for a few months. He’s gotten into 15 big league games, allowing eight runs in 17 2/3 innings. Tapia has walked 12 while striking out 14.

He has missed more bats in Triple-A, striking out 16 over 14 2/3 frames. He’s dished out 10 free passes at the top minor league level, though, continuing the control issues that have plagued him throughout his career. Tapia has walked upwards of 13% of opponents in parts of four big league campaigns. He has huge arm strength, averaging around 98 MPH on his fastball, but has a below-average 17.6% strikeout rate at the MLB level.

Tapia was outrighted off the A’s roster last September. Players who have been outrighted multiple times in their careers have the right to free agency. It’s unclear whether Tapia will accept the assignment or head back to the open market in search of a minor league opportunity elsewhere.

Rangers Acquire Kevin Plawecki From Padres

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The Rangers announced they’ve acquired catcher Kevin Plawecki for cash in a minor league trade with San Diego. Plawecki had not been on the Padres’ 40-man roster and won’t immediately go onto the roster with Texas. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Round Rock for the time being.

It’s a sensible depth pickup for Texas. The Rangers just placed All-Star backstop Jonah Heim on the injured list with a left wrist issue. He’ll be shut down for a few weeks before it’s determined whether season-ending surgery is necessary. The best case scenario is that Mitch Garver and Sam Huff will hold down the fort for a few weeks before Heim makes it back.

Texas doesn’t have any other catchers on the 40-man, so an injury to either Garver or Huff would force them to tap into the minor league ranks. None of the Rangers’ Triple-A backstops had any big league experience, so it makes sense to fortify the group with a veteran.

Plawecki is no stranger to the organization. He signed with the Rangers late last season after being released by the Red Sox. Despite his impending free agency, a then-uncompetitive Texas club valued his clubhouse presence enough to carry him on the roster at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old has spent this year in Triple-A with the Nationals and Friars. He has combined for a .268/.341/.400 line over 229 trips to the plate. In parts of eight big league seasons, he’s a .235/.313/.342 hitter.

Jonah Heim To Miss At Least 2-3 Weeks With Wrist Strain; Surgery Possible

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The Rangers announced that catcher Jonah Heim has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 27, with a left wrist tendon strain. Outfielder Bubba Thompson was recalled to take his place on the roster. The club also swapped a couple of pitchers, with righty Josh Sborz reinstated from the 15-day IL while righty Owen White was optioned to Triple-A. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News relays that Heim will rest for two to three weeks before seeing if he can play through the pain. If not, he may require season-ending surgery, or that could be pushed to the offseason.

Heim, 28, departed Wednesday’s game with wrist soreness and it appears the issue is serious enough that he’ll sit out a few weeks. There’s still hope of him returning, but being without Heim for any amount of time is surely unwelcome for the Rangers, as he’s been one of the best backstops in the majors this year. He’s already tallied 14 home runs and is slashing .280/.337/.479 for a wRC+ of 123. He’s also been graded as a strong defender, leading to a tally of 3.5 wins above replacement from FanGraphs this year, trailing only Sean Murphy’s 3.7 among all major league catchers.

In the meantime, the club will rely on a catching tandem of Sam Huff and Mitch Garver. The latter is an above-average hitter but frequent injuries have prevented him from ever playing 105 games in a season and he hasn’t reached 70 games since 2019. He missed two months this year due to a knee sprain and has played 33 games, only donning the tools of ignorance in 13 of those. Huff has only played nine major league games this year, spending most of his time in the minors. But he’s hit well down there, slashing .298/.389/.546 for a 121 wRC+.

The Rangers should be fine with that duo for a while but will likely look for reinforcements of some sort. There are no other catchers on the 40-man roster and Garver’s persistent health issues make him hard to bank on for extended playing time. The trade deadline is now just four days away and midseason trades of catchers are tricky given the challenges of learning a new pitching staff on the fly, but the Rangers might have to try.

Austin Hedges of the Pirates would be an obvious candidate as an impending free agent on a struggling Pirates club, and he has already reportedly drawn trade interest. He’s a poor hitter but is generally considered an excellent defender. The White Sox are busily selling and could move Yasmani Grandal, though he’s making $18.25MM this year. Joey Bart seems to have been leapfrogged by Patrick Bailey and Blake Sabol in San Francisco. He’s in his final option year and will be out of options next year, which perhaps makes him disposable to the Giants in the long-term but useful to the Rangers in the short-term. The Mets are rolling with rookie Francisco Álvarez and could perhaps part with Omar Narváez or Tomás Nido. Victor Caratini is stuck behind William Contreras in Milwaukee and has garnered trade interest. Iván Herrera seems to be blocked in St. Louis by Willson Contreras and Andrew Knizner.

The Rangers have had a big lead in the American League West for much of the season but have recently seen the Astros pull within two games while the Angels, six games back, are aggressively making upgrades. Losing a key player like Heim is a rough development for them but they still have a few days to address it.

Brewers Reinstate Justin Wilson From 60-Day IL

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The Brewers announced that left-hander Justin Wilson has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, lefty Bennett Sousa has been transferred onto the 60-day IL and sent on a rehab assignment.

Wilson, 35, has over a decade of experience as an effective reliever in the big leagues. He’s made 527 appearances dating back to his 2012 debut, with a career 3.41 ERA in those. He’s struck out 25.9% of batters faced, walked 10.7% and kept the ball on the ground at a 46.8% rate. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in June of last year. The Reds had a $1.22MM buyout over his services for 2023 but declined sent him to the open market.

The Brewers signed him this offseason to a one-year deal with a club option for 2024, knowing he would miss at least part of the 2023 campaign while rehabbing. Wilson got a $1MM guarantee in the form of an $850K salary this year and $150K buyout on the $2.5MM option.

Hoby Milner is the only left-handed reliever that has thrown more than three innings for the Brewers this year, so Wilson will give them a second option in that department. He’ll then have a couple of months to showcase his health and effectiveness before the club decides on that option.

Sousa, 28, was designated for assignment by the Reds in April and came to the Brewers in a cash deal. He’s since served as an up-and-down reliever for the Brewers, throwing 2 2/3 innings for the big league club and 13 1/3 at Triple-A. He landed on the injured list June 8 due to left shoulder nerve irritation. He’ll now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that date, which would be early August. A return as soon as he’s eligible seems to be possible since he’s now going out on a rehab assignment.

Dodgers Designate Justin Bruihl, Eddys Leonard For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced that they have designated left-hander Justin Bruihl and infielder Eddys Leonard for assignment. Those two moves open up 40-man roster spots for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly, who have now been officially acquired from the White Sox.

Bruihl, 26, was added to the Dodgers’ roster in August of 2021. He finished out that year in the club’s bullpen and has served as a frequently-optioned depth arm in the two campaigns since then. He’s made 65 major league appearances in that time with a 3.65 earned run average. His 15.6% strikeout rate is well below league average, but his 7.6% walk rate and 44.7% ground ball rate are both solid. It’s possible he’s had some luck, as his .263 batting average on balls in play is on the low side, leading to a 4.48 FIP and 4.61 SIERA.

Leonard, 22, was added to the club’s roster in November of 2021 to prevent him from being selected in that year’s Rule 5 draft. He hit .296/.390/.539 in the lower levels that year for a wRC+ of 145, but his results have tailed off since then. Last year’s line of .264/.348/.435 was still above average, but his wRC+ dropped to 119. This year’s been even worse, as he’s hitting .254/.327/.411 in Double-A for a 96 wRC+.

The Dodgers will now have a week to explore options with both players, either trading them or passing them through waivers, though the former option has a tighter timeline since the deadline is now just four days away. Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand, and Bruihl still has a couple of option years, including this one. He also has just over a year of service time, allowing him to potentially serve as bullpen depth for another club for the foreseeable future. Leonard is having a difficult year but is still considered the club’s #28 prospect at Baseball America. He will also still have one option remaining after this one.

Blue Jays To Activate Hyun Jin Ryu On Tuesday; Use Six-Man Rotation

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Hyun Jin Ryu, who underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, will be reinstated to start Tuesday’s game against the Orioles. Manager John Schneider told reporters, including Scott Mitchell of TSN, that the club will use a six-man rotation for a while.

Ryu, 36, signed a four-year, $80MM deal with the Jays going into 2020. He was brilliant in that first year, posting a 2.69 ERA in the shortened season. That figure ticked up to 4.37 the next year, then was at 5.67 last year before he required Tommy John in June. He has since been targeting a return around the 2023 All-Star break and will now be back just slightly beyond that.

It’s been an open question as to how the Jays would handle Ryu’s return. Their five starters have remarkably remained healthy all year, with none of Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, Yusei Kikuchi or Alek Manoah requiring a stint on the injured list. Manoah did struggle immensely and get optioned down to the club’s Florida Complex for a month from early June, but has since returned.

It seems the club will stick with all six of those starters for now. As pointed out by Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, the Jays have a stretch of 17 games in 17 days, starting tonight and going until August 13. They then have three off-days in just over a week and will likely need to make a decision at that point as to how they proceed.

Kikuchi has previously been pushed to the bullpen and could be an option for that again, though he’s having good results so far this year. His 3.79 ERA would be a career best if he could maintain it, though a 84.8% strand rate points to some regression, hence his 4.79 FIP and 3.96 SIERA. Manoah was already optioned once and could perhaps receive that treatment again. His first start back from the wilderness saw him strike out eight Tigers while walking none. He then walked five Padres in his next start without a single punchout. His third start was a middle ground, as he walked four Mariners while striking out six.

Back in June, when Manoah was still on optional assignment and Ryu still on the IL, general manager Ross Atkins said that starting pitching would be an “obvious area” for the club to target at the deadline. Perhaps the returns of those two pitchers changes that calculus, though that will be seen over the coming days. The deadline is August 1.

White Sox Select Declan Cronin

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The White Sox announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Declan Cronin. They have plenty of open roster spots after dealing Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Angels, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers and Kendall Graveman to the Astros.

Cronin, 25, was a 36th-round selection of the White Sox in 2019. He’s been climbing through their system since then, working exclusively as a reliever except for a one-inning stint as an opener. He got some brief professional experience in 2019 but the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020.

Since then, he’s gone from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A, generally posting low strikeout totals but getting heaps of ground balls. He’s tossed 143 innings since the start of 2021 with a 4.09 ERA. His 18.6% strikeout rate is a few ticks below typical major league averages, while his 9.9% walk rate is slightly on the high side. However, he’s posted a ground ball rate of 53.7% or higher at every stop of the minor league ladder. The major league average is 42.5% this year.

Cronin will now get a chance to try to get major league hitters out. The Sox are busily trading from their major league roster and should use the final few weeks of the season to get a look at various younger players. Jeff Passan of ESPN relayed an amusing story today about Cronin having a chess match interrupted by the news of his call-up.

Yankees Activate Aaron Judge

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The Yankees announced Friday that they’ve reinstated reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge from the 10-day injured list. Infielder Oswald Peraza was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

A toe injury has kept Judge out of the lineup since June 3, and details surrounding his potential return have been somewhat vague. Manager Aaron Boone said earlier this week that it’s possible Judge could return for the Yankees’ weekend series against the division-leading Orioles, and it appears he’ll be active for all three of those critical games.

Judge, 31, has once again been outstanding in 2023, hitting .291/.404/.674 with 19 home runs in just 213 plate appearances. He’s been sorely missed in a Yankees lineup that is devoid of other notable offensive threats; since Judge landed on the injured list, the Yankees have batted just .220/.296/.374 as a team. Their 163 runs scored in that time rank 29th in the Majors, leading only the Royals. They went 19-23 with Judge on the injured list.

At least initially, Judge will split his time between right field and designated hitter, tweets Greg Joyce of the New York Post. The Yankees will understandably ease him back into the outfield alongside Harrison Bader and whichever of Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney or Greg Allen is in left field on a given day. Willie Calhoun was designated for assignment earlier this morning. Stanton has already been playing a fair bit of right field but could see an uptick in outfield reps, given Judge’s occasional rest days at designated hitter.

The Yankees currently sit two and a half games out of a Wild Card spot, and much has been made about their status leading up to Tuesday’s trade deadline. Judge’s return will push them closer to full strength as the front office makes its final decisions on how to proceed with the roster. The Post’s Jon Heyman reported this week that the Yankees would target an outfielder and reliever if they didn’t slip too far in the standings, but they’ll face a tough task against Baltimore this weekend.

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