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Archives for August 2023

Anthony DeSclafani Shut Down For 6-8 Weeks, Doubtful To Pitch Again In 2023

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A grade 1 flexor strain went Anthony DeSclafani to the 15-day injured list last weekend, leading to some speculation that the right-hander’s season might be over.  Some new details have added more doubt to DeSclafani’s status, as Giants manager Gabe Kapler told media (including MLB.com and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that DeSclafani received a PRP injection today, and will be shut down from throwing for the next 6-8 weeks.

Kapler said “we don’t want to rule anything out” about DeSclafani’s status, but the calendar alone seems to suggest that the righty may have already thrown his last pitch of the season.  In the best-case scenario that DeSclafani is able to resume throwing on September 18, he won’t have much time to ramp up, so he would very likely return as a reliever at most.  If the recovery takes longer than six weeks or if San Francisco is out of the playoff race by the back half of September, the team might just opt to shut DeSclafani down and look ahead to 2024.

DeSclafani had an excellent year with the Giants in 2021, and he returned to the team in free agency that offseason on a three-year, $36MM contract.  Unfortunately, he has been plagued by injuries ever since, most notably an ankle surgery that limited his 2022 campaign to just 19 innings.  DeSclafani has a 4.88 ERA over 99 2/3 innings this year, dealing with a nagging toe injury, as well as a minimum 15-day stint on the IL in July due to shoulder fatigue.

Had DeSclafani been healthy, the Giants’ trade deadline might have looked quite different, as the club was getting some calls about its starting rotation depth prior to August 1.  However, with DeSclafani’s injury already thinning that depth, San Francisco opted against moving pitching and ended up largely standing pat at the deadline.  The Giants are already using an unorthodox rotation of two regular starters (Logan Webb and Alex Cobb) and then several other hurlers as openers and bulk pitchers, depending on circumstances and availability.

It remains to be seen if San Francisco can ride this tactic for the next two months, but the results have been good so far, as the Giants entered today’s play with a 61-50 record and the top NL wild card slot.  DeSclafani’s chances of a return would enhance if the Giants can extend their season into October, though a team might not want to use a playoff series roster spot on a pitching coming off an extended layoff.

Pirates Claim Thomas Hatch Off Waivers

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The Pirates have claimed right-hander Thomas Hatch off outright waivers from the Blue Jays, as announced by both teams.  Toronto designated Hatch for assignment earlier this week.

The move officially ends Hatch’s tenure in the Jays organization after a little over four years, as Toronto initially acquired the righty in a deadline deal with the Cubs on July 30, 2019.  He made his MLB debut in 2020 without the benefit of any Triple-A experience (due to the canceled minor league season) and made a good first impression, as Hatch had a 2.73 ERA over 26 1/3 relief innings despite some shaky peripheral numbers.

Hatch ran into struggles after that debut season, posting a 4.45 ERA over 240 2/3 innings at Triple-A Buffalo from 2021-23.  This inconsistency as both a starter and a reliever translated into Hatch’s limited big league work, as the Blue Jays have given him a few looks in each of the last three seasons without much success.  Hatch has an 8.85 ERA over 20 1/3 Major League innings since the start of the 2021 season, with seven of his 10 appearances coming out of the bullpen.

Pirates GM Ben Cherington was working in Toronto’s front office when Hatch was first acquired in 2019, and that familiarity surely contributed to the Bucs’ claim.  Hatch gives Pittsburgh extra depth for the rotation or the pen, and he can still be optioned to the minors through the 2024 season, providing more flexibility.  It is possible Hatch (who turns 29 in September) might thrive with a change of scenery, but at the very least, he’ll give the Pirates another arm to perhaps eat some innings over the remaining two months.

Red Sox Outright Christian Arroyo

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TODAY: Arroyo has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers.

AUGUST 4: The Red Sox announced Friday that they’ve activated deadline acquisition Luis Urias and added him to the Major League roster. Infielder Christian Arroyo was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Arroyo, 28, has spent the past three-plus seasons in Boston, typically providing roughly league-average offense at second base. From 2020-22, the former top prospect turned in a combined .273/.320/.427 batting line (102 wRC+), walking at a well below-average 4.7% clip but also putting the ball in play at a better-than-average rate (19.4% strikeout rate). His production has taken a major nosedive in 2023, however, as he’s produced just a .241/.268/.369 slash with a career-low 3.4% walk rate. This year’s 21.8% strikeout rate is also a notable step back from last year’s career-low 16.8% mark.

While he’s played all over the infield and also logged 108 innings in right field last year, Arroyo has played primarily second base and third base in the big leagues. Defensive metrics generally approve of his glove at second; he’s tallied 12 Defensive Runs Saved and 8.5 Ultimate Zone Rating in 1332 innings there. Statcast’s Outs Above Average considers him to be essentially an average defender there. His grades at third base aren’t as strong, but he’s also only logged 447 innings at the hot corner.

Arroyo’s lack of minor league options surely played a role in the decision to DFA him, as did this year’s diminished production. Boston’s acquisition of Urias could put the now-former Brewer into a similar role to the one Arroyo has held in recent seasons. Urias is having a down year himself — notably in just 68 plate appearances — but has a higher offensive ceiling than Arroyo. From 2021-22, Urias slashed .244/.340/.426 with 39 home runs for the Brewers. He’ll likely hit for a lower average than Arroyo but also has more power and draws walks more than twice as often.

Like Arroyo, Urias is a former shortstop who’s settled into a second base/third base role due to defensive concerns. Perhaps most notably, he has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so he’ll give the Red Sox more flexibility with their roster while ideally providing comparable, if not superior production.

As for Arroyo, with the trade deadline passed, he’ll be placed on waivers. He and the Red Sox agreed to a $2MM salary over the winter, avoiding arbitration. He’s still owed about $624K of that sum. If he’s claimed on waivers, the new team will pick up the remainder of that tab but also retain the right to control Arroyo through the 2024 season — his final year of arbitration eligibility. If he’s unclaimed, he has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

However, Arroyo is just days shy of reaching five years of service time, meaning that he can’t yet reject the assignment and retain the rest of his salary. Had he been designated even a week later, he’d have that right. As such, if he’s unclaimed on waivers, he’ll surely accept the outright assignment to keep that salary. He’d then be able to become a free agent at season’s end (assuming the Red Sox don’t add him back to the 40-man roster).

Marlins Select Geoff Hartlieb

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Prior to today’s game with the Rangers, the Marlins selected Geoff Hartlieb’s contract from Triple-A Jacksonville.  Left-hander Ryan Weathers was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding transaction.

The move brings a fresh arm into Miami’s bullpen, as Weathers threw 3 2/3 innings of relief on Saturday and was hit hard, allowing six earned runs against the powerful Texas lineup.  It is possible Hartlieb’s stint in the majors lasts for only a day until the Marlins need a roster spot to bring Eury Perez back to the Show, but Hartlieb pitched an inning against the Rangers, marking his first MLB appearance since 2021.

Hartlieb signed a minor league deal with Miami during the winter and has spent the entire season in Jacksonville, though injuries kept him on the shelf until May.  This late start might’ve cost the right-hander an earlier look on the big league roster, as Hartlieb has a 3.18 ERA over 34 relief innings and some solid peripherals (25.5% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate, 47.2% grounder rate).

A 29th-rounder for Pittsburgh in the 2016 draft, Hartlieb tossed 66 1/3 innings over 57 games with the Pirates and Mets from 2019-2021, posting a 7.46 ERA.  The Red Sox acquired him via waiver claim in September 2021 but he didn’t receive any Major League action in over a year in the organization, as Hartlieb had a 5.16 ERA over 61 innings for Boston’s Triple-A affiliate in 2022.

NL Central Notes: Suzuki, Reds, Cruz

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The Cubs surprised much of the baseball world with their play in recent weeks, which pushed them to add third baseman Jeimer Candelario at the trade deadline rather than deal away rental players like Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman. With the focus now firmly on a push toward making the playoffs in 2023, the club appears to be shortening the leash of struggling players.

That includes outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who the Cubs spent nearly $100MM to add to the club’s roster prior to the 2022 campaign between Suzuki’s five-year, $85MM contract and the posting fee owed to the Hiroshima Carp as payment for Suzuki’s services. In 111 games with the Cubs last year, Suzuki played solidly in his rookie season, with a .262/.336/.433 slash line that was good for a wRC+ of 116. Suzuki began the 2023 campaign on the injured list due to an oblique issue, but got off to a fantastic start when he was back in action, slashing .293/.385/.487 with a 12.6% walk rate in 174 trips to the plate through the end of May.

Unfortunately, Suzuki’s offense has cratered since then, as he’s mustered just a .214/.281/.310 slash line in 210 plate appearances since the calendar flipped to June. That’s brought his overall campaign below league average by measure of wRC+ (96) in 2023, and while he’s played excellent defense in right field, Cubs manager David Ross indicated to reporters (including The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma) recently that Suzuki would not be an everyday player going forward until he gets things back on track. “He knows he needs to work on some things,” Ross said of Suzuki, “It’s hard to do that in-game. We’ll give him some time, and he’ll be back in there when we feel like he can help us win games.”

It seems that journeyman outfielder Mike Tauchman, who came to the Cubs on a minor league deal during the offseason but has impressed with a .277/.371/.431 slash line (121 wRC+) in 238 trips to the plate since joining the roster back in May, will receive the lion’s share of playing time in right field, with Suzuki making occasional starts when he or Ian Happ have a day off or when Cody Bellinger moves from center field to first base. The Cubs are 2.5 games back of Milwaukee in the NL Central and 1.0 game back of Cincinnati for the final NL Wild Card spot entering play today.

More from around the NL Central…

  • Reds right-handers Justin Dunn and Vladimir Gutierrez both have yet to throw a pitch in the majors this season, spending the entire campaign on the 60-day IL due to a shoulder strain and Tommy John surgery, respectively. Though both righties have been starting pitchers throughout their careers to this point, each figures to come out of the bullpen upon returning to the big leagues, manager David Bell told reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Gutierrez had a solid rookie season with the Reds in 2021 during which he pitched to a roughly league average ERA of 4.74 (99 ERA+) but struggled badly in 36 2/3 innings of work last year prior to going under the knife in July of last year. Dunn, meanwhile, is a former first-round pick who has yet to find success a starter in the big leagues, with a 4.44 ERA and 6.23 FIP in 133 2/3 career innings of work in the majors.
  • Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz looks to be a rising star and one of the most exciting youngsters in the game today, with a 108 wRC+, 13 steals and 19 home runs in 410 trips to the plate so far in his career. The 6’7” shortstop was expected by many to challenge for the 30/30 club in his first full season as a big leaguer in 2023, but was unfortunately sidelined by an ankle injury just days into the 2023 campaign. While he won’t be able to play in his first full major league season until 2024, he could still finish the 2023 campaign in the majors nonetheless, as Pittsburgh GM Ben Cherington told MLBNetwork Radio’s Jim Duquette that Cruz is expected to begin a rehab assignment later this month, with a goal of returning to the majors in September. The Pirates have started a youth movement while Cruz has been on the shelf, and he’ll be greeted by fellow youngsters Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez, and Quinn Priester upon his return to the big league club.

AL East Notes: Rizzo, Story, Glasnow

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Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo went on the injured list last week with post-concussion syndrome following a collision with Padres start Fernando Tatis Jr. at first base back in May. Given Rizzo went from a clear All Star candidate (146 wRC+) to the worst hitter in the majors (43 wRC+) following the collision, the revelation that Rizzo has been dealing with concussion symptoms has sparked confusion regarding him continuing to play over the past two months. To that end, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner interviewed Rizzo regarding the situation, and in an article today discussed Rizzo’s slump over the past few months, his injury, how it was handled, and if he wishes anything had been done differently.

Throughout the interview, Rizzo emphasized that he didn’t believe anything was wrong despite other people suggesting the collision may have impacted him: “You know yourself as a hitter and you know what your strike zone is,” Rizzo told Kirschner, “When it all disappeared, you’re like what is going on? You don’t think it’s because of a collision. My agent said something about the collision. My parents said something… Every time someone said something like that, I would get mad at them because I don’t need excuses in this game… everyone struggles in baseball.”

With Rizzo on the shelf without a timetable for return, the Yankees will look to salvage a season in which they sit 3.5 games out of a wild card spot despite a solid 58-53 record without their everyday first baseman and most reliable left-handed bat. Jake Bauers, who has hit well (122 wRC+) in a part time role with New York this season, has taken over at first base since Rizzo hit the IL.

More from around the AL East…

  • Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story will remain in the minor leagues until his rehab assignment reaches the maximum of 20 days later this week, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. Smith adds that manager Alex Cora says Story will be reevaluated after playing on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the shortstop has struggled to bounce back following back-to-back games played. Story is in year two of his six-year, $140MM contract with Boston and has yet to play in the majors this season as he works his way back from elbow surgery. With Story on the shelf, the Red Sox are currently relying on Yu Chang and deadline acquisition Luis Urias up the middle.
  • Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow was scratched from his start against the Tigers today due to back spasms, as noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez took Glasnow’s place as the starter for this afternoon’s game. Topkin also relayed that manager Kevin Cash doesn’t believe the issue will require a trip to the injured list, with Glasnow potentially being able to return to the mound as soon as later this week against the Cardinals, though Glasnow won’t see a doctor regarding the issue until tomorrow. With Taj Bradley back in the minor leagues and Shane McClanahan having gone on the injured list last week, an IL stint for Glasnow would leave the Rays with only Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale as traditional starters in their rotation.

Tigers Claim Andrew Vasquez, Designate Nick Solak

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Aug 6: The Tigers have announced that Solak has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Toledo. As Solak does not have the necessary service time to reject the assignment, he’ll likely remain in the organization through the end of the season as a depth option for the Tigers in the minor leagues.

Aug 4: The Tigers announced Friday that they’ve claimed lefty Andrew Vasquez off waivers from the Phillies and, in a corresponding move, designated infielder/outfielder Nick Solak for assignment.

Vaasquez, 29, was a somewhat surprising DFA following the trade deadline. He’s pitched to a sparkling 2.27 ERA in 39 2/3 innings this season, although the rest of his numbers don’t exactly signify that type of dominance. The lefty’s 20% strikeout rate is a few percentage points south of the league average, while his 8.2% walk rate and 43% ground-ball rate are right are both roughly average. Vasquez has stranded 86.6% of the baserunners he’s allowed this season — a fluky high number that’s likely bound for some regression. Fielding-independent metrics peg him more in the low-4.00s than in the low 2.00s.

That said, he was still an effective reliever for the Phils, and it was a genuine surprise to see him dropped from the 40-man roster over other DFA candidates. It’s not particularly surprising that a team with high waiver priority placed a claim. Only six teams (A’s, Royals, Rockies, Nationals, White Sox, Cardinals) had a higher waiver priority than Detroit. That group apparently passed on putting in a claim, but the Tigers will plug Vasquez, who’s out of minor league options, directly into the big league bullpen.

If things work out for Vasquez in Detroit, he could be a long-term piece of the relief corps. He’ll finish the season with one-plus year of big league service time, meaning Detroit can control him for another five years.

Solak, 28, continues to bounce throughout the league via the DFA circuit. He’s been with the Rangers, Reds, Mariners, White Sox, Braves and Tigers since November, never making it through waivers despite frequent DFAs. He was once a well-regarded prospect — a bat-first player whose defensive home was up for debate. Questions about Solak’s glove still persist, and his bat never developed as hoped at the Major League level. He’s a career .252/.327/.372 hitter in 974 big league plate appearances and is batting .226/.346/.363 between three Triple-A clubs this season.

With the trade deadline now passed, Solak will be placed on waivers once again and made available to all 29 other clubs.

Braves Activate Max Fried, Designate Dalton Guthrie For Assignment

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Aug 6: Guthrie has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A, as noted by Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Going forward, Guthrie figures to provide the Braves with solid depth in the minor leagues as a utility option with previous big league success (albeit in a small sample) and solid defensive versatility.

Aug 4: The Braves announced this morning that the club had designated outfielder Dalton Guthrie for assignment. Guthrie’s spot on the 40-man roster will go to left-hander Max Fried, who was activated from the 60-day injured list this morning.

Guthrie, 27, made his major league debut with the Phillies last year but has bounced around multiple organizations this season. He was first DFA’d by the Phillies back in June after posting a meager .167/.286/.208 slash line in 23 games at the big league level for Philadelphia this season. He was then swapped to San Francisco in a cash deal shortly thereafter, though he spent only nine games in the organization before being designated a second time and claimed off waivers by Atlanta. His tenure in the Braves organization now seems likely to come to an end after a similarly short ten-game stint in Triple-A with the club.

Overall, Guthrie sports a career slash line of .244/.393/.333 with a 25% strikeout rate and a 16% walk rate in the major leagues, though those numbers come from a sample of just 56 trips to the plate. In more robust sample size of 694 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, Guthrie has posted a .296/.359/.455 triple slash with a 20% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. In addition to his solid bat, Guthrie offers valuable versatility, with considerable experience at second base, third base, shortstop, and all three outfield spots.

All of that makes it seems fairly likely that Guthrie will be once again claimed on waivers by a club with 40-man roster space and an interest in adding an optionable utility piece to their big league bench or minor league system. That being said, if Guthrie does go unclaimed on waivers, the Braves will have the ability to assign Guthrie to the minors outright, retaining him in the organization through the end of the season without requiring a 40-man roster spot.

Guthrie’s exit from the organization makes way for Fried to return from the injured list ahead of his planned start this afternoon against the Cubs. The runner-up in NL Cy Young award voting last year, Fried is on the shortlist of the game’s best left-handed starting pitchers with a career 3.05 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 658 1/3 innings. He’s missed nearly the entire season due to a forearm strain, with just five starts under his belt to this point in the season, though he did manage to post a sparkling 2.08 ERA in those 26 innings of work.

Fried’s absence has forced the Braves to piece together production from a bevy of young arms including Jared Shuster, Dylan Dodd, and AJ Smith-Shawver, as well as veteran arms like Kolby Allard, Michael Soroka and Yonny Chirinos. That group has largely struggled, with Smith-Shawver’s 4.57 ERA the only figure among them that clocks in under 5.00, but that hasn’t stopped the Braves from storming to an MLB-best record of 69-37. Fried’s return to the rotation alongside the likes of Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Bryce Elder should only bolster the club’s chances of holding their already-significant 11.5 game lead in the NL East.

Phillies Place Brandon Marsh On 10-Day Injured List

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The Phillies have placed outfielder Brandon Marsh on the 10-day injured list with a bruised knee, per a team announcement. Replacing Marsh on the active roster is Weston Wilson, who has had his contract selected by the Phillies today. The club had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary to make room for Wilson. Marsh’s injury occurred last night when he crashed into the center field wall and had to be helped off the field. He underwent an MRI and x-rays after exiting last night’s game, both of which came back negative. Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated to reporters, including The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, that Marsh would be out between two and three weeks with the injury.

The injury comes in the midst of an excellent season with the Phillies, as he’s broken out to slash .284/.369/.463 (124 wRC+) while playing strong defense in center field. While Marsh is on the shelf, Gelb indicates that Johan Rojas will step in as the club’s everyday center fielder. In 16 games with the Phillies this season, Rojas has slashed .300/.333/.375 (93 wRC+) with excellent defense. Also potentially in the center field mix while Marsh recovers is Cristian Pache, who has been on the shelf since mid-July after undergoing elbow surgery but is expected to return before Marsh, per Gelb. In 53 trips to the plate with the Phillies this season, Pache has slashed .327/.365/.592 (156 wRC+) while playing his typically excellent defense in center.

With Rojas currently taking the everyday center field job and Pache on the way as well, that presumably leaves Wilson to fill in elsewhere around the diamond. The 28-year-old Wilson was a 17th-round pick by the Brewers in the 2016 draft and joined the Phillies organization this past season. He’s slashed an impressive .260/.361/.524 in 426 trips to the plate at Triple-A this season while first base, third base, shortstop, and both outfield corners. With the big league club, he’ll likely mix in alongside Edmundo Sosa, Jake Cave, and Rodolfo Castro among the club’s big league bench options.

Nationals Place Paolo Espino On Release Waivers

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The Nationals announced a series of roster moves today as they reinstated right-hander Trevor Williams from the bereavement list, reinstated catcher Israel Pineda from the 60-day injured list, and optioned him to Double-A. In a corresponding move, right-hander Paolo Espino was placed on unconditional release waivers.

Williams signed a two-year, $13MM deal with the Nationals ahead of the 2023 on the heels of a solid season as a swingman for the Mets last year, when he posted a 3.21 ERA and 3.88 FIP in 89 1/3 innings of work. In a full-time rotation role this season, Williams hasn’t been able to replicate that success, as he’s struggled to a 4.72 ERA and 5.55 FIP in 22 starts. Among pitchers who have recorded at least 100 innings this season, Williams’ 0.4 fWAR ranks ahead of only Michael Kopech of the White Sox and Martin Perez of the Rangers.

While Williams has struggled as a full-time starter this season, the former second round pick has previous success as a rotation piece dating back to 2018, when he posted a 3.11 ERA in 170 1/3 innings of work with the Pirates. He’ll look to get back on track through the remainder of the 2023 campaign with an eye toward 2024, where he figures to continue as a rotation option for Washington alongside the likes of Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, and Patrick Corbin.

Pineda, 22, has just four games of big league experience under his belt and has missed the entire season to this point due to a fractured ring finger and an oblique strain. He’s ranked as the club’s 23rd best prospect per MLB Pipeline and 17th per Fangraphs. While Pineda could be ready for a longer-team big league role as soon as next season, the Nationals are fairly well set up at the major league level behind the plate with a tandem of youngsters in the form of Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams.

Espino, 36, had been on the 15-day IL since mid-July with a flexor strain. He pitched just four innings with the big league Nationals this season, during which he allowed 11 runs on 14 hits and three walks while striking out three. Prior to his disastrous stint with the club earlier this season, Espino had spent the last two seasons as a fixture of Washington’s pitching staff, throwing 223 innings across 77 appearances (38 starts) to a 4.56 ERA and 4.70 FIP. Going forward, Espino will likely have to look for a new minor league deal as he looks for a new team to rehab his current injury with.

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