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Orioles Select Heston Kjerstad

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The Orioles announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contract of outfielder Heston Kjerstad and recalling right-hander Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk. To open active roster spots for those two, outfielder Ryan McKenna and left-hander Nick Vespi were optioned to Norfolk. To open a spot for Kjerstad on the 40-man, infielder/outfielder Terrin Vavra was recalled from Norfolk and placed on the 60-day injured list with a strained right shoulder.

Of all the moves, the most significant is the promotion of Kjerstad, as it’s yet another instance of the O’s promoting a highly-touted prospect to their major league club. The past six years have seen the club endure a significant rebuild, finishing last in the American League East four times, losing 108 games or more in three of those. That’s allowed them to build a pipeline of young talent that has started to feed into for the big league team. Youngsters like Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez and others have helped the club jump to a record of 91-54, the best such mark in the American League this year.

Kjerstad, 24, was taken with the second overall pick in 2020. His professional debut was delayed by myocarditis, which prevented him from taking part in any official game action in 2021. He split last year between Single-A and High-A, hitting a combined .309/.394/.457 between those two levels. This year, he’s gone through Double-A and Triple-A with a combined slash of .303/.376/.528, which translates to a wRC+ of 132.

The outfielder is currently considered the #44 prospect in the league by Baseball America, #24 by MLB Pipeline, #49 by ESPN and #56 by Keith Law of The Athletic. FanGraphs doesn’t currently provide specific rankings beyond the 50 Future Value guys on the 20-80 scouting scale, but Kjerstad is one of many unnumbered 45+ guys that are lumped together around the back half of the top 100. He’s considered a bat-first prospect, with his power his standout tool, but it’s expected he can be a fine corner outfielder from a defensive standpoint.

It was reported last night that a promotion of Kjerstad was possible, in conjunction with Ryan Mountcastle battling a shoulder injury. Mountcastle hasn’t landed on the injured list as of yet, but it seems Kjerstad will push into the mix regardless. Mountcastle has been the regular option at first base, but perhaps his injury means Ryan O’Hearn takes over that spot and spends less time in the outfield corners. That would perhaps leave Kjerstad, Anthony Santander, Aaron Hicks and Austin Hays splitting the duties of left field, right field and designated hitter. Kjerstad also played some first base in the minors and could be a factor there.

The O’s are about to begin what may be their most important series of the regular season. The Rays are just two games back in the East division and the two clubs are set to face off in a four-game series that starts tonight in Baltimore. Both teams are sure to make the postseason but the division winner will secure a bye through the first round, making the distinction significant. Kjerstad isn’t in the starting lineup tonight but should make his debut at some point in the next few weeks and might even secure himself a spot on the postseason roster.

With so little time left in the season, Kjerstad won’t be able to exhaust his rookie status and will therefore still be on prospect lists in the upcoming offseason. That means he will still be eligible for the “prospect promotion incentives” that are present in the current collective bargaining agreement. That could allow the O’s to recoup a bonus draft pick in the future, depending on how Kjerstad fares in awards voting going forward.

As for Vavra, he was with the big league club earlier this year but has been on optional assignment since early June. While in the minors, he missed over two months from mid-June to late August, when he began a rehab assignment. The club informed reporters last week, including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, that Vavra’s rehab was being shut down for further testing. There’s not much detail on his injury or timeline but it seems his season is over, based on today’s transfer.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Jasson Dominguez To Undergo UCL Surgery

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1:00pm: The Yankees provided reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, with an update regarding the surgery. As Martino reported, it’s true that internal bracing may be possible during the surgery, but the club is still estimating a timeline of nine to ten months regardless.

12:25pm: A full Tommy John surgery could still be avoided, reports Andy Martino of SNY. He says that the possibility of bracing will be determined during the surgery. That could perhaps lessen the recovery timeline, though further updates will surely follow the procedure.

10:55am: Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez will undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday of next week, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters Thursday (link via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic). It was already known that Dominguez would require surgery of some type to address the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but the Yankees and Dominguez were still gathering information before determining whether he’d need a full UCL reconstruction (i.e. Tommy John surgery) or a less-invasive procedure, such as a primary repair or internal brace. Dominguez’s estimated MLB return is nine to ten months, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, so he’ll likely miss close to half the 2024 season.

While Dominguez, the team and its fans are all surely glad to have some clarity on a formal diagnosis and treatment plan, it’s nonetheless an obvious gut-punch to all parties after Dominguez’s impressive debut earlier this month. The 20-year-old switch-hitter has been lauded as one of the game’s top prospects since signing with the Yankees on for a $5.1MM bonus as an international amateur back on July 2, 2019. He did little to sway that thinking upon his call to the big leagues, ripping an opposite-field homer off Justin Verlander in his first at-bat before going on to hit .258/.303/.677 with four homers and a double in his first 33 MLB plate appearances.

Dominguez’s debut effort lasted just eight games, but the month of September had been shaping up to be an audition for a full-time role in next year’s outfield. The early stages of that audition were a clear success, and there appeared to be a real chance that Dominguez would open the 2024 season as New York’s primary center fielder (or perhaps left fielder, depending on the progress of fellow prospect Everson Pereira and on any offseason dealings). The Yankees waived Harrison Bader in late August — the Reds subsequently claimed him — and will see utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa join Bader in free agency this winter.

An absence of nine to ten months rather clearly disrupts any plans for Dominguez to take over a full-time spot in the outfield. The Yankees will still want to take a look at Dominguez in a full-time role when he returns, but his injury increases the chances that the Yanks will at least pursue a veteran stopgap in center field to help bridge that gap. Bader seems quite likely to command a multi-year deal this offseason even on the heels of a tough year at the plate, given his defensive excellence. There aren’t many true short-term options on the free-agent market, though Aaron Judge’s ability to play center field could allow the Yankees to deploy him there for a few months and look into short-term upgrades in the outfield corners.

Whatever route the Yankees pursue, Dominguez will open the 2024 campaign on the Major League 60-day injured list and accrue both service time and big league pay while he rehabs. The injury will make it highly unlikely that he’ll have the playing time required to push himself into American League Rookie of the Year voting next year, thus reducing the probability of the Yankees benefiting in the third year of MLB”s “prospect promotion incentive” system that was implemented in the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement.

Otherwise, Dominguez’s injury won’t do much to change impact his service time or long-term club control. He was likely to open the season on the roster anyhow, making a full year of service in 2024 the likeliest outcome. That’s still the case, and assuming he collects that full year in ’24, he’ll be under team control via the arbitration system through the 2029 season. The timing of Dominguez’s call to the Majors this year doesn’t put him anywhere near Super Two trajectory, so he’ll be eligible for arbitration following the 2026 season, barring any future optional assignments that could change that timeline.

Phillies Weighing Bullpen Role For Michael Lorenzen

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The Phillies could deploy Michael Lorenzen out of the bullpen down the stretch, writes Matt Gelb of the Athletic. Manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday that the Phils had yet to make a final decision but suggested they were likely to move back to a five-man rotation after today’s off day.

Philadelphia’s front four is locked in. They’ll go with Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker and Zack Wheeler over their next few appearances. If they go back to a five-man staff, they’ll need to decide between Cristopher Sánchez or Lorenzen for next Tuesday’s start in Atlanta.

Sánchez has been the more effective for the Phils. The 26-year-old southpaw owns a 3.40 ERA over 87 1/3 innings on the season. After striking out 10 Braves hitters in 7 1/3 frames last night, he has a quality 23.6% strikeout percentage to go with a huge 56.4% grounder rate. He has demonstrated excellent control, cutting his walk rate below the 4% mark.

Lorenzen hasn’t found the same level of success overall in Philadelphia. He started his tenure brilliantly, rattling off eight innings of two-run ball during his team debut in Miami and no-hitting the Nationals at home in his second start. Things have spiraled in the few weeks since that historic outing. Lorenzen has allowed four-plus runs in each of his last five appearances, topping out at six innings. Since the no-hitter, he has a 7.96 ERA with a minuscule 11% strikeout rate.

The 31-year-old’s overall production is still solid. Including his strong first half with the Tigers, he owned a 3.23 ERA across 122 2/3 innings a month ago. Even after the rough few weeks, he’s allowing 4.06 earned runs per nine altogether. Yet he’s also in uncharted territory from a workload perspective, with his 148 2/3 frames easily topping his previous career high of 113 1/3 innings as a rookie back in 2015.

Lorenzen had worked almost exclusively out of relief for the Reds from his second season onward. Upon reaching free agency in the 2021-22 offseason, he prioritized a rotation spot and signed a one-year pact with the Angels. He logged 97 2/3 innings a season ago, with injuries capping him at 18 starts. That was still a heavier load than he’d shouldered during his time in the bullpen but fell shy of a typical starter’s capacity.

The righty hasn’t shown obvious signs of physical decline. His velocity this month is in line with his early-season level. The results have fallen off sharply, though, perhaps reflecting a more subtle dip in Lorenzen’s execution.

Gelb suggests the Phils have given some thought to deploying Sánchez and Lorenzen as a tandem duo in the fifth starter’s spot. That’d allow them to keep an eye on the workload for each, though it’s arguable they’d be better served acting more definitively. Both pitchers have handled themselves well when turning a lineup over, so there’s not a pressing need to mitigate either’s ’times through the order’ splits. They each have experience working as relievers, with Lorenzen particularly familiar with a high-leverage short relief role from his time in Cincinnati.

The Phils occupy the top Wild Card spot in the National League and are in strong position to secure a playoff spot. Both Sánchez and Lorenzen would likely play relief roles in October, at least in the opening three-game Wild Card series. They’ll conclude the regular season with 16 games in 17 days, starting tomorrow.

Lorenzen is headed back to free agency in the offseason. Even if he’s kicked to the bullpen for the last couple weeks, he’s in position for a much stronger pact than the $8.5MM guarantee he received from Detroit a year ago. He’s going into his age-32 campaign and could find three- or four-year offers this time around.

Reds Place Tejay Antone On Injured List, Select Carson Spiers

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The Reds announced Thursday morning that they’ve placed right-hander Tejay Antone on the 15-day injured list due to discomfort in his right elbow. Cincinnati also reinstated righty Ben Lively from the Covid-related injured list and selected the contract of right-hander Carson Spiers from Double-A Chattanooga. Right-hander Connor Phillips who’d been up as a Covid-related replacement player, has been returned to Triple-A Louisville.

Antone, 29, only just returned from a two-year absence stemming from Tommy John surgery earlier this month. He’s pitched 5 2/3 effective innings, but the right-hander left last night’s game with a trainer after experiencing discomfort in that surgically repaired  elbow. While Antone downplayed the issue to an extent after the game, it seems the Reds have deemed a pause on his throwing is needed. There’s still technically enough time remaining on the schedule for Antone to return to the mound in the final three games of the season, but given the timing of the IL placement and minimal days left on the schedule, it’s possible his season will be over.

A healthy Antone is one of the most underrated relievers in the game. He’s only appeared in parts of three big league seasons, thanks largely to those health troubles, but in 74 2/3 innings dating back to 2020, the righty boasts a 2.41 ERA, 32.4% strikeout rate and 49.4% ground-ball rate. Antone has been a bit wild, walking 10.7% of his opponents in his young career, but the results are impressive all the same. The obvious hope for any player following an IL placement is that a major injury can be avoided, but it’d be particularly disheartening to learn of anything severe for Antone after he only just completed a two-year grind back to a Major League mound.

As for the 25-year-old Spiers, he’s already made his big league debut, allowing seven runs in seven innings between two appearances earlier this month. However, he was only on the roster as a Covid-related substitute player and was returned to Triple-A on Sunday. That process didn’t require him to be optioned or passed through waivers. Now, he’s been formally selected to the Major League roster, meaning he’ll be subject to standard option rules moving forward.

Aside from his brief MLB look earlier this month, Spiers has spent the entire season in Double-A. An undrafted signee out of Clemson following the shortened 2020 draft, he’s pitched 83 innings of 3.69 ERA ball with the Reds’ Chattanooga affiliate, whiffing 29.2% of his opponents against an 11.3% walk rate.

Lively, 31, hasn’t pitched in a game since Aug. 26. The right-hander enjoyed a solid three-year run in the Korea Baseball Organization from 2019-21 before returning to affiliated ball on a minor league deal with the Reds for the 2022 season. He re-upped with Cincinnati over the most recent offseason and this year reached the Majors for the first time since throwing one lone inning with the 2019 Royals. He’s pitched in 15 games (12 starts) for the Reds and eaten up 76 2/3 innings, albeit with a lackluster 5.17 ERA. To his credit, that number is skewed by one objectively calamitous start, wherein the Reds left Lively out there to take a 13-run beating in four innings against the Cubs. Lively has a 3.83 ERA in his other 14 appearances.

The Opener: Antone, Rays/Orioles, Twins

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Here are three things we’ll be watching for around the baseball world today…

1. Antone exits early

Reds reliever Tejay Antone exited last night’s game with a trainer after experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired right elbow. After the game, Antone told reporters that his elbow “flared up” but that he doesn’t think there’s a serious issue at play (via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Reds will surely exercise caution, however, and figure to take a closer look to ensure there’s no injury of note. The 29-year-old Antone only just returned from a two-year absence following his second career Tommy John surgery. While he’s hardly a household name, the righty has quietly been one of the game’s most effective relievers in his brief career to date. In 74 2/3 innings dating back to his 2020 debut, Antone carries a 2.41 ERA with a hearty 32.4% strikeout rate against a 10.7% walk rate. He’s also kept the ball on the ground at a strong 49.4% clip and averaged just 0.84 homers per nine frames.

2. Rays, Orioles begin series that could determine division

The Rays and Orioles open a four-game set in Baltimore today, with righty Kyle Bradish (3.03 ERA) taking the mound for the O’s opposite fellow righty Aaron Civale (2.96 ERA). It’s a matchup of quality starting pitchers and the first of four pivotal games for the two rivals, who are separated by just two games in the standings at present. Baltimore currently leads the East and also boasts the American League’s best record. The Rays could flip the standings with a series sweep, whereas the O’s could effectively put the division on ice if they can take all four against the Rays. The second game of the series is slated to feature Tampa Bay righty Zach Eflin (3.53 ERA) taking on Baltimore right-hander Jack Flaherty (4.98 ERA). The Rays will send Tyler Glasnow (3.15 ERA) to the mound against Grayson Rodriguez (4.88 ERA) on Saturday, and the series finale will pit Rays righty Zack Littell against O’s righty Dean Kremer. Both pitchers have identical 4.25 earned run averages (Kremer’s coming in a larger number of innings).

One additional source of intrigue surrounding the series is the potential debut of 2020 No. 2 overall pick Heston Kjerstad. The young Orioles slugger is reportedly on his way to Baltimore in the event that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle’s shoulder requires a trip to the injured list. Kjerstad, 24, hit .310/.383/.576 in Double-A before being promoted to Triple-A, where he’s slashed .298/.371/.498. He’s collected 21 homers, 29 doubles and eight triples between those two levels so far in 2023.

3. Twins injury updates

The Twins are awaiting updates on several injured players and could gain more clarity today. Byron Buxton recently received a cortisone injection in his ailing knee, and trainer Nick Paparesta told the Twins beat he expects Buxton to return before season’s end (link via Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Minnesota could also get outfielder Michael A. Taylor back in the near future, per Miller. Taylor ran the bases yesterday and is expected to return during the current road trip, which kicks off today against the White Sox. Young infielder Jose Miranda, meanwhile, won’t be back this season, as he’s set for shoulder surgery today. Miranda dealt with shoulder troubles in spring training and struggled in both the big leagues and in Triple-A before hitting the injured list in July. He’ll go under the knife today, and the Twins will provide further details on the nature of the procedure and the expected recovery after the operation has been performed.

Rich Hill Remains On Waivers

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Sept. 14: Bradford has issued a correction, tweeting that Hill’s waiver period does not expire until today. Hill has not yet formally gone unclaimed.

Sept. 13: Padres southpaw Rich Hill went unclaimed on waivers, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link). San Diego doesn’t have to outright him to a minor league affiliate. In all likelihood, he’ll remain on the Friars’ roster for the final couple weeks of the season.

The Padres put the veteran southpaw on waivers earlier this week. With their playoff hopes dashed, they tried to offload the roughly $817K remaining on his $8MM contract. No other team bit, leaving San Diego on the hook for that sum.

It’s not an especially surprising development. Players acquired after August 31 are ineligible to participate in the postseason. Hill is an impending free agent, so he’d only be available to another team for the final two and a half weeks of the regular season. Even with clubs permitted to carry 14 pitchers on the roster in September, there wasn’t enough upside to absorb Hill’s above-minimum salary for just a few weeks.

The 43-year-old also simply hasn’t pitched well of late. He has been tagged for a 9.25 ERA over 24 1/3 innings since the deadline trade that sent him from the Pirates to San Diego. That includes two innings of two-run ball last night against the Dodgers. (Teams are permitted to continue using a player who is on waivers pending resolution of the claim.) He has allowed multiple runs in all but one of his eight outings as a Padre and has only gone beyond four innings once.

While there’s no sugarcoating his performance over the past six weeks, Hill was a reasonably effective back-end option for Pittsburgh. He worked to a 4.76 ERA through 22 starts for the Bucs, striking out 19.6% of batters faced against an 8.9% walk rate. Those are below-average marks but serviceable for a fifth/sixth starter, enough to pique San Diego’s interest at the deadline.

Overall, Hill sports a 5.53 ERA across 143 1/3 innings in what is his 19th year logging MLB action. He can work in a multi-inning relief capacity or make another start or two as San Diego plays out the string. He’ll have to take a cut relative to this year’s salary if he wants to continue playing, but he’d surely at least find minor league interest if he’s interested in prolonging his career.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Free Agent Class Preview: Catcher and First Base, Márquez Extension and the Dodgers’ Rotation

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • What can the Tigers do about Spencer Turnbull? (16:45)
  • Will the Athletics change their spending habits after they move to Las Vegas? (22:00)
  • Why is the American League Central always so bad and will that ever change? (25:45)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Waiver Claim Fallout, September Call-Ups and the Biggest Strength of Each Playoff Contender – listen here
  • MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Shohei Ohtani’s Torn UCL, Free Agent Power Rankings and Stephen Strasburg to Retire – listen here
  • The White Sox Fire Their Front Office, Injured Rays and Prospect Promotion Time – listen here

Max Scherzer Unlikely To Return This Year Due To Teres Major Strain

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Rangers general manager Chris Young informed reporters, including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, that right-hander Max Scherzer has a teres major strain. Surgery is not needed but he is out of the rest of the regular season and “unlikely” to pitch in the playoffs either.  The Rangers officially placed Scherzer on the 15-day injured list shortly after the news was announced, with righty Jonathan Hernandez recalled in a corresponding move.

It is obviously a terrible development for the Rangers, who are in the midst of a tight playoff race with just over two weeks to go. The Rangers are a game back of the Astros in the West division and are currently clinging to the second Wild Card spot, but with both the Blue Jays and Mariners just half a game back. Scherzer left his start against the Jays last night and was slated for an MRI today, which apparently revealed the strain.

This is the latest setback in the club’s attempts to improve its starting rotation, which was a significant weak point last year. In the offseason, the club re-signed Martín Pérez, traded for Jake Odorizzi and signed free agents Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney, with that group joining incumbents Jon Gray and Dane Dunning. But Odorizzi never pitched for the club, requiring a shoulder procedure that wiped out his whole season. deGrom made six starts before landing on the injured list and ultimately requiring Tommy John surgery. Both Heaney and Pérez struggled earlier in the year and have been pitching out of the bullpen of late.

Despite those rotation challenges, the club has spent much of this season in first place in their division and went into the deadline as buyers, with the rotation an obvious area to address. They acquired Jordan Montgomery from the Cardinals and Scherzer from the Mets.

Scherzer wasn’t quite having as dominant a season as in the past, posting a 4.01 ERA with the Mets prior to the trade, but the Rangers were still naturally intrigued by his incredible track record that goes all the way back to 2008. They sent prospect Luisangel Acuña to the Mets in order to bring Scherzer aboard, though the latter club also sent $35MM to Texas in order to cover part of Scherzer’s salary for the rest of this year and next year as well.

The veteran had better results after the deal, with a 3.20 ERA over his eight starts since coming to the Rangers. Unfortunately, the club will now have to proceed through what’s left of the regular season without him. Even if they manage to hang on and get into the postseason, they will have to cobble a playoff rotation together while potential playoff starters like Scherzer and deGrom sit on the injured list. It seems the door is still slightly open for a return from Scherzer, though that would likely be contingent on the club making a late postseason run.

Subtracting Scherzer from the rotation leaves the Rangers with Montgomery, Eovaldi, Gray and Dunning. They will need a fifth starter as soon as this weekend, which could perhaps result in either Heaney or Pérez returning to the rotation. Heaney has an ERA of 4.10 on the year, though his 24% strikeout rate is a big drop from last year’s 35.5% clip and his walk rate has gone from 6.1% to 9.4%. Pérez had an ERA of 2.89 last year but it’s ballooned to 4.74 this year, as his strikeout rate has gone from 20.6% to 14.8%.

If Heaney gets the gig, or even if he now pitches more innings out of the bullpen, it could impact his contract status. He signed a two-year deal with the Rangers this winter, though he’s allowed to opt-out of that deal this winter. His 2024 player option is valued at $13MM, though it jumps to $20MM if he reaches 150 innings pitched this year and does not have an injury that would prevent him from being on the active roster within 60 days of Opening Day 2024. He’s currently at 136 innings for the season, just 14 shy of that target.

But in the short-term, the Rangers will surely be focused on putting the best possible staff together for their remaining contests as they hope to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016.

White Sox’s Jimmy Lambert To Undergo Minor Ankle Surgery

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White Sox reliever Jimmy Lambert will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his right ankle, reports Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. It’ll end his 2023 campaign but isn’t expected to linger too deep into the offseason.

Lambert has pitched in each of the last four big league seasons. He had his best showing in 2022, logging a career-high 47 innings with a 3.26 ERA. He didn’t recapture that success this year, allowing 5.26 earned runs per nine over 37 2/3 frames. He struck out a decent 23.8% of batters faced but walked opponents at an alarming 11.6% clip.

It seems likely Lambert has pitched through some measure of ankle discomfort for the bulk of the season. This is his second injured list stint of the year. He first landed on the shelf with inflammation in late May, missing around three weeks of action.

Lambert entered this season with one year and 134 days of major league service. He surpassed the two-year threshold but seems likely to fall a little shy of Super Two arbitration qualification thanks to a pair of optional stints that accounted for roughly six weeks in Triple-A this summer. He’ll be out of options next season, meaning the Sox would have to keep him in the MLB bullpen or take him off the 40-man roster entirely.

Cole Waites Undergoes UCL Reconstruction Surgery

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The Giants announced to reporters, including Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com, that right-hander Cole Waites underwent right elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery today. It’s unclear if it was a full Tommy John procedure or a modified internal brace procedure, but they list his timetable for return to play as 12 to 16 months.

Waites, 25, is already on the 60-day injured list. He was transferred there in July due to a right elbow sprain. There hadn’t been any updates on him in the past couple of months, but it seems that he and the club exhausted whatever non-surgical options they were considering and he will now go under the knife. He will miss the remainder of this season and quite likely all of the 2024 campaign.

Selected by the Giants in the 18th round of the 2019 draft, Waites has unfortunately been unable to log many innings since then. The minor leagues were wiped out by the pandemic in 2020 and then he required knee surgery in 2021. Despite those setbacks, he made it to the majors late last year and tossed 5 2/3 innings before adding another 2 1/3 this year. He currently has an earned run average of 6.75 in those eight big league innings and a mark of 3.76 in 103 minor league innings. He’s struck out 37.6% of minor league batters he’s faced but also walked 15.3%.

He will now have to battle through yet another significant setback, likely not pitching again until 2025, which will be his age-27 season. He will finish this year with less than a year of service time, meaning the Giants could potentially control him for another six years. But there’s no injured list in the offseason, meaning he would need to be added back onto the roster for the winter. Baseball America ranked him the #18 prospect in the system coming into the year, highlighting his triple-digit fastball.

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