Archives for September 2023

Cubs To Promote Pete Crow-Armstrong

By Steve Adams | September 11, 2023 at 9:00am CDT

The Cubs are calling up top outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. He’s expected to be activated prior to tomorrow’s game. The Cubs will need to make a 40-man roster move in order to formally select Crow-Armstrong’s contract.

Selected by the Mets with the No. 19 overall pick back in 2020, the now-21-year-old Crow-Armstrong was the headline prospect in the 2021 trade sending Javier Baez and Trevor Williams from Chicago to New York. Crow-Armstrong was already a prospect of note at the time, but his stock has skyrocketed since that swap; he currently ranks 12th on the leaguewide top-100 prospect lists at both Baseball America and MLB.com, while The Athletic’s Keith Law tabbed him 18th and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen pegs him 23rd.

While he’s long drawn praise as a 70- or even 80-grade defender in center field (on the 20-80 scale), Crow-Armstrong has grown into more power since being traded to the Cubs and now has the look of a potential five-tool center fielder. He’s split the current season between Double-A and Triple-A, turning in a combined .283/.365/.511 batting line with 20 home runs, 26 doubles, seven triples and 37 steals (in 47 tries).

Crow-Armstrong has whiffed a bit more often than the Cubs would prefer to see, punching out at a 25.8% rate against a higher-than-average (but far from elite) 9.2% walk rate. He’s also a 21-year-old facing much older and more experienced competition, so there’s likely some hope that he can continue to polish those bat-to-ball skills and refine his pitch selection as he ages.

The big picture hope for Crow-Armstrong is that he can become the Cubs’ everyday center fielder, holding down that position for the six-plus seasons which they’ll control him via arbitration. In the short-term, however, “PCA” will give the team an alternative to the struggling Mike Tauchman, who’s batting just .163/.295/.188 in 95 plate appearances over the past month. Cody Bellinger, of course, can handle center field as well, but he’s spent a fair bit of time at first base and designated hitter since returning from a knee injury earlier this summer. Crow-Armstrong can potentially allow him to continue doing so while still upgrading the outfield defense and perhaps providing some more offense than they’re currently receiving from Tauchman.

Even if he doesn’t play everyday, Crow-Armstrong adds a dynamic defender and plus threat on the basepaths who can be used late in games. That includes both in the regular season and potentially into October. While Crow-Armstrong wasn’t on the 40-man roster when the playoff eligibility deadline passed, he was still in the organization at that point, meaning the Cubs can petition the league to add him to the playoff roster in place of an injured player. Teams do this every year, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be able to suit up during postseason play.

In terms of service time considerations, Crow-Armstrong will remain under club control for six full seasons (plus the handful of days he’ll accrue late in the current year). Barring any future optional assignments that impact the trajectory, he’ll be controllable through the 2029 season and eligible for arbitration following the 2026 campaign.

Also of note for the Cubs is that the looming promotion to the big leagues won’t impact Crow-Armstrong’s rookie status for the 2024 season. He’ll surely be on every major top-100 prospect ranking heading into the 2024 season, meaning he’ll remain eligible for the new collective bargaining agreement’s “prospect promotion incentives,” which could net the Cubs bonus draft picks based on how he fares in future award voting.

The Opener: Wright, Conforto, Brewers/Marlins

By Nick Deeds | September 11, 2023 at 8:38am CDT

With less than three weeks to go until the 2023 regular season wraps up, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Will Wright return today?

The Braves are scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Phillies today, with veteran Charlie Morton set to take the ball against righty Taijuan Walker in game one. The Braves have not yet announced who will face off against right-hander Michael Lorenzen in Game 2, but manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) yesterday that one option to take the role is Kyle Wright. Wright is on the 60-day IL, so a corresponding 40-man roster move will be necessary to activate him.

The 27-year-old hurler has been on the injured list with a shoulder strain since early May and struggled to a 5.79 ERA in five starts to open the season, but was a dominant force in Atlanta’s rotation as recently as last year with a 3.19 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 180 1/3 innings of work. If Wright is healthy and effective in his return, he’ll provide a boost for a Braves club that already boasts the best record in baseball (93-49) as they look ahead to the postseason.

2. Conforto nearing return:

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Giants outfielder Michael Conforto is on the verge of returning to the big league club. Conforto’s been on the 10-day IL since late August with a hamstring strain, but could return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Guardians. After missing the entire 2022 campaign due to injury, Conforto has hit decently in 111 games this year, with a .251/.343/.405 slash line (107 wRC+) in 426 trips to the plate. While those numbers certainly aren’t bad by any means, they’re a far cry from the .265/.369/.495 slash line (133 wRC+) Conforto put together between 2017 and 2020 that gave him the look of an All-Star-caliber bat. A Conforto return would add a quality bat to a San Francisco offense that has gotten hot in recent days, with 34 runs scored in their past five games.

3. Series Preview: Marlins @ Brewers

A consequential series for the NL playoff picture kicks off today as the Marlins head to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers for four games. Miami sits just half a game back of the third NL Wild Card spot with a 74-69 record, while the Brewers are holding onto a three game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central division. While a strong performance from Milwaukee could give them additional breathing room in the division ahead of their final three-game set against Chicago to wrap up the regular season, this series holds even more importance for the Marlins as they stare down an impending three-game set against a fearsome Braves club, not to mention three more games against the Brewers during their homestand next week.

For game one this evening, Marlins lefty Jesus Luzardo (3.59 ERA) will take on Brewers righty Brandon Woodruff (2.30 ERA). The Marlins have not announced who will take on Freddy Peralta (3.89 ERA) in game two of the series, while the Brewers haven’t announced a starter opposite Braxton Garrett (3.82 ERA) for game three. Neither starter has been announced for Thursday’s series finale. Tonight’s game begins at 6:40pm CT.

Jasson Dominguez To Undergo Surgery To Repair UCL Tear

By Nick Deeds | September 10, 2023 at 10:59pm CDT

Top Yankees outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez has suffered a torn UCL, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Brendan Kuty of The Athletic) this afternoon. The news obviously brings the youngster’s 2023 campaign to a close, and will impact the start to his 2024 season as well. Speaking to reporters (including Kuty) through his translator, Dominguez confirmed he would be undergoing surgery, saying “The plan is to go through surgery as soon as possible and try to recuperate as soon as possible.”

A consensus top-50 prospect in baseball at the time of his promotion earlier this month, Dominguez’s big league career was off to a hot start despite just nine games of experience at the Triple-A level before reaching the show: in 33 trips to the plate with New York, the 20-year-old slashed a phenomenal .258/.303/.677 with four homers, a double, and a stolen base while playing a solid center field for the Yankees. Dominguez’s September cup of coffee was on track to put him firmly in the mix for a starting role entering the 2024 season, though this news surely puts that possibility into question.

Tommy John surgery is unlikely to wipe out the youngster’s entire 2024 campaign. The aforementioned 9-10 month recovery timeline would put Dominguez in position to return around the All-Star Break next year, though a more optimistic timeline is certainly possible. Yankees fans will surely remember shortstop Didi Gregorius undergoing the procedure in October 2018. He managed to return as the club’s everyday shortstop in early June, just under eight months after undergoing the procedure.

Of course, Phillies superstar Bryce Harper made a record-setting return from the surgery earlier this year, joining the club’s lineup just over five months after undergoing the procedure. That being said, fans likely shouldn’t expect a similarly speedy recovery for Dominguez. The 20-year-old youngster is still at the very beginning of his career as a big leaguer, and it would hardly be a surprise if the Yankees decided to take their time with the top prospect’s rehab. Additionally, Harper returned to the lineup as a DH for Philadelphia. By contrast, the Yankees have veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton firmly entrenched as the club’s everyday DH for the foreseeable future. To this point in the season, Stanton has made just 32 appearances in the outfield, and it seems unlikely the Yankees would move him to an everyday outfield role to accommodate a quicker return for Dominguez.

With Dominguez unlikely to serve as a reliable option in center field for at least the first few months of 2024, the injury highlights New York’s need for outfield help as they look ahead to the coming offseason. Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger stands at the front of the coming market for outfield options, with Tommy Pham, Teoscar Hernandez, Jorge Soler, and Michael Brantley representing other potential options set to hit the open market this winter. The Yankees are also known to have looked into the trade market for outfield help at the trade deadline this year, with a particular interest in Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson. While no deal came together before the deadline this summer, it’s certainly feasible trade talks could be revisited in the coming offseason.

The New Fernando Tatis Jr.

By Nick Deeds | September 10, 2023 at 10:08pm CDT

Just over a year ago, MLB announced that Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. had been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for Clostebol, a banned performance-enhancing substance. The announcement came as Tatis was on the cusp of making his 2022 season debut after undergoing wrist surgery in March of that year due to a fractured wrist sustained during an offseason motorcycle accident.

The news shook the baseball world, as it was the first time a star player in his prime had been suspended for PED usage since Ryan Braun nearly a decade earlier. A whirlwind of controversy surrounded Tatis throughout the 2022 campaign and in the lead up to his return to the field back in April. Since then, however, Tatis has fallen into the background as discourse surrounding the Padres quickly began to focus on their disappointing season. Down years from Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Yu Darvish captured most of the focus around the baseball world, as well as the strong performances the club has received from Blake Snell, Juan Soto, and Ha-Seong Kim.

Though Tatis hasn’t been at the forefront of most fans’ minds this season, we’re getting a glimpse of what the now-24 year old looks like as a player in the wake of his lost season last year. While he hasn’t been the perennial-MVP candidate he looked to be in his first three seasons as a big leaguer, Tatis has put together a radically different profile this year that nonetheless should keep him in the conversation as one of the best everyday regulars in the sport.

From his debut in 2019 until the 2021 campaign that saw him appear in his first career All Star game and finish third in NL MVP voting, Tatis was the prototypical young superstar. A shortstop with speed and power, Tatis featured the best ISO, the second best wRC+, and the third best fWAR total among MLB regulars during his first three seasons as a big leaguer. Meanwhile, Statcast indicates the youngster boasted sprint speeds and barrel rates in the 95th percentile or better in each of those seasons, clearly indicating he was elite in both respects. On the other side of things, Tatis had a significant problem with strikeouts. His 27.6% strikeout rate in the first three seasons of his career was the 19th-highest among MLB regulars, higher than the likes of Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler.

Flash forward to 2023, and almost all of these things have changed. Most obviously, Tatis is no longer a shortstop; both Bogaerts and Kim have supplanted San Diego’s $340MM man on the infield depth chart, prompting Tatis to move into a regular role in the outfield. He’s played right field almost exclusively this year, with four games in center and a one-inning cameo at second base representing his only appearances elsewhere on the diamond. While Tatis’s glove may have slid down the defensive hierarchy in 2023, his value on defense has soared. Tatis was worth -10 Outs Above Average and -9 Defensive Runs Saved as a shortstop in his first three seasons in the majors, leaving him well below average at the position.

By contrast, Tatis’s aforementioned move to the outfield has seen him not only provide positive value with his glove, but become one of the best defensive players in the sport this year. Tatis ranks in the 96th percentile with a +12 OAA in 2023, a figure bested by zero outfielders and only eight players at any position this season. Meanwhile, his +23 DRS makes him the second most valuable fielder in all of baseball this year by that metric, outclassed by only Daulton Varsho’s +26 figure.

While Tatis’s defense has shown this season, his offense has taken a considerable hit. Overall on the season, he’s slashed just .257/.321/.455 in 558 trips to the plate. While that’s still good for a well above average wRC+ of 115, it pales in comparison to the 154 figure he entered the 2023 campaign with for his career. That drop in offensive production comes almost exclusively from a relative power outage. Tatis has hit just 23 homers this season, a far cry from his 2021 season where he slammed 42 dingers in less trips to the plate than he’s taken this year. His once-lofty ISO that was second to only Shohei Ohtani in 2021 has dropped to just .198 this year. That figure is barely enough to crack the top 50, putting him alongside the likes of Justin Turner and Willson Contreras rather than Ohtani and Matt Olson.

That being said, it hasn’t been all bad for Tatis on the offensive side of things. His speed is as elite as ever, clocking in with a 95th percentile sprint speed per Statcast. Meanwhile, he’s 25-for-29 on the bases, and figure identical to his 2021 total. What’s more, he’s seen considerable improvements in his strikeout rate. He’s punching out in just 21.7% of his plate appearances this year, a figure that puts him in line with hitters like Francisco Lindor, Jeimer Candelario and Josh Bell and pushes him to better than league average in terms of strikeouts for the first time in his career.

That improvement in strikeouts is thanks to Tatis posting the highest full-season contact rate of his career, as he’s made contact on 71.4% of his swings compared to 68.4% for his career entering his season. Unfortunately, he’s also swinging more than he did in his first three seasons. While he entered 2023 swinging at less than half of the pitches he’s seen in his career (49.1%), that figure has jumped to 54.3% in 2023. While that isn’t necessarily a problem, those additional swings are primarily occurring outside the strike zone: after swinging at 32% of pitches seen outside of the zone from 2019-21, he’s swinging at 36.1% of those same pitches this year. Given that, it’s hardly a surprise he’s posting the lowest barrel rate of his career (11.9%) despite a Hard-Hit rate that’s largely in line with his career norms.

Only time will tell if Tatis will be able to recapture his elite power stroke in the future by swinging less often outside of the strike zone. Fortunately for the Padres, though, Tatis remains an immensely valuable player even if his 2023 performance with the bat is his new normal. Tatis has been worth 4.0 fWAR and 5.0 rWAR this season. That fWAR figure puts him in the same ballpark as quality players like Soto, Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger this year, while his rWAR is the eighth-highest total in the NL this season. With 11 more years left on Tatis’s megadeal with the Padres, it’s surely a relief to A.J. Preller’s front office that the player they’ll be paying through his age-35 season can still play at an All Star-caliber level, even if he’s no longer be the 40-homer shortstop he was in 2021.

NL Notes: Kershaw, Candelario, Slater, Alvarez

By Nick Deeds | September 10, 2023 at 8:19pm CDT

The Dodgers have decided to push the next start of veteran ace Clayton Kershaw to Friday, as noted by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Kershaw was originally slated to start tomorrow’s game against the Padres. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that the decision to move Kershaw’s start wasn’t prompted by a physical issue, saying that the main goal in pushing his start back is lining up the rotation for the postseason.

As Plunkett notes, however, Kershaw’s workload has been carefully monitored by the Dodgers ever since he returned from a six-week sojourn on the injured list due to shoulder issues. Kershaw has not pitched beyond the fifth inning since returning and has eclipsed 80 pitches in a start just once. Plunkett also spoke with pitching coach Mark Prior regarding Kershaw’s dip in velocity since returning, with Prior calling the drop below 90 mph on Kershaw’s fastball “surprising,” though he added that Kershaw maintains that his shoulder feels fine.

If there’s any concerns regarding Kershaw’s ability to start playoff games deep into the postseason, it certainly makes sense for the Dodgers to manage his workload carefully down the stretch. The club has a massive 13 game lead in the NL West, essentially guaranteeing them a division title, while the Playoff Odds at Fangraphs give LA a whopping 99.8% chance to clinch a bye in the Wild Card round, allowing them to move directly into the NLDS. With regular season games rapidly waning in importance for the Dodgers and a rotation featuring Kershaw, Lance Lynn (6.09 ERA in 28 starts) and a trio of rookies led by Bobby Miller (3.98 ERA in 18 starts), it’s a no-brainer for the Dodgers to take as few risks with their 35-year-old ace’s arm as possible.

More from the National League…

Cubs infielder Jeimer Candelario exited today’s game against the Diamondbacks due to back tightness, as manager David Ross told reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) this evening, and will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Candelario has had a big rebound season since being non-tendered by the Tigers last winter, as the switch-hitter has slashed .254/.339/.475 in 553 trips to the plate split between the Nationals and Cubs this season. He’s cooled off a bit recently, slashing just .161/.257/.356 in his last 101 trips to the plate, but that month long cold stretch doesn’t change the fact that Candelario is a key piece of Chicago’s lineup alongside the likes of Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki as they look to return to the playoffs in a full season for the first time since 2018. Should Candelario miss time with the injury, the club figures to rely on Nick Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom at third base.
Giants outfielder Austin Slater has been out of the lineup in recent days due to illness, with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noting that the 30 year old visited a specialist recently and received vertigo medicine, which has helped to alleviate the dizziness and balance issues he had been struggling with. It’s been a bit of a down year for Slater, as he’s hit just .248/.328/.379 as he’s shifted to more of a part time role with San Francisco. Luis Matos has acted as the club’s primary center fielder in Slater’s absence.
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez left today’s game against the Twins in the seventh inning after being struck in the hand by a pitch during the fifth inning. Fortuantely, Mike Puma of the New York Post noted that Alvarez underwent x-rays on his hand that came back negative, indicating the 21-year-old rookie avoided a serious injury. Alvarez took over as the club’s primary catcher following an early-season injury to veteran backstop Omar Narvaez and has performed solidly in the role, hitting .212/.288/.434 in 107 games. That stat line is good for a wRC+ of 98, ahead of quality regulars behind the plate like Alejandro Kirk, Yan Gomes, and Tyler Stephenson.

White Sox GM Chris Getz Discusses Club’s Future

By Nick Deeds | September 10, 2023 at 7:00pm CDT

Newly-minted White Sox GM Chris Getz spoke with reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin) yesterday about the team’s future with him now at the helm.

Getz has already confirmed that manager Pedro Grifol will return in 2024, but the club’s new GM elaborated on that decision yesterday, noting that the Sox’s disappointing season in 2022 put Grifol in a “tough situation” this season.

“His experience is very valuable with all the different roles he’s had in this game.” Getz said of Grifol, “He has experienced winning. He’s determined to get this right. I think that different type of support, he’ll benefit from. And I think that the leadership starting with myself could really help him do that.”

Getz added that he will need to go through an “assessment period” over the last few weeks of the season where he will spend time with Grifol, the coaching staff, and the players in order to determine what needs to happen to improve the team headed into 2024. That being said, he did indicate that his goal is to regain the “edge” that he believes the club has lost in recent years. Getz went on to suggest that he hoped to improve the club’s professionalism going forward, a goal that tracks with recent comments from former White Sox reliever Kenyan Middleton, who criticized the organization’s clubhouse culture.

In addition to reshaping the club’s culture, Getz also discussed ways he hopes to improve the team on the field headed into 2024, with an emphasis on athleticism. It’s a sensible goal for the offseason given Fielding Bible ranks Chicago 29th of MLB’s 30 teams in terms of team Defensive Runs Saved with a -46 figure, while only seven teams have stolen less bases than the White Sox this year. In pursuing that goal of increased athleticism, Getz indicates the club will “exhaust” ways to improve the team, a philosophy that extends to potentially moving players currently on the roster.

While it’s not exactly a surprise that a club flirting with a 100-loss season like the White Sox would consider dealing players from their big league roster, it’s still a noteworthy position for Getz to take. The White Sox figure to have significant space to make additions this season with a projected 2024 payroll of just under $100MM per RosterResource, though that figure doesn’t include arbitration contracts for players like Dylan Cease, Andrew Vaughn, and Michael Kopech. While that should give the club room to pursue free agents to improve the club, Getz’s plans to explore deals involving their current roster indicate a more significant retool could be possible for the south siders this offseason.

Royals To Select Logan Porter

By Nick Deeds | September 10, 2023 at 6:07pm CDT

The Royals are set to select the contract of catcher of Logan Porter, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The Royals have a full 40-man roster, so a corresponding move will be necessary to clear space for Porter.

The news is a triumph for Porter, 28, who joined the Royals organization as an undrafted free agent back in 2018. Porter broke out at the Double-A level last year, slashing .301/.437/.487 while acting as the team’s starting catcher. That garnered him a promotion to Triple-A late in the year, though his numbers since being promoted late last year have been closer to solid than excellent; in 144 career games at Triple-A, Porter has slashed .250/.370/.398. That includes a downturn in production this year at the plate that’s seen him hit just .235/.342/.381 in 109 plate appearances with a career-high 25.2% strikeout rate, though he’s still walking at an impressive 13.5% clip.

With youngster MJ Melendez not having played behind the plate since April and Freddy Fermin on the injured list due to a fractured finger, the Royals have an opening at catcher on their roster as they look for someone to share time with veteran backstop Salvador Perez behind the plate. While Perez plays most days, he’s split time at first base in recent months, opening up additional starts behind the plate for his backup.

The Royals selected Double-A catcher Tyler Cropley to the big league roster yesterday, though he has yet to make it into a game. It’s not yet clear whether the Royals will employ three catchers with each of Cropley and Porter spelling Perez behind the plate, or if Porter’s impending selection could spell the end of Cropley’s time with the big league club. In addition to Porter’s experience at the Triple-A level, where Cropley has not yet appeared in his career, Cropley’s offensive performance this season has been far below Porter’s, as the 27-year-old has slashed just .235/.329/.359 in 43 games at Double-A this season.

Angels Activate Ben Joyce, Zach Neto

By Nick Deeds | September 10, 2023 at 4:06pm CDT

The Angels announced this afternoon that they had activated right-hander Ben Joyce from the 60-day injured list and shortstop Zach Neto from the 10-day injured list. In corresponding moves, first baseman Trey Cabbage and left-hander Kolton Ingram were optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. Anaheim’s 40-man roster stands at 39 after activating Joyce.

The club’s first- and third-round picks in the 2022 draft, Neto and Joyce were the first members of the 2022 draft class to reach the majors, with both doing so by the end of May this season. Each player has held his own at the highest level despite being fast-tracked to the big leagues, with Neto posting a 97 wRC+ in 252 trips to the plate alongside solid defense at shortstop, while Joyce has shown a fastball that sits at over 101 mph while posting a 4.50 ERA that’s 9% better than league average by ERA+.

While the respective debuts of each youngster have been impressive considering their lack of development time in the minor leagues, the 2023 seasons have been marred by injuries for both players. Joyce managed just four innings of work in five appearances before going on the injured list with ulnar neuritis in early June and missing the next three months. Neto, on the other hand, spent a month on the shelf earlier in the season due to an oblique strain before returning after the All Star break for a two-week stretch during which he batted an abysmal .180/.226/.340. He ultimately was placed back on the injured list in early August with lower back inflammation.

With three weeks left in the regular season, both rookies will be afforded the opportunity to finish their first big league campaign on a high note. Neto figures to take over as the club’s everyday shortstop, pushing Kyren Paris to the bench. Joyce, meanwhile, could get some looks in high-leverage situations down the stretch with key leverage relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo Lopez having been claimed off waivers by the Guardians at the end of August. That’s left the Anaheim bullpen with few clear high-leverage options beyond closer Carlos Estevez.

As for the players making room for the rookie duo, Cabbage is a left-handed power bat who first joined the big league club back in July, replacing Anthony Rendon as a member of the club’s infield mix. Cabbage has experience at first base, third base, and all three outfield spots, but ultimately struggled with the bat in 56 trips to the plate with the Angels, slashing just .208/.232/.321 with a massive 46.4% strikeout rate. Cabbage, 26, will need to cut down on the strikeouts significantly if he’s going to contribute in the majors as anything more than an injury replacement.

Ingram, meanwhile, posted phenomenal numbers in the minor leagues this season for the organization, including a 3.49 ERA in 28 1/3 Triple-A innings made all the more impressive thanks to the heightened offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old southpaw, his first taste of big league action back in June did not go as he surely hoped it would, as he was lit up for three runs in his major league debut while recording only one out. In all, Ingram owns a brutal 10.38 ERA in 4 1/3 innings of work at the big league level, though as a southpaw with success in the upper minors, he still figures to be an intriguing potential bullpen piece for the Angels headed into 2024.

AL East Notes: Means, Adam, Margot, Baz, Bowman, Misiewicz

By Mark Polishuk | September 10, 2023 at 1:36pm CDT

John Means’ long recovery from Tommy John surgery is nearing an end, as the Orioles southpaw threw a bullpen session yesterday and is tentatively expected to start Tuesday’s game against the Cardinals, though the O’s haven’t yet announced most of their upcoming rotation alignment. “I’ve been waiting a while for this, so just looking forward to whenever that opportunity is, I take advantage of it,” Means told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters today.

The de facto ace of Baltimore’s pitching staff during the club’s rebuild, Means posted a 3.72 ERA over 353 1/3 innings for the O’s from 2019-2022, though TJ surgery ended his 2022 season after only two starts and eight innings. Between that procedure and then a back strain that delayed his rehab earlier this year, Means hasn’t much contributed to the Orioles resurgence that included a winning record in 2022 and now the American League’s best record in 2023. Naturally, Means is both “really excited to compete again” in general, and especially for a team that suddenly looks like a World Series contender. It remains to be seen how exactly he’ll fit into the Orioles’ pitching plans, and Means said that he hasn’t talked to the club yet about starting or relieving, though he is open to either.

Dodgers Select Wander Suero, Place Gus Varland On 15-Day IL

By Mark Polishuk | September 10, 2023 at 11:55am CDT

The Dodgers have placed right-hander Gus Varland on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right knee. Taking Varland’s place is another righty, as Los Angeles has selected Wander Suero’s contract from Triple-A.

Suero inked a minor league deal with L.A. during the offseason, and this is the second time the Dodgers have selected him to the active roster. His first stint saw him post an 8.10 ERA over four appearances and 6 2/3 innings, and Suero was then designated for assignment and outrighted back to Triple-A. Because Suero entered the season with more than three years of MLB service time, he could’ve rejected that outright assignment and returned to free agency, but he instead opted to remain in the Dodgers organization.

Given all of the Dodgers’ pitching injuries, Suero might be able to carve out a bullpen role if he pitches well, though his selection might just represent a short-term way to get a fresh arm onto the roster. It’s at least another look in the Show for Suero, who spent 2022 in the Angels’ farm system and in the Mexican League without seeing any big league action. Prior to 2022, Suero tossed 185 1/3 relief innings for the Nationals from 2018-21, including 71 1/3 frames during Washington’s 2019 championship season.

Varland just pitched yesterday, and picked up the loss in the Dodgers’ 7-6 loss to the Nationals in 11 innings. 2023 is Varland’s first Major League season, as he has posted a 6.64 ERA over 20 1/3 combined innings with the Brewers and Dodgers. Selected by Milwaukee from L.A. back in December during the Rule 5 Draft, the Brewers returned Varland to the Dodgers in May, and the righty has pitched a bit better in the Dodger Blue. Varland has a 3.09 ERA in 11 2/3 frames with the Dodgers as opposed to an outsized 11.42 ERA in 8 2/3 innings with the Brewers, though given the small sample sizes and some similarly uninspiring peripherals on both teams, Varland’s improvement with the Dodgers might be more due to good fortune.

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