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Shohei Ohtani Exits With Right Middle Finger Blister

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Just hours after the club placed superstar Mike Trout on the injured list with a hamate fracture, the Angels fans are surely reeling after watching a franchise icon exit due to injury for the second consecutive night. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani left his start this evening with what the club announced as a right middle finger blister. Outfielder Jo Adell then pinch-hit for Ohtani the next time he was due up to bat.

Following the game, Ohtani told reporters (including Sam Blum of The Athletic) through his interpreter that he wasn’t sure how his hitting would be impacted by the injury in the short term. With just three games left until the All Star break, it would be understandable if the club decided to proceed with caution and give their superstar extra time off to heal and prepare for the second half. Ohtani, who was elected to the All Star game as the starting DH for the AL, noted he does not expect to pitch due to the injury, though he did not comment on whether he would participate as a hitter.

The blister issue comes on the heels of Ohtani having his start, originally scheduled for yesterday, pushed back a day while he dealt with a cracked fingernail. As noted by Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, the fingernail issue hadn’t fully healed prior to tonight’s game and contributed to the blister, which worsened as the start went on. Ohtani indicated that he’s hopeful he’ll be able to make his next start, which would likely be slated for the Astros series that immediately follows the All Star break.

Ohtani wasn’t the only big name player to exit tonight’s 8-5 loss to the Padres with an injury, as third baseman Anthony Rendon fouled a ball off his shin and exited the game. Per Fletcher, Rendon’s x-rays came back negative and he was diagnosed with a shin contusion. After the game, Rendon used crutches while speaking to reporters. As noted by Blum, the veteran infielder told reporters that he expects to know more about whether or not he’s headed for a stint on the injured list tomorrow but that “it’s not looking good” regarding his ability to return to action in short order.

Anaheim’s awful fortune in the injury department comes as the club looks to stop a 4-10 skid that has seen them fall to an uninspiring 45-43 record. That record leaves the Halos seven games back in the AL West and four games out of a Wild Card spot as they try to make the most of Ohtani’s final season under team control before he can hit the open market this offseason for what is perhaps the most anticipated free agency of all time. Going forward, they’ll look to keep things afloat in the run up to the trade deadline on August 1 and Trout’s return, which is expected to occur sometime next month.

Dustin May To Undergo Season-Ending Flexor Tendon Surgery

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Dodgers right-hander Dustin May will undergo surgery on his right elbow to repair the flexor tendon later this month, per a team announcement. The surgery will bring an end to May’s 2023 campaign. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic adds that May will also undergo a Tommy John revision for a Grade 2 UCL sprain, noting that the Dodgers hope May will be able to return midseason in 2024.

May initially went on the injured list back in May with a flexor pronator strain that offered an initial recovery timeline of just four to six weeks. That, of course, didn’t come to pass. LA placed May on the 60-day injured list less than a week later, a move that suggested the injury could be more significant than the club initially believed and pushed the earliest possible date for May’s return until after the All Star break. Now, the question of May’s return to action will be pushed to the 2024 campaign.

It’s a serious blow to the club’s rotation, as May posted an impressive 2.63 ERA (68% better than league average by ERA+) and a 3.27 FIP in 48 innings of work this season prior to his placement on the IL. May is far from the only arm in the club’s rotation picture who’s struggling with injuries or ineffectiveness, as well. Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard are both on the shelf at the moment, while Walker Buehler and Ryan Pepiot have yet to throw a pitch for the club during the 2023 regular season.

Meanwhile, Julio Urias is coming off a six week trip to the IL of his own and has struggled to a 4.94 ERA and 5.30 FIP in the 11 starts he’s made this season. Tony Gonsolin has mostly pitched well this season, with a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings, but has also spent time on the injured list and owns a 9.42 ERA across his last three starts. Youngsters Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove, and Gavin Stone have been tasked with picking up the rotation’s slack to mixed results; while Miller and Sheehan have largely proven successful, Grove and Stone haven’t done the same. Altogether, the quartet of prospects has posted a 6.01 ERA in 106 1/3 innings this season.

The Dodgers were already widely expected to pursue pitching upgrades ahead of the trade deadline on August 1, and today’s news should only increase the club’s urgency in that regard. It’s hard to say with certainty which players will be available, given the number of teams that have yet to commit to selling. That being said, Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly of the Cubs, Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty of the Cardinals, and Lucas Giolito of the White Sox are among the names that have garnered the most speculation to this point in the season.

Of course, there are plenty of names that would bolster weak Dodgers pitching staff that sports a bullpen ERA of 4.48 (third worst in the NL) in addition to the aforementioned rotation struggles, including relief arms like Reynaldo Lopez of the White Sox and Scott Barlow of the Royals. Considering the club’s 47-37 record that puts them just two games back in the NL West and gives them possession of the second NL wild card spot, the Dodgers are well positioned to make impactful adds to their pitching staff over the next few weeks.

In the longer term, May’s injury leaves an additional question mark for the Dodgers as they look ahead to 2024. The club’s starting rotation is slated to lose Kershaw, Urias, and Syndergaard to free agency this offseason. Buehler (who figures to pitch his first full season back from Tommy John surgery next year) and Gonsolin seem poised to occupy two spots in the club’s starting group.

While it seems reasonable to expect at least one empty slot in the rotation to be dedicated to the club’s current crop of youngsters, that still leaves two vacancies for the club to fill in its rotation for Opening Day 2024, whether that be by way of re-signing one of their outgoing free agents, dipping into the rest of a deep free agent pitching class, or by acquiring an arm controlled beyond this season via trade. Of course, the Dodgers are widely expected to have interest in two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani when he hits the open market after the 2023 campaign comes to an end, but Ohtani has pitched exclusively as a member of a six-man rotation during his time in the majors, meaning his hypothetical addition wouldn’t change the club’s need for additional arms.

AL Central Notes: Twins, McKenzie, Greene, White Sox

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The Twins shuffled their bullpen around a bit today as the club announced that right-hander Jorge Lopez had been reinstated from the injured list. The former All Star was placed on the 15-day IL last month for mental health reasons and told reporters (including Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com) that he’s feeling good about where he’s at as he returns to the mound while expressing appreciation for the organization’s support during his IL stint.

The 30-year-old righty broke out in a big way with the Orioles last season, posting a 1.68 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 48 1/3 innings before Baltimore shipped him to Minnesota at the trade deadline for a package including 2023 relief standout Yennier Cano. Since joining the Twins, Lopez has struggled to a 4.71 ERA and 5.37 FIP in 49 2/3 innings. Lopez, who has two seasons of team control left through arbitration, will look to get his Twins career on track going forward this season as part of a Twins bullpen currently relying on Emilio Pagan, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran in the late innings.

Lopez’s return isn’t the only change in the Twins bullpen on the horizon, however, as manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters, including The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman, that righty pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic, who had recently been pitching in long relief out of the major league bullpen, will be shortened up and used as a more traditional reliever going forward. Balazovic has impressed in his first call-up to the big leagues this season, with a 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 innings across six appearances.

More from around the AL Central…

  • Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie will look to recover from last month’s UCL sprain without going under the knife, per The Athletic’s Zack Meisel. Meisel notes that the 25-year-old righty will be shut down for three more weeks but that Cleveland is hopeful McKenzie will be able to return to the big league mound at some point this season. The prospect of McKenzie returning this season is surely a tantalizing one for Guardians fans, as the young right-hander broke out in a big way last season with a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings of work. With McKenzie on the shelf, Cleveland is currently utilizing a rotation of Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, Aaron Civale, Tanner Bibee, and Gavin Williams.
  • Tigers outfielder Riley Greene began a rehab assignment with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Toledo yesterday, with Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic among those noting that he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow. That Greene is seemingly nearing a return is fantastic news for the Tigers, who returned left-hander Tarik Skubal from the injured list today and are surely hoping to receive a similar boost from the return of Greene. The 22-year-old outfielder has posted a 127 wRC+ in 224 plate appearances this season in conjunction with stellar center field defense.
  • The White Sox announced today that they had recalled outfielder Oscar Colas to the major league roster. Colas made the club’s Opening Day roster this season as the primary right fielder but struggled to a slash line of just .211/.265/.276 in 84 plate appearances before returning to Triple-A. He’s hit well with the club’s affiliate in Charlotte since then, however, boasting a solid .293/.359/.508 slash line in 212 plate appearances. That performance has seeming earned Colas another shot in right at the big league level, where he’ll likely share time with Gavin Sheets going forward.

Blue Jays To Recall Alek Manoah For Friday Start

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The Blue Jays will recall Alek Manoah to start Friday’s game, manager John Schneider tells reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

The Manoah storyline has been one of the more unusual ones in baseball this season. He broke out in 2021 with a 3.22 ERA over 20 starts in his rookie season. He then took things to another level in 2022 with a 2.24 ERA over 31 starts, logging 196 2/3 innings on the year. He finished third in American League Cy Young voting last year, trailing only Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease.

But he followed that up with immense struggles here in 2023. Through 13 starts, he was tagged for a 6.36 ERA. His strikeout rate dropped from last year’s 22.9% figure to just 17% this year. His walk rate climbed from 6.5% to 14.9%. The situation finally became untenable after a start against the Astros in which he recorded just one out but allowed six earned runs.

It was at that point that the club made the decision to option Manoah, but they didn’t just send him to Triple-A. They sent him to Dunedin, where their Single-A and Complex League clubs play and the club also houses various resources to help pitchers with their mechanics and other fine points of pitching.

It was about three weeks later that he actually pitched in a minor league game, allowing 11 earned runs in a Complex League contest at the end of June. That was followed up with a more encouraging Double-A start on Sunday wherein he allowed just one run in five innings, striking out 10 while walking three. Schneider tells Keegan Matheson of MLB.com that Manoah was able to make a small tweak to get his mechanics to where they were during his successful 2022 season and the club has decided to give him another shot facing big league hitters.

With Manoah gone, the club didn’t fill his rotation spot with a fixed solution. Alongside the four consistent rotation members of Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi, they frequently deployed bullpen games that leaned heavily on pitchers like Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis. If Manoah can make a successful return, it would help the club stabilize the rotation and avoid further taxing the relief corps. Though if it doesn’t work out, Hyun Jin Ryu has begun a rehab assignment and could perhaps step up in a few weeks’ time.

The progression of both Manoah and Ryu will be an interesting storyline to watch, with less than a month remaining until this year’s August 1 trade deadline. General manager Ross Atkins recently spoke about how the rotation was an “obvious” target for the club, though he also mentioned that the status of both Manoah and Ryu were going to be factors in their approach. The Jays are currently 45-40, which places them 2.5 games out of a playoff spot.

Even if Manoah is now up for good, it’s possible that his time in the minors has pushed back his ability to qualify for arbitration by a year. He came into this season with his service time at one year and 130 days, meaning the highest he could get here in 2023 would be 2.130. That would have left him shy of three years and automatic qualification, though he would have been in decent position to qualify as a Super Two player, but the missed time will now hurt his chances in that regard.

Dodgers Acquire Pat Valaika From Mariners

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The Dodgers have acquired infielder Pat Valaika from the Mariners, per Alex Freedman, broadcaster for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. It’s unknown what the Mariners are getting in return but it’s possible it’s just a cash deal.

Valaika, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in April and has been in Triple-A this year. In 38 games at that level, he’s walked in 13.3% of his 143 plate appearances. However, he’s hit only four home runs in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, so his .240/.343/.405 slash line amounts to a wRC+ of just 77.

He hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2021 but has 374 games of major league experience with the Rockies and Orioles dating back to 2016. He hit .221/.264/.378 in those contests for a wRC+ of just 62, striking out in 27.2% of his trips to the plate and walking in 5.4% of them. He was able to provide defensive versatility though, having played all four infield positions, the outfield corners and even taking the mound for mop-up duty twice.

The Dodgers have been without infielder Gavin Lux all year after he tore the ACL in his right knee during Spring Training. More recently, utility player Chris Taylor landed on the injured list due to a bone bruise in his knee. That has pushed outfielder Mookie Betts into spending more time in the middle infield of late. Glove-first shortstop Miguel Rojas is still in the lineup pretty regularly but he’s hitting just .236/.276/.291 for a wRC+ of 56, below his own standards. Meanwhile, Miguel Vargas is hitting just .197/.301/.369 for an 85 wRC+ and Yonny Hernández is at .222/.273/.333, 62 wRC+.

It’s not the most inspiring part of the Dodgers’ roster and they have decided to add some depth by bringing aboard a veteran in Valaika. He’ll head to Oklahoma City and try to work his way back to the big leagues. If he succeeds, he still has an option year and could be sent back down without being exposed to waivers.

KBO’s Kia Tigers Release Adonis Medina, Sign Mario Sanchez

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The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization have released right-hander Adonis Medina, per Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency. Right-hander Mario Sanchez will replace Medina, per CPBL Stats.

Medina, 26, pitched in 10 MLB games over the 2020-2022 period with the Phillies and Mets. He had a 5.35 ERA in that time and was outrighted off the Mets’ roster in September. He headed to Korea this year to join the Tigers but it didn’t go especially well. He posted a 6.05 ERA in 58 innings over 12 starts. He struck out just 13.9% of batters faced while walking 10.8%. KBO teams are only allowed three roster spots for non-Korean players and the Tigers have apparently decided to go in a different direction with one of theirs.

Sanchez, 28, will be the beneficiary of the move. He began the year with the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in the Chinese Professional Baseball League of Taiwan. He made 10 appearances for the Lions, nine starts, with a 1.44 ERA in 62 2/3 innings. He only struck out 17.4% of opponents but kept his walks down to a tiny 4.6% rate. Those strong results will get him an opportunity to showcase himself in the KBO.

Sanchez doesn’t have major league experience but did spend many years in affiliated ball. Initially a prospect with the Nationals, he went to the Phillies as the played to be named later in the 2016 trade that sent Jimmy Cordero to Washington. He never made it past Double-A with the Phils, then returned to the Nats in a minor league capacity. He topped out at Triple-A with the Nats and also the Twins in recent years before heading to Taiwan this season.

Padres Designate Nelson Cruz For Assignment

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The Padres announced a series of roster moves today, recalled left-hander José Castillo, right-hander Matt Waldron and infielder Matthew Batten. In corresponding moves, right-hander Domingo Tapia was optioned to Triple-A El Paso, righty Michael Wacha was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 2) with right shoulder inflammation and designated hitter Nelson Cruz was designated for assignment.

Cruz, 43, has long been one of the most feared sluggers in the league but has struggled over the past couple of years. In 2021, he was hitting .294/.370/.537 for the Twins with a 142 wRC+ when they flipped him to the Rays. That deal worked out very well for the Twins but Cruz slumped after switching jerseys, hitting just .226/.283/.442, 95 wRC+. He then signed with the Nats for 2022 but hit just .234/.313/.337 for a wRC+ of 85.

As last season was winding down, he underwent surgery to address some inflammation in his eye, which he said was impacting his ability to pick up spin on the ball. The Padres took a gamble on a bounceback from Cruz, giving him a $1MM guarantee on a one-year deal. Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to pass, with Cruz hitting just .245/.283/.399 thus far for a wRC+ of 85. He’s striking out at a 30.3% rate and walking just 3.9% of the time, both of those marks easily the worst of his career.

He’s essentially just a designated hitter at this point in his career, having not played the outfield since 2018 and logging just one inning at first base this year. That makes it especially important that he produce at the plate, something he hasn’t been able to do for a couple of years now.

The Padres will now have one week to trade Cruz or pass him through waivers. It’s possible that some club is intrigued based on his past production and modest salary, though that remains to be seen. As a veteran with more than five years of service time, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment in the event he clears waivers while retaining his salary. That means he’s likely to end up released if the Friars can’t find a trade partner in the coming days.

As for Wacha, his shoulder has been an ongoing minor issue. His start on June 24 was skipped due to fatigue in that shoulder, though he did later take the ball on July 1 and toss five innings. Manager Bob Melvin tells AJ Cassavell of MLB.com that the club is trying to use next week’s All-Star break to give him a chance to fully heal up. He has a 2.84 ERA through 15 starts this year, so the team will surely be hoping that a little breather is all he needs to get back on track.

Tigers Reinstate Tarik Skubal, Place Tyler Alexander On 60-Day IL

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The Tigers announced that they have reinstated left-hander Tarik Skubal from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, lefty Tyler Alexander is going the other way, having been placed directly onto the 60-day IL with a left lat/shoulder strain. Alexander’s IL placement is retroactive to July 3.

Skubal, 26, returns to the big league mound for the first time in almost a year. He was enjoying a breakout season last year, posting a 3.52 ERA through 21 starts with a 24.5% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, his last outing was August 1 of last year, after which he required flexor tendon surgery.

Skubal’s injury has been just one of many suffered by the Tigers’ rotation. Each of Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Casey Mize, Matthew Boyd, Eduardo Rodriguez and Spencer Turnbull are currently on the IL due to various ailments. Matt Manning also missed significant time, though he is now back with the club and Rodriguez is expected to be activated tomorrow. Those pitching injuries are a big reason why the club is sitting on a meager 37-46 record, but that’s still good enough to be just 5 games back in the American League Central. Perhaps some rotation stability brought by the returns of Skubal, Manning and Rodriguez can help the club stay afloat with the deadline now just weeks away.

As for Alexander, his involvement in today’s moves comes as a surprise. He wasn’t previously on the injured list and pitched on Sunday without a public indication he was hurt. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic relays that Alexander won’t undergo an MRI until the inflammation goes down. Given that he’s been quickly placed on the 60-day IL and there’s less than three months left on the schedule, it seems fair to wonder if his season is in jeopardy. He has a 4.50 ERA this year in 44 innings, striking out 24.3% of opponents against a tiny 2.8% walk rate.

Athletics Designate Chad Smith For Assignment

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The Athletics announced a series of roster moves today, reinstating catcher Manny Piña from the 60-day injured list and recalling infielder Nick Allen. To open active roster spots for those two, outfielder Conner Capel was optioned to Triple-A and catcher Carlos Pérez was placed on the 10-day injured list. Perez has a fractured left thumb, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. To open a 40-man roster spot for Piña, right-hander Chad Smith was designated for assignment.

Piña, 36, was acquired from Atlanta in the Sean Murphy trade, partially to offset some salary but also to serve as a veteran backup to Shea Langeliers. Unfortunately, Piña hasn’t been able to make his debut with the club until today. He began the season on the injured list due to inflammation in his left wrist, the same wrist that required surgery in 2022 and wiped out almost his whole season. Fortunately, it won’t be quite as dire this year and he can now finally take his spot on the roster.

For his career, he’s hit .243/.313/.409 for a wRC+ of 90. He’s generally been considered a strong defender and pitch framer, having tallied 37 Defensive Runs Saved in his career. Statcast gives him strong marks both for his work with the running game and blocking pitches. The A’s have a $4MM club option over his services for 2024 with no buyout.

While he’s been out of action, the club has turned to Pérez as the backup. His defense isn’t as highly regarded as Piña’s but he’s hit .232/.293/.384 for a wRC+ of 91, not too shabby for a backup catcher. Unfortunately, he’ll now have to head to the injured list. The club hasn’t provided any kind of timeline but he’s likely going to be out longer than the minimum if he has a fracture.

Amid all these moves, Smith has been nudged off the club’s 40-man roster. Now 28, he made his major league debut with the Rockies last year, tossing 18 innings with a 7.50 ERA. He walked 17.6% of batters faced but also struck them out at a 27.1% clip and got grounders at a 55.6% rate. The A’s took a shot on perhaps getting better results with some improved command, acquiring Smith from the Rockies this winter.

Here in 2023, he’s served as an up-and-down reliever, being shuttled between Triple-A and the big league club. In 12 major league innings, he has a 6.75 ERA. He lowered his walk rate to 11.3% but his strikeout rate also fell to 17%. The results in Triple-A haven’t been especially impressive either, as he has a 9.61 ERA in 19 2/3 frames at that level. His 24.3% strikeout rate there is encouraging, but the 18.7% walk rate is obviously a problem.

The A’s will now have one week to try to trade him or pass him through waivers. The results are all over the place but he’s shown strikeout stuff at times and still has a couple of options. Any club that thinks they can fix Smith could potentially stash him in the minors for the rest of this year and another season as well.

Cubs Select Daniel Palencia

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The Cubs have selected the contract of right-hander Daniel Palencia, a move first reported by Marcos Grunfeld of El Emergente. The full slate of moves, as relayed by Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, also sees infielder Patrick Wisdom activated from the injured list. In corresponding active roster moves, infielder Nick Madrigal has been placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain while right-hander Hayden Wesneski has been optioned. To open a spot on the 40-man for Palencia, righty Brad Boxberger was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Palencia, 23, was originally a prospect with the Athletics, but came over to the Cubs in the 2021 trade that sent lefty Andrew Chafin to Oakland. He’s worked mostly as a starter, but the club recently converted him to relief work upon promoting him to Triple-A.

The results there have been mixed, as he’s posted an ERA of 7.90 through 13 outings. That’s a small sample and there might be some fluky bad luck in there, considering his 50.9% strand rate. He’s struck out 27.3% of batters faced while walking 10.6%. His 4.09 FIP suggests he has deserved better results than he’s actually gotten so far. The Cubs will give him a shot at getting big league hitters out and hope that the wheel of fortune spins in a better direction for him going forward.

Madrigal left yesterday’s game with hamstring tightness and will sit out the next 10 days. It’s unclear how severe his injury is, but the upcoming All-Star break would allow him to miss only a handful of games if it’s on the minor side. He’s only struck out in 9.6% of his plate appearances but has just one home run, producing a .278/.335/.364 batting line. His roster spot will go to a hitter with the opposite profile, as Wisdom has 14 homers but a massive 38.9% strikeout rate, leading to a line of .196/.285/.467.

As for Boxberger, he’ll been on the injured list since May 14 due to a right forearm strain. He’ll now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial IL placement, meaning he can technically return after the All-Star break. But since he hasn’t yet started a rehab assignment, that doesn’t seem especially likely, making this transaction a mere formality.

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