Archives for 2023

Nationals To Place Victor Robles On 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | May 7, 2023 at 6:52pm CDT

6:52PM: Nats manager Davey Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters that Robles was indeed heading to the 10-day IL with back spasms, and that Alu was being called up as the roster replacement.

5:38PM: Victor Robles suffered a back injury while trying to steal second base in the third inning of Saturday’s game, which led to Robles’ removal from the game. The Nationals didn’t include Robles in today’s lineup, and it now appears a longer absence is in store, as Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post (Twitter link) reports that Robles is expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list.

Utilityman Jake Alu is expected to be called up from Triple-A Rochester to replace Robles on the active roster, as Alu is on his way to join the Nationals for the start of their series in San Francisco on Monday. The 26-year-old Alu is already on the Nationals’ 40-man roster, as D.C. added him back in November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.

It’s an unfortunate setback for Robles, whose solid start has now been interrupted by injury. Robles is hitting .292/.388/.360 over his first 107 plate appearances, with eight steals in nine chances. Robles’ 113 wRC+ marks his highest total since the 2018 season, though naturally both a small sample size and some battled-ball luck (a .347 BABIP) might indicate that some regression is coming. Still, Robles’ speed allows him to turn some of those borderline balls in play into hits, and he has considerably improved both his walk and strikeout rates. After a 23.9% strikeout rate in his first six MLB seasons, Robles has a 13.1 K% in 2023, ranking in the 90th percentile of all batters.

On the flip side, Robles’ once-elite defense has taken a notable step back. Over just 258 innings in center field, Robles already has -8 Defensive Runs Saved as well as -2 Outs Above Average and a -15.8 UZR/150. This would certainly give rival teams pause in considering Robles as a trade deadline pickup, since the rebuilding Nationals will likely be open for business on any veteran player. Robles signed a short-term contract extension in February that gave the Nats a $3.3MM club option on his services for 2024, though Washington has arbitration control over Robles even if the option is declined. This bit of extra control could be an interesting factor in any trade talks, but naturally the first order of business is to get Robles healed up and back in the Nats’ lineup.

Though Alex Call and Lane Thomas have gotten the bulk of starts as Washington’s corner outfielders, Call and Thomas are the likeliest candidates to step into center field duty with Robles sidelined. This could open up more playing time for Stone Garrett and Ildemaro Vargas in the outfield, and Alu will likely also get some looks during his first taste of Major League action.

A 24th-round pick for the Nationals in the 2019 draft, Alu posted quality numbers in 2021-22, and MLB Pipeline ranked him 27th on their list of the Nats’ top 30 prospects, Alu began this year on the injured list with a knee injury and doesn’t seem to have really gotten on track, with only a .240/.318/.333 slash line in 86 PA with Triple-A Rochester.

However, Alu’s multi-positional versatility might be more important than his bat in the Nationals’ view, with Robles out of action and Jeimer Candelario also missing a pair of games due to dehydration. Alu has played mostly third base this season and might chip in at the hot corner if Candelario needs more recovery time, but Alu has also seen a lot of time as a second baseman and a handful of minor league games as a left fielder and first baseman.

Speaking of third base, the Nationals announced that Carter Kieboom was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and returned from his rehab assignment, then optioned to Triple-A. The former top prospect hit only .197/.304/.285 over 414 plate appearances with the Nats from 2019-21, but he missed all of 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. A shoulder injury then set Kieboom back during Spring Training, resulting in his season-opening IL stint. Kieboom has played in only three Double-A games during his rehab assignment, so Washington will give him a longer ramp-up time in Rochester before considering a return to the big league roster.

AL East Notes: Cleavinger, Guerrero, Severino

By Mark Polishuk | May 7, 2023 at 6:32pm CDT

Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger suffered a knee injury during the 10th inning of today’s 7-6 victory over the Yankees. Manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) that Cleavinger’s knee “grabbed on him” during a critical rundown play that eventually saw Aaron Hicks thrown out at home plate while trying to score the go-ahead run. More will be known once Cleavinger undergoes testing, but Cash indicated that the left-hander will likely be placed on the 15-day injured list.

Like most hurlers on the league-leading Rays, Cleavinger is having a nice season, with a 3.00 ERA over 15 appearances and 12 innings pitched. A 13% walk rate and a .160 BABIP are red flags, but Cleavinger is missing a lot of bats (30.4% strikeout rate) and is doing an excellent job of inducing soft contact. Tampa has Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks, and Josh Fleming already in the bullpen as other left-handed options, though Fleming has recently been enlisted into bulk pitcher duty. If the Rays aren’t concerned about keeping the lefty/righty balance in their pen, they can turn to any number of arms in the farm system, and hopefully Cleavinger won’t be sidelined for too long.

Astros Notes: Brantley, McCormick, Altuve, Urquidy

By Mark Polishuk and Nick Deeds | May 7, 2023 at 4:09pm CDT

The Astros are expected to get lineup reinforcements during their upcoming series in Anaheim, as outfielders Michael Brantley and Chas McCormick could both be back as early as Monday, according to MLB.com. While the pair were on the shelf, the club has relied on Jake Meyers and Corey Julks to fill in alongside Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez in Houston’s outfield mix. Meyers has been a solid stopgap option with a 104 wRC+ in 93 trips to the plate and excellent defense in center field, but Julks has struggled to an 80 wRC+ with a 27.6% strikeout rate in 87 plate appearances.

Of course, Brantley also did some work at first base during his rehab stint, so the Astros could be looking at the veteran as a possible complement to the struggling Jose Abreu. Brantley (who turns 36 next week) hasn’t played since June 26 due to shoulder problems that eventually required surgery in August, and thus Brantley missed out on the Astros’ World Series run.

Houston general manager Dana Brown discussed several injury situations during a radio interview on SportsTalk 790 (hat tip to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart), and noted that “McCormick is maybe a day ahead of” Brantley, so McCormick is the surer bet to be activated from the injured list during the Angels series. While McCormick doesn’t have Brantley’s lengthy track record of offense, he was off to a phenomenal start this season prior to being sidelined by a back injury, with a .275/.383/.500 slash line in 11 games.

Jose Altuve continues to make excellent progress in his recovery from thumb surgery, as the eight-time All-Star has progressed to both taking batting practice on the field and running the bases. After Altuve underwent his surgery in late March, it was initially expected to take at least eight weeks before the second baseman could even resume baseball activities, so he is already a few weeks ahead of schedule. Brown said that Altuve might even begin a minor league rehab assignment within the week, so that original late-May date might now be a more feasible target for Altuve’s return to the Astros lineup altogether.

The news isn’t as good about Jose Urquidy, as Brown said (Twitter links from McTaggart) “there’s a chance we could get him back somewhere around the All-Star break.” This represents a step back from some seemingly more positive reports from earlier this week, which suggested that Urquidy would be shut down from throwing until mid-May but could potentially return by early June. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL on May 1 with shoulder discomfort, though Urquidy has apparently avoided any structural damage since an MRI only revealed inflammation.

Still, Brown’s comments indicate a much longer absence is in store for Urquidy, as even the All-Star break might be more of a fluid target date than a firm timeline. It hasn’t been a banner week for Astros pitching, as Urquidy went to the IL and Luis Garcia was lost for the season entirely due to Tommy John surgery. With a rotation now thinned out, Brown noted that the Astros may have to rely on internal arms for now, given that the starting pitching market won’t really materialize until much closer to the trade deadline.

Brandon Bielak and rookie J.P. France have filled in for Urquidy and Garcia, joining Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and rookie Hunter Brown in the starting five. Lance McCullers Jr. is also still a ways away from returning, though he did throw a full bullpen session on Saturday. McCullers has yet to pitch this season after suffering a muscle strain in his right arm during Spring Training.

Cardinals To Shift Willson Contreras Off Catcher

By Simon Hampton | May 7, 2023 at 3:23pm CDT

TODAY: St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak specified that Contreras will be a designated hitter rather than an outfielder “unless there’s some sort of emergency,” Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic report. Mozeliak also shed some more light on the decision to make the position change, saying that “obviously the Cardinals were used to [Molina] behind the plate for close to two decades. The nuances of that position, maybe very subtle, are what a lot of our pitchers were used to. What we were seeing was a lack of confidence.

“Normally, you would say, why didn’t you address this in Spring Training? But in Spring Training, it’s so different in terms of what people are trying to work on. Pitchers are going a couple of innings. It doesn’t really count….We just decided to do it head on, put it out there. Do we think we’ve seen Willson catch his last game? No. But this is going to take a little time to get him to where we feel he understands the expectations of what this role is for us.”

Like manager Oliver Marmol said yesterday, Mozeliak reiterated that Contreras wasn’t being singled out as a cause of the team’s struggles. “What I don’t want to have happen is a finger-point, this is all Willson’s fault. It’s not. There are many parts of our team right now that are not performing to what we expected,” Mozeliak said.

MAY 6: On the face of it, the Cardinals’ decision to call up minor league catcher Tres Barrera didn’t seem like the sort of deal to make headlines around baseball, but the ramifications of it are significant. It’s not so much the call up of Barrera, but the fact his arrival means St Louis will shift Willson Contreras off catcher for the “next couple of weeks”, as Katie Woo of The Athletic reports, with Andrew Knizner to take over as the primary backstop.

It’s a huge move to shift your star off-season recruit off his primary position just a month into his first season, but the Cards clearly feel this is the best move to help them turn around their 10-23 start to the season. Contreras, signed to a five-year, $87.5MM deal in the winter, will now serve as a DH/outfielder for the team, further muddying an already crowded outfield picture in St Louis.

At the plate, Contreras has been his usual self, slashing .280/.361/.421 with a pair of home runs, good for a wRC+ of 119. That’s a slight drop on his numbers from last year but pretty much in line with his career numbers. His offensive work was never likely to be the source of any concern though, with the focus here surely on his work behind the plate.

Catchers are a challenging position to assess statistically, but there’s generally been some question marks over Contreras’ work behind the plate. Concerns over his ability to handle a pitching staff and call a game surfaced around the trade deadline last year when he was with the Cubs, and Chicago wound up holding him onto him until he hit free agency at the end of the season. That’s obviously a tricky concern to really quantify, but it’s certainly worth considering in the wake of this news.

Fangraphs gives him a -1 mark on their framing metric, while Statcast has him about middle of the pack in that regard. As far as pop time goes Contreras ranks tenth out of MLB catchers, and has cut down five of a potential 17 stolen bases so far this season. While he doesn’t rank as elite in either regard, it’s not awful either and certainly suggests that there’s more than just catching statistics that are driving this move. While there will surely be some explanation of this move from the Cardinals front office, there’s a good chance their pitching staff’s start to the season played a part here.

St Louis ranks 24th in the majors in starting pitcher ERA, a ranking that could be a lot lower were it not for the excellent start made by Jordan Montgomery. Behind the left-hander, Steven Matz, Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty are all sporting ERAs well north of 5. While the reporting suggests this move is only for the next couple of weeks, it’ll be interesting to see if Contreras can force his way back into handling catching duties or whether this the long term move.

For now though, it creates even more uncertainty in the Cardinals outfield picture. In today’s game, the team ran out Lars Nootbar, Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson in the outfield, with Contreras handling DH, and that seems like the most common group we’ll see over the next few weeks. Yet the team will welcome back Tyler O’Neill at some stage, and still has top outfield prospect Jordan Walker at Triple-A, while Contreras is expected to feature in the outfield mix as well.

It’s possible Contreras winds up working his way back into the catching picture at some point, but the Cardinals were often speculated as a team that could look to trade an outfielder before this move today, and with another key bat now in that mix a trade certainly seems like a possibility at some point over the summer.

Ryan Borucki Elects Free Agency

By Anthony Franco | May 7, 2023 at 3:13pm CDT

TODAY: The Cubs announced that Borucki has opted for free agency rather than accept the outright assignment.

MAY 5: Cubs reliever Ryan Borucki has gone unclaimed on waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Borucki has the right to decline the assignment in favor of minor league free agency based on a previous career outright and having over three years of major league service. According to Bastian, the left-hander is still deciding whether to accept the assignment.

Borucki signed a minor league deal with Chicago over the offseason. The Cubs selected his contract at the end of April. He was on the MLB roster for two days and didn’t get into a game before being designated for assignment. While he’s yet to pitch in the majors this season, the Illinois native reached the highest level every year between 2018-22.

The bulk of that experience came with the Blue Jays, who initially drafted Borucki in the 15th round back in 2012. Borucki had some success early in his career but has struggled in the last few years. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, he carries a 5.33 ERA with a 20.1% strikeout rate and lofty 10.5% walk percentage in 49 innings.

Borucki has been off to a rough start to the year in Iowa. Prior to his call-up, he was tagged for 13 runs (12 earned) in nine innings. He punched out 11 and induced ground-balls at a quality 51.7% clip but walked six of 49 batters faced.

Rays Outright Zack Burdi

By Nick Deeds | May 7, 2023 at 1:52pm CDT

Rays right-hander Zack Burdi has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Durham, per a team announcement. Burdi had been designated for assignment earlier this week in order to open up a 40-man roster spot for right-hander Chase Anderson.

A first round pick by the White Sox in the 2016 draft, the 28-year-old Burdi has long had a premium fastball in terms of both velocity and spin rate, but has struggled to translate it into success at the big league level due to control issues. While his 9.3% walk rate in 20 1/3 career innings in the majors has been passable, Burdi’s posted a walk rate of nearly 15% in 150 innings at the minor league level. Further, even though his walks have been under control in his small sample at the major league level, his results have still been less than spectacular, with a career 6.64 ERA in the majors.

Still, an optionable right-hander with stuff as tantalizing as Burdi is sure to pique the interest of teams, making it something of a surprise that Burdi passed through waivers successfully. Burdi has less than three years of MLB service time and has not been outrighted before in his career, meaning he does not have the right to reject his outright assignment. That leaves him poised to be upper-level relief depth for the Rays in the minor leagues going forward this season alongside the likes of Trevor Kelley and Calvin Faucher.

Brewers Activate Adrian Houser

By Nick Deeds | May 7, 2023 at 1:22pm CDT

The Brewers have activated right-hander Adrian Houser, who will start today’s game against the Giants, as noted by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. To make room for Houser on the active roster, the Brewers have optioned right-hander Tyson Miller to Triple-A.

Houser, 30, has been a staple of Milwaukee’s pitching staff since the start of the 2019 season, working primarily as a member of the rotation but with occasional appearances out of the bullpen as well. Over the past four seasons, Houser has paired strong campaigns in 2019 and 2021 (where he posted excellent ERA+ marks of 120 and 128, respectively) with difficult campaigns in 2020 and 2022 (with below-average ERA+ marks of 86 and 83, respectively). Overall, that leaves him with a 4.02 ERA, 5% above average by measure of ERA+, and a 4.24 FIP in 412 1/3 innings of work since the 2019 campaign began.

Houser was forced down Milwaukee’s depth chart over the course of this past season, with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Eric Lauer, Freddy Peralta, Wade Miley, and Aaron Ashby all seemingly preferred rotation options headed into the season. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Ashby was sidelined before the season began by shoulder surgery, while Houser himself struggled with groin tightness and began the season on the IL as well.

That left the club with little depth behind the five regular members of the rotation, and when Woodruff was sidelined by a shoulder strain the club was forced to turn to temporary solutions such as Colin Rea, who has posted a 4.73 ERA and 5.27 FIP in five starts for Milwaukee this season. With Houser now off the IL, he figures to step into the rotation and provide stability behind Burnes, Lauer, Peralta, and Miley while Woodruff is on the mend.

As for Miller, the 27-year-old right-hander posted a solid 1.93 ERA in three appearances as a multi-inning reliever with the club and figures to act as pitching depth for the Brewers going forward, able to work both out of the bullpen and the rotation. Meanwhile, Rea seems likely to move to the bullpen with Houser joining the rotation, filling Miller’s role as the bullpen’s long man.

Marlins Activate Joey Wendle, Option Xavier Edwards

By Nick Deeds | May 7, 2023 at 12:38pm CDT

The Marlins have activated infielder Joey Wendle from the injured list ahead of this afternoon’s game against the Cubs, as noted by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. To make room for Wendle on the active roster, the Marlins optioned infielder Xavier Edwards to Triple-A.

Wendle was expected to be the club’s starting shortstop coming into the season, though he ultimately played just four games, striking out twice and walking once without recording a hit in nine plate appearances before going on the injured list with an intercostal strain on April 4. The 33-year-old Wendle has a career wRC+ of 100, but has struggled to a slash line of just .254/.293/.352 (84 wRC+) in 105 games since he was acquired by Miami from the Rays prior to the 2022 campaign.

After a little over a month on the injured list, Wendle has returned to the Marlins, though he won’t start at shortstop today over Jon Berti, who has filled in admirably in the infield for the Marlins while Wendle was on the shelf. In 111 plate appearances this season, Berti has hit a solid .270/.327/.370 (95 wRC+) while playing shortstop, second base, and third base for the Marlins this season. Though Berti has just five steals so far this season, it’s worth noting that he lead the majors last year with 41 steals, providing plenty of value on the basepaths in addition to his versatility and roughly league average bat.

With Luis Arraez and Jean Segura entrenched at second and third base, respectively, Wendle and Berti figure to share time at shortstop going forward while also filling in elsewhere in the lineup as needed. While both Wendle and Berti are primarily infielders, each has outfield experience as well. That could prove valuable for the Marlins, as the club’s outfield has mustered a collective wRC+ of just 85 so far in 2023, the fourth worst figure in the National League.

As for Edwards, the former top prospect will head back to the minor leagues with just six big league plate appearances under his belt. In those appearances, Edwards recorded a hit and a scored a run while striking out once. Edwards figures to join Jacob Amaya and Jordan Groshans as upper level infield depth for the Marlins in the minor leagues going forward this season. In 20 games at the Triple-A level for the Marlins this season, Edwards has slashed a solid .306/.427/.361, good for a 116 wRC+.

Cubs Notes: Hendricks, Gomes, Sampson

By Nick Deeds | May 7, 2023 at 11:56am CDT

Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks has rejoined the Cubs in Chicago to work with the coaching staff midway through his current rehab assignment, as noted by Gordon Wittenmeyer at the Chicago Tribune. Hendricks struggled mightily in two rehab appearances at the Triple-A level last week, surrendering 10 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Despite those results, though, Hendricks has seen his velocity tick up as high as 90 mph. That marks a return to form for Hendricks, who had seen his fastball velocity decline in recent years, concluding with a fastball that sat 86-87 mph last season.

Entering the 2021 season, Hendricks was not just the most reliable starter in the Cubs rotation, but among the most reliable starters in all of baseball. From 2014 to 2020, only six pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched had a lower ERA than Hendricks’s 3.12 figure: Clayton Kershaw, Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber, Zack Greinke, and Chris Sale. Despite that elite company, however, injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued Hendricks since the start of the 2021 season, as the soft-tossing right-hander posted a 4.78 ERA and 4.87 FIP in 265 1/3 innings over the past two campaigns with strikeout, walk, and groundball rates all worse than his career average.

Hendricks saw his 2022 season come to an end early as he underwent surgery to repair a capsular tear in his shoulder last July. He began the season on the injured list as the Cubs decided to take his recovery slowly, though he appears to be nearing a return, with Mark Gonzales noting the club plans for him to return to Triple-A Iowa for rehab starts on Tuesday and Sunday. Upon his return, Hendricks will factor into a rotation that currently sports Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele, Drew Smyly, Jameson Taillon, and Hayden Wesneski.

Also noted by Gonzales is that catcher Yan Gomes has resumed baseball activities. Gomes was placed on the 7-day concussion IL, who was hit in the head by a backswing last week, opening the door for catching prospect Miguel Amaya to make his big league debut. Amaya has shared time behind the plate with Tucker Barnhart while Gomes has been on the shelf, but Gomes figures to take the lion’s share of playing time once he returns from injury.

A less positive injury update came from Cubs manager David Ross regarding right-hander Adrian Sampson, as noted by Wittenmeyer. The 31-year-old journeyman underwent debridement surgery on his right knee on Friday. No timetable has been announced for Sampson’s return to action. After a solid pair of partial seasons with the Cubs that saw him post a 3.03 ERA and 4.28 FIP in 139 2/3 innings since the start of the 2021 season, Sampson was in the mix to be the Cubs’ fifth starter this spring, though he ultimately lost out on the role to Wesneski. Sampson has yet to pitch in the majors for the Cubs this season, but figures to be a depth option for them whenever he returns to the mound.

Eloy Jimenez To Miss 4-To-6 Weeks After Undergoing Appendectomy

By Mark Polishuk | May 7, 2023 at 11:22am CDT

May 7: As expected, the club has placed Jimenez on the 10-day IL while he recovers from his appendectomy. The club recalled catcher Carlos Perez in a corresponding move.

May 6: White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez went to the hospital earlier today due to intense stomach discomfort, and the team announced that Jimenez underwent an appendectomy. Jimenez will be sidelined for “preliminarily” the next 4-to-6 weeks while he recovers.

Manager Pedro Grifol told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Daryl Van Schouwen and other reporters earlier today that Jimenez felt discomfort last night, and was admitted to hospital after the pain worsened during the night. If there is a silver lining, it’s that Jimenez’s issue was only the relatively common problem of appendicitis, and hopefully the outfielder will be fully recovered in 4-6 weeks’ time.

However, that does mark yet another significant absence and yet another entry within an increasingly checkered health history for the 26-year-old. Jimenez already spent 10 days on the injured list this season due to a hamstring strain, he missed over two months of the 2022 season with another hamstring issue, and his first game of the 2021 campaign didn’t come until July 26 due to a ruptured left pectoral tendon.

Jimenez was roughly a league-average hitter in 2021, but batted .295/.358/.500 with 16 home runs over 327 plate appearances last season. This year, despite being slowed by the hamstring problem, Jimenez has a productive .258/.321/.423 slash line in 106 PA, even while continuing his pattern of hard contact and a lot of swing-and-miss.

Even with a modest 104 wRC+, Jimenez was still one of the more productive hitters on a struggling White Sox team, and his absence will now only add to what is increasingly looking like a disastrous season. Today’s 5-3 loss to the Reds dropped Chicago to an 11-23 record, and even earlier this week, MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote about which players might be shopped by the Sox at the deadline. It’s going to be a lot harder for the Southsiders to dig themselves out of this early hole without Jimenez in the lineup, which only increases the chances that Chicago will be looking to be sellers in some regard by August 1.

The White Sox have used Jimenez mostly as a DH this season with a handful of games in right field, so there might not be a direct positional replacement needed, in the sense that the Sox could just cycle multiple players through the DH spot to help keep people fresh. Gavin Sheets might get the bulk of those at-bats given his lackluster defensive numbers in right field, and Oscar Colas might find himself quickly back in the majors after being optioned to Triple-A earlier this week. In addition to Jimenez being sidelined, the White Sox also just placed Jake Burger on the IL this week due to an oblique strain, and Yoan Moncada has missed close to a month with back problems (though he just started a rehab assignment this weekend).

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