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The Opener: Mets, Darvish, Nootbaar

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As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Mets roster moves incoming:

The Mets will designate right-hander Jorge Lopez for assignment today on the heels of an outburst wherein the 31-year-old threw his glove into the stands after a rough outing and then cursed while being critical of the team and/or himself in postgame comments that have created a good bit of controversy. Whether Lopez intended to criticize the team, himself or both, he’ll now be replaced on the club’s active roster. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that left-hander Danny Young, who pitched three scoreless innings for the club earlier this year, will be recalled in his place.

Sammon goes on to suggest that more moves to renovate the club’s bullpen could be on the table, while MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo relays that the club will receive CT scan results regarding Pete Alonso today after he was struck in the hand by a pitch. While initial x-rays came back negative, DiComo noted that the Mets won’t know for sure if Alonso suffered a break or not until they receive today’s results. If Alonso were to miss time, that could open up regular reps at first base for corner infielder Mark Vientos, allowing fellow developing third baseman Brett Baty to take everyday at-bats at the hot corner.

2. Darvish awaiting test results:

Veteran right-hander Yu Darvish lasted just three innings during yesterday’s start against the Marlins. Padres skipper Mike Shildt said after the game that the 37-year-old righty was dealing with tightness in his left hamstring (X link via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). Darvish underwent was set for imaging on his ailing leg in the aftermath of yesterday’s loss, and it’s likely results will be publicly revealed today.

Darvish has pitched to an excellent 3.20 ERA with a 3.48 FIP and a 23.1% strikeout rate across 11 starts this season, acting as an anchor for the San Diego rotation alongside Dylan Cease. Right-hander Randy Vasquez figures to be the next man up in the event that Darvish requires a trip to the injured list, although the 25-year-old has struggled to a 5.82 ERA in five starts for the club this season.

3. Nootbaar to undergo MRI:

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol told reporters (including MLB.com’s John Denton) that outfielder Lars Nootbaar exited yesterday’s game against the Reds with “lingering pain” in his left side after he initially grabbed at his side following a checked swing earlier in the game. Nootbaar already missed the first two weeks of the season due to fractures in his ribcage.

When healthy enough to take the field, Nootbaar has hit fairly well for the Cardinals this year with a 117 wRC+ in 39 games. It’s possible the club could turn to Victor Scott II or Jordan Walker to fill out their outfield mix in the event that Nootbaar requires another trip to the shelf, although after the pair’s struggles earlier this year it’s also possible they offer regular outfield reps to Alec Burleson while calling up Luken Baker to serve as the club’s DH alongside veteran Matt Carpenter.

Mets To Designate Jorge Lopez For Assignment

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The Mets are designating reliever Jorge López for assignment, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link). The move comes after the right-hander tossed his glove into the stands following a rough outing this afternoon against the Dodgers. After the game, López said he didn’t regret the incident and called the Mets “the worst team in probably the whole f***ing MLB” (video provided on X by SNY).

López, a native of Puerto Rico, conducted his postgame media scrum in English. While it was initially unclear whether he intended to call the Mets “the worst team” in the league or if called himself “the worst teammate,” he answered “probably” to a follow-up question when asked whether he called the Mets “the worst team.” MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that López subsequently indicated he intended to criticize both himself and the club — calling himself the worst teammate on the league’s worst team.

The Mets may very well have been prepared to move on from López even before his comments. Called on to pitch in the eighth inning with the team trailing 5-3, he surrendered a double to Miguel Vargas that scored a pair of inherited runners. López retired Mookie Betts before serving up a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani. He was ejected during the next at-bat after arguing with third base umpire Ramon De Jesus on a check swing. López flipped his glove over the protective netting on his way off the field. After the game, manager Carlos Mendoza called López’s behavior “not acceptable” and said the team would address it internally (video from SNY).

A veteran of nine MLB seasons, López inked a $2MM free agent deal with the Mets in December. This afternoon notwithstanding, he had serviceable run prevention numbers. In 26 1/3 innings, he turned in a 3.76 earned run average. López only punched out 17.2% of opponents while walking nearly 10% of batters faced. While he probably wouldn’t have been cut loose if not for today’s glove toss and postgame comments, it wasn’t a resoundingly impressive performance either.

López was an All-Star with the Orioles back in 2022, when he turned in a 1.68 ERA with 19 saves in 48 1/3 frames for Baltimore. The O’s controversially traded him to the Twins at the deadline. López’s production plummeted after the deal, as he turned in a 4.81 ERA in Minnesota. He continued to struggle after being swapped to the Marlins last summer and in a late-season return to Baltimore.

The Mets are riding a three-game losing streak and have dropped 19 of 26 this month. They’re a season-worst 11 games below .500 and ahead of only the Rockies and Marlins in the National League. The bullpen entered play today with a 4.42 ERA in May, ranking 21st in MLB. They lost the struggling Edwin Díaz to the injured list before the game. Adam Ottavino, Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman are taking high-leverage work.

Angels Transfer Jose Cisnero To 60-Day IL

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The Angels announced they’ve transferred reliever José Cisnero from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. They needed to open a roster spot for infielder Michael Stefanic, who is back from his own 60-day IL stint. The Halos reinstated him onto the 40-man and optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Cisnero has been on the IL since April 28 with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. His 60-day window backdates to the original placement. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement at the end of June. According to the MLB.com injury tracker, Cisnero experienced some lower back soreness when he tried to ramp up his throwing program in recent weeks. It isn’t known if he’ll be ready to return a month from now.

The Angels signed the 35-year-old righty to a $1.75MM free agent deal in February. He was one of six major league free agent signees as the Halos curiously prioritized a complete bullpen overhaul during the offseason. That hasn’t worked out, either in Cisnero’s case or in aggregate. Angel relievers entered play Wednesday ranked 26th with a 4.71 earned run average. Cisnero gave up 13 runs in his first 14 innings of the season, allowing four homers among 17 hits.

Stefanic has been out since suffering a quad strain in Spring Training. The 28-year-old hit .244/.331/.293 in 140 major league plate appearances over the previous two seasons. He’s in his final minor league option year and could soon push the struggling Kyren Paris for a spot on the bench.

Astros Release Miguel Díaz

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Right-hander Miguel Díaz has been released by the Astros, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s now a free agent and will be free to pursue opportunities with any club on the open market.

Díaz, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Tigers in April. He tossed one scoreless inning for the Astros before getting designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and elected free agency but then stayed in the organization by inking a minor league deal with the Astros.

He reported to Triple-A Sugar Land but didn’t fare well there, at least in terms of results. He tossed 14 innings over 13 appearances but allowed 15 earned runs. That leads to an earned run average of 9.64 that’s probably misleading. His .392 batting average on balls in play and 40% strand rate were both on the unlucky side of average. He only struck out 15.2% of batters faced but also only walked 7.6% and didn’t allow a home run, which is why his 3.62 FIP was far below his ERA.

All of that is a small sample and in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League as well. His big league track record dates back to 2017 and includes 127 1/3 innings with a 4.81 ERA. That number is a bit skewed by his rookie season, when he was a 22-year-old Rule 5 pick of the Padres despite never having pitched above A-ball before. He tossed 41 2/3 innings for the Friars that year with a 7.34 ERA.

Since that campaign, he has thrown 85 2/3 innings in the majors with a 3.57 ERA, scattered over several campaigns with the Padres, Tigers and that one inning with the Astros. His 10.9% walk rate in that stretch is on the high side but he also punched out 27.7% of batters faced. From 2021 to 2023, he also tossed 137 2/3 innings in the minors. His 4.97 ERA in that time isn’t especially impressive and his 11.3% walk rate was on the high side, but his 26.2% strikeout rate was quite solid.

Despite debuting way back in 2017, Díaz is still about six months shy of his 30th birthday. He has exhausted his option seasons but has just around three years of big league service time. His results haven’t been perfect but he’s generally been able to rack up strikeouts wherever he’s gone, apart from his small sample of work for Sugar Land this year.

Dodgers Sign Chris Vallimont To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have signed right-hander Chris Vallimont to a minor league contract, as announced by Triple-A broadcaster Alex Freedman (X link). Vallimont is starting for the Dodgers’ top affiliate this evening.

A fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2018, Vallimont has now been a part of five organizations in affiliated ball. He was traded to the Twins in 2019 and subsequently bounced to the Orioles and Guardians via waivers or minor trade. Vallimont’s only major league appearance came with Baltimore last July. The Guardians acquired from the O’s shortly thereafter but ran him through outright waivers without getting him into an MLB game.

The 27-year-old has struggled in the upper minors. Vallimont carries a 6.07 ERA in 123 Double-A frames and has allowed 5.46 earned runs per nine over 158 1/3 innings at the top minor league level. The Mercyhurst product has a decent 22% strikeout rate in his Triple-A career, though, and he’s coming off a strong showing in independent ball.

Vallimont, who elected minor league free agency last October, began this year with the Atlantic League’s York Revolution. He threw 27 1/3 innings over five starts, turning in a 3.29 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of batters faced. It seems he’ll work as rotation depth for the Dodgers and he has prior experience in long relief.

Kevin Smith Accepts Outright Assignment With Yankees

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May 29: The Yankees clarified on Wednesday that Smith has decided to accept the outright assignment. He’ll head back to Scranton and await another opportunity in the Bronx.

May 28: DJ LeMahieu is set to make his season debut, as the Yankees reinstated him from the 60-day injured list before tonight’s game in Anaheim. New York outrighted infielder Kevin Smith off the 40-man roster in a corresponding move; Smith has already elected minor league free agency in lieu of an assignment back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. New York also activated reliever Ian Hamilton from the COVID-19 list after optioning Yoendrys Gómez on Sunday.

LeMahieu is at third base and hitting ninth against Griffin Canning. He should take over more or less every day at the hot corner now that he’s back from the foot injuries that cost him the first two months of the season. LeMahieu broke a bone in his right foot on a foul ball at the tail end of camp. The team tried to get him back in late April, but he felt renewed soreness immediately after embarking on a rehab stint. That shut him down again for another couple weeks, but LeMahieu has gotten through six minor league games dating back to May 17.

Third base has been a rare question mark amidst one of the game’s most potent offenses. While Oswaldo Cabrera got out to a strong start to the season, he’s hitting .230/.273/.295 in 66 plate appearances over the past month. Spring Training trade acquisition Jon Berti has been limited to 17 games around a pair of injured list stints. The speedy utilityman went on the 10-day IL over the weekend with a left calf strain. He’ll be out well beyond the minimum, telling reporters this evening that he could miss between six and eight weeks (X link via Greg Joyce of the New York Post).

LeMahieu is coming off a league average offensive performance in 2023. He hit .243/.327/.390 across 562 plate appearances. His performance improved over the course of the year. LeMahieu carried a meager .220/.285/.357 line into the All-Star Break before posting a .273/.377/.432 slash in the second half. He’s unlikely to recapture his 2019-20 form as he approaches his 36th birthday, though he should still be an upgrade over Cabrera, who fits better in a multi-positional role off the bench.

Smith, a New York-area native, signed a minor league contract with the Yankees over the offseason. He played in 29 games with the RailRiders, hitting .204/.270/.286 while striking out 41 times in 111 trips to the plate (a 36.9% rate). The Yanks called him up twice as utility depth. He appeared in two games as a pinch runner and didn’t take an at-bat at the major league level.

The Yankees had already outrighted the 27-year-old once this season, sending him through waivers in April. That gave him the right to test free agency this time around, as is the case for all players with a previous career outright. It’s not uncommon to see players circle back to their previous organization on a minor league contract after electing free agency, but Smith and his camp could look for a non-roster deal elsewhere now that LeMahieu is healthy. One of four players whom the A’s acquired from the Blue Jays in the Matt Chapman deal, Smith is a .173/.215/.301 hitter in 333 MLB plate appearances.

Red Sox Place Tyler O’Neill On Injured List

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The Red Sox announced to reporters that outfielder Tyler O’Neill has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 26, due to right knee inflammation. Infielder Enmanuel Valdéz was recalled in a corresponding move. Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe was among those to relay the info on X.

O’Neill, 29 next month, started out scorching hot with the Red Sox but has cooled off considerably. He was hitting .320/.433/.693 through the end of April but has hit just .151/.244/.301 since the calendar flipped to May. He told reporters recently that his knee has been bothering him for a bit and was probably affecting his swing, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic on X.

Health, or the lack thereof, has been a major factor in the outfielder’s career. A fully healthy O’Neill is capable of being an elite player, as he showed in 2021. He got into 138 games for the Cardinals that year and hit 34 home runs. His .286/.352/.560 batting line translated to a 143 wRC+, or 43% above league average. He also stole 15 bases and got strong grades for his outfield defense. FanGraphs considered him to have been worth 5.3 wins above replacement and he finished eighth in National League Most Valuable Player voting.

But the two subsequent seasons saw him get snakebit by injuries. He only played 168 games combined over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, hitting .229/.310/.397 for a wRC+ of 98. He went to the IL at various times for a right shoulder impingement, a left hamstring strain, a lower back strain and a right foot sprain.

With just one year remaining before he reached free agency and St. Louis having a clogged outfield yet again, they flipped him to Boston for a couple of pitchers. The Red Sox were surely hoping to get the healthy version of O’Neill, so that he could either help them compete or perhaps be flipped for a larger package than what they gave up. Since then, they have seen both extremes of the O’Neill experience.

How the Sox decide to approach the deadline will undoubtedly be determined by how they fare between now and then. They are currently 28-27 and just 2.5 games back of a playoff spot. If they can hover around there for the next few months, they could keep O’Neill around as part of a playoff push. He could be a candidate for a qualifying offer at season’s end, depending on how healthy and effective he is in the second half. Though if he’s healthy and the team falls in the standings, he would likely be available on the trade market this summer.

The fact that his injury is just being described as inflammation, as opposed to a strain or a tear, is perhaps a sign that he won’t be on the IL for too long. Manger Álex Cora suggested as much earlier today, as relayed by Ian Browne of MLB.com on X. With O’Neill joining Masataka Yoshida on the injured list, the outfield mix will consist of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder for the next little while.

MLB Mailbag: Rooker, Miller, AL Central, Cubs, Sosa, Jays, Pitching Trends

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I'm pinch-hitting for MLBTR owner Tim Dierkes for this week's edition of the MLBTR Mailbag. This week, we'll look at Brent Rooker's trade candidacy, Mason Miller's long-term role, a host of AL Central topics, the Cubs' recent offensive woes, and what could be a tricky deadline full of difficult decisions for the Blue Jays. Let's get into it!

Nathan asks:

Which teams will be most interested in adding Brent Rooker's DH/LF bat and is there any reason for the A's to hold on to him past July?

When I think of any team needing outfield help, recency bias immediately pops the Braves into my head, but the Royals are also among the teams in most dire need of a competent bat in a dismal outfield mix.

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Guardians Reinstate, Option Angel Martínez

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The Guardians announced today that infielder Angel Martínez has been activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland had an open 40-man spot but that roster is once again at capacity after this move.

Martínez, 22, began the season on the injured list due to a right foot contusion but later transferred him to the 60-day IL, with his injury listed as a left hamate fracture. He still hasn’t made his major league debut but this stint on the IL did allow him to pick up roughly two months of MLB service time.

He was initially added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster in November of 2022, to keep him out of that year’s Rule 5 draft. He was coming off a season in which he hit .278/.378/.471 in the minors for a 135 wRC+. His offense dipped a bit last year, as he hit .251/.321/.394 between Double-A and Triple-A for a 92 wRC+.

The Guards have had an open 40-man spot since designating Ramón Laureano for assignment last week, which is why no corresponding move was required today. Martínez will try to earn his major league debut by getting regular action in Columbus. He can be kept on optional assignment for the rest of this year and one more season as well.

Mets Place Edwin Díaz On Injured List With Shoulder Impingement

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The Mets announced today that right-hander Edwin Díaz has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. Left-hander Josh Walker has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding move.

It’s been a trying time for Díaz, to say the least. He missed all of 2023 after tearing the right patellar tendon in his right knee during the World Baseball Classic. He and the Mets were undoubtedly hoping for him to be healthy and back in form this year, but it hasn’t played out that way.

He has pitched 20 innings for the Mets this year, allowing 12 earned runs, a rate of 5.40 per nine. His 35.3% strikeout rate is still quite strong but a big drop from the absurd 50.2% rate he had in 2022. He’s allowed five home runs already this year, almost as many as the eight combined homers he allowed in the three seasons from 2020 to 2022. That’s why his 4.58 FIP and 2.27 SIERA are far apart, as the former assigns home runs as the fault of the pitcher whereas the latter normalizes home run rate.

Perhaps this year’s struggles have been a small sample blip caused by a clustering of some home runs, but Díaz won’t have a chance to even things out for a while. Whether the shoulder issue has been bothering him for a while or just recently cropped up isn’t known. The club also hasn’t provided any information about how long they expect the righty to be out, with the IL placement coming just minutes before today’s game.

For now, the Mets will have to proceed without Díaz in their bullpen mix for the next couple of weeks at least. That could leave Adam Ottavino taking over the closer’s role, with pitchers like Jake Diekman, Jorge López and Reed Garrett in line for setup work.

In the long term, the Mets will obviously be motivated to getting Díaz back on track. He signed a five-year, $102MM deal going into the 2023 season and is therefore going to be a part of the club’s plans through 2027, with a club option for 2028 as well. Díaz will have the opportunity to opt-out after 2025 and 2026, though his health and performance would have to trend in a better direction between now and then for that to be a consideration.

Prior to missing the 2023 season, Díaz was one of the most dominant relievers in the sport. At the time, he re-signed with the Mets, he had a 2.93 ERA in 399 1/3 innings. That included a 2022 campaign in which he posted a 1.31 ERA with a 50.2% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 46.9% ground ball rate.

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