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Mets Place Tylor Megill on Injured List

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April 2: Megill will be shut down from throwing for five to seven days before being reevaluated, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post. The right-hander said after his IL placement that he felt discomfort when throwing a curveball to begin the fourth inning of his season debut. That discomfort wasn’t as severe as the pain he felt when he suffered the 2022 shoulder strain that shelved him for multiple months.

April 1: The Mets announced Monday that they’ve placed righty Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list after an MRI revealed a strain in his right shoulder. Megill exited his first start of the season after just four innings and 78 pitches. Right-hander Reed Garrett has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in his place for the time being, though Garrett isn’t a rotation option. He’ll give the Mets a fresh arm in the bullpen for now, but they’ll likely make another move to bring up a starter once Megill’s spot in the rotation comes back up. The team has not yet announced the severity of Megill’s strain or a potential timetable for his return.

Megill, 28, moved into the rotation during spring training after Kodai Senga suffered a shoulder strain of his own. He’d been slated to be one of the team’s top depth options but opened the year in the starting five instead. Now, it seems that assignment will only last the one start. Megill two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts against the Brewers before incurring the injury. It’s not the first time he’s battled shoulder injuries in his career; a shoulder strain sent Megill to the 60-day injured list as recently as 2022.

Megill made 27 starts with the Mets in 2021-22, and while he wasn’t slated to open the 2023 season in the rotation, injuries thrust him onto last year’s starting staff and led him to make a career-high 25 starts. In that time, Megill worked to a 4.70 ERA with an 18.5% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate. Those numbers roughly line up with his career marks. He’s pitched in parts of four MLB seasons, including his lone 2024 outing, and owns a 4.68 ERA 22.3% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 42.7% ground-ball rate.

With Megill shelved, the Mets’ four healthy starters are Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, Adrian Houser and Luis Severino. In-house options to step into the vacated spot include left-hander Joey Lucchesi and righty Jose Butto — the latter of whom was the final member of the spring rotation competition won by Megill. The Mets also have prospects Mike Vasil, Dominic Hamel and Christian Scott all on the cusp of MLB readiness, but none of that trio is on the 40-man roster. Both Lucchesi and Butto are.

The Opener: Jung, Pitching Matchups, MLBTR Chat

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With the 2024 regular season now in full swing, here are three things to watch around baseball today:

1. An IL stint is imminent for Josh Jung:

The Rangers have not yet placed Josh Jung on the injured list, but they will surely do so sometime before this evening’s contest with the Rays. The third baseman suffered a fracture on Monday after he was hit on the wrist while swinging at an offering from Phil Maton. The Rangers were unable to offer a timeline for his return last night, but he will undoubtedly be gone long enough to require an IL stint. Expect an announcement and a corresponding roster move from the team later today.

2. Pitching matchups to watch:

By the end of this evening, all 30 teams will have begun their second (or third) series of the season. That means plenty of interesting starting pitchers and pitching matchups to follow.

Several aces will be back on the bump for their second turn in the rotation, including Logan Webb, Zac Gallen, and Luis Castillo. Perhaps the most compelling matchup to watch will be between Astros Opening Day starter Framber Valdez and Blue Jays Opening Day starter José Berríos. Valdez will be looking to rebound from a mediocre first outing against the Yankees, while Berríos hopes to get his team back on track after last night’s no-hitter.

One more pitcher to keep an eye on is Tigers starter Casey Mize. As long the Tigers and Mets aren’t rained out (a mounting possibility), Mize will make his first start since April 2022. The former top prospect and No. 1 overall pick is returning from Tommy John and back surgery.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

It’s the first chat of the 2024 season! With no shortage of topics to discuss, including injuries, rumors, a recent free agent signing, and a no-hitter, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers this afternoon at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.

NL West Notes: Heyward, Graterol, Treinen, Snell, Montgomery

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Dodgers right fielder Jason Heyward has not played since Saturday. According to Bill Plunkett of The Orange Country Register, Heyward wasn’t even at the stadium on Monday night, as the Dodgers welcomed the Giants for the first matchup of a three-game set. Heyward, 34, has been dealing with a stiff back for about a week. On Monday, he went to get his back checked out, and manager Dave Roberts said he would “probably get some imaging” (as relayed by Plunkett). Presumably, the Dodgers will know more about the severity of his injury later tonight or tomorrow.

If Heyward needs a stint on the injured list, the Dodgers will likely recall Miguel Vargas from Triple-A. Formerly a top infield prospect, Vargas began taking some reps in left field in 2022 and has continued to work in the outfield. A right-handed hitter and inexperienced outfielder, Vargas cannot play the same role as the lefty-batting, Gold Glove-winning Heyward. Still, he can provide the Dodgers with an extra body for the outfield, likely splitting time with Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernández.

In more positive news for the Dodgers, Plunkett reports that right-handed relievers Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen are making progress as they recover from a shoulder injury and a bruised lung and ribs, respectively. Graterol is getting ready to throw off a mound tomorrow, while Treinen “might throw lightly off a mound” sometime before Thursday.

In other news from around the NL West…

  • Reigning NL Cy Young and new Giants ace Blake Snell will make his first start of the season on Monday, manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). He has already begun facing minor league hitters, and he will pitch in a simulated game against his own teammates on Wednesday before taking on the Nationals next week. The southpaw joins a Giants rotation that already features last year’s Cy Young runner-up Logan Webb, highly-touted rookie Kyle Harrison, and flame-throwing reliever-turned-starter Jordan Hicks.
  • Speaking of star free agents who signed too late to pitch in spring training, Jordan Montgomery was unable to throw a proper simulated game this afternoon due to poor weather, but he still got in 50 pitches over three up-downs, reports Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic adds that Montgomery is scheduled to make his first start for Triple-A Reno on Sunday. The Diamondbacks have not said how many starts the lefty needs before he is MLB-ready, but during his introductory press conference, Montgomery himself said he was eyeing April 19 as the date for his return (per Weiner). Indeed, Robert Murray of FanSided reports that the 2023 World Series champion has a clause in his contract that requires him to be in the majors by April 19. However, Montgomery will presumably stay in the minors a little longer if it is what’s best for his long-term health and performance.

AL West Notes: Verlander, García, Santos, Brash, Sasaki

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A pair of Astros starting pitchers are making progress on their way back from injuries. Justin Verlander spoke to reporters (including Chandler Rome of The Athletic) after a successful batting practice session against live hitters on Monday. He believes his next step will be a minor league rehab assignment. Manager Joe Espada provided a similar update, telling Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that his ace “should be ready to go out on a rehab assignment” as long as he “comes back tomorrow feeling well.” Espada suggested Verlander would need more than one rehab appearance before he can return to the Astros, but the skipper did not provide an exact timeline for the three-time Cy Young winner’s return. Verlander has recovered from the shoulder injury that kept him on the sidelines this spring. Still, he needs more time to build up his arm strength before pitching in an MLB game.

Meanwhile, Luis García has begun to throw off a mound, and Espada says the righty is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery from a UCL injury (per Rome). The 27-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery last May. While he still has plenty of work to put in before he can return to the majors, the Astros are hopeful he can rejoin the rotation by July if all goes well (per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). Over 64 games (62 starts) from 2021-23, García pitched to a 3.63 ERA and 3.86 SIERA.

More news from around the AL West…

  • The Mariners received some good news today when reliever Gregory Santos’ MRI came back clean (per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times). He had been dealing with a flareup of inflammation in the strained lat that kept him out for all of spring training. According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Santos needed the MRI to come back clean in order to resume his throwing program; the hard-throwing right-hander has now begun “light baseball activities” (per Jude). The Mariners have not yet provided a timeline for his return, but they are surely hoping to get him back sooner rather than later. Santos pitched to a 3.39 ERA and 3.32 SIERA in 60 games for the White Sox last season.
  • In other Mariners bullpen news, Matt Brash is making progress as he recovers from right elbow inflammation. While Mariners GM Justin Hollander would not provide an exact timeline for any of his injured arms, he suggested that Brash is the furthest along in his rehab (per Jude). Like Santos, Brash is a hard-throwing right-hander coming off a breakout year. In 78 games last season, he posted a 3.06 ERA and 2.86 SIERA, winning nine games and collecting 24 holds.
  • Eight teams recently sent representatives to watch NPB ace Roki Sasaki pitch in Japan. The Dodgers, Cardinals, Mets, and Yankees were previously reported to be four of those clubs, and now Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reveals that a scout from the Rangers was also in attendance. That leaves three remaining mystery teams present at Sasaki’s latest starts for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Josh Jung Diagnosed With Fractured Wrist

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Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has been diagnosed with a fractured right wrist, the team told reporters (including Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). Jung was removed from this evening’s game against the Rays in the ninth inning after he was hit on the wrist while swinging at a pitch. Inevitably, he will be placed on the injured list, but how much time he misses depends on the severity of the injury. Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today suggests Jung could actually return sooner if he undergoes surgery. However, Wilson also notes that manager Bruce Bochy could not provide a timeline for the third baseman’s return.

Although this particular incident was largely unavoidable, Jung has begun to develop a reputation as an injury-prone player. He came into spring training in 2021 with a stress fracture in his foot, while he suffered a torn labrum during the spring of 2022. He stayed healthy through most of his rookie season in 2023, until a scorching liner off the bat of Jorge Soler broke his thumb in August. Most recently, the 26-year-old missed time this spring with a calf strain. While some of his injuries have been freak accidents, it’s hard not to see a pattern emerging.

Jung was off to a hot start in 2024, with seven hits (including two home runs) in 19 plate appearances. Although four games is a minuscule sample size, he was working hard to dispel any concerns about the dreaded sophomore slump. He will have to hope his wrist injury does not sap him of any strength upon his return; power is his most important tool.

Thankfully for the Rangers, they have a pair of capable third basemen on the bench in Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith. While neither is a threat at the plate like Jung, Duran is coming off a respectable breakout season (.768 OPS, 107 wRC+ in 122 games), and Smith has put up impressive defensive numbers over 61 MLB games at the hot corner (12 DRS, 3 OAA). Smith has struggled at the plate thus far in his big league career, but his .233 career batting average on balls in play and his .321 xwOBA last season (compared to a .287 wOBA) suggest that his luck is due to change.

To replace Jung on the active roster, the Rangers could recall either Justin Foscue or Jonathan Ornelas from Triple-A. Ornelas, 23, played eight games for Texas last season, while Foscue, 25, has yet to play in the major leagues. Alternatively, the Rangers could select an infielder from off of the 40-man roster. Veteran Matt Duffy recently signed a new minor league deal with the club, while Jeff Wilson suggests 26-year-old minor league Davis Wendzel as an option after his strong spring.

Submit Your Questions For This Week’s MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!

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On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we’ll frequently answer questions from our readers and listeners.  With the next episode set for Wednesday, we’re looking for MLBTR’s audience to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few to answer.

The 2024 MLB season is upon us! If you have a question about a recent transaction, a future transaction or anything else related to baseball, we’d love to hear from you!  You can send your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Also, if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, send us your question in audio form and we might play it.  iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Giants Select Nick Avila, Designate Otto López

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves today, with Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area among those to pass them along. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has been reinstated from the paternity list and right-hander Nick Avila has been selected to the roster. To open active roster spots, outfielder Luis Matos and right-hander Daulton Jefferies were optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. To open a 40-man spot for Avila, utility player Otto López was designated for assignment.

Avila, 26, will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a ballgame, though he’s been close before. The White Sox selected him from the Giants in the 2022 Rule 5 draft, but he didn’t make Chicago’s Opening Day roster in 2023 and was returned to the Giants. He spent last year in Triple-A, throwing 72 innings over 56 appearances with an earned run average of 3.00. His 12% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 21.3% of batters faced and kept 46.2% of balls in play on the ground. Amazingly, he managed to go 14-0 for the year and has already earned one victory in Triple-A here in 2024.

The Giants got crushed yesterday, eventually losing 13-4 to the Padres. Jefferies started the game and lasted just two innings, forcing long reliever Kai-Wei Teng to toss three frames and three other relievers to come in after that, though one of them was position player Tyler Fitzgerald. Avila will give them a fresh arm as they look to get through three games against a tough Dodger lineup.

To make room for Avila, they’ve had to remove López from the 40-man. Acquired from the Blue Jays in a cash deal back in February, the 25-year-old had 11 big league plate appearances with his former club. He’s hit just .270/.340/.368 in the minors since the start of 2022, production which translates into a wRC+ of 86. But he hit .315/.379/.437 in 2021, giving some hope for better offense going forward.

Regardless of the bat, López can provide value in other ways. He’s good for double-digit stolen base tallies on an annual basis and also provides defensive versatility. In his career, he has played all three outfield positions and the three infield spots to the left of first base. He still has one option remaining and could perhaps appeal to clubs looking for some extra depth that can be stashed in the minors. The Giants will have one week to work out a trade or pass him through waivers.

Dodgers Designate Nabil Crismatt For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced that right-hander Nabil Crismatt has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow righty Dinelson Lamet, whose impending selection was reported on earlier today.

Crismatt, 29, was just selected to the roster yesterday. He earned the win in yesterday’s 5-4 victory over the Cardinals, pitching the seventh and eighth innings while the Dodgers were losing 4-2. He put up zeroes in his two frames, striking out three opponents while allowing just one hit and no walks, providing the club with the chance for a comeback win.

Despite that solid performance, it seems he is a victim of circumstance. Manager Dave Roberts informed the Dodgers’ beat, including Juan Toribio of MLB.com, that the club is planning to do a bullpen game tomorrow in order to give the starters some extra rest. That meant bringing in a fresh arm in Lamet while Crismatt got nudged out, likely because he is out of options and doesn’t provide the club with a lot of roster flexibility.

They will now have a week to trade Crismatt or pass him through waivers, though he has a previous career outright and would have the right to elect free agent rather than accept another such assignment. He’s coming off a rough season, having posted an earned run average of 8.31 over his eight major league appearances last year and a 6.86 ERA in the minors. He was in better form in the previous two seasons, when he posted a 3.39 ERA over 148 2/3 innings for the Padres. He struck out 21.6% of batters faced in that time while walking just 7.3%.

Diamondbacks Place Alek Thomas On Injured List With Strained Hamstring

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The Diamondbacks announced that outfielder Alek Thomas has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring. Outfielder Jorge Barrosa was recalled in a corresponding move and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Thomas, who turns 24 later this month, left last night’s game with some hamstring tightness and it seems the injury is serious enough that he’ll have to miss some time. Per Alex Weiner of AZ Sports, manager Torey Lovullo described it as “high Grade 1” since it’s between Grade 1 and Grade 2.

The young outfielder isn’t much of a hitter, having slashed .230/.273/.362 in his career thus far, but he is a strong defender in center. In 1,857 1/3 innings of big league work thus far, he has produced 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 11 Outs Above Average. Corbin Carroll has slid over from right field to center tonight and may stay there for as long as Thomas is out, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jake McCarthy likely to get regular work in the corners.

The injury to Thomas has allowed the 23-year-old Barrosa to get called up to the big leagues for the first time in his career and he’ll jump into the mix for outfield playing time. An international signing out of Venezuela, the switch hitter split his 2022 between High-A and Double-A. He hit 13 home runs in 123 games while walking in 12.1% of his trips to the plate and striking out at just a 15.4% clip. His combined batting line of .278/.372/.439 translated to a wRC+ of 112 and he stole 26 bases on the year.

The Snakes added him to their roster in November of that year to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He spent all of 2023 in Triple-A, pairing a 15.9% walk rate with a 16.3% strikeout rate. He added another 13 home runs and swiped another 15 bags. His .274/.394/.456 line led to a wRC+ of 110. Baseball America ranked him the club’s #23 prospect coming into this year while FanGraphs had him at #10 as of June of last year.

Athletics Option Esteury Ruiz

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The Athletics announced that outfielder Esteury Ruiz has been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. His spot on the active roster goes to infielder Tyler Nevin, who was claimed off waivers from the Orioles yesterday.

Ruiz, 25, has been a key component of the Oakland roster in recent years, having been a notable part of their return in the Sean Murphy trade going into the 2023 season. He missed about a month of last year due to a right shoulder subluxation but otherwise spent the whole year in the majors, getting 497 plate appearances over 132 games. He stole 67 bases in that time but hit just five home runs and walked in just 4% of his trips to the plate. His .254/.309/.345 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 86, indicating he was 14% worse than league average.

This has generally been the profile of Ruiz as a prospect. His blazing speed has always allowed him to provide a level of dynamism on the field but there have always been questions about whether he can hit enough to make use of that. He seemed to take a step forward in 2022, walking in 12.2% of his minor league plate appearances and hitting 16 home runs, which is perhaps why the A’s took a shot on him.

The fact that he didn’t immediately hit the ground running against big league pitching isn’t necessarily an indictment of his future, as many prospects go through an adjustment period after first being promoted. But given that the concerns around his lack of power and on-base ability predate his arrival, it does perhaps raise a least a little concern that the step forward in 2022 was more a fluke than a true sign of change.

Despite his incredible speed, his defense hasn’t been given amazing grades thus far. Outs Above Average has him at just +2 in his career while Defensive Runs Saved has him way down at -22. His -20 DRS last year was the second worst among all outfielders, with only Kyle Schwarber beneath him.

Ruiz started the 2024 season hot, having hit .429/.375/.857, though that’s a tiny sample size of eight plate appearances in three games. He only hit .236/.295/.400 during Spring Training so it’s tough to draw any meaningful conclusions from the good results in three regular season games.

Despite the imperfections in his game, it’s surprising to see Ruiz get sent down rather than stick around for more reps in the majors. The club isn’t expected to be competitive this year and will largely be using the 2024 season to evaluate players to determine the path forward. The majority of the position players on their active roster can be optioned, with J.D. Davis, Abraham Toro and Nevin the only exceptions.

Ruiz has clearly been a priority for the club but will now go get his at-bats at the Triple-A level as the club assesses whether he can find another level at the plate or not. Depending on the length of his stay, it could have repercussions for his path to free agency and/or arbitration. He came into this season with one year and 29 days of service time, meaning that he could come up shy of the two-year mark if he’s down for a significant period of time. Players need six years of service to reach free agency and three years to automatically qualify for arbitration, though some can reach arbitration earlier as Super Two players.

Ruiz was the primary center fielder last year but has been in left field so far this year, with JJ Bleday in center. The departure of Ruiz will open up some left field playing time for guys like Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker and Nevin.

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