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GM Ross Atkins Discusses Blue Jays’ Slow Start

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The Blue Jays have had among the more disappointing early season performances in the league so far this season, as they entered play today with a record of just 19-24 that leaves them at the bottom of the AL East, more than ten games back of the Yankees for the division crown. As noted by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, club GM Ross Atkins spoke to reporters on the field prior to today’s game against the Rays about the club’s tough start and the path forward. Atkins acknowledged that the club’s struggles can’t continue if they hope to have a successful season, even as he expressed confidence in the club’s internal options.

“We believe in this talent,” Atkins said. “There is time left, but there is a massive sense of urgency and we need to get it turned around soon.”

It’s easy to see why the club has struggled in the standings when looking at the underlying performance of the talent on both sides of the ball. Toronto’s bats rank bottom three in the AL with a collective wRC+ of just 93, which is a far cry from last year’s 107 figure. Making matters worse is a struggling pitching staff that has posted a 4.45 ERA this season that’s good for fourth-worst among all AL clubs. While the club’s rotation has a decent 4.15 ERA that’s within spitting distance of league average, they’ve been dragged down by brutal performances in the bullpen that have left the club’s relievers with a combined 4.92 ERA that ranks better than just the Angels and Rangers among all MLB clubs.

Given the club’s deep struggles in all aspects of the game, there’s plenty of room for improvement both internally and externally all around the roster. That being said, significant trades this early in the season are somewhat rare. While they’re not completely unheard of, as the recent swap that sent Luis Arraez from the Marlins to the Padres demonstrates, notable deals at this point in the calendar typically require the buy-side team to pay a premium in order to convince the selling club not to wait out the market in hopes of a bidding war closer to the deadline. Atkins acknowledged that reality, but even as he did so he refused to shut the door on making a move should it prove necessary.

“If we were to acquire a player at this point, you obviously are paying a premium. We can do that. We have the players to trade for that level of talent,” Atkins said, as noted by Nicholson-Smith. “We [presently] feel that the best contributions that could create that change in run scoring are going to come from within our clubhouse or triple-A, with the players that are here. But the dialogue is steady on the alternatives that that could happen.”

That the Blue Jays believe they have the pieces necessary to get a jump on the trade market is a notable development, and it’s easy to see why an aggressive move early in the calendar could make sense for the club. While the team’s performance on the field this year may not reflect it, Toronto is clearly in a win-now mode with catcher Danny Jansen set to become a free agent after the 2024 campaign and key pieces like Bo Bichette, Jordan Romano, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ticketed for the open market the following offseason. Speculatively speaking, acquiring additional talent ahead of trade season could not only give the club the best chance of winning this year, but even potentially allow them to recoup some of the capital spent to acquire that talent later this summer should the team’s struggles continue and the playoffs appear out of reach by late July.

At least for the time being, however, it seems that Atkins and the Blue Jays appear content to rely on internal improvements. That could come both in the form of stronger production from key pieces like Bichette, Romano, George Springer, and Kevin Gausman, all of whom have struggled this year, but Atkins also acknowledged the farm system as a potential source of internal production. Outfielder Nathan Lukes, infielder Orelvis Martinez, and first baseman Spencer Horwitz are all already on the 40-man roster and have enjoyed success at Triple-A to this point in the season.

Josh Jung Projected For Longer Recovery Timeline From Wrist Surgery

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Rangers third baseman Josh Jung suffered a fractured wrist after being hit by a pitch in his fourth game of the season, and wrist surgery was required to fix the problem.  Initially given a rough six-week recovery timeline, that projection was lengthened to 8-10 weeks since the surgery was more complicated than expected, thus sending Jung from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

Unfortunately for Jung, he’ll now face an even longer absence, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Jung will likely be out until at least the start of July, or perhaps closer to the All-Star break.  It will be 10-14 days before Jung knows whether or not he’ll be given the green light to start swinging a bat, and assuming that Jung is cleared, it’ll be another 3-4 weeks of full baseball activities and minor league rehab games before an IL activation is feasible.

The situation still seems quite fluid, and the fact that Jung has already had his timeline pushed back twice isn’t a good sign.  There’s also the uncertainty that comes from any hitter recovering from wrist surgery, as it is common for batters to need some extra re-adjustment time after an injury that so directly impacts their ability to control a bat and swing properly.  A minor league rehab assignment should theoretically help Jung shake off some of this rust, though there’s no substitute for facing Major League pitching.

Jung’s first full MLB season saw him finish fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, as he hit .266/.315/.467 with 23 home runs over 515 plate appearances.  That impressive regular season was followed up by a .308/.329/.538 slash line and three homers in 70 during the playoffs as the Rangers went on to capture their first World Series championship.  Jung’s emergence as a building block has already paid dividends with one ring, and the Rangers are certainly hoping he can be a lineup fixture for years to come, though this wrist surgery is a very unfortunate setback.

As Grant notes, the Rangers haven’t yet been hurt by Jung’s absence since Josh Smith has stepped up.  Smith has hit .280/.375/.432 in 152 PA this season, earning an increasing large share of the playing time at third base even if Smith’s left-handed bat adds to the overall lefty tilt of the Texas lineup.

Giants Claim Ryan McKenna

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2:32PM: Both teams have announced the transaction, and MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via X) reported that the Giants placed Lee on the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for McKenna.

1:57PM: The Giants have claimed outfielder Ryan McKenna off waivers from the Orioles, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (X link).  McKenna was designated for assignment earlier this week, and he’ll now change teams for the first time in his nine pro seasons.

It’s an obvious fit for a Giants team that is battling through a swath of injuries, particularly in the outfield ranks.  Jung Hoo Lee just underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, and both Michael Conforto and Austin Slater are also currently sidelined.  With shortstop Nick Ahmed and both catchers (starter Patrick Bailey and backup Tom Murphy) out, San Francisco has been forced to dig deep into its depth chart, and also pursue outside help like the recent signing of veteran catcher Curt Casali.

McKenna represents another external add, and he brings versatility in his ability to play all three outfield positions at at least an average level.  Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos have gotten a lot of the playing time in the outfield with so many of the regulars out, and both have played well alongside Mike Yastrzemski in the makeshift starting arrangement.  McKenna will bring some extra depth to that mix, since Blake Sabol has been limited to catcher and utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald could be deployed more strictly in the infield.

McKenna is also a right-handed hitter who can complement the lefty-swinging Yastrzemski, though McKenna has never brought much punch at the plate.  Over 517 career MLB plate appearances, McKenna has hit just .224/.302/.332 with eight home runs.  He also has a much more impressive .261/.359/.556 slash line over 274 PA at Triple-A, with much of that damage taking place during a big 2021 campaign.

Despite the lack of pop, it is possible the Orioles might not have felt compelled to part with McKenna if the team wasn’t so absurdly stacked with outfield talent.  In a sense, having a clear-cut bench player like McKenna was valuable for the O’s since it wasn’t a huge deal if McKenna only received sporadic playing time, whereas sitting a Heston Kjerstad or a Kyle Stowers for days at a time wasn’t helpful for their development.  Matos and Ramos are both playing well enough that this type of situation might not present itself in San Francisco, as there should be plenty of playing time available until some of the injured position players return.

Tigers Claim Easton Lucas, Designate Ty Adcock

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The Tigers and Athletics have both announced that Detroit has claimed left-hander Easton Lucas off waivers.  Lucas will be optioned to the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.  In the corresponding move, the Tigers have also designated right-hander Ty Adcock for assignment.

It was a quick stay on the waiver wire for Lucas, as the Athletics only just designated him for assignment two days ago.  The 27-year-old has only nine MLB appearances since debuting last season with Oakland, and the results have been rough even within that small sample size.  Lucas has a 10.45 ERA in his 10 1/3 career innings, with an ungainly 12.1% walk rate and only a decent 22.4% strikeout rate.  The A’s chose to outright Lucas after last season, and he remained in the organization after clearing waivers.

While the numbers in the Show haven’t been much to look at, Lucas does have a 4.37 ERA in 45 1/3 career frames at the Triple-A level.  That ERA is quite solid considering that Lucas has spent most of that Triple-A with the Athletics’ affiliate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and he has been particularly impressive with a 2.87 ERA in 15 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2024.  His strikeout totals since arriving in Triple-A have been below average, after Lucas recorded many more whiffs in the lower minors.

To make room for Lucas, Detroit has moved on from Adcock just a month after claiming him off waivers from the Mariners.  Adcock was an eight-round pick for Seattle in the 2019 draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2023 with 15 2/3 innings of 3.45 ERA ball over 12 appearances out of the Mariners’ bullpen.  Adcock has yet to allow a walk at the big league level and he had good base-on-ball numbers in the minors prior to this season, when his walk rate suddenly spiked up to 13.63% in 8 1/3 innings with the Tigers’ and Mariners’ Triple-A affiliates.

The small sample size caveat applies again, and it should be noted that this is Adcock’s first time in Triple-A, as the Mariners promoted him from Double-A Arkansas last season without the benefit of any exposure at the top of the minor league ladder.  With an 8.64 ERA in Triple-A thus far, obviously Adcock has some adjustments to make, but those could possibly come in yet another organization if the righty is claimed again.

Rays Acquire Richard Lovelady From Cubs

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The Rays and Cubs have agreed to a swap of left-handers, as the Rays announced that Richard Lovelady has been acquired in exchange for minor leaguer Jeff Belge.  In a corresponding move, right-hander Jacob Waguespack was transferred to Tampa Bay’s 60-day injured list to create room on the 40-man roster.

Chicago designated Lovelady for assignment earlier this week, and today’s trade will officially end his Wrigleyville tenure after seven appearances.  Lovelady signed a minor league contract with the Cubs over the offseason, and the team’s spate of bullpen injuries created another opportunity for the southpaw in the Show, as his contract was selected to the 26-man roster at the end of April.  Unfortunately for Lovelady, he posted a 7.94 ERA over his 5 2/3 innings with Chicago, making him expendable when the Cubs needed a roster spot for the newly-acquired Tyson Miller.

Lovelady has pitched in five of the last six MLB seasons, with a 5.48 ERA across his 70 2/3 innings as a big leaguer.  The home run ball has presented some problems for Lovelady and he isn’t a particularly hard thrower, yet some elements to his game hint at the potential for more consistent effectiveness.  Lovelady has a 49.8% grounder rate at the Major League level, as well as solid strikeout (22.7%) and walk (8.8%) rates.

If any team can make Lovelady a late bloomer as he approaches his 29th birthday, it might be the Rays, given their history of turning unheralded pitchers into quality contributors.  Lovelady is in his final minor league option year, so Tampa Bay has some flexibility in moving him between the majors and minors as circumstances warrant.  Garrett Cleavinger is the only other southpaw in the Rays’ bullpen, so Lovelady will bring some more depth against lefty-swinging batters.

The 26-year-old Belge was an 18th-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2019 draft, and he came to Tampa in the December 2022 trade that sent J.P. Feyereisen to Los Angeles.  Working almost exclusively as a relief pitcher in his 165 1/3 minor league innings, Belge has a 3.81 ERA and an impressive 32.59% strikeout rate, though his 14.56% walk rate is also inflated.  Belge has pitched with Double-A Montgomery for the last two seasons and has yet to make his Triple-A debut.

Waguespack was placed on the 15-day IL on May 6 due to inflammation in his right rotator cuff.  The issue is serious enough that he’ll need at least a 60-day stint to fully recover, so he’ll be out of action until the second week of July at the earliest.  Waguespack has a 5.40 ERA across 10 innings and four appearances with Tampa Bay this season, which marked his first MLB action since 2020.  The interim three seasons were spent in the Blue Jays’ farm system and then with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Orioles Reinstate Grayson Rodriguez, Designate Mike Baumann

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The Orioles announced that Grayson Rodriguez has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list, and he’ll make his return to the mound today in a start against the Mariners.  To make room on the active roster, right-hander Mike Baumann was designated for assignment.

Rodriguez was retroactively placed on the IL on April 30, and the righty’s bout of shoulder inflammation ended up being minor enough that he’ll return after less than three weeks on the sidelines.  Baltimore’s star pitching prospect has done well over his first two MLB seasons, and he has a 3.71 ERA in 34 innings and six starts thus far in 2024.

In the definition of “good problem to have,” basically all of the Orioles’ starters have fared well this season, allowing the team to pretty easily navigate IL stints for Rodriguez, John Means, and Tyler Wells.  The logjam of quality pitchers bodes well for a team that has entered a very busy portion of the schedule.  Yesterday’s game with Seattle kicked off a stretch of 42 games in 44 days for the O’s, so the team will be moving to a six-man rotation to keep everyone as fresh as possible.

Even with this oncoming rush of games, the pitching logjam filtered down to the bullpen, making Baumann the odd man out.  Baumann is one of several Baltimore relievers who is out of minor league options, so the O’s had to designate him in order to try and move him to Triple-A, thus exposing the reliever to waivers.  It certainly seems possible that another team might scoop Baumann off the DFA wire, but the O’s will surely first test the trade market for any particularly keen suitors.

Baumann has spent his entire pro career with the Orioles, since his selection as a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.  Debuting in the majors in 2021, Baumann started four of his 13 appearances in 2022 but has since worked out of the bullpen, posting a 3.69 ERA in 83 bullpen innings since Opening Day 2023.  With a pretty average 21.7% strikeout rate and an 11.8% walk rate that is on the high side, Baumann isn’t necessarily a darling of the advanced metrics, though his expected statistics (via Statcast) have improved this season, and he is doing a much better job at limiting barrels.  All of this combined with Baumann’s ability to work beyond one inning out of the pen might add up to a good deal of interest for teams in need of bullpen depth.

Zack Greinke Working Out, Unsure About Continuing Playing Career

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After 20 Major League seasons, Zack Grienke might not yet be ready to hang up his cleats, as the veteran right-hander has been working out at the Diamondbacks’ extended Spring Training camp.  As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes, this isn’t any indication of a contract between Greinke and the D’Backs, as the two sides are “not believed to have had discussions about a reunion.”  Instead, the D’Backs have simply let Greinke work out at their facilities as a courtesy while he figures out the next step in his career.

That is, if there is a next step at all, since Greinke was non-committal about what these workouts exactly represent.  “I don’t know if this will be my last time throwing or if I’ll throw the rest of the year and next year,” Greinke said.  “I don’t really know at the moment….I’m just throwing, seeing how it works out and going from there.”

Greinke’s most recent two-season run in Kansas City had something of the feel of a coda on his excellent career, as Greinke returned to the franchise that drafted him sixth overall in 2002.  Greinke’s first seven MLB seasons were spent in a Royals uniform, and highlighted with a tremendous 2009 season that saw him win the AL Cy Young Award.  In between those two stints with the Royals, Greinke pitched for five other teams, and his 714 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks from 2016-19 mark the most he has thrown for any organization outside of Kansas City.

His form from 2020-22 represented a step down from his front-of-the-rotation peak, but it wasn’t until last season at age 39 that Greinke finally had a sharp drop in performance.  The righty posted a 5.06 ERA over 142 1/3 innings, and apart from a still-elite 3.9% walk rate, it seemed as though Greinke’s recent recipe of low velocity and low strikeout totals caught up to him.

According to reports during the offseason, Greinke finished the 2023 campaign considering retirement, but as of December was preparing to pitch again.  However, Greinke told Piecoro that he had only started properly throwing two weeks ago and at the behest of his two sons, and indicated that it had been a while since he had done any winter prep work.  “My arm feels decent at the moment.  I was trying to get as good as I could at golfing the past two months, and I was like, ’Why am I trying to be a pro golfer when I’m already kind of a pro baseball player?’  So I figured I’d throw a little and see how it goes,” Greinke said.

Since the Greinke family once again lives in Arizona, the right-hander reconnected with the Diamondbacks when his sons (who are “nonstop right now” in their interest in baseball) had interest in taking part in baseball activities on a genuine Spring Training field.  This has now snowballed into Greinke’s workouts, and a recent live batting practice session against four D’Backs players on injury rehab.  Greinke faced each of Geraldo Perdomo, Alek Thomas, Jordan Lawlar and Jorge Barrosa twice during the eight at-bat session, leaving the opponents impressed.

“I told one of the guys I think he could still pitch in the majors….For his change-up to look like that in his first live BP, just imagine when he gets into a rhythm and is ready,” Perdomo said.

It seems like there’s still a ways to go before Greinke is fully set on pursuing a return, let alone signing a contract and getting properly ramped up to the point that he can again pitch in a Major League game.  “Because it’s still early” in the process, Greinke said he hasn’t talked to his agent about exploring deals with teams.  On paper, the Diamondbacks would seem a logical candidate based on familiarity and comfort alone, plus Greinke would add a lot of veteran experience to a rotation that has lost Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly to the 60-day IL.  Another return to Kansas City shouldn’t be ruled out, even through starting pitching has been a strength for the Royals in their sudden surge into contention.

A’s Sign Robert Dugger To Minors Contract

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The Athletics have signed right-hander Robert Dugger to a minor league deal, according to Dugger’s MLB.com profile page.  Dugger has been assigned to the team’s Arizona Complex League affiliate, indicating that Dugger could be undergoing a mechanical overhaul or simply be getting some Spring Training-esque ramp-up before his next assignment higher up the minor league ladder.

Dugger returns to North American baseball after a brief and unsuccessful stint in the Korea Baseball Organization.  After signing a one-year, $750K deal with the SSG Landers over the offseason, Dugger posted a 12.71 ERA over six starts and 22 2/3 innings before being released at the end of April.

Despite those rough numbers, the 28-year-old Dugger could now provide the A’s with some rotation depth, given his more recent track record in the Pacific Coast League.  The righty had a 4.31 ERA over 146 1/3 Triple-A innings with the Rangers’ top affiliate in 2023, which stood out as a particularly solid number in a very hitter-friendly league.  A 22.6% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate weren’t overly impressive, but providing quality innings in the PCL is no small feat, and the Athletics surely have interest in seeing what Dugger can do at their own PCL team at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Dugger is a veteran of four Major League seasons, posting a 7.17 ERA across 86 2/3 innings with the Marlins, Mariners, Rays, and Reds from 2019-22.  Never a hard thrower or a big strikeout pitcher, Dugger has relied on control to get good results, though his walk rates have been pretty modest over his last three minor league seasons.

Jung Hoo Lee To Undergo Season-Ending Labrum Surgery

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The Giants informed reporters this evening that rookie center fielder Jung Hoo Lee will undergo surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder (X link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). He’ll miss the remainder of the season.

Lee was one of the top signees of last offseason. San Francisco inked the KBO star to a six-year, $113MM deal after he was posted by the Kiwoom Heroes. It was the fourth-largest free agent guarantee of the winter, trailing only the Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Nola deals. Lee’s age was a major factor, as he’s only 25. The Giants envisioned him as a top-of-the-lineup hitter who could handle center field on an everyday basis.

The left-handed hitter appeared in 37 games in his debut campaign. He hit .262/.310/.331 with two homers over 158 plate appearances. It wasn’t a great overall showing, but Lee only struck out in 8.2% of his trips to the plate and generally made a decent amount of hard contact. Most of his batted balls were hit on the ground, limiting his power ceiling, but it seemed reasonable to project him for a solid on-base percentage as he continued gaining experience against MLB pitching.

This is the second straight year in which Lee’s season was cut short. He appeared in 86 games before suffering a left ankle injury requiring surgery during his final season in Korea. He sustained the shoulder injury — a dislocation in addition to the labrum damage — when he collided with the Oracle Park wall trying to rob a Jeimer Candelario extra-base hit on Sunday. San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters (including Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic) that Lee also underwent a left shoulder procedure while in Korea back in 2018. This surgery comes with a six-month rehab process, so he should be ready for Spring Training.

San Francisco has a staggering 11 players on the injured list at the moment. Lee is one of six position players on the shelf, including a trio of outfielders. Michael Conforto and Austin Slater are also currently out. The Giants are also without starting shortstop Nick Ahmed and their expected catching tandem of Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy.

Losing Lee for the season is arguably the biggest hit the Giants have taken so far. Second-year player Luis Matos has stepped in as the primary center fielder in his absence. Matos hit .250/.319/.342 with a pair of homers in 76 games during his rookie campaign. He was out to a very slow start to this season at Triple-A Sacramento, hitting .218/.308/.355 through 143 trips to the plate. Mike Yastrzemski and Heliot Ramos are flanking him in the corners.

The Giants will move Lee to the 60-day injured list when their next need for a 40-man roster spot arises. They’ll need to reinstate him at the beginning of the offseason. He’ll make $16MM next season, $22MM in 2026-27 and $20.5MM annually for the final two seasons of his deal. He can opt out after the 2027 campaign.

Red Sox Shut Down Garrett Whitlock Due To Elbow Soreness

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The Red Sox are pausing Garrett Whitlock’s throwing program after the right-hander reported elbow soreness, manager Alex Cora told reporters on Friday (link via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). He’ll head for imaging over the weekend to determine the severity.

Whitlock has spent exactly one month on the injured list, but not for an elbow problem. A left oblique strain knocked him out of action after four starts. He made a rehab appearance at Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. Whitlock looked good in that outing, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Cora indicated he felt fine during the appearance before experiencing the elbow discomfort the following day.

Boston expected that Whitlock would return to the MLB rotation at the start of next week. That’s no longer the case. The test results will determine how long he’s out of action. Whitlock had two elbow-related injured list stints in 2023, the latter of which cost him five weeks between July and August. Back in 2019, he underwent Tommy John surgery while a prospect in the Yankee organization. Ironically, that procedure is likely a big reason Whitlock ever landed in Boston, as it presumably contributed to New York’s mistake of leaving him off their 40-man roster before the 2020 Rule 5 draft.

Whitlock hasn’t had a full season as a starting pitcher since his time in the minors. He was an excellent multi-inning relief weapon for his first two MLB campaigns. Boston gave him 10 starts last year before his July injured list placement. He worked out of the bullpen after returning. The Sox moved him back into the starting staff to open this year. He allowed only four runs in 18 1/3 innings prior to the oblique injury.

Cooper Criswell has stepped into the rotation behind Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck. Signed to a $1MM contract last winter after being non-tendered by the Rays, Criswell has been quietly excellent through his first 29 1/3 frames for the Sox. He owns a 2.76 ERA with a solid 23.3% strikeout percentage and a tidy 5.8% walk rate.

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