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Taijuan Walker To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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The D-backs were hit with a significant blow on Wednesday, as manager Torey Lovullo revealed to reporters that right-hander Taijuan Walker has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will require Tommy John surgery (Twitter link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Walker will be out for the remainder of the 2018 season.

Clearly, it’s a huge loss for a D-backs team that watched Walker, long heralded as one of MLB’s most promising pitching prospects, break out with a 3.49 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 0.97 HR/9 and a 48.9 percent ground-ball rate in 157 1/3 innings last season. The 25-year-old Walker has averaged 27 starts per season over the past three years between the Mariners and D-backs, but Arizona was counting on him taking an even more pivotal role in 2018, joining Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, Patrick Corbin and Zack Godley in what looked to be one of the National League’s more formidable starting quintets.

[Related: Arizona Diamondbacks depth chart]

Matt Koch will start in Walker’s place on Friday, tweets Zach Buchanan of The Athletic, but he tossed just 56 innings last season and doesn’t have any sort of big league track record. Arizona thinned out its rotation depth in the March trade that saw left-hander Anthony Banda — a largely MLB-ready rotation piece — head to the Rays in the three-team Steven Souza / Brandon Drury swap. Former first-rounder Braden Shipley is still on hand in Triple-A as a potential option, as is recent waiver claim Troy Scribner.

Walker’s injury will now put the recovery of right-hander Shelby Miller under even more of a microscope. The embattled righty struggled through a catastrophic first season in the Diamondbacks organization but looked to be in the process of righting the ship in 2017 before he, too, suffered a UCL tear that necessitated Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old Miller has yet to pitch in the minors as he continues rehabbing from his own operation, performed early last May, but he could emerge as a viable fifth starter for a talented D-backs rotation at some point in June or July.

The D-backs still control Walker through the 2020 season, and given his reasonable $4.825MM salary as a second-time arbitration player (with Super Two status), the ligament replacement procedure is unlikely to spell the end of his time with the D-backs. Walker’s limited workload in 2018 — he made just three starts and totaled 13 innings — should limit him to a minimal raise in arbitration this offseason. The D-backs will be able to hang onto him for something in the vicinity of $5MM, and while Walker almost certainly won’t be ready to take the hill until at least next May, if not early summer, that’s an eminently reasonable price to pay — especially when considering that he could still be controlled for one year beyond the ’19 campaign.

Taijuan Walker Diagnosed With “UCL Injury”

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Diamondbacks starter Taijuan Walker has been diagnosed with a “UCL injury,” skipper Torey Lovullo told reporters including MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). The severity of the issue — including whether there’s a tear to the ligament — is not yet known.

For the time being, all that’s really known is that Walker will head out for a second opinion before deciding on a course of treatment. The options on the table at the moment are not clear, but it seems reasonable to hope there is still a possibility he’ll avoid the worst-case outcome.

In certain situations, damage to the ulnar collateral ligament requires Tommy John surgery, which comes with a rehabilitation protocol of a year or more. In some cases, though, UCL problems can be approached with rehab, stem cell and/or platelet-rich plasma treatment, and/or less-invasive surgical approaches.

The news comes as a major shock to a D-Backs club that has paced the NL West in the early going. Even if Walker is able to avoid surgery, he’ll quite likely require a substantial DL stint before he’s able to return to the hill.

Any missed time will be problematic, to say the least, though the Arizona organization does have some options to fill in. Former top prospect Braden Shipley, recent waiver claimee Troy Scribner, and fellow righty Matt Koch are the top possibilities on the 40-man roster. Kris Medlen, Jake Buchanan, and Tyler Pill represent the slate of pitchers with MLB experience that are also in the organization (though the latter two have been knocked around in their first outings at Triple-A).

It’s even more concerning news from Walker’s perspective. The long-hyped 25-year-old finally turned in a full and productive season in 2017, when he pitched to a 3.49 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 along with a 48.9% groundball rate over 157 1/3 innings. He had seemed in typical form to open the current season, though he was getting less swings and misses than usual (in a limited, 13-inning sample).

Walker is earning $4.825MM this year, his second season of arbitration eligibility after qualifying as a Super Two player in 2017. The Diamondbacks control him for two additional seasons beyond the present one.

Diamondbacks Place Taijuan Walker On DL

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The Diamondbacks have placed right-hander Taijuan Walker on the disabled list with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, per a team announcement. In a corresponding move, they recalled righty Silvino Bracho from Triple-A Reno.

The severity of Walker’s injury isn’t yet known, evidenced by the fact that he’ll undergo an MRI on Monday (via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Walker had to leave his Saturday start against the Dodgers after just two innings because of forearm tightness, which often portends major injuries for pitchers.

Arizona’s left to hope it’s nothing serious for the 25-year-old, especially considering its depth issues behind the impressive starting quintet of Zack Greinke, Zack Godley, Robbie Ray, Patrick Corbin and Walker. Other potential starters on their 40-man roster include Braden Shipley, Matt Koch and Troy Scribner, though no one from that trio is remotely established at the major league level.

Conversely, Walker has served as a quality big leaguer for the majority of his career, which began as a high-end prospect with the Mariners in 2013. Seattle ended up trading Walker to Arizona in a November 2016 blockbuster that also featured the likes of Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger and Ketel Marte. Walker has since amassed 170 1/3 innings of 3.49 ERA ball while posting 8.19 K/9, 3.49 BB/9 and a 48.4 percent groundball rate.

Injury Notes: T. Walker, Brewers, S. Perez, DeShields

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Here’s the latest injury news from around the majors:

  • Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker left his start against the Dodgers on Saturday with forearm tightness, Arizona announced. Walker departed after throwing two innings, during which he experienced a drop in velocity, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. While the severity of Walker’s injury is not yet clear, forearm tightness often leads to more serious elbow troubles. The D-backs are left to hope this isn’t a major issue for Walker, who impressed with them last year – his first with the club – and has begun 2018 with 13 innings of 3.46 ERA pitching.
  • Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday, but the club won’t activate him then, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. Yelich, who suffered an oblique injury last week, isn’t yet 100 percent, McCalvy notes. Meanwhile, fellow corner outfielder Ryan Braun left Saturday’s game against the Mets with back tightness, Adam Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was among those to report. Whether it’s problematic enough to lead to a DL stint isn’t yet known. Braun, of course, missed 58 games last year while dealing with various injuries.
  • Royals catcher Salvador Perez could make his 2018 debut during the team’s next homestand, which runs from April 24-29, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com writes. Perez, who suffered a Grade 2 MCL tear in his left knee on March 28, began a rehab assignment at the Double-A level on Saturday. The Perez-less Royals have gotten terrible offensive production early this year from behind-the-plate fill-ins Drew Butera and Cam Gallagher, who combined for a .175/.227/.250 line entering Saturday. Thanks in part to their struggles, Kansas City’s a woeful 3-10.
  • Rangers center fielder Delino DeShields could come back earlier than expected from the broken left hamate bone he suffered March 31, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News relays. DeShields was slated to miss four to six weeks at the time of the injury, but he’s aiming for an April 23 return – which would be three weeks. The Rangers’ reserve options, Drew Robinson and Carlos Tocci, haven’t exactly stepped up during DeShields’ absence. Robinson has hit a meek .167/.255/.262 in 47 plate appearances, while Tocci has collected only one hit in 10 trips to the plate.

Rays Acquire Jeremy Hazelbaker From Diamondbacks

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The Rays have acquired outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash, the teams announced. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay has transferred right-hander Jose De Leon to the 60-day disabled list.

Hazelbaker, whom the D-backs designated for assignment late last week, will head to Triple-A Durham. De Leon underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training, so he’ll be out for the entirety of the 2018 season.

The 30-year-old Hazelbaker will give the Rays some depth across the board in the outfield, as he’s plenty experienced in center and in both outfield corners. The left-handed-hitting Hazelbaker was the talk of MLB two years ago when he broke camp with the Cardinals and posted an absurd .317/.357/.683 slash in the month of April. However, he cooled off considerably over the remainder of the season and was ultimately waived by St. Louis and claimed by Arizona.

Last year with the D-backs, Hazelbaker logged 61 plate appearances and again posted some eye-popping numbers, hitting .346/.443/.577 with two doubles, two homers and two triples. In all, Hazelbaker is a .258/.327/.500 hitter in in 285 MLB plate appearances, and he owns a .277/.336/.452 slash in parts of seven Triple-A seasons.

Injury Notes: Rizzo, Kiermaier, Mariners, Wieters, Odor, Morales, Martinez

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Anthony Rizzo’s back issues have forced the Cubs to place him on the 10-day DL, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Tribune tweeted and has since been announced. But it seems there’s little reason to anticipate a lengthy absence for the first baseman, who nearly avoided a stint on the shelf altogether. The move was backdated to Friday the 6th, so Rizzo — who has averaged 154 games annually since the start of the 2013 season — is already less than a week away from being eligible to be reactivated.

Here’s more on the injury front from around the game:

  • Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier has avoided significant damage to his foot, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He has spent some time in a walking boot while the swelling goes down after ending up on the receiving end of a foul ball, but has been cleared of any broken bones. Indeed, Kiermaier now says he’s preparing to work out today with hopes of getting back in game action as soon as tomorrow, as Topkin adds on Twitter.
  • Likewise, the Mariners are seeing positive signs from a variety of key players, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). DH Nelson Cruz, catcher, Mike Zunino, and outfielder Ben Gamel could also be on the active roster by the end of the coming weekend, with the former seemingly furthest along. That’s certainly good news for the M’s, who have watched the division-rival Astros and Angels set a fast pace to open the new season.
  • Likewise, the Nationals are nearing the activation of catcher Matt Wieters, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. The veteran will take at least a brief rehab assignment but will likely be ready to go shortly thereafter. With Pedro Severino showing well in the chances he has received early on, it’s quite possible he’ll remain on the roster even when Wieters is back. Skipper Dave Martinez says “there’s a good possibility we keep three catchers” for a stretch, with Miguel Montero rounding out the anticipated trio.
  • The needle has moved in the other direction for Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza. As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports, an MRI showed fluid in the region of Souza’s pec injury, so he’ll require a few more days of rest. It had been anticipated that he could be ready to be activated by the end of the week. A new timeline isn’t really yet evident, but clearly the Snakes will have to wait a bit longer for their primary offseason trade acquisition.
  • The Rangers announced that second baseman Rougned Odor left his club’s game today with a left hamstring strain. We’re still awaiting word on a full assessment, but it certainly seems as if the organization is anticipating a DL stint. Likewise, Blue Jays DH Kendrys Morales has received a diagnosis of a grade 1 hammy strain, per a club announcement. That said, skipper John Gibbons struck an optimistic tone after the game, as Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports (Twitter link). Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez also had to depart after a collision with Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain. While it seems the latter will be just fine, the former has been diagnosed with a right Achilles tendon contusion, per the club. Hopefully, that ends up representing the extent of the injury.

Diamondbacks Claim Troy Scribner, Designate Jeremy Hazelbaker

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The Diamondbacks have claimed righty Troy Scribner off waivers from the Angels, per a club announcement. Arizona designated outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker for assignment to create roster space.

Scribner had been designated for assignment recently by the Halos to open the door to a claim of fellow righty Akeel Morris. The 26-year-old reached the majors last year in a swingman role and has mostly functioned as a starter over his time in the minors.

In his first 23 2/3 MLB frames, compiled over four starts and six relief appearances, Scribner allowed 11 earned runs on only 17 hits, though a whopping seven of those left the yard. He also compiled 18 strikeouts against ten walks. Scribner has a 4.03 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over his 149 2/3 career Triple-A innings.

Hazelbaker, who is best known for his unbelievable start to the 2016 season, will lose his roster spot despite having compiled a .258/.327/.500 slash line through 285 MLB plate appearances. The 30-year-old has also mostly demolished Triple-A pitching in recent seasons. While high batting averages on balls in play leave plenty of room for skepticism, Hazelbaker has always posted lofty BABIP figures as a professional. He also knows how to swipe a bag and can play any of the three outfield positions, so perhaps another team will take a shot.

Injury Notes: Giants, Shoemaker, Lamb, Mariners, Gyorko, Ellsbury

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Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner thinks he’ll be ready before the early June target time frame set by the club, he tells reporters including Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Calling the estimate “conservative” for a pinky fracture, Bumgarner noted that he’s due for a check-up in a few weeks’ time. If he is ready to ramp back up earlier than had been expected, that’d be most welcome for an organization that has had to scramble a bit after suffering some health troubles late in camp. Fellow starter Jeff Samardzija seems to be well on his way to a return after throwing a thirty-pitch pen session today, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic also notes via Twitter.

Here’s more injury news from San Francisco and elsewhere…

  • Meanwhile, Giants southpaw Will Smith is readying to pitch competitively next Monday, Crowley adds on Twitter. He could soon begin an official rehab assignment, which would start the thirty-day clock on his return to the majors. The 28-year-old, who was picked up in a 2016 deadline deal, missed all of 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s just now past the one-year anniversary of the procedure, so he has largely progressed on a typical timeline to this point.
  • Right-hander Matt Shoemaker has been placed on the 10-day DL by the Angels due to a strained right forearm, the team announced tonight. Anaheim has called righty Parker Bridwell up to take his spot in the rotation for now. Obviously, it’s a concern for Shoemaker, who had two separate forearm-related injuries in 2017 before ending his season to undergo surgery which repositioned the radial nerve in his forearm. The Angels didn’t give a timetable for Shoemaker’s return to action.
  • The D-backs announced tonight that third baseman Jake Lamb is hitting the disabled list with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder, though manager Torey Lovullo tells reporters that he’s hopeful the young slugger can return to the lineup after the minimum 10-day allotment (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan). Righty Matt Koch has been called up to take Lamb’s spot on the roster for the time being, which will give Arizona some additional depth in the bullpen on the heels of a 15-inning game. The D-backs are well covered in terms of depth around the infield. Deven Marrero got the start at the hot corner tonight, though Daniel Descalso and Chris Owings also seem like possible options there.
  • The Mariners have placed slugger Nelson Cruz on the 10-day DL with an ankle sprain, the club announced. The move was backdated to April 1st. As Ryan Divish of the Seattle notes (links to Twitter), with two upcoming tilts with National League foes, it was fairly painless for the team to put Cruz on the shelf for a bit. And manager Scott Servais believes Cruz won’t miss more than the minimum, if that. Clearly, the M’s can ill afford any kind of extended absence from Cruz, who has raked since coming to the club on a four-year deal that expires after the present season. In other M’s news, Mike Zunino could be headed in the other direction, as Servais says his top catcher isn’t likely to require an extended absence for his oblique strain (also via Divish, on Twitter). Indeed, the skipper indicated that he believes Zunino will be ready to join the team at some point during its eight-game road swing.
  • Also heading to the DL is Cardinals infielder Jedd Gyorko, as Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. His hamstring issue is not believed to be a serious one, but the team may need to make the move to bolster the bench in the meantime. For now, then, it seems likely just to be a temporary blip for a player who’ll likely take the lion’s share of the time at third this year in St. Louis. Outfielder Harrison Bader has been recalled to take the open roster spot.
  • Already on the DL with an oblique issue, Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has now been set back by a hip injury, as Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets. While it seems there’s not a lot of concern with this new malady, it only adds to the laundry list of aches and pains that have plagued Ellsbury of late. While his contract is obviously under water, Ellsbury remains a useful MLB asset and is in greater need than anticipated due to the Yanks’ other  outfield injuries. At this point, it seems, fellow outfielder Aaron Hicks will likely be activated first from his own DL placement for an intercostal strain.

Diamondbacks Outright Yasmany Tomas

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April 2: Tomas has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno, the team announced Monday.

March 31: The Diamondbacks have placed outfielder Yasmany Tomas on outright waivers, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The move will open up a spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster, which had been at capacity.

A former star in Cuba, Tomas has been a letdown since immigrating to the majors on a six-year, $68.5MM guarantee entering the 2015 season. With around $46MM of that money still coming his way, the 27-year-old Tomas is a strong bet to clear waivers. Given that he has three years of service time, Tomas could refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but as Piecoro notes, he’s unlikely to do so because it would mean vacating the contract.

The Diamondbacks previously optioned Tomas to Triple-A entering the season, even though they had just lost starting outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the disabled list with a pectoral strain. That was clearly a damning sign for Tomas, who has struggled mightily in both the offensive and defensive facets of the game during his Diamondbacks tenure.

While Tomas did belt 31 home runs 563 plate appearances back in 2016, he still wasn’t far above the league average as a hitter that year, evidenced by a 109 wRC+. On the whole, the right-hander has slashed just .268/.307/.462 (98 wRC+) with 48 long balls in 1,169 PAs. He has been significantly worse in the field, meanwhile, having posted minus-30 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-23.3 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Tomas’ combination of underwhelming offense and horrid defense has led to a sub-replacement level career fWAR (minus-1.4) and likely a stay in the minors for the foreseeable future.

Orioles Trade Stefan Crichton To Diamondbacks

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The Orioles announced that they’ve traded right-hander Stefan Crichton to the Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Crichton was one of four right-handers designated for assignment by the Orioles on Opening Day as they created roster space for veterans Colby Rasmus, Danny Valencia, Craig Gentry and Pedro Alvarez.

Crichton, 26, debuted with the Orioles last year, though he tossed just 12 1/3 innings in the Majors. In that brief sample, he yielded 11 runs on a whopping 26 hits and four walks with eight strikeouts and a 46 percent ground-ball rate. The former 23rd-rounder did average better than 94 mph on his heater in the bigs, though, and he logged a strong 3.02 ERA with 9.4 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 0.38 HR/9 in 47 2/3 Triple-A innings. He has a pair of minor league options remaining, so the D-backs can shuttle him back and forth between Reno and the Majors this year and next, if they wish, without needing to worry about exposing him to waivers.

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