West Notes: Giants, Diamondbacks, A’s
The Giants made a number of roster moves tonight, including placing Brandon Belt on the bereavement list following the passing of his grandmother, per The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (via Twitter). Donovan Solano also went on the injured list today, with no reason specified. He has tested positive for COVID-19 and is likely to miss 7-10 days, tweets the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea.
To replace them on the roster, the Giants added Chadwick Tromp and Thairo Estrada, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter). Tromp will provide some coverage for the banged-up Buster Posey, though it doesn’t look like Posey will spent any time on the injured list. Elsewhere out west…
- Jordan Lawlar, the Diamondbacks‘ top pick in the 2021 amateur draft, will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The sixth overall pick suffered a posterior labrum tear in his left shoulder that will likely take around seven months of recovery time. Arizona hopes to have him ready by the beginning of next season.
- Stephen Piscotty will undergo surgery on his wrist tomorrow, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com (via Twitter). Piscotty had been bothered by his wrist for much of the year, attempting to play through the injury. The Athletics outfielder struggled to a 79 OPS+ through 188 plate appearances.
Caleb Smith Suspended Ten Games For Foreign Substance Violation
Major League Baseball announced that Diamondbacks left-hander Caleb Smith has been suspended for ten games and fined an undisclosed amount “for possessing a foreign substance on his glove” during last Wednesday’s game against the Phillies. Smith is appealing the suspension. (Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported the news before the official announcement).
Smith was ejected from Wednesday’s game after a foreign substance check at the end of the eighth inning. The 30-year-old had passed a substance inspection earlier in the contest and vehemently denied that he used an illicit substance after the game. Smith is the second player ejected after a substance inspection. Mariners left-hander Héctor Santiago, who was ejected by the same umpiring crew that tossed Smith, unsuccessfully appealed his suspension and ultimately had to serve a ten-game ban in June.
Unless Smith’s suspension is overturned on appeal, the D-Backs will eventually have to play a man short. Players suspended for foreign substance violations cannot be replaced on the active or 40-man rosters.
Diamondbacks Release Ryan Buchter
The D-backs released veteran left-handed reliever Ryan Buchter over the weekend, per an announcement from their Triple-A club in Reno. He can now sign with any club for the final few weeks of the season.
Buchter, 34, was tagged for a dozen earned runs in 16 1/3 innings with Arizona’s big league club in 2021, but he held opponents to six runs on 13 hits and seven walks with 20 strikeouts in 16 Triple-A frames (3.38 ERA). And while he didn’t fare particularly well in his short MLB run with the D-backs this season, he has a track record of quality results at the MLB level. Buchter tossed just six innings with the Angels in 2020 but posted a sub-3.00 ERA each season from 2016-19 while averaging 53 innings per year along the way.
Overall, Buchter carries a career 3.16 ERA (4.18 SIERA) through 236 1/3 innings as a big leaguer. He’s turned in a strong 26.3 percent strikeout rate but an elevated 11.7 percent walk rate during that time and is an extreme fly-ball pitcher (26.1 percent ground-ball rate). There could be some concern about his velocity, which dipped to 90.4 mph in 2021 after averaging exactly 92.6 mph in each of the prior three seasons. Still, Buchter pitched quite well in Triple-A this season and has a lengthy track record of run prevention in the Majors. Given the number of clubs seeking bullpen depth following the trade deadline, he’d figure to have a good chance at latching on with another team that could use some left-handed insurance in the upper minors.
D-backs’ Caleb Smith Ejected Following Foreign Substance Check
Diamondbacks lefty Caleb Smith was ejected after the eighth inning of last night’s game against the Phillies after the umpiring crew believed to have detected a foreign substance on his glove. His glove will now be sent to the league headquarters for further examination, which could result in a 10-game suspension. Smith, who pitched 2 2/3 innings and had already cleared one check at the end of the sixth inning, vehemently argued his case as the umpiring crew spoke with manager Torey Lovullo (video link).
The 28-year-old Smith becomes just the second player ejected under the league’s new foreign-substance crackdown. If he’s suspended, as was the case with Mariners lefty Hector Santiago, the Diamondbacks would not be able to replace him on the roster over the course of his suspension.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Smith was understandably quite upset, and manager Torey Lovullo defended his player (Twitter links, with video, via Cameron Cox of 12 News in Arizona). Smith was adamant that if he’d cheated, he “would own up to it” and expressed anger that the ejection itself “drags my name through the mud” even though he does not ultimately believe he’ll be suspended.
“I’m not stupid,” Smith said. “I know the main two things they check are your glove and your hat. Even if I was using something, which I wasn’t, I wouldn’t put it in my glove or my hat. I mean, that’s just ignorant.”
Lovullo offered immediate support for his left-hander. “I’m always going to side with the player when he looks me square in the eyes and tells me that [he’s not cheating],” the manager said. “…I believe my player. I stand by my player. He told me there was nothing malicious happening. I asked to see his hand, and his hand was bone dry. … You can see Caleb goes to the ground a lot to get dirt on his hands. He has a pile of dirt on the side of his pantleg as a result of wiping down the dirt.”
Asked whether he was allowed to see and/or touch the glove, Lovullo acknowledged that it was “a little bit sticky” inside the heel of the glove but said there was no “huge buildup” and maintained his belief that it was a combination of sweat, rosin and dirt.
It’s now up to the league’s jurisdiction to determine whether there was or was not a foreign substance on Smith’s glove. Notably, however, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported after Santiago’s prior suspension that the league did not even further examine Santiago’s glove — instead issuing a suspension based solely on the umpires’ reported detection of a foreign substance (Twitter link). The crew chief in last night’s game, Tom Hallion, was also the crew chief at the time of Santiago’s ejection (and subsequent suspension). Via The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan, umpire Phil Cuzzi inspected Smith’s glove both at the end of the sixth inning, when he was cleared, and at the end of the eighth inning, when he was ejected.
Diamondbacks Place Merrill Kelly, Joe Mantiply On COVID List
3:03PM: Joe Mantiply has also been placed on the COVID-related IL, with The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan noting that Mantiply was sidelined due to being a close contact of Kelly. Pitching coach Matt Herges is also away from the team due to contact tracing. Left-hander Miguel Aguilar and right-hander Sean Poppen were called up from Triple-A to replace Kelly and Mantiply on the active roster.
8:00AM: Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19, per Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. He will now have to go on the IL and quarantine for at least 10 days.
The Diamondbacks have been one of the teams hardest hit by the pandemic, with multiple players going onto the COVID IL since early July. The club currently has the worst record in baseball at 38-80, and the lost of Kelly certainly won’t help, as he’s been one of the few bright spots for the team during this trying season.
Kelly has logged 142 1/3 innings this year, the seventh-most in all of baseball, with an ERA of 4.30. His strikeout rate is below average at 19.8%, but his walk rate is an excellent 5.5%. All told, he has accrued 2.5 fWAR on the year thus far, good enough for the team lead.
The Snakes have Zac Gallen starting today and then on off-day on Monday. Kelly was in line to start Tuesday’s game. So, the club has a couple of days to figure out how to juggle their rotation in his absence. Speculatively speaking, Humberto Castellanos could be an option. He was called up a few days ago and hasn’t seen action since. Prior to that, he’d been stretched out and starting in the minors.
Diamondbacks Place Kole Calhoun On Injured List
The Diamondbacks announced they’ve placed outfielder Kole Calhoun on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Infielder Jake Hager has been recalled from Triple-A Reno to take his place on the active roster.
It’s a worrying development for Calhoun, who underwent surgery to repair a left hamstring strain in April. That injury ultimately cost him around two and a half months. The D-Backs haven’t provided a timetable for his return this time around. There are only around seven weeks left on the schedule, so if Calhoun’s new strain is nearly as severe as his first, it could mark the end of his season.
Calhoun is in the final guaranteed season of the two-year, $16MM free agent contract he signed over the 2019-20 winter. Entering the offseason, Arizona will have to decide whether to exercise their $9MM option to keep him in the fold for 2022. That comes with a $2MM buyout, so it’s a $7MM decision for general manager Mike Hazen and the rest of the front office. Calhoun emerged as a somewhat surprising power force (.226/.338/.526) during his first season in the desert, but he’s stumbled to a .238/.293/.354 mark over 140 plate appearances this year.
Given Calhoun’s injury-riddled campaign, it seems likely the club will buy him out — particularly as they look to give playing time to younger outfielders down the stretch and into 2022. The team surely expects to be better next year than they’ve been this season, but an immediate return to contention doesn’t seem especially likely. Pavin Smith, Stuart Fairchild and Daulton Varsho are among the players looking to cement themselves as regulars somewhere in the D-Backs lineup.
Diamondbacks Outright Jordan Weems
The Diamondbacks announced that reliever Jordan Weems has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Reno. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster.
Arizona claimed Weems off waivers from the Athletics last month. He’s only made two big league appearances with the D-Backs after pitching in five games for Oakland earlier in the year. Between the two clubs, the righty worked 5 2/3 innings of ten-run ball, striking out seven and issuing six walks. It’s been a disappointing follow-up to a promising showing in brief work in 2020, when Weems posted a 3.21 ERA over fourteen frames with a massive 31% strikeout rate.
Weems doesn’t have the requisite service time to reject an outright assignment, so he’ll remain in Reno — where he’s spent the past few weeks after being optioned. The 28-year-old will look to pitch his way back into the majors before the end of the season. If he’s not reselected onto the 40-man roster before the end of the year, Weems will have the right to elect minor league free agency this offseason.
Injured List Activations: Schmidt, Frankoff, Blandino
A trio of players were reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to their teams’ respective Triple-A affiliates.
- The Yankees activated right-hander Clarke Schmidt and optioned him to Scranton-Wilkes/Barre. The 25-year-old is one of the game’s better pitching prospects, but he’s been sidelined all year by an elbow strain. Schmidt, who briefly made his big league debut last season, tossed 8 2/3 innings on a rehab assignment and will continue to build up in the minors. Because of last year’s canceled minor league season, Schmidt has still yet to pitch at the Triple-A level. A 40-man roster spot was opened when reliever Clay Holmes was placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to virus-like symptoms.
- The Diamondbacks activated right-hander Seth Frankoff and optioned him to Reno. The move fills Arizona’s 40-man roster. Frankoff signed a minor league deal over the winter and was selected to the big league club in April. The 32-year-old made four appearances and tossed 14 2/3 innings of 9.20 ERA/5.72 SIERA ball before landing on the IL with forearm soreness in early June.
- The Reds reinstated infielder Alex Blandino and optioned him to Louisville. Reliever Art Warren was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot. Blandino, who has been out since June 5 with a fractured right hand, has a .200/.317/.257 line across 82 plate appearances this season. Warren landed on the IL with a left oblique strain on July 15. He’s now out until at least mid-September.
Diamondbacks Claim J.B. Wendelken
The D-backs have claimed right-hander J.B. Wendelken off waivers from the Athletics, reports FanSided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter). The A’s designated him for assignment just yesterday.
It’d have been surprising for a team in the Diamondbacks’ position — dismal bullpen, No. 1 waiver priority, multiple open 40-man spots — to pass on Wendelken. The right-hander hasn’t had a great season in Oakland, but his work leading up to the 2021 campaign was quite strong.
From 2018-20, Wendelken pitched 74 1/3 innings for the A’s, working to a 2.30 ERA with a strong 26.4 percent strikeout rate and a very solid 8.4 percent walk rate. The righty also thrived in terms of limiting hard contact, yielding an 86.6 mph average exit velocity, a 30.6 percent overall hard-hit rate and just a 2.1 percent barrel rate. Fielding-independent pitching metrics weren’t quite as bullish as his baseline ERA (3.04 FIP, 3.72 SIERA) but still generally agreed that Wendelken was a solid reliever.
The 2021 season hasn’t gone quite as well, but Wendelken has pitched to a respectable 4.32 ERA in 25 frames. His 22.2 percent strikeout rate is his lowest since a brief rookie debut in 2016, and his 11.1 percent walk rate is a career-high. Still, the 28-year-old has continued to limit hard contact effectively, and his swinging-strike and chase rates have actually improved over their 2020 marks.
Wendelken will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, and the D-backs can control him through the 2024 season via that arbitration process. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll have to stick on the big league roster, but based on his past 100 innings in the Majors, there’s reason to think he can stick.
It’s always possible that Wendelken’s strikeout and walk tendencies continue to trend in the wrong direction, but there’s no reason for the last-place D-backs to pass on a risk-free flier. Arizona relievers rank second-to-last in the Majors with a combined 5.41 ERA, so Wendelken is an upgrade even if he doesn’t quite return to his peak form.
Diamondbacks Release Josh Reddick
The Diamondbacks announced they’ve released veteran outfielder Josh Reddick. He had been designated for assignment last week.
A release was the anticipated outcome once Arizona bumped Reddick from the 40-man roster. The 34-year-old has more than enough big league service to reject an outright assignment, and the rebuilding Diamondbacks are long past focusing on the 2021 season. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic wrote last week that Reddick’s designation was part of a broader organizational plan to give some more run to younger players as the front office looks for more information about who could comprise their core in future years.
Upon clearing release waivers, Reddick will be free to sign elsewhere. He’ll presumably be looking at minor league offers, as he settled for a minors pact over the offseason before being selected to Arizona’s big league club in late May. He struggled to the worst offensive showing of his career — .258/.285/.371 over 158 plate appearances — in the desert.
Nevertheless, Reddick figures to find decent interest from other clubs willing to offer him a Triple-A opportunity. The left-handed hitter has generally been a productive player over the course of his career, and he posted league average offensive numbers between 2018-20. If Reddick signs elsewhere on or before August 31, he’d be eligible for a new team’s postseason roster.