16 Impending Free Agents Off To Slow Starts At The Plate
The Padres cut ties with Robinson Cano this morning, just as the Mets did before them. It was a tougher decision for the Mets, given the financial obligation they have toward Cano through the 2023 season. However, his lack of production and the presence of younger, better options forced the hand of both parties.
We’re coming up on a third of the way through the 2022 season, and it’ll become increasingly difficult for teams with struggling veterans in the Cano mold to continue trotting them out there. That’s especially true of players who are impending free agents. While fans can (and do) disagree with the thinking, a player like Aaron Hicks, whom the Yankees owe $30.5MM from 2023-25, will get a longer leash than an impending free agent due to that multi-year commitment. So while there are plenty of struggling veterans on long-term deals, those with the thinnest grasp on their current roster spots are those who’ll be off the books at season’s end anyhow.
With that in mind, here’s a look at some names to watch and, when applicable, some of the names behind them who could aid in pushing them out the door (all stats entering Thursday’s play):
Carlos Santana, Royals: I’m not sure anyone other than the Royals’ front office understands the thinking behind continuing to trot Santana out to the field at this point. The 36-year-old is hitting .161/.293/.250 through 147 plate appearances, and it’s not as though that enormous slump is an entirely new development. Santana hit just .214/.319/.342 while playing in 158 of 162 games for the Royals last year and .199/.340/.350 in Cleveland during the shortened 2020 season.
Santana’s very presence on the Royals is due to the team’s effort to return to win-now mode after a rebuild focused on drafting college arms. He signed a two-year, $17.5MM contract heading into the 2021 season but hasn’t been able to bounce back to the form that long made him one of the game’s biggest on-base threats and most underrated offensive performers.
Signing Santana might’ve been a “win-now” move, but it’s hard to argue that continuing to run him out there is in the Royals’ best interest. That’s doubly true with top prospects Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino mashing in Triple-A Omaha. Both are in the same first base/designated hitter mold as Santana, and both Pratto (55) and Pasquantino (61) rank prominently in Baseball America’s updated Top 100 prospect rankings. Pratto got off to a slow start but is hitting .246/.392/.483 over his past 148 plate appearances. Pasquantino burst out of the gates and hasn’t slowed down; he’s hitting .298/.392/.667 with 15 home runs in 204 plate appearances.
The Royals owe Santana the balance of his $10.5MM salary whether he’s on the roster or not, but he’ll start racking up incentives when he reaches 300 plate appearances.
Joey Gallo, Yankees: Gallo was one of the Yankees’ biggest trade-deadline additions in recent years, but he’s never found his footing in the Bronx. His status as a three-true-outcomes player is well-documented, but he’s trended more aggressively toward the least-desirable of those outcomes since donning pinstripes. Gallo has fanned in 38% of his plate appearances as a Yankee while seeing both his power and his walk rate dip. Since the Yankees acquired him, he’s batting .167/.295/.370.
Even with the short porch in right field, Gallo has only five home runs through 141 plate appearances this season. He’s also seen his average exit velocity, launch angle and barrel rate drop in 2022. Gallo is still making loads of hard contact when he hits the ball in the air, per Statcast, and perhaps that’s helping to keep him both in the lineup and on the roster. New York isn’t getting any real offense from Hicks, Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Kyle Higashioka, however. Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson are once again on the injured list. Anthony Rizzo had a massive April but is batting just .162/.274/.303 in his past 117 plate appearances. The Yankees’ AL East lead has begun to shrink, as the Jays have rattled off eight straight wins, and they can’t realistically count on Aaron Judge to carry the offense all season long.
Gallo doesn’t have a high-end outfield prospect breathing down his neck, but if he can’t get things going at the plate, the calls for change are only going to grow louder. He’s earning $10.275MM in his final arbitration season before free agency, and another club might view him as a change-of-scenery candidate with the hopes that he’ll be the position-player equivalent of Sonny Gray and thrive following a rocky stint in the Bronx.
Adam Duvall, Braves: Like Gallo, Duvall’s skill set and offensive profile were well established when the Braves opted to retain him via arbitration. He was coming off a 38-homer campaign, so there was never much doubt he’d be tendered a contract, but Duvall’s brand of huge power/bottom-of-the-scale OBP always left him with a pretty low floor should the power ever evaporate.
That’s been the case in 2022, as Duvall still isn’t walking or hitting for average, and he’s only slugged two homers on the season. Paired with a career-worst 31.9% strikeout rate, those troubling trends have resulted in a .191/.257/.272 slash for Duvall, who has also already been tasked with playing more center field in 2022 than he had in his entire career to date.
Atlanta has already called up Michael Harris II, one of the sport’s fastest-rising outfield talents, and former top prospect Drew Waters is at least putting together respectable, if unexciting results in Triple-A. The Braves have also tinkered with catcher William Contreras in the outfield. Duvall has been MLB’s second-worst qualified hitter, by measure of wRC+, and it’s fair to wonder how long the leash will be.
Miguel Sano, Twins: Sano isn’t technically a free agent at season’s end, but barring a Herculean push to finish the season, it’s nearly impossible to fathom the Twins picking up a $14MM option on him. To Sano’s credit, he hit quite well from June through season’s end (.251/.330/.503, 21 homers, 21 doubles in 373 plate appearances), but he looked absolutely lost at the plate in 2022 before landing on the injured list due to a torn meniscus. Sano hit just .093/.231/.148 in 65 plate appearances.
When Sano does return, he’ll come back to a retooled roster that has seen versatile Luis Arraez rake while picking up regular at-bats at first base. Former No. 1 pick Royce Lewis is getting looks at third base and in left field — though Lewis is on the 10-day IL himself now — and top outfield/first base prospect Alex Kirilloff is hitting well in Triple-A following his return from a wrist injury.
The Twins can keep Sano in Triple-A for 20 days on rehab assignment when he’s ready, and they may want to do just that to give him a chance to show he can recapture some of his late 2021 form. But the clock on Sano’s three-year, $30MM deal is running out, and the first-place Twins have plenty of options to fill out the lineup. None of them have Sano’s raw power — almost no one in MLB does — but the big man’s ongoing contact issues tend to lead to protracted slumps like the one he slogged through earlier this year. If he can’t turn it around quickly upon his return, it’d be difficult to justify playing him over Arraez, Kirilloff and others.
Enrique Hernandez & Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox: Hernandez was a revelation in 2021 when he smacked 20 homers, hit .250/.337/.449, and delivered all-world defense in center field. But as good as year one of his $14MM contract was, the second and final campaign of that deal has been nightmarish. Hernandez is hitting .203/.269/.340 with a career-low hard-hit rate and exit velocity. He’s still playing great defense in center and helping shoulder the second base workload, but the offensive deficiency is glaring.
That’s also somewhat true of Bradley Jr., who returned to Boston after one ill-fated season in Milwaukee. To Bradley’s credit, he has actually picked up the pace quite a bit, hitting .291/.328/.491 since mid-May, but that surge still only brings his overall season line to .227/.284/.353. If Bradley can sustain some of this production, he’ll surely hang onto his roster spot, but it’s hard not to look at young Jarren Duran‘s .309/.391/.523 output in Triple-A and start thinking of ways to insert him into the big league lineup. Duran struggled in his debut last year but is still a touted young prospect whom the Sox envision as a long-term building block.
Hernandez is earning $8MM this season. Bradley is on a $9.5MM salary and is still owed an $8MM buyout on a mutual option for the 2023 season.
Yuli Gurriel, Martin Maldonado & Jason Castro, Astros: Gurriel won a batting title and looked like one of the game’s best pure hitters in 2021, but he’s started his 2022 season with a woeful .223/.261/.361 performance through 176 plate appearances. His strikeout rate is up about four percentage points, while his walk rate has halved and his hard-contact numbers have plummeted. Gurriel is also chasing more pitches off the plate (36.4% in 2022, 29.8% in 2021) and making contact on pitches out of the zone at a far lower rate (74.5% in 2022, 81.9% in 2021).
Houston’s catchers, meanwhile, have been the least-productive in baseball. Maldonado has never been much of a hitter but is batting only .133/.208/.239 this season. Castro hasn’t even been able to match that, batting .104/.228/.146. If catching prospect Korey Lee weren’t enduring immense struggles of his own in Triple-A, a change might’ve already been made.
It seems unlikely that the Astros would cut bait on Gurriel, who’s been a prominent presence and one of the team’s most productive hitters since signing more than a half-decade ago. A reduced role is something they’ll have to consider if he can’t right the ship, however. The catchers seem far more vulnerable, and there figure to be some prominent names available on the trade market (Willson Contreras, most notably). That Houston is leading the AL West by 5.5 games despite having the least-productive catchers (29 wRC+) and 29th-ranked offensive output from its first basemen (74 wRC+) is both a testament to their pitching and indictment on the play of their divisional opponents thus far.
Gurriel is being paid $8MM in 2022, while Maldonado is earning a $5MM salary and Castro is at $3.5MM.
Andrew McCutchen, Brewers: Milwaukee added McCutchen on a one-year, $8MM contract this offseason with the idea of installing him as their primary designated hitter. McCutchen tormented the Brewers during his early years with the Pirates, which included an NL MVP win, but he’s hitting .214/.263/.312 to begin his tenure in Milwaukee. Even McCutchen’s typically outstanding production against lefties has gone up in smoke this year, as he’s managed a .196/.224/.391 slash against them.
Despite McCutchen’s ineffectiveness, the Brewers are leading the Majors in homers (70) and sit fifth in total runs scored (238). But if McCutchen, who’s hitless in six straight and has been 73% worse than average at the plate since a return from the Covid list (27 wRC+ in 57 plate appearances), can’t begin to show some signs of life, the Brewers could be on the lookout for some offensive help as the Aug. 2 trade deadline draws nearer.
Robbie Grossman & Tucker Barnhart, Tigers: Between Grossman, Austin Meadows and Victor Reyes, the Tigers have an entire outfield on the injured list. Underwhelming play from young options like Daz Cameron, Akil Baddoo and Derek Hill will probably extend Grossman’s leash, but he was hitting a career-worst .199/.311/.241 in 167 plate appearances prior to landing on the IL due to ongoing neck soreness. Grossman has a solid track record, but the Tigers will also want to get a look at top prospect Riley Greene soon, and they’re giving Kody Clemens an opportunity after a nice start down in Toledo.
Behind the plate, the Tigers are probably content with Barnhart’s glovework and leadership. There was talk of a potential extension after he was acquired, but a .229/.263/.257 start might have tempered that. Backup Eric Haase isn’t hitting enough to force a change, and the Tigers’ Triple-A catchers are journeymen Dustin Garneau and Ryan Lavarnway. They have a well-regarded prospect at Double-A in Dillon Dingler, but Barnhart shouldn’t be in imminent danger of losing his spot at this time.
Maikel Franco, Nationals: Franco is probably only in this everyday role because Carter Kieboom suffered an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery, but he hasn’t done much with his latest opportunity. The former Phillies, Royals and Orioles third baseman is hitting .258/.284/.374 (82 wRC+) through 208 plate appearances. The Nats have an ultra-thin farm system without much in the way of third base options in the upper minors, and they’re clearly not winning anything this year anyhow. That might keep Franco safe, but if an even semi-interesting option presents itself on the waiver wire, there’s little reason not to take a look.
Corey Dickerson, Cardinals: Prior to the 2022 season, Dickerson had never been worse than five percent below-average with the bat in any full year (by wRC+). That’s all but certain to change now, as the typically steady lefty has posted an uncharacteristic .183/.238/.215 slash in 101 plate appearances. For a lifetime .283/.327/.488 hitter who was coming off a solid 2021 campaign, it’s a rather astonishing swoon.
Dickerson has been in a platoon with Albert Pujols at DH for the most part, logging only 110 innings on defense in the outfield corners recently due to injuries elsewhere on the roster. He’s also only on a one-year, $5MM contract, so if he can’t find his swing in the near future, it’s easy to see the Cards giving more at-bats to Pujols’ long-shot chase for 700 home runs and to young standout Juan Yepez. Dickerson is safe for now with both Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson on the injured list, but he needs a hot streak sooner than later.
Mike Zunino, Rays: Zunino’s career-high 33 home runs from a year ago feel like a distant memory, as he’s off to a .147/.193/.294 start in 109 plate appearances in 2022. He’s still drawing excellent marks for his defensive contributions, which the Rays value heavily, but Zunino isn’t even hitting against lefties, whom he’s handled well throughout his career — particularly in recent seasons.
Backup Francisco Mejia isn’t hitting much himself, going just 6-for-42 without a walk over the past month or so. Were he producing at the plate, it’d be more tempting for Tampa Bay to significantly reduce Zunino’s playing time. The Rays do have 25-year-old Rene Pinto mashing in Triple-A, and he’s made his big league debut already this year. As with the Astros, however, the Rays are in firm win-now mode and entered the season with World Series aspirations. If the in-house options aren’t performing up to par, the trade market beckons.
Austin Hedges, Guardians: Hedges has never hit and has always been one of the game’s premier defensive players, so his 2022 season is nothing new. Still, a .155/.223/.282 output from your primary catcher is just difficult to stomach, no matter how strong the defense is. Veteran backup Luke Maile has hit well in a tiny sample of 35 plate appearances, but he’s a career .208/.264/.317 hitter himself.
Prospect Bryan Lavastida got a brief MLB cup of coffee in April and is hitting .225/.330/.360 so far in Triple-A. His performance will bear monitoring, because if the Guardians are intent on pulling into the playoff picture, Hedges’ production might be too light to overlook. And if they end up selling at the deadline, Hedges could draw interest from a team seeking a glove-first backup option — which could open a door for Lavastida.
Braves Claim Joe Dunand From Marlins
The Braves have claimed infielder Joe Dunand off waivers from the Marlins, per announcements from both teams. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Catcher Manny Pina was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to open a spot on the roster for Dunand.
The nephew of three-time MVP and 14-time All-Star Alex Rodriguez, Dunand was the Marlins’ second-round pick back in 2017. He’s appeared in just three big league games, all this season, going 3-for-10 with a homer and a double. It’s been another story at the Triple-A level, however, as the 26-year-old has struggled to the tune of a .211/.296/.385 batting line through 84 games and 309 plate appearances.
Dunand ranked among the Marlins’ top 25 prospects over at Baseball America in 2018-19 but has seen his stock diminish since his days as a standout at North Carolina State. He’s spent the bulk of his minor league time at shortstop but has increasingly played third base in recent years. Scouting reports on Dunand have tabbed him as a potentially above-average defender at the hot corner with above-average power, but he’s been far too strikeout prone in the upper minors to tap into that potential.
Pina’s move to the 60-day injured list is a formality. The veteran backstop, who inked a two-year, $8MM contract with Atlanta over the winter, underwent season-ending wrist surgery on May 11 after an MRI revealed ligament and cartilage damage.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/29/22
Catching up on some minor moves from around the baseball world….
Latest Moves
- The Yankees announced that catcher Rob Brantly was re-signed to a new minor league contract. Brantly was designated for assignment earlier this week and cleared waivers, but then opted to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A. After two days of testing the market, Brantly is now back in the organization and has been assigned to Triple-A. Originally joining the Yankees back in August 2020, the veteran backstop has appeared in seven games with New York at the MLB level, including one game this year to provide depth when Kyle Higashioka was on the COVID-IL.
Earlier Today
- The Braves announced that right-hander Tyler Thornburg has been released. Thornburg was designated for assignment earlier this week, after posting a 3.86 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, and 10.6% walk rate over 9 1/3 relief innings. After missing the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery, Thornburg signed a $900K deal with Atlanta, and the injury-plagued righty will now return to the open market in search of another new contract. Atlanta also selected the contract of reliever Jesus Cruz.
- The Pirates outrighted left-hander Cam Alldred to Triple-A after Alldred cleared waivers. Another recent DFA, Alldred made his Major League debut in cup-of-c0ffee fashion this season, tossing a scoreless inning for Pittsburgh on May 12. Mostly working as a reliever over 178 1/3 innings in the Pirates’ farm system, Alldred has a 2.83 ERA, though with an underwhelming 23.56% strikeout rate.
Braves Promote Michael Harris II
The Braves have selected the contract of top outfield prospect Michael Harris II, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Harris will be taking the place of outfielder Travis Demeritte, who was optioned to Triple-A after last night’s game.
It’s an aggressive and somewhat surprising promotion on the Braves’ part, as the 21-year-old Harris has yet to play even in Triple-A ball. However, Harris could be seen as a center field upgrade immediately, as Adam Duvall has hit only .191/.263/.274 over 175 plate appearances. At the very least, the switch-hitting Harris will be sharing time with the right-handed hitting Duvall, though it seems likely that the Braves wouldn’t have called Harris up if they weren’t planning on playing the youngster every day.
Atlanta’s outfield has largely struggled all season, with the notable exception of Ronald Acuna Jr. since his return from the injured list. However, Acuna has missed time with a quad strain over the last few days, and while Acuna was able to pinch-hit last night, the Braves figure to be cautious with their superstar until he is closer to 100 percent.
This provides an opportunity for Harris to give the outfield mix a shot in the arm, and it represents the latest step in what has been a rather quick rise to prominence. A local product born in DeKalb, Georgia, Harris was a third-round pick for the Braves in the 2019 draft, and he had only an okay rookie season before sitting out in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season.
Upon returning to the field, Harris suddenly blossomed, hitting .294/.362/.436 over 420 PA for the Braves’ High-A affiliate, and also hitting seven homers and stealing 27 bases out of 31 chances. This breakout put him on the radar of prospect evaluators, with Baseball America listing Harris as the 46th-best prospect in baseball in their preseason rankings (Baseball Prospectus ranked him 58th, The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him 61st, and MLB Pipeline ranked him 65st).
Defensively, Harris has played mostly as a center fielder, and received plus grades for his glovework and his throwing arm. (The latter is no surprise, as Harris was also a highly-touted pitcher in high school.) As per Pipeline’s scouting report, Harris was voted the best defensive outfielder in the High-A East league by rival managers.
At the plate, Harris hit exclusively as a left-handed batter in 2021 before returning to switch-hitting this season in Double-A. Harris has been prone to chasing pitches, but improved on that problem as the 2021 season went on, cutting back on his strikeouts while improving his on-base numbers. While Harris has posted big BABIP numbers over the last two seasons, those totals speak to both some good fortune and his plus speed, which allows him to beat out grounders.
Harris hit .305/.372/.506 with five homers and 11 steals (in 14 chances) over 196 PA at the Double-A level, leaving no doubt that his 2021 performance was for real. It was enough to convince Atlanta that Harris is ready for The Show, and yet as always with prospects, it shouldn’t be assumed that Harris will immediately play well in his first taste of the majors.
It could be that the Braves might eventually send Harris down to Triple-A if he struggles, which would halt his MLB service clock. If Harris does stay up, he likely won’t bank enough service time to make him a Super Two candidate (and thus earn a fourth year of arbitration eligibility). Players like Seiya Suzuki and MacKenzie Gore have an early lead in the race to be NL Rookie Of The Year, though there’s plenty of time for Harris to make a late charge, which would benefit both Harris and the Braves via the new Prospect Promotion Incentive plan.
Braves Designate Tyler Thornburg For Assignment
The Braves announced they’ve designated veteran reliever Tyler Thornburg for assignment. The move clears an active roster spot for Dylan Lee, who has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta’s 40-man roster now sits at 38.
Thornburg signed a $900K contract with Atlanta over the offseason. It was a bit surprising to see the righty command a guaranteed deal after he’d missed all of last season recovering from September 2020 Tommy John surgery. The Braves were confident enough in his ability to bounce back to devote him a big league roster spot, but he’ll lose that job after just nine appearances.
The 33-year-old worked 9 1/3 innings during his relatively brief stint, allowing six runs. He struck out ten batters against five walks, maintaining his pre-surgery fastball velocity but only generating whiffs on 8.5% of his offerings. It was far from a disastrous performance, but manager Brian Snitker had been deploying Thornburg in extremely low-leverage situations. After he threw 25 pitches in yesterday’s loss to the Marlins, Atlanta replaced him with a fresher arm in Lee.
Thornburg has more than five years of big league service, so he couldn’t be optioned to the minor leagues without his consent. Once the Braves determined to replace him on the active roster, they had to designate him for assignment even though Lee already occupies a spot on the 40-man roster. They’ll now have a week to trade Thornburg or place him on waivers.
That $900K guarantee isn’t much higher than this season’s $700K league minimum salary, so it’s not inconceivable another club could add Thornburg to the middle innings. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency while still collecting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.
Braves Win Arbitration Hearing Against Luke Jackson
The Braves have won their arbitration hearing against right-hander Luke Jackson, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’ll be paid at the $3.6MM rate submitted by the team, as opposed to the $4MM rate filed by Jackson and his representatives.
Jackson won’t pitch this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month, although that factor shouldn’t have impacted his hearing outcome. Arbitration panels evaluate the cases of the team and player based on prior seasons’ performance. Hearings are typically conducted in early to mid-February, if necessary, but the 99-day lockout this offseason got in the way of arbitration proceedings and forced teams and players into the uncomfortable situation of resolving discrepancies of this nature while games are being played.
The 30-year-old Jackson has had a roller-coaster career with the Braves but enjoyed perhaps his finest season in 2021, pitching 63 2/3 innings of 1.98 ERA ball and piling up 31 holds as the team’s primary setup man. He fanned 26.8% of his opponents with a strong 52.5% grounder rate, both of which helped to offset an unpalatable 11.1% walk rate. Jackson struggled considerably in 2020 but otherwise has ranged from a serviceable to high-quality bullpen piece, evidenced by a combined 3.93 ERA in 254 innings from 2017-21.
Unfortunately for Jackson, he won’t have the chance to bolster his earning power with a repeat of last year’s performance. It’s particularly poor timing — not that there’s “good” timing for a major injury and surgery — given that Jackson has five-plus years of Major League service and is slated to become a free agent for the first time following the 2022 season. He could still garner interest on a Major League deal, especially since his surgery was performed so early in the season, but the type of multi-year deal he might’ve commanded upon replicating his 2021 output is no longer feasible.
The Braves have now won hearings over two of their arbitration-eligible players, as they also topped Austin Riley in a hearing last week. They still have unresolved cases against lefty Max Fried ($6.6MM vs. $6.85MM), shortstop Dansby Swanson ($9.2MM vs. $10MM) and outfielder Adam Duvall ($9.275MM vs. $10.275MM).
Injury Notes: Perez, Matzek, McCann
The Royals placed Salvador Pérez on the 10-day injured list between games of today’s doubleheader with the White Sox. Pérez suffered a sprained left thumb during the opening contest, and Kansas City quickly moved to replace him with Sebastian Rivero on the active roster. Kansas City’s franchise backstop is off to a slow start, much like the rest of the lineup. Pérez is hitting .206/.239/.397 through 34 games. He’s popped six home runs but drawn only four walks with 38 strikeouts, contributing to one of the lowest on-base marks in the big leagues.
While Pérez is out of action, the Royals will get their first extended look at rookie MJ Melendez behind the plate. The 23-year-old backstop led all minor league players with 41 home runs last season, combining for a .286/.386/.625 line between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. That’s obviously elite production for any player, let alone a catcher, and Melendez is now regarded as one of the sport’s most promising prospects. He was recalled for his first MLB promotion at the beginning of the month and will take the majority of the catching time while Pérez is on the shelf.
The latest on a couple other injury situations around the league:
- The Braves placed reliever Tyler Matzek on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 14, due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. That’s an ominous-sounding diagnosis, but an MRI this afternoon revealed no structural damage (relayed by Mark Bowman of MLB.com). Matzek will nevertheless be shut down from throwing for a couple weeks, indicating he’s likely to require a minor league rehab assignment even if he’s deemed alright to get back to action upon his next reevaluation. Matzek posted a 2.57 ERA in 63 innings for the World Series champions last season. He’s battled significant control woes in the early going this year, doling out nine walks among his 47 batters faced.
- Mets catcher James McCann underwent successful left hamate surgery this morning, manager Buck Showalter informed reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). The team announced last Friday that he’d require a procedure after being diagnosed with a fracture, projecting a recovery timeline of approximately six weeks. McCann, who signed a four-year deal over the 2020-21 offseason, hit .232/.294/.349 during his first season in Queens. He’s off to a slow start this season, hitting .196/.266/.286 through 21 contests. New York is relying on a Tomás Nido – Patrick Mazeika pairing in McCann’s absence.
Ronald Acuna Jr. Day-To-Day With Groin Injury
Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. has missed his team’s last three games with a right groin injury suffered in Tuesday’s game with the Red Sox, but it doesn’t appear to be a significant issue. After undergoing an MRI today, Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) that imaging revealed “nothing big” about the injury.
“It’s the best news possible….He’s just going to be day to day,” Snitker said. “I don’t know how long it will be. But there’s nothing from the MRI that showed he’s going to be shut down.”
In other positive news, Snitker said that Acuna’s issues are just with his groin, not with the ACL that was torn last July. Acuna has played in only 10 games since returning from that long injury rehab, but hasn’t missed a beat in hitting .282/.391/.487 over 46 plate appearances.
It’s possible Acuna could be back in Atlanta’s lineup for Monday’s game against the Brewers, as Snitker indicated that the outfielder probably won’t play on Sunday. Bowman noted that the team doesn’t yet seem to be considering a trip to the 10-day injured list, though one would imagine if Acuna was still unavailable Monday, the Braves might make a move to keep them from being shorthanded for yet another game.
The silver lining of Acuna’s absence is that Travis Demeritte and William Contreras have both been on a tear at the plate, but naturally Atlanta needs Acuna back healthy as quickly as possible. Shared struggles from Adam Duvall, Marcell Ozuna, and (the injured) Eddie Rosario have meant that the Braves haven’t gotten much from their outfield mix this season. Braves outfielders have combined for -0.7 fWAR this season, tied with the A’s for the lowest total among outfield corps in the majors.
Latest On Brett Gardner
Brett Gardner was one of the top free agents of last winter’s class who didn’t wind up signing prior to Opening Day. That wasn’t on account of a lack of interest in the 38-year-old, as the Blue Jays touched base with Gardner’s camp during Spring Training as part of their search for a left-handed hitting outfielder.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic now reports that Toronto offered Gardner a $6MM contract at the time, but the 14-year MLB veteran turned it down. According to Rosenthal, Gardner also recently declined to pursue an opportunity with the Braves. After losing right fielder Eddie Rosario to late April eye surgery that figures to cost him two-to-three months, Atlanta expressed interest in Gardner but was rebuffed.
Rosenthal suggests Gardner would likely only continue his playing career with the Yankees, the lone organization for which he’s suited up. A third-round pick by New York in 2005, the College of Charleston product first reached the majors midway through the 2008 campaign. By 2010, he’d cemented himself as a regular and wound up spending more than a decade in pinstripes. Gardner hit .256/.342/.398 in a bit more than 6600 plate appearances over that stretch, and for the majority of his career, he was one of the game’s preeminent defensive left fielders. Gardner claimed a Gold Glove award in 2016 and routinely drew excellent marks from public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.
As recently as 2019-20, Gardner continued to produce at an above-average offensive level. That wasn’t the case in 2021, when he hit .222/.327/.362, although he still walked in an impressive 13% of his plate appearances and held his own defensively despite being unexpectedly thrust into a regular role in center field. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference felt Gardner was worth about a win above replacement last season, so it’s not surprising teams like the Jays and Braves were amenable to bringing him in to fill part-time roles.
That level of interest seemingly hasn’t been present on the Yankees’ part, however. General manager Brian Cashman said in Spring Training that he’d had some contact with Gardner’s reps since the end of the lockout, but added the team was “focused on what we have” internally at the time. Both Gardner and the Yankees had an opportunity to unilaterally continue their relationship into 2022 at the start of the offseason. The outfielder declined a $2.3MM player option — which isn’t too surprising given that a team like Toronto was willing to offer a greater sum — leaving the Yankees with a $7.15MM option. New York instead paid a $1.15MM buyout, essentially passing on a $6MM call on Gardner’s services.
Over the season’s first month-plus, the Yankees have had one of the game’s best outfields. New York has a .262/.345/.458 line from their outfielders, translating to offensive production 41 percentage points above the league average according to wRC+. That’s the third-best mark in the league, with only the Angels and Twins getting better production.
The bulk of that great work has come from star sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, both of whom are off to fantastic starts. Center fielder Aaron Hicks has a robust .364 on-base percentage but has offered virtually nothing from a power perspective, while last summer’s marquee trade deadline pickup Joey Gallo has underwhelmed since landing in the Bronx. That said, the Yankees aren’t likely to seriously consider curtailing Hicks’ or Gallo’s playing time given their strong track records, so there probably wouldn’t be a path to regular reps for Gardner in the Bronx barring injury.
Manny Pina To Undergo Season-Ending Wrist Surgery
Braves catcher Manny Piña has suffered ligament and cartilage damage in his left wrist, the team informed reporters (including David O’Brien of the Athletic). He will undergo season-ending surgery. The 34-year-old was placed on the injured list late last month with what the team called wrist inflammation, and a recent MRI revealed the issue was more serious than first believed.
Atlanta somewhat surprisingly inked Piña to a two-year, $8MM deal over the offseason. Brought in as a veteran #2 option behind Travis d’Arnaud, he only appeared in five games during his first season with the Braves. William Contreras is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Contreras had a nice showing in 44 Triple-A games last year, but the Braves nevertheless prioritized experience in adding Piña behind d’Arnaud — who has had some injury issues throughout his career.
Piña was coming off a decent season backing up Omar Narváez in Milwaukee. The longtime Brewer hit 13 home runs in 208 plate appearances to help compensate for a lackluster .293 on-base percentage. As he has throughout his career, he also rated very well defensively. Piña turns 35 in June and is under contract for $4.5MM next season.
Atlanta has Chadwick Tromp as a non-roster catching option with Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s off to an incredible .367/.400/.750 start over 16 games with the Stripers, so the Braves could call him up if they want the 24-year-old Contreras to see regular reps in the minors. (Selecting Tromp would require a 40-man roster spot, but that could be freed by transferring Piña to the 60-day injured list). It’s certainly possible the Braves could look outside the organization for catching depth via waivers or minor trade, as well.