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Braves Notes: Minter, Holmes, Gurriel

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Braves reliever A.J. Minter underwent season-ending hip surgery today, the team announced. Manager Brian Snitker said last week that Minter was going under the knife, though he didn’t specify whether it’d be a season-ending procedure. That seemed to be the case when Atlanta moved Minter to the 60-day injured list in tandem with the Gio Urshela signing. Today’s announcement officially closes the book on any chance of the southpaw making a return in the playoffs.

Minter’s year concludes with a 2.62 ERA across 34 1/3 innings. He fanned an above-average 26.1% of opponents against an 8.2% walk rate. That’s a solid strikeout and walk profile but a tick below the numbers he’d posted from 2022-23. Minter fanned more than 30% of his opponents in each of the previous two years, topping 60 innings in both seasons.

Hip discomfort has plagued Minter for a few months. He initially went on the IL in late May with inflammation. His return from that injury proved relatively short-lived and necessitated the year-ending surgery. It’s possible that marks the end of his Atlanta tenure. The former second-round pick will hit free agency during the upcoming offseason. He still has a shot at a multi-year deal, though that’s not the lock it had seemed earlier in the season.

Dylan Lee stepped into the bullpen in Minter’s place. He’s joined in the relief group by Grant Holmes, who moved back to the bullpen this week. Snitker announced before Tuesday’s game that the Braves were kicking Holmes to relief after they reinstated Reynaldo López from the injured list (X link via David O’Brien of the Athletic). The 28-year-old rookie had made four starts between late July and the middle of this month. He pitched fairly well, working to a 4.57 ERA with an impressive 28% strikeout rate in 21 2/3 innings.

There’s not any room for Holmes to maintain a spot in the rotation unless the Braves wanted to go to a six-man staff. Chris Sale, Max Fried, López, Spencer Schwellenbach and Charlie Morton all have spots secured. Holmes exhausted his minor league options while he was a prospect in the Oakland farm system. The Braves can’t send him to Triple-A without running him through waivers. Holmes has pitched well enough this season that he’d very likely be claimed, so the Braves will keep him in a multi-inning relief capacity. Holmes tossed two scoreless innings against Philadelphia on Tuesday and is up to a 3.45 ERA through 47 frames on the season.

That doesn’t leave much flexibility for any kind of roster maneuvering. Of Atlanta’s eight MLB relievers, only Lee still has options remaining. Schwellenbach is their only starter who can freely be sent down, although he’s pitching so well that the team has no reason to consider doing that. The 13-pitcher limit could eventually push the Braves to make a call on whether to continue carrying both Luke Jackson and Jesse Chavez in the middle innings.

Injuries have been an unfortunate theme for Atlanta throughout the season. That continued this week with Austin Riley suffering a hand fracture that’ll sideline him for well over a month. Urshela is the short-term answer at third base, though the Braves seem to be considering a contingency option in the minors. As Francys Romero reported (on X) earlier this week, Atlanta is giving Yuli Gurriel third base playing time at Triple-A Gwinnett. He had played exclusively first or second base for the Stripers until Riley’s injury; he has started the past two games at the hot corner.

Gurriel signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in April. He’s having a very strong season with Gwinnett, hitting .297/.378/.493 with 12 homers and a strong strikeout and walk profile. That has yet to get him back to the majors after well below-average seasons with the Astros and Marlins in 2022-23. The 40-year-old infielder hasn’t started an MLB game at third base since 2019, instead spending almost all of his time at first base in recent years.

Alex Bregman Discusses Elbow Soreness

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Alex Bregman returned to the Astros’ lineup this afternoon, hitting atop the order while playing designated hitter. Bregman’s leadoff homer accounted for the only run in a 4-1 loss to the Red Sox. That was his first at-bat in a week, as the two-time All-Star hadn’t played since last Wednesday because of inflammation in his right elbow.

Bregman’s return to the order doesn’t mean he’s at full strength. Breaking him back in at DH suggested the Astros were still concerned about him throwing the ball across the diamond. Bregman acknowledged that could be a problem for the foreseeable future. The third baseman told reporters after the game that his defensive work will be “a fluid situation” for the remainder of the season (link via Chandler Rome of the Athletic). Bregman made clear that he wasn’t dealing with any structural damage in his UCL but noted he’d need to “try to mitigate” swelling on a daily basis.

That is far from a declaration that he won’t return to third base, yet it seems likely he’ll get a fair amount of run at designated hitter down the stretch. That could push Yordan Alvarez more frequently into left field. Houston has also given catchers Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini sporadic DH work as a means of keeping them fresh while getting both players into the lineup. Caratini, as the #2 option behind the plate, could lose a few reps. Diaz has started two of the past three games at first base, where the Astros had been using a Jon Singleton/Zach Dezenzo platoon. That’s another potential avenue for manager Joe Espada to keep both catchers in the lineup.

The bigger question is how the Astros would cover third base if Bregman’s playing time there is curtailed. Rookie Shay Whitcomb is evidently the first choice. Houston called him up on Thursday and has given him the past five starts at the hot corner. Whitcomb has had a great year in Triple-A, hitting .293/.378/.530 with 25 homers and 26 stolen bases. He’d struggled with strikeouts throughout his minor league career before taking a significant step forward in that regard this season.

At this point, there’s no indication that Bregman is dealing with anything especially worrisome. It’s nevertheless a situation worth monitoring as the Astros work to lock down another division title and into the upcoming offseason. Bregman will be a free agent for the first time and has a case as the second-best position player in the class behind Juan Soto.

As MLBTR explored in greater detail last week, Bregman has rebounded from a dismal start to the season. He has hit the ball harder as the year has progressed and has been on a power barrage this month. While his overall .261/.318/.450 season line is still below his standard level, that’s attributable to the poor start. Bregman is playing as well as ever over the past couple months.

Dodgers Outright Brent Honeywell

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August 21: Honeywell has accepted his outright, per OKC broadcaster Alex Freeman on X.

August 20: Dodgers righty Brent Honeywell went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Honeywell has a previous career outright, so he can decline the assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

A top prospect when he was a member of the Rays’ system, Honeywell battled various injuries before getting a real look at the MLB level. He finally got that opportunity last season, combining for 52 1/3 relief innings between the Padres and White Sox. Honeywell posted serviceable middle relief numbers in San Diego before being hit hard with the Sox. That cost him his roster spot in Chicago and left him to sign a minor league deal with the Pirates over the winter.

The 29-year-old spent the first half of the year with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A team. He turned in a 4.85 ERA with a modest 19.6% strikeout percentage across 39 innings. While it wasn’t the most dominant showing, the Bucs called him up in July. He made two appearances before Pittsburgh designated him for assignment and lost him on waivers to Los Angeles. The Dodgers gave Honeywell 10 outings in low-leverage spots. He posted a 2.21 ERA through 20 1/3 frames. That’s despite a well below-average 15.2% strikeout rate and 6.5% swinging strike percentage. The Dodgers squeezed him off the roster over the weekend when they promoted Ben Casparius.

Honeywell carries 4.26 ERA across 80 1/3 innings over parts of three big league campaigns. If he reports to OKC, he’d be eligible for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason unless the Dodgers call him back up.

Orioles To Select Cole Irvin

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The Orioles will call up Cole Irvin to start tomorrow afternoon’s matchup with the Mets, tweets Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner. Baltimore outrighted Irvin from their 40-man roster shortly after the trade deadline. They’ll need to select his contract again.

Baltimore needs a fifth starter after placing Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list this evening. The O’s recalled rookie lefty Cade Povich, who started nine games earlier this season, as the corresponding move for Eflin’s placement. Povich tossed 6 1/3 innings on Saturday, so he’d be on three days rest tomorrow. Rather than push him up, Baltimore tabs Irvin for what could be a spot start in what would have been Eflin’s turn through the rotation.

Irvin last pitched for Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, so he’ll have six days rest. He has only pitched twice for the Tides since clearing waivers, allowing four runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings with six walks and five strikeouts. Irvin made 21 MLB appearances (14 starts) earlier in the season. He started the year well, but opponents teed off on him in June and July. That pushed him off the roster with a 4.85 ERA in 94 2/3 innings.

The 30-year-old Irvin has had an inconsistent O’s tenure. Baltimore dealt infield prospect Darell Hernaiz to Oakland for Irvin heading into the 2023 season. He has continued to pound the strike zone with a pitch-to-contact approach but hasn’t gotten the same caliber of results as he had for the A’s. Irvin owns a 4.66 earned run average through 172 frames in an O’s uniform.

Baltimore’s 40-man roster is at capacity. They’ll need to make corresponding active roster and 40-man moves tomorrow. Irvin is out of options, so the Orioles would again need to place him on waivers if this represents a spot start and they want to send him back to Norfolk at any point.

Giants Place Patrick Bailey On IL With Oblique Strain

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The Giants lost Patrick Bailey to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, because of a right oblique strain. San Francisco recalled Jakson Reetz from Triple-A Sacramento to take the open roster spot. Reetz will back up Curt Casali behind the plate for as long as Bailey is on the shelf.

That’ll be a significant blow defensively. Bailey is arguably the best defensive catcher in the majors. He has neutralized the running game with a 30.4% caught stealing rate. Statcast also grades him as a top-tier pitch framer. Bailey leads catchers in Defensive Runs Saved both this season and dating back to his MLB debut last year.

The former first-round pick has had a less consistent offensive track record. Despite showing flashes of promise at the plate, he’s a career .233/.292/.351 hitter. Bailey looked as if he’d turned a corner at the plate early in the year. He carried a .283/.354/.430 slash into the All-Star Break. He has fallen into a tailspin over the past few weeks, running a .115/.157/.135 line with a spike in ground-balls in the second half.

Recent slump aside, Bailey remains the Giants’ clear #1 option behind the dish. That job temporarily falls to Casali, who has only picked up 82 plate appearances in 24 games this season. He’s hitting .200/.309/.229 without a home run. Casali draws plenty of walks but doesn’t provide much else in the way of offense. The Giants trail the Braves by 3.5 games for the National League’s last playoff spot going into tonight’s game against the White Sox.

Padres Place Ha-Seong Kim On Injured List

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The Padres placed Ha-Seong Kim on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 19, with right shoulder inflammation. San Diego recalled Matthew Batten to take the open spot on the active roster.

This isn’t much of a surprise after Kim left Sunday’s game with what the team initially called a jammed shoulder. The versatile infielder dove into first base on a pickoff attempt and came up in obvious pain. Manager Mike Shildt said yesterday that the team was encouraged by the initial MRI results, but they’ll nevertheless go without their shortstop for at least a week and a half. Shildt said today that the club wasn’t especially concerned and believed Kim could’ve made it back within 10 days, but the team instead decided to play things cautiously (X link via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com).

It marks the first injured list stint of Kim’s MLB career. The South Korea native has been exceptionally durable since signing a four-year deal going into the 2021 season. He reached the 150-game plateau in both 2022 and ’23. While that won’t happen this year, he could top 140 contests if the injury proves relatively insignificant.

Kim is having his typically solid season. He’s walking enough to compensate for fringy power and carries a league average .233/.330/.370 slash in 470 plate appearances. He has swiped 22 bases on 27 attempts. San Diego committed to Kim as a full-time shortstop this season after bouncing him around the infield during his first three years. He has better than average defensive grades in more than 1000 innings at the infield’s toughest spot. Tyler Wade is taking over at shortstop in his absence.

The 28-year-old Kim is headed back to free agency next offseason. He’ll certainly decline his end of an $8MM mutual option in favor of a $2MM buyout. Kim has a shot at another four- or five-year deal that’d come with a much stronger average annual value than the $7MM he received when he was first coming over from Korea. A serious shoulder injury could naturally impact his market value. It seems he dodged a bullet with a fairly minor issue that might only sideline him for a minimal amount of time.

Blue Jays Notes: Bassitt, Guerrero, Bichette

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The Blue Jays are playing out the stretch on a rough season. Toronto is well below .500 and seems headed for a last place finish, a very disappointing outcome for a team coming off consecutive playoff berths that believed they were squarely in the midst of their contention window. Toronto had little choice but to sell at the deadline once it became clear they weren’t going to come close to the postseason.

Even as they shopped veteran pieces, the front office wasn’t keen on a huge overhaul. Most of the Jays’ trades shipped off impending free agents (e.g. Yusei Kikuchi, Justin Turner, Yimi García, Trevor Richards, Danny Jansen, Kevin Kiermaier). They moved a couple role players under contract or team control beyond this season, shipping out Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nate Pearson. Yet they never seemed close to dealing any core players whom they could keep around for 2025.

Chris Bassitt is one such veteran. The right-hander is in the second season of a three-year, $63MM free agent deal. He’s playing on an $18MM salary and will make a matching amount next year. Bassitt finished tenth in Cy Young balloting a season ago. This year’s work has been solid but not as impressive, as he carries a 4.34 ERA through 139 frames.

There was an argument for the Jays to shop Bassitt this summer, especially if they could find a taker for his entire ’25 salary. While he remains an effective pitcher, he’ll be going into his age-36 campaign on a roster that needs a lot of work next offseason. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported five days before the deadline that the Jays had no intention of moving either Bassitt or Kevin Gausman, though. Neither pitcher found himself in any trade rumors of substance.

In an interview with Chris Rose of Jomboy Media last week (YouTube link), Bassitt said that the Toronto front office made clear early in the process that he would not be traded. “There (were) a lot of articles and a lot of people saying that I was leaving or should be leaving. They told me I wasn’t leaving,” Bassitt said. While he didn’t specify the exact time of that conversation, he added that he “knew for a while” in advance of the deadline that he wasn’t moving. Bassitt acknowledged some disappointment that he wasn’t in position to battle for a playoff spot this year, though he added that he’s optimistic about the organization’s desire to make another effort to compete in 2025.

Talented as Bassitt is, he’s only the third-most important Blue Jays player who is on track for free agency after next season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette will be two of the headlining pieces of the 2025-26 free agent class. GM Ross Atkins made clear early in deadline season that the Jays had no interest in trading either. There’s no indication they ever seriously reconsidered even as the team fell firmly out of ’24 playoff contention.

Asked by Rose whether the Jays should’ve traded or extended Guerrero this summer, Bassitt expressed some optimism that the Jays will be able to keep him around for the long haul. “I don’t know this, I don’t want to speak for him on this, but I think Vladdy wants to be a Blue Jay for the rest of his career. I don’t think he wants to leave,” the pitcher opined. “I don’t think it’s a super, super, super rush to get an extension done. They obviously didn’t trade him because they don’t want him to be in another uniform. … I think both sides want to be together. I don’t think it’s a bad relationship.”

Guerrero is playing this year on a $19.9MM salary. He should exceed $25MM and could push near $30MM for his final arbitration season. After a slow start to the season, Guerrero has been on a massive tear since the beginning of May. He’s up to a .317/.390/.552 slash with 26 home runs across 543 plate appearances. This has been Guerrero’s best year since his MVP runner-up campaign in 2021. He’s on track to get to free agency in advance of his age-27 season and could command a deal that exceeds $300MM.

Over the weekend, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote that the Jays indeed remain hopeful of working out an extension with Guerrero before he gets to free agency. Nightengale suggests there’s less optimism about an extension with Bichette, writing that the Jays could field trade offers on the shortstop during the upcoming winter if they don’t feel they’ll make progress on an extension.

This would arguably be a poor time for either a trade or an extension. Bichette has had by far the worst season of his career. He’s hitting .222/.275/.320 with only four homers through 331 trips to the plate. The two-time All-Star has had a pair of injured list stints because of right calf issues. He has been out of action for exactly a month with a notable calf strain and seems unlikely to return until some point in September.

Unlike Guerrero, Bichette has a fixed salary next year. He’ll make $16.5MM in the final season of the three-year deal he signed to buy out all his arbitration years. There’d still be ample trade interest if the Jays shopped him. The free agent shortstop class, headlined by Willy Adames and Ha-Seong Kim, isn’t as barren as this past winter’s was. Things fall off quickly after Kim, though, and there aren’t many everyday shortstops who seem likely to be on the trade block. Bichette arguably still carries a higher offensive ceiling than any other shortstop who could reasonably be available in either free agency or trade.

Whether that’ll result in a deal remains to be seen. Atkins said as recently as last month that the Jays are hopeful of keeping Guerrero and Bichette for the long haul. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote shortly before the trade deadline that past extension talks with both players hadn’t made much progress. Heyman suggested at the time that the Jays didn’t have a great chance of extending Bichette — aligning with Nightengale’s recent report. Even if that is the case, trading Bichette would dig another hole for a team that believes it can rebound next season. Rookie Leo Jiménez has taken over shortstop in the past month. He’s hitting .221/.307/.368 with subpar strikeout (32.1%) and walk (5.5%) rates in 34 games.

Orioles Place Zach Eflin On Injured List

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The Orioles placed Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 17, on account of shoulder inflammation. Baltimore also placed Keegan Akin on the paternity list. Rookie Cade Povich and reliever Dillon Tate are up from Triple-A Norfolk to take the open spots on the active roster.

Baltimore acquired Eflin in their biggest move at the deadline. The righty had carried a 4.09 earned run average through 19 starts with the Rays in the season’s first half. He has gotten out to a fantastic start to his O’s tenure. Eflin has surrendered only six runs through his first four starts. He’s averaging nearly 6 1/3 innings per appearance and has turned in a stellar 25:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

That positions Eflin as the O’s #2 or #3 starter in a hypothetical playoff series. Corbin Burnes would surely get Game 1, while Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez are the presumptive choices for the next two appearances if they’re healthy. Both pitchers are currently on the injured list, though it doesn’t seem Eflin’s issue is as worrisome as Rodriguez’s is. While the youngster is shooting for a late September return after sustaining a lat strain, Eflin might not miss much more than the minimum 15 days. Skipper Brandon Hyde told the Baltimore beat he’s hopeful that it’ll be a short-term stay (X link via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com).

Even a brief absence could have a significant impact on the AL East race. Baltimore is only half a game behind the Yankees for both the division lead and the best record in the American League. The O’s rotation depth has long been the biggest question mark on a very strong roster. With Kyle Bradish and John Means done for the season, Baltimore has deadline pickup Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer and Albert Suárez as their next three starters behind Burnes.

Rogers struggled for much of the season with the Marlins and has been hit especially hard in four starts since landing in Baltimore. Kremer looks like a fifth starter. Suárez has proven an excellent find in his return to the big leagues after seven years, but he’s probably best suited for a back-end or swing role on a contender. The Orioles will need to land on a fifth starter with Eflin out of action and only one off day between now and September 5. Povich, one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, seems like the choice. He has had a rough opening to his MLB career, allowing a 5.77 ERA with a similarly underwhelming strikeout and walk profile across his first nine starts.

Giants’ Randy Rodriguez Shut Down With Flexor Strain

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Giants reliever Randy Rodríguez was diagnosed with a flexor strain over the weekend, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic. He’ll be shut down from throwing for two weeks before going for further evaluation.

It’s a concerning diagnosis considering how frequently flexor strains serve as a precursor to some kind of elbow surgery. There’s no indication that’s under consideration for Rodríguez at the moment, though the team should provide more information after follow-up testing a couple weeks from now. San Francisco already placed the rookie right-hander on the 15-day injured list last week.

Rodríguez, 25 next month, has had a quietly strong debut campaign. He has tossed 50 1/3 innings across 33 appearances, turning in a 3.93 ERA with encouraging peripherals. He has fanned nearly a quarter of batters faced with a solid 7.6% walk rate. Rodríguez has done a nice job staying off barrels and has gotten swinging strikes at a robust 13.7% clip. While he worked primarily in low-leverage spots early in the season, Rodríguez had clearly earned manager Bob Melvin’s trust of late. No San Francisco reliever has more frequently come into key spots (as measured by the game’s leverage index) than Rodríguez since the All-Star Break.

That’s on hold for at least the next few weeks. With five-plus weeks on the regular season schedule, there’s no guarantee Rodríguez makes it back this year. Even a best-case scenario where he’s cleared to resume throwing early in September wouldn’t leave much time for him to build back into game shape. The Giants recently optioned scuffling closer Camilo Doval back to Triple-A, leaving them with Ryan Walker, Taylor and Tyler Rogers and former starter Jordan Hicks as their top late-inning arms.

Padres Notes: Kim, Tatis, De Vries

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The Padres were dealt a scare yesterday when Ha-Seong Kim was forced out of their loss to the Rockies after jamming his throwing shoulder diving into first base. San Diego sent the shortstop for imaging today and came away encouraged by the initial results.

“(Early testing) seems to be mostly favorable, but there’s zero timeline to it,” manager Mike Shildt told reporters before tonight’s series opener with the Twins (via the MLB.com injury tracker). “We’re initially fairly pleased with what it looks like. We’re still gathering information.” The Friars did not place Kim on the injured list, though he’s not available for tonight’s game.

Tyler Wade drew into the lineup at shortstop tonight. He’d seemingly be the favorite for playing time if Kim requires an IL stint. Wade provides speed and defensive versatility but limited offensive upside. He entered tonight’s game with a .241/.318/.259 batting line in 134 trips to the plate. Wade only has two extra-base hits (both doubles) all season. Kim is not an impact hitter, yet he’s far more of a threat than Wade. The South Korea native has 11 homers with a roughly average .223/.330/.370 slash across 470 plate appearances.

Kim has avoided the injured list in each of his first four MLB seasons. That durability will be a major selling point for the 28-year-old when he hits free agency during the upcoming offseason. There’s technically an $8MM mutual option on his deal with San Diego, but Kim will surely decline his end in favor of a $2MM buyout and look for a longer-term deal.

If Kim does require his first MLB injured list stint, he’ll join Fernando Tatis Jr. as lineup fixtures on the shelf. Tatis has been down for nearly two months after sustaining a stress reaction in his right leg. Dennis Lin of the Athletic wrote this evening that club officials have suggested Tatis could be out into the middle of next month (though there’s still no official timetable). The injury halted an All-Star campaign. Tatis was one of the most productive outfielders in the National League during the first half of the season, drilling 14 homers with a .279/.354/.468 line in 80 games.

The Friars have relied on David Peralta as their right fielder since Tatis went down. The 37-year-old veteran has been a surprisingly strong offensive contributor, running a .269/.331/.438 slash in 175 trips to the plate. Peralta is coming off a well below-average season with the Dodgers and wasn’t hitting well in Triple-A early this year.

In a bit of minor league injury news, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that top prospect Leodalis De Vries suffered a right shoulder strain that seems likely to end his season. While it’s not believed to be a long-term issue, the Low-A season only runs into the second week of September. De Vries was widely perceived as the most talented prospect in the most recent international signing class. The Dominican Republic native has only elevated his stock in the past few months, reaching Low-A while playing the entire season at age 17. The switch-hitting shortstop has turned in a .237/.361/.441 mark with 11 homers against much older competition. The Padres reportedly made him (and top catching prospect Ethan Salas) more or less untouchable at the trade deadline.

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