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Cubs Moving Kyle Hendricks To Bullpen

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The Cubs are moving Kyle Hendricks to the bullpen for the time being, manager Craig Counsell told the team’s beat (X link via Patrick Mooney of the Athletic). Counsell indicated the team is hopeful that the veteran right-hander will be able to move back to the rotation in the future, but he’ll first need to improve his results.

Hendricks has been a starting pitcher for his entire career. For the first seven years of his MLB tenure, he was an unconventional top-of-the-rotation arm. Hendricks’ pristine command and ability to keep the ball on the ground more than overcame middling velocity and strikeout totals. He won the ERA title during Chicago’s curse-breaking 2016 season and picked up a pair of top 10 finishes in Cy Young balloting.

Things haven’t gone as smoothly over the last three and a half years. Hendricks posted a near-5.00 ERA in both 2021 and ’22. He returned from a capsule tear in his shoulder to turn in a 3.74 ERA over 24 starts a year ago. That convinced the Cubs to trigger a $16.5MM option for this season. While it wasn’t a particularly surprising move at the time, that’s a decision the front office surely wishes it could have back.

Opposing lineups have teed off on Hendricks through his first seven starts of 2024. He has allowed 37 runs over 30 2/3 innings. Hendricks has conceded 10 home runs and has a career-low 7.7% swinging strike rate. His 48.2% grounder percentage and 7.3% walk rate are each respectable, but opponents have put together a massive .362/.411/.638 slash line over 151 plate appearances.

A lower back issue sent Hendricks to the injured list at the end of April. Following a three-week absence, he returned to start a pair of games against the Pirates. Hendricks tossed five innings of one-run ball in his first outing back but was tagged for eight runs in 4 2/3 frames last week. Counsell acknowledged after the game that the Cubs needed better production from that rotation spot.

They’ll try to patch that together for the time being. The Cubs are planning a bullpen game on Thursday against the Braves in what would have been Hendricks’ spot. They’ll eventually need to settle on a fifth starter behind a strong front four of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad. Righties Ben Brown and Hayden Wesneski are capable of logging multiple innings, and the Cubs could welcome back left-hander Jordan Wicks before too long.

A forearm strain sent Wicks to the injured list on April 28. Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the former first-round pick will soon head on a rehab assignment after getting through a bullpen session this afternoon. While Wicks had a 4.70 ERA through his first five starts, a strong 25.9% strikeout rate offers reason for optimism that he can manage better results after being reinstated.

The injury news wasn’t all positive. Montemurro adds that reliever Adbert Alzolay is headed for a second opinion after being diagnosed with a flexor strain last week. Alzolay saved 22 games with a 2.67 ERA over 64 innings a year ago. He has had a much tougher start to the 2024 campaign, allowing 13 runs (nine earned) over 17 1/3 frames.

Josh James Signs With Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks

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Josh James signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, according to the league’s transaction log. The right-hander became a free agent when he was released from a minor league deal with the Cardinals last week.

James, 31, spent his limited time in the St. Louis organization at Triple-A Memphis. He walked 15 of the 51 hitters he faced. Putting on free baserunners at that rate isn’t tenable, and James was rocked for 18 runs in 7 2/3 innings. He’ll need to demonstrate he can find the strike zone with the Ducks to pitch his way back to affiliated ball.

A former 34th-round pick by the Astros, James had a promising first two seasons in Houston. He worked 23 innings of 2.35 ERA ball as a rookie back in 2018. While his 4.70 mark across 61 1/3 frames the following year wasn’t as impressive, James punched out almost 38% of his opponents. He looked like a potential high-octane relief arm before his control evaporated. He walked more than one-fifth of hitters during the shortened season and has barely pitched in the majors since then.

Various injuries cost James most of the 2021-23 campaigns. He battled hip, hamstring and lat problems before undergoing flexor surgery at the tail end of the ’22 season. Houston non-tendered him that winter. James sat out all of last season before beginning his short-lived stint with the Cardinals this past January.

White Sox To Add Nick Nastrini To Rotation

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The White Sox will install Nick Nastrini back into their rotation, reports Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times (X link). Manager Pedro Grifol confirmed after tonight’s win over the Blue Jays that the rookie right-hander will take the ball tomorrow in Toronto, pushing Mike Clevinger back to Thursday’s series opener against the Orioles.

Chicago needed to settle on a new fifth starter after designating Brad Keller for assignment on Sunday. Nastrini and Jonathan Cannon, each of whom made his MLB debut in April, were the likeliest options. Nastrini took two starts for the Sox last month. He worked five innings of two-run ball against the Royals in his debut before surrendering six runs across three frames in a road matchup with the Phillies.

The Sox optioned Nastrini back to Triple-A Charlotte after his start in Philadelphia. Keller drew into the rotation for a couple turns, while Clevinger returned to the majors after his late free agent signing. The Sox quickly decided to move on from the veteran Keller in favor of a look at a younger pitcher.

Nastrini, 24, is a former fourth-round pick of the Dodgers. The Sox acquired him at last summer’s deadline in the Lance Lynn/Joe Kelly deal. Nastrini closed last season in Charlotte, where he has spent the majority of the 2024 campaign. His 5.83 ERA in 29 1/3 Triple-A frames isn’t particularly impressive, but the UCLA product has fanned nearly 27% of batters faced with a serviceable 8.2% walk rate. The longball has been his biggest issue, as Nastrini has allowed nine homers in six starts.

The Sox’s rotation has been one of the league’s worst overall, though it’s not without a few interesting performers. Garrett Crochet tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win tonight. He lowered his season ERA to 3.75 in the process. Crochet has punched out more than 32% of opponents in his first year as a starter.

Erick Fedde has allowed 3.10 earned runs per nine over 10 starts in his return to the majors. That mid-rotation production and his modest $7.5MM salaries through 2025 make him an intriguing trade candidate. Every other pitcher who has made multiple starts — Nastrini, Cannon, Keller, Clevinger, Chris Flexen and Michael Soroka — has an ERA above 5.00.

Chicago will officially recall Nastrini tomorrow. They’ll need to option or designate a pitcher for assignment to comply with the 13-pitcher maximum. It could be one of multiple moves, as the Sox will know in the coming days if Eloy Jiménez requires a stint on the injured list. The hulking DH left tonight’s game with a left hamstring strain.

Giants Sign Donny Sands To Minor League Deal

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The Giants recently signed catcher Donny Sands to a minor league contract. The 28-year-old made his organizational debut with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, going 0-5 with three strikeouts.

That was Sands’ first affiliated action of the 2024 season. The Tigers released him at the end of March. Sands subsequently had a brief stint in Mexico, suiting up in 16 games for the Toros de Tijuana. He hit .245/.339/.490 with four home runs to earn another crack at Triple-A pitching.

Sands spent most of last year with Detroit’s top affiliate in Toledo. Acquired over the 2022-23 offseason alongside Matt Vierling and Nick Maton in the deal sending Gregory Soto to Philadelphia, Sands slumped to a .225/.318/.353 batting line in 371 plate appearances with the Mud Hens. He never appeared in an MLB game with Detroit. The Tigers outrighted Sands from the 40-man roster in January and released him after he went 1-8 in Spring Training.

To this point in his career, Sands has appeared in just three major league games — all of which came with the Phillies in 2022. He’ll add short-term cover for a team dealing with a couple injuries behind the plate. Patrick Bailey is on the concussion injured list. Tom Murphy will be out until at least July because of a sprained left knee.

The Giants signed Curt Casali to a big league deal late last week. He and Blake Sabol are sharing the catching duties at the MLB level until Bailey returns. Jakson Reetz, who is on the 40-man roster, is on optional assignment to Sacramento. Sands joins him with the River Cats as a potential competitor for the third catcher role.

Nabil Crismatt Elects Free Agency

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Reliever Nabil Crismatt elected free agency over the weekend after going unclaimed on waivers, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. The Dodgers had designated the right-hander for assignment last week when they selected Elieser Hernández onto the big league roster.

Crismatt had two brief stays on the Los Angeles roster. The Colombian-born righty inked a minor league deal in December and was twice selected onto the MLB team. He tossed seven innings of low-leverage relief through five appearances. Crismatt allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He struck out six and didn’t issue a walk. Between his MLB stints, he tossed 12 2/3 frames over four appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City. While Crismatt allowed eight earned runs on three homers in the Pacific Coast League, he fanned 15 without walking anyone.

The 29-year-old is looking to reestablish himself as a valuable long reliever in a major league bullpen. Crismatt played that role for the Padres very effectively between 2021-22, combining for a 3.39 ERA across 148 2/3 innings. He was hit hard over 13 MLB frames with San Diego and the Diamondbacks last season, leading him to clear waivers a few times over the past calendar year.

Crismatt should be able to land a minor league deal in the coming days. While he doesn’t throw hard, his command and ability to work multiple innings make him a solid non-roster relief option.

Dodgers Designate Eduardo Salazar For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated right-hander Eduardo Salazar for assignment. They needed to create a 40-man roster spot for Yohan Ramírez, whom they acquired from the Mets this morning. Los Angeles optioned Landon Knack to Triple-A Oklahoma City to open a spot on the active roster.

Los Angeles signed Salazar to a minor league deal early last offseason. The 26-year-old cracked the big league roster in April. He only made it into one game, tossing two scoreless innings of relief. Salazar has otherwise spent the season in OKC. He has worked out of the rotation at the top minor league level. Salazar has taken the ball seven times and thrown 33 2/3 innings. He has allowed 5.61 earned runs per nine with a well below-average 13.7% strikeout rate.

To his credit, Salazar has kept the ball on the ground at a huge 58.6% clip in Oklahoma City. He posted similar numbers last season as a member of the Cincinnati organization. Salazar had a 51.1% grounder rate in eight MLB appearances with the Reds. He induced worm-burners at a 54.8% clip for their Triple-A team in Louisville, but a subpar 16.1% strikeout rate contributed to him allowing more than a run per inning.

The Dodgers have a week to trade Salazar or put him on waivers. The Venezuela native went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated by Cincinnati last summer. That gives him the right to decline any additional outright assignments in his career, so he’d be able to elect free agency if he clears again.

Mariners Notes: Crawford, Raley, Emerson

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Before tonight’s matchup with the Yankees, the Mariners reinstated J.P. Crawford from the 10-day injured list. Seattle optioned Leo Rivas to Triple-A Tacoma to open a roster spot. Dylan Moore is starting at shortstop tonight, but Crawford will be available off the bench and could return to the lineup tomorrow.

Crawford appeared in 22 games before suffering an oblique strain in late April. He was off to a slow start, hitting .198/.296/.302 with two homers over 98 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting infielder had the best season of his career in 2023, when he popped a personal-high 19 homers with a .266/.380/.438 slash over 145 games. Crawford walked at a near-15% clip while striking out less than 20% of the time.

Moore has played shortstop in Crawford’s absence. The right-handed hitter has performed admirably, hitting .239/.316/.507 with 11 extra-base hits in 22 games. Moore has played well enough that he should stay in the lineup in a multi-positional role with Crawford’s return. In the short term, that could come at second base, where Jorge Polanco remains day to day as he battles hamstring soreness. Luis Urías has drawn in the lineup at third base in recent days, pushing Josh Rojas to the keystone.

Seattle could also mix and match more frequently at first base, although that’s not on account of injury. Luke Raley got the start there against Corbin Burnes in yesterday’s series finale in Baltimore. That pushed Ty France to the bench and allowed Dominic Canzone to draw into left field. It was Raley’s fourth start of the season at first base, in addition to his 24 starts in the outfield.

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes that manager Scott Servais could more frequently pencil Raley in at first base against right-handed starters. That’d allow the M’s to get the lefty bats of Raley and Canzone into the lineup while cutting into France’s playing time. France, a 2022 All-Star, slumped to a roughly league average .250/.337/.366 line last season. He’s off to an even slower start in 2024, hitting .235/.285/.359 through his first 165 plate appearances.

Raley (.297/.327/.444) and Canzone (.220/.289/.488) have made more of an offensive impact, particularly from a power perspective. The Mariners aren’t planning to utilize a strict first base platoon that’d keep France out of action against right-handed pitching entirely. To that end, he’s in tonight’s lineup against Yankees righty Marcus Stroman. Raley and Canzone are starting in the corner outfield, pushing Mitch Haniger to DH and Mitch Garver to the bench. With each of Garver, Haniger and France underperforming, Servais could trim into the playing time for any of that group to keep Raley and Canzone in the lineup.

Beyond the major league shuffling, the M’s provided an update on one of their top minor league infield talents. Colt Emerson, whom Seattle took with the 22nd pick in last year’s draft, will miss some time for Low-A Modesto. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer tweets that Emerson recently suffered a fracture after fouling a ball off his foot and is expected to be out of action for 4-6 weeks. The 18-year-old is a consensus top 100 minor league talent. He was out to an excellent .271/.441/.414 start with more walks than strikeouts over 19 games before the injury.

Rays Place Zach Eflin On Injured List

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The Rays announced a few transactions before this evening’s game against the Red Sox. Zach Eflin landed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to yesterday, with lower back inflammation. Brandon Lowe is back from the 10-day IL to take the vacated roster spot. Tampa Bay also optioned reliever Manuel Rodríguez to Triple-A Durham to open a bullpen spot for Richard Lovelady, who has joined the team after being acquired from the Cubs on Saturday.

Eflin has turned in solid results in 10 turns through the rotation. The right-hander is averaging just under six innings per start and has worked to a 4.12 earned run average. While his 17.9% strikeout rate is on track to be his lowest since 2017, he has compensated by essentially never handing out free passes. Eflin has only walked four batters all season, a 1.6% rate that is the lowest among all pitchers with 50+ innings.

The 30-year-old has been one of Tampa Bay’s more valuable pitchers this year, although his performance is a step down from last year’s work. Eflin had a brilliant first season in St. Petersburg, turning in 177 2/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball to earn a sixth-place finish in AL Cy Young balloting. He did lose a couple weeks early in the ’23 campaign to lower back tightness, though.

Eflin told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (X link) that this year’s back issue feels similar to last season’s minor injury. Eflin suggested he could be back in around two weeks, while manager Kevin Cash indicated it was likely to be a 2-4 week absence. Tampa Bay has off days on Thursday and next Monday, so they could function with a four-man starting staff of Aaron Civale, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell and Tyler Alexander into next week.

Lowe returns after a nearly six-week absence due to an oblique strain. The second baseman is in the cleanup spot against Tanner Houck tonight. Since Lowe landed on the IL, the Rays have rotated Curtis Mead, Amed Rosario and Richie Palacios through the keystone. Mead struggled enough that he has since been optioned to Triple-A. Palacios and Rosario have each hit well in their first seasons in Tampa Bay. They’re each capable of playing multiple positions and should still see fairly regular playing time around the diamond.

In other injury news, the Rays sent Jeffrey Springs to the Florida Complex League on a rehab assignment. The left-hander threw one inning this afternoon in his first game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery last April. Pitchers are typically allotted 30 days on a rehab stint, but returnees from Tommy John are usually allowed more than a month to build back into game shape. Springs could be ready for MLB action by the second half of June.

Amir Garrett Elects Free Agency

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TODAY: The Angels have announced that Garrett has elected free agency. He’ll return to the open market in search of a new contract elsewhere.

May 15: The Angels designated veteran reliever Amir Garrett for assignment before tonight’s game with the Cardinals. Righty Davis Daniel has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to take the vacated active roster spot. The move drops their 40-man roster count to 39.

Garrett pitched in six games for the Halos after they selected his contract in late April. The hard-throwing southpaw tallied 5 1/3 innings. He punched out 11 behind a huge 14.4% swinging strike rate but also walked five of the 24 hitters he faced. Garrett surrendered three runs on four hits, including a homer.

That’s par for the course for the 32-year-old. Garrett has posted higher than average strikeout and walk rates in every season since the Reds moved him to the bullpen in 2018. He was a setup arm for a couple seasons in Cincinnati before falling on harder times since 2021. Garrett combined for a 5.52 ERA over 123 appearances between 2021-22. While he had a solid 3.33 mark in 24 1/3 frames for the Royals last year, Kansas City released him around the All-Star Break because of his scattershot command.

Garrett struggled with Cleveland’s Triple-A team late last season and had a nightmarish Spring Training with the Giants. He had a good month for Salt Lake before being called up, working 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts and four walks. Garrett started with three scoreless appearances for the Halos before surrendering runs in two of his last three outings. That includes last night’s loss to St. Louis, as he coughed up a two-run homer to Alec Burleson to break a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning.

The Angels will likely place Garrett on outright or release waivers within the next few days. He’d have the right to test free agency if he goes unclaimed.

Jung Hoo Lee To Undergo Season-Ending Labrum Surgery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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