Blue Jays Promote Spencer Horwitz
The Blue Jays recalled first baseman/corner outfielder Spencer Horwitz from Triple-A Buffalo this afternoon. Reliever Tom Hatch was optioned in a corresponding move.
It’s the first big league call for the 25-year-old Horwitz. He’s not in tonight’s starting lineup but will be available off the bench against the Rangers to potentially make his MLB debut. It’s the culmination of a strong four-year run in the minors since entering pro ball with little fanfare as a 24th round pick out of Radford in 2019.
He’s handily surpassed draft expectations by raking in pro ball. Horwitz is a career .292/.395/.445 hitter in the minor leagues. A huge Double-A showing in 2022 earned him a late-season bump to the top minor league level. He was added to Toronto’s 40-man roster last winter to ensure they didn’t lose him in the Rule 5 draft and tabbed to represent Israel in March’s World Baseball Classic.
Since the season got underway, Horwitz has continued to produce against Triple-A pitching. He’s gotten into 57 games for the Bisons, hitting .300/.421/.405 over 259 trips to the plate. He has only cleared the fences twice, but he’s walking at an outstanding 16.2% clip while keeping his strikeouts to a modest 17.8% rate. Baseball America unsurprisingly lauded his strike zone awareness in recently naming him the Jays’ #14 prospect.
Listed at 5’10”, Horwitz doesn’t have the prototypical power associated with a player who’s limited to the bottom of the defensive spectrum. Evaluators have raised questions about whether he’ll be an impactful enough slugger to play every day while manning first base or a corner outfield position. There’s little doubt about his ability to get on base, though. He’ll add some left-handed balance to a club that recently lost Brandon Belt to the injured list.
Angels Place Gio Urshela On Injured List With Pelvic Fracture
The Angels announced they’ve placed infielder Gio Urshela on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left pelvis. Michael Stefanic was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace him on the active roster.
Urshela was forced out of yesterday’s win over the Rangers in the first inning. He was on crutches postgame and imaging has evidently revealed a fracture. The team hasn’t provided any kind of timetable but it seems likely he’ll be out past the minimal ten days.
It’s a brutally timed injury for team and player alike. The Halos lose a starting infielder for the second straight day. Rookie shortstop Zach Neto landed on the shelf last night with an oblique strain. Anthony Rendon isn’t on the injured list but is out of tonight’s starting lineup after being hit in the wrist with a pitch. Rendon finished last night’s game despite being in too much discomfort to swing because of the Halos’ lack of infield depth.
That’s not the case tonight — Brandon Drury was serving a one-game suspension for arguing with an umpire yesterday, while Stefanic is now on hand — but it highlights how quickly the Angels have been put in a precarious position. Losing Urshela likely thrusts Jared Walsh into everyday first base duty for the time being. The former All-Star has been off to a brutal start after returning from a season-opening IL stay. Walsh is hitting .119/.257/.186 in 27 games.
Urshela, acquired from the Twins over the offseason, has had a fine but unexciting first season in Orange County. He’s hitting .299/.329/.374 over 228 trips to the plate while splitting his defensive work between the two corner spots and occasional shortstop reps. He’s made plenty of contact offensively but is walking at a meager 4.4% clip and only has two home runs.
That’s a downgrade from the .285/.338/.429 line Urshela posted during his lone season in Minnesota. The injury will prevent him from building towards last year’s production for the time being. Depending on how long he’s sidelined, it could deal a hit to his market value. He’s slated to hit free agency for the first time in his career next offseason, making this a pivotal season for him.
The Halos enter play tonight with a 39-32 record. They’re four and a half back of Texas in the AL West and a game out of the Wild Card race. It’s shaping up to be an aggressive summer for Perry Minasian and his staff as they try to capitalize on Shohei Ohtani’s final season of arbitration control and push into the playoffs. Infield additions looked like a potential deadline goal even before the injuries to Neto and Urshela. That’d be all the more true if one or both is out for a long period of time.
Nevada Governor Signs A’s Stadium Bill
This afternoon, Nevada governor Joe Lombardo signed the bill proposing $380MM in public funding for the construction of a Las Vegas ballpark. Sean Golonka, Tabitha Mueller and Jacob Solis of the Nevada Independent and Steve Sebelius of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were among those to cover the news.
Lombardo’s signature was the final governmental hurdle for the A’s to clear before they can formally apply to MLB for relocation. Lombardo has been a strong proponent of the plan, so there was never any doubt he’d sign after the bill was passed by the Nevada legislature earlier in the week.
“I’m excited to officially sign SB1 this afternoon,” Lombardo said in a statement. “This is an incredible opportunity to bring the A’s to Nevada, and this legislation reflects months of negotiations between the team, the state, the county, and the league. Las Vegas’ position as a global sports destination is only growing, and Major League Baseball is another tremendous asset for the city.”
The plan calls for the construction of a 30,000 seat retractable roof facility on the Vegas Strip. The A’s will receive $180MM in state tax credits which they’re allowed to sell to other businesses for cash, around $120MM in county-issued bonds, and a $25MM county credit. According to the Nevada Independent, the A’s will still need to hammer out various contracts with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority to codify the organization’s community benefits and non-relocation commitments. They’ll also still need approval from the FAA since the stadium site is within close proximity to Harry Reid International Airport.
None of that is expected to present real obstacles to relocation, which now seems all but inevitable. The next step for the A’s is to put their proposal in front of MLB officials. Commissioner Rob Manfred has already stated he’d waive the organization’s relocation fee.
Manfred addressed the process at the end of this week’s owners meetings in New York (relayed by Evan Drellich of the Athletic). The league is expected to put together a relocation committee to review the A’s proposal once it’s filed. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link) the committee will be chaired by Brewers’ owner Mark Attansasio, who’ll be joined by two yet to be determined owners.
The commissioner declined to put a timetable on a potential relocation vote. Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggested this week a vote was likely to occur before the All-Star Break. If/when the league approves, the A’s can set in motion their construction efforts.
The A’s lease at Oakland Coliseum runs through the end of the 2024 season. Reports have suggested the A’s are targeting 2028 for the opening of the Vegas facility. A’s president Dave Kaval said in April the franchise hadn’t yet decided on its plans for the 2025-27 campaigns.
Kaval suggested the organization could look into a temporary lease extension at the Coliseum to bridge that gap, though the animosity between the franchise and Oakland leadership makes that appear unlikely. The A’s Triple-A affiliate, the Aviators, play in Las Vegas and could temporarily host the major league club. Manfred said today there’s been no final decision as to whether the A’s could attempt to get out of their lease early and play at the Triple-A ballpark as soon as next season.
Blue Jays Release Anthony Bass
Reliever Anthony Bass has cleared waivers and been granted his unconditional release from the Blue Jays, tweets Mitch Bannon of Sports Illustrated. Toronto designated Bass for assignment last Friday.
Bass was initially acquired from the Marlins at last summer’s deadline, heading alongside Zach Pop for infield prospect Jordan Groshans. He pitched well down the stretch, leading the Jays to exercise a $3MM option to bring him back for 2023.
The veteran right-hander struggled in mostly low-leverage situations this year. He allowed a 4.95 ERA through 20 innings. Bass’ average fastball speed sat in the same 95 MPH range as last season, but his swinging strike percentage and strikeout rate each dropped a few points. The free passes also went in the wrong direction, as his walk rate jumped from 7.3% to 10.2%.
Bass’ on-field performance is only part of the story. Last month, he shared an Instagram video (which he later deleted) that called for a boycott of corporations that had supported the LGBTQ community. That video had called those businesses’ support of LGBTQ individuals “evil” and “demonic” (as chronicled by Keegan Matheson of MLB.com). Bass subsequently conceded that posting the video was a “distraction” but reaffirmed he “(stands) by (his) personal beliefs.” The reliever apologized to general manager Ross Atkins, manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays’ clubhouse for, as Atkins put it, “creating any harm and for hurting others.”
One day after Atkins and Bass met with the media, Toronto took him off the 40-man roster. The GM said the move was primarily “a baseball decision” but conceded the “distraction was a small part of it and something that we had to factor in” (link via Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet).
After clearing waivers, Bass is now free to explore opportunities elsewhere. The Jays will be on the hook for the remainder of the $3MM salary. Any team that signs him would only owe him the prorated portion of the $720K league minimum for whatever time he spends on their big league roster.
Mariners Trade Kean Wong To White Sox
The White Sox have acquired minor league infielder Kean Wong from the Mariners. Mike Curto, broadcaster for Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate with Tacoma, tweeted the news. He’ll presumably join the Sox’s top minor league team in Charlotte. Wong had not been on the 40-man roster, so he’ll add some non-roster upper level depth for the White Sox.
Wong signed a minor league deal with the Mariners over the offseason, joining his older brother in the organization. Kolten Wong has struggled at the big league level, but Kean Wong has had a nice showing in Triple-A. He appeared in 33 games for Tacoma, hitting .315/.422/.500 with four home runs in 109 trips to the plate. The lefty swinger has walked in a stellar 14.7% of his plate appearances while keeping his strikeout rate to a modest 17.4% clip.
That’s quite a bit better than the 28-year-old’s minor league work last season. Wong spent 2022 in the Angels’ system, posting a .262/.342/.332 line with a 10.8% walk percentage and 22.1% strikeout rate over 128 Triple-A contests. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2021, when he suited up a career-high 32 times for the Halos. Wong has 39 MLB games overall, hitting .167/.188/.218 in that limited look.
Like his brother, Kean Wong is primarily a second baseman. Seattle has gotten strong work out of José Caballero at the keystone. The rookie has a .245/.397/.367 showing over his first 45 big league contests, enough to leapfrog Kolten Wong and Dylan Moore on the depth chart.
The White Sox have gotten nothing from the second base position. Elvis Andrus, Romy González, Lenyn Sosa and the since-released Hanser Alberto have combined for a league-worst .167/.212/.278 showing there. An injury to third baseman Yoán Moncada led Chicago to promote utilityman Zach Remillard this afternoon. The Wong acquisition allows them to backfill some Triple-A infield depth.
Wong will be joined in Charlotte by veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton. The White Sox outrighted Hamilton off the 40-man roster yesterday. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times relays (on Twitter) that Hamilton accepted the assignment instead of testing minor league free agency. The speedster has a .158/.294/.228 line in 69 trips to the plate for the Knights this season. He appeared in three MLB games with the ChiSox as a pinch-runner last month.
Angels Place Zach Neto On Injured List, Recall Kolton Ingram
The Angels put rookie shortstop Zach Neto on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain this evening. Infielder Andrew Velazquez is up from Triple-A Salt Lake to take the active roster spot. The Halos also optioned reliever Jimmy Herget to Salt Lake while recalling left-hander Kolton Ingram from Double-A Rocket City.
Losing Neto is the most significant of today’s developments. He was pulled from last night’s game with side tightness. Oblique strains can lead to absences pushing or exceeding a month, but the young infielder told the Angels’ beat he’s hopeful of a quick return (relayed by Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register).
Neto was the 13th overall pick in last summer’s draft. The first player from his class to reach the big leagues when he was promoted in mid-April, the Campbell product has stabilized the middle infield. He’s off to a strong .259/.338/.431 start to his MLB career, connecting on six home runs in 199 trips to the plate. While Neto isn’t drawing many walks, he’s running a lower than average 18.6% strikeout rate while averaging north of 90 MPH on batted balls.
It’s a very impressive start for a player who had all of 44 minor league games under his belt prior to his aggressive promotion. He’s been a key contributor to a 38-32 club that sits just a game and half back of the Yankees for the last Wild Card spot in the American League.
Velazquez steps into the shortstop role tonight against the Rangers and Nathan Eovaldi. It’s the first MLB action of the season for the glove-first infielder, who suited up 125 times for the Halos last year. He’s hitting .203/.337/.392 in 23 games with Salt Lake.
Ingram, meanwhile, joins Phil Nevin’s bullpen for the first time. If he’s called upon to pitch, he’ll be making his major league debut. The Halos initially added him to the 40-man roster last winter to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft but this is his first MLB call.
A 37th-round draftee of the Tigers in 2019, he was released by Detroit without reaching full season ball. He caught on with the Halos in 2021 and reached the majors within three seasons for his new organization. The 5’9″ reliever has had an intriguing showing in the Texas League, working to a 2.63 ERA across 27 1/3 innings. He’s punched out over 32% of opponents at the Double-A level, though he’s also walking a career-high 16.1% of batters faced.
Cubs Activate Cody Bellinger, Option Matt Mervis
The Cubs reinstated Cody Bellinger from the 10-day injured list this afternoon. Highly-touted first baseman Matt Mervis was optioned to Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding transaction.
Bellinger is in the lineup tonight against Pittsburgh righty Johan Oviedo, hitting sixth and playing first base. It’s his first start there in two years. Bellinger came up as a first baseman but moved primarily to the outfield by 2019, as the Dodgers (and subsequently Chicago) wanted to take advantage of his elite athleticism. Bellinger has been a very good defensive outfielder but he’ll break back in at first base after losing nearly a month to a left knee contusion.
Manager David Ross suggested as much earlier this week. Sprinting is still causing Bellinger some issues, and while the Cubs feel he’s sufficiently healthy to return to the diamond, they’ll try to ease the stress by putting him at a less demanding position. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters yesterday the club is hopeful of getting Bellinger back in the outfield at some point but didn’t specify a timeline (relayed by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune).
Bellinger will try to pick up where he left off before the injury. The former MVP has been enjoying something of a bounceback season in Chicago. He’s hitting .271/.343/.493 over 163 trips to the plate. That’s not peak form but far better than his results from his final two seasons in Los Angeles, largely attributable to him cutting his strikeout rate from around 27% to 19% this year.
His return displaces Mervis, who heads back to the minors for the first time since he was called up on May 5. The Duke product tore up minor league pitching in 2022 and started this season with a .286/.402/.560 showing in Triple-A. He couldn’t carry that success over in his first look at big league arms. Mervis hit .167/.242/.289 over his initial 27 MLB games, striking out in 32 of his 99 trips to the plate.
There’s little sense for the Cubs in relegating him to a bench role, as he’s still a potential key offensive piece for the organization moving forward. With Bellinger at first base and Chicago using a rotation at designated hitter — Trey Mancini, Christopher Morel, Patrick Wisdom, Miles Mastrobuoni and Ian Happ have split the last five starts there — the clearest path for Mervis to get consistent reps was by sending him back to Iowa.
Infield Upgrades Should Be A Deadline Focus For Marlins
The Marlins held onto a 4-1 win over the Mariners in dramatic fashion yesterday, pushing them to 38-31. They’re in possession of the National League’s second Wild Card spot. They’re 4 1/2 back of the Braves in the NL East but multiple games clear of the Phillies and Mets for second place in the division.
It’s a start that’ll surprise some onlookers. The Marlins are no longer rebuilding and fully intended to be competitive, but they were generally perceived as the fourth-best team in a strong division. While unimpressive starts from Philadelphia and New York have certainly helped, Miami is seven games above .500 and trending towards deadline season as a buyer.
The Marlins are already looking into ways to upgrade behind the plate. That’s understandable; neither Nick Fortes nor Jacob Stallings has done enough to deter the front office from exploring upgrades. There haven’t yet been any reports about Miami gauging the infield market, though that also figures to be a priority for GM Kim Ng and her front office.
Miami aggressively reshaped their infield over the offseason. The Fish went into the winter looking to add high-contact hitters to the lineup. They actualized that in the infield, swapping Pablo López (and a couple prospects) to the Twins for Luis Arraez while adding Jean Segura and Yuli Gurriel via free agency.
Arraez’s acquisition and return to second base pushed Jazz Chisholm to center field. Segura was signed to play third base. Brian Anderson had already been non-tendered, so Segura displaced utility types Joey Wendle and Jon Berti at the hot corner. At the end of the winter, Miami traded clubhouse leader Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers for upper minors infielder Jacob Amaya and named Wendle their new starting shortstop. First baseman Garrett Cooper was the only Miami infielder to start at the same position on Opening Day for the second straight season.
Any time a team makes that many moves, there are going to be mixed results. The contrast in the Marlins’ infield is particularly stark, though. Arraez has been everything the Fish could’ve hoped for. He’s well on his way to another batting title, with a .378/.431/.461 line that more than compensates for concerns about his defensive chops at second base. The rest of the group has not performed up to expectations. There’s no greater question mark than Segura, who has been the worst everyday player in the majors.
The veteran infielder owns a .190/.259/.234 slash over his first 225 plate appearances in South Florida. While Segura has never been a prototypical power threat, he’s reached double digit homers in each of the last six full seasons. This year, he’s connected on just one longball. Among hitters with 200+ plate appearances, Segura has easily the lowest slugging percentage. (Alex Call is second from the bottom at .295.) He’s also last in on-base percentage and tops only Nick Maton and Kyle Schwarber in batting average.
That’s disastrous offense, and Miami’s gamble in moving Segura to a position with which he’s not familiar hasn’t panned out on that side of the ball either. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him as five runs worse than the average third baseman through just over 500 innings. Statcast isn’t quite so harsh but has him two runs below par.
Combining league-worst hitting and below-average defense has Segura well below replacement level thus far. He’ll almost certainly improve his production. It’s hard to get any worse than his current line, and Segura’s pre-2023 track record was that of a solid regular. A .224 average on balls in play calls for some positive regression, so he should at least start hitting for a better average.
The complete lack of extra-base impact is a serious concern, however. Solid as the season has gone overall, Miami still isn’t an imposing offensive club.
Playing half their games in cavernous loanDepot Park admittedly isn’t doing the lineup any favors. Miami’s offseason focus was about improving the run production, though, trying to add more balance to a club that skewed so heavily to pitching and defense last year. Many of their moves actively weakened the run prevention to increase scoring. They relinquished López to bring in Arraez, moving Segura and Chisholm off their standard second base positions in the process. They parted with Rojas — a light-hitting, plus defensive shortstop — to shoehorn Wendle into the lineup at a position he’d never played regularly.
The offense is better, but not dramatically so. They’re tied for 25h in runs scored, 22nd in home runs, 18th in on-base percentage (.318) and 19th in slugging (.397). The Fish respectively finished in 28th, 24th, 27th and 28th in those categories last season. Arraez has driven the on-base jump, while the power spike is attributable to scorching starts from holdover outfielders Jorge Soler and Jesús Sánchez. Even with Arraez flirting with a .400 clip for a while, Miami’s infield has a bland .269/.326/.361 slash. As measured by wRC+, they’re 23rd in offensive production from their infielders.
Miami has weathered that so far. That’s in large part to a 17-5 record in one-run contests, allowing them to overcome a -30 run differential that’s above only those of the Rockies and Nationals in the Senior Circuit. The Fish aren’t going to apologize for those wins. They’re in the books, and they put the club right in the thick of a muddled NL playoff picture. Yet that kind of success in close games isn’t something Miami can bank on continuing all year. They’ll need the lineup to improve if they’re to ward off that regression.
Some of that will happen organically. Chisholm has been out a month with a foot injury. Ng recently told Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post on their podcast that he’s likely still several weeks away, but a second-half return should be a boon to the offense. Cooper is a better hitter than this year’s .229/.268/.408 line would indicate. Sánchez is playing regularly now after missing a few weeks in May due to injury.
They’ll need to support that at the deadline, likely by bringing in a left side infielder. Curtailing Segura’s playing time a few months into a two-year, $17MM contract would be a tough pill to swallow, but it might be necessary for a team trying to hang onto a playoff spot.
Players like Jeimer Candelario, Jace Peterson and Patrick Wisdom should be available at the hot corner. There are fewer options at shortstop, though the White Sox could move Tim Anderson and the Cardinals would probably deal Paul DeJong. None of those players can carry a lineup (perhaps unless Anderson bounces back from a tough start), but they’d each provide manager Skip Schumaker some alternatives to continuing to plug Segura in every day.
This deadline season should be an exciting one for Marlins fans. Unless things fall apart within the next six weeks, they’re in position to add in hopes of bolstering a playoff push. Two decades removed from their most recent berth in a 162-game season, the front office shouldn’t hesitate to be aggressive, even if that means making the tough call to bench their biggest free agent pickup of this past offseason.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Yankees Notes: Payroll, Volpe, Bader
The Yankees sit in third place in the loaded AL East despite a 39-30 record. They’re unquestionably approaching deadline season looking to add to the roster. Erasing an 8 1/2 game deficit on the Rays to take the division is going to be a challenge, but New York currently occupies the second Wild Card spot.
How much payroll flexibility is at the front office’s disposal is an open question. New York had an active offseason highlighted by the record contract for Aaron Judge and the six-year deal to bring in Carlos Rodón. They appeared to hit their spending limit by Spring Training, however. Reports suggested they were loath to move their luxury tax number past $293MM, which marks the final tier of penalization. They entered the season with concerns about left field and the back of the rotation that have largely borne out in the first couple months.
Public estimates of the Yankees’ spending still put them right around that $293MM CBT mark. A club’s tax number is calculated at the end of the season, so their reported reluctance to surpass that figure could ostensibly limit their flexibility to add money before the trade deadline.
Hal Steinbrenner met with reporters (including Chris Kirschner of the Athletic) at this week’s owner meetings. The Yankee owner denied that the $293MM mark represented a firm cutoff, saying he’d consider moves he felt were difference-making acquisitions. Steinbrenner stopped short of promising a payroll uptick, though, saying “spending money for the sake of spending money, I just don’t know.”
Which players constitute notable upgrades will obviously be a point of conversation between ownership and the front office over the next six-plus weeks. While it’s still early for clubs to pinpoint specific trade targets, it’s easier to identify areas of need, particularly in the lineup. As measured by wRC+, the Yankees have been in the bottom third of MLB in offensive production at each of catcher, third base, shortstop and left field.
Not all of those will be upgraded upon midseason. Jose Trevino is a Gold Glove caliber catcher, so New York is probably content to live with fringy offense. Josh Donaldson has lost the bulk of the season to injury. He’s now healthy, and while he’s coming off a disappointing 2022 campaign, the Yankees will first see if he can reclaim third base before looking for alternatives.
Rookie Anthony Volpe has been the everyday shortstop, starting 63 of the first 69 games. The highly-touted prospect has struggled offensively through his first few months at the MLB level. Volpe is hitting just .192/.264/.359 while striking out over 30% of the time he’s stepped to the plate. He’s gotten mixed reviews on his glove. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him as four runs better than the average shortstop in a little under 600 innings. Statcast has him two runs below par.
It’s not the kind of start for which the organization or its fanbase had hoped. Still, Yankees brass doesn’t seem concerned about the 22-year-old. Steinbrenner reiterated his faith in Volpe during yesterday’s media session, noting that he promised the former first-round draftee a long leash in Spring Training (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Skipper Aaron Boone also said yesterday the organization hasn’t given any thought to optioning Volpe to Triple-A (relayed by Talkin’ Yanks).
An outfield upgrade before August 1, on the other hand, seems quite likely. Left field has been a revolving door, with the struggling Oswaldo Cabrera and since-released Aaron Hicks getting the bulk of the reps early on. Lefty-swinging Jake Bauers has hit for enough power to hold down a corner outfield spot for the past month, but he’s a career .214/.308/.358 hitter.
Left field was a concern from day one, and the outfield has become particularly glaring with recent injuries to Judge and Harrison Bader. There’s still not much clarity on Judge, who has been down for ten days with a ligament sprain in his right big toe. Fortunately, Bader’s return from a hamstring strain appears imminent. He played in a rehab game with Double-A Somerset this evening and is expected back during the upcoming weekend series in Boston.
Nick Lodolo Likely Sidelined Into August
Reds starter Nick Lodolo has been out of action since May 6 due to a left leg issue. Initially announced as calf tendinitis, the injury was later revised to a more concerning tibia stress reaction.
Lodolo has spent the better part of a month in a walking boot. Follow-up imaging this afternoon confirmed he’d need at least another two weeks in the boot, skipper David Bell told the media (relayed by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer). He’ll go for additional testing at that point.
According to Bell, Lodolo would likely need four to six weeks from the time he’s out of the walking boot before he’d be ready for game action. The long layoff will require him to build arm strength back via a throwing program. At the earliest, that timeline would suggest an early-August return to Great American Ball Park. Further delays or the longer end of that expected throwing program could keep him out well into the month.
Lodolo is already on the 60-day injured list. He’s eligible to return around the All-Star Break but clearly won’t be ready by that point. It has been a frustrating season for the second-year hurler. He’s started seven games and pitched to a 6.29 ERA over 34 1/3 innings. The former seventh overall pick had also spent a couple months on the IL last season — in that case due to a lower back strain — but impressed with a 3.66 ERA over 103 1/3 frames as a rookie.
The Reds weren’t generally expected to compete this season. That’d have been especially tough to envision if one could’ve predicted Lodolo’s injury woes, but Cincinnati’s influx of young infield talent has helped them outperform most preseason forecasts. The Reds sit at 34-35, just two games behind the Pirates in a lackluster NL Central. If Cincinnati can hang in the playoff picture deep into the summer, Lodolo’s return could take on extra importance for a club currently giving regular rotation run to each of Luke Weaver, Ben Lively and Brandon Williamson.