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Pirates Claim Eli Villalobos From Marlins

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The Pirates announced they’ve claimed reliever Eli Villalobos off waivers from the Marlins and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. The righty had been designated for assignment over the weekend. In a corresponding move, Pittsburgh transferred shortstop Oneil Cruz to the 60-day injured list.

Villalobos has yet to make his major league debut. The 6’4″ hurler was added to Miami’s 40-man roster at the start of last offseason to keep another team from selecting him in the Rule 5 draft. It was a strong development for the Long Beach State product, who’d entered the professional ranks as a 14th-round pick in 2019. He earned the roster spot on the heels of a strong 2022 campaign in the upper minors.

Between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville, Villalobos posted a 2.86 ERA over 78 2/3 innings. He’d punched out an excellent 32.7% of batters faced against a serviceable 9.3% walk percentage. He also induced ground balls at a better than average clip at both stops. Once he’d secured the 40-man spot, he looked like a short-term bullpen option in Miami.

The 25-year-old had a disastrous first few days of this season however. Optioned to Jacksonville out of camp, he’s surrendered six runs in three appearances totaling 4 2/3 frames. Villalobos has walked and struck out seven batters apiece. It was an exceedingly small sample but enough to squeeze him off the roster when the Fish needed a spot for long reliever Devin Smeltzer over the weekend.

Pittsburgh was operating with a de facto vacant roster spot. Cruz fractured his ankle on Sunday and underwent surgery that’s likely to sideline him at least into August. That made it a formality he’d wind up on the 60-day IL whenever the Bucs wanted to add someone else. Villalobos becomes the early beneficiary and will head to Indianapolis as bullpen depth. He has a full slate of minor league option years remaining and can shuttle on and off the MLB roster for the foreseeable future if he’s able to get back on track in his new organization.

German Marquez Leaves Start With Forearm Tightness

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Rockies hurler Germán Márquez left tonight’s win over the Cardinals after just five innings and 62 pitches. He’d come out to warm up in the sixth but called out the trainer and gestured toward the outside of his forearm. Postgame, manager Bud Black called the issue forearm tightness (link via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post).

It’s far too early for the Rox to have a definitive diagnosis. Black expressed hope the issue isn’t serious and didn’t rule out the possibility of Márquez making his next start. Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweets that Márquez also downplayed his concern, though he noted he’s also experienced some forearm tightness between his starts. Whether he’ll be able to avoid the injured list will be clearer after he undergoes further evaluation tomorrow.

Forearm tightness is an ominous diagnosis for any pitcher. It can be a precursor to ligament or muscular damage in the forearm/elbow area. That doesn’t inherently mean Márquez’s issue is serious, of course, but it’ll be cause for concern for Colorado until there’s more clarity on what’s causing the discomfort.

Márquez is the top pitcher on the Rockies’ staff. He’s allowed eight runs in 16 1/3 innings this season but struck out 13 while issuing only two walks. The Venezuelan-born hurler had a down 2022 season, allowing nearly five earned runs per nine over 31 starts. Between 2017-21, he worked to a 4.25 ERA with an above-average 24% strikeout rate.

Rotation depth is a major concern for Colorado. Antonio Senzatela is still recovering from last summer’s torn ACL. Beyond Márquez and Kyle Freeland, the Rox currently have José Ureña, Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber rounding out the starting five. Ureña and Feltner, in particular, have been hit hard in their first two starts. Long reliever Connor Seabold and Peter Lambert appear to be the top options to step into the rotation should Márquez miss any time.

Phillies Notes: Painter, Sanchez, Hoskins

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The Phillies entered the season shorthanded in the rotation. That’s in large part because of an injury to Andrew Painter, a top pitching prospect who entered camp in a battle for the final starting spot. That was put on hold when Painter was diagnosed with a sprain of the UCL in his throwing elbow in mid-March.

Philadelphia predictably shut the highly-touted righty down. He spent around five weeks on a no-throw program before playing catch for the first time today, tweets Matt Gelb of the Athletic. It’s the first step in Painter’s throwing program, which the Phils will assuredly take with plenty of caution. There’s still not much clarity on the 20-year-old’s overall recovery timetable but it’s notable that he’s again begun throwing.

Painter is on the minor league injured list and not yet on the 40-man roster. He still hasn’t thrown a pitch at Triple-A, with five Double-A starts late in the 2022 season representing his only regular season action in the upper minors. While he was in consideration for an MLB job out of camp, he’ll almost certainly spend some time in the minors to build his pitch count once he’s ready for game action down the line.

Losing Painter all but assured Bailey Falter of a rotation spot. The Phils then lost Ranger Suárez to the IL, pushing Matt Strahm from the bullpen into the rotation. Southpaw Cristopher Sánchez might have gotten the nod over Strahm had he not also gotten hurt in Spring Training. Sánchez has been battling triceps soreness and opened the year on the IL. His injury doesn’t seem especially serious, as he’s been throwing bullpen sessions in recent days.

Sánchez will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley tomorrow for a rehab assignment, according to the MLB.com injury tracker. He’s expected to log three innings for the IronPigs. Sánchez working in a multi-inning capacity will give the Phils some needed depth behind their current starting five of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Falter and Strahm.

Of course, the spring injuries weren’t limited to the pitching staff. The toughest blow the Phils were dealt this spring came when they lost slugger Rhys Hoskins to an ACL tear in his left knee. That seems likely to cost him the entire 2023 season but the Phillies have refrained from officially declaring him out for the year.

Hoskins met with reporters today, the first time he’d addressed the media since the injury. The 30-year-old first baseman expressed continued hope he could play a part in a potential postseason run (link via Dan Gelston of the Associated Press). “I’m going to do everything in my power to give myself an opportunity that if and when we are playing in late October, I have a chance to contribute to that.”

The injury opened a season-opening path to playing time at first base for Darick Hall. That audition proved unfortunately brief, as Hall suffered a thumb injury last week and will soon undergo surgery. The Phils now have a loose platoon arrangement between Kody Clemens and Alec Bohm (with Edmundo Sosa taking third base when Bohm slides across the diamond) at the position.

Tony Gonsolin, Ryan Pepiot Likely To Be Sidelined Into May

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The Dodgers look likely to be without starters Tony Gonsolin and Ryan Pepiot into May, skipper Dave Roberts told the beat this evening (relayed by Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic and Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times).

Both hurlers opened the season on the injured list. Gonsolin sprained his ankle after a pitcher-fielding practice in Spring Training. Pepiot had earned the vacated spot in the starting five but suffered an oblique strain just prior to Opening Day. That pushed Michael Grove into the rotation while robbing Pepiot of a chance to break camp for the first time in his career.

Gonsolin seems the further ahead of the two. He’s throwing to hitters at the team’s spring complex. He’ll do so at least once more before the team considers sending him out a minor league rehab assignment, which could still be multiple weeks away. There’s no indication Gonsolin has suffered any kind of setback but his recovery has moved a little slower than anticipated. Pepiot, on the other hand, has yet to resume throwing. There’s still no public timetable as to when he might be able to pick up a ball, much less return to big league action.

Losing Gonsolin, in particular, has thinned Los Angeles’ rotation early in the season. Grove has gotten hit hard in his first two starts, surrendering 12 runs across 7 1/3 innings. That’s been a big factor in the Dodgers’ uncharacteristically middling 4.47 rotation ERA through the first couple weeks. Grove is one of the organization’s more interesting pitching prospects but hasn’t found success yet in his brief big league career. He allowed a 4.60 ERA over seven appearances (six starts) as a rookie, bringing his career mark to 6.63 in 36 2/3 frames.

Latest On Phillies’ First Base Plans

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The Phillies entered the season with an unexpected question mark at first base. Rhys Hoskins went down with what’s likely to be a season-ending ACL tear during the final week of Spring Training. That pushed Darick Hall to the top of the depth chart, at least against right-handed pitching.

Hall started five of Philadelphia’s first six games before suffering a thumb injury on Wednesday. The Phils announced this morning the left-handed hitter tore a ligament in his right thumb and will require surgery. Matt Gelb of the Athletic writes that Hall could be out for around two months, which’ll leave the club dipping further down the depth chart.

The first crack will apparently fall to Kody Clemens. Acquired alongside Gregory Soto in a trade with the Tigers over the offseason, Clemens was recalled to make his team debut this morning. He got the nod at first base against Reds righty Hunter Greene. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters the Phils plan to use the lefty-swinging Clemens as their primary first baseman against right-handed pitching (link via Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Against southpaws, it seems likely the Phils will slide Alec Bohm over from third base while turning to Edmundo Sosa or Josh Harrison at the hot corner. Non-roster player Scott Kingery hit well in Spring Training to potentially put himself in the mix for a multi-positional bench role as well.

Clemens, 27 next month, has primarily been a second baseman. He’s regarded as more of a bat-first player, though most prospect evaluators have suggested he’s better suited for a utility role than playing every day. Clemens got into 57 big league games with Detroit last season, struggling to a .145/.197/.308 line in 127 trips to the plate. He’d been far better with their top affiliate in Toledo, where he had an above-average .274/.327/.535 slash with 13 home runs in 60 contests.

While Clemens has a solid offensive track record in the minors, it’s an obviously suboptimal situation for a team that expects to contend in what should be a difficult NL East. Gelb writes that Philadelphia explored potential trade possibilities in the immediate aftermath of Hoskins’ injury but couldn’t find an available external option they considered a significant enough upgrade over Hall. It’s possible they reexamine that market in the wake of Hall’s injury, although it’s not a typically active time for trades. If the Phils were to go outside the organization in the short term, it’d likely be for a player towards the back of the depth chart rather than an impact acquisition.

Injury Notes: Haniger, Taylor, Severino, Rodon, Moore, Trammell

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The Giants have been without offseason signee Mitch Haniger thus far. The veteran outfielder opened the season on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. He tells Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News his recovery timeline was slightly delayed by recent back tightness, which shut him down for around a week (Twitter link). Haniger is back to hitting off a tee now but still a bit off from potentially beginning a minor league rehab assignment.

With Haniger out of action, the Giants have pushed Rule 5 draftee Blake Sabol into left field alongside Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto. Sabol and Roberto Pérez are the only catchers on the active roster. Pérez left this afternoon’s loss to Kansas City with a right shoulder strain (as relayed by Maria Guardado of MLB.com), which could necessitate a roster move if he’s unavailable in the coming days.

In other injury situations around the game:

  • The Brewers lost Tyrone Taylor to a sprained right elbow at the start of Spring Training. Milwaukee announced at the time that Taylor would be sidelined into May. Manager Craig Counsell informed reporters today the outfielder recently had a minor setback and is midway through a week-long shutdown before he resumes a throwing program (via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). It’s unclear to what extent Taylor’s recovery timetable is delayed but it doesn’t seem a significant concern. Milwaukee turned to Brian Anderson in right field with Taylor sidelined. After the Brew Crew lost third baseman Luis Urías to an Opening Day hamstring strain, they moved Anderson to the hot corner and brought up top prospect Joey Wiemer to man right field.
  • Yankees skipper Aaron Boone provided reporters (including Chris Kirschner of the Athletic) an update on a pair of rehabbing pitchers this afternoon. Luis Severino, who has been sidelined by a lat strain, will throw a bullpen session this weekend. Offseason free agent pickup Carlos Rodón will throw a live batting practice session on Monday. Rodón was diagnosed with a mild forearm strain during Spring Training, though the Yankees downplayed any long-term concern.
  • The Mariners provided updates on a pair of injured position players this afternoon (relayed by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Utilityman Dylan Moore and outfielder Taylor Trammell are both going to start participating in extended spring training games at the start of next week. Manager Scott Servais indicated that Moore could potentially return during the club’s April 14-23 homestand. Trammell is further behind, as he fractured the hamate bone in his right wrist in mid-February. That robbed him of any Spring Training reps; Moore also didn’t appear in any exhibition games but he’d done some backfield work before straining his oblique in mid-March.

A’s, Zach Neal Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Zach Neal, according to an announcement from his representatives at MSM Sports (Twitter link). He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Neal has pitched in parts of three major league seasons. Almost all of that work came with Oakland between 2016-17. Neal threw 84 2/3 innings of 4.89 ERA ball over that stretch. His 10.7% strikeout rate was well below-average, though he kept his walks to a microscopic 2% clip. Neal’s only other MLB experience came during the 2018 season in Los Angeles, when he threw one inning out of the bullpen.

After that season, Neal joined the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He spent three years there, combining for a 4.49 ERA across 272 1/3 innings. Neal returned to the U.S. last season, inking a minor league deal with the Rockies. He pitched the 2022 campaign with their top affiliate in Albuquerque. That extremely hitter-friendly environment wasn’t kind to Neal, who allowed just under seven earned runs per nine in 116 2/3 innings across 29 appearances.

Neal’s 18.4% strikeout percentage in Albuquerque was above his career MLB mark but still a few points south of the league average. He kept his walks to a 5.4% clip for the Isotopes. Neal’s signing adds a strike-throwing depth starter to the upper levels of the Oakland system.

White Sox, Alex Colome Agree To Minor League Contract

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The White Sox have agreed to a minor league deal with reliever Alex Colomé, according to the hurler’s transaction log at MLB.com. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that the Wasserman client will head to Triple-A Charlotte tomorrow.

Colomé is a familiar face for Sox fans. He spent the 2019-20 seasons on Chicago’s South Side, combining for a 2.27 ERA over 83 outings. Despite middling strikeout and walk marks, Colomé held opposing hitters to a woeful .183/.262/.313 line in 339 plate appearances. The righty departed Chicago for Minnesota on a $6.25MM free agent deal over the 2020-21 offseason.

Things have gone downhill for Colomé since leaving Chicago. He tossed 65 innings for Minnesota, working to a fine but unspectacular 4.15 ERA. The next winter saw him sign another one-year deal, this time worth $4.1MM to join the Rockies. Colomé played the 2022 campaign in Denver, struggling to a 5.74 ERA over 47 appearances. Over the last two seasons, he’s allowed 4.82 earned runs per nine innings with a modest 17.8% strikeout percentage and an average 8.9% walk rate. He’s induced grounders at a strong 54.5% clip but not replicated the success he showed from 2016-20, when he combined for a 2.62 ERA in 275 appearances.

Colomé was limited to minor league offers over the winter. The 34-year-old latched on with the Nationals and spent the spring in Washington’s camp. The veteran hurler was tagged for seven runs in 9 2/3 exhibition frames, walking and striking out seven batters apiece. That wasn’t enough to get him a spot in the season-opening bullpen, and he was granted his release last week.

Chicago opened the season with three relievers — Liam Hendriks, Garrett Crochet and Matt Foster — on the injured list. Hendriks recently completed chemotherapy treatments after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Crochet is rehabbing from 2022 Tommy John surgery, while Foster has been slowed by a forearm strain. The White Sox have given high-leverage innings to Jake Diekman, Kendall Graveman, Reynaldo López and Aaron Bummer in the early going. Chicago carried a league-worst 9.36 bullpen ERA through 25 innings entering play today.

MLBTR Poll: Angels’ Sixth Starter

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The Angels have run six-man rotations in recent seasons. They’re expected to do the same this year, although manager Phil Nevin has already indicated the club will be a little less rigid than in prior years to try to get more innings for their top arms.

The Halos had an off day on the second day of the season, mitigating the need for a sixth starter the first time through. They had an extra day to get a second start from Shohei Ohtani yesterday before settling on a sixth starter.

After today’s scheduled off day, the Angels play on six consecutive days. Sam Blum of the Athletic tweets the Angels are likely to turn to their sixth starter for their April 12 matchup with the Nationals. It remains unclear whom Nevin will give the first crack to assume that role behind Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, Tyler Anderson and José Suarez.

The most likely candidates appear to be left-hander Tucker Davidson and righty Griffin Canning. Davidson, acquired in last summer’s Raisel Iglesias trade with Atlanta, is out of minor league option years. He has to stick on the MLB roster in some capacity if the Halos don’t want to chance losing him. They could deploy him out of the bullpen, where he made his only appearance of the season on April 1. Davidson tossed four innings of mop-up work to finish off a blowout win in Oakland. That was only his second relief appearance at the MLB level, as he’s started 16 of 18 big league games.

Davidson threw 52 innings between Atlanta and Anaheim last season. He was tagged for a 6.75 ERA, walking 14.4% of opponents while striking out 13.7% of batters faced. That kind of production obviously isn’t sufficient but the Halos have kept him on the 40-man roster, clearly believing he’s capable of taking a step forward. Davidson had been solid over 15 Triple-A starts last year, with an above-average 27.8% strikeout rate and solid 7% walk percentage more encouraging than his 4.59 ERA there lets on.

Canning is currently on the 15-day injured list. He opened the season on the shelf with a groin strain, but the issue seems exceedingly minor. The UCLA product made a rehab start for Low-A Inland Empire this evening, working five innings and 92 pitches. Assuming he responds well in the next few days, it seems he’s on track for a quick reinstatement. Canning is first eligible to return on April 12, so his timetable could align with the Angels’ first need for a sixth starter.

If he got the nod, it’d be his first big league outing since July 2021. Canning has lost the past year and a half to back injuries. One of the organization’s more promising pitching prospects a few seasons ago, he looked like a possible mid-rotation arm when he worked to a 3.99 ERA over 11 starts during the shortened season. Canning surrendered a 5.60 ERA through his first 14 outings in 2021 before the back issues that cost him more than 18 months. He has 209 1/3 MLB innings under his belt, almost all of them as a starter. Unlike Davidson, Canning can still be optioned for another season.

While Davidson and Canning seem the top candidates for sixth starter work, they’re not the only options. Righty Jaime Barria indicated in Spring Training he had his sights set on the job. Barria had worked almost exclusively in long relief in 2022, throwing 79 1/3 innings across 35 appearances. He posted a 2.61 ERA out of the bullpen but without huge strikeout or ground-ball numbers.

Barria had primarily been a starter before last season, working to a 4.49 ERA built on solid control. Like Davidson, Barria has made one appearance out of the bullpen this season. He tallied 3 2/3 frames of low-leverage work in a blowout loss to Seattle on Tuesday. He’s also out of options and has to stick in the majors in some capacity.

Chase Silseth is also on the 40-man roster and started seven games as a rookie last year. The right-hander showed intriguing velocity but was hit hard in his initial MLB look. He started the year on optional assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake. Kenny Rosenberg and Jhonathan Diaz also got brief rotation showings last season, though neither occupies a spot on the 40-man at this point. It’s unlikely any of that group is in consideration for MLB starts this early in the year.

Who should get the first crack for the Angels when they turn to a sixth starter?

(poll link for app users)

Who Should Get The Angels' Sixth Starter Job To Open The Season?
Griffin Canning 55.44% (1,382 votes)
Tucker Davidson 27.56% (687 votes)
Jaime Barria 12.15% (303 votes)
Other (specify in comments) 4.85% (121 votes)
Total Votes: 2,493

 

Marlins Outright Jeff Lindgren

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The Marlins have sent right-hander Jeff Lindgren outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. The rookie hurler went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment on Tuesday.

Lindgren, a 24th-round draftee in 2019, was just called up for his MLB debut on Monday. The Illinois State product was called upon almost immediately, as he was pressed into long relief after Johnny Cueto left his start due to injury. Lindgren tossed five innings of four-run ball, allowing four hits and walking three without recording a strikeout. He tallied 80 pitches.

Miami subsequently DFA Lindgren to get a fresh arm, Daniel Castano, in the bullpen. It was an unfortunate but not entirely unexpected turn of events for the 26-year-old, as it’s fairly common for pitchers towards the back of the depth chart to lose their roster spot as teams cycle through fresh arms. Now that he’s gone unclaimed on waivers, he’ll head back to Jacksonville and remain in the organization without occupying a 40-man spot. Lindgren has never previously been outrighted and doesn’t have the requisite service time to elect free agency.

Lindgren worked as rotation depth in the minors last season. He started 27 games between Double-A Pensacola and Jacksonville, working to a 4.21 ERA in 136 2/3 cumulative innings. He’d yet to make a minor league appearance this season before being promoted.

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