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Walker Buehler Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Dodgers star hurler Walker Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery and a repair to his flexor tendon this afternoon, according to announcements from the team and Buehler himself (h/t to Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). The club had already announced that Buehler would undergo an elbow procedure that would end his 2022 season, although it hadn’t been clear whether he’d require a complete UCL reconstruction.

While the team has not yet provided a specific timetable on Buehler’s recovery, the revelation comes as a brutal blow. A Tommy John procedure will obviously cost him far more than the remainder of this season. It’s now hard to envision him returning at any point in 2023. Tommy John recoveries often take upwards of 14 months, and Buehler’s rehab process only figures to take longer considering his personal history.

The righty also underwent Tommy John not long after being selected in the first round of the 2015 draft. He lost the remainder of that season and virtually all of the following year recovering, making just three brief appearances late during his first full pro campaign. He’ll now be faced with a second extended rehab process.

In between the surgeries, Buehler has established himself as one of the sport’s best arms. The Vanderbilt product has a 3.02 ERA in 638 1/3 MLB innings, striking out a quality 27% of batters faced against a meager 6.3% walk percentage. He posted an ERA of 3.44 or lower each season between 2018-21, earning a pair of All-Star nods in the process. Buehler picked up a fourth place finish in NL Cy Young balloting last year — his highest finish to date — after eclipsing 200 innings with a sparkling 2.47 ERA.

The 2022 season hadn’t been Buehler’s best, as he saw his strikeout rate fall to a personal-worst 21.2% rate through 12 starts. Not coincidentally, he allowed more than four earned runs per nine innings for the first time in his big league career, with opponents bizarrely teeing off on a fastball that had previously been one of his better offerings. Buehler’s velocity remained strong, with his fastball checking in at its customary 95 MPH range, and any efforts to get the pitch’s spin and overall effectiveness back on track were put aside when he left an early June outing with elbow discomfort. That was quickly revealed to be a flexor strain, and the team announced last week that he’d need to undergo surgery after rehab efforts proved unsuccessful.

Relative down year notwithstanding, Buehler would certainly have had a key role on next year’s staff had he been healthy. Now that he’s seemingly unlikely to factor into the mix at any point, the Dodgers figure to aggressively target rotation help during the upcoming offseason. Clayton Kershaw will be a free agent after signing a one-year deal last winter. The club would no doubt welcome him back if Kershaw wants to return, but it remains to be seen how the future Hall of Famer will choose to proceed. The Dodgers will also see free agent pickups Andrew Heaney and Tyler Anderson return to the open market.

Julio Urías is one of the sport’s top pitchers, and he’ll be arbitration-eligible for a final time next year. The Dodgers recently welcomed back flamethrowing Dustin May from a Tommy John rehab of his own, while Tony Gonsolin has carried over his smaller-sample excellence through a career-high 22 starts this season. That’s three rotation spots accounted for, and young hurlers like Ryan Pepiot, Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller could be ready for key roles relatively early in the year. There are still plenty of in-house options, but the Dodgers have aggressively stockpiled pitching depth in recent offseasons. Between efforts to re-sign one or more of Kershaw, Anderson and Heaney plus pursuits of external free agents, the Dodgers are likely to be active in adding to their strong collection of young in-house arms.

Buehler will remain on the 60-day injured list during the seasons, although he’ll need to occupy a spot on the 40-man roster over the winter. He’ll finish this season with more than four years of service time and be in line for a salary boost relative to this season’s $4.25MM figure via arbitration. Buehler is arb-eligible twice more, so the Dodgers are likely to tender him a contract and pay next year’s salary with an eye towards getting him back on the mound for the 2024 campaign.

Fernando Tatis Jr. To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Fernando Tatis Jr. announced this afternoon that he will undergo surgery on his left shoulder (relayed by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Darnay Tripp of NBC 7 San Diego). The Padres star is already out for the rest of the 2022 season after MLB handed down an 80-game suspension this month once Tatis tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Closetebol. The surgery, which will take place shortly, is not expected to sideline Tatis beyond the length of his suspension, relays via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

It’s a somewhat surprising development, as there was no previous indication that surgery was again under consideration. Tatis twice landed on the IL with shoulder issues last season, missing the minimal ten days in April and another couple of weeks in August. In both instances, he suffered the injury on basic baseball activities — his first occurring on a swing, his second sliding into a base. Both injuries initially seemed to have the potential for extended absences, but Tatis returned in relatively short order each time.

There was some speculation Tatis may need to go under the knife, but he declined to undergo surgery at the end of last season. His plans to play through any discomfort this year were twice dashed — first by an offseason fracture in his left wrist sustained in a motorcycle accident, then by the suspension. Tatis underwent wrist surgery this spring. Initially expected to return around June, his recovery nevertheless lingered into the late summer. He embarked on a minor league rehab assignment at the start of this month, but MLB announced the stunning news of his failed PED test after just four Double-A games.

That suspension will carry over into the start of next season. Tatis will miss the final 48 regular season games of the 2022 campaign, leaving him with 32 more games to serve after this regular season. Any lost postseason contests (should San Diego qualify) will also count against the tally, but Tatis would miss a month or more of the 2023 campaign if the Friars don’t go on an extended playoff run this year. With the lengthy absence already in play, it seems Tatis and the organization decided the time was right for him to correct the shoulder woes.

Twins Place Byron Buxton On Injured List

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The Twins announced they’ve placed center fielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list due to a low-grade right hip strain. Catcher/infielder Caleb Hamilton was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to take his spot on the active roster. The club also confirmed the previously-reported selection of righty Aaron Sanchez to start tonight’s ballgame against the Astros, with lefty Devin Smeltzer optioned to St. Paul. Corner outfielder Alex Kirilloff, who is out for the season after undergoing wrist surgery this month, was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot for Sanchez.

Buxton left last night’s contest with soreness in the hip, and manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters after the game that the issue had nagged at the star outfielder for much of the season (via Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic). The club announced he’d head for an MRI today. Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reports that the MRI didn’t reveal any serious issues, seemingly backed up by the team’s specification of a “low-grade” strain. It’ll nevertheless cost Buxton at least a week and a half of action.

It’s the second consecutive season in which Buxton has landed on the IL due to a right hip strain. His previous hip injury, suffered while running the bases, cost him nearly six weeks between May and June 2021. There’s no indication this issue is expected to be that severe — it seems unlikely given the generally optimistic tenor of the club’s prognosis — but even a couple weeks without the first-time All-Star will be a tough blow for a Minnesota team that is two games back of the Guardians in the AL Central and three games out of the American League’s final Wild Card spot.

In addition to the hip discomfort that has apparently plagued Buxton on and off all season, the club has been cautious with his workload as he nursed some soreness in his right knee. Being more judicious with his playing time had seemingly helped Buxton avoid an IL stint for the knee concerns, but he’ll land on the shelf for the first time all season with the hip issue. He’s spent some time on the IL in every year since 2017, but he’s continued to electrify when physically able to take the field. Buxton earned the first All-Star nod of his career this summer, and he’s blasted 28 home runs in 92 games. He’s hitting just .224 with a .306 on-base percentage, but the combination of his prodigious power and otherworldly center field defense has made him one of the game’s top outfielders.

Dodgers Re-Sign Tony Wolters To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers are in agreement with backstop Tony Wolters on a new minor league contract, according to an announcement from Triple-A communications director Alex Freedman (Twitter link). He’ll return to their top affiliate in Oklahoma City, where he’s spent virtually all of the 2022 season.

Wolters, 30, originally signed a minor league deal with L.A. last summer. He opened the year in Triple-A and has appeared in 50 games there. Across 193 plate appearances, the lefty-hitting catcher posted a .216/.311/.269 line. He didn’t connect on a home run and struck out at an elevated 26.4% rate, although he did draw free passes at a quality 11.4% clip.

Two weeks back, Wolters made his team debut at the big league level. Selected onto the roster when regular backup Austin Barnes was away from the team to tend to a family matter, Wolters spent a weekend as the #2 behind Will Smith. That always looked like a temporary arrangement until Barnes returned to reassume his customary role, and the Dodgers designated Wolters for assignment and released him a few days later. It’s not uncommon for veterans of his ilk to go unclaimed on waivers after brief stints as a depth option in the majors, then to return to the organization on a new minor league arrangement.

Wolters’ tepid offensive output in Triple-A is in line with his body of work at the big league level. He’s never been an impactful hitter, compiling a career .235/.321/.314 line over parts of seven MLB seasons (the bulk of which came with the division-rival Rockies). He’s a highly-rated defender, however, having checked in 24 runs better average in just shy of 3000 MLB innings behind the dish, in the estimation of Defensive Runs Saved. Wolters consistently posts strong pitch framing marks and has thrown out an above-average 30.5% of attempted base-stealers in the majors. That defensive prowess makes him a good fit for the upper level depth role to which he’ll return with Los Angeles.

Twins To Select Aaron Sanchez

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The Twins are planning to promote righty Aaron Sanchez to start tomorrow evening’s game against the Astros, tweets Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. Minnesota will need to formally select Sanchez’s contract tomorrow. The 40-man roster is currently full, although the Twins could easily create a vacancy by transferring Alex Kirilloff to the 60-day injured list after the revelation the outfielder will miss the remainder of the 2022 season. Park adds that left-hander Devin Smeltzer will be optioned to free an active roster spot.

Sanchez has bounced on and off teams’ rosters a few times this season. The sinkerballer signed a minor league deal with the Nationals and was added to the big league roster in mid-April. He was hit hard over seven starts, posting an 8.33 ERA across 31 1/3 innings. Sanchez was released and caught on with Minnesota on a minor league deal. He spent a couple months in Triple-A St. Paul, was brought to the big leagues for a one-off spot start, then again designated for assignment. Sanchez cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment back to St. Paul, and he’ll now return to the major league club a bit less than three weeks later.

Grisly as his numbers have been in the big leagues this season, the 2016 AL ERA leader has held his own in the upper minors. He allowed only six runs in 15 innings in the Washington system before being called up, and he owns a 3.80 ERA over ten starts with St. Paul. Sanchez has only struck out 16.3% of batters faced over that stretch, but he’s not issued many walks and has a capable 44.8% ground-ball rate.

It remains to be seen whether Sanchez’s second stay on the Twins roster proves more lasting than his initial stint. Minnesota placed deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle on the 15-day injured list over the weekend, leaving an opening in the rotation behind Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy. The club has Cole Sands as a potential depth option on the active roster, but he’s worked in shorter relief stints of late. Smeltzer has picked up 12 starts this year but not gotten out of the fourth inning in any of his last three outings, and he’ll now head back to Triple-A.

Cubs To Select Javier Assad

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The Cubs are planning to promote right-hander Javier Assad to start the first game of tomorrow’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, manager David Ross told reporters (including Mark Gonzales). Chicago will need to formally select his contract, although that’s a formality considering they already have an opening on the 40-man roster.

It’ll be the first MLB appearance for the 25-year-old Assad, who has spent the past seven years progressing up the minor league ladder. A member of the organization’s 2015-16 international signing class, the Mexico native has a 3.96 ERA in a bit more than 500 professional innings. That includes a sterling 2.66 mark in 108 1/3 frames this year, split between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. Assad has fanned a solid 24.8% of opponents between the minors top two levels against just a 7.8% walk percentage.

The 6’1″ hurler has never been a top prospect, and the Cubs left him off the 40-man roster last offseason and were prepared to make him available to other teams in the Rule 5 draft (which never happened as a consequence of the lockout). There’s little quibbling with his results at the upper levels of the system this year, however, and he’s earned an opportunity to try to carve out a longer-term role on the pitching staff.

Chicago is without Kyle Hendricks, Adbert Alzolay, Keegan Thompson, Wade Miley and Alec Mills at present. Justin Steele has developed into a solid starter, and the Cubs have veterans Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly taking consistent turns through the rotation. Journeyman Adrian Sampson has done a nice job holding a spot at the back end, but Thompson’s placement on the injured list over the weekend leaves a vacancy in the regular starting five.

Diamondbacks Claim Reyes Moronta, Designate Jake Hager

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The D-Backs announced they’ve claimed reliever Reyes Moronta off waivers from the Dodgers. Infielder Jake Hager has been designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man roster transaction.

Moronta’s stay in the NL West continues. The big right-hander’s most productive seasons came as a member of the Giants, the organization with which he began his career. Between 2018-19, Moronta was one of the better relievers in the game. He tossed 121 2/3 innings of 2.66 ERA ball over that stretch, striking out a strong 29.3% of opponents. He issued a few more walks than ideal, but he nevertheless held opponents to a pitiful .175/.292/.266 line over 508 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, that marked Moronta’s last extended run of action until this year. He missed the entire shortened 2020 campaign with a shoulder problem, then landed on the IL to start last season with a flexor strain in his forearm. Moronta returned late last year but the Giants designated him for assignment after just four MLB appearances. He passed unclaimed through waivers, became a minor league free agent after the season, and signed a non-roster pact with the Dodgers during the offseason.

Los Angeles selected him onto the MLB roster in May, and the 29-year-old has gotten into 22 games. Moronta had an alright run, working 23 2/3 frames with a 4.18 ERA. He fanned an above-average 27.6% of batters faced on a solid 12.7% swinging strike rate, but he also surrendered five home runs and continued to walk batters at a higher than average (albeit improved, relative to his time in San Francisco) 10.2% clip. As part of a Dodger bullpen that ranks third in the majors with a 3.05 ERA, it’s easy to see how Moronta was squeezed off the roster. He should have a clearer path to a regular role with an Arizona club that has a 4.31 reliever ERA that checks in 24th leaguewide.

Moronta is due the prorated portion of a $1.5MM salary (around $370K) for the remainder of this season. He entered the 2022 campaign with exactly four years of service time but spent the season’s first three weeks in Triple-A. That was enough that he won’t reach a full year of service this season, meaning he’ll be arbitration-eligible once more after the year. He’s also in his second minor league option year, so the Snakes can freely shuttle him between Phoenix and Triple-A Reno — although he’d earn the right to refuse any optional assignments once he reaches his fifth year of big league service, likely early in 2023.

Hager, meanwhile, re-signed with Arizona on a minor league deal over the winter after finishing the 2021 campaign in the system. The D-Backs selected the righty-hitting utilityman to the majors in May, and he’s appeared in 28 games. Over 59 plate appearances, Hager owns a .240/.345/.280 line. He’s had a longer run in Reno, hitting .230/.330/.365 through 212 trips to the plate in one of affiliated ball’s more hitter-friendly environments. He’s spent the bulk of his minor league defensive action at shortstop but has played more second and third base in the big leagues.

Arizona will place Hager on outright or release waivers within the next few days. He’s previously been outrighted in his career, so he’d have the right to refuse a minor league assignment and test free agency if he goes unclaimed.

Brewers Place Aaron Ashby On Injured List With Shoulder Inflammation

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The Brewers have placed left-hander Aaron Ashby on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 20, with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Righty Jason Alexander was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take the vacated active roster spot.

It’s the second time this season that Ashby is headed to the IL due to an arm problem. He was diagnosed with forearm inflammation in mid-June but only missed a couple starts, making it back to action when first eligible in early July. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets the club is confident his shoulder issue will also prove to be minor, although it’s not clear precisely when he’s expected to make his return. At the very least, he’ll be out until the first week of September.

A former top prospect, Ashby has logged his most extensive big league action to date in 2022. He debuted with 13 appearances (four starts) last season, and he’s gotten the start for 17 of his 23 outings this year. His results have been up-and-down, as he owns a 4.58 ERA across 96 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing southpaw has shown plenty of promise, though, racking up an enviable pairing of strikeouts and ground-ball numbers. He’s fanned 27.1% of opponents while inducing grounders on over 55% of batted balls, the only starter (minimum 50 innings) with that combination. The Brewers were intrigued enough by Ashby’s nearly unique skillset to look past his spotty control and sign him to an extension last month that guarantees him $20.5MM and could keep him in Milwaukee through 2029.

Obviously, the 24-year-old is a key piece of the organization’s long-term future. The more immediate concern is that the Brew Crew will have to go without a rotation member for at least the next couple weeks. Milwaukee has slumped to a 7-11 record in August, dropping five games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central entering play Monday. They’re a game and a half back of the Phillies for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with around six weeks remaining in the regular season.

Rangers Sign Wilson Ramos To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers announced they’ve signed catcher Wilson Ramos to a minor league contract. The club plans to assign him to Triple-A Round Rock.

It’s the first landing spot of 2022 for Ramos, who has lingered on the free agent market. The veteran backstop was playing for Cleveland last August when he tore the ACL in his left knee. That required season-ending surgery, and Ramos has seemingly spent the past year rehabbing. The 35-year-old is apparently now healthy enough to get back to game action, and he’ll look to work his way back to the big leagues for a 13th consecutive season.

Ramos split last year between the Tigers and Indians, tallying 163 plate appearances over 44 games. He hit .205/.248/.397, the worst offensive showing of his big league career. That was in large part due to a career-worst .213 batting average on balls in play, however, and he still connected on eight home runs. Ramos hit .239/.297/.387 during the shortened 2020 campaign as a member of the Mets, offense that aligns with the league average for catchers.

Of course, Ramos has been a well above-average hitting backstop at points in his career. He’s a two-time All-Star who won a Silver Slugger Award and picked up down ballot MVP support with the Nationals in 2016. That season saw Ramos connect on 22 homers and hit .307/.354/.496 through 131 games. By measure of wRC+, the Venezuela native has posted five above-average hitting seasons over the course of his career.

Texas has gotten good work from its catchers this season. Jonah Heim has seized the starting job with a .249/.321/.439 showing through 91 games. Offseason minor league signee Meibrys Viloria has impressed in 20 contests since being called up two months ago. Ramos adds an experienced veteran presence to the upper minors, where one of the organization’s more promising prospects, Sam Huff, figures to assume the bulk of the playing time behind the dish.

Marlins Designate Parker Bugg For Assignment

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The Marlins have designated reliever Parker Bugg for assignment, tweets Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Cole Sulser has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list to take the active and 40-man roster spots.

Bugg, 27, was just selected onto the MLB club over the weekend. He didn’t wind up making it into a game, and he loses his roster spot in short order. The LSU product has spent his entire professional career in the Miami organization, entering the affiliated ranks as a 27th-round pick in 2016. He’s split this season between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville, working to a 2.39 ERA across 37 2/3 innings. The righty has fanned a solid 26.7% of batters faced but walked an alarming 15.5% of opponents.

Miami will have a few days to try to run Bugg through waivers. He’s never previously been outrighted, so if he goes unclaimed, he’ll remain in the organization without requiring a spot on the 40-man roster. Bugg would be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of the season if he’s not on a 40-man.

Sulser missed a hair more than two months after straining his right lat in mid-June. An offseason acquisition from the Orioles alongside the hard-throwing Tanner Scott, he’s made 26 appearances during his first season in South Florida. Sulser has a 3.86 ERA across 23 1/3 frames, striking out an above-average 27.5% of opponents with a 10.5% walk percentage. He’ll presumably step back into the high-leverage mix for manager Don Mattingly for the stretch run.

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