Dodgers Notes: Hill, Stripling, Verdugo, Turner
Let’s check in on the National League’s top-ranked club as the postseason approaches…
- The Dodgers have seemingly avoided an especially negative outcome with left-hander Rich Hill, whose season looked to be in jeopardy when he suffered a strained MCL in his left knee last week. The same type of injury kept Hill out for the first month of the season, but it looks as if he’ll slot back into the Dodgers’ staff in short order this time. The MRI that Hill underwent Monday revealed “nothing structural,” manager Dave Roberts announced to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group and other reporters, which paved the way for the 39-year-old to throw a bullpen session Tuesday. Now, barring any setbacks, it seems Hill could take a major league mound again as early as this week.
- Regardless of whether Hill reenters their rotation this year, right-hander Ross Stripling will not factor into the Dodgers’ postseason starting mix, per Roberts (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Stripling will instead be part of the Dodgers’ playoff relief corps. The 29-year-old swingman has divided 2019 between LA’s starting and relief staffs, and has notched a sturdy 3.40 ERA/3.71 FIP with 8.72 K/9, 2.02 BB/9 and a 50.2 percent groundball rate across 84 2/3 innings.
- While the latest news on Hill looks encouraging, the same doesn’t apply to outfielder Alex Verdugo. The rookie will officially miss the Dodgers’ National League Division Series matchup, Hoornstra tweets. The hope is Verdugo will be ready to return if the Dodgers advance to the second round of the postseason. Oblique and back injuries have shelved Verdugo since Aug. 4, prematurely ending a solid first season in which the 23-year-old slashed .294/.342/.475 with a dozen home runs and 2.2 fWAR in 377 plate appearances. The Dodgers aren’t exactly hard up for outfield help without Verdugo, of course, as they still boast NL MVP candidate Cody Bellinger, A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson among their main choices.
- Although there had been hope third baseman Justin Turner would make his way back to the Dodgers’ starting lineup Tuesday, that’s not going to happen. Turner did say he’s “getting better every day” as he tries to return from the left ankle sprain that has shelved him since Sept. 7, though (Twitter links via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times and Gurnick). That said, Roberts still isn’t willing to offer a timetable on when Turner could start again. The Dodgers have recently turned to Matt Beaty, Chris Taylor and Jedd Gyorko at third in lieu of Turner, who has once again posted star-caliber numbers this season when healthy.
NL Injury Notes: Baez, Weaver, Brewers, Rockies
The Cubs will evaluate shortstop Javier Baez by week’s end to see when he’ll be able to start rehab activity, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. The club has been without Baez for just about all of September because of a hairline fracture in his left thumb, and it’s likely the injury will prevent the star from suiting up again in the regular season as Chicago tries to at least earn a wild-card berth. The Baez-less Cubs have been turning to recently recalled youngster Nico Hoerner at short, and fortunately for them, he has begun his career in outstanding fashion. Thanks in part to Hoerner’s contributions, the Cubs are 6-2 dating back to his Sept. 9 debut.
More injury updates from around the National League…
- Diamondbacks right-hander Luke Weaver may be a “couple days” from returning to a major league mound, per Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Weaver threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday as he works back from forearm and ulnar collateral ligament issues that have shelved him since late May. The offseason acquisition, who joined the D-backs via their Paul Goldschmidt trade with the Cardinals, had been amid a stellar campaign before landing on the shelf. Weaver owns a 3.03 ERA/3.11 FIP with 9.82 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings on the season. While Arizona’s playoff hopes have faded this year, the hope is Weaver and fellow young righty Zac Gallen will be among those to help drive the team back into contention in 2020.
- Brewers righty reliever Corey Knebel is “continuing to make progress” in his recovery from the Tommy John procedure he underwent in March, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Knebel expects to return to throwing from a mound when spring training rolls around, per Haudricourt. It’s all the more impressive on the Brewers’ part that they’re in the thick of the wild-card hunt without having received anything from Knebel, who was one of their best bullpen options from 2017-18.
- Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland is nearing a late-season return, according to Nick Groke of The Athletic. A strained groin has kept Freeland from taking a big league mound since Aug. 20, but he’ll be able to make two more starts (albeit at just two to three innings per appearance) this year, Groke notes. Freeland will attempt to end his surprisingly dismal season on a high note when he suits up again. One of the NL’s premier pitchers just a year ago, Freeland has been just the opposite in 2019. The 26-year-old has logged a 6.98 ERA/6.13 FIP across 99 1/3 frames, and his struggles led the Rockies to demote him to the minors earlier in the season.
Giancarlo Stanton Nearing Return
Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is one of several high-profile Yankees whom injuries have stunted this year, but with the playoffs around the corner, the former MVP’s on his way back. The Yankees will activate Stanton from the injured list Wednesday or Thursday, manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and other reporters. The team doesn’t expect Stanton to be limited at all when he comes back, according to Boone.
Despite almost no contributions this year from Stanton, a four-time All-Star who was the Yankees’ signature acquisition going into the 2018 campaign, the club has thrived this season. Even though multiple injuries have held Stanton to 38 plate appearances in 2019, the Yankees (98-53) are in a tie with the Astros for the majors’ best record, and they’re shoo-ins to win their first American League East title since 2012. Stanton hasn’t played since he suffered a strained PCL in his right knee June 25. Before that, biceps, shoulder and calf problems shelved him for roughly two and a half months.
The Stanton-less Yankees have unexpectedly gotten terrific production from once-unheralded pickups Mike Tauchman and Cameron Maybin in the outfield, while holdovers Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks have done good work yet again. However, both Tauchman and Hicks are likely done for the season with injuries of their own, which should make Stanton’s return all the more important for New York as it chases its first World Series title since 2009.
Rays Activate Blake Snell
Rays left-hander Blake Snell is set to make his long-awaited return from the injured list, the team announced. Snell will start for the Rays in a road game against the Dodgers on Tuesday, and his activation will give the club a franchise-record 38 active players.
The Rays have been without Snell since July 25, when it became apparent the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner would need arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow. To that point, Snell had only performed like the dominant force he was a year ago on a sporadic basis, but he has nonetheless been a significant asset this season. The 26-year-old fired six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in his most recent start July 21, helping him to a 4.21 ERA/3.40 FIP with 12.12 K/9 and 3.12 BB/9 across 101 frames in the campaign. Snell’s strikeout rate ranks fifth among all major leaguers who have amassed at least 100 innings this year.
Despite the long-term absences of Snell and fellow starters Tyler Glasnow (who returned from the IL on Sept. 8) and Yonny Chirinos (out since Aug. 4), the Rays have continued to hold an AL wild-card spot. They’re a game back of Oakland for the league’s No. 4 seed and one and a half up on Cleveland in the race for its final postseason position. The return of Snell should only increase the Rays’ chances of clinching their first playoff berth since 2013, though he probably isn’t going to give the team a lot of innings in his first game back from the IL.
NL East Notes: Realmuto, Mattingly, Mets
Here’s the latest on a trio of clubs from the NL East:
- Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, who has proven to be one of the most valuable acquisitions of last offseason, suggested back in July that he’d be open to signing an extension with the club. While a deal hasn’t come together yet, it looks as if the team’s interested in locking up Realmuto for the long haul, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lauber notes Realmuto could soon become the game’s latest nine-figure catcher, which would place him in company with the likes of the Giants’ Buster Posey and now-retired Twins icon Joe Mauer. Realmuto, a former Marlin, has been superb in 2019 – his age-28 campaign – and has continued to make a case for one of the richest paydays in the history of his position. With just one more season of control left after this one, the Phillies will have to act fast if they’re going to prevent Realmuto from leaving over the next year-plus. Having traded elite pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez for Realmuto over the winter, it stands to reason the Phillies will make a serious attempt to keep the two-time All-Star backstop in the fold.
- In an interview with Andre Fernandez of The Athletic (subscription required), Marlins manager Don Mattingly once again indicated he’d like to manage the club in 2020. But if a new agreement between Mattingly, whose contract is set to expire, and the Marlins doesn’t come together after the season, he’ll be willing to go elsewhere. Mattingly said it’s his “mindset” to manage someplace in 2020, whether it’s Miami or another MLB city. The 58-year-old is in his fourth season in Miami, and though the win-loss results haven’t been pretty, Mattingly’s respected enough to potentially end up on other teams’ radars if the Marlins don’t retain him.
- Mets first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith and right-hander Robert Gsellman are still hoping to return this season, per Tim Healey of Newsday. Time is obviously running out on the injured pair, however. Smith hasn’t played since July 27 on account of a stress reaction in his left foot, but the 24-year-old was among the Mets’ most effective hitters of 2019 before then. Gsellman has been down for just under a month with a partial lat tear – an injury that cut off an unspectacular campaign for the 26-year-old reliever.
Health Notes: Marwin, Kintzler, Marlins, Rockies
The latest on a few notable health situations from around the majors…
- The Twins welcomed utilityman Marwin Gonzalez back from injury Monday in their win over the White Sox. Gonzalez hadn’t played since Aug. 27 because of an abdominal issue. His presence should help make up for the absence of fellow utilityman Ehire Adrianza (down with an oblique strain) and give the Twins the ability to rest first baseman C.J. Cron – who’s dealing with a bruised thumb, per Brian Hall of MLB.com. Gonzalez, the Twins’ highest-paid acquisition of last winter (two years, $21MM), has gotten past a sluggish start to post a useful .262/.322/.418 line with 15 home runs in 441 plate appearances this season.
- Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler hasn’t pitched since Sept. 10, when the right-hander allowed two earned runs on three hits in a third of an inning in a loss to San Diego. It turns out that Kintzler has been out with a mild left oblique strain, as Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic was among those to tweet. There’s no word on how much more time Kintzler will miss, but the sooner he returns, the better for the playoff-contending Cubs. The 35-year-old has bounced back from a shaky 2018 to post a 2.82 ERA/3.60 FIP with 7.62 K/9, 2.15 BB/9 and a 56.6 percent groundball rate in 54 1/3 frames.
- Marlins first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper isn’t likely to return this season, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio reports. The 28-year-old jammed his knee Friday, and though Mish notes it isn’t serious, the bottom-feeding Marlins don’t need to risk running Cooper out again this season. An ice-cold August has driven down Cooper’s numbers this year, but he has nonetheless been one of the hitter-needy Marlins’ top offensive players in 2019, having batted .281/.344/.446 with 15 HRs across 421 trips to the plate.
- Rockies righty Chad Bettis, who underwent season-ending hip surgery Aug. 27, expects to go through “a normal offseason,” he told Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. That may be true from a health standpoint, but whether the winter will be conventional otherwise for Bettis is up in the air. After all, the Rockies could non-tender Bettis, who’s slated to go through arbitration for the third and final time. He made $3.325MM this season but only pitched to a 6.08 ERA/5.16 FIP in 63 2/3 innings – most of which came out of the Rockies’ bullpen.
Latest On Stephen Piscotty
The Athletics have been rolling lately, but not everything is glorious for the American League wild-card leaders. Manager Bob Melvin said Monday that outfielder Stephen Piscotty‘s high right ankle sprain might keep him out for the rest of the regular season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Piscotty, who hasn’t played since Aug. 24, is still dealing with soreness in his ankle, according to Melvin. That continues what has been a tough campaign for the 28-year-old Piscotty, a highly valuable Athletic last season who has only managed a .252/.312/.416 line with 13 home runs in 389 plate appearances. Piscotty has missed quite a bit of time along the way, as he previously sat out after he underwent surgery to remove a melanoma from his right ear and was later shelved with a right knee sprain.
A healthy Piscotty has been the A’s go-to pick in right field this year, but they’ve turned the position over to a mix of Chad Pinder, Robbie Grossman, Mark Canha and Ramon Laureano in his absence. Oakland has carried on just fine with that group, evidenced by the club’s 15-6 record since Piscotty last played.
If the A’s earn a playoff spot in a couple weeks but Piscotty’s still unable to suit up, they’ll likely place left-hander Jesus Luzardo on their postseason roster, Slusser suggests. The phenom Luzardo, 21, has thrown six innings of two-run ball in a pair of appearances since debuting in the majors Sept. 11.
Lucas Giolito Done For Season
White Sox ace Lucas Giolito was diagnosed with a mild lat strain after going for an MRI on Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic tweets. That type of injury normally takes three to four weeks to recover from, Fegan notes, so the right-handed Giolito’s year is over.
Season-ending injury aside, 2019 will go down as an enormous step forward for Giolito, who finally began to live up to the immense hype he garnered as a prospect. Giolito, whom the White Sox acquired from the Nationals in December 2016 as part of the teams’ Adam Eaton blockbuster, found himself among the majors’ worst starters as recently as a year ago. The 25-year-old turned the tables this season, though, as he fired 176 2/3 innings of 3.41 ERA/3.44 FIP ball with 11.62 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 5.1 fWAR to reestablish himself as one of the league’s most coveted arms.
While Chicago’s way out of contention yet again as the playoffs near, its hope is Giolito will help lead it back to relevance a year from now. Giolito’s among a few highly talented starters who could help the White Sox accomplish that goal. Michael Kopech should be back from Tommy John surgery by then, and Carlos Rodon figures to return from his own TJ procedure. Meanwhile, the promising tandem of Dylan Cease and Reynaldo Lopez will be a year older and maybe a year wiser when it comes to retiring opposing hitters.
Poll: AL MVP Front-Runner
The American League Most Valuable Player race took an unfortunate turn over the weekend when the Angels ruled transcendent center fielder Mike Trout out for the rest of the season. The out-of-contention Angels have nothing to left to play for, but the final couple weeks of the year could have helped Trout, a future Hall of Famer, bolster his MVP case. The 28-year-old has already won the award twice (arguably not enough times considering his brilliance to this point), and he looked like the favorite to take home the honors again this season before a foot injury took him down. Trout could still end up as the AL MVP, but given that he’s on a bad team and hasn’t played since Sept. 7, it’s increasingly likely a challenger will rise up and win it.
If we’re to believe Fangraphs’ version of wins above replacement, 10 American League hitters have been worth at least 5.0 fWAR this year. Trout’s easily in first place, having racked up 8.6 fWAR, while Astros third baseman Alex Bregman‘s next at 7.4. Underrated Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien (6.6) is one of three players thereafter who have bettered the 6.0 mark, with Red Sox right fielder/reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts (6.3) and shortstop Xander Bogaerts (6.2) filling out the group. Beyond them, there’s Astros outfielder George Springer, A’s third baseman Matt Chapman, Red Sox third bagger Rafael Devers, Yankees utilityman DJ LeMahieu and White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada with 5.0 fWAR.
There are also six starting pitchers in the bunch with 5.0 or more fWAR – the Astros’ Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, the Rangers’ Lance Lynn, the Rays’ Charlie Morton, the Indians’ Shane Bieber and the White Sox’s Lucas Giolito – for what it’s worth. However, it’s incredibly difficult for a pitcher to earn MVP honors. Verlander pulled it off back in 2011, but he was the first hurler since 1992 to do so. It’s improbable he or any other pitcher will accomplish the feat this year. Likewise, it’s difficult to imagine a player on a non-contender (Trout aside) earning the MVP this year. That may well rule out anyone from the two Sox-wearing teams.
By process of elimination, the MVP race might come down to Trout, Bregman, Semien, Springer (though it’s tough to see him winning when teammate Bregman has clearly been the more valuable player), Chapman (who’d likely lose votes to Semien) and LeMahieu.
Of course, it’s highly doubtful the voters will make the decision largely by the polarizing WAR stat, and understandably so. There will be plenty who place the most value on the dominance of Trout despite his team’s fecklessness. Others will give the nod to Bregman, who has been on an absolute tear in the season’s second half (the same goes for Semien, by the way). Meanwhile, LeMahieu has thrived as a multi-positional player in the game’s biggest market after joining the Yankees last offseason on what now looks like a bargain contract of two years and $24MM.
The Yankees and Astros are heading to the playoffs as elite teams, which could help their MVP contenders’ causes. The A’s are also likely on their way, so the same applies to their prospective MVPs. All said, it’ll be an interesting final couple weeks of the regular season as all of the above vie for the award. As of now, which player do you think should win?
(Poll link for app users)
Who's the AL MVP front-runner?
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Trout 59% (5,446)
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Bregman 19% (1,768)
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LeMahieu 15% (1,430)
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Semien 3% (314)
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Other (specify in comments) 3% (270)
Total votes: 9,228
MLBTR Chat Transcript: 9/16/19
Click here to read a transcript of tonight’s live chat with Connor Byrne.