Tigers Select Edwin Jackson
10:10pm: The Tigers have promoted Jackson and optioned lefty Blaine Hardy, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic tweets. They’ll still need to make a corresponding 40-man move to create a spot for Jackson.
9:15pm: The Tigers will select right-hander Edwin Jackson‘s contract from Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Mud Hens manager Doug Mientkiewicz told Brian Buckey of the Toledo Blade. Jackson’s likely to start the Tigers’ game against the Royals, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com suggests.
The nomadic Jackson’s in line for his second major league stint with the Tigers, who signed him to a minors deal on July 22. He previously pitched for the Tigers in 2009. They’re one of a record 14 MLB teams the soon-to-be 36-year-old Jackson has suited up for since his career began with the Dodgers in 2003.
The year Jackson had with the Tigers a decade ago ranks as one of his most effective, as he pitched to a 3.62 ERA over 214 innings. The up-and-down Jackson remained a solid starter as recently as last year in Oakland, which he unexpectedly help pitch to the postseason with a 3.33 ERA across 92 frames after inking a minors pact. Despite that showing, though, Jackson was again unable to score a guaranteed contract last offseason. He ultimately went without a deal until rejoining the Athletics on a minors accord in mid-April, though he never made it back to the majors with the club.
After a short run as a member of the Athletics’ Triple-A team to open the season, they traded Jackson to the Blue Jays for cash considerations in early May. Jackson returned to the majors in Toronto, but he ended up posting horrific numbers – an 11.12 ERA/8.97 FIP in 28 1/3 innings – before the Jays cut the cord on him three weeks ago. He’ll now get to slot back into the rotation of another rebuilding team, Detroit, whose starting staff hasn’t received much production from anyone but Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Daniel Norris.
Nelson Cruz Suffers Left Wrist Strain
9:32pm: Cruz has once again suffered a left wrist strain, Hayes tweets. He’s day-to-day for now.
8:42pm: Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz left the team’s crucial matchup against the AL Central rival Indians on Thursday with an apparent left wrist injury, Dan Hayes of The Athletic was among those to report. The Twins replaced Cruz with C.J. Cron.
Cruz’s departure is particularly notable because a strained left wrist forced him to the injured list earlier this season. The ageless slugger sat out from mid-May until early June because of the ailment, but the time off didn’t have a negative effect on him. On the contrary, Cruz has slashed a phenomenal .295/.385/.652 with 35 home runs in 372 plate appearances, making him one of the most valuable Twins and among the best free-agent signings of last winter.
Minnesota inked the 39-year-old Cruz to a $14MM guarantee in the offseason, and the team looks sure to exercise his $12MM club option for 2020. In the meantime, the Twins will continue trying to hold off the charging Indians, who entered Thursday’s contest two games behind. Of course, doing so will become all the more difficult if Cruz has to head back to the IL.
Tony Sipp Clears Waivers, Becomes Free Agent
Three days after the Nationals requested released waivers on Tony Sipp, the left-handed reliever has cleared and is now a free agent, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Washington will pay Sipp the remainder of his $1MM salary for this year and a $250K buyout for 2020.
The fact that the 36-year-old Sipp couldn’t stick in what has been a dicey Nationals bullpen looks damning. He logged a 4.71 ERA (albeit with a far more encouraging 3.55 FIP) and 7.71 K/9 against 3.86 BB/9 in 21 innings with the club this year after it signed him to a low-cost deal a couple weeks before the season.
Along with posting shoddy run prevention numbers, Sipp saw his velocity and strikeout rates tumble compared to where they were last year as an Astro. At the same time, though, Sipp limited same- and right-handed hitters to sub-.290 weighted on-base average marks as a Nat this season. Sipp’s also just a year removed from an exemplary showing in Houston, where he posted a 1.86 ERA/2.41 FIP with 9.78 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9 over 38 2/3 innings. Now, considering Sipp’s only in line to collect the league minimum on his next contract, some contender looking for an established late-game lefty may well take a flier on him in the coming weeks.
East Injury Notes: Yankees, Braves, Mets
The latest on a few notable injury situations from the East Coast…
- Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has resumed baseball activities, but the club doesn’t expect him to return before rosters expand in September, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. Stanton has been on the injured list since June 26 with a sprained right knee – the latest ailment in a season packed with them for the former NL MVP. The 29-year-old slugger has collected just 38 plate appearances, but the injury-ravaged Yankees have persevered through his absence and many others en route to the American League’s top record (75-39). Key right-handers Luis Severino and Dellin Betances have accompanied Stanton among this year’s unavailable Yankees, though King explains that both pitchers continue to progress. Shoulder and lat problems have prevented either from throwing a single pitch in the majors this season. They could be crucial late-season reinforcements for a pitching-needy New York club that was unable to make upgrades at last week’s trade deadline.
- The Braves still have no timetable for the return of shortstop Dansby Swanson, manager Brian Snitker said Thursday (via David O’Brien of The Athletic). Swanson has been dealing with a heel issue for more than two weeks, which has primarily left short to Johan Camargo in his stead. Unfortunately for the Braves, though, Camargo has put up a year to forget. Since Swanson went down, Camargo has seen his already weak batting line drop to .217/.267/.333 in 222 plate appearances this season. On the other hand, Swanson was hitting a career-high .265/.330/.468 with 17 home runs in 431 PA when he hit the injured list.
- The Mets sent outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the 60-day IL Thursday in a procedural move, though he could begin a rehab assignment within a week, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets. After what looked like a breakout 2018 campaign, in which Nimmo slashed .263/.404/.483 with 17 HRs in 535 PA, he has struggled through injuries and poor performance this season. Nimmo hasn’t played since late May because of a bulging disk in his neck, and he limped to a .200/.344/.323 line with three long balls over 161 PA before then. Even without Nimmo, the Mets have gone on an improbable run over the past couple weeks to put themselves firmly in NL wild-card contention. Some of Nimmo’s fellow outfielders, including Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis, have helped lead the charge.
Giants Place Shaun Anderson, Steven Duggar On IL
The Giants announced Thursday that they’ve placed right-hander Shaun Anderson and outfielder Steven Duggar on the injured list. Anderson is dealing with a blister on his right middle finger, while Duggar’s down with a left shoulder AC joint sprain. The club recalled lefty Sam Selman and outfielder Joey Rickard from Triple-A Sacramento in corresponding moves.
The injury comes amid a rough stretch for the 24-year-old Anderson, who hasn’t recorded a quality start since June 23. The Nationals roughed up Anderson in his most recent start Wednesday, contributing to the rookie’s 5.33 ERA on the season. Anderson also owns a 4.97 FIP with 5.99 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 in 82 2/3 innings.
This will be his second IL placement of the year for Duggar, who has been among the least valuable players in the majors this season. The 25-year-old has taken 281 trips to the plate in 2019 and slashed .234/.278/.341 (63 wRC+) with four home runs and minus-0.5 fWAR. It’s possible he’ll now require season-ending surgery, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Duggar previously underwent a season-ending procedure on his left shoulder as a rookie in 2018.
Duggar’s latest issue will open the door for Rickard, who hasn’t taken a major league at-bat since the Giants claimed him from the Orioles in late June. The 28-year-old Rickard has been great in Sacramento, where he has batted .358/.406/.568 (134 wRC+) with four homers in 165 plate appearances. But Rickard wasn’t nearly that productive in the majors as a member of the Orioles, with whom he hit .245/.299/.372 (80 wRC+) with 19 HRs and 16 steals across 924 PA from 2016-19.
AL Notes: O’s, Davis, Yanks, Torres, A’s, M. Chapman
A quick look around the American League…
- Not only did Baltimore drop an embarrassing 14-2 decision to New York on Wednesday, but there was an all-too-public dugout altercation between struggling Orioles first baseman Chris Davis and manager Brandon Hyde during the game (video via Joe Trezza of MLB.com). Orioles hitting coach Don Long and injured slugger Mark Trumbo had to restrain Davis, whom the O’s then removed for a pinch-hitter. Hyde didn’t want to go into detail about it afterward, telling Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com and other reporters that the team will “keep it in-house.” He didn’t seem overly concerned about the matter, though, chalking it up to frustrations boiling over during what has been an adverse season. Davis wasn’t available for comment.
- Second baseman Gleyber Torres was not in the lineup for the Yankees’ latest win, but the club’s not planning to put him on the injured list, per George A. King III of the New York Post. Although Torres exited the Yankees’ victories Sunday and Tuesday because of core issues, tests on the 22-year-old didn’t reveal anything serious, manager Aaron Boone said. Torres underwent an MRI for a sports hernia and other strains Wednesday, but no cause for his recent problems was discovered.
- Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman has collected two hits and 19 strikeouts in his last 47 at-bats, perhaps because he’s dealing with knee and ankle issues. Chapman has been battling soreness in those spots, manager Bob Melvin revealed Wednesday (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). The superstar exited a game early with left ankle soreness on July 18, at which point he was slashing .279/.363/.522 on the season. Now, thanks to his ice-cold stretch, Chapman’s hitting .252/.340/.504.
Ben Lively To Sign With KBO’s Samsung Lions
Right-hander Ben Lively has agreed to sign with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, according to Naver Sports (h/t: Sung Min Kim of FanGraphs). He’ll take the roster spot of another former major league righty, Deck McGuire, whom the Lions will release.
Lively had been with the Diamondbacks, who acquired him from the Royals for cash considerations toward the end of June. As a member of those two teams’ Triple-A affiliates this season, the 27-year-old combined for 72 1/3 innings of 4.48 ERA pitching with 9.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.
Lively also tossed one inning with the Royals this year, but he’s best known for his time with the Phillies – who acquired him from the Reds for outfielder Marlon Byrd in December 2014. Lively worked his way to the majors in 2017 and proceeded to post a 4.81 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 112 1/3 innings between then and 2018.
McGuire, now 29, entered the pros as the 11th overall pick of the Blue Jays in 2010. Despite that lofty selection, he hasn’t had much success in the majors or at the Triple-A level with multiple organizations. McGuire also had trouble in the hitter-friendly KBO, where he logged a 5.05 ERA and notched 8.0 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9 in 112 1/3 frames this season.
NL Notes: Castellanos, Cubs, Padres, Richards, Pirates
Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is only about a week into his Cubs tenure, but Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (subscription link) wonders if the free agent-to-be will work his way into the team’s plans past this season. Castellanos has excelled at the plate over a rather small sample of work as a Cub, and as Mooney explains, the former Tiger has taken a liking to his new franchise. While the 27-year-old Castellanos will be one of the top hitters in the upcoming winter’s free-agent class, a lack of defensive value figures to limit his earning power. The price could be palatable enough for the Cubs to retain him, but it wouldn’t be ideal that Castellanos would have to remain a full-time outfielder in a DH-less league.
More from the NL…
- The Padres don’t expect the shoulder tightness that forced right-hander Garrett Richards from his latest rehab start to require an MRI, per Jeff Sanders on the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We’ll see how it responds over the coming week to treatment and when he picks up a ball in the near future,” manager Andy Green said of Richards. If all goes well, the former Angel could debut with the Padres sometime before this season ends. The Padres signed Richards to a two-year, $15.5MM contract last winter just a few months after he underwent Tommy John surgery.
- Prized Pirates righty Mitch Keller is likely to return to the majors for a start next Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests. The 23-year-old is one of the game’s highest-ranked pitching prospects, but a three-start audition in the majors from May to June didn’t go well. Keller allowed 14 earned runs on 21 hits and six walks in a 12-inning span, though he did strike out 15 batters. And Keller has held his own this year in his debut in the offense-driven International League. In 103 2/3 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis, he has pitched to a 3.56 ERA/3.60 FIP with 10.68 K/9 and 3.04 BB/9.
- More on the Pirates from Mackey, who has the latest on injured outfielder Gregory Polanco and catcher Francisco Cervelli. Polanco, who hasn’t played since June 16 because of left shoulder problems, has received clearance to restart baseball activities. It’s still not clear when he might return to the Bucs, however. Polanco also sat out the first couple weeks of 2019 on account of his shoulder, which required season-ending surgery last September. Cervelli, trying to work back from a concussion that has shelved him since May 25, is progressing toward catching again this season. The concussion-prone Cervelli will first need “final clearances from our doctors, the commissioner’s office and the [MLBPA],” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said.
Latest On Luke Weaver, Taijuan Walker
Right-hander Luke Weaver‘s success over the first couple months of 2019 was among the most encouraging early season developments for the Diamondbacks. UCL and flexor pronator sprains cut Weaver down near the end of May, however, and he hasn’t taken a major league mound since. Finally, though, Weaver’s making “major” progress, as Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic reports. Weaver threw off flat ground Tuesday and is slated for a bullpen session Friday.
Manager Torey Lovullo called the latest development on Weaver “very good news.” The hope is that Weaver and fellow injured righty Taijuan Walker will be able to make it back to the Diamondbacks’ staff this season. Walker is approximately “10 days” behind Weaver’s program, per Lovullo. It’s been an injury-ruined couple years for the once-touted Walker, who missed almost all of last season on account of Tommy John surgery and then suffered a sprained shoulder capsule this past May. He hasn’t made a big league appearance since April 14, 2018.
If Weaver and Walker do factor back into the mix for Arizona this year, they’ll likely do so as relievers, Morin relays. There probably isn’t enough time for either to work their way back as starters in 2019. It’s fair to say their absences are among the reasons the Diamondbacks (57-57) are 2 1/2 games out of a National League wild-card spot instead of in playoff position right now. After all, the club has struggled for most of the season to fill out its staff with capable starters. Plus, at least on paper, losing Zack Greinke while gaining Mike Leake and Zac Gallen at the July-ending trade deadline should make matters that much more difficult.
Regardless of whether Weaver pitches again this season, Arizona likely believes it has a long-term building block on its hands in the soon-to-be 26-year-old. Acquired with now-breakout catcher Carson Kelly from the Cardinals in last winter’s Paul Goldschmidt blockbuster, Weaver has recorded a terrific 3.02 ERA/3.11 FIP with 9.82 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings this season. Weaver’s not on track to become eligible for arbitration until after next season or a free agent until the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. If healthy, he could help ease the pain of Greinke’s exit in the years ahead.
Brett Gardner Expects To Play In 2020
As a soon-to-be 36-year-old and a pending free agent, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner‘s future looks uncertain beyond this season. However, unlike 39-year-old teammate CC Sabathia, Gardner isn’t planning to retire at year’s end, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post relays. Gardner unsurprisingly wants to continue his career with the Yankees, the lone franchise he has ever known since entering the pro ranks as a third-round pick in 2005.
“At this point in the season, I expect to be playing next year. Hopefully it’s here,” Gardner told Davidoff on Wednesday .”I feel like I’m definitely still capable.”
Gardner, who debuted in 2008 and is now the longest-tenured Yankee, is indeed “still capable.” On a team with no shortage of big-name stars, Gardner’s one of many less heralded players who have helped the Yankees survive an onslaught of key injuries this year. Across 380 plate appearances, Gardner has slashed a sturdy .265/.334/.484 en route to a 112 wRC+, which ties for the second-highest mark of his career. Never known as a major power threat, Gardner has chipped in 17 home runs and what’s easily a personal-best ISO of .228. Combining Gardner’s output at the plate with his typically strong defense and base running has given him at least 2.4 fWAR for the seventh straight season and the ninth in his career.
Considering Gardner continues to function at a high level, he should overcome his age to land a decent – albeit short-term – payday prior to 2020. Gardner’s currently playing on the $7.5MM salary the Yankees handed him last offseason after declining a $12.5MM option over him. The plan then was for Gardner to serve as depth behind starting outfielders Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks, but all three of those players have missed a substantial amount of time with injuries (Stanton has barely been a factor).
No doubt, Gardner’s presence has been highly beneficial this year, and he’s one of the reasons New York boasts the American League’s leading record (75-39). However, even though Gardner’s a still-productive player and a revered Yankee, it’s up in the air whether they’ll bring him back next year. Judge, Stanton and Hicks are all in line to return in the outfield, while potential breakout player Mike Tauchman has made a case that he should get a roster spot in 2020. As a pre-arbitration player, Tauchman should earn a far cheaper salary than Gardner next season. Plus, the Yankees won’t be able to send the soon-to-be out-of-options Tauchman to the minors then, which could also influence their decision if they make a choice between him and Gardner.
Not to be forgotten, the Yankees have corner outfielder Clint Frazier hanging around in Triple-A ball. While Frazier (25 next month) at least looks like a major league-caliber hitter, he hasn’t stuck in the bigs this year despite quality offensive numbers. But the Yankees are known to be bullish on Frazier – whom they’ve been unwilling to trade to this point – and might finally choose to dedicate a spot to him next season. It remains to be seen whether that would help push out Gardner, the more well-rounded player.