Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

T.J. Rivera Signs With Long Island Ducks

By | at

The Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League have signed infielder T.J. Rivera, the team announced.

This will be the second stint with the Ducks for Rivera, who spent 23 games with the club in 2019 and batted .270/.316/.427 with four home runs in 98 plate appearances. Of course, Rivera’s better known for what was a successful but short-lived major league tenure with the Mets. The former undrafted free agent appeared in 106 games with the Mets from 2016-17 and slashed an above-average .304/.335/.445 over 231 plate appearances, owing in part to an ability to avoid strikeouts at a solid clip.

Unfortunately, injury issues knocked Rivera’s career off course four years ago. Rivera underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 and then suffered an elbow sprain the next season as he was trying to work his way back to New York. The 32-year-old has had runs with the Nationals and Phillies since the Mets released him in 2019, though he was unable to return to the majors with either Washington or Philadelphia.

Braves Announce Roster Moves

By | at

The Braves announced that they have released right-hander Nate Jones and outrighted infielder Sean Kazmar Jr. Additionally, righty Carl Edwards Jr. has elected free agency. The Braves designated him for assignment May 8.

The 35-year-old Jones was designated to make room for Edwards, who didn’t last long on the Braves’ roster. Edwards made one appearance and failed to make a good impression, as he allowed three earned runs on three hits in a third of an inning against the Phillies on May 7. Also a former, Cub, Padre and Mariner, Edwards will return to the open market with a 3.68 ERA and a strong 32.8 percent strikeout rate against a 13.8 walk rate over 181 major league innings.

Jones, another minor league signing, earned a spot on the Braves’ roster after an excellent spring training. But the former White Sox standout struggled in Atlanta across 9 2/3 frames, causing the club to go in a different direction. Jones allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and eight walks against seven strikeouts as a Brave.

Kazmar, a fifth-round pick of the Padres way back in 2004, climbed to the majors for the first time since 2008 this season, though the 36-year-old made a mere three appearances and collected two plate trips to the plate. He’s a .259/.313/.371 hitter with 98 home runs in 6,619 minor league PA.

Rockies Place C.J. Cron On 10-Day IL

By | at

The Rockies have placed first baseman C.J. Cron on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 7) with a lower back strain, per a team announcement.

This ailment has been an issue for the past several days for Cron, who last played May 5. It has temporarily derailed what has been an impressive start to the season by Cron, a minor league pickup over the winter. The 31-year-old has been the Rockies’ most productive hitter with a .290/.394/.495 line and five home runs across 109 plate appearances.

With Cron down of late, Colorado has utilized Matt Adams and Connor Joe at first base. They only have 27 plate appearances between them this year.

Jordan Hicks Out At Least Six Weeks

By | at

MAY 10: The second opinion has apparently pushed back Hicks’ potential recovery timeline. The righty will undergo an orthobiologic injection this week, Mozeliak tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He’ll be reevaluated in six weeks.

The six-week shutdown from baseball activities means Hicks is now looking at a months-long absence. Even if he’ll is able to resume throwing after six weeks, he’ll need time to build back arm strength during a throwing program and eventual minor-league rehab assignment. As Hummel notes, that makes it difficult to envision Hicks returns before the July 12-15 All-Star break, even if he avoids any setbacks in his rehab. Given that timetable, it seems likely the Cardinals will transfer Hicks to the 60-day injured list if the need for an extra 40-man roster spot emerges in the coming weeks.

MAY 4, 4:27pm: The Cardinals will seek a second opinion on Hicks’ elbow, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told Silver and other reporters. Hicks is more likely to need an injection than surgery, though an injection would still require an absence of four-plus weeks, Silver relays.

MAY 4, 3:43pm: There is going to be “a pause” for Hicks, according to manager Mike Shildt, who added it’s “going to take some time” (via Silver, on Twitter). Based on that, it appears Hicks will miss more than the minimum of 10 days.

MAY 4, 3:08pm: The Cardinals have placed right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 2) with inflammation in his pitching elbow, per Zachary Silver of MLB.com. They recalled righty Johan Oviedo in a corresponding move.

It was expected that Hicks would go on the IL when he had to exit his appearance early Saturday, though an elbow ailment is nonetheless unsettling for a past Tommy John surgery patient. The hard-throwing Hicks has pitched in the majors this year for the first time since he had the procedure in June 2019 (the Type 1 diabetic opted out of last season over COVID-19 concerns).

When he went under the knife, Hicks was the Cardinals’ closer – an effective one at that – but they’ve eased him back into action this year in a lesser role. Hicks has gotten off to a slow start, which is to be expected for someone coming back from TJ surgery, having allowed six earned runs on five hits and 10 walks (with 10 strikeouts) across 10 innings. While Hicks has continued to show off elite velocity with an average fastball of 99.3 mph, he has already uncorked three wild pitches.

It’s unclear exactly how long the Cardinals will go without Hicks, but they seem optimistic this won’t turn into a worst-case scenario. The club is of the belief that the discomfort Hicks is dealing with is common for someone returning from Tommy John, Silver writes.

Latest On Miles Mikolas

By | at

Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas began a Triple-A rehab assignment this week, and it seems likely he’ll make his 2021 major league debut soon. Mikolas said his last rehab start should be May 16 or 17, after which he figures to return to the majors, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat tweets.

The Cardinals have gone the past year-plus without Mikolas, who missed 2020 as a result of a flexor tendon surgery and hasn’t pitched this season because of shoulder issues. Mikolas’ health woes have been rather unfortunate for the Cardinals, who haven’t gotten much bang for their buck on the four-year, $68MM extension they signed him to prior to the 2019 campaign. They gave Mikolas that deal on the heels of a tremendous 2018 season in which he logged a 2.83 ERA with an 18.1 percent strikeout rate and a 3.6 percent walk rate across 200 2/3 innings.

Of course, despite his recent injury problems, the Cardinals have received plenty of value from Mikolas since they lured him from Japan on a two-year, $15.5MM guarantee going into 2018. Mikolas owns a 3.46 ERA and a meager 3.9 percent walk rate across 384 2/3 frames with the Cardinals, so they’ll be glad to welcome him back.

Angels Make Several Roster Moves

By | at

The Angels announced several roster moves Thursday: They selected the contracts of outfielder Jon Jay and catcher Jack Kruger, placed backstop Max Stassi (concussion) and right-hander Chris Rodriguez (shoulder inflammation) on the 10-day injured list, and reinstated righty Felix Pena from the IL.

Jay spent time in the majors with the Angels earlier this season, but they designated him for assignment on April 16 after he went 1-for-8 at the plate. He’ll rejoin an Angels outfield going through some upheaval at the moment, as Justin Upton is battling knee problems and Jared Walsh is heading to first base in the wake of the team’s decision on Thursday to designate Albert Pujols.

Kruger, 26, could make his major league debut with Stassi out for at least the next week. The Los Angeles native was a 20th-rounder in 2016 who hasn’t played above Double-A ball yet. He owns a .265/.326/.357 line with 15 home runs in 1,392 minor league plate appearances.

Rodriguez has held his own out of the Angels’ bullpen this year, having thrown 15 2/3 innings of 2.30 ERA ball with 17 strikeouts against eight walks, but manager Joe Maddon said his injury isn’t serious (via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). They’ll replace him with Pena, a regular in their pitching staff from 2018-20. Pena amassed 215 2/3 frames of 4.34 ERA ball during that span, though he hasn’t contributed this year after straining a hamstring during the spring.

Rockies’ Colton Welker Receives 80-Game Suspension

By | at

The Rockies announced Thursday that infielder Colton Welker has received an 80-game suspension without pay for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Welker tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a banned substance, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets.

Welker issued a statement in response to his suspension (via the MLBPA), saying in part: “I want to make it very clear that I have never willingly nor intentionally ingested any substance to enhance my athletic performance. Given the information provided to me by the Players Association and laboratory, the amount detected was so minimal that it would have no effect on enhancing my performance. I understand that a number of other players, like me, have tested positive for this metabolite at microscopic levels, and I intend to join them in seeking answers as to how this is happening in order to clear my name.”

A fourth-round pick of the Rockies in 2016, Welker has slashed .313/.364/.469 with 34 home runs in 1,409 plate appearances during his minor league career. The 23-year-old hasn’t played above Double-A ball, but he was set to open 2021 in Triple-A prior to receiving this suspension. Baseball America and FanGraphs are among the outlets that consider Welker one of the Rockies’ top 10 prospects, with the latter’s Eric Longenhagen writing that he could evolve into a “role-playing corner bat but the power/defensive spectrum shortcomings leave him short of a more regular role.”

Dodgers Activate Joe Kelly, Place Scott Alexander On 10-Day IL

By | at

The Dodgers have activated right-handed reliever Joe Kelly and placed lefty Scott Alexander on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 3) with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, Juan Toribio of MLB.com tweets.

Kelly, who’s in the final season of a three-year, $25MM guarantee, hasn’t pitched at all in 2021 on account of ongoing shoulder problems. Those issues played a role in limiting Kelly to 10 innings last season, and he revealed last week that he underwent surgery in November. When healthy, the hard-throwing 32-year-old has given the Dodgers 61 1/3 innings of 4.11 ERA ball with a 26.5 percent strikeout rate, a 10.5 percent walk rate and a stellar 60.6 percent groundball rate.

The addition of Kelly is a step forward for Los Angeles, but the loss of Alexander represents a step in the wrong direction for the reigning World Series champions. Alexander has been one of the Dodgers’ most effective relievers this year, having recorded a 2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 frames. While Alexander has only totaled five strikeouts, he has offset that by allowing one walk, and the 31-year-old has induced grounders at a 63.2 percent clip.

Red Sox Sign Brandon Workman To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Red Sox have signed reliever Brandon Workman to a minor league contract, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com was among those to report. The right-hander will head to Triple-A Worcester.

There is plenty of familiarity between the Red Sox and the 32-year-old Workman, whom the team chose in the second round of the 2010 draft. Workman made his major league debut in 2013, the beginning of a productive run out of Boston’s bullpen that lasted through 2020. But Workman’s production nosedived when the Red Sox traded him to the Phillies last summer, and he continued to struggle at the beginning of this year with the Cubs. Consequently, Chicago – which signed Workman to a $1MM guarantee in free agency – designated him for assignment a week ago.

For first-place Boston, there’s no harm in taking a minor league chance on Workman, who has enjoyed a solid career despite his recent problems. Workman owns a useful 3.96 ERA/3.87 SIERA with a 25 percent strikeout rate and a 10.9 percent walk rate across 309 major league innings, including 70-plus frames in two different seasons.

Blue Jays Select Reese McGuire, Move Julian Merryweather To 60-Day IL

By | at

The Blue Jays have selected the contract of catcher Reese McGuire and moved right-handed reliever Julian Merryweather to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was among those to report. The team also optioned catcher Riley Adams to Triple-A Buffalo.

McGuire – whom Toronto acquired from Pittsburgh in 2016 – impressed earlier in his major league career, hitting an eyebrow-raising .297/.343/.539 with seven home runs in 138 plate appearances from 2018-19. But 2020 didn’t go well off or on the field for McGuire, who was arrested prior to the season and then proceeded to hit a terrible .073/.073/.146 over 45 plate appearances. The Blue Jays outrighted McGuire off their 40-man roster last month, but he’s now back with a team that’s looking for help behind the plate. Danny Jansen has posted horrid production so far this year, while Alejandro Kirk will be out for the foreseeable future with a left flexor strain.

Merryweather went on the IL on April 14 with a left oblique strain, and his shift to the 60-day version means he won’t return until at least the middle of June. The hard-throwing 29-year-old served as a bright spot for Toronto’s bullpen in the early going this season, as he put up 4 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with seven strikeouts, a walk and two saves.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top