Mariners Place Evan White, Ty France On 10-Day IL
The Mariners announced that they have placed first baseman Evan White (strained left hip flexor) and infielder Ty France (left wrist inflammation) on the 10-day injured list. They recalled infielders Donovan Walton and Jack Mayfield in corresponding moves.
White struggled as a rookie in 2020 after signing a six-year, $24MM contract, and his offensive production has gotten even worse this season. Although White has slashed his strikeout rate by almost 12 percent since last year, he has still only mustered a .144/.202/.237 line with two home runs in 104 plate appearances. The 25-year-old’s wRC+ (29) ranks last in the majors among hitters who have amassed 100-plus PA, and though White’s .241 expected weighted on-base average paints a better picture than his .200 real wOBA, it’s still a dreary figure.
When White hasn’t started at first base this year, the Mariners have turned to France and Jose Marmolejos. They’re now also without France, who has been mired in a slump this month after a highly productive April. However, France still owns an above-average line of .229/.333/.366 (108 wRC+) with three home runs in 153 trips to the plate, and he has been versatile. Most of his work has come at designated hitter, but along with lining up there and at first base, he has logged 15 starts at second and another at third.
David Phelps Has “Significant” Lat Strain
Blue Jays right-handed reliever David Phelps is dealing with a “significant” lat strain, manager Charlie Montoyo said Friday (via Scott Mitchell of TSN). Montoyo was unable to offer a timeline for Phelps’ return.
Lat strains often lead to lengthy absences for pitchers, and it sounds as if that will be the case for Phelps. The 34-year-old has already gone almost two full weeks without pitching, having most recently taken the mound on May 2.
Phelps, whom the Blue Jays signed for $1.75MM in free agency, delivered outstanding results prior to his placement on the 10-day injured list. Now in his second stint with Toronto (he previously spent time with the club in 2019), Phelps has thrown 8 1/3 innings of two-run ball (one earned) with 15 strikeouts, four walks, eight hits allowed, and four holds. He’s one of seven Blue Jays relievers on the IL, yet the team has still found a way to a 20-16 record.
Angels Activate Anthony Rendon, Designate Jon Jay
The Angels have activated third baseman Anthony Rendon from the 10-day injured list and designated outfielder Jon Jay for assignment, the team announced.
The Angels are welcoming back Rendon from his second IL stint of the young season. He went on the shelf on April 12 with a left groin strain and landed back on it May 5 with a left knee contusion. When Rendon has been well to play, he has continued to offer high-end production, having slashed .276/.348/.466 (131 wRC+) with three home runs in 66 plate appearances. The Angels used Phil Gosselin and Jose Rojas at the hot corner during Rendon’s most recent trip to the IL.
Jay has yo-yoed on and off the Angels’ 40-man roster this year, as this is already the second time the club has designated him since the middle of April. The 36-year-old has gone 5-for-14 with all singles this season.
Padres Place Drew Pomeranz On 10-Day IL, Select Ivan Castillo
The Padres have placed reliever Drew Pomeranz on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder impingement and selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Ivan Castillo, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets.
This adds to a long history of injuries for Pomeranz, who spent time on the IL in 2020 – his first season of a four-year, $34MM contract – with a shoulder strain. Pomeranz more recently dealt with left forearm tightness during the spring, but he was ready to go when Opening Day arrived. Since then, he has continued to serve as an integral part of the Padres’ bullpen with a 1.98 ERA/2.98 SIERA and a strong 35.7 percent strikeout rate against a less impressive 12.5 percent walk rate over 13 2/3 frames. Additionally, Pomeranz ranks second on the team in holds (five), which will make him even more difficult to replace.
The injury to Pomeranz opens the door for the 25-year-old Castillo, who’s set for his big league debut. Castillo has already made his Triple-A debut this year and slashed an excellent .444/.516/.519 with two stolen bases across 31 plate appearances. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked the 5-foot-9 switch-hitter 34th in the Padres’ deep farm system earlier this week and wrote that “[h]e has fantastic feel for contact.” The question is whether that will transfer to the majors.
Cardinals Place Paul DeJong On 10-Day IL, Select Max Moroff
The Cardinals have placed shortstop Paul DeJong on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 13) with a non-displaced left rib fracture, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. In corresponding moves, the team selected infielder Max Moroff and moved reliever Jordan Hicks to the 60-day IL.
It’s unknown how much time DeJong will miss, though the obvious hope is that this won’t potentially lead to a weeks-long absence. DeJong has again been the Cardinals’ go-to option at short, where he has started 35 of the first-place club’s 38 games. The 27-year-old has had a tough time offensively for the second straight season, though, having batted .177/.277/.371 (85 wRC+) with seven home runs in 141 plate appearances. Tommy Edman figures to get the bulk of the work at short with DeJong down, leaving second base to Matt Carpenter, Katie Woo of The Athletic tweets.
Moroff, whom the Cardinals signed to a minor league contract last winter, will get his first opportunity with the team as a result of DeJong’s injury. The 28-year-old has appeared in the majors with the Pirates and Indians, though he has slumped to a line of .183/.277/.319 (60 wRC+) with seven home runs in 244 trips to the plate. Moroff has, however, offered nice production in Triple-A ball, as his .239/.372/.413 mark with 37 home runs over 1,215 PA shows.
Hicks’ placement on the 60-day IL is another blow to St. Louis, which won’t get him back until at least July 1. It’s not out of the blue, though, as expectations were that Hicks would miss six or more weeks as of May 10. The flamethrowing right-hander, a Tommy John surgery recipient in 2019, is battling elbow issues again.
Phillies’ Adam Haseley Returns From Personal Leave
Outfielder Adam Haseley has rejoined the Phillies after a month-long leave of absence, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to report.
Haseley stepped away on April 14 for personal reasons, leading the Phillies to place him on the restricted list. He can remain on that list for up to another 30 days, and in the meantime, Haseley will get back in shape at the Phillies’ facility in Clearwater, Fla. Expectations are that he will go on a minor league rehab assignment when he’s ready.
Haseley, now 25, was the eighth overall pick of the Phillies in the 2017 draft. He has since hit well in the minors, including a line of .294/.337/.471 (116 wRC+) with two home runs during his 78-plate appearance Triple-A debut in 2019. However, that success so far hasn’t carried over to the majors, where Haseley has batted .264/.322/.373 (84 wRC+) with five home runs in 355 PA. He got off to a slow start across 21 PA this season (.190/.190/.238) for a club that hasn’t found a solution in center field. Odubel Herrera, Mickey Moniak and Roman Quinn have joined Haseley in struggling to varying degrees.
Tigers Re-Sign Franklin Perez To Minors Deal
The Tigers have re-signed right-hander Franklin Perez to a minor league contract, the team announced. Detroit put Perez on release waivers on Wednesday, but he cleared and will return to the organization he has been with since 2017. He won’t occupy a 40-man roster spot as a result of this deal.
Perez was a prospect of significance when the Tigers acquired him as part of their Justin Verlander trade with Houston, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy since switching organizations. The Tigers’ version has thrown just 27 minor league innings, none above the High-A level, owing in part to ongoing shoulder problems. Perez won’t pitch at all this season after the Tigers revealed Tuesday that he will undergo right shoulder surgery.
Despite his health issues, the Tigers understandably don’t want to give up on Perez, who’s still just 23 years old. While he’s no longer the high-end farmhand he used to be, Perez still ranked as a top 35 Tigers prospect at Baseball America (No. 28) and FanGraphs (No. 34) entering the season. Of course, this latest setback hasn’t done anything to help Perez’s stock.
Tony Cingrani, Jordan Pacheco Sign With Lexington Legends
The Lexington Legends of the independent Atlantic League announced that they have signed left-hander Tony Cingrani and infielder Jordan Pacheco.
A third-round selection of the Reds in the 2011 draft, Cingrani became a major leaguer a year later and immediately held his own in the majors. To this point, Cingrani has thrown 334 2/3 innings of 4.01 ERA/3.76 SIERA ball between 2012-18 with the Reds and Dodgers, who acquired him from Cincinnati at the 2017 trade deadline. Shoulder problems have hampered Cingrani, though, and he hasn’t pitched in the bigs in the past two-plus seasons.
Pacheco, 35, became a big leaguer when the Rockies used a ninth-round pick on him in 2007. The former catcher most recently appeared in MLB with the Reds in 2016 and has batted .272/.310/.365 in 1,149 PA at the game’s highest level.
Braves Place Cristian Pache On IL, Activate Ender Inciarte
The Braves have placed Cristian Pache on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain and activated fellow outfielder Ender Inciarte from the IL, manager Brian Snitker announced Thursday (via David O’Brien of The Athletic).
This is the second IL placement of the year for Pache, who previously missed time with a left groin injury. When healthy, it has been an abysmal season for the highly touted Pache, who has batted .111/.152/.206 with one home run in 68 plate appearances.
Inciarte, who suffered a strained hamstring April 16, has appeared in 12 games and logged a meager 20 trips to the plate this year. The once-reliable starter hit a horrid .190/.262/.250 with one home run in 131 PA last year, though he slashed a much better .294/.368/.353 before his IL trip this season.
The Braves’ best option in center this year has unexpectedly been Guillermo Heredia, but he has been on the IL since April 30 with hamstring inflammation. The absences of Pache and Heredia should clear the way for Inciarte to take over in center for the time being.
Gleyber Torres Tests Positive For COVID-19
Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres has tested positive for COVID-19, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic was among those to report. The Yankees placed Torres on the COVID-19 injured list as a result, and they recalled infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar to fill his roster spot.
“He was fully vaccinated and previously had COVID-19 during the most recent baseball offseason,” the team said of Torres.
Torres is the eighth member of the Yankees’ traveling party to test positive this week, joining coaches Phil Nevin, Reggie Willits, Matt Blake and four non-coaches on their staff.