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Reds Add Derek Dietrich To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Reds have added utilityman Derek Dietrich to their 60-man player pool, per a team announcement. He’ll report to their satellite location at Prasco Park. Dietrich told reporters he tested positive for coronavirus, necessitating the waiting period.

Dietrich had been with the organization this spring as a minor-league invitee. He carried a .174/.259/.478 slash line with two long balls in 27 plate appearances of Cactus League action.

Since he’s not slated to work out initially with the team’s anticipated active roster players, it seems rather unlikely that Dietrich has a shot at earning a MLB job to open the year. But the seven-year veteran, who’ll soon turn 31, would be on call if a need arises during the season. In 2,438 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level, he carries a .246/.334/.427 batting line.

Jacob deGrom Undergoes MRI

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2:05pm: The results were not concerning, a source tells MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). That’s obviously great news for the Mets.

12:22pm: The Mets have decided to send top starter Jacob deGrom in for an MRI on his ailing back, manager Luis Rojas told reporters including Newsday’s Tim Britton (Twitter link). deGrom left his Summer Camp appearance yesterday after a single inning.

There’s still no reason for serious alarm, to be clear. But it’s hardly the best news to follow up on yesterday’s development. Sending deGrom in for imaging does indicate that the organization has concern beyond the level of regular maintenance.

If all goes well and the MRI reveals minimal damage, perhaps there’s still a shot for deGrom to resume his march towards Opening Day. But even the missed build-up opportunity represents a threat given the shortened second training period we’re in. And the Mets will obviously want to exercise ample caution with their best player.

Can Players That Opt Out Change Their Minds?

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There’s a still-growing list of notable players that have decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. That raises the question: what if any of these players, for whatever reason and at whatever point in time, changes his mind?

The answer depends upon the particulars, according to reporting this morning from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden and Jayson Stark (links to Twitter). And the policy may yet be subject to change.

The general rule is that there’s no going back. Once a player opts out of the 2020 campaign, he’s ineligible to play in the regular or postseason. That player would then simply step back into the remainder of his contract situation (or enter free agency) at the conclusion of this season.

That said, there is a notable carve-out for those players that are deemed personally “high-risk” for coronavirus infection. Such players — who receive salary and service time even if they opt out — are permitted to submit a request to return. Per Stark, there’s some kind of process involving team physicians and a joint committee to determine whether to honor the request. (Precisely what steps are required and what factors are considered isn’t entirely clear.)

So, what of players not placed in the personal “high-risk” category? They’ve got to make an in-or-out choice, for the moment. But Stark notes that there has at least been some amount of chatter surrounding the idea of creating a path back to participation in 2020. Again, it’s not clear what that might entail — e.g., whether the player would need to demonstrate some change in circumstance to justify the change of heart.

Happ, Hill, McHugh Among Players Excluded From Vesting Clause Agreement

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6:39pm: Red Sox righty Collin McHugh is also excluded from the agreement, Martino tweets. McHugh, who’s still working back from the nonsurgical procedure he underwent on his pitching elbow over the winter, signed an incentive-laden deal with Boston in March. Back when McHugh inked the contract, it included $3.625MM in available incentives based on between 30 and 115 innings pitched; it also featured roster bonuses for 15 to 90 days on the team’s active roster.

1:02pm: It emerged yesterday that the league and union had agreed upon how to handle vesting clauses and certain bonuses in a highly modified 2020 season. But it seems the general agreement includes carve-outs for certain players.

Among those known to be excluded are Yankees lefty J.A. Happ and Twins southpaw Rich Hill, according to reports from Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Andy Martino of SNY.tv. In those cases — and, it seems, a few unidentified others — the team and player will have to reach modified agreements or submit cases to an arbitrator to decide how their contracts should be treated.

In Happ’s case, his original contract included a $17MM vesting/club option for the 2021 season. It would become guaranteed if he made 27 starts and/or threw 165 innings this year. As for Hill, there aren’t any options. But his deal included generous incentive pay for accumulating relatively small numbers of games started and/or innings pitched (maxing out at $9.5MM with 15 starts and/or 75 innings).

It’s still not fully clear just why certain players were excluded from the broader deal. A source tells Martino it relates to health situations at the start of the season, though as he notes that doesn’t quite align with Happ’s case.

Players Opting Out Of The 2020 Season

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Several players have already elected to opt out of the 2020 MLB season. Those players that remain under team control for future seasons, whether or not by guaranteed contracts, will simply forgo salary and service this year (unless they are considered in an at-risk class) and then step back into their remaining contract situation.

We will keep track of those players that have opted out in this post and update it if any more join the list (links to post on decision):

Lorenzo Cain, OF, Brewers

Welington Castillo, C, Nationals

Yoenis Céspedes, OF, Mets

Tim Collins, RP, Rockies

Ian Desmond, OF, Rockies

Isan Diaz, IF, Marlins

Felix Hernandez, SP, Braves

Jordan Hicks, RP, Cardinals

Michael Kopech, SP, White Sox

Mike Leake, SP, Diamondbacks

Francisco Liriano, RP, Free Agent

Nick Markakis, OF, Braves (since opted back in)

Shelby Miller, SP/RP, Brewers

Collin McHugh, SP, Red Sox

Hector Noesi, RP, Pirates

Buster Posey, C, Giants

David Price, SP, Dodgers

Joe Ross, SP, Nationals

Tyson Ross, SP, Giants (released before decision was reported)

Kohl Stewart, SP/RP, Orioles

Marcus Stroman, SP, Mets

Mark Zagunis, OF, Cubs

Ryan Zimmerman, 1B, Nationals

Tyler Glasnow Returns To Rays’ Camp

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11:00am: Glasnow previously tested positive for COVID-19, thus explaining his absence, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was among those to cover (Twitter links). Fortunately, he never experienced significant symptoms and has obviously now been cleared of the disease.

Glasnow says he fully expects to be ready for the Opening Day roster.

10:05am: Rays righty Tyler Glasnow finally appeared in Summer Camp today. Better still, he was able to take the hill in the team’s intrasquad game, as Juan Toribio of MLB.com covers on Twitter.

One of the highest-ceiling hurlers in all of baseball, Glasnow just might hold the key to the Rays’ hopes in 2020. The 26-year-old looked like an elite starter in an injury-shortened 2019 season, working to a 1.78 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over 60 2/3 frames.

The big stuff was on display this spring, as Glasnow reemerged after offseason wrist surgery (which itself followed a lengthy layoff for a forearm strain). The hope was that the coronavirus pause would give Glasnow a chance to rest up fully in preparation for a 60-game sprint.

Anticipation met the realities of the covid world when Summer Camp opened and Glasnow was nowhere to be seen. We still don’t know what precipitated his absence, though answers could now be forthcoming.

With the delayed training, it’s fair to wonder whether Glasnow will be at full tilt when the season opens in just a week and a half. But the fact he is throwing multiple frames today suggests he has maintained a throwing program and is in good health. It’s a significant boon to the Rays’ outlook.

Red Sox Add 5 Prospects To 60-Man Pool

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The Red Sox have added five of their top prospects to the organization’s 60-man player pool, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter) and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (Twitter links). That leaves the organization with five remaining openings.

Infielder Jeter Downs, the club’s consensus top prospect, leads the way. He’ll report for Summer Camp along with outfielder Jarren Duran, southpaw Jay Groome, and righties Tanner Houck and Bryan Mata.

Every one of those players has a top-ten spot on the latest MLB.com Red Sox farm ranking, so it’s a significant infusion of organizational talent. The club obviously doesn’t expect any of these youngsters to crack the Opening Day roster, or they’d have been in camp already, but they’ll now have a chance to train at full throttle with the team’s other best players.

Though Downs is the most-awaited of the group — expectations are high after he came over in the Mookie Betts swap — it seems the two righties have the clearest near-term path to the majors. Houck reached Triple-A last year and Mata topped out at Double-A, so both are among the more advanced arms that could be called upon if a need arises.

Daniel Bard Has Chance To Make Rockies

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Talk about a comeback. Long-lost MLB reliever Daniel Bard may finally be turning the corner in his latest attempt to return to the highest level of the game. Per Nick Groke of The Athletic, via Twitter, Bard “seems to be pitching his way to opening day” after a nice appearance in the club’s Summer Camp.

By now, Bard’s tale is well-known. The former first-round pick was a high-grade reliever for the Red Sox. When the Boston organization elected to try him out as a starter, Bard developed a case of the yips that persisted throughout several prior comeback efforts. (MLBTR’s Steve Adams documented this all a bit more thoroughly in his post on Bard’s signing in Colorado.)

Bard last appeared in a big league game in April of 2013. He’s now 35 years of age. If he can pull off even a lone MLB appearance, this would rate as one of the least-likely career revivals we’ve ever seen.

To make that happen, Bard will have to show the Rox that he’s in good enough form to merit clearing a 40-man roster spot and a 30-man (initial) active roster place. Bard has left the club “very pleased” with his performance thus far, says Groke, though his three Spring Training appearances weren’t as successful. In 2 1/3 innings before the game went on ice, Bard had coughed up seven earned runs on five hits and three walks.

Gavin Lux Reports To Dodgers Camp

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Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux is back in action at Summer Camp, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll jump right into an intrasquad game this evening.

Lux’s status was never clear, though his absence obviously spoke to the fact that he may not be ready for the start of the season. We still don’t know why he was away. If the time away related to the coronavirus, then Lux must have tested negative twice in order to be admitted.

This is good news for Lux’s health and the Dodgers’ competitive position. The 22-year-old held his own in the majors last year after dominating upper minors pitching. He’s expected to play a key role in the team’s middle infield mix in 2020.

Michael Kopech Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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White Sox righty Michael Kopech has opted out of the 2020 season, per a club announcement. He was working his way back from Tommy John surgery.

In other news from White Sox camp, infielder Yoan Moncada and righty Jose Ruiz have each been placed on the 10-day injured list. Further details are not known at this time.

Kopech did not reveal his personal decisionmaking process in the announcement. Pursuant to the modified rules for the 2020 season, players have the exclusive right to opt out without penalty. Those that have a particular medical basis for the decision can retain their salary and service time; others sacrifice those things.

It’s not clear in this case whether Kopech will continue to accrue service time in the 2020 season. If not, the 24-year-old will begin the 2021 campaign with just over one full season of MLB service.

Kopech is one of the most exciting young talents in the White Sox organization. He debuted in 2018, showing big stuff but ultimately coming down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

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