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Tommy Pham Cleared To Re-Join Padres

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Padres outfielder Tommy Pham has now twice tested negative for COVID-19 infection, MLB.com’s AJ Casavell reports on Twitter. That’s the news he needed to join the club’s Summer Camp and begin preparing for the season in earnest.

Since he was able to achieve clearance rather quickly, it seems there’s hope that Pham will be ready to take the field on Opening Day (or shortly thereafter). He has about two weeks to get dialed in.

That’s not a ton of time, but it appears — given the timing — that Pham did not experience major symptoms from his infection. If he was able to maintain fitness and otherwise prepare for the campaign, perhaps he’ll be just fine with a limited run-up.

Pham has functioned as something of a quiet star in recent years. That’s just what the San Diego organization will need him to be if it’s to enjoy a breakout season.

Junior Guerra Returns To D-Backs Camp; Seth Beer Also Cleared To Return

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July 10: In addition to Guerra’s return, first base prospect Seth Beer has been cleared to return to the field as well, The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan tweets. Manager Torey Lovullo revealed earlier this week that Beer, acquired from the Astros as part of last summer’s Zack Greinke blockbuster, recently had a positive test, though the timing of that test wasn’t clear.

July 8: We’ve covered a lot of players being held out of activities due to the coronavirus, so it’s nice to be able to begin welcoming some back to action. The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Junior Guerra is back in camp after previously testing positive for COVID-19.

It emerged only recently that Guerra had received a coronavirus diagnosis. Since only a few days have passed, he was clearly held out based upon an earlier test. The precise details are a bit confusing — Zach Buchanan of The Athletic tweeted Guerra’s comments — but the important part is that the righty has been cleared of concern.

Given the timing, it’s reasonable to hope that Guerra will be able to ramp up in time for early-season action — if not for Opening Day itself. The 35-year-old is playing on a one-year, $2.65MM pact. He’s expected to come out of the Arizona pen, where his experience as a starter could allow him to work multiple innings as necessary.

MLB Announces 2021 Schedule

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In what amounts to a statement of optimism, Major League Baseball has decided to announce the schedule for the 2021 season much earlier than is usual — and before the current campaign has even begun. Each team’s Twitter account has provided the relevant schedule, for those that want a closer look.

The plan is for Opening Day to take place on April 1st, with every team launching play on the same day. The regular season would run through October 3rd, assuming no interruptions.

As you’d expect, the 2020 season’s unusual scheduling provisions are going to be a one-time approach. The typical breakdown of games will be utilized in 2021. Interleague play will be geographic, with the respective East, Central, and West divisions playing one another.

There’s no indication as of yet as to what kind of attendance expectations the league has. Needless to say, that will depend upon quite a few as-yet-unknown developments in the interim.

Adalberto Mondesi Reports Full Shoulder Recovery

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If there’s a single MLB player whose own development could most shape the near-term future of the Royals, it’s probably uber-talented infielder Adalberto Mondesi. Fortunately, he now appears to be fully recovered from a somewhat worrisome shoulder procedure, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports.

When last we checked in on Mondesi, before the pandemic pause, his return to competitive action was delayed by some ongoing soreness. That wasn’t gravely concerning in and of itself, but did highlight the remaining uncertainty.

The forced pause appears to have afforded a window of rest and recuperation. As Mondesi closes in on his 25th birthday, he says he’s “just normal again” when it comes to the health of his left shoulder joint.

Mondesi had remained in Kansas City over the offseason to work through the careful rehab he required. But he returned to his native Dominican Republic after Spring Training was halted. He says he stuck with his work there while doing only limited hitting, setting himself up to return at full speed.

Now Mondesi says he’s “just really happy to be back on the field and I feel great.” That’s fantastic news for him, as he’s looking to set the stage for a first trip through arbitration in the 2020-21 offseason. And it’s most welcome also for a team that is hoping Mondesi can emerge as a core superstar to lead another window of contention.

Daniel Norris Away From Camp Due To Coronavirus Protocols

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11:41am: Norris has tested positive, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

10:39am: Tigers lefty Daniel Norris is away from Summer Camp pursuant to the coronavirus protocols, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports on Twitter. It is not clear whether he has personally tested positive for an infection.

The good news here is that Norris indicates he’s not presently experiencing any deleterious side effects. The southpaw adds that he’s at full strength otherwise.

Even if Norris has not contracted the virus or does not experience symptoms, he’ll have to wait a while before returning to camp. He will have to register negative for COVID-19 on two consecutive tests.

Norris, 27, remains an interesting and uncertain part of the picture for the Tigers. He threw 144 1/3 innings of 4.49 ERA ball last year, compiling 7.8 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9, a 42.6% groundball rate, and 1.56 homers allowed per nine innings. The results and the peripherals suggested that Norris performed as a back-of-the-rotation starter — a useful player, but perhaps not what once seemed possible for the former to prospect.

Royals Sign Oscar Hernandez

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The Royals announced that they have signed backstop Oscar Hernandez. He’ll receive an invitation to participate in Summer Camp.

Hernandez, 26, was cut loose recently by the Cardinals. He’s trying to find his way back to the majors for the first time since 2016.

The Diamondbacks carried Hernandez in the majors in order to secure his rights through the Rule 5 draft. But the effort was for naught. Hernandez has simply not yet developed as a hitter, carrying a sub-.600 OPS in the upper minors.

Giants GM Scott Harris On 2020 Outlook, Mid-Season Trades

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Giants GM Scott Harris put to rest any doubts as to whether the Giants are looking at the 2020 season as an opportunity to compete, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. He rejected any idea that the club is looking to the mid-season trade period as merely a chance to move some veteran players.

It remains to be seen, of course, just what kind of transactional action we’ll see in the midst of an unusual and truncated campaign. Harris’s boss, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, has already predicted less player movement.

Whatever the landscape looks like, Harris says, the Giants hope — and even expect — not to be on the sell side. The 2020 sprint is in effect an unprecedented chance for “fast-forwarding to July 23 with a guarantee that the team would be tied for first place,” Harris says.

Under the circumstances, the Giants are looking for ways to take advantage of their competitive position. Per Harris:

“It’s paramount that we get off to a fast start, because if we get off to a fast start the trade deadline is only a few weeks away and we have the opportunity through transactions to turn some of our weaknesses into strengths. Farhan and I are certainly going to be eager to do that if the opportunity presents itself.”

Harris certainly sounds committed to the possibility of a surprise run, citing “a shot to win the division” and a shared determination within the organization “to prove a lot of people wrong out there.” Even in a short-season format, quite a few things will have to go right for the San Francisco organization to topple the powerhouse Dodgers or even to snag a Wild Card. But the potential for surprise will certainly add to the intrigue of the 2020 season.

Hector Noesi Opts Out Of 2020 Season; Keone Kela Still Not In Camp

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Pirates hurler Hector Noesi has opted out of participation in the 2020 season, manager Derek Shelton told reporters including Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic (via Twitter). Noesi cited family reasons in asking out of his minor-league deal.

In other Pirates news, top relief pitcher Keone Kela still has not appeared at camp, Shelton further advised. (Via MLB.com’s Adam Berry, on Twitter.) The organization has not provided further information on the matter. It certainly could be that Kela is in some stage of protocols relating to COVID-19, though it would be unwise to assume anything about his situation.

Noesi had been looking for another big league opportunity after appearing last year with the Marlins. He struggled quite a bit in his time in Miami, his first MLB action since 2015. In the interim, the journeyman hurler — once a small part of a busted blockbuster — had a few nice campaigns in the KBO.

Kela’s situation is of greater concern to the Pirates from a competitive standpoint. If the club struggles as most anticipated, he’d be an obvious mid-season trade piece as a 2020-21 free agent. Kela turned in 29 2/3 innings of 2.12 ERA ball last year.

Cubs Release Brandon Morrow

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The Cubs have released right-handed hurler Brandon Morrow, according to the latest transactions report from Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. He had been with the organization on a minor-league deal.

This would appear to bring an end to the saga of Morrow’s tenure with the Cubs. He had already wrapped up a two-year deal that began with immense promise and ended in disappointment. An attempted comeback this season ran into trouble from the jump, as Morrow was sidelined early in camp with a calf injury.

Soon to turn 36, Morrow last threw in the majors in the first half of the 2018 season. But it sounds as if he’s still hoping to take another crack at getting his roller-coaster career back on track with another organization. Morrow is presently recovering from a “minor nerve procedure,” per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link), but will attempt to play in 2020.

It may seem like an unlikely quest, but it’s worth remembering just how good Morrow was when last we saw him. In 30 2/3 innings for the Cubs, he racked up 22 saves and allowed just five earned runs with a 31:9 K/BB ratio. When he first experienced mid-season forearm issues, the hope was that he’d only be out for a brief stretch. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case.

Morrow’s entire career has been marked by ups and downs, with health generally playing a significant role. The former fifth overall pick showed ample talent at times with the Mariners and Blue Jays, but never consistently delivered results while dealing with intermittent arm problems. He had some moments in a halting attempt to get back in a groove with the Padres, but only managed to throw 49 innings over two seasons.

It all finally seemed to come together with the Dodgers in 2017, as Morrow emerged as a late-inning force over the course of the season and through a run to the World Series. The L.A. organization came to rely upon him heavily, calling upon him for 13 2/3 innings over the postseason — including appearances in every single contest of the seven-game World Series. Morrow answered the bell repeatedly, outside of a Game 5 blip. While that showing ultimately earned Morrow a two-year, $21MM deal, it may also have set the stage for the eventual recurrence of the arm issues that had limited him earlier in his career.

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