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AL East Notes: Bird, Britton, Sedlock, Groome, Int’l

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The Yankees have announced that they will bring first baseman Greg Bird back onto the MLB roster in time for tomorrow’s game, as Sweeny Murti of WFAN first reported on Twitter. Tyler Austin was optioned to create active roster space. Bird is finally back to health after struggling all year with ankle issues. As Murti notes, the 24-year-old turned in an 11-for-26 performance in his rehab stint. The Yankees will surely hope he can maintain that momentum upon his returning after posting an anemic .100/.250/.200 batting line in his first 72 plate appearances on the year.

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • Orioles closer Zach Britton gave some details on the positive outlook surrounding his bothersome left knee, as Roch Kubato of MASNsports.com writes. In the near term, Britton says, he ought to be able to continue pitching as he has since the problem first arose back in 2014. Looking ahead, he doesn’t believe he’ll need even minor offseason surgery.
  • The Orioles will be exercising added caution with another pitcher, prospect Cody Sedlock, Kubatko further explains. Sedlock, 22, is dealing with a forearm strain, though executive VP of baseball ops Dan Duquette says it “sounds like it’s a muscle strain.” Still, Sedlock has already missed time with an elbow issue and the organization is understandably taking care. The 2016 first-rounder owns a 5.90 ERA through ninety frames at the High-A level this year, with 6.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.
  • Likewise, 2016 Red Sox draftee Jay Groome will be shut down with a forearm strain, as Ian Browne of MLB.com tweets. The southpaw entered the season with quite a lot of hype but has encountered some troubles at the Class A level. He threw 44 1/3 innings over 11 starts there, with a 6.90 ERA and 11.8 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9 on his ledger. Of course, Groome only just turned 19, and clearly he’s still showing quite a bit of talent with that impressive strikeout rate. At this point, there’s no reason to think the injury will stunt his progress.
  • The Red Sox and Yankees appear to be gearing up for a big international spending period, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag writes. Both organizations have struck deals to acquire pool money, boosting their initial $4.75MM allocations up to $8MM apiece. Heyman wonders whether the two AL East giants might be lining up a pile of cash to tempt Japanese superstar Shohei Otani, if he decides to make a move to the majors this winter, though it’s certainly also possible that the clubs are simply planning to add as much young talent from Latin America as they can.

Angels Claim Blake Wood

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The Angels have claimed righty Blake Wood off waivers from the Reds, per a club announcement. Right-hander Matt Shoemaker was shifted to the 60-day DL to make way for the acquisition.

Wood had been designated recently by Cincinnati after a pair of dreadful outings. But he certainly has a big arm and some track record of success in the majors.

The Halos will hope that Wood becomes the team’s latest reclamation success — perhaps helping to make up for the absence of David Hernandez, who was dealt away at the deadline. Since, the Angels have managed to climb into the thick of the AL Wild Card race.

Wood, 32, carried a 3.69 ERA until he was lit up on August 11th. Now, just two weeks later, that figure has ballooned all the way to 5.65. But he does still have solid-enough peripherals, with 9.7 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 along with a 53.6% groundball rate, and still works in the 97 mph range with his heater.

If Wood can prove his worth in Los Angeles, the club may also consider retaining him for the future. He’s earning $1.275MM this year and can be tendered arbitration once more this fall.

Grant Dayton To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Dodgers lefty Grant Dayton is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). That will obviously bring his season to a close and will likely keep him out for most or all of the 2018 campaign as well.

Dayton emerged late last year as a force in the Dodgers pen. After years of toiling in relative anonymity, he posted preposterous numbers in the upper minors and then continued to shove at the game’s highest level. Over his first 26 1/3 MLB innings, Dayton worked to a 2.05 ERA with 13.3 K/9 (on a  15.0% swinging-strike rate) and 2.1 BB/9.

That remarkable showing — driven by Dayton’s powerful spin rate and excellent command — seemingly made the southpaw one of the game’s most intriguing relief assets. While he turned 29 not long after his sparkling rookie campaign, Dayton was controllable through at least 2022 and had shown signs of sustainable dominance.

Things simply haven’t gone that way in 2017, however, as Dayton has gone backward in basically every regard. Though he was never a pure velocity guy, Dayton has lost nearly 1.5 mph on his average heater. His vaunted four-seamer spin rate has fallen off. The results followed: Dayton’s swinging-strike rate dropped below ten percent and he posted a 4.94 ERA with a very pedestrian 7.6 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 over 23 2/3 MLB innings.

Neck issues and an intercostal strain had limited Dayton and could help explain some of his struggles. The elbow trouble, though, apparently cropped up only recently, as Dayton was warming up for a rehab appearance. Because he was on the 10-day DL when the injury occurred, he will continue to accrue MLB service time for the duration of the recovery period for the upcoming procedure.

MLB Announces Suspensions From Tigers-Yankees Brawl

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The league has officially handed down suspensions arising out of yesterday’s fisticuffs between the Tigers and Yankees. Detroit star Miguel Cabrera received the stiffest discipline, with a seven-game ban owing to his “inciting the first bench-clearing incident and fighting.”

Cabrera isn’t the only one who’ll take some games of unpaid leave (pending appeal). Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez got four games for throwing punches in the melee — he was fortunate, perhaps, not to take a harsher punishment — while fellow New York backstop Austin Romine got two for his part in the tangle with Cabrera. That could cause the organization some troubles with filling out its catching situation, though it seems there’ll be some effort to ensure the suspensions aren’t served simultaneously.

In addition to losing their star for some time, the Tigers will go without reliever Alex Wilson for four games because he threw at Todd Frazier after warnings had been issued — and then admitted it (somewhat admirably) after the game. Detroit skipper Brad Ausmus will also sit one out contest due to Wilson’s actions.

All of those players received undisclosed fines. A variety of other participants were levied financial punishment as well. Needless to say, there’ll be plenty of debate over the league’s actions. Tigers righty Michael Fulmer was not suspended despite plunking Sanchez earlier in the game. Likewise, Yankees righty Tommy Kahnle won’t be banned despite throwing behind Cabrera. And fellow New York righty Dellin Betances also avoided punishment though he hit Tigers catcher James McCann in the helmet with a pitch after the initial brawl.

Andrew Miller Diagnosed With Patellofemoral Syndrome, Shut Down 5-7 Days

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Indians lefty Andrew Miller has been diagnosed with “patellofemoral syndrome” in his right knee, per a club announcement (via Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer, on Twitter). At this point, he’ll just need to be shut down for five days to a week before being reevaluated.

The diagnosis doesn’t appear to be all that concerning. Rather, it’s a common condition that can occur when cartilage underneath the kneecap is not functioning properly. It seems likely that the club will largely be looking to get the inflammation and discomfort under control before allowing Miller to ramp back up.

All told, then, the news is as good as the Indians could have hoped for. Certainly, when Miller left his most recent outing after sitting well below his usual velocity level, there were some fears it could be worse. The key fact is that there’s no bone, muscle, or ligament damage. And the relatively short rest period that has been prescribed seemingly indicates that doctors anticipate the joint ought to respond fairly quickly to treatment.

Cleveland has been hit with a sudden rash of injuries, with Danny Salazar and Jason Kipnis also just heading to the DL. Players such as Josh Tomlin, Michael Brantley, and Lonnie Chisenhall are all on the shelf as well, so the Indians still have quite a few notable players working back toward full health. Fortunately, the team maintains a sturdy, 5.5-game lead in the AL Central, so there’s a decent bit of cushion to work with.

Mariners Outright Leonys Martin

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Aug. 25: The Mariners announced on Friday that Martin has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma.

Aug. 23: The Mariners have designated outfielder Leonys Martin for assignment, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). Martin’s active roster spot will go to David Phelps, who was activated from the 10-day DL.

This represents the second trip through DFA limbo on the year for Martin, who was outrighted and later re-selected to the roster. The 29-year-old was much better in his second stint this season, but still managed only a .230/.266/.426 batting line in the 64 plate appearances since he returned to the majors in late July.

Martin is likely to clear waivers, given that he is earning $4.85MM for the season, and can elect free agency if he is outrighted. Doing so, however, would mean forfeiting the remainder of that $4.85MM payday — a sum of roughly $1.03MM. (Players do not earn the right to reject an outright and retain their salary until clearing five years of MLB service.) Martin is eligible for arbitration again this fall, but it seems all but certain he’ll be non-tendered even if he stays in the Seattle organization through the end of the year.

What If The Rays Turn Into Late-August Sellers?

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We’re not there yet. After a win tonight, the Rays sit three games under .500 and three games out of Wild Card position. A week from now, the club could easily be in the thick of things. But with the division out of reach, a healthy bunch of teams still to leapfrog just to make the play-in game, and a six-game Missouri road trip on tap, it’s also quite possible that Tampa Bay could find itself all but buried by the end of the month. (After August 31st, of course, players are no longer eligible for the postseason if they change organizations.)

That raises an interesting question: what would it look like if the Rays were to make a late effort at marketing some short-term assets? After all, the club could well see cause to shed salary if it feels its hopes at a postseason berth are dashed.

The organization carried just $70MM of payroll entering the season — a pittance for most teams, but not far from the franchise high. It went on to add a couple of million dollars by acquiring Trevor Plouffe (with part of his salary paid by Oakland), Steve Cishek (offset by Erasmo Ramirez and some cash from Seattle), Sergio Romo, and Dan Jennings. While those acquisitions were largely offset by the $2.35MM or so that was saved when Colby Rasmus left the club, the Rays also took on all of what was then still owed to Adeiny Hechavarria ($4.35MM annual salary) and Lucas Duda ($7.25MM).

When the calendar flips to September, there’ll only be about one-sixth of the regular season left to play, and thus only that portion of remaining salary to pay down. Still, moving a few players — even for marginal or no returns — could add up to a fair amount of savings in relative terms. And some of the possible trade candidates might well recoup some useful talent, too.

With teams like the Twins and Rangers perhaps now pivoting back toward the buy side, and other organizations now having had time to re-think their needs, there may yet be some intriguing opportunities. Though the Rays may have better odds at snagging a Wild Card than the division-rival Orioles and Blue Jays, Tampa Bay also operates under much more stringent budgetary constraints and has more potential August trade chips. The very moves that the Rays have made to push toward contention — mostly, adding useful veterans on short-term deals — have left the team with a bunch of useful assets if a last-minute sell-off is pursued.

Bearing in mind that this is completely hypothetical — and that we don’t know the waiver statuses of these players (excepting Duda, who cleared once) — here are the most interesting players the Rays could plausibly consider dealing at month’s end (with approximate remaining 2017 salary for October in parentheses):

  • Alex Cobb, SP ($700K) — Cobb is a free agent at season’s end and has generally turned in quite a solid year. While he has been knocked around a few times, Cobb currently owns a 3.80 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 over 147 innings. Rumors of his full return to top-quality pitching may have been exaggerated, but he could certainly shore up some rotations and might even be seen as a potential postseason starter for some clubs. Cobb would surely be a candidate for a waiver claim, but could sneak through or be claimed by a team that would give something up via trade.
  • Jake Odorizzi, SP ($683K) — This seems quite a bit less likely, due both to Odorizzi’s remaining control rights and his struggles thus far (4.74 ERA) in 2017. But perhaps it’s not out of the question that he’d clear waivers.
  • Steve Cishek, RP (~$500K, factoring portion paid by Mariners) — The sidearmer has a clean sheet through 11 frames with Tampa Bay, allowing just four hits and three walks while racking up a dozen strikeouts. He’d make for a hot commodity on a market starved of relief pitching.
  • Sergio Romo, RP ($500K) — Romo, too, has been quite good since finding a new home. In his 15 innings with the Rays, he carries a 12:1 K/BB ratio and 2.40 ERA. The veteran hurler is also battle-tested in the postseason.
  • Tommy Hunter, RP ($233K) — If it’s reasonably likely that both Cishek and Romo would be claimed, it’s a certainty that Hunter would (if he hasn’t already). But there’s leverage to work with given Hunter’s outstanding season. The veteran has set himself up nicely for a return to the open market after 46 innings of 2.35 ERA ball, with 9.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 on the back of a 97 mph heater. Brad Boxberger is perhaps also a marginally plausible candidate, but we won’t consider him separately here with two more seasons of affordable arb control remaining.
  • Lucas Duda, 1B ($1.2MM) — Though he has been in a cold spell of late, Duda owns a 127 OPS+ during his 24 games with Tampa Bay, which actually just tops his overall performance earlier this year with the Mets. The Yankees were reportedly finalists for him previously, and a few other clubs might not mind adding a big left-handed bat.
  • Logan Morrison, 1B ($417K) — Speaking of big lefty bats, Morrison could hold yet more appeal with his lesser salary. He, too, has cooled but sports a .240/.347/.496 slash on the year with 29 home runs. While it’s reasonable to anticipate he’d be claimed, as with some other players, the Rays could potentially still extract a return and simply hold onto him if nothing much is offered.
  • Adeiny Hechavarria, SS ($725K) — Hech doesn’t seem particularly likely to be dealt. He has struggled at the plate since coming to the Rays, the market hasn’t yet found a home for a better player in Zack Cozart, and Tampa Bay could intend to tender him arbitration this fall. Still, he’s at least worthy of mention.
  • Brad Miller, INF ($595K) — It has been quite a disappointing season for Miller, as he has fallen off of the twenty-home-run output he showed in each of the past two seasons and owns a miserly .187 batting average. But he has suddenly blossomed into one of the game’s most patient hitters, with a 17.5% walk rate, and could be an interesting buy-low candidate for some organizations. With two more years of arb control left to go, Tampa Bay would likely only be looking to make a move if they are preparing to move on from Miller anyway or unexpectedly draw a big offer for his services.
  • Wilson Ramos, C ($667K) — As with Hechavarria, Ramos would likely clear waivers — particularly with incentives boosting his deal and $8.5MM still owed for 2018. The 30-year-old is still working out the kinks since returning from knee surgery, with a .258/.294/.406 slash through 139 plate appearances, but still comes with quite a bit of upside.
  • Peter Bourjos, OF ($225K) — There’s little chance that Bourjos will be a hotly pursued commodity, as he’s hitting just .229/.275/.403 on the year — with that surprising bump in pop offset by a failure to reach base that’s driven by poor plate discipline (5.2% walk rate, 27.3% strikeout rate). But he could function as an extra outfielder and pinch runner for another organization.

Rangers Move Tyson Ross To Bullpen

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The Rangers will move righty Tyson Ross into the bullpen, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Nick Martinez will take his spot in the rotation.

Texas inked the 30-year-old Ross to a one-year, $6MM pact last winter after he was non-tendered by the Padres. The hope was that he and fellow former San Diego rotation mate Andrew Cashner would bounce back and help form a quality starting five.

Though Cashner has overcome middling peripherals to provide 125 2/3 innings of 3.44 ERA ball, Ross has faltered. In ten starts since fully rehabbing from thoracic outlet surgery, he owns a 7.04 ERA with 35 strikeouts against 36 walks over just 46 frames.

Ross’s struggles have been rather all-encompassing. He is averaging just 91.7 mph on his fastball after sitting around 94 for most of his career. Ross is generating swings and misses on just 6.2% of his pitches — nearly half his rate from the prior four seasons. And he has permitted more home runs and generated fewer groundballs than ever.

With Texas still hanging in the AL Wild Card picture, the club will hope that Martinez can provide a boost. He, too, has struggled this year in the majors, carrying a 5.38 ERA with 2.24 homers per nine innings over his 80 1/3 frames thus far. He is sporting a 2.15 ERA at Triple-A, though that’s over a shorter sample and comes in spite of a less-than-inspiring combination of 5.5 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, and a 43.1% groundball rate.

Looking ahead a bit, Martinez will also aim to firm up his chances of taking a rotation spot entering 2018. Texas faces quite a few questions on its staff, with Cashner and Ross set to hit the open market and Yu Darvish already pitching with the Dodgers after being traded this summer. Martinez will join Martin Perez, A.J. Griffin, and Austin Bibens-Dirkx as potential options along with Cole Hamels, but that group doesn’t inspire much confidence at all based upon recent results.

NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Reds, Cubs

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The Cardinals see “a need” in the closer role in the wake of Trevor Rosenthal’s Tommy John surgery, but GM Mike Girsch tells MLB.com’s Jen Langosch that “there’s not a ton we can do about it” this year. While the club is still looking to see if there’s a late-inning arm to be had, he suggested, it’s just not likely that one will be found with another week to go until the end of August (after which players who are traded cannot appear on a postseason roster). But the Cards will look to bolster the pen over the winter, Girsch said, with the precise direction still to be determined — based in part upon how things go the rest of the way and what the market bears.

  • In other Cardinals-focused coverage, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes a look at the immediate replacement options for Rosenthal. And his colleague, Derrick Goold, analyzes the organization’s possible September call-ups. GM John Mozeliak says that the organization is rich in upper-level talent that could contribute down the stretch. Goold’s examination goes into great detail on the thought process, and is well worth a read — even for fans of other teams.
  • With somewhat less fanfare, for obvious reasons, the Reds also recently lost a key pitcher for the rest of the season: righty Scott Feldman, who required knee surgery. Feldman ended up taking down $4MM in total for his 2017 season, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes — with incentives boosting his $2.3MM base salary. He’ll likely be as affordable, if not moreso, this coming winter, though Feldman did post solid results before his knee started barking. He also seemingly left a good impression, with manager Bryan Price crediting Feldman as “a tremendous competitor, though the skipper also hinted that the organization will be aiming to minimize the health risk in building out its rotation over the winter.
  • The Cubs have several relatively unheralded players that could make big contributions down the stretch, ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers writes. Swingman Mike Montgomery and infielder Tommy La Stella have already made an impact while filling in for injured regulars, Rogers notes, while the team may yet hope for a late charge from struggling relievers Hector Rondon and Justin Wilson.

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