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Braves Place Max Fried On Concussion-Related Injured List

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The Braves placed left-hander Max Fried on the seven-day injured list for concussion-related injuries.  Righty Jay Jackson was called up from Triple-A to take Fried’s spot on the active roster.

Fried’s placement is backdated to August 8, two days after the southpaw took an awkward fall while attempting a fielding play in Atlanta’s 6-2 loss to the Mets.  Fried was holding his head in the aftermath of the play but remained in the game and tossed three more innings.

After a few days of further evaluation, it appears as though the Braves have decided that Fried needs some more time to recover.  He’ll miss his next start but hopefully no more, though it is hard to predict when concussion symptoms could fully dissipate.

Fried is in the midst of another excellent season, with a 2.60 ERA/3.36 SIERA over 22 starts and 138 1/3 innings.  Despite a middling strikeout rate, Fried has been excellent at inducing grounders (50.5% groundball rate) and soft contact, and his 4.5% walk rate is among the best in the game.  The 28-year-old has emerged as a front-of-the-rotation ace, and his health is key to Atlanta’s chance of repeating as World Series champions.

Since today is an off-day for the Braves, the team has a bit of flexibility in aligning its rotation in Fried’s absence.  The left-hander was scheduled to start against the Marlins on Friday, but Atlanta could simply bump the other starters up one day and hope that Fried is able to return before his next turn in the rotation.  The recently-optioned Ian Anderson is likely the first choice for a spot start should Fried have to miss more time.

Injury Notes: Harper, Schwarber, Daza, Harris, Canterino

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Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, on the shelf due to June surgery to repair a broken left thumb and also playing through a torn UCL in his right elbow, is backing off his throwing program due to ongoing stiffness in his right elbow, Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson told reporters this week (link via Scott Lauber of the Philly Inquirer).  Harper played through that ligament tear for months before an errant Blake Snell heater broke his left thumb and forced him to the injured list, though he’d been limited to DH work because the elbow tear prevented him from throwing.

Offseason Tommy John surgery is a possibility, though there’d been some hope that after receiving an injection in May, Harper might yet be able to gut it out and play right field upon returning.  For now, the Phils are just going to “concentrate on the hitting” aspect of Harper’s recovery, per Thomson, who added that there’s “no doubt in my mind” Harper will be back in the lineup this season.  He still needs to regain some flexibility in his thumb, from which doctors removed three pins back on Aug. 1.  Given the lengthy layoff, Harper will also need a minor league rehab assignment of some length.

More on other injury situations from around baseball…

  • In another concern for the Phillies, Kyle Schwarber left today’s game with what Thomson told reporters (including The Athletic’s Matt Gelb) was a mild right calf strain.  Schwarber will undergo tests but is currently considered day-to-day.  With an NL-leading 34 home runs, Schwarber has provided his typical power in his first season in Philadelphia, and the Phillies can only hope that the calf strain won’t require a lengthy IL stint.
  • Outfielder Yonathan Daza suffered what the Rockies described as a left shoulder sprain in today’s game against the Cardinals.  Daza suffered the injury while making a running catch to rob Nolan Arenado of a hit in the first inning, as the momentum took Daza to the ground and he immediately grabbed at his shoulder.  Now in his third MLB season, Daza has hit .299/.345/.367 over 307 plate appearances with Colorado in 2022, getting the majority of playing time as the Rockies’ starting center fielder.
  • Will Harris has yet to pitch in 2022, and the veteran reliever has now suffered another setback in the form of a groin injury.  (The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden was among those to report the news.)  Harris underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in June 2021 and then a related pectoral surgery last March, but the righty seemed to be on the way back when he started a minor league rehab assignment in late July.  However, Harris hasn’t pitched with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate since August 2, bringing fresh doubt as to whether or not he can return to a big league mound before the season is over.  It is possible Harris has already thrown his last pitch as a National, since his three-year, $24MM deal with the team is up at season’s end.
  • Twins pitching prospect Matt Canterino will undergo Tommy John surgery this month, as initially reported by SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson (Twitter link).  Canterino has been plagued by elbow injuries for the better part of two seasons, limiting the right-hander to just 60 total innings since the start of the 2021 minor league season.  As Twins assistant GM Jeremy Zoll told The St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Betsy Helfand and other reporters, “it felt like we didn’t have any more stones to turn over, and Matt was feeling like surgery was the right call for him to try and get him back up and running from there.”  Canterino was the Twins’ second-round pick in the 2019 draft, and he has an impressive 1.48 ERA and 39.16% strikeout rate over 85 career innings in pro ball.  As per the normal timeline for TJ recovery, Canterino won’t be back until August 2023 at the absolute earliest, and it is quite possible he’ll be sidelined until Spring Training 2024.

Mets Reinstate Dominic Smith From 10-Day IL, Option Him To Triple-A

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The Mets reinstated Dominic Smith from the 10-day injured list and then optioned the first baseman to Triple-A Syracuse.  Smith has yet to play in the second half of the season, as a right ankle sprain sent him to the IL (via retroactive placement) on July 17.

Smith has already seen 20 games’ worth of action with Syracuse this season, both on a rehab assignment for his ankle and due to a demotion from the Mets’ active roster back in June.  In the big leagues, Smith has hit only .194/.276/.284 in 152 plate appearances, his second consecutive down year amidst several trade rumors and the seeming reality that the Mets have simply moved on to other options at the first base/DH spot.  Pete Alonso’s presence was already going to limit Smith’s playing time, but New York has turned to several other players for at-bats besides Smith, leaving him frustrated.

The 27-year-old recently spoke about that frustration with MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, but also with off-the-field problems that left Smith “in a bad spot” with his mental health.

“I wasn’t happy at the field.  I wasn’t happy playing baseball at all,” Smith said.  “I wasn’t happy when I did good. I wasn’t happy when I did bad….It was just stuff not going my way in life.  I just felt like things couldn’t get worse, and then they seemingly did, and it kept snowballing worse and worse.  You’re trying to control everything, and you just seem like you can’t control anything.”

Fortunately, Smith is in a better mental place and “just at peace right now.”  He’ll continue to take the field at Triple-A and see if he can get himself on track as part of the Mets’ plans at least in 2022.  His longer-term future in Queens is in doubt, as Smith put it plainly, “with the way I played this year, I don’t know if they want to bring me back for how much my contract is.”  Smith earned $3.95MM this season and has two arbitration-eligible years left before free agency, so it remains to be seen if the Mets would just non-tender Smith altogether or if they could arrange a trade.

Yankees Notes: Skubal, Peraza, Dietrich

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The Yankees had interest in the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal prior to the deadline, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports.  Given how aggressively the Yankees were looking for pitching help, it isn’t surprising that they at least checked in on a talented and controllable arm like Skubal, who isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season.  Skubal ended up not being dealt anywhere, as while the Tigers were open to offers for “just about everyone” in the wake of a massively disappointing season, it would’ve naturally taken a huge trade package to obtain a pitcher that still looks like a significant part of Detroit’s present and future.

As poorly as 2022 has gone for the Tigers, they aren’t likely to abandon their plans to contend and immediately re-enter another rebuild phase, especially not with a lot of money already committed to such players as Javier Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez.  Since Skubal’s strong performance has been one of the few bright spots of Detroit’s season, moving Skubal might be just about the last thing the Tigers would do, so the Yankees’ pursuits might be limited to just monitoring the situation should plans change.  Of course, New York landed a big arm at the deadline anyway in Frankie Montas.

More from the Bronx….

  • Star prospect Oswald Peraza was hit on the hand by a pitch in today’s game, but x-rays didn’t reveal any broken bones, according to Conor Foley of The Scranton Times-Tribune (Twitter links).  While it appears as though Peraza avoided any serious injury, it isn’t yet known if he might require at least a brief stint on the injured list if there’s any swelling or lingering soreness.  While Anthony Volpe is often heralded as the Yankees’ shortstop of the future and one of baseball’s top prospects, Peraza is a top-100 prospect in his own right, and closer to the big leagues — Volpe is playing at Double-A while Peraza has hit .259/.328/.450 over 354 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.  There has been speculation that Peraza could be a late-season call-up to New York, though this hand issue could potentially factor into when he could make his MLB debut.
  • Derek Dietrich was issued a 50-game suspension after testing positive for the stimulant known as DMPA (1,4-dimethylpentylamine).  As a result, Dietrich will miss the remainder of the Triple-A season.  Dietrich has signed minor league contracts with the Yankees in each of the last two offseasons, with a brief stint with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in the second half of the 2021 season.  Best known for his time as a versatile regular with the Marlins, Dietrich hit a solid .245/.335/.428 over 2513 PA in the majors from 2013-2020 with the Marlins, Reds, and Rangers, and hasn’t since been back to the big leagues.

Injury Notes: Brantley, Glasnow, Lucchesi, Pillar

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Astros GM James Click has “no update” on the status of Michael Brantley, who has now missed close to six weeks due to right shoulder discomfort.  In an interview with team radio broadcaster Robert Ford (hat tip to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle), Click said that “with every passing day, you have to kind of take an honest look at” whether or not Brantley’s 2022 season could be over, though the Astros are still hopeful that Brantley can eventually return.

Brantley himself told Rome and other reporters earlier this week that he hadn’t started swinging, and was “day by day” with “no timetable” about when he could start resuming baseball activities.  Considering the 35-year-old’s lengthy history of shoulder surgeries, there isn’t much Brantley or the Astros can do but wait and see if his discomfort lessens, since trying to force the issue could make things worse.  Houston has missed Brantley’s bat in the lineup, and this injury uncertainty also casts a shadow over Brantley’s free agent market this winter.  The veteran is in the final two months of his two-year, $32MM deal with the Astros.

More updates on other injury situations from around baseball…

  • Almost exactly one year ago, Tyler Glasnow underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his 2021 season and putting his participation in doubt for the 2022 campaign.  However, Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that Glasnow is “fully healthy” and said “the chance is not zero” that Glasnow could help the Rays before the year is out.  Considering that Glasnow is still at least a couple of weeks away from throwing to live hitters, mid-September might be the earlier he can return, and even then would likely be limited to bullpen work.
  • Joey Lucchesi is another TJ patient who could factor into the 2022 season, as Mets manager Buck Showalter told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and other reporters that “if [Lucchesi] can continue down the path he’s on, he’s going to be an option for us.”  Lucchesi underwent his surgery in late June 2021, and he has been working out at the Mets’ spring facility in Florida.  The left-hander posted some solid numbers as a starter for the Padres and Mets over his four Major League seasons, but would also probably return as a reliever, given that he’d need less time to build up his arm for relief innings than starter’s innings.  Since New York in thin on left-handed relievers, Lucchesi or David Peterson could add some balance to the bullpen down the stretch and into the postseason.
  • Kevin Pillar’s season was thought to be over when he underwent shoulder surgery in June, but the Dodgers outfielder was recently cleared to start baseball activities.  “I would definitely call it best case scenario,” Pillar told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, and his aim is to at least give the Dodgers something to think about when building their late-season roster and their playoff rosters.  “It’s trying to get myself healthy, prove that I’m healthy, get some games under belt and put myself in position where…I’m available,” Pillar said.  The veteran outfielder signed a minor league deal with L.A. in March and appeared in only four games with the Dodgers before suffering a fractured left shoulder.

Dodgers Place Yency Almonte On 15-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that right-hander Yency Almonte has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow tightness.  In the corresponding move, righty Andre Jackson was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Almonte will get an MRI to investigate the injury, manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (Twitter links) and other reporters.  On the plus side, Almonte said that he is familiar with this type of tightness, and isn’t overly concerned about his status.

After spending his first four Major League seasons with the Rockies, Almonte was outrighted off Colorado’s 40-man following last year, and he chose free agency.  That led to a minor league deal with the Dodgers and an excellent bounce-back season for the 28-year-old.  Almonte has a 1.15 ERA over 31 1/3 relief innings for Los Angeles, inducing a lot of soft contact and limiting the long ball (only two homers allowed) despite a below-average 24.6% strikeout rate.

Almonte showed flashes of such performance in Colorado, posting impressive results in both 2018 and 2020 when he has been able to keep the ball in the park.  In 2021, however, he gave up nine homers over 47 2/3 innings, and between the home runs and an inflated walk rate, Almonte posted an ugly 7.55 ERA.

Jackson made his MLB debut in 2021, with 11 2/3 innings over three games for L.A.  He was briefly on the Dodgers’ active roster back in April but didn’t get any game action, so his 2022 resume consists of a 5.20 ERA over 55 1/3 innings at Triple-A.  Jackson battled control problems earlier in his minor league career, and those issues returned with a vengeance this year, as he has 48 free passes in his 55 1/3 innings (against 59 strikeouts).

Still, Roberts suggested that Jackson might receive a spot start for the Dodgers on Wednesday, filling in for the injured Clayton Kershaw.  It will depend on whether or not Jackson is needed in relief over the next couple of days, and the Dodgers also have an off-day Monday to factor into their rotation set-up.

Anthony Banda Elects Free Agency

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Left-hander Anthony Banda has chosen to become a free agent, rather than accept an outright assignment to the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team.  Toronto designated Banda for assignment after the trade deadline, and he cleared outright waivers yesterday.  Since Banda has previously been outrighted in his career, he was eligible to reject the Jays’ assignment in favor of testing the open market.

The Blue Jays acquired Banda from the Pirates for cash considerations in early July, adding a bit of left-handed relief depth to the bullpen.  Banda appeared in seven games with the Jays (including one appearance as an opener), and posted a 4.26 ERA over 7 1/3 innings.  For the 2022 season as a whole, Banda has a 5.88 ERA in 26 combined frames with Toronto and Pittsburgh.

Just a couple of days away from his 29th birthday, Banda now hits the open market in search of another change of scenery.  A veteran of seven different MLB organizations, Banda has had playing time at the big league level with five of those clubs since debuting in 2017.  Given that Tim Mayza was just placed on the 15-day injured list, it might not be surprising to see the Blue Jays pursue a quick reunion with Banda, in order to add another left-hander to Toronto’s thin array of southpaws.

Blue Jays Place Tim Mayza On IL With Dislocated Right Shoulder

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Aug. 7: The Blue Jays announced Mayza’s placement on the 15-day IL, with righty Trent Thornton recalled to take his place on the active roster.

Aug 6: The Blue Jays announced that reliever Tim Mayza dislocated his right shoulder during a play in tonight’s 7-3 loss to the Twins.  In the sixth inning, Sandy Leon bunted in front of the mound and Mayza grabbed at the ball to try and tag Nick Gordon, who was running from third base.  Mayza missed the ball and Gordon slid into his outstretched arm, leaving Mayza in obvious pain before he was naturally removed from the game.

Mayza will certainly be placed on the 15-day injured list, and now the only question is just how long the left-hander could be out of action.  Though the injury was to his non-throwing shoulder, the severity of the dislocation could potentially put the rest of Mayza’s season in jeopardy.

Heading into tonight’s game, Mayza had a 2.41 ERA/3.01 SIERA over 33 2/3 innings, missing a month of action due to inflammation in his left forearm.  With only a 20.9% strikeout rate, Mayza was relying on grounders (a strong 58.2% groundball rate) and soft contact to get results.  While a .277 wOBA that sat well below his .322 xwOBA indicated that Mayza was getting some good fortune, it marked the southpaw’s second consecutive year of quality results since returning from the Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2020 season.

The Jays added Zach Pop, Anthony Bass, and Mitch White to their pitching mix at the deadline, and yet all of those hurlers are right-handed.  That left Mayza as the only left-hander in the Toronto bullpen, though the Blue Jays have done respectably well against left-handed batters this season despite the overload of righty relievers.  The Jays relief corps has a cumulative 3.44 ERA (10th-best in baseball) against lefty swingers, as closer Jordan Romano, David Phelps, and particularly Yimi Garcia are all doing very well against the opposite side of the plate.

Still, operating without any lefties at all isn’t ideal for any bullpen, and Mayza’s absence reveals a lack of proven southpaw depth on the organizational depth chart.  Tayler Saucedo is on the 60-day IL and has been rehabbing at Triple-A Buffalo since mid-June, plus Matt Gage, Anthony Kay, and Foster Griffin are also at Triple-A and on the 40-man roster.

Left-hander Ricky Tiedemann is Toronto’s top minor league pitcher and has shot up prospect rankings in his first pro season.  However, Tiedemann was only just promoted to Double-A, so moving him up to the majors this early in his development (he turns 20 later in August) would perhaps be too risky a move, even for a Jays team in win-now mode.

Looking at the big league roster, Yusei Kikuchi could get some consideration for a bullpen role, assuming Ross Stripling returns from his current IL stint in around the minimum 15 days.  If Stripling is healthy and White (currently taking Stripling’s rotation spot) is pitching capably, the Jays could look to shift Kikuchi to relief pitching.  A move to the pen could both help the lack of left-handed pitchers, and also help Kikuchi get on track during what has been a difficult first season in Toronto.

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