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Lance Lynn To Undergo Knee Surgery, Will Be Shut Down For Four Weeks

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White Sox ace Lance Lynn will undergo surgery this week to repair a small tear in his right knee tendon, Sox GM Rick Hahn told reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin).  Lynn will be sidelined for approximately four weeks before he can throw off a mound again, so the right-hander might not be back until roughly late May, given the recovery period and then a ramp-up period.

The injury seemingly took place last night, when Lynn was in visible pain after throwing a pitch during his final Cactus League start.  Lynn immediately left the game and was moving gingerly on his right leg.

There’s no easy way to replace a pitcher of Lynn’s caliber, though the White Sox have Reynaldo Lopez and Vince Velasquez as swingmen in their bullpen, plus Jimmy Lambert and non-roster invite Wes Benjamin in the minors.  For now, it seems like Velasquez or Lopez will join Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, and Michael Kopech in Chicago’s rotation.

Given Keuchel’s struggles last season and Kopech’s lack of starting experience, there were already question marks about the amount of starting pitching depth the White Sox had on hand even prior to Lynn’s injury.  The Sox focused much of their offseason shopping on upgrading the bullpen as a way of improving the pitching staff overall, yet even the relief corps has been shortened in recent days, as Craig Kimbrel was traded to the Dodgers and Garrett Crochet (also a potential candidate to move into the rotation at some point this year) was lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery.  Carlos Rodon was a big part of the White Sox staff last season, of course, but the southpaw left in free agency to sign with the Giants.

With this in mind, Hahn told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and other media that “we may need to add at some point” from outside the organization.  More will be known once Lynn’s timeline becomes a bit clearer, though Hahn is optimistic that Lynn will be fully recovered when he does return to action.  Hahn said that Lynn’s injury was similar to Yasmani Grandal’s tendon tear in his left knee, which cost the catcher close to two months of the 2021 season before he was able to get back into the field.

Lynn posted a 2.69 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate, and 7.0% walk rate over 157 innings last season, his first in Chicago after the White Sox acquired him in an offseason trade from the Rangers.  Lynn finished third in AL Cy Young voting, marking the third consecutive year that the veteran righty has finished in the top six of Cy Young balloting.

Marlins Release Delino DeShields

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The Marlins announced that outfielder Delino DeShields has been released from his minor league contract.  DeShields didn’t show much in limited Grapefruit League action, getting just one hit in eight plate appearances over four games.

DeShields’ strong center field glove and basestealing ability earned him a regular spot in the Rangers’ lineup in 2017-19, even if his bat was rarely dangerous.  Cleveland acquired DeShields as part of the Corey Kluber trade in the 2019-20 offseason, but he was then non-tendered the next, and bounced around to three different teams during the 2021 campaign.  The outfielder’s only MLB action last year came in a Reds uniform, as he hit .255/.375/.426 in 58 PA for Cincinnati.

In the wake of this release, DeShields will now try to catch on with another team in need of outfield depth.  The Marlins seemed to be such a club, as DeShields’ center field ability made him a good backup for a starting outfield that will feature Jesus Sanchez and Avisail Garcia sharing time in center.  However, with DeShields now gone, it seems as though the Fish will be going with another minor league signing in Roman Quinn as their top outfield bench option.

Diamondbacks’ Josh Rojas Suffers Grade 2 Oblique Strain

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The Diamondbacks will be without utilityman Josh Rojas for “weeks, not days,” manager Torey Lovullo told The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro and other reporters, as Rojas has suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain.  It’s a rough setback for both Rojas and the team, as Rojas was projected to serve as the Diamondbacks’ starting third baseman.

One of four prospects acquired from the Astros in the 2019 Zack Greinke trade, Rojas was perhaps the least-heralded member of that quartet at the time of the deal, but has thus far had the biggest impact for the D’Backs at the big league level.  The 27-year-old hit .264/.341/.411 with 11 home runs over 550 PA with Arizona last season, good for a 102 wRC+ and a 106 OPS+.  Between this slightly above-average offense and Rojas’ ability to play all over the diamond, he was one of the few bright spots of an otherwise dismal season for the Snakes.

Rojas spent much of his time last season in right field and at both middle infield spots, also making 12 starts as a left fielder and seven starts at third base.  Though it is probably safe to assume that Rojas will still get plenty of utility time in 2022, he had been slated for regular third base duty, as Arizona is lacking in depth at the hot corner.

Unfortunately, the D’Backs already now find themselves without their intended left side of the infield, between Rojas’ injury and Nick Ahmed’s ongoing shoulder problems.  Ahmed is expected to start the season on the injured list, and while it seems like Rojas will have the longer absence of the two, the lingering nature of Ahmed’s sore shoulder has to be a concern.

Piecoro noted that Drew Ellis seems to be back in the Diamondbacks’ big league camp after previously being optioned to Triple-A, so Ellis looks to be in the mix for third base duty while Rojas is out.  Ellis joins Sergio Alcantara and non-roster invites Wilmer Difo and Matt Davidson as candidates to fill in for Rojas.  Josh VanMeter saw a good chunk of third base time for the D’Backs last season, but VanMeter was just traded to the Pirates on Thursday.

White Sox Trade Zack Collins To Blue Jays For Reese McGuire

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The White Sox and Blue Jays have agreed to a swap of catchers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link).  Zack Collins is headed to Toronto, while Reese McGuire has been dealt to the Sox.

Rumors have swirled for months that the Jays were looking to move some of their catching depth, though today’s move still gives Toronto a bit more roster flexibility behind the plate while still retaining that depth.  Collins has a minor league option remaining while McGuire is out of options, so the Blue Jays can now more easily stash Collins at Triple-A.

From Chicago’s perspective, the Sox now have a more established big leaguer who can work as the backup behind Yasmani Grandal.  Since Grandal will get some time at the DH spot, McGuire and Seby Zavala (who is also out of options) can each get some action behind the plate, and the expanded 28-man rosters for April will allow the White Sox the luxury of carrying three catchers.

The Pirates selected McGuire with the 14th overall pick of the 2013 draft, and he was a regular on top-100 prospect lists during his time in Pittsburgh’s farm system.  However, despite some good numbers in limited action in 2018-19, McGuire’s potential has yet to really manifest itself at the big league level.  The 27-year-old has hit .248/.297/.390 with nine homers over an even 400 plate appearances with the Blue Jays, with McGuire often finding himself behind Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Luke Maile on the catching depth chart.

Collins and McGuire share rather similar resumes — both are left-handed hitting catchers, they were born less than a month apart in 1995, and both are former first-round picks.  The White Sox selected Collins 10th overall in 2016, and like McGuire, Collins has also yet to offer much production in the majors.  Collins has a .195/.315/.330 slash line and seven home runs in 351 career PA, and he has struck out in 113 of those plate appearances.

Defense has been a question mark for Collins dating back to his college days at the University Of Miami, whereas McGuire is regarded as a decent defender.  (Statcast gave McGuire a solid +4 in framing runs during the 2021 season.)  This could be seen as something of a hitting-for-defense swap, if the Jays think they’ve seen something in Collins that can allow him to unlock his power potential.

With Collins able to be optioned, Jansen and Kirk now projects as Toronto’s regular catching tandem, and Kirk is also expected to get some DH time.  It isn’t out of the question that the Jays might still deal from this catching depth, as star prospect Gabriel Moreno is starting the season at Triple-A and could be making his Major League debut before 2022 is out.

Lance Lynn Leaves Game With Right Knee Discomfort

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White Sox starter Lance Lynn left his final Spring Training start with what the team announced as right knee discomfort.  During the fourth inning, Lynn looked to be in obvious pain after throwing a pitch, gingerly moving with a slight limp as he walked back to the dugout.

More will be known about Lynn’s status after he receives treatment and testing, though the issue could very well be related to the right knee injury that sidelined Lynn late last season.  Lynn only spent the 10-day minimum on the injured list, but White Sox GM Rick Hahn said in November that Lynn underwent 3-4 weeks of rehab on his right knee once the season was over.

At first glance, it certainly looks as though Lynn’s readiness for the Opening Day roster could be in jeopardy.  Losing Lynn for any amount of time would be a notable blow to Chicago’s rotation, particularly since the pitching staff as a whole already lost Garrett Crochet (to Tommy John surgery) and Craig Kimbrel (in a trade to the Dodgers) within the last 48 hours.

Swingmen Reynaldo Lopez and Vince Velasquez were involved in the bullpen picture, though at least one of the two hurlers will likely step into the rotation if Lynn’s injury requires an IL trip.  Velasquez was signed to a one-year, $3MM deal in March to provide some added pitching depth, though surely the White Sox weren’t planning on having to utilize this depth quite so soon.

Lynn has finished in the top six of AL Cy Young voting in each of the past three seasons, and his third-place finish in 2021 was his highest placement yet.  The right-hander’s first year in Chicago saw him post a 2.69 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate, and 7.0% walk rate over 157 innings.  2021 was the last season of the three-year, $30MM deal Lynn signed with the Rangers during the 2018-19 offseason, but the White Sox moved to sign Lynn to a contract extension last July.  Lynn is now set to receive $38MM in guaranteed money in 2022-23, and the Sox hold an $18MM club option his services for 2024.

Derek Holland, Travis Shaw Won’t Opt Out Of Red Sox Contracts

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The Red Sox assigned left-hander Derek Holland to minor league camp earlier today, but the veteran won’t be exercising the opt-out in his minor league contract with the team, NESN’s Will Middlebrooks (Twitter link) was the first to report.  A decision hasn’t yet been made about Travis Shaw, but Shaw told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (Twitter link) that he won’t be exercising the opt-out in his own minors deal since the infielder has been informed that he is “trending” towards breaking camp.

Holland further explained his decision on his own Twitter feed, stating that he “took the [Triple-A] assignment because I’ve only been able to showcase two innings” of actual Grapefruit League action.  “It’s a great organization to be apart of so I want to stay and see where this road takes me.  Going to be a lot of fun with these guys.“

This is the third time in as many offseasons that Holland has signed a minor league deal, and his previous two contracts resulted in some significant big league action.  The southpaw tossed 40 2/3 innings with the Pirates in 2020 and then 49 2/3 frames with the Tigers last year, with a 5.07 ERA to show for his time in Detroit.  While Holland’s Statcast numbers weren’t impressive in 2021, his 4.00 SIERA was well below his actual ERA, likely since Holland was snakebit by a .354 BABIP.

Since the lockout prevented from Holland from signing anywhere until March 18, it makes that sense that he would take a bit more time to fully ramp up rather than immediately jump back into the open market.  MLB.com’s Ian Browne reports that Holland has another opt-out on May 1 if he hasn’t already been added to the active Red Sox roster.

While nothing is official yet, it makes sense that the Red Sox would retain Shaw as a left-handed hitting complement to prospective starting first baseman Bobby Dalbec.  While Dalbec had a terrific finish to the 2021 season, the young slugger has been pretty inconsistent over his 545 career plate appearances, so Shaw can provide some experienced backup.

Shaw is a familiar face in Boston, breaking into the majors with the team in 2015-16 and then returning last season after being claimed off waivers by the Brewers in August.  Over a small sample size of 48 PA, Shaw hit well, delivering three home runs and a .238/.319/.524 slash line in his Red Sox return.  He also had a clutch pinch-hit single in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the ALDS, advancing the eventual winning run to third base.

Wade LeBlanc Announces Retirement

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Left-hander Wade LeBlanc has decided to retire, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (Twitter link).  The 37-year-old LeBlanc is hanging up his cleats after pitching in parts of 13 Major League seasons with nine different teams, as well as a stint in Japan with the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2015.

Originally a second-round pick for the Padres in the 2006 draft, LeBlanc has pitched in a number of different roles over his long career.  The southpaw has seen work as a full-time starter, full-time reliever, and most often a little bit of both, with teams usually eyeing LeBlanc in various types of swingman or long relief roles.  Interestingly, despite the “veteran lefty” mold, LeBlanc didn’t see much specialist work since left-handed batters actually did more damage (.843 OPS) against him than right-handed batters (.763 OPS).

Never a big strikeout pitcher or a high-velocity arm, LeBlanc relied more on off-speed pitches than his fastball, and got out by generating soft contact.  When LeBlanc was getting that weak contact and keeping the ball in the park, he was quite effective, though home runs became an increasing problem in recent years.

Of LeBlanc’s nine MLB teams, his longest stints came with the Mariners (333 1/3 IP), Padres (293 1/3 IP), and Marlins (117 1/3 IP).  He most recently saw action with the Cardinals, signing a contract in June when the Cards were besieged with pitching injuries.

LeBlanc helped stabilize things by posting a 3.61 ERA over his 42 1/3 innings in a St. Louis uniform, helping the team tread water until eventually going on a major hot streak down the stretch.  Unfortunately, LeBlanc wasn’t there to enjoy that success, as he was sidelined with an elbow injury and was reportedly set to undergo some type of medical procedure to address his elbow in September.

LeBlanc will retire with a 4.54 career ERA over 931 1/3 Major League innings.  We at MLBTR congratulate LeBlanc on an excellent career and we wish him the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Mariners Release Chance Sisco

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The Mariners announced that catcher Chance Sisco has been released.  Between Sisco’s release and three players (George Kirby, Erick Mejia, and Sal Romano) assigned to the minor league camp, Seattle now has 34 players remaining in their big league spring camp.

Between Tom Murphy, Cal Raleigh, and Luis Torrens, the Mariners already have a fair bit of catching depth in place, and Joseph Odom is also in camp on a minor league deal.  Sisco might have simply been the odd man out, and he’ll now test free agency to see if he can catch on with another team.  With clubs always in need of experienced depth behind the plate, the odds are good that Sisco will land a new opportunity somewhere.

Sisco has played in 196 games with the Orioles and Mets since the start of the 2017 season, and he has batted only .197/.317/.337 over 608 plate appearances in the majors.  It seemed like his offense was trending up slightly in limited action with Baltimore in 2019-20, but he had only a .430 OPS over 83 PA last season.

Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Trey Mancini

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The Orioles have avoided an arbitration hearing with Trey Mancini, as the team announced that the two sides have agreed to a contract for the 2022 season.  The deal also contains a mutual option for the 2023 campaign.  The Athletic’s Dan Connelly (via Twitter) reports that Mancini will earn $7.5MM in 2022, and the mutual option is worth $10MM with a $250K buyout.  Mancini is represented by Frontline.

Mancini and the O’s couldn’t reach common ground on a deal prior to the deadline for exchanging arbitration figures, and there was a $625K gap between the two numbers — the Orioles offering $7.375MM and Mancini seeking $8MM.  With the buyout money factored in, Mancini is guaranteed $7.75MM in 2022, bringing his total earnings closer to his desired figure.  MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected Mancini for a $7.9MM salary, a nice bump up from the $4.75MM salaries Mancini received in his first two arb-eligible seasons.

Of course, Mancini didn’t receive a raise last winter since he didn’t play in 2020, taking the year off to battle colon cancer.  Receiving a clean bill of health heading into last season, Mancini won AL Comeback Player Of The Year honors after hitting .255/.326/.432 with 21 home runs over 616 plate appearances in his return to action.

2022 is Mancini’s third and final season of arbitration eligibility, and he is schedule to hit free agency next winter.  While the inclusion of the mutual option technically represents something beyond just a flat one-year deal, mutual options are rarely exercised by both parties.  In short, the option doesn’t make it any more or less likely that Mancini will still be an Oriole at this time next year, and it remains possible that the rebuilding O’s could still trade Mancini to a contender at some point prior to the trade deadline.

John Means is the only remaining member of Baltimore’s arbitration class that has yet to agree to terms on his 2022 contract.  Means submitted a $3.1MM figure while the Orioles submitted a $2.7MM figure, and barring an agreement, the two sides are set to eventually meet in an arbitration hearing.

Bobby Witt Jr. Makes Royals’ Opening Day Roster

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The Royals will be placing Bobby Witt Jr. on their Opening Day roster, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  The superstar prospect and second overall pick of the 2019 draft is set to officially begin his big league career when the Royals host the Guardians on Thursday.

There was no doubt that Witt would be making his big league debut at some point this season, as his .285/.352/.581 slash line over 285 Triple-A plate appearances in 2021 indicated that he was very ready for the next step.  Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore said last month that Witt would get the “opportunity” to earn his way onto the Opening Day roster, and Witt has only cemented his case after crushing Spring Training pitching.

The new Collective Bargaining Agreement may have also removed an obstacle to Witt’s chances of breaking camp with the Royals.  Under the old CBA, the team would have been tempted to leave Witt in the minors long enough to ensure that he wouldn’t gain a full year of service time in 2022, thus giving the Royals an extra year of control over Witt’s services through the 2028 season.

However, the “Prospect Promotion Incentive” in the new labor deal creates the possibility that Kansas City could earn a bonus pick in the 2023 amateur draft if Witt is on the roster for a full year of service time, and if he finishes in the top tier of awards consideration (a top-two finish in AL Rookie Of The Year balloting, a top-five MVP finish, or placement on the first or second-team All-MLB lineup).

Naturally, Witt’s status as one of the game’s top prospects qualifies him as one of the minor leaguers eligible for this PPI plan.  Baseball Prospectus and MLB Pipeline each listed Witt atop their most recent rankings of the game’s best minor leaguers, while Fangraphs and Keith Law both ranked Witt second, and Baseball America third.  This kind of praise has followed Witt for years, as he is regarded as a five-tool talent by most evaluators.

Originally drafted as a shortstop, Witt is set to begin his career as a third baseman, owing to the presence of Adalberto Mondesi and Nicky Lopez in the middle infield.  There is some fluidity in that alignment, as Mondesi is an injury risk, and Whit Merrifield would likely move back to second base in the event that Lopez has to step in at shortstop.  Keeping Witt at third base might be the smoothest choice for his development, however, as Witt could stay at the hot corner in more or less uninterrupted fashion, rather than juggling between different positions on a regular basis.  If Witt was moved to shortstop or even second base, K.C. could use Hunter Dozier back at third base.

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