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Rays Expected To Place Ji-Man Choi On 10-Day IL, Activate Nelson Cruz From COVID List

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The Rays are expected to place first baseman Ji-Man Choi on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports, as Choi is battling tightness in his left hamstring.  A ready-made replacement is likely to come in the form of slugger Nelson Cruz, who was placed on the COVID-related injury list yesterday as a precautionary measure since Cruz was feeling ill.  However, since Cruz has since tested negative for COVID-19, he should be activated prior to the Rays’ game on Tuesday against the Phillies.

Choi hit a double and then scored in the first inning of Tampa’s 9-0 victory over the White Sox yesterday, though he hurt his hamstring running the bases and had to be replaced prior to the top of the second.  This is already the third IL stint of the year for Choi, whose recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery kept him from making his 2021 debut until May 16, and he also had a minimum 10-day IL trip in June due to a left groin strain.

Through it all, the 30-year-old has remained productive, hitting .250/.364/.435 with nine home runs over 236 plate appearances.  This translates to a 128 wRC+ and a 129 OPS+, and Choi’s 46.6% hard-hit ball rate and 14.4% walk rate are also personal bests.  Most of Choi’s playing time has come against right-handed pitching, and Choi has hit righties to the tune of an .879 OPS over 172 PA.

Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe are likely to assume first base duties while Choi is out, though Topkin notes that Cruz might be an answer in the very short term.  The Rays won’t have the DH spot during their upcoming two-game set in Philadelphia, so the club could potentially use Cruz as a first baseman to keep his bat in the lineup.   Cruz has never played first base at either the MLB or minor league level during his 21 professional seasons, and he hasn’t seen any work at any position since the 2018 campaign.

NL Notes: Bryant, Cubs, Mets, Baez, Lindor, Longoria

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The blockbuster trade between the Mets and Cubs on deadline day was almost even bigger, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes that Kris Bryant was also part of talks between the two clubs.  The actual trade saw Javier Baez and Trevor Williams go to New York in exchange for top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, but Rosenthal reports that the larger version of the swap would’ve also seen the Mets land Bryant and another player off of Chicago’s big league roster.  In exchange, the Cubs would have received not only Crow-Armstrong, but also “a prospect they regarded even more highly and a major leaguer under multi-year club control.”

However, the Mets learned of Jacob deGrom’s injury setback on deadline day, which likely made the team wary of making too big of an all-in move.  Given how the Cubs were very busy in reshaping their team at the deadline, it’s possible the mystery player could have been any of the players instead dealt elsewhere (i.e. Craig Kimbrel, Jake Marisnick) or possibly someone who is still in a Cubs uniform today.  It’s probably safe to guess that one of Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Matthew Allan, or J.T. Ginn was the blue-chip Mets prospect in question, unless the Cubs were intrigued by someone outside of the upper tier of New York’s prospect rankings.

More from around the National League…

  • The Mets could have a new middle infield as soon as tomorrow, as manager Luis Rojas told Newsday’s Tim Healey and other reporters that one or both of Baez and Francisco Lindor could be activated off the 10-day injured list.  Sunday marks Baez’s first eligible day to return after being (retroactively) placed on the IL August 12 due to back spasms, while Lindor has been sidelined since July 17 due to a right oblique strain.  The Mets have Monday off before beginning a series at home against the Giants on Tuesday, so it is possible the Mets could hold Lindor and/or Baez back to give them another two full recovery days before returning them to the active roster.  Baez, at least, seems likely to return by Tuesday at the latest.
  • Evan Longoria is day-to-day after being hit on one of his right fingers by a pitch in Wednesday’s game.  The third baseman has missed the Giants’ last two contests and manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle) that Longoria also wouldn’t play on Sunday.  Combined with the Giants’ off-days on Monday and last Thursday, that would give Longoria at least five full days of recovery time.  On the plus side, Kapler said that an MRI showed no signs of a fracture in Longoria’s finger.  Longoria returned only a week ago from a 60-day injured list stint due to a sprained shoulder, and this finger injury serves as the latest interruption in a very strong comeback season (.289/.382/.526 in 199 PA) for the 35-year-old veteran.

MLBTR’s TC Zencka also contributed to this post

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/21/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • Blue Jays right-hander Rafael Dolis cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, according Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports (via Twitter).  Toronto designated Dolis for assignment earlier this week.  Dolis was prepped to be a prime setup arm for the Jays this year, but he’s been slowed by both injuries — a calf injury and a middle finger strain — and a major lack of control.  Walks have been a consistent problem for Dolis, though his 17.3% walk rate this season topped even the 13.4% career mark he carried into the 2021 campaign.  Due in large part to these free passes, Dolis had a 5.63 ERA over 32 innings for the Jays this season.

Rangers Sign Buck Farmer To Minor League Contract

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The Rangers announced that right-hander Buck Farmer has been signed to a minor league deal.  Farmer will report to Triple-A Round Rock.

After being released by the Tigers earlier this week, Farmer will move on to the second organization of his nine-year professional career.  Farmer was a fifth-round pick for Detroit in the 2013 draft and he made his big league debut the very next season, beginning an eight-season run in the Tigers’ bullpen (with a few appearances as a starting pitcher).  While Farmer’s career 5.33 ERA over 320 2/3 innings isn’t impressive, it isn’t entirely indicative of a player who has been at times been a very valuable multi-inning workhorse out of the pen.

The 2021 season itself reflects Farmer’s inconsistency.  He posted a 12.66 ERA over his first 10 2/3 innings, resulting in the Tigers designing the right-hander for assignment.  Farmer cleared waivers and was called back up to the active roster in June, then posting a 3.65 ERA over his next 24 2/3 frames.

Farmer is controlled through the 2022 season, and the Rangers are only responsible for a prorated league minimum salary for Farmer in 2021 if he reaches their MLB roster — Detroit is paying the rest of what remains of Farmer’s $1.85MM salary for the 2021 campaign.  There isn’t much risk on the Rangers’ part in taking a look at what Farmer has to offer, as the team looks ahead to putting some potential pieces together for its 2022 team.

Rays Designate Mike Ford For Assignment

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The Rays designated first baseman Mike Ford for assignment.  The move opened up a 40-man roster spot for righty David Hess, whose contract was selected earlier today.

Tampa Bay acquired Ford in a trade with the Yankees back in June, and Ford could now potentially move on (via trade or waiver claim) without ever appearing in a big league game in a Rays uniform.  Ford has done his part to attract attention, hitting .243/.346/.529 with 11 home runs over 162 PA with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate.  He also played a few games at third base, adding some defensive versatility to his resume after spending the large majority of his career as a first base-only type.

Ford broke into the majors in impressive fashion in 2019, hitting .259/.350/.559 with 12 homers over his first 163 PA in the Show.  Since the start of the 2020 season, however, Ford has only a .526 OPS over 156 PA at the MLB level, all with New York.

Between Ford’s strong minor league numbers, his left-handed power potential, and the fact that he is controlled through the 2025 season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another team take a flier on a waiver claim.  The Blue Jays could be a speculative team to watch, as they reportedly had interest in Ford before the Yankees moved him to Tampa.

Latest On Alex Bregman

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Alex Bregman hasn’t played in a big league game since June 16, and it remains unclear as to when the Astros third baseman will return from the left quad strain that has waylaid his season.  In an interview today with radio host Robert Ford (hat tip to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle), Astros GM James Click indicated that Bregman wouldn’t be returning to his minor league rehab assignment in the near future.

“We determined that the best course of action was to do a lot of work that didn’t involve playing in games,” Click said.  “Right now we’re making sure he’s good to go at full speed with his legs fully underneath him. Once we feel like that’s been accomplished we’ll move onto hitting.”

It seemed like Bregman was on the verge of a return just one week ago, as he left his Triple-A rehab assignment to rejoin the Astros in Houston. However, rather than reinstatement from the 60-day injured list, Bregman has continued to sit out as all parties weigh his next course of action.  Bregman has continued to work out with the Triple-A Sugar Land Skeeters, posting this video today (via his Twitter feed) of a running drill.

As per the rules of injured list placements, minor league rehab assignments must be completed in less than 20 days or else the player must sit out five days before restarting the assignment.  That five-day window has since elapsed and Bregman has yet to resume playing for the Skeeters.

With this much uncertainty surrounding even Bregman’s minor league work, it is anyone’s guess as to when he might finally get back on the field with the Astros.  Click didn’t hint at a projection, saying “unfortunately a lot of it is let’s test today, test tomorrow, test the next day and see how everything responds.  And we don’t see a timeframe until we see how his body responds to the tests over the next couple days.”

The Astros have remained in first place in the AL West even without Bregman for all but 59 games of the season, as he also missed time on the COVID-19 list in April.  Since returning from his own IL stint, Aledmys Diaz has been on a tear at the plate and has assumed most of the everyday third base duties.  That said, Houston is absolutely a better team with Bregman back in the mix, and the Astros may need all the help they can get to hold off the streaking Athletics for the division lead.

Kyle Tucker also won’t be available for at least a week, as manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters.  Tucker was placed on the injured list yesterday for undisclosed health/safety protocol reasons, which would seem to imply some connection to COVID-19.

George Springer Leaves Game With “Mild” Ankle Sprain

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9:43PM: In more positive news on Springer’s condition, Montoyo told The Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm and other reporters that the outfielder has improved enough that the team hasn’t needed to do further tests on the ankle.

TODAY, 2:08AM: X-rays were negative on Springer’s leg, as manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling) that Springer is day-to-day with a mild left ankle sprain.

AUGUST 14: Blue Jays center fielder George Springer left tonight’s game with an apparent injury to his lower left leg.  Springer made an awkward landing while attempting to catch a Ty France triple to the wall in the seventh inning, and Springer immediately grabbed at his ankle area after hitting the ground.  He was able to walk off the field under his own power, albeit gingerly.

It certainly looks like another trip to the injured list is coming for Springer, who has already missed a big chunk of his first Blue Jays season.  Springer has played in only 49 games due to an oblique strain and a pair of quad strains, and it isn’t surprising that Springer’s eventual return resulted in a big uptick in the Jays’ performance.

When Springer has played, he has lived up to the expectations created by his six-year, $150MM free agent deal.  Springer has hit .269/.362/.610 with 16 home runs over 211 plate appearances, good for a 158 wRC+.  Over a full season, this would represent a new career best for Springer, who had a 157 wRC+ in 556 PA and 122 games with the Astros in 2019.

This type of production can’t really be replaced, and losing Springer for any amount of time will represent a major blow to Toronto’s playoff chances.  The Jays do at least have some outfield depth, as without Springer, the new alignment would likely be Teoscar Hernandez in right field, Randal Grichuk in center field, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corey Dickerson sharing time in left field and probably also DH duty.  Cavan Biggio and rookie Josh Palacios can also factor into the outfield mix when they return from the injured list.

Injury Notes: Winker, Lindor, Phillies, Brewers

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Jesse Winker’s return to the Reds lineup was short-lived, as the outfielder left today’s game prior to the bottom of the third inning.  Winker went 0-for-2 with two flyouts in his first two plate appearances before re-aggravating the mild intercostal strain that sidelined him for Cincinnati’s previous two games.  A previous MRI didn’t reveal any damage, though manager David Bell told reporters (including The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans) that Winker will be re-evaluated prior to tomorrow’s game against the Cubs.

While the Reds are in the thick of the wild card race, the team will surely be careful with one of their top bats to prevent a longer-term injury.  Winker has hit .307/.395/.560 with 24 home runs over 481 plate appearances this season, and he entered today’s action as the NL leader in doubles (32) and total bases (235).  The Reds are in the midst of a grueling stretch of 29 games over 30 days, so there isn’t any built-in time for Winker to really get a break, and a trip to the injured list might be necessary to fully correct the issue.

More on other injury situations from around baseball…

  • Francisco Lindor participated in just about a full range of baseball activities prior to today’s game against the Dodgers, and Mets manager Luis Rojas told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bill Ladson) that Lindor could potentially be activated off the injured list when New York begins its next homestand on August 24.  Lindor will travel with the Mets on their road trip and continue to work out, so the club will monitor his progress and then determine whether a minor league rehab assignment is necessary, or if Lindor could return to the active roster without the benefit of any minor league tuneup games.  A Grade 2 oblique strain sent Lindor to the IL on July 17, so even a return by that Mets homestand would be a pretty decent turn-around time for the shortstop, given how more severe oblique problems can sometimes linger.
  • Zach Eflin (right knee tendinitis) threw a live batting practice session today, while Vince Velasquez (right middle finger blister) and Sam Coonrod (forearm tendinitis) threw live BP sessions yesterday.  The Phillies pitchers are at different stages in their recoveries, and Velasquez and Coonrod will each begin minor league rehab assignments on Tuesday.  Eflin’s next step could be another simulated session before he starts his own rehab assignment, though the right-hander told NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury and other reporters that he “felt great” during today’s 28-pitch session.
  • The Brewers are almost all the way out of a COVID-19 outbreak on their roster, and two of the remaining sidelined players (Adrian Houser and Jandel Gustave) are nearing returns.  As Brewers manager Craig Counsell told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak and other reporters, Gustave is working out with the team and Houser is expected to join the club when the Brew Crew begin a series with the Cardinals on Tuesday.

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