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Padres Place Blake Snell On 10-Day Injured List

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The Padres have placed left-hander Blake Snell on the 10-day injured list due to illness.  Right-hander Miguel Diaz has been called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Snell was scratched from last night’s start due to his illness, though it is fair to guess that he might not miss more than the minimum 10 days.  There aren’t any coronavirus concerns, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes that Snell tested negative for COVID-19 and is also fully vaccinated.

While perhaps not a long-term absence for Snell, his IL placement catches the Padres at a particularly inopportune time, as Dinelson Lamet is also on the injured list.  Ryan Weathers is already lined up to start tomorrow, but another starter will be required since San Diego doesn’t have an off-day until the All-Star break.  Diaz is one possibility since he has already been stretched out for multi-inning relief work and has already made two “starts” (in something of a piggyback capacity) this season.  The Padres could rely on bullpen games or piggyback outings to get by until Snell is healthy.

In his first season in San Diego, Snell has struggled to a 5.29 ERA over 66 1/3 innings, though he is coming off five shutout innings of the Dodgers in his most recent start.  Snell’s 4.12 SIERA is more palatable and he has a .329 BABIP, but he also has a career-worst 13.2% walk rate and 41.5% hard-hit ball percentage.

Cardinals Sign T.J. McFarland

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The Cardinals have signed left-hander T.J. McFarland to a split contract, The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty reports (Twitter link).  McFarland has spent the season pitching with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate, but he was granted his release earlier today, as the southpaw “felt he had a better shot of being called up by the Cardinals than Washington,” Dougherty writes.

Given the Cards bullpen’s lackluster performance this year, McFarland is probably correct in that assumption, though he has a 5.25 ERA in 24 innings at Triple-A Rochester this season.  However, some bad luck (and three home runs allowed) lies behind that inflated ERA, as McFarland also has a 25.74% strikeout rate, 4.95% walk rate, and 63.6% grounder rate.

Should McFarland reach the Cardinals’ active roster, St. Louis will be the fourth different team of his career and 2021 would be the southpaw’s ninth MLB season.  The groundball specialist (McFarland has a 62.8% career grounder rate) has a 4.08 ERA over 401 career innings in the Show, including a 4.35 ERA over 20 2/3 frames with the Athletics in 2020.

Blue Jays Reinstate Steven Matz From COVID-IL, Designate Jeremy Beasley

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As expected, the Blue Jays reinstated left-hander Steven Matz from the COVID-related injured list today.  Matz is scheduled to start tonight’s game against the Mariners.  The Jays also officially added newly-acquired right-hander Adam Cimber to the active roster, with righties Joel Payamps and Anthony Castro optioned to Triple-A.  To create room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jeremy Beasley was designated for assignment.

Matz tested positive for the coronavirus on June 15, and had to wait out a mandatory 10-day isolation period even though he was an asymptomatic COVID case.  It was an unwelcome interruption to a season that has seen Matz go through a few swings of inconsistency, though he has been generally solid in posting a 4.26 ERA/3.78 SIERA over 69 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays.  Matz’s seven percent walk rate and 24.8% strikeout rate are both better than average, as are his hard-contact numbers, as per Statcast.

Beasley was acquired from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations in April, and the righty posted a 7.71 ERA over 9 1/3 innings out of Toronto’s bullpen.  That brief stint saw Beasley allow nine walks and three home runs.  A 30th-round pick for the Angels in the 2017 draft, Beasley made his MLB debut in cup-of-coffee fashion with Arizona last season, tossing one-third of an inning in a single appearance.

White Sox Activate Michael Kopech; Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall Placed On 10-Day IL

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The White Sox have reinstated right-hander Michael Kopech from the 10-day injured list, and also called up left-hander Jace Fry from Triple-A Charlotte.  The moves come in response to a pair of bullpen injuries, as both southpaw Aaron Bummer (right hamstring strain) and righty Evan Marshall (strained right flexor pronator) are headed to the 10-day IL.

Due to a Tommy John surgery and then a COVID opt-out, Kopech’s 31 1/3 innings this season marked his first big league action since his debut campaign of 14 1/3 frames in 2018.  One of the game’s more highly-touted pitching prospects, Kopech has displayed that potential with a 1.72 ERA and a 36% strikeout rate this season before a strained left hamstring sent him to the IL on a retroactive May 28th placement.

The White Sox planned to keep Kopech in a hybrid swingman role a way of managing his innings, and it’s possible he could get more looks out of the pen in the near future considering the absences of Bummer and Marshall.  Chicago manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including James Fegan of The Athletic) that the club is hopeful Bummer is able to return after a minimal stint on the IL, though Marshall will be out of action for a to-be-determined longer period of time.

Bummer has a 3.26 ERA over 30 1/3 innings, with his typically large ground ball rate (a career-best 74%) as well as a 32.1% strikeout rate that would be a career high by a large margin over a full season.  Bummer has been an effective weapon out of Chicago’s bullpen for five years now, with the exception of an injury-shortened 2020 campaign.

Marshall pitched well last season to help account for Bummer’s absence, but 2021 has been a much tougher ride for the right-hander.  Marshall has a 5.60 ERA over 27 1/3 innings, due to the combination of a larger-than-usual homer rate, a below-average strikeout rate, and a 40.8% grounder rate that is well south of his 52.6% career average.

Orioles Make Five Roster Moves

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The Orioles announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game with the Astros, including the news that right-hander Travis Lakins Sr. is heading to the 10-day injured list due to right elbow pain.  Additionally, infielder Stevie Wilkerson has been designated for assignment and left-handed Alexander Wells was optioned to Triple-A.  Filling the spots on the active roster will be right-handers Isaac Mattson and Spenser Watkins — Mattson was called up from Triple-A, while Watkins’ contract was selected.  USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported earlier today that Watkins would be added to Baltimore’s 26-man roster.

Lakins was making a rare appearance as a starting pitcher last night when his elbow issue forced him out of the game ( a 13-3 Orioles victory over the Astros) after 1 2/3 innings.  O’s manager Brandon Hyde specified to The Baltimore Sun’s Jon Meoli and other reporters that Lakins suffered an elbow strain, and the righty will undergo further evaluation.  This isn’t Lakins’ first time dealing with elbow problems, as inflammation cut short his 2016 season while pitching in the Red Sox minor league system.

Baltimore claimed Lakins off waivers from the Cubs in the 2019-20 offseason, and the right-hander had a solid 2.81 ERA over 25 2/3 relief innings for the Orioles last year.  Things haven’t gone as smoothly this season, however, as Lakins has a 5.79 ERA and 13.8% walk rate over 28 innings of work in 2021.

With the O’s still in need of some rotation help while John Means is on the IL, it could open the door for Watkins to get a look in the starting five as he gets his first taste of the big leagues.  A 30th-round pick for the Tigers in 2014, Watkins pitched well at the lower levels of Detroit’s farm system but had some struggles at Double-A and Triple-A.  This almost led him to walk away from the game, as Nightengale notes that Watkins had a high school coaching job lined up before he signed a minor league deal with the Orioles this winter.

Wilkerson was another offseason minors signing for the O’s, and the utilityman appeared in 30 games for the team, hitting only .167/.211/.208 over 76 plate appearances.  Wilkerson didn’t see any big league action in 2020, and he has a career .210/.268/.340 slash line in 486 PA over parts of three seasons with Baltimore.

Rays’ Chaz Roe Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

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Rays right-hander Chaz Roe has undergone surgery to correct a posterior labrum tear in his throwing shoulder, the team announced.  The procedure will end Roe’s 2021 campaign, as manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that the aim is to have the righty back in action for 2022.

Roe tossed only two-thirds of an inning in a single appearance for Tampa this season, before suffering a shoulder strain and then biceps tendinitis.  It marks the second straight abbreviated season for Roe, since elbow soreness limited him to 10 games and 9 1/3 innings.

Despite that injury, the Rays brought Roe back on a one-year, $1.15MM free agent contract that unfortunately is now a wash.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see Roe return for what would be a sixth season in Tampa Bay, however, if the club re-signed him on a minor league deal this winter.

Initially acquired from the Braves back in July 2017, Roe has posted some solid numbers for the Rays, including a 3.82 ERA over 101 1/3 relief innings in 2018-19.  That roughly matches the 3.89 ERA posted by the 34-year-old over parts of nine MLB seasons for five different teams.  While walks have been something of a nagging issue throughout Roe’s career, he has balanced those free passes with a good amount of missed bats (26.4% strikeout rate) and he has done a solid job of keeping the ball on the ground (48.9% grounder rate).

Athletics Sign Homer Bailey To Minors Contract

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The A’s signed right-hander Homer Bailey to a minor league deal earlier this week and assigned the veteran to Triple-A Las Vegas.  This is Bailey’s second stint with Oakland, after first joining the organization via a trade from the Royals in July 2019 and then posting a 4.30 ERA over 13 starts and 73 1/3 innings in the green and gold.

Bailey was a front-of-the-rotation arm during his prime years in Cincinnati, which included no-hitters in both 2012 and 2013.  This led to a six-year, $105MM extension prior to the 2014 season that unfortunately became something of an albatross for the team, as Bailey battled multiple injuries (including a Tommy John surgery) over his remaining five years with the Reds.  However, after catching on with the Royals on a minors deal, he rebounded to post serviceable numbers over 163 1/3 combined innings with K.C. and Oakland in 2019, with a 4.57 ERA/4.60 SIERA and an above-average 7.6% walk rate.

Injuries again hampered Bailey in 2020, as biceps tendinitis limited him to only eight innings with the Twins.  The righty didn’t sign with another team during the winter, though he did make Team USA’s roster for the Olympic baseball qualifying tournament.

The 35-year-old has by far the most experience of any pitcher in the Athletics farm system, and Bailey is likely to remain on hand as a depth option should an injury or a need arise in Oakland’s rotation.  Mike Fiers was re-signed last February to fill that veteran depth role, though Fiers has been on the injured list since early May due to an elbow sprain and will out of action at least through July after receiving a PRP injection.  It’s probably safe to assume that the A’s will continue to seek out more pitching (both for the rotation and the bullpen) as the July 30 trade deadline nears.

Tigers Place Michael Fulmer On 10-Day Injured List

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The Tigers placed right-hander Michael Fulmer on the 10-day injured list due to a right cervical spine strain.  Left-hander Miguel Del Pozo was called up from Triple-A Toledo to take Fulmer’s spot on the active roster.  Despite the rather ominous-sounding official injury designation, “the normal term is his neck is bothering him,” manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters.  Fulmer felt the injury following yesterday’s outing against the Astros, which saw the righty allow three runs on two homers over an inning of work.

While the issue doesn’t sound overly serious, it does represent at least 10 fewer days for opposing scouts and front offices to gauge Fulmer’s value as a trade candidate.  The 2016 AL Rookie Of The Year has reinvented himself as a reliever coming off Tommy John surgery in 2019 and some tough results as a starter in 2020, and Fulmer has a 3.62 ERA, 29.66% strikeout rate, and 5.08% walk rate in 27 1/3 innings out of the bullpen this season.  He has also shown some quality in high-leverage situations, racking up six saves as part of Detroit’s closer committee.

With Fulmer still under control through one final arbitration year in 2022, he makes for an interesting trade chip for the Tigers to shop prior to July 30, assuming that he is able to return from the IL in good condition.  An enterprising team could acquire Fulmer as bullpen help for this season, and then perhaps consider stretching him out next spring for one last crack at starting pitching, with a return to the relief corps available as a fallback option.

The transaction also creates another opportunity for Del Pozo, who didn’t get a chance to pitch when he was briefly called up to the Tigers earlier this month.  Del Pozo signed a minor league deal with Detroit last winter, and over 13 innings with the Angels and Pirates in 2019-20, the southpaw issued 16 walks and posted a 12.46 ERA.  At Triple-A Toledo this season, however, Del Pozo has a 1.02 ERA over 17 2/3 innings, with a 35.4% strikeout rate and (perhaps most importantly) a much more palatable 9.23% walk rate.

Jose Abreu Day-To-Day With Bruised Knee, X-Rays Negative

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Jose Abreu was in visible pain after being hit in the left knee by a JT Chargois pitch during today’s 3-2 White Sox loss to the Mariners, but the reigning AL MVP appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario.  The Sox announced that Abreu had suffered a bruised knee, and that x-rays were negative.

Abreu had to be removed for a pinch-runner after his HBP in the sixth inning of the first game of the doubleheader, and obviously wasn’t in Chicago’s lineup for Game 2.  Andrew Vaughn replaced Abreu at first base and Yasmani Grandal played first in the second game, and these two are likely to see the bulk of first-base duties while Abreu is recovering, or if a stint on the 10-day injured list is ultimately required.

As MLB.com’s Scott Merkin notes, Abreu has had to deal with several minor injuries this season, which could explain his dropoff in production from his big 2020 campaign.  Abreu’s 111 wRC+ is still above average, but is hitting a comparatively modest .244/.323/.435 with 12 home runs over an even 300 plate appearances.  It’s fair to wonder (as White Sox manager Tony La Russa recently did) whether or not these accumulated knocks were taking their toll on Abreu, since he entered today’s action with only a .523 OPS and one homer over his last 98 PA.  It could be that the Sox decide a 10-day IL stint is warranted even if the knee bruise isn’t overly serious, just to give Abreu some time to recharge for the second half of the season.

If Abreu does have to miss time, it would represent yet another significant loss to Chicago’s starting lineup.  The team’s entire projected starting outfield (Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Adam Eaton) are on the injured list, as well as backups Adam Engel and Billy Hamilton.  As well, second baseman Nick Madrigal’s season is already over after undergoing hamstring surgery.  After the loss in the first half of today’s doubleheader, the White Sox have dropped seven of their last eight games, reducing their lead in the AL Central to two games over the Indians.

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