Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Tommy La Stella Suffers Hand Fracture

By Mark Polishuk | June 27, 2021 at 5:36pm CDT

Giants infielder Tommy La Stella’s minor league rehab assignment has been delayed due to a new injury, as MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (Twitter link) was among to report that La Stella suffered a small fracture in his throwing hand. La Stella jammed his thumb while taking grounders, resulting in the fracture, and he will now be shut down for two weeks before restarting baseball activities.

This setback will extend what has already been a lengthy absence for La Stella, who went on the 10-day injured list (and was eventually moved to the 60-day IL) due to a left hamstring strain back on May 4. This IL stint was nearing an end, as he had just started his rehab games before suffering his thumb injury. La Stella’s earliest possible return date now looks to be July 16, the Giants’ first game after the All-Star break, though even that date is likely tentative given the sometimes tricky nature of hand-related injuries.

The Giants made a notable investment in La Stella during the offseason, inking the veteran to a three-year, $18.75MM deal that stands as the club’s priciest free agent contract since Farhan Zaidi became president of baseball operations. While many of Zaidi’s other moves have worked out extremely well for the first-place Giants, La Stella has yet to get out of the blocks this season, as he was hitting only .235/.297/.353 over his first 75 plate appearances.

That small sample size aside, however, the 32-year-old La Stella has been an above-average hitter for much of his career, and he’ll represent a boost to San Francisco’s depth when he is able to get back onto the field. La Stella had played only second and third base for the Giants prior to his injury, though with Brandon Belt facing a potentially lengthy IL absence, La Stella might eventually be worked into the first base mix.

MRI Reveals No UCL Damage For Reds’ Tejay Antone

By Mark Polishuk | June 27, 2021 at 10:02am CDT

JUNE 27: In encouraging news, Antone told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer and C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic) that an MRI revealed no damage to his UCL. The righty suggested he’s targeting a return immediately after the All-Star break, although he’ll be shut down from throwing for the moment.

JUNE 26: The Reds announced that right-hander Tejay Antone has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a right forearm strain. Left-hander Cionel Perez was recalled from Triple-A Louisville in the corresponding move.

Antone only just returned earlier this week from an 11-day stint on the injured list due to inflammation in that same forearm. It certainly isn’t a good sign that the righty is so quickly headed back to the IL with what looks like an even more serious forearm issue, especially since Antone already has a Tommy John surgery in his health history. It certainly looks like Antone will miss more than just a minimal amount of time with his latest injury, as the Reds will want to be as cautious as possible in avoiding any more serious damage.

In part because of that earlier TJ procedure that wiped out his 2017 season, Antone didn’t make his Major League debut until 2020, but he has made up for lost time with some impressive numbers. Over 69 innings in the big leagues, Antone has a 2.22 ERA/3.32 SIERA, 32.5% strikeout rate, and 48% grounder rate. While a .194 BABIP has helped minimize the damage from all those ground balls, Antone also isn’t allowing much hard contact.

There was some speculation in Spring Training that Antone could win a rotation job, though a minor hip injury scuttled that idea and placed him in the Reds’ bullpen. It ended up working out for the best, given that Antone has been more or less the only consistent arm in a very shaky Cincinnati relief corps. Even with Antone’ s 1.60 ERA over 33 2/3 relief innings this season, the Reds bullpen ranks last in the majors in ERA. Assuming Antone misses a noteworthy amount of time recovering from this forearm strain, it will put even more pressure on the Reds’ front office to land some bullpen help before the July 30 trade deadline.

Mike Soroka To Undergo Season-Ending Achilles Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 10:50pm CDT

11:53AM: While an official recovery timeline won’t be known until after the surgery, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter) estimates that Soroka will be out for a full year, until July 2022.

11:11AM: Braves right-hander Mike Soroka will undergo surgery to fix a torn Achilles tendon, the team announced (Twitter links). This will be the second season-ending Achilles procedure in as many years for Soroka, as according to the Braves’ announcement, he suffered “a complete re-tear of the tendon” while walking to the team’s clubhouse on Thursday.

It is another brutal turn of events for Soroka, who already underwent exploratory surgery on his Achilles back in May. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker initially thought Soroka would be done for the season after that surgery, though more recent reports had the team hopeful that the righty could return to action some time in August.

The 23-year-old Soroka was a breakout star of the 2019 season, posting a 2.68 ERA, 20.3% strikeout rate, and 51.2% grounder rate over 174 2/3 innings en route to finishing second in NL Rookie Of The Year voting and sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Just when it seemed as though Soroka had established himself as one of baseball’s top young arms, however, he tore his Achilles while covering first base on a fielding play during a game on August 3, 2020, ending his season after just three starts.

Between some shoulder inflammation and the May surgery, Soroka hasn’t pitched since that fateful August 3 game, and in the wake of these repeated major Achilles injuries, it is fair to wonder just when he might able to get back to action. A return by Opening Day 2022 doesn’t seem likely, as an increased amount of rehab and recovery will undoubtedly be required after this second surgery.

Soroka is under team control through the 2024 season, as he still has three years of arbitration eligibility remaining due to earning Super Two status. Despite tossing only 13 2/3 innings in 2020, Soroka still won an arbitration case with the Braves this past offseason, earning him a $2.8MM salary for 2021 in his first time through the arb process. He’ll be projected to earn that same salary for 2022, so there isn’t much of a chance Atlanta would non-tender Soroka given the low price tag and his big upside if he is able to stay healthy.

In the shorter term, the Braves now know they won’t be getting Soroka back as a late-season rotation boost. Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson, and Drew Smyly comprise Atlanta’s current top three, with Max Fried expected to return this week from a blister. Huascar Ynoa (broken hand) and Tucker Davidson (forearm inflammation) are both on the 60-day IL and won’t be back until August, while the likes of Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson, and Kyle Muller haven’t distinguished themselves in starting roles. It’s safe to assume Atlanta was looking for starting pitching help even prior to today’s news about Soroka, though with a 36-39 record, the Braves will have to start stringing together some wins over the next month to ensure that they’ll be buyers whatsoever at the trade deadline.

Pirates To Promote Max Kranick

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 5:15pm CDT

5:15 PM: Right-hander Geoff Hartlieb will be optioned to Triple-A tomorrow to make room for Kranick, tweets Mackey. The 27-year-old has appeared three times out of the pen, struggling with his control, issuing five free passes en route to four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. Control was Hartlieb’s bugaboo last season as well when he walked 18.8 percent of opposing hitters in 22 1/3 innings.

1:06 PM: The Pirates will promote right-hander Max Kranick to the majors tomorrow, according to Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports. Kranick will make his MLB debut as the Pirates’ starting pitcher for their game against the Cardinals. (Mackey also shared the amusing way that Triple-A manager Brian Esposito and pitching coach Joel Hanrahan told Kranick about the promotion in prank form.)

A Pennsylvania product born in Scranton, Kranick was an 11th-round pick for the Bucs in the 2016 draft, as the team went well above slot price to land him at a $300K bonus. He has started 54 of 58 career games in the minors, posting a 3.47 ERA over 280 overall innings, and he reached both the Double-A and Triple-A levels for the first time this season. Kranick has a cumulative 4.37 ERA, 24.65% strikeout rate, and 6.16% walk rate over 35 total innings (19 1/3 at Triple-A, 15 2/3 at Double-A) in 2021.

“While he doesn’t have one pitch that jumps off the page, Kranick does have good feel and has shown an ability to throw strikes with all of them,” according to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, with Pipeline ranking him as the 26th-best prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system. His fastball has the highest grade (55 on the 20-80 scouting scale) of any of his three offerings, and Kranick regularly hits the 94mph plateau with the ability to get up to 98mph on occasion.

Since the Pirates are firmly in rebuild mode, taking a look at a 23-year-old arm fits right into the organization’s plans about focusing on the future. Room opened up in the rotation when Trevor Cahill was placed on the injured list and Mitch Keller was optioned to the minors, so it makes sense that the Bucs would take a shot with Kranick after his solid (if unspectacular) showing at Triple-A.

White Sox Reinstate Jace Fry, Outright Alex McRae

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 2:56pm CDT

The White Sox have reinstated Jace Fry from the 60-day injured list and optioned the left-hander to Triple-A Charlotte. To create room on the 40-man roster, righty Alex McRae was outrighted to Triple-A.

Fry underwent back surgery (a microdiscectomy, specifically) during the offseason and has spent the entire season on the 60-day IL while recovering and getting ramped up to pitch. The early returns have looked good, as Fry has a 2.08 ERA over 13 Triple-A innings thus far, albeit with eight walks in those 13 frames.

Control has been an issue over Fry’s 132 2/3 career MLB innings, as he has a 13.7% walk rate over four seasons with the White Sox. Fry has a 4.75 ERA but a respectable 4.05 SIERA, as his 50.5% grounder rate and 28.3% strikeout rate have helped to somewhat limit the damage from his free passes. Fry has been very effective against left-handed batters, who are hitting just .184/.302/.257 in 243 plate appearances against the 27-year-old Oregon State product.

McRae has appeared in each of the last four Major League seasons, with the last two in the White Sox organization. He has amassed only five total innings in a Chicago uniform, and since he has been outrighted three times in his career, he has the option of electing free agency rather than accepting his latest outright assignment. McRae has a 7.34 ERA over 38 career innings with the White Sox and Pirates.

Orioles Return Rule 5 Pick Mac Sceroler To Reds

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 2:28pm CDT

The Orioles have returned right-hander Mac Sceroler to the Reds organization. The Orioles selected Sceroler away from the Reds with the fifth pick of last December’s Rule 5 draft, but after Baltimore designated Sceroler for assignment earlier this week, the O’s had to offer him back to Cincinnati when no team claimed Scheroler off waivers.

Prior to this season, Sceroler had never pitched above the high-A level since being a fifth-round pick for Cincinnati in the 2017 amateur draft. Sceroler had to spent the entire 2021 season on the Orioles’ active roster for the team to officially secure his rights, but he ended up pitching in just five MLB games due to spending almost two months on the injured list with right shoulder tendinitis.

Sceroler’s first taste of the majors didn’t go well, as he posted a 14.09 ERA over 7 2/3 innings, with seven walks and six home runs allowed in that brief sample size. He’ll now head to the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, though it’s worth noting that Sceroler also struggled (16.62 ERA) in 4 1/3 innings for Baltimore’s Triple-A team while he was rehabbing his shoulder this season.

The Orioles have traditionally made frequent use of the Rule 5 Draft to add young talent to the roster, with Anthony Santander, T.J. McFarland, Ryan Flaherty, and Joey Rickard the most notable names acquired via the Rule 5. Right-hander Tyler Wells is the lone remaining 2020 selection who is still on Baltimore’s active roster, and Wells has looked quite good in his rookie season, posting a 4.01 ERA, 31.3% strikeout rate and 6.0% walk rate over 33 2/3 innings out of the Orioles’ pen.

Latest On Josh Bell

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 1:30pm CDT

TODAY: Bell is in the Nationals’ lineup today after getting good results from the MRI. “He said he feels fine. We’ll monitor how the game goes with him today, but right now he looks good,” Martinez told MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato and other reporters.

JUNE 24: Josh Bell was a late scratch from the Nationals lineup tonight, and manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post) that the first baseman is feeling soreness in his right side. Since Bell’s issue is in his oblique area, the Nats sat him for precautionary reasons, and Bell will undergo an MRI tomorrow.

Bell is the latest in a seemingly unending stream of players dealing with side muscle/oblique injuries this season, and he has dealt with a similar injury in the past. A minor left oblique strain sent Bell to the 10-day injured list back in 2018, though only for a minimal stint.

Acquired from the Pirates in a trade on Christmas Eve, Bell didn’t officially begin his Nationals tenure until April 12, as he was one of several players sidelined by a COVID-19 outbreak on the Washington roster. He then struggled to a .487 OPS over his first 91 plate appearances, though Bell proceeded to catch fire, hitting .298/.360/.544 with seven home runs over his past 125 PA.

While more will be known about Bell’s status after the MRI, it would obviously be a real setback for the surging Nats if Bell was lost to the injured list. Veteran Ryan Zimmerman is the top candidate to play first base in Bell’s absence, though since Zimmerman has stated how he feels he can be more productive by not playing full time, the Nationals might prefer to keep Zimmerman as part of a platoon. The left-handed hitting Gerardo Parra has first base experience, so a Parra/Zimmerman combo could hold the fort if Bell is sidelined, with Jordy Mercer also available for the odd bit of playing time.

Rays Place Josh Fleming On 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 12:13pm CDT

The Rays announced that left-hander Josh Fleming has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain. Right-hander Louis Head has been called up from Triple-A to take Fleming’s roster spot.

Fleming has worked as both a traditional starter and as a bulk pitcher this season, such as last night’s 4-3 Tampa win over the Angels —- after opener Andrew Kittredge handled the first two innings, Fleming allowed one unearned run over 3 2/3 innings of work. If Fleming misses only the 10-day minimum, the Rays might not need a replacement for his spot in the rotation whatsoever, as the club has off-days on both Monday and Thursday of next week.

A fifth-round pick for the Rays in the 2017 draft, Fleming made his MLB debut last season and has posted a 3.19 ERA over 98 2/3 career innings in the bigs. Fleming is an extreme groundball pitcher with a 60.7% grounder rate during his brief time in the Show, as he doesn’t miss many bats (16.4% strikeout rate) or possess a big fastball, preferring to throw his changeup and cutter over half the time. While Fleming has benefited from a .239 BABIP and the Rays’ strong defense behind him, his 3.98 SIERA indicates that he is still providing solid overall performance.

KBO’s KT Wiz Sign Jared Hoying

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 10:13am CDT

The KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization have signed outfielder Jared Hoying to a contract for the rest of the 2021, the team announced (hat tip to reporter Daniel Kim). Hoying elected to become a free agent after the Blue Jays outrighted him off their 40-man roster earlier this week.

Hoying is no stranger to the KBO, as he hit .284/.345/.498 with 52 homers and 50 steals (in 69 chances) over 1249 plate appearances with the Hanwha Eagles from 2018-20. After signing a minor league deal with Toronto in May, he ended up playing in two games for the Jays, representing Hoying’s first MLB action since the 2017 season when he was a member of the Rangers.

Originally a 10th-round pick for the Rangers in the 2010 draft, Hoying hit .220/.262/.288 over 126 PA with Texas in 2016-17, and then spent a bit of time in the Angels organization before signing with the Eagles prior to the 2018 campaign.

NL Central Notes: Senzel, Gant, Cardinals, Cubs, Hoerner

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2021 at 9:16am CDT

It’s going to be longer than originally expected before the Reds get Nick Senzel back on the field, as manager David Bell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon) that Senzel isn’t likely to be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as he is immediately eligible. “I would think towards the end of July before we would see him back here,” Bell said. “That’s a bit of a guess, but just because there’s not an exact clear day right now. He’s definitely progressing the right way, but it’s just taken some time.”

Senzel was initially placed on the 10-day IL on May 21 and he underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery five days later, with Cincinnati shifting him to the 60-day IL in June when an 40-man roster spot was required. The 60-day placement backdates to May 21, so Senzel would have been eligible to return just after the All-Star break. While pushing Senzel’s return date back from mid-July to late July isn’t a huge delay on paper, it does represent even more lost time for a player who has unfortunately become an injured-list regular during his young career. On the plus side, Senzel has already started some light baseball activities, such as pre-game throwing over the last few days.

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