Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Latest On Mike Trout’s Calf Injury

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 10:19pm CDT

One month to the day after Mike Trout suffered a right calf strain, his injury rehab is “going good, I feel great,” the star outfielder said as part of an in-game interview during tonight’s Tigers/Angels game (hat tip to Brent Maguire). Trout is looking to “hopefully start some baseball activity in the next few days and go from there,” though he stressed that he is waiting to get the green light from doctors before going ahead with any sort of running drills.

Trout’s injury carried a rough timeline of 6-8 weeks, so if Trout is indeed almost on the verge of starting baseball activities after a month, that is a good sign that he might be back on the low end of that estimated absence.

Obviously the sooner Trout is able to return the better for the Angels, who took a 33-35 record into tonight’s contest with Detroit. A recent six-game winning streak gave the Halos a winning record for the first time since May 1, though three consecutive losses has brought them back under the .500 mark. Nine games back of the division lead and seven games back of the second AL wild card spot, Anaheim needs to make up at least some of that ground by the time Trout returns to have any chance at the postseason. If not, the Angels could be deadline sellers and staring at their seven consecutive season without any playoff baseball.

2021 was on pace to be perhaps Trout’s best season yet, considering that his 194 wRC+/OPS+ at the time of his injury represented a new career best. (In baseball history, the list of players with full seasons better than 194 wRC+ is not a long one.) Trout was hitting .333/.466/.624 with eight home runs over his first 146 plate appearances, and it’s fair to guess that the Angels would be a bigger factor in the AL West race if he had been healthy over the last month, though the Halos have been a respectable 15-13 since Trout hit the injured list.

AL Injury Notes: Gleyber, Boyd, Turnbull, White

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 9:34pm CDT

Gleyber Torres made an early exit from tonight’s game due to what the Yankees described as stiffness in his left lower back. The shortstop will receive further examination tomorrow, when the Yankees return to the Bronx to open a three-game series with the Athletics. Torres took an awkward fall while fielding a Bo Bichette grounder in the third inning, and was replaced for a pinch-hitter in the top half of the fourth.

Torres has hit .260/.342/.344 over 244 plate appearances this season, working his way back up to close to league-average production (96 wRC+) after a rough April, and also a week-long absence in May due to a positive COVID-19 test. He also has a +3.7 UZR/150 and -2 Defensive Runs Saved over 505 2/3 innings at shortstop, a significant improvement with the glove after his shortstop defense has been such a point of criticism. If Torres’ back problem is serious enough to merit a visit to the injured list, Tyler Wade or Gio Urshela are the likely choices to step in at shortstop, with DJ LeMahieu or Miguel Andujar capable of stepping in at third base if Urshela changes positions.

More on other injury situations from around the American League…

Matt Boyd will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache for an examination of the Tigers southpaw’s ailing left arm, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News). More will be known once the exam takes place, though the team is already considering holding Boyd and Spencer Turnbull back until after the All-Star break. “Are we going to push these guys before the All-Star break versus utilizing the time (the four-day break) and targeting them back after the break? That’s the assessment that’s going to be done over the next couple of weeks on how we’re going to ramp these guys back up,” Hinch said. A forearm strain sent Turnbull to the IL on June 5, and while his injury wasn’t though to be overly serious, naturally the Tigers will be cautious with any forearm issue. Boyd — and perhaps Turnbull as well — figure to be trade chips for Detroit at the deadline, so while the team would surely want both hurlers to prove they’re healthy prior to July 30, there is no point in rushing them back and risking further injury.
After missing a month due to strained left hip flexor, Mariners first baseman Evan White has halted his rehab due to a setback. (Jen Mueller of Root Sports was among those to report the news.) While White could potentially return to Triple-A Tacoma within a week, it represents another delay in his sophomore season. Though White won the Gold Glove for his excellent first base defense in 2020, he has yet to hit at the big league level, with only a .165/.235/.308 slash line in 306 career plate appearances in the majors.

Brewers Notes: Wong, Fisher, Trade Deadline

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 7:56pm CDT

The Brewers have fought through a pile of injuries to post a 38-30 record, good for a tie with the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. While still far from fully healthy, the Brew Crew are starting to get closer to full strength, as outfielder Derek Fisher was activated off the 10-day injured list today. (Utilityman Tim Lopes was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.) In addition, manager Craig Counsell is “somewhat optimistic” that second baseman Kolten Wong is ready to return from his own trip to the IL.

As Counsell told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters, Wong took part in a pregame workout today. Wong hit the injured list on June 4 due to a left oblique strain, which was the second such injury the former Gold Glover has suffered this year. Wong has been limited to 44 games and 178 plate appearances due to the two IL stints, though given the nature of oblique injuries, it’s at least fortunate that both of his strains have been on the mild side, rather than more severe issues that would require months of recovery time.

Wong has been a tremendous all-around force for the Brewers, hitting .280/.343/.441 in those 178 PA while delivering more strong defense at the keystone. With Wong out, Luis Urias got most of the second base reps, before Travis Shaw’s dislocated shoulder required Urias to see more time at third base. Jace Peterson, Daniel Robertson, and Lopes have also been part of the second base picture.

Shaw is on the 60-day IL and won’t be back until at least mid-August. Urias and Daniel Vogelbach have both been around league-average hitters at third and first base, respectively, and Milwaukee is hopeful that the struggling Keston Hiura can get himself on track and again factor into the first base mix. Still, unless Urias, Vogelbach, and Hiura all really get rolling, the corner infield positions figure to be target areas for the Brewers heading into the trade deadline, FanSided’s Robert Murray writes.

The Brewers have already made one early strike into the trade market, landing Willy Adames and Trevor Richards from the Rays in exchange for righties J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen back in May. Adames has been excellent since coming to Milwaukee, filling the shortstop hole in the infield and allowing the Brew Crew with some flexibility in how they deploy Urias. Murray also writes that the Brewers will look to add relief help at the deadline, likely to fill in the depth left by the absences of Feyereisen and Rasmussen.

Fisher could also provide some help, as the outfielder is finally healthy after spending the entire season on the IL. After being acquired in a trade from the Blue Jays in February, Fisher picked up a hamstring injury during Spring Training, and then a calf injury while rehabbing in the minors. Lorenzo Cain and Tyrone Taylor are both on the injured list, so Fisher steps right in as Milwaukee’s primary backup outfielder.

Rockies Place Mychal Givens On 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 7:06pm CDT

The Rockies placed right-hander Mychal Givens on the 10-day injured list due to a strain in his left lower back, the team announced. Right-hander Justin Lawrence was called up from Triple-A to take Givens’ spot on the active roster.

Givens has a 2.78 ERA/3.98 SIERA over 22 2/3 innings for Colorado this season, with an above-average 26.6% strikeout rate but an 11.7% walk rate that sits only in the 19th percentile of all pitchers. In short, it isn’t much different from Givens’ usual performance over his seven MLB seasons, as he has missed his share of bats while running into control issues through 368 career innings for the Orioles and Rockies.

One notable difference is that Givens is making his changeup a far bigger part of his arsenal this season — after a 69.6%/9.8% split between his fastball and change prior to 2021, Givens has thrown his heater only 45.2% of the time this season, and increased his changeup usage to 39.9%. While Givens hasn’t gotten great results from his changeup specifically, his four-seamer has become a more effective pitch, after it had been getting hit increasingly harder over the last few years.

Baltimore sent Givens to Colorado in a deadline deal last August, and the righty again seemed like an obvious trade candidate on a Rockies team that will almost surely be selling by July 30. Givens is scheduled for free agency after the season, and on a salary of slightly more than $4MM, he’d be an inexpensive add for a team in need of bullpen help. (Givens would only have about $1.38MM remaining in owed salary if dealt on July 30.) However, an injury could certainly throw a wrench into those plans, especially considering the vague nature of some back injuries.

Mike Moustakas Re-Aggravates Heel Injury

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 6:22pm CDT

Reds infielder Mike Moustakas has been on the injured list since May 19 due to a right heel contusion, and his recovery has now hit a setback. Manager David Bell told reporters (including The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale) that Moustakas re-aggravated his initial injury and is back wearing a walking boot.

It’s a tough turn of events for Moustakas, who just began a minor league rehab assignment this week and was seemingly closing in on a return to the field. Bell did note that Moustakas’s heel issue didn’t involve a tear in his plantar fasciitis, though more will be known about Moustakas’ status (such as a possible recovery timeline) when he is re-evaluated next week.

Due to both this injury and a minimal 10-day IL stint due to illness in April, The Moose has only played in 28 games this season. Moustakas has hit .241/.337/.437 over 102 plate appearances in his second season with the Reds, this year playing only at third base and first base after Cincinnati experimented with him as an everyday second baseman in 2020. While Moustakas has been an above-average hitter (102 OPS+, 110 wRC+) thus far, his hard-contact numbers are down and his .335 wOBA is significantly higher than his .296 wOBA, though it is hard to draw any real conclusion over a sample size of only 102 PA.

The Reds are on a six-game winning streak, bringing their record to 35-31 and within two games of the NL Central lead. A healthy Moustakas would be a nice boost to a team that is planning to contend for another postseason berth, and Moustakas’ return would likely see Eugenio Suarez moved from third base back to shortstop. Suarez and regular shortstop Kyle Farmer have been the two weakest links in a Reds lineup that is among the league’s best in several batting categories.

Blue Jays Place Rafael Dolis On 10-Day IL, Select Jared Hoying

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 5:36pm CDT

The Blue Jays announced some roster moves prior to tonight’s game with the Yankees, including the news that right-hander Rafael Dolis has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right middle finger strain. In addition, outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been placed on the paternity list. Filling the roster spots will be right-hander T.J. Zeuch (called up from Triple-A to start tonight’s game) and outfielder Jared Hoying, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A. Carl Edwards Jr. has been moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot for Hoying.

The injury continues a tough season for Dolis, who has a 5.14 ERA/4.86 SIERA over 21 innings. After overcoming some notable control issues (14% walk rate) to post a 1.50 ERA over 24 frames for Toronto in 2020, the free passes became even more of a problem this year, with Dolis walking 17.3% of all batters faced. That is the ninth-highest walk rate of any hurler in baseball this season with at least 20 innings pitched.

Zeuch will get the start in place of Steven Matz, who is recovering from a positive (but asymptomatic) COVID-19 test. Since the Jays have an off-day on Monday, this could potentially be the only game they need to fill if Matz is able to return as quickly as possible, though Zeuch could put himself in line for another start with a solid performance tonight. The 25-year-old righty has 46 career MLB innings to his record since 2019, including a 6.75 ERA over 12 frames of work this season. Zeuch has been used as a starter, reliever, and bulk pitcher (behind an opener) during his brief career, so the Blue Jays have some flexibility in how they’ll use him as Matz’s replacement.

Hoying signed a minor league contract with Toronto in May, and he now might be lined up for his first bit of big league action since 2017. Hoying’s MLB resume consists of 74 games and a .220/.262/.288 slash line over 126 plate appearances with the Rangers in 2016-17. After a brief stay in the Angels organization on a minor league deal, Hoying joined the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO, hitting .284/.345/.498 over 1249 PA in parts of three seasons in South Korea.

White Sox Place Adam Eaton On 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 5:08pm CDT

The White Sox placed outfielder Adam Eaton the 10-day injured list today due to a strained right hamstring. The placement is retroactive to June 15. Right-hander Zack Burdi was promoted from Triple-A to take Eaton’s spot on the active roster.

With Eaton sidelined, this means that Chicago’s entire projected Opening Day outfield is now on the injured list. While Eaton’s hamstring problem doesn’t seem nearly as serious as the injuries that have sidelined Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert for the bulk of the season, it does underline how the Sox have managed to adapt and thrive despite these significant setbacks. In particular, hamstring and leg injuries have struck several White Sox players this season, with GM Rick Hahn recently discussing about how the team has been trying to figure out if there is any sort of root cause behind this unusual recurring issue.

Originally a member of the White Sox from 2014-16, Eaton returned to the Windy City this offseason after signing a one-year free agent deal worth $8MM in guaranteed money (including the $1MM buyout of an $8.5MM club option the Sox hold on Eaton for 2022). The results haven’t been good at the plate, as Eaton is hitting .195/.296/.345 over 203 plate appearances and his 25.1% strikeout rate is the highest of his career.

With Eaton gone, the Sox have Andrew Vaughn, Adam Engel, and Brian Goodwin as their starting outfield, with Jake Lamb and Leury Garcia able to fill in as part-timers. Outfield already seemed like a target area for the White Sox at the trade deadline given the uncertainty over Jimenez and Robert, and if Eaton ends up having to miss more time beyond the 10-day minimum, the club could be inspired to make a move sooner rather than later to shore up depth.

Cardinals Sign Wade LeBlanc

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 4:21pm CDT

The Cardinals announced the signing of left-hander Wade LeBlanc. The deal is apparently a Major League contract, as LeBlanc will move directly onto the Cards’ active roster. In corresponding moves, right-hander Seth Elledge was optioned to Triple-A, and infielder Max Moroff was moved from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

LeBlanc is now lined up to pitch for the ninth different team of his 13-season MLB career. LeBlanc was also briefly a member of the Brewers and Rangers organizations within the last two months, signing minor league contracts with both clubs but not receiving a promotion to the majors.

This transactional carousel began after the Orioles outrighted LeBlanc in April, and the veteran southpaw decided to become a free agent. The move ended a tough two-year stint for LeBlanc in Baltimore that saw him post an 8.38 ERA over 29 innings, with LeBlanc starting seven of his 12 total appearances in the black-and-orange.

St. Louis manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat and The Athletic’s Katie Woo) that the Cardinals will mostly use LeBlanc as a relief pitcher. While LeBlanc’s recent results don’t exactly indicate a quick fix for a struggling Cards bullpen, he can at least provide the team with some depth as a long man, and perhaps even as a spot starter in the event of more injuries within the rotation. LeBlanc’s splits against left-handed batters have still been generally good, so a more situational usage — within the boundaries of the three-batter rule — might be the more optimal way to deploy the southpaw at this stage of his career.

“He’s got versatility. He’s not overly splitty, throws strikes to both righties and lefties. But he’s built up, he’s got some length,” Shildt said.

NPB’s Orix Buffaloes Sign Rangel Ravelo

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2021 at 3:57pm CDT

First baseman/outfielder Rangel Ravelo has signed with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to reporters Francys Romero and Yusseff Diaz (Twitter link). Ravelo had previously been on a minor league contract with the Dodgers, but the two sides worked out a deal for Orix to purchase Ravelo’s rights earlier this week.

As noted by Romero, there was some expectation that Ravelo would receive a promotion to the Dodgers’ big league roster, considering that Ravelo was crushing Triple-A pitching. The 29-year-old had a .407/.504/.758 slash line and eight homers over 113 plate appearances for the Oklahoma City affiliate, though the Dodgers didn’t turn to Ravelo even after multiple injuries created opening on the MLB roster.

Ravelo will now head to Japan for a new chapter in his 12-year professional career. A sixth-round pick for the White Sox in the 2010 draft, Ravelo was part of one of the more notable trades in recent Athletics history — Ravelo, Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, and Josh Phegley all went to Oakland in December 2014 while Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa were sent to Chicago. Ravelo didn’t reach the majors until 2019 as a member of the Cardinals, however, and Ravelo hit .189/.250/.351 over 84 PA with St. Louis in 2019-20. After being non-tendered by the Cards last winter, Ravelo signed on with Los Angeles.

Nationals Place Starlin Castro On Restricted List, Call Up Luis Garcia

By Mark Polishuk | June 16, 2021 at 10:59pm CDT

12:42PM: Castro went on the restricted list because he is “dealing with a family matter which requires his immediate attention,” a source tells Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

11:23AM: The Nationals announced that infielder Starlin Castro has been placed on the restricted list. Infielder Luis Garcia has been called up from Triple-A to take Castro’s spot on the 26-man roster.

No further details were released about Castro’s situation, though he didn’t play in last night’s game against the Pirates. After his debut season with the Nats in 2020 was cut short by a broken wrist, Castro has struggled to a .239/.287/.312 slash line over 254 plate appearances this season. Castro’s .266 wOBA is one of the lowest in the league and his .296 xwOBA isn’t much better, as the veteran isn’t making much hard contact whatsoever.

Castro has played almost every inning at third base for Washington this season, so depending on how long he is absent, the Nats will have a major hole to fill in their lineup. Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, or Garcia could all get some playing time at the hot corner while Castro is gone. Garcia hasn’t hit much over 152 career PA in the big leagues, but the former top-100 prospect has been swinging the bat well at Triple-A Rochester this season, hitting .270/.336/.478 with seven homers in 128 PA.

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