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Corey Seager Out At Least Four Weeks, Will Not Require Surgery On Broken Hand

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MAY 16, 2:07 pm: Fortunately, Seager will not require surgery, Roberts announced this afternoon (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). His specific timetable for a potential return remains unclear, although he will miss at least a month, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. In the interim, Gavin Lux will be Los Angeles’ primary shortstop. Seager fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand, Roberts said (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). The Dodgers are recalling catcher Keibert Ruiz to take his place on the active roster.

MAY 16, 1:21 am: X-rays revealed a fractured right hand for Seager, manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters post-game.  Seager will be placed on the 10-day IL prior to Sunday’s game, and the timetable for his return isn’t yet clear.

MAY 15: Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager left tonight’s game in the fifth inning after being hit in the right hand/wrist area by a pitch from Marlins southpaw Ross Detwiler.  Seager was immediately removed and didn’t take first base, as Sheldon Neuse replaced Seager as a pinch-runner.

There isn’t yet any word on the severity of Seager’s injury, though even a day-to-day type of absence wouldn’t be good news for a Dodger team that already has plenty of key personnel on the injured list.  Just today, AJ Pollock joined such names as Cody Bellinger, Tony Gonsolin, David Price, Brusdar Graterol, Scott Alexander, and Zach McKinstry on the short-term IL, while Dustin May and Edwin Rios have suffered season-ending injuries.  Losing Seager would be a particularly tough blow considering both his status as one of the game’s best shortstops, and because the Dodgers’ depth at the position is already thinned by the absence of utilityman McKinstry.

In the event of a lengthy absence for Seager, Chris Taylor or Gavin Lux would likely take the reins at shortstop, though moving Taylor out of center field could require Mookie Betts to shift over to center and thus open up a space in right field.  A cleaner move would be Lux to shortstop, Max Muncy to second base and an Albert Pujols/Yoshi Tsutsugo combination at first base, though Lux has struggled badly at the plate this season.  Fortunately for Los Angeles, Bellinger and McKinstry are both close to beginning rehab assignments, though that wouldn’t help in the short term if Seager is out.

Seager is hitting .265/.361/.422 with four home runs over his first 169 plate appearances of the season.  Though his 121 wRC+ is down from the 152 wRC+ posted over 232 PA in 2020, a Seager who stays healthy and productive throughout the season will be well-positioned to be one of the top free agents of the 2021-22 offseason.

Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto Day-To-Day With Injuries

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10:28PM: If losing Harper wasn’t enough, J.T. Realmuto is also day-to-day after re-aggravating his left wrist injury, manager Joe Girardi told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber and other reporters.  Realmuto was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of tonight’s game.  Realmuto missed two games earlier this month with what was described as an issue with his left hand.  Girardi is doubtful either Harper (whose shoulder problem emerged in Saturday’s game) or Realmuto will be available tomorrow.

8:55PM: Bryce Harper left the Phillies’ game with the Blue Jays tonight due to right shoulder soreness, the Phils announced.  Harper struck out swinging in both of his at-bats, and he was replaced by Scott Kingery in right field when the Phillies took the field for the bottom of the fourth inning.

This is the latest injury to hamper Harper this season, as he has previously missed time due to back soreness, a balky wrist, and (most concerning) after being hit in the face by a Genesis Cabrera fastball back on April 28.  Harper has missed eight games due to these issues but hasn’t had to hit the injured list, and thus hasn’t any major interruption in what has been an outstanding season for the 28-year-old.

Harper is hitting .313/.442/.571 with seven home runs over his first 138 plate appearances, good for a spectacular 173 wRC+.  While there’s obviously a long way to go in the 2021 season (and an injury could change the equation for Harper entirely), this represents Harper’s best wRC+ since his 197 number in his 2015 MVP season.

It remains to be seen if Harper’s injury will result in an IL stint, and naturally there isn’t an easy way for the Phils to truly replace his offensive production.  Mickey Moniak, Travis Jankowski, and Ryan Cordell are among the top outfield options at Triple-A, and Kingery is available on the big league bench.  Roman Quinn and Matt Joyce are both on the IL themselves, further thinning Philadelphia’s outfield depth.

Dodgers Acquire Yoshi Tsutsugo From Rays

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The Dodgers have acquired infielder Yoshi Tsutsugo from the Rays in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.  Infielder Edwin Rios was moved to the 60-day injured list to create roster space for Tsutsugo.

The Rays designated Tsutsugo for assignment last Tuesday, and today’s trade closes the book on an overall disappointing 18-month tenure for Tsutsugo in Tampa Bay.  Signed to a two-year, $12MM free agent deal in the 2019-20 offseason, Tsutsugo hit .197/.314/.395 over 185 plate appearances last season, and had only two hits over 16 PA during Tampa’s postseason run.  The 29-year-old followed that rookie season up with a rough .167/.244/.218 slash line in 87 PA this season, which prompted the Rays to send Tsutsugo to the DFA wire.

Tsutsugo is still owed roughly $5.49MM of his original $7MM salary for the 2021 season, and according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), the Dodgers will cover slightly more than $430K — the prorated share of the minimum salary.  This means the Rays will eat the roughly $5MM remaining of Tsutsugo’s salary, making his contract a fairly costly mistake considering the team’s low spending habts.

After years of big numbers with NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars, Tsutsugo drew plenty of attention when he was posted by the BayStars in the winter of 2019-20.  The Dodgers weren’t one of the teams known to have interest in Tsutsugo’s services, but their interest could have been piqued given their current needs.

Tsutsugo has played third base, first base, and left field for Tampa Bay, so he fits the Dodgers’ preferred model as a multi-position player (the team’s signing of Albert Pujols notwithstanding).  While L.A. already has a number of left-handed hitting options, Tsutsugo is something of a more experienced option due to his time in Japan, even if he has relatively little time in Major League Baseball.  Tsutsugo could be seen as something of a straight replacement for Rios, another lefty bat with corner infield and corner outfield experience.  Rios will miss the remainder of the season due to surgery on his right shoulder.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/15/21

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The latest minor league moves from around baseball…

  • The Pirates outrighted Hunter Owen to Triple-A, the team announced.  The outfielder was designated for assignment earlier this week.  A 25th-round pick for the Pirates in the 2016 draft, Owen made his MLB debut this season, and is still looking for his first hit after five plate appearances over three games.
  • Right-hander Luis Madero cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate.  The Marlins designated Madero for assignment earlier this week, and he had the option of becoming a free agent since he had previously been outrighted during his career, back in February 2020 when he was a member of the Giants.  After signing a minor league contract with Miami in the offseason, Madero made his MLB debut by pitching three innings over two appearances this season.

D’Backs Prospect Corbin Carroll To Miss Rest Of 2021 Season

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Diamondbacks outfield prospect Corbin Carroll will undergo shoulder surgery that will keep him out of action for the remainder of the 2021 season, MLB Pipeline’s William Boor reports.  The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (via Twitter) adds the detail that Carroll injured his shoulder while hitting a home run — presumably the solo homer Carroll hit on May 10, in his last game with the high-A level Hillsboro Hops.

Selected with the 16th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Carroll has hit .316/.428/.542 over his first 215 plate appearances in pro ball.  Between this injury and the canceled 2020 minor league season, Carroll will lose two critical years of development, though Buchanan notes that the 20-year-old Carroll was seen as being “already ahead of the curve.”

Carroll is the consensus pick as the top prospect in Arizona’s farm system, and one of the better minor leaguers in all of baseball.  Fangraphs ranks him 20th on their top prospects list, and Carroll also has high finishes on top-100 rankings from Keith Law (23rd), Baseball America (34th) and MLB.com (38th).

Carroll is already considered to be big league-ready as a center field-capable defender and a baserunner with 70-grade speed, and is seen as a future leadoff man due to his on-base skills and contact-oriented approach at the plate.  “So exceptional are Carroll’s hand-eye coordination and barrel accuracy, especially for his age, that he now has among the best hit tool projections in the minors,” according to Fangraphs’ scouting report.

Injury Updates: Yelich, Choi, Dickerson, Solano, Yaz, Smeltzer

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Christian Yelich began a Triple-A rehab assignment yesterday, playing three innings in left field and receiving two plate appearances.  Back problems have led to two separate injured-list placements for Yelich this season, and limited him to only 10 games and 41 PA for the Brewers.  It isn’t yet clear how long Yelich’s rehab assignment will last before he rejoins the Brew Crew, though manager Craig Counsell is hopeful “we’re in a really good place right now” in terms of getting Yelich fully recovered.

“We’re hoping we’ve turned the corner here,” Counsell told MLB.com’s Sterling Bright and other reporters.  “These are all little signs, and the most important thing we’re going to find out is [how he feels] after the game, and when he wakes up in the morning, and as we kind of move forward here playing back-to-back, and things like that.”

More on other injury situations from around baseball…

  • Ji-Man Choi was activated from the 10-day injured list today, though the first baseman didn’t make an appearance in the Rays’ 12-5 victory over the Mets.  Choi underwent arthroscopic knee surgery just prior to Opening Day and thus has yet to make his 2021 debut.  Choi (who celebrates his 30th birthday on Wednesday) has hit a cool .257/.359/.461 with 30 home runs over 821 PA since being acquired by Tampa Bay in July 2018.  Now that he is healthy, Choi is expected to assume his usual role as Tampa’s primary first base/DH option against right-handed pitching, with Yandy Diaz taking over against left-handed pitchers.
  • The Giants could soon be getting some reinforcements from the IL, as manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including The San Francisco Chronicle’s Steve Kroner) that Alex Dickerson is within a few days of returning.  Dickerson was placed on the 10-day IL on May 7 due to a right shoulder impingement, so Sunday is the earliest the outfielder could return to action.  Donovan Solano is also slated to play five innings as part of a Triple-A rehab assignment today, as the infielder is working his way back from a right calf strain that sidelined him on April 21.
  • Mike Yastrzemski isn’t in today’s Giants lineup, as Kapler said the outfielder’s left side is “pretty sore” after colliding with the outfield wall in pursuit of an Adam Frazier triple in yesterday’s game.  Kapler didn’t think the injury was particularly serious, though Yastrzemski has already missed some time this season due to a minor oblique strain in his left side.  After a slow start to the season, Yastrzemski’s bat is beginning to heat up, and he is up to a .216/.316/.461 slash line (111 OPS+, 118 OPS+) through 117 plate appearances.
  • Twins left-hander Devin Smeltzer hit the 10-day IL Wednesday due to left elbow inflammation, and it will be “a matter of weeks” before Smeltzer is ready to return, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).  Tests on Smeltzer’s elbow revealed no ligament issues but some nerve irritation.  Baldelli said there hadn’t yet been any discussion about moving Smeltzer to the 60-day IL, which would keep the southpaw out of action until after the All-Star break.  Smeltzer has spent most of the last three seasons being shuttled back and forth between the Twins’ roster and either their Triple-A team or alternate training site.  He has appeared in only one game for Minnesota this season, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a 6-2 loss to the Pirates back on April 24.

Brewers Select Hoby Milner, Option Eric Lauer

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The Brewers have selected the contract of left-hander Hoby Milner, the team announced.  Milner will take the place of Eric Lauer on the active roster, as Lauer was optioned to Triple-A.

The move could essentially just be a way for Milwaukee to get a fresh arm in the bullpen, as Lauer threw 55 pitches over three innings in yesterday’s 6-3 loss to the Braves.  Lauer’s future also won’t be in the bullpen, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy notes that the team plans to stretch Lauer out as a starter since the Brew Crew will be adopting a six-man rotation for the upcoming stretch of the schedule.

Lauer has already made two starts for Milwaukee this season, to go along with two relief appearances.  The southpaw has a very solid 2.81 ERA/3.23 SIERA over 16 innings this season, as well as an above-average 24.6% strikeout rate and an outstanding 3.1% walk rate.  On the down side, Lauer has allowed five home runs over those 16 innings.

Milner signed a minors contract with the Brewers last winter and now looks to get some action in his fifth MLB season.  The lefty has a 4.53 ERA over 55 2/3 career innings with the Phillies, Rays, and Angels, with most of that experience coming in the form of 31 1/3 frames for Philadelphia in his 2017 rookie season.  Milner has struggled since that first year, despite doing a good job of limiting hard contact.

Todd Frazier Elects Free Agency

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MAY 13: Frazier has elected free agency, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette tweets.

MAY 10: The Pirates announced that infielder Todd Frazier has been designated for assignment.  Ben Gamel, recently claimed off waivers from the Indians, will take Frazier’s spot on Pittsburgh’s roster.

“The Toddfather” initially signed a minor league deal with the Pirates during the offseason, then opted out of that contract near the end of Spring Training only to re-sign with the club a few days later.  Frazier did end up seeing some time on the Bucs’ big league roster, but he hit only .086/.200/.114 over 40 plate appearances.

Despite this lack of offense, the timing of Frazier’s DFA comes at something of an unexpected moment, given that Colin Moran was just placed on the 10-day injured list and Bryan Reynolds is also day-to-day with an unspecified lower-body injury.  Gamel can fill in for Reynolds, and Phillip Evans seems like the logical choice to be moved to first base, with such other internal options like Troy Stokes Jr., Hunter Owen, and minor league signing Wilmer Difo all vying for playing time until Reynolds, Moran, and Ke’Bryan Hayes are all healthy.

A veteran of 11 MLB seasons and a former two-time All-Star, Frazier was still swinging a productive bat as recently as 2019, when he hit .251/.329/.443 (104 OPS+, 106 wRC+) over 499 PA for the Mets.  Since that season, however, Frazier has only a .616 OPS over 212 PA with the Mets, Rangers, and Pirates.  Assuming he clears DFA waivers, the 35-year-old figures to get some looks from teams in need of corner infield help.  Frazier is still a capable fielder at first base and third base, and apart from his 2021 numbers, he has still been solid against left-handed pitching.

Dustin May Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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May 12: May underwent surgery today, as he announced himself on Twitter.

May 3, 4:06pm: May will undergo Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers announced (Twitter link via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). He’ll miss the rest of this season and likely a sizable portion of the 2022 campaign.

2:44pm: Dodgers right-hander Dustin May left Saturday’s start in the second inning due to an arm injury, and the initial news isn’t good.  MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (Twitter link) that May has suffered some damage to his right UCL, and he and the “Dodgers will make [an] official decision on how to proceed in the next 24 hours.”

The worst-case scenario, of course, would be a Tommy John surgery that would keep May on the shelf for the next 13-15 months.  Depending on the severity of the UCL damage, May could first opt to rest and rehab his elbow in an attempt to pitch through the discomfort — Masahiro Tanaka is probably the most well-known example of a pitcher who avoided TJ surgery and went on to pitch for years with little issue despite a tear in his UCL.  That said, Tanaka is a rare case, and if May spends time rehabbing his elbow and then has to undergo a Tommy John procedure anyway, the added time could run him the risk of missing the entire 2022 campaign.

Regardless, it’s an all-around tough situation for a 23-year-old hurler who seemed to be on pace to be the Dodgers’ next great homegrown pitcher.  A third-round pick in the 2016 draft, May was regarded as one of baseball’s best prospects during his time in the Los Angeles farm system, and he has a 2.93 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, and an impressive 5.9% walk rate over 113 2/3 innings in the big leagues.  He has also logged 14 postseason innings, with 10 2/3 of those frames coming during the Dodgers’ run to the World Series last fall.

Los Angeles plans to have Tony Gonsolin step into May’s open rotation spot, though Gonsolin has yet to pitch this year due to shoulder inflammation, and will require an estimated 3-4 weeks to get fully ramped up.  The Dodgers could make do with a four-man rotation until Gonsolin is ready, and David Price doesn’t appear to be a starting option since he is also still recovering from a hamstring strain.

With a starting four of Trevor Bauer, Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, and Walker Buehler, it’s hard to say the Dodgers are exactly hurting for rotation help.  If May does indeed end up missing an extended amount of time, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team sign an innings-eating veteran to a minor league deal in the short term, and L.A. could certainly eye a bigger-name hurler at the trade deadline.

Mets Place Jacob DeGrom On 10-Day Injured List

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MAY 11: The Mets have officially placed deGrom on the IL and recalled righty Sean Reid-Foley, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.

MAY 10: The Mets will place star right-hander Jacob deGrom on the 10-day injured list due to right side tightness, the team announced.  The placement will become official prior to tomorrow’s game with the Orioles, and the placement will be retroactive to May 10.

The news wasn’t a surprise considering that deGrom made an early exit from yesterday’s start, though an MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage.  Naturally, the Mets want to be as cautious as possible with the ace of their staff, especially since deGrom had been scratched from a previous start last Tuesday due to inflammation in his right lat.  Though it doesn’t appear as if deGrom’s injury is all that serious, getting at least 10 days off to rest and rehab is probably a wise move considering his outsized importance to New York’s rotation.

Since the Mets are off today, Thursday, and on May 20, it’s possible deGrom might only miss one start during his absence.  A return to the hill for May 21 against the Marlins certainly seems feasible if deGrom makes a quick recovery.  As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo notes, it isn’t uncommon for deGrom to miss a start or two per season due to a minor injury, though this will mark the first time deGrom has actually been placed on the IL since 2019.  DeGrom has hit the big league IL four times in his career, returning each time in relatively short order.

DeGrom is in the midst of yet another spectacular season, with an 0.68 ERA/1.65 SIERA and (this is somehow not a typo) 567 ERA+ through 40 innings.  His 46.1% strikeout percentage leads all starting pitchers, and he also leads the majors in K/9 (14.6), hits/9 (3.8), WHIP (0.60) and FIP (1.03), not to mention high-90th percentile spots in several Statcast categories.

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