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Marlins’ Paul Campbell Issued 80-Game PED Suspension

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Marlins right-hander Paul Campbell has been suspended for 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, the league announced.  Campbell tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT).

Originally a 21st-round pick for the Rays in the 2017 draft, Campbell was selected out of Tampa Bay’s organization by the Marlins in last December’s Rule 5 draft.  Making his big league debut this season, Campbell had an 8.74 ERA over 11 1/3 innings for Miami, with a below-average 21.3% strikeout rate but with some respectable hard-contact numbers.  Control was also an issue, with six walks allowed in Campbell’s 11 1/3 frames.

Via the MLB Players Association, Campbell released a statement about his suspension, saying he “never knowingly, willingly, or intentionally ingested this substance in any form, nor have I ever heard of DHCMT prior to this situation.”

“Due to the fact that I do not know the origin of how this substance has entered into my system, I currently have no viable defense in support of my innocence.  I have unfortunately become one of the many athletes, across multiple sports, who are presenting themselves to the world and asking for members of the anti-doping world to help us find answers as to why this metabolite is continuing to show up in athletes’ bodies and ultimately costing them significant detours in their careers.”

DHCMT has been a subject of controversy in recent years, as The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond explored in a piece last August.  Kent Emanuel, Tres Barrera, Chris Colabello, and Alec Asher are a few of the other MLB players who have been suspended for DHCMT, and Emanuel recently stated (hat tip to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal) that the league rejected an MLBPA proposal stating that a player couldn’t be suspended unless he had more than 100 pictograms of DHCMT in his system.

Dodgers Claim Phil Bickford, Designate Mike Kickham

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The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Phil Bickford off waivers from the Brewers.  Both teams have announced the move, with the Dodgers designating left-hander Mike Kickham for assignment to create roster space.

Bickford pitched just one inning for the Brewers in 2021, to go along with his lone inning for the team last season.  Twice a first-round draft pick (for the Blue Jays in 2013 and, after opting to attend college, with the Giants in 2015), Bickford’s career has been stalled by injuries and a 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse in 2017.

The righty is still only 25 years old, however, and has yet to pitch in either Double-A or Triple-A ball.  It could be that some time in a proper minor league game environment will help hone Bickford’s potential as a relief pitcher, since he recorded a whopping 53 strikeouts in 32 2/3 bullpen innings (with a 2.48 ERA) for Milwaukee’s high-A affiliate in 2019.

Kickham signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the offseason and had his contract selected by the team yesterday.  He tossed two innings of mop-up work in the Dodgers’ 16-4 victory over the Brewers, though Kickham allowed three earned runs.  The 32-year-old has now appeared in four Major League seasons, though with a sizeable gap in between — Kickham pitched for the Giants in 2013-14 and then worked in the minors before resurfacing for 14 innings with the Red Sox in 2020.

Rockies Name Bill Schmidt As Interim GM

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1:41PM: The Rockies have officially announced Schmidt as the new interim GM.  As per the team’s press release, “Schmidt will oversee all aspects of the club’s baseball operations,” which would perhaps imply that Feasel will either return his focus to business operations, or simply that Schmidt is the top voice in all baseball-related matters.

1:05PM: Rockies vice-president of scouting Bill Schmidt is expected to be named the club’s interim general manager, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports (Twitter link).  After former GM Jeff Bridich resigned last week, there had been speculation that an internal name would take on the interim position, with Schmidt and assistant general managers Zack Rosenthal, Jon Weil, and Zach Wilson all floated as potential candidates to assume the role.

Schmidt has almost four decades of experience in pro baseball, beginning as a minor league coach in the Reds, Brewers, and Yankees organizations while also working as a scout with the Reds and Yankees.  After working as a crosschecker with the Indians for four seasons, Schmidt joined the Rockies in 1999 and has become a fixture of the organization, assuming his current VP-scouting job in 2007.

Harding notes that Schmidt has been in charge of the Rockies’ drafts since 2000, which is a positive sign given how much notable homegrown talent the club has been able to find over the years.  The larger issue, of course, has been how that talent has been been developed and utilized by a Rockies franchise that has struggled to put a consistent winner on the field — the Rox have topped the .500 mark just six times in Schmidt’s 21+ seasons in Denver.  Building around that in-house talent was Bridich’s largest pitfall as GM, not to mention his falling-out with Nolan Arenado (speaking of prominent homegrown Rockies stars) that led to Arenado’s trade to the Cardinals.

The Rockies announced last week that the interim general manager would run the team for the remainder of the 2021 season, with team president Greg Feasel overseeing the baseball operations department on top of his previous responsibilities running the business operations.  A search for a permanent GM (and possibly a head of baseball operations) will take place after the season.

Schmidt faces some immediate decisions, as the 10-18 Rockies are in last place and are the only NL West team with a losing record.  If the team decides to rebuild, Schmidt might oversee some of the initial heavy lifting, such as potentially moving impending free agents Trevor Story and Jon Gray before the July 30th trade deadline.

With that in mind, the 2021 campaign could serve as something of an audition for Schmidt.  Since owner Dick Monfort is known to value continuity and familiarity, it isn’t out of the question that Schmidt could be a candidate to become the full-time GM.  Given that the Rockies have long been accused of an insular approach, the Colorado fanbase likely wouldn’t be pleased at another internal promotion, as it has been widely speculated that the Rockies would benefit from some fresh perspectives and a new approach in the baseball ops department (and less interference from Monfort).

Red Sox Claim Brandon Brennan From Mariners

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The Red Sox have claimed right-hander Brandon Brennan off waivers from the Mariners.  Brennan has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.  Righty Ryan Brasier was moved on the 60-day injured list to open up space for Brennan on Boston’s 40-man roster.

Seattle designated Brennan for assignment last week.  The 29-year-old righty came to the Mariners from the Rockies in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, and posted a 4.56 ERA and an above-average 24% strikeout rate over 47 1/3 innings for the M’s in his 2019 rookie season.  Shoulder problems sidelined Brennan for over two and a half months of the 2019 season, and an oblique strain limited him to 7 1/3 innings in 2020.

Brennan hadn’t yet seen any MLB action this season, as he had been working at the Mariners’ alternate training site.  His addition will add a bit more relief depth to a Red Sox pen that has been without Brasier, who began the year on the IL due to a calf strain, and he was also recovering from a fractured pinky finger during the season.  It didn’t seem like Brasier was going to be back before June anyway, so his move to the 60-day IL is essentially just a procedural move on Boston’s part.

Rockies Release Ivan Nova

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The Rockies released right-hander Ivan Nova from his minor league deal last week, The Athletic’s Nick Groke reports (via Twitter).  It was a brief stint for Nova in the organization, as he only just signed with Colorado back on April 12.

Nova also signed a minors contract with the Phillies in January, but he was granted his release near the end of Spring Training since he wasn’t going to make the Opening Day roster.  Nova’s deal with Philadelphia contained an out clause, and it isn’t known if a similar opt-out was also included in his Rockies contract — given the timing of the release, it’s possible that Nova had the ability to opt out of the deal if he wasn’t on Colorado’s big league roster by May 1, for instance.

A veteran of 11 MLB seasons, Nova posted an 8.53 ERA over 19 innings for the Tigers in 2020, missing much of the season due to right triceps tendinitis.  The right-hander has been a reliable innings-eater for much of his career (tossing 187 frames for the White Sox as recently as 2019) and also delivered some solid results despite a big fastball and a below-average strikeout rate, as Nova has relied on soft contact and 48.9% grounder rate.  With a 5.07 ERA/5.23 SIERA over his last 206 big league innings, however, it remains to be seen if Nova can offer anything more than just innings as he enters his age-34 season.

Pirates Sign Christian Bethancourt To Minors Contract

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The Pirates have signed catcher Christian Bethancourt to a minor league deal, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).  Bethancourt will report to Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate for the beginning of the minor league season.

From 2013-17, Bethancourt hit .222/.252/.316 over 489 plate appearances with the Braves and Padres, primarily playing catcher but also getting some time as a corner outfielder, second baseman, and even as a pitcher over six relief appearances.  (He also played some first base in the minors.)  Bethancourt is still looking for a return trip to the majors, having played with the Brewers’ Triple-A team in 2018, the KBO League’s NC Dinos in 2019, and he has also inked minor league contracts with the Phillies in each of the last two offseasons but didn’t see any official playing time with Philadelphia.

Bethancourt will likely be deployed as catching depth, joining Andrew Susac and Joe Hudson as MLB-experienced backstops in Pittsburgh’s farm system.  Jacob Stallings and Michael Perez are the Pirates’ top two catchers at the big league level, and since the Bucs are still in the midst of a rebuild, it wouldn’t be a shock if Stallings (currently hitting a cool .246/.388/.400 in 80 PA) was moved before the July trade deadline.  This could open the door for Bethancourt or one of the other catchers to be bumped up to the active roster.

Pedro Strop Takes Personal Leave From Cubs

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Right-hander Pedro Strop is back home in the Dominican Republic on a leave of absence for personal reasons, NBC Sports Chicago’s Gordon Wittenmyer reports.  These seem to be all the details known at this time, as the Cubs haven’t given an official comment on the situation.

A member of the Cubs from 2013-19, Strop returned to the club on a minor league deal last September, with an injury-riddled and brief (2 1/3 innings) stint with the Reds representing his only action in the 2020 season.  Strop signed a new minors contract with Chicago in February and then made it to the MLB roster for a pair of scoreless innings over two appearances in April.  He had been working at the Cubs’ alternate training site since April 17.

It isn’t clear when, or even if, Strop could return to action.  Wittenmyer notes that Strop wasn’t included on the Triple-A roster (or the rosters of any of the Cubs’ affiliates), which is notable since the minor league season begins this week.

Los Angeles Notes: Ohtani, Watson, Gonsolin, Price, Gray, Morrow

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Shohei Ohtani’s scheduled start against the Rays on Monday is now up in the air after he was hit on the right elbow by a pitch during his first plate appearances in today’s 2-0 Angels loss to the Mariners.  Ohtani stayed in the lineup for the remainder of the game, and in fact stole two bases after being plunked.  Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) that Ohtani “was sore, but he kept telling me he was feeling better game-in-progress.”

All options seem to be on the table for Monday, whether that means Ohtani is scratched from the lineup altogether, or perhaps only pitches or only acts as the designated hitter, or if he feels fine and fills both roles as originally planned.  Surely the Halos aren’t going to take any unnecessary risks with such an important player, particularly one enjoying as special of a season as Ohtani’s ongoing campaign.  He is hitting .263/.311/.606 with eight homers (and six steals from seven chances, to boot) over 106 plate appearances, while also posting a 3.29 ERA/4.52 SIERA and 37.1% strikeout rate, albeit with a very troubling 21% walk rate.

More from both the Angels and Dodgers….

  • Tony Watson was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 29) due to a left calf strain, the Angels announced prior to today’s game.  Right-hander James Hoyt was called up from the alternate training site to take Watson’s roster spot.  After opting out of a minor league deal with the Phillies near the end of Spring Training, Watson inked a new minors deal with the Angels just prior to Opening Day, and the veteran has posted some excellent bottom-line results over 8 1/3 innings.  Watson has an 1.08 ERA, though with the help of a 100% strand rate and an .182 BABIP.  While some regression is inevitable, Watson still has a 2.57 SIERA, and he has often outperformed his advanced metrics during his 11-year career.
  • With Dustin May now the latest Dodgers pitcher to hit the injured list, the team is in the rare position of being somewhat short on pitching depth.  Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register) that the Dodgers are considering a four-man rotation, since a fifth starter won’t be required until May 18 thanks to three upcoming off-days on the schedule.  Tony Gonsolin is currently being stretched out to work as a starting pitcher when he returns from his own IL stint due to shoulder inflammation, and Roberts said Gonsolin is roughly three-to-four weeks away from being activated.
  • David Price hit the IL with a right hamstring strain on April 26, and Roberts estimated that the southpaw could beat (or at least be on the low end of) his projected four-to-six week recovery timeline.  Since Gonsolin is the pick as May’s replacement, Price will resume his previous bullpen role when he returns to action.  Roberts also noted that Josiah Gray, the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, isn’t currently a candidate for a promotion to fill the rotation job.
  • Brandon Morrow stopped his throwing program due to arm problems, Roberts said, and the veteran right-hander’s comeback attempt looks uncertain.  “B-Mo just hasn’t responded to treatment,” Roberts said.  “It’s been a tough road for B-Mo and his family, so I don’t know if it’s even gonna be a play this year.  Obviously, I’m hopeful.”  Morrow signed a minors deal with the Dodgers in December, hoping to return to the majors for the first time since back and elbow injuries halted his career in 2018.

Giants Notes: La Stella, Yaz, Moronta, Crawford, Solano

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Tommy La Stella will receive an MRI on his left hamstring and “may be down for a bit” with an injury, Giants manager Gabe Kapler told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly and other reporters following today’s 7-1 win over the Padres.  La Stella pulled up while running home to score on an RBI grounder from Wilmer Flores in the fifth inning, and he was replaced in the field in the bottom half of the inning.

It brought a sour end to one of La Stella’s best days in a Giants uniform, as the second baseman was 2-for-3 (singled and tripled) with two RBI and two runs scored.  Since signing a three-year, $18.75MM free agent deal with San Francisco during the offseason, La Stella was scuffling in the early going with his new team, hitting only .235/.297/.353 in his first 75 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, it seems like he’ll be set back with a visit to the 10-day injured list, joining Donovan Solano as another Giants infielder on the mend.  A right calf strain shelved Solano back on April 21, and Kapler didn’t yet have a timeline about when the infielder could be back in action.

However, the manager’s pregame chat with reporters (including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle) did provide more positive updates on a pair of injured Giants, such as another infield name in Brandon Crawford.  The shortstop is still day-to-day after suffering a bruised left calf when hit by a pitch on Friday’s game, and though Crawford didn’t play in today’s game, Kapler indicated that Crawford was a possibility to be used as a late-game sub.  This would indicate that Crawford might be ready to roll as early as Monday, when the Giants begin a road series against the Rockies in Denver.

Mike Yastrzemski might not be far behind, as Kapler thinks the outfielder might return from the IL after the 10-day minimum.  Yastrzemski suffered a mild oblique strain on April 25 but the team was initially hopeful he could avoid the injured list entirely before finally sending him to the IL with a backdated April 26 placement.  If “Yaz” is indeed able to return as soon as possible, he would be eligible for the Giants’ May 7 game against the Padres.

The news isn’t as good for Reyes Moronta, who is undergoing examination after feeling forearm tightness on Saturday.  Moronta was warming up as part of his rehab from a right flexor strain, and after missing the entire 2020 season due to shoulder surgery, Moronta pitched in only four games in 2021 before being sidelined once more.  Moronta has shown some promise when he has been able to pitch, posting a 2.65 ERA and 29.5% strikeout rate over 132 1/3 innings out of San Francisco’s bullpen since the start of the 2017 season.

Trevor Story Leaves Game Due To Finger Injury

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Rockies star shortstop Trevor Story left today’s game after being hit by a pitch on his right index finger.  During an eighth-inning plate appearances against the Diamondbacks’ Chris Devenski, Story was hit in the hand and appeared to be in notable discomfort.  Story took his base and actually ended up stealing second as part of a double-steal with lead runner Garrett Hampson, but Story was replaced at shortstop in the bottom half of the inning.

X-rays were negative on Story’s finger, manager Bud Black told The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders and other reporters after the game.  While this might not prevent a brief injured-list stint given the vagaries of finger and hand injuries, it’s at least very good news that Story appears to have avoided a more serious problem.

Story went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer in today’s 8-4 Rockies loss to Arizona, giving the shortstop a .284/.348/.520 slash line and four homers over 115 plate appearances.  It’s the type of strong offensive performance that has become common for the two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner, and between both his bat and his defense, Story will be a heavily-pursued commodity on the free agent market this winter.  (MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes placed Story fourth in the most recent edition of the Free Agent Power Rankings.)

Any kind of injury or potential IL placement is certainly noteworthy given Story’s influence on both the offseason market, and as a potential trade chip this July.  The Rockies dropped to 10-18 after today’s loss, and the recent resignation of Jeff Bridich as the team’s GM is perhaps a sign that Colorado is preparing for a change of direction and perhaps a selloff at the trade deadline.

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