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Cardinals’ Zack Thompson Shut Down 3-4 Weeks Due To Lat Injury
Cardinals left-hander Zack Thompson suffered a tear in his left lat muscle, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) today. Thompson will be shut down and then re-evaluated in three or four weeks, so Thompson will surely start the season on the Cards’ injured list.
It’s a tough setback for Thompson, who was competing for a job in the St. Louis bullpen and is still trying to find a niche for himself at the big league level. The 19th overall pick of the 2019 draft has amassed 118 career MLB innings over the last three seasons, topping out at 66 1/3 innings in 2023 while working first as a reliever and then as a starter over the season’s last six weeks.
Thompson had a 2.08 ERA in 34 2/3 frames in 2022, but then a 4.48 ERA from that larger workload in 2023. His peripheral numbers were still interesting enough to suggest that Thompson might take another step forward last season, yet the opposite happened — the southpaw was rocked for a 9.53 ERA over 17 innings as a starter and reliever, and didn’t return to the majors after being optioned to Triple-A Memphis in late April. Things didn’t exactly stabilize in the minors, as Thompson had a 4.40 ERA and 14.2% walk rate over 90 innings in Memphis, starting 20 of his 21 games.
While these struggles didn’t remove Thompson from the Cardinals’ future plans, there wasn’t any space for him in a rotation that is still full of veteran arms, plus other youngsters have now seemingly passed Thompson on the depth chart if a rotation spot did open up. Working as a long reliever or possibly a swingman would have allowed Thompson to build up more experience and confidence in the Show, unless St. Louis preferred to let him get on track as a starter in Memphis.
The league granted the Cardinals a fourth minor league option on Thompson during the offseason, giving the team the ability to send him back and forth between Triple-A and the majors during the 2025 campaign. It is quite possible Thompson would have started the season in Triple-A anyway, though today’s injury news will delay the lefty entirely until he is able to get back onto a mound. Thompson will then need to rebuild his arm strength, so it seems likely he’ll be sidelined until at least late April given the time he is set to miss in his shutdown period.
Mariners Claim Seth Martinez
The Mariners announced that right-hander Seth Martinez was claimed off waivers from the Marlins. Righty Jackson Kowar was placed on the 60-day injured list in Seattle’s corresponding roster move.
Miami designated Martinez for assignment earlier this week, and today’s move makes it four different organizations in a little under four months’ time for the 30-year-old reliever. After spending his first four MLB seasons with the Astros, Martinez was designated for assignment in early November and claimed by the Diamondbacks. He then went to the Marlins on another waiver claim on February 20 before being DFA’ed again a week later, and now Martinez finds himself back in the AL West.
Martinez is out of minor league options, which somewhat explains his carousel of an offseason. With teams prizing flexibility within their bullpens, Martinez’s status makes him something of the proverbial 26th man, while also still having enough value that several teams are interested in having him on their rosters.
Over 111 appearances and 137 1/3 innings with Houston, Martinez often worked as a multi-inning reliever, so the Mariners would deploy him in that same capacity if he ends up on the Opening Day roster. Martinez has a career 3.93 ERA, though his strikeout rate fell rather sharply from 23.1% in 2023 to just 16.2% last season. Between that dropoff and other uninspiring Statcast metrics, the Astros felt comfortable in exposing Martinez to DFA waivers, leading to his busy winter of changing teams.
An innings-eating reliever always carries some usefulness, even on a Mariners team with an unusually durable starting rotation. A good Spring Training performance might help Martinez break camp with the team, or he might find himself on the waiver wire yet again before Opening Day.
Kowar underwent a Tommy John surgery almost exactly one year ago, so he was expected to miss some time at the start of the 2025 season as he finishes up his rehab. The 60-day IL placement means that Kowar won’t make his 2025 debut until late May at the earliest.
AL Central Notes: Guardians, Taylor, Jenkins
The Guardians’ estimated $100.4MM payroll is lower than the $104.2MM they spent in 2024, as per RosterResource’s calculations, and Cleveland also moved a lot of long-term money off the books by trading Andres Gimenez and Myles Straw to the Blue Jays in separate deals. Despite what might seemingly be a bit of extra money available for the Guards to spend before Opening Day, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks the team won’t dip into free agency for any late additions, and is more likely to re-invest those savings towards possible extensions for current players on the roster.
Early-career extensions have long been a key plank of Cleveland’s team-building strategy, dating back to John Hart’s tenure as general manager in the 1990’s. On the current team, Jose Ramirez, Emmanuel Clase, and Trevor Stephan are all playing on multi-year extensions, and there are plenty of interesting talents the Guardians might look to lock up for the future. Steven Kwan is in his first of three years of arbitration eligibility, and Tanner Bibee stands out as the top extension candidate among the Guards’ long list of pre-arb players. It takes two to tango, of course, so there would have to be an equal desire on the part of any interested players in working out an extension that is acceptable to both sides.
More from the AL Central…
- Michael A. Taylor will undergo scans on his right elbow, White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times) today. Taylor was scratched from the lineup due to what the Sox initially described just as elbow inflammation, but the issue is serious enough to merit more testing. An injury would be a rough start to Taylor’s stint with the White Sox, as it was less than three weeks ago that the veteran outfielder and former Gold Glover signed his one-year, $1.95MM deal.
- Walker Jenkins suffered a left ankle sprain last Sunday, and Twins GM Jeremy Zoll told The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and other reporters that Jenkins will be set back around one or two weeks. This might mean Jenkins misses the very start of the minor league season, but the injury is minor enough that the top prospect shouldn’t be sidelined for too long. The fifth overall pick of the 2023 draft, the 20-year-old Jenkins is considered one of baseball’s elite prospects, and he made it up the ladder for six games in Double-A last season. Jenkins’ big league debut is probably likelier to happen in 2026 than in 2025, yet a cup of coffee in the Show could be possible this year if Jenkins keeps performing well against minor league pitching.
Giancarlo Stanton To Begin Season On Injured List
The Yankees officially announced that Giancarlo Stanton won’t be available for the start of the season, as the slugger will be placed on the injured list due to his recurring elbow issues. Stanton received PRP injections in both elbows, and is expected to return to the team’s spring camp later this week after dealing with an unspecified personal matter in New York.
The announcement doesn’t come as any surprise, as Stanton hasn’t swung a bat in five or six weeks due to continued soreness in his elbows. Two weeks ago, Stanton and manager Aaron Boone described the problem as similar to tennis elbow, with Stanton noting that some tendon damage had taken place. While surgery wasn’t being considered, surgery would naturally become an option (or inevitable) in the event of an actual tendon tear, which is why Stanton said he and the team were being cautious in their approach to the injuries.
No timetable was announced for Stanton’s recovery, but probably the end of April would represent a best-case scenario for the five-time All-Star to make his 2025 debut. Some time will be needed to evaluate Stanton’s elbows in the aftermath of the PRP treatment, and if all is well, he’d then need to start his usual ramp-up proceedings after missing so much of both Spring Training and even his pre-camp offseason work. Given Stanton’s long history of leg-related injuries, he’ll need some prep time beyond just hitting work, even if he is going to be a DH-only player this season.
Injuries have long hampered Stanton’s career, and kept from fully delivering on the whopping 13-year, $325MM contract he signed with the Marlins back in November 2014. There is still $96MM owed to Stanton in the final three guaranteed years of that deal, counting the $10MM, though the Yankees are only responsible for covering $66MM of that figure as per the terms of the trade that brought Stanton from Miami to New York in December 2017.
Stanton has been pretty productive (.241/.323/.483 with 162 home runs in 2776 plate appearances) during his time in the pinstripes, and has still looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters from time to time. However, those red-hot streaks have been countered by both extended slumps, and several times when Stanton has simply been unable to play due to injury.
The 2024 season saw Stanton miss about five weeks due to a hamstring strain, though he bounced back reasonably well from a down year in 2023. Stanton hit .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs in 459 PA last season, which translated to a 116 wRC+ even if low average and on-base numbers continue to be a concern. The slugger then elevated his game in October, hitting .273/.339/.709 with seven homers over 62 PA during New York’s playoff run, and he captured ALCS MVP honors for his huge performance in the Yankees’ five-game elimination of the Guardians.
Following up that great postseason with yet another significant injury is undoubtedly a huge frustration for Stanton as he enters his 16th Major League campaign (and his age-35 season). The fact that these elbow problems are an entirely new injury for Stanton could be viewed in one of two ways — either as a positive that he isn’t again dealing with leg problems, or as a negative that Stanton is now dealing with elbow issues on top of the ever-present concern over his lower body.
With Stanton out, the Yankees might just opt to fill the designated hitter spot with a rotation of players, in order to spread around at-bats and partial rest days for other veterans like Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, or DJ LeMahieu. In terms of overall roster construction, Ben Rice now looks to have a better chance of making the Opening Day roster, and picking up some DH at-bats himself.
An external addition also can’t be ruled out, if Stanton is facing an extended amount of time on the IL. Reports have already indicated the Yankees have been in touch with J.D. Martinez, perhaps laying some groundwork for a future contract in case Stanton isn’t making much progress in a couple of weeks’ time. Adding a prominent veteran like Martinez, however, would also threaten to push the Yankees’ even further over the top luxury tax tire — RosterResource projects New York’s tax number at roughly $305.1MM, and beyond the upper penalty threshold of $301MM.
Latest On Spencer Steer
Spencer Steer chose to receive a cortisone shot in his right shoulder after an evaluation from team doctors today, the Reds announced to the media (including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer). As a result, Steer was removed from the lineup for the Reds’ Spring Training game today, and he’ll be out of action for a few days while the shot takes effect.
The lingering issue has bothered Steer since last season, and he recently described the issue to reporters as a tweak within his right shoulder whenever is preparing to throw. Steer said he doesn’t feel any discomfort while hitting, though it is fair to wonder if this shoulder problem contributed to the dropoff in production between Steer’s 2023 and 2024 seasons. Steer batted .271/.356/.464 with 23 homers over 665 plate appearances in 2023, but then followed up by hitting only .225/.319/.402 in 656 PA, though he still cracked 20 home runs.
A change in batted-ball luck (.318 BABIP in 2023 and a .260 BABIP in 2024) might have been a larger factor, as Steer’s other advanced metrics between the two seasons are pretty similar. The larger change in regards to throwing was that Steer played much more regularly in left field last season than he did in 2023, so the longer throws may have put more stress on his shoulder.
Multiple MRI scans haven’t revealed any structural damage, and Steer has still felt good enough to play as a designated hitter in Cincinnati’s spring action to date. However, the simple fact that Steer’s shoulder is still bothering him even after an offseason of rest is naturally some concern, and the cortisone shot can hopefully correct the problem once and for all.
There hasn’t been any suggestion that Steer’s injury might cause him to miss any time during the regular season, or that the Reds’ decision to DH him is based on necessity rather than precaution on the team’s part. The injury does add yet another wrinkle within a roster full of question marks for Cincinnati, as the Reds are coming off a disappointing 77-85 season marred by injuries and under-performance from several key players (Steer included).
Heading into 2025, Steer was expected to contribute at both corner infield slots and in left field, though exactly how the playing time will be divvied up between these positions and the DH spot has yet to be determined. The newly-acquired Gavin Lux looks to be the Reds’ top option at third base, while Jeimer Candelario is looking to bounce back from a tough 2024 season as part of the corner infield mix, plus Christian Encarnacion-Strand could play first base or DH.
AL East Notes: Varsho, Bello, Orioles
Daulton Varsho underwent rotator cuff surgery in late September, with the expectation that he would likely start the season on the 10-day injured list, even if his absence wouldn’t stretch too far into April. That timeline isn’t much clearer now that Spring Training is well underway, but Varsho logged his first Grapefruit League action yesterday, going 1-for-3 with a homer while acting as the Blue Jays’ designated hitter in a 10-7 win over the Tigers. Getting back to regular hitting action is certainly a good sign for Varsho, and Jays manager John Schneider also provided reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) with some updates on Varsho’s defensive progress.
“There’s more boxes to check, like throwing to the bases on back-to-back days,” Schneider said. “This was another good day for him, throwing out to 120 feet, so I think it’s more about how he’s rebounding from those once he does start throwing to the bases and getting into games….We’re trying to take this in three- or four-day buckets. He’s progressing well. I don’t want to put anything past him or say [Opening Day is] not a definite possibility. It will go right down to the end as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks. If he’s there, great. If he’s not, we know he’s going to be soon.”
The defense is the biggest factor in Varsho’s recovery, as the Gold Glove winner is one of baseball’s best defensive players. Matheson figures Joey Loperfido is the top candidate to fill in for Varsho in center field if an IL stint is indeed required, though these early results provide some optimism that Varsho could be ready to go for March 27.
More from around the AL East….
- Brayan Bello continues to feel confident about breaking camp with the Red Sox, as the right-hander threw his first bullpen session of Spring Training yesterday following some shoulder soreness. “The trainers are telling me that I’m right on track as long as I just keep doing my work that I’ve been doing,” Bello told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and other reporters, adding that only threw at around 70-75% of his capacity during the “very light session.” An exact timeline hasn’t been established, but Bello figures he’ll get a couple more bullpen sessions before getting into his first game activity of the spring. Obviously the Sox will continue to watch Bello closely and a season-opening IL stint hasn’t been ruled out, though Bello said Friday that “the shoulders are good, the mechanics are good.”
- Though the Orioles signed Gary Sanchez to back up Adley Rutschman at the catching position, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko wonders if the team might still add a veteran for depth purposes, just because the O’s would suddenly be thin behind the plate if Rutschman or Sanchez got hurt. David Banuelos is the only other catcher in Baltimore’s camp with any MLB experience, and Banuelos’ big league resume consists of a pinch-hit at-bat in a single game last April. A later-season catching injury might open the door for top prospect Samuel Basallo to make his debut in the Show, though Kubatko isn’t sure the Orioles would want to rush Basallo’s development in such a circumstance. Basallo is regarded as one of the sport’s top prospects, and he made his Triple-A debut in the form of 21 games with Norfolk last season.
Parker Meadows Sidelined By Nerve Issue In Right Arm
Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows has halted baseball activities due to a nerve problem in his upper right arm, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery). It is unclear at this point if Meadows will be ready for the start of the season, due to what Hinch noted as the fluid nature of the injury.
“My understanding is that we’re in a wait-and-see situation,” Hinch said. “We have to get that nerve firing again for [Meadows] to resume baseball activities. It could be short-term, or it could linger a little. No one has a firm timeline, but we feel like we’re on a good path now that we have a diagnosis and a treatment plan.”
After hitting .232/.331/.368 over 145 plate appearances during his 2023 rookie season, Meadows took another step forward by batting .244/.310/.433 in 298 PA last year, with the increase in slugging percentage fueling his jump from a 95 wRC+ in 2023 to a 111 wRC+ in 2024. The improvement didn’t come in smooth fashion, however, as Meadows hit so poorly over the first six weeks that the Tigers demoted him to Triple-A in early May, and didn’t recall him until early July. Upon returning to the Show, Meadows almost immediately picked up a hamstring injury that put him on the injured list for another month.
Meadows was activated from the 10-day IL on August 3, and proceeded to hit a strong .296/.340/.500 with six homers over his final 201 PA of the season while playing pretty much every day in center field. Between this production at the plate and his excellent glovework, Meadows was one of the key drivers of the late-season surge that saw the Tigers go from deadline sellers to a wild card berth. Meadows then kept it going in October, batting .269/.345/.462 in 29 PA during Detroit’s playoff run.
If Meadows can continue this type of offense in addition to his strong defense and baserunning, the former second-round pick projects as a cornerstone piece for a Tigers team that has emerged from its rebuild. The plan was for Meadows to again be the everyday center fielder, though this nerve problem throws a possible wrench in the works.
Riley Greene or Wenceel Perez are the likeliest candidates to handle center field if Meadows does need to miss time, but the larger issue is that the Tigers may suddenly have a shortage of outfield depth. News broke yesterday that utilityman Matt Vierling will start the season on the IL while recovering from a rotator cuff strain, leaving the Tigers without a player projected to get playing time at either third base or right field (or a mixture of both positions). If Meadows’ nerve problem sets him back enough that he’ll also need to hit the injured list, utilitymen Zach McKinstry or Andy Ibanez will get more playing time in some capacity, and Detroit could also utilize Kerry Carpenter in right field whenever a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.
Yankees Have Had “Some Contact With” J.D. Martinez
J.D. Martinez is still looking for a new contract as March begins, as the 37-year-old is coming off a decent but unspectacular season with the Mets. There hadn’t been any public buzz about teams connected to Martinez, yet Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees have “some contact with” Martinez’s camp, likely in connection to the ongoing uncertainty over Giancarlo Stanton’s status.
There isn’t any indication that the Yankees’ interest is anything more than due diligence at this point, though reaching out to establish some rapport with Martinez could be viewed as a first step in case Stanton ends up missing significant time. As Heyman notes, it doesn’t seem likely that Martinez would be signed just “as a stopgap player” if Stanton ultimately isn’t out of action for much beyond Opening Day. Martinez has limited roster utility as a virtual DH-only player at this point in his career, and the Yankees could always opt to rotate players through the DH spot if Stanton has only a limited absence.
Stanton has been battling discomfort in both of his elbows, and it has now been five or six weeks since the veteran slugger has even swung a bat. Stanton isn’t in camp at all right now, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Heyman and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that Stanton is in New York due to reasons unrelated to his elbow injuries, and it isn’t known when Stanton might be back in Tampa to take part in Spring Training.
Based on the amount of time Stanton has already lost, it seems quite likely he’ll start the season on the injured list, if for no other reason than to give him extra time to fully get healthy and pick up some at-bats during extended Spring Training. Though hitting is the primary focus since Stanton is also a DH-only player, some overall physical maintenance is necessary given Stanton’s long history of lower-body injuries. These elbow problems are a new issue for Stanton, adding another unwelcome entry to his checkered injury history.
With all of this in mind, there might be an opening for Martinez in the Bronx, who could basically slide directly into Stanton’s role as the primary designated hitter. The right-handed hitting Martinez struggled against same-sided pitching in 2024, which could open the door for New York to use a left-handed bat or switch-hitter to spell Martinez against righty pitching.
Martinez hit .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs over 495 plate appearances for the Mets last season, translating to a 108 wRC+. A .351 xwOBA that was far above his .318 wOBA indicates that Martinez may have been somewhat unlucky at the plate, as Martinez still made a lot of hard contact and his walk rate was well above the league average. His 28.5% strikeout rate was quite poor, though strikeouts have long been an issue for Martinez for much of his career. As noted, Martinez’s chief issue in 2024 was a lack of production against right-handed pitching — he had only a .683 OPS against righties, in comparison to an .836 OPS against southpaws.
It is fair to wonder if Martinez’s late start contributed to these numbers, as he didn’t sign with the Mets until March 23, and he didn’t make his season debut until April 26. By this standard, Martinez is at least ahead of last year’s schedule in terms of finding his next contract, though missing over two weeks of spring camp has already made for another adjustment to his usual offseason calendar. In regards to a possible deal with the Yankees, the club is likely to want to gather as much information as possible on Stanton before deciding on a next course of action, so it may yet be a while before the Yankees make a pursuit of Martinez or anyone at all if they opt for external help.
Martinez made a $12MM salary with the Mets last year, in the form of $4.5MM in actual salary and the rest in deferred payments. The dropoff from his 2023 numbers will mean that Martinez will surely have to settle for less than $12MM wherever he signs, and the Yankees’ luxury tax situation is another possible obstacle to a deal, even if Martinez was available at a relatively inexpensive price. RosterResource projects New York’s tax number at roughly $305.1MM, already over the highest penalty tier of $301MM, and thus meaning the team will be taxed at a 110 percent rate on every dollar spent beyond $301MM.
Padres Notes: Reynolds, Hoeing, Paplham
Sean Reynolds is suffering from a stress reaction in his right foot, and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Reynolds will be wearing a walking boot “for at least the next week and a half.” Padres manager Mike Shildt didn’t yet know how much ramp-up time Reynolds might need after the boot is removed, leaving some doubt as to whether or not Reynolds might not be part of the Opening Day roster.
A knee injury already cut short Reynolds’ rookie season after nine MLB appearances and 11 innings, ending a very first strong first impression for the right-hander. Reynolds had an 0.82 ERA and 42.9% strikeout rate during his small sample size, with those eye-popping stats countered by a more modest 10.2% walk rate. In the minors, Reynolds had good strikeout numbers and plenty of control problems, though he only entering his fifth pro season as a pitcher after transitioning from first base and outfield work in his first four years in the Marlins’ farm system.
Reynolds’ fastball clocked within the 95mph range in the minors, but he dialed it up to 96.9mph during his brief stint in San Diego last year. The 26-year-old’s live arm made him a contender to be part of the Padres’ bullpen mix, though his foot injury now sets back his chances of breaking camp with the team. Reynolds has a minor league option remaining, giving the Padres some flexibility in moving him back and forth from Triple-A after he gets healthy.
Bryan Hoeing also made an impact after coming to the Padres along with Tanner Scott at last summer’s trade deadline, as Hoeing posted a 1.52 ERA in 23 2/3 regular-season innings. However, Hoeing is also a question mark in camp, as his first throwing session won’t take place until tomorrow due to a sore right shoulder.
Tests haven’t revealed any structural damage, but Hoeing told Acee that his shoulder has been “barking.” The injury isn’t thought to be overly serious, yet Hoeing’s timeline or his own chances of being part of the Opening Day roster can’t be determined until Hoeing gets onto a mound and starts his throwing progression.
In other pitching news, right-handed pitching prospect Cole Paplham appears to have avoided the worst after he was hit in the face by an Aaron Bracho line drive during today’s game with the Dodgers. Paplham obviously needed some time to recover, and eventually walked to a golf cart that took him off the field. Shildt said Paplham was undergoing testing and “he was conscious, seemed alert, knew where he was. But clearly a scary thing.”
