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Rhys Hoskins To Undergo MRI For Forearm Injury

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Rhys Hoskins sat out both games of the Phillies’ doubleheader with the Marlins today due to an “achy forearm,” as manager Joe Girardi described the problem to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Corey Seidman and other reporters.  X-rays were negative on Hoskins’ forearm, though he will undergo an MRI perhaps as early as Monday.

This is the latest in a swarm of bad injury news that has hit the Phillies in just the last two days.  Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, and Spencer Howard (the only one on the injured list for now) have all been sidelined with various issues, and the seriousness of any of these injuries has yet to be truly determined.

The good news in Hoskins’ case is that he told The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro and other reporters that his forearm was already feeling better today after receiving some treatment, and (assuming the MRI is clean) hopefully can return to the lineup as early as Monday.  Hoskins said he suffered the injury while trying to make a catch in Saturday’s game.

The first baseman has been one of Philadelphia’s best hitters, batting .245/.384/.503 with 10 home runs over 185 plate appearances.  After bursting onto the scene in 2017, Hoskins’ hard-hit ball numbers had been on the decline in 2018-19, though Statcast indicates he is again making strong contact.  Hoskins’ 14.8% barrel rate puts him in the 92nd percentile of all players, while his .388 xwOBA puts him in the 90th percentile.  Mostly importantly, Hoskins is just about making the most of that contact, with a .376 xOBA only slightly below his xwOBA.  The slugger has also continued to capitalize on free passes, posting one of the league’s better walk rates for the second consecutive season.

J.T. Realmuto Leaves Game Due To Hip Discomfort

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TODAY: Realmuto is day-to-day for now, and will undergo an MRI, Girardi told Montemurro and other reporters.

SEPTEMBER 12: If an early exit from Spencer Howard wasn’t worrisome enough for the Phillies, they’re now sweating a potentially even more costly injury.  Catcher J.T. Realmuto felt “hip discomfort” while running the bases in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 12-6 win over the Marlins, manager Joe Girardi told The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro and other reporters.

Realmuto was still able to field his position in the bottom half of the inning but was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth.  Realmuto will be re-examined tomorrow, and given the circumstances, it could be that the Phils were just being cautious in removing a star player in the final inning of a one-sided game.

Needless to say, of course, losing Realmuto for any stretch of time would be a huge blow to a Philadelphia team that is trying to lock down (at minimum) a playoff berth and still has hopes of catching the Braves for first place in the NL East.  Realmuto has been his usual outstanding self, entering tonight’s game with 11 home runs and a .274/.361/.541 slash line over his first 166 plate appearances.  Realmuto’s .903 OPS represents a career best, with the obvious caveat that a “career best” has an asterisk in this shortened season.

Andrew Knapp is the Phillies’ backup catcher, and none of the three backstops at their alternate training site (Henri Lartigue, Rafael Marchan, Logan O’Hoppe) have any MLB experience.  In the worst-case scenario of a Realmuto IL trip, it seems like the Phillies would be very likely to sign a veteran catcher to act as Knapp’s backup.

Phillies Place Spencer Howard On Injured List

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SEPTEMBER 13: The Phillies are placing Howard on the 10-day injured list, the club announced. Reliever Connor Brogdon is up from the alternate site to replace Howard on the active roster. Additionally, right-hander Ramón Rosso has been added to the roster as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Marlins. He’ll get the start in the first game of the twin bill.

SEPTEMBER 12: Phillies right-hander Spencer Howard left tonight’s game in the fourth inning due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder, the team announced.  Howard had just allowed a three-run homer to the Marlins’ Brian Anderson before being visited on the mound by manager Joe Girardi and a team trainer before departing the game.

Any sort of arm problem for a pitcher obviously isn’t good news, and a shoulder issue is of particular concern in Howard’s case — as The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro pointed out, a similar injury caused Howard to miss two months of the 2019 season.  If the problem here is truly just stiffness or discomfort, it’s possible Howard could be back after just a missed start or perhaps an extra day or two of rest, but naturally the Phillies will be as cautious as possible in making sure the star prospect is healthy.

Saturday’s abbreviated outing has been indicative of Howard’s struggles over his first taste of the majors, as the righty took a 5.66 ERA into tonight’s start against Miami.  Howard had a 2.25 K/BB rate and 7.8 K/9 over his first 20 2/3 innings, with his BABIP (.343) and xwOBA (.334, compared to a .380 wOBA) indicating at least some bad luck.  Anderson’s home run tonight, however, was already the sixth long ball surrendered by Howard this season, and he has been hit hard in his second or third times through opposing lineups.

Howard’s prospect pedigree notwithstanding, it isn’t unexpected that a 24-year-old rookie who had never pitched above Double-A ball would have some struggles in his first MLB season.  If Howard has to miss time, however, it leaves the Phillies short an arm in the midst of a stretch of 18 games in 14 days.  Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have been carrying an otherwise shaky Philadelphia rotation, though Wheeler may be questionable to make his next start due to a nasty fingernail injury.

Twins’ Brent Rooker Suffers Fractured Forearm

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Twins outfielder Brent Rooker suffered a fractured right forearm during tonight’s game, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters.  Rooker suffered the injury after being hit by a pitch from Cleveland’s Zach Plesac during the fourth inning of Minnesota’s 8-4 victory over the Indians.

The forearm injury brings a painful end to Rooker’s first MLB season, but the 25-year-old at least made an impressive accounting of himself.  Rooker hit .316/.381/.579 over 21 plate appearances since being called up to the big leagues on September 4.  Rooker was promoted since Max Kepler went to the injured list with an adductor strain, and in an ironic twist, Kepler is expected back soon and could potentially be the one who replaces Rooker on the active roster.

The 35th overall pick of the 2017 draft, Rooker ranked 98th on Baseball America’s top-100 prospects list prior to the 2018 season, though evaluators in general have considered him to be a step below an elite level prospect due to questions about his defense and the amount of swing-and-miss in his approach at the plate.  Rooker is a bit of a “three true outcomes” type, as his strikeouts come with a fair amount of walks and some plus power.  Rooker hit .267/.357/.505 with 54 home runs over 1110 PA in Minnesota’s farm system.

Depending on how Rooker’s glovework develops, he could be the heir apparent to Eddie Rosario in the Twins’ corner outfield, or maybe a DH if time ever catches up to Nelson Cruz.  With blue chip outfield prospects like Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach ahead of him on the minor league prospect rankings, it remains to be seen where Rooker fits into the Twins’ future, though the small sample size of his 2020 debut provided some indication he can handle big league pitching.

International Signings: 9/12/20

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the opening of the 2020-21 international signing period to January 15, the 2019-20 signing window is still open, and teams are still making some additions with leftover funds in their international spending pools.  The latest…

  • The Pirates have signed Venezuelan right-hander Eduardo Zapata, John Dreker of Pirates Prospects reports (Twitter links).  Details on Zapata’s bonus aren’t known, though Dreker says the signing was made possible due to Pittsburgh’s acquisition of $243.3K in international pool money from the White Sox in last month’s trade that sent Jarrod Dyson to Chicago.
  • The Reds have signed Dominican righty Kelvin Valdez, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler (via Twitter).  Valdez is only 17 years old, but he is already 6’3″ tall and can throw up to 95mph.
  • The Padres have signed right-hander Jose Luis Reyes, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (via Twitter).  Reyes “is considered one of the top prospects in” Mexico, Sanchez writes, and the 18-year-old possesses a three-pitch arsenal of a slider, changeup, and a fastball in the 88-92mph range.  Reyes is 6’2″, 190 pounds.

Rangers Place Elvis Andrus On 10-Day Injured List

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The Rangers have placed shortstop Elvis Andrus on the 10-day injured list in between games of today’s doubleheader with the Athletics.  Andrus has been sidelined due to a back strain and will be replaced on the active roster by callup Sherten Apostel, who will be in the starting lineup for the second game.

This is the second time this season that Andrus has been sidelined by a back strain, as a previous IL stint cost him just shy of two weeks of action.  With so little time left on the schedule and the Rangers out of the playoff race, it’s probably safe to assume Andrus’ 2020 season is over.

The back injuries and a lack of production have combined to make 2020 a nightmare for Andrus, who is hitting only .194/.252/.330 with three homers.  After seemingly breaking out with a .299/.348/.457 slash line over 1257 PA in the 2016-17 seasons, Andrus again struggled, batting .267/.311/.383 in 1076 PA in 2018-19.

With three straight seasons of subpar play now in the books, it remains to be seen what role (if any) Andrus will play in the Rangers’ future plans, as the team was already planning to give some more time at shortstop to younger players down the stretch.  Texas still owes Andrus $14MM in each of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and there is a $15MM club option for 2023 that could become guaranteed if Andrus receives either 1100 PA over the 2021-22 seasons, or just 550 PA in 2022.  That 2023 vesting option becomes a player option if Andrus is either claimed on waivers or traded, which will make it even more difficult for the Rangers to potentially move Andrus in some type of bad-contract swap.

Apostel will make his MLB debut tonight, and has a chance to establish himself as a potential roster piece for 2021.  Originally acquired from the Pirates in July 2018 as a player to be named later in the Keone Kela trade, Apostel has hit .249/.368/.426 over 1162 career minor league plate appearances, though he hasn’t played beyond the high-A level.  The 21-year-old Curacao native is ranked as the Rangers’ 10th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, and its scouting report contains the intriguing detail that “Texas fielded constant trade inquiries about him from other clubs.”  Apostel is known for plus power and an outstanding throwing arm (no surprise, as he was also a pitching prospect in his younger days), at third base, though his eventual defensive future could be at first base rather than the hot corner.

Rockies Reinstate Wade Davis From Injured List

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The Rockies have activated right-hander Wade Davis off the 10-day injured list.  In a corresponding move, the team also announced that right-hander Ashton Goudeau has been sent down to the Rockies’ alternate training site.

Davis hit the IL with a right shoulder strain back on August 2, following an ugly start to the season that saw the reliever allow five earned runs over his first 2 2/3 innings of action, resulting in a 16.88 ERA.  Given Davis’ struggles both this season and in 2019, it’s probably safe to assume that he won’t regain the closer job, as Daniel Bard has emerged as a solid ninth-inning option for the Rox.

This role change will impact Davis going into next season, as a vesting option in his contract would have guaranteed the $15MM mutual option on his services for 2021 if Davis had finished 30 games — or, in this shortened 2020 season, either 11 or 12 games.  As a result, this will likely bring an end to Davis’ tenure in Colorado, a stint that has to go down as a disappointment for the Rockies given the lack of return on their three-year, $52MM investment in the veteran reliever.  There’s still time for Davis to go out on a high note, however, if he can pitch well down the stretch and help the Rockies reach the postseason.

Angels Reinstate David Fletcher From Injured List

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The Angels have reinstated infielder David Fletcher from the 10-day injured list, the club announced.  Southpaw Jose Quijada was optioned to the Angels’ alternate training site to make space for Fletcher on the active roster.

Fletcher’s IL placement (due to a left ankle sprain) was retroactive to August 31, so he will return to the field after slightly more than a minimal amount of time missed.  Fletcher will now get to resume what had been the best of his three MLB seasons, as he was batting an impressive .313/.377/.438 over his first 162 plate appearances.

Mostly playing shortstop in Andrelton Simmons’ absence, Fletcher is playing second base in tonight’s Halos lineup, which will likely be his set position for the remainder of the year since Simmons is now healthy and Anthony Rendon is entrenched at third base.  Fletcher’s versatility comes in handy for lineup juggling and late-game defensive switches, as he also has some experience at both corner outfield positions.  This gives the Angels some flexibility in how they’ll operate with Fletcher going forward, as he could continue as a regular second baseman in 2021 or perhaps shift over to shortstop if Simmons leaves in free agency.

Kluber, Leclerc, Santana Won’t Return To Rangers This Season

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SEPT. 9: Santana underwent elbow surgery and will miss seven to eight months, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. That could jeopardize at least some of Santana’s 2021 campaign, which will be his final arbitration-eligible season. After Santana made a prorated $3.6MM this season, the Rangers will have to decide whether to keep him on the heels of a rough year.

SEPT. 5: Three injured Rangers players are done for the season, as manager Chris Woodward told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that Corey Kluber, Jose Leclerc, and Danny Santana won’t return to action in 2020.  Kluber and Leclerc were each already on the 45-day injured list with teres major problems, while Santana has been on the 10-day IL since August 28 due to a right elbow strain.

The Rangers expected all three to be key contributors this season, hoping for a repeat of Santana’s breakout 2019 numbers, Leclerc to return to his 2018 form after a somewhat shaky 2019, and for Kluber to bounce back from an injured-plagued 2019 season that ultimately closed the book on the former ace’s tenure in Cleveland.

Instead, Kluber pitched in just one inning of one game for Texas before hitting the IL with a grade 2 tear of the teres major muscle.  Leclerc only banked two games before suffering a strain in his own teres major muscle, while Santana has been limited to 63 PA in 15 games (and only a .145/.238/.273 slash line) thanks to two trips to the injured list.  A right forearm strain put Santana on the 10-day IL on August 2 and kept him out of action until the middle of the month.

Leclerc is under contract through at least the 2022 season, while Santana has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining before hitting free agency in the 2021-22 offseason.  Santana obviously won’t earn much of a raise on his $3.6MM salary for 2020, but given how the Rangers (like many teams) are planning on a lower payroll next season, it is conceivable that Santana could be non-tendered and then pursued at a lower price than a salary in the ballpark of $3.6 or $3.7MM.

Of course, a big chunk of money will be coming off the Rangers’ books in the form of Kluber’s contract, as Texas is surely unlikely to exercise its $18MM club option on the veteran righty for the 2021 campaign.  With just 36 2/3 total innings pitched since the start of the 2019 season, Kluber will be hard-pressed to find anything more than a single guaranteed year on his next contract, though his track record could still land him another Major League deal.  We aren’t far removed, after all, from the dominant five-year stretch Kluber delivered in the Indians’ rotation from 2014-18 — 2.85 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 5.51 K/BB rate, two AL Cy Young Awards, and an average of 218 innings pitched.

Mets Place Robert Gsellman On 10-Day Injured List

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3:05pm: The Mets don’t expect Gsellman to return this year, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News tweets.

2:45pm: The Mets have placed right-hander Robert Gsellman on the 10-day injured list due to a fractured rib.  Right-hander Drew Smith was called up from the alternate training site.

While the exact severity of Gsellman’s injury isn’t known, a rib fracture would likely indicate that his 2020 campaign is over with less than three weeks remaining in the regular season.  The right-hander already missed time earlier this season with a triceps injury and didn’t make his season debut until August 8.

The injuries have undoubtedly contributed to a rough year for Gsellman on the mound.  Working as both a reliever and as a starter, Gsellman has a 9.64 ERA over 14 innings, with almost as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (nine).  Gsellman has also been tagged for four homers over his 14 innings for an ungainly 2.6 HR/9.  A big piece of that damage came in last night’s game, when Gsellman allowed six runs to the Orioles over 3 2/3 innings.

Gsellman broke into the big leagues as a starter, though transitioned to relief work in 2018-19 and was only called back to starting this season to help fill the gaps left by the Mets’ many rotation injuries.  The 27-year-old is pitching in his fifth MLB season and will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter.  Since he isn’t likely to earn much of a raise over his $1.225MM salary from 2020, it wouldn’t cost the Mets much to bring Gsellman back and hope for better health in 2021.

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