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Injury Notes: Alvarez, Pham, Franmil, Judge

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Yordan Alvarez was a late scratch from today’s Astros lineup, as the young slugger continues to battle knee issues.  Manager Dusty Baker told the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome and other reporters that Alvarez arrived at the ballpark feeling knee soreness, which Baker suspected was from an awkward slide into third base during Saturday’s game.  Alvarez has been dealing with bad knees throughout his young career, and he has already been limited to DH duty for this season.

Since past tests haven’t revealed any structural problems, it could be that Alvarez’s knees could simply limit him going forward, perhaps both in 2020 and beyond.  It certainly isn’t what you want to see from a 23-year-old player, especially one who has been so productive even amidst this knee pain, and Baker acknowledged that the team will keep a close eye on managing Alvarez for the rest of the season.

More on some of the many injury situations popping up on a daily basis around baseball…

  • Tommy Pham was removed during a ninth-inning at-bat during today’s Padres/Diamondbacks game.  Pham was seemingly favoring his hand after hitting a foul ball, and left after a consultation with a team trainer.  This is the second straight game Pham has left early, as he was removed during the second inning of Saturday’s contest due to cramping in both calves.  However, he was back in today’s starting lineup as the DH and didn’t seem any worse for wear, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. [UPDATE: the Padres are worried Pham has a broken hamate bone, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.]
  • Franmil Reyes hit two home runs during the Indians’ 8-5 victory over the Tigers today, though Reyes’ big day had a painful ending after he was hit in the left hand by a pitch during a ninth-inning plate appearance.  Reyes was removed from the game, though he was diagnosed with only a contusion after x-rays were negative.  It seems likely Reyes will miss a game or two, though an injured list placement doesn’t seem likely at this point.  Reyes has been one of the few highlights for a struggling Cleveland lineup, as Reyes has hit .316/.366/.553 with five home runs.
  • Aaron Judge’s 10-day IL stint may be a minimal one, as the Yankees star told Newsday’s Roger Rubin and other media that he is already recovered from his minor calf strain just two days after his placement.  “I was begging for just a couple days…and I don’t need 10 days to be feeling good.  I already feel 100 percent now,” Judge said.  While Judge is “frustrated with myself not being out there,” he “wouldn’t say I’m frustrated with the organization.  This shows how much the organization cares for me and looks out for my well-being.”  Given how much time Judge (and other Yankees players) have missed due to injury in recent years, it makes sense that the club would be as cautious as possible in making sure a seemingly minor injury didn’t blossom into a bigger issue.

NL West Notes: Oberg, Rockies, Bumgarner, Cueto

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Rockies reliever Scott Oberg is on the 45-day injured list due to blood clots in his throwing arm, marking the third time blood clots have interrupted Oberg’s career.  It remains to be seen if Oberg will be able to return during the 2020 season, though the right-hander told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that he fully intends to keep pitching.  “If this is what it’s going to have to be, it’s just another hurdle to overcome.  I’ve dealt with the adversity road plenty of times,” Oberg said.  After already undergoing three different procedures in the past, it isn’t yet certain if a fourth surgery will be required; Oberg has consulted with doctors and specialists about his latest issue, with more consultations planned for the coming week.

More from around the NL West…

  • With Oberg and the struggling Wade Davis both on the IL, the Rockies’ search for a closer is still ongoing.  It seemed as if Jairo Diaz was laying claim to the job, though after a rough outing (three walks, one hit, and two unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning) today, manager Bud Black told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and other media that the club has no “designated closer.”  It seems likely that Diaz will still get some save chances as part of the Rockies’ closing committee, though Yency Almonte, Carlos Estevez, Daniel Bard, and possibly others could all figure into the ninth inning depending on the situation.
  • Madison Bumgarner will throw a 50-pitch simulated game on Monday, a week after the southpaw was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a back strain.  Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) that the simulated game “is a way for us to see how he looks, see how he feels and have him evaluate how his body feels and give us that information and determine what the next step is moving forward.”  Piecoro notes that Bumgarner is still expected to miss at least one more start while on the IL, though the left-hander might not miss much beyond the 10-day minimum if he reports a clean bill after the sim game.
  • Could Johnny Cueto be turning himself into a trade candidate?  With the Giants in last place and looking like deadline sellers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Cueto could get some attention from teams looking for veteran pitching.  Cueto has a 4.62 ERA, 1.73 K/BB rate, and 6.8 K/9 through 25 1/3 innings this season, some fairly middling numbers that ERA indicators (4.72 FIP, 5.55 xFIP, 5.28 SIERA) hint could or should be worse.  On the plus side, Statcast metrics show that Cueto is doing a good job of limiting hard contact, and Cueto is averaging 91 mph on his fastball, roughly the same average velocity he was posting in the couple of seasons prior to his August 2018 Tommy John surgery.  The Giants would likely have to eat some money to accommodate a trade, given that Cueto is owed $21MM in 2021, there is a $5MM buyout of his $22MM club option for 2022, and he is also owed the prorated remainder of his original $21MM salary for the rest of this season.

Several Marlins Players Cleared To Begin Workouts

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August 16: As of today, all of the 18 Marlins who landed on the COVID-19 injured list have been cleared to resume baseball activities and have reported to the team’s alternate training site in Jupiter, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Surely, that group will collectively need some time to ramp back up to in-game action, but their impact should be felt in the near future. In particular, FNTSY’s Craig Mish suggests that pitcher Sandy Alcantara, throwing a bullpen session today, could be ready to start as early as next weekend. For that to happen, he (and any other players vying to return) would need to travel with the team to Washington on Thursday; if that doesn’t happen, the aforementioned August 28 home series is the likely target date.

August 15: Several of the 18 Marlins players who tested positive for the coronavirus have been cleared to start baseball activities and workouts.  The exact number of clearances isn’t yet known, though the Associated Press described that “most” of the 18 were given the green light.  In terms of specific names, Sportsgrid’s Craig Mish tweets that shortstop Miguel Rojas and right-hander Sandy Alcantara were two of the players cleared.

Needless to say, it’s wonderful news that many of these players are healthy and recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak that halted Miami’s season for a week and put the entire baseball world on notice.  From an on-field perspective, the Marlins will surely benefit from the return of so many key performers, though the Fish have done well (a 9-5 record) even with a severely short-handed roster.

The AP article notes that August 28 might be a realistic target date for any of these cleared players to actually return to the Major League roster, as they will naturally need some time to get back up to speed after missing so much time.  Should the team continue to be in playoff contention, this mass return will add another layer of uncertainty to any potential trade deadline moves the Miami front office could have under consideration.  The return of at least 10 players could be enough of an in-house upgrade that the Marlins might prefer to see what they have internally rather than seek out a trade chip on another team.

Quick Hits: Trade Deadline, Boras, Lynn, Smith, Padres, Burger

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There’s no doubt the 2020 trade deadline will be the most unusual in baseball history, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) looks at some of the many unique aspects of the lead-up to August 31.  Everything about how teams evaluate their own rosters, decide on being buyers or sellers, scout other teams’ talent, and potentially spend to acquire that talent will be in flux, plus there are some factors unique to the threat of COVID-19.

For instance, there might have to be some back-channel negotiations with trade candidates to ensure that a player wouldn’t opt out of the season rather than be dealt to an undesirable location.  Just the idea of changing locations whatsoever also carries issues, as Rosenthal notes that intake testing could delay a new acquisition’s arrival to his new team by a few days (no small amount of time in a shortened season), and there is inherent risk in travel and in introducing the health x-factor of an unfamiliar player into a new clubhouse.

In regards to the latter concern, agent Scott Boras contacted Rosenthal with the following message (Twitter link): “So that deadline deals are not impacted by COVID, I am letting all owners know if any of our players are traded and asked to leave their existing teams’ protocols, we have arranged a private jet protocol to allow players to be safely transported (between clubs).”

More from around the baseball world…

  • Rosenthal’s piece also notes that the Rangers have been getting trade interest in Lance Lynn, though a move doesn’t seem likely with Texas battling for a playoff spot.  Lynn theoretically would be a good trade candidate if the Rangers were to fall out of the race, as the veteran is under contract for $8MM in 2021 and has been one of the sport’s best pitchers this season.  After yesterday’s complete-game victory over the Rockies, Lynn has a sparkling 1.11 ERA, 3.00 K/BB rate, and 11.0 K/9 over a league-best 32 1/3 innings.
  • Athletics reliever Burch Smith suffered a right forearm strain during Saturday’s game with the Giants.  (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report the news.)  The hurler will undergo an MRI on Monday and an injured list placement seems inevitable, though the A’s are hopeful that the injury isn’t structural in nature.  Smith allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings of work tonight, boosting his ERA to 2.25 after he delivered scoreless work over his previous 10 1/3 frames for Oakland.  Smith was dealt from the Giants to the A’s back in February.
  • Tommy Pham and Wil Myers both made early exits from the Padres’ game with the Diamondbacks tonight.  Pham left during the second inning due to cramping in both calves, while Myers left in the fifth inning due to lower back tightness.
  • White Sox prospect Jake Burger is now represented by The Bledsoe Agency, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Picked 11th overall in the 2017 draft, Burger’s young career has been waylaid with injuries, as two torn Achilles tendons and a severe heel bruise have kept him off the field since 2017.  Burger’s switch has been noted in MLB Trade Rumors’ updated Agency Database.

Royals’ Foster Griffin Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Royals left-hander Foster Griffin revealed in a tweet tonight that he underwent Tommy John surgery last Tuesday in Los Angeles, with Dr. Neal ElAttrache performing the procedure.  As such, Griffin will be out of action for the next 12-14 months, quite possibly sidelining him until the 2022 season.

Griffin suffered a tear in his UCL during his very first Major League game, back on July 27 in Kansas City’s 14-6 win over the Tigers.  Griffin earned the win after tossing 1 2/3 innings of relief, retiring all five batters without a hit or a walk, and was perfect apart from one runner reaching via error.  Adding to the bittersweet nature of Griffin’s debut and subsequent injury, July 27 was also his 25th birthday.

Drafted 28th overall in 2014, Griffin was making his MLB debut after an inconsistent six-year stint in the Royals’ farm system.  The southpaw has a 4.77 ERA, 2.19 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 708 minor league innings, starting 139 of his 141 games.  Given this lack of a track record, back-end starter or long man might be his eventual ticket to remaining in the big leagues, though obviously Griffin’s first order of business will be getting healthy after a long rehab period.

DJ LeMahieu Leaves Game Due To Thumb Sprain

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9:28PM: LeMahieu is undergoing an MRI and CT scan but x-rays were negative on his thumb, Boone told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and other reporters.  The injured list “could be” a possibility, Boone said.

8:28PM: Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu left tonight’s game due to what the team announced as a sprained left thumb.  LeMahieu will undergo tests to determine the extent of the injury.

The injury seemed to occur during a fourth-inning at-bat, as LeMahieu was visited by trainers after swinging at a Nathan Eovaldi pitch.  LeMahieu finished his plate appearance and then played second base in the top of the fifth, though not before another on-field visit from trainers and manager Aaron Boone.  LeMahieu finished the inning but Tyler Wade replaced him at the keystone in the sixth inning.

After an injury-plagued 2019 season, the Yankees have again been hit with several notable health problems this season, including with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton currently sidelined.  Losing LeMahieu would be another significant blow, as the second baseman entered Saturday’s action with a .429/.474/.557 slash line over his first 76 plate appearances.  Leading the AL in batting average, OBP, and hits thus far, LeMahieu is on pace to top even his outstanding numbers from his 2019 debut season in the Bronx.

Wade and Thairo Estrada would be the top choices at second base if LeMahieu is out, plus veteran infielder Matt Duffy is at the Yankees’ alternate training site.  While it’s too early to know whether LeMahieu will even require an IL placement let alone miss significant time, the lack of second base depth represents a potential area of focus for New York at the trade deadline should LeMahieu indeed face any sort of extended absence.

Mets Add Francisco Alvarez, Matthew Allan To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Mets have added two of their top prospects to their 60-man player pool, as the team announced that catcher Francisco Alvarez and right-hander Matthew Allan will head to the alternate training site in Brooklyn.

Joining the player pool allows Alvarez and Allan to be eligible for a big league call-up, though such a promotion would seem a bit unlikely given how both players only began their pro careers last season.  Alvarez appeared in 42 games in rookie ball in 2019, while Allan pitched just 10 1/3 innings in rookie ball before making one appearance for the Mets’ lower A-ball affiliate.

It should be noted that being added to the player pool also makes Alvarez and Allan eligible to be traded prior to the August 31 deadline.  However, The Athletic’s Tim Britton tweets that the Mets “aren’t looking to move” either prospect, and that today’s transaction was only made help the two youngsters continue their development.

Alvarez was rated as a top-100 prospect in preseason rankings from The Athletic’s Keith Law (who had Alvarez 48th), MLB.com (63rd), Baseball America (67th), and Baseball Prospectus (88th).  Signed to a $2.7MM bonus during the 2018-19 international signing window, Law praised Alvarez’s well-rounded hitting potential and described his swing as “arguably the best in the Mets’ system.”  Defensively, Alvarez is unsurprisingly a little raw considering he is only 18 years old, though MLB.com’s scouting report cited his athleticism, “accurate, plus arm strength” and “energy level and willingness to learn” as reasons why Alvarez could eventually become at least an average defender behind the plate.

A third-round pick in the 2019 draft, Allan was heavily targeted by the Mets, who signed several other picks to underslot deals to free up enough pool money for a $2.5MM bonus for the righty.  The strategy paid off, as Allan opted to join the Mets rather than pitch at the University Of Florida.  Allan already boasts a strong fastball (in the mid-90’s range) and curveball, and is widely seen as a future rotation member, perhaps even a front-of-the-rotation type if all goes well.

Dodgers Place Will Smith On 10-Day IL, Promote Keibert Ruiz

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The Dodgers have placed catcher Will Smith on the 10-day injured list due to neck inflammation.  Top catching prospect Keibert Ruiz has been recalled from the Dodgers’ alternate training site and is in line to make his Major League debut.

Smith’s neck issues led to an early exit from the Dodgers’ 6-0 win over the Padres last Wednesday, though the problem initially arose after a collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. over a week ago.  The injury doesn’t seem overly serious, as manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick and other reporters yesterday that Smith was feeling “not pain, but really the stiffness moving his head side to side,” yet an IL stint will allow the catcher to fully recover and also allow Los Angeles to add depth behind the plate.  Ruiz will join Austin Barnes as the only catchers on the active roster, and given Ruiz’s potential, it’s fair to wonder if L.A. will give him a solid amount of playing time.

Ruiz has been a regular on top-100 prospect lists for the last three seasons, entering 2020 rated 73rd by MLB Pipeline, 79th by Baseball Prospectus, 81st by Baseball America, and 91st by Fangraphs.  The 22-year-old has hit .299/.351/.420 over 1580 career plate appearances in the minors, though he only has 40 Triple-A plate appearances to his credit.  The lack of Triple-A playing time was due to both a finger injury and rather a lackluster .659 OPS over 310 PA for the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate.

Baseball America’s scouting report (subscription required) mentions that Ruiz “struggled with motivation” after not starting the season at Triple-A, and his production notably picked up once he did get promoted.  The switch-hitting Ruiz’s “elite-hand eye coordination and ability to manipulate the barrel give him the foundation of a plus hitter, and he almost never swings and misses,” according to BA, though Ruiz is also hampered by a lack of aggressiveness at the plate and a frequency to fall behind in counts.  Ruiz has shown some good defensive potential, though Fangraphs’ report notes that scouts became more “mixed” on his ability behind the plate during the 2019 season.

Orioles Place Austin Hays On 10-Day Injured List

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The Orioles announced that outfielder Austin Hays has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a non-displaced rib fracture.  Outfielder Cedric Mullins was recalled from the Orioles’ alternate training site, and righty Jorge Lopez will also join the team after being activated from the injured list (Lopez was undergoing intake testing for COVID-19 after being claimed off waivers from the Royals last week).

O’s manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that Hays may have suffered the injury after crashing into the wall while making a catch in a game during the Orioles’ series with the Phillies last week.  Hays was already dealing with some sore ribs after being hit by a pitch earlier in the season, though Hyde believes the outfielder will require only the minimum 10 days off.

The injury continues that has been a rough 2020 season for Hays, who has batted only .203/.273/.246 through his first 77 plate appearances.  Long a top prospect in Baltimore’s farm system and even a top-100 ranked prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2018 campaign, the O’s were hopeful that Hays could establish himself as an everyday player this season.  Expectations were high after Hays hit .309/.373/.574 over 75 PA during a September call-up in 2019.

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