Pirates GM Ben Cherington Discusses Suwinski, Davis, Tellez
Pirates GM Ben Cherington spoke to reporters (including Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) recently about the struggles a few key players have faced on offense this season in Pittsburgh, including recently-optioned outfielder Jack Suwinski. Despite the club’s decision to option the 25-year-old earlier this week, Cherington made clear that the club believes in his talent.
“Jack is really important to us,” Cherington said, as relayed by Hiles. “..Clearly believe that the best version of our team in 2024 has Jack on it, doing the things that we know he’s capable of doing. We tried to give that as much time as we could to get on track.”
That time to work things out came in the form of 157 plate appearances in the majors with Pittsburgh this season, where Suwinski slashed a brutal .174/.268/.297 despite being just one year removed from a breakout season where he posted a 112 wRC+ in 144 games as the club’s regular center fielder. That upside is certainly tantalizing, but Cherington indicated that the club’s decision to option him comes from a belief that Suwinski will need “consistent” at-bats on a daily basis that they can’t afford to him at the big league level.
With veteran franchise face Andrew McCutchen installed at DH and Bryan Reynolds taking one corner spot every day, that left just two spots in the outfield for a combination of Suwinski, Michael A. Taylor, Edward Olivares, and Connor Joe. Olivares and Joe have both hit fairly well to this point in the season, while Taylor is both not optionable and also an excellent defender in center field. Even with that outfield logjam complicating matters, Cherington still indicated that the club hopes that he’ll be able to show enough to return to the majors at some point this year, although he made clear that there is “no guarantee” as to when or if he’ll be back in the majors this year.
Suwinski isn’t the only potential core piece that the Pirates optioned to the minors this month, as the club also optioned catcher Henry Davis just after the calendar flipped to May. Davis, 24, was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft and made his debut last season but struggled at the plate while working almost exclusively as an outfielder. Injuries to the club’s catching corps this offseason spurred Pittsburgh to return Davis to his native position behind the plate, where he looked to be below average but serviceable with the glove. That would be well worthwhile if Davis was a stud on offense, but he hit just .162/.280/.206 in 23 games prior to his demotion.
Fortunately, Davis has caught fire in the weeks since then at Triple-A with an otherworldly .315/.456/.741 slash line in 15 games. That strong hot stretch earned Davis considerable praise from Cherington, who acknowledged that the youngster has been “working hard” since being optioned and that the club is seeing “progress” both in his on-field results and in the specific goals the club set out for him when he was demoted. If Davis can reach the ceiling that made him a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport a couple of years ago, that would be a huge boost to a Pirates club that has struggled to a 24-28 start this season despite winning 11 of their first 16 games this year.
Not every struggling player can be optioned to the minor leagues, of course, and that includes first baseman Rowdy Tellez. The 29-year-old slugger signed a one-year deal in Pittsburgh coming off a down season in Milwaukee last year and has looked even worse through 45 games with the Pirates this season, hitting a nightmarish .175/.242/.225 that’s a whopping 64% below the league average hitter in terms of wRC+.
In spite of his struggles, it doesn’t appear that the club doesn’t plan on giving up on Tellez any time soon, and Cherington confirmed as much in comments to reporters. While the GM acknowledged that the club isn’t “seeing the outcomes we hoped to see” out of Tellez to this point, he also made clear that Tellez is healthy and that the underlying skills that prompted the Pirates to target him, including his bat speed and strong power potential, don’t seem to have changed.
Even as the club intends to stick with Tellez for the time being, that doesn’t mean they haven’t begun to lean less heavily on him. Tellez is still a semi-regular fixture in the club’s lineup with appearances in 15 of the club’s 21 games this month, but Joe has begun to see increasing playing time at first base as a result of a strong .273/.344/.460 slash line in 45 games this season. Should the Pirates decide to move on from Tellez at some point, non-roster veteran Jake Lamb could serve as a potential left-handed complement to Joe at first base. The 33-year-old is currently playing for the Pirates on a minor league deal in their system with a .341/.428/.500 slash line in 37 games and had some success in the majors as recently as 2022.
Yankees Select Kevin Smith
The Yankees announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Kevin Smith. Smith will take the roster spot of Jon Berti, who the club placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left calf strain. Making room for Smith on the 40-man roster is DJ LeMahieu, who was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Smith, 27, was a 4th-round pick by the Blue Jays back in 2017 and made his big league debut with the club in 2021, though he hit just .094/.194/.188 in 36 plate appearances with Toronto that season. Smith is perhaps most notable for being part of the four-player package the Blue Jays sent to Oakland in exchange for then-A’s third baseman Matt Chapman prior to the 2022 season. Smith would go on to appear in 96 games for the A’s over the 2022 and ’23 campaigns but again struggled to hit at the big league level as he posted a paltry .183/.218/.314 slash line in 297 trips to the plate as a member of the Athletics.
That meager offensive performance was enough to convince the A’s to non-tender Smith back in November, though he eventually joined the Yankees on a minor league deal back in January. This is actually Smith’s second stint with the big league club this year, as he was already called up once earlier this year the first time the club placed Berti on the shelf back in mid-April. Unfortunately for Smith, he ultimately made just one appearance in a Yankees uniform during that stint with the club and failed to record even one plate appearance before being designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A.
It’s possible this stint in the majors could be a similarly brief one as well. After all, the Yankees also announced earlier this afternoon that LeMahieu’s rehab assignment has been transferred to Triple-A and MLB.com’s Injury Tracker notes that manager Aaron Boone expects LeMahieu to rejoin the club at some point during their three-game set against the Angels that begins on May 28. LeMahieu’s initial IL placement was retroactive to March 25, meaning that today’s transfer to the 60-day IL is a purely procedural move that has no bearing on when the Yankees can activate him.
LeMahieu’s return from the shelf will be a huge relief for the Yankees, as they’ve struggled to get much production from much of their infield mix this year. Anthony Volpe has been excellent at shortstop this season while veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo has held his own with a roughly league average slash line, but Gleyber Torres has struggled badly at the plate while acting as the club’s regular second baseman with a .221/.298/.318 slash line in 219 trip to the plate so far this year. It can be argued that Torres’s overall track record an above-average bat should earn him the opportunity to bust out of his slump, but the same can’t be said for Oswaldo Cabrera, who got off to a blazing start at the hot corner this year but has struggled badly over the past month with a .208/.253/.260 slash line in his last 25 games.
The club’s struggles to get offensive production from their infield mix are compounded by the loss of Berti, who was ice cold in six games with the club prior to being placed on the injured list in April but has heated up considerably in the month of May with a .306/.359/.389 slash line in 11 games. That production in conjunction with Berti’s experience all over the diamond except for first base and behind the plate made Berti a strong bench contributor to the Yankees’ scuffling infield, but now they’ll be without him for the foreseeable future. The Yankees have not yet announced a timeline for Berti’s return, although the utility man was seemingly unable to put weight on his leg while exiting last night’s game in the ninth inning, as noted by MLB.com.
The Opener: Rangers, Twins, Ramos, Braves
As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world heading into the weekend:
1. Series Preview: Rangers @ Twins
A pair of AL contenders who have struggled a bit more than expected so far in the 2024 campaign are set to face off in a weekend series starting this evening as the Twins host the Rangers at Target Field for a three-game set. The Twins currently sit 6.5 games back of the Guardians for the AL Central crown with a 26-23 record despite having come into the season as the defending division champions, while the reigning World Series champions in Texas have fallen below .500 with a record of just 24-27 but are just three games back of the Mariners in what has turned out to be a surprisingly weak AL West division. Both teams have also faced particularly deep struggles recently as the Twins have lost seven of their last ten while the Rangers have lost eight.
The series is set to begin at 6:10pm local time this evening, when Twins righty Bailey Ober (4.40 ERA) takes on Rangers journeyman Jose Urena (3.29 ERA). Veteran Michael Lorenzen (3.61 ERA) is set to take on Twins right-hander Chris Paddack (4.47 ERA) tomorrow, while it’s unclear who will start for Texas on Sunday opposite Minnesota’s struggling staff ace Pablo Lopez (4.72 ERA). With Jon Gray, Nathan Eovaldi, and Cody Bradford all currently on the injured list, it’s possible the club will be forced to turn to a young arm such as Jack Leiter, Owen White, or Cole Winn to make a spot start.
2. Ramos nearing return:
The White Sox lost infielder Bryan Ramos to the injured list just over a week after calling him up to the majors due to a left quad strain, but it appears the 22-year-old youngster is nearing a return to action. As relayed by Scott Merkin of MLB.com, general manager Chris Getz told reporters yesterday that Ramos would be activated from the IL at some point this weekend. That’s great news for the club, as Ramos has experience at both second and third base and figures to offer a noticeable upgrade offensively over either Nicky Lopez (52 wRC+) or Danny Mendick (69 wRC+) upon his return. Ranked by Fangraphs as the #54 prospect in the sport, Ramos held his own with a decent .281/.294/.344 slash line in his first ten games, good for a wRC+ of 78. In 77 games at the Double-A level last year, Ramos slashed an impressive .271/.369/.457 with a wRC+ of 122.
3. Who’s starting for the Braves today?
The Braves have not yet decided their starter for today’s game against the Pirates, manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Mark Bowman of MLB.com) last night. The club’s recent doubleheader against the Padres has left the rotation in need of a spot start, but the club’s recent decision to option right-hander Bryce Elder to the minor leagues means that their on-paper sixth starter won’t be available to take the ball unless he replaces an injured player on the roster. Assuming the club will look for another alternative in its minor league system, each of Huascar Ynoa, Allan Winans, and Dylan Dodd have been working out of the rotation at the Triple-A level for the club this year and have enough rest to be a potential option for today’s spot start.
Ynoa is the most accomplished of the three at the big league level after pitching in parts of four MLB seasons including a 107 ERA+ showing in 91 innings of work back in 2021. That being said, Ynoa has struggled to stay healthy in recent years and has been lit up for a 6.52 ERA in 9 2/3 innings of work at Triple-A so far this year. He’s also on the minor league IL and hasn’t pitched in an official game since the middle of April. That could lead the Braves to offer the start today to either Winans or Dodd, both of whom made their MLB debuts last year and have pitched to decent results at the Triple-A level this year. Dodd has not yet appeared in a big league game this season, while Winans surrendered seven runs (six earned) in five innings of work during a spot start earlier this year. All three arms are already on the 40-man roster, but the Braves would still need to clear space on the active roster in order to accommodate today’s starter.
Rob Manfred Discusses Mizuhara, Fletcher Investigations; A’s Stadium Plans
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters (including Evan Drellich of The Athletic) regarding the league’s ongoing investigations into allegations of illegal sports betting against Ippei Mizuhara and David Fletcher. Mizuhara had worked as Shohei Ohtani‘s interpreter during his time with the Angels and joined him in heading to the Dodgers this offseason but was fired on Opening Day amid reports connecting Mizuhara to an illegal gambling operation in California, while Fletcher was connected to that same operation by reporting last week.
As noted by Drellich, MLB’s department of investigations has largely been deferential to federal authorities over the course of the investigations. Manfred suggested that this deferential approach was a necessary one, noting that federal authorities have “a lot more tools” at their disposal than the league does with which to conduct investigations in this situation. Drellich explains that while league investigations regarding legal gambling can be assisted by regulators and alerts received by the league’s central office, no such avenues are available in cases of illegal gambling.
“We have no way to know what an illegal bookmaker is doing,” Manfred said, as relayed by Drellich. “…by definition, in most cases we’re going to be chasing, usually a press report or a criminal investigation.”
Manfred went on to suggest that a more proactive approach to the investigations could risk “interfer[ing] in an unproductive way,” prompting the league’s decision to move slowly in its investigations of these cases while following reporting based on investigations from the news media and federal authorities. Reporting earlier this month suggests that Mizuhara is pleading guilty to charges of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return in relation with his alleged theft of more than $16MM from Ohtani to fund his gambling habit.
Aside from his comments on the ongoing investigations, Manfred also discussed the impending relocation of the Athletics from Oakland to Las Vegas and their temporary move to Sacramento following the 2024 campaign while they await the construction of their new stadium in Nevada. Manfred notes that Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, which is the current home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, is set to undergo significant renovations in preparation for the A’s arrival next season. Per Manfred, an entirely new home clubhouse will be constructed for the A’s while the visiting clubhouse will be renovating, the field will have new artificial turf installed, and the stadiums cameras will be upgraded to accommodate big league broadcasts.
In addition to discussing the upgrades being made to the club’s temporary ballpark in Sacramento, Manfred noted that the timeline for construction on the club’s permanent ballpark in Las Vegas is a relatively tight one if the club is to begin playing there in 2028, as previously expected. According to Drellich, Manfred indicated that the A’s would need to break ground in Las Vegas in April 2025 if they’re to be ready for Opening Day 2028. That gives the club less than a year to gather private funding for the stadium project, of which they are reportedly seeking $500MM, and reach an agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority regarding a plan for the club to meet its $1.1 billion in commitments toward the construction of the stadium.
Rays Notes: Lowe, Walls, Ramirez
Rays outfielder Josh Lowe has spent most of the season on the injured list after a series of injuries, including oblique, hamstring, and hip issues, prevented him from playing since Spring Training. Things began looking up for the 26-year-old when he was activated off the injured list earlier this month, but he appeared in just 14 games before being pulled from yesterday’s game against the Red Sox due to right side strain.
The strain immediately raised alarms for Lowe and the Rays given his oblique issues earlier this season, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported earlier this evening that while Lowe underwent an MRI exam to determine the severity of the issue, the results were ultimately inconclusive. Topkin suggests that an injured list placement for Lowe remains likely to ensure that he doesn’t aggravate the oblique issue that left him sidelined to open the season, although the club opted to wait until Friday to make a determination about a potential IL stint for the outfielder after Lowe told club officials this morning that he was feeling better today.
The club’s first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Lowe enjoyed a breakout season last year as he posted a strong .292/.335/.500 slash line in 501 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 131. That figure has dipped to just 108 this season, although a sample size of just 54 plate appearances is hardly meaningful enough to draw conclusions from. Whether Lowe ultimately proves to once again be the impact bat he was for the Rays in 2023 or not, another trip to the injured list would be an unfortunate turn of events for a lineup that’s already without Taylor Walls and has seen key pieces like Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz struggle in the early going this year. Richie Palacios was the club’s primary answer in right field while Lowe was out earlier this year and once again figures to handle the position in his absence should he require a trip to the injured list.
Speaking of Walls, Topkin reports that the infielder could be nearing a notable step forward in his rehab from offseason hip surgery as he’s “tentatively scheduled” to move from the Florida Complex League up to Triple-A Durham on May 30. That’s a fairly quick turnaround, as Walls first began his rehab assignment in Florida on Tuesday according to MLB.com’s Injury Tracker. The Rays have relied on Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario to handle shortstop in Walls’s absence but neither of them have the strong defensive reputation of Walls, whose +38 Defensive Runs Saves from 2021 to 2023 are sixth-best among all big league infielders despite Walls appearing in just 295 games during that time.
In other Rays news, Topkin also relays that club manager Kevin Cash told reporters yesterday that the club remains interested in right-hander Erasmo Ramirez even after designating the righty for assignment yesterday. Cash indicated that the club could look to pursue a reunion with Ramirez in the event that he isn’t claimed by another club while on waivers, noting that the club would “definitely” like him back in the fold.
The 34-year-old hurler first played for the Rays from 2015-2017 as a swing man before returning to the club midseason last year. Ramirez’s second stint with the Rays could’ve gone better, as he allowed a 5.84 ERA while striking out just 18.2% of batters faced in 49 1/3 innings of work across the past two seasons. Even so, he’s just a couple of years removed from a strong 2022 campaign with the Nationals where he pitched to 2.92 ERA in 86 1/3 frames across 60 appearances as a multi-inning relief arm for the club.
Steinbrenner: Current Payroll “Not Sustainable”
With a 35-17 record that leads AL clubs and trails only the Phillies in the NL, the Yankees have been among the very best teams in baseball to start the 2024 campaign. That being said, all that winning has come at a price: RosterResource pegs the club’s payroll at a whopping $302MM this season, trailing only the Mets and Dodgers for the third-highest in the league while surpassing the fourth-place Phillies by nearly $60MM. It appears that club chairman Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t plan to keep payroll at those top-of-the-line levels, however, as he told reporters (including Dan Martin of the New York Post) yesterday that payroll will be coming down in the future.
“I’m gonna be honest, payrolls at the levels we’re at right now are simply not sustainable for us financially,” Steinbrenner said, as relayed by Martin.
He went on to point to the luxury tax as a limiting factor on the club’s spending. New York’s payroll is just over $312MM for luxury tax purposes this season. As a club that has gone over the lowest threshold more than two seasons in a row, the Yankees are subject to a tax that escalates from 50% to 110% of the overage above the league’s base threshold of $237MM. That figures to put them on the hook for more than $58MM in luxury tax obligations this offseason, a figure that could increase further depending on midseason additions and contract incentives. That’s a hefty bill, particularly considering the fact that (as noted by Cot’s Baseball Contracts) the club’s 2024 payroll breaks the franchise record payroll of roughly $278MM that was set just last season. Prior to the last two seasons, the club’s payroll generally set in the $200MM and $250MM range.
Scaling back payroll could be feasible for the for the Yankees somewhat naturally, as the club has just under $182MM in guaranteed money on the books for next year per RosterResource. That figure does not factor in arbitration-level contracts for players such as Nestor Cortes, Jose Trevino, and Clarke Schmidt, nor does it include the possibility of the club picking up options on the services of veterans like Anthony Rizzo and Luke Weaver. Even considering that, however, it’s reasonable to expect the Yankees to have some room to cut down payroll and still add in free agency this winter.
Of course, the elephant in the room regarding the coming free agent class is superstar youngster Juan Soto, who is slated to hit free agency this fall ahead of his age-26 season. Acquired from the Padres in a blockbuster swap back in December, Soto has been everything the Yankees could have hoped for in his first 51 games with the club, slashing an incredible .313/.409/.569 with a 15.1% strikeout rate, a 14.2% walk rate, and 13 homers in 232 trips to the plate. Given how vital a one-two punch of Soto and Aaron Judge has been to the club’s success this winter, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees not aggressively pursuing a long-term deal with their newly-acquired star.
Steinbrenner himself indicated recently that he hopes to see Soto remain with the club “for the rest of his career,” suggesting that the Yankees at least plan to make an effort to retain him beyond this season. With Soto widely expected to land a contract that rivals the $460MM net present value of the Shohei Ohtani deal from this past offseason, it would seemingly be difficult to significantly lower the club’s payroll while retaining Soto via what could be a massive raise over his current $31MM salary.
That’s not to say it can’t be done, of course. Steinbrenner’s comments also made note of the club’s ability to retain Soto, as he noted that the club has a “considerable amount” of money coming off the books this winter in comparison to last year. Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo are both pending free agents who have combined to make more than $20MM this season, and it’s feasible to imagine the Yankees allowing the pair to walk in free agency before offering their roles to younger players such as Oswald Peraza and Jasson Dominguez.
The Opener: Lowe, Kelly, Neto
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Lowe to undergo MRI:
Yesterday’s game against the Red Sox took a rough turn for the Rays as outfielder Josh Lowe was pulled after the first inning due to what manager Kevin Cash called a right side strain. The injury is particularly worrisome given the fact that Lowe was sidelined an oblique strain earlier this season, although Lowe himself noted to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he’s “hopeful” this issue isn’t as significant as his previous injury. Lowe has been snakebit early in 2024, already dealing with hip inflammation and hamstring tightness in addition to his oblique issues. When healthy enough to take the field, he’s hit fairly well: .240/.296/.440 (108 wRC+) in 14 games. Richie Palacios received most of the reps in right field while Lowe was shelved previously and could be in line to do so again if he returns to the injured list.
2. Kelly nearing throwing program:
Diamondbacks veteran Merrill Kelly has been sidelined since late April by a shoulder strain and is currently on the 60-day injured list, meaning he’ll spend at least another month on the shelf. Fans in Arizona received some reason for optimism last night, however, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that Kelly is set to undergo an MRI this week that will serve as a progress check regarding his ailing shoulder. Piecoro also adds that, per manager Torey Lovullo, the right-hander could resume throwing in the near future if the test results look good. With both Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez on the 60-day injured list, Zac Gallen, Jordan Montgomery, and Brandon Pfaadt have been joined by depth starters Ryne Nelson and Slade Cecconi in the starting rotation.
3. Neto to undergo testing:
Angels shortstop Zach Neto was removed from yesterday afternoon’s game against the Astros due to what the club termed right elbow soreness. Fortunately, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register relays that, according to Neto himself, the club’s training staff didn’t believe the injury to be a serious one. He’ll still be sent for precautionary testing, as Neto notes that he’s had issues with his elbow previously in his career. Either Luis Guillorme or Luis Rengifo could be tabbed to handle shortstop in Neto’s absence if he requires time to rest his elbow. If he winds up taking a trip to the injured list, veteran utility infielder Niko Goodrum is on the club’s 40-man roster in the minor leagues as a potential depth option. The 23-year-old Neto, whom the Angels drafted 13th overall in 2022, is hitting .249/.302/.420 (104 wRC+) with six homers and six steals. He’s been particularly hot of late, hitting .309/.350/.577 in 103 plate appearances over the past month. Neto has also drawn solid marks for his glovework through his first 133 big league games, dating back to last season.
The Opener: Gray, Diamondbacks, Pitchers’ Duel
On the heels of some overnight transaction news, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today…
1. Gray to undergo MRI:
Rangers right-hander Jon Gray is set to undergo an MRI exam after departing yesterday’s game prior to the sixth inning due to a bout of groin tightness. As noted by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Gray told reporters last night that he does not expect to miss a start, though the MRI suggests that the Rangers have at least some level of concern. Being cautious with Gray makes plenty of sense for the Rangers, as the 32-year-old righty has essentially emerged as the club’s ace with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Nathan Eovaldi all on the injured list.
In ten appearances, Gray sports a sterling 2.08 ERA (188 ERA+) with a 2.46 FIP and a solid 24.1% strikeout rate. That sort of production in the rotation would be difficult to replace if Gray required a trip to the IL himself, even as the Rangers are set to activated righty Dane Dunning today to start tonight’s game against the Phillies.
2. Roster move coming and hit streak to watch in Arizona:
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic) last night that a roster move is coming for the club today. Lovullo did not get into specific details regarding the impending move, although he did note that it’s “possible” the club opt for a bullpen game this evening against the Dodgers. Tonight’s start had previously been slated to be taken by right-hander Ryne Nelson, who has a brutal 7.06 ERA through seven starts this season despite a decent 4.17 FIP.
If Arizona does opt for a bullpen game, it’s not clear if that would indicate that Nelson is being removed from the roster or simply having his start pushed back. Among the hurlers who could potentially be slated to join the roster, lefties Brandon Hughes and Andrew Saalfrank as well as righty Cristian Mena have all pitched fairly well at Triple-A this season and are currently on the 40-man roster, while lefty Blake Walston could be a multi-inning relief option for the club who is also on the 40-man.
While the D-backs’ rotation is a source of intrigue at the moment, so is the hitting streak of their star second baseman. Ketel Marte went 1-for-5 last night to push his MLB-best hit streak to 20 straight games. It’s one of the least conventional hit streaks you’ll see, as Marte has only two multi-hit games over the course of this 20-game run. His .262/.300/.523 slash during this run is strong (123 wRC+) but also not quite the blistering production one might expect from someone on such a good run. In fact, he posted better rate stats in 28 games before his hitting streak than he has over the course of the streak (thanks in large part to a pair of four-hit games and a trio of three-hit showings). Marte will have one of his toughest tests of the streak thus far when he faces off against Dodgers righty Tyler Glasnow.
3. Young lefties square off in Kansas City:
Two of the AL Central’s most impressive young arms are set to face off in a pitchers’ duel later today as Royals lefty Cole Ragans takes on Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Ragans, 26, dominated to a 2.64 ERA in 12 starts with the Royals down the stretch last year after being acquired from the Rangers. This year’s 3.70 ERA doesn’t quite stack up to that level, but the lefty sports an excellent 2.58 FIP thanks in part to an excellent 27.6% strikeout rate and improved 7.8% walk rate.
Ragans is facing a tough assignment, as Skubal has been among the very best pitchers in the big leagues this year. The 27-year-old has been nothing short of dominant through nine starts this season, with a 1.80 ERA and an MLB-best 1.95 FIP in 55 innings of work. Skubal has struck out 31.6% of batters faced this season while walking a microscopic 3.5%. The two youngsters are set to face off this afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10pm local time.
Rays To Designate Erasmo Ramirez For Assignment
The Rays are expected to designated right-hander Erasmo Ramirez for assignment, per a report from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times last night. Ramirez’s departure is set to be the corresponding move for the return of righty Ryan Pepiot from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Red Sox tonight.
Ramirez, 32, is a veteran of 13 MLB seasons who first made his big league debut back in 2012 as a member of the Mariners. From 2012-18 Ramirez split his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen in both Seattle and Tampa, pitching to a slightly below average 4.36 ERA with a 4.54 FIP across 192 appearances in that seven year stretch, 92 of which were starts. Ramirez posted a 6.7% walk rate during that time while generating grounders at a solid 44.4% clip, but he struck out just 18.5% of batters faced while allowing a hefty 13.8% of his fly balls to leave the yard for home runs. Ramirez’s final season with the Mariners in 2018 was a particularly difficult one, as he was torched to the tune of a 6.50 ERA in ten starts with the club.
Those difficulties led Ramirez to bounce around the league, making brief appearances in Boston, Queens, and Detroit over the next three seasons before finally returning to a regular role with the Nationals in 2022. Ramirez took to the nation’s capital quite well as he posted a strong 2.92 ERA in 86 2/3 innings of work that came almost exclusively out of the bullpen. While the righty’s strikeout rate of 17.6% remained below average, he allowed free passes to just 4% of batters that season while seeing his groundball rate tick up to 45.2%. The showing was enough for the Nationals to sign him to a one-year big league deal worth $1MM for the 2023 campaign, assuring him of a spot in the club’s bullpen entering Spring Training.
Unfortunately, the decision to retain Ramirez didn’t work out, as his peripherals regressed slightly in all areas during the 2023 campaign. Those dips in underlying performance combined with an unusually low 62.2% strand rate left Ramirez’s results on the field to swing from well above average to well below as he allowed a 6.41 ERA with a 5.05 FIP in 60 1/3 innings of work split between the Nationals and the Rays, the latter of whom signed the righty to a minor league deal midseason after he was released by Washington.
Ramirez continued his second stint in Tampa by re-signing with the club on a minor league deal this past offseason and was selected to the roster in mid-April, but the 34-year-old has looked unimpressive in ten appearances. He’s allowed a 4.20 ERA with a whopping 6.08 in 15 innings of work while striking out just 13.6% of batters faced, walking an elevated 9.1%, and generating groundballs just 38.1% of the time. Once Ramirez is officially DFA’d, the Rays will have one week to either trade Ramirez or attempt to pass him through waivers, although the righty has more than enough service time to reject outright waivers and test free agency should he go unclaimed.
The Opener: Devers, Ross, MLBTR Chat
With 30% of the 2024 regular season now in the books, here are three things that we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Devers approaching history:
Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been on an otherworldly tear as of late. Over Boston’s last six games, Devers has hit an excellent .292/.346/1.042 with a homer in six straight games. That home run streak is good for the Red Sox franchise record and makes him one of just 33 players in MLB history to hit a home run in at least six games in a row, per MLB.com.
The all-time record, which is shared by Don Mattingly, Dale Long, and Ken Griffey Jr. stands at eight consecutive games with a home run. Should he hit a seventh consecutive homer tonight, Devers would join six other players who have achieved a seven-game home run streak: Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, Kendrys Morales, Kevin Mench, Joey Votto, and Mike Trout. Devers and the Red Sox are currently in Tampa for a series against the Rays, with right-hander Zack Littell set to take the mound opposite Boston today. Littell already contributed one homer to Devers’ streak during his last start — one of just four homers surrendered by Littell this season.
2. Ross to the IL?
Brewers right-hander Joe Ross exited his start against the Marlins last night after just one inning due to what Milwaukee has termed a low back strain. It’s not only an unfortunate birthday surprise for Ross, who turns 31 today, but difficult news for a Brewers team that has already lost DL Hall and Jakob Junis to the injured list to say nothing of season-ending injuries for Wade Miley and Brandon Woodruff. Through nine starts this season, Ross has pitched to a 4.50 ERA and 3.94 FIP in 42 innings .
Manager Pat Murphy indicated to reporters last night (per MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) that a trip to the shelf could be in the cards for Ross, though the righty suggested they’ll wait until they see how he feels today before making a decision. Should he wind up sitting down for the next 15 days, Aaron Ashby, Tobias Myers, and Janson Junk are the starting depth options the Brewers have at their disposal on the 40-man roster.
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
The 2024 season is now in full swing, and we’ve seen a handful of names traded at an unusually early stage of the season (e.g. Luis Arraez, Luis Guillorme, Robbie Grossman). If you have questions regarding your favorite club’s start to the campaign, or perhaps questions that look ahead to this summer’s trade deadline and the 2024-25 offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.