Nationals Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Mike Rizzo
The Nationals announced this morning that they’ve agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with president of baseball operations and GM Mike Rizzo. The sides were reported as close to an agreement when manager Dave Martinez extended with the club on a two-year deal with a club option for 2026 late last month.
Rizzo, 62, has been part of the Nationals organization since 2006. He’s been at the helm of Washington’s baseball operations since 2009, and now figures to continue in that role for the foreseeable future, though the exact length of the deal has not yet been reported. Rizzo guided the club through eight consecutive winning seasons from 2012-2019, a stretch that including five postseason appearances with a World Series championship in 2019.
Recent years have been far less kind to Washington, however, as the club has finished in last place in the NL East in three consecutive seasons and is currently trending toward a fourth in 2023 with a 65-80 record. The downturn in production was thanks not only to the departure of key players like Bryce Harper prior to the 2019 season and Anthony Rendon the following winter, but also a pair of ill-fated big money contracts; both left-hander Patrick Corbin and homegrown ace Stephen Strasburg haven’t panned out since the club’s championship in 2019, with Strasburg throwing just 31 1/3 big league innings since and Corbin posting a brutal 5.61 ERA in 102 starts over the past four seasons.
With the team’s performance declining and over $300MM owed to Corbin and Strasburg in the coming years, Rizzo made the decision to kickstart the club’s current rebuild back in 2021. In doing so, he dealt not only short term rental pieces like Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester but also franchise cornerstones Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. A year following that 2021 sell-off, Rizzo pulled the trigger on a trade of young superstar Juan Soto, shipping him to the Padres for a package of prospects and young players.
Difficult as the past few seasons have been for Nationals fans, the future is bright for an organization now brimming with young talent. MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, James Wood, Robert Hassell, Keibert Ruiz, Lane Thomas, and Josiah Gray were all added to the organization at the trade deadline in recent seasons, while the draft has produced top talents like Dylan Crews and Brady House. Today’s extension announcement is not only a vote of confidence from ownership in Rizzo’s leadership, but an opportunity for Rizzo to personally see the fruits of the recent rebuild begin to manifest in the coming years.
The Opener: Means, Seager, MLBTR Chat
As the 2023 MLB regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Means to return:
Left-hander John Means is set to return to the Orioles for their home game against the Cardinals today. The 30-year-old southpaw will be starting opposite veteran righty Adam Wainwright (8.19 ERA) this evening for his first time on a big league mound since April 2022. Means is on the 60-day IL, but will not require a corresponding 40-man move as Baltimore’s roster currently stands at 39. While Means has been on the shelf rehabbing Tommy John surgery, the Orioles have transformed from a 100-loss team to a surefire playoff contender. After going 82-74 the rest of 2022 following Means’s injury, the club has posted a 91-52 record while surging to the top seed in the AL’s postseason bracket.
Means sports a 3.72 ERA in 353 1/3 innings of work since the start of the 2019 season, good for an ERA+ of 124. Though his FIP is a less impressive 4.59 ERA during that time, a healthy and effective return from Means could transform the complexion of Baltimore’s postseason rotation, joining Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez while perhaps taking pressure off the likes of Kyle Gibson and Dean Kremer. Means posted a 3.74 ERA in 21 2/3 rehab innings and built his pitch count as high as 86 in a recent Triple-A outing.
2. Seager approaching milestone:
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is in the midst of a career year, slashing an incredible .337/.398/.651 (177 wRC+) with 5.7 fWAR in just 100 games this season. He’s also on the cusp of a personal milestone, sitting just one hit away from his 1000th knock in the majors. The milestone puts Seager, still in the midst of his age 29-season, at 62nd on the career hits leaderboard among active players, and eighth among players who debuted in 2015 or later. It’s possible that hit No. 1000 for Seager proves to be a pivotal one for the Rangers this year, as the club is in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. They hold control of the final spot over the Mariners by half a game while sitting half a game behind the Blue Jays for the second spot.’
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
The end of the season is fast approaching, and the league’s 30 clubs are all pushing full steam ahead into the stretch run. While some are already looking ahead to 2024, many are focused on the current pennant chase, with more than half the league either occupying a playoff spot or within two games of doing so. If you’re curious how your team will hold up over the season’s final weeks or what their plan for the future is, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is hosting a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
The Opener: Wright, Conforto, Brewers/Marlins
With less than three weeks to go until the 2023 regular season wraps up, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Will Wright return today?
The Braves are scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Phillies today, with veteran Charlie Morton set to take the ball against righty Taijuan Walker in game one. The Braves have not yet announced who will face off against right-hander Michael Lorenzen in Game 2, but manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) yesterday that one option to take the role is Kyle Wright. Wright is on the 60-day IL, so a corresponding 40-man roster move will be necessary to activate him.
The 27-year-old hurler has been on the injured list with a shoulder strain since early May and struggled to a 5.79 ERA in five starts to open the season, but was a dominant force in Atlanta’s rotation as recently as last year with a 3.19 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 180 1/3 innings of work. If Wright is healthy and effective in his return, he’ll provide a boost for a Braves club that already boasts the best record in baseball (93-49) as they look ahead to the postseason.
2. Conforto nearing return:
According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Giants outfielder Michael Conforto is on the verge of returning to the big league club. Conforto’s been on the 10-day IL since late August with a hamstring strain, but could return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Guardians. After missing the entire 2022 campaign due to injury, Conforto has hit decently in 111 games this year, with a .251/.343/.405 slash line (107 wRC+) in 426 trips to the plate. While those numbers certainly aren’t bad by any means, they’re a far cry from the .265/.369/.495 slash line (133 wRC+) Conforto put together between 2017 and 2020 that gave him the look of an All-Star-caliber bat. A Conforto return would add a quality bat to a San Francisco offense that has gotten hot in recent days, with 34 runs scored in their past five games.
3. Series Preview: Marlins @ Brewers
A consequential series for the NL playoff picture kicks off today as the Marlins head to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers for four games. Miami sits just half a game back of the third NL Wild Card spot with a 74-69 record, while the Brewers are holding onto a three game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central division. While a strong performance from Milwaukee could give them additional breathing room in the division ahead of their final three-game set against Chicago to wrap up the regular season, this series holds even more importance for the Marlins as they stare down an impending three-game set against a fearsome Braves club, not to mention three more games against the Brewers during their homestand next week.
For game one this evening, Marlins lefty Jesus Luzardo (3.59 ERA) will take on Brewers righty Brandon Woodruff (2.30 ERA). The Marlins have not announced who will take on Freddy Peralta (3.89 ERA) in game two of the series, while the Brewers haven’t announced a starter opposite Braxton Garrett (3.82 ERA) for game three. Neither starter has been announced for Thursday’s series finale. Tonight’s game begins at 6:40pm CT.
Jasson Dominguez To Undergo Surgery To Repair UCL Tear
Top Yankees outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez has suffered a torn UCL, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Brendan Kuty of The Athletic) this afternoon. The news obviously brings the youngster’s 2023 campaign to a close, and will impact the start to his 2024 season as well. Speaking to reporters (including Kuty) through his translator, Dominguez confirmed he would be undergoing surgery, saying “The plan is to go through surgery as soon as possible and try to recuperate as soon as possible.”
A consensus top-50 prospect in baseball at the time of his promotion earlier this month, Dominguez’s big league career was off to a hot start despite just nine games of experience at the Triple-A level before reaching the show: in 33 trips to the plate with New York, the 20-year-old slashed a phenomenal .258/.303/.677 with four homers, a double, and a stolen base while playing a solid center field for the Yankees. Dominguez’s September cup of coffee was on track to put him firmly in the mix for a starting role entering the 2024 season, though this news surely puts that possibility into question.
Tommy John surgery is unlikely to wipe out the youngster’s entire 2024 campaign. The aforementioned 9-10 month recovery timeline would put Dominguez in position to return around the All-Star Break next year, though a more optimistic timeline is certainly possible. Yankees fans will surely remember shortstop Didi Gregorius undergoing the procedure in October 2018. He managed to return as the club’s everyday shortstop in early June, just under eight months after undergoing the procedure.
Of course, Phillies superstar Bryce Harper made a record-setting return from the surgery earlier this year, joining the club’s lineup just over five months after undergoing the procedure. That being said, fans likely shouldn’t expect a similarly speedy recovery for Dominguez. The 20-year-old youngster is still at the very beginning of his career as a big leaguer, and it would hardly be a surprise if the Yankees decided to take their time with the top prospect’s rehab. Additionally, Harper returned to the lineup as a DH for Philadelphia. By contrast, the Yankees have veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton firmly entrenched as the club’s everyday DH for the foreseeable future. To this point in the season, Stanton has made just 32 appearances in the outfield, and it seems unlikely the Yankees would move him to an everyday outfield role to accommodate a quicker return for Dominguez.
With Dominguez unlikely to serve as a reliable option in center field for at least the first few months of 2024, the injury highlights New York’s need for outfield help as they look ahead to the coming offseason. Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger stands at the front of the coming market for outfield options, with Tommy Pham, Teoscar Hernandez, Jorge Soler, and Michael Brantley representing other potential options set to hit the open market this winter. The Yankees are also known to have looked into the trade market for outfield help at the trade deadline this year, with a particular interest in Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson. While no deal came together before the deadline this summer, it’s certainly feasible trade talks could be revisited in the coming offseason.
The New Fernando Tatis Jr.
Just over a year ago, MLB announced that Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. had been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for Clostebol, a banned performance-enhancing substance. The announcement came as Tatis was on the cusp of making his 2022 season debut after undergoing wrist surgery in March of that year due to a fractured wrist sustained during an offseason motorcycle accident.
The news shook the baseball world, as it was the first time a star player in his prime had been suspended for PED usage since Ryan Braun nearly a decade earlier. A whirlwind of controversy surrounded Tatis throughout the 2022 campaign and in the lead up to his return to the field back in April. Since then, however, Tatis has fallen into the background as discourse surrounding the Padres quickly began to focus on their disappointing season. Down years from Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Yu Darvish captured most of the focus around the baseball world, as well as the strong performances the club has received from Blake Snell, Juan Soto, and Ha-Seong Kim.
Though Tatis hasn’t been at the forefront of most fans’ minds this season, we’re getting a glimpse of what the now-24 year old looks like as a player in the wake of his lost season last year. While he hasn’t been the perennial-MVP candidate he looked to be in his first three seasons as a big leaguer, Tatis has put together a radically different profile this year that nonetheless should keep him in the conversation as one of the best everyday regulars in the sport.
From his debut in 2019 until the 2021 campaign that saw him appear in his first career All Star game and finish third in NL MVP voting, Tatis was the prototypical young superstar. A shortstop with speed and power, Tatis featured the best ISO, the second best wRC+, and the third best fWAR total among MLB regulars during his first three seasons as a big leaguer. Meanwhile, Statcast indicates the youngster boasted sprint speeds and barrel rates in the 95th percentile or better in each of those seasons, clearly indicating he was elite in both respects. On the other side of things, Tatis had a significant problem with strikeouts. His 27.6% strikeout rate in the first three seasons of his career was the 19th-highest among MLB regulars, higher than the likes of Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler.
Flash forward to 2023, and almost all of these things have changed. Most obviously, Tatis is no longer a shortstop; both Bogaerts and Kim have supplanted San Diego’s $340MM man on the infield depth chart, prompting Tatis to move into a regular role in the outfield. He’s played right field almost exclusively this year, with four games in center and a one-inning cameo at second base representing his only appearances elsewhere on the diamond. While Tatis’s glove may have slid down the defensive hierarchy in 2023, his value on defense has soared. Tatis was worth -10 Outs Above Average and -9 Defensive Runs Saved as a shortstop in his first three seasons in the majors, leaving him well below average at the position.
By contrast, Tatis’s aforementioned move to the outfield has seen him not only provide positive value with his glove, but become one of the best defensive players in the sport this year. Tatis ranks in the 96th percentile with a +12 OAA in 2023, a figure bested by zero outfielders and only eight players at any position this season. Meanwhile, his +23 DRS makes him the second most valuable fielder in all of baseball this year by that metric, outclassed by only Daulton Varsho‘s +26 figure.
While Tatis’s defense has shown this season, his offense has taken a considerable hit. Overall on the season, he’s slashed just .257/.321/.455 in 558 trips to the plate. While that’s still good for a well above average wRC+ of 115, it pales in comparison to the 154 figure he entered the 2023 campaign with for his career. That drop in offensive production comes almost exclusively from a relative power outage. Tatis has hit just 23 homers this season, a far cry from his 2021 season where he slammed 42 dingers in less trips to the plate than he’s taken this year. His once-lofty ISO that was second to only Shohei Ohtani in 2021 has dropped to just .198 this year. That figure is barely enough to crack the top 50, putting him alongside the likes of Justin Turner and Willson Contreras rather than Ohtani and Matt Olson.
That being said, it hasn’t been all bad for Tatis on the offensive side of things. His speed is as elite as ever, clocking in with a 95th percentile sprint speed per Statcast. Meanwhile, he’s 25-for-29 on the bases, and figure identical to his 2021 total. What’s more, he’s seen considerable improvements in his strikeout rate. He’s punching out in just 21.7% of his plate appearances this year, a figure that puts him in line with hitters like Francisco Lindor, Jeimer Candelario and Josh Bell and pushes him to better than league average in terms of strikeouts for the first time in his career.
That improvement in strikeouts is thanks to Tatis posting the highest full-season contact rate of his career, as he’s made contact on 71.4% of his swings compared to 68.4% for his career entering his season. Unfortunately, he’s also swinging more than he did in his first three seasons. While he entered 2023 swinging at less than half of the pitches he’s seen in his career (49.1%), that figure has jumped to 54.3% in 2023. While that isn’t necessarily a problem, those additional swings are primarily occurring outside the strike zone: after swinging at 32% of pitches seen outside of the zone from 2019-21, he’s swinging at 36.1% of those same pitches this year. Given that, it’s hardly a surprise he’s posting the lowest barrel rate of his career (11.9%) despite a Hard-Hit rate that’s largely in line with his career norms.
Only time will tell if Tatis will be able to recapture his elite power stroke in the future by swinging less often outside of the strike zone. Fortunately for the Padres, though, Tatis remains an immensely valuable player even if his 2023 performance with the bat is his new normal. Tatis has been worth 4.0 fWAR and 5.0 rWAR this season. That fWAR figure puts him in the same ballpark as quality players like Soto, Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger this year, while his rWAR is the eighth-highest total in the NL this season. With 11 more years left on Tatis’s megadeal with the Padres, it’s surely a relief to A.J. Preller’s front office that the player they’ll be paying through his age-35 season can still play at an All Star-caliber level, even if he’s no longer be the 40-homer shortstop he was in 2021.
NL Notes: Kershaw, Candelario, Slater, Alvarez
The Dodgers have decided to push the next start of veteran ace Clayton Kershaw to Friday, as noted by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Kershaw was originally slated to start tomorrow’s game against the Padres. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that the decision to move Kershaw’s start wasn’t prompted by a physical issue, saying that the main goal in pushing his start back is lining up the rotation for the postseason.
As Plunkett notes, however, Kershaw’s workload has been carefully monitored by the Dodgers ever since he returned from a six-week sojourn on the injured list due to shoulder issues. Kershaw has not pitched beyond the fifth inning since returning and has eclipsed 80 pitches in a start just once. Plunkett also spoke with pitching coach Mark Prior regarding Kershaw’s dip in velocity since returning, with Prior calling the drop below 90 mph on Kershaw’s fastball “surprising,” though he added that Kershaw maintains that his shoulder feels fine.
If there’s any concerns regarding Kershaw’s ability to start playoff games deep into the postseason, it certainly makes sense for the Dodgers to manage his workload carefully down the stretch. The club has a massive 13 game lead in the NL West, essentially guaranteeing them a division title, while the Playoff Odds at Fangraphs give LA a whopping 99.8% chance to clinch a bye in the Wild Card round, allowing them to move directly into the NLDS. With regular season games rapidly waning in importance for the Dodgers and a rotation featuring Kershaw, Lance Lynn (6.09 ERA in 28 starts) and a trio of rookies led by Bobby Miller (3.98 ERA in 18 starts), it’s a no-brainer for the Dodgers to take as few risks with their 35-year-old ace’s arm as possible.
More from the National League…
- Cubs infielder Jeimer Candelario exited today’s game against the Diamondbacks due to back tightness, as manager David Ross told reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) this evening, and will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Candelario has had a big rebound season since being non-tendered by the Tigers last winter, as the switch-hitter has slashed .254/.339/.475 in 553 trips to the plate split between the Nationals and Cubs this season. He’s cooled off a bit recently, slashing just .161/.257/.356 in his last 101 trips to the plate, but that month long cold stretch doesn’t change the fact that Candelario is a key piece of Chicago’s lineup alongside the likes of Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki as they look to return to the playoffs in a full season for the first time since 2018. Should Candelario miss time with the injury, the club figures to rely on Nick Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom at third base.
- Giants outfielder Austin Slater has been out of the lineup in recent days due to illness, with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noting that the 30 year old visited a specialist recently and received vertigo medicine, which has helped to alleviate the dizziness and balance issues he had been struggling with. It’s been a bit of a down year for Slater, as he’s hit just .248/.328/.379 as he’s shifted to more of a part time role with San Francisco. Luis Matos has acted as the club’s primary center fielder in Slater’s absence.
- Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez left today’s game against the Twins in the seventh inning after being struck in the hand by a pitch during the fifth inning. Fortuantely, Mike Puma of the New York Post noted that Alvarez underwent x-rays on his hand that came back negative, indicating the 21-year-old rookie avoided a serious injury. Alvarez took over as the club’s primary catcher following an early-season injury to veteran backstop Omar Narvaez and has performed solidly in the role, hitting .212/.288/.434 in 107 games. That stat line is good for a wRC+ of 98, ahead of quality regulars behind the plate like Alejandro Kirk, Yan Gomes, and Tyler Stephenson.
White Sox GM Chris Getz Discusses Club’s Future
Newly-minted White Sox GM Chris Getz spoke with reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin) yesterday about the team’s future with him now at the helm.
Getz has already confirmed that manager Pedro Grifol will return in 2024, but the club’s new GM elaborated on that decision yesterday, noting that the Sox’s disappointing season in 2022 put Grifol in a “tough situation” this season.
“His experience is very valuable with all the different roles he’s had in this game.” Getz said of Grifol, “He has experienced winning. He’s determined to get this right. I think that different type of support, he’ll benefit from. And I think that the leadership starting with myself could really help him do that.”
Getz added that he will need to go through an “assessment period” over the last few weeks of the season where he will spend time with Grifol, the coaching staff, and the players in order to determine what needs to happen to improve the team headed into 2024. That being said, he did indicate that his goal is to regain the “edge” that he believes the club has lost in recent years. Getz went on to suggest that he hoped to improve the club’s professionalism going forward, a goal that tracks with recent comments from former White Sox reliever Kenyan Middleton, who criticized the organization’s clubhouse culture.
In addition to reshaping the club’s culture, Getz also discussed ways he hopes to improve the team on the field headed into 2024, with an emphasis on athleticism. It’s a sensible goal for the offseason given Fielding Bible ranks Chicago 29th of MLB’s 30 teams in terms of team Defensive Runs Saved with a -46 figure, while only seven teams have stolen less bases than the White Sox this year. In pursuing that goal of increased athleticism, Getz indicates the club will “exhaust” ways to improve the team, a philosophy that extends to potentially moving players currently on the roster.
While it’s not exactly a surprise that a club flirting with a 100-loss season like the White Sox would consider dealing players from their big league roster, it’s still a noteworthy position for Getz to take. The White Sox figure to have significant space to make additions this season with a projected 2024 payroll of just under $100MM per RosterResource, though that figure doesn’t include arbitration contracts for players like Dylan Cease, Andrew Vaughn, and Michael Kopech. While that should give the club room to pursue free agents to improve the club, Getz’s plans to explore deals involving their current roster indicate a more significant retool could be possible for the south siders this offseason.
Royals To Select Logan Porter
The Royals are set to select the contract of catcher of Logan Porter, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The Royals have a full 40-man roster, so a corresponding move will be necessary to clear space for Porter.
The news is a triumph for Porter, 28, who joined the Royals organization as an undrafted free agent back in 2018. Porter broke out at the Double-A level last year, slashing .301/.437/.487 while acting as the team’s starting catcher. That garnered him a promotion to Triple-A late in the year, though his numbers since being promoted late last year have been closer to solid than excellent; in 144 career games at Triple-A, Porter has slashed .250/.370/.398. That includes a downturn in production this year at the plate that’s seen him hit just .235/.342/.381 in 109 plate appearances with a career-high 25.2% strikeout rate, though he’s still walking at an impressive 13.5% clip.
With youngster MJ Melendez not having played behind the plate since April and Freddy Fermin on the injured list due to a fractured finger, the Royals have an opening at catcher on their roster as they look for someone to share time with veteran backstop Salvador Perez behind the plate. While Perez plays most days, he’s split time at first base in recent months, opening up additional starts behind the plate for his backup.
The Royals selected Double-A catcher Tyler Cropley to the big league roster yesterday, though he has yet to make it into a game. It’s not yet clear whether the Royals will employ three catchers with each of Cropley and Porter spelling Perez behind the plate, or if Porter’s impending selection could spell the end of Cropley’s time with the big league club. In addition to Porter’s experience at the Triple-A level, where Cropley has not yet appeared in his career, Cropley’s offensive performance this season has been far below Porter’s, as the 27-year-old has slashed just .235/.329/.359 in 43 games at Double-A this season.
Angels Activate Ben Joyce, Zach Neto
The Angels announced this afternoon that they had activated right-hander Ben Joyce from the 60-day injured list and shortstop Zach Neto from the 10-day injured list. In corresponding moves, first baseman Trey Cabbage and left-hander Kolton Ingram were optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. Anaheim’s 40-man roster stands at 39 after activating Joyce.
The club’s first- and third-round picks in the 2022 draft, Neto and Joyce were the first members of the 2022 draft class to reach the majors, with both doing so by the end of May this season. Each player has held his own at the highest level despite being fast-tracked to the big leagues, with Neto posting a 97 wRC+ in 252 trips to the plate alongside solid defense at shortstop, while Joyce has shown a fastball that sits at over 101 mph while posting a 4.50 ERA that’s 9% better than league average by ERA+.
While the respective debuts of each youngster have been impressive considering their lack of development time in the minor leagues, the 2023 seasons have been marred by injuries for both players. Joyce managed just four innings of work in five appearances before going on the injured list with ulnar neuritis in early June and missing the next three months. Neto, on the other hand, spent a month on the shelf earlier in the season due to an oblique strain before returning after the All Star break for a two-week stretch during which he batted an abysmal .180/.226/.340. He ultimately was placed back on the injured list in early August with lower back inflammation.
With three weeks left in the regular season, both rookies will be afforded the opportunity to finish their first big league campaign on a high note. Neto figures to take over as the club’s everyday shortstop, pushing Kyren Paris to the bench. Joyce, meanwhile, could get some looks in high-leverage situations down the stretch with key leverage relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo Lopez having been claimed off waivers by the Guardians at the end of August. That’s left the Anaheim bullpen with few clear high-leverage options beyond closer Carlos Estevez.
As for the players making room for the rookie duo, Cabbage is a left-handed power bat who first joined the big league club back in July, replacing Anthony Rendon as a member of the club’s infield mix. Cabbage has experience at first base, third base, and all three outfield spots, but ultimately struggled with the bat in 56 trips to the plate with the Angels, slashing just .208/.232/.321 with a massive 46.4% strikeout rate. Cabbage, 26, will need to cut down on the strikeouts significantly if he’s going to contribute in the majors as anything more than an injury replacement.
Ingram, meanwhile, posted phenomenal numbers in the minor leagues this season for the organization, including a 3.49 ERA in 28 1/3 Triple-A innings made all the more impressive thanks to the heightened offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old southpaw, his first taste of big league action back in June did not go as he surely hoped it would, as he was lit up for three runs in his major league debut while recording only one out. In all, Ingram owns a brutal 10.38 ERA in 4 1/3 innings of work at the big league level, though as a southpaw with success in the upper minors, he still figures to be an intriguing potential bullpen piece for the Angels headed into 2024.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Paredes, Swanson
Top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela has found limited playing time with the Red Sox since being called up at the end of August despite an overall strong performance at the plate in the majors so far, going 7-for-16 with two doubles. When asked about Rafaela’s playing time, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive’s Chris Cotillo) that Rafaela will continue to play in a reserve role as long as the club remains in the playoff race.
While the playoff odds at Fangraphs give the Red Sox just a 1.3% chance to make the postseason after tonight’s loss to Baltimore, Boston still has three games to go against each of the two clubs directly ahead of them in the standings, Texas and Toronto. That gives them a slim opening for a miracle run despite being a whopping seven games back of the final AL Wild Card spot with just three weeks to go in the regular season. With Rafaela’s first taste of everyday action in the big leagues on hold for the time being, the versatile youngster figures to share time at second base with Enmanuel Valdez while also offering backup options to Trevor Story at shortstop and Adam Duvall in center field.
More from the AL East…
- Rays infielder Isaac Paredes exited today’s game after being hit in the hand by a pitch from right-hander Luke Weaver during the fifth inning of today’s game against the Mariners. Fortunately for Tampa, x-rays on Paredes’s hand came back negative and the 24-year-old third baseman was diagnosed with a hand contusion. Manager Kevin Cash indicated to reporters (including those at MLB.com) that Paredes won’t be in tomorrow’s starting lineup and is day-to-day, but could be available off the bench if necessary. It’s been a breakout campaign for Paredes in 2023, as the youngster has slashed a fantastic .253/.352/.502 in 497 trips to the plate this season. 22-year-old rookie Osleivis Basabe figures to take over at the hot corner while Parades is out of action.
- The Blue Jays could welcome back right-hander Erik Swanson in the near future. The righty has been out due to thoracic spine inflammation since late August, and he’ll reach the minimum 15 days spent on the IL tomorrow. Swanson made a rehab appearance with Triple-A Buffalo this evening, and notched one strikeout without allowing a baserunner during his inning of work. Assuming he bounces back from tonight’s outing well, MLB.com notes that Swanson could return to the big league club without requiring another rehab appearance. That’s great news for the Blue Jays, as Swanson was perhaps their most reliable set-up man for closer Jordan Romano before he went on the shelf. In 58 innings of work this season, Swanson sports a 3.10 ERA, 3.28 FIP, and a 29.4% strikeout rate. He figures to form a lethal three-headed-monster at the back of the Toronto bullpen alongside Romano and deadline addition Jordan Hicks should the Blue Jays make it to the postseason.