Reds Place Jesse Winker On Injured List
AUGUST 19: Cincinnati manager David Bell told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com) this afternoon the team does not expect Winker will be ready to return when first eligible next Thursday. Bell didn’t provide any specifics as to when the Reds do believe Winker can make it back on the field, although he noted that the 28-year-old hasn’t yet begun baseball activities.
AUGUST 16: The Reds have placed outfielder Jesse Winker on the 10-day injured list, per a team announcement. Top infield prospect Jose Barrero has been summoned from Triple-A Louisville to take his spot on the active roster.
Winker, 28 tomorrow, recently missed three games due to this same intercostal discomfort and aggravated the injury upon returning to the lineup yesterday. He exited the game after just three innings.
Even a 10-day absence for Winker would be a notable blow to the Reds, who trail the Padres by two and a half games in the hunt for the second National League Wild Card spot. The All-Star left fielder has long been a quality bat but is in the midst of a breakout 2021 campaign. Through 481 plate appearances, he’s logged a .307/.395/.560 batting line with a career-high 24 home runs, an NL-best 32 doubles, a triple and a stolen base. Winker’s 235 total bases lead the National League.
The Reds are deep in outfield options to help cover Winker’s absence. Aristides Aquino and Shogo Akiyama figure to step up and shoulder the bulk of the extra work, joining Tyler Naquin and Nick Castellanos in the outfield. Even with that depth in place, however, there’s no means of simply replacing Winker’s production, which ranks among the game’s elite. His 152 wRC+ is tied for sixth among qualified hitters.
Cincinnati could have called up rehabbing outfielder Nick Senzel, but the presence of Aquino and Akiyama gives them enough cover in the outfield that they’re comfortable turning to a more concrete answer at another position of need: shortstop. The Reds have been playing utilityman Kyle Farmer there with regularity in recent weeks, but his bat has gone cold over his past 10 games. Barrero, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the game’s top overall prospects, ranking 15th on Baseball America’s midseason Top 100. He’ll allow Farmer to return to a utility role and bounce around the diamond.
Even for those who’d argue that outfield is still a bigger need given Farmer’s play over the past six weeks, the simple fact is that Barrero has outperformed Senzel in Louisville. Senzel is hitting .286/.316/.429 in 10 games since setting out on his rehab assignment, while Barrero has turned in a .303/.378/.532 batting line on the season. Since the calendar flipped to August, he’s posted an excellent .292/.358/.625 slash. Given their status as the top threat to the Padres’ hold on the second Wild Card spot, the Reds are understandably going with the more productive of the two potential replacement options for Winker. Senzel still figures to return before long — barring a setback — but Barrero has earned the spot for now.
This will be the second big league look for Barrero, who went by Jose Garcia after he initially signed but adopted his mother’s last name as a tribute to her after she passed away earlier this season. Barrero went 13-for-67 without an extra-base hit in 68 plate appearances for the Reds during the 2020 shortened season, although some struggles were to be expected after he made the jump from A-ball to the Majors due to the lack of a minor league season last summer. Now, with some additional seasoning under his belt, the Reds will get a better look at a player whom they hope can emerge as their shortstop of the future.
Barrero accrued 92 days of Major League service time during the 2020 season — service time was prorated last year — and would need another 80 days to reach a full year. There are only 49 days left on the 2021 schedule, so he can’t reach that threshold, though if he’s in the big leagues to stay he’ll quite likely qualify as a Super Two player now (assuming the current Super Two and arbitration systems remain in place in the next collective bargaining agreement). As it stands, he’d be controllable via arbitration all the way through the 2027 season.
Mariners Claim Kevin Padlo
The Mariners have claimed infielder Kevin Padlo off waivers from the Rays, per a club announcement. Right-hander Justin Dunn was moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Dunn has already spent 63 days on the IL, so the shift to the 60-day IL is an entirely procedural move.
Padlo, 25, made his big league debut with the Rays in 2021 but went just 1-for-12 in 14 plate appearances before being optioned back down to Triple-A Durham, where he’s struggled to a .174/.270/.379 batting line in 282 plate appearances on the season.
While those numbers are obviously unsightly, Padlo entered the year ranked comfortably within the middle ranks of a deep Rays’ farm system, sitting 25th at FanGraphs and 20th at Baseball America. Huge raw power from the right side of the plate is Padlo’s calling card, and he had it on full display in the 2019 season when he posted a combined .265/.389/.538 batting line with 21 home runs and 31 doubles. Most of Padlo’s 2019 season was spent in a very pitcher-friendly Double-A setting, but upon being bumped to Triple-A Durham, he ripped nine home runs in just 145 plate appearances and batted .290/.400/.595.
Third base has been Padlo’s primary position in the minors, though there’s some skepticism as to whether he can remain there. He’s also spent time at first base, and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen suggests that his eventual role could be a righty-hitting role player who bounces between all four corner spots and designated hitter.
Padlo has some strikeout issues, with a career 25.4 percent mark in the minors and a 33 percent mark in 2021, but he’s also walked in 13.6 percent of his career plate appearances. He has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so he can give the M’s some corner depth for the next year-plus as he looks to right the ship in the upper minors.
Nate Jones Retires
Veteran right-hander Nate Jones, who pitched with both the Braves and the Dodgers earlier this season, is retiring from baseball, agent Joe Speed of Sterling Sports Management announced today on Twitter.
A fifth-round pick of the White Sox back in 2007, Jones was never considered to be one of their very best prospects, topping out at No. 22 on Baseball America’s rankings in the 2011-12 offseason, but he nevertheless emerged as one of the team’s most talented relievers for several years. The hard-throwing, 6’5″ righty debuted as a 26-year-old in 2012 and immediately cemented himself as a fixture in the bullpen when he pitched 71 2/3 innings of 2.39 ERA ball as a rookie.
Jones enjoyed a solid sophomore season, pitching another 78 innings of 4.15 ERA ball but battled some hip and back soreness along the way. Continued back troubles sidelined him early in 2014, and the right-hander unfortunately suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow while working his way back from that back issue. He appeared in only two games in ’14, didn’t record an out, and missed much of the 2015 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Jones returned in early August in 2015 and pitched well enough down the stretch that the White Sox were comfortable signing him to a three-year deal. The contract provided Jones with an $8MM guarantee, covering his second and third years of arbitration and his first free-agent season before giving the South Siders a pair of club options. Jones had pitched just 168 2/3 innings over his first four seasons but had been generally excellent when healthy enough to take the field; there was sense in the contract for both parties.
The contract paid off in spades the very next season, as Jones produced what would prove to be the best season of a 10-year career. Over the life of 70 2/3 innings, he pitched to a superlative 2.29 ERA with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate and a 5.5 percent walk rate.
Injuries, however, hobbled Jones for the next several seasons. He was always effective when able to take the mound, but he spent time on the injured list due to elbow and forearm injuries throughout much of the 2017-19 seasons. His 2.94 ERA in 52 innings across those three seasons underscored how talented the right-hander was, but Jones ultimately threw his last pitch for the Sox early in the 2019 season and underwent surgery to repair a flexor tear in his right forearm. Chicago traded him to the Rangers at season’s end, but it proved to be a procedural move; the Rangers acquired international bonus money alongside Jones and simply paid the buyout on his 2020 option.
Jones signed with the Reds in the 2019-20 offseason and appeared in 21 games with diminished results. It was a similar story in both Atlanta and Los Angeles this year, as Jones once-97.5 mph sinker clocked in at an average of 93.6 mph between the Braves and Dodgers.
It’s unfortunate that we never got to see Jones enjoy a prolonged, healthy run in the bullpen for the Sox or another club, as he clearly had all the makings of an elite late-inning reliever. He’ll wrap up his playing days with a career 22-16 record, a 3.45 ERA, 78 holds, nine saves, 76 games finished and 355 strikeouts over the life of 329 innings and nearly $15MM in career earnings.
Cubs Sign Marcus Walden
The Cubs have agreed to terms with right-hander Marcus Walden on a minor league deal, his representatives at Ball Players Agency announced (Twitter link).
Walden, 32, opened the season with the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate and has seen time in the Majors with Boston in each of the past three seasons. He was a solid middle-inning option for them from 2018-19, piling up 92 2/3 frames of 3.79 ERA ball while striking out 23.3 percent of his opponents against a 9.1 percent walk rate. Walden recorded an excellent 54.3 percent ground-ball rate in that time and averaged 94.2 mph on his sinker in that time.
The 2020 season, however, marked a considerable step in the wrong direction. Walden’s sinker dipped by 1.3 mph, and his ground-ball rate fell to 40.4 percent while his strikeout rate (14.1 percent) and walk rate (12.7 percent) both fell off. That came in a sample of just 13 1/3 innings, during which the righty was tagged for 14 earned runs on 23 hits (five homers) and nine walks with 10 punchouts.
The Red Sox designated Walden for assignment in late February after signing Marwin Gonzalez to a one-year deal, and he remained in the organization via an outright assignment after clearing waivers. He spent the season thus far in Triple-A Worcester, pitching to a 4.01 ERA and posting rate stats that look much more similar to his solid 2018-19 levels: a 20.9 percent strikeout rate, a 9.9 percent walk rate and a huge 57.6 percent ground-ball rate. Boston released him last week.
With the Cubs, Walden ought to have a good chance at working his way to the big leagues before long. Chicago has overhauled its bullpen in the past month, trading Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel prior to the July 30 deadline and more recently designating both Kyle Ryan and Dan Winkler for assignment. The Cubs have very little in the way of established relievers in the ‘pen at this point, so a strong showing for Walden in Iowa could earn him a look sooner than later.
D-backs’ Caleb Smith Ejected Following Foreign Substance Check
Diamondbacks lefty Caleb Smith was ejected after the eighth inning of last night’s game against the Phillies after the umpiring crew believed to have detected a foreign substance on his glove. His glove will now be sent to the league headquarters for further examination, which could result in a 10-game suspension. Smith, who pitched 2 2/3 innings and had already cleared one check at the end of the sixth inning, vehemently argued his case as the umpiring crew spoke with manager Torey Lovullo (video link).
The 28-year-old Smith becomes just the second player ejected under the league’s new foreign-substance crackdown. If he’s suspended, as was the case with Mariners lefty Hector Santiago, the Diamondbacks would not be able to replace him on the roster over the course of his suspension.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Smith was understandably quite upset, and manager Torey Lovullo defended his player (Twitter links, with video, via Cameron Cox of 12 News in Arizona). Smith was adamant that if he’d cheated, he “would own up to it” and expressed anger that the ejection itself “drags my name through the mud” even though he does not ultimately believe he’ll be suspended.
“I’m not stupid,” Smith said. “I know the main two things they check are your glove and your hat. Even if I was using something, which I wasn’t, I wouldn’t put it in my glove or my hat. I mean, that’s just ignorant.”
Lovullo offered immediate support for his left-hander. “I’m always going to side with the player when he looks me square in the eyes and tells me that [he’s not cheating],” the manager said. “…I believe my player. I stand by my player. He told me there was nothing malicious happening. I asked to see his hand, and his hand was bone dry. … You can see Caleb goes to the ground a lot to get dirt on his hands. He has a pile of dirt on the side of his pantleg as a result of wiping down the dirt.”
Asked whether he was allowed to see and/or touch the glove, Lovullo acknowledged that it was “a little bit sticky” inside the heel of the glove but said there was no “huge buildup” and maintained his belief that it was a combination of sweat, rosin and dirt.
It’s now up to the league’s jurisdiction to determine whether there was or was not a foreign substance on Smith’s glove. Notably, however, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported after Santiago’s prior suspension that the league did not even further examine Santiago’s glove — instead issuing a suspension based solely on the umpires’ reported detection of a foreign substance (Twitter link). The crew chief in last night’s game, Tom Hallion, was also the crew chief at the time of Santiago’s ejection (and subsequent suspension). Via The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan, umpire Phil Cuzzi inspected Smith’s glove both at the end of the sixth inning, when he was cleared, and at the end of the eighth inning, when he was ejected.
Rays, David Hess Agree To Minor League Deal
The Rays and right-hander David Hess are in agreement on a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned. He’ll head to Triple-A Durham for the time being. Hess is represented by Total Sports.
Hess, 28, opened the season in Durham after signing a minor league pact with Tampa Bay over the winter. He pitched quite well there before being traded to the Marlins in a July 4 swap that sent minor league righty Justin Sterner from Miami to the Rays. The Marlins immediately selected Hess to the big league roster upon acquiring him, but he wound up pitching just 18 innings there before being designated for assignment. He rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency earlier this week.
Things were going fine for Hess in Miami for the most part early in his tenure. He worked to a 3.94 ERA with a 15-to-8 K/BB ratio through his first 11 appearances and 16 innings before being ambushed for seven runs in a single frame by the Rockies at Coors Field. He yielded another run in his next outing before being designated, ultimately concluding his time as a Marlin with an unsightly 8.00 ERA.
Hess pitched well with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate to begin the year, however, working to a 2.81 ERA with a 28.9 percent strikeout rate and a tiny 3.9 percent walk rate in 32 frames. He’ll head back to that same environment for now and hope to rediscover that success.
A fifth-round pick of the Orioles back in 2014, Hess has now seen Major League time in parts of four seasons. He’s had some stretches of success, particularly late in his debut campaign in 2018, but has yet to find the consistency needed to stick at the big league level. Hess carries a 6.05 ERA in 208 1/3 Major League innings but a more palatable 3.55 ERA with a 26 percent strikeout rate and 7.3 percent walk rate in parts of three Triple-A seasons (119 innings).
Blue Jays Designate Rafael Dolis For Assignment
2:28pm: The Blue Jays have now formally announced each of the moves.
1:25pm: The Blue Jays are expected to designate right-hander Rafael Dolis for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for infielder/outfielder Kevin Smith to be selected to the 40-man and 26-man rosters, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (via Twitter). The Jays won’t formally announce the move until they’re certain tonight’s game will not be rained out, tweets Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star. Toronto is also expected to place rookie right-hander Alek Manoah on the bereavement list and reinstate southpaw Tim Mayza from the 10-day IL, Nicholson-Smith adds.
Dolis, 33, returned to the big leagues with the Jays in 2020 after a strong four-year run in Japan and posted a 1.50 ERA in 24 frames. However, he did so with a concerning 14.3 percent walk rate, and fielding-independent metrics were understandably less bullish than that bottom-line earned run average. Things have indeed gone the other direction for Dolis in 2021, as his walk rate has spiked to an even less tenable 17.3 percent and his strong 31 percent strikeout rate has dipped to 25 percent.
In 32 frames this season, Dolis has been tagged for a 5.63 ERA. He’s plunked three hitters and tossed four wild pitches in addition to a sky-high 27 walks through those 32 innings of relief. The right-hander’s fastball velocity is up to an average of 94.8 mph on average, but his control issues have proven to troublesome for the Jays. That’s been particularly true of late, as Dolis has totaled just one inning across his past three outings, yielding a total of five runs on six hits and five walks in that time.
Dolis is playing the 2021 season on a reasonable $1.5MM salary, so it’s not out of the question that a team would place a speculative claim when he hits waivers. He’s still owed about $371K of that base salary for the remainder of the season, though the contract also contains some performance incentives, which are generally tied to games pitched, total innings and/or games finished.
Turning to the 26-year-old Smith, he’ll make his big league debut the first time he takes the field. Baseball America ranked him as the game’s No. 91 prospect a couple years back in the 2018-19 offseason, and while his stock has dipped to an extent since that time, Smith has had a terrific season with the Jays’ Triple-A club — his first time reaching that level. Through his first 352 Triple-A plate appearances he’s notched a .286/.371/.576 batting line with 19 home runs, 23 doubles, four triples and 16 stolen bases.
The versatile Smith has spent the bulk of his time this season at shortstop but has also seen action at third base and in both outfield corners. He’s also seen time at second base as recently as 2019 and even made a pair of appearances at first base back in his college days at the University of Maryland, although that was way back in 2015. He’ll give the Jays a right-handed bat off the bench to bounce around the diamond and, along with fellow big league newcomer Otto Lopez, is a candidate to step into a utility role for the Jays for years to come.
Orioles Claim Zack Burdi
The Orioles have claimed right-hander Zack Burdi off waivers from the White Sox and designated lefty Ryan Hartman for assignment, per a team announcement. Burdi, 26, had been designated for assignment by the White Sox earlier this week. Baltimore has optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk for the time being.
The 26-year-old Burdi was the White Sox’ first-round pick out of Louisville back in 2016. The younger brother of former Twins top prospect Nick Burdi, Zack was viewed as a potential late-inning powerhouse (as was his brother) when the Sox tabbed him with the 26th overall pick. Unfortunately for both Burdi brothers, injuries have severely impacted their development. Zack had Tommy John surgery in 2018 and has also missed time due to a torn tendon in his knee.
Even though it’s been more than five years since he was drafted, injuries have limited Burdi to just 141 1/3 innings between the minors and the big leagues. He’s tossed just 16 1/3 of those frames in the Majors and allowed 15 runs in that time. His minor league numbers aren’t overwhelmingly better; he’s worked to a 4.90 ERA across five levels, including a 4.74 mark in 74 Triple-A frames.
That said, it’s also not hard to see why a club in the Orioles’ position would be intrigued by Burdi. He’s still just 26 years old, isn’t far removed from being considered one of the game’s more promising bullpen prospects, and his power arsenal is still tantalizing. Burdi averaged a whopping 98 mph on his fastball in 2020 and 96 mph in 2021, and he’s fanned 29.9 percent of the opponents he’s faced as a professional. The Orioles have a number of bullpen-only arms on their 40-man roster, and while Burdi is something of a project, he also comes with a good bit more upside than most of those other bullpen prospects. Baltimore has lost 13 straight to drop to MLB’s worst club, but in the process, they’ve moved to the top priority on leaguewide waiver claims.
Hartman, 27, made his big league debut with the Astros earlier this season but has still pitched just 2 1/3 innings at the MLB level. He’s allowed a run on three hits and no walks with two punchouts in that time. Baltimore claimed him off waivers on the day of the trade deadline, but it could be a brief stay in the organization. He’s allowed four runs in 2 1/3 Triple-A frames since being claimed and, for the season, carries an ugly 5.40 ERA in 65 Triple-A innings.
Hartman does have strong numbers up through the Double-A level and quality strikeout-to-walk numbers this season, so it’s possible another club will want to take a look once he hits waivers. He’s in the first of three option years, so anyone who picks him up could keep him as a flexible depth option for the foreseeable future.
Blue Jays Place George Springer On Injured List
Aug. 18: Springer has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 sprain in his left knee, the Blue Jays announced. While it’s encouraging that he’s dealing with a low-grade sprain, it’s still not clear when the Jays expect him to be able to return to the field.
Aug. 17: The Blue Jays are placing outfielder George Springer on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left knee, manager Charlie Montoyo announced to reporters (Twitter link via TSN’s Scott Mitchell). Springer recently complained of discomfort in his knee, and an MRI revealed the current issue. There’s no timetable being provided for his return at the moment. Toronto is calling up infield/outfield prospect Otto Lopez to replace Springer on the active roster.
It’s a major blow to the Blue Jays, particularly given the lack of timeline on Springer’s return. The 31-year-old slugger inked a franchise-record six-year, $150MM contract with the Jays over the winter and has spent considerable time on the IL this season owing to a prior quadriceps strain. He’s looked every bit like the high-end slugger the Jays hoped to be acquiring when he’s been healthy enough to take the field, however; in 49 games and 211 plate appearances, Springer has posted a .269/.362/.610 batting line with 16 home runs, 12 doubles, a triple and a pair of steals.
Springer’s return to the injured list likely means the Jays will go with a combination of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez, Corey Dickerson and Lopez between the outfield and designated hitter slots in the lineup. The trio of Gurriel, Grichuk and Hernandez was quite productive early in the 2021 campaign while Springer mended that quad injury, but Grichuk’s bat has wilted considerably over the past couple months. Still, he’s the only real center field option on the roster at present, although the Jays could select the recently acquired Mallex Smith to the MLB roster as an alternative.
Lopez, 22, ranks as the Blue Jays’ No. 23 prospect over at FanGraphs and has enjoyed a strong season split between Double-A and Triple-A. In 359 plate appearances, mostly coming in Double-A, he’s slashed .324/.398/.451 with three home runs, 25 doubles, three triples and a dozen stolen bases (in 15 tries).
Springer’s new injury comes at a time when the Jays are nine games over the .500 mark but nevertheless eight games behind the division-leading Rays in the American League East. They’re a more manageable four games out of the hunt for the second AL Wild Card spot. The loss of Springer, even for a short time, puts a serious dent in their hopes of overcoming that deficit. Eleven of Toronto’s next 15 games come against clubs with sub-.500 records, but Springer’s absence will surely be quite palpable.
Rays Designate Chris Ellis For Assignment
The Rays have designated right-hander Chris Ellis for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the 26-man and 40-man rosters will go to lefty Ryan Yarbrough, who has been reinstated from the Covid-19-related injured list.
It’s surely a bitter pill to swallow for Ellis, who was selected to the big league roster just two days ago and promptly pitched four brilliant innings in his lone appearance with the club. The righty picked up his first big league win in yesterday’s game when he tossed the final four innings of the game and held Baltimore scoreless on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
That said, Ellis has had a rough go of it in Triple-A this year, which made his promotion to the big league roster look likely to be a short-term stint. In 15 appearances (13 starts) with the Rays’ top affiliate in Durham, Ellis has posted a 6.32 ERA with slightly below-average strikeout and walk rates. He’s also served up 14 home runs in just 57 innings of work thus far in Triple-A.
Ellis, now 28 years old, had a strong Triple-A season in 2018 but has been hit hard both in 2019 and 2020 at that level. Still, he’s a former third-round pick (Angels, 2014) who has been well-regarded enough to be included in a pair of trades involving notable big leaguers — Andrelton Simmons and Jaime Garcia — and was a Rule 5 Draft pick as recently as the 2018-19 offseason. The Rays will now place him on outright waivers or release waivers, giving all 29 other clubs the opportunity to claim him.