Lucas Sims Out One Month Due To Elbow Sprain
1:55pm: Reds skipper David Bell tells reporters that Sims is expected to miss around a month’s worth of games (Twitter link via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
11:45am: The Reds placed right-hander Lucas Sims on the 10-day injured list due to a right elbow sprain, per a club announcement. Outfielder Scott Heineman is up from Triple-A Louisville to take his spot on the active roster. Sims’ placement on the IL is retroactive to June 23.
Sims has had an up-and-down season but has been the Reds’ most oft-used option in save situations this year. He’s leading the club with seven saves and has also picked up four holds as one of the team’s most prominent high-leverage options.
The 27-year-old Sims got out to a miserable start in 2021, pitching to a 7.20 ERA through his first month of action. But over a span of 16 games from May 5 through June 21, Sims looked like the potentially dominant, breakout reliever he appeared to be last season, posting a 2.41 ERA with a 29-to-8 K/BB ratio in 16 2/3 frames of relief. Sims hit another roadblock in his most recent outing, however, serving up three runs without recording an out.
All told, Sims has gone from a 2.45 ERA in 25 2/3 frames in 2020 to a 5.02 mark through his first 28 2/3 innings in 2021. From a velocity standpoint, he’s actually added about a mile per hour to his heater, and he’s also bumped his strikeout rate from 33 percent to 35 percent. He’s seen a major spike in BABIP (.192 in 2020, .333 in 2021) while his ability to strand runners has taken a nosedive as well.
As is so frequently the case, the reality likely lies somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. Sims unquestionably benefited from that minuscule average on balls in play in 2020, but he’s also surely better than his 2021 ERA would indicate. He’s limiting hard contact quite efficiently, striking out batters in droves and keeping the ball in the yard. His sub-par command ought to lead to occasional hiccups, but taken in totality, his 2020-21 numbers — 3.81 ERA, 3.23 SIERA, 34.1 percent strikeout rate, 11.4 percent walk rate — have the makings of a solid late-inning option for the Reds.
The team hasn’t provided a timetable on Sims’ absence, though obviously any type of elbow injury is a concern for a pitcher. Sprains, in particular, can be ominous. The hope is obviously that it’ll prove to be a minor issue, as the Reds can ill afford to lose a key arm from an already struggling bullpen. The Reds’ relief corps did just receive a boost with the return of its best reliever, Tejay Antone, but the Cincinnati ‘pen has collectively pitched to an MLB-worst 5.70 ERA so far in 2021.
Rockies Claim Bernardo Flores Jr., Designate Ryan Castellani
The Rockies announced Thursday that they’ve claimed lefty Bernardo Flores Jr. off waivers from the Cardinals and designated righty Ryan Castellani for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster. Flores has been optioned to Triple-A.
St. Louis had designated the 25-year-old Flores for assignment earlier in the week after previously claiming him off waivers from the White Sox. He appeared in just one game with the Cards this season but was unable to retire any of the three Mets hitters he faced in that May 5 outing. Flores posted solid numbers up through the Double-A level during his time with the White Sox organization, but he’s surrendered a 5.74 ERA through 31 1/3 frames with lackluster strikeout and walk rates while pitching for the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate (17.6 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively).
While Flores has struggled this season, left-handed depth is an area of need for the Rockies, who currently have two struggling southpaws in their big league bullpen: Ben Bowden and Lucas Gilbreath. The only other near-MLB left-handed bullpen option on the roster is Yoan Aybar, who hasn’t fared well in Double-A. Veteran Chris Rusin and former Yankees/White Sox prospect Ian Clarkin are both in Triple-A as non-roster players, but neither has pitched well there.
Castellani, 25, was a second-round pick by the Rockies back in 2014 and has landed among their top 15 prospects in each of the past seven years, per Baseball America’s rankings. He posted solid but unspectacular results for the first several seasons of his minor league career but began to see his numbers take a dip when he repeated the Double-A level in 2018.
Despite a particularly rough showing at the Triple-A level in 2019, Castellani made his MLB debut with the Rox in 2020. His first two appearances went quite well, as he held opponents to one run with a 10-to-3 K/BB ratio and a 50 percent grounder rate in 8 2/3 frames, but he was hit hard for most of the remainder of the summer. Castellani oscillated between the bullpen and the rotation, finishing out his rookie campaign with a 5.82 ERA, a 13.2 percent strikeout rate and a 13.8 percent walk rate in 43 2/3 frames. His 2021 season hasn’t gone much better in the big leagues (two runs in 3 1/3 innings) or in Triple-A (7.82 ERA in 35 1/3 innings).
Castellani does have a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so perhaps another club in need of some pitching depth will have ideas about how to coax a better performance out of him. The Rox have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
NPB/KBO Notes: Smoak, Sparkman, Freitas
Veteran first baseman Justin Smoak, who’d signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball over the winter, has returned to the United States to be with his family, the Japan Times recently reported. The 34-year-old switch-hitter was productive in his limited run for the second-place Giants, slashing .272/.336/.482 with seven homers and three doubles in 34 games, but Giants representative Atsuhiro Otsuka told the Times that Smoak’s “love of family outweighed everything else.” As the Times’ Jason Coskrey writes in a second column, the Giants attempted to find ways to reunite the family in Japan, but current travel restrictions there made that impossible.
Smoak’s wife, Kristin, shared a heartwarming video of him returning home to surprise his daughters (Twitter link), calling it a “terribly tough decision” and noting the “amazing” support and understanding the Giants provided throughout the situation. Kristin Smoak later tweeted that the family has been “blown away by the genuine kindness and understanding we have received” from NPB fans.
A few more notes out of Japan and South Korea…
- The Orix Buffaloes announced this week that they’ve signed right-hander Glenn Sparkman to a contract for the remainder of the season (Yahoo Japan link). He’ll take the roster spot of righty Brandon Dickson, who recently returned to the U.S. to sign a minor league deal with the Cardinals. Sparkman was on a minor league deal with the Twins earlier this year but was released in mid-May. He’s spent parts of four straight seasons in the Majors (2017-20), including a 2019 campaign in which he racked up 136 1/3 innings for the Royals. Sparkman has just a 5.99 ERA in 180 1/3 MLB frames, but he carries a career 2.88 ERA in 378 2/3 minor league innings — including a 3.51 mark in parts of four Triple-A seasons.
- The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they’ve placed designated hitter/catcher/first baseman David Freitas on waivers (link via Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). They’re now in the mix for a new bat to add to the lineup. Freitas, 32, was the Heroes’ primary designated hitter but slashed a fairly tepid .259/.297/.374 with two homers and 10 doubles in 148 plate appearances. The former Braves, Mariners and Brewers catcher posted a ridiculous .381/.461/.561 line in 382 Triple-A plate appearances back in 2019 and has a generally strong track record at that level, but he’s yet to produce much in the game’s top leagues in North America or South Korea.
Twins Sign Nick Vincent To Minor League Deal
The Twins have signed veteran right-hander Nick Vincent to a minor league contract, as first indicated on the transactions log at MLB.com. He’ll report to Triple-A St. Paul, MLBTR has confirmed.
Vincent, a client of PSI Sports Management, was released from a minor league deal with the Rangers just yesterday. The nine-year MLB veteran has long been a steady, late-inning presence but settled for a non-guaranteed pact this winter despite a mostly solid effort in 2020. The 34-year-old logged a 4.43 ERA out of the Marlins’ bullpen last year but saw his strikeout rate drop to a career-low 18.5 percent in the process. He’s opened the 2021 campaign with 15 1/3 innings of 4.11 ERA ball in Triple-A Round Rock, striking out 29.7 percent of opponents against a 9.5 percent walk rate.
It’s been a couple years since Vincent was at his absolute best. He logged identical 4.43 ERAs in 2019-20. However, in the seven seasons prior, he pitched to a combined 3.17 ERA and 3.27 SIERA with a 24.6 percent strikeout rate and a strong 6.1 percent walk rate. He’s never been an overpowering arm, living in the 89-91 mph range with his four-seamer, but he’s still managed about a strikeout per inning in his career to go along with plenty of weak pop-ups.
Minnesota is off today after a two-game set against the Reds that proved taxing on its bullpen despite its brevity. The Twins and Reds went 12 innings Monday night, and Minnesota used five relievers in a back-and-forth loss to Cincinnati yesterday. Vincent won’t be an immediate option barring a quick selection to the MLB roster, but he could get a look before long if he shows well with the Saints.
Relief pitching has been an issue for the Twins all season. Minnesota relievers rank 24th in the Majors with a 4.77 ERA and 25th with a 4.52 FIP. They’re 15th with a 24.4 percent strikeout rate and 12th with a 9.4 percent walk rate. It’s been a generally underwhelming unit, and the Twins have struggled to find reliable arms to round out the final few spots in the mix. Vincent joins fellow veteran Kyle Barraclough as a recent signee who’ll hope to get a look at Target Field before too long.
Rockies Assistant GM Zach Wilson Resigns
In yet another front-office departure in Colorado, assistant general manager Zach Wilson has resigned from his post, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. Wilson is the second assistant GM to resign in the past week, joining Jon Weil in that regard. Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich stepped down from his post earlier this season. Owner Dick Monfort appointed longtime vice president of scouting Bill Schmidt to interim GM in his place. Harding adds that assistant director of player development Chris Forbes is stepping up to assume Wilson’s duties.
Wilson’s departure from the organization subtracts another veteran executive from the Rockies’ front office as a pivotal trade deadline season approaches. Wilson’s name was in the mix to take over Bridich’s duties when the post was originally vacated, and he’s been with the club for upwards of two decades. The Rox still have Schmidt and longtime assistant GM Zack Rosenthal heading up the baseball operations department, it seems, but they’re now out their GM and a pair of his top lieutenants with the trade deadline five weeks away.
The mounting number of departures gives Monfort more work to do this offseason as he looks to reshape the front office of a club that has again been one of the worst in Major League Baseball. Monfort has typically been loyal and promoted from within, though the recent failures on the field and the highly publicized rift between the front office and now-former third baseman Nolan Arenado has prompted speculation about hiring from outside the organization.
The 30-44 Rockies have MLB’s fifth-worst winning percentage (.405) and sixth-worst run differential (-58). Shortstop Trevor Story and right-hander Jon Gray are expected to be two of the game’s highest-profile trade candidates in the coming weeks, while others who could potentially hit the market include C.J. Cron, German Marquez, Mychal Givens and Kyle Freeland.
Mike Rizzo, Clayton Kershaw Weigh In On Scherzer/Girardi Debacle
We’re just days into the league’s on-the-fly implementation of testing pitchers for foreign substance usage, and the checks have predictably led to some bizarre scenes. A’s reliever Sergio Romo completely removing his belt and dropping his pants will elicit some laughs, but neither the Nationals nor the Phillies found much humor in the new rules yesterday when Philadelphia skipper Joe Girardi called for a check on Washington ace Max Scherzer with a runner on first base in the fourth inning (video link via MLB.com).
An incredulous Scherzer complied, but both he and Nats skipper Davey Martinez were visibly livid with Girardi after the umpiring crew gave us the jarring visual of running a hand through Scherzer’s hair before ultimately clearing him.
Scherzer, who’d already been checked after the first and third innings Tuesday, could visibly be seen yelling, “I’ve got sweat!” to Girardi as he ran his hand through his hair and returned to the mound. He escaped the inning unscathed, went on to complete five frames in his return from the IL and ultimately stared Girardi down as he walked off the field for the last time.
Further fireworks ensued. Girardi was tossed from the game after walking onto the field and challenging the opposing dugout. While some initially believed he was beckoning toward Scherzer, Jomboy astutely points out in a video breakdown that Nats hitting coach Kevin Long, who previously coached under Girardi in New York, was the clear target after lobbing some choice expletives toward his former skipper.
Girardi told reporters after the game that he had all the respect in the world for Scherzer’s career, calling him a future Hall of Famer. However, he also claimed (via Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia) that in more than a decade of watching the three-time Cy Young winner: “I’ve never seen him wipe his head like he was doing tonight. Ever.”
While Girardi insists that he wasn’t “playing games” to disrupt Scherzer’s rhythm on the mound, that defense isn’t flying with the Nationals. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo pulled no punches this morning when calling out Girardi during a weekly radio appearance.
“It’s embarrassing for Girardi,” Rizzo said on 106.7 The Fan (link with audio). “It’s embarrassing for the Phillies. Was he playing games? Of course he was. … He’s a con artist. He’s been doing that for years on TV. … I love Joe Girardi. I’ve seen him play since he was in high school in Peoria, Illinois — scouted him at Northwestern. I know him well. But I know him well.”
Rizzo is hardly the only one taking notice around the league. Fellow multi-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, in his own postgame media session, went out of his way to express bewilderment toward Girardi despite not initially being asked about it (video link via SportsNet LA).
“I will say this,” Kershaw began. “You know how Girardi checked Scherzer, or called him out? I think there should be a punishment if they don’t catch anything on the guy. Scherzer is one of the best pitchers of our generation. To see him get checked … and mess up his rhythm, you better find something if you’re going to call him out like that. Maybe there should be a punishment if a manager checks a guy and there isn’t anything.”
Asked specifically whether managers could deliberately call for a check to disrupt a pitcher, Kershaw acknowledged it as a “good technique” for managers to use. He suggested that perhaps a failed substance check should lead to a team losing a replay challenge to prevent such gamesmanship.
“You get going in a rhythm, and maybe you have a guy on base, and they check you?” Kershaw continued. “It throws you off. It’s something that you’re not used to. … I think there should be some repercussions for managers just doing that on a whim like that, because if you call somebody out — anybody — but [especially] somebody of Max Scherzer’s caliber and you don’t find anything? I think that looks pretty bad on [Girardi’s] part.”
As for Scherzer himself, he expressed frustration regarding not only being called out by Girardi but by the situation in general. The repeated manner in which he ran his hand through his hair, he explained postgame, was in order to get some type of moisture to mix with the rosin he was using. (Pitchers are permitted to either lick their fingers or use sweat in conjunction with rosin under MLB’s current policy.)
“I got sick of licking my fingers and tasting rosin the whole night,” Scherzer explained postgame (video link via MLB.com). “I couldn’t even get sweat from the back of my head because it wasn’t a warm night. The only part that was sweaty on me was my hair, so I had to take off my hat to be able to try to get some moisture on my hand to mix with the rosin.”
Scherzer chuckled as he added that he’d be “an absolute fool” to use any kind of substance on a night when the focus on such usage would be at an all-time high. He further lamented the fact that in the at-bat prior to Girardi calling him out, he’d nearly hit Alec Bohm in the head with a 95 mph fastball that sailed out of his hand due to lack of grip — a common concern we’ve seen expressed both by pitchers and by position players.
Ultimately, Scherzer shifted the focus to commissioner Rob Manfred: “These are Manfred rules — go ask him what he wants to do with this. I’ve said enough.”
Given the ultra-competitive nature of managers and pitchers throughout the league, the stakes that will be on the line as the season progresses and the rather haphazard implementation of the new substance-check policy, it’s likely that Manfred will indeed need to address the issue in a public fashion sooner than later. The Scherzer/Girardi saga may have been the first dust-up but surely won’t be the last.
Twins Claim Beau Burrows From Tigers
The Twins announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed righty Beau Burrows off waivers from the Tigers, who’d previously designated the former first-rounder for assignment. He’ll report to Triple-A St. Paul.
Burrows, 24, was the No. 22 overall pick back in 2015 and long rated as one of the Tigers’ better prospects, but he’s struggled both in the upper minors and in his brief time with the MLB club. In 8 1/3 innings with the Tigers, he’s surrendered eight runs on 10 hits and three walks with six strikeouts. Burrows’ work in Triple-A hasn’t yielded better results, as he’s been tagged for a 5.66 ERA in 82 2/3 frames.
That said, Burrows isn’t terribly far removed from ranking as the game’s No. 77 prospect in the estimation of Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com back in 2018. He’s battled shoulder and biceps injuries over the years and was limited to just 74 innings during his last full season in 2019. But Burrows sat 94.5 mph with his fastball in his brief MLB time this year and was at 93.7 mph last year. His fastball draws average or better reviews in scouting reports, but Burrows has had trouble settling on and consistently executing his mix of secondary pitches. He’s at times used a changeup, curveball, slider and cutter, but none has settled in as a consistently above-average offering to this point.
The Twins have been hit hard by injuries so far in 2021 and had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so there’s little harm in taking what amounts to a free look at a once-promising prospect. Burrows can be optioned for the remainder of the 2021 season and also has one additional minor league option year remaining beyond the current campaign.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Rays Designate Wyatt Mathisen For Assignment
The Rays have designated infielder/outfielder Wyatt Mathisen for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the roster will go to top prospect Wander Franco, whose previously announced promotion to the Major Leagues has now been made official with this move.
Tampa Bay acquired Mathisen, 27, from the D-backs earlier this year in a deal that sent cash back to Arizona. He’s yet to appear in a game for the Rays but has had a productive 18-game stint with Triple-A Durham, batting .288/.344/.525 with three homers and five doubles. Mathisen has been a solid batter in parts of three Triple-A campaigns but is a .159/.298/.290 hitter in a small sample of 84 plate appearances at the MLB level — all with the D-backs.
Mathisen began his pro career as a catcher but hasn’t played there since appearing with the Pirates’ A-ball club in 2013. He’s logged time at second base and at all four corner positions in the Diamondbacks organization over the past few seasons and still has a pair of minor league options remaining. Given his Triple-A track record, defensive versatility and the fact that he has a pair of minor league options remaining, Mathisen could well appeal to another club in need of depth. The Rays will have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
Nationals Activate Max Scherzer, Place Kyle Finnegan On Injured List
The Nationals announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated ace Max Scherzer from the injured list and, in a corresponding move, placed righty Kyle Finnegan on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring. Finnegan’s IL placement is retroactive to June 21.
Scherzer, 36, ultimately only required a minimal 10-day stay on the injured list after suffering a groin strain that forced him from his most recent outing. He’ll return to a surging Nationals club that has won seven of its past eight games. That hot streak has only shrunk what was a seven-game deficit in the division to five games, but the Nats’ next seven games will be against NL East opponents (two against the Phillies, four against Miami and one a makeup game against the Mets).
There’s been plenty of speculation that Scherzer will eventually wind up on the trade market, but the Nationals aren’t likely to make any such move unless they’re completely buried in the division. Scherzer, who also has full no-trade protection, has been nothing short of dominant so far in 2021. He’s made 13 starts and tallied 77 1/3 innings while recording a 2.21 ERA with a 36 percent strikeout rate against a 5.2 percent walk rate.
Scherzer will start tonight’s game against the second-place Phillies and hope to continue the Nationals’ recent climb back into the division race. That his stay on the IL proved minimal is of particular importance to the Nats, given Stephen Strasburg‘s continued injury troubles in 2021. Lefty Patrick Corbin is also in the midst of a down year, although he’s notched a much-improved 3.97 ERA in 70 1/3 innings after shaking off a pair of disastrous outings to open the season. Fellow veteran Jon Lester and righties Erick Fedde and Joe Ross round out the Washington starting staff at the moment, but rotation help would be a possible focus area if GM Mike Rizzo and his staff look to upgrade on the trade market this summer.