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Reds Place Nick Senzel On Injured List, Recall Daniel Duarte

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The Reds announced a pair of corresponding roster moves today. Nick Senzel has been placed on the COVID-related injured list, though he has not tested positive, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (via Twitter). To take his roster spot, they recalled right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte. They now have an 11-man bullpen with just three extra position players on the bench.

Duarte made his big league debut already this season with a pair of appearances spanning 1 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander played across four different levels of the Reds’ system in 2021, totaling 23 2/3 innings over 19 outings with a 4.56 ERA.

But this move is more about Senzel, who has struggled to stay on the field in his young career. Jonathan India is also suffering from a sore hamstring, leaving the Reds pretty severely short-handed on the bench. They clearly aren’t all that concerned about it in the short-term, however, given their decision to add another arm to the bullpen. Given the COVID designation, there is no minimum length of stay on the injured list, so the Reds may expect to get Senzel back sooner than later. For today, Brandon Drury is getting the start for India again, while Jake Fraley steps in for Senzel as the center fielder of record.

Mitch Haniger Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger has tested positive for COVID-19, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer (via Twitter). He has been placed on the injured list, while Donovan Walton has been recalled to claim his roster spot, the team announced.

With Haniger out for probably at least five days, the pressure should alleviate somewhat from the young duo of Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic, both of whom have started slowly at the plate. Abraham Toro, meanwhile, is the likeliest to move into the starting lineup while Haniger is away. Toro is at the hot corner today, with Eugenio Suarez moving to designated hitter. Haniger has started six games in right field and two at designated hitter for the M’s so far this season. He, too, is off to a slow start, slashing .176/.200/.471 over 35 plate appearances.

Walton, 27, figures to be back and forth from Triple-A a bit this season, as the lefty-swinging utility player has an option remaining. He has appeared with the Mariners in each of the past three seasons, but never seeing more than 69 plate appearances in a given year. In total, Walton has stepped to the dish 92 times and slashed .196/.260/.315 while appearing at second base, third base, shortstop, and left field.

Astros Place Ryan Pressly On 10-Day Injured List

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The Astros have placed closer Ryan Pressly on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation (retroactive to April 14), per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle and others (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, Parker Mushinski has been called up to join the Major League team. Mushinski will make his debut if he finds his way into a ballgame.

Pressly has appeared in four games this season, earning three saves in 3 1/3 innings of work. The 33-year-old Dallas native is in his third season since taking over as the full-time closer in Houston. Without him, Houston could turn to former Phillies’ closer Hector Neris, or simply go closer-by-committee. Any number of Houston relievers have late-game experience. Rafael Montero has 15 career saves, and while Ryne Stanek, Pedro Baez, and Phil Maton don’t have much closing experience, they’re seasoned vets who could no doubt stomach the challenge of the game’s final frame.

The decision to add Mushinski could be in part because he’s a southpaw. Blake Taylor is the only lefty currently in manager Dusty Baker’s bullpen. The 26-year-old Mushinski made it to Triple-A for the first time last season – and including this year’s four appearances – the Texas native has tossed 17 1/3 innings for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, posting a 2.08 ERA in that small sample.

Cubs Option Alfonso Rivas, DFA Cory Abbott, Greg Deichmann

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The Cubs made a number of roster moves this afternoon, in part to make room for Mark Leiter Jr., whose addition to the roster was reported earlier. Leiter Jr. is starting today’s ballgame for the Cubbies. To make room on the active roster for Leiter Jr., first baseman Alfonso Rivas was optioned to Iowa. In other moves, Locke St. John was added to the 40-man roster and sent to Triple-A. Cory Abbott and Greg Deichmann were both designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man for St. John and Leiter Jr., respectively, per the Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma (via Twitter).

The Cubs are not long on starting pitching, hence Leiter Jr. getting the call so early in the year. They could have simply turned to Abbott, who made his big league debut last season in seven appearances (one start), but they instead chose to risk losing Abbott on waivers. The 2-year-old Abbott made 19 starts in Triple-A last year, putting up a 5.91 ERA over 96 innings.

Leiter Jr.’s opportunity in the Majors might not be long, however, as the Cubs could see some starters return from the injured list soon. Wade Miley three 15 pitches off the mound today, and Alec Mills, out with an injured back, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session later today, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). Both players will make their season debut when they return.

Deichmann was one of two players acquired last season from the A’s in the Andrew Chafin deal. Even at the time, Deichmann was an older prospect, but there was at least some hope that in an emptied outfield, the southpaw swinger might see some run. Deichmann made just 30 plate appearances with the Cubs last season, however, mostly as a pinch-hitter.

Fangraphs placed the outfielder/first baseman as the 22nd-ranked prospect in the Cubs’ system coming into the season, so it’s a tad surprising to see the Cubs expose him to waivers. Furthermore, Fangraphs had Abbott, a former second round pick, as the 26th-ranked prospect in the Cubs’ system, so they’re exposing two somewhat interesting players to waivers. A deal could still be worked out, and given the roster crunches all around baseball, it would not be surprising if one or both cleared waivers outright.

Besides, there’s lots of smoke and mirrors in prospect pedigree, and the Cubs’ system has not been all that highly regarded in recent years. For what it’s worth, neither Abbott nor Deichmann landed in the top-30 Cubs’ prospect by measure of MLB.com, and only Abbott made Baseball America’s list, coming in at number 23.

As for St. John, the Cubs signed the 29-year-old lefty as a free agent in November. His only time in the Majors came in 2019, when he made seven appearances for the Rangers. Last season, he tossed 58 1/3 innings for the Tigers’ Triple club in Toledo, posting a solid 2.58 ERA with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate.

Do The Braves Need Another Starter?

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Braves General Manager Alex Anthopolous struck out in his attempt to land a top-of-the-rotation arm during the offseason, he said recently on The Bill Shanks Show. Even without a fresh face at the top of the rotation, the Braves enter the season in pretty good hands with Max Fried and Charlie Morton leading the way.

The face of the Braves’ title defense season, however, may depend more on the next two arms in the rotation: Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson. If the young duo can fully establish themselves as mainstays in the rotation, the future in Atlanta is bright.

Anderson is further along than Wright at the moment, having made 24 starts in the 2021 season, finishing with a 3.58 ERA/4.12 FIP over 128 1/3 innings. He then made four starts in the postseason, all four of which the Braves won. In fact, over the past two postseasons, the Braves are 7-1 in games Anderson starts, while he owns a 1.26 ERA over 35 2/3 postseason innings. After 30 career regular-season starts, Anderson’s rotation spot is secure. The only question remaining relates to his ceiling.

Wright, meanwhile, made just two starts with the big league squad during the regular season, and then matched that total in the World Series alone, tossing 5 2/3 innings and serving up just one earned run. Wright should finally get his opportunity to stay in the rotation this year.

The final spot in the rotation is where the Braves were presumably looking to upgrade. Mike Soroka lurks somewhere in the organization, but he can hardly be counted on until proven healthy. For now, they will rely on a depth group that includes Huascar Ynoa, Tucker Davidson, Kyle Muller, Touki Toussaint, and Bryce Elder. That group carries more upside than most depth stables, but for a team with aspirations of back-to-back titles, upside can mask inefficiency.

The Braves have won the division four years running, and they’re the defending World Series champions. To suggest that they need anything is premature. But with the Mets and Phillies both nipping hard at their heels, nothing is guaranteed. It’s certainly interesting to note that Anthopolous explored frontline rotation additions this offseason. As the season progresses and new names become available on the trade market, the Braves may again look to engage the trade market.

Blake Snell Scratched From Start

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8:50 PM: Snell is likely headed to the injured list, per Cassavell (via Twitter). Crismatt tossed three scoreless innings in Snell’s place today. The Padres play the next ten games without a day off, so they will certainly move some roster pieces around if Snell is going to be out for that time.

3:38 PM: San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell was a last-minute scratch from his first scheduled start of the season today. The issue is left adductor tightness, the same injury that troubled Snell at the end of last season, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter).

Nabil Crismatt took the ball to start the ballgame in Snell’s stead. The 27-year-old swingman should be fresh, as he has yet to appear in a game so far this season. Today marks the first start of his Major League career, though he was mostly a starter coming up through the Mets’ minor league system. Crismatt owns a 3.71 ERA in 51 career appearances out of the pen.

Crismatt would be a candidate to stay in the rotation for a turn or two if Snell ends up needing a stint on the injured list. Reiss Knehr would be a prospective call-up if the Padres decide to go that route. They just dealt away Chris Paddack, but of course, they wouldn’t have done so with the expectation of needing just five starters to get through the season. They no doubt have a hierarchy in place for just this sort of contingency.

Snell’s first season in San Diego didn’t exactly go as planned for either party, and this marks an inauspicious start to year two. The 2018 AL Cy Young winner put up a 4.20 ERA/3.82 FIP over 128 2/3 innings over 27 starts.

Rays To Promote Tommy Romero

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The Rays are promoting right-hander Tommy Romero to the big-league squad, per Jeff Passan of ESPN (via Twitter). Romero will make his debut whenever he first appears in a game.

Passan notes that Romero’s stay may not be long, which would certainly follow Tampa’s pattern of giving promising arms a taste of Major League action without overcommitting. The 24-year-old Romero may not be a household name, but he is one of many promising arms on their way to contributing this season. He was the 18th-ranked prospect in the system per MLB.com and 21st by Baseball America, while Fangraphs was less bullish, placing him 32nd in the system.

The discrepancy largely lies in the fact that Romero is a spin rate darling who only recently has seen a jump in velocity. Regardless, Romero has consistently posted solid numbers in the minors, including a 2.61 ERA across 110 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season. Like many Rays arms, Romero is likely to begin in a swingman or multi-inning relief role.

In a corresponding move, southpaw Ryan Yarbrough will head to the 10-day injured list, per John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Yarbrough suffered a minor groin injury, which is not expected to be serious. He did not appear in the Rays’ opening series sweep of the Orioles. Luis Patino is set to take the hill tomorrow as the Athletics come to town.

Yarbrough serves a bit of a unique role for the Rays, as perhaps their most traditional innings-eater over the past four seasons. The Rays, of course, don’t usually prescribe to the “innings-eater” role, instead pulling starters early and not shying away from utilizing relievers in a piggyback or multi-inning role. Yarbrough led the team in innings pitched last season with 155 innings over 30 appearances (21 starts). He was second in innings pitched during each of the 2020, 2019, and 2018 seasons.

Mets Have Not Engaged Brandon Nimmo In Extension Talks

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The Mets have not approached outfielder Brandon Nimmo about a potential extension, despite his apparent willingness to stay in New York, per Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). Nimmo will reach free agency after this season, his age-29 season. Nimmo is an on-base machine when healthy, but he’s only once appeared in more than 100 games in a season.

It’s certainly possible that New York is ready to let Nimmo walk after the season. The Mets proved their willingness to take a hard line with departing free agents with Michael Conforto, Nimmo’s longtime running mate in the outfield. Conforto remains a free agent now.

Furthermore, this winter’s signings of Mark Canha and Starling Marte protect New York somewhat against Nimmo’s potential departure. Center fielders are in short supply leaguewide, which could make Nimmo an intriguing target despite his injury history. And the duo of Marte and Canha don’t perhaps carry enough glove to man the position full-time. But they ought to be enough to provide the Mets leverage in a potential Nimmo negotiation. According to Nimmo’s comments, however, that discussion is entirely hypothetical.

When healthy, Nimmo has been a first-class performer, posting a 135 wRC+ for his career and roughly 4.4 fWAR per 600 plate appearances. On the other hand, Nimmo’s never actually had 600 plate appearances in a season. Therein lies the issue facing the Mets in deciding whether or not to offer Nimmo a long-term deal.

Orioles Option DJ Stewart To Triple-A

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The Orioles have optioned DJ Stewart to Triple-A Norfolk, per the Orioles.

Counting the two plate appearances Stewart made before today’s game, Stewart has not appeared in five consecutive seasons for the Orioles. He saw the most action of his career last season, stepping to the plate 318 times with a triple-slash line of .204/.324/.374 with 12 long balls.

More roster moves appear to be on the way for Baltimore. Dean Kremer warmed up in the bullpen, but sat down again after apparently suffering an injury, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports. He appeared to have injured his left oblique. Stewart’s demotion could be meant to create roster space to add another arm while they await an update on Kremer, though that’s speculative.

The Orioles have a day or so to figure out their next move. With a day off on Monday, the Orioles will likely wait until early Tuesday to make an addition to the roster.

Outrights: Godoy, Bazardo, Adolfo

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Twins catcher Jose Godoy has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A. The 27-year-old made his Major League debut last season with the Mariners, stepping to the plate 40 times and posting a .162/.225/.189 line. Of course, a catcher’s contribution to a club can hardly to counted solely through a batting line. Gary Sanchez and Ryan Jeffers figure to handle the bulk of the catching responsibilities in Minnesota, but Godoy will compete with Chance Sisco, David Banuelos, and Stevie Berman to be the first call-up. Elsewhere around the sport…

  • Micker Adolfo has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte, per the White Sox. It’s just a little surprising that Adolfo wasn’t claimed, as there was thought to be some interest in the powerful righty bat. Adolfo displayed his typical power swing last year, slashing .245/.311/.520 in 405 plate appearances between Double-and-Triple-A. Health has been a bugaboo for Aldofo, so he will aim to stay in the lineup this year in Triple-A while awaiting an opportunity with the big league club.
  • Eduard Bazardo has cleared waivers after being outrighted to Triple-A, per the Red Sox. The 26-year-old appeared in two games for the Red Sox last season, and he’ll head to Triple-A to serve as bullpen depth. Like Adolfo, Bazardo has been stung with the injury bug in recent years, dealing with a lat strain that shut him down for much of last season.

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