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Rays Place Ryan Thompson On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Ryan Sherriff

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The Rays announced a pair of corresponding roster moves, with Ryan Thompson heading for the 10-day injured list because of right shoulder inflammation and Ryan Sherriff returning from Triple-A.

Thompson’s IL placement is retroactive to June 28th, the day after his last appearance. That outing was Thompson’s first in 36 appearances this year in which he allowed multiple earned runs. On the whole, the 29-year-old right-hander has been stellar with a 2.38 ERA/3.09 FIP in 34 innings.

The Rays are very familiar with Sherriff, who has been up and down the past two seasons, though with limited mound work. Including his four outings this season, Sherriff has 14 appearances covering 13 innings for Tampa since 2020. He allowed just one earned run on 11 hits and three walks while striking out five. Though he’s typically been unhittable against lefties, same-handed hitters have gone 3-for-6 with a walk against him this season.

Royals Place Wade Davis On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Richard Lovelady

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The Royals placed Wade Davis on the 10-day injured list yesterday with a right forearm strain. Southpaw Richard Lovelady was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his spot in the Royals’ bullpen, per the team transactions log on MLB.com.

The Royals are scuffling. They earned pats on the back from many around the game for their aggressive offseason, and when they jumped out to a 15-9 start in April, the idea of Mike Matheny’s club making a run seemed like it might have legs. But they tumbled to an 11-17 record in May, and fell even further in June, entering play on Wednesday with a 7-19 record for the month. Now losers of seven straight, the Royals have fallen behind the Twins for last place in the AL Central.

Pitching has been a particular challenge for the Royals this month. With a team ERA of 5.97, they have produced -0.7 fWAR this month, tied with the Diamondbacks for the worst mark in the Majors. Davis has, unfortunately, been no small part of their struggles, as the Royals’ legend has given up 11 earned runs on 14 hits and and five walks while serving up five home runs in 9 1/3 innings this month. For the year now, Davis has a 8.06 ERA/6.50 FIP.

His control issues of the past couple seasons have settled down to a not-horrible 9.2 percent walk rate, but the trouble stems largely from the fact that, at 35 years old, Davis simply isn’t missing bats anymore. His four-seamer velocity is down to an average of 92.6 mph, which lands in just the 16th percentile league-wide. His O-Swing%, the percent of pitches batters swing at outside the zone, is down to 23.9 percent, quite a bit below the 30.6 percent average for relievers. Overall, his 18.5 percent strikeout rate is a good tick below average as well.

Lovelady, 25, will make his first appearance of the season and try to provide some support to the Royals’ pen. Lovelady relies mostly on a fastball/slider combo, though he’s worked to add a change-up to his arsenal as well. He has 26 career appearances, all but one coming back in 2019 when he logged 20 innings with a 7.65 ERA/4.16 FIP while posting walk and strikeout rates of 8.3 percent and 17.7 percent, respectively.

Yankees Option Albert Abreu, Reinstate Justin Wilson

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9:40 AM: The Yankees have announced the corresponding roster move, with Justin Wilson being activated from the injured list. Wilson last appeared almost exactly a month ago on May 28th. He owns a 6.08 ERA across 13 1/3 innings so far this season, though he was attempting to pitch through discomfort.

7:38 AM: The Yankees optioned right-hander Albert Abreu to Triple-A following last night’s defeat of the Angels. An additional roster move is likely to follow sometime before today’s 7:05 PM start.

This was already Abreu’s sixth different stint with the big-league club this year, though not every time on the roster has resulted in mound work for the 25 year old. He tossed two scoreless innings yesterday in his sixth appearance of the year. Though used sparingly, he’s been effective as a multi-inning reliever for manager Aaron Boone.

The one-time starter has been used in a similar capacity in Triple-A, tossing 15 2/3 innings in nine appearances with a 4.02 ERA. He has allowed 10 walks in that time, but he’s also proved an effective strikeout artist, recording 29 strikeouts for a robust 43 percent strikeout rate.

AL Injury Notes: Robert, Lakins, Urquidy

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Luis Robert could be roughly four weeks out from a rehab assignment, per The Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter). Assuming all goes well for Robert — a significant assumption this far out — and the White Sox could hope to have their star centerfielder back in the lineup for the stretch run late in August. The club itself has not put an exact timetable on his return, however. Still, an update of any kind is a positive sign for the first-place Sox. If Robert avoids any hiccups in the next few weeks, the White Sox could be emboldened enough to stick with their current roster, rather than make a move to add another centerfielder before the deadline. In the meantime,Brian Goodwin has been the latest replacement to man center, joining Billy Hamilton and Adam Engel as fill-ins.

Elsewhere in the American League, there were a couple notable injuries in last night’s games to check in on…

  • The Astros/Orioles game saw a couple of pitchers leave early due to injury. Both starters, Jose Urquidy and Travis Lakins, left their respective outings in the second inning. The Orioles expect to have the results of an MRI on Lakins sometime today, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Lakins was making his first start of the season.
  • As for Urquidy, he left with shoulder discomfort after 1 2/3 innings. For those wondering if this was a return of the shoulder discomfort that sidelined Urquidy for a couple weeks in May, that does not appear to be the case. The pain that forced Urquidy from Tuesday’s start was in a different area than his prior injury, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. Urquidy has been a big part of the Astros’ strong first half, pitching to a 3.38 ERA/4.00 FIP across 14 starts while totaling 77 1/3 innings — more than five innings per outing.

Giants Place Brandon Belt On 10-Day Injured List

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JUNE 28: Belt has minimal structural damage in his knee, Kapler told reporters (including Guardado). The team is optimistic he’ll be able to rehab the injury without requiring surgery.

JUNE 26: Belt will miss more than 10 days in recovery, Kapler told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters, and a possible knee surgery isn’t out of the question.  “I think as we evaluate it, everything could potentially be on the table.  I think the concerns are there, yeah,” Kapler said.

JUNE 25: The Giants placed Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list with a knee injury today, recalling outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. in his place, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Belt, 33, is one of the many seemingly rejuvenated veterans dotting the Giants’ roster. Belt posted a career-low 98 wRC+ over 616 plate appearances in 2019, but he’s been nothing short of spectacular at the dish since. After slashing a wholly unsustainable .309/.425/.591 (172 wRC+) in 179 plate appearances last season, Belt has continued to trend in the right direction with a .253/.363/.512 line through 201 trips to the box. Time will tell whether this bout of knee inflammation is a short-term setback or something more serious.

Wade, an outfielder by trade, can share the first base duties with Darin Ruf while Belt is out. Offensively, the Giants believe Wade/Ruf can hold the line, but Belt’s defense is harder to replicate. Slusser provides this quote from manager Gabe Kapler, “…as good as LaMonte is and as good as Ruf is over there, Belt is like another level when it comes to footwork and putting himself in good positions to take care of the other infielders on the diamond. LaMonte is going to continue to improve over there with more reps, but we’re going to really miss Brandon as a defender.”

In looking for ways to upgrade as we approach the trade deadline, it’s natural to consider the position player side of the Giants’ roster given that three-quarters of their expected starting infield is currently on the injured list (Belt, Evan Longoria, Tommy La Stella). That said, the Athletic’s Grant Brisbee writes that the rotation, in fact, may be the first place the Giants look to upgrade.

To Brisbee’s point, the rotation certainly didn’t look like a significant strength heading into the season. Kevin Gausman looked the part of a frontline starter, though his track record wasn’t long enough to erase all doubts. Johnny Cueto used to be a star, but he hasn’t appeared as one since 2016. Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, and Aaron Sanchez rounded out the five. That trio seemed to be a low-ceiling/high-floor group if healthy – though they came with significant health concerns. Logan Webb figured to be the primary understudy, and though he’s younger and therefore full of promise, he entered the year with a 5.36 ERA/4.15 FIP through 94 career innings.

As a group, they’ve exceeded expectations: 3.14 ERA/3.44 FIP, both ranking third-best in the Majors, with the fifth-most innings pitched at 401 2/3, and the sixth-most fWAR accumulated with 7.3 fWAR. They’ve induced groundballs at the third-best rate among rotations and allowed less walks per nine innings than every team save the rival Dodgers.

Still, Sanchez may still be bothered by his blister issues, per Slusser, and Webb is out with a strained shoulder. Gausman has been brilliant, and DeSclafani a pleasant surprise, but there’s certainly room to add the right guy if the Giants should find him. Identifying that arm will take some doing. Max Scherzer has been a popular target for speculation, but the latest reports suggest he’ll need an extension before accepting a deal. Besides, when the Nats are within earshot of contention – as they are right now – they aren’t typically inclined to sell.

To speculate on other potential rotation targets, look no further than our list of top-40 trade targets. Jon Gray, Matthew Boyd, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda, Dylan Bundy, Andrew Heaney, Jose Urena, German Marquez, Spencer Turnbull, and John Means are some of the top names that may be available come July.

Freddy Galvis Out One-To-Two Months

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JUNE 27: Galvis has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right quadriceps strain, the team announced. Urias and Leyba were each recalled from Norfolk, as was outfielder Ryan McKenna. Righty Konner Wade and utilityman Stevie Wilkerson were optioned in corresponding moves.

Galvis will miss between one and two months, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com). That casts serious doubt about his trade candidacy. Galvis would need to return at the very early end of that projected timetable to be healthy by the July 30 deadline. Players on the injured list can still be traded, but a veteran role player like Galvis never looked likely to bring back a highly impactful return, and contenders’ interest in acquiring him would be dealt a serious blow if he’s still on the IL come deadline day.

JUNE 26: Freddy Galvis was carted off the field during today’s loss to the Blue Jays. The team described the injury as right quadriceps discomfort. A roster move appears likely to follow, with Galvis heading to the injured list, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

Along with being one of the Orioles’ more vocal veteran leaders, the well-respected, glove-first shortstop was a potential trade piece for GM Mike Elias. With little more than a month before the trade deadline, Baltimore will have to wait and see about the severity of Galvis’ injury to know whether he might still be considered a trade chip. Galvis has been worth 0.9 rWAR while slashing .246/.304/.411 in 273 plate appearances.

In the meantime, Pat Valaika took over at shortstop today, while Ramon Urias or Domingo Leyba seem most likely to get the call from Triple-A for more regular playing time. For what it’s worth, neither Urias nor Leyba was in the starting lineup for Triple-A Norfolk tonight, notes Kubatko, suggesting one or both could be on the way to Buffalo. The Orioles play a day game against the Blue Jays tomorrow.

Dinelson Lamet Leaves Game With Forearm Fatigue

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JUNE 27: Lamet felt some “fatigue in his forearm area” and had trouble getting the feel for his slider, manager Jayce Tingler said after the game (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). It’s not yet clear whether an injured list stint is under consideration.

JUNE 26: Dinelson Lamet was pulled after just 2 1/3 innings from his start tonight against the Diamondbacks, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). The trainer came out to the mound after an apparent dip in velocity, and Lamet was removed from the game.

The Padres are on high alert when it comes to Lamet’s injury status. A UCL strain delayed Lamet’s start to the season. Forearm inflammation ended his first start of the season after just two innings. The Padres have remained conservative, limiting Lamet to three innings or less in each of his first six appearances. Only in June was he stretched out to four and five innings per start.

Watching his innings has worked in terms of performance. Lamet owns a 2.81 ERA/2.77 FIP in 32 innings with a 27.2 percent strikeout rate and 8.1 percent walk rate — both of which are better than league average. Those numbers did not hold against the last-place Diamondbacks on Saturday night, however, as he surrendered four earned runs on six hits — including two home runs — in 2 1/3 innings. He recorded one strikeout.

Injury Notes: Harper, Higgins, Hoerner, Topa

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Phillies star right fielder Bryce Harper was hit in the left leg by a Jacob deGrom change-up during a bunt attempt today. He ran the bases, but Travis Jankowski replaced him in the field for the bottom half of the inning. The ball skipped off the ground before hitting Harper’s leg, so it’s likely to be a short layoff for Harper. That said, nothing is certain at this point, including Harper’s availability for Sunday, writes Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

While we await an update on Harper, let’s circle up and check-in elsewhere around the Senior Circuit…

  • Cubs backup catcher P.J. Higgins has been diagnosed with a partially torn UCL that will require Tommy John surgery, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Luckily for the Cubs, starter Willson Contreras was back in the lineup today after getting hit by a pitch on the hand yesterday, Montemurro adds. Higgins collected his first Major League hit this season but went just 1-for-23 at the plate in nine games. [UPDATE: Higgins is actually getting right forearm flexor tendon surgery, Montemurro was among those to report, not a Tommy John procedure.]
  • Nico Hoerner will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A tomorrow, writes Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago. He strained his hamstring on May 25th after beginning to establish himself as a galvanizing presence on both sides of the ball. With slick glovework at the keystone, Hoerner is one of the Cubs’ better defenders, and he brought his hot bat from spring training into the regular season, batting .338/.405/.432 in 84 trips. Hoerner projects to return to the big-league club sometime in early July.
  • The Brewers don’t have an exact timeline for the return of reliever Justin Topa, but manager Craig Counsell sounds optimistic in saying, “He’s not crazy far from game action,” per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). Topa injured his elbow during spring training and has yet to make his season debut. He made six quality appearances as a 29-year-old rookie for the Brewers in 2020, pitching to a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings.

Tigers Option Isaac Paredes, Keep Zack Short On Active Roster

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After splitting today’s doubleheader with the Astros, the Tigers announced that they are keeping 27th man Zack Short on the active roster and optioning Isaac Paredes to Triple-A. Paredes, 22, was given an opportunity to fill in for Niko Goodrum when the latter was placed on the injured list.

With a 17.1 percent walk rate and 14.3 percent strikeout rate in a small sample of 35 plate appearances, Paredes has shown a solid, contact-first approach. The bottom line results haven’t been there yet, however, as he slashed .143/.286/.321 in that time. His .130 BABIP suggests some poor luck, and his batted ball numbers (such as exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and barrel rate) are a touch below average. Paredes will head back to the minors with hopes of producing more solid contact in regular playing time at Toledo.

Short, 26, is having a stellar season at the plate, both in Triple-A (.132 wRC+ in 124 plate appearances) and with the parent club (143 wRC+ in 16 plate appearances). The former Cubs’ farmhand can play all over the infield while filling Paredes’ role as a right-handed complement to switch-hitting infielders Jeimer Candelario and Willi Castro. Short may not have the long-term promise that Paredes does, but he has impressed in short-run samples this season, earning himself an opportunity.

Moving to the outfield, the Tigers have another roster decision coming soon, writes Evan Woodbery of Mlive.com. With Derek Hill and Victor Reyes close to returning from the injured list, the Tigers will have a surplus of outfielders. The most obvious move would be to activate Hill and option Reyes back to Triple-A, but Woodbery wonders whether Detroit might find this the right time to cut ties with Nomar Mazara.

Though still just 26, Mazara is seemingly running out of chances to prove himself a Major League hitter. After struggling through the shortened season with the White Sox, Mazara has put up similar production this year. Slashing .201/.273/.317 through 154 plate appearances, Mazara doesn’t have any trade value, and on a one-year, $1.75MM contract, he can be cut loose without significant financial consequence.

If the Tigers don’t see Mazara as a part of their future, there’s certainly some logic to allocating his playing time elsewhere. The Tigers can pull from a pool of outfielders that includes Robbie Grossman, Akil Baddoo, Daz Cameron, Hill, Reyes, JaCoby Jones, Christin Stewart, Jacob Robson. Infielders Castro and Goodrum (when he returns from the injured list) are also capable of playing the outfield.

AL East Notes: Mancini, Kirk, Anderson, McKay, Kluber

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In a bit of good news for Orioles’ fans, Trey Mancini will participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, per The Athletic’s Dan Connolly (via Twitter). Mancini should provide some feel-good coverage for the 2021 All-Star festivities. Having missed last season while being treated for stage 3 colon cancer, Mancini has returned to lead the Orioles with a .260/.337/.466 triple-slash line with 14 home runs and 52 runs batted in, good for a 121 wRC+. Let’s check in with the other clubs in the AL East…

  • Alejandro Kirk has joined the Blue Jays’ Triple-A club in Trenton with the possibility of returning from the injured list as early as July 1, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Kirk must first prove himself ready in Triple-A. After making the team out of spring training, Kirk has been out since May 2nd with a flexor strain. The Jays have also been without starter Danny Jansen for almost three weeks now. Riley Adams, who has three options remaining, will head back to Trenton whenever Kirk is ready.
  • Nick Anderson threw his second bullpen session for the Rays, and he appears on track for an August return. per Adam Berry of MLB.com (via Twitter). Anderson’s value as a bullpen ace is well-known after last year’s breakout campaign — 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 regular-season innings. The Rays leaned hard on Anderson to get them to the World Series: he appeared in both games of the Wild Card sweep of the Blue Jays, two of the five games in their ALDS win over the Yankees, and three more apiece in the ALCS and World Series.
  • Brendan McKay is in line for a 30-pitch bullpen soon, Berry also notes, and if that goes well, he’ll start to build his strength up to a starter’s workload. McKay last appeared in competitive action in 2019, when he threw 49 innings at the big-league level with a 5.14 ERA/4.03 FIP.
  • The Yankees don’t expect to get Corey Kluber back until August at the earliest, but it could be as late as September, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). Kluber gave the Yankees exactly what they’d hoped in his ten starts: 3.04 ERA/3.77 FIP in 53 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, he also realized their fears when he suffered a shoulder strain that will ultimately knock him out for more than half the year.

 

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