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Koji Uehara Out For Season With Fractured Wrist

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Red Sox closer Koji Uehara will miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a fractured wrist, the club announced. The team had expressed optimism after the right-hander was struck by a batted ball on Friday night, but further tests apparently revealed a significant injury.

Boston adds that Uehara, 40, “is expected to make a full recovery,” and the team will need him to do just that. He is already under contract for 2016, the back half of the two-year, $18MM deal he signed just before free agency opened following the 2014 campaign.

Despite cracking forty years at the start of the season, and losing about a tick on his average fastball velocity, Uehara has remained one of the league’s most reliably dominant bullpen arms. Through 40 1/3 innings, he owns a 2.23 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9. While that represents a slight decline on the strikeout side and nearly a doubling of the absurdly low walk rate he carried over his first two years with the Red Sox, Uehara still generated a swinging strike rate (18.6%) commensurate with recent seasons.

While the news is disappointing, it seemingly comes at a manageable time. The Red Sox bypassed the chance to trade Uehara at the deadline despite being out of contention, but will have plenty of time to bring him back to health before next season. Of course, it remains to be seen what kind of recovery timeline will be required, not to mention how the somewhat unusual injury could impact the aging-but-excellent veteran.

AL East Notes: Castillo, Yankees, Hunter, Pennington

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The trade of Shane Victorino to the Angels has opened playing time for Rusney Castillo and allowed the Red Sox’ $72.5MM man to impress his team, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. Castillo is hitting .333/.375/.444 in his latest recall from Triple-A, and Boston is impressed with his ability to quickly make adjustments based on advice from the coaching staff. Assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez has already made slight changes to Castillo’s stance in an effort to shorten his swing, and both player and team feel the results have been positive. There are still greater adjustments to be made, MacPherson continues — Castillo, for instance, was taught in Cuba to swing each time he sees a baserunner in motion regardless of the pitch — but the 28-year-old says his confidence and comfort level are on the rise.

A few more AL East items on a quiet morning…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman took a big picture approach at the deadline by holding onto his best prospects, writes John Harper of the New York Daily News, but he may end up regretting that decision. The contrast between that approach and the aggressive one taken by Toronto counterpart Alex Anthopoulos is already apparent, as the Blue Jays are 11-1 since acquiring Troy Tulowitzki, Harper continues.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun opines that the Orioles are missing Tommy Hunter following what he calls a “curious” trade. Manager Buck Showalter has already been forced to lean on Chaz Roe in a high-leverage spot for which Hunter would have been better suited. Connolly feels that the reasoning behind the trade made some sense — the team wanted some maneuverability with its bullpen and none of their relievers have minor league options — but they’ve already contradicted that plan by activating Rule 5 right-hander Jason Garcia from the DL and devoting a spot to him. He concludes that the team has effectively weakened its bullpen in order to add a right-handed outfielder (Junior Lake) whose skill set is somewhat redundant with Nolan Reimold already on the roster.
  • Cliff Pennington spoke to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi about his excitement to join a Blue Jays team that is in pursuit of a division title and a postseason berth. Pennington notes that he heard plenty of trade rumors with his name involved prior to the non-waiver deadline but was caught somewhat off guard by his August trade. As Davidi notes, Pennington is plenty familiar with Josh Donaldson from the pair’s days in the minors and Majors with the Athletics, and the pair reached the postseason together with the A’s in 2012.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/9/15

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The latest minor moves…

  • Prior to today’s game, the Tigers purchased the contract of lefty Tom Gorzelanny while optioning Shane Greene to Triple-A.  Gorzelanny pitched in today’s 7-2 Tigers loss to the Red Sox, allowing a run in a third of an inning.  The southpaw was designated for assignment then outrighted to Triple-A in July, and heading into today, Gorzelanny had posted a 6.38 ERA over 24 relief innings for Detroit.
  • The Mariners have traded Triple-A third baseman Carlos Rivero to the Red Sox for cash considerations, as Greg Johns of MLB.com tweets.  Rivero joined Seattle when he was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in November of 2014.  In December, the M’s re-signed him to a minor league deal.  Rivero made his Major League debut last season, appearing in eight games with Boston.  In part of five Triple-A seasons, Rivero has slashed .274/.324/.388.
  • The Orioles announced that infielder Chris Parmelee has accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.  The O’s designated Parmelee for assignment when they acquired Gerardo Parra at the trade deadline and they outrighted him days later.  He has hit .216/.255/.433 in 102 plate appearances with Baltimore.

AL East Notes: Dombrowski, Blue Jays, Red Sox

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Top Yankees prospect Luis Severino is elated to be a part of the club’s playoff push, Grace Raynor of MLB.com writes.  There has been a ton of hype surrounding the pitcher in New York, but skipper Joe Girardi says that Severino is taking it all in stride.

“Going into the game, I thought that he was a young man that really wasn’t fazed by his surroundings in Spring Training, was able to relax and go about his business,” Girardi said. “I think that that’s what I saw last week. It’s kinda what I expected to see. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot more about him as time goes on — and you see him make starts and how he responds to certain situations and adversity. But, for the most part, that was kind of what I expected.”

Here’s more out of the AL East..

  • Indications are that former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is more likely to wind up with the Blue Jays or the Mariners than the Red Sox, Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal writes.  Still, MacPherson says that doesn’t mean that the Red Sox can’t learn from Dombrowski by looking at how he built a winner in Detroit.  Dombrowski’s Detroit teams had structural flaws, but he took them from a team void of stars to a powerhouse organization with aggressive trades.  Boston has worked to hang on to its young talent in recent years rather than moving it for established players, but many of those prospects have failed to live up to expectations.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington is open to change in the front office if that means improving the team, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald writes.   “I don’t think it’s threatening at all” to bring in a new voice in baseball operations, Cherington said late last week. “Whatever stake you have in the Red Sox, after what you’ve been through the last two years, you don’t even have a choice but to try to find solutions to this after awhile of doing it our own way. It’s going to mean different things to different people, but that’s what we’re trying to do around here.”   With Larry Lucchino on his way out, Cherington may have to answer to whoever his replacement will be.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette likes cheap reclamation projects and has caught some lightning in the past, but things just didn’t work out that way with Travis Snider, Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun writes.  Snider, who came over from the Pirates this winter to help replace the departed Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis, was designated for assignment on Friday.

Cafardo On Pierzynski, Cespedes, Torre

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe gives his suggestions for fixing the Red Sox.  One idea is for Boston to take advantage of the Mets, who have offensive needs but might not have the willingness to address them in free agency.  The Mets may be forced to use their pitching depth in order to improve their offense, and one baseball person wondered aloud to Cafardo whether Matt Harvey could be had for Xander Bogaerts.  Cafardo also sees Pablo Sandoval for James Shields as a logical deal as the Red Sox and Padres would be swapping bad contracts.  Here’s more from today’s column..

  • “While it’s not assured yet,” the Braves would like to keep A.J. Pierzynski beyond 2015, Cafardo writes.  The catcher is making $2MM this season and he could be in line for a raise given his play in 2015.  Through 77 games, the catcher owns a .302/.340/.446 slash line with 7 homers.  Pierzynski, who turns 39 in December, has an OPS of .765, his best showing since 2012.
  • A five-year, $100MM deal for Yoenis Cespedes isn’t out of the question, according to one agent who spoke with Cafardo.  The outfielder figures to be one of the few quality bats available on the open market this winter and the agent cites Hanley Ramirez’s deal as reason to believe that Cespedes could hit $100MM.  Ramirez signed a four-year pact worth $88MM that can balloon to $110MM if his fifth-year option is exercised.  The Mets might not be willing to go that high for the slugger.  Tim Dierkes ranked Cespedes No. 6 on his most recent update to the MLBTR Free Agent Power Rankings.
  • Joe Torre, currently MLB’s vice president of baseball operations, told Cafardo that he wouldn’t rule out working for a team again, though it would have to be the right situation.  Cafardo wonders if Torre could be a candidate to join the Red Sox’s front office with Larry Lucchino stepping down.
  • Speaking of Lucchino, those who know the outgoing president and CEO well say that he wants another challenge.  The Blue Jays and Nationals (Lucchino has D.C. roots) are two teams to watch, Cafardo says.

Quick Hits: Napoli, Perez, Padres, Marlins

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The Rangers acquisition of Cole Hamels was sold as a move for the 2016 season. However, the acquisition of Mike Napoli is a declaration that the Rangers want to win this season, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Rangers have surged since the trade deadline. They’re now 4.5 games back in the AL West and 3.5 games behind the second Wild Card slot. Texas will use Napoli as a platoon bat against left-handed pitching. Despite poor overall numbers, Napoli still has a .229/.345/.500 slash against southpaws this season. The Rangers will cover about $1.5MM of his remaining salary with the Red Sox chipping in with the balance ($3.7MM). He’s a free agent after the season.

  • The Astros will use recently acquired left-handed reliever Oliver Perez in a lefty specialist role, writes Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Perez will serve as a weapon against the tough lefties in the division like Prince Fielder and Robinson Cano. He’ll also free Tony Sipp to return to a full inning role. Houston will have to clear a 25-man roster spot for Perez prior to tomorrow’s game. In my opinion, one of Chad Qualls, Josh Fields, or Will Harris will be the odd man out. All three have pitched well this season.
  • The Padres confused many by standing pat at the trade deadline, but they may be following the same path as the Blue Jays, suggests Grant Brisbee of SB Nation. Per Brisbee, GM A.J. Preller supposedly had a couple deals in place that were scuttled by non-baseball decision makers. Preller drew the most flak for failing to trade Justin Upton – a free agent after the season. Another popular trade candidate, Craig Kimbrel, will at least provide value to future Padres rosters. Returning to the lesson of the Blue Jays, they underwent a similar transformation prior to the 2013 season. When things fell apart that season, they didn’t conduct a Marlins-style fire sale. Instead, they tinkered their way to the current offensive juggernaut. Brisbee suggests that Preller has similar plans for San Diego.
  • The Marlins plan to focus on starting pitching over the offseason, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The club would like to add two starters, although they’ll have to overcome their usual financial constraints. As was reported earlier, manager Dan Jennings is expected to return to the front office over the offseason. A couple old Marlins staffers – Ozzie Guillen and Larry Beinfest – will finally come off the books after this season.

David Ortiz’s 2016 Option Vests

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Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz doubled in his 425th plate appearance of the season today, triggering his 2016 option in the process, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. The option is for an $11MM base salary and increases by $1MM for 475, 500, 525, 575, and 600 plate appearances. Ortiz is on pace to finish with about 625 plate appearances which would trigger the maximum $16MM payout.

Ortiz, 39, is in the midst of an up-and-down season. He’s batting .241/.333/.472 on the year, but his numbers have markedly improved since some mid-season adjustments in late May. After a brief benching on May 28 and 29, Ortiz has hit .261/.356/.546 in 239 plate appearances with 17 of his 23 home runs.

Ortiz has rarely played in the field throughout his career. The Red Sox designated hitter hasn’t started 10 games at a non-DH position since 2006. He does draw a handful of starts per season at first base thanks to Interleague games. He is a veteran of 19 seasons – six with the Twins and 13 with Boston. The Mariners originally signed him as an amateur free agent back in 1992.

AL East Notes: Napoli, Pennington, Price

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Mike Napoli may have struggled this season, but he left his mark on the Red Sox organization, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The slugger hit .242/.350/.436 during his Red Sox tenure with 53 regular season home runs. He also popped two home runs in the 2013 ALCS. In addition to his on-field contributions, Napoli was known for his character. I’ll leave the story telling to Bradford.

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • The acquisition of Cliff Pennington by the Blue Jays is all about making final tweaks, writes Mike Wilner of Sportsnet.ca. The club could have survived with Munenori Kawasaki, but Pennington offers a modest upgrade. Not only is he a better defender with more utility, he also has solid splits against left-handed pitching. He’ll also provide insurance for second baseman Devon Travis. The rookie is currently on the disabled list with recurring a shoulder injury.
  • The Blue Jays are on a seven game winning streak and just 2.5 games behind the Yankees in the NL East. New acquisition David Price figures to pay “big dividends,” according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York. Price is 2-0  with a 0.60 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 15 innings since the trade including a victory against the Yankees today. The Bronx Bombers may regret passing on Price and other aces. Instead, New York remained committed to their youth movement, refusing to part with Luis Severino or Aaron Judge.

 

 

East Notes: Braves, Albies, Craig, Jennings, Garcia

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Earlier today, the Braves shipped third baseman Chris Johnson to the Indians for Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. Atlanta had long been said to be shopping Johnson, who expressed relief to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (Twitter link) that his status was finally resolved. Meanwhile, Swisher indicated that he, too, is excited to get started “right away” with a new organization, as Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer tweets.

  • Top Braves prospect Ozhaino Albies will miss the rest of the season after breaking his thumb, Bowman tweets. The 18-year-old shortstop has been solid this year at the Class A level, slashing .310/.368/.404 with 29 steals. While he’ll lose a bit of development time, the injury doesn’t seem to be much cause for concern given his young age.
  • After dealing Mike Napoli to the Rangers, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said today that he “expects there will be another opportunity” for Allen Craig at the big league level this year, as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald tweets. It’s not yet clear when that will occur, but Craig isn’t exactly knocking on the door. He’s slashed .274/.379/.341 over 298 plate appearances at Triple-A since his demotion, continuing a notable power outage that dates back to the start of 2014.
  • Marlins sources say that GM-turned-skipper Dan Jennings is expected to return to the club’s front office after the year, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. If and when the club enters the managerial market, says Jackson, it could consider names like Mike Lowell, Bud Black, Dusty Baker, Terry Kennedy, and Doug Mientkiewicz.
  • While Mychal Givens was strong in his first few outings with the Orioles, the club is demoting him to provide another shot to Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia, as Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com writes. Garcia, 22, is back from an extended DL stint after allowing nine earned runs (and eight strikeouts against 11 walks) in his first 13 2/3 innings with Baltimore. In spite of those difficulties, the club seems fairly committed to locking up Garcia’s future rights by keeping him on the active roster the rest of the way.

Rangers Acquire Mike Napoli

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8:21pm: Texas will pay $1.5MM of Napoli’s salary, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets, with Boston keeping the rest.

7:06pm: The deal is for Napoli and cash in exchange for a player to be named later (or cash considerations), the clubs have announced.

6:14pm: The Rangers have agreed to acquire first baseman Mike Napoli from the Red Sox, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports on Twitter. Boston pulled Napoli from its lineup at the last minute, leading to speculation of a deal that appears to have come to fruition.

Jul 31, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli (12) watches his home run land in the green monster seats during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Texas continues to be a fascinating to team to watch. The team added Cole Hamels at the deadline, seemingly more for his future value, while shopping (but not dealing) veteran Yovani Gallardo. Now, after a solid run coming out of the deadline, Texas is just five-and-a-half back in the division and 2.5 games out of Wild Card contention.

Napoli represents a right-handed power bat to plug into a heavily left-handed lineup. The club has utilized Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland at first base and DH for much of the season, but can now deploy Napoli at both positions as well. Unsurprisingly, Napoli has been much better against southpaws this year than same-handed pitching.

As he rejoins his former club, Napoli will look to carry forward a strong start to the second half. Having scuffled badly early in the year, over his last 69 turns at bat, Napoli owns a .267/.362/.533 batting line.

It remains to be seen what the return is, but in all likelihood Boston’s primary benefit here will be salary relief (along with freeing a roster spot). Napoli is earning $16MM on the season before hitting the open market this winter.

Napoli played mostly at catcher when he last suited up for the Rangers, but in spite of the team’s needs in that regard, it would be rather surprising at this point if he got back behind the dish. Bradford notes on Twitter that Napoli’s limited no-trade clause gives him veto power over a move to Texas, but obviously he’s decided to waive that.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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