Brewers Acquire Yeison Coca From Red Sox To Complete Tyler Thornburg Trade
10:07am: Both teams have now announced the trade. Coca is headed to Milwaukee’s extended Spring Training program for the time being, according to the Brewers.
9:50am: The Brewers will acquire minor league shortstop Yeison Coca from the Red Sox as the player to be named later in the offseason Tyler Thornburg/Travis Shaw trade, according to Evan Drellich of CSN New England (Twitter link).
Coca, 18, signed with the Red Sox back on July 2 in 2015 as a 16-year-old and has just one full season of pro ball under his belt. He spent the 2016 campaign with Boston’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .307/.370/.409 with a homer, five doubles, nine triples and 12 stolen bases (in 17 attempts). Baseball America rated Coca as the Red Sox’ No. 25 prospect this offseason, noting that he shows the instincts and defensive aptitude to eventually be an everyday shortstop with above-average bat-to-ball skills and below-average power. Certainly, any up-the-middle player with the potential to stick at his position is a valuable commodity. But, Coca is a long ways from realizing his potential, and there’s a fairly notable attrition rate among promising teenage shortstops.
Regardless of what happens with Coca, the trade has been overwhelmingly lopsided in Milwaukee’s favor to this point. Shaw has gotten off to an outstanding start with the Brewers, hitting .292/.339/.530 with 10 homers, 16 doubles and a triple through 210 plate appearances. While he’s only seen 57 PAs against lefties, he’s held his own in that limited sample, hitting .250/.316/.442. In a larger sample of 161 PAs while holding the platoon advantage, Shaw has laid waste to right-handers with a .307/.348/.560 triple slash.
The Brewers also added minor league righty Josh Pennington, who has yet to pitch in 2017, and minor league infielder Mauricio Dubon in that trade. The 22-year-old Dubon is hitting .294/.346/.383 with 25 steals (in 32 attempts) through 56 games for Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate in Biloxi.
Thornburg, on the other hand, has yet to pitch for the Red Sox at all due to a nebulous shoulder issue. The righty has been shut down since Spring Training due to ongoing discomfort in his right shoulder, but there’s been no firm timetable placed on his recovery nor any suggestion of surgery to this point in the season. A healthy Thornburg would help to balance the scales on that trade, so to speak, but the strong play from both Shaw and Dubon is only magnified by a lack of infield depth (specifically at third base) that has plagued Boston throughout the 2017 season.
AL East Notes: Jackson, Devers, Ellsbury, Fowler
The Orioles‘ decision to outright left-hander Paul Fry over the weekend could be a precursor to adding veteran righty Edwin Jackson to the big league roster, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Jackson had an opt-out clause in his contract for June 1 but agreed to push that date back to today as the team took a bit more time to make its decision. Jackson’s lack of minor league options is a strike against him, Encina notes, as the O’s have liberally shuffled relievers back and forth from Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore this season. However, his ability to throw multiple innings in relief and recent effectiveness could make up for that fact. Jackson has tossed 5 2/3 scoreless frames with four strikeouts and no walks across his past three outings and has a 3.10 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 on the year as a whole. If he does trigger his opt-out, the Orioles would have 48 hours to add him to the roster or release him.
Elsewhere in the AL East…
- ESPN’s Buster Olney spoke to a talent evaluator from a rival club who recently watched Red Sox prospect Rafael Devers and came away convinced that the 20-year-old’s size and conditioning won’t allow him to stick at third base in the long run. While that’s just one opinion — Baseball America wrote this offseason that Devers’ glovework has improved, for instance — the lack of certainty isn’t great for a Boston club that has a murky third base picture in the long term thanks to Pablo Sandoval‘s struggles and Brock Holt‘s injuries. As Olney notes, Devers’ defense will also impact how other clubs view him in potential trade discussions as well.
- Jacoby Ellsbury will see a neurologist today after a recurrence of his concussion symptoms led to a shutdown from baseball activities over the weekend, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. The Yankees have the outfield depth to withstand a lengthy absence from Ellsbury, who was off to a fine start on the year, but they’re currently utilizing converted infielder Rob Refsnyder in that mix. Mason Williams would offer a better defensive option should the Yanks need a long-term option, King suggests. In a separate piece, he notes that the team doesn’t love the idea of promoting prospect Dustin Fowler if there aren’t everyday at-bats for him at an outfield slot. With Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge all playing well, there doesn’t seem to be a place for Fowler right now, despite his .300/.335/.563 batting line through 225 Triple-A plate appearances.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/4/17
Sunday’s minor moves from around baseball…
- The Phillies optioned first baseman/outfielder Brock Stassi to Double-A, the club announced. The drop of two levels was due to a crowded Triple-A roster, and Phils manager Pete Mackanin told reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) that the team wants Stassi to get regular at-bats. Stassi, 27, made his big league debut this season, hitting .197/.290/.361 with one home run over 69 plate appearances and 35 games for Philadelphia.
Earlier today
- Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins will head to Triple-A after clearing waivers, per a team announcement. Detroit designated Collins for assignment last Sunday, and while a trade looked like a possibility then, nothing came to fruition. Before the Tigers jettisoned Collins from their 40- and 25-man rosters, the 26-year-old opened 2017 with a .200/.288/.338 batting line over 146 plate appearances.
- The Orioles have signed left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge to a minor league deal, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Luetge, whom the Reds released Friday, threw 27 2/3 innings with their Triple-A affiliate this season and, despite a 9.76 K/9 and a 2.93 BB/9, posted a 4.55 ERA. The 30-year-old was in the majors from 2012-15 as a member of the Mariners, with whom he logged a 4.35 ERA, 7.48 K/9, 4.75 BB/9 and a 47.7 percent ground-ball rate in 89 innings. Along the way, Luetge held left-handed hitters to a .201/.286/.281 line.
- In other Orioles news, they’ve announced that southpaw Paul Fry has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. Fry, whom Baltimore acquired from Seattle in mid-April for an international bonus pool slot, has struggled over 23 1/3 innings with the O’s Triple-A affiliate (6.56 ERA, 9.26 K/9, 5.79 BB/9).
- The Dodgers have inked outfielder Quincy Latimore to a minor league contract. The 28-year-old Latimore, a fourth-round pick of the Pirates in 2007, has spent time with five big league organizations (including Detroit this year), though he didn’t ascend past Double-A with any of them. At that level, Latimore has hit .247/.318/.421 with 81 home runs in 2,585 PAs.
- The Red Sox have added right-hander Elih Villanueva on a minors pact. Villanueva threw three innings with the Marlins back in 2011, but the rest of his work has come at lower levels. The 30-year-old began the season with Lancaster of the independent Atlantic League, notching a 2.72 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 36 1/3 frames. He hasn’t pitched for a major league team’s minor league affiliate since 2015, which he split between Baltimore’s Double-A and Triple-A clubs.
Reliever Notes: Jackson, Benoit, Smith
The Orioles and Edwin Jackson have agreed to extend his opt-out date to Monday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports (Twitter links). The veteran righty’s original opt-out date on his minor league deal was June 1, but Jackson will now have 24 hours after 11:59pm ET on Monday to decide on exercising his out clause. The O’s will then have 48 hours to either add Jackson to their Major League roster or release him. Though Jackson has spent the bulk of his 14-year MLB career as a starting pitcher, he has only started one of his 11 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season. Jackson has a 3.26 ERA in 19 1/3 IP, though with some rather middling peripherals (7.0 K/9, 4.7 BB/9). Pedro Alvarez also arranged a short extension his opt-out date, so it seems like the Orioles are still trying to buy themselves time to decide if or how some of their minor league veteran depth pieces can be retained.
Here’s some more on some bullpen arms…
- The Phillies have placed right-hander Joaquin Benoit on the 10-day DL (retroactive to June 1) with a left knee sprain, the team announced. Benoit has a 3.68 ERA over 22 innings for the Phils, though his advanced metrics (such as a .167 BABIP, 7.77 K/9 and 4.91 BB/9) indicate some good fortune. He had a short-lived stint at Philadelphia’s closer after Jeanmar Gomez‘s struggles and before Hector Neris ultimately took over the role. The veteran Benoit signed a one-year, $7.5MM deal with the Phillies last winter and projects as a trade candidate this summer, provided he makes a successful return from injury.
- Carson Smith is scheduled to throw a bullpen session this weekend and a live batting practice sometime this week in advance of a minor league rehab assignment, CSNNE.com’s Evan Drellich reports. As Smith tells Drellich, June was the target date for Smith’s return from his Tommy John surgery over a year ago, and the right-hander seems to be on track to finally make his Red Sox debut.
Heyman’s Latest: Managers, Quintana, Royals, Cubs, Holland, Bush
There’ve been an average of 3.4 in-season managerial firings since the 2007, writes Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports in the intro to his latest weekly notes column, but the 2017 campaign may be the rare year where all 30 Opening Day skippers are still at the helm of their respective teams at the conclusion of the regular season. Heyman notes that while there’s been plenty of fan and/or media criticism of high-profile managers like John Farrell (Red Sox) and Terry Collins (Mets), no manager seems to be on a particularly hot seat at the moment. He also runs down a list of nearly half the managers in the league and examines their chances of being dismissed, though again, the primary takeaway is that most seem to be rather safe.
Some highlights from both his American League and National League roundups…
- The GM of a rival club tells Heyman that he doesn’t think the shaky start to the season for White Sox lefty Jose Quintana will negatively impact his trade value all that much. While some have suggested that the Sox missed an opportunity to move him this offseason, there are of course still three and a half very affordable years on Quintana’s contract, and his 8.95 K/9 rate is actually a career-best. In more loosely related ChiSox news, he notes that Brett Lawrie is still waiting for his ailing foot to get back to full health before seeking out a new team.
- Though the Royals recently lost Danny Duffy for the next six to eight weeks, they’re still planning to see if there’s one more run with their longstanding core for the time being. A sale from Kansas City still looks likely to me, given that the Royals have the worst record in the American League and plenty of potential rental pieces to market this summer. It’s worth noting, though, that even with the worst record in the AL, they entered play today a relatively manageable six games back from the division lead and from a Wild Card spot.
- The Diamondbacks have sent out indications that they’re planning to wait until the last minute to determine whether they’re going to add pieces prior to the non-waiver deadline or sell off some shorter-term assets. Arizona is currently a half-game back of the NL West division lead and is in possession of a Wild Card slot at the moment, though it seems that the new front office is understandably not looking to react rashly to the team’s hot start.
- With both Jake Arrieta and John Lackey set to hit free agency (and a shaky mix in the five-spot in the rotation), the Cubs are likely to pursue at least two starters following the 2017 season, per Heyman. He lists Marco Estrada and Derek Holland as some semi-speculative picks, noting that one exec from another club feels they fit the mold of arms the Cubs are likely to eye. Chicago, of course, is certainly a candidate to add some rotation help this summer and could well pick up an arm controllable beyond the current season, which would impact their offseason trajectory.
- The Nationals and Rangers were among the teams to make a play for Greg Holland, Heyman writes, but only the Rockies were willing to take the significant risk of including a vesting player option worth as much as $15MM. Washington GM Mike Rizzo was actually on board with the concept of a vesting player option, but Nationals ownership, on the other hand, was not. The Rangers didn’t come as close in talks as the Nats did, he adds. Holland’s $15MM player option will trigger once he finishes 30 games or appears in 50 (the former will happen first), and barring an injury he seems like a lock to turn that down and reenter free agency in search of a four- or five-year pact.
- Jeb Bush’s departure from the potential Marlins ownership group he’d been assembling with Derek Jeter was due to a disagreement over who’d be the “control person,” Heyman writes. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently reported that Bush was set to commit less than $20MM to the sale, and Heyman now adds that Bush was on the hook for just $10MM of his own money, which would understandably make him a curious choice as the point person in the group. It’s still not known how much Jeter is planning to invest if his group is selected, but the Marlins were apparently aware that Bush could be leaving the group and remain interested in working out an agreement with Jeter and his investors.
AL East Notes: Sandoval, Torres, Frieri, Pearce, Britton
It’s likely too soon to expect the Red Sox to make any significant moves — indeed, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said yesterday that the market hasn’t really developed yet, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets. But that doesn’t mean the club is not readying for the deadline. As Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes, third base is an obvious area to target — even with Pablo Sandoval returning from the DL. Dombrowski acknowledged that the veteran’s “so-so” play early on has left the organization feeling unsettled at the hot corner. “We think he can do it,” said Dombrowski. “But now he’s got to go out and do it for us.” Of course, there are some other internal possibilities. Deven Marrero has impressed with the glove and hit two home runs last night, though his overall offensive work (in the both the majors and at Triple-A) remains uninspiring. And then there’s top prospect Rafael Devers, who’s playing at Double-A at twenty years of age.
While we watch to see how the third base situation shakes out in Boston, here are some more notes from the AL East:
- It’ll be interesting to see whether and when the Yankees make their own decisions in the infield. As ESPN.com’s Andrew Marchand writes, top prospect Gleyber Torres could represent an alternative to Chase Headley at third base. Torres, who draws big praise for his poise, just earned a promotion to the highest level of the minors after posting a strong .273/.367/.496 batting line (with 17 walks against 21 strikeouts) in 139 plate appearances at Double-A.
- The Yankees will soon face a decision on veteran reliever Ernesto Frieri, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag notes on Twitter. Frieri, 31, can opt out from his minors deal tomorrow. He has been effective through twenty Triple-A frames, allowing five earned runs on just 11 hits while compiling 23 strikeouts against eight walks. Frieri was last a reliable MLB contributor in 2013.
- Blue Jays outfielder Steve Pearce is still “at least” a few more weeks away, manager John Gibbons tells MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm (Twitter link). The 34-year-old went to the DL recently with a calf strain. He had been off to a rough start to the season, slashing just .205/.256/.373 with 24 strikeouts and just five walks through 90 plate appearances. Fortunately for Toronto, Ezequiel Carrera has hit well in Pearce’s stead.
- It seems that Orioles closer Zach Britton is proceeding as hoped as he works back from a forearm strain. Per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, via Twitter, Britton is now ramping up his throwing on flat ground. It doesn’t appear that he has taken to the mound as of yet, though there also haven’t been any setbacks so far. While the club isn’t yet ready to put a specific timeline on the lefty, the original schedule still seems reasonable.
Injury Notes: Ottavino, Pedroia, Hughes, Perkins, Semien, M’s, Ross
The Rockies placed setup man Adam Ottavino on the 10-day DL with shoulder inflammation, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. That’s frightening news at first glance, but it’s not believed to be a significant issue. Per Ottavino, he could’ve continued throwing but the decision was made to “put the fire out now.” As Groke notes, Ottavino has labored through his last several outings, though he has continued to generate excellent results all year long. Carlos Estevez will come back up to take the open bullpen slot.
- While there was initially a fair bit of concern for veteran Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, the prognosis now seems to be good. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says that he thinks Pedroia may be back after the minimum ten-day absence, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports on Twitter. “It’s really the best-case scenario in many ways,” said Dombrowski.
- While Phil Hughes of the Twins is experiencing some symptoms akin to those that led to thoracic outlet surgery previously, it seems that’s not the root cause this time around. As MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger provides on Twitter, a medical assessment shows that Hughes may be dealing with a build-up of scar tissue in his neck and shoulder area. He’ll undergo “a rigorous soft tissue and mobility rehab regimen in advance of beginning his throwing.”
- Meanwhile, Twins lefty Glen Perkins is still traveling a long road back to the majors, but there are new signs of hope. As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports, Perkins was able to face hitters for the first time in over a year. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do what I did today,” said the veteran reliever. “Coming out of it I love where I’m at physically and mentally.” Perkins still needs to work in his slider and build up arm strength, of course, but he may not be far from a rehab assignment.
- Though he’s still a long ways off from a return, Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien has taken an important step in his return from wrist surgery, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Semien was able to throw for the first time since going under the knife, though he has still yet to take full cuts with the bat. Skipper Bob Melvin called the news “significant,” though he also noted that the organization is “not close on putting together a timetable” for Semien’s return to the majors.
- The Mariners continue to see signs of progress from right-handers Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). Hernandez is ready for a sim game, while Iwakuma may not be far behind him.
- While Tyson Ross is nearly ready for the Rangers, the club is still waiting to activate him. As MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets, Ross is expected to make one more rehab outing before re-ascending to the majors.
Red Sox Place Dustin Pedroia On Disabled List, Activate Pablo Sandoval
1:51pm: The Red Sox have now announced that Pedroia has been placed on the DL, with Sandoval indeed being activated in his place.
1:10pm: The Red Sox will place second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day disabled list with a “severe” sprain of his left wrist, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Pedroia is expected to miss at least the next two weeks and is headed for a second opinion, Abraham adds. Pablo Sandoval is expected to be activated from the disabled list in a corresponding move, per the report.
The injury to Pedroia is the latest blow to the Red Sox’ infield depth, as the team has also lost Marco Hernandez for the season (shoulder surgery) and is unsure when Brock Holt will be able to return to action due to ongoing symptoms of vertigo. Recent trades of Travis Shaw (for Tyler Thornburg) and Carlos Asuaje (part of the Craig Kimbrel package) have also thinned out Boston’s infield depth.
The 33-year-old Pedroia, who suffered the wrist injury in a recent collision at first base with Chicago’s Jose Abreu, had been off to a solid start at the plate this season. In 197 plate appearances, he’s slashed .292/.369/.380 with a pair of homers while chipping in his typically strong defensive contributions at second base. With Pedroia out through at least mid-June, the Sox can shift Deven Marrero from third base over to second base and/or give more playing time to Josh Rutledge, who has plenty of experience at second.
Injury Notes: Polanco, Pedroia, Happ, Mets, Nats, Palka
The Pirates seemingly made it through a scare today after outfielder Gregory Polanco was carted off the field following a collision with the wall. As Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review first tweeted, Polanco escaped with only a sprained ankle. Still, the severity isn’t quite clear and may not be until the joint responds overnight. As Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets, Polanco did require a walking boot after the game.
Here are some more injury updates from around the game:
- Some fears were seemingly put to rest for Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia after an X-ray on his wrist came back clean, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald was among those to report. But Pedroia, who was injured in a collision while running to first base, has yet to undergo an MRI. The team is sending him back to Boston for a closer look tomorrow morning, with his status to be assessed thereafter.
- The Blue Jays will welcome back starter J.A. Happ from the DL tomorrow, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. Happ, 34, was sidelined after his third start of the year with elbow inflammation. He had recorded twenty strikeouts against four walks in his first 16 innings on the year after racking up 195 frames of 3.18 ERA ball in 2016.
- There are some updates on notable injured Mets players, courtesy of Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Closer Jeurys Familia says he is “feeling good” and thinks he can resume throwing within about two weeks — possibly setting up a return as soon as late August. Both Steven Matz and Seth Lugo, meanwhile, will take additional rehab starts before returning to the majors. They are said to be slated for the rotation, with Robert Gsellman expected to move to the bullpen. Meanwhile, star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is looking at another week or ten days before he’s back, though the team is treading carefully. The current issue — not his hamstring, for which he originally went on the DL, but his quadriceps — is apparently tied to the injury that kept Cespedes out of action for a stretch last year.
- As for the division-rival Nationals, the bench got some good news today. Stephen Drew made it back from the DL today after a long layoff for a hamstring strain, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. And it seems that Chris Heisey may be ready to return much more quickly than seemed likely when it was learned that he had a torn biceps tendon. Heisey is already on a rehab assignment, in fact, since it turns out he can essentially play through the injury. As manager Dusty Baker put it: “Boy, if you’re going to get hurt, I guess you gotta hurt something that you really don’t need.”
- Twins outfield prospect Daniel Palka is out “indefinitely” after suffering a fractured left index finger, as Triple-A Rochester PR official Nate Rowan tweets. The 25-year-old has shown big-time power in the minors, but also swings and misses with some frequency. He has yet to conquer the highest level of the minors; through 171 plate appearances this year, he owns a .261/.316/.452 batting line with eight long balls.
AL Notes: Red Sox, Athletics, Indians
In the event left-hander David Price falters this year in his return from elbow problems, the playoff-contending Red Sox will be forced to scour the trade market to bolster their rotation, observes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Jose Quintana, Sonny Gray, Gerrit Cole and Chris Archer represent high-end starters who could end up on the move prior to the trade deadline, notes Silverman, who doubts that the Red Sox would be able to put together a deal for any of the four. Even without factoring Cole into the mix, the Red Sox are bullish on the Pirates’ pitching at both the major and minor league levels, according to Silverman. If Boston and Pittsburgh don’t swing a deal, Miami right-hander Dan Straily could also be a possibility, though Silverman is skeptical that the Sox would meet the Marlins’ likely high asking price for him. Conversely, Silverman regards Royals left-hander Jason Vargas as an ideal fit for Boston and Twins righty Ervin Santana as a “perfect bridge-type acquisition.” Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Saturday that Vargas and Santana are generating buzz as the trade deadline draws closer.
More from Boston and two other American League cities:
- For the second time this season, a shoulder issue will force Athletics right-hander Kendall Graveman to the disabled list, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Graveman, who’s dealing with soreness and will head to the DL on Monday, is likely to miss more time than he did when he previously sat out from April 15-26, per Slusser. When on the mound this year, the sinker-throwing Graveman has logged a 3.83 ERA, 6.13 K/9, 2.68 BB/9 and a 50.7 percent ground-ball rate. For now, his spot in the rotation will go to Daniel Mengden, a righty who has spent the year at Triple-A after undergoing offseason foot surgery. Mengden debuted in the majors with 14 starts and 72 innings last year, posting a 6.50 ERA (with a more encouraging 4.34 FIP), and has recorded strong results in the minors this season (2.21 ERA, 8.85 K/9, 2.21 BB/9 in 20 1/3 frames).
- As expected, the Indians have demoted righty Danny Salazar to the bullpen, the Associated Press was among those to report. Salazar will serve as a relief option for the Tribe beginning Wednesday, but he could start again as early as next week, according to Terry Francona. The manager indicated that Cleveland is placing Salazar in the bullpen to help him regain his confidence. Home runs and walks have been the key contributors to Salazar’s 5.50 ERA, up nearly two full runs from the combined 3.72 mark he put up in 484 1/3 innings from 2013-16. On the positive side, the hard-throwing 27-year-old is second to Chris Sale among starters in K/9 (12.45) and ranks behind only Sale and Max Scherzer in swinging-strike rate (15.4 percent).
- It looks as though the Red Sox are targeting next weekend for third baseman Pablo Sandoval‘s activation from the DL, writes Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. Upon his return, Sandoval – unavailable since late April because of a right knee sprain – will provide a much-needed option at third for a team that’s dealing with significant injuries to Marco Hernandez and Brock Holt. Boston’s third basemen have been utterly inept this year, having slashed a paltry .231/.281/.316 in 243 plate appearances. Sandoval didn’t look like part of the solution prior to his injury, though, with a .213/.269/.377 showing in 67 trips to the plate.