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Reds Activate Brandon Finnegan, Move Bronson Arroyo To 60-Day DL

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The Reds announced Monday that they’ve activated lefty Brandon Finnegan from the 60-day DL and cleared a spot on the 40-man by transferring veteran right-hander Bronson Arroyo from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL. Righty Lisalverto Bonilla was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to clear a spot on the active roster.

[Related: Updated Cincinnati Reds depth chart]

Finnegan, 24, has been out since April 15 with a shoulder injury and has made just three starts for Cincinnati this season. The absence of Finnegan and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, who entered the year as the Reds’ top two starters, has been a massive factor in the team’s MLB-worst 6.19 rotation ERA.

Last year, in his first full season at the big league level, Finnegan posted a 3.98 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 38.1 percent ground-ball rate in 172 innings (31 starts) for the Reds. Acquired in 2015’s Johnny Cueto blockbuster with the Royals (alongside fellow lefties John Lamb and Cody Reed), Finnegan has a 3.94 ERA in 205 2/3 innings as a member of the Reds’ staff.

As for Arroyo, the 40-year-old made a return to the Majors for the first time since 2014 Tommy John surgery this year, once again donning the uniform that he wore for the majority of his career. Once one of the game’s most consistent innings eaters, Arroyo has struggled in 2017 thanks to a fastball that has dropped to an average of just 84 mph. That lack of velocity has contributed to a sky-high 2.9 HR/9 rate and a 7.35 ERA through 71 innings for Arroyo.

Always candid and honest with the media, Arroyo said after his last outing that he wasn’t sure if he’d ever pitch again. He’s hinted at retirement due to a lack of effectiveness on multiple occasions this season, though the well-respected veteran has continued to gut out performances and soak up innings for an injury-decimated Reds staff. Now on the DL himself, Arroyo won’t be eligible to be activated until Aug. 18, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll return even when he’s eligible.

Reds Place Zack Cozart, Bronson Arroyo On Disabled List

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The Reds announced today that they’ve placed shortstop Zack Cozart and right-hander Bronson Arroyo on the disabled list. Cozart has been diagnosed with a strained right quadriceps, and his DL stint is retroactive to Sunday. Arroyo has been diagnosed with a strained right shoulder.

In a pair of corresponding moves, the Reds have recalled outfielder Jesse Winker and right-hander Ariel Hernandez from Triple-A Louisville and Double-A Pensacola, respectively.

The news regarding Arroyo comes just one day after the 40-year-old righty made some characteristically candid comments about the strong possibility that his career could be over. Arroyo, whose comeback attempt in 2017 has resulted in a 7.35 ERA through 71 innings, told reporters, “That could have been the last time I was on the field, yeah.” For now, at least, it seems that he’ll take some time to rest his right arm and assess whether he’s able to continue onward.

As for Cozart, the 31-year-old is in the midst of a career-year at the plate — building nicely upon the power increase he showed in 2015-16. Through 255 trips to the plate this season, he’s batting a ridiculous .320/.404/.562 with nine home runs, and while some of that is clearly fueled by an unsustainable .367 BABIP, there are also legitimate indicators of improvement. Cozart’s 12.5 percent walk rate is a career-best, and he’s chasing pitches out of the strike zone less often than he ever has in his Major League career (26.2 percent).

The extent of the injury to Cozart remains to be seen, though certainly it behooves both team and player for the absence to be minimal in nature. Cozart is set to reach free agency for the first time in his career at season’s end, and any prolonged stay on the DL (for a third straight season) would harm his free-agent stock. And, as an impending free agent, he’s also a prime trade piece for the Reds, as MLBTR’s Connor Byrne noted last night in the latest installment of our Taking Inventory series.

With Cozart on the disabled list, the Reds could move second baseman Jose Peraza over to shortstop for a brief period, turning to one of the many utility options the club possesses to handle second base for a time. That’d include hot-hitting Scooter Gennett and versatile Arismendy Alcantara, each of whom has plenty of experience there.

Central Notes: Arroyo, Tigers, Russell

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After lasting just three innings and allowing five earned runs on seven hits in a loss to the Dodgers on Sunday, Reds right-hander Bronson Arroyo admitted to reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinati Enquirer) that his career could be over. “You have to put up enough quality starts for a ballclub to want to keep you around, you know?” said the 40-year-old. “That could have been the last time I was on the field, yeah. It’s just the way it is.” Given that injuries kept Arroyo out of action between August 2014 and the start of this season, it’s somewhat remarkable that he has even rebounded to make 14 starts in 2017. But most of the longtime innings eater’s appearances this season haven’t gone well, as he has logged a 7.35 ERA and allowed a major league-worst 23 home runs over 71 frames. Arroyo has also battled soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder, contributing to his poor output. “I was hoping my arm would continue to get better and better as the year has gone on,” stated Arroyo. “It’s almost like it’s telling me ‘Hey man, I’m not going to run this race for you anymore.’’

Here’s more from the majors’ Central divisions:

  • The Tigers announced Sunday that they’ve recalled righty Anibal Sanchez from Triple-A Toledo and optioned fellow righty Buck Farmer. Sanchez will make his first major league start of the year Monday against the Mariners. After getting off to a poor start out of the Tigers’ bullpen this season, the 33-year-old Sanchez requested a demotion to the minors in May so he could work out of Toledo’s rotation. Since then, Sanchez has pitched to an underwhelming 4.60 ERA over 15 2/3 innings and four starts, though he has also notched 11.49 K/9, 2.87 BB/9 and a 45.2 percent ground-ball rate. Sanchez, who’s in a contract year and making $16MM, has been a quality big leaguer for most of his career, but he hasn’t been particularly effective since 2014.
  • With his expensive salary, Sanchez has been a key part of the Tigers’ high payrolls in recent years. As mentioned, though, he’ll be off the books after this season, when the Tigers plan to tamp down their spending. “I don’t think you’ll see us spending over $200 million on payroll like we have in past. You’ll see more lean payroll,” general manager Al Avila told MLB Network Radio on Sunday (Twitter link). Detroit is right around the $200MM threshold at the moment, per Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource, but has only managed a 32-36 record and is on pace to miss the playoffs for the third straight year.
  • As of 10 days ago, Major League Baseball was looking into domestic violence allegations against Cubs shortstop Addison Russell. A resolution to the matter doesn’t seem to be in sight, writes the Chicago Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer, as Russell told him, “As far as I know I haven’t heard anything, and that’s where I’m going to leave it.”

NL Central Notes: Thames, Rosenthal, Arroyo

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Eric Thames is the talk of baseball after his preposterous start to the season — Thames is hitting .426/.491/1.000 with seven homers and six doubles through 53 plate appearances with the Brewers — the former KBO superstar spoke to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale about his transformation at the plate. Thames, 30, explains to Nightengale that going to Korea forced him to better his plate discipline; while pitchers there will often top out at 91 mph, the barrage of breaking pitches with which Thames was faced necessitated that he improve his pitch recognition and lay off pitches outside the zone. Thames jokes to Nightengale that in his first stint in American ball, he’d swing at anything within three feet of the batter’s box, but he’s become eminently more selective. Thames’ new approach drew praise from Dodgers VP Alex Anthopoulos, who was GM of the Blue Jays when Toronto let go of Thames, and from Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who called Thames’ swing “lethal,” Nightengale writes.

Brewers GM David Stearns tells Nightengale that Thames was on their radar for quite some time, and Nightengale reports that their first attempt to sign him came in the 2015-16 offseason when he still had time left on his contract with KBO’s NC Dinos. Skeptics of Thames may be interested to learn that he has already been tested for PEDs early this season, in addition to the test he took at the onset of Spring Training.

A bit more on Thames and on the NL Central…

  • On the subject of Thames’ selectivity at the plate, Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan breaks down the Brewers slugger’s newfound plate discipline at length. As Sullivan explains, Thames was well below the 25th percentile among Major Leaguers in terms of chasing out of zone pitches and was below the 50th percentile when it came to swinging at pitches in the zone during his first run in the bigs. Essentially, he was a free swinger that lacked the strike zone recognition to put himself in favorable counts and find pitches to drive. Now, Thames possesses one of baseball’s lowest chase rates and one of the best O-swing minus Z-swing percentages (that is to say, the percentage of pitches he chases minus the percentage of in-zone pitches at which he swings).
  • It may be a small sample of work, but Trevor Rosenthal’s early command has impressed the Cardinals to the point where he’s quickly becoming a late-inning option once again, writes MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Rosenthal has yet to reach a three-ball count with any of the 10 men he’s faced, and his velocity is up noticeably from the 2016 season as well, per Statcast. Manager Mike Matheny tells Langosch that with several of the team’s setup options struggling, Rosenthal “is in the conversation” for a top setup gig following his early work. Rosenthal tossed a 100.6 mph fastball on Monday and is averaging 98.7 mph on his heater, according to Statcast.
  • Bronson Arroyo earned his first Major League win in 1,038 days against the Orioles yesterday, though he told reporters after the game that he’s still a bit uncertain about how well-equipped he is to continue on as a big league starter (video link via the Cincinnati Enquirer). Arroyo said that after 75 to 80 pitches, his arm is now feeling like it used to at 100 to 105 pitches, though it’s of course still early in his comeback season. C. Trent Rosecrans of the Enquirer provides more quotes from Arroyo and Reds manager Bryan Price than are available in that video. “I want to give this team the best opportunity to win the most ballgames and that’s just the way it has to be,” says Arroyo. “…if I’m feeling tired after 75, 80 pitches all the time, there might be a time where some of the young guys step into my role and I have to be the long guy in the ’pen or something like that.” Arroyo’s candor shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of confidence, though, and Price voiced plenty of faith in the 40-year-old veteran’s ability to continue to build arm strength as the season wears on.

NL Notes: Arroyo, Gray, Gilmartin, Cards

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Right-hander Bronson Arroyo is only two starts into his comeback attempt with the Reds, but the 40-year-old is seemingly giving himself a short leash to produce on the mound, writes Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Following an outing in which he surrendered five runs in six innings yesterday, Arroyo told reporters, “The next two times out, if I don’t see something a little bit crisper and able to keep us in the ballgame a little bit better, maybe you’re at a dead end street. I’m not sure.” 

A bit more from around the Senior Circuit…

  • Rockies right-hander Jon Gray left last night’s contest after aggravating a toe injury that bothered him in Spring Training, and MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that Gray will be reevaluated this morning. The problematic toe is on Gray’s plant foot on the mound, and the Rockies want to be careful with the injury so he doesn’t alter his mechanics to compensate for the pain. Gray could miss a start with the injury, though to this point there’s been no talk of him becoming the latest in a long list of Rockies to land on the disabled list.
  • The Mets are planning to promote southpaw Sean Gilmartin prior to tonight’s contest in order to add a fresh arm to their bullpen in the wake of last night’s 16-inning marathon game, per Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link). The Mets went through eight pitchers last night, including four relievers who threw two or more innings. As Helfand points out, Gilmartin and right-hander Erik Goeddel are essentially the only two viable options on New York’s 40-man roster, and Goeddel has been slowed of late by a groin injury. The Mets have long been touted for their rotation depth, but multiple injuries and the trade of Gabriel Ynoa to the Orioles has thinned out their upper-level options on the 40-man roster.
  • ESPN’s Mark Saxon breaks down each element of the Cardinals’ struggles thus far in the 2017 campaign, noting that the team’s rotation and run production figure to be sound in the long run, but the bullpen and defense look far shakier. As Saxon observes, Alex Reyes’ injury now looks costlier than ever with the underperformance of the bullpen. Matt Adams continues to represent a clumsy fit for the Cardinals’ roster as well, with Saxon suggesting the team seek to trade him in exchange for a true fourth outfielder that can play all three positions. That may prove difficult, of course, as the team wasn’t able to drum up much of a market for Adams this offseason in a crowded market for players with similar skill sets.

Reds Select Bronson Arroyo’s Contract

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The Reds have announced that they’ve selected the contract of veteran righty Bronson Arroyo, as expected. To clear space for Arroyo on their active roster, they’ve optioned righty Barrett Astin to Triple-A Louisville.

The 40-year-old Arroyo will take the mound today for the Reds in his first big-league action since 2014, joining an uncertain Cincinnati rotation that also includes Scott Feldman and Brandon Finnegan along with a variety of young arms. (The team’s rotation schedule is uncertain after Feldman pitches Sunday and Finnegan on Monday; Amir Garrett and Rookie Davis have also started for the Reds so far this season.) Arroyo signed a minor-league deal with his old team in the offseason after missing most of the last two seasons after having Tommy John surgery and dealing with rotator cuff tears. Arroyo’s return to the Majors at age 40 after such significant injury issues suggests serious perseverance.

Before his injuries, Arroyo was a prolific innings-eater, pitching 199 or more innings in a remarkable nine straight seasons from 2005 through 2013. It remains to be seen if he can sustain anything resembling that kind of durability now, of course, given his age and health record. He made the Reds’ rotation after pitching 7 2/3 innings while allowing four runs and striking out six this spring, although the team waited to place him on their roster so that he could pitch a minor-league start last week.

Pitching Notes: Kela, Gomez, Felix, Arroyo

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As was reported recently, the Rangers have no interest in trading recently demoted power righty Keone Kela, who was optioned owing to his negative impact in the clubhouse. Both Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram provide further detail on what went wrong, and you’ll want to check out those pieces for the full rundown. All said, it seems there’s plenty of space for Kela to work back into good standing with the organization, though it’s anyone’s guess how long he’ll be shelved in the minors and what it will take for him to return.

Here are a few more pitching notes from around the game:

  • The Phillies took home an Opening Day win after Jeanmar Gomez shut the door in the ninth, but the closer role seems far from settled. As Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports, manager Pete Mackanin acknowledged after the game that he’s “concerned” with Gomez — who gave up a two-run home run and, in the skipper’s assessment, is struggling to work down in the zone. It seems the club will stick with him for now, but Mackanin suggested continue to evaluate and won’t hesitate to pull Gomez if he’s struggling.
  • Long-time staff ace Felix Hernandez left his start yesterday for the Mariners with groin tightness, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). But the expectation is that he won’t miss any time; the veteran righty says he’ll be ready for his next scheduled outing “for sure.” He did miss time last season with a calf strain that proved worse than initially suggested, though of course there’s no reason to believe this new injury will follow a similar course.
  • Veteran hurler Bronson Arroyo is on track to return to the majors, as Mark Sheldon of MLB.com writes. After a sim game on Sunday resulted in “very, very positive reports,” in the words of manager Bryan Price, it seems Arroyo is slated to make his first MLB outing of the year on Saturday. Arroyo has battled injury ever since going he required Tommy John surgery in the middle of 2014, but has remarkably positioned himself to make it back to the hill at 40 years of age.

NL Central Notes: Peralta, Rangers, Arroyo, Bard

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Here’s the latest from the NL Central…

  • Some Rangers officials watched Brewers righty Wily Peralta start this weekend as Texas continues to look for rotation depth, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.  It’s been a rough pair of seasons for Peralta, who was limited to 108 2/3 IP in 2015 due to an oblique injury and then posted a 6.68 ERA through his first 13 starts last season.  After a demotion to the minors, however, Peralta returned in good form, posting a 2.92 ERA over his final 61 2/3 innings.  Peralta will earn $4.275MM this season and isn’t eligible for free agency until after 2019, so Grant notes that he would fit the Rangers’ preference for a controllable pitcher.  Milwaukee and Texas have already linked up on two trades since David Stearns took over as the Brewers’ GM, most notably last summer’s five-player swap that saw Jonathan Lucroy join the Rangers.
  • Barring anything unforeseen in the next week, it looks like Bronson Arroyo will make the Reds’ starting rotation, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes.  Arroyo is still scheduled for a minor league start on April 2 so he won’t officially break camp with the Reds, but the 40-year-old righty is on pace to return to the big leagues for the first time since June 15, 2014.  Arroyo has pitched in just two minor league games since that date due to Tommy John surgery and a torn tendon his rotator cuff.
  • Daniel Bard hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013 due to injuries and a loss of control, though as Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com writes, the former Red Sox setup man is refusing to give up hope of a career revival.  Bard signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals last summer, and Gammons notes that the contract was actually a two-year pact, as Bard was in need of a significant mechanics overhaul.  Now throwing from a lower arm slot, Bard has seen his command improve.  Gary LaRocque, the Cardinals’ director of player development, thinks Bard may start the season at the Double-A level.

NL Central Notes: Uehara, Gyorko, Reds

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Cubs reliever Koji Uehara told reporters on Tuesday that after spending 10 seasons as a pro in Japan, he hopes to pitch a total of 10 years in America as well (via Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune). That’d mean another two years for Uehara in the Majors, as he’s currently spent the past eight seasons pitching in Major League Baseball. Considering Uehara’s recent track record, there’s little reason to consider that goal unrealistic. While the 2016 season was a down year by his standards, Uehara still managed a 3.45 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 across 47 innings with the Red Sox. It should be noted that the 41-year-old Uehara (42 in April) didn’t expressly rule out pitching beyond a 10th Major League season.

Elsewhere in the NL Central…

  • Jedd Gyorko isn’t certain where he’ll be playing on a day to day basis in 2017, but Cardinals manager Mike Matheny tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the slugging utility infielder will have the opportunity to pick up plenty of at-bats. “I think right now it’s compete for lots of playing time,” said the skipper. “So we’re still in that same mode, and we’ll decide when we break with our club what roles look like.” Gyorko, who started 25+ games at second base, shortstop and third base last year, tells Goold that he dropped some weight in an effort to improve his range and increase the value of his newfound versatility. He also notes that so long as the Cardinals are winning, his own placement on the diamond/in the lineup is secondary. “I could be selfish and demand that I play every day and if I don’t then say I want to be traded,” says Gyorko. “That’s not who I am. That’s not who I want to be.” Gyorko will compete with Jhonny Peralta for at-bats at third base and can also play each other infield slot.
  • Bronson Arroyo and Devin Mesoraco appeared in an intrasquad game for the Reds on Tuesday, writes MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. While Arroyo’s velocity in his one-inning, 15-pitch outing was around 83 mph, the 40-year-old is a bit behind after missing a week due to a stomach virus. Arroyo said he’s relieved, as his arm was already in “severe pain” around this stage last season (when a shoulder injury cut his spring short). His next outing will be a two-inning stint in a Cactus League game, per Sheldon, while manager Bryan Price said that Mesoraco could be in a Cactus League lineup by Sunday. Mesoraco admitted to feeling a bit rusty from a baseball standpoint but said that he felt good from a health perspective.

Quick Hits: Analytics, Reds, Phillies, Sano

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Now that the Cardinals/Astros data breach scandal has seemingly come to an end, The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh contacted several sources in various organizational jobs around baseball to ask how various teams protect their proprietary data and intellectual property.  This extends not just to hacking and other illegal accessing of a team’s information, but also what happens when a front office member with knowledge of certain processes and information simply leaves for a job with another franchise.  The piece is a very interesting look inside the purposely-secretive world of analytics departments and is well worth a full read.  Here’s some more from around baseball….

  • While Devin Mesoraco’s health is still a big question mark, Reds GM Dick Williams tells MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon that the team isn’t planning to add a veteran catcher on a minor league deal.  “I don’t see any major signing there.  We’ll just have to see how [Mesoraco] responds and whether or not we have enough guys to cover the issues.”  Behind Mesoraco, Tucker Barnhart and Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner are the top catching options on Cincinnati’s depth chart.
  • Williams also provided updates on Desmond Jennings and Bronson Arroyo, who are both reportedly on the verge of signing minor league deals with the Reds.  Jennings’ deal is “close” to being done, Williams said, while Arroyo’s deal has been worked out “will take a couple of days to get that physically signed.”
  • The Phillies have made some solid offensive upgrades, as David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer feels the additions of Howie Kendrick, Michael Saunders and Chris Coghlan give the Phils “a fighting chance at fielding a middle-of-the-pack offense this season.”  There’s really nowhere to go but up for the Phillies (who scored the fewest runs in baseball in 2016) but they did add some lineup versatility and veteran experience, and they retained flexibility in their rebuilding process since none of the trio are guaranteed beyond 2017.
  • Miguel Sano’s ability to play third base is key to the Twins’ future plans, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required).  After an ill-advised experiment as a right fielder last year, Sano is back at the hot corner, where he has displayed roughly average glovework (3.9 UZR/150, minus-3 Defensive Runs Saved) in a brief sample size of 453 innings.  According to Olney, some in the previous Twins front office felt moving Sano into a primary DH role so early in his career could be a detriment to his conditioning and lower his overall value as a player.

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