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Cafardo’s Latest: Machado, Dodgers, Harvey, Swihart, Red Sox

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The latest from the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo in his latest notes column…

  • The Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Blue Jays, and Phillies could all be potential trade fits for Manny Machado this summer, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo opines in his latest notes column.  The Orioles would obviously want prime prospects in return for their star shortstop, though Cafardo doubts that some of the elite young players on these teams (i.e. Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, Walker Buehler, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) would be made available, given that Machado would just be a midseason rental.  Then again, there isn’t any guarantee that Machado will be shopped at all, given “the unpredictability of Orioles ownership,” as Cafardo writes.  Owner Peter Angelos has traditionally been resistant about any sort of midseason fire sale, even though Machado looks like a prime trade chip as an impending free agent and the O’s front office explored Machado’s trade value last winter.
  • Acquiring Machado would put the Dodgers at risk of exceeding the $197MM luxury tax threshold, a payroll figure that the Dodgers worked hard to duck under this past offseason.  However, team president Stan Kasten noted that “we have never said” that the Dodgers would risk competitiveness for the sake of luxury tax savings.  “We’re committed to having the best team we can have. I didn’t talk about it when [our payroll] was high or when it was low and I won’t talk about it next year,” Kasten said.  L.A. took a 15-18 record into today’s action and is already seven games behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West, though some team officials felt that it’s too early to pass judgement since the Dodgers have been hit hard by injuries.  If Machado did remain in Los Angeles over the long term, Cafardo writes that the “feeling” is that Machado continue at shortstop in 2019 and beyond, with Corey Seager moving to third base and Justin Turner moving to second base.
  • The Red Sox don’t seem to be interested in a Matt Harvey-for-Blake Swihart trade.  The Mets’ injury problems behind the plate have made them into logical suitors for Swihart, though while a Harvey deal may not be in the cards, the Sox will soon have to figure out what to do with Swihart’s roster spot.  Swihart has been unable to find much playing time whatsoever, let alone as a catcher, and the Red Sox may be forced to eventually trade the former top prospect once Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt return from the DL in the next month.  MLB Trade Rumors’ Connor Byrne polled readers earlier today about Swihart’s situation, with over 71% of respondents voting that Swihart won’t finish the season in a Boston uniform.

AL Notes: Yanks, Didi, Harvey, Rangers, O’s, Schoop

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It doesn’t appear just-designated Mets right-hander Matt Harvey will continue his career in New York as a member of the crosstown rival Yankees. “Don’t bet on it,” a source told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com when asked if the red-hot Yankees would pursue Harvey. The Yankees could arguably use another rotation option in the wake of fifth starter Jordan Montgomery’s flexor strain, which will keep him out for six to eight weeks. But the team’s plan for now is to replace the left-handed Montgomery with righty Domingo German, a 25-year-old who will make the first start of his big league career on Sunday.

More from the Bronx and a couple other AL destinations:

  • If Harvey does indeed depart New York, it’s possible he’ll find a home in Texas, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. Rangers pitching coach Dan Warthen previously served in the same role with the Mets, and he formed a good relationship with Harvey during their time together from 2012-17. Warthen is of the belief that he can help fix the struggling Harvey, reports Sullivan, who adds that the Rangers will at least discuss adding the 29-year-old. If Harvey clears waivers and becomes a free agent, it could be worthwhile for Texas to take a low-cost flyer on him, given that its rotation ranks 24th in the majors in ERA (5.15) and 27th in fWAR (0.6).
  • The Orioles are likely to activate second baseman Jonathan Schoop from the disabled list on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests. Schoop has been working back from the right oblique strain that sent him to the DL on April 14. Although Schoop got off to a poor start before then, hitting, .230/.266/.344 (64 wRC+) in 65 plate appearances, it’s fair to say his lengthy absence has helped lead to the O’s league-worst 8-24 record. Schoop was one of the best second basemen in the game last year, after all, and no one from the Jace Peterson–Engelb Vielma–Luis Sardinas trio has performed well in his stead over the past few weeks.
  • The Yankees’ December 2014 acquisition of shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Diamondbacks has worked out beautifully for New York, which only gave up reliever Shane Greene in a three-team trade that also included the Tigers. With Gregorius off to such a tremendous start this year, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revisited the deal in an interview with Jack Curry of the YES Network (video link). The Yankees had long been interested in landing Gregorius, revealed Cashman, who credits the influence of his friend Kevin Towers and the team’s analytics department for New York’s desire to acquire the player. Towers, who passed away earlier this year, was the Diamondbacks’ GM when they picked up Gregorius from the Reds in 2012. Arizona fired Towers a couple months before Gregorius went to the Yankees in a trade that Cashman didn’t expect to consummate, largely because then-Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart also had a high opinion of Gregorius. The Yankees found a way to make it work, though, after involving the Tigers, who “coveted” Greene. It’s clear the trade hasn’t gone as planned for Detroit, however, as Greene has been a mixed bag while both the player it dealt – lefty Robbie Ray – and Gregorius have emerged as key pieces in Arizona and New York, respectively.

AL East Notes: Vlad Jr., Walker, Orioles

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Though Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is laying waste to Double-A pitching, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet that the organization is not planning to bring him to the Majors just yet. Guerrero only just turned 19, but he’s obliterated Eastern League pitching at a .388/.452/.624 clip with three homers, nine doubles, a triple and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) through 105 plate appearances. Atkins explains, however, that the team still sees some areas for improvement in other aspects of his game. “That’s just offence, right, when you say statistically,” says Atkins. “…And it’s only a month of performance above A-ball, as well. … Right now, we’re entirely focused on Vladdy as the best possible third baseman he could be, the best possible base-runner, of course offensive player, and teammate. And right now, we currently have a very good third baseman on our major-league team.”

Theoretically, the Blue Jays could split Guerrero and Josh Donaldson in a timeshare between third base and DH, though Atkins indicated a desire to get Guerrero as many reps as possible. The GM also stressed that service time and arbitration considerations aren’t impacting Guerrero’s timeline. (Indeed, he’s already been in the minors long enough to delay free agency by a year.)

Here’s more from the division…

  • Despite his struggles and a sudden glut of infielders in the Bronx, Neil Walker is in no danger of losing his roster spot, Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Cashman points to Walker’s lengthy and consistent track record in the Majors in plainly stating that he “[doesn’t] see Walker as a guy to release, eat (his salary) or trade.” Walker is hitting .171/.233/.195 through 90 plate appearances, and the Yankees will eventually have Brandon Drury back from the disabled list, where he’ll join Walker, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar and Ronald Torreyes in the infield mix. It’s not clear how the Yankees will manage that on-paper surplus.
  • Chris Tillman’s struggles are putting the Orioles in an increasingly difficult spot, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, but the organization presently has little in the way of alternatives that are ready to step into the big league rotation. Tillman tossed seven shutout innings and allowed one hit last week, but he was clobbered by the Angels last night and pulled after recording just three outs and watching his ERA balloon to 9.24. Kubatko suggests that Double-A lefty Keegan Akin could eventually be an option, though he’s made just five starts above A-ball. Speculatively, right-hander David Hess is off to a respectable start in Triple-A and is on the 40-man roster. But other options, both on the 40-man and of the non-roster variety, are struggling in the upper minors. Tillman’s struggles could eventually force the team’s hand, but it doesn’t sound likely that he’s on the verge of being cut loose.

Dodgers Notes: Ryu, Turner, Seager, Machado

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Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu exited tonight’s start with a groin strain after throwing a 64mph pitch that was the slowest pitch he’s ever thrown in the Majors (h/t: J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, on Twitter). The Dodgers announced a left groin strain for Ryu, and manager Dave Roberts didn’t sound optimistic about the injury postgame, calling it a “pretty good strain” and adding that Ryu is headed for an MRI (Twitter link via Pedro Moura of The Athletic). A lengthy absence for Ryu would be a major blow for the Dodgers, who’ve no doubt relished watching the southpaw bounce back to peak form with a dominant 2.12 ERA, 10.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9 and 56.7 percent ground-ball rate in 29 2/3 innings thus far in 2018.

The Dodgers have been hammered by injuries early this season, with Corey Seager done for the season due to Tommy John surgery and Justin Turner still yet to suit up after suffering a broken wrist in Spring Training. The Dodgers don’t sound especially optimistic on Turner at the moment, either, as Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times tweets that skipper Dave Roberts simply said tonight that he has “no idea” when Turner will be cleared to head out on a minor league rehab assignment.

A bit more out of Los Angeles…

  • Seager, Roberts and GM Farhan Zaidi spoke with reporters at Chase Field following the announcement of Seager’s devastating injury (link via McCullough). While there was immediate speculation about the possibility of the Dodgers seeking out a trade, Zaidi suggested that for the time being, the Dodgers will look to in-house options, with Chris Taylor assuming responsibilities at shortstop. (Few teams, after all, are willing to part with a difference-making infielder at this point on the calendar.) Seager told the media that he felt his elbow give out over the weekend when making a relay throw on Sunday, explaining the feeling as a sudden bout of numbness in his elbow. The 23-year-old star dealt with bone chips and inflammation in the elbow last summer, according to McCullough, though extensive testing led medical experts to recommend against surgery at season’s end. It’s not clear how much, if any, ligament damage existed in Seager’s elbow following the 2017 season, of course, and undergoing a major surgery (especially Tommy John surgery) at that point still could very well have wiped him out for most, if not all of the 2018 season.
  • In the wake of the Seager injury, Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times spoke to Manny Machado about the widespread speculation of the Dodgers potentially pursuing him on the trade market. Machado said he’s not had anyone reach out to him about the possibility, and Shaikin writes that the superstar infielder didn’t sound overly amenable to granting a potential trade partner a window to negotiate an extension. “Everyone has waited for the time to become a free agent,” said Machado. “You want to go out there and explore your options.” The 25-year-old did leave the door open a bit, adding that there’s “a price for everything” before stating that he hopes to remain with the Orioles at least through the 2018 season. Of course, as Machado also acknowledged, his future is largely out of his hands; he has no say over whether he’s traded or remains an Oriole. Per Shaikin, the O’s have no plans to accelerate their timeline for a potential Machado deal now that the Dodgers have a glaring need. Certainly, it’s possible that other clubs will join the pursuit later this year, thus driving up the price. And while the O’s had a dreadful start to the season, the organization undoubtedly is still holding out faint hope for a rebound in May and early June before conceding that the season is lost.

AL East Notes: Montgomery, Jones, Hechavarria

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Yankees left-hander Jordan Montgomery exited tonight’s start against the Astros due to tightness in his left elbow and is traveling back to New York for an examination, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch writes. Manager Aaron Boone said of the injury that the Yankees didn’t have any concern prior to Montgomery’s start, though he acknowledged that there is, of course, some degree of concern any time a pitcher exits with elbow or forearm tightness. Montgomery threw a perfect first inning and has a 3.62 ERA through 27 1/3 innings this season, but it’s worth pointing out that his average fastball has hovered at 90.3 mph this season after he averaged 92 mph on his heater in last year’s strong rookie campaign. Hoch adds (via Twitter) that Boone says Montgomery is in a “pretty good frame of mind” and is optimistic that he’s avoided a serious injury.

Elsewhere in the division…

  • ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has a lengthy feature on Adam Jones and the possibility of whether he’ll remain with the Orioles beyond the 2018 campaign. Crasnick speaks with Jones, manager Buck Showalter, GM Dan Duquette and Jones’ teammates in highlighting how important Jones has been to the organization and to the city of Baltimore as one of the faces of the franchise for a decade. Jones noted that given his impending free-agent status, he’s “obviously” hoping to put up big numbers but emphasized that his focus is on trying to right the ship in Baltimore after an ugly start to the season for the O’s. Duquette tells Crasnick that the team “absolutely” considers things like charisma, appeal to fans and intangibles such as leadership when placing a valuation on a player and praised Jones’ impact on the organization and Baltimore community. One anonymous GM noted to Crasnick, though, that Jones is the type of player who could be the “type of guy who gets to free agency and is a little disappointed” — a reference to Jones’ questionable OBP skills and declining defensive ratings in center field. O’s fans in particular will want to check out the column, as it gives a terrific look back at Jones’ legacy in the Charm City.
  • Following Corey Seager’s season-ending injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the Rays will likely approach the Dodgers to gauge their interest in a trade for defensive standout Adeiny Hechavarria. Tampa Bay figures to trade Hechavarria at some point this season, Topkin notes, and moving him would open a clear path to the big leagues for surging infield prospect Willy Adames. Hechavarria, who is hitting .283/.317/.359 with a pair of homers through 102 plate appearances this season, has consistently graded out as a plus defender at short and is earning $5.9MM in 2018, with about $4.54MM of that sum yet to be paid out. Tampa Bay GM Erik Neander, of course, knows Dodgers president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman quite well from the pair’s days in the Rays’ front office, and they’ve lined up on a handful of deals in recent years (Logan Forsythe, Sergio Romo and Xavier Cedeno among them).

Injury Notes: Middleton, Bumgarner, Mariners, Hedges, Orioles, Chirinos

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The Angels announced today that they’ve placed right-hander Keynan Middleton on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to April 29, with inflammation in his right elbow. It’s not immediately clear how long the team expects Middleton to be sidelined, though the loss comes as a notable hit to the Halos’ bullpen. Middleton, 24, has handled much of the Angels’ closer responsibilities in 2018, saving six games while pitching to a 2.40 ERA with a 15-to-7 K/BB ratio in 15 innings of work. With Middleton on the shelf, Cam Bedrosian, Blake Parker and (especially) Jim Johnson have experience closing games out at the big league level, though Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register suggests that rookie Justin Anderson could step into the ninth inning spotlight (Twitter link). Eduardo Paredes has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Middleton’s roster spot for now.

Some more injury news from around the league…

  • Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters today that Madison Bumgarner could begin throwing off a bullpen mound in a couple of weeks (Twitter link via Chris Haft of MLB.com). Bumgarner, of course, will need multiple bullpen sessions and some rest days between them before he can build up to the point where he’d be able to go out on a minor league rehab assignment. A mid-May target for bullpen sessions and, presumably, multiple outings in a rehab assignment would figure to put Bumgarner in line for a return at some point in June.
  • The Mariners announced today that both Dan Altavilla and Erasmo Ramirez are headed to the 10-day disabled list, with outfielder Guillermo Heredia and right-hander Casey Lawrence coming up from Triple-A Tacoma to take their spots. Altavilla, who has occupied a setup role for the M’s over the past couple of seasons, has inflammation in his right AC joint, whereas Ramirez will return to the DL with a Teres Major strain after only a brief activation period. Seattle didn’t provide timelines for either right-hander’s return, though Ramirez could be facing the longer recovery time of the two. Michael Pineda and Clayton Kershaw have both missed four-plus weeks in the past with similar injuries.
  • Catcher Austin Hedges has been placed on the 10-day DL with tendinitis in his right elbow, per a club announcement from the Padres, with Rafael Lopez coming up from Triple-A El Paso to fill his roster spot. The defensively sound Hedges has had another slow start to the season with the bat, hitting at just a .173/.235/.293 pace through 81 trips to the plate thus far. Veteran receiver A.J. Ellis figures to step up as San Diego’s primary backstop in Hedges’ absence. Lopez, 30, hit .222/.306/.463 in a career-high 63 PAs for the Blue Jays last season and is hitting .300/.372/.657 with a whopping seven homers through just 79 Triple-A PAs. He hit 12 homers in Triple-A last year through 223 PAs.
  • The Orioles announced that they’ve activated Mark Trumbo from the 10-day DL for his season debut, though they also had to place infielder Luis Sardinas on the DL in his place due to a strained lower back. Sardinas’ DL placement is retroactive to April 29, and defensive specialist Engelb Vielma is up from Triple-A to take over Sardinas’ infield duties for now. Pedro Alvarez’s resurgence at the plate could prompt Trumbo to see some time at the outfield in order to keep Alvarez in the lineup at designated hitter. Jace Peterson figures to get starts at second base until Jonathan Schoop returns.
  • Tampa Bay righty Yonny Chirinos has landed on the disabled list with a right forearm strain, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). The Rays have brought lefty Ryan Yarbrough back up from Triple-A Durham to take his spot on the roster. It’s not clear yet how long Chirinos will be expected to miss, though Topkin suggests that the organization doesn’t believe the injury to be serious. Chirinos had stepped up as the team’s de facto fourth starter following a series of injuries that initially led the Rays to open the season with three starters and a pair of bullpen days in place of a traditional five-man rotation. Yarbrough has been pitching in multi-inning relief stints with the Rays and could be looked at as a starting option himself in Chirinos’ absence.

Poll: What Last-Place AL Team Is Likeliest To Turn Its Season Around?

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With one day left in April, we’ve already seen a wide gulf emerge within the American League standings.  Three clubs (the Red Sox, Yankees, and Astros) are on pace to surpass 105 wins, while six teams are also currently on pace to win fewer than 70 games.  By comparison, only six teams in all of baseball failed to surpass the 70-win plateau in 2017.

Obviously, it’s still very early, and there’s plenty of baseball still to be played for these struggling teams.  Three teams, however, will head into May in the basement of their respective divisions, and in those cases, a slower start could be much harder to overcome.  The Rangers, Royals, and Orioles all faced rather tricky paths to contention even in the best of circumstances, and their poor April records may force them to make some hard decisions about how long they’re willing to go before considering selling pieces at the trade deadline.

Let’s check in on the three last-place teams to see which has the most potential to make April simply a “slow start” en route to a respectable or even a contending season…

Rangers (11-18): With Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus, and Rougned Odor all on the disabled list, Texas fans are beginning to have some unpleasant flashbacks to the team’s disastrously injury-plagued 2014 campaign.  Still, while the injury bug explains the lack of offensive production, the Rangers’ pitching situation has looked as shaky as it appeared to be heading into the season.  Other than the surprise continuation of Bartolo Colon’s late-career renaissance, it’s been mostly bad news for both the rotation and the bullpen, with Martin Perez, Matt Moore, Matt Bush, Alex Claudio, and Kevin Jepsen all getting off to particularly tough starts.

The team’s big infield trio may not all be back until June, so can the Rangers at least tread water until then?  It doesn’t help that the rest of the AL West teams are all at the .500 mark or better, though the Angels (+5), Mariners (-2), and A’s (+3) are all nothing special in terms of run differential.  (Of course, Texas is a miserable -39 in that department.)  The Rangers will need more arms to step up if they are to turn their season around, plus some internal reinforcements have already come in the form of Delino DeShields and Tony Barnette, who are both back after lengthy DL stints of their own.  Top prospect Willie Calhoun could also provide more help for the lineup, though Calhoun is off to a quiet start at Triple-A this year.

Orioles (8-20): The Orioles and Rangers share pretty similar tales of woe.  Baltimore has also been hurt by a tough division, a lack of quality starting or relief pitching, plus several key injuries — Zach Britton and Mark Trumbo have yet to play a game, while Jonathan Schoop, Tim Beckham, and Colby Rasmus are all on the DL.  Manny Machado’s individual brilliance has been tempered by a lack of hitting from almost everyone else on roster, with Chris Davis standing out as the single worst position player by fWAR (-0.6) in baseball so far this season.

Dan Duquette unofficially cited Memorial Day as the date when teams begin to evaluate where they really stand in a season, so the O’s therefore have just under a month to get on track.  That might be enough time to get at least some of the injured parties back, plus it’ll give time for Alex Cobb to hopefully start rounding into form given that the late-to-sign righty has a 13.11 ERA over his first three starts.  On paper, Baltimore has too much hitting talent to be as bad as they are at the plate, so you figure that at least some type of positive correction is in store.

Royals (7-20): The Royals held off on a full-fledged rebuild over the winter, though their decision about whether to try for another playoff run may have been made for them by their lousy April.  The Royals entered Sunday’s play with the fewest runs in the majors, as only Mike Moustakas and Jorge Soler were putting up good numbers at the plate, and some quality returns by the starting rotation have been undermined by arguably baseball’s worst bullpen.  Even with closer Kelvin Herrera still boasting a perfect 0.00 ERA through 9 2/3 innings, the road to Herrera has been plagued by potholes, as the relief corps is collectively at or near the bottom of the list in just about every major statistic.

One bright side for the Royals?  Their competition.  The AL Central has been baseball’s worst division through the first month, with the first-place Indians holding just a 14-12 record.  As bad as Kansas City has been, the Royals are still just 4.5 games back of the second-place Tigers.  Since the White Sox and Tigers are rebuilding and the Twins are struggling to recapture their 2017 form, there is some opportunity for the Royals to regain some ground if they can beat up on their division foes.

Which of the AL’s last-place squads do you think has the best chance of recovering from its shaky April? (Link for app users)

AL East Notes: Solarte, Donaldson, Trumbo, Red Sox

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Yangervis Solarte’s career has been marked by both professional setbacks and personal tragedy, as Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi details in a profile of the Blue Jays infielder.  A lightly-regarded prospect growing up in Venezuela, Solarte was close to giving up on his baseball dreams before signing with the Twins in 2005.  Davidi’s piece details Solarte’s long path to becoming a big league regular, as well as the unimaginable burden Solarte had to face when his wife Yuliett passed away due to cancer in September 2016.  Though it all, Solarte has continued to be an energetic figure on the field and become an increasingly important piece of Toronto’s everyday lineup.

Here are some more items from around the AL East…

  • Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae (Twitter link) and other reporters that Josh Donaldson could potentially return from the DL on Friday when the team begins a series in Tampa Bay.  Donaldson began his rehab assignment today, going 0-for-3 for Toronto’s high-A ball affiliate.  Donaldson played as a DH today, so he has yet to test his ailing shoulder in a game situation by throwing from third base.
  • Mark Trumbo is slated to be activated from the DL on Tuesday, with the Orioles already optioning Joey Rickard back to Triple-A today to create roster space.  Trumbo will be making his season debut after missing six weeks with a quad strain, with the slugger looking to personally rebound from a poor 2017 season and also add some pop to an Orioles lineup that has struggled to score runs this year.  The O’s figure to use Trumbo as a right-handed hitting complement at first base, DH, and right field, as those positions are respectively occupied by lefty-swingers Chris Davis and Pedro Alvarez, and switch-hitter Anthony Santander.  Manager Buck Showalter also told media (including BaltimoreBaseball.com’s Dan Connolly) that Luis Sardinas will be placed on the 10-day DL due to a bad back, and Engelb Vielma looks to be the likeliest candidate to replace Sardinas as the utility infielder.
  • Red Sox manager Alex Cora provided some updates (to MLB.com’s Ian Browne and other reporters) about some injury situations, including Mookie Betts’ day-to-day status with right hamstring tightness.  Betts didn’t play on Sunday as the Sox are being cautious with their superstar: “If this game is September, October, November, I guarantee he’d play, but we have to take care of him,” Cora said.  As for other sidelined Sox players, Dustin Pedroia is begun play in extended Spring Training games as the second baseman continues his rehab from knee surgery last October.  Tyler Thornburg is also beginning a Triple-A rehab assignment on Monday, which will be his first taste of game action at any level after missing all of 2017 due to shoulder problems that resulted in thoracic outlet surgery.  Given the extended layoff, Browne thinks Thornburg’s rehab assignment could last for the maximum 30 days as the right-hander gets himself back into game shape.

East Notes: Machado, O’s, Yankees, Andujar, Drury, Phillies

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The latest from the East Coast:

  • The Orioles will trade impending free-agent shortstop Manny Machado this year, but it’s not going to happen until closer to the July 31 non-waiver deadline, says FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). Despite Machado’s best efforts, the Orioles are off to a nightmarish start (7-20) and already sit 9.5 games out of a wild-card spot. Nevertheless, they’re not ready to consider dealing key pieces yet, according to Rosenthal. The team just spent a combined $76MM on free-agent pitchers during the offseason, after all, and has been without injured veterans in second baseman Jonathan Schoop, designated hitter Mark Trumbo and closer Zach Britton for most or all of the season. Both Schoop and Trumbo figure to come off the disabled list soon, which should give the O’s a better chance to climb back in the race, though they already looked like playoff long shots even before losing 20 of 27 to open the year.
  • More from Rosenthal, who notes (video link via Twitter) that the Yankees have an interesting situation developing at third base. It’s unclear how they’ll divide time at the position between hot-hitting rookie Miguel Andujar and Brandon Drury when the latter returns soon from the DL. Drury has been down with migraines since April 7, opening the door for the 23-year-old Andujar to come up and thrive. But Andujar could head back to the minors or even become trade bait with Drury around, Rosenthal observes. The Yankees are bullish on Drury, whom they had been pursuing for a while before parting with multiple prospects to acquire him from the Diamondbacks in February. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed the Yankees’ high opinion of Drury on Saturday, telling George A. King III of the New York Post and other reporters that they “view him as a front-line third baseman.” Drury’s still just 25 and under control for four years, including this one.
  • Phillies shortstop J.P. Crawford has a strained right forearm and could require a DL stint, manager Gabe Kapler informed Matt Breen of the Philly.com and other reporters Saturday. The club will know more Sunday when Crawford undergoes an MRI. Crawford left the team’s game Saturday with numbness in his arm, and he revealed afterward that the injury has been an issue for a few days. Breen wonders if it could help explain Crawford’s NL-worst five errors in the field. The former top prospect has also struggled offensively, having hit a paltry .188/.246/.328 (58 wRC+) in 71 plate appearances. Should Crawford go to the DL, the Phillies would likely recall Roman Quinn or Jesmuel Valentin from Triple-A to take his roster spot, per Breen.

AL Notes: Orioles, A’s, Davis, Tribe, BoSox

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Things aren’t looking good for the Orioles, who are off to a 7-19 start and stuck in a division with at least two potential World Series contenders in the Red Sox and Yankees. Nevertheless, “it’s a little early” to tear things down, according to general manager Dan Duquette (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). “We’ll probably give it a little bit more time. Usually, Memorial Day is the marker to evaluate a ballclub and see where you’re at and see where you want to go,” Duquette continued. “Other clubs have had the same time to evaluate their ballclub and see what they need. So I think that’s probably a good marker.” Assuming the Orioles don’t return to relevance in the next month, they could have the hottest trade commodity of the summer in superstar shortstop Manny Machado, who has been tremendous this year, and other possible trade candidates such as free agents-to-be Adam Jones, Brad Brach and Zach Britton.

More on a few of Baltimore’s fellow AL clubs…

  • The Athletics are reportedly discussing a one-year extension with slugger Khris Davis, who’d welcome the opportunity to stay in Oakland, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle relays. “I want to be an Oakland Athletic,” Davis said. “I think I fit in well here. I like the organization, I like the coaching staff, I like my teammates.” Interestingly, Slusser suggests there’s at least a small chance that the low-payroll Athletics could designate Davis for assignment next offseason if he hasn’t agreed to an extension and they fear his arbitration award will be too high. That would be an eye-opening move by Oakland, for which Davis has slashed .247/.322/.525 (125 wRC+) with a major league-high 92 home runs in 1,381 PAs since joining the team prior to 2016. The 30-year-old Davis is making $10.5MM this season and, as Slusser notes, could wind up at $15MM or more in 2019 – his final arb campaign.
  • The Indians tried to retain first baseman Carlos Santana with a three-year offer in the $40MM range before he joined the Phillies on a three-year, $60MM deal in the offseason, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com reports. The Indians ultimately replaced Santana with Yonder Alonso, who landed a two-year, $16MM pact, after considering fellow free agents Lucas Duda and Logan Morrison, per Pluto. The most productive member of that group this season has been Alonso, who has batted .239/.292/.534 (119 wRC+) with eight home runs in his first 96 plate trips as an Indian.
  • Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts is day-to-day after leaving their game against the Rays on Saturday with right hamstring tightness, according to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. Betts has been among the best players in the game in the early going this year, having slashed a ridiculous .344/.439/.733 (208 wRC+) with eight HRs in 107 PAs. Meanwhile, teammate and knuckleballer Steven Wright began serving his 15-game suspension for violating the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, Ian Browne of MLB.com was among those to report. Wright opened the year on the disabled list after undergoing a platelet-rich plasma injection in his surgically repaired left knee, thus preventing him from serving the ban. Wright, who made a Triple-A rehab start Friday, will be eligible to return to the majors May 14. It’s unclear whether he’ll slot back into Boston’s rotation, though, given that it already has a full complement of arms with Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz.
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