AL Notes: Verlander, Garcia, Buxton, Paddack, Rangers, Skubal
Justin Verlander “felt strong” during a bullpen session today in Houston, Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle), which should line Verlander up to return to the rotation on Wednesday when the Astros face the Red Sox. A neck strain has kept Verlander from pitching in the majors since June 9, and he has amassed only 57 innings this season due both this current ailment and a bout of shoulder inflammation coming out of Spring Training. However, Verlander has completed two minor league rehab outings and today’s bullpen session looks like the final checkpoint on his path to recovery.
While things are looking promising for Verlander, Luis Garcia is more of a question mark. The Athletic’s Chandler Rome wrote (via X) that as of Friday, Garcia hadn’t yet resumed throwing since he was shut down due to soreness over two weeks ago. This is the second time Garcia has hit a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and since Garcia went under the knife in May 2023, a normal rehab timeline would’ve had him ready to return to the majors by this point over 15 months past his procedure date. Though the Astros have said Garcia might return as a reliever rather than as a starter, he is running short on time to fully ramp up his readiness to rejoin Houston’s pitching staff in any capacity.
More from around the American League…
- Twins athletic trainer Nick Paparesta updated reporters (including The Athletic’s Dan Hayes) about several injured Minnesota players on Saturday, including Byron Buxton and Chris Paddack. Buxton received a cortisone shot in his inflamed right hip and recently worked out in a pool, so Paparesta feels “we’re kind of heading in the right direction.” This comes as a relief given Buxton’s long history of injury problems, including a more serious hip issue in 2022 that Paparesta feels may have created scar tissue related to Buxton’s current discomfort. As for Paddack, he is set to undergo an MRI on August 27, which will be his second scan since a left forearm strain sent him to the 15-day injured list on July 17. More will be known on Paddack’s timeline if the next MRI comes back clean, and he has already started playing games of catch in preparation to return to Minnesota’s staff before the season is over.
- Three of the Rangers‘ injured veteran starters took steps in their recoveries over the weekend, as Max Scherzer threw a bullpen session today and Jacob deGrom and Jon Gray each threw three-inning simulated games on Saturday. Gray seems to be the closest to returning, as he told MLB.com that he could return as a reliever during the Rangers’ series with the Pirates that begins tomorrow, if he isn’t lined up for a proper start during a series with the Guardians that gets underway Friday. A right groin strain sent Gray to the 15-day IL on July 29, while deGrom could begin a Double-A rehab assignment this week in his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2023. Scherzer hasn’t pitched since July 30 due to shoulder fatigue, and Texas manager Bruce Bochy said it hasn’t yet been decided if Scherzer will also embark on a rehab assignment next, or if he’ll first take part in a live batting practice session.
- Tarik Skubal had another quality start tonight in the Tigers‘ 3-2 win over the Yankees, as the star southpaw limited New York to one run (on three hits and four walks) over six innings of work. Skubal is up to a career-high 155 1/3 innings pitched, and manager A.J. Hinch told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi and other reporters that Sunday “could very well be his last start on regular rest” this season. Since Detroit is all but out of the wild card race, the team has no real reason to put too many extra miles on Skubal’s arm, though naturally the team isn’t going to shut him down completely as he pursues the AL Cy Young Award.
Astros Place Ryan Pressly On 15-Day Injured List
The Astros placed veteran reliever Ryan Pressly on the 15-day injured list today with a low back strain. In a corresponding move, the team recalled right-hander Seth Martinez from Triple-A Sugar Land. Martinez will be available out of the bullpen for tonight’s game against the White Sox.
Pressly, 35, has been with the Astros since 2018, pitching to a 2.84 ERA with 109 saves in that time. He also has a 2.22 ERA with 14 additional saves in the postseason. Although he lost his job as Houston’s closer when the team signed Josh Hader this past offseason, he remains one of the club’s more reliable high-leverage bullpen arms. Through 49 games in 2024, Pressly has a 3.86 ERA, 3.45 SIERA, and 21 holds. He has worked almost exclusively in the eighth inning.
Astros relievers rank fifth in MLB and second in the AL with a 3.61 ERA on the season. Still, losing Pressly for any amount of time will be a tough blow to weather as the team looks to stay on top of the Mariners in the AL West. The Astros just entered a stretch of 18 games in 18 days, and after their series against the White Sox wraps up this weekend, they will face the Red Sox, Orioles, Phillies, and Royals.
Thankfully for the Astros, manager Joe Espada does not seem especially concerned about the severity of Pressly’s injury. To that point, the skipper explained that Pressly initially tried to pitch through the pain. Yet, considering the righty’s recent struggles (9.00 ERA in his last four appearances), it makes sense that the team decided to give him some time to rest up and heal. Espada described the IL stint as “a little breather,” which certainly suggests Pressly won’t be gone too long (Espada interview clip via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).
Martinez, 29, has a 2.92 ERA (but a 4.59 SIERA) in 41 appearances as a low-leverage reliever for the Astros this season. The right-hander made the Opening Day roster out of spring training, and he stuck with the big league club until the trade deadline. He was then optioned to Triple-A as the Astros made room for new acquisitions Yusei Kikuchi and Caleb Ferguson on the active roster. Aside from his low ERA, none of his 2024 numbers jump off the page. Still, he will provide Houston with another capable arm while Pressly is on the mend.
Astros Sign Brandon Walter To Minor League Deal
The Astros have signed left-hander Brandon Walter to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The lefty was released by the Red Sox earlier this month, freeing him up to sign this deal.
Walter, 27, was a 26th-round selection of the Sox in the 2019 draft. He made a brief professional debut at the Rookie ball level that year, but the minor leagues were then canceled in 2020 by the pandemic. In the years after that, he elevated his prospect stock with some encouraging results.
In 2021, he tossed 89 1/3 innings across the Single-A and High-A levels, allowing 2.92 earned runs per nine. He struck out 36.3% of batters faced while only giving out walks at a 5.5% clip and also got grounders on more than half of the balls in play he allowed. Baseball America ranked him #11 in Boston’s system going into 2022, noting that he spent the pandemic shutdown year overhauling his arsenal.
In 2022, he was bumped up to Double-A and made nine starts there before getting moved to Triple-A. A bulging cervical disk ended his season in June, after just two starts at the top minor league level. Nonetheless, he finished the year with a solid 3.59 ERA in 57 2/3 innings in his 11 starts over those two levels. He struck out 32.2% of batters faced, gave out walks just 3% of the time and continued to get lots of grounders.
In November of 2022, the Sox added him to their roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft, then his results weren’t quite as impressive in 2023. He tossed 23 major league innings with a 6.26 ERA in that small sample, as well as a 15.1% strikeout rate and 6.6% walk rate. He also added another 94 Triple-A frames with a 4.60 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate and 49.5% ground ball rate.
Here in 2024, he hasn’t yet pitched in an official game. He landed on the minor league injured list to start the year with a strained left rotator cuff, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive on X. The Sox needed a 40-man roster spot when acquiring righty Lucas Sims at the deadline and designated Walter for assignment. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, so the Sox essentially had no choice but to release him.
At this point, it’s not publicly known what Walter’s health status is. Even if his shoulder has healed and he’s ready to take the mound again shortly, he’ll presumably need some ramp-up time in order to get back into game shape. That might make him more of a long-term play for Houston as opposed to immediate non-roster depth. But Walter has posted some intriguing numbers in recent years when healthy, so it’s understandable why they would be interested in bringing him aboard.
If he eventually gets his roster spot back, he will still have one option year remaining after this one, and there would be an easy case for a fourth option to be granted on account of him missing most or maybe all of 2024. He also has less than a year of service time, meaning he can be controlled for many years into the future.
Astros Release Aledmys Díaz
Astros manager Joe Espada says that infielder/outfielder Aledmys Díaz has been released, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X. That’s the corresponding move for the club’s selection of infielder Shay Whitcomb, which was previously reported.
The Astros signed Díaz to a minor league deal last month after he was released by the Athletics, adding him to their roster shortly thereafter. He got hardly any playing time at all in Houston, with four plate appearances in almost a month on the roster. He went 0-4 in those, striking out twice.
There was no real cost for the Astros in grabbing Díaz for that stint on the roster. The A’s are still on the hook for his salary after releasing him earlier this year. Oakland signed him to a two-year, $14.5MM deal going into 2023 and got very little in return for that investment. Díaz has hit .216/.265/.313 since the start of 2023 for a wRC+ of 60, which prompted them to cut him loose earlier this year.
He’ll return to the open market in the coming days and perhaps will garner attention based on his previous track record. With the A’s still on the hook for most of his salary, it would essentially be a no-cost pickup for any club that has interest.
From 2016 to 2022, Díaz hit .266/.320/.443 in 582 games between the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Astros. That production translated into a 105 wRC+, indicating he was 5% better than league average during that seven-year stretch. He did that while providing plenty of defensive versatility, lining up at all four infield positions as well as the outfield corners.
Astros To Promote Shay Whitcomb
The Astros are planning to select Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston. He has played all over the diamond for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys this season, seeing the bulk of his time at second base, third base, and shortstop. However, his best path to playing time with the Astros will be as a first baseman and occasional corner outfielder and DH. The team will need to make a corresponding move to free up space for Whitcomb on the 40-man roster.
Whitcomb, now 25, joined the Astros organization as the final pick in the shortened 2020 draft. Exclusively a shortstop during his time at UC San Diego, he has also played plenty of second and third base at every level in the minors. In 2024, he began seeing more playing time at first base and the outfield corners, presumably because second base (Jose Altuve), third base (Alex Bregman), and shortstop (Jeremy Peña) are all currently blocked at the big league level. While Whitcomb’s glove might be more valuable at second, third, or short, he has performed well enough at Triple-A this year (25 HR, 26 SB, 122 wRC+) that it’s worth seeing if he can team up with Jon Singleton to make a productive first base platoon. Singleton has played 77 games at first base for the Astros this year, and while he has a 113 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, he is all but unplayable against southpaws (32 wRC+ in 71 PA). The righty-batting Whitcomb has relatively neutral platoon splits at Sugar Land this year, with an .890 OPS against righties and a .979 OPS against lefties.
Earlier this month, Astros GM Dana Brown suggested the team would call up either Zach Dezenzo or Whitcomb to help out at first base. Just two days later, Denzenzo made his MLB debut. While Dezenzo, 24, is a more highly regarded prospect than Whitcomb, the former has had a rough go of it so far with Houston, going just 5-for-25 with a .591 OPS and 64 wRC+. Yet, although Whitcomb’s promotion comes on the heels of Dezenzo’s struggles, manager Joe Espada could still find playing time for both, considering how badly the Astros could use a productive right-handed bat at first and in the outfield.
Astros Sign Glenn Otto To Minor League Contract
The Astros signed right-hander Glenn Otto to a minor league deal, the team informed reporters (X link via Chandler Rome of the Athletic). Otto is going on the Triple-A injured list but could serve as rotation or long relief depth later in the year.
Otto is a Rice product whom the Yankees selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. New York packaged him in the Joey Gallo trade with the Rangers. Otto debuted with Texas in 2021 and held a rotation spot for the bulk of the following season. He started 27 games during his first full year, pitching to a 4.64 ERA through 135 2/3 innings. A Spring Training shoulder strain cost him a good chunk of 2023. Otto made six appearances, all in relief, and gave up 12 runs over 10 2/3 frames.
The Rangers designated Otto for assignment coming out of the trade deadline. The Padres grabbed him off waivers and kept him on the 40-man roster over the winter. His ’24 campaign has unfortunately played out much the same way as last year. Otto strained the teres major muscle in his shoulder and started the season on the IL. He made eight Triple-A appearances before going back on the IL on July 21. For the second straight year, he was pushed off a 40-man roster at the deadline. The Friars cut him loose as the corresponding move for their acquisition of reliever Jason Adam from Tampa Bay.
Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, so the Padres released Otto after the DFA. He’s evidently not fully recovered but nevertheless finds a landing spot with his hometown organization. Houston has been light on experienced non-roster rotation depth all season. Even if Otto’s recent shoulder woes limit him to a relief role this year, he could be a multi-inning bullpen piece.
Alex Bregman Has Returned To Form
Alex Bregman did not have a good start to his platform year. The two-time All-Star hit .216/.283/.294 through the season's first month. His production in May was better (.221/.276/.442) but still far below his typical level. Bregman wasn't the biggest culprit for the Astros' rough start -- rotation injuries and a complete lack of production out of first base shouldered the majority of the blame -- but his underperformance was another red flag in a season that looked like it might go off the rails.
That's all changed in the past two and a half months. Player and team alike have found their stride since the start of June. The Astros are 39-22 going back to June 1. That includes an ongoing seven-game win streak that is the current best in MLB. A team that was once 12 games below .500 and 10 games back in the division race now holds a game and a half lead on the Mariners in the AL West. Houston and Seattle have almost completely pulled away from the defending champion Rangers, who have plummeted 9.5 back of a playoff spot.
Bregman is one of the biggest reasons for that resurgence. He has been a top 25 hitter in MLB since the start of June, hitting .302/.357/.516 with 12 homers. He's got five longballs in August alone, tying him for fifth (behind Jake Burger, Corey Seager, Ketel Marte and Juan Soto) in that regard. Bregman has put his early-season swoon behind him, albeit with one notable change from his pre-2024 production.
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Astros Release Dylan Coleman
The Astros have released right-hander Dylan Coleman after designating him for assignment last week, as indicated on the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’s now a free agent.
Coleman, 28 next month, was acquired from the Royals in a small December swap and has spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Sugar Land. He pitched one scoreless big league frame for Houston back on April 3 but has limped to a more problematic 6.50 earned run average in 36 Triple-A frames. He’s been on a particularly rocky run of late, yielding 12 runs (11 earned) on eight hits and nine walks over his past 5 2/3 innings. That recent slide surely played into the decision to designate the former fourth-rounder (Padres, 2018) for assignment.
As recently as 2022, Coleman looked well on his way to establishing himself in the Royals’ big league bullpen. He made his MLB debut late in the 2021 season and in 2022 piled up 68 innings of work. In a total of 74 1/3 innings from ’21-’22, he notched a very sharp 2.66 ERA while fanning 24.8% of his opponents. His 12.1% walk rate was in need of improvement, but Coleman sat 97.7 mph with his heater, picked up swinging strikes at an impressive 13% clip, avoided hard contact (86.4 mph average exit velocity, 6.3% barrel rate, 35.9% hard-hit rate) and did a good job keeping the ball in the yard (0.61 HR/9).
That success deteriorated quickly in 2023, however. Coleman was rocked for an 8.84 ERA in 18 1/3 big league innings and walked 19 batters in that time. The command troubles continued in Triple-A Omaha, where he issued a free pass to a calamitous 21.8% of his opponents. The right-hander’s average fastball also plummeted from the prior season’s 97.5 mph to 95.2 mph in the majors (and 96.1 mph down the stretch in Triple-A).
All of those problems have persisted, if not worsened, following the change of scenery. Coleman walked 23.9% of his opponents with Sugar Land in the Astros organization, and Statcast measured his average heater in Triple-A this season at 95.7 mph — well shy of his 2021-22 levels. Whatever the reason for the downturn in command and velocity, the 2023-24 version of Coleman looks like a decidedly different pitcher than the reliever who showed quite a bit of promise from 2021-22.
Coleman’s prior track record, minimal acquisition cost — he’ll very likely require only a minor league deal to sign — and remaining club control (under two years of MLB service) should be enough to spark interest from a new club, whether that’s in the coming days/weeks or in the offseason.
West Notes: Eovaldi, Scherzer, Gurriel, Musgrove, Graveman
The Rangers are heading to Boston for a series with the Red Sox beginning tomorrow, but Nathan Eovaldi and Max Scherzer are both going to Texas for injury-related checkups, GM Chris Young told the Associated Press and other reporters. Eovaldi left his start Saturday after three innings due to tightness in his left side, though the meeting with team doctor Keith Meister is seen as precautionary since Eovaldi “thinks he can pitch through” the issue, Young said. “He’s so important to us that we’re not sure we want to push him. We may end up pushing him back or skipping a start. We don’t think it’s an IL at this point, but we will clearly decide that once he sees Dr. Meister.”
Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 31 due to right shoulder fatigue, and Young said the veteran “just hasn’t turned the corner with his shoulder. Our hope is that maybe we get back and explore some other diagnostic measures and get him back on the mound. But I don’t know what the timetable is going to be.” Between this IL stint and an extended absence at the start of the season while recovering from back surgery and a nerve issue in his thumb, Scherzer has pitched only 39 1/3 innings over eight starts.
More will be known about both pitchers’ situations after the tests are complete, but there is clear cause for concern given how both Eovaldi and Scherzer have checkered injury histories. For Scherzer in particular, his situation is worrisome given how much time he has already missed, and whether or not his abnormal ramp-up this year simply kept him from being fully ready to pitch. If either Scherzer or Eovaldi are revealed to have more serious issues, it could put the rest of their seasons in jeopardy, as the Rangers might consider shutdowns if the team continues to fall back in the playoff race.
Some other notes from both the AL and NL West divisions…
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the Diamondbacks‘ 12-5 win over the Phillies today due to left hamstring tightness, but manager Torey Lovullo downplayed the injury in postgame comments to MLB.com and other media. Lovullo said the removal was precautionary and that Gurriel is day-to-day, plus the outfielder isn’t even being sent for any tests at this time. Gurriel is hitting .269/.302/.414 with 14 homers over 453 plate appearances as the team’s regular left fielder, translating to a 98 wRC+ in the first season of the three-year, $42MM contract he signed to rejoin the D’Backs last offseason.
- The Padres will be activating Joe Musgrove from the 60-day injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Pirates, after bone spurs in his right elbow cost him about two and a half months on the shelf. Talking with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Musgrove made changes to his mechanics and delivery in order to help manage the injury. “The spur is going to be there, the structure of the elbow is not going to change unless I get an operation,” Musgrove said. “So [I’m] trying to find a way to be able to throw and still execute and still have good stuff. Hopefully it will alleviate some of the stress on the elbow is kind of the goal….I felt great in this build back.” Between this injury and a previous elbow-related stint on the IL, Musgrove has thrown only 49 1/3 innings this season, with a shaky 5.66 ERA.
- Kendall Graveman wasn’t expected to pitch in 2024 after a shoulder surgery last January, but his hopes at an in-season comeback gained some momentum Saturday when he threw a 10-pitch bullpen session. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that Graveman hit 86-87mph in his first time throwing off a mound since the surgery. As Kawahara notes, there might simply be not enough time left in the season for Graveman to get fully ramped up and then complete a minor league rehab assignment, but that won’t stop the veteran from trying.
AL West Notes: Verlander, Rodriguez, deGrom
Justin Verlander is slated to make a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land today, marking his first game action since June 9. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara and Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle) that the loose plan is for Verlander to throw three innings or 50 pitches in the first of what is expected to be a two-outing rehab stint, though there’s plenty of fluidity built in as the 41-year-old ace works his way back from a neck strain.
If all goes well, Verlander would likely be activated for the start of the Astros’ series with the Orioles that begins on August 22. Verlander would become the sixth member of a six-man rotation Houston is planning to deploy during a busy stretch of the schedule, as after receiving three off-days within the first 15 days of August, the Astros then play every day from August 16 through September 2. Assuming Verlander returns in his usual top-of-the-rotation form, he’ll be a giant boost to a Houston team that is battling the Mariners for the AL West title, and will again be looking to make another deep playoff run. Between this neck problem and a season-opening bout of shoulder inflammation, Verlander has been limited to 57 innings in his 19th Major League season, but he has a solid 3.95 ERA when available to pitch.
More from around the AL West…
- Julio Rodriguez hasn’t played July 21 due to a high ankle sprain, but the Mariners outfielder has been taking part in some moderate-intensity running exercises as part of his recovery process. Manager Scott Servais told MLB.com and other media earlier this week that Rodriguez’s injury is viewed as a day-to-day situation by the team, as Rodriguez might be activated from the 10-day injured list without the need for a rehab assignment. “The swinging really isn’t the issue, from what [Rodriguez] said. It’s just more of the running and trying to get up to speed and taking the turns, things like that,” Servais noted. As such, Seattle could try using Rodriguez as a designated hitter if the team wants to take it easy on his ankle. The uncertain nature of high ankle sprains and the lack of a timetable makes it unclear when J-Rod might be back in action, but it could technically be as early as this coming week if he shows quick improvement and is able to run passably well.
- Jacob deGrom threw a live batting practice on Thursday, with Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy telling reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that deGrom will have another live BP session during the Rangers’ upcoming August 12-14 series in Boston. This is the first time deGrom had faced live hitters during his rehab from a June 2023 Tommy John surgery, and the four-time All-Star remains on pace with the standard 13-14 month recovery timeline. Since he’ll have a third bullpen session and then a minor league rehab assignment, deGrom might not return to the Texas roster before the end of August, but the veteran should be able to log some big league innings before 2024 is out, and gain some peace of mind about his health heading into the offseason.