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Injury Notes: Mondesi, Gonsolin, Strasburg, Solis

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The Royals have stormed out of the gate with a 16-9 start to take an early lead in the AL Central. That’s in spite of the absence of shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who was placed on the injured list just before the regular season kicked off due to a right oblique strain. There’s still no timetable for the 25-year-old’s return to game action, but he made a notable step in his rehab process this week. Mondesi recently participated in a batting practice session, per manager Mike Matheny (via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). Royals’ shortstops (primarily Nicky Lopez) have hit .254/.325/.338 in Mondesi’s absence, which is tied for twelfth in park-adjusted offense (90 wRC+) at the position.

Some more injury situations around the league:

  • Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin has also yet to make his regular season debut- in his case, on account of inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Gonsolin has progressed to working off a mound, though, throwing a 20-pitch bullpen session earlier this week (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). The 26-year-old has emerged as another potential quality rotation option for Los Angeles, working to a 2.60 ERA/4.11 SIERA across his first 20 MLB appearances (14 starts) between 2019-20. Even before the injury, though, Gonsolin was slated to start this season in the bullpen on account of the Dodgers’ incredible rotation depth.
  • Stephen Strasburg threw approximately 30 pitches in a bullpen session this morning, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to note. It’s the right-hander’s first mound work since he was placed on the injured list two weeks ago with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Washington still hasn’t offered a ton of clarity as to when Strasburg is expected to return to game action. The former World Series MVP has been limited to two unproductive starts so far this year.
  • Astros right-handed pitching prospect Jairo Solis will be out approximately three months after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, per Jake Kaplan of the Athletic (Twitter link). It’s a disappointing development for a young hurler who missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Entering the year, FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein called Solis a potential future top 100 prospect, but this latest development will wipe out at least a good chunk of his 2021 minor-league season. Solis, ranked 16th among Astro farmhands by Baseball America, was added to the 40-man roster last offseason.

Royals Recall Kris Bubic, Place Kyle Zimmer On Injured List

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Before this afternoon’s game with the Twins, the Royals announced they’ve recalled left-hander Kris Bubic and righty Jake Newberry from the alternate training site. Reliever Kyle Zimmer has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left trapezius muscle strain (via Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star), while first baseman Ryan McBroom was optioned to the alternate training site.

At one point, Bubic looked like a good bet to open the year in the Royals’ rotation. A former supplemental round pick, he made his MLB debut last year and held his own across ten starts. Bubic worked to a 4.32 ERA/4.69 SIERA with serviceable strikeout (22.1%), walk (9.9%) and groundball (46.6%) rates. Baseball America named him the Royals’ #5 prospect over the winter on the heels of that showing.

The Royals signed Mike Minor to a two-year deal over the offseason, though. That addition and a rough Spring Training were enough to bump Bubic from the season-opening rotation. While he’s now in line to see his first major league action of the year, it seems he’ll be on hand as a bullpen option for the time being. Kansas City has gotten strong performances from each of Danny Duffy, Brady Singer and Jakob Junis so far. Minor and Brad Keller haven’t been good but will obviously get a longer leash to figure things out based on their respective track records. That doesn’t leave any room for Bubic if the Royals are planning to stick with a five-man starting staff.

While Bubic and Newberry join the relief corps, Zimmer will be knocked out of action for the time being. The former top prospect has been fine in the early going, allowing five runs in 13.1 innings with 12 strikeouts and five walks. The team didn’t provide a timetable for his potential return. McBroom was optioned out after taking just seven plate appearances over five games.

Royals Sign Mike Shawaryn To Minor League Deal

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The Royals have signed right-hander Mike Shawaryn to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. He’ll presumably head to Triple-A once their season begins next week.

Shawaryn, 26, ranked among the top prospects in the Red Sox’ system from 2017-19 but was hit hard when he finally cracked the big leagues in ’19. Through 20 1/3 frames, he was tagged for 22 runs on the strength of 26 hits (five homers), 13 walks and five hit batsmen. Shawaryn did strike out 29 of the 103 batters he faced (28.2 percent), but the control problems and susceptibility to home runs were an obvious concern.

Shawaryn didn’t pitch in the big leagues last season, but he spent most of the year as part of the Red Sox’ 60-man player pool at their alternate training site. Boston designated Shawaryn for assignment in late August, however, and removed him from the player pool after outrighting him. He was cut loose by the Sox over the weekend, per his transaction log at MLB.com.

Prior to that rough big league debut, Shawaryn had a mostly solid track record in the minors. He’d pitched to a mid-3.00s ERA at Class-A, Class-A Advanced and Double-A, and while he was hit harder in Triple-A, the results were still respectable, particularly given the offensive explosion at that level in ’19. All in all, he has a 3.79 ERA, a 24.5 percent strikeout rate and an 8.7 percent walk rate in 389 1/3 minor league innings. In their 2019 scouting report, Baseball America called Shawaryn a “physical strike-thrower” who could become a “solid medium-leverage reliever” or a back-of-the-rotation starter depending on the development of his changeup.

Brad Brach Elects Free Agency

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Veteran reliever Brad Brach has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star reports. The Royals designated Brach for assignment on Saturday.

Brach had a short stay on the Royals’ roster, as the team designated him just one day after selecting his contract. The 35-year-old right-hander joined the Royals on a minor league contract over the winter, which came after the Mets designated him.

Brach has seen major league action with five teams since he debuted with the Padres in 2011, and he has enjoyed a solid career. Through 522 2/3 innings, Brach has registered a 3.39 ERA/3.78 SIERA with a 25.1 percent strikeout rate and an 11.1 percent walk rate. Unfortunately, though, Brach’s production has gone downhill dating back to 2019. Between the Cubs and Mets over the previous two seasons, he tossed 66 2/3 frames of 5.66 ERA ball (with a more palatable 4.91 SIERA) and logged a 24.7 percent strikeout rate against a 15.0 percent walk rate. While Brach has normally averaged around 94 mph on his fastball, that number dipped to a personal-worst 90.4 last year.

Royals Reinstate Greg Holland From IL, Designate Brad Brach

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The Royals have reinstated reliever Greg Holland from the injured list, the team announced.  To create roster space, right-hander Brad Brach has been designated for assignment.

It ended up being just a one-day stay for Holland on the COVID-related injury list, so the veteran righty will make a quick return to his role as Kansas City’s closer.  It hasn’t been a good start to the season for Holland, who has issued seven walks (against only six strikeouts) and allowed three homers over seven innings of work, resulting in a 6.43 ERA.  While it’s still early in the season, Holland’s job could certainly be in jeopardy if his struggles continue.  The Royals have gotten excellent results from such bullpen arms as Kyle Zimmer, Scott Barlow, Jake Brentz, and Josh Staumont thus far, and it’s possible one of those less-experienced hurlers could supplant Holland in the closer’s position, or the Royals could adopt a more situational approach to the ninth inning.

Brach’s minor league contract was selected yesterday in a response to Holland’s IL placement, and Brach didn’t get any action during last night’s 6-2 Royals victory over the Tigers.  The 35-year-old now heads into DFA limbo after that cup of coffee in the 2021 season, though it seems a decent bet that Brach will clear waivers and remain in the K.C. organization.  A very solid reliever for the Padres, Orioles, and Braves from 2012-18, Brach has been much less productive over the last two seasons, posting a 5.54 ERA over 66 2/3 innings since the start of the 2019 campaign.

Royals Place Greg Holland On IL, Select Brad Brach

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The Royals have placed right-hander Greg Holland on the injured list and selected the contract of righty Brad Brach, per a team announcement. The club didn’t provide a reason for Holland’s IL placement.

Holland was largely a great reliever with the Royals from 2010-15, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in the last of those seasons and missed the team’s World Series run. The procedure kept Holland out for all of 2016, and he then endured an up-and-down few years divided among the Rockies, Cardinals and Diamondbacks.

Holland returned to Kansas City last year on a minor league deal, which proved to be a steal for the Royals. He reclaimed his old job as the team’s closer, went 6-for-6 in save opportunities and pitched to a 1.91 ERA with a 27.7 percent strikeout rate against a 6.3 percent walk rate over 28 1/3 innings.

Holland’s bounce-back 2020 performance earned him a guaranteed contract this past winter, when he re-signed with the Royals on a one-year, $2.75MM pact. Unfortunately for Holland and KC, he hasn’t been nearly as successful this year. Thanks to a couple of poor outings – including his most recent appearance on Tuesday – the 35-year-old has recorded a 6.43 ERA with three home runs allowed and more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six) in seven frames.

Brach, also 35, joined the Royals on a minors pact shortly after the Mets cut him loose in February. While the well-traveled Brach has enjoyed a quality career (3.39 ERA through 522 2/3 innings), his production and velocity have tailed off of late. Brach amassed a combined 66 2/3 innings with the Cubs and Mets over the previous two seasons and posted a 5.54 ERA with a below-average 9.7 K-BB percentage (24.7 K, 15.0 BB). Worsening matters, Brach’s average fastball velo fell from the 94 mph range to a career-low 90.4 last season.

AL Notes: Yankees, Rendon, Mondesi, Rays

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The Yankees were supposed to be one of baseball’s premier teams this year, but they haven’t looked the part so far. The club is currently in a tailspin, having lost five in a row to fall to an American League-worst 5-10. Nevertheless, general manager Brian Cashman isn’t panicking. The longtime executive gave votes of confidence to the Yankees’ roster and manager Aaron Boone on Monday, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Cashman indicated the Yankees aren’t going to make any knee-jerk decisions with their roster or in their dugout as a result of their poor start. “That’s the message to our players: ‘We do believe in you,” he said. “We know what you’re capable of. This is a bad stretch, and we’re going to get through this together.” Cashman did admit that owner Hal Steinbrenner is “disappointed” with how the team has performed, but it doesn’t seem as if that will lead to any kind of drastic changes. “I’ve got a lot of trust in the people we have,” Cashman declared.

  • Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon began baseball activities Monday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Rendon landed on the 10-day injured list April 12 (retroactive to April 11) with a left groin strain, though he won’t return when he’s first eligible on Wednesday. The Angels have used Jose Rojas, Jack Mayfield and Luis Rengifo at third over the past week, but all three have failed to produce. Rojas, who leads the Angels in playing time at the hot corner since Rendon went down, has gotten one hit in 19 plate appearances. Mayfield and Rengifo are a combined 1-for-8.
  • Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi has already missed three weeks with a right oblique strain, and a return doesn’t appear imminent. Manager Mike Matheny said Monday that Mondesi is “doing limited control movement” and hasn’t begun taking swings since he went on the IL on March 30. The Royals have gotten off to a surprising 9-5 start without Mondesi, in part because fill-in Nicky Lopez has put up respectable production in his stead, but they surely want last year’s stolen base champ back sooner than later.
  • The Rays placed left-hander Ryan Sherriff on the restricted list April 3 when he decided to take time off from the game, but he has returned to the organization, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Sherriff will head to minor league camp in order to get himself back into pitching shape. The 30-year-old has only thrown one-third of an inning for the Rays this season, but he held opposing offenses scoreless over 9 2/3 innings in 2020. Sherriff added another two scoreless frames against the Dodgers in a pair of World Series appearances.

Diamondbacks Acquire Nick Heath

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The Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Nick Heath from the Royals this afternoon, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was among those to relay (Twitter link). Right-hander Eduardo Herrera is headed back to Kansas City in return. To clear space for Heath on the 40-man roster, Arizona designated righty Jeremy Beasley for assignment.

The Royals had designated Heath for assignment earlier this week. The speedy outfielder has only taken 18 MLB plate appearances and has only picked up marginally more playing time at Triple-A. He does have rather significant experience at the Double-A level, though, where he’s compiled a .255/.333/.372 line over 500 plate appearances. The 27-year-old Heath also has all three minor league option years remaining, so he’ll give Arizona a center field capable player with roster flexibility. Ketel Marte is currently on the injured list with a hamstring strain.

Beasley’s MLB experience consists of a third of an inning in one relief appearance. The 25-year-old has  worked as a starter in the minors, compiling a 3.59 ERA in 153 career innings at Double-A. Arizona will have a week to trade Beasley or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.

Herrera was originally signed by the D-Backs as a position player, but he converted to the mound in 2019. He has struck out 40 and issued 19 walks in 25.2 low minors innings. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote last month that Herrera throws in the mid-90’s but has inconsistent breaking ball feel and command, hardly a surprise for someone so new to pitching.

Royals Designate Nick Heath For Assignment

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The Royals announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Nick Heath for assignment, reinstated righty Josh Staumont from the injured list and optioned righty Carlos Hernandez to their alternate site. Staumont was only just placed on the injured list earlier this week, though the Royals did not specify a reason.

Players can be placed on the injured list for Covid-19 related reasons — a positive test, close contact with someone who was positive, or self-reported symptoms — and briefly be removed from the 40-man roster while on the IL. Staumont has obviously been cleared to return in a day’s time, which suggests there was no positive test. However, the Royals also selected the contract of veteran righty Ervin Santana last night, so with Staumont now coming back onto the active roster, they needed a 40-man spot. Heath’s DFA will provide that roster spot.

Heath, 27, made his MLB debut in 2020 and went 2-for-13 with a double and a pair of steals in four tries. He’s not a particularly imposing threat at the plate, evidenced by a .266/.348/.361 batting line in four minor league seasons, but Heath is one of the fastest players in professional ball. Scouting reports at FanGraphs, MLB.com and Baseball America peg him at either 70- or 80-grade speed on the 20-80 scale. He’s swiped 160 bases in 200 tries (80 percent) through just 323 total minor league games.

Heath can play all three outfield spots and has a full slate of three minor league options remaining, so he could certainly intrigue another club in a minor trade or in the event that the Royals try to pass him through outright waivers. Kansas City will have a week to trade him or place him on waivers.

Several Former Big Leaguers Sign With Mexican League’s Guadalajara Mariachis

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6:50pm: Bonifacio’s representatives at CAA tell MLBTR that despite the announcement from Guadalajara, Bonifacio has not signed with the club and remains a free agent.

9:14am: Outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, infielder Dawel Lugo and right-hander Justin Grimm are among the former Major Leaguers on the spring roster for the Mexican League’s Guadalajara Mariachis, the team announced this week (Twitter link). Infielders Luis Sardinas and Deven Marrero are on the roster as well, as are pitchers Jason Gurka and Daniel Corcino. All have big league experience, though only Bonifacio, Grimm and Lugo were in the big leagues last season. Five-time MLB All-Star Adrian Gonzalez is also on the roster for the Mariachis, an expansion club in 2021, as was initially reported late last month.

Bonifacio, now 27, looked like a potential option for the Royals in right field back in 2017 when he slugged 17 homers in 113 games as a 24-year-old rookie. He batted .255/.320/.432 that season and was in line for a lengthier audition in 2018 before being hit with an 80-game PED suspension during Spring Training that year. Bonifacio struggled through 270 plate appearances upon returning and was out of the Royals organization a year later. He played in 30 games with the Tigers last season but managed just a .221/.277/.326 slash in 94 trips to the plate.

Grimm was an oft-used and generally successful member of the Cubs’ bullpen from 2014-16, working to a collective 3.36 ERA with a hearty 28 percent strikeout rate against a 10.5 percent walk rate through 171 1/3 innings in that time. He struggled considerably in 2017, however (5.53 ERA in 55 1/3 frames), and has yet to regain his form at the game’s top level. Now 32 years old, Grimm is certainly young enough to make another big league run if he can right the ship pitching with Guadalajara.

Lugo, meanwhile, was the headliner of the prospect package the D-backs sent to the Tigers in exchange for J.D. Martinez back in 2017. The now-26-year-old infielder appeared in the big leagues each season from 2018-20 but didn’t provide much reason for optimism, slashing just .236/.270/.358 in 400 plate appearances.

The 30-year-old Marrero was a first-round pick by the Red Sox in 2012, and while he’s a strong defender he’s never hit much in 163 big league games. Sardinas, 27, was a top prospect back in 2013-14 but hit .224/.274/.292 in 500 big league plate appearances from 2014-18. Gurka and Corcino both briefly reached the Majors between 2014-18, though they have only 40 2/3 total innings combined between them. Corcino does have a 3.97 ERA in his limited time, but he walked nearly as many hitters (13) as he struck out (16) in 22 2/3 innings.

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