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Gabe Kapler Gets Vote Of Confidence

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It hasn’t been a banner year for the Phillies, who’ve fallen short of expectations after an action-packed winter, but they’re not going to assign blame to manager Gabe Kapler. He’s not in danger of losing his job this season, general manager Matt Klentak told Matt Breen of the Philadelpia Inquirer and other reporters Monday.

A longtime major league outfielder, the 43-year-old Kapler’s in his second season atop the Phillies’ dugout. They brought in the analytically minded Kapler after a three-year run as the Dodgers’ director of player development. Kapler got off to a rocky start at the outset of his tenure as a big league manager in 2018, though his club rallied in the summer to hold a first-place spot in the National League East from July 6 through Aug. 12. The Phillies sat at 65-52 with a month and a half left in the season, but they collapsed from there to finish 80-82.

While last year didn’t end to the Phillies’ liking, there was no way they were going to move on from Kapler, who was in charge for the team’s best record since 2012. Instead, Klentak & Co. focused during the offseason on giving Kapler more pieces. The Phillies aggressively acquired the likes of Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson in free agency and trades. Aside from McCutchen, who suffered a season-ending torn left ACL three weeks ago, no one in that group has been as effective as they were a year ago.

Thanks in part to somewhat underwhelming production from their high-profile newcomers, not to mention shaky pitching, the Phillies are just 39-38. While the Phillies are 6 1/2 games back of the reigning NL East-winning Braves, they’re a mere one out of a wild-card spot. That gives the Kapler-led team a realistic chance to rally for a playoff spot even though it has lost six straight – including sweeps at the hands of sub-.500 division rivals Washington and Miami – and 16 of 22 overall.

Phillies Select Fernando Salas

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The Phillies announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran reliever Fernando Salas. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster, while fellow righty Enyel De Los Santos was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to clear a spot on the active roster.

Salas, 34, opened the season pitching in the Mexican League but signed a minor league contract with the Phillies a couple of weeks ago. Salas notched a terrific 30-to-4 K/BB ratio while pitching in Mexico and has been sharp for the Phils’ Triple-A club since signing. In 6 2/3 frames with Lehigh Valley, he’s allowed one earned run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Last season, Salas spent the bulk of the year with the Diamondbacks, logging a 4.50 ERA with 6.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 40 innings of relief. He’s a veteran of nine big league seasons and has thrown at least 30 2/3 frames at the MLB level every year dating back to his 2010 debut with the Cardinals. In 487 innings as a Major Leaguer, Salas owns a 3.90 ERA with averages of 8.7 strikeouts, 2.8 walks and 1.03 homers allowed per nine innings pitched. He’s tallied 30 saves in his career to along with 76 holds.

The Phillies have the equivalent of a full MLB bullpen on the injured list, but the team announced some encouraging news with regard to its bevy of injured relievers today. Per Scott Lauber of Philly.com (Twitter link), right-hander Tommy Hunter will throw 20-25 pitches in a rehab appearance at Double-A tomorrow, while David Robertson is playing catch today and could throw a bullpen session Wednesday.

Phillies Option Edubray Ramos, Recall Enyel De Los Santos

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The Phillies announced that they’ve optioned right-handed reliever Edubray Ramos to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalled righty Enyel De Los Santos. The latter will start for the Phillies on Sunday.

Ramos’ demotion continues a dud of a season for a hurler who was one of the Phillies’ top relievers in 2018. After posting a 2.32 ERA/3.54 FIP with 8.86 K/9 and 3.16 BB/9 in 42 2/3 innings last season, the 26-year-old has lost 2 mph on his fastball and his numbers have declined with it. He ran a 4.15 ERA/4.94 FIP with 6.23 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a subpar 28.6 percent groundball rate over 13 frames before the Phillies optioned him. Ramos also missed time earlier this season with biceps tendinitis, which may partially explain his 2019 drop-off.

Thanks to Ramos’ woes, not to mention a spate of injuries to other key relievers, Philly’s bullpen has fallen flat this season. The unit’s 4.73 ERA/5.01 FIP has helped lead to a disappointing start for the club after a headline-stealing winter. Losers of six straight, the Phillies are 39-37, though they’re still just a game out of a wild-card spot.

De Los Santos will try to right the ship for the pitching-needy team Sunday in his first-ever major league start. Acquired from the Padres for shortstop Freddy Galvis in December 2017, De Los Santos is MLB.com’s sixth-ranked Phillies prospect. There’s some question as to whether the 23-year-old will stick as a starter, though he has worked in that role in the minors.

So far this season, De Los Santos has totaled eight starts and 35 2/3 innings of 3.28 ERA pitching (with an ugly 5.24 FIP) with 11.1 K/9 and 3.28 BB/9 at the Triple-A level. He debuted with the Phillies earlier this season and tossed seven innings out of their bullpen over four appearances.

Pitcher Notes: J. Hicks, Phillies, Astros, Padres, A’s

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The latest on a slew of major league hurlers…

  • Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks is dealing with right triceps tendinitis, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. Hicks will undergo additional tests Sunday. One of the last things the Cardinals need is a long absence for the 22-year-old Hicks, who has put up a 3.14 ERA/3.17 FIP with 9.73 K/9, 3.45 BB/9, a whopping 67.2 percent groundball rate and 14 saves on 15 chances in 28 2/3 innings this season. Hicks is the hardest thrower in baseball, which has certainly aided in his success.
  • Phillies relievers David Robertson and Tommy Hunter are progressing toward returns, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. While Robertson hasn’t yet embarked on a rehab assignment, the hope is that he’ll rejoin the Phillies’ bullpen before the All-Star break. Robertson has been out since mid-April with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Meanwhile, Hunter’s in the early stages of a rehab stint. Hunter’s also working back from a right flexor strain, which has kept him out all season. The Phillies have guaranteed $41MM to Robertson and Hunter over the past two offseasons, but they’ve gotten just 6/2 3 innings from them this year (all from the former).
  • The Astros could activate righty Collin McHugh from the injured list Tuesday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. McHugh has been out since May 21 with right elbow discomfort. On the other hand, rehabbing reliever Joe Smith won’t return until after the All-Star break, manager A.J. Hinch said. Smith’s still on the mend from the left Achilles surgery he underwent last December.
  • Padres righty Dinelson Lamet could return next week, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The 26-year-old Lamet hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2018. Lamet was then coming off his own lone season in the majors, in which he registered a 4.57 ERA/4.35 FIP with 10.94 K/9 against 4.25 BB/9 across 114 1/3 innings and 21 starts.
  • The Athletics’ pitching staff, reeling from ace Frankie Montas’ suspension, may get righties Marco Estrada and Jharel Cotton back soon. Estrada, on the injured list since April 17 because of a lumbar strain in his back, threw his first bullpen Saturday since going on the IL, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He could be a second-half option for the Athletics, according to Slusser. Cotton’s on track to begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break, Slusser tweets. Cotton had been making encouraging progress in his recovery from March 2018 Tommy John surgery before he had to undergo a hamstring procedure earlier this month.

Phillies’ Maikel Franco Losing Playing Time

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Since 2015, the first season in which Maikel Franco received extensive major league action, he has been the Phillies’ top option at third base. However, Franco’s now in the throes of the second straight season in which he has fallen out of favor with Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, Matt Breen of the Philadelpia Inquirer observes.

After appearing in 150-plus games in each season from 2016-17, Franco dropped to 131 last year and has ridden the bench of late this season. The 26-year-old was almost the Phillies’ sole option at third base into late May, but he has lost his grip on the job since then. Scott Kingery, Sean Rodriguez and the just-acquired Brad Miller have begun eating into Franco’s playing time recently. Franco sat again Saturday in favor of Miller.

It’s not that surprising the Phillies are fed up with Franco, who’s coming off more and more like a one-shot wonder. While the 26-year-old looked like a foundational piece in the making at the outset of his career, his production has fallen flat since then. Thanks in part to his horrid .205/.275/.371 showing in 247 plate appearances this season, Franco has slashed .248/.300/.429 with a 90 wRC+ in 2,357 major league PA. Worsening matters, Franco hasn’t made up for his below-average offensive output with stellar work in the field, having accounted for minus-31 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-7.8 Ultimate Zone Rating at the hot corner in his career.

With Franco failing to contribute to their cause, the Phillies are a disappointing 39-37, putting them five games behind the NL East-leading Braves and a game and a half out of a wild-card spot. Third base may be a priority position entering the July 31 trade deadline for the Phillies, though they could move the versatile Kingery there on a full-time basis and acquire an outfielder instead. Either way, after an aggressive offseason, it’s clear the team’s not in an ideal position at the start of the summer.

Phillies Notes: Velasquez, Morgan, Bohm

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The latest out of Philadelphia…

  • The Phillies moved right-hander Vince Velasquez to their bullpen May 26, but they’re already giving him an opportunity to reclaim his old starting role. Velasquez will start Saturday, when he could “take control of the fifth spot for the time being,” manager Gabe Kapler told Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer and other reporters. The 24-year-old Velasquez hasn’t performed well as either a reliever or starter this season, evidenced by a 4.71 ERA/5.57 FIP in 42 innings. But with no obvious answer behind Aaron Nola, Jake Arrieta, Zach Eflin and Nick Pivetta, the Phillies are turning back to Velasquez. For the most part, Nola, Arrieta, Eflin and Pivetta haven’t been great either, which helps explain the Phillies’ recent tumble down the NL East standings. They’ve lost 13 of 19 since sitting a season-best 11 games over .500 on May 29, and now trail the division-leading Braves by 4 1/2 games.
  • Philadelphia announced Friday that it has reinstated reliever Adam Morgan from the 10-day injured list and optioned fellow lefty Cole Irvin to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Morgan missed just under a month with a left forearm strain. Before that, the former starter pitched to a 1.96 ERA (with a less shiny 3.93 FIP) and logged 8.84 K/9 against 2.45 BB/9 in 18 1/3 innings. Morgan’s return is a bit of good news for a Philly bullpen which is still dealing with injuries to David Robertson, Seranthony Dominguez, Pat Neshek, Victor Arano, Jerad Eickhoff and Tommy Hunter.
  • The Phillies have promoted young third baseman Alec Bohm to the Double-A level, per per the Inquirer’s Matt Breen. The 22-year-old Bohm opened the season at Single-A before jumping to High-A, where he raked with a .329/.395/.506 line (164 wRC+), four home runs, and 17 unintentional walks against 21 strikeouts in 177 plate appearances. Bohm, the third pick in last year’s draft and now MLB.com’s 39th-ranked prospect, could end up in the majors around September if he continues rolling in the minors, Breen writes. The Phillies are weak at third base, where Maikel Franco has managed awful production, though they could remedy that by the July 31 trade deadline instead of counting on Bohm as a late-season savior.

Phillies Likely To Place Pat Neshek On Injured List

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TODAY: Neshek has been placed on the 10-day IL, the Phillies announced today.  Left-hander Ranger Suarez was called up from Triple-A to take Neshek’s roster spot.

YESTERDAY: Phillies reliever Pat Neshek suffered a left hamstring strain in the team’s loss to the Nationals on Wednesday night. He’s likely heading to the 10-day injured list as a result, manager Gabe Kapler said (via Scott Lauber of Philly.com).

This will be the second IL placement of 2019 for Neshek, who went down May 25 with rotator cuff inflammation and just returned June 16. The 38-year-old hasn’t been available enough to the Phillies’ liking since they reunited with him on a two-year, $16.25MM pact entering 2018, nor has he been as effective as the team hoped.

Shoulder and forearm problems shelved Neshek until last July after he signed his deal. Dating back to then, the soft-tossing Neshek has posted a 3.46 ERA/4.32 FIP with 5.18 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 41 2/3 innings. Neshek was coming off a 62 1/3 inning-season of 1.59 ERA/1.86 FIP ball with 9.96 K/9 against .87 BB/9 divided between Philly and Colorado when the Phillies re-signed him.

The Phillies already have key relievers in David Robertson, Seranthony Dominguez, Adam Morgan and Tommy Hunter on the IL. Like Neshek, Robertson and Hunter recently joined the Phillies as pricey free-agent signings, though they also haven’t quite worked out for the club yet.

East Notes: Syndergaard, Giles, Eovaldi, Herrera, Marlins

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The Mets are optimistic the right hamstring strain that sent starter Noah Syndergaard to the 10-day injured list Sunday isn’t serious, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com relays. Syndergaard said Monday he’s in “tip-top” shape, while manager Mickey Callaway announced the right-hander’s dealing with a “low-grade” strain. Additionally, Callaway suggested righty Wilmer Font could take Syndergaard’s next turn in New York’s rotation. The 29-year-old Font has managed a 4.43 ERA/5.25 FIP with 5.31 K/9 and 3.98 BB/9 in 20 1/3 innings since the Mets acquired him from the Rays on May 6.

Here’s more from the East Coast…

  • Blue Jays closer Ken Giles went to the IL on June 12 with right elbow inflammation, an ominous-sounding injury for a pitcher. However, the Blue Jays don’t expect him to stay on the IL past the 10-day mark, manager Charlie Montoyo said Monday (via Scott Mitchell of TSN). That’s especially good news for Toronto considering Giles could be one of the game’s top trade chips leading up to the July 31 deadline. The hard-throwing 28-year-old has upped his stock this season with a brilliant 1.08 ERA/1.18 FIP, 15.12 K/9 against 2.52 BB/9, and 11 saves on 12 chances across 25 innings.
  • Injured Red Sox righty Nathan Eovaldi played catch for the first time since June 4 on Monday, but there’s still no timetable for his return, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Eovaldi underwent right elbow surgery April 21. The hope then was that Eovaldi would only miss four to six weeks, but the bicep soreness he has dealt with this month has delayed a comeback.
  • Major League Baseball announced Monday it has extended Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera’s administrative leave through July 1. This is the second time MLB has taken this action since it originally placed him on leave May 28, a day after Herrera was arrested on a simple assault charge relating to a domestic violence incident. MLB previously extended Herrera’s leave through today back on June 3.
  • Marlins southpaw Caleb Smith could return from the IL as early as this weekend, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio tweets. Smith went to the IL with left hip inflammation June 7. He was a much-needed bright spot for the club before then, evidenced by a 3.41 ERA/4.21 FIP with 11.18 K/9 and 2.73 BB/9 over 66 frames.

Phillies Activate Roman Quinn, Place Jerad Eickhoff On IL

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The Phillies announced a series of roster moves today, including the activation of outfielder Roman Quinn. He’ll take the place of fellow outfielder Nick Williams, who was optioned down.

Meanwhile, the Phils placed righty Jerad Eickhoff on the 10-day injured list with what the team is labeling right biceps tendinitis. He’ll be replaced for the time being by reliever Edgar Garcia.

Quinn, 26, has shown promise at times but has rarely stayed healthy long enough for a full assessment. The toolsy youngster is back from a groin strain that cost him a big chunk of the early portion of the season. He ought to have a solid opportunity in the run-up to the trade deadline to prove he deserves a steady outfield job.

Eickhoff returned well after a long injury layoff, but was recently been bumped to the bullpen after a rough stretch. His first relief recent outing was even worse, as he was bombed for five earned runs on six hits (including two long balls) while recording just three outs. He’ll get a chance to take a breather and try to build back towards the majors.

Phillies Outright Phil Gosselin

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The Phillies have outrighted infielder Phil Gosselin after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. He has been assigned to Triple-A, but still has the right to reject the assignment.

While the 30-year-old Gosselin brings a solid and versatile glove, he has never really come around fully with the bat. He’s slashing .262/.310/.356 in 629 career plate appearances in the majors. Gosselin is a .291 hitter in over a thousand trips to the dish at Triple-A, but only carries a .338 OBP and .399 slug at the highest level of the minors.

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