Rays Activate Jose Alvarado
The Rays have reinstated left-hander Jose Alvarado from the injured list and optioned righty Austin Pruitt to Triple-A Durham, the team announced.
Alvarado’s back after missing over a month with a right oblique strain, which has sidelined him since July 6. It’s generally been a trying summer for the 24-year-old Alvarado, who previously missed almost all of June after going on the restricted list because of a family issue. Alvarado had been amid a solid season over its first couple months, as he held a 3.09 ERA as of June 1. While Alvarado has only taken the ball four times since then, opposing offenses have inflicted significant damage to his numbers. He’s now the owner of a 5.06 ERA through 26 2/3 innings on the year.
Alvarado, to his credit, has posted a respectable 3.78 FIP, notched 11.48 K/9 and averaged 98.5 mph on his fastball. But he still hasn’t been the force he was last year, a 64-inning campaign in which Alvarado recorded a 2.39 ERA/2.27 FIP with 11.25 K/9, 4.08 BB/9 and a 55 percent groundball rate. Alvarado’s grounder percentage has shrunk to 45.6 this season, which has helped lead to a notable increase in home runs. After allowing HRs on a meager 2.4 percent of fly balls in 2018, he’s up to 9.5 this year.
Despite Alvarado’s difficult and shortened season, the Rays continue to own a playoff spot in the American League, where they have a two-game lead on the last wild-card position. Alvarado had spent time as their closer earlier this year, but righty Emilio Pagan has been successful in that role in recent weeks.
East Notes: Red Sox, Mets, Diaz, Rays, Jays
The Red Sox are going to have to “be creative” in the near future when it comes to drawing up a plan for their floundering rotation, manager Alex Cora said Sunday (via Chad Jennings of The Athletic; subscription required). The club has six days off in the next three weeks, which will enable it to skip certain starters, but there’s no denying Boston’s in trouble. The reigning world champions are what could be an insurmountable 7 1/2 games back of an American League wild-card spot, in part because their rotation has endured a Murphy’s Law year. Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez have arguably been the Red Sox’s best starters, but the former hasn’t been the dominant ace we’ve grown accustomed to watching, and the latter has been more good than great. Meantime, David Price is on the injured list (and went through a horrid stretch before hitting the shelf Aug. 8), former Cy Young winner Rick Porcello has been horrid, and the pre-trade deadline acquisition of Andrew Cashner has blown up in the team’s face.
Here’s more from the East Coast…
- Despite his ongoing struggles, the sizzling Mets aren’t considering demoting reliever Edwin Diaz to the minors, according to Andy Martino of SNY. The hyped offseason acquisition has surrendered at least one earned run in five of his past six outings, contributing to a horrendous 5.60 ERA in 45 innings on the season. That’s almost four runs higher than the 1.96 ERA the hard-throwing Diaz posted in his final season as a Mariner last year. Most of Diaz’s other numbers have also gone way downhill, though he has still struck out 14.6 batters per nine.
- The sprained right hand Rays outfielder Tommy Pham is “something he’s going to have to manage” through the end of the season, skipper Kevin Cash said Sunday (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). The Rays don’t expect Pham to land on the injured list, but it seems the sprain has negatively affected his production. He’s just 5 for 30 since suffering the injury, though Pham’s still batting a strong .266/.365/.440 with 16 home runs and 13 steals in 485 plate appearances on the season.
- Blue Jays executive vice president, business operations Andrew Miller has joined the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings as their chief operating officer, Adam Schefter of ESPN tweets. Miller had been with the Blue Jays since 2016. His familiarity with Jays president of baseball operations Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins dates back to their time in Cleveland’s front office. For more on the Vikings and the NFL, visit ProFootballRumors.com.
Rays Sign Dylan Cozens To Two-Year Minor League Deal
The Rays have signed former Phillies OF Dylan Cozens to a two-year minor-league deal, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.
The hulking Cozens, 25, has missed much of the ’19 season with a toe injury that ultimately required surgery in mid-May. Prior to hitting the shelf, the former second-round pick had slashed .167/.333/.462 for Triple-A Lehigh-Valley, with an extreme 20.2% BB/ 42.4% K plate-discipline profile.
Cozens, who’s had trouble finding a position throughout his minor-league tenure with the Phils, famously smashed 40 homers in 134 2016 games in AA-Reading’s bandbox of a park. After a too-aggressive approach early in his minor league career, the lefty’s tightened things up, posting walk rates above 10% in each of the last four seasons. In a 44 plate-appearance cameo for last season’s Phils, Cozens posted just a 58 wRC+ while punching out nearly 55% of the time.
Yandy Diaz Suffers Setback
Rays infielder Yandy Diaz has suffered a setback in his attempt to rehab back from a foot injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). He’s expected to be shut down for six to eight weeks before resuming baseball activities.
The club says that Diaz is dealing with a hairline fracture of the navicular bone in his left foot. While he won’t need surgery, the injury will require time to heal.
Given the timing, it’s hard to imagine that Diaz will make it back to the playing field this season. That has not been ruled out officially, but even a late-September resumption of baseball activities wouldn’t seem to leave time for Diaz to ramp back up to game speed.
It’s quite unfortunate news for the Tampa Bay organization and the 28-year-old Diaz. He had been providing quality all-around work from both corner infield slots. Through 344 plate appearances, Diaz carries a strong .270/.343/.480 slash line with 14 home runs.
Fortunately, the Rays have quite a few options at the hot corner. Matt Duffy and Mike Brosseau are probably the top candidates, with Daniel Robertson another possibility on the 40-man. The second/third-base mix also includes two other currently IL’ed players in Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle.
Rays Place Yonny Chirinos On 10-Day IL
The Rays announced today that righty Yonny Chirinos is headed to the 10-day injured list with an inflamed middle finger in his pitching hand (via MLB.com’s Juan Toribio, on Twitter). Fellow right-hander Austin Pruitt is coming up to take the open roster spot.
Details of the injury aren’t fully clear, but it seems the Tampa Bay org is anticipating a reasonably lengthy absence. Chirinos will be shut down for at least two weeks’ time, with skipper Kevin Cash announcing that Chirinos is expected to be sidelined for more than a month, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links).
After a strong debut showing in 2018, the 25-year-old Chirinos has thrown 126 2/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball this year. He’s average 7.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 with a 43.8% groundball rate. Those peripherals don’t exactly leap off the page, and Statcast numbers indicate the results may be on the fortunate side (.286 wOBA-against vs. .318 xwOBA-against). Still, Chirinos has impressed.
Chirinos has been an increasingly important part of a Rays staff that has lost two key starters to injury. There’s still no update on Tyler Glasnow; last we heard, there was increasing concern he might not make it back this year. As for Blake Snell, he told reporters (including Topkin) that his bone-chip removal procedure went well. His precise timeline won’t begin to gain clarity until the inflammation in his elbow subsides.
Quick Hits: Diaz, Rays, Prospects, Stanek, Black
Edwin Diaz‘s struggles may finally be loosening his grip on the Mets‘ closing job, as manager Mickey Callaway told reporters (including Newsday’s Tim Healey) that “I don’t think we can lock ourselves in to one thing” in terms of who pitches the ninth inning. “Moving forward, it’s just something that we’re going to do whatever we can to win a game that night,” Callaway said. After a dominant 2018 season with the Mariners, Diaz’s first season in Queens has been a borderline disaster, with a 5.44 ERA inflated by a 22.2% home run rate and a huge increase in the righty’s hard-hit ball rate. Just when it seemed like Diaz might have been turning a corner by tossing six scoreless innings over a seven-game stretch in July, he proceeded to allow at least one earned run in each of his last four outings.
This would seem to open the door for Seth Lugo to receive save opportunities, as Callaway said that Lugo also isn’t operating out of an assigned role. Lugo has been the Mets’ best reliever this season, and could be shifted into closer duties or (if the Mets strayed from the traditional closer role) be saved only for highest-leverage situations, whether those are in the ninth inning or earlier in the game.
Here’s more as we begin a new week…
- The Rays‘ busy trade deadline is explored by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, who includes the detail that the club wasn’t willing to discuss moving many of their top prospects, including Wander Franco, Brendan McKay, Vidal Brujan and Matthew Liberatore. Jesus Sanchez was the only member of that top tier who seemed to be on the block, and indeed it was Sanchez who was dealt along with Ryne Stanek to the Marlins in exchange for Trevor Richards and Nick Anderson.
- Meanwhile, Stanek’s erstwhile role as an opener factored into the Rays‘ decision to trade the right-hander. Interestingly, Topkin writes that the Rays “shed the uncertainty of his opener-influenced arbitration case in 2021,” which promises to be a fascinating test case for how an arbiter could put a financial precedent on a new role within the game. As Topkin notes, Stanek has been much better as an opener (2.71 ERA in 83 innings) than in a normal relief role (4.73 ERA in 59 innings).
- The Brewers believe they might have a hidden gem in trade deadline acquisition Ray Black, as president of baseball operations David Stearns told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Black has “as good…stuff as any reliever in the game.” Black had only a 6.04 ERA over 25 1/3 career Major League innings as a member of the Giants, due in part to five homers allowed in that brief stint. However, he also struck out 38 batters with his blazing fastball, and also posted a 3.70 ERA, 2.83 K/BB rate, and 16.8 K/9 over 153 1/3 career frames in the minors. Between that live arm and those strikeout totals, Stearns thinks Black can blossom in Milwaukee, and pointed to a relatively healthy season for Black in 2019 as a positive development after multiple years shortened by injuries. “The most important thing for him is keeping him on the field….He has changed some of his training regimens over the last year, and that seems to have helped. We’re hoping and optimistic that we can help keep him healthy,” Stearns said.
Injury Notes: Cano, Chirinos, Sanchez, Suter
Robinson Cano went 3-for-3 in the Mets‘ 13-2 win over the Pirates today, though the veteran infielder’s big day was tarnished by a left hamstring strain. Cano had to be removed from the game after suffering the injury while running the bases during a fourth-inning single. An MRI is scheduled for Monday, and it seems likely that Cano will face the third injured-list stint of the season due to his left leg — a pair of quad injuries sidelined the veteran second baseman earlier in the year. While Cano is still hitting only .252/.295/.415 over 346 PA this season, he was in the midst of a hot streak at the plate, as Sunday marked his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.
We’ve already had quite a bit of injury news from around the game today, and here are updates on some other situations…
- Yonny Chirinos‘ start was cut short after five innings and 63 pitches today due to right middle finger inflammation. Chirinos will undergo tests on Monday, though the Rays right-hander told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters that he doesn’t think his finger is a major concern. Today’s outing boosted Chirinos to a 3.62 ERA and 7.82 K/9 (against just a 1.99 BB/9) over 126 2/3 innings this season, as Chirinos has increasingly been used in a traditional starting pitching role rather than as the “bulk pitcher” behind an opener. Chirinos’ emergence has helped a Rays rotation that has continued to rely heavily on openers and bullpen games, particularly with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow both on the injured list.
- Gary Sanchez is tentatively scheduled to return to the Yankees’ lineup during their series with the Blue Jays from August 8-11, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets. Sanchez is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment, in the wake of a left groin strain that sent him to the IL on July 24. At the time of the injury, Sanchez was suffering through a brutal slump that had seen him post only a .370 OPS over his previous 93 plate appearances, which dropped his season slash line to .229/.299/.508 over 328 PA.
- After beginning a minor league rehab assignment for the Brewers‘ rookie league affiliate, left-hander Brent Suter will continue the process at Double-A, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Suter underwent Tommy John surgery in late July 2017 and is still hopeful of returning to the hill for the Brewers before the season is over. The soft-tossing Suter posted a 3.91 ERA, 3.54 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 204 2/3 innings for Milwaukee from 2016-18, overcoming his lack of velocity by becoming a master at generating soft contact from opposing batters.
Pitcher Notes: Kluber, Stripling, Alvarado
Indians fans will be relieved to hear that Corey Kluber was back to throwing darts at Progressive Field again on Saturday–even if Kluber’s teammates weren’t set to take the field for several hours. Before Cleveland’s game with the Angels today, the decorated hurler threw roughly 35 pitches in a simulated game setting, according to a report from Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. While facing three batters from the organization’s Double-A Akron affiliate, Kluber was able to get his fastball up to 89 mph, which manager Terry Francona saw as encouraging progress. “I was kinda surprised [Kluber] was actually at that point, just because [of] the lack of what he’s been doing for three months,” Francona told reporters. Kluber has been sidelined since May 1st with a non-displaced fracture to his arm’s ulna bone–an injury he suffered when struck by a comebacker off the bat of Miami’s Brian Anderson. After the Progressive session, Francona said Kluber would start his rehab assignment in the minors on Thursday.
More hurler hat tips from around the web…
- Dodgers righty Ross Stripling was also seen on the mend today, as a “max effort” bullpen session didn’t seem to produce any pain in his injured neck and biceps, according to Orange County Register writer Bill Plunkett (Twitter link). Manager Dave Roberts later told Plunkett that Stripling would make an appearance with the club’s affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, with the team still uncertain of his post-activation role on the roster (link). Of course, the Texas A&M product has shown comfort in his career thus far in both bullpen and starting roles: since his debut in 2016, Stripling has posted a 3.24 ERA in 125 career relief innings, contrasted with a respectable 3.70 ERA in 248 starting frames.
- Sidelined Rays reliever Jose Alvarado told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he will likely rejoin his team next weekend for a slate of games against the Mariners, after completing two scheduled rehab appearances with Tampa affiliates (Twitter link). Juan Toribio of MLB.com further elucidates that Alvarado (oblique) will pitch tomorrow for High-A Charlotte–welcome news for a Rays team that has been without the strikeout-inducing arm of Alvarado since July 7th. The Tampa pen unit has pitched well in the last week following a rough July, but would surely benefit from the inclusion of Alvarado into a mix that was augmented greatly by the team’s moves at the MLB trade deadline.
AL East Notes: Lowe, Mancini, Fisher
The Rays‘ decision to option Nate Lowe back to Triple-A Durham following the trade deadline was a “very tough call,” manager Kevin Cash tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. With the acquisition of Jesus Aguilar, however, the Rays had three first basemen on the roster and Ji-Man Choi‘s lack of minor league options once again came into play. Tampa Bay seems loath to risk losing Choi on waivers, but Lowe has handily outperformed him at the plate so far, hitting .294/.362/.510 to Choi’s .265/.361/.423. Choi has shown better knowledge of the strike zone, but Lowe nevertheless appears to be the better offensive option between the two (even if he’s had some good fortune in terms of a .362 average on balls in play). Cash expects that Lowe will be back up with the club “soon,” but that redundancy will eventually be an issue the Rays need to address.
More out of the AL East…
- Trey Mancini remains in Baltimore after the trade deadline, but the decision not to move him doesn’t mean an extension is the next step for the slugger. “Looking at contract extensions is just not at the forefront of my plate right now,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias tells MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, “but certainly he’s an attractive guy to have here for a while.” It’s not the first time that Elias, hired to spearhead the Orioles’ rebuild this offseason, has suggested that he views Mancini as a potential long-term piece. But Mancini is already controlled through 2022 — his age-30 season. Given that he won’t even reach arbitration until this winter, there’s simply not much urgency to extend Mancini, even if he’s in the midst of the best season of his young career. Through 443 plate appearances, Mancini has posted a robust .282/.343/.539 slash (130 OPS+) with a career-high 25 home runs. Elias also praised the recent play of outfielder Anthony Santander the manner in which he has begun to establish himself as a viable big league hitter.
- The Blue Jays have a crowded outfield mix, but newly acquired Derek Fisher is going to get regular playing time and an opportunity to establish himself as a fixture in the Toronto outfield, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet writes. Most of Fisher’s reps will come in center or right field, as Toronto doesn’t want to disrupt Lourdes Gurriel Jr.‘s transition to left field (or his offensive breakout). That leaves Fisher, Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk and Billy McKinney vying for playing time between center, right and occasional reps at DH. Hernandez has been on an otherworldly tear, clubbing seven homers and three doubles in his past 15 games, which should help to keep him in the lineup. If there’s to be an odd man out, McKinney seems the likeliest candidate, given that he has minor league options remaining. But the semi logjam also serves as a reminder that Randal Grichuk hasn’t performed anywhere near as well as hoped in the first season of the head-scratching extension to which the Jays signed him back in April. He’s played solid defense, but Grichuk hasn’t exactly seized an everyday role with his .232/.290/.418 batting line.
Giants Acquire Joe McCarthy From Rays
Outfield prospect Joe McCarthy will head from Tampa to San Francisco, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Lefty Jacob Lopez will head to the Rays in the swap, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Tampa’s well-publicized 40-man crunch attracted no shortage of sharks from around the league, with the super-active Giants the latest to take a bite. McCarthy, who checked in at #14 on a comically-deep Rays list at FanGraphs this offseason, has struggled tremendously in the homer-happy International League this season, slashing just .196/.335/.385 in what’s been his first extended professional slump thus far (the 6’3 lefty had destroyed AAA pitching in a short stint last season before his campaign was cut short by back and hand injuries). Still, encouraging signs remain – the ever-patient lefty is still walking in nearly 16% of his at-bats while running an unsustainably low .256 BABIP. The former University of Virginia product “may be this decade’s Nick Johnson,” per the site, which heralds his “exceptional” secondary skills and ability to handle either outfield corner in addition to first base.
It’s the latest in a series of low-risk, high-reward moves for the Giants, who also today acquired Triple-A masher Jaylin Davis in the Sam Dyson deal with the Twins and picked up Scooter Gennett from Cincinnati for a next-to-nothing return. President of Baseball Ops Farhan Zaidi’s longstanding affinity for the platoon should eventually make room for both Davis and McCarthy at a corner spot, where they’ll look to follow in the ever-enlarging shoes of comparably overlooked pickups Alex Dickerson, Mike Yastrzemski, and Donovan Solano.
Lopez, 21, is a 6’4 lefty who’s yet to make it to full-season ball. In 41 2/3 innings for Short-Season Salem-Keizer, Lopez’s set down 39 men and walked just seven. He doesn’t crack the team’s top 30 prospect list at any major outlet.