Rangers Sign Top Three Draft Picks
The Rangers have reached agreements with each of their top three picks from the recent Rule 4 draft, executive VP of communications John Blake announced on Twitter.
First selection Bubba Thompson was taken with the 26th overall pick, which comes with a roughly $2.45MM bonus allocation. He’ll get $2.1MM, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). The Alabama high-schooler ranked as high as 21st on the boards of draft analysts, earning that mark from Eric Longerhagen of Fangraphs, and drew a strong consensus as a top-thirty prospect. Thompson is noted for his excellent speed, center-field-capable glove, and burgeoning power.
The views were decidedly more divergent on shortstop Chris Seise, who went just three picks later with a comp selection. He’ll get a $2MM bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter), meaning that Texas will save $238,900 to allocate elsewhere. The Florida high schooler rated as low as 76th overall (ESPN.com’s Keith Law) due to a questionable bat, though the MLB.com analyst team placed him within the top 40 available players while expressing the view that his bat has “start[ed] to catch up to his other tools” as he has added strength.
Finally, with their second-round pick (#66, $926,500 allocation), the Rangers took righty Hans Crouse. The prep hurler, who had been committed to USC, out-ranked Seise on all the major pre-draft boards and drew consensus top-forty billing. While there’s still a need for some refinement, Crouse is said to possess a top-end power arm. He’ll take down an above-slot, $1.45MM bonus, per Grant (on Twitter) — essentially absorbing the savings from the prior two picks.
Rangers Designate Dillon Gee, Activate Tyson Ross, Option Jurickson Profar
The Rangers announced that righty Dillon Gee was designated for assignment. The move was made to open a roster spot for Tyson Ross, who has been activated off of the 60-day DL to make his debut for the club.
Texas has announced a withering array of other moves as well. Former top prospect Jurickson Profar was optioned to Triple-A along with fellow utility option Ryan Rua, while righty Tony Barnette hit the DL with a sprained right ring finger. Those moves cleared space for the activation of Carlos Gomez and Mike Napoli, as well as the recall of southpaw Dario Alvarez.
Gee, 31, has helped Texas bridge the gap to Ross, who was signed after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery. The Rangers got 13 frames of 4.15 ERA pitching from Gee, though he didn’t inspire much confidence while on the hill. Gee allowed 17 hits and six walks while recording ten strikeouts during his stint.
Hopes are high for Ross, who was once a top-quality starter for the Padres. He’ll take the MLB mound for the first time since Opening Day of 2016, looking to make good on the $6MM commitment he received over the winter from the Rangers while also trying to set himself up for another foray into free agency.
Ross’s rehab had been slowed by lower-back tightness, which extended his DL stint past what had originally been anticipated. He also wasn’t very successful in four outings at Triple-A Round Rock, coughing up 16 earned runs on 23 hits with as many walks (11) as strikeouts through 18 2/3 innings.
Otherwise, the day’s maneuvering is most notable for the 24-year-old Profar. The former top prospect has struggled mightily this year, slashing an anemic .137/.279/.137 in 62 plate appearances. While his defensive versatility remains appealing, the ongoing failures at the plate have significantly clouded Profar’s future in Texas.
Rangers Debated Cutting Jeffress Before Moving Dyson
- Prior to trading designating Sam Dyson for assignment and trading him to the Giants, the Rangers also gave consideration to cutting right-hander Jeremy Jeffress loose, Heyman writes. However, Texas deemed Jeffress more likely to rebound from his struggles and kept him on the roster. I’d imagine that as was the case with Dyson, Jeffress would draw trade interest elsewhere based on his track record and 2016 success.
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Injury Notes: Shields, Walker, Harvey, Johnson, Zobrist, Skaggs, Hamels, Cosart, Urias
The White Sox will activate righty James Shields to make a start on Sunday, as JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago reports (Twitter links). That’ll leave plenty of time for the veteran to show not only that he’s back from a lat strain, but also that he still has some gas left in the tank. Shields, 35, turned in three solid starts to open the year after a terrible 2016 season. Possible trade suitors will be looking to see whether he can manage extended productivity between now and the deadline.
Here’s more on the injury front:
- Mets second baseman Neil Walker appeared to suffer a left hamstring injury while trying to leg out a bunt single in tonight’s game. The club did not reveal any details in an official announcement, though the team did state that Walker is already slated to undergo an MRI tomorrow. Not coincidentally, perhaps, infielder Gavin Cecchini was removed from the Triple-A Las Vegas lineup, as Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review Journal tweets.
- There were also some fresh concerns on the pitching side of the equation for the Mets. Matt Harvey was hooked after four innings and 58 pitches, as David Lennon of Newsday reports (Twitter links). He’ll head in for a medical check tomorrow after what he called a “fatigued” outing in which his fastball velocity dropped as low as 87 mph — a level that, per Harvey, he hadn’t visited since he was a freshman in high school. Also, before the game, the Mets placed lefty Josh Smoker on the DL with a left shoulder strain. New York was forced to lean on the reliever for four innings and 81 pitches last night. Righty Rafael Montero will return to the majors in his stead.
- The Red Sox saw another starter leave with an injury tonight, as southpaw Brian Johnson exited with what the team is calling left shoulder discomfort, as Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports. While all involved expressed hope that the issue wouldn’t turn out to be anything significant, Johnson will be given a full checkup in Boston tomorrow to be sure.
- The Cubs are weighing a DL move for Ben Zobrist, as Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report. His left wrist isn’t healing up as hoped, so Zobrist will be looked at more closely tomorrow. If he’s not able to suit up, then a DL placement seems likely.
- There’s some positive news on Angels southpaw Tyler Skaggs. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets, the 25-year-old is heading to the team’s spring complex with an eye on making back to the majors by early July. Hell be hoping to finally put an end to the string of injuries that have slowed his promising career. Skaggs is currently working back from an oblique strain.
- Also now looking toward a return is Rangers lefty Cole Hamels. As Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, Hamels could take a rehab start on Friday — the same day that Tyson Ross is set to make his Rangers debut. That could potentially line Hamels up to return to the majors before month’s end. That’s promising news for a Texas team that is off to a middling start to the season. The Rangers are also likely to welcome back first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Carlos Gomez in the coming days.
- Things aren’t looking as promising for Padres righty Jarred Cosart. According to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, on Twitter, Cosart has been diagnosed with a flexor strain. He’s not yet ready to begin throwing and will partake in some rehab efforts at the club’s spring facility.
- Finally, the Dodgers are holding their breath as prized young lefty Julio Urias reports to Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a look at his shoulder. As Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links), soreness in the joint has forced the 20-year-old to the DL at Triple-A. Things haven’t gone as hoped this year for Urias, who showed immense promise in 2016. He largely struggled in five MLB starts and was carrying higher-than-usual walk totals at Triple-A.
Hamels Nearing Rehab Assignment
- Cole Hamels is on the verge of embarking on a minor league rehab assignment, as Richard Dean writes for MLB.com. The Rangers southpaw tossed two sets of 15 pitches in a bullpen session today and “came out good,” per Texas skipper Jeff Banister. Hamels threw fastballs and breaking balls in today’s session and, depending how he feels in the coming days, may not require further bullpens before his rehab stint begins. He’s been sidelined since early May due to an oblique issue and was originally slated to miss roughly eight weeks.
Rangers Acquire Joely Rodriguez
The Rangers have acquired lefty Joely Rodriguez from the Phillies, per announcements from the organizations. Cash or a player to be named later will go back in return for Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment last week.
Rodriguez, 25, will head to Triple-A on optional assignment with his new organization. He’ll provide a depth option for a Texas club that has received strong contributions from southpaw Alex Claudio but may at some point see fit to add another lefty option to the pen.
After showing well in his first dozen major league games last year, Rodriguez opened the current season in the Phillies’ pen. But he struggled to a 6.33 ERA in 27 frames, coughing up 37 base hits while carrying a subpar 18:15 K/BB ratio. That said, Rodriguez has shown the capability to generate big groundball rates with his power sinker.
Tyson Ross' Return Imminent
- A pitcher whose return date appears to be closer is the Rangers‘ Tyson Ross, who told reporters, including MLB.com’s TR Sullivan (on Twitter), that he’s ready to make his 2017 big-league debut. (The team hasn’t yet set a date for his first start.) The Rangers signed Ross to a one-year deal last offseason knowing it was uncertain when he’d be able to pitch after having surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome. With Ross having four Triple-A rehab starts under his belt, it appears that moment is soon to arrive. Ross, of course, had a great three-year run with the Padres from 2013 through 2015, posting a 3.07 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in over 500 innings during that span. It remains to be seen how he’ll pitch after missing most of the last season and a half with arm trouble, however.
Latest On Adrian Beltre's Ankle Injury
- As expected, the Rangers officially called Jurickson Profar up from Triple-A but lefty Dario Alvarez was demoted in the corresponding move, as the club is still waiting to see on Adrian Beltre‘s bad ankle. Beltre told Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Tribune (Twitter link) that he could sit out through the weekend but be available off the bench as a pinch-hitter. Beltre only just returned to action after spending much of the season on the DL with a calf injury, playing in seven games before suffering his ankle problem on Tuesday.
Latest On Shohei Otani
A legitimate sense of mystery shrouds Japanese star Shohei Otani, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, as Major League scouts and general managers have no idea whether the 22-year-old phenom will actually enter the posting system and leap to Major League Baseball this offseason. Passan spoke to at least five general managers and multiple scouts for his extensive column, which I’d highly recommend reading in full.
There’s skepticism that Otani will actually leave NPB this offseason, as doing so would mean subjecting himself to MLB’s newly reconfigured international bonus system, which will undoubtedly cost him more than $200MM. Otani’s maximum payday this winter would be $10.1MM, Passan notes, and while many have speculated about Otani quickly signing a multi-year extension after inking his initial deal, that may not be likely. Passan cites multiple “high-ranking sources at MLB” in reporting that “the league expects to be vigilant to ensure the sanctity of the system is not made a mockery by extralegal payments.” Then again, Major League Baseball intervening in a contract would certainly be a bad look, and Passan wonders if the league would actually follow through on such an extreme measure.
[Related: Scouting Shohei Otani]
Passan’s survey of big league front offices and scouting departments resulted in many within the game speculatively connecting the Rangers, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Yankees, Cubs and Astros to Otani, although the clear takeaway is that no one really knows who the favorite would be. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune, in fact, suggests that the connection to the Padres is largely overblown (all Twitter links), especially considering the fact that they’d be limited to a $300K signing bonus.
Several American League clubs believe themselves to have an inside edge over their National League rivals due to Otani’s desire to continue as a two-way player in MLB, Passan continues. Serving as a DH and then pitching every fifth day seems more feasible than playing the outfield between starts.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Otani has yet to even pitch in 2017 and has been limited to eight games as a designated hitter. Otani missed the World Baseball Classic due to an ankle injury and has yet to take the mound because a hamstring injury that Japanese media outlet Sponichi recently reported would keep him out until at least July. A recent report from Japan’s Nikkan Sports revealed that Otan threw a 31-pitch bullpen session but did so at a distance of less than the standard 60 feet and did not throw at full strength.
The injury isn’t likely to be a significant detriment to Otani’s market, though. Teams familiar with Otani are well versed in his repertoire and his skills at the plate, having seen him extensively in the past. The questions stemming from his injury wouldn’t center around a lack of ability to gather relevant scouting data, but rather whether interested teams need to have long-term concerns about these injuries either lingering or recurring. And all of that, of course, assumes he even enters the posting system this winter in the first place, which is hardly a given.
Rangers To Promote Profar; Beltre May Require DL Stint
- With Adrian Beltre possibly looking at a DL stint, the Rangers will recall Jurickson Profar from Triple-A, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports. Beltre didn’t make his 2017 debut until May 29 due to a lingering calf injury, and collected at least one hit in all seven games he played before suffering an ankle injury on Tuesday. Profar began the season on Texas’ roster but hit just .135/.289/.135 in 46 PA before being demoted to Triple-A.