Cubs Rumors

NL Central Notes: Greene, Reds, Stephenson, Pirates, Newman, Frazier, Cubs

By Mark Polishuk | May 15, 2022 at 6:28pm CDT

The Pirates’ 1-0 win over the Reds today will go down perhaps the most unusual game of the 2022 season, as Pittsburgh won without a single hit. Reds starter Hunter Greene tossed 7 1/3 innings of hitless ball, but was pulled after 118 pitches and after issuing consecutive walks during the eighth inning. Reliever Art Warren entered the game and issued another walk, then Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in the game’s only run via a fielder’s choice. The Reds lineup, meanwhile, was held to only four hits, with Bucs starter Jose Quintana doing much of the work in shutting Cincinnati out over seven innings.

Since the Bucs didn’t need to bat in the bottom of the ninth, the official threshold of nine hitless innings wasn’t met, so Greene and Warren won’t be credited with a no-hitter. This oddity marks just the sixth time since 1901 that a team has won despite going hitless, and ironically, the Reds were on the other side of the equation in the first such instance. Back on April 23, 1964, the Reds collected a 1-0 win over the Houston Colt .45s even though Houston’s Ken Johnson held Cincinnati hitless over nine full innings of work — a pair of ninth-inning errors led to the Reds’ only run.

Cubs Place Nico Hoerner On Injured List, Activate Andrelton Simmons

By Darragh McDonald | May 15, 2022 at 2:40pm CDT

The Cubs announced to reporters, including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, that shortstop Nico Hoerner has been placed on the injured list with a right ankle sprain retroactive to May 12. Swapping places with Hoerner is shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who will come off the injured list.

It’s surely a frustrating series of events for Hoerner and Cubs’ fans. Any injury is frustrating, of course, but this one was suffered when Hoerner collided with umpire Dan Iassogna during a recent game. Through 29 games on the season, he’s hitting .271/.293/.396, wRC+ of 94. It’s a rarity for his plate appearances to conclude with the ball in the catcher’s mitt behind him, as Hoerner has an incredibly low walk rate of 2%, as well as a very low 14.1% strikeout rate. No timeline has been given for his recovery process.

As for Simmons, he was signed by the Cubs to a one-year contract that will pay him $4MM plus incentives. However, shoulder soreness has kept him on the IL for the entire season until now, meaning he’s yet to play in a game as a Cub. He has always provided elite defense but has rarely provided much with the bat. Last year with the Twins, his batting line was .223/.283/.274. Although that adds up to a meager 56 wRC+, FanGraphs still believed him to be worth o.8 wins above replacement on account of his glovework.

Injury Notes: Votto, Meadows, Canning, Howard

By Mark Polishuk | May 14, 2022 at 10:45pm CDT

Decked out in a snazzy Dr. Strange jersey for a “Marvel Night” promotion, Joey Votto played the first game of a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville tonight. Votto was placed on the COVID-related injured list on May 3, and Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon) that “it’s really hard for me to know” exactly how long Votto’s rehab assignment will last. The veteran slugger will play today and tomorrow for the Bats, and Bell seemed to imply that it could be a somewhat lengthy stint, saying “it was encouraging that he’s playing tonight. Not too long ago, he wasn’t feeling well.”

Sheldon believes Votto could be activated from the IL when the Reds visit his hometown of Toronto on May 20-22. Obviously the top priority is simply that Votto is healthy and can get properly prepared for his return, but this absence could also serve as a reset for the 38-year-old’s season. Pretty much everything has gone wrong for the Reds thus far in 2022, including Votto’s ice-cold .122/.278/.135 slash line over his first 90 plate appearances.

More on other injury situations from around baseball…

Griffin Canning has spent the entire season on the 60-day IL due to a stress reaction in his lower back, and he felt some discomfort during a recent two-inning simulated game. Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register) that it’s a relatively minor setback that won’t require any more testing, but Canning is “going to take a little more time with our medical staff in Anaheim and we’ll take it day by day.” June 6 is Canning’s first eligible day to leave the injured list. The 26-year-old (and former top 100 prospect) has a 4.73 ERA over 209 1/3 career innings with the Angels, a tenure highlighted by a Gold Glove in the 2020 season. With the Angels intending to keep their six-man rotation going for the remainder of the year, the Halos will need Canning healthy to provide extra depth in the coming months.
Austin Meadows has missed the Tigers’ last two games due to what the outfielder described as vertigo-like symptoms and a sensation of spinning. “I don’t know if it’s an infection or just inner ear dizziness,” Meadows told The Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold and other reporters. Referring to missing three of four games during a recent series against the Astros, Meadows said “I was pretty sick in Houston. I had a sinus infection, so I don’t know if it’s a residual effect from that, or whatever is it.” On the plus side, Meadows did a normal set of baseball drills prior to today’s game, so he might not be far away from a return. Meadows has hit .270/.365/.350 over 115 PA, good for a 120 wRC+ that is easily the best of any regular in the offensively-challenged Detroit lineup.
Cubs prospect Ed Howard’s season is in jeopardy after suffering a hip injury in a High-A game earlier this week. While trying to avoid a tag at first base, Howard fell to the ground in awkward fashion and was in obvious pain on the field. Howard and the organization are still trying to determine the next course of action in dealing with the injury, but speaking to The Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro and other reporters, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer implied Howard’s 2022 campaign was over, saying “It’s a shame that his season is going to be cut short.” The 20-year-old shortstop was the 16th overall pick of the 2020 draft, and is currently ranked 14th by MLB Pipeline and 18th by Baseball America on the pundits’ lists of the top prospects in Chicago’s farm system. Howard’s bat is still a work in progress, but Pipeline cites him as “one of the best defenders in the entire minors.”

Mariners Option Jarred Kelenic, Claim Adrian Sampson

By Anthony Franco | May 13, 2022 at 3:04pm CDT

The Mariners announced this afternoon they’ve claimed right-hander Adrian Sampson off waivers from the Cubs. They’ve also selected outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the big leagues in place of Jarred Kelenic, who was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle also reinstated Sergio Romo from the 10-day injured list, optioned Danny Young and designated Stuart Fairchild and Yohan Ramirez for assignment to clear 40-man roster space for Sampson and Souza.

Kelenic’s demotion is the most notable of Seattle’s spate of moves. A former sixth overall pick and top prospect, Kelenic has yet to produce against big league pitching. He struggled to a .181/.265/.350 line over his first 377 MLB plate appearances last season, striking out in 28.1% of his trips while hitting only .216 on balls in play. The M’s surely hoped to see more from the left-handed hitting outfielder in the early going this season, but that hasn’t yet been the case.

Through 30 games, Kelenic owns just a .140/.219/.291 mark. The youngster has gone down on strikes 36 times while making contact on only 67.8% of his swings. That’s the 12th-lowest contact rate among 192 batters with at least 90 plate appearances, and the M’s have decided it’s time for a reset against Triple-A arms. It’s the second time in as many years that Kelenic has been optioned after scuffling against MLB pitching, but he responded well during a month-long stint in the minors last summer.

The timing of Kelenic’s latest option comes rather ironically as the M’s are headed to Queens for a weekend series with the Mets. New York, of course, originally drafted him and included him in the controversial Robinson Canó/Edwin Díaz swap. That looked to be a coup for Seattle given Kelenic’s prospect pedigree, but he’ll obviously need to perform better whenever the M’s bring him back to the big leagues. There’s plenty of time to do so, as he won’t turn 23 years old until July. Because of the canceled minor league season in 2020, the Wisconsin native has still only played 51 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Barring an exceptionally lengthy stint, the demotion doesn’t seem likely to affect his path to free agency after the 2027 season. Kelenic entered the year with 105 days of big league service; players are credited with a full service year for spending 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list. He’s accrued approximately 36 more days this year, meaning he needs to be in the majors for around a month more to surpass the one-year threshold in 2022. How long this stay in Tacoma lasts will no doubt be determined in large part by Kelenic’s performance there, but it’s hard to imagine the M’s keeping him down until September barring some major struggles against Triple-A pitching.

In the meantime, Seattle will turn to the veteran Souza with Julio Rodríguez, Jesse Winker and Dylan Moore as outfield options. The 33-year-old has gotten sporadic MLB time with the Cubs and Dodgers over the past couple years, but he hasn’t played a full season in the majors since 2017. Signed to a minor league deal in Spring Training, Souza has gotten off to an excellent start with the Rainiers. He’s hitting .267/.417/.533 with five homers and a massive 19.8% walk rate in 22 games. The 14-18 M’s will see if he can carry over that production against big league arms to inject some life into an outfield that has underwhelmed.

Fairchild was part of that outfield mix very briefly. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Diamondbacks for cash in late April and appeared in three games, going hitless in a trio of plate appearances. A Seattle native, Fairchild was a second-round pick of the Reds in 2017 and has been traded twice in his young career. The M’s will have a week to deal him again or try to run him through outright waivers.

That’s also true of Ramirez, who has pitched in the bigs over the past three seasons. The right-hander owns a 3.97 ERA in 56 2/3 career innings, striking out a strong 28.6% of opponents. He’s also walked 15.2% of batters faced, however, and he’d been tagged for three homers in his first seven outings this year. The Mariners elected to move on, but he works in the mid-90s and has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so it’s possible another club takes a chance on him.

In his place, they’ll bring aboard a multi-inning option from the Cubs. Sampson started five of his ten appearances for Chicago last season, tossing 35 1/3 frames of 2.80 ERA ball. That came with an underwhelming 19.3% strikeout rate and an alarming 2.04 homers allowed per nine innings, but he pounded the strike zone and induced a fair amount of ground-balls. Chicago re-signed the righty to a minor league deal over the winter. He was selected to the big leagues on Sunday, pitched in one game, then was designated for assignment.

Cubs Place Nick Madrigal On 10-Day IL, Select Ildemaro Vargas, Designate Adrian Sampson For Assignment

By Sean Bavazzano | May 10, 2022 at 10:34pm CDT

The Cubs announced a flurry of roster moves this evening, most prominently sending second baseman Nick Madrigal to the 10-day IL with low back tightness. The team also selected Triple-A infielder Ildemaro Vargas’s contract, designating right-handed pitcher Adrian Sampson for assignment to open up a 40-man roster spot for Vargas.

Madrigal, acquired in last season’s cross-town trade for Craig Kimbrel, was hitting a pedestrian .203/.250/.241 (43 OPS+) at the time of his IL placement. There’s still plenty of time for the 25-year-old to turn it around when he returns to the field, though a few things stick out in his early season offensive performance. Chief among them, Madrigal’s elite contact abilities have eluded him to a notable extent thus far.

His 16.7% strikeout rate, while considerably better than the league average, is more than double his career rate entering the season. The former first-rounder is hitting the ball with more authority than ever, however, which may eventually lead to a more impressive batting line than the one that is currently present. Madrigal’s defense has also remained top-notch, largely offsetting the contact hitter’s lack of offense in the eyes of most defensive metrics.

Vargas meanwhile returned to the organization this winter on a minor league deal and was hitting .279/.321/.413 in 25 Triple-A contests. Offense isn’t Vargas’s calling card though, as his promotion stems from his ability to play all around the infield, a must-have for a three-man Cubs bench.

Sampson, another offseason minor league signee, pitched to an excellent 2.80 ERA in 35 plus innings (10 games) for the Cubs last season as a swingman. Advanced metrics weren’t terribly bullish about his performance however, which helps explain the minor league pact and the right-hander’s lack of opportunity with the big league team this season. The 30-year-old has continued to have a decent run in Triple-A this year, so it will be interesting to see if the Cubs can keep him in their organization as depth or if a team hurting with injuries will seek to claim him in the coming days.

Cubs Activate Wade Miley, Place OF Michael Hermosillo On IL

By Mark Polishuk | May 10, 2022 at 5:02pm CDT

5:02 PM: The Cubs officially activated Miley this evening. They cleared a spot for him on the active roster by placing outfielder Michael Hermosillo on the 10-day IL with a left quadriceps strain, the team announced. Hermosillo’s IL stint is retroactive to May 8th.

As noted below, Miley will make his debut for the underachieving Cubs in tonight’s tilt against the Padres. Hermosillo, who’s played only sparingly this season, was off to a particularly slow start, slashing only .071/.257/.107 in 35 trips to the plate.

12:17 PM: Left-hander Wade Miley will be activated from the Cubs’ 10-day injured list in time to start today’s game against the Padres, Chicago manager David Ross told reporters (including MLB.com’s Shaun O’Neill) yesterday. It will mark Miley’s season debut, as the veteran was sidelined after developing inflammation in his left elbow during Spring Training.

The injury led to a 10-day shutdown period, but Miley has gradually ramped up since, building to a 41-pitch minor league rehab start last Thursday. Ross said that Miley won’t be held to a specific pitch count, so it won’t be a piggyback situation for Miley’s first outing of 2022.

As a cost-cutting move last November, the Reds rather surprisingly placed Miley on waivers, allowing the Cubs to claim the southpaw and then exercise a $10MM club option on his services for 2022. Miley’s solid track record over the last 11 seasons made him something of a no-brainer pickup for a Cubs team that was short on pitching, and Chicago again finds itself short on arms as Miley returns the IL. Marcus Stroman is on the COVID-related injured list, Justin Steele is nursing a sore thumb, and (like Miley) both Adbert Alzolay and Alec Mills have yet to pitch this season due to injuries.

Mets Claim Locke St. John, Move Jacob deGrom To 60-Day IL

By Mark Polishuk | May 10, 2022 at 1:13pm CDT

The Mets have claimed left-hander Locke St. John off waivers from the Cubs, who designated St. John for assignment last week. To create space on the 40-man roster, New York moved Jacob deGrom to the 60-day injured list.

St. John signed a minor league deal with Chicago in December, and his tenure with the club consisted of seven innings over five Triple-A games, and a single inning in the majors. It was a second cup of coffee for St. John, whose previous MLB experience was seven games with the Rangers in 2019. A longtime Tigers farmhand before Texas selected him away from Detroit in the December 2017 Rule 5 Draft, St. John returned to the Tigers on another minors deal last winter but didn’t see any big league action in 2021.

The waiver claim adds a bit more left-handed depth to the Mets’ relief corps, with Joely Rodriguez and Chasen Shreve serving as the only southpaws in the Amazins’ bullpen. Elsewhere on the 40-man roster, the only other left-handers are starter David Peterson and Thomas Szapucki, who is working his way back after having his 2021 season cut short by ulnar nerve transposition surgery.

For deGrom, the shift to the 60-day IL doesn’t much change his situation, and he is still around another week away from further imaging on his throwing shoulder. A stress reaction in that shoulder sidelined deGrom for yet another extended absence, and since he’ll require quite a bit of ramp-up before finally taking to the mound, it is seems like deGrom will be out until late June at the earliest.

Cubs Make Series Of Roster Moves

By James Hicks | May 9, 2022 at 5:53pm CDT

The Cubs made a flurry of roster moves today. Per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, the club optioned right-hander Adrian Sampson to Triple-A Iowa, recalled Frank Schwindel from Triple-A Iowa, selected left-hander Conner Menez onto the major league roster, and placed right-hander David Robertson on the IL without an injury distinction — generally a sign that the move is COVID-related. Presuming Robertson’s IL stint is indeed COVID-related, the Cubs would not have been required to add Menez to the 40-man roster in order to add him to the active roster, though Montemurro later clarified that the club has added him to the 40-man.

Sampson’s demotion and Schwindel’s return to the majors mark something of an abrupt about-face for the Cubs, who’d selected Sampson’s contract (to replace Marcus Stroman, who also went on the IL without an injury designation) and optioned Schwindel to Triple-A only yesterday. Sampson did pitch in his one game with the big-league club, covering the ninth inning of a blowout loss to the Dodgers, while Schwindel did not enter a game during his (extremely) brief stint in the minors. Both players had success for the Cubs in 2021: Sampson, who’s also pitched for the Mariners, Rangers, and the KBO’s Lotte Giants in his career, posted a 2.80 ERA over 35 1/3 innings for Chicago (albeit with a 5.72 FIP), and Schwindel posted a world-beating .342/.389/.613 across 239 plate appearances (albeit with an unsustainable .364 BABIP). In 2022, Sampson has served as minor league depth outside his single inning on Sunday, while Schwindel has posted a far more pedestrian 209/.250/.308 batting line in 96 trips to the plate.

The 37-year-old Robertson, who signed with the Cubs in March for a $3.5MM guarantee, was off to a strong start to what’s been an otherwise disappointing first month on Chicago’s north side. In 12 innings, he’s notched a 1.50 ERA while striking out 37.8% of the batters he’s faced and converting all five of his save opportunities. Presuming his trip to the IL is COVID-related, he’s unlikely to be out for more than a week or so, though his absence in the bullpen could well prove costly for a club hoping to contend but already nine games adrift in the NL Central.

Menez, who arrived in Chicago via the minor league phase of the 2021 Rule 5 draft, has actually had some success in the majors in a limited sample, notching a serviceable 4.04 ERA (if a less sightly 5.01 FIP) across 42 1/3 innings in parts of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons, all spent with the Giants. He’s primarily been a starter in the minors (and has started four games in the majors) and was off to a strong start in Triple-A, pitching 16 2/3 innings of 2.16 ERA ball while striking out better than a batter an inning. His time in the majors may be short (perhaps only until either Robertson or Stroman returns from the IL), but he could also slot in as a long relief/swingman option if he can continue to miss bats in the majors. The fact he’s been added to the 40-man roster when he could have been selected without the addition could signal that GM Carter Hawkins hopes to see him stick around for a while.

Cubs Place Marcus Stroman On Injured List, Option Frank Schwindel

By Darragh McDonald | May 8, 2022 at 2:56pm CDT

The Cubs announced a series of roster moves to reporters today, including Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. (Twitter links) Marcus Stroman, who was scheduled to start tonight’s game, has instead been placed on the injured list. No designation was given for his placement, suggesting he is going on the COVID-related IL. Right-hander Adrian Sampson will have his contract selected to take Stroman’s place on the roster. Additionally, Frank Schwindel is being optioned to Triple-A. The club had an extra man on the roster for yesterday’s doubleheader and needed to subtract someone.

Stroman’s absence leaves the Cubs in a particular bind for tonight’s game, though if his placement is simply due to a close-contact situation or light symptoms, he could be activated as early as tomorrow (and thus likely lined up to start Tuesday’s game against the Padres). If Stroman has indeed tested positive for COVID-19, he’ll face an absence of at least 10 days, unless he passes certain criteria — two negative PCR tests, approval from a three-physician panel, and at least 24 hours without a fever.

The right-hander has been inconsistent over his first five starts in a Cubs uniform, but Stroman is coming off his best outing of the season, seven shutout innings of two-hit ball against the Brewers on May 1. If Stroman does have to miss an extended period of time, Wade Miley might be just about ready to step right into the mix, as the veteran (who hasn’t yet pitched in 2022 due to elbow inflammation) tossed a rehab outing on May 5.

Sampson posted a 2.80 ERA over 35 1/3 innings for Chicago last season, and re-signed a new minor league deal with the Cubs in March. A right-handed swingman, Sampson has started all five of his games at Triple-A this season, and could also fit into the rotation picture as a Stroman replacement.

Schwindel was claimed off waivers from the A’s last July, and he took over regular first base duty for the Cubs after Anthony Rizzo was dealt to the Yankees prior to the trade deadline. In a difficult period for the rebuilding Cubs, “Frank The Tank” was a bright spot, as he unexpectedly broke out to hit .342/.389/.613 with 13 homers over 239 PA for Chicago. This performance made Schwindel an instant favorite among Wrigleyville fans, and earned him a sixth-place finish in NL Rookie Of The Year voting.

Unfortunately, Schwindel’s 2022 hasn’t been as positive, as he has batted only .209/.250/.308 with two home runs over 96 PA. With Schwindel now looking to find himself at Triple-A, the Cubs may turn to another unheralded breakout candidate at first base, as Alfonso Rivas as gotten off to a hot start over his first 73 PA.

Cubs Select Robert Gsellman

By Anthony Franco | May 3, 2022 at 3:28pm CDT

The Cubs are selecting righty Robert Gsellman onto the big league roster, as Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune was among those to relay (on Twitter). Drew Smyly, who had been scheduled to start this evening’s game against the White Sox, has been placed on the bereavement list to open active roster space. Southpaw Locke St. John has been designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man roster move.

Gsellman inked a minor league deal with Chicago during Spring Training. He’d been non-tendered by the Mets, with whom he had spent his entire career. The Southern California native broke into the majors late in the 2016 season and flashed some potential as a starter during his rookie campaign. He struggled over 119 2/3 innings the following year, though, and he spent the next few seasons working out of the bullpen.

In the four years since moving to relief, Gsellman has tossed 186 1/3 innings of 4.73 ERA ball. His 19.2% strikeout rate was below-average, but he had a solid 8.1% walk percentage and induced ground-balls at an above-average 47% clip. Gsellman missed a good portion of last season because of a lat injury, and his strikeout rate dipped to 14.3% in 28 2/3 frames.

Assigned to Triple-A Iowa to start this season, Gsellman has started four of his five appearances. He’s tossed 15 1/3 innings with a tiny 1.17 ERA, albeit again with subpar swing-and-miss numbers. The Cubs will hope that Gsellman’s ground-ball approach can carry over against big league hitters. He’ll give them a multi-inning arm for an impromptu bullpen game tonight in Smyly’s absence, which will be opened by Scott Effross.

Chicago selected St. John onto the 40-man roster last month. He made one appearance, tossing two innings of three-run ball against Milwaukee on Saturday before being optioned out. The 29-year-old has tossed seven innings with Iowa, allowing four runs. He has fanned eight but also issued six walks and hit a trio of batters. The Cubs will have a week to trade him or place him on waivers.

In other news, starting pitcher Wade Miley is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Thursday, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Claimed off waivers from the Reds over the offseason, the veteran southpaw has yet to make his team debut on account of inflammation in his throwing elbow.

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