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Cubs To Designate Miguel Montero, Promote Victor Caratini

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The Cubs have decided to designate veteran catcher Miguel Montero for assignment, according to ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers (via Twitter). Chicago is set to promote young receive Victor Caratini in his place, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets.

Chicago is making the move the morning after Montero allowed the Nationals to run wild on the basepaths — and then blamed it on starter Jake Arrieta. While both surely have their share of the blame for the seven swiped bags, Montero’s public comments were clearly not taken well by the organization.

Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo didn’t mince words on the topic. This morning, in an interview on ESPN 1000 (Twitter link), he described the situation like this: “When you point fingers you’re a selfish player. We have another catcher that throws everyone out.”

With the Cubs trying to right the ship after a middling start to the year, the organization will now part with a player who was performing at a high level with the bat — despite the ongoing questions about his abilities behind the dish. Through 112 plate appearances, he carries a .286/.366/.439 batting line with four home runs.

As a left-handed-hitting backstop with a history of strong power production, Montero ought to draw interest. But he’s also earning a hefty $14MM salary in the final year of his deal, so the 33-year-old isn’t going to be claimed. Instead, it seems reasonable to expect he’ll either be traded (with the Cubs holding onto a big chunk of change) or allowed to test the open market.

Chicago will now sport a youthful and talented backstop pairing, with the 23-year-old Caratini joining 25-year-old Willson Contreras. The switch-hitting Caratini has enjoyed a breakout year thus far at Triple-A Iowa, slashing a robust .343/.384/.539 with eight home runs over 271 trips to the plate.

Though Caratini is certainly an interesting player who could hold down the reserve role the rest of the way, today’s move also opens at least some possibility that the Cubs will explore the trade market this summer (or look at an option such as current free agent Derek Norris). Even if a significant addition isn’t pursued, Chicago might look into adding another veteran. Perhaps it’s even possible that Kyle Schwarber could return to more regular duties behind the dish once he’s called back up, though undoubtedly the Cubs will also want to continue protecting his knee and allow him to focus on getting right at the plate.

Pitching Injury Notes: Smyly, Weigel, Keuchel, Nats, Salazar, Hendricks, Finnegan

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The Mariners got some unwelcome news about the status of rehabbing lefty Drew Smyly. As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, plans for Smyly to face live hitting were scuttled after the southpaw experienced some elbow discomfort. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre explains that Smyly has dealt with other such “episodes” while working back from a flexor strain, especially when throwing breaking pitches, so perhaps this could just be a minor blip. Still, he’s slated for a medical examination; at present, there’s no clear indication of what’ll come next. “Until the doctors check, and all that stuff subsides, you just can’t move forward,” explains Stottlemyre. “It’s hard to make a plan going forward until we know more.”

Clearly, Seattle’s deadline plans could be altered by Smyly’s progress (or lack thereof). If the team finds itself in a strong Wild Card position at the end of July, but doesn’t think it’ll get the rotation boost it needs, it’s at least possible to imagine a move to  bolster the rotation. Here are some more notable injury situations from around the game:

  • Young Braves hurler Patrick Weigel is headed for Tommy John surgery, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That’s the result that was feared when it was learned that he had suffered a partial UCL tear. Soon to turn 23, Weigel had reached Triple-A in just his third professional season. He could’ve conceivably provided the Braves with a rotation option for 2018, so the loss should only increase the organization’s interest in adding a significant outside starter.
  • It seems the Astros are wisely taking a measured approach with southpaw Dallas Keuchel, who is working back from a pinched nerve in his neck. As Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle writes, skipper A.J. Hinch acknowledges that the club is “just being conservative” by “methodically putting a few more challenges in front of him” to bring Keuchel along slowly. With Keuchel in need of at some rehab outings before returning to the MLB hill, it seems he won’t likely make it back until after the All-Star break. That timeline surely works just fine for the front-running Astros, who are as close to a postseason shoe-in as there can be at this stage of the season.
  • The Nationals’ bullpen needs have long been a focus of the 2017 trade season. Just how many arms the Nats will go looking for could well depend in part upon the progress of several current pitchers. Per a club update, via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter), Sammy Solis appears to be making real strides after missing a significant stretch with elbow issues, as he was able to take the ball for Triple-A Syracuse. If the power lefty can return to health and to form, that’d be a significant boost. Meanwhile, Shawn Kelley (out with a trap strain) has resumed throwing — which is not yet the case for fellow righty Koda Glover (who is dealing with back issues).
  • There’s some positive momentum for Indians righty Danny Salazar, as Jimmy Miller of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Salazar says his shoulder feels good, and he’s now slated to begin a rehab assignment. The high-octane hurler, 27, could potentially re-take a spot in the rotation or provide Cleveland with another fascinating, multi-inning-capable bullpen arm.
  • Likewise, the Cubs saw progress from righty Kyle Hendricks, as Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago tweets that he was able to throw (albeit only from 90 feet) without experiencing any issues in his hand. Hendricks has been dealing with tendon problems in his pitching hand, leading to a DL placement. Before going down with the injury, Hendricks had turned in eleven somewhat worrying starts. Expectations were high after he landed third in the 2016 Cy Young voting, but Hendricks has shown a significant velocity loss (over two miles per hour on his fastball) and a big drop in swinging-strike rate (from 10.0% to 7.3%). Getting him healthy and back to form would represent a big boost to the Cubs, though it’s not clear whether they’ll have a real read on his capacity before making deadline plans.
  • While the Reds haven’t yet made a move, it seems likely that lefty Brandon Finnegan is heading back to the DL. Initial indications were that he had only experienced a triceps strain during his first start after rehabbing an injury to the teres major muscle in his shoulder. Instead, per manager Bryan Price (on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, via Twitter), the injury was traced to that same muscle. While it’s said to be in a different part of the muscle, it nevertheless seems rather concerning that Finnegan is experiencing issues in that same narrow area. The broader prognosis remains unclear at this moment, though Price said he expects the southpaw to miss “at least … several weeks, if not longer.”

Trade Rumblings: Braves, Archer, Quintana, Gray, Red Sox

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The Braves are once again in the market for controllable starters, reports David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta was linked to names like Chris Archer, Jose Quintana and Sonny Gray last season and throughout the winter, and the Braves still have interest in that group of pitchers, according to O’Brien. While they’ve scouted Gray’s recent outings for the Athletics, it’s Archer and Quintana that sit atop Atlanta’s wish list, O’Brien continues. The White Sox, of course, are known to be open to moving Quintana, but there’s no guarantee that the Rays would even consider moving Archer. To the contrary, Tampa Bay is two games above .500 and currently sits just one game back of an American League Wild Card spot and three games back in the AL East. Archer currently holds a 3.88 ERA with 10.9 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 42.5 percent ground-ball rate through 104 1/3 innings, and he’s controllable through the 2021 season with just $33.7MM remaining on his contract following the 2017 campaign. It would presumably take a staggering package to even get the Rays to consider moving Archer, given the current state of their team.

A bit more on the trade market…

  • Atlanta is far from the only team to scout Gray’s most recent starts. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that in addition to the Braves, the Cubs, Blue Jays and Mariners all had multiple scouts/execs on hand for Sunday’s start, and the Red Sox had a scout there as well. Slusser notes that some clubs have been scouting infielder Jed Lowrie as well, adding that it’s “all but certain” that the Athletics trade Lowrie before the non-waiver deadline. Boston is one team that’s likely to have interest in Lowrie, she adds.
  • Yahoo’s Jeff Passan spoke to one source that said the Red Sox are “keen” for Gray, though they’re also considering aiming for a power-hitting third baseman and acquiring another reliever rather than bolstering the rotation. Stacking another arm alongside Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel at the back of the ’pen could give Boston a trio similar to the three-headed monster similar to the 2014 Royals (Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, Greg Holland) or the 2016 Yankees (Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman). That was the idea in acquiring Tyler Thornburg this past offseason, but Thornburg will mis the entire year due to thoracic outlet surgery. The Sox, could, however, get righty Carson Smith back, though it’s difficult to know exactly what to expect from him after losing a season and a half to Tommy John surgery.
  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn spoke to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post about lefty Jose Quintana, acknowledging that he’s been involved in “various conversations” with other clubs and that the ChiSox are “very open-minded” about dealing him. It’s been reported previously that Quintana’s rough start may not have much of an adverse impact on his trade value, and that’s how Hahn is approaching talks. “For the guys with extended track records, I think that’s probably the most important factor in terms of determining their value as well as the contractual control and obligations going forward,” said Hahn. “…He’s the same guy. The same guy in terms of how he goes about his business.” Rough start aside, Quintana entered tonight’s game with a pristine 2.25 ERA and 24-to-8 K/BB ratio through 24 June innings, and he’s held the Yankees scoreless through six innings tonight as of this writing. Davidoff notes that the Yankees could very well look into rotation upgrades, speculating that Quintana and Gray will be among the names they explore.

Rockies Acquire Zac Rosscup From Cubs For Matt Carasiti

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The Rockies and Cubs have announced a swap of pitchers, with the Rockies adding the southpaw Zac Rosscup out of DFA limbo. Heading to Chicago in return is right-hander Matt Carasiti.

The 29-year-old Rosscup will provide Colorado with a potential lefty specialist. Over his career, he has struggled against righties (and with his command) while dominating opposing lefties to the tune of a .162/.303/.284 slash. He has spent most of the current season at Triple-A, posting 17 strong appearances there (12.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 2.60 ERA).

It’ll be interesting to see if there are any near-term roster moves from Colorado that help explain the move. The club already has two power, late-inning lefties in the pen in Jake McGee and Mike Dunn, though the latter has been hit hard. And converted starter Chris Rusin, another southpaw, continues to post excellent numbers in a relief role.

As for Carasiti, 25, he lost his MLB roster spot after making his debut last year. He hasn’t been called back to the majors in 2017, but has been awfully impressive at Triple-A. Over 30 1/3 innings, he owns a 2.37 ERA with 12.8 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.

Injury Notes: Conforto, Russell, Anderson, Keuchel, Meadows

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Here’s the latest on some developing injury situations around the game…

  • X-rays were negative on the left hand of Michael Conforto after the Mets outfielder was hit by a Matt Moore pitch today (the SNY MetsBlog has the details).  Conforto remained in the game after being hit but was replaced in the field during the next half-inning.  Conforto is day-to-day with a hand contusion and he said he feels he’ll be able to play by Tuesday, when the Mets next play.  Needless to say, losing Conforto the DL would be yet another major blow to the injury-riddled Mets, as Conforto is in the midst of a big breakout year, entering today with 14 homers and a .288/.406/.553 slash line in 266 PA.
  • Addison Russell left Sunday’s game due to “sharp, pinching pain” in his right shoulder, as he told CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney and other reporters.  The Cubs shortstop has been bothered by shoulder problems since Spring Training, which could be a reason for his below-average wRC+ (83) and his .232/.300/.408 slash line through 250 PA.  It isn’t yet known if a DL stint is required to give Russell an opportunity to fully rest the injury, as manager Joe Maddon described the problem as “kind of a nagging thing” that has “never been debilitating.”
  • Rockies southpaw Tyler Anderson was forced to leave during the third inning of today’s start due to an apparent injury to his left knee, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding was among those to report.  This was Anderson’s first start back since hitting the DL in late May due to inflammation in that same knee, though he made a one-inning relief appearance earlier last week.  Advanced metrics indicate that Anderson has pitched better than his 6.11 ERA would indicate, as he has been plagued by home runs (a whopping 25% homer rate) and bad BABIP luck (.337) over his 63 1/3 IP this season.
  • Astros ace Dallas Keuchel isn’t likely to return from the disabled list until after the All-Star Break, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle writes.  The left-hander was placed on the DL on June 8 due to neck discomfort, the second time Keuchel has been sidelined this season due to neck problems.  The team was known to be taking a very conservative approach to Keuchel’s rehab, and he has yet to begin throwing off a mound, though he has doing some long-tossing at a 120-foot distance.  As Kaplan notes, there isn’t any huge rush to get Keuchel back given the Astros’ big AL West lead, as the team obviously wants to ensure its star lefty is fully recovered and ready for the postseason push.
  • Top Pirates prospect Austin Meadows will miss up to four weeks after receiving a PRP injection for a torn hamstring, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Twitter link).  The injury compounds what has already been a difficult season for Meadows, who has hit just .248/.313/.358 over 281 PA at the Triple-A level in 2017.  There had been speculation that Meadows could make his MLB debut sometime this year (possibly if Andrew McCutchen was traded), though that seems less likely in the wake of his lengthy absence and his lack of Triple-A production.  Of course, Meadows still just 22 years old and is regarded as one of the game’s better prospects, so there isn’t any reason yet for long-term concern.

NL Notes: Phillies, Marlins, Cards, Rox, Cubs

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The last-place Phillies will be open for business at the trade deadline, reports Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. While free agents-to-be like Pat Neshek, Howie Kendrick, Jeremy Hellickson, Joaquin Benoit and Daniel Nava stand out as obvious trade candidates, Zolecki suggests that the Phillies could also listen to offers for some controllable players. That list includes first baseman Tommy Joseph, injured second baseman Cesar Hernandez and shortstop Freddy Galvis. Joseph is currently on a minimum salary and won’t even be eligible for arbitration until 2020, but moving him would enable the Phillies to open up first base for prospect Rhys Hoskins, who’s destroying Triple-A pitching. Hernandez, meanwhile, is on a $2.55MM salary and has three arbitration-eligible years remaining. However, he’s blocking another hot-hitting prospect – Scott Kingery, who’s at Double-A. Galvis is the most expensive of the three right now ($4.35MM) and only has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. Behind him is J.P. Crawford, who hasn’t hit much at Triple-A since debuting there last year. Nevertheless, he still ranks as Baseball America’s 19th-best prospect.

The latest on a few other NL teams…

  • The Marlins probably won’t trade any major pieces as long as their ownership situation is in flux, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. If true, that would rule out deals involving the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto, all of whom have been part of rumors this year. However, Frisaro notes that trades featuring lesser players (including Adeiny Hechavarria, Tom Koehler and certain relievers) remain possible.
  • The Cardinals will recall outfielder Randal Grichuk, whom they demoted to the minors May 29, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Redbirds sent down Grichuk after he batted a paltry .222/.276/.377 with a 29.8 percent strikeout rate in 181 plate appearances. He fared better at Triple-A, slashing .270/.313/.603 in 67 PAs, but struck out even more frequently (29.9 percent) and only posted a 4.5 percent walk rate. It’s unclear how often Grichuk will play in his return to St. Louis, at least initially, as the team has gotten terrific production in his spot (left field) from Tommy Pham. The Cardinals also have Dexter Fowler and Stephen Piscotty as everyday outfielders, of course, so there’s no obvious fit for Grichuk in a starting role.
  • Right-hander Jon Gray will make his long-awaited return to the Rockies’ rotation during their series against Arizona next weekend, per Nick Groke of the Denver Post (Twitter links). Gray entered the season as the de facto ace of Colorado’s staff, but he has been out since mid-April with a stress fracture in his left foot. Still, the Rockies have stormed out of the gates at 47-30, and Gray’s return should only help the team’s already high playoff odds. The Rox will deploy a five-man rotation when Gray comes back, meaning someone will have to exit the group, observes Groke.
  • Cubs righty Kyle Hendricks threw Saturday for the first time since going on the disabled list June 8, and he told reporters – including Glenn Sattell of MLB.com – that it was a pain-free session. “The arm felt good. I’ve been doing a lot of shoulder work. It took a few throws to find the arm slot and actually felt pretty normal,” said Hendricks. “I was actually surprised by it.” A return isn’t imminent, though, with manager Joe Maddon noting, “It’s probably aggressive to think he’d be back by the All-Star break, but I don’t want to rule anything out.”

Draft Signings: Pirates, Twins, Blue Jays, Cubs, Orioles, Marlins, Angels

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Here are the latest notable signings from the 2017 amateur draft.  You can check out scouting reports and analysis of all these players via the draft prospect rankings from MLB.com, Fangraphs, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law (the latter two links are subscription-only).

  • Pirates second-round pick Steven Jennings will receive a $1.9MM bonus, according to MLB.coms Jim Callis (via Twitter). The high-school hurler was taken 42nd overall, which comes with a $1,635,500 allocation.
  • The Twins will save a bit of cash on 37th overall pick Landon Leach, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). He’ll take home just under $1.5MM, per the report, below the $1,846,100 assigned slot price.
  • Some of the Twins’ savings will be directed toward third-rounder Blayne Enlow, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link).  Reports after the draft suggested that Enlow would receive a bonus in the $2MM range to entice him away from a commitment to LSU.  Callis reports that Enlow will receive $2MM on the dot, a major increase from the slot price ($755.5K) for the 76th overall selection.
  • Blue Jays second-rounder Hagen Danner is in agreement on a bonus that will land right around $1.5MM, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca.  The deal is pending a physical.  Danner’s bonus represents a healthy bump over the $1,043,200 slot value for the 61st overall pick.  Davidi notes that once Danner’s deal is finalized, Toronto will have signed all of its picks from the first ten rounds except for first-round selections Logan Warmoth and Nate Pearson.
  • Cubs second-rounder Cory Abbott lands a slot-value, $901.9K bonus, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter).  The Loyola right-hander was drafted 67th overall.
  • The Orioles will pay a $1.3MM bonus to Adam Hall, according to Mayo (on Twitter).  It’s an above-slot deal for Hall, who had a slot value of $1,068,700 as the 60th overall pick.
  • The Orioles will also add supplemental second-round selection Zac Lowther for the $779.5K slot value of the 74th overall pick, Callis tweets.
  • Marlins second-rounder Joe Dunand will take home a $1.2MM bonus, Callis tweets.  The N.C. State shortstop was taken 51st overall, so Dunand’s bonus lands a bit blow the $1,326,800 assigned price.
  • The Angels have agreed to a $1MM bonus with third-rounder Jacob Pearson, Hudson Belinsky of Baseball America reports on Twitter.  Pearson, another LSU commit, will instead begin his pro career after receiving a bonus well beyond the $656.3K assigned to the 85th overall pick.

Cubs Designate Zac Rosscup For Assignment

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The Cubs have designated left-hander Zac Rosscup for assignment, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney). Rosscup’s DFA will open a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Mark Zagunis, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Iowa today.

Rosscup, 29, made just one appearance for the Cubs this season and recorded two outs. However, he logged a fairly significant amount of time with the club from 2013-15 and has totaled 47 1/3 innings as a member of the Chicago ’pen dating back to that 2013 season. In that time, the former 28th-round pick owns a 5.32 ERA with 10.8 K/9 against 6.1 BB/9. Rosscup has had his share of troubles against right-handed opponents (.287/.384/.611), but he’s been very good against left-handed opponents, limiting them to a terrible .162/.303/.284 batting line in 90 career plate appearances.

Cubs Option Kyle Schwarber, Place Jason Heyward On DL

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11:03am: Chicago will also place outfielder Jason Heyward on the DL with a left hand injury, Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago tweets. Outfielder Mark Zagunis and righty Dylan Floro are expected to take the open roster spots.

Zagunis, 24, has followed up on a strong 2016 campaign with a .249/.399/.474 slash through 268 plate appearances at Triple-A this year. He has drawn 48 walks against sixty strikeouts thus far. As for Floro, he’ll look to improve upon his first 6 1/3 innings with the Cubs, over which he allowed six earned runs on 13 hits.

10:59am: In a surprising move, the Cubs have decided to option young outfielder/catcher Kyle Schwarber to Triple-A, according to David Kaplan of CSN Chicago (via Twitter). The expectation is that it won’t be a lengthy assignment, but it’s still a notable decision for the defending World Series champs.

Schwarber, 24, turned in an outstanding rookie campaign in 2015 and seemed primed for more last season. Instead, he lost almost the entire regular season after a devastating knee injury. But he came back in near-miraculous fashion to join the team for the Series — turning in a .412/.500/.471 batting line in twenty trips to the plate.

Things have not gone as hoped early in 2017, however. Schwarber, who has spent the vast bulk of his time in left field, currently owns a .171/.295/.378 batting line in 261 plate appearances. Though he has cracked a dozen home runs, and is carrying strikeout and walk numbers that are virtually identical to his prior marks, Schwarber has managed only a .193 batting average on balls in play. More soft contact at the expense of hard contact likely has played a role, as has a growing flyball rate (including quite a few more infield pops), though it seems reasonable to believe there’s also some misfortune baked into the results.

The move seems designed to give Schwarber a chance to get his bat on track at Triple-A — a level he barely stopped at on his way to the majors. In his stead, the Cubs still have plenty of options. Ben Zobrist seems likely to return from the DL soon, joining Ian Happ as an option in left. Both players can also line up at second base, of course, where the Cubs can also play Javier Baez and Tommy La Stella.

Cubs Agree To Terms With Brendon Little

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The Cubs have agreed to a $2.2MM signing bonus with first-rounder Brendon Little, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That comes in just below the $2,373,300 slot value of Little’s No. 27 overall selection.

Little, a junior college lefty out of Florida, is listed at 6’2″ and 195 pounds, and he’ll turn 21 this August. He entered the draft ranked 18th among draft prospects in the estimation of ESPN’s Keith Law. Other outlets weren’t quite so bullish, as Little rated 36th on the lists of both MLB.com and Baseball America in addition to a No. 46 ranking from Fangraphs.

Law opines that Little has the draft’s best curveball and notes that his fastball has been up to 97 mph. Law also notes that he feels there’s at least a chance that Little pans out as a starter, while each of the other reports on the southpaw suggest that inconsistencies in his delivery and command have many scouts believing that Little will be a reliever in the long run. His curveball and fastball get above-average to plus ratings across the board, though his third offering, a changeup, is said to need more refinement.

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