White Sox Place Yasmani Grandal On Injured List, Activate Lance Lynn
The White Sox announced they’ve placed catcher Yasmani Grandal on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 12, due to lower back spasms. Coming off the IL to take his active roster spot is starter Lance Lynn, who is in line to make his season debut. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Lynn — who had been on the 60-day IL — the club has placed reliever Ryan Burr on release waivers.
Grandal missed yesterday’s game against the Rangers because of a left hamstring issue, but the back spasms diagnosis comes as a surprise. Chicago selected Seby Zavala to the MLB roster yesterday as insurance, and he figures to back up Reese McGuire for as long as Grandal is out. The two-time All-Star will be eligible to return by the middle of next week, but the team has yet to provide any sort of timetable for his recovery.
Even prior to the injury, the 2022 campaign has been a nightmare for Grandal. Typically one of the game’s best offensive catchers, the 33-year-old has had a very rough first couple months of the season. Over 201 plate appearances, he’s hitting .185/.294/.237 with just a pair of home runs. Grandal is still drawing walks at an excellent 13.4% clip, but he’s collected only five extra-base hits all year as his batted ball quality has plummeted. It’s a rather shocking downturn for a player who hit .240/.420/.520 in 93 games last season, and the IL stint will perhaps afford Grandal an opportunity for a mental reset as he searches for his previous form.
McGuire, acquired from the Blue Jays just before Opening Day, hasn’t made much of an offensive impact either. He’s hitting .235/.280/.286 in 110 trips to the plate in a Chicago uniform, a step back from the .253/.310/.343 mark he posted in Toronto last year. A left-handed hitter, he’ll pair with the righty-swinging Zavala to form the catching tandem for manager Tony La Russa for now.
Lynn is listed as the probate starter for tonight’s game against the Tigers. La Russa suggested yesterday he’d likely be activated on Tuesday, but he’ll take the ball for the first time a day earlier than anticipated. The 35-year-old righty has been out all season after undergoing right knee surgery in April, but he’s now ready to get back on the hill. That should be a notable boost for a Chicago team that owns a disappointing 27-31 record, as Lynn has been one of the game’s most effective arms over the past couple years. He tossed 157 innings of 2.69 ERA ball last season, earning a two-year contract extension in the process.
Burr, meanwhile, could be seeing his time in the organization come to a close. A Diamondbacks draftee, he was acquired by the ChiSox as a minor leaguer in 2017 and reached the bigs a season later. He’s suited up at the MLB level in each of the past four years, making 66 appearances. The righty has a 4.08 ERA across 75 innings, including an excellent 2.45 mark through 36 2/3 frames a season ago. However, he’s posted a mediocre 20.6% strikeout rate and an elevated 12.2% walk percentage during his MLB tenure.
It seems the primary impetus for Burr’s release, however, is a health issue. The 28-year-old has been on the minor league injured list for the past couple weeks with an undisclosed injury. Players on the MiLB IL still count against a team’s 40-man roster, but injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers. To take Burr off the 40-man roster, Chicago either had to release him or recall him and place him on the MLB 60-day IL. The latter course of action would’ve required paying him a major league salary, however, and the Sox have decided they’d rather expose him to waivers.
While Burr hasn’t missed many bats at the MLB level, he’s induced grounders on more than half the balls in play against him and averaged around 95 MPH on his fastball. That could intrigue another team enough to grab him and stash him on their 40-man roster or major league injured list. If Burr clears waivers, he’d be a free agent.
AL Injury Notes: Anderson, Tigers, Odorizzi, Chapman
As the injury bug continues to bite the White Sox, Tim Anderson is at least nearing a return. Manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin) that Anderson is scheduled to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday. Anderson suffered a groin strain in Chicago’s May 29 game, and at the time, La Russa estimated the star shortstop would need about three weeks of recovery time. This rehab assignment would seemingly put Anderson right on track to match or even beat that projection.
The South Side would love to have Anderson back as soon as possible, given how he was on pace for possibly the best season of his already-standout career. Anderson hit .356/.393/.503 with five home runs over his first 173 plate appearances, plus a perfect 8-for-8 mark in stealing bases. With Eloy Jimenez still on the IL and Yasmani Grandal now nursing a sore hamstring, Anderson’s return is a much-needed boost for a struggling White Sox lineup.
More injury updates from around the American League…
- Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that Tyler Alexander (elbow sprain) could be activated from the 15-day IL as soon as Tuesday, though the team hasn’t yet decided on Alexander’s next step after the southpaw has seemingly completed his rehab work. Eduardo Rodriguez (ribcage sprain) was tentatively slated to return from his own rehab assignment this week, but that timeline is now up in the air since Rodriguez is away on a personal matter. Meanwhile, reliever Jose Cisnero (shoulder strain) was about to begin his own rehab assignment but has now been shut down for two weeks due to soreness in his right Achilles tendon.
- For the first since suffering a lower-leg injury almost a month ago, Jake Odorizzi joined the Astros‘ other pitchers in fielding drills today. Manager Dusty Baker told FOX 26’s Mark Berman (Twitter links) and other reporters that Odorizzi’s return to these drills is “kind of like the final hurdle” in determining the right-hander’s readiness. The next step is gradually bringing Odorizzi along, as the pitcher told Berman and company that he was going at around “50-60%” in his first workout, and he’ll continue to slowly ramp up.
- Matt Chapman has missed the Blue Jays‘ last two games due to a sore right wrist. Manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and other reporters that Chapman “couldn’t even pinch-hit today,” though the third baseman is still considered day-to-day with the injury. Imaging hasn’t yet been done on Chapman’s wrist, which Nicholson-Smith notes is an indication that the Jays believe the injury isn’t too serious.
Michael Kopech Leaves Game Due To Right Knee Discomfort
6:18PM: Speaking with The Athletic’s James Fegan (Twitter links) and other reporters after the game, Kopech said his knee is sore and there is some fluid buildup, but an MRI revealed no structural problems. He did feel a small twinge or pop sensation in his knee during his final pitch of the game.
Both Kopech and manager Tony La Russa expressed hope that the injury wasn’t serious, and that Kopech might potentially not even miss a start. For the Detroit series, La Russa said Lynn will now pitch on Monday, Dylan Cease will start Tuesday, and Wednesday’s starter is to be determined.
5:21PM: Michael Kopech lasted only 13 pitches into today’s start against the Rangers, as the White Sox right-hander had to leave the game due to what the Sox later described as discomfort in his right knee. After tossing a strike to Adolis Garcia, Kopech was in visible discomfort on the mound, and departed after a visit from the team trainer.
More will be known about Kopech’s status after he receives testing and treatment, yet for now, it looks like the White Sox have perhaps suffered yet another key injury. With several notable players sidelined for long stretches of time (or even the entire season, such as Tommy John patient Garrett Crochet), Chicago has been unable to get much momentum going, as the club carried a 27-30 record into today’s game with Texas.
Just as it seemed the rotation was finally taking shape with the impending return of Lance Lynn, the White Sox now face another possible absence in Kopech. Lynn had been slated for Tuesday’s game against the Tigers, though Chicago’s rotation will have to be reshuffled since Johnny Cueto (Monday’s scheduled starter) ended up pitching five innings today. An off-day on Thursday should help to settle things, but in the short term, the Sox now suddenly face a bit of a crunch for this series in Detroit.
In his first full year as a starting pitcher, Kopech has an outstanding 1.94 ERA over 51 2/3 innings, though his 4.34 SIERA and 4.49 xFIP aren’t as impressed by his performance. The righty has benefited from a .180 BABIP, and his 12% walk rate is only in the 13th percentile of all pitchers. While some regression was probably inevitable, it also remained to be seen how long Kopech would remain in the rotation, as it seemed likely the White Sox would limit his innings to some extent given Kopech’s lack of work in 2019-20, and his usage as a reliever in 2021.
White Sox Select Seby Zavala, Designate Yermin Mercedes
The White Sox announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contract of catcher Seby Zavala and designating first baseman Yermin Mercedes for assignment. They also recalled lefty Tanner Banks. To make room on the active roster for Zavala and Banks, lefty Aaron Bummer was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 9, due to a lat strain, while righty Davis Martin was optioned to Triple-A.
Zavala appeared in the majors with the White Sox in 2019 and 2021, getting into 42 games and hitting .171/.223/.343. He was outrighted off the roster in April and has been in Triple-A Charlotte, having a much better showing. He’s hit .282/.396/.535 through 41 games with the Knights, amounting to a wRC+ of 147, though with a 35.5% strikeout rate. He’s actually played more first base than catcher this year, though he’s likely needed on the big league club for extra depth behind the plate. Yasmani Grandal left yesterday’s game with hamstring tightness and will be unavailable for a while, even though he hasn’t been placed on the IL. Zavala and Reese McGuire will handle the catching duties until Grandal recovers enough to rejoin them.
As for Mercedes, this has the potential to conclude his tenure with the White Sox, a relationship that has not always gone smoothly. Last year, the Twins sent utility player Willians Astudillo to the mound in a game they were losing 15-4 to the Sox. Mercedes drew the ire of some unwritten rules fetishists by swinging at a 3-0 pitch from Astudillo and depositing over the fence for a home run. The Twins responded by throwing behind Mercedes in a subsequent game, which garnered suspensions for reliever Tyler Duffey and manager Rocco Baldelli. In the media dustup that followed, many White Sox players defended Mercedes, but White Sox manager Tony La Russa publicly spoke out against his own player and those who defended him.
Later in the season, Mercedes was optioned to the minors, which was followed by him announcing that he planned on stepping away from baseball, apparently posting his decision on Instagram before telling the team about it. However, it turned out to be a false alarm, as Mercedes quickly returned to the team in short order.
This year, Mercedes underwent hand surgery in March though was able to return and make his season debut in Triple-A in May. Through 25 games with the Knights, he’s hitting .230/.376/.426 thanks to a whopping 18.3% walk rate. All that amounts to a wRC+ of 120, or 20% above league average. Mercedes has always hit at every level, including the majors, though he doesn’t provide much value with the glove. Although he came up as a catcher, he’s gradually spent less time behind the plate, making 15 starts at DH this year and nine at first base, none behind the dish. The 29-year-old is in his final option year, meaning he could garner interest from any team willing to give him a 40-man roster spot. He could be stashed in Triple-A for the remainder of the year as a bat-first depth option. The White Sox will have one week to trade him or put him on waivers.
Lance Lynn Likely To Be Activated Tuesday
White Sox manager Tony La Russa tells reporters, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com, that starter Lance Lynn will likely be reinstated from the injured list in order to start Tuesday’s game against the Tigers.
Acquired from the Rangers prior to the 2021 season, Lynn had just one year remaining on his contract at the time he joined the Pale Hose. He was excellent in his first few months with the White Sox, throwing 90 2/3 innings over 16 starts with a 1.99 ERA. That showing was enough for them to put down $38MM in order to keep him around for two more seasons, with a club option for 2024 as well.
Coming into this year, Lynn was set to be a key member of a rotation that looked to be a strength for the South Siders, though that hasn’t gone according to plan. Lynn left his final Spring Training start with discomfort in his right knee, the same knee that sent him to the injured list for a time in 2021. He ultimately required surgery and has been working his way back to health ever since.
The Sox have seen their rotation depth tested in a few different ways this year, on top of not yet having any contributions from Lynn thus far. Lucas Giolito has been on the IL twice, Vince Velasquez is currently out due to a groin injury, and Dallas Keuchel struggled enough to get released. Still, the starting corps has still held its own, thanks to strong performances from Giolito, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and Johnny Cueto. Chicago starters have a 3.99 ERA on the year as a unit, 14th-best in the majors, not terrible considering the hiccups they’ve faced.
The club has been weathering their injuries enough to tread water in the American League postseason race, currently sitting on a 27-30 record, just 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. If Lynn can return and show anything resembling his 2019-2021 form, he will give a huge boost to the club. Over those three seasons, he threw 449 1/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. The 12.3 fWAR he accumulated in that time was fifth among qualified pitchers across baseball, trailing only Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole, Zack Wheeler and Max Scherzer. Once Lynn takes the ball, the rotation should be at full strength, with the 35-year-old slotting next to Giolito, Cease, Kopech and Cueto. Davis Martin, who recently fared well in three spot starts (one behind an opener), will likely be bumped down to the sixth spot on the depth chart, pitching in Triple-A or long relief in the meantime.
White Sox Claim Parker Markel From A’s
The White Sox announced they’ve claimed reliever Parker Markel off waivers from the Athletics and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago already had a 40-man roster vacancy, so no additional move was necessary.
Oakland designated Markel for assignment this week, ending his tenure in the organization after just three big league appearances. The 31-year-old walked five batters in only three innings during that time, a continuation of some longstanding control issues. He walked an elevated 12.7% of batters faced across 19 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas prior to his call-up, and he struggled to throw strikes during his only previous MLB action back in 2019.
That said, Markel has also flashed promising swing-and-miss stuff. He’s punched out an excellent 35.4% of opponents in Triple-A this season, and he fanned batters at a nearly identical rate last year in Triple-A with the Padres. Markel averaged 95 MPH with above-average raw spin on his fastball during his brief big league look in Oakland, and his low-80s slider has promising two-plane movement.
The fastball-slider pairing has flummoxed many hitters in the upper minors, and the Sox will take a low-risk shot to add some bullpen depth. Markel still has a pair of option years remaining, so the White Sox can shuttle him between Chicago and Charlotte for each of the next two seasons if he retains his spot on the 40-man roster.
White Sox Sign Mike Wright To Minor League Deal
The White Sox signed right-hander Mike Wright Jr. to a minor league contract, per an announcement from the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights. Wright actually started yesterday’s game for the Knights, tossing six innings of three-run ball while allowing three hits and two walks with one strikeout.
It’s the second ChiSox stint for Wright, who was with the South Siders in 2021 as well. He had a nice run with the Knights in 2021 when he pitched to a 3.40 ERA over the life of 95 1/3 innings, but Wright was tagged for 11 earned runs in 18 big league frames (5.50 ERA) with as many walks issued as strikeouts recorded (11 apiece).
Wright — who has also spent parts of five seasons with the Orioles, one with the Mariners and one with the Korea Baseball Organization’s NC Dinos — opened the 2022 season with the Dodgers’ Triple-A club after signing a minor league deal in Spring Training. He worked to a 4.46 ERA in 34 1/3 frames with their affiliate in Oklahoma City but posted a more concerning 13% walk rate against just a 16.9% strikeout rate. Overall, he’s pitched 276 big league innings but has just a 5.97 earned run average to his credit thus far.
Wright will give the Sox some needed depth after a series of injuries and some pronounced struggles from Dallas Keuchel have thinned out their starting depth in 2022. Lance Lynn has yet to pitch this season after undergoing spring knee surgery, though he’s on a rehab assignment and finally nearing his season debut. Vince Velasquez has struggled quite a bit himself and recently landed on the injured list owing to a groin strain. Keuchel, meanwhile, pitched himself off the roster entirely by logging a 7.88 ERA in 32 innings (eight starts). The Sox designated him for assignment and released him last week.
Lucas Giolito recently returned from the injured list, and the Sox have gotten a better-than-expected performance from former All-Star Johnny Cueto, who inked a minor league deal himself back in early April. Cueto blanked the Royals and the Yankees over six frames apiece in a pair of road outings to begin his White Sox tenure. He was tagged by the Cubs for five runs in his debut at Guaranteed Rate Field and has since tossed a quality start on the road against the Jays as well. Overall, he’s sporting a 2.92 ERA in 24 2/3 frames, cementing his place on the starting staff alongside Giolito, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and (barring any late setbacks) the soon-to-return Lynn.
Wright, then, will join rookie Davis Martin and fellow righty Jimmy Lambert as Triple-A depth. He’ll likely be behind that pair on the depth chart given that they’re already on the 40-man roster, but health issues and a slightly condensed 2022 schedule — thanks to the season’s late start — could create some opportunities for Wright down the line if he throws well in Charlotte.
AL Central Notes: Lynn, Candelario, Tigers, Twins, Ryan, Dobnak
Lance Lynn is scheduled to make his third rehab start on Wednesday, White Sox manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). Beyond that, La Russa left open the possibility that Lynn could be activated from the 60-day injured list, assuming that the veteran right-hander is feeling good coming out of that next Triple-A outing.
Knee surgery sidelined Lynn in early April, so the hurler has yet to make his 2022 debut. Getting Lynn back in action would be a huge help to a Chicago team that has been bitten hard by the injury bug, but the White Sox are still treading water despite a shorthanded roster. The White Sox improved to 25-27 after today’s 6-5 win over the Rays.
More from around the AL Central…
- Speaking of injury-riddled teams, the Tigers may have suffered another loss as Jeimer Candelario left today’s game in the second inning due to a left shoulder injury. Candelario dove to try and snag a Josh Donaldson line drive, but was shaken up on the play, and had to be replaced mid-inning at third base by Harold Castro. Since Detroit doesn’t have games on either Monday or Thursday, it’s possible the club could wait a few days to see if Candelario can avoid the IL, though the third baseman’s condition could be determined earlier based on tests. Like many Tigers hitters, Candelario is suffering through a rough year at the plate, hitting only .181/.236/.319 over 195 plate appearances.
- Some reinforcements could be on the way for the Tigers, as manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen) that Austin Meadows is tentatively ready to be activated from the 10-day IL on Tuesday. Meadows has been battling vertigo symptoms and was placed on the IL in mid-May. As for other injured Tigers, both Eduardo Rodriguez and Robbie Grossman could be close to starting rehab assignments.
- Twins manager Rocco Baldelli provided Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links) and other reporters with some updates on injured players, including the status of right-hander Joe Ryan. After being placed on the COVID-related injured list on May 25, Ryan has tossed one bullpen session already and will throw another, more intense session today or Tuesday. It isn’t yet known if Ryan will require a rehab start in the minors before returning to Minnesota’s rotation.
- While Ryan may be close to a return, the news isn’t good for Randy Dobnak, as Baldelli said the right-hander recently suffered a setback with his injured right middle finger. It has been almost a full year since Dobnak initially sprained his finger, and he has pitched in only one MLB game since (on September 3, 2021).
AL Roster Notes: Twins, White Sox, Rays
The Twins have reinstated Gilberto Celestino from the COVID injured list, per the team. Chi Chi Gonzalez was returned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster. It’s worth nothing that Gonzalez has an opt out clause in his contract that he can trigger next week, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP Eyewitness News (via Twitter). The 30-year-old Gonzalez made just one appearance for the Twins, yielding three earned runs in three innings of work. Let’s check on other roster moves made today in the American League…
- The White Sox optioned Tanner Banks to Triple-A today to make room for reliever Kyle Crick, per the Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter). Crick has 10 appearances on the year with a 3.60 ERA/3.95 FIP across 10 innings with a 11-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Banks, a 30-year-old rookie, made 14 appearances spanning 21 2/3 innings with a 4.57 ERA/4.44 FIP.
- Southpaw Ben Bowden, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Bowden, 27, was claimed off waivers earlier this season from the Rockies. He has not yet seen big league action for the Rays.
Dallas Keuchel Clears Waivers, Reaches Free Agency
Left-hander Dallas Keuchel has passed through release waivers unclaimed, reports Andy Martino of SNY. He’s now a free agent and can explore opportunities with other clubs.
This was an inevitability once the White Sox designated Keuchel for assignment over the weekend. The southpaw is still due a bit under $13MM in 2022 salary, plus a $1.5MM buyout on a 2023 club option. No team was going to claim Keuchel and assume that tab, so it was a formality that he’d clear waivers and hit free agency.
Now that he’s available on the open market, the 34-year-old would have more appeal to other clubs. The White Sox will remain on the hook for virtually all of Keuchel’s remaining guaranteed commitments. Any team that signs him would only owe him the prorated portion of the $700K minimum salary for any time he spends in the majors, which would be subtracted from Chicago’s financial outlay.
With no financial risk attached, it seems likely Keuchel will find a major league deal somewhere. Still, that the White Sox cut him loose in spite of a questionable back-of-the-rotation mix points to the extent of the struggles the 2015 AL Cy Young award winner has experienced over the past couple seasons. Signed to a three-year, $55.5MM guarantee over the 2019-20 offseason, Keuchel posted a sterling 1.99 ERA over 11 starts during the shortened 2020 season. Since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, however, he’s been among the least effective starters in the game.
Keuchel stayed healthy and made 32 appearances (30 starts) for the division-winning ChiSox last year, but his rate stats were below-average. He posted a 5.28 ERA — his first season allowing even more than four earned runs per nine since 2016 — across 162 frames. Even at his best, Keuchel has never missed many bats, but he saw his strikeout rate tumble to 13.2% last year. His 54.9% ground-ball rate was still a well above-average mark, but the two-time All-Star had induced worm burners on more than three-fifths of batted balls at his peak.
Those worrisome trends have only been exacerbated this year. Keuchel has a 7.88 ERA through eight starts, the second-highest mark among 137 pitchers with 30+ innings. He has the second-worst strikeout/walk rate differential among that same group, with matching 12.2% marks. Keuchel’s grounder rate is also down a few more points (albeit still strong), at 50.8%. That slow start led the White Sox to cut bait, although another team is likely to give him an opportunity based on his pre-2021 track record.
Keuchel, of course, was one of the game’s best pitchers between 2014-20. He posted four sub-3.00 ERA campaigns during that time as a preeminent ground-ball specialist, helping the Astros to a strong run of success. It’s unlikely he’ll return to that form at this stage of his career, but another club could still see him as a capable back-end option — particularly if he can get his grounder rate to tick back up a few points in a new environment.
The White Sox have had a top-heavy starting rotation this season, which was to be expected. Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and Lucas Giolito have all performed well. Keuchel and offseason signee Vince Velasquez have struggled, while veteran Johnny Cueto has been effective through three starts. Bolstering the back end figures to be a trade deadline focus for general manager Rick Hahn and his staff if the team remains in contention over the coming months, particularly if Velasquez continues to scuffle while holding down the final spot.