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AL Notes: Mariners, Lewis, Castillo, Misiewicz, White Sox, Giolito

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The Mariners were hopeful that reigning Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis would begin a rehab assignment on Friday, but those plans were dashed by soreness in his surgically-repaired right knee, per The Athletic’s Corey Brock. Lewis went under the knife in June after just 147 plate appearances. His offense was down a little to a .246/.333/.392 triple slash line, but even ignoring the small sample caveat, that’s still good for a 107 wRC+.

Lewis’ delay is unfortunate, especially given the struggles of Jarred Kelenic in center.  Jake Fraley and Taylor Trammell have helped out in center as well, but Fraley is on the injured list and Trammell is in Triple-A. Somewhat improbably in the playoff hunt, the Mariners could certainly use better than the 50 wRC+ that Kelenic is providing, but given this latest setback for Lewis, any improvement will likely have to come from Kelenic himself. In other news…

  • The Mariners expect bullpen reinforcements soon. Diego Castillo and Anthony Misiewicz are on their way back from the injured list, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). Misiewicz has been one of their more reliable relievers on the season, and Castillo was intended to take over the closer role when he was acquired at the deadline. Paul Sewald has claimed that job for now, so it will be worth watching where manager Scott Servais chooses to work Castillo back into the mix. [UPDATE: the Mariners have officially reinstated Castillo and Misiewicz from the IL.]
  • Lucas Giolito’s hamstring strain may ultimately be a good thing for the White Sox righty. A short stint on the injured list will allow him to reset and adjust some of his mechanics, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. On finishing his delivery, Giolito said, “When my finish gets violent, I am recoiling on the pitch and my leg stiffens out. It’s almost like I am falling backwards. I don’t want to be there. It’s a bad habit. When I am strong on my front leg, even with a little bend, it allows me to get through the pitch, which leads to more extension going forward. I feel I am more consistent when I am more athletic and stronger through my finish.”

Injury Notes: Giolito, Longoria, Torres, Moreland, McGowin

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The White Sox placed Lucas Giolito on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 1, due to a left hamstring strain this afternoon. It seems the move is mostly precautionary, as manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times) that Giolito is scheduled to throw a bullpen session next Wednesday. The White Sox can afford to be especially cautious with even minor injuries for their top players, as they’re coasting to a division title and hoping to get everybody right for the postseason. Giolito has a 3.69 ERA/3.68 SIERA over 158 1/3 innings this season.

Some more health situations around the league:

  • The Giants announced they’ve activated third baseman Evan Longoria from the 10-day injured list. The 35-year-old returns in time for perhaps the club’s biggest series of the year, as San Francisco is set to kick off a three-game set against the Dodgers, with whom they’re tied atop the NL West. Injuries have limited Longoria to 199 plate appearances this season, but he’s looked rejuvenated when healthy. Longoria owns a .289/.382/.526 line with ten home runs. Mauricio Dubón was optioned to clear active roster space.
  • The Yankees activated shortstop Gleyber Torres from the 10-day injured list before this evening’s game with the Orioles. The 24-year-old returns after a three-week absence due to a thumb sprain. Torres got off to a slow start but looked like he’d begun to turn a corner offensively before going down. He has a .253/.328/.351 mark across 407 plate appearances altogether. New York optioned outfielder Estevan Florial in a corresponding move.
  • Athletics designated hitter/first baseman Mitch Moreland landed on the 10-day injured list with left wrist tendinitis earlier this week. Manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Moreland’s wrist will be in a splint “for at least a few weeks.” With a month remaining in the regular season, that would seemingly put Moreland’s season in jeopardy — at least barring an A’s postseason run. Moreland has struggled to a .227/.286/.415 line across 252 plate appearances this season, a disappointing follow-up to a strong 2020 campaign split between the Red Sox and Padres.
  • The Nationals placed reliever Kyle McGowin on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. The right-hander has a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow and will see a specialist to determine his course of treatment, relays Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Any injury to a pitcher’s UCL raises the specter of a potential Tommy John surgery, although there’s no indication McGowin is facing any sort of procedure just yet. The 29-year-old has made 30 relief appearances for the Nats this season, working to a 4.20 ERA/3.85 SIERA.

Blue Jays Claim Jake Lamb From White Sox

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The Blue Jays announced they’ve claimed corner infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb off waivers from the White Sox. Right-hander Connor Overton was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Lamb signed a one-year deal with the White Sox over the offseason. He spent the year as a left-handed depth piece, picking up occasional starts at each of the four corner spots on the diamond as well as designated hitter. Over 131 plate appearances, Lamb hit a league average .212/.321/.389. He drew walks at a very strong 13% clip and popped six home runs in that limited time, but he also struck out in 29% of his plate appearances en route to that poor batting average.

That’s better production than Lamb had managed over the prior three seasons. He popped 59 home runs as the Diamondbacks’ regular third baseman between 2016-17, earning an All-Star nod in the latter of those two campaigns. But Lamb never regained his peak form upon suffering a shoulder injury in 2018 that eventually required surgery. Between 2018-20, he posted a .205/.309/.351 line in roughly one full season’s worth of playing time.

Lamb figures to assume a similar lefty bench bat role in Toronto. The Jays will take on what remains of his $1MM salary (approximately $171K) to bolster their position player depth as they look to erase a five-game deficit in the race for the American League’s final playoff spot. If the Jays do make the postseason, Lamb would not be eligible for the playoff roster because he was acquired after August 31. The 30-year-old will reach free agency this offseason.

Overton will be placed on waivers in the coming days. Toronto selected the 28-year-old to make his big league debut last month. Overton has been impressive in his first look, tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and two walks. And he’d been excellent this season with the Jays’ top affiliate in Buffalo, where he worked to a 2.03 ERA over 57 2/3 innings. Nevertheless, the Jays front office is evidently skeptical he can continue to prevent runs at that level without generating many whiffs. The right-hander only punched out 21.6% of opposing hitters in Triple-A and has a below-average 9.7% swinging strike rate in his brief big league look.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if another club is willing to give Overton a longer look. In addition to his strong results, Overton has all three minor league option years remaining. Any claiming team could shuttle him back and forth between the majors and Triple-A for the next couple years — if he can carve out a permanent 40-man roster spot.

White Sox, Ruben Tejada Agree To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran infielder Ruben Tejada, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Tejada, a client of Primetime Sports Group, will join the White Sox’ Triple-A club this weekend.

Now 31 years old, Tejada is best known for his time with the Mets, with whom he spent the 2010-15 and 2019 seasons. In parts of seven years in Queens, Tejada slashed .254/.328/.322 while logging considerable time at each of shortstop, second base and third base. He’s also had brief stints with the Cardinals, Giants and Orioles, though he hasn’t been particularly productive at any of those three stops.

Tejada has spent the season thus far with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate after agreeing to a minor league deal back in May. He appeared in 72 games with the IronPigs and slashed .231/.341/.262 over the life of 264 plate appearances. He was released late last month.

Chicago’s infield depth was depleted a bit when both Romy Gonzalez and Danny Mendick were called up to the big league roster in recent days, so Tejada will give them another veteran option in Charlotte, where he’ll join a roster that also includes Matt Reynolds, Marco Hernandez, Mikie Mahtook, Nik Turley and the recently signed Carl Edwards Jr.

White Sox Sign Carl Edwards Jr.; Kyle Crick Opts Out Of Minors Deal

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The White Sox signed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to a minor league contract yesterday, per an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. He had been released by the Blue Jays earlier in the week.

Edwards has appeared in the big leagues with both the Braves and Toronto already this season. Between the two clubs, he has only tallied 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs. Edwards landed on the injured list with an oblique strain in mid-June and has spent the past couple months recovering. While he recently embarked upon a rehab assignment, the Jays evidently decided to release him rather than bring him back to the big league roster.

It has been a difficult few seasons for Edwards, who was once high-end reliever during his time with the Cubs. Between 2016-18, Edwards posted a 3.03 ERA across 154 1/3 innings for the North Siders. Injury issues and an increasing propensity for issuing walks, however, have knocked him off course in recent seasons.

While the White Sox didn’t announce their deal with Edwards until this morning, that it was finalized yesterday is significant. Players in an organization by August 31 are eligible for a team’s postseason roster, so Edwards could be an option for the ChiSox come playoff time. There’s no question Chicago will reach the playoffs, given their insurmountable lead in the AL Central. Of course, Edwards would have to pitch his way into the big league bullpen to warrant that consideration.

While Chicago adds some right-handed relief depth with the Edwards signing, they’re losing Kyle Crick to free agency. MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports that Crick has triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal and been granted his release. The former Pirate signed with Chicago a month ago and tossed 10 1/3 innings of one-run ball with Charlotte, striking out fifteen while issuing just three walks. That strong showing should help him find another opportunity elsewhere in relatively short order.

White Sox Designate Jake Lamb For Assignment, Place Tim Anderson On Injured List

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The White Sox announced a series of roster moves Wednesday in conjunction with September roster expansion (from 26 to 28 players). Infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb has been designated for assignment, with shortstop Tim Anderson landing on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 29) with a strained left hamstring. The White Sox have also reinstated Billy Hamilton from the injured list, recalled infielder/outfielder Gavin Sheets and righty Matt Foster from Triple-A Charlotte, and (as previously covered here) selected the contract of utilityman Romy Gonzalez from Charlotte.

Lamb, 30, was an All-Star with the Diamondbacks in 2017 and slugged 59 round-trippers as their everyday third baseman from 2016-17. Shoulder injuries, which culminated in surgery to repair his rotator cuff, derailed his 2018-20 seasons, however. He had a nice showing with the A’s late in 2020 but hasn’t been the same player since those shoulder troubles arose.

That’s largely been the case so far in 2021, too. Lamb missed a bit more than a month with strained quadriceps earlier this summer, but even when healthy he’s been a somewhat seldom-used bench option, appearing in 43 games and tallying 131 trips to the plate. Lamb’s current .212/.321/.389 line in that time is an improvement over recent seasons but nowhere near the .248/.345/.498 pace at which he hit during that brief peak in Arizona. He’ll be placed on outright waivers or released in the coming days.

Anderson, 28, has missed the White Sox’ last three games with what the team described as general soreness in his legs, but it now appears there’s a more accurate diagnosis of what has been hobbling him. The Sox didn’t provide a timeline for his return, but they’ve had the American League Central locked down for months now, so they can afford to be cautious with his recovery. The 2019 AL batting champ is in the midst of another strong season, hitting .302/.331/.458 with 14 home runs and 17 stolen bases.

Hamilton, Sheets and Foster have all been with the Sox at various points in the 2021 season. Hamilton has had a pair of IL stints and hasn’t produced at the plate, but his speed and glovework in the outfield remain elite. Sheets hit just .225 with a .293 OBP when he was promoted for his big league debut earlier this summer, but he also ripped six homers and five doubles in 99 plate appearances — good for a .483 slugging percentage. Foster has been hit hard this season, evidenced by a 5.67 ERA in 33 1/3 innings, but he posted a 2.20 ERA with outstanding K-BB numbers through 28 2/3 frames in 2020.

White Sox To Select Romy Gonzalez

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The White Sox will select the contract of infielder/outfielder Romy Gonzalez today, filling one of their two extra roster spots under September expansion rules, per FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link).

It’ll be the first call to the Majors for Gonzalez, an 18th-round pick in 2018 who has turned in an outstanding year this far between Double-A and Triple-A. Gonzalez wasn’t ranked among White Sox farmhands in the offseason, but Baseball America tabbed him as the system’s No. 17 prospect on its midseason re-rankings after a huge start to the year.

The 24-year-old Gonzalez began the 2021 campaign in Double-A and hit .267/.355/.502 with 20 home runs, 11 doubles and 21 stolen bases through 344 plate appearances before a promotion to Triple-A. He’s only improved in Charlotte, hitting at a .344/.382/.750 clip with three homers and four doubles in 34 plate appearances. It’ll prove to be a brief stay with the team’s top minor league affiliate, however, as Gonzalez will now be called to the big leagues after just nine Triple-A contests.

Gonzalez would’ve been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason anyhow, so it’s not a huge surprise to see the South Siders give him a well-earned look in the Majors for the season’s final month. He’ll give the Sox a right-handed bat with some power, speed and a good bit of defensive versatility. Gonzalez had played primarily in the outfield in 2018-19, but he’s played exclusively in the infield in 2021 — with the bulk of his innings coming at shortstop. He’s now seen time at all four infield spots and in all three outfield slots since being drafted in ’18, giving the Sox plenty of options to rest their regulars down the stretch.

In the short term, Gonzalez’s promotion could give the ChiSox the opportunity to place Tim Anderson on the 10-day injured list or to at least continue resting him. Anderson has been bothered by leg soreness in recent weeks and hasn’t played in any of the team’s past three games.

White Sox Place Lance Lynn On Injured List

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The White Sox announced they’ve placed star right-hander Lance Lynn on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 29, due to right knee inflammation. Infielder Danny Mendick has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move.

Lynn has consistently been an above-average starter over the past few seasons, but he’s taken his game to new heights in 2021. The veteran has gone 135 2/3 innings across 24 starts, pitching to a 2.59 ERA/3.79 SIERA with quality strikeout and walk rates (27.3% and 7.5%, respectively). He’s ninth in MLB in ERA (minimum 100 innings pitched) and looks to be among the top candidates in the American League Cy Young award race.

It doesn’t seem there’s much cause for alarm, as manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including Daryl von Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times) the expectation is that Lynn will only need to miss a single start. Assuming that proves to be the case, the Sox’s fortunes shouldn’t be much affected by his absence. Chicago has all but officially wrapped up the AL Central, entering play tonight holding a ten-game lead over the Indians.

AL Central Notes: Grandal, Keller, Twins

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The White Sox announced Friday that they’ve reinstated catcher Yasmani Grandal from the 10-day injured list and optioned fellow backstop Zack Collins to Triple-A Charlotte. Grandal missed nearly two months following surgery to repair a tendon tear in his left knee, during which time Chicago leaned on Collins and Seby Zavala to shoulder the workload behind the dish. It’s been an odd season for Grandal, who has walked at an astonishing 24.4 percent pace through 246 trips to the plate and matched his career-high in isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average). But Grandal is also batting just .188, thanks in large part to a .189 average on balls in play. The end result is a nonconventional .188/.388/.436 batting line that still translates to a 134 wRC+ because of that enormous on-base percentage and Grandal’s considerable power. Notably, Grandal’s 26 percent strikeout rate isn’t a huge increase over his 24 percent career mark, and he’s sporting career-highs in hard-hit rate and exit velocity (by a wide margin). There’s good reason to think the batting average and overall batting line can tick upward — provided he’s back to full strength.

More from the AL Central…

  • Royals righty Brad Keller exited last night’s start early and is being evaluated for what the club describes as “posterior right shoulder discomfort,” writes Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The right-hander said after the game that his shoulder felt “tight” and “sore.” The 26-year-old Keller has had a rough year overall but looked to be on the right track after a disastrous three-month run to begin the year. Keller pitched to a 6.67 ERA through the end of June, but in his past nine starts he’s worked to a 3.42 ERA (4.37 SIERA) with greatly improved strikeout and walk rates. A former Rule 5 pick out of the D-backs organization, Keller has emerged as a mainstay in the Kansas City rotation, pitching to a 3.50 ERA in 360 1/3 innings from 2018-20. This year’s struggles have weighed down his numbers, but he still possesses a solid 4.01 ERA in 494 innings since the Royals gave him his first big league opportunity. He’s never been on the injured list outside of a two-week absence last summer due to a positive Covid-19 test.
  • Twins fans could get a look at some of the organization’s top prospects next month. Rosters can’t expand to the extent that they once did — only to 28 players — but manager Rocco Baldelli said this week in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that the club will likely take a look at some promising youngsters when rosters expand (Twitter link, with audio). “I do think we could get a look at a few of these guys,” Baldelli said, though he declined to provide specific names. “I think there’s value in experience. … Calling guys up in September, giving them a little bit of that, I think helps.” Baldelli specifically pointed to the pitching staff, noting that there will be “some innings available” to the club’s upper-level pitchers. Speculatively speaking, that would seem to bode well for prospects such as Jordan Balazovic and Joe Ryan — the former a consensus top-100 arm and the latter a key arm acquired in the Nelson Cruz trade. Minnesota has given a few rookies some opportunities in the starting rotation this year — Griffin Jax and Charlie Barnes among them — but they’ve yet to promote any of their top-ranked prospects on the pitching side of things (in part due to injuries).

White Sox Activate Carlos Rodon From Injured List

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The White Sox announced they’ve reinstated Carlos Rodón from the 10-day injured list. He’ll start this afternoon’s game against the Blue Jays. Infielder Danny Mendick was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move.

Rodón is back for the first time in a couple weeks. He was retroactively placed on the IL on August 8 with shoulder fatigue. That came as something of a surprise, as Rodón had punched out eleven Royals over five scoreless innings during his prior start. The White Sox could afford to take things cautiously at even the slightest hint of discomfort from Rodón, who has tossed 109 2/3 innings this season after injuries limited him to 42 1/3 frames between 2019-20 combined. With the AL Central all but officially wrapped up, the Sox’s focus is on having Rodón at full strength for the postseason.

The southpaw has been surprisingly brilliant in 2021 after those back-to-back campaigns wrecked by injury. Among pitchers with 100+ innings, only Walker Buehler, Lance Lynn, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff have a lower ERA than his 2.38 mark. Rodón’s 36.2% strikeout rate and 29.4 percentage point strikeout/walk rate differential are both the best of that group. Assuming he finishes the season at or near that level, Rodón will earn strong support for the American League Cy Young award and position himself very well as he enters free agency this winter.

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