Guardians Rumors

Indians Recall Bradley Zimmer

By Steve Adams | September 13, 2019 at 2:11pm CDT

2:11pm: This move is now official.

12:16pm: The Indians are “expected” to recall outfielder Bradley Zimmer from Triple-A Columbus, tweets Zack Meisel of The Athletic. He’ll join righty James Karinchak as a late September call-up for an Indians club that is hosting the division-leading Twins for a pivotal three-game series this weekend. Cleveland currently trails Minnesota by 3.5 games.

It’ll be the first time that Zimmer, 26, has been on the active Major League roster since last June, when he incurred a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery and an eight- to 12-month recovery timetable. The 2014 first-round pick has played in 15 minor league games, including an impressive .364/.440/.636 run in six games with Columbus.

Zimmer debuted to great fanfare with the 2017 Indians. Heralded as a top prospect for most of the interim between that 2014 draft and his MLB debut, he announced his presence with a .308/.388/.518 slash through his first 100 plate appearances before fading badly with greater exposure to MLB pitching. Over his final 229 plate appearances that season, Zimmer hit .212/.271/.327 and struck out at a 30.5 percent clip. He couldn’t snap out of that funk in 2018, either, hitting .226/.281/.330 through 114 plate appearances prior to injuring his shoulder.

Zimmer returns to a vastly different outfield mix than the one he left. At the time of his injury, none of Oscar Mercado, Franmil Reyes, Yasiel Puig, Jake Bauers or Jordan Luplow were even in the organization. And while Puig is a free agent at season’s end, the rest of that group is controllable for the foreseeable future. That’s also true of speedster Greg Allen and the currently injured Tyler Naquin, which further complicates Zimmer’s path back to a prominent role with the team. He’s likely to be utilized in a limited capacity down the stretch, given that glut of outfield options, so he may have a difficult time making an impression on the club’s decision-makers this month. Zimmer does have a minor league option remaining beyond the 2019 season, so the club can send him to Triple-A next spring if that’s determined to be the best course of action.

Indians To Promote James Karinchak

By Mark Polishuk | September 12, 2019 at 3:03pm CDT

The Indians are calling up right-hander James Karinchak, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). Cleveland has a full 40-man roster, so a move will have to be made to accommodate Karinchak prior to tomorrow’s game.

A ninth-round pick for the Tribe in the 2017 draft, Karinchak made his Triple-A debut in 2019 and posted a 4.67 ERA over 17 1/3 relief innings. Beyond that fairly unimpressive mark, however, stands an eyebrow-raising strikeout total — Karinchak struck out 42 batters in his brief time at Triple-A Columbus, continuing an incredible season of missing bats for the 23-year-old. Over 30 1/3 total minor league innings in a year shortened by hamstring injuries, Karinchak has 74 strikeouts.

MLB.com ranks Karinchak as the 21st-best prospect in Cleveland’s farm system, giving high grades on the 20-80 scouting scale to his 95-98mph fastball (a 70 grade) and a “12-to-6 curveball that he can get them to chase out of the bottom of the zone” (60 grade). Between a high arm slot and a tendency to overthrow, however, Karinchak has also had problems limiting free passes. He has a 5.5 BB/9 over his 102 1/3 career minor league innings, and a 6.8 BB/9 at Columbus this season.

The Tribe will hope that Karinchak’s live arm can help reinforce a bullpen that has fallen on hard times recently. Closer Brad Hand’s recent struggles are the largest concern, though Cleveland relievers as a whole have a cumulative 5.20 ERA over the last 30 days, the fifth-highest mark of any team’s relief corps over that span. While Indians relievers have been pretty good as a whole all season, they rank near the middle of the pack in K/9, so Karinchak promises a particular boost in that department.

Brad Hand Undergoes MRI

By Connor Byrne | September 12, 2019 at 1:38am CDT

Blue Jays right-hander Clay Buchholz, who turned 35 last month and is closing in on another trip to free agency, told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe that he intends to play again in 2020. But there’s one condition: Buchholz isn’t willing to pitch in the minors, Abraham reports. “I told my agent that,” Buchholz said. “I feel like I’m capable of pitching as well as I did five or six years ago. It’s not about money. It’s about considering myself a major league pitcher.” Buchholz took a minor league contract a year ago and then proceeded to revive his career with the Diamondbacks, which persuaded Toronto to hand him a $3MM guarantee last offseason. The investment hasn’t paid off for the Jays, though, as a shoulder injury has limited Buchholz to eight starts and 42 1/3 innings of 5.31 ERA/5.15 FIP ball. Buchholz could have trouble landing a guaranteed deal during the upcoming winter as a result, and that might put his career in jeopardy if he’s not up for another minor league stint.

Latest On Corey Kluber

By Jeff Todd | September 6, 2019 at 11:07pm CDT

The Indians don’t seem to have much hope of getting veteran starter Corey Kluber back at any point in the 2019 season. As Ryan Lewis of the Beacon Journal recently reported, Kluber is still limited to doing aquatic exercises as he works to recover from an oblique injury.

That status hasn’t changed in the past few days, leading MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian to tweet that it’d be a surprise to see Kluber back in the regular season. Perhaps a postseason return can’t be ruled out entirely — remember Kyle Schwarber? — but it feels quite unlikely.

Trouble is, there just isn’t much time for Kluber to rebuild his arm strength even if he can get past the oblique issue. As skipper Terry Francona put it, “He’s got a ways to go.” Given that Kluber was already working back from a forearm fracture when he suffered the new injury, it’d be difficult to justify an aggressive build-up.

If indeed Kluber is done pitching for the year, it would mean the Indians won’t have a chance to glean further information before deciding on his club option. On the one hand, given Kluber’s still-recent history of dominance, it’s hard to imagine the team passing on the $13.5MM price tag in favor of $2MM in total buyouts. That’s particularly true with another option year still to come for 2021. On the other, the 33-year-old struggled even before he went down and will now be working back from a completely lost campaign. And the cost is far from insignificant to the budget-watching Cleveland organization.

Indians Activate Jefry Rodriguez, Transfer Danny Salazar To 60-Day IL

By Steve Adams | September 6, 2019 at 12:55pm CDT

The Indians announced Friday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Jefry Rodriguez from the 60-day injured list. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Cleveland has transferred fellow right-hander Danny Salazar from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL.

The move puts an end to Salazar’s 2019 regular season after just one appearance, although that already looked to be the case after Salazar asked the club for some time away from the organization after exiting his latest rehab appearance early (link via MLB.com’s Mandy Bell). Salazar, who has been sidelined since Aug. 2 due to a groin strain, missed the 2018 season and much of the 2019 campaign following shoulder surgery. His future with the organization is clearly up in the air following the latest sequence of events.

Salazar, 29, always looked to have front-of-the-rotation potential based on an electric arsenal and his typically gaudy strikeout rates, but he’s only been healthy enough to make 30 starts once in the past six seasons. The 2016 All-Star posted a 3.82 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 587 1/3 innings from 2013-17 but has been rendered an afterthought in the wake of his recent shoulder woes. The Indians paid Salazar a $5MM salary in 2018 and tendered him a contract at $4.5MM for the 2019 season due to the upside he possesses, but the organization will ultimately receive just four innings of work in return for that $9.5MM investment. Salazar is arbitration-eligible again this offseason, but he’s a surefire non-tender candidate at this point.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Rodriguez will return to the Indians after some shoulder troubles of his own. Acquired in the offseason swap that sent catcher Yan Gomes to Washington, Rodriguez started eight games for Cleveland earlier this season and worked to a 4.74 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.03 HR/9 and a 49.3 percent ground-ball rate.

Rodriguez topped out at 3 2/3 innings in his minor league rehab stint, so he’s not fully stretched back out just yet. He could function as a long reliever or perhaps make a start with the understanding that his workload would be limited, should the need arise. Cleveland has club control over the righty through the 2024 season.

Outrighted: Edwards, Stephens, Payano, St. John

By Steve Adams | September 3, 2019 at 8:01pm CDT

As is common early each September, Major League clubs designated a slew of players for assignment over the past few days in order to create roster space for various September call-ups. Several players have already been claimed off waivers today, but we’ll track those who’ve cleared waivers and been outrighted to a minor league affiliate here…

The Indians announced that right-handers Jon Edwards and Jordan Stephens went unclaimed on waivers and were both sent outright to Triple-A Columbus. The 31-year-old Edwards pitched to a strong 2.70 ERA through 16 2/3 innings with Cleveland’s big league club over the past two seasons, but he did so with a less-encouraging 15-to-10 K/BB ratio. Edwards averaged better than 11 punchouts per nine innings with the Indians’ top affiliate in Columbus this season but also issued 4.8 walks per nine frames and logged a 4.22 ERA there. The Indians claimed Stephens from the White Sox back on June 15, but he allowed 33 runs, served up nine homers and issued 14 walks in 28 2/3 innings in Columbus.
Rangers right-hander Pedro Payano and left-hander Locke St. John cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, per a team announcement. Payano, 24, narrowly kept his ERA south of 5.00 in 84 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this year, but the pitching-needy Rangers called upon him for a handful of appearances in spite of those struggles. He logged 22 innings in the big leagues but limped to a 5.73 ERA with nearly as many walks (15) as strikeouts (17). The 26-year-old St. John dominated through 29 2/3 innings in Double-A (1.52 ERA, 42-to-13 K/BB ratio), but he surrendered 19 runs in 19 2/3 innings in Triple-A in addition to struggling through seven MLB appearances.

Notable September Callups

By Anthony Franco | September 1, 2019 at 5:31pm CDT

We’ll track the flurry of notable callups as roster expand on September 1.

Latest Moves

The Mets promoted left-hander Daniel Zamora and right-hander Tyler Bashlor from Triple-A, and also selected the contract of second baseman Sam Haggerty. (The club posted a fun video on its Twitter account of the players receiving the news.) A 24th-round pick for Cleveland in the 2015 draft, Haggerty came to the Mets last winter part of the trade that sent Kevin Plawecki to the Indians. Haggerty began the year at low-A ball and worked his way up to the Show after posting a .907 OPS over 49 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Earlier Updates

The Diamondbacks announced a slew of callups today. Most notably, the club has selected the contract of outfielder Abraham Almonte and recalled right-hander Jon Duplantier. Almonte, 30, has logged time as a reserve each of the past six seasons, to the tune of a career .237/.294/.367 slash (79 wRC+). Duplantier, one of the club’s top pitching prospects, has battled injury issues in recent years but offers a high-upside bullpen piece for the stretch run.
The Rays’ September additions include a number of notable players, with Nate Lowe headlining a group of five call-ups. He’ll be joined by Peter Fairbanks and Daniel Robertson, among others.
The Braves announced they’ve recalled utilityman Johan Camargo. Camargo was optioned after the club signed Adeiny Hechavarría to replace the injured Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Swanson’s back now, and Hechavarría is still on hand, so it’ll be a tough climb for Camargo, who’s mired in a dreadful season. He’s only a year removed from a productive age-24 campaign, though.
The Padres will select the contract of right-handed reliever David Bednar, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). The 24 year-old gets a little lost among the Padres’ loaded system, but he boasts a pair of plus offerings in his fastball and curveball, opine Kiley McDaniel and Eric Lognenhagen of Fangraphs. Despite a less-than-stellar reputation for his command, Bednar has dazzled in the Texas League this season, pitching to a 2.95 ERA with elite strikeout (35.8%) and walk (7.5%) numbers.
The Indians announced today they have selected the contracts of Ryan Flaherty and James Hoyt. They’ve also recalled Eric Haase. Flaherty’s solid Triple-A work this year has earned him his seventh consecutive big league season, where he’ll serve as infield depth for the club down José Ramírez. Hoyt logged 72.2 innings with the Astros from 2016-2018 and offers right-handed bullpen depth, while Haase, 26, is a power-hitting catcher with contact issues.
The Yankees announced they have selected left-hander Tyler Lyons. The veteran reliever just signed a minor-league contract with the organization a few weeks ago and adds depth to a loaded bullpen. Right-hander David Hale was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear 40-man space. The Bombers also recalled right-handers Ryan Dull and Chance Adams and outfielder Clint Frazier.
The Cardinals have selected catcher Joe Hudson, per a team announcement. The 28 year-old got into eight games last year with the Angels. He’s had a tough season offensively with Triple-A Memphis, slashing .223/.293/.411. Outfielder Lane Thomas was transferred to the 60-day injured list with a season-ending wrist injury. Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets that veteran backstop Matt Wieters is day-to-day with a calf strain, so the club elected to bring Hudson and Andrew Knizner aboard to bolster their catching depth.
The Brewers announced they have selected the contract of first baseman Tyler Austin. A former Yankee, Twin and Giant, Austin has a strong minor-league track record and brings some right-handed power, but has mustered only a .220/.288/.451 line in 556 career MLB plate appearances thanks to untenable strikeout rates.
Top Astros prospect Kyle Tucker isn’t up yet, but he will be shortly, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Houston’s additional reinforcements will be announced tomorrow, Rome adds. The 22 year-old corner outfielder has again laid waste to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and has nothing left to prove at the minor-league level, but opportunities have been few and far between in the Astros’ loaded lineup.
Just-acquired first baseman Ryan McBroom will be selected to the Royals’ active roster shortly, tweets Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. As Flanagan notes, the 27 year-old was likely to be added to the 40-man this offseason to protect him from the Rule V draft regardless, so there’s little harm in giving him his first taste of MLB action in the meantime. The former 15th-rounder has put up strong offensive numbers throughout his minor-league career, culminating in a .315/.402/.574 line in the Triple-A International League this season.

Indians Designate Jon Edwards

By Anthony Franco | September 1, 2019 at 10:36am CDT

The Indians have designated right-hander Jon Edwards for assignment, tweets Zack Meisel of the Athletic. Further, right-hander A.J. Cole and outfielder Tyler Naquin have been placed on the 60-day injured list. Those moves clear the three 40-man spaces necessary for today’s earlier roster moves.

Edwards has pitched in 18 games in Cleveland the past two seasons after a three-year MLB hiatus. Despite maintaining a mid-90’s fastball, that brief MLB work hasn’t gone well for Edwards, whose sky-high home run rates have caused a 6.67 FIP that reflects much more poorly than his combined 2.70 ERA. Edwards has spent most of 2019 with Triple-A Columbus, where he’s offset a solid strikeout rate (28.2%) with a few too many walks (12%), en route to a pedestrian 4.22 ERA.

Cole was placed on the 10-day IL a few weeks ago with a shoulder impingement which proved to be season-ending. He finishes the year with a 3.81 ERA in 26 relief innings. Naquin, arguably Cleveland’s best outfielder, suffered a gruesome ACL tear Friday night.

Indians Activate Carlos Carrasco, Dan Otero

By Anthony Franco | September 1, 2019 at 9:06am CDT

In heartwarming, if expected, news, the Indians announced today they have activated Carlos Carrasco from the 60-day injured list. The club also activated right-handed reliever Dan Otero.

It has been a trying season for Carrasco, who was shut down indefinitely in May after being diagnosed with leukemia. While he hasn’t had time to ramp up to a starter’s workload, he’ll be available in short stints for Cleveland’s postseason push. They’ve had to weather a number of injuries, but they still sit half a game up on Tampa and Oakland for the AL Wild Card. They’re also within shouting distance of the Twins in the AL Central, sitting 4.5 games out with a month to play.

Otero has been out since May 31 with right shoulder inflammation. The 34 year-old is amidst his second straight trying season, sporting just a 9.5% strikeout rate in 23.2 innings. He’s no longer an integral part of a strong Cleveland bullpen.

Tyler Naquin Suffers Torn ACL

By George Miller | August 31, 2019 at 1:40pm CDT

Indians outfielder Tyler Naquin will miss the remainder of the season after an MRI revealed that he has a torn right ACL, writes Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. The injury was initially announced as a knee sprain, but today the Indians learned that it was in fact as bad as it looked, with Naquin carted off the field after a violent collision with the outfield fence at Tropicana Field. With Naquin heading to the injured list, the Indians have recalled Jake Bauers to take his spot on the active roster.

It is yet unknown if Naquin will opt to undergo surgery to repair the ligament, and while a 2019 return is out of the question, a more precise timeline is likewise unknown. However, it stands to reason that Naquin could miss a significant portion, if not the entirety, of next season.

It’s a devastating break for the Indians and Naquin, 28, who has emerged as a critical part of his team’s second-half success. He had been enjoying his best offensive season since his rookie year in 2016, along with much-improved performance in the outfield, where he has graded out as an above-average defender. His bounce back from a pair of disappointing seasons has been crucial in revitalizing the Cleveland outfield, which stood out as perhaps the club’s most pressing need on Opening Day.

The progress that Naquin, Oscar Mercado, and Yasiel Puig have made will now hit a roadblock, which could hardly come at a worse time for the Indians, who have already lost one of their stars, Jose Ramirez, and find themselves in the thick of the American League playoff race. The team is still within range to overtake the Twins for the AL Central, and while they still own the first Wild Card spot, they’ll need to fend off a pair of strong teams in Oakland and Tampa Bay.

In light of today’s news, though, they’ll have to do so without Naquin, who will likely give way to a combination of Bauers and Greg Allen in left field. That pair has netted roughly replacement level production; while not unplayable in the outfield, there’s little doubt that they come in a step below Naquin, a difference that is magnified in significance for a team in Cleveland’s position. Allen, like Naquin, saw his offensive output jump forward in July, though he’s regressed noticeably in August. For his part, Allen has stood out as a defensive left fielder, though the same can’t be said for Bauers, who has spent the last month in the minor leagues after the arrival of Puig and Franmil Reyes.

Between Naquin, Ramirez, and a slew of pitchers including Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger, the Indians have had their playoff hopes tested by health-related absences to some of their most important contributors. Though they have thus far managed to succeed in the face of those injuries, the season’s final month will no doubt be a considerable challenge, and unexpected contributors will need to emerge if the club is to reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.

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