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Orioles Acquire Asher Wojciechowski

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The Orioles have acquired right-hander Asher Wojciechowski from the Indians in exchange for cash, per announcements from both teams. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk for the time being, although the O’s are listing a TBD for tomorrow night’s game, which would align with Wojciechowski’s schedule. He last started for Cleveland’s Triple-A club on June 26. MLB.com’s Joqe Trezza tweets that Dylan Bundy had been slated to pitch tomorrow night, and no reason has been given as to his apparent scratch from that start.

Wojciechowski, 30, has pitched to a 3.61 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 in 84 2/3 innings of Triple-A ball so far in 2019. Like many other pitchers in Triple-A this season, he’s been exceptionally home-run prone after the league switched the baseball. Wojciechowski has averaged two long balls per nine innings pitched, prompting fielding-independent metrics like FIP (5.80) and xFIP (5.50) to paint an uglier picture. It should be noted that homers have been a longstanding issue for Wojciechowski, but he’s never struggled with them to this extent in the minors.

Wojciechowski isn’t a stranger to the big leagues, having pitched 78 2/3 innings in the Majors between the Astros in 2015 and the Reds in 2017. Like recently acquired Tom Eshelman, who’ll start tonight for the O’s, Wojciechowski is something of a familiar face for Baltimore GM Mike Elias, whose time in the Houston front office overlapped with Wojciechowski’s four years in the Astros organization. The 6’4″ righty has yet to find much big league success (6.44 ERA), but he’s averaged better than a strikeout per inning in the Majors. In 635 career innings of Triple-A ball, Wojciechowski has a 4.27 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.

Danny Salazar To Begin Rehab Assignment

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Per Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Indians righty Danny Salazar will begin a rehab assignment with the club’s Arizona League affiliate tomorrow evening. It’s been a long road back for the 29-year-old Salazar, who’s been beset by shoulder injuries since his last appearance in a major league game on September 27, 2017.

Salazar’s shoulder surgery, which took place nearly a year ago to the day, was exploratory in nature and left the fireballing righty no timetable for a return. The team had initially expressed optimism that the 2016 All-Star could return early in 2019, but Salazar suffered multiple setbacks in his rehab process and had been unable to return to bullpen mounds until earlier this month.

When healthy, the five-year vet’s dynamite repertoire is among the nastiest in the game. Salazar’s yet to complete a season, partial or otherwise, where he didn’t set down at least a batter an inning, and in 19 starts for the club in 2017, the flamethrower averaged 95.1 MPH on his fastball and struck out nearly 13 men per nine. A fully healthy, back-to-form version of Salazar, who’d project to return around the same time as ace Corey Kluber, could give the Indians the AL’s most formidable rotation and supercharge the team’s push toward the AL Central crown.

Such a scenario may be pie in the proverbial sky, though, as the club will almost certainly let caution reign with the still-controllable righty, who’s set to hit arbitration for the final time in 2020. The club hasn’t been shy about deploying Salazar as a ’pen arm in the past, a role which may again be his if he’s to return to Cleveland without incident in ’19.

Leonys Martin Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

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Outfielder Leonys Martin, designated for assignment by the Indians last Saturday, has cleared waivers and elected free agency, per the club.

Martin, 31, sandwiched an excellent 2018 season (2.5 fWAR in just 83 games) between two very poor ones. In 264 plate appearances for the Tribe this season, the nine-year vet’s slashed just .199/.276/.343 on the way to below-replacement-level output. Strikeouts have a particular issue for the one-time defensive wiz – Martin’s been set down in nearly 30% of his PAs this season, easily a career worst and up nearly 8% from his injury-shortened campaign a season ago.

The good/bad alternation has been something of a career pattern for Martin, who boasts a career 81 wRC+ despite four seasons of 87 or better in the category. The Cuban’s been much more stable on the defensive side of the ball, though his league-pacing marks from his days in Texas have long since dissolved.

It’s likely, given his tendency to flash star-level play on occasion, that Martin will hook on with another club in the near future, perhaps one with an immediate defensive need at all three outfield spots. Even in down years, the lefty’s always been a capable threat when armed with the platoon advantage, so he’d figure to still fit well as a fifth-outfielder type on a contending team.

Health Notes: Story, Kluber, Tigers, Brewers, Royals, Jays

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Rockies shortstop Trevor Story will start a Triple-A rehab assignment Saturday, Nick Groke of The Athletic relays. It’ll be a two-game rehab stint for Story, whom the Rockies placed on the injured list June 20 with a right thumb issue. It seems Colorado dodged a bullet in this instance with the all-important Story, who missed a large portion of the 2016 campaign with a torn UCL in his left thumb.

  • Indians ace Corey Kluber has received clearance to begin a throwing program, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com. The venerable Kluber has been out since suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right forearm May 1. Kluber’s absence, not to mention the other adversity the Indians have faced this season, has left the three-time reigning AL Central champions out of the playoff picture at the 80-game mark. They’re eight games back of the division-leading Twins and a half-game out of a wild-card spot.
  • The Tigers put righty Spencer Turnbull on the injured list Friday with shoulder fatigue after he departed Thursday’s start early. The team plans to welcome Turnbull back after the All-Star break, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com. That Turnbull seemingly isn’t dealing with a serious injury is undoubtedly a relief to Detroit, which has seen the 26-year-old post terrific production as a rookie this season. Turnbull has pitched to a 3.31 ERA/3.91 FIP with 8.43 K/9, 3.41 BB/9 and a 49 percent groundball rate in 89 2/3 innings.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve placed Jimmy Nelson on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 26, with a right elbow effusion. It’s an issue that has bothered Nelson since spring training, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets, and may help explain his 2019 struggles. Nelson made his season debut June 5 after sitting out since September 2017, when he underwent surgery on a torn shoulder labrum. The 30-year-old has since allowed 13 earned runs on 18 hits and 14 walks (with 15 strikeouts) in 14 innings. The Brewers pulled Nelson from their rotation last weekend.
  • Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi will begin a rehab assignment at the Double-A level Saturday, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star tweets. Mondesi has been on the IL since June 19 with a groin injury. Prior to that, the 23-year-old batted .269/.302/.441 (91 wRC+) with six home runs, 27 stolen bases on 30 tries and 2.1 fWAR in 312 plate appearances.
  • Blue Jays lefty Ryan Borucki will need at least three to four minor league rehab starts before making his 2019 major league debut, manager Charlie Montoyo said Friday (via Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com). Borucki’s not on track to rejoin Toronto until the end of July as a result. Elbow problems have kept the 25-year-old Borucki from building on an encouraging 2018 rookie campaign. The starter turned in a 3.87 ERA/3.80 FIP with 6.17 K/9, 3.04 BB/9 and a 46.8 percent grounder rate over 97 2/3 frames last year.

AL Central Notes: Kluber, Carrasco, Turnbull, Buxton, ChiSox, Abreu

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The Indians have been without Corey Kluber since May 3, when he suffered a forearm fracture upon being hit by a comeback line-drive, but Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer provides some reason for optimism regarding his return.  Kluber went through his throwing motion while wearing “stabilizing straps” this week and is slated to undergo MRIs to determine whether his fracture has healed.  If that proves to be the case, he’d be cleared to begin a throwing program.

There’s also some progress to report on Carlos Carrasco, who is out indefinitely due to an undisclosed blood condition.  Carrasco played catch this week, Hoynes notes, and the Tribe could learn within the next two to three weeks whether his condition can be managed.  If that’s the case, he could rejoin the Indians’ rotation even before Kluber.  That said, the Cleveland organization still isn’t fully sure when or if either righty will return to the 2019 club.

Here’s more from the division…

  • Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull left today’s start after just two innings due to shoulder fatigue, manager Ron Gardenhire told The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen (Twitter link) and other media.  An MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage and Turnbull didn’t feel any pain, but rather the club decided to make the move due to a drop in Turnbull’s fastball velocity.  It isn’t known yet if Turnbull will miss any time, though it would mark yet another pitching injury for Detroit’s rotation this season.  Turnbull’s emergence helped the club fill one hole in the starting five, as the rookie has a 3.31 ERA, 8.43 K/9 and 49% grounder rate over 89 2/3 innings.
  • Byron Buxton is “getting close to his return” from the injured list, MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park tweets.  Buxton was sidelined on June 18 (IL placement retroactive to June 15) with a wrist contusion after being hit by a pitch, and while the Twins outfielder has already exceeded the 10-day minimum IL stint, the injury isn’t considered to be serious.  Buxton was expected to face live pitching today in the Twins’ indoor batting cage, though rain kept him participating in on-field batting, Park notes.  Buxton’s all-around play has been a key factor in Minnesota’s rise to the top of the AL Central, as he has provided his usual excellent center field defense and baserunning while also hitting .266/.324/.527 with nine homers over 227 plate appearances.
  • The White Sox have been open about their desire to keep Jose Abreu beyond the 2019 season, and the first baseman also has no plans to leave the south side, he tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  “I’ll always be a White Sox….I’m a part of this organization. This is the organization that gave me a chance to play at this level and made all my dreams come true. I hope to stay here a very long time,” Abreu said.  While there’s nothing stopping the Sox from trading Abreu at the deadline and then re-signing him after the season, Abreu said he expects to remain with the club.  As Sullivan notes, this might leave Alex Colome as the only real trade chip for the White Sox at the deadline, as Chicago’s other veteran players apart from Colome, Abreu, and James McCann (who might also be retained) have largely struggled.

Indians Call Up Bobby Bradley

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The Indians have promoted first base prospect Bobby Bradley and optioned reliever Josh Smith to Triple-A Columbus, the team announced. Bradley’s already on the Indians’ 40-man roster.

The 23-year-old Bradley, an Indian since they selected him in the third round of the 2014 draft, earned his first MLB promotion by destroying Triple-A pitching this season. The lefty swinger slashed .292/.359/.638 (144 wRC+) with an eye-popping 24 home runs in 284 plate appearances prior to his call-up.

While Bradley’s 2019 numbers are great, he didn’t enter the season as a premium prospect. FanGraphs ranked him 20th among Indians farmhands at the beginning of April, though MLB.com places Bradley a more impressive sixth in the club’s system. Two-plus months ago, Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs likened Bradley to the Twins’ C.J. Cron and the Nationals’ Matt Adams.

The Indians’ offense, which has been one of the league’s worst this season, would surely welcome Cron-like production out of Bradley. First baseman Carlos Santana has been outstanding in his return to Cleveland, though primary DH Jake Bauers has disappointed in his initial season with the team. Bradley may eat into Bauers’ playing time as a result.

Indians Designate Leonys Martin For Assignment

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The Indians designated centerfielder Leonys Martin for assignment today, tweets The Athletic’s Zack Meisel. The move makes room for Aaron Civale, who is set to make his major league debut. This might be just the first of a number of moves coming for the Indians in the next couple of days, tweets Meisel.

The Indians somewhat surprisingly entered the season with Martin, 31, as their everyday centerfielder, and through the end of April he managed a 91 wRC+. That kind of offense from a plus defensive centerfielder would be palatable, but Martin’s defensive metrics have taken a dip this season (-1 DRS, -3.3 UZR).

Making matters worse, his offense has fallen off to where he now owns a .199/.276/.343 slash line and an abysmal 62 wRC+. It’s pretty shocking that a team’s valuation of a player can shift so suddenly from starting 65 of the team’s first 75 games to designation for assignment – but such is the state of affairs for the Indians in 2019. June has been particularly tough on Martin, as he has hit just .125/.192/.333 this month.

Injury Notes: Hendricks, Dodgers, Nats, Tribe, German

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Injured Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks played catch in the outfield Friday, though the righty “could miss another couple of turns” through the team’s rotation, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “We’re happy that the initial shutdown has been good, but we’re not ready to talk through a plan yet, or a progression,” general manager Jed Hoyer said of Hendricks, who has been out since June 15 with a right shoulder impingement. The Cubs started Tyler Chatwood in Hendricks’ place Thursday, but the next opportunity may go to prospect Adbert Alzolay, per Greenberg. Alzolay, 24, followed Chatwood in Thursday’s game and enjoyed a triumphant debut in a win over the Mets.

  • Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and center fielder A.J. Pollock could start rehab stints during next month’s All-Star break, manager Dave Roberts said Friday (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Meanwhile, reliever Scott Alexander still hasn’t returned to throwing since left forearm inflammation forced him to the injured list June 8. Seager went to the IL on June 13 with a left hamstring strain, which should cost him four to six weeks. Pollock underwent early May surgery on his troublesome right elbow. The expectation then was that he’d be back in July.
  • Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman began a rehab assignment Friday at the Double-A level, Jamal Collier of MLB.com tweets. Zimmerman has been out since April 28 with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, the latest in a long line of injuries for the 34-year-old. While Zimmerman posted a couple resurgent offensive seasons from 2017-18, he came out of the gates slowly this year before hitting the IL. Zimmerman’s a .213/.302/.373 batter thus far in 86 plate appearances. Matt Adams, Howie Kendrick and Gerardo Parra have been the Nationals’ most common first base choices in Zimmerman’s absence. Kendrick has been brilliant at the plate, while Adams and Parra have only put together replacement-level numbers.
  • A few reinforcements are trying to work back for the Indians, as Mandy Bell of MLB.com details. Ace Corey Kluber, shelved since May 1 with a fractured right forearm, has an upcoming eight-week checkup that will determine whether he’ll be able to start throwing. Fellow righty Danny Salazar just threw a second two-inning simulated game, but he’s “waiting to advance to a real game in Arizona before he gets a rehab assignment,” Bell explains. Shoulder issues have kept Salazar out of action since 2017. Unlike Kluber and Salazar, reliever Dan Otero’s not making progress. Already out almost three weeks with right shoulder inflammation, Otero is now dealing with a setback of unknown severity.
  • Yankees righty Domingo German could rejoin their rotation before the All-Star break, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). German has been out since June 9 with a left hip flexor strain. The 26-year-old struggled over a handful of starts leading up to his IL placement, though he still carries a respectable 3.86 ERA/4.05 FIP in 70 innings on the season.

Indians Expected To Promote Aaron Civale

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Right-hander Aaron Civale is expected to start for the Indians on Saturday against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic tweets. Civale is not yet on the Indians’ 40-man roster, which is currently at capacity.

This will be the first major league promotion for the 24-year-old Civale, who joined the Tribe as a third-round pick out of Northeastern University in the 2016 draft. FanGraphs (No. 22) and MLB.com (No. 24) each regard Civale as one of the Indians’ top 30 prospects. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in April that “Civale does not miss many bats because he has limited fastball velocity, but he’s a high-volume strike thrower with excellent secondary stuff, including one of the best curveball spin rates in the minors.”

So far in 2019, Civale has used what FanGraphs calls a “spacious bag of tricks” to record a 2.85 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in seven starts and 41 innings divided between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He’ll now temporarily take over in the Indians’ rotation for Mike Clevinger, whom they placed on the injured list Friday. Clevinger may only miss one start, so Civale’s first stint in Cleveland’s starting staff could be a short one.

Indians Place Mike Clevinger On 10-Day IL

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FRIDAY: The Indians have placed Clevinger on the IL (retroactive to June 18) and recalled lefty Josh Smith from Triple-A Columbus, Mandy Bell of MLB.com tweets.

THURSDAY: After spending over two months on the injury list, Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger is likely going to be sidelined again due to a sprained left ankle, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  Clevinger suffered the injury on Monday, while fielding a grounder in the second inning of the Tribe’s 7-2 loss to the Rangers.  He stayed in to finish the outing, ultimately lasting 4 2/3 innings and allowing five earned runs.

An IL placement could be somewhat precautionary in nature, as Hoynes thinks Clevinger could ultimately just miss one start if the Tribe backdates the move to June 18th.  As Clevinger only just returned from a teres major muscle strain, the team doesn’t want him to try and tough it out with an injury to his plant foot, which Hoynes notes could alter his delivery and lead to more serious injury problems.  Clevinger had been slated to start on Saturday against Detroit.

While this latest injury seems pretty minor, it still represents an unwelcome setback for a Cleveland team that needs all the help it can get as the Tribe try to remain in the wild card race (and within shouting distance of the Twins in the AL Central).  Clevinger has emerged as one of the Indians’ better pitchers over the last two seasons, and looked great in his first two outings of 2019 before his first injury absence.

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