AL Notes: C. Davis, Lindor, Sano
Beleaguered Orioles first baseman Chris Davis entered Saturday without a hit in his previous 54 at-bats, the longest streak in major league history. But the former star’s nightmarish skid ended with a first-inning, two-run single off Boston’s Rick Porcello, giving Davis his first hit since Sept. 14, 2018. Davis later went on to collect two more hits and another pair of runs batted in during what wound up as a 9-5 victory for the Orioles. While Davis was one of Baltimore’s best players Saturday, he has delivered startlingly few valuable performances since 2016, the first season of a seven-year, $161MM contract that now looks like one of the worst investments in baseball history. Once a premier slugger, the 33-year-old Davis has slashed a hideous .198/.294/.388 (83 wRC+) with minus-0.8 fWAR since signing his current deal.
Davis appears to be a sunk cost for the rebuilding Orioles, who owe him roughly $108MM more and will pay him through 2037 because of deferrals, yet there’s no urgency on their part to get rid of him. Rookie general manager Mike Elias told Dan Connolly of The Athletic (subscription required) on Friday that the Orioles are “absolutely” planning to keeping Davis, adding that “he’s on this team and it’s no secret the fact that we have a large and long commitment to him, so our focus is going to be on getting the best performance out of him that we possibly can.” Elias went on to explain to Connolly that the Orioles, with the help of analytics guru Sig Mejdal and hitting coach Don Long, are “just going to do as much as we can incrementally to get him into a better place.”
More from the American League…
- The Indians have played this season without their top performer, shortstop Francisco Lindor, who’s on the mend from a calf sprain and a high left ankle sprain. Fortunately for the Tribe, it appears Lindor’s progressing toward a return. After running the bases the past two days, the 25-year-old will work out with the team Sunday, and he could embark on a Triple-A rehab assignment Monday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports. When Lindor went down in early February, the Indians surely knew finding a capable fill-in for the three-time All-Star would be a difficult task; however, they likely didn’t expect their shortstop situation to be this dire in his absence. Replacements Eric Stamets (minus-35 wRC+ in 40 plate appearances) and Max Moroff (minus-58 wRC+ in 23 PA) have stumbled to a league-worst minus-0.8 fWAR thus far.
- Twins third baseman Miguel Sano is slated to begin modified spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., during the middle of the upcoming week, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Beyond that, the Twins are hoping Sano – who’s working back from a right Achilles injury – will begin a rehab assignment in early May, according to chief baseball officer Derek Falvey. The Sano-less Twins have primarily turned to $21MM free-agent pickup Marwin Gonzalez at the hot corner, but the former Astro’s season has gotten off to an inauspicious start.
Offseason In Review: Cleveland Indians
This is the latest post of MLBTR’s annual Offseason in Review series, in which we take stock of every team’s winter dealings.
Comfortably atop MLB’s weakest division, the Indians spent the winter trimming salary without falling out of the conversation for a division title.
Major League Signings
- Oliver Perez, LHP: one year, $2.5MM (includes vesting option)
- Total spend: $2.5MM
Trades and Claims
- Acquired OF Jordan Luplow and IF Max Moroff from Pirates in exchange for IF Erik Gonzalez, minor league RHPs Tahnaj Thomas and Dante Mendoza
- Acquired RHP Chih-Wei Hu from Rays in exchange for minor league IF Gionti Turner
- Acquired outfielder Daniel Johnson, RHP Jefry Rodriguez, and infielder Andruw Monasterio from Nationals in exchange for C Yan Gomes.
- Acquired RHP Nick Wittgren from Marlins in exchange for RHP Jordan Milbrath
- Acquired 1B/OF Jake Bauers from Rays, 1B Carlos Santana and $6MM from Mariners as part of a three-team trade. (Rays acquired IF Yandy Diaz and RHP Cole Sulser from Cleveland. The Mariners acquired 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion and a Competitive Balance Round B Draft Pick from Cleveland, and $5MM from Tampa Bay.)
- Acquired OF Alex Call from White Sox in exchange for 1B Yonder Alonso.
- Acquired C Kevin Plawecki from Mets in exchange for RHP Walter Lockett and IF Sam Haggerty.
- Claimed RHP A.J. Cole off waivers from the Yankees.
Extensions
- Carlos Carrasco, RHP: three years, $37.25MM (with club option)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Carlos Gonzalez, Dioner Navarro, Hanley Ramirez, James Hoyt, Brandon Barnes, Tyler Clippard, Trayce Thompson
Notable Losses
- Andrew Miller, Michael Brantley, Cody Allen, Josh Donaldson, Lonnie Chisenhall, Alonso, Gomes, Diaz, Encarnacion
[Cleveland Indians Depth Chart | Cleveland Indians Payroll Outlook]
Needs Addressed
After a second consecutive postseason exit in the ALDS, this time at the hands of the Astros, the Indians and their fans are growing increasingly impatient as a 70-year World Series drought only grows longer. Entering the offseason, two glaring needs stood out: outfield and bullpen. Even with stars Michael Brantley and Andrew Miller on the team, both areas were weaknesses in 2018; now, with both gone, the Indians have had to look elsewhere to fill the void left by free-agent departures.
With a comparatively paltry total of $2.5MM in guaranteed money handed out, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff were either unsatisfied with the slate of free agents, not given permission from ownership to spend, or both. However, the front office was active on the trade market, as a quiet offseason featured a smattering of low-key deals that they hope will strengthen the lackluster outfield and bullpen units that hindered last year’s team.
The first move to address the outfield came in a trade with Pittsburgh, with Jordan Luplow the biggest name involved. Though he has thus far failed to earn consistent big-league playing time, his new club should give him every chance to prove himself worthy of a spot in a Major League outfield. The other newcomer of note is Carlos Gonzalez, who is a solid bet to crack the roster this month — before the April 20 opt-out date in his minor league contract. Cleveland will welcome a healthier year from Leonys Martin, who nearly died from an infection just days after the Indians acquired him via trade. He was tendered a contract after embarking upon a remarkable recovery, which he completed this spring in time for regular duty to open the year.
With Carlos Santana making his return to Cleveland and the club adding Hanley Ramirez to serve as a designated hitter, those veterans will look to reestablish themselves as middle-of-the-order sluggers. Trade acquisition Jake Bauers is in the mix in those spots as well, though he’ll also venture into the outfield to find opportunities. The Indians parted ways with veteran Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz in order to obtain Bauers, a one-time top prospect, from Tampa Bay in a three-team swap. Though Encarnacion, now 36 years old and owed $20MM, has been one of baseball’s most consistent hitters since 2012, his production dipped in 2018. Santana, his replacement, is more than three years younger and less expensive, thanks to $6MM of salary relief received in the swap.
There was also change behind the dish. Yan Gomes was shipped to Washington, shaving salary but leaving Roberto Perez as the lone proven catcher on the roster until a subsequent trade with the Mets brought Kevin Plawecki aboard. On the surface, the transition from Gomes to a combination of Perez and Plawecki is a downgrade. Neither Plawecki nor Perez can equal Gomes on offense or defense; it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where the pair is able to match Gomes’s overall value.
While Oliver Perez was the lone recipient of a Major League contract, other minor moves yielded relievers who could play their way into a bullpen spot during the season. Small trades with the Rays and Marlins brought right-handers Chih-Wei Hu and Nick Wittgren to Cleveland, respectively. Hu owns an impressive minor-league track record, and Wittgren quietly turned in a strong 2018 season. Minor league signees James Hoyt and Tyler Clippard have significant MLB experience as well — the latter, in particular. It sounds as if Clippard could be an option to join the big league staff once he’s sufficiently rehabbed a pectoral injury sustained in Spring Training.
Questions Remaining
Though the Indians may very well maintain their hold on the top spot in the AL Central, their offseason moves have left many unsatisfied with the lack of additions to the bullpen and outfield. With Brantley, Miller and Cody Allen all donning new uniforms in 2019, some may argue that the team has gone backward.
Trade negotiations involving Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer provided one of the biggest storylines of the offseason, but neither pitcher ended up being moved. If the Indians are less competitive than they’d hoped, those rumors could circulate again this summer and certainly next winter, when Kluber and Bauer will be a year closer to free agency. At the very least, securing Carlos Carrasco through at least 2022 through a team-friendly extension indicates that he’s likely to remain in the fold.
The Indians’ outfield, comprised of Martin, Allen, Bauers, Naquin, and Luplow, remains dangerously thin. Bradley Zimmer, owner of considerable upside, is on track to rejoin the mix sometime in midsummer, though he is yet unproven and will not solve the Indians’ problems alone. Gonzalez should contribute in some capacity, but it seems that the potential payoff in the signing is limited. The entire outfield lacks a likely two-WAR player, and it’s reasonable to question the team’s complacency in this area.
Outside of Brad Hand, there are still no surefire options in the Cleveland ‘pen. Wittgren is the only member of the current bullpen who did not pitch for the Indians last season, which only serves to underscore the puzzling lack of additions to a unit that was questionable even before losing a pair of high-profile free agents. Terry Francona and upper management will rely on unproven commodities like Tyler Olson, Nick Goody, Cody Anderson, and Jon Edwards to give the team valuable innings in 2019. Some of those arms have had success in the past, but leaning heavily on this sort of piecemeal collection is what one would expect from a rebuilding club — not a team with postseason aspirations.
With that in mind, it’s fair to suggest the Indians have fallen behind the AL juggernauts in Boston, Houston, and New York. The team looked outclassed in last season’s ALDS versus the Astros, and it seems that any path to the World Series will run through one of the aforementioned cities. While the Indians’ star power is undeniable, it remains to be seen whether they have the depth to survive a dogfight with the AL’s elite. Still, a starting rotation as dominant as the Indians’ should give the team a fighting chance in a five- or seven-game series.
2019 Season Outlook
While the Indians may have been treading water during the winter, they remain the consensus favorites to win the notoriously weak AL Central. The starting staff is outstanding, with breakout candidate Shane Bieber joining four immensely talented rotation pieces, though the depth will be tested with Mike Clevinger poised to miss over two months of action. The Indians will need superstar infielders Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor to find their form — the former started slow; the latter is recovering from leg injuries — in order to fend off the upstart Twins, who have become a trendy pick to challenge for a postseason spot. Regardless, expect to see the Indians in the ALDS again in 2019, seeking to end the Majors’ longest existing World Series drought.
How would you grade the Indians’ offseason moves? (Poll link for app users.)
How would you grade the Indians' offseason?
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D 38% (1,045)
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C 30% (841)
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F 22% (624)
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B 8% (215)
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A 2% (55)
Total votes: 2,780
Mike Clevinger Likely Out More Than Two Months
10:06am: It turns out the injury is much worse than had initially been expected. Clevinger is going to be sidelined for six to eight weeks before he’s able to resume a throwing progression, manager Terry Francona tells reporters including Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Since he’ll still need to build back to full pitching strength from that point, it seems all but inevitable that Clevinger will miss more than two months.
9:32am: The Indians have placed starter Mike Clevinger on the 10-day injured list. He’s said to be dealing with a “right upper back/Teres major muscle strain.”
Reliever Nick Wittgren is coming up to the active roster to fill the opening and provide some innings, but obviously won’t fill Clevinger’s role. The Cleveland org will ultimately need another hurler to step into the rotation, at least for a couple of starts.
Glancing down the Indians’ 40-man roster, there are several pitchers with MLB experience that could ultimately be called upon. Cody Anderson has spent the most time in the big leagues but is still building back after missing virtually all of the prior two seasons. Adam Plutko might get the nod but is not at 100 percent. Jefry Rodriguez and Chih-Wei Hu have also pitched at the game’s highest level, as have non-roster hurlers A.J. Cole and Asher Wojciechowski.
Filling in shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The real question is: for how long? It did not seem that Clevinger had suffered a significant injury when he left his most recent start, and there’s still no indication that he’s expected to be sidelined for a lengthy stretch. The Indians will take a cautious approach while hoping that Clevinger is able to get back to action quickly. The 28-year-old righty has been nothing short of outstanding of late, with a ridiculous dozen innings (two hits, 22:4 K/BB) to begin the new campaign.
AL Notes: Sano, Clevinger, Yankees, Beltran, Pedroia
Injured Twins slugger Miguel Sano has resumed baseball activities and could begin a rehab assignment “within a week,” manager Rocco Baldelli said Sunday (via Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). That would put Sano on track for a return to Major League action sometime in early May. Sano’s on the mend from a cut on his lower-right Achilles, which has left third base to free-agent pickup Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza. They’ve struggled mightily across a combined 33 plate appearances, having totaled a meager three hits (two singles and a double). Sano wasn’t nearly that woeful last year, but the 2017 All-Star’s .199/.281/.398 line in 299 plate appearances was still a major letdown. A bounce-back showing from the 25-year-old upon his return could help the Twins challenge the Indians for the AL Central crown.
Here’s the latest news from around the American League…
- Indians righty Mike Clevinger left Sunday’s start against the Blue Jays prematurely, throwing just 75 pitches over 5 innings of work. Mandy Bell of MLB.com later revealed that Clevinger’s early exit was indeed injury-related, as he experienced upper back tightness. Bell added in a subsequent Tweet that Clevinger said he will be ready to make his next scheduled start.
- Former All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran has excelled in his new role with the Yankees, writes James Wagner of The New York Times. Following his exceptional playing career, Beltran has brought his passion to an advisory role in Brian Cashman’s front office, where he develops scouting reports and offers counsel to younger players. Beltran, who had been considered for the Yankees’ vacant manager position prior to the 2018 season, would seem to have a chance to manage a Major League ballclub or serve as a primary decision-maker in a front office, if that’s what he wants.
- Longtime Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia should be available for the team’s home opener on Tuesday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Assuming that all goes well in today’s game with Low-A Greenville, in which Pedroia will play all nine innings, he should be ready to be activated ahead of the reigning World Champions’ return to Fenway Park. He will be re-evaluated after Sunday’s game, but there is optimism that Boston will have its veteran second baseman back in the near future.
Injury Notes: Indians, Lindor, Brewers, Jeffress, Yankees, Andujar
Lower-body injuries have kept the Indians’ starting middle infield – shortstop Francisco Lindor (high left ankle sprain) and second baseman Jason Kipnis (right calf strain) – from taking the field this season. The latter is making progress in his Triple-A rehab assignment, though there’s still no timetable for his return, Mandy Bell of MLB.com writes. Lindor, who’s out until at least late April, is only doing light workouts at the moment, but “he’s getting better every day,” manager Terry Francona said. The Indians will reevaluate Lindor during the upcoming week, Bell reports. The absences of Lindor and Kipnis have forced the Tribe to deploy Eric Stamets, Brad Miller and Max Moroff as their main middle infielders. Unfortunately for Cleveland, those three have produced abysmal results, having combined for a paltry four hits (three singles and a double) in 57 plate appearances.
- Barring any setbacks in his Triple-A rehab stint, reliever Jeremy Jeffress will rejoin the Brewers next weekend, according to manager Craig Counsell (via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). The return of Jeffress, who hasn’t debuted this year on account of right shoulder weakness, will be a welcome one for a Milwaukee team that lost fellow late-game option Corey Knebel to season-ending Tommy John surgery last week. The reigning National League Central champions have nevertheless rolled to a 7-2 start, though their bullpen has lacked a complement to the untouchable Josh Hader. Jeffress filled that role with aplomb in 2018, during which he notched a near-spotless 1.29 ERA with 10.45 K/9, 3.17 BB/9 and a 56.4 percent groundball rate in 76 2/3 innings.
- Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar expressed optimism earlier this week that he wouldn’t need to undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. Manager Aaron Boone was similarly enthusiastic Saturday, George A. King III of the New York Post relays. While Boone acknowledged that surgery remains an option, he left open the possibility that this injury won’t lead to a long-term absence and added, “We are optimistic just because of the strength he is showing in all his testing.’’ Andujar’s still not swinging a bat, but whether he returns will depend more on how well he throws when he’s cleared to do so, per Boone. Without Andujar and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the injury-stricken Yankees have turned to veteran second baseman DJ LeMahieu to man third and Tyler Wade to handle the keystone. LeMahieu has thrived in the early portion of a two-year, $24MM contract, whereas Wade has been in over his head thus far in 2019.
- Left-hander CC Sabathia, yet another Yankee on the injured list, could rejoin the team’s rotation next weekend, Boone said (also via King). In the meantime, the 38-year-old Sabathia – who’s working back from offseason heart surgery – will throw 60 to 70 pitches in a low-level minor league game Monday. Sabathia will bump either Domingo German or Jonathan Loaisiga from the Yankees’ starting five. Both right-handers did well in their initial starts of the season, but neither went past the five-inning mark.
Indians Release Ben Taylor
The Indians announced that right-hander Ben Taylor, who was designated for assignment last week, has cleared release waivers and is now a free agent.
Taylor, 26, pitched six innings out of the Cleveland ‘pen last season and has logged 23 1/3 innings between Cleveland and Boston over the past two seasons. In that time, he’s struggled to a 5.40 ERA but carries a more encouraging 26-to-10 K/BB ratio. The former Red Sox farmhand also has a strong Triple-A track record, having compiled a 2.55 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 in 70 2/3 innings of relief across parts of two seasons at that level.
In his brief time in the big leagues, Taylor has averaged 92.5 mph on a heater that he complements with a slider and a much more occasional changeup. Despite his strong K/9 rate, his swinging-strike rate has been a below-average 8.4 percent, and he’s also had a tough time inducing chases on pitches out of the strike zone (25.4 percent).
Indians Extend Terry Francona
The Indians have announced a two-year contract extension with skipper Terry Francona. He’ll be at the helm through the 2022 season.
Francona has already managed six full seasons in Cleveland, so he’ll have run the dugout for nine in total by the end of this contract. That would top his eight-season tenure with the Red Sox and four-year stint with the Phillies.
To this point, the arrangement has been quite successful. Under Francona’s leadership, the club has a .562 winning percentage — which is actually a bit shy of the .574 mark his charges in Boston managed during his run there.
The Indians haven’t yet gotten over the hump, but have come achingly close to a World Series under Francona. They’ve run off three-straight division titles and have been to the postseason four times in six seasons. The club pushed the Cubs to the brink in 2016, narrowly losing a memorable World Series.
Francisco Lindor Out Until At Least Late April
The Indians don’t expect to have star shortstop Francisco Lindor back until at least the end of April, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti revealed in a radio appearance on WTAM 1100 this afternoon (Twitter link via WKYC-TV’s Nick Camino). Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that Lindor has been diagnosed with a “mild” high left ankle sprain and won’t resume running for another week to 10 days. The Indians are expected to provide a more concrete timetable on Lindor’s return as soon as tomorrow, Hoynes noted earlier.
Lindor’s injury troubles began in February when the team announced that a calf strain would shelve him for seven to nine weeks, thus putting his availability for Opening Day in jeopardy. The 25-year-old appeared to have a chance to return on the low end of that timetable, but the team announced just prior to Opening Day that Lindor had incurred a new ankle injury in a baserunning mishap during a game on March 26.
The absence of Lindor, one of baseball’s premier all-around talents, is a brutal blow to an Indians lineup that has looked punchless thus far in the young season. Cleveland opened the 2019 campaign with Eric Stamets and Brad Miller lined up in the middle infield, Roberto Perez behind the plate and bounceback hopeful Hanley Ramirez at designated hitter.
Cleveland still has the dangerous Jose Ramirez near the top of the batting order, but they’ve struck out at a 32.6 percent clip as a team and plated just 10 runs through their first four games. Obviously, that’s a microscopic sample and not cause for panic, but the lack of proven bats around the diamond for the Indians is nevertheless glaring. With Lindor sidelined, they’ll need some combination of Jake Bauers, Tyler Naquin, Carlos Santana and the elder Ramirez to step up in the middle portion of the order. It’s possible that longtime Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez, currently with the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate, could also emerge as a candidate to join the big league roster.
Offensive question marks aside, Cleveland’s brilliant rotation and a generally weak division should still keep the club in the playoff mix. Cleveland is also fortunate to face a light schedule this month, with the only matchups against expected contenders coming in the form of a three-game set against the Braves from April 19-21 and a four-game set in Houston from April 25-28. Beyond those two series, the Indians will face the Blue Jays, Tigers, Royals, Mariners and Marlins this month.
Indians Re-Sign Ryan Flaherty
The Indians have brought back infielder Ryan Flaherty on a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Columbus, per a team announcement. Flaherty opted out of his previous minor league pact with the Tribe on March 20.
The 32-year-old Flaherty spent the majority of 2018 in Atlanta, where he batted a meager .217/.298/.292 in 182 plate appearances and mostly lined up at third base. Also a former Oriole, Flaherty’s a lifetime .216/.286/.347 hitter in 1,452 attempts in the majors. His calling card is defensive versatility, as he has logged significant experience at third, second and short. Flaherty has also racked up double-digit appearances at first base and both corner outfield spots.
Now back with the Indians organization, Flaherty will give the banged-up club some infield depth. The Indians are without superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis, both of whom are on the injured list. Their absences paved the way for current starting second baseman Brad Miller to sign with the Indians last week and helped lead to roster spots for Lindor fill-in Eric Stamets and middle infield reserve Max Moroff.
AL Notes: Lindor, Zimmer, Indians, Orioles
The latest from the Junior Circuit . . .
- There’s no timetable on Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor‘s return, writes Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal. The 25-year-old three-time all-star will reportedly get a second opinion on his “mild-to-moderate[ly]” sprained left ankle Monday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the Cleveland brass trips over itself to ensure the superstar’s IL stint doesn’t linger. Touted prospect Yu Chang had spent time on the spring shelf with a minor hand injury, so the club has turned for the interim to the uninspiring Max Moroff/Eric Stamets duo to fill the void. The 25-year-old Moroff, an offseason acquisition from Pittsburgh, may be a bit out of his element at the position, though the slick-fielding Stamets is most certainly not. Neither, of course, can hope to approximate Lindor’s 129 wRC+/6.9 WAR projected ZiPS output; the club, then, would figure to spend much of the long weekend with fingers crossed.
- Tribe outfielder Bradley Zimmer suffered a setback in his months-long rehab from mid-summer shoulder surgery, reports MLB.com’s Mandy Bell. The former top prospect felt a side twinge as he attempted a throw to home, the next apparent step in an estimated eight-to-twelve month rehabilitation process. The already-nebulous timetable has been thrown further into the fog, with no concrete return date set for the 26-year-old. Zimmer’s MLB debut, after a banner minor-league career, was inauspicious at best: in 446 plate appearances the lefty boasts just a .237/.300/.370 (75 wRC+) line, with a particularly ugly 38.6% strikeout rate in limited action last season. The wide-open Indian outfield is still mostly up for grabs – per Bell, reports have thus far been positive on the recently-signed Carlos Gonzalez, who’ll soon make his way to Triple-A Columbus once their season begins.
- Orioles Rule 5 pick Richie Martin is likely to see “extended” action at short for the club, writes Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com. The 24-year-old Martin was left unprotected by Oakland after uneven minor-league performances since 2015 debut, but the O’s have neither the talent nor the desire to usurp the former first-rounder in the near future. Drew Jackson, another Rule 5 pick who’s been long lauded for his glove, if not his bat, figures to fill the utility role for the club in the early season. Neither player had played an inning above the Double-A level before yesterday, though the club obviously has every incentive to see each premature rise through (both players would have to be returned to their previous organizations if removed from the 25-man roster at any point this season).