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Indians Could Activate Michael Brantley On Monday

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Yankees infield prospect Sandy Acevedo was killed in a car accident Saturday night, the team announced. Acevedo was 18 years old. The native of the Dominican Republic signed with the Yankees last year as an international free agent. MLBTR extends its condolences to Acevedo’s family and friends.

In lighter news from around the American League…

  • Indians star left fielder Michael Brantley will rejoin the team Monday, manager Terry Francona said Sunday, and stands a good chance to be activated then, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The club could option outfielder Tyler Naquin to Triple-A in a corresponding move when it activates Brantley, per Bastian. Brantley has been working his way back from November right shoulder surgery and has played seven minor league rehab games since April 12. The 28-year-old’s return will be a significant boon to the Indians, as he emerged as one of the majors’ most dangerous offensive threats during the previous two seasons.
  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times believes the Rays should consider trading for Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy if they plan on contending, even if it means parting with a couple of their top prospects. So far this season, the Rays have gotten almost no offensive production from backstops Curt Casali and Hank Conger. Moreover, base stealers have gone 15 of 15 against the duo. Conger has thrown out just one of 54 runners dating back to last season. Lucroy, on the other hand, has established himself as one of the sport’s premier two-way catchers. The 29-year-old is playing this season on an eminently reasonable $4MM salary and is under team control through 2017 with a $5.25MM club option.
  • In the wake of Yovani Gallardo’s shoulder injury, right-hander Tyler Wilson will stay in the Orioles’ rotation for at least another start, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com was among those to report (on Twitter). As a result, Vance Worley will remain in a relief role, as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun pointed out (Twitter link). Wilson was working out of the Orioles’ bullpen before they started him in their 8-3 win over the Royals on Saturday. The 26-year-old allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. He made five big league starts last season and put up a 4.32 ERA/4.05 FIP/5.01 xFIP in 25 frames.

Cody Anderson's Rotation Spot In Jeopardy

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A quick spin around the AL Central…

  • After two uncharacteristically weak offensive seasons, Twins first baseman Joe Mauer is turning back the clock to his MVP-contending days so far this year. Mauer is hitting a tremendous .333/.461/.467 in 76 plate appearances with 14 walks against only five strikeouts, and he’s swinging at a far lower rate of pitches outside the strike zone than he did last season (18.2 percent versus 27.6 percent in 2015). Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details one potential reason for Mauer’s 180 in performance: strobe glasses. Nike sent the glasses to Mauer in the offseason, and he now uses them in the indoor batting cage before each game. “It makes it a lot tougher visually for you to see the ball because you only get pictures of it,” Mauer said. “The strobes can go faster or slower. We only do it off the tee or flips — short toss. When you take them off, it seems to slow it down actually so you can focus in on the ball.” Twins hitting coach Tom Brunansky tried the glasses and quickly bought into their usefulness, per Berardino. “It makes you keep your head still and keep your head back,” he stated.
  • The Tigers announced that outfielder Cameron Maybin – on the shelf since early March with a fractured hand – will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Saturday. Maybin will likely play three to five games before re-evaluation, manager Brad Ausmus said (Twitter link via Jason Beck of MLB.com). Detroit acquired Maybin over the offseason with the hope that he’d serve as part of the solution in center field, which has mostly belonged to Anthony Gose in his absence. Gose has been a non-factor offensively so far this season, hitting .200/.289/.275 in 45 PAs. As a member of the Braves last season, Maybin compiled a much better .267/.327/.370 line in 555 PAs, also chipping in 10 home runs and 23 steals on 29 attempts.
  • Indians right-hander Cody Anderson could be pitching to retain his spot in the rotation in his next start, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Anderson beat out Trevor Bauer for a rotation job during Spring Training and has opened the season with a 7.53 ERA/7.51 FIP/4.89 xFIP in three starts (14 1/3 innings). Anderson’s next scheduled start is Tuesday in Minnesota, and if he doesn’t significantly improve on his last two outings – during which he allowed 10 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings – he could end up in Triple-A and Bauer would replace him in the rotation. Despite Bauer’s 10 strikeouts in eight innings out of the Indians’ bullpen, he hasn’t been overly effective this season. The 25-year-old has yielded four earned runs, nine hits and four walks thus far.

Roster Decision Looms For Indians With Chisenhall Nearing Return

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in an appearance on 105.3 FM The Fan that his club has not made an effort to trade for an impact catcher since Robinson Chirinos’ injury (transcript via the Dallas Morning News). To this point, Daniels says that other clubs haven’t called and marketed potentially available catchers: “No, nobody has really … the guys we’ve heard from the most are the agents who have either free agent catching guys that got released out of camp, or maybe they have a catcher at Triple-A with somebody where maybe they’ve got an out or want us to trade for them.” Daniels said that the Rangers have looked into adding some more organizational depth — defense-first, quality makeup catchers — but is more focused on getting Chirinos healthy than acquiring a potential replacement.

  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com wonders if some time away from the Red Sox will create the opportunity for Pablo Sandoval to follow the route of former Sox pitcher John Lackey, who was a largely unpopular figure in Boston after the first few seasons of his five-year deal but won his way back into the hearts of Red Sox fans with a very strong 2013 in his return from Tommy John surgery. Bradford notes that it won’t be easy for Sandoval, though right-hander Clay Buchholz tells Bradford that Sandoval’s teammates are all behind him. “We all know what Panda can do,” said Buchholz. “He’s an elite player. He’s battled through some pretty tough criticism and now with this … I hope it’s not anything like it sounds.” Sandoval is currently on the shelf for an undetermined amount of time after visiting Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his ailing shoulder.
  • The Indians will activate right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall from the disabled list on Wednesday this week, writes Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, which means a roster move is forthcoming. Of the team’s four outfielders — Rajai Davis, Collin Cowgill, Marlon Byrd and Tyler Naquin — only Naquin has options and can be sent down without being exposed to waivers. Looking at the pitching staff, Hoynes lists a number of arms that are safe but doesn’t apply that designation to Joba Chamberlain, Ross Detwiler or Dan Otero. Chamberlain and Otero have been strong thus far in the young season, whereas Detwiler has surrendered runs in two of his four appearances on the year.
  • While he’s only made three starts this season, Astros ace and reigning Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel has displayed some notable red flags, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs points out (notably, Cameron’s piece was written prior to Keuchel’s most recent start, though the velocity issues he mentions persisted in that outing). Chief among them is diminished velocity in Keuchel’s sinker, cutter and slider. Velocity peaks in the middle of a season for a pitcher, of course, but Cameron notes that even when comparing Keuchel’s velocity to his velocity last April, there’s a significant dip. Beyond that, Keuchel isn’t commanding the bottom of the strike zone as well as he did last season (or, alternatively, umpires are not being as generous on the bottom of the zone after learning from Statcast data that Keuchel received more favorable bottom-of-the-zone calls than nearly any other pitcher in the league). Cameron stresses that the sample being studied is small, but each is a concerning trend for an Astros club that very much needs Keuchel to approximate his 2015 value to make a run at the top of the division.

Michael Brantley Nearing Return

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A few notes from the American League…

  • Standout Indians left fielder Michael Brantley will soon make his 2016 debut, according to manager Terry Francona. “He’s getting pretty close,” Francona said (link via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com). Brantley is likely to play consecutive games at Double-A Akron sometime during the upcoming week, per Bastian, as he works his way back from a right shoulder injury. Brantley emerged as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive threats during the previous two seasons, slashing a combined .319/.384/.494 with 35 homers and 38 steals, before undergoing shoulder surgery last November.
  • Angels southpaw Andrew Heaney still has a ways to go to return from a left flexor muscle strain, manager Mike Scioscia told reporters, including Brian Hall of MLB.com. Heaney started for the Halos on April 5 and put up a decent line against the Cubs (six innings, seven strikeouts, no walks, seven hits, four runs), but his velocity dropped precipitously from the beginning of his outing to the end and he complained of left forearm tightness. The 24-year-old then landed on the disabled list the next day.
  • The Athletics will continue using both right-hander Ryan Madson and lefty Sean Doolittle to close games, manager Bob Melvin told Willie Bans of MLB.com. “We’re just trying to do the best we can with, number one, matchups and, number two, with how guys are pitching,” he said. Madson has fared well this year (six innings, two earned runs, five strikeouts, one walk) while going 3 for 3 on save chances. On the other hand, Doolittle – one of the game’s top relievers from 2012-14 – has not bounced back nicely this season after missing nearly all of last season with a shoulder injury. Although Doolittle’s velocity has stayed in line with his career averages, the 29-year-old has yielded four earned runs and three homers in 5 2/3 innings this season.

Indians Likely To Activate Lonnie Chisenhall On Wednesday

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Sunday’s showdown between the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka and the Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma will be the first-ever matchup in the majors between two former Japanese league teammates, writes Ryan Hatch of NJ.com. The two ex-Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles were supposed to face one another in 2014, but rain prevented that from happening. Regarding Iwakuma, Tanaka said, “There’s a little cultural difference. He’s older than [I am], so, I look up to him…He was the ace of the staff [in Japan]. I learned a lot from him…you know, strategies, and facing batters. Stuff like that.” Interestingly, the 35-year-old Iwakuma and Tanaka, 27, have posted nearly identical ERAs (3.18 to 3.17) since emigrating from Japan. Iwakuma debuted in the majors two years earlier (2012 versus 2014), so his success has come over 363 2/3 more innings than Tanaka’s total.

  • In other news regarding Japanese starters, Rangers ace Yu Darvish threw a live batting practice session Sunday and will engage in another Thursday before beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on or near April 26, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). Darvish is recovering from Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss all of last season. His 50-pitch BP session Sunday drew raves from pitching coach Doug Brocail, tweets the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant. “The breaking ball was crisp. The slider was unbelievable,” Brocail said. “The fastball was good and hard with both two- and four-seamers. He threw strikes in a lot of good areas. As we measured it, there were a lot of 0-2 and 1-2 counts.” A May 11 return to the Rangers could be within reach for Darvish if all goes well during his rehab stint, per Grant.
  • Thanks in part to a disastrous showing as a left fielder last season, the Red Sox’s Hanley Ramirez was among the league’s least valuable players during his first year in Boston. But the Red Sox like what they’ve seen this year from Ramirez, who is now their first baseman. “We have a different player,” manager John Farrell told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). “He’s in a good place,” second baseman Dustin Pedroia said (link via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald). In addition to finding a more suitable position, Ramirez has shown signs of life offensively, slashing .293/.318/.463 in 44 plate appearances. A shoulder injury helped lead to an uncharacteristically poor season at the plate in 2015 for Ramirez, who hit .249/.291/.426 in 430 PAs.
  • Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis – who underwent left shoulder surgery in November – will take the field for live batting practice off a coach for the first time this year Monday, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Meanwhile, lefty Franklin Morales is better after feeling “weakness” in his shoulder earlier this month and will begin a throwing program Monday, Davidi reports (on Twitter).
  • The Indians are expected to activate right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall on Wednesday after he plays a pair of rehab games with Double-A Akron on Monday and Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link). Upon returning, Chisenhall – who has been on the disabled list since March with a left wrist injury – will vie for playing time in an Indians outfield that has mostly used Rajai Davis, Marlon Byrd and Jose Ramirez so far this year.

Indians Want More Offense From Chisenhall In Rehab Assignment

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While the Blue Jays are known for their prolific offense, the most impressive element of their team is their defense, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com argues. Gammons names catcher Russell Martin, second baseman Ryan Goins, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, third baseman Josh Donaldson and center fielder Kevin Pillar as elite-caliber defenders. Manager John Gibbons believes Tulowitzki’s defense is so great that it cancels out the offensive struggles he has had since Toronto acquired him from Colorado last year. “I don’t care if he doesn’t get another hit all season. His defense is that good,” Gibbons told Gammons. “I’ve never seen anyone who can throw from more angles and positions that Tulo. He’s a big man, but he plays like a little guy. His athleticism is beyond belief,” Gibbons continued. Tulowitzki has indeed been a significant defensive asset throughout his career, and he long paired that with excellent offensive skills as a Rockie. The 31-year-old has hit a paltry .119/.224/.262 with a soaring strikeout rate (28.9%) in 49 plate appearances this season, however, which wouldn’t necessarily be concerning if not for a disappointing .239/.317/.380 output in 41 games as a Blue Jay in 2015.

Here’s more from around Major League Baseball:

  • Rangers left fielder Ian Desmond has hit a stunningly poor .109/.180/.109 in 50 PAs and put up a league-worst -0.6 fWAR this year. On his difficulties so far, Desmond says (via John Henry of MLB.com), “Obviously, the results aren’t there. I’ve just missed a couple balls. I’ve made some good in-game adjustments. But I’m trying to evaluate my swing on a daily basis and not necessarily rely on results alone.” It’s perhaps worth noting that, in addition to his weak production, Desmond’s hard contact (16.1 percent) and line drive rate (9.7 percent) have plummeted to career worsts in the early going this year. That’s not particularly encouraging after Desmond experienced a stark offensive decline last season, and what he has given the Rangers certainly isn’t what they had in mind when they signed the ex-Washington shortstop to a one-year, $8MM deal in February.
  • Nationals outfielder Ben Revere is aiming to return to game action from an oblique injury by his 28th birthday (May 3), he told Bill Ladson of MLB.com. At the very least, Revere would like to resume baseball activities by then. Revere left the Nats’ opener after he felt pain on the right side of his stomach and had difficulty breathing, and the team then placed him on the 15-day disabled list April 6. At 9-1, the Nationals have clearly held their own without Revere, but he could boost an outfield that has gotten little production from players who aren’t named Bryce Harper. Michael Taylor, Revere’s replacement, has compiled a terrible .154/.171/.231 line in 41 PAs and has already accounted for -0.3 fWAR.
  • The Indians aren’t ready to activate right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall from the 15-day DL because he hasn’t performed well enough during his minor league rehab assignment, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. “He thinks he’s pretty close to being ready, and I kind of told him that before he went out [for his latest rehab game], that, ’I’m not trying to be harsh or critical, but when you come back, you’re taking somebody’s job, and you need to be ready,'” said manager Terry Francona. Chisenhall, who hit a meager .246/.294/.371 in 362 PAs last year, is currently rehabbing a left wrist injury in Double-A. When he returns, he’ll join an outfield stable that has prominently featured Rajai Davis, Marlon Byrd and Jose Ramirez so far this year.

Indians Encouraged By Trevor Bauer's Relief Work

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The latest on a trio of MLB pitchers:

  • After missing nearly all of last season with a torn Achilles, longtime Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright’s return hasn’t gone according to plan. In 5 1/3 innings Saturday, Wainwright allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs while striking out just two hitters in a 9-8 loss to the Reds. The 34-year-old walked only one batter – a big improvement over the combined eight free passes he issued in his first two starts – but he now owns an 8.27 ERA in 16 1/3 innings this month. Nevertheless, he expects to break out of his funk. “What I will and can say is I will come out of this, and I will be a very, very good pitcher. I’m just not there right now,” he said, according to Joe Harris of MLB.com. Wainwright will try to right the ship against the offensively challenged Padres next Friday.
  • Orioles righty Kevin Gausman, who’s recovering from tendinitis in his throwing shoulder, tossed 74 pitches in a rehab start for Class-A+ Frederick on Friday and said Saturday that he’s “ready to get going” in Baltimore, per Dave Sessions of MLB.com. “I don’t think there would be anything wrong with getting another [rehab start], but at the same time, I want to pitch for the Orioles,” continued Gausman, who’s on the 15-day DL. “I want to be up here, I don’t want to miss any more starts, that’s the biggest thing. “ Gausman has posted a career 4.27 ERA, 7.48 K/9 and 2.57 BB/9 in 238.1 innings as a starter and will slide back into the rotation when he returns. With Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez and Yovani Gallardo also in place, either Vance Worley or Mike Wright will be the odd man out of the quintet.
  • The Indians are encouraged by Trevor Bauer’s early season performance as a reliever, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. “I hope he continues to throw like he has in the bullpen,” said Antonetti. “What role that will ultimately morph into either in the bullpen or back in the rotation will depend on what the team needs.” The Indians shifted Bauer to the bullpen prior to the season in favor of Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin, who beat him out for the last two jobs on the starting staff. Bauer has responded by striking out eight, walking two and allowing a pair of runs in six innings. Both of those runs came on a David Ortiz Opening Day homer, and Bauer has since worked five scoreless innings in a row. The former top prospect threw 329 frames as a starter for the Indians from 2014-15, but his results were uninspiring (4.38 ERA) and he had control problems (3.8 BB/9).

Indians' Outfield Could Soon Change

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Former White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche, who retired amidst a storm of controversy in Spring Training, has an outlook different than that of most ballplayers, ESPN’s Tim Keown writes. Now that LaRoche has stepped away from his big-league career after a disagreement with his front office about the presence of his son in his team’s clubhouse, he’s planning a lengthy RV trip with his family to the Pacific Northwest. LaRoche also stars in a reality show (Buck Commander) and owns a meat company. And improbably, in November, he joined with Brewers pitcher Blaine Boyer and a nonprofit to try to travel to Southeast Asia to go undercover to try to save underage sex slaves. “Something huge happened there for us,” says Boyer. “You can’t explain it. Can’t put your finger on it. If you make a wrong move, you’re getting tossed off a building.” Here’s more from the American League.

  • Michael Brantley (shoulder) and Lonnie Chisenhall (wrist) have begun rehab assignments with Triple-A Columbus, so the composition of the Indians’ outfield seems likely to change soon, Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes writes. Part of the issue, in Brantley’s case, is that he missed most of Spring Training, so he needs to get enough repetitions in his rehab assignment so that he can be ready to play. “With Michael it’s about him building enough volume and feeling comfortable at the plate,” says Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti The Indians’ roster currently includes four outfielders — Marlon Byrd, Collin Cowgill, Rajai Davis and Tyler Naquin. Of those, only Naquin is optionable. The 38-year-old Byrd, interestingly, shares that no teams showed interest in him before the Indians signed him to a minor-league deal in mid-March. “There was no interest … zero,” he says. “I would have to ask the 29 other teams what the reason was.”
  • Veteran outfielder David Murphy does not plan to retire and is looking for an MLB job, the MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets. Murphy had opted out of his deal with the Red Sox in Spring Training. He had previously said he might retire if he did not get a big-league job.

Padres Return Rule 5 Pick Josh Martin To Indians

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The Indians announced that they have received righty Josh Martin back from the Padres. The Rule 5 pick had been designated for assignment, with some suggestion that San Diego may attempt to find a way to hold onto him.

Cleveland will slot Martin in at the Triple-A level, where he can continue to develop and serve as pen depth without occupying a 40-man spot. Martin worked to a 3.07 ERA with 10.7 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 over 67 1/3 innings last year at Double-A.

That showing wasn’t enough to get the Indians to commit a roster spot, but proved tantalizing enough for the Pads to give him a shot to stick. But Martin struggled this spring, allowing 13 earned runs in his 11 frames in camp. While he struck out 12 opposing batters in that span, he also surrendered 16 hits and seven walks.

Cubs Acquire LHP Giovanni Soto From Indians

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The Cubs announced today that they have acquired left-handed reliever Giovanni Soto from the Indians in exchange for cash considerations. Cleveland had designated the 24-year-old southpaw for assignment last week. Kyle Schwarber has been transferred to the 60-day DL in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Soto, of course, is not to be confused by the catcher of the same (but differently spelled) name that won 2008 Rookie of the Year honors in a Cubs uniform. This Soto was a 21st-round pick by the Tigers in the 2009 draft that was ultimately traded to the Indians in exchange for Jhonny Peralta back in 2010. The Puerto Rican lefty made his big league debut with Cleveland last season, logging 3 1/3 scoreless innings without a walk or strikeout. Soto has posted very strong ERA marks throughout his minor league career, but he has struggled with his control in at the Triple-A level, averaging 5.5 walks (and 8.5 strikeouts) per nine innings to go along with a 3.03 ERA. Soto was tough on both lefties and righties last season, although in 2014 he posted a much more traditional platoon split.

The Cubs have optioned Soto to Triple-A Iowa, so he’ll serve as a depth piece for the team right now. Chicago already has two lefties — Clayton Richard and Travis Wood — in its Major League bullpen, to say nothing of lefty reliever C.J. Riefenhauser’s presence on the 40-man roster.

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