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Dereck Rodriguez

West Notes: Mariners, Giants, Dodgers

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A few items from the game’s West divisions:

  • The Mariners are scheduled to start their season at home March 26 against the Rangers, but it’s possible that series (and perhaps some ensuing sets) will take place outside of Seattle. With the coronavirus outbreak taking a toll on Seattle, the Mariners might temporarily play regular-season home games at their spring training facility in Arizona, Evan Drellich of The Athletic reports (subscription link). That scenario could become more likely on Wednesday, when Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to restrict all gatherings of 250-plus people in Seattle and other areas in the state, according to the Seattle Times. It’s unknown how long that restriction will last, but with just over two weeks left until the M’s season starts, there seems to be a growing likelihood that they’ll host their opener away from T-Mobile Park.
  • Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi shed some light Tuesday on the team’s spring roster battles, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle relays. Tyler Beede was a strong contender for the fifth spot in the club’s rotation, but now that he’s dealing with a flexor strain, the competition is down to Logan Webb, Dereck Rodriguez, Trevor Cahill and Trevor Oaks. Any of them could take the ball April 7 – the first time the Giants will need a No. 5 starter. Meanwhile, there could be a rotating bunch of players in center field, Shea writes. That may affect the picture at the keystone; among the Giants’ current second base options (Mauricio Dubon, Yolmer Sanchez and Donovan Solano), “Dubon is best suited to go out to the outfield,” Zaidi observes. Dubon’s versatility could lead to a season-opening roster spot for Sanchez, a 2019 Gold Glove winner whom the Giants signed to a minor league contract in the offseason.
  • He wasn’t considered a legitimate prospect at this point a year ago, but now the Dodgers are of the belief that minor league utility player Zach McKinstry will turn into a contributor at the MLB level this season, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times writes. A 33rd-round pick in 2016, McKinstry put himself on the map in 2019 with excellent production at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, leading the Dodgers to add the 24-year-old to their 40-man roster in November. The multi-positional McKinstry has continued to impress team brass this spring, notes Castillo, who adds that he could become the Dodgers’ latest Chris Taylor or Enrique Hernandez type. “He can play anywhere on the diamond, he’s an intelligent player,” manager Dave Roberts told Castillo. “He conducts really good at-bats. He’s a guy that I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him sometime this year.”

Giants Select Fernando Abad’s Contract, Designate Kyle Barraclough

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves, including the news that catcher Aramis Garcia and left-hander Williams Jerez were optioned to Triple-A Sacramento and right-hander Kyle Barraclough has been designated for assignment.  Right-hander Dereck Rodriguez was called up and left-hander Fernando Abad’s contract was purchased from Triple-A.

After signing a minors contract with the Giants in February, Abad is lined up to receive his first MLB action since 2017.  His 2018 season was marred by a lengthy appeal of a positive PED test that eventually led to an 80-game suspension.  Abad had agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets prior to the season but the suspension caused New York to pull out of the agreement before it became official.  Pitching for Sacramento this season, Abad has been very impressive, posting a 3.07 ERA and 49 strikeouts against only four walks over 44 relief innings.

Rodriguez will get another chance at salvaging what has been a rough sophomore season for the 27-year-old, who has a 5.32 ERA, 5.9 K/9, and 1.68 K/BB rate over 64 1/3 frames this season.  It’s a far cry from Rodriguez’s 2.81 ERA in his 2018 rookie season, as the righty has been up and down from the minors on multiple occasions this season as he has tried to regain last year’s consistency.  He’ll be put to work immediately, as Rodriguez is scheduled to start tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks.

Barraclough was claimed off waivers from the Nationals just last week, and now could potentially be on the move again in what has been a trying season.  Barraclough allowed eight homers in just 25 2/3 innings for the Nats, leading to an ugly 2.5 HR/9 and 6.66 ERA.  After posting a measly 0.4 HR/9 in his first three seasons for the Marlins, Barraclough’s number jumped up to 1.4 HR/9 in 2018, which was perhaps one of the reasons Miami was willing to deal in a trade with Washington last October.  Beyond the increasingly worrisome long-ball issues, Barraclough also spent roughly four weeks on the injured list this year due to nerve irritation in his forearm.

Giants Designate Tyler Austin

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The Giants have designated outfielder/first baseman Tyler Austin for assignment, the team announced and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to cover on Twitter. That move opens 40-man and active roster space for newly acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett.

In other roster moves that don’t implicate control rights, the Giants have added outfielder Steven Duggar to the active roster. Righty Dereck Rodriguez was optioned down to make way.

Austin, 27, hasn’t been able to take advantage of his opportunity in San Francisco, making him the latest position player to be sent packing from the MLB roster after receiving a shot. Through 147 plate appearances on the year, Austin carries a .185/.279/.400 batting line with eight home runs and 57 strikeouts.

Giants Recall Austin Slater

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The Giants have recalled outfielder/infielder Austin Slater to make his season debut, the team announced. In a corresponding move, right-hander Dereck Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento for the second time this season. Slater will be the 12th different outfielder used by the Giants in 2019. Five of the previous outfield options are no longer with the organization.

Now 26 years old, Slater showed some promise when he was called up for his big league debut in 2017, hitting at a .282/.339/.402 clip with three home runs in 127 plate appearances. Over a larger sample of 227 plate appearances the following season, however, Slater’s strikeout rate spiked from 22.8 percent to 30.7 percent as his batting line dipped to .251/.333/.307. He posted characteristically strong numbers in Triple-A last year, but his struggles led him to pursue some changes to his swing mechanics in the offseason, as recently explored at McCovey Chronicles.

Within that interview Slater admitted to struggling with his new swing in Spring Training, but the results so far in 2019 have been promising. Slater has posted a .308/.436/.529 line with a dozen homers and 17 doubles in 296 plate appearances. The Pacific Coast League is a known hitters’ haven, so the numbers are surely a bit inflated, but it’s also worth noting that Slater is walking at a career-best 15.5 percent clip as well.

Perhaps most interesting with Slater is the manner in which he’s been deployed defensively in Sacramento. While he’s primarily been a corner outfielder and first baseman in recent seasons, Slater has played all three outfield positions as well as first base, second base and third base. That marks his first real exposure to third base and his first significant action at second base since playing 96 games there back in 2015. If he’s able to continue his hot hitting in the big leagues, he could be deployed all over the diamond and give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility when making moves late in games.

The demotion for Rodriguez, 27, is the latest speed bump in what’s been a disappointing season for the righty. Rodriguez looked like a needle-in-a-haystack find for the Giants last season when he parlayed a minor league contract into a 2.81 ERA / 3.74 FIP over the course of 118 1/3 innings. The organization surely hoped that Rodriguez could be a long-term option, at least at the back of the rotation, but he’s struggled to a 5.27 ERA in 2019. Rodriguez’s walk and home-run rates have soared while his strikeout rate has simultaneously dipped. San Francisco has also tried him in the bullpen, but Rodriguez has yielded 10 runs in 15 innings out of the bullpen. Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests (via Twitter) that the plan for him is to go to Sacramento and get regular work as a starter once again.

Giants Option Dereck Rodriguez

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Per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Bay Area, the Giants have optioned righty Dereck Rodriguez to AAA-Sacramento after catcher Erik Kratz returned from the 10-Day IL.

Rodriguez, the son of hall-of-fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, converted to pitching in 2015 and quickly made his mark at the upper levels of the Twins and Giants systems. In 118 1/3 IP upon promotion the big club last season, Rodriguez delivered a 2.81 ERA, best among all NL rookies. The mark seemed a mirage, though, as his 112 xFIP-, on the back of 6.77 K/9 and low grounder rate, was among the league’s worst for all pitchers with at least 100 innings last season.

It didn’t take long for regression to pounce in ’19: the righty was torched for nine homers in 41 innings in the Giants’ extreme pitcher-friendly yard, and again struggled to miss bats and keep the ball on the ground. His 119 xFIP- is only slightly worse than last season’s mark, though his 5.05 ERA now more closely mirrors his subpar peripherals.

Rodriguez curried plenty of favor with the old Giants regime, but the new, data-driven one may not look quite so kindly on the contact-heavy profile.

NL Notes: Mets, Alonso, Giants, Rodriguez, Nats, Nuno

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A quick look around the National League…

  • Renowned for his offensive ability, Mets first base prospect Pete Alonso has lived up to the billing this spring with a  .423/.464/.885 line and three home runs over 26 exhibition at-bats. But it’s the 24-year-old’s defense which has truly raised manager Mickey Callaway’s eyebrows, per Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News. “I kind of knew the offense was going to be somewhat special. So for me, the defense and how locked in to a game he is every day (is surprising),” said Callaway, who added, “All the little things that it takes to be a quality major-league player, he’s doing them on defense.” A consensus top 100 prospect, Alonso is competing with Dominic Smith, who was a touted farmhand not long ago, for the Mets’ starting job at first. Smith has also raked this spring (.435/.500/.609 in 23 ABs), and it could help his cause that New York would gain an extra year of control over Alonso by sending him back to the minors until mid-April. The Mets, however, have insisted service time won’t play a role in whether Alonso lands an Opening Day roster spot.
  • After enjoying a stunningly effective rookie year in 2018, Giants right-hander Dereck Rodriguez has earned a place in the team’s season-opening rotation, manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Bochy noted that he hasn’t set the entire quintet in stone yet, but as Shea points out, Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, Derek Holland and Drew Pomeranz look like locks to accompany Rodriguez in the starting five. Rodriguez was arguably the best member of the group last season, when he turned in a 2.81 ERA/3.74 FIP with 6.77 K/9 and 2.74 BB/9 in 118 1/3 innings (21 appearances, 19 starts).
  • Left-hander Vidal Nuno’s minor league contract with the Nationals includes opt-out chances on March 27 and June 15, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. Thanks in part to the Nationals’ release of fellow lefty Sammy Solis on Saturday, Nuno’s chances of cracking their 25-man roster by one of those dates have seemingly improved, Dougherty observes. Further, the 31-year-old Nuno has gained an important fan in manager Dave Martinez, who said Saturday: “From what I’ve seen, he’s got a multitude of pitches that he can get people out with. I mean lefties, righties, he’s not afraid of pitching in. I like him. His presence on the mound is good. He attacks the strike zone. I really like what I see so far.”

NL West Notes: Arenado, Rockies, Flores, D-backs, Giants

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Rockies GM Jeff Bridich largely declined an opportunity to discuss the state of the team’s contract talks with star third baseman Nolan Arenado, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes. Bridich says the club is content to “keep things under wraps, under our hat for now” as it continues to try to work out a 2019 salary — and, perhaps, a long-term deal — with the club’s top player. The general manager did say that the Rox will not “set any deadlines or ultimatums,” though that comment may relate more to the still-unresolved arbitration case than extension talks. Arenado and the team still need to bridge a $6MM gap to stave off a hearing, as he filed at $30MM against the team’s $24MM submission. It’s still anyone’s guess whether there’ll be any real traction in discussions on a lengthier accord, but it’ll unquestionably cost a pretty penny to get the 27-year-old to forego a chance at testing the open market next winter.

Here’s more out of Denver and the NL West…

  • Also from Harding’s piece, Bridich stated that the Rockies “haven’t been overly aggressive” in the outfield market. Fans hoping for a reunion with Matt Holliday will be disheartened to see that the GM characterized the franchise icon as a tougher fit on the current roster than he was when he was signed late in the 2018 season and enjoyed a brief comeback tour. Presently, Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl look like locks for regular outfield work. Ian Desmond, Raimel Tapia and Noel Cuevas will also slot in around the outfield, though Cuevas has options remaining, so it seems conceivable that the Rox could make a move if a palatable bargain presents itself.
  • There are “indications” that the Diamondbacks plan to utilize newly signed Wilmer Flores as their second baseman in 2019, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Doing so would allow them to shift Ketel Marte to the outfield as their new primary center fielder. It’d be an unfamiliar position for Marte, but the move is something that’s been discussed for some time now. (The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan noted as much all the way back in October). As Piecoro notes, the D-backs’ defensive alignment figures to look quite a bit different; Jake Lamb is slated to move across the diamond to first base following the trade of Paul Goldschmidt, with Eduardo Escobar slotting in as the primary third baseman. Nick Ahmed (shortstop), Flores (second base) and Marte (center field) could line up on the middle of the diamond, with David Peralta and Steven Souza Jr. flanking Marte in center.
  • The Giants may use the “opener” strategy at times in 2019 but won’t be among the league’s most aggressive teams with it, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Madison Bumgarner, Derek Holland and Jeff Samardzija will all be treated as traditional starters, though Schulman notes that president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi has recently expressed a desire to manage the workloads of younger arms like Dereck Rodriguez and Andrew Suarez “for their future and for ours.” Schulman’s column explores multiple avenues to achieving that goal and features multiple quotes from Zaidi and skipper Bruce Bochy on the pitching staff that Giants fans will surely want to check out in full. Schulman also reiterates that it’s still possible the Giants could explore trades of either Will Smith or Tony Watson as they seek additional rotation and outfield options. Both lefty relievers can become free agents next offseason.

NL West Notes: Boxberger, D-backs, Padres, Giants

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The Diamondbacks have elected to not only remove Brad Boxberger from the closer’s role but also to do away with set bullpen roles entirely for the remainder of the season, manager Torey Lovullo explained to reporters this week (link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Rather than deploy a set closer (Boxberger) and setup man (Archie Bradley), the D-backs’ late-inning decisions will be determined primarily based on matchups. Boxberger, Bradley, Andrew Chafin, Brad Ziegler and T.J. McFarland will be among the matchup options sharing late-inning duties, per Piecoro. The 30-year-old Boxberger has a 4.41 ERA and has averaged five walks per nine innings this season, but he’s also racked up 32 saves and fanned 68 hitters in just 49 innings of work. He’s struggled in particular as of late, surrendering a dozen runs in his past 11 2/3 innings of work. Boxberger will be arbitration-eligible for the final time this offseason after earning $1.85MM in 2018.

More from the division…

  • Dennis Lin of The Athletic takes stock of the Padres’ wide-ranging slate of Major League debuts in 2018 (subscription required), noting that 14 different players got their first taste of the Majors in San Diego this season. (Francisco Mejia, who came to the Friars with just 14 career plate appearances, is effectively receiving his first MLB audition as well.) While the results have varied, 2018 gave Friars fans their first look at a number of potential building blocks, including Luis Urias, Mejia and Joey Lucchesi, among others. Notably, Lin speculates that given the Padres’ wealth of outfield options and questions surrounding Franmil Reyes’ glovework, he could become a trade chip in talks with American League clubs this winter. The 23-year-old has batted .265/.316/.525 through 215 plate appearances this season, including a monstrous .313/.365/.635 slash with nine homers and a dramatically improved strikeout rate since being recalled from the minors on Aug. 5 (104 PAs).
  • Though the Giants’ hopes of contending have long since vanished, the team doesn’t have any plans to shut down rookies Dereck Rodriguez and Andrew Suarez for the final weeks of the year to limit their workloads, writes Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Rodriguez, a former outfielder and the son of Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez, has quietly been one of the NL’s best rookies in 2018, working to a 2.35 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 through 103 1/3 innings of work after signing a minor league deal this past offseason. Suarez, also 26, has given the Giants 145 1/3 innings of 4.33 ERA ball with 7.5 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 52.4 percent ground-ball rate. Both have presumably worked their way firmly into the rotation picture in 2019 and beyond with their 2018 showings.

Injury Notes: Jansen, Nimmo, Trumbo, Twins, Giants

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It seems the Dodgers will activate closer Kenley Jansen for tonight’s game, the relief ace tells reporters including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter links). That’s certainly good news for a club that has struggled to wrap up games in the late innings without him. More importantly, it seems as if there’s ongoing cause for optimism that Jansen will not be limited by the irregular heartbeat that forced him to the hospital earlier this month.

More injury news from around the league…

  • The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve placed outfielder Brandon Nimmo on the 10-day disabled list due to a bruised left index finger. With Nimmo out for at least the next week-plus, the Mets will keep Dominic Smith on the 25-man roster for the time being. Smith had been with the club on Sunday as the 26th man in New York’s doubleheader, and while he’d been slated to return to Triple-A Las Vegas, he’ll now remain in the bigs. It seems likely that he’ll stay up long enough for rosters to expand on Sept. 1.
  • Likewise, the Orioles say that they’ve placed Mark Trumbo on the disabled list due to inflammation in his right knee. In a pair of corresponding moves, Baltimore reinstated Adam Jones from the bereavement list and also recalled outfielder John Andreoli from Triple-A Norfolk after claiming him off outright waivers from the Mariners organization over the weekend. The rebuilding O’s owe Trumbo another $13.5MM next year and they’d no doubt like to find a way to trim back that commitment. This injury could take him out of any consideration for a late-August swap — not that a deal ever seemed particularly likely in the first place. While the 32-year-old is posting a solid .261/.313/.452 slash with 17 homers in 358 plate appearances, his defensive limitations will severely limit interest from contenders (whether now or in the offseason to come).
  • While Logan Morrison was originally diagnosed with a hip impingement that necessitated season-ending surgery, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the Twins first baseman/designated hitter actually had a torn labrum repaired and a bone spur removed from the ailing hip. Meanwhile, right-hander Ervin Santana is seeing a hand specialist to examine the surgically repaired middle finger on his right hand (also via Berardino, on Twitter). Initially projected to require a 12-month recovery that would’ve had Santana back in early May, the issue has proven to be considerably more problematic. Santana didn’t pitch until late July and has made just five starts with an 8.03 ERA in 2018.
  • Giants righty Jeff Samardzija is still hoping to make it back from shoulder issues this season. As Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group tweets, Samardzija is set for his first of two rehab starts this Wednesday. That would put the veteran hurler on track to start on the first day of September, when active rosters expand. Whether or not he’ll do so remains to be seen. For the Giants, any contribution will likely be too little, too late. But there is still time for the 33-year-old to put a more positive spin on his 2018 season. When he has been available to pitch this year, Samardzija has produced an ugly 6.25 ERA with an even more concerning 30:26 K/BB ratio in 44 2/3 innings over ten starts.
  • Meanwhile, the Giants will welcome back emerging hurler Dereck Rodriguez, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, to take the ball on Friday. Clearly, Rodriguez’s hamstring issues weren’t serious at all, as he only just hit the DL. That’s certainly good news for an organization that has been in need of future bright spots. Rodriguez came out of nowhere to throw 80 innings of 2.25 ERA pitching.

Giants Place Dereck Rodriguez On 10-Day DL

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The Giants have announced that impressive young righty Dereck Rodriguez is headed to the 10-day disabled list with a hamstring strain, as Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to tweet. He’ll be replaced in the rotation by Casey Kelly for the time being.

Fortunately, it is said only to be a grade 1 strain for Rodriguez — the mildest form of the injury. It seems that the problem arose during the recent scuffle between the Giants and rival Dodgers, as Crowley and others note on Twitter.

Rodriguez has been among the most surprising players in baseball this year. Previously known only as the son of Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez, the 26-year-old has emerged as a quality rotation piece in San Francisco after joining the organization over the winter as a minor-league free agent who had never yet pitched in the big leagues.

It seems fair to say that Rodriguez has had a major role in keeping the Giants in shouting distance of a postseason spot. He has thrown 80 innings of 2.25 ERA ball, after all, making him a solid Rookie of the Year candidate — at least, that is, were this not a season that features two otherworldly young National League hitters.

Despite their immediate needs, the Giants will surely prioritize Rodriguez’s long-term health in bringing him back to action. While there’s no reason to think he’s at risk of a severe hamstring injury, lower-body injuries can potentially impact mechanics and lead to other concerns. While Rodriguez doesn’t carry peripherals that suggest he’ll continue to be a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher over the long haul, he looks to be a key piece for a Giants organization that is hoping to infuse some youth into its roster while staying competitive.

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