AL Central Notes: Twins, McKenzie, Tigers
Twins infielder Royce Lewis saw his career-long injury woes continue during yesterday’s game against the Orioles. The 24 year old suffered a strained left oblique while attempting to beat out a groundball. Lewis has played well in the big leagues when healthy, pairing a career 136 wRC+ in 140 plate appearances with strong defense on the left side of the infield for Minnesota. Unfortunately, staying healthy has proved to be a considerable challenge for the youngster, who’s played a total of just 82 games between the major and minor leagues since the end of the 2019 campaign. Per a club announcement, Lewis is headed to the 10-day injured list, though Phil Miller of the Star Tribune notes the club is hopeful he’ll only require a minimum stay on the shelf.
Replacing Lewis on the roster is Jose Miranda, the Twins’ Opening Day third baseman. After a solid rookie season in 2022 where he hit .268/.325/.426 in 483 plate appearances, Miranda scuffled through the first 35 games of his sophomore season. A brutal .220/.275/.318 slash line in 142 plate appearances was enough for Minnesota to demote Miranda to Triple-A, where the results (including a .686 OPS in 39 games) haven’t been much better. That being said, the 25 year old has begun to hit better in recent weeks, with a .300/.370/.456 slash line, a 10% walk rate and a 16% strikeout rate over his last 100 plate appearances. If Miranda has successfully recaptured the offensive form he flashed during his rookie season, he should help to boost a Twins offense that ranks just 18th in MLB with a wRC+ of 98.
More from around the AL Central…
- Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie has been shut down from throwing since mid-June with a UCL sprain, but the club is still gathering information regarding their young starter before deciding on how to move forward, as manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Joe Noga of Cleveland.com). Francona suggests that an update on McKenzie’s status could come within the next few days now that the righty has received second opinions from Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Keith Meister. Any diagnosis involving the UCL- the ligament repaired during Tommy John surgery- is obviously a worrisome diagnosis, so it’s no surprise that the club is proceeding with care. McKenzie broke out in a big way for Cleveland last season, posting a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings of work, but has managed just two starts this season between his current injury and a strained teres major muscle he suffered during spring training.
- The Tigers are expected to welcome left-handers Tarik Skubal and Eduardo Rodriguez back into the rotation this coming week. Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters, including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, that the club has Skubal starting on Tuesday and Rodriguez starting Wednesday written down “in pencil”, with a final evaluation of both hurlers required before they return to a major league mound. It’s great news for Detroit, as Rodriguez as been among the best starters in the sport this season; the veteran lefty’s 2.13 ERA across 11 starts this season is the lowest of any pitcher in the majors with at least 60 innings pitched this season. Skubal could provide the club a boost in his own right, as the lefty broke out last year with a 3.52 ERA and 2.96 FIP in 117 2/3 innings of work before he underwent season-ending surgery in August.
Tigers Designate Anthony Misiewicz For Assignment
The Tigers have designated lefty Anthony Misiewicz for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to left-hander Zach Logue, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Toledo (as reported earlier this morning). Left-hander Joey Wentz has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo to open a spot for Logue on the active roster, as expected.
It’s been a tumultuous ten months for the 28-year-old Misiewicz, who had a decent 2020-21 run with the Mariners but has now been on five teams since last August. The Royals acquired Misiewicz from the Mariners just prior to last year’s trade deadline, sending cash to Seattle after the left-hander had been designated for assignment. He’s since bounced to the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks — both in cash trades — and then the Tigers via waiver claim. He’ll now find himself either traded or placed on outright waivers once again.
After pitching to a 4.43 ERA in 102 2/3 innings between Seattle and Kansas City from 2020-22, Misiewicz has been hit hard in both Arizona and Detroit this year. The southpaw has tallied just 8 1/3 frames on the season, yielding eight runs on eight hits (two homers) and three walks. He has a 4.41 ERA and 19-to-6 K/BB ratio in 16 1/3 minor league innings between the Tigers and D-backs organizations so far in 2023.
This year’s struggles notwithstanding, Misiewicz is a 28-year-old lefty who entered the year with a 4.43 ERA, two minor league option seasons remaining (this year included), a roughly average strikeout rate and better-than-average walk rates. This year’s 93.1 mph average fastball is down half a mile from last year’s levels and 1.3 mph from its 2021 peak, but Misiewicz could nonetheless appeal to other clubs looking for left-handed bullpen depth. The Tigers will have a week to find a trade partner or pass him through waivers.
Tigers To Select Zach Logue
The Tigers appear set for a roster move, as left-hander Zach Logue is in the clubhouse this morning while fellow southpaw Joey Wentz does not have a locker, tweets Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets that Detroit is set to make a 40-man roster move to add Logue prior to this afternoon’s game against the Rangers. Wentz, notably, has a minor league option remaining, so he’s not necessarily the 40-man roster casualty for this move.
Logue, 27, was a December waiver claim out of the Athletics organization, less than one year after Oakland acquired him in a four-player package that sent Matt Chapman to Toronto. The 2017 ninth-rounder was coming off a solid year between Double-A and Triple-A at the time of the swap but was clobbered for a 6.79 ERA in his first 57 MLB frames in 2022, to say nothing of a similarly concerning 8.12 ERA in 78 2/3 frames at Triple-A last year.
The Tigers wound up passing Logue through waivers themselves after initially claiming him, which allowed them to send him to Triple-A Toledo to begin the season without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster. It’s been a tough year for Logue with the Mud Hens, however. In 15 appearances (13 of them starts), he’s totaled 51 2/3 innings and been tagged for a grisly 5.92 ERA with a below-average 21.6% strikeout rate and a higher-than-average 12.4% walk rate.
Logue’s last appearance came out of the bullpen, but he tossed 87 pitches in a game as recently as June 20, so if the Tigers need him to make a spot start he should be able to do so without any real pitch restrictions. That said, he could also just add some length to the bullpen after what’s been a taxing week for Detroit’s relief corps. The Tiger bullpen had to cover 8 1/3 innings Monday after Matthew Boyd departed his start in the first inning. (Boyd later required Tommy John surgery.) Tigers relievers Mason Englert, Brendan White and Garrett Hill have all had outings of 40-plus pitches over the past three days. Infielder Jonathan Schoop took the mound and recorded the final four outs in last night’s blowout loss to Texas.
A 4 2/3-inning start from Wentz yesterday contributed to that bullpen workload, and short starts have unfortunately been all too common for the former top prospect as he tries to establish himself in the Detroit rotation. The 25-year-old Wentz, acquired from the Braves as part of the Shane Greene trade, has pitched 71 2/3 innings this season but been hammered for a 6.78 ERA in that time. Wentz has fanned 20% of his opponents against a 9.4% walk rate — both worse than league-average marks but neither seeming indicative of struggles of this magnitude.
However, Wentz is also allowing an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph and an opponents’ barrel rate of 11.2%, both of which align with his glaring home run issues this year. Wentz is averaging 2.01 homers per nine innings pitched, and paired with a somewhat elevated walk rate, it’s been a recipe for disaster. He’s only completed six innings twice in 15 starts, and six of his past eight starts have fallen shy of five innings.
With Wentz at least temporarily dropped from the rotation, the Tigers’ already muddled starting staff now even further lacks clarity. Rookie Reese Olson is taking the ball today and will be followed by veteran Michael Lorenzen tomorrow. The Tigers welcomed Matt Manning back from the injured list this week, and he’ll fill a third spot. However, Detroit starters Eduardo Rodriguez, Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Spencer Turnbull, Alex Faedo, Beau Brieske and the previously mentioned Boyd are all on the injured list. Manning is lined up to start Sunday’s game, but the Tigers’ Saturday starter is listed as TBD. If Logue isn’t needed in relief prior to that point, he’d presumably be one option to take that start. Petzold wrote yesterday that Skubal could be back as early as the first week of July, which would add a much-needed quality arm to that beleaguered staff.
Matthew Boyd Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
JUNE 28: Boyd underwent successful surgery in Dallas this morning, Stavenhagen tweets.
JUNE 27: The Tigers have informed reporters, including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, that left-hander Matthew Boyd will require Tommy John surgery. The club also announced a slate of moves, with right-hander Matt Manning activated from the 60-day injured list and left-hander Anthony Misiewicz recalled from Triple-A Toledo. Boyd has been placed on the 60-day IL while right-hander Will Vest has been placed on the 15-day IL with a right lower leg strain.
The news comes as a very unfortunate development for both Boyd and the Tigers. The left-hander already missed a significant chunk of time in recent seasons as he required flexor tendon surgery in September of 2021 which forced him to miss roughly a full year. He returned in September of last year and was able to toss 13 1/3 innings down the stretch.
The Tigers took a chance on Boyd being able to return to form, signing him in the offseason to a one-year, $10MM deal. The club was coming off a nightmare 2022 season wherein they went 66-96 and lost pitchers like Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal to surgeries that would keep them out well into the 2023 season. They were undoubtedly hoping that Boyd could serve as a stabilizing force and perhaps turn into a trade candidate by midseason if they were again out of contention.
He made 15 starts with an elevated 5.45 ERA, though that was likely inflated by a 62% strand rate. Due to his 24.1% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate, his 4.36 FIP and 4.16 SIERA indicate he deserved better results. Given the pitching injuries around the league, plenty of clubs would have looked past the ERA and called up Detroit for trade talks but none of that will happen now. Boyd will miss the remainder of the 2023 season and much of the 2024 campaign as well.
On a personal level, it has to be incredibly frustrating for Boyd. From 2016 to 2019, he was a serviceable rotation member in Detroit, tossing 588 innings with a 4.67 ERA. But he then struggled in 2020 and has since endured three straight injury-shortened campaigns, with next year sure to be a fourth.
For the Tigers, this is the latest in a brutal succession of serious surgeries required for their starting staff. Each of Boyd, Mize, Skubal and Spencer Turnbull have required either Tommy John or flexor tendon surgery in the past few years. In addition to that, pitchers like Manning, Eduardo Rodriguez, Alex Faedo and Beau Brieske have dealt with other ailments that have pushed them to the injured list.
Manning is at least able to return today with Skubal and Rodriguez not too far behind him. That group will join a rotation mix that also consists of Michael Lorenzen, Joey Wentz and Reese Olson, though Lorenzen could find himself on the trade block this summer as he’s an impending free agent with a 3.97 ERA. The Tigers have a 34-43 record and would make sense as sellers, though they are only 4.5 games out in the weak American League Central. The mounting injuries will make it hard for them to stay in the race but the impending returns of some of those injured players could perhaps help them stay afloat.
Tigers Option Nick Maton, Plan To Reinstate Matt Manning Tomorrow
The Tigers announced this evening they’ve optioned infielder Nick Maton to Triple-A Toledo. Tyler Nevin was recalled to take his spot on the active roster. There’ll be more moves tomorrow, as the club informed reporters that Matt Manning will return from the 60-day injured list to start Tuesday’s game in Texas (via Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic).
Maton heads to the minors for the first time this year. The left-handed hitting infielder was one of three upper level players acquired from the Phillies for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens over the winter. He’s had a tough first season in Detroit, struggling on both sides of the ball.
The 26-year-old infielder has tallied a career-high 239 plate appearances, ranking fourth on the team in playing time. He’s hitting only .163/.289/.287. Maton is drawing plenty of walks but has gone down on strikes in a quarter of his plate appearances and hasn’t made much of a power impact. He has just six home runs with a middling 33.1% hard contact percentage.
Defense has been a similar issue. Maton has rated between five and six runs below average by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast over 303 innings at third base. Those struggles peaked yesterday, when he committed a throwing error with two outs in the eighth inning to allow the Twins to tie the game and couldn’t handle an extra-inning grounder that turned into a game-winning single for Minnesota. Jonathan Schoop draws into the lineup tonight at the hot corner.
As for Manning, he’ll need to return to the 40-man roster tomorrow. He’ll be making his third start of the season. The former ninth overall draftee worked to a solid 3.43 ERA in 12 outings last year. His 2023 campaign was thrown off in mid-April when he was struck on the right foot by a comebacker.
The Tigers could soon welcome back another pair of starters. Tarik Skubal is already on a rehab stint as he works back from last summer’s flexor tendon surgery. He’ll be joined this week by Eduardo Rodriguez, as Detroit announced the veteran southpaw will take the ball for Toledo on Thursday. Rodriguez has been out for just under a month with a finger concern.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/25/23
Catching up on some minor moves from around baseball…
- The Tigers outrighted Braden Bristo to Triple-A after the right-hander cleared waivers. Bristo was designated for assignment last weekend and can’t yet reject an outright assignment, even though this is the second time Bristo has been DFA’ed this season. The Tigers claimed Bristo off waivers from the Rays at the start of May, and the righty has a 2.57 ERA over seven total innings of work with Detroit and Tampa Bay. This marks the 28-year-old’s first bit of Major League action, after seven minor league seasons spent mostly in the Yankees farm system.
AL Central Notes: Anderson, Buxton, E-Rod, Manning
Over the first 824 games of his Major League career, Tim Anderson had almost exclusively as a shortstop, with a couple of DH days thrown into the mix. However, Anderson has now made two consecutive starts at second base, as a way of getting the veteran into the White Sox lineup despite some lingering soreness in his right throwing shoulder. Sox manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and other reporters that “all intentions are for [Anderson] to go back to shortstop” eventually, and that the club was monitoring Anderson’s shoulder on a day-to-day basis.
Considering Chicago’s 33-45 record, it can’t be ignored that Anderson’s temporary move to the keystone could also serve as a showcase for any interested trade partners. As per most public defensive metrics, Anderson has had subpar glovework as a shortstop over the last two seasons, and a move to second base might eventually be required as Anderson (who turned 30 years old two days ago) gets deeper into his career. A team doubtful of Anderson’s shortstop defense could be more keen on using him as a second baseman, or an ability to shuttle between both positions might also boost the former All-Star’ trade value given how clubs prize versatile players. That said, offense is a bigger concern than defense for Anderson at this point, since he has struggled to a .241/.279/.282 slash line over 229 plate appearances while missing about three weeks on the injured list with a left knee sprain. 2023 is the final guaranteed year of Anderson’s contract, as the White Sox hold a $14MM club option on his services for 2024.
More from around the AL Central….
- Byron Buxton left yesterday’s game due to back spasms, which arose while he was trying to beat out a grounder to first base. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park and other reporters that Buxton has been bothered by the back problem for much of the season, and that he is day-to-day pending further evaluation though Buxton seemed “to already be feeling a little bit better” following the game. Buxton has been used exclusively as a DH this season, with the nagging back issues adding to the surgically-repaired right knee that is still causing Buxton issues, and keeping him out of his usual center field position.
- Eduardo Rodriguez threw 50 pitches during a live bullpen session on Saturday, and afterwards told reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News) that “everything was perfect — feeling-wise, body-wise, shoulder-wise, finger-wise.” Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day IL just over a month ago with a pulley rupture in his left index finger, and the unusual nature of the injury made it somewhat difficult to establish a true timeline for his return. However, McCosky notes that it certainly looks like Rodriguez might be on pace to return to the Tigers rotation prior to the All-Star break, though manager A.J. Hinch said the left-hander will have to make at least one rehab start before being activated from the IL. Rodriguez has an outstanding 2.13 ERA over 67 2/3 innings for Detroit this season, making him both an important piece for a Tigers team still in the AL Central race, or potentially as a deadline trade chip if the Tigers pivot into seller mode.
- In other Tigers news, Matt Manning is expected to be activated from the 60-day IL during Detroit’s upcoming series against the Rangers. Hinch told reporters (including The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen) that the club hasn’t yet decided if Manning will be activated to start on Tuesday or Thursday, as the Tigers are also factoring in whether or not to give Reese Olson an extra day of rest. Manning has been sidelined since his second start of the season, when he suffered a right foot fracture after being hit by an Alejandro Kirk comebacker to the mound.
Tigers Sign Johan Camargo To Minor League Deal
The Tigers have signed infielder Johan Camargo to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. Conversely, infielder Brendon Davis has been released by the Mud Hens, per his own tracker.
Camargo, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Royals in the winter. He began the season on the injured list in the minors but was able to return to action in mid-May. He went on to hit a torrid .298/.412/.544 through 68 Triple-A plate appearances for a wRC+ of 140. Based on that hot streak, he triggered an opt-out and returned to the open market to see what deals he could find.
He’ll now join a Tigers club that has plenty of uncertainty around the infield. Veterans like Javier Báez, Jonathan Schoop and Andy Ibañez are all having subpar years at the plate and the same goes for younger players like Spencer Torkelson and Nick Maton. The only Tigers with at least 100 plate appearances and a wRC+ above 100 are outfielders Matt Vierling, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene, and Greene is currently on the injured list.
Given those struggles, there’s logic to bringing Camargo into the organization and getting a closer look at him. He’s played all four infield positions in his major league career and a bit of the outfield corners as well, generally getting solid grades anywhere he’s placed. His career batting line of .255/.313/.410 only amounts to a wRC+ of 90 but he’s at least coming off a hot stretch lately. If he were to get a roster spot at some point, he’s out of options but could be retained for 2024 via arbitration since he won’t be able to reach six years of service time this year.
As for Davis, 25, he signed a minor league deal with the Tigers this winter but has hit just .178/.288/.363 in Triple-A this year.
Seth Elledge Elects Free Agency
The Tigers announced that right-hander Seth Elledge has cleared waivers and elected free agency. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week when the club claimed left-hander Anthony Misiewicz off waivers from the Diamondbacks.
Elledge, 27, has filled up the transaction logs in the past few months. Atlanta added him to their roster in November but then designated him for assignment in April. He then went to the Mets and Tigers on subsequent waivers claims before getting the DFA treatment again a few days ago. Amid all those transactions, he’s managed to throw 28 2/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 5.34 ERA, striking out 21.9% of hitters but walking 13.3%.
The righty has a bit of major league experience, getting into 23 games for the Cardinals over 2020 and 2021. He had a 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings in that time with a strong 24% strikeout rate but 14.4% walk rate. He was outrighted off the Cards’ roster after the 2021 season and signed a minor league deal with Atlanta for 2022. He tossed 46 1/3 Triple-A innings that year with a 3.88 ERA, 33.7% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate. That dip in walk rate is perhaps what got him a roster spot from Atlanta less than a year ago but the control problems seem to have returned here in 2023.
Since Elledge had that previous career outright in 2021, he had the right to reject another such assignment. He has now exercised that right and is free to sign with any club. Despite the problems with the free passes, he’s continued to rack up strikeouts and could market that to potential employers. With so many clubs around the league dealing with injuries, he’ll likely be able to find offers for minor league deals.
AL Central Notes: Buxton, Crochet, Tigers
Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has dealt with many injuries throughout his career, which has led the Twins to use him exclusively as a designated hitter so far this season. However, it seems that was not simply a choice they made about protecting him from future injuries. “From the beginning of the year, he has not been physically able to play in the outfield,” manager Rocco Baldelli tells Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. “If he was, he would be out there. If we even thought that it was possible that he could play in the outfield right now, he would be out there.”
Buxton underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in September of last year and seemingly recuperated enough to play but not enough that the Twins want him out on the grass. “Nothing has really gone up or down on that scale since the beginning of the year,” Baldelli said. “It hasn’t gotten closer. It hasn’t gotten further away. It’s basically in a similar spot. He is basically in a similar spot as he was in the beginning.”
Of course, the Twins could have opted to have Buxton start the season on the injured list and then activated him once he was 100% healthy, but it seems they preferred to have his bat in the lineup even without any defensive contributions and with diminished capabilities overall. Buxton’s sprint speed of 29.3 feet per second this year is roughly in line with last year’s 29.1 figure, though he has been steadily declining since hitting 30.9 in his rookie season. That seems to line up with the assessment that his knee hasn’t gotten fully healthy.
It might also be impacting him at the plate, as he’s hitting .209/.313/.428 on the year. That translates to a 106 wRC+, indicating he’s still been above average but below his own typical output. He hit .258/.316/.558 from 2019 to 2022 for a 136 wRC+. His .259 batting average on balls in play might point to some bad luck but his hard hit rate and average exit velocity are also down from last year. He’s also been struggling more of late, slashing just .149/.273/.266 since May 5. All hitters go through slumps, of course, but whether or not the knee is hampering him will be an interesting situation for the Twins to monitor as the season progresses.
Some more notes from the AL Central…
- The White Sox put left-hander Garrett Crochet on the injured list yesterday, retroactive to June 17, due to left shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Jimmy Lambert was reinstated from his own IL stint in a corresponding move. Crochet was drafted in 2020 and was quickly launched into the majors just a few months later. He’s since been able to post quality results out of the bullpen with a 2.69 ERA thus far, though injuries have also been an issue. He went on the IL in 2021 due to a back strain and then had his 2022 wiped out by Tommy John surgery. He returned this year but is now back on the IL after 10 outings. There hasn’t been anything to suggest this current injury is especially concerning but it’s yet another roadblock to him building up his workload. He has expressed a desire to return to starting pitching someday but has only been able to log 70 1/3 major league innings in his career thus far.
- The Tigers have faced a number of challenges in their rotation this year, which each of Eduardo Rodriguez, Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Spencer Turnbull, Alex Faedo and Beau Brieske currently on the injured list. Given all of those absences, it’s hardly surprising that the club’s starters have a collective 4.91 ERA that places them 25th out of the 30 clubs in the league. Things could be on the verge of improving, however, with most of that group nearing returns. Chris McCosky of The Detroit News takes a look at the different hurlers and their rehabs, with Skubal and Manning seemingly the closest since they are already on rehab assignments at the Triple-A level. The Tigers are just 32-41 coming into today’s action but are only 3.5 games off the lead in the weak division. Getting some young starters back in the mix would surely help them stay afloat in that wide open competition. Manning had a 3.43 ERA last year but has been limited to just two outings so far this year due to a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Skubal had a 3.52 ERA last year but has been out of action since undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August.