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Injury Notes: Hoskins, Galvis, Boyd, LeBlanc, Kim

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Rhys Hoskins isn’t expected to come off the injured list when first eligible, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The minimum 10-day stint will have elapsed by Tuesday, but Hoskins still hasn’t tested his injured groin by running. The first baseman just received a cortisone injection to try and aid his recovery and is still aiming to be activated at some point this week. Every game is crucial for the Phillies as they are in the thick of a three-team race for the AL East crown. They are currently tied with Atlanta for the top spot, with the Mets just 1 1/2 games behind. Hoskins is having another fine season at the plate, slashing .244/.332/.509, which is 23% better than league average by wRC+.

Salisbury also notes that Freddy Galvis has started taking batting practice and is progressing towards a rehab stint. The infielder was on the injured list with a quad strain when the Orioles traded him to the Phillies before the deadline. Before getting hurt, he was slashing .249/.306/.414. That amounts to a wRC+ of 97, which is below league average but a career high for Galvis. Despite never being a huge offensive threat, he’s long been a valuable contributor because of his excellent glovework.

Other notes from around the league…

  • Matthew Boyd is rehabbing and hoping to return before the end of August, reports Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. The lefty was placed on the IL in mid-June with a triceps issue but now potentially a few weeks away from returning. Boyd has a year of team control remaining before reaching free agency and figures to be an important part of the Tigers’ 2022 rotation as they look to move from rebuilding to contending. If he stays on track with his rehab, he could get more than a month’s worth of work in before the offseason. Prior to the injury, Boyd had an ERA of 3.44 on the year through 70 2/3 innings.
  • Neither Wade LeBlanc nor Kwang Hyun Kim are expected to come off the IL as soon as they are eligible, according to Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, per Jeff Jones of MLB.com. Kim, who has a 3.36 ERA in 91 innings this season, has been out since August 9th with elbow inflammation. LeBlanc, who also is dealing with an elbow issue, has an ERA of 3.61 in 42 1/3 innings for St. Louis this year. However, the rotation just welcomed Jack Flaherty back into the fold and could soon see a return of Miles Mikolas, who is currently on a rehab assignment. The club is currently 4 1/2 games behind a slumping Padres club for the final NL playoff spot, but with three teams in between them.

Tigers Designate Buck Farmer For Assignment

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The Tigers have designated right-hander Buck Farmer for assignment, according to multiple reports.  The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for Drew Hutchison, as the right-hander’s minor league contract will be selected so he can start tomorrow’s game against the Indians.

Detroit previously designated Farmer back in May, and he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A before his contact was again selected in June.  It’s been a rough year for Farmer, who has a 6.37 ERA over 35 1/3 innings, with an inflated 20.5% homer rate and 12.3% walk rate contributing to those struggles.  However, a clear line can be drawn between Farmer’s performance before and after his first DFA — the righty had a garish 12.66 ERA in 10 2/3 IP in April and May, but has a much more respectable 3.65 ERA in 24 2/3 IP since returning to the big league roster in June.

Given this recent good form, Farmer’s decent numbers out of the Tigers’ bullpen from 2018-20, and the number of contenders who could use relief help, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Farmer was claimed during this latest trip on the DFA waiver wire.  He also has the option of declining another outright assignment in order to test free agency.

A fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft, Farmer has spent his entire pro career in the Tigers organization, including eight big league seasons.  There have been plenty of ups and downs, though Farmer seemed to have found a niche after becoming a full-time reliever in 2018.  The 30-year-old is earning $1.85MM this season and has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining before being eligible for free agency following the 2022 campaign.

Hutchison signed a minor league deal with the Tigers last winter, and his start will mark his first Major League game since 2018.  Perhaps best known for his early-career status as a promising starter in the Blue Jays organization, Hutchison was beset by a Tommy John surgery and never really lived up to his potential, bouncing around to several teams at the major and minor league levels, as well as some independent teams.  Hutchison has a 5.10 ERA over 460 1/3 career innings in the Show in parts of five MLB seasons, and he has a solid 3.63 ERA in 84 1/3 IP for Triple-A Toledo this year.

Tigers Select Jacob Robson, Transfer Matthew Boyd To 60-Day IL

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Aug. 12: The Tigers formally selected Robson’s contract, clearing space on the active roster by placing Goodrum on the 10-day injured list, as Hinch indicated.

Lefty Matthew Boyd was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot. Boyd’s move to the 60-day IL is retroactive to his initial placement, which came 59 days ago, so it’s largely a procedural move. He was sent out on a Triple-A rehab assignment today and would need a couple starts at least before being activated, so today’s transfer does nothing to impact his timeline.

Aug. 11: The Tigers are planning to select the contract of Jacob Robson tomorrow, manager A.J. Hinch informed reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). He’ll take the active roster spot of utilityman Niko Goodrum, who will land on the injured list after leaving this evening’s game against the Orioles with a left groin strain. The Tigers will need to make a 40-man roster transaction tomorrow to finalize Robson’s promotion.

Detroit selected Robson in the eighth round of the 2016 draft out of Mississippi State. The left-handed hitting outfielder has spent parts of five seasons in the minor leagues and is now in line for his major league debut. Robson has never hit for much power, but he’s posted very strong batting averages and walk rates throughout his pro career, resulting in an overall .294/.382/.424 line in just over 2000 plate appearances.

Robson has never been seen as a top prospect because of his lack of impact physicality. He’s appeared near the back of Detroit organizational rankings at FanGraphs and Baseball America in recent seasons, though, with evaluators praising his hit tool, speed and makeup. The 26-year-old has logged extensive action at all three outfield positions.

While Robson has struck out at an alarming rate (35.9%) in Triple-A this season, he’s nevertheless managed a strong .280/.397/.440 line over 209 plate appearances. Robson has had some obvious good fortune (.463 batting average on balls in play) to hit .280 despite striking out so often. But he’s run incredibly high BABIPs throughout his minor league tenure, with his line drive, all-fields approach creating havoc for opposing defenses. Robson’s minor league performance earned the Ontario native a spot on the Canadian Olympic team this summer.

It has been a difficult season for Goodrum, who’s hitting just .224/.304/.348 over 237 plate appearances. The lefty-hitting utilityman looked like a potential regular for the Tigers after solid performances between 2018-19, but he’s followed that up with back-to-back down years as his strikeout rate has spiked. He’ll now have to work his way back from injury; the Tigers have yet to provide a timetable on his potential return.

Tigers Select Renato Nunez, Place Akil Baddoo On 7-Day IL

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The Tigers have selected the contract of infielder Renato Nunez, recalled infielder Zack Short from Triple-A Toledo and placed outfielders Akil Baddoo and Derek Hill on the injured list, per a club announcement. Baddoo is heading to the seven-day concussion list, while Hill has been placed on the 10-day IL with a ribcage contusion. Hill and Baddoo sustained their injuries on a frightening, full-speed collision at the wall in left-center field in yesterday’s win over the Orioles.

This will be the second big league stint of the season for Nunez, who hit .148/.207/.444 with a pair of homers in 29 plate appearances earlier in the year. The 27-year-old went unclaimed when Detroit placed him on waivers earlier in the year, and he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo, where he’s batted .291/.383/.585 (153 wRC+) with 20 home runs, 14 doubles and a pair of triples in 311 plate appearances.

The second big league stint could prove to be something of a longer-term audition for Nunez, who has a decent big league track record at the dish. From 2018-20, he posted a .250/.316/.457 batting line with 51 homers in 1076 plate appearances between Oakland and Baltimore. Nunez’s power production in Baltimore resulted in a good bit of surprise among fans when the O’s placed him on waivers prior to Dec. 2020’s non-tender deadline, but no team claimed the slugger, whose defensive limitations and sub-par on-base percentage have sapped some of the value that power brings to the table. That said, he’ll now get another run with the Tigers, who’ll have the option of controlling him all the way through 2024 if he impresses enough.

As for the 22-year-old Baddoo, the injury throws a wrench into his hopes for a late Rookie of the Year push. Baddoo was a surprising pick by the Tigers in the Rule 5 Draft, having missed most of the 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery and spending the 2020 season recovering. He hadn’t played at either the Double-A or the Triple-A levels, but he’s shown barely any signs of rust, hitting at a .267/.333/.467 pace with 10 home runs, 18 doubles, six triples and 14 stolen bases. He wasn’t necessarily a Rookie of the Year favorite, but Baddoo, Randy Arozarena, Luis Garcia and Cole Irvin are among the AL rookies who could’ve conceivably separated themselves with a big finish.

There’s no word on how long Baddoo will be sidelined, as it’s difficult to project recovery timetables for concussions and concussion-like symptoms. He’ll spend at least a week on the shelf, though, and he’ll automatically be moved to the 10-day IL if he’s not ready for reinstatement once 10 days have passed.

Hill, meanwhile, had been in line for his first real look in center field at the big league level. Through 87 plate appearances, the former first-rounder was batting .250/.345/.316 with a home run, a triple and six steals. As with Baddoo, there’s no projected timetable for his recovery. With Baddoo and Hill both joining Daz Cameron on the injured list, the Tigers will look to Robbie Grossman, Victor Reyes and perhaps Harold Castro or Nunez in the outfield.

Latest On Matt Boyd

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  • Matthew Boyd threw a live batting practice session at the Tigers’ Spring Training facility in Lakeland, manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other reporters.  Boyd hasn’t pitched since June 14 due to a triceps issue, so a move to the 60-day injured list could be in the works should Detroit require some 40-man roster space in the near future.  Boyd’s BP session does represent some progress, and a proper minor league rehab assignment could follow provided Boyd doesn’t hit any setbacks.  The left-hander was off to a solid start to the 2021 season, posting a 3.44 ERA over his first 70 2/3 innings.

AL Injury Notes: Robert, Grandal, Rogers, Archer

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Luis Robert is expected to rejoin the White Sox this week, per Jared Wyllys of The Chicago Sun-Times. The outfielder has been out since early May after suffering a Grade 3 strain of his right hip flexor tendon. Rehabbing players can spend 20 days in the minors on rehab assignments. Since Robert’s first game of his rehab was July 21st, the 20 days will have elapsed tomorrow, August 9th. [UPDATE: Robert will be activated before tomorrow’s game, Tony La Russa told The Athletic’s James Fegan and other reporters.]

Given Robert’s immense talent, this is tremendous news for the club. But it’s also going to create some tough decisions. “We’re going to get squeezed. We’ve had some guys earn a lot of at-bats who don’t want to give them up, so we’ll see what happens,” Wyllys quotes manager Tony La Russa as saying. In the absence of Robert, and the recently-returned Eloy Jimenez, the White Sox have had some players step up and hold the outfield together. Brian Goodwin, signed to a minor league contract in May, has been given 165 plate appearances and responded by putting up a wRC+ of 119. Gavin Sheets has a wRC+ of 111 across 99 plate appearances. But before going on the IL, Robert was a notch above both, with a wRC+ of 128 in 103 plate appearances. And the White Sox obviously consider Robert a cornerstone of their club, given the big extension they gave him before the 2020 season. Between Robert, Jimenez, Goodwin, Sheets and Adam Engel, the team will be spoiled for choices in the outfield, as they are sitting comfortably atop the AL Central 10 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland.

More from the Junior Circuit…

  • La Russa also provides an update on Yasmani Grandal, who is doing on-field drills but isn’t quite ready for a rehab assignment. “There’s been some discussion, but I think it’s still a guestimate,” La Russa said. “The big thing, he’s improving, and he’s getting better.” Grandal has always had a profile that included low batting averages, overcome by high walk rates and power. But he took that model to new extremes in 2021 before tearing a tendon in his knee in July, as evidenced by his incredible slash line of .188/.388/.426, producing a wRC+ of 135. Seby Zavala has done well in his stead, slashing .238/.333/.500, though in a small sample of just 50 plate appearances.
  • Chris McCosky of The Detroit News gets an update on Jake Rogers from Tigers manager AJ Hinch. “He’s not quite ready to throw yet,” Hinch said. “We won’t see him in the month of August. September at the earliest. We just hope there are no setbacks at this point. If we do anything that causes a setback between now and September, then we’re talking about missing the rest of the year. So we’re trying to be super cautious with his step by step progress.” Before hurting his throwing arm in July, the 26-year-old catcher was enjoying a breakout season, slashing .239/.306/.496, with a wRC+ of 116. With Rogers out, Eric Haase has taken over with aplomb, producing an even better line of .247/.297/.532, for a wRC+ of 122.
  • Chris Archer could potentially resume his rehab assignment this week, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The righty was removed from a rehab start a week ago with hip soreness. It seems to have only been a minor setback, with Archer getting back on the mound this week. As of last week, Archer was scheduled to throw 75 pitches, on his way to building up for a starter’s workload. But he was removed after 31 pitches because of the hip issue. Tampa surprisingly subtracted from its rotation at the trade deadline, sending Rich Hill to the Mets, seemingly confident enough in the emergence of younger options such as Luis Patino, Shane McClanahan and Josh Fleming. Archer has an excellent track record but is a few years removed from meaningful contributions on the hill, due to various injuries. Since 2019, he’s thrown 124 innings, with an ERA of 5.23.

Tigers Extend Jonathan Schoop

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The Tigers announced that infielder Jonathan Schoop has signed to a two-year contract extension.  Schoop has been scheduled to hit free agency this winter, but will now remain in the Motor City through the 2023 season.  The 29-year-old will earn $7.5MM in each of those two additional seasons for a total of $15MM in guaranteed money, and Schoop can also opt out of the deal following the 2022 campaign.  Schoop is represented by The Boras Corporation.

Schoop is in the midst of his second season in Detroit, having signed one-year free agent deals (for $6.1MM in 2020 and $4.5MM this year) in each of the last two offseasons.  Considering the Tigers have been rebuilding, Schoop seemed like a logical candidate to be dealt at either of the last two trade deadlines, but the team has instead pivoted and decided to retain Schoop as a building block.

In a statement released by the club, Tigers GM Al Avila described Schoop as “a constant professional since joining our clubhouse, and is the exact type of player we want to wear the Olde English ’D’.  His production on the field matches the value of his leadership with all of our players, and we’re looking forward to that contribution continuing for the next few seasons.  This is a big step towards bringing winning baseball back for our fans, and we know Jonathan will be a big part of that.”

The opt-out clause gives Schoop some flexibility, and he’ll only be turning 31 years old in October 2022.  If he keeps up his current numbers through next year, it seems quite possible that he’ll exercise that opt-out clause in search of a longer-term deal with the Tigers or another team.

Schoop has hit .286/.331/.470 with 26 home runs over 633 plate appearances and 151 games with the Tigers — solidly above-average (116 wRC+, 123 OPS+) production over essentially the equivalent of a full season.  After playing only second base in 2020, Schoop has seen more action as the regular first baseman this year, so Detroit has some flexibility in how it wishes to deploy Schoop in 2022 and beyond.

While there isn’t huge money involved, there is certainly a symbolic element to Schoop’s deal, as it marks the first extension for the Tigers since J.D. Martinez was inked to a two-year deal (buying out his remaining arbitration years) way back in February 2016.  As Avila’s statement indicates, the Tigers believe they are close to ending their rebuild, and even this season’s results bear some promise.  After a brutal 9-24 start to the 2021 campaign, Detroit has a very solid 44-35 record since, giving the club a shot at its first winning season since 2016.

This success seemed to change the equation for the Tigers, who had a pretty quiet trade deadline and seemed more inclined to see how far they could get with the current roster, in order to give their young core a taste of winning.  Since team president/CEO Christopher Ilitch recently suggested the team might raise payroll and look to add “high-impact players,” the 2021-22 offseason looks to be Detroit’s most exciting winter in quite some time, since the team conceivably has the payroll space to make multiple significant additions.  Schoop, Robbie Grossman, and Miguel Cabrera are the only players signed through the 2022 season, representing $44.5MM in salary.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) was the first to report on the contract’s $15MM value, and the opt-out clause after the 2022 season.  Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. had the breakdown of Schoop’s annual salaries in each of the two seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Goodrum To Return This Week

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  • Niko Goodrum could be back with the Tigers as early as Tuesday, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Goodrum has been out with both a finger tendon injury and a calf contusion dating back to mid-June. Daz Cameron, meanwhile, suffered a setback in his own rehab. He had to be sat down for a couple of days, so there’s no timetable at present for his return.

Tigers’ President: Team Could Pursue “High-Impact” Players This Offseason

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Tigers president/CEO Christopher Ilitch spoke with reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News and Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press) this afternoon. Most notably, Ilitch addressed the upcoming offseason and suggested the Tigers could pursue some bigger-ticket acquisitions as they near the end of their rebuild.

“(General manager Al Avila) and his team are very focused on continuing to improve our team. We see the long-term efforts put forth by his team and we see the emergence of a young core,” Ilitch said. “And I think Al feels we need to continue to improve our ballclub in a high, impactful way. I very much support the approach he and his team have taken — building a young core of talent and now having the desire to bring in high-impact players to fill that out. I’m very supportive of that.”

Those comments seem to suggest ownership would be willing to sign off on a significant free agent investment, and Ilitch said that kind of move “undoubtedly … could happen this winter.” Unsurprisingly, he didn’t mention any specific targets on the upcoming market, but Ilitch did express a general desire to “be strong up the middle.”

There’s a rather straightforward line to be drawn between Ilitch’s comments and the upcoming star-studded free agent shortstop class. Each of Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story and Javier Báez is slated to hit the open market. Seager and Correa (who will each be 27 by the start of the offseason) do so as particularly young free agents, while both Story and Báez will turn 29 this winter. That youth could be appealing to a Tigers club that’ll just be entering their competitive window next season and might still be one year away from making a true push for the top of the AL Central. (It’s also particularly easy to connect Correa as a speculative candidate of the Tigers, given his overlapping time in Houston with Detroit manager A.J. Hinch).

As Ilitch alluded to, the Tigers have played fairly well after a dismal start to the year. Detroit began this season 9-24, killing any faint hopes they had at staying in contention almost immediately. But they’ve quietly gone 42-33 since bottoming out on May 7. With three months of productive play — including good work from controllable players like Casey Mize, Matthew Boyd, Akil Baddoo, Eric Haase, Jeimer Candelario and Robbie Grossman — some optimism for 2022 and beyond isn’t unwarranted. That’s particularly true with highly-touted young players like Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson all at or approaching the big league level.

From a financial perspective, the Detroit organization shouldn’t have issue being aggressive over the coming offseasons. The Tigers entered the 2021 season with just an $80.8MM payroll, in the estimation of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Only Miguel Cabrera ($32MM) and Grossman ($5MM) have guaranteed deals on the books for next season.

Obviously, arbitration raises will add to that tally, but the fact remains that the organization should have ample spending capacity. This is a franchise that pushed payroll up near the $200MM mark at its 2016-17 peak and had spent in excess of $100MM on players every year between 2007-2020 (prior to prorating) before snapping that streak this season.

Granted, much of that spending was greenlit by Mike Ilitch, who passed away in February 2017. We have yet to see Chris Ilitch spend at his father’s level, but the franchise has been mired in a rebuild for essentially all of the younger Ilitch’s ownership tenure. It’s possible, then, that Chris Ilitch’s comparative frugality has been more a reflection of the lack of big league talent within the past few seasons than any sort of unwillingness on his part to sign off on higher than average payrolls.

If that’s the case, as Ilitch implied today, the offseason possibilities are numerous. The core of the potential next competitive Tigers team is at or near the big league level. The time to supplement that young talent with notable outside acquisitions is approaching, and it seems the Tigers could kickstart that effort in the coming months.

Tigers Claim Nivaldo Rodriguez From Astros

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The Tigers announced they’ve claimed right-hander Nivaldo Rodríguez off waivers from the Astros and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo. Houston designated Rodríguez for assignment over the weekend. Detroit had a pair of vacancies on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary.

Rodríguez has made nine appearances totaling sixteen innings of relief at the big league level over the past two seasons. He’s allowed nine runs over that span, giving up nineteen hits (including five homers) and issuing ten walks while striking out eleven. Rodríguez has spent more time with Triple-A Sugar Land this year, tossing 27 1/3 innings of 5.93 ERA ball with worse than average strikeout and walk rates (19.5% and 12.5%, respectively).

Nevertheless, it’s a sensible enough decision for the Tigers to take a no-risk flier on the 24-year-old. Rodríguez has worked exclusively in relief to this point in the big leagues, but he’s generally served as a starting pitcher in the minors. He’s shown a five-pitch mix (four-seam, sinker, slider, changeup, curveball) in his limited MLB time, so it’s not outlandish to think he could stick as high minors rotation depth.

Entering the season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs called Rodríguez a likely fifth starter or long relief type, slotting him 17th among prospects in the Astros system. Rodríguez still has one minor league option year remaining beyond this season, so he can move freely between Detroit and Toledo through the end of 2022 if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

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