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Tigers Place Gregory Soto, Derek Hill On 10-Day Injured List

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The Tigers placed closer Gregory Soto (left finger fracture) and outfielder Derek Hill (left knee sprain) on the 10-day injured list.  Both players are expected to miss the rest of the season, manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters.  Outfielder Daz Cameron and infielder Isaac Paredes were called up from Triple-A Toledo to replace Soto and Hill on the active roster.

Soto suffered his injury after being hit by a Manuel Margot line drive on Friday, while Hill sprained his knee while trying to beat out a bunt single yesterday.  Hill had to be wheeled off the field following the awkward-looking play, which also involved a collision with Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi.

Soto’s strong work in the first half of the season saw him reach the AL All-Star roster, as he ended up being Detroit’s top choice to preserve late-game leads.  Soto posted a 3.39 ERA over 63 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, racking up 18 saves while recording a solid 27.5% strikeout rate.  On the down side, Soto’s 14.5% walk rate was one of the league’s worst, as the control problems that bothered Soto in his first two MLB seasons continued in 2021.

As a result of these walks, Soto never exactly held a firm hold on the closer role, as Michael Fulmer also received a good chunk of save opportunities.  It remains to be seen if the Tigers will continue with Soto as part of a closer committee in 2022, give him a clearer opportunity as the ninth-inning man, or perhaps go in another direction entirely and acquire another closer.  Regardless, Soto has certainly done enough to earn himself a spot in Detroit’s late-game mix.

Hill was the 23rd overall pick of the 2014 draft, and he mostly appeared as a pinch-runner and defensive sub over 15 games in his debut season in 2020.  Getting a longer look this year, Hill hit .259/.313/.388 with three home runs over 150 plate appearances, though he also missed about a month total in two separate IL stints (shoulder sprain, ribcage contusion).

Hill’s bat has been a question mark throughout much of his minor league career, though he batted .320/.377/.504 over 141 PA for Toledo this season.  A right-handed hitter, Hill has a .311/.353/.459 slash line in 63 PA against southpaw pitching this year, which bodes well for his chances of sticking in the majors as at least a platoon player.  Hill is known for excellent speed (160 steals in 206 chances in the minors) and defensive ability, though metrics are split on his glovework in center field this season.

Alex Avila To Retire After 2021 Season

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Nationals catcher Alex Avila will retire at the end of the season, The Athletic’s Maria Torres reports (Twitter link).  While Avila plans to remain involved with the sport and “doesn’t intend to stay out of the game for long,” the veteran backstop will be hanging up his glove after 13 Major League seasons.

Breaking into pro ball as a fifth-round pick for the Tigers in the 2008 draft, Avila is best remembered for his eight seasons in Detroit, highlighted by a Silver Slugger performance in 2011.  Avila hit .295/.389/.506 with 19 homers over 551 plate appearances in that breakout year, earning an All-Star nod and a 12th-place finish in AL MVP voting.

While Avila never again quite reached those heights, he has often provided good offensive production from the catcher position throughout his career, offering on-base skills and a bit of power (while also struggling to avoid strikeouts).  Over his 3626 career PA, Avila has a .233/.348/.393 slash line and 105 home runs, good for an above-average 101 OPS+ and 104 wRC+.

Defensively, Avila has been one of baseball’s best at preventing stolen bases, throwing out 30.13% (213 of 707) of baserunners trying to steal.  He has also been a solid pitch-framer for much of his career, and he been widely praised as a game manager and handler of pitchers.

This reputation has helped Avila catch on with six different teams (the Tigers, White Sox, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Twins, and Nationals) over the course of his career, mostly recently his one-year free agent deal with Washington.  Avila has made only 99 PA over 29 games, as calf injuries kept him on the injured list for almost two months, and he also missed time at the start of the year on the COVID-19 list.  Injuries have been a significant part of Avila’s career, including multiple concussions and leg problems.

Only 34 years old, Avila now moves onto the next phase of his baseball career, and could very well continue his family’s history of off-the-field success.  His father Al Avila is the Tigers’ general manager, and his grandfather Ralph was a longtime Dodgers scout who was a key figure in the development of the Dominican baseball pipeline.

We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Avila on a fine career, and wish him the best in his next endeavors.

Injury Notes: Paddack, Snell, Hill, Gallo

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It “seems more likely than not” that Blake Snell and Chris Paddack won’t pitch again for the Padres in 2021, sources tell Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  With just two weeks left in the regular season, time is running out for either pitcher to return from the 10-day injured list.  Paddack was retroactively placed on the IL on September 12 due to right elbow inflammation, while a groin strain sidelined Snell on September 15.

Snell isn’t likely to pitch again unless San Diego is still playing into the postseason, while Paddack has some smaller chance of a quicker return, as he said his elbow felt fine after a game of catch yesterday.  Still, Paddack was only throwing lightly from a 75-foot distance, so it remains to be seen if he can progress quickly enough to get back on the mound before the regular season is over.  “Regardless of how [Paddack] is feeling the Padres almost certainly won’t even consider him pitching again in 2021 if they are not squarely in contention,” Acee writes, and that latter scenario is starting to look more remote.  The reeling Padres are 5-10 in September, and have dropped 2.5 games behind the Cardinals for the last NL wild card slot.

More updates on injury situations from around the game…

  • Tigers outfielder Derek Hill had to be helped off the field via a cart and a wheelchair after suffering a knee injury in yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Rays.  Hill was trying to beat out a bunt grounder to first base, and seemed to hyper-extend his knee while colliding with Tampa first baseman Ji-Man Choi.  While Hill was still being examined by team medical staff, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press) that an IL trip seems pretty inevitable for the 25-year-old.  It seems as if Hill’s rookie season might well be over, after 49 games and 150 plate appearances that saw the 2014 first-round pick hit .259/.313/.388 with three home runs.  Injuries have been a big factor in Hill’s season, as he missed time in two separate IL stints due to a left ribcage contusion and a right shoulder sprain.
  • Joey Gallo left the Yankees’ 11-3 loss to the Indians yesterday due to neck tightness, and is day-to-day.  Gallo took one plate appearance before being replaced in left field prior to the start of the fourth inning.  Manager Aaron Boone told The Associated Press and other media that Gallo was receiving treatment on his neck before the game, and “I think after his first at-bat, it was just barking too much on him.”  While the injury seems pretty minor, the Yankees surely want one of their hottest bats back as quickly as possible to aid their pursuit of a wild card berth.  Gallo got off to a slow start after being acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline, but has posted a 1.490 OPS and six home runs over his last 25 PA.

Injury Notes: Snell, Boyd, deGrom, Nimmo

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The big storylines from today’s Padres-Dodgers game all revolve around Max Scherzer. Not only did he become just the 19th pitcher in Major League history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, he also threw an immaculate inning and carried a perfect game into the eighth inning. However, the opposing clubhouse didn’t have nearly as much to celebrate. Padres reliever Austin Adams tied a modern-day record for hit batsmen in a season and Blake Snell left the game after just 11 pitches with what the club later announced as “left adductor tightness”, also known as a groin injury.

This is very unfortunate timing for both the club and Snell, as they are in a crowded playoff race and he was just starting to turn his frustrating season around. Following a miserable outing against Oakland on July 28th, Snell was sitting on an ERA of 5.44 through 84 1/3 innings, with an elevated walk rate of 14.3%, well above this year’s league average of 8.7%. However, since that time, the lefty seemed to have got into a groove and righted the ship, throwing 43 2/3 innings with 65 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.85, along with a much-improved walk rate of 8.6%.

The severity of the injury isn’t clear at this point. But with the club currently tied with the Reds for the last National League Wild Card spot, with the Cardinals just a game back and other teams looming, every remaining game is tremendously important. Rotation health has been an ongoing issue for the club in the past few months, so much so that the club signed Jake Arrieta a few weeks ago to try and paper over the injuries. However, Arrieta landed on the IL himself and hasn’t been terribly effective in his two appearances with the Friars. Losing Snell for any amount of time, especially when he was throwing so well, would surely be a blow to their chances.

Some other injury updates…

  • Matt Boyd is meeting with elbow specialist Keith Meister, Tigers manager AJ Hinch tells Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. “He is scheduled to see Dr. Meister in Dallas and then we’ll get further evaluations and opinions and see what’s next for him,” Hinch said. While a meeting doesn’t necessarily spell doom, this is a potentially concerning development, given that Meister is often associated with Tommy John surgery. McCosky points out that Meister recently performed the procedure for Tigers catcher Jake Rogers, but the doctor has also recently taken the knife to Tyler Glasnow and many others. If any kind of serious surgery is required, it would be very poor timing, given that Boyd is currently slated to reach free agency after the 2022 season. The 30-year-old is playing this year on a $6.5MM salary and can be controlled for one more year via arbitration. Boyd’s name has been often mentioned as a trade candidate for the rebuilding Tigers in recent years, though a deal has yet to come to fruition. A lengthy surgery rehab could further dent any trade value he has left and also hurt Boyd’s chances to cash in on his quality career via free agency. Since the start of 2016, Boyd had given the Tigers 727 innings with an ERA of 4.75, accruing 10.2 fWAR in that time.
  • The Mets provided yet another vague update about Jacob deGrom, as manager Luis Rojas tells Anthony DiComo of MLB.com he is scheduled to throw off a mound, “maybe this week.” deGrom was on his way to a brilliant season before elbow issues put him on the shelf in July. Through 92 innings this season, he has an ERA of 1.08 with an excellent walk rate of 3.4% and an absurd strikeout rate of 45.1%. Given that there’s only three weeks remaining in the season, it seems that the chances of those winding up as his final numbers are growing.
  • In better news for the Mets, the prognosis for outfielder Brandon Nimmo seems to have improved. DiComo gives some details of the onfield workout Nimmo took part in today and says that Nimmo believes he can return to face Philadelphia, whom the Mets start a three-game series with on Friday. Going into tonight’s game against the Yankees, the Mets are 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and would surely love to get Nimmo back into the mix to help with their postseason push. In 77 games this year, the 28-year-old has hit .302/420/.415, an excellent wRC+ of 139.

Matthew Boyd Scratched From Start Due To Recurred Elbow Soreness

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TODAY: The Tigers have placed Boyd on the 10-day injured list with a left elbow sprain, per the team. Ian Krol will have his contract selected from Triple-A to claim Boyd’s roster spot. Krol made 12 appearances with the Tigers previously before being designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-a.

Sept. 10: Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd was scratched from tonight’s scheduled start due to recurred soreness in his left elbow, tweets Jason Beck of MLB.com. Boyd was on the injured list from June 15 through Aug. 29 with discomfort in his left arm. Boyd will be placed back on the injured list, tweets Evan Woodbery of MLive.com.

It’s a tough blow for both Boyd and the Tigers. The 30-year-old southpaw has had a nice rebound from an awful 2020 season, pitching to a 3.89 ERA in 78 2/3 frames this season when healthy enough to take the mound. Boyd didn’t look great in his return from his recent IL stint, however, as he pitched just eight innings across two starts and yielded a total of seven earned runs.

Had Boyd remained healthy, he would’ve been one of the most asked-about players on this summer’s trade market — at least the second time in his career he’d have held that distinction. Clubs have looked into the possibility of trading for Boyd for several seasons now as the Tigers have been mired in a lengthy rebuild, but a deal has never come together.]

Interest in Boyd was likely at its peak in 2019, when he got out to a dominant start with a 2.85 ERA, a 30 percent strikeout rate and a 5.1 percent walk rate through his first dozen starts (72 2/3 innings). That showing was all the more impressive given the home-run boom that stemmed from what was widely believed to be a juiced ball during the ’19 campaign.

With more than three years of team control remaining at that point in 2019, the Tigers put an understandably sky-high price on Boyd, whose performance began to deteriorate in June and July. Boyd was still missing bats in droves and limiting walks, but like so many pitchers around the league, the home-run ball began catching up with him as the weather warmed. From June 1 through the trade deadline that year, Boyd notched a brilliant 90-to-15 K/BB ratio but yielded 15 home runs and was tagged for a 5.28 ERA in 59 2/3 innings. The Tigers didn’t find an offer to their liking and held onto Boyd.

It was defensible at the time, given that Boyd could be shopped in the offseason or even at any of the subsequent trade deadlines. No deal came together in the 2019-20 offseason, as Boyd never really regained his footing down the stretch that year. Any hopes of capitalizing on a strong few months to open the 2020 campaign were dashed both by the Covid-19 pandemic shortening the season and by Boyd’s rough first few starts of the season. This year, it was an injury that prevented a deal from potentially coming together.

Given the uncertainty surrounding Boyd’s health now, it could prove tough to find a significant return in a trade even if the renewed elbow issue proves minor. And, given the Tigers’ shift from a rebuilding club toward contending — owner Chris Ilitch has already suggested the team will spend this offseason — it’s perhaps likeliest that Boyd returns for what he and the club can only hope will be a healthier 2022 season.

Boyd’s lifetime 4.96 ERA and 4.66 mark over the past few seasons don’t exactly jump out, but he’s frequently shown all the pieces necessary to take his game to a new level. Boyd has regularly shown the ability to miss bats and limit walks, but he’s typically been rather home-run prone. This season, he looked to have the home-run issues curbed, but his strikeout rate dipped to 19.9 percent — his lowest mark since 2017. There are undoubtedly teams that view Boyd as a candidate to put everything together and break out as a strong mid-rotation arm (if not more). Being able to showcase that in a healthy 2022 campaign is now the best-case scenario for Boyd, however.

Tigers’ Jake Rogers Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Tigers catcher Jake Rogers underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of this season, manager A.J. Hinch announced to reporters (Twitter link via Jason Beck of MLB.com). The recovery time for position players is generally shorter than that of pitchers, but Rogers is still expected to miss some time next season as he recovers.

One of the more highly-regarded defensive catching prospects throughout his time in the minors, Rogers was traded to Detroit from the Astros in the August 2017 Justin Verlander blockbuster. He reached the big leagues in 2019 and has also logged some MLB action this season. Between the two years, the right-handed hitting Rogers owns just a .182/.264/.378 line with a massive 38% strikeout rate over 255 plate appearances.

Rogers has also rated poorly as a pitch framer in that rather limited time, according to Statcast. To his credit, though, he has been elite at shutting down the running game. Rogers has cut down 46.9% of attempted basestealers, a mark that’s far better than the 24.6% league average.

Catching looks likely to be a priority for the Tigers this winter, although there aren’t many surefire starting-caliber options available in free agency. Eric Haase, Dustin Garneau and Grayson Greiner are the other options available on the 40-man roster. Haase has hit reasonably well but comes with some defensive question marks, while Garneau and Greiner traditionally haven’t offered much at the plate.

Tigers Select Drew Hutchison’s Contract

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The Tigers have selected the contract of right-hander Drew Hutchison from Triple-A Toledo, and also called up right-hander Bryan Garcia.  The two hurlers will take the places of righties Joe Jimenez (placed on the COVID-related injury list) and Drew Carlton (optioned to Triple-A yesterday).

This will be Hutchison’s second appearance on Detroit’s big league roster this season, as the 31-year-old was previous designated for assignment and then outrighted to Toledo last month.  Hutchison’s previous stint saw him make two starts, the first a rough outing against the Indians on August 15 that saw Hutchison allow six runs (but only two earned) in 1 2/3 innings.  The righty fared much better in his second start, as he allowed one unearned run on four hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays on August 22.

The result was a 3.00 ERA over six total innings, which served as Hutchison’s first MLB action since the 2018 campaign.  At the Triple-A level this season, Hutchison has a 3.77 ERA, 23.5% strikeout rate, and a 10.8% walk rate over 88 1/3 innings for Toledo, starting all 19 of his appearances.

Since the Tigers are already working with a six-man rotation, Hutchison might be deployed out of the bullpen for now.  However, as Detroit’s younger starters approach innings limits, Hutchison could be called upon for spot-start duty, or perhaps piggyback outings.

COVID Notes: 9/7/21

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The latest on coronavirus-related situations around baseball…

  • The Tigers placed right-hander Joe Jimenez on the COVID-related injury list yesterday due to a positive test.  First base coach George Lombard also tested positive, while pitching coach Chris Fetter, quality control coach Josh Paul and bullpen catcher Jeremy Carroll are away from the team due to contact tracing procedures.  Jimenez and Lombard were fully vaccinated but are both experiencing symptoms, manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters.  Jimenez has struggled to a 6.15 ERA over 41 innings out of the Tigers bullpen this season, largely due to control problems.  After posting an 8.3% walk rate over his first four MLB seasons, Jimenez’s total has ballooned to 16.7% this season.

Tigers Shut Julio Teheran Down For The Season

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After spending almost the entire season on the injured list, right-hander Julio Teheran has been officially shut down for the remainder of the 2021 campaign.  Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen and other reporters that the decision was made after Teheran “wasn’t himself” during some recent throwing sessions.

Teheran suffered a shoulder strain while warming up for his second start of the season, way back in early April.  That shoulder issue simply never got better, as Teheran was also temporarily shut down from throwing in August when he was throwing at an unusually low velocity during a live batting practice session.  Barring a reunion on another minor league deal this offseason, Teheran’s tenure in Detroit will be limited to just a single start — a quality outing that saw Teheran allow one run over five innings in a 5-2 victory over the Indians back on April 3.

Ironically, Teheran has been best known for his durability over his 11 MLB seasons, averaging 191 innings per year with the Braves from 2013-19.  After struggling through a tough 2020 season with the Angels, Teheran settled for a minor league pact with the Tigers, and he locked in a $3MM guaranteed salary by reaching the big league roster.  The Tigers were hoping to add an innings-eating veteran to their young rotation, though their investment in Teheran simply didn’t pan out.

It seems as though Teheran will again have to showcase himself for scouts this winter in order to attract another minors contract, but the larger concern could be Teheran’s overall health, if he is still not able to effectively throw almost five months after his initial injury.  The exact nature of Teheran’s shoulder strain isn’t known, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if some type of surgical procedure was required to fully correct the problem.

Tigers Select Drew Carlton

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The Tigers have selected the contract of Drew Carlton from Triple-A. When he appears in a game, it will be his Major League debut. The Tigers 40-man roster still has two spots open.

The 25-year-old was a 32nd round draft pick out of Florida State back in 2017. Since then, the unheralded righty has done nothing but shove. His 3.12 ERA in Triple-A this season is his highest such mark at any level of the minors.

In a piece last December from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Carlton spoke about his arsenal, saying, “I really take pride in my command of all three of my pitches. They’re not good by themselves, but with the command, they are pretty good. I’ve had to really work my tail off to produce the numbers I have. That’s the only way I’m going to be able to get up there (to the majors).”

Carlton has made it now, and he’ll have the chance to prove himself again while pitching out of the Tigers’ bullpen. Hard to say how long his stay will be in the Majors, but hopefully Carlton at least gets in a game during this stint. Regardless, he’s on the 40-man roster now, which is in and of itself a positive sign that suggests Carlton will get a chance at the Major League level.

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