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Dustin Fowler

AL Notes: Santana, Rodon, Fowler/Powell, A’s Park

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Twins skipper Paul Molitor revealed to reporters today that the team’s top starter, Ervin Santana, is “a bit” behind schedule (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger). Santana has been limited to throwing soft baseballs into a screen, and a return in May now looks considerably likelier than a return in late April. Santana underwent surgery to repair an injury to the middle finger on his right hand back in February. When he’s ultimately ready to return, he’ll join a new-look rotation that includes newcomers Lance Lynn and Opening Day starter Jake Odorizzi, as well as returning righties Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • Meanwhile, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn provided the media with a positive update on the rehab progress of left-hander Carlos Rodon (Twitter link from Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). Rodon, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder back in September, has begun throwing sliders in his bullpen sessions, which are up to 30 to 35 pitches each, per Hahn. A return in late May isn’t out of the question, which would give the Pale Hose a rotation boost a bit sooner than they previously expected.
  • The Athletics optioned top prospect Dustin Fowler to Triple-A Nashville to begin the season, leaving Boog Powell to open the season as Oakland’s center fielder. A’s GM David Forst spoke highly of both outfielders in an email to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, noting that Fowler “worked incredibly hard to rehab his knee injury and amazingly put himself in a position to help us as soon as he’s needed.” Forst added that he expects Fowler to contribute at the big league level sooner rather than later. Manager Bob Melvin, Slusser notes, voiced a preference to bring Fowler to the Majors when he’s ready to stay rather than risking the possibility of rushing him and needing to send him back down. Fowler already has 95 days of MLB service time after spending the second half of last season on the DL, so the decision to option him isn’t tied to a desire to delay his free agency or any other such service manipulation.
  • In their latest ballpark-related initiative, the Athletics have announced (Twitter link) that they wish to obtain the O.Co Coliseum and its surrounding property in exchange for taking over $135MM in debt relating to the site. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Matier & Ross dove into the interesting bid, which represents the latest new plot twist in a long-running drama. Generally, while the A’s are not committed to the site, the club is also concerned that alternative bidders might acquire it with other intentions — perhaps leaving the organization with only one site option (Howard Terminal) for a long-sought new park. In a follow-up tweet, the Chronicle duo reported that the team and municipality have agreed upon “exclusive talks over ballpark development,” potentially involving either of the two remaining site options, though just what that entails is not immediately clear.

Dustin Fowler Sues White Sox Over Injury

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Athletics outfielder Dustin Fowler has brought a lawsuit against the White Sox and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority relating to the serious knee injury he suffered in June, as Tom Schuba of the Chicago Sun Times reports.

Fowler was injured when he collided with an electrical box along the right field wall at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field while chasing a foul pop-up. At the time, he was playing for the Yankees in his first major league baseball game. He suffered a ruptured patella tendon that required surgery and cost him the entire remainder of the season.

Now a member of the Athletics after being included in the Sonny Gray swap at the 2017 trade deadline, Fowler is working his way back in preparation for Spring Training. The hope is that he will regain his health and former trajectory as a player, though certainly it is not yet clear whether he’ll face ongoing physical limitations.

Fowler, who’ll soon turn 23, had increasingly been seen as an intriguing young player during the course of the 2017 season. He hit 13 home runs and posted a .293/.329/.542 batting line in 313 plate appearances at Triple-A, earning his first call-up.

According to the suit, the White Sox and/or Authority failed to adequately protect players from the unpadded electrical box, leaving players exposed to the sort of harm that Fowler ultimately suffered. He is seeking damages for “severe and permanent” injuries, pain and suffering, and certain medical costs.

AL West Notes: Chavez, Smyly, Beltre, Fowler

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The Angels are moving right-hander Jesse Chavez from the rotation to the bullpen, reports Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). That in and of itself is somewhat noteworthy, but the timing of the move is more interesting. As Moura points out, Chavez is one start away from unlocking a significant boost in his contract’s incentives package and could earn as much as $1.7MM between now and season’s end. While the timing of the move probably won’t sit well with Chavez, he certainly hasn’t helped his own cause as of late. The 33-year-old has allowed 25 runs on 40 hits and 16 walks over his past 32 2/3 innings, making for a 6.89 ERA in his past seven starts. Right-hander Troy Scribner will step into the rotation in place of Chavez, according to Moura.

A few more notes from the division…

  • The Mariners acquired Drew Smyly this past offseason in hopes of a breakout over the course of his remaining two years of control, but last month’s unfortunate diagnosis of a torn ulnar collateral ligament means he may not throw a single regular-season pitch for the Mariners. Smyly is almost certain to be non-tendered this winter due to his Tommy John operation, but manager Scott Servais tells Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times that he hopes the front office will look to retain Smyly (presumably on a more affordable deal) so that he can eventually impact the rotation down the line. “I still would love to have him going forward,” said Servais. “Those are deals that Jerry (Dipoto) and his agent have to work out. But I still think there’s a very good fit for him here. … I did say to [Smyly], ‘I’d like to see what you could do pitching in Seattle for a year,’ and he smiled and said, ‘I’d like to see it too.'”
  • Adrian Beltre didn’t sugarcoat his words in telling the media that he wasn’t pleased with the Rangers’ trade of Yu Darvish, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Beltre acknowledged that he understands the business side of the game but still hadn’t given up on the 2017 season when Texas flipped its ace to the Dodgers in exchange for three prospects. The future Hall of Famer, playing at the age of 39, also made clear that he’s not interested in playing for a rebuilding club, if that’s the direction the Rangers go. “At this stage of my career, I’m not here for a rebuild,” said Beltre. “But I don’t think it will be. I think there is a possibility of this team playing better this year.” Beltre said a rebuild would “absolutely” change his mind about wanting to remain in Texas, though GM Jon Daniels downplayed the notion that such a path is even under consideration. Asked if the Darvish trade was the onset of a lengthier rebuild, Daniels replied: “I don’t look at it that way at all.”
  • Though he won’t play again this season due to the freak knee injury he suffered in his MLB debut with the Yankees, Dustin Fowler is expected to compete for the Athletics’ Opening Day center field spot in 2018, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Manager Bob Melvin offered strong praise for the type of player he hopes to be getting in the 22-year-old Fowler. “He looks to be exactly the type of athlete we’re looking for,” said the skipper. “We need to get a little bit more athletic within our system. He’s a good start for that, and it looks like [Jorge] Mateo is as well.”  Both Fowler and Mateo were acquired (alongside righty James Kaprielian) in Monday’s Sonny Gray blockbuster.

Yankees Acquire Sonny Gray

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The Yankees pulled off a long-awaited rotation upgrade, acquiring righty Sonny Gray from the Athletics today for three prospects:  outfielder Dustin Fowler, infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo, and righty James Kaprielian.  In addition to Gray, the Yankees will receive $1.5MM in international bonus pool money.  The teams have officially announced the trade, which was first broken by Jack Curry of the YES Network.  Yahoo’s Jeff Passan was first with the return.

Gray joins a Yankees rotation that lost Michael Pineda to Tommy John surgery this month, but added Jaime Garcia in a trade with the Twins. With C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, and Jordan Montgomery also in the mix, the Yankees have a rotation logjam.  Yankees manager Joe Girardi nixed the idea of a six-man rotation, so it seems Montgomery will move to the bullpen or to Triple-A, according to Curry.  Sabathia and Garcia are headed to free agency after the season, and Tanaka can join them if he chooses to exercise his opt-out clause.  Gray adds veteran stability for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

"JulGray, 27, was drafted 18th overall by the Athletics in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. He excelled from 2013-15, posting a 2.88 ERA over 491 innings. 2016, however, was a lost year for Gray as he endured DL stints for a strained right trapezius as well as a forearm injury. This year, Gray is back on track with a 3.43 ERA in 16 starts, as well as his best strikeout rate since his rookie year. Gray, who is listed at 5’10”, is one of the most successful starting pitchers of this height since the Dead Ball Era, to this point in his career.  With the Cubs having acquired Jose Quintana several weeks ago, Gray was the big prize of the 2017 MLB trade deadline.

In the end, the Athletics were unable to pry loose the Yankees’ top three prospects: Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, and Chance Adams.  Fowler, a 22-year-old outfield prospect, suffered a major knee injury in the first inning of his Major League debut last month.  The open rupture in his right patella tendon resulted in season-ending surgery.  MLB.com ranked Fowler fourth among Yankees prospects, citing a potential five-tool ceiling.  Now, Fowler will likely make his first MLB plate appearance in 2018 as a member of the Athletics.

Mateo, 22, was ranked eighth among Yankees prospects by MLB.com.  Mateo has what Baseball America describes as “80-grade speed,” and this year he’s spent most of his time at center field and shortstop.  He was promoted to Double-A in late June, and has flourished with a .300/.381/.525 line in 140 plate appearances.  Mateo was the key to the deal for Oakland, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Kaprielian, 23, was drafted 16th overall out of UCLA by the Yankees in 2015.  He suffered a flexor tendon strain last summer that eventually led to Tommy John surgery in April of this year.  He is expected to begin a throwing program next month.  MLB.com ranks Kaprielian 12th among Yankees prospects.  Last winter, Baseball America wrote that the righty had “front-of-the-rotation makeup and stuff with a well below-average delivery.”

Prior to adding Garcia and Gray to their rotation, the Yankees completed a mid-month blockbuster with the White Sox that brought in David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle for bullpen help and Todd Frazier to contribute at the infield corners.  The Yankees hold just a half game lead over the Red Sox for the AL East, with a Wild Card berth a possible alternative.

The last-place A’s also shed a pair of bullpen pieces earlier this month, sending Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to the Nationals. The Gray trade is another in which they’ve moved veteran pitchers (and their salaries, although Gray’s salary was not a primary factor in this deal) for younger talent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Yankees’ Dustin Fowler Injures Knee In MLB Debut, Requires Surgery

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JUNE 30: Manager Joe Girardi told reporters after the game that Fowler’s injury comes with a recovery time of at least six months (via Hoch).

JUNE 29: In terrible news for the Yankees and one of their most promising young talents, the team announced that outfielder Dustin Fowler suffered an open rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee and will undergo surgery tonight in Chicago (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch).

Fowler, 22, sustained the injury when running full-speed into the right-field retaining wall in an effort to catch a foul ball off the bat of Jose Abreu in the bottom of the first inning (video available at MLB.com). He was carted off the field shortly thereafter.

Yankees fans have been waiting for months to get a look at Fowler following a terrific start to his season in Triple-A. Through 313 Triple-A plate appearances, Fowler hit .293/.329/.542 with 13 homers and 13 stolen bases. Unfortunately, tonight’s injury occurred before Fowler was even able to take his first big league plate appearance.

Eschewing the baseball perspective and viewing the injury through a human element lens, the injury is a terribly saddening occurrence for a 22-year-old that was merely minutes into realizing a lifelong dream. Hopefully, Fowler proves able to make a full recovery and rejoins the Yankees as a part of their future down the road.

From a strictly on-field perspective, New York has the outfield depth to weather the injury, though they’ll be short-handed for awhile with Aaron Hicks on the shelf for upwards of four weeks and Fowler down for the remainder of the season. The Yankees do have another of baseball’s top outfield prospects, Clint Frazier, not far off from Major League readiness in Triple-A, though it’s not clear when he’ll emerge as a candidate for a promotion of his own.

Yankees Promote Fowler, Select Carter, Designate Williams, Option Andujar

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In a dizzying series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees announced that they’ve selected the contracts of top outfield prospect Dustin Fowler and recently outrighted slugger Chris Carter. To clear spots on the 40-man roster, New York designated Mason Williams for assignment and transferred Greg Bird to the 60-day disabled list. The Yankees also announced that a right hamstring strain has landed Tyler Austin on the 10-day disabled list, while third baseman Miguel Andujar has been optioned back to Triple-A after just one game.

The 22-year-old Fowler ranks just inside the game’s Top 100 prospects, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, who have the former 18th-round pick as baseball’s No. 98 overall prospect. Fowler opened the 2017 season in Triple-A and, in his first exposure to that level of pitching, responded with a very strong .293/.329/.542 batting line through his first 70 games. In 313 plate appearances, Fowler has racked up 13 homers, 19 doubles and eight triples to go along with 13 stolen bases.

Callis and Mayo laud the defensive improvements that Fowler has made since signing, noting that he’s gone from a corner-only option to a solid center field defender. They feel his approach at the dish needs some refinement — which is seemingly reflected in his poor 63-to-15 K/BB ratio in those 313 PAs — but note that he makes tons of hard contact and has 20-homer, 20-steal upside in the Majors.

Carter was outrighted off the 40-man just yesterday, but he’ll return to replace the injured Austin as a first base option for the Yankees. Austin has been told that he’s suffered a “high-grade strain” of his hamstring, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Certainly, that’s an ominous development for the 25-year-old Austin, who looked to have an opportunity to establish himself at first base following Carter’s DFA and Bird’s injury struggles. Austin is headed to Tampa to be examined by a specialist.

Carter signed a one-year deal with the Yankees this winter after what some considered to be a surprising non-tender from the Brewers. Carter led the National League in homers last year, but his huge strikeout totals, lack of OBP and limited defensive value suppressed his price tag to a $3.5MM guarantee on said one-year deal. In 189 plate appearances with New York this season, Carter hit just .204/.286/.383. While he did slug eight homers in that fairly short timeframe, he also struck out in 37 percent of his plate appearances in his first stint with the Yankees.

Williams, 25, has received just 17 plate appearances with the Yanks this season and a total of 68 across the past three seasons, but the once-elite prospect hasn’t delivered at the game’s highest level — or in Triple-A, for that matter. Through those 68 big league PAs, Williams has batted .281/.313/.391, and his cumulative line across parts of three Triple-A campaigns rests at a less-impressive .278/.318/.345 in a much larger sample of 480 PAs.

New York’s 40-man roster is stuffed with outfielders, including Fowler, Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks, while top prospect Clint Frazier is also waiting in the wings. As such, there’s no real path to playing time for Williams, whom the Yankees will have seven days to trade or attempt to pass through waivers.

Yankees fans will undoubtedly be frustrated to see Andujar optioned just one day after going 3-for-4 and plating four runs in his Major League debut, but manager Joe Girardi tells reporters that the decision comes down to a simple desire to get Andujar everyday at-bats at third base (Twitter link via Hoch). While some will undoubtedly clamor for Andujar to play over Chase Headley, the veteran Headley has somewhat quietly rebounded from a poor start to hit .303/.415/.395 across his past 95 trips to the plate.

It certainly remains possible that Andujar resurfaces with the Yankees later this summer, and he certainly figures to be back with the club as a September call-up, at the very least, now that he’s on the 40-man roster.

Baseball America’s Josh Norris first reported Fowler’s promotion (Twitter link). Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported Williams’ DFA (on Twitter).

AL East Notes: Jackson, Devers, Ellsbury, Fowler

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The Orioles’ decision to outright left-hander Paul Fry over the weekend could be a precursor to adding veteran righty Edwin Jackson to the big league roster, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Jackson had an opt-out clause in his contract for June 1 but agreed to push that date back to today as the team took a bit more time to make its decision. Jackson’s lack of minor league options is a strike against him, Encina notes, as the O’s have liberally shuffled relievers back and forth from Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore this season. However, his ability to throw multiple innings in relief and recent effectiveness could make up for that fact. Jackson has tossed 5 2/3 scoreless frames with four strikeouts and no walks across his past three outings and has a 3.10 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 on the year as a whole. If he does trigger his opt-out, the Orioles would have 48 hours to add him to the roster or release him.

Elsewhere in the AL East…

  • ESPN’s Buster Olney spoke to a talent evaluator from a rival club who recently watched Red Sox prospect Rafael Devers and came away convinced that the 20-year-old’s size and conditioning won’t allow him to stick at third base in the long run. While that’s just one opinion — Baseball America wrote this offseason that Devers’ glovework has improved, for instance — the lack of certainty isn’t great for a Boston club that has a murky third base picture in the long term thanks to Pablo Sandoval’s struggles and Brock Holt’s injuries. As Olney notes, Devers’ defense will also impact how other clubs view him in potential trade discussions as well.
  • Jacoby Ellsbury will see a neurologist today after a recurrence of his concussion symptoms led to a shutdown from baseball activities over the weekend, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. The Yankees have the outfield depth to withstand a lengthy absence from Ellsbury, who was off to a fine start on the year, but they’re currently utilizing converted infielder Rob Refsnyder in that mix. Mason Williams would offer a better defensive option should the Yanks need a long-term option, King suggests. In a separate piece, he notes that the team doesn’t love the idea of promoting prospect Dustin Fowler if there aren’t everyday at-bats for him at an outfield slot. With Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge all playing well, there doesn’t seem to be a place for Fowler right now, despite his .300/.335/.563 batting line through 225 Triple-A plate appearances.

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