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Blue Jays Release Clayton Richard, Activate Elvis Luciano

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The Blue Jays have released left-hander Clayton Richard, Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae reports (Twitter link).  As expected, the team used the open 40-man roster spot to reinstate righty Elvis Luciano from the 60-day injured list.

The move ends a disappointing tenure for Richard in Toronto, as knee and lat injuries limited him to only 45 1/3 innings pitched (all as a starter) this season.  The Jays acquired Richard from the Padres last winter in the hopes that he could be a veteran innings-eater, though like similar acquisitions Clay Buchholz and Matt Shoemaker, injuries ultimately scuttled those plans.

Richard wasn’t very effective when he did pitch, posting a 5.96 ERA, 1.22 K/BB, and only a 4.37 K/9, low even by Richard’s standards as a groundball specialist (his grounder rate was a typically sturdy 55.8%).  Home runs have become an increasingly big problem for Richard over the last three seasons, culminating in an ugly 24.3% home run rate, as he allowed nine big flies over his 45 innings.

Richard just turned 36 years old today, making the release a particularly unwelcome birthday present.  Between his age and a lack of effectiveness over the last three years, he’ll likely have to take a minor league contract with his next team.

Luciano hasn’t pitched since June 12 due to an elbow sprain, though he’ll return to the roster in time to clock the 90 days of active duty necessary to keep him in the Blue Jays organization.  The Jays picked Luciano away from the Royals in the last Rule 5 Draft, meaning that the 19-year-old had to remain on Toronto’s 25-man roster for the entire season (or for at least 90 days in case of injury, as was the situation here) for the Blue Jays to permanently secure his rights.

As expected for a youngster who had never pitched above rookie ball, Luciano had a tough go of things in his first exposure to Major League hitting.  Luciano had a 6.51 ERA over 27 2/3 innings out of the Jays’ bullpen, with an equal number (22) of unintentional walks and strikeouts.  Once he’s officially in the organization, the Blue Jays will return Luciano to the minors for 2020.

AL Injury Notes: Astros, Red Sox, Jays, Tigers

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Let’s check in on a few notable injury situations from the American League…

  • Astros reliever Ryan Pressly is closing in on a return, manager A.J. Hinch revealed Tuesday (Twitter links via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). The first-place club has been without Pressly, likely its premier reliever, since he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Aug. 22. Expectations then were that Pressly would miss four to six weeks, so it looks as if he’ll come back at the low end of that timeline (if not sooner). In further welcome news for the Astros, shortstop Carlos Correa could join Triple-A Round Rock for a rehab game Friday. The star went down at roughly the same time as Pressly because of a back ailment, though it now appears the two will get back with time to spare before the playoffs as Houston goes for its second championship since 2017.
  • Red Sox left-hander David Price is “feeling better, little by little,” as he works back from a wrist injury, manager Alex Cora said Tuesday (via Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald). Although the Red Sox’s playoff hopes are dashed, Price still plans to pitch again this season. After that, though, he may need to undergo a minor surgery to repair the issue, Hewitt reports. Price’s wrist has been a problem since last month, having limited him to two appearances and a combined 4 2/3 innings since the end of July.
  • The Blue Jays are likely to activate reliever Elvis Luciano from the injured list Wednesday or Thursday, Scott Mitchell of TSN suggests. Luciano, whom the Jays took in last winter’s Rule 5 Draft, would then have enough time to meet the required 90 days on their active roster. If that happens, it’s likely he’ll begin next season at the Double-A level, Mitchell notes. This has been a trying season in the bigs for Luciano, who has been out since the first half of June with a sprained right elbow. Before that, he posted an unappealing 7.16 ERA with more walks (23) than strikeouts (22) in 27 2/3 innings. Of course, considering the 19-year-old Luciano is the youngest player in the majors and hadn’t even pitched above rookie ball before this season, it’s no surprise he has experienced adversity in his first MLB go-around.
  • Tigers utilityman Niko Goodrum is reportedly unlikely to return this season, though he hasn’t given up on a potential late-season comeback, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets. Goodrum hasn’t played in nearly three weeks thanks to an adductor strain, which has taken away a much-needed bright spot for the struggling Tigers. The uber-versatile 27-year-old has slashed .248/.322/.421 with 12 home runs, a dozen steals and 1.9 fWAR across 472 plate appearances.

Blue Jays Transfer Elvis Luciano To 60-Day IL

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The Blue Jays have moved right-hander Elvis Luciano to the 60-day injured list to make room for the activation of fellow righty David Phelps, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Luciano went to the 10-day IL with a sprained elbow on June 12. His 60-day placement means he won’t be back until around mid-August at the earliest. However, as a Rule 5 pick, it’s unlikely to jeopardize Luciano’s place in the organization. Luciano has about two weeks left before he officially becomes Blue Jays property, notes Nicholson-Smith, who suggests that’s a formality.

The Blue Jays plucked Luciano from the Royals last December, and he made Toronto’s roster even though he won’t turn 20 until February 2020. The youngest player in the majors, Luciano has pitched to a 6.51 ERA/6.29 FIP with more unintentional walks (23) than strikeouts (22) in 27 2/3 innings. Luciano has also allowed 33 hits, including four home runs, but the rebuilding Blue Jays have ridden out his struggles thus far and appear likely to keep him around going forward.

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