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Pitching Notes: Blue Jays, Allgeyer, Nats, Strasburg, Astros, Valdez, Odorizzi

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The Blue Jays have optioned Nick Allgeyer to Triple-A, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Allgeyer did not make an appearance and has yet to make his Major League debut. The Jays won’t make a corresponding move until tomorrow. There’s no need to fill his roster spot today given their day off. Since service time is measured in days and not games, there’s no reason to make a move any earlier than necessary. In other pitcher news…

  • The Nationals may be close to activating Stephen Strasburg, depending on how his shoulder feels today, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Nationals’ starters rank an uncharacteristic 25th in the Majors by fWAR, 16th with a 4.29 ERA and next-to-last with a 4.83 FIP. Strasburg has contributed just two starts totaling 10 innings on the year.
  • Framber Valdez and Jake Odorizzi will start on back-to-back days for the Sugar Land Skeeters this week, per Sports Director at Fox 26 Mark Berman (via Twitter). That’s especially good news considering that Jose Urquidy just landed on the injured list. Because of their schedule, however, Houston could largely get by with only four starters until June, writes the Athletic’s Jake Kaplan. If everyone can get healthy, the Astros will have a surplus of starters, which could lead to Cristian Javier or Luis Garcia being bumped to the bullpen or back to Triple-A, despite their solid efforts thus far.

Astros Place Jose Urquidy On Injured List

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Prior to this afternoon’s game, the Astros placed José Urquidy on the 10-day injured list, manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). The righty exited his start Wednesday evening with shoulder discomfort and it had already been revealed he’d miss his upcoming start, so it’s not especially surprising he wound up on the IL. Baker said earlier this week an MRI hadn’t revealed “anything significant,” so it’s possible it’ll be a short-term absence.

Urquidy has again been highly productive in the early going. Over eight starts, the righty has pitched to a 3.22 ERA that’s a bit better than his strong 3.36 career mark. Urquidy has never racked up huge strikeout or ground ball totals, but he rarely walks hitters and has generally done a solid job of avoiding dangerous contact.

It’s not yet clear who’ll take Urquidy’s place in the rotation while he’s on the shelf, although a pair of Astros starters are progressing in recoveries from their own injuries. Framber Valdez was scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment during his recovery from a finger fracture with Triple-A Sugar Land today, and Jake Odorizzi isn’t far behind in that regard. Odorizzi is lined up to start tomorrow for Sugar Land (via Mark Berman of FOX 26) as he builds back from a pronator muscle strain in his forearm. (The Skeeters’ game this evening was subsequently rained out and will be made up with a doubleheader tomorrow).

To replace Urquidy on the active roster, Houston activated reliever Enoli Paredes from the IL. Paredes missed a little more than a month with a side issue. The 25-year-old has tossed 22 MLB innings over the past two seasons, working to a 2.86 ERA/5.37 SIERA.

Astros Notes: Minor Leaguers, Valdez, Urquidy

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The Astros are providing fully furnished apartments to all of their minor leaguers across all levels for the 2021 season, reports Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. Housing for minor leaguers has been complicated due to Covid-19 regulations, as host families are not allowed this season and there are restrictions on how many players can live in a given apartment. Minor league salaries are generally scant enough that it’s common for several teammates to crowd into a one- or two-bedroom apartment in order to save on rent and cover other basic expenses. It’s a commitment we’ve not previously seen an organization make for its minor league talent, most of whom receive much smaller bonuses than the six- or even seven-figure numbers that frequent the top end of each summer’s draft. It’s not known whether this will be a permanent commitment from the ’Stros, nor is it clear whether other organizations might adopt a similar approach now or in the future.

More on the Astros…

  • Southpaw Framber Valdez got through a 25-pitch bullpen session unscathed on Friday and will start a Triple-A rehab assignment on Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com was among those to report. Valdez will throw three innings in that game. Expectations are that he’ll rejoin the Astros’ rotation in June, which Valdez called a “miracle.” After all, there was fear back in the spring that Valdez’s broken left ring finger would require surgery and prevent him from pitching this year. “It was a bad injury, a break to the finger,” said Valdez, who was able to avoid going under the knife. When the 27-year-old does come back, he’ll work to build on an impressive 2020 in which he turned in 70 2/3 innings of 3.57 ERA/3.23 SIERA ball with great strikeout (26.4), walk (5.6) and groundball (60.0) percentages.
  • Right-hander Jose Urquidy exited his start on Wednesday against the Angels in the fourth inning with shoulder discomfort, and it’s possible the issue will shelve him for a bit. Manager Dusty Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle and other reporters Friday that an MRI on Urquidy’s shoulder didn’t “show anything significant,” but said today (to FOX 26’s Mark Berman and others) that Urquidy will miss his next scheduled start on Tuesday.  Urquidy shut out the Angels over 3 2/3 innings, continuing a nice start to 2021 for the 26-year-old. He has totaled 44 2/3 frames across eight starts and recorded a 3.22 ERA (with a less shiny 4.56 SIERA) and an 18.6 percent strikeout rate against a terrific 5.1 percent walk rate.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/10/21

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Catching up on some minor league moves from around baseball…

  • The Astros have signed righty Michael Kelly to a minor league pact, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Kelly was the 48th overall pick of the Padres in the 2011 draft, but he hasn’t made it to the bigs thus far. Along with the Padres, the 28-year-old appeared in the minors with the Orioles through 2018, recording a 5.35 ERA over 607 2/3 innings. Kelly’s most recent professional action came in 2019 with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League.

Earlier updates:

  • The Dodgers signed right-handers Kevin Quackenbush, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, and Aaron Wilkerson to minor league contracts earlier this month, and all are on the roster for the team’s Triple-A affiliate.  Quackenbush is the most experienced of the trio, with 207 2/3 MLB innings with the Padres and Reds from 2014-18, and the 32-year-old is back in the Dodgers organization after previously pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2019.  Bibens-Dirkx was a member of several organizations before catching on with the Rangers in 2016 and posting a 5.27 ERA over 114 1/3 innings from 2017-18.  Wilkerson appeared in parts of three Major League seasons with the Brewers from 2017-19, posting a 6.88 ERA over 35 1/3 frames of work.
  • The Indians signed right-hander Matt Koch to a minor league deal back in April.  Koch pitched for the Yakult Swallows in 2020, posting a 7.88 ERA over 16 innings with the Japanese club.  Formerly a member of the Diamondbacks, Koch pitched 86 2/3 of his 125 1/3 career Major League innings in 2018, when he had a 4.15 ERA/4.85 ERA while starting 14 of his 19 games for Arizona.  For his overall career, Koch has a 4.88 ERA at the big league level.

Astros’ Framber Valdez Could Return In June

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Astros starter Framber Valdez could return to the team at some point in June, manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) this afternoon. That’s the first timeline the organization has defined since the left-hander fractured his left ring finger on a comebacker during Spring Training.

In the initial aftermath of the injury, it was reported Valdez could require season-ending surgery. A second opinion suggested he may instead be able to rehab without surgery, and he’s continued to make progress since electing that course of action. In Valdez’s absence, Houston starters have managed a solid 3.82 ERA, albeit with a less impressive 4.17 SIERA that ranks eighteenth league-wide. Valdez figures to improve those numbers after tossing 70 2/3 innings of 3.57 ERA/3.23 SIERA ball last year. The 27-year-old posted strong strikeout and walk rates (26.4% and 5.6%, respectively) while inducing ground balls at a massive clip (60%).

Valdez’s injury spurred the Astros to sign Jake Odorizzi to a two-year, $23.5MM guarantee in mid-March. Unfortunately, the righty wound up on the injured list himself after just eight regular season innings, leaving his third start of the year early with forearm tightness. Odorizzi threw 40 pitches in a simulated game yesterday, though, and he’s soon to join Triple-A Sugar Land for a minor-league rehab assignment (McTaggart links).

Valdez and Odorizzi aren’t the only high-profile Astros starters on the injured list. Justin Verlander, who underwent Tommy John surgery last September, met with reporters this week and confirmed his rehab is on track (via McTaggart). Verlander conceded he was unlikely to return this season (no surprise, given the timing of his surgery and the procedure’s typical 13-16 month recovery timeline). However, the 38-year-old stressed he has no plans to retire, tweeting Friday he “(plans) on still pitching for a long time.” Verlander will be a free agent at the end of the year.

Astros Sign Yadiel Rivera To Minors Contract

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The Astros signed infielder Yadiel Rivera to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports (via Twitter).  Rivera will report to Houston’s Triple-A affiliate.

Rivera is a veteran of seven Major League seasons, with 111 of his 192 career games coming with the Marlins in 2018.  His seven-season resume also includes a few cups of coffee, as Rivera broke in with seven games with the Brewers in 2015, just one game with Miami in 2017, and four games with the Rangers in 2020.  He ended his brief stint in Texas on the injured list, as recovery from elbow surgery took up most of Rivera’s offseason and likely explains why he hadn’t signed with a new team until over a week into May.

With just a .175/.244/.217 slash line over 319 career PA, Rivera isn’t known much for his bat at either the MLB or minor league levels.  What he does offer is defensive versatility — Rivera has spent much of his career as a shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman, but he has also started at least one game at every other position except catcher and pitcher.  Rivera will provide the Astros with some infield depth (particularly at shortstop) down on the farm.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/7/21

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Let’s round up some minor moves from around the game…

  • The Mariners signed a trio of players to minor league deals: Justin Grimm, Brooks Pounders, and Caleb Joseph. Grimm surrendered nine earned runs in just four innings with the Brewers last season after spending 2019 in Triple-A. The 32-year-old owns a 5.14 career ERA in 360 2/3 innings since his debut with the Rangers in 2012. This will be his second go-round in Seattle: he made five appearances for the Mariners in 2019. Pounders did not make a big league appearance in 2020 after appearing for the Mets, Rockies, Angels, and Royals in the four seasons prior. Joseph is a depth catcher who spent the past two seasons with the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks after carving out significant playing time with the Orioles from 2014 to 2018.
  • The Brewers signed outfielder Mitch Longo to a minor league contract and assigned him to Double-A Biloxi. Noah Zavolas, meanwhile, was assigned to Triple-A Nashville, per the team. Zavalos posted a 2.98 ERA over 22 starts for the Brewers High-A affiliate in 2019. Longo, 26, was a 14th-round draft choice by Cleveland in 2016. He hit .248/.320/.370 across 365 plate appearances in Double-A back in 2019.
  • The Astros signed Brandon Lawson to a minor league deal and assigned him to Double-A, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The 26-year-old right-hander was solid in 2019 with a 3.70 ERA in 129 innings for the Giants’ Double-A affiliate. He was drafted by the Rays in the 12th round of the 2016 draft when current Astros GM James Click was working in their front office.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/5/21

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The latest minor moves from around the game:

  • The Astros signed right-hander Ryan Eades to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Sugar Land, per an announcement from the Skeeters. Selected by the Twins in the second round of the 2013 draft out of LSU, Eades got to the majors in 2019. Across eight games with Minnesota and Baltimore, he worked 11 1/3 relief innings of three-run ball with ten strikeouts and six walks. He hasn’t pitched since being outrighted off the Orioles’ roster at the end of that season. For his career, Eades has a 3.93 ERA with strong strikeout and walk rates (28.9% and 7.1%, respectively) in 75 2/3 Triple-A frames.
  • The Cubs reinstated righty Tyson Miller from the COVID injured list before this evening’s game against the Dodgers (via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com). Miller was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, so no change to the active roster was needed. To create 40-man roster space, Chicago transferred catcher Austin Romine to the 60-day IL. Romine suffered a significant left wrist sprain and was known to be in for an extended absence. Tony Wolters was selected to the roster to back up Willson Contreras when Romine first went down. Prospect Miguel Amaya, assigned to Double-A Tennessee, is the only other catcher on the 40-man.

Injury Notes: Mondesi, Gonsolin, Strasburg, Solis

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The Royals have stormed out of the gate with a 16-9 start to take an early lead in the AL Central. That’s in spite of the absence of shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who was placed on the injured list just before the regular season kicked off due to a right oblique strain. There’s still no timetable for the 25-year-old’s return to game action, but he made a notable step in his rehab process this week. Mondesi recently participated in a batting practice session, per manager Mike Matheny (via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). Royals’ shortstops (primarily Nicky Lopez) have hit .254/.325/.338 in Mondesi’s absence, which is tied for twelfth in park-adjusted offense (90 wRC+) at the position.

Some more injury situations around the league:

  • Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin has also yet to make his regular season debut- in his case, on account of inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Gonsolin has progressed to working off a mound, though, throwing a 20-pitch bullpen session earlier this week (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). The 26-year-old has emerged as another potential quality rotation option for Los Angeles, working to a 2.60 ERA/4.11 SIERA across his first 20 MLB appearances (14 starts) between 2019-20. Even before the injury, though, Gonsolin was slated to start this season in the bullpen on account of the Dodgers’ incredible rotation depth.
  • Stephen Strasburg threw approximately 30 pitches in a bullpen session this morning, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to note. It’s the right-hander’s first mound work since he was placed on the injured list two weeks ago with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Washington still hasn’t offered a ton of clarity as to when Strasburg is expected to return to game action. The former World Series MVP has been limited to two unproductive starts so far this year.
  • Astros right-handed pitching prospect Jairo Solis will be out approximately three months after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, per Jake Kaplan of the Athletic (Twitter link). It’s a disappointing development for a young hurler who missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Entering the year, FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein called Solis a potential future top 100 prospect, but this latest development will wipe out at least a good chunk of his 2021 minor-league season. Solis, ranked 16th among Astro farmhands by Baseball America, was added to the 40-man roster last offseason.

Yordan Alvarez To Return Friday

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APRIL 30: Alvarez is back in the Astros’ lineup Friday, McTaggart tweets. The team optioned Jones to its taxi squad.

APRIL 29: The Astros expect Alvarez to rejoin their lineup Friday against the Rays, Baker told McTaggart and other reporters.

APRIL 28: The Astros have placed slugger Yordan Alvarez on the injured list and recalled infielder/outfielder Taylor Jones, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle was among those to report.

The Astros didn’t provide a reason for Alvarez’s IL placement, though it seems to be related to COVID-19. Manager Dusty Baker said earlier Wednesday that Alvarez would miss the team’s game against the Mariners because of “health and safety reasons,” Brian McTaggart of MLB.com relayed.

Alvarez was one of five Astros placed on the COVID-related IL on April 14, but he returned within a week. When he has been healthy enough to play this season, the designated hitter and former American League Rookie of the Year has continued to hold his own with a .309/.355/.529 line and two home runs in 76 plate appearances.

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