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Astros Place Aledmys Diaz On IL, Activate Brad Peacock

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The Astros have placed infielder Aledmys Diaz on the 10-day injured list, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Per The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan, Cy Sneed has been recalled to replace Diaz on the active roster, while Brad Peacock has also been activated from the injured list.

While there’s no official diagnosis for Diaz, Rome reports (via Twitter) that the 29-year-old was placed on the injured list after an incident on Saturday ended with Diaz in the hospital. Per manager AJ Hinch, the shortstop is in better health on Sunday and will travel with the team following today’s game.

With Sneed added to the roster, the Astros will carry nine relievers for the time being, a roster construction that will likely hold up very briefly, as Sneed could be replaced by a position player such as Myles Straw or Jack Mayfield.

Peacock, meanwhile, has not pitched for the Astros since June 27, at which point he landed on the injured list with shoulder discomfort. Peacock looked on track to return in mid-July, but a rehab setback prevented him from being activated until today. It appears that the 31-year-old will be deployed as a reliever in the last month-plus of the season after making 15 starts for the club prior to the All-Star break. The additions of Zack Greinke and Aaron Sanchez appear to have mitigated a need that forced Peacock into a starting role after spending nearly all of last season out of the bullpen.

Indeed, Peacock’s reintroduction to the Astros’ formidable pitching staff will only strengthen one of the American League’s juggernauts. While he’s certainly been a serviceable part of the Houston rotation this season, his numbers have taken a noticeable dip from the production he showed as a reliever in 2018, including his swinging strike rate, which sits at 8.8% in 2019 as opposed to 13.5% a year ago. If returning to a bullpen role allows Peacock to revert to the form he showed last year, his late-season return could prove just as valuable as Sanchez’s emergence as a viable starter.

 

Astros Option Cy Sneed, Recall Rogelio Armenteros, Reinstate Francis Martes

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The Astros optioned Cy Sneed to Triple-A while promoting Rogelio Armenteros, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Armenteros, 25, is up to slated to start today’s game versus the Athletics. It’s been so far so good for Armeneteros this season, with a 1.93 ERA/2.86 FIP in 14 innings thus far, including one start. This will be his third stint with the team in as many months.

Sneed, 26, did a nice job soaking up innings in four appearances. Over 12 2/3 innings, Sneed pitched to a 4.26 ERA/3.93 FIP in his first big league action. The Nevada native has pitched in both relief and starting capacities in Triple-A this year, going 7-6 with a 4.22 ERA overall.

Also noted by Rome, Francis Martes has returned rom the restricted list and added to the minor league injured list. Martes received an 80-game PED suspension in March, but he isn’t expected to pitch until next season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Latest On Gerrit Cole, Brad Peacock

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The Astros remain optimistic that right-hander Gerrit Cole will avoid a stint on the injured list, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes. Cole, who has been dealing with hamstring discomfort this week, played catch Friday and will do so again this weekend, manager A.J. Hinch said. Hinch added that the Astros are hopeful the AL Cy Young contender will return near the end of their upcoming series against Detroit, which runs from Monday to Thursday. Meanwhile, righty Brad Peacock could come off the IL as early as Sunday. Peacock had been in the Astros’ rotation before going down with shoulder discomfort June 28, but he’ll revert to his previous role as a reliever when he makes it back to the majors.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Wade Miley

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Left-hander Wade Miley was one of the most cost-efficient free-agent signings in each of the previous two offseasons. He was highly successful as a Brewer in 2018 after settling for a minor league contract, and has continued to thrive this year as an Astro on the heels of taking a major league pact worth $4.5MM. Over the past season and a half, Miley ranks 14th among qualified starters in ERA (3.11).

Understandably, plenty of skepticism has accompanied Miley’s ability to prevent runs. Since 2018, only 20 qualified starters have registered a worse FIP than Miley’s 4.42, while he also falls toward the low end of the majors in SIERA (4.68; 19th from the bottom) and xFIP (4.44; 25th). One of the problems has been Miley’s K/BB ratio, which was especially poor last year after he struck out 5.58 hitters per nine and walked 3.01 across 80 2/3 innings as a Brewer. But Miley has improved significantly in that category through 141 2/3 frames as a member of the Astros, with whom he has struck out 7.43 and walked 3.05. While still unspectacular, those numbers are right in line with the former Diamondback, Red Sox and Mariner’s career totals (7.13 K/9, 3.12 BB/9).

Clearly, the 32-year-old Miley has never been anywhere near elite at racking up strikeouts or limiting walks, in part because of a fastball that clocks in at just about 91 mph. But Miley has typically induced a solid number of ground balls while limiting home runs, which has continued this year.

As a member of the Astros, Miley has forced grounders at a 52.4 percent clip and allowed homers on 15.1 percent of fly balls – both of which are well above average. He has also been tough on both lefties, whom he has held to a .255 weighted on-base average, and righties (.295). And good luck hasn’t been the driving force behind Miley’s ability to stymie hitters, as Statcast indicates the .289 wOBA he has given up is actually worse than his .282 expected wOBA. Miley’s xwOBA ranks in the majors’ 81st percentile, while his exit velocity against (70th), expected batting average (75th), hard-hit rate (81st) and expected slugging percentage against (84th) also sit toward the top of the majors.

The success Miley has enjoyed over the past couple years has come with a change in repertoire. When he was a member of the Orioles in 2017, batters had their way with Miley, who pitched to a bloated 5.61 ERA in 157 1/3 innings of work. Miley’s career (or at least his time as a useful major leaguer) looked as if it was nearing an end then, but he has since revived it with a more cutter-heavy approach. He threw the pitch 14.3 percent of the time in 2017, per Statcast, but has used it at a 41-plus percent clip in both seasons since then. Miley has tossed it a personal-high 46.8 percent of the time this year, and hitters have recorded a modest .311 wOBA/.315 xwOBA against it. Miley’s other most common pitches – his changeup (19.6 percent; .198 wOBA/.191 xwOBA) and four-seamer (16.4 percent; .272/.258) – have confounded the opposition even more.

Despite the success Miley has enjoyed going back to 2018, the soft-tossing southpaw still isn’t a particularly exciting option. His earning power will always be somewhat limited as a result, but Miley should at least do better than the contract he raked in last offseason. A multiyear pact might be in the offing this winter for Miley, who will fall behind far more expensive hurlers such as teammate Gerrit Cole, Madison Bumgarner, Cole Hamels, Zack Wheeler, Dallas Keuchel, Jake Odorizzi and Kyle Gibson, perhaps among others, on the open market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Astros Optimistic Gerrit Cole Avoided Serious Injury

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The hamstring injury that prompted the Astros to scratch Gerrit Cole from yesterday’s start isn’t immediately believed to be serious, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (Twitter link, with video, via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). That doesn’t necessarily preclude a trip to the injured list, but Hinch explained that Cole “doesn’t think it’s that serious.” He’ll nonetheless be tested further to ensure there’s no risk of a more substantial injury. Scratching Cole had a trickle-down effect on the pitching staff, though, as it forced Houston into a bullpen game in the second half of a Tuesday doubleheader against the White Sox. As such, deadline acquisition Joe Biagini was optioned to Triple-A in order to get a fresh arm, Cy Sneed, into the bullpen. Biagini’s trip to the minors seems likely to be brief and won’t impact his arbitration or free-agent timeline.

Gerrit Cole Scratched With Hamstring Discomfort

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The Astros made right-handed ace Gerrit Cole a late scratch from his start against the White Sox on Tuesday because of right hamstring discomfort, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic was among those to report. The severity of the injury isn’t known, but it’s worth keeping an eye on considering Cole’s importance to the Astros and his status as the game’s best pending free agent. As of now, the 28-year-old workhorse is on pace for his third consecutive 200-inning season. He has given Houston 156 2/3 frames of 2.87 ERA/3.11 FIP ball with 12.98 K/9 and 2.24 BB/9 in 2019.

Astros To Soon Add Francis Martes To 40-Man Roster

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  • The Astros are close to adding Francis Martes back to their 40-man roster, the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome writes.  The right-hander was issued an 80-game PED suspension back in March, and his stint on the restricted list was extended due to a visa issue that has now been resolved.  Martes still isn’t any closer to pitching, however, since he underwent Tommy John surgery almost exactly one year ago and won’t be ready until Spring Training.  Martes posted a 5.80 ERA over 54 1/3 innings for the Astros in 2017, which marked his only Major League appearance.  Martes was a consensus top-30 prospect prior to the 2017 campaign, though even before his TJ surgery and suspension, his stock had already begun to drop due to shaky Triple-A numbers in 2017 and 2018.

Astros Notes: Bullpen, Tucker, Guduan

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Though the Astros’ lack of a left-handed reliever may appear to be a troubling dilemma at face value, general manager Jeff Luhnow and company are not treating it as such, and appear poised to move into the postseason with a bullpen consisting entirely of righties, writes Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Of the four lefties on the 40-man roster, Framber Valdez is the only reliever with significant Major League experience—experience that hasn’t yielded the most promising results. However, the Stros’ righties have done nothing to suggest a southpaw is needed: left-handed hitters have managed a dreadful .263 wOBA versus the Houston bullpen, the lowest mark in the Majors. Luhnow points to Chris Devenski and Will Harris as two veterans who have been instrumental in that success and could be deployed in October as pseudo-lefties. Of course, Roberto Osuna and Ryan Pressly have likewise dominated lefty hitters, but that duo will likely be used as matchup-proof late-inning options.

Here’s more of the latest news out of Houston…

  • Kyle Tucker has been receiving continued reps as a first baseman with the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate and will receive heavier exposure at the position in the offseason, writes Rome. He and fellow rookie Yordan Alvarez are being groomed into first baseman with an eye on next year’s version of the Astros. Having Tucker and Alvarez available at first could offer added flexibility in the club’s roster construction, as well as providing a clearer path to Major League at-bats for Tucker, who has accumulated more than 900 Triple-A plate appearances in part because of the Astros strong corner outfield rotation. Rome notes that if and when Tucker returns to the Majors as part of expanded rosters, he would only line up at first base in a relatively inconsequential game.
  • Rome provides further details (via Twitter)on the suspension that Astros management handed down to Reymin Guduan last week, clarifying that the suspension only spans the entirely of the minor-league season. As a consequence, Guduan will be eligible to pitch for the Astros in September, though there’s no indication that the 27-year-old will see any more Major League action this season. Guduan, a southpaw, does offer depth in an organization that is thin on lefties, but his performance in limited big league exposure has not been encouraging.

Astros Release Akeem Bostick

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The Astros released right-hander Akeem Bostick from their Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Bostick is a former 2nd round pick of the Texas Rangers from the 2013 draft. He came to the Astros in a 2015 offseason trade for catcher Carlos Corporan. Corporan hit only .176/.244/.299 in his lone season with the Rangers, who released him following the 2015 campaign.

Yet to make his major league debut, Bostick spent all of this season to date with Round Rock in the PCL. Of course, the PCL has seen a record number of home runs this season, so Bostick is hardly the only pitcher suffering from a few too many long balls.

Across 80 1/3 innings, Bostick went 4-5 with a 7.28 ERA while giving up 11 hits and 2.1 home runs per nine innings. He also saw a rise in his walk rate this season. The 24-year-old has mostly been a starter throughout his minor league career.

Brad Peacock Could Return As Reliever

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Injured Astros right-hander Brad Peacock has spent almost the whole season as a starter, but he may shift back to his old bullpen role when he returns. The Astros are “gearing” Peacock’s rehab that way, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic tweets.

The 31-year-old Peacock was among the Astros’ most useful starters before he landed on the shelf June 28 with shoulder discomfort. In 15 appearances and 80 2/3 innings as a starter this season, Peacock has posted a 4.24 ERA/4.32 FIP with 9.15 K/9 against 2.57 BB/9. The plan was for Peacock to return to Houston’s rotation sometime in July, but he suffered a setback midway through the month. As of two-plus weeks ago, the Astros’ hope was Peacock would come back around the midpoint of August.

Thanks in part to Peacock’s lack of availability, the Astros made other rotation arrangements at last week’s trade deadline. They pulled in two big-name starters – the ace-caliber Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks and what they hope is a revived Aaron Sanchez from the Blue Jays. With those two and Wade Miley behind the all-world tandem of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, the Astros no longer need any help in their starting staff.

Fortunately for talent-packed Houston, Peacock is just a year removed from a valuable campaign out of its bullpen. He totaled 63 1/3 frames in 60 appearances as a reliever in 2018 and notched a 3.55 ERA/3.54 FIP with 13.36 K/9 and 2.84 BB/9. Peacock did have a tough time with opposite-handed hitters, which has typically been the case, but he has been lights-out against righties.

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