Carlos Correa Done For Regular Season
The Astros have shut star shortstop Carlos Correa down for the remainder of the regular season because of a back issue, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The club expects Correa to be ready when its first-round playoff series begins next week, according to manager A.J. Hinch.
While this doesn’t appear to be a serious injury, it’s nonetheless alarming with the Astros headed toward the playoffs. Back problems have been an all-too-common occurrence over the past couple seasons for Correa. The 25-year-old returned just a week ago from a back injury that kept him out of action for almost a month, though he hasn’t played since last Saturday.
When Correa has been healthy enough to take the field this season, he has once again been one of the Astros’ top performers. Correa has slashed .279/.358/.568 with 21 home runs in 321 plate appearances to help the Astros to the No. 1 seed in the American League. With just a few days remaining in the regular season, Houston holds a 2 1/2-game lead over New York for homefield advantage throughout the AL playoffs.
AL West Notes: Correa, McHugh, Gallo, Pence, La Stella
Checking in on a few AL West clubs…
- The Astros made shortstop Carlos Correa a late scratch for their game Tuesday after he complained of tightness in his lower back, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Considering how important Correa is to the World Series contenders’ cause, not to mention his history of back issues, it looked like a startling development for the club. Manager A.J. Hinch brushed off concerns about Correa’s status, though, saying: “It sounds a lot worse than what it seems like it is. But when you make a proactive move there’s going to be some sense of curiosity as to what it is. But it is very important for us to be smart this week.”
- While Correa appears to be fine, teammate Collin McHugh continues to look as if he’s done for the season. The Astros halted the right-hander’s throwing program last week after a setback with his injured elbow, and he still hasn’t resumed throwing, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets. With that in mind, we may have seen McHugh take the mound in a Houston uniform for the last time. The sixth-year Astro is set to become a free agent after the season. Overall, the year has been an injury-riddled disappointment for McHugh, but he has rebounded as a reliever after beginning 2019 in disastrous fashion as a starter.
- It’s “fairly evident” Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo won’t play again this season, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Gallo, who has been out since June 24 with a right hamate fracture, hasn’t swung a bat during the recovery process. With the season just about over for the eliminated Rangers, there’s no sense in rushing the star slugger back. Meanwhile, designated hitter Hunter Pence is definitely done for the year, Wilson relays. The Rangers have also had to go for a while without Pence, whom a back injury has shelved for just over a month. While the soon-to-be 37-year-old Pence wants to return to the Rangers in 2020, it’s unclear how motivated they’ll be to re-sign the pending free agent.
- After an arduous recovery from the fractured right tibia he suffered July 2, it appears Angels infielder Tommy La Stella will make it back this season. Assuming La Stella gets through a base-running session unscathed on Wednesday, he could see time at DH during the Angels’ season-ending series against Houston, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. La Stella’s devastating injury came shortly before what would have been the 30-year-old’s first All-Star appearance – an honor he earned thanks to a .300/.353/.495 line and a career-high 16 home runs in 312 plate appearances.
Luhnow: Jose Urquidy “Likely” To Be In Astros’ 2020 Rotation
With both Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley slated to hit free agency this winter and Lance McCullers Jr. still on the mend from 2018 Tommy John surgery, it’s readily apparent that the Astros are going to have some offseason pitching needs. As such, it’s of some note that president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow told The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan (subscription required) this week that the organization views young right-hander Jose Urquidy as a likely member of its 2020 rotation.
“Urquidy’s going to be likely in our rotation next year,” Luhnow said in discussing the 24-year-old’s chances of making the postseason roster. “…He’s done an unbelievable job. He’s a talented pitcher who knows how to pitch in high-pressure situations. If he’s the right guy to make our roster in the DS or the CS or the WS, he’ll make it ,and hopefully he’s going to get some big outs for us in the postseason.”
It’s a strong vote of confidence in Urquidy, who made his MLB debut earlier this season and has appeared in eight games as a big leaguer. Through 35 frames with the Astros, Urquidy has pitched to a 4.63 ERA, although the rest of his numbers are more intriguing. Through six starts and a pair of relief appearances, he’s sporting a terrific 38-to-6 K/BB ratio and has generated a healthy 12.1 percent swinging-strike rate. Urquidy is currently carrying a 3.79 FIP, 3.80 SIERA and 4.18 xFIP, suggesting that his ERA could be a bit over-inflated.
It’s notable, too, that Urquidy has already set a new career-high with 138 innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Given that he’s still likely to pitch another game before Sunday’s regular-season finale and could clearly log some postseason innings, it seems likely that he’ll be free of any workload restrictions next year.
Looking ahead to the 2020 rotation, if Urquidy is indeed penciled into that mix, he’ll join veteran workhorses Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke as well as a returning McCullers (assuming no hiccups in his rehab). Other options within the organization include left-hander Framber Valdez, right-hander Rogelio Armenteros and top prospect Forrest Whitley, though Whitley may require some further minor league time after injuries limited him to 55 1/3 innings in 2019. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez, acquired at the trade deadline, would surely have been a favorite for a starting job next year had he not recently undergone shoulder surgery. That operation has not only clouded his availability for Opening Day 2020 but may lead to him being non-tendered.
Earmarking a starting spot for Urquidy, ostensibly, would leave the Astros with only one vacancy in their rotation this winter. Trade scenarios that arise and/or free-agent prices could potentially impact any tentative alignments being currently contemplated by the organization, but Urquidy seems to have put himself in a strong position heading into 2020.
Turner, Pham, Osuna To Be Represented By Newly Formed Agency
Long-time MLB player representative Greg Genske has formed a new agency along with former Ballengee executive Alex Hicks, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The new outfit will be known as GEM Agency and will initially feature several former Genske clients.
According to Heyman, three notable players who’ll start out under the GEM roof: Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, Rays outfielder Tommy Pham, and Astros reliever Roberto Osuna. All had previously been represented by Genske. Turner will be a free agent after the 2020 campaign, when Pham and Osuna will be entering their final seasons of arbitration eligibility.
This move comes after a period of immense upheaval following the purchase of Genske’s former outfit, The Legacy Agency, by Gatemore Capital Management. The ensuing maneuvering, including Genske’s firing, have led to various splinter agencies, representatives moving to other firms, and the re-badging of Legacy as GSE Worldwide. It wasn’t exactly an orderly transition. Genske initiated litigation regarding the matter, which is still pending in California.
As always, these latest moves are reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database.
AL Notes: Semien, Orioles, Astros
For those actively searching for a player ready to assume Anthony Rendon‘s former title as the game’s “Most Underrated” player, Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien is making a valid case for himself in 2019. As Martin Gallegos of MLB.com notes, Semien scored his 120th run of the season on Sunday, placing him just three runs behind Reggie Jackson 1969 record for most runs scored by an Athletic in a single season (link). Besides that possibly impending accomplishment, it’s important to note that the 28-year-old Semien has done more than just cross the plate in 2019. Among AL shortstops, his 32 homers place him 3rd, his 90 RBIs are good for 2nd, and his 7.2 WAR valuation places him behind only Houston’s Alex Bregman at his position. However you slice it, 2019 has been a banner year for the former Cal Bear, who will likely garner MVP consideration at season’s end.
Semien’s near-peerless production has been a large reason behind Oakland’s 2.0-game cushion on all Wild Card competitors. He’s likely due a sizable raise in his third trip through arbitration this offseason, as his $5.9MM salary this year represents one of baseball’s biggest bargains.
More notes from around the league on a quiet Sunday eve…
- Yesterday, we passed along word of one dissatisfied ex-employee of Orioles GM Mike Elias’–namely, former special assignment instructor BJ Surhoff, who felt disrespected by Elias’ handling of his dismissal. Despite that bit of scuttlebutt, Elias is feeling good about his organization’s direction now that he’s had nearly a calendar year to direct its progress, as he told Roch Kubotko of MASN Sports in a wide-ranging interview (link).“When we came in here, the big league team (had) the worst record in the league last year,” Elias told Kubotko. “The farm system was ranked in the 20s…We had no real international scouting function, a minimalist analytics group. All of that’s changed. We’ve got our program going internationally. We’re signing players, we’re competing for players out there. We’re building towards a bigger analytics staff. The farm system’s taking a huge jump this year.” There are several other items of note in the article itself, among them his support of manager Brandon Hyde (who did ‘Great’ in 2019, in Elias’ estimation) and his expectations for the club in 2020.
- The Astros were finally able to pop the corks on champagne bottles that had remained on ice through Friday and Saturday, as Sunday saw the team capture its third consecutive AL West title. In a well-written piece from the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome, manager A.J. Hinch credits mentality–not the team’s embarrassment of stars–as the source behind Houston’s success (link). “We just keep on keeping a winning culture, a winning mindset. We show up ready to play every day,” Hinch told Rome. “It’s the thing I’m most proud of. We just stay current in the moment.” Also of note in Rome’s article is a rundown of the club’s utter dominance of its AL West opponents in 2019; the club has won 32 out of its last 38 games at home against AL West competitors, en route to an overall 51-19 record against divisional foes this year.
Astros Activate Brad Peacock
The Astros activated right-hander Brad Peacock from the 10-day injured list today. Peacock has been out since August 28 with shoulder discomfort.
When healthy, Peacock, 31, has turned in good results for manager A.J. Hinch, primarily as a starter. In 20 appearances (15 starts), he’s worked to a 4.06 ERA with strikeout (25.4%) and walk (7.8%) rates a little better than league average. Justin Verlander is scheduled to start this afternoon’s game against the Angels, but Peacock told reporters (including Jake Kaplan of the Athletic) he expects to enter in relief.
Peacock figures to have the inside track at a relief role on the Astros’ postseason roster, assuming he shows his typical stuff upon his return. We heard yesterday that Houston may be looking to find room on the playoff roster for rookie Bryan Abreu, though, so Peacock’s progress will certainly be worth monitoring.
Peacock settled for $3.11MM in lieu of an arbitration hearing last winter, and he’ll be eligible for the process one final time this offseason. Assuming he’s healthy, Peacock is a good bet to be tendered a new contract for 2020 at a modest raise above his current salary. While his immediate future seems to be in the bullpen, he’d be worthwhile starting insurance for Houston next year. The club faces the potential free agent departures of Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley and Collin McHugh.
AL Notes: Yankees, Miley, Vladito
Joel Sherman of the New York Post had an interesting profile today of a Yankees pitching staff at a crossroads (link). After losing Domingo German and Dellin Betances to suspension and injury, respectively, over the past several days, the AL East-champion Bombers find themselves with a pitching picture very much in flux. “I don’t look at it as frustrating,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild told Sherman. “I look at it as a problem to solve. We have to figure out what we are going to do. You would love to have those two guys obviously. But we don’t, so we have to move forward.” As Sherman points out, German’s loss may be particularly impactful, as his multi-inning ability may force skipper Aaron Boone to opt for a 13-man pen in the playoffs instead of a 12-man pen.
While Chad Green, J.A. Happ, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, James Paxton, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Aroldis Chapman, and Zack Britton are all ‘locks’ for the postseason staff, the final spots are more of a toss-up after the team’s loss of German and Betances. Luis Cessa, Cory Gearrin, Tyler Lyons, Stephen Tarpley, Ben Heller, and Jonathan Loaisiga are names floated by Sherman as possibilities to round out Boone’s October pen corps.
More notes from around the AL this Saturday eve…
- The Astros are facing what the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome deems a “full-fledged fourth starter crisis” after another uninspiring performance from the previously steady Wade Miley (link). In Saturday’s game against the Angels, Miley failed to complete more than one inning for the third time in four starts. The 32-year-old Miley had looked to be a coup for the Astros front office after signing a one-year/$4.5MM deal this offseason, with a 3.06 ERA through his first 156 innings this year. Unfortunately, the calendar’s turn to September has spelled doom for Miley, who has allowed 18 earned runs in 7 ⅓ September innings. Manager A.J. Hinch is voicing somewhat of a hedged belief in the experienced lefty: “We’re going to figure it out,” manager A.J. Hinch told Rome. “He’s going to be really effective for us. But given the time, it’s a difficult time to assess because he’s got one start left before we need to make some decisions.” Looking back, regression was probably coming for Miley all along, as those first 156 innings were undermined by a .263 BABIP and 4.36 FIP mark.
- In a somewhat more humorous note to conclude tonight’s news, Sportsnet’s Arash Madani passes along an eyebrow-raising nugget concerning Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero Jr., it seems, doesn’t owe his prodigious power to an intensive weight room regimen: “I’ve never worked out at the gym before,” Guerrero Jr. told Madani. “I’ve never lifted weights before.” While it’s roundly mystifying to consider that “Vladito” has achieved phenomenal athletic fame without ever committing himself to either a ‘leg’ or ‘upper body’ day, it still may be disconcerting to Jays fans taking a sidelong glance at the youngster’s to-this-point suspect defense. Vlad Jr. has logged a -4 DRS figure in 792 innings at third base this year, with 17 errors to his credit. Guerrero Jr. tells Madani that he will be newly committing himself to weight training this offseason with the intent of remaining at third base moving forward.
Bryan Abreu Making Push For Postseason Roster
The Astros are not a team with many holes. With a staff fronted by three aces, a lineup peppered with stars, and a bullpen anchored by the likes of Roberto Osuna and Ryan Pressly, Houston’s squad currently holds a 33.6% chance of winning the World Series, per Fangraphs’ MLB Playoff Odds calculations. It seems somewhat unfair, then, that such a squad would find a way to get even better heading into October, but that’s exactly what they may be doing now that rookie reliever Bryan Abreu is on the scene. The 22-year-old arm has been so impressive in his first MLB action, in fact, that he may be forcing himself onto the Stros’ postseason roster, according to a report from Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (link).
Abreu, the club’s second-ranked pitching prospect behind Forrest Whitley, has debuted here in the second half with 6.2 innings in which he has punched out ten hitters while walking just three. This production comes on the heels of some shaky bottom-line results in Triple-A this year (5.05 ERA in 13 starts and 20 appearances) that obscured more impressive underlying numbers (11.86 K/9, 3.99 FIP). “He’s nasty,” Hinch told Rome last Sunday. “His breaking ball is as good as anyone we have or anyone that we have had over the last few years. You see the funny swings and the uncomfortable takes, and you realize why the organization was so high on him.”
As noted in Rome’s article, manager AJ Hinch found room for another rookie reliever, Josh James, on 2018’s postseason rosters when James finished the year with a string of impressive appearances. Could Abreu be making a similar case? While Hinch told Rome that no conversations about the postseason roster will begin until the club clinches the AL West, the reporter projects that Will Harris, Pressly, and Osuna are certain locks for the playoff pen. After that, James, Hector Rondon, and Joe Smith are “logical inclusions”, and the impending return of Brad Peacock could account for the final spot. If any injuries befall one of these Houston mainstays–or if Peacock shows signs of rust upon returning–Abreu may be held in firm consideration for postseason action.
West Notes: Lyles, Astros, Turner, Pence, A’s
Right-hander Jordan Lyles has been terrific for the Brewers since they acquired him from the Pirates prior to the July trade deadline, but he almost ended up elsewhere before Milwaukee grabbed him. The Astros showed “strong interest” in Lyles leading up to the deadline, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports in a subscription piece delving into his late-season turnaround. Lyles was a first-round pick (38th overall) of the Astros in 2008, but he was unsuccessful as a major leaguer in Houston from 2011-13. The Astros then traded Lyles to the Rockies in a deal for outfielder Dexter Fowler. Lyles has struggled with a few other teams since then, and it’s anyone’s guess whether he’d have thrived this summer had Houston gotten him instead of Milwaukee.
After losing out on Lyles, the Astros still made a couple starting pitching additions at the deadline, landing ace Zack Greinke and another righty in Aaron Sanchez. The Greinke pickup has gone swimmingly thus far, though Sanchez fell somewhat flat before suffering a season-ending injury that might also keep him out for some portion of 2020. Considering Sanchez’s situation, not to mention the pending free agencies of starters Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley, perhaps they’ll circle back to Lyles if he hits the open market in the offseason.
Let’s check in on a few other teams from the majors’ West divisions…
- A lower back strain has shelved Rangers designated hitter/outfielder Hunter Pence since Aug. 23, and though the club’s eliminated from postseason contention, he still hopes to play again this year, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com relays. Regardless of if Pence makes it back, the Rangers will have an offseason decision on whether to re-sign the soon-to-be free agent. The 36-year-old Pence, who has revived his career in Texas, said last week he’d “love” to return to the club. However, manager Chris Woodward expressed some doubt over how Pence would fit on the roster going forward. GM Jon Daniels took a similar tone Friday, telling Sullivan: “He was extremely productive on the field, and he was [a] really valuable member of the clubhouse that you would love to have back. On the other hand, how many at-bats are we going to have for a corner outfielder-DH. On the surface, as we are currently constructed, not a lot. Things could change. That’s the reality.”
- Third baseman Justin Turner will slot back into the Dodgers’ starting lineup Saturday and Sunday, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. He won’t play a full game in either case, though, according to manager Dave Roberts. A sprained left ankle has kept Turner out dating back to Sept. 7, but he’ll now have time to tune up before the Dodgers begin a potential run to the World Series in October.
- Athletics reliever Lou Trivino hasn’t pitched since Sept. 14 because of left oblique and rib soreness. It turns out Trivino suffered the injuries when he slipped in his shower, he told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday. Trivino does expect to pitch again this season, which wasn’t going according to plan for him even before his at-home accident. While the 27-year-old largely stymied opposing hitters as a rookie in 2018, he has only managed a 5.25 ERA/4.53 FIP with 8.55 K/9 and 4.65 BB/9 in 60 innings this season.
Brad Peacock Could Return Sunday
The Astros’ pitching staff received great news Friday when standout reliever Ryan Pressly came back from injury. In yet another welcome development for the club, fellow right-hander Brad Peacock isn’t far from rejoining Pressly and the rest of Houston’s pitchers. Manager A.J. Hinch told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and other reporters Peacock could return from the injured list as early as Sunday. Peacock hasn’t pitched since Aug. 27.
Shoulder issues have limited Peacock throughout the summer, as he sat out all of July and most of August before a brief comeback and another IL placement. Peacock felt a “sharp pain” in his shoulder in his most recent appearance, leading the Astros to put him back on the shelf. The 31-year-old’s latest shoulder discomfort stemmed from nerve damage in his neck, but the Astros are confident he has moved past it, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes.
If he truly is healthy, Peacock should be a boon to the Astros’ cause as they go for their second World Series title since 2017. The club leads the majors with a 100-53 record, putting it in the driver’s seat in the American League West, and is trying to fend off the 100-54 Yankees for homefield advantage in the AL.
Peacock was a competent member of the Astros’ rotation earlier in the year, but he worked out of their bullpen upon his initial return from the IL and seems likely to do so again for the duration of the campaign. In 20 appearances (15 starts) and 88 2/3 innings this year, Peacock has pitched to a 4.06 ERA/4.30 FIP with 9.54 K/9 against 2.94 BB/9.