Injury Notes: Harper, De La Rosa, Rasmus, Bour, Gray, Cishek, Zych
A slumping Bryce Harper was out of the lineup again tonight for the Nationals owing to a seemingly minor neck issue, but the precise nature of his injury has been the subject of some debate. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post breaks down all the back-and-forth on the topic. In essence, Nats GM Mike Rizzo strongly denied a report from SI.com’s Tom Verducci indicating that Harper may have been playing through a shoulder injury for some time. Rizzo insists that Harper simply has a stiff neck that has not yet required a DL placement.
Here’s more on some injury situations around the game:
- Diamondbacks righty Rubby De La Rosa has suffered a setback in his efforts to come back from a forearm injury, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. He’s headed for an MRI to see where things stand. It seems as if there’s little reason to expect the 27-year-old to return to the majors this season. That’s a tough blow for the D-Backs, who surely would like to get a longer look at a pitcher who showed a fair bit of promise this year. Over 47 2/3 innings earlier in the season, De La Rosa worked to a 4.15 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
- The Astros will be without Colby Rasmus for a month or more after he underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his ear, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Rasmus has been struggling for some time, and it’s fair to wonder whether the issue may have played a significant role. He’ll need to return in good form to provide a boost to the ‘Stros — and to bolster his fading free agent position.
- Marlins first baseman Justin Bour isn’t progressing in his attempt to return from an ankle injury, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. In fact, manager Don Mattingly says that Bour “went backwards” of late, with the team’s expectation now being that he won’t return until at least early September. That certainly seems to open some room for Miami to look into adding a bat to chip in down the stretch.
- Athletics righty Sonny Gray only just began forearm exercises today, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. He won’t begin throwing again unless and until the inflammation subsides. At this point, it seems far from certain whether he’ll make it back to a major league hill this season.
- The Mariners may soon send reliever Steve Cishek out on a rehab assignment, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. It appears that his hip labrum issue is indeed as minor as the team had suggested. Meanwhile, fellow pen righty Tony Zych is also finally making some progress and will begin a rehab assignment on Friday. Adding those two arms down the stretch would provide a significant boost to Seattle’s late-inning mix.
Cardinals, Mets Interested In Carlos Gomez
8:56pm: The Mets aren’t giving off indications that they have serious interest in Gomez, Marc Carig of Newsday tweets. Though GM Sandy Alderson has “left [the] door open,” says Carig, his comments “sounded like diplomacy” rather than the prelude to a move on the veteran outfielder.
12:40pm: ESPN’s Mark Saxon tweets that the Cardinals are indeed looking into Gomez, and his ability to play center field is a big draw for them. However, he notes that St. Louis could be outbid by the Mets. Saxon adds in a second tweet that Gomez is expected to be traded rather than waived and released. Shortly after Gomez’s DFA earlier this week, the Mets were said to be “open” to reacquiring him. Gomez came up through the Mets’ farm system and was lauded as one of the game’s top prospects before he was traded to the Twins as part of the Johan Santana package.
11:00am: The Cardinals will explore the possibility of adding recently designated center fielder Carlos Gomez, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). According to Goold, they’ll try to ascertain the reasons for his sudden decline and determine whether they believe he can rediscover his form and help the 2016 club. Adding onto that, Goold said in an appearance on the Ryan Kelley Morning Show on 105.7 FM / 920 AM in St. Louis that the Cards have “legitimate curiosity” in Gomez and were intrigued by him even before last night, when left fielder Matt Holliday suffered a fractured thumb that could cost him much of the remaining season.
Gomez was a big-name addition for the Astros last July, when Houston parted with four prospects to pry Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers away from the Brewers. However, there were some medical concerns about Gomez at the time — a trade to the Mets was reportedly nixed in part due to concerns surrounding Gomez’s hip — and he performed dreadfully in the calendar year for which he donned an Astros uniform. The 30-year-old batted just .221/.277/.342 in 126 games for the Astros — a far cry from the terrific .278/.342/.475 batting line he compiled from Opening Day 2013 until the time of said trade. Gomez remains a base-stealing threat, but even defensive metrics have soured on his once-elite skill set in center field. Of course, he missed time in 2015 with a hamstring injury, played through alleged hip issues last season and spent more than a month on the DL in 2016 after injuring his rib cage while laying out to make a diving catch. Any and all of those issues could contribute to a decline in his defensive prowess in the outfield.
For the Cardinals, center field has been a revolving door for quite some time. Last year saw Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos deliver underwhelming performances before Randal Grichuk looked to seize the job, but Grichuk has taken a significant step back in 2016 and has been optioned to the minors on multiple occasions (though he’s back in the Majors now). Beyond Grichuk, the Cards have trotted out Tommy Pham, Jeremy Hazelbaker and even displaced second baseman Kolten Wong as they look to find a dependable everyday solution.
While Gomez is far from a certainty to fill that need, he could add an option with significant upside if he is ultimately released. That fate could very well be his outcome, as Gomez is owed $2.51MM through season’s end, and any claiming team would be on the hook for that sum. (And, while a trade is certainly another possibility, one can imagine that the recent data breach issues between the two teams in question here might create a reluctance to enter into such negotiations.)
Astros Designate Carlos Gomez For Assignment
In a stunning move, the Astros have designated center fielder Carlos Gomez for assignment, the team announced. Right-hander Jandel Gustave will come up from Triple-A Fresno to take Gomez’s roster spot.
Gomez’s designation represents a shocking fall from grace for the 30-year-old, whom Houston acquired from Milwaukee last July in a blockbuster deadline deal that also saw right-hander Mike Fiers join the Astros in exchange for four prospects. Two of those prospects – righty Josh Hader (No. 22) and outfielder Brett Phillips (No. 58) – currently rank among Baseball America’s Top 100. The Astros swooped in to land Gomez after the collapse of a trade between the Brewers and Mets, who were set to send righty Zack Wheeler and infielder Wilmer Flores to Milwaukee for Gomez before backing out over concerns regarding Gomez’s hip.
[RELATED: Updated Astros Depth Chart]
Gomez was a sought-after commodity last summer because he had established himself as one of the sport’s most well-rounded outfielders in previous seasons, combining excellence at the plate, on the base paths and defensively. From 2012-14, the former highly touted prospect batted .277/.336/.483 with 66 home runs in 1,686 plate appearances, stole 111 bases and accounted for 16.1 fWAR. Gomez was less effective prior to last season’s trade, though he still slashed a respectable .262/.328/.423 with eight homers in his final 74 games with the Brewers.
Gomez’s career began going off the rails after the Astros acquired him, as he hit a meager .242/.288/.383 in 41 contests down the stretch in 2015. But that line looks appealing compared to the .210/.272/.322 Gomez has compiled this season in 323 trips to the plate. Further, he has swatted only five homers while striking out a career-worst 31 percent of the time (a marked increase over his lifetime 23.1 percent mark) and posting his lowest ISO (.112) since 2010. From an offensive production standpoint, Gomez’s ability to steal bases (he’s 23 of 28 in Houston) is the lone aspect of his game that has continued to be above average since the Astros picked him up.
“It’s not a secret that I’m not doing my job and I’m really disappointed in myself,” Gomez admitted to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link).
Continued Gomez, “I still have a long career. I wish the best to this organization, this team” (Twitter link via Mark Berman of FOX 26).
With Gomez now out of the picture, the Astros look primed to turn center field over to defensive whiz Jake Marisnick, though he has never hit particularly well in the majors and is carrying a .225/.265/.337 line across 191 PAs this season. Unless another team takes on Gomez’s salary via trade or claims him on waivers, the Astros will also be responsible for the remainder of the $9MM he’s owed. If he goes unclaimed and Houston releases him, another club could sign Gomez for the prorated league minimum. Of course, that would be an enormous drop for a player who entered the season as a candidate to sign a $100MM-plus deal as a free agent during the upcoming winter. In fact, in his preseason free agent power rankings for 2017, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes forecast a potential $150MM payday for Gomez. His career has since cratered, though, making that type of deal a pipe dream for the Scott Boras client.
Brian McTaggart of MLB.com first reported Gomez’s designation.
Quick Hits: Astros, Dodgers, Mariners, Cubs
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow spoke about his decision to end the failed, short-lived Houston tenure of center fielder Carlos Gomez, whom the team designated for assignment Wednesday (via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). “Carlos has put in 100 percent. We all see how much he enjoys playing the game and how much he cares about what happens,” said Luhnow, who traded a haul to Milwaukee for Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers last July. “It’s one of those situations where for whatever reason it didn’t work out the way here he wanted to and we wanted to, and we felt it was the best interest of the organization and the team to move on and potentially get a fresh start somewhere else.”
Elsewhere around the majors…
- The Dodgers are “disappointed” in Triple-A outfielder Yasiel Puig, team president Andrew Friedman said Tuesday, after the 25-year-old posted videos on Snapchat that included him and some of his Oklahoma City teammates drinking alcohol and shouting curse words into the camera (via Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times). It’s a minor incident – and one the Dodgers “will address internally,” stated Friedman – but not one the team wanted to deal with after demoting the polarizing Puig earlier this month. As McCullough notes, Puig remains a trade candidate.
- Unfortunately for Friedman and the Dodgers, left-hander Rich Hill‘s long-awaited return from finger blisters could be at least another week away, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Hill, whom Friedman acquired from Oakland at the non-waiver trade deadline, has now had his LA debut pushed back twice. He was initially supposed to take the mound last Sunday, which the team moved to Friday. But Hill won’t be able to go then, either, which means righty Ross Stripling will take his place. Further, considering he hasn’t faced hitters in a while, Hill might have to make a rehab start, per Gurnick. The 36-year-old hasn’t recorded a legitimate start since July 7. On July 17, which was his final outing with the A’s, Hill had to exit after five pitches because of his blister troubles. Thanks to both that issue and a groin strain, Hill has amassed only 12 innings since the beginning of June.
- Mariners southpaw reliever Charlie Furbush will undergo surgery on the partially torn rotator cuff in his left arm Tuesday, writes Maddie Lee of MLB.com. Recovery time is expected to range from 12 to 18 months for Furbush, who told Lee, “Right now, I think, for me, a realistic goal would be Spring Training of 2018. But anything earlier than that and I’m on board.” Furbush, 30, was diagnosed with the injury last August and hasn’t taken a major league mound since last July. He was a dependable bullpen weapon for the Mariners until then, logging a 3.23 ERA, 10.32 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9 in 175 1/3 innings since 2012. Furbush also held left-handed hitters to a woeful .172/.243/.228 batting line during that span.
- Major League Baseball has suspended Cubs right-handed prospect Luiz Escanio for 144 games without pay after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, reports Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (Twitter link). That’s the second positive test for the 24-year-old Escanio, to whom the league handed a 72-game ban last summer after he was found to have used the anabolic steroid Stanozolol. Prior to his latest suspension, Escanio compiled a 1.45 ERA, 13.5 K/9 and 4.33 BB/9 in 18 2/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League.
AL Notes: Gurriel, Swihart, Benintendi, Royals, Mariners
The Astros announced today that infielder Yulieski Gurriel has been promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi and will join that affiliate tomorrow. Since signing a five-year, $47.5MM contract with Houston last month, Gurriel has played six games between Houston’s Gulf Coast League and Class-A Advanced affiliates, going 8-for-21 with a homer, three doubles and five strikeouts. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart tweets that Double-A is expected to be Gurriel’s final stop before arriving in the Major Leagues. It’s not entirely clear what type of alignment the Astros will utilize to work the 32-year-old Cuban star into the lineup, but Alex Bregman‘s struggles upon his first taste of the Majors may have made it easier for manager A.J. Hinch to work Gurriel into the mix.
A bit more from the American League…
- Red Sox manager John Farrell suggested to reporters this weekend that surgery could very well be required to fix the severe ankle sprain that is currently plaguing Blake Swihart (links to Twitter via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald and Tim Britton of the Providence Journal). Swihart, who is waiting for a second opinion on the injury, hasn’t played since June 4, and surgery would seemingly jeopardize his chances of returning at all in 2016. Boston had been playing the 24-year-old top prospect in left field after concerns about his glovework behind the plate surfaced.
- Mastrodonato writes today that outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who made his big league debut last week, could begin to find himself in the Red Sox‘ lineup with greater frequency. The Sox planned to ease Benintendi into the Majors by limiting his at-bats against left-handed pitching, but Farrell explained that the “easing-in period has happened relatively quick,” referencing Benintendi’s hot start to his big league career. Extra playing time for Benintendi would likely come at the expense of Bryce Brentz, with whom he’d been slated to platoon early in his career.
- MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tackles a host of roster-related questions in his latest Royals Inbox, noting right off the bat that there’s “not a chance” the Royals will decline Alcides Escobar‘s $6.5MM option in spite of his .279 OBP and recent rumors suggesting that the team may look to go with prospect Raul Mondesi Jr. at short in the near future. He also expects the Royals to try to work out a new two-year contract with Edinson Volquez, whom they like very much and who loves both the city of Kansas City and the Royals organization, according to Flanagan.
- Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto spoke to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune about his weekend acquisitions of relievers Arquimedes Caminero and Pat Venditte, praising Caminero for rebounding from a poor start to the 2016 and pitching well since June 1. (Indeed, Caminero has a 2.28 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 47.8 percent ground-ball rate in 23 2/3 innings since early June.) “He also provides another controllable and experienced arm for our pen,” said Dipoto. “Additionally, he’s among the hardest throwers in the game.” Speaking about Venditte, he said the Mariners were drawn to the ambidextrous hurler’s proficiency versus left-handed hitters as well as the fact that he has minor league options remaining.
Injury Notes: Gray, Rasmus, Peralta
The latest injury news from around the majors:
- The Athletics’ Sonny Gray is headed to the disabled list for the second time in 2016, this time because of a right forearm strain, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report (on Twitter). Gray’s roster spot will go to fellow righty Chris Smith, who has spent the season with Triple-A Nashville (updated depth chart). This latest injury continues a season to forget for the A’s – who have set a franchise record with 25 DL uses (Twitter link via Slusser) – and Gray, who posted a solid start (five innings, five hits and two earned runs allowed) against the Cubs on Saturday. Unfortunately, though, he had to depart after 72 pitches because of forearm discomfort. Gray previously hit the DL in May with a strained right trapezius and has compiled a shockingly ineffective 5.74 ERA in 116 innings this season. A significant home run spike is largely behind Gray’s bloated ERA. Entering the year, he had logged back-to-back full seasons of ace-like production for Oakland.
- The Diamondbacks have placed outfielder David Peralta on the DL with right wrist inflammation and recalled Socrates Brito from Triple-A Reno, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (updated depth chart). This is the third DL stint of the year for Peralta, and two have come as a result of right wrist troubles. Perhaps thanks in part to his injury problems, Peralta has hit an underwhelming .251/.295/.433 with four home runs in 183 plate appearances this year. He was an integral part of the D-backs’ offense from 2014-15, slashing an outstanding .301/.351/.492 with 25 homers in 865 PAs.
- The Astros have sent outfielder Colby Rasmus to the DL because of a cyst in his right ear and recalled Tony Kemp from Triple-A Fresno, per Angel Verdejo Jr. of the Houston Chronicle (updated depth chart). Rasmus, who has tumbled backward since a sizzling start and is currently amid a 3-for-66 slump since July 2, has batted a woeful .211/.286/.352 with 12 home runs in 368 plate appearances. He hit a much better .238/.314/.475 with 28 HRs across 485 trips to the dish last year, leading the Astros to extend him a $15.8MM qualifying offer in the offseason. Rasmus accepted that offer, but it’s fair to say Houston won’t tender him another QO (if they’re still around in the next collective bargaining agreement) during the upcoming winter.
Injury Notes: McCullers, Nola, Pelfrey, Tilson, Dodgers, Lindgren
As seemed likely after he departed last night’s game with elbow soreness, Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. was placed on the 15-day DL today. Rookie Joe Musgrove will take his rotation spot, which at least does afford the club an opportunity to give him a reasonable look. That’s rather a dull silver lining, though, as McCullers has arguably been Houston’s best pitcher this year when healthy and remains a critical element of the team’s hopes this year and in the future. McCullers says that he’ll wait at least two weeks before being checked up on, at which point he could resume throwing — if he’s deemed ready. (Via Brian Smith of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter.)
[Related: Updated Astros Depth Chart]
Here are some more important injury notes from around the game:
- The Phillies have placed righty Aaron Nola on the 15-day DL after he experienced some elbow discomfort, as Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Voice writes. Though there doesn’t appear to be any grave concern, it’s also not clear that Nola will throw again in the majors this year. He’s set to be shut down for at least a week, and if it goes much longer than the team may not see the benefit in trying to ramp him back up for only a few outings.
[Related: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]
- Tigers righty Mike Pelfrey is hitting the disabled list with a back strain, as the team announced. He has thrown 115 1/3 innings of 4.76 ERA ball with 4.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 on the year. That’s really not what Detroit thought it was signing up for when it signed Pelfrey to a two-year, $16MM deal as a free agent before the season. Fortunately for the Tigers, the loss of Pelfrey coincides with an even more impactful addition: the return of slugger J.D. Martinez.
[Related: Updated Tigers Depth Chart]
- White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson will miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring in his MLB debut, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. Tilson was only just acquired, in exchange for reliever Zach Duke, and moved straight to Chicago’s major league roster. After recording a hit in his first turn at the plate in the majors, he popped his hammy chasing down a fly ball and now needs surgery. Regarded as a speedy, contact-oriented player, Tilson was set for something of a showcase over the last two months of the season; instead, he’ll have to rehab and look to impress his new team next spring.
[Related: Updated White Sox Depth Chart]
- The Dodgers added two relievers to the 15-day DL, with Louis Coleman (right shoulder) and Adam Liberatore (left elbow) needing a respite. Coleman has been useful for Los Angeles, but the loss of Liberatore, in particular, is notable: he was in the midst of a surprising breakout campaign, with 33 1/3 innings of 1.62 ERA ball. Meanwhile, Los Angeles transferred Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day DL. That’s largely a formality to clear a 40-man spot, as it was already clear that he’d miss at least that much time, but the placement certainly doesn’t change the increasing perception that the game’s best pitcher may not be able to continue what had been his greatest season as a professional. Indeed, it still seems that he has yet to begin throwing.
[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]
- Yankees southpaw Jacob Lindgren is going to miss all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, as George A. King III of the New York Post tweets. The 23-year-old moved quickly to the majors after being drafted in 2014, and looked like an immediate and future piece of the Yankees’ relief picture. Instead, he has managed to throw only seven innings at the High-A level on the year, with more walks than strikeouts (9 to 8) in that span.
AL West Notes: McCullers, Street, Rangers
Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. left his start last night with right elbow discomfort, the team announced. He’ll be looked at more closely today, but that’s certainly not the news the club was hoping for right after the non-waiver trade deadline. Houston had been rumored to be pursuing starters but instead parted with one depth option by trading veteran right-hander Scott Feldman to the Blue Jays. Shoulder problems delayed his start to the year, but McCullers has been quite effective when healthy, working to a 3.22 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 over 81 frames out of the Houston rotation this year. Rookie right-hander Joe Musgrove finished off the game in dominant fashion, tossing 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball and fanning eight in the process. He could step into McCullers’ rotation spot if a need arises.
Elsewhere in the AL West…
- The Angels announced that Huston Street is headed to the disabled list due to knee inflammation. The 33-year-old has had an awful season this year, pitching to a 6.45 ERA with just 14 strikeouts against 12 walks in 22 1/3 innings at the back of the Halos’ bullpen. Those results aren’t ideal for any pitcher, let alone a closer that is in the first season of a two-year, $18MM contract extension. This is the second DL stint of the year for Street, who also missed time in May with an oblique issue. Righty Cam Bedrosian looks to be next in line, which isn’t much of a surprise considering the second-generation pitcher’s impressive breakout campaign. The 24-year-old has been a bright spot in a disappointing year for the Angels, using a fastball that has averaged 95.3 mph to help him generate 11.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 50.5 percent ground-ball rate en route to a pristine 0.90 ERA.
- Rangers general manager Jon Daniels spent weeks speaking to the Rays about their starters, tried to pry Chris Sale or Jose Quintana away from the White Sox and explored rental pitchers on the final day of the deadline, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, Daniels found the asking prices in each case to be too prohibitive and ultimately decided he was better off strengthening his lineup and bullpen than overspending on a rotation arm. Daniels, though, tells Rosenthal that he doesn’t blame selling clubs for placing extreme prices on their pitchers. “I don’t think they were being difficult,” said the GM. “I thought they had great pitchers in a market in which no pitching was available. They were understandably asking for a lot, especially for guys with 3, 4, and 5 years of control. They may get as much in a year or two as they would have gotten today.” Daniels admitted that he’s still a bit concerned with his rotation, though the waiver trade market should afford him opportunities to bolster his starting mix if he desires.
Injury Notes: Salazar, Cabrera, Gregerson, Teheran, Rosenthal, Hochevar
A trio of notable players just hit the 15-day DL, so we’ll cover them all right here:
- The Indians announced that they have placed righty Danny Salazar on the 15-day DL while he rests his prized right elbow. Fortunately, an MRI seems only to have revealed inflammation, so the hope is that Salazar won’t miss an extended period of time. And Cleveland has plenty of rotation depth on hand, including Cody Anderson and Mike Clevinger, with the latter getting the nod for the time being. Still even a relatively brief absence will have an impact; Salazar has been nothing short of outstanding, and the AL Central-leading club holding a four-game cushion in the division race.
- After already recently placing infielder Jose Reyes on the shelf, the Mets have now done the same with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. He suffered a strained patellar tendon and is headed for an MRI. The team also added just-signed outfielder Justin Ruggiano to the 15-day ranks. Cabrera’s loss is notable for an organization that was already scrambling to fill in for missing infielders. Matt Reynolds will come up for the meantime to help fill the void, but it seems there’s some real concern that the injury could require a fairly lengthy absence.
- Astros reliever Luke Gregerson is headed to the 15-day with an oblique strain, the team announced. That not only will keep him out of action for a bit, but will clear the way for Ken Giles to take over as the team’s closer with Will Harris struggling of late. Gregerson has been rather excellent this year despite himself losing the 9th-inning job previously, with ERA estimators valuing him even more highly than his 3.09 ERA.
- The Braves have added righty Julio Teheran to the DL as well. He is dealing with a lat strain that isn’t believed to be serious. Atlanta will obviously want to exercise plenty of caution in handling the injury, even if it isn’t particularly worrisome, as Teheran is a key piece of the organization’s rebuilding plans and there’s no need to rush him back.
- Cardinals reliever Trevor Rosenthal has been given platelet-rich plasma injections in his bothersome righty shoulder, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. GM John Mozeliak says that it’s possible Rosenthal Of course, St. Louis will be looking for more than just physical improvement; it’ll also hope that he can fix his skyrocketing walk rate during a rehab stint.
- As expected, Royals righty Luke Hochevar underwent a procedure today to help deal with a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. He is expected to be out for six months, which would conceivably mean that he’ll be ready for a full spring camp if the rehab goes according to plan. It seems likely that the Royals will decline their end of a $7MM mutual option on the reliever, which would make him a free agent, though certainly it’s possible to imagine him staying with Kansas City on some kind of creative, two-year deal of the sort that the team has reached in recent years with several injured hurlers.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/1/16
We’ve had a number of big moves as we approached the trade deadline today, but here are a few smaller ones.
- The Blue Jays have designated righty Ben Rowen to clear space on their roster for the newly acquired Mike Bolsinger, Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star tweets. The 27-year-old Rowen has pitched well this season in the bullpen at Triple-A Buffalo, posting a 2.47 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 47 1/3 innings, and he’s continued his trend of getting tons of ground-ball outs in the minors, with a ratio of 3.25 outs on the ground for every one in the air.
- In an intriguing minor deal, the Dodgers have announced that they’ve acquired righty Josh Fields from the Astros for first baseman Yordan Alvarez. The 30-year-old Fields thrived in the Astros’ bullpen last season, with a 3.55 ERA, 3.4 BB/9 and an exceptional 11.9 K/9, but failed to get good results despite maintaining strong peripherals this season and has spent much of the year with Triple-A Fresno. The Dodgers signed the 19-year-old Alvarez for $2MM earlier this season. He played in Cuba’s Serie Nacional in 2013 and 2014 and has not yet appeared in a minor league game.
- In the wake of their trade for Jonathan Lucroy, the Rangers have announced that they’ve designated fellow catchers Bryan Holaday and Bobby Wilson for assignment. Both have played sparingly for Texas this year. Holaday, acquired in late March after many years in the Tigers organization, batted .238/.290/.405 in 94 plate appearances with the Rangers. Wilson, an eight-year MLB veteran, hit .250/.277/.352.
- The Mariners have announced that they’ve claimed infielder Mike Freeman off waivers from the Diamondbacks. To clear space on their 40-man roster, they’ve designated infielder Patrick Kivlehan for assignment. Freeman, soon to be 29, briefly played in the Majors this season but has spent most of the year with Triple-A Reno, where he’s batted .317/.387/.411 while playing second, first and all three outfield positions. The 26-year-old Kivlehan has hit a disappointing .242/.291/.399 with Seattle and Texas’ Triple-A affiliates.
- The Cubs have announced that they designated lefty Brian Matusz for assignment. The move clears space on their active roster for righty Spencer Patton, who was promoted from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs signed Matusz to a minor league deal in June after he was traded from the Orioles to the Braves and then designated for assignment. He had previously been a longtime and productive member of the Baltimore bullpen, but he’s struggled in nine big-league innings this season, allowing 14 runs.