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Tigers Place Gio Urshela On 10-Day Injured List

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Third baseman Gio Urshela has been placed on the Tigers’ 10-day injured list, the team announced.  Urshela is dealing with a right hamstring strain that forced him out of yesterday’s 5-4 win over the Twins in the second inning.  Infielder Buddy Kennedy was called up from Triple-A Toledo to take Urshela’s spot on the active roster.

Urshela looked to be in discomfort after trying to run out a grounder, and he was replaced at third base by Matt Vierling in the bottom of the second.  Vierling and Zach McKinstry could simply handle third base duties in a platoon until Urshela is healthy, though with Andy Ibanez also on the 10-day IL, Detroit’s infield depth is now further thinned out by the loss of Urshela for at least the next 10 days.  Kennedy also figures to get into the mix, and his first in-game appearance will mark his Tigers debut after being claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks in February.

Speaking with Evan Petzold of the Detroit News and other reporters, Urshela revealed that he has a Grade 1 strain, or the lowest level of strain.  As such, the infielder is hopeful that he won’t miss much time beyond the 10-day minimum, though Urshela figures he’ll be sidelined for perhaps two weeks.

The hamstring strain is another unfortunate injury setback for Urshela, who missed most of the 2023 season recovering from a pelvic fracture.  Urshela hit .299/.329/.374 over 228 plate appearances for the Angels but didn’t play again after June 15 due to his recovery.

Looking to rebuild his value, Urshela signed a one-year, $1.5MM free agent deal with the Tigers over the offseason, and has quickly stepped in as Detroit’s regular third baseman. While Vierling, McKinstry, and Ibanez has gotten some work at the hot corner, Urshela has started 14 of 20 games and also hit .298/.310/.333 over 58 PA.  A .362 BABIP has greatly aided that production, as Urshela has continued to shown the same lack of power that plagued him in 2023.  Urshela’s walk rate is also only 1.7%, which would easily be the worst of his career if continued over the full season.

Despite these concerns, Urshela has actually been one of the more respectable hitters on a Detroit team that has struggled to generate offense.  Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Mark Canha are all hitting well, but pretty much the rest of the lineup has ranged from average to mediocre, as the Tigers have been carried by their pitching to their solid 11-9 start.

Sawyer Gipson-Long To Undergo Internal Brace Surgery

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The Tigers informed reporters that depth starter Sawyer Gipson-Long will undergo an internal brace surgery on Monday to repair his UCL (X link via Evan Woodbery of MLive). He’ll miss the entire 2024 season.

It’s an unfortunate but not especially surprising revelation. Gipson-Long had gone for various evaluations after feeling forearm tightness a couple weeks ago. The 6’4″ righty was already on the 15-day injured list because of a groin strain, yet this obviously represents a much more serious setback. While an internal brace procedure comes with a shorter recovery timeline than the standard Tommy John UCL reconstruction, it’s likely he’ll begin the ’25 campaign on the IL as well.

Gipson-Long is a former sixth-round draftee of the Twins. Detroit acquired him at the 2022 deadline for reliever Michael Fulmer. The Tigers called him to the majors for the first time last September. Gipson-Long had an excellent showing, working to a 2.70 ERA with a near-32% strikeout rate in 20 innings. He didn’t face the toughest competition — his starts were against the White Sox, Angels, A’s and Royals — but it was about as impressive a debut as Detroit could’ve reasonably expected.

Detroit wasn’t likely to give Gipson-Long an Opening Day rotation spot even if he were healthy. Between Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning and offseason signees Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda, they have a fair amount of rotation talent. Gipson-Long would likely have been seventh on the depth chart. Even if he started the year on optional assignment to Triple-A Toledo, it’s likely he’d have been tabbed for some starts throughout the course of a 162-game schedule.

Instead, he’ll spend the entire season on the IL. The small silver lining is that he’ll be paid at the MLB minimum rate and collect a full year of service time. Detroit can transfer him to the 60-day injured list whenever they need a 40-man roster spot. There’s no IL during the offseason, so the Tigers will need to reinstate or waive Gipson-Long shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. Assuming they keep him on the roster, he’ll be controllable for at least another five seasons.

MLBTR Podcast: Free Agent Power Rankings, Ohtani’s Stolen Money And The A’s Moving To Sacramento

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • How can a pitcher blow a save in the seventh inning? How early can a save be blown? (38:25)
  • Do you think the Tigers will release Javier Báez? It is painful to watch him. (41:15)
  • Who could the Braves target inside or outside the organization to replace Spencer Strider? (45:15)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Injury Notes: Albies, Suzuki, Basabe, Gipson-Long

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The Braves placed Ozzie Albies on the injured list yesterday after the star second baseman fractured a toe on a hit-by-pitch. The Athletic’s David O’Brien writes that the Braves expect Albies’ absence to be closer to one month as opposed to the three months he lost when he broke his foot during the 2022 season. While that’d be well beyond the 10-day minimum, it’s far from a worst case scenario.

Atlanta’s typically excellent offense has been the best in MLB over the season’s first few weeks. The Braves lead the majors in all three triple-slash stats and entered Wednesday third in runs (behind the Padres and Dodgers, each of whom have played more games). Albies has been a big part of that, hitting .317/.386/.492 with a pair of longballs over his first 70 plate appearances. The Braves selected David Fletcher’s contract after Albies’ injury to add a glove-first utility option. Luis Guillorme has gotten the start at the keystone in each of the last two days.

A few more health situations of note:

  • An approximate month-long absence also seems to be on the table for Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who went on the shelf on Monday with an oblique strain. Manager Craig Counsell told reporters last night that the injury is in the “four-week range,” although the team will have a clearer timetable once Suzuki’s symptoms subside (X link via Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune). One of Chicago’s hottest hitters, Suzuki was off to a .305/.368/.525 start to his third MLB campaign. Mike Tauchman has been pushed into right field action against right-handed pitching, with Alexander Canario recalled as a righty complement in the corner opposite Ian Happ.
  • The Rays were dealt a hit to their infield depth this afternoon. Osleivis Basabe landed on the minor league injured list. Patrick Kinas, broadcaster for the team’s Triple-A affiliate, tweets that Basabe fractured his right wrist when he was by a pitch from Naoyuki Uwasawa in yesterday’s game. It’s not clear how long he’ll be out of action, although it stands to reason it’ll be a significant absence. Basabe has spent this year in Triple-A after being optioned during Spring Training. The righty-hitting shortstop got to the majors late last season, appearing in his first 31 MLB contests. He’s on the 40-man roster as a depth option for a middle infield that is already without Brandon Lowe and Taylor Walls.
  • Sawyer Gipson-Long continues to weigh multiple opinions after experiencing forearm tightness, the Tigers informed reporters (including The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen). Detroit hasn’t specified whether surgery is on the table, yet it’s nevertheless worrisome any time a pitcher is dealing with somewhat nebulous forearm soreness. Gipson-Long began the season on the 15-day injured list after suffering a Spring Training groin strain. He had an impressive four-start MLB debut last September, fanning nearly 32% of opponents with a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings. Gipson-Long wasn’t likely to be in contention for an Opening Day rotation spot but projects as one of Detroit’s better depth starters if healthy.

Tigers Claim Ty Adcock From Mariners

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The Tigers have claimed right-hander Ty Adcock off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both clubs. The Tigers had an open 40-man roster spot and won’t need to make a corresponding move. The righty has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo.

Adcock, 27, was drafted by the Mariners in 2019 but hasn’t been able to pitch too much since then. The pandemic wiped out the minor leagues in 2020 and then Adcock required Tommy John surgery in April of 2021, which put him out of action for that season and most of 2022.

Last year, he was able to get back on track a bit. He tossed 20 2/3 innings in the minors between High-A and Double-A with a 1.74 earned run average. He struck out 29.3% of batters faced while giving out walks at just a 6.7% clip. He was also able to make his major league debut and posted a 3.45 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. His 19% strikeout rate was a bit below average but he didn’t issue any walks.

Here in 2024, Adcock was optioned to Triple-A to start the year and got off to a shaky start, allowing two earned runs in his first 2 1/3 innings. That included three walks, though one of them was intentional. The M’s shook up their bullpen last week and Adcock got bumped off the roster.

As mentioned, the Tigers had an open roster spot, so nabbing Adcock off waivers was basically free depth for them. The righty has a very limited track record due to missing so much time but he averaged 96.6 miles per hour on his fastball in the majors last year, with his slider at 86.5 mph. Power pitchers often come with control issues but that hasn’t been the case so far in Adcock’s brief amount of official action.

Adcock will report to Toledo and look to position himself for his next big league call-up. He still has two options and just a few weeks of service time, so he could theoretically stick on the roster for many years, as long as he justifies his spot with his performance.

AL Central Notes: White Sox, Correa, Tigers

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The White Sox recently received some good news on the injury front, as GM Chris Getz told reporters (including 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine) that the prognoses on injured hitters Luis Robert Jr. and Yoan Moncada aren’t quite as worrying as the club initially believed.

Per Getz, Robert may be able to return from the Grade 2 hip flexor strain that sent him to the injured list last week after just six weeks of rehab, while the club hopes Moncada can return from his adductor strain in late July. The news is surely relieving for White Sox fans, as Robert was reportedly at risk of missing multiple months due to his injury while Moncada was given an initial timeline for return of three to six months. Getz’s comments indicate that both players are on track to return at the earliest end of their projected timetables.

The injuries are yet another blow to a White Sox club that has started the season with a 2-12 record and appears destined for a second consecutive 100-loss season in 2024. While Chicago was never expected to be a serious postseason contender this season, Robert and Moncada were each shaping up to be rare bright spots for the club this year prior to their injuries. Robert is the face of the Sox franchise following the departures of Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease in recent months and appeared poised to build upon a 2023 campaign that saw him slash .264/.315/.542 in 145 games, while Moncada was off to his best start in years after struggling with injuries in recent seasons. Through 11 games this year, the 28 year old was hitting a solid .282/.364/.410 with strong strikeout (22.7%) and walk (11.3%) figures.

Of course, it’s entirely possible both players will be able to pick up from where they left off upon rejoining the club later in the season. In the meantime, the White Sox are relying on Dominic Fletcher and Kevin Pillar in center field while Lenyn Sosa gets the lion’s share of playing time at the hot corner. Sosa moving off the bench to take up third base and Fletcher shifting from right field to center has also opened the door for the likes of Zach Remillard and Robbie Grossman to impact the club’s roster.

More from around the AL Central:

  • Twins shortstop Carlos Correa hit the 10-day injured list yesterday with what was initially described as an oblique strain, but Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com noted last night that Minnesota later reclassified as a mild right intercostal strain following the results of an MRI. While a timeline for Correa’s return to action is not yet known, Park suggests that once could be announced at some point this week. The reclassification of Correa’s injury provides some optimism that he could return to action fairly quickly, as MLB.com notes that mild intercostal strains typically have a recovery time of two to three weeks. Even if the absence is a relatively short one, it’s an unfortunate turn of events for a Twins club that has already lost Royce Lewis to injury on the left side of its infield. Correa had gotten off to a hot start this season, slashing a strong .306/.432/.444 through 11 games this season prior to hitting the injured list.
  • The Tigers provided an ominous update on the status of right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long yesterday, with Evan Woodbery of MLive relaying comments from club manager A.J. Hinch. According to Hinch, the Tigers are getting “multiple opinions” on the righty’s arm after he reported tightness in his forearm last week. To that end, Gipson-Long has returned to Detroit to meet with the team’s doctors and will remain with the club while awaiting next steps. Gipson-Long was already on the injured list due to a groin strain, but an issue with his right arm is far more concerning for the long term. A lengthy absence would be unfortunate for the Tigers, as Gipson-Long impressed with a 2.70 ERA and 3.16 FIP in four starts down he stretch last season during his first big league cup of coffee.

Central Notes: Grandal, Delay, Borucki, Gipson-Long, Edman, Martínez 

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Alex Stumpf of MLB.com offered a series of Pirates injury updates today.

Yasmani Grandal is still a few weeks away from coming off the injured list as he recovers from plantar fasciitis. However, he seems to be making good progress, and Stumpf reports that he will begin baserunning in the coming days. He has already been participating in simulated games. The two-time All-Star spent his last four seasons with the White Sox. His days as one of the best catchers in baseball are long behind him, but the Pirates are hoping he can be a capable veteran backup.

In less positive catching news, Jason Delay has been shut down from all baseball activities with little explanation. He has been on the IL since April 3 (retroactive to April 1) with right knee inflammation. The long-time minor leaguer had a mini breakout with the Pirates last year. Although his offensive numbers weren’t so impressive, he played 68 games behind the dish and put up strong defensive metrics, looking like a solid backup option.

On the pitching side, Ryan Borucki is recovering quickly from left triceps inflammation that landed him on the IL retroactive to April 6. Borucki, 30, entered the year hoping to follow up on a strong 2023 season in Pittsburgh. While the southpaw struggled through a pair of injury-riddled seasons with the Blue and Mariners in 2021 and ’22, he was a master of control for the Pirates in 2023. In 40 1/3 innings, Borucki walked just four batters. The only other pitcher with so few bases on balls (min. 30 IP) was Jacob deGrom. Stumpf notes that Borucki will begin playing catch soon, and he shouldn’t be on the IL for much longer than the minimum 15 days.

In other news from around the NL and AL Central:

  • The Tigers released a medical update today (shared by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press) that revealed right-handed pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long is dealing with right forearm tightness. He was already on the IL recovering from a groin strain. The 26-year-old is undergoing medical evaluation to determine the severity of the injury. Gipson-Long made four starts for the Tigers last year but retains his rookie eligibility for 2024. He is the team’s No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and No. 19 according to Baseball America.
  • Cardinals center fielder Tommy Edman has been approved to begin his hitting progression, reports Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His first step is hitting off a tee. While Edman will still need plenty of preparation to transition from a tee to MLB-caliber pitching, this marks an important step in his recovery. The Gold Glove-winner has been sidelined all year with a wrist injury.
  • Guardians infield prospect Angel Martínez has been on the 10-day IL since Opening Day with a right foot contusion he suffered this spring. Today, he was sent to Triple-A Columbus for a rehab assignment. Although Martínez is on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, he has yet to make his MLB debut. He will likely stay at Triple-A once his rehab stint is up, where he will look to improve upon a poor showing at the plate last season. Martínez, 22, is widely considered a top-10 prospect in the Guardians system. He is a candidate to earn a call-up to the MLB squad in the event of an injury to another infielder.

Tigers To Recall Wenceel Perez For MLB Debut

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3:30pm: The Tigers have placed Ibanez on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, per Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group, with Perez recalled in the corresponding move.

2:56pm: The Tigers are calling up infielder/outfielder Wenceel Perez for his major league debut. Perez announced the news himself on his Instagram story. The team hasn’t confirmed the move themselves just yet, nor have the Tigers announced the corresponding 26-man roster move. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Perez will be replacing Andy Ibanez, who has some sort of injury. It’s not yet clear what that injury is or how significant it is.

Perez, 24, ranks as the Tigers’ No. 20 prospect at both Baseball America and MLB.com. He can provide the Tigers with an option at as many as five spots on the diamond. The versatile switch-hitter has played exclusively in the outfield in his first eight Triple-A games of the season, but he’s split the bulk of his professional career between the two middle infield slots, playing 1871 innings at shortstop and 1818 innings at second base.

While he’s out to a bit of a slow start this season, hitting .212/.297/.485 with a homer and four steals in 37 plate appearances, Pere turned in a strong .264/.394/.496 showing in his first 160 Triple-A plate appearances last year (124 wRC+). He regularly posts strong walk rates and well below-average strikeout rates in the minors. Perez may not have elite power or speed, but he popped a career-high 14 homers in 2023 and has averaged 22 stolen bases per year dating back to 2021.

Scouting reports on Perez note that he easily has the range to play second base but is hampered there by inconsistent throws. The Tigers are hopeful that top prospect Colt Keith can handle that position long-term anyhow, and they’re stuck with Javier Baez’s contract at shortstop, so a move to the outfield makes sense as Perez deepens his defensive versatility to prep for the utility role that both BA and MLB.com suggest he can fill.

The Tigers selected Perez to the 40-man roster following the 2022 season. He’s in the second of three minor league option years and can be freely shuttled between Toledo and Detroit this year without needing to worry about waivers. He will likely replace Ibanez on the club’s bench next to Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry.

Astros To Claim Miguel Diaz, Cooper Hummel Off Waivers

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2:05 pm: The Astros have now announced both claims. In corresponding moves, they transferred right-handers Luis Garcia Jr. and Penn Murfee to the 60-day injured list. Both pitchers underwent elbow surgery last summer and won’t be available for a few more months, at least.

12:27 pm: The Astros are set to make a pair of waiver claims. Neither has been formally announced by the club just yet, but Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Houston is claiming right-hander Miguel Diaz off waivers from the Tigers, who’d designated him for assignment last week. Ari Alexander of KPRC-2 in Houston further reports that the ’Stros are claiming catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel, who was designated for assignment by the Giants last week.

Diaz, 29, has pitched in parts of six big league seasons — four with the Padres and two with the Tigers. He tossed 14 innings out of the Detroit ’pen in 2023, allowing just one run on eight hits and five walks with 16 strikeouts. It was a brief but dominant showing that surely enhanced his standing within the organization and gave him a chance to break camp with the 2024 club. However, Diaz struggled this spring, surrendering five runs on ten hits and five walks in 8 1/3 innings.

Originally selected by the Padres (by way of a trade with the Twins) out of the Brewers organization in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft, Diaz’s big league career began in rocky fashion. That was understandable, given that San Diego carried a then-22-year-old Diaz on the roster all season after plucking him directly out of A-ball. He pitched just 66 2/3 innings in his first three seasons, logging a lowly 6.62 ERA. The Friars non-tendered him in 2019 to remove him from the 40-man roster but quickly re-signed him.

In 2021, Diaz returned to the majors with 42 effective innings out of the San Diego ’pen. Over the past three seasons, he carries a 2.87 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 41.9% ground-ball rate in 59 2/3 innings. Diaz is out of minor league options, so he’ll head directly to the Houston bullpen as he cannot be sent to the minors without first passing through waivers. If he can demonstrate some staying power in manager Joe Espada’s bullpen, he can be controlled through the 2027 season via arbitration.

Hummel, 29, has bounced from the Mariners, to the Mets, to the Giants and now the Astros since the end of the 2023 season. He appeared in 10 MLB games last year and came to the plate 26 times with Seattle. He also received a brief look with the D-backs in 2022, and he’s posted an overall .166/.264/.286 line in 227 career plate appearances.

Ugly as that small-sample slash line may be, Hummel turned in a .262/.409/.435 batting line in Triple-A last year and drew walks at a massive 18% clip. His ability to play both catcher and corner outfield gives him a relatively uncommon brand of versatility. Hummel has logged more than 1800 innings in left field, 1054 frames behind the plate, 508 innings at first base and another 296 innings in right field. Add in that he has a minor league option remaining, and he’s an interesting depth piece even if he hasn’t yet produced at the big league level.

Players Who Sign Extensions Prior To MLB Debut Are Not PPI Eligible

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A player who signs a contract extension prior to making his major league debut is not eligible for the prospect promotion incentive, reports JJ Cooper of Baseball America. He specifically mentions Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Colt Keith of the Tigers, who both signed extensions with their respective clubs this offseason, as players who are not PPI eligible.

The latest collective bargaining agreement introduced the PPI to encourage clubs to carry top prospects on Opening Day rosters, rather than hold them down in the minors to gain an extra year of control, a move generally referred to as service time manipulation.

A major league season is 187 days long and a player needs 172 days in the big leagues to earn one year. By holding a player down in the minors for a few weeks, a club can prevent that player from getting to the one-year mark. Since a player needs a full six years of service to qualify for free agency, the club can gain an extra year of control over a young player by doing this. Some of the oft-cited examples of this practice are Kris Bryant of the Cubs and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays, both of whom were top prospects who were called up a few weeks into their respective rookie seasons, thus coming up just short of one year of service.

In an attempt to curb this behavior, the CBA introduced the PPI system, whereby teams could earn an extra draft pick by promoting certain players early in the season. To qualify, a player had to be on at least two out of the three top 100 lists at Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline, as well as being rookie eligible and have fewer than 60 days of service time. If such a player was called up early enough in the season to accrue 172 days of service the traditional way*, they would be PPI eligible and could net their club an extra pick just after the first round. To earn a pick, a PPI eligible player has to either win a Rookie of the Year award or finish in the top three of voting for Most Valuable Player or Cy Young prior to qualifying for arbitration.

(*There was another new measure in the CBA to disincentive service time manipulation, whereby a player could earn a full year of service even if called up too late. If they were otherwise PPI eligible and finished in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting, they could be bumped up to a full year, but they would not earn their clubs an extra pick. This situation arose with Adley Rutschman of the Orioles in 2022, who finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting despite missing the first few weeks of the season. He earned a full year of service but the O’s would not have received a bonus pick for that if he had finished first.)

This new detail provides an extra wrinkle, as Chourio and Keith would have been in play for PPI picks. Both of them are top prospects who signed offseason extensions and then cracked Opening Day rosters. However, this new development means they won’t be in play for those bonus picks after all.

On the flip side, Cooper adds that Michael Busch of the Cubs and Joey Ortiz of the Brewers are PPI eligible. When Matt Eddy of Baseball America outlined the PPI rules back in February, he noted that players who debut in the majors and are then traded do not have PPI status with their new club. Busch debuted with the Dodgers last year and was traded to the Cubs this winter while Ortiz debuted with the Orioles before being flipped to the Brewers. Eddy provided a further update today, stating that they are PPI eligible since they were not moved via midseason trades.

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