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AL Central Notes: McCann, Zimmermann, Tribe, Twins, Royals

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It isn’t any secret that the White Sox are eager to keep Jose Abreu in the fold, though another veteran may also be a candidate for a longer-term stint with the club.  While expressing to the Athletic’s James Fegan (subscription link) about how much the Sox would like to continue their relationship with Abreu, GM Rick Hahn also praised James McCann’s work at catcher.  “He’s been everything we had hoped for in terms of in the clubhouse and from a defensive standpoint and quite frankly more than we had even hoped for offensively,” Hahn said.  “He made an adjustment with his stance in the offseason….That’s really clicked for him. He’s been a great acquisition for us. We have control of him through arbitration next year and certainly look forward to having him around for a while.”

McCann signed a one-year, $2.5MM free agent deal with Chicago after being non-tendered by the Tigers in the offseason, and has enjoyed perhaps the hottest stretch of his career at the plate.  McCann is batting .366/.404/.581 through 99 plate appearances, absurd numbers for a hitter who had just a .653 OPS over 1658 career PA heading into the season.  While some regression at the plate is inevitable, Fegan feels the Sox would prefer keeping McCann over Welington Castillo for 2020, since even McCann on an arbitration raise will cost less than Castillo’s $8MM club option.

Here’s more from around the AL Central…

  • Jordan Zimmermann is “probably a month” or so away from returning, Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire told The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen (Twitter link) and other media.  Gardenhire revealed that Zimmermann has been battling a muscle strain in addition to the UCL sprain that initially sent him to the injured list back on April 26.
  • Indians manager Terry Francona provided MLB.com’s Mandy Bell (Twitter links) and other reporters with injury updates today, including the news that Adam Plutko will start for Cleveland on Saturday.  Plutko has missed the entire season due to a right forearm sprain, and has only a 5.38 ERA over 80 1/3 career innings in the majors, though the Tribe is looking to fill holes in the rotation with both Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger on the IL.  Speaking of the Cleveland injury list, Francona also said Tyler Naquin will be kept out of baseball activities for two weeks due to swelling behind the outfielder’s knee.
  • “The expectation both within the organization and outside is that the Twins, like so many other teams, must address their bullpen if they want to be real contenders,” The Athletic’s Dan Hayes writes in a look at Minnesota’s relief corps.  The Twins are around the middle of the pack in most relief categories, with Taylor Rogers, Blake Parker, Trevor May, and Ryne Harper all delivering excellent results thus far, though there isn’t a lot of experience within that group.  While Minnesota will surely explore adding a reliever before the trade deadline if the team remains in the race, GM Thad Levine notes that “I think it’s a little too early to see that market take shape,” noting that teams with bullpen assets to sell right now are putting a big asking price on that pitching.
  • While Alex Gordon is posting big numbers and can be a free agent after the season, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) feels “the safer bet is that he stays put, then re-signs with the Royals and finishes his career in Kansas City.”  The long-time face of the Royals franchise can’t be traded without his permission due to 10-and-5 rights, though if he did want to be dealt, “the Royals almost certainly would try to accommodate him.”  There’s also a notable financial element to any potential Gordon trade, as the $4MM buyout attached to his $23MM mutual option for the 2020 season would become a $4MM assignment bonus in the event of a trade, as the mutual option would then be voided.  Plus, Gordon still has roughly $15MM remaining on his $20MM salary for the 2019 season.

Twins Option Trevor Hildenberger, Will Select Austin Adams

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The Twins announced following Wednesday’s game that they’ve optioned struggling righty Trevor Hildenberger to Triple-A Rochester. While no corresponding move was announced, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Twins are set to select the contract of right-hander Austin Adams from Rochester. SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson tweeted earlier in the afternoon that Adams was a potential replacement option. Because Adams is not on the 40-man roster, Minnesota will need to make an additional move to accommodate the promotion.

Hildenberger, 28, was a significant factor in the Twins’ 2017 Wild Card run when he emerged as a late-blooming rookie and turned in a 3.21 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 1.3 BB/9 in 42 innings of work down the stretch. He largely maintained that pace with a 3.33 first-half ERA in 2018 before cratering in the season’s second half when he allowed 27 runs in his final 27 innings of work.

The 2019 has been a smaller-scale replica of that 2018 campaign; Hildenberger allowed just two runs on nine hits and four walks with 11 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings in April but has been clobbered for 11 runs in just 4 2/3 innings this month. While he’s never thrown hard, it’s also not a good sign that the righty’s average fastball is down 1.2 mph from last year’s levels (dipping from 89.6 mph to 88.4 mph). In fairness to Hildenberger, he’s been plagued by a sky-high .460 average on balls in play, which certainly hasn’t helped his cause. For now, he’ll look to right the ship in a lower-pressure setting and return to help the club later in the season.

As for Adams — not to be confused with the former Nationals reliever of the same name whom the Mariners acquired earlier this month — it’ll be the 32-year-old’s first big league action since the 2016 season. Adams was a 2009 fifth-round pick of the Indians and spent parts of three seasons (2014-16) in the Cleveland ’pen, meaning Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, a former Indians AGM, is likely quite familiar with the righty.

He hasn’t had much success in the Majors outside of a 3.78 ERA in 33 2/3 innings with the 2015 Indians, but Adams is currently sporting a 28-to-6 K/BB ratio in 14 innings of work with Triple-A Rochester. He’s been tagged for three homers in that time and has a 4.50 ERA on the whole, but the K/BB ratio and Adams’ whopping 58.5 percent ground-ball rate are genuinely intriguing. Perhaps most intriguing of all is the fact that the Twins and Mariners will square off in a four-game series beginning tomorrow, thus setting the stage for an Austin Adams vs. Austin Adams bullpen showdown.

Twins Activate Miguel Sano, Place Mitch Garver On IL

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The Twins announced today that third baseman Miguel Sano is heading back onto the MLB roster. He’ll take the place of backstop Mitch Garver, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list after suffering an ankle sprain last night.

Sano, who just celebrated his 26th birthday, has been working back from a heel injury that cost him much more time than had been anticipated. The AL Central-leading Twins also used the opportunity to allow the slugger plenty of time to see pitching in the minors.

It’ll be fascinating to see how Sano responds to MLB pitching. He entered spring camp with a new physique and showing plenty of promise after a rough 2018 campaign. He has posted a .316/.364/.579 slash in his 44 rehab plate appearances.

The Twins will hope that Sano can get back to the high-level offensive output that he showed earlier in his career. He batted .264/.352/.507 and launched 28 long balls in 483 plate appearances in 2017, so it hasn’t been that long since he was a productive bat.

Unfortunately, the move comes in conjunction with the loss of Garver, who was off to a breakout start to the year. His timeline isn’t yet known. Fortunately, the team can still rely upon Jason Castro and Willians Astudillo behind the dish during Garver’s absence.

Twins’ Mitch Garver Diagnosed With High Ankle Sprain

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Twins catcher Mitch Garver exited tonight’s game after a play at the plate and has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, the team told reporters (Twitter link via Dan Hayes of The Athletic). He’ll be further evaluated tomorrow.

Garver was injured on what ultimately proved to be a game-saving play in the eighth inning; Byron Buxton threw out Shohei Ohtani to end the frame in a 4-3 game, but Ohtani slid into Garver’s planted leg. Garver had to be helped off the field and was unable to place weight on his left leg (video link).

While Garver is hardly a household name, any notable injury for the 28-year-old would be a sizable loss for the Twins. He’s off to a blistering start to the 2019 season, hitting at a .329/.418/.747 clip with nine long balls — including a two-run shot that proved to be the difference tonight — through his first 91 plate appearances. Combined with infielder/catcher Willians Astudillo (.290/.303/.484) and a resurgent Jason Castro (.245/.362/.612), Garver has helped to comprise a highly productive trio of catching options for the first-place Twins.

The presence of both Castro and Astudillo on the roster suggests that the Twins wouldn’t need to call up a catcher in the perhaps likely event that Garver requires a stint on the injured list. Minnesota doesn’t have any other catchers on its 40-man roster anyhow, so it seems likely that they’d continue with the Astudillo/Castro pairing, perhaps with Astudillo working in a slightly more conventional role in a two-catcher setup.

MRI Negative On Left Wrist Of Nelson Cruz

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TODAY: The MRI came back negative, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press was among those to report on Twitter. Cruz is hoping to avoid an IL trip altogether.

YESTERDAY: Twins slugger Nelson Cruz left Sunday’s game due to soreness in his left wrist, and he will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the nature of the problem.  (MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park was among those to report the news.)

Cruz’s injury didn’t seem to stem from any specific incident, as the veteran indicated to reporters after the game that he had been dealing with nagging wrist soreness, and the issue became worse after taking a swinging strike.  As Park notes, Cruz’s wrist seemed to be visibly bothering him after swinging at a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Cruz took one further plate appearance in the game but was removed for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

Even as he approaches his 39th birthday on July 1, Cruz is still producing at a high level, with a .270/.354/.508 slash line and seven homers over his first 144 plate appearances as a Twin.  Cruz’s still-potent bat has been a big reason behind Minnesota’s surprising surge to the best record in baseball, and obviously any type of IL stint for the veteran designated hitter would be a blow to the Twins’ lineup.

If Cruz’s status wasn’t enough of a concern for the Twins, Martin Perez was also an early scratch from Sunday’s game, as the starter was removed after being hit in the left ankle by a Nicholas Castellanos line drive in the sixth inning.  This injury (diagnosed as a left foot contusion) doesn’t appear to be as serious, however, as Perez told Park and other reporters that he doesn’t think he’ll miss his next start.

Rehab Updates: Ohtani, Gennett, Reed, Sano, Martinez

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The Angels are slated to welcome back reigning Rookie of the Year Shohei Ohtani, an exciting development for a team that could use a jolt. He’s not going anywhere near the pitching mound this season, which limits his value, but it’s intriguing to wonder whether that’ll actually open the door to even greater offensive output from the two-way performer. You might anticipate just that if you peruse Fabian Ardaya’s profile of Ohtani at The Athletic (subscription link), which paints a picture of a player with immense physical abilities, learning capacity, and competitiveness.

  • The progress has been steady for Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports. He’s still at least a week or two away from on-field activities; there’s good reason not to rush his return from a significant groin strain. Gennett indicates that he’s doing well with walking and jogging, but feels weakness and is still avoiding quick directional changes to avoid aggravating the injury.
  • Righty Addison Reed is launching a rehab assignment as he returns from a left thumb strain, as LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune was among those to report. Given the nature of the injury it would stand to reason that Reed could work back quickly, but it doesn’t sound as if the team is in a particular rush. GM Thad Levine explained that the club assigned Reed straight to Triple-A in order to give him a long look at advanced competition. Beyond the injury, the veteran reliever is looking to regain his form after a subpar 2018 season.
  • In another update from the Twins organization, it doesn’t sound as if there’s a huge rush to move slugger Miguel Sano back up the ladder. He’s currently working at Double-A. In that case, though, there’s a May 20th deadline to wrap up the rehab assignment.
  • Cardinals righty Carlos Martinez is moving his rehab assignment up to Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch tweeted. It seems promising that he’s heading right to Memphis after one game at the class A level. Martinez could be a MLB option rather soon; given that he’s returning in a relief capacity, he won’t need to build up his pitch count.

Indians Acquire Adam Rosales From Twins

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Per Dan Hayes of the Athletic, the Indians have acquired IF Adam Rosales from Minnesota for cash considerations.

It’s another stop for the well-traveled Rosales, 35, who spent much of last season at Cleveland’s AAA affiliate, where he slashed .239/.313/.445 with 18 homers in 428 plate appearances. With AAA-Rochester this season, and the aid of a juiced-up new ball in play across the Triple-A level, Rosales is off to a slow start, slashing a meager .194/.263/.222 across the season’s first 20 games.

An 11-year MLB vet, the former Red, Diamondback, Athletic, Ranger, Padre and Indian has had occasional success at the MLB level, most recently in 2016 with San Diego, where he slugged 13 homers in a mere 248 PA (good for a .495 slugging percentage), en route to a very solid 113 wRC+/1.7 fWAR season.  Much of his success – he owns a career 92 wRC+ mark – has come against southpaws, against whom Rosales boasts a respectable .240/.313/.395 line.

Still, the best of Rosales’ days look to be behind him: he’s struggled mightily at the big-league dish the last two seasons as his walk rate’s taken a nosedive and his chase rate has exploded. Opportunities seems scant at Progressive Field, though the club does continue to scour the landscape for help against left-handed pitching, against whom the team’s posted an AL-worst 58 wRC+.

Twins Select Mike Morin

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The Twins announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Mike Morin and placed left-hander Adalberto Mejia on the 10-day injured list due to a calf strain. Minnesota had an open 40-man roster spot, so an additional corresponding move to accommodate Morin’s selection isn’t required.

It’s an early birthday present for Morin, who’ll turn 28 tomorrow. The former Angels, Royals and Mariners righty signed a minors pact with the Twins in the offseason and has thrown well in the early portion of the season with Triple-A Rochester, notching a 3.00 ERA with a 12-to-3 K/BB ratio in 12 innings of relief.

Morin had a terrific rookie campaign with the Angels back in 2014 when he logged a 2.90 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.46 HR/9 and a 43.9 percent ground-ball rate. That strong season has been far and away the best of his career to this point, as Morin has limped to a combined 5.56 ERA in 115 MLB frames since that time. He’s persistently maintained strong K/BB numbers and done a good job keeping the ball in the yard, however, and fielding-independent metrics have continually suggested that his bottom-line results should be better than they are. Morin has been plagued by a slightly elevated BABIP but more notably a 56.4 percent strand rate that is nearly 20 percent south of the league average.

Morin is out of minor league options, so the Twins won’t be able to send him back down unless they first pass him through waivers. He’ll replace Mejia, a former top prospect who has struggled perhaps more than anyone on the Twins’ staff to this point in the season. Through 11 1/3 innings, the lefty has been torched for 11 earned runs on 11 hits and nine walks with 11 strikeouts. Twins relievers, on the whole, rank 21st in the Majors with a 4.78 ERA and 4.62 xFIP (but 13th with a more palatable 4.21 FIP).

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/1/19

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We’ll track Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the league here…

  • Left-hander Justin Nicolino has been released by the Twins organization, per the Triple-A International League transactions log. Signed to a minor league contract over the winter, the former Marlins southpaw posted a 5.12 ERA with a 13-to-8 K/BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings with the Red Wings prior to returning to the open market. Now 27, Nicolino was once a well-regarded prospect but has never managed to put together a consistent strikeout pitch. He’s averaged just 5.4 strikeouts per nine innings in Triple-A and 3.8 K/9 in the big leagues. To his credit, Nicolino has a career 4.01 ERA in Triple-A and 4.65 mark in the Majors despite that lack of missed bats — thanks largely to his strong control. Most recently, Nicolino spent the ’18 season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, pitching to a 4.69 ERA with 5.8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 39.4 percent grounder rate in 134 2/3 innings.

Central Notes: Sano, Wood, Tigers

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Twins third baseman Miguel Sano is launching an official rehab assignment, per a club announcement. He’ll open at the High-A level, with planned stops at the next two rungs on the ladder before MLB activation, MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park was among those to report. Sano has been working back from an injury to his Achilles that healed much more slowly than anticipated. The hope now is that the issue is behind him, but the Twins want to get Sano plenty of reps before bringing him back to the big-league roster. Sano, who’ll turn 26 on May 11th, is looking to bounce back after a highly disappointing 2018 campaign. No doubt the Minnesota organization would like to see him put in some of the work he was prevented from undertaking this spring.

More from the game’s central divisions …

  • The Reds received some unwelcome news on starter Alex Wood, as manager David Bell told reporters including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link) that the southpaw recently suffered a setback while trying to work through the back problems that have sidelined him to date. Wood has yet to appear with his new organization, which had hoped he’d be one of three new veteran starters to bolster the rotation. An examination has been scheduled for Wednesday, at which time more on Wood’s outlook may be known. The 28-year-old is earning $9.65MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility after defeating the Reds in an arb hearing.
  • Health issues are creating problems in the Tigers rotation, which means GM Al Avila is weighing the options for filling in. As Chris McCosky of the Detroit News writes, the top Detroit baseball decisionmaker doesn’t see much of interest in free agency; he says the front office will “have to keep our eye on the waiver wire and on guys in the minor leagues who have opt-out clauses.” With nothing doing there at the moment, the Tigers are looking internally. Ryan Carpenter and Kyle Funkhouser both are under consideration, with the team also pondering the possibility of utilizing Blaine Hardy in a swingman role once he’s activated from the IL.
  • It’s awfully tempting to wonder whether one of the Tigers’ blue-chip pitching prospects could instead get the call, particularly after ace-in-the-making Casey Mize spun a rare complete-game no-hitter this evening. Whether that’ll be a possibility at some point remains to be seen, but it’s worth bearing in mind that there are some notable roster considerations that counsel against a quick promotion even beyond service-time considerations. As Avila tells McCosky, the organization anticipates a need to add something like ten prospects to the 40-man roster in advance of this winter’s Rule 5 draft. The club is obviously keeping a close eye on the downstream effects of its decisions.
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