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NL West Notes: Musgrove, Yaz, Brebbia, McLain, D’Backs

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After a three-week shutdown due to shoulder inflammation, Joe Musgrove has started a two-week throwing program as the first step towards a possible return from the injured list.  Musgrove tells Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he is aiming to be back with the Padres by late September and hopefully through the postseason, though he acknowledged that another shutdown is possible if the team is out of the pennant race.  Things are looking grim for the Padres at the moment, as they sit 6.5 games out of the last NL wild card position.

“There’s no need for me to be rushing and pushing things back if we’re out of this thing,” Musgrove said.  “But I have full confidence that we’re going to be in it, so these first two weeks are going to be important in just laying down the foundation work and being able to open up from there….It’s difficult knowing that there’s a chance I might not touch a mound again this year.  But every part of me mentally and physically is preparing to be able to get at least one more (start) in the regular season and then be strong for the playoffs.”

Between a broken toe suffered in Spring Training and his shoulder issue, it has been an injury-riddled year for the right-hander, as Musgrove has thrown only 97 1/3 innings.  His absences have been one of the reasons why San Diego is only on the fringes of contention, yet Musgrove has still looked like an ace when he has pitched, posting a 3.05 ERA over his 97 1/3 frames.  Acee writes that Musgrove will also probably undergo another MRI next week, to check up on the shoulder after the first few days of throwing.

Other items from around the NL West…

  • Mike Yastrzemski is closing in on a return from the injured list, as he recently took part in a live batting practice session and ran the bases yesterday.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (X link) writes that Yastrzemski is set for more baserunning work tomorrow, and he has been working in the outfield today.  Yastrzemski has been out with a hamstring strain since July 30, and seemed to be on the verge of a return two weeks ago before suffering another strain during rehab work.  Now, the outfielder could return to San Francisco’s lineup as early as Monday, when the Giants begin an important series with the Reds.
  • In another Giants injury update, John Brebbia threw that live BP session to Yastrzemski, and Slusser writes that the plan is for Brebbia to throw another simulated game Sunday with an eye towards soon beginning a minor league rehab assignment.  Brebbia suffered a Grade 2 lat strain back in June, and he has been sidelined beyond his initial recovery timeline of 4-8 weeks.  While he’ll need some time to ramp up during his rehab assignment, Brebbia’s return could be a big boost to a Giants club in need of pitching help.  Brebbia has posted strong numbers as a swingman over the last two seasons, including a 3.14 ERA over 28 2/3 innings in 2023.
  • Matt McLain’s instant success with the Reds creates an interesting sliding-doors moment for the Diamondbacks, who drafted McLain 25th overall in 2018 but didn’t reach an agreement to sign.  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that the two sides couldn’t manage the gap between McLain’s ask for a $3MM bonus and the Diamondbacks’ offer, which was the $2,636,400 slot price attached to the 25th pick.  Beyond the money, McLain told Piecoro that “I was pretty set on [playing in college].  I wanted to go to UCLA.  I think that if I would have signed in the minor leagues at that point, I would have always wondered what UCLA was like and what I had missed out on.  I don’t think it was necessarily the other way around.”  As it turned out, McLain had a standout career in college, and ended up picked by the Reds with the 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft, receiving a $4.625MM bonus that was well above slot price.

Robert Suarez Appealing 10-Game Foreign Substance Suspension

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August 25: Suarez has received the expected 10-game suspension, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, but is appealing.

August 23: Padres reliever Robert Suarez was ejected from this afternoon’s win over the Marlins following a foreign substance inspection. Called on to pitch the top of the eighth, Suarez was thrown out before throwing a pitch when umpires examined him coming in from the bullpen.

First base umpire Todd Tichenor made the call. After the game, Tichenor told reporters that the right-hander’s left wrist had been “too sticky, very sticky” (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). Suarez denied using any illicit substance, saying he’d simply applied his typical amount of sunscreen for a day game in San Diego.

Pitchers ejected after a foreign substance check are subject to an automatic 10-game suspension. MLB will presumably formally announce Suarez’s ban tomorrow. He has an appellate right, though an appeal would go in front of an MLB official for adjudication. As a result, the three players previously suspended for foreign substances this season — Max Scherzer, Domingo Germán and Drew Smith — all waived their appeals. Suarez said he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll do the same.

In all likelihood, the Friars will be without one of their better high-leverage arms for the next week and a half. Suarez posted a 2.27 ERA in 47 2/3 frames last season and subsequently re-signed on a five-year, $46MM free agent guarantee. He missed the first half of this year with an elbow injury. He has allowed seven runs in 13 1/3 innings since returning. Teams aren’t allowed to replace players who have been suspended for an on-field rules violation, so the Padres would have to play with a 25-man roster for the duration of Suarez’s expected suspension.

Oscar Mercado Opts Out Of Padres Deal

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Outfielder Oscar Mercado has exercised an opt-out in his minor league contract with the Padres and elected free agency, MLBTR has learned. He’s now free to sign with any other club.

The 28-year-old Mercado logged 32 big league plate appearances with the Cardinals earlier this season and hit .290/.313/.387 in that small sample. He’s spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A between the Cardinals and Padres organizations, batting a combined .308/.379/.544 with a dozen homers, 17 doubles, three triples and 25 steals (in 29 attempts). Mercado has walked in 8.8% of his Triple-A plate appearances, against a 20.1% strikeout rate.

Mercado grabbed a few down-ballot Rookie of the Year votes in 2019 (when Yordan Alvarez unanimously won the award), and understandably so. In 482 appearances during his rookie year in Cleveland, he turned in a .269/.318/.443 batting line with 15 homers and 15 steals. That strong debut campaign looked like it set the stage for Mercado to roam the outfield in Cleveland for years to come, but his bat fell off in 2020 and has yet to recover. In 491 Major League plate appearances since that rookie effort, Mercado has batted .206/.262/.334.

Even as Mercado has struggled at the plate in the big leagues, he’s produced in the minors. Beyond this year’s big production in Triple-A, he also slashed .281/.363/.449 (117 wRC+) there with the Guardians’ top affiliate in 2022. The right-handed-hitting Mercado is also a sound defensive player as well, playing all three outfield spots and drawing above-average grades during his big league tenure — particularly in center field (10 Defensive Runs Saved, 7 Outs Above Average in 951 innings). Statcast credited him with 74th percentile sprint speed in his brief MLB look earlier this year, and he’s generally efficient on the bases, succeeding in more than 78% of his MLB stolen base attempts and 86% of his tries in the minors this year.

On the whole, Mercado’s been a below-average hitter in the Majors, but he’s a speedy and efficient runner who can handle all three outfield spots and hold his own against lefties — evidenced by a respectable .254/.309/.406 batting line against southpaws. He’d make a sensible depth add for a postseason contender looking to stockpile outfield depth before the Sept. 1 deadline for playoff eligibility. With rosters set to expand to 28 players next month, he’d be the type of speed-and-defense player who could be added to deepen a team’s bench.

Padres Select Ben Gamel

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7:18 PM: The Padres have officially selected Gamel’s contract from Triple-A El Paso. Choi has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 12, while Carlton has been moved to the 60-day IL. Carlton has been out with right elbow inflammation since July 1, making him eligible to return on August 30.

6:28 PM: The Padres are selecting outfielder Ben Gamel onto the 40-man roster, reports Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). First baseman Ji Man Choi is headed to the 10-day injured list with a left rib strain. The Friars will also need to a make a 40-man roster move, though reliever Drew Carlton stands out as a speculative candidate for a move to the 60-day injured list.

Gamel has spent the entire season in Triple-A. The veteran signed a minor league pact with the Rays and hit .276/.402/.463 in 59 games for their top affiliate. Tampa Bay couldn’t find room in the MLB outfield and dealt him to the Padres last month. Gamel has continued where he left off, mashing at a .314/.402/.600 clip through 18 games with the Friars’ highest affiliate in El Paso.

The combined .286/.402/.490 showing across 332 plate appearances earns Gamel another crack at the big league level. It’ll be his eighth season in the majors overall. The left-handed hitter owns a .253/.333/.385 career line, including a .254/.336/.391 showing versus righty pitching. Gamel had an above-average .252/.342/.409 slash when holding the platoon advantage with the Pirates last season.

Mostly limited to the corner outfield, Gamel won’t bring much defensive flexibility. He’s a decent bet to perform reasonably well at the dish, though, potentially compensating for the loss of another left-handed bat. Acquired alongside Rich Hill at the deadline, Choi has walked five times but has yet to collect a hit in seven games as a Padre. The Friars have mostly used him as a lefty bench bat — offseason signee Matt Carpenter has remarkably gone since July 24 without getting into a game thanks to a .166/.296/.302 line — so Gamel could take Choi’s role off the bench.

Padres Outright Brandon Dixon

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The Padres announced this afternoon that infielder Brandon Dixon had cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A El Paso. Dixon had previously been designated for assignment to make room for newly-acquired reliever Scott Barlow on the day of the trade deadline last week.

Dixon, 31, has never hit much in big league stints with the Reds, Tigers, and Padres. In 658 plate appearances throughout his major league career to this point, Dixon owns a slash line of .224/.266/.397 with a wRC+ of 72, though those figures are higher than his 2023 output of .203/.244/.329 (56 wRC+) in 86 trips to the plate. While Dixon contributed versatility to the club’s bench, with big league experience at all three outfield spots in addition to first, second, and third base, his lack of offensive output made him little more than a depth option for a club that already features versatile players like Ha-Seong Kim and Jake Cronenworth.

Prior to Dixon’s DFA, the Padres had already optioned the journeyman to the minor leagues five times this season. Per the terms of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, once a player has been optioned to the minor leagues five times during a season he must be placed on outright assignment waivers in order to be returned to the minor leagues. That likely made the club’s decision to designate Dixon an easier call, since they would not be able to rely upon him as optionable bench depth going forward this season even if he was retained on the 40-man roster. Going forward, Dixon will be able to choose between accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A or rejecting the assignment and electing free agency as a player who has been outrighted previously in his career.

White Sox Claim Brent Honeywell, Select Lane Ramsey

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The White Sox added a pair of right-handers to their 40-man roster, announcing that Lane Ramsey’s contract was selected from Triple-A and that Brent Honeywell Jr. was claimed off waivers from the Padres.  Right-hander Gregory Santos was placed on the bereavement list in a corresponding move.

San Diego designated Honeywell for assignment on Wednesday, one of a few transactions made to make space for the Padres’ trade deadline acquisitions.  Honeywell has a 4.05 ERA/4.31 SIERA over 46 2/3 relief innings this season, with a solid 48.9% grounder rate but below-average strikeout (20.5%) and walk (10.2%) rates.  The righty had some of the highest hard-contact numbers in the league, and a solid 7.2% barrel rate hasn’t quite been enough to limit the damage, as Honeywell has allowed eight home runs.

These shaky numbers notwithstanding, simply getting onto the mound represented a great result for Honeywell after years of injuries.  A top-100 regular during his days as a prospect in the Rays system, Honeywell has already undergone four different surgeries on his throwing elbow, including a Tommy John procedure.  As a result, Honeywell’s MLB resume prior to this season consisted of a three-game cup of coffee with Tampa Bay in 2021, with Honeywell tossing 4 1/3 total innings.

Honeywell was a low-cost winter signing for the Padres on a split contract, and it’s safe to say both sides were probably satisfied with how the deal worked out.  It is quite possible San Diego would’ve preferred to keep Honeywell if he wasn’t out of minor league options, so with a 26-man roster crunch, the Padres had to risk losing him on a waiver claim.  It isn’t surprising that the White Sox (and probably some other teams) had an eye on a former top prospect who might finally be healthy and ready to perform, and since Chicago is out of the race, they’ll have the rest of the season to evaluate Honeywell and see if he might be in their plans for 2024.

Ramsey was a 23rd-round pick for the White Sox in the 2018 draft, and the 27-year-old is now on the verge of his debut appearance in the Show.  Now in his third season at Triple-A Charlotte, Ramsey hadn’t much success at the top minor league level, with a 5.79 ERA over 79 1/3 innings (pitching as a reliever in 70 of 72 appearances) with a 25.34% strikeout rate and an ungainly 15.36% walk rate.  Ramsey is something of a prototypical hard-throwing reliever who hasn’t quite been able to translate that velocity into control or a higher-tier strikeout rate, though the White Sox coaches will get a closer look at his live arm during his stint in the majors.

Cole Hamels Retires

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The Padres announced Friday that veteran left-hander Cole Hamels, who’d signed a minor league deal in hopes of working his way back to the Majors in San Diego, has ended that comeback bid and retired.

Hamels, 39, was drafted by the Phillies with the No. 17 overall pick out of San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo High School back in 2002. By the time he’d wrapped up his first professional season — with 101 innings of 1.34 ERA ball — he’d vaulted up prospect rankings, checking in as the game’s No. 17 farmhand on Baseball America’s top-100.

While many first-round picks and top prospects fail to live up to those billings, Hamels shattered expectations and went on to become one of the generation’s finest pitchers. Despite being drafted out of high school, he reached the Majors less than three years after his selection, debuting with five shutout innings against the Reds in May 2006. Hamels posted a modest 4.08 ERA in 132 1/3 innings as a rookie but broke out with an All-Star season that saw him finish sixth in NL Cy Young voting the following year.

From 2006-15, Hamels starred for the Phillies. He and teammates Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins became synonymous with the Phillies organization during their halcyon days, serving as the foundation that ultimately brought a World Series title to the city in 2008. Hamels was sensational that season, firing 227 1/3 innings of 3.09 ERA ball, but he saved his best work for the postseason. On the game’s biggest stage, Hamels pitched 35 innings with a 1.80 ERA, compiling a 4-0 record and taking home MVP honors in both the National League Championship Series and in the World Series.

Hamels helped the Phils back to the postseason in each of the following three years. They repeated as NL champs in 2009 before dropping the World Series to the Yankees. Hamels had a relative down season in ’09 but rebounded to fire 208 2/3 frames of 3.06 ERA ball the next year. He secured his second All-Star nod and a fifth-place Cy Young finish with a 2.79 ERA over 216 frames in 2011.

The Phillies’ run of team success came to a close after that season. Philadelphia wouldn’t make the playoffs again until last year’s club took home another pennant. The down stretch of Philadelphia baseball was no fault of Hamels. He reached 30 starts each season from 2012-14 and posted an ERA below 3.60 in every year. Hamels secured another All-Star nod in 2012 and down-ballot Cy Young votes in two of those three years.

Midway through the 2012 campaign, the Phils signed him to a $144MM contract extension. While Hamels more than lived up to that investment, the team’s descent into a rebuild eventually led them to put him on the trade market. At the 2015 deadline, Philadelphia sent Hamels to Texas for a prospect package including Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams and Jerad Eickhoff.

The young talent never really panned out for the Phils, but Hamels kept producing in Texas. He’d throw 546 2/3 frames of 3.30 ERA ball as a Ranger, securing a fourth All-Star nod in 2016 and helping Texas to a pair of playoff berths. At the 2018 deadline, a then-rebuilding Texas club shipped him to the Cubs. Hamels provided Chicago with 12 starts of 2.36 ERA ball for the stretch run. The Cubs brought him back on a $20MM club option; he’d pitch to a 3.81 ERA over 27 starts the following season.

Hamels signed with the Braves over the 2019-20 offseason. Shoulder injuries limited him to one 3 1/3 inning appearance during the shortened schedule — which would unfortunately prove his final MLB outing. Shoulder injuries have derailed subsequent comeback attempts with the Dodgers and San Diego over the last three years.

While injuries robbed Hamels of his final couple seasons, he was one of the sport’s most durable and effective pitchers for well over a decade. The southpaw had 10 years in which he reached at least 190 innings, including eight seasons of 200+ frames. Only Justin Verlander logged a higher workload between 2006-19. Hamels posted a sub-4.00 ERA in 11 of his 14 seasons (excluding his one-start 2020), a remarkable stretch of consistency.

All told, Hamels threw just under 2700 innings while allowing 3.43 earned runs per nine. He won 163 games, struck out 2560 hitters and threw 17 complete games. He had a 3.41 ERA over 100 1/3 career postseason frames — highlighted by the aforementioned 2008 run to a title and World Series MVP. MLBTR congratulates Hamels on a fantastic career and wishes him the best in retirement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Padres Release Preston Tucker

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The Padres released outfielder Preston Tucker, tweets Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday as part of San Diego’s post-deadline roster maneuvering.

Tucker didn’t play in a big league game for the Friars. The lefty-hitting outfielder signed a minor league contract over the winter. He mashed at a .293/.433/.565 clip with Triple-A El Paso, walking and striking out at identical 17.9% rates while homering 11 times in 55 games. The Padres selected his contract in mid-June to keep him from opting out of the deal but immediately placed him on the injured list with plantar fasciitis.

The 33-year-old spent a month on the IL and then was sent back to El Paso on a rehab stint. The Friars would’ve soon had to carry him on the big league roster. Tucker is out of minor league option years and the allotted 20-day rehab window for position players was wrapping up. Rather than carve out an active roster spot, San Diego released him.

Assuming he clears release waivers, Tucker will return to the open market. He’s still looking for his first MLB action since 2018. Tucker has bounced between South Korea and a few Triple-A affiliates in the years since then. His big numbers in El Paso should at least find him another minor league landing spot.

Padres Shut Down Joe Musgrove With Shoulder Inflammation

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The Padres are shutting down starter Joe Musgrove for three weeks after an MRI revealed inflammation in the capsule of his throwing shoulder, the team informed reporters (including Dennis Lin of the Athletic). While the club is hopeful he’ll be able to return at some point this season, he doesn’t figure to be back until well into September at the earliest.

San Diego placed Musgrove on the 15-day injured list before today’s matchup with the Dodgers. Trade pickup Rich Hill takes his spot on the active roster. San Diego also reinstated Eguy Rosario from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. The Friars cleared a 40-man spot by designating Brent Honeywell for assignment a couple days ago.

Musgrove began the season on the IL after breaking his toe in a Spring Training weight room accident. He was back on the Petco Park mound by late April and has again been one of the sport’s better starters. Over 17 appearances, the righty has tallied 97 1/3 innings of 3.05 ERA ball. He’s striking hitters out at a 24.3% clip against a tidy 5.3% walk rate.

It’s the kind of production the Friars have come to expect from the 30-year-old righty. Musgrove has an ERA of 3.18 or better in each of the past three seasons. He posted a career-low 2.93 mark over 30 starts last season. Midway through the year, the San Diego native signed a $100MM extension — seemingly sacrificing some earning upside to stick with his hometown club.

It doesn’t seem the Friars were aware of the seriousness of Musgrove’s injury at the deadline. The club scratched him from his scheduled start Wednesday morning but initially hoped he’d return to the mound next week. That won’t happen but makes their Tuesday acquisition of Hill all the more important. The former Pirate will assume a rotation role behind Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Seth Lugo and perhaps Nick Martinez. Righty Michael Wacha is also on the shelf with a shoulder issue.

Rosario, 23, debuted with seven games for the Friars last season. He’d missed the first four months after breaking his ankle over the offseason.

Craig Stammen Retires

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The Padres announced Friday that veteran reliever Craig Stammen has retired. The 39-year-old sustained a torn capsule in his right shoulder during spring training and acknowledged at the time that the injury could spell the end of his career. That’s been made official now, as Stammen has been placed on the voluntarily retired list, per the team.

Drafted by the Nationals back in 2005, Stammen quietly put together one of the better careers you’ll see for any 12th-round selection. The veteran was never a hard-throwing strikeout machine armed with the type of power fastball we’re accustomed to seeing from modern relievers, but he nevertheless pitched 13 big league seasons and accrued more than 11 years of Major League service along the way.

Stammen split his entire career between the Nats and Padres, logging 885 innings of 3.66 ERA ball with a 20.1% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. After struggling as a starter in his first two big league seasons, Stammen moved to the bullpen and found a permanent home. He never served as a closer but still collected six saves and piled up 107 holds in his career. After moving to the bullpen for good, the right-hander notched a sharp 3.14 ERA over 508 relief appearances. While he never reached a World Series, he still reached the postseason three times: 2012 and 2014 with the Nats, and 2020 with the Padres.

It’s generally difficult for middle relievers to have this type of staying power at the big league level, particularly as modern front offices gravitate toward younger, harder-throwing players and place increasing emphasis on the bullpen flexibility that comes with optionable arms. That Stammen managed to pile up as many years and innings as he did is a testament to both his consistently strong performances and likely to his status a clubhouse leader in San Diego.

A shoulder injury surely isn’t the way in which the veteran Stammen hoped to put a bow on his fine big league career, but baseball fans — particularly those in San Diego and D.C. — will remember him as a perennially underappreciated arm who played major roles in some very good bullpens throughout a career that saw him earn more than $23MM. Best wishes to Stammen and his family in whatever the next chapter of life holds.

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