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Mike Moustakas Out For Season With Torn ACL

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3:58pm: Moustakas is indeed out for the season, manager Ned Yost confirmed to reporters, including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).

3:17pm: The Royals announced today (via Twitter) that third baseman Mike Moustakas has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Outfielder Brett Eibner has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his spot on the 25-man roster. Kansas City did not give a timeline for Moustakas’ return, but certainly a tear of his ACL would seem to put the remainder of his 2016 season in jeopardy. Moustakas suffered the injury in a foul-territory collision with Alex Gordon this past weekend — a doubly devastating accident for the Royals, as it also resulted in a fractured wrist and a trip to the disabled list for Gordon.

The 27-year-old Moustakas, long hailed as one of baseball’s top prospects, struggled through the early stages of his career but had a full-fledged breakout in 2015 when he batted .284/.348/.470 with 22 home runs and excellent defense at the hot corner, helping to fuel the Royals’ second consecutive trip to the World Series as well as their eventual victory. The driving factor in his emergence as a star was a dramatic improvement against left-handed pitching; after hitting just .211/.267/.328 against lefties from 2011-14, Moustakas crushed same-handed pitching to the tune of a .282/.328/.482 batting line in 2015. This season, he’s been limited to 27 games due to a minor fracture in his left thumb but had maintained his production versus lefties and delivered a solid overall line of .240/.301/.500 with characteristically strong defense.

For the Royals, the in-house options at the hot corner are most likely highlighted by a combination of prospect Cheslor Cuthbert and utilityman Whit Merrifield — each of whom was recently added to the big league roster. Kansas City has also seen 2013 first-rounder Hunter Dozier, who had an abysmal 2015 campaign at Double-A, enjoy a terrific resurgence playing primarily third base at Triple-A. Dozier has batted .296/.324/.521 through 17 games this season after obliterating Double-A pitching at an even more impressive .301/.370/.590 pace in 26 games to open the season. Dozier, it should be noted, is not on the 40-man roster, though if it’s determined that Moustakas will indeed miss the season, a spot could be opened simply by transferring him to the 60-day disabled list. Also of note is that early June is typically looked at as the threshold to safely avoid Super Two designation for well-regarded minor leaguers, so there’s some degree of financial incentive for Kansas City to keep Dozier at the minor league level a bit longer.

Alternatively, shifting Omar Infante across the diamond (though he’s struggled with the bat since signing in Kansas City) could be an option. Infante does have more than 600 career innings at third base, although he hasn’t seen any time at the position since 2012. Given that contingency of internal replacement candidates, it seems likely that the reigning World Series Champions will at least take some time to evaluate existing alternatives before looking outside the organization to acquire some help at the hot corner.

Cardinals Acquire Jose Martinez

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The Cardinals have acquired outfielder Jose Martinez from the Royals, per an announcement from the St. Louis club. Cash considerations will go back to Kansas City in the deal.

Martinez, 27, was designated recently. He’s a ten-year minor-league veteran who has yet to crack the majors. In parts of two seasons at Triple-A, Martinez owns a productive .359/.431/.525 batting line over 556 plate appearances. He hasn’t quite maintained the pace he set last year at Omaha, but will nevertheless provide the Cards some outfield depth in the upper levels of their system.

Details On Carlos Beltran’s No-Trade Clause

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Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran can block trades to 15 clubs under the terms of his limited no-trade clause, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, who explores the possibility of a deal involving the veteran. Among the teams to which Beltran could be dealt without consent are the Indians, Nationals, Royals, Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, and Dodgers, per the report.

Of course, it’s far from clear whether New York will end up entertaining such a move. The club has moved back to within striking distance in the AL East already, and there’s plenty of time left before the deadline.

Parting with Beltran wouldn’t necessarily mean abandoning hope for the present season, Olney suggests. Shipping him out would free up opportunities for highly-regarded young players such as Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge. They could be expected to provide value now while helping prepare for bigger roles in 2017 and beyond.

It’s fair to wonder just how much trade value Beltran would carry. On the one hand, he recently turned 39 and is a subpar outfielder (especially if one credits Defensive Runs Saved). On the other, he’s a highly respected veteran who is currently running out a productive .274/.299/.522 batting line, largely matching his overall production levels from last season (about 20% above league average).

Salary will certainly play a role, too, as Beltran is owed a healthy $15MM this season before reaching free agency at year’s end. Whether or not the market is receptive to that overall package remains to be seen, but presumably the Yankees won’t make a move unless they receive some kind of interesting return (barring a full-blown collapse in the next two months). That’s especially true given the uncertainty of Hicks and Judge as well as the fact that aging sluggers Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez come with their own blend of health, age, and performance questions.

Clint Barmes Retires

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Veteran Royals infielder Clint Barmes has decided to hang up his spikes after a 13-year MLB career. He was officially released by the Royals today, and tells Jessica Kleinschmidt of Fan Duel that he made the final decision to retire in the middle of a recent ballgame.

Barmes had been with Triple-A Omaha on a minor league pact, which he signed after K.C. released him from a prior deal with the club late this spring. He had scuffled to a .204/.255/.306 batting line in his 107 plate appearances.

Of course, the defensive specialist was never terribly productive with the bat, even in his prime, yet nevertheless managed to compile some strong seasons. At his best, Barmes delivered significantly above-average glovework and contributed solid baserunning while putting up offensive marks just under the league average.

Barmes had his best overall season in 2011 with the Astros, when he racked up 2.8 fWAR and 3.2 rWAR with highly-rated fielding and a .244/.312/.386 slash. That was his only season in Houston, and it came between lengthier stints with the Rockies (2003 through 2010) and the Pirates (2012 through 2014). Barmes last saw big league action last year with the Padres, playing in 98 games in a platoon role.

All told, the Fangraphs version of wins above replacement is stingier in valuing Barmes for his career, crediting him with 9.2 wins, as UZR was less bullish on his fielding than was Defensive Runs Saved. According to the Baseball-Reference tabulation, though, he was worth 15.4 WAR in the final tabulation.

Barmes says that he made every effort to return to the majors and feels comfortable with how things wrapped up. “Coming back I think I decided I would give Triple-A a little time to help make my decision easier for me as far as having no regrets when I do make that decision,” he said. “At this point I can honestly say I can look back and know I don’t have any regrets.”

MLBTR offers its congratulations and best wishes to t

Alex Gordon To DL With Broken Bone In Hand

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Royals outfielder Alex Gordon has suffered a broken scaphoid bone in his right hand, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star was among those to report on Twitter. Gordon is expected to miss between three and four weeks as a result of the injury, which was suffered in a collision yesterday with third baseman Mike Moustakas.

Gordon, 32, was off to a rough start since returning to Kansas City as a free agent over the winter. He owns a .211/.319/.331 slash that falls well shy of the above-average offensive numbers he typically produces. Gordon has also rated as merely an average defender in left thus far in 2016. While that’s a short sample to draw any major conclusions from, he’s typically posted top-of-the-league glove metrics.

That’s not to say that the loss won’t hurt, of course. K.C.’s top two options in the corners are now Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando, who look much more useful when joined together in a platoon. Whit Merrifield and the just-recalled Cheslor Cuthbert represent the only two other non-catching position player reserves on the current roster, and Cuthbert has never played the outfield as a professional. And it doesn’t help that Moustakas is day to day himself after suffering a knee contusion.

It seems that Gordon will be expected back well in advance of the trade deadline, at least so far as he progresses as hoped, so in that regard the loss may not have much of an impact on the team’s summer trade plans. On the other hand, there had already been some chatter that the Royals might be looking at corner outfield options, and any uncertainty surrounding Gordon would certainly enhance the need. That’s assuming, of course, that Kansas City can at least keep pace in the AL Central with Gordon out.

All that being said, Kansas City also has some internal options who are worthy of consideration if another outfielder is deemed necessary. Travis Snider has plenty of MLB time and is reaching base at a healthy rate down in Triple-A. Reymond Fuentes has seen the bigs as well, including earlier this year. Otherwise, the team could turn to prospects Jorge Bonifacio or Brett Eibner, both of whom are hitting well at Omaha. Eibner, in particular, has put up impressive numbers and may be due for a shot at the majors at 27 years of age.

Cafardo’s Latest: Markakis, Bruce, McLeod, Fernandez, Lincecum, Reddick

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Here are some hot stove items from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe…

  • The Royals and Phillies are among the teams looking at Braves outfielder Nick Markakis.  “The money is an issue there, especially with the Royals,” Cafardo writes; Markakis is owed $10.5MM in each of the next two seasons and roughly $7.25MM remaining on his 2016 salary.  Markakis entered Sunday hitting .252/.362/.348 in 185 PA, and his near-total power dropoff over the last two seasons has surely hurt his trade value, as MLBTR’s Connor Byrne pointed out earlier today.  While both K.C. and the Phils could use help in right field, Markakis has delivered only replacement-level production this season, with an even 0.0 fWAR.
  • The Reds’ Jay Bruce is another target for the Royals and other teams looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder.  Bruce’s terrible defensive metrics (-9 Defensive Runs Saved, -34 UZR/150) have his overall value at below replacement level (-0.2 fWAR) though he’s enjoying a good year at the plate, hitting .270/.327/.518 with eight homers through 156 PA.  Bruce is under contract only through the 2016 season, owed approximately $8.1MM more in remaining salary plus a $1MM buyout of a $13MM club option for his services in 2017.  Cincinnati has been shopping Bruce for months, including one proposed offseason trade that nearly saw him get shipped to the Blue Jays.
  • Jason McLeod, the Cubs’ senior VP of player development and amateur scouting, would eventually like to run his own front office but is content to remain with Chicago, having already turned down interviews with the Mariners and Padres in recent years.  McLeod figures to be one of the game’s most sought-after GM candidates should he decide to pursue a general managing position.  Between his stints running the scouting departments for the Cubs, Padres and Red Sox, several well-regarded young prospects and currently stars were drafted on McLeod’s watch.
  • Cuban infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez is eligible to sign at any time, though he could possibly have to wait until the offseason simply due to awkward timing.  Though Fernandez is 28, an eight-year veteran in Cuba’s top league and is pitched by his agent Alan Nero as a Ben Zobrist or Dustin Pedroia type of player, he won’t be able to immediately help an MLB club.  Fernandez hasn’t played since 2014 so he’ll need some minor league time to get back into game shape.
  • As per “a couple of GMs” and at least one AL talent evaluator, Tim Lincecum made a mistake in coming to the American League to sign the Angels.  “I just don’t see his style of pitching at this juncture in his career working in the AL,” the evaluator said.  “The designated hitter makes a big difference, and when you have a guy who relies on having to be pinpoint, that makes it a tough league to succeed.”  Lincecum was known to prefer pitching for a West Coast team so his choices were somewhat limited in that sense, especially given that the two-time Cy Young Award winner also wanted to start.
  • As of last week, Josh Reddick told Cafardo that there wasn’t any progress towards an extension with the Athletics.  Much has changed, of course, since Reddick’s chat with Cafardo, as the outfielder suffered a fractured left thumb and will miss several weeks of action.

Royals Designate Jose Martinez For Assignment

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The Royals have designated outfielder Jose Martinez for assignment and optioned Christian Colon to Triple-A Omaha, tweets Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. The pair of moves creates space on the 40-man and 25-man rosters for infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield, whose contract has been selected from Omaha.

Martinez, 27, got some consideration for a big league spot on the heels of an otherworldly 2015 season in which he won the Pacific Coast League batting title and posted an overall slash line of .384/.461/.563 with 10 homers in 396 plate appearances last season. However, he had a poor Spring Training and has seen his production come back down to Earth in 2016, hitting .298/.356/.433 through his first 160 plate appearances. That monster campaign restored some of the former White Sox farmhand’s prospect status, with Baseball America rating him 24th in Kansas City’s minor league system this offseason. BA’s scouting report describes Martinez’s swing as a “smooth, flat, line-drive swing” that could generate 10 to 12 homers per season but isn’t likely to yield significant power contributions. They also graded him as an average defender in the outfield corners.

Merrifield, also 27, doesn’t rank among the organization’s top 30 prospects but is enjoying a solid campaign at Triple-A himself and brings some defensive versatility (and an excellent name) to the table. He’s hitting .278/.342/.458 with five homers and 16 steals through just 163 plate appearances this season. He’s appeared at first base, second base, third base and all three outfield spots in 2016, though the bulk of his work in the minors has come at second base and in left field (more than 2000 innings at each position). MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets that manager Ned Yost and many in the front office talked Merrifield up as a perfect 25th man for the roster this Spring Training, so he’s clearly had the eye of Royals decision-makers for awhile, and his strong start to the season will now be rewarded with his first promotion to the Majors.

Injury Notes: Alvarez, d’Arnaud, E-Rod, Angels, Minor, DeSclafani, Morrow

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Athletics right-hander Henderson Alvarez underwent an MRI in his shoulder yesterday, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The early belief is that Alvarez has a minor shoulder strain, which Slusser notes is not necessarily unusual in rehabs from this type of shoulder surgery, nor would it be considered a significant setback. Alvarez was said to be targeting a mid-May return to a big league mound, but the minor setback, at the very least, seems likely to push back that timeline.

Here are some more injury notes from around the game:

  • There’s no indication that Travis d’Arnaud is close to a return to the Mets, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. At this time, d’Arnaud isn’t even with the team but has traveled back to his L.A. home to work out his ailing shoulder with a personal trainer. The oft-injured 27-year-old has played in just 13 games for the Mets this season. In his absence, Kevin Plawecki will get his chance to prove that he can be considered an everyday option behind the dish.
  • Likewise, the Red Sox are facing significant uncertainty with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez, as John Tomase of WEEI.com reports. He’s still experiencing knee soreness, with diminished velocity seemingly resulting, and will miss his next scheduled rehab start. Hopes had been that the youngster would be back in the majors by this point, but instead he’ll throw a bullpen session later this week while the team assesses next steps. Boston is understandably proceeding with caution, lest the knee problem worsen or lead to some other injury. Rodriguez’s current rehab stint has been halted, giving the organization the option of re-starting another 30-day clock, though that step has yet to be taken.
  • The Angels’ bad luck in the injury department has shown no signs of abating, as the team has placed outfielder Daniel Nava and reliever Cory Rasmus on the 15-day DL. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes, both players are dealing with groin strains, though neither is expected to be out for much more than the minimum.
  • Royals lefty Mike Minor is headed to Triple-A and hopes to be ready for the majors by early June, according to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). The 28-year-old, who is Kansas City’s latest pitching injury reclamation project, had allowed three earned runs — on five hits and five walks, with a dozen punchouts — in 7 2/3 innings over two starts at Double-A.
  • There’s some cautious optimism on Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. He felt good in a 40-pitch pen session yesterday, and says that he believes his oblique issue may now be behind him. Next steps remain to be determined, and the club will be careful after a previous rehab effort resulted in a setback, but hopes are that DeSclafani can begin making his way back toward the major league rotation in earnest.
  • News was less positive on some recovering Padres, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes that righty Brandon Morrow and infielder Cory Spangenberg have both suffered setbacks. Morrow is experiencing fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder, and it’s not clear when he’ll be able to resume throwing. That could result in player and team agreeing to push back his current June 1 opt-out date, per the report. Spangenberg, meanwhile, tweaked his injured left quad and will need to go back to the rest and strengthening regimen that he had hoped to be done with by this point.
  • Key Padres right-hander Tyson Ross is still not throwing, Cassavell adds, but he’s at least been cleared for full-blown strength work on his own injured shoulder. “You’ve basically got to lay a good foundation first, and that’s what we were doing,” Ross said. “It’s just kind of limited ranges, and making sure everything is strong and stable. And then progressing on up the chain from there. Things have been going great.”

AL Central Notes: Maybin, Buxton, Royals, Tribe

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Here’s some news from around the AL Central…

  • The Tigers will activate Cameron Maybin from the disabled list tomorrow, with Anthony Gose going to Triple-A in a corresponding move.  Maybin suffered a hairline fracture in his left hand during Spring Training and is hitting .194/.313/.367 over 115 minor league plate appearances.  Detroit acquired Maybin from the Braves last November, and the outfielder will join Steven Moya and Andrew Romine in the outfield mix alongside regulars Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez.  A Maybin/Gose center field platoon seemed to be the initial plan over the winter, though Gose’s struggles earned him a demotion.
  • Byron Buxton is hitting well at Triple-A, though as La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, the Twins aren’t likely to call Buxton back up to the Show until he shows consistent production and solid development as a hitter.  The star prospect has just a .195/.239/.316 slash line over 187 PA in the bigs and often looked over-matched at the plate against Major League arms.  Buxton only played 13 Triple-A games before his initial promotion in 2015, so he may simply need more seasoning (despite how much he’s crushing pitching at lower level) before he returns to the Twins.
  • The Royals may not have the prospect capital to make a splash at the trade deadline, Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star writes.  The acquisitions of Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist before last summer’s deadline helped win the Royals a championship but those deals also left the club thin on expendable minor league talent.  For better or worse, Mellinger opines, K.C. will have to rely on its current roster to step up if the Royals hope to make another postseason appearance.
  • Stephen Strasburg’s big extension with the Nationals is just the latest case of a star pitcher receiving a huge salary, and Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes that the Indians have positioned themselves well by amassing one of the game’s better rotations at a relative bargain price.  With a number of promising young arms in the farm system, the Tribe seem likely to use starting pitching as a trade chip to address other roster issues.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/15/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • Cubs outfielder Ryan Kalish has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports (Twitter link).  Kalish was designated for assignment yesterday.  The 28-year-old appeared in seven games for Chicago this season, upping his career total to 153 games with the Cubs and Red Sox since 2010.
  • The Pirates will promote infield prospect Alen Hanson to the majors on Monday, according to his agency, LA Sports Management (Twitter link). Hansen, who has appeared on various top-100 prospect lists in recent years, owns a .284/.342/.442 batting line in 2821 career minor league plate appearances.  In 126 PAs with Triple-A Indianapolis this season, the 23-year-old has slashed .288/.309/.398 with two home runs and seven steals. He swiped 35 bags with Indy in 2015.  Hanson’s first taste of the majors is unlikely to last long, as his call-up will come thanks to outfielder Starling Marte’s forthcoming placement on the paternity list.
  • Left-hander David Huff has exercised the May 15 opt-out clause in the minor league contract he signed with the Royals during the offseason and is now a free agent, MLBTR has learned.  Huff threw 23 2/3 innings for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate and posted phenomenal nine-inning strikeout and walk rates of 11.03 and 0.76, respectively, along with a 4.18 ERA.  The 31-year-old has put up a 5.08 ERA, 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 as a starter and reliever in parts of seven major league seasons.
  • Left-hander Brian Duensing has asked to be released from his own minor league deal with the Royals, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports (Twitter link).  Duensing’s contract also contained a May 15 opt-out date.  This is the second time that Duensing has opted out of a minor league deal with the Royals in the last two months, as the two sides came to terms on a new contract after Duensing opted out of his previous deal near the end of Spring Training.  The 33-year-old has a 3.10 ERA, 3.80 K/BB rate and 8.4 K/9 over 20 1/3 relief innings for Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate this season.
  • The Yankees selected the contracts of right-handers Chad Green and Conor Mullee prior to Saturday’s game.  In corresponding moves, Greg Bird, Mason Williams and Bryan Mitchell were all moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL and top catching prospect Gary Sanchez was optioned back to Triple-A after appearing in just one game for New York.  Green and Mullee are both getting their first taste of the big leagues.  Green has a 3.29 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 3.53 K/BB rate over 336 1/3 minor league innings, starting 59 of his 69 career games.  He will start the Yankees’ game on Monday against the Diamondbacks.  Mullee, a career reliever, has a 2.13 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 3.46 K/BB rate over 143 1/3 pro innings since being picked in the 24th round of the 2010 draft.
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