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Angels Claim Hansel Robles

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The Angels announced today that they’ve claimed righty reliever Hansel Robles off waivers from the Mets. Robles was designated for assignment just yesterday. Rene Rivera was transferred to the 60-day DL in order to make room on the expanded roster.

As MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted at that time, Robles put up some solid numbers for the Mets during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He pitched 131 2/3 innings during that span, allowing 52 earned runs while racking up 146 strikeouts. Robles also pitched three scoreless postseason innings in 2015 without allowing a walk or a hit.

That seems to be in the distant past now, as Robles has an ERA close to 5.00 since the start of the 2017 season. He’s also seen a spike in his walk rate to 4.59 BB/9 during that time frame. Still, the Angels will hope he can add depth to a bullpen that seems to lack stability, as they’ve got a number of relievers with upside but none who have proven themselves reliable across an extended stretch. For the time being, Robles will report to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/20/18

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We’ll use this post to track the latest minor moves …

  • The Angels announced yesterday that righty Oliver Drake was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. Drake received multiple opportunities this year, seeing action with three clubs, but ended up being designated for assignment by each of them when he simply could not produce results to match his generally promising peripheral numbers. All said, in 19 2/3 innings to open the 2018 campaign, he has allowed 18 earned runs on 29 hits while recording 23 strikeouts and ten walks. Certainly, Drake has been unlucky to carry a 59.1% strand rate and surrender a .450 batting average on balls in play on only a 32.3% hard contact rate. But it’s a bottom-line business at the end of the day, and he will now have to await another opportunity in the upper minors.

Angels, Dodgers Pursued Kelvin Herrera Before Trade To Nationals

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The Angels and Dodgers were among the clubs that pursued reliever Kelvin Herrera before he was dealt yesterday from the Royals to the Nationals, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (in an article and on Twitter). In fact, per the report, the two Los Angeles franchises were “in serious talks” about Herrera.

That information is not only of historical interest. For one thing, it may hint something about the process the Royals undertook to move Herrera. The veteran reliever was among the most obvious and the best rental trade pieces in baseball. Most often, teams holding such an asset will take the decision until the deadline approaches, hoping that’s the best way to maximize their return.

With multiple teams involved in serious talks, it seems that the Kansas City organization decided to oversee bidding in mid-June. Perhaps that was due to concern over what other relief arms might reach the market and/or a desire to minimize risk associated with a high-performing pitcher. It also may reflect a universe in which contenders see an advantage to moving aggressively.

That’s all open to interpretation. What is clear, though, is that both L.A. clubs have an eye on bolstering their bullpens — and a willingness to do so by pursuing a pure rental asset. Presumably, they’ll be among the teams to pursue other such hurlers that come available over the coming weeks.

According to Nightengale, the Halos in particular “remain immersed in talks with multiple teams for pitching.” That’s notable given the team’s recent fade and spate of injuries. There’s certainly still a path to the postseason, but it’ll take some internal improvements (including a return to health) and stumbles from one or more teams ahead in the standings. It seems, though, that the organization is willing to chase roster improvements even in this setting — a topic that Nightengale explores in greater length in the above-linked post.

AL West Notes: Athletics, Ohtani, Luhnow, Rangers Infield

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Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle takes an interesting look at the future of the Athletics’ baseball operations and field leadership. She cites “increasing speculation in baseball circles and among those who know the A’s higher-ups” that the existing combination of VP of baseball ops Billy Beane, GM David Forst, and manager Bob Melvin may not be maintained past the 2019 campaign. The club is not obligated contractually beyond next season to Beane or Melvin, with the notable exception of Beane’s small stake in the team itself — a potential future wrinkle to keep in mind. Forst’s contract status is not publicly known. As Slusser explains, there’s a general sense that change is afoot in Oakland, though the direction (let alone the outcome) is not yet clear. It’s a worthwhile examination of the A’s organization that you’ll want to read for yourself to appreciate fully.

Here’s more from the AL West:

  • The Angels continue to emphasize that the next steps for injured superstar Shohei Ohtani will not be decided until his sprained elbow ligament has a chance to respond to recent treatment. That said, manager Mike Scioscia says there’s significant internal optimism that the news will be good, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links). For the time being, Ohtani is limited to taking some swings with his left arm. It’ll still be two or three weeks until more is known.
  • Astros owner Jim Crane and newly-promoted president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow discussed their plans for the future after announcing a new contract for Luhnow yesterday, as MLB.com’s Christian Boutwell writes. Crane says that Luhnow deserves “a lot of the credit” for the club’s World Series win last year and promising future outlook. It’s the possibility of a sustainable run of success, meanwhile, that has Luhnow excited. “[T]his next phase of keeping this organization at its high level for an extended period of time, that’s what drives me, that challenge,” he said. Despite his new title, Luhnow will continue to function as the general manager and will hang onto that label as well, though he says he’ll be willing to hand it off to someone else if that proves necessary. Luhnow also suggested that there’s a strong commitment to skipper A.J. Hinch, whose contract expires after the current season but seems likely to be extended at some point.
  • The Rangers have a crowded infield mix now with Elvis Andrus re-joining the active roster. As Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explains, the organization hopes to keep all of its primary options on the field quite often, allowing Jurickson Profar to continue receiving ample opportunities while also letting Rougned Odor work through his struggles at the plate. Skipper Jeff Banister says this will be accomplished by utilizing third baseman Adrian Beltre as a DH with some frequency and allowing Andrus some extra rest. Utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa, meanwhile, is going to attempt to add to his versatility by suiting up behind the dish, as Grant tweets. It’ll be interesting to see how this situation plays out for the struggling Rangers, who could weigh trades involving several of these players. In particular, Beltre (who’ll be a free agent at season’s end) and Andrus (who can opt out of his contract) seem to be plausible candidates.

Angels Activate Andrelton Simmons

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Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons is on the lineup card for today’s game against the Athletics, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was first to report. A corresponding move has not yet been announced for either Simmons’ activation nor starter John Lamb’s promotion, though Fletcher notes that infielder Nolan Fontana and right-hander Oliver Drake are not on the lineup card.

The reinstatement of Simmons comes as a surprise, considering that his original diagnosis after slipping on the dugout steps (grade 2 ankle sprain) implies at least a slight tear to a ligament. A return after the 10-day minimum stay on the disabled list, then, would seem to be an unexpected best-case scenario for the late-blooming Simmons, who has already improved upon his breakout 2017 season by posting 3.1 fWAR in just 59 games on the season so far. Simmons is slashing an excellent .330/.399/.460 with four homers and five steals on the year.

It’s at least some good news for an Angels club that has seen a wealth of back injury luck. Even with Simmons activated, the club has a significant number of players on the DL, including arguably their four best starting pitchers. The return of Simmons will no doubt provide a boost to both the club’s offense and defense, and fans will have to hope it can serve as a shot in the arm for their team, who currently sit 7.5 games outside of first place in the AL West.

Angels Place Garrett Richards, Nick Tropeano, Zack Cozart, Jim Johnson On 10-Day DL

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The Angels have announced a significant roster shuffle occasioned by a few injuries. Starters Garrett Richards and Nick Tropeano are each hitting the DL, as are infielder Zack Cozart and reliever Jim Johnson.

It’s not fully clear how severe these injuries are, but it’s still an ugly casualty list for a team that has already had some worrying health issues arise recently. Richards has a left hamstring strain, while Tropeano is dealing with right shoulder inflammation.

With Shohei Ohtani already on the shelf, likely joining JC Ramirez and Matt Shoemaker there for a lengthy stretch, the team’s rotation depth has already been tapped into. It seems the team is likely to call upon John Lamb in the near-term, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets that he’s with the team (though not yet active). That’ll require a 40-man move. Otherwise, the best 40-man possibilities are Parker Bridwell, Felix Pena, and Miguel Almonte.

Pena is among the four players coming up to take the open roster spots for the time being. He could presumably become a rotation option, but there’s a pressing enough need that it’s fair to wonder if outside possibilities will be pursued.

Along with Pena, the team has called up three additional right-handed hurlers to help absorb innings. Eduardo Paredes, Akeel Morris, and Jake Jewell will all come off of the Triple-A Salt Lake roster to join the club in Oakland. That’ll at least help the team deal with the absence of Johnson, who has a lumbar strain.

In some regards — without knowing details yet from the team — Cozart’s injury may be the most worrisome. It’s particularly poor timing given that Andrelton Simmons is also sidelined, though the real concern here is the question of severity.

Cozart has been diagnosed with a left shoulder subluxation, a potentially worrying injury. That injury has in recent years sent at least two players — righty Carson Smith and infielder Marco Hernandez — to the operating room for season-ending procedures. Hopefully, that won’t be needed in Cozart’s case, but the fates of those players serve to illustrate the seriousness of injuries of this general variety.

Latest On Shohei Ohtani’s Injury

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June 14: FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that the Grade 2 strain in Ohtani’s UCL is new and is not related to the previous Grade 1 strain that he was reported to have shortly after signing. There’s been no update from the medical experts who’ve evaluated Ohtani, as doctors are waiting to see how his UCL responds to the injections he’s already received. As per the timeline originally put forth by the Angels at the time his injury was announced, that reevaluation is set to come at the end of this month (June 29).

June 11: Following an on-air report from ESPN’s Pedro Gomez in which Gomez suggested that Angels ace Shohei Ohtani “probably will need Tommy John surgery,” Halos GM Billy Eppler opposed the notion in a statement to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links).

“There have been no changes in Ohtani’s diagnosis and neither our physicians nor medical staff have recommended (Tommy John surgery) or said it’s likely,” said Eppler on Monday.

As with any UCL injury, of course, the possibility remains that surgical repair will ultimately be proven necessary. Notably, Eppler doesn’t definitively state that Ohtani will not require Tommy John surgery, likely because he and the team’s medical staff genuinely do not know whether Ohtani will avoid surgery at this point. When the Angels made the announcement that Ohtani was DL-bound, the team said that he had already received platelet-rich plasma and stem cell injections and would be re-evaluated in three weeks.

Eppler, then, simply seems to have been motivated to speak out against a report that was based on something other than conclusive medical evaluations. While some with the club are likely bracing for the worst and may even pessimistically be considering it the likeliest outcome, there’s no clear way to know exactly what treatment is in store for Ohtani until later this month when doctors make their recommendations following the initial wave of treatment. To that end, it’s worth noting that two of Ohtani’s current teammates, Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney, attempted similar treatment methods in order to avoid Tommy John surgery themselves. Heaney ultimately required the surgery anyway, but Richards did indeed manage to avoid the operation.

For the Angels, there’s little downside in attempting PRP and stem cell injections in addition to rest and rehab. As a theoretical example, even if Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery tomorrow, he would still be likely to miss the majority of the 2019 season anyhow. While some pitchers have returned from Tommy John in 11 to 12 months in the past, the Halos would certainly err on the side of caution in Ohtani’s rehabilitation process. A best-case scenario might see him sidelined into next August, so the harm in trying to avoid the procedure entirely is somewhat minimized when viewed through that lens.

Injury Notes: Richards, Cozart, Bleier, Pomeranz, Padres

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The Angels announced tonight that right-hander Garrett Richards exited the game due to tightness in his left hamstring, while Zack Cozart departed early due to a strained left shoulder. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes, Richards’ fastball velocity was down nearly three miles per hour from its usual levels before he exited the game following a two-run second inning for the Mariners. Richards is slated for an MRI tomorrow. Cozart, meanwhile, incurred his injury while making a diving attempt at shortstop and said after the game that his shoulder “separated or popped out a little bit” upon hitting the ground. It’s not the first time he’s had that type of issue happen, he adds, and he’ll be examined further tomorrow.

Some more injury news from around the game…

  • Orioles lefty Richard Bleier suffered an arm injury in Wednesday night’s game, which manager Buck Showalter suggested could be related to his left lat muscle (link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). The injury was immediately apparent, as Bleier winced on his follow-through, dropped his glove and immediately began clutching at his shoulder (video link). Bleier already had an x-ray taken Wednesday night, and he’s headed for an MRI on Thursday. While there won’t be an update until that test is complete and the results have been viewed by doctors, but Bleier said that there was “no question” that he was unable to make another pitch, calling the pain “severe” and adding that he’s never experienced that type of injury. While the 31-year-old lefty is hardly a household name, he has a superlative 1.93 ERA on the season and, in fact, has a sub-2.00 ERA for his entire career — a span of 119 innings dating back to his 2016 debut with the Yankees.
  • Drew Pomeranz has been on the shelf for nearly two weeks, but the Red Sox lefty doesn’t sound especially close to returning. WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweets that Pomeranz says the pain in his arm has mostly dissipated, but he has limited mobility in his neck, which is still preventing him from even throwing. Pomeranz, 29, originally hit the DL due to tendinitis in his left biceps, though it would appear that he’s experiencing additional discomfort at this point. Knuckleballer Steven Wright has stepped into Pomeranz’s spot in the rotation and tossed 13 2/3 shutout innings in two starts.
  • The Padres announced tonight that outfielders Wil Myers and Franchy Cordero and left-hander Joey Lucchesi are all set to begin minor league rehab assignments tomorrow. San Diego has been without Myers since April 29 due to a left oblique strain, while Cordero has been out since late May due to a forearm strain. In the absence of both corner outfielders, the Friars have been utilizing a mix of Travis Jankowski, rookie Franmil Reyes, Manuel Margot, Hunter Renfroe and Matt Szczur in the outfield, though the impending return of both Myers and Cordero will shuffle that arrangement. Myers has taken just 40 plate appearances with the big league club this season, hitting .300/.300/.450, while Cordero hit .237/.307/.439 through 154 PAs and began to draw some notoriety for his prodigious home run distances and exit velocities on Statcast. As for Lucchesi, he was among the most impressive rookie pitchers in all of baseball through his first nine starts, pitching to a 3.23 ERA with a 48-to-15 K/BB ratio and a 43.8 percent ground-ball rate in 47 1/3 innings. He’s been out since May 15 due to a hip strain.

Angels Promote David Fletcher

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The Angels have called up infield prospect David Fletcher, officially selecting his contract from Triple-A Salt Lake, the team announced. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Angels moved Blake Wood from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL. Jefry Marte has been placed on the 10-day DL with a sprained left wrist, thus opening a 25-man roster spot for Fletcher.

Angels fans have been anxiously awaiting the debut of Fletcher, who isn’t considered one of the organization’s elite prospects (No. 21, per MLB.com) but has laid waste to Triple-A pitchers thus far in 2018. The former sixth-round pick (2015) has slashed .350/.394/.559 with six homers, 25 doubles, five triples and seven steals (in nine tries) so far in the Triple-A season. Incredibly, he’s punched out just 21 times in 274 plate appearances.

As the Halos’ Triple-A affiliate tweeted over the weekend, the 24-year-old Fletcher was leading all of Minor League Baseball with 85 hits, 36 extra-base hits, 25 doubles and 138 total bases. That superlative production landed him on a recent edition of Jason Martinez’s Knocking Down the Door here at MLBTR.

Exactly where Fletcher lines up on the diamond in the big leagues remains to be seen. He’s split his time between the two middle infield positions in the minors thus far in 2018, and while Ian Kinsler slumped badly early in the season, he’s been swinging a much better bat of late. Kinsler has a .797 OPS over the past month, and in his past 13 games, he’s slashing a ridiculous .352/.397/.759 with six homers and four doubles in 58 plate appearances.

The Angels had to place Andrelton Simmons on the disabled list due to a freak ankle sprain recently — Simmons injured himself on the dugout steps — and Zack Cozart has shifted over to shortstop in the interim. It’s possible, then, that Fletcher could see some time at shortstop, with Cozart sliding back over to the hot corner on days when Fletcher is penciled in at short.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/11/18

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Here are Monday’s agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public)…

  • The Athletics have a deal in place with second-rounder Jameson Hannah, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He’ll take home a $1.8MM bonus, a fair bit north of the $1,414,200 allocation that came with the 50th overall selection. Coming into the draft, MLB.com was by far the most bullish outlet on Hannah, grading the Dallas Baptist product as the 32nd-best player available. He’s said to possess outstanding speed, some decent power projection, and a solid hit tool at the plate along with the chops to play center.

Earlier Updates

  • The Cardinals agreed to terms with Wake Forest right-hander Griffin Roberts on a $1,664,200 bonus — the full slot value of his No. 43 selection — per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter). Opinions on Roberts were somewhat split, with Baseball America most favorably ranking him 47th in the class, while Fangraphs pegged him 84th overall. Reports on him praise Roberts for possessing one of the best sliders of any amateur in the country, but there’s also quite a bit of uncertainty as to whether he can be a starter at the professional level or if he’ll be a bullpen piece. He also had control issues prior to the 2018 season.
  • MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets that the Angels are in agreement with second-round pick Jeremiah Jackson on a $1,196,500 bonus that represents a full-slot signing. Law’s ranking of Jackson as the No. 23 prospect in the class was the most aggressive, as he wrote that while Jackson was unlikely to be the first high school shortstop off the board, he was perhaps the most promising. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs write that Jackson’s stock soared once he began wearing glasses and immediately began raking. McDaniel and Longenhagen note that opposing teams simply opted to intentionally walk Jackson in 11 of his final 13 plate appearances in high school and peg him as a potential everyday third baseman.
  • In a fairly sizable over-slot signing, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets the Indians agreed to a $900K bonus with sixth-rounder Raynel Delgado, whose No. 193 overall selection came with a value of $235,600. The switch-hitting prep infielder out of Florida has impressed scouts with his bat speed and hit tool from both sides of the dish, but questions about his defense and a commitment to Florida International pushed him down the board a bit. BA ranked him 83rd, touting the potential for plus power from both sides of the dish. Callis and Mayo peg him as a potential offensive-minded second or third baseman down the line.
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