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Matt Shoemaker Undergoes Surgery After Being Struck In Head By Line Drive

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Right-hander Matt Shoemaker was involved in a frightening play on Sunday in which he was struck in the head by a 105 mph line drive off the bat of Kyle Seager. While he walked off the field with minimal assistance from the Angels’ training staff, Shoemaker was diagnosed with a small skull fracture and a hematoma and underwent surgery to stop the bleeding in his skull, writes Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Grave as that procedure sounds, Angels GM Billy Eppler downplayed the severity, calling the procedure “fairly routine” and telling Fletcher that Shoemaker is resting comfortably.

The Angels and Shoemaker’s doctors expect a full recovery for Shoemaker, though he almost certainly will not pitch again this year. Eppler told Fletcher that the team is counting on Shoemaker to be able to reclaim his spot in the rotation next season. With a 3.88 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a 39.8 percent ground-ball rate through 160 innings, Shoemaker joins Ricky Nolasco and Tyler Skaggs as perhaps the only locks to slot into manager Mike Scioscia’s 2017 rotation (assuming a full recovery).

In the meantime, Tim Lincecum, Jhoulys Chacin and Brett Oberholtzer are the top candidates to step into the rotation for the remainder of the 2016 campaign. While that’s very much a secondary storyline to the overall health and well-being of Shoemaker, it’ll be interesting to see how his replacement ultimately fares — whichever of the three it might be. Lincecum and Chacin are both free agents at season’s end that would benefit from strong finishes, while Oberholtzer is out of minor league options and would undoubtedly like to improve his standing within the organization.

Injury Updates: Strasburg, Shoemaker, Pirates, Hamilton

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Here’s the latest health updates on some key names from around baseball…

  • Stephen Strasburg could “possibly” start for the Nationals on Wednesday, manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link).  Strasburg was placed on the DL with a sore right elbow on August 21, so he would have only missed slightly beyond the 15-day minimum should he indeed return on Wednesday.  Baker said Strasburg threw well in a bullpen session today but the club will see how the star righty is feeling tomorrow before any decisions are made.
  • Angels righty Matt Shoemaker was hit in the head with a line drive off the bat of Kyle Seager today.  Shoemaker didn’t lose consciousness during the scary incident, and the Halos announced that he had suffered a laceration but was alert and responsive.  A CT scan revealed that Shoemaker suffered a small skull fracture and a hematoma, and he’ll stay in hospital overnight and visit a neurologist (as per Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times).
  • The struggling Pirates could get some reinforcements in the form of Jung Ho Kang and Gerrit Cole, skipper Clint Hurdle told reporters (including Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).  Kang, who went on the DL with a left shoulder injury on August 20, could return to the active roster as early as Monday.  Cole’s DL placement due to right elbow inflammation was retroactive to August 25, and the Pirates have him tentatively scheduled to start on September 12 against Philadelphia.  Cole threw a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday and has to get through two more side sessions scheduled for next week before the Bucs give him the green light to return.
  • Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton exited today’s game with the Cardinals after suffering a left oblique strain during the third inning.  The severity of the injury isn’t known, as while Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters (including Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that Hamilton will likely be out of action for a few games, oblique injuries generally take much longer to heal.  Jose Peraza is the Reds’ top center field option while Hamilton recovers.  It’s not out of the question that Hamilton will miss the rest of the season, which would bring a disappointing end to a campaign that saw Hamilton (.260/.321/.343) post career highs in batting average and OBP over 460 plate appearances, while stealing a league-leading 58 bases.

Angels Claim Daniel Wright From Reds

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The Angels have claimed right-hander Daniel Wright off waivers from the Reds, per a Cincinnati announcement. The Reds designated Wright for assignment earlier Sunday.

The 25-year-old Wright, whom the Reds chose in the 10th round of the 2013 draft, will now join his second organization. He made his major league debut this season with four appearances, two of which were starts, and pitched to a bloated 7.62 ERA in 13 innings, also posting 4.15 K/9 against 1.38 BB/9. Wright also had difficulty preventing runs this year with Triple-A Louisville, where he put up a 6.13 ERA across 83 2/3 frames. In 453 2/3 career minor league innings, Wright has logged a 4.44 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.

Cam Bedrosian To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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Angels reliever Cam Bedrosian will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday to repair a blood clot in his pitching arm, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. The surgery is unlikely to affect Bedrosian’s ability to pitch in 2017, Fletcher adds.

Bedrosian joins closer Huston Street as the second late-game option for the Halos whose season will end prematurely. Street underwent knee surgery Aug. 23, though he was far less effective this season than Bedrosian.

The 24-year-old Bedrosian landed on the disabled list Aug. 9 with finger tendinitis, leading to the discovery of a blood clot. Bedrosian had quietly established himself as a relief ace before then, logging a stunning 1.12 ERA, 11.39 K/9, 3.12 BB/9 and 49.5 percent-ground ball rate in 40 1/3 innings. His performance this year represents a massive turnaround for a right-hander who pitched to a 5.81 ERA with 5.3 BB/9 in 52 2/3 combined frames over the previous two campaigns. Part of Bedrosian’s dominance this season was thanks to an improved slider, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan detailed last month. If the 2010 first-rounder continues his excellence next year, he should set himself up as a long-term closer solution.

Angels Claim Ashur Tolliver From Orioles

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The Orioles have announced that they’ve lost lefty Ashur Tolliver to the Angels on a waiver claim. The O’s designated Tolliver for assignment when they acquired Kyle Lobstein last week. (Lobstein, of course, has himself already been designated for assignment and outrighted.)

The 28-year-old Tolliver made his MLB debut this season, allowing four runs, three earned, in 4 2/3 innings of relief while throwing his fastball in the 93-94 MPH range. He fared well, however, in stops at three minor league affiliates, posting a 1.94 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 41 2/3 total innings. The Angels currently have Jose Alvarez and Cody Ege as lefties available out of their bullpen; Tolliver will give them another left-handed option.

AL West Notes: Trout, Angels, Gamel, Sardinas, Vincent

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Angels superstar Mike Trout was involved in a car accident in southern California last night which left two people injured, but Trout himself walked away from the crash unharmed, as Scott Schwebke and Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register report. Both Angels GM Billy Eppler and Trout’s agent, Craig Landis, have stated that the center fielder is uninjured, with Eppler issuing the following statement: “Mike Trout was involved in a car accident earlier tonight. I have spoken with Mike this evening and he feels fine. He is at home with his roommate and is planning on traveling with the club to Seattle tomorrow afternoon. We will update as more information becomes available.” The video atop the above-linked Trout story includes a report from the scene which states that the accident occurred when Trout had to slam on his brakes because of another accident that had taken place in front of him, causing him to collide with another car. The California Highway Patrol does “not have any reason to believe right now that drugs or alcohol were a factor,” said Stacey Butler of CBS Los Angeles in the news report. More concerning at this time is the well-being of the woman in the car that was struck by Trout’s vehicle, as USA Today’s A.J. Perez reports that she suffered “major” injuries and was transported to Orange County Global Medical Center. We at MLBTR join all that are following this story in wishing her a full recovery.

Here’s more from the AL West…

  • The Angels are once again staring at an offseason of uncertainty at the second base position, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes. While there are internal options at the ready, it seems hard to imagine that the organization will feel comfortable giving regular playing time to Johnny Giavotella, Cliff Pennington, or Gregorio Petit. There’s some hope that Kaleb Cowart can transition over from third, though that remains a work in progress. From an outside perspective, it seems worth noting that Yunel Escobar is an option at second as well as the hot corner, which creates some flexibility this winter.
  • Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto spoke with Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times about yesterday’s trade to acquire outfielder Ben Gamel from the Yankees and implied that he will get an opportunity to prove that he can help the Mariners in 2016 and beyond. “He has 1,000 plate appearances at Triple A,” said Dipoto. “…He just won MVP [of the Triple-A International League] and he was rookie of the year last year in that league. He’s done what he can do at Triple A and now he deserves an opportunity. … He does a lot of things well. He’s optionable, he’s young and he’s athletic, three of things we are looking for. He’s a polished minor league minor league player who’s ready to cut his teeth in the big leagues.” Nori Aoki and Franklin Gutierrez are both free agents at season’s end, while Seth Smith has a $7MM club option remaining on his contract. As such, there could be plenty of at-bats to be won for Gamel in 2017 if he can prove capable of handling big league pitching.
  • Last month, the Mariners traded infielder Luis Sardinas to the Padres in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, and MLB.com’s A.J. Cassavell now reports that the deal has been completed, with San Diego sending cash to Seattle (Twitter link). The return for Sardinas was never expected to be all that high, considering the fact that he’d endured a poor 2016 season and had already been designated for assignment at the time of the trade. Since joining the Padres, Sardinas has seven hits in 22 at-bats, including a homer and a pair of doubles. On a somewhat related note, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that the two sides have not yet formally wrapped up the Nick Vincent swap that took place all the way back in March (Twitter link). The Padres and Mariners have until Sept. 30 to complete the trade, which was announced as Vincent to Seattle in exchange for a player to be named later. Vincent has been a nice add for the Mariners, tossing 47 innings of 3.83 ERA ball.

Mets Acquire Fernando Salas

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The Mets announced that they have acquired right-handed reliever Fernando Salas from the Angels in exchange for minor league right-hander Erik Manoah. Justin Ruggiano has been moved to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Salas on the 40-man roster.

Fernando Salas

Salas, 31, has pitched to a 4.47 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 41.6 percent ground-ball rate in 56 1/3 innings of relief for the Angels this season. A free agent at season’s end, he represents a pure rental for the Mets, but a fairly affordable one, as he’s earning $2.4MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility. Salas has $419K of that sum remaining on his salary through season’s end. While his numbers certainly aren’t eye-catching, it’s worth noting that Salas has largely righted the ship after a dreadful month of June and has pitched quite well since early July. While the endpoint here is highly arbitrary in nature, Salas has a 2.60 ERA with an 18-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 48 percent ground-ball rate in his past 17 1/3 innings out of manager Mike Scisoscia’s bullpen.

With the Mets, Salas figures to work primarily in the seventh inning, as the eighth inning is typically the property of resurgent setup man Addison Reed, while the Mets boast one of baseball’s best closers in the form of right-hander Jeurys Familia. By acquiring Salas tonight, the Mets have ensured that he can be a part of the club’s roster in the event that they make it to the postseason. The deadline for newly acquired players to receive postseason eligibility is midnight EST.

Manoah, 20, was the Mets’ 13th-round pick in the 2014 draft. The Miami-area prep product hasn’t performed particularly well in his pro career to date, pitching to an ERA north of 5.00 in both 2015 and 2016. However, he has shown a penchant for missing bats, racking up 63 strikeouts in 62 innings out of the rotation for the Mets’ short-season Class-A affiliate this year, and he also keeps the ball on the ground quite well, as evidenced by a 50 percent ground-ball rate.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AL Notes: Holland, Uehara, Bedrosian, Maybin

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Rangers lefty Derek Holland has a lot at stake in his final month of the season — and, likely, the postseason to follow — as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explains. Holland, 29, is not only battling for a spot in the club’s playoff rotation, but also will be auditioning as the team considers whether to pick up his $11MM option for 2017. He has exceeded his limited inning tallies of the prior two campaigns, but still owns only a 4.68 ERA across 84 2/3 frames on the year. But his two outings since returning from his latest DL stint have been quite good — Holland has allowed just two earned runs over 12 innings on eight total hits and one walk, against ten strikeouts — and a continuation of that could make the option desirable once again. As Grant notes, Texas will need to weigh the lack of likely alternatives in free agency. Plus, parting ways with the southpaw would mean paying a $1.5MM buyout for 2017 while also passing on the rights to a $11.5MM option for the 2018 season (while coughing up another $1MM buyout).

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Red Sox could welcome Koji Uehara back to their bullpen as soon as next Monday, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports. At one point, it seemed that the veteran righty could miss the rest of the season with a pectoral strain, but he’ll instead look to provide a boost to the Sox relief corps down the stretch. While there’s now optimism, Uehara says he won’t push too hard. “It makes no sense to rush at this point in time so I’ll try to be ready when I’m ready,” he said. “The biggest hurdle is getting over the injury mentally. I think I feel pretty good with where I am physically.” It hasn’t quite been a typical campaign for the 41-year-old, who sports an uncharacteristic 4.50 ERA, but he’s still carrying 12.8 K/9 against just 2.3 BB/9 and will be an interesting factor in the free agent market — particularly if he can show that he’s healthy in the final month of the season.
  • Angels righty Cam Bedrosian is still assessing whether to undergo surgery to address a blood clot in his pitching arm, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes. The procedure would end his season, but the alternative — rest and medication — likely will as well at this point. Either way, it doesn’t appear to be a significant long-term concern, and doesn’t take much away from a breakout season from the 24-year-old. After posting ugly earned run totals in his first two efforts to conquer the big leagues, Bedrosian has tallied 40 1/3 frames of 1.12 ERA ball in 2016 with a strong 11.4 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.5% groundball rate.
  • The Tigers are holding their breath yet again with regard to outfielder Cameron Maybin, who left tonight’s action with another thumb injury. As Evan Woodberry of MLive.com tweets, X-rays on his left thumb were negative, but an MRI has been scheduled for a closer look tomorrow. The 29-year-old has been a key cog for Detroit, slashing .328/.398/.415 with 14 steals over 286 plate appearances, but has already spent two stints on the DL — including one for an injury to the same digit that is causing the new trouble. Regardless of the prognosis, it seems fairly likely that the Tigers will end up seeing value in exercising a $9MM option to retain Maybin for 2017 rather than paying him a $1MM buyout.

Royals Acquire Daniel Nava

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The Royals have acquired outfielder Daniel Nava from the Angels for a player to be named later or cash, the club announced. Nava will head to Triple-A Omaha.

Nava, 33, has spent the last month at the highest level of the minors after previously losing his roster spot with the Halos. He posted a meager .235/.309/.303 batting line over 136 plate appearances at the major league level, battling injuries along the way.

Things have pointed up since Nava reported to Triple-A, though, as Nava has compiled a .333/.390/.427 slash in 105 trips to the plate. That looks more like the peak 2013 big league numbers that Nava posted with the Red Sox.

While a return to his brief but plenty useful career-best campaign would be a lot to ask for, Kansas City is surely hopeful that Nava can provide a solid bench bat once rosters expand in a few days. The switch hitter has traditionally fared much better against right-handed pitching, so he’d most likely be utilized from the left side almost exclusively.

Angels Outright Johnny Giavotella To Triple-A

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The Angels have outrighted second baseman Johnny Giavotella to Triple-A, the club announced.  Giavotella cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

After being acquired from Kansas City in a December 2014 trade, Giavotella has spent much of the last two seasons as the Angels’ starter at the keystone.  He didn’t provide much offensively (.267/.305/.375 over 869 plate appearances) or defensively (the UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved metrics indicate below-average glovework over the last two years) and Giavotella had recently lost playing time to Gregorio Petit and Cliff Pennington.  Second base certainly appears to be one of many areas of need for the Halos this winter as they look to recover from a thoroughly disappointing 2016 campaign.

As Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times tweets, the Angels will use Giavotella as a utilityman at Triple-A.  Giavotella has some experience at third base and left field in the minors, though he has only appeared at a position other than second once at the Major League level (a single game at shortstop).  Gaining some multi-position versatility could be helpful for Giavotella’s career prospects, given his lack of success against MLB pitching.  Giavotella will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is a potential non-tender candidate, though he doesn’t figure to be in line for a very big salary in his initial trip through the arb process.

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