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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.

AL Notes: Davis, Aoki, Jones, Ondrusek, Angels, A’s

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Wade Davis is making progress on his way back to the Royals, as he’s set for an inning of action at Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. Kansas City has thrived without their 30-year-old closer, but that doesn’t mean his return doesn’t come with anticipation. The defending World Series champs have clawed their way back into the postseason picture — no surprise for this group — but still sits four games out of Wild Card position and need every advantage that can be found.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Mariners optioned outfielder Nori Aoki to Triple-A tonight as part of a series of roster moves, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among those to tweet. While he has struggled for much of the year, Aoki has actually been quite useful at the plate in August with a .338/.392/.426 batting line for the month. But Seattle needed fresh arms, and so took advantage of the ability to remove the veteran from the active roster for the time being. He’ll surely be back shortly with rosters expanding in a few days.
  • Orioles outfielder Adam Jones left tonight’s action with what the team is calling a hamstring strain. That could be a big problem for the O’s, who not only need Jones’s bat in the lineup but don’t have any ready replacements on their depth chart. But skipper Buck Showalter says that he doesn’t believe Jones will require a DL stint, as Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com tweets.
  • Earlier today, the Orioles designated righty Logan Ondrusek off of their active roster. Unlike a typical DFA, the move simply puts the player on ice while he is passed through optional assignment waives. The procedural step was taken to enable the team to reinstate lefty T.J. McFarland from the DL.
  • The Angels have hired a new amateur scouting, adding former Cardinals cross-checker Matt Swanson, as ESPN.com’s Keith Law reported on Twitter. Los Angeles has continued to experience change in the upper levels of its player intake and development departments, which is no surprise given that GM Billy Eppler only took the helm last October.
  • Just like their AL West rivals, the Athletics are engaged in a complicated ballpark situation, though their’s may be trending away from their current digs at the O.Co Coliseum. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Matier & Ross recently provided a look at the latest on the search for a new site, with quiet majority owner John Fisher said to be looking closely at a spot in Oakland’s Howard Terminal that is the preferred spot of mayor Libby Schaaf.

Heyman’s Latest: Puig, Turner, Braun, Votto, Weaver, Holliday, Howard, Crawford, Victorino

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Jon Heyman of Fan Rag’s latest notes column begins with a lengthy examination of a resilient Dodgers team. He also drops a note on the demoted Yasiel Puig, who is not only demolishing Triple-A pitching, but is drawing great reviews for his attitude. Heyman reported further on Puig earlier today, explaining that the Dodgers have fielded interest in trade talks, but mostly have been spurning efforts by rival organizations to get him on the cheap.

  • Speaking of Puig, the division-rival Diamondbacks are said to have engaged in “some brief talks” on the talented 25-year-old. That engagement doesn’t seem to have resulted in any traction, however, so it doesn’t sound as if there’s any reason to believe that there could be a match between the organizations.
  • The Dodgers are expected to attempt to bring back third baseman Justin Turner, who has been an incredibly productive player since coming to the organization on a minor league deal in 2014. Heyman does note that Turner’s age (he’ll turn 32 in November) could limit L.A.’s interest in a long-term deal with the pending free agent.
  • After Ryan Braun’s no-trade protection seemingly gummed up any inclination the Brewers may have had to trade him this summer, Heyman writes that the team is expected to explore trade scenarios this winter. Age, cost, injury history, a PED past, and the no-trade rights will make that a complicated proposition, but Braun’s .317/.380/.562 slash line holds obvious appeal.
  • The Blue Jays’ previously reported effort to land Reds first baseman Joey Votto at the 2015 trade deadline may have petered out with the changes in the team’s baseball operations department. But the talks likely would’ve continued had Alex Anthopoulos remained at the helm, says Heyman, and the organization had been prepared to add Votto even after paying big to land Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. Per the report, though, the teams never got terribly far down the line in hashing out a deal.
  • Angels righty Jered Weaver has already made clear that he isn’t ready to discuss his plans for 2017, when he’ll be a free agent, but Heyman says that some in the organization believe he may retire. The 33-year-old is struggling through his worst season in the majors, with a 5.47 ERA over 138 1/3 innings.
  • While the Cardinals and outfielder Matt Holliday seemingly have good cause to continue their productive relationship, it’s far from clear whether the team will be willing to cough up $17MM to exercise its 2017 option. That said, Heyman notes that it’s possible to imagine the sides coming to an alternative arrangement to keep Holliday in St. Louis.
  • Heyman also provides some updates on some of the game’s other elder statesmen. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is said to be “determined” to continue his career after the all-but-inevitable decision by the Phils to decline the club’s option. Free agent outfielders Carl Crawford and Shane Victorino appear to be eyeing comeback efforts in 2017.

Injury Notes: Benintendi, Bedrosian, Minor, Zimmermann, Cobb

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Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi had to be helped off the field last night following a slip on the basepaths during which his ankle rolled significantly and his knee bent in an awkward direction (video link). The Red Sox are calling the injury a left knee sprain, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Abraham also tweets that with Benintendi sure to be out of the lineup for Thursday’s afternoon game, the team could wait until Friday’s return to Boston to send Benintendi for an MRI. The 22-year-old Benintendi, whom the Sox selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft, has batted an outstanding .324/.365/.485 through his first 74 big league plate appearances. The Red Sox did just get Chris Young back from the disabled list, but losing Benintendi for any significant period of time would of course be a substantial setback for Boston.

A few more notable injury stories from around the league…

  • The Angels announced on Wednesday that doctors have discovered a blood clot in the upper right arm of breakout reliever Cam Bedrosian. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes, the 24-year-old will see a vascular specialist before a next step is determined, but season-ending surgery is a possibility. Bedrosian was already on the disabled list due to tendinitis in his right middle finger. If this new issue does end his season, he’ll wrap up the year with a scintillating 1.12 ERA, 11.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings.
  • Left-hander Mike Minor has been shut down for the year by the Royals, GM Dayton Moore told reporters, including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Minor, 28, signed a two-year, $7.25MM contract with a mutual option this offseason but ultimately will miss the entire 2016 season — the second straight year in which shoulder problems have prevented him from being able to set foot on a Major League mound. The longtime Braves lefty last pitched in 2014, posting a 4.77 ERA in 145 1/3 innings and has a career 4.10 ERA in 652 2/3 innings with Atlanta. His backloaded contract only calls for him to earn $2MM this season.
  • The Tigers announced this morning that right-hander Jordan Zimmermann will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo on Friday. Zimmermann has pitched for Detroit just once since June 30, lasting just 1 2/3 innings in his lone start back from a neck strain that sidelined him for the entire month of July. After that abbreviated return, Zimmermann went back on the DL with a lat strain, but he’ll look to make his return to the Tigers early next month. A healthy Zimmermann would be a breath of fresh air for Detroit, as the team currently sits just three games back from a Wild Card spot and 5.5 back from the division-leading Indians.
  • After 15 months of rehab from Tommy John surgery, right-hander Alex Cobb is lining up to make his return to the Rays’ rotation next weekend, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Cobb has already made seven rehab appearances and is set to make one final Triple-A start on Saturday before being activated on Sept. 2 or 3, per Topkin. Cobb hasn’t pitched for the Rays since the end of the 2014 season, as he initially suffered the injury that preceded his UCL tear in Spring Training 2015. The timing on that deal was remarkably poor, Topkin notes, as Cobb’s agents were in discussion with the Rays about an extension at the time of his initial injury.

AL Notes: Encarnacion, Bautista, Angels Stadium, Holland

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Star Blue Jays first  baseman/DH Edwin Encarnacion is facing a civil suit from a woman who claims that he knowingly infected her with sexually transmitted diseases, as TMZ recently reported. The unsettling allegations can be found here, courtesy of the Toronto Star. Encarnacion’s representatives have strongly denied any wrongdoing, with agent Paul Kinzer calling the lawsuit “frivolous,” as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. At this time, there is no indication either that a criminal investigation relating to the claims is being pursued, or that Major League Baseball will undertake its own investigation into the matter. One of the game’s best hitters, the 33-year-old Encarnacion is slated to become a heavily-pursued free agent at the end of the season.

More from the American League:

  • There was some good news on the injury front for the Blue Jays, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Second baseman Devon Travis needed a cortisone shot to address a hand injury, but is expected to be ready to go today. And slugger Jose Bautista may return from his knee sprain tomorrow, which is the first date he’d be eligible to come off of the 15-day DL. That’s great news for the Jays and the veteran outfielder, who ought to have a nice stretch of time available to burnish his free agent credentials. Bautista is putting up an above-average .222/.349/.444 batting line in his 355 plate appearances on the year, but that’s well off of his usual production levels and this is his second stint on the disabled list.
  • Renewed talks between the Angels and the city of Anaheim on a new lease arrangement for Angels Stadium are off to something of a rocky start, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. While the Halos organization had objected to the construction of a 15-acre, multi-use development project that will be raised next to the ballpark’s parking lot. Despite the team’s claim that the complex would compete with the stadium’s own concessions — and, therefore, “fundamentally undermine the Angels’ negotiations to remain in Anaheim over the long term” — the Anaheim Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve it. Final approval still must be obtained from city council, and it’s still unclear just how much of an impediment this matter will prove to be, but it seems that the Angels and the city still have some differences to smooth out.
  • While the Rangers lost their third straight ballgame yesterday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News finds a ray of hope: the performance of starter Derek Holland. In his first outing since June 20, the southpaw allowed just one earned run on four hits and a walk, striking out five over six solid frames that required only 73 pitches. When Texas ended up foregoing a starting staff upgrade at the trade deadline, it left the middle and back of its rotation somewhat exposed. But Grant wonders whether Holland might be able not only to solidify things down the stretch, but also win the third spot in a hypothetical but hopeful playoff rotation.

Huston Street To Undergo Knee Surgery

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Angels closer Huston Street’s season is over,  as he’ll undergo arthroscopic surgery due to “persistent medial knee pain,” tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The 33-year-old is expected to be healthy for Spring Training 2017. The Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher wrote over the weekend that surgery was possible and called it “likely” earlier this afternoon.

Street’s 2016 season has been a disaster, as the former Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star has struggled considerably since returning from an oblique issue that cost him a month earlier this year. Street yielded just one run through his first 7 2/3 innings before that oblique injury sidelined him for nearly all of the month of May. In the 14 2/3 innings that followed, Street surrendered 15 runs on 27 hits (four homers) and 10 walks with 10 strikeouts. The 88.2 mph he averaged on his fastball this season was the lowest average velocity of any season in his 12-year big league career, and his 5.6 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 were also career-worsts.

The 2016 campaign marked the first season of a two-year, $18MM contract extension signed by Street back in May of 2015. He’s guaranteed a $9MM salary next season plus at least a $1MM buyout on a $10MM club option for the 2018 season. That salary and Street’s experience (324 career saves) probably make him a lock to serve as the team’s closer in 2017, but the emergence of Cam Bedrosian could at least give the Angels some reason to consider a change next year. Bedrosian is currently on the DL himself due to a finger issue, but the 24-year-old broke out with a 1.12 ERA, 11.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings this season.

The lost year for Street is just one entry in what is a seemingly endless list of things that have gone wrong for the Halos in 2016. The Angels have lost both Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano to Tommy John surgery, while Garrett Richards hasn’t taken the mound since May 1 due to a UCL injury of his own. C.J. Wilson never pitched for the Angels this year, and Jered Weaver has been a shell of his former self, working with an 82-84 mph fastball and surrendering a woeful 5.47 ERA.

Huston Street Likely To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

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AUG. 23: Fletcher now writes that Street is “likely” to undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee, which was set to be re-evaluated today before a final announcement is made.

AUG. 21: Angels closer Huston Street might have to undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Street has been on the disabled list with inflammation in his knee since Aug. 3 and hasn’t pitched since July 31. Manager Mike Scioscia said Sunday that Street will go for a second opinion. If it’s determined then that surgery is the right path, it’s unlikely to affect the right-hander’s long-term availability, per Scioscia.

Whether the last-place Angels get Street back this year isn’t going to matter in the standings, but it could impact their offseason, notes Fletcher. If Street returns and fares well down the stretch, it would seemingly better the Angels’ chances of trading him during the offseason (the Giants were reportedly interested in him as of late July).

As things stand, Street’s injury, decline in performance and contract status make a deal unlikely. The 33-year-old is in the midst of a career-worst season, having logged two DL stints (one for an oblique strain) and posted a 6.45 ERA, 5.64 K/9 and 4.84 BB/9 in 22 1/3 innings. Street had been a reliable late-game option until this year, as the former Athletic, Rockie and Padre recorded a 3.18 ERA, 8.23 K/9 and 2.89 BB/9 in 62 1/3 frames last season. While all of those numbers are in line with Street’s career stats, his days as an end-of-game solution look to be in the past at this point.

Assuming the Angels aren’t able to trade Street during the winter, he’ll be on their books for $9MM next season. Street also has a $10MM club option for 2018, though that’s in serious danger of being declined in favor of a $1MM buyout. Should Street come back healthy next season, he might not have many opportunities to add to his 324 career saves thanks to the emergence of 24-year-old Cam Bedrosian. The hard-throwing righty has been among the most dominant relievers in baseball this season and at least has a chance to serve as the Angels’ near-term solution at closer. However, Bedrosian is on the DL with finger tendinitis and hasn’t made an appearance since Aug. 3.

“He’s feeling better but not quite where he’s ready to get back out there and get after it,” Scioscia said of Bedrosian. “Progress has been slow, but we’re getting more answers in the next couple days.”

AL Notes: Weaver, Gray, Storen, Jays

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Angels righty Jered Weaver isn’t ready to decide whether or not he’ll be back in 2017, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. “There’s still a lot of season left,” said the veteran hurler. “When the time comes to answer those questions, I will.” Though Weaver has been hit hard this year, there are some positives, including a steadily rising average fastball velocity (albeit one that still sits in the mid-eighties). Both Angels GM Billy Eppler and Weaver’s agent Scott Boras note that the 33-year-old has been durable this year, though he is now two seasons removed from being a high-quality major league starter. It’s not yet clear whether the Halos will have interest in continuing their longstanding relationship with Weaver, who has spent all 11 years of his career with the organization and is finishing out a five-year, $85MM contract.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Athletics seem unlikely at this point to receive another start from righty Sonny Gray in the 2016 season, as John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group writes. Oakland’s medical staff still hasn’t cleared Gray to begin throwing. Without much time in the minor league season to permit a rehab assignment, the road back to the big league hill may not pick up again in earnest until the spring. Manager Bob Melvin suggests that the best outcome at this point may be for Gray to “just throw off a mound and throw a bullpen” to give the 26-year-old “peace of mind about how he feels going into the offseason.”
  • Mariners righty Drew Storen is headed to the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation, per a club announcement. His active roster spot will go to outfielder Guillermo Heredia. While the Seattle pen has several injured hurlers filtering back to the majors and remains a solid overall unit, it’s another blow for the 29-year-old Storen. Since coming to the M’s a few weeks back after being designated by the Blue Jays, Storen has thrown 10 1/3 innings of 4.35 ERA ball. That’s an improvement in the results department over his poor half-season in Toronto, but Storen has recorded only six strikeouts in Seattle and hasn’t reversed his pronounced velocity decline. He’ll be a free agent after the year, and will surely end up seeking an opportunity to bounce back and return to being the quality late-inning arm he was during most of his six seasons with the Nationals. [Related: Updated Mariners Depth Chart]
  • Adding to several firings in the upper reaches of their scouting and player development departments, the Blue Jays have decided to part ways with minor league pitching coordinator Sal Fasano, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. The long-time MLB catcher has been with the Toronto organization in various capacities since 2010. GM Ross Atkins recently discussed the team’s changes and plans for finding replacements.
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