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Los Angeles Notes: Ohtani, Watson, Gonsolin, Price, Gray, Morrow

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Shohei Ohtani’s scheduled start against the Rays on Monday is now up in the air after he was hit on the right elbow by a pitch during his first plate appearances in today’s 2-0 Angels loss to the Mariners.  Ohtani stayed in the lineup for the remainder of the game, and in fact stole two bases after being plunked.  Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) that Ohtani “was sore, but he kept telling me he was feeling better game-in-progress.”

All options seem to be on the table for Monday, whether that means Ohtani is scratched from the lineup altogether, or perhaps only pitches or only acts as the designated hitter, or if he feels fine and fills both roles as originally planned.  Surely the Halos aren’t going to take any unnecessary risks with such an important player, particularly one enjoying as special of a season as Ohtani’s ongoing campaign.  He is hitting .263/.311/.606 with eight homers (and six steals from seven chances, to boot) over 106 plate appearances, while also posting a 3.29 ERA/4.52 SIERA and 37.1% strikeout rate, albeit with a very troubling 21% walk rate.

More from both the Angels and Dodgers….

  • Tony Watson was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 29) due to a left calf strain, the Angels announced prior to today’s game.  Right-hander James Hoyt was called up from the alternate training site to take Watson’s roster spot.  After opting out of a minor league deal with the Phillies near the end of Spring Training, Watson inked a new minors deal with the Angels just prior to Opening Day, and the veteran has posted some excellent bottom-line results over 8 1/3 innings.  Watson has an 1.08 ERA, though with the help of a 100% strand rate and an .182 BABIP.  While some regression is inevitable, Watson still has a 2.57 SIERA, and he has often outperformed his advanced metrics during his 11-year career.
  • With Dustin May now the latest Dodgers pitcher to hit the injured list, the team is in the rare position of being somewhat short on pitching depth.  Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register) that the Dodgers are considering a four-man rotation, since a fifth starter won’t be required until May 18 thanks to three upcoming off-days on the schedule.  Tony Gonsolin is currently being stretched out to work as a starting pitcher when he returns from his own IL stint due to shoulder inflammation, and Roberts said Gonsolin is roughly three-to-four weeks away from being activated.
  • David Price hit the IL with a right hamstring strain on April 26, and Roberts estimated that the southpaw could beat (or at least be on the low end of) his projected four-to-six week recovery timeline.  Since Gonsolin is the pick as May’s replacement, Price will resume his previous bullpen role when he returns to action.  Roberts also noted that Josiah Gray, the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, isn’t currently a candidate for a promotion to fill the rotation job.
  • Brandon Morrow stopped his throwing program due to arm problems, Roberts said, and the veteran right-hander’s comeback attempt looks uncertain.  “B-Mo just hasn’t responded to treatment,” Roberts said.  “It’s been a tough road for B-Mo and his family, so I don’t know if it’s even gonna be a play this year.  Obviously, I’m hopeful.”  Morrow signed a minors deal with the Dodgers in December, hoping to return to the majors for the first time since back and elbow injuries halted his career in 2018.

Dodgers Place Dustin May On 10-Day IL, Select Mike Kickham

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TODAY: May’s placement is official, with the “right arm injury” designation.  Left-hander Mike Kickham’s contract was selected from the alternate training site in a corresponding move.  To create a 40-man roster spot for Kickham, the Dodgers moved right-hander Corey Knebel to the 60-day IL.

Kickham signed a minor league deal with L.A. in January, after a 2020 season that saw him toss 14 innings for the Red Sox.  It was Kickham’s first MLB action since pitching with the Giants in 2014, as he had toiled away in the minors looking for another opportunity.

MAY 1, 11:28PM: The Dodgers will place May on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett).  In terms of a longer-term prognosis, Roberts said “we remain hopeful but we won’t know until we get an MRI,” adding that May will get that MRI when the Dodgers arrive in Chicago on Monday for the beginning of a series with the Cubs.  According to the manager, May felt “a shooting sensation” in his arm.

8:34PM: The Dodgers released a very general first report on May, saying that he only left the game with a “right arm injury.”

7:05PM: Dodgers right-hander Dustin May made an early exit from his start against the Brewers tonight due to an apparent injury.  After throwing a pitch to Billy McKinney with two out in the bottom of the second inning, May visibly winced in discomfort, and left the game after a visit from the team trainer.

More will be known when the Dodgers release an update on May’s condition, but obviously any sort of an injury that requires an injured-list placement isn’t good news for either May or the Dodgers rotation as a whole.  Though Los Angeles still has one of the league’s best rotations, the club has been hit hard by pitching injuries, with seven hurlers currently on the IL.  That list of names includes David Price and Tony Gonsolin, who were competing with May for a rotation spot during Spring Training.

May won that battle and has been impressive in the early going, posting a 2.53 ERA, 57.4% grounder rate, and one of the league’s best strikeout rates (37.2%) over 21 1/3 innings heading into tonight’s start against Milwaukee.  A heralded pitching prospect on his way up the Dodgers’ minor league ladder, May posted a 2.98 ERA over 90 2/3 innings in 2019-20, and finished fifth in NL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2020.  As usual with their pitchers, the Dodgers have been pretty flexible with May’s usage, deploying him mostly as a starter in 2020 but moving him to the bullpen and giving him opener-style “starts” during the team’s postseason run.

Injury Notes: Mondesi, Gonsolin, Strasburg, Solis

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The Royals have stormed out of the gate with a 16-9 start to take an early lead in the AL Central. That’s in spite of the absence of shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who was placed on the injured list just before the regular season kicked off due to a right oblique strain. There’s still no timetable for the 25-year-old’s return to game action, but he made a notable step in his rehab process this week. Mondesi recently participated in a batting practice session, per manager Mike Matheny (via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). Royals’ shortstops (primarily Nicky Lopez) have hit .254/.325/.338 in Mondesi’s absence, which is tied for twelfth in park-adjusted offense (90 wRC+) at the position.

Some more injury situations around the league:

  • Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin has also yet to make his regular season debut- in his case, on account of inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Gonsolin has progressed to working off a mound, though, throwing a 20-pitch bullpen session earlier this week (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). The 26-year-old has emerged as another potential quality rotation option for Los Angeles, working to a 2.60 ERA/4.11 SIERA across his first 20 MLB appearances (14 starts) between 2019-20. Even before the injury, though, Gonsolin was slated to start this season in the bullpen on account of the Dodgers’ incredible rotation depth.
  • Stephen Strasburg threw approximately 30 pitches in a bullpen session this morning, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to note. It’s the right-hander’s first mound work since he was placed on the injured list two weeks ago with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Washington still hasn’t offered a ton of clarity as to when Strasburg is expected to return to game action. The former World Series MVP has been limited to two unproductive starts so far this year.
  • Astros right-handed pitching prospect Jairo Solis will be out approximately three months after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, per Jake Kaplan of the Athletic (Twitter link). It’s a disappointing development for a young hurler who missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Entering the year, FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein called Solis a potential future top 100 prospect, but this latest development will wipe out at least a good chunk of his 2021 minor-league season. Solis, ranked 16th among Astro farmhands by Baseball America, was added to the 40-man roster last offseason.

Quick Hits: Zimmermann, Voit, Dodgers, Red Sox

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Veteran right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was on the brink of calling it a career Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes, but he changed his mind when the Brewers selected his contract. “I think I was retired for about two hours,” said Zimmermann, a Wisconsin native whom the Brewers promoted as a result of recent injured list placements for fellow pitchers Corbin Burnes, Brett Anderson, Zack Godley and Josh Lindblom. Now that Zimmermann will continue on, the former Nationals star will try to get his career back on track after a subpar run with the Tigers from 2016-20.

  • Yankees first baseman Luke Voit could make his 2021 debut as early as May 11, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com relays. In the meantime, Voit – who underwent left knee surgery in late March – will start a rehab assignment at Double-A next week. The Yankees’ offense has improved since an ice-cold start to the season, but there’s no doubt the unit is better with a healthy Voit. The 30-year-old slugger led the majors with 22 home runs over 234 plate appearances last season and slashed .277/.338/.610 (152 wRC+).
  • The Dodgers’ bullpen has gone the first month of the season without righty reliever Joe Kelly, who’s on the IL with a shoulder issue. While Kelly is finally nearing his season debut, it turns out he has been dealing with a rather severe injury that required surgery in November, he revealed to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. “We found some cysts,” Kelly said. “My shoulder hasn’t been good since the end of 2019. But during my suspension after the thing with the Astros (early August) my arm was super weak. If I was laying on a table I couldn’t lift my arm past gravity. They asked me how long it was going on for and I told them forever. I couldn’t sleep at night and it felt like fire ants were eating my arm from the inside-out.” Kelly’s shoulder troubles helped limit him to 10 frames in the 2020 regular season, though he did contribute five appearances of 3 2/3-inning, one-run ball during the Dodgers’ World Series-winning playoff run.
  • The minor league contract that utilityman Danny Santana signed with the Red Sox initially included an opt-out date for today, but the two sides have agreed to push it back to the middle of May, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. On March 15, less than two weeks after joining the Boston organization, Santana was hospitalized with a foot infection that required surgery. Santana is still working back from that and will begin a minor league rehab assignment at the High-A level next Tuesday, per Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Dodgers Place Brusdar Graterol On 10-Day IL

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The Dodgers have placed right-hander Brusdar Graterol on the 10-day injured list with forearm tightness, per a club announcement. To take Graterol’s roster spot, the Dodgers recalled righty Edwin Uceta.

A forearm issue is particularly unwelcome news regarding Graterol, who underwent Tommy John surgery as a Twins prospect in 2016 and also battled shoulder problems as a member of the organization. Minnesota bid adieu to the flamethrowing Graterol before last season, when it sent him to Los Angeles in a trade centering on righty Kenta Maeda.

Graterol emerged as an important part of the Dodgers’ bullpen during his first year with the organization. He totaled 23 1/3 innings of 3.09 ERA/3.70 SIERA pitching, and though his 99 mph fastball velocity only led to a 14.8 strikeout percentage, he offset that with elite groundball and walk percentages of 62.3 and 3.4, respectively. Graterol added another 7 2/3 innings of three-run ball during the Dodgers’ postseason run to the World Series.

Health setbacks have stood in the way this season for the 22-year-old Graterol, who opened the campaign on the IL after battling COVID-19. Graterol didn’t make his first appearance until April 18, and he has since allowed three earned runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout over three outings and 1 1/3 frames. He’s now the third Dodgers reliever to land on the shelf in the past week, joining Corey Knebel and David Price.

The Dodgers will now get their first major league look at the 23-year-old Uceta, who divided the 2019 minors season between High-A and Double-A. Uceta thrived during that 123 1/3-inning span, in which he recorded a 2.77 ERA and racked up 141 strikeouts against 49 walks. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked Uceta 35th among Dodgers farmhands over the winter, writing that he could turn into a No. 4 or 5 starter at the MLB level.

Dodgers Make Several Roster Moves

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The Dodgers have activated second baseman Gavin Lux and right-hander Dennis Santana from the injured list, placed left-hander David Price on the 10-day IL with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, and recalled righty Mitch White, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. The club also optioned lefty Garrett Cleavinger and outfielder DJ Peters.

The highly touted Lux, 22, began the season as the Dodgers’ starter at the keystone, but right wrist soreness has kept him out since April 14. Before that, Lux came out of the gates slowly with a .220/.244/.317 line and no home runs in 45 plate appearances. The Dodgers utilized Max Muncy, the now-injured Zach McKinstry, Sheldon Neuse and Chris Taylor at second while Lux was out.

Price returned this season after opting out of the 2020 campaign over COVID-19 concerns, though the former American League Cy Young winner has struggled in a full-time role as a reliever. The 35-year-old, who entered the season with 311 starts in 321 appearances, has pitched seven times out of the Dodgers’ bullpen and yielded seven runs (six earned) on a whopping 14 hits with 11 strikeouts against four walks in 9 2/3 innings. Price is going to miss at least “a few weeks,” according to manager Dave Roberts.

Dodgers Injury Notes: Knebel, Kelly, McKinstry, Gonsolin, Lux

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Dodgers reliever Corey Knebel left last night’s game against the Padres with an apparent arm injury and he’s in for a lengthy absence. Knebel is going on the injured list with a right lat strain, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). He won’t undergo surgery but will be out for a few months, with Roberts saying the organization hopes Knebel will be able to “pitch for us again this year” (Plunkett link).

Given that timetable, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Dodgers eventually transfer Knebel to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot. It’s a disappointing development for the righty, who missed the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent some time on the IL last year due to a hamstring strain. Acquired from Milwaukee over the winter, Knebel has pitched six innings over eight appearances for the Dodgers this year, allowing three runs on three hits and as many walks with nine strikeouts.

Roberts also provided updates on a host of other injured players. Reliever Joe Kelly (shoulder soreness) is expected back in early-mid May, while utilityman Zach McKinstry will need more than the 10-day minimum IL stint to recover from his recent oblique strain (via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Right-hander Tony Gonsolin, who is recovering from shoulder inflammation, began a long toss program but is not yet ready to work off the mound (per Plunkett). The news wasn’t all bad though, as second baseman Gavin Lux is expected to return from the IL when first eligible on Monday. Lux has been sidelined by right wrist soreness.

With Knebel and Dennis Santana (side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine) going on the injured list, the Dodgers are recalling infielder Matt Beaty and lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger (Toribio link). Cleavinger, acquired from the Phillies in a three-team deal over the winter, will be making his Dodger debut if he gets into a game.

COVID Notes: 4/24/21

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The latest coronavirus-related situations from around baseball…

Latest Updates

  • The Dodgers are placing reliever Dennis Santana on the COVID injured list after he experienced side effects related to the vaccine, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com). The right-hander pitched in mop-up duty against the Padres last night, allowing a pair of runs on two hits and two walks in one inning of work.

Earlier Notes

  • Jose Altuve was placed on the Astros’ injury list on April 14, and the second baseman confirmed to reporters (including the Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner) today that his placement was due to a positive COVID-19 test.  Altuve isn’t in today’s Astros lineup but he did say he’s feeling better, so a return to the field shouldn’t be too far away.
  • The Marlins have closed down their minor league complex through the weekend due to multiple COVID-19 positives, Fox Sports Radio 640’s Andy Slater reports (Twitter link).  A team spokesman told Slater that the shutdown “will not have an impact on the start of the seasons” for Miami’s affiliates, all scheduled to begin play on May 4.  At least five players and staffers tested positive for the coronavirus, according to SportsGrid’s Craig Mish (via Twitter).
  • The Twins reinstated southpaw Caleb Thielbar from the COVID-IL, the team announced, with right-hander Luke Farrell optioned to the alternate site in a corresponding move.  Thielbar was placed on the IL on April 20 along with Max Kepler and Kyle Garlick, though while the two outfielders actually tested positive for the virus, Thielbar was noted only as a close contact.  Thielbar has a whopping 48.4% strikeout rate over seven innings this season but only a 5.14 ERA, thanks in large part to three home runs allowed.

Dodgers Place Zach McKinstry On 10-Day IL

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The Dodgers have placed outfielder/infielder Zach McKinstry on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. The team recalled outfielder DJ Peters to take McKinstry’s roster spot.

McKinstry’s injury will temporarily derail what has been an impressive start for the 25-year-old rookie, who has taken on a fairly regular role for the reigning World Series champions. The former 33rd-round pick has appeared in 17 of the Dodgers’ 19 games, primarily lining up in right field, and slashed .296/.328/.556 (140 wRC+) with three home runs in 58 plate appearances. McKinstry is now the third notable member of the Dodgers’ offense on the IL, joining Cody Bellinger and Gavin Lux, while back stiffness has shelved Chris Taylor over the past couple days.

Peters, a 2016 fourth-rounder, may be able to help the Dodgers’ shorthanded lineup if he gets an opportunity. In 2019, the most recent minor league season, Peters combined for a .249/.358/.453 line with 23 homers in 542 trips to the plate between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. The 25-year-old now ranks as the Dodgers’ 15th-best prospect at Baseball America – which notes that he combines “jaw-dropping power” and a keen eye at the plate with decent speed and the ability to play all three outfield positions.

Dodgers Place Gavin Lux On Injured List, Activate Brusdar Graterol

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The Dodgers are placing second baseman Gavin Lux on the 10-day injured list with right wrist soreness, retroactive to April 16, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times and Juan Toribio of MLB.com were among those to pass along. Infielder Sheldon Neuse is being recalled to take his place on the active roster. Additionally, right-hander Brusdar Graterol is being activated from the injured list, with fellow reliever Alex Vesia optioned out in a corresponding move.

Lux is having issue swinging a bat, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register), but the Dodgers don’t believe he’ll be in for lengthy absence. Roberts noted he expects Lux to be in position to return when first eligible for activation on April 26. The Dodgers will turn to Neuse, who was acquired from the Athletics over the offseason, this afternoon to make his team debut.

Like Neuse, Graterol is in position to play for the first time this season. The fireballing reliever was delayed in camp but returns to the bullpen a couple weeks into the regular season. He tossed 23.1 innings of 3.09 ERA/3.70 SIERA ball last season.

To clear 40-man roster space for Graterol’s activation, the Dodgers placed right-hander Ashton Goudeau on waivers, where he was claimed by the Rockies. Goudeau actually broke into the majors with Colorado last season, tossing 8.1 innings over four games. He’s since bounced between a handful of teams on waivers, going from the Rockies to the Pirates to the Orioles to the Giants before landing in Los Angeles. Now, he’ll head back to the Rockies in hopes of sticking on a roster. To clear 40-man roster space for Goudeau, Colorado transferred utilityman Chris Owings (thumb) to the 60-day injured list.

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