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Injury Notes: deGrom, Holliday, Benintendi, Wright, Pollock, Kazmir

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The Mets are understandably anxious to get righty Jacob deGrom back on the big league hill, and with minor league seasons wrapping up, they may allow him to ramp up fully while pitching from the bullpen, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. DeGrom threw 35 pitches at full tilt today as he recovers from a recent bout of forearm tightness, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports on Twitter, and it seems he could be back in uniform in a few days. It’ll be interesting to see how deGrom is deployed, but regardless, it’s obviously good news for the Mets as they battle for a Wild Card berth.

  • One of New York’s primary competitors, the Cardinals, appear set to welcome back an important piece of their own in outfielder Matt Holliday, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports on Twitter. The veteran reported that his injured thumb felt good after an on-field BP session today. It still seems unlikely that St. Louis will pick up its $17MM club option on Holliday for 2017, though team and player could always work out an alternative arrangement.
  • Likewise, the Red Sox will get back an outfielder for the stretch run. Rookie Andrew Benintendi may be ready to go by the middle of the week after making good progress following a knee injury, manager John Farrell told reporters including Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. The left-handed hitter is likely to return in a time share, despite his immense early production, as the righty-swinging Chris Young is hitting well since he was activated from a DL stint.
  • The news wasn’t as good for Red Sox righty Steven Wright, who is dealing with shoulder issues, ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber reports. The knuckler may be able to begin throwing soon, but Farrell suggested that it will be a “challenge” for him to return to full duty in time to play a role late in the regular season or even the playoffs. Wright, 32, hasn’t maintained his breakout first-half production, managing only a 5.06 ERA in 42 2/3 innings over his most recent seven outings.
  • Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock is expected to return at some point over the next few weeks, Jack Magruder of Fan Rag tweets. After working back from a broken bone in his elbow that took most of his season, Pollock went down recently with a groin strain. But it seems he’ll be able to log a few more plate appearances late in the year, with the training staff saying that he is ahead of schedule in recovering.
  • It’s still unclear what, if anything, the Dodgers can expect from southpaw Scott Kazmir, who has been diagnosed with thoracic spinal inflammation. Manager Dave Roberts says that he hasn’t been updated as to Kazmir’s status, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The entire campaign has been a struggle for the veteran lefty, but he has been hit harder (.277/.333/.493) in seven starts over the second half and it’s not at all apparent whether he’ll be a factor in the postseason. With two years and $32MM left on his contract, Kazmir seems unlikely to trigger his opt-out clause after the season.

Dodgers Release Randy Choate, Matt West

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The Dodgers released left-hander Randy Choate and right-hander Matt West at the start of the month, Eric Stephen of the True Blue LA blog reports.  Neither pitcher appeared in the big leagues in 2016, with Choate tossing 17 2/3 innings at three levels of the Dodgers’ farm system while West threw 46 relief innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Choate posted a 7.13 ERA, 10.2 K/9 and 2.5 K/BB rate this season, though that inflated ERA is somewhat misleading.  Choate has been strictly a lefty specialist for years in the bigs, yet in the minors, he actually faced more right-handed batters (who had a whopping 1.143 OPS against him in 43 PA) than he did left-handed batters (who managed just a .578 OPS in 41 PA).

It’s probably unlikely, though not totally out of the question, that a team looking for southpaw bullpen depth down the stretch could sign Choate with an eye towards using him in his old LOOGY role.  Choate signed his minor league deal with the Dodgers in June after he was released by the Blue Jays in Spring Training, and (this is purely speculation on my part) Toronto stands out as one contender who has struggled to find effective left-handed relief pitching this season.  If Choate does manage to catch on somewhere and appear in a big league game, the 41-year-old will have officially played in parts of 16 Major League seasons.

West, 27, had a strong year at Triple-A, posting a 2.33 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 4.75 K/BB over his 46 frames.  A second-round pick for Texas in the 2007 draft, West converted from infielder to pitcher in 2011 and has a 3.54 ERA over 203 2/3 career innings in the minors.  He had cups of coffee with the Rangers (three games) in 2014 and the Dodgers (two games) in 2015.

Cafardo’s Latest: Sox, Dozier, Votto, Jays, Puig, Braun

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Here are the latest rumblings from the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, who’s looking ahead to the offseason:

  • The Red Sox will be in the market for a big bat to replace retiring designated hitter David Ortiz, which could lead them to pursue free agents-to-be Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Carlos Beltran, Mark Trumbo and Mike Napoli. Boston is quite familiar with all of those players – Encarnacion, Bautista and Trumbo are currently in its division, while Beltran was in the AL East until the Yankees traded him to Texas in July. Napoli, who’s in the midst of a bounce-back year in Cleveland, is the only member of the group with past Red Sox experience. The soon-to-be 35-year-old was with Boston from 2013-15 and was a key part of its latest World Series-winning team in his first season with the club.
  • If the Twins shop slugging second baseman Brian Dozier during the winter, they’ll likely want front-line pitching in return, per Cafardo. Dozier, who is one home run shy of joining Rogers Hornsby, Ryne Sandberg and Davey Johnson as the only second basemen to hit 40 in a season, is on an eminently affordable contract over the next two seasons. The 29-year-old power and speed threat is owed a combined $15MM through the 2018 campaign.
  • Even though the Blue Jays have undergone a regime change since they tried to acquire first baseman Joey Votto from the Reds last summer, talks could restart if Toronto loses both Encarnacion and Bautista in free agency. Cincinnati would also have to eat some of the $192MM left on Votto’s contract to make a deal possible, according to Cafardo. Votto, a Toronto native, is enjoying yet another brilliant season, having slashed .315/.433/.525 with 23 homers in 589 plate appearances.
  • While the White Sox will listen to teams’ proposals for left-handed ace Chris Sale after the season, a deal seems unlikely. “The odds of getting what we feel we need to get are slim. That’s why I think Chris will be with us in 2017,” a White Sox source told Cafardo. That jibes with an earlier report from FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, who relayed that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t want to move Sale.
  • The Brewers and Dodgers are likely to revisit talks centering on outfielders Ryan Braun and Yasiel Puig in the offseason, a Dodgers source told Cafardo. Los Angeles placed Puig on revocable waivers in August, and the Brewers won the claim. The teams then discussed him and Braun, but a deal didn’t come to fruition.

Dave Roberts On Rich Hill’s Near-Perfect Game

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The Dodgers’ Rich Hill was six outs away from throwing a perfect game against the Marlins on Saturday, but manager Dave Roberts made the difficult decision to pull him after only 89 pitches. On the heels of Hill’s departure, Marlins outfielder Jeff Francoeur ended the Dodgers’ perfect game bid with an eighth-inning single off Joe Blanton.

Roberts explained why he made the move afterward, revealing that there were signs of the nagging blister on Hill’s left index finger returning, tweets Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Hill, who struck out nine and could have tossed the 24th perfect game in major league history, countered Roberts by telling reporters that his finger felt fine (Twitter link via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com).

“I feel sick to my stomach,” said Roberts, who was on the verge of tears, per McCullough (Twitter links). “I’m going to lose sleep tonight. And I probably should.” 

The Dodgers logged a 5-0 win to improve to 80-61 – good for a 4 1/2-game lead in the National League West. However, Roberts added that this particular victory feels like a loss (Twitter link via McCullough). This isn’t the first time Roberts has elected to stop one of his pitchers from a chance at making history, though his call to remove right-hander Ross Stripling from a no-hitter in his April 8 major league debut against the Giants wasn’t nearly as controversial. Stripling had already thrown 100 pitches through 7 1/3 innings, and Roberts said it was a “no-brainer” to take the rookie out of what was a tight game.

Hill, meanwhile, has cruised all year, having compiled a 1.80 ERA, 10.42 K/9 and 2.84 BB/9 in 95 innings, but injuries have robbed him of enjoying a full campaign. While the blister issue has bothered the 36-year-old journeyman since mid-July, that didn’t stop the Dodgers from trading a haul to the Athletics for him and outfielder Josh Reddick before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. LA has reaped the rewards when Hill has pitched, as he has spun 19 scoreless innings with 20 strikeouts and two walks in three starts. Ideally for the Dodgers, Hill will serve as an integral component of a playoff rotation in October, and their World Series hopes unsurprisingly factored into Roberts’ move to pull him.

“Nothing in my opinion is worth compromising our opportunity to win a championship,” offered Roberts (Twitter link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).

In addition to trying to help the Dodgers win a title, a healthy Hill could pitch his way into a rich contract during the upcoming offseason. Despite his age, limited track record and durability questions, Hill will likely cash in as arguably the best starter in a weak free agent market. Hill was toiling in the independent Atlantic League a summer ago, but he has performed like an ace since a four-start stretch with the Red Sox last September.

Scott Kazmir Has Thoracic Spine Inflammation; Return Questionable

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SATURDAY: Kazmir has been diagnosed with thoracic spine inflammation, tweets Plunkett, who adds that there’s no timetable for his return.

FRIDAY: Kazmir will undergo a bone scan in the “thoracic region,” Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register was among those to report (links to Twitter). While results aren’t yet known, skipper Dave Roberts suggested that the lefty will require a “shutdown period” of “a couple weeks.” With less than a month left in the season, it seems uncertain at this point whether Kazmir will be able to return in 2016.

The Dodgers are set to turn to De Leon and Urias for starts early next week, Plunkett further tweets.

WEDNESDAY: Dodgers left-hander Scott Kazmir exited his rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City tonight after experiencing a recurrence of the same neck pain and ribcage pain that initially landed him on the disabled list, reports J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. The 32-year-old is traveling back to Los Angeles to be reevaluated, he adds.

Kazmir faced just seven hitters, per Hoornstra, walking a pair of batters and hitting another pair. Had the rehab outing gone well, Kazmir would have been on track to rejoin the rotation early next week, but it’s now possible that top prospect Jose De Leon, who delivered a quality start and struck out nine in his MLB debut last week, could get another turn in the rotation.

Kazmir is in the first season of a three-year, $48MM contract with the Dodgers, and the year hasn’t gone as well as either he or the team would’ve liked. While he’s made 25 starts, Kazmir has averaged just over 5 1/3 innings per outing, totaling 135 1/3 innings this season and logging a lackluster 4.59 ERA. The sub-par performance is especially noteworthy, as it lessens the likelihood that Kazmir will exercise the opt-out clause in his contract this winter in search of a larger deal on the free agent market. Kazmir’s deal calls for him to earn $16MM in each of the next two seasons.

The Dodgers’ roster has been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season, and while they’ll get the most important piece of all back on Friday in the form of Clayton Kershaw, a number of other rotation options remain sidelined. Kazmir is joined on the shelf by Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-jin Ryu and Alex Wood at the moment. Rich Hill is back and has been terrific in two starts for them, though, and Kenta Maeda has been a solid rotation piece all season long. The Dodgers also have impressive rookies De Leon and  Julio Urias, as well as right-handers Bud Norris, Brock Stewart and Ross Stripling as rotation options as they look to expand their four-game NL West lead over the Giants.

Dodgers Designate Casey Fien, Activate Andre Ethier

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The Dodgers have announced that they’ve designated righty Casey Fien for assignment. The move clears roster space for outfielder Andre Ethier, who has been reinstated from the 60-day DL.

[Related: Updated Los Angeles Dodgers Depth Chart]

The Dodgers claimed Fien from the Twins in May after four-plus years in Minnesota. He pitched 25 2/3 innings for his new team, posting a 4.21 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 while showing a slight increase in his velocity from previous seasons. His season was marred somewhat by a late-summer DL stint due to elbow tendonitis, however, and he allowed eight home runs. He’s making $2.28MM this season, and is eligible for arbitration again this winter. The Dodgers have evidently decided they can risk exposing him to waivers.

The 34-year-old Ethier has missed the entire season to this point after a foul ball broke his leg in March. He’s coming off a strong .294/.366/.486 season in 2015. News of his return broke earlier this week, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saying (via Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times) that the team would initially use him primarily as a pinch-hitter and spot-starter. As McCullough notes, the Dodgers currently have plenty of outfielders, with Joc Pederson, Howie Kendrick, Josh Reddick, Yasiel Puig, Andrew Toles and Rob Segedin also on hand.

Alex Anthopoulos Says He’s No Longer A Candidate For Twins Job

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SATURDAY: Anthopoulos has told colleagues that the timing is poor for him to take a top baseball operations job elsewhere, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. That means he won’t be taking a new job with the Twins. The Dodgers exec recently had his family join him in the Los Angeles area, and his two young children are recently started school.

TUESDAY: Alex Anthopoulos is a “confirmed candidate” to take over the Twins’ soon-to-be-created position of president of baseball operations, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports on Twitter. He becomes the first potential front office candidate clearly linked to the organization.

Minnesota has reportedly begun a search to add both a PBOp as well as a general manager, adopting some form of the two-tiered front office structure that has become popular around the league. The team has been relying upon Rob Antony as interim GM after parting ways with Terry Ryan earlier this year.

The 39-year-old Anthopoulos is best known for his turn as the GM of the Blue Jays from late 2009 through 2015. After putting together a postseason club last year — the organization’s first berth 1993 — he ended up parting ways with the club in a surprising series of events.

Toronto hired Mark Shapiro as president, reportedly promising him final authority over baseball decisionmaking. While the Jays attempted to retain Anthopoulos, offering him a five-year deal that he could have opted out of after a single season, he declined to continue with the new leadership and somewhat-altered parameters of his role.

Since that time, Anthopoulos has been working for the Dodgers as a Vice President, joining several other prominent former top baseball operations personnel in the Los Angeles front office. At the time of his hiring, Anthopoulos expressed interest in a long-term gig there — while also noting that he’d be intrigued by the idea of running his own shop again.

Dodgers Set To Activate Andre Ethier

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The Dodgers are summoning veteran outfielder Andre Ethier to meet the team in Miami and could activate him from the DL as soon as this evening, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. Since he has been on the 60-day DL, Ethier will require a 40-man roster spot in order to return.

Ethier, 34, has not played a single major league inning this year since suffering a broken leg late this spring. Much has changed since his injury, but with less than a month to play the Dodgers are leading the NL West and can certainly stand to add another quality piece to a depth chart that already boasts plenty of outfield options.

The veteran will likely be eased back into action, and it’s a bit unclear just where he’ll end up contributing. Manager Dave Roberts says that Ethier will receive “occasional starts,” MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets, but it remains to be seen how that’ll occur. Ethier has seen action all over the outfield in recent years, but the Dodgers already have a full array of left-handed-hitting options. Joc Pederson has a lock on center, Josh Reddick was acquired at the trade deadline to play in right, and Andrew Toles has been a revelation through 24 games of action.

Expanded rosters will leave plenty of room for flexibility, of course, but this all promises to make for some interesting decisions when the time comes to set postseason rosters. Ethier will be playing not only for a chance to participate in the playoffs, but also to set up his place on next year’s team. The veteran has been productive of late, but has also been mentioned quite frequently as a trade candidate — though he has achieved full no-trade protection through ten-and-five rights. Ethier is owed $17.5MM next year, with a $2.5MM buyout on a $17.5MM option for 2018 still to go thereafter.

NL West Notes: Olivera, D-Backs, Dodgers’ Rotation

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Outfielder Hector Olivera, who was technically under contract most recently with the Padres — albeit quite briefly, and never in uniform — has been found guilty in his domestic abuse trial, as A.J. Perez of USA Today writes. Olivera was ultimately sentenced to 90 days in prison, but 80 of them are suspended under the judge’s decision for his misdemeanor conviction. It remains to be seen whether the disgraced 31-year-old will attempt any kind of comeback. He hasn’t donned a Major League uniform since his arrest and was released by the Padres after they acquired his contract as part of the financial work-out of the deal that sent Matt Kemp to Atlanta.

Here’s more from the NL West:

  • The Diamondbacks’ internal issues may run deeper than is generally known, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who says there’s discord between director of player development Mike Bell and senior VP of baseball ops De Jon Watson. Though all of the relevant front office members issued statements denying or glossing over the alleged discord, Rosenthal says that the pair is “at odds” over how the team runs its player development system, with Bell possibly prepared to depart if Watson is retained. As with chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and GM Dave Stewart, a decision is due on Watson’s contract.
  • Meanwhile, Diamondbacks president & CEO Derrick Hall participated in a Reddit AMA in which he fielded some less-than-favorable points of view from fans. One in particular challenged the baseball decisionmaking since La Russa has taken charge, prompting an interesting response from Hall — who has said that the team is assessing whether to keep that front office group intact. “As you know, we are evaluating and analyzing all areas that you’ve touched on, and will have decisions on direction very soon,” he wrote. “What history has shown us is that turnarounds come quickly as was the case from 2006 to 2007 and 2010 to 2011. I obviously want us to be in a position where we play contending baseball much more consistently year and year for fans like you. Keep your head high and know that we all see the same issues and feel the same frustration.”
  • We checked in recently on the Dodgers’ interesting bullpen, and tonight it’s time to look at the rotation. Ben Lindbergh of the Ringer writes that Los Angeles is the rare team that has received positive contributions from a rotation that has required a laundry list of names. The organization’s oft-noted strategy of rolling the dice on starters with injury risks has worked even though many of those arms have ended up on the DL rolls, owing largely to the presence of a host of useful backups.

L.A. Notes: Shoemaker, Weaver, Tolliver, Dodgers’ Pen

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All signs are that Angels righty Matt Shoemaker is progressing well after being struck in the head by a line drive and requiring surgery to control internal bleeding. The overriding concern, needless to say, is with his long-term health. Fortunately for the hurler, he seems to be improving enough that it is reasonable to consider what kind of path he might take to return to the mound. As Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times writes, Shoemaker has been able to communicate with his family, friends, and teammates throughout the ordeal. Speaking generally on the subject, a neurosurgeon explains that this is a positive sign. Depending upon the specifics and his continued improvement, the 29-year-old will hopefully be able to return to “living normally” in three to six weeks and could plausibly be ready to begin Spring Training on time. MLBTR extends its best wishes to Shoemaker and his family.

Here’s more out of Los Angeles:

  • Though we have heard suggestions to the contrary, Moura says that he’s getting the sense that Angels righty Jered Weaver will look to pitch at least one more year. Indications from Weaver and those who know him do not suggest that he is preparing for retirement, says Moura, though his plans could be dependent upon whether he is able to secure a starting job. Weaver has only ever played for the Halos, and GM Billy Eppler has praised his efforts this year, but it remains unclear what kind of interest the team will have in the veteran hurler.
  • The Angels’ recent claim of Ashur Tolliver may represent a nice pick-up for the club, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com explains. Multiple other teams put in claims on the southpaw, and scouts tell Kubatko they were surprised the Orioles were willing to put him on the wire. As Kubatko notes, the 28-year-old is something of a late-bloomer who has shown a live arm.
  • While the Dodgers’ bullpen-building efforts haven’t always been well-received, the current relief corps appears to be a top-quality unit, ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla writes. Apart from star closer Kenley Jansen, most of the pen pieces aren’t exactly household names and haven’t been used in formalized roles. Manager Dave Roberts continues to mix and match, and now has 13 arms to call upon down the stretch. The skipper’s comments on Joe Blanton, who has been excellent, are indicative of the interesting approach that Los Angeles has relied upon. “Joe’s been great for us, he really has against right-handers and left-handers,” Roberts said. “He’s done some long relief early, he’s pitched in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth. He’s a guy that has really solidified our bullpen, but it’s not a hard-fast rule that he’s going to be pitching in the eighth. I think that I used Joe in a lot of high-leverage situations and that might come in the seventh.”
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