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West Notes: Lamet, Munoz, Hudson, Rendon, Rodriguez

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The Rockies plan to activate Dinelson Lamet from the 15-day injured list to start their Wednesday game with the Diamondbacks, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports (Twitter link).  Reports surfaced last week that Limet was being considered for a return to starting pitching, and with the Rockies increasingly desperate for rotation help, Limet will get a look as a starter for the first time since the 2021 season when he was still a member of the Padres.  Karl Kauffmann has already been optioned to Triple-A, creating space for Lamet on the active roster.  Lower back tightness has kept Lamet out of action for almost all of May, and he struggled to a 12.66 ERA over 10 2/3 relief innings this season prior to his injury.

Some more items from both the NL and AL West…

  • Andres Munoz will start a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday, as the Mariners reliever is on the way back from a deltoid strain that has sidelined him since April 8.  Thought to be a minor injury at the time, Munoz was then bothered by a sore shoulder that required a PRP injection, extending his time on the IL to just shy of two months.  Munoz only pitched 3 1/3 innings over four appearances before heading to the injured list, but assuming everything goes as planned, he’ll be back in the Seattle bullpen and looking to follow up his outstanding 2022 season.
  • Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson told reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) that he will throw a bullpen on Tuesday.  It’s a positive step for Hudson, who hasn’t pitched since tearing his left UCL last June.  During the last update on Hudson two weeks ago from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the veteran righty was throwing but without any specific plans for a rehab assignment due to some continued discomfort in his knee.  Hudson said today that he’d received a cortisone injection in his knee, and was hoping that the bullpen session would be the first step towards a “ramp up” of his recovery.
  • Angels GM Perry Minasian provided some news on some injured Halos players to the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher and other reporters, though neither Anthony Rendon or Chris Rodriguez seems close to a return.  Rendon has been taking part in some light baseball activities, but even with more than two weeks passed since Rendon hit the 10-day IL due to a groin strain, Minasian wasn’t sure of a timeline for when Rendon might return or take on a fuller rehab process.  Rodriguez underwent shoulder surgery in November 2021 and didn’t pitch at all in 2022, then had a setback in early April after starting the season on the 15-day IL.  It doesn’t appear as though there was any further damage to Rodriguez’s shoulder, as Minasian said the team has “done what we need to do medically” to assess the situation, and Rodriguez is throwing again but not off a mound.

Quick Hits: Astros, Santana, Pagan, Muncy, Miller

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The Astros don’t have an off-day until June 12, so the team had been considering moving to a six-man rotation to help keep their starters fresh during this busy stretch of the schedule.  However, manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including the Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner) that the team might be forced to stick with a five-man alignment just due to a lack of available starting depth, since prospect Forrest Whitley has been placed on the Triple-A injured list due to a right lat strain.  Whitley was the team’s top option for a spot start or two, and now Ronel Blanco might be the next candidate if Houston does indeed opt for a sixth starter.

Jose Urquidy and Lance McCullers Jr. aren’t expected back until around the All-Star break, while Luis Garcia’s season has already been ended by Tommy John surgery.  The injury situation has left the Astros short on starting pitching, and Whitley’s lat strain has again delayed his MLB debut.  Once one of the sport’s top prospects, Whitley’s minor league career has been interrupted by a 50-game PED suspension in 2018, and by a Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2021 season.

More on other injury situations that arose from today’s games…

  • Carlos Santana left during the sixth inning of the Pirates’ 6-3 loss to the Mariners today due to what the Bucs described as lumbar spine muscular tightness.  It would certainly seem like Santana will miss a couple of games to recovery, and a trip to the injured list is possible if his back problem doesn’t subside.  Connor Joe is the likeliest candidate for first base duty in Santana’s absence, but Pittsburgh might now be facing a depth problem at first base since Ji-Man Choi isn’t eligible to return from the 60-day IL until at least mid-July.
  • Twins reliever Emilio Pagan faced only one batter in today’s 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays before departing due to a left hip flexor strain.  Both Pagan and manager Rocco Baldelli expressed hope that an IL stint wasn’t necessary, with Pagan telling the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda and other reporters that “hopefully we caught it early enough, that I’m good to go in a day or two.  I think I’ll be ready to go tomorrow if need be.”
  • Max Muncy left today’s game with a cramp in his left hamstring, and the Dodgers infielder told MLB.com and other media that he has been dealing with cramps throughout the weekend.  Muncy will undergo an MRI to further examine the issue, but for now, he is day to day.  Between a scorching-hot April and then a big slump for much of May, Muncy is still hitting .208/.340/.530 over 203 plate appearances this season, and he belted his 17th home run before his early exit today.
  • X-rays were negative on Owen Miller’s right forearm, after the Brewers infielder was removed as a precautionary measure after being hit by a pitch in today’s game.  Manager Craig Counsell told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters that Miller is day to day, and could be back for the team’s next game on Tuesday (Monday is an off-day for the Brew Crew).  Miller’s hot bat has earned him more playing time, and after collecting two more hits today, Miller is slashing .330/.371/.513 over 124 PA.

NL West Notes: Garcia, Padres, Feltner, Dodgers, May

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The Padres placed Luis Garcia on the 15-day injured list today, as the left-hander is suffering from a left oblique strain.  Righty Domingo Tapia was called up from Triple-A to take Garcia’s spot on the active roster.  Garcia has a somewhat misleading 4.66 ERA this season, as nine of his 10 earned runs allowed came in two disastrous appearances (totaling two-thirds of an inning) against the Diamondbacks.  Against every other team in baseball, Garcia has allowed just one earned run in 18 2/3 frames.

Despite a few shaky moments, the Padres’ bullpen has largely gotten on track, as San Diego’s relievers have combined for the sixth-best (3.31) bullpen ERA in baseball heading into Saturday’s action.  Losing a generally reliable veteran like Garcia won’t help matters, and the team has yet to comment on the severity of the left-hander’s oblique strain, or how long Garcia might be sidelined.

More from around the NL West…

  • Ryan Feltner suffered a small skull fracture and a concussion after being hit with a Nick Castellanos line drive on May 14, but the Rockies right-hander hasn’t given up hope of returning to the field this season.  For now, Feltner is focused only on his recovery, and he gave a positive update to Patrick Saunders and other reporters.  Feltner said he has “a headache from the concussion, dizziness, but today there’s no pain.  I’m sleeping well, and the day-to-day stuff has become a lot easier.  So the feeling is that I’m in a really good spot compared to where I could be.”
  • With injuries hampering the Dodgers’ rotation, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team could “potentially” target pitching at the trade deadline, but it will still be a while before the Dodgers know a firmer recovery timeline for Julio Urias or Dustin May.  “Right now with where we are, it’s gonna be a little more shell game-ish if we have more injuries.  But we’re thinking through that and trying to be as prepared as we can be if that happens,” Friedman told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters.  May won’t be able to return until at least mid-July due to his placement on the 60-day IL, and Harris writes that May received a PRP injection as part of his treatment for a flexor pronator strain.  Beyond the injuries, Noah Syndergaard’s rotation spot might also be a question mark as the righty continues to struggle.

West Notes: Urias, deGrom, Bogaerts

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Dodgers lefty Julio Urias was expected to throw a bullpen session off the mound for the first time since going on the injured list with a hamstring strain last week, but the 26-year-old lefty felt some soreness after working out yesterday and threw off flat ground instead, as noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Ardaya notes that the planned bullpen session has been moved to Tuesday, and that the next step afterwards would be to face live hitters.

Urias’s setback opens the door for young right-hander Bobby Miller to make another start after the 24-year-old top prospect threw five innings of one-run ball against a tough Braves lineup in his MLB debut earlier this week. With Miller looking effective, there’s plenty of reason for the Dodgers to proceed cautiously with their staff ace as he works his way back from his current hamstring ailment. Urias entered the 2023 campaign with a career ERA of just 2.82 (148 ERA+), but his platform season before he’s slated to test free agency in the offseason hasn’t gotten off on the same dominant foot as usual. Through ten starts this season, Urias has posted a surprisingly pedestrian 4.39 ERA (101 ERA+) with a worrisome 5.31 FIP. That season line is weighed down by a final brutal stretch of six starts immediately preceding Urias’s placement on the IL, where he posted a 6.25 ERA and 6.86 FIP in 31 2/3 innings of work.

More from around MLB’s West divisions…

  • Rangers ace Jacob deGrom has been on the injured list with elbow inflammation for a month now, as the club has taken their oft-injured ace’s ramp-up back to game action slowly. After throwing a 25-pitch, fastball-only bullpen session last week, deGrom progressed to a 31-pitch bullpen session yesterday per MLB.com, during which he began to mix in sliders and change-ups. Manager Bruce Bochy noted that deGrom will be evaluated over the coming days as he recovers from the session while the club attempts to establish a clearer timeline for his return. As arguably the best pitcher in the world when healthy it’s hard to overstate the value deGrom, who has posted a 2.67 ERA and 1.57 FIP in his first six starts as a member of the Rangers, has for the club. Nonetheless, Texas has been able to excel even without their ace thanks to excellent performances from Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, and Martin Perez.
  • Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts is out of the lineup today while the 30-year-old star deals with discomfort in his wrist. As noted by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the issue is in the same wrist that required a cortisone shot during spring training. Acee notes that it’s still too soon for Bogaerts to receive another shot, so the shortstop has opted to instead play through the discomfort on and off throughout the season. The discomfort could help to explain Bogaerts’s struggles this past month, as he has slashed just .195/.290/.268 in 21 games so far in May. Acee notes that the hope is that Bogaerts will be able to return to the lineup tomorrow, but the situation appears to be day-to-day.

Tigers Acquire Lael Lockhart From Dodgers

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According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, the Tigers have swung a trade with the Dodgers in order to acquire left-handed minor leaguer Lael Lockhart, who the club has assigned to Double-A Erie. MLive’s Evan Woodbery adds that the Dodgers are receiving cash considerations in return.

Lockhart, 25, was the Dodgers’ ninth-round pick in the 2021 draft and reached the High-A level in his first professional season, pitching 12 2/3 innings with a 3.55 ERA and 23 strikeouts against seven walks. In 2022, Lockhart began to work as a starter to solid results, posting a 3.71 ERA with a 23.9% strikeout rate in 111 2/3 innings of work split between the High-A and Double-A levels. Those quality full season results are belied, however, by Lockhart’s struggles in Double-A last year, where he posted a 4.93 ERA in 34 2/3 innings with a deflated 19% strikeout rate.

Lockhart returned to the bullpen to open the 2023 season, and has struggled badly in 15 Double-A innings with an 11.40 ERA and 13 walks against just 18 strikeouts. Presumably, Detroit is hoping that a chance of scenery in a new organization will help Lockhart regain the form that saw him find success at the High-A level during 2021 and 2022.

Dodgers Outright Wander Suero

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Dodgers righty Wander Suero went unclaimed on waivers following his DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per the team’s transaction log. The 31-year-old righty has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency. The team hasn’t made an announcement one way or another, but Suero is listed as active on the OKC Dodgers’ roster.

Suero appeared in four games with the Dodgers, pitching 6 2/3 innings but yielding six runs on four hits and four walks. Suero did fan exactly a quarter of his opponents (seven of 28), but he struggled not only to find the zone but to locate within it, as two of those hits left the yard.

Prior to this brief run the Dodgers, the entirety of Suero’s big league experience had come with the Nationals, for whom he pitched in 2018-21. The righty logged 185 1/3 frames with the Nats, at times serving as one of Davey Martinez’s setup men (33 holds). He posted a combined 4.61 ERA with Washington, striking out a solid 25.4% of opponents against a roughly average 8.4% walk rate. Suero wasn’t especially homer prone and didn’t give up many free passes, but he struggled with men on base, stranding a below-average 67.8% of runners he allowed. Still, fielding-independent metrics like FIP (3.80) and SIERA (3.78) thought his skills were better than his bottom-line results.

Suero has had a nice year in Oklahoma City so far, holding opponents to four runs on ten hits and eight walks with 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings (2.45 ERA). It’s the fifth season in which he’s spent time at the Triple-A level, and he owns a career 3.59 ERA with a 22% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate through 110 1/3 innings there.

Dodgers Claim Zack Burdi

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The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Zack Burdi off waivers from the Rays, per announcements from both clubs. Righty Tyler Cyr was transferred to the 60-day injured list in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Burdi was twice designated for assignment by Tampa Bay this season, clearing waivers and accepting an outright the first time around. He’ll be claimed this time through, however, and be placed directly onto Los Angeles’ 40-man roster. The 28-year-old tossed three shutout innings during his first stint with the Rays but was rocked for five earned runs on five hits and a walk in just one inning when the Rays were blown out by the Blue Jays by a score of 20-1.

Burdi is a former first-rounder whose results have not yet aligned with his former top prospect status. That’s due largely to injury, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and then suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee the following year. There were no minor leagues to return to in 2020, so Burdi jumped straight to the big leagues with the White Sox after pitching just 33 combined innings in 2018-19. The results weren’t good (nine runs in 7 1/3 innings) and Burdi has yet to find his footing. In 21 1/3 big league innings, he has an 8.44 ERA.

Cyr, 30, was selected to the big league roster just a week ago. The journeyman right-hander tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts in his brief stint with the Dodgers, but his shoulder barked following his second appearance, sending him to the 15-day injured list with what was diagnosed as an impingement. It seems that the injury is serious enough that it’ll require at least a two-month absence.

It’s a tough blow for Cyr, whose only prior MLB experience came in 2022 with the A’s and Phillies — a total of just 12 1/3 innings. He’d hoped his call to the Dodgers and a pair of scoreless outings might give him an opportunity to prove he can hold down a spot in a big league bullpen. Those hopes will be delayed indefinitely now as he battles this shoulder issue.

Cyr, who entered the season with just 34 days of MLB service time, will accrue service time and be paid at the prorated league minimum rate while he’s on the injured list. That’s a decent financial consolation prize after grinding through eight minor league seasons with scant salaries each year, but the loss of the opportunity to carve out a larger role on a big league club surely stings.

West Notes: Buehler, Rockies, Blackburn

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Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery last August, and recently told reporters that the date he’s targeting for a return to action this season is September 1. While not unheard of, a 12-month recovery timeline from Tommy John surgery is a rare feat for pitchers, particularly those rehabbing from the procedure for a second time, as Buehler is.

Despite the seemingly long odds, Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted yesterday that the possibility remains on the table, with one notable caveat: Buehler’s return to the Dodgers could come out of the bullpen rather than as a member of the starting rotation. If Buehler indeed makes his return later this season as a reliever, it would be a notable change of pace for the 28-year-old righty. 106 of Buehler’s 115 appearances in the majors have come as a starter, and he has come out of the bullpen just once since the start of the 2018 campaign.

In those 10 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen so far in his career, Buehler has struggled to a 11.32 ERA. Of course, such a small sample that’s over half a decade old at this point matters far less than Buehler’s more recent work, which has been nothing short of dominant. Since the start of the 2018 campaign, Buehler has posted a phenomenal 2.95 ERA that’s 40% better than league average by measure of ERA+ with an equally strong 3.22 FIP in 629 innings of work at the front of the Dodgers’ rotation. The highlight of his career to this point came in 2021, when he made an MLB-leading 33 starts while posting a phenomenal 2.47 ERA (171 ERA+) with a 3.16 FIP that earned him a top-4 finish in Cy Young Award voting.

Whether as a starter or a reliever, a pitcher of Buehler’s caliber would surely be an asset to the Dodgers both down the stretch and as they gear up for a hypothetical playoff run. While the Dodgers have a plethora of viable rotation options, Dustin May, Julio Urias, Michael Grove, and Ryan Pepiot are all currently on the injured list alongside Buehler, and both Noah Syndergaard and Tony Gonsolin have spent time on the shelf previously this season as well. Given the number of options that could be at the club’s disposal, and the number of injuries they’ve suffered already this season, it’s near impossible to predict what LA’s rotation could look like come September, whether Buehler is ready for a return or not.

More from around the West divisions…

  • In the same article, Heyman also notes that the Rockies have interest in former Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore for a high-ranking front office role, though the club appears to be content with Bill Schmidt as GM. Heyman notes that Moore expressed he hadn’t heard about Colorado’s interest in his services. Nonetheless, it’s notable that the Rockies, a club that has typically been known for hiring within the organization for their front office, would seek the services of an external candidate. Moore was fired by the Royals last season after sixteen years at the helm of the organization, during which he oversaw the club’s 2015 World Series championship. Moore was hired by the Rangers as a senior advisor to the baseball operations department in November.
  • Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn is poised to make his first start of the 2023 campaign sometime next week, as noted by Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Blackburn started the season on the injured list with a torn fingernail and had the start of his season delayed further by a blister on his pitching hand, but now appears to be close to a return. The 29-year-old Blackburn got his first extended look in the rotation last season, when he posted a solid 3.62 ERA in the first half en route to becoming a 2022 All-Star. Unfortunately, Blackburn would pitch just 14 1/3 innings in the second half, allowing 14 runs in three starts before heading to the IL with finger inflammation. Upon his return to the A’s rotation, Blackburn figures to help steady a group that has featured little certainty beyond JP Sears.

Dodgers Transfer Dustin May To 60-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that they have officially selected the contract of pitching prospect Bobby Miller, whose imminent promotion was reported a couple of days ago. Right-hander Tyler Cyr was placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder impingement, retroactive to May 21, opening a spot for Miller on the active roster. To make room on the 40-man, righty Dustin May was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

May, 25, left his start on May 17 after throwing just one inning. His injury was later announced as a flexor pronator strain that would keep him out of action for four to six weeks and he was placed on the 15-day injured list the next day. This transfer will extend that timeline slightly, as he now will be ineligible to return until the middle of July. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that May won’t pick up a baseball for six weeks, after which he’ll be re-evaluated and a plan for the next steps will be formulated.

There will still be time later in the year for May to finish strong but 2023 is going to go down as yet another truncated campaign for the talented righty. He’s appeared in each of the five most recent major league seasons but has yet to log even 60 innings in any individual year. He came up part way through 2019 then the 2020 season was shortened by the pandemic. He lasted just five starts in 2021 before Tommy John surgery put him out of action, with May eventually returning to make six starts late in 2022. He was on track for a full and healthy season here in 2023 but is now on the IL again after taking the ball nine times.

Amid all of those frustrations, he has shown his talent with his results. He has a 3.10 ERA in 191 2/3 innings to this point in his career, striking out 22.5% of batters while walking 7.4% and getting grounders at a 49.9% clip. Unfortunately, as mentioned, that has been scattered across five different seasons due to various factors.

The Dodgers will now have to proceed without May for the next couple of months, which isn’t their only rotation challenge. Julio Urías recently landed on the injured list as well, joining depth starters Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot. They are also without Clayton Kershaw for the moment, though he is on the bereavement list and could return shortly. There’s also Tony Gonsolin, Noah Syndergaard, Gavin Stone and now Miller jumping into the fray.

Miller has a 100 mph fastball and is generally considered one of the better prospects in baseball, though he’s off to a rough start here in 2023. He has a 5.65 ERA through four Triple-A starts but had a much better 3.38 ERA in his four starts at that level last year. Both Urías and Grove seem like they will be able to return in the near future, which will improve the club’s depth and give them some decisions to make about who stays and who goes.

Dodgers Designate Wander Suero, Select Tayler Scott

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The Dodgers are making a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, with Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times among those to relay the info from manager Dave Roberts. Right-hander Gavin Stone has been recalled while fellow righty Tayler Scott has had his contract selected. In corresponding moves, lefty Clayton Kershaw has been placed on the bereavement list while righty Wander Suero has been designated for assignment.

Suero, 31, was signed to a minor league deal this winter and selected to the club’s roster earlier this month. He’s thrown 6 2/3 innings over four appearances so far but with an ERA of 8.10 in that small sample. He struck out a healthy 25% of batters faced in that time but issued walks at an untenable 14.3% clip. Kershaw only lasted 3 2/3 innings in yesterday’s game, which led to the club using four relievers to finish out the game, including two innings from Suero. He’ll now be a roster casualty as the club looks to bring in a fresh arm.

That fresh arm belongs to Scott, 31 next week, who signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in January. He’s made 16 relief appearances in Triple-A so far this year with a miniscule 1.08 ERA in that time. He’s surely getting some help from a .278 batting average on balls in play and 90.9% strand rate, but he’s striking out 29.4% of batters faced. He’ll need to temper his 14.7% walk rate if he’s to have any long-term success, but he’s clearly been getting some results in the minors so far this year. He has a career ERA of 11.12 in the majors so far but in a small sample of just 21 outings dating back to 2019.

The Dodgers will now have one week to trade Suero or pass him through waivers. In the event he clears waivers, he would be eligible to elect free agency by virtue of having more than three years of major league service time. It’s possible he garners interest since he still has a minor league option and some encouraging work in the past, such as posting a 3.80 ERA with the Nationals in 2020.

The Dodgers will need to open up another roster spot tomorrow since Bobby Miller will be promoted to make his major league debut. Miller isn’t yet on the 40-man and will need a corresponding move.

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