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Jose Fernandez Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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FRIDAY: Fernandez underwent successful surgery today, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. The club anticipates the usual twelve to eighteen month recovery period.

TUESDAY, 10:02pm: The Marlins have announced that Tommy John surgery has been recommended to repair a ligament tear in Fernandez’s right elbow, though the team cautions that it has yet to be decided whether (and if so when) the procedure will take place.

9:09pm: The second physician’s assessment was the same as the first, tweets Spencer: a UCL tear for which surgery is recommended.

2:20pm: Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has some further details on the situation, reporting that ElAttrache diagnosed Fernandez with a “significant tear” of his ulnar collateral ligament and recommended surgery. Fernandez will visit with Kaplan today for his take, but all expectations are that a Tommy John procedure will ultimately result.

MONDAY, 7:30pm: The Marlins expect that Fernandez will require season-ending surgery, reports Rodriguez (via Twitter). Needless to say, the outstanding 21-year-old would be the crown jewel of the many outstanding pitchers who have succumbed to elbow injuries in recent months.

7:15pm: Fernandez has already undergone a second MRI, Rosenthal tweets. The first was overseen by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, says Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel, with Fernandez then returning to Florida for a second MRI and consultation with team medical director Lee Kaplan.

5:32pm: Rosenthal tweets that Fernandez has been placed on the DL with a right elbow sprain. He adds that Fernandez is returning to Miami and the results of the MRI are still pending. Spencer quotes Redmond’s response when asked if he is concerned about Tommy John surgery: “I think you’re always concerned when you’re talking about elbows. It’s a big blow.”

4:45pm: The Marlins are off to a surprising start to their 2014 season at 20-18, but bad news appears to be on the horizon. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (via Twitter) that Jose Fernandez is undergoing an MRI in Los Angeles, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Cy Young hopeful is expected to be placed on the disabled list. The Marlins announced earlier today that manager Mike Redmond would be addressing the media at 6:30pm EST.

Clearly, any substantial injury to Fernandez would be a devastating blow to the Marlins. The 21-year-old is off to a dominant start to the season, having pitched to a 2.44 ERA with 12.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 48.8 percent ground-ball rate in 51 2/3 innings. Fernandez was hit hard by the light-hitting Padres in his last outing, surrendering six runs (five earned) on six hits and a walk in five innings, though he was reportedly ill prior to that outing.

Marlins Nearing Minor League Deal With Miguel Tejada

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The Marlins are nearing a minor league contract with veteran infielder and former American League MVP Miguel Tejada, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Spanish Twitter link). The 39-year-old Tejada is a client of Relativity Sports.

Tejada received a 105-game suspension last season for a pair of positive tests for a banned amphetamine (Adderall), resulting in a 25-game and 80-game suspension, as he had already tested positive for Adderall once in the past. Tejada also faced potential punishment from the Biogenesis scandal, but Major League Baseball gave him a choice between accepting his 105-game ban for Adderall use or facing further punishment due to his Biogenesis link.

Prior to last year’s suspension issues, he’d been playing with the Royals in a utility infield capacity, batting .288/.317/.378 with three homers in 167 plate appearances. That marked his first big league action since 2011, as he sat out the 2012 season entirely.

Tejada is a career .285/.336/.456 hitter in parts of 16 seasons with the A’s, Orioles, Astros, Royals, Giants and Padres. The six-time All-Star took home AL MVP honors in 2002 when he hit .308/.354/.508 with 34 home runs for the Athletics, but his legacy has been tainted by connections to performance enhancing drugs and the falsification of his age, in which he led Major League teams to believe he was two years younger than he actually is.

Marlins Sign Randy Wolf

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8:49pm: Wolf did agree to a 45-day advance consent form with the Marlins, reports Rosenthal (links to Twitter). He explained that he was comfortable agreeing to those terms this time around because he was signing in the middle of the season. Wolf was set to opt out and join another (unnamed) club when the Marlins offered him the chance to join their rotation, Rosenthal adds.

2:32pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Wolf will earn a $1MM base salary plus performance incentives (Twitter link).

2:11pm: Randy Wolf exercised an opt-out clause with the D’Backs earlier this afternoon and has a new team just hours later. The Marlins have officially announced the signing of the Wasserman Media Group client to a one-year, Major League deal. Wolf will reportedly slot into Miami’s rotation, though it sounds like he’ll be backing up rookie Anthony DeSclafani in tonight’s game.

MLB: Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees

Earlier this afternoon, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reported that the Marlins were working to make a pitching addition that was not currently part of the organization, and Wolf would clearly fits that bill.

The 37-year-old Wolf underwent Tommy John surgery late in the 2012 season, but he looks to be fully recovered after a strong Spring Training with the Mariners and a respectable showing in six starts for the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate in Reno. Wolf posted a 4.50 ERA with a 35-to-18 K/BB ratio while in Reno. He had originally made the Mariners’ roster out of Spring Training as the fifth starter but instead requested his release when the team asked that he sign a 45-day advance-consent clause that would’ve allowed them to terminate the deal for any non-injury reason in that window.

Wolf is a 14-year big league veteran that has a 4.20 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 39 percent ground-ball rate in 2268 innings between the Phillies, Brewers, Padres, Dodgers, Astros and Orioles. Miami has a definite need for pitching depth after the devastating news that their young ace, Jose Fernandez, will likely miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

With Fernandez out for the season, Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez are locks in the rotation. Jacob Turner has been starting as well, but he’s battled shoulder problems that have likely hampered his effectiveness. Tom Koehler’s hot start likely leaves him with a rotation spot locked down as well. In addition to DeSclafani, Miami has a slew of pitching prospects that are nearly Major League ready, though none are as intriguing as 2012 first-round pick Andrew Heaney, who has been simply dominant to this point in his minor league career.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic first reported that Wolf was headed to Miami (Twitter link), and ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported that it was a one-year, Major League deal (Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Marlins Designate Henry Rodriguez For Assignment

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The Marlins have designated right-hander Henry Rodriguez for assignment and optioned lefty Dan Jennings to Triple-A New Orleans, according to the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer (on Twitter). According to the club’s transactions page, right-hander Anthony DeSclafani’s contract has been purchased from Double-A Jacksonville.

Rodriguez displayed what have become typical command problems for him in 2014, walking five batters in just 1 2/3 innings pitched for the Fish. He’s issued 107 free passes in 150 1/3 career innings at the big league level, offsetting an impressive strikeout rate (9.0 K/9) and strong velocity (he’s averaged 98 mph on his heater in his career).

NL Notes: Roark, Weeks, Gregorius, Marlins, Mets, Cards

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The Nationals’ unheralded acquisition of current fifth starter Tanner Roark represents a “triumph of scouting,” writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. With the Nats looking to dump the salary of Christian Guzman back in 2010, the team identified the little-known Roark as a potentially useful arm and picked him up along with righty Ryan Tatusko. While Roark was the real prize of that swap, GM Mike Rizzo says that Tatusko (who owns a 2.15 ERA through seven starts at Triple-A) could reach the bigs himself “somehow, somewhere, with somebody.”

Here’s more out of Washington and the rest of the National League:

  • Much-maligned Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks has been reasonably productive this year, and could potentially be dealt if Milwaukee can find an interested partner, writes Rosenthal. The 31-year-old, who is earning $11MM this year before he reaches the open market, has a .318/.375/.364 line through just 48 plate appearances. Somewhat curiously, and counter to his career tendencies, the right-handed hitter has been knocking around same-handed hurlers (.954 OPS) while struggling against southpaws (.541) in an approximately even number of appearances against pitchers of both sides. Rosenthal mentions the Cardinals and Orioles as possible matches, though the former seems unlikely with Milwaukee leading the division. (Of course, Baltimore already owns the rights to Weeks’s younger brother, fellow second bagger Jemile Weeks.)
  • The Diamondbacks are still in no rush to deal shortstop Didi Gregorius, who is spending some time at second while fellow middle infield prospect Nick Ahmed sees time at short. Rosenthal notes that the team is unlikely to field a double-play combination of Gregorius and Chris Owings unless it saw fit to deal keystone stalwart Aaron Hill, who earns $12MM both this year and next.
  • There is little doubt of the biggest story in baseball right now: the UCL tear of Marlins’ young ace Jose Fernandez. With the club still in the thick of things in the NL East, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro suggests that Miami should consider a bold move: a trade for Jeff Samardzija of the Cubs. While top prospect Andrew Heaney offers some hope of filling Fernandez’s shoes (to the extent that is possible), Frisaro says that Samardzija “could save the season” for the Fish. Of course, acquiring him could well require parting with Heaney — if not more, if the Cubs’ ace continues his current dominance. Samardzija comes with another year of control after the present, though he’ll be fairly expensive after earning $5.345MM in his second trip through arbitration.
  • While weighing a call-up of Heaney, if not a more drastic move, the Marlins will promote Anthony DeSclafani for his first big league action, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel. Baseball America tabbed DeSclafani as the team’s fifth-best prospect coming into the season, saying that the 24-year-old (who came over in the infamous Blue Jays trade) could top out as a number three starter or back-end reliever.
  • Whatever the intentions of Mets’ co-owner Saul Katz, any sale of his portion of the team’s equity is not likely to change the control of the club, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman walks through the reasons that, even if Katz looks to move some or all of his shares, the Wilpon family is quite likely to stay in charge in New York.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak acknowledges that he finds the club’s middling start “concerning,” reports MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. While the team has plenty of internal possibilities to shake things up, Mozeliak says that he does not intend to just go with what he has if the situation warrants change. “I can’t imagine us just doing nothing all season and just say our strategy is you’re going to rise up to your mean,” said Mozeliak, who said the club’s 19-20 record may actually be an over-achievement at this point. “For us, there are some things we want to be sensitive to. The month of July is an opportunity to maybe change the look of your club if you have to. The clock’s ticking, but it’s not in a panic mode or a reactionary place where you have to just do something to do something. I think people have to be aware that this is not acceptable baseball at this point.”

Injury Notes: Fernandez, Cisnero, Garcia, Belt, Buxton, Beltran

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Injuries continue to dominate the headlines around the league, led of course by the most impactful UCL tear in a year already full of them. The news that star Marlins hurler Jose Fernandez is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery has capped off a difficult stretch of pitching injuries, leading to reactions from around the game. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports says that understanding and addressing the rash of elbow injuries is in its infancy, and could be decades away from any kind of satisfying resolution. Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider link) writes that the club did not mishandle Fernandez, and that the lesson teams have drawn from the rash of TJ procedures is to maximize the innings of young arms before they hit the open market. And Tom Verducci of SI.com argues that the issue is not use at the major league level so much as years of added stress before players become professionals, and explores various possible solutions.

Let’s run through the latest injury news that carries potential hot stove implications:

  • A beleaguered Astros bullpen (collective 5.91 ERA) will be without young righty Jose Cisnero for the rest of the year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, tweets MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. The 25-year-old threw just 4 2/3 ineffective innings in 2014, but tossed 43 2/3 frames of 4.12 ERA ball in his debut season last year. Entering 2013, Cisnero was rated Houston’s 15th-best prospect by Baseball America, which noted that he could become an innings-eating starter.
  • Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia has seemingly defied the odds and worked himself back to the point that he is now a candidate to receive a big league start this weekend, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Garcia’s most recent problems have been in the shoulder, though he has previously undergone TJ surgery. Garcia, still just 27, has logged just 177 innings under his four-year, $27MM contract, which runs through 2015 and includes club options for the two following seasons ($11.5MM and $12MM, respectively, each with a $500K buyout).
  • The Giants will be without first baseman Brandon Belt for at least six weeks after successful thumb surgery, reports Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). It appears that the team will utilize a mix of Michael Morse and Hector Sanchez at first while Belt recovers.
  • Twins minor leaguer Byron Buxton — the game’s consensus top overall prospect — learned today that he has re-aggravated the wrist injury that cost him most of the early portion of the season, reports MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter links). Though the team does not believe the wrist is any worse than when it was first injured, but another extended absence would obviously further delay the 20-year-old’s final development push.
  • Outfielder Carlos Beltran, one of the major offseason signings by the Yankees, has been diagnosed with a bone spur in his right elbow. As MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports, the club will see if a cortisone show can allow Beltran to avoid surgery. “They believe it’s an old bone spur,” said manager Joe Girardi. “It’s aggravating his elbow now. If in a couple of days he doesn’t feel better, then my level of concern would be pretty high.”

Marlins To Designate Carlos Marmol For Assignment

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The Marlins will designate Carlos Marmol for assignment, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets. The former Cubs closer signed with Miami in February, then pitched in 13 1/3 innings, posting an 8.10 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9.

Marmol has always posted very high walk numbers, but free passes have become especially problematic for him from a stratospheric 16.0 K/9 in 2010 to 10.8 in 2013, and he hasn’t served as a closer since 2012. Both his fastball and his slider have declined in effectiveness over the years as well. He’s still just 31, though, and has good velocity, so teams will undoubtedly continue to be curious about him.

Marlins To Sign Alex Sanabia

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The Marlins have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with right-hander Alex Sanabia, who will head to the team’s Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link). The Paragon Sports International client was released by the Diamondbacks on Monday.

For Sanabia, the agreement marks a return to the club that originally selected him in the 32nd round of the 2006 draft. From 2010-13, he totaled 138 1/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball with the Fish, averaging 5.6 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings pitched. A fly-ball pitcher, Sanabia has struggled with home runs throughout his career, and they were again his undoing in the D’Backs organization; Sanabia posted a bloated 8.10 ERA in 23 1/3 innings for Triple-A Reno due to the fact that he yielded an alarming eight long balls in that time.

The Marlins have developed some enviable pitching depth, with Jose Fernandez, Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez fronting their rotation. Jacob Turner could factor into the mix as well now that he’s been activated from the disabled list, and Tom Koehler has been a very serviceable fourth/fifth starter for the team. Additionally, Miami has names like Andrew Heaney, Justin Nicolino, Anthony DeSclafani and Brian Flynn in its minor league ranks — each of whom is nearing the bigs (or has previously reached them, in Flynn’s case).

NL East Notes: Marlins, Alderson, Flores, Nats, Uggla

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In his latest piece for FOX Sports, Rob Neyer examines the hot starts of both the Marlins and Rockies to see if either club can sustain its success and make a playoff run. While Miami’s trio of Jose Fernandez, Nate Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez is imposing, he also points out that the club’s hitters are playing over their heads. A year after finishing last in the Majors in scoring, Miami is second in the NL in runs after adding Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee but doing little else. As for Colorado, they’ve posted the NL’s lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio, and it’s tough to buy the starts of Charlie Blackmon and Brandon Barnes, Neyer believes.

More links pertaining to the Senior Circuit’s Eastern division…

  • Though the perception is that Omar Minaya left a mess in New York for Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the remnants of that mess are keeping the Mets afloat. He states that one could argue the team’s best players this season were acquired during Minaya’s tenure. Sherman calls Matt Harvey Minaya’s “parting gift” to the team, adding that the trades of Carlos Beltran and R.A. Dickey were made possible because Minaya’s regime brought them in to begin with. He notes that “this is not a final report card” as Alderson hasn’t been in charge long enough for a total transformation, but also points out that none of Alderson’s draftees have made the Majors yet.
  • Baseball America’s Matt Eddy profiles Wilmer Flores for Mets fans as the team prepares to install him in its infield, noting that his bat is his ticket to the Major Leagues, but fans shouldn’t expect him to come close to replicating the .318/.357/.524 batting line he’s compiled in the PCL. He also has defensive flaws, as “his slow first step and well-below-average speed make him an imperfect fit at any spot but first base,” says Eddy.
  • The Nationals have weathered injuries to Bryce Harper, Doug Fister and Wilson Ramos in large par due to a dominant bullpen, writes the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore. Kilgore notes that offseason acquisition Jerry Blevins has been dominant to this point, and indeed, Blevins has a sub-3.00 ERA with the best strikeout rate (11.15 K/9) of his career in this season’s small sample.
  • Despite his well-documented struggles, Dan Uggla isn’t likely to be released by the Braves, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The Braves don’t appear comfortable biting the bullet on his remaining $24MM, but they also aren’t comfortable with him as their starting second baseman. Atlanta is likely to evaluate its other options — Ramiro Pena and Tyler Pastornicky — in the coming weeks before turning to prospect Tommy La Stella for assistance, adds Bowman.

Amateur Notes: Top Picks, Gordon, Zimmer, Hoffman, Nola

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Baseball’s amateur talent season is in full swing, even if it generates less national hype than the football version. (Of course, if you follow the NFL, you’ll want to pay close attention today to MLBTR’s sister site, ProFootballRumors.com, for the latest draft news and rumors.) The Rule 4 amateur draft is set to begin on June 5, with the July 2 international amateur signing period just behind it. Here’s the latest:

  • Despite some recent questions, N.C. State lefty Carlos Rodon still lands atop the first mock draft of Baseball America’s John Manuel. While the Astros will surely be tempted by an attractive group of prep arms that includes Tyler Kolek and Brady Aiken, says Manuel, Rodon’s two primary offerings are good enough to make him a big league pen option right now, though obviously he’ll be taken as a starter. Ultimately, his “combination of stuff, physicality and track record” makes Rodon the most likely pick for Houston, in Manuel’s estimation. The first position player off the board in the mock is high school shortstop Nick Gordon, who Manuel has going to the Twins fifth overall.
  • Aiken takes top billing in the top 100 draft prospect list produced by ESPN.com’s Keith Law (Insider link), based upon his wide arsenal of offerings and lofty ceiling. One of the largest gaps among the top potential choices (as between Law’s ranking and Manuel’s draft projection) belongs to University of San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer. Law places him at fifth overall, citing his size, athleticism, and projectable power, while Manuel believes he could fall into the second half of the first round.
  • It was recently reported that Jeff Hoffman, who had been viewed as a top-five choice, will undergo Tommy John surgery. While that surely bumps him down the board, Law still has Hoffman as the 25th-best player available, while Manuel thinks the Blue Jays will take a chance on his rehab with the second of the team’s two early-round choices (9th and 11th overall).
  • In response to reader questions, MLB.com prospect guru Jim Callis joins the consensus holding Rodon, Kolek, and Aiken as the three top players available. While the White Sox may hope to get a college arm, says Callis, Chicago will probably take whoever is left from that trio (even if it is not Rodon) with the third choice in the draft.
  • Profiling Louisiana State righty Aaron Nola, Callis says that Reds hurler Mike Leake is a good comp as a command-first, quick-to-the-bigs arm. But Callis opines that Nola has somewhat more upside than Leake, who was the most recent player to jump straight to MLB out of the draft.
  • After recently discussing the set of international players expected to be signed to cap-busting bonuses, Ben Badler of Baseball America profiles five other July 2 prospects who are making waves. Leading the pack is Venezuelan outfielder Brayan Hernandez, who Badler says could near the $2MM level in his contract. According to Badler, Hernandez is both well-rounded and projectable, and could be headed to the Mariners.
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