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NL Central Notes: Carlson, Brewers, Cousins, Pirates, Kuhl

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Brewers right-hander Jake Cousins has been shut down for the next 4-6 weeks after receiving a PRP injection, Cousins told Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters.  Cousins has been on the IL since May 1, though an issue with his UCL was detected two weeks ago and the reliever was known to be seeking out a second opinion before deciding on his next treatment.  Both of the consulting doctors recommended the injection, and Cousins will now embark on what will still be a pretty lengthy absence, even if he has been able to avoid surgery.  If Cousins’ arm problems weren’t enough, he also told the media that he recently recovered from a case of COVID-19.

Depending on when Cousins is cleared to begin throwing or if a 40-man roster spot is required, it is quite possibly that the Brewers could shift him to the 60-day IL at some point.  The righty made his MLB debut last season and made an immediate impact in Milwaukee’s bullpen, and Cousins has a 3.08 ERA over 38 total innings of big league action, with hefty strikeout (35%) and walk (14.7%) rates.

More from around the NL Central…

  • Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson looked to be favoring his left hamstring during a third-inning flyout, and had to leave the game with what the club described as hamstring tightness.  More will be known about Carlson’s status after post-game testing, but St. Louis has Corey Dickerson or utilityman Tommy Edman on hand to fill in for Carlson, and Lars Nootbar would likely be the first call-up from Triple-A.  The Cards are already short a regular in the outfield with Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day IL due to a right shoulder impingement.  After impressing during his first full MLB season in 2021, Carlson has hit only .247/.291/.363 in 158 plate appearances this season, in large part due to some brutal hard-contact numbers.
  • The Pirates decided to non-tender Chad Kuhl last winter, resulting in Kuhl signing a one-year, $3MM deal with the Rockies.  Kuhl has started all seven of his games with Colorado (with a solid 3.86 ERA), and told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey that the Pirates were only interested in retaining Kuhl if he made a full-time move to the bullpen.  “No offense to anybody who’s starting in Pittsburgh right now, but I felt like I was worthy of being in the starting rotation there….Me and [GM Ben Cherington] had a talk. That’s where they saw me,” Kuhl said.  “No bad blood or anything like that.  It just gave me an opportunity to start somewhere else.”  Kuhl missed around half of the 2018 season and all of 2019 with a forearm injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery, and then posted a 4.62 ERA over 126 2/3 frames for Pittsburgh in 2020-21, starting 23 of 39 games.

Brewers Win Arbitration Hearing Against Adrian Houser

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The Brewers won their arbitration hearing over right-hander Adrian Houser, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link).  Hauser will earn $2.425MM in 2022, rather than the $3MM salary he was seeking in his first trip through the arb process.

Houser tossed a career-high 142 1/3 innings in 2021, starting 26 of his 28 games for Milwaukee and posting a 3.22 ERA.  Despite some unimpressive strikeout (17.5%) and walk (10.7%) rates, Houser found plenty of success with a recipe of soft contact and lots of ground balls.  Houser posted a 59% grounder rate and finished in the 89th percentile of all pitchers in barrel rate.

On a Brewers team full of high-strikeout arms, Houser represented a bit of a change of pace for opposing batters, and it earned him a regular spot in the rotation.  The righty moved into starting work in the latter half of the 2019 season after working as a multi-inning reliever, and then had only a 5.30 ERA over 56 innings in the shortened 2020 campaign.  Those struggles in 2020 spoke to the variance that grounder specialists can face, as Houser had a .325 BABIP in 2020, as opposed to a .259 BABIP last season.

Houser’s $2.425MM salary did beat the $2.3MM projection from MLBTR’s Matt Swartz, and Houser is off to a solid enough start in 2022 that he looks in good shape to earn a nice raise next winter.  With Houser’s case now complete, the Brewers can finally close the books on a very busy arbitration class.

Brewers Outright Alec Bettinger

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The Brewers announced that right-hander Alec Bettinger has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Nashville. There’d be no prior indication he’d been designated for assignment, so the move clears a spot on the 40-man roster. That tally now sits at 37.

Bettinger, 26, has four MLB appearances under his belt. Those all came last season, when he worked ten innings of 15-run ball. That obviously wasn’t the way Bettinger wanted to start his career, as he surrendered a trio of home runs while walking three and striking out five. He had a more solid showing over a larger body of work in Nashville, however. Over 96 2/3 frames in a hitter-friendly environment, the University of Virginia product posted a 4.75 ERA with a solid 23.6% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk percentage.

This season, Bettinger has made a pair of appearances for the Sounds. He tossed five innings of four-run ball before losing his roster spot, which he’ll now try to reclaim. It’s the first career outright for Bettinger, so he doesn’t have the right to refuse a minor league assignment. He’ll remain with the organization and look to pitch his way back to the majors.

Brewers Place Willy Adames On Injured List

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The Brewers announced Wednesday that they’ve placed shortstop Willy Adames on the 10-day injured list with a high ankle sprain. The move is retroactive to May 16. Infielder Keston Hiura is up from Triple-A Nashville to take his spot on the roster.

Adames exited the Brewers’ game on Sunday after sustaining the injury when sliding into home plate on a sacrifice fly. The 26-year-old was in visible pain as he limped off the field after scoring the run. Manager Craig Counsell said after the game that X-rays came back negative, but president of baseball ops David Stearns acknowledged earlier this week that an IL stint was still on the table.

It’s been an odd start to the season for Adames, who a year ago this time served as a direly needed jolt to the Brewers lineup. Acquired from the Rays in a rare May trade of significance — J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen went back to Tampa Bay in what looks like a win-win deal — Adames erupted with a .285/.366/.521 slash in 413 plate appearances as a Brewer. He’s been a key to the offense again in 2022, as his nine home runs place him in a six-way tie for tops in the National League. At the same time, he’s also hitting just .208 with a lackluster .304 on-base percentage. Adames has been dogged by a .228 average on balls in play, however, and this year’s 11.5% walk rate is a career-high. Statcast pegs his “expected” batting average at a much healthier .261, and prior to the injury, it seemed safe to expect that Adames’ overall offensive output would tick upward as the season wears on.

Any change in fortune will now be on hold as Adames allows his ankle to mend, and his performance in the aftermath will of course be dependent on the extent to which the injury heals. In his absence, Milwaukee figures to turn to Luis Urias as the primary option at shortstop. It was Urias’ defensive shortcomings as a shortstop that prompted the Brewers to trade for Adames in the first place, but as a short-term option, they’ll live with any defensive woes in exchange for what has been a brilliant run at the plate. The 24-year-old Urias is hitting .298/.404/.457 in 13 games since being activated from the injured list himself.

As for Hiura, he’ll get his latest chance to deliver on the talent that made him the ninth overall selection in the 2017 draft. He delivered a mammoth .303/.368/.570 showing in 348 plate appearances as a 22-year-old rookie in 2019, but Hiura’s bat has gone backwards as his strikeout rate has mounted. Since that brilliant debut effort, he’s mustered just a .194/.282/.363 batting line while punching out in 37.5% of his plate appearances. That includes a ghastly 47.5% strikeout rate in 42 plate appearances this season, but Hiura has been on a tear since being sent down to Nashville, where he’s hit .421/.522/.895 with three homers and six strikeouts in 23 plate appearances (26.1% strikeout rate).

The Brewers have yet to provide a potential timetable for Adames’ return to the lineup, though presumably Counsell and/or Stearns will have more information prior to today’s afternoon tilt against the Rays.

Brewers’ J.C. Mejia Suspended 80 Games After Positive PED Test

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Major League Baseball announced this afternoon that Brewers reliever J.C. Mejía has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol. He heads to the restricted list, freeing up a 40-man roster spot. Milwaukee selected right-hander Trevor Kelley onto the big league roster in a corresponding move.

Mejía has made just a pair of appearances as a Brewer. Acquired from the Guardians last November after he’d been designated for assignment by Cleveland, he’s allowed six runs through 2 1/3 innings with Milwaukee. He’d been much better with Triple-A Nashville, however, tossing 10 2/3 frames of one-run ball across six outings. Mejía walked six batters with the Sounds, but he also punched out 15 and allowed just four hits.

Milwaukee has deployed the 25-year-old solely in relief this year. Mejía started 11 of his 17 appearances with Cleveland last season, his first crack at the major league level. That didn’t go especially well, as he was thrust into the rotation while the club dealt with various injuries and managed just an 8.25 ERA.

Mejía won’t be paid or receive service time for the next couple months. He’ll be eligible to return in mid-August but won’t be allowed to participate in postseason play this year. Mejía becomes the second player the division-leading Brew Crew have lost to a PED suspension in as many months; catcher Pedro Severino was suspended 80 games on the eve of Opening Day after his own positive test.

Kelley, 28, signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee last November. The right-hander appeared in 14 MLB games with the Red Sox and Phillies between 2019-20, allowing 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings. He spent all of last season with the Braves’ top affiliate in Gwinnett, never getting an MLB call from the eventual World Series champs despite posting an excellent 1.52 ERA over 41 1/3 frames.

Assigned to Nashville to open the year, Kelley has picked up where he’d left off at the minors’ highest level. He has allowed only two runs in 13 innings out of the bullpen, racking up 17 punchouts against four walks. Kelley has a pair of option years remaining, so the team can shuttle him between Milwaukee and Nashville while keeping him on the 40-man roster.

Willy Adames Leaves Game Due To Right Ankle Sprain

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Brewers shortstop Willy Adames had to leave today’s game due to what the team described as a right ankle sprain.  The injury was suffered in the first inning, as Adames’ right foot was caught while he was sliding home to score on a Luis Urias sacrifice fly.  Adames was in obvious discomfort but still took the field to play shortstop in the bottom of the first, before being substituted out before the bottom of the second frame.

The fact that Adames was at least able to briefly keep playing is a positive sign that the injury might not be too severe, but the Brewers said he will be re-evaluated once the club returns home tomorrow from its current road trip.

Adames has been pretty streaky over the first weeks of the season, but the shortstop has shown plenty of pop in hitting .208/.304/.462 with nine home runs over his first 148 plate appearances.  Adames entered Sunday’s action tied for the NL lead in homers, and has basically not stopped hitting ever since the Brewers acquired him from the Rays almost exactly a year ago to the day.

Losing Adames to the injured list would take a bite out of Milwaukee’s lineup, though the Brewers have hit well as a whole this year, powered by Rowdy Tellez, Hunter Renfroe (one of the other players tied for the NL homer lead), Omar Narvaez, and the resurgent Christian Yelich.  Urias has also hit well since returning from the IL, and would likely move from third base to shortstop if Adames did have to miss time.  Mike Brosseau and Jace Peterson could platoon at third base, with Brosseau also representing another backup option at the shortstop position.

Brewers To Place Jandel Gustave On Injured List

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Right-handed pitcher Jandel Gustave injured his right hamstring during last night’s game and will be placed on the injured list today, Brewers manager Craig Counsell tells Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The corresponding move is not known at this time.

Acquired from the Pirates in June of 2021, Gustave threw 18 1/3 innings out of the Milwaukee bullpen last year. He had a 3.44 ERA in that span, along with a 16.5% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 43.6% ground ball rate. This year, he’s been racking up more strikeouts but getting worse results overall. In 13 innings on the season, he’s getting Ks at a 25% clip but has seen his ERA jump up to 5.54.

The issue seems to be the long ball, as his HR/FB% has jumped up to 16.7% this year, compared to 11.8% last year. That’s particularly noteworthy given that the league wide trend is moving in the other direction. Last year’s HR/FB% was 10% across the entire MLB season, but it has dropped to just 7.8% this year, with some people blaming humidors or the changed structure of the ball itself or both.

The Brewers will likely add another arm to take Gustave’s place in the bullpen. He was just recalled on Friday as Brent Suter went on the paternity list to be with his family for the birth of his daughter. Players on the paternity list have to miss one game but no more than three. If Suter is able to return, he will be eligible, but he is also allowed to miss one more game. If he doesn’t come back for today’s game, the club has Dylan File, Alec Bettinger, Angel Perdomo and Miguel Sanchez as arms that are on the 40-man roster but not the active roster.

Jose Urena Elects Free Agency

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The Brewers announced today that right-hander Jose Urena cleared outright waivers and has elected free agency. The 30-year-old will now head out onto the free market, able to pursue opportunities with all 30 clubs in the league.

Urena began his big league career with the Marlins, working primarily as a starter. He had some solid seasons in Miami, with 2018 arguably marking the high point of his career. In 174 innings that season, he managed an ERA of 3.98, along with an 18.3% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate. In the estimation of FanGraphs, he was worth 1.6 wins above replacement that year. Things fell off from there, however, as his ERA went north of 5.00 in each of the next three seasons, two of those with Miami and then one in Detroit.

The Brewers signed Urena at the end of March, with only about a week until the season was set to begin. He appeared in four games this season, logging 7 2/3 innings. He got some decent results, with a 3.52 ERA in that small sample, but he managed only a 8.3% strikeout rate. Urena’s always been more of a ground ball guy, but that rate was low even compared to his previous work. His 13.9% walk rate was also higher than in any previous season.

That’s an exceptionally small sample size, but the Brewers evidently saw enough to move on, as Urena didn’t survive the rosters shrinking from 28 to 26 last week. He was designated for assignment but, as a player with more than five years of MLB service time, he had the ability to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, which he has now done. His fastball was averaging above 96 MPH in his brief action this year, which could lead another team to take a flier on him in some capacity.

Injury Notes: Cousins, Buxton, Wendelken

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The Brewers placed Jake Cousins on the 10-day injured list on May 1 with what was described as a right elbow effusion, or a build-up of fluid within the elbow.  However, an MRI also revealed a “concern” with Cousins’ UCL, manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters, and a second opinion is being sought.

It makes for a very ominous situation for the 27-year-old righty, who seemingly came out of nowhere to post a 2.70 ERA and 35.2% strikeout rate (albeit with a 15.2% walk rate) over 30 innings out of Milwaukee’s bullpen.  Batters did a little more damage against Cousins this year, as he had a 4.50 ERA, 34.2% strikeout rate, and 13.2% walk rate in eight innings before heading to the injured list.

Some notes on other injury-related situations around baseball…

  • Byron Buxton left today’s 1-0 Twins victory over the Athletics due to tightness in his right hip, acting manager Jayce Tingler told reporters after the game.  Buxton is day-to-day with the injury, but even a seemingly minor issue has to be of concern given Buxton’s import to Minnesota’s lineup, and his long injury history.  Exactly one year ago today, the Twins placed Buxton on the 10-day IL with a right hip strain that cost the outfielder six weeks of action.  Buxton has a spectacular .278/.342/.722 slash line through his first 79 plate appearances of the season, adding nine homers and his usual great glovework in center field.
  • Diamondbacks right-hander J.B. Wendelken was reinstated from the COVID-related injured list, with righty Luis Frias heading to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Wendelken has been out since April 28 due to a positive COVID-19 test.  Since the D’Backs claimed Wendelken off waivers from the A’s last August, the righty has a 4.33 ERA over 27 innings in an Arizona uniform, though with only a 15.31% strikeout rate.

Brewers Place Andrew McCutchen On COVID List

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4:34PM: McCutchen did test positive for the coronavirus, manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters.

4:18PM: The Brewers have placed outfielder Andrew McCutchen on the COVID-related injury list.  Utilityman Mike Brosseau has been called up from Triple-A while McCutchen is sidelined.

It isn’t yet known if McCutchen has tested positive for COVID-19 or if his placement is merely precautionary due to symptoms or a close-contact situation.  If the latter, the veteran outfielder could be back in Milwaukee’s lineup as early as tomorrow.  If McCutchen has tested positive, he’ll miss at least 10 days unless he can deliver two negative tests, go at least 24 hours without a fever, and get approved by a panel of three physicians (a team doctor, a league-approved doctor, and a players’ union-approved doctor).

After signing a one-year, $8.5MM free agent deal to join the Brew Crew, McCutchen has yet to really get going, hitting a modest .240/.291/.350 with two home runs over his first 110 plate appearances in a Brewers uniform.  McCutchen has mostly worked as the designated hitter, so Milwaukee is likely to rotate several regulars through the DH spot in his absence, with Brosseau, Tyrone Taylor, and Jace Peterson filling holes around the diamond or getting some DH time themselves.

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