Twins Place Sonny Gray On IL With Hamstring Strain
The Twins announced that they have placed right-hander Sonny Gray on the 15-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. His roster spot will go to fellow righty Trevor Megill, who has been reinstated from the COVID IL. Additionally, righty Dereck Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment on the weekend, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A.
Gray, 32, started yesterday’s game against the Guardians but was pulled after throwing just 44 pitches in two innings. Though Gray could technically return on the last day of the season, October 5, it’s quite likely that this will conclude his 2022 campaign.
Acquired from the Reds in a March trade, Gray was very good when healthy enough to take the mound. He made two other trips to the IL, one for a hamstring strain in April and another for a pectoral strain in June. Around those injuries, he made 24 starts and threw 119 2/3 innings with a 3.08 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 44.5% ground ball rate.
That has sort of been the story for the Twins as a whole as well, as they seemed to be the best team in the AL Central for much of the year until mounting injuries dragged them down. They had a lead as big as 5.5 games in late May, but have since slid down to third place, seven games back of the Guardians and three behind the White Sox. Given that their postseason chances are effectively gone at this point, it makes logical sense to let Gray put his feet up for the next little bit as opposed to taking a chance on making his injury worse. Gray joins 17 of his teammates on the IL, bringing the club’s total to 18.
Minnesota’s rotation is now left with Joe Ryan, Dylan Bundy, Bailey Ober and Josh Winder, leaving one spot to be filled. It’s possible that rookie Ronny Henriquez, who threw 73 pitches after Gray’s departure yesterday, could just step in, though that remains to be seen.
Gray is in the final guaranteed season of the extension he signed with the Reds back in 2019, though there’s a $13.1MM club option for 2023. That’s a bargain price for a pitcher of Gray’s caliber, making it a fairly easy decision for the Twins to exercise it and bring him back for 2023.
Rangers Claim Drew Strotman
The Rangers announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Drew Strotman off waivers from the Twins, who’d designated him for assignment over the weekend. Texas opened a spot on the 40-man roster by transferring veteran utilityman Brad Miller from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Strotman, 26, came to the Twins in July 2021 alongside right-hander Joe Ryan in the trade that sent Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay. At the time of the swap, Strotman had been in the midst of a solid season — albeit with some worrying command issues — at the Triple-A level and looked like he could potentially join Ryan as a fast-tracked arm to the big leagues. His walk rate, however, failed to improve in his new environs, and Strotman became increasingly homer-prone following the swap.
Strotman had Tommy John surgery in 2018, and while his velocity has generally recovered, that surgery and the ongoing command issues created some some concerns that he may have to move from a starting role to the bullpen. The Twins tried that approach in 2022, surely hoping that Strotman’s fastball and cutter would play up in shorter stints. It hasn’t worked out, however, as the 2017 fourth-rounder has pitched to a grisly 6.44 ERA with a career-worst 13.8% walk rate in 50 1/3 innings of bullpen work with Triple-A St. Paul this season. Strotman’s 24.2% strikeout rate and 51.1% grounder rate are both solid but aren’t strong enough to offset the persistent location issues.
This is Strotman’s second season on a 40-man roster, meaning he’s already been optioned to the minors twice (at the end of Spring Training ’21 and at the end of this past Spring Training). That burns through two of his minor league option years, leaving him with just one more season of options (2023) — assuming he even sticks on the Rangers’ 40-man roster that long.
As for Miller, the move to the 60-day injured list formally ends his season. He was originally placed on the 10-day IL with a right hip strain back on Sept. 9. After hitting .236/.331/.480 with 40 home runs in 718 plate appearances from 2019-21, Miller’s first season with Texas has to be considered a disappointment. He signed a two-year, $10MM deal over the winter but turned in an ugly .212/.270/.320 output in 241 plate appearances while thrice hitting the injured list due to neck and hip injuries. He’s set to earn $4MM next season on the back half of a slightly front-loaded two-year deal, so Texas will hope that better health brings about something closer to that 2019-21 form.
Twins Promote Ronny Henriquez, Designate Dereck Rodriguez
The Twins announced they have recalled right-handed pitcher Ronny Henriquez, with fellow righty Dereck Rodriguez designated for assignment in a corresponding move. This drops the club’s 40-man roster to 39.
Henriquez, 22, began his career with the Rangers and pitched in rookie ball in 2018 and then A-ball in 2019. He pitched well enough down there that he first cracked Baseball America’s list of top Texas farmhands in 2020. After the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic that year, Henriquez split his 2021 between High-A and Double-A. He appeared in 21 games, 16 starts, throwing 93 2/3 innings with a 4.71 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. Those are strong rate stats, but 17 home runs helped inflate the ERA.
He was added to the Rangers’ 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, which ended up getting canceled by the lockout. Once the lockout was over, the Rangers flipped him to the Twins as part of the Mitch Garver and Isiah Kiner-Falefa deal. The Twins have kept Henriquez in Triple-A all year to this point, giving him 14 starts and 10 further bulk appearances. Through 95 1/3 innings, he’s again posted strong rate stats but has seen the long ball contribute to poor results overall. He has a 5.66 ERA on the season with 19 homers, despite striking out 25.7% of batters faced and walking just 8% of them.
The Twins led the AL Central for much of the season but have slipped recently, thanks in part due to mounting injuries. They are now seven games behind the Guardians with the White Sox in between them and even further back in the Wild Card race. With their playoff hopes fading and their roster decimated by injuries, they’ll turn to Henriquez and see how he fares against MLB hitters down the stretch.
As for Rodriguez, this goes down as an exceptionally short stay on the roster as his contract was selected just yesterday. He pitched 3 2/3 innings in the 15-inning nightcap of yesterday’s marathon doubleheader. He didn’t allowed any earned runs but did take the loss thanks to the Manfred man scoring in the bottom of the 15th. As a thank you for that yeoman’s work, he’ll be sent out to the waiver wire. He’s logged 89 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year with a 5.02 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 30.1% ground ball rate. If he clears waivers, he will be eligible to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency since he has been previously outrighted in his career.
Twins Place Trevor Megill On COVID-IL, Select Dereck Rodriguez
The Twins placed right-hander Trevor Megill on the COVID-related injury list today, and selected the contract of righty Dereck Rodriguez from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
It isn’t known whether Megill tested positive for the coronavirus or was sidelined for a related reason (i.e. symptoms, or being a close contact to a COVID-positive case). If the latter, Megill can return as early as tomorrow, if he tests negative or his symptoms abate. If he has tested positive, he’ll need to miss a minimum of 10 days, unless he passes three criteria for early return — two negative tests, no fever or visible symptoms, and clearance from three medical professionals, including the team doctors and physicians appointed by both the league and the players’ union.
Minnesota claimed Megill off waivers from the Cubs in late November, then quickly non-tendered the righty and re-signed him to a minor league contract. Selected to the big league roster in May, the hard-throwing Megill has been a solid member of the Twins bullpen, posting a 3.89 ERA and 25.4% strikeout rate over 41 2/3 innings.
Rodriguez has appeared in one MLB game this season, tossing four innings for the Twins on April 13 before being designated for assignment and then outrighted to Triple-A. The righty has decent (22.9% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate) secondary numbers with Triple-A St. Paul this season, but also has a 5.02 ERA over 89 2/3 innings. Much of that damage has occurred recently, as Rodriguez has a 10.67 ERA over his last 14 1/3 innings and four outings — prior to these struggles, Rodriguez had a much more respectable 4.16 ERA in 71 1/3 prior Triple-A frames.
His lone appearance on April 13 officially made 2022 Rodriguez’s fourth MLB season, after he pitched with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 but never saw any action in the bigs. Best known for his impressive 2018 rookie season with the Giants, Rodriguez has struggled just to stay in the majors ever since, with a 5.97 ERA over 107 MLB innings since that seeming breakout year.
Twins Make Several Roster Moves
The Twins have announced a series of roster moves, with outfielder Max Kepler going on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 14, with a right wrist sprain. Fellow outfielder Matt Wallner has been selected to the club’s roster. To create space on the 40-man, right-hander Drew Strotman has been designated for assignment. Additionally, Louie Varland has been recalled to serve as the “29th man” for today’s doubleheader.
Kepler’s trip to the IL, his second of the year, will add to a very frustrating pile of injuries for the Twins this year. Kepler joins eight other position players who are currently on the shelf, in addition to eight pitchers, giving them a total of 17 players currently on the IL. The Twins spent months atop the AL Central division standings but have seen these mounting injuries drag them down to five games back of the Guardians, with the White Sox in between.
Kepler’s had a bit of a down year but will surely still be missed by the club. His batting line of .227/.318/.348 amounts to a 95 wRC+, or 5% below league average, but he’s still produced 2.0 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs due to his strong work in right field. Since the move is retroactive, Kepler can return in a week. However, with just over two weeks left on the schedule, there will be a narrow window for Kepler to work with.
Wallner, 24, was selected 39th overall by the Twins in the 2019 draft, climbing his way up the minor league ladder since then. This year, he’s split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, getting into 128 games between the two. In that time, he’s hit 27 home runs and has slashed .277/.412/.541, 144 wRC+. He’s walked in an impressive 17% of his plate appearances but also struck out in 29.8% of them. He’s been in the back half of Baseball America’s top 30 Minnesota prospects for the past few years but jumped up to #8 on their most recent iteration, thanks to his strong season here in 2022. FanGraphs views him similarly, putting him in the #10 slot. Both reports compliment his tremendous power but raise concerns about the whiffs. He’ll try his hand at major league pitching, beginning by starting in today’s game.
Strotman, 26, was drafted by the Rays but came over to the Twins in the Nelson Cruz deal last year. Though he was largely a starting pitcher in his first few professional seasons, he struggled enough after the trade that Minnesota tried moving him to the bullpen this year. Unfortunately, Strotman hasn’t taken to the switch so far, as he’s produced a 6.44 ERA in 50 1/3 Triple-A innings this season. That’s come with a strong 51.1% ground ball rate and 24.2% strikeout rate, but a dismal 13.8% walk rate. The control has been a nagging issue for Strotman, who’s posted double-digit walk rates in all of his recent stops.
Despite those command issues, Strotman has some promising traits and can still be optioned for the remainder of this year and one more season. Teams searching for pitching depth could take him on as a project and try to improve that control. With the trade deadline passed, the Twins will have to put Strotman on waivers in the coming days.
Twins Outright Randy Dobnak
As expected, Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher Randy Dobnak has passed through waivers unclaimed and has accepted his assignment to Triple-A. Dobnak was able to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency having accumulated over three years of MLB service time, but he lacks the five years of service time necessary to do so without forfeiting any salary — $800k for the 2022 season, increasing to $1.5MM next year, $2.25MM in 2024, and $3M in 2025, with team options and buyouts for the 2026-28 seasons.
Dobnak made his Major League debut in 2019, pitching 28 1/3 innings with a 1.59 ERA. He followed that up with a more modest 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings in 2020 before signing a five-year, $9.25MM extension, which could increase to $29.75MM, with the Twins prior to the 2021 season.
Unfortunately, Dobnak then missed the majority of the 2021 season with injuries, pitching only 50 2/3 innings to a poor 7.82 ERA before being shut down with a right middle finger strain that lingered into Spring Training this year. Dobnak’s struggles continued into the 2022 season during his rehab process, giving up nine earned runs in 8 2/3 innings in Triple-A St. Paul, leading to his DFA.
With the Twins’ current core of Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Joe Ryan, Sonny Gray, and Chris Archer (when healthy) there was no space for Dobnak. Even with a roughly average bullpen, 3.85 ERA and 24.7% strikeout rate, the front office decided that Dobnak would not be an addition to the team’s playoff push. Rather than reinstall him onto the 40-man roster after his time on the injured list was up, they moved to pass him through waivers. He’ll try to work his back onto the roster in Triple-A.
Twins Designate Jharel Cotton For Assignment
The Twins have designated righty Jharel Cotton for assignment, tweets Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. The move is made in preparation for the activation of Bailey Ober from the 60-day injured list, which is expected to be finalized tomorrow.
Cotton is no stranger to DFA limbo, as he’s been on and off the Minnesota roster all year. Claimed off waivers from the Rangers over the offseason, the 30-year-old opened the year on the active roster but was DFA a week into the season. He cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A St. Paul, kicking off a series of moves between the majors and Triple-A dependent on the Twins’ need for pitching depth. Minnesota has selected Cotton’s contract on four separate occasions, but he’s now been designated for assignment after each promotion.
On every prior occasion, the four-year MLB veteran has gone unclaimed and accepted an assignment back to the Saints. It’s surely frustrating not to carve out a permanent spot on the roster, but Cotton has navigated the constant shuffling and performed very well in Triple-A. Over 25 innings with the Saints, he has a 2.88 ERA with a massive 37.1% strikeout rate. He’s gotten swinging strikes on a whopping 16.9% of his offerings in the minors.
Cotton has had similar success keeping runs off the board in the big leagues this year, carrying a 2.83 ERA through 35 innings. Unlike his Triple-A production, he’s not posted especially promising peripherals against MLB hitters though. Cotton has a below-average 21.5% strikeout rate and an elevated 11.5% walk percentage. He’s benefited from a meager .182 batting average on balls in play, and Minnesota’s front office has clearly maintained justifiable skepticism Cotton can continue keeping runs off the board at his current rate.
He’ll yet again find himself on waivers in the next few days. If he clears again, it’s possible he accepts another assignment back to St. Paul, but he’ll have another opportunity to test the free agent market if no other team puts in a claim.
As for Ober, he’s slated to start tomorrow night to kick off the Twins’ biggest series of the season. Minnesota will play five straight against the AL Central-leading Guardians, including a doubleheader on Saturday. The Twins trail Cleveland by four games, with the White Sox sitting one game above Minnesota in a three-way battle for the division title. The Wild Card spots look likely to go to the Rays, Mariners and Blue Jays in some order, leaving the division as the best chance for any of the AL Central teams to secure a playoff spot.
It’s a key outing for Ober, who steps right into the fire after a three and a half month absence. First sidelined on June 2 with a right groin strain, the big righty was eventually moved to the 60-day injured list and didn’t head out on a rehab assignment until this month. He’s made two appearances in Low-A and one outing with St. Paul, working 4 2/3 innings and 66 pitches on Monday evening. He’ll presumably be on some kind of pitch count tomorrow, but it stands to reason skipper Rocco Baldelli would be happy if Ober’s capable of effectively turning the Cleveland lineup over twice.
Twins Place Randy Dobnak On Outright Waivers
The Twins have placed right-hander Randy Dobnak on outright waivers, according to Darren Wolfson of Skor North and Brandon Warne of Access Twins.
Dobnak, 27, made his MLB debut in 2019 and showed enough promise over that season and the shortened 2020 campaign that Twins made a long-term investment in him. He and the club agreed to a five-year, $9.25MM deal in March of 2021 that also came with three team options and various escalators that could bring the total outlay to $29.75MM. At the time, the Twins were hoping that they had locked up some extra control over a promising young arm that they saw potential in, while Dobnak got to lock in some guaranteed money by giving up future earning power.
Unfortunately, Dobnak has endured a very frustrating pair of seasons since then. A finger strain sent him to the IL multiple times in 2021, limiting him to just 14 big league appearances on the season. He also had diminished results while able to take the mound, registering a 7.64 ERA over 50 2/3 innings.
It seems that the offseason didn’t allow him to heal up, as another right middle finger strain sent him to the 60-day injured list in March of 2022. He’s been on the IL all year, having yet to appear for the big league club. He did recently start a rehab assignment, however, making his first appearance August 16 in the Florida Complex League. Since rehab assignments come with a 30-day limit for pitchers, Dobnak was nearing the time where he needed to be reinstated. Activating him from the 60-day IL would have meant opening up a spot on the 40-man roster, but it seems the Twins preferred not to do that, instead sending Dobnak out to the waiver wire. He threw 13 2/3 innings as part of that rehab assignment with a 5.93 ERA.
By placing Dobnak on waivers, the Twins are taking a risk that they may lose him to another organization. However, after two mostly lost seasons, the interest from other clubs may be limited. There’s also the financial aspect of a claim to consider. He’s making $800K here in 2022, which is just barely over the league minimum. However, he’ll go up to $1.5MM next year, $2.25MM in 2024 and $3MM in 2025. Then there’s a $1MM buyout on a $6MM option for 2026 and $100K buyouts on 2027 and 2028 options valued at $7MM and $8.5MM, respectively. Any team that claims Dobnak would be on the hook for those guarantees and buyouts, which would be a sizeable commitment for a pitcher who has been often injured and has yet to show quality results over a meaningful stretch of big league action.
What seems most likely to transpire is that Dobnak clears waivers, thus staying in the Twins’ organization without taking up a spot on the 40-man roster. Even if some team were intrigued enough to put in a claim, the Twins might be content with having the contract of their books. If that does indeed come to pass, Dobnak would be able to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency by virtue of having over three years of MLB service time. However, he lacks the five years of service time necessary to do so without forfeiting any salary. In the event he clears waivers, he would most likely accept an assignment to the minors and try to work his way back onto the roster.
Nationals, Juan Minaya Agree To Minor League Deal
The Nationals and righty Juan Minaya agreed to a minor league pact over the weekend, as first indicated by Rochester Red Wings director of communications Morrie Silver (Twitter link). He’s actually already made a pair of scoreless ppearances after quietly joining the organization. Minaya was passed through waivers by the Twins earlier this summer and accepted an outright at the time, in early July, but he was released back on Sept. 4.
Minaya, 32 next week, spent the first four seasons of his big league career (2016-19) with the White Sox organization and has been with the Twins since 2020. He gave Minnesota 40 sharp innings out of the bullpen in 2021, pitching to a 2.48 ERA with an above-average 25.8% walk rate but a bloated 12% walk rate as well. The Twins and other organizations were apparently somewhat skeptical of that performance, as Minaya was passed through outright waivers unclaimed last winter and returned to Minnesota on a minor league deal.
The 2022 season has been nightmarish for Minaya. The 6’4″ righty has pitched just 9 2/3 innings in the Majors, during which time he’s yielded six runs on eight hits and five walks with 11 strikeouts. Things actually went worse for Minaya with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul, where he was clobbered for a 6.98 ERA with a 19.3% strikeout rate against a 10.7% walk rate while yielding an average of 1.35 homers per nine frames.
This year’s rocky showing notwithstanding, Minaya carries a 3.69 ERA in 178 big league innings. He’s averaged 94.7 mph on his heater — though that was down to 93.8 mph in 2022 — fanned just over a quarter of his opponents (25.2%) and walked batters at a 10.7% clip. If the Nats select Minaya to the big league roster before season’s end, he’d technically be controllable for several more years via arbitration, although given his struggles to this point in the season, that seems unlikely. Rather, the final stretch of games could serve as a minor league audition for the 2023 campaign, when a rebuilding Nats club will surely need plenty of veteran bullpen depth of this nature to vie for jobs next spring or to stash in the upper minors.
Austin Davis Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Davis has cleared waivers and has chosen to become a free agent.
SEPTEMBER 8: The Twins announced Thursday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Cole Sands from the injured list and opened a spot on the active roster by designating left-hander Austin Davis for assignment. Minnesota had claimed Davis from the Red Sox on Aug. 31 after he was also designated for assignment in Boston.
Davis, 29, struggled to a 5.47 ERA in 54 1/3 innings with the Red Sox this year and wasn’t able to right the ship in a brief stint with the Twins. Though he appeared in just two games, the lefty yielded three runs on a hit and four walks in just 1 2/3 innings. His DFA will drop the Twins back down to two lefties in the bullpen — Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran — and open a spot on the Twins’ 40-man roster.
Originally a 12th-round pick of the Phillies, Davis has appeared in the Majors in each of the past five seasons but has never posted a single-season ERA south of 5.00 and currently carries a lifetime mark of 5.61 in 144 frames at the MLB level. He’s fanned 24% of his opponents against an 11% walk rate and kept 39.5% of batted balls against him on the ground.
Davis has regularly excelled at limiting hard contact, evidenced by a career 87.2 mph average exit velocity and 33.4% hard-hit rate. However, when opponents do square him up, the result is often a worst-case scenario; even with that lack of consistent hard contact, he’s still yielded an average of 1.25 homers per nine innings pitched. With the trade deadline now well in the rear-view mirror, the only options for the Twins will be to place Davis on outright or release waivers. He reached three years of Major League service time earlier this season, so even if he clears he’ll have the right to reject an assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency.
As for the 25-year-old Sands, he’s followed a standout 2021 Double-A campaign (2.46 ERA in 80 1/3 innings) with a rough year both in Triple-A and the Majors. The 2018 fifth-rounder has been saddled with a 5.70 ERA in 53 1/3 Triple-A frames and an even more troublesome 6.56 mark in 23 1/3 MLB innings. That said, Sands has fanned and walked batters at a better-than-average rate while also being plagued by sky-high averages on balls in play (.404 in Triple-A, 3.62 in the Majors).