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Mitch Moreland

AL East Notes: Moreland, Jays, Hays

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First baseman Mitch Moreland’s time with the Red Sox is on the verge of ending, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe suggests. The soon-to-be free agent is likely on his way out of Boston in favor of a “younger and cheaper” option, per Abraham, who lists Michael Chavis and prospect Bobby Dalbec as immediate possibilities. While Moreland’s position, age (34) and production won’t lead to a particularly lucrative trip to free agency, he’s not fretting about the open market right now. “It was bad the last two times I went into free agency and I came out of it with a job,” Moreland told Abraham. “I’m not really worried about it yet. I just want to enjoy this last week with these guys. It’s a great group. I’ll worry about the rest when I get there.” Moreland, who has earned $18.5MM on a pair of deals with the Red Sox since 2017, is finishing up an injury-limited year. He owns a .246/.325/.502 line with 18 home runs in 317 plate appearances thus far.

  • Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is out for the rest of the year with appendicitis, manager Charlie Montoyo told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet and other reporters. While Gurriel struggled during a truncated second half (he just came back from a month-long absence because of a strained left quad), this will go down as an encouraging season for the 25-year-old. Gurriel slashed .277/.327/.541 line and swatted 20 homers in 343 PA, and he acquitted himself decently in his first experience as a major league outfielder (minus-2 Defensive Runs Saved, plus-0.3 Ultimate Zone Rating).
  • Third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., yet another young Blue Jays building block, surprised over the weekend when he suggested via an interpreter he has never lifted weights. It turns out that isn’t the case, though. Guerrero clarified his prior remarks on Monday, telling Alexis Brudnicki of MLB.com and other media through an interpreter: “They wrote that I never lifted weights before. That sounds like ’before’ — never even in the Dominican, the States, with the team, and that wasn’t what I was saying. I was very clear, and I said that I never lifted weights in the offseason in Dominican Republic. I did a lot of other things, conditioning things, but weights at the gym, never did it before” (Sportsnet’s Arash Madani, whom Guerrero made his comments to last week, has the full transcript of their original conversation). Guerrero went on to state that he’ll add a weight program to his regimen this offseason in order to better prepare for the grind of a 162-game schedule. The 20-year-old has played in a professional-high 133 games between the majors and minors this season, including 120 with Toronto.
  • After a couple injury-ravaged years, it appears outfield prospect Austin Hays is working his way into the Orioles’ season-opening plans for 2020. Hays has only played a couple weeks in the majors this year, but he has made the most of it, as Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com writes. Indeed, with a .314/.364/.627 line and four home runs in 55 PA since his Sept. 7 call-up, the 24-year-old is “making a really strong case that he can play here,” manager Brandon Hyde told Melewski. It’s not just Hays’ marvelous late-season offensive production that has turned heads, though, as Hyde noted “he’s shown us that he can play center field defense.”

Red Sox Notes: Mookie, Moreland, Hembree

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What had long been apparent became official Friday. The defending World Series champions would not earn a chance to defend their title in the postseason. With the Red Sox officially eliminated and many in Boston turning their attention to another team looking for a more successful title defense effort, the focus for the Sox is now on 2020 and beyond.

  • Mookie Betts’ status as a free agent after 2020 will surely generate quite a few headlines in the coming months. The superstar outfielder discussed his situation with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, noting that he doesn’t feel it critical to his legacy to spend his entire career in one city. That’s not to say Betts is definitely leaving Boston; Speier notes that player and organization have a strong relationship, with the Sox particularly respecting Betts’ dedication to returning to the field recently from a foot injury despite their place in the standings. Rather, Betts has a history of justifiably and successfully betting on himself, Speier chronicles, and there’s no reason to sell himself short in extension talks given his elite level of performance. Betts overcame something of a slow start in 2019 to hit .292/.388/.521, aided by work with an independent hitting instructor he met through teammate Christian Vázquez, documented by Chad Jennings of the Athletic.
  • While free agency will no doubt prove lucrative to a superstar like Betts, the market has been decidedly less kind to players like Mitch Moreland, the first baseman lamented to Rob Bradford of WEEI. Moreland’s last foray into free agency landed him a 2-year, $13MM deal to return to Boston, but he’ll have a hard time finding that much this winter. The 34-year-old tells Bradford that finding the right fit, not maxing out financially, will be his priority in choosing a suitor this offseason, although he acknowledged he may not have too many offers to choose from. Moreland says he’d love to return to Boston for a fourth season, but the executive who brought Moreland back two years ago, Dave Dombrowski, is gone, putting Moreland’s status with the organization up in the air. Working in Moreland’s favor, perhaps, the free agent market for first baseman isn’t especially robust, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined recently. Despite a pedestrian .244/.322/.498 line (108 wRC+), Moreland still seems likely to find a guaranteed contract somewhere on the market.
  • In more immediate news, the Sox plan to be cautious with their top arms over the season’s final week. Manager Alex Cora tells Chris Cotillo of Mass Live the team will be judicious with the workloads of its high-leverage relievers (Matt Barnes, Darwinzon Hernández, and others) in prep for next season. A player who should make at least one appearance is Heath Hembree, who Cora notes could be used either in traditional relief or as an opener. Hembree has been on the shelf since August 2 with elbow inflammation in his throwing arm.

Red Sox To Activate Mitch Moreland; Could Place Michael Chavis On IL

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The Red Sox plan to activate first baseman Mitch Moreland from the injured list Tuesday, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets. Unfortunately for Boston, though, it could lose infielder Michael Chavis at the same time. Manager Alex Cora isn’t ruling out an IL placement for Chavis, who’s dealing with back spasms, according to Speier.

Moreland has endured two IL stints going back to late May, the latest being for a quad strain. The 33-year-old has taken just two at-bats since May 26 as a result of his injuries. Moreland had gotten off to a nice start before then, with a .225/.316/.543 line (115 wRC+) and 13 home runs in 174 plate appearances.

The long-term absences of Moreland and fellow injured first baseman Steve Pearce left the position to Chavis – who had been at second base – for the past several weeks. While Chavis has hammered 16 HRs in 331 PA, a recent skid has dropped the 23-year-old rookie’s overall slash to a league-average .255/.329/.450 (100 wRC+). Chavis hasn’t played since Saturday.

Mitch Moreland Starts Rehab Assignment

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Injured Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland started a rehab assignment at the Triple-A level on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. Moreland, who has been out for several weeks, may be in for a somewhat “lengthy” stint in the minors as he works his way back to the bigs, per Cotillo.

Moreland got off to a fine start this season, slashing .225/.316/.543 (116 wRC+) with 13 home runs and an eye-opening .318 ISO in 174 plate appearances, but multiple ailments have derailed his year since late May. The 33-year-old landed on the 10-day IL with a lower back strain May 29, and though he made a quick return, Moreland went back to the shelf June 8 after suffering a right quad strain.

The lefty-hitting Moreland and righty Steve Pearce opened the season in a timeshare at first base for the Red Sox. Pearce has been down since June 1, though, and knee troubles will prevent him from returning in the near future. The long-term absences of Moreland and Pearce have left first almost exclusively to Michael Chavis, who has enjoyed a respectable rookie year. Chavis had been Boston’s primary second baseman before the injuries to its first basemen. Brock Holt and Marco Hernandez have offered good production there in Chavis’ stead, so it’s unclear how the club will divvy up playing time between first and the keystone once Moreland returns.

Moreland’s comeback figures to have negative consequences for either the optionable Hernandez or veteran infielder Eduardo Nunez, who Cotillo suggests could become a DFA candidate at that point. Although the Red Sox would owe Nunez the balance of his $4MM salary in getting rid of him, he hasn’t justified a roster spot this season. A .233/.249/.313 line (40 wRC+) in 170 PA has relegated Nunez to a bench role.

Injury Notes: Dodgers, Red Sox, Pirates, Mariners

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Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill is making progress in his effort to overcome a flexor tendon strain, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. A platelet-rich plasma injection “has promoted some healing in the tissue,” writes Plunkett, who adds “everything looked good” for Hill after an ultrasound on Friday. He’s on track to start playing catch next weekend, though a potential return is still a ways off. The 39-year-old landed on the 10-day injured list June 20, but the Dodgers transferred him to the 60-day version earlier this week. Consequently, Hill won’t factor back into the Dodgers’ pitching staff until at least August. He had been enjoying another fine season – the last of his three-year, $48MM contract – with a 2.55 ERA/4.15 FIP, 10.36 K/9, 2.04 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent groundball rate over 53 innings.

  • Sticking with the Dodgers, corner infielder David Freese is a good bet to return from the IL on Friday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. Freese went down June 23 with a left hamstring strain, temporarily halting a rousing start for the long-productive 36-year-old. He came out flying this season with a .308/.407/.592 line (162 wRC+) and eight home runs in 140 plate appearances.
  • Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland could start a rehab assignment next week, according to Bill Koch of the Providence Journal. Moreland has already been on the IL twice dating back to late May, including since June 8. He first succumbed to a lower back strain and then suffered a right quad strain upon his return. A healthy Moreland has been among many major leaguers to demonstrate an increase in power this season. The 33-year-old boasts 13 HRs, a sky-high .318 ISO and a .225/.316/.543 line (116 wRC+) in 174 trips to the plate.
  • Left-hander Steven Brault became the most recent Pittsburgh starter to head to the IL on Saturday. Brault will sit out with a left shoulder strain, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. That sounds like a concerning ailment on paper, though Brault and the Pirates are optimistic he won’t miss more than one or two starts, according to Mackey. Brault exited his start against the Brewers on Friday after four innings of one-run ball because of the injury. He has now pitched to a 4.15 ERA/4.53 FIP with 7.86 K/9 and 4.75 BB/9 in 60 2/3 innings (15 appearances, nine starts) this year. Several injuries to starters, including to Pirates No. 1 Jameson Taillon, have opened the door for Brault to work from their rotation. Taillon has been out since May 4 with a right flexor strain, though in a long-awaited sign of progress, he’ll play catch Sunday, Mackey relays. Meanwhile, reliever Keone Kela threw a simulated game Saturday. Kela, also down since May 4, has been battling right shoulder troubles.
  • Greg Johns of MLB.com and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times share the latest on a trio of righty Mariners relievers. Offseason signing Hunter Strickland, out since March 30 with a right lat strain, felt “awesome” after throwing a 20-pitch bullpen Saturday. His return still appears to be a good distance away, though. Austin Adams (Grade 1 lat strain) and Dan Altavilla (ulnar collateral ligament) just joined Strickland on the IL. Between Adams and Altavilla, the former has been the better reliever this year, but the latter’s injury looks more severe. The Mariners will know more after Altavilla undergoes an MRI.

Red Sox Return Mitch Moreland To The IL, Marco Hernandez Recalled

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The Red Sox placed Mitch Moreland back onto the injured list just a day after he was activated. Moreland hits the 10-day IL this time with a right quad strain, per a team announcement. Though they don’t yet know the extent of the injury, there is a suspicion that Moreland may miss significant time, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter).

Moreland was removed from the sixth inning of yesterdays’ game, his first since returning from a lower back strain. For the season, Moreland, 34, has been worth 0.8 rWAR with a .225/.316/.543 line, the final number of which paces the Red Sox for the season. Not unrelated, he also leads the club with 13 home runs, though J.D Martinez and Xander Bogaerts are hot on his heels with 12 apiece. Rookie slugger Michael Chavis has been seeing time at first base in Moreland’s absence.

Josh Smith, meanwhile, has joined the team as the 26th man for today’s day-night doubleheader versus the Rays. The 31-year-old righty has appeared in four games thus far for the BoSox in 2019 while starting six games for Pawtucket. He owns a career 5.28 ERA across 134 2/3 innings for the Red Sox, A’s, and Reds. He signed with the Red Sox this past winter as a minor league free agent after being released by the Mariners. Smith will get the start in the first game of today’s doubleheader, after which he is likely ticketed for a return to Pawtucket.

Infielder Marco Hernandez, 26, was recalled from Triple-A to fill Moreland’s roster spot. The versatile infielder makes his first appearance with the Red Sox since 2017. He missed most of that season and all of 2018 with a shoulder injury, but since his return, he holds a .303 batting average in Pawtucket while playing mostly up the middle. There’s some opportunity for Hernandez at second, where Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez will compete for at-bats while Chavis slides over to first. Holt has been injured for much of the season, whereas Nunez struggled to the tune of .238/.257/.324 in 105 at-bats.

Health Notes: Mets, Moreland, Phillies, Blackmon

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A few notable health updates from around the majors…

  • The Mets activated infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil from the 10-day injured list Tuesday. Both McNeil (hamstring strain) and Robinson Cano (quad strain) went to the shelf May 23, though the latter’s return date remains “to be determined,” ESPN.com writes. Unlike Cano, who’s amid a tough first season with the Mets, McNeil has thrived in 2019. The contact-hitting 27-year-old has slashed .329/.412/.453 with 16 unintentional walks and 22 strikeouts in 194 plate appearances.
  • Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland could come off the IL as early as Friday, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. The lefty-swinging Moreland was put on the list May 29 because of a lower back strain, temporarily halting a powerful start to the season for the 33-year-old. Moreland’s a .228/.320/.550 hitter (121 wRC+) with a Red Sox-best 13 home runs and a team high isolated power mark (.322) through 172 trips to the plate.
  • Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin is set for a quick return after landing on the IL on May 31. Eflin, who has been down with mid-back tightness, will start for Philadelphia on Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic tweets. Eflin posted an impressive 3.02 ERA and walked fewer than two per nine in 11 starts and 65 2/3 innings before his IL placement. At the same time, though, he struck out fewer than seven per nine and put up a mediocre 4.34 FIP.
  • Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon could begin a rehab assignment Wednesday, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Blackmon last played May 23 because of a right calf problem. Even though he’s one of their cornerstones, the Rockies have stormed to a 9-2 record without Blackmon.

Red Sox Place Steve Pearce On Injured List, Sam Travis Recalled

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The Red Sox have placed Steve Pearce on the 10-day injured list, with Sam Travis being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take his roster spot, the team announced.

Pearce was removed from yesterday’s game in the second inning after experiencing back spasms. The rest itself may not be the worst thing for Pearce, who has struggled to get going after being crowned World Series MVP to end 2018. While rarely an everyday player throughout his career, more was certainly expected from Pearce than the .180/.245/.258 line he currently owns – and that’s after some improvement of late.

It’s not a lost season for Pearce, who with only 89 at-bats has more than enough time to raise his numbers, even if his stint on the injured list proves lengthy. A rehab assignment wherein he has the opportunity to play everyday and get into a rhythm could do Pearce some good as well, should they take that route upon his return.

For Travis, the 25-year-old Chicagoan is no stranger to the Red Sox, for whom he has appeared in every season since 2017. This will be his second stint with the club this year after going 2-7 in Boston’s opening series of the year against Seattle. Since then, Travis has slashed .251/.359/.371 in 49 games with Pawtucket. As a right-handed hitter, Travis can slot right into Pearce’s role on the lesser half of a platoon with regular first baseman Mitch Moreland.

Red Sox Place Mitch Moreland On IL, Change Bullpen Mix

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The Red Sox announced a series of roster moves today. First baseman Mitch Moreland is headed to the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain, helping to free up roster space for some tweaks to the team’s bullpen mix.

Lefty Josh Taylor will be promoted for his first taste of the majors. He had already been added to the 40-man roster last fall to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The Sox also sent down Travis Lakins after his tough outing last night, recalling fellow right-hander Colten Brewer.

Moreland had been down for a few days already, though his absence had been attributed to a knee contusion. He has also dealt with minor back issues in the recent past. Rather than pushing him to return, the Sox will allow the left-handed-hitting first bagger some time to recuperate.

Thus far at Triple-A, Taylor carries a 2.91 ERA with 29 strikeouts and nine walks. The 26-year-old gives the Sox a much-needed southpaw presence in their relief unit. As we discussed earlier this morning, the Boston pen has struggled to retire opposing lefty hitters. Taylor has actually struggled quite a bit against lefty hitters this year in the highest level of the minors, surrendering a cumulative .286/.364/.500 batting line, though he has carried more typical platoon splits in prior seasons.

Red Sox Notes: Pitching Staff, Kinsler, Moreland

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We checked in on Boston earlier Sunday in the aftermath of its loss on Saturday to the Yankees, who tied the teams’ ALDS matchup at a game apiece.  Here’s yet another set of notes on the Red Sox as they prepare for Game 3 on Monday:

  • The Red Sox have chosen Nathan Eovaldi, not Rick Porcello, to start Game 3, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe was among those to report. Porcello is slated to take the ball in Game 4, though manager Alex Cora said that could change if the Red Sox need him out of the bullpen Monday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. Game 2 starter David Price also seems likely to be available in relief, Ian Browne of MLB.com relays. As for the 28-year-old Eovaldi, a former Yankee whom the Red Sox acquired from the Rays in July, he’s in line for his first playoff appearance. The hard-throwing right-hander earned his way into Boston’s October rotation by logging a 3.33 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 54 regular-season innings with the team.
  • Second baseman Ian Kinsler – who, like Eovaldi, joined the Red Sox in a late-July trade – may be a regrettable pickup in the wake of an Aug. 3 hamstring injury, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe observes. Kinsler got off to a nice start with Boston, but since suffering the injury, his production has plummeted. The 36-year-old has slashed a measly .234/.280/.295 with a subpar 85.1 mph average exit velocity in 34 games dating back to his return from the disabled list, notes Speier. Further, his ongoing presence in the Red Sox’s lineup has kept Brock Holt – who thrived in September – on the bench. And Speier goes on to point out that adding Kinsler cost the Red Sox young reliever Ty Buttrey, who turned in quality numbers for the Angels after the trade and may have helped shore up Boston’s bullpen had it kept him. Of course, as Speier writes, there’s still time for Kinsler to emerge as a key contributor for Boston this postseason. He did collect a hit in each of their first two playoff games, including an RBI double on Saturday.
  • After leaving Saturday’s game with right hamstring tightness, first baseman Mitch Moreland is receiving “aggressive treatment,” Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston was among those to tweet. His status for Monday is still up in the air, but as was the case late Saturday, Cora expects Moreland to remain on Boston’s ALDS roster, per Cotillo.

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