AL Central Notes: Miller, Harvey, Tigers, Wilson
It was on this day in 1917 that the White Sox lost both ends of a Sunday double-header to the St. Louis Browns, which came on the heels of another defeat to the Browns the previous day. What made this miserable weekend particularly ignominious for Chicago was that the Sox were no-hit in two of the three losses. Browns southpaw Ernie Koob held the White Sox hitless on Saturday, and teammate Bob Groom also tossed a no-hitter in the second game of Sunday’s double-header. This is still the only time in MLB history that a team has been no-hit on consecutive days, though no club has to date been no-hit in consecutive games. Adding to the historical quirkiness of the feat was that the 1917 White Sox were the furthest thing from a no-hit candidate — the club won 100 games and the World Series that season.
Some modern-day notes from the AL Central…
- Andrew Miller is on track to return from the disabled list on Friday, Indians manager Terry Francona told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and other reporters, provided that Miller gets through another scheduled throwing session on Tuesday without any problems. Miller already threw one bullpen on Saturday without any ill effects from the hamstring strain that sent him to the DL back on April 26. Cleveland has sorely missed Miller, as the Tribe’s relievers entered play today with the third-worst bullpen ERA in the game, even before an ugly late-game collapse against the Yankees.
- It doesn’t seem like the Tigers will be making a play for recently-designated Mets starter Matt Harvey, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Claiming or trading for Harvey would mean Detroit would take on at least a portion of the roughly $4.25MM Harvey is guaranteed for the rest of the season, which isn’t a fit for a rebuilding team. (“We’re not here to spend more money,” manager Ron Gardenhire said.) While the Tigers have a longstanding relationship with Harvey’s agent Scott Boras, the team has also generally shied away from acquiring players with notable off-the-field controversy, which makes it unlikely that the Tigers would pursue Harvey after his ten-day DFA period is over.
- Bobby Wilson‘s minor league deal with the Twins will pay him $950K now that the veteran catcher has reached the 25-man roster, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. Wilson’s past relationships with GM Thad Levine and farm director Jeremy Zoll (when Wilson played for the Rangers and Dodgers, respectively) helped him pick Minnesota ahead of other teams that approached Wilson about a minors deal last winter. Wilson was in the starting lineup for the Twins’ 5-3 win over the White Sox today, which marked his first MLB game since 2016. With regular starter Jason Castro on the disabled list, Wilson is in line to get a fair amount of playing time backing up Mitch Garver behind the plate.
Cafardo’s Latest: Machado, Dodgers, Harvey, Swihart, Red Sox
The latest from the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo in his latest notes column…
- The Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Blue Jays, and Phillies could all be potential trade fits for Manny Machado this summer, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo opines in his latest notes column. The Orioles would obviously want prime prospects in return for their star shortstop, though Cafardo doubts that some of the elite young players on these teams (i.e. Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, Walker Buehler, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) would be made available, given that Machado would just be a midseason rental. Then again, there isn’t any guarantee that Machado will be shopped at all, given “the unpredictability of Orioles ownership,” as Cafardo writes. Owner Peter Angelos has traditionally been resistant about any sort of midseason fire sale, even though Machado looks like a prime trade chip as an impending free agent and the O’s front office explored Machado’s trade value last winter.
- Acquiring Machado would put the Dodgers at risk of exceeding the $197MM luxury tax threshold, a payroll figure that the Dodgers worked hard to duck under this past offseason. However, team president Stan Kasten noted that “we have never said” that the Dodgers would risk competitiveness for the sake of luxury tax savings. “We’re committed to having the best team we can have. I didn’t talk about it when [our payroll] was high or when it was low and I won’t talk about it next year,” Kasten said. L.A. took a 15-18 record into today’s action and is already seven games behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West, though some team officials felt that it’s too early to pass judgement since the Dodgers have been hit hard by injuries. If Machado did remain in Los Angeles over the long term, Cafardo writes that the “feeling” is that Machado continue at shortstop in 2019 and beyond, with Corey Seager moving to third base and Justin Turner moving to second base.
- The Red Sox don’t seem to be interested in a Matt Harvey-for-Blake Swihart trade. The Mets‘ injury problems behind the plate have made them into logical suitors for Swihart, though while a Harvey deal may not be in the cards, the Sox will soon have to figure out what to do with Swihart’s roster spot. Swihart has been unable to find much playing time whatsoever, let alone as a catcher, and the Red Sox may be forced to eventually trade the former top prospect once Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt return from the DL in the next month. MLB Trade Rumors’ Connor Byrne polled readers earlier today about Swihart’s situation, with over 71% of respondents voting that Swihart won’t finish the season in a Boston uniform.
NL Notes: Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Padres, Giants
Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig is slated to go on a rehab assignment Monday and come off the disabled list Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. It has been a short stay on the DL for Puig, who suffered a hip pointer and a bruised foot on April 28. Meanwhile, third baseman Justin Turner took batting practice Sunday for the first time since suffering a broken left wrist on March 20, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register was among those to report. Both the Puig and Turner updates are much-needed positive news for the Dodgers, who have been victimized by key injuries all year. Ace Clayton Kershaw became their latest cornerstone player to hit the DL on Sunday.
More from the National League…
- Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes exited the team’s game Sunday with a right quad issue, Tim Britton of The Athletic tweets. Cespedes has dealt with right quad problems in the past, but he’s optimistic this isn’t a serious issue. The 32-year-old said after the game that he might play the Mets’ series opener in Cincinnati on Monday.
- Braves third base prospect Austin Riley is getting closer to the majors. The Braves promoted the 21-year-old from Double-A to Triple-A on Sunday, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Riley, whom multiple outlets ranks as a top 100 prospect, slashed an incredible .333/.394/.677 (193 wRC+) with six home runs in 109 plate appearances at Double-A this year. He might push for the Braves’ starting third base job as early as next season, per O’Brien.
- Padres righty Bryan Mitchell could lose his starting job before he’s scheduled to take the hill again on Thursday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com relays. “Going forward, we’ll sit down and talk about it,” Padres manager Andy Green said Saturday after Mitchell allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings against the Dodgers. Although Mitchell’s ERA is now up to 6.47 across 32 frames, during which he has logged 4.5 K/9 against 7.31 BB/9, it doesn’t seem as if those struggles will cost him his roster spot. Rather, the Padres would move the out-of-options 27-year-old to the bullpen, Cassavell suggests. Mitchell’s output this year clearly isn’t what San Diego had in mind when it acquired him and third baseman Chase Headley (and $12.5MM of his $13MM salary) from the Yankees for outfielder Jabari Blash over the winter.
- Giants outfielder Mac Williamson‘s return from the seven-day concussion DL isn’t imminent, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests. Williamson, who suffered the injury April 24, will likely need a rehab assignment even when he’s healthy enough to play again, Schulman notes. As such, he might not suit up again for the Giants until mid-May or later.
Mets Place Jacob deGrom On DL
10:42am: The Mets have placed deGrom on the DL, retroactive to May 3, and selected the contract of lefty P.J. Conlon from Triple-A, per a team announcement. The Belfast-born Conlon has been with the Mets since they chose him in the 13th round of the 2015 draft. In his first Triple-A action this season, the 24-year-old has logged a bloated 6.75 ERA over 24 innings, despite respectable strikeout and walk rates (7.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9).
9:50am: The Mets will place right-hander Jacob deGrom on the 10-day disabled list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com was among those to report. The likelihood is that deGrom will only miss one start, DiComo adds.
DeGrom succumbed to a hyperextended right elbow during an at-bat Wednesday in his most recent start, though the initial fear was that he had suffered a far more significant injury. And while deGrom isn’t experiencing any symptoms at the moment, per manager Mickey Callaway, the Mets decided it would be best to act in an “overly cautious” manner in this situation. As a result, deGrom won’t take the ball Monday against the Reds. It’s unclear whether the Mets will call someone up from the minors to start in deGrom’s place or simply make it a bullpen game, according to DiComo.
As has been the case since he debuted in 2014, deGrom has been among the Mets’ elite players this season. The 29-year-old has pitched to a 1.87 ERA/2.10 FIP with 11.22 K/9, 2.28 BB/9 and a 45 percent groundball rate in seven starts and 43 1/3 innings. He and co-ace Noah Syndergaard have been the only obvious bright spots in the Mets’ rotation, which helps explain why the team has fallen off dramatically since a 12-2 start and currently owns a 17-14 record.
NL Notes: DeGrom, Giants, Dodgers, Phillies
Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom went through a serious injury scare to his pitching elbow on Wednesday, but it turns out he won’t even miss a start. DeGrom will take the ball Monday as scheduled, manager Mickey Callaway told Brian Heyman of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday. The 29-year-old DeGrom’s near-injury didn’t occur on the mound, of course; instead, it came when he was swinging the bat during a third-inning plate appearance. As a result, Callaway would rather the prized hurler take a more passive offensive approach. “No, he will not,” Callaway said when asked if deGrom would be swinging in his next start. “I haven’t told him that, but no. There’s really no reason to. If it were up to me, the [pitchers] would never take BP. They would never swing in the game. We don’t need their spot in the lineup to score runs. And if we do, we’re not going to win anyway.” To his credit, deGrom is actually a decent offensive contributor relative to most other pitchers, evidenced by the .211/.233/.268 line he posted in 77 plate appearances last year.
Here’s more from the National League:
- Giants outfielder Mac Williamson won’t come off the seven-day concussion disabled list Sunday, manager Bruce Bochy announced (Twitter link via Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group). Williamson is still “woozy,” according to Bochy. As Crowley notes, that suggests Williamson is continuing to deal with symptoms from the head injury he suffered April 24. The Giants have gone an impressive 7-3 since then, even though Williamson may have been in the very early stages of a breakout season prior to going on the DL.
- Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill will also have to wait a bit longer to return from the DL. Hill was scheduled to start Sunday against the Padres, but the Dodgers will instead give the ball to righty Ross Stripling, Pedro Moura of The Athletic was among those to report. The Dodgers don’t want to expose Hill’s injured finger to the high humidity in Monterrey, Mexico, site of their current series, according to Moura. However, Hill pointed out that he’s ready to come back. “I’m good to go. There’s nothing wrong,” said Hill, who has been out since April 14 (via Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times).
- Righty Enyel De Los Santos is making a case to join the Phillies’ rotation sometime this year, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. The Phillies acquired the hard-throwing 22-year-old from the Padres in exchange for shortstop Freddy Galvis over the winter, and De Los Santos has since opened the season in dominant fashion with his new organization. Across 19 1/3 innings (four starts) at the Triple-A level, De Los Santos has pitched to a 1.40 ERA with 11.64 K/9 against 2.79 BB/9. Although De Los Santos isn’t on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, which could work against a promotion, they’ve taken notice of his performance, as director of player development Joe Jordan explains at length in Zolecki’s piece.
Mets Designate Matt Harvey
TODAY: The move is now official, thus starting the seven-day clock on Harvey’s period of DFA limbo. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by righty Hansel Robles.
YESTERDAY: The Mets will designate Matt Harvey tomorrow, GM Sandy Alderson tells reporters including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). The decision was made after Harvey declined to accept a minor-league assignment — as he has the ability to do given his MLB service time.
It’s stunning, on the one hand, to see the end of Harvey’s tenure in New York take place in this manner. As recently as 2015, after all, he was considered one of the game’s very best starters. But ongoing injury problems combined with performance lapses — along with some off-field issues and not-infrequent tension with the organization — led to this moment.
In Alderson’s words, the decision represents “the end of an era.” But it was also “a long time coming,” per the team’s top decisionmaker, as conveyed by Tim Britton of The Athletic (via Twitter). Alderson says that the team was guided by considerations of “pragmatism and realism,” while suggesting the ultimate driver of Harvey’s fall from grace was his slate of poor fortune in the health department.
While Harvey’s time is up with the Mets, he’ll surely find an opportunity elsewhere. He only just turned 29, after all. But with a $5.6MM salary this year, and free agency beckoning thereafter, it may be hard for Alderson to find a taker for the salary. The club will have seven days to work out a swap — perhaps involving an underperforming player from another organization — or otherwise put Harvey on waivers. Whether by way of trade, claim, or signing, it’s possible to imagine plenty of other organizations weighing a crack at getting Harvey back to being a useful pitcher — if not something approaching his former glory.
Looking back at the stats, Harvey’s peak was much shorter than it seemed. In 65 starts between 2012 and 2015, on both sides of a 2014 season lost to Tommy John surgery, he worked to a 2.53 ERA in 427 innings. In the three seasons since, Harvey has limped to a 5.93 ERA with a pedestrian 6.9 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 over just 212 1/3 frames.
What’s most frustrating, in some regards, is the fact that Harvey made it back from the TJ procedure. He was great in 2015 after a long layoff. With the Mets pushing down the stretch in a breakout campaign for the organization, though, an innings controversy arose that involved two of the game’s most famous names (agent Scott Boras and surgeon Dr. James Andrews) that aren’t affiliated with an MLB organization.
Harvey ended up pitching a career-high 189 1/3 innings in the regular season before spinning another 26 2/3 in the postseason — at least one too many, as it turned out. He has never been the same since. In the ensuing campaign, Harvey exhibited a reduction in fastball velocity that has continued ever since. After averaging 96.6 mph in his 2015 campaign, Harvey is now down to 93.0 in the current season. His swinging-strike rate has similarly collapsed. Harvey ultimately underwent a procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome and has dealt with other arm troubles. And, as already noted, the results have been uniformly poor.
The timing of the demise left Alderson wondering whether the innings thrown in 2015 were the root cause of the ensuing health and performance problems (also via Britton, on Twitter). Though the GM is no doubt correct that there’s no way of knowing with any degree of certainty, Harvey himself wrote that he was aware of the risks when he decided to keep taking the ball back in 2015.
Perhaps a new organization will have ideas on finding a new path for Harvey, if not reversing the deterioration of his mound work. But the former first-rounder’s tools not only carry reduced specs, but show ongoing signs of rust. Indeed, pitching coach Dave Eiland says that Harvey’s stuff was deteriorating as his arm stiffened up throughout the course of the 2018 season, as James Wagner of the New York Times reports on Twitter.
Eiland’s assessment was ultimately borne out on the field. When he lost his rotation spot, Harvey carried a 6.00 ERA on the year. After four relief appearances, it had reached 7.00 earned per nine. His most recent outing was the most demoralizing yet, as Harvey allowed five opposing baserunners to cross the plate on three hits and three walks while recording a single strikeout in two frames. Despite the many highlights that came before, it seems now that will be the last image of Harvey as a member of the Mets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL Notes: Harvey, Braves, Rendon, Hedges, Lamb, Reyes
After deciding to designate Matt Harvey for assignment, the Mets are now sorting out exactly how his tenure with the organization will come to an end. Initial trade discussions seem not to be generating much traction, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), who says that the team is offering to “eat a significant amount” of the remainder of Harvey’s salary in hopes of securing something in return. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the response from rival officials has to this point been that they’d prefer simply to pursue Harvey if he passes through waivers. If that occurs, he’ll surely either be released or decline an outright assignment, at which point he’d be a free agent who could sign for a pro-rated version of the league minimum, leaving the Mets on the hook for the balance of the $5.6MM he’s owed.
More from the National League:
- New Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has been discussing his team’s promising start with quite a few outlets of late as excitement has mounted. He largely credited the prior regime with “outstanding” work in accumulating and developing talent in a chat with Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Anthopoulos also says he’ll be “open-minded to do things” if the team is in position to push for the postseason at the trade deadline, though he notes there’s still quite a lot of baseball to be played before making any final assessments of where the 2018 roster may be headed. In comments to MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (via Twitter), Anthopoulos did note that payroll constraints and an ongoing focus on the future would continue to weigh significantly in the team’s decisionmaking.
- Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon acknowledged after his rehab appearance today that he has a hairline fracture in his injured toe, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets. That explains his somewhat extended absence after fouling a ball off of his foot. The important thing for the Nats, though, is that Rendon seems to be ready to be activated as the club attempts to extend a six-game winning streak.
- The Padres have a plan in place for assessing the balky elbow of catcher Austin Hedges, as Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports on Twitter. He’ll be given a week or ten days of rest before it’s decided whether he needs to undergo an MRI. Hedges hit the DL recently with a bout of tendinitis. It seems the hope remains that the issue will resolve itself with some down time. Hedges has struggled at the plate in 2018, hitting at a .173/.235/.293 clip to open the season.
- Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb received an MRI and cortisone shot after reporting continued discomfort in his injured left shoulder, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). That said, the belief is that this will not constitute a significant setback. It’s still disappointing to hear that Lamb is not yet back to health, as the club no doubt hoped he’d already be nearing a return at this point. Given his extended absence, it stands to reason that he’ll require some rehab time once he is cleared for game action. Fortunately for the Snakes, Daniel Descalso has filled in admirably.
- Prized Cardinals righty Alex Reyes is prepared to begin a rehab assignment next week, as MLB.com’s Joe Trezza writes. As he works back from Tommy John surgery, the high-octane hurler is said to be working in the upper nineties and looking good. That’s great news for the Cards, though the team is expected to handle Reyes with care as he ramps up fully. It’s still not clear how the organization will deploy the 23-year-old, who showed ample promise in his 2016 debut, once he is ready to return. But he’s building up as a starter and figures to be a valuable addition to the MLB roster in any role when he is activated.
Mets To Sign Cody Asche
The Mets have struck a minor-league deal with infielder/outfielder Cody Asche, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). He’ll head to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Asche, who spent camp with the Royals, landed with the Yankees via trade at the start of April. But he was released recently by the Yanks after a brutal start to the Triple-A season. Asche put up a .169/.258/.237 slash with 21 strikeouts in 66 trips to the plate with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
A veteran of five MLB campaigns, the former Phillies third baseman and outfielder appeared only briefly in the majors last year with the White Sox. He carries a lifetime .234/.293/.376 bating line in 1,349 trips tot he plate in the majors.
DeGrom Cleared Of Ligament Damage, Aims To Pitch Monday
May 3: Manager Mickey Callaway announced this morning that the MRI revealed no ligament damage in deGrom’s elbow, and he’ll attempt to make his next scheduled start on Monday (Periscope link).
May 2, 8:49pm: Manager Mickey Callaway told reporters after the game that deGrom incurred the injury while swinging in his third-inning at-bat (Twitter link via Tim Britton of The Athletic). He’s undergoing an MRI to further assess the damage.
7:48pm: Mets ace Jacob deGrom left Wednesday night’s start after four innings due to injury, which the Mets’ broadcast later revealed to be a hyperextended right elbow (via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). Certainly, there’ll be additional testing performed to determine the extent of the injury and the length of any potential absence for deGrom, though the initial diagnosis of any elbow-related issue isn’t especially encouraging for the Mets.
With tonight’s four shutout innings, deGrom had dropped his ERA to a sensational 1.87 to go along with a 54-to-11 K/BB ratio in 43 1/3 innings of work to open the season. He hasn’t been scored on since an April 16 start against the Nationals and had rattled off a streak of 18 1/3 scoreless frames prior to tonight’s injury.
Suffice it to say, an absence of any length would be a major hit to the Mets, who opened the season in dominant fashion but have seen their grip on the NL East division lead fade to just a half-game entering play Wednesday. Should deGrom require a trip to the disabled list, which seems likely but won’t be formally announced until post-game or even tomorrow morning, the Mets would have Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Jason Vargas and Steven Matz as healthy rotation pieces.
Matt Harvey was recently moved to the ‘pen and could conceivably be viewed as an option to return to the rotation, though the Mets may want to see him continue to work in shorter stints and may not want to quickly change course on such a high-profile role change for the righty. Neither Seth Lugo nor Robert Gsellman is stretched out at present, having opened the season in the bullpen, though both obviously have plenty of experience starting at the MLB level. Right-handers Chris Flexen and Corey Oswalt are the team’s top two starting options on the 40-man roster in Triple-A.
NL East Notes: Straily/Chen, Mets, Braves, Murphy
The Marlins activated righty Dan Straily yesterday, meaning he and fellow starter Wei-Yin Chen are each now officially back in the team’s rotation. The initial results were somewhat mixed, unsurprisingly. Straily managed just one strikeout while allowing four earned runs on six hits and four walks in four frames; Chen was much more effective, limiting the damage to one earned on four hits and two free passes, though he retired only three batters by strikeout in his 5 1/3 innings. From a health perspective, though, the returns are quite promising. Both hurlers worked in their typical velocity ranges and will have several months to build value in advance of the trade deadline. Whether either will be moved remains to be seen, but both could be interesting chips in their own ways. Straily could be an appealingly affordable plug-in for the right contender, perhaps returning some young talent to the rebuilding Miami org. As for Chen, the $42MM guarantee left on his contract beyond the present season remains a major impediment to any trade. But if he can show he’s effective and healthy, perhaps the Marlins can find a taker for some of that cash.
Here’s more from the NL East, which is shaping up to be quite a bit more interesting than most anticipated at the outset of the season:
- Though the Mets continue to pace the division, the race is only just getting started. Managing a roster all season long, particularly in the pitching department, could be a key to determining how things shake out. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo addresses a host of reader questions, focusing on the club’s variety of swingmen. He suggests that Matt Harvey, Robert Gsellman, and Seth Lugo will likely continue working from the pen unless and until there’s a need for more than a spot start in the rotation. At that point, it seems, the organization could choose among them when the time comes.
- Likewise, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman answers some queries from Braves fans. Of particular interest, he provides a gauge on what kind of cash the organization may have to spend in the coming winter. Bowman says he has been told there’ll be at least $50MM in payroll capacity to work with for 2019, which is certainly a rather hefty sum for a team that is not among the bigger spenders around the game. Just how much is ultimately utilized, and how it’s allocated, is obviously far from being clear. As Bowman notes, the team will be gather information on its assets and needs all season long, even as it tries to extend a promising start to the year.
- Meanwhile, the Nationals continue to try to hold things together with several key cogs still on the mend. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com has the latest on the injury front. Second baseman Daniel Murphy, who’s recovering from offseason knee surgery, made an appearance at Nats Park, but his status remains unclear at present. He’s set to be evaluated by the team’s medical staff before the next steps are determined. It’d be a surprise if a return is imminent for Murphy; fellow infielder Anthony Rendon, though, is likely not far from making it back from a toe injury. He may require a brief rehab stint but is expected to head back to the active roster in relatively short order. In other Nats news, the club has dipped into its farm to add another fresh arm. Righty Wander Suero will come up for his first MLB action, with Austin Voth optioned back to Triple-A without having made an appearance.