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NL Notes: Arroyo, Gray, Gilmartin, Cards

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Right-hander Bronson Arroyo is only two starts into his comeback attempt with the Reds, but the 40-year-old is seemingly giving himself a short leash to produce on the mound, writes Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Following an outing in which he surrendered five runs in six innings yesterday, Arroyo told reporters, “The next two times out, if I don’t see something a little bit crisper and able to keep us in the ballgame a little bit better, maybe you’re at a dead end street. I’m not sure.” 

A bit more from around the Senior Circuit…

  • Rockies right-hander Jon Gray left last night’s contest after aggravating a toe injury that bothered him in Spring Training, and MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that Gray will be reevaluated this morning. The problematic toe is on Gray’s plant foot on the mound, and the Rockies want to be careful with the injury so he doesn’t alter his mechanics to compensate for the pain. Gray could miss a start with the injury, though to this point there’s been no talk of him becoming the latest in a long list of Rockies to land on the disabled list.
  • The Mets are planning to promote southpaw Sean Gilmartin prior to tonight’s contest in order to add a fresh arm to their bullpen in the wake of last night’s 16-inning marathon game, per Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link). The Mets went through eight pitchers last night, including four relievers who threw two or more innings. As Helfand points out, Gilmartin and right-hander Erik Goeddel are essentially the only two viable options on New York’s 40-man roster, and Goeddel has been slowed of late by a groin injury. The Mets have long been touted for their rotation depth, but multiple injuries and the trade of Gabriel Ynoa to the Orioles has thinned out their upper-level options on the 40-man roster.
  • ESPN’s Mark Saxon breaks down each element of the Cardinals’ struggles thus far in the 2017 campaign, noting that the team’s rotation and run production figure to be sound in the long run, but the bullpen and defense look far shakier. As Saxon observes, Alex Reyes’ injury now looks costlier than ever with the underperformance of the bullpen. Matt Adams continues to represent a clumsy fit for the Cardinals’ roster as well, with Saxon suggesting the team seek to trade him in exchange for a true fourth outfielder that can play all three positions. That may prove difficult, of course, as the team wasn’t able to drum up much of a market for Adams this offseason in a crowded market for players with similar skill sets.

Harvey Exits With Hamstring Injury

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It’s been an interesting game between the Mets and the Phillies, as both starting pitchers have exited the game due to injury. Phillies right-hander Clay Buchholz departed in the third inning with what the team has called a strained right forearm (via Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer), whereas Matt Harvey just exited the field with the Mets’ trainer due to an apparent leg injury. Wayne Randazzo of WOR News Talk Radio tweets that Harvey’s injury is a tight left hamstring.

Buchholz had been rocked for six runs on eight hits in just 2 1/3 frames, and the forearm strain is obviously the more serious-sounding of the two injuries. There’s no word on the extent of Buchholz’s injury, as one would expect with the game still in progress, though forearm strains frequently require DL trips and have, at times, been precursors to significant injuries for pitchers. Gelb notes that the injury will likely send Buchholz to the disabled list, however, and it stands to reason that both the Mets and Phillies will offer further context on the injuries once the game has wrapped up.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/10/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • Righties Ray Black and Ian Gardeck have reached minor-league agreements with the Giants after clearing waivers, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Both 26-year-old relievers were moved off the 40-man recently. Black possesses a huge fastball and has shown big strikeout tallies at times, but he also has yet to demonstrate anything close to the command needed to succeed in the majors. Gardeck, meanwhile, is returning from Tommy John surgery. In 2015, he pitched to a 3.54 ERA with 10.8 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 over 86 1/3 innings at High-A.
  • The Mets have reached a minors deal with first baseman Cody Decker, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). Decker, 30, has also spent some amount of time at most every other spot on the diamond. He earned a brief call-up in 2015 with the Padres, the organization he had been with for his entire career until last season. Last year, Decker bounced between the Royals, Rockies, and Red Sox organizations, hitting a combined .230/.284/.484 with 19 home runs in 335 plate appearances in the upper minors.
  • Joining the Cardinals on a minor-league deal is first baseman Rangel Ravelo, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter link). The 24-year-old played most recently in the Athletics organization, where he was known for his high-contact approach and solid on-base abilities. Ravelo struggled last year, though, slashing just .262/.334/.395 with eight long balls in 416 Triple-A plate appearances.

David Wright Resumes Throwing

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Mets third baseman David Wright has finally been cleared to pick up a baseball and resume throwing, as Mike Puma of the New York Post reports on Twitter. For now, he’s just throwing softly in an effort to slowly build up arm strength.

Last we checked in, about five weeks back, Wright was forced to stop throwing with no clear timeline to resume. Instead of taking part in baseball activities, the veteran said he’d work on strengthening his impinged shoulder. Wright had been able to swing the bat all spring, but was having issues with throwing as he attempted to move towards taking the field.

Of course, the shoulder issue is only the latest in a string of health problems for the 34-year-old Wright. Previously, a neck issue arose as he was working to return from a chronic back condition. In the aggregate, there remain many obstacles for Wright to clear before he’ll be introduced at Citi Field.

It’d be hard to say the Mets weren’t aware of the possibility of an absence from Wright entering last offseason; indeed, the team built in some depth to ensure such a loss wouldn’t be crippling. At this point, anything that Wright can contribute will be something of a bonus for New York, which can currently cover third base with a mix including Jose Reyes, Wilmer Flores, and T.J. Rivera.

Blue Jays Claim Ty Kelly From Mets

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The Blue Jays announced that they’ve claimed infielder Ty Kelly off waivers from the Mets. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Jays transferred injured Rule 5 pick Glenn Sparkman from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL.

Kelly, 28, made his MLB debut with New York last year and batted .241/.352/.345 in 71 plate appearances. A former 13th-round pick by the Orioles (2009), Kelly has spent most of his minor league career playing second base and third base, though he does have more than 1000 innings of experience in left field as well. The switch-hitter has a lifetime .275/.382/.383 batting line in 397 games and 1586 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

The minor league veteran will serve as a depth option for the Blue Jays, who needn’t carry him on the Major League roster immediately, as he does have a minor league option remaining. Toronto second baseman Devon Travis has a history of injuries, and third baseman Josh Donaldson left Sunday’s game with a minor hamstring issue, though he’s already expressed confidence that he’ll be able to play in tomorrow’s game. Kelly nonetheless gives the Jays a bit of insurance against any significant injury around the infield and potentially in the corner outfield as well.

As for Sparkman, the 24-year-old suffered a broken thumb back in Spring Training during pitchers’ fielding practice and seemingly won’t be ready to get back on the mound before the onset of summer.

Mets Skeptical Of Steven Matz's Flexor Strain Diagnosis

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Mets left-hander Steven Matz announced Monday that he has a flexor strain, but members of the organization are skeptical of the diagnosis, reports Bob Klapisch of NorthJersey.com. The Mets’ two orthopedists “found nothing wrong” with Matz, a source told Klapisch, who writes that the team doesn’t believe the 25-year-old is faking the injury. They are under the impression, though, that Matz received another opinion from outside the organization – which he’s allowed to do – thus leading to the flexor strain diagnosis. Regardless, New York’s hope is that Matz will be healthy enough to make his season debut in May.

2017 Season Crucial For Travis d'Arnaud

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  • Although Travis d’Arnaud is not among the 10 Mets who are scheduled to hit free agency after this season, this is nonetheless a crucial year for the catcher, observes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets will need to allocate a large portion of their offseason spending to positions other than catcher next winter, meaning they’d like to avoid having to upgrade behind the plate. The club eschewed free agent catchers this past winter in order to give d’Arnaud another chance to establish himself as a legitimate starter. That came in spite of the fact that the former top prospect has consistently dealt with injury problems, and he only hit .247/.307/.323 in 276 plate appearances last season. The 28-year-old was quite useful in 2015, though (albeit over only 268 PAs), and still regards himself a long-term piece for the Mets. “Big time,” said d’Arnaud, who’s controllable via arbitration through 2019.

Mets Select Paul Sewald, Designate Ty Kelly

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The Mets have announced a roster swap, selecting the contract of righty Paul Sewald. He’ll take the spot of infielder Ty Kelly, who was designated for assignment.

Sewald, 26, threw to a 3.29 ERA over 65 2/3 innings last year at Triple-A. He racked up a healthy 11.0 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in his first attempt at the highest level of the minors. Sewald was also rather impressive this spring, when he allowed just seven hits and four earned runs in 14 1/3 innings, with a 12:5 K/BB ratio.

As for Kelly, he’ll make way for another pen arm as the club attempts to keep its rotation fresh. The 28-year-old reached the majors for the first time last year, slashing .241/.352/.345 in his 71 plate appearances. He spent most of the year at the hitter-friendly confines of Triple-A Las Vegas, where he batted an excellent .328/.409/.435 with 38 walks and just 42 strikeouts over 316 trips to the plate.

Mets Have Looked At Doug Fister

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The Mets “have looked at” right-hander Doug Fister, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports in his latest NL notes roundup, but Fister is still holding out for a Major League contract, he adds. Even if he received the guaranteed deal he’s seeking, Fister would almost assuredly have to report to the minors for a tune-up after not pitching at all during Spring Training.

The Mets have seen both Steven Matz (flexor strain) and Seth Lugo (partial UCL tear) go down with injuries, thus thinning out their pitching depth. Their rotation still carries plenty of firepower, as Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Robert Gsellman and Zack Wheeler all appear healthy. Theoretically, Fister could eventually step into Wheeler’s slot, as the Mets want to limit Wheeler’s innings in 2017 after he missed each of the past two seasons due to injury. Then again, one of Matz or Lugo could claim that spot if they’re able to return to health in the relatively near future.

The 33-year-old Fister logged a lackluster 4.64 ERA with 5.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate with the Astros last season. He’s seen his velocity dip from the 89-90 mph range to the 86-87 mph range in recent seasons, though he certainly remains a durable arm, as evidenced by the 32 starts he made last season (180 1/3 innings pitched). And given the level of talent at the top end of the New York rotation, the Mets may not need much more than someone that can reliably take the ball every fifth day.

Signing Fister to a Major League deal, though, would require the Mets to open a 40-man roster spot right now despite the fact that Fister wouldn’t be ready to step onto a big league mound for awhile. That could be accomplished by transferring one of their injured players to the 60-day DL — David Wright, Matz or Lugo are all on the 10-day DL at present — but the team may not want to close off the possibility of any of those names returning sooner than that.

Even if nothing comes to fruition between the Mets and the veteran right-hander, it seems that New York is keeping an eye out for rotation depth. Heyman notes that they also looked at former Met Mike Pelfrey following his release from the Tigers, though Pelfrey elected to ink a minor league deal with the White Sox, where he has an easier path to the big league roster. And Newsday’s Marc Carig tweeted at the time of the Lugo injury that the Mets would likely be looking for arms that they could stash in the minors.

Latest On Seth Lugo

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While Mets righty Seth Lugo doesn’t believe he’ll ultimately require surgery for his partially torn UCL, GM Sandy Alderson is calling it “a possibility,” as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports. The veteran executive also notes that there’s optimism from the medical experts that Lugo can avoid going under the knife, but it does seem notable that the potential for a procedure is being publicly acknowledged. New York will hope for the best — Lugo could resume throwing in as few as two weeks — but will need to account for the possibility of a more significant absence. The club will at least keep an eye out for some starting pitching depth after learning of the partial UCL tear suffered by righty Seth Lugo, according to Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter).

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