David Hale Elects Free Agency
Righty David Hale has elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, the Yankees announced today. He had recently been designated for assignment.
Roster churn is nothing new for Hale, who has had multiple stints in New York and one with the Twins this year, in addition to the time he has spent at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 30-year-old has allowed 15 earned runs in his 22 2/3 innings at all stops on the year.
This is the most extensive action that Hale has seen at the game’s highest level since the 2015 season. All told, he carries a 4.58 ERA with 6.1 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 over 186 2/3 MLB innings.
Yankees Recall Clint Frazier, Designate David Hale For Assignment
The Yankees announced this afternoon that they’ve recalled outfielder Clint Frazier from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and designated right-hander David Hale for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster.
This’ll be the first big league stint for Frazier in 2018 after sustaining a concussion during Spring Training and spending the first few weeks of the season on the disabled list. He’s played in four games with Class-A Tampa and another 12 in Triple-A, raking at a .362/.423/.702 clip with three doubles, two triples and three homers in Scranton. He’ll add some additional depth in the outfield for a Yankees club and, for the time being, return the club to a 12-man pitching staff with the subtraction of Hale. His presence will also give the Yankees an additional bat on the bench for an upcoming NL series, which undoubtedly played a role in his promotion.
It’s the second time the Yankees have designated Hale for assignment this season. The 30-year-old inked a minor league pact with the Yankees this winter and was designated after tossing a pair of shutout innings on April 23 against the Twins. Once he hit waivers, it was actually Minnesota who claimed Hale, though the Twins were forced to DFA Hale themselves after just one rough appearance when their bullpen was stretched to thin levels by a series of rough losses. Hale wound up back with the Yanks on another minor league deal, had his contract selected once again, and allowed a pair of runs in three innings in yet another one-appearance stint with the Yankees last week.
Yankees Activate Brandon Drury From DL, Option Him To Triple-A
The Yankees announced on Monday that they’ve reinstated infielder Brandon Drury from the 10-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The move means that for the time being, New York will continue to rely upon Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, Tyler Austin, Neil Walker and Ronald Torreyes around the infield, with Drury somewhat surprisingly waiting in the wings at Triple-A on the heels of a very productive minor league rehab assignment.
Drury hit the disabled list last month due to ongoing migraine issues and blurred vision. He’s reportedly tried out wearing some yellow-tinted glasses during rehab games in an effort to aid his vision, and while it may have been mere coincidence, the results from his recent stretch of 11 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre were impressive; in 42 plate appearances, he hit .343/.452/.514 with a homer and three doubles.
[Related: Updated New York Yankees depth chart]
However, Drury’s placement on the DL opened the door for some younger prospects to make their debuts, and during his absence, Walker’s bat began to show signs of life. The veteran Walker is hitting .346/.514/.462 in 35 plate appearances this month and has provided the Yankees with some key hits, while Andujar and Torres have shown varying degrees of promise. In the case of Torres, he’s hitting .319/.360/.493 with three homers through his first 76 big league plate appearances and hasn’t done much of anything to give the Yankees cause to send him back down to the minors.
It’s more arguable that Andujar has shown some cracks at the big league level and could yet be in need of refinement. While he’s hitting .282 with a .458 slugging percentage, Andujar has drawn just three walks in 135 plate appearances, resulting in a paltry .296 on-base percentage. While he’s not striking out much, his .337 average on balls in play is considerably higher than the league norm of .295. If that BABIP regresses at all, then he could very well see his OBP fall into the .280 range. For the time being, he’s hit in six straight games (8-for-25), though all of his hits in that time have been singles.
The Yankees could’ve created a temporary solution by sending Austin to Triple-A, but the 26-year-old has slugged five homers in 89 plate appearances despite hitting just .222 with a .292 on-base percentage. Austin seems likely to be a roster casualty when Greg Bird is ready to be activated from the disabled list anyhow.
Whether due to an injury somewhere around the big league infield or a slump from Andujar, it still seems reasonable to expect that Drury will be back with the Yankees at some point in the relatively near future.
AL East Notes: Drury, Bird, Vlad Jr., Pearson, Mujica
The Yankees may soon have a welcome problem on their hands with multiple infield options, with youngsters Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres performing well as Brandon Drury has tried to sort out a long-standing migraine problem. (Neil Walker and Ronald Torreyes are also on the MLB roster, along with everyday shortstop Didi Gregorius.) As MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch discusses in response to a reader inquiry, there continues to be progress in Drury’s health issue and he could soon be ready to return. While he could be optioned, Hoch suggests the organization could consider moving him around as well, possibly giving Drury time at second, third, and the corner outfield. Hoch also checks in briefly on injured first bagger Greg Bird, explaining that he’s on track to return later this month. Barring further injuries, there’ll certainly be some interesting decisions to be made for a ballclub that has been on a tear.
More from the AL East:
- Blue Jays prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has obviously earned quite a few headlines with his excellent work thus far at Double-A level, leading many to wonder whether he’s a near-term option in the majors. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca addresses that topic (video link on Twitter), arguing that the team has good reason to ensure the 19-year-old is ready for the huge amount of visibility a promotion would entail. That’s the larger factor than on-field readiness, says Nicholson-Smith, though of course it’s also worth bearing in mind that Vlad Jr. has only taken 118 plate appearances thus far in the upper minors. Nicholson-Smith proposes further experience there, perhaps including some time at Triple-A Buffalo, before weighing a possible mid-summer debut in Toronto.
- Another Blue Jays prospect is in the news, too, but for less promising reasons. Young righty Nate Pearson has been diagnosed with a non-displaced fractured ulna in his pitching arm, per a club announcement. He suffered the injury on a comebacker. At this point, all that’s known is that he’ll be down for four to six weeks before being evaluated further. The 21-year-old, a first-round pick in last year’s draft, was making his season debut after an oblique injury sidelined him to open the year. Pearson was appearing at the High-A level, so he’s likely still a ways away from the majors, but he had already emerged as a top-100 prospect and will now at least lose some development time while rehabbing.
- In other pitching injury news, the Rays have suffered another dent to their depth, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. 21-year-old right-hander Jose Mujica is sidelined with a forearm strain, per the report, which is never the sort of news you want to hear for a young hurler. Mujica had shown well in his first six starts at the Triple-A level, working to a 3.13 ERA with 32 strikeouts against ten walks in his 31 2/3 innings of action. His anticipated timeline is not yet known.
MLB Announces London Series
As expected, Major League Baseball has announced that it is taking its show across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom next year. The Yankees and Red Sox will play a two-game set on June 29th and June 30th at London Stadium, the facility that hosted the 2012 Olympics.
This initiative is the latest in a line of MLB overseas adventures, but the first that is located in Europe. Previously, the league has held regular season contests in Japan, Mexico, and Australia. (Additionally, games have been held on U.S. territory in locales that lack MLB franchises, with recent events in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.) That’s all in addition to the World Baseball Classic.
It’s not surprising that the league has first focused on other international markets. The game of baseball has a greater foothold, of course, in Asia and Latin America. That’s not to say that it’s completely unknown in Europe, though. Those interested in learning more about Euroball may enjoy listening to the MLBTR Podcast episode on the topic, featuring subject matter expert Josh Chetwynd, from a few years back.
International engagement is hardly a new concept in baseball or other professional sports, of course. Even the NFL has recently been holding games in London of late. But staging games that actually count in the standings is a relatively more challenging undertaking — and one that was specifically contemplated in the most recent collective bargaining agreement. That’s particularly true for baseball, with its intense travel schedule and near-daily games.
AL East Notes: Orioles, Rays, German
The Orioles‘ ghastly start to the season should leave the club’s decision-makers without any delusion of contending in 2018, writes Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). GM Dan Duquette has cited Memorial Day as a “marker” to evaluate teams, Rosenthal notes, but the Orioles’ status is already clear. Duquette thought about dismissing pitching coach Roger McDowell after the 2017 season but held off on doing so, and Rosenthal suggests that McDowell and/or hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh could find himself on the hot seat.
Moreover, the report further focuses on the shifting power structure in the Orioles’ front office and ownership group. Vice president Brady Anderson is taking on a larger role in baseball operations and ran point on the signings of Alex Cobb, Andrew Cashner and Chris Tillman, per the report, though none of that group has performed well so far. And while owner Peter Angelos hasn’t been keen on splashy in-season firings or trades, it’s not clear if his sons, John and Lou, each of whom is becoming more active in the club’s operations, will practice the same restraint.
More from the division…
- “Don’t expect” the Rays to make a run at Matt Harvey, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rolling the dice on reviving Harvey’s career would only make sense for the Rays if and when Harvey is released by the Mets (as opposed to working out a trade), of course, but Topkin doesn’t seem inclined to believe it’s likely in any scenario. The right-hander has posted an ERA just south of 7.00 over the past two seasons with the Mets following both Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgeries.
- Yankees right-hander Domingo German made a strong impression in his bid for a long-term rotation spot on Sunday, firing six no-hit innings in his first big league start. Manager Aaron Boone spoke to reporters after the game about the decision to pull German despite not having allowed a hit, revealing that German was actually given a bit of lenience and allowed to stay in the game beyond the pitch limit the Yankees had set on him for the game (link via Dan Martin of the New York Post). “I was hoping in the best case for five [innings] and a little more than 70 [pitches], but he was so efficient and attacking so much,” said Boone. German told the media that he was well aware of the limit he was on for the day and had no issues with being lifted from the game. With Jordan Montgomery on the shelf, the Yankees’ rotation had an opening, though German should get several more starts in that spot following Sunday’s outing. It’s nonetheless worth noting that top prospect Justus Sheffield was promoted to Triple-A over the weekend, so he may not be far off if German begins to struggle.
C.C. Sabathia Likely To Retire If Yankees Win World Series
If the Yankees win the World Series this season, C.C. Sabathia will take it as the perfect ending to his 18-year career. “I want one more parade and pretty sure that will be it,” the veteran southpaw tells George A. King III of the New York Post. Sabathia also added that he would’ve retired had the Yankees won last year’s World Series, rather than suffer a tough Game Seven loss to the Astros in the ALCS.
Sabathia turns 38 in July, so retirement was coming sooner rather than later for the former AL Cy Young Award winner. Should the Yankees again fall short in the playoffs, of course, the obvious question would be if Sabathia would be willing to stick around for one more year, since New York’s contention window doesn’t seem to be closing anytime in the foreseeable future. Health concerns will be paramount for a pitcher who has dealt with significant knee problems during his career (plus smaller but still-notable issues with his elbow, hamstring, groin, and hip), though in terms of performance, Sabathia is still a quality asset on the mound.
This late-career revival seemed unlikely at the height of Sabathia’s injury woes, when his knee injuries limited him to just 46 innings in 2014. At the time, it seemed as if Sabathia’s career would end after his five-year, $122MM extension with the Yankees was up, though a lack of shoulder-related injuries caused his $25MM option for 2017 to vest, and he managed to return as a solid, innings-eater at the back of New York’s rotation. He posted a 4.12 ERA, 7.4 K/9, and 2.48 K/BB rate over 495 2/3 innings from 2015-17, topping it off with a 2.37 ERA over 19 postseason frames last October.
There seemed little doubt of a reunion between Sabathia and the Yankees last winter, and sure enough, the left-hander rejoined the team on a one-year, $10MM contract. Thus far, Sabathia actually has the lowest ERA (1.39) of any New York hurler with more than two innings pitched, though he has received quite a bit of BABIP (.211) and strand rate (81.4%) luck thus far. Even ERA predictors, however, still paint a respectable picture (3.60 FIP, 4.42 xFIP, 4.20 SIERA) of the veteran’s performance this season. Sabathia’s strong start has been particularly helpful for a Yankees rotation that has seen Sonny Gray struggle badly, and Jordan Montgomery head to the DL with a flexor strain.
AL Notes: Yanks, Didi, Harvey, Rangers, O’s, Schoop
It doesn’t appear just-designated Mets right-hander Matt Harvey will continue his career in New York as a member of the crosstown rival Yankees. “Don’t bet on it,” a source told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com when asked if the red-hot Yankees would pursue Harvey. The Yankees could arguably use another rotation option in the wake of fifth starter Jordan Montgomery‘s flexor strain, which will keep him out for six to eight weeks. But the team’s plan for now is to replace the left-handed Montgomery with righty Domingo German, a 25-year-old who will make the first start of his big league career on Sunday.
More from the Bronx and a couple other AL destinations:
- If Harvey does indeed depart New York, it’s possible he’ll find a home in Texas, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. Rangers pitching coach Dan Warthen previously served in the same role with the Mets, and he formed a good relationship with Harvey during their time together from 2012-17. Warthen is of the belief that he can help fix the struggling Harvey, reports Sullivan, who adds that the Rangers will at least discuss adding the 29-year-old. If Harvey clears waivers and becomes a free agent, it could be worthwhile for Texas to take a low-cost flyer on him, given that its rotation ranks 24th in the majors in ERA (5.15) and 27th in fWAR (0.6).
- The Orioles are likely to activate second baseman Jonathan Schoop from the disabled list on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests. Schoop has been working back from the right oblique strain that sent him to the DL on April 14. Although Schoop got off to a poor start before then, hitting, .230/.266/.344 (64 wRC+) in 65 plate appearances, it’s fair to say his lengthy absence has helped lead to the O’s league-worst 8-24 record. Schoop was one of the best second basemen in the game last year, after all, and no one from the Jace Peterson–Engelb Vielma–Luis Sardinas trio has performed well in his stead over the past few weeks.
- The Yankees’ December 2014 acquisition of shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Diamondbacks has worked out beautifully for New York, which only gave up reliever Shane Greene in a three-team trade that also included the Tigers. With Gregorius off to such a tremendous start this year, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revisited the deal in an interview with Jack Curry of the YES Network (video link). The Yankees had long been interested in landing Gregorius, revealed Cashman, who credits the influence of his friend Kevin Towers and the team’s analytics department for New York’s desire to acquire the player. Towers, who passed away earlier this year, was the Diamondbacks’ GM when they picked up Gregorius from the Reds in 2012. Arizona fired Towers a couple months before Gregorius went to the Yankees in a trade that Cashman didn’t expect to consummate, largely because then-Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart also had a high opinion of Gregorius. The Yankees found a way to make it work, though, after involving the Tigers, who “coveted” Greene. It’s clear the trade hasn’t gone as planned for Detroit, however, as Greene has been a mixed bag while both the player it dealt – lefty Robbie Ray – and Gregorius have emerged as key pieces in Arizona and New York, respectively.
AL East Notes: Vlad Jr., Walker, Orioles
Though Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is laying waste to Double-A pitching, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet that the organization is not planning to bring him to the Majors just yet. Guerrero only just turned 19, but he’s obliterated Eastern League pitching at a .388/.452/.624 clip with three homers, nine doubles, a triple and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) through 105 plate appearances. Atkins explains, however, that the team still sees some areas for improvement in other aspects of his game. “That’s just offence, right, when you say statistically,” says Atkins. “…And it’s only a month of performance above A-ball, as well. … Right now, we’re entirely focused on Vladdy as the best possible third baseman he could be, the best possible base-runner, of course offensive player, and teammate. And right now, we currently have a very good third baseman on our major-league team.”
Theoretically, the Blue Jays could split Guerrero and Josh Donaldson in a timeshare between third base and DH, though Atkins indicated a desire to get Guerrero as many reps as possible. The GM also stressed that service time and arbitration considerations aren’t impacting Guerrero’s timeline. (Indeed, he’s already been in the minors long enough to delay free agency by a year.)
Here’s more from the division…
- Despite his struggles and a sudden glut of infielders in the Bronx, Neil Walker is in no danger of losing his roster spot, Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Cashman points to Walker’s lengthy and consistent track record in the Majors in plainly stating that he “[doesn’t] see Walker as a guy to release, eat (his salary) or trade.” Walker is hitting .171/.233/.195 through 90 plate appearances, and the Yankees will eventually have Brandon Drury back from the disabled list, where he’ll join Walker, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar and Ronald Torreyes in the infield mix. It’s not clear how the Yankees will manage that on-paper surplus.
- Chris Tillman‘s struggles are putting the Orioles in an increasingly difficult spot, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, but the organization presently has little in the way of alternatives that are ready to step into the big league rotation. Tillman tossed seven shutout innings and allowed one hit last week, but he was clobbered by the Angels last night and pulled after recording just three outs and watching his ERA balloon to 9.24. Kubatko suggests that Double-A lefty Keegan Akin could eventually be an option, though he’s made just five starts above A-ball. Speculatively, right-hander David Hess is off to a respectable start in Triple-A and is on the 40-man roster. But other options, both on the 40-man and of the non-roster variety, are struggling in the upper minors. Tillman’s struggles could eventually force the team’s hand, but it doesn’t sound likely that he’s on the verge of being cut loose.
Jordan Montgomery Out Six To Eight Weeks With Flexor Strain
4:20pm: Montgomery has been diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left arm and is expected to be out anywhere from six to eight weeks, manager Aaron Boone tells WFAN’s Mike Francesca (via WFAN’s Sweeny Murti, on Twitter). Montgomery will be shut down from throwing entirely for the next two to three weeks.
Clearly, that comes as a significant hit to the rotation. For the time being, righty Domingo German is slated to take the hill in what would’ve been Montgomery’s place this coming weekend, though the team will surely consider other options in the long run as well.
Notably, top prospect Chance Adams has gotten off to a dismal start to his Triple-A campaign in 2018, though southpaw Justus Sheffield has thrown quite well in Double-A. Both rank among the game’s best pitching prospects, though the 25-year-old German has handled himself quite well through his first 14 1/3 innings with the Yankees this season.
2:31pm: The Yankees have announced a series of roster moves driven largely by the decision to place lefty Jordan Montgomery on the 10-day DL. He is dealing with an elbow strain, per the club.
Righty David Hale, who recently re-signed with the organization, will join the active roster after his contract was purchased. To create a 40-man spot, the Yanks bumped outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to the 60-day DL. Meanwhile, outfield prospect Clint Frazier has been activated from the concussion DL and optioned to Triple-A.
The real question here involves the health of Montgomery, who is a key rotation piece. There’s not much more clarity on that question now than there was yesterday, when he left his start early owing to the elbow problem. The 25-year-old is carrying a 3.62 ERA over 27 1/3 innings on the year but has seen his K/BB numbers dip along with his average fastball velocity as compared with his 2017 debut effort.
As for Ellsbury, the move to the 60-day DL is largely procedural. He’s already been on the shelf for more than half of that time, and the transfer to the lengthier of the two disabled lists is unlikely to impact his return date, as the 60-day term is tied to his original DL placement rather than today’s move. He’ll be eligible to return to the active roster in late May, though there’s no clearly defined timetable to suggest exactly when he may be activated.