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Astros Open To Trading Outfielder

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The upcoming trade deadline seems slated to be different than those of the past. Due to the expanded playoffs and weak Central divisions, there’s a small number of teams that are truly out of contention and in traditional seller position. That could lead to more trades with contenders on both ends and the Astros are exploring that possibility, looking to move an outfielder to help out elsewhere, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

“We’re exploring trading major-league player for major-league player with teams that are contending that make sense,” general manager Dana Brown tells Rosenthal. “We have a lot of outfielders right now. If we could move an outfield piece for something that could fill another need, we probably would be interested in doing that. Player for player? Yeah. We have to get creative to open up the market. We’re definitely exploring that.”

The 2023 Astros aren’t quite as dominant as in previous seasons but they are still firmly in the postseason chase. Their 44-37 record has them just half a game behind the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot and Brown is adamant that they won’t be stripping the roster down to the studs. “I can’t see any scenario where we sell,” he says.

However, it does seem as though the club is willing to consider subtracting one of its outfielders in order to address other needs. Brown has been fairly open in recent weeks about how the club would ideally like to add a versatile left-handed bat or perhaps some pitching help. Traditionally, they might have been able to achieve those goals by dealing prospects. But since their theoretical trading partners could be contenders this year, the Astros may have to move a big leaguer.

With Michael Brantley and Yordan Alvarez on the injured list, the club has been using an outfield mix of Kyle Tucker, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers and Corey Julks. With Brantley and Alvarez working their way back to health, it’s possible that someone in that group gets squeezed off the roster and onto the trade block.

Tucker is one of the best players in the league and wouldn’t be going anywhere, especially because he’s the only left-handed hitter in the regular lineup. Since Brown has been quite open about how the club would love to get more left-handed, it would make more sense to consider moving one of the other three, who are each right-handed.

McCormick, 28, debuted with the club in 2021 and has appeared in 270 major league games so far. He’s struck out 28.5% of his plate appearances but also walked at a 9.6% rate and hit 35 home runs. His .249/.327/.428 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 112, indicating he’s been 12% above league average. He’s also stolen 15 bases and received positive grades for his glovework. He’s accrued 14 Defensive Runs Saved in his career, 21 Outs Above Average and a 7.2 mark from Ultimate Zone Rating. He’s played all three outfield spots but most of his work has been in center.

Competent center fielders are always in demand and McCormick’s above-average offense would only enhance his appeal. He’s also cheap, coming into this season with exactly two years of service time. He will get to the three-year mark at season’s end and have three years of arbitration control beyond this campaign. Rosenthal reports that the Yankees had previous interest in him but never got close to a deal.

Meyers, 27, also debuted in 2021 but hasn’t been able to hit at McCormick’s level. Meyers has a 29.8% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate, with his .237/.305/.380 batting line amounting to a wRC+ of just 92. But like McCormick, his outfield defense is graded well, primarily in center field. Overall, he’s racked up 12 DRS, 18 OAA and a 6.4 UZR. He’ll finish this year with less than three years of service time, giving him an extra year before he reaches arbitration and three more seasons of control beyond that.

Julks, 27, just debuted this year, cracking the Opening Day roster. He’s hit .265/.307/.398 through his first 225 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 95. He’s only played the corners but has been considered slightly above average there. He’s also stolen 12 bases already this year. Since he just debuted, he isn’t slated for arbitration until after 2025 or free agency until after 2028.

These players will each have varying degrees of interest depending on which club the Astros are talking to. Lining up a trade of this nature may be challenging because it will require the other team to have an outfield need but also an ability to part with something else that Houston wants. That might be a tricky tightrope to walk but it seems as though just about every contending club might have to give it a try this year.

MLB Announces 2023 All-Star Starters

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Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2023 All-Star Game this evening. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 11. The starting pitchers and reserves will be announced at a later date.

American League

National League

* Currently on injured list with sprained toe

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: The Angels Trade for Infielders, Indecisive NL Central Teams and Aaron Judge’s Toe

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • The Angels acquired Eduardo Escobar from the Mets and Mike Moustakas from the Rockies (1:25)
  • The Pirates and Cubs and Cardinals are thinking about their respective trade deadline approaches (7:20)
  • The Yankees’ hopes are hanging on Aaron Judge’s toe (16:05)

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • How do you think the Red Sox will approach the deadline? Will they try to toe the line like last season (which did not work)? (18:50)
  • I would like to know what you think the Padres are going to do? They have numerous holes in that lineup, they are selling out game after game at home? You think major trades forthcoming? Or what? (22:40)
  • What do you think are the chances that the Braves trade Vaughn Grissom at the deadline? What caliber of player do you believe a package built around Grissom would bring in? (25:35)

Check out our past episodes!

MLBTR Poll: Yankees’ Third Base Situation

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The Yankees put up a three spot in the bottom of the eighth this afternoon, pulling out a comeback series win over the AL West-leading Rangers. It was a solid weekend that puts New York at 43-35 and in possession of the second Wild Card spot in the American League.

Despite taking two out of three from Texas, the Yanks didn’t do much to quiet concern about their offense. New York scored a combined eight runs and hasn’t topped five runs in a game in nearly two weeks. With Aaron Judge still facing an uncertain timeline after tearing a ligament in his right big toe, the Yankees are trying to find more punch in the lineup.

The offense is struggling essentially 1-9. No team has scored fewer runs since Judge’s last appearance on June 3. Among the biggest problem areas: third base, where the Yankees have gotten a .111/.164/.317 line (not including today’s game) since Judge’s IL stint and a .189/.260/.351 showing on the season overall.

As recently as a few weeks ago, Yankee brass could’ve reasonably attributed that brutal production to injury. Josh Donaldson had an underwhelming first season in the Bronx, but his .222/.308/.374 slash last year was still markedly better than the production they’ve gotten out of the position this season. Donaldson had been limited to five games before suffering a hamstring strain that kept him out of action until June 1. Manager Aaron Boone indicated in late May the Yankees would plug Donaldson back into the everyday lineup upon his return.

They mostly did so, starting him at third or designated hitter for 13 of their first 17 games this month. Donaldson returned from injury with a huge slump, hitting only .128/.208/.447 in 53 plate appearances. An .033 batting average on balls in play obviously isn’t doing him any favors, but he has hit almost no line drives as he tries to get back into form.

Considering those struggles, Donaldson’s status as a regular is now in question. He wasn’t in the lineup for any of the three games against Texas. DJ LeMahieu took a pair of third base starts, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa got the nod in the other contest. Boone stopped short of declaring it a benching, at least publicly. “He’s going to (get consistent playing time),” the skipper told reporters after today’s game (link via Chris Kirschner of the Athletic). “This is just a stretch where I felt like I wanted to give him a couple of days to kind of work through. That was just kind of my decision on that through this little stretch, but I expect him to get consistent at-bats.”

How consistently the former MVP will find himself in the lineup remains to be seen, though the Yankees haven’t had any alternatives forcing their way into the mix. LeMahieu is having his worst year since landing in the Bronx, hitting .230/.286/.387 through 255 trips to the plate. Kiner-Falefa has been spending more time in the outfield this year; he’s not hitting any better than LeMahieu, posting a .239/.275/.358 line. Oswaldo Cabrera has been even worse and has bounced on and off the active roster a few times of late.

Aside from the rest of the primary starters — Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres and Anthony Volpe — the only other infielder on the 40-man roster is Oswald Peraza. The top prospect impressed in a late-season cup of coffee last year but struggled in his limited MLB time in 2023. He’s having an excellent year in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, raking at a .292/.360/.563 clip with 11 homers and steals apiece in 34 games. He’s not walking much but has kept his strikeouts to a tidy 14.9% rate.

Peraza hasn’t played in a week with an undisclosed injury. Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune reported (on Twitter) yesterday that it’s a minor ailment and Peraza is expected back in the lineup before long. He’s only made seven starts at third base between the majors and Triple-A, but as a well-regarded defensive shortstop, he shouldn’t have much issue handling the hot corner.

One could also make a case for the Yankees to turn to Peraza over Volpe at shortstop. Boone, owner Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman have all remained steadfast in their support for Volpe in spite of his tough rookie season. Perhaps third base represents a cleaner path for the 23-year-old Peraza, though there’d be risk in counting on rookies at both left side infield spots.

There’s also the possibility of adding an upgrade from outside the organization. Trade activity doesn’t typically kick off in earnest until mid-late July. The Angels jumped the market for a pair of stopgap veteran infielders over the past few days, so it’s not an impossible task. There aren’t a ton of clear targets for infield-needy teams, however.

Jeimer Candelario is the only impending free agent third baseman who’s performing well on a noncompetitive team. The rental market is similarly bleak at shortstop and second base, so there aren’t any obvious candidates for a post-acquisition position change. Unless the Rockies surprisingly listen to offers on Ryan McMahon this summer, there probably won’t be any marquee trade possibilities at the position.

Where does that leave the front office and coaching staff? Who should get the bulk of the third base playing time at Yankee Stadium?

(poll link for app users)

 

Aaron Judge Suffering From Torn Ligament In Big Toe

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12:44PM: Judge discussed his injury with Hoch (Twitter links) and other reporters, saying “It’s not going to be perfect here in a couple of weeks.  Once we can manage the pain, we’re going to be in a good spot….I don’t think too many people in here have torn a ligament in their toe.  If it was a quad, we’d have a better answer.  If it’s an oblique or hamstring, we have answers and a timeline for that.  With how unique this injury is, and it being my back foot, which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot.”

12:26PM: Aaron Judge suffered what was thought to be a sprained right big toe and a bruise when he crashed into the concrete support beam under the Dodger Stadium right-field bullpen door on June 3, while making a spectacular catch.  Judge hasn’t played since, and while he has reportedly been making steady progress in his recovery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was non-committal about predicting when Judge might return.

Another detail has now come from Judge himself, who told reporters (including Newsday’s Erik Boland and The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) that his injury included a torn toe ligament, not just a sprain.  Judge is still feeling pain when he walks, and while he might be starting some limited baseball-related activities soon, he won’t yet be able to run until he can at least walk without discomfort.

While this is new information to the public, it obviously isn’t a surprise to the team, so it isn’t clear if this materially changes whatever very loose timeline might be in place for Judge to return to New York’s lineup.  Boone suggested that Judge could get back to action before the All-Star break, and that might appear to be a best-case scenario given how relatively far away Judge seems to be from truly ramping up his rehab work.

Speaking with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and other reporters today, Boone said he believes Judge will be back before the end of the 2023 season, though he didn’t guarantee it.  As ominous as this sounds, Boone may have been holding back on linguistic grounds (since a guarantee is “an absolute.  I can’t say that about anyone.”) rather than out of genuine concern over a truly long-term injury to the reigning AL MVP.  That said, it is certainly disconcerting that there’s even a slim chance Judge’s toe injury might bring a premature end to his season.

The Yankees have a mediocre 6-10 record since Judge’s last game, with a league-worst 66 wRC+.  Considering that severe lack of offense, a 6-10 record might actually be an achievement, and the Yankees have remained in a wild card spot due to some struggles from other AL playoff contenders.  Needless to say, New York’s chances of staying in the playoff race will be heavily diminished if Judge can’t get back to the field soon, given his outsized role in carrying the Yankee lineup.

Yankees Place Willie Calhoun On IL With Quad Strain

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The Yankees announced today that outfielder Willie Calhoun has been placed on the 10-day injured due to a left quad strain. Infielder/outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera was recalled in the corresponding move.

Calhoun, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees this winter and had his contract selected just over a week into the season. Since then, he’s received 149 plate appearances in 44 games. He’s kept his strikeout rate to a 13.4% level while walking at a 9.4% clip. His .239/.309/.403 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 96, indicating he’s been 4% worse than the league average hitter.

That might not sound like a significant loss, but it actually could be for the scuffling Yankees. They have dealt with injuries to a number of players, including superstar Aaron Judge, who has been out of action for almost three weeks now. Several other players have also dealt with their own injuries or underperformance. Aside from Judge, the only other Yankees to have produced a higher wRC+ than Calhoun in more plate appearances are Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres. The team’s collective wRC+ of 96 is right in line with Calhoun’s and places them 19th out of the 30 clubs in the league.

The Yankees haven’t yet made any announcements about how long they expect Calhoun to be out, but it seems there’s a decent chance it won’t be a minimum stint of 10 days. The outfielder told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic that he felt his quad “pop” while running to first base in yesterday’s game. He’s going for an MRI today and will be receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in the coming days. There should be more specificity forthcoming but it seems the issue is potentially significant.

As for Judge, manager Aaron Boone provided an update today to members of the media, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Judge made an excellent catch at Dodger Stadium on June 3, crashing into the right field bullpen gate and hitting his foot on the concrete pad beneath. He was diagnosed with a bruise and ligament sprain in his right big toe and is coming up on three weeks of missed time. Boone says Judge has now advanced to pool/balance/strength work and could resume throwing and light hitting in the coming days. That seems to be encouraging progress but there’s still not much clarity on his timeline.

He’s following up his MVP campaign with yet another excellent performance here in 2023, having hit .291/.404/.674 for a wRC+ of 189. However, that production has come in just 49 games since he missed time earlier with a hip strain and now this toe issue. As mentioned, the club’s offense has been subpar overall this year but they are still in the postseason hunt. They currently sport a 41-33 record, enough for them to currently be in possession of a Wild Card spot, though each of the Astros, Angels and Blue Jays are within one game in the standings.

Carlos Rodón To Begin Rehab Assignment

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The Yankees announced that left-hander Carlos Rodón has been sent to Double-A Somerset to begin a rehab assignment. Additionally, outfielder Harrison Bader was activated from the injured list, taking the spot of infielder/outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera, who was optioned following Sunday night’s game.

Rodón, 30, became a Yankee this winter by signing a six-year, $162MM contract but has yet to make his regular season debut in pinstripes. He was diagnosed with a forearm strain in March and began the season on the injured list. He initially seemed set for a brief absence, as he started working his way back in April. However, he was then waylaid by some back tightness that was eventually diagnosed by doctors as being a “chronic” issue.

In early May, the lefty received a cortisone injection and has been ramping up his activities since then. He started throwing shortly after that, eventually progressing to mound work and facing live hitters. Now he’s set for the final hurdle, pitching in minor league games. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last up to 30 days, so it might still be a few weeks before he rejoins the Yankees. But it’s nonetheless a good sign that their big offseason pitching acquisition is getting closer.

Health has been a key factor in Rodón’s career. He was drafted by the White Sox with the third overall pick in 2014 and quickly became one of the top prospects in the sport. He performed well in 2015 and 2016 but then injuries started holding him back. Biceps bursitis and arthroscopic shoulder surgery made him miss big parts of his 2017 and 2018 seasons before Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his 2019 and 2020 campaigns.

The trajectory got much better in the years after that, as he came back in 2021 with 24 starts and a 2.37 ERA. He was eventually shut down with some shoulder fatigue in August, but it was nonetheless encouraging after so many frustrating setbacks. He became a free agent and there was still some hesitation from the open market, forcing him to settle for a two-year, $44MM deal with the Giants, though one that would allow him to opt out as long as he pitched 110 innings. He took another step forward by making 31 starts last year with a 2.88 ERA, 33.4% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 34.1% ground ball rate.

Based on that strong platform, it was an easy decision for him to opt out and cash in. Since he seemed to be moving away from his injury-prone label, the Yankees took a shot on him but his health hasn’t cooperated thus far. He’s now walking a familiar road, working his way back to the mound after a significant absence.

His return would certainly be a welcome development for the Yankees, who have also been without Frankie Montas all year while Nestor Cortes posted a 5.16 ERA before landing on the injured list himself. Luis Severino is back with the team after his own IL stint but he has a 6.30 ERA through his first six starts. Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Domingo Germán have avoided the IL thus far, though Germán missed a couple of turns due to a sticky stuff suspension. Amid all of those challenges, the club has had to turn to depth options like Randy Vásquez and Jhony Brito on occasion.

Despite all of that shuffling, the club has managed to tread water, currently sporting a record of 39-33 that’s good enough for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. But with three teams within a game and a half and a few more clubs lurking just behind those, the importance of each game is going to be magnified going forward, making the return of a difference-maker like Rodón a potentially significant boost for the Yankees.

Josh Donaldson Undecided About Playing Beyond 2023

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Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson hasn’t yet decided if he’ll continue his playing career beyond the current campaign. “I don’t know,” Donaldson tells Brendan Kuty The Athletic. “It kind of just depends on how I feel going through this year and this season and all of that and talking to my family.”

Donaldson, 37, is in the final guaranteed season of the four-year deal he signed with the Twins going into 2020. That deal originally contained a club option for 2024, but it would become a mutual option if Donaldson were traded at any point. He was flipped to the Yankees going into 2022 so it in indeed now a $16MM mutual option, with a $6MM buyout if the club declines.

Once one of the best players in baseball, Donaldson was named the Most Valuable Player in the American League in 2015. Playing for the Blue Jays that year, he hit 41 home runs and produced an overall batting line of .297/.371/.568 for a wRC+ of 154. When combined with his strong defense at the hot corner, he was worth 8.7 wins above replacement on the year, according to the calculations of FanGraphs. That was once of five straight seasons that he tallied at least 5.0 fWAR, between the Athletics and the Jays from 2013 to 2017.

His performance has naturally become less consistently elite as he’s moved into his mid- and late-30s. In 2018, he spent much of the season on the injured list and only got into 52 games. Those injury struggles were ill-timed, as he was just about to hit the open market for the first time. He had to settle for a one-year deal with Atlanta, but had an excellent bounceback campaign. He launched 37 home runs and hit .259.379/.521 for a 131 wRC+ and 5.2 fWAR.

He was able to parlay that into the aforementioned four-year deal with the Twins, securing himself a $92MM guarantee. He missed about half of the shortened 2020 season due to a calf strain, but still generally played well that year and in the season after. Between those two campaigns, he hit 32 home runs in 163 games, producing a line of .243/.355/.474 and a 127 wRC+.

But his production has tailed off since the 2022 trade that saw him, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt flipped to the Yanks for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela. He struck out in 27.1% of his plate appearances last year, his worst such rate since his brief debut back in 2010. His power was also down, as he hit just 15 home runs last year. His .222/.308/.374 line translated to a 97 wRC+. This year, a hamstring strain has limited him to just 17 games. He has six home runs in that brief time but is hitting just .151/.233/.491 for a wRC+ of 91. He can surely expect his .065 batting average on balls in play to improve, but his strikeout rate is up again to 28.3% so far this year.

Donaldson still seems plenty capable of holding his own defensively. He produced seven Defensive Runs Saved and six Outs Above Average last year. His numbers this year are hovering around league average in the very small sample of 107 1/3 innings.

There’s reason to believe he could still have something left in the tank and provide some value for a club. Even with some offensive struggles last year, he still was worth 1.6 fWAR thanks to his glovework. His bat hasn’t fully bounced back this year but he could find himself in a better position soon with a bit more batted ball luck, something he’s aware of. “I’ve hit a lot of balls hard,” he said. “Unfortunately, some of them haven’t fallen at the moment.”

The Yankees will be facing a net $10MM decision at season’s end, opting between the $16MM mutual option and $6MM buyout. Even if Donaldson finishes in a better spot than he’s currently in, it seems likely they will turn that down, given his inconsistency and the fact that he’ll turn 38 in December. The interest he receives from other clubs at that point will naturally depend on how his health and performance hold up over the next few months.

It seems like he will take some time to see how things play out over the next few months before making any kind of decision. “It would be, ‘What would be best?’” he said. “If I feel like I want to play still, and I feel like with my family situation that’s what I want to do. … But I haven’t put more thought into it.”

George Frazier Passes Away

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Former major league player and analyst George Frazier has passed away, according to an announcement from the Rockies. He was 68.

After playing at the University of Oklahoma, Frazier entered pro ball as a ninth-round pick of the Brewers in the 1976 draft. While still in the minor leagues, he was traded to the Cardinals in a swap that sent catcher Buck Martinez to Milwaukee. Frazier made his MLB debut with St. Louis in May 1978, eventually appearing in 14 games as a rookie. He bounced on and off the active roster for the next two seasons.

Midway through the ’81 campaign, the Cards dealt Frazier to the Yankees. He pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to help the Yanks past the A’s in that year’s AL Championship Series. He was charged with a trio of losses in their World Series defeat at the hands of the Dodgers, though, allowing seven runs in 3 2/3 frames over three outings.

Frazier put that rocky World Series showing behind him to establish himself as a key reliever by the following season. He surpassed 100 innings with a sub-3.50 ERA in each of the next two years. Over the 1983-84 offseason, New York dealt him to the Indians alongside outfielder Otis Nixon for All-Star infielder Toby Harrah. Frazier didn’t spend much time in Cleveland. Before the ’84 deadline, the Indians moved him to the Cubs with Rick Sutcliffe (who’d go on to win the NL Cy Young award that year) and Ron Hassey in a blockbuster that netted Cleveland Joe Carter and Mel Hall.

The right-handed Frazier tossed 63 2/3 innings for Chicago down the stretch to help them to the NLCS. He struggled over the next couple seasons but intrigued the Twins enough that they acquired him at the 1986 trade deadline. Frazier spent a season and a half in Minnesota to wrap up his MLB playing career. The ’87 Twins went on to win the World Series; Frazier’s last MLB outing was a two-inning scoreless appearance against the Cardinals in that year’s Fall Classic.

After his playing career came to a close, Frazier embarked on a lengthy run as a broadcaster. He worked as a color analyst for the Twins for a time before joining the Rockies’ booth for the 1998 season. He’d spend nearly two decades in Colorado, calling games there through 2015.

Frazier spent upwards of four decades in the game. As a player, he pitched in 415 big league contests. He posted a career 4.20 ERA through 675 2/3 innings, striking out 449 hitters. He was credited with 35 wins, finished 193 games and picked up 29 saves. He added six playoff games with three different franchises and won a World Series to close his career.

MLBTR joins others around the game in sending condolences to Frazier’s family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Manoah, Bader, Fleming, Kittredge

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The Red Sox are looking to acquire an infielder who can play multiple positions, MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam writes, with a focus on the middle infield.  McAdam notes that Aledmys Diaz’s name has “been linked to the Red Sox,” though it isn’t clear how deep talks might be between the Sox and Athletics.  Diaz is struggling through a tough season (.208/.266/.264 over 173 plate appearances) but he is also an experienced player who could help a Boston infield that is still trying to figure itself out, particularly at shortstop until Trevor Story is healthy.  That said, Diaz’s contract is hefty enough that he would be more than a stopgap, as Diaz is owed roughly $4.1MM for the rest of this season and then $8MM in 2024.  The A’s are naturally looking to unload salary and might eat some of that money, but one would imagine the Sox might explore cheaper options if they truly only want a short-term option.

The Sox could possibly also be dangling an infielder in trade talks as the deadline approaches, if the team wants to move on from Bobby Dalbec.  The former top prospect was already the subject of trade speculation over the winter, and Triston Casas seems to have supplanted Dalbec as Boston’s next first baseman of the future.  Back at Triple-A for much of this season, Dalbec is posting big numbers, and a scout told McAdam that “I thought he looked much more confident at the plate, with more of a plan.”  That said, the scout has a modest view of Dalbec’s trade value, saying “my guess is, he’s only a second piece in a (larger) deal, or the only piece for an average bullpen arm or some infield depth.’”

Some more from around the AL East…

  • Alek Manoah threw 75 pitches during a simulated game on Friday, and is slated for another sim game later this week.  Blue Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and other reporters on Friday that “everything that we were talking about in terms of delivery and stuff [for Manoah] was good, so making some good strides in the right direction.”  A proper minor league rehab game could follow the next simulating outing, meaning that Manoah could be back with the Jays by July 1 if all goes well, though the plan is still quite fluid given the unusual nature of Manoah’s situation.  The third-place finisher in AL Cy Young voting in 2022, Manoah posted a 6.36 ERA over his first 58 innings this season, pitching so poorly that the Blue Jays optioned him to their Florida complex in order to fully explore what has gone awry.
  • Harrison Bader is slated to be activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty and other reporters.  The initial aim was for Bader to return this weekend, but the outfielder requested a couple of extra minor league rehab games in order to better test his injured hamstring.  Bader gave Boone a positive report via text message last night, so everything seems lined up for Tuesday when the Yankees host the Mariners.  Between an oblique strain and his hamstring strain, Bader has been limited to 26 games this season, and his return will be a huge boost to a New York outfield that is still missing Aaron Judge.
  • Rays manager Kevin Cash updated reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) on some injured player, including Josh Fleming and Andrew Kittredge.  Fleming is on the 60-day IL due to elbow soreness, but the good news is that it doesn’t appear surgery will be required, as Cash said that the left-hander will continue to rehab without going under the knife.  Kittredge had a Tommy John surgery just over a year ago, but he will throw a live batting practice this week in the latest phase of his rehab.  Kittredge is expected to return to the Rays sometime in August, while Fleming’s 60-day IL placement means that August 3 would be the earliest date for a possible return.
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