Injury Notes: Walker, Vespi, Votto
The Cardinals got a bit of a scare when Jordan Walker appeared to injure his shoulder while sliding into second base during yesterday’s spring contest. However, after some examination, it seems like Walker is fine. “I’m good. I’m fine. I’m going to go hit after this (meeting). …I knew it wasn’t anything serious,” Walker said to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Walker did not have an MRI and will take batting practice today, per John Denton of MLB.com.
The fact that Walker is fine will surely be welcome news to the Cards and their fans. Though he doesn’t turn 21 until May, he’s one of the top prospects in the league and is pushing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. He spent all of last year in Double-A, hitting 19 home runs and stealing 22 bases in 119 games at that level. His .306/.388/.510 batting line was 28% better than league average, by measure of wRC+.
A natural third baseman, Walker has been moved to the outfield due to the Nolan Arenado-shaped obstacle at the hot corner. Now Walker will be looking to crack an outfield mix consisting of Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, Juan Yepez and Alec Burleson.
Some other health notes from around the league…
- Orioles left-hander Nick Vespi tells Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner that he’s scheduled to pitch tomorrow. The southpaw underwent surgery to repair a hernia in January and has been held out of spring action until now. Vespi made his MLB debut last year and posted a 4.10 ERA over 25 appearances, striking out 25% of batters faced, walking 7.1% of them and getting grounders at a 42.7% clip. It’s possible that Vespi could take his game to another level, as he also made 26 Triple-A appearances last year without allowing an earned run and even better rate stats. If Vespi is back to health, he should slot into the club’s left-handed relief mix next to Cionel Pérez and Keegan Akin.
- The Reds announced their lineup for today’s Spring Training game and it features Joey Votto batting second and playing first base. This will be his first Cactus League game of the year, as he’s been working his way back from August shoulder surgery. Votto spoke about his rehab in January, expressing confidence in his ability to get back to 100% health at some point, although he wasn’t sure if that would be at the start of spring. Though he’s missed the first handful of spring contests, he’ll now be back on the field with over two weeks to go until Opening Day. This will be Votto’s 17th year for the Reds and the final guaranteed season of the $225MM extension he signed back in 2012. The 39-year-old will make $25MM this year and then the club has a $20MM option for 2024 with a $7MM buyout. Votto struggled last year before the surgery, hitting .205/.319/.370 for a wRC+ of 92. But the year prior, he launched 36 home runs and had a much stronger line of .266/.375/.563, 139 wRC+.
Quick Hits: Walker, Glasnow, Dodgers
Top Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker left today’s spring training game against the Astros with a shoulder strain suffered while sliding into second base, according to MLB.com’s John Denton (Twitter links). The team is listing Walker as day-to-day and he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow, but manager Oli Marmol said the team’s medical staff is “not overly concerned,” and that Walker even wanted to keep playing.
The 20-year-old Walker has been on fire in Spring Training, raising speculation that he could break camp with St. Louis and make his Major League debut on Opening Day. The 21st overall pick back in 2020, Walker has crushed minor league pitching and wound up with a .306/.388/.510 line slash with 19 home runs at Double-A last year. It remains to be seen how Walker’s shoulder problem might impact his immediate future or the Cards’ development plans, though since Walker has yet to play any Triple-A ball, there was some sense that he might not break camp with the Cards no matter how well he performs in spring action.
More from around the majors….
- Rays manager Kevin Cash provided reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) an update on Tyler Glasnow, saying that the right-hander is still in the “treatment” phase of his recovery from a Grade 2 oblique strain. Glasnow hasn’t thrown a ball in almost two weeks, which tracks with the 6-to-8 week timeline initially attached to his recovery process.
- The Dodgers don’t see having a set closer as “a necessity,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “I think the most important question to answer is whether you think our ‘pen is going to be really good, and we do,” Friedman said. “And then it’s about the mindset of each one of those guys, keeping them in the best headspace to go out and have a lot of success…. I think our bullpen is going to be a real strength and exactly how it’s deployed, I think we have some time to figure it out.” Evan Phillips might be the key figure as the bullpen’s fireman, though as manager Dave Roberts hinted, Phillips’ ability to pitch in all manner of high-leverage situations might conversely make him too important to be restricted to just the ninth inning. Brusdar Graterol, Daniel Hudson, Caleb Ferguson, or Alex Vesia are also among the relievers who could be called upon for save situations.
Twins Notes: Buxton, Polanco, Gordon, Miranda, Kirilloff, Rotation
Chief baseball officer Derek Falvey met with reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park) today at the Twins’ spring camp, and provided several injury updates. The news is particularly good for Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco, as Falvey said both players are on track to be in the lineup on Opening Day.
“Relying on our medical folks on what they think are the best next steps…but they’re still telling us that [Opening Day is] in play barring anything changing. And both guys’ feedback has been positive,” Falvey said.
Buxton underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in September, while Polanco didn’t play after August 27 last season due to knee inflammation. Polanco tried to return in September, but was shut down during a minor league rehab assignment when his left knee continued to feel sore. With an eye towards both these injuries, the Twins have been slowly easing Buxton and Polanco into spring activity, restricting both players to live batting practices and backfield workouts rather than any game action. It isn’t yet clear when either player might make their Spring Training debut, but it seems as though the club doesn’t feel Buxton or Polanco will need too many at-bats to get sharp.
A little over a week after suffering a high ankle sprain during a Grapefruit League game, Nick Gordon has started running and hitting, Falvey said. Naturally any kind of high ankle injury is a concern, but it would seem that Gordon might have landed on the low end of the “wide range of outcomes” manager Rocco Baldelli mentioned last week when discussing possible recovery timelines. The Twins will be cautious with Gordon but, if all continues to go well, he might also be on target for Opening Day without the need for a season-opening stint on the injured list.
Jose Miranda is also making good progress in his recovery from a sore shoulder, as Falvey said the infielder has started a throwing program. While Miranda’s shoulder forced him to withdraw from Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team, it hasn’t kept him entirely off the field in Spring Training, as Miranda has still been able to play as a designated hitter. With just under three weeks to go until Opening Day, Miranda seems on pace to recover in time to take his planned role as Minnesota’s regular third baseman.
Amidst all these positive updates, however, the news isn’t quite as good for Alex Kirilloff. In comparison to Buxton and Polanco, Kirilloff is “probably the one that’s a little bit behind our schedule,” Falvey said, noting that “it’s kind of a tolerance thing on a daily basis for him” as Kirilloff works his way back from wrist surgery.
Kiriloff made his MLB debut in 2021, and the former top prospect has thus far hit .251/.295/.398 over 387 Major League plate appearances over the last two seasons. Unfortunately for Kirilloff, each of those seasons was prematurely ended by surgeries on his wrist. As The Athletic’s Dan Hayes wrote last month, Kirilloff’s surgery last August was particularly “drastic,” with the intention of correcting Kirilloff’s wrist problem once and for all. As such, the Twins are taking their time with Kirilloff, holding him out of games and even out of live-pitching sessions, if Kiriloff feels he is only up to work in the batting cages.
With all of these position-player health issues facing the Twins, the pitching staff has been a comparatively lesser concern, as Minnesota’s rotation candidates have by and large looked both healthy and in good form during their spring outings. It has gotten to the point that Falvey said the team is weighing the possibility of a six-man rotation.
“That wasn’t our plan as we entered camp,” Falvey said. “It still, I wouldn’t say, is our plan, but there’s at least a conversation we’ve been having internally about how that could work and what it would mean for the bullpen, how would we navigate that. Some of it will be health-dependent, but we’re open to the conversation maybe more now than I was a month ago.”
A six-man rotation would create a spot for Bailey Ober to get some MLB starts, as Ober would join the projected rotation of Pablo Lopez, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda, Joe Ryan, and Sonny Gray. The Twins aren’t likely to finalize any rotation plans until after Lopez returns from the WBC, but a six-man rotation would give more rest to Mahle and Maeda as they return from injuries. It would also help Minnesota navigate a pretty busy early schedule, as the club has only two off-days in the month of April.
Injury Notes: Song, Nevin, Rosenthal, Sadler
Phillies Rule 5 pick Noah Song has been shut down due to back tightness, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He’s had an MRI and will be reevaluated next week, but it appears he won’t be ready to start the season.
Song, 25, is an interesting case, given he’s spent the past three years in the navy after being drafted by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. He’s also not been fully discharged, only placed in active reserve, which means he’ll be able to play baseball. It does mean he’ll still have navy commitments though, with an earlier report stating he’s effectively on part-time duty, which still requires one weekend per month and two full weeks each year. It’s not clear how that would’ve played out over the season.
In any case, Song was looking to get back up to speed quickly after three years out. As a Rule 5 draftee, the Phillies would have to keep him on the active roster for the entire season, or place him on waivers and send him back to the Red Sox if he clears. The injury does change things somewhat, as should Song open the season on the injured list the Phillies can still send him on a rehab stint to the minors for up to 30 days. He still can’t be optioned to the minors, but the Phillies would just need to ensure he spends at minimum 90 days on the active roster this season.
Here’s some other injury notes from around the game:
- Evan Woodbery of MLive relays that Tyler Nevin‘s MRI on his oblique showed a Grade 1 strain. The Tigers said yesterday that Nevin’s strain was “mild”, but offered no other details on when he might be available. As Woodbery says, MLB’s Health and Injury Tracking System says hitters typically take 27 days to recover from a Grade 1 strain. That’s not a concrete number, but it would appear to put Nevin in doubt for Opening Day. Nevin, acquired from the Orioles this winter, was competing for a bench spot on the Tigers roster this year. The 25-year-old hit .197/.299/.261 with two home runs across 184 plate appearances for Baltimore last year.
- Sticking with the Tigers, and right-hander Trevor Rosenthal threw a bullpen yesterday and felt great, Woodbery reports. He’ll throw a live bullpen on Tuesday, with the hope being that he’ll be ready to step into a live game after that. Rosenthal, signed to a minor league deal by the Tigers this winter, hasn’t appeared in the big leagues for the past two seasons due to a range of injuries, including thoracic outlet syndrome, hip labrum surgery and a recurring hamstring injury. While it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rosenthal need a little longer than Opening Day to be ready, the former All Star looks a good chance to get some opportunities in Detroit’s bullpen this year.
- The Mariners won’t have right-hander Casey Sadler up to speed by Opening Day, but he is making progress in his return from rotator cuff and labrum surgery, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. Sadler missed the entire 2022 season, but faced hitters for the first time yesterday in a live batting practice session at Seattle’s spring training complex. Sadler, who was designated for assignment this winter but re-signed with the team on a minor league deal, put in easily his best season in 2021, working to a 0.67 ERA over 40 1/3 innings. It’s unclear what’s next for the former 25th round pick, but he’ll continue to work his way back with a view to regaining his spot in Seattle’s bullpen sometime this season.
Yankees Notes: Kiner-Falefa, Judge, Center Field
As youngsters Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe make strong cases to take over the Yankees’ starting shortstop role, there’s been plenty of speculation over the future of Isiah Kiner-Falefa. That speculation has only intensified as the Yankees have announced a series of injuries that’ll affect their roster over the opening few weeks of the season and beyond.
Kiner-Falefa is owed $6MM this year, and does appear to be lagging behind in the race to win the shortstop job. The Yankees have been giving him time at second and third base, and plan to work him out in the outfield this spring, which suggests they may view him as more of a utility player at this point. Yet the team already has the highly impressive Oswaldo Cabrera capable of bouncing round the diamond as a utility option, and he’ll only earn the league minimum in 2023.
Now, with the Yankees dealing with rotation, bullpen and outfield injuries to Carlos Rodon, Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino, Tommy Kahnle and Harrison Bader, it would make some sense for the team to deal from their infield depth to address other areas. According to Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Yankees have had conversations with the Dodgers and Rockies over Kiner-Falefa. It’s not known the exact timeline or extent of those conversations, but it’s worth noting the Dodgers checked in on Kiner-Falefa early in the off-season prior to acquiring Miguel Rojas from the Marlins.
General manager Brian Cashman addressed the trade market to reporters, and while he didn’t specifically name Kiner-Falefa (or any other infielders), he certainly didn’t close the door on a deal involving their infielders before the start of the regular season.
“I would say typically trade conversations usually are a bit more serious in the second part of camp than the first part. I do know that’s an area of strength for this franchise right now in real time. So if somebody is looking for help, we wouldn’t be surprised if they’re knocking on our door,” Cashman said.
A trade could help them address their thinning rotation and bullpen stock, but even with Bader on the shelf for a while, it doesn’t appear the outfield is a pressing need. As Kuty notes in a separate piece, Bader’s injury likely means a temporary return to center field for Aaron Judge. That would allow the Yankees to give Giancarlo Stanton more at bats in right field, with Cabrera and Aaron Hicks likely to handle left. Rafael Ortega and Estevan Florial are other candidates to fill in with Bader out, but it appears Hicks – a career center fielder who moved to left last year – is not among them, with Kuty noting it seems the Yankees prefer to keep him in left.
Speaking of Judge, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic sheds some more light on the high profile free agency of the new Yankees captain. While it’s been widely reported that the Yankees’ decision to tack on a ninth-year and take the total value of the contract to $360MM sealed the deal, there’s been a little bit of uncertainty over the extent of the Padres late interest in the slugger. According to Rosenthal, the Padres put forward a deal in the range of $415MM over at least 12 years.
Mariners Notes: Castillo, Marlowe, Larsen
The Mariners made one of the biggest splashes of last summer’s trade deadline when they brought in Luis Castillo from the Reds. The deal sent out four prospects, including two players generally regarded among the top 100 minor league talents in Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo. At the time, Castillo was in his penultimate season of arbitration eligibility, but the M’s foreclosed any chance of him departing anytime soon. In September, the righty signed a five-year, $108MM extension that runs through 2027.
Castillo recently looked back on the pair of transactions, telling Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer he’d initially hoped to sign a long-term deal to stay in Cincinnati. “I can’t really say anything because that’s obviously negotiations between the team and my agent,” he told Nightengale via interpreter. “Of course, I would’ve liked to stay. I had a family there and was there quite some time.” The two-time All-Star added he acclimated to Seattle more quickly than he’d anticipated, however, pointing to the presence of former Cincinnati teammates Eugenio Suárez and Jesse Winker on the Mariners roster.
The Reds and Castillo had discussed extension parameters before the trade, though general manager Nick Krall told reporters after the swap that the sides hadn’t been close. That wasn’t surprising, as Cincinnati has gone into a rebuild over the past couple seasons and shipped out a number of big leaguers for further off young talent. Seattle is firmly in win-now mode, with Castillo joining Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby in a strong front four.
In other situations out of Seattle:
- Outfield prospect Cade Marlowe recently suffered a right oblique strain, he told reporters this afternoon (relayed by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). The 25-year-old described the strain as very mild but will soon meet with training staff to determine a recovery plan. Even minor oblique strains can sideline players for multiple weeks, so the injury could delay Marlowe’s big league debut. A left-handed hitter, he raked at a .291/.380/.483 clip with 20 home runs and 36 stolen bases through 120 Double-A contests last season. Marlowe secured a late-season call to Triple-A and garnered some consideration for a depth role at the MLB level headed into the postseason. That never transpired, though Marlowe was added to the 40-man roster over the winter and figures to debut at some point during the upcoming campaign. Seattle has Julio Rodríguez and Teoscar Hernández locked into two outfield spots, with Jarred Kelenic and AJ Pollock presumably set for a platoon in the final position. The M’s will already be without Taylor Trammell well into the season after he underwent hand surgery last month.
- There’s another injury further down the outfield depth chart. Divish tweets that non-roster outfielder Jack Larsen fractured a hamate bone in his hand and will undergo surgery. The 28-year-old Larsen spent most of last season in Double-A, where he hit .269/.371/.407 with an excellent 13.6% walk percentage across 528 plate appearances. He earned the briefest of big league promotions, appearing in one game and striking out in his only MLB at-bat. Seattle ran him through outright waivers in August, keeping him in the upper minors without a 40-man roster spot. Larsen wasn’t likely in consideration for an Opening Day role but he’d have served as a depth possibility if healthy. He’ll surely start the season on the minor league injured list now.
AL Injury Notes: Alvarez, Moore, La Stella, Winder, Vierling
Yordan Alvarez‘s lingering hand soreness has continued to bother the Astros slugger this spring, yet Alvarez took a noteworthy step today when he hit the batting cage to take some soft-toss swings. Alvarez emerged from the session with no problems, though manager Dusty Baker didn’t give reporters (including the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome) any hints about Alvarez’s next steps. Neither Baker or Astros GM Dana Brown have seemed overly concerned about Alvarez’s injury, and in lieu of any other developments, it would appear as though the ALCS MVP will be in the Astros’ lineup come Opening Day.
More updates on other injury situations from around the American League…
- Dylan Moore has yet to play this spring as he recovers from offseason core surgery, but the Mariners utilityman is “closing in on playing,” according to GM Jerry Dipoto. In an interview on the Brock and Salk Show on Seattle Sports 710AM radio, Dipoto said Moore is on pace to be part of the Opening Day roster, and Moore is “now at full-go on the backfields and running, changing direction, and all those good things.” Dipoto also feels Tommy La Stella will be set for the Mariners’ opener, though La Stella has been battling an elbow injury. The team’s plan is to ease La Stella back into action as a DH, and then get him some fielding work in games early next week.
- Josh Winder threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and is slated for another bullpen during the weekend, the Twins told reporters (including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Wednesday’s outing marked Winder’s first bullpen of the spring, as the right-hander has been bothered by a sore shoulder. This particular injury is especially troublesome for Winder given that shoulder problems also hampered him in each of the last two seasons, though if he is able to get back into game action relatively soon, he can still be an option for the Twins’ season-opening bullpen.
- A posterior knee muscle strain has sidelined Matt Vierling for the last few days, but the Tigers outfielder will be back to baseball-related activities as soon as this weekend, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press writes. Acquired from the Phillies as part of the Gregory Soto trade in January, Vierling is projected for regular duty in Detroit’s outfield this season, after being mostly a part-time player in his first two MLB seasons in Philadelphia.
Tigers Notes: Nevin, Ibáñez, Rosenthal
TODAY: Nevin has been diagnosed with a “mild” left oblique strain, the Tigers told Evan Petzold and other reporters, with no other details given about when Nevin might return to the field.
MARCH 8: The Tigers have a couple of injury situations to monitor, as relayed by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Infielder Tyler Nevin removed himself from batting practice yesterday and reported feeling soreness in his oblique. Meanwhile, fellow infielder Andy Ibáñez sprained the fourth finger on his left hand while preparing for the World Baseball Classic.
In Nevin’s case, the severity of the issue isn’t yet known, but oblique issues are notoriously tricky to deal with. As Petzold points out, even a mild oblique strain can potentially lead to a month-long absence. Manager A.J. Hinch says that Nevin is headed for an MRI, which will determine the next steps. In the case of Ibáñez, the issue seems less concerning. Though his finger is swollen, it’s not broken. Ibáñez plans to sit out of WBC action for a few days and seems confident he’ll be recovered after that.
These two injuries could potentially have implications for the club’s plans, as both players are part of a competition for the open third base job. The club non-tendered Jeimer Candelario in the winter and has various players jockeying for the role of his replacement. At this point, it seems the most likely scenario involves the left-handed hitting Nick Maton taking the strong side of a platoon. Maton actually has reverse splits in his career so far, but in a small sample of 216 plate appearances.
Both Nevin and Ibáñez hit from the right side and could potentially take the small side of a platoon with Maton, though the injuries could delay that plan. If those two players have to miss any time, it perhaps increases the chances of Andre Lipcius, Ryan Kreidler, Zack Short or César Hernández seizing some playing time. Hernández is a switch-hitter with the other three all hitting right-handed.
“I like the way he swings the bat, and he’s increasing his versatility, which is the point of camp for him,” Hinch said about Lipcius. “He’s doing what he’s always done.” Lipcius has primarily played third base in the minors, but has also seen some decent time at second and a very brief stint at first. He hit .277/.391/.435 between Double-A and Triple-A last year for a wRC+ of 128. He’s yet to make his major league debut but was added to the 40-man roster in November.
Elsewhere in Tigers’ camp, Trevor Rosenthal will be attempting to get back to the big leagues after signing a minor league deal with the club. He wasn’t able to appear in either of the past two seasons due to various setbacks, including thoracic outlet surgery, hip labrum surgery and a recurring hamstring injury. Though Rosenthal will be hoping for better health this year, it seems there’s still some work to do and his return isn’t imminent.
“There’s no need to have a sense for a timeline,” Hinch tells Petzold. “It does not matter when he’s ready as long as he’s healthy. We’re not going to push it. There is no artificial date. Opening Day is not something that’s feasible. We’re going to be very strict and diligent with our work with him.”
Rosenthal says the injuries are behind him now, but he’s on board with the plan the club has laid out for him. “I want to be intentional about taking the right steps and making sure I am ready, and really utilizing the time that’s left in camp,” Rosenthal says. “I think, in these three weeks, I’ll be able to get to where I want to be, but if not, I think they’re going to do a good job of taking care of me in that regard.”
He hasn’t been healthy much in the past few years, but he was very good earlier in his career and dominant for a brief spell in 2020. He made 23 appearances that year with a 1.90 ERA and struck out an incredible 41.8% of batters faced. However, the two years on either side of that season were were essentially lost due to the aforementioned injuries.
Giants Notes: Conforto, Pederson, Guzman, Szapucki
Michael Conforto logged six innings of right field work in this afternoon’s Spring Training contest against the Brewers. It was his first defensive time of exhibition play, as he’d previously been limited to designated hitter duties. Conforto has continued to build shoulder strength after his 2022 campaign was wiped out by surgery. Strengthening his arm has been the final hurdle in the rehab process; there were rumors Conforto could even return at the tail end of the ’22 campaign as a DH only, but he ultimately elected to wait things out until this offseason.
Despite the lost year, Conforto landed a surprising $36MM guarantee from the Giants. He’ll make $18MM this year and could test free agency next winter if he tallies at least 350 plate appearances during the upcoming season. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi discussed the signing with Joel Sherman of the New York Post, noting that while he’s “sympathetic” to those who were taken aback by the contract, the front office is “just so confident how good he’s going to be this year.”
Zaidi noted the Giants expect Conforto to be fully healthy and broadly expressed the belief he’ll return to the middle-of-the-order hitter he was for the majority of his time with the Mets. Zaidi called Conforto a candidate for a nine-figure free agent deal before his shoulder injury, although that’d have been likelier if he’d hit free agency after 2020 as opposed to following a relative down year in ’21 (.232/.344/.384 in 479 plate appearances). Regardless, it’s clear the Giants anticipate Conforto more closely resembling the player he was over the preceding four seasons, when he combined for a .265/.369/.495 line.
The signings of Conforto and Mitch Haniger overhauled San Francisco’s corner outfield. They’ll play regularly when healthy, although Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area writes that it’s still to be determined who’ll man which corner. Both players have seen more action in right field than left. Pavlovic notes that concerns about Conforto’s post-surgery arm strength could push him to left field but they’ll move the duo around in Spring Training to gauge their best alignment heading into the season.
The pair of offseason pickups should push Joc Pederson off the grass for the most part. He’s likely to be the designated hitter most days but has gotten some first base reps this spring to give the team slightly more flexibility. That’ll be put on hold during the World Baseball Classic, however. Pederson is expected to work solely in the outfield for the Israeli national team, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’ll continue to get first base reps once he returns to S.F. camp.
That’s not the only experiment the Giants are running with the luxury of exhibition games. The club brought in former Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzmán on a non-roster deal and is allowing him to work as a two-way player. Guzmán has pitched three times this spring, allowing three runs in as many innings. He’s coming off easily his best outing, though, striking out Eddy Alvarez, Skye Bolt and Jesse Winker in a perfect inning today.
After the game, Gumzán told reporters he signed with the Giants in large part because they were the sole club offering him an opportunity to play both ways (link via Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic). “That was a big issue, to be honest. The Giants were the only team that wanted me to pitch only,” the 28-year-old said, noting that other teams targeted him strictly as first base depth. “I had to really think about it. I had to let them understand how I feel about things. At the end of the day, they gave me the opportunity to do both but mostly pitch. But some teams rejected me. I knew what I wanted. I wanted to do both. And I knew I had the capability to do both.”
Baggarly writes that Guzmán isn’t under consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. He’ll head to Triple-A Sacramento once the season starts and continue working out of the bullpen there. The Giants have Taylor Rogers and Scott Alexander ticketed for MLB jobs, while Sam Long offers a depth candidate already on the 40-man roster. Guzmán joins Sean Newcomb and Darien Núñez among the non-roster players in camp.
Thomas Szapucki, one of four players acquired from the Mets in last summer’s Darin Ruf deal, also could factor into the group if healthy. He tossed 13 2/3 innings of three-run ball after the trade, striking out 16 while walking just four. Kapler told reporters today that Szapucki is headed for further examination after experiencing some elbow discomfort, however (via Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News). The club figures to provide more information about his outlook and return timetable in the coming days.
Injury Notes: Montas, Musgrove, Hentges, Lux
Yankees right-hander Frankie Montas told reporters yesterday that he expects to pitch in the majors at some point this season, and could begin throwing in about two months (link via MLB.com). Montas, who underwent shoulder surgery two weeks ago, noted that he “wasn’t fully 100%” when the Yankees acquired him from Oakland at the trade deadline last year, though he tried to pitch through the issue. The results of that attempt were rather discouraging, however, as Montas sported a 6.35 ERA, 38% worse than league average by ERA+, with a 4.93 FIP in 39 2/3 innings with the Yankees following the trade, which sent Montas and Lou Trivino to the Bronx in exchange for a four prospect package headlined by left-hander Ken Waldichuk.
The Yankees seem comfortable filling the hole in the rotation left by Montas internally with one of Domingo German or Clarke Schmidt. This hardly comes as a surprise, given the strength of New York’s rotation. During the offseason, the club added ace Carlos Rodon to a rotation that already included Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Severino. Still, it’s certainly good news for the club that Montas expects to return at some point in the second half, as he could give the club a boost down the stretch if able to return to his old form. The right-hander posted a 3.51 ERA (119 ERA+) with a 3.49 FIP in 336 innings of work from 2019 to 2021, and had been pitching well in Oakland last year prior to the trade, sporting a 3.18 ERA (118 ERA+) with a 3.35 FIP through his 104 2/3 innings as a member of the A’s last year.
More injury updates from around the game:
- Padres righty Joe Musgrove began throwing off flat ground yesterday, as noted by MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. Musgrove has been held back with a fractured big toe on his left foot this spring, and has yet to land on his left foot while throwing, instead keeping both feet rooted to the ground. The Padres, who were planning to go with a six-man rotation to open the season prior to Musgrove’s injury, are surely hoping for his quick return to action, as the right-hander figured to be a key cog at the top of San Diego’s rotation this year alongside Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and recently signed Michael Wacha. Musgrove posted a 2.93 ERA (127 ERA+) with a 3.59 FIP in 181 innings of work last season, earning his first All-Star bid in the process. He’s entering the first season of a five-year, $100MM contract extension he signed last summer.
- Guardians manager Terry Francona said yesterday that the progress of lefty reliever Sam Hentges, who has been slowed this spring by shoulder inflammation, was “really, really encouraging” (link via MLB.com). Francona notes that Hentges is set to begin doing dry work shortly and that it wouldn’t “be a surprise if he comes [back] quick,” though there’s been no specifics updates to his timetable for return. Hentges was among the best southpaw relievers in the sport last year, with a 29.4% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate backing up his sterling 2.32 ERA that clocked in 65% above league average by ERA+. The Guardians shut Hentges down from throwing back on March 1 and said he’d be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted to reporters, including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, that shortstop Gavin Lux‘s surgery went well. Lux suffered a torn ACL and damage to his LCL while running the bases during an early spring training game, and Roberts indicated that surgery revealed “more than a sprain” in Lux’s LCL — indicating significant damage to two of the 25-year-old’s cruciate ligaments. Lux is expected to miss the entire 2023 season as he rehabs from the surgery, with the Dodgers slated to rely on trade acquisition Miguel Rojas as their primary shortstop. Utilityman Chris Taylor is expected to see occasional time at the position as well.