Notes

COVID Notes: Pirates, Brewers, Giants

By Anthony Franco | April 26, 2022 at 8:02pm CDT

A few players landed on the COVID-19 injured list today. It’s not clear whether anyone in this group tested positive for the virus or has been identified as a close contact or a symptomatic individual. Players on the COVID IL don’t count against a team’s 40-man roster.

The latest virus-related situations:

The Pirates placed outfielders Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker on the injured list before this evening’s game against the Brewers. Prospects Tucupita Marcano and Jack Suwinski were recalled to take their place on the active roster. Each of Reynolds and Tucker has struggled in the early going, but the former was one of the game’s best players last season and figures to turn things around whenever he’s ready to return. Marcano and Suwinski were both acquired from the Padres in last summer’s Adam Frazier deal. It’s the first MLB call for the 23-year-old Suwinski, who was selected onto the 40-man roster last offseason. The left-handed outfielder is off to a fantastic .353/.421/.686 start with Double-A Altoona this year.
The Brewers had their own virus-related move before tonight’s game. Catcher Víctor Caratini went on the IL this afternoon. Backstop Alex Jackson, acquired from the Marlins during Spring Training, has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move. Caratini has appeared in eight games as part of a loose early-season platoon with Omar Narváez. The latter will probably assume the lion’s share of work behind the dish so long as Caratini is sidelined. Jackson has hit .229/.300/.429 with a pair of homers in ten games with the Sounds.
The Giants have placed reliever Zack Littell on the IL, tweets Maria Guardado of MLB.com. Kervin Castro has been recalled to take his place on the active roster. Littell has gotten off to a nice start to the season, tossing six scoreless innings in as many appearances. He’s allowed four hits, struck out five and has yet to issue a walk. Littell pitched to a 2.92 ERA in 61 2/3 frames last year.

NL Central Notes: Shelton, India, Stephenson, Miley

By Mark Polishuk | April 24, 2022 at 10:27pm CDT

Terms weren’t reported on Derek Shelton’s contract when he was first hired as the Pirates’ manager in November 2019, but The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes that Shelton’s deal is believed to run through the 2023 campaign. That would make it a four-year commitment to Shelton, who has only a 95-158 record during his two-plus years of managing the rebuilding team. While nobody expected Shelton to win given his threadbare rosters, progress of some type is expected, so Rosenthal feels there could be some questions asked if the Pirates post another 100-loss season. However, Rosenthal also notes that “Shelton has served almost as an assistant general manager” to GM Ben Cherington.

Speaking to a broader point of Rosenthal’s piece about skippers around baseball, he writes that “GMs of tanking teams, in particular, often are reluctant to hold managers responsible for the non-competitive clubs they’ve assembled, knowing a dismissal will only lead to greater scrutiny of their own actions.” While there are certainly some managers on shorter-term deals who are under additional pressure in 2022, it remains to be seen how many of these skippers might actually be let go after the year.

AL Central Notes: Kwan, Tigers, Funkhouser, Manning, Mize, Kirilloff

By Mark Polishuk | April 24, 2022 at 4:43pm CDT

The Guardians suffered a 10-2 defeat to the Yankees and also lost outfielder Steven Kwan to right hamstring tightness in the third inning. Kwan started the game in left field and made his first two plate appearances before being replaced in the field in the bottom of the third. Guardians manager Terry Francona told MLB.com’s Joe Trezza and other reporters that it was a “preventative” removal for Kwan, and that the outfielder is day-to-day.

Making his MLB debut on Opening Day, Kwan has been one of the season’s early stories, hitting a whopping .341/.456/.500 over his first 57 plate appearances. Quite a bit of that production came in Kwan’s first five games, yet there is still plenty of hope that the rookie can stick as Cleveland’s everyday left fielder. Depending on his hamstring’s status, however, Kwan might soon be making his first trip to the big league IL. Kwan missed almost seven weeks of the 2021 Triple-A season while dealing with a strain of that same right hamstring.

More injury updates from around the AL Central…

Kyle Funkhouser has yet to pitch this season due to a right shoulder strain, and the Tigers moved him yesterday from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. “We’re trying to resolve the symptoms before we can progress more aggressively,” Hinch said. “The timeline made it virtually impossible for him to be back prior to the 60 days,” manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky). Hinch also noted that Funkhouser is speaking with doctors about whether or not surgery could be required, so the reliever could be facing a much longer absence than just the minimum 60 days.
In other Tigers news, Hinch said that Casey Mize will be resuming his throwing program today at the team’s spring training facility in Lakeland. Mize was placed on the 10-day IL on April 15 with a sprained MCL, though there were already early indications that the former first overall pick wouldn’t be out of action for too long, and that he has escaped a more serious injury. Matt Manning is also headed to Lakeland but won’t yet begin throwing, as his right shoulder was still feeling some discomfort when Manning threw off flat ground yesterday. Despite this update, Hinch said Manning didn’t have “a setback. It’s nothing we are overly concerned about. It’s just a slower ramp to playing catch before we get him back on the mound.”
Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff is slated to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday, according to multiple reporters (including Betsy Helfand of The St. Paul Pioneer Press). Right wrist inflammation sent Kirilloff to the injured list on April 13, so between the injury absence and a dismal 1-for-17 start to the season, Kirilloff will be looking for a reset once he returns to Minnesota’s lineup. Most importantly, Kirilloff and the Twins hope that this is the end of his wrist problems, as the former top prospect also underwent ligament surgery last year.

Injury Notes: Bell, Voit, deGrom, Walker

By Mark Polishuk | April 23, 2022 at 9:49pm CDT

Josh Bell left today’s 5-2 Nationals loss to the Giants due to tightness in his right hamstring. Bell walked and advanced to third base during the bottom of the second, but was replaced in the field for the top of the third inning. Nationals manager Davey Martinez said Bell was undergoing an MRI, which would mark the second MRI of the week for the first baseman after tests were negative on his left knee. Soreness in that left knee also forced Bell to make an early exit from Washington’s game on Wednesday.

Given that previous injury, Martinez told reporters (including Bobby Blanco of MASNsports.com) that “I want to be cautious” with Bell’s status. More will be known when the MRI results are in, but the Nationals might still opt to sit Bell on Sunday with an off-day coming up Monday, in the hopes that two days of rest will get him ready for Tuesday’s game with the Marlins. Apart from Bell and Juan Soto, the Nats are almost entirely off to a slow offensive start, so any time missed for Bell (batting .345/.446/.509 over his first 67 plate appearances) is a big loss for the D.C. lineup.

More injury news from around baseball….

Luke Voit has been bothered by a lingering right biceps problems, the Padres first baseman told The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Saunders and other reporters. With only a .143/.315/.167 slash line over his first 54 PA, Voit bluntly described himself as “a waste of an at-bat right now. I’m not doing the team any good. I played through injuries last year and it’s really hard.” Voit isn’t in tonight’s lineup, and while manager Bob Melvin indicated that Voit could be available to pinch-hit, a trip to the injured list might be necessary.
In an update on Jacob deGrom, the Mets ace underwent MRI and CT scans yesterday, manager Buck Showalter told The New York Post’s Mike Puma and other reporters. The MRI came a few days earlier than initially expected, though regardless, it doesn’t seem as though the Mets will have a plan of action in place anyway until doctors have fully reviewed the results. A stress reaction in deGrom’s right scapula during Spring Training resulted in a four-week shutdown, and these test results will mark the next step in the right-hander’s recovery process. If all goes well, deGrom could be cleared to start throwing, and a possible timetable could be floated for deGrom’s 2022 debut.
Taijuan Walker is much closer to his return, as Showalter told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jake Rill) that the right-hander is tentatively set to face the Phillies on either Friday or Saturday. Walker tossed two innings in his first Mets start of the season but has since been on the 10-day IL recovering from shoulder bursitis. After throwing a side session yesterday, Walker is now lined up for either a minor league rehab start or a simulated game on Tuesday.

Rays Notes: No-Hit Bid, Suzuki, Yarbrough

By Mark Polishuk | April 23, 2022 at 8:24pm CDT

The Rays tossed nine no-hit innings against the Red Sox today, but while the no-no was erased during a wild tenth inning, Kevin Kiermaier’s walkoff homer gave Tampa a 3-2 victory. Six different Rays pitchers combined to hold Red Sox batters without a hit or a run over the game’s first nine innings, yet the Tampa Bay lineup was also shut out (on two hits) against Boston pitching. The Sox finally broke out for two hits and two runs in the top of the 10th, yet the Rays roared back in the bottom half of the inning for what might already be the most unusual win of their season.

This is the 15th time in Major League history that a would-be no-hitter wasn’t broken up until extra innings, and only the second time that such a game was tossed by more than one pitcher. Matt Garza’s gem on July 26, 2010 remains the only no-hitter in Rays franchise history. Tampa has been on the wrong end of no-hit games on five occasions, with three of those five being perfect games (from Mark Buehrle, Dallas Braden, and Felix Hernandez).

Some more notes from St. Pete…

Seiya Suzuki was known to be on the Rays’ target list during the offseason, and the club was apparently prepared to make a big investment. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that the Rays’ offer to Suzuki was “close” to the five-year, $85MM deal the outfielder eventually landed from the Cubs. Between this push for Suzuki and the Rays’ even more surprising interest in Freddie Freeman this past winter, it could hint that Tampa Bay is prepared to be more financially aggressive than usual in its pursuit of a World Series, which might set the stage for some interesting trade possibilities as the deadline approaches. It also seems like the Rays were onto something with Suzuki, given how he has been on fire for the first two weeks of his Major League career.
Ryan Yarbrough is set to throw a rehab start at Triple-A today, Rays manager Kevin Cash told The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin and other reporters. If all goes well, it could line Yarbrough up to be activated from the 10-day injured list in time to start the Rays’ game with the Mariners on Thursday. Yarbrough has yet to pitch this season due to a groin injury. Working as a reliever, opener, bulk pitcher, and traditional starter over his four MLB seasons, Yarbrough has a 4.30 ERA over 499 2/3 career innings with Tampa.

Phillies Notes: Harper, Bohm

By TC Zencka | April 23, 2022 at 2:02pm CDT

An MRI on Bryce Harper’s injured right elbow came back clean, but it will still be a few days before he can take the field again, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. In fact, if it weren’t for the designated hitter now being a part of the National League, Harper would have been placed on the injured list, Gelb notes. He will stay on the roster and in the lineup as the designateted hitter.

With Harper at least temporarily entrenched as the DH, the Phillies’ defense will take a hit with Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in the outfield corners and Rhys Hoskins at first base. All three players would probably DH in a best-case scenario.

Harper’s injury, though hopefully short-term, highlights a larger roster issue for the Phillies. The outfield trio of Harper, Schwarber, and Castellanos aren’t going anywhere, but the Phillies could look to shake up the roster down the line by moving Hoskins or Alec Bohm. The younger Bohm has struggled defensively at the hot corner, and they could move him to first if they decide to move on from Hoskins, who has one more season of arbitration before free agency.

The club has also considered trading Bohm, however, notes The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. In just 12 games this season, Bohm’s value has already experienced wild swings in both directions. A three-error game at third saw him pushed to the bench for a few games, but in the last couple of days, Bohm’s bat has taken off. Such variance for a young player like Bohm is exactly why finding a trade partner is such a difficult task.

AL Central Notes: Guardians, Plesac, Quantrill, Tully, White Sox, Anderson

By TC Zencka | April 23, 2022 at 8:30am CDT

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson has been served a one-game suspension for making an obscene gesture towards the fans at Progressive Field, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Anderson apologized for the gesture. He’s appealing as well, so the suspension will not occur right away. Let’s stay in Cleveland for a few other updates…

The Athletic’s Zack Meisel thinks the Guardians are probably done handing out extensions for now. Shane Bieber is the big name remaining without an extension, with Franmil Reyes often mentioned as another player on that hypothetical list, despite his slow start to the season. Both Bieber and Reyes are set to enter free agency following the 2024 season.
On another payroll note, starter Zach Plesac is making $2MM this season, despite still being a year shy of arbitration. The contract is the result of a league and union decision stemming from the Guardians’ treatment of Plesac after he violated the team’s COVID protocols in 2020. The Guardians can certainly afford the small bump in payroll, as they’re still well under $80MM in terms of total contributions for the season.
Cal Quantrill has been cleared to return from the COVID-19 list and he will start today’s ballgame, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com (via Twitter). Tanner Tully will head back to Triple-A to make room on the active roster, notes Meisel (via Twitter). Tully tossed two innings in last night’s loss, serving up one earned run on two hits and a walk.

Injury Notes: Gray, Treinen, Urias, Herrera

By Anthony Franco | April 22, 2022 at 2:12pm CDT

The Rangers are placing starter Jon Gray back on the 10-day injured list, tweets Levi Weaver of the Athletic. The right-hander just returned after a minimal IL stint due to a blister on Tuesday, but he’s now suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee. General manager Chris Young didn’t sound concerned, suggesting this next stint might also be a minimal absence and could cost Gray just one start. Texas announced that righty Glenn Otto is being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to make his first MLB start of the season this evening. Gray, signed to a four-year deal over the offseason, has made two starts in Arlington thus far, allowing seven runs in nine innings.

The latest on some other injury situations around the game:

The Dodgers announced this afternoon that reliever Blake Treinen has been placed on the 10-day IL due to right shoulder discomfort. Treinen hasn’t pitched in eight days after experiencing some soreness in his arm. The team didn’t announce a timetable for his return, though that they elected against placing him on the IL for over a week indicates they were initially of the belief he wouldn’t miss more than a few days. Treinen is among the top arms in the L.A. bullpen, coming off a stellar 2021 campaign in which he posted a 1.99 ERA with a 29.7% strikeout rate and a 52.6% grounder percentage. He has made three appearances this season, serving up a game-winning homer to the Rockies’ Connor Joe on April 9 but otherwise not allowing a baserunner and punching out five.
Brewers third baseman Luis Urías began the season on the injured list due to a left quad issue. He’s moving closer to a return, as Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets that the 24-year-old is set to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Biloxi over the weekend. Urías is coming off a solid 2021 season, hitting .249/.345/.445 with 23 homers and a strong 11.1% walk rate across 570 plate appearances. The righty-hitting infielder posted excellent minor league numbers during his days as one of the sport’s most promising prospects, so the Brewers can reasonably expect him to build off last year’s showing when he’s healthy. In the meantime, Milwaukee has relied on a Jace Peterson – Mike Brosseau platoon at the hot corner. That duo has combined to hit just .108/.233/.108 in 43 trips to the plate.
The Phillies announced they’ve reinstated center fielder Odúbel Herrera from the injured list. Fellow outfielder Simón Muzziotti was optioned to Double-A Reading in a corresponding move. Herrera, re-signed to a modest one-year deal after the club declined a pricer option, entered Spring Training as the presumptive favorite for the center field job. He suffered a right oblique strain in late March that wound up costing him a month, though. After also losing Mickey Moniak to injury before the start of the season, the Phils have turned to Matt Vierling and Muzziotti through the season’s first two weeks. That hasn’t gone well, as Phils’ center fielders are hitting .118/.205/.147 through 40 plate appearances.

Tigers Notes: Mize, Manning, Pineda

By Anthony Franco | April 20, 2022 at 10:21pm CDT

The Tigers were dealt a couple scares in the rotation last week, with righties Casey Mize and Matt Manning both landing on the injured list due to arm issues. Mize suffered an MCL sprain in his throwing elbow, an ominous-sounding injury that seemed as if it could result in a long absence. There’s still not much clarity on his timetable for return, but the most recent news on the 24-year-old has been promising.

In an appearance on MLB Network Radio yesterday, manager A.J. Hinch said initial results indicated they’d “avoided any sort of catastrophic occurrence” (relayed by Jason Beck of MLB.com). Mize himself addressed the matter this afternoon, saying he “(feels) good” because he’s “not having surgery and … going to pitch again soon” (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press).

That Mize appears to have avoided a serious injury is obviously fantastic news for the club. The former first overall pick is an integral part of the organization’s present and future. That’s also true of Manning, himself a former top ten draftee and highly-regarded prospect. The 6’6″ hurler left his start over the weekend with shoulder discomfort. Detroit placed him on the injured list due to inflammation this afternoon, but Hinch didn’t sound particularly concerned. The manager said Manning is hoping to resume throwing as soon as this weekend (Beck link), suggesting his stay on the IL could be brief.

Even if Manning returns in short order, the Tigers will be down a couple starters through an ongoing stretch of six consecutive games without an off-day. In response, Detroit announced tonight they’re recalling veteran Michael Pineda to make his season debut tomorrow afternoon against the Yankees. Signed to a $5.5MM guarantee in Spring Training, Pineda consented to be optioned to open the year after being delayed in reporting to camp by visa issues.

The hope had been for the big righty to start three games with Triple-A Toledo before being called up, but he’ll be pressed into action after two minor league appearances by the injuries to Mize and Manning. Now that he’s in the majors again, Pineda figures to take the ball every fifth day as a regular member of the rotation. Once Mize and Manning return, Tyler Alexander would likely be bumped into a long relief role — assuming the club avoids intervening injuries.

Injury Notes: Buxton, Walker, Tatis

By Steve Adams and Anthony Franco | April 18, 2022 at 10:30pm CDT

Twins center fielder Byron Buxton exited Friday’s game with what initially looked like it could be a notable knee injury, but an MRI over the weekend ruled out any structural damage. Manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters Monday morning that Buxton is feeling optimistic and that within the next day or two, the Twins would be “talking about a specific plan for getting him back out there” (Twitter link via Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). President of baseball operations Derek Falvey joined the booth as a guest during the broadcast of today’s game and added that the hope is for Buxton, who has not been placed on the injured list, to rejoin the lineup at some point during the Twins’ upcoming series against the Royals. The Twins will travel to Kansas City for a three-game set running from Tuesday through Thursday.

The latest on some more health situations around the game:

Righty Taijuan Walker is headed out on a minor league rehab assignment this week and is expected to start for the Mets’ Class-A Advanced affiliate on Wednesday, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Walker, who landed on the injured list last week due to a case of bursitis in his pitching shoulder, may only need the one rehab appearance before being cleared to return. DiComo suggests the 29-year-old right-hander will likely line up to start one of next week’s games against the Cardinals. Walker’s first outing of the season lasted just two innings, but it seems he’ll be able to make a swift return to the rotation, barring any setbacks of note during his rehab outing. Walker posted a 4.47 ERA in 30 appearances for the Mets in 2021.
Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. has progressed to participating in light on-field baseball activities, writes AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. The two-time Silver Slugger award winner simulated taking ground-balls during infield practice before tonight’s game against the Reds, throwing the ball across the diamond to first base. Tatís is still wearing a brace and has yet to progress to fielding or swinging a bat as he rehabs from the mid-March surgery he underwent to repair a fractured scaphoid bone in his left wrist. The Padres initially placed a three-month timetable on his return to the field, though Cassavell writes Tatís recently opined he’s ahead of schedule in his recovery. The organization won’t make any firmer timetable until he begins to swing a bat, which manager Bob Melvin says will be the final baseball activity the team allows him to take. Tatís is on the 60-day injured list and ineligible to return until the first week of June. In all likelihood, he’ll be out for a bit beyond when he’s first eligible to return, but it’s welcome news that he’s progressed to getting some pre-game work in on the field.

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