Central Notes: Kimbrel, White Sox, Cubs, Donaldson, Boyd, Warren, File
White Sox GM Rick Hahn and Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer began trade discussions on July 9, ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers reports, and it wasn’t until July 20 that the two sides reconnected for what became more intensive talks that led to a pair of major trades. In separate deals, the Sox acquired Ryan Tepera on July 29 and then a deadline-day blockbuster that saw Craig Kimbrel head to the south side of Chicago.
Nick Madrigal emerged as the top piece in the Kimbrel deal, though it wasn’t until the day of the trade that the White Sox also added right-hander Codi Heuer to make it a two-player package. That was enough to put the Sox ahead of a competitive market, and in Kimbrel, the team landed a player that Hahn and executive VP Ken Williams had both prioritized as a key acquisition to bolster the bullpen.
More on both the AL and NL Central divisions…
- Josh Donaldson continues to be bothered by soreness in his right hamstring, and he didn’t see any action for the second consecutive game. Over the Twins‘ last 10 games, Donaldson has started twice and come off the bench three times, and manager Rocco Baldelli said the club is “still going to wait and see” if Donaldson can avoid the injured list. “JD is still a little sore and we are still working our way through, just figuring out a timeline as far as when he’ll be able to return,” Baldelli told Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and other reporters.
- Matthew Boyd threw a live batting practice session at the Tigers‘ Spring Training facility in Lakeland, manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other reporters. Boyd hasn’t pitched since June 14 due to a triceps issue, so a move to the 60-day injured list could be in the works should Detroit require some 40-man roster space in the near future. Boyd’s BP session does represent some progress, and a proper minor league rehab assignment could follow provided Boyd doesn’t hit any setbacks. The left-hander was off to a solid start to the 2021 season, posting a 3.44 ERA over his first 70 2/3 innings.
- Reds manager David Bell provided an update on Art Warren, telling reporters (including The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale) that Warren will require roughly another month to recover from a left oblique strain. The rookie right-hander has already missed about four weeks due to the injury, which interrupted a strong beginning to Warren’s first season in Cincinnati. Warren struck out 36.2% of opposing batters while posting a 1.88 ERA over 14 1/3 innings out of the Reds’ bullpen.
- The Brewers announced that right-hander Dylan File has been activated off the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Nashville. File underwent elbow surgery in February and has yet to pitch this season, apart from some minor league rehab outings. Considering that the Brewers are dealing with several bullpen absences due to injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak, it might not be out of the question that the 25-year-old File is called up to make his MLB debut before the 2021 season is through.
AL East Notes: Schwarber, Bichette, Arozarena, Kiermaier, Johnson
Although the Red Sox got some very good news today, in the form of Chris Sale‘s imminent return, there’s also some not-so-great news. Kyle Schwarber‘s rehab has hit a snag, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. According to McCaffrey’s sources, “Schwarber has suffered a minor setback with left groin tightness in the midst of his rehab from a right hamstring strain.” Before the injury, Schwarber having his best offensive season to date, putting up a wRC+ of 137. The Red Sox acquired him at the trade deadline with the idea to transition him to playing first base. Any increase to his time on the shelf will put a squeeze on the amount of time he has to get acquainted with his new position as the end of the season creeps closer.
Elsewhere in the AL East…
- Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is out of today’s lineup because of shin contusions, reports Scott Mitchell of TSN. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet connects the injury to Bichette fouling balls off himself yesterday. Bichette is in the midst of an excellent season at the plate, slashing .293/.342/.478, for a wRC+ of 123 over 473 plate appearances. At the start of today’s games, the Jays were three games back of Oakland for the AL’s final wildcard playoff spot and will surely be hoping for Bichette to return in short order, as he’s been one of their most valuable contributors this year.
- Randy Arozarena could be activated on Tuesday, per Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. The outfielder was placed on the COVID-IL on Friday because of a close contact. If he is expected back so quickly, it can be assumed that he has not tested positive himself. After a huge breakout in 2020, Arozarena is having another excellent season, with a wRC+ of 125 over 427 plate appearances.
- Kevin Kiermaier left last night’s game with knee soreness but appears to have avoided serious injury, per Topkin. The outfielder is having a fourth-consecutive subpar season at the plate, slashing .232/.297/.324, producing a wRC+ of 77. Though on account of his excellent defensive work, he’s still been worth 1.1 fWAR this season.
- DJ Johnson left today’s game with right shoulder discomfort, per Topkin. The 31-year-old was just acquired from Cleveland before the trade deadline and has had seen very limited MLB action this year. In Triple-A, he has a 3.32 ERA over 21 2/3 innings, with an excellent strikeout rate of 34% but an elevated walk rate of 10.7%.
NL Health Notes: Freeman, Rodgers, Lindor
Freddie Freeman left Saturday’s game with “an upper respiratory infection”, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Bowman also points out that Freeman tested negative for COVID-19 and that he may have caught an unspecified “bug” that his kids have at the moment. The Braves’ superstar first baseman is having yet another excellent season, with a wRC+ of 136. If he can maintain that level of production for the remainder of the campaign, it would mark an amazing ninth straight season with a wRC+ of 132 or higher. Freeman is out of the lineup today but hasn’t been placed on the IL, which suggests the Braves expect a short absence. In fact, Bowman says he could have played today, though the team will play it cautious and let him rest a bit longer. The club is in the midst of a three-team pennant race, sitting two games behind the Phillies and just half a game behind the Mets.
More notes from the National League…
- Brendan Rodgers was removed from last night’s game after being hit on the hand but seems to have avoided significant injury. Rockies Manager Bud Black says that the x-rays came back negative, per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. The infielder is finally getting a good run of playing time from the club and making good on his prospect pedigree. He’s been on Baseball America’s Top 100 every year since 2016. Through 227 plate appearances this season, he’s slashing .286/.348/.485, for a wRC+ of 110. The club has no need to rush him back, as they are well out of contention, 12 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.
- Francisco Lindor‘s return timeline is still murky, even to himself. “I don’t know when I’ll be back,” Lindor said, per Newsday’s Tim Healey. “I would love to sit here and say, I’ll be back at home. Or I would love to say, I’ll be playing rehab [games] next week. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” Before going on the IL with an oblique strain in mid-July, the star shortstop was mired in his worst season to date, slashing .228/.326/.376 for a wRC+ of 97, although that was mostly caused by an ice-cold start to the year. Since May 29th, his wRC+ has been an excellent 133. The Mets acquired Javier Baez at the deadline to try and cover for Lindor’s absence but have nonetheless slid out of the top spot in their division. They will surely be hoping for Lindor to recover as soon as possible, as the NL East pennant race seems destined to go down to the wire.
AL Injury Notes: Robert, Grandal, Rogers, Archer
Luis Robert is expected to rejoin the White Sox this week, per Jared Wyllys of The Chicago Sun-Times. The outfielder has been out since early May after suffering a Grade 3 strain of his right hip flexor tendon. Rehabbing players can spend 20 days in the minors on rehab assignments. Since Robert’s first game of his rehab was July 21st, the 20 days will have elapsed tomorrow, August 9th. [UPDATE: Robert will be activated before tomorrow’s game, Tony La Russa told The Athletic’s James Fegan and other reporters.]
Given Robert’s immense talent, this is tremendous news for the club. But it’s also going to create some tough decisions. “We’re going to get squeezed. We’ve had some guys earn a lot of at-bats who don’t want to give them up, so we’ll see what happens,” Wyllys quotes manager Tony La Russa as saying. In the absence of Robert, and the recently-returned Eloy Jimenez, the White Sox have had some players step up and hold the outfield together. Brian Goodwin, signed to a minor league contract in May, has been given 165 plate appearances and responded by putting up a wRC+ of 119. Gavin Sheets has a wRC+ of 111 across 99 plate appearances. But before going on the IL, Robert was a notch above both, with a wRC+ of 128 in 103 plate appearances. And the White Sox obviously consider Robert a cornerstone of their club, given the big extension they gave him before the 2020 season. Between Robert, Jimenez, Goodwin, Sheets and Adam Engel, the team will be spoiled for choices in the outfield, as they are sitting comfortably atop the AL Central 10 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland.
More from the Junior Circuit…
- La Russa also provides an update on Yasmani Grandal, who is doing on-field drills but isn’t quite ready for a rehab assignment. “There’s been some discussion, but I think it’s still a guestimate,” La Russa said. “The big thing, he’s improving, and he’s getting better.” Grandal has always had a profile that included low batting averages, overcome by high walk rates and power. But he took that model to new extremes in 2021 before tearing a tendon in his knee in July, as evidenced by his incredible slash line of .188/.388/.426, producing a wRC+ of 135. Seby Zavala has done well in his stead, slashing .238/.333/.500, though in a small sample of just 50 plate appearances.
- Chris McCosky of The Detroit News gets an update on Jake Rogers from Tigers manager AJ Hinch. “He’s not quite ready to throw yet,” Hinch said. “We won’t see him in the month of August. September at the earliest. We just hope there are no setbacks at this point. If we do anything that causes a setback between now and September, then we’re talking about missing the rest of the year. So we’re trying to be super cautious with his step by step progress.” Before hurting his throwing arm in July, the 26-year-old catcher was enjoying a breakout season, slashing .239/.306/.496, with a wRC+ of 116. With Rogers out, Eric Haase has taken over with aplomb, producing an even better line of .247/.297/.532, for a wRC+ of 122.
- Chris Archer could potentially resume his rehab assignment this week, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The righty was removed from a rehab start a week ago with hip soreness. It seems to have only been a minor setback, with Archer getting back on the mound this week. As of last week, Archer was scheduled to throw 75 pitches, on his way to building up for a starter’s workload. But he was removed after 31 pitches because of the hip issue. Tampa surprisingly subtracted from its rotation at the trade deadline, sending Rich Hill to the Mets, seemingly confident enough in the emergence of younger options such as Luis Patino, Shane McClanahan and Josh Fleming. Archer has an excellent track record but is a few years removed from meaningful contributions on the hill, due to various injuries. Since 2019, he’s thrown 124 innings, with an ERA of 5.23.
NL Injury Notes: d’Arnaud, Ynoa, Flaherty, Mikolas, Sims, Antone, Senzel
The Braves are planning to activate Travis d’Arnaud from the 60-day injured list this week, possibly on Tuesday when the team begins a series with the Reds. Manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that d’Arnaud is slated to catch all nine innings of a minor league rehab game tomorrow, representing a final step in his recovery from surgery to repair a thumb ligament. A Silver Slugger winner in 2020, d’Arnaud hasn’t played since May 1 of this season, contributing to Atlanta’s near-total dearth of production from the catcher position.
Huascar Ynoa is also working his way back from a broken hand, as Snitker said the righty threw 68 pitches in his most recent rehab outing on Friday, and is scheduled to toss roughly 85 pitches in his next outing. With a 3.02 ERA over nine starts and 44 2/3 innings, Ynoa was a nice surprise for Atlanta’s rotation prior to his injury, and he could be used as either a starter, long reliever, or both upon his return to the active roster.
More injury updates from around the National League…
- “I’m going to pitch in Pittsburgh,” Jack Flaherty told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters, indicating that he plans to return from the 60-day IL during the Cardinals‘ upcoming series with the Pirates from August 10-12. A left oblique strain put Flaherty on the IL on June 1, leaving the Cards without their ace for a big chunk of the season. Miles Mikolas is also tentatively scheduled to return for next weekend’s series against the Royals, as Mikolas is working through a minor league rehab assignment of his own. Mikolas missed the entire 2020 season due to flexor tendon surgery, then made just one start in May before heading back to the IL due to forearm tightness.
- Some bullpen reinforcements look to be on the way for the Reds, as Lucas Sims might be activated from the 10-day IL on Sunday, and Tejay Antone could be ready sometime this week. Both relievers went on the injured list in the final week of June — Sims with a sprained right elbow, and Antone with a right forearm strain. Reds manager David Bell told Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer and other reporters that Sims has “a pretty strong chance” of returning tomorrow, while Antone’s timeline is more tentative since he was only scheduled to begin his rehab assignment today. “We want to get him back as quick as we can, but we want to do it in a way that is best for Tejay, and we can have him for the rest of the year and he doesn’t have to deal with this anymore at all, even next year or beyond,” Bell said.
- Nick Senzel‘s status is even more uncertain, as Bell said Senzel is “still not recovering exactly how we would want him to” after a week of rehab games. Senzel underwent arthroscopic knee surgery at the end of May, and was initially given a recovery timeline of 4-6 weeks. Things are open-ended enough that Bell said Senzel might return to the Reds within a couple of days if he shows improvement, but for now, the oft-injured Senzel is once again sidelined.
East Notes: Red Sox, Martinez, Houck, Rays, McHugh, Phillies, Anderson
The Red Sox have placed designated hitter J.D. Martinez on the COVID-related injured list today after he wasn’t feeling well, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Martinez joins centerfielder Jarren Duran as players recently placed on the COVID-related IL. Test results have not returned for either Martinez or Duran, notes The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. Connor Wong has been added to the active roster in Martinez’s place.
- Tanner Houck was also added to the roster to make a start in today’s doubleheader, notes Abraham. He will be their 27th man. Houck has a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings, which includes four starts and a pair of appearances out of the pen — his last start coming on July 28th. His Triple-A numbers haven’t been quite as good, but no matter where he’s pitched, he’s been striking out batters, owning a combined 31.3 percent strikeout rate on the year.
- Elsewhere in the American League East, the Rays reinstated Collin McHugh from the injured list, optioning Louis Head to Triple-A, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Head has been tremendous when active, tossing 20 innings with a 1.35 ERA/2.71 FIP. McHugh is no slouch himself, however, with a 1.51 ERA/1.36 FIP across 41 2/3 innings. Both right-handers have been able to fill a role as a multi-inning reliever for manager Kevin Cash.
- In the National League, the Phillies placed Chase Anderson on the 10-day injured list with right triceps tendinitis, recalling Nick Maton from Triple-A, per the team. With a 6.75 ERA/5.85 FIP on the year, one would think that Anderson’s rotation spot would be up for grabs if his absence.The first-place Phillies won’t need to fill his rotation spot until next Saturday, notes The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (via Twitter).
COVID Notes: Brewers, Diamondbacks, Protocols
The latest on COVID-19 around the league:
- The Brewers have been dealing with virus spread throughout the clubhouse in recent days, and another pair of players has tested positive. Starter Adrian Houser and reliever Jandel Gustave tested positive and were placed on the COVID IL, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). They join Josh Hader, Hunter Strickland, Eric Lauer, Jake Cousins, Keston Hiura and Christian Yelich on the COVID list. Yelich was cleared to return to the club today, but Milwaukee has elected to hold off on activating him for now as the star outfielder works his way back into game shape following a ten-day absence.
- The Diamondbacks have also been hit by COVID spread recently, but they got one of their players back today. Reliever Joe Mantiply, who had been out as a close contact of a player(s) who tested positive, was reinstated from the IL before this evening’s game against the Padres. Fellow southpaw Ryan Buchter, who was selected last week, was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A Reno. As a COVID replacement, Buchter could be reassigned to the minor leagues without needing to pass through waivers.
- The recent uptick in viral spread (the Rockies and Yankees have each had similar issues recently) in both the league and the United States as a whole has caught the attention of MLB and the Players Association. After relaxing restrictions for vaccinated players and staff in mid-June, MLB is considering tightening protocols, reports Evan Drellich of the Athletic. The league updated its mask policy at Spring Training facilities this week, requiring those working at the facilities to wear masks in indoor areas regardless of vaccination status, Drellich writes. It seems MLB would prefer to tighten mask and distancing protocols rather than “aggressively” incentivize further vaccination among players and staff. Drellich writes that 85.5% of Tier 1 personnel leaguewide (players, coaches and other staff members in direct contact with the team) have been vaccinated.
Nationals Notes: Scherzer, Turner, Soto, Staff
Prior to becoming a member of the Dodgers, there were rumors that the Red Sox were “in the mix” of the Max Scherzer sweepstakes. However, it doesn’t seem as if talks got very far, according to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo. When asked about the report that Scherzer was willing to waive his no-trade rights to join Boston’s rotation, Rizzo said, “We never got that close to a deal with the Red Sox so that was never a question that was posed to him,” according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, relaying an interview with Rizzo on 106.7 The Fan.
Some other notes from DC…
- Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the Nats’ last extension offer to Trea Turner was for six years, $100MM. Heyman also says that the Nats didn’t make another offer in the spring of 2021, as had been reported. This would have been fairly close to the six-year, $120MM extension Xander Bogaerts signed with the Red Sox in April of 2019. Although Bogaerts was just a year away from free agency then, whereas Turner would have been three years away in March of 2020. Betting on himself seems to have paid off for Turner so far. His salary in 2020 was $7.45MM, though that was prorated to around $2.75MM with the shortened season. This year, he’s making $13MM and will be in line for a hefty arbitration raise in 2022. He could then go into free agency as a 29-year-old, having already banked around $35MM of that $100MM.
- Juan Soto “felt something in his knee” in tonight’s game, manager Dave Martinez tells various reporters, including Bobby Blanco of MASN. After a trade deadline fire sale, Soto was the figurative last man standing, staying put and watching Scherzer and Turner walk out the door, as well as Josh Harrison, Yan Gomes, Kyle Schwarber and others. The lefty is having yet another excellent season, with a wRC+ of 144 and 3.1 fWAR. But since the team has seemingly already waved the white flag on the season with the aforementioned fire sale, they can afford to be cautious with their remaining star if any issues arise.
- Martinez also says five members of his staff that tested positive for COVID-19 have been cleared to rejoin the club, according to Gene Wang of The Washington Post. These positive tests were part of the same outbreak that sent Trea Turner and Daniel Hudson to the IL last week.
Mariners Notes: Thomas, Sheffield, Dunn
The Mariners have outrighted Dillon Thomas, according to a club announcement.
The outfielder was initially selected by the Rockies in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. After a decade in the minor league systems of the Rockies, Brewers and Mariners, the 28-year-old was finally selected to a big league roster earlier this year. Unfortunately, he was only able to play four games, accumulating nine plate appearances, striking out in seven of them and getting one hit. His Triple-A numbers this year are solid, slashing .273/.379/.458, good enough for a wRC+ of 110.
Other notes from Seattle…
- Justus Sheffield will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow, according to Jen Mueller of ROOT Sports. Sheffield has been out almost a month with both a flexor strain and an oblique strain. Before going on the IL, Sheffield was struggling to replicate his solid 2020 season. After 55 1/3 innings of 3.58 ERA ball last year, the lefty has logged 73 2/3 innings this year with his ERA having ballooned up to 6.48.
- Mueller also provides an update on Justin Dunn. Though this one is not as encouraging, as Dunn has not begun throwing off a mound yet. The righty has been on the IL since mid-June with a shoulder strain. The 25-year-old was enjoying a breakout season before the injury, throwing 50 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.75. He had also increased his strikeout rate and reduced his walk rate, compared to last year.
Reds Notes: Bryant, Turner, Castellanos, Sims
The Reds had a fairly quiet deadline, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this week that they pursued at least one outside-the-box upgrade to their lineup: Kris Bryant. Cincinnati viewed Bryant as a possible option in center field, but would only have been able to acquire him in the event that the Cubs paid the remaining $6.8MM on his contract between the deadline and the end of the season. The Reds also at least looked into Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, Rosenthal adds, though those talks never became particularly serious.
It stands to reason that if the Reds would’ve needed the Cubs to cover the remainder of Bryant’s contract, the same would’ve held true with the Nationals in a deal for Turner, who is earning $13MM in 2021 and was owed $4.5MM from July 31 through season’s end. He’ll also be in line for a considerable raise via arbitration this winter, and Turner would have naturally come with a higher cost of acquisition, from a prospect standpoint, due that extra year of control.
In the end, the Reds’ deadline brought them a trio relievers in Mychal Givens, Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson, all of whom were acquired at minimal prospect cost. They’ll deepen a Reds relief corps that ranks 28th in the Majors with a 5.34 ERA and currently has two of its best relievers, Tejay Antone and Lucas Sims, on the injured list.
More out of Cincinnati…
- The Reds could get slugger Nick Castellanos back in the lineup as soon as today, writes Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The 29-year-old Castellanos sustained a microfracture in his wrist when he was hit by a pitch three weeks ago. Initial X-rays didn’t catch the fracture, which led to Castellanos making some pinch-hit appearances while playing through considerable discomfort, but a CT scan eventually revealed the damage. Castellanos said back on July 21 that was unable to swing a bat, but Nightengale notes that Castellanos has taken batting practice three times this week. Manager David Bell said the club’s primary concern is getting Castellanos “back to full strength” so he doesn’t develop any poor mechanics as compensation for a lack of strength in the wrist. Castellanos, who can opt out of the final two years of his contract this offseason, has mashed at a .329/.383/.582 pace and clubbed 18 home runs through 368 plate appearances in 2021.
- Injured righty Lucas Sims is progressing through a rehab assignment and made his fourth appearance with Triple-A Louisville last night. Bell told reporters recently that the plan was to build Sims up to pitch in back-to-back games (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com), which he’s yet to do. Still, the fact that he’s progressed through four rehab outings, seemingly without issue, suggests a return sooner than later for the righty, who’d been on a lights-out hot streak before getting clobbered for three runs without recording an out on June 22. Sims was placed on the injured list with an elbow sprain the next day. Sims has had three particularly tough outings in 2021, including that final appearance before going on the injured list, but has generally been solid otherwise. His 5.02 ERA is skewed by that handful of rough outings, but Sims carries vastly more encouraging marks in FIP (3.44), SIERA (3.20) and strikeout percentage (34.9). A healthy Sims would be a major boost to the Reds’ bullpen as they push to close a four-game gap in the Wild Card standings.