Injury Notes: Elieser, Brantley, Bracho, Senzel
Marlins righty Elieser Hernandez left today’s start in the third inning due to what the team described as “inflammation in his right biceps tendon.” Hernandez experienced a big velocity drop after his previous two innings of work, and manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola) that he initially thought it could be a recurrence of the blister problem that has bothered Hernandez in the past. Mattingly didn’t have any updates about Hernandez’s status after the game, other than to say “obviously, it’s something that we’ll have to be careful with.”
After posting a 3.16 ERA over the small sample size of 25 2/3 innings in 2020, Hernandez was being eyed by the Marlins as a candidate for a much more extended breakout this year. However, with Hernandez now possibly sidelined and Sixto Sanchez and prospect Edward Cabrera already nursing injuries, Miami already finds itself short on pitching depth. The Marlins have a bit of flexibility due to off-days both tomorrow and on April 9, but with Hernandez possibly facing an IL stint, De Nicola suggests the club could again look to acquire some veteran starting depth to replace the recently-retired Gio Gonzalez.
More injury updates from around baseball…
- X-rays were negative on Michael Brantley‘s right wrist after the Astros slugger was hit by a pitch from Oakland’s Cole Irvin today. Brantley remained in the game to play left field in the bottom half of the inning, but was replaced by pinch-hitter Chas McCormick the next inning when it was Brantley’s next turn at the plate. Manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com’s Alyson Footer and other reporters that the team initially feared a much worse injury: “I went out to talk to Michael, he couldn’t feel his fingers….He’ll probably be sore for a couple days. He couldn’t turn the bat head over so he’s day to day until then.” McCormick was playing in just his second career big league game today, though on a Houston club that was already lacking in outfield depth, McCormick looks to be the top fill-in option if Brantley has to miss a significant amount of time.
- Right-hander Silvino Bracho suffered a left oblique strain in his final spring outing, Giants manager Gabe Kapler told Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group and other reporters. Bracho is back playing catch but he will kept off a mound for the next 7-10 days. The oblique problem represents yet another health setback for Bracho, who missed all of 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery and then pitched only a single inning in 2020 due to both a setback in his TJ recovery and then a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. With 89 2/3 total MLB innings on his resume, Bracho had spent his entire pro career in the Diamondbacks organization before signing a minor league deal with the Giants during the offseason.
- Nick Senzel left the Reds‘ first game of the season due to a shoulder injury, but the outfielder returned to action today as a midgame defensive substitution. He also received one plate appearance in the Reds’ 9-6 victory over the Cardinals. There was certainly reason to fear the worst given Senzel’s lengthy injury history, though manager David Bell told reporters (including the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith) that Senzel’s issue was “nothing serious” and that Senzel could be “back in the lineup in a matter of a day or two.”
Quick Hits: Pirates, Royals, Nationals
Ke’Bryan Hayes left today’s game against the Cubs with left wrist discomfort, per Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Chicago (via Twitter). The injury occured while diving back to the first base bag during a pickoff attempt. Hayes is a hot name coming into the season coming off a robust 1.9 bWAR/1.6 fWAR in just 95 plate appearances last season. He hit a two-run homer yesterday to affirm many who made him their pick for 2021 NL Rookie of the Year. Easily the most exciting young talent on this Pirates team, it would be quite the blow to fan morale to lose Hayes for any length of time this early in the season. [UPDATE: X-rays were negative on Hayes’ wrist, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.]
Elsewhere around the game…
- Hunter Dozier’s hand is swollen, but the Royals don’t think he’ll miss enough time to warrant a roster move, per Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). Dozier left Thursday’s opener late in the game when he right thumb swelled up as he took practice swings. Hanser Alberto was his in-game replacement, and he’s a good candidate to start games at the hot corner until Dozier is well enough to go again.
- The Nationals are exploring the market for veteran catchers, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). Jonathan Lucroy is at least one name on their radar. The Nats would appear to be relatively set at catcher with veterans Yan Gomes and Alex Avila already on the roster. It is best to avoid connecting any dots between this report and the Nats’ COVID-19 outbreak for the time being, however. Though the names of those affected have not yet been released, there’s little utility nor sensitivity in speculating. That said, the Nationals are fairly well stocked in the minors as well with Welington Castillo, Tres Barrera and Raudy Read in Triple-A, though only Barrera is currently on the 40-man roster.
Diamondbacks Place Nick Ahmed On 10-Day Injured List, Promote Geraldo Perdomo
3:18PM: The D’Backs have officially announced the move. Ahmed’s IL placement is retroactive to March 31.
11:27AM: The Diamondbacks are preparing to promote shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to make his Major League debut, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). It’s certainly early in the season for this type of promotion, but Nick Ahmed‘s continued knee pain may be forcing the issue. It’s looking like Ahmed will soon head to the injured list.
The 21-year-old Perdomo has just 26 games at High-A, so his promotion does come as somewhat of a surprise. With the minor league season yet to get underway, however, there’s certainly some sense to getting Perdomo some game action in a short-term fill-in capacity. Thus far in his professional career, Perdomo has shown a tremendous approach at the plate with well-above-average bat-to-ball skills. He has not yet displayed much power, but between his approach at the plate, speed, and defensive skill-set, the Diamondbacks expect Perdomo to eventually take over as their starting shortstop.
That said, Ahmed signed a contract extension in February 2020 that runs through 2023 season, so he is very much still Arizona’s shortstop of the present and the team can take its time in developing Perdomo. Fangraphs ranked Perdomo 68th on their list of the game’s best prospects, his highest finish as a consensus choice in top-100 rankings from Baseball America (75th), MLB.com (79th), Baseball Prospectus (90th), and The Athletic’s Keith Law (91st).
NL West Injury Notes: Dodgers, Rockies, Giants
Brusdar Graterol‘s placement on the 60-day injured list was either a procedural move or incorrect, depending on who you ask, but the Dodgers‘ right-hander does plan on returning to the field in less than 60 days. His delayed debut this season is “related to COVID from the past,” per Jorge Castillo of the LA Times. It’s a peculiar situation surrounding the flame-throwing Venezuelan. He’s not hurt, simply behind. He didn’t begin throwing this spring until late in March, and he’s still working himself into game shape. Let’s make the rounds to see how other arms are progressing out west…
- Kyle Freeland is working his way back from a shoulder injury suffered near the end of spring training, and there’s no timetable for his return. That said, he does appear to be making progress, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Specifics remain scarce, but the presumption seems to be that Freeland’s injury won’t threaten his season. The Rockies are able to start the season with a four man rotation, but they’ll soon need to add another arm to the mix beyond German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela, Jon Gray, and Austin Gomber. Newly-signed Jhoulys Chacin could be a candidate for bulk innings. Keep an eye on Antonio Santos in the long-term. The 24-year-old righty made his debut last season after just eight starts in Double-A. He may not be the first name called this season, but he’s likely to find his way back to the Majors at some point in 2021.
- The Giants released a number of injury updates, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter). Jaylin Davis will be out for four to six weeks as he rehabs left knee tendinitis. John Brebbia and Tyler Beede are both throwing twice-weekly bullpens as they prepare to come back from Tommy John surgery. Dedniel Nunez underwent his own Tommy John surgery this past Tuesday, and he will begin his rehab process this week. Lastly, Alex Wood threw a sim game as he tries to return from a lower back strain. Wood was expected to play a big role in the Giants rotation picture this season, and they still hope that’s the case.
Quick Hits: Donaldson, Red Sox, Peacock, Casali
Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson doubled in his first at-bat of 2021 on Thursday, but the club then pulled him out of the game as a result of right hamstring tightness. The Twins will re-evaluate Donaldson on Friday, manager Rocco Baldelli told Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com and other reporters. While this fortunately doesn’t appear to be a calf problem for Donaldson, who has dealt with those in previous seasons, it’s nonetheless disheartening for Minnesota to see him deal with yet another health problem at the outset of the campaign. The former AL MVP only played in 165 regular-season games from 2017-18 as a Blue Jay and Indian, and after a healthy 2019 with the Braves, the Twins signed him to a four-year, $92MM contract. Donaldson appeared in just 28 of a possible 60 games in the first year of the deal, though.
- The Red Sox and right-handed reliever Matt Barnes discussed a contract extension during the spring, but there’s little optimism about a deal coming together, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com writes. That leaves the 30-year-old on track to reach free agency next winter, and in the meantime, he’ll earn $4.5MM this season. The hard-throwing Barnes, a career-long member of the Red Sox, has pitched to a 4.08 ERA with a 29.9 percent strikeout rate in 337 1/3 innings since debuting in 2014. He amassed 60-plus innings in each season from 2016-19.
- Free-agent right-hander Brad Peacock is healthy after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery last October and will hold a showcase for interested teams Friday in Florida, MLBTR has learned. The 33-year-old Peacock’s shoulder troubles limited him to a mere three appearances in 2020, his last season as an Astro, but he was an effective swingman for the club during the few preceding campaigns. Between 2016-19, Peacock recorded a 3.48 ERA and a 28.7 percent strikeout rate across 128 appearances (42 starts) and 320 1/3 innings.
- Catcher Curt Casali earned a $500K bonus when he landed a spot on the Giants’ season-opening roster, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Casali, whom the Giants signed to a $1.5MM contract in free agency, will back up Buster Posey. He earned that deal after a three-year stretch with the Reds in which he hit a respectable .260/.345/.440 with 18 home runs in 485 plate appearances.
Quick Hits: Strange-Gordon, Seager, Universal DH, MLBTR Origins
Utilityman Dee Strange-Gordon has turned down multiple minor-league offers since being released by the Reds last week, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). It seems that Strange-Gordon would rather work out independently in hopes that a more direct path back to the majors presents itself as team needs arise during the season. Cincinnati was one of the teams that offered Strange-Gordon a new minor-league opportunity after he failed to crack their Opening Day roster, Rosenthal reports.
More from around baseball:
- Extension negotiations with Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa have drawn plenty of headlines in recent days. Things have been rather quiet regarding another impending free agent star shortstop, Corey Seager. The Dodgers did make some effort to work out a long-term deal with Seager this spring, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Those discussions apparently didn’t get very far, as Heyman notes Seager “will enter the (regular) season without an extension.”
- There is no expectation of a universal designated hitter for the 2021 season, Heyman reiterates (Twitter link). That has been the case for several weeks but Padres’ right-hander Yu Darvish caught the attention of some fans when he told reporters (including Scott Miller) this afternoon he had “all the trust” the National League DH would be in play this year. MLB and the MLBPA agreed to an expanded playoff format covering the 2020 season mere hours before first pitch on Opening Day last summer, fueling some (unsubstantiated) speculation of a similar last-minute agreement on playoff expansion and the universal DH for 2021 as well.
- MLBTradeRumors founder Tim Dierkes recently sat down for an interview with Michael Wall of Too Opinionated. Dierkes looked back on the origins of MLBTR and shed some light on the site’s long-term progression and day-to-day management. Wall and Dierkes also discussed their expectations for the upcoming season, the top players still available in free agency, the role of advanced metrics in baseball, and much more.
NL East Notes: Mets, Conforto, Phillies, Marlins
With the Mets still engaged in extension talks with Francisco Lindor, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that the team is waiting to resolve things with Lindor before continuing negotiations with their other major extension candidate, Michael Conforto. Lindor has made it clear that he wants to reach a new deal by Opening Day, whereas Conforto and agent Scott Boras have each expressed a bit more flexibility to talk during the season, though Conforto has said he would “ideally” prefer to also have a potential new contract finalized before games get underway.
More from the NL East…
- The Phillies announced this afternoon they’ve reassigned outfielder Odúbel Herrera to the alternate training site. Adam Haseley has made the Opening Day roster. Herrera and Haseley were among the group competing for the Phils’ center field job. The latter was set back by an early-March groin strain but has apparently made a quick enough recovery to be ready for Thursday’s season opener.
- In other Phillies news, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that top prospect Spencer Howard will work primarily out of the bullpen in 2021. It’s not a permanent switch, as Dombrowski stressed the organization sees Howard as a starting pitcher long-term. The Phils are being particularly cautious in monitoring the young righty’s innings after he worked just 71 minor-league frames in 2019 and was limited to 24.1 MLB innings during last year’s shortened season.
- The Marlins have sold the naming rights to their ballpark, Danilo J. Santos of the Fish Stripes blog reported (Twitter link). Mortgage company loanDepot purchased the rights, and thus the former Marlins Park will now be known as loanDepot Park, according to Fox Sports 640’s Andy Slater (via Twitter). Terms of the multi-year contract haven’t been announced, though as the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson notes, the news concludes the Marlins’ long search for a naming-rights partner that has been ongoing since the stadium opened in 2012.
Blue Jays Notes: Springer, Dunedin Schedule, Zeuch
It is looking “unlikely” that George Springer will be available for the Blue Jays’ Opening Day roster, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi (Twitter link) reports that Springer’s oblique strain is progressing well but not quite well enough to avoid missing some time. The Jays “will make a last-minute decision” on Springer leading up to their first game of the season, and if an injured-list placement is required, the borderline nature of Springer’s status would seem to hint that the outfielder might only be out for a minimal amount of time. That said, the Jays will certainly be cautious with their prized offseason signing, especially considering how oblique problems can linger and occasionally lead to multiple months on the IL.
More from the Jays…
- The team officially announced that they will play their home games in Dunedin through the end of May. The Jays had already committed to their temporary ballpark through their first two homestands of the season, but have now added that the May 14-24 homestand will also take place in Florida. Team president Mark Shapiro recently stated that the Blue Jays would likely be in Dunedin until early June, when the increasingly hot weather could prompt a return to Buffalo, site of the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate.
- T.J. Zeuch will make the Opening Day roster, manager Charlie Montoyo told The Toronto Star’s Laura Armstrong and other reporters on Monday. The 21st overall pick of the 2016 draft, Zeuch has a 3.71 ERA/5.09 SIERA and 52.8% groundball rate over 34 innings as a big leaguer. Zeuch will theoretically fill in for Robbie Ray (who will miss his first start due to a bruised elbow) in some capacity, though rather than a straight-forward spot start, Zeuch could be part of a bullpen game, work as a piggyback starter, or perhaps work as a bulk pitcher behind an opener.
COVID Notes: 3/30/21
The latest on coronavirus-related situations around the sport…
- The Astros announced that Myles Straw, Abraham Toro, and Garrett Stubbs have rejoined the team after clearing COVID-19 protocols. (MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart was among those to report the news.) The trio were absent for contract-tracing purposes in the wake of another positive test within Houston’s camp.
- Matt Barnes‘ positive COVID-19 test over the weekend was determined to be a false positive or a non-infectious positive, and the reliever has been cleared to return to Red Sox camp. Barnes tested negative several times before being allowed to rejoin the team, and with only a few days of action missed, Barnes tells Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe and other reporters that he is ready for Opening Day.
- Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter tested positive for COVID-19, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck) yesterday. Other coaches are out of camp while contact tracing and further tests are administered, though it appears to be somewhat precautionary, as Hinch said that “no one else — player, staff — has been impacted or affected by this.” The Tigers have yet to decide who will act as on the on-field pitching coach while Fetter is quarantined. Fetter is entering his first season with the organization after previously working as the University of Michigan’s pitching coach.
Yankees Notes: Wilson, Luetge, Voit, Wade, King, Nelson
Yankees lefty Justin Wilson will open the 2021 season on the injured list, general manager Brian Cashman announced to reporters Monday. Wilson was slowed by some shoulder discomfort recently, though an MRI taken last week came back clean and the reliever recently threw from 90 feet. Cashman added that Wilson has “responded well” to the downtime he had when he was slowed down and threw a bullpen session today without issue. It seems this is likely just a matter of building him back up, but there is not sufficient time to do so before the season begins Thursday. With Wilson and Zack Britton both sidelined to open the season, the only lefty assured of a spot in the bullpen is closer Aroldis Chapman, though Lucas Luetge has turned heads this spring and could grab a spot, Erik Boland of Newsday tweets. Luetge hasn’t appeared in the bigs since 2015, but he signed a minors deal with the Yankees in the offseason and has since yielded just two earned runs on eight hits and two walks (with a whopping 18 strikeouts) in 10 1/3 innings.
More from the Bronx…
- Luke Voit‘s surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee will be performed tonight, according to Cashman. There’s still no firm timetable for his return to the active roster, though at the time the injury was reported, it was said that the slugging first baseman would go three weeks without baseball activity following the procedure. That alone will take him to April 20 or so, and then Voit will of course need to ramp back up and get in some reps at the alternate site or in a Triple-A game, depending on what happens with the Triple-A season. Cashman added that Britton, who is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow, is doing well but is also still without a timeline.
- Tyler Wade, Michael King and Nick Nelson each made the roster, according to Cashman. Wade has barely hit since he debuted in 2016, having slashed .190/.274/.301 in 361 plate appearances, but he’s a speedster who can play several positions. Meanwhile, King and Nelson – both righties – will be part of the Yankees’ bullpen. King has struggled to a 7.22 ERA over 26 2/3 frames in the majors since 2019, but the 25-year-old owns an excellent 2.30 mark with almost a strikeout per inning and fewer than two walks per nine in 62 2/3 Triple-A frames. Nelson, also 25, didn’t post exceptional numbers with the Yankees last year, when he tossed 20 2/3 innings of 4.79 ERA ball with poor strikeout and walk rates (20.0 and 12.2 percent, respectively). However, Nelson dominated this spring, allowing one earned run on six hits and a walk (10 strikeouts) across 10 frames.