Athletics Select Jordan Weems’ Contract
6:54PM: The A’s have officially selected Weems’ contract and added him to their 40-man roster, as per a team announcement.
6:32PM: Right-hander Jordan Weems has been told he will be part of the Athletics’ Opening Day roster, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Weems will need to be added to the 40-man roster, so the A’s will have to make another transaction prior to their July 24 season opener.
The news marks quite a journey for the 27-year-old Weems, who is in line for his first taste of big league baseball after being drafted by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2011 draft. Originally selected as a catcher, Weems transitioned to pitching in 2016 and posted some solid numbers (3.87 ERA, 2.00 K/BB rate, 9.4 K/9) over 200 innings, though only 15 of those frames were at the Triple-A level.
After electing free agency last fall, Weems signed a minor league deal with Oakland in December and has since turned some heads within his new organization. “He has a riding fastball, that split-finger fastball and an occasional breaking ball,” according to A’s pitching Scott Emerson. “For a converted guy to be able to command the top part of the zone with a fastball and something soft at the bottom of the zone is pretty good for a guy who hasn’t done much pitching.”
This repertoire and a live fastball that has touched 98mph also attracted the attention of other teams, as Slusser writes that Weems “likely would have had multiple big league offers elsewhere” had the A’s decided against putting him on the MLB roster. If he hadn’t made the roster, Weems had an opt-out clause in his minor league contract.
Athletics Release Ryan Goins
The Athletics announced they’ve released infielder Ryan Goins. The 32-year-old had been in the A’s Summer Camp player pool after joining the organization on a minor-league deal over the offseason.
Goins is most well-known for his time with the Blue Jays from 2013-17. Over that stretch, he logged pretty significant playing time in the middle infield. He’s long rated well defensively (especially at second base), but has never managed anything approaching a league average season at the plate. For his career, he carries just a .230/.279/.335 line (65 wRC+) in 1680 plate appearances.
Since leaving Toronto, Goins has suited up with the 2018 Royals and 2019 White Sox, marking seven consecutive seasons of big league action. He’ll presumably now look to latch on with another club looking to bolster its infield depth.
Minor Injury Notes: Rendon, Luzardo, deGrom
Anthony Rendon sat out Friday’s game with oblique tightness, per the Angels’ PR department (via Twitter). Rendon is day-to-day. The Angels’ third baseman was remarkably stable during his time with the Nationals, appearing in at least 136 games in five of the last six seasons. His only significant injury time came in 2015 when a sprained knee and quad strain limited him to 80 games. This season, of course, games will come at a premium. Barring a setback, the Angels hope and plan to have Rendon back in the lineup well in time for their July 24th opener against the Oakland Athletics. Let’s take a spin around the league to check in on other minor injuries…
- MLBTR’s Connor Byrne wrote yesterday about the A’s long-term dream for Jesus Luzardo as a rotation stalwart. But as Byrne noted, after missing time due to the positive coronavirus test, it’s unlikely he will be ready to join the rotation by Opening Day. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) confirmed as much this morning, as manager Bob Melvin suggested the rotation would be “difficult for him initially.” What that means exactly for Luzardo’s near-term future isn’t totally clear. The A’s could choose to keep him in camp to stretch him out until he is ready to join the rotation. Or they could throw him back into the role he held last season as a multi-inning shutdown artist. Slusser suggests his chances of breaking camp on the roster are good, giving the A’s one heck of a bullpen weapon as the season gets underway.
- The New York Mets plan to pitch Rick Porcello on Saturday and Corey Oswalt on Sunday, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. That puts ace Jacob deGrom in line for a simulated session to run concurrently with Sunday’s preseason game. DeGrom should then be ready to start the season opener next Friday, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. A back issue flared up for deGrom last week, prompting an MRI, but all appears to be well and deGrom is back on track for Opening Day. With Noah Syndergaard out for the season, deGrom is probably the most important player on the Mets’ roster (which would probably be true even with Syndergaard). DeGrom has won each of the last two NL Cy Young awards, and in a short season, his brand of dominance could go a long way to keeping the Mets’ firmly in contention. One long losing streak could tank the year, but if deGrom is up to his usual antics (read: dominance), he should be as effective a streak stopper as there is in baseball.
Jesus Luzardo Cleared To Rejoin Athletics
Athletics left-hander Jesus Luzardo has been on the shelf since testing positive for the coronavirus July 7, but he has recovered from the illness. Luzardo has been cleared to practice and will rejoin Athletics Summer Camp on Friday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com tweets.
One of the game’s absolute best pitching prospects, health issues have beset Luzardo over the past year-plus. The A’s hoped he’d be a significant contributor last season, but he ended up missing a large portion of it because of rotator cuff and lat problems. Luzardo was able to make his much-anticipated major league debut in September, though, and the down-the-stretch results he recorded were spectacular. The flamethrowing 22-year-old made six appearances from Oakland’s bullpen and put up a 1.50 ERA with 12.00 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9 over 12 innings. He added three more frames of scoreless, one-hit ball with four strikeouts and two walks in the A’s wild-card game loss to the Rays.
From a long-term standpoint, a best-case scenario for Oakland would see Luzardo turn into a front-line starter. As far as this season goes, though, it’s unclear how the A’s will utilize him. Because of the time he missed, pitching coach Scott Emerson suggested this week (via Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle) Luzardo could fill a short-inning role, at least initially, saying: “It’s just a matter of when we get him on the team, do we start him two innings or do we use him more in a leverage situation and maybe pick his days that he gets to pitch?”
Assuming Luzardo won’t be in their season-opening rotation, it seems likely the A’s will come out of the gates in 2020 with Mike Fiers, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, A.J. Puk and Chris Bassitt as their starting five.
Quick Hits: A’s, Nashville, Astros Pitching Staff, Dalbec
Athletics Manager Bob Melvin discussed his plans for the team’s second base position, as reported by Shayna Rubin of the Mercury News. The longtime Oakland skipper expects to deploy the tandem of Franklin Barreto and Tony Kemp in a platoon, with Barreto getting at-bats against lefties and Kemp playing versus right-handers. That’s promising news regarding the 24-year-old Barreto, who has long been regarded as a talented prospect but has gotten limited exposure since the A’s acquired him from the Blue Jays. But after a strong showing in summer camp, he may finally get consistent at-bats. Thus far, he’s appeared in parts of three seasons but has played just 80 games in total, making 209 plate appearances. As talented as Barreto may be, one has to think that it’d be hard to find a rhythm at the plate when opportunities against MLB pitching come so sparingly. We’ll keep our eyes on Barreto this season, hoping he can tap into the power that made him a key prospect in the Josh Donaldson trade.
- Music City Baseball, an organization working to bring a Major League Baseball team to Nashville, is expected to pitch a proposal to MLB at the 2021 Winter Meetings, writes the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham as part of a piece that also details former Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski’s involvement with the group. Dombrowski hopped on board as an advisor to the group, along with the likes of Tony La Russa, Dave Stewart, and Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin. Of course, if such a proposal is to come to fruition, they’ll need the approval of MLB, which is not actively planning for expansion in the near future. Certainly, there are plenty of obstacles to the venture, making a 2024 or 2025 arrival seem like the best-case scenario for the Nashville Stars.
- After a possible exposure to COVID-19 led the Astros to shut down workouts yesterday, pitching coach Brent Strom and the Major League pitching staff were all absent from camp today, as reported by Mark Berman of Fox Houston. Manager Dusty Baker said that Strom was “part of” the exposure that caused yesterday’s cancellation. That group is undergoing COVID-19 testing and is currently awaiting results. Of course, Baker said that the hope is that is Strom and the Astros’ pitchers will be able to rejoin the team in short order, though for the time being the team will wait with bated breath for the results of those tests.
- Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec has been cleared to play after a positive test for COVID-19 prevented him from participating until now, reports Christopher Smith of MassLive. He rejoined the Sox at Fenway Park today after spending Saturday working out at Boston College. The 25-year-old infielder is regarded as one of Boston’s best prospects, and could contribute to the big league team this year. Rising through the minors as a third baseman, Dalbec may be best suited for first base in the Majors, but there’s little doubt about his raw power and on-base skills. Dalbec is one of four Red Sox who tested positive for the virus, with pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez, Josh Taylor, and Darwinzon Hernandez still recovering.
Coronavirus Notes: Astros, Diekman, Teheran, Indians
Astros superstar Alex Bregman had to sit out Wednesday’s practice because the results of his latest coronavirus test did not arrive on time, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle relays. “I look forward to having the issue resolved as soon as possible to rejoin my teammates tomorrow,” Bregman stated. Meanwhile, teammate and outfielder Michael Brantley expressed frustration with the league’s testing problems, saying “[players] kind of want answers.” He added, “I’d love to hear from Rob (Manfred) and some clarity on how we’re going to get this done because that’s very important.” Houston’s among a few teams slowed early in Summer Camp by testing delays, further calling into question whether MLB is capable of pulling off this season.
- Like Brantley, Athletics reliever Jake Diekman is unhappy with how the league has handled the testing process. There’s plenty at stake for Diekman – the 33-year-old has battled ulcerative colitis for most of his life and underwent surgery to remove his colon in 2017, putting him in greater danger of contracting the virus. Diekman told Alex Coffey of The Athletic: “I’m high-risk, so I have to speak out for everyone. I don’t want to get sick.” He went on to question MLB’s estimate of how many players have tested positive, opining that it must “be getting close to 100.” And while Diekman doesn’t want to opt out of the season, he’s skeptical that one will even happen. “Once the regular season hits, there’s no way I’m opting out,” he said. “But if they don’t get the testing figured out, this whole thing will get shut down. That’s my personal opinion.” Coffey’s piece is worth a full read, as there’s plenty more on the concerns Diekman and his wife, Amanda, have in regards to a potential season.
- The Angels placed right-hander Julio Teheran on the 10-day injured list earlier this week, but even manager Joe Maddon was uncertain of the reason. It turns out that Teheran’s still in Atlanta – where he pitched previously – because he and his family have shown symptoms consistent with COVID-19, he told Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Spanish-language link). Teheran revealed he “was not feeling well,” but he’s hopeful of joining his team in Los Angeles this weekend if he gets the go-ahead. Regardless, with the campaign just two weeks away, Maddon’s not sure if Teheran will be available from the jump (via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com), as the skipper observed that “it would probably be a rush” to place him in the Angels’ season-opening rotation.
- Indians outfielder Delino DeShields tested positive for the coronavirus last week, but it looks as if he’s on the road to recovery. DeShields’ most recent test came back negative, and he’s on his way to Cleveland as a result, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports. If he tests negative again there, he’ll be able to join his teammates for Summer Camp. [JULY 11 UPDATE: DeShields indeed tested negative for the second time, and rejoined the Tribe’s camp.] More good news: Slugger Franmil Reyes returned to practice Wednesday after testing negative. The Indians held Reyes out of camp for two days amid worries that he contracted the illness at a July 4 party.
Jesus Luzardo Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Athletics left-hander Jesus Luzardo has tested positive for the coronavirus, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter links). He’ll go into self isolation and need a pair of negative tests, separated by at least 24 hours, before he can return to the team. Fortunately, Luzardo tells Slusser that he’s “feeling good” and “ready to get going” once he receives that pair of negative tests.
There’d been some prior concern about Luzardo and right-hander Mike Fiers, as the two regularly worked out together during the league’s shutdown and had both been absent from camp. Margin Gallegos of MLB.com tweeted earlier that Fiers is back in camp and working out with the club, so it seems he tested negative.
The 22-year-old Luzardo is widely considered to be among the five best pitching prospects in all of baseball and is expected to play a key role in the Oakland rotation both this year and for the foreseeable future. The recent diagnosis and subsequent need to remove himself from A’s Summer Camp could conceivably delay his readiness to start early in the year, though that type of speculation is of course secondary to his overall well-being.
Luzardo made his MLB debut with the A’s last year, tossing 12 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits and three walks with 16 strikeouts. A strained rotator cuff limited Luzardo’s time on the mound in general last season, but he was similarly excellent in 43 minor league innings: 2.51 ERA, 11.9 K/9, 1.7 BB/9. He’s expected to join Fiers, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Chris Bassitt and fellow top prospect A.J. Puk in what should be a formidable mix of Oakland starters in 2020.
COVID-19 Notes: Bryant, Nola, Jays, A’s, Giants
Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant has become the game’s latest superstar to voice his apprehension over a potential 2020 Major League Baseball campaign. Speaking to Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times and other reporters Monday, Bryant stated in regards to MLB’s COVID-19 testing problems: ‘‘What we agreed to was testing every day. We have had guys here that showed up on Sunday and hadn’t gotten tested again seven days later. And then you don’t get the results for two days, either, so that’s nine days without knowing. And I think if we really want this to succeed, we’re going to have to figure this out.”
Bryant – who had to wait five days between his first and second tests – added that he doesn’t feel comfortable about playing this year, which aligns with what fellow MVP winner Mike Trout stated last week. Like Trout, there’s no indication Bryant will opt out. However, Bryant noted that it ‘‘wouldn’t surprise me at all” if the league were to end up canceling the season.
- Phillies No. 1 starter Aaron Nola had been out of Summer Camp because of coronavirus protocols, but he reported Monday and revealed why he was sidelined, per the Associated Press. While Nola did not test positive, he was exposed to someone who did, which forced him to stay away from the club for a short period. “If you don’t have symptoms and you come in contact with somebody who ends up testing positive, you’re out for probably at least seven days,” Nola said. “That could possibly be two starts. It’s obviously going to be a hard part of it. And sometimes it’s out of our control. We just have to try to do our part every day.”
- The Blue Jays opened Summer Camp in Toronto, but one of their players tested positive for the coronavirus at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., Bob Nightengale of USA Today was among those to report. As a result, the Blue Jays left 12 players in Florida who had “direct contact” with the person who tested positive, Nightengale writes. This isn’t the first time the virus has posed a significant problem for Toronto, which had to shut down its spring complex last month because of positive tests. And COVID could prevent the Jays from playing their regular-season home games in Toronto this year, though they continue to hope that won’t be the case.
- Delays in receiving test results have been a problem for the Athletics, whose general manager, David Forst, has expressed his frustration over the matter. But the A’s finally did get the latest results, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, and their position players were able to practice in Oakland on Monday night. Forst did not comment on whether anyone tested positive, though.
- Two more individuals in the Giants organization have logged positive tests, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Their identities aren’t known to the public, so it’s unclear whether they’re players. Giants outfielder Hunter Bishop and infielder Luis Madero previously tested positive.
Several Teams Experiencing Testing Delays
While most teams are already hosting full workouts and beginning to schedule intrasquad games at “summer camp,” multiple clubs are still experiencing delays in their COVID-19 test results that are preventing them from taking the field just yet. The Athletics are in a particularly frustrating spot, it seems. Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News reported last night that many of the team’s tests, incredibly, had yet to even be shipped to Major League Baseball’s lab in Salt Lake City.
Alex Coffey of The Athletic obtained a message from A’s general manager David Forst to team employees, in which he voiced considerable frustration over the lack of communication and the inexplicably delayed shipping of the team’s tests, which weren’t due to arrive at the lab for processing until 1:30am MST earlier today.
“Despite having our schedule a week ahead of time, [testing company CDT and MLB] didn’t alert us to the possibility of any complications around July 4th,” Forst wrote within a lengthier message, adding that the A’s were only made aware of the delays after he and the training staff pressed MLB and CDT for information. “…If possible, I’m as frustrated and pissed as you are.”
Perhaps more remarkably, the testers assigned to the Angels’ facility simply didn’t show up to perform tests, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links). Angels players instead “did saliva tests on their own,” per the report, and it’s not clear when the tests will ultimately be processed. At least two other teams throughout the league had this issue over the weekend, Rosenthal adds.
The Nationals, too, have had their testing results delayed. Left-hander Sean Doolittle told reporters yesterday that despite being tested for a second time Sunday morning, he’d yet to even receive the results from his first test (link via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post).
“We’ve got to clean that up, right?” Doolittle asked rhetorically. “That’s one thing that makes me a little nervous.” Doolittle added that Nationals players and staff were waiting on the N95 masks and gloves that were supposed to be delivered to the team. The left-hander praised the organization’s medical staff for their processes and protocols, but it’s clear that the Nats, like the A’s and Angels, are being impacted by significant logistical issues that have emerged in the early stages of the cobbled-together 2020 season.
All of this comes at a time when players are still debating whether to play at all in 2020. At this point, we’ve seen David Price, Felix Hernandez, Ryan Zimmerman, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross, Welington Castillo, Ian Desmond and Mike Leake all decline to play in 2020. Others, Doolittle included, have voiced a desire to play while also expressing their uneasiness with taking the field in an uncertain environment. Mike Trout acknowledged last week that he still doesn’t feel comfortable — and that was seemingly before the testers assigned to the Angels’ facility didn’t show.
These logistical shortcomings will be imperative to iron out if the 2020 season is to take place. Players are expected to be tested every other day, and delays in results will be all the more problematic if they occur when the season is underway. Right now, most of the Athletics’ position players simply aren’t able to begin working out at the team’s stadium. That’s a disadvantage to the Oakland organization, to be sure, but the team has been able to manage by keeping those players away from the pitchers and catchers who have reported. During the season, that won’t be possible. Efficient testing procedures will be vital for the season to not only get underway but to have any real chance at being played to completion.
At this point, the Athletics’ best-case scenario would be for their players to report tonight, per Rubin, but they could yet be delayed until Tuesday. Rosenthal notes that today’s Angels workout has already been delayed in order to ensure that testers are actually present.
Athletics Add Six Players To 60-Man Pool
The Athletics on Wednesday announced the addition of six players to their 60-man player pool: infielders Eric Campbell and Robert Puason, right-handers Wandisson Charles and Miguel Romero, and outfielders Luis Barrera and Brayan Buelvas will all join the group. Campbell will head to Oakland to join the team’s big leaguers, while the other five will head to the Athletics’ alternate training site.
Campbell, 33, is the lone member of the bunch with Major League experience. From 2014-16, Campbell was an up-and-down utility option for the Mets, appearing at all four infield spots and both corner outfield positions while hitting .221/.312/.311 in 505 plate appearances. Campbell spent the 2017 season in Japan and has been with the Triple-A clubs for the Marlins and Athletics organizations. In all, he’s seen action in parts of six Triple-A campaigns and batted a combined .310/.417/.480 in 1880 plate appearances.
Among the prospects, Puason is the most well-regarded of the bunch. The 17-year-old signed with the A’s as the headliner of their July 2 class of international prospects a year ago, inking a hearty bonus of nearly $5MM. A switch-hitting, 6’3″ shortstop with plus speed, a strong throwing arm and projectable hitting tools, Puason is a long ways from the Majors and surely won’t be considered for a role with Oakland’s big league club in 2020. He’s yet to even suit up for a game with the Oakland’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League, but the A’s clearly want to ensure that his first full season in the organization affords him some game reps — even if only in simulated games — and some time with the coaching and player development staff.
Barrera, though, is a much more near-term option for the A’s. The 24-year-old hit .321/.365/.513 in 54 Double-A games last year and ranks ninth among Oakland farmhands at MLB.com. He split the 2019 season between center field and right field and is on the Athletics’ 40-man roster, so it’s highly feasible that he could get the opportunity to debut in the event of some injuries on the Major League club.