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A.J. Puk, Jesus Luzardo Set To Begin Minor-League Rehab Stints

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Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, A’s lefties A.J. Puk and Jesus Luzardo will each begin a rehab stint on Tuesday with High-A Stockton. Puk will be making his first live-game mound appearance since undergoing Tommy John Surgery last April, while Luzardo, who’d been dealing with left shoulder soreness, will appear in an official game for the first time since last August.

Puk, a 6’7 lefty who was the sixth overall pick in the 2016 draft, had laid waste to the minors before his injury in the Spring of last season. His “double-plus” fastball and “vicious” (adjectives per Baseball America) slider allowed him to post double-digit strikeout rates in each of his three minor-league stops, culminating in a 61-inning stint for Double-A Midland in which the U of Florida product set down 86 batters in just 64 innings. It’ll surely be a lengthy rehab process for the projected ace, though it appears the club will use him in relief should he crack the majors this season.

Luzardo, a 21-year-old Peruvian-born hurler, was acquired in mid-2017 from Washington with Blake Treinen for relievers Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. Little known at the time of the deal, Luzardo has rocketed up prospect lists after dominating performances of his own the last two seasons. Baseball America ranked him as the top lefty in the minors after 2018, waxing especially thorough on his changeup, which the site ranks as one of the minors’ best. Shoulder injuries are always cause for serious concern, but if Luzardo can make it through his first few outings unscathed, he’ll be a strong candidate to crack what’s been a middling A’s rotation thus far.

Jharel Cotton Undergoes Hamstring Surgery

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11:49pm: Not only do the Athletics believe Cotton will pitch again this season, but they’re confident he will return “at a fairly rapid pace,” team trainer Nick Paparesta said (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Cotton will begin throwing again in a week to 10 days, per Paparesta.

5:06pm: The Athletics announced Thursday that right-hander Jharel Cotton underwent right hamstring debridement surgery earlier today. He’ll remain in Dallas, where the operation was performed, until a followup appointment next week before returning to Oakland to continue his rehab.

Cotton hasn’t pitched in 2019, as he’s been on the mend from Tommy John surgery he underwent last spring. He’d gone out on a rehab assignment and was expected to return to the club as a reliever, but today’s surgery obviously clouds his potential return. It’s not fully clear now when he’ll be activated — or even if he can be expected back in 2019 at all. Presumably, the Athletics will provide a further timetable once they have more information.

The 27-year-old Cotton came to the A’s alongside Frankie Montas and Grant Holmes in the 2016 trade that sent Rich Hill and Josh Reddick to the Dodgers. To this point, the righty has yet to find much consistency in the big leagues, although he’s certainly shown glimpses of his potential. He’s a former top 100 prospect with 158 1/3 innings of 4.95 ERA ball under his belt, averaging 7.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 along the way.

AL West Notes: Harvey, Blackburn, Bautista

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Overnight, we took a look at the latest on some notable Astros players and checked in on Rangers lefty Drew Smyly. Now let’s cover the latest roster developments for the three other AL West clubs:

  • The ailing back of Angels starter Matt Harvey seems to be mended, as he tells reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic; Twitter link) that he has been symptom-free since hitting the IL recently. Skipper Brad Ausmus says that Harvey will face live hitters and then likely undertake a rehab assignment of unknown duration. The larger question is what, if anything, Harvey can do to emerge from his malaise on the mound. Fellow one-year free agent signee Trevor Cahill has also struggled badly. Otherwise, the Halos rotation may finally be rounding into form with Andrew Heaney’s return, the emergence of Griffin Canning, ongoing solid work from Felix Pena, and good health for Tyler Skaggs.
  • It looks like Athletics hurler Paul Blackburn will get his first shot at MLB action this year, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that he’s likely to come onto the roster to pitch this weekend. Blackburn, 25, has pitched to a 4.48 ERA in 16 starts over the prior two seasons but has remained on optional assignment at Triple-A to begin the present campaign. He carries a 4.55 ERA in 57 1/3 innings there, recording a 45:18 K/BB ratio and surrendering ten long balls.
  • Mariners righty Gerson Bautista seems ready to return from the injured list, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports on Twitter. The 24-year-old has been sidelined with a pec strain. He has already thrown a dozen innings on an extended rehab assignment and now has a locker waiting for him in Seattle, which certainly suggests an imminent activation. Bautista struggled in a brief debut showing last year with the Mets and ended up being dealt to Seattle as a part of a significant multi-player swap. While he didn’t mow down opposing MLB hitters in his first attempt, Bautista did show off a 97 mph heater and posted strong strikeout numbers last year in the upper minors. Because Bautista had been moved to the 60-day IL, his activation will require both a 40-man and active roster move. [UPDATE: The Mariners announced that Bautista has been activated from the IL, with right-hander Andrew Moore heading to Double-A to create roster space.]

Athletics Pause Jharel Cotton’s Rehab Assignment

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Athletics right-hander Jharel Cotton has been working back from Tommy John surgery since March 2018, and recent reports indicated he was progressing toward a return.

Unfortunately, Cotton’s now dealing with a new injury – a right hamstring strain – which has forced the Athletics to halt his rehab assignment, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The A’s will shut down Cotton “for the time being,” manager Bob Melvin said.

When he has been healthy enough to take the mound, the 27-year-old Cotton has functioned as a full-time starter. He debuted with the Athletics back in 2016, the summer they acquired him and two fellow righties (Frankie Montas and Grant Holmes) from the Dodgers for lefty Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick. Cotton then proceeded to make 29 starts with Oakland through the 2017 season. However, after an impressive five-start run in ’16, Cotton fell flat across 24 outings two years ago. In all, Cotton owns a 4.95 ERA/5.32 FIP with 7.28 K/9, 3.24 BB/9 and a 37.1 percent groundball rate in 158 1/3 innings.

Considering Cotton’s coming off a severe injury and hasn’t thrived as a starter, the A’s are likely to bring him back as a reliever when he’s good to return. Now, though, it doesn’t appear Cotton will be back in the majors in the very near future.

AL Notes: Athletics, Kikuchi, Buttrey, Tribe

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The Athletics are welcoming designated hitter Khris Davis back from the 10-day injured list on Saturday, the team announced. The slugger hasn’t taken an at-bat since May 21 because of a left hip/oblique contusion. In further positive news for the A’s, injured hurlers Sean Manaea, Jesus Luzardo and Marco Estrada are all making progress, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports (Twitter links here). Manaea, recovering from the left shoulder surgery he underwent last September, will throw live batting practice Tuesday. The promising prospect Luzardo threw a two-inning, 30-pitch sim game Saturday, after which A’s manager Bob Melvin offered an encouraging update. Luzardo hasn’t pitched this season on account of a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder, while Estrada has been down since mid-April because of a back problem. Estrada will start playing catch Monday and isn’t far from beginning a regular throwing program, Gallegos relays.

  • On the heels of back-to-back brutal performances from Yusei Kikuchi, the Mariners are skipping the southpaw’s start Tuesday in an effort to “recharge the batteries,” according to manager Scott Servais (via Greg Johns of MLB.com). Kikuchi will slot back into their rotation “later next week,” Johns writes. The 27-year-old Kikuchi yielded 10 earned runs on 20 hits, including three homers, over 6 2/3 innings in his two latest starts. He joined the Mariners in the offseason as a ballyhooed signing from Japan, and has gotten off to a so-so start in the majors. Kikuchi owns a 4.43 ERA/4.64 FIP with 6.72 K/9, 2.28 BB/9 and a 45 percent groundball rate through 67 innings. Now that Kikuchi’s headed for a brief respite, the Mariners could promote lefty Jon Niese or righty Anthony Misiewicz from Triple-A Tacoma as his replacement, per Johns. Neither hurler is on the M’s 40-man roster, but the team does have a pair of openings at the moment.
  • Righty Ty Buttrey has been the Angels’ top reliever in 2019, but they’re leery of overusing the rookie, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times explains. Acquired from Boston last July for second baseman Ian Kinsler, the hard-throwing Buttrey has tossed 28 1/3 innings in his first full season with the Angels. He leads Halos relievers in ERA (1.27) and FIP (2.09), and has helped his cause with 11.12 K/9, 2.22 BB/9 and a 46.5 percent grounder rate. Buttrey’s currently on pace for 74 appearances and 80 innings. It doesn’t appear the 26-year-old will get to either figure by the end of the season, however, as manager Brad Ausmus noted he’s “got to think about this kid’s health.”
  • Indians right-hander Jefry Rodriguez exited his start against the White Sox on Saturday with right lat tightness, Zack Meisel of The Athletic tweets. It’s yet another unfortunate development for Cleveland’s rotation, which has gone without the injured Corey Kluber–Mike Clevinger duo for most of the season and has gotten somewhat underwhelming performances from Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco. Rodriguez logged good results in four innings Saturday, but the 25-year-old has only managed a 4.74 ERA/4.47 FIP with 6.6 K/9 and 3.92 BB/9 in 43 2/3 frames on the season.

Last Season’s 2 Best Closers Have Fallen Off

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Right-handers Edwin Diaz and Blake Treinen were unquestionably the two best closers in baseball in 2018. And unless you want to make an argument for dominant Brewers lefty Josh Hader, Diaz and Treinen were likely the game’s top two relievers period. However, a couple months into the 2019 season, they’re no longer running roughshod over their competition.

In what proved to be his final season in Seattle, where he burst on the scene in 2016, Diaz tossed 73 1/3 innings and notched a 1.96 ERA/1.61 FIP with an eye-popping 57 saves in 61 attempts. Along the way, the flamethrower ranked fourth among relievers in K/9 (15.22) and 15th in BB/9 (2.09), leading to the league’s fourth-best K/BB ratio (7.29). He also trailed only Hader in swinging-strike percentage (18.9).

Despite Diaz’s incredible performance, the retooling Mariners deemed him expendable in the offseason. Seattle sent the 25-year-old to the Mets in an earth-shattering December trade that saved the M’s a ton of money and improved their farm system.

No doubt, the Mets expected Diaz to be the driving force behind a much-improved bullpen in 2019. To this point of the season, Diaz has perhaps been the Mets’ premier late-game option, but their bullpen has been a weak unit overall. For his part, the 25-year-old Diaz has been closer to the pitcher he was in 2017, when he was good but not otherworldly.

Diaz’s most recent outing, which came Wednesday against the Dodgers, surely counts among the worst of his career. He entered the game with an 8-5 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning and proceeded to allow six straight base runners amid a stunning collapse. Diaz yielded four earned runs on five hits (two home runs) and an intentional walk in what turned into a 9-8 loss for New York. The only batter he retired, Alex Verdugo, hit the game-winning sacrifice fly. The defeat left Diaz with a 3.22 ERA after he entered it with a 1.64 mark.

It’s easy to look at the shiny ERA Diaz had prior to Wednesday and attribute it to one bad performance. Similarly, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to say his .347 batting average on balls in play has been unlucky. However, the reality is that there are concerns across the board.

Diaz’s FIP (3.99) is up almost a run and a half since last year, while his weighted on-base average/expected wOBA against has risen from .214/.215 to .324/.289. It doesn’t help that Diaz’s strikeout rate has plummeted. After fanning 44.3 percent of batters in his Seattle swan song, Diaz has fallen to 36.1 in his introduction to New York. Beyond that, Diaz’s swinging-strike, line drive, hard/soft contact and chase rates have also gone in the wrong direction. He’s not keeping the ball on the ground as much either, which has led to newfound home run troubles. Diaz has already given up as many HRs as last season (five) through 51 fewer innings (22 1/3), and he’s now halfway to 2018 in blown saves (two).

Treinen, who made good on 38 of 43 attempts in 2018, has joined Diaz in failing on two tries so far this season. The 30-year-old may have been even better than Diaz in ’18, when he compiled a ridiculous 0.78 ERA/1.82 FIP across 80 1/3 innings. Treinen’s strikeout and walk rates (11.2 and 2.35 per nine) were excellent, albeit not as great as Diaz’s, as was his 51.9 percent groundball rate. But Treinen, who has significantly cut back his sinker and slider usage, is at 9.55, 3.95 and 40.3 in those categories this season. Meanwhile, Treinen’s ERA/FIP is up to 3.62/3.87 and his wOBA/xwOBA against has shot from .187/.214 to .313/.298.

What are some of the factors behind Treinen’s drop-off? Well, the .230 BABIP batters logged against him a year ago has moved to a more reasonable .306. At the same time, he’s not stranding as many base runners, having gone from an 85.9 percent left-on-base rate to 79.9. Furthermore, the right-hander is generating fewer swinging strikes, getting fewer out-of-zone swings and giving up more hard contact than he did last season. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Treinen, like Diaz, has had more difficulty keeping the ball in the park. Just two balls left the yard then against Treinen, who has allowed three through 27 1/3 innings in 2019.

While Diaz and Treinen have recorded disappointing numbers this season, the letdown is largely as a result of the utter brilliance they displayed last year. Any team in the majors would still take either hurler, though their current clubs – both of which are playoff hopefuls – may need more from them if they’re going to earn postseason bids.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Athletics Likely To Use Jharel Cotton In Bullpen Upon Return

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Athletics righty Jharel Cotton is working his way back from 2018 Tommy John surgery, having thrown seven innings on a rehab assignment at the Class-A Advanced level. However, although he made 24 starts for the A’s back in 2017 and is viewed as a long-term rotation option in Oakland, the organization is likely to utilize Cotton as a reliever upon his return to the roster, manager Bob Melvin told reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos).

Cotton, 27, didn’t pitch at all in 2018, as his torn ulnar collateral ligament was diagnosed during Spring Training. He underwent his Tommy John procedure in mid-March and, as a result, would quite likely be on an innings limit as a starting pitcher. Instead, he’ll work out of the ’pen for the 2019 campaign, presumably with an eye toward vying for a rotation job once again in 2020.

At that point, Cotton will join a rotation mix that looks vastly different than the present group. Sean Manaea will be assured a spot, assuming he fully recovers from shoulder surgery, while righty Daniel Gossett and top prospect A.J. Puk (both also recovering from Tommy John surgery) will be healthy enough to compete for jobs.

Presently, Marco Estrada is on the injured list due to a back issue, leaving the A’s with a bit of a patchwork starting outfit. Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson, Chris Bassitt and breakout right-hander Frankie Montas are all locked into starting roles, while Daniel Mengden gives them a fifth option. They’re still using Liam Hendriks as an occasional opener, though; he made his second such appearance of the month this afternoon.

That rotation isn’t exactly teeming with star power, but the A’s have a collective 4.18 rotation ERA that ranks 13th in the Majors — and the eighth-best rotation ERA (3.38) over the past 30 days. Fielding-independent metrics aren’t nearly as bullish and feel there’s some regression in order, though the potential return of Manaea near the All-Star break could give the group a strong boost. And, if the A’s can continue to build on their blistering 10-1 hot streak, the A’s could very well be in position to add some arms on the summer trade market — as they did a year ago with Fiers.

As is the case with most starters, Cotton has been much better the first trip through the batting order than he has in while facing hitters for the third time in a game. He’s averaged 93 mph on his fastball and has some impressive swinging-strike rates on his changeup (15.2 percent) and cutter (14.4 percent). It wouldn’t be a surprise to see his velocity tick up in shorter stints, and if he can narrow his arsenal to focus on a smaller selection of pitches, he could be an interesting addition to a bullpen that has some question marks in its final couple of spots.

Athletics Release Fernando Rodney

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The Athletics announced Tuesday that they’ve released veteran right-hander Fernando Rodney. He’d been designated for assignment over the weekend.

Rodney, 42, got out to an awful start with the A’s this season, pitching to a 9.42 ERA through 14 1/3 innings of work. In that series of 17 appearances, he’s allowed 20 hits (two homers) and a dozen walks while picking up 14 strikeouts. While he’s still throwing fairly hard, particularly given his age, the right-hander’ 93.1 mph average fastball is down noticeably from last season’s 94.2 mph average.

Rodney showed some cracks in 2018 after the A’s acquired him from the Twins in an August swap that sent minor league righty Dakota Chalmers to Minnesota — namely issuing 13 walks in his 20 2/3 frames following the trade. His overall season, however, was solid, and the A’s felt comfortable enough that they exercised a $5.25MM club option over the righty for the 2019 season.

There’s still about $3.53MM of that salary remaining to be paid out through season’s end, and the A’s will be on the hook for the entirety of that sum. Rodney will be free to sign with any club, and a new team would only need to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time he spends on the big league roster. That sum would be subtracted from the Athletics’ remaining obligation to Rodney.

AL West Notes: Gallo, Halos Hurlers, M’s, Herrmann, McHugh

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There’s little doubt that Rangers slugger Joey Gallo has drastically increased his career earnings outlook with a massive start to the current season. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at the state of affairs on the extension front for baseball’s reigning three-true-outcomes king. The organization is obviously impressed, with manager Chris Woodward tabbing Gallo the club’s “best player” and GM Jon Daniels saying that he’s “mentally in a great spot.” Gallo says he’s not thinking about contracts, but agent Scott Boras surely is. As Grant notes, Boras’s assessment of Gallo’s season to date — “we are seeing the evolution of a superstar player” — offers a hint as to the kind of contract it might take to lock him up.

More from the American League West:

  • Angels righty JC Ramirez is set to launch a rehab assignment later this week, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Ramirez underwent Tommy John surgery last April. With his 30-day rehab clock set to be triggered, Ramirez is now back on the map as a near-term roster piece for the Halos. The club owes him $1,901,000 this year, with two more arb campaigns remaining. Though he has had some struggles in his time in the majors, Ramirez has given the Halos 200 1/3 innings of 4.04 ERA ball and showed he could stick in the rotation in 2017.
  • As ever, there are other updates to the Angels rotation mix. Nick Tropeano will beat Ramirez back to the big leagues; as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets, Tropeano is coming up to pitch today’s ballgame. He was optioned after working back from a shoulder strain, and has been tagged in the run-happy PCL, but the innings are needed now. That’s due in no small part to the issues surrounding Matt Harvey, who just hit the injured list with a back strain after an awful stretch on the hill. Harvey didn’t have much of a timeline to offer reporters, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). With more to sort out than an injury, there’s no reason to think Harvey will be rushed back.
  • For the Mariners, there are a few incremental health updates of note, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (all links to Twitter). Rehabbing relievers Sam Tuivailala and Hunter Strickland are still a ways off. The former, who is working back from Achilles surgery, has come down with dead arm and may need to re-start his rehab rather than heading back to the majors. The latter is readying for his first mound work since leaving with a lat injury earlier this year. Starter Felix Hernandez, who’s on the IL with a shoulder strain, is also nearing mound work. The club is still taking it slow with corner infielder Ryon Healy, who has yet to resume baseball activity after recently hitting the shelf due to a balky lower back. That’s a less promising outlook than had been indicated when he was first sidelined, but the club no doubt hopes to avoid a lingering problem.
  • Athletics backstop Chris Herrmann is nearing a rehab assignment, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Herrmann inked a one-year, $1MM deal over the offseason but hasn’t yet debuted with his new organization owing to knee surgery. It remains to be seen how the Oakland club will manage its roster once Herrmann is ready; Josh Phegley has hit well all year and Nick Hundley has turned it on after a dreadful start. It’s possible the A’s could ultimately carry all three, at least for a stretch, as Herrmann does have experience playing in other parts of the field.
  • It still doesn’t seem the Astros have cause for alarm regarding righty Collin McHugh, but he’s not going to be ready to return within the minimum ten-day window. Manager A.J. Hinch tells reporters, including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), that McHugh is in need of “a little more down time” to let his elbow stop barking. “He’s played catch a couple days and has not seen any progress,” says Hinch. “He’s not any closer than he was a few days ago.” McHugh has been a bit homer-prone, which explains his rough 6.04 ERA on the year, but otherwise has impressive peripherals. That he has been moved out of the rotation and into a relief role is testament to the depth of the talent on hand in Houston.

Latest On The Athletics’ Injured Pitchers

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The A’s are on a six-game winning streak and have won nine of their last 10 games, pulling into a tie with the Red Sox for the second AL wild card slot.  While things are looking up in Oakland right now, the team could also get some reinforcements on the way as some of their many injured pitchers begin to return to the fold.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has updates on several of the notable names on Oakland’s IL, including the status of star left-hander Sean Manaea.  After undergoing shoulder surgery last September, Manaea has looked to be well ahead of his projected recovery timeline, and could be back with the A’s as early as July.  In the latest step ni his rehab, he told Slusser that he’ll throw two bullpen sessions this week, and will begin to throw his slider during these bullpens.  Provided all goes well, Manaea will move on to facing live batters the following week.

Both Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk are on the mend after undergoing Tommy John surgeries in 2018, with Cotton currently on a rehab assignment and roughly targeted for a mid-June return to the majors, while Puk recently threw a simulated game and is looking like a potential return in July.  Since both pitchers will be on innings limits, however, manager Bob Melvin told Slusser and other reporters that the Athletics haven’t ruled out using Cotton and Puk as relievers when they return.

Despite all of the injuries and second-string nature of its rotation, Oakland has received surprisingly solid contributions from its starting pitchers, both in the team’s run to the wild card game last season and thus far in 2019.  Frankie Montas, Mike Fiers, and Brett Anderson have made the most starts for the A’s this year, with Chris Bassitt and Daniel Mengden looking okay in limited action, while Marco Estrada and Aaron Brooks have struggled.  (Estrada is currently on the IL himself with a lower back strain, and said he hopes to begin playing catch next week.)

As much as this group looks in need of an upgrade that Cotton or Puk could provide, there isn’t any guarantee that either youngster would be able to pitch well as a starter in the wake of their long recovery; it isn’t uncommon, of course, for pitchers of any age to be ineffective in their first few months back from Tommy John surgery.  Looking long-term, the A’s also obviously don’t want to overexert Cotton or Puk for risk of more injury, so strategic usage out of a bullpen would be a better way to both manage workload and potentially also keep both pitchers in the mix for high-leverage situations.

This assumes, however, that Cotton or Puk will be factors at the Major League level at all, since Melvin noted “We’re not just going to bring guys here just because they’re healthy. They have to perform. We have to think there’s a role for them.”  Cotton has a 4.95 ERA over only 158 1/3 career MLB innings, though all of that action came as a starting pitcher.  Puk has yet to pitch beyond even the Double-A level, so despite his lofty top-100 prospect status, he’ll need to make a big impact to work his way into Oakland’s late-season plans.

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