Athletics Rumors

Athletics Activate Sonny Gray From Disabled List

By Steve Adams | May 1, 2017 at 12:50pm CDT

The A’s announced that right-hander Sonny Gray has been activated from the disabled list on Monday. Per John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link), Gray will start Tuesday’s game against the Twins. To clear space for Gray on the active roster, outfielder Ryan LaMarre has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville.

The 27-year-old Gray will take the hill for Oakland for the first time this season with tomorrow’s outing. The 2015 Cy Young candidate was sidelined early in Spring Training by a lat strain that required a three-week shutdown from throwing, and he’s since been building strength back up on a minor league rehab assignment. To say that Gray looked sharp in the minors would be an understatement; in 11 innings between Class-A Advanced Stockton and Triple-A Nashville, Gray racked up 13 strikeouts and allowed only three hits without issuing a walk or yielding a run.

That’s a small sample of work against vastly inferior competition, of course, but the results are encouraging for Gray as he looks to put behind a terrible 2016 season behind him. Last year, Gray was slowed by a strained trapezius muscle and a strained forearm, which led to a pair of separate DL stints and limited him to 117 rather ugly innings. Gray’s ERA soared from 2.73 in 2015 to 5.69 in 2016, and he saw increases in hits per nine (7.2 to 10.2), walks per nine (2.6 to 3.2) and home runs per nine (0.7 to 1.4) as well.

The A’s are off to an 11-14 start to the season, which already has them five games back from the division-leading Astros. While Oakland isn’t likely to make any sort of determination about its course of action this summer on May 1, if the team doesn’t climb back into contention, a healthy Gray would once again be one of the most-discussed trade chips in the game as the non-waiver deadline approaches. Gray is earning a reasonable $3.575MM salary in 2017 after avoiding arbitration in the offseason, and he’s controlled via that arbitration process through the end of the 2019 season.

Athletics Place Sean Manaea On DL

By Connor Byrne | April 30, 2017 at 10:06am CDT

The Athletics have placed southpaw Sean Manaea on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to April 27, with a left shoulder strain. Manaea left his start after two innings Wednesday against the Angels with shoulder stiffness, but there was hope that he’d avoid a DL stint.

In five starts and 24 1/3 innings this season, the 25-year-old Manaea has pitched to a 5.18 ERA, largely thanks to a 4.44 BB/9 and a 53.8 percent strand rate. Manaea doled out only 2.3 free passes per nine innings and stranded runners at a 75 percent clip last year, when he logged a 3.86 ERA during a 144 2/3-frame rookie campaign. Encouragingly, Manaea has experienced an uptick in strikeouts (9.99 K/9), ground-ball rate (63.9 percent, up from 44.2 in 2016) and swinging-strike percentage (13.8, an increase over last year’s 11.8) so far this season.

With Sonny Gray set to make his season debut Tuesday, the A’s rotation will simply swap him for Manaea for the time being. Kendall Graveman, Andrew Triggs, Jharel Cotton and Jesse Hahn will continue to comprise the rest of Oakland’s starting staff.

AL Notes: Trout, Fowler, Jays, Red Sox, A’s

By Connor Byrne | April 30, 2017 at 9:07am CDT

As the best player in baseball, and as a 25-year-old who’s signed through 2020 at a more-than-fair price, Angels center fielder Mike Trout is untradeable, opines Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Unsurprisingly, Halos general manager Billy Eppler won’t even entertain dealing the two-time American League MVP, according to multiple GMs who spoke with Feinsand. “There’s no point to bringing up Trout, because it’s going nowhere,” one GM observed. “Teams will surely try, but it’s like running into a brick wall.” Another GM informed Feinsand that Trout is basically untouchable, but he did touch on what it might take for Eppler to consider an offer. “For a team to inspire Billy Eppler to even return the call, it would have to come to the table stocked with one of the best farm systems and young, upside Major Leaguers and be willing to not put any of those players off limits, because it will take a healthy blend from those two groups,” he said.

Athletics Outright Raul Alcantara

By Steve Adams | April 29, 2017 at 12:28pm CDT

SATURDAY: The A’s have announced that they’ve outrighted Alcantara to Triple-A Nashville. They also reinstated infielder Joey Wendle (shoulder) from the DL and optioned him to Nashville.

TUESDAY: The Athletics announced on Tuesday that they’ve designated right-hander Raul Alcantara for assignment as part of a series of roster moves. Additionally, Oakland has placed Rajai Davis on the 10-day disabled list due to a hamstring injury. Right-hander Cesar Valdez and outfielder Ryan LaMarre have been recalled from Triple-A Nashville to fill out the 25-man roster.

Alcantara, 24, made the Athletics’ roster out of Spring Training, though that decision seemingly stemmed in part from the fact that he is out of minor league options. Alcantara struggled tremendously through three appearances (one start) to open the season, however. Through seven innings, the once well-regarded prospect has yielded 13 earned runs (15 total runs) for a sky-high 16.71 ERA. Alcantara has surrendered 10 hits, including three homers, and walked five batters against just two punchouts on the season. That ugly stat line represents a continuation of last season’s woes. In a total of 29 1/3 Major League innings, Alcantara has a 9.51 ERA with a 16-to-9 K/BB ratio and six hit batsmen.

Those struggles notwithstanding, Alcantara certainly has shown some promise in the minors. He was once well-regarded enough to be shipped from Boston to Oakland in a significant trade for then-closer Andrew Bailey, though Josh Reddick clearly proved to be the cornerstone piece of that deal for the A’s. Alcantara, though, posted a 1.18 ERA with a 32-to-3 K/BB ratio through 45 Triple-A innings as recently as last season and has a career 3.52 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 throughout his minor league tenure — a total of 588 1/3 innings.

Dodgers Sign Max Muncy To Minor-League Deal

By charliewilmoth | April 29, 2017 at 8:54am CDT

The Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers have announced that their parent club has signed infielder Max Muncy, apparently to a minor-league deal. He’ll play for Oklahoma City.

The Athletics outrighted Muncy last winter. He played a handful of games with them in Spring Training, but it appears they released him at some point. He has not yet appeared in the Majors or minors in the regular season.

The 26-year-old Muncy has collected 245 big-league plate appearances with the A’s over the past two seasons, batting .195/.290/.321. He’s batted .262/.355/.407 while playing five positions (first, second, third and the outfield corners) over his career at the Triple-A level, indicating that he’s a solid depth option in the high minors, perhaps especially for a team like the Dodgers, who currently have a variety of position players on the DL.

Injury Notes: Syndergaard, Sanchez, Duda, Cabrera, Skaggs, Britton, Dyson, More

By Jeff Todd | April 28, 2017 at 11:32pm CDT

A pair of struggling teams got the good news that they’ll have key hurlers taking the hill on Sunday. Noah Syndergaard is ready to go after some worry over his biceps, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Syndergaard is said to have denied a request that he undergo an MRI, saying he feels fully healthy. Also, Aaron Sanchez will return for the Blue Jays, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets.

Here’s more on the injury front:

First baseman Lucas Duda is also nearing a return for the Mets. He started a rehab assignment this evening and played for six innings. Given the fairly limited duration of his layoff for a hyperextended elbow, it seems reasonable to think he’ll be back up in just a few days.
It seems there’s forward momentum for Tigers star Miguel Cabrera, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports on Twitter. Cabrera, who was forced to the DL with a groin strain, was able to jog and take batting practice today at the park.
The Angels are assessing another injury for lefty Tyler Skaggs. Per a club announcement, he left his outing tonight with “right side tightness.” Just that means for the 25-year-old isn’t clear at this time. Heading into the current season, Skaggs had made only 41 starts since debuting in 2012. Over his five starts and 29 1/3 innings in 2017, Skaggs has pitched to a 3.99 ERA with a strong 29:9 K/BB ratio.
Orioles closer Zach Britton may also be back Sunday — or, if not, then after the team’s off-day on Monday — per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The southpaw is preparing to return rather quickly from an initially worrying forearm injury. He figures to step right back into the closer role for the O’s.
The Rangers welcomed back Sam Dyson from his short DL stint. Though he jumped right back in and pitched in the ninth tonight, working a scoreless frame, that came in a losing effort. Unlike Britton, Dyson has likely been bypassed in the closer role, at least for the time being.
While the Nationals are holding their breath over a new and potentially serious injury issue tonight, the team did get a bit of positive news earlier. An MRI came back clean for southpaw Sammy Solis, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets. While there’s some inflammation present in his balky elbow, there’s no ligament issue.
There are a few updates on some Reds hurlers who are working back from injury, as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Homer Bailey will throw a pen session early next week — his first since having bone spurs removed over the offseason. Fellow righty Anthony DeSclafani, meanwhile, is unfortunately still not ready to start throwing. Doctors will reassess his sprained UCL after allowing it a few more weeks of rest. And lefty Brandon Finnegan, who’s dealing with an oblique issue, is still a week away even from being examined again by physicians. The club is allowing him plenty of rest before taking stock of his path back tot he rotation.
Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts provided the latest on a few of his team’s ailing players, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (links to Twitter). “Mechanical” issues are still holding back lefty Scott Kazmir, who still doesn’t seem to have a clear path back to the majors. The club will soon activate several position players, though, with Franklin Gutierrez likely to be followed within a week or so by Joc Pederson and Logan Forsythe. That’ll likely mean dropping top prospect Cody Bellinger back to Triple-A, McCullough notes.
Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea is likely to miss a start and may hit the 10-day DL, as Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. But the overall news is good. Manaea, who came down with some shoulder stiffness in his most recent outing, is not expected to require an extended absence.

Latest On Luis Robert’s Market

By Steve Adams | April 27, 2017 at 9:31pm CDT

Nineteen-year-old outfielder Luis Robert is the top international talent that is available on the amateur market and, after recently being declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, has already begun hosting private workouts with interested teams, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler. The Athletics hosted a workout for Robert last Friday that was attended by GM David Forst, according to Badler, and Reds GM Dick Williams was on hand to watch him this past Tuesday in a workout. Prior to that, he’d worked out for the Astros, Badler adds.

Badler notes that Robert’s camp is also expected to set up private workouts with the Padres, Cardinals and White Sox in the coming weeks. It seems that of those three clubs, the heavy-spending Padres are up first, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports (via Twitter) that Robert will work out with the Pads tomorrow. To this point, the Padres have paced all 30 teams in terms of international spending during the current signing period, as their total investment (including luxury tax penalties for shattering their allotted bonus pool) is in the vicinity of $80MM.

The willingness to spend at such an aggressive level may be key for any club that wishes to sign Robert, as FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes in his latest Inside Baseball column that one source who closely follows the international market believes Robert already has a $25MM offer “in hand,” though Heyman notes that others have suggested to him no offers have been made to this point. There could, of course, be some semantics at play there in terms of what constitutes a formal offer. A price tag in the vicinity of $25MM for Robert would come with a 100 percent luxury tax attached to it, meaning he’d cost any team that signed him at that rate a total of roughly $50MM.

As Badler writes, though Robert has been declared a free agent, he won’t formally be cleared to sign until May 20. In the interim, he’ll host at least one more open showcase for teams, in addition to the remaining private workouts his camp will orchestrate.

It’s worth noting that of the teams linked to Robert, only the White Sox have yet to exceed their current international bonus pool. In other words, while other clubs would essentially only be parting with money in order to sign Robert, the ChiSox would need to determine if Robert is worth handcuffing themselves in each of the next two international signing periods; should the Sox decide to exceed their pool in the eleventh hour — the current signing period ends on June 15 — they’d be unable to sign any individual player for more than $300K in either the 2017-18 or 2018-19 signing periods.

In a similar vein, teams that are still in the metaphorical “penalty box” for crushing their allotted pools in previous signing periods won’t be able to compete for Robert’s services, as they’re each capped at that same $300K figure on individual signings. That eliminates the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Blue Jays, Rays, Royals and Diamondbacks from serving as serious competition in the Robert market.

Though Robert is just 19 years of age, he’d already blossomed into a star, hitting a ridiculous .401/.526/.687 with 12 homers, 12 doubles, a pair of triples and 11 steals over the life of 53 games (232 plate appearances) in his final pro season in the Cuban National Series. Scouting reports on Robert note that he’s capable of playing center field right now, though he may ultimately wind up in a corner. Badler has previously written that both his bat speed and raw power are plus, and Heyman’s above-linked piece offers a number of favorable reviews of Robert’s skill set. Additionally, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez has previously spoken to a number of international scouting directors who have heaped praise onto Robert, calling him the game’s best international prospect behind Japanese phenom Shohei Otani and labeling him one of the most talented young players on the planet.

Injury Notes: Manaea, Beltre, Red Sox, Span

By Steve Adams | April 27, 2017 at 8:01pm CDT

Athletics lefty Sean Manaea exited yesterday’s game after just two innings due to left shoulder tightness, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The departure of yet another of the Athletics’ top starters is troubling enough, but Slusser adds that Manaea’s velocity was topping out at 90 mph on Wednesday — a far cry from the 95 mph at which he usually tops out and from the 92.5 mph he’s averaged thus far in 2017. Slusser has since tweeted that Manaea did pass some initial strength tests with his shoulder today and hopes to try throwing tomorrow.

Oakland already has Sonny Gray and Kendall Graveman on the disabled list, though they’ll welcome Graveman back to the rotation tonight. If Manaea needs to miss time, I’d imagine that right-handers Cesar Valdez and Paul Blackburn would be options to step into his rotation spot. Each is already on the 40-man roster, and Valdez is presently serving as the team’s long reliever after making a spot start last week.

A few more injury notes from around the game…

While the Rangers hoped at the time of Adrian Beltre’s most recent setback that he’d be able to join the club by the end of April, it’s now questionable whether he’ll even be ready to take the field at some point in May, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. “It’s at the point where we didn’t necessarily see the progress results we thought we would see,” manager Jeff Banister tells Sullivan. Banister said there’s still no timeline on Beltre, adding that the team is still trying to reduce the swelling and soreness in Beltre’s strained calf. Joey Gallo will continue to man third base in Beltre’s absence.
Red Sox reliever Carson Smith has had a setback in his recovery from 2016 Tommy John surgery, as Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com writes. Smith was throwing off a mound a couple of weeks ago but has “had to slow down,” manager John Farrell told reporters. Smith is long tossing from 110 feet but is now two weeks removed from his most recent mound session. Boston had been targeting a June return for Smith, but a July return is now more realistic, per McCaffrey. The Red Sox have had rough luck when trading for potential setup arms; in addition to losing Smith for more than a year due to Tommy John surgery just months after trading for him, the team has yet to reap any benefit from its trade to acquire Tyler Thornburg this offseason, as Thornburg has been sidelined all season by a right shoulder impingement. CSNNE.com’s Evan Drellich tweeted recently that Farrell said on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Thornburg essentially needs to progress through Spring Training all over again, which would normally consist of seven to 10 appearances.
The initial MRI on Denard Span’s shoulder revealed no serious injuries to the Giants center fielder (Twitter links via Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle and Chris Haft of MLB.com). Span, who has already been placed on the 10-day disabled list, said that his shoulder was in too much pain yesterday to even get through the first attempt at an MRI (via Schulman). Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters earlier today that the expectation is that Span will miss more than the minimum 10 days on the disabled list (Twitter link via Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News).

West Notes: Giants, Rockies, Angels, A’s

By Connor Byrne | April 23, 2017 at 5:02pm CDT

Although the Giants have a good relationship with left-hander Madison Bumgarner, their front office isn’t going to forget his dirt bike accident if the two sides negotiate a new contract in the future, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Bumgarner is controllable via eminently affordable team options for both the 2018 and ’19 seasons, after which the three-time World Series champion should be in line to become one of the majors’ richest pitchers. In the meantime, it’s possible the Giants could look to recoup some money from Bumgarner’s current deal in the wake of the off-field shoulder injury that will keep him out for two-plus months; however, Shea notes that doing so would look terrible from a public relations standpoint and could damage the team’s relationship with Bumgarner. Unsurprisingly, general manager Bobby Evans doesn’t seem inclined to quarrel with Bumgarner over money, telling Shea that the 27-year-old ace’s contract is “the least of our concerns.” Rather, the Giants’ “focus is trying to take care of Madison and get him healthy and support him any way we can,” per Evans.

Athletics Acquire Ryan LaMarre

By Mark Polishuk | April 23, 2017 at 11:07am CDT

The Athletics have acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, as per announcements from both teams. In a related move, the A’s moved right-hander Chris Bassitt to the 60-day DL to create roster space. Los Angeles designated LaMarre for assignment earlier this week when catcher Juan Graterol was acquired in a trade with Toronto. LaMarre, 28, signed a Major League deal with the Halos this winter but began the season at Triple-A.

Originally a second-round pick for the Reds in the 2010 draft, LaMarre has a .267/.345/.381 slash line over 2695 career plate appearances in the minors, plus 27 games in the big leagues with the Reds and Red Sox from 2015-16. He has primarily played as a center fielder during his career, so LaMarre provides the A’s with some versatile outfield depth at the minor league level.

The 60-day DL placement means that Bassitt can’t return to Oakland’s roster under June, even though an early return didn’t seem possible anyway given that Bassitt underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2016. The righty was reported to be making good progress in his recovery as of two weeks ago, though Bassitt is obviously still in need of a lengthy rehab stint in the minors.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Athletics Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect