AL West Notes: Gray, Bassitt, Singleton, Mariners, Angels
Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray threw a 25-pitch bullpen session yesterday, during which he utilized all of his pitches and threw at a 100 percent effort level, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s slated for another ‘pen session on Friday — the next step in his rehab of a strained lat muscle that caused him to be shut down for most of Spring Training. Gray will throw one or two more bullpen sessions in total, then throw to live hitters once or twice before embarking on a rehab assignment (where he’ll likely make two minor league starts), per Slusser.
Slusser adds a bit more good news for A’s fans as well, noting that right-hander Chris Bassitt looks to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from 2016 Tommy John surgery. Bassitt will throw to hitters today and is nearing a minor league rehab assignment of his own, though he’ll need a considerably longer rehab stint than Gray due to the nature of their injuries.
More from the AL West…
- Astros first baseman Jon Singleton has been pushed all the way back to Double-A to open the season, as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle writes. While the move was made to ensure he is able to receive consistent playing time, that obviously suggests he’s behind others — most notably, A.J. Reed — in the depth chart. Unlike Reed, Singleton is also without a 40-man spot at present, though his contract, which runs through 2018 and includes three option years thereafter, surely provides at least some incentive for the organization to move him to the majors if circumstances warrant.
- Drew Smyly received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Tuesday, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto told the media (link via Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune). That procedure doesn’t impact the team’s expected recovery, however, which Dipoto still pegs at six to eight weeks. “Six weeks until he begins throwing. Eight until we anticipate we can make a better judgment on when he’ll rejoin the club,” Dipoto said. Fellow left-hander Ariel Miranda was tabbed as the first line of defense in the wake of Smyly’s injury, and he’ll make his first start of the season tomorrow.
- The Mariners‘ claim of right-hander Evan Marshall stems, in part, from familiarity on the part Dipoto, the general manager told reporters, including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. “He was actually a draft pick from my final year with the Diamondbacks,” Dipoto explains. “…He has a very heavy sinker that will touch 96 mph. His velocity will be in that 94ish range. He has a very high rate of ground balls, last year was 57 percent, which is pretty consistent with his career norm.” Marshall, 27, posted an outstanding 2.74 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 60.7 percent ground-ball rate as a rookie in 2014. Since that time, he’s struggled in the Majors, though one has to wonder how much those troubles were impacted by a skull fracture that he sustained when he was hit by a line drive — an injury that required surgical repair and cost him a significant chunk of the season.
- Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register spoke to Angels outfielder Ben Revere about his reserve role with the team and the difficulty of trying to reestablish oneself as a player that can be relied on every day while receiving only limited at-bats. Revere isn’t down on himself after losing out on the left field job despite a vastly superior spring to that of starter Cameron Maybin. “No matter what happens, if I go the whole year being a backup, I’m going to try to get No. 9 (Maybin) to have the best year of his career,” Revere says. “…Spring training doesn’t mean a damn thing. It’s all about performing when it counts. It starts now.”
- Fletcher also suggests, once again, that the Angels could be forced to make some type of roster move to alleviate the first base mix once Luis Valbuena returns from an injury next month. Valbuena figures to receive the bulk of the time at first base, leaving the Halos with a pair of right-handed-hitting complements in the form of C.J. Cron and Jefry Marte. While it was Marte who drew the start last night despite a lefty pitcher being on the hill, manager Mike Scioscia tells Fletcher that the decision to start Marte was merely a means of getting him into the lineup early in the season without asking him to sit for too long.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/4/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around baseball…
- The Mets have signed infielder Josh Rodriguez to a minor league contract, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The 32-year-old Rodriguez, who briefly appeared in the Majors with the 2011 Pirates, will be returning for his third tour of duty with the Mets, having also spent the 2012-13 seasons and the 2015 season in their system. Rodriguez spent the 2016 campaign with the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate, hitting .263/.381/.420 with nine homers in 342 plate appearances. The versatile Rodriguez has more than 4,000 career innings at shortstop, more than 2300 at second base and nearly 2000 at third base. He’s also had more brief stints in the outfield and at first base. He’ll head to Triple-A Las Vegas this season.
- The Athletics have released first baseman Rangel Ravelo, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (via Twitter). The 24-year-old Ravelo was one of four players the A’s acquired in the trade that sent Jeff Samardzija to the ChiSox, but he showed very little at the plate in 2016 despite spending the year in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League. In 416 trips to the plate, Ravelo batted .262/.334/.395 with eight homers and 23 doubles. Ravelo lost his 40-man spot over the winter when Oakland signed Matt Joyce to a two-year contract.
- Eddy also tweets that the Dodgers have released 2013 first-rounder Chris Anderson. The right-hander had a strong run in the Class-A Midwest League after being selected 18th overall back in ’13, but he struggled in each of the next two seasons and was shifted to the bullpen last year. In 67 1/3 innings between the Dodgers’ Class-A Advanced and Double-A affiliates, Anderson logged a disappointing 4.81 ERA with a troubling 51-to-46 K/BB ratio. His control worsened in the Arizona Fall League, where he was rocked for 22 earned runs on 28 hits and 12 walks with 11 strikeouts in 16 2/3 frames.
- Another former top pick, White Sox outfielder Keenyn Walker (No. 47 overall in 2011), was also released recently, according to Eddy (Twitter link). Now 26 years of age, Walker never climbed beyond the Double-A level in parts of six seasons in the White Sox organization. Last year, he slashed .240/.330/.340 in 374 plate appearances with Double-A Birmingham, and he’s a career .206/.303/.283 hitter at that level.
A’s Ross Detwiler Opts Out Of Contract, Re-Signs
APRIL 1: Detwiler has agreed to a minor league deal to return to the A’s organization, general manager David Forst tells Slusser (Twitter link).
MARCH 26: Detwiler has opted out, tweets Slusser.
MARCH 25: With little chance to make the Athletics’ season-opening roster, left-hander Ross Detwiler is likely to opt out of his minor league contract Sunday, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s unclear whether other teams will have interest in Detwiler if he becomes a free agent, per Slusser, but it seems he’d rather test the market than head to Triple-A.
Having allowed 11 earned runs in 8 1/3 spring innings, the 31-year-old Detwiler realizes he probably won’t claim a roster spot with Oakland.
“The way the last couple of games went I can guess,” Detwiler told Slusser in regards to his chances of making the A’s.
Detwiler is primed to wrap up his second stint with the A’s, who first acquired him from the Indians for cash considerations last July. The swingman went on to throw 44 innings in nine appearances (seven starts) and post a 6.14 ERA, 4.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Detwiler hasn’t been effective at the big league level since his tenure in Washington ended in 2014. The Nationals drafted Detwiler sixth overall in 2007, and he proceeded to log a 3.82 ERA with 5.4 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 across 471 innings (132 appearances, 69 starts) and seven seasons. Dating back to 2015, he has combined for a 6.73 ERA, 5.64 K/9 and 4.63 BB/9 in 107 frames with Texas, Atlanta, Cleveland and Oakland.
West Roster Notes: Beltre, Montas, Federowicz
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre will begin the season on the DL, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. Beltre turned up with a tight calf on Monday and hasn’t appeared in a Spring Training game since. An MRI that day didn’t turn up anything serious, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. It’s possible, then, that Beltre won’t be out long. Until he returns, slugger Joey Gallo will be first in line for playing time at third base, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Jurickson Profar is another potential option. Here are more quick notes on West rosters.
- The Athletics have decided to set their roster with eight relievers, with Frankie Montas and Daniel Coulombe both making the cut, as various reporters have tweeted, including Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The club has sent outfielder Jaff Decker to the minors, leaving the A’s with a three-man bench and Mark Canha as their only backup outfielder. As for Montas, the A’s reportedly still see him as a starter in the long term, but after he missed most of last season due to a rib injury, having him begin the season in the bullpen allows the A’s to limit his innings. The A’s acquired Montas at last year’s August 1 trade deadline along with two more interesting young hurlers (Jharel Cotton and Grant Holmes) for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick.
- Catcher Tim Federowicz doesn’t plan to opt out of his minor-league deal with the Giants unless he receives a big-league contract, Carl Steward of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Federowicz has received interest from other clubs, but no big-league offers. The 29-year-old Federowicz played briefly over parts of four seasons with the Dodgers, then missed much of the 2015 season to a knee injury after heading to San Diego in the Matt Kemp/Yasmani Grandal trade. He briefly appeared in the big leagues with the Cubs last year.
Alejandro De Aza Opts Out Of Athletics Contract
MONDAY: De Aza has in fact opted out, Slusser tweets.
SUNDAY: Alejandro De Aza is expected to exercise the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the A’s on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. De Aza is the second notable A’s veteran to opt out in as many days, after Ross Detwiler used his clause earlier today.
De Aza signed his deal with Oakland in January and would’ve earned $1.25MM if he had cracked the roster. Instead, it looks like the A’s will go with Mark Canha and Jaff Decker as their primary backup outfielders, though Slusser notes that Dacker could be on the outs if the Athletics decide on an eighth reliever rather than a fourth bench player. (Utilityman Adam Rosales can play a corner outfield spot in a pinch.)
De Aza, who turns 33 in April, is coming off a tough season with the Mets that saw him hit .205/.297/.321 in 267 PA. This was much less playing time than De Aza expected to receive when he originally signed with New York last winter, though after the Mets unexpectedly re-signed Yoenis Cespedes, De Aza fell behind Cespedes, Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto and Juan Lagares on the depth chart.
From 2011-15, De Aza hit a solid .270/.335/.413 over 2324 PA and he owns a similar batting line in his career splits against right-handed pitching. Since De Aza is a left-handed bat who can provide passable defense at all three outfield spots, I’d guess that many of the teams linked to Angel Pagan (such as the Braves, Blue Jays, Phillies, Nationals, or Pirates) could potentially check in on De Aza’s services.
AL Notes: Rays, Twins, Athletics
The Rays are on the lookout for a right-handed bat, which would come in the form of either a shortstop or an outfielder, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Their preference is to to land an outfielder who has options and can back up center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, per Topkin, who lists Bryce Brentz, Peter Bourjos, Austin Jackson, Rob Refsnyder and Justin Ruggiano as possibilities. Former Ray Melvin Upton Jr. might be a candidate, too, if the Blue Jays dump him, Topkin writes.
Elsewhere on the Rays front, Jesus Sucre is likely to join the newly signed Derek Norris as one of their two catchers, according to Topkin. Tampa Bay still needs to add Norris and Sucre to its 40-man roster, which means the club could look to trade one of its other backstops, Curt Casali or Luke Maile (probably Casali), relays Topkin.
The latest on two other American League clubs:
- The Twins optioned right-hander Jose Berrios to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, thus eliminating him from the competition for the final spot in their rotation. The job will go to either Adalberto Mejia or Tyler Duffey, whom Berrios fell behind while he was with Team Puerto Rico for 18 days at the World Baseball Classic. Berrios only threw 6 2/3 innings during that nearly three-week span, which hurt his chances of beginning the season in Minnesota, but he doesn’t regret participating in the tournament. “Playing for Puerto Rico is an honor; it makes me proud,” Berrios told Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press through an interpreter. “I know this is my team, it’s my job. This is who drafted me. This is who I’m going to make it with, but you don’t get to play for Puerto Rico every day or every year. That’s not how it is.” The 22-year-old Berrios, who has dominated in the minors, still seems likely to end up in the Twins’ rotation sometime in 2017. If that happens, the former premier prospect will try to bounce back from a rough rookie year in which he posted an 8.02 ERA, 7.56 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 58 innings.
- It came as a surprise when the Twins designated DH Byung Ho Park for assignment in February, but he ultimately remained with the organization after clearing waivers. Nearly two months later, he has the inside track on a big league roster spot on account of Kennys Vargas‘ less-than-ideal spring, per Berardino. Vargas, who was also with Puerto Rico at the WBC, has gone just 1 for 15 with three walks during the Twins’ exhibition season. His situation worsened when he fouled a ball off his left foot Friday, and is now on crutches. Although initial X-rays were negative, the Twins will send Vargas for further testing, writes Berardino. “If he doesn’t play for a week, it’s going to have an impact,” manager Paul Molitor said of Vargas’ chances of earning a place with the Twins. “He just hasn’t had many at-bats.”
- Righty Jesse Hahn looks like the odd man out in the Athletics’ rotation battle, observes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Judging by the A’s pitching schedule, they appear poised to go with Andrew Triggs and Raul Alcantara for their final two starting spots, Slusser notes. Hahn was subpar at both the major league and Triple-A levels last season, and he hasn’t bounced back with a decent spring. The 27-year-old has yielded 15 earned runs on 25 hits in 15 1/3 innings.
Offseason In Review: Oakland Athletics
Check out all the published entries in our Offseason in Review series here.
After finishing among the American League’s bottom three teams in both wins (69) and run differential (minus-108) in 2016, the low-payroll Athletics tried to make a splash in free agency. Oakland’s attempt to land first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion went for naught, though, and the club ultimately emerged from the offseason having made several modestly priced signings.
Major League Signings
- Matt Joyce, OF: Two years, $11MM
- Santiago Casilla, RP: Two years, $11MM
- Rajai Davis, OF: One year, $6MM
- Trevor Plouffe, IF: One year, $5.25MM
- Adam Rosales, IF: One year, $1.25MM
- Total spend: $34.5MM
Trades And Claims
- Acquired RHP Paul Blackburn from Mariners for IF/OF Danny Valencia
- Acquired IF Jordan Tarsovich from Dodgers for OF Brett Eibner
- Acquired C Jason Goldstein from Mariners for LHP Dillon Overton
- Claimed RHP Josh Smith from Reds
- Claimed LHP Giovanni Soto from Cubs (lost later on waivers to White Sox)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Alejandro De Aza, Ross Detwiler, Ryan Lavarnway, Chris Parmelee, Jaff Decker, Felix Doubront, Matt McBride, Andrew Lambo
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Valencia, Eibner, Overton, Fernando Rodriguez
Oakland Athletics Depth Chart; Oakland Athletics Payroll Information
Needs Addressed
The offseason didn’t unfold the way many thought it would for Encarnacion, whose five-year run in Toronto as an elite hitter didn’t lead to the nine-figure contract that seemed attainable at the outset of free agency. Encarnacion went without a deal for nearly two months before agreeing to join the Indians on a three-year contract with $60MM in guarantees. It was surprising that Encarnacion landed with the Tribe, but it was more of an eye-opener that the A’s were Cleveland’s main competition. After all, the richest contract on the A’s belongs to reliever Ryan Madson, who’s on the second season of a three-year pact worth $22MM. Encarnacion would have averaged $25MM per annum, likely over two years, had he taken the A’s offer. Reeling in the slugger would have been a boon for Oakland, which scored the fewest runs in the AL last season and has a starting first baseman, Yonder Alonso, who brings almost no offensive punch to the table.
“We knew we’d face some headwinds going in,” executive vice president Billy Beane said after losing the Encarnacion sweepstakes. “But again, we saw this as a unique player. … [W]e thought was that type of player who would have served as a real good anchor point with our young pitching and some of our other young players.”
Nearly a month before Encarnacion made his decision, the A’s partially addressed their offensive issues by awarding a two-year, $11MM guarantee to free agent outfielder Matt Joyce. That commitment has a chance to go down as one of the offseason’s biggest bargains, as the lefty-swinging Joyce has typically been a quality hitter and is coming off a career year. Then with the Pirates, Joyce slashed a terrific .242/.403/.463 in 293 plate appearances. The 32-year-old led all batters with at least 250 PAs in walk rate (20.1 percent, a notable improvement over his career 12.5 percent), which was the product of being far more selective than ever. Between 2008, his rookie campaign, and 2015, Joyce hadn’t swung at under 24.7 percent of pitches outside the zone in any individual season. Last year, though, he offered at only 18.2 percent of such pitches. He also showed some of the best power of his career, having logged his highest ISO (.221) since 2010.
It’s fair to be skeptical of Joyce going forward – he slashed a ghastly .174/.272/.291 in 284 PAs with the Angels only two years ago, and he’s a lifetime .185/.265/.310 hitter against lefties. However, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan wrote in November, Joyce made intriguing adjustments last season, including lowering his hands and becoming less reliant on pulling the ball. Even if those gains don’t stick, though, the A’s should at least have a capable, reasonably priced platoon right fielder on their hands in Joyce, who has batted .252/.353/.449 in 2,686 career plate trips against righties.
Another newcomer, 36-year-old center fielder Rajai Davis, will join Joyce and primary left fielder Khris Davis to comprise the A’s main alignment in the grass. This isn’t the first go-around in Oakland for Davis, who was previously with the team from 2008-10. As an Indian last season, Davis wasn’t significantly better offensively than either of the A’s top two center fielders, Coco Crisp and Jake Smolinski, but he is a weapon when he gets on base. Davis is coming off a year in which he racked up an American League-high 43 steals – just seven fewer than the A’s 26th-ranked team total (50). He also finished second in the majors to Billy Hamilton in FanGraphs’ BsR metric, a stat in which Oakland ranked dead last. And while Davis was a mixed bag in center last season (minus-five Defensive Runs Saved, 3.6 UZR/150 in 595 innings), he has typically been passable there and should at least be a clear upgrade over Crisp, who registered minus-11 DRS and a minus-37.7 UZR/150 in 290 innings.
After adding Joyce and Davis to their outfield, the A’s sought to upgrade their infield and came away with third baseman Trevor Plouffe and utilityman Adam Rosales on one-year accords. A careerlong Twin until they outrighted him in November, Plouffe isn’t far removed from combining for a .251/.317/.429 line and 6.0 fWAR in 1,214 PAs from 2014-15. That type of production would be welcome for Oakland, though Plouffe struggled in the other five seasons of his career, having registered minus-0.8 fWAR largely because of subpar defensive metrics. That includes last season, when Plouffe was a negative at third (minus-four DRS, minus-17.1 UZR/150 in 519 innings) and hit a below-average .260/.303/.420 in 344 PAs. The 30-year-old does deserve some benefit of the doubt for his latest output, however, as he endured an injury-riddled campaign that featured three trips to the disabled list.
Healthy again, Plouffe will serve as the A’s No. 1 option at the hot corner, meaning Ryon Healy will mostly divide his time between designated hitter and first base. As a rookie last season, Healy played all 72 of his games at third, where he posted Plouffe-like numbers (minus-two DRS, minus-17.5 UZR/150) over 637 innings. Those struggles took away somewhat from the offensive excellence displayed by Healy, who put together a .305/.337/.524 mark in his 283-PA debut.
Rosales, meanwhile, will back up Plouffe, Healy and the rest of the A’s infielders, and he could be especially useful at second base. Starter Jed Lowrie has dealt with injury troubles throughout his career, including a left foot issue that limited him to 87 games last year, and hasn’t stood out offensively since a career year in 2013. Rosales, who was with the A’s from 2010-13, is coming off his own personal-best season. A Padre in 2016, the 33-year-old journeyman was a radically different hitter than he had been from 2008-15. Along with his best-ever batting line, .229/.319/.495 (in 248 PAs), the right-hander accrued highs in home runs (13), ISO (.266, up from a career .140), walk rate (11.7 percent) and hard contact rate (36.9 percent, far above his lifetime 26.4 percent figure). As evidenced by those numbers, not to mention a career-high fly ball rate (46.2 percent) and a bloated strikeout percentage (35.5), it’s clear Rosales sold out for gains in the power department last year. Even if his 2016 proves to be a mirage, Rosales should still give the A’s both a usable option against southpaws (.241/.318/.395 in 644 PAs) and, if Lowrie goes down again, a credible defensive second baseman (13 DRS, 6.6 UZR in 1,007 lifetime innings).
Click to continue…
AL West Notes: Rangers, Ross, A’s, Gray, Mariners
Rangers righty Tyson Ross threw his first live batting practice session today, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter links). The twenty pitch outing proceeded without issue, which leaves Ross on track for a somewhat more rapid timeline to return to MLB action than had been anticipated. Per Wilson, the bounceback candidate — who’s returning from thoracic outlet surgery — could be available as soon as early May. Texas will pay Ross $6MM this year, with up to $3MM available in incentives, in hopes that he can return to the form that made him one of the game’s more effective starters over the 2013-15 seasons.
- With some questions in the rotation, especially early on, the Rangers may elect to carry a deep relief unit while relying on just three bench players, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. The key to that arrangement is the versatility of Jurickson Profar and Ryan Rua, who could share time in left with Delino DeShields while also filling in wherever else they’re needed. Profar is primarily an infielder by trade, and that’s where Rua spent most of his minor-league career — though he has played mostly in the outfield in the majors.
- It seems there’s reason for optimism for Athletics righty Sonny Gray, who was “very encouraged” after picking up the ball yesterday, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter. Gray only made twenty throws from a distance of sixty feet and another fifteen from seventy-five feet, but that’s an important first step. He’ll repeat the exercise today as he seeks to speed up his return from a lat strain.
- Mariners utilityman Shawn O’Malley needed an appendectomy yesterday, which will sideline him for around two weeks, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. He and Taylor Motter are battling for a reserve role on the Opening Day roster, but the health issue could certainly move the needle. Thus far, Motter has the better spring stat line, with a .324/.435/.459 slash against O’Malley’s .278/.333/.278 mark. Both have options remaining and have reached the majors previously, though neither has a significant track record at the game’s highest level.
- The Mariners also got some updates on a pair of righty relievers, Dutton adds on Twitter. Shae Simmons was able to play catch as he works through forearm issues, while Steve Cishek is scheduled for his first pen session tomorrow as he continues to progress from offseason hip surgery. It seems clear at this point that neither will be ready for Opening Day, though the deep Seattle unit should be able to bear the loss, and both could represent intriguing mid-season additions to the relief corps.
Injury Notes: Red Sox, Tigers, A’s, Padres
The Red Sox‘s rotation will already be without left-hander David Price to begin the season, and fellow southpaw Drew Pomeranz could join him on the shelf. Pomeranz left his start Sunday after two innings with tightness in his left triceps, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal was among those to report. Pomeranz doesn’t believe it’s a serious injury, but considering he dealt with forearm stiffness late last season and then had a stem cell injection, Boston “must be wary,” opines Scott Lauber of ESPN.com. Injuries have been the story of Pomeranz’s tenure with the Red Sox, who acquired him from the Padres last July for high-end pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza. The Sox then complained that the Padres withheld medical information on Pomeranz, leading Major League Baseball to suspend Friars general manager A.J. Preller for a month. The league also gave Boston a chance to undo the trade, but the team turned down the offer, in part because the trade deadline had already passed.
For the Red Sox, beginning the season without both Price and Pomeranz would force them to slot Kyle Kendrick into their rotation. The 32-year-old last pitched in the majors in 2015, when he started in all 27 of his appearances with the Rockies and posted a 6.32 ERA in 142 1/3 innings. Kendrick joined Boston in January on a minor league deal, which includes opt-outs on June 15 and Aug. 15.
More injury news:
- Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez went for an MRI on his mid-right foot sprain on Sunday, but the team didn’t release the results. Instead, it sent Martinez to see a foot specialist for a second opinion, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. The Tigers could find out Martinez’s fate as early as Sunday, said manager Brad Ausmus; although Martinez doesn’t have any broken bones, ligament damage is a possibility, notes Fenech. That could be disastrous for both team and player – Martinez is an integral part of Detroit’s lineup, and he’s entering a contract year. Based on potential earning power, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranks Martinez as the sixth-best player who’s scheduled to hit the open market next winter.
- Hoping to make a quicker-than-expected return from a lat strain, Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray will head to Chicago on Monday to visit Dr. Anthony Romeo, a latissimus dorsi expert, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Gray’s goal is to receive clearance to begin throwing again. The A’s shut down Gray for three weeks on March 9, but if his visit to Chicago yields good news, he could make his season debut in the middle of April instead of at the end, per Slusser.
- Padres lefty Christian Friedrich has been dealing with “overall soreness from the shoulder down through the triceps through the elbow” this spring, manager Andy Green told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Consequently, Friedrich could have difficulty making good on his effort to crack the Padres’ rotation. Friedrich led the Padres in starts (23) last year, when he logged a 4.80 ERA, 6.96 K/9, 3.62 BB/9 and a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate over 129 1/3 innings.
- Outfielder Jaff Decker‘s spring bid to win a roster spot with the Athletics could be in jeopardy on account of an oblique strain, writes Slusser. Decker has been competing with Alejandro De Aza to serve as Oakland’s fifth outfielder (if the team carries one), but the former’s attempt might go for naught if the injury keeps him out for more than a few days. “It’s unfortunate: He was having a good camp, he was impressing,” manager Bob Melvin said of Decker, who has hit .304/.407/.408 in 23 spring at-bats. “There’s still a spot to be won out there whatever potentially the 25th spot is, the 12th or 13th spot as far as the position players go.”
AL Notes: A’s, Red Sox, Rangers
The Athletics optioned highly touted shortstop prospect Franklin Barreto to Triple-A on Friday, though it seems he could enter the picture in Oakland sometime this year. “I think we’d all like to see him up here at some point and that’s our anticipation,” executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said of Barreto, who slashed .481/.500/.667 in 27 spring at-bats (Twitter link via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Because Marcus Semien occupies short for the A’s, Barreto’s major league debut is likely to come at second base, per Beane, who noted Friday that the keystone is “probably his quickest path to the big leagues” (via Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area). The 21-year-old Barreto, whom Oakland acquired from Toronto in 2014 in the A’s ill-fated Josh Donaldson trade, tops out as Baseball America’s 40th-ranked prospect.
More from the American League:
- Beane also revealed Friday that the Athletics aren’t going to react to right-hander Sonny Gray‘s lat strain by attempting to acquire pitching. Rather, Beane’s confident in the depth the A’s have on hand. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a fertile market to be diving into right now anyway this time of year,” he said. “I think we prefer to stay in-house and give maybe somebody an opportunity.” Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea and Jharel Cotton are set to comprise the A’s top three starters in a temporarily Gray-less rotation, leaving the final spots to two of Jesse Hahn, Andrew Triggs or Raul Alcantara, writes Stiglich. One hurler who won’t factor into the rotation is righty Frankie Montas, who will work as a reliever this year, according to Beane. However, the A’s still see him as a long-term starter (Twitter link via Slusser).
- Although Red Sox first baseman/designated hitter Hanley Ramirez hasn’t been able to play the field this spring because of a shoulder issue, manager John Farrell doesn’t regard it as a serious injury, relays Rob Bradford of WEEI. “We feel like there’s been a little bit of a breakthrough here,” Farrell said Saturday. “We’re anticipating that throwing to continue to progress and ramp up. The goal, obviously, is still to get him games at first base while in camp, and we’re moving towards that.” Ramirez hasn’t been able to throw, but Farrell pointed out that “he still continues to drill work and ground balls at first base.”
- The Rangers won’t need a fifth starter until April 15, meaning they could opt for a four-man rotation until Andrew Cashner returns, per skipper Jeff Banister (via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Cashner has made encouraging progress since he suffered a setback in his recovery from biceps tendinitis on March 9.
- One of Cashner’s teammates and fellow starters, Chi Chi Gonzalez, was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear on Friday. That left Gonzalez “stunned,” writes Grant, who adds that the 25-year-old is likely to get a second opinion. “I had some soreness, but thought it was the usual spring training stuff,” Gonzalez told Grant. “I thought it was something minor. And it’s something people often can’t even throw with and here I was pitching. It’s disappointing.”