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Athletics Place Rich Hill On Disabled List

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JUNE 9: The Athletics have indeed placed Hill on the disabled list with a strained right groin, the team announced. The move is retroactive to May 30. Per John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter), Hill has yet to undergo his MRI, hence the lack of additional updates beyond the placement on the disabled list.

JUNE 8: Athletics lefty Rich Hill suffered a setback in his recovery from a groin strain during today’s 35-pitch bullpen session, he told reporters, including Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area (links to Twitter). According to Hill, he felt a pull on the 33rd pitch of his session. He’ll head back to Oakland tomorrow to undergo an MRI, per Stiglich, and manager Bob Melvin conceded that a trip to the disabled list is a strong possibility, tweets MLB.com’s Jane Lee. Similarly, the Bay Area News Group’s John Hickey tweets that a DL stint is likely. Hill has been sidelined since May 29, so the A’s would at least be able to backdate a DL stint to that point, reducing the minimum stay on the disabled list. However, the extent of Hill’s strain won’t be known until tomorrow’s MRI has been reviewed by the team’s medical staff.

The 36-year-old Hill has proven to be one of the best free-agent signings of the 2015-16 offseason, as he’s given the Athletics 64 innings of 2.25 ERA ball with 10.4 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 48.1 percent ground-ball rate. The one-year, $6MM contract he signed seemed risky at the time for a player with Hill’s injury history and limited recent track record, but he’s already made good on that contract and provided surplus value to the A’s.

A prolonged absence for Hill would deprive the A’s of their most effective starter and could also significantly impact Hill’s value on the summer trade market. With Oakland sitting in last place in the AL West and Hill’s status as a veteran on an affordable one-year deal, the left-hander is a prototypical trade candidate. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd recently listed him second when assessing the game’s top 10 trade candidates, noting that Hill’s dominance and affordable contract could make him appealing to virtually any team taking aim at the 2016 postseason. However, for a player that has already pitched more Major League innings this season than he has in any season since 2007, durability will be a focal point in any potential trade talks.

Sonny Gray To Start Sunday

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  • Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray will start for the club Sunday after he made a quick recovery from the trapezius strain that forced him to the disabled list two weeks ago (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Gray performed like an ace over his first two-plus seasons in the majors from 2013-15, but he got off to an uncharacteristically awful start this year before landing on the DL. Manager Bob Melvin attributes that, at least in part, to the injury. “A lot of the command issues stemmed from what was going on in his trap,” he said. “He wasn’t able to extend like he wanted to and had a little trouble commanding the baseball. So those issues are resolved.” Gray will now try to improve on the 6.19 ERA and 4.50 BB/9 he posted over his first nine starts (48 innings) of 2016.

Brewers Return Rule 5 Pick Colin Walsh To Athletics

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The Brewers will return Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh to the Athletics, reports Jane Lee of MLB.com (Twitter link). Walsh, whom the Brewers designated for assignment on Tuesday, will head to Triple-A Nashville.

Prior to his designation, the 26-year-old Walsh picked up just four hits over his first 63 career major league plate appearances. The infielder/outfielder drew an impressive 15 walks, but he also struck out 22 times – good for a bloated 34.9 percent rate. Walsh has been far more successful in the minors, having hit .278/.395/.422 in nearly 2,500 trips to the plate. He was particularly effective last season in a the Double-A level slashing .302/.447/.470 with 13 home runs and 17 steals in 134 games.

Walsh’s 2015 showing helped lead the Brewers to select him in December, but his weak big league output brought their union to an end. The rest of the league had an opportunity to acquire Walsh after Milwaukee designated him, but nobody bit and he’ll now return to the A’s.

Rich Hill To Miss Next Start

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  • Rich Hill will miss his next scheduled start for the Athletics, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports. He’s dealing with groin soreness, and while that doesn’t appear to be a major concern, manager Bob Melvin made clear that the team “want[s] to make sure he is as close to 100 percent as he can be” before putting him back on the MLB bump. Hill is both a key to Oakland’s hopes and a top potential trade chip, but he’s already recorded more major league innings this season than in any single campaign since 2007.

Athletics Could Pursue Jose Miguel Fernandez

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  • The Athletics “may be a favorite” for Cuban second baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez, writes Heyman, who also notes that incumbent second baseman Jed Lowrie could help a number of clubs on the trade market. The Padres, too, are said to be considering Fernandez, he adds.

A's Targeting June 10 Return For Gray

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  • Sonny Gray’s target date for a return to the Athletics’ rotation is June 10, writes Joe Stiglich of CSNBayArea.com. Gray is slated for a bullpen session Thursday and a rehab start on Saturday at Class-A Stockton, and assuming all goes well, his stay on the disabled list will be a fairly abbreviated one. Gray hit the DL back on May 22 with a strained trapezius muscle, and the A’s are undoubtedly hoping that some time off will help him return to form; Gray has logged a dismal 6.19 ERA this season while displaying the worst control of his career, averaging 4.5 walks per nine innings and unloading a league-high nine wild pitches through his first 48 innings of work.

Brewers Designate Colin Walsh

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The Brewers have designated Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh, the team announced. The infielder’s roster spot will go to Neil Ramirez, who was claimed off waivers.

Walsh, 26, recorded just four hits in his 63 plate appearances on the year. He did pick up 15 walks, but also struck out 22 times in his first attempt at the majors. Though Walsh had survived several prior roster shakeups that could have sent him packing, Milwaukee evidently decided that he no longer was worth occupying a 25-man spot in order to keep his future rights.

Other teams will have an opportunity to trade for or claim Walsh’s Rule 5 rights. If that does not occur, he’ll be offered back to the Athletics, who employed him prior to his selection in the draft at the end of the Winter Meetings last December.

Rich Hill Suffers Minor Groin Strain

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The Athletics suffered a bit of a scare today as surprise staff ace Rich Hill left his outing early. It’s being diagnosed as only a “real mild groin strain,” though, manager Bob Melvin told reporters including Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports (Twitter links). Hill himself suggested that he doesn’t expect to miss a start, let alone require a DL placement, though obviously that’ll depend upon how the injury progresses. Oakland will obviously hope that Hill can keep up his impressive start to the year — a 2.25 ERA through 11 starts, with more strikeouts than hits and walks allowed — in order to help keep the club alive in the AL West or otherwise turn into a prime trade chip.

Rosenthal: A's Could Keep Rich Hill

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  • Although left-hander Rich Hill looks like an attractive trade candidate, the Athletics could elect to keep the 36-year-old and extend him a qualifying offer at season’s end if nobody makes a satisfactory offer for him. The A’s would then either retain Hill for at least another season at $15.8MM – a significant increase from his current salary of $6MM – or lose him in free agency and receive a first-round pick as compensation.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Sonny Gray Making Progress

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Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz is displeased with his demotion to the bullpen, writes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Buchholz declined to talk to reporters for the second straight day and threw in a curse word as he walked away from them Saturday, according to Drellich. Manager John Farrell has left the door open for Buchholz to return to the rotation, saying, “While he might not like the current situation, that’s where we are. If he pitches to his talents and abilities, that role can potentially change.” Buchholz, 31, has been a solid starter for most of his career, but he put up a 6.35 ERA, 5.88 K/9 and 3.91 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings in that role this year and will try to right the ship as a reliever.

Here’s more on a few other established pitchers:

  • The Rays will slowly transition reliever Brad Boxberger back into the closer role when he returns soon from core muscle surgery, manager Kevin Cash said (via Sam Blum of MLB.com). The righty led the American League in saves last year (41), but thanks to the brilliance of fill-in Alex Colome, the Rays haven’t missed him in the ninth inning. Nonetheless, Boxberger’s presence will aid a Rays bullpen that has been mediocre this year. In 137 2/3 innings from 2014-15, Boxberger compiled a 3.03 ERA, 12.55 K/9 (seventh among qualified relievers) and 3.67 BB/9.
  • Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray threw a 35-pitch first bullpen session Saturday – his first BP session since going on the disabled list last Sunday with a trapezius injury – per Jane Lee of MLB.com. Gray “feels good,” manager Bob Melvin said afterward, and could return on or shortly after June 5.
  • Two big-name Angels, southpaw C.J. Wilson and righty Tim Lincecum, are on similar timelines to make their major league debuts this year, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Wilson, who has been out all season with an injured left shoulder, will make his first of at least two starts with Triple-A Salt Lake City on Monday.
  • In case you missed it, the White Sox and Padres are discussing a James Shields trade.
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