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Injury Notes: Alvarez, d’Arnaud, E-Rod, Angels, Minor, DeSclafani, Morrow

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Athletics right-hander Henderson Alvarez underwent an MRI in his shoulder yesterday, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The early belief is that Alvarez has a minor shoulder strain, which Slusser notes is not necessarily unusual in rehabs from this type of shoulder surgery, nor would it be considered a significant setback. Alvarez was said to be targeting a mid-May return to a big league mound, but the minor setback, at the very least, seems likely to push back that timeline.

Here are some more injury notes from around the game:

  • There’s no indication that Travis d’Arnaud is close to a return to the Mets, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. At this time, d’Arnaud isn’t even with the team but has traveled back to his L.A. home to work out his ailing shoulder with a personal trainer. The oft-injured 27-year-old has played in just 13 games for the Mets this season. In his absence, Kevin Plawecki will get his chance to prove that he can be considered an everyday option behind the dish.
  • Likewise, the Red Sox are facing significant uncertainty with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez, as John Tomase of WEEI.com reports. He’s still experiencing knee soreness, with diminished velocity seemingly resulting, and will miss his next scheduled rehab start. Hopes had been that the youngster would be back in the majors by this point, but instead he’ll throw a bullpen session later this week while the team assesses next steps. Boston is understandably proceeding with caution, lest the knee problem worsen or lead to some other injury. Rodriguez’s current rehab stint has been halted, giving the organization the option of re-starting another 30-day clock, though that step has yet to be taken.
  • The Angels’ bad luck in the injury department has shown no signs of abating, as the team has placed outfielder Daniel Nava and reliever Cory Rasmus on the 15-day DL. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes, both players are dealing with groin strains, though neither is expected to be out for much more than the minimum.
  • Royals lefty Mike Minor is headed to Triple-A and hopes to be ready for the majors by early June, according to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). The 28-year-old, who is Kansas City’s latest pitching injury reclamation project, had allowed three earned runs — on five hits and five walks, with a dozen punchouts — in 7 2/3 innings over two starts at Double-A.
  • There’s some cautious optimism on Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. He felt good in a 40-pitch pen session yesterday, and says that he believes his oblique issue may now be behind him. Next steps remain to be determined, and the club will be careful after a previous rehab effort resulted in a setback, but hopes are that DeSclafani can begin making his way back toward the major league rotation in earnest.
  • News was less positive on some recovering Padres, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes that righty Brandon Morrow and infielder Cory Spangenberg have both suffered setbacks. Morrow is experiencing fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder, and it’s not clear when he’ll be able to resume throwing. That could result in player and team agreeing to push back his current June 1 opt-out date, per the report. Spangenberg, meanwhile, tweaked his injured left quad and will need to go back to the rest and strengthening regimen that he had hoped to be done with by this point.
  • Key Padres right-hander Tyson Ross is still not throwing, Cassavell adds, but he’s at least been cleared for full-blown strength work on his own injured shoulder. “You’ve basically got to lay a good foundation first, and that’s what we were doing,” Ross said. “It’s just kind of limited ranges, and making sure everything is strong and stable. And then progressing on up the chain from there. Things have been going great.”

Mark Canha To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

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Athletics first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha will undergo season-ending surgery to repair an impingement in his left hip, he told the media today (links to Twitter via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and via John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group). Canha tells reporters that his season is over, as he’ll have a recovery timeline of roughly six months following the operation.

Canha, 27, was a Rule 5 success story for Oakland last season. The Rockies were the club to actually select Canha in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, but the Rox promptly traded him to Oakland in exchange for minor leaguer Austin House and cash considerations. The A’s carried Canha on the active roster all throughout the 2015 season and were rewarded with 485 plate appearances of a .254/.315/.426 batting line and 16 homers. However, the 2016 season has been another story entirely, due largely to the hip problems, which Canha has previously called a source of “excruciating” pain while batting. He was said late last week to be weighing this operation and made his decision after receiving a second opinion on the injury yesterday. Hickey tweets that the procedure will be performed next Tuesday.

Canha will presumably spend the bulk of the season on the 60-day disabled list for Oakland, where he’ll accrue Major League service time. Because he made his MLB debut on Opening Day last season and spent the entire year on the roster, he’ll finish the 2016 campaign with an even two years of service. That means he’ll be controllable through the 2020 season and will not be eligible for arbitration until the 2017-18 offseason.

Quick Hits: Alvarez, Guerrero, Hahn

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Athletics righty Henderson Alvarez has suffered a “setback” in his efforts to return from shoulder surgery, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports on Twitter. Oakland had hoped to plug him into the major league rotation in the coming days, but instead Alvarez is headed for an MRI. The 26-year-old had turned in six solid starts in his minor league rehab assignment, leading to hope that he’d provide a boost to an A’s staff that has largely failed to produce quality results thus far. Alvarez’s prognosis remains unclear at this time.

Here are a few more notes to round out the evening:

  • The Dodgers will soon face a decision on utilityman Alex Guerrero, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group writes. Guerrero, 29, has begun a rehab assignment after missing time with an injured knee, but it’s not clear at all where he’d fit on the major league roster. While he’s often been discussed as a trade candidate, there are some clear barriers to a deal, even beyond his defensive limitations and a mixed and limited MLB track record. For one thing, he’s owed $5MM for the present season and for 2017. For another, his unusual contract provides that he cannot be optioned without his consent and that he would have the right to elect free agency after any season in which he’s traded.
  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn says that he’ll continue not to “leave any stone unturned” in improving the club’s roster, as Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com reports. While it doesn’t seem that Chicago will land Tim Lincecum, and though Hahn wouldn’t address his situation directly, the GM did say that he believes the presence of pitching coach Don Cooper and trainer Herm Schneider help the organization when it seeks to woo bounceback candidates. Of course, as Hahn implicitly acknowledges, there may well come a point this year where the Sox find a need to do something more to address the back of the rotation. “It would be too good of an opportunity to squander to not try to do everything in our power to put the club in a position where Chris Sale, [Jose] Quintana, [Carlos] Rodon and others get to perform on the biggest stage in October,” he said.

AL West Notes: Mariners, Gomez, Gray, Madson

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The Mariners are off to a 21-16 start and currently sit a half game back in the AL West, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today spoke to a number of players on the roster as well as general manager Jerry Dipoto about the club’s early surge. As Dipoto explained to to Nightengale, his focus during his first offseason as the Seattle GM was to restructure the roster without compromising the impressive core he inherited. “I learned there really is no such thing as rebuilding in the major leagues,” said Dipoto. “You can rebuild organizations, but you’re here to win at the big-league level. We wanted to rebuild and replenish our player development, but when you have Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez, and Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz, why would you ever rebuild?” Dipoto praised ownership for allowing him to pursue creative opportunities to turn the roster over and also stressed the importance of building a winning culture, not merely accumulating talent. Acquired in the offseason, left-hander Wade Miley explained to Nightengale that said vision has paid off. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” said Miley, who came over in the Carson Smith trade with the Red Sox. “Well, since I was 12.” Miley is just one of many new faces, though, as Nightengale points out that there are only eight holdovers from last year’s disappointing roster — a testament to Dipoto’s aggressive winter maneuverings.

More from the division…

  • The Astros’ acquisition of Carlos Gomez hasn’t paid off as the club had hoped last summer, as he’s batted just .215/.266/.322 with Houston and dealt with multiple injuries. Despite the high-profile nature of the acquisition, GM Jeff Luhnow suggested today that Gomez’s leash is growing shorter. Via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (on Twitter): “I think he’s going to have to turn it around at some point, otherwise we’re not going to be able to continue to play him,” said Luhnow of his struggling center fielder. The timing of Gomez’s struggles is particularly problematic for him as an individual, as he’s slated to hit free agency at season’s end. Gomez entered the season second on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings but dropped to fifth on May 2 and is hitting just .122/.234/.195 since that writing.
  • Athletics ace Sonny Gray has been shelled in his past three starts, yielding a total of 18 runs in 12 2/3 innings, but he tells MLB.com’s Jane Lee that he made a mechanical adjustment late in Sunday’s rough outing that he feels will halt the struggles. “I’ve constantly been leaving the ball up, and you can tell,” said Gray. “It was literally just a visual thing to get the ball back down, and you could tell there, when it’s back down, it’s got great life on it, and you start to see the swing and misses.” Catcher Stephen Vogt echoed that Gray’s movement and location were much better following an Evan Longoria home run, as Gray set down five of the final six he faced. Whether Gray has indeed righted the ship remains to be seen, though it’s worth noting that his velocity isn’t demonstrably worse than it at this time last season. Getting Gray back on track is paramount for an A’s club that currently sits at 16-22 — six games out of the division lead.
  • Lee also writes that A’s manager Bob Melvin confirmed yesterday that Ryan Madson is indeed his closer — an arrangement that has appeared obvious for quite some time but hadn’t been explicitly stated by anyone with the club. Former closer Sean Doolittle had some struggles early in the season, but he’s bounced back with a 1.93 ERA and an 11-to-3 K/BB ratio in 9 1/3 innings since mid-April. That success notwithstanding, it seems the closer’s role is Madson’s job to lose at this point. “I think at this point in time, Madson is probably the guy we’re looking to,” said Melvin. Madson, who inked a three-year, $22MM deal with Oakland this offseason that caught many in the industry by surprise, has a 1.08 ERA through 16 2/3 innings, though he’s seen his strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates all trend in the wrong direction this season. (A reminder that those monitoring closer situations for fantasy baseball purposes can follow @closernews on Twitter, where we at MLBTR will keep you up to date on the latest ninth-inning news and trends.)

Quick Hits: Free Agents, A’s, Padres, Draft

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Here’s the latest from around baseball as we wrap up the weekend…

  • Will the 2016-17 offseason feature “the worst baseball free agent class in decades”?  Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan thinks so, and the thin number of upper-tier talents available opens the door for the likes of Yoenis Cespedes or Josh Reddick to greatly increase their asking prices if they can build on their hot starts.  Jose Bautista’s slow start shouldn’t hurt his chances of a nine-figure contract given how teams value his “old-man game” built around plate discipline, even if Bautista could end up getting closer to $100MM than his desired $150MM contract.  Even in the thin market, Passan feels Edwin Encarnacion and particularly Carlos Gomez have thus far hurt their value thanks to slow starts.
  • The qualifying offer as we know it may not exist if a new collective bargaining agreement is settled before the offseason begins, though if it remains similar, Passan figures Dexter Fowler, Francisco Cervelli, Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos could be in position to receive a QO from their respective teams.
  • Rich Hill could even get a qualifying offer if he keeps up his strong season, which speaks to the weakness of the free agent pitching class is with Stephen Strasburg off the board.  Passan thinks Hill could ultimately have a better chance of being traded than issued a QO, however.  The relief pitching market is much stronger than the starting pitching market, as Passan feels Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman could both top Mariano Rivera’s $15MM average annual value from earlier this decade.
  • The thin free agent pitching market could lead to more trades for arms this summer, as ESPN’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) notes in his listing of eight contenders who could deal for pitching and 10 starters who could be shopped.  Bowden’s list of starters including two Athletics (Hill and Sonny Gray) and three Padres (James Shields, Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Cashner).  The A’s have been adamant about keeping Gray, though with his rough start, Bowden wonders if the club could decide to move him while he still has value.  As for the Padres, a scout tells Bowden that of the three San Diego pichers, he would prefer to have Pomeranz, which is a sign of just how much Pomeranz has upped his trade value with his impressive start — a 1.80 ERA and 51 strikeouts through 40 innings.
  • In another subscriber-only piece from Bowden, he gets input from various executives around the league about what improvements could be made to the amateur draft.

Injury Notes: Canha, Boxberger, Norris, Cashner, Brantley, Gallardo, Travis, Chirinos

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Athletics first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha is weighing surgery to repair a hip impingement, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Undergoing the procedure would keep him out the rest of the way, per the report, but he’s still undecided and will seek a second opinion. It seems that he’ll at least try out a cortisone shot before going under the knife. The 27-year-old had a strong 2015 season, sticking as a Rule 5 pick, but has come out of the gates with a meager .122/.140/.341 slash in 44 plate appearances in 2016.

Here are some more injury updates from around the game that are worthy of note:

  • Rays closer Brad Boxberger, who is on the mend from core muscle surgery dating back to Spring Training, threw 22 pitches in an extended Spring Training game yesterday, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. If Boxberger feels good today, he’ll likely begin a rehab assignment early next week (possibly Monday) with an eye toward returning late in the month of May. Boxberger led the American League with 41 saves in 2015 and would immediately deepen a bullpen that ranks 10th in the Majors in ERA but carries a more troubling ranking of 25th in the FIP department.
  • The Padres had originally planned to carry three catchers for a short time following the claim of Hector Sanchez, but a hand injury to Derek Norris last night now makes the decision to claim Sanchez all the more critical, writes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Norris was hit on the hand by a pitch and would ultimately leave the game, and while initial x-rays were negative, he’s undergoing further tests today. Interestingly, Lin notes that the Sanchez claim, initially, would’ve allowed the Padres to use Christian Bethancourt as a pinch-hitter, and there was even some talk of him getting some work in at third base (scouting reports have long touted his arm as an 80-grade tool). However, if Norris is found to have any kind of fracture and will miss some time, those plans will change.
  • Meanwhile, the Padres decided to put righty Andrew Cashner on the 15-day DL today after determining that his hamstring wasn’t quite ready to go, as Lin tweets. It certainly doesn’t appear to be a major injury, since Cashner very nearly was allowed to pitch tonight, but it’s nonetheless notable. After all, San Diego doesn’t appear to be primed to contend this year, and Cashner could be an important trade piece — or qualifying offer recipient, if he can really turn things around. But he’s currently allowing just under five earned runs per nine, with ERA estimators not much more optimistic.
  • Michael Brantley’s surgically repaired shoulder is fatigued, reports Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel, which prompted the Indians to rest him on Tuesday and Wednesday in advance of yesterday’s off-day. Brantley will take batting practice today and be re-evaluated. Per Meisel, Brantley’s shoulder has not been “bouncing back in ideal fashion” following an increase in playing time for the team’s star player. Brantley underwent shoulder surgery over the winter, and while earlier projections had him possibly remaining on the disabled list well into May, he instead beat that timeline by a good margin and was in the Indians’ lineup in late April.
  • Orioles righty Yovani Gallardo is set to begin throwing again tomorrow, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. It’s been a three-week gap since he last picked up a baseball, and Gallardo is only expected to engage in a light toss. His timeline to return to action from a shoulder injury remains uncertain, with at least a couple rehab outings seemingly in his future even if things go well.
  • The Blue Jays, meanwhile, now have reason to believe that second baseman Devon Travis will soon be back. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets that Travis is heading out on a rehab assignment, which will begin a maximum twenty-day stretch in the minors. So long as Travis progresses, he ought to be back in Toronto by early June, it would appear. The 25-year-old burst onto the scene early last year, but he hasn’t played since late July after undergoing a procedure on his left shoulder.
  • Likewise, Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos has been able to throw for each of the last five days, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. That’s certainly promising, given that he’s recovering from a broken right forearm. Chirinos won’t be eligible to come off of the 60-day DL until June 9th, but Texas would surely like to get him back as close to that date as possible.

Injury Notes: Young, Peralta, Canha, Hendriks

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Royals right-hander Chris Young is leaving the team to travel back to Kansas City, where he’ll receive an MRI on his right forearm, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Via Flanagan (link), Young says that he’s felt some soreness in his forearm since Spring Training ended. However, he adds that the club’s medical staff has informed him that the “serious stuff checks out OK,” though it remains to be seen what the MRI will reveal. Young’s fastball velocity is actually up from previous seasons, but the increased zip hasn’t done him any favors; the 6’10” righty has been roughed up to the tune of a 6.68 ERA in 32 1/3 innings this season and has been astonishingly homer-prone, serving up 13 long balls in that time.

A couple more injury situations around the league that merit keeping an eye on…

  • Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta is meeting with hand specialist Dr. Don Sheridan in Phoenix on Thursday this week, he tell Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Peralta was hit by a pitch on the right wrist/forearm area last week and was out of Arizona’s lineup both Sunday and Monday, though he did pinch-hit in Sunday’s contest. He’s out of the lineup again tonight, Piecoro notes, and it seems reasonable to expect that he’ll be sidelined at least until he meets with Sheridan later this week. The 28-year-old indy league reclamation has been a revelation with the D-backs since first working his way onto the big league club in 2014, hitting a combined .295/.347/.485 in 999 plate appearances. This season, he’s batting .260/.321/.439 with three homers.
  • Athletics first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha is heading back to the Bay Area tomorrow and will undergo an MRI on his left hip, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Canha says he feels fine when running, but hitting is currently “excruciating,” adding that he can’t get any rotation in his hips and as such cannot swing very hard at the moment. “You don’t want to hope for something bad like a labrum tear to come up but at the same time, I want an answer about what’s wrong so we can pinpoint the problem,” said the 27-year-old. Canha has gotten off to a dreadful start to the season, hitting .122/.140/.341 in 44 plate appearances , though the hip troubles certainly help to explain the downturn in his productivity. He was placed on the disabled list today.
  • MLB.com’s Jane Lee writes that right-hander Liam Hendriks, also placed on the DL by the Athletics today, will receive an MRI on his right elbow as well. Hendriks explained that he’s having difficulty getting full extension on his arm and has periodically experienced pain in the elbow since undergoing surgery to remove bone chips a few years ago.

AL West Notes: Mariners’ Payroll, Wilson, Stubbs, Alvarez

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The new Mariners ownership group fronted is prepared to follow through on CEO John Stanton’s comments that “payroll matters” (made at the press conference announcing the ownership change) when the trade deadline approaches, reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, citing a pair of sources that are “intricately tied to the ownership group.” As Baker writes, former CEO Howard Lincoln was required to run all decisions by representatives from Nintendo of America prior to their sale of the majority stake of the club, and the result was often lackluster acquisitions. Even though the sale won’t be formalized until August, however, Nintendo isn’t likely to intervene with payroll matters at this point, and Lincoln, who remains involved in a lesser role, is said to be on board with increasing the payroll as necessary in order to augment a roster that has produced a first-place record through the season’s first 31 games.

More from the AL West…

  • John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune argues that Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto should act quickly to sign right-hander Tim Lincecum, who threw for more than 20 teams on Friday of last week. While the Mariners don’t necessarily have an immediate rotation need, McGrath points out that several relievers are on the disabled list and adds that there are ominous signs surrounding Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Pitching injuries are commonplace throughout the league, of course, and adding Lincecum to serve as the next line of defense while working out of the bullpen in the short-term is a sensible play for Dipoto, McGrath opines. There’s logic behind everything McGrath writes, though if a club comes knocking with a firmer promise of a rotation spot, I can envision Lincecum preferring that even to signing with current first-place team that plays in his home town.
  • Last week’s acquisitions of Bobby Wilson and Drew Stubbs weren’t exactly the largest moves made by Rangers GM Jon Daniels, writes Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, but they’re a testament to his importance to the club’s success. The pair of additions is a reminder of Daniels’ willingness to make in-season upgrades, and each of the subtle transactions played a role in a Rangers win over the weekend. Manager Jeff Banister spoke highly about the impact of Daniels’ activity within the clubhouse. “That’s why I love the partnership that I have with JD and the entire front office,” he said. “We’re always in communication about ways to better our ballclub with players who have a different skill set. … It’s a big boost for our guys. They know this front office is willing to work for them.” Banister added that he’d be fine with the idea of Wilson and Stubbs, each of whom was with the Rangers in Spring Training but ended up elsewhere, “unpacking his bags” and sticking with the club.
  • The Athletics optioned right-hander Jesse Hahn back to Triple-A this weekend in favor of reliever J.B. Wendelken, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. It’s expected that right-hander Henderson Alvarez, signed to a one-year deal after being non-tendered by the Marlins this winter, will ultimately step into that rotation spot. However, manager Bob Melvin said yesterday that Alvarez needs another pair of rehab starts, which could lead to left-hander Eric Surkamp getting a spot start when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up next.

AL West Notes: Gattis, Trout, Calhoun, Hill, Felix

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The Astros have optioned Evan Gattis to Double-A, where he’ll get comfortable behind the plate, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports (links to Twitter). Houston has yet to utilize the 29-year-old as a catcher, but he broke into the league in that position. With the organization one of several struggling with receiving depth, it seems he’ll have a chance to don the tools of ignorance once again. Gattis, who’s off to a rough start at the plate (.213/.269/.328), says that he’s excited at the development. Kaplan suggests that Gattis is unlikely to spend more than the requisite ten days on optional assignment.

Here’s more from the AL West:

  • Angels GM Billy Eppler made clear that the organization is not going to begin entertaining the idea of trading superstar Mike Trout after the awful pitching news received today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Halos are looking hard at options for the rotation, he says, and still believes in its chances. “This team was up against a lot of adversity last year and fought to the end,” says Eppler. “We’ve got a lot of character, a lot of the same guys on the club. They will not back down from a fight.” Some aren’t so sure that’s the right approach for the Angels. Dave Cameron of Fangraphs argues that the team’s near-term outlook, depleted farm, and continued payroll constraints provide cause to at least consider taking offers on Trout, who’d surely draw unprecedented trade interest. ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield, meanwhile, draws on that piece and looks at a few organizations that could plausibly make a run at a player whose immense productivity and appealing contract make him the single most valuable asset in the sport.
  • The Angels have another quality young outfielder in Kole Calhoun, and Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times profiles his unlikely path to the majors. Long overlooked despite his performances as an amateur, Calhoun has turned into an eighth-round hidden gem for the Halos. “I don’t know what all of professional baseball was thinking,” said former scouting director Eddie Bane. “We were just dumb.”
  • Former Angels prospect Hunter Green is sticking with his plans to retire, Mike DiGiovanna writes for Baseball America. The wiry lefty dealt with significant injury issues, and ultimately decided to hang ’em up after failing to get back on track. While the organization tried to convince him to stick with it, the former second-rounder has apparently decided to move on from the sport.
  • Having seemingly come from out of nowhere to where he is now — a quality starter for the Athletics — Rich Hill’s back story remains of interest. According to Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, Hill showed plenty of signs back when he caught the southpaw in the upper minors, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. “The stuff for a left-hander, I always thought was something you don’t see much with the type of pitches he could throw,” said Wieters.
  • Felix Hernandez has provided the Mariners with typically productive innings, but there’s some cause for real concern, Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs writes. The veteran righty has seen his velocity steadily decline in years past, but now he’s experienced a sudden drop-off that’s left him sitting below 90 mph with his average fastball. Meanwhile, he’s also struggling to hit the zone. While Hernandez has thus far managed to generate plenty of soft contact, the 30-year-old certainly doesn’t look like the same pitcher he has been in years past. Whether he can continue to put up ace-like results remains to be seen.

Chris Bassitt To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Athletics righty Chris Bassitt is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, the club announced (h/t to MLB.com’s Jane Lee, on Twitter). That had seemed the likely result, though player and team were holding out hope of avoiding a full replacement of his ulnar collateral ligament.

Bassitt, who came to Oakland as part of the Jeff Samardzija swap, had a promising campaign in 2015. Over 86 innings, working mostly from the rotation, Bassitt pitched to a 3.56 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 to go with a 44.5% groundball rate. While he may have been a bit fortunate to allow only a 5.7% HR/FB rate, the overall results had Bassitt’s stock trending up.

Things didn’t break right this year, however. He allowed nine walks in 19 1/3 spring innings, but had three solid outings to open the regular season. But Bassitt was knocked around in his final two starts, allowing 13 earned runs on 19 hits and five walks in just 8 2/3 frames. A velocity drop in his most recent appearance, along with other issues Bassitt experienced, led to a closer look and the diagnosis of a UCL tear.

Entering the season, Bassitt had a very slightly elevated statistical risk of needing a TJ procedure, according to the research of MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum. Certainly, nothing about his situation raised any obvious red flags. But as Woodrum explains, the numbers paint nothing approaching a complete picture of the true risk, and obviously any pitcher can end up needing a new UCL.

Fortunately for Oakland, there is a good bit of rotation depth on hand. Top prospect Sean Manaea looks set to receive a lengthy trial, righty Jesse Hahn is now back in the majors, and Henderson Alvarez is on the mend from shoulder surgery.

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