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The Opener: Bichette, Anderson, Dodgers

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Here are three things around the baseball world we’ll be tracking today…

1. Bichette return looming?

Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo last night, slotting in as the designated hitter, but that contest was rained out. TSN’s Scott Mitchell tweets that the plan had been for Bichette to DH on Tuesday and play shortstop Wednesday, with a Friday return in Cincinnati possible. The Jays are off tomorrow, while their Triple-A club now has games scheduled both today and tomorrow. Bichette could still DH today, play shortstop tomorrow, and technically return as soon as Friday. The Jays will evaluate Bichette following today’s DH appearance but still hope to get him into a game at shortstop before reinstating him, per Mitchell. The 25-year-old Bichette is enjoying an excellent season at the plate, hitting .321/.352/.494 with 17 home runs, but he’s been out since July 31 due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee.

2. Anderson’s suspension appeal:

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is facing a six-game suspension following the benches-clearing brawl that began when Anderson and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez got into a fist fight following the latter’s slide into second base. Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets that Anderson’s appeal is scheduled for tomorrow, barring a settlement at some point today. Within the next day then, we should know whether Anderson will serve that full six-game ban or perhaps a reduced punishment. The two-time All-Star and 2019 AL batting champion is having the worst season of his career at the plate (.240/.285/.286), although in 103 plate appearances since the All-Star break he’s posted a .290/.359/.355 batting line.

3. Dodgers going for 10 in a row:

Earlier this season, it looked as though the Dodgers might be dethroned in the NL West, but their recent play has once again made them a commanding favorite to win their 10th division title 11 years. They’ll send Clayton Kershaw to the mound tonight against the Brewers as they seek their 10th straight victory — the longest active win streak in Major League Baseball at the moment. Kershaw, 35, will be making just his second start since returning from a six-week stay on the injured list. He’s been his usual dominant self when healthy, pitching to a 2.51 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate in 100 1/3 innings this season. Kershaw currently ranks fourth among active pitchers in strikeouts with 2916 in his career. He trails only Max Scherzer (3340), Justin Verlander (3290) and Zack Greinke (2955) in that regard. Depending on how long Greinke’s recent placement on the IL lasts, Kershaw could move into third place on that esteemed ranking by season’s end.

Shane McClanahan To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Rays ace Shane McClanahan will require Tommy John surgery next week, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). He’s expected to miss the entire 2024 campaign.

It’s a devastating if not entirely unexpected development. The two-time All-Star left his start on August 2 after experiencing forearm discomfort. Tampa Bay has been exploring their options for the past couple weeks, though the club had already confirmed he was expected to miss the remainder of 2023 and that surgery was a consideration. He’s already on the 60-day injured list.

Surprising or not, it’s hard to overstate the significance of losing a pitcher of McClanahan’s caliber. The former first-round draftee debuted with 25 starts of 3.43 ERA ball two seasons ago. By his second major league season, he’d broken through as one of the game’s best pitchers. McClanahan was a legitimate Cy Young contender into August last year before a shoulder impingement cost him a couple weeks.

The absence dropped the South Florida product to sixth in Cy Young balloting, but he still finished his sophomore campaign with a 2.54 ERA through 166 1/3 frames. While his ERA took a bit of a step back this season, a 3.29 mark over 21 starts still ranks 19th among big league starters (minimum 100 innings). He’s 23rd among that same group with a 25.8% strikeout rate. McClanahan earned his second consecutive All-Star nod last month.

Tampa Bay has dealt with a brutal stretch of pitching injuries over the past few months. Top prospect Shane Baz has missed the entire year after undergoing a Tommy John procedure last September. McClanahan becomes the third member of the Rays’ season-opening starting staff to require surgery this year. Jeffrey Springs required a Tommy John procedure in April; Drew Rasmussen underwent flexor tendon surgery last month.

Even after the absences to Baz, Springs and Rasmussen, the Rays had an effective top of the rotation. McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow and Zach Eflin made for an excellent trio. With McClanahan now out of the picture, Glasnow assumes the role of staff ace. Eflin — who has dealt with knee issues throughout his career but has a 3.67 ERA through 23 starts in his first season with Tampa Bay — is the #2 option.

The early-season injuries led the Rays to acquire Aaron Civale from the Guardians at the deadline. That acquisition takes on increased importance with McClanahan out. Still, there’s little recourse beyond internal options for Tampa Bay in patching together the final two rotation spots. Taj Bradley has been up-and-down as a rookie and is on optional assignment to Triple-A. The Rays have pushed Zack Littell into the rotation and recently activated Josh Fleming from the injured list.

Tampa Bay enters play Tuesday three games back of the Orioles in the AL East. They’re still in strong playoff position, 7.5 games clear of the Mariners (the top non-playoff team in the AL). Their chances of running down Baltimore to secure a first-round bye and/or making a deep run once they get into October are obviously dealt a hit by the loss of one of the game’s best starters.

This is the second Tommy John procedure of McClanahan’s career. He missed his freshman year at USF after undergoing surgery in 2016. The Rays figure to be especially cautious with his recovery as a result, although there’s a good chance he would have missed all of ’24 even if this were his first TJS.

McClanahan has just under three years of major league service. He’ll be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player next offseason. The Rays will need to carry him on their 40-man roster during the offseason but will immediately place him back on the 60-day IL next spring. He’ll collect service time while rehabbing and remains on track to first reach free agency after the 2027 campaign.

Cardinals Looking To Add Three Starting Pitchers This Offseason

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The Cardinals have made no secret of their need to add starting pitching. It’s self-evident, as a rotation that ranks 23rd with a 4.73 ERA has been a key factor in the Cards’ disappointing season. Deadline deals shipped out impending free agents Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, while Adam Wainwright is retiring at year’s end.

With three members of their anticipated starting five either already or soon to be out the door, St. Louis is gearing up to add multiple replacements. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said yesterday the club anticipated bringing in three starting pitchers next winter (relayed by John Denton of MLB.com).

It’s not the first time Mozeliak has expressed that goal. The baseball ops leader indicated a desire for a trio of starters last month. At the time, he left open the possibility of accomplishing some of that at the trade deadline.

The Cards indeed followed through on their goal of adding upper minors pitching. Lefty Drew Rom, who has spent the entire season in Triple-A, came back from Baltimore in the Flaherty deal. Double-A righty Tekoah Roby was arguably the most talented prospect the Cards received in the swap that sent Montgomery and Chris Stratton to Texas. Righties Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse — each of whom was acquired from the Blue Jays for Jordan Hicks — were assigned to Triple-A.

Since none of those hurlers have yet made their MLB debuts, it seems the Cards aren’t penciling any of them into next year’s starting five. Mozeliak conceded the front office overestimated their rotation depth coming into this season and it has clearly since been a priority to bolster the upper levels of the minors.

The only pitcher who looks assured of an Opening Day rotation job is Miles Mikolas. The right-hander is having another solid season, pitching to a 4.27 ERA over 26 starts. He’s not overpowering, but he’s an elite strike-thrower and has been a source of mid-rotation innings for five seasons in St. Louis.

Steven Matz looked to have turned a corner after a brief bullpen demotion. Since returning to the rotation, the southpaw worked to a 1.86 ERA while fanning over a quarter of opponents with an excellent 4.6% walk rate over seven starts. It had been Matz’s best stretch as a Cardinal — until he was diagnosed with a lat strain that could end his season. The recent strong run probably gives Matz an inside track on a rotation spot next spring, though it’s a small enough sample his hold on a job could be tenuous.

Since the deadline, St. Louis has given rotation looks to Matthew Liberatore and Dakota Hudson. Liberatore, a former top prospect, had a strong season in Triple-A but hasn’t carried it over against big league hitters. Over 45 2/3 MLB frames this year, he carries a 5.72 ERA with a well below-average 14.4% strikeout rate. Still just 23 with another minor league option remaining, Liberatore isn’t in danger of losing his roster spot. He’ll get another eight or nine starts down the stretch but hasn’t solidified his hold on a ’24 rotation job.

Hudson isn’t a lock to be on next year’s roster. The sinkerballer is playing this season on a $2.65MM arbitration salary. He’d be due a modest raise on that amount if St. Louis tenders him a contract. Hudson has a 4.31 ERA in 31 1/3 MLB innings, starting three of nine appearances. He worked out of the rotation with Triple-A Memphis, posting a 6.00 ERA with a modest 17.3% strikeout percentage.

Matz’s injury cleared a rotation job for former first-round selection Zack Thompson. The 25-year-old lefty has worked almost exclusively in relief at the big league level. His numbers in that capacity — a 2.59 ERA, 24.9% strikeout rate, 51.3% grounder percentage through 59 2/3 career innings — are impressive. Yet Thompson struggled mightily when the Cards optioned him to work out of the Triple-A rotation. Over 34 1/3 frames with Memphis, he was tagged for an 8.65 ERA while struggling to find the strike zone.

Between Liberatore, Thompson and a few upper minors arms — Rom and Connor Thomas could have the upper hand, since they’re already on the 40-man roster — St. Louis has a number of controllable pitchers they can evaluate over the next seven weeks. It’s hard to envision anyone in that group staking a firm claim to a season-opening rotation spot, though they can at least put themselves in line for depth work that’ll inevitably arise throughout the course of the year.

Once the offseason arrives, Mozeliak and his staff will set about identifying external targets. The upcoming free agent class is pitching-heavy. Beyond Shohei Ohtani, some names on the market include Blake Snell, NPB star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Montgomery, Aaron Nola, Julio Urías, Lucas Giolito, likely Eduardo Rodriguez and Seth Lugo (who each seem set to decline player options on their deals), and Michael Lorenzen. Veterans like Marcus Stroman (who also has a player option), James Paxton and Kenta Maeda could be limited to shorter-term contracts based on their age/injury histories but are pitching well this season.

St. Louis has never topped $80MM on a free agent deal for a pitcher. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cards set a new high-water mark in that regard next winter. Roster Resource calculates their 2024 payroll commitments around $112MM, well below this year’s Opening Day figure that landed in the $177MM range. Arbitration raises for Tyler O’Neill, Tommy Edman, Ryan Helsley and Dylan Carlson would add another $15-20MM to that projected ledger, but that leaves a fair bit of flexibility for attacking free agency.

That’s before considering the possibility of trades to potentially clear some payroll room while bringing back rotation help. Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos and Carlson were all floated in rumors this summer. St. Louis ended up holding virtually everyone who was controllable beyond this season but could certainly reopen trade talks on those players over the winter. The outfield surplus that fueled speculation about a Carlson deal still hasn’t been resolved. He seems likely to be a popular subject of trade attention yet again.

Mets Outright Abraham Almonte

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The Mets have sent veteran outfielder Abraham Almonte outright to Triple-A Syracuse, per the transaction log at MLB.com. He’d been designated for assignment on Saturday.

A journeyman who has appeared at the MLB level with eight different clubs, Almonte got into four games for the Mets. He hit 12 times, reaching base twice via a single and walk. While a very brief stay, it marked an 11th consecutive year with some major league action for the switch-hitter.

Almonte has had a nice season when healthy at the Triple-A level. The 34-year-old has been limited to 27 games there by injury but put together a .228/.331/.564 line with 11 home runs in 118 trips to the dish. He has worked exclusively in the corner outfield with Syracuse but has a fair amount of center field experience as a professional.

It’s unclear whether Almonte will return to Syracuse. He has enough service time to decline an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

Daniel Murphy Retires

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The Angels informed reporters that infielder Daniel Murphy has again retired (relayed by Sam Blum of the Athletic). The three-time All-Star had been in Triple-A with Los Angeles after signing a minor league deal a couple months ago.

Murphy had been out of professional baseball for more than two years. He’d first announced his retirement in January 2021. The 38-year-old began a comeback attempt in March, signing with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. After teeing off on independent ball pitching at a .331/.410/.451 clip, he got another affiliated look with the Halos.

The two-time Silver Slugger award winner played 38 games with the Angels’ top affiliate in Salt Lake. He hit .295 with a strong .379 on-base percentage, walking more often than he struck out. That’s no small feat for a player who’d only recently begun to face professional pitching, but Murphy only connected on one home run in 169 plate appearances in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

While Murphy’s comeback attempt didn’t get him back to the majors, he had a decent showing at the top minor league level. Of course, he had an excellent MLB run before his first retirement. A 12-year big league veteran, Murphy hit .296/.341/.455 with 138 homers in a little under 1500 career games. A high-contact but low-power second baseman early in his career with the Mets, Murphy had a barrage during the 2015 postseason. He homered in seven straight games and won NLCS MVP honors as New York played its way to the Fall Classic.

Murphy would lead the National League in slugging and OPS two years later, raking at a .347/.390/.595 clip in the first season of a three-year free agent contract with the Nationals. He earned his second All-Star nod and a runner-up finish in NL MVP balloting that season. Murphy made it back to the All-Star Game and some MVP ballots the following year, when he hit .322/.384/.543 with an NL-best 43 doubles.

The Jacksonville product had a quality 2018 campaign split between Washington and the Cubs. He inked a two-year, $24MM deal with the Rockies but didn’t make much of a power impact, hitting .269/.316/.429 in Denver to close out his MLB career. Best wishes to Murphy in his return to post-playing days.

D-Backs Release Carson Kelly

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The Diamondbacks have released Carson Kelly, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. That was the expected outcome after Arizona designated him for assignment on Sunday. Kelly has over five years of major league service, so he could’ve refused a minor league assignment while retaining his salary in any event.

Kelly’s tenure with the D-Backs officially comes to a close. Acquired alongside Luke Weaver and Andrew Young in the lopsided Paul Goldschmidt trade, Kelly played parts of five seasons in the desert. He started reasonably well, hitting 18 home runs during the 2019 campaign and rebounding from a down shortened season with a strong .260/.385/.460 start through the first couple months in ’21.

An errant pitch fractured Kelly’s right wrist that June. He never seemed to fully recover, hitting .221/.297/.364 across 172 plate appearances down the stretch. He followed up with a middling .211/.282/.334 showing in 354 trips to the dish last season. The Diamondbacks nevertheless tendered him an arbitration contract but acquired Gabriel Moreno to take over as the primary backstop last winter.

Kelly’s efforts to solidify himself as the #2 option were again derailed by a hit-by-pitch. He broke his right arm in Spring Training and was out of action into the second week of June. Kelly appeared in 33 games over the last couple months but continued to scuffle, hitting .226/.283/.298 in 92 trips to the plate.

Arizona has elected to go with José Herrera as Moreno’s backup. Assuming Kelly clears release waivers, the Snakes will remain on the hook for the approximate $942K remaining on his $4.275MM salary. At that point, another team could add him for the prorated portion of the $720K league minimum through season’s end. If Kelly catches on elsewhere this season, he’d technically be eligible for arbitration for 2024, though he’d be a non-tender candidate in all likelihood.

Jimmy Yacabonis Elects Free Agency

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August 15: Yacabonis has elected free agency, according to the transaction log at MLB.com.

August 14: Before this evening’s win over the Pirates, the Mets reinstated Sam Coonrod from the 60-day injured list. New York placed Josh Walker on the 15-day IL to clear an active roster spot while recalling reliever John Curtiss and placing him on the 60-day IL in a 40-man move. Additionally, New York sent righty Jimmy Yacabonis outright to Triple-A Syracuse after he was designated for assignment over the weekend.

Coonrod returned to throw a scoreless inning of relief in his season debut. The right-hander had missed the entire season after suffering a severe lat strain in Spring Training. Claimed off waivers from the Phillies in February, Coonrod is attempting to secure a bullpen spot in Queens going into 2024. He’s eligible for arbitration through ’25.

Curtiss was diagnosed with a loose body in his throwing elbow, tweets Tim Britton of the Athletic. The 60-day IL placement officially ends his season. The 30-year-old righty has made 15 appearances for New York, working to a 4.58 ERA across 19 2/3 innings. Curtiss missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s eligible for arbitration twice more but could be non-tendered at year’s end.

Yacabonis has worked 13 2/3 frames over seven outings. He’s allowed 10 runs while working mostly low-leverage relief. A journeyman who has appeared in parts of six MLB seasons with five different clubs, he’ll have the right to test minor league free agency by virtue of multiple career outrights.

Red Sox Release Dan Altavilla

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The Red Sox have released right-hander Dan Altavilla, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The righty will now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity.

Altavilla, now 30, signed a two-year minor league deal with the Sox going into last year. That was a reflection of the fact that he underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2021 while with the Padres. He was outrighted by that club and became a free agent at season’s end but wasn’t likely to be able to provide too much in 2022, which led to the two-year deal with Boston. Such deals are somewhat common for players facing long rehabs, allowing the player to lock in some money and access team facilities while giving the club some longer control over their services.

The righty didn’t make it into any official action last year and began 2023 on the injured list as well. He finally began a rehab assignment over a month ago and made eight appearances in the minor leagues since then. He tossed 12 innings in those, allowing four earned runs for an ERA of 3.00. However, his 14.3% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate were both uninspiring in that small sample. It seems the Sox didn’t have much confidence in him providing much value to them down the stretch and have let him go.

He could still get chances elsewhere based on his pre-Tommy John track record. He made 119 appearances in the majors from 2016 to 2021, split between the Mariners and Padres. He had a 4.03 ERA in that time, with a high 12.1% walk rate but a strong 26.1% strikeout rate. He averaged around 97 mph on his fastball for much of that span and was able to touch triple digits at times. If he’s able to get himself back on track and earn a roster spot, he’ll have the potential to be retained for multiple years as his service time count is currently at four years and 63 days.

Dodgers Select Gus Varland

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August 15: The Dodgers have now officially selected Varland to the roster. The corresponding move is outfielder Jake Marisnick getting transferred to the 60-day injured list. He’s been on the 10-day IL since July 19 due to a left hamstring strain, which will seemingly keep him out of action until at least mid-September.

August 14: The Dodgers are planning to select the contract of right-hander Gus Varland from Triple-A Oklahoma City, reports Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). They’ll need to make a corresponding roster move.

It’ll be the Dodger debut for Varland, but not the right-hander’s big league debut. That came earlier this season with the Brewers, who selected Varland from the Dodgers in last December’s Rule 5 Draft. Varland made Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster after a huge spring showing and, through his first eight innings, held opponents to a pair of earned runs — albeit on nine hits with as many walks (five) as strikeouts. In what proved to be his last appearance with the Brewers, Varland was rocked for nine runs in just two-third of an inning against the Cardinals on May 15. Milwaukee designated him for assignment the next day.

Varland cleared waivers, was returned to the Dodgers organization, and has been excellent in Triple-A since. The 26-year-old has pitched 33 1/3 innings, working to a pristine 2.16 earned run average with a 29.3% strikeout rate, a 6% walk rate, a 42.4% grounder rate and just 0.54 HR/9. It’s strong production on the whole, but Varland has been even better after a shaky start in his return to the Dodgers organization; since June 9, the right-hander has a 1.42 ERA in 25 1/3 innings.

The promotion for Varland comes on the heels of right-hander Joe Kelly’s placement on the 15-day injured list. Kelly, acquired from the White Sox alongside Lance Lynn, has tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings since being acquired. His IL placement was relative to Aug. 10. Kelly is the ninth right-handed reliever on the Dodgers’ injured list at the moment, joining Yency Almonte, Tyler Cyr, J.P. Feyereisen, Daniel Hudson, Shelby Miller, Jimmy Nelson, Alex Reyes and Blake Treinen. Los Angeles didn’t have another healthy right-handed reliever on the 40-man roster — barring a short-term move to relief for Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan or Ryan Pepiot, all of whom are in Triple-A at the moment — so they’ll give Varland his first look and hope he can continue the pace he’s set since returning from the Brewers.

Manuel Margot To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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The Rays announced that outfielder Manuel Margot has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to loose bodies in his right elbow. He will have surgery tomorrow with an expected recovery timeline of three to four weeks, though they say more will be known after the procedure has been completed. Infielder Jonathan Aranda has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

The news is fairly unexpected, as Margot has been playing regularly, including taking five plate appearances just yesterday. But it’s possible that the issue has been dragging him down in recent weeks. At the end of June, he was hitting .260/.318/.378 for a wRC+ of 98, but his line since then is a paltry .213/.238/.279 and a 44 wRC+.

Margot is a glove-first outfielder but has been roughly league average at the plate in recent years. From 2020 to 2022, he hit .264/.320/.375 for a wRC+ of 99. He was right in line with that pace in the first half of the season but fell off steeply in the past six weeks or so, with his season-long line now at .249/.300/.354 for a wRC+ of 85.

Ideally, the procedure will allow him to heal up and get back into form for the final few weeks of the regular season and a potential postseason run. With his bat at that average-ish level, he can be a serviceable player overall thanks to other contributions. He racked up double-digit steals in each season from 2017 to 2021 and has long been an above-average defender, with career tallies of 42 Defensive Runs Saved, 59 Outs Above Average and a grade of 19.9 from Ultimate Zone Rating. DRS has soured on him a bit this year but he still has +4 OAA for the campaign.

With Margot out of action, the Rays figure to use Jose Siri, Josh Lowe, Luke Raley and Randy Arozarena as their regular outfield rotation, with Aranda and Harold Ramírez capable of stepping in at times as well. Their 72-49 record has them three back of the Orioles in the AL East but currently in possession of the top Wild Card spot in the league.

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