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MLB Finalizes Home Run Derby Participants

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Major League Baseball has announced the field for the 2023 Home Run Derby. The full list of participants:

It is a single-elimination bracket. First-round matchups are as follows: Robert/Rutschman, Alonso/Rodríguez, Betts/Guerrero, García/Arozarena. Rodríguez and Alonso are the only two repeat players from last year’s event. Alonso had won the event back-to-back times in 2019-21 (there was no Derby in 2020 because of the pandemic) before Rodríguez knocked him out in the semifinal round last season. Juan Soto took down Rodríguez to win the tournament but declined to try to defend his title.

The Derby will take place Monday evening at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the winner will receive $1MM. The runner-up takes home $500K, while every other participant receives $150K. The player who hits the longest home run wins $100K.

Mike Trout Undergoes Hamate Surgery

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July 5: Manager Phil Nevin tells reporters, including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, that Trout underwent surgery to address his fracture. His timeline for return is four to eight weeks.

July 4: The Angels announced that Mike Trout has been placed on the injured list with a left hamate fracture. Right-hander Víctor Mederos was also optioned to Double-A Rocket City. In corresponding moves, outfielder Jo Adell and right-hander Gerardo Reyes were recalled.

The club has yet to provide any kind of estimate timeline on Trout but an absence from a hamate fracture is typically measured in weeks. For example, Mariners outfielder Taylor Trammell was diagnosed with a hamate fracture in February with a provided seven-week timeline for his recovery and he began a rehab assignment two months later. Andrew Benintendi suffered the same injury at the start of September while with the Yankees last year and never returned, despite the Yanks making it to the ALCS and playing until October 23. Each player and injury is different, but it seems reasonable to expect Trout will be out of action for roughly six to eight weeks.

Obviously, this is a tremendous blow for the Angels on a number of fronts. Trout has been one of the better players in baseball for over a decade now, having already won three Most Valuable Player awards and a litany of other accolades. He’s hit .301/.412/.582 in his career for a wRC+ of 170 while stealing 206 bases and providing excellent center field defense. He’s been a bit below that this year, but even his relative “down” year still has him at .263/.369/.493 and a 137 wRC+.

Losing one of the best players in the world for an extended stretch of time would be rough news for any club, but it will be particularly noteworthy for this Angels squad. Despite a roster featuring superstars like Trout, Shohei Ohtani and others in recent years, they have frequently been felled by injuries and a lack of depth. They haven’t had a winning record since 2015, haven’t made the playoffs since 2014 and haven’t won a postseason game since 2009.

The 2023 season has already been in the spotlight since Ohtani is in his final year of club control before he qualifies for free agency. The club has been acting aggressively to try to win this year, both to take advantage of Ohtani’s production while they still have him and to convince him to stay by constructing a winning roster around him. They spent their offseason acquiring complementary players like Brandon Drury, Hunter Renfroe and Carlos Estévez. They aggressively promoted prospects like Zach Neto, Ben Joyce and Sam Bachman. Due to a recent rash of injuries to infielders like Neto, Drury, Gio Urshela and Anthony Rendon, they went out and traded for veterans Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas.

Currently, the club is 45-42, three games back of the Yankees for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, with the Blue Jays in between them. They certainly have a shot to break their postseason drought, but their odds will certainly go down without Trout. Some fans of other clubs may start salivating at the idea of the club deciding to blow it all up and trade Ohtani, but given the way the Angels have behaved this year, it seems more likely that they will be aggressive in adding to the roster to make up for Trout’s absence.

For now, they will likely use Mickey Moniak in center. He’s having a breakout year at the plate, hitting .307/.336/.658 through 119 plate appearances for a 168 wRC+. He’s mostly played the corners in deference to Trout but has solid defensive marks in center. That will create challenges though, as the left-handed hitting Moniak has largely been shielded from lefties, having just 10 trips to the plate this year without the platoon advantage. Adell hits from the right side and could take the short side of the platoon but he’s struggled in the big leagues overall. In 561 plate appearances dating back to 2020, he’s hit just .215/.261/.362. He’s performing better in Triple-A this year but that’s nothing new for him.

However it plays out, the Angels are in a challenging spot for now and will be a fascinating club to watch. With less than a month until the August 1 deadline and the team just outside the postseason picture, each game will continue to take on increased significance as things progress.

Wyatt Mills Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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The Red Sox announced to reporters that right-hander Wyatt Mills underwent a successful reconstruction of the right ulnar collateral ligament, the procedure also known as Tommy John surgery.

Mills, now 28, came over to the Red Sox from the Royals in an offseason trade. However, he was shut down in the spring with elbow inflammation and has spent the entire season on the injured list. It will now go down as an entirely lost season for the righty and he’s likely to lose much of the 2024 campaign as well, given that the procedure typically requires a recovery period of 14 to 18 months.

Originally a draft pick of the Mariners, Mills worked his way up to the big leagues with that club and made his debut in 2021. He posted a 9.95 ERA in a small sample of 12 2/3 innings that year. He had better results in the first half of 2022, with a 4.15 ERA in 8 2/3 innings at the major league level along with a 1.83 ERA in 19 2/3 innings at Triple-A.

The Royals then acquired him as part of the deal where they flipped Carlos Santana to the Mariners. After that deal, Mills registered a 4.79 ERA in 20 2/3 innings in the bigs and a 2.57 mark in 14 Triple-A frames. He finished the year with a 29.9% strikeout rate in the minors while getting grounders on around half the balls he allowed in play. He walked 12.7% of Triple-A hitters and 10.2% in the bigs, but there was clearly a strikeout-grounder combination that intrigued the Red Sox.

Mills lost his roster spot when the Royals signed left-hander Ryan Yarbrough in December, getting designated for assignment. Boston was willing to give him a shot and flipped minor leaguer Jacob Wallace to the Royals to facilitate a deal, also designating first baseman Eric Hosmer for assignment to get Mills onto their roster. The fact that Mills still had an option remaining and less than one year of service time was surely a part of the appeal.

Unfortunately for both Mills and the Sox, the elbow issue has prevented him from making his club debut thus far. He’ll earn a full year of service time here in 2023 while spending the entire campaign on the IL. He’s already on the 60-day IL and isn’t taking up a roster spot but he’ll have to be added back in the winter since there’s no injured list in the offseason. The Sox could put him back on the 60-day IL once Spring Training begins, though he will have to hang onto his 40-man roster spot all winter long.

Rockies Outright Jorge Alfaro

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The Rockies have sent catcher Jorge Alfaro outright to Triple-A Albuquerque, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. He has the right to reject this assignment in favor of free agency but it’s not publicly known if he has done so.

Alfaro, 30, began the year on a minor league deal with the Red Sox. He mashed for the Triple-A club, hitting .320/.366/.520 in 191 plate appearances. He opted out of that deal and landed with the Rockies, who added him to their major league roster a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, he slashed just .161/.188/.387 in his 32 trips to the plate and was cut from the roster last week.

This has been a frustrating pattern for Alfaro, who has continually shown promise in the minors and then floundered in the majors. His career batting line in the big leagues is .254/.302/.396 whereas his Triple-A line is a much stronger .270/.317/.434. Since he’s generally considered a subpar defender behind the plate, that mercurial offensive performance has led to him continually bouncing on and off of rosters.

Since Alfaro has more than five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment while retaining his salary. He’ll therefore have to decide between reporting to Albuquerque and hoping for another shot with the Rockies or returning to the open market to see if there are other opportunities waiting for him. Since every club in the league just passed on the chance to grab him off waivers, he would probably be limited to minor league offers.

Marlins Outright Eli Villalobos

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The Marlins have sent right-hander Eli Villalobos outright to Double-A Pensacola, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Monday.

Villalobos, now 26, first got his roster spot in November of last year when the Marlins added him to the 40-man to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He got that spot based on his strong performance last year, posting a 2.86 ERA in 78 2/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. He struck out 32.7% of batters faced while issuing walks at a 9.4% clip.

Yet when the club needed a roster spot in the first week of April, Villalobos was designated for assignment and went to the Pirates on a waiver claim. He was in that club’s system for about two months before they put him back on waivers and he was claimed by the Marlins, back to where he started.

Amid those transactions, he’s posted a 6.26 ERA in 23 minor league innings, walking an incredible 19.5% of batters faced. His third time on waivers resulted in him clearing and he will now stick in the Marlins’ system. He still hasn’t made it to the majors and thus has no service time. Since this is his first career outright, he won’t have the right to elect free agency, providing the Marlins with some non-roster pitching depth on their farm as he looks to work his way back to the majors.

Brewers Designate Mike Brosseau For Assignment, Select J.C. Mejía

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The Brewers announced a series of roster moves today, reinstating infielder/outfielder Brian Anderson from the paternity list, recalling right-hander Tyson Miller and selecting the contract of righty J.C. Mejía. In corresponding moves, they optioned relievers Clayton Andrews and J.B. Bukauskas in addition to placing first baseman Rowdy Tellez on the 10-day injured list due to right forearm inflammation. To get Mejia onto the 40-man, infielder Mike Brosseau was designated for assignment. Additionally, left-hander Thomas Pannone, who was designated for assignment on the weekend, was released.

Brosseau, 29, has alternated hot and cold in his career, serving as a utility player for the Rays and Brewers. He hit .284/.343/.500 for the Rays over 2019 and 2020 but then slumped to a line of .187/.266/.347 in 2021. He was then traded to the Brewers and bounced back with a .255/.344/.418 showing last year for a 118 wRC+.

He and the club avoided arbitration in the offseason by agreeing to a $1.4MM salary for this year. He had shown an ability to provide above-average offense while playing every infield position, the outfield corners and even some mop-up duty on the mound, making that a relative bargain price. Unfortunately, he’s having another down season at the plate here in 2023. He hit .205/.256/.397 for a wRC+ of 74 and got optioned to the minors about a month ago. He’s been even worse in Triple-A since then, hitting .188/.232/.375 in 69 plate appearances.

The Brewers will now have a week to trade Brosseau or pass him through waivers. He’s obviously having a rough year but has plenty of past success that could interest other clubs. He also has a couple of option years, including this one, meaning he wouldn’t even require an active roster spot. That could hold some appeal for a club looking for a bit of extra versatile depth.

Mejía, now 26, was acquired from Cleveland prior to the 2022 season but received an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test in May of that year. He was outrighted off the 40-man in August. This year, he’s been in Triple-A, tossing 30 1/3 innings over 23 appearances. He has a 3.86 ERA in that time, striking out 25.2% of opponents against a 10.2% walk rate. He’s also kept the ball on the ground at an incredible 64.5% clip.

The Brewers have used their bullpen quite a bit in recent days, including last night’s contest which went to 11 innings and saw the club use six different pitchers. They’ve brought up Mejía and Miller to provide the bullpen with some fresh arms, with five games left before the All-Star break.

Pannone has previously been outrighted in his career and therefore would have had the right to reject another such assignment. The club has skipped that formality and just sent him back to the open market to look for his next opportunity. He made one appearance for the Brewers in his brief time on the roster, tossing 2 2/3 innings with two earned runs allowed. In 53 1/3 Triple-A innings this year, he posted a 2.70 ERA.

Mariners To Select Tommy Milone

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The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Tommy Milone. Right-hander Darren McCaughan was optioned in a corresponding move while righty Penn Murfee was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot for Milone on the 40-man. Milone is listed as the club’s starter for tonight’s game in San Francisco.

Milone, 36, has plenty of major league experience, serving as a regular rotation member with the Athletics and Twins in the early parts of the previous decade. In more recent years, he’s been in the role of a journeyman depth piece. Since the start of 2020, he’s suited up for Atlanta, Baltimore, Toronto and Seattle, not reaching 40 innings in any of those campaigns.

He’s already played this game with the M’s once this year, getting called up in April, making one start and getting designated for assignment promptly after. He tossed 4 2/3 innings in that outing, allowing just one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out three. He’s spent most of the season in Triple-A, making 11 starts there with a 4.47 ERA.

The Seattle rotation lost Bryce Miller to the injured list this week and needs another arm to be slotted next to Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo. It’s possible that this will be another one-and-done situation for Milone, since Miller’s IL placement was due to a blister and the All-Star break is coming up on Monday. Assuming Miller’s blister is healed up, he’ll be eligible to come off the injured list after the break and retake his rotation spot.

As for Murfee, it was reported last week that he would require season-ending UCL surgery, making this transfer an inevitable formality. He’ll spend the rest of the year on the 60-day injured list and won’t count against the club’s roster count, though he’ll need to be reinstated during the offseason when there’s no IL.

Oscar Mercado Elects Free Agency

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The Cardinals announced Wednesday that outfielder Oscar Mercado, who was designated for assignment last week, has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency rather than accept a minor league assignment. He’s now free to sign with any club.

Mercado, 28, appeared in 20 games with the Cards this year and tallied 32 plate appearances, batting .290/.313/.387 in that brief look. He’s shown a similar contact-oriented, low-power approach in 145 Triple-A plate appearances this season, batting .278/.361/.421 with two homers, a dozen doubles and a 15-for-18 showing in stolen bases.

Mercado had a nice rookie season in Cleveland back in 2019, batting .269/.318/.443 with 15 homers, 25 doubles, a trio of triples and 15 steals in 115 games and 482 plate appearances. His production dissipated in 2020, however, and he’s never rediscovered his stroke. In 491 big league plate appearances since his rookie season, Mercado is a .206/.262/.334 hitter.

Though he hasn’t had much success since ’19, Mercado is a 28-year-old with a lower-than-average strikeout rate and ample experience at all three outfield positions. He’s also generally been good for average or better overall production in Triple-A, hitting .271/.354/.415 there in parts of five seasons. A club looking for some versatile outfield depth and/or a right-handed bat with a decent track record against left-handed pitching could give Mercado a look on a minor league pact.

Orioles Designate Anthony Bemboom, Chris Vallimont

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The Orioles announced Wednesday that they’ve designated catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment. They’ve also optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk. In a pair of corresponding moves, Baltimore has selected the contracts of top outfielder prospect Colton Cowser (as previously reported) and righty Eduard Bazardo from Norfolk.

Bemboom, 33, has gone 2-for-11 with a pair of walks and a pair of strikeouts in limited big league time with the O’s this season. He’s a career .161/.236/.260 hitter in a small sample of 216 big league plate appearances but carries a more palatable .249/.342/.392 batting line in parts of seven Triple-A seasons — including a .278/.366/.389 output there in 2023. The O’s will have a week to trade Bemboom, release him or pass him through outright waivers.

Vallimont, 26, made his MLB debut a couple days ago when he pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout. The former Twins and Marlins prospect has had a tough go in the upper minors over the past two seasons, working to a combined 5.22 ERA in 129 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. Minnesota designated Vallimont for assignment last summer, at which point Baltimore claimed him off waivers.

The O’s have already passed Vallimont through waivers once, back in January, and he remained with the club after going unclaimed. Since he’s now been outrighted previously in his career, Vallimont would have the right to reject any additional outright assignments in favor of free agency. The right-hander will be traded, placed on waivers or released in the coming week.

Cowser, 23, entered the season as a top-50 prospect in the sport, and the 2021 first-rounder has done nothing to dispel that optimism. In 56 games, he’s slashed .330/.459/.537 with 10 homers, 10 doubles, a triple and seven steals (in eight tries). He’s shown keen strike-zone recognition as well, drawing a walk in a massive 18.7% of his 257 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots in the minors, and based on his pedigree, production and versatility, he should be expected to take on an everyday role with the O’s moving forward.

As for the 27-year-old Bazardo, this’ll be his third season with at least some big league experience. The righty appeared with the Red Sox in each of the past two seasons but only logged a combined 19 1/3 innings of relief work. He’s posted an impressive 2.33 ERA in that time, although his 18.2% strikeout rate is well below average. He does have a solid 7.8% walk rate in that time, however, and Bazardo has been sharp in Triple-A this year: 33 1/3 innings, 3.51 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 27.7% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate.

Red Sox Plan To Use Yu Chang As Primary Shortstop Upon Return From IL

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The Red Sox expect infielder Yu Chang to return from a hamate fracture this week, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (Twitter link). The team plans to deploy Chang as its starting shortstop once he’s reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Chang has been out since undergoing surgery in late April.

Chang’s status as the team’s starter at short figures to be tenuous, at least in the long run. Trevor Story is hoping to return from elbow surgery sometime this month and ease back into things as a designated hitter at first. However, he’s expressed optimism about being able to return to shortstop at sometime in August. Beyond the potential impact of Story’s return, the trade deadline looms on Aug. 1 and could obviously impact Boston’s middle infield outlook.

Utilizing Chang as the starter at shortstop, even if only for a month or so, highlights the middle-infield problems that have plagued the Sox throughout the year. Boston found out late in the offseason that Story would miss at least the first half of the season. Subsequent moves to bolster the middle infield depth — acquiring Adalberto Mondesi and signing Adam Duvall, thus pushing Enrique Hernandez from center field to the infield — haven’t had the intended effect. Mondesi hasn’t played in a game this season due to injury, while Hernandez has been pushed out of the starting shortstop role due to defensive struggles.

Of late, the Red Sox have used rookie David Hamilton at the position, but he’s batted just .120/.241/.160 in his first 29 Major League plate appearances. On the whole, Boston shortstops have posted a .212/.281/.325 batting line this year, which translates to a 63 wRC+ that ranks last in the Majors. They also rank 20th in Defensive Runs Saved and 27th in Outs Above Average.

Chang’s return should, at the very least, help on the defensive end of the coin. The 27-year-old is regarded as a versatile and above-average infield defender, with positive DRS and OAA grades in his career at each of second base, shortstop and third base.

At the plate, however, Chang probably won’t provide much of a boost. He’s appeared in 213 big league games and tallied 585 plate appearances but managed just a .206/.271/.358 batting line with a 7% walk rate and 28.4% strikeout rate. That production would grade as a slight upgrade over Boston’s cumulative shortstop output in 2023 — a damning statement on the team’s middle-infield play as a whole — but still grades well below league average.

The Sox will hope that defensive gains made by installing Chang at shortstop can help keep their playoff hopes afloat. A 13-game deficit in the American League East seems nearly insurmountable, but Boston is a more manageable five games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League, currently sporting a .500 record. Their play over the next several weeks will be of particular note, as it’ll likely determine the front office’s approach to the 2023 trade deadline on Aug. 1.

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