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Injury Notes: Burnes, Blackburn, Hendricks, Haniger

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Brewers ace Corbin Burnes called for the trainer and exited last night’s game after recording the first out in the sixth inning, with 85 pitches under his belt. After the game, manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Burnes had a minor strain of the left pectoralis in his chest (link via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Burnes incurred the injury in the fourth inning after picking off Eugenio Suarez at second base, catching him in a rundown, and stretching to make the tag on the play. Burnes explained that the injury cramped up beginning in the sixth inning. “I had zero command and then clearly the velo started to drop,” said Burnes, who began the inning with a four-pitch walk.

It’s a surely a relative sigh of relief for Brewers fans, though the team figures to have more info on Burnes in the next day or so as he progresses. For now, it seems the 2021 NL Cy Young winner has avoided a major injury, which is particularly important with righty Brandon Woodruff facing a lengthy absence due to a shoulder strain.

Some more injury scenarios to monitor around the league…

  • Right-hander Paul Blackburn’s return to the Athletics could be further delayed by a blister issue on his pitching hand, tweets Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 29-year-old Blackburn rode a first-half breakout to an All-Star nod last summer, but his season went off the rails in mid-July, when he was torched for 21 runs in a span of 14 1/3 innings. He was diagnosed with a torn tendon sheath in his pitching hand, which ended his season. Blackburn looked to be on track for the 2023 campaign, but a fingernail avulsion shelved him briefly. He’s made a pair of rehab starts but will see his third rehab outing delayed by the current blister troubles. Through his first 16 starts last season, Blackburn pitched to a 2.90 ERA with a below-average 18.8% strikeout rate but strong walk and ground-ball rates of 6.2% and 48.7%, respectively, while yielding just an 87.7 mph average exit velocity.
  • Cubs righty Kyle Hendricks threw 36 pitches in a two-inning simulated game yesterday and came away from that session feeling good, tweets Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Assuming he doesn’t incur any setbacks in the coming days, that could put Hendricks on pace for a minor league rehab stint sooner than later. He’d likely need multiple starts to build up, which generally aligns with Hendricks’ previous statements that he’s aiming to be on a rehab assignment by May. The 33-year-old Hendricks was one of the NL’s most durable and consistently effective starters from 2015-20, pitching to a 3.17 ERA over the life of 967 innings in that time. He’s stumbled to a 4.78 ERA in 48 starts over the past two seasons, however, as he’s become increasingly homer-prone. Hendricks is entering the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $55MM contract, though the Cubs hold a net $14.5MM decision on him for the 2024 campaign ($16MM option with a $1.5MM buyout).
  • Mitch Haniger is slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment today, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants signed Haniger to a three-year, $43MM contract over the winter (which contains an opt-out after 2024), but he’s yet to make his team debut after suffering an oblique strain during spring training. He went 3-for-10 with a pair of doubles in 10 official spring at-bats before sustaining the injury. Haniger dealt with myriad injuries in 2019-20 and 2022 but played in 157 games apiece in 2018 and 2021, slugging a combined 65 home runs between those two seasons. Once healthy, he’ll add some more thump to a Giants lineup that somewhat surprisingly ranks fourth in the Majors with 25 homers so far.

The Opener: Injuries, Kershaw Milestone, MLBTR Chat

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As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Incoming updates on pitcher injuries:

A handful of updates on pitchers are expected around the league today, led by a pair of aces who exited their starts yesterday: Jacob deGrom left his start with the Rangers after four innings with wrist soreness, while Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) that Corbin Burnes left his start against the Mariners with a left pec strain. Both aces are expected to be evaluated later today.

We could also receive updates on Reds right-hander Hunter Greene, who left yesterday’s start with a right tibia contusion, with Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer noting that initial x-rays came back negative. Meanwhile, Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that Kris Bubic would require a second opinion after tests yesterday revealed a flexor strain for the young lefty.

2. Kershaw goes for No. 200:

Pitcher wins aren’t exactly en vogue among front offices and analysts in 2023, but they still hold an important place in the hearts of many fans and in most pitchers themselves. That’s particularly true when it comes to milestones; round numbers always grab our attention and are often cited when looking back at a player’s career through a historical lens.

Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the 405th time in his career tonight (402nd start), and with a victory, he’ll become just the 121st pitcher to ever reach 200 wins in his career. In an era where teams have shorter leashes for starters and are more reliant on bullpen arms than ever before, reaching such heights is extra difficult. Howard Cole observes (Twitter link) that Kershaw would become just the third pitcher to ever accumulate 200 wins solely in a Dodgers uniform, joining Hall of Famers Don Sutton and Don Drysdale.

Kershaw’s place in Dodgers lore is already cemented, but this will be another feather in his cap and another achievement on his own eventual case for Cooperstown enshrinement. So far in 2023, his 16th Major League season, the 35-year-old Kershaw has a 3.50 ERA and 17-to-4 K/BB ratio in 18 innings.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

We’re now around 10% of the way through the 2023 regular season, with plenty of interesting early season trends to discuss. If the beginning of this season has spurred any questions in your mind about your favorite team or the league as a whole, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Dodgers Notes: Gonsolin, Pepiot, Smith

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Tony Gonsolin is getting closer to making his season debut. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Gonsolin got through a 30-plus pitch bullpen session today (relayed by Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Gonsolin will begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, with the expectation he’ll throw around four innings.

Gonsolin is rehabbing from an ankle sprain he suffered midway through Spring Training. Roberts indicated he’d need at least two rehab starts before he’s ready to head back to the MLB rotation. That could position him for a return towards the tail end of next week. That’d be a very welcome development, as Gonsolin worked to a 2.14 ERA through 130 1/3 innings in an All-Star season last year.

Ryan Pepiot had been expected to take Gonsolin’s rotation spot out of the gate. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, he suffered an oblique strain at the end of Spring Training. It appears he’s a ways off, as Roberts said the righty is still limited to plyometric work and hasn’t yet started throwing (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). While the return timetable isn’t clear, it’s apparent that Pepiot’s progress has been slower than initially hoped.

L.A. has turned to Michael Grove with Gonsolin and Pepiot out of action. The West Virginia product was hit hard in his first two starts of the season before a strong showing on Saturday. He allowed just one run with six strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings in a win over the Cubs. Even that solid work still brought Grove to a 9.00 ERA in 13 frames this season.

The Dodgers were dealt a hit on the position player side last week. Catcher Will Smith landed on the concussion injured list retroactive to April 13. That only contains a minimum stint of seven days, meaning Smith could return as early as Thursday. The star backstop attributed the injury to a series of recent foul tips off the mask (link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Smith said he’d proceed with understandable caution given the nature of the injury but noted that he’s already working out and plans to travel with the club on their road trip spanning April 20-27.

It seems he’s on track to return without a rehab stint if all goes well, perhaps not long after he’s first eligible. The Dodgers signed Austin Wynns to a major league deal to back up Austin Barnes while Smith is out. Wynns has exhausted his minor league option years, so his stay on the 40-man roster may prove brief if the Dodgers don’t plan to carry three catchers once Smith makes his return.

Don Leppert Passes Away

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Former All-Star catcher Don Leppert has passed away at age 91, the Pirates announced this afternoon.

“We are deeply saddened to hear the news on the passing of Don Leppert,” team president Travis Williams said. “He touched many lives during his more than 40 years in baseball and was a valuable part of the Pirates’ coaching staff during the 1971 World Series winning season. Our hearts go out to his wife Daphine, and the entire Leppert family.”

An Indianapolis native, Leppert (not to be confused with a 1950’s infielder of the same name) began his professional career at age 23 in 1955. The right-handed hitter didn’t first reach the majors until 1961. As a 29-year-0ld rookie, he connected on three home runs in 22 games. Leppert appeared in 45 contests for Pittsburgh the following season. He joined the Washington Senators the next year, which proved the best season of his career. The 6’2″ backstop hit .237/.305/.375 over 73 games, earning his All-Star nod in the process.

After struggling in 50 games the following season, Leppert spent two years in Triple-A. He retired as a player after the 1966 campaign. While Leppert only appeared in 190 games through parts of four big league seasons, he earned a trip to the Midsummer Classic and kicked off a lengthy career in the professional ranks. He began managing in the Pirates’ system in 1967 and was promoted to the MLB staff the following year. Leppert would also spend time with the Blue Jays, Astros and Twins for the next couple decades.

MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Matt Manning Aiming To Return To Mound In Six Weeks

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Tigers righty Matt Manning suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot last week when he was struck by a comeback liner, and the team placed him on the 15-day injured list the next day. Manning told reporters Sunday that after his x-rays were examined by multiple specialists, the agreed-upon treatment would be let the fracture heal with rest (Twitter thread via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). The alternative would’ve been to have a screw inserted to help stabilize the fracture, but both options came with recovery timelines of six weeks anyhow. He could begin a throwing program as soon as next week and is hopeful he can meet that six-week timeline.

Manning’s foot fracture is the latest in a growing line of setbacks for both Manning himself and the Tigers’ rotation at large. Manning’s career to date has been slowed by both shoulder and forearm troubles, which combined to limit him to just 85 1/3 innings between the minors and big leagues a year ago. He, along with fellow right-hander Casey Mize and lefty Tarik Skubal, was generally viewed as a the foundation of what the Tigers hoped to be their rotation of the future. Mize, however, had both Tommy John surgery and back surgery last summer. Skubal went on the injured list just prior to the trade deadline with what was originally billed as a minor forearm strain, only to undergo flexor surgery a few weeks later.

With that trio now shelved, the Tigers are looking to the quintet of Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen, Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Joey Wentz in the rotation for the time being. Rodriguez is playing out the second season of a five-year deal that has thus far not panned out. Both Lorenzen and Boyd signed one-year deals in free agency. Turnbull is looking to bounce back from his own Tommy John surgery (performed in 2021), while Wentz, a former Braves top prospect who came over in the Shane Greene trade, is merely hoping to establish himself at the big league level.

Of the Tigers’ once-touted trio of youngsters, Manning could still be the first to rejoin the team. He’ll certainly beat Mize back to the field, barring any kind of major setback, as Mize’s Tommy John procedure and back procedure both came last June. Skubal, at last check earlier this month, was doing some low-intensity throwing nearly every day but hadn’t yet built up to mound work. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so the earliest he’d be able to return is late May.

Manning, a former No. 9 overall pick in the draft, climbed as high as No. 17 on Baseball America’s annual Top 100 prospect list (pre-2020) but has yet to solidify himself as a big league regular. After a brutal debut in 2021, when he was tagged for a 5.80 ERA in 85 1/3 innings, he improved to a 3.43 ERA in 63 frames last year — albeit with a middling 18.3% strikeout rate. His velocity during spring training was a point of concern, though the 93.2 mph he averaged on his heater in two regular-season starts is generally in line with the 93.5 mph he averaged last season.

Manning only turned 25 years old two months ago, so there’s plenty of time for him to get healthy and step up as a vital member of the Detroit rotation, both in 2023 and for the foreseeable future. Given the health troubles elsewhere among the team’s formerly ballyhooed  collection of pitchers, it’s all the more pivotal to the team’s outlook that he does so.

Jacob deGrom Removed From Start With Wrist Soreness, Hopes To Make Next Start

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9:16pm: deGrom met with the media after the game and downplayed the issue (relayed by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and Jeff Wilson). He’ll be reevaluated tomorrow but indicated he didn’t feel it was a series problem. deGrom said he hopes to make his next scheduled start.

8:05pm: Jacob deGrom was removed from tonight’s start in Kansas City after four no-hit innings. The Rangers later called it a precautionary decision after the superstar experienced right wrist soreness.

Texas added that deGrom will go for continued evaluation. It’s obviously too early to draw any conclusions about the issue’s severity. That the Rangers specified the removal as precautionary is a welcome development, though any arm-related issue is at least a bit concerning considering deGrom’s history. The righty was limited to 26 combined appearances during his final two seasons as a Met. Shut down midway through the 2021 season with a forearm issue, he missed the first half of last year on account of a stress reaction in his right scapula.

On the optimistic side, deGrom didn’t look any worse for wear during tonight’s appearance. He retired 12 of 14 batters, only walking one and seeing another hitter reach on an error. His final pitch of the night was a 97.9 MPH fastball that turned into a Kyle Isbel fly ball.

The Rangers are sure to provide more information in the next few days. deGrom is up to 20 2/3 innings of 3.48 ERA ball with a ridiculous 32:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the first season of his five-year free agent deal. The Rangers have an off day on Thursday; if they stick with a five-man rotation, deGrom would next be lined up to pitch on Sunday against Oakland.

Angels Outright David Fletcher

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The Angels have sent David Fletcher through outright waivers, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The infielder remains in the organization but lost his spot on the 40-man roster.

It’s the result of a sharp downturn in production from Fletcher. The Loyola Marymount product looked like a core organizational piece a few years ago. Los Angeles signed him to a five-year contract extension two Aprils back. It was a $26MM guarantee that bought out one free agent year and contained club options for two more. The hope was they’d secured an excellent defensive middle infielder with roughly league average offense.

Fletcher signed that deal on the heels of a .319/.376/.425 showing during the abbreviated 2020 season. While that was built on an unsustainable .348 average on balls in play, it brought his career line to .292/.346/.386 in just shy of 1200 plate appearances. Fletcher never hit for power but demonstrated elite contact skills and played plus defense at second base.

Unfortunately for the Halos, the righty-swinging Fletcher has seen a significant drop in his offensive production for the past couple seasons. He put up only a .262/.297/.324 line across 665 plate appearances in 2021. The following year proved challenging both from a performance and health perspective. Fletcher was nagged early in the season by a hip strain that eventually sent him to the 60-day injured list. He got into 61 games, hitting .255/.288/.333. He’d been off to a 2-16 start through this year’s first couple weeks.

Fletcher’s contact skills have remained elite. His walks have dipped the past couple years, though, and he hasn’t gotten good results on batted balls. Going back to 2021, he carries a .258/.292/.323 line in just over 900 trips to the plate. Even with continued strong grades as a keystone defender, the lackluster offense led the Angels to look elsewhere this winter. The Halos brought in Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury to add some offensive punch to the infield. They called up top shortstop prospect Zach Neto on Saturday, announcing at the time they’d optioned Fletcher back to Triple-A Salt Lake.

In conjunction with that move, they apparently also placed Fletcher on waivers. It’s no surprise he didn’t get claimed. Any team that added him would’ve had to taken on his contract. Fletcher is making $6MM both this season and next. He’ll make $6.5MM in 2025 and is due at least a $1.5MM buyout on the ’27 option. For any club to take on the nearly $20MM in guaranteed money given Fletcher’s recent struggles would have been unlikely.

There’s surely some amount of strategy in the Halos’ timing of the outright. Any player with over three years of major league service time can refuse an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency. However, players with between three and five years of service would have to forfeit any remaining guaranteed money on their contract to do so.

Fletcher entered the 2023 campaign with four years and 111 days of big league service. A player gets a full service year at 172 days, so Fletcher needed 61 days on the MLB roster this year to crack that threshold. Had he still been in the majors into early June, he’d have had the right to elect free agency while collecting the rest of his salary if the Halos wanted to take him off their 40-man roster.

By timing the outright before then, the Angels ensure Fletcher sticks in the organization. He’s obviously not going to pass on nearly $20MM in guaranteed money. He’ll accept the assignment to Salt Lake and try to hit his way back onto the major league radar.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mets Recall Brett Baty

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APRIL 17: New York officially recalled Baty and reliever Edwin Uceta. To clear active roster space, they’ve optioned Jose Butto and placed outfielder Tim Locastro on the 10-day injured list with back spasms.

APRIL 16: The Mets are planning to recall top prospect Brett Baty, per SNY’s Andy Martino. A corresponding move will be required to make room for Baty on the active roster, though no such move has been announced as of yet. Tim Healey of Newsday notes that Baty will not be active for today’s game against the A’s, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post noting that he’s set to join the club in LA tomorrow.

Baty, 23, is a consensus top-25 prospect in the sport. He made his MLB debut in an 11-game stint with the Mets last year, though he struggled to a .184/.244/.342 slash line in that brief call-up. The club initially optioned him to Triple-A ahead of Opening Day, where he had only six games of experience coming into the season, but in 9 games with Syracuse to open the season, Baty has looked to be clearly above what the Triple-A level has to offer, slashing .400/.500/.886 with five homers and nearly as many walks (7) as strikeouts (9). That phenomenal performance has continued a stellar track record as a hitter all throughout the minors for Baty, who sports a .903 OPS in 1,075 minor league plate appearances.

A third baseman by trade, Baty likely stands to benefit from Eduardo Escobar’s slow start to the 2023 season, as the 34 year old veteran has slashed just .114/.167/.227 to open the 2023 campaign. That being said, Baty has begun getting reps in the outfield in recent years in the minor leagues, leaving open the possibility he could also factor into the outfield mix alongside Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo, and Starling Marte. Daniel Vogelbach and Tommy Pham are currently in a timeshare at DH, where Baty could also receive at-bats.

Per Matt Eddy of Baseball America, Baty will be retroactively credited with service time for his time in Triple-A as he was on optional assignment for fewer than 20 days. That leaves Baty poised to receive a full year of service time in 2023, while also making the Mets eligible to receive an additional draft pick should Baty qualify via thr Prospect Promotion Incentive by placing in the top three of NL Rookie of the Year voting or top five of NL MVP voting.

White Sox Sign Luke Farrell To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have signed right-hander Luke Farrell to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League White Sox for now, but will presumably move to a higher level after ramping up in a delayed spring ramp-up.

Farrell, 32 in June, has pitched in each of the past six major league seasons, but rarely staying with any club for long. He’s bounced around the rosters of the Royals, Reds, Cubs, Angels, Rangers and Twins in his career. Last year, he signed a minor league deal with the Cubs and was eventually selected for a second stint on their roster. He was designated for assignment about two weeks later and was claimed by the Reds, joining that club for a second time. He was outrighted towards the end of the season and eventually elected free agency. Between the two teams, he tossed 15 innings over six appearances with a 5.40 ERA. He also tossed 60 innings in the minors with a 4.95 ERA, starting 11 of his 18 appearances.

For his career, he’s tossed 102 2/3 innings with his ERA currently at an even 5.00. He’s struck out 23.3% of batters faced with a swinging strike rate of 10.2%, but he’s also walked 11.7% of opponents while getting ground balls on just 32.4% of balls in play.

Farrell has worked both as a starter and reliever in his career. It’s unclear how the Sox intend to use him, though they have been hit with a few notable injuries in their bullpen while their starters Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Mike Clevinger are all healthy. Their 15-day injured list currently has Liam Hendriks, Garrett Crochet and Joe Kelly on it, while Matt Foster was recently transferred to the 60-day. Farrell will get some work in at the ACL level and provide the club with some non-roster depth whenever he’s back in game shape.

Boras Corp. Baseball Arbitration Research Market Analyst Job Opening

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From time to time, as a service to our readers, MLB Trade Rumors will post job opportunities of possible interest that are brought to our attention. MLBTR has no affiliation with the hiring entity, no role in the hiring process, and no financial interest in the posting of this opportunity.

Position: Baseball Arbitration Research Market Analyst – Full-time
Location: Newport Beach, CA

Description:
Boras Corporation is seeking a full-time baseball Arbitration Research Market Analyst in Newport Beach, CA. Boras Corporation is a small business and a prominent leader in the baseball industry. A high-quality candidate will be service oriented, and innovative with the ability to interact and collaborate with the rest of our arbitration team.

Pay rate: $65,000-$75,000; DOE

Experience/education:

  • Playing experience, college or professional, preferred
  • Work experience in college baseball, professional baseball, or with an agency preferred
  • BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university, preferred

Job Duties/Job Expectations:

  • Showcase strong interpersonal skills
  • Communicate comfortably and professionally in person, in writing, and via telephone
  • Provide manager with follow-up status reports and completion reports
  • Seek and process feedback and constructive criticism from teammates and management
  • Practice good listening skills, take and follow directions, be a team player
  • Be a team player, take leadership in selected projects
  • Demonstrate assertiveness, able to defend the “whys” during team discussions
  • Be proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Applications including Keynote
  • Possess basic understanding of fangraphs, baseball-references, Statcast data, and Baseball Savant
  • Possess basic understanding on how to edit videos, and or code

Please click the link to see more about the position.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

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