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Pirates Place Rob Zastryzny On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | April 16, 2023 at 3:34pm CDT

Prior to today’s game, the Pirates placed left-hander Rob Zastryzny on the 15-day injured list due to discomfort in his throwing elbow. Righty Yohan Ramirez was called up from Triple-A to take Zastryzny’s spot on the active roster.

Zastryzny pitched just yesterday, facing four batters and recording one out in an appearance against the Cardinals. With a hit and two walks amidst those four batters faced, Zastryzny clearly wasn’t sharp, and it’s safe to assume that his elbow issue impacted his performance. The concern now is whether or not Zastryzny might be facing a more serious injury, as Pirates senior VP of baseball operations Bryan Stroh said today in a radio appearance that Zastryzny will be visiting a specialist when the club returns to Pittsburgh on Monday.

After being non-tendered by the Angels during the offseason, Zastryzny signed a minor league deal with the Pirates and broke camp with the club. Even before Saturday’s outing against St. Louis, it hadn’t been smooth sailing for Zastryzny, as he has a 7.94 ERA over 5 2/3 total innings this season. Control has been the biggest problem, as the lefty has almost as many walks (five) as strikeouts (six).

This is Zastryzny’s fifth MLB season, as he returned to the Show in 2022 after not getting any big league action in any of the previous three years. The southpaw pitched for the Cubs in 2016-18, then spent the next three seasons pitching on minor league deals (with the Dodgers, Orioles, and Marlins) and with the independent Long Island Ducks.

With Zastryzny now sidelined, Jose Hernandez is the only left-hander in Pittsburgh’s bullpen, as Jarlin Garcia is on the 60-day IL due to a nerve injury in his biceps area. Caleb Smith, Angel Perdomo, and Daniel Zamora are lefties with MLB experience who are pitching at Triple-A, but the Pirates would first have to make a 40-man roster move to add any of the three southpaws to their active roster.

Padres Announce Several Roster Moves

By Nick Deeds | April 16, 2023 at 2:43pm CDT

The Padres announced a series of roster moves ahead of this afternoon’s game against the Brewers, optioning right-hander Domingo Tapia and utiltyman Brandon Dixon to Triple-A while recalling catcher Brett Sullivan and right-hander Reiss Knehr. The moves come on the heels of a recent injury to catcher Luis Campusano, who jammed his thumb catching a bullpen session. According to MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell, x-rays on Campusano’s thumb came back negative, but he will still be sidelined due to considerable swelling. It appears that, at least for now, Campusano will avoid a stint on the injured list, with the Padres instead opting for a three catcher roster while the 24 year-old is sidelined.

Tapia, 31, made his debut in 2020 with Boston and posted strong numbers from 2020-2021, sporting a 2.61 ERA and 3.62 FIP across 38 innings split between the Red Sox, Mariners, and Royals. He struggled badly in 17 innings with Oakland last year, however, posting a 8.47 ERA and 5.11 FIP. While those numbers are somewhat inflated by his .387 BABIP and unfortunate 62.2% strand rate, Tapia’s struggles were somewhat deserved, as well, as he actually walked more batters (14) than he struck out (12) with the A’s. Control problems have been an issue for Tapia even outside of Oakland, however, has he sports a career 13.1% walk rate and has never posted a walk rate lower than 10% in a season.

With Tapia headed to Triple-A, Knehr is set to join the Padres bullpen for the first time this season. The 26 year-old righty has pitched for the Padres in the big leagues in each of the past two seasons, with a 4.64 ERA in 42 2/3 innings over that time. Knehr struggles with control as well, with walk rates consistently over 10% in both the major leagues and Triple-A. Still, he’ll provide a fresh arm for the Padres bullpen, which has recently been taxed thanks to short starts from the club’s six-man rotation.

Dixon, meanwhile, heads to Triple-A to make room for a third catcher on the roster. The 31-year old struggled in his limited playing time with the club this season, recording just one hit and no walks while striking out eight times in his ten plate appearances with the club. Still, he figures to provide depth in the minors for the Padres, particularly given his versatility. Dixon has played all three outfield spots as well as first, second, and third base in the majors throughout his career.

Sullivan, 29, has yet to make his major league debut to this point in his career. A 17th round draft pick by the Rays in the 2015 draft, Sullivan signed with the Brewers on a major league deal during the 2021-22 offseason but was traded to the Padres in the deal that sent Victor Caratini to Milwaukee before appearing in a game for the organization. Sullivan has served as catching depth in the upper minors for the Padres ever since, and now figures to get his shot in the big leagues while Campusano is on the mend. A career .273/.321/.430 hitter in the minor leagues, Sullivan has experience in the outfield corners and at third base in addition to behind the plate.

White Sox Select Adam Haseley, Place Hanser Alberto On 10-Day IL

By Nick Deeds | April 16, 2023 at 1:50pm CDT

Per The Athletic’s James Fegan, the White Sox have selected the contract of outfielder Adam Haseley. In addition, infielder Hanser Alberto has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Saturday) with a left quad strain. Infielder Nick Solak was designated for assignment to make room for Haseley on the 40-man roster.

Haseley, who celebrated his 27th birthday earlier this week, was taken 8th overall in the 2017 draft by the Phillies, but has failed to live up to that promise he showed as a prospect to this point in his career. In 355 plate appearances with Philadelphia, Haseley slashed just .264/.322/.373 before being traded to the White Sox ahead of the 2022 season. The outfielder only made it into 14 games with his new club in 2022, posting a 73 wRC+ in those games prior to being outrighted by Chicago during the offseason. With Alberto headed to the injured list, Haseley will now get another chance in the big leagues, where he will likely be the fourth outfielder on the roster, backing up Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr., and Oscar Colas.

Haseley will take the roster spot of Alberto, who is headed to the injured list without a timetable for his return. A veteran now playing in his 8th MLB season, Alberto has ever hit much in his career, posting a .271/.293/.380 line across 1406 plate appearances while only cracking 90 wRC+ once in his career, in 2019 with the Orioles. Still, the 30 year old remains a useful bench piece by virtue of his career strikeout rate of just 12.2% and his positional versatility; Alberto has played all four infield spots and the outfield corners in his career. With Alberto on the shelf, that should make more playing time available to fellow bench infielder Romy Gonzalez.

As for Solak, the utilityman spent the past four seasons as a member of the Rangers, slashing .252/.327/.372 (93 wRC+) in 974 plate appearances while playing primarily second base, though he’s also seen time at third base, left field, and even center field during his career. Solak was shipped from Texas to Cincinnati at the beginning of last offseason, and since then has bounced to the Mariners and the White Sox. Now, he figures to look to catch on with his fifth club in the past six months. That should be an attainable goal, considering the attractiveness of optionable infield depth.

Dodgers Sign Austin Wynns To Major League Deal, Place Will Smith On 7-Day Concussion IL

By Nick Deeds | April 16, 2023 at 1:43pm CDT

According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the Dodgers have signed catcher Austin Wynns to a major league deal and placed him on the active roster as catcher Will Smith heads to the 7-Day Concussion IL, retroactive to April 13. According to Juan Toribio of MLB.com, the Dodgers have transferred right-hander Alex Reyes to the 60-day IL to make room for Wynns on the 40-man roster.

Wynns appeared in one game this season for the Giants before being designated for assignment earlier this week. Wynns had accepted an outright assignment from San Francisco earlier in the offseason rather than elect free agency, but opted to test the open market after finding himself blocked by Joey Bart, Blake Sabol, and Gary Sanchez on the catching depth chart for the Giants. Wynns sports a career 67 wRC+ in 510 plate appearances since his MLB debut with the Orioles in 2018, but flashed the bat of a serviceable backup with San Francisco last season, slashing .259/.313/.358, good for a wRC+ of 92.

Smith, 28, is among the game’s premiere catchers, with a career wRC+ of 130, a 10.9% walk rate and 18.8% strikeout rate to go with his 25-homer power. Ardaya notes that manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Smith reported symptoms of a concussion on Thursday, and those symptoms have persisted despite him passing SCAT5 testing on Friday. Smith is set to undergo more tests and Roberts is hopefully he will be able to rejoin the club in time for the club’s road trip on Thursday, but if his symptoms persist he may be out for longer. While Smith is on the shelf, Austin Barnes figures to get the lion’s share of starts behind the plate, with Wynns acting as the backup.

As for Reyes, he signed with the Dodgers this offseason on an incentive-laden major-league deal and is still working his way back from shoulder surgery he underwent last May. His placement on the 60-day IL isn’t much of a surprise, as he was not expected to be a contributor for the club until sometime midseason.

Reds Notes: Santillan, Votto, Sims

By Nick Deeds | April 16, 2023 at 11:15am CDT

The Reds have halted the rehab of right-hander Tony Santillan, as noted by The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosencrans. Santillan was limited to just 19 2/3 innings of work in 2022 due to low back pain, and was diagnosed with a Pars stress fracture in his low back this spring that has kept him out of action ever since. He appeared to be on the verge of returning to big league action, as he had begun a rehab assignment in Triple-A recently, but Santillan is now dealing with discomfort in his right knee that will keep him out of action for longer, according to Rosencrans.

Santillan struggled to a 5.49 ERA during his injury-plagued 2022 season, but impressed in his 2021 rookie season with a 2.91 ERA (162 ERA+) in 43 1/3 innings, though it came with a concerning 4.62 FIP thanks to Santillan stranding an unsustainable 90% of baserunners, though he did post an impressive 29.5% strikeout rate that season. When healthy, Santillan could join the likes of Alex Diaz and Fernando Cruz in covering late-inning duties for the Reds.

First baseman Joey Votto is also halting his rehab process, per a club announcement. Votto returned to Cincinnati and spoke with reporters today, with Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer noting that Votto has not suffered any setbacks and MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relaying that the first baseman remains optimistic about returning to big league action in the near future, though he isn’t ready to do so yet. As Nightengale notes, Votto could begin another rehab assignment in five days if he’s ready to do so.

Votto underwent surgery on his rotator cuff and bicep last season after struggling to a slash line of just .205/.319/.370 in 91 games last year, the worst performance of his future Hall of Fame career. Following his surgery, Votto took things slowly this spring, and has continued to work his way back at a careful pace as he has repeatedly expressed a desire to not return to the club until he’s fully healthy and ready to return. The Reds have given their veteran slugger the latitude to guide his own rehab process, including leaving the decision about whether he would start the season on the Opening Day roster up to him.

In more positive injury news, reliever Lucas Sims is scheduled to pitch for a second day in a row at Triple-A today, according to Nightengale, with a return to the big leagues later this week a possibility if all goes well. A first round pick by the Braves in the 2012 draft, Sims was part of the return for the trade that sent Adam Duvall from Cincinnati to Atlanta at the 2018 trade deadline. Since then, Sims has been a bullpen regular for the Reds, posting a 4.44 ERA (107 ERA+) and 3.87 FIP in 127 2/3 innings of work with the club. Sims pitched just 6 2/3 innings last year before being placed on the IL with lower back spasms last May, an issue he’s dealt with ever since. Fortunately, it appears Sims is primed to return to big league action and join a bullpen that currently features the likes of Derek Law and Buck Farmer covering the middle innings.

Twins Option Louie Varland, Recall Brent Headrick

By Nick Deeds | April 16, 2023 at 9:16am CDT

Per a team announcement, the Twins have optioned right-hander Louie Varland to Triple-A following his spot start against the Yankees yesterday. In a corresponding move, the club recalled left-hander Brent Headrick.

Varland, 25, pitched effectively against the Yankees yesterday, turning in a quality start of six innings and three runs allowed, each of which came on a solo home run. Those were the only hits allowed by Varland, who walked one and struck out eight. Varland also made five starts for the club in 2022, posting a solid 3.81 ERA in 26 innings of work. With six successful big league starts under his belt and a career 2.59 ERA in the minor leagues, Varland figures to continue to be a top option for spot starts in the future for the Twins, though their deep group of potential rotation options leaves him unlikely to get a longer look this season without multiple rotation injuries. Varland is the Twins’ #10 prospect, according to MLB.com.

As for Headrick, the 25 year-old lefty has been added to an MLB roster for the first time in his career and appears poised to make his big league debut in the near future. A ninth round pick in the 2019 draft, Headrick has a 3.52 ERA in 184 innings of work in the minors. The club’s #25 prospect, per MLB.com, Headrick is a soft-tossing lefty who has added velocity in recent years, leading to something of a breakout at Double-A in 2022 where he impressed by striking out 31.9% of the batters he faced. Most of his work in the minors has come as a starter, but Headrick did pitch four innings of relief in his first Triple-A appearance this year.

Padres Notes: Rotation, Wacha, Engel

By Nick Deeds | April 16, 2023 at 8:24am CDT

Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove is expected to make his final rehab start today for the organization’s Single-A affiliate, as noted by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune. That would put Musgrove on track to return to the Padres sometime later this week, a welcome development for a club that has seen its current six-man rotation set-up lead to an overly taxed bullpen.

With only seven relievers on the roster, the club needs its starters to be able to go deeper into games and cover more innings, but that hasn’t been the case early in the season. San Diego starters have failed to complete six innings in nine of the club’s 16 games this season, with just three starts lasting into the seventh inning. The return of Musgrove, who pitched at least six innings in 22 of his 30 regular season starts last season, should help relieve some of the load off the bullpen, but the question remains as to who Musgrove will replace in the rotation.

Ken Rosenthal suggested on FOX Sports yesterday that right-hander Nick Martinez could head to the bullpen as the odd man out, while Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune suggested that it could be young left-hander Ryan Weathers who is either optioned to Triple-A or pushed to the bullpen in order to make room for Musgrove, though Sanders notes that the club’s schedule, which includes two off-days in the final week of April and five throughout the month of May, could make the current six-man rotation setup untenable in the longer term and force the club to look at moving Martinez or righty Seth Lugo to the bullpen.

Weathers, 23, struggled to a 5.49 ERA with a 5.42 FIP the past two seasons, with all of that work except for a single 3 2/3 inning spot start coming during the 2021 campaign. He’s done well so far in 2023, posting an strong 2.70 ERA in two starts (10 innings) so far this season, though he’s struck out just five batters so far and failed to record an out in the sixth inning. By contrast, Martinez has struggled in terms of run prevention, with a 5.60 ERA across three starts, but has been able to go deeper into games, failing to make it out of the fifth inning just once while recording six and seven innings in his other two appearances.

More from San Diego…

As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Padres right-hander Michael Wacha entered the offseason hoping to return to the Red Sox, for whom he posted a 3.32 ERA in 127 1/3 innings in 2022. Cotillo notes that the Red Sox never appeared close to re-signing the 31 year-old righty, who eventually signed in San Diego on a complex four-year, $26MM deal with multiple team and player options involved. Wacha noted that Boston expressed interest in retaining him for the 2023 season, but ultimately did not get into specifics of his negotations with the club, saying that “you might have to ask [Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom] about that one.” That being said, Wacha did note the importance of San Diego’s willingness to offer a multi-year deal held in his ultimate decision to sign with the club.
As noted by Sanders, outfielder Adam Engel, who’s been sidelined to this point in the season with a hamstring injury. began a rehab assignment in Triple-A yesterday. With David Dahl having recently joined Engel on the injured list, the club’s outfield depth has been tested, with the likes of Rougned Odor and Brandon Dixon making recent starts in the outfield alongside Juan Soto and Trent Grisham. Engel’s impending return should provide some much-needed support to the Padres outfield, as should Fernando Tatis Jr., who is set to return from his suspension later this week.

Angels Promote Zach Neto, Option David Fletcher

By Simon Hampton | April 15, 2023 at 11:23pm CDT

The Angels made a significant transaction today, calling up top prospect Zach Neto, their first round pick from the 2022 draft. In the corresponding move, the Angels optioned David Fletcher, sending the six-year veteran to Triple-A. To make room on the 40-man roster, Chris Rodriguez has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Neto will make his debut less than a year after the Angels took him 13th overall in the draft. The 22-year-old has absolutely torn up minor league pitching in that time, slashing .444/.559/.815 with three home runs in 34 plate appearances at Double-A to start this year, after slashing .320/.389/.492 over 136 plate appearances at the level last year.

All told, it took Neto just 44 minor league games to do enough for the Angels to call him up, and he’s now expected to take over as their everyday shortstop, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Neto as the Angels’ top prospect, and had him 59th overall in the sport. Law describes Neto as a “definite shortstop who projects to be a plus defender”, and combined with his bat expects him to be a “strong regular”.

The other side of this transaction is the demotion of Fletcher. The 28-year-old signed a five-year, $26MM extension just prior to the 2021 season, but Fletcher’s numbers have since deteriorated. After hitting .298/.356/.395 over 883 plate appearances between 2019-20, Fletcher has managed only a .258/.292/.323 slash line with four home runs over 909 PA, good for a wRC+ of just 69.

Fletcher’s a quality defender at second and third, posting a combined 31 Outs Above Average at the two positions throughout his career, while he’s more of a solid defender (two career OAA) at shortstop. He’s also sporadically played in the outfield.

Fletcher’s owed $6MM in 2023, and then a further $12.5MM over the next two seasons plus $3MM in buyouts on a pair of club options for 2026-27. It’s not an overly burdensome amount of money, but it’s a lot to be paying a minor league infielder. It’s possible the Angels see if Fletcher can rediscover his bat at Triple-A and then look to recall him to serve as a utilityman on the big league club going forward.

Of course, Neto has never played above Double-A so if he struggles after a stint in the big leagues the team could opt to give him a bit more time at Triple-A to develop and turn back to Fletcher. For now though, Neto will be the Angels’ starting shortstop, and if his hitting in the minor leagues can translate to the Show he could have that position for many years to come.

West Notes: Tepera, Davis, Davies, Gray

By Mark Polishuk | April 15, 2023 at 11:09pm CDT

Ryan Tepera left today’s game with a shoulder issue and will receive further examination, Angels manager Phil Nevin told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and other reporters. Tepera needed 33 pitches to get through two-thirds of an inning against the Red Sox today, with two hits, a walk, and two catcher’s interference calls on Matt Thaiss resulting in three runs (one earned).

Losing Tepera to injury wouldn’t help an Anaheim bullpen that has already had its share of struggles in the early going, though Tepera has been part of those struggles with a 13.50 ERA over 3 1/3 innings of work. The veteran reliever signed a two-year, $14MM free agent deal with Los Angeles during the 2021-22 offseason and was pretty solid in 2022, posting a 3.61 ERA over 57 1/3 innings with some elite soft-contact rates. [UPDATE: the Angels placed Tepera on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation on Sunday. Tepera doesn’t think the injury is too serious, as he told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and other reporters that he plans to start throwing again after a few days off.]

More from around both the AL and NL West divisions as Jackie Robinson Day comes to a close….

The Rockies will call up right-hander Noah Davis from Triple-A to start Sunday’s game against the Mariners. (The Denver Gazette’s Danielle Allentuck was among those who reported the news.) With German Marquez now on the 15-day IL, Davis was seen as a logical candidate to take Marquez’s spot in the rotation, as Davis is already on Colorado’s 40-man roster and has plenty of experience as a starter during his time in the Rockies’ and Reds’ farm systems. Davis is just a week away from his 26th birthday, and he made his MLB debut in the form of one inning of relief work with the Rockies last season.
Zach Davies was placed on the 15-day injured list due a strained left oblique last weekend, and Diamondbacks Torey Lovullo told reporters (including the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro) that Davies will need “several weeks” to recover. Lovullo was a little vague about the nature of Davies’ injury, stopping short of calling it a Grade 2 oblique strain, but also saying it was “more than” a Grade 1 strain. Regardless, Davies now looks to miss some significant time, so Drey Jameson might get a long look at the replacement in Arizona’s rotation.
X-rays were negative on Rangers right-hander Jon Gray after Gray was hit on the elbow by a Yanier Diaz line drive in tonight’s game. Texas manager Bruce Bochy even told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry and other reporters that Gray isn’t expected to miss his next turn in the rotation. An upcoming off-day on Thursday will give Gray an extra day to rest and recover, and while plans could change if his elbow/forearm area continues to be sore, it still counts as some real good fortune for Gray in avoiding what looked like a potentially serious injury. Counting today’s abbreviated two-inning outing, Gray has a 3.21 ERA over three starts and 14 innings thus far in 2023.

AL Notes: Urias, Ortiz, Romano, Red Sox, Springs

By Mark Polishuk | April 15, 2023 at 9:00pm CDT

Ramon Urias is in concussion protocol after a scary incident in the Orioles’ 7-6 loss to the White Sox today. Urias was hit in the head by a Kendall Graveman fastball in the seventh inning of the game, but fortunately the infielder was able to leave the field under his own power. At the very least, Urias certainly doesn’t look like he’ll be playing in Sunday’ game, and it remains to be seen if a stint on the seven-day concussion-related injury list is necessary. Urias had a single and two walks prior to his HBP today, boosting the Gold Glover’s slash line to a productive .250./.388/.400 over his first 49 plate appearances of the season.

Infielder Joey Ortiz would be the roster replacement if Urias is sidelined, as MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko was among the reporters who noted that Ortiz was removed from the lineup for Triple-A Norfolk tonight. Since the Orioles don’t play on Monday, it’s possible the club might not make a roster move prior to Sunday’s game, in order to give Urias more time to recover and undergo further examination in the hopes that an IL stint could be avoided. Ortiz has yet to make his MLB debut, and is yet another talented youngster from Baltimore’s farm system — both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America included Ortiz near the end of their preseason top-100 prospect lists.

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