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Marlins Activate Garrett Cooper, Place Jesus Sanchez On 10-Day IL

By Nick Deeds | May 14, 2023 at 10:29am CDT

The Marlins have made a pair of roster moves this morning, as noted by MLB.com’s Christian De Nicola. First baseman Garrett Cooper has been activated from the 10-day injured list, while outfielder Jesus Sanchez was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain. Sanchez’s placement on the IL is no surprise after he left yesterday’s game with a hamstring injury.

Sanchez, 25, was in the midst of a hot stretch that had made him one of the club’s best hitters this season, with his 150 wRC+ only topped by second baseman Luis Arraez among the club’s hitters. Sanchez has been heavily platoon-protected so far this season, however. The lefty slugger has stepped to the plate against same-handed pitchers just five times so far this year, though he does have two hits, including a home run, in those limited opportunities. While no timetable has been announced for Sanchez’s return, it seems certain that the youngster will miss more than the minimum 10 days.

Taking over for Sanchez on the active roster is Cooper, who earned his first All Star appearance last season. Cooper, who posted a .271/.352/.443 slash line (good for a 123 wRC+) in 852 plate appearances across the 2020-2022 campaigns, hadn’t quite lived up to those standards this season prior to going on the IL with an ear infection.. In 98 plate appearances in 2023, Cooper has slashed .272/.306/.413 with a 97 wRC+ that hovers just below the league average.

Cooper figures to primarily spend time at first base and DH, spots Yuli Gurriel and Jorge Soler currently occupy. That being said, both Cooper and Soler have outfield experience, so either player could also factor into the outfield alongside Bryan De La Cruz, Jon Berti, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. while Sanchez is on the shelf.

Rays Designate Javy Guerra For Assignment

By Nick Deeds | May 14, 2023 at 9:52am CDT

The Rays have designated right-hander Javy Guerra for assignment, per a club announcement. The move makes room for Zack Littell on the active roster after the Rays claimed him off waivers from the Red Sox on Friday.

Guerra, 27, had joined the Rays after the club acquired him from the Brewers two weeks ago in exchange for cash considerations. It’s been a difficult 2023 campaign for Guerra so far, as the righty has posted a 6.75 ERA with a 7.41 FIP in 13 1/3 innings between his time in Milwaukee and in Tampa. Guerra’s results improved over his 5 innings of work with the Rays, as he surrendered just two runs, but the control woes that saw him struggle in Milwaukee did not change. On the season, Guerra has allowed free passes to a massive 24.7% of batters he has faced, a figure that more than doubles his 12.3% strikeout rate.

Assuming Guerra is not claimed off of waivers or traded again, the righty will head back into free agency and look for a shot with his third club of the season, presumably on a minor league deal.

Guerra’s departure clears room for the right-handed Littell on the roster as he joins the Rays in the Bronx for this afternoon’s game against the Yankees. In 172 2/3 innings of work throughout his career, Littell sports a 4.17 ERA and 4.66 FIP with a 20.6% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate. Littell joins a Rays bullpen that has seen a characteristically high turnover rate behind stalwarts like Jason Adam, Colin Poche, and Ryan Thompson.

Rockies To Recall Riley Pint

By Nick Deeds | May 14, 2023 at 7:52am CDT

According to Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports, the Rockies are set to recall right-handed reliever Riley Pint. Pint is already on the 40-man roster, but of course a move to clear space on the active roster will be necessary to recall Pint, whose first appearance will be his MLB debut.

The 25-year-old Pint was the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Rockies, and quickly ascended prospect rankings to become a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport ahead of the 2017 campaign. Unfortunately, injuries and control issues lead to Pint being largely ineffective over five seasons in the minors, with an ERA of 5.56 over 68 appearances. Those struggles lead Pint to retire during the summer of 2021, at just 23 years old.

Pint would ultimately reverse course, returning to the Rockies ahead of the 2022 campaign. In 45 2/3 innings of work split across the Double-A and Triple-A level, Pint posted a 4.53 ERA with a strikeout rate near 30%, though he was held back by a 15.5% walk rate. Pint has spent the entire 2023 campaign so far at the Triple-A level, struggling to a 7.41 ERA through 17 innings. While that figure is certainly a cause for concern, as is his massive 18.6% walk rate, it should be noted that Pint is pitching in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and that some peripheral stats indicate he’s been unlucky to this point, with an unusually high .395 BABIP and a strand rate of just 63.3%.

Pint joins a Rockies pitching staff that has been ravaged by injuries early in the season, with German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela, Noah Davis, and Dinelson Lamet all already on the injured list. That quartet may soon be joined by Ryan Feltner as well, as the right-hander was struck in the head by a line drive during last night’s game against the Phillies.

Willson Contreras To Return To Catching Duties On Monday

By Simon Hampton | May 13, 2023 at 11:17pm CDT

Willson Contreras will return to catching duties on Monday, per John Denton of MLB.com. He’ll catch Jack Flaherty’s start. The move comes almost a week after the team revealed they’d be using Contreras exclusively as a designated hitter.

“We felt really good about the progress that we’ve made and it lines up really well for him to catch on Monday with Jack (Flaherty) on the mound,” manager Oli Marmol told reporters (including Denton).

It marks the latest twist into what’s become quite the saga for the Cardinals and their major off-season recruit. Just a week ago it was reported that the team would rely on Andrew Knizner and Tres Barrera for catching duties, as they worked through issues the team described as a “lack of confidence”.

It hasn’t taken long for that to turn around, but questions will certainly be forthcoming over the team’s handling of this, and whether it needed to be played out as publicly as it was when all it took was Contreras skipping a week or so of catching duties – roughly one trip through the team’s rotation.

The Cardinals have won four of the five matches they’ve played since shifting Contreras off catching duties, but run prevention has remained an issue through those games, with the team giving up 21 runs through that period. At the time of Contreras’ demotion, the Cards ranked 24th in starting pitching ERA, and they’ve slipped back to 26th since.

For Contreras’ part, he struggled at the plate over the past week, hitting just .192/.250/.346, but it is of course impossible to know exactly how the team’s decision affected his performance at the plate. On the season, Contreras has continued to be a strong threat with the bat, and is hitting .263/.340/.406 with three home runs so far, good for a 109 wRC+.

It’s been a challenging season so far in St Louis, with the team sitting in last place in the National League with a 14-25 record. As noted, they have been a bit better over the past week but there’s still a long way to go for them to turn their season around.

Giants Notes: DeSclafani, Crawford, Pederson

By Mark Polishuk | May 13, 2023 at 10:43pm CDT

Anthony DeSclafani left tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks due to a toe injury, Giants manager Gabe Kapler told media (including NBC Sports Bay Area). The right-hander cruised through five shutout innings before running into trouble in the sixth, allowing hits to his first three batters faced to load the bases. The third hit was a short grounder to the mound that Ketel Marte beat out for an infield single, and DeSclafani then exited the game after consulting with team trainers.

However, it wasn’t this particular play that caused the injury, but rather a somewhat unusual pre-existing problem. Kapler explained that “several weeks ago,” DeSclafani dropped a piano bench on his toe. “His toenail took the brunt of it, and so that was bothering him,” Kapler said. “He was able to continue pitching and felt good enough to keep rolling, but we had an eye on him as that nail was coming off and causing him quite a bit of pain. So monitored and monitored and finally went out there…and decided it was good to probably pull the plug on him there [tonight].”

DeSclafani clarified that his left big toe suffered the injury, and joked to MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado and other reporters that he is “not a fan of pianos” after the incident. The bench “literally squared my toe up” as DeSclafani was helping his young son off the bench, leading to a lot of discomfort for the veteran hurler.

Given that DeSclafani seems to have been pitching through this injury for some time, it makes it all the more impressive that he was able to post strong numbers prior to his last couple of outings. Even with eight earned runs allowed over 10 innings in his last two starts, DeSclafani still has a 3.06 ERA over 50 innings of work this season. Statcast metrics weren’t as impressed with his work and a .258 BABIP indicates some measure of good fortune, though DeSclafani was helping his cause with a 2.3% walk rate that ranks among the league’s best.

It remains to be seen if DeSclafani will be placed on the injured list to let his toe and toenail fully heal. The Giants have an off-day on May 18, so the club could potentially keep the other four starters on regular rest and then skip DeSclafani’s next turn through the rotation, giving him more time to recuperate without a minimum 15-day absence on the IL.

In better injury news for San Francisco, Brandon Crawford is expected to return from the 10-day IL on Sunday, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was the first to report. Crawford was (retroactively) placed on the IL on April 30 due to a right calf strain, though he didn’t expect to miss too much time. Indeed, Crawford is now poised to return to the Giants lineup after just two weeks.

After an underwhelming 2022 season, Crawford has gotten off to an even rougher start in 2023, hitting only .169/.244/.352 with four homers over 78 plate appearances. Even prior to the calf strain, Crawford had dealt with several minor injuries, beginning with some knee soreness that led to a cortisone injection and a lost week of Spring Training action. Crawford started the year on San Francisco’s Opening Day roster, but has also had some minor forearm and rib problems. It could be that this time on the IL acts as a reset for Crawford’s season, and allows him to properly heal from all of his nagging injuries.

X-rays were negative on Joc Pederson’s right hand after the veteran slugger was hit by a pitch in Friday’s game, struck by a Scott McGough fastball in the eighth inning. According to Guardado, the Giants had some concern that Pederson had suffered a fracture, but instead he’ll just be day-to-day in his recovery. Pederson didn’t play in today’s game against Arizona.

Through 97 PA this season, Pederson has hit .235/.351/.494 with five homers, translating to a very solid 128 wRC+. He already missed 11 days on the IL in April due to right wrist inflammation, so he and the Giants can only hope that his hand’s soreness doesn’t result in another visit to the injured list.

Jazz Chisholm, Jesus Sanchez Leave Game Due To Injuries

By Mark Polishuk | May 13, 2023 at 8:51pm CDT

The Marlins’ 12-0 streak in one-run games came to an end today, as Miami dropped a 6-5 result to the Reds. However, the loss may have had a bigger-picture cost, as outfielders Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesus Sanchez both had to make early exits due to injuries.

Sanchez’s day lasted just one inning, as he suffered a sore right hamstring while making a diving catch on a Tyler Stephenson fly ball in the top of the first, and was replaced in right field by Peyton Burdick for the top of the second inning. Chisholm made his own attempt at a highlight catch in the eighth, but collided with the wall while in full pursuit of a Henry Ramos fly ball that landed for a double. After staying down for a few minutes while examined by trainers, Chisholm left the game and was replaced by Garrett Hampson in center field. The team later announced that Chisholm suffered a contusion on his right foot.

Sanchez will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, though a trip to the injured list seems like it will be in order considering how the outfielder has been dealing with hamstring problems for a few days. He had to leave Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks due to a hamstring soreness, but after Thursday’s off-day, it appeared as though Sanchez was okay after pinch-hitting in Friday’s game and then returning to the starting lineup today.

After getting off to a very slow start, Sanchez has been one of baseball’s hitters over the last few weeks, with a 1.185 OPS over his last 42 plate appearances. This hot streak has boosted his season slash line to .290/.364/.551, with 72 of his 77 PA coming against right-handed pitching. While the Marlins are still using Sanchez in a platoon capacity, he has certainly carved out a valuable role for himself on a team in sore need of offense.

X-rays were negative on Chisholm’s foot, so as ugly as his collision initially looked, the center fielder might have avoided any serious damage. A trip to the IL can’t be ruled out if Chisholm’s foot experiences swelling or soreness in the next couple of days, but he did tell reporters after the game that his foot was feeling somewhat better. We might not have an answer on his status until Tuesday, since it seems likely that Miami will sit Chisholm for Sunday’s game and the Marlins then have an off-day Monday.

Chisholm is hitting a modest .229/.291/.403 over 159 PA this season, though he does have seven home runs and 14 steals in 16 chances. While this offensive production is below average, the Marlins’ experiment of moving Chisholm from second base to center field seems to be working out, depending on what public defensive metric you prefer. Both the Outs Above Average (+3) and UZR/150 (+6.6) metrics are fans of Chisholm’s glovework, though the Defensive Runs Saved metrics grade Chisholm with -4 DRS. Of course, today’s situation also highlights some of the injury risk posed by the position switch, even if Chisholm also dealt with plenty of injuries while working as an infielder.

Losing two regular outfielders would be a blow to any team, but Miami is already thin on the grass with Avisail Garcia and Garrett Cooper both on the 10-day IL. Cooper is at least closer to a return from his inner infection, as he started a minor league rehab assignment on Friday. Burdick, Jorge Soler, and utilitymen Hampson and Jon Berti can all play the outfield on at least a short-term basis, and Joey Wendle has outfield experience even though he has played exclusively as an infielder since the start of the 2020 season. Looking further down the depth chart, Jerar Encarnacion is the only other outfielder on the Marlins’ 40-man roster.

Latest On Dodgers’ Jimmy Nelson, Daniel Hudson

By Mark Polishuk | May 13, 2023 at 7:49pm CDT

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) with updates on some injured players today, and the news wasn’t good in regards to right-handers Jimmy Nelson and Daniel Hudson. Nelson’s rehab assignment will have to be restarted after he was recently shut down due to some discomfort while throwing. Hudson is throwing as part of his recovery from a torn ACL last June, but Roberts said that Hudson’s knee hasn’t responded to the point that a rehab assignment could be planned.

Nelson hasn’t pitched since 2021, as a Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2022 season. The Dodgers declined their $1.1MM club option on Nelson back in November, but then re-signed him to a new deal that pays the righty $1.2MM in guaranteed money, plus quite a bit of extra bonus money based on how many starts, relief outings, or appearances of a certain length he might make in 2023.

However, there’s now fresh uncertainty over exactly whether or not Nelson might pitch at all this year, given both this setback and his lengthy injury history. Nelson began the season on the 15-day injured list since a shaky Spring Training performance indicated that he needed more time to fully ramp up, but he made just one minor league rehab outing (on April 25 with Triple-A Oklahoma City). A move to the 60-day IL would keep Nelson off the Dodgers’ active roster until the end of May, but since that might be an optimistic target date at this point, Los Angeles could indeed shift Nelson to the 60-day if the team needs to create space on the 40-man roster.

Hudson was moved to the 60-day IL himself in mid-April, though it was already expected that he’d need a lengthier recovery, especially since ankle tendinitis slowed his spring work. Given the severity of an ACL year, it isn’t necessarily unusual that Hudson’s knee still isn’t quite feeling 100 percent, though the lack of a rehab timeline at this point also isn’t a great sign.

The Dodgers took a calculated risk on a quicker recovery, making an early decision in late September on exercising their $6.5MM club option on Hudson’s services for 2023, and then working out an extension in the form of another club option (worth a minimum of $6.5MM) for 2024. While there’s still plenty of time left in the season for Hudson to return, the $6.5MM investment stands out for a team that initially seemed to be planning to duck under the luxury tax threshold last offseason, as there’s no guarantee that Hudson can regain his old form when he gets back onto the mound. Hudson looked excellent over 24 1/3 innings prior to his ACL tear, posting a 2.22 ERA with outstanding peripheral numbers.

Darin Ruf Elects Free Agency

By Mark Polishuk | May 13, 2023 at 7:13pm CDT

The Giants announced that Darin Ruf has cleared waivers, and elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A (hat tip to MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado). Ruf was designated for assignment earlier this week, and due to his Major League service time, he was eligible to reject the outright assignment and re-enter the open market.

Ruf’s second stint in San Francisco began when the Mets released him in early April, and Ruf rejoined the Giants on a minor league deal. While he was pretty quickly selected onto their big league roster, Ruf only appeared in nine games before being placed on the 10-day injured list due to right wrist inflammation. The Giants activated him from the injured list on the same day of his DFA.

Though in a brief sample size of 27 plate appearances, Ruf hit a respectable .261/.370/.348, mostly in his usual role against left-handed pitching. Ruf has mashed southpaws for most of his nine MLB seasons, so between these splits and his ability to chip in as a first baseman and corner outfielder, there stands a pretty good chance that Ruf can catch on with another team. Even with the Giants’ love of platooning and matchups, their roster is crowded enough that Ruf apparently didn’t want to wait in Triple-A for another opportunity to open up in San Francisco.

Ruf’s return to free agency doesn’t impact his salary, as the Mets are still responsible for the bulk of the $3.5MM he is owed for the 2023 season. A new team will only have to pay Ruf the prorated portion of the minimum Major League salary, as the Giants did during his short time on their roster.

AL West Notes: McCullers, Brown, Smith

By Mark Polishuk | May 13, 2023 at 6:27pm CDT

Rotation depth has become a big story in Houston, as the Astros have lost Jose Urquidy until roughly the All-Star break due to shoulder discomfort and Luis Garcia for the whole season due to Tommy John surgery. This makes Lance McCullers Jr.’s recovery from a forearm strain all the more important to the Astros’ plans, yet it still isn’t clear exactly when the right-hander might be able to return. Manager Dusty Baker told the Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner and other reporters that he is “not sure exactly when” McCullers might face live batters as part of his rehab, “but we just hope he doesn’t have any setbacks that would take him backwards.”

Because McCullers’ injury took place so early in Spring Training, it’s been a long process for the righty in both getting healthy and then rebuilding his arm strength. McCullers told Lerner and company that he threw around 35 pitches as part of a bullpen session today, tossing three different pitches with plans to add a cutter during his next bullpen, tentatively slated for Tuesday. McCullers has yet to throw any off-speed pitchers off a mound, but that next step might come next weekend, as he is already throwing his off-speed repertoire while working on flat ground. Though the Astros can retroactively shift McCullers to the 60-day injured list if necessary, his initial placement on the 15-day IL provided an early indication that the club hopes he can return before the end of May.

Latest On TJ Friedl

By Darragh McDonald | May 13, 2023 at 5:29pm CDT

TODAY: Reds manager David Bell gave the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith (Twitter links) and other reporters a positive update on Friedl, saying that the MRI result revealed only “mild” damage. However, “the area it’s in, you have to stay cautious….In the next 48 hours, we’ll decide if he goes to the IL or not.” Even if Friedl does need to visit the injured list, Bell expressed hope that Friedl might only take a relatively minimal absence, since “he’s feeling pretty good. Some guys can be out 3-to-6 weeks. I don’t think it’s that type of situation.“

MAY 11: Reds outfielder TJ Friedl left today’s game due to soreness in his side and will be undergoing an MRI, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

To this point, it’s unclear if Friedly is facing any sort of serious issue, with the imaging sure to provide more clarity. But if he did end up having to miss some time, it would be a disappointing development with Friedl being one of the bright spots on a rebuilding Reds club this year.

The 27-year-old has taken 138 trips to the plate in 2023 and is hitting .306/.351/.468 in that time for a wRC+ of 115, indicating he’s been 15% better than the league average hitter. He won’t be able to maintain a .376 batting average on balls in play for the entire season but he’s long had strong bat-to-ball skills. His 21% strikeout rate so far this year would be higher than any of his previous stops in his career, majors or minors, but is still a bit below the 22.7% league average for major leaguers in 2023.

Friedl was given negative grades for his defense in his first couple of seasons but has seemingly made some strides here in 2023. He has a +4 from Defensive Runs Saved, +1 Outs Above Average and a grade of 1.9 from Ultimate Zone Rating. He also has four stolen bases and his sprint speed is considered by Statcast to be in the 85th percentile. When combined with his solid work at the plate, he’s produced 1.3 wins above replacement already this year in the eyes of FanGraphs, enough to give him the team lead.

If Friedl were to require a stint on the injured list, the club would have to come up with a plan for center field. Friedl had been sharing the position with Nick Senzel, but the latter has been playing more third base of late, kicking Spencer Steer over to first. Perhaps they could move Steer back over to the hot corner and Senzel to center, but they might also look to other options if they are happy with how things have been going of late. Jose Barrero has been primarily a shortstop, splitting that spot with Kevin Newman, but also has a handful of starts in center and could perhaps get some more time there.

The Reds will likely be hoping they don’t have to consider such contingency plans with the ideal outcome being that Friedl’s MRI doesn’t find anything concerning. He came into this season with less than a year of service time and could be a long-term part of the club’s roster if he continues to have solid results as an all-around contributor.

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