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Injury Notes: Seager, Buehler, Maeda, Hiura

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Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is expected to be activated prior to tonight’s game, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The 29-year-old Seager, playing in the second season of a decade-long $325MM contract, has missed the past month due to a hamstring strain. He burst out of the gates with a .359/.469/.538 showing through his first 49 trips to the plate and went 2-for-8 with a double, a walk and no strikeouts in a brief three-game rehab assignment at Double-A. In Seager’s absence, 23-year-old Ezequiel Duran has filled in admirably at shortstop, batting .293/.328/.474 on the season, though his bat has cooled off in the past week or so. Manager Bruce Bochy has been impressed enough that he’s pledged to find “creative” ways to keep Duran in the lineup frequently even after Seager’s return.

A few more injury situations of particular note to keep an eye on around the league…

  • Right-hander Walker Buehler is with the team at Dodger Stadium and will throw in the bullpen for the Major League staff to take a look at his progress in recovering from Tommy John surgery, tweets Juan Toribio of MLB.com. Walker is still a ways from being an option in the big leagues. The 28-year-old’s surgery was performed late last August, and the general expectation surrounding him has been that he’ll at best be an option in the final month or so of the season. Still, the fact that Buehler has already had multiple bullpen sessions in Arizona and is slated for more mound work this week at Dodger Stadium is encouraging for both the Dodgers and their fans.
  • The Twins hope that right-hander Kenta Maeda can resume throwing off a mound by the end of the week, tweets Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Maeda hit the injured list with a triceps strain after being tattooed for 10 runs in three innings against the Yankees. He’d previously allowed six runs on 12 hits with a 12-to-1 K/BB ratio in 13 innings (4.15 ERA) after missing the entire 2022 season. The Twins’ rotation depth has been tested early, with Bailey Ober and Louie Varland stepping in for the injured Maeda and Tyler Mahle (Tommy John surgery). A healthy Maeda would again give the Twins six candidates for rotation work, but injuries tend to sort these issues out. And, if everyone is healthy at the same time, the Twins could opt to use Maeda in relief as a means of monitoring his workload after not throwing a pitch last season.
  • Brewers infielder Keston Hiura, currently playing with their Triple-A club, will miss several weeks due to a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Hiura won’t require surgery, but the expectation is that he’ll be out of game action until late next month. It’s a tough blow for the former top prospect, who was hoping to play his way back onto the big league roster after clearing outright waivers earlier this year. He’s out to a .331/.396/.678 start with a dozen home runs through 134 plate appearances with Nashville this season and has trimmed his strikeout rate there to 24.6%. Hiura has had similar stretches in Triple-A before, however, and his familiar strikeout woes have regularly resurfaced upon being promoted back to the big leagues. He batted .226/.316/.449 with the Brewers last year (115 wRC+), but because of a staggering 41.7% strikeout rate, he needed a .355 average on balls in play to get to that middling .226 batting average.

Orioles Recall Cole Irvin

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Left-hander Cole Irvin is back with the Orioles, as the team announced Tuesday that he’s been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie has been optioned to Norfolk in a corresponding move.

Baltimore’s decision to option Irvin to Norfolk came as something of a surprise earlier this season. The Orioles’ acquisition of Irvin was one of just two moves made to fortify the starting rotation over the winter (along with the Kyle Gibson signing), and the team parted with an infield prospect of some note (Darell Hernaiz) in order to acquire him. There’s no getting around how rough Irvin’s start to the season was — 15 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings through three starts — but his track record and the manner in which the O’s acquired him led many to presume he’d have a longer leash to get back on track.

To Irvin’s credit, he’s largely done that in Norfolk. The lefty took the ball five times for the Tides and pitched 31 innings with a sharp 3.19 ERA. His 13.4% strikeout rate is still a red flag, but Irvin also only walked 3.1% of his opponents in Triple-A.

Strikeouts have never been a big part of Irvin’s game anyhow. He’s spent the past two seasons anchoring the Athletics’ rotation in Oakland, making 62 starts with a 4.11 ERA, 16.8% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate. Irvin, who’s averaged 90.9 mph on his fastball in his career, has succeeded more with precision and command than by overpowering his opponents.

The role Irvin will occupy with the O’s this time around hasn’t been formally laid out. Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun tweets that he could provide some length out of the bullpen for the time being, although one would imagine that a return to the starting staff could be in order if Irvin pitches well in a long relief capacity. Baltimore starters have combined for a 5.08 ERA this season, although Irvin’s own struggles weigh into that number. Over the past month, the O’s have used Gibson, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, Kyle Bradish and top prospect Grayson Rodriguez in the rotation, and that quintet has combined for a more palatable 4.28 mark. Rodriguez (6.51 ERA), Gibson (5.08) and Bradish (4.88) have all posted lackluster bottom-line results in that time.

From a service time vantage point, Irvin’s demotion isn’t likely to change his trajectory. He entered the season with two years, 120 days of big league service time, meaning he needed only 52 days in the Majors to reach three years of service and become arbitration-eligible following the current season. It’s highly likely he’ll hit that mark this year even with a month-long stay in Norfolk. That’ll keep him on pace to become a free agent following the the 2026 season. This is Irvin’s final minor league option year, so the team can technically shuttle him between Norfolk and the Majors throughout the season if they like, but if Irvin can round back into his 2021-22 form he’ll have a clear role on the big league staff.

Reds Release Luis Cessa

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The Reds have released right-hander Luis Cessa following last week’s DFA, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 31-year-old righty will now be free to sign with any club.

Cessa pitched 26 innings with the Reds this season and was tagged for 26 earned runs on the strength of 46 hits and 12 walks. He generally kept the ball in the yard — just three of those 46 knocks were home runs (1.04 HR/9) — but Cessa also only managed 11 strikeouts in his seven appearances (six starts). A .410 average on balls in play and 60.2% strand rate surely contributed to Cessa’s disastrous ERA, but he was also too hittable and didn’t miss anywhere close to even a league-average number of bats.

Cessa has spent the majority of his career working out of the bullpen, though he started 10 games for Cincinnati in 2022 and posted a 4.30 ERA — albeit with less-encouraging peripheral marks (5.02 FIP, 17.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate, 1.64 HR/9 mark). In 160 1/3 career innings out of the rotation, Cessa has a 5.44 ERA, but he’s been a solid multi-inning reliever — evidenced by a lifetime 3.81 ERA, 4.35  FIP, 19.9% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate out of the bullpen.

Cincinnati originally acquired Cessa alongside lefty Justin Wilson at the 2021 trade deadline, sending a player to be named later (Jason Parker) to the Yankees in that swap. Injuries have already forced the 25-year-old Parker out of the game; he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and reinjured his elbow the following season before calling it quits earlier this year, per Brian North of WTCI Channel 12 News. Wilson pitched just 19 2/3 innings with the Reds before his own Tommy John surgery. Cessa was the lone member of that three-player swap who remained healthy and, until this season, had given the Reds a good bit of value (3.95 ERA in 107 innings from 2021-22).

The Reds and Cessa avoided arbitration this past offseason by agreeing to a one-year, $2.65MM deal for the 2023 campaign. That was slated to be his final season of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency. Now that he’s been released, Cincinnati will be on the hook for the remainder of that sum, with a new team only owing Cessa the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends on the big league roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Reds still owe the veteran righty.

The Opener: Williamson, Miller, 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. Williamson to make MLB debut:

Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson is expected to make his big league debut today in Colorado, either starting the game or following an opener. Williamson is already on the 40-man roster, though a move will of course be necessary to make room for him on the active roster. A second-round pick by the Mariners in the 2019 draft, Williamson was a key piece of the return in the deal that sent Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker to Seattle ahead of the 2022 campaign. During his time with the Mariners, Williamson posted a 3.25 ERA in 113 2/3 innings spread across three levels of the minors, including a 3.48 ERA in 67 1/3 Double-A innings that was accompanied by a 33% strikeout rate.

Williamson has struggled since joining the Reds organization. In 2022, he posted an ERA of 4.11 between Double-A and Triple-A while seeing his strikeout rate dip to 24.8% at the Double-A level. That figure fell even further after his promotion to Triple-A, where he punched out just 19.1% of batters last year. This season, the 25-year-old lefty has posted a 6.62 ERA with a strikeout rate of just 16.4% in 34 innings in Triple-A. Despite Williamson’s struggles, he’ll get his first big league opportunity thanks to a calf injury that figures to keep Nick Lodolo sidelined for at least a month.

2. Miller to receive second opinion:

A’s righty Mason Miller will reportedly seek a second opinion today on the forearm tightness that’s kept him out of action recently. With few details on Miller’s injury available, it seems likely that his situation will be clearer after he’s examined further in Dallas today. A third-round pick by Oakland in the 2021 draft, Miller impressed in his first taste of big league action, posting a 3.38 ERA and 3.12 FIP in 21 2/3 innings of work across four starts. During that time, Miller posted a 25.9% strikeout rate and a walk rate of 8.2%.

Missed time for Miller is a blow for Oakland, as he is the club’s only starter with an ERA south of 5.00. In fact, Miller and lefty JP Sears are the only starters with an ERA south of 7.00. Behind Sears, the A’s are currently going with Ken Waldichuk, Kyle Muller, Drew Ruckinski, and Luis Medina while Miller is on the shelf.

3. MLBTR chat today:

With over 25% of the 2023 campaign now in the books, there’s still a handful of surprise teams in good positions in the standings, and many expected playoff contenders struggling. If the events of the season so far have 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.

Reds To Recall Brandon Williamson

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The Reds will call up pitching prospect Brandon Williamson for his major league debut tomorrow, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati is still deciding whether to start him or deploy him following an opener, but he’ll make his major league debut in Colorado.

Williamson is already on the 40-man roster. Cincinnati selected his contract last offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He’s spent the 2023 campaign on optional assignment to Triple-A Louisville. He joined the taxi squad earlier today and will formally get his first major league call tomorrow. Cincinnati will need to make a 26-man roster move to accommodate his promotion.

The 6’6″ southpaw entered the professional ranks in 2019. The Mariners selected him in the second round out of TCU. Williamson showed intriguing stuff and racked up huge strikeout tallies up through Double-A over his first couple pro seasons. Heading into 2022, Baseball America named him the sport’s #83 overall minor league talent and called him a potential mid-rotation arm. Coming out of the lockout, the Reds acquired him as the top prospect in their return for Jesse Winker in the trade that saw Seattle absorb the final three years of the Eugenio Suárez contract.

Since landing with the Reds, Williamson has seen his prospect stock back up a little bit. He’s struggled to throw strikes and seen his swing-and-miss numbers dip against upper minors hitters. Williamson combined for a 4.11 ERA in 122 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He dropped off BA’s top 100, falling to tenth in the Cincinnati farm system in their estimation. The outlet suggested he looked more like a back-of-the-rotation type as his fastball velocity dipped into the lower 90s.

He’s had a tough beginning to the season in Louisville. Over eight starts, Williamson has allowed a 6.62 ERA in 34 innings. His 16.4% strikeout rate is the lowest of his professional career, while he’s still walking batters at an elevated 12.1% clip. He’s allowed just four runs in a combined 11 2/3 frames over his last two appearances, however. That’s enough for Cincinnati to give him a look at the back of a beleaguered major league rotation.

The Reds are expected to be without Nick Lodolo for a month due to a calf injury. They also recently designated struggling starter Luis Cessa for assignment, subtracting two members from their starting five. Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Luke Weaver are the only three pitchers with guaranteed rotation spots. Williamson should have a path to carving out a role if he performs well.

Cincinnati promoted another of its better prospects, middle infielder Matt McLain, for tonight’s game against the Rockies. Reds’ fans will get to see successive major league debuts on consecutive days as the front office starts to get looks at players it hopes can be pieces of a more competitive future. Cincinnati’s 18-22 start is enough to keep them within range of a weak NL Central thus far, but they’re not likely to hang in the divisional picture for a full season with their current rotation.

A’s Outright Spencer Patton

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A’s reliever Spencer Patton has been sent outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment on Saturday.

Patton signed a minor league contract with Oakland during the second week of the season. It didn’t take long for the 35-year-old to pitch his way onto the roster. He threw 8 1/3 innings over six outings for Las Vegas, allowing four runs with a 10:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The A’s called him up during the first week of May and deployed him four times out of their bullpen before taking him off the roster two days ago.

The right-hander tallied 5 1/3 innings of relief. He surrendered a couple home runs and allowed four runs overall in that brief look. It marked the third straight season in which the SIU Edwardsville product reached the major league level. Patton pitched seven times for the Rangers last year on the heels of a 42 1/3 inning, 3.83 ERA showing for Texas back in 2021. He’s appeared in parts of six MLB seasons overall, sandwiching a four-year run in Japan.

Patton has gone unclaimed on outright waivers multiple times in his career. That gives him the right to elect minor league free agency instead of reporting back to Las Vegas if he’d prefer to look for other opportunities.

Ian Kennedy Elects Free Agency

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Reliever Ian Kennedy elected minor league free agency after going unclaimed on outright waivers, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. The Rangers had designated the right-hander for assignment last week.

Kennedy heads back to the open market in search of a new opportunity after a brief second stint in Texas. The 17-year MLB veteran had had some success with the Rangers during the first half of 2021 leading up to a deadline trade that sent him to Philadelphia. He returned over the winter on a minor league pact and broke camp with the club but only made 11 appearances in his second stint.

The 38-year-old surrendered ten runs in as many innings. He struck out 13 out of 46 hitters (an impressive 28.3% rate) while issuing just three walks. He earned swinging strikes on a massive 16.3% of his offerings, which would easily be the best mark of his career if he could sustain it. Opponents made a lot of quality contact when they did get the ball in play, though, contributing to Texas’ decision to move on. Kennedy also struggled with hard contact last year in Arizona, leading to a 5.36 ERA across 50 1/3 frames.

While the past season-plus has been a struggle, Kennedy has been a quality late-game reliever at times. He saved 30 games with a 3.41 ERA for the Royals back in 2019 and picked up 26 more saves while allowing 3.20 earned runs per nine during the ’21 campaign divided between Texas and the Phillies. Between that track record and this year’s small sample swinging strike numbers, Kennedy should be able to at least find minor league interest elsewhere.

Giants Place Joc Pederson On Injured List, Activate Mike Yastrzemski

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The Giants announced they’ve placed designated hitter Joc Pederson on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 13, due to a right hand contusion. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is back from his own 10-day IL stint to take the vacated active roster spot.

Pederson was injured on Friday when he was struck by a Scott McGough pitch in Arizona. Pederson sat out the rest of the series and apparently needs at least a week more of recovery time. That the Giants didn’t immediately place him on the IL and that x-rays were negative suggests it could be a relatively brief injured list stint, but San Francisco will still be down one of its better bats for the next few games.

Retained over the offseason via the qualifying offer, the lefty-hitting Pederson has had a productive start to his second year in the Bay Area. He’s connected on five home runs, four doubles and a triple over his first 26 games. Pederson has also drawn 14 walks in just 97 trips to the plate, leading to a quality .351 on-base percentage and .494 slugging in spite of a modest .235 batting average. It’s the kind of offensive rate production the Giants were hoping for, although Pederson is now headed to the IL for the second time. He also lost 11 days in April with inflammation in his right wrist.

Yastrzemski missed two weeks with a left hamstring strain. That halted an excellent .292/.333/.521 start to the season for San Francisco’s Opening Day center fielder. He’ll ease back to the roster, as he’s not in tonight’s starting lineup against the Phillies. He’ll be available for skipper Gabe Kapler off the bench and figures to return to the lineup in the next day or two.

Padres Select Drew Carlton

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The Padres announced this evening they’ve selected reliever Drew Carlton onto the big league club. Southpaw Ryan Weathers was optioned to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. San Diego transferred lefty Drew Pomeranz from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man roster spot.

Carlton is now in line to make his team debut. The 27-year-old inked a minor league contract with San Diego over the winter. He’d previously spent his entire career with the Tigers, including a pair of stints at the MLB level between 2021-22. Carlton got into nine games over those two seasons, throwing 12 1/3 innings. He allowed six runs (four earned) with eight strikeouts and four walks.

Those were decent results for a middle reliever, though Carlton didn’t overwhelm hitters. His fastball sat in the 90-91 MPH range and he generated swinging strikes at a modest 7.8% clip. The righty allowed a 4.78 ERA in spite of a strong 27.3% strikeout rate and excellent 4.5% walk percentage through 58 1/3 Triple-A innings last season. He became a minor league free agent after being outrighted from Detroit’s 40-man roster during the summer.

Since signing with San Diego, Carlton has been lights out in Triple-A. He’s allowed only four runs (two earned) in 16 innings. The Florida State product has punched out 18 against five walks and induced grounders on half the batted balls he’s allowed. He’ll return to the majors for a third consecutive year as a result. Carlton still has two minor league options remaining, so the Friars can freely send him back to Triple-A without putting him on waivers.

Weathers has started four of six outings at the major league level this season. He’s posted a 3.42 ERA but is only striking out hitters at a 15.2% clip over 23 2/3 innings. The Padres already have a starting staff of Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Blake Snell. They’ll keep Weathers working in a starting capacity in El Paso behind that group.

Pomeranz hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since undergoing flexor tendon surgery that ended his 2021 season. He’d been on a rehab assignment last month but shut things down for a couple weeks after feeling some arm discomfort. It doesn’t seem an especially concerning issue, as Pomeranz is already back out on a rehab stint with El Paso. He’ll need time to get back to complete game shape, though. His IL stint backdates to Opening Day and only officially rules him out until the final week of May. It was unlikely Pomeranz would’ve completed his rehab work before then regardless, so it’s mostly a procedural transaction.

Cubs Select Nick Burdi, Option Hayden Wesneski

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The Cubs announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s opener in Houston (relayed by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune). Chicago selected reliever Nick Burdi onto the MLB roster and recalled Jeremiah Estrada from Triple-A Iowa. In corresponding moves, starter Hayden Wesneski was optioned while reliever Brad Boxberger landed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain. The Cubs placed Adrian Sampson on the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Burdi.

Burdi, 30, returns to the majors for the first time since 2020. A second round pick of the Twins in 2014, he preceded younger brother Zack Burdi in going from star college closer at Louisville to highly-regarded professional relief pitching prospect. Burdi never made it past Double-A in the Minnesota system thanks to injuries and strike-throwing concerns. The Pirates eventually added him (by way of trade with Philadelphia) in the 2017 Rule 5 draft.

The right-hander went on to pitch in parts of three seasons with Pittsburgh. He tallied just 12 1/3 combined innings, however, as successive Tommy John and thoracic outlet procedures mostly kept him off the mound. Burdi allowed 14 runs despite an impressive 23 strikeouts in his limited big league look and he spent all of 2021-22 on the minor league injured list.

Chicago nevertheless took a no-cost flier this offseason. They added him from the Padres — with whom he’d signed a minor league deal — in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft. He was assigned to Iowa and has pitched well in his long-awaited return to the mound. Through 10 2/3 innings, he’s allowed just four runs while punching out an excellent 19 of 49 hitters (a 38.8% clip). He’s walked five batters and hit three more but the ability to miss bats is still clearly present if he’s able to stay healthy.

Burdi racked up three years of major league service with all of his time on the IL for Pittsburgh. He still has a full slate of minor league option years remaining, so the Cubs can move him between Chicago and Iowa without exposing him to waivers. He’ll be eligible for arbitration through at least 2026 if he can carve out a lasting 40-man spot.

For now, he’ll take the bullpen spot vacated by Boxberger. The veteran right-hander has had a tough go since signing a $2.8MM free agent deal with Chicago. Through 17 appearances, he’s been tagged for a 5.52 ERA and walked just under 14% of opposing hitters. Boxberger’s average fastball velocity is down a tick from where it sat last season with the Brewers, perhaps a reflection of him pitching through some discomfort. He’ll be out of action for at least a couple weeks; the Cubs haven’t provided any specifics on his return timetable.

Wesneski is one of the top starting pitching prospects in the Chicago farm system. Acquired from the Yankees for Scott Effross at last summer’s trade deadline, he impressed over six appearances late last season. That success hasn’t yet carried over for the 25-year-old. He’s allowed a 5.03 ERA over 39 1/3 innings through eight starts. Wesneski has surrendered an untenable 10 home runs and posted a 16.7% strikeout percentage and 8.2% swinging strike rate that are each well below the league average.

It had seemed as if Wesneksi was righting the ship following a slow start to the season. He’d rattled off three straight one-run outings since April 27 before a seven-run drubbing at the hands of the Twins on Saturday. The Cubs decided to give him some time for a reset in Iowa, leaving a four-man starting staff of Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Drew Smyly. Chicago is off on Thursday and next Monday, allowing them to get by without a fifth starter until the end of next week. By then, Kyle Hendricks figures to be ready for his first MLB action of the season. The veteran hurler has made four rehab starts with Iowa as he works back from a strain in his shoulder that cut short his 2022 campaign.

Sampson has yet to pitch in the majors this season. The right-hander suffered a right knee injury in Triple-A and underwent surgery two weeks ago. He’ll be out until at least the middle of July as a result. The only silver lining is that he’ll paid a major league salary for time spent on the injured list now that the Cubs put him on the MLB IL to clear the 40-man roster spot.

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