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Yankees Place Josh Donaldson, Jonathan Loaisiga On Injured List; Recall Jhony Brito, Select Willie Calhoun

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The Yankees announced five roster moves prior to today’s game with the Orioles.  As expected, Josh Donaldson was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 6) due to a right hamstring strain and right-hander Jhony Brito was called up from Triple-A to make his scheduled start against Baltimore.  New York also placed righty Jonathan Loaisiga on the 15-day IL with a retroactive April 6 date, as Loaisiga is suffering from right elbow inflammation.  In corresponding moves, the Yankees selected Willie Calhoun’s contract from Triple-A and officially signed him to a big league deal, while Tommy Kahnle was moved to the 60-day IL to create space for Calhoun on the 40-man roster.

Any elbow issue for Loaisiga is of particular concern given that he has a Tommy John surgery in his past, but it doesn’t yet appear as though his current issue is anything more than soreness.  Shoulder problems have also hampered Loaisiga over the years, but the 28-year-old has generally been a pretty solid reliever and spot starter over his six MLB seasons (all with the Yankees).  Loaisiga has been a full-time reliever for the last three seasons, and he also become much more of a groundball specialist, posting a 60.5% grounder rate since the start of the 2021 campaign.

With an ability to generate grounders and a knack for inducing soft contact, Loaisiga has a 2.95 ERA over his last 122 innings, and he has one of the best chase rates of any pitcher in baseball despite a below-average strikeout rate.  This arsenal put Loaisiga in line for more high-leverage innings, and he was seen as perhaps the Yankees’ top set-up option for closer Clay Holmes.  Unfortunately, he’ll now be sidelined on the IL along with fellow relievers Lou Trivino and Kahnle, creating another vacancy in New York’s bullpen.

Kahnle was sidelined by biceps tendinitis during Spring Training, and what was initially seen as a pretty minor issue will now keep the veteran right-hander away from the MLB roster until the end of May.  Kahnle didn’t start playing catch until earlier this week, indicating that he has quite a ways to go in ramping up his arm strength and making up for the time lost in spring camp.

Calhoun brings a left-handed bat to a New York roster that is loaded with right-handed hitters, and mention of a lefty swinger joining the club merits a mention of the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.  Calhoun his 21 home runs with the Rangers in 2019, but has otherwise only gone yard 11 times over his five other MLB seasons with Texas and San Francisco.  For his career as a whole, Calhoun has hit .240/.299/.404 in 936 plate appearances.

Once a top prospect in the Dodgers’ farm system, Calhoun’s solid 2019 campaign was undone by injury-shortened seasons in 2020 and 2021, and he was openly hoping for a trade away from the Rangers after being sent down to Triple-A early in the 2022 season.  He didn’t receive much of a look from the Giants at the MLB level following a June trade, but he’ll now get another chance in the Bronx.

Playing mostly as a left fielder during his MLB career, Calhoun looks to join Oswaldo Cabrera and Aaron Hicks in the corner outfield position.  Cabrera might get some infield time with Donaldson on the IL, though New York has third base pretty well covered with DJ LeMahieu getting most of the starting time and Isiah Kiner-Falefa also available to back up.  Calhoun’s addition might further reduce Hicks’ playing time, as Hicks already hasn’t seen much action over the Yankees’ first seven games.

Cardinals Notes: O’Neill, Marlins, Naughton, Nootbaar, Wainwright

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Tyler O’Neill’s name was part of trade talks with the Marlins and other teams this winter, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.  Back in January, Rosenthal wrote that St. Louis had shown interest in the Marlins’ pitching, and since Miami was known to be looking for outfield help, it stands to reason that O’Neill was part of those discussions.  No trade materialized between the two sides, of course, and it isn’t known if O’Neill was necessarily one of the Marlins’ top targets on the St. Louis roster, or if the Cards were more open to moving O’Neill than any of their outfielders.

Given all of the Cardinals’ outfield depth and the Marlins’ rotation depth, any number of names or potential trades could’ve been floated in negotiations — likewise, any team engaging the Cardinals in outfield-related trade talks might’ve had a few options in mind.  While O’Neill was coming off a relative down year in 2022, that doesn’t mean rival clubs wouldn’t have still had trade interest, perhaps hoping to nab the two-time Gold Glover in a buy-low situation.

With this all in mind, Rosenthal wonders if O’Neill could potentially be tangled in trade talks again, perhaps in an outfielder-for-pitching swap similar to the deal that sent Harrison Bader to the Yankees for Jordan Montgomery at last year’s trade deadline.  As The Athletic’s Levi Weaver noted, Bader was traded within a couple of months after Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol removed him mid-game for a perceived lack of effort.  On Wednesday, O’Neill wasn’t in the Cards’ starting lineup, which Marmol publicly said was due to what the skipper felt was a lack of hustle on O’Neill’s part in running the bases in Tuesday’s game.  O’Neill both denied that charge, and also wasn’t pleased that Marmol went public with the criticism.

It should be noted that O’Neill still appeared in Wednesday’s game as a pinch-hitter, and after Thursday’s off-day, O’Neill was back as the starting center fielder in the Cardinals’ 4-0 loss to the Brewers on Friday.  Talking to Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters, Marmol said it was “one hundred percent” important to have O’Neill back in action, calling him “one of the most talented players in that clubhouse.  There’s a next step for Tyler in his career, and my job is to get him there.”

The manager also explained his perspective on “holding someone accountable” as it related to his decision to call O’Neill out, saying “it’s your ability to sit down with a player before the lights come on before the stadium is packed and ask them what they want for themselves and what they want for the team.  And allowing them to articulate that and then asking for permission to hold them to that.  And when it doesn’t look right, you hold them to that.”

Beyond O’Neill’s return and the shutout loss, Friday’s game was also notable for what might be a significant injury to left-hander Packy Naughton.  After pitching to three batters in his relief outing, Naughton left the game with what the club later described as forearm tightness.  Goold wrote that Naughton was slated to have his left arm examined last night.

It seems like Naughton is headed for the injured list at the very least, and he and the team can only hope that a serious injury has been avoided.  Naughton is just a few days shy of his 27th birthday, and he is in his third MLB season.  St. Louis claimed Naughton off waivers from the Angels in March 2022, and his first season with the Cardinals saw Naughton post a 4.78 ERA over 32 innings, working mostly as a reliever.

In other injury news, Lars Nootbaar might be activated from the 10-day IL as early as Monday, since Marmol told MLB.com and other reporters that the club will wait to see how Nootbaar’s injured left thumb feels after batting practice.  However, Nootbaar said that his thumb is more of an issue when trying to catch a ball or even when wearing a glove, moreso than any pain caused by taking swings.

Adam Wainwright is on the 15-day IL recovering from a groin strain, and is slated for his second 28-pitch bullpen session on Sunday.  If all goes well, Wainwright might throw more pitches in another bullpen tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, and a minor league rehab outing could then follow in the coming days.

Giants Sign Darin Ruf To Minor League Deal

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The Giants are signing Darin Ruf to a minor league contract, The Athletic’s Jayson Stark reports (Twitter link).  The Mets designated Ruf for assignment prior to Opening Day and then released the first baseman/outfielder earlier this week.

Ruf is no stranger to the Bay Area, hitting .248/.358/.455 over 726 plate appearances with the Giants from 2020-22.  Much of that production came in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, which led to a two-year, $6.25MM deal that covered Ruf’s last two seasons of arbitration eligibility.  Ruf hit a modest .216/.328/.373 over his first 314 PA of the 2022 campaign, but that didn’t stop the Mets from making a play for the veteran at the trade deadline, landing Ruf for a four-player package headlined by J.D. Davis.

Unfortunately for Ruf and the Mets, his brief time in New York was a disaster, as he hit only .152/.216/.197 over 74 PA and then finished the season on the 10-day injured list with a neck sprain.  Some wrist problems seemed to contribute to Ruf continuing to struggle during Spring Training, and the Mets finally parted ways with the 36-year-old.

Since Ruf cleared waivers before being released, San Francisco will owe Ruf only the prorated minimum MLB salary, while the Mets will cover the rest of Ruf’s $3.5MM salary.  If Ruf can recapture any of his old form, then the entire situation could become a nice mini-coup for the Giants, in obtaining four players for essentially nothing while getting Ruf’s salary off the books.

Ruf had pretty good numbers against right-handed pitching in 2020-21 before tailing off badly in 2022, but the Giants primarily used the right-handed hitter as a lefty-masher.  Over his eight MLB seasons, Ruf has a career .272/.367/.523 slash line in 706 PA against southpaws.  Between these splits and his ability to play first base and both corner outfield positions, Ruf is a very useful part-time option, especially for a Giants team that has both Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater (both right-handed hitting outfielders) currently on the injured list.

Yankees “Likely” To Place Josh Donaldson On 10-Day Injured List

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Josh Donaldson made an early exit from the Yankees’ game on Wednesday due to right hamstring tightness, and still didn’t play in Friday’s 7-6 loss to the Orioles even with the benefit of an extra recovery day due to a rainout on Thursday.  Prior to Friday’s game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told ESPN’s Marly Rivera and other reporters that Donaldson would “likely” require a trip to the 10-day injured list, even if the hamstring issue is minor enough that the third baseman didn’t receive imaging.

“[We] don’t feel like it’s too serious, but enough in there that it would probably knock him down for four or five days,” Boone said.  “So, we’re going to likely be cautious in this situation.  Looks like it’s probably shorter than [ten days], but probably err on the side of caution in this month of April.”

Since the Yankees are calling right-hander Jhony Brito up from Triple-A to start today’s game in Baltimore, it seems logical that Donaldson’s IL placement will be the corresponding move for Brito’s return to the majors.  Brito looked very impressive in his Major League debut, allowing two hits and a walk over five shutout innings in New York’s 6-0 win over the Giants on April 2.  In terms of replacing Donaldson at third base, the Yankees have plenty of depth — Boone said DJ LeMahieu “will get the bulk of” work at third base, with Oswaldo Cabrera and Isiah Kiner-Falefa also in the mix.

The IL stint might effectively act as a reset to Donaldson’s season, as he has hit only .125/.176/.313 with one home run in his first 17 plate appearances.  While a small sample size, it isn’t an encouraging follow-up to Donaldson’s underwhelming 2022 season.  The Yankees naturally have plenty of incentive (i.e. the $29MM owed on Donaldson’s contract) in getting the former AL MVP on track, but since LeMahieu is already an everyday option without a set position, Donaldson won’t find himself part of New York’s first-choice lineup unless he can get going at the plate.

Jake Odorizzi To Miss 2023 Season Due To Shoulder Procedure

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Rangers right-hander Jake Odorizzi underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his shoulder and will miss the entire 2023 season, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Needless to say, this is an awful development for both Odorizzi and the club. The Rangers went into the offseason looking to upgrade a rotation that posted a 4.63 ERA last year, which placed them 25th out of the 30 clubs in the league. They were also set to lose Martín Pérez, their most effective starter last year, to free agency. By the end of the offseason, they had re-signed Pérez, traded for Odorizzi and signed free agents Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney. Those five, along with incumbent Jon Gray, totally overhauled the rotation and allowed them to go into spring with six established big league starters.

Though that’s a strong group on paper, there were also injury concerns sprinkled throughout it, with Odorizzi being no exception. Though he made at least 28 starts in each season from 2014 to 2019, the last few years have seen a few health issues creep in. He only made four starts in 2020, going on the injured list due to an intercostal strain, chest contusion and right middle finger blister. In 2021, a right pronator muscle strain and right foot soreness each resulted in IL stints, limiting him to 104 2/3 innings. Last year, lower left leg discomfort kept him out of action about six weeks and he tallied just 106 1/3 innings.

Nonetheless, Odorizzi seemed like a solid pickup for the Rangers. Amid all those injuries, he still posted ERAs of 4.21 in 2021 and 4.40 last year. He also didn’t cost much, as Atlanta agreed to cover $10MM of his $12.5MM salary as part of the trade. The only piece the Rangers sent the other way was Kolby Allard, who had struggled to a 6.07 ERA in his big league career thus far.

Unfortunately, the Rangers will ultimately get nothing out of the deal, as Odorizzi will become a free agent after this lost season. He was slowed in camp by some arm fatigue and general manager Chris Young recently gave a vaguely ominous update that Odorizzi would likely be out “longer than shorter,” which was followed by the righty getting placed on the 60-day injured list for Opening Day. That ruled him out for the first couple of months of the season but this news now means he will miss his entire age-33 campaign.

Going into 2021, Odorizzi was signed by the Astros to a two-year, $23.5MM deal. That contract came with a $6.5MM player option for 2023 that had a $3.25MM buyout, though those two figures would jump to $12.5MM and $6.25MM if Odorizzi made 30 appearances over 2021 and 2022. He ended up making 46, easily pushing those numbers up. In August of last year, the Astros flipped Odorizzi to Atlanta for left-hander Will Smith. At season’s end, Odorizzi triggered that player option before getting flipped to Texas.

The Rangers still have that strong front five in deGrom, Eovaldi, Heaney, Pérez and Gray, but they will now proceed without their planned #6 starter. Right-hander Dane Dunning and left-hander Cole Ragans are probably the club’s top depth options now, though both are working in the big league bullpen in the early parts of this season.

Latest On Phillies’ First Base Plans

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The Phillies entered the season with an unexpected question mark at first base. Rhys Hoskins went down with what’s likely to be a season-ending ACL tear during the final week of Spring Training. That pushed Darick Hall to the top of the depth chart, at least against right-handed pitching.

Hall started five of Philadelphia’s first six games before suffering a thumb injury on Wednesday. The Phils announced this morning the left-handed hitter tore a ligament in his right thumb and will require surgery. Matt Gelb of the Athletic writes that Hall could be out for around two months, which’ll leave the club dipping further down the depth chart.

The first crack will apparently fall to Kody Clemens. Acquired alongside Gregory Soto in a trade with the Tigers over the offseason, Clemens was recalled to make his team debut this morning. He got the nod at first base against Reds righty Hunter Greene. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters the Phils plan to use the lefty-swinging Clemens as their primary first baseman against right-handed pitching (link via Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Against southpaws, it seems likely the Phils will slide Alec Bohm over from third base while turning to Edmundo Sosa or Josh Harrison at the hot corner. Non-roster player Scott Kingery hit well in Spring Training to potentially put himself in the mix for a multi-positional bench role as well.

Clemens, 27 next month, has primarily been a second baseman. He’s regarded as more of a bat-first player, though most prospect evaluators have suggested he’s better suited for a utility role than playing every day. Clemens got into 57 big league games with Detroit last season, struggling to a .145/.197/.308 line in 127 trips to the plate. He’d been far better with their top affiliate in Toledo, where he had an above-average .274/.327/.535 slash with 13 home runs in 60 contests.

While Clemens has a solid offensive track record in the minors, it’s an obviously suboptimal situation for a team that expects to contend in what should be a difficult NL East. Gelb writes that Philadelphia explored potential trade possibilities in the immediate aftermath of Hoskins’ injury but couldn’t find an available external option they considered a significant enough upgrade over Hall. It’s possible they reexamine that market in the wake of Hall’s injury, although it’s not a typically active time for trades. If the Phils were to go outside the organization in the short term, it’d likely be for a player towards the back of the depth chart rather than an impact acquisition.

Injury Notes: Haniger, Taylor, Severino, Rodon, Moore, Trammell

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The Giants have been without offseason signee Mitch Haniger thus far. The veteran outfielder opened the season on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. He tells Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News his recovery timeline was slightly delayed by recent back tightness, which shut him down for around a week (Twitter link). Haniger is back to hitting off a tee now but still a bit off from potentially beginning a minor league rehab assignment.

With Haniger out of action, the Giants have pushed Rule 5 draftee Blake Sabol into left field alongside Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto. Sabol and Roberto Pérez are the only catchers on the active roster. Pérez left this afternoon’s loss to Kansas City with a right shoulder strain (as relayed by Maria Guardado of MLB.com), which could necessitate a roster move if he’s unavailable in the coming days.

In other injury situations around the game:

  • The Brewers lost Tyrone Taylor to a sprained right elbow at the start of Spring Training. Milwaukee announced at the time that Taylor would be sidelined into May. Manager Craig Counsell informed reporters today the outfielder recently had a minor setback and is midway through a week-long shutdown before he resumes a throwing program (via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). It’s unclear to what extent Taylor’s recovery timetable is delayed but it doesn’t seem a significant concern. Milwaukee turned to Brian Anderson in right field with Taylor sidelined. After the Brew Crew lost third baseman Luis Urías to an Opening Day hamstring strain, they moved Anderson to the hot corner and brought up top prospect Joey Wiemer to man right field.
  • Yankees skipper Aaron Boone provided reporters (including Chris Kirschner of the Athletic) an update on a pair of rehabbing pitchers this afternoon. Luis Severino, who has been sidelined by a lat strain, will throw a bullpen session this weekend. Offseason free agent pickup Carlos Rodón will throw a live batting practice session on Monday. Rodón was diagnosed with a mild forearm strain during Spring Training, though the Yankees downplayed any long-term concern.
  • The Mariners provided updates on a pair of injured position players this afternoon (relayed by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Utilityman Dylan Moore and outfielder Taylor Trammell are both going to start participating in extended spring training games at the start of next week. Manager Scott Servais indicated that Moore could potentially return during the club’s April 14-23 homestand. Trammell is further behind, as he fractured the hamate bone in his right wrist in mid-February. That robbed him of any Spring Training reps; Moore also didn’t appear in any exhibition games but he’d done some backfield work before straining his oblique in mid-March.

A’s, Zach Neal Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Zach Neal, according to an announcement from his representatives at MSM Sports (Twitter link). He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Neal has pitched in parts of three major league seasons. Almost all of that work came with Oakland between 2016-17. Neal threw 84 2/3 innings of 4.89 ERA ball over that stretch. His 10.7% strikeout rate was well below-average, though he kept his walks to a microscopic 2% clip. Neal’s only other MLB experience came during the 2018 season in Los Angeles, when he threw one inning out of the bullpen.

After that season, Neal joined the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He spent three years there, combining for a 4.49 ERA across 272 1/3 innings. Neal returned to the U.S. last season, inking a minor league deal with the Rockies. He pitched the 2022 campaign with their top affiliate in Albuquerque. That extremely hitter-friendly environment wasn’t kind to Neal, who allowed just under seven earned runs per nine in 116 2/3 innings across 29 appearances.

Neal’s 18.4% strikeout percentage in Albuquerque was above his career MLB mark but still a few points south of the league average. He kept his walks to a 5.4% clip for the Isotopes. Neal’s signing adds a strike-throwing depth starter to the upper levels of the Oakland system.

White Sox, Alex Colome Agree To Minor League Contract

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The White Sox have agreed to a minor league deal with reliever Alex Colomé, according to the hurler’s transaction log at MLB.com. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that the Wasserman client will head to Triple-A Charlotte tomorrow.

Colomé is a familiar face for Sox fans. He spent the 2019-20 seasons on Chicago’s South Side, combining for a 2.27 ERA over 83 outings. Despite middling strikeout and walk marks, Colomé held opposing hitters to a woeful .183/.262/.313 line in 339 plate appearances. The righty departed Chicago for Minnesota on a $6.25MM free agent deal over the 2020-21 offseason.

Things have gone downhill for Colomé since leaving Chicago. He tossed 65 innings for Minnesota, working to a fine but unspectacular 4.15 ERA. The next winter saw him sign another one-year deal, this time worth $4.1MM to join the Rockies. Colomé played the 2022 campaign in Denver, struggling to a 5.74 ERA over 47 appearances. Over the last two seasons, he’s allowed 4.82 earned runs per nine innings with a modest 17.8% strikeout percentage and an average 8.9% walk rate. He’s induced grounders at a strong 54.5% clip but not replicated the success he showed from 2016-20, when he combined for a 2.62 ERA in 275 appearances.

Colomé was limited to minor league offers over the winter. The 34-year-old latched on with the Nationals and spent the spring in Washington’s camp. The veteran hurler was tagged for seven runs in 9 2/3 exhibition frames, walking and striking out seven batters apiece. That wasn’t enough to get him a spot in the season-opening bullpen, and he was granted his release last week.

Chicago opened the season with three relievers — Liam Hendriks, Garrett Crochet and Matt Foster — on the injured list. Hendriks recently completed chemotherapy treatments after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Crochet is rehabbing from 2022 Tommy John surgery, while Foster has been slowed by a forearm strain. The White Sox have given high-leverage innings to Jake Diekman, Kendall Graveman, Reynaldo López and Aaron Bummer in the early going. Chicago carried a league-worst 9.36 bullpen ERA through 25 innings entering play today.

Braves Place Michael Harris II On IL With Back Strain

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4:31pm: Snitker indicated the Braves aren’t concerned about the issue. Speaking with reporters this evening, the skipper implied Harris could be back after a minimal stint (via Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal Constitution). According to Snitker, the injury was expected to sideline the center fielder for four or five days and the club didn’t want to play a man short.

2:45pm: The Braves announced that outfielder Michael Harris II has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower back strain. Fellow outfielder Eli White was recalled in a corresponding move.

Harris, 22, departed last night’s game with back tightness. After the game, manager Brian Snitker told reporters, including Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, that Harris banged his back on the wall while making a catch. Snitker said that Harris was day-to-day but it seems that the injury may have been a bit more serious than initially thought, given that the club has now decided to give him a breather for at least 10 days.

At this point, it’s unclear how much time the club expect Harris to miss. Given that he was initially described as day-to-day, it would be reasonable to expect a minimum absence, though that’s just a guess. Whatever the timeframe, they will be proceeding without a player who proved last year to be exceptionally talented. He got called up from Double-A straight to the majors, skipping over Triple-A entirely. The jump didn’t seem to phase him, as he hit 19 home runs and stole 20 bases in 114 games. His .297/.339/.514 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 136. He was also graded as an excellent defender in center, leading to a tally of 4.8 wins above replacement from FanGraphs and a Rookie of the Year award.

With Harris out of action today, the club has put Sam Hilliard in center. He has 88 previous career games at that position, with advanced defensive metrics grading him as slightly below average there. Now that White has been recalled to the roster, he could see some time there as well. He’s considered an excellent defender but hasn’t hit much in the big leagues yet, currently sporting a .185/.260/.296 career batting line. Kevin Pillar has plenty of experience in center but has been spending more time in the corners as he’s aged into his mid-30s.

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