Rockies Outright Justin Bruihl
The Rockies have sent left-hander Justin Bruihl outright to Triple-A Albuquerque, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.
Bruihl, 26, made seven appearances for the Rockies this month after being acquired from the Dodgers in a cash deal. Unfortunately, he allowed six earned runs in his 3 2/3 innings in that time. An incredibly low 12.5% strand rate surely distorted his 14.73 ERA in that small sample, but he quickly lost his roster spot nonetheless.
He could have perhaps garnered interest based on his longer track record with the Dodgers, having had a 3.65 ERA with that club from 2021 to the present season. However, he only struck out 15.6% of batters faced in that time, with a .263 batting average on balls in play and 74.8% strand rate helping him out. ERA estimators like his 4.48 FIP and 4.62 SIERA suggested he may have had some luck helping him keep a few extra runs off the board.
No other club put in a claim, so Bruihl will stay in the Rockies’ organization as non-roster depth. He doesn’t have three years of service time or a previous career outright, meaning he won’t have the right to reject this assignment in favor of free agency. He’ll therefore head to Albuquerque and look to work his way back to the majors.
Braves Promote Darius Vines, Activate Ozzie Albies
The Braves announced a handful of roster moves Monday, optioning infielder Vaughn Grissom and lefty Jared Shuster to Triple-A Gwinnett while recalling righty Darius Vines for his MLB debut and reinstating second baseman Ozzie Albies from the injured list.
Vines, 25, was Atlanta’s seventh-round pick back in 2019 and has pitched well across three minor league levels this season after returning from a lengthy absence brought about by shoulder inflammation. Baseball America currently ranks him fifth among Braves prospects, while MLB.com has him tenth and FanGraphs pegs him 13th.
Since returning from the injured list in June, Vines has made nine starts: two with the team’s Rookie-level affiliate in the Florida Complex League, two in High-A and five with Triple-A Gwinnett once those four rehab appearances were complete. He hadn’t pitched beyond six innings until his most recent outing — a seven-inning start against the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate — but Vines has reached 90 pitches in each of his past three starts. He’ll give the Braves a long option out of the bullpen or a candidate to make a spot start, as needed.
In 43 1/3 innings this year, the Cal State Bakersfield product has posted a 2.70 ERA with a 27.1% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 44.4% ground-ball rate. Scouting reports at BA, MLB.com and FanGraphs tab Vines as a potential back-of-the-rotation arm thanks to his command of a three-pitch repertoire (fastball, slider, changeup). The changeup draws plus (60 on the 20-80 scale) or better offerings, with BA’s report noting that some scouts have put a plus-plus (70) grade on the pitch.
Vines joins Shuster, Dylan Dodd, Michael Soroka, AJ Smith–Shawver, Allan Winans and (once healthy) Ian Anderson as an in-house option who can compete for a rotation job next year. The Braves are largely set with Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder and a soon-to-return Kyle Wright making up the front four in the rotation both down the stretch and likely in the 2023 postseason. Morton isn’t a lock to return — the Braves have a $20MM option on him for the 2024 season — which will leave at least one and possibly two spots to be sorted out next spring. (The offseason could bring about trades and/or free-agent additions to address the starting staff, of course.)
As for Albies, he’ll return after two weeks on the shelf due to a strained hamstring. The Braves initially expressed optimism that Albies was only dealing with some minor cramping and might not even require an IL stint, but further testing revealed what wound up apparently being a fairly minor strain. Given Atlanta’s overwhelming lead in the NL East, there was every reason to proceed with caution, as they can effectively sleepwalk their way to a division title with a 12.5-game lead and just 33 games left to be played. Albies is in the midst of another terrific season, batting .267/.327/..514 with 28 home runs in 510 plate appearances.
Charlie Morton’s Continued Late-Career Success
Shortly before the start of last offseason, the Braves checked off a key part of their winter checklist. Atlanta agreed to preemptively exercise a $20MM option on Charlie Morton at the end of September. In exchange, the veteran righty gave the club a matching option for the ’24 campaign.
It was a fairly typical move for an organization that has both been very aggressive on doling out in-season extensions and adept at securing future option years. At the same time, the decision was met with a fair bit of skepticism from a chunk of the fanbase (as evidenced by the comment section on MLBTR’s post). It was a relatively lofty salary — albeit on just a one-year commitment — for a pitcher who carried a 4.29 ERA during his age-38 campaign at the time of signing.
The Braves bet on Morton’s more impressive peripherals and sustained mid-90s velocity in projecting his ERA to improve this year. They’ve been proven right in that evaluation, as the 16-year veteran is turning in one of the better seasons of his career. Morton carries a 3.37 ERA across 141 2/3 innings over 25 starts. He’s averaging 5 2/3 frames per appearance, a bit better than last season, and is on his way to a fifth sub-4.00 showing in the seven years since his late-career breakout for the 2017 Astros.
Morton has been particularly good of late. In 10 starts dating back to the beginning of July, he owns a 2.70 ERA across 56 2/3 innings. He’s reeled off three straight scoreless outings in his last trio of appearances, fanning 25 hitters in the process. Those starts have admittedly come against the plummeting New York offenses, but it’s still a promising sign for Atlanta as they set their pitching staff for October.
On the whole, the two-time All-Star has performed as the front office had envisioned. His strikeout rate has taken a slight step back, dipping from 28.2% a season ago to 25.5% this year. That’s still a couple points above the 22.1% league mark for starting pitchers. Morton has compensated for the slight dip in punchouts with a few more grounders.
His repertoire looks as strong as it had been. Morton’s 94.9 MPH average four-seam fastball speed exactly matches last year’s mark. His curveball velocity is up a tick. He’s getting whiffs on both those offerings at a similar clip as he did in 2022. Morton’s overall swinging-strike rate is trending to land between 12% and 13% for a fifth consecutive season.
The only quibble with his performance has been spotty command. The righty has battled walks intermittently throughout his career, particularly since finding the velocity surge that has enabled his productive second act as a power pitcher. He’s walking just under 11% of opposing hitters this year, which would be his highest full-season rate since his 2008 rookie campaign. No National League pitcher has plunked more batters than Morton, who has hit 10 opponents. That’s a decent amount of free passes, but he hasn’t had any issue working around those extra baserunners thanks to his strikeouts and general lack of authoritative contact allowed.
Keeping Morton has taken on extra importance for an Atlanta team that has needed to tap into its rotation depth more than it did a year ago. The Braves had nine players log at least 10 innings out of the rotation in 2022; they’re already at 12 such arms this season. Extended absences for Max Fried and Kyle Wright have left the Braves rotating a number of players through the two spots not locked down by Spencer Strider, Morton and Bryce Elder. Fried is back and Wright is on a minor league rehab stint, so things are trending up with a month to go before the postseason, but Morton’s durability was key for Atlanta in building their essentially insurmountable NL East lead.
As the season winds down, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his front office are faced with an identical decision on Morton as they had last summer: whether to bring him back for another season at $20MM. There’s a strong case for them doing so. If the Braves (correctly) felt Morton would live up to that sum last September, they could make a similar calculation this time around. His stuff looks the same and he’s been better at keeping runs off the board. Even with a few more walks, it’s easy to argue Morton is a comparable or better pitcher than he was at this time a year ago.
His age is a relevant factor for any contract questions. Morton turns 40 next offseason. At some point, as happens to almost every player, his performance will fall off. There’s nothing beyond the general risk of any 40-year-old pitcher to suggest Morton is nearing a cliff, though. If he decides to suit up for a 17th season, he’d enter next year again looking like a quality mid-rotation arm.
Atlanta has control over every starting pitcher on the roster. Fried and Wright are eligible for arbitration. Strider is already signed through 2028 (plus a 2029 option) under last year’s extension, while Elder and their host of younger rotation options (AJ Smith-Shawver, Jared Shuster, Dylan Dodd) are in their pre-arbitration seasons. Roster Resource projects the club’s 2024 guaranteed commitments around $133MM, roughly $70MM south of this year’s franchise-record Opening Day payroll. Exercising Morton’s option would bring them to approximately $153MM, while an arbitration class including Fried, Wright and A.J. Minter tacks on something in the $25-30MM range. Exercising Morton’s option and a $9MM option for Eddie Rosario — which could be a borderline call — would leave the Braves within $20MM of this year’s payroll entering the offseason.
Of course, they’d also virtually be retaining the entirety of what looks to be the best team in the majors. The Braves did almost nothing in free agency last winter and have excelled regardless thanks to their incredible internal core and the Sean Murphy trade acquisition (and subsequent six-year extension). The organization could be content with a similar approach during the upcoming winter.
Assuming Morton wants to continue playing, will the Braves bring him back at another $20MM price point?
(poll link for app users)
Will The Braves Exercise Charlie Morton's Option?
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Yes. 86% (2,247)
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No. 14% (366)
Total votes: 2,613
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
The Opener: Guardians, Giants, Cubs/Brewers
As an eventful month of August winds down, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Who will replace Thor?
The Guardians designated right-hander Noah Syndergaard for assignment yesterday, ending his tenure in Cleveland after just six starts. Upon announcing the move, the club indicated that a corresponding move would be made today, before this evening’s game against the Twins in Minnesota. Syndergaard’s departure leaves the club with just four pitchers in the starting rotation: right-handers Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and Xzavion Curry as well as lefty Logan Allen. Left-hander Joey Cantillo and righties Peyton Battenfield and Hunter Gaddis are the club’s starting options already on the 40-man roster, though with Syndergaard’s depature the club will have the opportunity to explore other options as well without the need for a 40-man roster move.
Of course, with an off-day on Thursday and right-hander Cal Quantrill nearing a return from the shoulder inflammation that’s kept him off the big league mound since early July, the club could simply decide to wait on adding a starter until Quantrill is ready or the schedule forces the issue. In that case, a reliever currently at Triple-A like lefty Tim Herrin or righty Cade Smith could be called up for the interim to help out in the club’s bullpen.
2. Giants getting healthy:
The Giants are expecting to welcome back a pair of outfielders into the mix during the club’s series against the Reds, which starts today. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area relayed yesterday that both Mike Yastrzemski and Mitch Haniger are nearing a return, with Haniger having participated in what could be his final rehab game last night while Yastrzemski ran the bases. Both players will be welcome additions to a beleaguered offense in San Francisco; as a team, the Giants slashed just .209/.289/.343 in July, and their slash line of .230/.299/.348 in August is only marginally better.
Yastrzemski has been a slightly better than league average bat with the Giants this year, slashing .233/.314/.439 in 77 games before going on the IL with a hamstring strain. Haniger, on the other hand, struggled badly to a .230/.281/.372 slash line in 40 games with his new club before he was sidelined due to a forearm fracture that required surgery. The Giants will need both Yastrzemski and Haniger to play closer to their career wRC+ numbers of 113 and 119 respectively if they are to get back into the NL Wild Card mix, as the club has fallen a game and a half behind the Diamondbacks for the last spot in recent days.
3. Brewers head to Wrigley:
The Cubs and Brewers will meet for their third series of the season today. The three-game set will have major implications for the NL Central race headed into the season’s final month. Milwaukee, riding an eight-game winning streak, heads to Chicago with a four-game lead over the Cubs in the division, meaning even a sweep by the north siders wouldn’t end their reign at the top of the division standings. That being said, a series win by the Brewers would put the club firmly in the driver’s seat for a division title headed into the season’s final month, as they’d extend their lead over the second-place Cubs to five or six games with only three more games against Chicago on the schedule this season. Brewers lefty and former Cub Wade Miley (3.18 ERA) will take the mound at 7:05pm CT this evening opposite Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (5.60 ERA) for the first game of the series.
Guardians Designate Noah Syndergaard For Assignment
The Guardians have designated right-hander Noah Syndergaard for assignment, as noted by Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes. The Guardians have announced the move and indicated that a corresponding roster move will be announced tomorrow.
The 38th overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Blue Jays, Syndergaard made his major league debut with the Mets in 2015 and immediately had the look of a clear top-of-the-rotation arm. While he battled injuries throughout his Mets tenure, he posted a 3.31 ERA and 2.92 FIP in 716 innings of work alongside Jacob deGrom at the front of New York’s rotation from 2015-2019, with a 26.4% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate, and a 49.1% groundball rate. His best season came in 2016, when he dominated to the tune of a 2.60 ERA with an MLB-best 2.29 FIP, a strikeout rate of 29.3% and a groundball rate of 51.2%.
Syndergaard’s career hit a major snag in March of 2020, when the then-27-year-old righty underwent Tommy John surgery. He would miss the entire shortened 2020 campaign and almost all of the 2021 campaign as well, recording just two September relief appearances that year before hitting free agency.
Syndergaard split his 2022 campaign between the Angels and the Phillies, looking more like a soft-tossing back-of-the-rotation arm than the flamethrowing ace he had been earlier in his career. The results were still solid, however, as Syndergaard posted a 3.94 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 134 2/3 innings of work that year in the regular season. He then went on to pitch for the Phillies during their run to the World Series, allowing three runs in 8 1/3 postseason innings of work.
That solid if uninspiring return to action in 2022 earned Syndergaard a one-year deal with the Dodgers last December. While the sides were hopeful that Syndergaard would be able to build on his 2022 performance and regain some of his lost velocity another year removed from Tommy John, the 2023 campaign didn’t go how either party imagined it would. Through 12 starts with the Dodgers, Syndergaard looked completely outmatched with a disastrous 7.16 ERA across 55 1/3 innings of work, less than five innings per start.
Between Syndergaard’s troubling run prevention numbers and inability to pitch deep into games, the Dodgers moved on from him rather quickly even in spite of an injury-plagued season that saw every other member of their Opening Day rotation spend significant time on the injured list. LA placed Syndergaard on the IL himself with a finger blister in early June and did not appear in the majors again until he was dealt to Cleveland just before the trade deadline in a change-of-scenery swap that shipped Amed Rosario to the Dodgers.
Syndergaard ended up making five starts for the Guardians prior to the club’s decision today to move on from him. While his ERA improved with the club relative to his time with the Dodgers, his 4.94 figure was still 16% below average. To make matters worse, he struck out just 12.5% of batters faced while giving up a whopping seven homers in just 27 1/3 innings of work.
Given those brutal peripheral numbers, it’s hardly a shock that the club has decided to move on from Syndergaard in favor of seeing what they have in youngsters like Xzavion Curry, Hunter Gaddis, and Peyton Battenfield. It’s a particularly reasonable course of action considering the 62-69 Guardians, six games back in a weak AL Central with a 9-15 record so far in August, have seen their hopes of returning to the playoffs this year become considerably fainter over the past month since the club acquired Syndergaard.
As for Syndergaard, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers he’ll have the opportunity to return to the free agent market and look to catch on with another team. Brutal as his results have been this year, teams are always on the lookout for potential depth options, particularly on a no-risk minor league deal like the one Syndergaard would presumably command. To be eligible to participate in the postseason with his new club, Syndergaard will have to sign before September 1.
Injury Notes: Dodgers, Devers, Manning, Houser
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided a host of injury updates this afternoon regarding various relief options for the club as LA hurtles toward their eleventh consecutive playoff appearance, as relayed by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. While right-hander Tony Gonsolin will not be an option for the club down the stretch this year, Roberts provided updates on a pair of relievers who could still impact the club in 2023: right-handers Joe Kelly and Yency Almonte.
Kelly threw a bullpen session recently but is still struggling with pain in his elbow, per Roberts. The veteran righty, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings with the Dodgers after joining the club at the trade deadline alongside Lance Lynn, went on the injured list earlier this month with elbow inflammation. According to Roberts, Kelly is expected to return in time for the postseason but there is “a chance he’s not gonna be 100%” when he does. Almonte, meanwhile, has a clearer timeline, with Roberts indicating that the 29 year old is two to three weeks from a return from his knee injury.
Most interesting for Dodgers fans will surely be Roberts’ comments on right-hander Walker Buehler, who’s aiming to return from Tommy John surgery before the 2023 season comes to a close. Buehler hasn’t started a rehab assignment, but Plunkett relays that Roberts still believes Buehler’s long-stated goal of returning to the big league mound for games in September is still on the table, with the manager indicating that the club is planning on Buehler to return to the majors toward the middle of the month. While Roberts notes that Buehler’s stuff is in good shape, his command “hasn’t been good” and is something “he’ll have to work through” on his coming rehab assignment.
Healthy returns to the mound from Kelly, Almonte, and particularly Buehler would substantially deepen the club’s bullpen ahead of the postseason. While the Dodgers have been nothing short of dominant of late with just four losses in August, the club’s bullpen is a potential weak point, ranking roughly middle-of-the-pack in the majors with a 3.83 ERA and having been leaned on for the more innings than any NL bullpen besides those in Cincinnati and San Francisco.
More injury notes from around the league…
- Star Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers underwent x-rays on his wrist after being hit by a pitch during last night’s game against LA and struck from the lineup this afternoon. Fortunately, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic relays that those x-rays came back negative, per manager Alex Cora. Cora added to reporters that Devers could return to the lineup as soon as tomorrow, depending on how the slugger is feeling. That’s surely a relief for Boston, as the 26-year-old infielder is perhaps the club’s most important and consistent players. Devers is in the midst of another season right in line with his career norms; since his breakout campaign in 2019, he’s slashed .288/.351/.529 with a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 131 wRC+. In 530 trips to the plate this season, Devers has essentially replicated that line, slashing .272/.347/.516 with a 18.7% strikeout rate and a 127 wRC+.
- Tigers right-hander Matt Manning is preparing to make his next start on Wednesday after exiting his last start with lower back tightness. With that being said, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press indicated yesterday that Manning actually making his start on Wednesday is not a guarantee. Per Petzold, manager AJ Hinch told reporters that the club will “see how the next couple of days are” regarding Manning’s health before determining whether or not he’ll make his start. Petzold suggests right-hander Spencer Turnbull and left-hander Joey Wentz could be options to take the ball on Wednesday should Manning, who sports a 3.93 ERA in 13 starts with the Tigers this season, require a trip to the shelf.
- Brewers righty Adrian Houser departed today’s start against the Padres after just two innings, having allowed four runs on four hits and a walk. Milwaukee indicated that Houser’s early exit was due to what the club termed “minor forearm tightness.” As relayed by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Houser downplayed the injury’s seriousness in conversations with reporters, indicating he expects to make his next start after taking some time off to rest. Houser’s next start would line up for Saturday against the Phillies, though with a day off on Thursday Milwaukee has the ability to give Houser additional rest without using another starter, should he need it.
Grifol: Relief Role Not Under Consideration For Michael Kopech
It’s been an uneven season for White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech. He opened the season with a brutal first month where he posted a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings of work, though he was much more effective in May and June, with a combined 2.83 ERA in 60 1/3 innings across 11 starts. Kopech then missed two weeks leading into the All Star break with a bout of shoulder inflammation, and the wheels have completely come off for Kopech in eight starts since then.
The 27-year-old hurler has posted a brutal 7.15 ERA. Looking under the hood at those eight appearances, Kopech has averaged just over four innings a start while allowing more earned runs (27) and walks (31) than strikeouts (25). That translates to a meager 15.1% strikeout rate and an unbelievable 19.1% walk rate over 34 innings since the All Star break.
While Kopech’s brutal second half, uneven first half, and previous success out of the bullpen where he sports a much more palatable career 3.90 ERA all suggest a return to a relief role could benefit the right-hander, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun Times relays that, according to manager Pedro Grifol, a change in role for Kopech isn’t something the club is considering, either for the remainder of the 2023 campaign or for next season.
“Him not being a starter is not anywhere close to what we’re thinking and anywhere close to what he should be thinking,” Grifol told Fegan, “…even the other day, he was able to gain a little bit of confidence as the outing went on, he was up to 98. The potential’s there.” Grifol goes on to argue that the key to Kopech finding success as a starter figures to be on the mental side of the game, saying that “It’s his responsibility and ours to come together to get that mental side right.”
It’s worth noting that the south-siders are lacking in options to replace Kopech for the remainder of 2023 at this point, what with both Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn having been shipped away prior to the trade deadline. With Mike Clevinger, Jesse Scholtens, Touki Toussaint and Dylan Cease all already in the rotation, the club’s options for starting depth on the 40-man roster are limited to the likes of Deivi Garcia and Luis Patino, each of whom were placed on waivers by teams in desperate need of starting depth themselves due to poor performance.
Still, that the Sox don’t seem interested in trying the former first-round pick out of the bullpen even heading into next season is indicative of how the club sees itself headed into the 2024 campaign. With Cease locked into the club’s 2024 rotation barring a trade, Scholtens having made himself an interesting back-end option in his own right, and a deep free agent class of pitchers on the horizon this offseason, it would certainly be possible for the White Sox to construct a rotation that would push Kopech to the bullpen. On the other hand, those types of decisions would presumably fall to the club’s GM, and the Sox have yet to hire a replacement for Rick Hahn and Ken Williams, both of whom were fired last week.
It’s also worth noting that while Grifol indicates Kopech will begin the 2024 season as a member of the club’s starting rotation, internal options from the farm system could make their way to the majors throughout the season and challenge for the right-hander’s rotation spot. Recently-acquired right-handers Nick Nastrini and Jake Eder are both prospects with rotation potential who reached the Double-A level before joining the organization, while oft-injured left-hander Garrett Crochet certainly has the stuff to be an interesting rotation option in the event he can get sufficiently healthy this offseason to stretch out as a starter.
NL East Notes: Robertson, Albies, Nationals
When the Marlins shipped a pair of intriguing young prospects to New York in order to acquire veteran right-hander David Robertson from the Mets, it was a statement of intent to contend by Miami, as they acquired perhaps the top rental reliever available at this year’s trade deadline. It was Robertson’s second time being dealt at the deadline in as many years, as the 38-year-old veteran was swapped from the Cubs to the Phillies in exchange for pitching prospect Ben Brown 13 months ago. Sporting a 2.23 ERA in 40 1/3 innings of work at the time of that deal, Robertson went on to post similarly excellent numbers in Philadelphia with a 2.70 ERA in 22 regular season appearances down the stretch and just one run allowed in his eight postseason appearances as the Phillies headed to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
At the time of this year’s deal, Robertson was having an even better season, with a 2.05 ERA in 44 innings of work with a 27.9% strikeout rate. Unfortunately for the Marlins, he hasn’t been the shutdown closer they were expecting in ten appearances with the club. He’s posted a brutal 7.20 ERA and 6.17 FIP in ten innings since joining Miami, with just four saves in seven chances. Those brutal results have led the Marlins to remove their veteran deadline addition from the closer role entirely, according to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. Mish suggests Tanner Scott, who sports a 2.59 ERA and 2.12 FIP in 59 innings of work this season, could replace Robertson as the club’s closer moving forward.
The move reflects the dire situation Miami finds itself in after a difficult August; at the time of the Robertson deal, the club was 54-49 and firmly in the mix for one of the NL Wild Card spots. Since then, the Marlins have gone just 12-16, falling to 65-64 and three games back of the third Wild Card spot. While that’s hardly an insurmountable deficit with more than a month to go in the season, the club is facing playoff odds of just 19.4% at this point per Fangraphs, far worse than their 49.3% odds on the day of the Robertson deal.
More from the NL East…
- Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies has been on the 10-day injured list since earlier this month with a hamstring strain, but could already be nearing a return. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relayed an update regarding Albies this evening, indicating that Atlanta will “see just how well he feels” tomorrow after a successful workout this afternoon. When Albies is ready to go, it seems he’ll be activated from the injured list directly, as Toscano notes that manager Brian Snitker has previously indicated the infielder won’t require a rehab assignment before returning to action. Albies, who sports a 121 wRC+ in 510 trips to the plate this season, has been covered for by Nicky Lopez and Vaughn Grissom at the keystone while he’s been on the shelf.
- The Nationals announced this afternoon that the club had optioned outfielder Blake Rutherford to Triple-A. Rutherford, a 26-year-old journeyman and former first-round pick by the Yankees who made his MLB debut with Washington earlier this month, slashed just .182/.206/.182 in 34 trips to the plate with the Nationals prior to his demotion. Rutherford’s demotion sparked rumors regarding who would replace him on the active roster, with both Bobby Blanco and Mark Zuckerman of MASN indicating that the club could look to promote catching prospect Drew Millas. Millas, the club’s 23rd-best prospect per MLB Pipeline, is a defensive-first catcher who has impressed with the bat this season, batting .291/.390/.442 in 328 trips to the plate this season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman Exit With Injuries
The Blue Jays saw the entire left side of their starting infield exit today’s 7-10 loss against the Guardians with injuries this evening, as shortstop Bo Bichette left the game with right quad tightness while third baseman Matt Chapman departed with right middle finger inflammation, as relayed by The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath.
As things stand, it appears that Chapman’s injury is more serious than Bichette’s. As relayed by MLB.com, manager John Schneider told reporters that both players had been playing through the injuries they were removed over today. Schneider described Bichette’s removal from the game as precautionary. That’s an understandable decision, given the star shortstop just missed a couple of weeks with a right knee injury. Chapman’s ailment, on the other hand, is one Schneider notes that Chapman has been dealing with for “the past couple of weeks” after he jammed the finger while putting away a weight in the weight room. The issue was aggravated during an at-bat today, and Chapman will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of his injury. More details on both players’ situations seem likely to be available tomorrow.
Of course, even a short absence for either player could be devastating for Toronto. With today’s loss against the Guardians, the Jays are now playing .500 ball in July with a 12-12 record. Treading water this month has resulted in their record slipping to 71-60, 2.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot and just two games ahead of a Red Sox club they swept earlier in the month. Without Bichette and/or Chapman on the left side of the infield, things could get even more dire as Toronto looks to return to make consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2016 and just the third time in the organization’s history.
Both players have been key for the Jays this season. Bichette has been a stable force at the top of the club’s lineup with a .316/.346/.491 slash line in 113 games combined with strong defense at shortstop. Chapman, meanwhile, was the hottest player on the planet for the first six weeks of the season with a 1.004 OPS on May 10. While he’s cooled considerably since then, he remains perhaps the best defensive third baseman in the sport and has the power to be a threat even when in the midst of a slump.
In the event either player needs time off, the club seems likely to turn to a bench consisting of Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, and Davis Schneider. Biggio (90 wRC+) and Espinal (62 wRC+) have both struggled this season but have past success as regulars on their resume, while Schneider has just 40 plate appearances to his name in the majors but has made the most of them by slashing a sensational .424/.525/.848 in a part time role for Toronto this season.
West Notes: Eovaldi, Ohtani, Giants, Silseth
Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who has been on the injured list for over a month thanks to a forearm strain, has recently been expected to rejoin the Texas rotation during their upcoming series against the Mets, which begins tomorrow. As noted by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, however, that won’t come to fruition after Eovaldi felt some discomfort in his side during a bullpen session on Thursday. The new plan is for Eovaldi to partake in another bullpen session on Tuesday before the club determines whether he’ll need a rehab assignment or can directly return to the club’s pitching staff.
Eovaldi’s continued absence is a serious blow to the Rangers, as the right-hander has posted a phenomenal 2.69 ERA and 3.23 FIP in 123 2/3 innings of work this season. By measure of ERA+, he’s been 61% better than league average when on the field this season. That sort of production is difficult to replace, and while deadline acquisitions Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery have done an admirable job with a combined 2.22 ERA across nine starts since joining the organization, the club has nonetheless posted a record of just 17-17 since Eovaldi went on the shelf, a mediocre performance that’s allowed the surging Mariners to catch them in the standings.
More from around MLB’s West divisions…
- While plenty of suitors for superstar Shohei Ohtani may have a renewed sense of caution regarding his impending free agency after it was announced that the two-way phenom is dealing with a UCL tear that will prevent him from taking the mound again this season, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests that the Giants are not among those teams and will still aggressively pursue Ohtani. Shea asserts that the Giants have the financial muscle required to get a deal done, referencing big-money offers to Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa last offseason that ultimately didn’t reach the finish line, while also suggesting the the club’s tendency to be cautious regarding pitcher healthy could be attractive for Ohtani as he looks to work his way back onto the major league mound.
- Angels right-hander Chase Silseth exited last night’s game against the Mets following a scary moment where he was struck in the head by an errant throw from teammate Trey Cabbage. After initially falling to the ground after being struck, Silseth was helped off the field by team trainers. Fortunately, the worst appears to have been avoided, as ESPN notes that manager Phil Nevin told reporters that he “think(s) we avoided something serious, but with head injuries you always want to be cautious.” Silseth owns a 4.10 ERA (111 ERA+) in 48 1/3 innings of work while swinging between the rotation and bullpen for the Angels this season.