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Cubs Select Nicholas Padilla

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The Cubs have selected the contract of right-hander Nicholas Padilla from Triple-A Iowa and appointed him as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader, per a club announcement. Jason Heyward was moved from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding 40-man move. Chicago also formally announced its previously reported selection of righty Javier Assad and optioned righty Kervin Castro to Iowa. Chicago’s 40-man roster is now at capacity.

Padilla, 25, was selected by the Cubs out of the Rays organization in the minor league phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. He’s never ranked among the top prospects in either organization but has set himself up for this call to the big leagues with a strong showing across three minor league levels in 2022.

In 43 innings between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, Padilla has logged a collective 2.30 ERA and fanned 31.5% of his opponents along the way. His 13.8% walk rate, four hit batters (2.2%) and seven wild pitches highlight some command issues that have plagued him dating back to 2019. Padilla’s hefty 55.5% ground-ball rate this season has helped him to mitigate the damage from those free passes, however, and he’s yet to allow a home run on the year. Through 232 career minor league innings, he’s yielded just nine home runs (0.35 HR/9).

Heyward’s move to the 60-day injured list was a pure formality. The Cubs already announced that he wouldn’t return this season, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer revealed earlier this month that the Cubs plan to release Heyward at the end of the season.

Kyle Hendricks Diagnosed With Capsular Tear In Shoulder

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Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks has been dealing with shoulder discomfort for more than a month, and while initial MRIs did not reveal any structural damage, a newer MRI and second opinion revealed a capsular tear, Hendricks explained to reporters yesterday (link via Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune). While capsule tears are often ominous injuries with quite lengthy recovery periods, Hendricks’ tear is relatively small and is not expected to require surgery.

It was already known that Hendricks would not pitch again in 2022, but the diagnosis of the tear obviously adds some additional uncertainty to his long-term outlook. For now, he’ll go through a strengthening program and set his focus on being ready for the 2023 season — the final guaranteed season in a four-year, $55.5MM contract. The Cubs hold a $16MM club option for a fifth season, which comes with a $1.5MM buyout.

From 2016-20, Hendricks was one of the best and most consistent starting pitchers in the National League, logging a combined 3.00 ERA with a 21.1% strikeout rate and an excellent 5.3% walk rate in 787 innings. Hendricks was one of the sport’s most durable arms in that time, requiring only a six-week IL stay in 2017 due to tendinitis in his pitching hand and a minimal 10-day stay in 2019 due to inflammation in his right shoulder.

Since that outstanding half-decade peak, however, Hendricks’ results have tumbled rather quickly. He made 32 starts in 2021 but logged a disappointing 4.77 ERA that was far and away the worst of his career. This year’s 4.80 mark through his first 16 starts was a near identical number. Hendricks, after averaging just 0.89 homers per nine innings pitched through the first seven seasons of his career, has surrendered an average of 1.56 long balls per nine frames since Opening Day 2021. His 17.3% strikeout rate is down nearly four percentage points from that previously mentioned peak, and his 6% walk rate, while still south of the 7.6% league average among starters, is up slightly from Hendricks’ best days as well.

The hope for the Cubs, of course, is that a healthier Hendricks can return to form and rejoin a rotation that also includes veteran Marcus Stroman and 27-year-olds Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson. Right-hander Adrian Sampson, 30, has been solid through 10 starts as well. Former top prospect Adbert Alzolay, who started 21 games for the Cubs last year, has missed the entire 2022 season thus far due to a lat strain. However, he embarked on a minor league rehab assignment just yesterday and could yet return before the end of the year.

The extent to which Hendricks progresses from the tear between now and the onset of free agency will, on some level, inform the Cubs’ approach to addressing their pitching staff over the winter. Solid as Steele (3.25 ERA, 3.75 SIERA in 113 2/3 innings) and Thompson (3.97 ERA, 4.21 SIERA, 104 2/3 innings), there’ll still be a need to bring in some reinforcements. Owner Tom Ricketts recently vowed to be “very active” in free agency, although those comments perhaps deliberately stopped short of forecasting an aggressive pursuit of top-tier free agents.

Cubs starters this season rank 21st in the Majors in ERA (4.33), 24th in FIP (4.41) and 20th in SIERA (4.23). They’re also 19th in strikeout rate (20.4%) but have the game’s 10th-highest walk rate (8%). Left-handers Drew Smyly and Wade Miley are both ticketed for free agency this winter. Smyly does have a mutual option on his one-year contract, but it’s quite rare for both sides of a mutual option to be exercised and Smyly has thrown well enough that he could seek a larger guarantee or perhaps a multi-year deal on the open market.

Dodgers Sign Max Muncy To One-Year Extension

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The Dodgers and infielder Max Muncy have agreed to a contract extension, according to an announcement from the team. Under the previous extension he signed with the Dodgers, they had a $13MM club option for his services in 2023. That will now become guaranteed at $13.5MM, with the Dodgers now holding a $10MM club option for 2024, plus incentives. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports that there’s no buyout on the 2024 option.

Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic (Twitter link) provides a breakdown of the escalators on Muncy’s option, which are based on his plate appearance tally in 2023. The option price would increase by $250K apiece for reaching 50, 250, 300 and 350 plate appearances next season, followed by an additional $500K at 400 and 450 plate appearances and an extra $1MM at each of 500 and 550 PA.

This extension is a bit of an early birthday present for Muncy, as he will turn 32 years old on Thursday. The lefty slugger was a late bloomer by major league baseball standards, having his breakout season in 2018 at the age of 27. That year, he hit 35 home runs and slashed .263/.391/.582 for a wRC+ of 162, indicating his offense was 62% better than league average.  In 2019, he proved that it was no fluke, hitting 35 homers again and slashing .251/.374/.515 for a wRC+ of 133. He also provided defensive versatility in that time, moving between first, second and third base.

After those two strong seasons, Muncy finally reached arbitration for the first time in his career, at the age of 29. He and the club didn’t come to an agreement, with the club filing for $4MM while Muncy’s camp submitted a $4.675MM figure. Before the hearing took place, the two sides agreed to a longer-term pact, running through 2022 with the option for 2023. Since Muncy was on pace to reach free agency after 2022, that extension effectively relinquished one year of free agency while allowing him to guarantee himself $26MM in future earnings, and potentially more.

Max Muncy | Richard Mackson-USA TODAY SportsMuncy slumped a bit during the shortened 2020 campaign but was excellent in the postseason, helping the Dodgers win their first World Series title since 1988. Last year, he got back to the pace he established in 2018 and 2019, as he hit 36 home runs and produced a batting line of .249/.368/.527, wRC+ of 140. Unfortunately, he injured his arm in a collision at the end of the season, an injury which prohibited him from participating in last year’s postseason.

That injury has seemingly lingered into 2022, as Muncy spent time on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation and struggled over the early parts of the season. However, the good version of Muncy has been roaring back recently. Through the end of July, he was hitting .161/.310/.303 for a wRC+ of 82. Since the calendar flipped to August, though, he’s hit seven home runs and slashed .328/.409/.776, increasing his wRC+ for the season to 105.

That August line is still a small sample of just 66 plate appearances, but the Dodgers evidently have enough faith in Muncy that they are willing to re-up with him for one more year. If that show of faith pays off, they will be rewarded by having the ability to keep Muncy around for yet another season. It also helps reduce a bit of uncertainty in the club’s infield picture. The Dodgers held club options over both Muncy and Justin Turner, while Trea Turner is slated to become a free agent in a few months’ time. While it was possible to envision a scenario where all three ended up in new uniforms next year, now the club knows that it at least can count on Muncy to take a spot somewhere on the diamond. There’s also uncertainty in the outfield, with Joey Gallo heading into free agency and Cody Bellinger a potential non-tender candidate. With players like Muncy, Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux and others bringing that multi-positional skillset, they’re in a good position to navigate their options in the offseason.

For Muncy’s part, he can finish the season and go into the playoffs with the peace of mind of having his 2023 salary locked in with a slight raise. The details of the incentives aren’t yet known, but that potentially provides him a chance to secure some more earnings as well.

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was among those to report the extension before the official announcement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Twins To Select Aaron Sanchez

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The Twins are planning to promote righty Aaron Sanchez to start tomorrow evening’s game against the Astros, tweets Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. Minnesota will need to formally select Sanchez’s contract tomorrow. The 40-man roster is currently full, although the Twins could easily create a vacancy by transferring Alex Kirilloff to the 60-day injured list after the revelation the outfielder will miss the remainder of the 2022 season. Park adds that left-hander Devin Smeltzer will be optioned to free an active roster spot.

Sanchez has bounced on and off teams’ rosters a few times this season. The sinkerballer signed a minor league deal with the Nationals and was added to the big league roster in mid-April. He was hit hard over seven starts, posting an 8.33 ERA across 31 1/3 innings. Sanchez was released and caught on with Minnesota on a minor league deal. He spent a couple months in Triple-A St. Paul, was brought to the big leagues for a one-off spot start, then again designated for assignment. Sanchez cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment back to St. Paul, and he’ll now return to the major league club a bit less than three weeks later.

Grisly as his numbers have been in the big leagues this season, the 2016 AL ERA leader has held his own in the upper minors. He allowed only six runs in 15 innings in the Washington system before being called up, and he owns a 3.80 ERA over ten starts with St. Paul. Sanchez has only struck out 16.3% of batters faced over that stretch, but he’s not issued many walks and has a capable 44.8% ground-ball rate.

It remains to be seen whether Sanchez’s second stay on the Twins roster proves more lasting than his initial stint. Minnesota placed deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle on the 15-day injured list over the weekend, leaving an opening in the rotation behind Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy. The club has Cole Sands as a potential depth option on the active roster, but he’s worked in shorter relief stints of late. Smeltzer has picked up 12 starts this year but not gotten out of the fourth inning in any of his last three outings, and he’ll now head back to Triple-A.

Cubs To Select Javier Assad

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The Cubs are planning to promote right-hander Javier Assad to start the first game of tomorrow’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, manager David Ross told reporters (including Mark Gonzales). Chicago will need to formally select his contract, although that’s a formality considering they already have an opening on the 40-man roster.

It’ll be the first MLB appearance for the 25-year-old Assad, who has spent the past seven years progressing up the minor league ladder. A member of the organization’s 2015-16 international signing class, the Mexico native has a 3.96 ERA in a bit more than 500 professional innings. That includes a sterling 2.66 mark in 108 1/3 frames this year, split between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. Assad has fanned a solid 24.8% of opponents between the minors top two levels against just a 7.8% walk percentage.

The 6’1″ hurler has never been a top prospect, and the Cubs left him off the 40-man roster last offseason and were prepared to make him available to other teams in the Rule 5 draft (which never happened as a consequence of the lockout). There’s little quibbling with his results at the upper levels of the system this year, however, and he’s earned an opportunity to try to carve out a longer-term role on the pitching staff.

Chicago is without Kyle Hendricks, Adbert Alzolay, Keegan Thompson, Wade Miley and Alec Mills at present. Justin Steele has developed into a solid starter, and the Cubs have veterans Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly taking consistent turns through the rotation. Journeyman Adrian Sampson has done a nice job holding a spot at the back end, but Thompson’s placement on the injured list over the weekend leaves a vacancy in the regular starting five.

Diamondbacks Claim Reyes Moronta, Designate Jake Hager

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The D-Backs announced they’ve claimed reliever Reyes Moronta off waivers from the Dodgers. Infielder Jake Hager has been designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man roster transaction.

Moronta’s stay in the NL West continues. The big right-hander’s most productive seasons came as a member of the Giants, the organization with which he began his career. Between 2018-19, Moronta was one of the better relievers in the game. He tossed 121 2/3 innings of 2.66 ERA ball over that stretch, striking out a strong 29.3% of opponents. He issued a few more walks than ideal, but he nevertheless held opponents to a pitiful .175/.292/.266 line over 508 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, that marked Moronta’s last extended run of action until this year. He missed the entire shortened 2020 campaign with a shoulder problem, then landed on the IL to start last season with a flexor strain in his forearm. Moronta returned late last year but the Giants designated him for assignment after just four MLB appearances. He passed unclaimed through waivers, became a minor league free agent after the season, and signed a non-roster pact with the Dodgers during the offseason.

Los Angeles selected him onto the MLB roster in May, and the 29-year-old has gotten into 22 games. Moronta had an alright run, working 23 2/3 frames with a 4.18 ERA. He fanned an above-average 27.6% of batters faced on a solid 12.7% swinging strike rate, but he also surrendered five home runs and continued to walk batters at a higher than average (albeit improved, relative to his time in San Francisco) 10.2% clip. As part of a Dodger bullpen that ranks third in the majors with a 3.05 ERA, it’s easy to see how Moronta was squeezed off the roster. He should have a clearer path to a regular role with an Arizona club that has a 4.31 reliever ERA that checks in 24th leaguewide.

Moronta is due the prorated portion of a $1.5MM salary (around $370K) for the remainder of this season. He entered the 2022 campaign with exactly four years of service time but spent the season’s first three weeks in Triple-A. That was enough that he won’t reach a full year of service this season, meaning he’ll be arbitration-eligible once more after the year. He’s also in his second minor league option year, so the Snakes can freely shuttle him between Phoenix and Triple-A Reno — although he’d earn the right to refuse any optional assignments once he reaches his fifth year of big league service, likely early in 2023.

Hager, meanwhile, re-signed with Arizona on a minor league deal over the winter after finishing the 2021 campaign in the system. The D-Backs selected the righty-hitting utilityman to the majors in May, and he’s appeared in 28 games. Over 59 plate appearances, Hager owns a .240/.345/.280 line. He’s had a longer run in Reno, hitting .230/.330/.365 through 212 trips to the plate in one of affiliated ball’s more hitter-friendly environments. He’s spent the bulk of his minor league defensive action at shortstop but has played more second and third base in the big leagues.

Arizona will place Hager on outright or release waivers within the next few days. He’s previously been outrighted in his career, so he’d have the right to refuse a minor league assignment and test free agency if he goes unclaimed.

Brewers Place Aaron Ashby On Injured List With Shoulder Inflammation

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The Brewers have placed left-hander Aaron Ashby on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 20, with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Righty Jason Alexander was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take the vacated active roster spot.

It’s the second time this season that Ashby is headed to the IL due to an arm problem. He was diagnosed with forearm inflammation in mid-June but only missed a couple starts, making it back to action when first eligible in early July. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets the club is confident his shoulder issue will also prove to be minor, although it’s not clear precisely when he’s expected to make his return. At the very least, he’ll be out until the first week of September.

A former top prospect, Ashby has logged his most extensive big league action to date in 2022. He debuted with 13 appearances (four starts) last season, and he’s gotten the start for 17 of his 23 outings this year. His results have been up-and-down, as he owns a 4.58 ERA across 96 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing southpaw has shown plenty of promise, though, racking up an enviable pairing of strikeouts and ground-ball numbers. He’s fanned 27.1% of opponents while inducing grounders on over 55% of batted balls, the only starter (minimum 50 innings) with that combination. The Brewers were intrigued enough by Ashby’s nearly unique skillset to look past his spotty control and sign him to an extension last month that guarantees him $20.5MM and could keep him in Milwaukee through 2029.

Obviously, the 24-year-old is a key piece of the organization’s long-term future. The more immediate concern is that the Brew Crew will have to go without a rotation member for at least the next couple weeks. Milwaukee has slumped to a 7-11 record in August, dropping five games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central entering play Monday. They’re a game and a half back of the Phillies for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with around six weeks remaining in the regular season.

AL Notes: Lorenzen, Taylor, Grandal

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Angels righty Michael Lorenzen began a rehab assignment yesterday, throwing 47 pitches over three innings for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. He went on the injured list July 7, retroactive to July 4, due to a shoulder strain. He was eventually transferred to the 60-day IL, meaning he isn’t eligible to be activated until September 2.

The return of Lorenzen won’t be terribly significant for the Angels, since they are 13 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and won’t be in competition during the final weeks of the season. However, it will be an important stretch for Lorenzen personally as he will be heading back into free agency in a few months.

During his time with the Reds, he was frequently deployed as a reliever. But when he reached free agency, he went looking for an opportunity to return to starting, which he found with the Angels. Signed to a one-year, $6.75MM deal, Lorenzen’s return to the rotation went well for a few months. He had a 3.45 ERA through mid-June, having made ten starts. Unfortunately, he allowed 16 earned runs over his next three, ballooning his ERA 4.94. At this point, one could argue that Lorenzen proved himself a capable starter that was just waylaid by an injury, while a pessimist could say he proved he’s better suited to shorter stints out of the bullpen. Teams on the lookout for pitching this winter will keep an eye on how he fares in the coming weeks, with Lorenzen surely hoping to tip the scales with a strong finish to the campaign.

Some other notes from around the Junior Circuit…

  • Astros lefty Blake Taylor is being pulled off his rehab assignment, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. General manager James Click says that Taylor is dealing with “posterior elbow discomfort.” Taylor’s been on the IL since June due to elbow discomfort. Click tried to downplay the update, but the fact that the rehab is being paused is noteworthy. With just over six weeks remaining in the season, there’s not much time left to restart a rehab and get back to the team. The club has been shorthanded in terms of left-handed relief all year, with Taylor’s 16 innings leading the team. Deadline acquisition Will Smith is currently the only southpaw in the bullpen. However, it seems the team can probably do just fine regardless, as lefties have hit just .217/.299/.299 against Houston’s bullpen overall this year.
  • White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal left Saturday’s game with an obvious injury, having to be helped off the field. With only about six weeks left on the schedule, some folks were understandably worried that his season might have ended right then and there. Thankfully, it’s been nothing but good news since. Yesterday, the club announced that further testing revealed no serious damage and that Grandal could return to action in 10-14 days. Today, Grandal is walking around the clubhouse as if the injury never occurred, tweets Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Tony La Russa says that Grandal is getting treatment but also swinging in the cage already. The backstop is having a down year, particularly in the power department. He only has three homers on the season, after hitting more than 20 in each of the previous five full seasons. But he still walks in 12.4% of his plate appearances and could be a difference maker if he can quickly return to health and rediscover his power stroke.

Mets Designate Rob Zastryzny, Nate Fisher; Select Connor Grey

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The Mets have announced a series of roster moves, including selecting the contract of right-hander Connor Grey. Additionally, catcher Tomas Nido has been cleared to return from the COVID-19 IL, retaking his place on the roster. To make room on the active roster, left-hander Nate Fisher has been designated for assignment and right-hander Jose Butto has been optioned down to Triple-A Syracuse. Left-hander Rob Zastryzny was designated for assignment to open up another spot on the 40-man.

Grey, 28, was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 20th round of the 2016 draft. He got as high as Triple-A in Arizona’s system but was released in May of 2020. After reaching free agency, he signed a minor league deal with the Mets. This year, he’s made 12 appearances for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, 11 of those being starts. In 93 innings, he has a 5.52 ERA, 17.9% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 49.3% ground ball rate.

Fisher, 26, was just selected to the club’s roster yesterday with the feel-good story of having been out of baseball and working at a bank just over a year ago. He threw three shutout innings for the Mets, helping them secure a 10-9 victory in a seesaw battle. Unfortunately, he will have to relinquish his roster spot after that Cinderella story. He’s logged 72 innings in the minors this year between Double-A and Triple-A, registering a 3.37 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate.

It’s a somewhat similar trajectory for Zastryzny, 30, who was just selected to the Mets’ roster two days ago. He pitched one inning for the club on Saturday before being optioned yesterday and designated today. He’s thrown 47 1/3 innings for Syracuse this season with a 3.61 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate.

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Mets will have no choice but to put Fisher and Zastryzny on waivers, either the outright variety or the release variety. Zastryzny has been previously outrighted in his career, meaning he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he clears waivers. Fisher, on the other hand, would not have that right.

Tim Healey of Newsday first relayed that Grey had a locker in the Mets clubhouse. Mike Puma of the New York Post tweeted the news of Butto’s optioning and Fisher’s DFA (Twitter links).

Athletics Designate Austin Pruitt For Assignment

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The A’s have announced that they have designated right-hander Austin Pruitt for assignment. The move opens a spot on the active roster for fellow righty Joel Payamps, who was claimed off waivers from the Royals on Saturday.

Pruitt, 32, has been in the majors since 2017, spending the first three seasons with the Rays. He showed enough promise that the Astros acquired him prior to the 2020 campaign, though Pruitt ended up missing that entire season due to a hairline fracture in his right elbow. He returned to the mound in July of 2021, making two appearances for Houston before they traded him to the Marlins. He was later outrighted by the Marlins twice, making just four appearances for them in between.

After reaching free agency, he signed with the A’s on a minor league deal in March. He got selected to the big league club in May and has been with them since. In 37 2/3 innings over 27 appearances, he has a 4.78 ERA, 17.2% strikeout rate, 5.1% walk rate and 41.3% ground ball rate.

Oakland currently has a record of 45-77, the worst in the American League. At this point in the season, they are focused on evaluating younger players to see if they fit into the club’s future plans. As such, it seems that the veteran Pruitt has been nudged out of the picture. With the trade deadline now passed, the club will have to place him on outright or release waivers in the coming days. Players who have previously been outrighted in their careers or who have over three years of MLB service time can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. Pruitt qualifies on both counts.

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