The Opener: Extensions, Rockies, Injuries
As the end of the 2023 season’s first month draws near, here are three things to keep an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Extension season continues:
Typically, players and clubs set something of a deadline on extension talks for Opening Day, leaving extensions as a somewhat rare occurrence in the early months of the season. That trend has been bucked so far this season, however, as four players signed extensions in recent weeks: Ian Happ signed a three-year, $61MM extension with the Cubs, Logan Webb inked a five-year, $90MM extension with the Giants, Hunter Greene agreed to a six-year, $53MM extension with the Reds, and Pablo Lopez landed a four year, $73.5MM extension with the Twins.
It seems somewhat unlikely that another player from the 2023-2024 free agent class will join Happ in signing an extension just six months before free agency opens, at least without receiving top dollar. Still, there are plenty of players controlled by their clubs beyond the 2023 campaign who might look to extend their stay with the team, including Bryan Reynolds, with whom the Pirates continue to leave the door for extension negotiations open despite a series of roadblocks in contract talks. The Reds, in particular, seem interested in locking up their other young pitchers along with Greene, as the club has recently had extension talks with both left-hander Nick Lodolo and right-hander Graham Ashcraft.
2. Rockies to promote Doyle:
It’s been reported that Rockies outfield prospect Brenton Doyle is set to get called up to the majors today, with the possibility that he’ll make his major league debut as soon as this evening against the Guardians. Doyle, who has torn up the Triple-A level to the tune of a 1.123 OPS in 21 games (98 plate appearances) at the level, appears poised to get his opportunity thanks to injuries that have left both Kris Bryant and Yonathan Daza day-to-day. With two of the club’s regular outfielders potentially out of action, Doyle makes sense as a solution thanks to his solid defense at all three outfield spots and presence on the 40-man roster. Still, a transaction of some sort will be necessary to make room for Doyle on the active roster.
3. Injury updates expected today:
Updates on the availability of both Bryant, who suffered a glute injury on Saturday, and Daza, who was hit by a pitch during yesterday’s game, seem likely to come ahead of this evening’s Rockies game at 5:10pm CT. The Rockies aren’t the only club from which updates regarding injured players are expected, however. Santiago Espinal of the Blue Jays was recently hit by a pitch from Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole and, while x-rays on his wrist were negative, Espinal is expected to undergo additional testing today as manager John Schneider told reporters, including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
Meanwhile, Guardians prospect Daniel Espino, whose struggles with shoulder inflammation recently resulted in the right-hander being shut down for the second time this season, is expected to see a doctor in the coming days. While Espino doesn’t seem likely to impact the big league club this year, as an arm with front-end potential and an already checkered injury history at just 21 years old, his health is of great importance to the organization’s future.
Logan O’Hoppe To Miss 4-6 Months With Torn Labrum
Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters (including Sam Blum of The Athletic) today that catcher Logan O’Hoppe has a torn labrum on his left (non-throwing) shoulder that will require surgery. The 23-year-old catcher, who was placed on the 10-day injured list yesterday, is expected to miss four to six months, potentially putting his season in jeopardy.
O’Hoppe was acquired by the Angels at the trade deadline last season in the deal that sent outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Phillies. A consensus top-50 prospect in the sport entering the 2023 season, O’Hoppe earned the Angels’ starting catching job out of camp this season despite having just five games of big league experience under his belt as Max Stassi began the season on the injured list. The youngster was off to an impressive start this season, with a .283/.339/.547 slash line across 16 games that was good for a wRC+ of 142.
Losing such a productive bat for most, if not all, of the remainder of the season is a massive blow to the Angels, who have largely seen their offense struggle outside of superstars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, with only O’Hoppe and outfielder Hunter Renfroe posting an above average wRC+ so far this season among the rest of the club’s offense.
In addition to losing O’Hoppe’s bat, the Angels now find themselves without either half of their usual starting tandem, as Stassi does not appear to be close to a return from the hip ailment that sidelined him at the start of the season. Until Stassi returns, the Angels figure to use Matt Thaiss, who opened the season as the club’s third catcher, and journeyman Chad Wallach behind the plate. Neither of those options inspire the same confidence that O’Hoppe would, as Wallach sports just a 59 wRC+ in 274 career plate appearances since his MLB debut with the Reds in 2017, while Thaiss only began catching in 2021 and has a career wRC+ of 81 in 298 plate appearances.
Given the worrying situation behind the plate for Anaheim, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the club explore external catching options to supplement their current group. Robinson Chirinos and Austin Romine are available on the free agent market, while Gary Sanchez and Jorge Alfaro are among the catchers with significant big league experience who are on minor league deals in other organizations.
Latest On Jose Altuve
After undergoing thumb surgery in late March, Jose Altuve was estimated for roughly a two-month recovery period before he could resume baseball activities. However, Astros GM Dana Brown gave a positive update on Altuve today, telling The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that Altuve is “ahead of schedule” in his rehab. Altuve is showing “great movement” in his injured thumb, and Brown said the second baseman “will get an x-ray in 12 days or so to see how the thumb is healing, but [it] appears that it’s healing very well.”
If the x-rays are clean on Brown’s loose target date of May 5, that would seemingly imply that Altuve might be able to start baseball activities shortly thereafter. Some minor league rehab action would be necessary to get Altuve back up to full game readiness, but it all goes well, Altuve might be more in line for a return by closer to the middle of May than his initial early-June estimate.
It should be noted that the Astros placed Altuve on the 10-day injured list rather than the 60-day IL to begin the season, thus leaving the door open for Altuve to potentially return earlier than expected. A 60-day IL placement would have kept Altuve out until the very end of May, and even if Houston does eventually shift Altuve to the 60-day in the event of a setback or if he needs more ramp-up time, his 60-day clock would still have a retroactive start date of Opening Day.
The prospect of a quick Altuve return is great news for the Astros, who have still posted a respectable 12-10 record even without their longtime star (and also with Michael Brantley and Lance McCullers Jr. sidelined by injury). Mauricio Dubon has stepped into the everyday second base job in Altuve’s absence and hit .329/.350/.382 over 80 plate appearances, delivering a 108 wRC+ despite a lack of power. Dubon’s ability to hold the fort has been a nice relief for Houston, and answered some preseason concerns over whether or not the Astros were lacking in bench depth.
Rockies To Promote Brenton Doyle
The Rockies are expected to call up outfielder Brenton Doyle from Triple-A Albuquerque prior to Monday’s game with the Guardians, according to Blake Street Banter (Twitter link). Doyle is already on Colorado’s 40-man roster, so the Rockies will have to just make one corresponding move tomorrow to create space for Doyle on the 26-man active roster.
This will be the first trip to the big leagues for the 24-year-old Doyle, who was a fourth-round selection for the Rockies in the 2019 draft. The Rox added him to their 40-man roster in advance of last winter’s Rule 5 Draft, wanting to protect the outfielder in the wake of a solid 2022 season that saw him hit .256/.300/.473 with 26 home runs and 23 steals (in 26 chances) over 548 combined plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A. Only 41 of those PA came at the Triple-A level in 2022, but Doyle has looked great in a slightly longer audition in Albuquerque this year, as he has mashed his way to a .306/.404/.633 slash line over 57 PA.
MLB Pipeline ranks Doyle as the 16th-best prospect in Colorado’s minor league system, while Baseball America ranks him 21st amongst Rockies farmhands. Given plus grades for his defense and throwing arm, Doyle is already big league-capable from a glovework standpoint, able to play center field or (owing to his strong arm) right field. He also has plus speed, which has translated to success on the basepaths, and some raw power that has led to his power numbers.
Plate discipline is an ongoing question, as Doyle’s strikeout rates have been higher than 30% at each level beyond rookie ball. Pipeline’s scouting report did note that Doyle made a bit more contact after making some adjustments last season, indicating that Doyle might still be able to reach another level as a hitter.
The Rockies will see if Doyle can unlock some of that potential in the majors, but the fact that the Rox are calling up an outfielder might related to a pair of injury concerns. Kris Bryant left Saturday’s game after feeling pain in his sacroiliac joint, while Yonathan Daza left today’s game after being hit in the hand by a Zack Wheeler fastball. X-rays were negative on Daza and other players are day-to-day for now, but either a 10-day injured list placement could be coming Monday or Colorado might just be adding Doyle as outfield depth since neither Bryant or Daza may be available to face the Guardians.
Athletics Acquire Sam Long From Giants
The A’s announced that left-hander Sam Long has been acquired in a trade with the Giants, with cash considerations heading San Francisco’s way. Long was designated for assignment by the Giants earlier this week after the club acquired Cal Stevenson (another DFA’ed player) from the Athletics for money, essentially making the pair of transactions into a Stevenson-for-Long swap.
Long made his MLB debut in 2021, and the Giants shuttled him back and forth from Triple-A several times over the course of the last two seasons, with Long amassing 83 big league innings in total. The lack of stability probably didn’t help Long get too comfortable in the Show, but after posting a 5.53 ERA over 40 2/3 frames in 2021, he improved to a 3.61 ERA in 42 1/3 innings last year.
Fielding-independent metrics indicated Long was pretty similar in both seasons, and his career 4.55 ERA came close to the midpoint between his 4.80 xFIP and 4.35 SIERA. Long has done a good job of limiting walks but he hasn’t missed many bats, and he has been tagged for 13 home runs in his 83 MLB innings. The results haven’t been there in the minors this season, however, as Long has a 9.90 ERA over 10 innings with Triple-A Sacramento.
This was enough for the Giants to part ways, and the A’s will now see if Long can provide any relief depth either in the minors or in their Major League bullpen. The Athletics have been struggling in all facets of the game and the relief corps is no exception, so Long might find some opportunity on a club desperate for any help. Sam Moll and Richard Lovelady are the current left-handed options in Oakland’s pen.
Two transactions within a week counts as a huge flurry of activity in the limited trade history between the A’s and Giants. The two Bay Area rivals last connected on an actual player-for-player trade in December 1990, with five player-for-cash swaps happening in the interim.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat
Reds Have “Preliminary” Extension Negotiations With Graham Ashcraft
The Reds have had some “preliminary talks” with Graham Ashcraft‘s camp about a possible contract extension, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The report comes just a few days after news broke that Hunter Greene had signed a six-year, $53MM extension with the club, and Cincinnati is also apparently looking into a long-term deal with Nick Lodolo.
As Nightengale’s phrasing would suggest, it doesn’t appear the Reds and Ashcraft’s reps at the Bledsoe Agency are necessarily close on a deal, or even if negotiations have gone beyond an exploratory stage. However, it makes sense that the Reds would also turn to Ashcraft in their attempts to gain some long-term control and cost certainty over their young rotation members, though talks with Ashcraft could take a different shape than the negotiations with Greene or Lodolo.
For one, Ashcraft’s path to the big leagues has come with a lot less fanfare. Both Greene and Lodolo were highly touted first-round draft picks (Greene second overall in 2017, Lodolo seventh overall in 2019) and fixtures on top-100 prospect rankings during their time in Cincinnati’s farm system. By contrast, Ashcraft was a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft, though he made a pretty quick rise up the ladder after posting a 3.33 ERA and 26.17% strikeout rate over 203 career innings in the minors.
Ashcraft made his MLB debut last May as a COVID-related substitute on the Reds’ roster, and then after a brief return to Triple-A came back to the big leagues for good less than a week later. The righty’s rookie year saw him post a 4.89 ERA over 105 innings, displaying elite velocity (97.1mph on his fastball), a 54.5% grounder rate, an above-average 6.5% walk rate, and solid work in limiting hard contact. Ashcraft didn’t miss many bats, however, as his 15.3% strikeout rate was one of the lower marks in the majors. Thus far in 2023, the advanced metrics haven’t loved Ashcraft’s work, but he has an impressive 1.88 ERA over 24 innings, while generating groundballs 57.8% of the time — a .250 BABIP has undoubtedly contributed to Ashcraft’s success given this grounder-heavy approach.
This is nothing new for Ashcraft, whose overall grounder rate in the minors topped the 55% threshold. Between that ability to avoid fly balls and his high velo, there’s some interesting potential for the 25-year-old going forward, even if Ashcraft has yet to really show any strikeout ability at the MLB level. If Greene and Lodolo might have more of a front-of-the-rotation ceiling, Ashcraft has shown early signs that he could settle in as a comfortable mid-rotation arm.
Since Ashcraft is already controlled through the 2028 season, there isn’t necessarily any urgency on the Reds’ part to reach a long-term deal. It is perhaps worth wondering if Ashcraft might be more open to an extension in order to lock in the first big payday of his pro career. Ashcraft agreed to a modest $247.5K signing bonus after being drafted, as opposed to the much larger bonuses received by Lodolo ($5.4MM) and Greene ($7.23MM) befitting their higher draft status.
Guardians Prospect Daniel Espino To Visit Doctor About Recurring Shoulder Soreness
It was just over two months ago that the Guardians announced that pitching prospect Daniel Espino was being shut down for roughly eight weeks due to a pair of injuries (a subscapularis strain and an anterior capsule tear) in his right shoulder. With the shutdown period completed, Espino had been slowly working his way back, but The Athletic’s Zack Meisel reports that Espino has now been shut down again due to continued inflammation and soreness in the shoulder.
Espino is set to visit a doctor to determine the next course of action, which could be an ominous sign that he might be facing a substantially longer layoff. Surgery might potentially sideline Espino for the remainder of the 2023 season, though a large-scale procedure might provide an answer to the shoulder problems that have plagued the star prospect for two years. Espino pitched in only four games for Double-A Akron in 2022 due to both shoulder issues and knee tendinitis.
Cleveland selected Espino with the 24th overall pick of the 2019 draft, and there were plenty of early indications that the right-hander would be the latest prized arm to come out of the Guardians’ farm system. Espino has a whopping 40.85% strikeout rate over his 133 2/3 minor league innings, even if his 9.8% walk rate and 3.57 ERA are more on the modest side.
Even though he barely pitched in 2022, Espino was still a consensus top-25 prospect in preseason rankings from MLB Pipeline (who rated Espino 16th), Baseball America (19th), and Baseball Prospectus (25th). Both Pipeline and BA give his fastball a perfect 80 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale, due to its excellent movement, ride, and velocity that can top 100mph. Espino’s 70-grade slider is almost as deadly, and he is able to generate low-90’s velocity on that secondary pitch.
With a healthy and productive season, Espino surely would’ve found himself promoted to Triple-A in 2023 and then perhaps to the majors at some point. While the Guardians have plenty of pitching depth, the team has been willing to be aggressive with certain prospects if they’re gauged ready for MLB competition, and Espino might have been such a special case. Now, it seems like all Espino and the Guards can hope for is that the 22-year-old can get back onto a mound in any relatively short amount of time.
Giants Activate Joc Pederson From 10-Day Injured List
The Giants activated outfielder/DH Joc Pederson from the 10-day injured list, with Heliot Ramos optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move. Pederson was expected to return today, as he’ll end up missing only one day beyond his minimum 10-day absence.
A bout of right wrist inflammation sidelined Pederson, but fortunately it looks like the injury was pretty minor in nature. Pederson will now return to the lineup and hope to build on a quality start to the season, as the slugger hit .242/.350/.545 with two homers over his first 40 plate appearances of 2023.
The Giants have been using Pederson exclusively as a designated hitter, and he’ll continue to get the bulk of DH at-bats for the remainder of the season (with a few looks as a corner outfielder and perhaps at first base as circumstances dictate). Darin Ruf and Michael Conforto have been getting most of the DH time in Pederson’s absence, but they will likely return to the first base and outfield duty respectively. Of course, the Giants are prone to mixing and matching even their regular starters based on matchups, so a right-handed batter like Ruf is probably likely to spell a lefty bat like Pederson or Conforto if a southpaw is on the mound.
This is Pederson’s second year in San Francisco, after hitting .274/.353/.521 with 23 homers over 433 PA in 2022. Pederson was a free agent last winter but instead opted for the one-year windfall of the qualifying offer, as he accepted the Giants’ QO and locked in a $19.65MM salary for the current season.
Dodgers Planning To Activate Tony Gonsolin For Wednesday Start
Tony Gonsolin‘s 2023 debut may be imminent, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that Gonsolin will “likely” be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday’s game against the Pirates. It won’t be a full start, as Gonsolin is expected to pitch around four innings before giving way to the bullpen.
Though it may yet take a few outings for Gonsolin to fully ramp up, his return is surely good news for Los Angeles. The right-hander suffered a fluke injury in early March, as he sprained his ankle while walking off the field following a Spring Training fielding drill. The sprain was relatively minor in nature, but the timing wasn’t ideal, as Gonsolin first had to get healthy and then make up for the lost prep time from spring camp.
Fortunately, the recovery process seems to have gone smoothly, as Gonsolin will head back to the majors after only one minor league rehab outing. Gonsolin had been expected to make at least one more rehab start, and he’ll beat the initial projected timeline of a May return, as suggested by Roberts two weeks ago. Naturally Gonsolin and the Dodgers must feel comfortable enough about the righty’s healthy to activate him somewhat early, but the decision may have also been influenced by Michael Grove‘s placement on the 15-day IL, as Grove (Gonsolin’s rotation replacement) has been sidelined by a groin strain.
Los Angeles has an off-day on Monday to reset its rotation, as well as upcoming off-days on May 4 and 11. While the schedule doesn’t quite allow for the Dodgers to avoid the need for a fifth starter altogether, having Gonsolin in even a limited capacity should be able to fill the gap left by Grove’s injury.
Gonsolin is looking for a follow-up to an outstanding 2022 season, as the right-hander made his first All-Star Game while posting a 2.14 ERA over 130 1/3 innings. The injury bug unfortunately put a damper on Gonsolin’s great year, as a forearm strain sidelined him for all of September, and he returned for just one more regular-season appearance and then an abbreviated (1 1/3 inning) start in Game 3 of the NLDS.