NL Central Notes: Frelick, Houser, Wainwright, Rodriguez, Pirates
A left thumb sprain sent Brewers outfield prospect Sal Frelick to the seven-day Triple-A injured list this week, and MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets that Frelick is getting a second opinion on the injury. Though a second opinion is often something of an ominous sign, “it sounds like the more [the Brewers] learn, the more they believe Sal avoided a serious injury,” McCalvy writes. That’s good news for Frelick, who celebrated his 23rd birthday earlier this week.
A consensus top-50 prospect heading into the season, Frelick was picked 15th overall by the Brewers in the 2021 draft, and he has mostly been tearing up minor league pitching during his brief pro career. He played in 46 Triple-A games last season and was projected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2023, though Frelick has been set back by both his thumb problem and a slow start in general, as he has hit a modest .232/.318/.321 over 65 Triple-A plate appearances this year. Had he been healthy, Frelick might have been in the majors as early as this weekend, given that Garrett Mitchell might be facing a season-ending shoulder surgery. Once Frelick is himself healthy, he’ll certainly be on Milwaukee’s radar as a possible answer to its outfield depth issues.
More from around the NL Central….
- Since the Brewers‘ rotation has also been thinned by injuries to Brandon Woodruff and Aaron Ashby, the club is stretching out Adrian Houser as a potential starting option. “Really, it’s day by day with all this because we’re checking health….He’s in a regular starter’s routine now, so we’ll see what happens after this one,” manager Craig Counsell told McCalvy and other reporters. “If we need him, he’s ready to go.” Houser has yet to pitch this season due to a groin injury, and is slated to toss 75-80 pitches in a Triple-A rehab start on Sunday.
- Adam Wainwright is also set for another minor league rehab start, with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweeting that Wainwright is expected to toss around 75 pitches on Tuesday for the Cardinals‘ Double-A affiliate. Wainwright has been recovering from a groin strain suffered during a Team USA workout during the World Baseball Classic, and it is possible that the Cards might activate their longtime ace from the 15-day IL if he gets through this second rehab outing without incident.
- Pirates catching prospect Endy Rodriguez will be examined by doctors in Pittsburgh on Monday after suffering a right forearm strain, GM Ben Cherington told reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Like Frelick, Rodriguez was also starting the season at Triple-A and was expected to arrive in the majors in 2023, and Rodriguez was helping his case with a respectable .263/.333/.456 slash line over 66 plate appearances. Baseball America ranked Rodriguez 23rd on its preseason top-100 list, with MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus each ranking Rodriguez as the 55th-best prospect in baseball. Most of Rodriguez’s time has been spent as a catcher, but he has also played first base, second base, and both corner outfield slots, making him a unique multi-positional threat.
Tigers Place Trey Wingenter On 15-Day IL
The Tigers placed right-hander Trey Wingenter on the 15-day injured list due to tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. Wingenter’s placement is retroactive to April 19. Righty Will Vest was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
The IL stint adds to an overall tough start to the season for Wingenter, who has an 8.31 ERA over six appearances and 4 1/3 innings of work. While it’s hard to extrapolate from such a small sample size, it does seem like Wingenter has been unlucky to post such a large ERA —- his SIERA is a much more respectable 3.83, while his BABIP is a hefty .385.
Some rust was probably to be expected given that Wingenter has pitched only three innings of rookie ball since the start of the 2020 season. Due to Tommy John surgery and then a variety of elbow and back problems, Wingenter’s three innings of rehab assignment work marked his only action over three full seasons. Given his checkered injury history, the hope is that Wingenter’s latest IL visit will prove to be a short one, and it could be that the tendinitis is simply a side effect from getting back to pitching on a regular basis.
Prior to that extended layoff, Wingenter showed some promise as a high-velocity, high-strikeout relief arm over 70 innings with the Padres in 2018-19. He signed a minor league deal with Detroit over the offseason and looked very good in Spring Training, earning himself a role on the Tigers’ Opening Day roster.
Rays Notes: Ballpark, Eflin, Siri, Thompson, Glasnow
The Rays “seem to be making progress” on a new ballpark, principal owner Stuart Sternberg told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. While the organization has still been talking with Tampa officials about the possibility of building a long-awaited new stadium in that city, Sternberg said “we’ve been focused on” remaining in St. Petersburg, and a proposed plan that would see the Rays’ new home built near the current site of Tropicana Field.
The stadium would be the centerpiece of a major redevelopment project similar to other recent “ballpark villages” in Atlanta and St. Louis, as the Rays’ new yard would be surrounded by new housing, shopping centers, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Nothing has been finalized about either the ballpark project or the larger revitalization project, as Sternberg said “We’re working at both and neither one is easy….The county and the city are really working beautifully together, so that’s part of the reason why we’re all optimistic.”
While the Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field runs through the 2027 season, there has long been a push from ownership to figure out a new ballpark situation sooner rather than later, with the Rays at one point even exploring an idea to split their home schedule between Tampa and Montreal (in new ballparks in both cities). However, it does now appear that at least some momentum seems to be building towards the Rays staying in St. Pete, which must count as some relief to fans after years of speculation about a possible move.
With the Athletics now on the verge of officially moving from Oakland to Las Vegas, Sternberg commented on the situation, saying that “It’s in all of baseball’s interests to have the A’s and any baseball team on the firmest footing possible.” By this same logic, Sternberg supported commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to waive a relocation fee, noting that to help a team regain stability, it doesn’t fit for the league “to say ‘Look, we’re going to let you move and your revenues are going to go up but we’re going to take them all from you.’ ”
In some Rays news on the field, the team will get some reinforcements back from the injured list starting tomorrow, when Zach Eflin will activated to start Sunday’s game against the White Sox. Eflin’s placement on the 15-day IL was retroactive to April 8, but since his bout of back tightness proved to be minor, he’ll be able to return on the first day of eligibility. After signing a three-year, $40MM free agent deal with Tampa Bay during the offseason, Eflin looked sharp in his first two starts with his new club, posting a 3.27 ERA with 12 strikeouts and one walk over 11 innings.
Jose Siri was also off to an impressive start before beginning an IL stint on April 8, as a hamstring strain put the center fielder on the sidelines. Manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) that Siri will be re-evaluated following a two-game minor league rehab assignment. Siri played the first of those two games yesterday as a DH with Triple-A Durham, and he’ll take today off before playing center field for Durham in Sunday’s contest.
If all goes well, Siri might be activated as early as Monday, when the Rays begin a series against Houston. By coincidence, the Astros were also the team who dealt Siri to Tampa last year at the trade deadline, and after showing his mettle as a defender, Siri has now started to break out at the plate. He hit .318/.333/.682 with two home runs in his first 24 plate appearances before suffering his hamstring strain.
Ryan Thompson also looks to be facing a “very minimal” IL stint, Cash said, which could mean the reliever might return from the 15-day injured list on April 28, when first eligible. Thompson suffered a right lat strain after posting a 3.18 ERA over his first 5 2/3 innings of work out of Tampa’s bullpen.
The timeline isn’t as clear for Tyler Glasnow, who was given an initial window of 6-to-8 weeks when he first suffered his Grade 2 oblique strain at the end of February. Cash said Glasnow was slated for two innings of live batting practice in extended Spring Training work on Monday, which comes on the heels of a pair of bullpen sessions earlier this month. The Rays are aiming for Glasnow to be ready by around the middle of May, once he is fully ramped up after missing such a big chunk of Spring Training work.
Kris Bryant Leaves Game Due To SI Joint/Glute Injury
5:34PM: Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters (including ESPN) that Bryant is day-to-day. The injury isn’t specifically to Bryant’s back, but rather to the sacroiliac joint and glute on the left side of Bryant’s body. “When he put his foot down and landed, there was a little bit of pain,” Black said.
3:21PM: Bryant left the game due to tightness in his lower back, according to Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
2:49PM: The Rockies have removed Kris Bryant in the third inning of their match against the Phillies. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that “it appeared” Bryant rolled his ankle on a first inning strikeout.
Although it’s not yet known the severity of any injury here, Bryant has struggled in that department since joining the Rockies on a seven-year, $182MM deal last year, landing on the IL on three separate occasions in 2022 and appearing in just 42 games.
The 42 games he did play were hugely valuable to the Rockies, as Bryant slashed .306/.376/.475 with five home runs. He’s off to a similarly strong start to the year in 2023, putting up a .291/.364/.456 line with three home runs through his first 88 plate appearances entering play today.
The Rockies are off to a disappointing start, sitting at 6-15 in the NL West, and any missed time for Bryant would be a significant blow to the team moving forward.
Padres Reinstate Joe Musgrove From 15-Day Injured List
The Padres reinstated right-hander Joe Musgrove from the 15-day injured list, as Musgrove is slated to make his season debut in a start against the Diamondbacks tonight. In the corresponding move, San Diego optioned righty Reiss Knehr to Triple-A.
Musgrove fractured the big toe on his left foot after an accident in the weight room in late February, and then suffered a minor shoulder injury during a rehab start that further delayed his return. However, Musgrove only ended up missing roughly an extra week, and he now looks ready to go in his customary spot atop San Diego’s rotation.
Naturally, getting Musgrove back only further strengthens a Padres team that also got Fernando Tatis Jr. back the lineup after his PED suspension expired earlier this week. Between these absences and several other injuries, it perhaps isn’t surprising that the Padres have gotten off a lackluster start, with only a 10-12 record heading into today’s action.
Musgrove will rejoin the rotation just as the Padres are about to enter a relatively light portion of their schedule, as from April 24 to May 29, the Padres have seven off-days. As a result, San Diego will move to a five-man rotation of Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha, with Nick Martinez joining Ryan Weathers as bullpen reinforcement. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Padres’ plan is to try and keep Martinez somewhat stretched out in long relief roles, so make it easier for Martinez to step back into the rotation in the event of an injury or a rest day for one of the starters (possibly Lugo, who is still being re-acclimated to starting work after pitching as a reliever for the last few years). Weathers could also be a multi-inning weapon out of the pen.
It’s probably unlikely that the projected starting five will last the rest of the season without another IL stint, so Martinez or Weathers are surely going to get more starts before 2023 is over. At least in the short term, however, their usage in the bullpen will greatly help a relief corps that has been shorthanded by injuries.
Marlins Select Jeff Lindgren
The Marlins selected the contract of right-hander Jeff Lindgren from Triple-A today, with Lindgren set to act as the 27th player for Miami’s scheduled double-header with the Guardians. Right-hander Tommy Nance was moved to the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot.
Lindgren was designated for assignment and then outrighted off Miami’s 40-man roster earlier this month, after he’d made his MLB debut. That first game came in somewhat unexpected fashion, as an early injury to starter Johnny Cueto meant that Lindgren was called upon to pitch five innings of relief work (allowing four ER on four hits and three walks) in the Marlins’ 11-1 loss to the Twins on April 3.
It’s possible that Lindgren’s latest trip to the Show might only last through the doubleheader, but the 26-year-old might get another chance to show Miami’s coaching staff what he can do against big league hitters. Lindgren was a 24th-round pick for the Marlins in 2019 draft, and has worked almost exclusively as a starter since the beginning of the 2021 season. His work at Triple-A Jacksonville (both last season and this season) has been shaky, with only a 5.26 ERA over 78 2/3 innings for the Marlins’ top affiliate.
Nance has yet to pitch this season due to a strain in his throwing shoulder, and his move to the 60-day IL is backdated from his initial placement on the 15-day IL. As such, Nance won’t be eligible for activation until the end of May, which might represent something of a setback considering that he seemed to be making decent progress. Just yesterday, the Marlins told reporters that Nance had thrown a 30-pitch bullpen session. It could be that Nance emerged from that session with some shoulder soreness, or the 60-day IL placement could simply indicate that Nance might need more build-up time considering that he missed most of Spring Training.
White Sox, Nash Walters Agree To Minor League Deal
The White Sox have brought in right-hander Nash Walters on a minor league deal, per Baseball America’s transactions page.
Walters has one of the smaller major league careers you’ll see, having recorded a solitary out in his solitary big league appearance last year for the Angels. That’s too small of a sample size to draw any meaningful judgement, so it’s easier to look to minor leagues where Walters posted a 4.60 ERA over 47 innings at Double-A last year in the Brewers’ system.
A third round pick by Milwaukee in 2015, Walters worked his way up through their system but was purchased by the Angels at the backend of last season, which also brought about his big league debut.
He’s still only seen a handful of innings at the highest level of the minors, with the bulk of his work coming at Double-A. He’ll spend time at Triple-A Charlotte for the White Sox though, where he’ll provide the team with some relief pitching depth.
Santiago Espinal Exits Game With Right Wrist Contusion
Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal exited Saturday’s game against the Yankees with what the team called a right wrist contusion, according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Espinal was hit by a Gerrit Cole pitch.
Next steps for Espinal aren’t known at this stage, although more should be known after today’s match is completed.
Espinal is off to a slow start to the year, hitting just .114/.162/.200 through his first 37 plate appearances (entering play today). The hit by pitch occurred in his first at bat of the day.
The 28-year-old has been a solid enough contributor for the Blue Jays over the past few seasons, putting up good defensive numbers and providing some value with the bat. He debuted in 2020, and posted a .280/.338/.378 line with nine home runs between 2020-22.
Defensively, Espinal has primarily been handling second base this season, but has also filled in at third and shortstop. At second, Espinal was worth ten Outs Above Average in 2022.
While it’s not yet known if Espinal will be forced to miss any time, the Blue Jays are fairly well stocked at second with Whit Merrifield and Cavan Biggio the internal options to handle the bulk of Espinal’s playing time.
Phillies Place Andrew Bellatti On 15-Day IL
The Phillies announced they’ve placed pitcher Andrew Bellatti on the 15-day IL with right triceps tendinitis. The move is retroactive to yesterday. Christopher Sanchez has been activated off the IL to take Bellatti’s spot on the active roster.
Bellatti has struggled to a 6.23 ERA so far this season through 8 2/3 innings. That’s a noticeable step back from 2022, when Bellatti threw 54 1/3 innings of 3.31 ERA ball out of the Phillies’ bullpen. While Bellatti’s velocity has remained intact so far this season, he has seen an uptick in walks and a drop in strikeouts.
It’s not known yet how severe Bellatti’s injury is, although a bit of clarity on the matter may come after today’s match against the Rockies.
Sanchez was hurt in spring training when he went down with a left triceps strain. He’s made two rehab starts since, working to a 1.04 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings pitched. The Dominican Republic native has been in the big leagues for the past two seasons, working to a 5.47 ERA across 52 2/3 combined innings. He has one minor league option remaining.
Dodgers DFA Jake Reed, Recall Victor Gonzalez
The Dodgers announced they’ve designated right-hander Jake Reed for assignment, and called up left-hander Victor Gonzalez.
Reed made just one ugly outing for the Dodgers this season, giving up six earned runs and making just two outs. The 30-year-old posted a 7.02 ERA in 16 2/3 innings between the Orioles, Mets and Dodgers last season.
The former fifth round pick for the Twins was more reliable in another sample of work in 2021, when he put up a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings of work between the Dodgers and Mets. While the big league numbers aren’t overly encouraging, there’s been enough interest in Reed on the waiver wire (six claims since 2021) that it’s conceivable that another team in need of some bullpen depth puts in a claim for him this time round.
As for Gonzalez, he’s set for his first appearance in the big leagues since 2021. The former international signing out of Mexico has a combined 2.75 ERA in 55 2/3 innings over two seasons of work with the Dodgers in 2020-21. That mark comes with a combined 23.8% strikeout and 8.9% walk rate, both of which are almost identical to the big league average.
Arthroscopic debridement surgery on his pitching elbow wiped out the bulk of the 2022 season for the southpaw, but he’s returned to post a 1.29 ERA in seven innings at Triple-A this season.