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Injury Notes: Cousins, Buxton, Wendelken

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The Brewers placed Jake Cousins on the 10-day injured list on May 1 with what was described as a right elbow effusion, or a build-up of fluid within the elbow.  However, an MRI also revealed a “concern” with Cousins’ UCL, manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters, and a second opinion is being sought.

It makes for a very ominous situation for the 27-year-old righty, who seemingly came out of nowhere to post a 2.70 ERA and 35.2% strikeout rate (albeit with a 15.2% walk rate) over 30 innings out of Milwaukee’s bullpen.  Batters did a little more damage against Cousins this year, as he had a 4.50 ERA, 34.2% strikeout rate, and 13.2% walk rate in eight innings before heading to the injured list.

Some notes on other injury-related situations around baseball…

  • Byron Buxton left today’s 1-0 Twins victory over the Athletics due to tightness in his right hip, acting manager Jayce Tingler told reporters after the game.  Buxton is day-to-day with the injury, but even a seemingly minor issue has to be of concern given Buxton’s import to Minnesota’s lineup, and his long injury history.  Exactly one year ago today, the Twins placed Buxton on the 10-day IL with a right hip strain that cost the outfielder six weeks of action.  Buxton has a spectacular .278/.342/.722 slash line through his first 79 plate appearances of the season, adding nine homers and his usual great glovework in center field.
  • Diamondbacks right-hander J.B. Wendelken was reinstated from the COVID-related injured list, with righty Luis Frias heading to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Wendelken has been out since April 28 due to a positive COVID-19 test.  Since the D’Backs claimed Wendelken off waivers from the A’s last August, the righty has a 4.33 ERA over 27 innings in an Arizona uniform, though with only a 15.31% strikeout rate.

Padres Place Tim Hill On 15-Day Injured List

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The Padres announced that left-hander Tim Hill has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 5) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.  Lefty Ray Kerr has been called up from Triple-A to take Hill’s place in San Diego’s bullpen.

Hill has been far from his usual effective self, posting an 11.12 ERA over his first 5 2/3 innings out of the Padres’ bullpen.  While Hill hasn’t allowed a run in six of his nine appearances, he has only one strikeout against three walks.  Always more of a grounder specialist than a strikeout artist, Hill has been hurt by a lack of whiffs and a lot of his allowed contact finding holes — Hill has an ungainly. 440 BABIP thus far.

Closer Taylor Rogers is the only other left-hander in the Padres relief corps, so another southpaw was needed in Hill’s absence.  Kerr is an undrafted free agent who has worked his way up the Mariners and Padres farm systems to make his MLB debut earlier this season, and after tossing a scoreless inning in his sole big league game, Kerr could now get more opportunities to impress.  San Diego acquired Kerr from the Mariners as part of the Adam Frazier trade last November.

Red Sox Sign Carlos Martinez To Minor League Contract

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The Red Sox have signed right-hander Carlos Martinez to a minor league deal, as per Martinez’s MLB.com profile page.  Martinez had been signed to a minors contract with the Giants, but San Francisco released him from that deal on April 28.

The timing could indicate an opt-out, since Martinez was one of several Article XX(B) free agents who faced a mandatory decision date of May 1 on whether or not to opt out of their minor league contracts.  If the Giants let Martinez know in advance that he wasn’t going to be added to their active roster and Martinez subsequently informed the team that he would opting out, it may be that the two sides decided to part ways in advance of that May 1 deadline.

Martinez has yet to pitch this season, as he continues to recover from the thumb injury that prematurely ended his 2021 season.  The thumb issue was the latest in a series of injuries (including a shoulder problem, two oblique strains, and a nasty case of COVID-19 that required hospitalization) that have set Martinez back since midway through the 2018 season.  Prior to those health problems, Martinez had three years of strong work at the front of the Cardinals rotation, reaching the All-Star team in both 2015 and 2017.

While Martinez still pitched well as a reliever in 2018-19, he has only a 6.95 ERA over 102 1/3 innings (in 21 starts) since the beginning of the 2020 season.  That lack of performance led the Cards to decline their $17MM club option on the righty for 2022 campaign.

The Red Sox will now see if they can manage a second act in Martinez’s career.  The 30-year-old would at least seem to have some viable potential as a reliever going forward, and the Sox are certainly on the lookout for bullpen help given how their relief corps has struggled thus far in the season.

There is some irony in the signing, as Martinez originally signed with the Red Sox for $140K as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2009.  That was when Martinez as known as “Carlos Matias,” but due to questions about both his name and birthdate, MLB voided the righty’s contract with Boston.  Martinez had to serve a year-long suspension, but then inked a deal with the Cardinals for a $1.5MM bonus in 2010.

Marlins Place Jon Berti On Injured List, Select Joe Dunand

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The Marlins have placed utilityman Jon Berti on their injured list, and selected the contract of infielder Joe Dunand from Triple-A.  No specifics were given about Berti’s IL placement, and as with Brian Anderson’s placement to Miami’s IL yesterday, it would seem like Berti’s absence is related to COVID-19.

Berti is off to a fantastic start, hitting .300/.440/.550 over his first 50 plate appearances.  While Berti was roughly a league-average hitter in 2019-20, he is better known for his versatility — already this season, Berti has seen time  at shortstop, left field, second base, and third base, iin addition to pinch-hitting and pinch-running work.  This multi-positional skillset has made Berti a very useful bench piece over his four seasons in Miami, and allowed the Marlins at times to keep a shortened bench and add an extra arm to the bullpen.

Dunand can bring at least some of that versatility, with lots of experience as a third baseman and shortstop (and a handful of games at first base) over his five minor league seasons.  For tonight’s game against the Padres, Dunand is in the starting lineup at third base, set for his MLB debut.

A second-round pick for the Marlins in the 2017 draft, Dunand hasn’t hit much in the minors, and isn’t listed as one of Miami’s top 30 prospects by either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline.  A lack of offense has limited Dunand’s potential, but the 26-year-old Miami native (who is the nephew of Alex Rodriguez) has hit better at Triple-A this year, batting .255/.368/.426 over 57 PA.

Angels Place Kurt Suzuki On Injured List; Select Chad Wallach, Kyle Barraclough

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The Angels announced some roster moves, including the news that catcher Kurt Suzuki has been placed on the injured list.  Left-hander Jhonathan Diaz has also been optioned to Triple-A.  To fill the two roster spots, the Halos have selected the contracts of catcher Chad Wallach and right-hander Kyle Barraclough from Triple-A Salt Lake.

Since no designation was given for Suzuki’s injury, it would seem like his absence is related to COVID-19, whether a positive test, or possibly Suzuki just has symptoms or a close contact.  Suzuki has hit .179/.273/.282 over 44 plate appearances, splitting time behind the plate with Max Stassi for the second consecutive season in Anaheim.

Wallach will now fill that role for the time being, and after nine months in the Angels organization, Wallach is now on the verge of his first official game in a Halos uniform.  The Angels selected Wallach off waivers from the Dodgers last August but he didn’t receive any big league action; he also elected to forego free agency after the Angels outrighted him off their 40-man roster back in November.

Appearing in each of the last five seasons at the MLB level, Wallach has carved out a niche for himself as a solid defensive catcher, but his lack of hitting (.207/.271/.303 over 231 career PA) has limited his playing time.  Much of Wallace’s Major League career has come in a Marlins uniform, as Wallach played 72 of his 78 career games with Miami from 2018-21.

Wallach and Barraclough were teammates on that 2018 Marlins team, in what was Barrraclough’s final season in South Beach.  The righty posted a 3.21 ERA over 218 2/3 innings with the Marlins from 2015-18, despite some control problems that have plagued Barraclough throughout his career.  Since leaving Miami, Barraclough has also been hit hard by the home run ball, allowing 13 homers and posting a 5.59 ERA over 46 2/3 total frames with the Nationals, Giants, and Twins.  Los Angeles signed Barraclough to a minors contract in January.

A’s To Place Stephen Piscotty On 10-Day Injured List

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The Athletics will be placing outfielder Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day injured list due to a Grade 1 calf strain, manager Mark Kotsay told reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos).  Piscotty suffered the injury while running the bases in Friday’s game, and had to be removed in the second inning.

Due to an earlier stint on the COVID-19 list, Piscotty has played in only 14 games this season, hitting .225/.340/.325 over his 47 plate appearances.  With a 105 wRC+/106 OPS+, Piscotty is one of the few batters with above-average offensive production for the struggling A’s, though the outfielder hasn’t produced much at the plate over the previous three seasons.  Injuries have hampered Piscotty in that time and he’ll now make another trip to the IL, though if there is any silver lining, a Grade 1 is the least-serious type of calf strain.

The A’s will have a ready-made replacement for Piscotty in the outfield, as Ramon Laureano is eligible to be reinstated to the active roster tomorrow.  Laureano was issued an 80-game PED suspension last August, so he missed the remainder of the 2021 season and the first 27 games of this season.  It isn’t quite a sure thing that Laureano is activated, however, as he has only a .462 OPS over 44 PA since beginning a Triple-A rehab assignment two weeks ago — Oakland might opt to give Laureano a bit more of a tune-up period in the minors before bringing him back to Major League action.

Brewers Place Andrew McCutchen On COVID List

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4:34PM: McCutchen did test positive for the coronavirus, manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters.

4:18PM: The Brewers have placed outfielder Andrew McCutchen on the COVID-related injury list.  Utilityman Mike Brosseau has been called up from Triple-A while McCutchen is sidelined.

It isn’t yet known if McCutchen has tested positive for COVID-19 or if his placement is merely precautionary due to symptoms or a close-contact situation.  If the latter, the veteran outfielder could be back in Milwaukee’s lineup as early as tomorrow.  If McCutchen has tested positive, he’ll miss at least 10 days unless he can deliver two negative tests, go at least 24 hours without a fever, and get approved by a panel of three physicians (a team doctor, a league-approved doctor, and a players’ union-approved doctor).

After signing a one-year, $8.5MM free agent deal to join the Brew Crew, McCutchen has yet to really get going, hitting a modest .240/.291/.350 with two home runs over his first 110 plate appearances in a Brewers uniform.  McCutchen has mostly worked as the designated hitter, so Milwaukee is likely to rotate several regulars through the DH spot in his absence, with Brosseau, Tyrone Taylor, and Jace Peterson filling holes around the diamond or getting some DH time themselves.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/7/22

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Today’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Reds outrighted Aristides Aquino to Triple-A after the outfielder cleared waivers.  Aquino was designated for assignment last week, a move Cincinnati had to make in order to demote Aquino since he is out of minor league options.  Aquino had only a .215 OPS over his first 43 plate appearances, with two hits in 41 at-bats.

Giants Reinstate Brandon Belt, Dominic Leone From COVID List

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The Giants have reinstated first baseman Brandon Belt and right-hander Dominic Leone from the COVID-related injured list.  Infielder Jason Vosler and righty Sean Hjelle were optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding roster moves.

Belt and Leone return after positive COVID-19 tests sidelined the duo on April 29.  Both were off to strong starts — Belt hit .242/.367/.470 with four home runs over his first 79 plate appearances, while Leone had a 2.57 ERA over his first eight innings out of the Giants bullpen.

With Belt moving back to his customary first base spot, Wilmer Flores (who had been filling in at first base) is likely to slide across the diamond and take over at third now that Vosler is back in Triple-A.  Evan Longoria has yet to play this season due to finger surgery, but the veteran is on a minor league rehab assignment and could be close to his 2022 debut.

Red Sox Notes: Sale, Paxton, Whitlock, Hill, Hernandez, Duran

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With the Red Sox struggling, it will still be a while before two big reinforcements are back on the mound.  Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams and MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) today that Chris Sale’s rehab from a stress fracture in his ribcage has been delayed by another medical issue, one not related to baseball or to COVID-19.  Sale has yet to resume throwing, and his return from the 60-day injured list is now expected for late June.

James Paxton is also dealing with some posterior elbow soreness, which is concerning since Paxton is just over a year removed from Tommy John surgery.  That rehab was already expected to keep Paxton from returning until around June or July, though this latest soreness could very well push back Paxton’s timeline, even though the southpaw is expected to resume throwing soon.

Paxton signed a one-year “swellopt” contract with Boston prior to the lockout, which will pay the left-hander $10MM in guaranteed money in 2022, and potentially up to $32MM over the 2022-24 seasons depending on whether or not the Red Sox exercise a pair of club options.  Naturally, the deal was signed with the knowledge that Paxton would miss a good chunk of the 2022 season, but Boston’s 10-17 record to date might change the equation.  While there is still plenty of time left for the Sox to turn things around, falling too far back in the competitive AL East might lead Bloom and company to consider selling at the trade deadline.

Sale is no stranger to Tommy John recoveries, as a TJ procedure sidelined Sale for the entire 2020 season and delayed his 2021 debut until August.  Since elbow problems also shut Sale down early in the 2019 campaign, the veteran lefty has pitched only 51 2/3 innings (in the regular season and postseason) since August 14, 2019.

Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, and Rich Hill have all pitched very well in Boston’s rotation this year, while Nick Pivetta has struggled and Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck have split duties as both starters and relievers.  Whitlock has been the better of the two, and Bloom said that Whitlock will be officially moved into the starting five while Hill is sidelined with a positive COVID-19 test.

Whitlock will start Tuesday’s game against the Braves, which will mark his fourth consecutive start.  Thus far, Whitlock has been just about as dominant in the rotation as he has in the bullpen, with a 1.50 ERA over his first 12 innings as a starting pitcher.  The Sox have been gradually building Whitlock’s pitch counts over those three starts, and he could now be close to being stretched out enough to operate in a more normal starting capacity.

Both Hill and Enrique Hernandez were placed on the COVID-related IL yeterday, though Hernandez was already activated today, as his symptoms weren’t coronavirus-related.  In the corresponding move, Jarren Duran was optioned back to Triple-A after a one-game appearance in the Show.  Duran tripled and walked as part of a 1-for-4 performance in Boston’s 4-2 loss to the White Sox last night.

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