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AL Injury Notes: Anderson, Tigers, Odorizzi, Chapman
As the injury bug continues to bite the White Sox, Tim Anderson is at least nearing a return. Manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin) that Anderson is scheduled to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday. Anderson suffered a groin strain in Chicago’s May 29 game, and at the time, La Russa estimated the star shortstop would need about three weeks of recovery time. This rehab assignment would seemingly put Anderson right on track to match or even beat that projection.
The South Side would love to have Anderson back as soon as possible, given how he was on pace for possibly the best season of his already-standout career. Anderson hit .356/.393/.503 with five home runs over his first 173 plate appearances, plus a perfect 8-for-8 mark in stealing bases. With Eloy Jimenez still on the IL and Yasmani Grandal now nursing a sore hamstring, Anderson’s return is a much-needed boost for a struggling White Sox lineup.
More injury updates from around the American League…
- Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that Tyler Alexander (elbow sprain) could be activated from the 15-day IL as soon as Tuesday, though the team hasn’t yet decided on Alexander’s next step after the southpaw has seemingly completed his rehab work. Eduardo Rodriguez (ribcage sprain) was tentatively slated to return from his own rehab assignment this week, but that timeline is now up in the air since Rodriguez is away on a personal matter. Meanwhile, reliever Jose Cisnero (shoulder strain) was about to begin his own rehab assignment but has now been shut down for two weeks due to soreness in his right Achilles tendon.
- For the first since suffering a lower-leg injury almost a month ago, Jake Odorizzi joined the Astros’ other pitchers in fielding drills today. Manager Dusty Baker told FOX 26’s Mark Berman (Twitter links) and other reporters that Odorizzi’s return to these drills is “kind of like the final hurdle” in determining the right-hander’s readiness. The next step is gradually bringing Odorizzi along, as the pitcher told Berman and company that he was going at around “50-60%” in his first workout, and he’ll continue to slowly ramp up.
- Matt Chapman has missed the Blue Jays’ last two games due to a sore right wrist. Manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and other reporters that Chapman “couldn’t even pinch-hit today,” though the third baseman is still considered day-to-day with the injury. Imaging hasn’t yet been done on Chapman’s wrist, which Nicholson-Smith notes is an indication that the Jays believe the injury isn’t too serious.
Michael Kopech Leaves Game Due To Right Knee Discomfort
6:18PM: Speaking with The Athletic’s James Fegan (Twitter links) and other reporters after the game, Kopech said his knee is sore and there is some fluid buildup, but an MRI revealed no structural problems. He did feel a small twinge or pop sensation in his knee during his final pitch of the game.
Both Kopech and manager Tony La Russa expressed hope that the injury wasn’t serious, and that Kopech might potentially not even miss a start. For the Detroit series, La Russa said Lynn will now pitch on Monday, Dylan Cease will start Tuesday, and Wednesday’s starter is to be determined.
5:21PM: Michael Kopech lasted only 13 pitches into today’s start against the Rangers, as the White Sox right-hander had to leave the game due to what the Sox later described as discomfort in his right knee. After tossing a strike to Adolis Garcia, Kopech was in visible discomfort on the mound, and departed after a visit from the team trainer.
More will be known about Kopech’s status after he receives testing and treatment, yet for now, it looks like the White Sox have perhaps suffered yet another key injury. With several notable players sidelined for long stretches of time (or even the entire season, such as Tommy John patient Garrett Crochet), Chicago has been unable to get much momentum going, as the club carried a 27-30 record into today’s game with Texas.
Just as it seemed the rotation was finally taking shape with the impending return of Lance Lynn, the White Sox now face another possible absence in Kopech. Lynn had been slated for Tuesday’s game against the Tigers, though Chicago’s rotation will have to be reshuffled since Johnny Cueto (Monday’s scheduled starter) ended up pitching five innings today. An off-day on Thursday should help to settle things, but in the short term, the Sox now suddenly face a bit of a crunch for this series in Detroit.
In his first full year as a starting pitcher, Kopech has an outstanding 1.94 ERA over 51 2/3 innings, though his 4.34 SIERA and 4.49 xFIP aren’t as impressed by his performance. The righty has benefited from a .180 BABIP, and his 12% walk rate is only in the 13th percentile of all pitchers. While some regression was probably inevitable, it also remained to be seen how long Kopech would remain in the rotation, as it seemed likely the White Sox would limit his innings to some extent given Kopech’s lack of work in 2019-20, and his usage as a reliever in 2021.
Padres Select Kyle Tyler
The Padres selected the contract of right-hander Kyle Tyler prior to today’s game with the Rockies. Righty Reiss Knehr was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Tyler has become a familiar name on MLBTR’s pages in recent weeks, as he has been designated for assignment five times in less than three months, and claimed off waivers on four of those occasions. This flurry has seen Tyler go from the Angels, to the Red Sox, to the Padres, back to the Angels, and then finally back to San Diego for his latest stop.
All of these transactions have taken place without Tyler ever seeing any big league action, but the 25-year-old is now in line to follow up on his 2021 rookie season. Debuting with the Angels last year, Tyler posted a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 innings of relief work, with six strikeouts and walks apiece.
Working as both a starter and reliever over his minor league career, Tyler has a 3.40 ERA over 248 2/3 professional innings since Anaheim selected him in the 20th round of the 2018 draft. This includes a 5.51 ERA over 16 1/3 innings with Triple-A El Paso this season, though even beyond that small sample size, Tyler’s 2022 performance is understandably hard to gauge given all the starts and stops involved in his unusual season.
Diamondbacks, Dallas Keuchel Agree To Minor League Deal
TODAY: Keuchel’s deal actually contains three opt-out dates, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The three dates are June 25, July 3, and July 11.
JUNE 6: The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with free agent lefty Dallas Keuchel, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll head to Triple-A for the time being but has an eventual opt-out date worked into the deal if he’s not added to the MLB roster by that time. Keuchel is represented by the Boras Corporation.
It’s a no-risk deal for the D-backs, who’ll owe only the prorated league minimum to Keuchel for any time spent in the Majors. The remaining balance of his $18MM salary will still be paid by the White Sox, who released him late last month. The Sox are also still on the hook for the $1.5MM buyout on Keuchel’s 2023 option.
Keuchel is headed to the minors for now, but the new agreement reconnects him with D-backs pitching coach Brent Strom, who was Keuchel’s pitching coach during his peak years with the Astros. At least for now, the two won’t be working side-by-side on a daily basis with Strom on the big league staff, but the connection quite likely played a role in the mutual interest between player and team.
The 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner, Keuchel was a force atop the Houston rotation from 2014-18, pitching to a 3.28 ERA with a 20.2% strikeout rate, a strong 6.4% walk rate and a sky-high 60% ground-ball rate over the life of 950 1/3 innings. That included his standout 2015 campaign, wherein Keuchel paced the American League in wins (20), shutouts (two) and innings pitched (232) — all while pitching to a career-best 2.48 ERA. He hasn’t replicated that success since, but that was one of three sub-3.00 ERAs that Keuchel posted in a four-year span.
Despite the impressive resume with Houston, Keuchel’s first trip through the free-agent process didn’t pan out as hoped. Saddled with the burden of draft-pick compensation after rejecting a qualifying offer from the Astros, Keuchel wound up waiting until after the 2019 draft to sign a prorated one-year deal with the Braves. (In waiting that long, he shed the draft-pick compensation provision.)
It was a surprising scene, likely due to a combination of multiple factors. The draft compensation undoubtedly played a role, and Keuchel surely hit the market with lofty multi-year goals that many teams found unreasonable. He’d also had multiple IL stints since that Cy Young year and reached the market on the heels of a 2018 season that saw him post his lowest strikeout and ground-ball rates since his 2012 rookie season.
Keuchel still reeled in a prorated $20MM salary on that deal (about $13MM), and he pitched well down the stretch with Atlanta. In 112 2/3 frames that year, he notched a 3.75 ERA with a revitalized 60.1% grounder rate. It was enough for the White Sox to guarantee Keuchel $55.5MM on a three-year deal as they emerged from a lengthy rebuilding effort.
The first season of that deal proved to be an overwhelming success, as Keuchel turned in a career-best 1.99 ERA over 11 starts (63 1/3 innings) during the Covid-shortened 2020 season. Keuchel got out to a strong start in Year Two of the deal as well, logging a 3.78 ERA through his first 14 starts of the season, but he fell into a disastrous slump shortly thereafter and has yet to really recover.
Keuchel has made 24 starts since June 20 of last year, allowing runs in 23 of them. During that time, he’s pitched to a 7.02 ERA with a bottom-of-the-barrel 12.4% strikeout rate against an elevated 10.2% walk rate. He’s still inducing grounders at a better-than-average 52.2% clip, but that’s a good ways off from his peak levels. It also bears mention that Keuchel has averaged just 87.8 mph on his heater during that span — nearly three miles per hour slower than the 90.4 mph he averaged during that Cy Young-winning season.
Arizona’s top four starters this season have been anywhere from solid to excellent, as each of Zac Gallen (2.40 ERA), Madison Bumgarner (3.31), Merrill Kelly (3.66) and Zach Davies (4.18) have made at least 10 starts and totaled at least 54 innings. The fifth spot has been more of a challenge to fill. Luke Weaver moved to the bullpen earlier in the year and hit the injured list not long after. Humberto Castellanos (nine starts), Tyler Gilbert (tw0) and Caleb Smith (one — which was only one inning) have made the remainder of the team’s starts and generally fared poorly. Castellanos recently hit the injured list with an elbow strain.
Keuchel will give the D-backs some depth to slot in behind that group. He’ll join fellow big league veteran Dan Straily, who has struggled on a minor league deal of his own following a big showing in South Korea, as a non-roster player down in Reno. The Snakes also have the aforementioned Gilbert, righty Luis Frias and former top prospect Corbin Martin on the 40-man roster as options down in Triple-A.
Rockies Place Tyler Kinley On 15-Day Injured List
The Rockies placed right-hander Tyler Kinley on the 15-day injured list, as Kinley is dealing with an ulnar nerve injury in his throwing elbow. The placement is retroactive to June 9. Right-hander Chad Smith has been called up from Triple-A to take Kinley’s spot in the Colorado bullpen.
Now in his third season with the Rockies, Kinley has had a breakout year, posting an 0.75 ERA, 27% strikeout rate, and 6.0% walk rate over 24 innings. Even with advanced metrics factored in, Kinley’s 2.88 SIERA is still indicative of a fine performance, and Kinley has become the top set-up option behind closer Daniel Bard. Kinley, Bard, and Alex Colome have been pretty much the only effective arms in the Rockies’ bullpen this season, so Kinley’s absence will further hamper a struggling relief corps.
It also isn’t yet clear how much time Kinley might miss, or if surgery could be a possibility. If his ulnar nerve is only irritated, Kinley could conceivably be back in action relatively soon (if beyond the minimum 15 days). However, if the injury is more serious, Kinley’s season may be in jeopardy.
The 31-year-old is in his first year of arbitration eligibility, having agreed to an arb-avoiding $1.025MM deal back in November. Losing a big chunk of this breakout year to the IL would certainly hamper Kinley’s earning potential for 2023, though his price tag would also be low enough that the Rockies would probably still tender him a contract.
Orioles Designate Chris Owings For Assignment
June 12: The Orioles announced that Owings has been placed on unconditional release waivers.
June 8: The Orioles announced they’ve designated utilityman Chris Owings for assignment. The move opens a spot on the active roster for newly-claimed righty Austin Voth. The designation also opens a vacancy on the 40-man roster, which now sits at 39.
Owings signed a minor league contract with Baltimore during Spring Training. He cracked the Opening Day roster, and he’s started 19 of the club’s 57 games while working in a utility capacity. The 30-year-old has tallied 68 plate appearances but hit just .107/.254/.143 while striking out 24 times in that limited look. The slow start squeezed him off the active roster, and Owings has more than enough service time to refuse an option to Triple-A, leaving the O’s to designate him for assignment.
The right-handed hitting Owings has never made much of an impact at the plate, carrying a career .239/.287/.366 line in just under 2500 MLB plate appearances. He’s nevertheless continued to earn opportunities on the strength of his defensive versatility and baserunning. Owings has appeared in each of the last ten big league seasons, settling into a depth role over the past few years after a run as a regular middle infielder early in his career with the Diamondbacks. The South Carolina native has experience all over the diamond, with the bulk of his work coming at second base, shortstop and in center field.
Baltimore will have a week to trade Owings or place him on waivers. Given his early-season struggles, it seems likely he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed and hit free agency — either via a release or rejecting an outright assignment to the minor leagues.
Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde also informed reporters (including Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun) the club is set to option right-hander Spenser Watkins to Triple-A Norfolk after reinstating him from the 15-day injured list. Watkins is tied for fourth on the team with eight starts, but he’s struggled to a 6.00 ERA across 30 innings. The 29-year-old has walked 15 batters while striking out 14, and the club recently welcomed Dean Kremer back from the IL for his season debut. Watkins, who has been out since late May due to an elbow contusion, will remain on the 40-man roster as a depth option.
Braves Claim Mike Ford, Designate Joe Dunand
June 12: Dunand cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett, per David O’Brien of The Athletic.
June 10: The Braves announced they’ve claimed first baseman Mike Ford off waivers from the Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett. Infielder Joe Dunand has been designated for assignment to clear 40-man roster space.
It has been a roller-coaster of a season for Ford, who’s now on his third different organization of the year. He signed a minor league deal with Seattle, then was selected onto the big league roster in April. Seattle designated him for assignment and traded him to the Giants fairly quickly, then acquired him back from San Francisco two weeks later once the Giants DFA him themselves. Ford held his second 40-man roster spot in Seattle for a few weeks, but the M’s again took him off the roster this past weekend.
Through it all, Ford has appeared in 17 MLB games. He’s compiled a rather bizarre .182/.357/.212 slash line, the product of eight walks but 12 strikeouts in only 42 plate appearances. It’s the fourth consecutive year in which he’s logged some big league time, with all of his pre-2022 MLB work coming in a Yankees uniform. The left-handed hitter broke in with an excellent .259/.350/.559 showing with 12 home runs in 50 games as a rookie, but he owns a .144/.273/.263 line in just shy of 200 plate appearances since the start of the 2020 camapign.
The 29-year-old adds a left-handed hitting depth option to the organization. Matt Olson obviously has first base accounted for, but the Braves have gotten subpar work (.252/.328/.360) out of their designated hitters. Ford is in his final minor league option year, meaning the Braves can keep him in Gwinnett for the rest of the season if they’re willing to carry him on the 40-man roster. He’s hit .271/.417/.417 in 14 Triple-A games this year.
Dunand was a recent waiver claim himself, coming over from the division-rival Marlins last week. His time in the organization may now be coming to close without a big league game, as the 26-year-old has just appeared in five games with Gwinnett. He did make a brief cameo in Miami earlier in the year, logging three appearances.
A former second-round pick, the right-handed hitting Dunand has a .209/.295/.376 line in 328 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s struggled with strikeouts throughout his minor league tenure, but the 6’2″ infielder has drawn praise in the past for his raw power potential. Dunand has played mostly on the left side of the infield in the minors, with a bit more work at shortstop than at third base. The Braves will have a week to trade him or look to run through waivers themselves.
Royals Transfer Jake Brentz To 60-Day IL
The Royals announced some roster moves today, reinstating lefty Amir Garrett from the COVID-related injured list. To make room for him on the active roster, fellow southpaw Angel Zerpa was optioned to Triple-A. Yet another lefty, Jake Brentz, was transferred to the 60-day IL in order to create room for Garrett on the 40-man roster.
Brent made it to the major leagues for the first time last year and had a strong debut season. He threw 64 innings with a 3.66 ERA, 49% ground ball rate and 27.3% strikeout rate, though his walks were on the high side at 13.3%. This year, however, things got off to a disastrous start, with Brentz allowing 14 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, which included an awful 28.9% walk rate. He landed on the injured list in late April due to a left flexor strain. At the time, manager Mike Matheny said that Brentz had been ailing for some time, which perhaps explains those struggles.
Today’s transfer means he won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from the initial IL placement, which would be late June. Matheny tells Anne Rogers of MLB.com that this doesn’t affect the timeline for Brentz, who wasn’t going to be ready to return at that point anyway. The club could use the roster spot because of their COVID situation. Garrett was one of three players on the COVID list, meaning he wasn’t occupying a spot on the 40-man roster. Moving Brentz to the 60-day cleared up a spot for him, though the club still has Matt Peacock and Gabe Speier on the COVID-IL, meaning further roster maneuvering will be required down the line.
Diamondbacks Designate Drew Ellis For Assignment
The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today, with right-hander Luke Weaver being activated from the 60-day injured list. To create space for Weaver on the active roster, right-hander Edwin Uceta was optioned to Triple-A. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, infielder Drew Ellis was designated for assignment.
Acquired from the Cardinals in the Paul Goldschmidt trade, Weaver had an excellent start to his Diamondbacks tenure, although it was limited by a forearm strain. In 12 starts that year, he put up a 2.94 ERA in 64 1/3 innings. But over the subsequent two seasons, injuries and underperformance dimmed his outlook. In April, manager Terry Lovullo announced that the club planned to use Weaver out of the bullpen to start the year. Regardless, Weaver landed on the IL with elbow inflammation after throwing just 2/3 of an inning, only now making his way back to the majors. It’s possible that Weaver could get back into the rotation soon, as his last rehab outing was a four-inning start where he threw 60 pitches. Caleb Smith took Weaver’s rotation spot at the start of the year but was himself bumped into the bullpen after just one start. Humberto Castellanos took over a rotation spot in April but landed on the IL recently.
As for Ellis, 26, he was a second round pick of the D-Backs in 2017. He had his contract selected in July of last year and made his major league debut. In 34 MLB games so far, he has a tepid batting line of .134/.268/.207, 37 wRC+. He has an incredible 18.4% walk rate in 42 Triple-A games this year, helping him produce a line of .217/.369/.399, 100 wRC+. Ellis has garnered praise from prospect evaluators for his defense, where he’s capable of playing first, second or third base. Given that versatility and patient approach at the plate, he could be of interest to other clubs, especially since he still has options and can be stashed in the minors. Arizona will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers.
