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West Injury Notes: Paddack, Gray, Ibanez, Ohtani, Astros

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Padres starter Chris Paddack appears to be ready to come off the IL to start Monday’s game in Arizona, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Acee says that Padres manager Jayce Tingler didn’t confirm the plan, but then later listed Paddack as Monday’s starter on Twitter.

For Paddack, his third big league season has been a disappointing one, logging an ERA of 5.13 over 93 innings. That’s a spike from last year’s 4.73 and his 3.33 mark from 2019. His strikeout rate has also gone in the wrong direction. After a solid 26.9% rate in his debut season, it dropped to 23.7% last year and sits at 22.5% so far this year. However, his walk rate has stuck around 5% in every season, which is excellent. (MLB average is 8.7% this year.)

Despite those struggles, the team has certainly missed Paddack. Since the righty went on the shelf July 31st with an oblique issue, the team has been on a disastrous slide. They’ve gone 9-15 so far in the month of August, surrendering the final National League playoff spot to Cincinnati. During that time, the rotation was missing not only Paddack, but also Yu Darvish. They tried to patch over those absences with the addition of Jake Arrieta, only to see him land on the IL himself after just one start of 3 1/3 innings. With Darvish having already returned and Paddack on the way, that could allow the team to steady the ship and finish strong, as they try to retake the Reds over the season’s final weeks.

Other notes from the west…

  • Rockies starter Jon Gray left last night’s start after 48 pitches. Manager Bud Black told reporters, including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, that the move was precautionary and related to some forearm tightness. Nick Groke of The Athletic gets a bit more granular, explaining that the injured area appears to be away from the ulnar collateral ligament, hopefully negating the worst fears of Rockies fans. Though the extent of the injury remains to be seen, it makes sense for the club to be cautious, as they are 11 games out of a playoff spot. Gray is a free agent at year’s end, but the Rockies are reportedly hoping to sign him to an extension. They will also have to decide on whether or not to issue him a qualifying offer at the end of the season. Gray would surely warrant the offer if he’s healthy. Over 806 2/3 career innings, Gray has an ERA of 4.52 while pitching primarily in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the league, producing 15.7 fWAR.
  • Rangers infielder Andy Ibanez left last night’s game with left hamstring tightness, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. She quotes Rangers manager Chris Woodward as being “not optimistic” about the injury. Regardless of the eventual severity of the injury, the club has every reason to be cautious, as they have one of the worst records in the league and no shot at contending. If this is the end of the season for Ibanez, it will go down as a solid rookie campaign for the 28-year-old. He’s hit .260/.304/.415, wRC+ of 96, while splitting time between first, second and third base, as well as one game in left field.
  • Shohei Ohtani was hit on the hand by a pitch in last night’s game, while serving as the designated hitter. However, he stuck around for the remainder of the contest and x-rays on the hand came back negative. Angels manager Jeff Madden told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that Ohtani should be fine to make his scheduled start on Tuesday. That is good news for the club and baseball fans in general, as Ohtani is having the most unique and fascinating season that baseball has seen in quite some time, if not ever. He’s currently the MLB home run leader with 41, and has an overall slash line of .264/.363/.623, producing a wRC+ of 160 which is currently bested by only two other qualified hitters. (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bryce Harper) All of that is combined with Ohtani’s 105 innings in the Angels’ starting rotation with an ERA of 3.00.
  • The Astros could be getting a couple of players back this week. Jose Urquidy is pitching in a rehab game tonight, which could be his last before returning, according to Jake Kaplan of The Athletic. Urquidy has only been able to make 14 starts this season because of injuries but has been excellent when healthy, putting up an ERA of 3.38. It’s unclear who would be bumped from the rotation in his absence, but some have speculated that Luis Garcia could be an option. Garcia has already set a career high in innings pitched this year and has seen his results slip a bit recently. Since July 26th, he has an ERA of 4.22. The club has already moved another young starter, Cristian Javier, to the bullpen as a way to manage his workload. The Astros could also be welcoming Chas McCormick back later this week. General manager James Click told various reporters, including Mark Berman of Fox 26, that the outfielder could be back as soon as Friday. The club hasn’t suffered much in McCormick’s absence, given that Jake Meyers has been manning center field and has been on a tear. Since having his contract selected last month, in the first 20 games of his career, Meyers is slashing .323/.348/.523.

Phillies Release Chase Anderson

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Right-hander Chase Anderson has been released by the Phillies, per a team announcement.

It’s been a rough couple of years for Anderson, after a solid four-season run with Milwaukee. From 2016 through 2019, he made 116 appearances, 112 starts, throwing 590 innings with an ERA of 3.83. In the midst of all that, the Brewers signed him to an extension, inking a two-year deal in October of 2017, which included options for 2020 and 2021.

However, in the two seasons since, everything has gone to pot for the righty. After being traded to the Blue Jays in November 2019, Anderson had a rough campaign for Toronto/Buffalo. In 33 2/3 innings, he had an ERA of 7.22 and then had his option declined, becoming a free agent.

The Phillies took a flier on him, signing him to a one-year, $4MM deal in February this year, hoping for a bounceback. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to fruition, as Anderson’s 2021 ERA is 6.75 in 48 innings for the Phils. He will now search for another team that’s willing to look past his recent struggles and hope for a return to his previous form.

Blue Jays Place Santiago Espinal On 10-Day Injured List

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The Blue Jays have placed Santiago Espinal on the IL with a right hip flexor strain, per a club announcement. His roster spot will go to Jarrod Dyson, who was claimed off waivers from the Royals on Friday.

Espinal has been a solid fill-in for the Blue Jays this season, slashing .290/.354/.378 for a wRC+ of 105, while playing third base. He’s seen his playing time increase due to the multiple IL stints of Cavan Biggio this year. With Espinal now out and Biggio recently suffering a setback during his rehab, the Jays will likely turn to Kevin Smith and Breyvic Valera at the hot corner. Smith, who got the start at third today, is off to a slow start to his MLB career, though in a tiny sample of just seven games. Valera’s only had 46 plate appearances this year, producing a meager wRC+ of 45, thanks to a line of .227/.261/.273.

As for Dyson, he will be hard-pressed to get regular playing time, given that the Jays have an outfield of Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Randal Grichuk and Corey Dickerson. George Springer also seems poised to return soon, with the star outfielder telling Jon Morosi of MLB Network that he hopes to be back as soon as tomorrow. Whether his own self-assessment lines up with the team’s vision remains to be seen. This is Springer’s third IL stint of the season, only appearing in 49 games so far this year. He’s made his limited time count, however, slashing .269/.362/.610, a wRC+ of 157. If he can return in that form, he would be a huge boost for a Blue Jays team that has slipped to 6 1/2 games out of a playoff spot in his absence.

Royals Place Richard Lovelady On IL With UCL Sprain, Recall Tyler Zuber

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The Royals have placed left-handed pitcher Richard Lovelady on the injured list with a left UCL sprain, per a team announcement. Right-hander Tyler Zuber has been recalled to take his place on the roster.

While the extent of the injury isn’t known at this time, anything involving the UCL is always a cause for alarm. If this does end up as a serious injury, it would be very unfortunate for both Lovelady and the Royals. The lefty seemed to be finding his groove this year, after struggling a bit in his first tastes of the big leagues. In 2019, Lovelady logged 20 innings out of the Royals’ bullpen, but with a bloated ERA of 7.65. In the shortened 2020 season, he was only able to get a single appearance of one inning. But in 2021, in 20 2/3 innings, he has an ERA of 3.48, with strikeout and walk rates of 27.4% and 7.1%. (League averages are 23.4% and 8.7%.) The 26-year-old will now go on the shelf and figure out what options he has for recuperating.

Zuber, also 26, has an ERA of 6.00 across 18 big league innings this season, with a below-average strikeout rate of 20.7% and unsightly walk rate of 18.3%. His Triple-A performance has been much better, however. In 26 2/3 innings with the Omaha Storm Chasers, he has an ERA of 3.04, with a gaudy strikeout rate of 35.4%. He has still struggled with command, as evidenced by a walk rate of 13.8%.

Giants Reinstate Anthony DeSclafani, Designate Tyler Chatwood For Assignment

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The Giants announced several roster moves today, reinstating right-hander Anthony DeSclafani from the injured list and first baseman Brandon Belt from the paternity list. To make room for those two, infielder Thairo Estrada was optioned to Triple-A and right-hander Tyler Chatwood was designated for assignment.

It’s a quick turnaround for DeSclafani, who went on the IL on August 19th. That’s great news for the Giants, as the righty has been tremendous for them this season. Over 132 2/3 innings, he has an ERA of 3.26, producing 2.1 fWAR already on the year. With Johnny Cueto also having recently returned from the IL, the Giants rotation is in great shape for the stretch run, as they try to hold off the Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants are currently atop the pennant race by 2 1/2 games.

It’s potentially the end of a very short tenure in San Francisco for Chatwood. He was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays in July after struggling with command issues. In 28 innings out of Toronto’s bullpen, he had an ERA of 5.46, thanks in large part to a bloated walk rate of 16%. (League average for all pitchers is 8.7%.) The Giants then signed him to a minors deal April 7th and added him to the big league roster 10 days later. In two games for the Giants, Chatwood racked up four innings with six strikeouts but also allowed five runs (three earned) with one walk and one hit-by-pitch. The 31-year-old will now go on waivers and, if unclaimed, will be able to elect free agency. If he joins a new organization before the end of the month, even if it’s a minors deal, he will be eligible to play in the postseason for that club.

Astros Place Jason Castro On IL, Recall Garrett Stubbs

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The Astros have placed catcher Jason Castro on the injured list because of a knee injury, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Fellow catcher Garrett Stubbs has been recalled to take his place.

Signed to a two-year, $7MM deal in the offseason, Castro has been serving as the club’s backup catcher, behind Martin Maldonado. In 55 games and 152 plate appearances, Castro has a line of .190/.320/.333, numbers that aren’t too far from his career line of .228/.313/.387. He’s long been known as a defense-first catcher, with the limited offensive output being part of the deal. However, as he’s aged and accrued more injuries, his defensive contributions have started to sag.

As for Stubbs, he’s been pushing the third string catcher experience to the max, having been optioned six times already this season, but only getting into nine big-league games for 25 plate appearances. In 34 Triple-A games this year, the 28-year-old has a s0lid line of .280/.415/.383, for a wRC+ of 110.

Angels Outright Aaron Slegers, Select Kyle Tyler

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Aug. 29: Slegers has elected free agency, per a team announcement. He was eligible to do so because he had been previously outrighted in his career.

Aug. 28: The Angels announced that right-hander Aaron Slegers has been outrighted to Triple-A, and that righty Kyle Tyler’s contract has been selected from Triple-A.  Roster space was created last night, when right-hander Cooper Criswell was optioned back to Triple-A following his big league debut.

Tyler is now in line for his first MLB game, after three seasons in the Angels’ farm system since being a 20th-round pick in the 2018 draft.  The 2021 season saw the righty pitch beyond the high-A level for the first time, as he delivered a 3.38 ERA over 72 innings of Double-A ball and then a 5.14 ERA over 14 innings at Triple-A.  That latter statistic is perhaps a bit misleading, as Tyler was crushed for seven runs over two innings in his very first Triple-A outing, but he has allowed just one run in 12 subsequent frames of work.

Baseball America ranked Tyler 28th on their midseason list of the Angels’ top prospects, praising the “tremendous natural cut and ride” on his fastball.  This is his only plus offering, however, so Tyler’s chances at becoming a starter at the MLB level could hinge on the development of his secondary pitches.  Tyler has started 14 of his 20 games in the minors this year, so the Halos could give him a look as a regular starter, a reliever, or perhaps a combination of both roles (i.e. swingman or bulk pitcher).  Since Patrick Sandoval will miss the rest of the season, Anaheim will have some room in the rotation to audition Tyler and other younger arms in the organization.

The Angels acquired Slegers in a trade with the Rays last February, and the righty’s first season in L.A. has been a tough one.  Slegers has a 6.97 ERA over 31 relief innings, with only a 16.8% strikeout rate.  While he has a career-best 57.9% grounder rate, Slegers has also been hurt badly by the long ball, with six home runs allowed for a 23.1% home rate.  The 31 innings represents a new career high for Slegers, who tossed 58 total innings while appearing in each of the last four seasons (2017-18 with the Twins and 2019-20 with the Rays).

Diamondbacks Recall Andrew Young, Release Bryan Holaday

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The Diamondbacks have recalled infielder Andrew Young, per a team announcement. To make room on the roster, catcher Bryan Holaday has been released.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Young, in many ways. He’s been optioned to the minors and recalled six times already this season and has seen mixed results as well. In a small sample size of 67 plate appearances at the big league level, Young has shown some power but also a lot of strikeouts. His overall line is .228/.328/.596 for a wRC+ of 140, despite striking out a whopping 49.3% of the time. (MLB average is 23.4%) His Triple-A output on the year is similar, a line of .282/.380/.564, wRC+ of 128 and a strikeout rate of 35.4%.

Young can play multiple positions but has been primarily slotted into second base this year. Josh Rojas has gotten the bulk of playing time at the keystone in Arizona this season, but the club recently lost Asdrubal Cabrera on waivers, who had been the regular third baseman. With him out of the picture, that could potentially open up some infield playing time by having Young or Rojas at the hot corner.

As for Holaday, the veteran catcher has become extraneous given the presence of Carson Kelly and the emergence of Daulton Varsho. He hasn’t started a game since August 19th, only getting three pinch-hit plate appearances since then. Overall, he’s gotten 34 plate appearances on the year, slashing .194/.265/.258. He’ll now head to the open market and look for a new home.

Red Sox Place Enrique Hernandez On COVID-19 Injured List

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Aug. 29: Although he initially landed on the COVID IL as a close contact, Arroyo now has tested positive, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com.

Aug. 27: The Red Sox announced they’ve placed utilityman Kiké Hernández on the COVID-19 injured list. Yairo Muñoz has been selected to the big league roster in his place. Additionally, Jonathan Araúz has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester while Christian Arroyo is landing on the COVID IL. Hernández has tested positive for the virus, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe), while Arroyo has entered protocols as a close contact.

Hernández has been one of Boston’s most valuable performers this season. He has gotten starts at all three positions up the middle of the field while posting one of the best offensive years of his career. Over 483 plate appearances, Hernández is hitting .258/.346/.465 with seventeen home runs, earning himself the leadoff spot in the order.

Muñoz is up for the first time this season. The 26-year-old has spent the entire year in Worcester, hitting .318/.346/.461 with eight home runs over 356 plate appearances. Muñoz hasn’t drawn many walks or hit for a ton of power, but his 13.2% strikeout rate in the minors is minuscule, allowing him to hit for a high batting average. He has also displayed plenty of defensive flexibility, starting multiple games at each of third base, shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions.

That’s nothing new for Muñoz, who logged big league action as a multi-positional player in each season from 2018-20. The bulk of that experience came in his first two seasons with the Cardinals, but Muñoz did appear in twelve games with Boston last season. He owns a .278/.332/.402 line over 555 career trips to the plate at the big league level. Because Muñoz was selected as a COVID replacement, he can be removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the minor leagues without passing through waivers whenever a player is able to return from the COVID list.

Braves Reinstate Ian Anderson, Option Edgar Santana

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The Braves have reinstated right-handed pitcher Ian Anderson from the injured list, per a team announcement. Fellow righty Edgar Santana was optioned as the corresponding move.

The return of Anderson should give further momentum to a Braves club that has been surging of late. After hovering around .500  for most of the season, the club has gone 17-6 so far in August and vaulted up to first in the NL East, currently sitting 4 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies and 7 1/2 ahead of the Mets.

Anderson’s season hasn’t been quite as brilliant as his 2020 debut, but has been excellent nonetheless. After putting up a 1.95 ERA across 31 1/3 innings last year, the righty has an ERA of 3.56 in 96 innings in 2021. However, he was stalled by right shoulder inflammation and landed on the IL July 16th. Now that he’s healthy again, and combined with the recent return of Huascar Ynoa, the Atlanta rotation is now the strongest it has been in months, as they try to defend their perch atop the division over the season’s final weeks.

For Santana, this continues his yo-yo season, as this is his third time being optioned since being acquired from the Pirates in April. When in the big leagues, he’s been a serviceable member of the bullpen, throwing 37 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.82. He’s done that despite a below average strikeout rate of 20.3%, but an excellent walk rate of 5.9%.

 

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