Angels Reinstate David Fletcher
The Angels have activated infielder David Fletcher from the 60-day injured list. He’s in tonight’s lineup at second base. Michael Stefanic was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move. To create space on the 40-man roster, the Halos transferred veteran infielder Matt Duffy from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.
It has been a rough season for Fletcher, who’s spent the bulk of the year on the shelf. He missed the first three weeks of the year recovering from a strain in his left hip. Fletcher returned to action for about two weeks, then went back on the IL with recurring hip issues. He underwent adductor surgery in mid-May and has spent nearly three months recovering.
In Fletcher’s absence, the Angels have struggled to a 42-56 record that has them ahead of only the A’s, Royals and Tigers in the American League standings. Lack of production at second base has been among the factors for that, as the Halos have gotten a meager .236/.294/.319 showing out of the position. Six players — Fletcher, Stefanic, Duffy, Luis Rengifo, Tyler Wade and Jack Mayfield — have tallied at least 20+ plate appearances as part of the second base rotation.
Duffy has been out since June 27 with what the team originally termed lower back spasms. There hasn’t been much word on his status over the past month, but he’s evidently not close to a return. The 60-day window backdates to his original IL placement, so Duffy won’t be back on the diamond at Angel Stadium until at least the final week of August.
Red Sox Notes: Deadline, Bogaerts, Devers, Bell
“We’re trying to make the postseason,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told NESN’s Tom Caron prior to Tuesday’s game (hat tip to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). This declaration, made a week prior to the trade deadline, seemingly ended some speculation that the Red Sox would look to be deadline sellers, though Bloom did couch his statement with some intriguing caveats: “So whatever that means, we’re going to explore a lot of stuff [at the trade deadline]. Some of them might be things people expect. Some of them might not be. But you know, we want to get this group into the postseason.”
It is worth noting that the Sox lost to the Guardians on both Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping Boston’s record to 49-50 for the season. With a 7-19 mark over their last 26 games, the Red Sox have gone from leading the wild card race to four games out of a wild card slot altogether, and in last place in the competitive AL East.
If Boston can’t string some wins together quickly, it is possible the Sox could turn into more full-fledged sell mode by the August 2 deadline. However, Bloom’s comments seem to hint that the team could try to thread the needle and both buy and sell at the same time — perhaps moving some pending free agents, but adding longer-term pieces that could also still provide some immediate help.
Beyond Bloom’s public comments, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes that when it comes to deadline plans, “typical responses from those inside and outside the organization have ranged from ‘it’s all in play’ to ‘maybe both’ to objections to the buy/sell dichotomy to shrugs of uncertainty.” Despite all of these options, a truly big shakeup doesn’t appear to be in order, as both Bloom and (in an interview on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show) team president/CEO Sam Kennedy each ruled out the possibility of Xander Bogaerts or Rafael Devers being dealt.
“There’s been no discussions or commentary internally or externally about moves related to the trade deadline involving Xander, Raffy, or anyone else to my knowledge. At this point, we’re focused on getting back in this thing and winning,” Kennedy said. Not only have talks about the two All-Stars not taken place, “we don’t plan to” hold such talks, Bloom added.
Bogaerts can opt out of his contract following the season, and ever since Boston signed Trevor Story to a free agent deal, there has been widespread feeling that Bogaerts will be playing elsewhere in 2023. Extension talks with both Bogaerts and Devers prior to the season didn’t result in any progress, which then led to increased speculation about Devers also perhaps leaving in free agency following the 2023 campaign.
If a teardown isn’t in order, and standing pat doesn’t appear to be an option for a team with clear roster needs, it then becomes a question of what types of upgrades the Red Sox will pursue by August 2. One obvious name on paper doesn’t appear to be a priority, as NBC Sports Boston’s John Tomase reports that the Sox have had only “cursory interest” in Nationals first baseman Josh Bell. While the Sox have had some talks about Bell, “their interest was described more as kicking the tires.”
First base has been a weak link for the Red Sox all year long, and since Bell is perhaps the likeliest player to be moved prior to the deadline, the two sides seemed like a logical match. Bell would be a pure rental, as the slugger is set for free agency after the year, and the Nats would be in line to recoup a compensatory pick if Bell left given that the qualifying offer system will again be in place for the 2022-23 offseason.
Anything the Sox or other teams offer the Nationals for Bell, therefore, would have to top the value of that compensatory pick for Washington to go ahead with a deal. For a team like the Red Sox that is perhaps on the fringes of contending, that could be too much of a price to pay, whereas other known Bell suitors like the Astros, Mets, or Brewers could be more amenable since Bell would increase their chances of winning a championship.
Mets To Place Drew Smith On 15-Day Injured List
3:24PM: Smith has a strained lat muscle, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (Twitter link).
2:31PM: Mets right-hander Drew Smith is heading to the 15-day injured list due to “an unspecified arm issue,” according to The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Ken Rosenthal. The move is expected to be announced prior to Friday’s game, and will likely be retroactive to July 25 (Smith last pitched on the 24th).
Since making his MLB debut in 2018, Smith has been a generally solid reliever out of New York’s bullpen, and this season the righty has a 3.51 ERA and a strong 28.1% strikeout rate over 41 innings. Smith has been allowing a lot of hard contact, however, and his numbers have taken a downturn over the last month. Smith has a tiny 1.99 ERA through his first 29 games and 31 2/3 appearances, but he has allowed at least one run in six of his last eight appearances, resulting in an 8.68 ERA in that stretch. Home runs have continued to be a problem for Smith, as he has allowed eight long balls over his 41 IP.
It isn’t yet known if this is a relatively minor injury, or something that could threaten the remainder of Smith’s 2022 season. But even if Smith were to just miss the 15-day minimum, that won’t stop the Mets from aggressively seeking bullpen help, as Britton and Rosenthal write that “the Mets are trying to add multiple relievers.”
Bolstered by Edwin Diaz‘s spectacular year, New York’s bullpen has good overall numbers, with Smith, Adam Ottavino, and Seth Lugo all covering high-leverage innings to get to Diaz in the ninth. The Mets are short on left-handed relievers in particular, so southpaws (or at least a righty who is effective against left-handed batters, a la trade target David Robertson) would seem to be at the top of the Amazins’ wish list. Some help could also come from within, as Trevor May is expected back from the IL next week.
NL West Notes: Ohtani, Padres, Walker, Rodon, Giants, Bard
The Angels reportedly don’t have any interest in trading Shohei Ohtani, but that hasn’t stopped the team from at least listening to offers out of due diligence, Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post write. The Padres are one of those teams who have called about Ohtani, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who adds that this is the type of aggressive move that has become typical of San Diego president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. There doesn’t seem to be any indication that the Padres have caught the Halos’ attention, except in the broader sense that the Padres have the depth of premium young talent that the Angels would undoubtedly want if they actually did considering sending Ohtani elsewhere.
Frankie Montas and Luis Castillo have also been linked to the Padres in trade rumors, and as Rosenthal notes, it is noteworthy in itself that San Diego is looking at pitchers despite having plenty of rotation depth on paper. However, MacKenzie Gore was recently placed on the injured list, Sean Manaea has struggled as of late, and the Padres could be trying to land a pitcher controlled through at least 2023 considering that Manaea, Joe Musgrove, Mike Clevinger, and Nick Martinez could all potentially enter the free agent market this winter. Furthermore, someone like Blake Snell could be dealt to try and stay under the luxury tax threshold, as avoiding another tax payment is another consideration for Preller to manage as the deadline approaches.
More from around the NL West…
- Also from Rosenthal, Diamondbacks officials are “doubtful” that Christian Walker will be traded. The first baseman’s name has been mentioned in trade speculation, but the D’Backs understandably have a high asking price for an all-around productive player who is under team control through the 2024 season.
- A seven-game losing streak has dropped the Giants to 48-50, but as of last night, the team wasn’t planning on selling at the deadline, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. Chasing down the Dodgers for first place is probably out of the question, but San Francisco is still only 3.5 games out of the final wild card spot, and a +26 run differential argues that the Giants are at least a little better than their losing record indicates. That said, the Giants have several intriguing trade options, including Carlos Rodon (who can opt out of his deal after the season) as a rental piece. SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson speculates that the Twins would be one of many interested parties if the Giants did shop Rodon, as Minnesota “were right there” in trying to sign Rodon last winter.
- Rockies closer Daniel Bard is drawing interest from more than one team, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports. Bard (who turned 37 last month) is enjoying a career revival as the Rockies’ ninth-inning man, recording 21 saves and posting a 1.91 ERA over 37 2/3 innings. Despite these numbers and the fact that Bard is a free agent after the year, however, most of the buzz around Bard has focused on Colorado’s efforts to extend him, rather than shop him at the deadline.
Cardinals Notes: Sosa, Gorman, Pitching
The Cardinals have received trade calls on Nolan Gorman and Edmundo Sosa, Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, with an unknown American League team expressing particular interest in Sosa. It isn’t known if the Cards are close to a deal on either player, though it would seem like the scope of a trade involving Gorman would be quite different than the scope of a Sosa deal (assuming, of course, that both players wouldn’t be moved in the same swap).
Gorman is one of the game’s top prospects, and he has started his big league career with a respectable 110 wRC+ (from a .229/.303/.430 slash line and 10 home runs) over his first 198 plate appearances in the Show. Under normal circumstances, the Cardinals wouldn’t be looking to move such a potential cornerstone player at all, except Gorman has reportedly been part of the club’s discussions with the Nationals about Juan Soto. Given how St. Louis is deep in infield prospects, it isn’t out of the question that the Cardinals could include Gorman as part of a package for a proven superstar, though it would likely take a Soto-level special talent to spur such a move.
Sosa would naturally be far more of an expendable piece than Gorman, as Sosa has hit only .188/.244/.270 over 131 PA in part-time backup action this season. An international signing for the Cardinals back in 2012, Sosa had decent but unspectacular numbers during his time in the farm system, and didn’t hit much in a handful of big league games in 2018 and 2019. However, Sosa unexpectedly emerged as a regular at shortstop in 2021, as Paul DeJong‘s struggles opened the door for Sosa to earn more playing time, and he responded with a .271/.346/389 slash line in 326 PA and excellent defense.
With this season’s downturn in production, Sosa has returned to a backup role, as Gorman and Tommy Edman have become the regular middle infield combo. Rookie Brendan Donovan has also cut into Sosa’s utilityman role, and yet with Sosa out of minor league options, St. Louis hasn’t been able to send Sosa to the minors without exposing him to waivers. If that wasn’t enough of a crunch, DeJong is hitting well at Triple-A, and could be working himself back into the Cardinals’ plans as a backup on the Major League roster.
Sosa is controlled through the 2026 season, and even if rival clubs might not necessarily see him as a long-term piece, he could fit into many rosters as versatile, glove-first infield depth. Sosa alone wouldn’t be the centerpiece of a major trade, but if the Cardinals were looking to package multiple players together, Sosa could be an interesting addition. For instance, a team that moves another infielder in a separate trade could then pivot to acquire Sosa to fill that hole on their roster for at least the rest of the 2022 season.
As much as the Soto trade rumors have caught the imagination of St. Louis fans, pitching seems to be as big a priority for the Cardinals heading into the deadline. The extent of these rotation help is yet to be determined, as Goold describes the Cards’ targets as “pitching depth on the edges of the roster,” while FanSided’s Robert Murray hears the team is looking for multiple starters, and “bigger, more meaningful upgrades than the J.A. Happ and Jon Lester additions from last season.”
To this end, the Cardinals have been prominently mentioned as suitors for Frankie Montas and Luis Castillo. It isn’t hard to imagine that the Athletics and Reds each inquired about Gorman or other top St. Louis youngsters in those trade talks, given the high asking prices that will undoubtedly be required to land those top starters.
Injury Notes: Jones, Wells, Castillo
Less than two weeks after being drafted second overall, Druw Jones‘ pro debut will now likely be put off until 2023 due to a left shoulder injury suffered in Jones’ first batting-practice session with the Diamondbacks. Jones received an MRI yesterday but it isn’t known yet if surgery could be required, Arizona farm director Josh Barfield told reporters (including MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert).
Most pundits tabbed Jones as the top player available in the 2022 draft class, though after the Orioles opted for Jackson Holliday with the first overall pick, the D’Backs jumped to select Jones in the second spot. The 18-year-old was tentatively slated to start playing Arizona Complex League games this week, and possibly further minor league action later in the season if all went well. Now, Jones probably won’t officially get onto the field until next season, and even the start of the 2023 season might not be a sure thing if he indeed has to get surgery.
More injury notes from around baseball…
- The Orioles placed right-hander Tyler Wells on the 15-day injured list due to discomfort in his lower left side. Baltimore also optioned left-hander Nick Vespi to Triple-A and called up righties Logan Gillaspie and Beau Sulser in corresponding moves. After making his big league debut as a reliever in 2021, Wells became a solid member of the Orioles rotation this year, posting a 3.90 ERA over 20 starts and 94 2/3 innings. However, his side injury forced him to make an early exit from his start yesterday against the Rays, and the full extent of Wells’ injury (i.e. a possible oblique problem) isn’t yet known.
- The Mariners placed Diego Castillo on the 15-day IL due to right shoulder inflammation, with a placement retroactive to July 26. Righty Matt Brash was recalled from Triple-A to take Castillo’s roster spot. This is the third time in four seasons that shoulder inflammation has sent Castillo to the IL, though he was able to return within 2-3 weeks in each of those previous stints. It was almost exactly one year ago that the Mariners acquired Castillo from the Rays in a pre-deadline trade, and the righty has continued his quality work in a Seattle uniform, posting a 3.53 ERA over 58 2/3 innings as a Mariner. Walks have been an issue for Castillo this season, but has mitigated these control problems with above-average strikeout and hard-contact numbers, as well as a career-best 9.7% home run rate.
Tigers Place Andrew Chafin On Restricted List
The Tigers announced Thursday that they’ve placed left-hander Andrew Chafin on the restricted list in advance of the team’s upcoming road series in Toronto. Right-hander Bryan Garcia has has his contract selected from Triple-A Toledo and been designated as a Covid-related replacement player for Chafin (meaning he can be removed from the 40-man roster and sent back to Toledo without needing to first pass through waivers).
Chafin, 32, has been one of the best relievers in a quietly solid Tigers bullpen this season, pitching to a 2.53 ERA with a 29.3% strikeout rate, a 7.5% walk rate and a 49.4% ground-ball rate. He’s playing the current season on a $5.5MM salary and has a $6.5MM player option for the 2023 season that, barring an injury or unexpected collapse, he seems likely to reject in favor of a return to free agency (and another, potentially more lucrative multi-year deal).
The majority of Major League teams have had to place at least one player on the restricted list in advance of series in Toronto this season, as unvaccinated professional athletes are prohibited from entering Canada to participate in their teams’ games. (The U.S., it should be pointed out, has a similar policy.) Other teams may well consider Chafin’s status when weighing potential trades over the next few days, though as we saw with the Yankees’ acquisition of Andrew Benintendi last night, it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker — even for teams in the American League East.
Taking Chafin’s place on the Tigers’ roster for the next few days, at least, will be the 27-year-old Garcia, who has pitched to a 2.90 ERA through 40 1/3 innings in Toledo so far. Garcia logged time with the Tigers in each of the past three seasons but has limped to a 6.12 ERA through 67 2/3 big league frames, due largely to a pedestrian strikeout rate (16%), lofty walk rate (12.6%) and penchant for serving up home runs (1.46 HR/9).
Depending on how Garcia fares, this could be viewed as yet another audition for him. Chafin, Michael Fulmer, Joe Jimenez and Alex Lange are among the Tigers relievers who’ve commanded trade interest with the Aug. 2 trade deadline approaching. At the very least, it seems fair to expect Fulmer and Chafin to be on the move in the coming days, as both can be free agents at season’s end. Jimenez, controlled through the 2023 season via arbitration, has a decent chance as well. Lange (five seasons of remaining club control) and closer Gregory Soto (three seasons) would surely require larger returns.
Max Meyer To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
An already disappointing Marlins season took a turn for the worse Thursday, as MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola tweets that an MRI revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament in top pitching prospect Max Meyer‘s right elbow. He’ll undergo Tommy John surgery in the near future and miss the remainder of the 2022 campaign as well as the bulk of the 2023 season.
Meyer, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, skyrocketed through the Marlins’ system and made his debut earlier this month, yielding five runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. His next outing lasted just two-thirds of an inning before he exited due to elbow discomfort that sent him to the injured list. He’ll now spend the remainder of the season and the majority of the 2023 campaign on the Major League injured list, accumulating MLB service time and pay for the time spent rehabbing.
Prior to that rocky big league debut and subsequent injury, Meyer was universally regarded as one of the sport’s brightest pitching prospects. The former University of Minnesota ace breezed through Double-A last season and was even better in a 10-inning look at Triple-A last year, logging a combined 2.27 ERA with a 28.6% strikeout rate against a 9.2% walk rate in 111 innings.
The 23-year-old Meyer roared out of the gates in 2022, logging a 1.72 ERA and 39-to-9 K/BB ratio in his first 31 1/3 innings, overpowering opponents with an upper-90s heater and devastating slider along the way. He struggled through a pair of awful outings in late May with Triple-A Jacksonville, however, ultimately going on the minor league injured list due to what the team termed irritation of the ulnar nerve in his right forearm. He came back strong — 2.11 ERA over his next five starts — and looked to be back on track for this month’s big league debut.
Whether Meyer had a tear prior to his big league promotion or didn’t sustain the tear until one of his two MLB outings, he’ll now be sidelined for the next year-plus. A return late in the 2023 season remains plausible, but that’s hardly a given. Every recovery is different, of course, but pitchers often take closer to 13 or 14 months to return from Tommy John surgery. For instance, we’re about one year to the day removed from Tigers righty Spencer Turnbull undergoing his own Tommy John procedure, and the organization just recently announced that Turnbull won’t return this season. If the Marlins are in contention in 2023, perhaps they’d push the envelope and take some risk to get Meyer back as a bullpen option late in the year, but they have every reason to be cautious with the flamethrowing righty, given how important a role he could play in their future.
Meyer joins fellow top prospects Edward Cabrera (elbow tendinitis), Sixto Sanchez (2021 surgery for torn anterior capsule in his shoulder) and Jake Eder (2021 Tommy John surgery) on the injured list. Miami has also seen 2021 Rookie of the Year candidate Trevor Rogers take a massive step back in his sophomore season. It’s all a good reminder — particularly at a time of year when fans and teams alike are wary of trading minor league pitching — that as easy as it is to dream on touted young arms , the attrition rate of pitching prospects is an unyielding roadblock that teams perennially struggle to navigate.
Red Sox, Danny Santana Agree To Minor League Deal
The Red Sox and veteran utilityman Danny Santana are in agreement on a minor league deal, as noted on the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Santana will head to the team’s spring facility in Fort Myers before eventually joining their Triple-A affiliate in Worcester. Santana has not yet played in a professional game this season, as he’s been serving an 80-game suspension following a positive PED test.
Santana, 31, spent the 2021 season in the Red Sox organization as well, appearing in 38 big league games but hitting just .181/.252/.345 in 127 trips to the plate. The switch-hitter posted huge minor league numbers in Boston’s system last season but did so in just 76 plate appearances, several of which came in Class-A Advanced and Double-A as he worked back from an injury.
It’s been a boom-or-bust big league career for Santana, who burst onto the scene with the 2014 Twins and would surely have finished higher in Rookie of the Year voting had he not been up against Jose Abreu‘s MVP-caliber rookie campaign. Santana hit .319/.353/.472 in 430 plate appearances as a rookie, popping seven homers, 27 doubles and seven triples while also swiping 20 bags. He looked to have seized an everyday spot in Minnesota’s lineup for years to come, but his production completely evaporated in 2015.
Santana was out of the Twins organization by 2017 and continued floundering with the Braves in parts of two seasons there. Overall, he followed that incredible MLB debut with four seasons and 735 plate appearances of .219/.256/.319 output at the plate.
Santana caught on with the 2019 Rangers and delivered an out-of-the-blue .283/.324/.534 batting line with 28 home runs, 23 doubles, six triples and 21 steals. That resurgence came amid what’s widely regarded as the “juiced ball” season, however, and has mustered only a .170/.247/.322 slash in 190 plate appearances since that time. Injuries — most notably elbow surgery and foot surgery — have slowed him during that time, but Santana’s massive 2019 showing certainly appears anomalous in nature, given the surrounding seven seasons of context.
It’s little more than a depth pickup for the Sox, who have placed a premium on acquiring versatile players of this ilk in recent seasons. Santana’s first run with the team didn’t prove productive, obviously, but he’ll nonetheless return and give the Sox some cover in the event of injuries down the stretch (or, perhaps, some trades of veterans currently on the roster).
Astros’ Jose Siri Drawing Trade Interest
The Astros are receiving trade interest in outfielder Jose Siri, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who adds that “a number of teams” have explored trading for the 27-year-old. Each of the Phillies, Marlins and Brewers have been seeking center field help, Rosenthal notes, though he doesn’t explicitly indicate that any of the three have had substantive talks with Houston.
Interest in Siri comes from other clubs at a time when the Astros are apparently seeking more proven options in center field, but it’s plenty understandable if other clubs would look at Siri’s strong MLB debut in 2021 and his outstanding Triple-A track record and hope he can emerge as a valuable long-term piece if they can land him in a deal with Houston. While he’s something of a late bloomer, having turned 27 just six days ago, Siri hit .304/.347/.609 with four homers and three steals in a tiny sample of 49 plate appearances during last year’s MLB debut. This season, he struggled to a .178/.238/.304 slash in a larger (but still relatively small) sample of 147 trips to the plate.
Houston has twice optioned Siri to Triple-A Sugar Land this season (most recently one week ago), and in the 13 games he’s played there, he’s ripped eight home runs and batted .293/.354/.828 in 65 plate appearances. That eye-popping production from the right-handed-hitting slugger is further backed up by a huge .318/.369/.553 slash through 394 plate appearances with Houston’s top affiliate last season. Overall, he’s played in 107 games and tallied 462 plate appearances with the Astros’ Triple-A club, crushing 24 homers and swiping 25 bags in that time. Siri also posted through-the-roof defensive numbers in 315 innings of center field work for Houston this season: 8 Defensive Runs Saved, a 6.6 Ultimate Zone Rating and 7 Outs Above Average.
While that combination of minor league production and exceptional defensive grades at the big league level is quite appealing, Siri’s strikeout woes are the proverbial elephant in the room. He’s had issues making contact since reaching the Double-A level with Cincinnati back in 2018. Siri punched out in 32.2% of his plate appearances that season and has continued to whiff in more than 30% of his plate appearances at nearly every stop since. He’s fanned “just” 16 times in Triple-A this year (24.6%), but Siri has fallen victim to a strikeout in one-third of his MLB plate appearances and in 30.9% of his total Triple-A plate appearances.
There’s extra reason for the Astros to consider offers on Siri, given that he’s in his final minor league option season. As a win-now club, Houston understandably seeks an immediate contributor in center, and while it’s tempting to say they should be patient with Siri given the power/speed/defense blend, he’ll have to be carried on the Major League roster next year or else be exposed to waivers. Considering his raw tools and Triple-A production (and the current trade interest), it’s quite likely he’d be claimed by another team if things were to reach that point, so extracting some value for Siri right now makes sense if the Astros can find a deal to their liking.
Siri has not yet accrued even one year of Major League service, though if he spends enough time on a big league roster down the stretch, he could still get there. Even if he does reach that point, he could still be controlled another five years beyond the current campaign (or six more if he spends another 17 days in the minors this year).