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Hyun Jin Ryu Leaves Game With Right Glute Strain

By TC Zencka | April 25, 2021 at 10:30pm CDT

Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu left today’s game because of a minor right glute strain, the team announced. Toronto took the contest 1-0 from the Rays, but a potential Ryu injury looms larger for the Jays’ future. Their ace threw 3 2/3 scoreless before his departure today allowing three hits, one walk, zero runs, while striking out five. After the game, Ryu appeared confident that he would be ready to make his next start, per Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star (via Twitter).

Before today’s game, Ryu had done his part with a 3.00 ERA/3.22 FIP in four starts covering 24 innings. His 48.6 groundball rate is down a touch from his norm, but within range for a small sample. His strikeouts were down just a little as well to a 21.9 percent strikeout rate, while he had been particularly stingy with free passes (2.1 percent walk rate).

Ryu might be the most irreplaceable arm on a Toronto roster that’s dealt with its fair share of injuries, especially on the pitching side. Closer Kirby Yates, of course, was lost for the year, while both Julian Merryweather and Jordan Romano – two potential replacements late in games – have also spent time on the injured list. In the rotation, highly-touted prospect Nate Pearson has yet to make his season debut, and he’s been joined on the IL by Ross Stripling and T.J. Zeuch. Somewhat surprisingly, the Blue Jays have been kept afloat by Steven Matz, who is 4-0 in four starts with a 2.31 ERA/3.22 FIP.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Nationals

By TC Zencka | April 25, 2021 at 9:09pm CDT

The Red Sox have a decision looming regarding Danny Santana. The infielder/outfielder has an opt-out clause in his contract that will allow him to become a free agent if he’s not promoted to the Majors by April 30th, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI. Santana didn’t sign with Boston until early March, and a foot infection slowed his ramp-up further.

The switch-hitting utility fielder certainly fits the mold of the present-day Red Sox as a guy who can play all over the diamond. The 30-year-old has spent the most time up the middle at short and center, but he has appeared everywhere on the diamond except pitcher and catcher. He’d be right at home on a roster that also includes “supersubs” Enrique Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez. Bradford suggests Santana could replace scuffling outfielder Franchy Cordero if the Red Sox decide to make a move. Cordero – one of the pieces acquired in the Andrew Benintendi trade – has hit just .200/.265/.244 in his first 49 plate appearances with a whopping 46.9 percent strikeout rate, and he does have two options remaining. Here’s the latest from elsewhere around the game…

Madison Bumgarner and Zac Gallen put on a show today. In a doubleheader against the Braves, the pair of Diamondbacks’ hurlers kept the Braves to one hit, zero runs, two walks, and 13 strikeouts in 14 combined scoreless innings. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes that it was the fewest hits ever by a team in a doubleheader, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Bumgarner, who had an 8.68 ERA entering the game, tossed an unofficial no-hitter in game two. Because it was only a seven-inning affair, the MLB rule books states that Bumgarner’s effort doesn’t count officially as a no-hitter, but rather as a “notable achievement.” That could change soon, as MLB and Elias will look at the issue and decide if a rule change is necessary, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter).
Juan Soto will be eligible to come off the injured list as early as Friday, and he’s begun hitting off a tee to prepare, per Mark Zuckerman and Al Galdi on the Nats Chat Podcast. Unfortunately, that doesn’t address the issue. Soto’s shoulder was bothering him most when he was throwing, so he’ll have to cross that hurdle before returning, they note.

Injury Notes: Pham, Cueto, Flores, Yaz, Springer

By TC Zencka | April 25, 2021 at 6:59pm CDT

Tommy Pham came up limping after grounding out in the second inning of tonight’s Padres game in Los Angeles, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com (via Twitter). Pham stopped running about halfway down the baseline, clearly uncomfortable. Pham’s reaction, while muted, also suggested that he knew something was off as he reached for his ankle. An Achilles injury is the fear, but the injury appears to be left calf tightness, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). As for tonight, Jorge Mateo took over in left for Pham. Elsewhere…

Johnny Cueto is likely to miss a third start before returning from the injured list, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Cueto was placed on the injured list ten days ago with a grade 1 lat strain. The expectation at the time was that he would miss two starts, so it sounds like he’ll miss that target. That said, there was no indication that the injury was any more severe than originally diagnosed. Cueto should still be able to return shortly. In the meantime, Logan Webb will get at least one more turn in the rotation. Complicating matters in a good way for the Giants, Webb went seven scoreless against the Marlins today.
Also in San Francisco, Wilmer Flores missed today’s ballgame because he was under the weather, but after receiving fluids he’s on the mend. Mike Yastrzemski, meanwhile, was taken out of the game because of left oblique tightness, per the Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (via Twitter). Because of their short bench, don’t be surprised if Yaz lands on the injured list tomorrow, but the team gave no indication one way or the other.
Blue Jays fans may finally get the chance to see offseason acquisition George Springer this week. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sports.net.ca (via Twitter), manager Charlie Montoyo said, ““I’m optimistic that Springer’s got a good chance on Tuesday.” Springer’s return still hinges on his a final check-up, but the club hopes the 31-year-old will be in the lineup to face Max Scherzer in Dunedin on Tuesday.

East Notes: Andujar, Nelson, Smith, Turner

By TC Zencka | April 25, 2021 at 4:43pm CDT

The Yankees announced a pair of roster moves after today’s 7-3 loss to the Indians. For starters, they optioned Nick Nelson to their alternate site. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in six games, once as an opener, giving up 10 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. The demotion comes after a two-inning, three-earned-run outing in today’s ballgame. In addition, the Yankees activated third baseman Miguel Andujar from the injured list and optioned him to their alternate site. Andujar was beset by a bout of carpal tunnel syndrome in his right wrist. Slowed largely by injures, the 26-year-old has hit just .193/.219/.257 across 114 plate appearances since his breakout rookie season in 2018. Let’s stay on the East Coast, but move over to the Senior Circuit…

The Mets activated right-hander Drew Smith from the injured list and optioned him to their alternate site, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 27-year-old has been spotty, but intriguing in small samples for the Mets. Though he made just eight appearances last year, he has logged 35 innings in 35 appearances with a 4.11 ERA/4.08 FIP going back through 2018. Injuries have been the bugaboo for Smith, who missed all of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. His shoulder has been the issue of late, though hopefully, with some time at the alternate site, Smith can prove his readiness and soon get back to a big league mound.
Star shortstop Trea Turner was removed from today’s game after getting plunked in the arm. He has a contusion on his left forearm, but testing came back negative, per Jesse Doughtery of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Turner may miss a game, but it sounds as if the Nats expect him to be okay. That’s critical for the Nationals, as Turner has taken over as their 3-hole hitter with Juan Soto on the shelf. The speedy shortstop looks at home in the middle of the order with a 120 wRC+ and 1.0 bWAR produced through 75 plate appearances prior to today’s game.

Pitching Notes: Corbin, Odorizzi, Tepera, Ohtani

By Mark Polishuk | April 25, 2021 at 1:47pm CDT

Patrick Corbin was the subject of some trade discussions this winter, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (subscription required) reports that the Nationals had talks with other teams about the veteran left-hander. It isn’t clear whether the Nats initiated these talks or if other teams were exploring Corbin’s availability, or if any of these discussions were anything beyond standard offseason “checking-in” types of conversations. It could be that teams were trying to buy low on Corbin in the wake of a down year that saw him post a 4.66 ERA, 20.3% strikeout rate, and a career-low 90.2 mph average fastball velocity over 65 2/3 innings. Between 2020’s shortened season and Corbin’s stint on the COVID-related injury list this April, it makes it hard to gauge whether or not Corbin’s struggles last year and in the early days of the 2021 season are truly due to a decline.

Trading Corbin would have been quite the pivot for a Washington team that planned on contending in 2021. It’s possible the Nats could have looked to add Major League-ready pieces rather than prospects in any Corbin deal, or perhaps moved the southpaw for a comparably high-priced proven veteran. Corbin is owed $106MM from 2021-24 in the four remaining seasons of his original six-year, $140MM free agent deal from the 2018-19 offseason. The topic of a Corbin trade could be worth revisiting of the Nationals don’t get into the playoff race and become sellers at the trade deadline, though Corbin’s contract would seemingly make him one of the less-likely Nats players to be dealt, considering how D.C. has so many rental players available.

More pitching-related items…

Jake Odorizzi is being examined today after having to leave yesterday’s game after just five pitches. More will be known when tests are complete, but Astros GM James Click gave an optimistic view on the injury during an interview on the team’s pregame radio show today (hat tip to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). “The initial read yesterday was more of a muscle cramp in the pronator muscle, which is not the flexor mass,” Click said.
The Cubs announced that Ryan Tepera’s three-game suspension was reduced to two games on appeal, and the right-hander will begin serving his suspension today. Tepera’s suspension was issued earlier this month after an incident that saw Tepera throw behind the Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff.
We’ll conclude this edition of Pitching Notes with an item on…an outfielder, sort of. Shohei Ohtani played an inning of left field, moving from DH to the grass at the end of the Angels’ 16-2 loss to the Astros yesterday. As Angels manager Joe Maddon told MLB.com’s Daniel Guerrero and other reporters, the move was made “out of necessity” due to a short-handed bench and outfielder Anthony Bemboom getting called to the mound for an inning of mop-up duty. There has often been speculation that Ohtani could be deployed in the outfield as a way of keeping him in the lineup and opening up Anaheim’s DH spot, but Maddon stressed that using Ohtani as a position player is “not part of the plans” going forward. Maddon did note, however, that Ohtani “is such a great athlete…I’m telling you he could do it.”

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/25/21

By Mark Polishuk | April 25, 2021 at 1:23pm CDT

The latest minor moves from around baseball…

Latest Moves

The Pirates assigned Anthony Alford to their alternate training site after the outfielder cleared waivers. Alford was designated for assignment earlier this week. Claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays last August, Alford looked great in a five-game stint with Pittsburgh last season but got off to a rough start in 2021, posting a .325 OPS over his first 29 plate appearances.

Earlier Today

The Reds reinstated Vladimir Gutierrez from the restricted list and assigned the right-hander to their alternate training site. Aristides Aquino (who underwent hamate surgery earlier this month) was moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a 40-man roster spot. Gutierrez was the centerpiece of the Reds’ 2016-17 international signing class, though the righty hasn’t been overly impressive in 387 minor league innings, posting a 4.98 ERA and 21.34% strikeout rate. Gutierrez was issued an 80-game PED suspension last June.

Diamondbacks Release Anthony Swarzak

By Anthony Franco | April 25, 2021 at 12:39pm CDT

TODAY: The Diamondbacks announced that Swarzak has been released.

APRIL 18: The Diamondbacks announced this morning they’ve designated reliever Anthony Swarzak for assignment. Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas has been recalled from the alternate training site, while outfielder Tim Locastro was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Selected to the D-Backs’ roster a week and a half ago, Swarzak went on to log 4.2 relief innings across six appearances for Arizona. The veteran righty allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out four and issued a walk. That marked his first MLB action since 2019, when he pitched to a 4.56 ERA/4.65 SIERA over 53.1 frames.

He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Bukauskas, a former first-round pick now slated to make his major league debut. The 24-year-old was drafted fifteenth overall by the Astros in 2017 coming out of the University of North Carolina. He wound up dealt to Arizona as part of the four-player return for Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline. Baseball America placed Bukauskas 26th in the Arizona system entering the year, lauding his three-pitch mix but noting that he’s often plagued by below-average control.

Locastro dislocated his finger attempting to steal a base yesterday and was known to be headed to the injured list. The recently-acquired Nick Heath is getting the nod in center this afternoon against Nationals righty Paolo Espino.

Injury Notes: Crawford, Longoria, Rendon, Nola, Giolito

By Mark Polishuk and Anthony Franco | April 25, 2021 at 11:19am CDT

The Giants made Brandon Crawford a late scratch from yesterday’s lineup due to quad tightness. Evan Longoria also missed his second consecutive game with hamstring tightness, after the same issue forced him to make an early exit from last Thursday’s game. To add some extra infield help, the Giants called up Jason Vosler from the alternate training site prior to yesterday’s game (reliever Jarlin Garcia was placed on the 10-day IL with a left groin strain).

San Francisco has more infield depth than most clubs, though even the Giants’ roster has been stressed with Crawford and Longoria both hurting and Donovan Solano already on the injured list recovering from a calf strain. Mauricio Dubon is the top choice to fill in at shortstop if Crawford has to miss any more time, while Wilmer Flores has been handling third base in Longoria’s absence. It also creates an opportunity for Vosler, who made his MLB debut last night. The 27-year-old was a 16th-round pick for the Cubs back in 2014, and Vosler has spent his minor league career in the Cubs and Padres farm systems, also spending time at San Diego’s alternate training site in 2020.

The latest on some other injury situations from around baseball…

Anthony Rendon could return to the Angels’ lineup tomorrow or Tuesday, manager Joe Maddon told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and other reporters. Rendon hit the 10-day IL due to a left groin strain back on April 12, so the third baseman will likely end up missing only slightly more than the 10-day minimum. Anaheim’s already-strong offense will be even more dangerous with the addition of a former All-Star in Rendon, who is entering his second season with the team.
Austin Nola could return to the Padres lineup next week, manager Jayce Tingler told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Nola has been out since mid-March after fracturing his left middle finger in Spring Training, though Nola is playing games at the Padres’ alternate training site. San Diego has relied upon Victor Caratini and top prospect Luis Campusano to handle catching duties in Nola’s absence, though neither Caratini or Campusano have been very productive at the plate.
Michael Kopech will start for the White Sox today rather than originally-scheduled starter Lucas Giolito, who told reporters (including Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago) he has been “pushed back a couple of days” due to a cut on the middle finger of his throwing hand. As Giolito explained in self-deprecating fashion, he suffered the minor injury because “I thought that a glass water bottle I had was twist-off, and it wasn’t twist-off.” The team decided to hold Giolito out of today’s start just to be cautious, and the right-hander expects to pitch Tuesday when the White Sox open a series against the Tigers.

Rays Make Several Roster Moves

By Mark Polishuk | April 25, 2021 at 9:58am CDT

TODAY: Patino has been officially called up from the taxi squad, the Rays announced.

APRIL 24: The Rays made a quartet of roster moves, including the activation of right-hander Diego Castillo from the COVID-related injury list. Catcher Deivy Grullon was designated for assignment in a corresponding move to open up a 40-man roster spot, while right-hander Chris Mazza has been placed on the regular 10-day IL due to shoulder inflammation. Luis Patino has also been added to Tampa Bay’s taxi squad, and is expected to join the active roster tomorrow. (MLB.com’s Adam Berry was among those to report the news.)

Patino is expected to make his Rays debut Sunday, pitching in some type of piggyback capacity along with scheduled starter Josh Fleming, who told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he isn’t yet sure how the Rays will deploy the combination of Fleming’s relatively soft-tossing arsenal along with Patino’s high-powered fastball.

Patino was the centerpiece of the four-player package sent by the Padres to Tampa Bay last offseason in exchange for Blake Snell. For a controlled and affordable former Cy Young Award winner, San Diego had to pay a hefty price, and this mean parting ways with one of the sport’s top pitching prospects in Patino. The 21-year-old righty has had some issues with his command, though his fastball and slider are already considered plus pitches and his changeup isn’t behind, according to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report. Patino made his Major League debut last season, tossing 17 1/3 innings in the regular season for the Padres (with a 5.19 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and a troubling 14 walks) and then 2 2/3 more frames in the postseason.

Castillo returns after just a one-day stint on the COVID-IL. Castillo has already recorded four saves in his role as Tampa Bay’s top choice at closer, along with a 2.79 ERA and 33.3% strikeout rate over 9 2/3 innings.

Mazza has an ugly 8.49 ERA over six outings this season, mostly generated during two rough appearances against the Rangers and Red Sox that saw him allow a combined 10 runs over 5 2/3 innings. Mazza looked better in last night’s game against the Blue Jays, allowing only a single hit in three shutout innings of relief.

After being claimed off waivers from the Reds in early April, Grullon could find himself on the move again without seeing any big league action in a Rays uniform. Grullon appeared in four games with the Phillies in 2019 and one game with the Red Sox last season, before Cincinnati claimed him away from Boston in December. Grullon has a .253/.305/.405 slash line and 70 home runs over 2387 career minor league plate appearances in Philadelphia’s system.

AL West Notes: Judge, Angels, Athletics, Kelenic

By Mark Polishuk | April 25, 2021 at 9:34am CDT

The Angels had trade talks with the Yankees about Aaron Judge this winter, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports, though it sounds as if the discussions were little more than due diligence. “It was the lightest of flirtations,” as Olney put it, “and perhaps a door-opener for other names.” No details about the specific nature of the talks were mentioned, though it’s safe to assume the Angels explored some bigger outfield names like Judge before eventually landing Dexter Fowler in a salary-dump of a trade from the Cardinals.

Needless to say, a Judge trade would have been arguably the offseason’s biggest blockbuster, and it’s fun to speculate about what exactly Los Angeles would have had to give up to land the slugger. (Cue the inevitable “Judge for Trout and Ohtani sounds about fair” jokes in the comments section.) The Angels and Yankees were somewhat imperfect trade partners since both shared a need for starting pitching, which could be one of the reasons negotiations didn’t get very far. Since getting under the luxury tax threshold seemed to be the Yankees’ primary offseason goal, finances would likely have played some factor in a hypothetical trade, though obviously the Yankees wouldn’t have just given Judge away to clear his relatively modest $10.175MM salary. Olney also observed that discussion about Judge’s future in the Bronx will soon become more prominent, as Judge is only under team control through the 2022 season.

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