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Eloy Jimenez To Begin Rehab Assignment

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The White Sox announced this morning that slugger Eloy Jimenez has been cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend. Jimenez, who suffered a ruptured pectoral tendon during Spring Training and has yet to play in 2021, will start out with Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem.

Minor league rehab assignments can last up to 30 days, so this doesn’t necessarily mean that Jimenez will be back with the Sox in the very near future, but it effectively places a clock on his return to the roster (barring any kind of setback). Assuming all goes well with the rehab, it seems he’s on track to return on the more optimistic end of the four- to five-month recovery period the White Sox placed on him after he underwent surgery back on March 30.

It’s a welcome development for a White Sox club whose roster has been hammered by injuries to key players. Center fielder Luis Robert suffered a Grade 3 hip flexor strain in early May that came with a 12- to 16-week recovery period. Nick Madrigal’s season is over due to a torn hamstring that required surgery. Yasmani Grandal underwent surgery to repair a tendon in his knee this week.

Despite losing some of their best players for half the season or more, the Sox have run away with the feeble American League Central. The rival Twins have been perhaps baseball’s most disappointing team in 2021, while the Indians have lost their top three starters to injury and have plummeted in the standings while their replacements have posted a combined 6.87 ERA over the past month. Kansas City’s offseason spending hasn’t produced a winner on the field, and the Tigers are in what they hope to be the final stages of what has felt like an interminable rebuild.

That’s not to detract from what the ChiSox have accomplished. Few would have been surprised to see the team wilt with so many major injuries. The front office deserves credit both for bringing in veteran Brian Goodwin, who has helped to stabilize the outfield with a .253/.349/.493 batting line in his first 22 games, and for generally cultivating a deep farm system over the past several years. Prospects Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger have both hit the ground running in their big league debuts, for instance.

The Chicago pitching staff, meanwhile, has been the backbone of the club’s success. Spearheaded by offseason acquisition Lance Lynn and a remarkable breakout by Carlos Rodon, Sox starting pitchers rank seventh in the Majors with a collective 3.62 earned run average.

The general thought has been that the White Sox will be looking for help in the outfield and/or at second base in the three weeks leading up to the July 30 trade deadline. That Jimenez is already on the mend and perhaps on track to be back in the lineup by early August could directly impact the team’s strategy. The Sox recently designated Adam Eaton for assignment, but they’ve been more prominently linked to infield acquisitions thus far — namely Eduardo Escobar and Adam Frazier. An apparently looming Jimenez return can only make GM Rick Hahn and his staff feel better about the outlook in the outfield, whereas second base is still a fairly obvious area to upgrade.

Dodgers Select Darien Nunez

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The Dodgers announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of lefty Darien Nunez and optioned right-hander Mitch White to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Their 40-man roster is now full.

Nunez, 28, signed with the Dodgers out of Cuba back in 2018 and has consistently posted solid numbers out of the bullpen as he’s risen through their system. He’s gotten his first experience at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels in 2021, pitching to a combined 2.70 ERA with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate and a 12.6 percent walk rate in 30 innings. Obviously, the Dodgers will hope his control of the strike zone improves — he’s also hit a batter and tossed three wild pitches — but it’s a generally encouraging showing for the lefty.

Nunez has never ranked among the Dodgers’ best prospect, perhaps in part due to his age, but he’ll nevertheless get his first look at the MLB level. Since he’s only just been selected, he’ll be optionable for all of this year and each of the two subsequent seasons, which could make him an up-and-down bit of depth while he looks to establish himself. The Dodgers frequently turn over the edges of their pitching staff — as White, who has now been optioned five times in 2021 aloone, can attest. Nunez will now be part of that churn for the foreseeable future, and he’ll give manager Dave Roberts a third lefty alongside David Price and Garrett Cleavinger while Victor Gonzalez is on the injured list due to plantar fasciitis.

Trevor Rosenthal To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

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Athletics reliever Trevor Rosenthal tore a labrum in his hip and will require surgery, manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News). He won’t pitch at all in 2021.

It will go down as a completely lost season for Rosenthal, who began the year on the injured list with shoulder soreness. Further evaluation revealed he’d need to undergo surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, which he did in early April. The hope had been that Rosenthal would be able to return at some point in August, but his new injury obviously forecloses that possibility.

It’s a horrible development for Rosenthal, who has had a few recent seasons derailed by injury. The former Cardinals closer suffered a UCL tear in 2017 that required Tommy John surgery. He lost all of 2018 rehabbing and looked nothing like himself when he returned the following season. Rosenthal walked an astounding 30.6% of opposing hitters with the Nationals and Tigers that year, forcing him to settle for a minor league contract with the Royals over the 2019-20 offseason.

Remarkably, Rosenthal completely reversed his fortunes to be among the top relievers in baseball last year. He cracked the Kansas City roster and pitched well enough to attract the interest of the contending Padres, who acquired him in advance of the trade deadline. Between the two clubs, Rosenthal pitched to a 1.90 ERA over 23 2/3 innings, striking out a whopping 41.8% of opponents while walking a lower than average 8.8%.

That positioned Rosenthal as one of the top free agent relievers in last winter’s class. He lingered on the market until late February, when the A’s stepped up and landed him on a one-year, $11MM contract. It was a surprising reversal from Oakland’s otherwise thrifty offseason, which included the team declining to make $18.9MM qualifying offers to star reliever Liam Hendriks and shortstop Marcus Semien.

The A’s will ultimately get no return on that investment, as Rosenthal’s unfortunate injury woes will keep him from donning the green and gold in a meaningful game. His contract contained a series of deferrals — Rosenthal is making just $3MM in 2021, followed by $3MM in 2022 and $5MM in 2023 — but he’ll again reach the open market this winter.

It’s not yet clear whether Rosenthal is expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2022. Given the injury-wrecked campaign, it’s plausible he’ll need to throw in front of scouts to demonstrate his health before he lands a new deal. Rosenthal is still just 31 years old and was brilliant when last able to take the mound, so it stands to reason there’ll be interest from teams if/when he works his way back to full strength.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/7/21

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Today’s minor transactions:

  • Left-hander Ryan Buchter has cleared outright waivers, the Diamondbacks announced. Arizona designated the veteran reliever for assignment earlier in the week. Buchter was a generally productive middle innings arm between 2016-19, but he didn’t see much action in 2020 and has had a poor season in 2021. Buchter tossed 14 2/3 innings with the D-Backs, pitching to a 5.52 ERA with 13 strikeouts and walks apiece. As a player who has previously been passed through outright waivers, he has the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.
  • The Red Sox have released left-hander Bobby Poyner, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive (Twitter link). Poyner tossed 34 innings out of the Boston bullpen between 2018-19, working to a 4.50 ERA/3.68 SIERA. Boston passed him through outright waivers in January 2020, and he’d spent the 2021 campaign with Triple-A Worcester. Poyner has struggled in 13 innings at the minors’ highest level this year, allowing 15 runs on 22 hits (including six homers), two walks and three hit batsmen.
  • Nationals infielder Humberto Arteaga has apparently cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend. Arteaga has been back in action for the Nats Triple-A affiliate in Rochester the past two nights. He’s spent most of the year with the Red Wings but was selected to the major league roster for a day last week, going 0-3 with a sacrifice fly. Arteaga was waived after the Nats acquired Alcides Escobar from the Royals to fill their vacant utility infield role.

Astros GM James Click: No Ownership Mandate To Stay Below Luxury Tax Threshold

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Throughout the offseason, the Astros constructed their roster with the luxury tax threshold in mind. That was most apparent in the club’s signing of right-hander Jake Odorizzi to a two-year guarantee that came with an extremely low-priced 2023 player option the veteran righty will almost certainly reject.

The obvious purpose was to spread out the contract’s average annual value — a club’s luxury tax balance is calculated by summing the AAV’s of the team’s financial commitments, not their actual payroll in any given season. Because player options are treated as guaranteed seasons for luxury tax purposes, Odorizzi’s deal is tabulated as a three-year contract with a $7.83MM AAV even though the most likely outcome is that he departs after collecting a total of $20.25MM for two years of work. That creative accounting allowed the Astros to enter the season with a luxury tax balance just under $207MM, in the estimation of Cot’s Baseball Contracts, a little more than $3MM shy of the $210MM first tax threshold.

Houston’s proximity to the tax threshold would seemingly limit their options for making midseason acquisitions, but Astros general manager James Click suggested the organization could exceed the threshold to accommodate a trade. In an appearance on The Sean Salisbury Show, Click said owner Jim Crane “has been very clear” to the front office that the $210MM mark “is not a hard line” the organization cannot go past.

That’s not to say the Astros will certainly go out and acquire one or more players on high-priced contracts. Click promptly cautioned that whether to exceed the threshold “is something we have to factor into our decision-making process” based on the ancillary penalties that come with doing so, particularly with regards to qualifying offers.

Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, a team that goes over the threshold and loses a player who had rejected a qualifying offer in free agency receives a compensatory pick after the fourth round of the upcoming draft. A team that neither receives revenue sharing (the Astros don’t) nor exceeded the luxury tax would receive a compensatory pick after Competitive Balance Round B, which directly follows the second round. Ultimately, exceeding the tax would knock the Astros’ compensation for losing qualified free agents from a pick in the 70-80 overall range to a pick in the 125-140 range. Paying the tax would also carry increased draft and international signing bonus penalties were they to sign a qualified free agent from another club.

The Astros, who lost their first and second round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021 as punishment for the sign stealing operation, are virtually certain to offer a QO to Carlos Correa and could plausibly issue one to Justin Verlander as well. Given their recent lack of high picks, the potential ability to stockpile selections in 2022 could carry extra import to the organization.

Houston exceeded the threshold last season. Were they to do so again, they’d be subject to a 30-percent tax on any overages between $210MM and $230MM because they’re a tax payor for the second consecutive year. (They’d be subject to higher tax rates in the unlikely event they pushed their CBT ledger north of $230MM this season). That’d also set them up for potential higher penalties were they to exceed the threshold a third consecutive time in 2022, assuming the current system remains in the next collective bargaining agreement.

That’s not to say there’d be no justification for the Astros going past the $210MM mark this season. At 53-33, they’re 4.5 games up on the A’s in the AL West. Houston has the best record in the American League and the top run differential in MLB. This team looks the part of a legitimate World Series contender, so there’s certainly merit to the idea of giving them the best chance to win in 2021.

However, the system disincentivizes teams (particularly so in the Astros’ case) from barely exceeding the threshold to make marginal upgrades. As Click explained to Salisbury, “the worst thing we can do is go over by $1. If we’re going to go over, we’re going to go way over. … If we have an opportunity to bring in somebody that we feel like dramatically improves our chances to win the World Series (whose contract would exceed the threshold), that’s something Jim Crane has shown he’s willing to do for this franchise.”

It remains to be seen if the Astros find an upgrade significant enough for ownership and the front office to deem that worthwhile. With the offense having been far and away the league’s best and the rotation performing well, fortifying a rather young bullpen would seem to be the priority for the Houston front office in the coming weeks.

Cardinals Place Carlos Martinez On Injured List

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The Cardinals have placed right-hander Carlos Martínez on the 10-day injured list with a right thumb injury. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot on the active roster.

It seems Martínez could be looking at a rather significant absence, as manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that imaging revealed a ligament tear in his thumb. While Martínez had been with the team in San Francisco, he’s now being sent back to St. Louis for further evaluation.

This continues what has been a disappointing season for Martínez. While he’d previously stayed healthy enough to make 16 starts and tally 82 1/3 innings, he’s simply not been particularly effective. Martínez has only managed a 6.23 ERA/5.14 SIERA, striking out just 15.7% of opponents while walking 9.9%. It’s the second straight poor year from Martínez, who had previously looked like a rotation cornerstone after posting high-end numbers from 2015-18 and performing well out of the bullpen in 2019.

Martínez becomes the latest Cardinals starter to go down with injury. St. Louis is already without Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas, and they entered the season knowing they’d go the entire year without Dakota Hudson. The Cards front office had already been known to be prioritizing starting pitching, and Martínez’s injury only adds to that urgency.

At 43-44, the Cardinals sit eight games back of the Brewers in the National League Central. They’re almost equally far back of the Padres in the Wild Card race, with the 45-41 Reds also ahead of them in the pecking order. Given that outlook, it’s arguable the Cardinals should instead turn their attention to 2022 and consider moving some players off the big league roster for young talent rather than adding.

Nevertheless, it seems the current plan for St. Louis is still to try to make a run in 2021. Robert Murray of FanSided wrote this morning — even before news of Martínez’s IL stint — that the Cardinals were expected to look to add a starting pitcher or two and perhaps another position player before the July 30 trade deadline. Given the Cardinals’ place in the standings, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has spoken about not wanting to mortgage the farm system to win at all costs this year. That could suggest St. Louis will be more in the mix for veteran stabilizers to plug into the back of the rotation rather than targeting a controllable, mid-rotation type.

Brewers Select Jandel Gustave

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The Brewers selected right-hander Jandel Gustave to the 40-man roster before the second game of today’s doubleheader against the Mets. Milwaukee acquired the 28-year-old from the division-rival Pirates last month. Gustave is active for tonight’s game in New York as the designated “27th man” for the doubleheader. The Brewers already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.

If he makes an appearance, Gustave will return to the big leagues for the first time since 2019. He’s appeared in parts of three major league seasons, tossing 44 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball with the Astros and Giants. While Gustave’s run prevention numbers have been solid, he has struck out just 17.4% of opposing hitters in the big leagues while walking a slightly elevated 10.9% of batters faced.

Before tonight, Gustave had spent the entire 2021 season in Triple-A. Split between the Pirates and Brewers affiliates, he’s tossed 17 innings at the minors’ highest level over as many appearances, working to a 3.71 ERA with a strong 21:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Dodgers Place Clayton Kershaw On Injured List With Forearm Inflammation

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The Dodgers announced they’re placing ace Clayton Kershaw on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his left forearm. Righty Mitch White has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his spot on the active roster.

No timeline has been placed on Kershaw’s return, but any injury to a pitcher’s forearm is obviously of some concern. It’s particularly alarming when that pitcher is a player of Kershaw’s caliber. While he’s no longer the best pitcher in the sport like he was at his peak, the three-time Cy Young Award winner remains a highly-effective hurler. Through 106 1/3 innings this season, Kershaw has worked to a 3.39 ERA with fantastic strikeout and walk rates (30.1% and 4.5%, respectively).

An IL stint for Kershaw only adds to the likelihood the Dodgers acquire some starting pitching depth in advance of the July 30 trade deadline. The reigning World Series champions are still amidst a three-way battle in the NL West. Los Angeles trails the Giants by half a game and sits three games up on the third-place Padres.

Getting Kershaw back for the stretch run is obviously of paramount importance for the organization as they look to defend their championship. It’s also pivotal for Kershaw personally, as he’s slated to hit free agency at the end of the season. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes slotted the 33-year-old southpaw ninth on his most recent free agent power rankings last month.

Dodgers Outright Yoshi Tsutsugo

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The Dodgers have passed first baseman/corner outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo through outright waivers, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times was among those to relay. He’ll remain with the organization at Triple-A Oklahoma City but no longer occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.

The Rays originally signed Tsutsugo to a two-year, $12MM contract during the 2019-20 offseason after he’d put together a standout career in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He never carried that success over with Tampa Bay, though, hitting just .187/.292/.336 across 272 plate appearances with the Rays. Tampa Bay designated him for assignment in mid-May, and the Dodgers acquired him for cash considerations or a player to be named later, assuming a little more than $430K of Tsutsugo’s contract in the process.

Tsutsugo only picked up 31 plate appearances with the Dodgers before landing on the injured list with a right calf strain. He’s been on a minor league rehab assignment after recovering from that injury, but the twenty-day period allotted for rehab assignments was set to expire. Los Angeles has since gotten back Cody Bellinger from his own IL stint, while Albert Pujols has been decent as a part-time first baseman and bench bat. That evidently left no room on the roster for Tsutsugo.

The 29-year-old will remain as hand as high minors depth. Should the need for a left-handed corner bat emerge in the next few months, the Dodgers could give Tsutsugo another look, but he’d need to again be selected to the 40-man roster.

Phillies Sign Cam Bedrosian

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The Phillies have signed reliever Cam Bedrosian to a minor league contract, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to relay. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Bedrosian will be joining his third organization of the year. After spending 2014-20 with the Angels, he signed with the Reds over the winter. His six appearances with Cincinnati were disastrous, though, and the Reds cut him loose. Bedrosian hooked on with the A’s and performed better over nine games in the Bay Area, but Oakland nevertheless designated him for assignment last week. After clearing waivers for the second time this season, the veteran righty elected free agency.

Philadelphia seems to be a good landing spot for Bedrosian to work his way back to the majors relatively quickly. For the second consecutive season, the Phils have had a nightmarish time late in games. Phillies relievers rank 25th in ERA (4.92) and have blow a league-worst 22 leads, despite a 3.89 SIERA that’s hovering right around league average. The Phils have had particular issues in the ninth inning, leading to a recent shakeup in the closer role.

Because of his disastrous start with Cincinnati, Bedrosian’s sitting on a 5.52 ERA/4.93 SIERA across 14 2/3 innings this year. His more recent work with Oakland was adequate, though, and Bedrosian brings a rather strong track record to the Philadelphia system. He was one of the top relievers in baseball back in 2016, when he tossed 40 1/3 frames of 1.12 ERA ball. His work over the past few seasons has been closer to average; he posted a 3.41 ERA with a slightly below-average 22.5% strikeout rate and a typical 9.2% walk percentage between 2018-20.

Even a return to his competent but not overwhelming form of the past couple years would be a boon to a Phillies bullpen looking for answers to their recurring struggles. In an interesting coincidence, Bedrosian’s father Steve played for the Phillies from 1986-89, winning the 1987 NL Cy Young award.

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