Max Scherzer Undergoes MRI Following Last Night’s Early Exit
11:40am: Scherzer indeed sustained an oblique injury, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, although as Heyman points out, even Grade 1 oblique strains can sideline players for upwards of a month. Of course, every injury is different, and there are certainly instances of players returning far sooner than that. The Mets figure to have a formal announcement on Scherzer’s status at some point today.
8:00am: Mets ace Max Scherzer pulled himself from last night’s game midway through a sixth-inning at-bat against Albert Pujols (video link). After throwing a 2-2 slider to Pujols, Scherzer immediately motioned to the dugout that he was done, calling for a trainer and promptly exiting the game. The Mets announced that Scherzer was dealing with discomfort in his left side, and Scherzer told reporters after the contest that he’d felt tightness in his side throughout the day and felt a “zing” during the Pujols at-bat (video link). “I just knew I was done,” said Scherzer. The three-time Cy Young winner added that he doesn’t believe the injury to be a “major strain.”
That’ll be determined this morning, it seems, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes that Scherzer is headed for an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. While Scherzer himself downplayed the potential severity, it’s obviously a point of concern that he both pulled himself from the game and is now undergoing a round of imaging to determine whether a trip to the injured list will be necessary.
The 37-year-old right-hander inked a record-setting three-year, $130MM contract with the Mets over the winter, making him the highest paid player (on an annual basis) in Major League history. Thus far, Scherzer has been the co-ace the Mets hoped to be acquiring when doling out that deal, pitching 49 2/3 innings of 2.54 ERA ball with a 30.6% strikeout rate against a 5.7% walk rate. He’s been a major reason that the Mets’ rotation, even without Jacob deGrom, ranks fifth in the Majors in ERA and second in FIP. Scherzer and his rotation-mates have also combined for the seventh-highest strikeout rate and the lowest walk rate of any starting staff in the big leagues.
At present, the Mets are the only team in the NL East with a winning record, and at 25-14 they hold a healthy six-game lead over the second-place Phillies. That said, even a brief absence for Scherzer, placing him on the shelf alongside deGrom and righty Tylor Megill (biceps inflammation), would be a notable blow. The Mets do have a deep staff that could potentially weather that trio of rotation injuries in the short-term, with lefty David Peterson presumably serving as the next man in line if Scherzer indeed misses time. Still, losing their $76.83MM one-two deGrom/Scherzer punch to the injured list before the pair is ever even healthy enough to take the mound on consecutive days isn’t a scenario the Mets hoped to face.
The Mets announced earlier this week that an MRI on deGrom, who has yet to pitch in 2022 due to a stress reaction in his right scapula, showed “continued healing.” He’s working through a throwing program and currently building up the distance from which he throws and the intensity level, but there’s no clear timetable for him to get back onto the mound and embark on a minor league rehab assignment. If Scherzer were to join deGrom and Megill on the IL, the Mets’ rotation would likely consist of Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Trevor Williams and the aforementioned Peterson.
Royals Select Dairon Blanco
The Royals announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Dairon Blanco from Triple-A Omaha and placed outfielder Michael A. Taylor on the injured list. Royals skipper Mike Matheny told reporters last night that Taylor was in contact tracing under the league’s health-and-safety protocols, though it’s not clear yet whether he’s tested positive. Regardless, it’ll be Blanco assuming his spot on the roster at least in the short term. Kyle Isbel is in center for the Royals’ series finale against the White Sox today.
The 29-year-old Blanco will be making his big league debut if he gets into a game. Originally signed out of Cuba by the Athletics back in 2017, Blanco was one of two players the Royals received when trading lefty Jake Diekman to Oakland back in 2019. He had a rough go of it in Double-A following that trade, but Blanco has posted solid minor league numbers in 2021 (.277/.350/.441) and so far in 2022 (.263/.381/.442) between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
Blanco swiped 41 bases in 55 tries last year, and he’s out to a 13-for-13 start in that department so far in 2022. At 29 years of age, he’s older than your standard “prospect,” though he still got a brief mention on FanGraphs’ 2021 rankings, where Eric Longenhagen credited him with 80-grade speed (on the 20-80 scale) and praised his strong exit velocities at the plate. He’s played center field and left field extensively with the Royals but has just one appearance in right.
It should be noted that the Royals did not specify Blanco as a Covid-related “substitute” or “replacement” when announcing they’d selected his contract. Each team’s wording tends to vary a bit on transactions of this nature, but they all typically make specific mention when someone is a pure substitute player. Those players can be sent back to the minor leagues without first passing through waivers. However, the Royals stating that Blanco’s contract has been formally selected ostensibly signals that there’s some permanence behind the move. Assuming Blanco is on the 40-man roster to stay, he’ll give the Royals some additional, optionable outfield depth for the foreseeable future.
As for Taylor, his placement on the Covid list could be due to a positive test, symptoms or continued contact tracing. If he did test positive, health protocols technically call for a 10-day absence, although players can return sooner than that with a pair of negative tests and approval from a joint MLB/MLBPA panel (one appointed medical expert from each party). In 117 plate appearances this season, Taylor is hitting .238/.333/.337 with strong marks in Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average.
Tigers Sign Trayce Thompson
The Tigers announced Thursday that they’ve signed outfielder Trayce Thompson to a minor league contract. He’ll head to their Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. Thompson was designated for assignment by the Padres earlier this month and elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A El Paso.
Thompson, 31, went 1-for-14 with the Padres earlier this year prior to his DFA. He’s seen big league time in parts of six seasons, batting a combined .205/.280/.397 in 640 trips to the plate. The younger brother of NBA star Klay Thompson, Trayce is a former second-round pick (White Sox, ’09) with an obvious blend of power and speed, which was on full display when he hit .295/.363/.533 in 135 plate appearances.
Thompson has ripped 26 home runs and swiped 11 bags in about a season’s worth of MLB plate appearances and has also walked at a solid 9.5% clip. However, since that terrific rookie showing back in 2015, he’s posted a grisly .180/.258/.360 batting line with a bloated 31.1% strikeout rate. He’s capable of playing all three outfield spots and has enticing raw tools, but Thompson has never put things together over a lengthy sample in the big leagues.
The Tigers could use some extra outfield depth at the moment with Austin Meadows, Victor Reyes and top prospect Riley Greene all injured. The Detroit outfield currently consists of Robbie Grossman, Derek Hill, Daz Cameron and multi-position utility options Harold Castro and Willi Castro. Backup catcher Eric Haase also has some limited experience in left field.
That list of injuries makes it sensible both that the Tigers would seek out some additional depth and that Thompson would find the opportunity to his liking. There’s a clearer path to a big league return in Detroit than he might’ve had on a deeper and healthier roster in San Diego.
Red Sox Outright Jaylin Davis
Outfielder Jaylin Davis, designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week, went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Worcester, per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). He’ll remain with the organization but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.
Davis, 27, was claimed off waivers out of the Giants organization late last month. He hadn’t been outrighted previously in his career and doesn’t have three years of big league service time, so he didn’t have the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
Originally a 24th-round pick of the Twins back in 2015, Davis was traded from Minnesota to San Francisco in exchange for Sam Dyson at the 2019 trade deadline. Despite enormous Triple-A production with the Twins and Giants in ’19 — .306/.397/.590 with 35 home runs in 541 plate appearances — Davis has never managed to carry things over to the big leagues. He hit just .159/.221/.270 in parts of three seasons with the Giants (68 plate appearances) and was 2-for-4 in his pair of games with the Sox prior to his DFA.
Davis has continued to post solid power numbers in Triple-A, but he’s never replicated that 2019 production — even in the minors. He hit .230/.317/.503 with the Giants’ top affiliate last year and is out to a .257/.282/.446 start between the Triple-A clubs of the Red Sox and Giants so far in 2022. Strikeouts have become an increasing issue for Davis over the years, as evidenced by last year’s 31.7% punchout rate and this year’s mark of 32.1% in 78 plate appearances.
Chris Paddack Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
Twins starter Chris Paddack underwent Tommy John surgery today, the team informed reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press). It’s the second such procedure of his career, as he previously went under the knife as a Padres prospect back in 2016.
It’s obviously a disappointing development for both pitcher and team. Minnesota just acquired Paddack on the eve of Opening Day, relinquishing closer Taylor Rogers and corner outfielder Brent Rooker to secure three years of his services (as well as reliever Emilio Pagán). The hope was that Paddack would add some depth to a rotation that had its fair share of injury concerns, but his first season in Minnesota comes to a close after five outings.
Paddack presented something of a health red flag himself, however. In addition to his prior Tommy John surgery, the righty landed on the injured list late last September due to inflammation in his throwing elbow. That proved a season-ending issue, but Paddack returned to open this year. He left his May 8 start because of renewed elbow inflammation, and reports thereafter suggested surgery might prove necessary.
The 26-year-old Paddack has proven enigmatic from both a health and performance perspective. He was lights-out as a rookie, tossing 140 2/3 innings of 3.33 ERA ball in 2019. His production ticked downwards in both of the following seasons, as his ERA jumped north of 4.70 in both years while he struggled to keep the ball in the park. The Friars continued to stockpile starting pitching talent over that time, and Paddack fell outside the top five or six arms on the rotation depth chart.
San Diego explored multiple possible Paddack deals in Spring Training. He and Pagán were involved in talks with the Mets that might’ve offloaded some of Eric Hosmer’s contract to New York while sending Dominic Smith to Southern California. Mets’ brass eventually pulled out of that possible deal, and San Diego pivoted to talks with Minnesota instead.
From a performance perspective, Paddack had shown signs of turning the corner in his early run in the Twin Cities. He posted a 4.03 ERA across 22 1/3 innings, striking out 21.5% of opponents while walking just two of the 93 hitters he faced. The Texas native saw slight dips in his fastball velocity and swinging strike rate, but neither seemed especially alarming until he was pulled mid-start with the elbow concern.
Paddack is making $2.25MM this season, and he’ll be eligible for arbitration twice more. With his limited innings total, he’ll only accrue a marginal raise on that salary for 2023. He’ll certainly miss the bulk of the 2023 campaign as well, so his final arbitration raise will probably also be muted. It’s unfortunate timing for Paddack, but that affordability probably means the Twins will tender him a contract with an eye towards the end of next season and the 2024 campaign.
In the meantime, Minnesota will have to make due with their other starting pitching options. Joe Ryan and Chris Archer are the only two who have taken all seven turns through the rotation. Dylan Bundy missed some time with COVID-19, but both he and Sonny Gray — who had a brief IL stint for a hamstring strain — are back. Bailey Ober shouldn’t be far behind after making a rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul over the weekend, and well-regarded prospect Josh Winder has produced in a swing role.
That’s likely to be the primary group, although there’s a fair bit of performance and injury uncertainty with the veteran options at the back end. Kenta Maeda is hoping to make a late-season return from his own Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last September. Still, rotation help looked to be a possible midseason target for the division-leading Twins even if everyone were healthy. Paddack’s loss only figures to spur that pursuit as we move nearer to the trade deadline.
Andrew Knapp Elects Free Agency
Catcher Andrew Knapp has cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Knapp had been designated for assignment by the Pirates a few days ago. Players can reject outright assignments and elect free agency if they have been previously outrighted in their careers or have more than five years of MLB service time. Knapp fits both of those categories, allowing him to return to the open market.
Knapp, 30, was signed by the Reds to a minor league deal this winter but didn’t make the team out of Spring Training. After being granted his release, he very quickly latched on with the Pirates to serve as the backup behind Roberto Perez. The switch-hitting Knapp got into 11 games with the Bucs but hit just .210/.310/.315, for a wRC+ of 23.
Perez recently underwent season-ending hamstring surgery, forcing the club to figure out a new plan for who would handle the receiving duties in Pittsburgh. Michael Perez had his contract selected and then the team claimed Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Blue Jays, with Knapp getting nudged out as part of the latter move.
Knapp will now be free to communicate with all 30 clubs and figure out his preferred next step. Over 320 career games, he’s hit .210/.310/.315 for a wRC+ of 70. That’s 30% below league average for all hitters, though backup catchers who can hit at a league-average rate are few and far between. The fact that he can hit from both sides of the plate could perhaps help him find a job with a team whose primary catcher has a notable platoon split.
Nats’ Dave Martinez And Mike Rizzo In Final Guaranteed Contract Year
Nationals manager Dave Martinez and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo are each in the final guaranteed year of their respective contracts, according to a report from Jesse Dougherty and Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post.
The initial reporting on the 2020 extension for Martinez said that it was a three-year deal, which would cover the seasons through 2023. However, when the team officially announced the extension, they described it merely as a “multi-year” deal. According to this new report, the extension was actually for two years plus a club option for 2023. Asked about the situation, Martinez neither confirmed nor denied the report. “I just want people to know that I love it here and I want to be here,” he said. “I am excited for what we’re building and want to see it through for another championship.”
These details only add to the uncertainty for an organization that’s already immersed in it. The club had an incredible eight-year run from 2012-2019, which included a winning record in each year, five postseason appearances and was capped off by a World Series championship in 2019. Since then, though, the club slumped through a mediocre showing in both 2020 and 2021, the latter of those seasons including a massive sell-off of veteran talent for younger, unproven players.
Furthermore, just as the current season was beginning, a report emerged that the Lerner family are considering selling the club. On the field, the Nats are currently holding a record of 12-26, a winning percentage worse than every team in the majors except for the Reds.
This is the fifth season at the helm for Martinez, who was hired prior to the 2018 campaign. Rizzo has been a part of the club even longer, having been hired as assistant general manager in 2006. It appears that neither is guaranteed to be returning in the same role next year, making the future wide open for the club in many ways. After last year’s fire sale, they have only two players on the books beyond this season. Patrick Corbin‘s deal runs through 2024, while Stephen Strasburg‘s goes through 2026.
Of course, the big ticking time bomb in the room is Juan Soto, who can be controlled via arbitration through 2024. The Nationals are naturally interested in extending him, but actually doing so might be difficult. Soto’s agent Scott Boras discussed the matter in November. “The first thing that’s going to have to happen is that he knows that he’s working with an ownership that’s going to annually try to compete and win,” Boras said. “And then I think once he knows that, then he’ll be ready to sit down and talk whenever they choose to talk.” It was later reported that Soto and his camp turned down a 13-year, $350 contract offer from the Nats prior to the lockout. A player’s earning power only increases as they approach free agency, meaning that the price tag on locking Soto up long-term will only continue growing over the coming seasons, especially if he continues playing well. Through 38 games this year, he’s hitting .254/.387/.478, 146 wRC+.
That leaves the club with about two years and five months to convince Soto to stay. Between now and then, there’s very little certainty about who else will be on the team, who will be in the manager’s seat, who will be running the front office or even who will own the club.
Rays Add Luke Bard To 40-Man Roster
The Rays have added reliever Luke Bard to their 40-man roster, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He won’t be heading to the big leagues immediately, though, as the team is keeping him on optional assignment to Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay transferred Chris Mazza from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster.
It’s atypical for a team to add a player to the 40-man without an immediate big league promotion, but a contractual nuance explains the decision. Bard signed a minor league deal in Spring Training, and Topkin notes that agreement came with an opt-out provision around this time. Bard either had triggered or was set to trigger the opt-out, leaving the Rays to decide whether to add him to the 40-man or grant him his release.
That Tampa Bay took the former route suggests they see him as a viable MLB relief candidate, even if he’s not headed to the majors at the moment. Bard has surrendered three home runs in only 8 2/3 innings with Durham, but he has nine strikeouts and has only issued two walks. The front office obviously believes the home run issue is a small sample blip, and Bard could soon get back to the majors for the first time since 2020.
The 31-year-old righty (the younger brother of Rockies closer Daniel Bard) has appeared in parts of three MLB seasons. That stint came with the Angels from 2018-20, with the majority of his workload coming in the middle year. Bard tallied 66 innings over 46 outings, posting a 5.05 ERA. He was a bit homer-prone in his MLB time as well, but he generated swinging strikes at a decent 12% clip and only walked 6.5% of batters faced. Bard missed all of last season recovering from right hip surgery and was outrighted off the Angels’ 40-man roster last October.
Mazza also signed a minors pact with Tampa Bay over the offseason. He broke camp with the MLB team but made just two appearances before landing on the injured list, retroactive to April 18, due to lower back spasms. Today’s transfer means he can’t return for sixty days from the date of his original placement, so he’ll be out until at least late June recovering.
The 32-year-old Mazza recently progressed to throwing live batting practice, as team broadcaster Neil Solondz tweeted yesterday. That seems to indicate he won’t be out for too much longer, but he was certain to require a minor league rehab assignment anyhow. He can embark on that assignment to get back into game shape before becoming eligible to return to the club. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last for as long as 30 days.
Diamondbacks Acquire Paul Fry From Orioles
The Orioles announced they’ve traded reliever Paul Fry to the Diamondbacks for minor league righty Luis Osorio. Arizona immediately optioned him to Triple-A Reno, and the club had a pair of 40-man roster vacancies after placing Cooper Hummel and Kyle Nelson on the COVID-19 injured list this afternoon.
Baltimore had designated Fry for assignment over the weekend. That marked a fairly swift downturn after the southpaw got off to an excellent start to the 2021 campaign that seemed as if it’d make him a deadline trade chip. From the start of the 2021 season through the All-Star Break, Fry held opposing hitters to a pitiful .210/.326/.218 slash in 33 innings. His 4.09 ERA was fairly ordinary, but he struck out 31% of opposing hitters while inducing grounders on over half the balls in play against him.
Unfortunately, Fry’s performance has taken a sharp downward turn since that point. Going back to the All-Star Break, the Michigan native has an 8.54 ERA in only 26 1/3 frames. Fry has continued to keep the ball on the ground, but his strikeout rate has plummeted to a below-average 22% while his walk percentage has spiked to an untenable 19.7%. The O’s have optioned Fry a couple times in that span and eventually moved on altogether after he allowed nine runs in his 12 frames this year.
It’s possible the Snakes’ acquisition was motivated by Nelson’s loss to the virus list, but that they relinquished a minor league arm would seemingly indicate Fry could hold a 40-man roster spot. Osorio, 19, signed with the D-Backs out of Venezuela. He spent last season in the Dominican Summer League.
Angels Designate Cesar Valdez, Outright Aaron Whitefield
The Angels announced they’ve designated right-hander César Valdez for assignment to clear space on the active roster for southpaw José Suarez, who has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. Los Angeles also announced that outfielder Aaron Whitefield has passed through waivers unclaimed and been outrighted to Double-A Rocket City.
Valdez’s stint in the big leagues proved exceedingly brief. The team just selected his contract last night, adding some multi-inning relief depth before a game against the Rangers. The 37-year-old got into the game, facing five batters and allowing a pair of runs (one earned) on two hits in an inning. He’ll immediately lose his MLB spot as the Angels cycle through arms after using six pitchers yesterday. Valdez is out of minor league option years, so the only way to replace him on the big league club was to remove him from the 40-man roster.
Signed to a minor league contract over the winter, the former Oriole has spent the bulk of the season with the Bees. After working out of the bullpen in Baltimore, he’s stayed stretched out as a starter with Salt Lake. Valdez was off to a very nice run there to begin the year, tossing 35 2/3 innings over five appearances. He’s posted a 3.03 ERA despite working more than seven frames per start, racking up grounders on almost three-fifths of batted balls while only walking four of the 137 hitters he’s faced (a minuscule 2.9% rate).
The Angels will presumably try to run him back through waivers in hopes of keeping him at Salt Lake as a multi-inning depth option. It’s at least possible some other team will be persuaded enough by Valdez’s strong start in the minors to devote him a 40-man roster spot that wasn’t available over the winter. Having previously been outrighted in his career, Valdez would have the right to refuse an assignment in favor of free agency if he goes unclaimed.
That’s also true of Whitefield, although the Angels didn’t specify whether he’ll do so. The 25-year-old outfielder was selected to the majors ten days ago. He appeared in five games, his first MLB work since a trio of contests with the 2020 Twins. An excellent runner capable of playing all three outfield spots, Whitefield has been off to a great start with the Trash Pandas. Over 111 plate appearances, the Australia native has hit .301/.400/.538 with five homers, 13 stolen bases and a massive 14.4% walk percentage.