Mets’ Sean Reid-Foley To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Mets GM Billy Eppler announced that right-hander Sean Reid-Foley will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. The 26-year-old was transferred to the 60-day IL just a few days ago, so no further transactions are imminent for the Mets at this time. Given the timing of the surgery, it seems likely that Reid-Foley won’t be able to resume full baseball activities until late spring or summer of next year.
Acquired in a swap with Toronto in January of last year, Reid-Foley has shifted almost exclusively to relief work for the Mets. The results have been mixed, as the right-hander saw his strikeout and walk rates reach career-best levels last season. That progress has reversed through 10 innings so far this season, however, thanks in part to the return of control issues that plagued him even as a touted prospect in the Blue Jays’ farm system. All told, Reid-Foley owns a 5.28 ERA in two seasons (30 plus innings) out of the Mets bullpen.
With less than two years of service time entering the season, Reid-Foley is a ways away from qualifying for the arbitration process. Given his general ineffectiveness and injury woes with the Mets so far, however, it’s possible that the pitcher will find himself with a different team this offseason when a 40-man roster spot is required again. Additionally, the current front office leader, Billy Eppler, was not aboard when the team acquired the right-hander in the first place, which could work against the pitcher’s chance at holding down a roster spot despite his pedigree.
Angels Place Max Stassi On Injured List, Select Austin Romine
The Angels placed catcher Max Stassi on the IL this evening, the team announced, and selected the contract of catcher Austin Romine to take his place on the active roster. As Stassi’s IL stint comes without an injury designation, it’s likely COVID-related, which would mean his time on the injured list has no minimum duration.
Signed to a three-year extension this March, Stassi has joined the rest of the league in getting off to a slow start this season. Through 19 games behind the plate, the 31-year-old has hit .200/.288/.354 (91 OPS+) with three home runs and strikeouts in more than one third of his at-bats. While Stassi is striking out in droves, he’s also walking at a career-best rate and is part of a league-best offense that’s been buoyed by otherworldly performances from outfielders Mike Trout and Taylor Ward.
With Stassi’s absence, the first-place Angels have now seen their Opening Day catching tandem hit the IL, with Kurt Suzuki hitting the IL for COVID-related reasons just a few days ago. Any lack of continuity behind the plate should be of some interest to Halos fans, as the duo has helped steer the team’s rotation into a top-10 run prevention unit this season.
The 33-year-old Romine will join the club for his 11th big league season, forming a new catching duo with recent call-up Chad Wallach. Signed to a minor league deal by the club in March, Romine is fresh off an injury-ruined season with the Cubs in which he hit .217/.242/.300. Those numbers have rebounded in a small Triple-A showing this year, but more importantly for the Angels (and their pitchers) the veteran catcher will bring a reputation as a sturdy defender to the big league club.
Cubs Activate Wade Miley, Place OF Michael Hermosillo On IL
5:02 PM: The Cubs officially activated Miley this evening. They cleared a spot for him on the active roster by placing outfielder Michael Hermosillo on the 10-day IL with a left quadriceps strain, the team announced. Hermosillo’s IL stint is retroactive to May 8th.
As noted below, Miley will make his debut for the underachieving Cubs in tonight’s tilt against the Padres. Hermosillo, who’s played only sparingly this season, was off to a particularly slow start, slashing only .071/.257/.107 in 35 trips to the plate.
12:17 PM: Left-hander Wade Miley will be activated from the Cubs’ 10-day injured list in time to start today’s game against the Padres, Chicago manager David Ross told reporters (including MLB.com’s Shaun O’Neill) yesterday. It will mark Miley’s season debut, as the veteran was sidelined after developing inflammation in his left elbow during Spring Training.
The injury led to a 10-day shutdown period, but Miley has gradually ramped up since, building to a 41-pitch minor league rehab start last Thursday. Ross said that Miley won’t be held to a specific pitch count, so it won’t be a piggyback situation for Miley’s first outing of 2022.
As a cost-cutting move last November, the Reds rather surprisingly placed Miley on waivers, allowing the Cubs to claim the southpaw and then exercise a $10MM club option on his services for 2022. Miley’s solid track record over the last 11 seasons made him something of a no-brainer pickup for a Cubs team that was short on pitching, and Chicago again finds itself short on arms as Miley returns the IL. Marcus Stroman is on the COVID-related injured list, Justin Steele is nursing a sore thumb, and (like Miley) both Adbert Alzolay and Alec Mills have yet to pitch this season due to injuries.
Rangers To Place Mitch Garver On IL, Recall Sam Huff
The Rangers will place catcher Mitch Garver on the 10-day IL with a sprained flexor tendon, reports Kennedi Landry of MLB.com (Twitter link). They’ll recall catcher catcher Sam Huff from Triple-A Round Rock to take his place on the active roster.
It’s a tough break for the Rangers, as Garver was one of the team’s marquee acquisitions this winter in the deal that sent Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Twins for a spell. Appearing in 22 of his team’s games, the 31-year-old Garver has yet to find a groove offensively, hitting just .205/.292/.346 (92 OPS+) with a trio of home runs.
The one-time Silver Slugger winner will need to do better than that when he returns, though he’s no stranger to rebounding from injuries, as he’s played in more than 100 games just once during his Major League career. While Garver’s hard-hit numbers are down, both his walk and strikeout rates compare favorably to his career numbers and the league average, perhaps portending improved performance when he returns from the IL.
Sam Huff returns to the big league team for the second time this season, following a one-game cameo at the end of April. Huff, a former top-100 prospect, was in the midst of another fine season in the minors, batting .260/.349/.575 with 7 home runs through 19 Triple-A games. He’ll slot in as the team’s number two catcher for the time being, behind the hot-hitting Jonah Heim, and will likely factor into the team’s DH mix as well.
Dodgers To Promote Ryan Pepiot
3:42 PM: Right-hander Ryan Pepiot, selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft, will indeed make his major league debut tomorrow, reports Juan Toribio of MLB.com (Twitter link). As noted below, the move had been widely speculated after Robbie Erlin — the most logical candidate on the active roster to start tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Pirates — worked in relief both Sunday and Monday.
It’ll be the first taste of the majors for Pepiot. After reaching Triple-A last year in his first full minor league season, the Butler product has cruised through 26 1/3 innings (over six starts) with a 2.05 ERA at Triple-A Oklahoma City. With no timetable set for Andrew Heaney’s return from the IL, it could be more than just a spot start for Pepiot should he find some success.
10:09 AM: The Dodgers have added right-handed pitching prospect Ryan Pepiot to their taxi squad, and manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett) that the move “just leaves the option” for the club to potentially start Pepiot for Wednesday’s game against the Pirates. If Pepiot does start, it will mark the 24-year-old’s MLB debut.
By using Robbie Erlin in relief work both on Sunday and Monday, Roberts admitted that “certainly makes it more likely” that Pepiot will indeed get the ball for Wednesday’s game. However, Roberts also cited Andre Jackson as a potential starting candidate, and said that “we’re not going to commit to” a starter for now, “but certainly getting [Pepiot] here in town puts us in a position where we can do that if we choose to.”
There could be some gamesmanship at play here, since it would seem a little unusual for the Dodgers to disrupt Pepiot’s Triple-A routine by bringing him to Pittsburgh and then leaving him on the taxi squad. Or, the Dodgers might simply be weighing some roster considerations, as Pepiot would need to be added to the 40-man (whereas Jackson, who is also at Triple-A, is already on the 40-man roster).
Los Angeles has the need for an extra arm due to a doubleheader last Saturday against the Cubs, and then another doubleheader scheduled for May 17 against the Diamondbacks. All told, the Dodgers are in the midst of a stretch of 14 games in 12 days, so whomever starts on Wednesday will also take the mound for one of those two May 17 games.
Pepiot was a third-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2019 draft, and looks to be the latest in a long line of quality arms developed out of the L.A. farm system. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel ranked Pepiot 59th on his preseason list of baseball’s best prospects, crediting the right-hander with “probably has the best changeup in the whole minor leagues, an at least 70-grade Bugs Bunny-type offering.” Baseball America (ranking Pepiot 90th on their top 100 list) and MLB Pipeline (99th) have similar praise for Pepiot’s changeup, with BA’s scouting report even giving the pitch a perfect 80 on the 20-80 grading scale.
Pepiot’s 94-97 mph fastball is another premium offering, earning 70-grades from BA and Pipeline. However, his fastball control isn’t great and his slider and curveball are pretty average, leading to questions about whether or not Pepiot’s ultimate future might be in relief pitching. Over 151 total innings in the minors, Pepiot has a 3.75 ERA, 30.22% strikeout rate, and 11.21% walk rate — this include a 2.05 ERA over six starts and 26 1/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.
Rays Option Calvin Faucher To Triple-A, Recall Vidal Bruján
One day after calling him up, the Rays optioned right-hander Calvin Faucher to Triple-A Durham today, the team announced. Infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján has been recalled to take his spot on the active roster and will start tonight’s game against the Angels in right field.
Faucher did pitch in his brief introduction to the bigs, covering the seventh inning of the Rays’ loss to the Angels on Monday night. His debut hardly went to plan, though, as he allowed allowed five runs — including a Shohei Ohtani grand slam — before recording an out.
Bruján, who played in ten games with the Rays last year after a July call-up and a single game earlier this season, will hope to stick in the bigs this time around after logging a .300/.400/.467 triple-slash across 70 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham. The speedy switch hitter’s versatility will likely help his case. While Wander Franco is obviously quite firmly established at shortstop, Bruján has already seen action at four positions in the majors (second base and all three outfield spots) and has played both short and third in the minors.
The Rays originally signed Bruján out of the Dominican Republic for a paltry $15K. While his speed is his carrying tool (he’s stolen 201 bases in 518 minor league games), he also possesses excellent bat-to-ball skills and solid plate discipline; his walk rate in the minors (10.7%) is only barely eclipsed by his strikeout rate (11.9%). Given manager Kevin Cash‘s proven penchant for players capable of covering multiple positions, should Bruján prove himself capable of replicating those numbers in the majors, he could quickly begin challenging 2022 under-performers Taylor Walls, Brett Phillips, Brandon Lowe, and perhaps even Randy Arozarena and Kevin Kiermaier for at-bats.
Cardinals Option Paul DeJong To Triple-A, Select Kramer Robertson
3:05 PM: The Cardinals have selected the contract of infielder Kramer Robertson to fill DeJong’s spot on the 26-man roster, the team announced. It’ll be the first taste of the bigs for the versatile 27-year-old.
Drafted out of LSU by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2017 amateur draft, Robertson has steadily worked his way through the St. Louis system, posting consistently solid numbers at each level. While he’s never had a ton of power, he has shown the ability to get on base, compiling a .248/.357/.369 triple-slash across five minor-league seasons. Across 100 plate appearances for Triple-A Memphis this year, he’s posted a .225/.380/.400 line.
With Edmundo Sosa likely returning from the COVID IL sooner than later, it could be a relatively short stay in the bigs for Robertson, but the fact he’s been added to the Cardinals 40-man roster could indicate a longer stay. For the time being at least, he’ll serve as the Cards’ primary backup at second, third, and shortstop — potentially sharing time with Brendan Donovan in that role when Sosa returns.
2:21 PM: The Cardinals have optioned shortstop Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis, The Athletic’s Katie Woo reports (Twitter link). This clears the path for Tommy Edman to likely take over as the Cards’ regular shortstop.
With only a .130/.209/.208 slash line over his first 86 plate appearances of the season, DeJong’s offensive struggles have become too large for the Cardinals to overlook, even though his typically excellent glovework is still strong. For a team that prizes defense as heavily as the Cards, DeJong’s ability in the field has given him a lot of leeway as a lineup regular, even as his offense has been in decline.
DeJong’s best offensive year is still his 2017 rookie season, as he finished second in NL Rookie Of The Year voting, and the Cards locked him up with a six-year, $26MM contract extension. This was the largest (at the time) contract ever given to a player with under a year of MLB service time, and it isn’t like the extension was a real miscalculation, as per Fangraphs‘ calculations, DeJong’s career $8.9 fWAR has been worth $70.9MM over his career.
However, DeJong’s power (74 homers in 2017-19) papered over his lack of average and OBP, but his slugging numbers have dramatically tailed off over the last three years. The result is a 79 wRC+ over 662 PA since the start of the 2020 season.
Edmundo Sosa is currently on the COVID-related injured list, but has started a minor league rehab assignment and appears to be close to a return to St. Louis. That will provide some additional depth at shortstop, plus Brendan Donovan can also play second base, giving the Cardinals some flexibility up the middle.
Edman and Sosa have also both looked good defensively at shortstop, albeit in smaller sample sizes at the big league level. It is possible that moving DeJong wouldn’t lead to that much of a dropoff in glovework at shortstop, though since Edman is himself a reigning Gold Glove winner at second base, the Cardinals undoubtedly have some concern over whether they’d be weakening themselves at several positions. Sosa essentially came out of nowhere to be a solid contributor to the 2021 team, but his limited track record in the majors or minors perhaps makes him something of a risk as a true everyday player.
Of course, the real x-factor here is Nolan Gorman, as the star second-base prospect is crushing Triple-A pitching. It has become apparent that Gorman doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors, and St. Louis hasn’t traditionally been hesitant about calling up star prospects for important roles. Having Edman, Sosa, and Donovan all on hand takes some of the pressure off Gorman to contribute right away, and it also isn’t out of the question that DeJong could return to the mix if he gets on track in the minors.
St. Louis still owes DeJong the remainder of his $6MM salary for the 2022 season, plus $9MM for 2023. The Cardinals have a $12.5MM club option for 2024 that looks like a sure thing to be declined, with DeJong receiving a $2MM buyout. While not a huge sum, if the Cards are really ready to move on from DeJong entirely, they could explore trying to move him before the trade deadline, possibly for another team’s undesirable contract.
Twins Place Carlos Correa, Chris Paddack On 10-Day IL; Select Mark Contreras, Jharel Cotton
The Twins announced that shortstop Carlos Correa and right-hander Chris Paddack have been placed on the 10-day injured list today. Correa’s placement (due to a right middle finger contusion) is retroactive to May 6, while Paddack’s placement with right elbow inflammation is retroactive to May 9. Minnesota has selected the contracts of outfielder Mark Contreras and righty Jharel Cotton to replace Correa and Paddack on the active roster.
As reported earlier today, Correa needed more time to recover from the deep bruise suffered in Thursday’s game, and the shortstop hasn’t played since. While Correa may have avoided serious injury, things seem more ominous for Paddack, who has a history of elbow problems. Paddack is still considering his next step, and another surgery hasn’t been ruled out.
Royce Lewis will take over for Correa at shortstop, and Sonny Gray‘s return from the injured list over the weekend means the Twins still have a full five-man rotation (plus Dylan Bundy on the COVID-related IL). Minnesota is still missing a lot of key personnel on the injured list, so to improve that depth, Contreras and Cotton are joining the roster.
Cotton already appeared in two games with the Twins earlier this season, tossing two innings before being outrighted off the 40-man roster. The former top-100 prospect is trying to revive his career after a number of injuries, and after posting a 3.52 ERA over 30 2/3 innings with the Rangers last season, Cotton was acquired by the Twins on a waiver claim back in November.
Contreras was a ninth-round pick for the Twins in the 2017 draft, and the UC Riverside product is now set to make his Major League debut. The 27-year-old didn’t hit much in his first three pro seasons, but after not playing in 2020 due to the canceled minor league campaign, Contreras returned to action with a flourish, hitting well at Double-A and earning a promotion to Triple-A Rochester. Over 497 plate appearances at Rochester over the last two seasons, Contreras has hit .246/.338/.492 with 23 homers, and 17 steals in 23 chances.
Both Contreras and Gilberto Celestino can play all three outfield positions, and Contreras is a left-handed hitting complement to Celestino’s righty bat. Minnesota now has some flexibility with their outfield bench depth behind starters Max Kepler, Nick Gordon, and Byron Buxton, though with Buxton still day-to-day with a minor hip strain, the Twins can’t afford to lose yet another regular (especially a star like Buxton) when they’re already stretched thin.
Reds Reinstate Mike Moustakas From Injured List
TODAY: Moustakas has already been reinstated from the IL, and Dawson was optioned back to Triple-A. The Reds also announced that recently-designated right-hander Robert Dugger cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. Dugger has accepted the outright assignment, the team announced Wednesday.
MAY 9: The Reds announced to reporters, including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that Mike Moustakas has been placed on the injured list. No designation was given for Moustakas’ placement, which suggests he will be on the Covid-related injured list. Outfielder Ronnie Dawson has been called up as a substitute player.
The Reds have had a series of players go on the Covid list in the past week, with Moustakas now joining Joey Votto and Nick Senzel. Tyler Naquin was also in that category but was able to return a few days ago. The team didn’t specify whether Moustakas tested positive, has virus-like symptoms, or was exposed to someone who tested positive. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). If Votto is “merely” dealing with symptoms, he could return in shorter order. Players who test negative can return once their symptoms dissipate, so long as they’re cleared by the joint committee and the team doctor.
For Moustakas, this is his second IL stint of the season, as he missed some time in April due to a biceps strain. Since returning, he had been on a hot streak, hitting .344/.462/.531 in that small sample. But that will now be stalled by this second trip to the IL. It’s yet another frustrating development for the Reds, as the club is off to a miserable 5-23 start, thanks in part to so many players being out of action, either for Covid or otherwise.
As for Dawson, this is the second time he’s been a substitute player to help the club try to get through this outbreak. Under the 2022 health and safety protocols, the commissioner’s office has the sole discretion to determine whether a team has been sufficiently impacted by COVID to call up “substitute” players. If granted permission, the team can then return those substitutes back to Triple-A (and, if he was not previously on the 40-man, off the roster entirely) without utilizing a minor league option or passing the player through waivers.
Dawson already went through this process, being selected to the club last week but then being removed when Naquin returned. He only got into a single game while on the roster, going hitless in three plate appearances. In 28 Triple-A games this year, the 26-year-old is hitting .267/.373/.436.
Nationals Select Carl Edwards Jr.
The Nationals announced a trio of roster moves, including the selection of Carl Edwards Jr.‘s minor league contract to the active roster. To create space on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, the Nats optioned right-hander Andres Machado to Triple-A and moved right-hander Mason Thompson to the 60-day injured list.
Once Edwards tosses his first pitch for the Nats, it will mark eight MLB seasons for the right-hander, and six different big league teams. Edwards has seen only sporadic action from 2019-21, tossing 27 1/3 total innings for his five previous teams. In 2021, Edwards had an 11.12 ERA over 5 2/3 total innings with the Blue Jays and Braves (despite only tossing one-third of an inning for Atlanta, he was still awarded a World Series ring for his contribution to the championship season).
Edwards was a much more prominent member of another title team, tossing 36 regular-season innings and then 6 1/3 postseason innings for the Cubs in 2016. The righty posted some quality results out of Chicago’s bullpen from 2015-18 before struggling badly over the last three seasons.
Washington signed Edwards to a minor league deal during the offseason, and he has shown signs of a turn-around at Triple-A Rochester. Edwards has an 0.63 ERA, a 50% groundball rate, a 34% strikeout rate, and an eight percent walk rate over his 14 1/3 innings for the Red Wings. Considering how the Nationals bullpen has been quite shaky thus far, D.C. has nothing to lose in seeing if Edwards has gotten himself back on track.
Thompson was placed on the 10-day IL exactly one month ago due to right biceps tendinitis. He had been hoping to start throwing by the end of April, but with no further updates on his progress, it would seem like Thompson will need more time to recover. Mid-June will now be his earliest possible return date, as the 60-day IL window begins from his initial placement on the 10-day injured list.