The latest minor league moves from around the sport…
The Rockies have agreed to a deal with right-hander Ivan Nova, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (Twitter link). It is presumably a minor league contract, which would be the second minors deal of the last three months for the veteran hurler. Nova previously inked a minors pact with the Phillies last January but was granted a release at the end of March when he didn’t make Philadelphia’s Opening Day roster.
Nova signed a one-year, $1.5MM Major League deal with the Tigers prior to the 2020 season but ended up pitching only 19 innings (with an 8.53 ERA) due to right triceps tendinitis. With the very notable exception of the Tommy John surgery that cut short both his 2014 and 2015 seasons, Nova has otherwise been a pretty durable pitcher throughout his 11-year career, averaging 174 innings per year from 2016-19 and also banking 335 2/3 frames with the Yankees in 2012-13.
Colorado doesn’t have much rotation depth in the minors, so Nova is by far the most experienced option available at the alternate training site. How Nova might fare at Coors Field is an open question, as he has a 15.2% homer rate since the start of the 2012 season, though he does generate his share of ground balls (career 48.9% grounder rate) to make up for a lack of strikeouts.
Veteran infielder Jedd Gyorko has been named as manager of the West Virginia Black Bears, one of six teams in the newly-created MLB Draft League. Originally launched back in November by Major League Baseball and Prep Baseball Report, the Draft League debuts this summer with a 68-game schedule, and the rosters of the six clubs will be filled with players eligible for this year’s amateur draft. The Draft League is intended as a showcase for these prospects to train and play in proper game environments in front of scouts and evaluators, as well as receive “educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes,” as per today’s league media release.
Longtime minor league coach Billy Horton manages the Williamsport Crosscutters, and the other five clubs are managed by former MLB players — Coco Crisp (Mahoning Valley Scrappers), Derrick May (Frederick Keys), Jeff Manto (Trenton Thunder), Delwyn Young (State College Spikes), and Gyorko. While these other names have been retired for years and had moved into other coaching/managerial positions, Gyorko just played 42 games with the Brewers in the 2020 season. Since the media release describes Gyorko and Crisp (who last played in 2016) as “freshly removed from their Major League careers,” it would seem like Gyorko could be hanging up his cleats after eight MLB seasons.
“I am hoping to provide these young players with experiences and give them knowledge on what the next level will look like and hopefully prepare them for successful careers,” Gyorko said in the press release. “I am thankful for the opportunity and look forward to gaining managerial experience, especially in my hometown, where I’ll be able to spend more time with my family.”
The news is a little surprising since Gyorko is only 32 years old, and he is coming off a very productive year. Gyorko hit .248/.333/.504 with nine home runs in 135 PA for Milwaukee last season, while playing at both corner infield positions. Back on March 7, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco listed Gyorko among his top five picks of the best remaining free agents left on the market, observing that Gyorko didn’t draw any publicly-known interest from clubs this winter. Gyorko has long been very productive against left-handed pitching, and has additional multi-positional versatility given his past experience as a second baseman and shortstop.
It could be that Gyorko hasn’t entirely closed the door on his playing career, and is perhaps just taking a season off for (as he noted in his statement) this unique chance to manage a team in his hometown. If this it for Gyorko, however, he’ll be calling it a career after hitting .245/.310/.424 over 846 games and 2983 plate appearances with the Padres, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Brewers from 2013-20.
A second-round pick for San Diego in the 2010 draft, Gyorko finished sixth in NL Rookie Of The Year voting in his debut season, which led to the Padres locking him up on a six-year deal worth slightly more than $35.5MM in April 2014. While the 2014-15 seasons were something of a struggle for Gyorko, he blossomed after a trade to St. Louis, posting a 111 OPS+/112 wRC+ and hitting .259/.331/.463 over 1321 PA with the Cards from 2016-18. After struggling in 2019, Gyorko caught on with the Brewers and delivered one more productive season, though the Brew Crew declined their $4.5MM club option on Gyorko’s services last October.
11:37AM: The Rays officially announced the move, with right-hander Trevor Richards called up to take Honeywell’s roster spot.
8:08AM: Brent Honeywell Jr. checked his Major League debut off his bucket list on Sunday: two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts against the Yankees. The Rays would ultimately lose the game, but it was a strong showing from the 26-year-old Georgian.
Regardless, the plan was never for Honeywell to claim a rotation spot at this time. In classic Rays fashion, this was a spot start for Honeywell, a strategic call-up to share the innings load and progress a young arm in baby steps. He has been optioned back the minors, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). For Honeywell in particular, there may be added benefit to the short-stint call-up in that he gets to overcome the mental and physical hurdle of making his debut after so many setbacks.
This was Honeywell’s first game action since 2017 when he tossed 123 2/3 innings with a 3.64 ERA at the Triple-A level. At that point, Honeywell appeared on the verge of stardom. Instead of making his debut in 2018, however, Honeywell was set on a Sisyphean cycle of surgery and rehab that included three surgeries.
He was added to the roster at this time because of an injury to Chris Archer. Archer suffered right lateral forearm tightness, but the Rays expect Archer to return after only a short time off. Given that Archer went on the 10-day injured list on April 11th, however, the Rays will need to bring in another arm when Archer’s rotation spot comes back around on Thursday against the Rangers.
The latest on coronavirus situations around baseball…
TODAY: Ray has been officially activated, the Jays announced.
APRIL 11: The Blue Jays are preparing to activate left-hander Robbie Ray from the injured list in advance of their upcoming series against the Yankees, manager Charlie Montoyo tells reporters (including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet). He’ll get the start tomorrow evening against New York.
Ray re-signed with Toronto over the offseason after the Jays acquired him in a midseason trade with the Diamondbacks. His 2021 regular season debut was delayed a couple weeks by a bruised elbow he suffered during the spring. With Ray making his return to the rotation, the Jays will bump Tanner Roark to the bullpen for now, per Montoyo.
In other Toronto injury news, star outfielder George Springer is still not nearing a return from his recent quad injury (via Nicholson-Smith). Springer’s debut with the Jays’ was delayed by an oblique strain, and he hurt his quad while rehabbing the original injury. The three-time All-Star has now recovered from the oblique problem, but the leg issue will keep him out of the lineup for a while longer.
While the sprint of 2020 gave urgency to the regular season, this year brought back the challenge of baseball’s marathon regular season. The longer season brings greater health challenges. We’re particularly on edge for pitchers attempting to more than double their year-over-year workload. Hamstring injuries to position players have proven to be the more drastic bugaboo in the early going, however. Regardless, less than two weeks into 2021, the landscape has already begun to shift rosters and change odds.
The defending champs just placed Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list, while MVP runner-up Mookie Betts has been out of the lineup for a couple of games now. As much as a Dodgers lineup without Bellinger and Betts will boost some heart rates, neither injury appears to be serious – for now. The concern for all injuries, of course, goes beyond the time missed.
The Diamondbacks started the year with ace Zac Gallen on the shelf, and it took only one appearance for offseason addition and candidate-to-close Joakim Soria to join him on the shelf. Starters Nick Ahmed and Kole Calhoun have been out, though both recently returned to the lineup. Gallen should return this week too, but now Ketel Marte is out with a strained hamstring. Marte’s injury hurts all the more, not only because he’s become the face of the franchise in the post-Paul-Goldschmidt era, but because he was off to a rip-roaring start to the season with a 259 wRC+ through six games.
The Padres might have the scariest injury of all this season, as the centerpiece of their organization, Fernando Tatis Jr., dislocated his shoulder at the plate. Shoulder subluxation is the technical term, but a slight tear in his left labrum is the term to make you wince. Tatis is already working his way back, but this is going to be a pins-and-needles situation for the rest of the season, not only for the Padres, but for the league, as Tatis Jr. has rapidly become the face of the “let the kids play” generation. The Padres have also dealt with injuries to Trent Grisham, Dinelson Lamet, Austin Nola, Pierce Johnson, Michel Baez, and others. The Padres offseason spending spree all but guaranteed that they have the depth to contend, but the injuries are piling up.
Bad news has not been unique to the NL West, however. The Nationals started the season with a COVID-19 outbreak, which delayed their opening series and placed nine players on the injured list on Opening Day. Patrick Corbin made his return the other night, but he was rusty, and they still have yet to see Kyle Schwarber, Josh Bell, Josh Harrison, Jon Lester, or Will Harris.
The Mets knew they’d be without Noah Syndergaard for the first half, but Carlos Carrasco has joined him on the injured list, as have key bullpen arms in Dellin Betances and Seth Lugo. J.D. Davis is out now as well, though Jonathan Villar should grant them cover at the hot corner until Davis returns.
In the American League, the White Sox head the list of forlorn head-shakers. Eloy Jimenez tore his pectoral late in spring, forcing the ChiSox to lean early on their questionable depth. First base prospect Andrew Vaughn and spring-training-castoff Billy Hamilton made for a patchwork timeshare, but Hamilton is out now as well. Tim Anderson, mercurial leadoff man and heartbeat of the roster, is also out with – you guessed it – a hamstring injury. How innocent it seemed when the team’s fourth outfielder Adam Engel went on the injured list at the end of Spring Training, but it’s only gotten worse since then.
Like the White Sox, the Blue Jays are a popular pick for the “it” team of 2021, but they’ve been without star pitching prospect Nate Pearson and prized offseason addition George Springer. Robbie Ray has been activated for his season debut, but closer Kirby Yates may never even throw a pitch for the Blue Jays. Yates needs Tommy John surgery, and he’ll miss the season.
The Astros got their injury heartbreak early enough to pivot before the season even started. They knew they’d be without Justin Verlander, but Framber Valdez’s season is now in doubt as well. Losing Valdez particularly smarts, given the breakout he enjoyed in 2020. They’re also without Austin Pruitt, Pedro Baez, Enoli Paredes, Andre Scrubb, and Josh James. They were able to add Jake Odorizzi, but will he be enough?
The A’s got a real punch in the gut with A.J. Puk’s injury news. It might be funny if it weren’t so tragic: Puk shined in his season debut, only to find himself back on the injured list. The same can be said for Trevor Rosenthal, a savvy offseason addition to replace departed closer Liam Hendriks without the long-term financial commitment. It took a season and a half for Rosenthal to re-calibrate after Tommy John surgery, but he seemed to have found the form that made him a star closer for the Cardinals early in his career. Oakland’s $11MM investment is now on the 60-day injured list.
The Rays lost Nick Anderson and large swaths of their bullpen, as have the Yankees, who are down a couple of southpaws and their first baseman. A strained oblique sent Adalberto Mondesi to the injured list on Opening Day. Josh Donaldson doubled in his first plate appearance – and then headed to the injured list. The Rangers have done a full line change in the bullpen, and veterans James Paxton, Dexter Fowler, and Seranthony Dominguez are all out for the year.
The first punches of the 2021 season have been thrown. Some teams have had better luck than others, but all face the reality of a long season. Injuries are not the fun part of the game, but they are a part of baseball. If nothing else, every injury provides an opportunity for somebody else. Narratives change, but baseball continues, and we crown new heroes every day. After all, Adam Wainwright’s iconic strikeout of Carlos Beltran in the 2006 postseason never happens if Jason Isringhausen isn’t injured in September, for example. Tom Brady doesn’t get a chance to start if Drew Bledsoe isn’t injured. And so on.
Which team’s new reality is most disconcerting? Which team’s early injuries have changed their long-term fortunes the most? And who did I leave out? (Poll link for app users)
I’m Tim Dierkes, the owner of MLB Trade Rumors. If you’ll indulge me for a minute, I want to talk about an app I’ve created for youth baseball and softball coaches that has nothing to do with MLB or rumors.
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An infielder makes an amazing stop on a ground ball. It’s the highlight of the kid’s budding career to date. And then…NOOOOOO!!! Why did you throw it to THAT base? Or…why did you think you could just step on THAT base??! We’ve been over this in practice!
Fundamentals are crucial to understanding and playing baseball or softball. Chief among them: where are the force outs? Our free Baseball Force Out Teacher app for iPhones and iPads is the perfect at-home supplement to any player or watcher’s education.
The eight different baserunner scenarios are randomly presented, and this fun game-like app drills home the correct answers to one crucial question: Where are the force outs? Simply play it over and over until force outs are second nature!
Plus, if you’re a coach looking to freestyle or elaborate on infield scenarios, the app has a handy whiteboard feature.
11:41AM: Fowler isn’t considering retirement, telling Jack Harris of the L.A. Times and other reporters that “I’m telling everybody, ’Comeback season has commenced.’ “
10:44AM: Angels outfielder Dexter Fowler suffered a torn left ACL, the team announced. Fowler will undergo surgery that will keep him out of action for the next 6-9 months, thus prematurely ending his 2021 season.
Fowler suffered the injury in Friday’s game with the Blue Jays, as he made an awkward step onto second base to beat out a throw from Bo Bichette on a forceout attempt. Fowler was in obvious pain and had to be carted off the field, and though the Angels’ initial diagnosis when placing him on the 10-day injured list yesterday was only a sprained knee, further tests revealed the true severity of the injury.
The devastating news could end Fowler’s tenure with the Angels after only seven games. Since Fowler just turned 35 years old, it isn’t out of the question that the injury could spell the end of his impressive 14-year career, though it is too soon to speculate given that the surgery has yet to even take place.
The Angels acquired Fowler in a trade with the Cardinals last February that was essentially a salary dump on the Cards’ part. For the price of a player to be named later, Los Angeles is paying only $1.75MM of the $16.5MM owed to Fowler (counting salary and signing bonus installments) in the final year of his original five-year, $82.5MM free agent contract with St. Louis. The Halos’ plan was to start Fowler as the everyday right fielder, at least until star prospects Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh received big league promotions later in the season.
With Fowler sidelined, however, manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that the team will use a platoon of Jose Rojas and Juan Lagares in right field, with Jared Walsh also seeing some time in right. Besides Adell and Marsh, the Angels also have veterans Jon Jay and Scott Schebler in the organization on minor league contracts, and 2015 first-rounder Taylor Ward could also be a candidate for playing time. Looking at the ripple effect over the rest of the roster, Walsh playing right field could open up more time for Albert Pujols at first base.
The Angels are the fifth team Fowler has suited up for at the big league level, as part of a career that includes an All-Star appearance in 2016 and a World Series ring that same season with the Cubs. He signed his big free agent deal with St. Louis in the aftermath of that big 2016 campaign, though Fowler never quite got on track during his four years with the Cardinals. Injuries limited to Fowler to 389 games and an even 1500 PA, as he hit .233/.334/.408 and generated roughly league-average production (98 OPS+, 100 wRC+) and only 3.0 total fWAR.
Anthony Rendon is dealing with a sore left groin, Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic and Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). Maddon doesn’t expect Rendon to play in tomorrow evening’s game against the Royals, and it isn’t out of the question the star third baseman could require a stint on the injured list. The always-productive Rendon is off to a strong start to the 2021 season, with nine hits (including a home run) and five walks over his first 37 plate appearances.
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