Injury Notes: Paddack, Snell, Hill, Gallo
It “seems more likely than not” that Blake Snell and Chris Paddack won’t pitch again for the Padres in 2021, sources tell Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. With just two weeks left in the regular season, time is running out for either pitcher to return from the 10-day injured list. Paddack was retroactively placed on the IL on September 12 due to right elbow inflammation, while a groin strain sidelined Snell on September 15.
Snell isn’t likely to pitch again unless San Diego is still playing into the postseason, while Paddack has some smaller chance of a quicker return, as he said his elbow felt fine after a game of catch yesterday. Still, Paddack was only throwing lightly from a 75-foot distance, so it remains to be seen if he can progress quickly enough to get back on the mound before the regular season is over. “Regardless of how [Paddack] is feeling the Padres almost certainly won’t even consider him pitching again in 2021 if they are not squarely in contention,” Acee writes, and that latter scenario is starting to look more remote. The reeling Padres are 5-10 in September, and have dropped 2.5 games behind the Cardinals for the last NL wild card slot.
More updates on injury situations from around the game…
- Tigers outfielder Derek Hill had to be helped off the field via a cart and a wheelchair after suffering a knee injury in yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Rays. Hill was trying to beat out a bunt grounder to first base, and seemed to hyper-extend his knee while colliding with Tampa first baseman Ji-Man Choi. While Hill was still being examined by team medical staff, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press) that an IL trip seems pretty inevitable for the 25-year-old. It seems as if Hill’s rookie season might well be over, after 49 games and 150 plate appearances that saw the 2014 first-round pick hit .259/.313/.388 with three home runs. Injuries have been a big factor in Hill’s season, as he missed time in two separate IL stints due to a left ribcage contusion and a right shoulder sprain.
- Joey Gallo left the Yankees‘ 11-3 loss to the Indians yesterday due to neck tightness, and is day-to-day. Gallo took one plate appearance before being replaced in left field prior to the start of the fourth inning. Manager Aaron Boone told The Associated Press and other media that Gallo was receiving treatment on his neck before the game, and “I think after his first at-bat, it was just barking too much on him.” While the injury seems pretty minor, the Yankees surely want one of their hottest bats back as quickly as possible to aid their pursuit of a wild card berth. Gallo got off to a slow start after being acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline, but has posted a 1.490 OPS and six home runs over his last 25 PA.
MLBTR Poll: Who Will Be The AL’s Wild Card Teams?
This season marks the beginning of what should be a competitive era of Blue Jays baseball, but like all good stories, this one began in the middle. Toronto continued their second half surge today with their 83rd win. Over the past year, the Jays have supplemented young cornerstones Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette with an impressive collection of veterans including George Springer, Marcus Semien, Jose Berrios, and two years ago, Hyun Jin Ryu.
Buying low and hitting on reclamation projects like Robbie Ray, Steven Matz – and even Semien – further fueled their organizational turnaround. Give the development team credit for turning less-heralded pieces like Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Jordan Romano into significant supplemental assets. Young pitching has started to arrive as well, with Alek Manoah impressing in his first 17 starts and Nate Pearson hitting triple-digits in limited usage out of the bullpen.
Charlie Montoyo’s club has pushed all year, but only recently have they angled their way into the AL’s playoff quintet. In fact, today’s win puts them back into playoff position with 14 games to go. Per Fangraphs’ playoff odds, the Jays are well-positioned with a 62.6 percent chance of nabbing one of the two wild card spots.
The Yankees don’t have the momentum of their northern neighbors, but this team is better than the negative press would have you believe. It’s a tough road to hoe, however, with just 13 games remaining and their final nine against the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Rays. Put positively: the Yankees control their own fate. A loss today dropped them a half game behind the Jays, but patience is key.
Good thing, because they Yankees aren’t just the tallest team in the AL, they’ve also been the most patient with a 10.4 percent walk rate. Pairing a walk-heavy approach with the power bats of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Luke Voit, Joey Gallo and Gary Sanchez ought to be a recipe for success. They’ve been six percent better than average as a group since the trade deadline, but their offense ranks just around the middle of the pack on the year: they rank 9th in the AL in runs, 8th by ISO, 6th by wOBA and 7th by wRC+.
The pitching staff has carried the day, however, ranking 2nd in the AL by fWAR, strikeout rate, ERA, and SIERA, and 3rd by FIP. Gerrit Cole has lived up to his billing as one of the game’s few true frontline starters. But he’s not alone, as Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortes Jr., Jordan Montgomery, Luis Gil, and Domingo German have all provided valuable innings.
Regardless, they will enter play tomorrow 1.5 games behind the Red Sox for the top wild card spot. Boston nabbed their 85th win of the season today, pushing their playoff odds to a robust 85.8 percent. They trail the Rays by 7.5 games, so Tampa’s hold on the division is ironclad, but Boston seems a safe bet to find themselves in the wild card game.
That said, a 1.5 game lead with 12 to go isn’t quite ready to take to the bank. Alex Cora‘s team does have the benefit of a soft schedule the rest of the way. Not only do they have the least amount of games remaining among the contenders, but they will happily circle the Beltway for four against the Orioles and three against the Nationals. They have two with the Mets and three with the Yankees, but the BoSox could even mitigate a tough series against the Yanks by taking care of business against inferior teams in those other nine games.
The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Yankees pose the most compelling cases among the wild card hopefuls because of their divisional rivalries and star power – but they aren’t alone. There are a pair of contenders out west who are still hanging around this race.
The Athletics were largely expected to take a step back this season after losing Semien, Liam Hendriks, Tommy La Stella, Robbie Grossman, and Joakim Soria to free agency. But Bob Melvin has turned in another solid season from the bench, steering this club to 80 wins (and counting) and a .544 win percentage. As of this writing, Oakland sits 2.5 games out of a playoff spot with a lead early in their game against the Angels. Chris Bassitt‘s return may provide an emotional boost, but with their final four series switchbacking against the Astros and Mariners, they have an uphill climb ahead.
Speaking of the Astros, they have a seven game lead over Oakland for the AL West and a magic number of nine. With six head-to-head match-ups remaining, the A’s could theoretically overtake Houston to win the division, but that’s not all that likely. Houston has a 99.4 percent chance to win the division right now, so that’s probably where they’ll be after game 162.
The Mariners round out our group of potential playoff teams from the American League. They have six more games against a beatable Angels team, but Scott Servais’ crew remains a long shot contender. They are 3.5 games behind Toronto with three teams to leapfrog and a 1.3 percent chance to play beyond the regular season, per Fangraphs.
The Mariners’ aren’t toast yet, but with seven head-to-head match-ups with the A’s still to come, the two western contenders are likeliest to eliminate one another from wild card contention. These final games count the same as any other, however, and something like a 12-2 finish from either the Mariners or A’s wouldn’t be unheard of. All we can say for sure is that it won’t happen for both teams.
MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk ran through the NL Wild Card contenders just a few days ago, and more than 50 percent of readers went chalk in voting the Cardinals to keep their hold on the NL’s last playoff spot. Now’s your chance to make the call for the AL contenders. Will the Red Sox and Blue Jays hold on? Can the Yankees, A’s, or Mariners yoink a ticket to postseason play? What say you?
(Link to poll for app users)
Who Will Win The AL's Top Wild Card Spot?
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Blue Jays 44% (4,171)
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Red Sox 33% (3,184)
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Mariners 12% (1,157)
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Yankees 8% (801)
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A's 2% (234)
Total votes: 9,547
(Link to poll for app users)
Who Will Win The AL's 2nd Wild Card Spot?
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Blue Jays 32% (2,593)
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Red Sox 28% (2,268)
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Mariners 17% (1,350)
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Yankees 16% (1,276)
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A's 8% (622)
Total votes: 8,109
AL Roster Notes: Yankees, Rays, Angels, Rangers
The Yankees optioned Luis Gil to Triple-A after today’s ballgame, per the team. A corresponding move is likely to follow tomorrow. Gil started today’s game, an 11-3 loss to Cleveland. Though today’s outing ended poorly, Gil had given the Yanks five very strong starts. He logged a 2.88 ERA/3.96 FIP in 25 innings heading into today’s ballgame.
Let’s check in on some other roster moves made today around the Junior Circuit…
- The Rays optioned righty Joey Krehbiel to Triple-A today after making his Rays’ debut, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The move is likely a precursor to the call-up of top prospect Shane Baz, whose debut is scheduled for Monday. Krehbiel, 28, tossed a scoreless inning today, striking out two while walking one.
- The Angels demoted yesterday’s starter Jhonathan Diaz to Triple-A, recalling Cooper Criswell in his place, the team announced. Diaz made his Major League debut last night, giving up two earned runs on two hits and four walks while striking out two over 1 2/3 innings. Criswell made his own debut under similar circumstances earlier this year, giving up three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in his lone start on the year.
- The Rangers have sent Matt Bush out on a rehab assignment to Triple-A, per the team. Bush has been on the shelf since April 8 with a right elbow flexor strain. He made just three appearances in what had been his first big league action since 2018. The 35-year-old former first overall draft pick has 139 career appearances – all with the Rangers – and a 3.47 ERA/3.88 FIP over 140 career innings.
Dodgers Notes: Alexander, Bellinger, Kahnle
Scott Alexander won’t be returning this season, per Jorge Castillo of the LA Times (via Twitter). Alexander has been out since July 20 because of shoulder inflammation. The southpaw has been a reliable presence out of the Dodgers pen for the past four seasons, tossing 111 innings with a 3.49 ERA/4.24 FIP over that span.
Tommy Kahnle is also done for the year, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Kahnle has been recovering from Tommy John surgery, and there was some thought that he might be well enough to return this season, but that’s no longer the case. Of course, the Dodgers signed him to a two-year deal with this possibility fully in mind. The plan remains to get him healthy and ready for the start of 2022.
Cody Bellinger‘s season soldiers on, though it’s hardly gone as planned. Beyond the almost comically disastrous .159/.237/.291 triple slash line, Bellinger has struggled to stay healthy going all the way back to last year’s World Series. He’s now dealing with a non-displaced rib fracture, suffered in an outfield collision with converted infielder Gavin Lux, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. He missed 53 days earlier this season with a fractured fibula and a little more than a week with a hamstring strain.
Bellinger appears likely to play through this injury and avoid another stint on the injured list, though given that he’s hitting just .073/.174/.122 in September, a bit of rest might be preferable for the Dodgers. Chris Taylor is certainly capable of handling centerfield in the short term, though Taylor himself has been banged up of late.
Besides, the fact that Lux was playing left field at all speaks to where the Dodgers are at right now in terms in their available outfielders. And for all his struggles at the plate, Bellinger is a viable defensive centerfielder, putting up 3.0 OAA, -2 DRS, and 1.2 UZR.
A’s Place Daulton Jefferies On 10-Day Injured List, Return James Kaprielian To Rotation
The A’s placed righty Daulton Jefferies on the 10-day injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis and recalled southpaw Sam Moll to claim his roster spot, per the team. Jefferies was supposed to start today, but the injury unfortunately delays his joining the rotation.
James Kaprielian, who was demoted to the bullpen in favor of Jefferies, will now step back into the rotation for his regular turn on the bump. Kaprielian will presumably need to turn around his performance quickly in order to make the most out of this second chance. The Athletics hopes that Chris Bassitt will be back in the rotation shortly, which could again send Kaprielian to the pen.
Kaprielian’s overall numbers this season are decent: he’s posted 1.3 rWAR/1.0 fWAR over 20 starts totaling 105 1/3 innings. Those numbers with his 4.02 ERA/4.46 FIP make for a serviceable rotation arm, if not one guaranteed innings on a first division squad. Over his past eight stars, however, he’s been tagged for a 6.51 ERA/5.01 FIP, prompting the move to the bullpen.
As for Moll, he returns for his third stint in the Majors this season. The 29-year-old Tennessee native has made just four appearances over his first couple of turns upstairs, though he’s done well in the short sample, keeping opponents scoreless over 4 2/3 innings.
Giants Activate Alex Wood, Designate Chadwick Tromp For Assignment
The Giants have activated starter Alex Wood from the injured list, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado. Sammy Long was optioned to Triple-A and Chadwick Tromp has been designated for assignment.
Wood should slide right back into the rotation for the final few weeks of the season while auditioning for a spot in the playoff rotation. The 30-year-old southpaw has put together a resurgent year for the NL West leaders, making 23 starts and logging 125 2/3 innings with a 4.08 ERA/3.71 FIP. Despite a couple of trips to the injured list, this is the healthiest Wood has been over a full season since 2018.
Tromp has been a regular member of the Giants’ catching rotation, though clearly behind Buster Posey, Curt Casali, and Joey Bart in the hierarchy. Still, the 26-year-old has made 82 plate appearances for the Giants over the past two seasons.
Long has both started and relieved this season, taking five turns in the rotation and appearing seven times in relief. He has a 5.53 ERA/4.22 FIP across 40 2/3 innings with relatively average peripherals across the board: 21.6 percent strikeout rate, 8.5 percent walk rate, and 39.2 percent groundball rate.
MLB Suspends Mike Wright, Tony La Russa
Major League Baseball has levied a three-game suspension against the White Sox’ Mike Wright for intentionally throwing at Shohei Ohtani, per Jack Harris of the LA Times (via Twitter). Manager Tony La Russa was also given a one game suspension, which he is serving tonight. Impressively, La Russa’s ejection was the 91st of his career.
The suspension stems from a three-pitch incident in which Wright missed badly on consecutive balls, eventually plunking Ohtani in the leg with the third offering. Wright has appealed his suspension, so he will continue to be available for the time being.
The 31-year-old Wright has made nine appearances for the White Sox this year, his first in Chicago. Though he did not appear in the Majors in 2020, he made appearances in every season from 2015 through 2019, mostly with the Orioles. He made nine appearances with the Mariners in 2019 after being acquired via trade. In total, Wright has a 5.87 ERA/5.20 FIP across 271 1/3 big league innings.
Indians Notes: Francona, Jones, Bieber
Indians manager Terry Francona stepped away from the team in July to undergo a hip replacement and left foot surgery, and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti updated reporters (including MLB.com’s Mandy Bell) on the skipper’s progress today. Francona has now undergone both procedures, and is recovering in Cleveland with plans for him to soon return to his home in Arizona for further convalescence. Most importantly, Francona is “recovering well,” according to Antonetti, and “his mindset is in a much better place than he was a couple of months ago.”
While Francona’s health remains the priority, Antonetti also said that the manager has already begun making some plans for the 2022 team. There wasn’t any question that Francona would be welcomed back for his 10th season in Cleveland’s dugout if he was able, and the prospects of that return are looking a bit brighter now that Francona’s procedures have taken place. “We continue to plan looking at ’22 with Tito as our manager. If at some point that changes, we’re going to have to reconsider and relook at things at that point. But we have no reason to think that will be the case,” Antonetti said.
More from the soon-to-be Guardians….
- Antonetti also provided reporters (including The Athletic’s Zack Meisel) with updates on some injured Cleveland players, including the news that top prospect Nolan Jones will probably undergo ankle surgery. Jones was placed on the minor league injured list at the start of September with a high ankle sprain, and this procedure will help Jones be be fully healthy for the start of Spring Training. Jones has played the entire season at Triple-A Columbus, hitting .238/.356/.431 with 13 home runs over 407 plate appearances. Jones is ranked among the top 100 prospects in the sport by both MLB.com (69th) and Baseball America (75th).
- Shane Bieber‘s second rehab start is scheduled for tomorrow, when the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is expected to throw 55-60 pitches or four innings of work for the Columbus affiliate. Bieber has been out of action for more than two months due to a shoulder strain, though he tentatively appears to be on pace to get back to the Indians roster before the season is over.
Miguel Rojas Reaches Vesting Threshold, Guarantees 2022 Contract
TODAY: Rojas hit the 500-PA threshold last night, so his $5.5MM salary is officially guaranteed for 2022.
SEPTEMBER 17: Two years ago, almost to the day, Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas inked a two-year, $10.25MM extension that bought out his final arbitration year and first free-agent season. The contract carried a $5.5MM vesting option for the 2022 season, and as the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson points out, that option will likely vest this weekend — perhaps as soon as tonight. Rojas’ $5.5MM salary for the 2022 season becomes guaranteed if he reaches 500 plate appearances in 2021, and he’ll enter play tonight at 496 plate appearances on the year.
The contract looked plenty affordable at the time and has been nothing short of a bargain for the Fish, as Rojas has improved at the plate and continued to play high-end defense at shortstop. In 160 games over the life of the contract, he’s hitting .278/.342/.421 with a dozen homers, 39 doubles, four triples and 17 stolen bases (in 20 tries). The rate stats are a bit inflated by an uncharacteristic power surge in last year’s shortened season, but even this year’s .270/.327/.400 mark is a bit better than league average, by measure of wRC+ (102).
On the defensive side of the coin, Rojas has been excellent. He’s committed just 13 errors in that span of 160 games, and newer defensive metrics all agree that he’s been sharp. Since the beginning of the 2020 season, Rojas has been credited with six Defensive Runs Saved and a hearty 9.3 Ultimate Zone Rating. Statcast’s Outs Above Average isn’t quite as bullish put still rates him as a positive defender at plus-1.
When Rojas’ option does officially vest, he’ll become only the second player on the Marlins with a guaranteed contract for the 2022 season, joining reliever Anthony Bass, who’s set to earn $3MM next year. Miami has some players in line for arbitration raises, which will add to that modest total.
Right-handers Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and Elieser Hernandez are among the team’s first-time eligibles in arbitration. Dylan Floro, Garrett Cooper and Brian Anderson are all up for their second arbitration raises. Richard Bleier and Jesus Aguilar are up for their third and final raises. Aguilar figures to be the most expensive, as he’s due a raise on a $4.35MM salary. That said, even he doesn’t seem likely to eclipse $7.5MM or so, making it a relatively light class on the whole.
Suffice it to say, while the Marlins aren’t ever going to be mistaken for a high-payroll club, they’ll have some money to splash around with this winter. Miami spent roughly $63MM payroll in 2021, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez. The combination of Rojas, Bass and that arbitration class shouldn’t clock in at much more than $40MM. Second-year general manager Kim Ng ought to have some resources to strengthen this club via free agency or by taking on some salary on the trade market.
Turning back to Rojas, he again made clear to McPherson that he hopes to play in Miami well beyond the 2022 campaign — a stance he’s expressed in the past. That’ll be up to the front office and ownership, of course, and while Ng declined to discuss any possible extension talks with McPherson, she had nothing but positives to say about Rojas and what he means to the club.
“He really does embody all the things that we look for in a player to represent the organization, to represent the sport and that is a big compliment,” Ng said of Rojas. “…If all players had Miggy’s character and outlook, we’d be ecstatic.”
Cardinals Release Brandon Dickson
TODAY: The Cardinals announced that Dickson has been released.
SEPTEMBER 8: The Cardinals announced that reliever Brandon Dickson has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Memphis. St. Louis designated him for assignment earlier this week.
Dickson rather remarkably made it back to the majors as a September call-up last week. The 36-year-old logged his first big league action since 2012 on Wednesday after spending the 2013-20 seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Dickson’s two big league outings didn’t go as he’d intended, however, as he served up three runs on five hits in two innings.
The right-hander will now return to Memphis, where he made eleven appearances earlier in the year. Dickson only posted a 9.58 ERA over 10 1/3 innings there, coughing up four home runs in that limited time. While his return to affiliated ball hasn’t yet yielded quality results, Dickson earned his way back with a strong body of work in Japan, as well as 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball for the U.S. National Team at this year’s Summer Olympics.