Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Shohei Ohtani Underwent MRI On Pitching Arm

By | at

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani expressed discomfort in his right arm following today’s start against the Astros, per various reporters (including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). He’s been sent in for an MRI, the results of which have not yet come back.

There’s surely hope disaster will be avoided. But it’s tough not to be at least somewhat alarmed. Ohtani worked his way back to the mound this season following October 2018 Tommy John surgery. Yet he certainly hasn’t looked as dominant as he’d been.

Ohtani battled control problems throughout Summer Camp, and his two regular-season starts have been unmitigated disasters. He’s walked eight of sixteen batters faced, allowing seven runs in 1.2 innings along the way. Perhaps more worrisome, Ohtani’s velocity plummeted by the end of today’s outing, Bollinger points out (via Twitter). While he touched his customary 97 MPH at one point, his fastball was into the 89-90 MPH range before he departed, Bollinger notes. Of course, that could simply reflect fatigue at the end of a long, stressful inning or mere minor discomfort.

There’s little overstating the 26-year-old’s general importance in Anaheim. He’s proven an elite hitter since coming over from NPB. Even as he worked his way back to pitching from surgery, he didn’t miss a beat at the plate. He was similarly brilliant on the mound over his first 10 MLB starts (3.31 ERA/3.57 FIP in 51.2 innings), making him a key member of an uncertain Angels’ rotation. Surely, the hope remains his body will enable him to regain that remarkable form.

Giants Designate Jandel Gustave For Assignment

By | at

Prior to today’s game, the Giants designated right-handed reliever Jandel Gustave for assignment, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com (Twitter link). The move cleared roster space for the addition of fellow right-hander Andrew Triggs, whose contract was selected. Additionally, Rule V draftee Dany Jiménez cleared waivers and was returned to the Blue Jays organization after being designated earlier in the week, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).

The hard-throwing Gustave was once a relief prospect of note in the Astros’ system, but his most extensive MLB action came last season with the Giants. He tossed 24.1 innings of 2.96 ERA ball, but mediocre strikeout (14.1%) and walk (9.1%) rates suggested that strong run prevention was unlikely to continue. He hadn’t been on the Giants’ active roster this season.

Triggs got off to an inauspicious start to his SF tenure this afternoon, allowing three runs on three walks while recording just one out in a loss to the Rangers. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old once looked like a solid back-end starter, flashing solid strikeout and ground ball tendencies across the bay with the A’s between 2016 and 2018.

Jiménez’s time as a Giant comes to an end after just two appearances (in which he walked three of eight batters faced). The 26-year-old returns to the Toronto organization, where he needn’t occupy a 40-man roster spot.

Marlins Claim Brian Moran, Sign Brett Eibner

By | at

The Marlins announced they have claimed left-handed reliever Brian Moran off waivers from the Blue Jays. They’ve also purchased the contract of two-way player Brett Eibner from the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the independent Constellation Energy League, per an announcement from the indy ball club. (Mark Berman of Fox 26 was first to report that agreement was close). They’re the latest additions to a pitching staff decimated by this week’s onslaught of positive COVID-19 tests.

The sidewinder Moran actually made his debut as a member of the Marlins last season. He worked 6.1 innings across ten games, leveraged heavily against left-handed batters (including his younger brother Colin, whom he struck out). While the elder Moran performed well both in Triple-A and in his brief MLB action, the Marlins outrighted him last fall. Moran signed a minor-league deal with the Jays over the offseason and made Toronto’s season-opening roster, but he only appeared in two games before they cut him loose.

Meanwhile, Eibner will return to affiliated ball for the first time since 2018. The onetime Royal and Dodger outfielder flirted with a two-way role toward the end of his L.A. tenure but was derailed by a Tommy John surgery. He’s stuck with playing both ways since his return, although he’s presumably being viewed as a primary pitcher in Miami. Eibner has not been added to the 40-man roster but seems likely to report to the club’s alternate training site. In 5.1 relief innings in indy ball this season, he’s struck out eight against one walk.

Latest On Mookie Betts

By | at

6:23 pm: Betts’ finger has some swelling, but x-rays fortunately came back negative, manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (Twitter links). He’s day-to-day.

5:41 pm: Mookie Betts was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of this afternoon’s game against the Diamondbacks. The club since announced (Twitter link) that he is dealing with soreness in his left middle finger.

There’s no indication there’s particular cause for alarm, but it’s eye-opening whenever a player of Betts’ caliber leaves a game for health reasons. The superstar hasn’t played at quite his typical level to start his Dodger career, but there’s no questioning his importance to the organization both short and long term.

For now, the hope is surely that Betts will return to the field in short order. The Dodgers are in position to exercise all due caution given the strength of their roster. Edwin Ríos replaced Betts in the lineup today, perhaps indicating he’d be first in line for extra playing time should Betts need some time off.

Brewers Place Ryan Braun On 10-Day Injured List

By | at

The Brewers have placed Ryan Braun on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 30, the club announced. He’s dealing with an infection in his right index finger. Milwaukee didn’t provide a timetable for his return.

The 36-year-old has only gotten into four games to this point, starting three at designated hitter. He’s coming off a productive 2019 effort (.285/.343/.505 in 508 plate appearances) and figures to reemerge as a middle-of-the-order bat for manager Craig Counsell upon his return to health.

The Brewers have not yet made a decision as to who will replace him on the 30-man active roster. Between Justin Smoak, Logan Morrison, Jedd Gyorko, Christian Yelich and Avisaíl García, they have a fair number of options to rotate through the first base/corner outfield/DH mix while Braun is out.

Yoenis Céspedes Opts Out Of 2020 Season

By | at

3:23pm: Céspedes will indeed opt out of the season, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen confirmed to reporters including Heyman. Thankfully, Céspedes is safe and healthy, but concerns about the risks of COVID-19 informed his decision to sit out the remainder of the year.

Thus concludes one of the more confusing and concerning stories of the 2020 season thus far. As Tim Britton of The Athletic reports, Van Wagenen and the Mets were unsure of Céspedes’s safety or location at the time of their initial statement, which was issued in the interest of transparency. After dispatching a security outfit to Céspedes’s hotel room, they discovered that he had left, and it was only when contacting his agent that the team learned of his decision not to play the rest of the season.

With his decision, Céspedes’s Mets tenure has reached its presumed conclusion, with his contract set to expire at season’s end. And perhaps today’s nebulous saga was the only fitting way to wrap up the 34-year-old’s Mets career, which has been a captivating spectacle for Mets fans, from his 2015 heroics to the contentious injuries that cost him nearly two whole years.

Céspedes becomes the 20th player to opt out of the season (not counting Nick Markakis, who reversed his decision and will play this year), and the latest in a string of players to have done so since COVID-19 outbreaks within the ranks of the Marlins and Cardinals over the last week.

It doesn’t appear that Céspedes has opted out in relation to an existing health condition, and if he isn’t considered a “high-risk” individual, he will forfeit the prorated amount of his base $11MM salary for the season, and will reach free agency in the offseason. To be sure, Céspedes is comparatively well-positioned to absorb a year without pay, given his hefty career earnings; still, it’s significant given the precipitous decrease in salary he’s seen over the last two years, with his 2019 and 2020 salaries both taking hits due to the circumstances surrounding his ankle injuries.

From a baseball perspective, the Mets will be nicely equipped to deal with Céspedes’s absence for the rest of the year, with a stocked position player group that includes a handful of DH and left-field options. Céspedes had been off to a slow start this year, striking out 15 times in 34 plate appearances and batting just .161/.235/.387 for the season. His departure should in fact give some clarity to the Mets’ lineup, with Dominic Smith likely handling the bulk of DH duty from now on, while J.D. Davis settles into a regular role in left field.

We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for Céspedes, who will hit the open market this winter for the first time in his career. Of course, he has a track record of great success since defecting from Cuba in 2012, but injuries have sullied the last few years of his career, making it difficult to detect whether he’s still capable of producing like he did in 2015, for example. This would have been his year to prove that, but prospective suitors will instead have to take a gamble on a polarizing player.

1:18pm: As their Sunday matchup with the Braves got underway, the New York Mets announced that outfielder Yoenis Céspedes’s whereabouts are unknown. The Mets released the following statement:

“As of game time, Yoenis Céspedes has not reported to the ballpark today. He did not reach out to management with any explanation for his absence. Our attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful.”

Obviously, this is a concerning situation for all involved, even more so given the stringent nature of COVID-19 protocols. Further details are not known at this time. We’ll provide any updates as they come in.

The Mets, as one would expect, are doing what they can to locate Céspedes. For what it’s worth, SNY’s Andy Martino has heard that the team has “no reason to believe that Céspedes’ safety is at risk” at this time.

Per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, there’s speculation across the league that Céspedes intends to opt out of the 2020 season, which would certainly offer some insight into his absence today. However, if that is indeed Céspedes’s decision, he has not yet declared it to the Mets, according to an earlier report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Cardinals Have “Multiple” New Positive COVID-19 Tests

By | at

The St. Louis Cardinals have “multiple” new positive tests for COVID-19, according to a report from MLB insider Robert Murray. The exact number of positive tests isn’t yet known.

The news marks the third consecutive day the Cardinals have discovered more than one new positive test result, with the team discovering as many as five new cases among players and staffers yesterday. Those results were accompanied by a number of inconclusive tests, so it’s possible that positive tests today shed light on those unclear results. Because of the outbreak within the Cardinals organization, this weekend’s series with the Brewers was postponed.

The Cardinals’ next game is scheduled for Tuesday in Detroit, though that arrangement seems to be in jeopardy in light of the burgeoning virus among the Cardinals.

The Cardinals appear to have found themselves in a situation not too dissimilar from that of the Marlins, who saw a few positive cases snowball into a much larger, more dire situation within several days. Miami’s club, set to resume play on Tuesday, was out of action for more than a week following the discovery of the initial cases, so if the Cardinals’ situation continues to balloon, the upcoming week of games might go by the wayside.

Dodgers Activate Clayton Kershaw

By | at

The Dodgers have officially activated LHP Clayton Kershaw ahead of today’s game, the team announced. Right-hander Mitch White has been optioned to create a spot on the active roster. Kershaw is set to take the mound for the Dodgers this afternoon against the Diamondbacks.

Kershaw will make his season debut after missing his scheduled Opening Day start due to back tightness. He’ll be a timely addition to the Dodgers’ rotation not long after Alex Wood was forced to the 10-day injured list with a shoulder issue.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner is entering his age-32 season and is coming off a 2019 campaign that saw his end-of-year ERA climb above 3.00 for the first time since his rookie year in 2008. It’s a testament to Kershaw’s sheer dominance throughout his prime, and we mustn’t forget that even a slightly lesser version of Kershaw is still one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Last year, he garnered an eighth-place Cy Young finish after notching 189 strikeouts in 178 1/3 innings of work. As alluded to, he finished with a 3.03 ERA (a career year for plenty of pitchers), and his 2.1 BB/9 was the highest it’s been since 2012.

Astros Place Roberto Osuna On 10-Day IL

By | at

2:14pm: The Astros have placed Osuna on the 10-day injured list with right elbow soreness, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by right-handed pitcher Humberto Castellanos, who had previously been on the Astros’ taxi squad.

8:46am: Astros closer Roberto Osuna left Saturday’s game due to an arm injury, and manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Osuna will head from Anaheim to Houston to undergo an MRI.  Facing his third batter of the ninth inning last evening, Osuna threw a pitch to the Angels’ Jason Castro and immediately signaled for the trainer to visit the mound.  The right-hander was removed and replaced with Cy Sneed.

In the short term, Osuna’s injury quite possibly cost Houston the game, as Castro hit an RBI double to tie the score, and the Angels then scored the winning run in the 10th.  But Saturday’s defeat could be a relatively small matter compared to a potentially serious arm problem for Osuna, especially considering how the Astros’ pitching staff has already been ravaged by injuries.

Chris Devenski, Brad Peacock, Joe Biagini, Jose Urquidy, Austin Pruitt, and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander are all on the injured list, while Ryan Pressly only just returned from a sore elbow.  The Astros have made some recent acquisitions (signing Fernando Rodney and acquiring Hector Velazquez from the Orioles) to help fill out their pitching depth, though there’s only so much that can be done to replace so many sidelined hurlers.

Should Osuna’s MRI reveal any bad news, his loss would be a particularly tough one for the Astros.  Osuna has a 2.45 ERA, 6.33 K/BB rate, and 9.3 K/9 over 92 innings since coming to the Astros from the Blue Jays in July 2018.  Pressly might be the top choice for save situations with Osuna sidelined, though the club might want to ease Pressly back in action considering that Saturday marked his first game of the season.

White Sox Release Kelvin Herrera

By | at

The White Sox have requested waivers on right-hander Kelvin Herrera for his unconditional release, as first reported by James Fegan of The Athletic. Herrera was playing out the final year of a two-year, $18MM contract signed with the Sox prior to last season. Herrera was designated for assignment on Friday.

Herrera’s White Sox tenure will come to an unceremonious end after one-plus year in Chicago, a period during which he hardly resembled the late-inning menace that helped the Royals to a World Series title. His velocity has been in a steady decline since 2015, with his four-seamer measuring in at 94.5 mph this year, a far cry from the 98.8 mph he averaged five years ago (to be fair, he’s thrown just seven four-seamers this season; perhaps last year’s 96.3 mph velocity is closer to the “truth”).

In 57 games with the White Sox last year, he notched a disappointing 6.14 ERA while striking out 53 batters in 51 1/3 innings. Walks have been an issue since signing with Chicago, as he’s averaged an even 4.0 BB/9, up considerably from the 2.8 BB/9 he surrendered during his Royals tenure.

Speculatively, Herrera may have a future in Miami with the Marlins, whose need for depth pitching is undeniable given the state of the roster. They figure to be a potential landing spot for just about any hurler that becomes available. And for what it’s worth, Herrera would seem to fit in with the theme of the Marlins’ offseason: low-cost veterans such as Jesus Aguilar, Jonathan Villar, and Corey Dickerson were prioritized last winter and have helped the Marlins to a 2-1 start to the year (firmly in playoff position!).

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top