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Byron Buxton Expects To Be Ready For Season

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JULY 15: Buxton said Wednesday he expects to be ready for the Twins’ opener, per Hayes.

July 14: Buxton has been diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain, the team announced to reporters at Target Field today (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park). He’s listed as day-to-day for the time being.

July 13, 7:39pm: Buxton’s initial exam didn’t reveal any serious problems, according to manager Rocco Baldelli (via Hayes). They’re cautiously optimistic Buxton will be OK.

6:47pm: Buxton’s having imaging done on a left foot injury, tweets Hayes, who adds that the Twins should have more information on his status Tuesday.

6:38pm: Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was carted off the field Monday after suffering an apparent injury to his left ankle, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Buxton departed after possibly getting “a spike caught in the turf,” Hayes writes. Further details aren’t available yet.

Should this turn out to be a major injury, it would be the latest in an unfortunately long line of them for Buxton. The 26-year-old’s health issues helped limit him to 115 of a possible 324 regular-season games from 2018-19. Buxton only took part in 87 games last year, which ended for him when he underwent left shoulder surgery in September. That procedure prevented Buxton from participating in the Twins’ ALDS matchup versus the Yankees.

Thanks in part to injuries, Buxton’s career perhaps hasn’t gone to plan since the Twins drafted him second overall in 2012. But there’s no denying that Buxton has shown immense promise at times. The defensively brilliant speedster was a 3.6-fWAR player in 2017 – the lone season thus far in which he has amassed 100-plus games – and logged 2.7 fWAR in 2019 despite missing almost half the campaign. He slashed a career-best .262/.314/.513 (111 wRC+) with 10 homers and 14 steals over 295 plate appearances then, also chipping in 10 Defensive Runs Saved and a plus-8.7 Ultimate Zone Rating.

To their credit, he Twins did more than stay afloat without Buxton a season ago. And at least a few of the center field options they used in his stead – Max Kepler, Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade Jr. – are still on hand. That said, it would be optimal for the team to have Buxton in the mix. The hope right now is that he’s not dealing with yet another significant problem.

Astros Place Joe Smith On Restricted List

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4:31pm: Houston’s proceeding as if it won’t have Smith this season, according to manager Dusty Baker (Twitter link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). “He’s welcome to come back,” Baker said. “Right now, we plan to go without Joe.”

7:27am: The Astros have placed reliever Joe Smith on the restricted list, Mark Berman of FOX 26 reports on Twitter. Smith has not yet reported to camp, citing health and safety concerns relating to his family, though it is not yet clear whether he will formally opt out of the season.

The defending American League champs are facing a few pitching challenges. Reliever Josh James was only able to arrive yesterday. Starter Jose Urquidy has yet to report, joining young slugger Yordan Alvarez in that regard. Those players’ precise situations aren’t known.

Smith, 35, had been a key part of the Houston relief corps. The club called upon him four times apiece in last year’s ALCS and World Series. He missed time with injury in 2019 but worked to a 1.80 ERA in his 25 appearances.

If Smith does not end up playing for the ’Stros this year, the team would save the pro-rated portion of his $4MM salary. He inked a two-year, $8MM pact in advance of the 2020 campaign.

*The original version of this story reflected since-withdrawn reporting by Jim Bowden of The Athletic (via Twitter) suggesting Smith had decided to opt out.

Anthony Rizzo Dealing With Rib Inflammation

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Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is battling an injury that could jeopardize his chances of being in the team’s lineup on Opening Day, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports. Rizzo underwent an MRI on Wednesday that confirmed rib head swelling on his left side. He’s dealing with back spasms as a result of the swelling.

Rizzo, whose back has troubled him in the past, noted it’s a “frustrating” problem, adding, “I just can’t control the flare ups.” However, that doesn’t mean the 30-year-old will start the season on the injured list. Rizzo, manager David Ross and the Cubs’ training staff will continue to monitor his status leading up to the team’s July 24 opener.

Of course, in a shortened season, it becomes even more important for the Cubs to have a healthy Rizzo helping lead their offense. The three-time All-Star and beloved clubhouse presence turned in yet another impressive season in 2019, batting .293/.405/.520 (141 wRC+) with 27 home runs in 613 plate appearances. That type of production obviously can’t be replaced with ease, but if Rizzo does miss time at the beginning of the season, odds are the Cubs will deploy third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant and catcher Victor Caratini at first base, Gonzales suggests.

Pirates To Add Nick Gonzalez, Liover Peguero To 60-Man Player Pool

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3:39pm: The Pirates also plan to add shortstop prospect Liover Peguero to their player pool, general manager Ben Cherington told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other reporters. The 19-year-old Peguero was part of Pittsburgh’s return from Arizona for outfielder Starling Marte in the teams’ offseason trade.

12:01pm: The Pirates are bringing recent top draft pick Nick Gonzales to the club’s auxiliary Summer Camp at Altoona, Adam Young of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. He’ll be formally added to the 60-man player pool once he clears coronavirus testing.

Gonzales just signed on with the Bucs after being taken with the seventh overall pick of the recent amateur draft. The New Mexico State second baseman is a highly polished collegiate hitter.

The 21-year-old’s overall track record is impressive as it is, but Gonzales’s shortened 2020 season was flat out ridiculous. In 82 plate appearances, he launched a dozen home runs and drew 21 walks, producing an outlandish .448/.610/1.155 slash line.

There’s every reason to think that Gonzales will be a rather quick mover up the ladder of the Pirates farm system … once he gets a place to start, at least. By gaining exposure now to MLB and near-MLB pitching, he’ll have a chance to earn a rather lofty affiliate placement next spring.

Latest On Mets Bidding

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2:13pm: This morning’s report has received quite a bit of pushback. Per a statement from Silver Lake, “Any claim that Silver Lake is making or joining a bid for the NY Mets is entirely false and inaccurate.”

That follows a report from Charles Gasparino of FOX Business (Twitter link), who cites a spokesperson for the proposition that Adelson “has no interest in buying” the Mets, whether or not as part of a group.

10:28am: In a major potential development in the Mets sale process, billionaire Sheldon Adelson has entered the bidding picture, according to a report from Thornton McEnery of the New York Post.

Adelson, a casino magnate and top Republican donor who previously dabbled with the NFL’s Raiders as they moved to Las Vegas, is not launching his own, independent bid. Rather, he and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners are said to be joining the already established bidding group led by the present owners of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

As McEnery details, this represents quite an aggregation of wealth in one outfit. It isn’t clear just what the mix of ownership would be, though it seems Josh Harris and David Blitzer remain the lead prospective owners. Presumably, one of those men would be presented to the league as the would-be control person.

Most of the recent chatter surrounding the Mets sale process has involved the reemergence of Steve Cohen as the leading bidder. He was already trying to hold off a celebrity-laden group that couldn’t challenge him for financial supremacy. Now, Cohen will be vying with an even richer challenger.

Miguel Sano Cleared To Re-Join Twins

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Twins slugger Miguel Sano has been cleared to re-join the club’s Summer Camp, per a team announcement. He had previously tested positive for COVID-19.

There’s no indication that Sano is any worse for the wear after dealing with the coronavirus infection. Thankfully, he seems to have had a mild case and has obviously now twice tested negative for a continuing infection.

Sano, 27, is slated to move to first base this season to make way for incoming third bagger Josh Donaldson. If all goes as hoped, Sano will pick up where he left off last year, when he socked a career-high 34 home runs and ran up a .247/.346/.576 batting line in 439 plate appearances.

That big showing earned Sano an extension this spring. Fortunately, for his sake, the deal included only a $3MM salary for the 2020 season — the one that’ll be discounted due to the pandemic. He’s guaranteed a total of $23MM for the 2021-22 campaigns (including the buyout on a 2023 club option).

Reds Add Derek Dietrich To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Reds have added utilityman Derek Dietrich to their 60-man player pool, per a team announcement. He’ll report to their satellite location at Prasco Park. Dietrich told reporters he tested positive for coronavirus, necessitating the waiting period.

Dietrich had been with the organization this spring as a minor-league invitee. He carried a .174/.259/.478 slash line with two long balls in 27 plate appearances of Cactus League action.

Since he’s not slated to work out initially with the team’s anticipated active roster players, it seems rather unlikely that Dietrich has a shot at earning a MLB job to open the year. But the seven-year veteran, who’ll soon turn 31, would be on call if a need arises during the season. In 2,438 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level, he carries a .246/.334/.427 batting line.

Jacob deGrom Undergoes MRI

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2:05pm: The results were not concerning, a source tells MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). That’s obviously great news for the Mets.

12:22pm: The Mets have decided to send top starter Jacob deGrom in for an MRI on his ailing back, manager Luis Rojas told reporters including Newsday’s Tim Britton (Twitter link). deGrom left his Summer Camp appearance yesterday after a single inning.

There’s still no reason for serious alarm, to be clear. But it’s hardly the best news to follow up on yesterday’s development. Sending deGrom in for imaging does indicate that the organization has concern beyond the level of regular maintenance.

If all goes well and the MRI reveals minimal damage, perhaps there’s still a shot for deGrom to resume his march towards Opening Day. But even the missed build-up opportunity represents a threat given the shortened second training period we’re in. And the Mets will obviously want to exercise ample caution with their best player.

Can Players That Opt Out Change Their Minds?

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There’s a still-growing list of notable players that have decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. That raises the question: what if any of these players, for whatever reason and at whatever point in time, changes his mind?

The answer depends upon the particulars, according to reporting this morning from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden and Jayson Stark (links to Twitter). And the policy may yet be subject to change.

The general rule is that there’s no going back. Once a player opts out of the 2020 campaign, he’s ineligible to play in the regular or postseason. That player would then simply step back into the remainder of his contract situation (or enter free agency) at the conclusion of this season.

That said, there is a notable carve-out for those players that are deemed personally “high-risk” for coronavirus infection. Such players — who receive salary and service time even if they opt out — are permitted to submit a request to return. Per Stark, there’s some kind of process involving team physicians and a joint committee to determine whether to honor the request. (Precisely what steps are required and what factors are considered isn’t entirely clear.)

So, what of players not placed in the personal “high-risk” category? They’ve got to make an in-or-out choice, for the moment. But Stark notes that there has at least been some amount of chatter surrounding the idea of creating a path back to participation in 2020. Again, it’s not clear what that might entail — e.g., whether the player would need to demonstrate some change in circumstance to justify the change of heart.

Health Notes: W. Calhoun, Nats, Tanaka, Giants, Royals

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The Rangers are awaiting MRI results on outfielder Willie Calhoun, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Calhoun left the team’s practice Tuesday with tightness in his right hip flexor, leading the Rangers to fear he has a strain that could shelve him for Opening Day, Wilson writes. That would be a blow to the Rangers’ offense, which benefited from Calhoun’s .269/.323/.524 line and 21 home runs last season, as well as the second notable injury he has dealt with in recent months. The first one was much scarier, though, as Calhoun suffered a fractured jaw on a hit by pitch during spring training.

Here’s more health news from around the league…

  • Nationals outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles have been isolated since last week because of coronavirus protocols, but fortunately, it appears the two are nearing a return to the field. Soto and Robles may be in line to rejoin the team Wednesday or Thursday, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic.
  • In a frightening scene back on July 5, Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka suffered a mild concussion when he took a line drive off the bat of teammate Giancarlo Stanton. Tanaka offered a positive update Tuesday, however, saying through an interpreter (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com): “Right now, I have no symptoms at all. I’m able to get back in all the training, so I think I feel very fortunate in a very unfortunate event.” Tanaka does still seem likely to start the season on the 10-day injured list, Hoch reports, but he shouldn’t miss much time if he continues progressing.
  • Giants left-hander Jarlin Garcia is expected to be a participant in camp Wednesday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic tweets. Garcia has been on the IL for undisclosed medical reasons since last Thursday.
  • The Royals won’t have infielder Kelvin Gutierrez when the season opens. He’s dealing with a Grade 2 UCL sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star reports. A fairly well-regarded prospect, the 25-year-old Gutierrez made his major league debut last season with a .260/.304/.356 line in 79 plate appearances.
  • Nationals batting practice pitcher Ali Modami has opted out of the season, manager Dave Martinez announced Tuesday (via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). While Modami isn’t in a high-profile position, he has been a popular figure in the Nationals’ clubhouse since he got the job in 2011, as Dougherty and Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown detailed last season. “He is great,” former Nat Jayson Werth said to Brown. “Just a gem.” First baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has also opted out of the season, told Brown, “That guy probably throws more baseballs than anybody I’ve ever known.”

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