AL Injury Notes: Bregman, Ramirez, Duffy, Goodrum
A left quad strain sent Alex Bregman to the 10-day injured list on Thursday, but the Astros star isn’t yet sure exactly when he’ll be back on the field. “Honestly there’s no timetable really….It’s unfortunate,” Bregman told reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle. “I’m just going to trust the rehab process. I don’t really know. It’s going to be based on how I progress and how I feel. But there’s no real timetable yet.”
There still seems to be some uncertainty about the severity of Bregman’s injury, as he said that he didn’t know if it was a Grade 1 or Grade 2 strain. Manager Dusty Baker has said that Bregman will be out of action “for a while,” which would seem to indicate that the third baseman will miss well beyond the 10-day minimum. On the plus side for Houston, the team has just kept on winning even without Bregman, as the Astros have rolled a six-game win streak to move within a game of the Athletics for the AL West lead.
More on other injury situations from around the American League…
- Jose Ramirez left Friday’s game with a left foot contusion after being hit by a pitch, and he wasn’t in the Indians‘ lineup on Saturday. Speaking to The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes and other reporters, manager Terry Francona said that Ramirez “was a little more sore, I think, than maybe he anticipated and maybe we did” when he woke up on Saturday morning. “He got hit right on that arch. He’s doing OK. He’s gonna be fine.” The Tribe are 38-30 this season despite an overall lack of offense, but their chances of remaining in contention would take a big hit if their top hitter had to miss any time. Ramirez is having another impressive season, batting .270/.354/.539 with 16 home runs over his first 277 plate appearances.
- Danny Duffy “felt really good” in the aftermath of a 40-pitch bullpen session on Friday, indicating that the Royals southpaw could be nearing a return from the flexor strain that sent him to the injured list back on May 17. As Duffy told Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star, the initial tightness he felt in his forearm is now “gone, everything’s gone. It’s one of those things, modern medicine is a miracle. We’ve got the right people who get their hands on us in the training room….On the MRI, they said my ligament is completely intact, so we’re good. I’m not nervous about it at all. I’m ready to go.” No plans have yet been made about any possible rehab assignment, though manager Mike Matheny indicated that Duffy could return sometime during the Royals’ upcoming 10-game road trip from June 22-July 1. Duffy was off to a great start prior to his injury, posting a 1.94 ERA and above-average strikeout (28.2%) and walk (7.1%) rates over 41 2/3 innings.
- The Tigers placed Niko Goodrum on the 10-day injured list yesterday due to a tendon injury in his left finger. Goodrum suffered the injury while diving for a ball on Friday. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News) that Goodrum is “seeing some doctors and they are sending films to some hand doctors around the country. But essentially, he’s got an issue with the tip of his left index finger. No surgery is required, but we have to get the swelling out of his entire hand.” Goodrum has played mostly shortstop over the last two seasons but he has been a valuable utility piece for Detroit, playing all over the field during his four seasons with the Tigers. While Goodrum was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop in 2020, his defensive metrics have been subpar this year, and he has struggled at the plate for the second consecutive year — Goodrum has hit .202/.281/.332 in 398 PA since the start of the 2020 campaign. Willi Castro, Harold Castro, and call-up Isaac Paredes will all see time at shortstop while Goodrum is sidelined, Hinch said.
Fernando Tatis Jr. Leaves Game With Possible Shoulder Injury
10:09PM: Tatis was removed for precautionary reasons, Padres manager Jayce Tingler told The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and other reporters after the game. “We feel like we’re in a fairly decent position. The trainers think (his shoulder is) nowhere near where it’s been earlier on in the year,” Tingler said.
8:32PM: Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. left tonight’s game in the top of the fifth inning after appearing to hurt his shoulder. According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link), Tatis seemed “to jar his left shoulder diving for a ball” off the bat of Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin. Tatis left the field after a visit from the team trainer.
More will be known after the game, though any sort of shoulder problem is of particular concern given that Tatis is already playing with a slight labrum tear in that same left shoulder. Tatis suffered the tear while taking a big swing during an at-bat early in April, though what seemed like a very serious injury at the time resulted in only a minimal 10-day stint on the injured list.
It could be that the Padres were simply being as cautious as possible in removing Tatis at the first sign of any shoulder discomfort, and this current issue might not require another IL visit at all for the star shortstop. Needless to say, any sort of absence for Tatis would be a blow to San Diego given the fantastic numbers (.285/.364/.675 with 22 home runs) that he has posted over 231 plate appearances this season. Tatis entered Saturday as the NL leader in homers, RBI (50), and OPS, while his .677 slugging percentage was leading all MLB hitters.
NL West Notes: Muncy, Bellinger, Seager, Gray, Dickerson, Ruf, Rockies, Weil
The Dodgers are aiming to put much of their lineup back together in time for a big three-game series with the Padres beginning on Monday. As of now, the hope is that Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger could both come off the injured list in time for at least part of that series, L.A. manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (all Twitter links) and other reporters. Muncy (oblique strain) and Bellinger (hamstring tightness) both haven’t played since June 11 and are eligible to be activated off the 10-day IL on June 22. The duo each took part in a simulated game at the Dodgers’ Spring Training facility today, Roberts said. Corey Seager (fractured hand) might not be too far behind them, as he is tentatively to begin a rehab assignment next week after being sidelined since May 15 due to a fractured hand.
The news isn’t as positive for Dodgers pitching prospect Josiah Gray, as Roberts said Gray is “a ways down the road” in being ready to return from a shoulder impingement. A consensus top-100 prospect in baseball, Gray made his Triple-A debut this season but pitched in only one game before getting injured. The 23-year-old right-hander had been projected to make his Major League debut later this year assuming things went well at Triple-A, but Gray might not have too long to get healthy and then make a good impression on the mound if he is going to factor into the Dodgers’ September call-up plans.
More from the NL West…
- Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Alex Dickerson and Darin Ruf are beginning minor league rehab assignments today. Ruf was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain on May 27, while an upper back strain sent Dickerson to the IL on June 9. With so many members of the first-place Giants playing well, Slusser thinks the impending returns of Dickerson and Ruf could create a bit of a roster crunch. Someone like Mike Tauchman, for instance, couldn’t be easily moved off the roster since he is out of minor league options, so the Giants would have to first expose him to waivers if they wanted to send him to Triple-A.
- The Rockies parted ways with assistant GM Jon Weil earlier this week, with The Athletic’s Nick Groke adding some more details about the front office situation. Weil was told that the team wouldn’t be renewing his contract, which ended Weil’s 16-year run in the organization. Between Weil leaving and VP of scouting Bill Schmidt being promoted to the interim GM job, both Weil’s and Schmidt’s former roles haven’t been filled, as the team has instead moved their responsibilities around to other current employees. In addition, the baseball operations department is being overseen by Rockies president of business operations Greg Feasel. This doesn’t seem like an ideal situation for a Rockies club that looks to be approaching a critical trade deadline and potential rebuilding period, — as Groke puts it, “a potential trade of [Trevor] Story and [Jon] Gray will be left to a business-minded president with no baseball experience, an interim GM with only two remaining lieutenants, and no true research department.”
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/19/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Rangers have outrighted left-hander Hyeon-Jong Yang to Triple-A, the team announced. Yang was designated for assignment earlier this week, on the heels of posting a 5.59 ERA over his first 29 Major League innings. A veteran of 14 KBO seasons, Yang made the jump to North American baseball this past offseason, signing a minor league deal with Texas that guaranteed him a $1.3MM salary for reaching the active roster.
- Astros right-hander Francis Martes has returned from the restricted list and been optioned to Triple-A, according Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Martes was issued a 162-game PED suspension in February 2020, so it will still a while before he is eligible to pitch in the majors. Between two suspensions and a Tommy John surgery, the former top prospect hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2017 season. Astros manager Dusty Baker told Mark Berman of Fox 26 (Twitter link) and other reporters that the team plans to use Martes out of the bullpen.
- Earlier this week, the Giants purchased the contract of right-hander Akeel Morris from the independent Long Island Ducks, as announced via the Ducks’ Twitter feed. Morris pitched in parts of three MLB seasons from 2015-18, posting a 6.14 ERA over 22 total innings for the Mets, Braves, and Angels. He has since pitched in Australia and in the indy leagues before catching on with the Giants, who have assigned him to their Double-A affiliate.
Marlins Designate Deven Marrero, Select Luis Marte
The Marlins announced that infielder Deven Marrero has been designated for assignment. Taking Marrero’s place on the roster is infielder Luis Marte, who is back in the majors after his contract was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Marrero had his contract selected back on Wednesday, and the 30-year-old started at third base that day for his lone appearance in this brief stint with Miami. It marked Marrero’s first Major League game since 2019, when he played in five games for the Marlins. (Incidentally, Marrero is 0-for-8 plate appearances in those six games, so Marrero is still looking for his first hit since the 2018 season.) Now a veteran of parts of six MLB seasons, Marrero returned to the Marlins on a minor league contract back in May.
Marte has also made just one appearance in 2021, making his MLB debut on June 1 in a game against the Blue Jays. He was DFA’ed and then outrighted following that cup of coffee in the big leagues. Marte is a veteran of 10 minor league seasons with the Rangers, Braves, and Marlins organizations, and he has a .213/.228/.360 slash line over 79 PA at Triple-A this season.
Diamondbacks Sign Jake Faria, Designate Ildemaro Vargas
The Diamondbacks announced the signing of right-hander Jake Faria. Utilityman Ildemaro Vargas has been designated for assignment to open up a roster spot for Faria.
Faria had been pitching for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate before he was released earlier this week. He’ll now join a reeling D’Backs team that is looking for all the pitching help it can find, though Faria has only a 5.65 ERA over 36 2/3 innings with Triple-A Salt Lake City. The righty does have a 28.05% strikeout rate, but Faria has been hurt by the long ball, with seven homers allowed over those 36 2/3 frames.
Home runs and walks became an increasingly big problem for Faria over 170 1/3 MLB innings with the Rays and Brewers from 2017-19, as he posted a 1.3 HR/9 and 10.4% walk rate to go along with a 4.54 ERA and 20.9% strikeout rate. A pretty well-regarded arm during his way up the ladder in Tampa Bay’s farm system, the Brewers acquired Faria for Jesus Aguilar in July 2019 but Faria didn’t pitch well during the rest of that season with Milwaukee and he didn’t see any action in 2020.
Vargas has become a regular on the DFA wire, as this marks the fourth time in less than three months that the 29-year-old has been designated. Vargas began his season with the Cubs, who DFA’ed him twice and then lost him on a waiver claim to the Pirates, and Pittsburgh then traded Vargas to Arizona at the beginning of June. Vargas spent his first three-plus MLB seasons with the Diamondbacks before they designated him for assignment last August and the Twins claimed him away.
In the midst of this flurry of moves, Vargas has only hit .167/.211/.245 over 109 PA since the start of the 2020 season. Known more for his versatility than his bat anyways, Vargas has played mostly second base and third base at the big league level but he has also seen some action at four other positions.
Mariners Select Vinny Nittoli, Place Justin Dunn On Injured List
TODAY: Dunn’s MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, but he does have a shoulder strain. (Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among those to report the news.) Dunn will be shut down from throwing for two weeks.
JUNE 18, 5:12 pm: As expected, the Mariners formally announced Nittoli’s selection. Reliever Yohan Ramirez has been recalled from Tacoma, while catcher Jose Godoy was optioned and Dunn was placed on the 10-day IL to create active roster space. Lewis was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Nittoli.
9:18 am: The Mariners on Friday will select the contract of right-hander Vinny Nittoli from Triple-A Tacoma, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). The move, which will require a corresponding 40-man transaction, marks the culmination of an eight-year journey to the big leagues for Nittoli — a 25th-round pick back in 2014 who turned 30 over the winter. The Mariners do have a pair of 60-day IL candidates in outfielder Kyle Lewis and first baseman Evan White, so either could be transferred over from the 10-day IL to accommodate Nittoli on the 40-man roster. White’s rehab from a hip strain was halted this week due to a setback.
It also appears likely that the M’s will place right-hander Justin Dunn on the 10-day injured list. The 25-year-old righty exited last night’s start after two shutout innings due to shoulder discomfort. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported after the game that Dunn was headed for an MRI and could be placed on the IL for precautionary reasons, even if that imaging came back clean.
Nittoli was a senior sign by the Mariners out of Xavier University and spent three years solid but unremarkable numbers against younger competition in the lower levels of Seattle’s system. He was cut loose and spent the next two years pitching for the St. Paul Saints — then an independent club in the American Association — and for los Aguilas de Mexicali in the Mexican Winter League. Nittoli split the 2019 season between the Double-A affiliate for the Blue Jays and the Triple-A affiliate for the D-backs. He was set to spend the 2020 season in the Jays’ minor league ranks, but he wasn’t included in last summer’s 60-player pool following the resumption of play in the summer.
The well-traveled righty returned to the Mariners on a minor league deal over the winter, and he’s turned heads thus far in Tacoma. In a league that is once again seeing enormous levels of offensive output, Nittoli has held opponents to seven runs on 14 hits and five walks with 26 strikeouts in 18 innings out of the bullpen. The 3.50 ERA may not sound like much, but it ranks 37th in the entire league (min. 10 innings), and Nittoli is also fifth in Triple-A West with a 2.95 FIP and ninth with a 35.6 percent strikeout rate. It’s a small sample, of course, but his performance thus far has been strong.
As for Dunn, he’s out to a nice start in 2021 himself, having logged a 3.75 ERA through 50 1/3 frames. Location remains an issue for the righty, which was never more apparent than in his season debut when he walked eight batters in 4 2/3 frames. Since that woeful outing, Dunn has righted the ship with 45 2/3 innings of 3.55 ERA ball. He’s punched out 23.5 percent of his opponents in that time, and his 10.7 percent walk rate, while still north of the league average, is at least passable.
If Dunn indeed lands on the injured list, this would be his second such stint owing to shoulder discomfort. Dunn spent 10 days on the shelf with shoulder inflammation earlier this month and has only made two appearances since returning. It’s perhaps telling that he yielded five runs in three innings in the first of those two starts before exiting after two frames in last night’s effort.
Reds Move Mike Moustakas To 60-Day IL, Select Josh Osich
The Reds moved infielder Mike Moustakas to the 60-day injured list today, opening up a 40-man roster spot so the team could select the contract of left-hander Josh Osich. Right-hander Ashton Goudeau was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Osich on the active roster.
Moustakas has already been out of action since May 19 due to a right heel contusion, and he had only just began a minor league rehab assignment earlier this week when he re-aggravated the injury. Now it seems as though Moustakas is essentially back at square one, and the Reds won’t have the slugger back in the lineup until after the All-Star break.
To their credit, the Reds have still been one of the better-hitting teams in baseball even without Moustakas available for much of the season, and with Moustakas off to rather an average start (.241/.337/.437) over his first 102 plate appearances. But naturally, the Reds would’ve wanted Moustakas back as soon as possible to bolster a left side of the infield that hasn’t gotten much offense from Eugenio Suarez or Kyle Farmer. Moustakas began the year as Cincinnati’s regular third baseman with Suarez at shortstop, but the Moose shifted across the diamond to play first base when Joey Votto was on the injured list.
Osich signed a minor league contract with the Reds in December. Best known for his four years in the Giants’ bullpen from 2015-18, Osich has since been a member of five different organizations, and he posted a 5.02 ERA over 86 innings with the White Sox, Red Sox, and Cubs over the last two seasons. Osich will add more left-handed depth to Cincinnati’s bullpen, and provide a fresh arm after the Reds used five pitchers in yesterday’s 8-2 loss to the Padres. Goudeau was one of those pitchers, allowing two runs on three walks and four hits over his two innings of work.
Mets Place Joey Lucchesi On 10-Day IL, Activate Albert Almora
The Mets have placed lefty Joey Lucchesi on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing elbow. Outfielder Albert Almora will take Lucchesi’s spot on the active roster, as Almora has himself been activated off the 10-day IL.
With New York facing a number of injuries in its pitching staff this season, Lucchesi has been a valuable arm, able to work both in the rotation and out of the bullpen. Lucchesi has a 4.46 ERA/3.72 SIERA over 38 1/3 innings (starting eight of his 11 games), and an above-average 26.1% strikeout rate and seven percent walk rate. The southpaw added to this resume with a strong outing just last night, tossing 5 1/3 shutout innings against the Nationals.
The Mets have doubleheaders scheduled for today, Monday, and on Friday, so the rotation was already facing a crunch even before Lucchesi hit the IL (the club does have an off-day on Thursday to act as something of a reset). Robert Gsellman is scheduled to start the second game tonight, and a solid outing could put him in line to act as Lucchesi’s replacement.
Almora has been on the IL since May 12 due to a shoulder contusion suffered after a big collision with the outfield wall. The 27-year-old will settle back into his backup outfield role, and look to essentially restart his season after hitting only .048/.091/.048 in his first 22 plate appearances.
Padres Place Pierce Johnson On 10-Day Injured List, Outright Sam McWilliams, Select Daniel Camarena
The Padres announced a trio of moves tonight, first and foremost placing right-hander Pierce Johnson on the 10-day injured list with right triceps inflammation. The move is retroactive to June 18th. The Padres selected the contract for southpaw Daniel Camarena from Triple-A El Paso to take Johnson’s roster spot.
Johnson, 30, has been a productive member of the Friars’ bullpen when healthy. He rides an unconventional curve-forward arsenal, throwing his hook 73.1 percent of the time this season. He compliments his high-spin curveball with a 95.5 mph power sinker. The combo put Johnson in the 93rd percentile league-wide by K-rate with a 34.8 percent strikeout rate. In 27 appearances, he’s has a 3.57 ERA/2.84 SIERA over 22 2/3 innings with three holds and a blown save.
Camarena, 28, has yet to make his Major League debut, but he’s likely to do so either today or tomorrow, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). He was a drafted out of San Diego area Cathedral Catholic High School in the 20th round by the Yankees way back in 2010. He career took a hit, however, when he underwent Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the entire 2015 season.
The 6’0″ lefty rehabbed and reached Triple-A in 2016, but he’s been unable to break through. Baseball America had him as the Yankees’ 31st-ranked prospect back in 2017, writing, “Camarena’s fastball typically sits in the low-90s but touched 93 in the middle portion of the season before backing up again as the fatigue from a lost year set in down the stretch. He coupled the fastball with a full offspeed arsenal that included an above-average changeup, a get-me-over curveball and a slider he added this year to give him an extra weapon against righthanders.”
BA pegged him for a back-end rotation arm, but he became a minor league free agent before receiving a big-league opportunity in New York. In eight starts with El Paso this season, Camarena finally earned his call-up with a 3.00 ERA in 39 innings, where he has allowed 33 hits and 11 walks while notching 24 strikeouts.
Lastly, recently-acquired right-hander Sam McWilliams was also outrighted to Triple-A. The 6’7″ McWilliams impressed scouts this past winter, driving a mini-auction for his services. He ultimately signed with the Mets. The well-traveled McWilliams has spent time with Philadelphia, Arizona, Tampa Bay, New York, and the Padres, reaching Triple-A with the Rays in 2019. He’s been knocked around at the highest level of the minors this season, giving up 15 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings between the Mets’ and Padres’ Triple-A clubs. Control has been his bugaboo; McWilliams has a 25.4 percent walk rate this season.