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Twins Outright Zack Littell

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The Twins passed right-hander Zack Littell through outright waivers and have assigned him to their alternate training site in St. Paul, tweets Dan Hayes of The Athletic. The move opens a spot on the team’s 40-man roster, which could open a spot for the return of righty Homer Bailey from the 45-day injured list or open a spot to select the contract of a non-roster player.

It would have been hard to imagine Littell clearing waivers a year ago this time and still registers as a bit of a surprise that no team placed a claim. The 24-year-old allowed seven runs through 6 1/3 frames in 2020 but also gave the Twins 37 innings of 2.68 ERA ball in 2019. That included a dominant stretch beginning with his June recall from Triple-A, wherein Littell rattled off 30 2/3 innings with just three runs allowed (0.88 ERA) and a 27-to-8 K/BB ratio. Littell’s velocity remained consistent with its career levels, as he averaged 94.1 mph on his heater in this year’s small sample of work.

Littell remains in the Twins’ 60-man player pool, so he can still be summoned later this season should a need arise, and he’ll still be under the organization’s control beyond the current season.

Brewers Outright Trey Supak, Ronny Rodriguez

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Right-hander Trey Supak and infielder Ronny Rodriguez both cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Brewers earlier in the week, per a team announcement. They’ve been assigned outright to Triple-A San Antonio. Because they were outrighted to Triple-A rather than to the alternate training site, neither will remain in the club’s 60-man player pool. They’re both still controlled by the Brewers beyond 2020, however, even though they’re no longer on the 40-man roster.

The 24-year-old Supak spent most of the 2019 campaign in Double-A, where he notched a terrific 2.20 ERA ball with 6.9 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 0.44 HR/9 and a 44.8 percent grounder rate over the life of 122 2/3 innings. That performance came in a pitcher-friendly environment and wasn’t fully backed by fielding-independent metrics (3.14 FIP, 3.59 xFIP), but it was a promising showing overall. He was hit much harder in a brief stint at the Triple-A level, but Supak has yet to have much experience at that stage of the minors.

The Brewers are likely pleased that the righty went unclaimed, as he’s long been ranked as one of the better arms in a thin minor league system. Clearly, the team now feels that others within the system have surpassed him, but they’ll now be able to continue to work on his development in future seasons. Supak has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, but that wasn’t enough for another club to place a claim at this point, apparently.

Rodriguez never got into a game with the Brewers after coming over from the Tigers via waivers this winter. The 28-year-old is a versatile utility piece with a bit of pop but overwhelming on-base issues, as can be seen in his career .221/.254/.396 batting line. Rodriguez did swat 14 big flies in 294 MLB plate appearances last year, but those on-base woes clearly limit his value.

Injury Notes: JV, McCullers, Hoskins, Moronta, Chafin

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Justin Verlander has continued to progress in his late-season comeback effort, as Jake Kaplan of The Athletic writes. The veteran hurler isn’t yet ready to return to the Astros rotation, of course, but he has now faced live hitters in a two-inning sim game. It’s still unclear how things will progress from here. The club would surely like to get JV a regular-season appearance before the season concludes, but it’s also possible he’d make his first start in the postseason. Meanwhile, the ’Stros have now welcomed back fellow right-hander Lance McCullers from his own stay on the injured list, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 was among those to tweet. It turned out to be a brief stay for McCullers, who had a procedure to relieve neck nerve irritation. He’ll look to improve upon a 5.79 ERA through his first eight outings.

Here are some more injury notes from around the league …

  • Phillies first bagger Rhys Hoskins is still in limbo as he deals with an elbow/foream issue. As Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports on Twitter, the burly slugger is holding out hope of a return even while the threat of a season-ending surgery hangs over his head. When and how this situation will be resolved isn’t yet clear. Losing Hoskins would represent a big dent to the Phils’ lineup. He has to this point of the season turned in a productive .245/.384/.503 slash line with ten long balls.
  • It seems the Giants could yet get a bullpen boost from right-hander Reyes Moronta. He’s ready for competitive mound action at the team’s alternate training site, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area notes on Twitter. Moronta has been building up after undergoing shoulder surgery, so the club won’t want to push him too hard. But it’s enticing to imagine adding another postseason weapon, particularly since Moronta is said to be showing typically strong velocity. Jeff Samardzija is also nearing readiness, with a five-inning set scheduled. It’s unclear what role may await for the veteran once he’s deemed a full go. He coughed up 15 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings over his first three starts on the year.
  • The Cubs haven’t yet received a contribution from recently acquired southpaw Andrew Chafin, but that may soon change. The 30-year-old reliever, who was nursing a finger sprain when he was dealt at the trade deadline, is close enough that he could be activated over the next few days, skipper David Ross indicated to reporters including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chafin had struggled to open the year in Arizona, but he’d represent a notable addition to a bullpen that has had its share of issues, especially from the left side.

Daniels On Rangers’ Youth Movement

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Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels has now set forth a clear strategic directive for the organization, as covered by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The veteran executive says the club’s recent youth movement will likely carry over into the 2021 season.

The Texas team looks a lot less gray of late. The roster is “younger and intentionally so,” per Daniels, who says that will likely “continue[] into next year.” If there was any doubt as to the Rangers’ near-term intentions, Daniels issued a tell-tale cautionary warning against “looking at free agency as the short cut.”

It’s tough to know what to expect from newcomers such as Leody Taveras, Anderson Tejeda, Sam Huff, and Sherten Apostel. But the Rangers believe their current crop of young talent is more “ready for this opportunity” than was the case last year, says Daniels.

There could be some rough patches along the way, but the Rangers intend to find out what they’ve got. “The biggest change is we want to allow them to grow at the major league level,” Daniels explains.

This obviously isn’t the spot the Rangers had hoped to be in at this stage of the season. The club pursued improvements over the winter and had its sights set on contention. But with a host of disappointing performances from key players, the youth movement reflects the reality that there won’t be a quick offseason fix.

Jacob deGrom Leaves Start Early

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7:46pm: deGrom is dealing with a right hamstring spasm, the team announced.

7:06pm: Mets ace Jacob deGrom left his start against the Phillies on Wednesday after two innings, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to report. The reason for deGrom’s exit isn’t yet known, but he met with trainers after his final inning. The Mets then replaced deGrom with right-hander Michael Wacha.

DeGrom departed his outing after yielding three earned runs, making it his worst start of 2020. The back-to-back NL Cy Young winner entered Wednesday in strong contention for the award again with a 1.67 ERA/1.96 FIP and 13.17 K/9 against 2.17 BB/9 over 54 innings. Prior to Wednesday, deGrom hadn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his starts this season.

There would be no replacing deGrom for the Mets if he has to miss time, but the fact that they went into Wednesday at 21-27 makes it unlikely they’ll earn a playoff trip, anyway. With that in mind, the bigger question may be how a deGrom injury would impact the NL Cy Young race, where Yu Darvish and Trevor Bauer are also among those competing for the honors.

Dodgers Place Caleb Ferguson On 10-Day Injured List

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6:59pm: Ferguson suffered “a pretty good tear,” per Roberts (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). The Dodgers are preparing to go without Ferguson for the postseason.

4:38pm: Ferguson’s season appears to be over. Manager Dave Roberts told Sportsnet LA that Ferguson has UCL damage, Pedro Moura of The Athletic tweets. There’s no decision yet on whether Ferguson will undergo Tommy John surgery, but he has already had the procedure once in the past.

3:22pm: The Dodgers announced that left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson is headed to the 10-day injured list with an elbow issue. They recalled righty Josh Sborz in a corresponding move.

This is a tough loss for the Dodgers’ bullpen, though it’s unclear whether Ferguson will be OK by the time the playoffs start in a couple weeks. Their relief corps has been among the best in the majors, ranking second in ERA and FIP, thanks in part to Ferguson. The 24-year-old has thrown 18 2/3 innings of 2.89 ERA/3.58 FIP ball with 13.02 K/9, 1.45 BB/9 and a 54.5 percent groundball rate this season, all while averaging over 95 mph on his fastball and handling right-handed hitters (.287 weighted on-base average) and lefties (.278) alike.

Even without Ferguson, the Dodgers still boast plenty of capable arms in their bullpen, including Blake Treinen, Kenley Jansen, Victor Gonzalez, Dylan Floro, Jake McGee and Adam Kolarek. And the Dodgers are officially getting back Joe Kelly, whom they reinstated from the injured list Sept. 10 after he missed a month with right shoulder inflammation. Kelly was initially ineligible to pitch after he returned, though, as he had to serve a five-game suspension that’s now up.

Mariners’ Matt Magill Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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Mariners reliever Matt Magill underwent an arthroscopic debridement surgery on his right shoulder on Tuesday, according to the team. The M’s expect Magill to be ready for the start of spring training in 2021.

The 30-year-old Magill joined the Mariners in a minor trade with the Twins in July 2019. He has since given the Mariners 32 2/3 innings of 4.41 ERA/4.22 FIP pitching with 10.74 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9.

Overall, Magill has recorded a combined 4.63 ERA/5.25 FIP and posted 9.5 K/9 against 4.93 BB/9 in 149 2/3 innings with the Dodgers, Reds, Twins and Mariners since he debuted in the majors in 2013. He’s slated for his first of three potential arbitration trips during the upcoming offseason.

Yankees Transfer James Paxton To 45-Day IL, Select Wynston Sawyer

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The Yankees have moved left-hander James Paxton to the 45-day injured list and selected catcher Wynston Sawyer, per a team announcement. Sawyer will join the Yankees’ alternate site.

This ends the regular season for Paxton, who has been on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain since Aug. 20. While the Yankees appear likely to make the playoffs, Paxton won’t be available then from the outset.

Paxton turned in another effective (albeit injury-shortened) campaign in 2019, the former Mariner’s first in New York, and the Yankees were counting on more solid production from him this season. Instead, the 31-year-old totaled 20 1/3 innings of 6.64 ERA ball and saw his average fastball velocity drop from around 95 mph to 92.1. Even if the 31-year-old Paxton pitches again during the fall, he figures to head into free agency in an unfavorable position in a couple months.

Sawyer, previously with the Orioles, Dodgers and Twins organizations, signed a minor league contract with the Yankees in February. He topped out in Triple-A ball from 2018-19, during which he amassed 254 plate appearances and batted .277/.370/.405.

Twins Activate Jake Odorizzi, Option Randy Dobnak

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Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi and catcher Alex Avila are returning from the injured list, Dan Hayes of The Athletic was among those to report. The club optioned right-hander Randy Dobnak and infielder Travis Blankenhorn, who will be part of its taxi squad, to clear roster room.

The Twins have gone most of the season without Odorizzi, who didn’t debut until Aug. 8 because of a back strain. Then, after three starts, he returned to the IL on Aug. 22 with a chest contusion. So far in 2020, the 30-year-old has only thrown 10 innings and allowed nine earned runs on 14 hits and two walks (nine strikeouts). That isn’t what the Twins or Odorizzi had in mind on the heels of his first All-Star season in 2019, after which he accepted the club’s $17.8MM qualifying offer. Odorizzi could once again have the option of free agency in the winter, but barring an incredible run over the next several weeks, he’ll get there in the wake of a disappointing season.

Odorizzi will take over in the Twins’ rotation for Dobnak, a rookie whose 2020 got off to a tremendous start. But Dobnak’s low velocity and lack of strikeouts have caught up to him recently, as the 25-year-old has allowed at least four earned runs in three of his four outings since Aug. 29. In fairness to Dobnak, however, he has still given the Twins respectable production with a 4.05 ERA/3.97 FIP, 5.21 K/9 against 2.51 BB/9, and a terrific 62.1 percent groundball rate through 46 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays Place Ken Giles On IL, Activate Teoscar Hernandez

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Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles has returned to the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports. The team also placed outfielder Derek Fisher on the IL with a knee issue, optioned lefty Anthony Kay, activated outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, and recalled righties Jacob Waguespack and Hector Perez.

It’s an alarming situation for Giles, whom arm injuries have weighed down dating back to 2019. He was enjoying an all-world campaign last year before elbow troubles shelved him and prevented the Blue Jays from dealing him before the trade deadline. Giles came back healthy this year, but after making two appearances at the beginning of the campaign, he sat from late July until Sept. 11. The 29-year-old struggled in the two outings sandwiched between IL stints, and has given up four earned runs in 3 2/3 frames this season.

Giles’ season could be over at this point, though he may have a chance to return if the Blue Jays qualify for the playoffs. For now, though, his loss is a blow to their bullpen and potentially to his bank account. As a pending free agent, Giles could have been in for a sizable contract had he been healthy and effective this season. That could still prove to be the case when the offseason rolls around, but Giles’ value certainly hasn’t risen in 2020.

The good news for Toronto is that it’s getting back Hernandez, who was among the league’s top hitters before he went on the IL on Sept. 7 with a left oblique strain. So far, Hernandez has slashed .308/.358/.637 with 14 home runs in 159 plate appearances.

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