Orioles Option Chance Sisco, Select Austin Wynns
The Orioles made a change to their catching corps today, optioning Chance Sisco to Triple-A and selecting the contract for Austin Wynns, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).
Sisco has shared time behind the plate with Pedro Severino thus far this season. The 26-year-old is having his worst season at the plate since debuting in 2017, slashing .154/.247/.185 across 73 plate appearances.
Wynns, 30, has been a piece of the Orioles’ catching picture for the past couple of seasons, though he did not appear in 2020. Across 2018-19, however, he put up a .239/.271/.339 line in 192 plate appearances.
Richie Martin has also been transferred to the 60-day injured list. The move presumably paves the way for Hunter Harvey‘s eventual activation from the 60-day injured list. An oblique strain has kept Harvey from the mound thus far in 2021.
Central Notes: Indians, Fillmyer, Cardinals, Pike, Elledge, Tigers, Greiner
It’s Memorial Day, which means a full slate of day baseball. While we await the start of the action, let’s round up some news and notes from around the game…
- The Indians have purchased the contract of Heath Fillmyer from the Lancaster Barnstormers, per the Atlantic League club. Fillmyer has been assigned to Triple-A. The 27-year-old right-hander last appeared in the Majors in 2019 withe the Royals. He owns a 5.07 ERA/5.31 FIP over 104 2/3 innings between 2018-19.
- The Cardinals have called up Seth Elledge from Memphis, per MLB.com’s Jeff Jones (via Twitter). The move comes as a response to Kodi Whitley being placed on the 10-day injured list because of mild back spasms. St. Louis also signed southpaw Tyler Pike to a minor league contract, according to their transactions log on MLB.com.
- Tigers catcher Grayson Greiner is putting his rehab assignment on hold for now after experiencing some hamstring discomfort, per Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group (via Twitter). He’s been on the injured list since May 12th. The 28-year-old backstop owns a .237/.256/.342 line in 39 plate appearances on the year.
Mike Montgomery To Opt Out Of Yankees Deal
MAY 31: Montgomery looks to be heading overseas to join the Samsung Lions of the KBO, per Sung Min Kim (via Twitter). KBO teams are only allotted no more than two roster spots for foreign pitchers, but Ben Lively has been hurt. Montgomery would be taking his roster spot.
MAY 30: Left-hander Mike Montgomery is planning to opt out of his minor league contract with the Yankees on June 1, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). If New York doesn’t select him to the major league roster, he’ll become a free agent.
Montgomery signed with the Yankees in early April, not long after being released from a minors pact with the crosstown Mets. He’s since pitched in four games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, working to a 7.56 ERA with mediocre strikeout and walk rates (21.1% and 11.8%, respectively) over 16 2/3 innings. While the 31-year-old has worked exclusively as a starter in the minors this season, he has plenty of experience in a swing role.
Between 2015-20, Montgomery made 183 MLB appearances, 70 of them starts. He’s posted a solid 3.84 ERA over that time, although his best production came earlier in his career. Montgomery pitched to a 4.95 ERA/4.90 SIERA between the Cubs and Royals in 2019, and he was limited to just 5 1/3 frames last year by a lat strain.
The Yankees have gotten good production from their pitching staff this season. New York starters entered play today with a 3.42 ERA that ranks ninth in the league, while their 3.46 SIERA ranks fourth. The bullpen has been even better, sporting MLB’s fourth-lowest ERA (2.92) and third-best SIERA (3.34). New York just lost Corey Kluber for two-plus months, though, leaving some uncertainty at the back of the rotation. Deivi García and Michael King have picked up starts in Kluber’s absence.
MLB Planning To Reinstitute Pitcher Limit On Active Rosters In 2022
Major League Baseball will again limit teams to carrying thirteen pitchers on the active roster when the 2022 season begins, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. MLB instituted a 13-pitcher limit in February 2020, but the rule has been waived in each of the past two seasons as part of the MLB-MLBPA agreements on COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Interestingly, the 13-pitcher limit may just be the beginning. The league is open to capping the number of hurlers on an active roster at twelve or perhaps eleven further down the line, per Nightengale.
Teams have become more aggressive in deploying relievers in recent seasons. Fresher arms have contributed to increased velocity across the board. The league is averaging 93.4 MPH on fastballs, 84.5 MPH on sliders and 79.5 MPH on curveballs this season, per FanGraphs. In 2002- the first year for which FanGraphs has pitch data- those offerings averaged 89.0 MPH, 80.4 MPH and 75.0 MPH, respectively.
More frequent reliever usage isn’t the only reason pitch speeds have dramatically accelerated in recent years; teams are also selecting for and training velocity in a more targeted way than ever. Nevertheless, there seems to be merit to the belief that shorter per-game stints for pitchers has some role in the uptick. By limiting the number of relievers a team can carry at any given time, the hope is teams will be compelled to stick with pitchers (predominantly starters) longer in games, thereby leveling off or decreasing the continued improvement in the quality of pitchers’ repertoires.
That’s all done in an attempt to curb the strikeouts that have become so prevalent in today’s game. Hitters are punching out in 24.2% of plate appearances this season, a 0.8 point increase relative to last year. Some of that is a result of the return of pitcher hitting in the National League after a 2020 season with a universal DH, but it’s certainly not a new development. The leaguewide strikeout rate has risen every year since 2006, setting a new all-time high each time. (Again using 2002 as a reference point, the strikeout rate is up more than seven points from that year’s 16.8% mark). The lack of balls in play has led to concerns about the quality of the on-field product, with the game more static than ever before.
Pitchers’ widespread use of foreign substances on the ball is another potential driver of the uptick in whiffs. Grip enhancers have been shown to increase pitchers’ ability to spin the ball, leading to sharper movement and more swings and misses. MLB has suggested in the past they planned to crack down on foreign substance usage, and Nightengale reports the league has now ordered umpires to be “vigilant” in that effort, with increased enforcement expected in the next two weeks.
Earlier this week, umpire Joe West confiscated the cap of Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos based on a belief the righty had applied a foreign substance to the brim. That drew the ire of St. Louis manager Mike Shildt, who called foreign substance use “baseball’s dirty little secret” and argued the decision to single out Gallegos for such a widespread practice was “the wrong time and the wrong arena to expose it” (via Ryan Wormeli of NBC Sports Chicago). With the league now pushing umpires to intervene to limit foreign substance use, it wouldn’t be a surprise if similar situations arose in the coming days.
It also seems electronic calling of balls and strikes will be in play in the not too distant future- Nightengale suggests it could be in the majors within three years from now- with a corresponding modification of the rulebook strike zone. “When (the electronic strike zone) comes, it’s really easy to make adjustments in the strike zone,” MLB consultant Theo Epstein tells Nightengale. “We’re trying to optimize contact. So, the way the strike zone used to be a little bit wider and a little bit shorter, which was better for contact. Now, it’s really tall, but narrow. So you can shrink the zone a little bit, especially the upper boundary, which might be better for inducing more contact.’’
Nightengale’s piece is well worth a full read for those interested in the state of the game. Epstein explains his perspective on why the sport has trended the direction it has, offering some hypotheses about ways to incentivize a more traditional, contact-oriented style of play. The former Red Sox and Cubs executive also explains the thought processes behind the experimental rules changes currently being tested at various levels of the minor leagues and in independent ball.
Latest On Yankees’ First Base Situation
Luke Voit was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a Grade 2 oblique strain, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The New York Post’s Dan Martin) today that Voit will miss “at least a few weeks” of action.
Between knee surgery and now this oblique strain, Voit has played in only 12 games this season, hitting .182/.280/.250 over 50 plate appearances. It has been a marked step down for a player who had been crushing the ball basically since the moment he came to New York in a trade with the Cardinals in July 2018, with Voit even leading the majors in home runs in 2020.
Voit’s absence (and lack of production when he has played) has been one of the many reasons why the Yankees have struggled to score runs, with just about every regular on the team is having a subpar year at the plate. First base, in particular, has been a problem area — Yankees first basemen have combined for an 82 wRC+, the fifth-worst mark of any team in baseball at the position. Besides Voit and the now-retired Jay Bruce, DJ LeMahieu, Mike Ford, and Miguel Andujar have all seen time at first base, and while LeMahieu is seemingly the best option on paper, his services have also been required at both second base and third base this season.
Since Voit may not be available until late June at the earliest, it opens the door for another option, such as minor league slugger Chris Gittens. A 12th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2014 draft, the 27-year-old Gittens isn’t considered a top-30 Yankees prospect by either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline, and he had never played even at Triple-A until this season.
Gittens is something of a throwback player, a classic slugging first base/DH type with a lot of power (.476 slugging percentage, 75 homers) and a lot of swing-and miss (473 strikeouts) over his 1709 career PA in the minors. That includes a red-hot performance at Triple-A, with a .268/.464/.634 slash line and four homers over 56 plate appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“He’s swinging the bat really well to start the season,’’ Boone said, adding that Gittens is “very much on our radar” given his Triple-A production.
Gittens isn’t on the 40-man roster, and the Yankees don’t yet have a 40-man spot available since a decision hasn’t yet been made about Corey Kluber‘s health situation. Kluber will miss at least eight weeks recovering from a strain in his rotator cuff, so a shift to the 60-day IL could be inevitable, and such a transaction would free up a 40-man spot for Gittens or perhaps another player. Martin suggests that the Yankees might also consider veterans who can opt out of their minor league contracts on June 1.
Pirates Injury Notes: Kuhl, Hayes, Moran, Evans, Swaggerty
Pirates GM Ben Cherington updated reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) with the latest on several injured Bucs players. The most imminent news concerns Chad Kuhl, who will be activated from the 10-day injured list to start Monday’s game with the Royals.
Kuhl was placed on the IL on April 22 due to right shoulder discomfort. After tossing a pair of rehab outings at Triple-A, Kuhl will look to get back on the big league mound and turn the page on what has been a tough 2021 season. Kuhl has a 6.32 ERA over his first four starts and 15 2/3 innings, in large part due to an extreme lack of control — Kuhl has 16 walks in those 15 2/3 innings.
“Part of Chad’s rehab was not just getting healthy, it was making sure that he continued to build off what he had done in that last start and attack the strike zone,” Cherington said, referencing Kuhl’s final start before his IL visit. While Kuhl still allowed three earned runs in five innings against the Brewers on April 18, he did walk just one Milwaukee batter, while striking out six.
Ke’Bryan Hayes might also soon be returning to the Pirates, as Cherington indicated that “all reports have been good” about Hayes’ Triple-A rehab stint. The star rookie went on the IL after just two games due to left wrist inflammation, and his recovery process already hit one setback in April. With so much time missed, Cherington felt Hayes needed “almost a Spring Training progression” to get ramped up, since “the last thing we wanted to do was sort of rush him back and then something else happens because his body was just not ready….So that’s why you’ve seen maybe a little longer progression than we would in some other cases with rehab.”
Hayes has already appeared in seven games with Triple-A Indianapolis, and figures to clock a few more appearances before June 3, when he is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list. It is quite possible Hayes will be activated that day, when the Pirates begin a four-game series at home with the Marlins.
Colin Moran and Phillip Evans are also likely to be starting rehab assignment of their own, possibly as early as within the next two days, Cherington implied. Moran has been out since May 9 due to a groin injury, while Evans went on the IL on May 13 because of a hamstring strain. Evans’ versatility helped the Pirates fill several holes around the diamond before he too was lost to the injured list, while Moran has hit well as the team’s regular first baseman.
On the minor league front, Cherington said that Travis Swaggerty‘s dislocated right shoulder is “going in [the] direction” of requiring surgery. Swaggerty suffered the injury while diving back to first base during a Triple-A game, and he has spent much of the last two weeks weighing recovery options. Swaggerty was the tenth overall pick of the 2018 draft, and MLB Pipeline ranks him as the ninth-best prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system. Surgery would seemingly end the season for the outfielder, an especially tough blow since Swaggerty already lost a year of development when the 2020 minor league season was canceled.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
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Cubs’ David Bote Suffers Separated Shoulder
TODAY: Bote’s MRI revealed no fractures or any unusually serious damage, with Ross describing the result (to NBC Sports Chicago’s Maddie Lee and other reporters) as the “best news possible” given the severity of the injury.
MAY 29: Cubs infielder David Bote left today’s game due to a separated left shoulder, as manager David Ross told The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan and other reporters in the post-game media session. Bote suffered the injury while sliding into second base on what ended up as an Eric Sogard double play during the fourth inning, and Patrick Wisdom replaced Bote in the field at third base for the top of the fifth.
Bote will certainly be placed on the 10-day injured list prior to Sunday’s game, and a trip to the 60-day IL could be a distinct possibility depending on the severity of the separation. Regardless, it represents yet another hit to a Cubs infield that has lost Matt Duffy and Nico Hoerner to the IL within the last week, and Anthony Rizzo has also missed four games in a row due to a bad back.
Given all the injuries that have plagued the Cubs this season, Bote has ended up becoming a regular for the team, appearing in 49 of Chicago’s 51 games. Bote has hit only .194/.273/.333 over 162 PA, but his ability to fill in at both second and third base has been a plus for a Cubs team in need of depth.
Dee Strange-Gordon recently signed a minor league deal with the Cubs and could very well be getting a quick call to the big leagues with Bote now sidelined. Such MLB veterans as Andrew Romine, Sergio Alcantara, and Trayce Thompson are also available at Triple-A depending on how the Cubs want to handle the infield situation, as an outfielder could be called up to allow Kris Bryant to move back to third base.
Cardinals Notes: Trades, Miller, DeJong, Bedell
“Opportunities at the margins are sometimes available in the near term. Opportunities to make…more significant changes are rarely going to happen until six to eight weeks from now,” Cardinals GM Michael Girsch told Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat and other reporters earlier this week. In short, it doesn’t appear too likely that the Cards will be swinging any notable trades in the near future. As Jones notes, the club hasn’t really made any win-now types of deadline moves in recent seasons, and it remains to be seen if the Cards will change course by July 30 of this year.
St. Louis entered Sunday in first place in the NL Central, in a tight race with the Cubs and Brewers. There is certainly room for upgrades on the Cardinals’ roster, with Jones pointing out that (in particular) the bullpen is lacking depth beyond Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and Alex Reyes. Adding another middle relief type wouldn’t necessarily count as a headline-grabbing move, and by that same token, a team that’s already in “seller mode” might be more willing to part with a reliever now rather than wait until closer to July 30.
More from the Gateway City…
- Some bullpen help could come from within, as Andrew Miller could be activated from the 10-day injured list this week. The target date may be Thursday for the start of the Cardinals’ series with the Reds, as manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Guerrero) that wants at least one more Triple-A rehab outing. Miller has been on the IL since April 29 due to a blister on his right foot.
- Paul DeJong‘s return date is less certain, as Shildt told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters yesterday that the shortstop will require a rehab assignment before getting back to the field. A non-displaced left rib fracture sent DeJong to the injured list in the middle of May, and the nature of the injury has kept the Cardinals from pushing too hard: “A non-displaced fracture become a fracture if we don’t take care of it,” Shildt said. DeJong has, at least, been able to take some grounders.
- Pitching prospect Ian Bedell underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week, as Bedell revealed himself on his Instagram page. The University Of Missouri product was a fourth-round pick for St. Louis in the 2020 draft, so his first minor league season was already canceled by the pandemic, and Bedell only appeared in two games for high-A Peoria before being sidelined with injury. Given the 13-15 month recovery timeline associated with Tommy John procedures, Bedell might face a bit of a squeeze in getting back on the mound before the end of the 2022 minor league season.
Mets Expected To Activate Pete Alonso, Select Mason Williams
The Mets are planning to reinstate first baseman Pete Alonso from the 10-day injured list, reports Buster Olney of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll return from a hand sprain after spending the minimum amount of time on the IL. The 2019 NL Rookie of the Year got off to a fantastic start to the 2021 season, but his production has cratered since he was hit by a pitch on May 5. Mets fans are surely hoping the brief reset will allow him to recapture his previous levels of production.
Alonso isn’t the only Mets position player returning to the field in the near future. Kevin Pillar is expected back within the next few days, Olney also reports. The 32-year-old outfielder suffered multiple nasal fractures when he was hit in the face by a Jacob Webb fastball just under two weeks ago. Considering how frightening that scene was, it’s nothing short of remarkable Pillar is seemingly in line to come back as quickly as he is.
Even once Pillar returns, the Mets will still find themselves short in the outfield. Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Albert Almora Jr. and Johneshwy Fargas all remain on the IL. In their absences, the Mets have mostly relied upon Dominic Smith, Cameron Maybin, Billy McKinney and Brandon Drury in the grass.
To add to that outfield mix, New York is planning to select Mason Williams, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (Twitter link). The 29-year-old Williams has gotten to the big leagues in each of the past six seasons, although he’s never topped 132 plate appearances in any given year. Once a well-regarded prospect in the Yankees system, Williams signed a minor-league deal with the Mets last month. He’s raked at Triple-A Syracuse in the early going, hitting .373/.458/.569 over 59 plate appearances. A 40-man roster move will be necessary to create space for Williams’ formal selection.