Yankees Activate Giancarlo Stanton, Option Estevan Florial
The Yankees announced this afternoon they’ve reinstated designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton from the injured list. Outfielder Estevan Florial was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night in a corresponding move.
Stanton went on the IL on May 17 with a quad strain but he’s back after a short-term absence. His return is a welcome development for a Yankee lineup that has since lost Luke Voit, as Stanton’s putting up customary strong production to start the year. The 31-year-old is hitting .282/.347/.534 with nine homers over 144 plate appearances.
Florial started the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader with Toronto, going 1-3 with a double. The 23-year-old is one of the more promising prospects in the Yankees system, but he’s only taken 81 career high minors plate appearances and could stand to pick up more developmental time, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored yesterday. With presumptive starting center fielder Aaron Hicks likely done for the season due to wrist surgery, Florial should have an opportunity to earn more extended MLB run if he shows well in the minors. For now, struggling veteran Brett Gardner looks like the favorite to assume the bulk of the playing time in center field.
Marlins Reinstate Starling Marte From Injured List
The Marlins announced a series of roster moves this afternoon (via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). Center fielder Starling Marté has been activated from the injured list, while infielder Luis Marté has been selected to the roster. To clear active roster space, first baseman Lewin Díaz was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, while shortstop Miguel Rojas was placed on the 10-day injured list with a dislocated left index finger. Miami already had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was required to accommodate Luis Marté’s selection.
Starling Marté got off to a good start to the season, hitting .310/.414/.483 with a pair of homers over his first 70 plate appearances. That was halted when Marté suffered a non-displaced rib fracture on a swing in mid-April, sending him to the IL. He’ll now return to action a little less than six weeks later, where he’ll try to build on his solid work early in the year.
It’s an important season for Marté, who’s in the final year of the contract extension he signed with the Pirates in March 2014. The 32-year-old is a few months away from his first trip to the open market. Marté’s strong track record and expiring contract would also make him a plausible midseason trade candidate if Miami falls out of the National League postseason picture. The young Marlins have held around in a jam-packed NL East, going 24-26 over their first 50 games. Despite that, FanGraphs pegs the team’s playoff odds at a meager 1.5%, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Marté’s name floated in trade talks in the coming months.
Rojas suffered a “concerning” finger dislocation during yesterday’s game against the Phillies. It’s unclear how much time he’s expected to miss. The injury opened a spot for Luis Marté, who’ll be making his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game. The 27-year-old spent the first seven-plus seasons of his professional career in the Rangers system, topping out at Triple-A.
Marté was in the high minors with the Braves between 2018-19 and inked a minors deal with Miami over the winter. He’s never offered much at the plate, hitting .245/.263/.355 in four seasons at Double-A and .261/.284/.352 in nearly as much Triple-A time. Marté has ample experience all around the infield in the minors, though, and he’s hit three homers in 61 plate appearances this year with Jacksonville, albeit with similar on-base issues as he’s had throughout his career.
Reds Recall Vladimir Gutierrez
The Reds have recalled right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez to start this afternoon’s game against the Cubs. Reliever Ashton Goudeau was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to open active roster space. Gutierrez will be making his major league debut.
Gutierrez, 25, was a high-profile international amateur prospect who joined the Reds on a $4.75MM bonus in September 2016. He posted serviceable but unspectacular numbers between High-A and Double-A over his first two minor league seasons before a disastrous first crack at Triple-A. Gutierrez pitched to a 6.04 ERA in 137 innings with Louisville in 2019, then missed all of last season after being suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.
Nevertheless, the Reds added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft over the winter. He’ll now get a big league call after a much better beginning this year in Triple-A. Over three starts with Louisville, Gutierrez has tossed seventeen innings of five-run ball, striking out 21 with seven walks. With Jeff Hoffman now on the injured list with a shoulder impingement, Gutierrez could get a few starts to try to cement himself in the big league rotation.
While Hoffman is headed to the injured list, another Reds starter is expected back in the next couple days. Lefty Wade Miley, who went on the IL May 21 with a foot sprain, will start Monday’s game against the Phillies, manager David Bell told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com).
Marcell Ozuna Expected To Miss At Least Six Weeks
MAY 28: The Braves have placed Ozuna on the IL. Utilityman Johan Camargo is up from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his place on the active roster.
MAY 26: Braves left fielder Marcell Ozuna revealed in his Instagram story today that he’ll likely be sidelined for at least six weeks after dislocating two fingers on his left hand during yesterday’s win over the Red Sox (hat tip: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, on Twitter). The Braves have yet to formally provide their own timeline, though manager Brian Snitker will surely have more details when he meets with the media today.
It’s an unwelcome development for a Braves club that has lost several key players to injury in the season’s first two months. Mike Soroka required exploratory surgery after experiencing a setback in his recovery from last year’s Achilles tear, while Travis d’Arnaud underwent surgery to repair a thumb ligament and breakout righty Huascar Ynoa is sidelined with a broken pitching hand.
The 30-year-old Ozuna was one of baseball’s best hitters in the shortened 2020 season, pacing the NL in home runs, RBIs, total bases and plate appearances while hitting .338/.431/.636. His decision to sign with Atlanta on a one-year, $18MM deal rather than take a lesser multi-year offer elsewhere last winter paid off, as the “Big Bear” wound up securing a four-year, $65MM deal to return to the Braves this past winter.
Unfortunately, the first year of that season couldn’t have gotten out to a much worse start. Ozuna was hitting just .213/.288/.356 through 208 plate appearances. He’s still connected on seven homers and six doubles, but Ozuna’s .144 isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average) is less than half last season’s career-high .298. His walk rate, exit velocity and hard-hit rate have all tumbled thus far in 2021 as well.
With Ozuna now sidelined, the Braves can lean on a combination of Ronald Acuna Jr., Cristian Pache, Ender Inciarte, Guillermo Heredia and Ehire Adrianza in the outfield, though the Braves also have toop outfield prospect Drew Waters looming in the upper minors. The 22-year-old Wates is out to a .250/.342/.453 start through 73 plate appearances in Gwinnett.
The Blue Jays Other Key Free Agent Signing Is Paying Off
The Blue Jays drew plenty of headlines over the offseason for their reported interest in seemingly every free agent available. It took until late January, but the club rewarded the fanbase’s patience by landing premier center fielder George Springer on a six-year, $150MM guarantee. Various injuries have mostly kept Springer off the field to this point, but the Jays are getting a ton of production from their other key position player acquisition: Marcus Semien.
Semien was one of the more difficult free agents to value last winter. He’d been a solid regular from 2015-18, combining consistently league average offense with strong shortstop defense and durability. The 2019 season brought an offensive breakout, with Semien unexpectedly hitting .285/.369/.522 with a career-high 33 home runs. He didn’t follow up on that incredible year during the shortened 2020 season, though. Semien got off a terrible start, and while he finished the year on a hot streak, his overall .223/.305/.374 line was closer to his average hitting from 2015-18 than his fantastic numbers the year before.
With some uncertainty about his true offensive talent level and teams curtailing free agent spending on the heels of the shortened season, Semien elected to take a prove-it deal with the Jays. He signed a one-year, $18MM guarantee with Toronto just a few days after the club added Springer, agreeing to slide to second base in deference to Bo Bichette in the process. In the early going, it looks like a great decision for both player and team.
Semien is off to a career-best start at the plate in 2021. The 30-year-old is hitting .288/.355/.545 over his first 220 plate appearances. He’s completely regained his 2019 power stroke, posting a personal-high .258 ISO (slugging minus batting average), while his thirteen home runs is tied for sixth in MLB.
Unsurprisingly, a good chunk of that production seems to be the result of him simply hitting the ball harder more consistently. Semien is barreling up 8.5% of his batted balls this year, per Statcast- a better than average mark he’s only ever matched in the aforementioned 2019 season. His average exit velocity is up to a career-best 90.5 MPH, a more than 4 MPH improvement over his figure from last season. He’s also gotten more pull-oriented on his fly balls. The improved thump is no coincidence, since pulled flies lead to the most power-friendly outcomes for a hitter (the league is slugging 1.474 on such batted balls this year).
Whether Semien can sustain something like this level of production all year is still uncertain. The increase in power has come with an uptick in strikeouts to a carer-high 26.4%, and his contact rate is down more than five percentage points from that 2019 campaign. It’s also worth considering the Jays home environment. The team spent the first two months of the season at their Spring Training complex in Dunedin, which, as Mike Petriello of MLB.com recently pointed out (Twitter link), played very hitter-friendly. With the Jays moving to Buffalo (and perhaps eventually Toronto) over the next couple months, Semien’s ability to continue hitting for this kind of power is worth monitoring.
The Blue Jays have already gotten plenty of return on their investment in Semien, but there’s much at stake for both in the near future. At 25-24, Toronto will need to play better to stick in the AL postseason picture. Semien, as an impending free agent, would be a logical trade candidate if the Jays fall out of the race. (A midseason deal would remove the possibility of a team making a qualifying offer, which would only improve Semien’s market value). The upcoming free agent shortstop class has drawn plenty of attention, with Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Báez and Carlos Correa all hitting the market. Semien’s older than those four, but he’s also outperforming them all to this point- with the added bonus of proving he can transition to second base if needed without issue. In the process, he’s setting himself up for another fascinating trip to the open market.
White Sox Expected To Sign Oscar Colas
The White Sox are the favorites to sign outfield prospect Oscar Colás, hears Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The deal is expected to be worth $2.7MM, Sanchez adds. Cuban reporter Francys Romero first reported Colás’ connection to the White Sox and the anticipated $2.7MM signing bonus in March. As a 22-year-old with less than six years of experience in a foreign professional league, Colás is subject to international amateur signing bonus rules under the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement. His deal won’t become official until January 15, 2022, when the 2021-22 international signing period opens, per Romero and Sanchez.
The current CBA allots teams a hard-capped bonus pool, the precise amount of which varies based on clubs’ market size and whether they signed MLB free agents who had been tagged with a qualifying offer. During a typical signing period, teams are permitted to trade for additional bonus pool space. However, that’s not the case during the current period (which runs through December 15, 2021), as MLB barred the inclusion of 2020-21 bonus allotments in trades last June as part of their pandemic-driven rules changes.
Teams often come to verbal agreements with international amateur prospects a year or more in advance of the signing period in which they’re eligible to sign. Colás, though, was a surprising late entry to the market. After defecting from Cuba, he signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. A contractual dispute between Colás and the Hawks led him to seek his release, which he wasn’t formally granted until last December. By the time he was officially declared a free agent by MLB, most clubs had already verbally committed the bulk of their bonus pool allotment for the current signing period to other players.
That unconventional sequence will keep Colás from officially joining the White Sox until next winter, at which point he’ll have turned 23 years old. Despite the delay, the Chicago organization will no doubt be happy to add a decently regarded, if a bit divisive, prospect to the system. MLB Pipeline slotted Colás as the #2 talent in the 2020-21 signing period, lauding his power potential and throwing arm. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs, however, pegs Colás as a 40 Future Value prospect (more akin to a mid-level player in a farm system). FanGraphs also credits Colás with plus raw power but is more bearish on his hit tool and defensive projection than is MLB Pipeline.
Those reports (particularly FanGraphs’) may seem surprisingly pessimistic to fans familiar with Colás as the “Cuban (Shohei) Ohtani,” a nickname he’s gotten in the past for occasional work as a two-way player. Despite his arm strength, Colás wasn’t often deployed as a pitcher in recent seasons, and it seems his days of playing both ways in any capacity are over. Colás “no longer wants to pitch,” Sanchez writes, and the White Sox are not expected to use him on the mound moving forward.
Of course, the Ohtani comparison was never fair to Colás to begin with. The Angels star is squarely in the AL MVP conversation this season thanks to a two-way performance the sport hasn’t seen the likes of for decades. If Colás “only” becomes a solid power-hitting corner outfielder, which seems within the range of possibilities based on public evaluations, his signing would more than make for a worthwhile investment for the South Siders.
Group Of Rays Minority Owners Files Lawsuit Against Majority Owner Stuart Sternberg
Five minority owners of the Rays filed a lawsuit against majority owner Stuart Sternberg in the Pinellas County Circuit Court over the weekend (full complaint available here). The action alleges that Sternberg has worked to “squeeze out” minority owners and increase his personal ownership stake in the franchise.
Sternberg, as managing partner of the organization, has a fiduciary duty to prioritize the interests of the partnership over his own. The minority shareholders allege he’s instead used his authority to decline to acquire potentially advantageous interests for the partnership as a whole, only to then personally acquire those interests and increase his own stake in the partnership. The suit alleges Sternberg has increased his personal share in the franchise from 49% in 2004 to 85% by 2020. The complainants additionally claim that Sternberg has placed himself and others on partnership payroll without explanation, among other allegations.
Of most interest to Rays fans is likely their assertion that Sternberg “has been secretly negotiating to sell an interest in the Franchise and Club to a Canadian businessman named Stephen Bronfman and his Montreal Baseball Group.” The complaint alleges that Sternberg has been in clandestine discussions with Bronfman since the “Spring of 2014.”
The Rays announced in June 2019 they were planning to explore an arrangement that would see the organization potentially split its home games between Tampa Bay and Montreal. Unsurprisingly, the City of St. Petersburg stated a few months later they would not grant the organization permission to embark on that concept. With the Rays contractually tied to St. Petersburg through the end of the 2027 season, the organization needed the city’s permission to pursue a split-city arrangement within the next few years. In the immediate aftermath of St. Petersburg’s announcement, a few Rays executives hinted that a post-2027 permanent relocation of the franchise could be a possibility.
The minority shareholders’ allegation that Sternberg was in discussions with a Montreal group five years before the organization’s first announcement about the potential split-city situation has raised eyebrows. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that city officials have expressed concerns those alleged conversations violate the organization’s lease agreement with the city, which bars the team from negotiating to play elsewhere during the term of the contract. (Sternberg, Topkin notes, has previously told reporters discussions with Bronfman began in 2017, but whether those discussions ever got specific enough to violate the lease terms is unclear.)
St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman now suggests (via Topkin) that Sternberg “consider relinquishing control” of the franchise in light of the allegations in the complaint. Kriseman went on to further suggest that he cannot negotiate a deal for a new stadium with Sternberg while the suit is pending (via Josh Solomon of the Tampa Bay Times).
It’s worth remembering the filing of a complaint marks one of the earliest stages in litigation. The suit has not yet proceeded to the point of discovery, where more facts would figure to come to light to either support or refute the minority shareholders’ allegations.
The Rays, for their part, have issued a statement on the matter: “We are disappointed that a handful of our limited partners have filed suit. The suit is deceptive and inflammatory and is fraught with error and falsehood. We have abided by the partnership agreement and the Tropicana Field use agreement.“
IL Notes: Rojas, Nola, Ruf, Hoffman
Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas will go on the 10-day injured list with a dislocated finger, Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports. Rojas appears as if he’ll miss more time than the 10-day minimum, though, as Mish hears the injury is “concerning.” Rojas, who suffered the injury in a loss to the division-rival Phillies on Thursday, has been quietly effective dating back to last season. After notching below-average offensive production from 2014-19, Rojas has batted .287/.369/.461 with seven home runs and nine stolen bases in 331 plate appearances over the past year-plus. The 32-year-old’s 132 wRC+ since the start of 2020 ties him with Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon and San Diego center fielder Trent Grisham.
- The Padres are placing catcher Austin Nola on the 10-day IL with a knee sprain, but they’re optimistic it isn’t a serious injury, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. Nola started the season on the IL with a fractured left middle finger and didn’t debut until April 28. Since then, the 31-year-old has batted .217/.373/.326 with one home run in 59 plate appearances, and he has drawn more walks (eight) than strikeouts (three). Victor Caratini will continue to get work at the catcher position while Nola is out, but it’s up in the air otherwise. Luis Campusano is also on their 40-man roster, though the Padres may want him to get more action in the minors, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com writes.
- The Giants have placed first baseman Darin Ruf on the IL with a strained right hamstring and recalled outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr., Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report. Ruf was supposed to serve as the Giants’ primary option at first base after they placed starter Brandon Belt on the IL on Wednesday with an oblique strain, so they’re without any kind of everyday solution now. Jason Vosler started there Thursday, but he has a mere 16 major league plate appearances to his name. Wade, who has minimal experience at the spot, as well as Wilmer Flores (soon to return from the IL) could also fill in, Slusser notes.
- Reds righty Jeff Hoffman went on the IL on Thursday with a shoulder impingement, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Reds are confident Hoffman will avoid surgery, according to Nightengale. Hoffman leads the Reds in starts (11), but with 42 1/3 frames, he has totaled fewer than four per appearance and posted a 4.89 ERA/5.71 SIERA with a 16.1 percent walk rate. The Reds will soon get back Wade Miley back from the injured list, and that will help fill Hoffman’s void. They could also give a multi-start audition to Vladimir Gutierrez until Hoffman’s ready to come back.
Mariners To Activate Marco Gonzales On June 1
Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales will make his return from the injured list June 1 with a start against the Athletics, according to manager Scott Servais (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). The Mariners are easing Gonzales back in, as the plan is for him to pitch three to four innings.
Gonzales hasn’t taken the mound since April 27 on account of a forearm strain, but considering the nature of the injury, it’s a relief that he’ll only miss just over a month. The 29-year-old put up a brutal two starts to open his 2021, but he was beginning to round into form before heading to the IL. In his three most recent starts, Gonzales surrendered just five earned runs on 10 hits in 18 innings, and he totaled 15 strikeouts against six walks.
Overall this year, Gonzales has recorded a 5.40 ERA/4.85 SIERA with a 19.0 percent strikeout rate against a 9.1 percent walk rate in 28 1/3 innings. Those aren’t impressive numbers, but the 29-year-old showed he’s a quality starter from 2018-20, especially last season. Gonzales tied the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks for the lowest walk percentage (2.5) among qualified starters in 2020, helping him to a 3.10 ERA over 69 2/3 frames.
Diamondbacks Move Luke Weaver To 60-Day IL, Select Ryan Buchter
The Diamondbacks have transferred right-hander Luke Weaver to the 60-day injured list, selected lefty Ryan Buchter and optioned righty Corbin Martin, per a team announcement.
Weaver landed on the 10-day IL with a strained shoulder on May 18, at which point he seemed optimistic he wouldn’t miss a significant amount of time. However, he will indeed be out for the foreseeable future, as the move to the 60-day IL means Weaver won’t come back until at least the second half of July.
This injury is yet another worrying setback for Weaver, who missed a large portion of 2019 with forearm and UCL injuries. Weaver appeared to be coming into his own that year, his first with the Diamondbacks after they acquired him from the Cardinals in the Paul Goldschmidt trade, but he hasn’t returned to form since. Weaver threw 52 innings of 6.58 ERA/4.52 SIERA ball last year, though he has logged a better 4.50 ERA/4.18 SIERA in 40 frames this season. The 27-year-old was also rather effective in his two most recent starts, in which he combined for 10 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up five hits with nine strikeouts against two walks, but it will be quite some time before he’s able to build on that.
Buchter, 34, inked a minor league pact with the Diamondbacks last winter after throwing a meager six innings as an Angel a season ago. Historically, Buchter has been a more-than-capable reliever with a few teams in the majors, where he has logged a 2.90 ERA with a 26.8 percent strikeout rate and an 11.2 percent walk rate over 220 frames. Buchter’s fielding-independent marks haven’t been as promising, yet he has still found a way to limit left-handed hitters to a .189/.269/.351 line and hold righties to a .209/.317/.378 mark.