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Phillies Select Rafael Marchan

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The Phillies announced they’ve selected the contract of catcher Rafael Marchan before the second game of today’s doubleheader with the Marlins. Right-hander Connor Brogdon was optioned to the alternate training site, while southpaw José Álvarez has been transferred to the 45-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster.

Marchan currently ranks seventh among Phils’ farmhands at Baseball America. He’s drawn plaudits for his advanced receiving and game calling skills behind the plate. The 21-year-old has demonstrated strong bat-to-ball skills in the low minors, never striking out at greater than an 11.7% clip at any stop.

In the short-term, he’s likely on hand as injury insurance. J.T. Realmuto left last night’s game with hip discomfort and didn’t play in the first game today. Andrew Knapp will get the nod behind the plate in both sides of the twin bill.

Álvarez has been on the 10-day injured list since August 21 after taking a comebacker off the groin. At last check, he was hoping to return in the playoffs if the Phils qualify; there’s no indication those plans have changed.

Reds Place Sonny Gray On Injured List

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The Reds have placed right-hander Sonny Gray on the 10-day injured list with a right mid-back strain, the team announced. Sal Romano has been selected to the roster in his stead. The IL placement is retroactive to Friday.

Gray has continued to shine in his second season in Cincinnati. Through 45.2 innings in nine starts, the right-hander has put up a 3.94 ERA/2.93 FIP with a career-best 30.6% strikeout rate. His 5.8 fWAR since the start of 2019 ranks thirteenth league-wide, a turnaround from a pair of down seasons with the Yankees. The Reds didn’t announce a timetable for his return, but there’s obviously not much time remaining for Gray to make it back in 2020. With just fifteen days left in the season, it’s possible this brings his campaign to an end. It’s certainly another blow to the 20-26 Reds’ faint hopes of mounting a playoff run.

The Reds waived the hard-throwing Romano over the winter, and he’ll now be making his first appearance on the MLB roster this season. Originally a starting pitcher, Romano moved to the Cincinnati bullpen full-time in 2019, where he put up a 7.71 ERA in 16.1 innings.

Pirates To Activate Mitch Keller From Injured List

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The Pirates are set to activate right-hander Mitch Keller from the injured list in advance of tomorrow’s doubleheader against the Reds, manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Adam Berry of MLB.com). He’ll get the start for one of those games.

The 14-29 Pirates have long been buried in the National League’s postseason field. Nevertheless, it’ll be nice to get a handful of starts from Keller down the stretch, as the 24-year-old is a critical part of the organization’s future. The former top prospect only has a 6.63 ERA in his first 55.2 MLB innings, but his 3.77 FIP hints at the mid-rotation upside for which he’s long been lauded.

While Keller entered 2020 looking like a potential breakout candidate, he’s been limited to just two starts by left side discomfort. Out since August 2, he’s now seemingly in line for three more starts to stake a claim to a spot in Pittsburgh’s 2021 rotation. There should be ample opportunity for Keller to pitch himself back into that mix. Joe Musgrove profiles as one of the league’s more likely trade candidates this offseason, while Chris Archer is a good bet to be cut loose on the heels of thoracic outlet surgery. Trevor Williams has struggled, while Chad Kuhl’s solid 3.38 ERA comes with much shakier peripherals.

Marlins Select Braxton Garrett

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The Marlins selected the contract of left-hander Braxton Garrett and named him the 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Phillies, per a club announcement. They’ve also activated right-hander Nick Neidert from the injured list, optioning left-hander Dan Castano to open active roster space. To clear space on the 40-man roster for Garrett and Neidert, southpaw Brandon Leibrandt was transferred to the 60-day injured list with left elbow ulnar neuritis and infielder Eddy Alvarez was designated for assignment.

Garrett is the most notable name in today’s swath of moves, having been selected seventh overall in the 2016 draft out of an Alabama high school. An ill-timed Tommy John surgery the following June threw Garrett off track, and his prospect status has never completely bounced back. Nevertheless, he’s still among the most talented arms in the Miami farm system, with Baseball America recently placing him ninth among Marlins prospects thanks to his 92-95 MPH fastball and plus curveball. Garrett was due to be added to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The contending Marlins can afford to devote a roster spot to him a few months earlier if they anticipate him helping their playoff push.

Like Garrett, Neidert is one of the Marlins’ better pitching prospects. He was part of Miami’s season-opening roster but pitched in just one game before going on the IL amidst the team’s COVID-19 outbreak. The command artist turned in a 5.05 ERA in 41 Triple-A innings last year (deceptively productive work given the high-octane offensive environment in the Pacific Coast League).

Alvarez, meanwhile, was one of the more remarkable stories in baseball this season. The 30-year-old former Olympic speed skater cracked Miami’s MLB roster in the wake of their COVID outbreak. Unfortunately, he didn’t do nearly enough to hold down a roster spot permanently, hitting just .189/.268/.216 in 41 plate appearances.

Twins Activate Max Kepler From Injured List

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The Twins announced they have activated outfielder Max Kepler from the 10-day injured list. As expected, the right fielder returns after the minimum time off due to a left adductor strain.

Kepler has taken a bit of a step back from his breakout 2019 effort. After hitting .252/.336/.519 (121 wRC+) with 36 home runs last year, he’s down to .220/.322/.431 over his first 143 plate appearances this season. That’s still productive, though, and Kepler’s .222 batting average on balls in play hints at a bit of forthcoming positive regression. Even if he settles in as more of an above-average regular than a true star, Kepler’s a plenty valuable piece of the Twins’ lethal lineup. At 29-18, Minnesota’s a lock for the postseason, but they’re jockeying with the White Sox and Indians in a three-way battle for the AL Central. Chicago currently leads Minnesota by one game.

Unsurprisingly, fellow outfielder Brent Rooker is hitting the injured list in a corresponding move. The former supplemental first-rounder was lost for the season yesterday after fracturing his forearm on a hit-by-pitch.

Phillies Place Spencer Howard On Injured List

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SEPTEMBER 13: The Phillies are placing Howard on the 10-day injured list, the club announced. Reliever Connor Brogdon is up from the alternate site to replace Howard on the active roster. Additionally, right-hander Ramón Rosso has been added to the roster as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Marlins. He’ll get the start in the first game of the twin bill.

SEPTEMBER 12: Phillies right-hander Spencer Howard left tonight’s game in the fourth inning due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder, the team announced.  Howard had just allowed a three-run homer to the Marlins’ Brian Anderson before being visited on the mound by manager Joe Girardi and a team trainer before departing the game.

Any sort of arm problem for a pitcher obviously isn’t good news, and a shoulder issue is of particular concern in Howard’s case — as The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro pointed out, a similar injury caused Howard to miss two months of the 2019 season.  If the problem here is truly just stiffness or discomfort, it’s possible Howard could be back after just a missed start or perhaps an extra day or two of rest, but naturally the Phillies will be as cautious as possible in making sure the star prospect is healthy.

Saturday’s abbreviated outing has been indicative of Howard’s struggles over his first taste of the majors, as the righty took a 5.66 ERA into tonight’s start against Miami.  Howard had a 2.25 K/BB rate and 7.8 K/9 over his first 20 2/3 innings, with his BABIP (.343) and xwOBA (.334, compared to a .380 wOBA) indicating at least some bad luck.  Anderson’s home run tonight, however, was already the sixth long ball surrendered by Howard this season, and he has been hit hard in his second or third times through opposing lineups.

Howard’s prospect pedigree notwithstanding, it isn’t unexpected that a 24-year-old rookie who had never pitched above Double-A ball would have some struggles in his first MLB season.  If Howard has to miss time, however, it leaves the Phillies short an arm in the midst of a stretch of 18 games in 14 days.  Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have been carrying an otherwise shaky Philadelphia rotation, though Wheeler may be questionable to make his next start due to a nasty fingernail injury.

Giants-Padres Series To Resume On Sunday

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SEPTEMBER 13, 10:19 am: Major League Baseball has officially confirmed today’s doubleheader. Given most recent test results, the league has determined that the test which triggered the initial postponements, reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network to be that of San Francisco outfielder Alex Dickerson, was a false positive.

SEPTEMBER 13, 9:06 am: Indeed, the teams are scheduled to return to play a doubleheader today, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. As Acee notes, the clubs’ other missed contest figures to be made up when they conclude the season against one another September 25-27.

SEPTEMBER 12: The Giants and Padres could potentially return to the field Sunday for a doubleheader, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link).  The player who originally tested positive for COVID-19 has since had two negative test results, and if other tests are passed tonight, the Giants could be cleared to return to action.

SEPTEMBER 11, 8:49pm: The league announced that it has also postponed Saturday’s game “out of an abundance of caution and to allow for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted.”

8:29pm: The Padres-Giants game in San Diego on Friday was postponed after one of San Francisco’s players tested positive for the coronavirus, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

“Tonight’s game was postponed due to a positive COVID test within the Giants organization,” the Padres stated. “MLB will announce additional information regarding the status of our series with San Francisco as soon as possible.”

The two teams played Thursday and are scheduled to end their series with a game Sunday, but it’s now unclear whether they’ll be able to take the field over the weekend. There are just two-plus weeks left in the season, and with the Padres and Giants vying for playoff spots, significant changes in their schedules could prove detrimental. Nevertheless, the league will have to make a decision that abides by health and safety protocols. MLB has already seen the virus force notable changes to its schedule, especially for the Marlins and Cardinals.

White Sox Select Jonathan Stiever

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The White Sox are selecting the contract of right-hander Jonathan Stiever, per various reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin). Right-hander Alex McRae was optioned to the club’s alternate training site, while southpaw Carlos Rodón is being transferred to the 45-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster.

Steiver will make his MLB debut this afternoon, getting the start against the Tigers. Chicago’s 2018 fifth-round pick, he’ll make quite a leap to the highest level after topping out in the High-A Carolina League last season. That’s not been uncommon in this year without minor-league play. The former Indiana University ace has been quite good in the low minors, putting up a 3.59 ERA with 193 strikeouts (10.0 K/9) against just 36 walks (1.9 BB/9) in 173 professional innings.

Along the way, he’s caught the attention of prospect followers. Keith Law of the Athletic placed Stiever fourth among Sox farmhands preseason, lauding his plus control and well-rounded repertoire. MLB Pipeline (6th), Baseball America (8th) and Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen (8th) all agree that Stiever is among Chicago’s top ten prospects.

Rodón’s IL transfer likely isn’t as ominous as it may initially sound. He was originally placed on the 10-day injured list back on August 4 with soreness in his throwing shoulder. He’d thus be eligible to return from this latest stint on September 18. Rodón is reportedly gearing up for a mound session tomorrow and hopes to return to the active roster this season.

Twins’ Brent Rooker Suffers Fractured Forearm

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Twins outfielder Brent Rooker suffered a fractured right forearm during tonight’s game, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters.  Rooker suffered the injury after being hit by a pitch from Cleveland’s Zach Plesac during the fourth inning of Minnesota’s 8-4 victory over the Indians.

The forearm injury brings a painful end to Rooker’s first MLB season, but the 25-year-old at least made an impressive accounting of himself.  Rooker hit .316/.381/.579 over 21 plate appearances since being called up to the big leagues on September 4.  Rooker was promoted since Max Kepler went to the injured list with an adductor strain, and in an ironic twist, Kepler is expected back soon and could potentially be the one who replaces Rooker on the active roster.

The 35th overall pick of the 2017 draft, Rooker ranked 98th on Baseball America’s top-100 prospects list prior to the 2018 season, though evaluators in general have considered him to be a step below an elite level prospect due to questions about his defense and the amount of swing-and-miss in his approach at the plate.  Rooker is a bit of a “three true outcomes” type, as his strikeouts come with a fair amount of walks and some plus power.  Rooker hit .267/.357/.505 with 54 home runs over 1110 PA in Minnesota’s farm system.

Depending on how Rooker’s glovework develops, he could be the heir apparent to Eddie Rosario in the Twins’ corner outfield, or maybe a DH if time ever catches up to Nelson Cruz.  With blue chip outfield prospects like Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach ahead of him on the minor league prospect rankings, it remains to be seen where Rooker fits into the Twins’ future, though the small sample size of his 2020 debut provided some indication he can handle big league pitching.

Latest On Zack Wheeler

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9:41PM: Wheeler will indeed miss his Monday start, Girardi told Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic and other reporters, though the righty may not be out of action for long.  Girardi feels Wheeler will be able to start during the Phillies’ upcoming series with the Mets, which runs from Tuesday, Sept. 15 to Thursday, Sept. 17.

12:11PM: Zack Wheeler may miss his scheduled start on Monday after he “ripped the nail bed from his middle finger,” writes The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (via Twitter). Interestingly, Wheeler has dealt with a version of this issue his whole career. The Phillies’ right-hander puts undue pressure on his middle finger when he throws, often cracking the nail, per Gelb. In this particular instance, however, Wheeler caught the nail on his jeans and ripped it free. While Gelb says, “It’s not good,” he also gives Wheeler a chance to make his scheduled start on Monday.

In his first season with the Phillies, Wheeler has maintained the success he enjoyed in his final two seasons as a Met, perhaps even taking his dominance a step further. Wheeler boasts a 4-0 record through 8 starts with a 2.47 ERA/3.11 FIP. He’s been everything the Phillies could have hoped for after inking him to a five-year, $118MM deal this offseason.

Slotting Wheeler into the top of the rotation has transformed the Philly starting five into a top-10 unit. Their 3.87 ERA ranks 9th in the majors, 3.83 FIP is tied for 4th in the game, and their 4.9 fWAR is tied for 3rd overall. Last season’s rotation finished 15th, 17th, and 13th by the same metrics.

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