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Yordan Alvarez “Very Close” To Return; Roberto Osuna Will Attempt Rehab

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Astros manager Dusty Baker said today that outfielder/DH Yordan Alvarez is “very close” to returning to action, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 was among those to cover (Twitter links). The skipper also revealed that closer Roberto Osuna will attempt to rehab and return later this season.

A precise timeline isn’t yet known for Alvarez, but it sounds as if the young slugger’s activation is imminent. He was cleared to resume training on July 24th after an unexplained but presumptively coronavirus-related absence. Adding Alvarez back into the lineup would be a big boost for the scuffling Houston squad.

As for Osuna, it’s quite a bit less clear where things are headed. His worrisome elbow situation has left a hole at the back of the Astros bullpen. He’s going to rest and rehab for a stretch, with eyes on a possible late-2020 comeback.

That’s far from a guarantee that Osuna will be able to avoid Tommy John surgery, let alone contribute again this season. But it’s a better outlook than had been indicated a week ago, when it seemed a surgical procedure was the likeliest outcome.

In other updates, the Astros have a trio of hurlers that are still moving in the right direction. Chris Devenski, Brad Peacock, and Jose Urquidy are all gearing up in bullpen sessions, though it remains unknown just when they’ll be ready for MLB action.

Mets Moving Robert Gsellman Into Rotation

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The Mets are set to give Robert Gsellman the start for tonight’s game, but it’s more than just an “opener” assignment for the righty, it seems. Manager Luis Rojas said in an appearance on WFAN 660 AM today that Gsellman will be stretched out to work as a starter moving forward (Twitter links via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). The plan is for him to pitch in the rotation for the remainder of the year.

The Mets were bullish on their rotation depth after signing Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha over the winter, but the lack of options beyond their top six starters has become a glaring deficiency in 2020. Noah Syndergaard will miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery, while Marcus Stroman just opted out of the 2020 season earlier this week, citing health-and-safety uncertainties while playing amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Wacha, meanwhile, is on the injured list with another bout of shoulder troubles.

Despite the fact that Jacob deGrom is dominating (as usual) and former first-round pick David Peterson has impressed in his first three MLB outings, Mets starters have the sixth-worst earned run average (5.18) in all of baseball. Some of that is due to a porous defense that ranks near the bottom of the league in both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating — Mets’ starters have a much-better 4.14 FIP — but the team simply hasn’t gotten much help from Porcello, Wacha or Steven Matz to date.

The 27-year-old Gsellman is no stranger to starting games. He came up through the system as a starter and made 29 starts for the Mets across his first two big league seasons. He’s been better as a reliever — 4.60 ERA, 4.31 FIP in the rotation vs. 4.25 ERA, 3.97 FIP out of the ’pen — but the Mets are thin on alternatives at this point. Right-hander Walker Lockett could’ve been an alternative, but it seems he’ll continue in a long relief role for now. It’s possible that Lockett will piggyback off Gsellman’s starts early in the transition. Gsellman will be limited to about 45 pitches tonight, per DiComo.

Over at their alternate training site in Brooklyn, the Mets have right-handers Erasmo Ramirez, Corey Oswalt, Ariel Jurado and Yefry Ramirez as options with big league experience. Of that bunch, only Oswalt and Jurado are on the 40-man roster.

In parts of five big league seasons, Gsellman has tallied 309 innings of 4.43 ERA ball (4.14 FIP) with averages of 7.5 strikeouts, 3.2 walks and 0.96 home runs per nine innings pitched. He’s been clobbered when facing opponents a third time in a game (.329/.393/.537), so the Mets could look to limit him to two trips through the order more often than not even when he’s sufficiently stretched out.

Pirates To Activate Keone Kela

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Pirates closer Keone Kela will be active for the team’s upcoming series against the Reds, manager Derek Shelton announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via Will Graves of the Associated Press). It’ll be the season debut for Kela, who has yet to pitch since missing Summer Camp due to a positive Covid-19 test.

Kela, 27, confirmed in a late-July interview with Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he’d tested positive. Despite being asymptomatic, he wasn’t able to meet the requirement of consecutive negative tests, though, which dragged his absence out into a weeks-long ordeal. He was eventually cleared to report to the team in early August and has been building up since that time.

It’ll be a quick ramp-up for Kela, but he’s surely champing at the bit to return. The hard-throwing righty is a free agent for the first time this winter, so he undoubtedly wants as large a window as possible to impress potential suitors — particularly after a minor elbow issue limited him to 29 2/3 frames last year. There’s ample incentive for the Pirates to get him back on the hill, too. Kela represents one of their most obvious trade chips as the team eyes the future and embarks on what looks to be a rebuilding effort. Starling Marte was already traded over the winter.

Kela has pitched in parts of five Major League seasons. He’s had some injury troubles and at times drawn negative headlines for off-field issues — last year’s altercation with a member of the coaching staff led to a team-issued suspension — but Kela is an undeniably talented late-inning reliever. In 214 2/3 big league innings, he’s pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 11.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9 and a 41.3 percent ground-ball rate. He’s been particularly strong over the past three seasons, logging a combined 2.84 ERA and 3.20 FIP in 120 1/3 innings of relief between Texas and Pittsburgh. Shelton has previously confirmed that Kela will serve as Pittsburgh’s closer upon his return.

Rays Place Andrew Kittredge On 45-Day IL, Select Aaron Slegers

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The Rays have placed right-hander Andrew Kittredge on the 45-day injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament, per a club announcement. They’ve selected the contract of righty Aaron Slegers to replace him on the roster.

It’s another blow to a Tampa Bay bullpen that has already lost southpaw Colin Poche to Tommy John surgery. There’s no definitive word yet that Kittredge will face the same fate, but a sprain, by nature, indicates stretching/tearing of the ligament tissue. At the very least, it’s a season-ending injury for the 30-year-old right-hander.

Kittredge had started the season well, holding opponents to a pair of runs on eight hits and two walks in eight innings of relief. Dating back to Opening Day 2019, Kittredge has given the Rays 57 2/3 frames of 3.90 ERA ball with an even better 3.48 FIP. That said, there were some red flags in 2020. After averaging better than 10 strikeouts per nine frames last year, Kittredge managed just three whiffs in his eight innings. His average heater had dropped from 95 mph to 94 mph, and Kittredge’s seven percent swinging-strike rate was less than half last year’s mark of 15.9 percent.

The 27-year-old Slegers has pitched 32 big league innings between the Twins and Rays, working to a combined 5.63 ERA with a sub-par 15-to-8 K/BB ratio from 2017-19. But the towering 6’10” righty had some strong Triple-A seasons with Minnesota and has a generally strong minor league track record. His history as a starting pitcher should allow him to fill a multi-inning bullpen role for the Rays.

Nick Burdi Suffers Season-Ending Forearm Strain; Surgery Not Yet Being Considered

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Aug. 12: Burdi won’t require surgery to repair what is being termed as a significant forearm strain, Tomczyk tells reporters (Twitter link via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The Pirates believe the injury is related to Burdi’s prior TOS procedure. He’ll receive a platelet-rich plasma injection and be shut down for the next 10 to 12 weeks before being reevaluated.

Aug. 5: The Pirates announced today that they’ve placed reliever Nick Burdi on the 45-day injured list. He’s said to be dealing with a right elbow injury. Utilityman JT Riddle has been activated from the injured list to take the open roster spot.

While the full outlook isn’t yet known, this is just wretched news for Burdi. The team already has seen enough to know he won’t be able to return in 2020, director of health medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old flamethrower has dealt with numerous significant arm issues over his halting career. He has already rehabbed through Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgeries. Burdi was once a top 50 draft pick and a high-profile prospect in the Twins’ system, but those arm woes have prevented him from capitalizing on his talents. Burdi has a career 3.44 ERA and better than 12 punchouts per nine innings pitched in the minors. He picked up his first big league save in 2020 and held opponents to a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.

Royals Add Asa Lacy, Carlos Hernandez To Player Pool

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The Royals have added left-hander Asa Lacy and right-hander Carlos Hernandez to their 60-man player pool and assigned the pair to their alternate training site, per a club announcement.

Lacy is the bigger name of the two, having been selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2020 draft. Though he was the second pitcher taken — Miami selected University of Minnesota righty Max Meyer one pick earlier — Lacy was considered by many to be the top overall pitching prospect in the draft. The Texas A&M ace overwhelmed SEC hitters during his NCAA career, pitching to a cumulative 2.07 ERA with 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Lacy was off to a blazing start in 2020, having pitched to a 0.75 ERA with an outrageous 46-to-8 K/BB ratio in just 24 innings when the season came to a halt (17.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9).

Given his status as an elite college arm, there might be some fans who hope to see him in the big leagues as soon as 2020, although that still seems decidedly improbable. He’s a huge part of the Royals’ future and immediately became one of the organization’s top three prospects upon signing, but this is quite likely a developmental assignment for the 21-year-old. Kansas City has several prominent pitching prospects who are closer to the big leagues but have yet to receive their first promotion — most notably Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch. Top prospects Brady Singer and Kris Bubic have already debuted in 2020.

Hernandez, 23, is already on the Royals’ 40-man roster, so there’s a bit more of a chance that he’d see the big leagues this season, although that’s also a long shot. He’s never pitched above A-ball and has just 36 innings of experience at that level, although they were sharp ones. Hernandez missed a big chunk of last season while waiting on a fractured rib to mend, but once healthy he turned in a 3.50 ERA with 10.8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.25 HR/9 and a 39.1 percent grounder rate in the Class-A South Atlantic League. MLB.com ranks him 12th among K.C. farmhands, noting that his velocity jumped into the upper 90s last season and also praising his potentially above-average curveball. The alternate camp assignment will give him some additional developmental time in the absence of a traditional minor league season in 2020.

Trevor Cahill To Start For Giants On Wednesday

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Right-hander Trevor Cahill will make his Giants debut Wednesday with a start against the Astros, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports. The Giants will announce a corresponding roster move before the game.

Cahill signed with the Giants in the offseason as someone with a great deal of starting experience, but he was only able to score a minor league deal in free agency. He just joined the Giants’ taxi squad over the weekend.

At his best, the 32-year-old Cahill has been a productive starter for the Athletics and Diamondbacks, including as recently as 2018. Cahill threw 110 innings of 3.76 ERA/3.54 FIP ball with Oakland that year, but his numbers nosedived in 2019 as a member of the Angels, who inked him to a $9MM guarantee in free agency. He logged only a 5.98 ERA/6.43 FIP over 102 1/3 frames, most of which came out of the Angels’ bullpen.

Cahill will now attempt to rebuild his stock with another California-based club, San Francisco, whose rotation has been a mixed bag during its 8-11 start. Kevin Gausman, Drew Smyly and Logan Webb have been bright spots so far, but Smyly and Jeff Samardzija are on the injured list, which has helped open up an opportunity for Cahill.

Latest On Corey Seager

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Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager began the season on a marvelous pace, but a back problem forced him out of their game against the Giants on Aug. 7, and he hasn’t played since. Manager Dave Roberts issued an update on Seager on Tuesday, saying (via Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times) that the 26-year-old is amid a “slow progression.” While Seager has been able to swing, run and play catch this week, the Dodgers haven’t ruled out a stint on the injured list for the two-time All-Star and former National League Rookie of the Year.

Seager was a durable and highly effective part of the club from 2016-17, but Tommy John surgery limited him to 26 games the next season. He also spent time on the IL last year because of hamstring issues, though Seager did appear in 134 games. His production then was closer to very good than great, but Seager once again looked like one of the elite shortstops in the game this year prior to suffering this injury. Through 54 plate appearances in 2020, he has slashed .340/.389/.600 (176 wRC+) with three home runs.

As always, the Dodgers are loaded with depth – they’ve had the luxury of plugging in Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez at short of late – though they’re certainly a better team when Seager’s available. LA has won seven straight NL West titles, but at 11-7, it’s staring up at the Rockies right now and tied with the Padres, who have beaten the Dodgers in back-to-back days.

Rays Outright Sean Gilmartin

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The Rays announced that they’ve outrighted left-hander Sean Gilmartin to their alternate training site. He’ll stay in the organization as part of the Rays’ 60-man player pool.

Gilmartin, whom the Rays signed to a minor league contract over the winter, spent a very short period on their roster before they booted him. The club selected Gilmartin’s contract Aug. 7, but it designated him for assignment after he allowed three earned runs on five hits (four strikeouts, one walk) in 3 1/3 innings during a loss to the Yankees on the 8th.

Prior to joining the Rays, Gilmartin saw major league action with the Mets and Orioles from 2015-19. The 30-year-old has recorded a 4.30 ERA/4.63 FIP with 7.22 K/9, 3.24 BB/9 and a 45.4 percent groundball rate across 111 innings.

Pirates Transfer Clay Holmes To 45-Day Injured List

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The Pirates have transferred righty Clay Holmes from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day injured list, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to Nick Tropeano, who was claimed off waivers earlier today.

Holmes has been out since July 28 with a forearm strain. He has to spend 45 days on the IL from the date of his initial placement — not from the date he’s transferred to the 45-day list — so there’s technically still time for him to return late in the year. However, Mackey notes that the move to the 45-day IL is expected to end Holmes’ season.

Holmes, 27, pitched just 1 1/3 innings this season before being placed on the IL. The Pirates selected him in the ninth round of the same draft that they took Gerrit Cole first overall. Holmes was expected to be a tough sign out of high school and indeed received a $1.2MM bonus to forgo his commitment to Auburn at the time. He ranked among Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects for each of the next eight seasons, per Baseball America.

To this point, however, he’s yet to find his footing in the Majors. Holmes had Tommy John surgery in 2014 and missed the entire season as well as the bulk of the 2015 campaign. He’s had control issues in the upper minors since but managed to post solid ERA marks. However, he’s appeared in 47 big league games and been knocked around for a 5.91 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 through 77 2/3 innings. He’s kept the ball on the ground at a whopping 59.2 percent rate, limited homers well (0.81 HR/9) and averaged 94.5 mph on his oft-used sinker in the big leagues. But his penchant for free passes and hit batters (11) have prevented him from establishing himself as a reliable option.

Holmes is out of minor league options, meaning the Bucs will have somewhat of a decision on their hands over the winter. He’ll have to break camp with the club in 2021 or else be designated for assignment. If the club doesn’t expect Holmes to be on its Opening Day roster in 2021, it’s possible he’ll be outrighted early in the offseason as a means of opening some 40-man roster flexibility over the course of the winter. Holmes, however, isn’t yet eligible for arbitration, so the Pirates could also keep him around for some added pitching depth.

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