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Max Scherzer Departs Early With Hamstring Injury

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7:59pm: Thankfully, Scherzer is not dealing with an arm issue. He says he has a hamstring issue that flared up during the game, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to cover on Twitter.

5:32pm: The Nationals pulled ace Max Scherzer from tonight’s game after one inning. It’s not yet clear what drove the decision.

Scherzer had a bit of a rough frame, throwing 27 pitches and allowing one run. He had exhibited lower-nineties velocity — not necessarily a bright red flag in its own right, but a step down from his typical heat.

This is a developing story …

Marlins Sign Brandon Leibrandt

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The Marlins have inked lefty Brandon Leibrandt, Craig Mish of Sports Grid reports on Twitter. He’ll join the organization’s 60-man player pool.

There’s little doubt the deal is of the minor-league variety. Liebrandt, son of Charlie, comes aboard after participating in the Somerset Professional Baseball Series staged by the indy ball Somerset Patriots.

The 27-year-old Leibrandt, a former sixth-round pick, turned in a sterling 1.42 ERA over 50 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2018. Despite recording only 32 strikeouts, he also limited opposing hitters to ten walks and just a single long ball.

Unfortunately, Leibrandt ended up requiring Tommy John surgery and was sidelined for all of the 2019 season. He had not returned to the affiliated ranks until this move to join the Miami organization.

Rockies Add Brian Serven To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Rockies have added catcher Brian Serven to the 60-man player pool, per a team announcement. He’d still need to be added to the 40-man roster in order to be brought onto the active roster.

Serven, 25, was taken in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He had a rough offensive season in 2019, turning in a .202/.286/.364 slash in 276 Double-A plate appearances. The organization is obviously still holding out hope that his abilities at the plate will catch up to his skill behind it.

Royals Outright Oscar Hernandez, Place Starling & Sparkman On IL

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The Royals have announced a series of roster moves. Backstop Oscar Hernandez was outrighted after clearing waivers.

In other moves, the team has sent outfielder Bubba Starling and righty Glenn Sparkman to the injured list. The latter is dealing with a forearm strain. To replace them, catcher Meibrys Viloria and righty Scott Blewett were called up to the active roster.

Hernandez will report to the Royals’ alternate training site. The 27-year-old has seen minimal MLB action in three of the past four seasons. He’ll remain a depth option for the club.

It’s not yet fully clear what kind of absences are anticipated from Starling and Sparkman. The former has continued to struggle at the plate with limited opportunities. The latter has allowed three earned runs on nine hits in his five innings on the season.

Nick Madrigal Headed For IL With Separated Shoulder

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Just-promoted White Sox infielder Nick Madrigal is headed directly to the injured list. He has been diagnosed with a separated shoulder, GM Rick Hahn told reporters including James Fegan of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Fortunately, it sounds as if the prognosis is generally good. Madrigal could return to action by the end of the month, Hahn says. It is still possible he’ll also require surgery after the campaign ends.

The South Siders also reported rather promising news on both Carlos Rodon and Reynaldo Lopez. They’re both dealing with shoulder problems but don’t appear to have structural damage. In each case, a return to the MLB rotation could be several weeks away.

Hahn further weighed in on veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion. He’s said to be dealing with some SC joint inflammation. It’s a day to day situation at the moment, so it sounds as if the hope is Encarnacion won’t be out for any notable stretch.

Kwang Hyun Kim Moves Into Cardinals Rotation

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The Cardinals will utilize lefty Kwang Hyun Kim in the rotation, manager Mike Shildt tells reporters including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).

Kim, 32, had been slotted into the relief unit after battling for a starting job in camp. He has made just one relief appearance, picking up a save but allowing an earned run on two hits.

The southpaw will step into the rotation spot left when Carlos Martinez recently hit the injured list. Whether Kim can hang onto a rotation job will depend upon many factors, with his performance and the duration of Martinez’s absence likely chief among them.

Kim, a long-time Korea Baseball Organization standout, joined the Redbirds over the offseason. He’s earning at a $4MM rate this year and is guaranteed the same in 2021, with an annual $1.5MM incentive package also available.

Cardinals Purchase Contracts Of Max Schrock, Roel Ramirez

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The Cardinals announced four new additions to the active roster. Two of those players, infielder Max Schrock and righty Roel Ramirez, first had to be selected to the 40-man roster. Also coming up are righty Alex Reyes and southpaw Genesis Cabrera.

Each of these moves, excepting that of Ramirez, was already known to be in the works. Some had hoped the team was also plotting the arrival of top prospect Dylan Carlson, but it seems that’ll have to wait a while longer.

Ramirez, 25, came to the Cards with Cabrera in the Tommy Pham swap. He worked to a 4.78 ERA in 75 1/3 upper-minors innings last year, carrying 10.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Ramirez went on to have a nice run in the Arizona Fall League, allowing only three earned runs with a 16:3 K/BB ratio over 13 1/3 frames.

Dodgers Promote Zach McKinstry

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The Dodgers have promoted utilityman Zach McKinstry to the active roster, per a club announcement. He’ll take the roster spot of southpaw Victor Gonzalez, who was optioned down.

It’s quite an achievement for the 25-year-old McKinstry, who entered the professional ranks as a 33rd-round draft pick back in 2016. He’ll give the Dodgers yet another versatile position player to plug in as game situations warrant.

McKinstry obviously wasn’t seen as a significant prospect when he was selected out of Central Michigan, where he showed excellent contact ability and plate discipline but little in the way of power. That profile shifted last year, as he turned in a cumulative .300/.366/.516 batting line with 19 long balls over 479 plate appearances between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Rangers Trade Ariel Jurado To Mets

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The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve acquired right-hander Ariel Jurado from the Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later and (not or) cash considerations. Outfielder Ryan Cordell was designated for assignment to open a spot on the team’s 40-man roster. Jurado has been assigned to the Mets’ alternate training site in Brooklyn.

Jurado, 24, was designated by assignment in Texas back on Friday when the team selected Greg Bird and Jimmy Herget to the big league roster. The former top prospect has logged 177 innings with the Rangers over the past two seasons but struggled considerably at the MLB level. Opposing hitters have clobbered him for a 5.85 ERA and posted a combined .305/.351/.502 slash against him in 782 plate appearances. Jurado has averaged 5.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and 1.42 HR/9 to go along with a 47.9 percent ground-ball rate.

Obviously, that’s not a pretty collection of numbers, but Jurado has a solid minor league track record. He’s largely skipped over Triple-A — though he pitched well in the 22 2/3 frames he did log there — but put together a more palatable 3.96 ERA with 5.6 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and 0.92 HR/9 in 302 1/3 innings of Double-A ball. Baseball Prospectus rated Jurado as the game’s No. 72 prospect back in 2017, and he’s consistently generated ground-ball rates comfortably north of 51 percent. Infield defense isn’t exactly the Mets’ strength, of course, but the organization is in need of some pitching depth after seeing Noah Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery) and Marcus Stroman (calf tear) go down with injuries. Offseason additions Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha have both struggled early as well.

Cordell, 28, went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a pair of strikeouts in his short time with the Mets. Jake Marisnick’s hamstring injury opened the door for the former Rangers/White Sox/Brewers prospect to make the club as a reserve outfielder behind J.D. Davis, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto. However, the Mets’ recent acquisition of Billy Hamilton apparently rendered Cordell superfluous in the club’s eyes.

Cordell has appeared in parts of three big league seasons, hitting a combined .205/.267/.333 in 291 trips to the dish. Those struggles notwithstanding, he’s put together a respectable minor league track record and is capable of playing all three outfield spots, so a club needing some depth might take a look at Cordell if he’s available on the waiver wire. New York will have a week to trade Cordell, release him or attempt to run him through waivers.

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