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MLB Announces Suspensions Following Nationals-Pirates Incident

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TODAY: Lopez had his suspension reduced to two games after his appeal, and he’ll start serving that suspension today.  (MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman was among those to report the news.)

APRIL 17: Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Nationals reliever Jorge Lopez and manager Davey Martinez have received suspensions after a Lopez fastball to Andrew McCutchen sailed high-and-tight, nearly hitting McCutchen in the head. Lopez has received a three-game suspension, which he will appeal. Martinez was suspended for one game and will serve that punishment today. (Managers cannot appeal suspensions of this nature.) Bench coach Miguel Cairo will manage in his place.

The errant pitch to McCutchen eventually prompted both benches to clear. Tensions had already been high. Mitch Keller had hit Nats infielder Paul DeJong in the face a day prior, breaking his nose and sending him to the injured list. Lopez had first hit Pittsburgh outfielder Bryan Reynolds with a pitch before losing the handle on another offering to McCutchen, the very next batter. Lopez was ejected from the game.

The league’s announcement indicates they believe Lopez to have been “intentionally throwing” at McCutchen. Lopez has denied that, and even McCutchen himself suggested after the game that he didn’t believe there was intent behind the pitch.

“It’s just the nature of the situation,” McCutchen replied when asked postgame about the incident (video link via MLB.com). “Take it as is, even if it wasn’t on purpose, which I don’t think it was. I think the height of the moment just got to him, maybe. One got away from him, similar to [Keller]. … Just thankful I was able to move out of the way.”

Command troubles aren’t exactly new for Lopez. He’s walked 10.5% of his opponents this season, hit another pair of batters, and has been charged with a wild pitch. That all comes in just 7 2/3 innings of work. Dating back to 2021, Lopez has pitched 312 1/3 big league innings and walked nearly 10% of the batters he’s faced. He’s also hit another 29 batters — 2.1% of his opponents, well north of league-average — and been charged with 22 wild pitches.

Signed to a one-year, $3MM contract over the winter, Lopez got out to a nice start with the Nats before stumbling in his past two outings. Through his first six frames, he held opponents to a pair of runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts. He’s since been tagged for seven runs in a total of just 1 2/3 innings, ballooning his earned run average to 10.57 on the young season.

Lopez logged a 2.89 ERA, 23% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 51% grounder rate in 53 innings between the Mets and Cubs last season. He collected 10 holds and four saves along the way. In 183 innings from 2022-24, he recorded a 3.74 earned run average with 30 saves and 21 holds.

Rockies Place Ezequiel Tovar On 10-Day Injured List

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2:14PM: Gomber provided an update on his situation to Just Baseball’s Patrick Lyons, saying that he hasn’t thrown since March 28 and that he received a PRP injection two weeks ago.  “It’s definitely going to be more of a buildup than it was in Spring Training,” Gomber said, though he noted that the range of motion in his left arm has returned in the aftermath of the injection.

12:16PM: The Rockies announced a collection of roster moves, including the news that shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 16) due to a left hip contusion.  Outfielder Brenton Doyle was also placed on the bereavement list (retroactive to April 17), and Colorado filled the two roster spots by calling up outfielder Jordan Beck from Triple-A and selecting Aaron Schunk’s contract from Triple-A.  Left-hander Austin Gomber was moved to the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot for Schunk.

Tovar’s injury adds to what has been a lackluster start to the shortstop’s third full MLB season.  While far from the only Rockies hitter who is struggling at the plate, Tovar is hitting only .212/.257/.303 through 70 plate appearances, after he delivered a .269/.295/.469 slash line (plus 26 homers and a league-leading 45 doubles) in 2024.  Colorado’s road-heavy early schedule might have something to do with Tovar’s slow start and the team’s lack of hitting in general to date, yet naturally the Rox were hopeful that Tovar’s continued development would include more consistency outside of Coors Field.

Beck is a former top prospect that will get another chance to show what he can do after a lackluster 207 MLB plate appearances over the last two seasons.  He’ll be joined on the active roster by Schunk, who also made his big league debut in 2024 in the form of 39 games and 98 PA (with a .234/.265/.330 slash line) for Colorado.  Schunk has spent most of his minor league career at third base but he has plenty of experience at the middle infield spots, so he can act as a utility infielder to add depth with Tovar out.  Kyle Farmer seems likeliest to move into an everyday shortstop role in Tovar’s absence, and Farmer has already been a fixture in the Rockies’ lineup given his hot bat.

Gomber started the season on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, and his move to the 60-day now puts him on the sidelines until at least the last week of May.  Gomber was seemingly on track for a relatively quick return to action in early April but his second minor league rehab start was scratched due to more shoulder inflammation, and that setback has now considerably lengthened the southpaw’s time away from Colorado’s rotation.

Dodgers Activate Evan Phillips, Place Blake Treinen On 15-Day IL

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The Dodgers will be activating right-hander Evan Phillips from the 15-day injured list prior to today’s game with the Rangers.  In the corresponding move, righty Blake Treinen will be placed on the 15-day IL due to forearm tightness, as initially reported by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.

As manager Dave Roberts told Ardaya and other media members, Treinen has been feeling forearm discomfort for the last few days, and the discomfort increased yesterday during a bullpen session.  The decision was then made to put Treinen on the injured list, and the reliever will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the problem.

Any forearm injury naturally seems a little ominous, and it would be another blow for a veteran reliever who has already spent a lot of time on the IL in recent years.  Los Angeles also signed Treinen to a two-year, $22MM contract last winter, and as logical as that investment seemed based on Treinen’s on-field results, today’s news underlines the risk of committing bigger money to a veteran reliever (Treinen turns 37 in June) with a checkered injury history.

Shoulder problems kept Treinen out for most of the 2022 season and the entirety of the 2023 season, as he eventually required labrum and rotator cuff surgeries to fully correct the problem.  His planned return for the start of the 2024 campaign was delayed by a bruised lung in Spring Training, and Treinen also had a brief IL stint during last season due to a hip issue.

Through it all, of course, Treinen has been good to great when he has been able to pitch.  The righty’s five seasons in L.A. have resulted in a 2.34 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate across 157 2/3 relief innings.  Treinen also has a 3.24 ERA in 33 1/3 postseason frames during his time with the Dodgers, earning championship rings in both 2020 and 2024.

Just as Treinen goes down, however, the Dodgers’ remarkable depth chart allows the club to immediately replace him with another high-leverage reliever just back from his own IL stint.  Phillips was left off the World Series roster due to multiple injuries, most prominently a tear in a rotator cuff tendon that then delayed his usual offseason preparations.  As a result, L.A. placed Phillips on the 15-day IL to begin the season in order to give the reliever more time to properly ramp up, and he’ll now be ready to make his 2025 debut as early as today.

Phillips’ exact role will be interesting to monitor, as he was the Dodgers’ primary closer in the previous two seasons yet Tanner Scott has now assumed that role in 2025.  The club’s four-year, $72MM deal with Scott underlines the team’s commitment to giving Scott plenty of looks in late-game situations, though in February, Roberts said Scott would only receive the “brunt” of save chances, not all of them.  As circumstances, matchups, injuries, and performance will dictate over the course of the season and into the playoffs, the Dodgers figure to give multiple pitchers the chance to earn saves.  The left-handed Scott, for instance, could be brought into a game prior to the ninth inning should a rival team have an imposing set of left-handed hitters coming to the plate.

It makes for a pretty nice “problem” to have when a team can pick and choose between its many elite relievers, and Phillips has moved into that category over the last three seasons.  Claimed off waivers from the Rays in an under-the-radar move in August 2021, Phillips posted a 2.21 ERA, 29.6% strikeout rate, and 6.5% walk rate over 179 innings from 2022-24.  He has 45 career saves out of 54 chances, all with the Dodgers except for one save recorded with Tampa Bay in 2021.

White Sox Place Martin Perez On 15-Day IL

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TODAY: The White Sox placed Perez on the 15-day injured list due to what was described as inflammation in his throwing elbow.  Jared Shuster was called up from Triple-A to take Perez’s spot on the active roster.

APRIL 18: Martín Pérez departed tonight’s loss in Boston after three innings. The White Sox announced that the lefty experienced forearm soreness that prompted his departure. Pérez said postgame that he’ll go for imaging on Saturday (link via LaMond Pope of The Chicago Tribune).

“I feel sore. I was just trying to be smart and tell them to get me out of the game and see what I got. We have to wait for the MRI tomorrow,” he told reporters. “In the third inning, I started feeling kind of fatigued a little bit. But I feel bad because I don’t want to be in this situation. I want to keep pitching and competing but it is what it is. Wait and see what it’s going to be and the decision and move on.”

Pérez signed a one-year, $5MM free agent deal to serve as a veteran presence in an otherwise young rotation. Tonight’s start was his worst of the season, as he gave up four runs on five hits and a couple walks without recording a strikeout. Pérez had managed quality starts in two of his first three outings. He carries a 3.15 ERA across 20 innings. His 21.7% strikeout percentage is around league average, but he has walked more than 13% of batters faced.

Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon and rookies Sean Burke and Shane Smith have joined Pérez in the season-opening rotation. That quintet has made all 19 starts. Pérez and Smith, a Rule 5 pick out of the Milwaukee system, are the only two who have managed decent results. Owen White, Nick Nastrini, Jairo Iriarte, Justin Dunn and Chris Rodriguez make up the rotation at Triple-A Charlotte.

All five have some major league experience. White, Nastrini and Iriarte are on the 40-man roster (as is lefty Jared Shuster, who has moved to multi-inning relief in the minors). Dunn easily leads the Charlotte rotation with 27 strikeouts, but he has also given up a team-high four home runs and has allowed nearly five earned runs per nine. Someone from that group would probably get the call to step into the rotation if Pérez requires an injured list stint. The Sox could also consider building Rule 5 pick Mike Vasil, who is working 2-3 inning stints in mop-up relief, for rotation work.

Mike Clevinger also seems set to join the Charlotte rotation. The Sox outrighted the veteran righty off their 40-man roster this afternoon. Clevinger has the service time to decline the assignment in favor of free agency. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that the Sox intend for Clevinger to build back up as a starter in Triple-A, so it appears he’ll accept the outright and remain in the system. The 34-year-old moved to the bullpen to begin this year. He gave up five runs with eight walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment.

Diamondbacks Place A.J. Puk On 15-Day IL

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The Diamondbacks announced several transactions in a shake-up of the club’s bullpen mix today.  The headline news is that closer A.J. Puk has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 18) due to inflammation in his left elbow.  Righty Bryce Jarvis and left-hander Joe Mantiply were optioned to Triple-A, and Arizona filled those three bullpen spots by calling up right-hander Drey Jameson, and selecting the contracts of right-handers Juan Morillo and J.P. Feyereisen.  To create roster space, the D’Backs also designated infielder Grae Kessinger for assignment.

Puk excelled after the Diamondbacks acquired him from the Marlins at last year’s trade deadline, and the southpaw has kept going this year by posting a 3.38 ERA in eight innings this season.  Even with the benefit of an absurd 97.6% strand rate, Puk has backed up his work with an excellent 34.3% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate.  In addition to all the swings and misses, Puk isn’t allowing much hard contact when his offerings do find a bat, and he has closed out all four of his save chances this season.

Unfortunately, his strong start has now been interrupted by a trip to the IL.  Puk’s lengthy injury history (which includes a Tommy John surgery) puts some extra focus on any elbow-related ailment, though there isn’t any indication at this point that his current issue is anything more than just inflammation.  Assuming no structural damage, Puk might be able to return after just a 15-day minimum, though it is just a matter of how long his elbow discomfort continues to linger.

Justin Martinez is now the likeliest candidate to step up as the new closer, with Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks continuing in high-leverage setup roles.  Beeks is also the only southpaw in Arizona’s bullpen now that Mantiply has been sent to Reno.

Arizona’s 13-11 slugfest loss to the Cubs yesterday saw both Jarvis and Mantiply charged with three earned runs apiece, with each reliever throwing two-thirds of an inning.  The demotions to Triple-A can allow both pitchers to gather themselves after a difficult start to their seasons, while the D’Backs can get a few fresher arms into the bullpen.  This means Jameson is now in line to make his first MLB appearance since the 2023 season, Feyereisen will make his D’Backs debut after signing a minor league deal with the team in March, and Morillo is set to make his Major League debut after eight pro seasons.

Jameson last pitched in a big league game on July 6, 2023, as he underwent a Tommy John surgery that September that cost him the entirety of the 2024 campaign.  The 34th overall pick of the 2019 draft had posted a 2.63 ERA over 65 innings during the 2022-23 seasons, starting seven of 19 games but pitching mostly in a relief role as the 2023 season developed prior to his UCL injury.  The righty has worked exclusively out of the pen at Triple-A this season, and he has a 2.70 ERA over 6 2/3 innings in Reno while recording 11 strikeouts against zero walks.

Now that he’s back in good health, Jameson can resume his career and perhaps carve out a firm place for himself within Arizona’s bullpen.  He showed quite a bit of promise as a multi-inning reliever, as his past history as a starter gave him some extra durability coming out of the pen.  The D’Backs could look to deploy Jameson as a long man or a swingman, at least letting him get some innings under his belt before perhaps trying him for higher-leverage work.

The 26-year-old Morillo spent his entire career in the Dodgers organization before joining the D’Backs as a minor league free agent back in November.  Making his Triple-A debut this season, Morillo has thrown 6 1/3 innings of 1.42 ERA ball in Reno, with a 29.6% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate, and a huge 68.8% grounder rate to boot.  The latter number stands out even amidst Morillo’s history as a groundball pitcher, and the solid walk rate is also noteworthy given his control problems earlier in his minor league career.

Between his high velocity, strikeout potential, and ability to keep the ball on the ground, there’s plenty to like about Morillo if he can find the consistency that has eluded him for a good chunk of his minors career.  He’ll get a chance to show what he can do against MLB hitters during what might be a cup of coffee in the big leagues, depending on how Arizona chooses to align its bullpen beyond just this weekend.

Feyereisen has a 2.95 ERA over his 100 2/3 career innings in the majors, which covers parts of four seasons with the Brewers, Rays, and Dodgers from 2020-24.  Feyereisen had solid numbers in 2021 and looked to be breaking out as a high-leverage reliever in Tampa’s bullpen in 2022 before a shoulder injury resulted in surgery that cost him the entire 2023 season.

Resurfacing in L.A. last year, he had an 8.18 ERA in 11 innings at the big league level, as Feyereisen clearly still had some rust from his long layoff.  His 0.96 ERA in 9 1/3 innings in Reno this season is much more promising, and it was enough to give Feyereisen a shot with another NL West team as he looks to finally establish himself for steady bullpen work.

Kessinger played all over the infield in a backup capacity with the Astros during the 2023-24 seasons, appearing in 48 total games and hitting .131/.243/.213 in 70 plate appearances.  His career Triple-A slash line of .268/.370/.401 is much more impressive on paper, if undermined by the fact that those seemingly solid numbers are barely average in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

The Diamondbacks acquired Kessinger in a trade in January but he hadn’t yet seen any action on Arizona’s big league roster, and his tenure with the organization might already be over if he is claimed on waivers or traded.  Kessinger’s trade to Arizona in fact came after the Astros designated him for assignment previously, so history could repeat itself if another infield-needy team comes calling.  If Kessinger clears waivers and is outrighted off the 40-man roster, he must accept the assignment since he doesn’t have the MLB service time or a past outright that would allow him to opt into free agency.

Tigers Place John Brebbia On 15-Day Injured List

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The Tigers announced that right-hander John Brebbia has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right triceps strain.  Left-hander Bailey Horn was called up from Triple-A to take Brebbia’s spot on the active roster.

Brebbia signed a one-year free agent deal with Detroit in February that will pay him $2.75MM in guaranteed money, plus the Tigers hold a $4MM club option on his services for 2026.  The first few weeks of Brebbia’s tenure in Motown were smooth sailing in terms of pure results, even if Brebbia’s 1.00 ERA over nine innings and eight appearances was undermined by some glaring peripheral statistics.  Brebbia’s BABIP is a measly .143 and he has a 13.2% walk rate, so clearly some good luck was on his side in the early going.

Then again, it could be argued that Brebbia was due a change in fortune following a 2024 season that saw his 3.29 SIERA overshadowed by a 5.86 ERA in 55 1/3 combined innings with the White Sox and Braves.  Brebbia struggled to a 6.29 ERA in 48 2/3 innings with Chicago before catching on with Atlanta late in the season, and posting a 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 frames after the change of scenery.

Brebbia just pitched in yesterday’s game (a 7-3 Tigers win over the Royals), so his injury must’ve arisen in fairly quick fashion.  In a microcosm of his season to date, Brebbia allowed two walks and a hit over 31 pitches yesterday but escaped his inning without allowing any runs.  The scoreless inning might represent Brebbia’s last bit of action for a while, as even a minor strain likely means more than just a 15-day minimum on the injured list, and a more severe strain could cost Brebbia multiple months.  The right-hander is unfortunately no stranger to long injury absences, as a Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2020 season and most of the 2021 season, plus he had a stint on the Giants’ 60-day IL in 2023 due to a lat strain.

Beau Brieske was just placed on the Tigers’ 15-day IL yesterday due to ankle inflammation, so Detroit is suddenly down two members of its bullpen in as many days.  This season’s version of “pitching chaos” has seen the Tigers unexpectedly send presumptive closer Jason Foley (who is now injured) to Triple-A to begin the season, and elevate newly-signed veteran Tommy Kahnle into the closer’s role.  The results have still been there since Detroit’s 3.36 bullpen ERA is the tenth-best in the majors, though the relief corps ranks closer to the bottom of league in terms of strikeouts.

The injuries have led to Horn getting his first taste of the Show this season, and he is now lined up to make his official debut in a Tigers uniform.  Horn made his overall MLB debut when he posted a 6.50 ERA across 18 innings with the Red Sox last season, and he bounced from the Sox to the Tigers to the Cardinals on waiver claims this offseason, only for Detroit to acquire him back in a trade with St. Louis last month.

Red Sox Activate Liam Hendriks

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TODAY: The Red Sox officially announced Hendriks’ reinstatement from the injured list, and Dobbins was indeed optioned to Triple-A.

APRIL 18: Liam Hendriks looks to be in line for his Red Sox debut this weekend. Manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Ian Browne of MLB.com) that there’s a “good chance” the veteran reliever will be activated from the 15-day injured list tomorrow. Chris Cotillo of MassLive observes that righty Hunter Dobbins is preparing to head back to Triple-A Worcester after being recalled this afternoon. It seems he’ll be optioned in the corresponding move.

Hendriks has not pitched in an MLB regular season game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2023. That ended his time with the White Sox, as Chicago bought out a $15MM club option with Hendriks set to miss most or all of the ’24 season. The Red Sox added Hendriks on a backloaded two-year deal with a $10MM guarantee. He made $2MM to finish his rehab last year and is playing on a $6MM salary this season (plus a $2MM buyout on a ’26 mutual option).

The three-time All-Star tried to make it back last September. Hendriks made six minor league rehab appearances, but the Sox backed off his progression when he felt some arm discomfort. He struggled over seven Spring Training outings and landed back on the injured list with elbow inflammation to begin the season. Hendriks was shut down for a few days and received a cortisone shot, but there wasn’t any kind of structural damage. He started a rehab stint last Thursday.

Hendriks has worked three scoreless innings in as many appearances between the top two minor league levels. He has fanned five while issuing two walks. His fastball averaged 94 MPH during his Triple-A work. It’s a nice rebound from the rocky exhibition play, when he allowed seven runs over 6 1/3 frames.

Entering camp, Hendriks seemed the favorite to replace Kenley Jansen as Boston’s closer. Aroldis Chapman had a much better Spring Training to take hold of the ninth inning. Chapman is 4-4 in save opportunities and has only allowed one run over 7 1/3 frames, so he’ll remain the closer. Hendriks will join Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock as setup options from the right side.

Orioles Designate Scott Blewett For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Scott Blewett has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up a 26-man roster spot for Brandon Young, whose first promotion to the majors was reported on yesterday.

Blewett was only just claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this week, and his brief time in the orange-and-black has seen the righty throw 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two relief appearances, striking out six of 19 batters faced.  Despite the impressive small sample, Blewett again finds himself in DFA limbo, likely owing to his lack of remaining minor league options.

It is a familiar story for Blewett, who has a 1.53 ERA in 29 1/3 big league innings with the Twins and Orioles over the last two seasons but is still looking to find a steady foothold for himself in the Show.  His secondary metrics (such as his hard-contact rates) aren’t particularly impressive, and likely hold a greater sway for front offices than Blewett’s strong bottom-line results.  Blewett also hasn’t stood out in the upper minors, posting a 6.93 ERA in 219 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level.

Should Blewett clear waivers, he has the right to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk and opt into free agency, since he has previously been outrighted in his career.  One would imagine another team in need of bullpen help could have interest in claiming Blewett away from Baltimore and giving him a longer look against MLB hitters, just as the O’s plucked him off Minnesota’s roster a few days ago.

Marlins Select Patrick Monteverde’s Contract

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The Marlins announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Patrick Monteverde from Triple-A Jacksonville.  Right-hander George Soriano was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Miami used four different relievers in Friday’s 7-2 loss to Philadelphia, and Soriano ate 1 2/3 of those innings.  Today’s transaction gets a fresh arm into the Marlins’ pen, and also opens the door for Monteverde to make his Major League debut whenever the southpaw makes his first in-game appearance.

The 27-year-old Monteverde was an eighth-round pick for the Marlins in the 2021 draft, and the Texas Tech product posted some decent numbers in the minors before seemingly hitting a wall at the Triple-A level.  Monteverde has a 6.55 ERA over 88 innings in Jacksonville, with a decrease in strikeouts and an increase in home runs accounting for these struggles over parts of three seasons at the top minor league level.  Monteverde has mostly worked as a starter in the minors, but this season has seen him work just as a multi-inning reliever across his three Triple-A appearances, though a 4.82 ERA in 9 1/3 innings this year doesn’t yet hint at any great breakthrough.

It was at least enough to get Monteverde his first look in the Show, and he’ll be thrown right into the deep end if he is utilized against the Phillies’ many powerful left-handed bats this weekend.  Monteverde might indeed just be a depth arm for the short term, but on a rebuilding team like the Marlins, he has plenty of opportunity to stick around or get a future call-up if he pitches well.  Anthony Veneziano is the only other left-hander in Miami’s bullpen, so Monteverde could bring some extra southpaw depth if he remains on the active roster.

Royals Option MJ Melendez To Triple-A, Activate Mark Canha From 10-Day IL

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The Royals announced that outfielder MJ Melendez has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha.  The move opens up a roster spot for Mark Canha, as the veteran outfielder/first baseman was reinstated from the 10-day injured list.

Canha will miss just the minimum 10 days, as he has made a pretty quick recovery from a left abductor strain.  Acquired from the Brewers in a trade right near the end of Spring Training, Canha got off to a scorching start (.971 OPS in 17 plate appearances) in Kansas City before going the IL.  He’ll now step right back into his intended role as a right-handed hitting option at first base and in the corner outfield slots, though obviously Canha will get more than just a part-time role if he keeps hitting anywhere close to his gaudy small sample size of 2025 at-bats.

More time in left field in particular seems likely for Canha now that Melendez is heading down to the minors.  A consensus top-100 prospect heading into the 2022 campaign, Melendez’s first three MLB seasons weren’t very productive, as he hit only .221/.303/.397 with 51 home runs over 1587 plate appearances.  This translated to a 91 wRC+ and a below-replacement -0.8 fWAR over the 2022-24 seasons, as Melendez (a converted former catcher) didn’t help his cause by delivering subpar outfield defense along with his uninspiring hitting.

Unfortunately for Melendez, things have gotten even worse early in the 2025 season.  He is hitting only .085/.173/.170 in 52 plate appearances, resulting in the rare circumstance of a negative wRC+ (-2).  Strikeouts have always been a problem for Melendez, but his swings-and-misses have been taken to an extreme this year, as he has whiffed 20 times in his 52 PA.

Melendez’s struggles have gotten so extreme that the Royals had no choice but to send him to Omaha for what all sides hope can be a refresh.  More will likely be known about the Royals’ specific plans for Melendez when manager Matt Quatraro speaks with reporters later today, but it stands to reason that Melendez could be facing a pretty lengthy Triple-A stint.  He made some swing changes during the offseason that either need more time to gel, or Melendez could look to overhaul his approach at the plate yet again.  Beyond the mechanics, a month or two of strong results in the minors would surely do wonders for Melendez from a confidence and mental perspective, given all his frustrations at the big league level.

From a contractual control standpoint, the 26-year-old Melendez has another minor league option year remaining besides this one.  He is in the first of four arbitration-eligible seasons (as a Super Two player), and agreed with Kansas City on an arb-avoiding $2.625MM salary for the 2025 campaign.  Despite his prospect pedigree and his relatively limited price tag, however, Melendez looks like a potential non-tender candidate at this point if he can’t get on track in a hurry.

Optioning Melendez brings fresh attention to the state of the Royals outfield, and the team’s inability to make a big upgrade to its outfield mix last offseason.  Kansas City made the playoffs in 2024 despite ranking 27th of 30 teams in outfield bWAR (1.0), but addressed the position only by trading for converted second baseman Jonathan India and then getting Canha in a late-spring pickup.  General manager J.J. Picollo openly admitted to some frustration over not being able to land a bigger bat via trade or free agency, though in getting outbid for Jurickson Profar, the Royals at least avoided another kind of problem.

Through 21 games this season, the 8-13 Royals have gotten even less from their outfielders, as the group’s combined -1.3 bWAR is the worst in baseball.  A healthy Canha can help in some respect, but acquiring another outfielder seems like a must for K.C., even in this early stage of the season.

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