Tuesday’s Game Between Phillies, Yankees Postponed
9:18am: The Phillies are still planning to travel to New York to play at Yankee Stadium tomorrow, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia tweets. For the time being, the club will undergo a second round of testing today, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports on Twitter.
9:07am: The results that have come back have not included any new positive tests within the Philadelphia organization, Sherman tweets.
8:59am: Some Phillies test results are delayed, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic hears (Twitter link).
8:56am: Just like yesterday, today’s scheduled contest between the Phillies and Yankees has been scratched, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). The Philadelphia organization was sidelined after a weekend series against a Marlins team with at least 11 cases of COVID-19.
Unlike yesterday’s decision, this one was expected to come with the benefit of testing results. Those aren’t yet known, but it doesn’t seem promising that the game was scrapped after the lab work came back. It would be preferable, though hardly ideal in its own right, if testing delays were to blame.
This is a developing story …
Middleton On Pathways To Realmuto Deal
The Phillies aren’t actively engaged in extension talks with star catcher J.T. Realmuto, but he hasn’t foreclosed the possibility of a longer-term relationship. Team owner John Middleton echoed that sentiment in a recent interview with Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Generally, Middleton continued to express great admiration for Realmuto and optimism about contract talks. The strong underlying relationship provides “a great basis to begin a negotiation,” says Middleton, who also said he has no issues with Bryce Harper‘s less-than-subtle campaign for a Realmuto deal.
That said, there were strong undercurrents of baseball’s new realities in Middleton’s comments. For one thing, the just-cited quote rather clearly implies that the team believes that negotiations will need to start fresh in the new COVID-19 world we all live in.
Then, there’s the double-edged sword of the sizable new deal between the Dodgers and superstar Mookie Betts. Middleton lauded the “ingenious deal” for its “creativity” and suggested it could indeed be utilized in the Phillies’ case. “There’s no reason why not,” he said.
But the Phils owner also made clear that the Betts contract was in “reality … much less” than its advertised $365MM price. Betts and the Dodgers agreed upon a heavily deferred contract structure to smooth over the coronavirus-driven economic turmoil.
Middleton’s top baseball ops employee, GM Matt Klentak, recently referred to that wide-ranging uncertainty in discussing the team’s interest in a Realmuto deal. And the team owner used precisely the same terminology, explaining that the Betts deal “reflects the reality of the economic uncertainty that we find ourselves in today.”
The overarching message here seems to be that the Phillies see a pathway to a deal, but that it assuredly won’t be the one the Realmuto camp has long proposed. “I don’t feel pressure to make a deal one way or another,” Middleton noted. “I think you have to make a good deal.”
It’ll be interesting to see whether there’s any realistic attempt to forge an agreement before the 2020 season wraps up. No doubt both sides will want to know first whether the campaign is even going to make it through to the postseason, as that’ll be a key revenue generator and major factor in projecting near-future earnings. Though both team and player clearly maintain interest in an ongoing relationship, striking a deal may well require an open-market test.
Royals Activate Ryan O’Hearn
The Royals announced that they’ve activated first baseman Ryan O’Hearn from the injured list. Left-hander Richard Lovelady was optioned to the team’s alternate training site to make room on the 30-man roster. O’Hearn, who turned 27 yesterday, tested positive for Covid-19 three weeks ago and had been absent from the club since.
O’Hearn has spent parts of the past two seasons in the big leagues, and it’s been a tale of two seasons for the slugger. His 2018 debut was outstanding, as he raked at a .262/.353/.597 clip (153 wRC+, 154 OPS+ ) and belted a dozen homers, 10 doubles and two triples in 170 plate appearances. In 2019, O’Hearn’s production plummeted to .195/.281/.369 in a larger sample of 370 plate appearances. As it stands, his left-handed bat is likely to pair with the right-handed-hitting Ryan McBroom to share time at first base, although it’s possible that either could produce enough to play his way into the lion’s share of playing time.
Even as one southpaw was sent down, another came down with a potentially worrisome injury. Former first-round pick Foster Griffin was cruising through his MLB debut on his birthday before feeling something in his pitching arm. He’ll undergo an MRI on his left forearm to diagnose the problems.
In other Kansas City roster news, the club has formally added catcher Cam Gallagher to its taxi squad, as Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star reports on Twitter. He’s still on the injured list for a previous COVID-19 diagnosis but has obviously now registered the requisite negative tests. The 27-year-old saw 45 games of MLB action last year while helping the Royals fill in for the injured Salvador Perez.
Latest On Astros’ Bullpen
The Astros are off to a nice 3-1 start to the 2020 season, but the reigning American League champions are nonetheless facing plenty of injury-related issues at the moment. Ace and defending AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander is on the shelf with a forearm strain, 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez has been out for weeks and it’s unclear when he’ll debut this season, and the club has a handful of notable relievers battling arm troubles.
The Astros’ best setup man, Ryan Pressly, is now among the team’s wounded, as Brian McTaggart of MLB.com was among those to report that he’s fighting elbow soreness. Chris Devenski is dealing with the same malady, while another of the Astros’ righties – Austin Pruitt – has been shut down on account of his own elbow woes.
The 31-year-old Pressly was largely lights-out with the Twins and Astros from 2018-19, but injuries have slowed him dating back to late last season. Pressly underwent knee surgery in August, and while he did return to throw four innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk at the end of September, he experienced more discomfort during the playoffs and was shellacked for 12 hits and seven earned runs in 5 2/3 October frames. Pressly still hasn’t pitched this year, though the severity of his newest injury isn’t known right now.
Devenski, who was subpar from 2018-19 after back-to-back terrific campaigns, has already taken the mound twice this season. The first of those showings went well, but he was the losing pitcher Sunday after giving up three earned runs in an inning of work. Pruitt, meantime, continues to await his Astros and 2020 debuts. They acquired the swingman from the Rays over the winter, but arm injuries – first to his shoulder – have weighed him down.
If Pressly and Devenski join Pruitt and the also-injured Brad Peacock in missing time, it will leave Houston with no established relievers aside from closer Roberto Osuna and fellow veteran Joe Biagini. As McTaggart points out, the Astros have a whopping eight rookies in their bullpen.
Pitching Notes: Strasburg, Smith, Teheran, Fulmer, Marlins
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg missed his scheduled start Saturday on account of nerve irritation in his pitching hand, but he said at the time he wasn’t “extremely concerned” about it. Manager Dave Martinez issued another update on Strasburg on Monday, saying last year’s World Series MVP threw lightly, felt better and had less tingling in his hand, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post tweets. It’s still unclear when Strasburg will debut this season, though. Having started 1-3 during a 60-game season, the Nats need him back sooner than later.
- In encouraging news for the Braves, left-handed closer Will Smith is no longer dealing with COVID-19 symptoms and hopes to be closing in on a return, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Smith has been down since July 4 because of the coronavirus; if he is able to pitch this year, the hope is that he’ll be a major part of Atlanta’s late-game setup. That’s what the team was banking on when it signed Smith to a three-year, $40MM contract in free agency last winter. Smith earned that payday on the heels of several strong seasons with the Royals, Brewers and Giants.
- Speaking of Atlanta, one of its former hurlers – Angels righty Julio Teheran – continues to progress toward a 2020 debut, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic relays. Teheran, who’s recovering from his own coronavirus diagnosis, is slated to throw three innings and 55 pitches in Long Beach, Calif., on Tuesday, per pitching coach Mickey Callaway. If all goes well then, Teheran could join the Angels’ rotation. The team signed Teheran, 29, to a one-year, $9MM guarantee over the winter after a successful run in Atlanta from 2011-19.
- The Tigers plan to use righty Michael Fulmer as an opener all year and are unlikely to let him go five to six innings in any of his appearances, pitching coach Rick Anderson revealed (via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). Fulmer’s a former AL Rookie of the Year winner who topped out at 164 2/3 frames in his second season in 2017, but it’s understandable that the Tigers are taking a cautious approach with him. After all, the 27-year-old is just returning from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in March 2019. He took the mound Monday for the first time since September 2018 and surrendered four earned runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings during a blowout loss to the Royals.
- The coronavirus has deprived the Marlins of a slew of players, leaving them to scramble for replacements, but righty prospect Edward Cabrera is not a candidate for their roster as of now, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Cabrera is not dealing with the virus, fortunately, but “a minor arm issue” that has stopped him from throwing over the past week, Jackson writes. The 22-year-old was tremendous last season between High-A and Double-A, combining for a stingy 2.23 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 96 2/3 innings, and is widely regarded as a top 100 prospect.
Athletics Release Daniel Gossett
The Athletics have released right-hander Daniel Gossett and added fellow righty Ben Bracewell to their 60-man player pool, the club announced. Bracewell will report to the A’s alternate training site in San Jose.
Oakland designated Gossett for assignment last week after a couple of years of struggles in the majors and then a pair of injury-ruined seasons. Now 27 years old, the former second-round pick (2014) recorded a 5.91 ERA/5.67 FIP with 6.54 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9 in 115 1/3 innings and 23 starts as an Athletic from 2017-18 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in the latter of those seasons. He hasn’t taken a major league mound since June 3, 2018, though potential selling points for other clubs include a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 128 1/3 Triple-A frames and one more minor league option.
Bracewell, 29, hasn’t gotten an opportunity to pitch in the majors yet, having been a career-long A’s minor leaguer since debuting as a professional in 2014. He spent parts of the previous three seasons in Triple-A ball and has done a respectable job at the minors’ top level, where he has pitched to a 3.88 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 174 innings.
Braves Designate Mike Foltynewicz For Assignment
The Braves have decided to designate righty Mike Foltynewicz for assignment, manager Brian Snitker told reporters including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). He’ll be replaced by reliever Chad Sobotka on the active roster.
This certainly rates as an early-season stunner. The 28-year-old Foltynewicz has had his ups and downs in Atlanta, to be sure. He was an All-Star just two seasons ago before experiencing enough difficulty last year that the Braves demoted him to the minors in late June. However, Foltynewicz rebounded when the Braves recalled him in early August, and they’re now committed to paying him a pro-rated portion of his $6,425,000 salary this season — unless another team makes a claim — and will be giving up another season of arbitration control.
Foltynewicz certainly didn’t look himself in his season debut today, coughing up six earned runs and three long balls while lasting just 3 1/3 innings in a blowout loss to the Rays. More importantly, he demonstrated a collapse in velocity that has been a concern during the pre-season ramp up.
“His stuff hasn’t been there,” Snitker told David O’Brien of The Athletic and other reporters in regards to Foltynewicz, who has averaged better than 95 mph on his fastball since he debuted with the Astros in 2014 but is now struggling to hit 90.
It seems as if the Braves have simply seen enough to determine that Folty won’t find another gear in 2020. No doubt the club will now count upon another team to take over the salary obligations — if not also to kick in something of value in return. Despite his current issues, Foltynewicz’s age and track record of production suggest any number of teams could take a chance on him. To this point, he has thrown 682 2/3 innings of matching 4.27 ERA/FIP ball with 8.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 at baseball’s highest level.
Atlanta, meanwhile, continues to deal with unexpected changes in its rotation. Perhaps in an ideal situation, Foltynewicz would have made up one-fifth of the back-to-back NL East champions’ starting staff alongside Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Cole Hamels and Felix Hernandez. Now, though, the only ones standing are Soroka and Fried – before the Foltynewicz DFA, Hamels went on the 45-day injured list because of a triceps issue and Hernandez opted out of the campaign as a result of coronavirus concerns.
Without Folty, Hamels and Hernandez, the Braves are down to Sean Newcomb and Kyle Wright as complements to Soroka and Fried. And while the likes of Jhoulys Chacin and Josh Tomlin carry plenty of experience as starters, Snitker said the Braves could use an opener instead of a traditional rotation option for the time being.
Blue Jays’ Nate Pearson To Debut July 29
JULY 27, 8:50pm: Montoyo confirmed that Pearson will debut Wednesday, per Davidi.
3:35pm: Pearson is indeed still scheduled for his debut on Wednesday, Campbell tweets. Manager Charlie Montoyo still wasn’t ready to announce a move, but did acknowledge the possibility of a call-up, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets.
JULY 22: The Blue Jays plan to activate standout pitching prospect Nate Pearson on July 29, Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet reports. Pearson is not on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster, which is currently full.
Toronto will gain an extra year of control over Pearson by keeping him off its roster during the first week of its season. So, considering the league’s rules on service time, it’s no surprise that the team will open its schedule without the 23-year-old right-hander. But Pearson may wind up as a game-changing addition to the Blue Jays’ roster when he does make his debut, and perhaps someone who could challenge for American League Rookie of the Year honors.
The flamethrowing Pearson joined Toronto as the 28th overall pick in the 2017 draft and has proven himself an elite farmhand since then (MLB.com ranks him first in the team’s system and No. 8 in the sport, for instance). Pearson made his debut in Triple-A last year with 18 innings of 3.00 ERA ball, but he spent most of his season in Double-A, recording a terrific 2.59 ERA/2.90 FIP with 9.91 K/9 and 3.02 BB/9 over 62 2/3 frames. Pearson also acquitted himself well during spring training this year, as he held hitters to a paltry .194 batting average and totaled 16 strikeouts against five walks in 10 2/3 innings before the sport shut down.
If Pearson does come up and make a serious impact in 2020, Toronto could have an enviable duo atop its rotation with him and left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu – an $80MM offseason pickup who finished as the National League Cy Young runner-up as a Dodger in 2019. Until Pearson makes his first start and Chase Anderson returns from the injured list, though, the Blue Jays appear likely to fill out their rotation with Tanner Roark, Matt Shoemaker, Trent Thornton and Ryan Borucki behind Ryu.
Latest On Rick Renteria
8:22pm: Fortunately, Renteria’s test came back negative, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. The White Sox expect him to return during their Tuesday-Thursday series in Cleveland.
4:22pm: White Sox manager Rick Renteria will be away from the team for at least one game. Per a club announcement, he is undergoing testing for COVID-19 after experiencing a cough and nasal congestion.
Indications are that Renteria is only experiencing mild symptoms at the moment. Hopefully that will remain the case, whatever the underlying cause. The team says Renteria is in isolation and staying away from the team “out of an abundance of caution.”
Bench coach Joe McEwing will handle managerial duties for the time being. If the testing comes back negative and Renteria feels up to it, perhaps he’ll be back without missing much action.
Predict The AL East Division Winner
With final roster decisions in the books and the 2020 season underway at long last, it’s time to make some predictions. We’re polling the MLBTR readership on each of the game’s six divisions — though plenty more teams will crack the postseason under the rather inclusive new playoff qualification system. We’ve already surveyed the AL Central, NL Central, and NL East landscapes, and now we’ll turn to the American League East.
The Yankees have certainly been tabbed the favorite by most observers, but several key players have questionable injury histories and the short-season format opens the door for challengers. The Rays are perhaps the prime contender for a surprise, with a deep and versatile roster that’s far more talented than the payroll would suggest. Then again, we may all be overlooking the Red Sox, who have certainly shed some talent but still have several rather high-ceiling players. There’s a ton of young talent on the Blue Jays roster; maybe the team could surprise if those precocious performers develop ahead of schedule. It’s quite difficult to make a case for the Orioles, even in a pithy blurb, but … hey, they’re tied for the division lead at 2-1 entering play today!
Which team do you think is going to take the division title? (Poll link for app users.)
Predict The 2020 A.L. East Division Winner
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Yankees 53% (3,832)
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Rays 23% (1,651)
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Orioles 10% (756)
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Blue Jays 10% (704)
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Red Sox 4% (261)
Total votes: 7,204