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Marcell Ozuna Hires MDR Sports Management

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Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna has hired MDR Sports Management to represent him, the agency announced. He’s preparing for free agency after earning $12.25MM this season, his final arbitration campaign.

Ozuna’s new reps have a clear focus on Latin American ballplayers. Their lengthy client list includes one player of particular note: Ozuna’s teammate and Cardinals fixture Yadier Molina.

With the season well underway, and the Cardinals having recently committed future dollars to several other veteran players, the focus for Ozuna and company will likely be on the open market. After a flurry of extensions and a strong start to the season for Ozuna, he checked in at the number three position on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings.

But it’s at least theoretically possible that extension talks could still take place. MDR has negotiated three extensions with the Cards on Molina’s behalf. Before he was dealt to St. Louis, Ozuna was approached by the Marlins about a long-term deal. He reportedly rebuffed the Miami organization’s advance due in part to the advice of previous agent Scott Boras.

As always, check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for representation information.

Phillies Place Edubray Ramos On IL; David Robertson Shut Down 3 More Weeks

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The Phillies announced today that righty Edubray Ramos is heading to the 10-day injured list with biceps tendinitis. Lefty Austin Davis will take his roster spot.

In other news involving the Philadelphia relief corps, righty David Robertson has been advised not to throw for at least three more weeks, as Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to cover on Twitter. The hope is that rest will cure Robertson’s flexor strain, though it remains to be seen how he’ll respond when the time comes. Once he resumes throwing, the veteran will need to ramp up before he’s ready to pitch again in the majors.

Ramos, 26, had a fine showing last year for the Phis. He has not been quite as good out of the gates in 2019, however, having allowed five earned runs on a dozen hits while compiling a 7:4 K/BB ratio over 9 2/3 innings.

There’s some obvious cause for concern in Ramos’s radar-gun readings. He has dropped a full 2 mph on his average four-seamer and even more on his heavily-used slider. Unsurprisingly, his swinging-strike rate has suffered, though Ramos is still drawing loads of soft contact (32.3%).

In the aggregate, there’s quite a lot of uncertainty for a pair of hurlers who were expected to occupy significant roles in 2019. Bullpen issues haven’t kept the club from a strong overall start, and there’s still time for internal solutions to emerge, but the Phillies currently project as a clear buyer of relief pitching at this season’s trade deadline.

Pirates Place Jung Ho Kang On IL, Select Jake Elmore

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The Pirates have announced that infielder Jung Ho Kang has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left side strain. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Jake Elmore, whose contract was selected.

In order to open a 40-man roster spot, the Bucs shifted righty Jameson Taillon to the 60-day injured list. Taillon, who is sidelined with a flexor strain, won’t be eligible to return to the active roster until early July.

Kang is struggling in his first full season since 2016 — a layoff that occurred because of his troubling history of drinking and driving. He’s hitting just .133/.204/.300 in 98 trips to the plate this year. Kang is swinging and missing far more often than he used to. He’ll be shut down for three days and then reevaluated, per club director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk (via MLB.com’s Adam Berry, on Twitter).

It’s the first MLB action since 2016 for Elmore. The 33-year-old has a .215/.297/.280 slash in 478 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level. He has been off to rather a strong start to the year at Triple-A, though, with a .380/.444/.546 slash in 124 plate appearances.

Royals Promote Nicky Lopez

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The Royals have selected the contract of young infielder Nicky Lopez, per a club announcement. Righty Jake Newberry will be optioned to open an active roster spot; the 40-man move will be announced tomorrow.

Lopez’s ascent comes as a bit of a surprise. It was just two days ago, after all, that the club indicated it’d be utilizing Whit Merrifield primarily at second base. Instead, the veteran will be bumped into right field while Lopez will take the reins at the keystone. GM Dayton Moore explained that he and skipper Ned Yost changed course after discussing the matter over the weekend. (Via Rustin Dodd of The Athletic, on Twitter.)

The 24-year-old Lopez was taken out of Creighton in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He is known more for his sturdiness than the types of loud tools that would suggest a lofty ceiling in the majors.

Lopez’s contact ability and keen approach were on display last year, when he logged a .382 on-base percentage and walked more than he struck out in a season split between the two highest levels of the minors. Entering the current campaign, he was billed as one of the organization’s ten best prospects.

While Lopez was already very much on the radar, it’s fair to say he has raised his stock quite a bit already in 2019. He hasn’t yet added significant power — and may never do so, unless he can follow the paths of a select few others that have turned contact ability into dingers in the majors — but Lopez has taken his skillset to new heights in the early going.

Over 138 plate appearances this year for Omaha, Lopez carries a .353/.457/.500 slash line with an outlandish combination of twenty walks against just five strikeouts. (That sort of BB/K ratio is associated with the original Billy Hamilton and his contemporaries, not the active Billy Hamilton who’ll soon be Lopez’s teammate.) He has also successfully swiped nine bags in a dozen attempts, which suggests an avenue for expanding his offensive value with a club that is more willing than most to tempt fate on the base paths.

MRI Negative On Left Wrist Of Nelson Cruz

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TODAY: The MRI came back negative, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press was among those to report on Twitter. Cruz is hoping to avoid an IL trip altogether.

YESTERDAY: Twins slugger Nelson Cruz left Sunday’s game due to soreness in his left wrist, and he will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the nature of the problem.  (MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park was among those to report the news.)

Cruz’s injury didn’t seem to stem from any specific incident, as the veteran indicated to reporters after the game that he had been dealing with nagging wrist soreness, and the issue became worse after taking a swinging strike.  As Park notes, Cruz’s wrist seemed to be visibly bothering him after swinging at a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Cruz took one further plate appearance in the game but was removed for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

Even as he approaches his 39th birthday on July 1, Cruz is still producing at a high level, with a .270/.354/.508 slash line and seven homers over his first 144 plate appearances as a Twin.  Cruz’s still-potent bat has been a big reason behind Minnesota’s surprising surge to the best record in baseball, and obviously any type of IL stint for the veteran designated hitter would be a blow to the Twins’ lineup.

If Cruz’s status wasn’t enough of a concern for the Twins, Martin Perez was also an early scratch from Sunday’s game, as the starter was removed after being hit in the left ankle by a Nicholas Castellanos line drive in the sixth inning.  This injury (diagnosed as a left foot contusion) doesn’t appear to be as serious, however, as Perez told Park and other reporters that he doesn’t think he’ll miss his next start.

Yankees Place Miguel Andujar On 10-Day IL

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The Yankees have placed third baseman Miguel Andujar back on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. Lefty Nestor Cortes Jr. was summoned back from Triple-A to take the open roster spot.

Andujar previously suffered a right labrum tear that seemingly threatened to end his season. Surgery wasn’t the first option, however, and Andujar seemed to emerge from a month-long rehab stint in good form.

Unfortunately, the joint has evidently not responded as hoped since Andujar was activated. In nine games this month, he’s hitting just .088/.114/.088.

It isn’t entirely clear at this point what the next steps might be. Andujar could try again to rest and rehab, but it stands to reason that the surgical option will also be revisited.

White Sox Announce Season-Ending Surgeries For Rodon, Jones, Adolfo

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The White Sox have announced a brutal trio of injury updates this afternoon, as James Fegan of The Athletic was among those to cover (links to Twitter). Lefty Carlos Rodon, righty Nate Jones, and propect Micker Adolfo are all slated for season-ending surgeries.

Rodon is headed in for Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. That outcome had been expected after the procedure was recommended recently. If all goes well, the 26-year-old could return at some point during the 2020 season.

The White Sox are paying Rodon $4.2MM this year, his second of four seasons of arbitration eligibility. With seven starts under his belt in 2019, Rodon has likely done enough to nudge that rate forward at least a bit, but won’t be due a significant raise. The former first-rounder has had some worrying health problems in recent years, but this will represent the most significant disruption to his career.

As for Jones, it’s another disappointing turn for a reliever whose career has been sidetracked by a never-ending barrage of injuries, including a prior TJ procedure (among others). The 33-year-old underwent surgery yesterday to address a flexor mass injury in his right forearm. He has averaged less than 25 innings annually since the start of the 2014 season.

Jones remains controllable under the extension he signed in late 2015, which includes successive club options that include a $1.25MM buyout. The 2020 option was to be valued at either $3.75MM or $5.15MM, depending upon whether Jones had certain elbow procedures prior to 2018. He did not have another Tommy John surgery but did undergo a nerve repositioning procedure; whether the clause was triggered depends upon the precise language of the contract, which does not appear to have been reported.

Though he’s an outfielder rather than a pitcher, Adolfo has seen his own burgeoning career thwarted to this point by elbow troubles (among other injuries). He underwent TJS last year and worked back to health in time to take 95 plate appearances this season at Double-A (functioning only as a DH). His latest elbow work will require a four-to-six month break from baseball activities. GM Rick Hahn added that Adolfo will receive a fourth option year due to the health woes, which will make it easier for the club to hang onto him while he works back to health yet again.

Tigers Place Tyson Ross On Injured List

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May 13: Manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters today that Ross isn’t feeling any better and could schedule an examination with the same surgeon who performed his initial thoracic outlet surgery (Twitter link via MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery).

May 12: The Tigers have placed right-handed starter Tyson Ross on the 10-day injured list, reports Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. It’s a nerve issue in his right elbow that will keep him out of action for the foreseeable future.

Certainly, this development is most unwelcome for a Detroit ballclub that has already endured several injuries to starting pitchers. Michael Fulmer and Matt Moore are both sidelined for the remainder of the season, and Jordan Zimmermann recently joined them on the injured list. With Ross joining them, the Tigers will be pressed to find solutions from within the organization.

Of course, those losses have been mitigated by the performances of Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull, each of whom has dazzled with dynamic strikeout stuff, emerging as the most productive Tigers starters. Daniel Norris has joined the rotation in the wake of the slew of injuries, though there appears to be a dearth of options behind the existing slate of starters.

Ross has endured a season of inconsistencies thus far in 2019, posting a lackluster 6.11 ERA in his first 7 starts. His 1.39 K:BB ratio has been unimpressive, as walks have once again inhibited Ross’s success. It’s an unfortunate break for Ross, who struggled through a frustrating start in Saturday’s matchup with the Twins, allowing six runs in five-plus innings. It’s unclear just how serious the nerve issue is, or how long it will keep Ross on the shelf, but the outlook is certainly not a rosy one for the Tigers.

Jonathan Loaisiga Shut Down For Four Weeks

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Even as the Yankees welcome injured players back to the roster — Aaron Hicks was activated for his season debut today — new injuries continue to pile up. The team announced today that right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a shoulder strain, and manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters that Loaisiga won’t throw a baseball for at least the next four weeks (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch). The 24-year-old is dealing with a strain of his right rotator cuff.

Loaisiga had been slated to start tonight’s contest, but that start will now fall to right-hander Luis Cessa. Righty Chance Adams was recalled from Triple-A in place of Loaisiga, so he’ll be on hand as an option for some length in the middle of the game as well, should the need arise. Loaisiga joins James Paxton, Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery (still recovering from 2018 Tommy John surgery) as rotation options on the injured list.

While Loaisiga has yet to establish himself at the MLB level, he’s nevertheless a well-regarded prospect. Baseball America currently ranks him as the No. 94 farmhand in all of baseball, and he owns a career 2.88 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in his minor league career. Injuries, though, have been a persistent factor for Loaisiga, who has never thrown more than the 84 2/3 innings he tossed last year in any single professional season.

Following tonight’s spot start from Cessa, the Yankees’ rotation will include Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, Domingo German, CC Sabathia and a yet-to-be-determined fifth option. Presumably, Cessa and Adams will both be candidates for that spot, as will the recently optioned Nestor Cortes Jr. As for the team’s injured starters, Severino has yet to begin a throwing program following his latest shutdown, while Paxton has played catch but not embarked on a minor league rehab assignment. There’s hope that Paxton could return before month’s end but no indication that a return is imminent. Montgomery isn’t expected back until later midsummer.

Loaisiga’s injury is the latest in an ongoing series of physical ailments that have tested the Yankees’ depth at virtually every spot on the roster so far in 2019. Of course, the Yankees have largely passed any such test with flying colors; the team is eight games over .500 — just a half game out of the AL East lead — and carries a +36 run differential despite the interminable onslaught of health troubles they’ve faced.

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