Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

J.P. Crawford Out Four To Six Weeks With Fractured Hand

By | at

June 20: The Phillies have formally placed Crawford on the 10-day disabled list. Infielder Mitch Walding has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley for his second stint with the Phillies in 2018.

June 19: Phillies shortstop/third baseman J.P. Crawford suffered a broken left hand upon being hit by a pitch in tonight’s game, tweets MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. He’ll be out for the next four to six weeks as he recovers from the injury.

The 23-year-old Crawford, a former first-round pick and long one of the game’s top prospects, has struggled to this point in 2018, hitting just .194/.312/.333 with a pair of homers, five doubles, a triple and two steals (in two attempts). He’d already missed a bit more than a month with a forearm strain and now, unfortunately, is headed for another prolonged absence.

With Crawford back on the shelf, the Phillies will likely give Maikel Franco and Scott Kingery regular at-bats on the left side of the infield. Franco has recently been relegated to a part-time role but voiced a desire to remain with the organization in spite of his reduced playing time. Now, with Crawford sidelined, he’ll likely get another opportunity to prove that he’s capable of emerging as the regular, middle-of-the-order presence the Phils envisioned when he, too, was considered one of the game’s elite prospects.

Of course, an injury on the left side of the infield only figures to further fuel speculation about the Phils making a run at the Orioles’ Manny Machado. Phillies president Andy MacPhail, GM Matt Klentak and assistant GM Ned Rice have all previously worked in the Orioles’ front office, and the Phillies have received scarce production from the entire left side of their infield as a whole.

That said, there’s been little beyond speculation connecting the two sides since the offseason, and there’ll be no shortage of other clubs showing significant interest in Machado. Realistically, given the lackluster production from the combination of Crawford, Franco (.243/.288/.416) and Kingery (.222/.278/.335), Crawford’s injury may not even move the needle much as far as the team’s interest in Machado; the club was already receiving poor enough output that it’d be logical to expect them to explore the possibility of a Machado acquisition with or without a healthy Crawford in the fold.

Marlins Release Severino Gonzalez, Sean Burnett

By | at

The Marlins have released right-hander Severino Gonzalez and veteran left-hander Sean Burnett from their Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans, as first tweeted by the club’s Triple-A broadcaster, Tim Grubbs.

Gonzalez, 25, spent a day on the Marlins’ active roster in early April after having his contract selected from New Orleans, but his addition was purely a depth move, it seems. Gonzalez didn’t get into the game in his lone day on the roster, and he was designated for assignment the next day. He ultimately accepted an outright assignment back to New Orleans, where he went on to struggle for much of the season.

In 33 2/3 innings out of the bullpen this season, Gonzalez has stumbled with a 5.61 ERA and similarly discouraging peripheral metrics. Never one to miss many bats, Gonzalez has averaged 6.1 K/9 so far in 2018, and his typical otherworldly control has taken a step back. While his 2.4 BB/9 mark is still strong, it’s also a bit of a step back from the career 1.8 mark he’d posted at the Triple-A level prior to 2018. The real problem for Gonzalez, however, was the long ball; he’d previously been stingy in that regard but has been hammered for seven homers in his 33 2/3 frames. The former Phillies prospect does have strong K/BB numbers in 66 Major League innings (all with Philadelphia), but he’s nonetheless logged a 6.68 ERA as a big leaguer.

As for Burnett, the 35-year-old veteran has appeared in parts of nine Major League seasons and had a nice peak from 2009-12 as an excellent setup man for the Pirates and Nationals before undergoing Tommy John surgery after signing a two-year deal with the Angels. Burnett has continued to grind since injuries ruined his two-year stint with the Halos, and he briefly resurfaced in the Majors with the 2016 Nats.

He didn’t pitch in the Majors or minors in 2017, and while his 5.49 ERA in 19 2/3 innings this season looks ugly, there’s still some reason to believe he could have something left in the tank. Burnett notched an outstanding 23-to-5 K/BB ratio in those 19 2/3 innings, allowing just two homers along the way and registering a 48.4 percent ground-ball rate. And while he allowed far too many hits in New Orleans (30, to be exact), he was also plagued by a sky-high .452 average on balls in play. Burnett punched out nine of the 25 lefties he faced (36 percent) without allowing a walk, so perhaps a club could view him as a potential situational lefty at the very least.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Adams, Hill, Kiermaier, Strickland

By | at

ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(June 19th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

—

AMERICAN LEAGUE

  • TEXAS RANGERS | Depth Chart
    • Promoted: SP Austin Bibens-Dirkx
      • Bibens-Dirkx will start on Wednesday.
    • Optioned: SP Yohander Mendez
      • Mendez was scheduled to start on Wednesday, but was optioned to Triple-A after violating team rules. Rougned Odor was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup, although the team would not confirm if it was for the same rules violation.

—

FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

AJ Ramos To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

By | at

Mets reliever AJ Ramos has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will undergo season-ending surgery tomorrow, the team tells reporters (Twitter link via Mike Puma of the New York Post). The right-hander has been out since May 27 with a shoulder injury and was recently said to be weighing surgery.

Ramos, 31, served as the closer for the Marlins for two and a half seasons before the Mets acquired him in a surprising trade last July. New York had already begun selling off veteran pieces, but GM Sandy Alderson explained at the time that the move was made with an eye toward 2018. The Mets didn’t pay a steep price in terms of prospects to acquire Ramos (Merandy Gonzalez and Ricardo Cespedes), given his salary obligations, but they did agree to a $9.225MM salary with Ramos this winter in avoiding arbitration.

That will go down as a mostly sunk cost for the Mets, as Ramos was solid through the month of April but was shelled in May and will finish out the year with a 6.41 ERA in 19 2/3 innings. While he racked up an impressive 22 punchouts in that time, he also issued 15 walks and surrendered three homers before initially landing on the disabled list.

Ramos is a free agent at season’s end, meaning tomorrow’s surgery is likely to end his tenure with the Mets. In all, he pitched just 38 2/3 innings with the team and turned in a 5.59 ERA with a characteristically high strikeout rate (10.9 K/9) against a bloated 6.3 BB/9 mark that was lofty even by Ramos’ standards. He’s never struggled to miss bats, but even at his best, Ramos was often wild, averaging 4.8 walks per nine innings pitched during a largely successful run with the Marlins.

While a solid season with the Mets would’ve primed Ramos for a multi-year deal in free agency, it now seems likely that he’ll have to settle for a one-year pact with a low base and plenty of incentives, if not a minor league deal with an invitation to prove his shoulder’s health in Spring Training next year.

As for the Mets, they’ve been operating without Ramos for three weeks or so anyhow, so his loss won’t change much in the short-term. His season-ending injury, however, does eliminate the possibility of flipping him to a contender at the deadline. The return on Ramos, even if healthy and effective, wouldn’t have been especially high considering that $9.225MM salary, though the Mets could’ve at least saved some cash and/or added a modest prospect or two to the minor league ranks.

Hunter Strickland Out Six To Eight Weeks Due To Fractured Hand

By | at

Giants closer Hunter Strickland will miss the next six to eight weeks following surgery to repair a fractured right hand, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters Tuesday (Twitter links via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area).

The injury occurred in rather embarrassing and regrettable fashion, it seems, as Strickland punched a door out of frustration after blowing a save and surrendering three runs in last night’s loss. In the absence of Strickland, the Giants will turn to either Tony Watson or Sam Dyson to serve as the primary closer, according to Bochy. Right-hander Pierce Johnson will be recalled back to the big leagues to take Strickland’s roster spot.

[Related: Updated San Francisco Giants depth chart and MLB closer depth chart]

Needless to say, the ninth-inning situation in San Francisco over the past season and a half hasn’t panned out the way the Giants had hoped. The Giants signed Mark Melancon to a then-record-setting four-year, $62MM contract to handle closing duties, but he’s managed to throw just 35 2/3 innings in the Majors dating back to Opening Day 2017, as he’s been hampered by pronator and flexor strains in his right arm. Melancon joined the club for his 2018 debut earlier this month, but it seems that in spite of his considerable experience in the ninth inning, he won’t be immediately considered for closing opportunities.

To Strickland’s credit, the 29-year-old stepped up early this season to fill in for Melancon and enjoyed immediate success. Despite last night’s three-run hiccup, he’s sitting on a strong 2.84 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9. Strickland’s 28 games finished are the most in the National League, and 13 of those games finished have resulted in a save.

A full year of ninth-inning work would’ve poised Strickland for a healthy raise on this year’s $1.55MM salary in arbitration this offseason, but his earning power will undoubtedly be hindered by the missed time — especially if he doesn’t regain the closer’s role when he eventually returns from the disabled list. The Giants control Strickland, a Super Two player, through the 2021 season. He’ll be arbitration-eligible three more times before reaching free agency.

Mets Notes: deGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler, Familia, Bruce

By | at

Having experienced a precipitous fall after an 11-1 start to the season, the Mets are reportedly willing to listen to offers on the majority of their roster. While the Mets are said to have a preference to retain their controllable players, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News argues that the team would be foolish not to listen to offers on aces Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. Ackert cites a source with another NL club in agreeing with yesterday’s report from Ken Rosenthal that the Mets are more willing to discuss trading Syndergaard than deGrom, despite the fact that Syndergaard comes with an extra year of club control. There’s a divide in the Mets’ front office about whether to even entertain offers, per Ackert, who adds that there’s nothing serious in the works at this time despite a number of teams checking in on both pitchers. The Yankees, she adds, have yet to make an inquiry.

More out of Queens…

  • Mike Puma of the New York Post writes that some in the industry believe the Mets are making deGrom and Syndergaard available without the intent of actually trading either and could instead then push alternatives like Zack Wheeler on the teams that inquire about deGrom and Syndergaard. Wheeler is only controllable through 2019, has a longer injury history and doesn’t have great overall results on the season, of course, but he’s been quite a bit better over the past month (3.68 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 34-to-11 K/BB ratio in 36 2/3 innings). In addition to Wheeler, Puma adds that both Asdrubal Cabrera and Jeurys Familia are likely to be marketed in trades in the coming weeks.
  • Following yesterday’s trade of Kelvin Herrera from the Royals to the Nationals, Tim Britton of The Athletic examines what type of impact the swap could have on the Mets’ efforts to deal Familia (subscription required). Familia and Herrera are both 28 years of age, both free agents at season’s end, and are both earning just north of $7.9MM. The two are also rather comparable from a statistical standpoint — at least on a career basis. As Britton notes, the early nature of Herrera’s trade will remove an alternative for bullpen-needy teams to pursue if and when the Mets shop Familia, which could help the Mets to create more demand and further drive up the bidding. Noting that the Royals’ return was somewhat lessened by the fact that the Nats took on all of Herrera’s remaining salary, Britton opines that the Mets should be willing to pay the remainder of Familia’s salary to enhance the deal, adding that the club should aim to procure one high-end talent rather than several lower-tier players (as they did when acquiring three bullpen prospects from the Red Sox in last July’s Addison Reed swap).
  • The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve placed Jay Bruce on the 10-day disabled list due to a sore right hip, recalling right-hander Tim Peterson from Triple-A Las Vegas in his place. Bruce’s trip to the DL is retroactive to Monday. That injury leaves the Mets without a true backup outfielder on the roster. Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Jose Bautista are the most experienced outfielders on the roster, but it seems Dominic Smith will be logging time in the outfield as well; he’s starting in left field tonight, the team announced. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweeted earlier that Wilmer Flores may also see some time in the outfield in the near future.

Indians Select Contract Of George Kontos

By | at

The Indians announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of right-handed reliever George Kontos from Triple-A Columbus and placed fellow righty Evan Marshall on the 10-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right elbow.

Kontos, 33, was released by the Pirates in late May and signed a minor league pact with Cleveland a few days later. He’s been in the organization for a bit more than two weeks and has tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings in Columbus, allowing seven hits and no walks with six strikeouts and a 61.9 percent ground-ball rate.

That’s encouraging progress for the veteran Kontos, who posted respectable numbers in the Giants’ bullpen from 2012-17 and was terrific for the Pirates late in 2017 before faltering in 2018. Kontos was unable to recover from a dismal start to the year with the Buccos, as he struggled to a 5.03 ERA in 19 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment and released.

More troubling than his ERA was the fact that Kontos, who entered the season with a career 7.4 K/9 mark, managed just nine strikeouts in those 19 2/3 frames (4.1 K/9). His swinging-strike rate was nearly cut in half (from 16.4 percent to 8.5 percent), and his average fastball velocity dipped from 91 mph last season to 89.6 mph in 2018. Unsurprisingly, Kontos’ lack of whiffs translated into more hits, as he averaged a career-worst 10.5 H/9 and 1.8 HR/9 with the Pirates through the season’s first two months.

The Indians will hope that the heartening results Kontos displayed in Columbus can carry over to the Majors and help to stop the bleeding for a porous relief corps. Indians relievers rank 28th in MLB with a 5.42 ERA, and their 4.71 FIP checks in at 29th. No team’s collective bullpen has averaged more than Cleveland’s 1.63 HR/9.

Certainly, the team has missed Andrew Miller, who has been limited to just 14 1/3 innings this season while dealing with injuries. However, virtually every reliever on the Cleveland staff has taken a step back. Zach McAllister (5.40), Dan Otero (6.12), Nick Goody (6.94) and Tyler Olson (7.27) all have ghastly ERAs thus far after functioning as core pieces of a strong bullpen in 2017.

Cardinals Activate Greg Holland, Place Matt Bowman On DL

By | at

The Cardinals announced today that they’ve activated veteran reliever Greg Holland from the disabled list. To open a roster spot, the club moved righty Matt Bowman to the 10-day DL with blisters on his middle finger.

Now that he’s back from an extended stretch on the shelf due to a hip impingement, Holland will look to reestablish himself after a brutal start to the season. He’s playing on a hefty $14MM contract before returning to the open market at the end of the year, so both player and team have ample incentive to get him back on track.

Unfortunately, Holland’s rehab results largely mirror those from his time in the majors earlier this year. Most worryingly, he’s continuing to dole out far too many free passes. In 20 1/3 total innings this year at all levels, Holland has walked twenty batters. The rest of the numbers are similarly iffy, as the former closer has been tagged for 19 earned runs on 27 hits while recording only 16 strikeouts.

Given his long history of success, perhaps there’s still reason to hope Holland can find something upon his return. While his days as one of the best relief arms in baseball are long since past, he was able to lead the National League with 41 saves last year while carrying a 72 ERA- and recording 11.0 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9.

At this point, the Cards are likely hoping that Holland can throw well enough to justify an ongoing roster spot. Surely the club would be overjoyed if he can show himself worthy of some late-inning work. Holland’s form over the next five weeks will have a significant impact on the team’s deadline plans, as the bullpen looks like a potential area for mid-season upgrades.

Brewers Designate Boone Logan

By | at

The Brewers have designated lefty Boone Logan for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot will go to right-hander Freddy Peralta, who was recalled to take a start this evening.

Logan, who’s closing in on his 34th birthday, simply never got things going after joining the Brewers on a one-year deal over the winter. His $2.5MM guarantee included a buyout for a club option in 2019, which obviously now will not be exercised. The contract also included a hefty $3.2MM incentives package that started to accrue after 25 appearances.

Logan will continue to receive the promised money, but won’t see any of that potential extra cash. He opened the year on the DL and has struggled since being activated. In 10 2/3 innings, he has allowed seven earned runs on 15 hits and 10 walks (three of them intentional).

To be fair, Logan has also run up 14 strikeouts and shown well in terms of average velocity (94.3 mph on his fastball) and swinging-strike rate (14.0%). That said, the walks seemed to be a product of real command troubles. Logan has worked in the zone at a 45.0% career rate, but has done so on just 33.9% of his pitches thus far in 2018.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top