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NL West Notes: Span, Maeda, Spangenberg

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Here’s the latest from around the NL West…

  • Denard Span told CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic and other reporters that he hopes to miss only a few days after hurting his shoulder crashing into the outfield wall last night.  Span said he suffered a similar injury in 2012 that kept him on the DL for several weeks, though his current issue doesn’t quite seem as serious, with Span noting that “the good thing is I’ve got range of motion.”  Between Span’s injury, Hunter Pence day-to-day with a knee strain and the team’s ongoing need in left field, the Giants are in need of some roster creativity to address the outfield.  Manager Bruce Bochy raised the possibility that Brandon Belt could play left (as he is today) in order to get Buster Posey at first and Nick Hundley behind the plate, as Hundley is hitting well.  Drew Stubbs could also be promoted from the minors as further outfield depth.
  • Kenta Maeda now has an 8.05 ERA through his first 19 innings after another rough start last night, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts still expressed faith in his starter.  “We’re definitely going to hang with him.  But we’re going to talk through some things, and see what’s best for Kenta,” Roberts told Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters, adding that the Dodgers could potentially skip Maeda’s next start.  Maeda has been hampered by a whopping 22.6% homer rate, a lack of grounders and an increase in hard contact (though only from soft to medium contact, by Fangraphs’ calculations).  As McCullough, Maeda’s problems actually date back to last season, as Maeda was less effective down the stretch than in the first half of his MLB rookie year.
  • With Cory Spangenberg on fire at Triple-A, the Padres may be in a bit of a roster crunch, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes.  Spangenberg could be called up to take some playing time away from the struggling Ryan Schimpf at third base, though that still wouldn’t give Spangenberg the everyday at-bats the Padres want him to get, plus it also seems early to relegate Schimpf to a part-time role.  There’s also a 25-man issue in finding a place for Spangenberg, as the Padres have three Rule 5 Draft picks and three out-of-options players on their big league roster.

Quick Hits: Pedroia, JDM, Greene, Draft, Analytics

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Dustin Pedroia will undergo an MRI on his left ankle and knee on Monday, Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Jen McCaffrey and The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham).  After suffering the injury on a hard slide from Manny Machado on Friday, Pedroia sat out Saturday’s game and is also not in Sunday’s lineup, as Farrell said the swelling around Pedroia’s lower leg area hasn’t yet subsided.  While the MRI is being performed “just to rule anything out,” according to Farrell, it’s worth noting that Pedroia underwent surgery on that same knee to remove part of his meniscus last October.

Here’s more from around the baseball world…

  • J.D. Martinez could return from the DL in late April or early May, Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck).  This is the latest in a series of positive reports on Martinez, who suffered a lisfranc sprain in his left foot during Spring Training.  The original timeline had Martinez not even beginning baseball activities until mid-April, though the slugging outfielder has been ahead of schedule, including feeling better than expected during light running drills on Friday.  The Tigers will reportedly be cautious with Martinez, which isn’t any surprise given the tricky nature of lisfranc injuries and Martinez’s importance to Detroit’s lineup.
  • “The rumors of [Hunter Greene] and his family attempting to maneuver his way to the No. 3 pick with the Padres are a poorly kept secret,” Baseball America’s John Manuel writes as part of a mock draft.  Greene, a high school pitcher/shortstop, reportedly wants to be a Padre for geographical (Greene is from Los Angeles) and baseball-related reasons, as the Padres’ throwing program more closely matches Greene’s own throwing program.  Interestingly, Greene is believed to be shutting down as a pitcher, perhaps in part to lower his draft stock so that Minnesota and Cincinnati pass on him with the first two picks and Greene winds up in San Diego.  Then again, the Reds “aren’t afraid to call Greene’s bluff,” Manuel writes.
  • Manuel’s piece is well worth a full read, as he details potential needs, leanings, and first-round draft picks for all 30 teams.  Sticking with the top of the draft, the Reds “covet” Brendan McKay, the Louisville two-way star who Manuel projects will be taken first overall by the Twins as a pitcher.  Then again, Minnesota is also reportedly exploring deals with several players for the first pick, including high school position player Royce Lewis and Virginia first baseman Pavin Smith.
  • Teams showed an increased willingness to pay for pitch-framing ability and defense this winter (such as the Twins and Jason Castro) on the catching market, though as Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com notes, there are so many facets to the position that “catching cannot be quantified” no matter how hard teams try.  The same could technically be said of any position, though a catcher’s true value is particularly difficult to pin down since the human element of the pitcher/catcher relationship is so important.

Angels Designate Kirby Yates For Assignment

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The Angels have designated right-hander Kirby Yates for assignment, the club announced.  Righty Brooks Pounders has been called up from Triple-A in a related roster move.

This is the second time this month that Yates has been DFA’ed by the Halos, as the righty already cleared waivers once and was outrighted to Triple-A, only to be recalled yesterday.  Yates didn’t fare well in his only appearance for the Angels (allowing two homers in a inning of work), though the team still held on for a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Yates, who turned 30 last month, was originally claimed off the Yankees’ roster last October.  The right-hander has a 5.38 ERA over 98 2/3 career innings in the bigs with the Angels, Yankees and Rays.

Athletics Acquire Ryan LaMarre

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The Athletics have acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, as per announcements from both teams.  In a related move, the A’s moved right-hander Chris Bassitt to the 60-day DL to create roster space.  Los Angeles designated LaMarre for assignment earlier this week when catcher Juan Graterol was acquired in a trade with Toronto.  LaMarre, 28, signed a Major League deal with the Halos this winter but began the season at Triple-A.

Originally a second-round pick for the Reds in the 2010 draft, LaMarre has a .267/.345/.381 slash line over 2695 career plate appearances in the minors, plus 27 games in the big leagues with the Reds and Red Sox from 2015-16.  He has primarily played as a center fielder during his career, so LaMarre provides the A’s with some versatile outfield depth at the minor league level.

The 60-day DL placement means that Bassitt can’t return to Oakland’s roster under June, even though an early return didn’t seem possible anyway given that Bassitt underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2016.  The righty was reported to be making good progress in his recovery as of two weeks ago, though Bassitt is obviously still in need of a lengthy rehab stint in the minors.

Injury Notes: Bumgarner, Span, Hunter, Odorizzi, Locke

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There hasn’t been any talk within the Giants organization about filing a grievance against Madison Bumgarner in the wake of the ace southpaw’s dirt bike accident earlier this week, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required).  It isn’t known whether Bumgarner had some sort of contractual clause (as many players do) prohibiting him from engaging in potentially dangerous activities like dirt biking, though if he did, the Giants would technically be within their rights to pursue recouping some of the salary owed to Bumgarner while he is on the disabled list.  Then again, as Olney notes, such a tactic “would be incredibly shortsighted and stupid” for the Giants given Bumgarner’s importance to the franchise, not to mention the fact that Bumgarner is already an enormous bargain thanks to an early-career extension.

Here’s the latest on some injury situations from around baseball…

  • Denard Span left last night’s game in the second inning after colliding with the wall while making a catch.  The Giants outfielder suffered a mild right shoulder sprain and though Span told MLB.com’s Chris Haft and other reporters that x-rays were negative, manager Bruce Bochy said Span may be out of action for a few days.  With Hunter Pence also hampered by a knee strain, the Giants may need to make some type of roster move to fill the gaps in their outfield.
  • The Rays placed right-hander Tommy Hunter on the 10-day DL with a right calf strain, recalling Chih-Wei Hu from Triple-A to fill the spot in the bullpen.  Hunter, who signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay in February, has performed very well in his 8 1/3 innings with the club, posting a 1.08 ERA in 10 relief appearances.  Hu, 23, will be looking to make his official MLB debut after five seasons in the minors with the Rays and Twins.  Baseball America ranked Hu as the fifth-best prospect in the Rays’ system prior to this season.
  • In better news for the injury-plagued Rays, Jake Odorizzi told reporters (including Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times) that he feels ready to return from the 10-day DL after a 36-pitch bullpen session and some running drills.  Odorizzi was placed on the DL last weekend due to a left hamstring strain, though the injury wasn’t considered to be too serious.  The Rays righty is eligible to be activated on Wednesday.
  • The Marlins will probably use Jeff Locke out of the bullpen when the southpaw returns from injury, manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald).  Locke gives the Fish another lefty out of the pen, and “We still want — we’ve always talked about having a number of guys who can do multiple innings,” Mattingly said.  Locke has been sidelined with biceps tendinitis since early in Spring Training and is getting close to beginning a rehab assignment, Mattingly said, though no more specific timeline was provided beyond the skipper saying that Locke is expected back sometime in May.  Locke has primarily been a starter during his six-year MLB career, though the Pirates shifted him to the pen last year in the midst of a rough 2016 season for the left-hander.  Pittsburgh non-tendered Locke in December, and he signed a one-year, $3.025MM deal with Miami.

MLBTR Originals

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Here is the week’s original content from MLB Trade Rumors…

  • Tim Dierkes published the second installment of the MLBTR 2017-18 Free Agent Power Rankings, rating next winter’s top free agents by their earning potential.  The power rankings have already seen some movement from the first entry in March, thanks to some strong (and slow) starts from players in their contract years.
  • Music, kerfuffles, and eye-popping internet usage bills are some of the topics discussed by right-hander Tim Dillard in his latest Inner Monologue.
  • Though a contract extension between Carlos Correa and the Astros may look like something of an unlikely possibility in the near future, Charlie Wilmoth looks at what a potential Correa extension could look like if the two sides did explore a multi-year arrangement.
  • MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series continued with Steve Adams breaking down the Indians’ winter moves.
  • Almost 54% of MLBTR readers felt that Matt Bush should be the Rangers’ new closer, as Steve Adams broke down the options (Bush, Jeremy Jeffress, Tony Barnette and the ever-popular “other”) in a reader poll.  It looks like the Rangers agreed, naming Bush as their first option for the ninth inning, though the club will also use other pitchers in the closer role in order to keep from over-taxing Bush’s shoulder.

Quick Hits: Cutch, Nats, Pirates, Crisp, Dodgers, Soler, Rangers

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Financial reasons played a key role in the Nationals’ offseason decision to trade for then-White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton instead of the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). With his $4MM salary this year, Eaton is much cheaper than McCutchen ($14MM), and acquiring the latter would have forced the Nationals to jettison left-hander Gio Gonzalez and his $12MM price tag in a separate deal, says Rosenthal. In addition to having concerns over how their payroll would have looked with McCutchen, the Nationals had no interest in meeting Pittsburgh’s lofty demands for the five-time All-Star. Washington bought high on Eaton, whose excellent 2016 helped convinced the club to give up high-end pitching prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning for him. McCutchen, on the other hand, had a career-worst season last year, yet the Pirates wanted an even more impressive package for him than the Nationals sent the White Sox, according to Rosenthal. Pittsburgh held out for both pitching prospects and major leaguers, leading the Nats to go in another direction.

More from around the sport:

  • Outfielder Coco Crisp said during the winter that he wasn’t ready to retire, and even though he still hasn’t landed a contract, the 37-year-old wants to continue playing, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Crisp hasn’t been able to find work on the heels of a season in which he hit an underwhelming .231/.302/.397 with 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a combined 498 plate appearances with the Athletics and Indians. He was worse in the field, accounting for minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-11.1 Ultimate Zone Rating.
  • Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias “might” make his first big league start of 2017 in the coming week, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Urias would step in for Alex Wood, who Gurnick notes would return to the bullpen after making a start in place of the injured Rich Hill on Friday. The 20-year-old Urias tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings and 93 pitches Friday with Triple-A Oklahoma. As for Hill, who has dealt with chronic blister issues since last year, he has “tinkered” with a new grip during his latest DL stint, per Roberts. Hill has also tried to cure his problems with pickle juice and rice, among other methods mentioned by Gurnick. It seems the 37-year-old has made progress in his recovery. “It’s toughened up for sure,” Hill said of the blister.
  • Jorge Soler is getting closer to making his Royals debut. The outfielder, on the shelf since March with an oblique injury, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday, relays Dave Sessions of MLB.com. The Royals are unsure when they’ll call up Soler, whom they acquired from the Cubs for closer Wade Davis over the winter. When Soler is healthy enough to return, his bat “could be a big boost,” manager Ned Yost said. Kansas City’s offense entered Saturday dead last in the majors in both runs and wRC+, so its lineup certainly needs a jolt.
  • Rangers minor league left-hander Joe Palumbo will undergo Tommy John surgery during the upcoming week, tweets TR Sullivan of MLB.com. Palumbo, one of the Rangers’ 10 best prospects, will now lose a year of development as a result of a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The 22-year-old was extremely impressive this season at the High-A level, where he recorded a 0.66 ERA, 14.49 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 in 13 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays Place Troy Tulowitzki On 10-Day DL

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April continues to be a nightmare for the 4-12 Blue Jays, who have lost another regular to the disabled list. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will miss at least 10 days on account of a strained right hamstring, per the Associated Press. Tulowitzki joins third baseman Josh Donaldson, right-hander Aaron Sanchez and left-hander J.A. Happ on the shelf.

Injuries have long been an issue for Tulowitzki, who missed between 31 and 115 games in each of the previous six seasons. Tulowitzki used to make up for lost time with elite-level production as a Rockie, but his offensive performance has dropped off since he joined the Blue Jays via trade in 2015. The 32-year-old has batted a roughly league-average .251/.316/.424 in 788 plate appearances with the Jays, including a .263/.295/.386 line in 61 PAs this season, after slashing a Coors Field-inflated .299/.371/.513 in 4,415 trips to the plate with the Rockies. Tulowitzki has continued to serve as an above-average fielder, though, having tallied 16 Defensive Runs Saved and an 8.8 Ultimate Zone Rating since 2015.

The Tulowitzki-less Jays will go forth with Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney as their most experienced shortstop options. For now, they’ll use Tulowitzki’s roster spot on reliever Leonel Campos, whom they recalled from Triple-A on Saturday. They announced a couple other changes to their pitching staff, too, sending Danny Barnes to Buffalo and calling up Casey Lawrence.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/22/17

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Saturday’s minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Giants have outrighted catcher Tim Federowicz to Triple-A, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The club designated Federowicz for assignment Tuesday, and he subsequently cleared waivers. San Francisco no longer had a need for Federowicz after Buster Posey returned from the seven-day concussion DL. Federowicz appeared in two games during Posey’s weeklong absence.
  • The Tigers have placed center fielder JaCoby Jones on the 10-day disabled list and selected the contract of first baseman/outfielder Jim Adduci from Triple-A Toledo. Jones took a 90 mph fastball to the mouth from Twins reliever Justin Haley on Saturday, after which he received nine stitches and underwent a CT scan, per Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. The scan ruled out a major injury for Jones, who will nonetheless miss at least a week and a half. The 24-year-old has batted a subpar .150/.244/.300 with 18 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances this season. Jones’ absence should leave center to Andrew Romine, who has fared somewhat better despite not having drawn any walks in 40 PAs (.231/.250/.410). The 31-year-old Adduci’s only big league action came as a Ranger from 2013-14, when he combined to hit .189/.259/.242 in 148 trips to the plate. Adduci owns a respectable .283/.352/.401 line in 1,203 Triple-A PAs.

Angels Place Cam Bedrosian On DL, Select Kirby Yates

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The Angels have placed closer Cam Bedrosian on the 10-day disabled list with a right groin strain, according to an announcement from the club. The Halos, as a result, have made a few other changes to their pitching staff, selecting the contract of Kirby Yates, recalling Daniel Wright and optioning Alex Meyer to Triple-A.

It’s early in the season, of course, but Bedrosian has been the Angels’ best reliever for the second straight campaign. The 25-year-old hasn’t yielded a run or a walk over 6 2/3 innings, also striking out nine hitters. With both Huston Street and Andrew Bailey on the DL, Bedrosian has emerged as the Angels’ top game-ending option, having converted three of four save opportunities thus far. Street, Bailey and Bedrosian are the Halos’ only relievers with any real experience as closers, so it’s unclear who will take on that role for the time being. It could go to Blake Parker, who has been eminently effective across 8 1/3 frames this season (12 strikeouts, two walks, three earned runs).

As for Yates, he’ll return to the majors just under three weeks after the Angels designated him for assignment April 2. They ended up outrighting Yates on April 5, and he has since pitched six solid innings at Triple-A. The former Ray and Yankee brings 97 2/3 innings of major league experience to the table, and he has posted a quality strikeout rate (10.78 per nine) and a playable walk rate (3.78), but the 30-year-old has nonetheless struggled to a 5.25 ERA.

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