Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

L.A. Notes: Shoemaker, Weaver, Tolliver, Dodgers’ Pen

By | at

All signs are that Angels righty Matt Shoemaker is progressing well after being struck in the head by a line drive and requiring surgery to control internal bleeding. The overriding concern, needless to say, is with his long-term health. Fortunately for the hurler, he seems to be improving enough that it is reasonable to consider what kind of path he might take to return to the mound. As Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times writes, Shoemaker has been able to communicate with his family, friends, and teammates throughout the ordeal. Speaking generally on the subject, a neurosurgeon explains that this is a positive sign. Depending upon the specifics and his continued improvement, the 29-year-old will hopefully be able to return to “living normally” in three to six weeks and could plausibly be ready to begin Spring Training on time. MLBTR extends its best wishes to Shoemaker and his family.

Here’s more out of Los Angeles:

  • Though we have heard suggestions to the contrary, Moura says that he’s getting the sense that Angels righty Jered Weaver will look to pitch at least one more year. Indications from Weaver and those who know him do not suggest that he is preparing for retirement, says Moura, though his plans could be dependent upon whether he is able to secure a starting job. Weaver has only ever played for the Halos, and GM Billy Eppler has praised his efforts this year, but it remains unclear what kind of interest the team will have in the veteran hurler.
  • The Angels’ recent claim of Ashur Tolliver may represent a nice pick-up for the club, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com explains. Multiple other teams put in claims on the southpaw, and scouts tell Kubatko they were surprised the Orioles were willing to put him on the wire. As Kubatko notes, the 28-year-old is something of a late-bloomer who has shown a live arm.
  • While the Dodgers’ bullpen-building efforts haven’t always been well-received, the current relief corps appears to be a top-quality unit, ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla writes. Apart from star closer Kenley Jansen, most of the pen pieces aren’t exactly household names and haven’t been used in formalized roles. Manager Dave Roberts continues to mix and match, and now has 13 arms to call upon down the stretch. The skipper’s comments on Joe Blanton, who has been excellent, are indicative of the interesting approach that Los Angeles has relied upon. “Joe’s been great for us, he really has against right-handers and left-handers,” Roberts said. “He’s done some long relief early, he’s pitched in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth. He’s a guy that has really solidified our bullpen, but it’s not a hard-fast rule that he’s going to be pitching in the eighth. I think that I used Joe in a lot of high-leverage situations and that might come in the seventh.”

Latest On Steven Wright’s Shoulder Injury

By | at

A second opinion on Steven Wright’s ailing right shoulder from renowned orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache showed no damage beyond the initial diagnosis of bursitis, Red Sox manager John Farrell tells Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. However,  the Red Sox still aren’t certain whether the breakout knuckleballer will pitch again this season. “He’s able to pick up a ball when the symptoms he might be feeling are subsided,” said Farrell. “So I can understand and respect the next question of will he return this year. I don’t have that answer yet.”

While some believe that the Sox rushed Wright back from a DL stint — he returned after three weeks and surrendered nine runs in 10 innings over two starts — president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski strongly rejects that notion. “We don’t rush guys back,” said Dombrowski. “We don’t really do that. The doctors felt he was comfortable to (return), he said he was comfortable to do that. No. I’ve never rushed a guy back.”

Wright recently told reporters, including MassLive.com’s Jen McCaffery, that he’s been pitching at about “50 percent” strength since returning from the DL, and while Dombrowski declined to go into specifics on his conversations with Wright, he did say today that Wright did not express that level of severity to the team. “Well, I’m really not going to get into every step of our conversations with the player and all that,” said Dombrowski (via Drellich). “We would never put a player out there that we thought was only 50 percent. … I can’t say it’s a mistake for guys, but I think most pitchers try to pitch through things at times. It just depends what it is.”

The circumstances of Wright’s injury, of course, are somewhat notable as well. Wright didn’t incur the damage to his shoulder while on the mound — on the contrary, he threw a shutout in his last start prior to the injury — but rather on the basepaths after being used as a pinch-runner in the sixth inning of an Aug. 7 game against the Dodgers. Wright dove back into second base when right-hander Joe Blanton spun to throw to the bag and suffered the injury upon hitting the dirt.

The Red Sox, currently in possession of an American League Wild Card spot but also just a half-game out of the division lead, would love to have a healthy Wright back in the mix not only for the remainder of the regular season but also for the postseason roster. The Sox can still turn to David Price, Rick Porcello and Drew Pomeranz in the event that they reach the divisional series, but Wright, who has a 3.33 ERA in 156 2/3 innings even after the aforementioned drubbing he took in his two most recent outings, certainly would’ve been in the mix as well. In the meantime, the Red Sox turned to Clay Buchholz to start in Wright’s place tonight, and Buchholz has answered the challenge with aplomb so far. He’s through six innings and has yielded just a run on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

Nationals To Activate Stephen Strasburg

By | at

Stephen Strasburg will be activated from the disabled list to make tomorrow’s start against the Braves, Nationals manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (Twitter link).

There was a bit of panic (understandably so) among Nationals fans when the team announced on Aug. 22 that he would be placed on the disabled list due to elbow soreness. However, reports shortly after the announcement indicated that the injury was minor in nature and that Strasburg’s DL stint was expected to be minimal. That’s proven to be the case, as Strasburg will end up having missed a total of 16 days on the disabled list.

The Nationals are in firm control of the NL East, so Strasburg’s return figures to have little impact on the team’s already-overwhelming chances of making it to the postseason. However, getting Strasburg back on track following what was a dreadful run of starts leading up to his injury will be crucial for the Nationals’ chances in a postseason series. Prior to his placement on the disabled list, Strasburg had been shelled for 19 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings of work across three starts — a slump that caused his ERA to balloon from 2.63 all the way to 3.59. And, of course, from a bigger-picture standpoint, the lack of a serious injury to Strasburg is also a worth a sigh of relief for Nats fans, as the 28-year-old has not yet even entered into the first season of the seven-year, $175MM contract extension he signed with Washington earlier this season.

Alvarez, Gray, Triggs Unlikely To Pitch Again In 2016

By | at

The Athletics had been holding out hope for Henderson Alvarez pitching for the team in September, but manager Bob Melvin said on Tuesday that Alvarez will not pitch for the A’s in 2016 due to further setbacks in his return from 2015 shoulder surgery, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Alvarez’s rehab stint with Class-A Stockton was cut short recently, and he’ll head to Dr. James Andrews to have his shoulder evaluated, with the possibility of second shoulder operation looming, per Slusser. She adds that a second surgery could prevent Alvarez from pitching in 2017 as well.

Alvarez, 26, was non-tendered by the Marlins last offseason. While some questioned the wisdom of cutting a young starter that was only projected to earn about $4MM via arbitration and had two years of control remaining, the decision looks prudent with the benefit of hindsight. Alvarez missed much of the 2015 campaign with shoulder problems, and while he was excellent during his last healthy season — 2.65 ERA, 5.3 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 53.8 percent ground-ball rate in 187 innings in 2014 — he’s now two years removed from that strong performance.

Even if Alvarez is able to avoid a second shoulder surgery, he remains a non-tender candidate after being largely unable to take the field for the past two seasons. He’s earning $4.25MM after signing a one-year deal with Oakland this winter, and the least the A’s could offer him would be 80 percent of that amount, or $3.4MM.

Beyond the unfortunate news regarding Alvarez, Slusser writes that neither Sonny Gray nor Andrew Triggs is likely to return to the Athletics’ rotation this year. Gray has been sidelined by a right forearm strain for the past month and has yet to progress to flat-ground work, according to Slusser. He’s struggled for much of the season, spending time on the DL with a strained trapezius muscle in addition to his current forearm injury. A Cy Young contender in 2015, Gray has tossed just 116 innings with a 5.74 ERA this year due largely to a massive spike in his home run rate.

Triggs, on the other hand, exited his most recent start with back pain. While hardly a household name, the March waiver claim has posted a quietly solid year in Oakland, tossing 56 1/3 innings of 4.31 ERA ball with 8.8 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 50.9 percent ground-ball rate. ERA estimators like FIP, xFIP and SIERA all peg Triggs for an ERA in the 3.30 range moving forward, and his quality work this season could very well have forced his way into the Oakland rotation plans in 2017.

Coppolella: Braves “Exploring The Possibility” Of Signing Tim Tebow

By and | at

SEPT. 6: Braves general manager John Coppolella confirmed to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman that his team is indeed interested in Tebow.“There’s no risk,” said the GM. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll be honest with Tim early, and we can move on. If it does work, it’s great for the Braves and it’s great for baseball.”

Coppolella said that his interest is based on feedback from two of the team’s top scouts, Brian Bridges and Roy Clark, who attended Tebow’s workout. “They want to see Tim more in the spirit of ’Leave no stone unturned,’ and they liked what they saw,”  said Coppolella. “They thought he has the upside potential to help us. That is why we’re exploring the possibility of bringing him into the Braves organization.”

SEPT. 3: The Braves have “definite interest” in quarterback-turned-outfielder Tim Tebow and are considering signing him to a minor league deal, ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reports. The Braves spoke to Tebow on a one-on-one basis after his workout Tuesday, along with four other teams.

[Related: Pro Football Rumors]

The former Denver Bronco, New York Jet and Florida Gator stole headlines last month with the news that he was trying his hand at baseball and had quietly been working out with former MLB catcher Chad Moeller. Representatives from every big league team except the Cubs and Athletics saw Tebow’s workout in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The 29-year-old’s baseball skills received mixed reviews — he won praise for his raw power, but one scout told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that Tebow looked like “an actor trying to portray a baseball player.”

Whether or not the Braves sign Tebow, he would appear to be a project. He has, obviously, dedicated most of the past decade to playing football, and however impressive his power might be, there would likely be a significant learning period before he could hit for power against high-level pitching.

Cubs Designate R.J. Alvarez For Assignment

By | at

The Cubs announced a series of roster moves on Tuesday afternoon, including the activation of Hector Rondon from the disabled list and the recalls of veteran infielder Munenori Kawasaki, right-hander Spencer Patton and prospect Albert Almora from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs also selected the contract of catcher Tim Federowicz from Iowa and designated right-hander R.J. Alvarez for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

[Related: Updated Chicago Cubs Depth Chart]

Rondon returns to the Cubs’ bullpen after spending about three weeks on the disabled list and brings an impact arm back to the team’s setup corps, helping to soften the blow of Pedro Strop’s extended absence. In 43 2/3 innings this season, Rondon has pitched to a 2.47 ERA with a stellar 51-to-6 K/BB ratio. He lost the closer’s gig when the Cubs acquired Aroldis Chapman and will return to the setup role in which he was largely excellent. Rondon served up four runs in 6 2/3 innings following Chapman’s acquisition, but all four of those runs came in one dismal outing. Aside from that hiccup, he made six scoreless appearances.

Almora has long been one of the Cubs’ top prospects and got his feet wet in the Majors earlier this season when he batted .265/.291/.422 across 86 plate appearances. Patton, meanwhile, has tallied 17 1/3 innings of 4.67 ERA ball out of the Chicago ’pen this season and has an excellent track record at Triple-A (2.51 ERA in 125 1/3 innings). And Kawasaki, of course, is something of a cult hero due to his gregarious personality and over-the-top exuberance in interviews. He spent a bit of the time with the Cubs earlier this season and has quite a bit of MLB experience with the Mariners and Blue Jays. He’s a .234/.315/.285 hitter in 715 big league plate appearances dating back to 2012.

Federowicz will return to the Cubs after being outrighted earlier this summer. He’s a career .194/.245/.297 hitter in 298 plate appearances between the Cubs and Dodgers and will add some catching depth, though the Cubs already have Willson Contreras, David Ross and Miguel Montero on the active roster.

Alvarez, 25, came to the Cubs via waivers earlier this year. He’s been involved in a pair of high-profile trades, going from the Angels to the Padres in package for Huston Street and also going from the Padres to the A’s alongside Jesse Hahn in exchange for Derek Norris. However, he hasn’t capitalized on the upside that made him a well-regarded arm in the Angels’ and Padres’ systems, compiling a 7.39 ERA in 28 big league innings from 2014-15 and struggling to a 7.00 ERA in 27 innings across three minor league stops in 2016.

Marlins Activate Giancarlo Stanton

By | at

In a surprising turn of events, the Marlins announced that Giancarlo Stanton has been reinstated from the disabled list and activated for tonight’s game against the Phillies. Stanton suffered a Grade 3 groin strain back in mid-August, and it was initially believed that a six-week recovery time was a best case scenario. That would’ve allowed Stanton to return to the Majors, at best, for the final week of the season. However, he’s now set to return to the roster in about half that time.

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets that for the time being, Stanton will be limited to pinch-hitting duties, though certainly his activation creates some optimism that he could eventually be tabbed for more regular time before season’s end (though Spencer adds that there’s no definitive timeline on Stanton’s return to the lineup).

The 26-year-old Stanton is in the midst of his worst season at the plate, but even a down year for the game’s premier slugger is markedly above-average relative to the rest of the league (121 OPS+, 117 wRC+). At the time he landed on the disabled list, Stanton had a .244/.329/.496 batting line with 25 homers, but he’d been on a blistering hot streak dating back to mid-June. In 48 games leading up to his injury, Stanton had posted an outstanding .299/.361/.582 batting line with 13 homers, raising his OPS 108 points in the process.

Of course, it remains to be seen how Stanton’s groin injury will impact his ability to hit, even in a limited role. His mere presence on the bench, however, will factor into the decision-making process of rival managers, as will the presence of returning first baseman Justin Bour, who was also activated from the DL today. In Stanton and Bour, the Fish will get their two top power threats back into the mix as they look to stay alive in the National League Wild Card race. Miami has dropped a dreadful nine of its past 10 games, falling to five games back of the second Wild Card spot in the Senior Circuit.

Rockies Designate Ben Paulsen, Rafael Ynoa For Assignment

By | at

The Rockies announced on Tuesday that they’ve designated first baseman Ben Paulsen and infielder Rafael Ynoa for assignment. Their 40-man roster spots will go to infielder Pat Valaika and first baseman/outfielder Jordan Patterson, whose contracts have been selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. The Rox recalled catcher Dustin Garneau and righties Eddie Butler and German Marquez from the minors as well.

Paulsen, 28, entered the 2016 season with an opportunity to emerge as a platoon partner for Mark Reynolds, having slashed .284/.329/.479 with 15 homers in 420 plate appearances between the 2014-15 seasons in Colorado. Paulsen OPSed better than .800 with the Rockies in those two seasons, but he struggled to a .202/.247/.286 in 89 plate appearances at right-handed pitching this year. His work at the Triple-A level was solid but didn’t stand out as much as it did in previous seasons, as he slashed .278/.331/.434 in 78 games at Albuquerque.

Ynoa, meanwhile, tallied just five plate appearances with the Rockies in 2016 and went hitless. He’s appeared in the Majors with the Rockies in each of the past three years, batting .281/.306/.372 over the life of 207 PAs — numbers that are roughly in line with his lifetime .280/.339/.386 slash at the Triple-A level. Neither Ynoa nor Paulsen has received much prospect fanfare over the seasons, though Paulsen did crack Baseball America’s list of Top 30 Rockies prospects prior to the 2011 and 2012 campaigns.

Patterson, meanwhile, rated as Colorado’s No. 20 prospect this winter, per BA, and is currently 18th on MLB.com’s list of top Rockies prospects. The 24-year-old hit .293/.376/.480 with 14 homers in 119 games with Albuquerque this year, and he draws praise from both BA and MLB.com for his plus raw power and strong arm. While both reports feel that he can handle an outfield corner due to his athleticism, arm and average speed, the Rockies already have four left-handed-hitting outfielders on the roster in Gerardo Parra, Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and David Dahl. As such, Patterson could get a look at first base down the stretch as the Rox attempt to evaluate internal options in advance of the 2017 season.

The 23-year-old Valaika — the younger brother of former big league infielder Chris Valaika — has split the season between Double-A and Triple-A, batting a combined .257/.297/.425 with 14 homers, 41 doubles, four triples and 10 stolen bases. He’s seen time at shortstop, second base and third base in each of the past three minor league campaigns but has spent the bulk of his time at shortstop.

Royals Designate Reymond Fuentes, Nick Tepesch

By | at

The Royals have designated outfielder Reymond Fuentes and righty Nick Tepesch for assignment, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. Their 40-man spots will go to outfielder Daniel Nava and hurler Kevin McCarthy, whose contracts were selected. Infielder Christian Colon was also recalled to the majors.

Fuentes, 25, has seen action in 13 major league games this year, reaching base at a useful .364 clip but delivering only one extra-base hit. Over his 272 plate appearances this year at Triple-A, he’s slashing just .254/.325/.317, though he has swiped 17 bags in that span.

As for Tepesch, this represents yet another trip through DFA limbo this year. He has also been with the Rangers, Dodgers, and Athletics this season, working almost exclusively at the highest level of the minors. All said, Tepesch has compiled a 3.96 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 116 innings at Triple-A this year after missing all of 2015 due to injury (he ultimately underwent thoracic outlet surgery).

K.C. recently acquired Nava from the Angels. He is expected to function mostly as a bench bat to face right-handed pitching. Though he’s a switch-hitter, Nava has historically fared rather poorly against southpaws.

Meanwhile, McCarthy will get his first taste of the majors. The 24-year-old, a 16th-round pick in the 2013 draft, posted a 3.04 ERA in his 68 innings of upper-minors pitching this year, with 7.8 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9.

Marlins Designate Kendry Flores, Activate Justin Bour

By | at

The Marlins have designated righty Kendry Flores for assignment, the club announced. His 40-man slot was needed for the activation of first baseman Justin Bour from the 60-day DL. Miami has also promoted lefties Hunter Cervenka and Justin Nicolino as well as utilityman Yefri Perez.

The 24-year-old Flores was injured during his lone MLB outing of the year, and has spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A. He hasn’t quite followed up on a strong 2015 campaign, spinning 102 innings of 4.15 ERA pitching while compiled 7.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.

Among the call-ups, the return of Bour is certainly the most anticipated. He has been a pleasant surprise at the plate this year, to say the least. Over 242 plate appearances, Bour owns a .268/.347/.526 slash with 15 home runs. The 28-year-old has struggled in strictly-managed action against opposing southpaws, so he’s a limited player, but Miami will certainly hope he provides a jolt as the team looks to scratch its way back into contention.

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