NL Notes: Cashner, Pollock, Casilla, Olivera, Solis
Facial hair policy may not typically be at the top of the list of considerations for free agents, but Marlins righty Andrew Cashner says it’s a matter of concern to him, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. The recently-acquired starter says that he “still hate[s]” Miami’s policy forbidding beards and intends to weigh that when he reaches the open market after the season. “That is a big deal to me in free agency,” he said. The 29-year-old seems unlikely to be more than a rental for the Fish anyway — his 4.78 ERA with the team is a near match for the 4.76 mark he put up before he was dealt — but if he sticks to his guns, it would seem that he also will be unlikely to sign with the beardless Yankees this winter.
Here are some more notes from the National League:
- Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock left tonight’s action with what the team announced as a groin strain. The severity of the injury is not known at present, but it represents another turn of bad luck for a player who missed the vast majority of the year with a broken bone in his elbow. The 28-year-old hasn’t quite been himself at the plate since returning, though returning to health is the primary consideration and he has only had a chance to accumulate 45 plate appearances thus far in a star-crossed season.
- The Giants have elected to remove Santiago Casilla from the closer’s role, skipper Bruce Bochy told reporters including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco intends to play the matchups for the time being, but Bochy suggested both that Casilla could still see save opportunities and that rookie Derek Law may get some chances once he’s back from the DL. Law, 25, has posted a 1.94 ERA over his first 51 MLB frames, with 8.3 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9, and could set himself up as the team’s closer of the future. As for the 36-year-old Casilla, the move mostly represents an acknowledgment that he’s more a sturdy reliever than a lights-out presence at the back of the pen. He still carries a solid 3.52 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in his walk season.
- By releasing Hector Olivera, the Padres forewent any chance of avoiding salary obligations that his jail time would otherwise have freed them from paying, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter links). It’s important to note, though, that he is only slated to spend ten days in prison after his domestic violence conviction, and the team would only have been able to recoup salary if the time ended up being served during the season.
- Nationals lefty Sammy Solis has encountered a “roadblock” in his efforts to work through a shoulder injury, manager Dusty Baker told reporters including Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Washington still hopes that the 28-year-old will make it back by the end of the year, which could represent a nice boost as the club enters a highly likely postseason berth. Solis has had quite a nice season when healthy, posting a 2.35 ERA in 38 1/3 frames while compiling 10.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9.
Mets Injury Updates: Matz, deGrom, Lagares, Duda
Though GM Sandy Alderson declined to provide further details on the Mets’ long list of injured players, today was rather a promising day for the club’s general health. New York entered play today in Wild Card position, but still faces a tough fight to reach and advance in the postseason, so every source of help will be most welcome. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report on the progress:
- Southpaw Steven Matz is prepared for his first throws from a mound since he hit the DL with a shoulder problem. Matz will take the bump tomorrow in an effort to ramp back up, which represents progress since the last time we checked in on him. Already pitching through bone spurs in his elbow, the shoulder troubles seemingly represented a more significant concern, but all indications are that the joint is structurally sound.
- Righty Jacob deGrom, meanwhile, was able to throw on flat ground today for the first time since he was shut down with forearm soreness. He, too, is said to be battling inflammation but not a more significant underlying injury. It seems deGrom may be a bit behind Matz, but both could conceivably return to the Mets’ rotation within the next several weeks.
- Outfielder Juan Lagares is ready to swing a bat, which represents forward progress from his thumb surgery recovery. But the team is preparing to “push” Lagares forward before he’s ready to hit at the major league level, per skipper Terry Collins, with a view to utilizing him as a defensive replacement and pinch runner down the stretch.
- The Mets’ most surprising news, perhaps, is that first bagger Lucas Duda is preparing for a live BP session. He has missed much of the year with a stress fracture in his lower back and has seemed at various times to be unlikely to return in 2016. But that could be the prelude to a late-season return for the slugger, who could provide a big boost to the New York lineup if he’s able to return even for part-time duty. His recovery may also bear upon the team’s decision whether to tender him a contract this fall.
Fernando Rodriguez Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
Athletics reliever Fernando Rodriguez has undergone surgery on his right shoulder, the club announced (via MLB.com’s Jane Lee, on Twitter). Specifically, the 32-year-old’s latissmus dorsi tendon was repaired and a debridement was performed on his teres major tendon.
This type of procedure generally has a good rate of success, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle explains (Twitter links). It is the same work that was done previously to pitchers such as Jake Peavy, and doesn’t involve more significant rotator cuff issues.
Rodriguez had provided the A’s with 40 2/3 innings of 4.20 ERA pitching prior to the injury, compiling 8.2 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9. He was somewhat more effective a year ago, but still maintained a strong swinging strike rate of about 13% and ought to be a useful reliever if he can bounce back.
Rodriguez was playing on a $1.05MM salary in his second year of arbitration eligibility. He’ll command at least a modest raise on that amount in his final arb year, with free agency beckoning after 2017, so Oakland will presumably look closely at his recovery before deciding whether to tender him a contract this winter.
Dallas Keuchel Cleared Of Structural Issues In Shoulder, But Timeline Uncertain
Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel is shut down at the moment with shoulder issues, but he said today that he has been cleared of structural concerns, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 reports (Twitter links). Tests showed inflammation, but he says the club’s training staff is confident that “a little bit of time” is all that’s needed to heal the joint.
If the issued had arisen earlier in the season, the ‘Stros would surely have less immediate concern, as Keuchel could take his time getting back to full strength and embark upon a rehab stint. Plus, it would be easier to fill innings with an outside addition.
As it stands, though, there’s less than a month to go in the regular season and Keuchel’s absence will tell for a club that’s fighting to stay in the Wild Card hunt. Whether he can make it back by season’s end, or for a hopeful postseason run, is “hard to say at this point,” GM Jeff Luhnow tells MLB.com’s Alyson Footer (via Twitter). It doesn’t help that the southpaw won’t have an opportunity to pitch in the minor league system on a rehab assignment.
At this stage of the season, the organization is likely limited to the arms it already has on hand (see the Houston depth chart here) to fill the void in the rotation. Youngster David Paulino received his first major league start recently, but lasted only three innings and coughed up four earned runs with two walks, two wild pitches, and no strikeouts. The Astros received somewhat more promising results from just-activated righty Brad Peacock in his outing, as he allowed one earned in 3 2/3 frames, but he did permit five base knocks and managed only a pair of Ks.
Former Top Prospects Looking To Stand Out As September Call-Ups
Yasiel Puig‘s return to the Majors this month will be carefully monitored by both the Dodgers and the teams around the league as they look to decide if he’s worth pursuing as a potential trade candidate. However, while Puig might be the most high-profile case of a once-top-tier talent looking to rebuild his stock, he’s far from the only player looking to do so. September was once looked at as a trial grounds for top prospects to cut their teeth in the Major Leagues, but as ESPN’s Keith Law recently wrote (subscription required and recommended), the “traditional” September call-up has fallen to the wayside as teams rely more heavily than ever before on their top-rated prospects throughout the course of the regular season. Only a few select top 100 prospects are even making their Major League debut this September — Yoan Moncada, Jose De Leon, Yohander Mendez and David Paulino, thus far — but there are a number of former top-ranked prospects that have exhausted their rookie eligibility (or will do so quickly this month) without yet establishing themselves as big league regulars.
MLBTR’s Jason Martinez has kept track of all of this month’s transactions over at Roster Resource. Among them are the call-ups of some once-lauded youngsters that are looking to make good on a second, third, or even fourth opportunity at the major league level (statistics through 9/8/16):
- Byron Buxton, Twins: Buxton has returned to Minnesota for another MLB stint after yet another demotion to Triple-A, and the Twins will hope this last bit of seasoning he received was enough for him to capitalize on the potential that made him the game’s No. 1 overall prospect in back-to-back years. Buxton’s overall .305/.359/.568 line in 49 Triple-A games this season is tantalizing when combined with his outrageous speed and defensive prowess, but he was hitting under .200 with a .578 OPS in the majors at the time of his recall. Buxton, however, has already shown signs of at last figuring out MLB pitching, as he’s homered on four occasions for the Twins in September en route to a .462/.481/1.077 batting line. It’s a small sample, but it’s encouraging.
- Jose Berrios, Twins: Berrios entered the season as one of the very top pitching prospects in baseball and was supposed to be a polished, near-MLB-ready arm. Many, in fact, believed he should’ve made the Twins’ roster out of Spring Training. Berrios was knocked around considerably in his two big league stints prior to September, though, demonstrating uncharacteristically poor control and allowing an unthinkable 38 runs in 37 innings of work. The Twins, as has been the case for years now, are perilously thin on starting pitching, and a strong September effort could go a long way toward strengthening Berrios’ case for a rotation spot in 2017. Surrendering five runs in five innings in his first September start wasn’t a good beginning, though.
- Luis Severino, Yankees: Severino looked to have gone a long way toward solidifying his standing in the Yankees’ rotation in 2015, but those rushing to proclaim him the team’s future ace received a kick to the gut in 2016 when Severino limped to a 7.19 ERA in 51 1/3 Major League innings. Severino’s strikeout and walk rates went in the wrong direction, and he struggled tremendously with home runs. He’s slated to work out of the bullpen for the final month of the season and could prove that he’s a weapon in that capacity. Fans may hope that Severino ultimately resurfaces in the rotation, but as Dellin Betances has demonstrated, there’s plenty of value to be had if Severino ends up working in relief when all is said and done. Six shutout relief innings have been a nice start for the 22-year-old.
- Michael Conforto, Mets: Few would’ve expected the Mets to add a corner outfielder like Jay Bruce entering the season with Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson all in the fold, but Conforto struggled at the plate after a terrific 2015 debut and a brilliant start to the season. The 2014 first-rounder hit .365/.442/.676 in April but tanked thereafter, hitting .148/.217/.303 across his next 44 games before being optioned to Triple-A. Conforto would return the following month and struggle once again, leading to another demotion. His final stint in Triple produced comical numbers, as he obliterated Triple-A pitchers with an obscene .493/.541/.821 batting line, six homers and four doubles in 17 games. The Mets and Conforto both hope that’s the last Triple-A assignment he’ll ever require. With Cespedes likely to opt out of his contract this winter, it’d behoove Conforto to show that he can fill those shoes, if needed, with a strong September.
- Cody Reed, Reds: Reed has been quite good at Triple-A, working to a 3.08 ERA with strong K/BB numbers, but he’s been pummeled for a 7.36 ERA and allowed a staggering 12 home runs in just 47 2/3 innings in the Majors this season. He ranked firmly among the game’s top 50 prospects entering the season and, according to some scouting reports, has a better shot to stick in the Cincinnati rotation than teammate Brandon Finnegan, who came to the Reds in the same trade as Reed (sending Johnny Cueto to Kansas City). There looks to be at least one spot up for grabs next season, and while he’ll be pitching out of the bullpen for the final month of the year (via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Zach Buchanan), a strong showing this month will help his chances next season. At the very least, it’d be a positive sign for the Reds if he could simply avoid the long ball in his limited work.
- Joey Gallo, Rangers: Gallo may have the toughest time finding regular playing time of anyone on this list, as the presence of Adrian Beltre, Carlos Beltran, Mitch Moreland, Nomar Mazara and Carlos Gomez limits his ability to get into the lineup. However, Gallo could be used to spell any of the aforementioned corner bats this month, and a player with his game-changing power would figure to be a potential add to a playoff roster as well. He struck out in his lone plate appearance to date and will look to demonstrate an improved knack for contact as he closes out the year.
- Justin Nicolino, Marlins: Nicolino turned in a solid, albeit unspectacular rookie season in 2015 before being torched for a 5.48 ERA in 70 2/3 innings earlier this year. Like Reed, he’s currently ticketed for bullpen duty, but with talk of possibly shutting Jose Fernandez down for the season if the Marlins fall out of contention, Nicolino could find himself making a few starts one way or another. He hasn’t missed bats in the Majors and will need to show an improved ability to do so, though his pristine control has been on display this season in the minors and should help offset the lack of whiffs to some degree.
- Eddie Butler, Rockies: Another starter that will work out of the bullpen in the final month, Butler recently made some notable changes to his delivery that he feels were directly correlated with his late surge at Triple-A. Butler was shelled for a 6.96 ERA earlier this season and has a career 6.37 ERA in the bigs but did manage a 2.58 ERA in his final 45 2/3 innings at Triple-A (albeit with an unimpressive 15-to-10 K/BB ratio). With so many impressive young arms beginning to surface for the Rox, Butler could carve out a role as a hard-throwing reliever with a high ground-ball rate, and this September will be an early shot to prove that.
Beyond the listed names, players such as Kevin Plawecki, Andrew Susac and Dalton Pompey also fit the criteria specified for this post, but the former two are serving as third-string catchers while the latter looks to be solely in a pinch-running/defensive replacement role. Names like Robert Stephenson, Tyler Glasnow, Alex Meyer and others were also considered initially, but didn’t quite fit because they haven’t yet exceeded the rookie limits or haven’t really struggled in limited exposure. Among those three hurlers, for example, only Stephenson has even thrown ten MLB frames, and he owns a 3.12 ERA.
Dodgers Set To Activate Andre Ethier
The Dodgers are summoning veteran outfielder Andre Ethier to meet the team in Miami and could activate him from the DL as soon as this evening, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. Since he has been on the 60-day DL, Ethier will require a 40-man roster spot in order to return.
Ethier, 34, has not played a single major league inning this year since suffering a broken leg late this spring. Much has changed since his injury, but with less than a month to play the Dodgers are leading the NL West and can certainly stand to add another quality piece to a depth chart that already boasts plenty of outfield options.
The veteran will likely be eased back into action, and it’s a bit unclear just where he’ll end up contributing. Manager Dave Roberts says that Ethier will receive “occasional starts,” MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets, but it remains to be seen how that’ll occur. Ethier has seen action all over the outfield in recent years, but the Dodgers already have a full array of left-handed-hitting options. Joc Pederson has a lock on center, Josh Reddick was acquired at the trade deadline to play in right, and Andrew Toles has been a revelation through 24 games of action.
Expanded rosters will leave plenty of room for flexibility, of course, but this all promises to make for some interesting decisions when the time comes to set postseason rosters. Ethier will be playing not only for a chance to participate in the playoffs, but also to set up his place on next year’s team. The veteran has been productive of late, but has also been mentioned quite frequently as a trade candidate — though he has achieved full no-trade protection through ten-and-five rights. Ethier is owed $17.5MM next year, with a $2.5MM buyout on a $17.5MM option for 2018 still to go thereafter.
Cuban Pitching Prospects Norge Ruiz, Cionel Perez Declared Free Agents
The MLB commissioner’s office has declared Cuban hurlers Norge Ruiz and Cionel Perez free agents, leaving them free to sign with any team, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler. Both will remain subject to international bonus pool restrictions.
As Badler notes, both players required long waits to obtain their clearance to sign. Both Ruiz and Perez left their home island way back in May of 2015 (see here and here), but only just reached eligibility. Clearly, there is still a long ways to go smooth the transition for players seeking to jump from Cuban ball to affiliated organizations.
The right-handed Ruiz, now 22, is seen as one of the top recent pitching prospects from Cuba. Badler has suggested that he’s ready for the Double-A level, with an advanced mix of pitches that he generally mixes and commands well. With mid-rotation upside, he’s a highly intriguing target.
And Perez, a 20-year-old southpaw, has also shown promise during his work in the Serie Nacional. His stuff isn’t as polished, per Badler, but he is working on refining secondary offerings to go with a low-nineties heater. Perez isn’t considered prepared for an aggressive assignment in the upper minors, but seems to be a rather intriguing young pitcher in his own right.
Both players are slated to pitch in the Dominican winter league in a few months’ time, rather than relying simply upon showcases. That figures to afford major league organizations a long and valuable look at how they stack up against high-quality competition.
Rockies Outright Ben Paulsen, Rafael Ynoa
The Rockies announced last night that first baseman Ben Paulsen and utility man Rafael Ynoa have been outrighted off the 40-man roster after being designated for assignment earlier in the week. Both players have the requisite minor league service time to qualify as free agents this winter.
The 28-year-old Paulsen mashed at a .284/.329/.479 clip in 420 plate appearances from 2014-15 with the Rockies, though those numbers are inflated by Coors Field and by the fact that his left-handed bat was largely shielded from left-handed pitching. This season, he batted just .217/.258/.304 in 97 PAs with the Rox and posted a fairly pedestrian .278/.331/.434 in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Ynoa went hitless in five plate appearances with Colorado’s big league club this year. He saw quite a bit of time in the Majors last season, slashing .260/.277/.339 in 131 PAs. Ynoa has nearly 1900 innings of experience at shortstop in the minors in addition to more than 4900 innings at second base. He’s also logged time in the corner outfield and at third base in both the Majors and minors. He’s a lifetime .274/.344/.364 hitter in the minors.
Braves’ Top Prospect Ozzie Albies Suffers Fractured Elbow
12:07pm: The Braves announced that Albies has indeed suffered an olecranon fracture and has had his elbow placed in a fiberglass splint. He’s slated to undergo surgery next week and is presently expected to resume baseball activities in early January.
8:50am: Braves infield prospect Ozzie Albies suffered a fractured olecranon in his right elbow on Wednesday of this week, vice chairman John Schuerholz told the Braves Banter show on BlogTalk Radio (Twitter link). The injury will cost him not only the remainder of the minor league postseason but also the 2016 Arizona Fall League as well, depriving him of some additional development time. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that Albies will require surgery to repair the elbow.
Albies, 19, is currently a consensus top 25 prospect, as he rates 14th, 15th, 17th and 21st on the respective midseason prospect rankings of MLB.com, ESPN’s Keith Law, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. Long developed as a shortstop prospect, the plan for Albies now appears to be for him to play second base in the Majors, where he’ll team up with Dansby Swanson to form what the Braves hope will be one of the top double-play combos in the league for years to come. Albies tore through Double-A pitching as this season, hitting an incredible .321/.391/.467 with 33 extra-base hits (22 doubles, seven triples, four homers) and 21 steals across two stints. A promotion to Triple-A proved more challenging, as Albies slashed .248/.307/.351 through 247 plate appearances before being moved back down, though it should be noted that he was the youngest player in the Double-A Southern League and the Triple-A International League.
The recovery time on the olecranon fracture wasn’t specified, though recent examples of such fractures, including Gavin Floyd and A.J. Pollock, were able to return in late August (Pollock) and September (Floyd) after fracturing their olecranon bones in March (Floyd) and early April (Pollock). That suggests that in an ideal scenario, Albies could be back up to speed come Spring Training next season, where he could well compete with Jace Peterson for the second base job. Of course, individual players recover at different paces, and one can never simply assume that a player’s rehab process will be setback-free, so there’s no firm guarantee that Albies will be ready when Spring Training kicks off.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes that Albies suffered the injury while taking a swing during a Double-A playoff game (brief video included in that link) and has been examined at Dr. James’ Andrews clinic. The team will wait until its own medical staff can make a full evaluation of Albies before issuing a formal announcement and any further details on Albies’ injury.
Bronson Arroyo Shut Down For Season, Aiming For 2017 Comeback
Veteran right-hander Bronson Arroyo has been somewhat of a forgotten man this season, rehabbing with the Nationals after suffering a partial tear of a tendon in his right rotator cuff during Spring Training. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post provides an update on Arroyo, reporting that he was recently shut down for the season due to the fact that his elbow wasn’t able to bounce back between starts as well as he or the team had hoped. However, while there’s been talk that the longtime Reds right-hander would hang it up if this season didn’t go well, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the 39-year-old Arroyo (40 in February) is setting his sights on another comeback attempt in 2017 (links to Twitter).
Per Buchanan, Arroyo recently visited Dr. James Andrews’ clinic and received a stem cell treatment on his problematic elbow (notably, a different source of difficulties than his spring shoulder troubles). Arroyo will be shut down until November, but he plans to begin building strength back up at that point with the hope of latching on with another MLB club. Given the dearth of starting pitching on this year’s free agent market, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see another minor league deal for the veteran Arroyo, provided the stem cell treatment takes and he is able to demonstrate the ability to throw without pain.
Arroyo made just two appearances for the Nationals’ Gulf Coast League affiliate this season, totaling 9 2/3 innings of work while allowing five runs on 13 hits, two walks and two hit batters with eight strikeouts. It’s now been more than two calendar years since Arroyo’s last big league appearance, which came on June 15, 2014 as a member of the Diamondbacks. When it was announced that Arroyo would undergo Tommy John surgery a few weeks after that start, the longtime Reds workhorse revealed that he actually made an incredible six starts that season knowing full well that he had a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
If Arroyo ultimately is able to return to a Major League mound, he’ll enter the 16th Major League season of a very strong career that has, to date, resulted in 2364 2/3 innings of 4.19 ERA ball with a 145-131 record, 1526 strikeouts (5.8 K/9) and 642 walks (2.4 BB/9). Originally drafted and developed by the Pirates (third round, 1995), Arroyo has pitched for Pittsburgh, Boston, Cincinnati and Arizona over his lengthy career.