Cubs Release Shane Victorino
The Cubs have released outfielder Shane Victorino from their Triple-A roster, reports Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Victorino, 35, signed a minor league contract with Chicago in Spring Training and, as of a May 11 update from the Des Moines Register, was told that he would be evaluated within a few weeks. It would seem that the Cubs have made their decision in that time or, perhaps, that Victorino exercised an opt-out provision in his deal. The veteran batted .233/.324/.367 in nine game/34 plate appearances in his brief time with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate and is now free to pursue an opportunity with another organization.
Back in Spring Training, Victorino at least acknowledged the possibility of retirement, though he was clear at the time that his desire was to continue playing the game he holds so dear to his heart. Said Victorino to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports at the time: “I am my hardest critic, so if I feel like I am done, no one would need to make that decision for me.”
Victorino returned to switch-hitting this offseason after hitting only right-handed in 2015. He’s a career .270/.340/.425 hitter in 1299 big league games and has a pair of All-Star nods under his belt as well as four Gold Glove Awards.
Twins, Sean Burnett Agree To Minor League Deal
The Twins and left-handed reliever Sean Burnett have agreed to a minor league pact, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). The Munsey Sports client opted out of a contract with the Braves last week. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Burnett has a June 15 opt-out date and would earn a pro-rated $1MM base salary upon making the Majors, with an opportunity to earn up to $1MM more via incentives.
The 33-year-old Burnett has already been with the Dodgers and Braves this season, working to a combined 1.38 ERA with 10 strikeouts against seven walks in 13 innings of work. He’ll hope to make a return to the Majors for the first time since 2014 under his new deal, as surgery to repair an elbow impingement in 2013 and Tommy John surgery in 2014 have slowed his career. Prior to those setbacks, Burnett was a solid reliever for the Pirates and Nationals, working to a 2.85 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 234 innings from 2009-12. Lefties have batted .228/.293/.336 against him to this point in his big league career.
The Twins’ bullpen has been an unmitigated disaster this season, with a 4.75 ERA that ranks 28th in Major League Baseball and beats out only the Rangers (5.43) and Reds (6.47). Closer Glen Perkins went down early with a shoulder injury and recently had a setback, and other left-handed options have struggled, with the exception of Fernando Abad, who has quietly been excellent since signing a minor league deal this winter. Rookie Taylor Rogers is the only other lefty in the Twins’ bullpen, though the converted starter has struggled out of the gates in his brief taste of the Majors. Burnett will join a large stable of lefty relievers at the Triple-A level that are not on the 40-man roster; the Twins currently have southpaws Ryan O’Rourke, Logan Darnell, Dan Runzler and Buddy Boshers in the Rochester ‘pen.
Mets Place Lucas Duda On DL With Stress Fracture In Back, Designate Dario Alvarez
The Mets have placed first baseman Lucas Duda on the 15-day disabled list due to a stress fracture in his lower back, tweets Marc Carig of Newsday. There’s no definitive timetable for his return, but manager Terry Collins said that it “will be awhile,” tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin tweets that Collins added it’ll be “at least” four to six weeks for Duda, though that seems like a fairly optimistic timeline.
In a corresponding move, the Mets have selected the contract of infielder Ty Kelly from Triple-A Las Vegas. Carig tweets that Kelly will get some time at first base along with Eric Campbell, but the club could also try Wilmer Flores and even Michael Conforto at first base in his absence. To clear room for Kelly on the 40-man roster, the team has designated left-hander Dario Alvarez for assignment, Rubin tweets.
Duda, 30, has seen his batting average, on-base percentage and power output each take a significant hit this season, and Mets manager Terry Collins admitted over the weekend that he was “really concerned” about the status of his slugging first baseman’s back. Duda batted .249/.350/.483 and launched 57 homers from 2014-15 while providing offense that was roughly 35 percent better than that of a league-average bat (per metrics like OPS+ and wRC+), but he’s been a shade below average with the bat this season and has seen his struggles escalate rapidly over the past couple of weeks. In 13 games (11 starts) dating back to May 5, Duda is hitting .171/.292/.220. That endpoint is admittedly arbitrary in nature (Duda homered twice on May 4) but does speak to his recent struggles at the dish.
The indefinite loss of Duda is a blow to a Mets lineup that currently ranks 25th in Major League Baseball with 167 runs scored, especially considering the fact that they’ve recently seen one of their hottest hitters, Conforto, go into a lengthy slump with a significant increase in strikeouts. Travis d’Arnaud is already on the disabled list and doesn’t appear close to a return, and Curtis Granderson is hitting just .200/.297/.419 on the year. The rest of the Mets’ infield — Neil Walker, Asdrubal Cabrera, David Wright — has been productive, but Wright is currently mired in a slump of his own and comes with durability concerns due to his ongoing bout with spinal stenosis. Yoenis Cespedes has been a stabilizing force in the middle of the Mets’ lineup, hitting an incredible .298/.381/.660 with an MLB-best 14 homers and an NL-best 35 RBIs. (His .660 slugging also leads the Senior Circuit.)
It’s unlikely that Conforto sees any immediate time at first base, as he lacks experience at the position, though if and when he does get a lengthier look there, the Mets could make some use of the Juan Lagares/Alejandro De Aza platoon that was expected to patrol center field before Cespedes re-signed. One name that is not in consideration is Double-A first baseman and top prospect Dominic Smith, tweets Carig. Collins says that Smith, who has just 47 games above the Class-A level under his belt, will not be coming up anytime soon. Rubin tweets that Wright, too, offered to play some first base in Duda’s absence, but Collins said a move across the diamond for the team captain is not a consideration, either.
Kevin Kiermaier Likely Out Eight To Ten Weeks Due To Hand Surgery
Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier will require surgery to repair a pair of fractures in his left hand and will miss the next eight to 10 weeks of action as a result, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (links to Twitter). Kiermaier was reported to have suffered a pair of fractures this past weekend and has already been placed on the disabled list, with Mikie Mahtook being recalled in his place, but the length of his required absence remained unknown to this point.
The 26-year-old Kiermaier suffered the injury on Saturday this week in an attempt to make a diving catch on a James McCann fly to shallow center and immediately came off the field before trainers could even reach him on the outfield grass. He’s in the midst of a solid season for Tampa Bay, hitting .236/.307/.447 with strong contributions in defense and baserunning. Kiermaier has quickly emerged as one of baseball’s premier defenders, winning a Gold Glove in a 2015 season that saw him post marks of +42 and +40.7 in Defensive Runs Saved and UZR/150, respectively. In addition to his excellent range, Kiermaier racked up 15 outfield assists in 2015, tying him for third place among all Major League outfielders.
With Kiermaier sidelined for upwards of two months, the Rays will have some options to mix and match in center field. Mahtook, a former first-round pick, has plenty of experience in center field, and while he doesn’t come with Kiermaier’s defensive prowess (few do), he’s batting .333/.416/.487 at Triple-A this season and slashed .295/.351/.619 in his MLB debut last season (115 plate appearances). The Rays also have Desmond Jennings as an experienced center field option, though Jennings’ star has dimmed due to injuries and underperformance at the plate in recent seasons, and he’s played primarily left field since 2014. Brandon Guyer, too, has some limited experience in center field and could get a look there, as does utilityman Brad Miller.
Hahn: Sox Could Use Left-Handed Bat, Additional Pitching
MAY 23: On the heels of last week’s comments about exploring the trade market early this season, Hahn said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that his team has “had a lot of discussions” as he looks to strengthen the White Sox’ playoff hopes (links to Twitter). “You’re so much better served getting that guy in early June than late July,” said Hahn, adding that his team “could always use additional pitching” and “could probably use another left-handed hitter to balance the lineup.” Hoping to make a trade and actually striking an agreement, however, are two different stories, and Hahn implied that at this point, there appears to be a lack of motivated sellers: “…but unless we can find a dance partner, then nothing will come to fruition.”
It’s not surprising that few clubs are anxious to sell of pieces just yet. As things stand, all but a few teams around the league are within reasonable striking distance of a Wild Card spot, if not a division lead. And, for the few teams that look like they’ll be definitive sellers in two months’ time, there’s some merit to the idea of hanging onto their top chips for the time being, until there’s a greater market of buyers, which could drive up the price or at least present a wider array of young talent from which to choose.
MAY 19: The White Sox are ready to make a significant upgrade this summer if the opportunity presents itself, writes Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. Sox GM Rick Hahn appeared on WSCR’s “Inside the Clubhouse” show earlier this week, Levine notes, and expressed an aggressive approach toward improving his roster. “We are prepared to make a big move today if it presents itself,” said Hahn. “Our timing may not line up with the other 29 clubs just yet. It is a little early in the process. A lot of clubs don’t make those moves until June or July. We are having conversations right now hoping it comes together more quickly than that.” Hahn did acknowledge that it may take another three to four weeks before clubs begin warming to the idea of moving players.
Levine writes that the Sox will be looking to upgrade the fourth and fifth spots in their rotation, behind lefties Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon. Having already designated John Danks for assignment and having seen Mat Latos struggle to a 7.84 ERA over his four most recent starts, it’s not exactly a surprise to hear the Sox connected to pitching upgrades. While there may be some optimism that Latos can right the ship to some extent, his strong start — 0.74 ERA through his first 24 1/3 innings — was largely fueled by a .167 BABIP, and his continually declining strikeout rate and velocity don’t paint an optimistic picture moving forward.
The Sox have some internal options to cycle through for the time being, including right-handers Miguel Gonzalez, Erik Johnson, Anthony Ranaudo, Chris Beck and Scott Carroll. However, Beck is entirely untested at the big league level, and the others have not enjoyed much in the way of recent success. Last year’s first-round pick, Carson Fulmer, has been a source of hope for some Sox fans, but he got off to a rough start to the season at Double-A Birmingham, and while his ERA has improved of late, Fulmer has also walked 13 batters in his past nine innings (two starts), making it something of a stretch to anticipate that he’d be equipped to step into the Major League rotation anytime soon.
While the back of the rotation is a clear area of current need, Levine suggests that it should at least be considered that the Sox would look to upgrade the back of their bullpen as well, despite a strong performance from the current relief corps. Levine lists James Shields, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman as possible targets, though it’s not entirely clear how much of their inclusion is speculative in nature. The Yankees, after all, haven’t made a habit of selling off veteran pieces in the past and, for all their struggles, are within a reasonable distance of the division lead (7.5 games) and a Wild Card spot (4 games). If anything, I’d imagine they fall firmly into the mix of clubs that’ll be waiting (at least) four weeks or so before making any kind of decision as to their direction on the summer trade market. As for Shields, he’s a difficult trade target to assess; his 3.12 ERA looks impressive, but his secondary stats don’t support that mark, and the $44MM remaining on his contract after this season, if he does not exercise his upcoming opt-out clause, is a lot to stomach for an 34-year-old pitcher that has not looked as sharp in San Diego as he did in Kansas City.
NL Notes: Howard, Blanco, Urias, Peavy
In light of the Phillies‘ surprising start to the season, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports kicks off his latest 10 Degrees column by writing that the Phillies can ill afford to continue carrying Ryan Howard and his .161/.233/.381 batting line. The “loyalty-vs.-pragmatism” battle which the Phillies currently face would be easier to ignore if the Phillies were toiling in or near the cellar of the NL East as many anticipated, but the club has other options at first base and is no longer playing Howard regularly. Even against right-handed pitching, Howard is hitting just .163/.246/.385 in 118 plate appearances, making it fair to question his viability even as a platoon option. Passan also revisits the Phillies’ puzzling decision to sign Howard to a five-year, $125MM extension in the first place despite the fact that he was already under control for two more seasons (and his age-31 campaign).
Here’s more from the NL…
- Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to Phillies manager Pete Mackanin about the importance of utility infielder Andres Blanco to the club. “There might be guys that are better, but as far as all-around defense, hitting, clubhouse character, this guy has been a special player for us,” said Mackanin. “It’s a tough role. It’s tough to find.” Blanco keeps four gloves — infield, outfield, first base mitt and catcher’s mitt — in his locker in order to be ready in any role and draws rave reviews from his teammates for his attitude and his production in his role. The 32-year-old has batted .286/.351/.491 in 372 plate appearances as a part-time player with the Phils dating back to 2014 and is earning his first seven-figure salary this season after agreeing to a $1.45MM deal this winter. As Breen notes, it’s a considerable bump up from the $3,000 signing bonus he took as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela when the Royals were the lone Major League club to make him an offer at all.
- Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi isn’t tipping his hand as to when lefty Julio Urias will be promoted to the Majors, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Zaidi said the 19-year-old top prospect will be in a Dodgers uniform “at some point” but elected to leave it at that for the time being. Manager Dave Roberts tells Plunkett that despite Urias’ dominance of Triple-A hitters at such a young age, he hasn’t lobbied with the front office to have the left-hander added to what has been an inconsistent Major League bullpen. The Dodgers have reportedly been considering Urias as a bullpen option, which could help them continue to gradually increase his workload, Plunkett notes. To this point in his career, Urias has never thrown more than six innings in a start or more than 87 2/3 innings in a season, so his workload is understandably a concern. Urias has already thrown 41 innings this year, including a streak of 27 shutout innings that is still intact.
- Giants manager Bruce Bochy tells Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area that he doesn’t have a leash on Jake Peavy despite the right-hander’s considerable struggles in 2016. There was some hope that Peavy may have turned a corner after a solid start in Arizona last weekend, but he lasted just 1 2/3 innings and surrendered five runs on Friday, causing his ERA to balloon to 8.21. “I think he’s close,” said Bochy. “The stuff is fine. He’s healthy and he’s close. He’s just got to be a little more consistent with execution.” The Giants have maintained that stance on Peavy and fellow right-hander Matt Cain throughout the duo’s problems this year. Cain has indeed turned a corner over his past three starts, but it’s hard not to wonder how long the Giants will stick with Peavy if he cannot undergo a similar resurgence in the very near future.
David Aardsma Opts Out Of Blue Jays Contract
Veteran reliever David Aardsma has opted out of his minor league contract with the Blue Jays, MLBTR has learned (Twitter link). The right-hander is free to sign with any club.
Aardsma, 34, spent a considerable chunk of the 2015 campaign with the Braves, tallying 30 2/3 innings out of the team’s bullpen and posting a 4.70 ERA with 10.3 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 29.5 percent ground-ball rate. He inked a minor league pact with Toronto and has posted an unsightly 5.27 ERA in 13 2/3 innings with their Triple-A affiliate this season, though the bulk of the damage done against him came in one outing.
The former Mariners closer posted strong numbers at the Triple-A level from 2014-15 (though a groin injury ended his 2014 season with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate) and has a lifetime 4.27 ERA with 340 strikeouts against 183 walks in 337 innings at the Major League level. Presumably, he’ll hope to find a similar minor league contract with another club and earn a spot on a big league roster, as he did in Atlanta last year.
7 Trade Candidates Who Have Hurt Their Stock
The 2016 Major League Baseball season is at the quarter pole and the second month of the campaign is nearly over, which means the Aug. 1 trade deadline is looming on the horizon for all 30 teams. It’s time, then, to highlight several players who entered the season as prospective trade candidates and have since weakened their respective values, be it through poor performance, injury or both. All of these players generated trade buzz during the winter, and each is a member of a team that was expected to be a deadline seller entering the season and hasn’t done anything to prove that belief wrong in the initial 40-plus games.
Athletics
Billy Butler: The A’s had talks with other teams about trading Butler over the winter, but their hopes of dealing the designated hitter are all but gone now. Butler, who’s currently making $10MM and is owed the same amount in 2017, has declined significantly since his heyday in the Royals’ lineup from 2009-13 and is hitting .209/.243/.284 without a home run in 70 plate appearances this year. Since 2014, his swan song in Kansas City, the 30-year-old Butler has batted a meek .258/.319/.379 with 24 homers in nearly 1,300 PAs, and given that he provides negative value in the field and on the base paths, that type of offensive output isn’t going to appeal to anyone. It remains baffling that the A’s signed Butler to a $30MM deal in 2014, and now they’re stuck with him.
Sonny Gray: While the A’s fielded plenty of inquiries on the right-hander during the offseason, they made it clear – at least publicly – that he wasn’t available. “We’ve been adamant with teams that we want to hang on to Gray,” executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said in January. Prior to that comment, general manager David Forst stated in November that the A’s weren’t going to move Gray, saying, “As soon as you trade a young, healthy really good pitcher, you’re looking for another one.” Still, after back-to-back full seasons of ace-like production, four years of control over Gray, 26, would’ve landed Oakland a sizable haul. Gray is now in the midst of the worst year of his young career, having compiled a 6.19 ERA, 7.69 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 48 innings, and the club placed him on the DL earlier today with a strained right trapezius. Given the weakness of the upcoming offseason’s free agent pitching market, teams would’ve kept hounding the A’s about Gray had he continued his effectiveness and stayed healthy this year. Neither of those things has happened, though, which decreases the already dubious odds of the A’s parting with Gray before the deadline.
Braves
Erick Aybar: When the rebuilding Braves acquired Aybar from the Angels as part of the Andrelton Simmons package, their hope was that he’d serve as a sturdy shortstop bridge between Simmons’ reign and the Dansby Swanson/Ozzie Albies era. Aybar has instead been the worst player on arguably the majors’ worst team, having hit .175/.216/.204 in 151 trips to the plate. The 32-year-old’s 7 wRC+ is easily last among qualifying hitters (his closest company is at 43), as is his minus-1.6 fWAR. The Braves had a high asking price on Aybar as of March, but they’ll have difficulty finding anyone willing to take the $8.5MM infielder in the last year of his contract if his play doesn’t substantially improve.
Nick Markakis: The Braves reportedly had opportunities to trade Markakis last winter and in 2015, but they elected to retain the right fielder instead. Considering that Markakis is on a $10.5MM annual salary from now until the end of 2018, Atlanta might regret not dealing the 32-year-old. Since joining the Braves last season, the power Markakis showed in Baltimore from 2006-14 has disappeared. In 871 PAs with the Braves, Markakis has totaled just four home runs – two fewer than Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, who has amassed 765 fewer PAs – and logged the majors’ fifth-worst ISO (.083). To Markakis’ credit, he has managed to produce a decent 105 wRC+ with the Braves and has gotten on base at an impressive 36.9 percent clip, but an aging, well-compensated, power-devoid corner outfielder who doesn’t grade well defensively simply doesn’t have much value.
Padres
Andrew Cashner: A report in December stated that the A.J. Preller-run Padres were pushing to move Cashner prior to his contract year, in which he’s making $7.15MM. However, the team was unwilling to deal the right-hander for then-Diamondbacks center fielder Ender Inciarte, Arizona GM Dave Stewart said. Even though Inciarte has struggled this year in Atlanta (he’s hardly alone), acquiring five years of control over him for one season of Cashner would’ve been a boon for the Padres. Instead, Cashner stayed in San Diego and has begun 2016 with 34 2/3 innings of 4.93 ERA/4.42 FIP/4.61 xFIP ball. The injury-prone Cashner – who’s on the DL with a minor hamstring issue – was better last season in posting a 4.34 ERA/3.85 FIP/3.84 xFIP, but he hasn’t been particularly effective at preventing runs since 2012-13 (3.33 ERA in 221 1/3 frames). Cashner’s trade value isn’t dead, but barring a turnaround after he comes back from the DL, odds are the Padres will have a tough time netting a return as enticing as the one they could’ve gotten for him over the winter. If the Padres aren’t satisfied with the offers they receive for Cashner this summer, they could keep the 29-year-old and extend him a qualifying offer after the season. The risk there would be that Cashner would actually accept the $15.8MM offer, as multiple players did last offseason. That would force the Padres to continue with Cashner at a salary worth more than double what he’s making now. Worse, the rebuilding club wouldn’t receive a first-round pick for him as compensation.
Matt Kemp: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported at the outset of this month that Kemp’s productive April had improved his trade value, but the right fielder has canceled that out with a .169/.173/.312 line in 81 May PAs. Long a below-average defensive outfielder, Kemp’s value throughout his career has been tied to his bat. Kemp’s offensive output has fallen off in recent years, however, and his value has cratered as a result. Since compiling a 3.2-fWAR campaign in 2012, the 31-year-old has been worth a combined 1.2 fWAR while hitting an unspectacular .270/.319/.459 in 1,714 PAs. It’s nice that Kemp continues to show power – he has already accumulated 10 home runs this season after smacking 20-plus in each of the two previous campaigns – but his walk rate (2.3 percent) is alarming and far worse than his career mark of 7.6 percent. Further, the two-time All-Star is being paid commensurate to the MVP candidate he once was. Kemp will collect $21.5MM per annum through 2019, and the Padres were reportedly hesitant to eat a lot of money to deal him over the winter. Now, as an over-30, defensively challenged player who has clearly seen better days at the plate, it appears the Padres could be stuck with Kemp.
Tyson Ross: Unlike Cashner, the right-handed Ross has been consistently superb at preventing runs. Since 2013, his first season as a Padre, Ross has pitched to a stingy 3.13 ERA over 522 innings while averaging more than a strikeout per frame. Unfortunately, the slider-heavy Ross hasn’t pitched since Opening Day because of a shoulder injury. The 29-year-old still hasn’t resumed throwing, which means his return isn’t approaching. Even if Ross were to come back close to the deadline, it’s hard to believe the Padres would trade him. They’d probably be better off hoping Ross – who’s making $9.63MM this year and will make one more trip through arbitration – rebuilds his value either through the end of the season or by the 2017 deadline. San Diego understandably wanted a large return for Ross last winter, but his shoulder troubles have likely killed the chances of that happening in the next couple months.
Quick Hits: Villar, Beane, Reyes, Draft
With a quarter of the season in the books, Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks at some players whose may simply headed for poor seasons rather than slow starts. Sherman constructs a lineup for his “It Gets Late Early” team, a Bizarro All-Star lineup of notable names who haven’t lived up to expectations — Shelby Miller, Ken Giles, Prince Fielder, Russell Martin, Mark Teixeira, Dee Gordon, David Wright, Erick Aybar, Carlos Gomez and (somewhat surprisingly) two regulars from the league-leading Cubs, Jorge Soler and Jason Heyward. Here’s more from around baseball as we head into the new week…
- Jonathan Villar has been a nice surprise for the Brewers, and an NL scout tells John Perrotto of TodaysKnuckleball.com that Villar’s good start could be for real. “I thought Villar was nothing more than a utility guy but he’s starting to prove me wrong,” the scout said. “He’s really maturing as a player. He may never be a star but he’s starting to look like an everyday guy to me. I don’t think what he’s doing is a two-month fluke.” It’s worth noting that Villar has a whopping .398 BABIP en route to his .286/.382/.390 slash line (and 14 steals) over 181 plate appearances, though his speed has also been a factor in allowing him to turn grounders into hits. As Perrotto notes, Orlando Arcia is still slated to be Milwaukee’s shortstop of the future, though the Brewers may have found an unexpected deadline trade chip in Villar.
- The Athletics don’t seem likely to make any notable acquisitions to help their injury-ravaged roster, CSNBayArea.com’s Joe Stiglich infers from Billy Beane’s comments. The sheer number of injured players “would impact any team in baseball,” Beane said, “and it’s certainly going to have a greater impact on us, given we’re not going to have the depth or the resources” to find easy replacements. The A’s fell to 19-26 after today’s loss to the Yankees and Oakland has already been cited as a possible trade deadline seller.
- Cardinals pitching prospect Alex Reyes threw four scoreless innings in a Triple-A start today, his first action since returning from a 50-game suspension for marijuana use. Suspension notwithstanding, Reyes could very possibly still reach the majors this season given his status as one of the game’s best prospects; the righty was rated very highly by Baseball America (7th), ESPN’s Keith Law (8th), Baseball Prospectus (10th) and MLB.com (11th) in preseason top-100 lists. In an interview with MLB.com’s Nick Krueger, Reyes discusses his outing and how he hopes he can regain the trust of both the organization and the fans.
- There’s still quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding the June amateur draft, as Baseball America’s John Manuel writes. Some of the uncertainty could stem from the fact that “there’s more comfort this year with the high school class than the college class,” one scouting director tells Manuel. “It’s not a clear-cut Top 10 group . . . not as high-end a group as you would have hoped for this year.”
Injury Notes: Darvish, Zimmermann, Miggy, A-Rod, Brewers
Here’s the latest on some notable names who are either preparing to return from the DL or could miss a bit of time…
- Yu Darvish threw six shutout innings in a rehab start today and is on track to return to the majors on Saturday against the Pirates. The Rangers ace told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) that he felt good after the 87-pitch outing, which wrapped up a very impressive rehab stint that saw Darvish allow just two earned runs over 20 minor league innings. Darvish missed the entire 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since August 2014.
- Jordan Zimmermann left during the sixth inning of today’s game with what has been diagnosed as a right groin strain. The Tigers ace underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other media, and it isn’t yet known if Zimmermann will require a DL stint or even a missed start. Needless to say, losing Zimmermann to the DL would be a major blow to a Detroit rotation that entered Sunday with a 4.76 staff ERA, seventh-worst in all of baseball. Zimmermann has been the lone bright spot, and after today’s outing he has a 2.52 ERA over his first 60 2/3 innings as a Tiger. Slugger Miguel Cabrera also suffered a bruised left knee after being hit by a pitch during the same game, though Ausmus doesn’t expect that injury to be too serious.
- Alex Rodriguez will return from the 15-day DL on Tuesday, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi told reporters (including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News). A-Rod was rumored to be set for activation this weekend but Girardi chose to wait until after the Yankees’ Monday off-day to give the veteran slugger extra time to fully recover a hamstring strain.
- Brewers GM David Stearns updated Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on several injured Milwaukee players. Sean Nolin recently received a PRP injection to see if he can avoid Tommy John surgery; the southpaw suffered a slightly torn UCL during Spring Training. Rule 5 draft pick Zack Jones has spent the entire season on the DL with shoulder stiffness and Stearns hopes Jones can begin a rehab assignment in early June. Former top outfield prospect Rymer Liriano is still recovering after being hit in the face with a pitch during Spring Training and there isn’t any timetable for a return. Stearns said there is a chance Liriano could miss the entire season. Also in the piece, as previously reported, reliever Will Smith will begin a rehab assignment this week with an eye towards returning to the Brewers’ roster in the first week of June.