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Reds/Royals Game Postponed In Favor Of Wednesday Doubleheader

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10:19am: Major League Baseball has formally announced that tonight’s game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.

10:06am: The Reds’ schedule has been in a state of limbo after Saturday’s positive Covid-19 test(s), but they appear to be trending toward a resumption of play. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that tonight’s game against the Royals will also be postponed — as was the case with the final two games of this weekend’s series versus the Pirates — but the two sides will play a doubleheader tomorrow (Twitter links). The Reds’ most recent wave of tests came back negative, and they’re en route to Kansas City right now. However, the league will take the extra step of pushing back their return one more day.

It’s a point of frustration for some fans, but MLB has seemingly become more cautious with its scheduling in the wake broad-reaching outbreaks on the Marlins and Cardinals rosters. Both of those clubs saw new positives emerge well after the initial cases were identified. Miami had new cases six days after their initial positives, and the Cardinals had new positives more than a week after their initial cases became known. Other members of the organization tested positive along the way in those outbreaks, and that has not been the case with the Reds. But the league understandably hopes to avoid a third outbreak that wipes out more than a week’s worth of games.

Pushing today’s game into a doubleheader tomorrow won’t delay either club’s schedule, assuming the organization continues to test negative tomorrow. As for the makeup games against the Pirates, there’s no set date yet, although the two teams have a pair of series left on the schedule that present ample opportunity for makeup games. Their Sept. 4-6 series in Pittsburgh is currently scheduled to be bookended by a pair of off-days, and the Sept. 14-16 series in Cincinnati is followed by a Sept. 17 off day.

Pirates, Jandel Gustave Agree To Deal

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The Pirates have agreed to a contract with free-agent righty Jandel Gustave, Robert Murray reports (via Twitter). The agreement is still pending a physical. The Giants outrighted Gustave off the 40-man roster last weekend, but as a player who’d been previously outrighted at least once in the past — the Astros outrighted Gustave following the 2018 season — he had the right to decline the assignment in favor of free agency.

Gustave, 27, didn’t pitch in the big leagues for the Giants in 2020 but logged 24 1/3 frames with them last season. He’s tallied a total of 44 1/3 innings in the Majors between Houston and San Francisco, logging a 3.43 ERA and 3.97 FIP — albeit with a lackluster 32-to-20 K/BB ratio.

Gustave has found success due in no small part to limiting home runs in the big leagues (just three allowed). A 0.60 HR/9 mark is difficult to sustain in any environment but seems particularly tough to continue at a time when 15 percent of fly-balls are clearing the outfield fence, league-wide, for a second straight season. Gustave, by contrast, has seen just seven percent of his fly-balls in the Majors turn into home runs. To his credit, he’s also been quite adept at avoiding the long ball in the minors (0.39 HR/9), so perhaps he can continue the trend.

Last season, Gustave averaged a healthy 96.1 mph on his fastball and paired that with a well above-average spin rate. Gustave has generally posted average or better ground-ball rates in the minors and averaged a bit shy of a strikeout per inning. Details of his arrangement with Pittsburgh aren’t clear yet, and the club hasn’t formally announced the move. Given that Gustave went unclaimed on waivers a week ago, it seems likely to be a minor league pact that adds him to the 60-man player pool and sends him to the Pirates’ alternate training site.

Henderson Alvarez’s Deal With Pirates Falls Through

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Aug. 16: Alvarez will be staying with the Milkmen, as the righty tweeted from his personal account that the deal with the Pirates “did not materialize” because “they signed another player.”  While no names were mentioned, Pittsburgh claimed right-hander Nick Tropeano off waivers from the Yankees last Tuesday, two days after news broke of the agreement between Alvarez and the Pirates.

Aug. 9: The Pirates have reached an agreement to sign free-agent right-hander Henderson Alvarez, according to MLB insider Robert Murray. Alvarez, 30, has not pitched in the Majors since 2017, and has most recently turned up with the American Association’s Milwaukee Milkmen. The deal, which is still pending a physical, will bring Alvarez aboard on a minor league contract, per Adam Berry of MLB.com. He’ll report to the Pirates’ alternate training site in Altoona.

Although it feels like ages since we’ve seen Henderson Alvarez on a Major League mound, he’s still just 30 years old and hasn’t yet eclipsed six years of MLB service time.

He’s best recognized for his stint with the Marlins, where he was a key member of the rotation for the Fish of the early-2010s. Alvarez was one of the pieces sent back to Miami in the 2012 blockbuster trade that seemed to involve half of MLB (it was in fact only 12 plyaers), with Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, and Josh Johnson headlining the package going to Toronto. In addition to throwing a no-hitter for Miami in 2013, he enjoyed a career season the following year, even earning an All-Star appearance for his efforts. In 2014, he notched a 2.65 ERA in 187 innings, including three complete-game shutouts.

Unfortunately, a shoulder injury that limited him to just four starts in 2015 ultimately derailed his career. He was non-tendered by the Marlins and struggled to find work thereafter.

Alvarez pitched in affiliated ball as recently as last year, getting work primarily as a reliever with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate. He appeared in 24 games and posted a 5.94 ERA, striking out just 37 batters in 53 innings. Since then, he’s pitched in the Mexican League before debuting with the AA’s Milwaukee club last week.

His last Major League stint came with the Phillies in 2017, when he made three starts for the team after signing in August. He struck out just six batters and walked 11 in 14 2/3 innings. Alvarez has never been a strikeout pitcher, averaging just 4.7 K/9 for his career; that’s a rarity in today’s game, and could pose a challenge in his path back to the big leagues, though that hasn’t stopped Alvarez from succeeding in the past. And given how long it’s been since we’ve gotten a good look at his stuff, plenty could have changed in the intervening years.

It’s no secret that the 3-12 Pirates are in need of pitching of any kind. Their 5.55 team ERA is the worst mark in the National League. Their bullpen in particular has been stretched thin by injuries to the likes of Michael Feliz, Keone Kela, and Kyle Crick. Evidently, GM Ben Cherington is not entirely satisfied with his internal pitching depth, which has been tested by those injuries. We’ll hope to see Alvarez back on a Major League mound in the near future.

Reds, Pirates Postponed Until Monday Earliest

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SATURDAY: Games scheduled for today and tomorrow between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates has been postponed after a Reds’ player tested positive for COVID-19. There have been no more positive tests beyond the one for the Reds, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman (Twitter links). Given potential exposure during yesterday’s game, there’s more than enough reason to push tonight’s game at the very least.

MLB issued a press release announcing the cancellations, which read: “Following a positive test for COVID-19 by a Cincinnati Reds player, tonight’s scheduled game, as well as tomorrow afternoon’s contest, between the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park have been postponed to allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process.  Major League Baseball will continue to provide updates as they become available.”

FRIDAY: An unidentified Reds player has tested positive for the coronavirus, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. As a result, the likelihood is that the league will postpone their game against the Pirates on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports.

Positive COVID-19 tests across the majors have thrown a wrench into the league’s plans early this season, and it’s now up in the air when the Reds and Pirates will return to action. So far, the teams have split the first two contests in a four-game set, but it appears they’ll have to make up at least one game at a later date.

Meanwhile, the Pirates have seen the likes of Gregory Polanco, Keone Kela and Ke’Bryan Hayes sit out because of COVID (Polanco and Kela are now back on the MLB roster). Furthermore, Pittsburgh’s three-game series against the Cardinals this week was postponed because of the outbreak that has taken a toll on the St. Louis club.

Pirates Designate Miguel Del Pozo For Assignment

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The Pirates announced Thursday that left-hander Miguel Del Pozo has been designated for assignment. The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for closer Keone Kela, who has officially been reinstated from the Covid-19 injured list.

Del Pozo, 27, has seen time in the Majors in both of the past two seasons — last year with the Angels — but been clobbered for 18 runs on 17 hits and 16 walks in just 13 innings. He’s punched out 13 hitters in that time, but his overall results obviously haven’t earned him any type of staying power. Del Pozo has respectable numbers up through the Double-A level but has yet to find success in Triple-A or the Majors. The Pirates will have a week to either trade him, release him or look to pass him through outright waivers.

Kela’s return was announced by manager Derek Shelton yesterday. He’ll step right into the closer’s role for a Pirates club that has gone 3-13 to begin the season. Long a high-quality reliever, Kela is a free agent at season’s end and figures to be traded in the coming weeks so long as he remains healthy.

Pirates To Activate Keone Kela

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Pirates closer Keone Kela will be active for the team’s upcoming series against the Reds, manager Derek Shelton announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via Will Graves of the Associated Press). It’ll be the season debut for Kela, who has yet to pitch since missing Summer Camp due to a positive Covid-19 test.

Kela, 27, confirmed in a late-July interview with Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he’d tested positive. Despite being asymptomatic, he wasn’t able to meet the requirement of consecutive negative tests, though, which dragged his absence out into a weeks-long ordeal. He was eventually cleared to report to the team in early August and has been building up since that time.

It’ll be a quick ramp-up for Kela, but he’s surely champing at the bit to return. The hard-throwing righty is a free agent for the first time this winter, so he undoubtedly wants as large a window as possible to impress potential suitors — particularly after a minor elbow issue limited him to 29 2/3 frames last year. There’s ample incentive for the Pirates to get him back on the hill, too. Kela represents one of their most obvious trade chips as the team eyes the future and embarks on what looks to be a rebuilding effort. Starling Marte was already traded over the winter.

Kela has pitched in parts of five Major League seasons. He’s had some injury troubles and at times drawn negative headlines for off-field issues — last year’s altercation with a member of the coaching staff led to a team-issued suspension — but Kela is an undeniably talented late-inning reliever. In 214 2/3 big league innings, he’s pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 11.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9 and a 41.3 percent ground-ball rate. He’s been particularly strong over the past three seasons, logging a combined 2.84 ERA and 3.20 FIP in 120 1/3 innings of relief between Texas and Pittsburgh. Shelton has previously confirmed that Kela will serve as Pittsburgh’s closer upon his return.

Nick Burdi Suffers Season-Ending Forearm Strain; Surgery Not Yet Being Considered

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Aug. 12: Burdi won’t require surgery to repair what is being termed as a significant forearm strain, Tomczyk tells reporters (Twitter link via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The Pirates believe the injury is related to Burdi’s prior TOS procedure. He’ll receive a platelet-rich plasma injection and be shut down for the next 10 to 12 weeks before being reevaluated.

Aug. 5: The Pirates announced today that they’ve placed reliever Nick Burdi on the 45-day injured list. He’s said to be dealing with a right elbow injury. Utilityman JT Riddle has been activated from the injured list to take the open roster spot.

While the full outlook isn’t yet known, this is just wretched news for Burdi. The team already has seen enough to know he won’t be able to return in 2020, director of health medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old flamethrower has dealt with numerous significant arm issues over his halting career. He has already rehabbed through Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgeries. Burdi was once a top 50 draft pick and a high-profile prospect in the Twins’ system, but those arm woes have prevented him from capitalizing on his talents. Burdi has a career 3.44 ERA and better than 12 punchouts per nine innings pitched in the minors. He picked up his first big league save in 2020 and held opponents to a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.

Pirates Transfer Clay Holmes To 45-Day Injured List

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The Pirates have transferred righty Clay Holmes from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day injured list, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to Nick Tropeano, who was claimed off waivers earlier today.

Holmes has been out since July 28 with a forearm strain. He has to spend 45 days on the IL from the date of his initial placement — not from the date he’s transferred to the 45-day list — so there’s technically still time for him to return late in the year. However, Mackey notes that the move to the 45-day IL is expected to end Holmes’ season.

Holmes, 27, pitched just 1 1/3 innings this season before being placed on the IL. The Pirates selected him in the ninth round of the same draft that they took Gerrit Cole first overall. Holmes was expected to be a tough sign out of high school and indeed received a $1.2MM bonus to forgo his commitment to Auburn at the time. He ranked among Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects for each of the next eight seasons, per Baseball America.

To this point, however, he’s yet to find his footing in the Majors. Holmes had Tommy John surgery in 2014 and missed the entire season as well as the bulk of the 2015 campaign. He’s had control issues in the upper minors since but managed to post solid ERA marks. However, he’s appeared in 47 big league games and been knocked around for a 5.91 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 through 77 2/3 innings. He’s kept the ball on the ground at a whopping 59.2 percent rate, limited homers well (0.81 HR/9) and averaged 94.5 mph on his oft-used sinker in the big leagues. But his penchant for free passes and hit batters (11) have prevented him from establishing himself as a reliable option.

Holmes is out of minor league options, meaning the Bucs will have somewhat of a decision on their hands over the winter. He’ll have to break camp with the club in 2021 or else be designated for assignment. If the club doesn’t expect Holmes to be on its Opening Day roster in 2021, it’s possible he’ll be outrighted early in the offseason as a means of opening some 40-man roster flexibility over the course of the winter. Holmes, however, isn’t yet eligible for arbitration, so the Pirates could also keep him around for some added pitching depth.

Pirates Place Joe Musgrove On 10-Day Injured List

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The Pirates have placed right-hander Joe Musgrove on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right triceps, per a club announcement. The team didn’t offer a timetable on a potential return.

Acquired in the trade that sent Gerrit Cole to Houston, the now-27-year-old Musgrove has established himself as a useful rotation piece in Pittsburgh. From 2018-19, the former top prospect racked up 285 2/3 innings with the Bucs, pitching to a 4.28 ERA (3.75 FIP) with averages of 8.1 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and 1.04 HR/9. The overall return on that blockbuster that landed Musgrove in Pittsburgh hasn’t been great, but Musgrove himself has provided plenty of value already — and he’s still controlled through the 2022 season.

The length of Musgrove’s absence will be especially worth monitoring given that we’re already less than three weeks from the 2020 trade deadline (Aug. 31). A healthy Musgrove, because of that aforementioned club control, could be an appealing trade piece to any number of clubs that have had injuries in their rotation.

The 3-13 Pirates have zero designs on contending in 2020, and with the playoff field expanded to 16 teams, it stands to reason that the few pure sellers out there would see plenty of demand for their players — particularly those controlled beyond the 2020 season. Parting with meaningful young talent to rent a player for perhaps as little as one month could be a tough thing for buyers to do, but any team that acquired Musgrove would be doing so for another two seasons beyond the current campaign.

Musgrove’s numbers in 2020 don’t look particularly appealing, although it’s a sample of just three starts that is skewed by a recent drubbing at the hands of a Twins lineup which ranks fifth in the Majors in runs scored. Interested clubs would be judging Musgrove on more than those three starts alone, and his overall 4.45 ERA and 4.03 FIP in 300 1/3 frames as a Pirate are plenty appealing. He’s obviously not a dramatic front-of-the-rotation upgrade, but with so many clubs just needing solid mid-rotation contributors as injuries have piled up elsewhere, Musgrove would generate legitimate interest if this triceps issue proves minor.

Pirates Claim Nick Tropeano

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The Pirates announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Nick Tropeano off waivers from the Yankees, who had designated him for assignment over the weekend. Tropeano has been optioned to the Pirates’ alternate training site.

Tropeano, 30 this month, has pitched in parts of five big league seasons, compiling a 4.51 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 1.57 HR/9. He was at one point a fairly well-regarded prospect in the Astros and Angels organizations, but injuries have slowed his career. Tropeanos had Tommy John surgery that cost him all of the 2017 season, and he has since battled shoulder and elbow troubles that have limited him to 182 innings between the minors and big leagues.

Last season, Tropeano was hit hard in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League , posting a 5.87 ERA in 79 2/3 frames. Offense was elevated in that already hitter-friendly league, however, just as it was in the Majors thanks to alterations to the ball’s composition. Prior to last year’s ugly results, Tropeano had a career 3.67 ERA in 223 Triple-A frames. He’ll give the Bucs some depth for their rotation and a possible long relief option.

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