Adam Liberatore

Injury Updates: Morrow, Cubs, Chapman, McFarland, Liberatore

By Mark Polishuk | September 15, 2018 at 1:20pm CDT

The Cubs got some good news on Brandon Morrow today, as the closer felt good after throwing a 19-pitch simulated game. (The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan were among those who reported the news.) Morrow hasn’t pitched since July 15 due to biceps inflammation, and as recently as 10 days ago, manager Joe Maddon expressed some doubt that Morrow would be able to pitch again this season. In the wake of today’s simulated outing, Morrow could potentially be activated from the DL in time for at least part of the Cubs’ series against the Diamondbacks, which begins on Monday. Morrow won’t be used as a closer right away, Maddon said, as the team will ease the righty back into action by keeping him on pitch counts and avoiding using him in back-to-back games. Even in this limited capacity, Morrow’s impending return is nice boost for the Cubs’ postseason chances, as the veteran had a sterling 1.47 ERA, 9.1 K/9, and 3.44 K/BB rate over his first 30 2/3 innings in a Chicago uniform.

Here are some more injury updates from around baseball…

In other Cubs injury news, Maddon told Sahadev Sharma (Twitter link) and other reporters that Jason Heyward could return from the DL as early as today after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury. Kyle Schwarber hasn’t played since September 10 due to a bad back, though the slugger could be available to pinch-hit today.
Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman felt good after a bullpen session today, and he’ll throw a simulated game on Monday or Tuesday, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets. If all goes well, Chapman is on pace to be activated from the disabled list sometime this week. Chapman hit the DL due to knee inflammation on August 22, and there was even some concern that the problem could sideline the closer for the rest of the regular season. Now, however, it looks as if Chapman will be back on the field and get some time to work off the rust before the postseason.
Diamondbacks southpaw T.J. McFarland hasn’t pitched since September 8 due to elbow soreness, though the problem appears to be only a bone spur rather than a more serious UCL issue, FOX Sports Arizona’s Jody Jackson reports (via Twitter). McFarland is back to playing catch with the hopes of a return to the mound. The left-hander has been a force for the D’Backs this season, posting a 2.00 ERA and a 67.9% grounder rate over 72 relief innings.
Free agent reliever Adam Liberatore will require 6-8 weeks of recovery time after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports (Twitter link). The procedure isn’t expected to have any impact on Liberatore’s readiness for the 2019 season, though it will obviously slow his chances of immediately catching on with a new team. The left-hander was limited by knee problems this season and a forearm strain in 2017, and thus he has thrown just 16 1/3 Major League innings total in 2017-18. When healthy, Liberatore has looked like a solid relief option, posting a 3.55 ERA, 9.4 K/9, and 2.58 K/BB rate over 88 2/3 career frames for the Dodgers, who released Liberatore last week.

Dodgers Release Adam Liberatore

By Steve Adams | September 6, 2018 at 10:30am CDT

The Dodgers have released left-handed reliever Adam Liberatore, as first reflected on the MLB.com transactions page. Liberatore was designated for assignment last week after the Dodgers acquired Ryan Madson from the Nationals.

Liberatore, 31, enjoyed an excellent season with the 2016 Dodgers but has since been slowed by injury troubles — most notably a forearm strain that cost him much of the 2017 season. He’s tallied 13 big league innings in 2018 with a quality 2.77 ERA and a dozen strikeouts, though he also issued eight walks in that time and had some struggles in Triple-A Oklahoma City (5.19 ERA, 17-to-6 K/BB ratio, two hit batters in 17 1/3 innings).

At his best in 2016, Liberatore gave the Dodgers 42 2/3 frames of 3.38 ERA ball with 9.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 38.9 percent ground-ball rate. Despite being more of a fly-ball pitcher, he yielded only two long balls that year. He’s lost a couple of ticks off his fastball since that ’16 season, averaging 90.9 mph on his heater in his limited sample of big league innings this year, but Liberatore was still characteristically tough on left-handed opponents. Throughout his career, lefties have batted just .204/.294/.311 against him through 188 plate appearances.

Notably, Liberatore was on the minor league disabled list due to a knee issue at the time of his DFA, which explains the decision to release him rather than pass him through outright waivers. (Injured players cannot be passed through outright waivers during the season.) It’s common in these instances for the player to re-sign with his previous organization, though Liberatore will now have the ability to sign with any team.

Dodgers Designate Adam Liberatore For Assignment

By Steve Adams | August 31, 2018 at 1:54pm CDT

The Dodgers announced Friday that they’ve designated left-hander Adam Liberatore for assignment. His roster spot will go to the newly acquired Ryan Madson, whose trade to the Dodgers is now official.

Liberatore, 31, enjoyed a terrific season with the 2016 Dodgers, working to a 3.38 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 0.42 HR/9 and a 38.9 percent ground-ball rate. Lefties hit just .169/.250/.244 against him that season. However, Liberatore missed the bulk of the 2017 season with a forearm strain and has been injured in Triple-A this season as well. The southpaw does have a 2.77 ERA in 13 big league innings this year, but he’s issued eight walks and a hit a batter in that small sample and has yielded 16 runs (10 earned) and a whopping 29 hits in 17 Triple-A frames.

Though he hasn’t had a great season and was injured for most of 2017, Liberatore could yet appeal to other clubs. He’s held opposing left-handed hitters to a .204/.294/.311 slash in his Major League career and even held righties to a fairly tame .242/.318/.388 slash. Teams will have to weigh those results against the fact that his fastball is down nearly three miles per hour from his 2015 debut, though, as well as the fact that he’ll be out of minor league options in 2019.

Dodgers Activate Clayton Kershaw

By Kyle Downing | June 23, 2018 at 4:33pm CDT

The Dodgers announced today that they’ve officially activated legendary southpaw Clayton Kershaw from the disabled list, optioning lefty Adam Liberatore to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

It was reported yesterday that Kershaw was set to forego a rehab assignment and start tonight’s game. The three-time Cy Young Award-winner has only made eight starts to date this season, which haven’t been quite on par with his usual standards; the lefty owns a 3.47 FIP in 2018 to go with 53 strikeouts against 11 walks in 49 innings. While still respectable, that FIP would be Kershaw’s highest mark since his rookie season in 2008.

The 30-year-old will finally get a chance to re-establish his value in advance of a potential bout with free agency. It’s widely-known that Kershaw can opt out of the remaining two years and $65MM on his contract in order to test the open market, but a hurler who has long been known as the most dominant in the game suddenly has an injury reputation after missing time in each of the past three seasons with back issues. How he performs the rest of the season and whether he stays healthy will both have an impact on whether the future Hall of Famer ends up a free agent at the end of the year.

Liberatore has spent his entire major-league career with the Dodgers, pitching in parts of each season since his debut in 2015. He owns a lifetime ERA of 3.55 in the majors to go along with 9.44 K/9 and 3.65 BB/9. His control appears to have gotten away from him this season, however, as that walk rate has spiked to 5.54 BB/9 (though in an admittedly small 13-inning sample size). Liberatore has pitched fewer than one inning in eight of his 17 appearances on the season.

Dennis Santana Diagnosed With Rotator Cuff Strain

By Jeff Todd | June 8, 2018 at 7:53pm CDT

7:53pm: The team is now calling Santana’s injury a right rotator cuff strain, Gurnick tweets.

6:43pm: Dodgers righty Dennis Santana has been diagnosed with a torn lat, manager Dave Roberts told reports including Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (Twitter links). In related moves, relievers Pat Venditte and Adam Liberatore are joining the active roster, while Brock Stewart was optioned.

Roberts also provided updates on a few other hurlers (via Gurnick; all links to Twitter). Righty Kenta Maeda is on track for a potential return next week, while southpaw reliever Tony Cingrani has been diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain that isn’t believed to be serious. As for ace Clayton Kershaw, Roberts says his ailing back is currently symptom-free, which seems a promising note at an early stage of his recocvery.

The most important news here involves Santana, the 22-year-old who was just brought up for his first MLB action. Entering the season, there was no real indication that he’d be called upon this soon to play a role in the majors. But even as he worked to a 2.54 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in ten outings in the upper minors, the big league staff was beset by injuries.

It’s not known how long Santana will likely be sidelined. Roberts indicated that there’s further medical assessment to be done before that will be clear. But it seems reasonable to anticipate a fairly lengthy absence. Santana will accrue MLB service time while he’s on the disabled list. He’ll also occupy a 40-man spot unless and until he’s moved to the 60-day DL.

NL Notes: Mets, Phillies, Giants, Dodgers

By Connor Byrne | September 9, 2017 at 10:08am CDT

Infielder Jose Reyes told reporters on Friday that he’d like to finish his career with the Mets, but it doesn’t appear the team will re-sign the impending free agent. Mets officials are “lukewarm” about bringing back the 34-year-old, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post, while Marc Carig of Newsday adds (on Twitter) that he’s unlikely to be in their plans next season. Reyes’ fate with the Mets could ultimately hinge on whether they exercise fellow veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera’s $8.5MM option (or buy him out for $2.5MM), writes Puma, who notes that Reyes is immensely popular in their clubhouse. Along with his behind-the-scenes presence, including his close relationship with Amed Rosario, Reyes has recovered from a subpar first half to provide a .288/.355/.468 batting line in 155 post-All-Star break plate appearances to make his case for another Mets contract. He signed his current deal last summer after serving a domestic violence suspension as a member of the Rockies, who released him.

Injury Notes: Cespedes, Britton, Heyward, McCarthy, Chen, Leclerc

By Jeff Todd | May 8, 2017 at 11:59pm CDT

Mets star Yoenis Cespedes is nearly ready to begin baseball activities and could conceivably return within about two weeks, manager Terry Collins told reporters including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). His hamstring strain seemed fairly significant when it occurred abut ten days ago, though he seems to have bounced back fairly well in the interim. While New York has been showing some signs of life on the field, that doesn’t mean the club is any less anxious to welcome Cespedes back to the fold.

Here are some more updates on injury situations around the league:

The Orioles received some good news on closer Zach Britton, as Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports. Britton’s ailing left forearm still doesn’t appear to be related to any ligament issues, further examination showed. Noted physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache has recommended that he rest for about ten days before beginning to throw, so it’ll be a few weeks before Britton will return. It still seems concerning that Britton was forced back to the DL for a second time not long after returning, but it’s obviously also quite promising to hear that there’s still no evidence of a structural problem.
Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward is heading to the 10-day DL with a hand injury, as Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com was among those to report (Twitter link). For now, he’ll be replaced on the active roster by righty Dylan Floro. At present, there’s no reason to think that Heyward will require a lengthy rest. He’ll no doubt be anxious to get back to work at improving upon his stunningly poor 2016 season. There have been some signs of life, though Heyward is hitting just .253/.333/.364 with three home runs over 111 plate appearances.
Also heading to the 10-day DL is Dodgers righty Brandon McCarthy, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report. McCarthy suggested that the layoff wasn’t necessary, as his shoulder injury occurred to the non-throwing side. But the organization felt there were at least some problems with having him on the field before the shoulder was fully healed — and, perhaps, also saw an opportunity to rest McCarthy’s arm while giving innings to other pitchers and adding another reliever (lefty Adam Liberatore). “When you have five other guys who are capable, right now, to pitch and help us win baseball games, to have the benefit of some extra days to strengthen [the shoulder], to heal it — as an organization, I think it’s the right thing [to do],” said manager Dave Roberts (parentheticals via McCullough). “I understand his frustration.”
The Marlins may be without lefty Wei-Yin Chen a bit longer than had been anticipated, as Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel reports. When he went to the DL with an elbow issue, the hope was he’d only miss one outing. But skipper Don Mattingly said today that Chen’s elbow “seems to have taken a little bit of a back turn.” It remains to be seen just how long Chen will be out, but it’s certainly not promising to hear that his condition did not progress as hoped.
Rangers reliever Jose Leclerc is heading to the 10-day DL with a bruised index finger, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced by southpaw Dario Alvarez. Leclerc, 23, has been a bright spot for the struggling organization. Over 11 2/3 innings, he has allowed just three earned runs on six hits while racking up 18 strikeouts against five walks. Hopefully, he’ll return to health and have a chance to get back to continuing that strong start in short order.

Adam Liberatore To Undergo Left Elbow Surgery

By Jeff Todd | October 3, 2016 at 10:08pm CDT

Dodgers lefty Adam Liberatore will undergo a debridement procedure tomorrow on his left elbow, the team announced. He is expected to be able to recover in time for a full 2017 season, per the team’s statement.

Liberatore, 29, was a revelation for the Dodgers in the first half of the campaign. He had only ever appeared in the majors previously in 2015 for L.A., but allowed just two earned runs over his first 33 innings on the season.

That pace proved difficult to keep up, especially as injury issues crept in. Liberatore ended up struggling through August and September, and ended the year with a 3.38 ERA ovr 42 2/3 frames, with an excellent 9.9 K/9 versus 3.6 BB/9.

Given his difficulties, Liberatore likely wasn’t slated to appear in the postseason for the Dodgers even before today’s news, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Still, it’s disappointing that he won’t even have a chance to appear if a need arises.

The Dodgers are no strangers to managing pitchers with health issues, so they’ll no doubt value Liberatore as a potential contributor next year. Still, he’ll need to earn his opportunities and prove his health next spring in order to claim a major role in the Los Angeles pen in 2017.

Injury Notes: McCullers, Nola, Pelfrey, Tilson, Dodgers, Lindgren

By Jeff Todd | August 3, 2016 at 5:37pm CDT

As seemed likely after he departed last night’s game with elbow soreness, Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. was placed on the 15-day DL today. Rookie Joe Musgrove will take his rotation spot, which at least does afford the club an opportunity to give him a reasonable look. That’s rather a dull silver lining, though, as McCullers has arguably been Houston’s best pitcher this year when healthy and remains a critical element of the team’s hopes this year and in the future. McCullers says that he’ll wait at least two weeks before being checked up on, at which point he could resume throwing — if he’s deemed ready. (Via Brian Smith of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter.)

[Related: Updated Astros Depth Chart]

Here are some more important injury notes from around the game:

The Phillies have placed righty Aaron Nola on the 15-day DL after he experienced some elbow discomfort, as Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Voice writes. Though there doesn’t appear to be any grave concern, it’s also not clear that Nola will throw again in the majors this year. He’s set to be shut down for at least a week, and if it goes much longer than the team may not see the benefit in trying to ramp him back up for only a few outings.

[Related: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]

Tigers righty Mike Pelfrey is hitting the disabled list with a back strain, as the team announced. He has thrown 115 1/3 innings of 4.76 ERA ball with 4.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 on the year. That’s really not what Detroit thought it was signing up for when it signed Pelfrey to a two-year, $16MM deal as a free agent before the season. Fortunately for the Tigers, the loss of Pelfrey coincides with an even more impactful addition: the return of slugger J.D. Martinez.

[Related: Updated Tigers Depth Chart]

White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson will miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring in his MLB debut, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. Tilson was only just acquired, in exchange for reliever Zach Duke, and moved straight to Chicago’s major league roster. After recording a hit in his first turn at the plate in the majors, he popped his hammy chasing down a fly ball and now needs surgery. Regarded as a speedy, contact-oriented player, Tilson was set for something of a showcase over the last two months of the season; instead, he’ll have to rehab and look to impress his new team next spring.

[Related: Updated White Sox Depth Chart]

The Dodgers added two relievers to the 15-day DL, with Louis Coleman (right shoulder) and Adam Liberatore (left elbow) needing a respite. Coleman has been useful for Los Angeles, but the loss of Liberatore, in particular, is notable: he was in the midst of a surprising breakout campaign, with 33 1/3 innings of 1.62 ERA ball. Meanwhile, Los Angeles transferred Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day DL. That’s largely a formality to clear a 40-man spot, as it was already clear that he’d miss at least that much time, but the placement certainly doesn’t change the increasing perception that the game’s best pitcher may not be able to continue what had been his greatest season as a professional. Indeed, it still seems that he has yet to begin throwing.

[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

Yankees southpaw Jacob Lindgren is going to miss all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, as George A. King III of the New York Post tweets. The 23-year-old moved quickly to the majors after being drafted in 2014, and looked like an immediate and future piece of the Yankees’ relief picture. Instead, he has managed to throw only seven innings at the High-A level on the year, with more walks than strikeouts (9 to 8) in that span.

Mets Monitoring Dodgers, Rockies In Search For Lefty Relief

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2015 at 4:46pm CDT

4:46pm: The Mets are also intrigued by Rockies left-hander Rex Brothers, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. A team official told Rubin at the Winter Meetings that Brothers was of interest to the Amazins, and that interest is apparently still alive. The 27-year-old Brothers will earn $1.4MM this year after a down season in 2014. Last year, he struggled to a 5.59 ERA as his control spiked and he posted a career-worst 6.2 BB/9 rate.

Brothers was excellent, however, from 2011-13, especially when considering his home park. In that time, he notched a 2.82 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 out of the Colorado ’pen. He’s had a good Spring Training thus far and is under team control through 2017. Brothers has a career 2.40 ERA on the road compared to a 4.51 mark at Coors Field.

As Rubin notes, the Rox also have southpaw Boone Logan, though his contract seems especially prohibitive for the Mets; Logan is owed $5.5MM this year and $6.25MM in 2016.

4:01pm: The Mets are “keeping an eye on” three Dodgers left-handed relief options — J.P. Howell, Paco Rodriguez and Adam Liberatore — in case any of the three become available, reports Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles (via Twitter).

The Mets have a known need for a bullpen lefty following Josh Edgin’s Tommy John surgery and have been connected to Baltimore’s Brian Matusz on multiple occasions this spring. Of course, Matusz sounds to be more available than any of the three Dodger southpaws, based on Saxon’s wording.

Howell would seem to have a spot in the Dodgers’ bullpen locked down, as the former Ray has posted a 2.19 ERA over the past two seasons with Los Angeles and is entering the second season of a two-year, $11.25MM contract signed following a strong first year with the Dodgers. Besides that fact, Howell is slated to earn $4MM this season, and the Mets reportedly aren’t even comfortable with Matusz’s $3.2MM salary, so it’s hard to envision a great fit with Howell.

Rodriguez and Liberatore, however, could conceivably be more available, and neither would cost much more than the Major League minimum in terms of salary. Rodriguez, 23, was the Dodgers’ second-round pick in 2012 and reached the Majors that same season. However, despite a strong 2013 followup to his brief 2012 cameo, (2.32 ERA, 10.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9), Rodriguez saw just 14 regular-season innings with the Dodgers last year. Rodriguez struggled to a 4.40 ERA in Triple-A’s hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in 2014 and was slowed by a strained shoulder muscle as well. With just one year, 120 days of MLB service time, Rodriguez likely wouldn’t be arbitration eligible for another two years, making him an understandably appealing target.

It’s unclear how the new front office views Rodriguez, but the old regime clearly had some concerns over his readiness. The former front office invested significantly in free agent relievers last winter (including Brian Wilson and Chris Perez — neither of whom panned out) and quickly optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A after a rough patch in late April. New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, GM Farhan Zaidi and VP Josh Byrnes may have more faith in Rodriguez and be reluctant to part with him.

As for Liberatore, the Dodgers only acquired him this offseason. The 27-year-old had previously been with the Rays, so it was hardly surprising to see Friedman pull both Liberatore and Joel Peralta from the Rays organization in a trade with his former colleagues. Liberatore is older for a prospect, but he has exceptional numbers at the Triple-A level, where he’s worked to a 2.40 ERA in 146 1/3 innings. His most impressive work came in 2014, when he worked to a 1.66 ERA with 11.9 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 65 innings.

For what it’s worth, both Liberatore and Rodriguez have had excellent Spring Training campaigns, combining for 13 innings of scoreless relief. That likely doesn’t mean much, and considering the fact that both have Minor League options remaining, there’s no pressure for the Dodgers to move either, even if they don’t break camp in the bullpen. Also to be considered is the fact that relief help is a need for the Dodgers themselves, particularly in the wake of an injury to closer Kenley Jansen that may only sideline him through mid-April but could leave him on the shelf into mid-May. The Dodgers have a number of contracts they’d like to shed (e.g. Alex Guerrero, Erisbel Arruebarrena) but the Mets would hardly seem to be in a financial position to sweeten the pot by taking on some salary in a trade.

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