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Albert Almora

Reds Make Series Of Roster Moves

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The Reds announced a host of roster moves before their series against the Blue Jays. First baseman Joey Votto has been reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list. Outfielder Aristides Aquino, righty Graham Ashcraft and utilityman Taylor Motter have all been selected to the majors as designated COVID “substitutes.”

Cincinnati placed four players — Tyler Mahle, Albert Almora Jr., Joel Kuhnel and Brandon Drury — on the restricted list. That’s standard procedure for players who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 playing on teams that are headed to Toronto. The Canadian government prohibits unvaccinated players from entering the country, so that quartet will be unavailable for this weekend’s series.

Votto returns after missing more than two weeks because of virus concerns. The six-time All-Star began experiencing COVID symptoms during the first week of May, and he wound up missing enough time the organization sent him on a brief minor league rehab assignment. After a pair of appearances with Triple-A Louisville, the Toronto native returns for a set against his hometown club. He’ll look to right the ship offensively after the time off; Votto has opened the season in a dreadful .122/.278/.135 slump through 22 games.

Aquino, Motter and Ashcraft all occupy temporary spots on the roster. That the club specified they were COVID substitutes suggests it’s likely to be a brief stint for all three. Players whose contracts are selected with that designation can be removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the minors without passing through waivers as the team returns to full strength. In the Reds’ case, that’ll be after this series, so each of Aquino, Motter and Ashcraft is probably only up for three days.

The righty-hitting Aquino opened the year in the majors but got out to an awful start. He was outrighted off the roster earlier this month, but he’s tattooed Triple-A pitching (.314/.405/.743 with four homers) through ten games. Motter signed a minor league deal last month. The righty-hitting utilityman is hitting .245/.344/.566 with Louisville and offers some multi-positional depth in Drury’s place.

While this figures to be a brief stint for Ashcraft, the 24-year-old will probably play a notable role on the roster before too long. A sixth-round pick out of UAB in 2019, the 6’2″ hurler has quickly developed into one of the better arms in the farm system. Ashcraft split last season between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, posting an even 3.00 ERA across 111 innings. He’s spent this year with Louisville, working to a 1.65 ERA over seven starts, albeit without great strikeout or walk numbers.

Baseball America recently ranked Ashcraft the #12 prospect in the Cincinnati organization, praising a mid-90s cut fastball that serves as his primary offering. Both BA and FanGraphs — which slotted him #17 in the system — suggest that Ashcraft’s below-average changeup and inconsistent control point to a long-term bullpen future, but he’s remained a starter to this point as a pro. Ashcraft will have to be added to the 40-man roster next offseason to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft, and potential trades by the last-place Reds could open an extended opportunity for him later this summer.

Cincinnati also announced that shortstop José Barrero will begin a rehab assignment with the Bats. The club’s anticipated regular shortstop, he hasn’t played this season after suffering a hamate injury during Spring Training. Position players can spend up to 20 days on rehab assignments, suggesting Barrero’s set to make his 2022 debut within the next three weeks assuming all goes well in the minors.

Reds Select Albert Almora, Ronnie Dawson

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The Reds announced this evening that outfielders Nick Senzel and Tyler Naquin have been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Fellow outfielders Albert Almora Jr. and Ronnie Dawson have been selected to the majors as designated COVID substitutes.

It’s the second time this season that both Senzel and Naquin have gone on the virus list. They join first baseman Joey Votto, who hit the COVID list yesterday. The team didn’t announce whether either player has tested positive, is dealing with symptoms, or has been identified as a close contact.

That the team specified Almora’s and Dawson’s selections as being of the “substitute” variety is notable for their roster status. Under the 2022 health and safety protocols, the commissioner’s office has the sole discretion to determine whether a team has been sufficiently impacted by COVID to call up “substitute” players. If granted permission, the team can then return those substitutes back to Triple-A (and, if he was not previously on the 40-man, off the roster entirely) without utilizing a minor league option or passing the player through waivers.

Neither Almora nor Dawson were previously on the 40-man roster. Almora inked a minor league contract over the offseason, while the Reds plucked Dawson from the Astros in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Both players can thus be taken off the 40-man and returned to Triple-A Louisville without clearing waivers as the team gets healthier.

Almora is the more familiar name for most fans. A top ten pick of the Cubs in 2012, he spent a few seasons as Chicago’s primary center fielder. Almora played strong defense and hit at a roughly league average level for his first couple years in the majors, but his offensive output turned downwards beginning in 2019. He played in 47 games but only tallied 54 plate appearances for the Mets last season. He has gotten off to a productive if atypical start at Louisville, hitting .380/.392/.460. Almora has walked just once in 51 plate appearances, but he’s also only punched out twice.

Dawson is an Ohio native who played collegiately at Ohio State. He made a brief debut with Houston last season, tallying six plate appearances in three games. The 26-year-old is hitting .283/.377/.435 over 106 plate appearances with the Bats. He has suited up at all three outfield positions but spent the majority of his time in the corners.

Reds To Sign Albert Almora

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There’s a locker for outfielder Albert Almora in the Reds’ clubhouse, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Presumably, he and the club have agreed to a minor league deal.

Almora, turning 28 next month, showed a lot of promise in his first few years with the Cubs. From 2016 to 2018, he hit .289/.326/.413, wRC+ of 96. Combining that average-ish offensive production with his excellent outfield defense, he was worth 2.9 fWAR in 331 games. Unfortunately, his bat has continued to decline, with a wRC+ of 62 in 2019 and 34 in 2020.

The Mets took a $1.25MM flier on Almora last year, but his bat slid even further, as he hit just .115/.148/.173 in the big leagues. However, he showed much more promise in Triple-A last year, hitting .270/.331/.428.

Due to his defense, Almora doesn’t need to hit much to be a useful bench piece for the Reds, though he’ll have to earn his way into a somewhat-crowded mix that includes Tyler Naquin, Nick Senzel, Jake Fraley, Aristides Aquino, Shogo Akiyama and TJ Friedl. Almora has over four years of MLB service time, meaning he can be retained for another season via arbitration if he should earn his way back onto a 40-man roster.

Players Recently Electing Free Agency

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With the regular season over, a series of players are closing in on free agency. The highest-profile will be available as major league free agents, those with six-plus years of MLB service time not under contract with a team. But there will be dozens of players in the coming weeks who qualify for minor league free agency and more quietly reach the open market as well.

Players can qualify for minor league free agency in a few ways. The most notable of these include: players with 3+ years of MLB service time who have been outrighted off their teams’ 40-man rosters this season, players who have been outrighted off a 40-man roster multiple times in their careers, and unsigned players not on a 40-man roster who have spent parts of at least seven seasons on a minor league roster or injured list.

Many of these players won’t officially reach free agency until the start of the offseason, but some were let go by their teams a few weeks early once the regular season concluded. Each of the following players has elected minor league free agency within the past week, according to the MLB.com and Triple-A transactions trackers:

Mets Place J.D. Davis On 10-Day IL, Designate Albert Almora

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The Mets announced a trio of roster moves prior to today’s game, including the placement of third baseman J.D. Davis on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand sprain.  The placement is retroactive to September 23, but Davis’ 2021 season seems in all likelihood to be over.  In corresponding roster moves, New York activated righty Sean Reid-Foley from the 60-day injured list, and designated outfielder Albert Almora for assignment.

This marks the fourth time this season that Davis has had to spend time on the IL due to his bothersome left hand, and as a result, Davis made only 211 plate appearances over 73 games.  Davis has also been in a rough slump for over a month, which further reduced his playing time since Jonathan Villar (who ended up getting the bulk of third base playing time during Davis’ IL stints) became the top choice at the hot corner.

Despite his late slump, Davis will still finish with very strong numbers during his abbreviated season.  The 28-year-old has hit .285/.384/.436 with five homers over 211 PA, good for a 126 OPS+ and 130 wRC+.  This essentially matches Davis’ overall slash line in a Mets uniform, since he has done nothing but hit since being acquired from the Astros prior to the 2019 season.

While hitting production hasn’t been an issue, Davis’ glovework as a third baseman and left fielder has been subpar, at times making him something of an odd man out as New York has tried to figure out to best deploy its roster.  The Mets will face plenty of question marks in their infield this winter, and since they have already dangled Davis in trade talks, the club might be ready to move on.  With three years of arbitration control remaining and those strong numbers at the plate, Davis would certainly draw some attention as a very interesting trade chip as the Mets look to upgrade the roster.

Known as a defensive specialist during his time with the Cubs, Almora was signed to a one-year, $1.25MM deal to provide some depth for the Mets outfield.  As it turned out, Almora was pretty average with the glovework, he spent over five weeks on the injured list with shoulder problems, and his .321 OPS over 54 PA resulted in a minus-9 wRC+ and minus-11 OPS+.  Since the start of the 2019 season, Almora has hit only .216/.256/.342 in 451 plate appearances, and he’ll surely have to settle for a minor league deal if he catches on with another club in the offseason.

Reid-Foley hasn’t pitched since June 30 due to right elbow inflammation.  Between this long injury absence and several shuttles back and forth from Triple-A earlier in the season, Reid-Foley has tossed 20 2/3 innings (with a 5.23 ERA) in his first season with the Mets.

Injured List Returns: Hoerner, Benintendi, Villar, Snell

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The Cubs activated Nico Hoerner off the 10-day injured list prior to today’s 3-2 loss to the Reds, with infielder Sergio Alcantara optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Hoerner has been out of action since May 26 due to a left hamstring strain, and that was after already missing time earlier in May with a left forearm strain.  Since Hoerner wasn’t called up from the alternate training site until April 22, today marked only the 22nd game of the season for the former top prospect.

Hoerner only showed flashes of his promise during the 2019-20 seasons, but was off to a strong start this year, hitting .338/.405/.432 in his first 84 plate appearances of the 2021 campaign.  The Cubs are desperate for any sort of reinforcements, as a nine-game losing streak has sent them spiraling down the NL Central standings and down to an even 42-42 record.

More on some notable names returning to action today…

  • Andrew Benintendi was activated off the Royals’ 10-day IL prior to the team’s 6-2 loss to the Twins.  A right rib fracture sent Benintendi to the IL on June 14, and the relatively quick return is a particularly good sign considering that rib injuries essentially ruined the outfielder’s 2020 season.  Benintendi had done a good job of bouncing back from that down year, hitting .283/.340/.429 with eight home runs over 241 plate appearances.  The Royals optioned Edward Olivares to Triple-A to make room for Benintendi’s activation.
  • In between games of their doubleheader with the Yankees, the Mets activated infielder Jonathan Villar off the 10-day IL, with outfielder Albert Almora Jr. going down to Triple-A.  Villar had a retroactive placement of June 22 with a right calf strain, so he’ll miss only slightly beyond the 10-day minimum.  Amidst multiple injuries within the Mets’ infield this season, Villar has ended up being a major contributor, hitting .246/.333/.410 with six homers in 208 PA while seeing the bulk of action as New York’s starting third baseman.
  • Blake Snell tossed four shutout innings in the Padres’ 11-1 rout of the Phillies today, as Snell was activated off the injured list in time for the start.  Snell was technically placed on the COVID-related IL while battling a case of food poisoning, which is why he was able to be activated today despite landing on the injured list on June 30.  (Snell tested negative for COVID-19.)  While Snell has a 4.99 ERA for the season, he has now tossed nine scoreless innings over his last two outings, hinting at a potential turnaround for the lefty’s first season in San Diego.  Right-hander Mason Thompson was optioned to Triple-A to create roster space for Snell.

Mets Place Joey Lucchesi On 10-Day IL, Activate Albert Almora

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The Mets have placed lefty Joey Lucchesi on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing elbow.  Outfielder Albert Almora will take Lucchesi’s spot on the active roster, as Almora has himself been activated off the 10-day IL.

With New York facing a number of injuries in its pitching staff this season, Lucchesi has been a valuable arm, able to work both in the rotation and out of the bullpen.  Lucchesi has a 4.46 ERA/3.72 SIERA over 38 1/3 innings (starting eight of his 11 games), and an above-average 26.1% strikeout rate and seven percent walk rate.  The southpaw added to this resume with a strong outing just last night, tossing 5 1/3 shutout innings against the Nationals.

The Mets have doubleheaders scheduled for today, Monday, and on Friday, so the rotation was already facing a crunch even before Lucchesi hit the IL (the club does have an off-day on Thursday to act as something of a reset).  Robert Gsellman is scheduled to start the second game tonight, and a solid outing could put him in line to act as Lucchesi’s replacement.

Almora has been on the IL since May 12 due to a shoulder contusion suffered after a big collision with the outfield wall.  The 27-year-old will settle back into his backup outfield role, and look to essentially restart his season after hitting only .048/.091/.048 in his first 22 plate appearances.

Quick Hits: Rays, Glasnow, Roe, Tigers, Boyd, Mets/Nats

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Rays fans can allow themselves some tempered excitement after the latest check-up on Tyler Glasnow. The lanky flamethrower will be shut down for four weeks before beginning to throw again, but that said, they may have located another source of Glasnow’s discomfort, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The latest diagnosis theorizes that his elbow irritation could at least in part be the result of a bone issue, which Glasnow’s doctors will attempt to treat during this period of rest. Of course, much uncertainty remains for Glasnow, whose injury became a bit of a firestarter for the debate around the use of illegal substances. After his injury, Glasnow was vocal in opposition of MLB’s attempt to curtail the use of illegal substances on the mound by way of an in-season mandate.

Neither Glasnow’s injury nor the “sticky stuff” saga will be resolved in the immediate future, however, so let’s turn instead to the latest news on his Tampa teammate: reliever Chaz Roe has cut his rehab short for the time being. Roe has been out since April with a shoulder strain. The latest issue, however, is not with the shoulder, but rather a case of biceps tendinitis, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). It will be another 7-10 days until he’s able to resume throwing.

Elsewhere around the game…

  • Tigers starter Matthew Boyd has been to see a “number of doctors” about the arm discomfort that landed him on the injured list on June 15th. He won’t pitch again before the All-Star break, but there is no structural damage in the arm, per the Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen (via Twitter). Detroit plans to be cautious with the 30-year-old southpaw, adds Evan Woodbery of the Mlive Media Group (via Twitter). In 13 starts this season, Boyd has a 3.44 ERA/3.75 FIP across 70 2/3 innings. In terms of the positive, his 6.4 percent walk rate is better than his career norm. On the other side, Boyd’s strikeouts are down (18.8 percent strikeout rate). If all goes well, the Tigers hope to have a healthy Boyd back in the rotation for the second half.
  • The Mets and Nationals will play a doubleheader today. Both teams will add a 27th man to the roster for the day. In the Nationals’ case, right-hander Ryne Harper has stayed with the team after being optioned to Triple-A yesterday, per the team. He will be available out of the pen for manager Davey Martinez in both games. The Mets, meanwhile, recalled right-hander Yennsy Diaz to be their 27th man, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (via Twitter). There was some indication that Albert Almora Jr. would be activated from the injured list, and that’s still a possibility for game two, Dicomo notes.

Mets Notes: Conforto, McNeil, Nimmo, Carrasco, deGrom

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The Mets have been ravaged by injuries this season, but it seems a few of the team’s most important players are making strides in their recoveries. Outfielder Michael Conforto and utilityman Jeff McNeil began rehab assignments with Triple-A Syracuse this week. Manager Luis Rojas tells reporters (including Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News) McNeil could rejoin the major league club in the next couple days, while Conforto could return to the big leagues next week. Center fielder Brandon Nimmo isn’t far behind those two, as he could embark on a rehab assignment of his own next week, per Rojas (via Tim Healey of Newsday). Fourth outfielder Albert Almora Jr. is expected back this weekend, having completed his own rehab stint with Syracuse, relays Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (Twitter link).

Conforto and McNeil each went down with hamstring strains on May 16, and both players will apparently return after slightly more than a month on the injured list. Nimmo suffered a left index finger injury in early May that proved more problematic than expected. Originally believed to be dealing with a nerve issue, Nimmo eventually found he’d suffered a ligament tear. Almora has missed just more than a month with a left shoulder contusion.

While the bulk of the Mets recent injury woes has been on the position player side, they’ve also been without key starter Carlos Carrasco all season. The veteran righty went down with a right hamstring strain in mid-March that has proven difficult from which to recover. Carrasco, though, has begun a throwing program off flat ground, per DiComo. There’s still hope he’ll be able to make his team debut at some point next month.

Of course, the Mets most recent injury scare came when NL Cy Young award favorite Jacob deGrom left Wednesday night’s start after three innings because of shoulder soreness. Follow-up testing revealed no issues, and deGrom was able to complete a ten-pitch bullpen session this afternoon, his customary between-starts routine. Rojas said the Mets will take their time in deciding whether deGrom will make his next scheduled start on Monday (via Thosar).

Mets Promote Khalil Lee, Place Albert Almora On Injured List

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The Mets announced Wednesday that they’ve placed outfielder Albert Almora Jr. on the injured list with a shoulder contusion and promoted outfield prospect Khalil Lee for what will be his Major League debut. Almora sustained the injury on a full-sprint collision with the center field wall on what was very nearly a brilliant catch against the Orioles last night (video link). Almora briefly caught what was a deep drive off the bat of Austin Hays before the impact knocked the ball loose and resulted in a triple. He left the game for testing, and the fact that he escaped with what appears to be a relatively minor injury is welcome news.

In place of Almora, the Mets will turn to the 22-year-old Lee — a 2016 third-round pick by the Royals who ranked as one of the better prospects in the Kansas City organization before coming to the Mets by way of the three-team Andrew Benintendi trade over the winter. Lee opened the season in Triple-A but will get his first call to the big leagues after a six-game stint in Syracuse that saw him bat .250/.478/.313 in a small sample of 23 plate appearances.

Entering the season, Lee was generally regarded among the Mets’ ten best farmhands, ranking seventh at MLB.com, eighth at FanGraphs and ninth at Baseball America. Scouting reports on Lee praise his plus arm, above-average raw power and above-average speed, but his tools have been counteracted to an extent by his penchant for striking out. Lee has punched out in just over 28 percent of his professional plate appearances, though he’s also walked in nearly 12 percent of them. He can handle all three outfield positions and has a 53-steal campaign in 2019 under his belt, although both BA and FanGraphs note that’s more a product of his aggression on the bases than blistering raw speed.

Lee’s initial call to the big leagues comes at a time when the Mets have both Almora and Brandon Nimmo on the injured list, which should create some opportunities to get him into the lineup. He may not have an immediate path to a roster spot once the team is back up to full strength, but Mets fans will get their first look at a player who could factor into the team’s plans for the next several years at some point in the near future. Lee isn’t in the starting lineup today — Dominic Smith, Kevin Pillar and Michael Conforto are manning the outfield — but is available off the bench and figures to get into a game before too long.

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