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Anthony DeSclafani

Quick Hits: Twins, Sano, DeSclafani, Mikolas

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The Twins announced a few baseball operations changes on Tuesday, including the hiring of 27-year-old Jeremy Zoll as the team’s new director of minor league operations. Brad Steil, who had previously been the team’s farm director since 2013, will now instead head up the Twins’ pro scouting department. Zoll has spent the past few seasons in the Dodgers organization, most recently holding the title of assistant director of player development. Zoll has also worked as an advance scouting coordinator with the Angels. “We’re really fortunate and excited to have him,” said chief baseball officer Derek Falvey of the newly hired Zoll (link via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger). “He came in highly recommended from the people he worked with and around. He’ll bring some new ideas into what we’re doing developmentally.”

A bit more from around the league…

  • While it’s been suggested that surgery isn’t expected for Twins slugger Miguel Sano, GM Thad Levine said today that surgery is still an option for the third baseman’s ailing shin (via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Levine painted surgery as a last resort, however, and said the team will explore other avenues. A decision will be made sooner rather than later though, as the procedure Sano would theoretically require would come with an eight-week recovery, so the Twins understandably don’t want to wait too long before making the call. Whether Sano requires surgery or avoids going under the knife, manager Paul Molitor said today that he doesn’t think Sano needs to play in the Dominican Winter League this year, per Berardino.
  • In some other notable injury news, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani threw seven innings in an instructional league start today. That could be DeSclafani’s final start of instructional league play, though it’s nonetheless a positive step for a key part of the Cincinnati pitching staff after missing the entire 2017 season. DeSclafani was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament early in the year and was never able to make it back to a Major League mound during the regular season.
  • The Rangers could have interest in right-hander Miles Mikolas as he eyes a return to the Majors after a strong three-year run in Japan, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. (We noted at MLBTR last week that Mikolas was aiming for an MLB comeback.) Limiting walks is high on the Rangers’ wishlist in terms of offseason pitching targets, and Mikolas excelled in that area over his three-year career with the Yomiuri Giants, Sullivan points out. He also notes that the Rangers have had success on the Japanese market in the past under GM Jon Daniels, getting value out of signings such as Colby Lewis, Yu Darvish and Tony Barnette. Obviously, a pursuit of Mikolas would more closely resemble the modest contracts given to Lewis and Barnette than the massive financial commitment that the Rangers spent to acquire Darvish, but Sullivan notes that Texas is likely to explore as many avenues to rotation upgrades as possible this winter. Mikolas’ most recent stint in the Majors came with the Rangers back in 2014.

Injury Notes: Wood, Bellinger, Price, Gallo, Correa, DeSclafani

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The Dodgers have placed both Alex Wood and Cody Bellinger on the DL, the team announced Tuesday. Wood is once again dealing with inflammation in his SC (sternoclavicular) joint, though the breakout southpaw is targeting a return for the first weekend of September against the Padres. As for Bellinger, he’s been slowed recently by a right ankle sprain that has been called mild in nature, but he’s already been out of the lineup for two games, allowing the Dodgers to backdate the move by two days. That’d put Bellinger on track to be eligible to return from the DL as soon as next Wednesday. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters today that top prospect Walker Buehler and rehabbing ace Clayton Kershaw are not candidates to start for the Dodgers in place of Wood this weekend (all Twitter links via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Rather, a bullpen game started by Ross Stripling seems the likeliest course. In corresponding roster moves for Wood and Bellinger, the Dodgers have recalled righties Brock Stewart and Josh Ravin.

More injury news from around the game…

  • The Red Sox are no closer to determining a return date for left-hander David Price, manager John Farrell said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM today (Twitter link that includes audio). Farrell said it’s still too early to consider bringing Price back in a bullpen capacity, as he’s yet to progress to throwing off a mound. Once he’s able to do that, the Red Sox will be able to gauge a conceivable timeline and weigh their options. Evan Drellich of CSN New England tweets that Price has thrown from 90 feet on flat ground and is slated to throw again tomorrow. It’s now been exactly one month since Price’s last start, as the former Cy Young winner has been battling inflammation in his left elbow.
  • Joey Gallo has been placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list, the Rangers announced today. Gallo suffered a nondisplaced nasal fracture in a recent collision with teammate Matt Bush (who landed on the 10-day DL as a result) and has also been dealing with concussion-like symptoms. Texas had hoped that he could avoid the DL, but he’ll now be sidelined until at least next Tuesday as a result of today’s move. Gallo was on an otherworldly power binge at the time of his injury, having launched 10 homers in his past 18 games (73 plate appearances) in the month of August. Infielder Phil Gosselin is up from Triple-A Round Rock to take Gallo’s roster spot.
  • Carlos Correa told reporters today that while he’s not yet certain exactly when he’ll embark on a minor league rehab assignment, he thinks he’ll need about a week’s worth of at-bats in the minors before he’s ready to return (Twitter link via Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle). Correa cited a target of 20 to 30 at-bats before he’d be back up to speed. It’s been just under five weeks since the Astros announced that Correa would miss six to eight weeks with a torn thumb ligament.
  • Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani received a second opinion on his injured right elbow, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. After an initial MRI revealed that there was no ligament damage in his ailing right elbow, DeSclafani sent his scans to Dr. Keith Meister for a second look, and Meister confirmed as much. DeSclafani is on a throwing program and hopes to ramp up quicker than usual to “really be able to test the ligament and get back on the mound,” but Buchanan notes that time could be starting to run out for DeSclafani to take the mound in a Reds uniform this season. DeSclafani has not pitched for the Reds this season due to a sprained UCL in his right elbow and this latest bout of inflammation.

Anthony DeSclafani Cleared Of New Structural Damage To Elbow

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Reds fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as righty Anthony DeSclafani has not suffered any new damage to his sprained ulnar collateral ligament, as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He left his rehab outing yesterday with forearm discomfort, but that was diagnosed as stemming from tendinitis.

Today’s news is the”best-case scenario,” as DeSclafani himself noted. But it’s still a disappointing turn, as he has already missed the entire season to this point and had finally begun pitching in game action. DeSclafani was also sidelined for a significant stretch last year, though he was excellent upon his return and ended the 2016 season with 123 1/3 innings of 3.28 ERA pitching.

The talented righty will rest for at least a few days, but there remains ample cause to take care in bringing him back to full speed. It’s certainly possible, then, that he’ll still be able to return to the majors this year, but that will all depend upon how his forearm feels over the coming weeks.

That’d represent a desirable development for the Reds, who will enter the winter with quite a bit of uncertainty in the rotation yet again. Many of the team’s younger starters have struggled to find their footing, while the more established pitchers (DeSclafani, Scott Feldman, Bronson Arroyo, and even Brandon Finnegan) have dealt with injuries.

Health Notes: DeSclafani, Cozart, Hughes, Bandy

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The Reds received concerning news today on righty Anthony DeSclafani. As Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports, the rehabbing starter was pulled from his outing after experiencing discomfort in his forearm (and after surrendering eight runs on eight hits in the first inning). DeSclafani has been working back from a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He had only just progressed to game action after a long layoff; that he is now experiencing forearm discomfort — which is often connected with elbow issues — is certainly discouraging.

  • There were more promising developments for the Reds, too. Shortstop Zack Cozart could be read to return from the DL as soon as Saturday, manager Bryan Price tells reporters including Buchanan (via Twitter). The 31-year-old’s balky quad took him out of consideration for a deadline-day deal, though a lack of demand has been the larger problem. Still, the sooner he is able to return to show his health, the more likely it is that Cincinnai will ultimately be able to find some kind of worthwhile swap involving the veteran.
  • Twins righty Phil Hughes will very likely need surgery that’ll end his season, manager Paul Molitor told reporters including Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). The 31-year-old has been weighing a procedure to further address ongoing symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome. Meanwhile, it seems lefty reliever Glen Perkins is still pushing to return before the year is up. Berardino tweets that he’s expecting to move up to Double-A after making an appearance tonight.
  • The Brewers may not be able to count on catcher Jett Bandy down the stretch. As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal tweets, the 27-year-old has been diagnosed with a fractured rib. It is not immediately clear how much time he’ll miss, though anything but a fairly rapid return could spell the end of his season. With Stephen Vogt also out, Andrew Susac is the only healthy 40-man alternative to join Manny Pina on the MLB roster. But Susac himself only just made it back from injury woes, and it’s possible Milwaukee could end up checking into the market for alternatives.

Reds Notes: Iglesias, DeSclafani, Cingrani

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Here’s the latest out of Cincinnati…

  • Closer Raisel Iglesias has drawn trade interest with the deadline approaching, though the Reds would unsurprisingly seek an “astronomical” return for the 27-year-old, a source tells ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links).  With that in mind, Crasnick suggests that Cincy’s deadline talks are more likely to revolve around veteran rentals like shortstop Zack Cozart, starter Scott Feldman and reliever Drew Storen than Iglesias.  The flamethrowing right-hander could be a core piece for the Reds, as he’s on a reasonable contract through 2020 and has dominated over 41 2/3 innings this year (1.73 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 3.46 BB/9 and a 46.2% ground-ball rate).
  • Anthony DeSclafani is reporting good progress in rehab process, the right-hander tells MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.  After spraining his right UCL during the spring, DeSclafani has slowly begun ramping up a throwing process that didn’t begin until midway through May.  “I’ve made every scheduled throwing session, bullpen, flat-ground. It’s been going well so far, so hopefully it stays the course,” said DeSclafani, who is three bullpen sessions into a schedule of one bullpen every three days.  He remains on track for a return in August, matching the tentative timeline set in June by Reds manager Bryan Price.
  • Left-hander Tony Cingrani has moved from Dishman Sports Group to the Bledsoe Agency, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter).  Cingrani, who’s controllable via arbitration through 2019, has combined for a 4.38 ERA, 8.28 K/9 against 5.26 BB/9, and a 44.3% grounder mark across 113 innings since he became a full-time reliever in 2015.  MLBTR will make note of Cingrani’s representation change in our Agency Database, which keeps track of agent information on more than 2,500 major league and minor league players.  If you see any notable errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Anthony DeSclafani May Not Return Until August

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While the Reds are preparing to welcome Homer Bailey and Brandon Finnegan back to their rotation perhaps by the end of the month, manager Bryan Price offered a less encouraging update on top starter Anthony DeSclafani, per Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“[DeSclafani] is behind,” said Price. “He initiated another throwing program that will take him close to the time that Homer and Finnegan might be ready, that last week or week and a half of June, he may be approaching his mound time. … I wouldn’t anticipate him until probably around August (in Cincinnati). That would be realistic.”

The 27-year-old DeSclafani has yet to pitch in 2017 due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament suffered back in Spring Training. The Reds initially stated that DeSclafani would be shut down from throwing for a month, but he didn’t begin a throwing program until May 19. While reports at that time suggested that the condition of DeSclafani’s UCL had markedly improved, it now seems that the talented young righty will remain sidelined longer than the Reds had hoped. It should be noted that Price made no mention of a setback or any sort of aggravation of the injury.

Both Finnegan and Bailey will make rehab starts for Double-A Pensacola this weekend, Groeschen notes, which is certainly better news for a Reds team that has received an MLB-worst 5.81 ERA from its rotation. (The next-worst team, the Phillies, are at a distant 5.17 mark.) With DeSclafani and Bailey on the shelf all season and Finnegan having been limited to just 10 innings, the Reds have relied on veterans Scott Feldman and Bronson Arroyo to anchor the staff while a hodgepodge of less-experienced arms have filled in the cracks.

Feldman has proven to be a shrewd late-winter pickup, tossing 72 2/3 innings of 4.09 ERA ball across 13 starts. Arroyo, on the other hand, has been rocked for a 6.52 ERA, though he’s at least managed to soak up 63 2/3 innings in the wake of the myriad injuries that have beset the Cincinnati pitching staff. Tim Adleman’s 49 innings rank third on the team, and of the 10 players to start a game for the Reds this year, Adleman is one of three with an ERA under 5.00 (Feldman, Finnegan are the others). Amir Garrett, Rookie Davis and Lisalverto Bonilla have been the most frequent alternatives in the rotation, though each has an ERA north of 7.00.

However, in spite of the dismal work from Cincinnati starters, the Reds find themselves just one game under .500 and two games back from the division lead in a surprisingly weak NL Central. Cincinnati’s bullpen has been one of the best in the game, and only five clubs have managed to score more runs than the Reds, who are also tied for the game’s sixth-best wRC+ (105). That the Reds have managed to stay afloat despite losing the majority of their projected rotation for the bulk of 2017 thus far only makes the return of Finnegan and Bailey more crucial as the team plots its course with the trade deadline roughly seven weeks away.

Anthony DeSclafani Cleared To Resume Throwing

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Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani has been cleared to resume throwing, according to John Fay of WCPO.com (via Twitter). DeSclafani has been out all year while resting a sprained ulnar collateral ligament.

While the initial hope was that DeSclafani could begin working back within about a month of the diagnosis, that obviously wasn’t to be. Last we checked in, late in April, doctors had not observed sufficient healing to clear the 27-year-old.

Now, per the report, the medical experts have observed significant improvement in DeSclafani’s UCL. While a precise throwing program is still being worked out, it seems that he’ll begin the march back with hopes of returning to the majors this summer. At this point, clearly, he’ll still need a substantial amount of time to build up arm strength and undertake a rehab assignment.

Cincinnati has struggled to find good innings from its rotation, which desperately misses DeSclafani, among others. Homer Bailey and Brandon Finnegan are also unavailable. (Bailey is a bit further ahead in his own recovery; as Fay adds on Twitter, he’s ready to begin facing live hitters.)

In DeSclafani’s case, the return effort will come at an interesting time. His absence to date has already dented his upcoming trip through arbitration — which will be his first. It has also taken out of consideration as a trade chip, at least temporarily. If DeSclafani can regain the excellent form he showed last year — 3.28 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 over twenty starts — and stay healthy, he’ll have a case for a solid payday and could be a heavily pursued deadline asset.

Injury Notes: Syndergaard, Sanchez, Duda, Cabrera, Skaggs, Britton, Dyson, More

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A pair of struggling teams got the good news that they’ll have key hurlers taking the hill on Sunday. Noah Syndergaard is ready to go after some worry over his biceps, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Syndergaard is said to have denied a request that he undergo an MRI, saying he feels fully healthy. Also, Aaron Sanchez will return for the Blue Jays, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets.

Here’s more on the injury front:

  • First baseman Lucas Duda is also nearing a return for the Mets. He started a rehab assignment this evening and played for six innings. Given the fairly limited duration of his layoff for a hyperextended elbow, it seems reasonable to think he’ll be back up in just a few days.
  • It seems there’s forward momentum for Tigers star Miguel Cabrera, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports on Twitter. Cabrera, who was forced to the DL with a groin strain, was able to jog and take batting practice today at the park.
  • The Angels are assessing another injury for lefty Tyler Skaggs. Per a club announcement, he left his outing tonight with “right side tightness.” Just that means for the 25-year-old isn’t clear at this time. Heading into the current season, Skaggs had made only 41 starts since debuting in 2012. Over his five starts and 29 1/3 innings in 2017, Skaggs has pitched to a 3.99 ERA with a strong 29:9 K/BB ratio.
  • Orioles closer Zach Britton may also be back Sunday — or, if not, then after the team’s off-day on Monday — per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The southpaw is preparing to return rather quickly from an initially worrying forearm injury. He figures to step right back into the closer role for the O’s.
  • The Rangers welcomed back Sam Dyson from his short DL stint. Though he jumped right back in and pitched in the ninth tonight, working a scoreless frame, that came in a losing effort. Unlike Britton, Dyson has likely been bypassed in the closer role, at least for the time being.
  • While the Nationals are holding their breath over a new and potentially serious injury issue tonight, the team did get a bit of positive news earlier. An MRI came back clean for southpaw Sammy Solis, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets. While there’s some inflammation present in his balky elbow, there’s no ligament issue.
  • There are a few updates on some Reds hurlers who are working back from injury, as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Homer Bailey will throw a pen session early next week — his first since having bone spurs removed over the offseason. Fellow righty Anthony DeSclafani, meanwhile, is unfortunately still not ready to start throwing. Doctors will reassess his sprained UCL after allowing it a few more weeks of rest. And lefty Brandon Finnegan, who’s dealing with an oblique issue, is still a week away even from being examined again by physicians. The club is allowing him plenty of rest before taking stock of his path back tot he rotation.
  • Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts provided the latest on a few of his team’s ailing players, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (links to Twitter). “Mechanical” issues are still holding back lefty Scott Kazmir, who still doesn’t seem to have a clear path back to the majors. The club will soon activate several position players, though, with Franklin Gutierrez likely to be followed within a week or so by Joc Pederson and Logan Forsythe. That’ll likely mean dropping top prospect Cody Bellinger back to Triple-A, McCullough notes.
  • Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea is likely to miss a start and may hit the 10-day DL, as Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. But the overall news is good. Manaea, who came down with some shoulder stiffness in his most recent outing, is not expected to require an extended absence.

Reds Claim Tyler Goeddel, Transfer Anthony DeSclafani To 60-Day DL

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The Reds have claimed outfielder Tyler Goeddel off waivers from the Phillies, according to an announcement from both clubs. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Reds announced that they’ve moved right-hander Anthony DeSclafani from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. Philadelphia had designated Goeddel for assignment earlier this week.

The 2016 season was a struggle for Goeddel, 24, though that was perhaps to be expected after skipping the Triple-A level entirely as a Rule 5 selection back in 2015. Goeddel batted .279/.350/.433 in Double-A in 2015 but logged an anemic .192/.258/.291 batting line across 234 plate appearances in his big league debut last season. Unlike the Phillies in 2016, the Reds will have the ability to option Goeddel to the minors to continue to develop at the Triple-A level. which they’ve done, per the announcement.

Goeddel will provide some depth for a Reds club that currently features an outfield alignment of Adam Duvall, Billy Hamilton and Scott Schebler (left to right) in the Majors. Arismendy Alcantara and Patrick Kivlehan both broke camp with the team as reserve options, as well.

As for DeSclafani, it was already expected that the righty would miss some time early in the season following last month’s diagnosis of a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. Moving him to the 60-day disabled list, though, means he won’t be toeing the rubber for the Reds until at least June, as DeSclafani’s placement on the disabled list came on April 2.

Anthony DeSclafani Diagnosed With UCL Sprain

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March 15: DeSclafani will explore the possibility of undergoing platelet-rich plasma and stem cell injections in an effort to accelerate his timetable, tweets Buchanan.

March 13: Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani has been diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm, president of baseball operations Dick Williams told reporters including Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. For now, he’ll be shut down for a month before being reevaluated.

It’s obviously good news that DeSclafani isn’t set for Tommy John surgery despite suffering an injury to his UCL. There are, after all, several new techniques being utilized to forestall a surgical option or limit the damage if a procedure is performed. And teammate Michael Lorenzen was able to avoid a TJ procedure last year with a “very similar” injury, per team doctor Timothy Kremcheck (via Buchanan, on Twitter).

Clearly, though, the club will still need to chart a cautious course to avoid greater damage to DeSclafani’s UCL. Steering clear of a future TJ procedure will no doubt be a top priority in determining his rehab approach and timeline. While it doesn’t seem to be on the table presently, avoiding the legendary procedure — with its year-plus rehab timeline — will require care.

What that means in the immediate future is that the Reds likely won’t welcome DeSclafani back to the MLB rotation for quite some time. Lorenzen, whose injury occurred in the middle of March last year, did not make it up to the majors until June 24th. In his case, a bout of mono intervened to extend the recovery timeline, so DeSclafani can reasonably expect to make it back sooner — though he will also need a lengthier ramp-up since he’ll return to the rotation.

For Cincinnati, it obviously stings to lose the presumptive staff ace for a decent chunk of the upcoming season. While there’s little chance the organization would’ve been competitive, DeSclafani certainly could’ve become a highly appealing mid-season trade chip; while that’s still possible, it’s perhaps less likely — and there’ll surely be at least a bit of an injury discount to his value given his recent health questions. Additionally, losing this much time after an injury-shortened 2016 season could mean that DeSclafani will face innings limitations in 2018.

The missing innings will also tell in arbitration, which DeSclafani will qualify for next fall. Even if he continues his excellent 2016 work — 3.28 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 — upon his return, his arb earnings will be held down by the limits on the number of frames he’ll be able to accumulate.

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