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Injured List Placements: Naylor, Wendle, Mountcastle

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Catching up on some recent injury news…

  • The Guardians made a handful of roster moves on Friday, with Josh Naylor going onto the COVID-related injury list, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Headed in the other direction was Yu Chang, who landed on the COVID IL a month ago. The club also recalled Richie Palacios and optioned Kirk McCarty. On Wednesday, the Guardians had their game against the White Sox postponed after multiple positive tests among their coaching staff. The next day, seven staff members were placed in COVID protocol in relation to this outbreak. It seems that this has extended to Naylor, though it’s unclear if he has been shelved due to a positive test, showing symptoms or contact tracing. The first baseman/outfielder has been excellent so far this year, hitting .347/.377/.611 for a wRC+ of 191 through 20 games. With Naylor absent last night, the club slid Owen Miller from second to first and used Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario up the middle.
  • The Marlins placed Joey Wendle on the 10-day injured list yesterday with a right hamstring strain, retroactive to May 12, per their transactions tracker at MLB.com. In a corresponding move, Brian Anderson was activated off the COVID IL. The 40-man roster had a couple of vacancies and is now at 39, though Jon Berti and Richard Bleier remain on the COVID list and will need roster spots when they return. Losing Wendle is certainly a hit for the Marlins, as he has started this season hot. Through 25 games, he’s hitting .304/.368/.456, 140 wRC+. He’s also added four steals and good defense to accumulate 1.2 wins above replacement already, according to FanGraphs. However, it’s possible that the return of Anderson can make it close to a wash, as he was hitting .262/.385/.385 before landing on the IL, producing a wRC+ of 131.
  • The Orioles announced yesterday that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist forearm strain, retroactive to May 11. Jorge Lopez returned from the bereavement list in a corresponding move. Mountcastle’s production is down a few ticks relative to last year, but still above league average. In 2021, he hit .255/.309/.487 for a wRC+ of 111. This year, he’s moved to .268/.299/.402, wRC+ of 104. He seems to be taking a more contact-oriented approach, at least in this small sample of 28 games. His swing percentage is up on pitches inside and outside the zone, but his contact rates have also gone up in both cases. As a result, his walk and strikeout rates are both down relative to previous years. That’s led to a drop in slugging, though that’s also been a trend across the league so far this year. With Mountcastle out, Trey Mancini and Tyler Nevin will likely cover first base for him.

Marlins Place Brian Anderson On Injured List

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The Marlins announced to reporters, including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, that Brian Anderson has been placed on the injured list. No designation for Anderson’s placement was given, suggesting he’s likely on the Covid-related injured list. Bryan De La Cruz has been recalled to take his place on the roster.

With no further information coming from the club, it’s unclear if Anderson tested positive or if he’s been placed on the IL due to experiencing symptoms or because of contact tracing. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). Players who are experiencing symptoms but do not test positive can return in shorter order if their symptoms abate.

Anderson had an excellent three-year run with the Marlins from 2018 to 2020, hitting .266/.350/.436 for a 115 wRC+ in that time. Last year, injuries limited his playing time and his production, as he only got into 67 games and hit just .249/.337/.378, 99 wRC+. This year, however, has been a tremendous bounceback thus far. 20 games into the campaign, he’s walked at an incredible 14.7% rate and produced a batting line of .258/.387/.387, 135 wRC+. That progress will have to be put on hold for the time being.

Although primarily a third baseman in recent years, Anderson is also capable of playing the outfield corners. With the acquisition of Joey Wendle, he’s been spending a bit more time on the grass this year. In his absence, De La Cruz will join an outfield mix that consists of Jorge Soler, Jesus Sanchez and Avisail Garcia. De La Cruz has largely been coming off the bench as a late-game replacement this year but has been making the most of his time. In 25 plate appearances across 16 games, he’s hit .316/.440/.474, 168 wRC+. Despite those excellent numbers, he was optioned to Triple-A yesterday when the club needed a fresh arm for the bullpen. However, players are allowed to return after a stay less than the 10-day minimum option length if they are replacing a player going on the IL, as is the case here.

Marlins Looking For Center Fielder

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5:40pm: Joe Frisaro of Man On Second Baseball tweets that Jorge Soler is the “most realistic free agent still possible” for the Marlins, though he also adds that trade talks with several teams are ongoing.

8:04am: The Marlins have been quiet on the free agent front since the lockout lifted. General Manager Kim Ng has expressed a desire to add another bat, particularly one who can play center field, but she’s not prepared to rush to make an addition that might not be the right fit, per MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola.

While the rest of the division has been busy making re-shaping their rosters, the Marlins have settled for backup plans in the form of minor league deals to fill their biggest need. Delino DeShields and Roman Quinn both have extensive experience in center, and if the Marlins aren’t able to find a more permanent solution, either speedster could factor into the Major League roster with a strong spring.

Otherwise, their big pre-lockout free agent signing, Avisail Garcia, will be one of the internal candidates to captain the outfield, along with Bryan De La Cruz, Jesus Sanchez, and utilityman Jon Berti. None are natural options for a full-time gig in center, however.

Monte Harrison, who might otherwise have been an option, was designated for assignment this week. The 26-year-old could still return, but he has yet to establish himself as a viable regular option anyhow. Lewis Brinson and Magneuris Sierra, two of the part-time players at the position in recent years, were released this offseason and now play for the Astros and Angels, respectively.

In the minors, 24-year-old JJ Bleday and 25-year-old Victor Victor Mesa are the most well-known prospect names that could potential play themselves into the mix at some point this season. Neither have appeared higher than Double-A, however.

But the fact is, center field is perhaps the toughest position to field these days. Free agency doesn’t offer much by way of regular options, with veterans like Kevin Pillar, Brett Gardner, Billy Hamilton, Brian Goodwin, Jarrod Dyson, and Juan Lagares making up the bulk of the remaining free agent pool with center field experience.

Thus, if the Marlins are going to find themselves a new center fielder, they’ll probably have to do so through trade routes. Ng can dangle third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson as a potential trade chip, per Barry Jackson and Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald. The offseason acquisition of Joey Wendle makes Anderson somewhat expendable, though likely only at the cost of filling their need in center.

Anderson should be an intriguing option for a team in need of some offensive pop. Anderson owns a career 111 wRC+ heading into his age-29 season, and he brings experience at third base and right field. Given his position on the defensive hierarchy, however, it’d likely take more than just Anderson to net the Marlins a comparable center fielder.

If the Marlins can’t find that player in the trade market, they could turn to adding another corner outfielder like Jorge Soler or Michael Conforto, notes De Nicola. Either one would fit comfortably into the corner outfield mix while pushing De La Cruz and Garcia into more regular playing time in center. The designated hitter role is also available to the Marlins, though they seem content with letting Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper split time there, as well as at first base.

Marlins Notes: Outfielders, Anderson, Revenue

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Catcher has already been identified as a position of need for the Marlins this winter, and the club’s search for more offense is likely to result in some new faces in the outfield.  The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson believes the Fish “will acquire two starting outfielders,” with Jesus Sanchez likely taking the other starting role and Bryan De La Cruz probably moving to fourth outfielder duty.

Sanchez played almost exclusively as a right fielder down the stretch this season, so that would seem to specify left field and center field as Miami’s target areas.  De La Cruz is probably best suited for a corner outfield role but he can at least chip in as a center fielder, expanding the Marlins’ ability to find ways to get his bat into the lineup following a solid rookie season.  Should the National League adopt the DH in 2022, that will provide another route to playing time for De La Cruz or any other hitters the Marlins might acquire.

There’s no shortage of prominent outfielders in this year’s free agent class, and while a true blockbuster signing would still be a little unexpected for the Marlins, general manager Kim Ng has stated that “we are going to have some money to spend.”  Jackson estimates that the Marlins have around $35MM in new revenue to work with thanks to a new TV contract and their ballpark’s naming rights deal, and while not all of that money will necessarily go into player payroll, it does at least somewhat expand the team’s spending parameters.

Of course, Miami could also turn to the trade market, as the team has already explored the possibility of trading from its depth of young pitching to acquire a high-profile outfielder.  And with new talent coming in, internal trade candidates could be found amongst the players who may no longer be a major part of the Marlins’ long-term plans.  Jackson mentions Braxton Garrett, Isan Diaz, Nick Neidert, Monte Harrison, and the out-of-options Lewis Brinson as players who have yet to show much at the Major League level, so any could conceivably be part of trade talks, whether as part of a lower-level swap or as parts of a larger trade package.

If outfield is a target area, it makes sense that the Fish could try to clear room by moving Harrison and Brinson.  Garrett Cooper’s season was cut short by elbow surgery, but he has hit well in his career when healthy and his projected $3MM arbitration salary isn’t too expensive, so he could be retained for some right field work and as part of the first base/DH mix.

Third base is another potential position to be addressed, depending on what the Marlins opt to do with Brian Anderson.  An injury-plagued year resulted in subpar (.249/.337/.378) numbers over 264 plate appearances for Anderson, a notable step back from the .266/.350/.436 slash line he produced from 2018-20.  Depending on how Miami feels about Anderson as a building block, he could be deployed again as the starting third baseman, or moved back to the outfield to fill one of those holes, or the Marlins could look to trade him and then look for an upgrade at the hot corner.

Marlins Select Payton Henry, Nick Fortes

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The Marlins are selecting catchers Payton Henry and Nick Fortes to the big league roster, general manager Kim Ng told reporters (including Christina de Nicola of MLB.com). Jorge Alfaro is being placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left calf strain, while infielder Isan Díaz was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. To clear space on the 40-man roster, Miami transferred starter Pablo López and third baseman Brian Anderson from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Henry was a sixth-round pick of the Brewers in 2016 coming out of a Utah high school. The right-handed hitting backstop has moved progressively up the minor league ladder in the years since. He’s hitting for a decent amount of power but struggled with strikeouts, perhaps not especially surprising for a player coming from a nontraditional baseball background.

Miami acquired Henry from the Brewers at the trade deadline in a deal that sent reliever John Curtiss to Milwaukee. Baseball America slotted the 24-year-old as the #29 prospect in the Marlins’ system after the deal, calling him a potential glove-first backup with some power potential. Henry has picked up his first high minors experience this season, hitting .315/.392/.405 over 125 Double-A plate appearances and posting a .223/.318/.377 mark after being bumped up to Triple-A.

Like Henry, Fortes is coming up for his major league debut. He’s also a righty-swinging backstop whom the Fish selected in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of Ole Miss. Fortes has also garnered his first high minors action this year, posting a .251/.338/.359 line over 226 trips to the plate in Double-A and hitting .237/.322/.378 in 152 plate appearances with Jacksonville. Fortes didn’t appear on Miami’s top 30 prospects at BA, but Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in April that the 24-year-old’s defense and bat-to-ball skills give him a chance to be a capable reserve catcher.

Each of Henry and Fortes would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if not selected to the 40-man roster. Miami will get an early look at both players over the season’s final couple weeks. The Marlins are generally expected to move on from Alfaro — who will be eligible for arbitration for the second time this offseason — and seek outside help behind the plate this winter. Neither Henry nor Fortes is the caliber of prospect who would likely deter the front office from seeking an external upgrade, but strong showings from one or both could give them an inside track at landing a season-opening reserve job in 2022.

López’s IL transfer is merely a procedural move. He’s already been on the IL for more than sixty days, so he’s eligible to return when first healthy. Ng told reporters (including de Nicola) that López will throw to batters tomorrow. The team still hopes he’ll be able to make it back this season. Anderson was already known to be out for the rest of the year after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Brian Anderson To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson will undergo surgery next week to repair a subluxation in his left shoulder, the team informed reporters (including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). The team is hopeful he’ll be ready for Spring Training in 2022.

Anderson was already expected to be out for the rest of this season, and Craig Mish of the Herald reported last week that surgery was a possibility. It’s the second shoulder subluxation of the season for Anderson, who also missed two and a half months earlier in the year with a similar issue. Coupled with a brief IL stint for an oblique strain, those injuries limited Anderson to 264 plate appearances. The 28-year-old hit .249/.337/.378 with seven home runs in that time.

It was the least productive season of Anderson’s four-year big league career. He entered the year as a career .266/.349/.431 hitter. Along with his reliable defense at the hot corner, Anderson had been one of the Marlins’ more consistent performers. While his walk and strikeout rates weren’t meaningfully changed this year, his power production and batted ball metrics took a step back — perhaps in part due to his ongoing shoulder issues.

Anderson will be eligible for arbitration a second time this offseason. He agreed to a $3.8MM salary last winter and is slated to go through the process twice more before reaching free agency after the 2023 season. The Marlins and Anderson had discussed potential extension terms in the past, but new general manager Kim Ng said last winter that she preferred to evaluate Anderson’s 2021 season before reengaging in talks. With Anderson coming off a campaign diminished by injury, it seems the front office will continue to proceed year-by-year through the arbitration process for the time being.

Quick Hits: Pujols, Harvey, Bundy, Anderson

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The idea of Albert Pujols playing one final season in a Cardinals uniform always seemed a bit fanciful, considering that Paul Goldschmidt now occupies first base in St. Louis, and that Pujols’ dropoff in production created doubt that he would even play beyond the 2021 season.  However, Pujols has had a bit of a revival as a specialist against left-handed pitching, crushing southpaws to the tune of a .302/.336/.635 slash line and 13 home runs over 134 plate appearances this season.

As Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, signing Pujols in 2022 has some baseball value to a Cardinals team that may have a DH spot to work with in next year’s lineup.  That is on top of the natural symbolism of bringing Pujols back for what would be his 22nd — and quite possibly final — MLB season in what Yadier Molina has already announced will be his own final season.  If Adam Wainwright also re-signs with the team and decides to hang it up next winter (which is no sure thing given how well Wainwright continues to pitch), the 2022 season will carry a storybook feel for an entire era of Cardinals baseball, as well as a renewed charge towards another title.

More from around baseball…

  • The Orioles placed Matt Harvey on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right knee.  O’s manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including BaltimoreBaseball.com’s Rich Dubroff) that Harvey will undergo testing on the knee, and it isn’t yet known if the veteran right-hander will be able to pitch again this season.  After signing a minor league deal with the Orioles in the offseason, Harvey ended up spending the entire year on Baltimore’s big league roster, and the oft-injured righty has tossed 127 2/3 innings over 28 starts.  That is the silver lining amidst an otherwise tough season results-wise, as Harvey has a 6.27 ERA/4.84 SIERA and one of the lower (16.7%) strikeout rates in the league, not to mention some poor hard-hit ball numbers.
  • Dylan Bundy is “very confident” that he’ll be able to return to the Angels before the season is through, the right-hander told The Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher and other reporters.  Wednesday saw Bundy throw his first bullpen session since being placed on the 10-day IL with a shoulder strain back on August 25, and Bundy said the plan is for another bullpen on Saturday.  It remains to be seen if Bundy will be able to build up enough strength to make it back, or if he has already thrown his last pitch as an Angel, considering Bundy is a free agent this winter.  “As far as free agency, the only thing I’m thinking about is not being on the IL at the end of the year,” Bundy said.  Bundy has struggled to a 6.06 ERA/4.55 SIERA over 90 2/3 innings,
  • “I don’t have a lot of conversations with them on that front,” Brian Anderson told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola and other reporters about extension talks with the Marlins.  General manager Kim Ng said last December, soon after her hiring, that she wanted a season to personally evaluate Anderson before deciding on a potential extension.  By that standard, Anderson hasn’t done much to impress, hitting only .249/.337/.378 and being limited to 264 plate appearances in an injury-riddled year.  Anderson is currently considering multiple options in regards to an ongoing shoulder problem, and surgery is a possibility, with Anderson prioritizing playing as close to a full season as possible in 2022.  The Marlins control Anderson’s rights through the 2023 season, so an extension could still be in the cards if he is able to recover and get back to his old form next year.

Marlins Select Deven Marrero; Brian Anderson Could Require Shoulder Surgery

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5:45 pm: Anderson is evaluating his options for treatment, with surgery a possibility, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Even if he does require some sort of operation, it remains possible he’ll be ready for the start of Spring Training next season. Anderson is not expected to return in 2021 whether or not surgery is required.

4:28 pm: The Marlins are selecting the contract of infielder Deven Marrero, the team informed reporters (including Daniel Álvarez Montes of ElExtraBase). Third baseman Brian Anderson is going on the 10-day injured with a left shoulder subluxation. To create space for Marrero on the 40-man roster, the team transferred right-hander Jorge Guzmán from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

It’s familiar territory for Marrero, who has now been selected to the big league club on five separate occasions this season. He has been designated for assignment and passed through outright waivers shortly after each previous time, and he’s tallied just eleven MLB plate appearances altogether. The 31-year-old owns a .230/.310/.355 line over 174 plate appearances with Triple-A Jacksonville this season.

Anderson is landing on the IL with a shoulder subluxation for the second time this season. His first subluxation required a two-month recovery timeline. It has been a frustrating year for Anderson, who also missed a couple weeks with an oblique issue. The series of injuries has limited him to 264 plate appearances, in which he’s hit a league average .249/.337/.378.

It’s quite possible the health problems and stop-and-start nature of the season have kept him from getting into a rhythm, as that’s Anderson’s least productive output since he became a regular in 2018. Over the previous three seasons, the right-handed hitter posted a quality .266/.350/.436 line. With Miami out of contention, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Anderson is eventually shut down with an eye towards getting back to full strength in 2022.

Guzmán’s season is officially brought to a close. The hard-throwing righty landed on the IL with right elbow soreness in mid-August, so today’s transfer forecloses any chance of him making it back this year. Guzmán has been limited by injury to three big league appearances over the past couple seasons but he’s not far-removed from being viewed by public prospect evaluators as a potential impact reliever.

Marlins Place Trevor Rogers On 10-Day IL, Activate Brian Anderson, Designate Chad Wallach

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3:53PM: Catcher Chad Wallach has been designated for assignment to open up roster space for Anderson, according to McPherson.  Wallach has spent the last four seasons in Miami, appearing in 71 total games and hitting .213/.280/.315 over 220 plate appearances.

2:52PM: The Marlins placed All-Star starter Trevor Rogers on the 10-day injured list today with lower back muscle spasms, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).

Braxton Garrett was recalled, and he will take Rogers’ turn in the rotation. Garrett has made four appearances (three starts), totaling 15 2/3 innings with a 5.17 ERA.

Garrett is a fine placeholder, but he’s obviously no replacement for Rogers, who has put together a stellar rookie season. Rogers boasts a 2.37 ERA through 19 starts, tossing 106 1/3 innings. There may be an element of workload management here for Rogers, who is just 23 years old and in his first full season. That’s not to say Rogers isn’t legitimately injured, just that the Marlins might be more cautious with Rogers given his rookie status.

In other news, Brian Anderson is likely to be reinstated from the injured list today, per MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola (via Twitter). Anderson has been on the 60-day injured list with shoulder subluxation, so there will need to be a corresponding roster to create a spot on the 40-man roster.

Anderson had yet to really get rolling. He was slashing .250/.316/.371 in 136 plate appearances prior to the injury. Shoulder injuries will often sap a player of their power, so Anderson may yet bounce back to his normal levels of production if the shoulder is fully healed.

Marlins Move Brian Anderson To 60-Day IL, Select Luis Madero

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=The Marlins are set to select the contract of right-hander Luis Madero from Triple-A Jacksonville and transfer third baseman Brian Anderson to the 60-day injured list to create space on the 40-man roster, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Miami will also place infielder Jose Devers on the 10-day injured list due to a right shoulder injury.

It’s a tough blow for a Marlins club that has been reeling in recent weeks, due in no small part to the loss of Anderson. On the day Anderson made an early exit due to what was eventually revealed to be a left shoulder subluxation, the Marlins were 23-24. They’ve gone 6-12 in the 18 games since, and while the absence of Anderson obviously isn’t the only reason, it’s a primary factor. The 28-year-old got out to a slow start in 2021 but has long been one of the Marlins’ top bats and was one of the hottest hitters in the NL at the time of his injury.

The move to the 60-day injured list means that Anderson will now be ineligible to return before late July. (The 60-day term of the stint refers to his initial placement on the IL — not the date on which the player is transferred to the 60-day list.) A timeline in that range has begun to look increasingly likely, particularly after MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola tweeted earlier today that Anderson has still not been cleared to begin hitting after three weeks on the the injured list.

Miami’s primary options at the hot corner in Anderson’s absence have been Jon Berti and Isan Diaz, and that pairing will likely continue to hold down the fort on a banged-up Marlins club that effectively has an entire infield — Anderson, Miguel Rojas, Devers and Garrett Cooper — on the injured list. They’re thin on additional options in the upper minors, though both Luis Marte and Eddy Alvarez have gotten quick looks from the Marlins over the past year. (Either would need to be added back to the 40-man roster.)

Madero, 24, made his big league debut with the Fish earlier this season but has already gone unclaimed on waivers once, which removed him from the 40-man roster at the time (hence today’s need for a 40-man transaction).

Madero at one point ranked within the top 20 prospects in the Angels organization, per both Baseball America and FanGraphs, but his stock has tumbled since that time. That’s due largely to being rocked for a 5.72 ERA in 89 1/3 frames of a pitcher-friendly Double-A environment back in ’19, but Madero’s work in Triple-A with the Marlins this year has been sharp: 23 2/3 innings of 2.28 ERA ball, albeit with fairly pedestrian strikeout (23.6) and walk (9.2) percentages.

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