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Carter Kieboom

NL East Notes: Quintana, Peterson, Kieboom

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Mets general manager Billy Eppler told reporters today, including Tim Healey of Newsday Sports (Twitter links), that left-hander José Quintana had his start limited to just one inning today against the Cardinals due to left side tightness. Healey relays that Quintana will no longer participate in the World Baseball Classic and will attempt to be ready for the MLB season.

Long before he joined the Mets, Quintana spent the first several seasons of his career as a reliable middle of the rotation arm in Chicago, first with the White Sox from 2012-2017, then with the Cubs from 2017-2020 following the deal that sent him across town in exchange for Eloy Jiménez and Dylan Cease. However, Quintana began to struggle toward the end of his time in Chicago: he posted his first below average season by ERA+ in 2019, pitched just 10 innings due to injury in the shortened 2020 season, and had a disastrous 2021 season split between the Giants and the Angels where he pitched to a 6.43 ERA (69 ERA+) in 63 innings of work.

Quintana managed to turn things around in 2022, however: he pitched to a strong 3.50 ERA in 103 innings as a member of the Pirates before being dealt to the Cardinals at the trade deadline last year, where he went on to dominate, posting a sensational 2.01 ERA (191 ERA+) over 62 2/3 innings down the stretch. His overall season line of a 2.93 ERA (137 ERA+) and 2.99 FIP earned him a two-year, $26MM contract with the Mets this winter. At this point, the severity of the injury is unknown, but the fact that he’s dropped out of the WBC and isn’t certain about being ready for the start of the regular season gives a vague timeframe. Whenever he’s healthy, the Mets figure to have Quintana rounding out their rotation alongside Kodai Senga and Carlos Carrasco behind co-aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

More from around the NL East…

  • While Mets fans may be concerned by the news regarding Quintana, they should be encouraged to hear that fellow his left-hander David Peterson is considered day-to-day with a foot contusion after the results of yesterday’s x-ray and today’s CT scan. Peterson had been struck by a batted ball, leaving reason for concern that a more serious injury could have been in play. Fortunately, that does not appear to be the case, and Peterson should slot in right alongside Tylor Megill and Joey Lucchesi among the next men up should Quintana, or any other Mets starter, need to miss any time.
  • Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom is working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery but is facing a setback. Manager Dave Martinez told reporters, including Andrew Golden of The Washington Post, that Kieboom is dealing with some right shoulder discomfort. The youngster recently appeared in a game as the designated hitter but has yet to take the field. As noted by Golden, Kieboom has been employing a routine of not throwing every day. This new issue will likely lead to even less throwing in the days to come, but Kieboom doesn’t seem overly concerned. “The last thing I want to do … is have something like this bother me, and then you start kind of tweaking your own mechanics and start compensating for things,” Kieboom said. “That’s what gets you in trouble again. … It’s important to take care of now; that way, it’s a one-to-three-day thing versus a two-to-three-week thing.” Once one of the top prospects in the league, he’s struggled in his major league time so far. He’ll be looking to regain some of his previous pedigree later this year, but getting healthy will be the first step.

Carter Kieboom To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Nationals infielder Carter Kieboom will miss the entire 2022 season, as he’ll undergo Tommy John surgery next week, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). The 24-year-old has been on the 60-day injured list since Spring Training because of a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow.

It’ll be a lost critical development year for Kieboom. A former first-round pick, the righty-hitting infielder later developed into one of the sport’s top prospects. He reached the big leagues late in 2019, his age-21 season. The following winter, Baseball America ranked the Georgia native as the most promising player in the Washington farm system and named him the #15 prospect league-wide. The hope was that he’d cement himself as the third baseman of the future after Anthony Rendon departed in free agency, but he’s not yet staked a claim to that job.

Kieboom didn’t hit for any power in 33 games in 2020, finishing the shortened season with a modest .202/.344/.212 slash line. His 13.9% walk rate was strong and reinforced a patient plate approach, but the lack of results on batted balls was jarring. That more or less continued over a larger body of work last year, as he posted a .207/.301/.318 line with six home runs through 249 trips to the dish. Kieboom again drew a fair share of free passes, but he also saw his swinging strike rate jump and posted well below-average exit velocities.

The Nationals’ summer sell-off and retooling year afforded a perfect opportunity to give Kieboom everyday run at the hot corner this season. Washington presumably won’t embrace a multi-year stepback with Juan Soto only controllable through 2024, but the Nats were clearly not positioned to compete this year. Giving 600 plate appearances to a talented but unproven player like Kieboom makes sense for a team in their position, and he’d have probably been the primary third baseman if healthy.

The injury will deprive him of that chance, and it remains to be seen if the Nationals can afford to be so patient in 2023. They’ll presumably be more aggressive in trying to compete next season, and bringing in a more proven option at the hot corner seems plausible. Kieboom, who will collect a full year of MLB pay and service time while recovering, is controllable through 2026 and won’t be arbitration-eligible until the end of next season. The Nationals are hopeful he can be ready for Spring Training.

Nationals Claim Hunter Harvey, Place Carter Kieboom On 60-Day Injured List

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The Nationals have claimed right-hander Hunter Harvey off waivers from the Giants, per a club announcement. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, third baseman Carter Kieboom has been placed on the 60-day injured list with what the team has termed a right UCL sprain/flexor mass strain.

Harvey is a former first-round pick and top prospect who once looked as if he’d be an important part of the Orioles’ long-term plans. His professional career has been thrown off track by injuries, though, as he landed on the minor league injured list in every season between 2014-18. That included a July 2016 Tommy John procedure that kept him to 31 1/3 cumulative innings between 2016-17.

Baltimore eventually moved Harvey to the bullpen in an attempt to keep him healthy, although that hasn’t yet manifested in better results in that regard. He missed the majority of last season recovering from oblique and lat strains. Between the injuries, Harvey has only managed to log 23 2/3 innings at the big league level.

Despite the questionable health record, the North Carolina native has continued to catch teams’ attention. San Francisco nabbed him off waivers from the Orioles in November, but they’ll lose him before he ever logs an inning in their uniform. It’s easy to see why Harvey hasn’t yet passed through the wire unclaimed, as he owns a 3.42 ERA while averaging north of 97 MPH on his heater in his limited big league time. If he can stay healthy — which is clearly no small caveat — it’s still easy to envision Harvey as a productive arm in the middle or late innings. He also has a minor league option year remaining, so the Nats can shuttle him between Washington and Triple-A Rochester for the rest of the year if they carry him on the 40-man roster.

Kieboom is a former first-rounder and top prospect himself. He has struggled to a .197/.304/.285 line over his first 414 MLB plate appearances, but the 24-year-old still seemed to have a path to regular playing time on a retooling Nationals club this year. Unfortunately, he recently sustained a forearm/elbow injury when throwing, and MLB.com’s Joe Trezza tweets that he’ll need to rest for at least six weeks before he can resume baseball activities.

It’s a tough setback for both Kieboom and the Nationals, as 2022 is shaping up as something of a make-or-break year for the young infielder. The Nats don’t look like a strong playoff contender this season, but they’re not about to embark on a rebuild with Juan Soto only under club control for three more seasons. Evaluating whether Kieboom could be part of the long-term core seemed like a key objective for the Washington front office, but that’ll be on hold for at least a couple months. With Kieboom out, Luis Garcia, veteran utilityman Ehire Adrianza and non-roster invitee Maikel Franco all seem to have an easier path to playing time at the hot corner early in the year.

Carter Kieboom To Miss At Least 4-6 Weeks With Forearm Injury

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TODAY: Kieboom told Jessica Camerato and other reporters that in the “best-case scenario,” he will miss four-to-six weeks of action.  A more specific timeline will be known when the additional tests are done.

MARCH 19: Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom underwent an MRI on his sore throwing elbow today that revealed a flexor mass strain in his right forearm, manager Davey Martinez told MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato and other reporters.  It isn’t clear how much time Kieboom will miss, as the 24-year-old is continuing to undergo more tests.

Kieboom is entering his fourth MLB season, though the former 28th overall pick has yet to make an impact at the big league level.  Kieboom has hit only .197/.304/.285 in 414 plate appearances, making for an inauspicious start for a player who was considered one of the sport’s top 15 prospects heading into the 2020 season.

Of course, the unusual nature of both the 2020 and 2021 seasons surely haven’t helped Kieboom’s development, not to mention the simple fact that many players (even top prospects) take a while to adjust to the majors.  It is far too early for the Nats to give up on such a highly-touted youngster, even if Kieboom’s lack of power has now seemed to carry into his minor league numbers.  Kieboom hit only .237/.376/.385 over 181 PA at Triple-A last season, after posting much higher slugging percentages in his first four minor league seasons.

While Kieboom had some big shoes to fill as Anthony Rendon’s heir apparent at third base, Kieboom’s lack of production has limited his playing time, and now this injury will cost him at least some time at the start of the 2022 season.  Even if Kieboom is able to avoid a trip to the injured list, he’ll need some more time in the minors or in extended Spring Training to make up for the lost prep time, thus opening up a hole at the hot corner in Washington’s Opening Day lineup.

Barring a future transaction from the Nationals, Maikel Franco is probably the likeliest candidate to fill that spot.  Franco inked a minors deal with the District in December, as he was a minor league free agent and thus eligible to sign during the lockout.  A former top prospect himself on his way up the Phillies’ minor league ladder, Franco had a nice 2015 rookie season but has since hit .244/.294/.419 over 2792 PA with the Phillies, Royals, and Orioles.

Utilityman Ehire Adrianza could also get some third base time in the event of a Kieboom IL stint, and other minor league signings like Richard Urena or even Dee Strange-Gordon could potentially get some looks.  Top prospect Luis Garcia is being used only as a shortstop and second baseman during Spring Training, MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes, and neither Garcia nor current starting shortstop Alcides Escobar seem like a third base candidate.

NL East Notes: Rodriguez, Marchan, Phils, Braves, Kieboom

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The Phillies are known to have interest in Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez, and Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports (Twitter link) that catcher Rafael Marchan has been part of the trade talks between the two Pennsylvania clubs.  Marchan is ranked fourth on MLB Pipeline’s list of Philadelphia’s top 30 prospects, though Marchan has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate ever since J.T. Realmuto re-signed with the club.  Marchan has received a bit of big league playing time in each of the last two seasons but only made his Triple-A debut in 2021, hitting an underwhelming .200/.285/.215 over 151 plate appearances.  The 22-year-old also missed a good chunk of Spring Training due to a hamstring injury.

The Phillies lead all of baseball with 23 blown saves, though Ranger Suarez has pitched well and more or less supplanted Hector Neris as the primary closer in recent weeks.  Since Suarez’s four saves this season represent his entire career total, acquiring a more proven ninth-inning hurler (though Rodriguez himself only became a full-time closer this season) would go a long way towards solving one of the Phillies’ weaknesses.

More from the NL East…

  • The Braves haven’t yet made any move towards being deadline sellers, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter) reports that Atlanta is still looking to add players.  After splitting a doubleheader with the Mets yesterday, the Braves are 49-51 and five games behind division-leading New York, with the Phillies now sitting between the two teams in second place.  Atlanta has three games remaining in their series with the Mets, so it isn’t a stretch to say that this series could decide the Braves’ season.
  • The Nationals could be open to trades for almost anyone on their roster, though Carter Kieboom may not be available, as FanSided’s Robert Murray reports that the Nats recently declined to discuss the infielder with an interested team.  Specifically, the suitor was told that Washington wouldn’t discuss a Kieboom trade “right now,” so while this could technically mean that the Nationals might willing to talk now that they’re more directly looking to sell, Murray figures the Nats aren’t likely to move one of their younger and more promising players.  While Kieboom has struggled over 173 PA in the majors, the 23-year-old isn’t far removed from being considered one of baseball’s top prospects.

Nationals Call Up Carter Kieboom

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Carter Kieboom is on his way to join the Nationals in Baltimore, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, who first suggested (via Twitter) that he’d be added to the roster in place of Jordy Mercer. As expected, the Nationals announced the move, with Mercer landing back on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain, retroactive to July 21st, and Kieboom on his way to the Major League roster.

Regardless of the cause, it’s an interesting time for the Nationals to make a move with Kieboom, once a top prospect in baseball and still one of Washington’s top trade chips. With less than a week before the trade deadline, there’s not much time for a showcase of any kind, whether it be for the Nats to show him off to other clubs, or even just to get a look at him themselves.

It’s looking less and less like the Nationals are readying to make a push for contention, so perhaps this is just the beginning of a season-long showcase for Kieboom to prove himself at the hot corner. He’s had opportunity before, but never on ideal terms. He was rushed to the Majors in 2019 because of a Trea Turner injury, then took over for departed franchise icon Anthony Rendon for a shortened season during a global pandemic. Though he hasn’t performed as expected in the Majors, the book is hardly closed on Kieboom.

Nationals Reinstate Four Players From Injured List

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1:13 pm: Corbin has also cleared COVID-19 protocols, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). The left-hander met the team in Los Angeles but it isn’t known if he’ll make a start this weekend.

12:29 pm: The Nationals have reinstated Alex Avila, Yan Gomes, Brad Hand and Jordy Mercer from the COVID-19 injured list, per a team announcement. Carter Kieboom, Tres Barrera and Ryne Harper were optioned, while Cody Wilson was reassigned to the alternate training site. Washington was without nine players for their season-opening series against the Braves due to coronavirus spread among the team. Jon Lester, Patrick Corbin, Josh Harrison, Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber remain on the COVID IL.

The return of Avila and Gomes gives the Nats’ their expected catching tandem back in time for this afternoon’s contest against the Dodgers. While Barrera was optioned out, Washington elected to keep Jonathan Lucroy on the active roster, so they’ll go with three backstops for the time being.

Wilson, meanwhile, was designated as a “replacement player” under the 2021 COVID-19 protocols. He was called up temporarily as part of the initial wave of reinforcements, but he has now been removed from the 40-man roster without having been designated for assignment or exposed to waivers.

Nationals Set Opening Day Roster

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After having their first four games postponed due to positive Covid-19 tests within the organization, the Nationals have announced their roster for today’s season opener. Four Nationals players are said to have tested positive, with several more in the organization being deemed close contacts who are also going through protocol. Tuesday’s announcement was accompanied by a dizzying series of roster moves, which included placing catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila; left-handers Patrick Corbin, Brad Hand and Jon Lester; infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer; first baseman Josh Bell; and outfielder Kyle Schwarber on the Covid-19 related injured list. Right-hander Will Harris was also placed on the 10-day injured list after his recent procedure to address a blood clot.

In a sequence of corresponding roster moves, the Nats recalled catcher Tres Barrera; right-handers Ryne Harper and Kyle McGowin; infielders Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia; lefty Sam Clay; and outfielder Yadiel Hernandez from their alternate training site. Washington also selected the contracts of veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy and outfielder Cody Wilson. Wilson was specifically designated as a “replacement player,” indicating that he can be removed from the 40-man roster and sent back to the minors without clearing waivers as the affected Nationals players are cleared to return to the roster.

Notably, the Nationals’ Opening Day roster includes shortstop Trea Turner — a welcome development after Turner was absent from yesterday’s workout with the team. Manager Dave Martinez tells reporters that Turner was not cleared to be on the field yesterday (Twitter link via the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty), so it seems he cleared protocols this morning. Turner will be joined in the Opening Day infield by Ryan Zimmerman, Hernan Perez (at second) and Starlin Castro (at third). The Nats will give Andrew Stevenson the nod in left field alongside Victor Robles and Juan Soto, while Lucroy draws the start behind the plate, catching Max Scherzer.

The Nationals will make up yesterday’s postponed contest against the Braves in a doubleheader tomorrow. It’s not yet clear when they’ll make up their three postponed games against the Mets, although given that they’re division rivals, the remainder of this season’s schedule will provide ample opportunity for those games to be played.

NL Notes: Nationals, Pirates, Cardinals

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The Nationals will enter the season with Starlin Castro as their everyday third baseman. Josh Harrison will get most of the starts at second, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Veterans Jordy Mercer and Hernan Perez will back them up. The latter duo had just 28 plate appearances between them in 2020. This wasn’t exactly the plan as designed for how to replace Anthony Rendon, who is finally recognized as one of the best in the game at the hot corner.

Unfortunately, Carter Kieboom hasn’t totally turned the corner after tying for the 10-lowest ISO mark (.010 ISO) among batters with at least 100 plate appearances in the past twenty seasons. Among those in the bottom-10, three promptly retired, while others continued on as rarely-used bench players. Take it for what you will, then, that a Kieboom resurgence still likely presents the highest possible ceiling of the options available. For now, the Nats will trudge forward with their cadre of veterans. This might not be a short-term solution, however. Manager Dave Martinez said he wants Castro at third because he’s going to play everyday and he doesn’t want to move him around, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Martinez prefers Harrison’s range at second. Meanwhile, we’re just three days from opening day…

  • Former Nationals Wilmer Difo and Brian Goodwin were reassigned to minor league camp along with right-hander Steven Wright, the Pirates announced today. Right-hander Geoff Hartlieb has also been optioned to the minors. That means Anthony Alford likely starts the year as the starting centerfielder, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with Dustin Fowler backing up all three outfield spots. Alford, 26, jumps right into a regular role after experiencing mere cups of coffee in the four years prior. Going back to his debut with the Blue Jays in 2017, here are Alford’s season totals for plate appearances: 8, 21, 30, and 29.
  • Tommy Edman will be the Cardinals’ backup centerfielder to start the season, per Jeff Jones of MLB.com (via Twitter). Tyler O’Neill will line up after him. Harrison Bader’s injury has certainly thrown a bit of a wrench into the Cardinals defensive alignment. With Bader, St. Louis was preparing an otherworldly defensive unit: Paul Goldschmidt is a three-time Gold Glove winner at first; Yadier Molina is a nine-time winner and the consensus best defensive catcher of his generation; Paul DeJong has been frozen out of award season, but he’s been easily among the NL’s best defensive shortstops in recent seasons; ditto for Bader in center, while O’Neill posted 9 DRS in left last season; Nolan Arenado, of course, has never not won the Gold Glove. Not mentioned there, Carlson and Edman, who are, apparently, capable of shifting to centerfield at a moment’s notice. No matter who mans center, it seems, the Cards plan on catching the baseball.

Nationals Select Jordy Mercer, Hernan Perez; Option Carter Kieboom

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The Nationals announced they’ve selected the contracts of infielders Jordy Mercer and Hernán Pérez. First baseman Jake Noll has been designated for assignment to clear 40-man roster space. Washington also optioned five players to Triple-A: Carter Kieboom, Luis Garcia, Sam Clay, Kyle McGowin and Yadiel Hernández. Additionally, the Nats released Yasmany Tomás and T.J. McFarland from their respective minor-league contracts.

Today’s slate of moves lends some clarity to the Nationals’ infield plans. With Kieboom out of the picture, it seems Washington is prepared to turn to veteran Josh Harrison at third base on most days. Mercer and Pérez will be on hand as utility options to back up Harrison, Trea Turner and Starlin Castro around the dirt.

Mercer had a fairly lengthy run as a regular shortstop with the Pirates and Tigers between 2013-19. He signed a minor-league deal with the Nats in February and now locks in a $1MM base salary as a bench piece. He’s joined in that regard by Pérez, who is more familiar with a utility role. The 30-year-old previously bounced around the diamond quite a bit with the Brewers, where he flashed some power and speed but struggled to get on base consistently.

Noll, 27, hit well in the minors up to Triple-A. But he struggled there in 2019 and has only gotten 30 MLB plate appearances over the past two seasons. The Nats have a week to trade or waive him. Noll still has a minor-league option year remaining, so he brings some roster flexibility that could intrigue other clubs.

Tomás and McFarland signed non-roster deals with the Nationals over the offseason. The former was once a regular corner outfielder with the Diamondbacks but has barely played at the MLB level since 2017. The latter pitched in 23 games for the A’s with a 4.35 ERA/4.56 SIERA last season. They’ll now return to the open market. As Maria Torres of the Athletic points out (on Twitter), McFarland’s departure seems to suggest fellow non-roster invitee Luis Avilán will earn a season-opening lefty bullpen role.

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