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Clayton Kershaw

Injury Notes: Vizcaino, Kershaw, Cole, Marlins

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The Braves announced today that right-hander Arodys Vizcaino has been placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 24) due to inflammation in his right shoulder. The 25-year-old Vizcaino spent the majority of the season as Atlanta’s closer and was an oft-speculated-upon trade target in advance of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but Vizcaino suffered an oblique strain in mid-July, which shelved him through Aug. 18 and removed the plausibility of a trade. Jim Johnson has taken over the ninth inning in his stead and handled the role fantastically, but Johnson is a free agent at season’s end, so Vizcaino will have the opportunity to reclaim the ninth inning next season. Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters, including Mark Bowman of MLB.com, that he believes Vizcaino will be able to be activated when he is first eligible on Sept. 9.

A few more notable injury situations from around the league…

  • Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw pitched two innings in a simulated game today and is likely headed for a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the big league team, writes Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times. “I think it will take a little bit of time to build him up in a way for him to be strong through September and hopefully October, as well,” said president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. The hope is that he’ll only require a single rehab outing before returning to the big league club, which could put him in line for an early September date. McCullough also notes that Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson and Scott Kazmir all pitched simulated games as well, and Kazmir is the closest to returning. Kazmir threw five innings today and, unlike his injured peers, may not require a minor league rehab stint.
  • Renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache examined Gerrit Cole’s balky right elbow and found no ligament damage, bone spurs or bone chips, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Pirates ace had only inflammation in his elbow and is expected to return to the team before the regular season is over. Pirates athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk told Biertempfel that the direct source of Cole’s elbow discomfort isn’t known, though the possibility exists that an early-season rib injury led to some altered mechanics that brought about the pain. “I would say it’s tough to say that they’re not related,” said Cole of the rib injury, the triceps strain he suffered in June and the current elbow inflammation. “We do the same motion every time. Anytime that something causes you to alter that kind of thing, you run the risk of paying the price somewhere else.”
  • Marlins lefty Adam Conley has been cleared by doctors to resume throwing and played catch Tuesday for the first time since going on the disabled list, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Barring any further setbacks in his recovery from tendinitis in his left middle finger, he could return to the Miami rotation in three weeks, Frisaro adds. Furthermore, he writes, lefty Wei-Yin Chen is progressing through a throwing program as he rehabs an elbow strain and is also a possibility for a late-September return. Getting either southpaw back would be a boon to a Marlins rotation that is trying to keep the team afloat in the Wild Card hunt. Miami dropped its fourth straight game today but is still a very manageable 3.5 games back from the second Wild Card spot in the National League.

NL West Notes: Kershaw, Blanco, Rockies

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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw tossed a 40-pitch bullpen session today and is slated to throw a 60-pitch simulated game against live hitters later this week, writes J.P. Hoornstra of the L.A. News Group. There was talk of Kershaw making a pair of rehab starts, manager Dave Roberts tells Hoornstra, but that number has been dropped to one. Kershaw could head out on a minor league rehab assignment in the next week or two, Hoornstra writes. Kershaw himself said that he felt comfortable between simulated innings — a positive step from where he was prior to his placement on the DL. Hoornstra’s piece includes a series of video clips of Kershaw discussing his health and rehab, for those who wish to hear a first-hand account of his progress.

More from the NL West…

  • The Giants announced today that outfielder Gregor Blanco has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to an impingement in his right shoulder. Blanco tells Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he initially injured his shoulder all the way back in May, but it’s become so painful that it’s even impacting his ability to run (links to Twitter). The second half of the season has been a tremendous struggle for Blanco, who is hitting just .130/.203/.148 in 59 plate appearances since the All-Star break.
  • In his latest Rockies mailbag, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post addresses the reasons behind the Rockies’ decision to hang onto trade candidates Boone Logan and Jorge De La Rosa. There was plenty of interest in Logan, per Saunders, but GM Jeff Bridich elected to hold onto the southpaw because the Rockies were still within arm’s reach of the playoffs and were playing quite well. Saunders adds that he heard very little in the way of interest in De La Rosa, who has performed admirably since returning to the rotation earlier this summer. The 35-year-old De La Rosa has a 3.56 ERA over his past 13 starts (78 1/3 innings) and, like Logan, is a free agent at season’s end. Both left-handers are logical trade candidates over the final eight days of the month, now that the Rockies are out of the playoff picture.

Dodgers’ Hill, Kershaw Move Closer To Returns

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The health of the Dodgers’ injury-riddled rotation has improved in the past 24 hours, as a date has been set for Rich Hill’s first start in Dodger blue and Clayton Kershaw had a successful bullpen session.

Hill, acquired at the August 1 deadline from the Athletics, has not yet pitched for the Dodgers due to blister issues. On Thursday, however, he threw 78 pitches in a simulated game, and he’s set to start on Wednesday against the Giants, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes. He has not pitched in the big leagues since July 17. Hill was one of the top prizes available at the trade deadline after a brilliant half-season with Oakland, so his return to action could prove to be a major help to his new team.

In news that is perhaps even more encouraging for Dodgers fans, Clayton Kershaw pitched a bullpen session today and reported that he felt “100 percent” (via Plunkett on Twitter). Kershaw, of course, was in the midst of an historically dominant season (with a 1.79 ERA, 10.8 K/9 and an amazing 0.7 BB/9 in 121 innings) before he came down with a herniated disc and headed to the DL in late June. Unlike with Hill, the timeline of Kershaw’s return remains unclear, and he probably still has significant work to do before he’s ready to start a big-league game. If in fact he’s able to pitch a successful bullpen right now, though, it seems reasonable to hope he can contribute by the end of the season and in the playoffs.

Latest On Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-jin Ryu

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The Dodgers received mixed news on two key starting pitching injury situations today, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (links to Twitter). While Clayton Kershaw is making some positive progress, per manager Dave Roberts, fellow southpaw Hyun-jin Ryu is likely done for the year.

Kershaw, who led the N.L. in ERA in four of the last five years and is doing so again this season, is ready for a bullpen session on Saturday. That’s certainly a good sign, as the southpaw had been working only off of flat ground. Kershaw has been out since late June with a back injury, with his initial attempt at a return pushed back when the problem flared up.

To call Kershaw’s injury situation a difference-making factor in the NL West race (and, thereafter, the post-season) would surely be an understatement. He had already racked up 121 innings of 1.79 ERA pitching over 16 starts, with 10.8 K/9 against 0.7 BB/9, somehow improving over his already best-in-class track record. Anything close to Kershaw’s typical production would provide a huge boon to L.A. down the stretch.

Things are somewhat more concerning with regard to Ryu, with Roberts suggesting he doesn’t foresee a return in 2016. The 29-year-old did make it back to the majors for the first time since 2014 earlier this summer, but was bombed in his only appearance and promptly slotted back onto the injured list.

Shoulder and (more recently) elbow issues are eating up some of the prime years of Ryu’s career. Los Angeles has probably already received fair value on its six-year, $36MM commitment to Ryu, given his outstanding first two campaigns. But for the deal to turn back into the screaming value it once was, the Korean hurler will need to return to health.

The remaining contract — which guarantees Ryu $14MM over two years — may or may not prove to be beneficial to L.A. But that would be a paltry sum if he can return to being even a merely solid MLB starter, and it’s obviously far too soon to lose hope. Ryu did finally return to the big league mound, with his average fastball in his lone outing clocking just one mile per hour lower than his career average. And it is worth noting that he managed 23 strikeouts against just a single walk over his eight rehab starts, so he it would appear that he has not lost his impeccable command.

Injury Updates: Kershaw, Anderson, Lewis, Gray

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We’ve already seen several big names hit the DL today, so let’s take look at some more notable injury situations from around baseball…

  • Clayton Kershaw is still at least a week away from throwing off a mound, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jack Baer), though the Dodgers superstar has thrown off flat ground multiple times within the last week.  Kershaw is still on track to return in September from the back problem that has sidelined him since late June.
  • The Dodgers activated southpaw Brett Anderson from the DL today but the lefty lasted just one inning (allowing five ER) and he suffered a mild sprain of his left wrist while trying to field a grounder.  Anderson is day-to-day and it’s unknown if he’ll make his next start.  “It feels like I’m kind of snakebit…it’s like a nightmare you hopefully wake up from,” Anderson told reporters, including Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  The injury-plagued veteran was making his first appearance of the 2016 season today after undergoing back surgery in March.  Anderson is a free agent this winter and is running out of time to get some healthy and effective outings under his belt, especially since the Dodgers can’t afford to give him much time to find himself with the club in a pennant race.
  • Colby Lewis threw a 30-pitch bullpen session today and told reporters (including T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com) that “everything felt great.”  Lewis has been on the DL since June recovering from a strained lat muscle, and the Rangers are aiming for a return in the first week of September if the rest of his recovery schedule goes as planned.  Lewis will toss another bullpen session and live batting practice this week, then a minimum of two rehab starts in the minors.  The Texas rotation will get a big boost if Lewis is able to continue his early-season form — a 3.21 ERA and identical 3.21 K/BB rate over his first 98 innings of 2016.
  • Sonny Gray may not pitch again in 2016, Athletics manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jane Lee).  While Melvin would ideally like to see Gray on the mound again, “it’s not like we’re going to push him to try to get him out there just to get him out there.”  Gray is recovering from a strained forearm and since he has to wait until the inflammation subsides, there isn’t currently any timetable for him to begin a proper rehab process.  A season-ending injury would be par for the course for Gray in what has been a lost season for the Oakland ace, as he has battled injuries and posted a career-worst 5.74 ERA over 21 starts.

NL Notes: Brewers, Kershaw, Peralta, Rockies

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Brewers general manager David Stearns spoke with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about the difference between the would-be return for the vetoed Jonathan Lucroy trade with the Indians and the actual return he received from the Rangers in exchange for Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress. While Milwaukee will end up with three players in exchange for Lucroy and Jeffress in the Rangers trade (as opposed to the four they’d have received from Cleveland for Lucroy alone), the Brewers landed players that are much closer to the big leagues in Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz than they would’ve in a Cleveland package that was headlined by Class-A catcher Francisco Mejia. Stearns also added that he’d received “indications” that Lucroy would approve a trade to Cleveland, though he declined to get into specifics about those indications and what they entailed. Lucroy’s rejection of the trade didn’t alter negotiations with other clubs much, according to Stearns, who tells Haudricourt that there was a robust market for his now-former catcher both before and after talks with Cleveland.

A few more notes from the Senior Circuit…

  • Clayton Kershaw played catch yesterday for the first time since suffering a setback after throwing a simulated game on July 17, as MLB.com’s Jack Baer writes. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has already stated that Kershaw won’t be back until September, and as Baer notes, that rules out a possible minor league rehab assignment for Kershaw, as the minor league season comes to a close at the end of August. Kershaw, instead, will rely on bullpen sessions, live batting practice and simulated games to get back up to speed in an effort to help the Dodgers down the stretch.
  • Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta, who was placed on the disabled list for the third time this season yesterday, will undergo an MRI on his bothersome right wrist today, writes MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. This stint marks the second of Peralta’s three DL trips that has stemmed from inflammation in his right wrist, and Gilbert writes that Peralta was informed last year (when he injured the wrist for the first time) that he may have irritated a ligament.
  • The return of Gerardo Parra from the disabled list gives the Rockies four left-handed-hitting outfielders for three spots now that rookie David Dahl has cemented his place in the lineup, writes the Denver Post’s Nick Kosmider. “I’m not sure how it’s going to work out,” said manager Walt Weiss of the moderate logjam with which he is now faced. “I’ve got four really good outfielders, and they are all major league-quality outfielders. I’ve got to keep them all involved. … We can play matchups, those kinds of things. I can’t look into the future and say exactly how it’s going to go. … Parra’s a big part of this moving forward, as are the other three guys. It’s a nice issue to have.” While it seems unlikely that any of the four would be moved in the month of August, the presence of all four outfielders on the Rockies’ roster figures to lead to further speculation surrounding a possible trade of Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon or Parra this offseason.

Dodgers Place Bud Norris On 15-Day DL

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The Dodgers have placed righty Bud Norris on the 15-day DL, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He’ll be replaced in the rotation by Ross Stripling, at least for the time being.

Los Angeles had other pitching news as well. Just-acquired lefty Rich Hill will make his debut with the club on Sunday. And though Clayton Kershaw hasn’t yet resumed throwing, manager Dave Roberts says he’s hopeful that the game’s best pitcher will be on the hill at some point in September. Lofty prospect Jose De Leon was also considered for the assignment in place of Norris, but it seems he’ll receive at least one more minor league start before tasting the majors.

Norris, acquired recently from the Braves, has provided a 4.34 ERA in 29 frames since his acquisition. He carries an impressive 9.9 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in that span, and had helped to solidify a staff that has seen immense turnover. Now, Norris joins the other Dodgers arms that have cycled in and out of the rotation as health permits.

Keeping track of the comings and goings from the Los Angeles rotation has proven quite the task this year. As the team’s current depth chart shows, injury returnee Brandon McCarthy still seems a part of the staff after his poor recent outing, but he has been pushed back in favor of Hill. Even when the team’s newest hurler is activated, the team will have five legitimate MLB starters sitting on the DL. Whether or not the organization continues to seek depth in the August trade market remains to be seen, but that probably can’t be counted out at this point.

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

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

[Related: Updated Astros Depth Chart]

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

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

[Related: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]

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

[Related: Updated Tigers Depth Chart]

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

[Related: Updated White Sox Depth Chart]

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

[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

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

Latest On Clayton Kershaw’s Injury

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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw “didn’t feel great” on Sunday following a 60-pitch simulated game on Saturday, tweets Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Kershaw will be shut down until his back pain subsides, manager Dave Roberts told the L.A. media, and his return to the Dodgers’ rotation is “uncertain.” Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that Kershaw hasn’t picked up a ball since Saturday and will have his back re-examined in the next day or two.

Suffice it to say, that’s not the type of update the Dodgers were hoping to provide following Kershaw’s most recent throwing session. His uncertain timeline further compounds the depleted starting pitching depth for a Dodgers club that was forced to place Hyun-jin Ryu back on the disabled list earlier today with soreness in his left elbow. With Kershaw’s apparent setback and Ryu back on the disabled list, the Dodgers will once again turn to Julio Urias, tweets McCullough, who notes that Bud Norris will make the start for the Dodgers tomorrow with Urias going on Thursday.

The Dodgers, then, will have a rotation consisting of Norris, Urias, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda for the time being. Names like Brock Stewart, Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias and Ross Stripling await as depth at the minor league level, with Brett Anderson and Alex Wood looming as eventual possibilities on the Major League disabled list. However, the Dodgers have also been connected to Rays starters Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore and Chris Archer in recent weeks (each of whom president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman knows well from his days as GM of the Rays) and has also been linked to Rich Hill this week. While there’s no reason yet to get overly speculative about Kershaw’s injury status, one has to imagine that any further bad news from his upcoming examination would only hasten Friedman and his staff’s efforts to add to the team’s rotation picture.

Quick Hits: Pitching, Teheran, Kershaw, Giants, Maeda, Prospect Trades

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Starting pitching is still “severely overpriced” on the trade market, according to scouts who spoke with ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link) at the Futures Game.  “You want to get a guy who’ll pitch for you in the postseason.  Teams want to trade you a No. 5 starter who might help you get to the postseason,” said one scout who works for a contending club.  Eight starters landed on the latest edition of the Top 25 Trade Candidates list from MLBTR’s Jeff Todd, though of that octet, only a few seem like they would be real difference-makers in a playoff series.  Here’s more from around baseball as we wrap up the first half…

  • In another tweet from Crasnick, he describes the chances of the Braves trading Julio Teheran as “not likely” unless Atlanta significantly lowers its asking price before the deadline.  Given that the Braves reportedly want more for Teheran than they received from the D’Backs in the already-infamous Shelby Miller trade, it’s not hard to see why teams are balking at such a huge asking price.  (And it’s also clear why Atlanta would demand so much for a controllable young arm with ace potential.)
  • Clayton Kershaw will miss at least one start after the All-Star break as the Dodgers’ ace is still recovering from his back injury.  L.A. manager Dave Roberts lined up his post-All-Star break rotation for reporters (including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick) and Kershaw wasn’t in the mix, as the star lefty just threw off a mound today for the first time since June 26.  Early reports about his DL placement suggested Kershaw could miss up to a month, so while today’s news wasn’t necessarily a surprise, it’s possible he could return in the latter half of the 10-day road trip the Dodgers will face after the break.
  • Speaking of NL West stars on the DL, Bruce Bochy provided some updates to the media (including Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News) about some notable Giants.  Joe Panik is recovering well from concussion symptoms and could be back for the Giants’ series with the Red Sox that begins on July 19, while Hunter Pence could begin a minor league rehab assignment next week as he recovers from surgery to fix a torn hamstring.  Matt Duffy’s strained Achilles tendon in his left foot is still causing him problems when he runs in a straight line, so his timeline is uncertain though Duffy can perform other baseball activities with no issues.
  • Kenta Maeda exceeded the 100-inning plateau in his start today, thus unlocking another $250K bonus in his Dodgers contract (hat tip to ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla).  Maeda is only guaranteed $3MM per season from 2016 through 2023, though he can collect significant bonuses based on innings pitched, starts and making the Opening Day roster.  Thus far, Maeda has received an extra $1.65MM in bonuses this season.  Even if he maxes out those bonuses over the eight years under contract, Maeda is already looking like a bargain for the Dodgers given how well he has pitched in his first MLB season.
  • With today’s MLB Futures Game in mind, ESPN’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) details seven prospects from the game who could be trade chips at the deadline.
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