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AL East Notes: Adam, Blue Jays, Wells

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Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Rays right-hander Jason Adam was unavailable during tonight’s 7-6 loss to the Guardians due to an oblique strain that will send him to the injured list. Adam hasn’t pitched since August 27 due to the issue. It’s another devastating injury for Tampa’s pitching staff, which has already lost three of its five opening day rotation members for the season in Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan. Now, the bullpen has lost perhaps its most reliable setup arm for right-hander Pete Fairbanks.

After a sensational 2022 campaign with the Rays where Adam posted a 1.56 ERA in 67 appearances, the 31-year-old righty has taken a step back but is still dominant with a 2.67 ERA in 54 innings this season, 56% better than league average by measure of ERA+. With Adam headed to the IL, it’s fair to wonder if his regular season is in jeopardy, though without confirmation from Rays brass its hard to speculate on a timetable for return given the considerable variance in severity regarding oblique injuries. With Adam headed to the shelf, the Rays figure to rely on Fairbanks, Colin Poche, and Robert Stephenson to cover the late innings, with veteran Andrew Kitteredge as a potential X-factor for the bullpen as he returns from last year’s Tommy John surgery.

More from around the AL East…

  • The Blue Jays had interested in then-Mets outfielder Mark Canha prior to the trade deadline, when he was ultimately traded to the Brewers. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the club considered dealing for an additional bat like Canha or fellow Met Tommy Pham (who was eventually traded to Arizona) before ultimately opting to rely on prospect Davis Schneider to boost the offense down the stretch. While the decision to lean on Schneider looks prescient as the 24-year-old has set the world on fire with a 270 wRC+ in his first 15 games, a bat like Canha or Pham would surely help cover for the loss of Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman to the injured list earlier this week. Nicholson-Smith also notes that the club rebuffed interest from a free agent middle infielder toward the end of August in deference to Ernie Clement, who like Schneider has also delivered in a small sample size since taking over for Bichette at shortstop.
  • Orioles right-hander Tyler Wells is struggling with arm fatigue as he converts to a bullpen role with Triple-A Norfolk, as manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including Jake Rill of MLB.com) today. As Rill notes, Wells last pitched on August 25, with Hyde noting that the righty hasn’t “bounced back” from his last outing as hoped. Wells posted a 3.18 ERA in 104 2/3 innings of work prior to the All Star break but was rocked for 11 runs in nine innings of work in three appearances after the break, prompting the club to demote the 29-year-old hurler for a conversion to the bullpen.

Blue Jays Notes: Bichette, Vlad, September Call-Ups

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Blue Jays fans cringed in collective fashion when both Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman exited Sunday’s game due to injuries. Chapman has already been placed on the injured list with a strain in his right hand, while Bichette was out of last night’s lineup due to the quad discomfort that forced him from the prior day’s contest. While the Jays termed his exit precautionary, Bichette underwent an MRI last night, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The team will presumably have an update on the star shortstop’s status today.

Toronto called up journeyman infielder Ernie Clement when Chapman hit the IL and went with him at shortstop and rookie Davis Schneider at third base in yesterday’s win over the Nationals. The 24-year-old Schneider has already popped five homers in his first 48 big league plate appearances, batting .425/.521/.875 in that tiny sample. Schneider has also fanned at a 29.2% rate and is sporting an outlandish .571 BABIP that he won’t sustain, but he’s nevertheless provided a jolt for the Toronto lineup. That arrangement could be in place a bit more regularly if Bichette misses time, although there’s room for the Jays to get creative.

One possibility that’s currently under consideration would be at least occasional time back at the hot corner for first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it seems. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports that while the Jays aren’t currently planning to start Guerrero at third base in Chapman’s absence, they’re open to using him there late in games as they make substitutions around the diamond. Guerrero has been taking grounders at the hot corner in recent days.

It’s also worth noting that the Jays will soon have two more roster spots to potentially add some depth with Chapman out at least 10 days and Bichette potentially sidelined as well. Rosters are set to expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1, which could clear a path for Toronto to tap further into its minor league system for reinforcements. Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic suggests that infielders Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez and Spencer Horwitz could all be considered for a big league call when rosters expand.

Each of Barger, Martinez and Horowitz is already on the 40-man roster. The former two could benefit the Jays with their versatility, as that pair has experience at each of shortstop, third base and second base. Horwitz has played primarily first base and left field in his professional career.

FanGraphs currently ranks Barger as the game’s No. 36 overall prospect. He’s spent time on the injured list but has turned in a .257/.371/.414 slash in 65 Triple-A games since returning, walking at a hearty 14.6% clip against a 21.1% strikeout rate. He hit .308/.378/.555 between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A last year. Martinez landed on Baseball America’s top-100 list prior to the 2021 and 2022 seasons but saw his stock tumble with a rough year in Double-A last year. The 21-year-old, has bounced back to some extent this season, posting a combined .242/.344/.496 line between Double-A and Triple-A (including a .276/.355/.517 slash at the higher of those two levels). Horwitz went 2-for-8 with a pair of walks in a brief MLB debut earlier this season and has slashed .339/.450/.499 in 476 Triple-A plate appearances, walking (15.8%) more often than he’s struck out (15.1%) in the process.

Blue Jays Designate Thomas Hatch For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves this morning. The club has selected the contract of infielder Davis Schneider from Triple-A, optioned infielder Ernie Clement to Triple-A, reinstated right-hander Jay Jackson from the family emergency list, and designated right-hander Thomas Hatch for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster stands at 40.

Hatch, 28, came over from the Cubs in a 2019 trade that sent reliever David Phelps to Chicago. He made his big league debut with Toronto in 2020 and has seen Major League action every season since. The 2016 third-round pick has pitched to a 5.28 ERA in 44 1/3 big league innings, fanning 21.3% of his opponents against a 12.4% walk rate.

While he’s worked primarily as a starter in Triple-A, Hatch has moved to the bullpen for the majority of his work in the upper minors this season. He’s pitched to a 4.40 ERA in 30 games — 45 innings — and notched a 27.8% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate. Hatch has typically kept the ball on the ground at average or better rates in Double-A and Triple-A, and this year’s 4.40 ERA in Triple-A is right in line with the 4.45 mark he’s posted in 240 2/3 total innings at that level.

Hatch can still be optioned for the remainder of the 2023 season. Add that to his respectable results in parts of three Triple-A seasons, his ability to work multiple innings in relief, and his experience as a starter — and it pique the interest of another club seeking some depth now that the trade deadline has passed. The Jays can’t trade Hatch at this point, so they’ll have to place him on outright waivers.

As for the 24-year-old Schneider, he’ll be making his big league debut the first time he gets into a game. A 28th-round pick in 2017, Schneider has been primarily a second baseman in the minors but also has more than 900 innings at the hot corner, more than 600 innings in left field and has added eight games at first base in the 2023 season. He’s posted an excellent .275/.416/.553 batting line in 392 plate appearances this season, walking at a massive 18.4% clip against a 21.9% strikeout rate.

Blue Jays Expected To Select Davis Schneider

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The Blue Jays plan to promote Davis Schneider before tomorrow’s game in Boston, as first reported by Johnny Giunta (Twitter link). Toronto will need to create a vacancy on the 40-man roster to select his contract.

Schneider, 24, has spent six seasons in the minors. The Jays selected him in the 28th round of the 2017 draft out of a New Jersey high school. Schneider moved slowly up the ladder, first reaching Double-A last season. He had a solid .253/.366/.457 showing between a trio of minor league levels in 2022 but was nevertheless left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft.

After going unselected, he remained in the Jays’ system and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. Schneider has been one of the better hitters in the International League this season. Over 392 trips to the plate, he’s hitting .275/.416/.553 with 21 home runs. The 5’9″ hitter has walked at a huge 18.4% clip against an average 21.9% strikeout rate. While this year’s Triple-A environment has been very offense-heavy, that production still stands out.

Schneider ranks eighth among 88 International League batters (minimum 300 PA’s) in on-base percentage. He leads the league in walk rate and ranks 10th in slugging output. That breakout showing led Baseball America to slot him 15th among Toronto prospects in their recent farm rankings — the first time he’d made an organizational top 30 list at BA. The outlet points to a jump in Schneider’s minor league exit velocities and strong strike zone awareness.

Defensively, he bounces between second base, third base and left field. He’ll bring some flexibility to the bench but is regarded as more of a bat-first utility type. The Jays have Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio and Ernie Clement on the big league bench with a primary middle infield duo of Paul DeJong and Whit Merrifield while Bo Bichette is hurt.

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