Gary Sanchez

Yankees Activate Gary Sanchez

By Jeff Todd | July 19, 2018 at 9:32pm CDT

The Yankees have activated catcher Gary Sanchez heading out of the All-Star break, per a club announcement. Backstop Kyle Higashioka was optioned to clear a roster spot.

Sanchez ended up missing just under a month with a groin strain. Higashioka produced good power numbers (.500 SLG) while joining with Austin Romine to fill in for Sanchez, but managed only a .242 OBP. Clearly, the Yanks will be pleased to welcome back one of their most talented players.

In addition to getting up to full speed after the injury, Sanchez will be looking to get his offensive numbers back to where they were in prior seasons. He’s slashing just .190/.291/.433 on the year, well off his 2016-17 output, with 14 home runs in his 265 plate appearances.

Of course, that’s still within range of league-average overall production despite the fact that Sanchez owns only a .194 batting average on balls in play. Notably, he is credited by Statcast with a .369 xwOBA that dwarfs his .311 wOBA. Clearly, it’s reasonable to expect some positive regression in the second half.

Injury Notes: Tommy John Surgeries, Sanchez, Thornburg, Sandoval

By Kyle Downing | July 1, 2018 at 9:21pm CDT

Tommy John surgeries have become alarmingly common in today’s baseball climate, but the most disturbing trend is the age at which the bulk of these procedures are performed. Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel sheds some spotlight on a recent study showing that teens between the ages of 15 and 19 account for 75% of all Tommy John surgeries. Davis cites the words of Dr. Tommy John (son of the former major league pitcher and the procedure’s namesake), who bluntly says, “The success rate after Tommy John surgery is not good. You don’t want this surgery, especially if you have it in your teenage years.” One possible reason for the dramatic increase in youth Tommy John surgeries is single-sport specialization; Dr. Randolph Cohen of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood seems to believe it’s a big issue. “There’s an overall kind of irrational push by parents on children who are playing sports for such long hours and such long durations and such great repetition that we’re seeing an increase in the injuries in children than say we saw 20 years ago, where injuries like that were much more rare,” he said.

A few injury-related notes from around major-league baseball…

Though injured Yankees star Gary Sanchez hasn’t begun running drills yet, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that his recovery is going well. The Bombers are apparently hopeful he’ll be able to return around the All-Star break. Though he’s currently batting below the Mendoza line, the young Sanchez leads all MLB catchers with 14 homers to this point in the season.
The Red Sox are set to add a valuable reliever even before the July 31st trade deadline hits, as Chris Cotillo of masslive.com reports that Tyler Thornburg is expected to return to the club this week. The 29-year-old right-hander has yet to pitch in a game for the Red Sox since being acquired from the Brewers in exchange for Travis Shaw and a pair of minor-leaguers. There wouldn’t appear to be a great chance of salvaging the trade at this point, but if Thornburg can return to post something close to the 2.15 ERA and 12.06 K/9 he posted with Milwaukee back in 2016, he could be of great help to an already-strong bridge to Craig Kimbrel.
The Giants got some good news today, as it appears Pablo Sandoval has avoided any serious injury. Panda’s x-rays showed no fractures (according to a tweet from Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic), so his diagnosis is simply an elbow contusion after being hit by a Zack Godley pitch during today’s matchup against the Diamondbacks.

Yankees Place Gary Sanchez On DL, Option Clint Frazier

By Connor Byrne | June 25, 2018 at 4:00pm CDT

4:00pm: Sanchez has a Grade 1 strain and is expected to miss three to four weeks of action, manager Aaron Boone tells reporters (Twitter link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).

June 25, 2:20pm: The Yankees did indeed place Sanchez on the disabled list today due to a right groin strain, the team announced. Higashioka is up from Triple-A to replace him on the roster. New York also announced that Clint Frazier has been optioned to Triple-A in favor of right-hander Giovanny Gallegos.

June 24: The Yankees will likely place catcher Gary Sanchez on the disabled list because of a right hip/groin problem, manager Aaron Boone told Marc Carig of The Athletic and other reporters Sunday.

The Yankees fell to the Rays on Sunday, thus dropping three in a row in Tampa Bay, and Sanchez contributed to their defeat with an 0-for-4 performance. Sanchez then suffered an injury on the base paths in the top of the 10th inning, forcing him to exit the game in favor of backup Austin Romine.

At 50-25, the Yankees have gotten off to a great start this season, though Sanchez hasn’t been at his best. After establishing himself as one of the elite catchers in the game from 2016-17, Sanchez has opened this season with a .190/.291/.433 line in 265 plate appearances. That’s good enough for a 97 wRC+, which is respectable for a catcher, but it pales in comparison to his lifetime mark (131). Sanchez has still smacked 14 home runs and posted a .242 ISO, to his credit, and he has encountered significant batted-ball misfortune. The 25-year-old ranks fourth in the majors in average exit velocity on fly balls and line drives (99 mph) and 11th in barrels per plate appearance, per Statcast. He also entered Sunday with a terrific xwOBA (.372), easily eclipsing his actual wOBA (.313).

Behind the plate, the cannon-armed Sanchez has thrown out 28 percent of would-be base stealers – just beating out the 27 percent league average – and performed well as a pitch framer, according to Baseball Prospectus. BP has also approved of Romine’s framing work, and the longtime backup has seemingly found another gear at the plate. Romine, 29, has hit .305/.370/.524 with four homers in 92 PAs, also putting up a Sanchez-like xwOBA (.366).

With the Yankees tied atop the AL East with the Red Sox, they’ll hope Romine can continue his apparent breakout in a larger role for however much time Sanchez misses. Fellow backstop Kyle Higashioka will likely come up from Triple-A Scranton to back up Romine, Boone said (via Carig).

AL Notes: Upton, Angels, Tigers, Yankees

By Connor Byrne | September 2, 2017 at 7:33pm CDT

Speaking with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports on Saturday, newly minted Angels left fielder Justin Upton noted that the free agent market has changed since January 2016, when he signed a six-year, $132.75MM contract with the Tigers, adding that “teams are looking for different things” (Twitter link). While the market shift could impact whether the 29-year-old opts out of the remaining $88.5MM on his contract after the season, it seems he’s considering vacating what’s left of the pact. “If you play well enough, there’s a job for you,” said Upton, who has slashed .279/.362/.541 with 28 home runs in 528 plate appearances in 2017. Thanks to his outstanding performance this year, the majority of those who voted in MLBTR’s latest poll on Friday expect Upton to test free agency again in the offseason.

More on the Halos and two other AL clubs:

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera will serve a six-game suspension stemming from his role in a brawl with the Yankees on Aug. 24, while reliever Alex Wilson will sit three games and manager Brad Ausmus will be barred from one, per an announcement from Detroit. Major League Baseball originally handed down seven-, four- and one-game bans to Cabrera, Wilson and Ausmus, respectively, before the appeals process. Their suspensions began Saturday against Cleveland, with bench coach Gene Lamont stepping in for Ausmus.
As of Friday, settlement discussions between MLB and the players’ union regarding suspensions for Yankees catchers Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine were still ongoing, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. A decision is unlikely to come before Monday, per Rosenthal, who adds that the two backstops won’t serve their penalties simultaneously. Before Sanchez and Romine appealed, the former received the larger ban (four games to two).
Angels right-hander J.C. Ramirez will miss the rest of the season because of an elbow strain, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter link). The Halos placed Ramirez on the 60-day disabled list on Friday, which didn’t come as a surprise given that he received a platelet-rich plasma injection earlier this week and looked unlikely to return at the time. Fortunately for both team and player, general manager Billy Eppler announced that the Angels haven’t found any new structural damage in Ramirez’s elbow. The 29-year-old turned in a respectable season before the injury, tossing 147 1/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball and recording 6.41 K/9 against 2.99 BB/9, to go with a 51.4 percent groundball rate.

MLB Announces Suspensions From Tigers-Yankees Brawl

By Jeff Todd | August 25, 2017 at 3:54pm CDT

The league has officially handed down suspensions arising out of yesterday’s fisticuffs between the Tigers and Yankees. Detroit star Miguel Cabrera received the stiffest discipline, with a seven-game ban owing to his “inciting the first bench-clearing incident and fighting.”

Cabrera isn’t the only one who’ll take some games of unpaid leave (pending appeal). Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez got four games for throwing punches in the melee — he was fortunate, perhaps, not to take a harsher punishment — while fellow New York backstop Austin Romine got two for his part in the tangle with Cabrera. That could cause the organization some troubles with filling out its catching situation, though it seems there’ll be some effort to ensure the suspensions aren’t served simultaneously.

In addition to losing their star for some time, the Tigers will go without reliever Alex Wilson for four games because he threw at Todd Frazier after warnings had been issued — and then admitted it (somewhat admirably) after the game. Detroit skipper Brad Ausmus will also sit one out contest due to Wilson’s actions.

All of those players received undisclosed fines. A variety of other participants were levied financial punishment as well. Needless to say, there’ll be plenty of debate over the league’s actions. Tigers righty Michael Fulmer was not suspended despite plunking Sanchez earlier in the game. Likewise, Yankees righty Tommy Kahnle won’t be banned despite throwing behind Cabrera. And fellow New York righty Dellin Betances also avoided punishment though he hit Tigers catcher James McCann in the helmet with a pitch after the initial brawl.

Heyman’s Latest: Royals, Marlins, Tribe, Tigers, Mets, Yanks, Astros

By Connor Byrne | May 28, 2017 at 2:41pm CDT

With the trade deadline drawing nearer, FanRag’s Jon Heyman lists 70 players who could end up on the block over the next two months. Heyman ranks the players in order of name value and includes the likes of Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander, Josh Donaldson and Ryan Braun near the top of the list. Check out the full piece for an in-depth look at which stars and role players might switch uniforms this summer.

Now the latest from Heyman’s American League and National League notes columns:

Prior to the season, Royals impending free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer shot down a report that he was seeking a 10-year deal. But there’s still a belief within the organization that he will request something close to a decadelong pact in the coming months, per Heyman, who adds that Hosmer is the soon-to-be free agent the Royals most want to keep. However, Kansas City hasn’t made a serious offer to Hosmer on account of what could be a lofty asking price, and the team expects the 27-year-old to reach free agency. Fellow longtime Royals Mike Moustakas (third base), Lorenzo Cain (center field) and Alcides Escobar (shortstop) are also likely to hit the market in the offseason. Moustakas is the Royals’ biggest priority after Hosmer, suggests Heyman, while they seem resigned to the idea that Cain will find a larger payday elsewhere. Escobar, the weakest player of the four, could re-sign if the price is right. At one point, he was seeking $10MM per year, but his cost has come down thanks to his dreadful offensive start (.174/.203/.228 in 196 plate appearances). Meanwhile, right-hander Ian Kennedy probably won’t opt out of the remaining three years and $49MM left on his contract, Heyman writes.
Alex Rodriguez could still factor into the Marlins’ next ownership group if the faction including Tagg Romney, Tom Glavine and Dave Stewart lands the franchise. Given A-Rod’s controversial past, the Romney team is keeping him “at arm’s length” for now; even if they weren’t, Rodriguez isn’t allowed to be part of an ownership group as long as he’s still collecting a salary from the Yankees. The 41-year-old’s contract with the Bombers expires at season’s end. His former teammate Derek Jeter, who’s vying with Jeb Bush and against Romney & Co. to purchase the Marlins, isn’t planning to invest much money, says Heyman. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported Saturday that Bush and Jeter are leading the race to acquire the franchise.
Heyman reported in April that the Indians would look to extend first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana, but discussions between the two sides still haven’t taken place. They might not occur, either, as Heyman relays that Santana is likely to hit free agency at season’s end. At .219/.321/.390 in 215 PAs, the 31-year-old hasn’t carried his typically above-average production into this season so far, but he continues to exhibit quality plate discipline with 27 walks against 31 strikeouts. Santana’s walk rate has dropped in each season since 2014, however, and is now at a career-low 12.6 percent.
When the offseason rolls around, odds are that Tigers left fielder Justin Upton will not opt out of the remaining four years and $88MM left on his deal, reports Heyman. “Not happening,” one rival general manager said of a potential opt-out. Upton hasn’t lived up to his lucrative contract in his year-plus in Detroit, putting him on track to take the bird-in-the-hand approach.
It appears first baseman Lucas Duda is in his final season with the Mets, as Heyman implies that he’s primed to sign elsewhere over the winter. The 31-year-old power hitter has been among the Mets’ top players this season, having slashed .267/.406/.570 with six home runs in 106 PAs, but they do have a well-regarded youngster behind him in Dominic Smith. Baseball America sees Smith, 21, as the game’s 65th-best prospect.
Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is making $557,900 this year, according to Heyman, who reported in March that the backstop had agreed to a salary worth more than the minimum of $535K.
Add the Astros to the list of teams interested in Cuban shortstop prospect Jose Israel Garcia, who recently became a free agent. The Astros have already exceeded their pool allotment for the 2016-17 international free agent class, which could indicate that they’re looking to sign the 19-year-old Garcia before the period ends June 15.

East Notes: Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Rays

By Connor Byrne | April 30, 2017 at 12:11pm CDT

Yankees first baseman Greg Bird has followed a sensational spring training with a horrid April, having hit .107/.254/.214 with 21 strikeouts in 67 plate appearances, but the team will be patient with the 24-year-old. Asked Sunday if Bird is a candidate for a minor league demotion, general manager Brian Cashman said, “It’s not even an option for me in my mind right now, at all” (Twitter link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). The Yankees’ other first baseman, Chris Carter, hasn’t fared much better than Bird (.182/.222/.333 in 36 PAs), but their woes haven’t stopped the Bombers from posting a major league-best 15-7 record.

Even more surprising is that the Yankees’ success has come without arguably their best player, catcher Gary Sanchez, who landed on the disabled list April 8 with a right biceps strain. Fortunately for New York, Sanchez is nearing a return – he’ll start a Triple-A rehab assignment Tuesday and could rejoin the big club next weekend, reports Sweeny Murti of WFAN (on Twitter). The Yankees began 1-4 with Sanchez and have gone 14-3 without him, thanks in part to the fact that reserve backstop Austin Romine has filled in with aplomb. The normally light-hitting Romine has unexpectedly done a decent Sanchez impersonation with a .300/.339/.460 line in 56 PAs.

Injury Notes: Thornburg, Price, Sanchez, Wright, Turner, Mesoraco

By Jeff Todd | April 19, 2017 at 8:16pm CDT

Here’s the latest on some injury situations from around the game:

Red Sox righty Tyler Thornburg has yet to progress to the point that he’s able to take the mound, manager John Farrell said today (via Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com, on Twitter). It’s not clear whether he’s making much progress, but it seems he is still long tossing in an effort to rebuild lost shoulder strength. At present, it seems as if there’s no clear timeline for the reliever to appear in the majors for the first time with his new team.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox seem to be slowing the rehab pace of lefty David Price, as Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. It’s not believed to be related to any setbacks, but plans of letting Price face live hitters appear to be on hold for at least another week, per the report.
The Yankees are still taking it slow with catcher Gary Sanchez, but there are some indications of progress, as Laura Albanese of Newsday writes. Sanchez, who is dealing with a biceps strain, was able to throw and take some dry cuts. He reported no issues, but the club isn’t planning to speed up his timeline, with manager Joe Girardi suggesting the original plan of a four-week absence hasn’t changed.
In another corner of New York, the Mets are seeing some good signs from third baseman David Wright. As David Lennon of Newsday tweets. Wright was able to field balls and play catch today, though he hasn’t yet begun making throws from third base. The veteran is working back from a shoulder impingement (which was suffered as he recovered from a neck issue that arose while dealing with a serious back issue).
Trea Turner could be back at shortstop for the Nationals sooner rather than later. As Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets, Turner played in extended spring action and was even able to swipe a bag. That’s certainly promising news, particularly given that Turner is on the DL owing to a hamstring strain.
After catching full games on consecutive days, Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco seems about ready to be activated, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. It seems the club will wait to see how Mesoraco feels before making a call, though manager Bryan Price also hinted there’s more to the evaluation. “This is kind of the point in time where we’ll re-assess what he needs for any type of finishing touches or polish before he’s activated,” Price said of the backstop, who is working back from hip and shoulder surgeries. Mesoraco has struggled at the plate in limited action thus far.

Yankees To Place Gary Sanchez On 10-Day DL

By Connor Byrne | April 8, 2017 at 7:19pm CDT

The Yankees will place catcher Gary Sanchez on the 10-day disabled list with a right biceps strain, Jack Curry of the YES Network was among those to report (Twitter link). Sanchez suffered the injury during the Yankees’ 5-4 loss to Baltimore on Saturday. He’ll see a doctor Monday or Tuesday, per Marly Rivera of ESPN.com.

New York has gotten off to a sluggish start even with the heralded Sanchez in its lineup, having dropped four of five to begin the season. Sanchez hit just .150/.190/.300 with a home run, four strikeouts and a walk during those five games, but the 24-year-old figures to rebound when he returns to action.

Sanchez slashed .299/.376/.657 with 20 homers in 299 plate appearances as a rookie last season, and while he won’t be able to replicate those numbers over a full campaign, he could nonetheless firmly establish himself as an elite catcher as early as this year. Further adding to Sanchez’s appeal is the fact that he cut down a whopping 41 percent of would-be base stealers in 2016. Given that the injury is to his impressive throwing arm, the Yankees will be extra careful with his recovery, according to manager Joe Girardi (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, on Twitter).

With Sanchez out of action, the Yankees will try to escape their early season swoon using the uninspiring combination of Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka behind the plate. Romine has batted an ugly .222/.256/.329 in 359 major league PAs, while the 26-year-old Higashioka hasn’t yet debuted in the bigs. He’ll join the Yankees on Sunday, tweets Hoch.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Yankees, Rockies, L. Robert, Orioles, Mariners

By Connor Byrne | April 8, 2017 at 6:01pm CDT

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez left Saturday’s game in Baltimore with a right biceps strain, per a team announcement. There’s no timetable for his return, tweets FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, but it’s worth noting that Angels righty Garrett Richards landed on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a right biceps strain. It’s possible Sanchez’s injury will be more severe, of course, which would be a terrible development for the Yankees. The 24-year-old deservedly entered the season with significant hype surrounding him after hitting an astounding .299/.376/.657 with 20 home runs in 229 plate appearances as a rookie in 2016.

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