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Gary Sanchez

Latest On Yankees’ Catchers

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Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine have comprised the Yankees’ top two catchers over the past couple seasons. But now that Romine is a free agent, the alignment could change in 2020. However, the Yankees have shown interest in keeping that tandem together. They’ve discussed a new contract with Romine’s agent, Bill Rose of Moye Sports Associates, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. It’s unclear whether the two sides have made progress in their talks, but if an agreement doesn’t come together, the Yankees would be comfortable turning to the out-of-options Kyle Higashioka as their backup, according to Hoch.

The soon-to-be 31-year-old Romine is part of a free-agent class of catchers that lacks clear-cut starters after Yasmani Grandal, Jason Castro, Travis d’Arnaud and Robinson Chirinos. Whether a catcher-needy team would sign Romine and give him a shot to start remains to be seen, though he has been a legitimately solid offensive backstop of late. Romine’s bat was borderline unplayable in the majors from 2011-17, but over the past two seasons, he slashed .262/.305/.471 across 505 plate appearances. Defensively, he threw out at least 26 percent of would-be base-stealers in each of those years, placing him around league average. Romine also graded well as an overall defender by Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric in 2018, but he did experience a significant drop-off in that regard this past season.

If the Yankees do retain Romine, there’s no doubt he’ll continue playing second fiddle to Sanchez. While Sanchez has drawn heat from Yankees fans and some who cover the team – particularly for his struggles blocking pitches – general manager Brian Cashman lavished praise on the big-hitting 26-year-old at this week’s GM meetings, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Cashman acknowledged that Sanchez drew trade interest last offseason, but he doesn’t expect it to happen again this winter because teams know the Yankees aren’t going to deal him.

“I think we have a distinct advantage by having Gary Sanchez as our everyday catcher,” Cashman said. “And I know many in the industry feel the same way by their attempts last year, these extremely smart teams trying to see if they can get their hands on him. They’re not going to ask this year because everybody saw the numbers behind the numbers from last year and they know what he’s capable of. They know he’s a huge difference-maker being able to run him out there behind the plate.”

It’s hard to argue with Cashman, as Sanchez – despite whatever flaws he may have – is an effective player whose three remaining years of control and affordability (he’s projected to earn a reasonable $5.6MM in 2020) add to his appeal. Sanchez slashed .232/.316/.525 with 34 home runs in 446 PA in 2019 en route to 3.1 bWAR/2.3 fWAR. Injuries held Sanchez to 106 games, but he’ll try for a healthier 2020, and it seems like a guarantee that he’ll still be in a Yankees uniform then.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Sanchez, Astros, Peacock, Giants

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While Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has always been known for his ability to send balls into the stratosphere, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes that his improvement defensively is paying dividends for the World Series-hopeful Yankees. Per Ackert, relievers Zack Britton and Adam Ottavino were admittedly skeptical of their new backstop when they first joined the Yankees, but both have been pleasantly surprised with Sanchez’s work not only blocking the ball (after catching his fair share of flak for surrendering passed balls, Sanchez has cut his total from 18 last year to just seven in 2019), but also managing a pitching staff that includes a deadly stable of hard-throwing bullpen arms with different tendencies. That could very well be magnified as the Yankees play in the postseason; with many questioning the team’s rotation, Aaron Boone figures to rely heavily on what might be the deepest bullpen of the remaining contenders.

Some other notes from around the baseball landscape…

  • With the Giants’ search for a new manager underway, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle inspects ten candidates who could be the first new manager in San Francisco since Bruce Bochy took over in 2007. They include incumbent Giants coaches, staff members from Farhan Zaidi’s time in Oakland, and other outsiders. Hensley Meulens, Eric Chavez, Mark Kotsay, and others could all be in contention, though Shea notes that some names are more realistic than others, and that those discussed are merely speculative. Still, for Giants fans interested in what each brings to the table, it’s a worthwhile summary.
  • If the Astros advance to the ALCS, right-hander Brad Peacock could be added to the roster, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Peacock was a notable omission from the Division Series roster after he struggled in a late-season return from a shoulder injury. There’s hope that he could be fully up to speed ahead of the Championship Series, should the Astros advance. He’s set to throw a simulated game today to stay sharp during his time off the field. With just 11 pitchers on the roster for the first round, Peacock could replace a position player if he is indeed added to the ALCS roster.

Health Notes: Turner, Kepler, Wong, G. Sanchez

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Nationals shortstop Trea Turner suffered a fractured right index finger April 3, and though the speedster made it back in mid-May, he’s nowhere near healthy, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic details (subscription required). The index finger is a “swollen, disjointed mess,” per Ghiroli, whose piece includes quotes from Turner and some Nationals teammates and coaches in regards to his ability to play through it. Third baseman Anthony Rendon, who revealed to Ghiroli that Turner also broke his right middle finger, is in awe of the season he has had despite the injury. “I don’t know how he does it. When I messed up my thumb or whatever earlier in the year, you can’t even hold a bat,” said Rendon. “You don’t realize you need to use all your freaking fingers, but he can’t, which is even more impressive.” The Nationals locked up a wild-card spot Tuesday with a doubleheader sweep of the Phillies. All Turner did was collect three hits, including two doubles, in Game 1 and then belt a go-ahead grand slam in a come-from-behind victory in the evening.

  • Twins outfielder Max Kepler has been dealing with left shoulder issues since Sept. 8, when he left a game against Cleveland after swinging awkwardly. The ailing Kepler hasn’t taken an at-bat in almost two weeks (Sept. 14), and it’ll be a little while longer before he does. The breakout 26-year-old is currently planning to make it back “no later than the beginning of a possible postseason series,” Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com writes. The Twins are on the verge of clinching the AL Central, so avoiding the wild-card game will give Kepler a bit of extra time to get ready for a first-round series.
  • The left hamstring strain Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong suffered last Thursday is a Grade 2 tear, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That likely sounds worse than it is, as Wong’s hopeful he’ll be able to come back during the Cardinals’ final series of the regular season. The Redbirds are closing in on a division title thanks in part to Wong, a .285/.361/.423 hitter with 11 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 549 plate appearances. His absence has enabled Matt Carpenter to get back into the Cardinals’ everyday lineup at third base, while highly productive rookie Tommy Edman has taken over for Wong at the keystone.
  • Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is hoping to return from a groin strain this weekend, James Wagner of the New York Times tweets. That would give Sanchez a bit of time to tune up before the AL East champions’ first-round series. The slugger hasn’t played since Sept. 12, which has left New York’s catcher position to Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka.

Latest On Edwin Encarnacion, Gary Sanchez

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Despite the litany of injuries they’ve dealt with this season, the Yankees earned their 100th victory of the season and clinched the American League East on Thursday. Now, with the playoffs looming, they’ve got a couple of injured sluggers on the way back. Designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion should rejoin the team on a season-ending road trip that runs from Sept. 24-29, per manager Aaron Boone, while catcher Gary Sanchez could be ready for the Yankees’ Division Series matchup (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).

Encarnacion hasn’t played since he suffered an oblique strain on Sept. 12. Those injuries often require players to sit for several weeks (as was the case with Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge earlier this season, for instance), but it appears Encarnacion will come back from his in relatively short order. One of the game’s most prolific sluggers in recent memory, Encarnacion has slashed a respectable .249/.325/.531 with 13 home runs in 197 plate appearances since the Yankees acquired him from the Mariners back in mid-June. He has, however, battled multiple injuries since he first donned the pinstripes, including a right wrist fracture that shelved him from Aug. 4-Sept. 3. The Yankees have rotated Luke Voit, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton at DH during Encarnacion’s current absence.

Like Encarnacion, injuries have hampered Sanchez on more than occasion this season. He hasn’t played since Sept. 12 because of a left groin strain – the same issue that shelved him for two weeks earlier in the summer. The powerful Sanchez has enjoyed a productive season when healthy, as his .233/.318/.531 line with 34 home runs in 440 PA shows, and is far and away the most talented offensive catcher the Yankees have. Backup Austin Romine has held his own with the bat this month, but the Yankees would obviously prefer to have Sanchez back in the fold come playoff time.

AL East Notes: Rays, Yanks, Red Sox, Hazen, Mayza

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The latest on four of the American League East’s five teams…

  • As of three weeks ago, the Rays expected injured infielder Brandon Lowe to miss the rest of the regular season. That might not happen, though, as manager Kevin Cash suggested Friday that Lowe and right-hander Yonny Chirinos could return, Juan Toribio of MLB.com tweets. Lowe was amid one of the league’s best rookie seasons when he went down July 3 with a shin injury, while Chirinos was among the Rays’ top starters before landing on the shelf Aug. 5 with a finger injury. Despite their ongoing absences, Tampa Bay continues to hold an American League wild-card spot, albeit by the thinnest of margins. The Rays are a half-game up on the Indians for the league’s No. 5 seed.
  • It’s in question how much more the injury-plagued Yankees will get from catcher Gary Sanchez and designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion this season. Sanchez suffered a strained groin Thursday, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. The Yankees are “hopeful” he’ll come back this year, Ackert writes. Meanwhile, Encarnacion incurred a mild internal oblique strain Thursday, though it’s not yet clear how much time Encarnacion will miss. The 36-year-old already sat out almost all of August because of a fractured right wrist.
  • Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen was a speculative target for the Red Sox after they fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski on Sunday. But Hazen, who worked under Dombrowski in Boston before going to Arizona in 2016, is officially out of the picture after signing an extension Friday. Even before Hazen agreed to that deal, the Red Sox didn’t reach out to the Diamondbacks to request an interview, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. Extension or not, Hazen was already under contract with the D-backs, so they could have shot down the Red Sox had they approached the Snakes with interest in talking to him.
  • Reliever Tim Mayza left the Blue Jays’ win over the Yankees on Friday with a left elbow injury, the team announced. It was an ugly scene: Mayza threw a pitch way behind New York shortstop Didi Gregorius, went to the ground clutching his forearm and looked to be in tears (video via Keegan Matheson of MLB.com). Mayza will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet relays, but it won’t be a surprise if his wayward pitch to Gregorius goes down as his last of 2019. At this point, Mayza and the Jays are surely hoping the issue doesn’t prove severe enough to shelve him for any portion of next season.

Yankees Notes: Sanchez, Happ

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Sept. 13: Regarding Happ, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes that the Yankees had already been planning for him to head to New York to get some treatment — possibly a cortisone shot — for his ongoing biceps discomfort. Happ has made the organization aware of the issue but has deemed it to be manageable for the most part. The biceps issue hasn’t been particularly debilitating for Happ, who carries a 3.48 ERA with 35 punchouts over his past 31 innings (six starts).

Sept. 12, 7:53pm: Sanchez told Hoch and other reporters that his newest groin injury feels “very similar” to his previous one. He’ll head back to New York for testing (Twitter links).

6:34pm: Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Yankees are dealing with a couple potential injuries. Catcher Gary Sanchez left the second game of the team’s doubleheader against the Tigers on Thursday with left groin tightness, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets. And left-hander J.A. Happ, who started Game 1, is heading back to New York to get his biceps tendinitis checked out, per Erik Boland of Newsday. Happ’s issue isn’t one the Yankees are overly concerned about, according to manager Aaron Boone, but they nonetheless want to take a look at it.

Groin injuries often lead to weeks-long absences, which is obviously something the first-place Yankees don’t need as they gear up for a potential World Series run. It’s especially troubling for Sanchez considering he missed 16 games earlier in the season with a left groin strain. The 26-year-old spent time on the injured list because of that issue and has also missed time with a calf strain in 2019. When healthy, Sanchez has slashed .233/.318/.531 (118 wRC+) with 34 home runs in 440 plate appearances, making him one of the game’s most effective offensive catchers. The Yankees have gotten good production from backups Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka this year, though.

Happ, 36, has hardly enjoyed a banner year to this point. He owns a lofty 5.07 ERA/5.38 FIP with 7.75 K/9 and 2.86 BB/9 over 151 innings. That’s not the type of production the Yankees expected Happ would provide when they re-signed him to a two-year, $34MM contract last offseason. Still, the Yankees have continually run Happ out there, in part because he’s one of the few legitimate starters they have. Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Domingo German and CC Sabathia have been mainstays in the Yankees’ shaky rotation throughout the year. No one in that group has come close to providing ace-caliber production as the Yankees have gone without injured No. 1 starter Luis Severino all year. Severino is nearing his season debut as the Yankees prepare for the playoffs, though. However, it’s now up in the air whether they’ll have Happ at full strength over the next several weeks.

Yankees Activate Gary Sanchez, Recall Stephen Tarpley, Place Jonathan Holder On IL

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Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez will be activated from the injured list today in Toronto, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). The club’s PR department has announced the move as well.

Sanchez is in the midst of another strong season when healthy behind the plate. The nuances of Sanchez’s contributions are self-evident in his power-heavy .229/.299/508 batting line. On-base struggles notwithstanding, Sanchez remains one of the more potent catchers in the game, and his position means his power contributions are of slightly more unique to New York than those of other Yankees’ mashers. Backup Austin Romine has been a surprisingly fair facsimile while hitting .265/.290/.426, but it’s still a position without a ton of reliable depth. This was Sanchez’s second stint on the injured list this season.

Kyle Higashioka was optioned to Scranton Wilkes-Barre to make room. Higashioka, 29, hasn’t seen a ton of playing time, but he has stood in ably when given the opportunity: .256/.250/.590 across just 40 plate appearances.

Left-hander Stephen Tarpley will also be joining the big league club from Triple-A. Tarpley has made 15 appearances with the big league club with an 8.31 ERA/6.56 FIP across 17 1/3 innings. Big league hitters have launched against the 26-year-old Arizona native for 13.5 hits and 2.6 home runs per nine innings. It’s a small sample so far this season for Tarpley, who made the ALDS roster last year after 10 strong outings in September.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Holder was placed on the 1o-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Despite strong peripherals (10 K/9 to 2.4 BB/9, 4.18 K/BB), Holder has struggled to keep the ball in the yard at times, blowing his ERA up to 6.31 (4.45 FIP) across 34 appearances. The 26-year-old has been a steady contributor the last two season for the Yankees – 3.42 ERA over 97 games in 2017 and 2018 – so there’s a fair amount of flukiness in the unusually high number of runs allowed.

Injury Notes: Cano, Chirinos, Sanchez, Suter

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Robinson Cano went 3-for-3 in the Mets’ 13-2 win over the Pirates today, though the veteran infielder’s big day was tarnished by a left hamstring strain.  Cano had to be removed from the game after suffering the injury while running the bases during a fourth-inning single.  An MRI is scheduled for Monday, and it seems likely that Cano will face the third injured-list stint of the season due to his left leg — a pair of quad injuries sidelined the veteran second baseman earlier in the year.  While Cano is still hitting only .252/.295/.415 over 346 PA this season, he was in the midst of a hot streak at the plate, as Sunday marked his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.

We’ve already had quite a bit of injury news from around the game today, and here are updates on some other situations…

  • Yonny Chirinos’ start was cut short after five innings and 63 pitches today due to right middle finger inflammation.  Chirinos will undergo tests on Monday, though the Rays right-hander told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters that he doesn’t think his finger is a major concern.  Today’s outing boosted Chirinos to a 3.62 ERA and 7.82 K/9 (against just a 1.99 BB/9) over 126 2/3 innings this season, as Chirinos has increasingly been used in a traditional starting pitching role rather than as the “bulk pitcher” behind an opener.  Chirinos’ emergence has helped a Rays rotation that has continued to rely heavily on openers and bullpen games, particularly with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow both on the injured list.
  • Gary Sanchez is tentatively scheduled to return to the Yankees’ lineup during their series with the Blue Jays from August 8-11, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets.  Sanchez is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment, in the wake of a left groin strain that sent him to the IL on July 24.  At the time of the injury, Sanchez was suffering through a brutal slump that had seen him post only a .370 OPS over his previous 93 plate appearances, which dropped his season slash line to .229/.299/.508 over 328 PA.
  • After beginning a minor league rehab assignment for the Brewers’ rookie league affiliate, left-hander Brent Suter will continue the process at Double-A, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.  Suter underwent Tommy John surgery in late July 2017 and is still hopeful of returning to the hill for the Brewers before the season is over.  The soft-tossing Suter posted a 3.91 ERA, 3.54 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 204 2/3 innings for Milwaukee from 2016-18, overcoming his lack of velocity by becoming a master at generating soft contact from opposing batters.

Yankees Place Gary Sanchez On Injured List

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5:48pm: Sanchez was diagnosed with a grade 1 strain, Boone tells reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). The skipper wasn’t able to give much of an estimate of the duration of the absence, saying only that “it’ll be some time” before Sanchez is back.

10:43am: The Yankees announced Wednesday that they’ve placed catcher Gary Sanchez on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left groin. Catcher Kyle Higashioka is up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his place. New York also optioned Jonathan Holder to Scranton and recalled lefty Nestor Cortes Jr. in his place.

The team didn’t provide any sort of timeline on Sanchez within the announcement, though presumably manager Aaron Boone will address the injury prior to tonight’s game against the Twins. It’s the second IL placement of the season for Sanchez, who previously missed about two weeks due to a calf strain back in April. In 238 plate appearances this season, Sanchez is hitting .229/.299/.508 with 24 home runs.

Higashioka, 29, won’t match Sanchez’s production at the plate, although it should be noted that he’s enjoying a career-best .268/.343/.581 showing in 201 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s appeared in 42 Major League games but has compiled a woeful .143/.209/.267 batting line in that time.

Swapping out Holder for Cortes is a natural move on the heels of a video-game-esque slugfest that saw the Twins and Yankees combine for 26 runs in 10 innings last night. That game featured five lead changes, 35 total hits and an incredible 12 runs scored in the eighth inning or later. As one might expect, both teams depleted their bullpen, cycling through six relievers apiece. Cortes gives the Yankees a fresh arm that can handle multiple innings, and the Twins will surely have some roster machination of their own in the next few hours.

Injury Notes: G. Sanchez, Domingo, Gallo

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A few late-breaking injury notes from Tuesday night’s action…

  • The Yankees won an instant classic over the Twins, but New York received unwelcome news immediately after the game. Catcher Gary Sanchez, who left early, could be on his way to the IL with a groin injury, manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and other reporters. Sanchez has been in a brutal slump of late, but his .229/.299/.508 line (105 wRC+) with 24 home runs in 328 plate appearances is still clearly above average for his position. Backup Austin Romine hasn’t been close to that effective, while third-string catcher Kyle Higashioka hasn’t hit at all in the majors dating back to 2017. The Yankees also have veteran Erik Kratz at the Triple-A level, but he’s not on their 40-man roster.
  • Mariners outfielder Domingo Santana will undergo an MRI on his right elbow, Corey Brock of The Athletic tweets. The 26-year-old’s elbow has troubled him since the All-Star break, Brock notes. Santana has drawn trade interest with the July 31 deadline coming up, but the Mariners’ chances of dealing him could evaporate with an IL placement. Regardless, he has been one of the non-contending M’s top hitters in 2019, having slashed .273/.342/.472 (119 wRC+) with 19 HRs across 437 PA. Santana’s also cheap ($1.95MM salary) and eligible for arbitration for another two years. However, Santana’s atrocious work in the outfield (minus-15 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-14.4 Ultimate Zone Rating) would surely tamp down his trade value.
  • Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo is battling right wrist soreness and is likely to undergo an MRI on Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. An X-ray didn’t reveal a break, though Gallo’s wrist “has been bothering him for a while,” Grant writes. That would help explain Gallo’s significant decline in production in July. Gallo owned an incredible 1.109 OPS at the end of June, but he’s down to a still-great .987 in that category.
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