AL Notes: Judge, Brash, Tigers, White Sox
After spending most of his career in right field and spending much of 2022 in center, it’s possible the reigning AL MVP will be taking reps in left field this spring. Yankees manager Aaron Boone tells reporters, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, that Judge playing some left field is “on the table” for this spring.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported yesterday that this was a consideration, with the goal being to allow slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who figures to be the team’s primary designated hitter, to play right on his days in the outfield due to Yankee Stadium’s outfield being far more spacious in left than in right. For his part, Judge told reporters, including ESPN’s Marly Rivera, that he wouldn’t mind Stanton playing more right field and taking reps in left if needed.
Stanton struggled with durability early on in his Yankees career, including just 41 games played in the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined. Since then, his transition to primarily playing DH has seemingly helped him stay on the field, as he played 249 games combined across the past two seasons, with just 64 of those games including an appearance in the outfield. In 2022, 34 of Stanton’s 38 games in the outfield took place in right, as Judge spent most of his time in center field. This year, 2022 trade deadline acquisition Harrison Bader figures to get most of the reps in center field, leaving Judge to spend more time in left if Stanton is to continue to make most his outfield starts in right.
More from the American League…
- The Athletic’s Corey Brock discussed yesterday the role of Mariners right-hander Matt Brash, who is set to begin the 2023 season as a member of the bullpen. Brash made the 2022 Opening Day roster as a starter but struggled mightily, posting a 7.65 ERA across five starts before being demoted to Triple-A. Brash returned later in the season as a reliever and dominated, posting a 2.35 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen down the stretch. Brock notes that Brash hopes to get another shot at starting in the future, and though he isn’t being stretched out this spring, the Mariners remain open to the possibility down the line.
- Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris spoke to the media, including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, yesterday about the relatively quiet offseason in Detroit. Harris made note that, follow a disappointing 96-loss season, it didn’t make sense to acquire short term veterans who would take up what he called valuable at-bats that could go to young players who would be part of the next core. Detroit acquired a few such players, particularly in the trade that sent reliever Gregory Soto to the Phillies. That deal brought back Matt Vierling, Nick Maton, and Donny Sands, all of whom figure to get playing time in the big leagues with Detroit in 2023.
- Staying in the AL Central, White Sox GM Rick Hahn discussed how Chicago’s offseason had gone with reporters yesterday, including James Fegan of The Athletic. The White Sox made three key additions to their roster following a disappointing 81-81 campaign, signing righty Mike Clevinger, outfielder Andrew Benintendi, and most recently infielder Elvis Andrus to big league deals, with Benintendi’s five-year, $75MM contract being the only multiyear pact of the group. Hahn, referring back to his comments earlier in the offseason that he expected the club to be active on the trade market, noted the discrepancy between that expectation and what came to pass, saying “I did expect there to be more trades… You go into the offseason with needs and potential fits, and over the course of the offseason, you adjust based on what’s viable, both in free agency and via trade. Sometimes teams are pricing guys differently than expected.” As Fegan notes, a quiet offseason on the south side is somewhat unsurprising giving the club’s stated expectation that payroll would stay largely static headed into 2023.
Yankees Notes: Stanton, Florial, Britton
The Yankees are expected to reinstate Giancarlo Stanton, who has been on the shelf since late July due to tendinitis in his left Achilles, prior to tomorrow’s series opener in Oakland. Stanton was on the field going through a full pre-game routine yesterday, per ESPN’s Marly Rivera (Twitter link with video). The Yankees already announced following last night’s game that outfielder Estevan Florial has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, which seems to further set the stage for Stanton’s return.
Stanton, 32, has had a productive season at the plate in terms of power output and run production, belting 24 homers and plating 61 runs through just 324 trips to the plate. After an excellent first two months at the plate — Stanton hit .285/.339/.523 through the end of May — he’s been more of a pure “three true outcomes” slugger in the summer months of the season.
Since the calendar flipped to June, a whopping 56% of Stanton’s hits have been home runs (13 of 23). He’s batting just .167 in 40 games since June 1, but he’s still walking at a strong 13.1% clip and obviously flexing his power. Exactly half of his plate appearances have ended in a strikeout, walk or home run in that time. Stanton’s .167/.277/.471 slash dating back to June has dropped his season-long line to .228/.309/.498. That’s still 28% better than league average, per both wRC+ and OPS+, but the Yankees and Stanton alike will surely be hoping for a more balanced set of results when he returns.
Stanton will return to the lineup at a time when the Yankees’ offense has been stumbling through one of its driest spells of the year. The Yanks are just 7-14 this month and have plated only 70 runs in those 21 contests — an average of 3.33 runs per game (all while allowing 89 runs in August). They’ve been held to four or fewer runs in 13 of their past 15 contests.
Florial’s return to the big leagues will prove quite brief. There was optimism among Yankee fans when he was promoted on the heels of a .286/.368/.490 showing in Scranton, but he wound up starting just three games, going 1-for-9 with four strikeouts in that tiny sample. The former top prospect, like many Yankee farmhands in recent years, has yet to receive an earnest audition at the MLB level, receiving just 50 plate appearances over the past three seasons (and hitting just .186/.302/.300 in those sparse opportunities).
Stanton isn’t the only veteran reinforcement on the horizon for the Yanks, it should be noted. Lefty Zack Britton, who has yet to pitch in 2022 while rehabbing from last year’s Tommy John surgery, is set to embark on a minor league rehab assignment today, tweets Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network.
The 34-year-old lefty has been a vital part of the Yankees’ late-inning relief corps when healthy, logging 123 2/3 innings of 2.69 ERA ball while brandishing one of the game’s most notoriously devastating sinkers. It’ll take a bit of time for Britton to build up to readiness for a big league return, of course, but the commencement of a rehab assignment means that both he and injured closer Clay Holmes could return to the bullpen in the near future. If Holmes is back to form after a brief trip to the injured list, the Yankees can deploy two of the game’s premier sinker/grounder specialists to help lock things down late in games.
Yankees Place Scott Effross On IL With Shoulder Strain
Yankees right-hander Scott Effross is going on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain, according to manager Aaron Boone, courtesy Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. Boone characterizes the strain as minor but says that Effross will be shut down from throwing for 7-10 days, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Fellow righty Clarke Schmidt will take his place on the active roster.
It’s yet another blow to a Yankee relief corps that has seen its fair share of them this year. Earlier in the campaign, they lost Chad Green to Tommy John surgery. In July, Michael King suffered a season-ending elbow fracture. That month also saw Miguel Castro land on the shelf due to a shoulder strain. Here in August, the club has seen Clay Holmes and Albert Abreu go on the IL due to back spasms and elbow inflammation, respectively.
Effross, 28, was acquired from the Cubs prior to the trade deadline and immediately jumped into the mix for high leverage work in the Bronx. He recorded a hold in his second appearance with the club, later tallying a save as well. Unfortunately, the club will now have to get by without him as an option, at least for a few weeks. He’s thrown 52 1/3 innings this year between Chicago and New York, registering a 2.75 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate.
While the loss of Effross is certainly bad news, the Yankees got good news about their bullpen elsewhere. Holmes has started throwing bullpens without physical issues, per Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network, meaning he’s on track to return soon. Miguel Castro has started throwing as well, per Marly Rivera of ESPN, and could progress to throwing a bullpen by Friday. And in non-bullpen news, Boone tells Rivera that the plan for slugger Giancarlo Stanton is to be activated from his rehab assignment on Thursday.
AL Notes: Yankees, Stanton, Blue Jays, Mayza, Twins, Maeda
Giancarlo Stanton is beginning a rehab assignment today, per Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (via Twitter). Before this latest injury, Stanton had been enjoying a run of sound health. For the season, Stanton has appeared in 80 games, slashing .228/.309/.498 with 24 home runs in 328 plate appearances. Stanton even started 38 games in the outfield grass, his most defensive action since 2018. Elsewhere around the Junior Circuit…
- Blue Jays southpaw Tim Mayza will begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A today, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (via Twitter). Mayza has been a key piece of Toronto’s bullpen for a number of years, no less so this season when he has pitched to a 2.88 ERA/3.94 FIP across 41 appearances totaling 34 1/3 innings. Mayza has been out of action since August 7th. The 30-year-old has held lefties to a .157/.218/.275 line this season.
- The Twins are cautiously optimistic that Kenta Maeda might be able to return late in the season to pitch out of the bullpen as he used to for the Dodgers. Maeda is throwing bullpens now, but President of Baseball Ops Derek Falvey was non-commital about Maeda’s ability to make a late-season appearance, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). Maeda is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
AL East Notes: Hall, Springer, Franco, Ramirez, Stanton
Orioles pitching prospect DL Hall made his Major League debut yesterday, allowing five runs over 3 2/3 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Rays. The outing will act as a cup of coffee for Hall for the time being, as the Orioles will send him back to Triple-A today and transition him to relief pitching. MASNSports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes that the O’s view Hall as an intriguing bullpen option for this season, as a live arm with the potential to work multiple innings in a game.
The move also allows for the Orioles to limit Hall’s innings. With 81 1/3 total frames pitched in the majors and minors this season, Hall is already within sight of his career high of 94 1/3 innings pitched (in 2018 in A-ball). Given Hall’s injury history and the fact that he tossed only 31 2/3 IP last year, Baltimore is trying to both manage Hall’s health and capitalize on his short-term potential to help the Orioles’ surprising postseason bid.
More from around the AL East…
- There is optimism that George Springer will be able to exit the 10-day injured list when first eligible on August 15. Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider told reporters (including The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath) that Springer won’t need a rehab assignment, and the outfielder is already hitting on the field and playing catch. Springer has been bothered by a sore right elbow for most of the season, with the problem finally forcing him to the IL after he had to sit out five games in a seven-game stretch.
- Wander Franco and Harold Ramirez are both scheduled to start minor league rehab assignments this week, Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Ramirez is closer to a return, as the outfielder will start his assignment with Triple-A Durham today. Ramirez fractured his right thumb after being hit by a pitch on July 17, interrupting an outstanding first season in Tampa that saw the 27-year-old hit .329/.379/.446 over 264 plate appearances. Franco underwent hamate bone surgery in mid-July, so his planned work with the Rays’ Florida Coast League affiliate this week fits into the initial 5-8 week timeline given for his recovery. Between the broken hamate bone and an earlier quad strain, Franco has been limited to 58 games in his sophomore season in the majors.
- Giancarlo Stanton has been increasing his on-field activities, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone told ESPN’s Marly Rivera and other reporters that Stanton will hopefully be able to have “a full pregame workout” within the next day or two. Once that step is established, the team can explore a rehab timeline for Stanton, who has been on the 10-day IL since July 24 due to left Achilles tendinitis.
Yankees Place Giancarlo Stanton On 10-Day Injured List
The Yankees announced Tuesday that outfielder/designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to tendonitis in his left Achilles. The move is retroactive to Sunday. Outfielder Tim Locastro is up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Stanton’s spot on the active roster.
Stanton, 32, was named the All-Star Game’s MVP after swatting a game-tying home run off Tony Gonsolin. He’s hitting .228/.309/.498 with 24 long balls on the season but has been an all-or-nothing hitter for the bulk of the summer. Stanton is just 23-for-138 dating back to June 1 (.167), but 13 of those 23 hits on which he’s connected have been home runs. He’s also plated 26 runs in that time, delivering several key hits despite a generally porous overall output at the plate.
With Stanton sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined period of time — the Yankees have not provided a potential timetable for his recovery — the Yankees can turn to hot-hitting Matt Carpenter for an increased role. Locastro, Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge should see considerable run in the outfield, while struggling Joey Gallo may also see some increased opportunities to get back on track at the plate. At the same time, Stanton’s absence could further hasten the Yanks to pursue another bat that would push Gallo — whom they’re reportedly trying to trade — out of the picture entirely.
The 30-year-old Locastro is one of MLB’s fastest players and has a .256/.336/.414 batting line through 150 Triple-A plate appearances this season. He hit .240/.321/.480 in a tiny sample of 28 trips to the plate with the Yankees earlier this season but is an overall .232/.333/.337 hitter in parts of six Major League seasons.
MLB Announces 2022 All-Star Starters
Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2022 All-Star Game this evening. The starting lineups are determined by fan vote. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 19. The starting pitchers and reserves will be announced at a later date.
American League
- Catcher: Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays (1st selection)
- First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (2nd selection)
- Second base: Jose Altuve, Astros (8th selection)
- Third base: Rafael Devers, Red Sox (2nd selection)
- Shortstop: Tim Anderson, White Sox (2nd selection)
- Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees (4th selection)
- Outfield: Mike Trout, Angels (10th selection)
- Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (5th selection)
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Angels (2nd selection)
National League
- Catcher: Willson Contreras, Cubs (3rd selection)
- First base: Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals (8th selection)
- Second base: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Marlins (1st selection)
- Third base: Manny Machado, Padres (6th selection)
- Shortstop: Trea Turner, Dodgers (2nd selection)
- Outfield: Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves (3rd selection)
- Outfield: Mookie Betts, Dodgers (6th selection)
- Outfield: Joc Pederson, Giants (2nd selection)
- Designated hitter: Bryce Harper, Phillies (7th selection)
Yankees Reinstate Giancarlo Stanton
The Yankees have reinstated slugger Giancarlo Stanton from the 10-day injured list, per the team. He is back on the active roster batting cleanup as the designated hitter.
New York weathered the loss of Stanton just fine, having gone 7-2 in his absence. Stanton spent the minimum amount of time away, missing only nine games. Prior to his placement on the injured list, Stanton was hitting .285/.339/.523 in 168 plate appearances with 11 long balls.
The corresponding roster moves were made yesterday after last night’s ballgame. Miguel Andujar was optioned to Triple-A. Andujar appeared in 12 games, slashing .268/.279/.317 through 43 plate appearances while mostly playing left field.
Tim Locastro also completed his rehab assignment. He was reinstated and optioned to Triple-A as well. The speedy Locastro is largely a reserve option for the Yankees. His ability to play all three outfield positions provides some value as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.
Yankees Place Giancarlo Stanton On Injured List
9:30pm: While the team announced Stanton’s injury as a calf strain, Boone told reporters tonight that the former NL MVP is actually dealing with ankle inflammation (via Lindsey Adler of the Athletic). The hope is that Stanton can return after a minimal IL stay.
5:47pm: The Yankees announced a series of moves before tonight’s matchup with the Orioles. Most notably, designated hitter/right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is headed to the 10-day injured list because of a right calf strain. New York also placed reliever Jonathan Loáisiga on the 15-day IL and designated catcher Rob Brantly for assignment. In corresponding moves, the Yankees welcomed Joey Gallo back from the COVID-19 injured list. They also recalled relievers JP Sears and David McKay from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Stanton has been one of the best hitters for the AL-leading Yankees. He’s mashing at a .285/.339/.523 clip, and his 11 home runs tie him for fifth in MLB. The big slugger has a personal-low 8.3% walk rate, but he’s doing more than enough damage on contact to offset the corresponding drop in his on-base percentage. Stanton has been an instrumental piece of a lineup that has been among the league’s best. Aaron Judge is playing at an MVP-type pace through the season’s first month and a half, with Stanton and Anthony Rizzo also offering middle-of-the-order caliber production.
Unfortunately, Stanton is also no stranger to the injured list. He’s landed on the IL because of leg issues in each of the past four years. Stanton missed a significant chunk of the 2019 campaign because of a right knee sprain, then lost more than half of the shortened 2020 season with a left hamstring strain. The 32-year-old had a more minor IL stint due to a left quad strain last year, and he’ll obviously miss some time with his current malady. A timetable remains unclear, but manager Aaron Boone informed reporters last night (via Joel Sherman of the New York Post) that he was headed for an MRI after leaving yesterday’s game with calf tightness.
The Yankees have been hit hard by injuries in recent days. New York lost pitchers Chad Green and Luis Gil to Tommy John procedures over the weekend. Closer Aroldis Chapman hit the IL with Achilles tendinitis yesterday, and Boone told reporters this afternoon that Loáisiga was going on the IL with shoulder discomfort. The team’s official diagnosis for Loáisiga is shoulder inflammation.
New York welcomes Gallo back to the lineup a few days after he landed on the virus list. The power-hitting outfielder hit the IL on Sunday as part of a trio of Yankees suffering flu-like symptoms, but he and Kyle Higashioka have returned quickly. Gallo is capable of suiting up in either corner outfield spot but is struggling this season, owning just a .176/.294/.333 line through 119 plate appearances.
Brantly was selected onto the 40-man roster once Higashioka went out to offer some catching depth behind Jose Trevino. With Higahioka now back, Brantly loses his roster spot after appearing in one game. The 32-year-old has seen brief action at the big league level in each of the last four years, but he’s not tallied more than 40 MLB plate appearances in a season since 2013. He’ll have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
Yankees Activate Giancarlo Stanton, Option Estevan Florial
The Yankees announced this afternoon they’ve reinstated designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton from the injured list. Outfielder Estevan Florial was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night in a corresponding move.
Stanton went on the IL on May 17 with a quad strain but he’s back after a short-term absence. His return is a welcome development for a Yankee lineup that has since lost Luke Voit, as Stanton’s putting up customary strong production to start the year. The 31-year-old is hitting .282/.347/.534 with nine homers over 144 plate appearances.
Florial started the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader with Toronto, going 1-3 with a double. The 23-year-old is one of the more promising prospects in the Yankees system, but he’s only taken 81 career high minors plate appearances and could stand to pick up more developmental time, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored yesterday. With presumptive starting center fielder Aaron Hicks likely done for the season due to wrist surgery, Florial should have an opportunity to earn more extended MLB run if he shows well in the minors. For now, struggling veteran Brett Gardner looks like the favorite to assume the bulk of the playing time in center field.