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Heath Hembree

Phillies Decline David Phelps’ Option

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The Phillies announced they’ve declined their $4.5MM club option on right-hander David Phelps. He’ll receive a $250K buyout and hit free agency. The Phillies also declined their $7MM option on fellow reliever Héctor Neris, although he remains on the roster as an arbitration-eligible player. Philadelphia also confirmed the previously-reported declination of David Robertson’s club option.

Additionally, utilityman Phil Gosselin, right-handers Heath Hembree and Blake Parker and southpaw Adam Morgan have all cleared outright waivers and elected free agency. Right-hander Johan Quezada, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers from the Marlins.

Phelps came over from the Brewers in a midseason swap for three low-level prospects. The hope was that he’d help salvage a bullpen that had been the club’s weak point. Unfortunately, he was tattooed for eleven runs in 7.2 innings down the stretch. Phelps’ overall strikeout and walk numbers were stellar, but massive home run problems led to a 6.53 ERA.

Neris is projected for a salary between $4.8MM and $6.4MM in arbitration if tendered. That made declining the option an easy call, and it’s possible Neris ultimately winds up non-tendered.

Phillies Outright Heath Hembree, Adam Morgan

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The Phillies have outrighted relievers Heath Hembree and Adam Morgan, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). Both were arbitration-eligible, and both have the service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, which is a mere formality at this point. Hembree was one of the team’s August trade pickups from the Red Sox. Morgan has been a longtime member of the bullpen but recently underwent flexor tendon surgery that is expected to sideline him for six to nine months.

Hembree, 31, was a stable member of the Boston bullpen for years but got out to an ugly start in 2020 and saw things get worse after the trade. From 2016-19, the right-hander notched a solid 3.60 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 212 2/3 innings of work — plus 4 2/3 shutout frames in the 2018 postseason. He allowed six runs in 9 2/3 frames with the Red Sox prior to the swap, although nearly all of the damage against him came in one nightmare outing (four runs and zero outs recorded).

With the Phils, however, Hembree uncharacteristically yielded runs in eight of his 11 appearances on the mound, including a four-run drubbing in his final outing of the year. All told, he served up 13 runs on 17 hits — a staggering seven of which were home runs — and five walks with 10 strikeouts in just 9 1/3 innings. His struggles made him a clear non-tender candidate, and the Phillies opted to act early rather than prolong the decision.

Morgan, a 30-year-old lefty, was tagged for eight runs in 13 frames during an injury-shortened 2020 season. He broke into the Majors as a rotation hopeful with the Phillies, starting 36 games for the club from 2015-16, but struggled to find success in that role. Upon a full-time move to the ’pen in 2017, though, Morgan found a home as a regular member of the staff. From 2017-19, he tallied 133 2/3 frames with a 3.97 ERA and 4.08 FIP, averaging 9.6 strikeouts and 3.4 walks per nine innings pitched while also recording a solid 47.8 percent grounder rate.

The bullpen figures to be among the Phillies’ top priorities this winter — a new deal with J.T. Realmuto is surely their No. 1 goal — and moving on from Hembree and Morgan now gives them a bit more flexibility as they pursue those goals.

Quick Hits: Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox, Phillies, Brewers

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The Tigers suddenly have a managerial opening now that Ron Gardenhire decided to retire Saturday after almost three full seasons on the job. Gardenhire oversaw teams that were in full rebuilding mode, evidenced in part by the 132-241 record the Tigers compiled under him, but they’re seemingly moving back toward respectability now and may want to push for contention sometime soon. As such, the Tigers are looking for an experienced skipper to replace Gardenhire, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic hears (subscription link). Former Astros manager A.J. Hinch and ex-Braves/Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez could be among the candidates. Hinch has been out of baseball since the league suspended him last January as a result of the Astros’ sign-stealing violations, though he’ll be eligible to return in 2021. Gonzalez was a candidate for the Tigers’ managerial job before it went to Gardenhire in 2017.

More from around the league…

  • The Cubs will activate left-hander Jose Quintana to start against the Pirates on Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. The team has been without Quintana since he went on the IL on Sept. 2 with left lat inflammation. It’s the second IL stint of the year for Quintana, who began the season on the shelf with a left thumb issue. He debuted Aug. 25 and has since made two appearances, during which he combined for six innings of four-run ball.
  • Right-hander Nick Pivetta will make his Red Sox debut Tuesday with a start against the Orioles, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays. Pivetta, whom the Red Sox acquired from the Phillies last month in the teams’ trade centering on relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree, pitched to a 5.50 ERA/4.64 FIP in 396 1/3 innings from 2017-20.
  • Meanwhile, the Phillies announced that Hembree’s heading to the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain, which could put his season in jeopardy. Hembree has struggled mightily as a member of the Phillies, with whom he has yielded 13 earned runs on 17 hits in 9 1/3 innings.
  • Brewers catcher Manny Pina will start baseball activities next week, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. That may not help the Brewers this year, as they’re no lock for the playoffs at 26-26. They lost Pina for the regular season to a right knee injury Aug. 28, at which point he was hitting .231/.333/.410 in 45 plate appearances. The Brewers have since turned to Jacob Nottingham as their top complement to Omar Narvaez behind the plate.

Phillies Announce Flurry Of Roster Moves

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The Phillies have made a series of roster moves today (per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb), activating newly acquired pitchers Heath Hembree, Brandon Workman, and David Hale, along with outfielder Adam Haseley, who returns from the injured list. In turn, pitchers Cole Irvin and Connor Brogdon have been optioned and Jay Bruce was placed on the 10-day injured list. Relief pitcher Deolis Guerra was designated for assignment.

Hembree, Workman, and Hale are the fruits of two Friday trades with the Red Sox and Yankees, and the trio will hopefully offer a meaningful upgrade to a Philadelphia bullpen that has thus far stumbled to a 7.97 ERA, by far the worst mark in baseball.

While Workman’s 4.05 ERA is nothing special, his peripheral numbers give him a 2.57 FIP, which is just a hair off the 2.46 mark he posted a year ago, when he was quietly one of the American League’s most productive relievers. He brings top-notch strikeout prowess to the table, with walks representing his biggest weakness.

Hembree should bring some much-needed stability to the Philly bullpen, after contributing five years of consistently solid production for recent Red Sox teams. Hale has the capability to pitch multiple innings and can be deployed in long relief. He’s struck out 7 batters in 6 innings for the Yankees this year.

Although the Phillies will send one outfielder to the injured list, with Bruce’s nagging left quad injury now warranting an IL stint, they’ll welcome another outfielder back, with Haseley recovered from the wrist sprain that forced him to the sideline on August 13.

As for Guerra, the Phillies will have a week to determine their course of action for the 31-year-old right-hander, who has struggled out of the gates, allowing three home runs in his first 7 1/3 innings of work.

Phillies Acquire Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree

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9:25pm: Philadelphia will also receive a player to be named later or more cash from Boston, Matt Gelb of The Athletic tweets.

8:14pm: The Phillies and Red Sox have announced a trade that will send two veteran relievers – Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree – as well as $815K to Philadelphia in exchange for right-handers Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold. That sum should enable the Phillies to stay under the luxury tax, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia observes.

This deal has seemed inevitable since reports emerged Friday afternoon that the Phillies and Red Sox were in serious discussions regarding Workman and Hembree, who should improve a bullpen that has been horrific in 2020. Phillies relievers entered Friday with easily the league’s worst ERA (8.07) and the game’s 27th-ranked FIP (5.61). Worsening matters, they placed their most effective reliever, Jose Alvarez, on the 10-day injured list Friday after he took a 105 mph line drive off his groin on Thursday.

In Workman, the Phillies are getting a 32-year-old who, since last season, has struggled mightily with his control (5.63 BB/9) but has still found a way to handle opposing offenses. Dating back to 2019, Workman has logged a stingy 2.07 ERA/2.47 FIP with 12.87 K/9 and a 50 percent groundball rate over 78 1/3 innings. However, as a soon-to-be free agent, Workman may only amount to a few-week rental for a Philadelphia club that’s just 9-12 but still hoping to contend.

Hembree, 31, is on a prorated $1.61MM salary this season and still has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. At his best, Hembree combined for 113 innings of 3.19 ERA/3.68 FIP ball with 9.32 K/9 and 2.79 BB/9 from 2016-17. His numbers have dipped since then, though a four-run blowup in his final Boston appearance Tuesday against, of all teams, Philadelphia has played a big part in that. He was off to an effective start before then, but now owns a lackluster 5.59 ERA through 9 2/3 innings this year. Hembree has, however, notched 10 strikeouts against three walks.

With the Red Sox well out of contention this year, it made sense for the club to part with a pair of 30-something relievers for a couple pitchers who could have a greater long-term impact on their roster. For now, Pivetta and Seabold will report to their alternate training site.

The 27-year-old Pivetta was a swingman in Philadelphia from 2017-20, during which he stumbled to a 5.50 ERA across 396 1/3 frames. FIP (4.64), xFIP (4.03) and SIERA (4.10) suggest he has deserved better, but the Phillies clearly got tired of waiting on his run prevention to head in the right direction. And Pivetta sealed his fate with the club this year by opening with three relief appearances in which he yielded a whopping 10 earned runs on 10 hits (including three homers) in 5 2/3 innings. The good news for Boston is that Pivetta isn’t costly – he’s on a minimum salary this year and will go through the first of three potential arbitration trips during the offseason – so there’s not much risk on the club’s end in taking on Pivetta as a reclamation project.

Seabold, the lone player in this trade who hasn’t reached the majors, became a pro when the Phillies chose him in the third round of the 2017 draft. He reached Double-A for the first time in 2019, and though an oblique injury held him to 40 innings, Seabold turned in excellent numbers in that span. The 24-year-old posted a 2.25 ERA/2.77 FIP and recorded 8.1 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9 in his first try at the level. Before Philly shipped him out, Seabold ranked as the team’s 23rd-best prospect at MLB.com, which suggests he could turn into a back-end starter in the majors.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reported the teams were finalizing the trade. Robert Murray reported the deal was done. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the cash sum Philly received. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies, Red Sox Discussing Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree

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2:46pm: MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that the two sides have also discussed right-hander Heath Hembree. Unlike Workman, the 31-year-old Hembree is controlled through 2021, so he’d give the Phils an option for this year and next. Hembree has yielded six runs through 9 2/3 innings in 2020, but he carries a solid 3.65 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 through 222 innings dating back to 2016.

2:06pm: The Phillies and Red Sox are actively discussing a deal involving “multiple players,” including Workman, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

12:47pm: The Phillies have spoken to the Red Sox about right-hander Brandon Workman as they look to upgrade their bullpen, Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic report (via Twitter).

The Phils just picked up David Hale in a small deal with the Yankees, and it’d hardly be a surprise to see them aggressively target additional bullpen arms. Philadelphia’s offense, fueled by monster seasons from Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, has been among the best in the game.

The rotation, led by huge efforts from Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, has pitched to a combined 4.10 ERA, although the unit beyond that top duo has been rather shaky. Jake Arrieta’s past two starts were rough, and top prospect Spencer Howard has yet to complete five frames. Righty Zach Eflin has missed bats at a surprising rate but has also yielded eight earned runs in his 14 innings.

Phillies relievers, on the other hand, have been the worst collective unit in baseball. The Philadelphia bullpen has produced an astonishing 8.07 ERA — nearly two runs worse than the 29th-ranked Reds — and also ranks 27th in FIP and 20th in xFIP. No Phillies reliever has even thrown 10 innings, and the only sub-4.00 ERAs among pitchers with at least three appearances belong to veteran Blake Parker, who was only recently added to the big league roster, and lefty Jose Alvarez, who was carted off the field in yesterday’s game.

As an impending free agent on the 8-18 Red Sox, Workman is among the likeliest players in MLB to change hands before the Aug. 31 trade deadline. He’s pitched to a 4.05 ERA in his tiny sample of 6 2/3 frames this year, but the 32-year-old also logged a 1.88 ERA with 13.1 K/9 and 16 saves for the Red Sox in 2019. He averaged 5.7 walks per nine frames last year, which is obviously unpalatable, but his control prior to that season was generally sharp.

In all, since moving to the Red Sox’ bullpen on a full-time basis in 2017, Workman has compiled 159 1/3 frames with a 2.65 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 0.79 HR/9 and a 46.4 percent ground-ball rate.

If a deal involving Workman does ultimately come together, it’ll be telling to see what type of return the righty brings. Boston won’t be making a qualifying offer regardless, so the Sox are better off moving him than holding. But the Phillies (or any other team) would only be acquiring about a month of regular-season innings from Workman. The general expectation has been that rental players like Workman will yield relatively minimal returns due to that fact. To this point, however, we’ve not yet seen any such deals come together, so the first couple deals that come to fruition could conceivably serve as a barometer for other potential rental swaps.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

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Entering the day, there were more than 150 players on the clock to exchange arbitration figures with their respective teams prior to a noon ET deadline. As one would expect, there’ll be an utter landslide of arbitration agreements in advance of that deadline. We already ran through some key facts and reminders on the arbitration process earlier this morning for those who are unfamiliar or simply need a refresher on one of MLB’s most complex idiosyncrasies, which will hopefully clear up many questions readers might have.

We’ll track the majority of the American League’s settlements in this post and split off a separate one for NL settlements as well. Note that all projections referenced come courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz:

  • Newly acquired Angels righty Dylan Bundy receives a $5MM salary, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter links). He had projected at a $5.7MM price tag. Teammate Hansel Robles gets $3.85MM, per Heyman, just shy of his $4MM projection.
  • The Yankees have worked out deals with all of their eligible players. The team has a hefty $8.5MM pact with Aaron Judge, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Backstop Gary Sanchez settled for $5MM, per Feinsand (via Twitter). The New York org will pay righty Luis Cessa $895K and Jonathan Holder $750K, Murray reports (Twitter links). Fellow reliever Tommy Kahnle will earn $2.65MM, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). And star lefty James Paxton has settled at $12.5MM, Heyman adds via Twitter. Chad Green and Jordan Montgomery have also agreed to terms, the former at $1.275MM and the latter at $805K, per Heyman (Twitter links).
  • The Twins announced that they struck deals with Trevor May, Taylor Rogers, Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton. Jon Heyman of MLB Network followed up with salary terms (all links to Twitter). May earns $2,205,000; Rogers takes home $4.45MM; Rosario lands at $7.75MM; and Buxton receives $3.075MM. While the first and last of those land rather close to the projected amount, Rogers got $550K more and Rosario got $1.15MM less than the calculators predicted.
  • Shortstop Carlos Correa settled with the Astros for $8MM, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (via Twitter). Righty Brad Peacock lands at a $3.9MM salary, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The former went for more than his $7.4MM projection, while the latter ended up shy of the $4.6MM mark produced by the computers. The ’Stros also have agreed with closer Roberto Osuna as well, per an announcement. It’s a $10MM deal, slotting in just $200K shy of his projection, per Rome (via Twitter).
  • The Orioles have a deal with outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. It’s for $4.75MM, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic (via Twitter), well south of the $5.7MM projection.
  • Outfielder Jorge Soler has agreed to a $7.3MM deal with the Royals, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. That’s well off of the $11.2MM that MLBTR’s model projected, though it is likely that the cause of the gulf lies in the interpretation of the correct baseline to start from in building Soler’s salary. He’s in the 4+ service class but had been playing on the original deal he signed out of Cuba.
  • The Tigers have a deal in place with southpaw Matthew Boyd, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). It’ll pay him $5.3MM, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link). That falls comfortably below the $6.4MM, suggesting that Boyd’s camp was concerned with the way his suboptimal ERA would play in the arb process. Fellow lefty starter Daniel Norris will earn $2.96MM, McCosky tweets.

Earlier Settlements

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Red Sox Notes: Mookie, Moreland, Hembree

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What had long been apparent became official Friday. The defending World Series champions would not earn a chance to defend their title in the postseason. With the Red Sox officially eliminated and many in Boston turning their attention to another team looking for a more successful title defense effort, the focus for the Sox is now on 2020 and beyond.

  • Mookie Betts’ status as a free agent after 2020 will surely generate quite a few headlines in the coming months. The superstar outfielder discussed his situation with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, noting that he doesn’t feel it critical to his legacy to spend his entire career in one city. That’s not to say Betts is definitely leaving Boston; Speier notes that player and organization have a strong relationship, with the Sox particularly respecting Betts’ dedication to returning to the field recently from a foot injury despite their place in the standings. Rather, Betts has a history of justifiably and successfully betting on himself, Speier chronicles, and there’s no reason to sell himself short in extension talks given his elite level of performance. Betts overcame something of a slow start in 2019 to hit .292/.388/.521, aided by work with an independent hitting instructor he met through teammate Christian Vázquez, documented by Chad Jennings of the Athletic.
  • While free agency will no doubt prove lucrative to a superstar like Betts, the market has been decidedly less kind to players like Mitch Moreland, the first baseman lamented to Rob Bradford of WEEI. Moreland’s last foray into free agency landed him a 2-year, $13MM deal to return to Boston, but he’ll have a hard time finding that much this winter. The 34-year-old tells Bradford that finding the right fit, not maxing out financially, will be his priority in choosing a suitor this offseason, although he acknowledged he may not have too many offers to choose from. Moreland says he’d love to return to Boston for a fourth season, but the executive who brought Moreland back two years ago, Dave Dombrowski, is gone, putting Moreland’s status with the organization up in the air. Working in Moreland’s favor, perhaps, the free agent market for first baseman isn’t especially robust, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined recently. Despite a pedestrian .244/.322/.498 line (108 wRC+), Moreland still seems likely to find a guaranteed contract somewhere on the market.
  • In more immediate news, the Sox plan to be cautious with their top arms over the season’s final week. Manager Alex Cora tells Chris Cotillo of Mass Live the team will be judicious with the workloads of its high-leverage relievers (Matt Barnes, Darwinzon Hernández, and others) in prep for next season. A player who should make at least one appearance is Heath Hembree, who Cora notes could be used either in traditional relief or as an opener. Hembree has been on the shelf since August 2 with elbow inflammation in his throwing arm.

Injury Notes: Cain, Segura, Hand, Betts, Upton

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The latest on several notable injury situations from around the league…

  • Lorenzo Cain was forced out of the Brewers’ game Thursday afternoon due to left ankle discomfort, the team announced.  Cain hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, but was replaced by Trent Grisham in center field in the top of the fifth.  Injuries have plagued Cain all season, as thumb, wrist, and oblique problems have contributed to his career-worst 76 wRC+ (from a .251/.316/.357 slash line and 10 homers) over 592 plate appearances. He’s “greatly wobbled,” per Tom Haudricourt of the Miilwaukee Journal, who adds that Cain could undergo more tests.
  • Phillies shortstop Jean Segura exited the team’s loss to Atlanta with a left hamstring cramp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic relays. The severity’s unknown as of now, Gelb notes. One of many big-ticket offseason acquisitions for the Phillies, Segura has produced a respectable 2.6 fWAR in 593 plate appearances, but he hasn’t been as effective as he was with the Diamondbacks and Mariners from 2016-18.
  • Indians closer Brad Hand threw a “really good” bullpen session Wednesday, manager Terry Francona said, though it’s still unclear when he’ll be able to return (via Mandy Bell of MLB.com). It was the first bullpen for Hand during his absence from a fatigued arm, which dates back to Sept. 8. Things have gone well to this point for the Hand-less Indians, as they’ve gone 7-2 since he last pitched and only needed saves in two of those wins (one apiece from Adam Cimber and Oliver Perez).
  • There’s nothing meaningful left to play for this year for the Red Sox, though banged up right fielder Mookie Betts still doesn’t plan to shut it down, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. The reigning AL MVP, who hasn’t played since Sept. 12 on account of left foot inflammation, is aiming to come back during a four-game series in Tampa Bay that begins Friday. Betts wouldn’t line up in the field during that set, though, as the Red Sox don’t want to risk running him out there on turf. Meanwhile, reliever Heath Hembree is progressing from elbow problems and could come off the IL next week. Hembree’s balky elbow has forced him to the shelf twice this year and stopped him from pitching since Aug. 1.
  • Angels left fielder Justin Upton will undergo a platelet-rich plasma injection Friday, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The hope is that it’ll aid Upton in overcoming the pain in his right knee – a joint that has bothered him since spring training. The eliminated Angels shut Upton down for the season last week after injuries helped limit the normally terrific hitter to a .215/.309/.416 line with 12 home runs in 256 plate appearances.

Latest On Steve Pearce, Steven Wright, Heath Hembree

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Injured Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce and knuckleballer Steven Wright have barely been factors this season, which now looks likely to go down as a lost year for both players. It’s “doubtful” either will take the field again in 2019, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

It’s hard to believe 2019 has been so dreadful for Pearce, one of the main heroes of the Red Sox’s championship run a year ago. The midseason trade acquisition was an offensive force with two teams (Boston and Toronto) during the regular season and continued his torrid pace in the playoffs, earning World Series MVP honors for the Red Sox’s five-game triumph against the Dodgers.

As great as Pearce was in 2018, he only appeared in 76 games then. This season, thanks largely to a lower back strain that has shelved him since May 31, Pearce has played in a mere 29 contests. When he has entered the batters box, the once-potent Pearce has slashed a miserable .180/.245/.258 with one home run and a microscopic .079 ISO in 99 plate appearances. That obviously isn’t what the Red Sox had in mind when they re-signed Pearce to a $6.25MM guarantee last November. Considering his meager production since inking that deal, free agency certainly won’t be as kind to the 36-year-old Pearce during the upcoming offseason.

The Red Sox can still control Wright next year, his last season of arbitration eligibility, but he has joined Pearce in enduring a nightmarish campaign. Wright began the year serving an 80-game suspension after a failed PED test, thus keeping him from debuting until late June, and then went on the IL in mid-July with a right foot contusion. The 34-year-old right-hander – a former All-Star – has thrown 6 1/3 innings this season and allowed six earned runs on 11 hits (including three home runs) and four walks.

In better news for Boston, there’s a “good chance” righty reliever Heath Hembree will pitch again this season, manager Alex Cora told Cotillo. Hembree went down with an elbow strain Aug. 2 – the second time the joint forced him to the IL in 2019. The elbow problems have helped lead to middling results for Hembree, he of the 4.06 ERA/4.91 FIP with 10.75 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a paltry 21.8 percent groundball rate in 37 2/3 innings.

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