Marlins Select Billy Hamilton, Designate Erik Gonzalez
The Marlins announced a series of roster moves Friday, selecting the contract of veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton from Triple-A Jacksonville and designating infielder Erik Gonzalez for assignment to clear roster space. Miami also reinstated Joey Wendle from the 10-day injured list and placed slugger Jorge Soler on the 10-day IL with what they’re terming “bilateral pelvis inflammation.”
Miami just signed Hamilton to a minor league contract a couple weeks ago. He made just one appearance with Jacksonville before being called up, and he’s now in position to log his first MLB action of the year. Hamilton adds a speed and defense element to an outfield that has otherwise been lacking a prototypical center fielder. Miami has relied on Jesus Sanchez, who’s probably better suited for a corner outfield role, in center field of late.
Sanchez, of course, will remain the primary center fielder even with Hamilton’s arrival. The fleet-footed veteran hasn’t hit well, putting up only a .213/.269/.299 line since the start of the 2019 campaign. Even with excellent defense and baserunning, that offensive output has been too light to merit regular playing time at the big league level. He’ll add an interesting complementary skill set to the bench for skipper Don Mattingly.
Gonzalez has had a pair of separate stints in the majors this season, the first coming as a COVID replacement. The former Pirate has suited up in 16 MLB games with Miami, playing all four infield spots but not offering much at the plate. Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, Gonzalez has had a nice season in Jacksonville. Through 186 plate appearances with the Jumbo Shrimp, he’s hit .339/.376/.431 and swiped seven bases.
With Wendle back and Soler landing on the IL, Miami will turn the final bench spot over to an outfielder at the expense of some infield depth. Gonzalez, who is out of minor league option years, had to be designated for assignment to be taken off the active roster. Miami will have a week to trade him or, more likely, run him through waivers. If he passes through the wire unclaimed, he’d have the right to elect free agency as a player with over three years of big league service time.
Marlins Place Joey Wendle, Brian Anderson On Injured List
The Marlins have placed infielders Joey Wendle and Brian Anderson on the 10-day injured list, tweets Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Wendle, whose placement is retroactive to yesterday, has a strained right hamstring. Anderson, whose placement is retroactive to May 28, is dealing with back spasms. In their place, Miami recalled righty Edward Cabrera and infielder Luke Williams from Triple-A. The Fish also tabbed right-hander Zach Pop as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader at Coors Field against the Rockies.
The pair of injuries suddenly leaves the Marlins without their top two options at the hot corner. Anderson has appeared in 22 games at third base and logged 77 plate appearances at the position, both of which lead the team. Wendle is second in both respects, appearing in 18 games and tallying 63 plate appearances as a third baseman. Both have spent ample time at other positions — Anderson in the outfield corners, Wendle at both middle-infield slots — and both have been productive hitters on the whole. Anderson is slashing .267/.374/.410 on the year, while Wendle has posted a .284/.340/.420 line.
Suffice it to say, it’s a notable blow for an already-struggling Marlins club that is sitting 19-27 on the season, only avoiding the NL East cellar thanks to a disastrous 18-33 Nationals team. The Marlins haven’t given a timetable on either player’s return just yet, though manager Don Mattingly will presumably provide some more info prior to the first game of today’s twin bill.
With both Wendle and Anderson shelved for at least the short term, the Marlins will likely turn to a combination of Jon Berti, the newly recalled Luke Williams and super-utilityman Willians Astudillo at the hot corner. Berti, 32, has had a productive run in his usual utility role so far this season, hitting .250/.391/.442 in 64 plate appearances. Astudillo is 3-for-11 with no strikeouts or walks (par for the course) through his first 11 turns at bat since being selected from Triple-A. Williams, acquired from the Giants in a trade late last month, has posted huge numbers in 13 Triple-A games this year but struggled there in 2021.
As the Marlins hope to weather the storm of their latest injury, they’ll give the promising young Cabrera his first big league look of the 2022 season. Long considered one of their best minor league arms and currently a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport, the 6’5″ righty struggled through seven starts in 2021 and will make his 2022 debut in an unenviable setting at Coors Field. He’s pitched 27 2/3 innings so far this season and worked to a 3.90 ERA with a sizable 33.6% strikeout rate but a bloated 12.9% walk rate.
With Jesus Luzardo currently sidelined by a forearm strain and fellow top prospects Max Meyer and Sixto Sanchez also battling health troubles in the minors, there’s an opening for Cabrera to stake his claim to a spot in the Miami rotation if he can impress. Even if today is only a one-and-done spot start due to the doubleheader, righty Elieser Hernandez has struggled in the big leagues to the point that his rotation spot shouldn’t be guaranteed moving forward. Cabrera, who averaged 96.9 mph on his heater last year and also draws praise for a potentially plus breaking ball, could figures to get a look at some point, one way or another. Across three minor league levels in 2021, the 24-year-old notched a 2.93 ERA with a gaudy 36.9% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate.
Marlins Announce Series Of Roster Moves
The Marlins have the night off but announced a series of roster moves nonetheless, with Christina De Nicola of MLB.com being among those to relay the batch. (Twitter links)
Infielder Joey Wendle and left-hander Richard Bleier have each been reinstated from the injured list. To make room on the active roster, catcher Payton Henry and infielder Joe Dunand were optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Bleier was one of many Marlins to recently land on the COVID-related IL, with infielder Erik Gonzalez being his replacement. Gonzalez has been designated a COVID “substitute” and thus allowed to be subtracted from the roster without being exposed to waivers. Infielder Luke Williams, acquired in a trade earlier today, has been added to the 40-man roster but optioned to Triple-A. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, right-hander Paul Campbell has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. That series of moves involves three players being subtracted from the active roster and two being added, meaning another move should also be involved. Parsing the words of SportsGrid’s Craig Mish in this tweet, it seems like catcher Nick Fortes will also be recalled to even everything out.
Wendle was acquired from the Rays in an offseason trade and began the year on a heater before a hamstring strain put him on the shelf. Through 25 games, he was hitting .304/.368/.456 for a wRC+ of 139. He had been primarily slotting into third base before the injury, with Brian Anderson spending more time in the outfield corners. While Wendle was out, Anderson moved to the hot corner but will likely be spending more time on the grass again.
While the news on Wendle is encouraging for the Marlins, the news about Campbell is potentially ominous. He was placed on the IL April 18 with an elbow strain. He is now ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial placement, meaning the club doesn’t expect him to return in the coming weeks. He had been recalled from the minors just days before landing on IL without getting into a game. Although he’s yet to make his season debut at the MLB level, he was nonetheless in the big leagues at the time of his injury. That means he’ll earn service time and MLB pay for as long as he’s out of action. The 26-year-old came into this year with 93 days of service under his belt. No timeline has been provided for his expected recovery.
Injured List Placements: Naylor, Wendle, Mountcastle
Catching up on some recent injury news…
- The Guardians made a handful of roster moves on Friday, with Josh Naylor going onto the COVID-related injury list, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Headed in the other direction was Yu Chang, who landed on the COVID IL a month ago. The club also recalled Richie Palacios and optioned Kirk McCarty. On Wednesday, the Guardians had their game against the White Sox postponed after multiple positive tests among their coaching staff. The next day, seven staff members were placed in COVID protocol in relation to this outbreak. It seems that this has extended to Naylor, though it’s unclear if he has been shelved due to a positive test, showing symptoms or contact tracing. The first baseman/outfielder has been excellent so far this year, hitting .347/.377/.611 for a wRC+ of 191 through 20 games. With Naylor absent last night, the club slid Owen Miller from second to first and used Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario up the middle.
- The Marlins placed Joey Wendle on the 10-day injured list yesterday with a right hamstring strain, retroactive to May 12, per their transactions tracker at MLB.com. In a corresponding move, Brian Anderson was activated off the COVID IL. The 40-man roster had a couple of vacancies and is now at 39, though Jon Berti and Richard Bleier remain on the COVID list and will need roster spots when they return. Losing Wendle is certainly a hit for the Marlins, as he has started this season hot. Through 25 games, he’s hitting .304/.368/.456, 140 wRC+. He’s also added four steals and good defense to accumulate 1.2 wins above replacement already, according to FanGraphs. However, it’s possible that the return of Anderson can make it close to a wash, as he was hitting .262/.385/.385 before landing on the IL, producing a wRC+ of 131.
- The Orioles announced yesterday that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist forearm strain, retroactive to May 11. Jorge Lopez returned from the bereavement list in a corresponding move. Mountcastle’s production is down a few ticks relative to last year, but still above league average. In 2021, he hit .255/.309/.487 for a wRC+ of 111. This year, he’s moved to .268/.299/.402, wRC+ of 104. He seems to be taking a more contact-oriented approach, at least in this small sample of 28 games. His swing percentage is up on pitches inside and outside the zone, but his contact rates have also gone up in both cases. As a result, his walk and strikeout rates are both down relative to previous years. That’s led to a drop in slugging, though that’s also been a trend across the league so far this year. With Mountcastle out, Trey Mancini and Tyler Nevin will likely cover first base for him.
Marlins, Joey Wendle Avoid Arbitration
8:51pm: Wendle and the Marlins settled at $4.55MM, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (on Twitter). He’d also receive a $75K buyout if the team declines its end of next season’s mutual option. That brings the total guarantee to $4.625MM, the midpoint between the parties’ filings in arbitration. The infielder’s camp had filed at $4.9MM, while the team countered at $4.35MM.
5:13pm: The Marlins and Joey Wendle have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2023, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The terms have not been disclosed.
Wendle qualified for arbitration for the first time last year as a member of the Rays, earning a salary of $2.25MM. He had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a modest raise to $4MM this year. Due to the lockout, the salary negotiation process was put on hold and delayed substantially, with hearings now set to take place in season. That creates the potential for awkward situations where a team lays out a player’s flaws in front of an arbiter in order to argue against the player’s salary request, but then expects the player to go out and produce on the field after. Wendle and the Marlins can now avoid such a fate, after agreeing on terms for 2022.
Acquired from the Rays in an offseason trade, Wendle has between four and five years of MLB service time. That means he’s currently lined up to reach free agency after the 2023 season. This deal won’t affect that timeline, but will merely provide a bit of cost certainty, at least for this year. Wendle is off to a great start as a Marlin, hitting .323/.382/.419 in his first ten games.
The Marlins recently reached a similar deal with Jesus Aguilar, although that situation is slightly different in that Aguilar is one year closer to free agency. If the mutual option is not triggered by both parties, he will become a free agent. In Wendle’s case, he could still be controlled by Miami for 2023 via arbitration.
Rays Trade Joey Wendle To Marlins
A busy offseason for the Marlins continued Tuesday, as Miami has announced the acquisition of infielder Joey Wendle from the Rays in exchange for outfield prospect Kameron Misner.
Wendle, 31, gives the Marlins an option at any of second base, shortstop or third base both in 2022 and in 2023, as he’s controlled another two seasons via arbitration. The lefty-swinging Wendle provides quality defense at all three of those positions and will bring a largely contact-driven offensive approach to the plate for Miami. He’s spent the past four seasons with the Rays, hitting at a combined .274/.330/.414 clip — six percent better than the league average, by measure of wRC+ — with 25 home runs, 86 doubles, 14 triples and 40 stolen bases (in 55 tries) through just shy of 1500 plate appearances.
The Marlins, according to SportsGrid’s Craig Mish (Twitter link), plan to utilize Wendle as a super-utility player who’ll bounce between second, short, third and perhaps the outfield or first base. Jazz Chisholm and Miguel Rojas have second base and shortstop largely locked down (respectively), while Brian Anderson has been the team’s primary third baseman in recent years. Anderson, however, has been beset by shoulder troubles and spent considerable time on the injured list. He’s also capable of playing in the outfield corners, so it’s at least feasible he could move to the grass in order to accommodate Wendle at the hot corner at times. The advent of a designated hitter in the National League could also lead to some reps for Anderson (or Wendle) there.
The good news for Miami is that they don’t have to set anything in stone just yet. Adding Wendle unquestionably improves the roster but does so while creating enough agility for general manager Kim Ng and her staff to cast a wide net in their further offseason pursuits. The Marlins are still seeking a center field option but could also pivot to add a corner bat if there’s a chance for an opportunistic strike in left field or at third base.
Wendle’s addition is the latest in an increasingly active offseason for the Marlins, who in the past week have signed Avisail Garcia to a four-year contract, acquired catcher Jacob Stallings from the Pirates, and signed rotation leader Sandy Alcantara to a five-year contract extension with a team option for a sixth season.
On the other side of the deal, Tampa Bay has reportedly been exploring the trade market for Wendle in advance of tonight’s deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Wendle is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $4MM in 2022, and the Rays needed to open a spot on the roster to accommodate their recent one-year, $8MM agreement with veteran right-hander Corey Kluber. The Rays are also deep in terms of infield options; Brandon Lowe, Wander Franco, Yandy Diaz and prospects Taylor Walls and Vidal Brujan give them ample cover at second, third and short.
The addition of Misner, who’ll turn 24 in January, is nothing to scoff at from the Rays’ vantage point, either. The No. 35 overall draft pick back in 2019, Misner split the 2021 campaign betweenthe Class-A Advanced and Double-A levels, hitting a combined .253/.355/.433 with a dozen homers, 29 doubles, three triples and 26 steals (in 30 tries).
Scouting reports on Misner tout the lefty hitter’s plus raw power, plus speed and solid defensive tools — which make for a tantalizing package were it not for a substandard hit tool. Misner fanned at a 29.4% clip in 462 of his minor league plate appearances this season, and while he offsets those punchouts (to an extent) with a stout 12.3% walk rate, more advanced pitchers will carry greater potential to expose holes in his swing.
The blend of power, speed and defense makes Misner a relatively high-upside name to add to an already deep stockpile of prospects. Misner ranked 10th among Marlins farmhands at FanGraphs, 15th on Baseball America’s midseason list and 21st on MLB.com’s midseason rankings. The fact that Misner briefly reached Double-A this past season at least opens the door for a potential MLB debut at some point in 2022, though it seems likelier that he’d make an impact in 2023 — assuming he continues to produce in the upper minors.
Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald first reported (via Twitter) that Wendle was headed to Miami. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that Misner was going back to Tampa Bay in return.
Photo courtesy of Imagn/USA Today Sports.
Rays Discussing Joey Wendle, Kevin Kiermaier In Trade Talks
The Rays are exploring the trade markets for both infielder Joey Wendle and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Earlier today, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported that the Phillies have had trade talks surrounding Kiermaier as they continue to search for an option in center field.
Wendle, 31, was one of the Rays’ whopping 19 arbitration-eligible players entering the offseason, and teams have until 8pm ET tonight to determine whether to tender contracts to those players. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $4MM salary for Wendle next season, but the Rays are deep in infield talent with the likes of Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz and prospects Vidal Brujan and Taylor Walls.
There’s little chance the Rays would simply non-tender Wendle. He’s coming off a solid .265/.319/.422 batting line (106 wRC+) through 501 plate appearances in 2021, and beyond his contribution with the bat, he played above-average defense at each of second base, third base and shortstop. He’s also controlled another two seasons via arbitration, so a team in need of help at second and/or third base would surely be intrigued by the possibility of swinging a deal with the Rays.
Kiermaier is in an entirely different situation. The 31-year-old is entering the final guaranteed season of a six-year, $53.5MM contract extension and is due to earn $12MM next season (plus at least a $2.5MM buyout on a $13MM option for the 2023 campaign). His name has been kicked about the rumor mill for years now, largely on account of his salary naturally increasing in the latter stages of that extension.
Though Kiermaier has struggled to remain healthy throughout his MLB career, it’s obvious why a Phillies club that has been defensively inept for several years would have interest in adding him to the mix. When healthy, Kiermaier is among the best defensive players on the planet, regardless of position. And while he’s been inconsistent with the bat, his composite .243/.321/.401 batting line dating back to 2016 is only about five percent below average, by measure of wRC+. Kiermaier also provides ample value on the basepaths, evidenced in part by a 77% success rate in stolen-base attempts during that time.
The Phillies have about $171MM in payroll commitments for the 2022 season and a near identical mark in luxury-tax obligations, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez. Kiermaier would add $12MM to their bottom-line payroll but only about $8.91MM to their luxury ledger, thanks to the backloaded nature of his contract extension.
Philadelphia has been seeking an upgrade in center field for several years now and has already missed out on top free agent Starling Marte this winter. The Phils also held interest in Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, but the Twins signed him to a seven-year extension with a full no-trade clause, firmly closing the book on any such possibility.
It’s at least plausible that the Phils could have interest in a combo deal with the Rays that would send both Kiermaier and Wendle to the City of Brotherly Love. The Phillies have been loosely tied to infield upgrades, and while it’s not reported to be a top priority for them, Wendle would give them some cover on the left side of the infield where both Didi Gregorius and Alec Bohm are coming off lackluster seasons.
The Rays have a full 40-man roster and still need to make room for the formal addition of right-hander Corey Kluber, who agreed to a one-year, $8MM deal with Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: 1/15/21
The deadline to exchange arbitration figures is today at 1pm ET. As of this morning, there were 125 arbitration-eligible players who’d yet to agree to terms on their contract for the upcoming 2021 season. Arbitration is muddier than ever before thanks to the shortened 2020 schedule, which most believe will lead to record number of arb hearings this winter. Be that as it may, it’s still reasonable to expect dozens of contractual agreements to filter in over the next couple of hours.
We’ll highlight some of the more high-profile cases in separate posts with more in-depth breakdowns, but the majority of today’s dealings will be smaller-scale increases that don’t radically alter a team’s payroll or a player’s trade candidacy. As such, we’ll just run through most of today’s agreements in this post.
I’ve embedded MLBTR’s 2021 Arbitration Tracker in the post (those in the mobile app or viewing on mobile web will want to turn their phones sideways). Our tracker can be sorted by team, by service time and/or by Super Two status, allowing users to check the status on whichever groups of players they like. You can also check out Matt Swartz’s projected arbitration salaries for this year’s class, and we’ll do a quick sentence on each player’s agreement at the bottom of this post as well, with the most recent agreements sitting atop the list.
Today’s Agreements (chronologically, newest to oldest)
- Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia avoided arbitration with a $1.95MM deal, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The team also reached an agreement for $805K with reliever Robert Stephenson, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Tigers have deals with infielder Jeimer Candelario ($2.85MM), outfielder JaCoby Jones ($2.65MM) and righty Jose Cisnero ($970K), Chris McCosky of the Detroit News relays.
- The Yankees and reliever Chad Green settled for $2.15MM, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
- The Marlins and lefty Richard Bleier have a deal for $1.425MM, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets.
- The Dodgers reached a $3.6MM settlement with lefty Julio Urias, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.
- The Angels announced a deal with righty Dylan Bundy for $8.325MM.
- The Tigers and southpaw Matthew Boyd have settled for $6.5MM, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets.
- The Yankees have deals with catcher Gary Sanchez ($6.35MM), first baseman Luke Voit ($4.7MM), third baseman Gio Urshela ($4.65MM), shortstop Gleyber Torres ($4MM) and outfielder Clint Frazier ($2.1MM), per Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
- The Rays and outfielder Manuel Margot avoided arbitration with a $3.4MM agreement, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
- The Padres and outfielder Tommy Pham have a deal for $8.9MM, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Reliever Dan Altavilla settled for $850K, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets.
- The Angels and righty Felix Pena have come to terms for $1.1MM, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.
- The Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers have reached a $4.575MM agreement, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
- The Mets and outfielder Brandon Nimmo have come to a $4.7MM agreement, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets.
- The Reds and righty Luis Castillo have settled for $4.2MM, Robert Murray of FanSided relays.
- The Rays reached a $2.25MM agreement with infielder Joey Wendle and a $1.175MM settlement with righty Yonny Chirinos, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
- The Cardinals and flamethrowing reliever Jordan Hicks have an agreement for $862,500, according to Heyman.
- The White Sox and ace Lucas Giolito avoided arbitration with a $4.15MM agreement, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
- The Pirates and righty Joe Musgrove have reached an agreement for $4.45MM, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. They also made deals with second/baseman outfielder Adam Frazier ($4.3MM), third baseman Colin Moran ($2.8MM) righty Chad Kuhl ($2.13MM) and lefty Steven Brault ($2.05MM), per reports from Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Adam Berry of MLB.com.
- Hard-throwing right-hander Reyes Moronta agreed to a $695K deal with the Giants after missing the 2020 season due to shoulder surgery, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
- The Tigers agreed to a $2.1MM deal with infielder Niko Goodrum, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided. They also inked lefty Daniel Norris for a $3.475MM salary, tweets Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Pirates agreed to a $1.3MM deal with catcher Jacob Stallings and a $1.1MM deal with righty Chris Stratton, per Robert Murray of Fansided (Twitter links).
- Athletics right-hander Lou Trivino agreed to a $912,500 salary for the 2021 season, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
- Right-hander Richard Rodriguez and the Pirates agreed to a $1.7MM deal, tweets Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Catcher Jorge Alfaro and the Marlins agreed to a $2.05MM deal, tweets Craig Mish of SportsGrid.
- The Reds agreed to a $2.2MM deal with right-hander Tyler Mahle, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray. Cincinnati also signed lefty Amir Garrett for $1.5MM, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
- The Indians agreed to a $2.4MM deal with newly acquired shortstop Amed Rosario and a $975K deal with righty Phil Maton, tweets Zack Meisel of The Athletic.
- The Tigers and righty Buck Farmer settled at $1.85MM, tweets Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Marlins agreed to a $1.9MM deal with right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
Latest On Tyler Glasnow, 3 Other Injured Rays
It’s unclear whether injured Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow will be able to pitch again this year, but he isn’t giving up on his season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. Glasnow, out since May 10 with forearm troubles, has been throwing from 90 feet of late and is set for a bullpen session Monday. The soon-to-be 26-year-old told Toribio he feels “really good.”
The Rays’ expectation was that Glasnow would only sit out four to six weeks when he incurred his injury in a start against the Yankees, but he has suffered multiple setbacks during his recovery process. Those issues have helped derail what looked like a brilliant campaign in the making for Glasnow, a 2018 trade deadline acquisition from the Pirates who dominated out of the gates this season. The towering Glasnow posted 48 1/3 innings and eight starts of 1.86 ERA/2.31 FIP ball with 10.24 K/9, 1.68 BB/9 and a 51.7 percent groundball rate prior to hitting the IL.
Glasnow’s ongoing absence is far from the only adversity the Rays’ rotation has faced this season. Reigning AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell went to the shelf three weeks ago on account of arthroscopic left elbow surgery, while the team sent Yonny Chirinos to the IL on Aug. 5 with a finger injury. On paper, a healthy Glasnow, Snell and Chirinos would aid in giving the Rays one of the sport’s top rotation. As things stand, though, they’re lacking traditional starters. Charlie Morton has been superb this year, however, while Ryan Yarbrough has been eminently effective as a starter and a reliever. Their efforts have helped keep injury-laden Tampa Bay in contention, as the club’s 71-52 and a game up on the American League’s second wild-card spot.
The Rays are also missing a few banged up position players, including infielders Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle and outfielder Avisail Garcia. There’s encouraging news on all three, though, as Toribio relays.
While Lowe still doesn’t have a timetable for a return, he is progressing in his rehab assignment. The 24-year-old second baseman has been out since July 4 with a right shin contusion, which has deprived the Rays of one of baseball’s premier rookies. As with Lowe, it’s not clear when Wendle will be ready to come back, but he also seems to be trending in the right direction as he works back from the wrist injury he suffered in late July. Likewise, things are looking up for Garcia. The Rays placed Garcia on the IL on Wednesday with the dreaded oblique strain, though an MRI on Friday revealed it isn’t especially serious. The club’s hopeful Garcia won’t miss more than the minimum of 10 days, according to manager Kevin Cash.
AL Health Notes: Cole, Indians, A’s, Rays, Tigers
The Astros made right-handed ace Gerrit Cole a late scratch from his start against the White Sox on Tuesday because of right hamstring discomfort, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic was among those to report. The severity of the injury isn’t known, but it’s worth keeping an eye on considering Cole’s importance to the Astros and his status as the game’s best pending free agent. As of now, the 28-year-old workhorse is on pace for his third consecutive 200-inning season. He has given Houston 156 2/3 frames of 2.87 ERA/3.11 FIP ball with 12.98 K/9 and 2.24 BB/9 in 2019.
- Indians righty Carlos Carrasco has been battling leukemia, which has kept him out of action since May 30, but he’s champing at the bit to return, Mandy Bell of MLB.com explains. Carrasco, who fielded grounders off the mound at Progressive Field on Tuesday, is hoping to throw to hitters Friday. Manager Terry Francona wasn’t prepared to state whether that’ll happen, saying: “That’s still to be determined. I mean, the idea that he wants to, I think is terrific. But there’s got to be some sign-off from the medical people. But the fact he feels he’s ready to do that is tremendous.” Meanwhile, fellow key righty Corey Kluber was effective over four innings during a rehab start at the Double-A level Tuesday, Bell tweets. Afterward, Kluber called it “the last big step” in his rehab (via SportsTime Ohio). The two-time Cy Young winner has been out since fracturing his right forearm May 1, but the Indians have nonetheless gone 72-47. With a half-game lead in the AL Central, they have the inside track on a fourth straight division title.
- Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea enjoyed an encouraging rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle details. Manaea, out since last September after undergoing shoulder surgery, fired 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and totaled 10 strikeouts. He and fellow rehabbing lefty Jesus Luzardo seem that much closer to giving playoff-contending Oakland a couple much-needed pitching reinforcements. Luzardo, also out all season (because of shoulder and lat troubles), will start for Las Vegas on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com tweets.
- Rays infielders Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle are moving toward rehab assignments, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Lowe went to the IL on July 4 with a right shin contusion, while Wendle has been down since the end of last month with a wrist issue. The 25-year-old Lowe had been a serious candidate for the AL’s top rookie honors prior to his injury, as he slashed .276/.339/.523 with 16 home runs and 2.5 fWAR in 307 plate appearances.
- Tigers lefty Blaine Hardy has undergone a season-ending platelet-rich plasma injection, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports. Hardy amassed 44 1/3 innings out of the Tigers’ bullpen this season and recorded a 4.47 ERA/5.72 FIP with 5.89 K/9, 2.64 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent groundball rate.