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Players That Have Cleared Revocable Waivers

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We’ll use this post to keep track of players that have reportedly cleared revocable waivers. Before diving into the names, a few items bear repeating. The majority of Major League players will be placed on trade waivers this month, with most instances going unreported. There are undoubtedly players (quite a few of them, most likely) who have already cleared waivers but have not been reported to have done so. Players can be traded into September, as well, but only those traded on or before Aug. 31 will be eligible for the postseason with their new teams, so there’s some urgency for contending clubs to complete deals by month’s end. And, of course, for those who aren’t familiar with the inner-workings of waiver trades, MLBTR published a full explanation of how August trades work earlier this month.

Here’s the current list (last updated Aug. 29):

  • Jeff Samardzija, SP, Giants (link): While he hasn’t produced great results this year and is owed another $54MM over the following three seasons, Samardzija has put up compelling peripherals and has long been a scout’s favorite. Still, the Giants may not be all that inclined to move him and Samardzija has broad no-trade protection, so a deal seems unlikely.
  • Nicholas Castellanos, 3B, Tigers (link): The 25-year-old hasn’t produced at the plate this year after a quality 2016 season. But he is still hitting the ball hard and could be an interesting bounceback target for other organizations — with an offseason deal seeming more likely than a late-August swap. Castellanos is playing this year on a $3MM salary and can be controlled for two more campaigns via arbitration.
  • R.A. Dickey, RHP, Braves (link): Dickey has been just what Atlanta thought it was getting: a solid innings eater with plenty of durability but limited upside. He could fill in the fifth slot in a contender’s rotation, but teams might be reluctant to force one of their catchers to learn to catch a knuckleball this late in the year. He’s averaging six innings per start, and Atlanta may just keep him around in 2018.
  • Brad Ziegler, RHP, Marlins (link): Ziegler has been stellar since returning from the disabled list and could certainly help a contending club’s bullpen. However, he’s owed $9MM in 2018, and the Marlins now find themselves back in Wild Card contention — both of which make a trade before the end of August unlikely. He could be an offseason trade candidate.
  • Miguel Gonzalez, RHP, White Sox (link): Gonzalez is earning $5.9MM in 2017 and has been a serviceable, if unspectacular source of innings for the ChiSox. He won’t be a part of a contending club’s playoff rotation, but a team with a big division lead that is looking to rest its rotation (or allow some of its injured rotation members to mend) could turn to Gonzalez for some stability. The asking price won’t be much.
  • Derek Holland, LHP, White Sox (link): Like Gonzalez, Holland could be a rotation stabilizer for a team with a comfortable division lead. He’s also shut down opposing lefties (.216/.279/.333) in 2017, so perhaps a club would look at him as a potential relief specialist with expanded September rosters on the horizon.
  • James Shields, RHP, White Sox (link): The Sox still owe Shields the balance of a $10MM commitment this season (the Padres are on the hook for the rest), plus $12MM in 2018. Given his enormous struggles over the past two seasons, he’s not going anywhere unless the ChiSox simply cut bait and release him.
  • Victor Martinez, DH, Tigers (link): Martinez has been a decidedly below-average contributor at the plate in 2017 and is owed the balance of this year’s $18MM salary plus an identical $18MM salary in 2018. The Tigers won’t find any takers here.
  • Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers (link): Cabrera is 34 years old and has been a roughly league-average hitter in 2017. He’s owed a ridiculous $192MM from 2018-23 and has full no-trade protection as well. That last point is largely moot, though, as his enormous contract makes him all but impossible to move anyhow.
  • Jordan Zimmermann, RHP, Tigers (link): With a 5.29 ERA in his nearly two seasons as a Tiger and $74MM owed to him from 2018-20, Zimmermann is effectively an immovable asset for the Tigers.
  • Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Marlins (link): Stanton is owed $295MM over the next decade, so an attempt at acquiring him wouldn’t exactly make for a casual undertaking. He has more than made up for a relatively disappointing 2016 season thus far with a monster 2017, boosting his value, but structuring a deal would be complicated by a variety of factors — including the Miami organization’s still-pending sale.
  • Brandon Phillips, 2B, Braves (link): The 36-year-old isn’t the exciting option he once was, but Phillips still brings acceptable and affordable production to the table. Combining those factors with his impending free agency, Phillips seems like someone the Braves could realistically trade this month.
  • Brandon Crawford, SS, Giants (link): Crawford emerged as a two-way star over the previous couple seasons, pairing good offense with otherworldly defense. His glovework remains strong, but the 30-year-old’s production at the plate has fallen off dramatically this season. The Giants reportedly still have little interest in dealing him, and doing so would be difficult in any event. Crawford, who’s making $8MM this year, will rake in $15MM each season from 2018-21. He also has a full no-trade clause.
  • Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners (link): Unfortunately, King Felix’s days as an ace appear long gone, which is all the more troubling for the Mariners when taking his contract into consideration. Hernandez, 31, is collecting a $26MM salary this year and will make $53MM more from 2018-19. He also has a full no-trade clause, making him even less movable.
  • Yoenis Cespedes, OF, Mets (link): Unlike fellow Mets outfielders Bruce and Granderson, Cespedes doesn’t seem like a logical trade candidate. Cespedes is in the first season of a four-year, $110MM deal, and the Mets gave the franchise cornerstone a full no-trade clause when they re-signed him.
  • Asdrubal Cabrera, INF, Mets (link): Cabrera, who’s making $8.25MM this season and has either an $8.5MM club option or a $2MM buyout for 2018, drew trade interest in July. However, recent indications are that the Mets are leaning toward keeping him in the fold for next year.
  • AJ Ramos, RP, Mets (link): Ramos was a popular name in trade rumors before the Mets acquired him from the Marlins in late July. Plenty of teams showed interest in Ramos, so perhaps the Mets would be able to find a taker for the longtime closer. However, New York acquired Ramos knowing it wasn’t in contention this season, so keeping him into 2018 – his final season of arbitration eligibility – looks more likely.
  • Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals (link): Harper isn’t going anywhere. Putting the superstar through waivers was purely a procedural move by the Nationals.
  • Chris Davis, 1B, Orioles (link): Davis, 31, no longer resembles the force of nature he was at the plate before the Orioles handed him a seven-year, $161MM contract leading up to the 2016 campaign. They included a partial no-trade clause in the accord, but the contract itself has essentially become a full NTC thanks to Davis’ decline. Realistically, Baltimore’s stuck with him.
  • Joey Votto, 1B, Reds (link): The Reds haven’t shown any interest in moving Votto, nor has he expressed a willingness to leave Cincinnati. Considering those factors, the remaining money on Votto’s enormous contract (a guaranteed $171MM through 2024) and his full no-trade clause, the hitting savant will stay where he is.
  • Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers (link): With plenty of cash still owed this year and $56MM more promised through 2019, Verlander is not a guy who’ll casually be acquired. Things are complicated by Detroit’s inclination to try to achieve real value for a cornerstone player, not to mention Verlander’s full no-trade rights — though he seems willing to entertain a move. While a deal still seems less than likely, Verlander could be a fascinating player to watch if he throws well and one or more contenders see a need for his services.
  • Justin Upton, LF, Tigers (link): As is the case with Verlander, moving Upton would be a major challenge for Detroit. Not only does Upton have a 20-team no-trade clause, but his contract includes an opt-out clause for after the season, when he’ll have to decide whether to play out his deal or leave four years and roughly $88MM on the table. The tricky financial situation has apparently overshadowed the great season Upton’s having, as nobody has shown real interest in acquiring him.

Additionally, Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce and Neil Walker cleared waivers before their respective trades to the Dodgers, Indians and the Brewers.

Tigers Notes: Kinsler, Zimmermann, Center Field, Gose

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Ian Kinsler’s stance on his limited no-trade clause — that he’d want an extension to waive it, per his agent — seemed to complicate potential trade talks between the Dodgers and Tigers. But it was never known just what kind of new contract he’d have sought, and the veteran second baseman suggested today that the trade protection wouldn’t have posed a major barrier, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports. “I don’t think that was going to stand in the way of a trade,” said Kinsler, who seems likely to open the season with Detroit. It wouldn’t have been preferable to veto a deal and end up back with the Tigers, he noted, explaining that “it’s just kind of awkward to have a trade in place and then have it fall through.” After praising GM Al Avila for his handling of the matter, Kinsler said of the no-trade clause: “[W]hen you have protection, you need to use it. That’s what it’s built in for. That’s how I was going to go about it.” The organization has largely held pat with its veterans, despite prior suggestions that some kind of sell-off might occur this offseason, and Beck writes that the core players seem relieved and excited at the prospect of at least one more run together.

Here’s more from Motown:

  • A return to form from a few key players could certainly turn the tide for the Tigers, with righty Jordan Zimmermann certainly representing an important part of the equation. As Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports, Zimmermann set out to solve his neck issues. He has undergone treatments and says he feels good, though it seems that he’s still dealing with some tightness.
  • After acquiring Mikie Mahtook, the Tigers now have an interesting camp battle lined up for time in center field, as Evan Woodberry of MLive.com explores. He’ll likely be competing with former LSU teammate JaCoby Jones to take the right-handed side of a platoon situation. Things are looking good for the left-handed-hitting Tyler Collins, Woodberry notes, since the organization designated Anthony Gose to make roster space for Mahtook. Alex Presley appears to be the most likely alternative as a lefty platoon piece.
  • Speaking of Gose, former Triple-A manager Lloyd McClendon says that the highly publicized argument between the two is water under the bridge. As George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press writes, McClendon (who is now the big league hitting coach in Detroit) says that he wishes the 26-year-old the best, wherever he ends up. Attributing the spat to the rigors of the working environment, McClendon noted that he and Gose have “had great conversations since then.” As for the still-youthful player’s future? “He’s got a lot of talent,” said McClendon. “Anthony Gose will land on his feet. He’s not the first kid, won’t be the last, that runs out of time with a certain organization. That’s just the nature of our business.”

AL Central Notes: Brantley, Encarnacion, O’Brien, Tigers

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After missing nearly the entire 2016 season due to shoulder surgery and undergoing a second shoulder operation in August, Michael Brantley began some non-contact swinging drills over the holidays, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti has maintained this offseason that Brantley is in the team’s plans to be the Opening Day left fielder in 2017, Bastian continues, although it’s worth noting that Cleveland offered similar optimism last offseason, penciling Brantley in for a late April/early May return. While Brantley did indeed make his season debut in that window, he was limited to just 11 games all season and didn’t produce when on the field. The amount that Brantley will be able to contribute in 2017 will be crucial for Cleveland, although the Indians will get a nice boost to the lineup in the form of Edwin Encarnacion. Cleveland announced tonight that they’ll host a press conference tomorrow at 10:15am ET “regarding a potential new member of the organization,” thus indicating that Encarnacion passed today’s physical.

More from the AL Central…

  • New Royals acquisition Peter O’Brien will head to Spring Training and compete for at-bats as the team’s designated hitter, general manager Dayton Moore tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Moore added that the Royals’ front office has long held some level of interest in O’Brien and has tried to deal for him in the past without success. However, as Flanagan points out, O’Brien has minor league options remaining and as such could serve as a depth option at Triple-A. Cheslor Cuthbert, on the other hand, is out of minor league options and might not have a better path to regular playing time than the team’s DH slot, which could give him the inside track. Kansas City will also use its DH slot to rest some position players, including Mike Moustakas, who is returning from an ACL tear.
  • FanRag’s Jack Magruder writes that O’Brien has gone from virtually untouchable in the Diamondbacks’ eyes to expendable in the eyes of the new Arizona regime. Both the Royals and Mariners expressed some interest in O’Brien at last year’s trade deadline, per Magruder, but talks never progressed beyond the preliminary stage in either case.
  • Though it looked like the Tigers would move at least one veteran, if not more, earlier this offseason, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi writes that there’s now a strong chance that Detroit will open the season with a nearly unchanged roster. Ownership never mandated a payroll reduction from GM Al Avila, Morosi continues, so the general manager was only ever going to move players like J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler if a team offered an enticing package of near-MLB-ready talent, but those types of scenarios never surfaced. The Tigers could still move short-term veterans like Martinez and Kinsler this summer if they’re not contending, of course. Morosi does note that right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is throwing from 180 feet and expects to be ready for the start of Spring Training. A return to form for last year’s $110MM signing would go a long way toward the Tigers making a run in 2017.

Quick Hits: Sanchez, Zimmermann, Relievers

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Here’s the latest from around baseball…

  • A nagging blister problem bothered right-hander Aaron Sanchez during his rough outing against the Red Sox today, the Blue Jays ace told reporters (including MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm).  Sanchez has been dealing with the sore spot on his middle right finger since Spring Training, with the affected area going from “hot spot” to blister at various times during the season.  While Sanchez’s performance obviously hasn’t been much hampered by his minor injury for much of the season, one need only look at Rich Hill’s problems over the last few months to note how a blister can develop into a major issue.  Sanchez’s next start was expected to be at least a couple of days later than normal anyways, Chisholm notes, as part of the Jays’ plan to monitor their young star’s innings.
  • Jordan Zimmermann will throw a simulated game rather than make his next scheduled start for the Tigers, manager Brad Ausmus told reporters (including George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press).  Two separate DL stints due to a neck strain have limited Zimmermann to just two starts since the end of June, and the righty didn’t look good in either outing, allowing a combined 10 earned runs over just 2 2/3 innings.  The 80-pitch sim game isn’t due to another injury, however, but rather simply give Zimmermann a chance to build up arm speed and regain his mechanics.  Zimmerman had no issue with the Tigers’ decision, saying “I can’t be going out there pitching like dog crap, not giving our team a chance to win. We need to win now.”
  • Newly-acquired relievers are playing a huge role in this season’s pennant races, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com writes, ranging from the blockbuster deals at the trade deadline to less-heralded deals like the Blue Jays’ trades for Jason Grilli and Joaquin Benoit.  With the cost of relief pitching so high, an AL manager and AL general manager both suggest to Gammons that clubs could focus more on drafting pitchers they specifically groom as relievers or even old-school “fireman” types who can pitch multiple innings in any game situation.

AL Notes: Shoemaker, Tigers, Red Sox

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Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker was admitted to an Anaheim-area hospital Saturday to check for swelling in his brain, Austin Laymance of MLB.com was among those to report. Shoemaker underwent surgery last Sunday on a small skull fracture and a hematoma to stop the bleeding on his brain after taking a 105 mph line drive off the head. The CT scan Shoemaker had Saturday came back negative, fortunately, though he did stay at the hospital overnight for observation.

More from the American League:

  • Tigers righty Jordan Zimmermann returned Saturday from a month-plus absence stemming from a neck strain, but the 30-year-old put up a disastrous showing in an 11-3 loss to Baltimore. Zimmermann allowed six earned runs on four hits, including three home runs, and three walks in an inning of work. After the game, manager Brad Ausmus wasn’t willing to commit to Zimmermann for another start, relays Katie Strang of ESPN.com. Fellow righty Michael Fulmer’s status complicates matters, though, as Evan Woodbery of MLive.com details. With the Tigers monitoring the AL Rookie of the Year front-runner’s workload, they might not be able to pull Zimmermann from their rotation. If Detroit elects to send Zimmermann to the bullpen and skip at least one Fulmer start, it could open the door for veteran Mike Pelfrey, but he has been out for over a month and isn’t stretched out. Whatever the Tigers ultimately decide, the production they have gotten from Zimmermann (4.94 ERA, 5.49 K/9 in 94 1/3 innings) clearly isn’t what they had in mind when they signed the ex-National to a five-year, $110MM deal in the offseason.
  • Manager John Farrell said Saturday that the first-place Red Sox are likely going to use elite infield prospect Yoan Moncada as a reserve for the rest of the season, writes Ian Browne of MLB.com. While Moncada has picked up five starts at third base since debuting Sept. 2, the 21-year-old has struck out 11 times and walked only once in 19 plate appearances. At the same time, fellow third baseman Travis Shaw has been swinging a hot bat, which doesn’t bode well for Moncada’s chances to garner playing time. “This is a great learning experience for Yoan,” Farrell said of Moncada. “I think while he got a boost of confidence by coming to the big leagues, you get challenged a little bit and you have to take a step back to rebuild that. Still, our primary goal is to win. Development in this situation does not take a front seat.”
  • Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos, out DL since Aug. 6 after fracturing his left hand on a hit by pitch, hopes to return next week. “My goal is to be back before the 18th,” he stated (via Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press). Castellanos, who has been taking ground balls and hitting in cages, will take batting practice Monday. If that goes well, the Tigers will set up a simulated game, per Ausmus. At the time of his injury, Castellanos was in the midst of a career year, having hit .286/.331/.500 with 18 home runs in 432 plate appearances. Replacements Casey McGehee and Erick Aybar haven’t come close to matching those numbers for the Tigers, who are a game out of of a wild-card spot.

Quick Hits: Tigers, Kinsler, Dodgers, Puig

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With the Tigers in Arlington to take on the Rangers, second baseman Ian Kinsler reflected on the November 2013 trade that sent him from Texas to Detroit for first baseman Prince Fielder, whose career ended this week because of neck problems. “It’s the best thing that’s happened,” said Kinsler of the deal (via Jason Beck of MLB.com). “Toward the end of my time in Texas, things got kind of stale, so to be able to be traded to an organization like Detroit really allowed me to kind of reflect on who I was as a player and what I needed to do to improve.” The 34-year-old’s two-plus-season run with the Tigers has been a resounding success. Dating back to 2014, his first year with the club, Kinsler ranks eighth among major league position players in fWAR (13.8) and has hit .287/.331/.441 with 49 home runs in 1,906 plate appearances. Kinsler, who’s slashing a robust .291/.347/.488 with 21 homers and 13 stolen bases this season, regards Detroit as the “perfect place” for him and hopes to finish his career there. Going forward, Kinsler is due a reasonable $11MM next year and the Tigers have a $10MM club option for 2018.

More from Detroit and one other major league city:

  • Dodgers Triple-A outfielder Yasiel Puig spoke Saturday about the mini-controversy he created earlier this week after posting videos online of him and some Oklahoma City teammates drinking alcohol and shouting curse words into the camera. “I really didn’t know how to use Snapchat,” said Puig (per Doug Padilla of ESPN.com). “I was just playing around with my teammates. I just did something that was wrong.” Puig added that he believes the Dodgers demoted him to the minors to become “a better teammate,” which is his goal. On whether the Dodgers are prepared to sever their relationship with the 25-year-old Puig, manager Dave Roberts told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, “I think that’s up to Yasiel. If he chooses to continue to grow as a baseball player and as a man, then he’d be welcome back here.”
  • The Tigers haven’t gotten great early returns on their investment in right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, whom they signed to a five-year, $110MM deal in the offseason. Not only has the ex-National posted disappointing numbers – 4.44 ERA and a career-low 5.55 K/9 in 97 2/3 innings – he’s also on the disabled list for the second time this season because of back and neck issues. “It’s been the most frustrating year of my career,” said Zimmermann (via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com) “Going on two months on the (disabled list) and we still don’t really have a true answer.” Zimmermann missed all of July and then returned to start Aug. 4, but he lasted just 1 2/3 innings and allowed six earned runs on six hits and two walks before heading back to the DL. The 30-year-old is currently making progress in his recovery, but there’s no timetable for his return, writes Woodbery.
  • Another injured starter, the Dodgers’ Rich Hill, could debut for Los Angeles next Saturday, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Hill, whom the Dodgers acquired from Oakland at the non-waiver trade deadline, has been out since mid-July on account of blister problems on his pitching hand. The left-hander is scheduled to make a rehab start Monday with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and he’ll join the Dodgers if that goes well. However, the Dodgers have already had to postpone his first start in their uniform twice. Hill is confident that won’t happen again, though. “It’s healed and 100 percent ready to go and I look forward to getting out there,” said the 36-year-old.

Tigers Send Jordan Zimmermann Back To DL

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To cap off an injury-plagued Saturday, the Tigers have placed right-hander Jordan Zimmemann on the disabled list with an aggravation of his neck strain and recalled left-hander Kyle Ryan from Triple-A Toledo, tweets Jason Beck of MLB.com (John Wagner of the Toledo Blade first reported Zimmermann would head to the DL). The loss of Zimmermann is the second notable one of the day for Detroit, whose starting third baseman, Nick Castellanos, suffered a fractured left hand in the team’s 6-5 win over the Mets.

Zimmermann had just returned from the DL to make a start Thursday after that neck strain kept him out for all of July. The big-money offseason investment lasted a mere 1 2/3 innings in that start, a 6-3 loss to the White Sox, and allowed six earned runs on six hits and two walks. Zimmermann now has a 7.30 ERA across his past 49 1/3 innings and a 4.44 mark through 97 1/3 frames this year, and ERA indicators like FIP (3.91), xFIP (4.66) and SIERA (4.66) haven’t been enamored of his performance.

The Tigers could fill Zimmermann’s void in the rotation with lefty Daniel Norris, who Beck notes will rejoin the club Tuesday. Norris, who sat out most of July because of a right oblique strain, has thrown 13 1/3 innings and made three starts with the Tigers this year and given up 17 hits and seven earned runs. On the plus side, Norris has struck out 16 against just three walks. In 73 1/3 frames with Toledo this season, the 23-year-old has compiled a lofty ERA (4.54), though he has posted quality strikeout and walk rates (9.45 and 3.44 per nine, respectively) and a 2.55 FIP.

If playoff-contending Detroit does bring up Norris to work out of its rotation, he’ll join Justin Verlander, Michael Fulmer, Matt Boyd and Anibal Sanchez in its quintet of starters. Verlander and Fulmer have been excellent this year, while Boyd has fared well over the past month and Sanchez’s performance has improved of late.

AL Central Notes: Zimmermann, Fulmer, Sano

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Tigers fans braced for bad news after right-hander Jordan Zimmermann exited his first start since returning from the DL due to a potential lat injury, but an MRI came back clean, tweets MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Detroit is optimistic that Zimmermann can avoid a return trip to the disabled list following the positive news, though yesterday’s six-run shellacking still comes with a fair amount of concern. Zimmermann now has a 7.30 ERA across his past 49 1/3 innings, which isn’t doing the Tigers any favors as they look to close a three-game gap for the division lead in the AL Central and a half-game deficit in the race for the second American League Wild Card slot.

A bit more from the division….

  • Flying somewhat under the radar amid the considerable chatter surrounding Aaron Sanchez’s innings total is the workload of AL Rookie of the Year candidate Michael Fulmer, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck writes. In the case of Fulmer, however, his uncanny efficiency — he’d rank 10th in the league in terms of fewest pitches per inning if he qualified — has the Tigers more focused on limiting his pitch counts on a start-to-start basis than taking a more general approach and monitoring his innings. A 25 to 30 percent increase in innings would cap Fulmer, who has thrown 119 1/3 innings between Triple-A and the Majors, at between 155 and 162 innings, but his low pitch counts could allow him to exceed that count in the event of a lengthy postseason run for Detroit.
  • Demoting struggling slugger Miguel Sano is a “real option” for the Twins, writes Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Twins will get Trevor Plouffe back from the disabled list after this weekend series, and Sano’s recent woes in the field have been difficult to ignore. Of course, the Twins certainly compounded the issue by moving Sano to the outfield in the first place when it was clear even after last season that he had some work to do on his defense at third base, and asking him to move back to third midseason after not taking many reps there since last year has indeed yielded ugly results. Sano has made 12 errors in 27 games at third base this year. “He’s trying to make the changes that he needs to make to where he can walk out of here every day saying he did what he could do that day to become a better player,” said manager Paul Molitor. “It doesn’t happen every day, I’m sure.”

Tigers Place Jordan Zimmermann On 15-Day DL With Neck Strain

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The Tigers have placed right-hander Jordan Zimmermann on the 15-day DL due to a strained neck, the team announced (via Twitter).  Anibal Sanchez will take Zimmermann’s next scheduled start, while Dustin Molleken has been called up from Triple-A to round out the bullpen.

[Related: updated Tigers depth chart at Roster Resources]

The DL placement was retroactive to July 1, so Zimmermann is eligible to return during Detroit’s first series after the All-Star break (an important AL Central matchup with the Royals).  He will miss at least two starts due to the injury, however, landing another blow to a beleaguered Tigers rotation.

Zimmermann signed a five-year, $110MM deal with the Tigers last winter and began his stint in the Motor City in spectacular fashion.  He won AL Pitcher of the Month honors for April by posting an 0.55 ERA over five starts, and while some regression was inevitable, the righty has been inconsistent in June.  Zimmermann missed a start due to a minor groin injury in late May, and he has since posted a 6.43 ERA over six starts and 35 innings.

For the full season, Zimmermann has a 3.95 ERA, 3.33 K/BB rate and 5.6 K/9.  He is on track to post the lowest K/9 of his career, and his average fastball velocity has dropped to a career-low 91.9 mph.  That being said, the right-hander is also using his fastball much less than usual — only 52.5% of Zimmermann’s pitches have been fastballs this season, as he is throwing his slider with more regularity.  ERA predictors such as xFIP (4.56) and SIERA (4.59) indicate that Zimmermann has perhaps been a bit fortunate to only have a 3.95 ERA at this point.

Sanchez lost his rotation job last month after posting a 6.67 ERA over his first 56 2/3 innings of the season.  He has performed better out of the pen (a 2.84 ERA in 12 1/3 IP), and given how he is owed at least $29MM through the end of the 2017 season, the Tigers certainly hope Sanchez has regained some of his old form.

Injury Notes: Hill, Ryu, McCarthy, Zimmermann, Ackley

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The Athletics suffered a bit of a scare today as surprise staff ace Rich Hill left his outing early. It’s being diagnosed as only a “real mild groin strain,” though, manager Bob Melvin told reporters including Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports (Twitter links). Hill himself suggested that he doesn’t expect to miss a start, let alone require a DL placement, though obviously that’ll depend upon how the injury progresses. Oakland will obviously hope that Hill can keep up his impressive start to the year — a 2.25 ERA through 11 starts, with more strikeouts than hits and walks allowed — in order to help keep the club alive in the AL West or otherwise turn into a prime trade chip.

Here are some more health-related matters of note around the game:

  • Dodgers lefty Hyun-jin Ryu needs to skip at least one start after experiencing shoulder soreness, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports. Manager Dave Roberts says that he’s not yet sure what to expect in terms of Ryu’s timeline, in a video tweeted by J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group. “We were kind of thinking middle of June,” Roberts said of Ryu’s anticipated return to the majors. “With this little setback, it pushes that back.”
  • Fellow Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy is still making positive strides in his own rehab, as Hoornstra further notes on Twitter. The veteran righty is set to face live hitters tomorrow, marking an important point in his return from Tommy John surgery.
  • Tigers righty Jordan Zimmermann is nearly ready to return from his recent groin injury. Per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, via Twitter, the veteran hurler will start on Friday so long as a bullpen session tomorrow doesn’t give rise to any concerns.
  • Dustin Ackley is out of action for the Yankees and may well be facing a DL stint after suffering a shoulder injury, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog reports. New York could turn to veterans Nick Swisher or Chris Parmelee, both of whom are playing at Triple-A, Jennings suggests. It appears, though, that the club will look to get Mark Teixeira back in the lineup rather than reaching into the minors for another option at first, per George A. King III of the New York Post. That could allow the team to shore up another area, without implicating the 40-man roster, if Ackley hits the disabled list.
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