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Florida Notes: Marlins, Rays, Lopez, Rojas, Yankees, Franco, Baz, Cooper

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The Yankees were known to be targeting Pablo Lopez prior to the trade deadline, and reports suggested that Gleyber Torres was involved in the talks between New York and Miami.  One trade proposed by the Marlins would’ve seen Lopez and Miguel Rojas head to the Bronx in exchange for Torres and infield prospect Oswald Peraza, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports, but the Yankees rejected the offer.

Anthony Volpe is considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball, so while Peraza is a top-100 staple in his own right, he could’ve been more of an expendable piece in trade talks.  New York was still resistant to moving Peraza, and while the club was reportedly open to moving him in a possible Frankie Montas trade, the Yankees ended up landing Montas from the Athletics for another trade package that didn’t involve Peraza.  The inclusion of longtime Miami staple Rojas is an interesting wrinkle, as presumably the Marlins offered Rojas as a replacement for Torres in the Yankees’ infield mix, and perhaps sought to give the veteran a chance at winning a ring with a contender.  It makes for an interesting deadline what-if, and any of these players could potentially be part of different trade talks should the two teams rekindle negotiations this winter.

Some rumblings from the Marlins and Rays, as we check in on both Sunshine State teams…

  • After some fielding drills and batting practice on Wednesday, Wander Franco told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that “I feel super good right now and [am] getting better,” in regards to his injured right hand.  Soreness in that hand led Franco to be taken off his rehab assignment earlier this week, and the Rays will continue to monitor Franco’s injury before deciding when to restart his minor league work.  Speaking with Topkin and company today, Rays manager Kevin Cash said Saturday would be the earliest date for Franco to resume his rehab assignment.  Franco has played in only 58 games this season due to a quad strain and then hamate-bone surgery, and his return would be a big boost to a Rays club that is trying to secure a wild card berth.
  • In other Rays injury updates from Topkin, Josh Fleming and Matt Wisler each started minor league rehab assignments within the last two days, while J.P. Feyereisen will throw a live batting practice session before the team decides on his rehab assignment.  This is a good development for Feyereisen, who had a brief setback due to shoulder soreness earlier this month.  Shane Baz also told Topkin and other reporters that he’ll start a throwing program on Monday, but it remains to be seen if Baz can get fully ramped up in time to return to big league game action before the season is over.  An elbow sprain sent Baz to the 15-day IL and then the 60-day IL retroactive to July 14, so it will still be a few weeks before he is even eligible to be activated.
  • Garrett Cooper is two games into a minor league rehab assignment and could be back on the Marlins’ active roster as soon as Friday.  Manager Don Mattingly told reporters that Cooper was slated to play three games as part of his recovery from a stint on the seven-day concussion IL, and Cooper is no longer experiencing any symptoms.  Cooper’s IL placement was retroactive to August 17, and it doesn’t look like he’ll miss much more time beyond the seven-day minimum.

Rays Shut Shane Baz Down For Four Weeks Due To Elbow Sprain

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The Rays announced Thursday that right-hander Shane Baz has been placed on the 15-day injured list after being diagnosed with a sprained right elbow. Baz felt discomfort while playing catch this week. He was evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister, received an injection, and will be shut down from throwing for at least four weeks. Righty Luke Bard is up from Triple-A Durham in his place.

It’s the second unfortunate bit of pitching news the Rays have gotten in the past 24 hours, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that lefty Josh Fleming could be out as long as six weeks due to an oblique strain. It’s a Grade 1 strain, which is the least-severe, but it Topkin notes that it was bad enough that doctors nearly termed it a Grade 2. Fleming won’t throw for the next two to three weeks and will need to build back up after that point.

It’s a brutal day of news for an already injury-ravaged Rays roster. Baz missed the first two months of the season following an arthroscopic procedure on his right elbow back in Spring Training. The righty, who was recently ranked as the game’s No. 2 overall prospect on Baseball America’s latest Top 100 list, returned from that injury and made five starts with a 2.92 ERA before being shelled for seven runs in a July 10 start in Cincinnati.

In addition to Baz and Fleming, the Rays are without Tyler Glasnow (2021 Tommy John surgery), Yonny Chirinos (2021 elbow fracture), Brendan McKay (2021 thoracic outlet surgery), Luis Patino (strained oblique) and Jeffrey Springs (leg injury). That septet would make up a potentially strong big league rotation on its own, were they healthy.

With those seven sidelined, however, Tampa Bay will lean heavily on ace and American League Cy Young favorite Shane McClanahan, veteran righty Corey Kluber and up-and-coming right-hander Drew Rasmussen for the foreseeable future. Lefty Ryan Yarbrough will likely be recalled from Durham this weekend to help cover some innings, and the Rays have already recalled right-hander Tommy Romero, who could also step into the big league rotation.

The Rays, in addition to that litany of rotation injuries, are also without catcher Mike Zunino, second baseman Brandon Lowe, shortstop Wander Franco, outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and Manuel Margot, and five relievers (Nick Anderson, J.P. Feyereisen, Andrew Kittredge, Pete Fairbanks, JT Chargois). It’s a mammoth spate of injuries, with several of the team’s best players sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Even with the miserable luck on the health front this year, however, Tampa Bay is eight games above .500 and squarely in possession of the top Wild Card spot in the American League. There’s little to no hope that they’ll run down the Yankees, who boast a massive 14-game lead over the second-place Rays, but Tampa Bay’s current standing makes them a candidate to tap into the trade market for some reinforcements, be they on the pitching front or at any number of suddenly thin spots in the lineup.

As for Baz, the hope will be that a four-week shutdown provides sufficient healing. That said, a sprain — by definition — involves some degree of stretching or tearing in an elbow ligament, which obviously brings about concern of a more grim long-term outlook. Since we’re already midway through July, there’s little harm in Baz taking a rest-and-rehab approach for the time being. Even in a worst-case scenario that saw him require Tommy John surgery, he’d likely be out for the entire 2023 season at this point. The Rays, to be clear, have not indicated that such an outcome is on the table, but elbow sprains are often an unfortunate portent for surgery of some degree.

Rays Reinstate Brooks Raley, Ryan Thompson, Transfer J.P. Feyereisen To 60-Day IL

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The Rays made a flurry of moves this afternoon following a weekend series in Toronto, reinstating left-hander Brooks Raley and right-hander Ryan Thompson from the restricted list and returning righties Phoenix Sanders and Javy Guerra to Triple-A Durham. Raley and Thompson were not allowed to enter Canada due to their vaccination status but will rejoin the team for tonight’s opener of a three-game series in Boston.

The team also recalled left-hander Josh Fleming and optioned right-hander Cristofer Ogando to clear a spot on the active roster. To make room on the 40-man roster for the recently selected Ogando, the Rays transferred J.P. Feyereisen to the 60-day IL. The move pushes the return of the high-leverage righty — who’d logged 24 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run before hitting the IL in early June —  to early August at soonest.

The return of Raley and Thompson will come as something of a relief to a bullpen that covered 17 innings over the course of winning three of four in Toronto, including three innings by Sanders, one by Guerra, and two by Ogando (per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, manager Kevin Cash even joked that Raley and Thompson might go a combined 9 innings in their return). While Thompson has struggled to a 5.33 ERA (4.62 FIP) across 25 1/3 innings so far this season, the 34-year-old Raley has been something of a revelation in 2022, posting a sparkling 2.22 ERA (2.09 FIP) behind an elevated strikeout rate (31.7% against 27.2% for his career) and improved walk rate (7.9% against 8.6%).

Rays Place Manuel Margot On 10-Day IL, Activate Josh Fleming

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1:50PM: In preparation for the second half of the doubleheader, the Rays have optioned Sherriff back to Triple-A and activated left-hander Josh Fleming from the 10-day IL.  Fleming will work as the bulk pitcher in the second game, behind opener Collin McHugh.  After a right calf strain sent Fleming to the injured list on June 26, the southpaw will return after missing just slightly beyond the 10-day minimum.

9:22AM: The estimated recovery timeline is 2-3 weeks, Margot told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

8:47AM: The Rays have placed outfielder Manuel Margot on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, the team announced.  The placement is retroactive to July 6.  Left-hander Ryan Sherriff was called up from Triple-A to take Margot’s roster spot, and the Rays also officially promoted star prospect Vidal Brujan as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader with the Indians.

Margot suffered his injury while legging out an infield single in the ninth inning of Monday’s game, a 9-8 Tampa Bay victory over Cleveland.  It was a sour end to a 4-for-4 night for Margot, who is now hitting .252/.297/.404 with nine homers over 290 plate appearances in 2021.  Since the Rays have an off-day tomorrow and the All-Star break is looming, Margot won’t miss much actual game time if his IL stint is a minimal one.

The 26-year-old Margot delivered some big hits during the Rays’ 2020 playoff run, though he generated slightly below-average (94 OPS+) offense over his two seasons with the Rays.  While his bat has been inconsistent, Margot’s strong baserunning, defense, and ability to play all three outfield positions has made him a key contributor to Tampa’s roster.  With Margot sidelined, Brandon Lowe might see more time in the outfield, joining the mix of Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, and backup Brett Phillips.  This would provide Brujan will more of an opportunity in the infield, though the Rays will continue to juggle their roster to give everyone playing time as warranted.

Rays Place Josh Fleming On 10-Day Injured List

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The Rays announced that left-hander Josh Fleming has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain.  Right-hander Louis Head has been called up from Triple-A to take Fleming’s roster spot.

Fleming has worked as both a traditional starter and as a bulk pitcher this season, such as last night’s 4-3 Tampa win over the Angels —- after opener Andrew Kittredge handled the first two innings, Fleming allowed one unearned run over 3 2/3 innings of work.  If Fleming misses only the 10-day minimum, the Rays might not need a replacement for his spot in the rotation whatsoever, as the club has off-days on both Monday and Thursday of next week.

A fifth-round pick for the Rays in the 2017 draft, Fleming made his MLB debut last season and has posted a 3.19 ERA over 98 2/3 career innings in the bigs.  Fleming is an extreme groundball pitcher with a 60.7% grounder rate during his brief time in the Show, as he doesn’t miss many bats (16.4% strikeout rate) or possess a big fastball, preferring to throw his changeup and cutter over half the time.  While Fleming has benefited from a .239 BABIP and the Rays’ strong defense behind him, his 3.98 SIERA indicates that he is still providing solid overall performance.

Rays Select Josh Fleming, Designate Sean Gilmartin

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AUGUST 23: The Rays have selected Fleming’s contract, putting him in line to start today’s game against the Blue Jays, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com (Twitter link). Tampa designated left-hander Sean Gilmartin for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

AUGUST 21: The Rays will select the contract of lefty Josh Fleming from their alternate training site this weekend, manager Kevin Cash announced to reporters (Twitter link via Rays pregame/postgame host Neil Solondz). He’ll start Sunday’s game for Tampa Bay. A Saturday starter hasn’t been named, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Charlie Morton won’t return this weekend.

Fleming will step into the void left by the injury to Yonny Chirinos, who’ll be out until the 2022 season due to a UCL tear that requires Tommy John surgery. The Rays will need to open a 40-man spot for Fleming, but that can be achieved by placing Chirinos on the 45-day injured list.

The 24-year-old Fleming was a rare draftee from a Division-III program — a fifth-round pick by the Rays out of Webster University in St. Louis back in 2017. He’s cruised through the minors, pitching to a combined 3.40 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 1.6 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate north of 50 percent. He’s not considered to be among the organization’s top prospects, although that’s in part a testament to the deep and excellent farm that has been put together by the Tampa Bay front office. MLB.com lists Fleming 29th among Rays farmhands, calling him a potential back-end starter with an above-average slider, plus command but some struggles against righties. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen pegs Fleming as a future big league reliever.

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