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Miguel Rojas

Miguel Rojas Has Fractured Finger; Marlins Pause Sixto Sanchez’s Throwing Program Again

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The Marlins provided a series of injury updates Tuesday (Twitter link via the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson), most notably revealing a pair of unfortunate announcements for fans. Imaging showed a fractured finger in shortstop Miguel Rojas’ hand, while touted young right-hander Sixto Sanchez has once again had his throwing program shut down — this time after feeling discomfort between bullpen sessions.

Rojas landed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend, and while the hope was that he could return in relatively short order from what was then termed a dislocated left index finger, it now seems likely that he’ll miss more time than that after the fracture was revealed. It’s a tough blow for the Marlins, given Rojas’ outstanding glovework and the step forward he’s taken at the plate since Opening Day 2020. Rojas is hitting .275/.354/.433 through 192 plate appearances in 2021 and .287/.370/.459 dating back to last season.

With Rojas sidelined for a to-be-determined period, the Marlins can turn to the youthful combination of Jazz Chisholm and Isan Diaz in the middle infield. Jose Devers presents another young option. The 23-yea-old Chisholm, thus far, has looked like the foundational piece the Fish hoped they were acquiring when trading starter Zac Gallen to the D-backs in a rare prospect-for-prospect swap of significance. Neither Diaz nor Devers has provided much at the plate yet, however.

Chisholm has missed some time recently but avoided the IL stint to this point, and he suggested this morning on Instagram that he’d be returning to the lineup. Manager Don Mattingly effectively confirmed as much, telling McPherson and others that Chisholm is “expected” to play tonight, so long as he gets through his pregame running drills without issue.

The injury to Rojas is of particular note given his contractual status. He’d trigger a $5.5MM vesting option for the 2021 season in the event that he reaches 500 plate appearances this season and finishes the year healthy. With just 308 plate appearances to go, there’s still time for him to hit that mark even if he misses a few weeks, but a lengthier absence will obviously call that clause’s viability into question.

Turning to Sanchez, the latest setback is yet another disheartening development in the promising young righty’s season. The Marlins hoped to have Sanchez early in the year, but he was optioned to their alternate site after missing more than half of Spring Training in Covid protocols.

While building up toward what was expected to be a mid-April debut, Sanchez experienced shoulder discomfort that led the club to shut him down indefinitely. Recent reports that he’d progressed to mound work gave optimism for an early-summer debut, but a second setback has muddied his outlook. Recurring shoulder troubles of any sort are worrisome for a pitcher, particularly for one as talented as Sanchez. The consensus top prospect made his MLB debut last summer and gave Miami 39 innings of 3.46 ERA ball over the life of seven starts at just 22 years of age.

Marlins Reinstate Starling Marte From Injured List

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The Marlins announced a series of roster moves this afternoon (via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). Center fielder Starling Marté has been activated from the injured list, while infielder Luis Marté has been selected to the roster. To clear active roster space, first baseman Lewin Díaz was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, while shortstop Miguel Rojas was placed on the 10-day injured list with a dislocated left index finger. Miami already had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was required to accommodate Luis Marté’s selection.

Starling Marté got off to a good start to the season, hitting .310/.414/.483 with a pair of homers over his first 70 plate appearances. That was halted when Marté suffered a non-displaced rib fracture on a swing in mid-April, sending him to the IL. He’ll now return to action a little less than six weeks later, where he’ll try to build on his solid work early in the year.

It’s an important season for Marté, who’s in the final year of the contract extension he signed with the Pirates in March 2014. The 32-year-old is a few months away from his first trip to the open market. Marté’s strong track record and expiring contract would also make him a plausible midseason trade candidate if Miami falls out of the National League postseason picture. The young Marlins have held around in a jam-packed NL East, going 24-26 over their first 50 games. Despite that, FanGraphs pegs the team’s playoff odds at a meager 1.5%, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Marté’s name floated in trade talks in the coming months.

Rojas suffered a “concerning” finger dislocation during yesterday’s game against the Phillies. It’s unclear how much time he’s expected to miss. The injury opened a spot for Luis Marté, who’ll be making his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game. The 27-year-old spent the first seven-plus seasons of his professional career in the Rangers system, topping out at Triple-A.

Marté was in the high minors with the Braves between 2018-19 and inked a minors deal with Miami over the winter. He’s never offered much at the plate, hitting .245/.263/.355 in four seasons at Double-A and .261/.284/.352 in nearly as much Triple-A time. Marté has ample experience all around the infield in the minors, though, and he’s hit three homers in 61 plate appearances this year with Jacksonville, albeit with similar on-base issues as he’s had throughout his career.

Marlins Activate Jazz Chisholm From Injured List

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The Marlins are reinstating infielder Jazz Chisholm from the injured list in advance of this afternoon’s game against the Dodgers, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald was among those to note (Twitter link). Chisholm is starting at shortstop and hitting leadoff today. Reliever Braxton Garrett is being optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move.

Chisholm, one of the top prospects in baseball, got off to a fantastic start before landing on the IL late last month with a hamstring strain. Through 80 plate appearances, the 23-year-old has hit .290/.375/.551 with four homers and seven stolen bases. While he’s returning to the lineup as a shortstop, he figures to again resume his role as Miami’s second baseman for now. The Marlins are set at short, where Miguel Rojas is off to a great start, but they haven’t gotten much from Isan Díaz at the keystone in Chisholm’s absence.

Miami has started the season just 17-22, placing them four games back in the National League East. There’s still time for the Fish to right the ship, but Miami generally wasn’t expected to contend in a competitive division (last season’s appearance in the expanded postseason notwithstanding). Speculatively speaking, it’s easy to envision Rojas attracting interest from other clubs nearer to the trade deadline if the Marlins fall out of the playoff picture and if Rojas continues to hit at or near his current level (.284/.360/.448) while playing his typically strong defense at short.

Rojas is controllable via a club/vesting option for 2022, so the Marlins needn’t move him this summer if they’re so disinclined. He’s clearly a beloved member of the organization for his work on the field and in the clubhouse, so perhaps the Marlins will simply wind up valuing him more than other clubs would. It’s worth noting, however, that general manager Kim Ng wasn’t part of the organization when Rojas was acquired or when he signed his September 2019 extension. There’s a case to be made the Marlins should consider moving the 32-year-old in the coming months if there’s strong demand for his services. That would allow Miami to slide Chisholm to shortstop, where scouting reports have pegged him as a potential above-average defender.

This Day In Transaction History: Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving isn’t usually a barnburner of a day as far as baseball transactions are concerned, but that’s pattern more than rule. Most years something official happens along the lines of Matt Skole signing with the White Sox in 2019 or Jason Lane signing with the Padres in 2014 – but  three years in particular gave us a heaping portion of baseball news befitting turkey day: 2005, 2007, 2009. While we wait to see what happens this year, let’s go back and look at some of the most impactful moves made on Thanksgiving day.

  • Last year was a quiet Thanksgiving day, but there was plenty to talk about. If you recall, we were just one day removed from the four-player Brewers/Padres swap that saw Trent Grisham and Zach Davies land in San Diego. MLBTR readers weighed in on Thanksgiving with more people preferring the Brewers’ side of the deal. The Brew Crew landed promising infielder Luis Urías and potential rotation arm Eric Lauer. A year removed, my guess is the public sentiment may have changed. This one might need more time to gestate, however, before a final determination can be made.
  • On this same date and day in history, the Cleveland Indians signed an amateur free agent that changed the fortunes of their franchise. Jose Ramirez – a 17-year-old amateur free agent out of Dominican Republic – signed on Thursday, November 26, 2009. He would debut in the Majors just four years later as a 20-year-old.
  • On the same day, the Toronto Blue Jays struck in free agency signing shortstop Álex González to a free agent contract. Of course, this isn’t the Alex Gonzalez most Blue Jays fans will remember best. This A-Gon spent just a few months north of the border. He was traded to the Braves on July 14th of the following season as part of a four-player deal that sent Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes to Toronto. Escobar would net 8.6 bWAR across 2 1/2 seasons with the Jays, while Reyes would be claimed off waivers by the Orioles later that season.
  • In 2007, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim invested heavily in a free agent centerfielder who had spent the entirety of his career to that point in the Twin Cities. Torii Hunter signed for $89.5MM over five years to roam the grass in Anaheim. He’d win two Gold Gloves and make two All-Star teams while racking up 20.7 bWAR as an Angel. They got their money’s worth as Hunter would post the best two seasons of his career by bWAR while with the Angels (2009, 2012).
  • The Cincinnati Reds signed Miguel Rojas as an amateur free agent on November 24, 2005. Rojas would stay in the Reds’ minor league system for a full six seasons before being granted free agency and joining the Dodgers in 2012.
  • That same season, the Marlins did some work with two significant trades on Thanksgiving. The first sent Carlos Delgado and cash to the Mets for Grant Psomas, Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit. Delgado spent just one season in Florida, but he did grab a 6th-place MVP finish that year for slashing .301/.399/.582 with 33 bombs.
  • Their other deal helped bring the second title of the century to the Red Sox. The Fish traded Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to Boston for Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia, Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez. Sanchez would have a number of solid years with the Fish, while Hanley Ramirez developed into a cornerstone shortstop and the face of the franchise.

Gold Glove Nominees Announced

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The 2020 Rawlings Glove Glove Award finalists have been released, with the Cubs netting the most nominations with seven. The Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Brewers, Rays, and Red Sox were shut out.

The awards for defensive prowess will be handed out based on defensive metrics alone this year, since managers and coaches weren’t able to see players outside their regional bubble. Moving to a metrics-based system, even for a year, certainly make for interesting television, especially since these awards can make an impact on arbitration cases. Considering the uncertainty of a 60-game season, awards could carry greater weight than usual in those proceedings, thought that’s just speculation. Without further ado, here are this year’s nominees:

AL Pitcher

NL Pitcher

AL Catcher

NL Catcher

AL First Base

NL First Base

AL Second Base

NL Second Base

AL Third Base

NL Third Base

AL Shortstop

NL Shortstop

AL Left Field

NL Left Field

AL Centerfield

NL Centerfield

AL Right Field

NL Right Field

Nicky Lopez of the Royals was originally left off the list, but he is in fact a nominee at second base, one of four nominations at the keystone in the American League. It’s the only position with four nominations.

There are a few other interesting things of note. Perennial candidates like Andrelton Simmons and Matt Chapman did not make the list this year due to shortened seasons, nor did last season’s Outs Above Average leader Victor Robles. Both Gurriel brothers earned nominations this year, with the younger Lourdes (LF) joining perennial candidate Yuli (1B).

There are also a couple of largely part-time players that made the cut, like Hoerner of the Cubs and Mendick for the White Sox. Neither was the everyday second baseman, but they did reach the inning minimum of 265 total defensive innings. They qualified at second because that’s where they played the most innings. Mendick, for example, registered just 226 innings at second, but with 27 innings at third and 15 at shortstop, he ended the year with 268 total defensive innings played.

Catchers required a minimum of 29 games, which is how we got a pair of White Sox catchers making the top-3. Pitchers had to throw a minimum of 50 innings.

The winners will be selected using the SABR Defensive Index and announced on November 3rd, per sabr.org.

Several Marlins Players Cleared To Begin Workouts

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August 16: As of today, all of the 18 Marlins who landed on the COVID-19 injured list have been cleared to resume baseball activities and have reported to the team’s alternate training site in Jupiter, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Surely, that group will collectively need some time to ramp back up to in-game action, but their impact should be felt in the near future. In particular, FNTSY’s Craig Mish suggests that pitcher Sandy Alcantara, throwing a bullpen session today, could be ready to start as early as next weekend. For that to happen, he (and any other players vying to return) would need to travel with the team to Washington on Thursday; if that doesn’t happen, the aforementioned August 28 home series is the likely target date.

August 15: Several of the 18 Marlins players who tested positive for the coronavirus have been cleared to start baseball activities and workouts.  The exact number of clearances isn’t yet known, though the Associated Press described that “most” of the 18 were given the green light.  In terms of specific names, Sportsgrid’s Craig Mish tweets that shortstop Miguel Rojas and right-hander Sandy Alcantara were two of the players cleared.

Needless to say, it’s wonderful news that many of these players are healthy and recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak that halted Miami’s season for a week and put the entire baseball world on notice.  From an on-field perspective, the Marlins will surely benefit from the return of so many key performers, though the Fish have done well (a 9-5 record) even with a severely short-handed roster.

The AP article notes that August 28 might be a realistic target date for any of these cleared players to actually return to the Major League roster, as they will naturally need some time to get back up to speed after missing so much time.  Should the team continue to be in playoff contention, this mass return will add another layer of uncertainty to any potential trade deadline moves the Miami front office could have under consideration.  The return of at least 10 players could be enough of an in-house upgrade that the Marlins might prefer to see what they have internally rather than seek out a trade chip on another team.

Marlins Place 13 Players On Injured List

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The Marlins announced today that they’ve placed 13 players on the injured list. Those going on the IL include right-handers Sandy Alcantara, Jeff Brigham, Robert Dugger, Yimi Garcia, Jordan Holloway, Nick Neidert and Ryne Stanek; left-handers Adam Conley, Caleb Smith and Alex Vesia; infielders Sean Rodriguez and Miguel Rojas; and catcher Chad Wallach.

Miami also made official a previously reported slate of roster moves. Lefty Richard Bleier was acquired from the Orioles in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Right-hander James Hoyt was acquired from the Indians for cash. The club also claimed relievers Justin Shafer and Josh D. Smith from the Reds, claimed reliever Mike Morin from the Brewers and claimed reliever (and former Marlin) Brian Moran from the Blue Jays. Veteran infielder Logan Forsythe signed a one-year, Major League deal.

As for internal moves, the Fish called up right-hander Jorge Guzman, outfielder Monte Harrison and righty Jordan Yamamoto. The club also selected the contracts of left-hander Dan Castano, right-hander Josh A. Smith, right-hander Nick Vincent, catcher Ryan Lavarnway and infielder Eddy Alvarez. Outfielders Matt Joyce and Lewis Brinson were activated from the injured list.

It’s a dizzying sequence of moves brought about by the Covid-19 outbreak that decimated the organization’s Major League roster. Miami ultimately wound up with a reported 18 players and two coaches testing positive, and the outbreak caused scheduling delays with the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays and Nationals in addition to the Marlins. Miami was left with a depleted roster and forced to scramble to simply cobble together a roster and continue its season.

The losses of Alcantara and Smith will remove two of Miami’s top rotation options from the mix for the time being, while Rojas was the team’s starting shortstop. Stanek had been expected to occupy a high-leverage late-inning role, and Conley is one of the team’s most experienced bullpen pieces.

Four Additional Marlins Players Test Positive For COVID-19

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12:21pm: One of the players that has tested positive is shortstop Miguel Rojas, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

9:06am: Four additional Marlins players have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). Specific player identities are not known. That appears to bring the team’s total to 15 infected players.

Given the sheer numbers of absent players, it’s fair to wonder at this point just how the Miami organization is going to fill out an active roster for the foreseeable future. The coronavirus injured list will help, but managing 40-man roster and 60-man player pool regulations while bringing in plausible major leaguers will be quite the challenge.

Quite beyond the logistics, competitive considerations, and technical baseball rules, it’s fair to question whether there’s a morally defensible means by which the Marlins can field a team at this time. Given the lag between infection and identification via testing, it’s impossible to know for sure whether any other members of the active roster (and other members of the organization) have active infections.

Any further baseball activity in the coming days would pose a clear risk of further spread within the organization, including to newly acquired or activated players, as well as to opposing teams and umpires. That’s not just a logistical nightmare for the staging of the 2020 season, it’s a potential health calamity for any number of people associated with the game.

This is a developing story …

Marlins Extend Miguel Rojas

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Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas will be reaching free agency a bit later than initially projected, as the organization formally announced a two-year contract extension for the 30-year-old defensive standout Friday. Rojas, a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, will reportedly be guaranteed $10.25MM in total. The contract also comes with a vesting option that’d take the deal north of $15MM, if triggered.

Miguel Rojas | Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The new contract buys out Rojas’ final season of arbitration, guarantees one free-agent season and gives Miami an option for what would be the second free-agent season for Rojas, who’ll turn 31 in February. Rojas earned a $3.155MM salary in 2019 and would’ve been eligible for arbitration for the final time this winter — although his relatively timid offensive profile would’ve prevented him from cashing in on a substantial raise.

The timing of the contract talks are a bit unusual, but the Miami organization is no stranger to September extensions. The Marlins previously worked out a three-year, $40MM extension for Martin Prado as well as a much smaller one-year extension with Greg Dobbs in the final month of a season (not that either deal panned out particularly well for them). Beyond that, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweeted this week that Rojas has “made it clear” to the Marlins that he wants to stay in Miami. The two sides apparently preferred to skip the potentially contentious arbitration process and proactively work out a multi-year arrangement.

Rojas has quietly become a versatile and fairly valuable player in South Florida, logging time at all four infield positions over the past few seasons while proving to be a difficult strikeout at the plate. He’s currently hitting .288/338/.388 with five homers, 27 doubles, a triple and eight steals in 2019, and he’s put together a serviceable (albeit still below average) .274/.327/.368 slash through 1316 plate appearances dating back to 2017. In that time, he’s punched out in only 12 percent of his plate appearances.

Though he’s spent the bulk of his time at shortstop over the past two seasons, Rojas grades out as an above-average defender all over the diamond. He’s generated elite numbers at the shortstop position, where he’s been credited with +26 Defensive Runs Saved and a +14 Ultimate Zone Rating dating back to 2017, which has helped to offset his lack of power and limited on-base skills.

Looking ahead, Rojas now appears poised to serve as the Marlins’ primary shortstop in both 2020 and 2021 — depending on the timeline of prospect Jazz Chisholm. For now, Rojas will likely be joined on the left side of the diamond by continually improving Brian Anderson, with well-regarded prospect Isan Diaz the favorite at second base. Garrett Cooper will likely round out the 2020 infield, although trades and free-agent acquisitions can certainly impact that composition. Rojas had previously been a somewhat under-the-radar trade asset, but a multi-year deal quite likely takes him off the market — at least in the short term.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman first reported the deal (Twitter links). Barry Jackson and Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald added some financial context, and Heyman tweeted final details.

Marlins Select Contract Of Deven Marrero

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The Marlins announced today that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Deven Marrero. He’ll take the roster spot of fellow infielder Miguel Rojas, who is heading to the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain.

Marrero, 29, is a former first-round pick who has yet to show he has the stick to hang in the big leagues. The shortstop owns a .197/.250/.283 slash line through 343 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.

There has been a notable change for Marrero this year at Triple-A, where he has cracked 14 long balls in 380 plate appearances after never previously finishing a season with even a double-digit tally. Of course, that’s the sort of thing we’ve seen from quite a few other players in the homer-friendly International League, so it’s hard to put too much stock in this particular development.

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