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Dodgers’ Scott Alexander, Tyler White Won’t Return This Year

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A pair of injured Dodgers have been ruled out to return this season, manager Dave Roberts told reporters including Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, who reports that neither Tyler White nor Scott Alexander will suit up for the Dodgers in September.

White landed on the injured list more than two weeks ago owing to a right trapezius strain. The 28-year-old joined the Dodgers in a late-July trade when the Astros could no longer justify holding onto him and his .612 OPS. Unfortunately, his performance was even worse in the brief showing he got as a Dodger. By Fangraphs’ WAR, White has been one of the least valuable hitters in baseball this year, though he won’t have a chance to reverse his fortune over the last month of the season.

Alexander, meanwhile, has tallied only 17 1/3 innings pitched this year thanks to injuries and his deployment largely as a lefty-specialist. He excelled in that role last season—his first with the Dodgers—though his performance has taken a hit in 2019. He’s managed to strike out just 4.9 batters per nine innings, which is made that much worse when compared to the 3.6 walks he concedes per nine innings. He has been on the injured list since mid-June while dealing with forearm inflammation. He’s already spent 60 days on the shelf, so he is eligible to be activated, though evidently he isn’t ready to return to game action.

Neither White nor Alexander seemed likely to crack the Dodgers postseason roster, and either could be a candidate to be designated for assignment. Alexander will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason, while White remains in his pre-arb years. Even with years of team control, neither has made an especially strong case to remain on the team beyond this season, though it wouldn’t be costly to keep the duo around in hopes that they can return to form. Alexander, in particular, has a strong track record as a groundball-inducing lefty, though the Dodgers’ need in that department has been filled by Adam Kolarek.

Pitcher Notes: Scherzer, Bundy, Turnbull, Garrett, Alexander

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With summer storms peppering much of the country today, we’ve got our own torrent of pitcher-related news to sort through. Out of D.C., we hear from MLB.com’s Jamal Collier that Nationals ace Max Scherzer threw 15 pitches off of a mound this afternoon (Twitter link). The superlative hurler has been dealing with inflammation in the bursa sac under his right shoulder blade and hasn’t appeared in a game since a seven-inning win against the Royals on July 6th. That Scherzer is throwing again–and could possibly throw another bullpen on Monday–is a sign that he apparently took well to a recent cortisone shot in his ailing back. Given the notoriously fickle nature of back injuries, the Nats are likely to be over the moon at this positive step in Scherzer’s recovery.

The latest on a few other waylaid hurlers…

  • The Orioles’ Dylan Bundy will apparently come off the injured list as soon as he is eligible, with MLB.com’s Joe Trezza reporting that the righty will start Tuesday in Arizona (link). Bundy, who has never really delivered on the promise that was conferred upon him when he was selected 4th overall in the 2011 draft, has a 5.28 ERA and 5.32 FIP in 92 innings this year. He has been on the shelf since July 13th with right knee tendinitis.
  • Chris McCosky of the Detroit News has reported on separate channels that Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull has suffered a back injury that will usher him to the IL. Apparently, Turnbull, who has put together a quietly effective 2019 campaign, experienced a strain during a workout Friday–a strain that persisted in a post-workout game of catch (Twitter link). In a subsequent piece, McCosky cogently points out that this injury could actually serve as a convenient means of limiting Turnbull’s innings–the 26-year-old was expected to pitch around 140 frames this year and had already logged 98.2 entering the weekend (link).
  • Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds will welcome back two bullpen stalwarts with the activation of Amir Garrett and Raisel Iglesias from the injured list and paternity list, respectively (Twitter link). Garrett has been sidelined since July 4th with a left lat strain–an injury he presumably incurred from striking out most of the league this season en route to a 13.14 K/9 rate across 37 innings. To accommodate these moves, the Reds optioned righties Jimmy Herget and, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reported, Matt Bowman (link).
  • In concerning news, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has relayed to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com that veteran reliever Scott Alexander has been shut down for foreseeable future with a “nerve and thumb problem” (link). Alexander has been solid in 17-plus innings for Los Angeles this year, but injuries have been a prominent theme. Originally sidelined in June with a forearm ailment, issues with Alexander’s thumb have subsequently followed, and this latest language regarding his nerve is certainly ominous from a medical perspective. The lefty has posted a 3.63 ERA on the season.

Injury Notes: Hendricks, Dodgers, Nats, Tribe, German

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Injured Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks played catch in the outfield Friday, though the righty “could miss another couple of turns” through the team’s rotation, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “We’re happy that the initial shutdown has been good, but we’re not ready to talk through a plan yet, or a progression,” general manager Jed Hoyer said of Hendricks, who has been out since June 15 with a right shoulder impingement. The Cubs started Tyler Chatwood in Hendricks’ place Thursday, but the next opportunity may go to prospect Adbert Alzolay, per Greenberg. Alzolay, 24, followed Chatwood in Thursday’s game and enjoyed a triumphant debut in a win over the Mets.

  • Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and center fielder A.J. Pollock could start rehab stints during next month’s All-Star break, manager Dave Roberts said Friday (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Meanwhile, reliever Scott Alexander still hasn’t returned to throwing since left forearm inflammation forced him to the injured list June 8. Seager went to the IL on June 13 with a left hamstring strain, which should cost him four to six weeks. Pollock underwent early May surgery on his troublesome right elbow. The expectation then was that he’d be back in July.
  • Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman began a rehab assignment Friday at the Double-A level, Jamal Collier of MLB.com tweets. Zimmerman has been out since April 28 with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, the latest in a long line of injuries for the 34-year-old. While Zimmerman posted a couple resurgent offensive seasons from 2017-18, he came out of the gates slowly this year before hitting the IL. Zimmerman’s a .213/.302/.373 batter thus far in 86 plate appearances. Matt Adams, Howie Kendrick and Gerardo Parra have been the Nationals’ most common first base choices in Zimmerman’s absence. Kendrick has been brilliant at the plate, while Adams and Parra have only put together replacement-level numbers.
  • A few reinforcements are trying to work back for the Indians, as Mandy Bell of MLB.com details. Ace Corey Kluber, shelved since May 1 with a fractured right forearm, has an upcoming eight-week checkup that will determine whether he’ll be able to start throwing. Fellow righty Danny Salazar just threw a second two-inning simulated game, but he’s “waiting to advance to a real game in Arizona before he gets a rehab assignment,” Bell explains. Shoulder issues have kept Salazar out of action since 2017. Unlike Kluber and Salazar, reliever Dan Otero’s not making progress. Already out almost three weeks with right shoulder inflammation, Otero is now dealing with a setback of unknown severity.
  • Yankees righty Domingo German could rejoin their rotation before the All-Star break, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). German has been out since June 9 with a left hip flexor strain. The 26-year-old struggled over a handful of starts leading up to his IL placement, though he still carries a respectable 3.86 ERA/4.05 FIP in 70 innings on the season.

Dodgers, Red Sox Set World Series Rosters

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With the World Series set to kick off tonight, both teams have announced changes to their 25-man rosters.

For the Dodgers, left-handed reliever Scott Alexander replaces Caleb Ferguson, the team announced. Alexander will be LA’s third left-handed option out of the pen, along with 22-year-old Julio Urias and regular season starter Alex Wood. The Dodgers have shuffled between Urias, Ferguson and Alexander as the third left-hander in the pen this postseason, with each player making the roster for two of the three playoff rounds. 

Of the three, the 21-year-old Ferguson is the least seasoned, whereas Alexander profiles most-closely to a left-handed specialist – though none have drastic platoon splits. Still, it’s likely Alexander spent the weekend going over the scouting reports of Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers, Mitch Moreland and Jackie Bradley Jr. 

For the Red Sox, they’ve also made a change to their bullpen. The team announced the addition of lefty Drew Pomeranz over right-handed options Brandon Workman or Steven Wright. It’s a bit of a surprising move given Pomeranz hasn’t pitched since September 30th. Conversely, Wright is recovering from left knee issues, while Workman was shelled in his three October appearances. Workman appeared twice in the ALDS and and once in the ALCS, pitching one third of an inning each time, surrendering a total five earned runs and seven hits in his one total inning of work.

You have to figure the Red Sox believe Pomeranz is closer to his 2017 self (137 ERA+) than his 2018 self (72 ERA+). One glimmer of hope in Pomeranz’s disastrous 2018 campaign: all 12 HRs surrendered this season were vs. right-handed hitters. For his career, lefties have hit .224/.305/.313 against Pomeranz, whereas righties have hit .247/.330/.420. Should Chris Sale or David Price fail to go deep into games, Boston will have the option of deploying Pomeranz as a long-man, or as a lefty specialist to counter Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and/or NLCS MVP Cody Bellinger. 

NL West Notes: Giants, Alexander, Dodgers, Jay, D-backs

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Giants general manager Bobby Evans joined Jim Bowden and Mike Ferrin on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM today (Twitter link, with audio). Evans sidestepped some questions about potential interest in Bryce Harper as a free agent — “Our focus right now is on getting him out … we’ll certainly be aggressive and appropriate with our interest.” — but he did more broadly discuss the organization’s perennial “win-now” philosophy. At a time when more and more teams are pursuing aggressive tear-downs, Evans stated that it’d be a “big adjustment” to ever even consider embarking on a rebuild.

“We want to compete to win every year,” Evans says of his Giants. “That’s our goal. That’s our plan. You get bumps in the road — problems, challenges at times — but I think it’s challenging no matter which route you take. I think when you have such a strong core, with [Brandon] Crawford, [Brandon] Belt, [Buster] Posey, [Johnny] Cueto, [Madison] Bumgarner — it makes it a lot easier to choose to compete. … Building a [minor league] system has never been our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to have success at the big league level, which a strong system helps with, but it doesn’t solve.”

More from the division…

  • The Dodgers recently adopted the Rays’ strategy of using an “opener” — that is, starting a reliever for a few outs before based on matchups — and in an interesting interview, bullpen coach Mark Prior chatted with Fangraphs’ Travis Sawchik to discuss how that came about. Left-handed reliever Scott Alexander had taken note of Sergio Romo’s run in that role with Tampa Bay and approached Prior to simply express that he’d be open to it if ever needed. Prior took it to the coaching staff and, not long after, the Dodgers felt circumstances dictated experimenting with the notion. “He’s a ground-ball pitcher, and we’re in Colorado,” said Prior. “…It just so happened that we needed someone that day, and given Colorado’s lineup with the lefties at the top, it made sense to get him through the fourth or fifth hitter and then go to someone else.”
  • Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen spoke with reporters following his team’s surprisingly early acquisition of Jon Jay to explain some of the thinking that went into the move (links via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com). “With the way the division is shaping up, where every day matters more and more, we just felt like this was the right thing to do at the time,” said Hazen, who is currently without both A.J. Pollock and Steven Souza. Hazen explained that the D-backs pursued Jay this offseason as well and praised his strong start to the year as well as his outfield versatility. The GM acknowledged that the move had some logjam potential down the line but declined to delve into any specifics as to how that’d be addressed. It’s a purely hypothetical scenario right now anyhow, as neither Souza nor Pollock appears to be on the verge of returning.

Dodgers Recall Alex Verdugo, Option Scott Alexander

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The Dodgers have recalled outfielder Alex Verdugo from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned left-handed reliever Scott Alexander to OKC, per a team announcement. This may only be a short-term move by LA, which is dealing with an injury to Yasiel Puig and needed another outfielder for the second half of its doubleheader Saturday in San Francisco.

The 21-year-old Verdugo will play right field and bat second Saturday night for the Dodgers, who took a 15-6 decision over the Giants earlier in the day. Puig departed that game with a potential foot issue and will undergo X-rays, opening up room for Verdugo to come off the Dodgers’ taxi squad.

This isn’t the first major league action for Verdugo, a second-round pick in 2014 who debuted in the league last year and struggled over a small sample size of 25 plate appearances (174/.240/.304). He was far better during his initial taste of Triple-A action, hitting .314/.389/.436 (118 wRC+) in 495 PAs to further bolster his status as a high-end farmhand. The lefty-swinger ranks as MLB.com’s second-best Dodgers prospect, trailing starter Walker Buehler (who was on the hill for his first career win in Game 1 on Saturday), and the outlet’s 32nd overall prospect in the sport.

While Verdugo hasn’t dominated of the gates in 2018, evidenced by a .276/.309/.474 (98 wRC+) line in 81 PAs, he could still emerge as a long-term piece for the Dodgers soon. Of course, if Puig avoids a long absence, Verdugo may quickly head back to the minors. Both Puig and center fielder Chris Taylor have performed poorly this year, though each player likely has a long leash, and the Dodgers have benefited from the unexpected excellence of much-maligned corner outfielder Matt Kemp thus far.

Alexander has been anything but excellent, meanwhile, despite being one of the Dodgers’ top offseason acquisitions in a fairly low-key winter for the team. He joined the reigning NL pennant winners in a three-team trade after serving as an important member of the Royals’ bullpen last year. Alexander recorded a staggering 73.8 percent groundball rate en route to a 2.48 ERA over 69 innings, though both figures have trended in the wrong direction in 2018. In his first action with the Dodgers, the 28-year-old has posted a 6.35 ERA and a 57.1 percent grounder rate in 11 1/3 frames, to go with more walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven).

Dodgers Acquire Scott Alexander In 3-Team Swap With Royals, White Sox

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Three teams have announced a swap that will send lefty Scott Alexander from the Royals to the Dodgers. Infielder Jake Peter will also end up in Los Angeles, by way of the White Sox.

Meanwhile, Kansas City will pick up righty Trevor Oaks and infielder Erick Mejia in the deal. The White Sox will end up with veteran relievers Joakim Soria and Luis Avilan, the former from the Royals and the latter from the Dodgers.  Kansas City is sending $1MM to the White Sox, the Kansas City Star’s Rustin Dodd tweets. Chicago will also receive $2MM from the Dodgers, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter).

For the Dodgers, the move is all about bolstering a relief unit that lost Grant Dayton to injury (and a subsequent waiver claim) and midseason acquisition Tony Watson to free agency. While Tony Cingrani remains on hand, Los Angeles was obviously interested in adding another southpaw to the pen.

[RELATED: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

Feb 20, 2017; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Scott Alexander (54) poses for a photo during spring training photo day at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

Alexander, 28, has accrued just over one year of MLB service, so he’s not even slated to reach arbitration eligibility until 2020. While he’s hardly a household name, he did turn in 69 innings of 2.48 ERA ball in 2017, his first full season at the game’s highest level.

While he recorded just 7.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 on the year, Alexander generated an eye-popping 73.8% groundball rate (and an above-average 12.8% swinging-strike rate, too). Despite relying almost exclusively on his power sinker — he utilized a breaking ball less than ten percent of the time — Alexander generated excellent results against hitters on both sides of the plate. In fact, he spent most of his time dominating righties, who strode to the plate against him 202 times and managed only a .240/.313/.317 batting line.

The move also delivers a young, upper-level infielder to the Dodgers system. The 25-year-old Peter split time at the two highest levels of the minors over the past two years. He thrived in particular upon earning his way back to Triple-A in 2017, slashing .292/.351/.506 over 194 plate appearances.

For the Royals, meanwhile, this is mostly about shedding salary obligations. The club will move all of Soria’s $9MM salary for 2018, while covering the $1MM buyout on a 2019 mutual option. While doing so will entail parting with a quality, affordable young reliever, the team will at least pick up some prospect assets as well.

[RELATED: Updated Royals Depth Chart]

Oaks is the highest-rated young asset in the deal; he could even compete for a rotation spot in camp. Last year, he worked to a 3.64 ERA in 84 Triple-A frames, carrying 7.7 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 along with a 50.8% groundball rate. (Typically, the sinkerballer has induced even more worm burners than that.) Oaks will head onto the K.C. 40-man roster; he had been added by the Dodgers in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

The switch-hitting Mejia, 23, slashed a useful .289/.357/.413 in his 403 Double-A plate appearances in 2017. He also contributed seven home runs and 25 stolen bases on the year while spending time at short, second, and third. Mejia originally signed with the Mariners organization out of his native Dominican Republic; he landed with the Dodgers by way of a 2016 trade that sent righty Joe Wieland to Seattle.

The involvement of the White Sox is geared mostly toward securing some veteran relief pieces at reasonable prices. Avilan projects to earn $2.3MM in his second-to-last season of arbitration eligibility, but most of that will be covered by the Dodgers. (Of course, that characterization depends upon perspective; L.A. essentially passed through Soria’s contract in the deal, so part of the money could be considered as allocated to his 2018 guarantee.)

[RELATED: Updated White Sox Depth Chart]

Having dealt and acquired a whole host of relievers in 2017, the White Sox will now secure two experienced hurlers to bolster an unproven unit and perhaps also provide the organization with some new trade chips. The right-handed Soria rang up 10.3 K/9 and allowed only a single home run in his 56 innings in 2017, ending the year with a 3.70 ERA. He could now be the favorite to step into the White Sox’ closer role. As for Avilan, a 28-year-old southpaw, he managed a 2.93 ERA in his 46 frames while carrying 10.2 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, and a 53.8% groundball rate.

Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reported (Twitter links) that Alexander was going to the Dodgers and Soria to the White Sox. Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (in a tweet) had other components of the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Royals Likely Headed For Rebuild

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After a half-decade at or near the top of the AL Central, two appearances in the World Series and one championship, the Royals now look to be going in the opposite direction. As Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas all hit the free-agent market, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes (subscription required/recommended) that the Royals “expect to step back for perhaps three seasons” and embark on a rebuilding effort. Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star also penned an excellent column on the Royals’ trajectory over the weekend, reporting that Kansas City appears headed for a “substantial rebuild across the next two or three seasons.”

Royals GM Dayton Moore suggests to Dodd that the Royals have to at least be open-minded to virtually any trade scenario: “If somebody blows your doors off on something, you always have to look at it.” 

That, according to Rosenthal, could even include controllable pieces like Whit Merrifield, who broke out with a .288/.324/.460 slash and an AL-leading 34 stolen bases last season. Rosenthal also notes that Kansas City would listen to offers on left-handed reliever Scott Alexander, who notched a 2.48 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a ridiculous 73.8 percent ground-ball rate in 69 innings last year. Both players are controlled through the 2022 season and are still two years removed from arbitration eligibility.

Beyond that pairing, the Royals have a few more obvious trade candidates. Kelvin Herrera and Joakim Soria are both quality right-handed relievers that are just one year from free agency, though neither is signed at a bargain rate. Herrera projects to earn $8.3MM in arbitration, while Soria is still owed $10MM through the end of his contract. Jason Hammel didn’t have a strong first season in Kansas City but ate up 180 innings with quality K/BB numbers and a 4.37 FIP. He’s still owed $11MM through 2o18. Left-hander Danny Duffy, signed for another four years and $60MM, would represent one of the top starting pitching options on the trade market if the Royals field offers on him.

[Related: Kansas City Royals Offseason Outlook]

Interestingly, both Dodd and Rosenthal report that even as the Royals embark on a rebuild, they’re still in pursuit of a long-term deal with Hosmer. Per Dodd, team officials “see rebuilding scenarios that include” Hosmer in the fold. He’s still just 28 years of age, so Hosmer could indeed still be in his prime even at the conclusion of a two- or three-year rebuilding cycle, but it nonetheless seems counter-intuitive to sign him to what would almost certainly be a franchise-record contract while also dealing away big league talent.

Furthermore, re-signing Hosmer would effectively cost the Royals a top pick, as they currently project to receive three compensatory selections after the first round of next year’s draft due to the losses of Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain (assuming each signs for at least a $50MM guarantee, which seems likely). Those picks would not only give the Royals five picks in the top 40 or so selections of the draft — Kansas City also has a pick in Competitive Balance Round A — they’d also significantly bolster the Royals’ league-allotted draft bonus pool. Each of those comp picks for the loss of Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain would add about $2MM (give or take $100K) to the Royals’ draft pool, based on last year’s slot values.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Hosmer even has interest in returning to a Royals team that could spend the first two or three years of that contract losing more than it wins. If Hosmer’s market fails to develop, it certainly stands to reason that a return to the only organization he’s ever known could be a nice safety net. But, it’ll likely be difficult to sell Hosmer on staying in Kansas City while simultaneously trading away his longtime teammates for younger, unproven commodities.

If the Royals do deal away big league talent without acquiring much in the way of reinforcements for the 2018 roster, they’ll join the White Sox and Tigers as rebuilding clubs in the same division. That would seemingly give the Indians and Twins all the more motivation to act aggressively as they seek to bolster their clubs this winter, as few teams ever have the luxury of competing in a division where three of their four primary rivals are largely punting on the season at hand.

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