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Tim Locastro

Yankees Place Tim Locastro On Injured List

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The Yankees announced a few roster moves prior to today’s doubleheader. Outfielder Tim Locastro is going on the injured list with a left latissimus dorsi (back) strain. Right-handed pitcher Ron Marinaccio has been recalled to take his place on the active roster. Outfielder Estevan Florial will be the team’s 27th man for today’s twin bill.

The outfield mix in the Bronx is a bit crowded, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo usually sharing the three spots on the grass as well as the designated hitter slot. As such, the speedy Locastro has been mostly coming off the bench for pinch running and defensive replacement duties. As such, he’s played 15 games this year but only made 15 plate appearances. He’s made the best of that time, hitting .231/.333/.462 for a wRC+ of 139, as well as swiping four bags.

Locastro was acquired from the Diamondbacks last year but then injured his ACL after just nine games with the Bombers. In the offseason, he was non-tendered but then re-signed after the lockout. Although the club hasn’t provided a timeline for his recovery, this injury will mark another frustrating step in his Yankees tenure.

Yankees Sign Tim Locastro

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The Yankees have announced that they signed Tim Locastro to a major league deal. The official terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s unlikely that Locastro will make much more than the veteran minimum. The Yankees 40-man roster is now full.

The Yankees acquired Locastro from the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor leaguer Keegan Curtis on July 1 of last season. The deal marked the fourth time in his career that Locastro had been traded. In fact, the Yankees themselves had traded Locastro to the Diamondbacks prior to the 2019 season. Locastro had been in the Yankees’ organization for just a couple of months during that offseason, never having appeared actively on the diamond for the Yankees.

This time around, the speedster injured his right ACL on July 17th, undergoing season-ending surgery just four days later. In the little more than two weeks that Locastro wore pinstripes, Locastro slashed .190/.217/.429 over 23 plate appearances. As has been the pattern for Locastro, he was mostly viewed as a speed option off the bench. Coming off a knee injury, there must at least be some concern that Locastro will lose a step.

Defensively, Locastro can play anywhere in the outfield. He’s not going to take a lot of playing time from Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, and Aaron Hicks, but if he makes the roster, he could be the body that the Yankees use to keep those other three fresh. As a 29-year-old with a career 82 wRC+, there may not be tremendous upside to his game, but he’s not without skills. Locastro’s speed is unique, but he’s also very capable of putting the ball in play (19.1 percent career strikeout rate), which should help him put that speed to use. Power, on the other hand, has not traditionally been a part of Locastro’s game (.097 ISO). The Yankees may view Locastro as a complementary skillset to the power-first approach of the outfield starters.

American League Non-Tenders: 11/30/21

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The deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players has come and gone. The Tigers’ decision to non-tender Matthew Boyd — more on that here — represents the most prominent name cast into free agency tonight, but here’s a quick rundown of the rest of the non-tenders in the American League.

Note that MLBTR’s Anthony Franco also has a rundown of this year’s National League non-tenders, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz published his annual projected arbitration salaries earlier this offseason.

Onto the transactions…

  • Outfielder Tim Locastro was non-tendered by the Red Sox, the team announced. The speedy HBP-magnet was claimed off waivers from the Yankees earlier this month after an injury-marred season. He is likely to be an in-demand depth option for teams if his ACL tear recovery goes well.
  • The Rangers announced that outfielder Billy McKinney and catchers David Garcia and Yohel Pozo were non-tendered. Texas also assigned outfielder DJ Peters outright to Triple-A Salt Lake after he went unclaimed on waivers.
  • The Royals non-tendered lefty Richard Lovelady, per a club announcement. Lovelady underwent Tommy John surgery late in the 2021 season and is expected to be sidelined for the entirety of the 2022 season.
  • The Twins non-tendered right-hander Juan Minaya, left-hander Danny Coulombe and right-hander Trevor Megill, per a team announcement. Megill’s non-tender is particularly curious, as he was only just claimed off waivers a few hours ago and was not arbitration-eligible. Presumably, the team will try to quickly re-sign him to a minor league pact and bring him to Spring Training as a depth piece.
  • Infielder Phil Gosselin has been non-tendered by the Angels, per an announcement from the team. The journeyman saw a career-high 373 plate appearances in 2021, but is unlikely to challenge that number next year owing to below average offensive and defensive metrics.

Red Sox Claim Tim Locastro From Yankees

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The Red Sox have claimed outfielder Tim Locastro off waivers from the Yankees, both teams announced. Locastro is eligible for arbitration this winter, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him to receive a $700K salary if tendered a contract.

Locastro’s stint in New York proved brief. Acquired from the Diamondbacks last July, he unfortunately suffered an ACL tear in his ninth game in pinstripes. That ended his season and ultimately proved to conclude his tenure in the Bronx.

An ACL injury is particularly worrisome for Locastro, since his skillset is based around blazing speed. The 29-year-old is among the game’s fastest players, and he perennially rates as one of the better baserunners around. In 209 major league games, Locastro has swiped 31 bags on 34 attempts, a stellar 91.2% success rate. That athleticism also allows him to cover all three outfield positions.

Locastro doesn’t bring a ton of upside in the batter’s box, though. In 503 plate appearances over parts of five seasons, the right-handed hitter owns a .231/.333/.329 line with just five home runs. Locastro has very little power and rarely walks, but he’s shown a huge propensity for being hit by pitches. That willingness to absorb some body blows has enabled him to reach base at a decent clip in spite of a subpar batting average.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the move.

Yankees Reinstate Gio Urshela, Place Chris Gittens On 10-Day Injured List

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The Yankees have activated Gio Urshela from the COVID-related injured list. Chris Gittens will replace him on the 10-day injured list after stepping on a bat and turning his ankle, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). Tim Locastro was also transferred to the 60-day injured list, per the team.

Gittens, 27, made his Major League debut this season with a .111/.250/.194 triple slash line in 44 plate appearances. The right-handed hitter absolutely mashed in Triple-A, however, hitting an undeniable .359/.519/.718 in 104 plate appearances.

Urshela will be back at third base for the Yanks. The 29-year-old is again producing for the Yankees, posting 1.5 rWAR with a .275/.315/.441 line and 11 home runs over 314 plate appearances.

Yankees Place Tim Locastro On Injured List, Select Ryan LaMarre

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The Yankees announced they’ve placed outfielder Tim Locastro on the 10-day injured list and selected the contract of fellow outfielder Ryan LaMarre.

The Locastro move isn’t a surprise, as he unfortunately tore his ACL last night, just a few weeks after coming over to the Bronx in a trade with the Diamondbacks. It was hoped that Locastro could shore up an outfield that had already been beset by injuries to Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier. Sadly for both Locastro and the team, that will not be the case, as the injury will keep him out for the remainder of the season.

As for LaMarre, this is yet another swing in an up-and-down year with the club. His contract was selected back in May, though he wound up on the IL a few days later with a hamstring strain. In three games at the big league level, he couldn’t muster a hit in eight plate appearances.

After recuperating from the injury, he was then outrighted off the roster in June. At Triple-A this year, he has slashed a healthy .310/.403/.483, good enough for a wRC+ of 140. He will provide some depth behind an already-weakened outfield, competing for playing time with Brett Gardner, Greg Allen, Trey Amburgey, Tyler Wade and Hoy Jun Park.

A corresponding move will not be needed to create room on the 40-man for LaMarre because players on the COVID IL do not take up a roster spot. The Yankees’ recent outbreak of the virus led to six players being placed on the COVID IL, creating ample roster space.

Yankees’ Tim Locastro Suffers Torn ACL

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Tim Locastro’s season is over after the Yankees outfielder suffered a torn ACL in tonight’s 3-1 win over the Red Sox.  Yankees manager Aaron Boone informed reporters of Locastro’s injury following the game.  In the first inning, Locastro made a running catch into the left field wall in foul ground to snag an Alex Verdugo fly ball, though he came up limping after the play was done.  Locastro stayed in the game for the inning’s final two outs, but was replaced in left field at the start of the second frame.

It’s an awful turn of events for Locastro, who was playing in just his ninth game with the Yankees (a home state team for the Syracuse native) since being dealt from the Diamondbacks on July 1.  The Yankees acquired Locastro to provide some outfield depth in the wake of injuries to Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier, but with Locastro now also heading to the injured list, the team will be further shorthanded.  New York is already missing several players due to both injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak, so another dip into the farm system will be required in the short term, and some reinforcements are even more necessary as the trade deadline approaches.

In the bigger picture, an ACL tear is particularly damaging for a player who relies on elite speed as his signature weapon.  Locastro hasn’t hit much over 503 career PA (in five Major League seasons with the Dodgers, D’Backs, and Yankees), but he earned a spot in the MLB record books earlier this season by becoming the first player in history to go a perfect 29-for-29 on the first 29 stolen base attempts of his career.  The streak finally ended when Locastro was caught stealing in a game against the Nationals on April 17, and in fact Locastro has been caught stealing in three of eight attempts this season.

Diamondbacks Trade Tim Locastro To Yankees

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The Yankees and Diamondbacks announced an agreement on a trade sending outfielder Tim Locastro from Arizona to New York in exchange for minor league right-hander Keegan Curtis.

Tim Locastro | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Locastro, 28, is one of the fastest players in the Majors and gives the Yankees a potential outfield option, though he’s in the midst of a rough year at the plate. After slashing .290/.395/.464 in 82 plate appearances with the D-backs in 2020, Locastro is hitting just .178/.271/.220 in 133 trips to the plate so far in 2021.

Overall, the fleet-footed Locastro a career .234/.339/.324 hitter who has gone 31-for-34 in stolen base attempts. Locastro strikes out at a below-average clip but doesn’t walk as much as one might expect; rather, the source of his OBP is a penchant for getting plunked (as explored at length and in entertaining fashion in one of the many indispensable videos at Foolish Baseball). For a player with Locastro’s speed, getting to first base by any means necessary is particularly valuable, as he’s always a threat to swipe a base.

It’s not the impact move most Yankees fans would hope to see with the their first move of deadline season, but Locastro gives the club a strong glove and some needed depth. Aaron Hicks has already been lost for the season, and fellow outfielder Clint Frazier is now undergoing testing after exiting last night’s game due to dizziness. Locastro can still be optioned for the remainder of the 2021 season and is controllable through the 2024 campaign via arbitration.

For the D-backs, Locastro figures to be the first of several players traded between now and July 30. They’ve been MLB’s worst club by a wide margin and are generally expected to be willing to listen on veteran players as they look to restock the farm system.

The 25-year-old Curtis, while not regarded as one of the Yankees’ top prospects, does give the Snakes an interesting arm to add to the upper levels of their system. Since being selected in the 22nd round of the 2018 draft, Curtis has tallied 65 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and pitched to a 3.29 ERA across three levels in the Yankees’ minor league ranks. He’s currently at the Double-A level, where he’s posted a 3.94 ERA while punching out 27 of the 69 batters he’s faced (39.1 percent) against seven walks (10.1 percent).

Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported the terms of the agreement.

Health Notes: Ohtani, Mondesi, Graterol, Mikolas, D-backs,

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Right-hander Shohei Ohtani was supposed to take the mound for the Angels in their game against the Rays on Monday, but the team scratched him in favor of lefty Jose Quintana because of elbow soreness. Ohtani swas hit by pitch on Sunday, and manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) that he’s now “too sore to throw.” However, there’s still a chance he’ll start sometime during this four-game set versus Tampa Bay. Even if that doesn’t happen, Ohtani feels well enough to hit, so the DH will continue making an offensive impact. Ohtani has only made three starts and pitched 13 2/3 innings this season, but he has overcome control problems (13 walks) to log a 3.29 ERA with 23 strikeouts and a 62.5 percent groundball percentage. He has complemented his pitching performance with a power-packed .270/.318/.620 line, eight homers and six stolen bases over 107 plate appearances as a hitter.

  • Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi will start doing pregame work with the team this week and could begin a rehab assignment next week, per general manager Dayton Moore (via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). The Royals have gone all season without Mondesi, the reigning stolen base champion who strained his right oblique during the spring. Despite Mondesi’s absence, the Royals entered Monday with a surprising 16-10 record – the best mark in the majors. Nicky Lopez has filled in capably for Mondesi during KC’s fast start.
  • Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol will undergo an MRI on his ailing right forearm Tuesday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The team placed Graterol on the IL last Thursday with forearm tightness – a rather ominous-sounding injury for someone who underwent Tommy John surgery in the past – and the 22-year-old hasn’t resumed throwing since then, according to Castillo. The Dodgers lost another of their promising young hurlers, righty starter Dustin May, to the dreaded TJ diagnosis on Monday.
  • Cardinals righty Miles Mikolas will make a rehab start with Triple-A Memphis this week, and he’ll “likely” go four innings, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat writes. Mikolas hasn’t pitched in the majors this year because of shoulder problems, after he sat out all of last season on account of flexor tendon surgery. His most recent MLB outing occurred Oct. 11, 2019.
  • The Diamondbacks have reinstated first baseman Christian Walker and outfielder Tim Locastro from the IL, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. The club optioned outfielder Nick Heath and infielder Andrew Young in corresponding moves. The Diamondbacks have been without Walker since April 12 because of a right oblique strain, while Locastro suffered a dislocated finger April 17. Walker had a rough go early on with a .179/.250/.282 line and one homer in 44 trips to the plate. Locastro, meantime, took 58 PA last month and batted .269/.345/.327 with an HR and three steals.

Diamondbacks Release Anthony Swarzak

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TODAY: The Diamondbacks announced that Swarzak has been released.

APRIL 18: The Diamondbacks announced this morning they’ve designated reliever Anthony Swarzak for assignment. Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas has been recalled from the alternate training site, while outfielder Tim Locastro was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Selected to the D-Backs’ roster a week and a half ago, Swarzak went on to log 4.2 relief innings across six appearances for Arizona. The veteran righty allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out four and issued a walk. That marked his first MLB action since 2019, when he pitched to a 4.56 ERA/4.65 SIERA over 53.1 frames.

He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Bukauskas, a former first-round pick now slated to make his major league debut. The 24-year-old was drafted fifteenth overall by the Astros in 2017 coming out of the University of North Carolina. He wound up dealt to Arizona as part of the four-player return for Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline. Baseball America placed Bukauskas 26th in the Arizona system entering the year, lauding his three-pitch mix but noting that he’s often plagued by below-average control.

Locastro dislocated his finger attempting to steal a base yesterday and was known to be headed to the injured list. The recently-acquired Nick Heath is getting the nod in center this afternoon against Nationals righty Paolo Espino.

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