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Trevor Richards

Rays Place Yonny Chirinos On Injured List

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The Rays have placed starter Yonny Chirinos on the injured list, retroactive to Aug. 3, with right triceps inflammation, Juan Toribio of MLB.com tweets. The team recalled fellow righty Trevor Richards from its alternate training site to take Chirinos’ place.

Fortunately, expectations are that Chirinos will not be on the IL for long, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. While Charlie Morton, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow overshadow him in the Rays’ rotation, Chirinos has been an effective swingman for the club since he debuted in 2018. The 26-year-old has logged a 3.61 ERA/4.09 FIP with 7.61 K/9 and 2.21 BB/9 during his 231 2/3-inning career. He totaled 8 2/3 frames of one-earned run ball in two starts this season before landing on the IL.

Chirinos had been scheduled to start Saturday versus the Yankees, but it’s now unclear who will take the ball for the Rays then. Richards may be a candidate, though, as he combined for 48 starts as a Marlin and Ray from 2018-19. Although Richards was a passable starter in those seasons, he began this year in rough fashion. After Richards allowed six earned runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings in two appearances, the Rays optioned him earlier this week.

Rays Activate Austin Meadows

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The Rays can look forward to a significant lineup boost. The team has activated outfielder Austin Meadows from the COVID-19 injured list, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

Meadows has yet to make his season debut. He had already been cleared to rejoin the team but needed a few weeks to ramp up to regular-season readiness.

To create an active roster spot, the club optioned righty Trevor Richards. He was a nice pickup for the Tampa Bay organization last year but had been knocked around early in 2020.

Meadows will now get back to work trying to build off of his enormously impressive showing in his first full MLB campaign. He launched 33 home runs, swiped a dozen bags, and posted a 142 wRC+ over 591 plate appearances last season.

Rays Option Seven Players To Triple-A

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The Rays cut seven players from their 26-man roster today, as per a team announcement (Twitter link).  Outfielder Randy Arozarena, right-hander Trevor Richards, left-hander Anthony Banda, infielders Nate Lowe and Mike Brosseau, first baseman/outfielder Brian O’Grady and two-way player Brendan McKay are were all optioned to Triple-A.

Given how the Rays so often shuttle players from Triple-A and the big leagues, it’s safe to assume all seven of these names will wind up seeing action for the club this season, should the season get underway.  Tampa Bay is perhaps better equipped than most teams to handle the challenges posed by a potential shortened schedule and an effort to fit as many games as possible into an abbreviated period of time, as the Rays’ strong farm system gives them a lot of extra depth, and many of their players (especially pitchers) are already used to frequent trips up and down the ladder.

Since Lowe, Ji-Man Choi, and the newly-acquired Yoshitomo Tsutsugo are all left-handed hitters, it made sense that the younger Lowe would be the odd man out of the first base/DH mix.  The same is true for O’Grady, acquired in a trade with the Reds back in November.

Arozarena is also a newcomer to Tampa Bay, having been acquired as part of the multi-player trade with the Cardinals in January that brought Jose Martinez to the Rays.  Martinez is the right-handed complement to Choi and Tsutsugo (though the Rays have been experimenting with Tsutsugo as a part-time third baseman and outfielder), while Arozarena will provide outfield depth at Triple-A.  Arozarena’s chances of making the Opening Day roster were lessened when the Rays picked up Manuel Margot from the Padres, though Arozarena’s ability to play all three outfield positions will very likely make him the first call-up should an injury or need arise in the Rays’ outfield.

The delayed start to the season should give Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow time to get fully healthy, which meant McKay and Richards were suddenly expendable.  Since the Rays still plan to occasionally spell their starters by using openers, Richards will probably get action either in a traditional starting role or as a bulk pitcher behind an opener — he served in both capacities after being acquired by the Marlins at last year’s trade deadline.  In fact, it could be easy to see a scenario where Richards and “Two Way McKay” are combined together in a piggyback outing, with the intriguing McKay (one of the game’s top prospects) also serving as an X-factor at the plate.

Rays Expected To Call Up Trevor Richards

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The Rays are expected to call up pitcher Trevor Richards to start Sunday’s game against the Tigers, according to a tweet from Juan Toribio of MLB.com (link). Peter Fairbanks was optioned to Triple-A Durham in an accommodating move.

This will be Richards’ first appearance in a Rays uni since being acquired by the club in a deadline deal. A Marlins product who started 45 games for Miami since his debut in 2018, Richards was sent to Tampa along with reliever Nick Anderson in exchange for righty Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesus Sanchez on July 31st. While Anderson has already appeared in six games for a 72-52 Rays club, Richards has been plying his craft in Triple-A, where he has mostly been working in short spurts (5.1 innings through three minor league appearances).

Perhaps most noted for his past employment as a public school substitute teacher, Richards has been mostly passable as a major league starter thus far in his career–even if free passes have been problematic for the 26-year-old righty. In 238.1 big league innings, Richards has posited a 4.46 ERA and 4.37 FIP. His 10.2% career walk rate sits notably above the 8.3% MLB average.

Rays Acquire Nick Anderson, Trevor Richards From Marlins

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The Rays have acquired right-handers Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards from the Marlins for righty Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesus Sanchez, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio reports.

Tampa Bay’s landing a notable bullpen piece in Anderson, a 29-year-old rookie who has logged a 3.92 ERA/2.72 FIP with 14.22 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 43 2/3 innings this season. The hard-throwing Anderson’s on a minimal salary right now and won’t be eligible for arbitration until the conclusion of the 2021 campaign, which surely adds to his appeal from the low-budget Rays’ standpoint.

Likewise, Richards isn’t slated to reach arbitration until after 2021. The 26-year-old recently lost his place in the Marlins’ rotation, though he was a passable member of their starting group from 2018-19. He posted a 4.46 ERA/4.38 FIP with 8.8 K/9 and 3.97 BB/9 in 238 1/3 innings during that span. Richards could now factor into the Rays’ rotation, which lacks traditional starters after Charlie Morton and Yonny Chirinos, or their bullpen.

Stanek, 28, had been one of the faces of the Rays’ revolutionary “opener” idea prior to this trade. He “started” in 56 of 100 appearances for the club dating back to last season, though Stanek’s outings were fairly short. He was extremely effective in that role, though, having registered a 3.17 ERA/3.64 FIP with 10.48 K/9 and 3.47 BB/9 in 122 innings going back to last year. In Stanek, the Marlins are getting a hurler who’s not eligible for arbitration until after 2020.

Sanchez, 21, ranked as MLB.com’s fourth-best Rays prospect before the trade. The outlet regards him as “at least an above-average defender with a strong arm” and “a potential middle-of-the-order run producer.” However, Sanchez has fallen flat since earning a promotion to Triple-A Durham earlier this season. He carries a .206/.282/.317 line with one homer in 71 plate appearances at the minors’ top level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Marlins’ Trevor Richards

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Marlins right-hander Trevor Richards has surfaced as a trade candidate in advance of next week’s deadline, but he’s now changing roles. Richards will shift to the Marlins’ bullpen, and fellow righty Elieser Hernandez will take his spot in the Marlins’ rotation, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com relays. That could make Richards more expendable to the Fish, as Frisaro writes that he’s “the primary candidate to be dealt” among their starting options.

Richards’ most recent start, a loss to the White Sox this past Monday, didn’t go well. Although he notched seven strikeouts against one walk, the 26-year-old yielded seven earned runs on seven hits (two home runs) over five innings. Richards has now gone seven straight starts of fewer than six innings, which reflects the difficulty he has encountered against opposing lineups the more they’ve seen him.

While Richards has held enemy teams to a .310 weighted on-base average the first time through the order and a .279 wOBA the second trip, they’ve smashed him for a .416 mark during the third go-around. Based on that, perhaps Richards is better suited for a bullpen job, though as someone who only averages 91 mph on his fastball, he doesn’t look like an intimidating late-game presence in the making.

Despite his recent struggles as a starter, Richards has largely been a usable back-end arm since he made his major league debut a year ago. He entered Friday with 109 innings of 4.62 ERA/4.78 FIP pitching, 8.26 K/9, 4.05 BB/9 and a 35.4 percent groundball rate this season.

Frankly, there’s little to nothing worth getting excited about over “a usable back-end arm.” But the fact that Richards is making the league minimum this season and still has two years of pre-arbitration control left could appeal to a team looking to fill out the end of its starting staff or its bullpen on the cheap. Should Richards stay in Miami past the deadline, it’s “likely” he’ll work as a reliever for the foreseeable future, Frisaro suggests. He threw a scoreless, two-strikeout inning out of the Marlins’ bullpen in a win over the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Marlins’ Trevor Richards, Sergio Romo Generating Interest

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Marlins right-handers Trevor Richards and Sergio Romo are drawing interest in advance of the trade deadline, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.

Neither player looks like a substantial difference-maker, but there is appeal in both cases. The 26-year-old Richards’ main selling point is likely his affordable control. He’s on a minimum salary now, won’t be eligible for arbitration until after 2021, and isn’t on track to reach free agency until the conclusion of the 2024 season. The battle-tested Romo, 36, could give a contender a credible late-game option down the stretch, and he presumably wouldn’t cost much to acquire.

An undrafted free agent in 2013, Richards has emerged as a back-end starter for the Marlins since he debuted in the majors last season. Dating back to then, Richards has pitched to a 4.51 ERA/4.39 FIP with 8.8 K/9 and 3.94 BB/9 in 235 1/3 innings and 45 starts. While the Marlins are open to trading starters if doing so would help improve their position player group, they may be hard-pressed to get a desirable, major league-ready hitter back for Richards – who has been useful but far from spectacular.

Romo, previously with the Giants, Dodgers and Rays, inked a $2.5MM guarantee with the Marlins in free agency last winter. At the time, non-contending Miami was likely hoping Romo would wind up bringing something back in an in-season trade. With a 3.68 ERA/3.96 FIP, 7.85 K/9 against 3.19 BB/9 and 16 saves on 17 chances in 36 2/3 innings, perhaps the three-time world champion has performed well enough to end the season with a playoff-caliber team.

As has been the case over the past few years, Romo has limited damaging contact despite velocity that only tops out in the 85 to 86 mph range. Romo ranks in the league’s 86th percentile or better in exit velocity, expected weighted on-base average against (.273, not far from a .280 actual wOBA), expected batting average against and hard-hit rate, per Statcast. His primary pitch – a slider – has held opposing hitters to a matching and minuscule .211 xwOBA and wOBA. It’s the second-best slider in the game among relievers, according to FanGraphs’ linear weights. Judging by teams’ interest in Romo, his go-to pitch just might factor into this year’s playoff race.

NL East Notes: Phillies’ Outfield, Mets’ Bullpen, Solis, Lopez

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Offseason additions of Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen have left the Phillies with an overcrowded outfield mix that will likely lead to some roster shuffling. As The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro examines at length (subscription required), the Phils now have five outfielders — Odubel Herrera, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr and Dylan Cozens — all on the 40-man roster beyond their two big-name pickups. Both Herrera and Quinn are currently nursing minor injuries, but they’re also the two most logical options for center field. Williams, meanwhile, isn’t viewed as an option in center, per manager Gabe Kapler, which severely clouds his future with the team. Williams does have minor league options remaining, but he could also hold appeal as a trade asset marketed to other clubs in search of outfield help. (The same could be true of Herrera, but he’s owed $24.5MM through 2021 and had a down season in 2018.) Of the Phillies’ current outfielders, both Altherr and Quinn are out of minor league options, which only enhances the likelihood of some roster moves in the next couple of weeks.

Elsewhere in the division…

  • Because of the numerous off-days baked into the early-season schedule, the Mets are likelier to open the season with seven relievers than they are with eight, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo are locks to hold down five of those spots, and Puma adds that non-roster lefties Luis Avilan and Hector Santiago are strong candidates to claim the other two slots. Both veterans signed minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, and both have thrown quite well to open camp. That’d give manager Mickey Callaway three lefties to utilize out of the ’pen early in the season, although it wouldn’t leave the team with too much in the way of roster flexibility. With so many veteran relievers on board, the only three pitchers of that bunch who could technically be optioned to the minors would be Lugo, Gsellman and Diaz — none of whom would figure to be sent down to the minors at any point. If the Mets do eventually shift to carrying eight relievers, they’d be able to use that final ’pen slot to shuffle some fresh arms back and forth between the Majors and Triple-A Syracuse.
  • Left-hander Sammy Solis was caught “completely off guard” by the Nationals’ decision to release him, the pitcher tells Richard Justice of MLB.com. Solid seemingly took the abrupt and unexpected news in good stride, thanking the organization and expressing some disappointment over having to say goodbye to longtime teammates. As manager Dave Martinez explains, the move was made with an eye toward giving Solis a chance to find another organization before the season begins. “For me, it was more about giving Sammy an opportunity to latch on with another team and get a chance to have that Spring Training elsewhere,” said Martinez. The Nats also shed $713K in salary with the move, which surely played a factor as well. The 30-year-old Solid has had a pair of unsightly seasons over the past two years, including a 2017 campaign that was shortened by elbow troubles. He maintains that he’s healthy now, though, and one would imagine that a lefty who averaged nearly 94 mph on his fastball to go along with a 12.9 percent swinging-strike rate in 2018 will garner interest — even if only on a minor league contract.
  • Right-hander Pablo Lopez is making a strong case to open the season in the Marlins’ rotation, but manager Don Mattingly said this weekend that no decisions have been made as to who’ll round out the rotation behind Jose Urena and Dan Straily, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Lopez tossed four perfect innings and picked up four punchouts in his most recent outing against a Nationals lineup featuring many regulars. He’s now allowed just one run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in nine spring frames. Wei-Yin Chen’s contract — he’s owed $42MM over the next two seasons — makes him a likely candidate to get a long look, while other rotation hopefuls include Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Richards and southpaw Caleb Smith.

Marlins Activate Martin Prado, Option Trevor Richards

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The Marlins have activated third bagger Martin Prado from the DL, per a club announcement. To make way for the veteran, the club optioned intriguing young righty Trevor Richards.

Prado had been hoping to be ready for the Opening Day roster after undergoing season-ending knee surgery in 2017. But he suffered a setback in camp and evidently also had to battle through a hamstring strain. Issues in both of those areas limited him to just 37 games last year.

Hopefully the leg troubles are in the past for Prado, who had played in at least 128 games annually since establishing himself as a regular in 2009. He also had been a steadily above-average offensive producer over his career until the 2017 campaign, when he limped to a .250/.279/.357 slash in 147 plate appearances.

If Prado can reestablish himself over the next several months, he could turn back into a potential trade piece for the rebuilding Marlins. He’s owed a hefty $13.5MM this year and $15MM in 2019 under the extension he signed late in the 2016 season, though, so in all likelihood any deal would mostly convey some cost savings.

The third-base role that Prado left open had been filled well by Brian Anderson early in 2018. The 24-year-old, one of Miami’s most highly regarded prospects, has posted an impressive .385 on-base percentage through his first 104 plate appearances. Of course, he’s also sporting a decidedly less-promising .349 slugging percentage, though he has demonstrated more power than that in the minors (22 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last season).

Rather than dropping Anderson back to Triple-A, the plan is to use him elsewhere, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald writes. The Marlins are preparing Anderson to see time in the outfield and at first base so that they can keep him in the lineup. He’ll also spell Prado at the hot corner.

Richards, meanwhile, will head back to New Orleans — where he has actually never played. The indy ball find did burn through every other affiliate he was placed at over the past two seasons, compiling a 2.52 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 200 1/3 cumulative minor-league frames (including 146 innings last year at the High-A and Double-A levels)

It’s unremarkable, on the one hand, to see a young starter with a 4.94 ERA and 9.1 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9 headed out on optional assignment. But Richards is fresh off of a ten-strikeout gem in which he got the better of the legendary Clayton Kershaw. For a Marlins club that isn’t exactly overloaded with quality MLB pitching — see their depth chart here — it’s a somewhat debatable decision, particularly with Dillon Peters still evidently holding a rotation spot. It’s worth noting that the move will allow the Marlins to keep Richards from achieving a full year of MLB service, if they hold him down long enough.

Marlins Designate Severino Gonzalez For Assignment

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The Marlins announced that they’ve designated right-hander Severino Gonzalez for assignment to clear a spot on the roster for right-handed pitching prospect Trevor Richards, who will make his MLB debut and start tonight’s game against the Red Sox.

Gonzalez’s stint with the Marlins will last just one day. Miami selected his contract yesterday to provide some pitching depth, but Gonzalez didn’t get into the game and now won’t have the opportunity to do so in the near future. The Marlins will have seven days to trade Gonzalez or place him on outright waivers. Because Gonzalez has already been outrighted once in his career, he’d have the right to elect free agency if he does pass through waivers unclaimed.

The former Phillies prospect has an unsightly 6.68 ERA in 66 big league innings — albeit with a considerably more impressive 62-to-14 K/BB ratio. Gonzalez hasn’t posted especially impressive ERA marks in the minors, but he’s long displayed very strong control numbers as he’s ascended through the minor league ranks.

Both MLB.com and Baseball America ranked the 24-year-old Richards as Miami’s No. 22 prospect. In 146 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A last season, Richards worked to a pristine 2.53 ERA with 9.7 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 with a ground-ball rate well north of 50 percent. Both scouting reports on Richards peg him as a consistent strike-thrower who’ll pound the zone without overpowering stuff, and each suggests that he could settle in either as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a long reliever.

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