Quick Hits: Ohtani, Cron, Dodgers, Blach
Shohei Ohtani was originally scheduled to start today’s game against the Yankees, but the two-way star won’t be pitching due to some soreness in his right hand/wrist area. Ohtani was hit by a Ryan Weathers pitch on Saturday and didn’t sustain any structural damage, though the Angels are being cautious with the right-hander. “He’s fine, he’s just sore,” Angels manager Joe Maddon told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and other reporters. “Pitching is problematic, so we’ll just have him hit until he’s ready to pitch.”
Ohtani didn’t leave the lineup after being hit on Saturday, and his batting doesn’t appear to be much affected by his hand/wrist issue. He belted his Major League-leading 42nd home run in last night’s 8-7 win over New York, further strengthening Ohtani’s increasingly airtight bid to be the American League’s MVP. Ohtani is now hitting .264/.362/.626 over 516 plate appearances, augmenting his huge hitting numbers with 20 stolen bases and his excellent numbers on the mound (3.00 ERA, 29.9% strikeout rate over 105 innings). While his injury doesn’t seem overly serious, it isn’t yet known when Ohtani might pitch again.
More from around baseball…
- The Dodgers made C.J. Cron a contract offer last winter, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). The exact nature of the offer isn’t known, but Cron instead opted to take a minors deal with the Rockies that ended up paying him $1MM in guaranteed money once he was selected to the active roster. As noted by Nightengale, it was a “bet on himself” type of move from Cron that has worked out well, as the first baseman has hit .275/.379/.537 with 24 homers over 428 PA. This type of playing time would likely not have been available in Los Angeles, as Cron was able to fill Colorado’s need for an everyday first baseman. Cron will look to convert his big season into a nice free agent contract this winter and possibly some security after playing with five different teams over the last five seasons. Since the Rockies didn’t trade Cron at the deadline, one would imagine the club has some hopes of re-signing the veteran slugger.
- After undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2020, left-hander Ty Blach has returned to toss 13 innings in the lower levels of the Orioles farm system. It may be unlikely that Blach gets a call to the majors before the season is over, though the southpaw tells MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski that he is “just excited to be here and face some competition” as he continues his recovery process. “Really thankful for the Orioles to give me this opportunity to rehab, get me into some games this year, knowing that I wasn’t going to throw many meaningful innings this season,” Blach said. “But just to help me get out there, that’s meant a lot. Been nice to be back in a team environment, and I feel really good.” Baltimore initially claimed Blach off waivers from the Giants in August 2019 and then released the lefty last August, before Blach rejoined the club on a minor league deal during the offseason.
Orioles Release Ty Blach
The Orioles announced this morning that they have released left-hander Ty Blach. He underwent Tommy John surgery last month. Blach wasn’t on the team’s 40-man roster but had been in their 60-man player pool, which dropped to a total of 59 players with his release.
Blach, 29, struggled in 20 2/3 frames with the Orioles in 2019 after being claimed off waivers out of the Giants organization. Between those two clubs, he was tagged for 36 runs on 46 hits and 17 walks with 20 strikeouts in 27 innings of work.
While that was a season Blach would surely like to forget, his prior work in San Francisco was solid. From 2016-18, Blach logged 299 1/3 innings with a 4.36 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 4.8 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 50.1 percent ground-ball rate. The lack of strikeouts is obviously glaring, but Blach generally avoided too much hard contact on his sinker, which helped him to limit the damage.
Orioles’ Richie Martin, Ty Blach To Undergo Surgery
Orioles shortstop Richie Martin and left-hander Ty Blach will both undergo surgery on Wednesday, manager Brandon Hyde announced to reporters Monday (Twitter links via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). Martin will undergo wrist surgery after sustaining a fracture over the weekend, while Blach will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a ligament tear in his elbow. Martin is expected to be sidelined for two to three months, which all but eliminates him as an option for the team in 2020. Blach will likely be out until late next season at least, as recovery from Tommy John surgery typically takes between 12 and 14 months.
Martin, 25, was the top pick in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, and the Orioles carried the former Athletics first-rounder all season despite his struggles against MLB pitching. Martin saw action in 120 games but only logged 309 plate appearances, turning in an underwhelming .208/.260/.322 batting line against big league opponents. Martin had never played a game at the Triple-A level when Baltimore selected him, but he’d posted an encouraging .300/.368/.439 slash in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting in 2018.
The O’s had surely hoped to get him some time in Triple-A now that they could send him there after getting through his Rule 5 season, but the prolonged shutdown and cancellation of the 2020 minor league season made that impossible. Now, Martin won’t even get reps in at the MLB level or in alternate camp during this summer’s shortened season.
As for Blach, the former Giants southpaw had been hoping to crack the roster as a rotation or long relief candidate, but he may not ever throw another pitch as an Oriole now. Blach struggled in 20 2/3 frames with the O’s in 2019 and was removed from the roster, but Baltimore liked him enough to bring him back on a minor league pact. That deal will run out at season’s end, and Blach will search for a new club either next summer or in the 2021-22 offseason, depending on his recovery process.
Blach, 29, was a solid piece for the Giants from 2016-18, racking up 299 1/3 innings with a 4.36 ERA over the course of 85 appearances (39 of them starts). Blach doesn’t throw particularly hard (90.1 mph average fastball) or miss many bats (career 4.9 K/9), but he’s found success in the past due to strong control (2.7 BB/9 prior to ’19) and his ability to keep the ball on the ground (50.1 percent).
Orioles Richie Martin Breaks Bone In Wrist
Orioles infielder Richie Martin has a broken bone in his right wrist, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including Roch Kubatko of MASN) this morning. It seems he suffered the injury diving into a base during an intrasquad game yesterday. There’s no timetable for Martin’s return, but Dan Connolly of the Athletic tweets that the team expects him to be “out for a while.” He’ll begin the season on the injured list, confirms Joe Trezza of MLB.com (Twitter link).
The first pick in the 2018 Rule V draft, Martin stuck with the Orioles throughout the 2019 season. As with many Rule V selections, he looked overmatched at the plate, hitting just .208/.260/.322 (50 wRC+) in 309 plate appearances. Nevertheless, the Baltimore organization was sufficiently intrigued to carry him on the active roster all season and retain his rights long-term. The club did sign José Iglesias this offseason to solidify shortstop, but Martin looked to have a good chance to break camp with the club as a utility infielder, particularly in the absence of a minor-league season. Dilson Herrera, Andrew Velazquez, Pat Valaika and Stevie Wilkerson are among the other utility options on the O’s player pool.
Hyde also provided updates on a handful of other injured players in camp. Left-hander Ty Blach has some soreness in his elbow and will go for an ominous-sounding “second opinion,” Hyde says (via Kubatko). The former Giant is in camp as a non-roster invitee. Meanwhile, right-handed reliever Dillon Tate has elbow soreness of his own, but he remains day-to-day.
Hyde also acknowledged yesterday (via Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball) the club may be without outfielders Anthony Santander and Dwight Smith, Jr. in the season’s early going. For undisclosed reasons, neither has yet participated in team workouts. Naturally, that will lead to some speculation about COVID-19 protocolos, but it’s possible one or both is dealing with some other issue. Their questionable availability helps to explain the O’s reported interest in free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig, although there’s certainly room on the rather thin roster for Puig even if Santander and Smith return to the field quickly.
Orioles Outright Ty Blach To Triple-A
The Orioles announced that Ty Blach has been outrighted to Triple-A, after the left-hander cleared waivers. Blach was designated for assignment on Monday, clearing roster space for the O’s to claim Eric Hanhold away from the Mets.
Blach was himself a waiver claim for the Orioles back in August, though after coming from the Giants, Blach didn’t add much help to Baltimore’s rotation. He posted an 11.32 ERA over five starts in an O’s uniform, surrendering six home runs over his 20 2/3 innings of work. Between those struggles and a similarly rough performance in his brief time on the Giants’ big league roster in 2019, Blach has a cumulative 12.00 ERA over 27 total innings.
It marked a big step down for a pitcher who looked like a serviceable swingman in 2018, after he delivered a 4.25 ERA over 118 2/3 frames for San Francisco while starting 13 games and coming out of the bullpen on 34 other occasions. Blach has never been a particularly hard thrower or a big strikeout pitcher (only a 4.91 career K/9), and while he had done a decent job of keeping the ball in the park in prior seasons, home runs became a larger issue for Blach both at the MLB and Triple-A levels in 2019. He was far from the only pitcher to suffer through such a homer spike this season, though Blach’s pitch-to-contact arsenal made him particularly susceptible to the long ball.
Orioles Claim Eric Hanhold, Designate Ty Blach
The Orioles have claimed righty Eric Hanhold from the Mets. He takes the roster spot of southpaw Ty Blach, who was designated for assignment.
Hanhold was designated for assignment recently. The Mets have carried the 25-year-old on the 40-man roster all season long, but obviously didn’t feel he was ready to help late this season.
To this point, Hanhold has only received three MLB appearances, all coming in 2018. He owns a 96 mph fastball and has punched out 11.3 batters per nine in forty Double-A innings, but owns a 5.32 ERA with a pedestrian combination of 7.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in his 67 2/3 lifetime Triple-A innings.
The O’s will see if they can unlock some value from Hanhold’s strong arm. They’ll bump Blach from the roster to make way. The 28-year-old southpaw was bludgeoned for 26 earned runs in five starts in Baltimore. He also struggled quite a bit during his time this year at Triple-A, allowing 6.54 earned per nine over 96 1/3 frames.
Orioles Select Mason Williams, Designate Jace Peterson
The Orioles announced today that they have selected the contract of outfielder Mason Williams. To create roster space, infielder Jace Peterson was designated for assignment.
Williams was expected to come onto the active roster for the month of September, but needed to be added to the 40-man. A host of other players that already held 40-man spots are also heading for the big-league dugout: lefty Ty Blach, catcher Austin Wynns, and righties David Hess, Evan Phillips, and Chandler Shepherd.
Once a well-regarded Yankees prospect, the 28-year-old Williams got his first extended chance at the majors last year with the Reds. He produced at close to the league-average rate offensively but was outrighted at season’s end. Williams has spent the entire season to this point with the Orioles’ top affiliate, slashing .308/.371/.477 with 18 home runs in 494 plate appearances.
As for Peterson, he has struggled since the O’s summoned him to help fill out the position-player mix. The six-year MLB veteran carries a .220/.269/.330 batting line in 108 trips to the plate on the season.
Orioles Claim Ty Blach, Designate Jose Rondon
The Orioles have claimed left-hander Ty Blach, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports. Blach was designated for assignment by San Francisco a week ago. INF Jose Rondon was designated for assignment to make room.
Blach, 28, was a reasonably productive swingman for the 2016-18 versions of the club, with numbers slightly inflated (per fWAR and other metrics that rely heavily on park factors) by the enormous dimensions of SF’s Oracle Park. The lefty, who’s posted the league’s lowest strikeout total since his debut in late 2016, threw up a solid 3.84 FIP in 47 appearances (13 starts) for the Giants last season, a performance that ostensibly wasn’t enough to curry favor with the new regime. He’s spent much of the this season trying to survive in the PCL, where his 5.93 ERA/5.26 FIP are actually respectable totals in the harrowing offensive climate that dots the league’s landscape.
It’s possible the soft-tosser steps right into an embattled Baltimore rotation, which treats cast-offs, fringe prospects, and former stalwarts all the same. Blach’s career 50% grounder rate should play well in the miniaturized dimensions of Camden Yards, though he won’t be afforded the same heavy-air cushion he was at Oracle. Still, it’s as good of opportunity as could be hoped for 28-year-old, who’d likely have returned to Triple-A in most organizations around the league.
Rondon, 25, was a promising utility prospect in the Padres system from 2014-17, but hit the skids in the high minors and couldn’t steady himself after transitioning to the AL with the White Sox. Rondon did post a solid 102 wRC+ in limited action for the Pale Hose last season, but his .197/.265/.282 ’19 line wasn’t enough to keep him in the organization. He appeared in just a single game for the Orioles; the club’ll obviously hope he clears waivers and can be outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk.
Giants Designate Ty Blach For Assignment
Per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, the Giants have designated lefty Ty Blach for assignment to make room on the 40-man for prospect Logan Webb‘s return from the Restricted List.
Blach, 28, was a reasonably productive swingman for the 2016-18 versions of the club, with numbers slightly inflated (per fWAR and other metrics that rely heavily on park factors) by the enormous dimensions of SF’s Oracle Park. The lefty, who’s posted the league’s lowest strikeout total since his debut in late 2016, threw up a solid 3.84 FIP in 47 appearances (13 starts) for the Giants last season, a performance that ostensibly wasn’t enough to curry favor with the new regime.
He’s spent much of the this season trying to survive in the PCL, where his 5.93 ERA/5.26 FIP are actually respectable totals in the harrowing offensive climate that dots the league’s landscape.
Giants Select Stephen Vogt, Option Ty Blach
5:08pm: The move is official. Vogt will take the 40-man spot that was opened earlier today when pitching prospect Logan Webb was placed on the restricted list due to an 80-game PED suspension. In order to open a spot on the active roster, San Francisco has optioned left-hander Ty Blach to Triple-A Sacramento.
10:15am: The Giants will select the contract of veteran backstop Stephen Vogt today, he tells Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Corresponding roster moves aren’t yet known.
Vogt, 34, will return to the majors for the first time since the 2017 campaign. He ultimately missed the entirety of the 2018 season with a shoulder injury that required shoulder surgery and at one point looked to be career threatening.
Through 1,808 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level, Vogt owns a .251/.310/.416 slash line. At his peak with the Athletics, he was among the game’s best-hitting catchers for a brief stretch and was named to a pair of American League All-Star teams.
Vogt has shown signs that he’s ready to be a contributor in the majors once again. He’s off to a strong .241/.389/.500 slash with four home runs through 72 plate appearances with the Giants’ top affiliate. Better still, he has drawn 14 walks against 11 strikeouts. The Giants already have a pair of catchers on the roster in Buster Posey and Erik Kratz, so it’s not clear how Vogt will factor into the catching mix just yet, but he’ll at the very least give the Giants an additional veteran bat off the bench.