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Rumblings: Fowler, Jays, Cards, Astros, Rangers, Nathan, Salty

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The Blue Jays and free agent outfielder Dexter Fowler are “apart” in talks, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who adds that the Cardinals remain a “strong possibility” to land the soon-to-be former Cub (Twitter link). The Giants were also in the running for the 30-year-old as of last week, though it’s unclear if that’s still the case. Fowler is reportedly seeking $18MM per annum on a multiyear deal.

More from around the majors:

  • The Astros have been ultra-aggressive in upgrading their roster this offseason, yet team president Reid Ryan indicated Sunday that they’re still missing a major piece. “What we lack is that starter who you pencil in at the top of the rotation that is an automatic W,” Ryan told MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Houston does have 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel atop its rotation, though his production took steps backward during a shoulder injury-shortened 2016. Notably, the Astros are in the mix for White Sox ace Chris Sale and the Rays’ starters, including Chris Archer.
  • The Rangers have two star-caliber players entering contract years in ace Yu Darvish and catcher Jonathan Lucroy, but the team is unlikely to discuss extensions with either during the winter meetings, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). For now, the reigning AL West champions’ focus is on making outside acquisitions. The Rangers could certainly turn their attention to new deals for Darvish and Lucroy later in the offseason.
  • Even though Joe Nathan turned 42 last month, the free agent reliever plans to continue his career and is drawing interest from clubs, tweets Heyman. Nathan, who’s eighth on the all-time saves list (377), returned from 2015 Tommy John surgery to throw a combined 6 1/3 scoreless innings with the Cubs and Giants last season.
  • The market for free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is “moving,” a source told SB Nation’s Chris Castillo, who reports that three teams are chasing the 31-year-old (Twitter link). The switch-hitter batted just .171/.284/.346 in 292 plate appearances with the Tigers in 2016, and both Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner assigned him negative defensive grades.

Injury Notes: Kershaw, Strasburg, Colome, Floyd, Morneau, Rangers

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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is heading back to Los Angeles to meet with a specialist (Dr. Robert Watkins) about his ailing back, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick writes. Kershaw experienced some soreness in his back following Sunday’s loss, and manager Dave Roberts told the media that Kershaw’s lower back has been somewhat of an issue for the past few weeks. Roberts said the team is still optimistic that Kershaw will make his upcoming start on Friday, though that can’t be certain until he undergoes further examination. Kershaw is in the midst of arguably his best season ever, having recorded a 1.79 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 0.7 BB/9 and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate through an MLB-best 121 innings thus far.

A few more injury items from around the league…

  • An MRI of Stephen Strasburg’s back revealed “nothing serious,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link). While the Nats have yet to receive an official diagnosis on the injury, Baker said the initial results have made the organization feel better about the injury that landed Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list this weekend. There’s no word on exactly how long Strasburg will be out, but the lack of a serious injury suggests that it could be a fairly brief stay on the DL.
  • The Rays have placed closer Alex Colome on the 15-day disabled list with what has been diagnosed as medial right biceps tendinitis, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. That’s the second closer on the disabled list for Tampa Bay, though Colome’s absence from team looks like it will be considerably shorter than that of fellow closer Brad Boxberger. Topkin writes that Colome’s DL stint is retroactive to June 19, and the right-hander is hoping to return to action as soon as he is eligible on Monday of next week.
  • Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports that the Blue Jays will be without right-hander Gavin Floyd for a prolonged period of time, as Floyd has been diagnosed with a tear in his right lat muscle (Twitter link). Floyd hasn’t been dominant for the Jays this season, but he’s turned in 31 innings of 4.06 ERA ball and averaged 8.7 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 with a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate out of the Toronto bullpen. The extent of the tear and the projected length of his absence are not yet known.
  • Justin Morneau feels that he can be ready to join the White Sox after about 30 at-bats on a minor league rehab assignment, he tells Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago (Twitter link). Levine estimates that Morneau will be ready to join the big league roster around July 15. Morneau tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Mike Berardino (Twitter link) that he’s hoping to begin a rehab assignment next week and be in uniform with the Sox soon after the All-Star break. Chicago signed Morneau to a one-year contract earlier this month.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News provides updates on several injured Rangers. Per Grant, Yu Darvish will face hitters in a simulated game tomorrow, as will right-hander Keone Kela, who has missed the majority of the season after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow earlier this year. Beyond that, Grant adds that Derek Holland isn’t traveling with the team on this road trip and isn’t likely to pitch before the All-Star break. Kela is a bit over two months into his projected three-month recovery timeline, and his eventual return could be a boon for a Rangers bullpen that has seen its share of struggles in 2016.

AL Notes: Bregman, Red Sox, Darvish, Cash

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Astros prospect Alex Bregman, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 Draft, will be promoted from Double-A to Triple-A following this week’s Texas League All-Star Game, reports MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (links to Twitter). Bregman played shortstop at LSU and has played 114 of his 125 career games at short, but he’s seen some work at third base recently (11 games) and is often mentioned as a speculative fit to help the ’Stros at the hot corner. The 22-year-old slashed an outstanding .297/.415/.559 with 14 homers, 16 doubles and a pair of triples in his quick run through Double-A, and it’s certainly reasonable to think he could make an impact on the Major League club in the near future. Houston third baseman have batted a paltry .219/.304/.389 this season.

A few more notes from the American League…

  • Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal draws parallels between the Rangers’ trade for Cole Hamels last July and the Red Sox’ need for a starter this season. Like the Rangers last summer, the Red Sox have four or five prospects that are regarded among the very best in the game — Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers and Anderson Espinoza are widely considered to be within the game’s Top 35 prospects or so — meaning the Sox could part with one or even two in an effort to land an impact arm that is controllable beyond 2016. MacPherson lists Julio Teheran and Sonny Gray as potential fits in that regard, and I’d add that the Braves, in particular, provide a comparable opportunity to the Hamels swap; Atlanta is also open to moving Arodys Vizcaino, who could be packaged with Teheran as Jake Diekman was with Hamels last season. Rangers fans will want to take a look at MacPherson’s piece as well, as he spoke with Rangers GM Jon Daniels about last summer’s trade and has a number of quotes from Daniels on his thinking at the time.
  • Speaking of the Rangers, they’re hoping to have Yu Darvish back in their rotation prior to the All-Star break, as MLB.com’s Ryan Posner writes. Darvish tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday — his first time throwing off a mound since landing back on the disabled list earlier this month — and he’s slated to throw a simulated game on Wednesday of this week. A quick return for Darvish would certainly be a breath of fresh air for the Rangers, who saw sixty percent of their rotation hit the DL within a span of 10 days, as Derek Holland and Colby Lewis followed Darvish to the disabled list in short order.
  • The Rays have now lost 11 straight games, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the slump should not and will not cost manager Kevin Cash his job. Injuries have played a significant role in the Rays’ June swoon, as Kevin Kiermaier, Steven Souza, Brandon Guyer, Mikie Mahtook and Brad Boxberger all suffered injuries. Evan Longoria, Chris Archer and Logan Morrison all defended Cash when speaking to Topkin and offered plenty of praise for the second-year skipper. Cash is in the second season of a five-year deal that reportedly pays him a total of roughly $5MM.

Rangers Place Yu Darvish On 15-Day DL

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The Rangers have placed star righty Yu Darvish on the 15-day DL with ongoing shoulder and neck issues, per a team announcement (via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, on Twitter). Reliever Alex Claudio will take his place on the active roster.

Darvish had only just returned from a Tommy John rehab stint, providing Texas with an ace-level arm as it seeks to capture the AL West. The 29-year-old was excellent in three starts, allowing just five earned runs and a dozen hits over 15 2/3 innings, with 19 strikeouts against six walks.

The disabled list placement isn’t necessarily a grave concern in and of itself, as the team will understandably be cautious with its prized righty. But the nebulous injury concerns that have led to it could be a major problem. It’s unclear at present what the timeline and prognosis is for Darvish.

Depending upon how things play out, Darvish’s injury status could impact the trade deadline. Texas was already said to have some interest in looking at controllable starters this summer, and the impetus could grow if Darvish misses a significant amount of time.

Quick Hits: Lucroy, Mets, Darvish, Pads, D-backs

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Given his performance and team-friendly contract, catcher Jonathan Lucroy could be the most sought-after player available at this year’s trade deadline if the Brewers shop him. The playoff-contending Mets are one of several clubs he seems like a fit for, as their catchers entered Saturday with a horrible .191/.289/.275 batting line and three home runs on the year (Lucroy is at .304/.364/.512 with nine HRs). However, there are roadblocks in the way of a potential deal, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. For one, the Mets don’t seem ready to give up on 27-year-old Travis d’Arnaud as their long-term solution behind the plate. Although d’Arnaud has an extensive history of maladies (he’s currently working his way back from a strained right rotator cuff) and got off to a poor start before suffering his latest injury in April, the former top prospect was quite valuable to the Mets over the previous two seasons. Additionally, the Mets might not have the prospects to win a Lucroy bidding war, per Davidoff, who notes that the team’s best young talent is already playing an important role in the majors. Lucroy, for what it’s worth, told Davidoff that he’s “not really a big city guy.”

Here’s more from around the majors:

  • In troubling news, the Rangers have scratched ace Yu Darvish from his Monday start because of tightness in his neck and throwing shoulder, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Darvish will next head back to Dallas for an MRI, according to Grant. “I don’t want to push it and make it worse. It’s a precaution. We hope it’s nothing serious and that I can be back soon,” said Darvish (Twitter link via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). After missing all of last season on account of Tommy John surgery, the star right-hander returned May 28 and made three starts before getting hurt again. If Darvish is seriously hurt, it will be a major blow to the first-place Rangers and could lead them to aggressively pursue pitching help as the trade deadline nears.
  • The rebuilding Padres plan to spend “every penny” of their $12.74MM in bonus pool money for this year’s draft, stated general manager A.J. Preller (Twitter link via MadFriars). “We view it as an opportunity,” he continued. The Padres, who selected Stanford righty Cal Quantrill with their top pick (No. 8), have the third-highest spending allotment available. In addition to Quantrill, the team used first-rounders on high school shortstop Hudson Sanchez (24th overall) and Kent State southpaw Eric Lauer (25th).
  • Earlier today, the Diamondbacks placed center fielder Chris Owings on the disabled list (retroactive to June 6) with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, per Jake Ril of MLB.com. Owings previously dealt with plantar fasciitis in both feet in 2010 and played just 62 games that year, notes Ril. The 24-year-old compiled a roughly league-average batting line of .285/.340/.419 in 196 plate appearances before leaving the Diamondbacks’ June 5 game with soreness in his foot. In his absence, the D-backs will use Michael Bourn and David Peralta in center.

Injury Notes: Beltre, Darvish, Velasquez

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A few injury situations from around the game that warrant monitoring…

  • Adrian Beltre was pulled from the Rangers game tonight in the seventh inning after grabbing his left hamstring while attempting to run out a ground-ball. Per Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), the initial word is that he was lifted with tightness in his hamstring — the same hamstring that cost him 37 games of the 2015 campaign. Beltre will be evaluated tomorrow, and it’s unlikely there will be any definitive word on his status until then. If he’s required to miss a notable period of time, the Rangers have a third base option waiting in the wings at Triple-A in the form of Joey Gallo. Alternatively, Jurickson Profar could see some time at the hot corner as well.
  • The news for Rangers fans doesn’t necessarily improve, as Yu Darvish also departed the game prematurely due to what was termed tightness in his right shoulder. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Darvish’s removal after just 76 pitches — he’d been a pitch limit of 95 — was a precaution, and an exam from team physician Dr. Keith Meister revealed no immediately apparent issues. There’s no word that Darvish, who only just returned from 2015 Tommy John surgery, will miss a start, but I’d imagine the Rangers will be cautious when dealing with any right arm troubles for their freshly mended ace.
  • Phillies right-hander Vincent Velasquez, who left today’s game after throwing just two pitches (both clocked around 86-87 mph), could undergo an MRI tomorrow, manager Pete Mackanin told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Velasquez told the media that he’s “not concerned at all,” though he also conceded that he thought, “Something’s wrong,” to himself after seeing the readings from the radar gun. Velasquez’s fastball has averaged 94 mph this season, so a dip of seven to eight miles in velocity is clearly troublesome. For the time being, the Phillies are calling the injury a biceps strain, though further testing will shed light on the matter. Zolecki writes that the “smart bet” is on Velasquez missing some time, and he adds that southpaw Brett Oberholtzer and Triple-A righties Zach Eflin and David Buchanan are options to step into the rotation. Eflin would require a 40-man move, but it’s worth noting that the Phils did scratch him from his scheduled start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley tonight, as Greg Joyce of the Lehigh Valley Express-Times tweeted earlier this afternoon.

Injury Notes: Darvish, Perez, Cain, Wright

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As expected, the Rangers have announced that they’ve activated Yu Darvish from the disabled list. To clear space for him on the active roster, they shipped slugger Joey Gallo to Triple-A Round Rock. Darvish will start tonight in his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2015 season. Previously, of course, Darvish was one of the game’s most dominant starters, leading the AL in strikeouts (277) and K/9 (11.9) and finishing second in Cy Young balloting in a brilliant 2013 season before succumbing to injury. It will be interesting to see how he fares tonight in his first regular-season action since August 2014. Here are more notes on injuries.

  • Catcher Salvador Perez left the Royals’ game against the White Sox today after colliding with third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports. He had to be helped off the field. Via Dodd on Twitter, manager Ned Yost says Perez has a quad contusion and that there’s no structural damage to his knee, although he’ll have an MRI tomorrow. Losing him for an extended period would be tough for the Royals — his offense this season (.282/.314/.503) has provided plenty of value even independent of the work he does with the Royals’ pitchers, and the Royals also recently learned that another key player, Mike Moustakas, would be out of the season after tearing his ACL.
  • The Giants have announced that they’ve placed starter Matt Cain on the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain and recalled fellow righty Chris Stratton to take his place on the active roster. 2016 has proven to be yet another frustrating season for Cain, who currently has a 5.20 ERA, 6.4 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings this year after struggling through an injury-riddled 2015 campaign. For now, Stratton will likely serve as a long reliever, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News suggests. Stratton, the 20th overall pick in the 2012 draft, was pitching in the rotation at Triple-A Sacramento, where he’d posted a 6.02 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 52 1/3 innings.
  • David Wright is out the lineup Saturday due to neck pain, and the Mets have at least some concern about the situation, ESPN’s Adam Rubin writes. The concern might be that the issue could be related to Wright’s chronic spinal stenosis, although Mets GM Sandy Alderson won’t speculate about the matter until he knows more. Wright has collected 164 plate appearances this season and has generally been effective, batting just .226 but with a solid on-base percentage (.350) and seven home runs.

Injury Notes: Darvish, Zimmermann, Miggy, A-Rod, Brewers

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Here’s the latest on some notable names who are either preparing to return from the DL or could miss a bit of time…

  • Yu Darvish threw six shutout innings in a rehab start today and is on track to return to the majors on Saturday against the Pirates.  The Rangers ace told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) that he felt good after the 87-pitch outing, which wrapped up a very impressive rehab stint that saw Darvish allow just two earned runs over 20 minor league innings.  Darvish missed the entire 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since August 2014.
  • Jordan Zimmermann left during the sixth inning of today’s game with what has been diagnosed as a right groin strain.  The Tigers ace underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other media, and it isn’t yet known if Zimmermann will require a DL stint or even a missed start.  Needless to say, losing Zimmermann to the DL would be a major blow to a Detroit rotation that entered Sunday with a 4.76 staff ERA, seventh-worst in all of baseball.  Zimmermann has been the lone bright spot, and after today’s outing he has a 2.52 ERA over his first 60 2/3 innings as a Tiger.  Slugger Miguel Cabrera also suffered a bruised left knee after being hit by a pitch during the same game, though Ausmus doesn’t expect that injury to be too serious.
  • Alex Rodriguez will return from the 15-day DL on Tuesday, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi told reporters (including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News).  A-Rod was rumored to be set for activation this weekend but Girardi chose to wait until after the Yankees’ Monday off-day to give the veteran slugger extra time to fully recover a hamstring strain.
  • Brewers GM David Stearns updated Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on several injured Milwaukee players.  Sean Nolin recently received a PRP injection to see if he can avoid Tommy John surgery; the southpaw suffered a slightly torn UCL during Spring Training.  Rule 5 draft pick Zack Jones has spent the entire season on the DL with shoulder stiffness and Stearns hopes Jones can begin a rehab assignment in early June.  Former top outfield prospect Rymer Liriano is still recovering after being hit in the face with a pitch during Spring Training and there isn’t any timetable for a return.  Stearns said there is a chance Liriano could miss the entire season.  Also in the piece, as previously reported, reliever Will Smith will begin a rehab assignment this week with an eye towards returning to the Brewers’ roster in the first week of June.

Rangers Rumors: Deadline, Darvish, Choo

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Some rumblings on the Rangers, who improved to 24-19 on Saturday:

  • After acquiring top-end starter Cole Hamels at last year’s trade deadline, the prospect-stocked Rangers are well-positioned to make another major splash this summer, writes Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com. The Rangers aren’t yet engaged in “significant” discussions with other teams, reports Morosi, but he believes they could ultimately land another quality pitcher – be it a closer or a starter – and lists the Yankees’ Andrew Miller and the Rays’ Drew Smyly as possible targets. Texas would be “reluctant” to put together a package sufficient enough to land Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, per Morosi, who cites young infielder Jurickson Profar and corner infield/outfield prospect Joey Gallo as potential trade chips.
  • The deadline is still a ways off, but the Rangers are poised to land a notable reinforcement in ace Yu Darvish, who hasn’t pitched since 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery a year ago. Darvish is on track to make his season debut for the Rangers next Saturday, tweets Morosi. Darvish’s last remaining hurdle is a 90-pitch rehab start Sunday for Double-A Frisco, relays Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
  • Thanks in part to second baseman Rougned Odor’s forthcoming eight-game suspension, the Rangers might have to put right fielder Shin-Soo Choo back on the disabled list, as Grant details. Choo returned from a month-plus absence stemming from a calf injury Friday, but he had to leave the game because of a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play before Monday. Thus, rather than play with a 23-man roster and two-man bench (including a backup catcher), it could behoove the Rangers to return Choo to the DL and allow him to fully heal. “There is going to be a convergence of decisions,” manager Jeff Banister said. “We know we are going to have to play short-handed at some point. We are not in position to play ultra-short-handed.” 

Rangers Interested In Kyle Lohse

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If the Angels wish to bolster their depleted rotation by adding free agent Kyle Lohse, they might face competition from a familiar foe, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who tweets that the AL West rival Rangers are also interested in the 37-year-old. Heyman adds that there may be other clubs in pursuit, too, on the heels of the right-hander’s Thursday showcase.

The Rangers aren’t in need of rotation help as much as the Angels, as Texas’ starters have so far pitched to a 3.48 ERA – the seventh-best mark in the majors. They’re seventh from the bottom in both FIP and xFIP, however, and right-hander A.J. Griffin may have opened up a spot in the rotation when he left his start in the third inning Saturday with stiffness in his throwing shoulder. While Griffin has fared well early this season with a 2.94 ERA, 7.49 K/9 and 3.74 BB/9 in 33 2/3 innings, injuries are nothing new for the 28-year-old – who missed the previous two campaigns because of elbow and shoulder troubles.

If Griffin’s current injury proves serious, it would leave the Rangers with Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis as their top four starters. The only member of that group worth counting on is Hamels, which could be why the Rangers are turning their attention outward. Lohse doesn’t exactly look like a cure-all, though, having posted a 5.85 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and 38.6 percent ground-ball rate in 152 innings with Milwaukee last season. He did produce a respectable 3.62 ERA/3.86 FIP/4.10 xFIP in 888 1/3 frames from 2010-14, and the Rangers would certainly hope to get that version of Lohse if they were to sign him.

Regardless of whether Texas lands Lohse, its rotation will get a significant boost soon with the return of ace Yu Darvish, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since August 2014. Darvish, on the comeback trail from March 2015 Tommy John surgery, threw a 50-pitch rehab outing for Triple-A Round Rock on Friday and touched 97 mph several times, according to Anthony Andro of MLB.com. Darvish is on track to rejoin the Rangers either later this month or in early June.

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