Injured List Activations: Ahmed, Stewart, Adams
After a flurry of injury news and updates around baseball today, here are some players who are getting back to action…
- The Diamondbacks activated shortstop Nick Ahmed from the 10-day injured list. Ahmed suffered some right knee inflammation near the end of Spring Training and received a PRP injection as part of his treatment. The two-time Gold Glove winner is now ready to begin his 2021 season and take his usual place as the defensive anchor of the Diamondbacks infield. Infielder Geraldo Perdomo was optioned to the alternate training site after last night’s game in preparation for Ahmed’s return.
- The Orioles reinstated DJ Stewart from the 10-day IL, and Stewart is set for his season debut tonight, scheduled to hit fifth in Baltimore’s lineup. Due to a left hamstring strain, the outfielder hasn’t seen any game action since a Spring Training outing on March 5. While strikeouts continue to be a troublingly large part of Stewart’s offensive game, he has hit .224/.334/433 with 14 homers at the MLB level, good for an above-average 107 OPS+/108 wRC+ over 301 career plate appearances.
- Right-hander Austin Adams has been reinstated from the Padres‘ 10-day IL, and righty Nabil Crismatt has been optioned to the alternate training site to make room on the active roster. Adams had been suffering from a minor elbow strain during Spring Training. San Diego acquired Adams as part of their seven-player deal with the Mariners last August, and he stands out as a potentially nasty bullpen weapon if he can get his free passes in check. Adams has an eye-popping 70 strikeouts over 42 career innings in the majors, but control has also been a major issue (a 15.8% walk rate).
NL Notes: Tatis, Mets, Lugo, Thor, McCutchen
As if Joe Musgrove‘s no-hitter wasn’t enough good news for the Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr. was taking grounders prior to yesterday’s game and is now also taking part in hitting and running drills. Tatis is on the 10-day IL recovering from a slight tear in his left labrum, though the ugly-looking injury may only keep Tatis out of action for a relatively short amount of time. Tatis’ shoulder inflammation has decreased to the point that he has been able to do some fielding work, and he could keep gradually ramping up his baseball activity as long as his shoulder remains sound, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote yesterday.
Manager Jayce Tingler sounded cautiously optimistic talking to Acee and other reporters today. “We want to take it day by day, but we feel confident if we can continue down this road, we’re going to be in a good position for him to be activated” by April 16, Tingler said. That would be the first day Tatis would be eligible to leave the injured list, and it would put Tatis on pace to be in the lineup as the Padres began a big series with the Dodgers.
More from around the National League…
- Mets GM Zack Scott provided reporters (including the New York Daily News’ Deesha Thosar) with updates on Noah Syndergaard and Seth Lugo, saying that both right-handers are on schedule with their injury rehab. Lugo underwent bone spur surgery on his throwing elbow in February, and is expected to be back at some point in May. Syndergaard is set to throw a live batting practice today, in the latest step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery in March 2020. If all continues to go well for Syndergaard, he is on pace to rejoin the Mets’ rotation before the end of June.
- Between a torn ACL in 2019 and then a tough time recovering from that injury (on top of all the other unusual elements last season) in 2020, Andrew McCutchen has some unfinished business as he enters the last guaranteed season of his three-year, $50MM contract with the Phillies. “I had a lot of catching up to do last season,” McCutchen told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, noting that it wasn’t until the Phillies’ last few games in September that he really felt comfortable. Now, however, McCutchen is entering the year with the benefit of a full Spring Training, and there are “no limitations for myself. No hindrance. No thinking, second-guessing. Really pushing myself to where I didn’t I feel like I had to guard….So, going into this spring, I was just saying, ‘I feel like myself. I can squat and play and do what I need to do here in the games.’ ” It’s a good sign for McCutchen as he enters his age-34 season as the Phils’ regular left fielder, and he also pointed out that there aren’t many everyday outfielders of his age remaining in a sport that has become increasingly less inclined to regularly play veteran players.
Padres Activate Trent Grisham
The Padres announced that they have reinstated center fielder Trent Grisham from the 10-day injured list. The team optioned outfielder Brian O’Grady to its alternate site in a corresponding move.
The Padres have so far gone without Grisham, who suffered a hamstring strain almost a full month ago (on March 11). They have primarily turned to Tommy Pham in center during Grisham’s absence, though the former hasn’t performed well in the early going.
San Diego acquired Grisham in a trade with Milwaukee before last season, and he ended up as one of the main reasons the Padres clinched their first playoff berth since 2006. Grisham played in 59 of the Padres’ 60 games, batted .251/.352/.456 (121 wRC+) with 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases and 2.3 fWAR in 252 plate appearances, and won a Gold Glove Award. The 24-year-old’s return should be all the more welcome for a position player group without shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and catcher Austin Nola, who are on the IL.
Padres Place Fernando Tatis Jr. On 10-Day IL
Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. exited their game against the Giants on Monday with what looked like a potentially disastrous left shoulder injury. The Padres found out Tuesday that Tatis suffered a “slight labrum tear” that will require a stint on the 10-day injured list, general manager A.J. Preller announced, though the results of his MRI were “pretty positive,” per Scott Miller of Bleacher Report. The Padres are recalling infielder/outfielder Brian O’Grady to fill Tatis’ roster spot.
It’s still not known how long Tatis will sit out, but the Padres don’t anticipate that he will need surgery. Preller told Bob Nightengale of USA Today and other reporters that there wouldn’t be any long-term risk in letting Tatis play again this year, and the Padres are hopeful he could return from the IL as soon as he’s eligible.
All things considered, it’s very encouraging news for the Padres, who signed Tatis to a 14-year, $340MM contract extension before the season. The 22-year-old burst on the scene with an outstanding performance from 2019-20, and though the Padres will miss him for as long as he’s out, they remain a highly talented team with an interesting shortstop substitute on hand. The team signed former Korea Baseball Organization Ha-Seong Kim to a four-year, $28MM deal in free agency, and he’ll start in Tatis’ place Tuesday.
Fernando Tatis Jr. Being Evaluated Following Shoulder Injury
April 6, 6:04pm: The Padres are “cautiously optimistic” about Tatis right now, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. It’s still not clear how much time he will miss, though.
7:15am: The Padres’ initial diagnosis is a left shoulder subluxation, per a team announcement. Tatis will be further evaluated today.
April 5: Padres superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. departed their game Monday against the Giants with an apparent left elbow injury, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com was among those to report. Tatis struck out in an at-bat against Giants right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and then went down “crumpled in a heap,” per Cassavell. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area provided video on Twitter.
A serious injury to Tatis would not only be a massive loss for the Padres, who have World Series hopes this year, but the game of baseball as a whole. The 22-year-old was one of the most ballyhooed prospects in the sport before he reached the majors, and he has more than lived up to that status so far in the bigs. Dating back to his 2019 debut, Tatis has slashed .298/.372/.577 (148 wRC+) with 40 home runs, 27 stolen bases and 6.5 fWAR in just 147 games and 648 plate appearances. He’s among the main reasons the Padres look like an elite team on paper, not to mention one of baseball’s greatest talents.
Tatis has been so productive during his short career that the Padres signed him to a jaw-dropping 14-year, $340MM extension near the end of February. The Padres obviously did so with confidence that Tatis would stay healthy, but now they may be dealing with a disastrous scenario just a few games into his contract.
Padres Acquire James Norwood From Cubs
The Padres have acquired righty James Norwood from the Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Dauris Valdez, as announced by both teams. Norwood has been optioned to San Diego’s alternate training site, and righty Javy Guerra has been moved to the 60-day injured list to create roster space.
Norwood had been designated for assignment by Chicago earlier this week. Debuting in 2018, Norwood has appeared in each of the last three MLB seasons, amassing a 4.50 ERA over 22 total innings (with 21 strikeouts and 14 walks) for the Cubs. Shoulder problems limited him to just three games and 1 2/3 frame of work in 2020. The hard-throwing Norwood has posted some pretty solid strikeout totals in the minors, though control has been an increasing issue as he has worked his way up the minor league ladder — Norwood had an unimpressive 13.65% walk rate over 75 1/3 career innings at Triple-A.
The trade is, in essence, a swap of power arms who have hard some trouble getting the ball over the plate. Like Norwood, Valdez has also had some control problems while moving up to higher levels of the minor leagues, posting a below-average 11.77% walk rate over 108 2/3 innings at the high-A and Double-A levels in 2018-19. This said, there’s still plenty of potential for the 25-year-old, who was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 25 prospect in San Diego’s farm system. Valdez has a 65-grade fastball that “routinely hits triple-digits” according to Pipeline’s scouting report, and he also possesses a plus slider and a solid changeup as a third pitch.
NL Notes: Reds/Cardinals Brawl, Castellanos, Padres, Baez
Outfielder Nick Castellanos was issued a two-game suspension for his part in Saturday’s brawl between the Reds and Cardinals, the league announced. Castellanos was the only player suspended, and he is appealing his two-game ban. Fines were issued to three players on each team — the Reds’ Castellanos, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez, and the Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks, Yadier Molina, and Nolan Arenado.
The incident developed after Cards pitcher Jake Woodford hit Castellanos with a pitch during a fourth-inning at-bat. Castellanos wasn’t pleased by the HBP, and picked up the ball and held it in Woodford’s direction as he went to first base. Later in the inning, Castellanos scored from third on a wild pitch, and celebrated the run by standing over Woodford (who was covering home plate) and flexing. This led to the benches clearing, and a lot of shoving and heated words between the two NL Central rivals.
More from the division….
- The Padres hope to have Trent Grisham back in center field when they travel to play the Rangers on April 9, manager Jayce Tingler told Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (via Twitter). Grisham has been out of action since suffering a hamstring strain during a Spring Training game on March 11, though he did play in some simulated games at the end of camp. Austin Nola isn’t quite as far along in his rehab from a fractured left middle finger, but he could soon get some plate appearances at the Padres’ alternate training site.
- The Cubs drafted Javier Baez with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 draft, a selection that has proven to be a winner even though Baez was one of many notable players taken in an unusually star-studded first round. As Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune writes, the Cubs were set on Baez as their pick, though they were eyeing Jose Fernandez and C.J. Cron as Plan B options if Baez was selected by one of the eight teams picking in front of Chicago. Tim Wilken, the Cubs’ director of amateur scouting at the time, said that the club would have taken Baez even if another star shortstop prospect in Francisco Lindor was still on the board — it ended up being a moot point, as Cleveland took Lindor with the eighth overall pick, just ahead of Baez and the Cubs at ninth.
Felony Charges Against Luis Campusano Dropped
Padres catcher Luis Campusano was arrested in Georgia last October on charges of felony marijuana possession, but the matter has been dropped. State prosecutors have elected against pursuing it further, citing an “issue of probable cause for the traffic stop,” Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Police found 79 grams of marijuana on Campusano when they pulled him over. That checks in well above 28.5 grams, which is the state’s limit before it becomes a felony. He could have faced up to 10 years in prison had Georgia pursued the maximum penalty.
With this issue out of the way, the 22-year-old Campusano will be in line for playing time throughout 2021 and beyond with the World Series-hopeful Padres. He made the Padres’ Opening Day roster after Austin Nola suffered a fractured left middle finger, leaving Campusano as their main option behind Victor Caratini for the time being. Campusano will start for the team in its game against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Michel Baez To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Padres right-hander Michel Báez is slated to undergo Tommy John surgery, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune was among those to relay (Twitter link). The 25-year-old will miss the entire 2021 season and quite likely a significant portion of 2022.
Báez is a former top prospect but he has yet to carve out a consistent MLB role. Working almost exclusively out of the bullpen, the hard-throwing righty has picked up 34.1 innings at the major league level over the past two seasons. He has a 3.67 ERA/4.53 SIERA with slightly worse than average strikeout and walk rates (22.7% and 10.4%, respectively) over that time.
The loss of Báez deals a bit of a blow to San Diego’s bullpen depth this season. The Padres’ relief corps has a good amount of talent but also has a significant number of hurlers who are out of minor-league option years. That could lead to a bit of a roster crunch as the season progresses.
Padres To Select Nabil Crismatt
The Padres informed right-hander Nabil Crismatt that he will make their Opening Day roster, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. Because Crismatt isn’t on the Padres’ 40-man roster, which is full, they will need to make a corresponding move to clear space for him.
The Padres made a series of high-profile acquisitions during the offseason, but Crismatt flew under the radar as a minor league signing. Now 26 years old, Crismatt divided 2012-20 among the Mets, Mariners and Cardinals organizations, combining for a 3.82 ERA with better than a strikeout per inning and fewer than three walks per nine over 641 2/3 innings in the minors.
Crismatt made his big league debut last year in St. Louis, and though he only averaged 89.5 mph on his fastball, he gave up just three earned runs on six hits, walked one batter and struck out eight in 8 1/3 innings. He then pitched to a near-spotless 0.87 ERA in 10 1/3 innings this spring, and will try to carry the success he has enjoyed since 2020 into this regular season.