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Latest On Carlos Martinez, Dakota Hudson

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When the Cardinals drew up their season plans way back before the start of Spring Training, they surely envisioned Carlos Martinez and Dakota Hudson playing significant roles on the pitching staff. That’s not quite how things turned out, though the club is still quite likely headed for the postseason.

The embattled Martinez was pulled from his start tonight with what the team is describing as a mid-back strain. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was among those to cover the developments on Twitter.

Martinez was ultimately charged with eight earned runs, leaving him with an unsightly 9.90 ERA on the season. The prognosis remains to be seen, but it’s fair to wonder regardless whether he will play a significant role in the postseason (should the Cards qualify).

Martinez, who already missed a big chunk of the campaign owing to coronavirus infection, will earn $11.5MM next year before the club makes a call on the first of two club options. The Cards might conceivably shop him in the offseason, though contractual circumstances may instead dictate an effort at a rebound in St. Louis.

As for Hudson, it was already known that he’d miss the remainder of the year with a forearm injury. As Anne Rogers of MLB.com covers via Twitter, Hudson’s outlook beyond that point remains to be seen.

The outcome of an initial medical review isn’t known. Hudson is due for a second opinion on his wounded wing, with a decision on treatment to ensue.

Before the health issues intervened, Hudson had been humming. Through 39 frames over eight starts, he carried a 2.77 ERA. Despite marginal K/BB numbers, Hudson has throughout his young career induced loads of groundballs and outperformed ERA estimators.

Cardinals Outright Rob Kaminsky

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Left-hander Rob Kaminsky, whom the Cardinals designated for assignment Sept. 16, has cleared waivers and will remain with the organization, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Kaminsky was a first-round pick (No. 28) for the Cardinals in 2013, but he is already in his second stint with the franchise. The Cardinals traded Kaminsky to the Indians in 2015 for slugger Brandon Moss, but the Redbirds brought the hurler back before 2020 on a minor league contract.

The 26-year-old Kaminsky made the first five MLB appearances of his career earlier this season and gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk in 4 2/3 innings. Kaminsky logged a 60 percent groundball rate over that small sample of work, and he has always posted high GB rates in the minors. Despite that, Kaminsky struggled to a 5.11 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in a 24 2/3-inning Triple-A debut with the Indians last season.

Cardinals Place Dakota Hudson On 45-Day IL

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The Cardinals have placed right-hander Dakota Hudson on the 45-day injured list, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. They activated righty Kodi Whitley from the IL to take Hudson’s place on their roster.

This will end Hudson’s season, though it’s not a surprising outcome for someone who suffered a right flexor tendon injury last week. The hope is that Hudson will return to health once next season rolls around, especially considering he has been an important member of the Cardinals’ rotation since his first full campaign in 2019.

While fielding-independent metrics such as FIP (4.73) and xFIP (4.55) haven’t been enamored of Hudson’s work, the bottom-line results have been highly encouraging for the 26-year-old throughout his career. So far, thanks in part to a sterling 57.3 percent groundball rate, Hudson has managed a 3.17 ERA across 241 innings and overcome weak strikeout/walk numbers (6.95 K/9, 4.44 BB/9). Hudson’s ability to induce grounders at a high clip helped him to a 2.77 ERA in 39 frames this year.

Cardinals Designate Roel Ramirez; Activate Dexter Fowler, Giovanny Gallegos

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The Cardinals have announced a series of roster moves, Anne Rogers of MLB.com was among those to report. The club designated right-hander Roel Ramirez for assignment, activated outfielder Dexter Fowler and righty Giovanny Gallegos from the injured list, and optioned outfielder Justin Williams and RHP Nabil Crismatt.

Ramirez – part of the Cardinals’ July 2018 return from the Rays for outfielder Tommy Pham – lasted just under two months on St. Louis’ 40-man roster before the team designated him. The 25-year-old Ramirez, whom the Cardinals selected Aug. 5, made one disastrous appearance with the club this season and yielded six runs on six hits (including four homers) and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. He joined the Cardinals as the owner of a much more respectable 4.03 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 462 1/3 minor league frames.

At the major league level, Fowler and Gallegos could serve as important late-game reinforcements for the Cardinals, who have gone 26-24 and are currently in playoff position. They’ve been without Fowler since he went on the IL on Sept. 2 with a stomach illness. The switch-hitting 34-year-old slashed .279/.347/.485 with four homers in 75 plate appearances before then.

Just as Fowler’s an important part of the Cardinals’ outfield, their bullpen needs Gallegos, who’s back after the Redbirds placed him on the IL on Sept. 11 with a right groin strain. Gallegos has pitched to a 3.97 ERA/2.65 FIP and notched 11.12 K/9 and 2.38 BB/9 in 11 2/3 frames this season. He also leads the Cardinals in saves with four.

Andrew Miller’s 2021 Option Vests

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Andrew Miller made his 14th appearance of the season in yesterday’s Cardinals victory, and in doing so, he triggered a $12MM vesting option for the 2021 season, as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold points out.

Miller, 35, signed a two-year, $25MM deal with St. Louis prior to the 2019 campaign — a contract that came with a vesting option which would become guaranteed with 110 games pitched between 2019-20. Miller appeared in a hefty 73 games for the Cards last season, leaving him with an easily attainable 37-game threshold to guarantee himself that salary in 2020. That number was prorated to just 14 games in this year’s shortened schedule, so even though the veteran southpaw missed some time in August due to some shoulder fatigue, he’s had enough time to secure that salary for next year.

The Cards haven’t yet seen the dominant form displayed by Miller during his 2013-17 peak, when he notched a combined 1.82 ERA and 1.96 FIP with 14.5 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. The lefty has seen his strikeout rate dip from those levels as his control has worsened, and Miller’s fastball velocity has dropped by more than four miles per hour since 2016.

To be fair, Miller still has a sharp 3.09 ERA through 11 2/3 innings this year, to say nothing of a 12-to-4 K/BB and a 60 percent ground-ball rate that would mark a career-best. However, his overall body of work with the Cards — 4.21 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 82-to-31 K/BB ratio, 11 hit batters through 66 1/3 innings — is likely a good bit shy of what the organization had hoped for upon signing him. If Miller can continue at his 2020 pace even with the diminished velocity, next year’s salary won’t seem outlandish. But given the league-wide revenue losses in 2020, the extra $12MM being tacked on for a reliever’s age-36 season also isn’t ideal.

The Cardinals, who had seen their payroll (pre-prorating) rise above $160MM for a second straight season, already have roughly $111MM on the books for the 2021 campaign with Miller’s deal locked in. That doesn’t include arbitration raises for Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks, Harrison Bader or John Gant, nor does it include the pre-arbitration players who’ll round out the club. The front office will also have some work to do to up and down the roster. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are free agents. The outfield has been among the least-productive offensive units in baseball. There’s a $1MM buyout on Kolten Wong’s $12.5MM option for the 2021 season.

It’s not clear just what type of financial latitude the front office will be given by ownership, but we’re only a few months removed from Cards chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. brazenly declaring that the baseball industry “isn’t very profitable” even with fans in attendance. At the very least, Miller’s option further muddies what was already shaping up to be a complicated winter for president of baseball ops John Mozeliak, GM Mike Girsch and the rest of the Cards’ front office.

Pirates Announce Three Trades

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The Pittsburgh Pirates announced a trio of trades today. The first deal completes their August deal for Austin Davis, which the Phillies announced earlier today. The Pirates sent right-hander Joel Cesar to Philadelphia to complete that transaction. Davis, 27, has 3 scoreless appearances since joining the Buccos.

The other two trades helped build the Pirates’ 2019-2020 international pool money. The Pirates sent left-hander Domingo Robles to the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Connor Loeprich to the Baltimore Orioles in separate trades for international pool money.

Robles, 22, signed with the Pirates on the first day of the international signing period in 2014. Across 5 seasons in the Pittsburgh system, Robles owns a 27-36 record with a 3.76 ERA and 6.4 K/9 to 2.1 BB/9. The Dominican southpaw made it as high as Double-A as a 21-year-old in 2019, going 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA across 103 innings. He was not among the Pirates top 42 prospects listed by Fangraphs at the start of 2020, nor the top 30 listed by Baseball America.

Loeprich turned 23-years-old this month, and he’ll now report to a new team in the Baltimore. Loeprich made it to High-A in 2019, though he spent the greater part of the year with Single-A Greensboro. In two seasons since being drafted out of St. Mary’s College of California, the 6’3″ right-hander sports a 3.68 ERA over 124 2/3 innings with 9.1 K/9 to 2.8 BB/9. Loeprich has largely worked out of the bullpen with only 8 starts out of 55 total minor-league appearances.

NL Injury Notes: Molina, Gamel, Buehler, Gray

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X-rays were negative on Yadier Molina’s left wrist after the catcher was hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of the Cardinals’ 5-4 win over the Pirates last night.  Molina was behind the plate for the bottom half of the seventh before being replaced by pinch-hitter Matt Wieters in the top of the eighth.  Cards manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters that Molina “got hit in the same spot, pretty much” that Ryan Braun also made contact with Molina’s wrist earlier this week on a swing that drew a catcher’s interference call on Molina.

It isn’t yet known if Molina will require any time off, though missing any games will be a blow to a Cardinals team that needs all hands on deck as it tries to lock up a playoff spot.  Molina has hit .256/.296/.342 over 126 PA this season and spent three weeks on the injured list after a positive COVID-19 test.

More injury notes from around the National League…

  • The Brewers placed Ben Gamel on the 10-day IL due to a left quad strain, so the outfielder’s 2020 season is over.  Lorenzo Cain’s decision to opt out of the 2020 campaign left Gamel with a larger workload, and he assumed regular duty between center field and right field for much of the season.  The result was a .237/.315/.404 slash line and three home runs over 127 PA, working out to a 91 OPS+ and 92 wRC+.  It wasn’t a bad showing for a player who is probably best suited for fourth outfielder duty, though it remains to be seen if Gamel has done enough for the Brewers to exercise their $2.55MM club option on his services for the 2021 season.
  • Walker Buehler threw a 90-pitch simulated game yesterday and is slated to be activated off the 10-day IL for a Thursday start.  (MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick was among those to report the news.)  Buehler has made two trips to the injured list due to blister problems, resulting in just seven innings pitched since August 21.  Thursday’s start against the Athletics will therefore serve as an opportunity for Buehler to warm up prior to the Dodgers’ postseason run.  Buehler is still expected to be a big factor for Los Angeles during the playoffs, though he hasn’t quite matched his 2019 form in this shortened season.  Thanks in large part to a 1.9 HR/9, Buehler has a 3.86 ERA over 32 2/3 innings in 2020, though with a 3.60 K/BB rate, 9.9 K/9, and generally above-average Statcast numbers.
  • Sonny Gray is tentatively scheduled to return during the Reds’ upcoming series with the Brewers, perhaps as early as Tuesday.  However, Reds manager David Bell told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer and other reporters that no “final, final call” will be made until the team sees how Gray is feeling following a side session on Saturday.  Gray has been on the injured list (retroactively) since September 11 due to a back strain, and his return would be a major boost as the Reds chase a postseason berth.

Dakota Hudson Unlikely To Pitch Again In 2020

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2:55pm: Hudson has been placed on the 10-day injured list, per the Cardinals. Righty Nabil Crismatt is up from the alternate site to take his spot on the active roster.

1:20pm: President of baseball operations John Mozeliak now tells reporters that Hudson’s injury is believed to be a flexor tendon issue, and he’s unlikely to pitch again in 2020 (Twitter link via Mark Saxon of The Athletic). The team is still awaiting an official diagnosis following the MRI.

Sept. 18, 8:00am: Cardinals manager Mike Shildt described his overall level of concern regarding Hudson’s injury as “fairly low,” per Richard Justice of MLB.com. Shildt termed the issue as a “minor” forearm strain. The club will know more after imaging, but both Shildt and Hudson himself were optimistic about his outlook postgame. Hudson added that he “felt good all the way up to that second inning” before experiencing some tightness and speaking up about the issue.

Sept. 17: Cardinals right-hander Dakota Hudson left the team’s game against the Pirates early on Thursday with elbow tightness. He’ll undergo an MRI on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hudson departed after throwing just two innings in another defeat for the Cardinals, who are 22-24 and fighting for a wild-card spot. Hudson has been an asset for the team, evidenced by his 2.77 ERA over 39 innings. It’s the third straight year in which he has defied fielding-independent numbers to post much better run prevention figures, evidenced by the 3.20 ERA and 4.72 FIP he has recorded over 239 innings since debuting in 2018. Hudson’s strikeout and walk rates (7.0 K/9 against 4.41 BB/9) haven’t been good, but he has offset those to some degree with a 57.4 groundball percentage.

At the very least, the Cardinals appear to have a legitimate MLB starter in Hudson, so the hope is that his elbow issue won’t stop him from pitching the rest of this year or cause him to miss time in 2021. The Cardinals may need all the rotation help they can get then with Hudson, Jack Flaherty and Kwang Hyun Kim seemingly the only members of their staff who appear to be locks for next year’s rotation. They could also get Miles Mikolas back from surgery on a right flexor tendon, though, while it remains to be seen whether Adam Wainwright will continue his career in 2021.

Cardinals Designate Rob Kaminsky Amid Flurry Of Roster Moves

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The Cardinals announced a series of roster moves Wednesday, perhaps most notably designating left-hander Rob Kaminsky for assignment. The Cards also reinstated Johan Oviedo from the Covid-19 injured list and recalled both infielder Max Schrock and righty Junior Fernandez from the alternate training site. Right-hander Nabil Crismatt and outfielder Lane Thomas were optioned to the alternate site in a pair of corresponding moves, while outfielder Justin Williams is up from the alternate site as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader.

Kaminsky, a former first-round pick of the Cardinals (28th overall in 2013) made his Major League debut as a 26-year-old this season. He didn’t take the most direct route, as he was traded to the Indians for Brandon Moss several years ago, eventually released in Cleveland and returned to the Cards on a minor league deal. The rocky journey likely only made his return to the organization and 2020 MLB debut that much sweeter for Kaminsky, but it appears his time in the big leagues will be short-lived — at least in this go-around.

Kaminsky tossed 4 2/3 innings of relief for the Cards this year, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts and a 60 percent ground-ball rate. The Cards can’t explore trades involving him at this point, so if they hope to keep Kaminsky in the organization, they’ll have to count on him clearing outright waivers. Kaminsky wouldn’t be postseason-eligible if another club claimed him, but he can be controlled through at least the 2026 season if a team was impressed by his big league work in a limited sample this year.

Injury Notes: Piscotty, Blue Jays, Dean, Pirates

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Injuries continue to mount for the Athletics, who could now face an absence for right fielder Stephen Piscotty. Per Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News, manager Bob Melvin revealed after Game 1 of yesterday’s doubleheader that Piscotty suffered a knee sprain when leaping in an attempt to rob a Jose Marmolejos home run. Piscotty will be further evaluated today, but Melvin added that Piscotty “had a pop” when he jumped. The 29-year-old Piscotty’s bat has gone cold this month, but he was one of Oakland’s best hitters in August, when he posted a .289/.323/.511 slash with five homers and five doubles on the month. His recent slump has dropped his season slash to .248/.289/.406, however. Mark Canha, who has already been spending time in right field, would likely be in line for more playing time should Piscotty require an IL stint.

A few more injury notes from around the game…

  • Blue Jays righties Nate Pearson and Matt Shoemaker will throw live batting practice this week and could return to the roster before season’s end, writes Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Neither can be expected to build back up to a full starter’s workload at this point, however, so their likeliest roles would be shorter stints out of the ’pen. Putting Pearson in a short, multi-inning relief role or even an inning-at-a-time relief role would give Toronto a potentially formidable postseason weapon if he is indeed able to make it back from his current flexor strain. Shoemaker, meanwhile, is working back from shoulder inflammation that has sidelined him since Aug. 23.
  • The Cardinals placed outfielder Austin Dean on the 10-day injured list due to a right elbow strain, per a club announcement. His injury comes just three days after returning from the Covid-19 injured list. The three games in which the 26-year-old Dean were his only appearances on the season. He went 1-for-4 with a double and three walks in that short time. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Dean might have avoided the IL were the club not pressed for bullpen arms, so it seems there’s a chance Dean will return before season’s end. Acquired in a January trade with the Marlins, Dean hasn’t yet had the opportunity to prove himself with his new club. He’s just a .224/.274/.390 hitter in 318 MLB plate appearances, but he carries a much more robust .331/.398/.546 line in 640 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.
  • Pirates righty Jameson Taillon chatted with reporters about the rehab of his second career Tommy John surgery and offered an optimistic outlook (link via MLB.com’s Adam Berry). Taillon is facing live hitters and said his elbow feels “amazing” at this point in the process. He’s worked with senior rehab coordinator A.J. Patrick, pitching coach Oscar Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage on what he believes to be a more mechanically sound delivery, Berry notes. Taillon acknowledged that changing the way he’s thrown since childhood is “tricky… But I came to the realization that two Tommy Johns kind of lets you know that what you’re doing isn’t working.” He also added that he’s seen his spin rate and spin efficiency increase — a reminder that pitchers are more data-focused than ever before in today’s game.
  • The Pirates placed righty Kyle Crick on the 10-day injured list with a lat strain, manager Derek Shelton announced to reporters yesterday (Twitter link via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The 27-year-old missed more than a month due to shoulder and lat discomfort earlier this season as well. Crick has pitched just 5 2/3 innings in 2020, and while he’s only surrendered one earned run with seven strikeouts, he’s given up another five unearned runs on seven hits and four walks. Crick hasn’t looked right in 2020, as he’s averaged just 91.3 mph on his four-seamer — a pitch that averaged 95.4 mph in 2019 and 96.4 mph in 2018. Crick was lights-out in 2018, but he’s struggled with control issues and now a velocity dip since that time. He still carries a 3.44 ERA and 4.32 FIP with 10.4 K/9 in 115 frames since coming over from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen deal, but there are some visible red flags at the moment. Crick is controlled through 2023 and will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter.
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