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Quick Hits: Mills, Kim, McCullers, Hernandez

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Alec Mills entered the record books today when the Cubs right-hander tossed a no-hitter in Chicago’s 12-0 victory over the Brewers.  Mills issued three walks and struck out five over his gem of an outing, recording his first career complete game to go along with his no-hit bid.  Today marked only the 15th start of Mills’ Major League career, as the 28-year-old has worked as something of a swingman during his four seasons in the bigs, though he became a full-time starter this year in the wake of injuries within the Cubs’ rotation and now owns a piece of baseball history.

More from around the Show…

  • Kwang Hyun Kim is scheduled to start the first game of the Cardinals’ doubleheader with the Brewers on Monday, marking his return from an injured list stint that retroactively began on September 2.  Kim was sidelined with a kidney problem that required a short stay in hospital, but as MLB.com’s Anne Rogers explains, Kim is now taking a blood thinner and observing other precautions that will allow him to return to action after slightly beyond the 10-day minimum IL absence.  In his first season in Major League Baseball, Kim has thus far had no problem adjusting, as the southpaw has an 0.83 ERA over his first 21 2/3 innings, starting four of his five appearances.
  • Speaking of returning starters, the Astros listed Lance McCullers Jr. as the starter for Wednesday’s game against the Rangers, indicating that the right-hander’s time on the injured list is nearing an end.  McCullers hit the 10-day IL on September 6 due to neck nerve irritation, a rather concerning-sounding issue that left a return date up in the air.  After taking an anti-inflammatory injection, however, McCullers now seems on track to get back on the mound after only a minimal IL stint.  The former first-rounder has a 5.79 ERA over eight starts and 37 1/3 innings this season, though the Astros will surely welcome whatever McCullers can contribute to a rotation mix that has managed middle-of-the-pack numbers despite multiple injuries.
  • There haven’t yet been any contract talks between Cesar Hernandez and the Indians, but the second baseman “would be looking to be part of the team for the coming years,” as he told Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Hernandez was non-tendered by the Phillies last winter and signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal with the Tribe, delivering a .266/.337/.383 slash line over 210 plate appearances in 2020.  While this offensive production is slightly below average (95 wRC+), his bat in combination with his strong second base defense has made for a solid 1.0 fWAR contribution over his 46 games in a Cleveland uniform.  There are some other interesting middle infield options in the free market, plus this player pool is likely to grow once teams make their own non-tender decisions.  Hernandez is the type of decent but unspectacular player who could potentially be squeezed into a one-year contract this winter if teams tighten their budgets in the wake of this pandemic season, so the Indians (certainly a team looking to limit its payroll) could have room to re-sign Hernandez if the price is right.

Cardinals Place Giovanny Gallegos On 10-Day IL

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The Cardinals announced that they’ve placed right-hander Giovanny Gallegos on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain. They recalled righty Nabil Crismatt from their alternate training site in a corresponding move.

The loss of Gallegos is a significant one for the Cardinals, considering what he has meant to their bullpen since he broke out in 2019. He posted a 2.31 ERA/3.05 FIP in 74 innings then in his first season as a Cardinal and has continued to be a key member of their relief corps this year, having tossed 11 1/3 frames of 3.97 ERA/2.65 FIP pitching with 11.12 K/9 and 2.38 BB/9.

Along with notching strong bottom-line results, Gallegos leads the playoff-contending Cardinals with four saves. Andrew Miller is the only other Cardinal with more than one save (two). Miller and John Gant, St. Louis’ best reliever this year, could be next in line for save chances now that Gallegos is out. It’s unclear how much time Gallegos will miss, but with so little time left, it’s possible he won’t return to the Cardinals this regular season.

Cardinals Outright Ryan Meisinger

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Cardinals right-hander Ryan Meisinger cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the team’s alternate training site, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment when St. Louis reinstated Carlos Martinez from the injured list earlier this week.

Meisinger, 26, was a waiver claim out of the Orioles organization prior to the 2019 season and has had some strong performances in the upper minors. However, although he boasts a 2.73 ERA and 78-to-20 K/BB ratio through 62 2/3 Triple-A frames, Meisinger has received minimal opportunity in the big leagues. He’s logged just 23 2/3 innings in the big leagues, most of which came with the 2018 Orioles. He hasn’t found success to date, but it’s obviously a rather small sample of work.

That solid body of work in Triple-A apparently didn’t get him claimed by another club in search of bullpen depth, however. He’s been outrighted previously, so he could reject the assignment in favor of free agency. If he accepts, Meisinger will rejoin the Cardinals’ 60-man player pool and remain eligible to return to the club in the final couple weeks of the 2020 season.

Health Notes: Paxton, Rays, Phils, Reds, Cards

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Yankees southpaw James Paxton will go the next couple days without throwing after feeling soreness following Wednesday’s session, manager Aaron Boone told WFAN (via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). It’s unclear how much longer Paxton will be sidelined from the flexor strain that sent him to the IL on Aug. 21, but as Ackert notes, time is running out for him to return – at least to the Yankees’ rotation – during the regular season. Paxton’s problems, both in terms of injury and performance, are among the reasons the Yankees’ starting staff has disappointed this year. Although the 31-year-old dealt with his share of injuries in prior seasons, he typically fared well when healthy. In 2020, though, Paxton has stumbled to a 6.64 ERA over five starts and 20 1/3 innings.

  • Rays manager Kevin Cash hasn’t ruled out regular-season returns for third baseman Yandy Diaz or catcher Mike Zunino, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Diaz went to the IL on Sept. 1 with a right hamstring strain, while Zunino has been down since Aug. 29 with a strained oblique. Diaz has been a major on-base threat with a .307/.427/.386 line in 138 plate appearances, whereas Zunino has gone through a second straight horrible season on offense (.133/.235/.383 with 29 strikeouts in 68 PA).
  • The Phillies expect outfielder/designated hitter Jay Bruce to return this month, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. Bruce has been on the IL twice with quad problems going back to August, and his most recent placement came Sept. 6. He was a good power source before then with a .225/.276/.578 line and six home runs in 76 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Philly’s hopeful that left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez will make it back if they earn a playoff spot. Alvarez threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball before taking a 105 mph line drive off the groin on Aug. 20.
  • Reds left-hander Wade Miley “took a step back today” in his recovery from shoulder troubles, manager David Bell announced (Twitter links via C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic). Consequently, the Reds don’t expect Miley back this weekend. He last took the mound Aug. 27. The news is better for outfielder Nick Senzel, who Bell said is “pretty close” to coming back. Senzel hasn’t played since Aug. 14, but the Reds haven’t disclosed a reason for his absence.
  • Cardinals righty Johan Oviedo is in COVID-19 quarantine, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Oviedo hasn’t tested positive for the illness, but he was exposed to someone who did. As a result, the Cardinals – whose season was halted for a couple weeks last month because of the virus – are taking a cautious approach. They placed Oviedo on the IL on Thursday. It seems righty Carlos Martinez will take over in the Cardinals’ rotation for Oviedo, a 22-year-old rookie who has put up a 4.66 ERA/4.26 FIP in his first four starts and 19 1/3 innings in the bigs.

Cardinals Activate Carlos Martinez, Option Dylan Carlson

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The St. Louis Cardinals announced the activation of pitcher Carlos Martinez from the injured list today. Martinez has been on the COVID-19 injured list since July.

The plan had been for Martinez to return to the rotation this year after pitching exclusively out of the bullpen in 2019. Martinez made just one start before the outbreak of COVID-19 shut down his season. He’ll likely return to the rotation for one of today’s doubleheader games.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Ryan Meisinger was designated for assignment. Meisinger, 26, made two appearances, logging 2 2/3 scoreless frames, allowing 1 hit and 4 walks, while striking out 3. After making his major league debut with the Orioles in 2018, the Cardinals selected Meisinger off waivers and stored him in Triple-A for 2019, where he put up 35 frames of a 3.09 ERA.

Dylan Carlson has also been optioned to the team’s alternate training site to make room on the active roster. The move was made primarily because of a lack of playing time for Carlson, per Derrick S. Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The 21-year-old outfielder slashed .162/.215/.243 across 79 plate appearances during his first taste of the show.

Given the other options available, it’s a little suspect that the Cardinals couldn’t find playing time for Carlson – should that have been their goal. Fellow outfielders Dexter Fowler and Austin Dean remain out following COVID-19 protocols. Other options in the outfield have struggled for the Cardinals. Lane Thomas (52 wRC+, 225 PA) and Tyler O’Neill (76 wRC+, 98 PA) are options to flank Harrison Bader (140 wRC+) in the grass, though Tommy Edman and Rangel Ravelo could also see time in the outfield. Brad Miller has some experience in the outfield, but the Cardinals have yet to play him there.

Lou Brock Passes Away

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Cardinals legend Lou Brock passed away today at age 81.  According to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hall-of-Famer had been dealing with “a number of medical conditions in recent years.”

Over 19 seasons in the majors, Brock displayed nothing less than mastery of the basepaths, recording 938 stolen bases (from 1245 total chances).  Brock is the National League’s all-time stolen base leader, and his 118 steals in 1974 is also the league’s single-season record.  Only Rickey Henderson has more career steals in Major League history, and given how the stolen base has become a less-popular tactic in recent years, it certainly seems like Henderson and Brock will continue to reign atop the all-time steals list for decades to come.

Beyond the stolen bases, Brock was a big contributor all over the field.  Brock hit .293/.343/.410 over 11240 plate appearances and his 3023 career hits rank him 28th on the all-time hit list.  Brock was a six-time All-Star and won two World Series rings with the Cardinals, coming up big for St. Louis in the postseason.  Over 92 career World Series plate appearances, Brock hit a whopping .391/.424/.655 with four homers (while also going 14-for-16 on stolen base attempts).

A little over 15 and a half of Brock’s MLB seasons were spent with the Cards, and his 2289 games played in a St. Louis uniform is second behind Stan Musial on the franchise’s all-time list.  Ironically, Brock’s arrival in St. Louis was met with little fanfare, as he was part of a six-player trade with the Cubs in June 1964 that saw Brock and two other players join the Cardinals, while three other players (most notably accomplished starter Ernie Broglio) headed to Chicago.  As Hummel noted, many Cards fans and even players weren’t pleased at the trade, yet it has now gone down as one of the more famously lopsided deals in baseball history, not to mention a major plank of the ever-heated Cardinals/Cubs rivalry.

Brock went into Cooperstown as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in 1985, and his post-playing endeavors included some TV commentary work and a special instructor role for the Cardinals.  All of us at MLB Trade Rumors sent our condolences to Brock’s family, friends, and many fans.

Cardinals Make Multiple Roster Moves

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The Cardinals today made a series of roster moves, placing LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim on the 10-day injured list and activated Andrew Miller from the IL, via Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Additionally, they’ve swapped backup catchers, optioning Andrew Knizner and reinstating Matt Wieters from the injured list (courtesy of Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

According to Goold, Kim was taken to the hospital this morning due to a kidney ailment. He’ll be released today, and the Cardinals are optimistic that the lefty will pitch again this season once he undergoes treatment. His IL placement is retroactive to Wednesday, September 2.

With Kim slated to start Sunday’s game, the Cardinals will have to scramble to cobble together a starting rotation in the coming days. Indeed, Dakota Hudson, originally expected to start the second game of today’s doubleheader, will instead start tomorrow. The Cardinals will opt for a bullpen game in Saturday’s nightcap.

Kim, who inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Cardinals following his success in the KBO, has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the St. Louis staff thus far, having notched a 0.83 ERA through his first 21 2/3 innings of MLB work (4 starts).

Meanwhile, neither Wieters nor Knizner has received much playing time with Yadier Molina hogging all the catcher reps in St. Louis, but the Cardinals will give the nod to the veteran Wieters, now healthy after suffering a broken toe. Miller will rejoin the Cardinal bullpen after missing 12 games due to left shoulder fatigue. He’s pitched just 5 2/3 innings for St. Louis this year, notching a 4.76 ERA and striking out 6 batters.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Andrus, Red Sox, Pérez, Cardinals, Cruz

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The Texas Rangers are paying Elvis Andrus for another two seasons at $14.25MM per season, but their long-time shortstop might have to start yielding minutes to Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Anderson Tejeda, writes Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. While one consideration might be the $15MM vesting option the Rangers hold on Andrus for 2023, the fact is Andrus hasn’t provided positive value with the bat since 2016 and 2017, the only two seasons of his 12-year career with a wRC+ north of 100. The last remaining member of the Rangers’ back-to-back World Series squads in 2010 and 2011, Andrus long provided value with the glove to offset his subpar bat, but the defensive numbers have slipped a touch and, at his price point, the Rangers can’t afford for him to be a one- or two-dimensional player. Andrus himself admits that he’s been slow to adapt, saying in a quote provided by Grant, “The toughest thing for me is to not to believe my instincts during the game and to actually believe more in a piece of paper, or report. That’s where the game is right now. I think that’s what I’ve been a little hard-headed about.”

  • Boston Red Sox lefty Martin Pérez is glad he remained with the team through the trade deadline. The 29-year-old veteran is trying to do his part to mentor the young players on an inexperienced Boston staff, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Said Pérez, “I’ve been at this level for a couple of years and I’ve learned from a lot of guys. Now it’s time for me to let the youngest guys know what they have to do.” The Red Sox have leaned on Pérez in a season where they’ve lacked veteran options. Boston holds a $6.25MM option for Pérez next season, a reasonable price point for the kind of production he’s offered this season (4.07 ERA across 42 innings).
  • Jesus Cruz has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Cardinals’ alternate site, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). Cruz was designated for assignment last week. Cruz, 25, appeared in just one game for the Cardinals this season, yielding 2 earned runs on 3 hits and a walk. Cruz has been in the Cardinals organization since 2017, marching steadily up the organizational ladder year-by-year. In 2019, he stuck out 13.1 batter per nine innings across Double-A and Triple-A, but struggled with his comman, surrendering 6.8 BB/9. He worked a 6.02 ERA across 61 1/3 innings between the two levels.

Cardinals Place Dexter Fowler On Injured List

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The Cardinals have placed outfielder Dexter Fowler on the injured list, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Fowler’s dealing with a stomach illness, so the club put him on the shelf as a precautionary measure because he’s taking medicine that could lower his immune system. He’ll miss a couple weeks, writes Goold, who adds that the Cardinals replaced Fowler with infielder Rangel Ravelo on their roster.

Fowler, who’s in his fourth season as a Cardinal, has been a a valuable part of their offense so far in 2020. The switch-hitting 34-year-old has taken 75 trips to the plate and slashed .279/.347/.485 with four home runs, all while getting the lion’s share of work in right field for a St. Louis team that’s 14-13 and in possession of the second wild-card spot in the National League.

Fowler aside, Tyler O’Neill and Harrison Bader are the only Cardinals outfielders who have appeared in double-digit games in the grass thus far. Fowler has been the most effective hitter of any of their outfielders, though, and fellow right field option Dylan Carlson has posted brutal production across the first 73 plate appearances of his career.

Cardinals Designate Jesus Cruz

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The Cardinals have designated right-hander Jesus Cruz for assignment, Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets. They also activated reliever Ryan Helsley from the injured list and optioned lefty Rob Kaminsky.

The 25-year-old Cruz had a short run on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, as the club selected him Aug. 18. He made one appearance as a Cardinal and yielded a pair of earned runs over a single inning of work. Cruz spent last season between Single-A and Double-A, where he combined for a 6.02 ERA and recorded 13.1 K/9 against 6.8 BB/9 over 61 1/3 frames.

Helsley threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in late July, but he then became one of the many Cardinals who tested positive for the coronavirus, which put a temporary halt to their season. Now that he’s back, though, the 26-year-old could be a rather useful piece for St. Louis’ bullpen down the stretch. Helsley debuted in the majors last year and has since ridden a 97 mph fastball to a stingy 2.75 ERA (with a much less impressive 4.05 FIP), 7.78 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings.

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