Stephen Piscotty

Stephen Piscotty Questionable For Opening Day

By Steve Adams | February 28, 2020 at 10:36am CDT

The Athletics are shutting outfielder Stephen Piscotty down after an MRI revealed that his intercostal strain is “a little worse” than anticipated, manager Bob Melvin told reporters Friday (Twitter link via Martin Gallegos of MLB.com). The Athletics aren’t completely ruling out a scenario wherein Piscotty is ready to go on Opening Day, but his outlook is a bit uncertain at the moment.

Piscotty, 29, enjoyed a strong debut campaign with Oakland in 2018 after being traded over from the Cardinals, hitting .267/.331/.491 with 27 homers and 41 doubles. Knee and ankle troubles plagued him in 2019, though, and his ensuing .249/.309/.412 slash with 13 homers and 17 doubles marked a notable step back.

Currently, Piscotty is slated to be Oakland’s primary right fielder even in spite of the 2019 downturn. That’s in part due to his upside but also in part due to the fact that he’s being paid $7MM in 2020 under the terms of the six-year, $33.5MM extension he signed with the Cardinals back in April 2017. That deal runs through the 2022 season, paying Piscotty $7.25MM in both 2021 and 2022, and it also contains a $15MM club option for 2023 (with a $1MM buyout).

If Piscotty isn’t ready to go come Opening Day, the A’s aren’t short on alternatives. Veteran outfielder Robbie Grossman is in his final year of club control before he reaches free agency, and utilityman Chad Pinder has plenty of experience in the outfield corners as well. Should the club elect to simply elevate the role of Grossman and/or Pinder, that might help to open the door for out-of-options Jorge Mateo to make the club in a utility capacity. It’s also worth noting that the A’s have outfielders Dustin Fowler, Skye Bolt and Luis Barrera on the 40-man roster as well. Both Fowler and Bolt have big league experience.

However Piscotty progresses, it doesn’t sound at present like there’s any reason to believe that his injury is a long-term issue. Still, the A’s have three out-of-options players and a Rule 5 pick vying for their second base gig — Mateo, Franklin Barreto, Tony Kemp and Vimael Machin — so an early-season IL stint for Piscotty could create some additional time to make a decision on that group of players.

7 AL West Hitters Looking For Bounce-Back Years

By Connor Byrne | February 24, 2020 at 8:57pm CDT

As the season draws closer, we’ll be examining several prominent players around the majors who are hoping for bounce-back years. Let’s start with a group of well-known American League West position players whose numbers dipped dramatically in 2019…

Justin Upton, LF, Angels: The 32-year-old Upton has been terrific for the majority of his career (otherwise, the Angels wouldn’t have given him a five-year, $106MM guarantee after 2017), but last season was a nightmare. A foot injury kept Upton out until June, and his season ended prematurely in September on account of a right knee issue. When Upton was healthy enough to take the field, he batted a disappointing .215/.309/.416 with 12 home runs and a career-worst 30.5 percent strikeout rate (5 percent worse than his lifetime mark). Compared to 2018, his fly ball percentage and launch angle went way up, but his average exit velocity dropped almost 4 mph, and his hard-hit rate plummeted. The banged-up Upton was even worse in left field, where he accounted for minus-13 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-5.2 Ultimate Zone Rating. Upton recently told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that he’s healthy and aiming for a rebound. The Angels will likely need one from him if they’re going to break a five-year playoff drought; if they get one, Upton should form a lethal offensive quartet with Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Shohei Ohtani.

Andrelton Simmons, SS, Angels: Like his teammate Upton, Simmons missed a significant number of games last year because of injury issues. Ankle troubles limited Simmons to 103 games, his fewest since 2012, and his effectiveness at the plate waned compared to the prior couple years. While Simmons has never been an offensive force, the defensive maven’s slightly above-average work with the bat from 2017-18 helped him combine for 10.4 fWAR in that span. Simmons only put up a .264/.309/.364 line in 424 PA last year, though he did continue to avoid strikeouts (8.7 percent), and his wizardry in the field helped him to a respectable 1.7 fWAR. However, he still finished near the bottom of the majors in several key offensive Statcast categories. For instance, Simmons’ xwOBA (.265) ranked in the bottom 2 percent of the league and fell 59 points from 2018. The ankle may have been holding Simmons back, but regardless, a return to form in 2020 would aid the Angels and the pending free agent’s bank account.

Khris Davis, DH, Athletics: Yet another injury case from 2019, Davis’ normally elite power was sapped during a season in which he fought hip, oblique and hand problems. After three straight 40-home run seasons (and four in a row in which he hit .247), he finished with a .220/.293/.387 line and 23 HRs over 533 PA. His ISO sunk like a stone, going from .302 in 2018 to .166 last year, and his hard contact went way down in the process. The 32-year-old has already been slowed by a calf injury early in camp, but indications are that it’s minor. Oakland will need that to be the case, especially considering the commitment the low-budget club made to Davis before last season. It still owes him $16.75MM on a two-year, $33.5MM contract that hasn’t worked out for the team so far.

Stephen Piscotty, RF, Athletics: The missed time theme continues. Piscotty’s 2019 ailments ranged from frightening (a melanoma on his right ear) to more conventional (knee and ankle injuries). The 29-year-old made just 93 appearances as a result, and he didn’t produce like the big-hitting, 3.0-fWAR player he was in 2018 when he did play. Piscotty hit .249/.309/.412 with 13 homers and 0.6 fWAR in 393 PA, though his hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity both increased. There may be hope for return to his career-best output, then, but Piscotty will first have to get over yet another health issue. He’s dealing with an oblique/rib cage injury that could jeopardize his status for Opening Day.

Mitch Haniger, RF, Mariners: Haniger was quietly great in 2018, but his playing time and his numbers sagged last season. He sat out 99 games after suffering a ruptured testicle at the beginning of June, didn’t play again after that and still hasn’t returned to health. Haniger just underwent his second surgery in the past few weeks – a microdiscectomy on his back – leaving it up in the air when he’ll debut in 2020. The 29-year-old is the Mariners’ best player, though, and if they can get a healthy version back sometime in 2020, he’s as logical a bounce-back candidate as anyone.

Mallex Smith, OF, Mariners: Smith looked like a quality pickup for the Mariners when they acquired him from the Rays after the 2018 campaign. At that point, the speedster was coming off a 3.5-fWAR, 40-steal showing in Tampa Bay. Smith amassed even more stolen bases in is first year in Seattle (46), but the rest of his stats tanked. The 26-year-old hit a weak .227/.300/.335 in 566 trips to the plate, while his defensive output was similarly poor (minus-12 DRS, minus-9.5 UZR). The combination of subpar offense and defense led to a replacement-level fWAR for Smith, who also fell victim to a massive decline in batting average on balls in play. He logged an inflated .366 BABIP in ’18 and a .302 mark in that category last season, which partially explains the drastic difference in year-to-year production.

Rougned Odor, 2B, Rangers: If you’re a Rangers fan (or even part of the organization), you may be tired of Odor’s inconsistency. He has been a 2.0-plus-fWAR player three times in his career, most recently in 2018, but a replacement-level or worse performer twice. That includes last season – even though Odor walloped 30 homers, he was only able to slash .205/.283/.439 in 581 tries. Along the way, the left-handed Odor posted his worst strikeout percentage (30.6) and was eaten alive by righty pitchers, who held him to a dismal .190/.260/.417 line. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Odor was much better in the second half of the season, ending the year with a flourish after general manager Jon Daniels expressed frustration with his production in late August. The Rangers still owe Odor $36MM through 2022, making it all the more important for the club to receive at least passable production from him.

Health Notes: Suarez, Piscotty, Archer, Clase/Civale

By Jeff Todd | February 24, 2020 at 4:39pm CDT

Fortunately, there hasn’t been much in the way of negative health news to this point of Spring Training. Let’s check in on a few issues that have arisen …

Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez is feeling both excitement and some trepidation as he nears readiness to test his recently tweaked shoulder, as Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Indication remains that Suarez could conceivably be ready to roll on Opening Day. He says he’s getting his timing down even as he avoids throwing or swinging full-bore. But there are also some nerves as he prepares to ramp up. “Just a little bit because I know I have something there,” Suarez said when asked whether he’s nervous. “I don’t want to get hurt again. I have to be careful. We’ll see what happens.”
After a disappointing 2019 season, the last thing Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty wants to deal with is another injury issue. Right now, the hope is that his oblique/rib cage problem isn’t going to represent a major limitation, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. But Piscotty might be down for another week and it’s beginning to look like Opening Day readiness could be in doubt. That’d be a disappointment, of course, but it’s surely better than rushing back and ending up with a bigger problem.
Neck tightness kept Pirates righty Chris Archer from making a scheduled outing today, as Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic was among those to report on Twitter. There hasn’t been a substantial update just yet, but there’s no reason to believe that this is more than a minor blip.
It’s a similar situation in Indians’ camp, where righties Emmanuel Clase and Aaron Civale have been limited. As MLB.com’s Mandy Bell tweets, the former is dealing with lat discomfort and the latter a sore groin. While Clase is going to slow his build-up to let things calm down, Civale is preparing to throw a sim game.

A’s To Activate Stephen Piscotty; Latest On Mark Canha

By Connor Byrne | September 26, 2019 at 7:53pm CDT

The Athletics will activate outfielder Stephen Piscotty from the injured list in time for tonight’s game in Seattle, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The A’s have been without Piscotty since he suffered a high ankle sprain Aug. 24. It was the third significant health problem of the season for Piscotty, who previously dealt with a melanoma on his right ear in mid-June and then missed all of July with a sprained right knee.

A healthy Piscotty hasn’t matched his quality 2018 production, having hit .252/.312/.416 with 13 home runs in 389 plate appearances, though he seemed to be rounding into form before landing on the shelf last month. The fact that he’s returning when the A’s are pushing for a playoff spot looks like a boon with fellow outfielder Mark Canha battling groin troubles.

Canha’s injury appeared as if it could end his regular season when he suffered it Wednesday, but it now seems he dodged a worst-case scenario. He may be available off the A’s bench as early as tonight, Slusser tweets. Meantime, Oakland will start Ramon Laureano, Robbie Grossman and Seth Brown in its outfield.

Latest On Stephen Piscotty

By Connor Byrne | September 16, 2019 at 10:48pm CDT

The Athletics have been rolling lately, but not everything is glorious for the American League wild-card leaders. Manager Bob Melvin said Monday that outfielder Stephen Piscotty’s high right ankle sprain might keep him out for the rest of the regular season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty, who hasn’t played since Aug. 24, is still dealing with soreness in his ankle, according to Melvin. That continues what has been a tough campaign for the 28-year-old Piscotty, a highly valuable Athletic last season who has only managed a .252/.312/.416 line with 13 home runs in 389 plate appearances. Piscotty has missed quite a bit of time along the way, as he previously sat out after he underwent surgery to remove a melanoma from his right ear and was later shelved with a right knee sprain.

A healthy Piscotty has been the A’s go-to pick in right field this year, but they’ve turned the position over to a mix of Chad Pinder, Robbie Grossman, Mark Canha and Ramon Laureano in his absence. Oakland has carried on just fine with that group, evidenced by the club’s 15-6 record since Piscotty last played.

If the A’s earn a playoff spot in a couple weeks but Piscotty’s still unable to suit up, they’ll likely place left-hander Jesus Luzardo on their postseason roster, Slusser suggests. The phenom Luzardo, 21, has thrown six innings of two-run ball in a pair of appearances since debuting in the majors Sept. 11.

West Notes: Richards, Trout, Piscotty

By Dylan A. Chase | September 14, 2019 at 7:20pm CDT

When the Padres signed erstwhile Angels ace Garrett Richards to a two-year, $15.5MM deal in December, expectations were that Richards would return in time to lead their young staff in 2020–and, if everything broke right in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, that Richards might squeeze in a few September frames. Apparently, that vision is coming into focus now, as the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee reports that Richards is expected to take the ball in his club’s matchup with the Brewers on Monday (link). “Getting him healthy on the mound, competing at the big-league level is going to set him up for success next year,” Padres manager Andy Green told Acee. “We look at it like get him on the mound, make sure he knows going into the offseason he’s ready to go and he doesn’t have a question in the back of his mind — that he’s stared down a few major league lineups and he’s been back on the big stage and he’s ready to go.”

Though Richards will be limited to 60-65 pitches on Monday, it will surely be a welcome sight for a San Diego team short on battle-tested rotation options. Aside from Richards, the club will be heading into 2020 with a collection of starters who remain largely unestablished. Though fronted by impressive rookie Chris Paddack, San Diego’s current rotation features recent returnees from injury (Dinelson Lamet), unproven projects (Ronald Bolanos), and stagnating sophomores (Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi). Though the 31-year-old Richards, who has been limited to 138 2/3 frames since the beginning of 2016, could hardly be called a rotational stalwart, he did hold a 3.15 ERA over his last five seasons of pitching–a number which was good enough for third-lowest in the American League during that timeframe.

More notes from just right of the Pacific…

Angels outfielder Mike Trout was out of today’s lineup as he continues to deal with a foot issue, and MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger relays that the MVP candidate will likely be limited to DH duty in the immediate future (link). Trout underwent a procedure to address a neuroma in his foot last week, and his continued presence in the Los Angeles lineup is largely a question of pain tolerance. The Angels have already been eliminated from playoff contention, but Trout will, hopefully, be able to return to action–if only to stave off a possible MVP run from players like DJ LeMahieu and Alex Bregman.
Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty is ramping up activity, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser reports that Piscotty, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Aug. 25th, was taking batting practice with the team today (link). He had better hurry in his recovery–Oakland entered play today with just a .5-game lead for the top spot in the American League Wild Card race. Piscotty, 28, holds a .252/.312/.416 slash this year in 389 plate appearances, representing roughly league-average offensive output (95 wRC+).

Injury Notes: Harper, Springer, Suzuki, Piscotty

By Mark Polishuk | September 7, 2019 at 11:07pm CDT

After being hit in the right hand with a Steven Matz pitch on Friday, Bryce Harper sat out the Phillies’ 5-0 win over the Mets today and could also miss Sunday’s game. X-rays were negative on the injury and Harper told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen and other reporters that he would “be fine,” though he was frustrating at having to miss any time at all during the pennant race. “Really tough to take a day [off], but I need to do what I need to do,” Harper off. The Phils’ victory moved them three games behind the Cubs for the last NL wild card berth, and in the midst of such a tight race, certainly can’t afford to miss one of their top players.

While Harper hasn’t quite posted the type of superstar-level numbers you might expect after signing his much-ballyhooed 13-year, $330MM contract last offseason, he has been a thoroughly productive player in his first Phillies season, hitting .254/.372/.497 with 30 homers over an even 600 plate appearances while also contributing strong defense.

More on some key players who may or may not be close to returning to action…

George Springer also didn’t factor into today’s play, though Astros manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome) that the outfielder was available off the bench in Houston’s 2-1 win over Seattle, and would hopefully be back in the lineup on Sunday. Springer suffered a minor concussion after an ugly-looking collision with the outfielder wall on Tuesday, which resulted in the Astros star being carted off the field. Fortunately, the injury was less serious than it appeared, and Springer is set to resume what has been another All-Star season.
Kurt Suzuki will see a doctor after suffering a potential right elbow injury in tonight’s game, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post tweets. The Nationals catcher felt pain after making a throw to second base in the seventh inning, and was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth. Suzuki has hit .260/.319/.473 with 16 homers over 301 plate appearances in his first season as a National, splitting time with (and providing much more offense than) Yan Gomes. Rookie backstop Raudy Read is the only other catcher on Washington’s 40-man roster if Suzuki has to miss any time.
Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty told Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle that he is close to beginning pool therapy on his injured right ankle, and will then further test the injury before determining any next steps. Piscotty believes he can return before the end of the season, which is perhaps not as positive a development as it seems since there hadn’t really been any thought that Piscotty’s high ankle sprain could cost him the remainder of the 2019 campaign. After hitting the IL on August 25, the outfielder is still wearing a walking boot.

AL West Notes: Angels, Laureano, Piscotty, Crawford

By Mark Polishuk | September 5, 2019 at 10:09am CDT

The relationship between Scott Boras and Angels owner Arte Moreno is a notable subplot of the Halos’ plans to upgrade their starting pitching this winter, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes (subscription required). There has been some level of friction between Moreno and Boras ever since the Angels came up short in their pursuit of free agent and Boras client Mark Teixeira in the 2008-09 offseason. This isn’t to say that the two sides haven’t worked together since, as current Angels such as Noe Ramirez and top prospect Jo Adell are all represented by the Boras Corporation, and the Angels have signed Boras clients like Ryan Madson and Matt Harvey to notable deals in recent years.

Still, the modest Madson/Harvey contracts are a far cry from what it would take to sign one of the several Boras clients at or near the top of the free agent pitching market — i.e. Gerrit Cole, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dallas Keuchel, and (if he opts out of his contract) Stephen Strasburg. Even beyond the Boras clients, Rosenthal notes that Los Angeles also couldn’t come to terms with any upper-tier free agent arms the team pursued last winter, leading the Angels towards their ill-fated strategy of signing players like Harvey to one-year contracts. Beyond free agency, Rosenthal wonders if the Halos could trade for pitching by offering from a farm system that is heavy on position-player talent, if not necessarily elite talent (besides Adell) in the eyes of most prospect rankings.

A’s To Place Stephen Piscotty On Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | August 25, 2019 at 6:32pm CDT

The Athletics will place outfielder Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day injured list due to a high ankle sprain, manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Piscotty was seen in the clubhouse prior to Sunday’s game wearing a walking boot on his right foot, MLB.com’s Chris Haft writes.

Piscotty originally suffered the injury back on August 17, after making a slide into second base. He missed one game but then returned to the lineup, as it seemed like the A’s hoped a light schedule (off-days on both Monday and Friday) this week would help Piscotty heal up without an IL stint. However, he’ll now head back to the injured list for the second time this season.

The outfielder has hit .252/.312/.416 with 13 home runs over 389 plate appearances this season. Despite a 41% hard-hit ball rate that ranks as the best of his career, Piscotty hasn’t been able to translate that better contact into more production at the plate, with only a .323 xwOBA (.313 wOBA), 93 wRC+ and 95 OPS+ this season, a marked dropoff from an impressive 124 OPS+/125 wRC+ performance in 2018.

Piscotty also missed all of July recovering from a right knee sprain, which allowed Mark Canha to take the bulk of playing time in Piscotty’s customary right field spot. Canha has taken that ball and run with it, posting a .275/.390/.546 slash line and 22 homers (including the two dingers he hit today in Oakland’s 5-4 loss to the Giants).

It isn’t known how long Piscotty will be out of action, though the A’s are expecting to get another everyday outfielder back within the week as Ramon Laureano is continuing his recovery from a shin fracture. Laureano’s return would move Canha from center field to right field until Piscotty is back, with Robbie Grossman and Chad Pinder holding the fort in left field. Once September 1 hits, of course, the A’s will also have the benefit of some extra depth thanks to the expanded rosters.

Quick Hits: Hamels, Jeimer, A’s, Lucroy, Rays, Brewers

By Connor Byrne | July 26, 2019 at 1:56am CDT

Cubs left-hander Cole Hamels will “likely” return from the injured list Aug. 2 or 3 if he gets through one more rehab start unscathed, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Having suffered a left oblique strain June 28, it appears the 35-year-old will end up missing just over a month. The Cubs have tread water without Hamels, going 11-10 since he incurred his injury, which has been enough to stay atop the NL Central. They’re leading the division thanks in no small part to Hamels, who has recorded a 2.98 ERA/3.59 FIP with 8.76 K/9, 3.16 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent groundball rate in 99 2/3 innings.

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