Dodgers Select Stefen Romero
4:54pm: Los Angeles officially announced Romero’s promotion, with corner infielder Edwin Ríos moving from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Ríos suffered a right hamstring tear and has been out since June 3. The transfer is backdated to the time of his initial IL placement, meaning he won’t be eligible to return until the first week of August.
8:38am: The Dodgers plan to select the contract of outfielder Stefen Romero on Wednesday, reports J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. He’ll take the place of infielder Hanser Alberto, who is being placed on the paternity list. It’ll be Romero’s first big league appearance since 2016, capping a six-year odyssey that’s taken him around the world.
Once one of the Mariners’ most promising outfield prospects, Romero made his big league debut as a 25-year-old back in 2014 but scuffled to a .192/.234/.299 output over the course of 72 games. He saw more limited Major League time in each of the next two seasons in Seattle, but despite consistently laying waste to Triple-A pitching, he received only sparse looks and never produced much in those infrequent opportunities.
Following the 2016 season, the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball approached Romero and the Mariners about a potential opportunity, and the M’s granted a then-28-year-old Romero his release in order to sign overseas. Romero was an instant success in Japan, hitting .274/.330/.508 with 26 home runs in the first of would wind up being five seasons in NPB. His second year with the Buffaloes wasn’t as strong, but Romero hit .305/.363/.539 in his third season year with Orix. He then signed on with the Rakuten Eagles for a year and turned in a similarly hearty .274/.354/.539 line during the 2020 campaign.
A return endeavor with the Buffaloes in 2021 lasted just 31 games, but Romero’s five-year stint in NPB nevertheless finished with a solid .264/.331/.497 batting line to go along with 96 home runs, 67 doubles and four triples. He inked a minor league deal with the Dodgers this offseason in hopes of securing a return to the big leagues, and he’ll now realize that dream after beginning the season with a .270/.337/.461 showing in Triple-A Oklahoma City.
It’s possible that this will prove to be a short stay on the big league roster for Romero. Alberto’s stay on the paternity list will be between one and three days, and Romero is out of minor league options, so he can’t be sent back down without first being passed through outright waivers.
The Dodgers do have a need for a right-handed-hitting outfielder at the moment, however, as they’re trying to cobble together a right field platoon while Mookie Betts mends from a cracked rib. They reacquired Trayce Thompson yesterday and appear set to give him the first shot at serving as Eddy Alvarez‘s platoon partner, but Romero is also a righty stick who can slot into right field. He’s managed just a .219/.278/.344 slash against lefties in 2022, but that’s come over just 36 plate appearances, so it’s hard to glean much from such a minuscule sample.
Even if it’s a brief stay in the big leagues this time around, today will surely be a day to remember for Romero, whose last MLB appearance came on Aug. 19, 2016 — when he was summoned to the Majors for one game (his lone Major League appearance of that season’s second half). But with the Dodgers’ outfield and bench situations currently in something of a state of flux, it’s at least possible he’ll have the opportunity to carve out a role — at least while Betts is sidelined.
Injured List Transactions: DeSclafani, Solano, Buehler
The Giants reinstated starter Anthony DeSclafani from the 60-day injured list this evening. He’ll get the nod tonight against the Braves, his first appearance since April 21. The righty made three starts in April, allowing nine runs through 13 1/3 innings before hitting the IL due to right ankle inflammation. DeSclafani tossed 167 2/3 frames of 3.17 ERA ball last season and was re-signed on a three-year free agent deal over the winter.
In a corresponding move, San Francisco placed reliever José Álvarez on the 15-day IL due to lower back tightness. The Giants also recalled righty Sam Delaplane and placed him on the MLB 60-day IL to free a spot on the 40-man roster. Delaplane, whom the club added to the 40-man earlier this month, is still working his way back from an April 2021 Tommy John procedure. He won’t be able to pitch in a major league game until at least mid-August and has yet to make his MLB debut. Delaplane will collect MLB service time and be paid the prorated $700K league minimum salary while on the major league injured list.
The latest on a pair of other IL moves with 40-man roster implications:
- The Reds activated Donovan Solano from the 60-day injured list. He’ll make his team debut whenever he gets into a game. Signed to a $4.5MM free agent deal, the righty-hitting infielder suffered a left hamstring injury that cost him the first couple months of the season. Solano is coming off a three-year stretch with San Francisco in which he hit .308/.354/.435, and he figures to see some time at second and third base in Cincinnati. With the Reds having fallen into last place in the NL Central, it’s possible they’ll look to flip the 34-year-old for salary relief and/or a minimal prospect return before the trade deadline. Starter Nick Lodolo was transferred to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot. That’s a procedural move backdated to the time of Lodolo’s initial IL placement on April 25, so he’ll be eligible to return by the end of the week. The southpaw has been out with a back strain but started a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville over the weekend.
- The Dodgers transferred star Walker Buehler from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. That opens 40-man roster space for newly-acquired outfielder Trayce Thompson, whose contract was selected as expected. Buehler is dealing with a flexor strain in his forearm and is targeting a late August or early September return, making the transfer an inevitability. To clear active roster space for Thompson, reliever Caleb Ferguson went on the 15-day IL with forearm tendinitis. The left-hander downplayed any long-term concern about the issue when speaking with reporters this afternoon (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Ferguson, who missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, has tossed five scoreless innings over six appearances.
Dodgers Acquire Trayce Thompson From Tigers
The Dodgers added some outfield depth Monday, announcing agreement with the Tigers on a deal that sends Trayce Thompson to Los Angeles in exchange for cash considerations. It’ll be the second stint in L.A. for the 31-year-old.
Thompson had not been on the Detroit 40-man roster, having signed a minor league contract a month ago. He won’t immediately occupy a 40-man spot with Los Angeles either, although it seems likely the Dodgers will add him to the big league club within the next few days. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported this morning that L.A. was on the hunt for a right-handed hitting outfielder in the wake of Mookie Betts’ trip to the injured list. Thompson, it seems, will get the first crack in that role.
A former second-round pick of the White Sox, Thompson has appeared in parts of six big league seasons. That included a 2016-17 run in Dodger blue, as the club landed him from Chicago in a three-team trade that sent Todd Frazier from Cincinnati to the Sox. Thompson appeared in 107 games with Los Angeles over those two seasons, the biggest body of work he’s compiled with any of the five MLB clubs for which he’s suited up.
That includes a six-game stint with the division-rival Padres this season. Thompson didn’t produce during that cup of coffee in San Diego, but he’s absolutely mashed at the minors’ top level in 2022. Between San Diego’s and Detroit’s highest affiliates, he’s compiled a .305/.365/.721 line and blasted 17 home runs in 41 games. Thompson has struck out in 28.2% of his Triple-A plate appearances, but his massive impact from a power perspective was enough to convince the Dodgers front office to bring him back.
Swing-and-miss concerns have been a similar problem for Thompson at the major league level. He’s punched out in 28.6% of his 640 career plate appearances en route to a .205/.280/.397 line. He’s popped 26 homers and swiped 11 bases, but the subpar on-base numbers have relegated him more towards journeyman status in recent years. Thompson has unsurprisingly been better when holding the platoon advantage than against same-handed arms, but his .218/.283/.445 line against southpaws is still a bit below-average.
Thompson will be something of a stopgap option while Betts recovers, an unsurprising course of action for the organization to take. Rosenthal wrote this morning the team wasn’t looking to surrender notable young talent in any deal, reasoning they could take a bigger swing at an impact addition closer to the trade deadline if Betts misses an extended amount of time.
Juan Toribio of MLB.com first reported the Dodgers were nearing agreement on a deal to land Thompson. Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times confirmed there was a deal in place, while Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic first reported the Tigers would receive cash in return.
Dodgers Exploring Market For Right-Handed Platoon Bat In Right Field
The Dodgers took a huge hit over the weekend when Mookie Betts was placed on the injured list due to a cracked rib, and they’re already looking at ways to help weather the storm in his absence. Los Angeles exploring ways to acquire a right-handed-hitting outfielder to platoon with lefty-swinging Eddy Alvarez while waiting on Betts to heal, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). They’re looking to expend only “minimal prospect cost” in such a deal, which suggests they’re looking at low-cost stopgaps rather than a higher-profile name.
Were it not for a tough-luck injury to veteran Kevin Pillar, the Dodgers might’ve already had that solution in house. Pillar, however, suffered a fracture in his shoulder shortly after being called to the Majors and will miss the remainder of the season following the subsequent surgery to address the issue.
There’s no way to fully replace the value provided by Betts, who is again one of the game’s top all-around players. The former NL MVP was hitting .273/.349/.535 with 17 home runs, 13 doubles, six stolen bases and his typical brand of all-world defense in right field. There’s no firm indication as to how long Betts will be shelved. Manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism about a two-week absence, but that’s a best-case scenario. That the Dodgers are seeking low-cost, ostensibly short-term platoon options speaks to that optimism, but there’s little to be done about a rib fracture of this nature other than rest it and let it heal. Only time will tell the rate at which Betts’ rib mends.
The 32-year-old Alvarez doesn’t have any kind of big league track record to inspire much hope (.190/.277/.276 in 130 plate appearances), but he’s crushed Triple-A pitching at a .304/.430/.500 clip so far in 2022 and has had similarly productive Triple-A showings with the 2019 and 2021 Marlins. It’s sensible that, for the time being, the Dodgers would look to go with some in-house options to patch things over. Even the most obvious sellers on the summer trade market aren’t going to be motivated to sell yet — not with so many teams still trying to gauge their own playoff chances — and taking a short-term approach gives them some time to evaluate just how long Betts will need to recover.
The focus on low-cost platoon options removes the Dodgers from the mix for higher-profile names like Oakland’s Ramon Laureano and Baltimore’s Trey Mancini — at least for now — but still ought to leave plenty of scenarios to explore. Speaking purely speculatively, a big leaguer like Arizona’s Jordan Luplow would make sense both with Betts out and then as a bench piece moving forward, though the D-backs may want an actual prospect in return — especially from a division rival. Then again, given that the larger half of the proposed platoon (Alvarez) is a relative unknown, perhaps the Dodgers will be content to hunt for a similarly obscure solution on the short side of the platoon — be it an accomplished minor league slugger (e.g. Trayce Thompson, Jaylin Davis) or someone who’s yet to make their MLB debut at all.
If it appears at any point as though Betts is in for a lengthier absence, the possibility of a larger-scale move will improve. For now, small-scale swaps or even in-house promotions are the likelier first course of action. For instance, Rosenthal notes that third base prospect Miguel Vargas, who’s hitting .278/.376/.475 in Triple-A Oklahoma City, could be an option. The 22-year-old Vargas, ranked among baseball’s top 100 prospects at MLB.com and Baseball America, hasn’t played any outfield his professional career, however.
Dodgers Place Mookie Betts On 10-Day Injured List, Activate Andrew Heaney
As expected, the Dodgers have placed Mookie Betts on the 10-day injured list and recalled Zach McKinstry. They also activated starter Andrew Heaney, optioning Reyes Moronta.
Betts excellence has become almost commonplace, as he’s again putting together a season that should merit MVP consideration if he’s able to return healthy. The former MVP is hitting .273/.349/.535 for a 148 wRC+. Combining that batting line with his excellent defense and baserunning, Betts has already accrued 3.3 wins above replacement on the year, in the estimation of FanGraphs.
As much as it hurts to lose Betts, Heaney is a big return for the Dodgers. Los Angeles is eager to see what exactly they have in Heaney, who made two scoreless starts at the outset of this season before going on the injured list. The former Angel is coming off a disastrous season, of course, in which he logged an overall 5.83 ERA/4.85 FIP with the Angels and Yankees. He became basically unplayable while in pinstripes, but looks to bounce back in Dodger blue.
Moronta, 29, losing his spot on the big league club for now. Moronta has been consistently good in the Majors, though is mostly limited samples. He has made eight appearances this season with an even 2.00 ERA and 2.47 FIP. It’s likely that he will return to the bigs at some point this season.
Dodgers To Place Mookie Betts On IL With Cracked Rib
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Juan Toribio of MLB.com, that Mookie Betts is headed to the injured list due to a cracked rib. Roberts said that the corresponding move will likely be the recall of Zach McKinstry, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Betts sat out last night’s game due to this issue, though he was back in the lineup today. However, shortly before game time, he was scratched as his soreness lingered. As the club continued testing, an MRI revealed a cracked rib, per Ardaya.
The expected timeline for the absence of Betts isn’t known at this time, but the loss of a talent like his for any amount of time is significant. The former MVP is having yet another excellent campaign, hitting .273/.349/.535 for a 148 wRC+. Combining that batting line with his excellent defense and baserunning, Betts has already accrued 3.3 wins above replacement on the year, in the estimation of FanGraphs.
The Dodgers are having another excellent season, as has come to be the norm for them. However, they appear to be in for a fight this year, as their 40-24 record is just percentage points ahead of the Padres, with the Giants lurking just three games back. That means that every inch will count in the postseason race to come, with the loss of Betts marking a significant blow.
Injury Notes: Zunino, Buehler, Woodruff
The Rays have been without backstop Mike Zunino for a week, as he landed on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation last Friday. The club has worked to pin down the diagnosis in recent days, and manager Kevin Cash indicated yesterday that Zunino may be dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). He’ll receive a Botox injection in hopes of alleviating the symptoms, and the club expects to have a more defined treatment program by next week.
If the injection doesn’t have the desired effect, it’s possible Zunino would need surgery to address the issue. A thoracic outlet procedure would come with a months-long rehab process and end his 2022 campaign. TOS surgery has become more prevalent around the league in recent years, although it’s been a far more common issue for pitchers than for position players. The Rays have relied on a Francisco Mejía – René Pinto pairing behind the dish in Zunino’s absence, and a long-term or season-ending issue could inspire them to turn to the trade market for help. Tampa Bay could arguably stand to upgrade even if Zunino is able to rehab and work his way back quickly, as the impending free agent is hitting only .148/.195/.304 through 36 games this season.
The latest developments on some other notable injury situations around the game:
- The Dodgers placed Walker Buehler on the injured list last week after the righty was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his forearm. Shortly after landing on the shelf, Buehler underwent an arthroscopic procedure to remove a bone spur from his elbow, he told reporters this week (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). The two-time All-Star indicated he’s been pitching through the spur for years and decided it best to remove it while he’s already shut down from throwing because of the flexor issue. The procedure isn’t expected to affect his recovery timeline, and Buehler reiterated he expects to be back on a major league mound 10-12 weeks from now. It’s not clear whether he’ll have enough time to build up as a prototypical starter for the stretch run, but if all goes as planned, he should be available as a postseason weapon for manager Dave Roberts.
- Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff will join Triple-A Nashville for a rehab start tomorrow, tweets Will Sammon of the Athletic. It’ll be the first of two likely minor league appearances before the right-hander is set to return to American Family Field. Woodruff has been out since suffering a right high ankle sprain in late May. While he recovered quite quickly from the leg issue, he was dealt a bit of a setback when a battle with Raynaud’s syndrome — a condition that causes decreased blood flow to a person’s fingers — resulted in some numbness on his throwing hand. Fortunately, he was able to restart a throwing program within days and is apparently in good enough shape to progress to game action.
Walker Buehler Likely Out Two To Three Months With Flexor Strain
11:58PM: Buehler will be shut down from throwing for 6-8 weeks, Roberts told Jack Harris and other reporters, as the MRI revealed a flexor strain. While Buehler will have to rebuild his arm strength almost from scratch afterwards, Roberts does believe the righty will be able to pitch again in 2022.
4:30PM: After Walker Buehler left yesterday’s game with discomfort in his right elbow, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and The L.A. Times’ Jack Harris) that Buehler will be placed on the 15-day injured list. The team has officially announced the transaction, listing Buehler’s placement as due to a right forearm strain.
Buehler is currently undergoing an MRI to determine the extent and nature of the injury, but Roberts said that the right-hander will miss “a good bit of time.” Right-hander Michael Grove will be called up to take Buehler’s place on the active roster. Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015, and though he has avoided any serious elbow/forearm issues since, it is naturally a concern to see Buehler again sidelined with any sort of related injury. More will be known once the MRI results are revealed, as it isn’t yet clear if Buehler’s season (or beyond) could possibly be in jeopardy.
At the very least, the Dodgers will have a big vacancy to fill in the starting rotation, even if Buehler hasn’t been quite his ace-level self in 2022. Buehler has a 4.02 ERA over 65 innings, with a very solid 6.2% walk rate but a below-average 21.2% strikeout rate and underwhelming Statcast numbers. The biggest problem is Buehler’s four-seam fastball, which was at times a dominant plus pitch in 2018-21, but batters have been teeing off on the four-seamer this year. The velocity has dropped off to an average of 95.2mph, though it isn’t that far below Buehler’s career average velo of 96.1mph on his four-seamer.
The Dodgers could have a rotation replacement for Buehler in relatively short order, as Roberts said that Andrew Heaney is set for another rehab start on Tuesday and could be activated from the IL for the Dodgers’ game with the Guardians on June 19. Los Angeles also has off-days on both Monday and Thursday, so a fifth starter won’t be immediately necessary in the short term.
In the bigger picture, of course, losing Buehler for a significant amount of time will certainly increase the Dodgers’ focus on adding starting pitching at the deadline. While L.A. has gotten its typically strong results from its rotation this year, pitching was already expected to be a target area, to add more depth and quality to the starting five. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman hasn’t been shy about adding major names (including such star pitchers as Max Scherzer or Yu Darvish) to the roster at past trade deadlines, so anything from depth additions to blockbuster deals could be on the table for the Dodgers prior to August 2.
Buehler is sidelined just as Clayton Kershaw returns from his own IL stint, leaving the Dodgers still short of their ideal top of the rotation. Kershaw, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Anderson, and Heaney now form the current starting five, with Dustin May (TJ surgery) and Danny Duffy (flexor tendon surgery) expected to return at some point later in the season. Pitchers like Grove, Ryan Pepiot, and Mitch White have also gotten some spot starts this season, and could be called upon again for more rotation work or potentially relief roles depending on how the club opts to deploy any of these hurlers.
Quick Hits: Canha, Escobar, Marte, Mets, Perez, Suarez
Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar are all playing well for the first-place Mets, making the team’s investment in the trio look like a canny move. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman looks back at how the Mets added all three players during a frenzied span of around two days prior to the lockout, and how newly-hired GM Billy Eppler “emphasized on-base percentage, defense, versatility and players with strong reputations as good teammates,” with a particular focus on how well such free agents could adapt to Citi Field. Sherman’s piece contains several interesting details about the Mets’ pursuit of the three players, as well as some other info on some of the other suitors.
The Rangers (another of the winter’s more aggressive teams) and Dodgers were interested in Canha, while “the Mets saw the Giants as a threat” due to Canha’s ties to the Bay Area. As for Marte, New York was a relatively late entry into that chase, as agent Peter Greenberg said he met with roughly 20 other teams before touching base with the Mets, since Eppler wasn’t officially hired until midway through November. However, the Mets made up plenty of ground by offering Marte a big four-year, $78MM contract that outpaced the other bidders. “What stands out to me is that the Mets came in and in less than 24 hours we had a deal,” Greenberg said.
More from around baseball….
- Martin Perez has been one of the surprises of the 2022 season, as the veteran lefty has an AL-best 1.56 ERA over 69 1/3 innings, plus a 54.7% grounder rate and just a single home run allowed. With encouragement from Rangers coaches, Perez has re-established his sinker as a big part of his arsenal, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News writes, and Perez also took a tip from the legendary Pedro Martinez about throwing more pitches outside the strike zone, to induce more chases from batters. The results speak for themselves, as Perez is having a career year at age 31, and setting himself up for a much more lucrative trip to free agent this winter. After the Red Sox declined their club option on Perez last fall, he told Grant that the Pirates and Nationals each had interest prior to the lockout, but Perez instead chose to return to a familiar environment and signed with Texas for a one-year, $4MM pact in March.
- The Padres placed right-hander Robert Suarez on the 15-day injured list due to right knee inflammation earlier this week, and manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including reps from 97.3 The Fan radio) that Suarez recently had surgery to remove “loose impediments.” A specific recovery timeline isn’t known, but Suarez will miss “at least a couple of weeks before we see him back throwing.” The 31-year-old rookie has been a solid performer out of San Diego’s bullpen this year, with Suarez contributing a 3.09 ERA and 30.9% strikeout rate over 23 1/3 innings, though with a high 13.8% walk rate.
Dodgers Activate Clayton Kershaw
As expected, the Dodgers have activated legendary southpaw Clayton Kershaw for his start today. Justin Bruihl was optioned to Triple-A to open the roster spot, per MLB.com’s Juan Toribio (via Twitter).
The veteran southpaw was at his best before a balky back sent him to the injured list for 33 days. He returns owning a 1.80 ERA/2.27 FIP over 30 innings with a stunning 32-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Kershaw’s return couldn’t come at a better time, given the current uncertainty over the health of Walker Buehler. The Dodgers are clinging to a one-game lead over the Padres in the division. It’s too early to think about the standings, but given the competition in the NL West recently, there doesn’t figure to be much margin for error. Regardless, the Dodgers’ +109 run differential is the best mark in the National League by a decent margin (the Mets are second at +68). Even without Kershaw, the Dodgers rotation has set the tone with a league-leading 2.71 ERA.
Bruihl, 24, has been a vital cog for manager Dave Roberts’ bullpen since making his debut last season. Over the two seasons, the California native has a 3.34 ERA/4.35 FIP over 35 career innings. This season, Bruihl has a 3.86 ERA/4.79 FIP in 17 appearances totaling 16 1/3 innings. Bruihl has held lefties to a punchless .250/.273/.250 line in 35 plate appearances this season, but he’s given it back to righties, who have hit .269/.394/.539 across 34 plate appearances.