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Rangers Activate Joey Gallo

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The Rangers announced that they’ve activated outfielder Joey Gallo from the injured list. Gallo went on the IL on June 2 with a left oblique strain.

Texas posted a 13-9 record without Gallo, which is an excellent outcome considering his importance to the team. The 42-36 club is sitting a game back of an American League wild-card spot as it gears up for Gallo’s return.

While Gallo was a 40-home run hitter in each of the previous two seasons, the 25-year-old has truly busted out in 2019 with an exemplary .276/.421/.653 line and 17 home runs in 214 plate appearances. Among those who have amassed at least 200 PA this season, Gallo ranks fifth in wRC+ (168) and eighth in fWAR (3.2). Although offense is Gallo’s calling card, his defense shouldn’t be overlooked. Gallo has helped drive up his value this season with six Defensive Runs Saved and a 5.4 Ultimate Zone Rating across 394 innings divided between center and left field, making him one of the game’s top all-around players.

The Rangers deployed only Danny Santana and Delino DeShields in center during Gallo’s absence, while Santana, Hunter Pence, Shin-Soo Choo and Willie Calhoun handled left. Santana helped fill Gallo’s void of late by going on a hot streak, and DeShields has also performed better recently. Meanwhile, Pence, Choo and Calhoun have held their own at the plate this year over disparate sample sizes. Pence is unavailable at the moment, though, having gone to the IL on June 16 with a strained groin.

MLB Issues Three-Game Suspension To Asdrubal Cabrera

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JUNE 24: The league has reduced Cabrera’s suspension to three games, Grant tweets. Cabrera will sit out the Rangers’ series against the Tigers from June 25-27.

JUNE 21: Major League Baseball has issued a four-game suspension to Rangers third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Cabrera will appeal the ban, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets.

Cabrera received the suspension for throwing equipment on the field at umpire Bill Miller on Thursday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. One piece of equipment “apparently” struck Miller in the ankle, per Grant. Cabrera’s outburst came amid an ejection for arguing balls and strikes.

The 33-year-old Cabrera’s in his first season with the Rangers, who signed him to a $3.5MM deal over the winter to succeed Adrian Beltre as their primary third baseman. The switch-hitting Cabrera has since batted an underwhelming .242/.322/.428 (92 wRC+) with 11 home runs in 267 plate appearances.

Rangers Designate Drew Smyly

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The Rangers announced today that they have designated veteran pitcher Drew Smyly for assignment. His 40-man and active roster spots will go to fellow lefty Locke St. John, whose contract was selected.

In a pair of other moves also involving southpaw hurlers, the Texas club called up Kyle Bird and optioned Joe Palumbo.

While rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Smyly signed a two-year, $10MM deal with the Cubs in anticipation of a full and productive 2019 season. The Rangers acquired that contract last fall, installing the lefty in a rotation full of salvaged former quality starters.

Unfortunately, Smyly’s attempt to come back after two missed campaigns has simply not gone as hoped. He has been torched for 8.42 earned runs per nine in 51 1/3 innings on the season, with his struggles continuing after a move to the bullpen.

Though Smyly is back to his customary 91 mph fastball range, he’s having a hard time coaxing hitters to offer at pitches out of the zone (22.4% chase rate). With batters not being fooled by the breaking stuff, they’re having an easy time drawing walks (just under six per nine) from the typically under-control Smyly. And they are teeing off on his mistakes, having already launched 19 long balls against him.

Still only thirty years of age, Smyly may well have a second act left. He was at times a highly effective starter with the Tigers and Rays. If he’s to get back on track, though, it’ll likely mean spending some time working on things at an extended spring facility and then earning another shot at the big leagues through some time in the minors.

Quick Hits: C. Martinez, Rangers, Straily, Mercer

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Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez has been a highly capable starter for most of tenure with the club, which dates back to 2013. But the Cardinals moved the then-injured Martinez to their bullpen in late April, and that’s where he’s going to stay for the time being, per manager Mike Shildt (via Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Shildt suggested the Cardinals don’t have time to build up Martinez, who opened the season on the injured list with shoulder problems. “To put him back in that cycle again doesn’t make a lot of sense when he’s in a spot where he’s had success and he’s recovering,” Shildt said of Martinez, who has totaled 12 appearances and 13 1/3 innings with a 3.38 ERA/3.47 FIP, 8.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 58.3 percent groundball rate since he made his season debut May 18. Even though Martinez has posted good numbers as a reliever, the Cardinals’ rotation has missed the 27-year-old. Their starting staff has been mediocre or worse this season.

Here’s more from around the majors…

  • The Rangers were planning on giving left-hander Joe Palumbo a chance to audition for a role in their thin rotation, but that may not be the case anymore, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. The 22-year-old Palumbo has started twice, including in Wednesday’s 10-4 drubbing at the hands of the Indians. The Tribe lit up Palumbo for seven earned runs on six hits (two home runs) in two innings. Reliever Jesse Chavez came in after Palumbo and tossed five innings of one-run ball. Although Chavez, 35, hasn’t started extensively since 2017, the Rangers are so hard up for stability in the back of their rotation that they’ll “consider” shifting him there, manager Chris Woodward said.
  • Orioles righty Dan Straily’s place on the team’s roster may be in jeopardy, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests. The low-risk flier the club took on Straily on April 5, a little over a week after the Marlins released him, hasn’t worked out to this point. Straily, 30, was coming off a multiyear run as a useful starter when he joined Baltimore, yet he has worked to a hideous 9.82 ERA/9.30 FIP in 47 2/3 innings since then. While Straily began 2019 as a starter, his struggles convinced the O’s to demote him to their bullpen nearly a month ago. Straily has fared even worse in that role.
  • Injured Tigers shortstop Jordy Mercer is nearing a rehab assignment and could return to the majors by the first week of July, according to manager Ron Gardenhire (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). Mercer, out since April 14 with a right quad strain, already began a rehab stint once. However, he suffered a setback three weeks ago and hasn’t returned to game action yet. When the rebuilding Tigers signed the soon-to-be 33-year-old Mercer to a $5.25MM guarantee in the offseason, they were likely hoping he’d perform well enough to emerge as a summer trade chip. Instead, the former Pirate got off to a brutal start – .206/.275/.317 (55 wRC+) in 69 plate appearances – and hasn’t played since.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/19/19

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Rangers have re-signed right-hander Nick Gardewine to a minor league contract, the team announced. Gardewine’s back with the Rangers shortly on the heels of his release last Thursday, five days after they designated him for assignment June 8. A seventh-round pick of the Rangers in 2013, Gardewine reached the majors for the first time in 2017 and then pitched to a 4.85 ERA with 4.85 K/9 and 4.85 BB/9 (that’s a lot of 4.85s) in 13 innings through 2018. The 25-year-old has missed substantial time over the past couple seasons because of injuries, though he has pitched 323 innings of 3.71 ERA ball with 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 during his minor league career.

Joey Gallo Begins Rehab Assignment

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Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo is set to begin a rehab assignment at the Rookie level, the team announced. Gallo will have 20 days to work his way back to the majors, barring setbacks.

Gallo hasn’t played since suffering a left oblique strain June 1. The injury cut off a superstar-caliber start for Gallo, who was amid a career-best season when he went down. The lefty-swinging Gallo burst out of the gate with a .276/.421/.653 line (170 wRC+), 17 home runs and a personal-high 3.3 fWAR in 214 plate appearances. The 25-year-old looked like a strong bet to reach the 40-HR mark for the third straight season at the time of his injury, but it’ll be all the more difficult now considering the time he has missed. Gallo has sat out 17 games and counting to this point.

The Gallo-less Rangers have gone an impressive 10-7 in his absence, putting them in a dead heat with the Red Sox for the American League’s second wild-card spot. Even with Gallo, Texas is a long shot to actually end up in the postseason, but his return can only improve its odds of making a Cinderella run.

MLB Draft Signings: 6/18/19

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Here’s a look at the latest noteworthy draft signings, with the newest moves at the top of the post.  Click here for the full list of slot values and draft pool bonuses, and you can find prospect rankings and scouting reports from Baseball America’s Top 500,  Fangraphs’ Top 200, MLB.com’s Top 200, and the Top 50 of ESPN.com’s Keith Law….

  • The Rangers announced the signing of second-round right-hander Ryan Garcia, the 50th pick in this year’s draft. The club gave him full slot value ($1,469,900), per TR Sullivan of MLB.com. Garcia came in at No. 98 in MLB.com’s pre-draft rankings. The former UCLA Bruin could develop into a No. 4 starter in the bigs, Jim Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo write.
  • The Diamondbacks have signed second-round pick Ryne Nelson to an above-slot deal, Callis tweets. Nelson’s pick, No. 56, came with a slot value of $1,276,400, but the Diamondbacks awarded him $1.1MM. Nelson’s a former two-way player from the University of Oregon who could end up as a major league reliever, according to Callis and Mayo.
  • The Cubs have signed second-rounder Chase Strumpf (No. 64) for full slot value – $1,050,300 – Callis reports. Callis and Mayo ranked Strumpf as the 41st-best player entering the draft, noting the former UCLA second baseman’s a high-potential offensive player who should be able to handle the keystone going forward.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/18/19

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Rangers have released infielder Chase d’Arnaud, according to the Pacific Coast League’s transactions page. Despite playing in the hitter-friendly PCL this season, the 32-year-old d’Arnaud posted a horrid .164/.275/.316 line (47 wRC+) in 178 plate appearances with the Rangers’ Triple-A club before his release. The major league journeyman and brother of Rays catcher Travis d’Arnaud is a .222/.273/.316 hitter (59 wRC+) in 599 PA at the game’s top level.

Rangers Place Hunter Pence On IL, Activate Willie Calhoun

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The Rangers announced that they’ve placed outfielder Hunter Pence on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain. His roster spot’s going to fellow outfielder Willie Calhoun, whom the Rangers activated from the IL after he missed just under a month with a strained left quad.

This is the first setback in what has been a stunning renaissance season for Pence, who’s a key reason why the Rangers are unexpectedly in wild-card position at the moment. Since signing a minor league contract in the offseason, the former Astro, Phillie and Giant, 36, has slashed .294/.353/.608 (143 wRC+) with 15 home runs in 215 plate appearances. For reference, Pence combined for a 145 wRC+ over the previous two seasons, when it appeared his days as even a passable major leaguer were long over.

While the loss of Pence is an unwelcome development for the Rangers, who are tied with the Red Sox for the AL’s last playoff spot, the return of Calhoun is encouraging. Acquired from the Dodgers in July 2017 for right-hander Yu Darvish, Calhoun fell short of expectations during his first year-plus in the Texas organization. But the 24-year-old got off to an excellent start this season at the Triple-A level, where he hit .302/.417/.540 with eight homers and more unintentional walks (24) than strikeouts (21) in 152 attempts, and carried that to the Rangers when they promoted him May 15. Calhoun batted .435/.458/.739 with a pair of HRs in 24 PA in the week between his call-up and his IL placement.

Hunter Pence, Nomar Mazara To Receive MRIs On Monday

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Two Rangers outfielders will be receiving MRIs on Monday for leg ailments.  Hunter Pence left today’s game in the fifth inning after suffering right groin tightness while chasing a fly ball.  Pence was in right field in place of Nomar Mazara, who received a day off after coming out of Saturday’s game early due to right knee soreness.  Mazara told MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (article links) and other reporters that he has been dealing with the issue for a couple of weeks, though curiously, the injury “doesn’t hurt during games, more when I am just standing around,” the outfielder said.

Of the two injuries, Rangers manager Chris Woodward said “If I was a betting man, I would assume Hunter” would be the one heading to the injured list, if the team was forced to make a roster move.  Mazara’s MRI sounds more precautionary in nature, and Woodward noted that the younger outfielder was already feeling better on Sunday.

If only one player hits the IL, Texas has a replacement ready to go in Willie Calhoun, who is finishing off a rehab stint from his own injured list stint from a left quad strain that has sidelined him since May 22.  If both Mazara and Pence have to miss time, the Rangers’ outfield wouldn’t be shorthanded for long, as Joey Gallo is roughly a week away from recovering his rehab from an oblique strain, though the team is expected to be cautious with Gallo.  These twin IL returns were lining up as a potential roster crunch situation for the Rangers in the outfield/DH mix, though this problem could be put off for a while longer if Pence and/or Mazara end up injured themselves.

An IL visit would interrupt the feel-good story that is Pence’s comeback season, as the popular veteran is hitting .294/.353/.608 with 15 homers over 215 PA.  It seemed as if Pence’s career was winding down following subpar years with the Giants in 2017 and 2018, but after overhauling his swing in the offseason, Pence signed with Texas on a minor league contract and has suddenly delivered one of his very best seasons.  Some regression is inevitable, as Pence’s .396 wOBA far exceeds his .368 xwOBA, though even the latter figure is more than respectable.

While Pence is overachieving at age 36, the 24-year-old Mazara has still yet to break out in his fourth Major League season.  Considered one of baseball’s top prospects heading into the 2016 season, Mazara is hitting .265/.316/.435 this season, which is just about in line with his overall career numbers over 1995 PA in the big leagues.  Between this lackluster offensive production and subpar defensive metrics, Mazara has only a 1.5 fWAR to show for 486 career games.  One bright spot from this year’s numbers is a 45.2% hard-hit ball rate, easily the best of Mazara’s short career, though is also walking less and has a career-high swinging strike rate.

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