- The Blue Jays will be facing a roster crunch when Josh Donaldson returns from the disabled list, Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi writes. The hot-hitting Teoscar Hernandez is the better starting option right now than the slumping Randal Grichuk, though Grichuk is out of options and the Jays don’t want to risk losing him for nothing. The presence of other veterans on pricey contracts (such as Kendrys Morales or Steve Pearce) further creates a positional glut, and demoting Lourdes Gurriel Jr. would leave Toronto without a backup shortstop option. This is just my opinion, but one answer could be to demote Devon Travis, who is hitting just .140/.218/.160 through his first 55 plate appearances. Travis missed most of 2017 due to knee problems and could possibly use some minor league time to get himself back up to speed.
- A trade could also solve the Jays’ roster issues, and Davidi noted that Pearce received some interest during the offseason. After an injury-plagued 2017, Pearce is off to a nice rebound year thus far, hitting .304/.360/.565 over 50 PA as the right-handed hitting side of an outfield platoon with Curtis Granderson. Even with roughly $5.3MM still owed to him this year, Pearce could be attractive to a team looking for a right-handed bat at first base or in the corner outfield. Pearce is a much more viable trade chip than Morales, who is owed $23MM in 2018-19, can only play DH at this point, and is off to another slow start at the plate.
Blue Jays Rumors
Blue Jays Trade Jon Berti To Indians
- The Indians have acquired utility player Jon Berti from the Blue Jays for cash considerations, according to announcements from both teams. Berti will join Triple-A Columbus with Cleveland, which will be his second organization since Toronto chose him in the 18th round of the 2011 draft. The 28-year-old Berti ascended to Triple-A in 2015 and has since hit .212/.282/.314 in 433 PAs at the minors’ highest level.
Josh Donaldson Making Progress
- The Blue Jays have received generally promising news on star third baseman Josh Donaldson, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. Skipper John Gibbons says that, though Donaldson isn’t going to be ready to come back after the minimum ten-day stint, he has resumed throwing and is feeling “great.” The real question, though, is whether Donaldson will be able to throw without limitation after showing reduced form early in the season.
Blue Jays Promote Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
11:06am: The Blue Jays have now formally announced the series of roster moves.
9:35am: The Blue Jays are set to recall infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from Double-A New Hampshire, according to Shi Davidi and Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. The younger brother of Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel, Lourdes will be making his Major League debut upon arriving. The Jays will option fellow infielder Gift Ngoepe and lefty Tim Mayza to Triple-A in order to open roster spots for Gurriel and the returning Kendrys Morales, per the report. That also means that surging young outfielder Teoscar Hernandez will stick with the big league club.
Gurriel, 24, was signed by the Blue Jays shortly after his 23rd birthday. Under the previous iteration of the collective bargaining agreement, his age and five-plus years of professional experience in the Cuban National Series qualified him to sign a Major League contract, which he did — a seven-year, $22MM pact. (Under the current CBA, he’d still be considered an amateur, as the the age criteria was bumped up to 25.)
While his first season in the Blue Jays organization didn’t go well (.229/.268/.339 between Class-A Advanced and Double-A), the younger Gurriel played much better in the Arizona Fall League last year. In 2018, he’s exploded out of the gates with a .347/.382/.510 slash in his first 55 Double-A plate appearances. Baseball America rated him as the game’s No. 73 prospect prior to the 2017 season, and while his poor showing last year knocked him off their rankings, he’s gotten himself back on track to open the year, it seems. Gurriel played all over the diamond in Cuba, but he’s been exclusively a second baseman and shortstop thus far in the Blue Jays organization, splitting his time evenly between the two spots.
As for Hernandez, while the move to recall him initially may have been looked at as a short-term option, he’s announced his presence in the Toronto lineup by hitting .375/.400/.708 with a homer, three doubles and a triple through five games and 25 plate appearances. It’s a small sample, to be sure, but Hernandez demonstrated huge power potential with eight home runs in a September call-up last season, and he’s among the leaders in barreled balls since that time, per Statcast. No hitter who has put at least 10 balls into play thus far in 2018 has averaged better than Hernandez’s 99.3 mph exit velocity.
Blue Jays Place Josh Donaldson On 10-Day DL
The Blue Jays have placed third baseman Josh Donaldson on the 10-day DL with shoulder inflammation, per a club announcement. With the open active roster spot, the Jays will promote outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Donaldson, 32, has hit just fine in the early going but has notably struggled with his throwing. The organization had to this point resisted a DL placement but will now see whether some rest will allow the club’s best player to get back to full strength.
There’s no indication of a new injury or any kind of “structural instability,” Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. Instead, it seems that Donaldson just hasn’t responded as hoped over the early portion of the season.
It’s hard to know how long Donaldson might be out. The Jays intend to put him on a throwing program at the team’s spring facility, Nicholson-Smith notes, but it’s not evident whether there is any kind of anticipated timeline.
Despite the issues with his throwing shoulder, Donaldson has received positive marks in his 55 frames at third on the year. It’s not worth reading too much into fielding metrics at this stage, but that’s generally promising for a player who has graded more as good than great in the field over the past two seasons.
Any uncertainty is unwelcome in a contract year, though, particularly for a player that is already set to enter the open market at a somewhat advanced age. That said, there’s plenty of time for Donaldson to get back to form and turn in a big platform campaign.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/13/18
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league, all courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted…
- The Angels have added right-handed reliever Jordan Jankowski on a minor league contract. The 28-year-old got his first taste of the big league in 2017, tossing 4 1/3 frames for the Astros before landing with the Dodgers via waiver claim. Jankowski has averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 177 1/3 Triple-A frames in his career, though he’s struggled with control since being selected in the 34th round of the 2012 draft as well.
- Former big league infielders Tyler Ladendorf and Darnell Sweeney have signed minor league pacts with the Blue Jays. Ladendorf, a former Twins second-rounder who was once traded to the A’s in exchange for Orlando Cabrera, logged 68 MLB plate appearances with Oakland from 2015-16 but hit just .123/.149/.154 in that brief time. He’s a career .258/.326/.350 hitter in Triple-A and has played second base, shortstop, third base and corner outfield as a pro. Sweeney, meanwhile, posted a .639 OPS in 98 plate appearances with the Phillies in 2015 after they acquired him from the Dodgers in the Chase Utley trade. He’s a career .258/.325/.394 hitter in Triple-A.
- The Giants released outfielder Daniel Carbonell, who they’d originally signed Carbonell to a four-year, $3.5MM contract back in 2014 after he left Cuba. Signed because of his defensive prowess and speed, Carbonell’s bat never came around, as he appeared in just two Triple-A games with the Giants after stalling out in Double-A. In 437 plate appearances at that Double-A level, the now-27-year-old Carbonell hit just .188/.227/.273.
Kendrys Morales Suffers Hamstring Strain
- The Rangers announced that second baseman Rougned Odor left his club’s game today with a left hamstring strain. We’re still awaiting word on a full assessment, but it certainly seems as if the organization is anticipating a DL stint. Likewise, Blue Jays DH Kendrys Morales has received a diagnosis of a grade 1 hammy strain, per a club announcement. That said, skipper John Gibbons struck an optimistic tone after the game, as Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports (Twitter link). Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez also had to depart after a collision with Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain. While it seems the latter will be just fine, the former has been diagnosed with a right Achilles tendon contusion, per the club. Hopefully, that ends up representing the extent of the injury.
Details On The Blue Jays' Interest In Jay Bruce
- Heyman provides some new details on Jay Bruce’s free agent market, reporting that the Indians offered Bruce a two-year, $18MM deal while the Blue Jays discussed a one-year deal in the range of $5MM-$7MM. It’s interesting to note that both teams ended up signing somewhat similar veteran left-handed bats for similar price points — Cleveland inked Yonder Alonso for two years and $16MM in guaranteed money, while Toronto signed Curtis Granderson to a one-year, $5MM deal. The Jays didn’t actually make Bruce an offer, however, and neither did the Astros, though they also had some talks with Bruce about a two-year deal. Heyman speculates that Houston may have been considering Bruce only if top prospect Derek Fisher was dealt, and thus the Astros’ interest waned since they were able to acquire Gerrit Cole without parting ways with the young outfielder. As it turned out, Bruce ended up landing a three-year, $39MM deal to return to the Mets.
[SOURCE LINK]
- Heyman provides some new details on Jay Bruce’s free agent market, reporting that the Indians offered Bruce a two-year, $18MM deal while the Blue Jays discussed a one-year deal in the range of $5MM-$7MM. It’s interesting to note that both teams ended up signing somewhat similar veteran left-handed bats for similar price points — Cleveland inked Yonder Alonso for two years and $16MM in guaranteed money, while Toronto signed Curtis Granderson to a one-year, $5MM deal. The Jays didn’t actually make Bruce an offer, however, and neither did the Astros, though they also had some talks with Bruce about a two-year deal. Heyman speculates that Houston may have been considering Bruce only if top prospect Derek Fisher was dealt, and thus the Astros’ interest waned since they were able to acquire Gerrit Cole without parting ways with the young outfielder. As it turned out, Bruce ended up landing a three-year, $39MM deal to return to the Mets.
Troy Tulowitzki Undergoes Surgery On Both Heels
April 2: Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets that Tulowitzki’s surgeries were performed today, and the Blue Jays were informed that all went well.
March 30: Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is slated to undergo surgery to remove bone spurs from both of his heels, Toronto GM Ross Atkins tells reporters including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links). The procedure will occur on Monday, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm adds on Twitter.
Tulowitzki could be back in eight weeks if all goes swimmingly, meaning we almost certainly won’t see Tulowitzki in a MLB uniform until June. But it’s much more concerning in the broader context of the 33-year-old’s recent injury history.
Hamstring and ankle injuries limited the five-time All-Star to just 66 contests in 2017. That’s just the latest in a long line of problems for Tulowitzki. Since the start of the 2012 season, he has averaged just 98 contests annually.
The other area of concern is just what the Jays can expect out of Tulo even when he is at full strength — or, as close to it as he’ll get at this point. The former star hasn’t produced big value at the plate since 2014. While he turned in roughly average offensive work in the two seasons that followed, he slashed just .249/.300/.378 in his 260 plate appearances last season.
While they await Tulotwitzki’s return, the Jays will presumably rely on recent acquisitions Aledmys Diaz and Gift Ngoepe. That’s not optimal, though perhaps Diaz offers a bit of upside given the quality 2016 campaign he turned in. Yangervis Solarte, who was also picked up over the offseason, is also capable of playing short — though he has done so sparingly in the majors.
This post has been corrected to reflect that the bone spurs being removed are in Tulowitzki’s heels, not his ankles.
Blue Jays Outright Sam Moll
Left-hander Sam Moll cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A, the Blue Jays’ PR account has announced. Moll was designated for assignment earlier this week when the club selected the contracts of John Axford and Tyler Clippard.
Moll worked his way through the 40-man rosters of the Athletics, Pirates, Mariners and Blue Jays this offseason, but less than a week into the season he’ll be forced to settle for a Triple-A salary. The southpaw allowed eight earned runs in just 6 2/3 innings last season in his first taste of major league action.
Still, there’s some semblance of upside for the 26-year-old Moll, who managed a 3.64 ERA between the Triple-A affiliates of the A’s and Rockies last season. He’s long been effective at inducing ground balls, and topped 70% for his ground ball rate last year at Triple-A.
