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Latest On Jonathan Lucroy

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Free agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy has turned down a few minor-league offers in hopes of landing an MLB opportunity, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The 34-year-old has been on the open market since electing free agency after he was outrighted off the Nationals’ roster last week.

Lucroy is obviously far removed from his days as one of the sport’s premier backstops, having struggled to a .248/.315/.350 line with declining defensive metrics between 2017-19. He only played in one game for the Red Sox last season and unsurprisingly had to settle for a non-roster invitation to Spring Training with the White Sox over the winter.

The veteran backstop performed well this spring, but Chicago turned to younger options to back up Yasmani Grandal. Lucroy hit the open market and signed with the Nationals, who were down their presumptive catching tandem of Yan Gomes and Alex Avila due to COVID-19 spread within the organization. He made the Opening Day roster and played in five games, going 5-14 with a double and two strikeouts. Shortly after Gomes and Avila cleared health and safety protocols, though, Washington designated Lucroy for assignment.

The veteran cleared waivers and again hit free agency, but Nationals manager Dave Martinez expressed interest in bringing him back (presumably on a minor-league deal). It seems Lucroy and his representatives at Excel Sports Management remain willing to hold out for a more direct path back to the majors for now.

Murray suggests the Yankees, Blue Jays and Athletics as potential fits for Lucroy, although it’s unclear if any of those clubs have expressed interest. New York only has two catchers on the 40-man roster but current backup Kyle Higashioka is off to an incredible start to the season. Toronto is in the opposite situation. The Jays have four catchers on the 40-man, but their current big league options (Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen) haven’t played well early on. The A’s have a pair of 40-man options (Austin Allen and the struggling Aramís García) who could back up starter Sean Murphy. Lucroy spent the 2018 season with Oakland.

Injury Notes: Lamet, Springer, Archer, Huff

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Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet left his season debut Wednesday with forearm soreness and quickly went on the 10-day injured list, leading to concerns that he could require a second Tommy John surgery. A couple days later, those worries seem to be fading. Lamet went through his typical post-start routine Friday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes, and manager Jayce Tingler called it “a positive day” for the 2020 Cy Young contender. If all goes according to plan over the next week-plus, Lamet could return from the IL when he’s first eligible on May 2.

Now for a few American League updates…

  • Center fielder George Springer may finally be on the cusp of his Blue Jays debut. Manager Charlie Montoyo told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet and other reporters on Friday afternoon that there is “a chance” the Blue Jays will activate Springer on Sunday. The three-time All-Star then got through a sim game at the team’s alternate site without any problems, per Montoyo (via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). An oblique strain and then a quad strain have prevented Springer from suiting up for Toronto, which signed the ex-Astro to a six-year, $150MM contract in free agency.
  • Rays righty Chris Archer has already missed two weeks because of forearm tightness, and a return is not imminent. Archer is likely a couple more weeks from rejoining the Rays’ rotation, manager Kevin Cash revealed (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Even though he endured a disastrous 2019 with the Pirates and then missed all of last season because of thoracic outlet surgery, Tampa Bay reunited with Archer – previously a Ray from 2012-18 – on a one-year, $6.5MM deal in free agency. The gamble hasn’t paid off so far, as Archer didn’t complete three innings in either of the two starts he made before he hit the IL.
  • Rangers catcher prospect Sam Huff will undergo surgery to remove a “loose body” from his right knee next Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News relays. The injury will sideline Huff for eight weeks and could prevent him from catching this season. The 23-year-old – MLB.com’s 68th-ranked prospect – produced eye-popping results during a 10-game, 33-plate appearance major league debut in 2020, when he slashed .355/.394/.742 with three home runs. Huff hadn’t even played above the High-A level when the Rangers promoted him last September.

COVID Notes: 4/23/21

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The latest coronavirus-related updates from around the game:

  • Second baseman Jose Altuve has cleared Major League Baseball’s COVID-19 protocols and will return to the Astros, manager Dusty Baker told Jake Kaplan of The Athletic and other reporters. Baker isn’t sure when Houston will activate Altuve, one of five Astros who went on the COVID list back on April 14. The team has since activated the other four (Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Martin Maldonado and Robel Garcia). Altuve had a down 2020 season, but the former AL MVP has gotten off to a fast start this year with a .318/.380/.455 over 50 plate appearances. Houston has started Aledmys Diaz and Alex De Goti at the keystone during Altuve’s absence.
  • Twins shortstop Andrelton Simmons has cleared the testing phase and can return to the team, manager Rocco Baldelli informed reporters (including Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). Simmons stormed out to a .355/.474/.452 start in 38 PA this year before testing positive for the virus and landing on the IL on April 14. He’ll need time to ramp back up before he can return to the Twins’ lineup, Park notes. Jorge Polanco has received the lion’s share of playing time at short with Simmons out, and he’ll start there again Friday.
  • Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has also gotten through the protocols, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets. Hernandez, who tested positive two weeks ago, has returned to taking batting practice and hitting in the case. Manager Charlie Montoyo said he’s hopeful Hernandez will be back in Toronto’s lineup soon.

MLBTR Poll: Struggling 2020 Playoff Teams

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This season has not started in ideal fashion for the majority of last year’s 16-team playoff field. While the Dodgers, Brewers and Athletics boast terrific records at roughly the 20-game mark, everybody else who qualified for the postseason in 2020 is, at best, hovering around .500. Eight of those clubs currently have more losses than wins (we’ll get to them in a bit).

With a 162-game schedule instead of a 60-game slate, slumping teams have far more time to rebound from slow starts this season. On the other hand, only 10 clubs will make the playoffs in 2021, so teams can ill afford to dig early holes for themselves.

American League

Twins (2020 record: 36-24; 2021 record: 6-11):

  • The Twins are coming off an 0-4, COVID-interrupted road trip that came to a horrific end with a 13-12 loss Wednesday, when sloppy defense led to an extra-innings collapse against the A’s. Reliever Alex Colome – the Twins’ keynote bullpen acquisition of the offseason – took the loss, continuing a rough start to the year for him. Meanwhile, ace Kenta Maeda turned in his worst performance of the season (seven earned runs in three innings) and has only gotten past the 4 1/3-frame mark in one of his four starts. The Twins will likely need the Maeda of old back if they’re going to push for a third straight AL Central title, though Jose Berrios and Michael Pineda have helped pick up the slack in their rotation so far. Meanwhile, the Twins’ offense hasn’t been a juggernaut (Josh Donaldson, Max Kepler and Andrelton Simmons have missed time with health issues), but Byron Buxton may be in the early stages of a breakthrough year at the plate and Nelson Cruz isn’t showing signs of slowing down.

Yankees (2020 record: 33-27; 2021 record: 6-11):

  • The Yankees were pegged as serious World Series contenders entering the season, but they have looked like bottom-feeders so far. What was supposed to be a high-powered offense has totaled the AL’s fewest runs and put up its second-worst wRC+, owing in part to the absence of injured 2020 home run king Luke Voit. The Yankees’ pitching has been much better than their hitting, but that’s largely thanks to the work of their bullpen – which hasn’t had many leads to protect. Gerrit Cole and, to a much lesser extent, Jordan Montgomery have carried their rotation, while offseason acquisitions Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon haven’t been all that effective coming off injuries, and Domingo German has struggled mightily in his return from a domestic violence suspension. The Yankees should get former ace Luis Severino back from Tommy John surgery during the summer, but there’s no telling how he’ll perform in the wake of two straight injury-wrecked seasons.

Blue Jays (2020 record: 32-28; 2021 record: 8-10):

  • The Jays have dealt with a rash of injuries to their pitching staff, including in their rotation – an area that could be a significant question mark even if everyone’s healthy. They have also had to go without their main offseason acquisition, center fielder George Springer, though he shouldn’t be far off from returning from a quad strain. To the Jays’ credit, they’ve essentially tread water thus far, and their plus-10 run differential does rank third in the AL.

Astros (2020 record: 29-31; 2021 record: 7-10):

  • The Astros sneaked into the playoffs last year with a sub-.500 record, though they still came within a game of reaching the World Series for the third time in four seasons. However, the team then got weaker in the offseason with the loss of Springer, whom it didn’t adequately replace, and was dealt another blow when starter Framber Valdez suffered a serious finger injury at the beginning of the spring. The Astros reacted by signing veteran Jake Odorizzi, who has delivered miserable results through his first two starts. Aside from Zack Greinke and Luis Garcia, Astros starters have not gotten the job done, while their bullpen has also been a letdown in the early going. Fortunately, even without Springer, a healthy version of Houston’s offense still brings plenty of firepower to the table.

Which of the above four AL teams do you believe has the best chance to rebound and make the playoffs? (Poll link for app users)

National League

Braves (2020 record: 35-25; 2021 record: 8-10)

  • The back-to-back-to-back NL East champions have fallen behind in April, thanks in part to injuries to starters Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Drew Smyly. The Braves overcame a series of health problems in their staff last year to earn a trip to the NLCS, of course, but an elite offense led the way then. Their attack has been above average again this year, though Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman are their only regulars who have offered star-caliber production. Conversely, Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Travis d’Arnaud have gotten off to brutal starts at the plate.

Cubs (2020 record: 34-26; 2021 record: 8-9)

  • The most significant move the Cubs executed over the winter was one that weakened them, at least in the short term. The team said goodbye to Yu Darvish, sending the 2020 NL Cy Young finalist to San Diego for fellow righty Zach Davies and a few prospects. Cutting costs was part of the motivation for that trade and in general when it came to the Cubs’ offseason; as a result, many were bearish on their chances heading into 2021. So far, the preseason pessimism has been warranted. The Cubs have not hit much, evidenced by bottom four National League rankings in runs and wRC+, and their pitching staff owns the NL’s third-highest ERA. Of their starters, only Jake Arrieta and Alec Mills have managed to post an ERA south of 5.00 so far. Surprisingly, the club’s best pitcher has been closer Craig Kimbrel, who’s back in dominant form after he was largely written off before the season.

Cardinals (2020 record: 30-28; 2021 record: 8-10):

  • The Cardinals pulled off one of the ultimate headline-grabbing moves of the offseason in acquiring star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Rockies. The hope then was that Arenado would lift an offense that finished 2020 with a less-than-stellar wRC+ of 93. Arenado has indeed notched solid production so far, yet the Cardinals’ wRC+ sits at an almost identical 94 through 18 games. Meantime, the bottom-line results of the Cardinals’  starters have been a far bigger problem, as their rotation – which is missing the injured Miles Mikolas – has recorded the NL’s fifth-worst ERA.

Marlins (2020 record: 31-29; 2021 record: 8-9):

Which of the above four NL teams do you believe has the best chance to rebound and make the playoffs? (Poll link for app users)

Blue Jays Acquire Jeremy Beasley

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The Blue Jays have acquired right-hander Jeremy Beasley from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash, the team announced. Righty Tom Hatch was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Arizona designated Beasley for assignment earlier in the week. He’s been optioned to the Jays’ alternate training site for now. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the trade would take place shortly prior to the Jays’ announcement (Twitter link).

Beasley, 25, was a 30th-round pick of the Angels back in 2017 and landed with the D-backs by way of 2020’s Matt Andriese trade. He made an extremely brief big league debut last summer, facing three batters and striking out one of them in his lone appearance. Beasley has a generally solid minor league track record, with the exception of a rough showing in a tiny sample at the Triple-A level in 2019. Like the majority of the pitchers in the Pacific Coast League that year, he was clobbered with what most believe to be a juiced ball, surrendering a dozen runs in 13 2/3 innings.

On the whole, Beasley carries a 3.56 ERA across parts of three minor league seasons. He’s punched out 22.9 percent of his opponents against a solid 8.2 percent walk rate while managing to keep the ball on the ground at a roughly average 44.4 percent clip. He pairs a low to mid-90s heater with a splitter that FanGraphs described as a plus pitch in 2019 and that Baseball America called a legitimate out pitch in its most recent scouting report. He has all of his minor league options remaining, making him a nice depth piece with some flexibility beyond the 2021 season if the Jays choose to hang onto him.

East Notes: McHugh, Orioles, Nationals, Sanchez, Jays

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The Rays placed reliever Collin McHugh on the 10-day injured list with a back strain, relays Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Fellow righty Chris Mazza, who had recently been optioned, was recalled to take his place in the bullpen. It’s yet another injury for the Rays’ relief core, which had already lost Nick Anderson, Chaz Roe and Pete Fairbanks in the season’s early going. McHugh, signed to a one-year deal over the offseason, has pitched 5.1 innings for Tampa Bay to this point, allowing eight runs (six earned) but striking out five with just one walk issued.

More out of the AL and NL East:

  • Orioles outfielder Austin Hays looks likely to be activated from the injured list on Tuesday, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The 25-year-old was placed on the IL a little less than two weeks ago due to a hamstring strain, but it seems he’ll make a return in short order. Hays has played in exhibition games at the alternate training site in each of the past two days without issue, Kubatko notes. The Orioles also optioned right-hander Dean Kremer to the alternate site  after his start last night in Texas, per Kubatko. A pair of scheduled off days obviate the need for a fifth starter, so Baltimore recalled Cole Sulser to add to the relief corps for now.
  • Nationals manager Dave Martinez provided updates on a pair of sidelined pitchers this afternoon (via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). Starter Jon Lester will throw an 80-pitch simulated game on Tuesday as he builds up strength from a stint on the COVID-19 injured list. Lester is the only Washington player who remains sidelined from the team’s coronavirus situation at the beginning of the year. Reliever Will Harris, meanwhile, threw a 26-pitch bullpen session this morning and is again scheduled to do so Tuesday. The veteran righty has yet to make his season debut after undergoing surgery in late March.
  • The Nationals also remain in contact with the representatives for free agent right-hander Aníbal Sánchez, reports Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The veteran, who pitched for Washington from 2019-20, had been expected to sign earlier this month but he cut his finger during a showcase for teams, delaying those plans.
  • The Blue Jays placed reliever Jordan Romano on the injured list on Thursday, but the team is hopeful he’ll return when first eligible April 25, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet was among those to note (Twitter links). Fellow righty Tyler Chatwood should also return in short order, while flamethrower Nate Pearson is in line to throw live batting practice Tuesday as he builds back from the groin injury that has delayed his season debut.

COVID Notes: 4/18/21

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The latest on the coronavirus:

Latest Updates

Earlier Notes

  • Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernández was reported to have tested positive for COVID-19 on April 13. Fortunately, Hernández is no longer feeling symptoms of the virus, reports Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). He’ll have to remain in quarantine for ten days from the time of his positive test under the league’s 2021 health and safety protocols. That he’s currently asymptomatic is obviously good news for Hernández personally and seems to bode well for his chances of returning to play in relatively short order once his mandatory quarantine is up.
  • Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull has been in the health and safety protocols for almost a month, having first been placed on the COVID-19 injured list on March 20. He has been building back arm strength in recent days, though, and manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News) Turnbull could return to action early next week. It’s possible the Tigers will pivot to a six-man rotation at that point, adding Turnbull to a group currently consisting of Matthew Boyd, Michael Fulmer, José Ureña, Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Hinch said the organization hasn’t yet made that decision. If the Tigers were to go back to a five-man starting staff, Fulmer (who began the season in relief) or Ureña (who has struggled over three starts) would seem the most likely options to be bumped to the bullpen to make room for Turnbull. [UPDATE: Turnbull will start on Wednesday against the Pirates, per Jason Beck of MLB.com (Twitter link).]

East Injury Notes: Kiermaier, Harper, Suero, Biggio

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The Rays activated Kevin Kiermaier off the 10-day injured list today, and he played two innings as defensive sub in Tampa Bay’s 6-3 victory over the Yankees.  It was Kiermaier’s first appearance since April 5, as a left quad strain sent the three-time Gold Glover to the IL only four games into the new season.  While still one of the sport’s best defenders when he is able to play, Kiermaier has been a frequent IL visitor over the years due to a wide variety of injuries, which is why the Rays have fortified their center field depth in the form of Manuel Margot and Brett Phillips.

More injury-related notes from around the AL East and NL East…

  • Bryce Harper is day-to-day with lower back soreness, the Phillies announced.  Harper isn’t in today’s lineup against the Cardinals, and manager Joe Girardi suggested to reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) that the problem may have occurred when Harper slid into second base after hitting a double in Friday’s game.  It’s something of a precautionary measure for the Phillies since Harper was bothered by back issues last season, though Zolecki noted that Harper still hit .230/.392/.467 over 158 plate appearances after August 21, when Harper’s back problems developed.  This year, of course, the Phils don’t have the luxury of periodically using Harper as a designated hitter to give him a partial rest day.
  • Wander Suero will undergo an MRI after leaving today’s game after one batter, Nationals manager Davey Martinez told The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty and other reporters.  Suero was removed from the game while facing his second batter, after initially walking Eduardo Escobar.  Now in his fourth season, Suero has been a solid member of the Nats’ bullpen, with a career 3.99 ERA and 25.9% strikeout rate over 149 career innings heading into today’s action.  The D.C. relief corps has already been thinned by injuries to Luis Avilan and Will Harris.
  • Cavan Biggio could potentially return to the Blue Jays’ lineup on Sunday, manager Charlie Montoyo told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson and other reporters.  Biggio left Thursday’s game after being hit in the right hand by a line drive, though x-rays were negative and Biggio was slated to participate in batting practice and a game of catch today.

Blue Jays Place Ross Stripling, Jordan Romano On 10-Day IL

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The injuries continue to pile up for the Blue Jays, who announced that they’ve placed right-handers Ross Stripling and Jordan Romano on the 10-day injured list. The team recalled lefty Anthony Kay and righty Joel Payamps to take the open roster spots.

There is no word on how much time Stripling and Romano will miss, but the fact that they’re dealing with arm injuries is certainly cause for concern. Stripling has a flexor strain, while Romano has ulnar neuritis.

Stripling has been part of the Blue Jays’ rotation this season, though he has slumped to a 7.55 ERA with 13 hits allowed over 8 1/3 innings and two starts. So far, it’s the second straight tough year for Stripling, formerly a useful swingman with the Dodgers who could only muster a 5.84 ERA in 49 1/3 innings between Los Angeles and Toronto in 2020.

The loss of Romano is another serious blow to a Jays bullpen that saw fellow late-game arm Julian Merryweather go to the IL on Wednesday with an oblique strain. Kirby Yates was supposed to be Toronto’s closer this season, but he went down before it began on account of Tommy John surgery, which immediately made Romano and Merryweather logical options to save games. Merryweather won the role, but despite control problems (three walks in 3 1/3 innings), Romano has still only allowed one run and totaled four strikeouts.

Quick Hits: Rodon, Bellinger, Graterol, Mazara, Stripling

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Carlos Rodon was perfect through 8 1/3 innings tonight against the Indians. A backfoot slider skipped off the top of Roberto Perez’s right foot, ending his bid for a perfect game. Rodon managed to complete the no hitter, however, with a masterful 114-pitch complete game shutout. Coming into this season, the former third overall pick was in a battle for the fifth starter job in the White Sox rotation. But tonight, the burly southpaw routinely hit 97 mph on the radar gun (hitting as high as 99 mph in the ninth inning). Certainly, Rodon wasn’t all that high up on the list of pitchers likeliest to throw what would have been the first perfect game in the Majors since 2012: He hasn’t posted an ERA under five since 2018, and he was designated for assignment this winter. Yet, tonight’s start marked the culmination of an arduous journey through numerous injuries and multiple arm surgeries. Congrats to Rodon on throwing the 20th no-hitter in White Sox franchise history. Now, let’s check in on some players still making their way back from injury…

  • Cody Bellinger and Brusdar Graterol will both join the Dodgers on their forthcoming road trip, but neither is a guarantee to be activated. Belligner is still experiencing some swelling in his calf, and he’s yet to run the bases as full speed, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com (via Twitter). Bellinger has been out since April 5th. As for Graterol, he’ll be added to the taxi squad, per Jorge Castillo of the LA Times (via Twitter). It’s not entirely clear why Graterol wasn’t ready to start the season, but it’s only a matter of time until he becomes available out of the bullpen for manager Dave Roberts.
  • Nomar Mazara left Wednesday night’s game with a left abdominal strain, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. There’s no timetable for his return. In the meantime, JaCoby Jones and Victor Reyes should have more opportunities in the starting lineup. Both outfielders have seen their playing time cut both by the offseason acquisition of Robbie Grossman and the early-season breakout from Akil Baddoo. Both Reyes (30 wRC+) and Jones (-10 wRC+) are off to slow starts through their first week of games.
  • Ross Stripling is dealing with forearm tightness, but the Blue Jays don’t have any information beyond that, per Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports (via Twitter). The former Dodger has been tagged for seven earned runs on 13 hits and three walks over 8 1/3 innings so far.
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