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AL East Notes: Alvarez, Ellsbury, Sanchez, Ramos, Boxberger, Torres

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Pedro Alvarez and the Orioles agreed to extend their relationship beyond Alvarez’s original June 1 opt-out date, though that extension is up today, David Hall of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports (Twitter link).  “Anything remains possible” between the two sides, Hall writes, which isn’t a surprise given the number of moving parts within Alvarez’s situation.  The slugger has only a .224/.295/.452 overall slash line at Triple-A this season, though he has been on a major hot streak over the last two weeks.  Alvarez’s transition to becoming an outfielder also remains very much a work in progress, which limits his ability to find a spot on Baltimore’s 25-man roster.

Here’s more from around the AL East…

  • Jacoby Ellsbury has been shut down due to a return of his concussion symptoms, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told media (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch).  Ellsbury suffered the injury after a collision with the outfield wall while making a catch on May 24, and he has already spent more than the minimum seven days on the concussion DL.  The veteran is off to a strong .281/.349/.422 start over his first 153 plate appearances, though New York has a very capable center field replacement in Aaron Hicks while Ellsbury recovers.
  • Blue Jays righty Aaron Sanchez may begin throwing as soon as tomorrow, manager John Gibbons told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and other reporters.  Sanchez hasn’t thrown a pitch since May 19 in an effort to fully recover from the blister and fingernail problems that have plagued him all season, leading to three separate DL stints.  It may still be a while before Sanchez returns to the mound, as Gibbons said the right-hander will “definitely” require a rehab assignment after he is able to begin throwing.
  • Wilson Ramos is aiming to make his Rays debut in late June, after completing a 20-day minor league rehab stint, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  Ramos has reportedly been making solid progress in his recovery from the ACL and meniscus tears he suffered in the last week of the 2016 season.
  • Also from Topkin, Rays reliever Brad Boxberger is also looking to return from the DL late this month.  Boxberger will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday that is tentatively scheduled to last for three weeks.  The right-hander will require a lengthy ramping-up process after missing much of Spring Training with a lat strain, and then suffering a flexor strain in his throwing shoulder.
  • Gleyber Torres has spent the bulk of his Triple-A time at third base, and the top Yankees prospect could very well get a crack at the position in the big leagues this season if Chase Headley continues to struggle.  NJ Advance Media’s Brendan Kuty talks to Yankees third base coach and infield instructor Joe Espada about Torres’ defensive abilities and the challenges in moving from shortstop to the hot corner.

Blue Jays Reportedly Release Mat Latos

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The Blue Jays have released right-hander Mat Latos from their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo earlier this week, according to Buffalo broadcaster Ben Wagner (Twitter link). The team has yet to formally announce the move.

The 29-year-old Latos inked a minor league deal with Toronto this offseason and has made three starts for the big league club this season, allowing a total of 11 runs on 19 hits and eight walks with 10 strikeouts in 15 innings. Latos has posted a more favorable 3.80 ERA with a 24-to-13 K/BB ratio in 26 innings with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate. While a number of players have opt-out provisions in their contract this time of year, Wagner specified in a second tweet that Latos’ release was a team decision.

It’s been a struggle for Latos over the past two-plus seasons, as he now owns a 5.05 ERA in his past 201 1/3 innings. Injuries, beginning with left knee surgery in 2014, have played a role in his decline, as has the fact that his velocity has dipped from the 93-94 mph range to the 90-91 mph range. Latos, who has spent time with the Marlins, Dodgers, Angels, White Sox, Nationals and Jays over the past three years, will now look to join a rather remarkable seventh organization since Opening Day 2015.

Blue Jays Designate Mike Bolsinger

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The Blue Jays have designated righty Mike Bolsinger, per a club announcement. His roster spot will go to fellow righty Leonel Campos, who was recalled from Triple-A.

[Related: Updated Toronto Blue Jays depth chart]

Bolsinger, 29, has logged 25 2/3 innings with the Jays this season (five starts) and posted a 5.61 ERA with a 21-to-19 K/BB ratio. That level of control issue is atypical for Bolsinger, who in seasons past has demonstrated solid if unspectacular BB/9 rates. While the righty has struggled in each of the past two big league campaigns, he’s not far removed from a nice 2015 season in which he tossed 109 1/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball for the Dodgers, averaging 8.1 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 with a 53.1 percent ground-ball rate.

Bolsinger’s Triple-A track record includes a 3.96 ERA in 307 innings with better than a strikeout per frame, respectable control (3.3 BB/9) and considerably above-average ground-ball tendencies. Bolsinger has already been designated for assignment and cleared waivers once this season, so it’s possible that history will repeat itself in that regard. Of course, even if it does, he’d have the option to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment back to Buffalo. And, it also remains possible that a club with considerable rotation deficiencies takes a chance on a change of scenery bringing about a return to the right-hander’s 2015 form.

Any club that claims Bolsinger off waivers or acquires him in a minor trade will need to add him directly to the Major League roster, as he’s out of minor league options and can’t be sent to Triple-A without first clearing waivers.

AL East Notes: Sandoval, Torres, Frieri, Pearce, Britton

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It’s likely too soon to expect the Red Sox to make any significant moves — indeed, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said yesterday that the market hasn’t really developed yet, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets. But that doesn’t mean the club is not readying for the deadline. As Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes, third base is an obvious area to target — even with Pablo Sandoval returning from the DL. Dombrowski acknowledged that the veteran’s “so-so” play early on has left the organization feeling unsettled at the hot corner. “We think he can do it,” said Dombrowski. “But now he’s got to go out and do it for us.” Of course, there are some other internal possibilities. Deven Marrero has impressed with the glove and hit two home runs last night, though his overall offensive work (in the both the majors and at Triple-A) remains uninspiring. And then there’s top prospect Rafael Devers, who’s playing at Double-A at twenty years of age.

While we watch to see how the third base situation shakes out in Boston, here are some more notes from the AL East:

  • It’ll be interesting to see whether and when the Yankees make their own decisions in the infield. As ESPN.com’s Andrew Marchand writes, top prospect Gleyber Torres could represent an alternative to Chase Headley at third base. Torres, who draws big praise for his poise, just earned a promotion to the highest level of the minors after posting a strong .273/.367/.496 batting line (with 17 walks against 21 strikeouts) in 139 plate appearances at Double-A.
  • The Yankees will soon face a decision on veteran reliever Ernesto Frieri, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag notes on Twitter. Frieri, 31, can opt out from his minors deal tomorrow. He has been effective through twenty Triple-A frames, allowing five earned runs on just 11 hits while compiling 23 strikeouts against eight walks. Frieri was last a reliable MLB contributor in 2013.
  • Blue Jays outfielder Steve Pearce is still “at least” a few more weeks away, manager John Gibbons tells MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm (Twitter link). The 34-year-old went to the DL recently with a calf strain. He had been off to a rough start to the season, slashing just .205/.256/.373 with 24 strikeouts and just five walks through 90 plate appearances. Fortunately for Toronto, Ezequiel Carrera has hit well in Pearce’s stead.
  • It seems that Orioles closer Zach Britton is proceeding as hoped as he works back from a forearm strain. Per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, via Twitter, Britton is now ramping up his throwing on flat ground. It doesn’t appear that he has taken to the mound as of yet, though there also haven’t been any setbacks so far. While the club isn’t yet ready to put a specific timeline on the lefty, the original schedule still seems reasonable.

Injury Notes: Polanco, Pedroia, Happ, Mets, Nats, Palka

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The Pirates seemingly made it through a scare today after outfielder Gregory Polanco was carted off the field following a collision with the wall. As Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review first tweeted, Polanco escaped with only a sprained ankle. Still, the severity isn’t quite clear and may not be until the joint responds overnight. As Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets, Polanco did require a walking boot after the game.

Here are some more injury updates from around the game:

  • Some fears were seemingly put to rest for Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia after an X-ray on his wrist came back clean, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald was among those to report. But Pedroia, who was injured in a collision while running to first base, has yet to undergo an MRI. The team is sending him back to Boston for a closer look tomorrow morning, with his status to be assessed thereafter.
  • The Blue Jays will welcome back starter J.A. Happ from the DL tomorrow, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. Happ, 34, was sidelined after his third start of the year with elbow inflammation. He had recorded twenty strikeouts against four walks in his first 16 innings on the year after racking up 195 frames of 3.18 ERA ball in 2016.
  • There are some updates on notable injured Mets players, courtesy of Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Closer Jeurys Familia says he is “feeling good” and thinks he can resume throwing within about two weeks — possibly setting up a return as soon as late August. Both Steven Matz and Seth Lugo, meanwhile, will take additional rehab starts before returning to the majors. They are said to be slated for the rotation, with Robert Gsellman expected to move to the bullpen. Meanwhile, star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is looking at another week or ten days before he’s back, though the team is treading carefully. The current issue — not his hamstring, for which he originally went on the DL, but his quadriceps — is apparently tied to the injury that kept Cespedes out of action for a stretch last year.
  • As for the division-rival Nationals, the bench got some good news today. Stephen Drew made it back from the DL today after a long layoff for a hamstring strain, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. And it seems that Chris Heisey may be ready to return much more quickly than seemed likely when it was learned that he had a torn biceps tendon. Heisey is already on a rehab assignment, in fact, since it turns out he can essentially play through the injury. As manager Dusty Baker put it: “Boy, if you’re going to get hurt, I guess you gotta hurt something that you really don’t need.”
  • Twins outfield prospect Daniel Palka is out “indefinitely” after suffering a fractured left index finger, as Triple-A Rochester PR official Nate Rowan tweets. The 25-year-old has shown big-time power in the minors, but also swings and misses with some frequency. He has yet to conquer the highest level of the minors; through 171 plate appearances this year, he owns a .261/.316/.452 batting line with eight long balls.

Injury Notes: Trout, Kendrick, Happ, Liriano, Gray

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Updates on some injury situations around baseball….

  • Mike Trout sprained his left thumb while sliding into second base in today’s game against the Marlins, which led to the Angels superstar to leave the game an inning later.  (Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was one of many with the details.)  X-rays were negative on the injury, though more will be known once Trout undergoes an MRI tomorrow.  Trout has never been on the disabled list in his career, though he did miss a few games earlier this month with a hamstring issue.  Needless to say, losing Trout would be an enormous blow to an Angels team that is hanging in in the AL wild card race despite a plethora of pitching injuries and a lack of team hitting, Trout’s incredible .337/.461/.742 slash line notwithstanding.
  • Howie Kendrick is expected to be activated from the DL tomorrow, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets.  The veteran was off to a good start in his first 10 games with the Phillies before hitting the DL in mid-April with an oblique strain.  He was the starting left fielder in all 10 of his games, though one might expect the versatile Kendrick to be moved around the diamond since Aaron Altherr has broken out since taking over in left.
  • The Blue Jays could get both J.A. Happ and Francisco Liriano back from the DL this week, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi writes.  Happ could be activated as early as Tuesday for a start against the Reds, as though he may be limited to 65-70 pitches, the Jays bullpen could pick up the slack (assuming Marcus Stroman doesn’t have an abbreviated start on Monday, of course).  Happ has been sidelined since mid-April due to elbow inflammation, while Liriano hit the DL earlier this month due to shoulder inflammation.  Liriano is scheduled for a rehab start tonight and is tentatively slated to return to the Jays for a start against the Yankees on Friday.
  • Rockies righty Jon Gray threw a bullpen session today as he continues his recovery from a fractured left foot.  Manager Bud Black told the Denver Post’s Nick Groke and other reporters that Gray will undergo leg-strengthening exercises this week in order to allow for fielding practice, and then Gray will embark on a rehab assignment.  Despite this rough outline, there is “no timetable for when he returns to a game,” Black said.  Gray made only three starts before suffering his stress fracture, though his absence hasn’t stopped the surprising Rockies from posting the National League’s best record.

Anthony Alford To Undergo Wrist Surgery

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SATURDAY, 6:53pm: Alford will indeed undergo surgery and is likely to miss at least four to six weeks, per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.

9:07am: The Jays have announced that Alford will meet with hand specialist Dr. Donald Sheridan next week and that he’s likely to have surgery.

WEDNESDAY: The Blue Jays have placed outfielder Anthony Alford on the 10-day DL, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca first reported on Twitter. Per the club’s announcement, Alford has been diagnosed with a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist.

Alford, 22, had only recently been called up for his first taste of the big leagues. At the time, it wasn’t clear whether he’d hold down a roster spot for more than a brief stretch. Now, Alford will accrue major league service time while he heals. His expected recovery timeline isn’t yet known, though typically such injuries require around six weeks of down time.

Injuries rarely come at opportune moments, but the timing is particularly unfortunate here. Alford was off to a strong start at Double-A, slashing .325/.411/.455 with 16 walks against 24 strikeouts before his promotion. That came on the heels of a tepid 2016 performance, and the club surely hoped to see him extend that momentum — perhaps setting the stage for holding down a regular MLB role.

From the team’s perspective, it also hurts to see Alford’s service clock run while he’s out. It’s possible for the youngster to pick up as many as 136 days of service this year. Even if he ends up returning and being optioned later in 2017, thus limiting the tally, the service days accrued now could potentially play a role in determining when Alford reaches arbitration or even free agency.

Coming up to take the open spot on the active roster is Dwight Smith Jr. The 53rd overall pick in the 2011 draft, Smith had recently been optioned after making his own MLB debut following a strong showing to open the season at Triple-A.

Blue Jays To Activate Donaldson, Tulowitzki From Disabled List

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The Blue Jays will activate third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the disabled list prior to tonight’s game, manager John Gibbons said today in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link). The Toronto Sun’s Rob Longley had written earlier in the day that both were scheduled to be activated this weekend.

Donaldson has been on the disabled list nearly all season due to a right calf injury that has limited him to just nine games in 2017. Tulowitzki, meanwhile, has been limited to 16 games by a strained right hamstring. Ryan Goins has started 31 games at shortstop in Tulowitzki’s absence, while Darwin Barney and Chris Coghlan have shared time at third base in lieu of Donaldson.

The return of Donaldson and Tulowitzki is, clearly, a welcome addition to a Blue Jays team that has dramatically improved since a 2-11 start to the season. The Jays have gone 19-15 since that awful start and have won 12 of their past 19 contests, including three straight. Their overall record of 21-26 still puts them in the AL East cellar, but they’re nonetheless just 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League and a still-manageable 7.5 games back from the division lead. The Jays will have a chance to rectify that early-season slump in the near future, as they’ll host the division-leading Yankees in a four-game set to wrap up the 10-game homestand they’re kicking off tonight.

Longley notes in the aforementioned column that the Jays are also inching closer to adding lefty J.A. Happ back to their rotation. Happ made the first of what GM Ross Atkins believes will be three rehab starts on Thursday, which would seemingly put him in line for an early June return.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/23/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • The Blue Jays announced that catcher Michael Ohlman has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo. Ohlman had the option to elect free agency, having been previously outrighted in his career, but he’ll return to Buffalo in hopes of another big league opportunity with the Jays. The 26-year-old went 2-for-9 in his brief MLB debut with Toronto this year, and he’s slashed a more impressive .246/.388/.594 with seven homers and three doubles through 23 Triple-A contests.

Earlier Moves

  • Right-hander Al Alburquerque has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced on Tuesday. Kansas City designated the veteran 30-year-old for assignment over the weekend after just four innings with the big league bullpen. Alburquerque has totaled just six innings in the Majors over the past two seasons after serving as a regular in the Detroit ’pen from 2013-15. The hard-throwing Alburquerque has no trouble missing bats but has long been prone to control issue as well. Alburquerque has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
  • Per an Orioles announcement, catcher Francisco Pena has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. The out-of-options 27-year-old has seen limited action in the majors in recent years, but has slashed .249/.295/.452 in his 1,221 career plate appearances at Triple-A. While he’s a highly regarded defender, Pena may need to boost his on-base abilities before he’ll earn a full shot at the majors.
  • The Phillies have released southpaw Mario Hollands, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). Once a promising young reliever, Hollands seemingly never fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old has produced middling results in the upper minors over the past two seasons since sitting out all of 2015. This year, he has allowed a dozen walks in his 13 frames at Double-A.
  • Also hitting the open market is former Phillies righty Dalier Hinojosa, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 31-year-old worked to a 1.51 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 through 35 2/3 MLB frames in 2015-16, but clearly hadn’t convinced teams that was sustainable. Hinojosa hasn’t yet pitched this year due to a shoulder injury.
  • It seems that righty Daniel Bard is back at a career crossroads, as he has been released by the Cardinals, according to Eddy’s report. Bard, once an elite bullpen arm with the Red Sox, ran up 19 walks in 8 2/3 outings at the Double-A level as he has continued to struggle to stay in the zone.
  • The Braves released veteran minor-leaguer Blake Lalli, per BA. The 34-year-old catcher saw a bit of action at the major league level last year, but he has mostly plied his trade in the upper minors in recent seasons. He was off to a rough start at the plate this year at Triple-A, with a .167/.226/.271 batting line through 53 plate appearances.
  • Outfielder Tyler Holt has been released by the Dodgers, Eddy reports. Holt has seen action in each of the last three major league campaigns and appeared in 106 games last year with the Reds, but he’s slashing just .228/.306/.274 in 318 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. The 28-year-old was struggling badly in the upper minors with the Los Angeles organization, but will surely hope to regain some lost momentum with another organization.
  • The White Sox have snapped up righty Jake Johansen, who was released recently by the Nationals, according to Eddy. A second round pick back in 2013, Johansen had failed to make the jump to the upper minors and was cut loose after allowing eight earned runs in 11 2/3 innings at Double-A this year.
  • Veteran infielder Chris Nelson has joined the Royals on a minors deal, per Eddy. Once a semi-regular player with the Rockies, Nelson has bounced around in recent years and hasn’t seen any major league action since 2014. He spent time in 2016 at Triple-A with the Rockies organization, slashing .232/.273/.310 in 218 plate appearances.
  • Finally, the Reds have added MLB veteran Vin Mazzaro on a minors deal. He had been working in indy ball, throwing six scoreless frames for the Somerset Patriots, but will now try to crack the bigs for the ninth consecutive year. Mazzaro had a nice run with the Pirates in 2013, but has not seen much MLB action since. He did work to a 3.22 ERA over 67 Triple-A frames last year, with 5.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9, though obviously he didn’t convince many teams with his underlying skills.

Injury Notes: Sanchez, Chen, Cahill, Hughes, Beltre

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Aaron Sanchez won’t resume throwing until the blister/fingernail issues that have plagued him this season have completely subsided, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The Blue Jays ace and 2016 American League ERA champ has already had three separate 10-day DL stints due to the issue, and at this point, he’s not even going to play catch until his finger is fully healthy. “I can’t keep having this issue every inning and have to go check,” Sanchez tells Nicholson-Smith. “This game’s already hard enough to have to go out there and compete. I’m beating myself up trying to go in there and pitch through it. It’s not doing me any good, it’s not doing the team any good.” There’s no timetable on his return at this point, though Sanchez says that if he needs to wait “30 days to find an answer for the rest of my career, then so be it.”

A few other notable injury scenarios from around the league…

  • Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters today that left-hander Wei-Yin Chen has undergone another platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing left elbow (Twitter link via the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Tim Healey). Chen had a PRP in that same elbow last summer and was able to return after an absence of about two months. At this point, however, the Marlins still don’t have any idea when the southpaw will be cleared to rejoin the rotation. As I noted yesterday when running down the various opt-out decisions that will impact the upcoming class of free agents, Chen’s injury makes it nearly impossible to fathom a scenario where he opts out of the remaining three years on his five-year, $80MM contract.
  • The Padres sent Trevor Cahill for an MRI on his injured right shoulder, but the test revealed no structural damage, tweets MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. Cahill will nonetheless be shut down from throwing for the next 10 to 14 days, though, after experiencing continued discomfort in a weekend throwing session. Getting Cahill back to full health will be critical for a rebuilding Padres club that could look to cash in on his perhaps surprisingly excellent start to the season. The 29-year-old’s return to a starting role has yielded a 3.27 ERA with 11.1 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 60.2 percent ground-ball rate through 41 1/3 innings this season. Between that spike in strikeouts and Cahill’s modest $1.75MM salary, he’d generate plenty of interest if healthy.
  • Twins right-hander Phil Hughes also underwent an MRI to have his right shoulder checked out, but GM Thad Levine tells Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that doctors are still evaluating the results (Twitter link). Hughes is slated to undergo further testing tomorrow, Miller adds. Hughes saw his 2016 season end early due to shoulder troubles that led to surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, but he hasn’t regained his velocity thus far in 2017. The 30-year-old has demonstrated his characteristically excellent control (2.1 BB/9), but his 5.7 K/9 rate is a far cry from the 8.0 mark Hughes turned in during his stellar first year with Minnesota.
  • MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets that Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre could head to extended Spring Training this weekend to begin taking some at-bats in games. If that goes well, Beltre will still need a minor league rehab stint to ramp up after missing the entire season to date, though it’s a positive sign that he’s progressed to the point of getting in some extended spring work. It would seem that an early June return for Beltre is possible, barring any further setbacks in his recovery from a calf injury.
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