Blue Jays To Activate Donaldson, Tulowitzki From Disabled List
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
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
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.
Blue Jays Place Aaron Sanchez On 10-Day DL; Designate Mike Ohlman For Assignment
The Blue Jays have placed right-hander Aaron Sanchez on the 10-day DL with a right middle finger laceration. This was one of several roster moves announced (Twitter links) by the team, a list that also notably included catcher Russell Martin returning from the DL, Kevin Pillar returning from a two-game suspension, catcher Mike Ohlman being designated for assignment, outfielder Dwight Smith being optioned to Triple-A and righty Cesar Valdez receiving a promotion from Triple-A to the Major League roster.
[Updated Blue Jays depth chart at Roster Resource]
This is already Sanchez’s third DL stint of the season due to his bothersome finger, as Sanchez has also battled a blister and a split nail. The right-hander made two starts since his most recent return, including a quality start last night against the Orioles (six IP, three ER, 93 pitches). Sanchez said he felt “a little pain” (as per Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith) after last night’s outing, and a few drips of blood were spotted in his first start back, a five-inning outing against the Mariners on May 14. Manager John Gibbons told MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm and other reporters that Sanchez’s latest DL stint is due to a recurrence of the blister.
Sanchez has performed well (3.33 ERA in 24 1/3 IP) when he has been able to take the mound, though peripheral metrics hint that he has been a little fortunate. His ERA indicators (4.92 FIP, 4.73 xFIP, 4.74 SIERA) are well above his actual ERA, and his grounder rate is down to 40%, well below his 56% career average. Still, it’s hard to really evaluate Sanchez properly given the stop-and-start nature of his season. Of all the injury woes that have plagued the Jays this season, Sanchez’s could be the most frustrating given the seemingly minor yet potentially long-lasting nature of blister injuries. Gibbons said the Jays “want to knock it [the blister] out” to keep it from becoming a long-term problem for Sanchez, which would imply that Sanchez won’t be back until he and the club are completely certain that he is healed.
Martin is back after missing slightly more than the minimum 10 days while dealing with a nerve problem in his left shoulder. The catcher bounced back from a terrible start to go on a hot streak just prior to his DL stint, and Martin has a .197/.365/.342 slash line over 96 plate appearances.
Ohlman was called up in the wake of Martin’s injury to back up Luke Maile, allowing the 26-year-old Ohlman to make his Major League debut after nine pro seasons. Ohlman appeared in five games with the Jays (collecting his first two MLB hits in the process) after posting a .260/.348/.395 slash line over 2645 career PA in the minors with the Jays, Cardinals and Orioles organizations.
AL East Notes: Bourn, Hicks, Donaldson
Here’s the latest from around the AL East…
- Monday is Michael Bourn‘s opt-out date in his minor league contract with the Orioles, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports. Bourn suffered a broken finger that sidelined him through most of Spring Training, which led the outfielder and the Orioles to agree to a new minors deal after Bourn opted out of his original pact. There isn’t an obvious spot for Bourn on the big league roster, with Trey Mancini, Seth Smith, Joey Rickard and Hyun Soo Kim providing the O’s with solid corner outfield depth. Kim, however, hasn’t hit much or seen a lot of action this season; Bourn could replace Kim as a left-handed hitting option while adding much more speed and defensive ability.
- Aaron Hicks has been taking grounders at first base, though it may take an “emergency” scenario to see Hicks starting at the position, Yankees infield instructor Joe Espada tells NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty. Joe Girardi asked for Hicks to get some work at first for depth purposes, though work will be required since Hicks has never played any position besides outfield during his 10 pro seasons. Deploying an athletic and above-average outfielder at first could be seen as something of a waste defensively, though the Yankees clearly are exploring all possible ways to get Hicks’ bat into the lineup, with Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury also all hitting well in the regular outfield spots. Greg Bird and Chris Carter, by contrast, have provided the Yankees with little production at first base.
- A week after examining why the Blue Jays should keep Josh Donaldson at least through the season, Sportsnet’s Jonah Keri presents the counter-argument, opining that the Jays should look to move Donaldson now while his value is still very high. Donaldson will hit the open market after the 2018 season (his age-32 season), and committing major dollars to any free agent in his mid-30’s could be a questionable move for Toronto, even for a player with Donaldson’s elite bat. In trading their pending free agents and then Donaldson for a major package of talent, the Jays could reload for a quick return to contention next season.
Injury Notes: Price, Haniger, Kluber, Doolittle, Axford, Ramos, Jones, Ceciliani
Here’s the latest on some injury situations from around the game:
- Red Sox lefty David Price only made it through two innings in his rehab outing tonight, as David Ricci of the Boston Globe reports. On the positive side, Price says that he felt that he was in good physical form during and after the outing. Still, it’s unclear what the next step will be for the valuable southpaw, who has yet to pitch this year in the majors while working through an elbow injury. Manager John Farrell said he’ll speak with Price before a course is determined, as the Globe’s Pete Abraham tweets.
- Meanwhile, the Mariners decided to hold off on starting the rehab assignment of outfielder Mitch Haniger after he felt some mild soreness in his oblique, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. At this point, the hope is that it won’t cause a significant delay. Haniger, 26, is no doubt chomping at the bit to get back to the big leagues after his outstanding start to the year. Over 95 plate appearances, he carries a .342/.447/.608 batting line with four home runs.
- The Indians will send righty Corey Kluber out for a 35-pitch sim game tomorrow, per Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter). Cleveland’s staff ace will test out his balky lower back and hopefully begin moving back toward the majors. Kluber currently owns an uncharacteristic 5.06 ERA through six outings, though he still carries 9.9 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.
- Athletics reliever Sean Doolittle is set to begin throwing from flat ground over the weekend, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California was among those to tweet. He could be back on the bump by the middle of next week — though obviously it will still be a while longer before he’s back in the majors. The southpaw has dealt with a shoulder issue that is of added concern given his history, though the hope remains that he has avoided a significant injury this time around. Meanwhile, righty John Axford is set to return from his own shoulder-related DL stint in the next two days, Stiglich also adds on Twitter.
- Backstop Wilson Ramos is making real progress in his recovery from ACL surgery, Rays manager Kevin Cash said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (via Jim Bowden, on Twitter). He is already able to get in a crouch in bullpen sessions and has been taking batting practice, which certainly seems to suggest it may not be long until he begins a rehab assignment.
- The White Sox are encouraged by the early pen sessions turned in by currently DL’ed setup man Nate Jones, as Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com writes. He might only need one or two more controlled sessions before facing hitters in some fashion — either in a sim game or at the start of a rehab assignment. Jones is dealing with a case of elbow neuritis, but could turn into a significant trade piece this summer if he’s able to pick up where he left off upon his return.
- Blue Jays outfielder Darrell Ceciliani will miss about two or three weeks with a shoulder strain, manager John Gibbons told reporters including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter link). Ceciliani was injured in unusual fashion, as he tweaked his shoulder while driving a ball out of the park. The 26-year-old had only just returned to the majors before going down, receiving the call despite a rough start to his season at Triple-A.
Blue Jays To Promote Anthony Alford
The Blue Jays are promoting top outfield prospect Anthony Alford to the Majors this afternoon, reports Jason Munz of the Hattiesburg American. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported yesterday that the team has been debating a promotion for Alford.
Alford, 22, entered the season as a consensus Top 100 prospect in the game, topping out at No. 55 on the list of ESPN’s Keith Law. His early play has done nothing but further that status, as Alford was off to an impressive .325/.411/.455 start to the season with three homers and nine stolen bases through 33 games with Double-A New Hampshire. Baseball America recently bumped him to No. 34 on their mid-May update of the league’s top 100 prospects.
Of course, it’s not clear that Alford’s promotion will be long-term in nature. The Jays issued a two-game suspension to Kevin Pillar yesterday, so they’re a bit short-handed in the outfield at the moment. Alford will give manager John Gibbons another option in the outfield, but it’s also possible that he could return to New Hampshire once Pillar is reinstated. The Jays did promote outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. in place of Pillar yesterday, but outfielder Darrell Ceciliani suffered a shoulder injury in last night’s game and could potentially be looking at DL time.
The Jays probably don’t want Alford to occupy a bench role when he could be gaining vital everyday at-bats in the minors, and there doesn’t appear to be an everyday role in the Majors unless there’s an injury that the club has yet to announce. Ezequiel Carrera has hit well in left field thus far, while Pillar has been sensational in center. Jose Bautista got off to a slow start in right field, but he’s hitting .289/.394/.542 over his past 23 games.
Heyman’s Latest: Nats, Cutch, Marlins, Cole, Cobb
Jon Heyman of Fan Rag takes a look around the league in his latest notes columns. In addition to providing updates on every National League and American League team, he takes a particularly close look at the Nationals in separate posts. Let’s take a look at some of the items of particular relevance to the transactional landscape:
- The Nationals are beginning to put in phone calls to rivals as they start the search for a new closer in earnest, Heyman writes. Among the players under consideration by the team, at present, are a variety of names with differing contract situations. David Robertson of the White Sox, Kelvin Herrera of the Royals, and A.J. Ramos of the Marlins all have two years remaining at less-than-bargain rates (the latter two via arbitration). Alex Colome of the Rays and Roberto Osuna of the Blue Jays, meanwhile, bring more years of cheap control — and, in all likelihood, astronomical asking prices. Then there’s old friend Mark Melancon, who is in the first year of the four-year pact he signed with the Giants — who evidently beat the Nats’ offer over the winter. Needless to say, there’s quite a lot that could change that picture over the coming months.
- Looking back a bit, the Nationals came closer than any other team to landing Andrew McCutchen from the Pirates over the winter, Heyman adds.Per the report, the sides held talks that “revolved around three players, including Lucas Giolito and veteran Gio Gonzalez.” It’s not immediately clear what else might have been involved, and where things went south, but it’s interesting to hear those parameters. The Nats ultimately pivoted to Adam Eaton, of course, but he’s now out for the year. Perhaps it’s conceivable that the team could take another look at McCutchen, though no doubt the teams would need to start discussions anew with Giolito in Chicago, Gonzalez a key member of the Nats staff and McCutchen struggling.
- The Marlins sale talks had seemingly been building, but Heyman writes that there’s no deal ready to be made at present. For one thing, there are whispers that the purchase price will continue to drop as the organization’s financial health comes under greater scrutiny. For another, there are still questions about where the money will come from on the buyer’s side. “[A]t least the Bush-Jeter group and maybe the Romney-Glavine group, too, [are] still seeking investors,” per Heyman.
- Two significant recent investments made by the Marlins aren’t delivering value at present. Per Heyman, lefty Wei-Yin Chen is headed for a second opinion with his elbow issue still failing to progress. It seems the team could be bracing for a relatively lengthy absence. And Heyman notes that some in the baseball operations department weren’t thrilled at the idea of extending Martin Prado last year at $40MM over three years. He has been playing well enough, but is back on the DL with a recurring hamstring injury.
- Pirates righty Gerrit Cole has looked strong in the early going, but Heyman says the team may not be interested in dealing him even if they continue to lag in the standings. “We’re not in any rush,” a club source tells him. “I don’t think we’re there yet.” The 26-year-old owns a 2.84 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9; while the peripherals are largely in line with his 2016 work, the improved results are supported by jumps in swinging-strike rate (9.9%) and average fastball velocity (a career-high 96.1 mph). With two more years of arb eligibility to go, Cole would likely command a big price at the deadline.
- While the Rays entered play today just one game under .500, that doesn’t mean they aren’t readying for the possibility of selling. Of course, given the team’s pitching depth, it’s imaginable that the team could send out a veteran while still maintaining hopes of cracking the postseason. Per Heyman, Tampa Bay has “already begun calling to get a gauge on the value of Alex Cobb.” Rivals also think the club will be amenable to discussing both Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer, he adds. Cobb, though, is the most obvious possible trade chip. The 29-year-old was homer-prone in his return from Tommy John surgery last year, but has looked solid through 56 1/3 innings this year — his last before reaching free agency. He carries a 3.67 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 to go with a 47.5% groundball rate. Cobb still isn’t getting swings and misses like he used to, but his velocity is better than ever and he has tamped down on the long balls thus far.
Blue Jays Suspend Kevin Pillar For 2 Games
The Blue Jays have issued a two-game suspension to center fielder Kevin Pillar, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (links to Twitter). The 28-year-old has acknowledged and apologized for his use of a homophobic slur during an argument in last night’s game.
Toronto handed down the decision after consulting with the league and player’s association, per GM Ross Atkins. The salary that Pillar will forego will be donated in some manner. Outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. will take Pillar’s roster spot for the time being, the club announced.
The Jays had already released a statement condemning Pillar’s comments, explaining that they were not “a reflection of the type of inclusive organization we strive to be.” But the team did also say that it views Pillar as “a respectful, high-character individual” who would hopefully “learn from this situation and continue to positively contribute and live up to our values on and off the field.”
While it’s obviously unfortunate that Pillar uttered the derogatory remark, he did take full responsibility in his own statement. By using the “inappropriate language,” he said, he “helped extend the use of a word that has no place in baseball, in sports or anywhere in society today.” For that, Pillar said, he is “completely and utterly embarrassed.” The outfielder offered his apologies to Braves reliever Jason Motte (the target of the slur) as well as to “the Braves organization and their fans, and most importantly, to the LGBTQ community” for what he called “the lack of respect I displayed last night.”
Blue Jays Re-Sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia
The Blue Jays have re-signed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a minor-league deal, per a club announcement. He’ll head to Triple-A Buffalo.
Saltalamacchia, 32, opened as the Jays’ reserve backstop but had a brutal start to the season. Over his 26 plate appearances, the switch-hitter went down on strikes 16 times while reaching base just twice. He was also struggling to keep opposing baserunners at first base.
[Related: Updated Toronto Blue Jays depth chart]
While the on-base and fielding skills have always lagged for Saltalamacchia, he’ll obviously need to show more to find his way back to the majors. Still, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll rebound from that dreadful opening, though he’ll also now have to climb over both Luke Maile and Mike Ohlman on the depth chart.
“Salty” has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride in recent years. But he has been an effective hitter as recently as 2015, when he gave the Diamondbacks 194 plate appearances of .251/.332/.474 hitting. Even last year, when his OBP dipped below .300 in a 92-game run with the Tigers, Saltalamacchia blasted a dozen home runs and a .175 isolated slugging percentage — right at his career average and well over the .150 average among catchers around the game.