Dodgers Place Jimmy Nelson On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Phil Bickford
The Dodgers have placed Jimmy Nelson on the injured list with right forearm inflammation, per the team. Phil Bickford has been recalled to take his roster spot. Bickford was only recently claimed off waivers from the Brewers.
A starter for most of his career, Nelson has transitioned to a new role this season, and a valuable one at that. He has tossed 18 2/3 inning in 16 appearances with a 2.41 ERA/1.86 FIP for the Dodgers. Though he has induced just a 37.1 percent groundball rate and walked more batters than they’d like with a 14.3 percent walk rate, Nelson has posted a career-best 39 percent strikeout rate.
Bickford was twice made a first round pick, first coming out of high school in 2013 and then again as the 18th overall pick of the Giants in 2015. The Brewers acquired him in 2016 along with Andrew Susac for lefty Will Smith. He made just one appearance with the Brewers in 2020 and one again in 2021. In his last full season of work, Bickford posted a 2.48 ERA across 32 2/3 innings during his second stint in High-A.
Mariners Place Kendall Graveman On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Wyatt Milles
The Mariners announced a pair of corresponding roster moves today. Closer Kendall Graveman heads to the 10-day injured list while Wyatt Mills joins the active roster from Triple-A.
Graveman has been borderline magical for the Mariners thus far with 16 2/3 scoreless innings across 14 appearances. The 30-year-old former starter has been one of the better stories of the young season, if a tad under-the-radar. He has stepped into the closer role after a strong showing in high-leverage opportunities last season put him in competition for the role. He has five saves thus far, tied for the team lead with Rafael Montero. No specific injury has been listed for Graveman.
The 26-year-old Mills has made six appearances for the Mariners this season, the first of his big-league career. Mills has allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out five. Despite his early struggles, the former Gonzaga stand-out profiles as a potential high-leverage arm out the bullpen.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/23/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Mariners outrighted first baseman/outfielder Jose Marmolejos to Triple-A, the club announced. Marmolejos cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 28-year-old has hit .177/.263/.355 over 209 plate appearances with Seattle in the last two seasons, which marks all of Marmolejos’ career big league experience. Marmolejos spent nine seasons in the Nationals’ minor league system (hitting .288/.354/.448 with 72 home runs in 3440 plate appearances) before signing a minors contract with Seattle after the 2019 campaign.
Phillies Claim Brady Lail, Designate Ramon Rosso
The Phillies have claimed right-hander Brady Lail off waivers from the Mariners, both teams announced. To create roster space for Lail, Philadelphia also designated right-hander Ramon Rosso for assignment.
Lail was designated himself earlier this week, and he also came to Seattle via waiver claim off the White Sox roster last August. After tossing 15 innings for the Mariners last season, Lail had two innings pitched in two appearances this season, allowing three runs.
Lail has now appeared in each of the last three MLB seasons, with a 6.00 ERA over 21 career innings with the Yankees, White Sox, and Mariners. Originally an 18th-round draft pick for the Yankees in 2012, Lail is likely a known commodity to Phillies manager (and former New York skipper) Joe Girardi, and the righty can provide the Phils with more bullpen depth.
Rosso made his Major League debut in 2020 and has posted a 5.73 ERA over 11 innings in the Show over the last two seasons. After posting some solid numbers during his trip up Philadelphia’s minor league ladder, Rosso seemed to hit something of a wall at Triple-A, with only a 5.59 ERA over 77 1/3 innings at the top level of the minors. He has a 26.74% strikeout rate over 330 2/3 career innings in the minors, but that number steadily declined as Rosso advanced to face tougher competition.
Rosso worked almost exclusively as a starter from 2017-19, though he has been deployed as a reliever over the last two years, so he wasn’t considered as a depth option even for a Phillies team that has been hurting for help in the back end of the rotation. It’s possible another team might claim Rosso with an eye towards stretching him back out as a starter, or perhaps using him as a swingman.
Injury Notes: Wacha, Widener, Arroyo, Wood, Engel
Michael Wacha will return from the 10-day injured list to start the Rays‘ game against the Blue Jays today. As noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the plan is for Wacha and Josh Fleming to essentially work in a piggyback capacity today, with Wacha handling the first couple of innings before Fleming takes over for a longer stint. Brent Honeywell Jr. was already optioned to Triple-A yesterday to create roster room for Wacha’s return.
Wacha has been out of action since May 4 due to right hamstring tightness. After signing a one-year, $3MM free agent deal with Tampa this winter, Wacha’s first 28 1/3 innings with the Rays has resulted in a 4.76 ERA/4.06 SIERA. An above-average 6.9% walk rate is just about the only good news for Wacha advanced metric-wise, as his Statcast numbers have been quite underwhelming.
More injury updates from around baseball…
- Taylor Widener has been activated off the 10-day injured list, the Diamondbacks announced. The right-hander will get the start today’s game against the Rockies, and he will take the roster spot left open when Josh VanMeter was optioned to Triple-A yesterday. Widener hasn’t pitched since April 22 due to a right groin strain, after posting some solid bottom-line numbers (a 2.82 ERA in 22 1/3 innings) in four starts for the D’Backs, though Statcast indicates Widener had quite a bit of good fortune in managing that quality ERA. Arizona’s rotation will get a bit closer to full health with Widener back, as Zac Gallen and Luke Weaver are still on the injured list.
- Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo will likely be activated from the injured list on Tuesday, manager Alex Cora told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters. A left hand contusion sent Arroyo to the 10-day IL on May 9 (retroactive to May 7) after he was hit by a pitch. Arroyo cooled down after a strong start to the season, but he still has a respectable .275/.333/.377 slash line in 76 PA, serving as Boston’s regular second baseman.
- Hunter Wood was removed from last night’s game due to what the Rangers termed as right elbow tightness. Wood recorded two outs and issued a walk after entering last night’s game in the seventh inning, but then departed in the midst of an Alex Bregman plate appearance. Wood has a 3.60 ERA in five innings out of the Texas bullpen this season, after signing a minor league deal with the team during the offseason.
- Adam Engel told The Athletic’s James Fegan (Twitter links) and other reporters that his minor league rehab assignment will begin tomorrow. The White Sox outfielder has yet to play this season due to a hamstring strain, as Engel explained that his rehab was slowed by a further injury that tore the muscle off his tendon, increasing his strain from a Grade 2 to a Grade 3.
Indians Place Franmil Reyes On 10-Day IL, Promote Owen Miller
12:05PM: Reyes has been diagnosed with an internal oblique strain, and will be sidelined for the next 5-7 weeks. (MLB.com’s Mandy Bell was among those with the news.)
9:12AM: Reyes is indeed headed to the 10-day injured list, according to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel (Twitter link). Owen Miller‘s contract will be selected from Triple-A, and catcher Roberto Perez is being moved to the 60-day IL to accommodate Miller on the 40-man roster.
A third-round draft pick for the Padres in 2018, Miller came to Cleveland as part of the Mike Clevinger trade package last August. The Illinois State product has been dominant in his first taste of Triple-A baseball this year, as Miller has hit .406/.457/.609 with two home runs in 70 PA. MLB Pipeline rates Miller 16th on their list of Indians prospects, noting his “a hit-over-power approach” that still might result in something akin to 12-15 homers per season, but “Miller’s forte is making consistent line-drive contact to all fields with a compact right-handed stroke and control of the strike zone.”
Miller has mostly played shortstop over his minor league career, and that seems to be his likeliest position in Cleveland since Ramirez and Cesar Hernandez have third base and second base covered. Miller does have experience playing all three infield positions, and even had a couple of games as a left fielder and first baseman this year.
8:56AM: Indians designated hitter Franmil Reyes left yesterday’s game in the middle of a plate appearance due to what the club described as a left abdominal strain. Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mandy Bell) that Reyes will get an MRI this morning to determine the extent of the injury, “but I mean I think common sense says he’s probably gonna miss some time.”
Reyes was in visible discomfort after taking a big swing in the sixth inning, fouling off a 2-0 pitch and then immediately walking away from the plate and holding his side. Pinch-hitter Jordan Luplow replaced Reyes and completed the at-bat, drawing a walk.
A trip to the injured list would be an unfortunate setback for the 25-year-old Reyes, who is in the midst of a breakout season. Reyes is hitting .257/.316/.576 with 11 home runs through 158 PA (139 wRC+, 141 OPS+), and only 12 players in baseball have more homers than Reyes so far this year. Making consistent contact and getting on base is still an issue for Reyes, though he has crushed the ball when he has made contact, ranking fourth among all qualified batters in Statcast’s barrel rate metric.
Replacing Reyes in the event of an IL stint would be no easy task, as Reyes and Jose Ramirez are almost single-handedly trying to carry a Cleveland lineup that has struggled to generate offense. Tribe fans have long been calling for any of Bobby Bradley, Daniel Johnson, or Owen Miller to be called up from Triple-A, but the thought of one of those unproven prospects replacing a scuffling hitter like Jake Bauers or Yu Chang, rather than a big slugger like Reyes. Despite the lack of runs scored, Cleveland is still hanging tough in the standings, sitting in second place in the AL Central with a 24-19 record.
Nationals Place Will Harris, Victor Robles On 10-Day Injured List
11:37AM: In a change of course, the Nationals have now placed Robles on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 20) due to the right ankle sprain. No corresponding move has been announced with less than a half-hour before the Nats take the field against the Orioles, so the Nats will only have 25 active players today.
11:33AM: The Nationals placed right-hander Will Harris on the 10-day injured list today, as Harris is again bothered by right hand inflammation. The same injury sent Harris to the IL earlier this season and kept him from making his season debut until May 4. Righty Kyle McGowin has been called up from Triple-A to take Harris’ spot on the active roster.
Harris had a blood clot removed from his right arm back in March, and there was some thought that he might require thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, though that much more extensive procedure wasn’t necessary. That said, Harris was still dealing with inflammation almost a month after the blood clot’s removal, and it seems as though it has been a persistent problem for the veteran reliever that finally required another IL visit.
Needless to say, Harris’ pitching has been impacted by his injury, as he has a 9.00 ERA over six innings this season. Yesterday’s rough outing against the Orioles might have been the proverbial last straw, as Harris faced three Baltimore hitters and allowed two runs without recording an out in an eventual 12-9 Washington victory.
In other injury news for the District team, Victor Robles isn’t in today’s starting lineup, as the outfielder continues to nurse a sprained right ankle. Robles hasn’t played since suffering the injury on Wednesday, and X-rays on Robles’ ankle were negative and an MRI revealed the sprain.
Manager Davey Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters that Robles did some hitting off a tee yesterday. Since the Nationals don’t have a game on Monday, Martinez said the hope is that two more days off will allow Robles to be ready by Tuesday, so a trip to the injured list can be avoided. Andrew Stevenson has been filling in as the Nats’ center fielder while Robles is sidelined, and Yadiel Hernandez is also on hand for further outfield depth.
Robles’ injury is particularly poorly timed, as he had a 1.206 OPS over his last 20 plate appearances and was showing signs of emerging from his season-long slump. Even with that hot streak, Robles was hitting only .246/.348/.325 over 133 PA, but was still helping the Nationals with his customary strong defense up the middle.
Brewers Release Dee Strange-Gordon
The Brewers have released infielder/outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon, the team announced. Strange-Gordon signed a minor league deal with the Brew Crew back in April but didn’t receive a call-up to the MLB roster.
This marks the second time within the past few months that Strange-Gordon has been released from a minors pact. The speedy utilityman signed with the Reds over the winter but was cut loose at the end of Spring Training after failing to crack the Opening Day roster. Strange-Gordon is coming off a disappointing three-run in Seattle, where he managed only a .266/.293/.343 line (73 wRC+) over 1091 plate appearances.
To his credit, the two-time All-Star has gotten off to a good start this year in Triple-A. In 45 plate appearances with the Brewers affiliate in Nashville, Strange-Gordon hit .333/.378/.500. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for Strange-Gordon; after being released by the Reds, he turned down some minor league opportunities in hope of landing a major league offer that never materialized. Even with his hot start in Triple-A, it’s unclear if any other club will now be willing to offer him the chance to step right onto an MLB roster. There’d surely be plenty of interest in the 33-year-old from teams looking to bolster their organizational depth if Strange-Gordon’s willing to accept another minor league offer.
Yankees Sign Sal Romano To Minor League Deal
The Yankees have signed right-hander Sal Romano to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, per an announcement from the RailRiders (Twitter link). He became a free agent earlier this week after being outrighted by the Reds.
Romano had pitched in fourteen games for Cincinnati this year, his most extensive MLB work since 2018. Over 20 2/3 relief innings, Romano pitched to a 5.23 ERA with a poor 13.2% strikeout rate and an average 9.9% walk percentage. The 27-year-old has never missed many bats, and he’s bottomed out in that regard this year; Romano’s 5.1% swinging strike rate is tied for 240th among 244 relievers with at least ten innings pitched. He also didn’t come out of the gates with his typical velocity; Romano has averaged 93.3 MPH on his sinker this season, down about two ticks from his previous levels.
Tough start aside, there’s little harm for the Yankees in bringing Romano in as a non-roster depth option. He has a solid 3.94 ERA in 118 2/3 career innings at Triple-A, where he’s struck out a more impressive 21.1% of opposing hitters. The Yankee bullpen has been among the league’s best, but New York remains without Zack Britton and Darren O’Day due to injury.
Cubs Outright Tony Wolters
Cubs catcher Tony Wolters has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa, per his transactions log at MLB.com. Chicago designated the 28-year-old for assignment earlier this week when they selected the contract of fellow backstop P.J. Higgins.
Having already been outrighted earlier this season, Wolters had the right to elect free agency after passing through waivers unclaimed. However, he’s decided to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Iowa, where he’s listed on the active roster.
Wolters spent his entire MLB career prior to this season with the Rockies, working as Colorado’s primary catcher for a good portion of the 2016-20 seasons. The Rockies non-tendered him last November and he later hooked on with the Pirates on a minor league deal. After failing to crack Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster, Wolters opted out and signed with the Cubs, where he’s picked up 30 MLB plate appearances so far in 2021.
The left-handed hitting Wolters has never made much of an impact at the plate. He’s generally regarded as a solid receiver and leader of a pitching staff, though, and he has cut down an impressive 30.7% of attempted base stealers at the big league level. Wolters will give the Cubs a quality defensive option as high minors depth.