TheRotofeed

Ambulance Chasers: Hips Don’t Lie

JKJ — Sat, 08 May 2021 07:05:57 +0000

Hello again, dear Razzgals and guys. I'm here to bring you your daily dose of Saturday morning bad news. The injuries this year are truly somethin' else. I really can't remember any sport having a season like this aside from last year's COVID fest. What a pure joy it is to be the bearer of bad news yet again for you all. I do apologize. Please understand I am just the messenger and am suffering right along with you. Buckle up, folks. Whole lotta names on the docket this week.

Bullpen Report: May 8, 2021

Jason Martinez — Sat, 08 May 2021 05:57:38 +0000

The 2021 version of Bullpen Report includes five different sections, as well as the closer chart, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Notable Workloads: Primary closers or valuable members of a closer committee who have been deemed unavailable or likely unavailable for the current day due to recent workload.
Injury News
Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
Losing A Grip: Struggling closers who could be on the hot seat.

The “RosterResource” link will take you to the corresponding team’s RosterResource depth chart, which will give you a better picture of the full bullpen and results of the previous six days (pitch count, save, hold, win, loss, blown save.)

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.

Notable Workloads

•Emmanuel Clase, CLE: Back-to-back days; 18 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

James Karinchak is a likely candidate for a save chance if Clase isn’t available on Saturday.

•Edwin Díaz, NYM: Back-to-back days; 7 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Trevor May is a likely candidate for a save chance if Diaz isn’t available on Saturday.

•Jake McGee, SFG: 25 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Tyler Rogers is a likely candidate for a save chance if McGee isn’t available on Saturday.

Injury News

•Rafael Dolis, TOR: Left Friday’s game due to calf tightness. | RosterResource

Pitching with a 7-2 deficit after four consecutive days off, Dolis allowed a single and walk before departing with a calf injury. No word on the severity of his injury.

Right calf tightness for Rafael Dolis per manager Charlie Montoyo

Dolis will get an MRI tomorrow at which point #BlueJays will decide on next steps https://t.co/Nxc664WF7k

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) May 8, 2021

Jordan Romano, who has four consecutive scoreless outings, becomes the favorite for save chances if Dolis misses any time.

Outlier Saves

•Rex Brothers, CHC | RosterResource

After pitching back-to-back days on Saturday and Sunday and again on Tuesday and Wednesday, Craig Kimbrel was given a second consecutive day on Friday. Therefore, it was Ryan Tepera who got the call in the ninth with the Cubs leading 3-1 over the Pirates. He was one out away from picking up his first save, but an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2 chased him from the game.

Brothers entered and quickly made things more interesting, allowing a single and hit-by-pitch to load the bases. After falling behind Bryan Reynolds with a 3-1 count, he came back to retire him on a flyout to close things out. It was his first save since 2013 when he was the Rockies’ closer.

•Patrick Sandoval, LAA | RosterResource

Sandoval’s 3 1/3 inning save in Friday’s 9-2 blowout win over the Dodgers is misleading. The 24-year-old lefty actually entered the game in a save situation. Two runners were on base with the Angels ahead 5-1 and the tying run on deck. That’s not a situation for a mop-up reliever.

Of course, he probably wouldn’t have stayed in the game until the end had his team not extended their lead by four runs in the bottom of the sixth. But as bad as the Angels’ bullpen has been, it wouldn’t have been a surprise had he he continued for at least another inning or two. Nor would it be surprising if he has earned a chance at some more high-leverage outings.

Committee Clarity

•None

Losing A Grip

•None

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.

Not Very Stable

Hot Seat

Committee

Bullpen Report — 5/7/2021

Twins Place Byron Buxton On Injured List, Recall Trevor Larnach

TC Zencka — Sat, 08 May 2021 03:35:53 +0000

The Twins are placing Byron Buxton on the injured list with a hip strain, per Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Trevor Larnach will be added to the roster with an opportunity to make his Major League debut. Larnach was not on the 40-man roster, so to make room, the Twins designated Brandon Waddell for assignment.

This is a potentially devastating bit of news for the Twins, who are off to an 11-19 start despite tremendous production from Buxton. Buxton has long been an injury concern, but losing him now is particularly difficult. It’s a Grade 2 strain that will keep Buxton out for “weeks,” notes Miller. Buxton has been among the most explosive players in the game, slashing .370/.408/.772 with nine home runs in 98 plate appearances. He has put up 2.7 bWAR, 2.4 fWAR, and a 228 wRC+ in less than a month of playing time.

Jake Cave is in the lineup for Buxton in tonight’s game, but the Twins are likely to employ a dynamic outfield crew for the next couple of weeks. Larnach and Kyle Garlick will have their opportunities in the corners, but neither project as centerfield capable. Max Kepler may be called upon to captain the outfield in Buxton’s stead. Kepler has 134 games of centerfield experience throughout his career, though he appears there only twice in 2020.

Alex Kirilloff, meanwhile, received a cortisone injection in his wrist, but only time will tell when he is able to return, per Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press (via Twitter). Luis Arraez is more likely to help in the near term, as he appears close to returning after suffering a concussion, tweets Miller. Arraez could see time in the corner. Regardless, Cave and Kepler figure to be the Twins’ centerfielders until Buxton returns.

NL Notes: Rockies, Cubs, Marlins, Nationals

TC Zencka — Sat, 08 May 2021 03:11:09 +0000

The Rockies announced a pair of corresponding roster moves today. They selected the contract of Connor Joe from Triple-A, while right-handed pitcher Jose Mujica was optioned to Triple-A. It’s good to see Joe back in the Majors. The 28-year-old opted out of 2020 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, writes MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The Rockies like Joe as a possibility at first base or left off the bench. Joe was a first round draft pick of the Pirates back in 2014. Mujica will be a long-term rotation possibility for the Rockies, though he came out of the bullpen for both of his appearances this season. Elsewhere in the NL…

Cubs southpaw Brailyn Marquez has been about six weeks behind in his conditioning after testing positive for COVID-19. The Cubs’ top pitching prospect doesn’t have an official assignment yet, but it’s believed that he’ll soon head to Double-A, per Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter). Marquez doesn’t turn 22 years old until September.
Both Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jorge Alfaro hope to begin their rehab assignments next week and return from the injured list by next weekend, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Marlins fans eagerly await Chisholm’s return after the infielder posted a 154 wRC+ in 80 plate appearances this season.
Wander Suero will begin his own rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. The Nationals’ reliever has been out since April 18th with an oblique strain. Stephen Strasburg, meanwhile, will soon pitch his second simulated game since landing on the injured list. Presumably, that means the Nats are still in an evaluation stage, and it might take some time yet before Strasburg can return to the diamond.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/7/21

TC Zencka — Sat, 08 May 2021 02:14:27 +0000

Let’s round up some minor moves from around the game…

The Mariners signed a trio of players to minor league deals: Justin Grimm, Brooks Pounders, and Caleb Joseph. Grimm surrendered nine earned runs in just four innings with the Brewers last season after spending 2019 in Triple-A. The 32-year-old owns a 5.14 career ERA in 360 2/3 innings since his debut with the Rangers in 2012. This will be his second go-round in Seattle: he made five appearances for the Mariners in 2019. Pounders did not make a big league appearance in 2020 after appearing for the Mets, Rockies, Angels, and Royals in the four seasons prior. Joseph is a depth catcher who spent the past two seasons with the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks after carving out significant playing time with the Orioles from 2014 to 2018.
The Brewers signed outfielder Mitch Longo to a minor league contract and assigned him to Double-A Biloxi. Noah Zavolas, meanwhile, was assigned to Triple-A Nashville, per the team. Zavalos posted a 2.98 ERA over 22 starts for the Brewers High-A affiliate in 2019. Longo, 26, was a 14th-round draft choice by Cleveland in 2016. He hit .248/.320/.370 across 365 plate appearances in Double-A back in 2019.
The Astros signed Brandon Lawson to a minor league deal and assigned him to Double-A, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The 26-year-old right-hander was solid in 2019 with a 3.70 ERA in 129 innings for the Giants’ Double-A affiliate. He was drafted by the Rays in the 12th round of the 2016 draft when current Astros GM James Click was working in their front office.

Top Mets Pitching Prospect Matt Allan To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

TC Zencka — Sat, 08 May 2021 01:33:09 +0000

Tough news coming out of New York today as it was revealed that Matt Allan will undergo Tommy John surgery sometime this month, per Deesha Thosar of New York Daily News. Allan is the Mets’ top pitching prospect and their third-ranked prospect overall by both Fangraphs and Baseball America, who each place Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Alvarez in the top two spots.

Baseball Prospectus, however, slots Allan ahead of Alvarez as the Mets’ second-ranked prospect. Jeffrey Paternostro of BP wrote just a couple of days ago, “There isn’t a ton to look forward to in 2021 if you are a Mets prospect watcher. It’s a thin, top-heavy system. The top is quite good however, and Allan stands out as the prospect most likely to take a big step forward. His fastball velocity has continued to creep up as a pro, along with spin rates that push it into the plus-plus range. The breaking ball is a potential true hammer, and his changeup is coming along as well.” BP ranked Allan as the No. 79 prospect in all of baseball. He makes Fangraphs’ top-100 at No. 96, while Baseball America is a bit more bullish with a No. 86 valuation.

Allan was a third round draft pick in the 2019 draft. As such, the 20-year-old California native has just 10 1/3 innings of professional pitching to his name. After 8 1/3 innings in Rookie ball back in 2019, Allan was promoted to Low-A for one two-inning outing to close out his first professional campaign. He’ll now miss all of this season as well as a good chunk of 2022, tweets Newsday’s Tim Healey.

Giants Make Several Roster Moves

TC Zencka — Fri, 07 May 2021 23:56:44 +0000

The Giants made a number of roster moves ahead of tonight’s game. The biggest bit of news is the return of Mike Yastrzemski, who has been out since April 26th. While he’s not in the lineup tonight, he is available off the bench and should return to the lineup in the next couple of days. The 30-year-old outfielder put up a .215/.303/.468 line before straining his oblique.

With Yaz coming off the injured list, Alex Dickerson is heading the other way. Dickerson lands on the injured list with a bone bruise on his shoulder. Coming off a 150 wRC+ over a 52-game stretch in 2020, Dickerson has stumbled to a .213/.280/.347 line to start the season (79 wRC+). His strikeout rate is up from 17.6 percent to 22.0 percent, and his walk rate is down from 9.4 percent to 6.1 percent. He’ll get an opportunity to reset after recovering from this shoulder impingement.

Jarlin Garcia has also been added to the active roster taking Joey Bart’s spot after he was optioned to Triple-A, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). Garcia had been out with left knee tendinitis. He surrendered six earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in five appearances early this season. All in all, it was a mixed bag for the 28-year-old southpaw, who managed a strong 32.1 percent strikeout rate despite serving up a pair of home runs and struggling with his command to the tune of a way-too-high 17.9 percent walk rate.

Finally, Johnny Cueto will return to the rotation on Sunday, and with Kevin Gausman set to return after his second vaccine shot, Logan Webb is likely headed to the bullpen. The Giants have been planning to use him as multi-inning reliever out of the pen, but injuries to Cueto and Alex Wood have kept him in the rotation to start the year. The Giants will need to make a roster move to bring Cueto back, with Sam Selman and Zack Littell being possible candidates for demotion, writes Slusser.

Red Sox Place Enrique Hernandez On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Michael Chavis

TC Zencka — Fri, 07 May 2021 22:52:54 +0000

The Red Sox have placed Enrique Hernandez on the 10-day injured list because of a right hamstring strain. Michael Chavis has been recalled in his place, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Chavis had been on Boston’s taxi squad.

More to come…

Angels Acquire Drew Butera From Rangers For Cash Considerations

TC Zencka — Fri, 07 May 2021 21:33:53 +0000

The Rangers have traded catcher Drew Butera to the Angels for cash considerations, Texas announced. This will be Butera’s second tour of duty with the Angels.

More to come…

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers: Week 7

Michael Grennell — Fri, 07 May 2021 21:00:15 +0000

Man there has been a lot of crazy stuff going on in baseball this past week. You would think that John Means throwing the third no-hitter of the season would be the biggest story of the week, but the very next day you have future Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols get designated for assignment in the midst... Read More

Mining the Lineups & News (5/7/21)

Jeff Zimmerman — Fri, 07 May 2021 20:53:12 +0000

American League

Angels

• With Pujols being optioned, Jared Walsh can just play first and an outfield spot opens up. Watch the playing time of Taylor Ward and Juan Lagares over the weekend for this open spot.

• José Iglesias (.630 OPS) has moved up to hitting fifth over the last three games.

• Griffin Canning keeps tinkering with his windup.

While Canning presented first-round level production during his days as a Bruin, longtime UCLA head coach John Savage pointed out that Canning would likely alternate between going over his head as he began his windup. Canning has done just that in his short pro career and into his time in the big leagues — once again making the switch to go over his head before his last start.

“I started doing it just because I felt staticky out of my windup,” Canning said of the recent switch. “So it added some rhythm. Now I guess I was a little bit stubborn in not switching back like I probably should have earlier. But that’s who I am. I think that that’s my windup, and that’s who I should be.”

David Fletcher likes to take the first pitch and pitchers have noticed.

Because he’s one of the most selective swingers, Fletcher has taken as many called strikes as anyone. As a result, he’s been attacked in the zone more than anyone in the game for years, with a notable jump so far in 2021.

This season, he’s hitting .237/.237/.250 after falling behind 0 and 1. He has been better for his career going .289/.305/.367 after the first strike.

Astros

• Consistent with the only changes being Aledmys Díaz giving a player a day off.

• Jose Altuve has led off for 10 straight games.

Athletics

• Sean Murphy (.275/.383/.525 over the last two weeks) has hit third or fourth for seven of the last eight games. One of those games was as the DH.

• The team continues to start Elvis Andrus and his .143/.193/.171 triple-slash line at shortstop.

• Jed Lowrie (.761 OPS) has settled into the 6th spot.

Blue Jays

• All is set except one end-of-the-lineup spot that changes through a varied cast of characters.

• Since coming off the IL, Teoscar Hernández is hitting .296/.387/.407 and batting fourth.

Indians

• The Amed Rosario to center field experiment is on hold. He’s in a shortstop platoon facing lefties while Andrés Giménez faces righties.

• Jordan Luplow might be back to only facing lefties (.868 OPS) even though his .776 OPS vs righties is fine.

• Cesar Hernandez has led off for nine of ten games and is hitting .222/.333/.389 over that time frame.

• Yu Chang (vs LHP, .369 OPS) and Jake Bauers (vs RHP, .548 OPS) combine to create a horrible first base platoon.

Mariners

• It is a horrible lineup with José Marmolejos’s .624 OPS (min 20 PA) banking fourth on the team behind Ty France, Kyle Seager, and Mitch Haniger.

• I’m not sure how much longer the team can start Evan White (.141/.202/.205).

• If only the Mariners had any decent minor league prospects to fill in for these scrubs.

Orioles

• Since Austin Hays (batting second) has returned, the lineup has been consistent.

• Rio Ruiz (.576 OPS), Pat Valaika (.669 OPS), and Ramón Urías (.527 OPS) splitting are having a pillow fight to see how “wins” the second base job.

• Pedro Severino has climbed up the lineup to batting fourth to sixth.

Rangers

• Willie Calhoun is leading off against right-handed starters but hitting at the bottom of the lineup or on the bench against lefties. I’m not sure why since he has a .853 OPS against lefties and a .901 OPS against righties.

• Joey Gallo (.761 OPS) is now batting fifth swapping with Nate Lowe (.821 OPS) who is now hitting third.

• Charlie Culberson (.803 OPS) is starting all games at third with Brock Holt hurt.

• David Dahl (vs RHP, .544 OPS) and Eli White (vs LHP, .364 OPS) remain in a platoon.

• The Rangers expect infielder Andy Ibáñez to stay in the majors.

Woodward has mentioned before that if Ibáñez got to the Majors, it’d be hard to send him down. If he hits anywhere near his .300/.375/.497 slash line from Triple-A in 2019, he’ll no doubt be a valuable asset for the big league club.

Rays

• Just a nightmare to figure out. They haven’t had one repeat lineup all season.

• The hitters who started in eight of the last ten games are Randy Arozarena (.743 OPS), Austin Meadows (.775 OPS), Brandon Lowe (.663 OPS), Willy Adames (.542 OPS), Yandy Díaz (.711 OPS), Kevin Kiermaier (.604 OPS), and Joey Wendle (.823 OPS). For now, the rest aren’t rosterable.

Red Sox

• It has been steady all season, but there might be a new leadoff with Enrique Hernández possibly heading to the IL.

• Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec have only started four of the last six games.

• Garrett Richards has been smoothing out his delivery.

So Richards got to work with pitching coach Dave Bush on tightening up his delivery and timing with his cross-body throwing motion.

“It’s more of a mindset to be honest,” Richards said. “I’m still stepping in the same place as I was before, still doing some similar things as I was before. But for whatever reason, it keeps me more upright and through the target. I have everything coming towards the plate instead of working left initially, then working back right, and trying to find it down the slope at the very end. We just cleaned up a couple things and made my delivery super simple where I can repeat it.

He has been better since the adjustment with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 12 innings. Over his first four starts, it was 12 strikeouts and 13 walks in 16 innings.

Royals

• Steady with the only change being Andrew Benintendi hitting second over the last four games after hitting .409/.469/.659 over the past two weeks.

• Ryan O’Hearn (.727 OPS) has been the DH in five of the last seven games.

Tigers

• It’s at least consistent.

• Akil Baddoo is hitting .192/.231/.493 and his .724 OPS is good for third-best on the team.

• JaCoby Jones (.480 OPS) has started in five straight.

Twins

• The lineup started to settle in and then Luis Arraez and Alex Kirilloff headed to the IL.

• With Arraez out, Max Kepler (.621 OPS) has led off against righties.

• Josh Donaldson (.769 OPS) has started 16 of 17 games at third base.

• With the ‘A’ lineup, Miguel Sanó (.525 OPS) hits eighth.

• Miguel Sanó is still needing to do work against high-velocity pitches.

With Sanó nearly recovered from the mild right hamstring strain that has sidelined him since April 21, he’s eligible to come off the IL any day, and manager Rocco Baldelli said on Sunday that he expects the slugger to be activated “sometime in the middle of the week.”

But the Twins have been as focused on getting Sanó’s timing right as they have been on his health following a 5-for-45 start to the season, with 20 strikeouts, before he went on the shelf. The work with the velocity machine is an important part of that.

He has a 13% SwStr% against four-seamers this year.

• Randy Dobnak is in the minors to be stretched out as a starter.

The Twins optioned Dobnak to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday in an effort to get him stretched out to a starter’s workload and into a more consistent rhythm after they struggled to give him consistent outings in the first month of the season. Reliever Brandon Waddell was recalled.

That inconsistency in his usage might have played into his 8.16 ERA through seven appearances.

“Just with the way the first month played out, we haven’t been able to keep him in that spot,” Baldelli said. “I mean, there’s only so much you can do during a Major League season to make sure a guy gets his work in, especially out of the bullpen.”

White Sox

• With Luis Robert out, Nick Madrigal (.315/.361/.404) has been hitting second.

• Leury García (.457 OPS) has started eight of the last nine games.

• Retreads Jake Lamb (.500 OPS) and Billy Hamilton (.345 OPS) continue to get starts.

• Andrew Vaughn (.666 OPS) has started six of the last seven games in left field.

Yankees

• Has settled down with everyone having a slot.

• Kyle Higashioka has started six of the last nine games at catcher. He is only hitting .125/.222/.292 over the last week.

• Mike Ford (.483 OPS) has started four of the last five at first with Voit still out and LeMehieu moving to second.

• Aaron Hicks has started ten straight in center field while hitting .257/.341/.400 over that time frame.

National League

Braves

• A steady lineup with William Conteras (1.200 OPS) and Cristian Pache (.432 OPS) slotting into the seventh and eighth spot with d’Arnaud and Heredia on the IL.

• Austin Riley (.788 OPS) has jumped from the seventh to the fifth spot.

• William Contreras will get full-time at-bats at whatever level he plays.

But because the Braves view Contreras as a top prospect and future starting catcher, they didn’t want him riding the bench four out of every five days in the majors this season, so they made Jackson the backup to d’Arnaud on the initial roster.

Brewers

• Lorenzo Cain has started twice in four games since returning from the IL.

• Daniel Vogelbach (.603 OPS) has hit second or third in the last three games.

• Almost no one is hitting. Jackie Bradley Jr. has moved up a couple of spots but has a .574 OPS on the season and .539 OPS over the past two weeks.

Cardinals

• Steady as they come especially as compared to other teams.

• Tyler O’Neill (.789 OPS) has settled into the sixth spot with Harrison Bader (.825 OPS) in the seventh spot.

Cubs

• Complete madness with players hurt (Happ and Hoerner) and the Tuesday doubleheader.

• Matt Duffy (.308/.429/.365) has started 10 of the last 15 games.

• David Bote (.547 OPS) has started three straight with Nico Hoerner on the IL.

Diamondbacks

• With Christian Walker and Tim Locastro off the IL, playing time is becoming scarce. The biggest issue is in the outfield with Pavin Smith, David Peralta, Daulton Varsho, Josh Rojas, and Locastro fighting for playing time.

• I wonder how long the team can start Nick Ahmed (.429 OPS) every day at short.

• Josh Rojas started the season Joe Panik on the injured list with a left calf strain, per Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports (via Twitter). Rowdy Tellez will be recalled to take his roster spot.

More to come…

Brewers Sign Hernan Perez To Minors Deal

TC Zencka — Fri, 07 May 2021 20:11:55 +0000

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed Hernan Perez to a minor league deal, the team announced. He has been assigned to Triple-A Nashville.

Perez recently elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Nationals. Perez had gone just 1-for-19 with a couple of walks in 10 games with the Nats. He also took the hill twice, tossing a pair of scoreless innings.

More to come…

Roberto Perez Undergoes Surgery To Repair Broken Finger

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:50:05 +0000

2:50 PM: It appears the Indians will be without their starting catcher for quite some time. Manager Terry Francona told the media, including the Athletic’s Zack Meisel (via Twitter), that Cleveland expects Perez to be out for months.

2:04 PM: Indians catcher Roberto Perez underwent surgery to repair the fractured ring finger on his right hand, tweets Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal. The team has yet to provide a timeline as to when Perez might be cleared to return to action, but Cleveland will now be without its top catcher for the foreseeable future.

Perez suffered the injury when he got crossed up with hard-throwing James Karinchak, and while he tried to play through the issue for awhile, he eventually was placed on the injured list earlier this week. He met with a specialist this week, Lewis notes, and clearly the surgical route wound up being the recommended course of treatment.

The injury initially occurred more than three weeks ago at a time when Perez was batting .238/.448/.524 with a pair of home runs through his first 29 plate appearances. Unsurprisingly, his bid to remain productive with a broken finger didn’t go particularly well; in 44 plate appearances since that time, Perez has just three hits and a dismal .075/.159/.175 slash.

Cleveland is temporarily losing one of the game’s best defensive catchers, although one of Perez’s primary competitors for that distinction is his own teammate, Austin Hedges. With Perez sidelined, Hedges figures to get the lion’s share of playing time. His bat isn’t likely to match that of a healthy Perez, as he’s mustered only a .118/.189/.294 output in 2021 and a .166/.243/.306 line overall dating back to 2019. Hedges’ glove, game-calling and framing should continue to work to the advantage of what is yet another high-quality Indians pitching staff, however.

That’s especially true given that he figures to share time with 37-year-old Rene Rivera, who was selected to the MLB roster to replace Perez. Rivera, a glove-first backstop himself, won’t provide much with the bat but will give Terry Francona another quality battery-mate for his pitchers.

Yankees Recall Miguel Andujar, Option Albert Abreu

TC Zencka — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:29:11 +0000

The Yankees recalled Miguel Andujar today, the team announced. To make room, they optioned Albert Abreu to Triple-A.

Andujar arrives as insurance while the club awaits MRI results for starting third baseman Gio Urshela. While Urshela has not been placed on the injured list, Andujar’s call-up suggests the Yankees might be concerned about Urshela’s knee, writes Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Urshela has once again proven himself to be a reliable bat for the Yankees. He’s slashing .287/.342/.455 with four home runs across 111 plate appearances, producing 0.7 bWAR.

Andujar himself has struggled to stay healthy. This spring he dealt with carpel tunnel syndrome in his wrist, though it hasn’t appeared to bother him so far. The minor league season is just three days old, but Andujar has already knocked three home runs while going 6-for-13.

As for Abreu, the 25-year-old right-hander made two appearances this season, both coming in the first half of April. He was placed on the roster just two days ago when Rougned Odor went to the injured list. Abreu will likely join the starting rotation in Triple-A.

Harrison Bader Buysberg

Grey — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:00:46 +0000

(NOTE: THIS POST WAS RELEASED EARLY THIS WEEK ON OUR PATREON. IT’S $10/MONTH OR $13/MONTH WITH AN EXTRA WEEKLY PODCAST.) First, allow me to share a story, uh, shared by frequent commenter, Travis Hafner. The Pronk One: So, do we think Harrison Bader is into Pikachu or Mankey? Polyps? More like Poliwag or Poliwhirl! "Do you mind if I call you Jigglypuff?" That's Harrison Bader talking to Yadier Molina. Harrison Bader looks at a fruit basket and is like, "Does anyone want this Flapple or can I have it?" Is this all gibberish or am I actually saying real words or am I reading aloud while I edit a Pokemonpedia? Who's to say! In that fantastic story from Travis Hafner that I want to make all about Pokemon is a little tidbit about how Bader had polyps in his nose which hurt his equilibrium and his hitting. Reminds me of the time I had collagen sucked out of my face because my card was declined and now they say I got po' lips. Sad for me, but positive for Bader, because he had surgery and it's fixed. That could legitimately help him take his game to the next level. He's been hitting this week, and I would absolutely grab him. Anyway, here's some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

Schwarber Swats a Walk-Off & the Best Bat Flips of Week 5

Noah Scott — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:00:34 +0000

So... you like bat flips?

The post Schwarber Swats a Walk-Off & the Best Bat Flips of Week 5 appeared first on Pitcher List.

10 Watchlist Guys: Vol. 6

Paul Sporer — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:00:29 +0000

Most platforms have a feature where you can click something by the player’s name to put them on a virtual watchlist. It is smart to use this feature before the season starts because once it starts you be sorting by stats and you could miss out on someone you really want about to get a new role because you sorted by PA and he just didn’t show very high.

Previous Watchlists

Brandon Belt used a trip to Coors (.400 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI) to garner some more attention and get himself on track.

SHALLOW LEAGUES (mixed leagues – 10 or fewer teams)

Willie Calhoun| UT, TEX

Is Calhoun finally breaking out? I guess 2019 was essentially a breakout (110 wRC+, 21 HR), but he’s hitting .328/.397/.492 so far this year with 3 HR and 7 RBI in 68 PA. The 26-year-old DH is playing almost daily since coming off the IL on April 17th with an occasional sit against a lefty, but otherwise he usually just moves down the lineup against southpaws. He is leading off against righties and part of this Rangers lineup that is shocking the league a bit with the 17th most runs (135) and 16th highest wRC+ (98).

Calhoun is only a watchlister for 10-teamers right now because being UT-only makes him a tough squeeze into a lineup given how well the elite UTers (Cruz, Martinez, Ohtani, Stanton, Alvarez, and Reyes) are doing and covering the spot for more than half of a 10-teamer and the fact that a lot of 10-teamers only use 3 OF spots which leaves some strong OF options filling the UT role on other teams. If he continues to perform like this, though, he will force his way onto more rosters.

Jake Odorizzi | SP, HOU

Odorizzi hasn’t started his rehab yet and will likely need a start or two before returning to the Astros and I implore you not to forget about him. Sure, he has struggled in his 8 IP so far this year and wasn’t particularly strong in the 14 he threw last year, but a healthy Odo still has a ton of upside. Heck, even in his two ugly outings this year (technically three, but he threw a third of an inning in the last one), he has a 30% K rate. He probably works as a 12-team watchlister, too, but I think deeper league folks can jump now if they have the space to stash him for a 10-14 days before he returns.

MEDIUM LEAGUES (mixed leagues – 12-14 teams)

Tyrone Taylor | OF, MIL

Taylor has been excellent in a 4th OF role this year, hitting .282/.378/.564 in 45 PA with 3 HR and 1 SB. A quick return to the IL by Christian Yelich and a brutal start by Jackie Bradley Jr. should open up some more playing time for Taylor as opposed to just spotting in against lefties. Taylor averaged 20 HR and 10 SB per 500 PA in Triple-A with an .813 OPS.

I actually wrote Taylor up recently and he was sent down as I was finished that piece only to return almost immediately because of Yelich’s re-injury. I mentioned that he was mostly an NL-only consideration in that piece, but that was with Yelich and Lorenzo Cain returning to join JBJ and Avisaíl García. Cain is back and Garcia is surging, but as I mentioned earlier Bradley has struggled badly thus far (59 wRC+) so the Brewers would be justified in giving Taylor some more burn to see if he can do anything against righties.

Griffin Canning | P, LAA

Canning has a 6.20 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 20.3 IP so far this year and yet I want you to keep an eye on him. He has a 30% K rate fueled by an 18% swinging strike rate which is 4th best among the 140 pitchers with at least 20 IP (deGrom, Burnes, and Bieber are top 3). A hideous 2.7 HR/9 is holding him back thus far, but at least he had his first HR-free outing last time out!

The 3.42 SIERA has me intrigued enough to at least watchlist him especially with a trip to Boston on the docket next week. If you have a free spot and need pitching, you might consider stashing him now while the price remains cheap because an unexpected gem against the Red Sox would drive the price up quite a bit.

DEEP LEAGUES (mixed leagues – 15+ teams)

David Bote | CHC, 2B/3B

Bote hasn’t done anything of note thus far with an ugly 55 wRC+ in 96 PA and it was looking like 2B was ready to be taken over by Nico Hoerner, but he just hit the IL with a forearm strain. Bote was a league average hitter coming into the season with a 101 wRC+ in 711 PA and I certainly think he can get back there if he just smooths out that .210 BABIP.

Eric Lauer | SDP, SP

Maybe Lauer needs to get in touch with Griffin Canning because Lauer has a similarly insane HR rate (2.5 HR/9, 33% HR/FB) yet he still has an amazing 1.64 ERA in 11 IP. The soft-tossing lefty has seen his fastball velo jump a tick to 92.4 mph and his cutter is 3 ticks to 90.4 mph. He is using the four-seamer less often with a career-low 45% usage and funneling that usage into all of his secondary pitches with the slider getting the biggest boost, up 7 points to 24% usage. Of course, this is all of two starts, but I am keeping an eye on Lauer as he could be this year’s Zach Davies: a soft-tossing control artist who has everything come together for a career year.

AL-ONLY

Nick Gordon | 2B, MIN

He hadn’t yet played his first game when I was making this week’s watchlist, but now he might actually become an insta-pickup because he swiped two bases in his MLB debut. I don’t think he is ready to unseat Jorge Polanco at 2B after just one game, though, so don’t get overzealous paying for those 2 SBs. Gordon doesn’t have the speed or hit tool of his brother Dee, but SBs are definitely his carrying fantasy tool with 19 per 500 PA in Triple-A, though he also has a paltry .249/.297/.359 line in 729 PA at that level.

Dean Kremer | SP, BAL

An inadvertent theme of this week’s pitching recommendations is that they are all struggling with home runs so far. Kremer’s 2.1 HR/9 rate has his ERA sitting at 6.43 but the 4.20 SIERA hints at his underlying skills. As the weather heats up, it can be tough find confidence in Orioles pitchers who aren’t John Means, but he flashed some skills last year and can definitely find himself being a useful streamer option. He just needs to get away from the Yankees for a while. Four of his nine career starts have come against the Yankees and he’s slated to face them again this week.

NL-ONLY

Ka’ai Tom| OF, PIT

I thought Tom could carve out a role with Oakland, but they waived him after 16 games and the talent-light Pirates swooped in. He has started five of the last six games and should at least carry the strong side platoon with Pittsburgh. In his 36 PA thus far, he has just a 6 wRC+ as a comically low .136 BABIP is stifling any level of production. With time, that will obviously regress and given his minor league work, I could see a .260/.350/.450 line with a double-digit HR output and a smattering of SBs.

Zach Pop | MIA, SP

I still don’t buy Yimi García as a legit closer especially with his career home run issues returning after a HR-free 2020. Pop hasn’t done enough to just take the role right now, but he has shown a ton of swing-and-miss with a 15% swinging strike rate in his 10 IP so far. Pop allowed just 1 HR in 80 minor league innings so the two he has already allowed in the majors is a bit of an outlier.

Pop isn’t next in line if the Marlins decide to move on from Garcia, but he can be a strikeouts and ratios asset even without saves in NL-Only leagues. Since allowing 3 ER on April 15th against Atlanta, he has reeled off 6.7 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.

Tigers Designate Buck Farmer For Assignment

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 18:25:18 +0000

The Tigers announced a series of roster moves Friday, designating right-hander Buck Farmer for assignment and selecting the contract of veteran righty Erasmo Ramirez in his place. Detroit also placed Wilson Ramos on the 10-day injured list due to a lumbar strain and recalled catcher Jake Rogers from Triple-A Toledo.

MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery wrote not long before the announcement that the Farmer-for-Ramirez shuffle could be on the horizon. It’s not a huge surprise, given the extent of Farmer’s struggles in 2021; the 30-year-old righty has been tattooed for 15 runs on 15 hits (six homers) and nine walks with 10 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings so far on the young season.

Grisly as those number are, Farmer was one of the team’s better relievers from 2018-20. During that time, the former fifth-round pick tallied 158 1/3 innings of 3.92 ERA with continually improving control and ground-ball rates. Last year’s 15.7 percent strikeout rate in 21 1/3 frames was a career-low, but Farmer’s 5.6 percent walk rate and 52.2 percent grounder rate both represented career-bests. His 93.9 mph average heater in 2021 is down from its 95.1 mph peak in 2019 but also an improvement over last summer’s 93.3 mph mark.

On the whole, since Farmer established himself as a staple in the Detroit bullpen four years ago, he’s posted a 4.47 ERA, a 20.8 percent strikeout rate, a 10.7 percent walk rate and a 44.3 percent ground-ball rate. This year’s catastrophic results obviously weigh that performance down, but at his best he’s been a hard-throwing righty who can both miss bats and induce grounders at an above-average clip. Whether that leads to interest from another club can’t be known, but the Tigers will have a week to trade him or try to pass him through outright waivers.

Farmer is out of minor league options, so if another club does acquire him, he’ll need to be placed on the big league roster. He has more than the three years of service time needed to reject an outright assignment even if he goes unclaimed. However, as Woodbery rightly points out, doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of this year’s $1.85MM salary, as he doesn’t yet have the five years of service required to retain salary in the event of rejecting an outright. That salary might make it tough for Farmer to be claimed on waivers, and if he does pass through, he’ll surely accept the assignment rather than surrender the $1.44MM he’s yet owed through season’s end.

The veteran Ramirez will give the Tigers some depth as a potential long man in the ’pen or perhaps even in the rotation, should a need arise. He spent the 2020 season with the Mets and fared quite well, allowing just a run on eight hits and four walks with nine punchouts in 14 1/3 innings.

Ramirez, 31, has spent time in the big leagues with the Mariners, Rays and Red Sox as well, with his best season coming back in 2015-16 when he gave Tampa Bay a combined 254 innings of 3.76 ERA ball. He struggled in limited samples of work from 2018-19, but Ramirez has pitched in a variety of roles at the MLB level and on the whole carries a 4.31 ERA through 655 Major League frames.

SP Future Schedules – Week 6

Justin Wick — Fri, 07 May 2021 18:00:57 +0000

Justin Wick breaks down the good and bad starter schedules ahead

The post SP Future Schedules – Week 6 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Shopping For a New Belt

Jay — Fri, 07 May 2021 18:00:29 +0000

It works because I literally am in the need of a new belt! Wow, as if time and space collided with both my content and consumer needs. And while you shouldn't care about what or why I Amazon the things I do, you should care about one Brandon Belt. What is this, circa 2010? Once the perpetual little engine at 1B who just couldn't quite do it, he has grown, perhaps even evolved into what we have now, a mediocre producer at a position where mediocrity goes to die. My life story! And so after averaging around 15 homeruns and roughly a .250ish average for the past millennia, what exactly has changed this year and why should you care? Give me a chance to tell ya, or at the very least, convince you to go shopping for the perfect pants accessory. So not to burst the hype train, but what I think makes Brandon Belt a bit more attention-grabbing this season is the fact that while he's doing what he usual does, there's some great underlying signs that Belt could end up having a quietly stronger season than he usually has combined with the fact that his value has been going down the past 15 years and if you want to try on this Belt (MORE FASHION PUNS), it's not that hard of a thing to do any more.

Braves Designate Nate Jones, Select Carl Edwards Jr.

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 17:53:17 +0000

The Braves announced Friday that they’ve designated right-hander Nate Jones for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for fellow righty reliever Carl Edwards Jr., whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta also optioned right-hander Edgar Santana to Gwinnett.

Jones, 35, inked a minor league deal with the Braves over the winter and parlayed a dominant Spring Training effort into an Opening Day spot in the Atlanta ’pen. Unfortunately, the regular season didn’t bring about the same results as Jones enjoyed in Grapefruit League play. Through 10 1/3 innings this season, Jones has walked 10 batters, hit another and allowed eight hits (three homers). He’s limited the damage to six runs (four earned), but that lack of control ultimately cost him his roster spot.

The oft-injured Jones has scuffled in recent seasons but at one point was a lights-out setup man for the White Sox. He spent parts of eight seasons with the South Siders, pitching to a 3.12 ERA over the life of 291 1/3 innings out of the Chicago bullpen. Whether he can ever reclaim that form remains to be seen, but Jones came out of the gates in 2021 with a still-very-healthy 95.8 mph average velocity on his heater. The Braves will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers or release him. He has more than enough service time to refuse an outright assignment if he clears waivers.

More to come.

Reds Activate Shogo Akiyama From Injured List, Shuffle Defensive Alignment

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 17:46:59 +0000

The Reds announced Friday that they’ve reinstated outfielder Shogo Akiyama from the 10-day injured list and put Joey Votto on the injured list in his place. Votto is expected to be out three to four weeks after fracturing his thumb in yesterday’s game. Akiyama has yet to play in 2021 due to a hamstring injury.

Perhaps of more interest to Reds fans will be the new-look defensive alignment the team is rolling out in the wake of Votto’s injury and Akiyama’s return. They’ll open this weekend’s series against the Indians with Mike Moustakas sliding over to first base in Votto’s place, while Nick Senzel moves from center field to second base. Eugenio Suarez is back at third base today, with Kyle Farmer stepping in for him at shortstop. Tyler Naquin is in Senzel’s customary center field, and Akiyama is getting a day in left while Jesse Winker serves as the designated hitter.

This particular alignment obviously won’t be the norm in Votto’s absence, as the Reds won’t have the DH in most of the games they play over the next month. But Moustakas sliding over to first base and Senzel moving from a crowded outfield into the infield could be frequently featured tactics. Second baseman Jonathan India has ample experience at third base, of course, so it’s possible we’ll see a frequent infield of India, Suarez, Senzel and Moustakas. Meanwhile, the Reds will rotate Winker, Naquin, Nick Castellanos and Akiyama in the outfield. Presumably, with the first three all hitting so well to begin the year, they’ll be viewed as the starting trio.

That said, the club surely still has hope of a better performance for Akiyama in is second season at the MLB level. The former Seibu Lions star signed a three-year, $21MM deal with Cincinnati in the 2019-20 offseason, and while he got on base at a nice clip last year, he struggled to hit for much average or power. The now-33-year-old Akiyama batted .245/.357/.297 with six doubles, a triple, no home runs and seven steals (10 attempts) through his first 183 big league plate appearances.

Cubs Designate Kyle Ryan, Select Nick Martini, Place Ian Happ On 10-Day IL

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 17:04:42 +0000

The Cubs announced a series of roster moves Friday, most notably designating lefty Kyle Ryan for assignment and placing center fielder Ian Happ on the 10-day injured list due to a rib contusion stemming from his recent collision with infielder Nico Hoerner. To take their spots on the roster, the Cubs recalled righty Jason Adam and selected the contract of outfielder Nick Martini from Triple-A Iowa.

More to come.

Points Leagues: The Cavalry’s Here

Butters — Fri, 07 May 2021 17:00:45 +0000

The season is in full swing and unfortunately players are dropping like flies. Is it just me or does it feel like injuries have been through the roof this season? Don't forget to check out JKJ's injury roundup for the prognosis. Likely you're now in need of replacements and if your team has avoided the injury bug, well good for you. In any case a little extra depth is never a bad thing. We'll mostly be looking at hitters today but there is one notable pitcher who deserves your attention. Dylan Cease has turned in back to back starts that were everything you could hope for. The Ks are flowing, and the ceiling is the roof. His raw stuff is amazing but his control has always held him back. He was my bold pick for Cy Young so I'm loving watching him put it all together. He won't last long.

Adam Eaton Is Mighty Mouse

TC Zencka — Fri, 07 May 2021 17:00:15 +0000

How Adam Eaton became the most durable outfielder on the White Sox.

The post Adam Eaton Is Mighty Mouse appeared first on Pitcher List.

Jerry Dipoto On Jarred Kelenic Timeline

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 16:57:40 +0000

Mariners top prospect Jarred Kelenic made his Triple-A debut last night and did little to quell the growing fan clamor for his promotion. The 2018 No. 6 overall pick and centerpiece of the Edwin Diaz/Robinson Cano blockbuster ripped a pair of home runs to right field in his first minor league game since Sept. 2, 2019. (You can watch both blasts at these Twitter links, courtesy of MLB Pipeline and MiLB Mariners.)

The multi-homer showing came just hours after MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted that Kelenic was “likely” to debut this month — a timeline most already expected — which prompted some comments from Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto in a radio appearance on 710 ESPN (link via 710’s Brandon Gustafson).

Dipoto acknowledged that Kelenic is getting “closer and closer” to the big leagues and that a promotion will come “sooner than later.” He made clear that the organization wanted to see him get some work against Triple-A pitching. There’s surely some truth to that, because if service time were the only issue, Kelenic could’ve been called up more than two weeks ago. But with the Mariners slumping as a team, even before being no-hit by Orioles lefty John Means, the GM also noted that Kelenic “might add a spark to our offense if we give him that opportunity.”

Dipoto has spoken in the past about the importance of taking 30 to 40 games to evaluate the club with which they broke camp, and we’re now into that territory with generally lackluster results from the offense. Fellow top outfield prospect Taylor Trammell is hitting just .156/.261/.338 with a 43.8 percent strikeout rate. Neither Jose Marmolejos or Sam Haggerty has hit especially well during their time in left field; Mariners left fielders are hitting just .204/.316/.357 on the whole.

The Mariners have gotten a nice bounceback effort from Mitch Haniger in right field, as he’s returned from injury to bat .254/.300/.534 in his first 130 plate appearances. Kyle Lewis missed the first several weeks of the year on the injured list and has struggled to a .181/.231/.388 slash. That’s not a pretty result, but it’s only 52 plate appearances and as the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, he has a longer leash than others might.

There’s no denying that left field has been a black hole on an already sub-par offensive club, however. And with Haniger, Ty France and Kyle Seager all slowing down to varying extents after hot starts to the season, the Mariners’ offense looks increasingly lifeless. As a team, the Mariners are batting only .201/.280/.359. They rank last in the Majors in average, 29th in OBP and 26th in slugging percentage.

Despite the putrid offensive showing, though, the pitching and good timing on some of the few hits the Mariners have put together has helped them to a 17-15 record. That they’re currently sitting in second place only serves to create additional temptation to take a look at Kelenic, who currently ranks as the game’s No. 4 overall prospect at Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB.com. Plugging Kelenic into everyday at-bats in left field isn’t going to be a panacea for the team’s overarching offensive futility, even if he immediately meets expectations, but it’d be a step in the right direction.

Regaedless of when Kelenic debuts this year, the Mariners will be able to control him all the way through the 2027 season. A May promotion would put him on track to earn Super Two status, making him arbitration-eligible four times rather than the standard three, but his path to free agency has already been delayed.

Of course, his timeline to arbitration and to free agency could ultimately be rendered moot if the two sides eventually do come to terms on a long-term contract. Now-former Mariners president shined a spotlight on Kelenic by revealing earlier this year that he’d turned down a contract extension and would open the year in the minors. That comment prompted Kelenic and agent Brodie Scoffield to tell USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that the club had made clear to him that Kelenic would’ve been in the Majors last year had he taken the extension offer prior to the 2020 season. Many assumed that may have led to some burned bridges or harsh feelings, but Scoffield told MLBTR in the wake of that interview that Kelenic remained open to future proposals.

For now, the focus is on when Kelenic debuts in the Majors. If he meets or exceeds expectations at the big league level, however, it’d be a surprise if the team didn’t make another run at putting together an offer.

Prospect Promotions: 4/30 – 5/6

Vincent Ginardi — Fri, 07 May 2021 16:30:59 +0000

A look at the prospect promotions for Week 5.

The post Prospect Promotions: 4/30 – 5/6 appeared first on Pitcher List.

FanDuel: Stanton On ‘Em

TroyKlauder — Fri, 07 May 2021 16:30:35 +0000

Giancarlo Stanton ($3,800) has been on an incredible tear over the last two weeks, batting .481 with six home runs. He now has a 12 game hitting streak and a 171 wRC+ on the season, as well as absurd 100th percentile marks in exit velocity and hard hit rate. This healthy iteration of Stanton looks completely unstoppable, and he has a fantastic matchup against lefty Patrick Corbin, who has an 8.10 ERA and a 2.70 HR/9 this year. Stanton is a must-have in cash lineups and has massive upside in tournaments. New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!

Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues: 5/7

Rick Graham — Fri, 07 May 2021 16:00:43 +0000

Rick Graham updates his top 100 relief pitchers for SV+HD leagues.

The post Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues: 5/7 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Bets of the Day — May 7

Ryan Amore — Fri, 07 May 2021 15:30:11 +0000

Ryan Amore highlights Friday's best bets around baseball.

The post Bets of the Day — May 7 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Projected Ottoneu Risers and Fallers – Bats

Chad Young — Fri, 07 May 2021 15:15:16 +0000

With just over a month of the season complete, we’re starting to look at more current season data to make decisions on who to add and who to cut, who to target in trades and who to move on from. Before the season, projections are a great way to value players, set prices and find targets for auctions. And we don’t lose that tool once the season starts.

With the projection systems providing Rest of Season (ROS) projections, we are able to identify what players are projected to do moving forward, instead of simply relying on performance to-date. To identify potential sell-highs or buy-lows (or buy-highs or sell-lows), it can be useful to look at the comparison of the two – who has most over- or under-performed their ROS projections.

To do this, I took a list of 268 players with a) at least 50 PA in 2021, b) a ROS projection on Depth Charts, and c) at least 4 Ottoneu FanGraphs Points/G (P/G) in 2021 so far OR 4 P/G projected ROS. I then ranked them by how much greater their P/G to-date are than their projected P/G ROS. The table below shows the top and bottom 10:

P/G vs. Projected P/G Leaders and Laggards

Team	Closer	First Up	Second Up	Injured List
ARI	Stefan Crichton	Chris Devenski	Joakim Soria	Tyler Clippard
ATL	Will Smith	A.J. Minter	Tyler Matzek	Chris Martin
BAL	Cesar Valdez	Tanner Scott	Paul Fry	Hunter Harvey
BOS	Matt Barnes	Adam Ottavino	Matt Andriese	Ryan Brasier
CHC	Craig Kimbrel	Andrew Chafin	Ryan Tepera	Rowan Wick
CWS	Liam Hendriks	Aaron Bummer	Codi Heuer
CIN	Tejay Antone	Sean Doolittle	Lucas Sims
CLE	Emmanuel Clase	James Karinchak	Bryan Shaw
COL	Daniel Bard	Mychal Givens	Robert Stephenson
DET	Gregory Soto	Jose Cisnero	Michael Fulmer
HOU	Ryan Pressly	Ryne Stanek	Brooks Raley	Enoli Paredes
KC	Josh Staumont	Greg Holland	Scott Barlow
LAA	Raisel Iglesias	Mike Mayers	Felix Peña
LAD	Kenley Jansen	Blake Treinen	Victor Gonzalez
MIA	Yimi Garcia	Dylan Floro	Anthony Bass
MIL	Josh Hader	Devin Williams	J.P. Feyereisen
MIN	Taylor Rogers	Hansel Robles	Tyler Duffey
NYM	Edwin Diaz	Trevor May	Miguel Castro
NYY	Aroldis Chapman	Chad Green	Jonathan Loaisiga	Zack Britton
OAK	Jake Diekman	Lou Trivino	Yusmeiro Petit	J.B. Wendelken
PHI	Hector Neris	Jose Alvarado	Sam Coonrod
PIT	Richard Rodriguez	Kyle Crick	David Bednar
STL	Alex Reyes	Giovanny Gallegos	Ryan Helsley
SD	Mark Melancon	Drew Pomeranz	Emilio Pagan
SF	Jake McGee	Tyler Rogers	Caleb Baragar
SEA	Kendall Graveman	Rafael Montero	Anthony Misiewicz	Keynan Middleton
TB	Pete Fairbanks	Andrew Kittredge	Jeffrey Springs	Diego Castillo
TEX	Ian Kennedy	Joely Rodriguez	Josh Sborz	Matt Bush
TOR	Rafael Dolis	Jordan Romano

Rank	Name	P/G To Date	ROS P/G	Diff
1	Buster Posey	9.07	4.69	-4.37
2	Byron Buxton	10.30	6.00	-4.31
3	Carson Kelly	8.15	4.86	-3.29
4	J.D. Martinez	9.58	6.29	-3.29
5	Jesse Winker	8.80	5.87	-2.93
6	Nick Castellanos	8.29	5.54	-2.75
7	Yadier Molina	6.79	4.06	-2.73
8	Kris Bryant	8.42	5.70	-2.73
9	Mike Trout	10.36	7.70	-2.67
10	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	8.81	6.28	-2.53
259	Tommy Pham	1.72	5.00	3.28
260	Yoshi Tsutsugo	1.20	4.49	3.29
261	Nick Ahmed	0.75	4.07	3.31
262	Wyatt Mathisen	0.93	4.28	3.35
263	Francisco Lindor	1.76	5.25	3.49
264	Miguel Cabrera	0.72	4.29	3.57
265	Franchy Cordero	0.48	4.13	3.65
266	Edwin Rios	0.31	4.17	3.86
267	Rowdy Tellez	1.43	5.34	3.90
268	Danny Jansen	-0.56	4.22	4.78

The names on this list probably aren’t surprises to you – projections based off years of data won’t move quickly so anyone breaking out is going to be near the top and anyone stumbling badly will be near the bottom. But there is some useful data in here.

Many of the leaders here there is little action to be taken – Mike Trout is Mike Trout and he will continue to be Mike Trout for the foreseeable future. Anyone who rostered Vlad Guerrero, Jr., before the season did so because they hoped for a breakout and they are not selling now. If you can trade for either of those two, you should. If you are trading either away, make sure you get a haul in return.

Similarly, Nick Castellanos has been on an upward trajectory with his contact quality for a while and the only thing that held him back last year was an outlier season in terms of contact quantity. He seems to have fixed the latter and kept the former and I would not hesitate to buy.

Bryant and Martinez are both “former” stars who lost some lustre with a rough 2020, and I would have no issue assuming that both have put those problems behind them.

On the other hand, Buster Posey feels like a sell-high to me, though I do think he is better than that projection and better than he appeared before the season. The .412 BABIP and 38.9% HR/FB rate are not going to continue – he is not a player who has ever, even in his prime, shown numbers like that. He’s being more patient, but also whiffing on more pitches and running a basically-career-high strikeout rate. The plate discipline numbers suggest that will continue and may even get a little worse. The positive sign here is that he is making harder contact, and while Statcast numbers are up for everyone, his have jumped compared to his peers. Posey has a 75th percentile average exit velocity, 83rd percentile hard-hit rate, 95th percentile xSLG and 94th percentile xwOBA. Other than an 85th percentile hard-hit rate in 2016, those are the best numbers he has posted in the Statcast era (since 2015). If you can sell someone on Buster Posey: Top Five Catcher, sell him. If you can buy Buster Posey from a manager who expects Posey to fall back to his 2019 or even 2018 production, I would do it. NOTE: This assumes he is healthy and playing after being pulled Wednesday, which he appears to be.

On the other hand, I am out on Yadi. Yes, he is also showing better batted-ball quality in limited time, but he’s also a few years older, a few years further removed from offensive success, and he doesn’t have the raw offensive ability that Posey does. While Posey has excellent exit velocity and hard-hit rates, Molina’s are more middling. Molina is chasing more than ever before and his jump in strikeouts is much larger than Posey’s. Molina’s former heir apparent, however, I am interested in. His projected wOBA pre-season was .311 and the last month was enough to move it all the way to .324. Given his .339 in 2019, I don’t think he can come close to continuing his current pace, but I do think he can be a very good Ottoneu catcher. While his exit velocity isn’t great, he is barrelling the ball often and I am betting on his skills and age, if I am choosing one of these three catchers.

Winker and Buxton are both guys who have shown this talent before, at least in flashes. Winker more consistently, Buxton more explosively. I would buy them both, even though they’ll both come back to Earth a bit – I would take the over on both projections, with a big “can he stay on the field” caveat for Buxton.

At the bottom of the list, there are a handful of “nothing to see here” names – Ahmed, Mathison, and Jansen are not guys you want to buy low. There is a good chance they don’t return to their projections and even if they do, those numbers aren’t great. Miggy might return to his projection but that won’t play at 1B anyway. Tsutsugo is going on two years of coming in well-below expectations and maybe the expectations and projections are just wrong – it’s not easy figuring out what a guy will look like changing leagues and continents. The leaves us with five players in two groups.

Pham and Lindor are established stars, of varying degrees, both of whom struggled last year and have fallen off a cliff this year. Both will bounce back, but depending on cost, I think I would rather buy Pham. The problem with Lindor is expectations – the manager who bought or kept him this year still sees that 2018 season and is waiting for him to get back to that and, to be blunt, I don’t think he will. I suspect he will get back to where he was in 2017 or 2019, but you’ll have to be patient and that 2018 payoff isn’t coming. If Lindor’s current manager is looking to sell that 2018 season, you should pass. If he is ready to just dump Lindor, I would buy.

Pham, meanwhile, looks basically fine. Last year, too – no issues with his strikeouts, walks, exit velocity, barrels, hard-hit rates. 2017 and 2018 were a bit better, but his xwOBA’s dating back to 2017: .379, .380, .357, .351, .348. I would buy that 5.00 P/G projection and he could easily beat that by a point.

The other three – Rios, Tellez, and Cordero – were all popular breakout candidates who have very much not broken out. I am out on Cordero. At this point, he still needs a major change to fix that strikeout rate, and I don’t see any reason to expect it anytime soon. Rios has similar strikeout issues and may have a hard time getting regular plate appearances. His strikeout issues aren’t as bad, but he is a wait-and-see for me. I am not buying until he shows me something including a job.

Tellez, meanwhile, was a Statcast darling this off-season, and his batted ball quality is, if anything, better. Last year he had an 85th percentile hard-hit rate; this year it is 99th. Last year he had a 54th percentile barrel rate, this year it is 80th. However, he has stopped walking and started striking out a lot more. Tellez was sent down, and I would watch that walk rate – if he can get the walks back, he is still more than capable of punishing the ball and could be a nice buy low.

Answering The Cole

Carlos Marcano — Fri, 07 May 2021 15:00:40 +0000

The A's might have gotten a lot more than anyone thought from him.

The post Answering The Cole appeared first on Pitcher List.

Jesus Aguilar Reinvented Himself

Jack Stern — Fri, 07 May 2021 15:00:40 +0000

How the former All-Star has compensated for his diminishing power

The post Jesus Aguilar Reinvented Himself appeared first on Pitcher List.

SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings – 5/7 & 5/8

Nick Pollack — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:44:26 +0000

Nick Pollack ranks every SP matchup for today and tomorrow.

The post SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings – 5/7 & 5/8 appeared first on Pitcher List.

The 6 Best MLB Moments from Thursday

Adam Sloate — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:20:45 +0000

A Soto giddyup, Gleyber Torres hustling in a run, and ice cubes!

The post The 6 Best MLB Moments from Thursday appeared first on Pitcher List.

Atkins: Blue Jays Expect Kirk To Miss At Least Four Weeks

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:05:19 +0000

The Blue Jays will be without catcher Alejandro Kirk for at least the next four weeks after sustaining a hip flexor injury, general manager Ross Atkins announced yesterday while acknowledging that the absence “could be longer” than that (link via the Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm). Kirk exited the Blue Jays’ game on May 1 early after apparently sustaining the injury while running down the line after hitting a ball that narrowly went foul. He initially stayed in but was removed innings later and hit the 10-day IL the following day.

Sportsnet’s Ben Wagner reported earlier in the week that Kirk could miss at least six weeks, but the team has publicly put forth a slightly more optimistic timeline. Whether Kirk is sidelined until late May or mid-to-late June, it’s another tough loss for a Jays club that, like so many other teams around the league, has been hit hard by injuries in 2021. Kirk went 0-for-13 to start the season, but his bat has taken off in the 33 plate appearances since. He also impressed down the stretch with a big late showing in 2020 and is currently carrying a stout .281/.352/.516 batting line with four homers and three doubles through his first 71 MLB plate appearances.

With the 22-year-old Kirk sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Jays will entrust catching duties to Danny Jansen and the recently promoted Reese McGuire. Jansen, who turned 26 last month, has been the Blue Jays’ primary backstop for the past couple seasons but has seen his bat decline since a promising rookie showing in 2018. After batting .247/.347/.432 in 95 plate appearances as a rookie, he’s managed only a .188/.275/.336 line through 597 trips to the plate. McGuire hit well in 2018 but went just 3-for-41 last season.

In addition to Kirk, the Jays are without George Springer (quad strain), David Phelps (lat strain), Julian Merryweather (oblique strain) and Kirby Yates (Tommy John surgery). They’ve also already had weeks-long absences for Hyun Jin Ryu (glute strain) and Teoscar Hernandez (Covid-19), although both are now back with the club.

Two Start Pitchers for Week 6 (5/10-5/16)

Anthony Tucker — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:00:21 +0000

Previewing two-start pitchers for the upcoming week.

The post Two Start Pitchers for Week 6 (5/10-5/16) appeared first on Pitcher List.

Bullpen Depth Charts: Relievers To Stream — 5/7

Adam Howe — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:45:06 +0000

Which relievers might be in line to vulture a save or win today?

The post Bullpen Depth Charts: Relievers To Stream — 5/7 appeared first on Pitcher List.

DFS Plays of the Day – May 7

Dave Swan — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:30:40 +0000

Dave Swan previews the DFS slate for Friday's action.

The post DFS Plays of the Day – May 7 appeared first on Pitcher List.

The 7 Nastiest Pitches From Thursday

Callen Elslager — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:15:16 +0000

Breaking down the nastiest pitches from Thursday 5/6.

The post The 7 Nastiest Pitches From Thursday appeared first on Pitcher List.

Grichuk Could Chuck Wood

Adam Howe — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:00:36 +0000

Breaking down the best hitting performances from yesterday's games.

The post Grichuk Could Chuck Wood appeared first on Pitcher List.

Beat the Shift Podcast – Lineups Episode w/ Steve Gardner

Ariel Cohen — Fri, 07 May 2021 12:45:27 +0000

The Lineups Episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Steve Gardner

Strategy Section

Lineups
- 5 games for a star vs. 7 games for a scrub
- When should you start paying attention to categories when setting your lineup?
  - When should you be playing the Jon Berti types?
- Monday morning decisions for injured players
  - What are the key words/terms that managers use that you should pay attention to when making your decisions?

Fantasy Baseball in 2021

How does 2021’s lower batting average environment affect how you play fanasty?
What does the 2021 pitching environment mean for player values?
Should we change the rules of rotisserie baseball?
- BA vs. OBP
- Saves vs. Saves + Holds
- Wins vs. IP vs. Wins + Quality Starts

Waiver Wire

Pitcher Preview

Mailbag

How to evaluate trades in the middle of the season
Yusei Kikuchi

Injury Update – Reuven gives us the injury updates.

Follow us on Twitter

Roto Riteup: May 7, 2021

Justin Mason — Fri, 07 May 2021 11:15:58 +0000

Gutstradamus with a scary prediction…

Probably in the 4th inning during deGrom’s start while the Mets have a 6-run lead. https://t.co/SeFkTbrqh8

— Vlad Sedler (@RotoGut) May 6, 2021

On the Agenda:

Quick Hits
Various News and Notes
Streaming Pitchers

Quick Hits

Enrique Hernandez left Thursday’s game with hamstring tightness. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Gio Urshela left Thursday’s game with a knee injury. He is expected to undergo an MRI on Friday. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Wilson Ramos left Thursday’s game with back stiffness. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Carlos Carrasco was transferred from the 10-Day IL to the 60-Day IL on Thursday. This is a bit weird considering reports had been that Carrsco was close to returning. He is now not eligible to return until the end of May.

Various News and Notes

The Angels designated Albert Pujols for assignment on Wednesday. This is somewhat surprising considering that he was in the last year of his deal with the team, but does have a deal with them to do work within the organization after the contract. He may sign a short term contract to retire as a Cardinal, but it seems unlikely that the future Hall of Famer will be playing again for an MLB team this season.

Alec Bohm went one for three with a home run on Thursday in the win versus the Brewers. Bohm has struggled so far this season hitting .219/.250/.351 with four home runs and two stolen bases, but he has been extremely unlucky. He has a .277 xBA and great exit velocity and hard hit numbers. It is a matter of time before he gets going and is a nice buy low candidate.

Randal Grichuk went 2-for-4 with a home run and five runs batted in versus the A’s on Thursday. Grichuk has been fantastic this season, hitting .306/.345/.514 with six home runs. He is getting to play full time with Springer injured and Tellez being sent down and he is taking advantage of the opportunity. He has a career high zone contact percentage and a career low strikeout rate so far this season. He is weirdly still available in 33% of CBS leagues, so if he is available, pick him up.

Madison Bumgarner threw six innings versus the Marlins, allowing one earned run on two hits and now walks while striking out seven. This was vintage Bumgarner where he not only was able to stay in the zone, but also commanded well within the zone. He has another start against the Marlins coming up and is worth streaming there as well.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: None

High Risk Options: Griffin Canning vs LAD, Mike Foltynewicz vs SEA

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Garrett Richards at BAL

Richards has been fantastic the last two starts and it is a decent matchup in Baltimore.

High Risk Options: Trevor Williams vs PIT, Adrian Houser at MIA, Carlos Martinez vs COL, Daniel Lynch vs CHW, Jose Urena vs MIN, Kohei Arihara vs SEA

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options” but I may add them at some point.

Albert Pujols Retires The Apostrophe From “I’m Mortal”

Grey — Fri, 07 May 2021 07:00:25 +0000

Start engraving the Hall of Fame plaque for Albert Pujols now: First a Cardinal, then an Angel, always a God. Been a while since I got choked up about a player retiring, but this one had me bent over in disbelief like Brad Lidge. Often made fun of Albert Pujols, but he was arguably the greatest 1st baseman I saw. Objectively, he's the best post-war 1st baseman in MLB history. (Bet you can't guess number two.) Sure, towards the end he would smack the occasional homer, and plop a tennis ball onto his bat as he used it as a cane around the bases. Those early Angels and Cardinals years, though, no one could sniff Pujols' rarified air. If he wafted the Pujols air, they came, which sounds like some x-rated anime film. The Angels did him dirty by just releasing him -- even the Yankees gave Jay Bruce one final game! Maybe the Angels feared Pujols's retirement celebration around the league would take an extra year, as he decided to jog Cal Ripken-style around the field. All this is super sad, especially since I lowered Jared Walsh (1-for-4, hitting .330) in my preseason rankings at the last second, and where's my Jo Adell at? Welp, fairly well, Pujols, you will leave a gaping hole in the game, even if he says he wants to continue playing, which will just be sad. Retire, man, it's time. *finger to ear* Wait, we have breaking news! Albert Pujols to play center field for the White Sox. La Russa confirms. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Bullpen Report: May 7, 2021

Jason Martinez — Fri, 07 May 2021 06:38:05 +0000

The 2021 version of Bullpen Report includes five different sections, as well as the closer chart, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Notable Workloads: Primary closers or valuable members of a closer committee who have been deemed unavailable or likely unavailable for the current day due to recent workload.
Injury News
Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
Losing A Grip: Struggling closers who could be on the hot seat.

Notable Workloads

•Will Smith, ATL: Back-to-back days; 13 pitches on Thursday. | RosterResource

A.J. Minter is a likely candidate for a save chance if Smith isn’t available on Friday.

•Gregory Soto, DET: Back-to-back days; 13 pitches on Thursday. | RosterResource

Bryan Garcia, José Cisnero, and Michael Fulmer are likely candidates for a save chance if Soto isn’t available on Friday.

•Ryan Pressly, HOU: 32 pitches on Thursday. | RosterResource

Ryne Stanek is a likely candidate for a save chance if Pressly isn’t available on Friday.

•Edwin Díaz, NYM: 24 pitches on Thursday. | RosterResource

Trevor May has pitched back-to-back days. Miguel Castro and Jeurys Familia are likely candidates for a save chance if neither Diaz or May is available on Friday.

Injury News

•None

Outlier Saves

•Adam Ottavino, BOS | RosterResource

Ottavino and closer Matt Barnes had each pitched back-to-back days, so it was uncertain if either would be available on Thursday. But after having used four relievers through eight innings with his team up 12-9 — including potential closing options Matt Andriese and Darwinzon Hernandez — manager Alex Cora opted to go with Ottavino on a third consecutive day to close out the win.

The 35-year-old, making his 15th appearance on the season, pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his first save with the Red Sox. Barnes pitched in 16 of the team’s first 31 games, so his workload had been slightly greater than Ottavino’s.

•Josh Sborz, TEX | RosterResource

With closer Ian Kennedy and top setup man Joely Rodríguez both likely unavailable after pitching back-to-back days, it was Sborz who got the call with the Rangers leading 4-3 versus the Twins in the bottom of the tenth.

The 27-year-old right-hander struck out Willians Astudillo and Josh Donaldson to begin the inning and then got Miguel Sanó to fly out to strand the designated runner on second base and pick up his first career save.

Committee Clarity

•None

Losing A Grip

•None

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.

Not Very Stable

Hot Seat

Committee

Bullpen Report — 5/6/2021

UnfortuNate

Nick Pollack — Fri, 07 May 2021 05:14:27 +0000

Nick Pollack reviews every starting pitcher performance from Thursday.

The post UnfortuNate appeared first on Pitcher List.

Angels Designate Albert Pujols For Assignment

Steve Adams — Fri, 07 May 2021 03:56:51 +0000

The Albert Pujols era in Anaheim has come to an end. In a shocking move, the Angels announced Thursday that Pujols has been designated for assignment. The DFA is largely a formality, as Pujols and the remainder of his $30MM salary will go unclaimed on waivers. It’s possible the Halos could work out some kind of trade where they effectively eat all of that salary, but a release is most likely. Pujols is in the final season of a 10-year, $240MM contract.

“The Angels organization proudly signed Albert Pujols in 2011, and are honored that he was worn an Angels jersey for nearly half of his Hall-of-Fame career,” owner Arte Moreno said in a statement announcing the move. “Albert’s historical accomplishments, both on and off the field, serve as an inspiration to athletes everywhere, and his actions define what it means to be a true Superstar. Since his Rookie of the Year season in 2001, Albert and his wife Deidre have generously given their time and resources to countless charities throughout the world. We are thankful to the entire Pujols Family.”

It’s a stunning end to one of the largest contracts in Major League history, although from a pure performance standpoint, it’s hard to fault the move. The 41-year-old Pujols has connected on five homers in 2021 but is batting just .198/.250/.372 overall. He’s drawn only two unintentional walks in his 92 trips to the plate this season. The results in 2020 were similarly disappointing, and Pujols has an overall .214/.263/.387 line across his past 255 plate appearances.

Pujols’ fit on the Angels has become increasingly difficult, given Shohei Ohtani’s flat-out excellence at the plate and the emergence of slugger Jared Walsh. The 26-year-old Ohtani is batting .264/.316/.623 with nine home runs through 114 plate appearances. Walsh, a former 37th-round pick, has built upon last year’s surprise production with a ridiculous .333/.412/.576 line in 114 plate appearances, bringing his overall output since Opening Day 2020 to a robust .313/.369/.611 in 222 plate appearances.

Even with Pujols forced into action at first base, this announcement has sent shockwaves through the baseball world. Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times reports that Pujols was unhappy not only with the fact that he was benched against Rays lefty Ryan Yarbrough last night — against whom he is 6-for-9 with a pair of homers in his career — but that the decision to sit him was made by the front office rather than by manager Joe Maddon. The extent to which that specific instance contributed to today’s move isn’t clear, but MLB Network’s Jon Heyman adds that Pujols was also recently given the message that his playing time would begin to be scaled back.

Pujols’ signing in Los Angeles was a watershed moment in both Angels and Cardinals franchise history. The three-time National League MVP spent the first 11 seasons of a surefire Cooperstown career in St. Louis, cementing himself as one of the game’s top all-around players while batting .328/.420/.617 with 445 home runs through 7433 plate appearances.

Pujols hit the market as one of the most coveted free agents in history. At the time of his signing, his 10-year, $240MM deal was the third-largest in MLB history, trailing only Alex Rodriguez’s prior $252MM and $275MM contracts. That contract was negotiated by Moreno himself, and it’s now Moreno who has formally made the announcement and issued a statement confirming the end of Pujols’ time with the organization.

The contract, of course, didn’t pan out as hoped. Pujols began his Angels tenure mired in a dreadful slump, though he recovered to finish his first year with a .285/.343/.516 slash and 30 home runs. With the Angels, Pujols was never the juggernaut that he’d proven to be in St. Louis, but the first five seasons of his contract still resulted in a solid .266/.325/.474 batting line — good for a 119 wRC+. It’s not the production for which the Halos had hoped, but it’s a far sight better than the cumulative .240/.289/.405 output he’s compiled since 2017.

Pujols hit several iconic milestones during his time with the Angels, belting his 500th and 600th career home runs and also tallying his 3000th hit. But beyond the individual milestones, the Angels had only one postseason appearance during the Pujols era — a winless, three-game sweep at the hands of the upstart Royals back in 2014.

It’s not clear what’s next for Pujols. There’s already been immediate speculation and plenty of clamoring from fans about a farewell tour in St. Louis. A reunion of Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright would no doubt give Cards fans chills, but with Paul Goldschmidt at first base and no universal designated hitter, Pujols isn’t exactly a clean fit for that roster.

Others have suggested a reunion with skipper Tony La Russa, now managing the White Sox, also might make some sense. However, Yermin Mercedes has been the team’s best hitter at DH, and reigning MVP Jose Abreu has first base locked down. It still seems likely that some club will take a chance on Pujols if he wants to continue playing.

For the Angels, moving on from Pujols allows the club to utilize Walsh at first base and Ohtani at designated hitter once top prospects Jo Adell and/or Brandon Marsh are called to the Major Leagues for a look in right field. Were either to hit at even an average (or slightly below-average) level upon his promotion, that’d give the Angels both an improved lineup and an improved defensive outlook.

The organization surely didn’t make the decision to move on lightly. Beyond his stature as one of the best players in Major League history, Pujols is a beloved teammate who is respected by all in the league and revered by fans for both his on-field contributions and his prolific charity work off the field. The very fact that there is such widespread shock to a see the DFA of a player with his lack of production over the past few seasons is a testament to that reverence. Time will tell whether that leads to another opportunity.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported (via Twitter) that Pujols would be released.

Latest On Miles Mikolas

Connor Byrne — Fri, 07 May 2021 03:12:29 +0000

Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas began a Triple-A rehab assignment this week, and it seems likely he’ll make his 2021 major league debut soon. Mikolas said his last rehab start should be May 16 or 17, after which he figures to return to the majors, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat tweets.

The Cardinals have gone the past year-plus without Mikolas, who missed 2020 as a result of a flexor tendon surgery and hasn’t pitched this season because of shoulder issues. Mikolas’ health woes have been rather unfortunate for the Cardinals, who haven’t gotten much bang for their buck on the four-year, $68MM extension they signed him to prior to the 2019 campaign. They gave Mikolas that deal on the heels of a tremendous 2018 season in which he logged a 2.83 ERA with an 18.1 percent strikeout rate and a 3.6 percent walk rate across 200 2/3 innings.

Of course, despite his recent injury problems, the Cardinals have received plenty of value from Mikolas since they lured him from Japan on a two-year, $15.5MM guarantee going into 2018. Mikolas owns a 3.46 ERA and a meager 3.9 percent walk rate across 384 2/3 frames with the Cardinals, so they’ll be glad to welcome him back.

Angels Make Several Roster Moves

Connor Byrne — Fri, 07 May 2021 01:13:26 +0000

The Angels announced several roster moves Thursday: They selected the contracts of outfielder Jon Jay and catcher Jack Kruger, placed backstop Max Stassi (concussion) and right-hander Chris Rodriguez (shoulder inflammation) on the 10-day injured list, and reinstated righty Felix Pena from the IL.

More to come.

Team	Closer	First Up	Second Up	Injured List
ARI	Stefan Crichton	Chris Devenski	Joakim Soria	Tyler Clippard
ATL	Will Smith	A.J. Minter	Tyler Matzek	Chris Martin
BAL	Cesar Valdez	Tanner Scott	Paul Fry	Hunter Harvey
BOS	Matt Barnes	Adam Ottavino	Matt Andriese	Ryan Brasier
CHC	Craig Kimbrel	Andrew Chafin	Ryan Tepera	Rowan Wick
CWS	Liam Hendriks	Aaron Bummer	Codi Heuer	Garrett Crochet
CIN	Tejay Antone	Sean Doolittle	Lucas Sims
CLE	Emmanuel Clase	James Karinchak	Bryan Shaw
COL	Daniel Bard	Mychal Givens	Robert Stephenson
DET	Gregory Soto	Bryan Garcia	Jose Cisnero
HOU	Ryan Pressly	Ryne Stanek	Brooks Raley	Enoli Paredes
KC	Josh Staumont	Greg Holland	Scott Barlow
LAA	Raisel Iglesias	Mike Mayers	Felix Peña
LAD	Kenley Jansen	Blake Treinen	Jimmy Nelson	Victor Gonzalez
MIA	Yimi Garcia	Dylan Floro	Anthony Bass
MIL	Josh Hader	Devin Williams	J.P. Feyereisen
MIN	Taylor Rogers	Hansel Robles	Tyler Duffey
NYM	Edwin Diaz	Trevor May	Miguel Castro
NYY	Aroldis Chapman	Chad Green	Jonathan Loaisiga	Zack Britton
OAK	Jake Diekman	Lou Trivino	Yusmeiro Petit	J.B. Wendelken
PHI	Hector Neris	Jose Alvarado	Sam Coonrod
PIT	Richard Rodriguez	Kyle Crick	David Bednar
STL	Alex Reyes	Giovanny Gallegos	Ryan Helsley
SD	Mark Melancon	Drew Pomeranz	Emilio Pagan
SF	Jake McGee	Tyler Rogers	Caleb Baragar
SEA	Kendall Graveman	Rafael Montero	Anthony Misiewicz	Keynan Middleton
TB	Pete Fairbanks	Andrew Kittredge	Jeffrey Springs	Diego Castillo
TEX	Ian Kennedy	Joely Rodriguez	Josh Sborz	Matt Bush
TOR	Rafael Dolis	Jordan Romano	Ryan Borucki