Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Dodgers Get Utley

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The Phillies and Dodgers have reportedly agreed on a trade, which will send second baseman Chase Utley and $2 million to Los Angeles in exchange for minor leaguers Darnell Sweeney and John Richy. Utley had the right to veto the trade per his 10-and-5 rights, but opted not to do so in order to move to a contender near his home on the West coast.

Howie Kendrick is expected to be sidelined for at least another couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. The Dodgers have used Kiké Hernandez and prospect Jose Peraza at second base in his stead, but the playoff-hopeful Dodgers want to expand on their current two-game lead in the NL West by bringing in a battle-tested veteran to man the position. Utley can also play first base or DH when the Dodgers travel to Houston to play the Astros this weekend and when the Dodgers play the Angels on the road September 7-9. ESPN’s Mark Saxon adds that the Dodgers could also use Utley at third base.

Utley had a miserable first half of the 2015 season, batting .179/.257/.275 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 249 plate appearances. On June 23, he went on the disabled list with a right ankle injury that had nagged him since spring training. As he was rehabbing, Utley said that he had found a mechanical flaw in his swing which had been caused by the ankle injury. He corrected it, but few were convinced the 36-year-old had anything left in the tank.

The Phillies activated Utley from the disabled list on August 7. He would register a hit in all eight games in which he appeared, batting .484/.485/.742 with five doubles, a home run, and five RBI with a 3/1 K/BB ratio in 33 plate appearances. A once-dormant trade market for Utley had a rebirth. The Dodgers were among six teams reportedly interested in acquiring the second baseman’s services, joining the Angels, Yankees, Astros, Giants, and Cubs.

Considering recent iterations of the Dodgers’ batting order, Utley will likely slot in second behind former Phillies teammate Jimmy Rollins, though nothing official has been announced yet. If he is indeed in the top-third of the order, he should see a marginal bump in fantasy value with better hitters both in front of him and behind him as compared to the Phillies’ lineup. We’re only talking a handful more runs and RBI, though, so nothing world-changing.

Sweeney, 24, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2012 draft. He will be promoted to the majors on Thursday to take Utley’s spot on the Phillies’ roster. He has mostly played at second base and in center field at Triple-A Oklahoma City and figures to get work at both positions in Philadelphia. Sweeney hit .271/.332/.409 with nine home runs, 49 RBI, and 32 stolen bases in 522 plate appearances with Oklahoma City. He’ll be worth a gamble for those in NL-only leagues as well as deeper mixed leagues.

Richy, 23, was taken by the Dodgers in the third round of last year’s draft. At High-A Rancho Cucamonga this season, the right-hander posted a 4.20 ERA with a 105/34 K/BB ratio in 124 1/3 innings. His ceiling at the moment is likely that of a back-of-the-rotation starter, but the Phillies will have a few years with which to mold him and try to boost that ceiling.

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Panik to Begin Swinging

The Giants tried to acquire Utley to fill the gap while second baseman Joe Panik was on the disabled list due to inflammation in his back. The bad news is they didn’t get Utley. The good news is Panik played catch again on Wednesday without issue and will begin taking swings this weekend, CSN Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic reports.

Panik hit the shelf batting .309/.374/.443 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 423 plate appearances, ranking among the best second basemen in baseball this season. There’s a chance the Giants could get him back by the end of the month, which would be helpful as they entered play Wednesday two games back of the Dodgers for first place in the NL West.

Ehire Adrianza and Kelby Tomlinson have handled second base sans Panik, but the results have been so-so. Adrianza compiled a .626 OPS in 48 plate appearances since getting a few starts at second base in late July when Panik first started complaining of his back problem. Tomlinson has an .876 OPS in 28 plate appearances but has done so on the back of an unsustainably-high .429 batting average on balls in play.

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Hamilton Hits the DL

The Reds placed outfielder Billy Hamilton on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday due to a sprained capsule in his right shoulder. Hamilton jammed his shoulder during Tuesday’s loss against the Royals. There’s no known timeline for his return, at least at the moment.

The club recalled outfielder Brennan Boesch from Triple-A Louisville. He could see some starts in center field while Hamilton recovers. Boesch hasn’t been a regular since 2012 and can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Hamilton leads the majors with 54 stolen bases in 61 attempts for an outstanding 88.5 percent success rate. He has also contributed as a plus-defender in center field. However, Hamilton has been quite weak at the plate, batting .226/.272/.290 in 428 plate appearances. Baseball Reference credits him with 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, which means he’s been closer to a replacement-level player (0.0 WAR) than an average player (2.0).

Hamilton, however, has been a big-time fantasy asset this season for his steals alone. He stole 56 bases last year but needed 79 attempts to do so. As he’s become acclimated to the majors, he’s picked better spots in which to run. With fantasy baseball seasons near the home stretch, Hamilton’s absence will certainly be felt by those who drafted or traded for him.

Norris Exits Early

Tigers starter Daniel Norris, acquired from the Blue Jays at the deadline in the David Price trade, suffered a right oblique strain during Wednesday’s start against the Cubs. He’ll go on the 15-day disabled list and will undergo an MRI on Thursday. As Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports, Norris says he hurt himself throwing a curve to Dexter Fowler in the fifth inning.

Norris allowed three runs on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. The lefty entered the season rated baseball’s 18th-best overall prospect according to Baseball America. He struggled in his most recent two starts after a strong debut in his new uniform. He allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings to the Red Sox and four runs to the Royals over 6 1/3 innings.

After being the Cubs 15-8 on Wednesday, the Tigers are only four games out of a Wild Card spot despite a 58-61 record. They’re not exactly dead in the water, but losing Norris certainly hampers their outlook.

National League Quick Hits: The Mets could begin skipping starts for Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard this week, according to a report … Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg allowed only an unearned run across seven innings in Wednesday’s win against the Rockies… The Braves activated first baseman Freddie Freeman (oblique) from the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday … Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna homered in Wednesday’s loss to the Brewers … Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr registered his first major league hit and home run in Wednesday’s win against the Blue Jays … Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay (wrist) has been cleared to accelerate his rehab … The Pirates designated infielder Pedro Florimon for assignment on Wednesday … The Cubs signed pitcher Trevor Cahill to a minor league contract on Wednesday … The Reds purchased the contract of reliever Sam LeCure from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday … Brewers outfielder Khris Davis homered twice in a win against the Marlins on Wednesday … An MRI on Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig’s right hamstring showed a very mild strain … Giants starter Mike Leake (hamstring) threw a successful bullpen session on Wednesday … The Diamondbacks optioned starter Chase Anderson to Triple-A Reno and recalled pitcher Zack Godley from Double-A Mobile on Wednesday … Padres starter Josh Johnson (elbow) threw a bullpen session on Tuesday … The Rockies on Wednesday placed catcher Michael McKenry on the 60-day disabled list with a right lateral meniscus tear.

American League Quick Hits: Yankees starter Michael Pineda (forearm) will make another rehab start on Friday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre … Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis (shoulder) has yet to resume swinging a bat … Orioles outfielder Steve Pearce (oblique) took batting practice on Tuesday … Rays reliever Jake McGee tweaked his knee in Tuesday’s loss to the Astros, and he will head back to St. Petersburg to see a doctor  … The Red Sox released pitcher Justin Masterson on Wednesday … Royals second baseman Ben Zobrist racked up four hits in a win against the Reds on Wednesday … The Twins recalled outfielder Byron Buxton from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday … The Tigers recalled reliever Drew VerHagen from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday … The White Sox released utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on Tuesday … Indians outfielder Michael Brantley had three hits in Wednesday’s loss to the Red Sox, upping his average to .317 … Astros starter Lance McCullers will return to the rotation on Sunday to face the Dodgers … Angels manager Mike Scioscia said on Tuesday that David Freese’s (finger) rehab is going “slowly, but it’s moving in the right direction.” … Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli hit his first home run with his new team in Wednesday’s win against the Mariners … Mariners DH Mark Trumbo hit his sixth home run since joining the club, but the Rangers still won on Wednesday … Athletics third baseman Brett Lawrie sat out a third straight game on Wednesday due to a back injury.

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