Baseball Daily Dose: Dose: Teheran Tightens Up
Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for the Braves, they did.
The Atlanta club, owner of the league’s worst record and already without talented closer Arodys Vizcaino, suffered another blow Friday when All-Star Julio Teheran left his start due to back tightness. The team initially called the right-hander day to day with tightness in his right latissimus dorsi muscle.
Teheran left in the fifth inning after attempting to field a slow-rolling ground ball. The right-hander motioned for the trainer and, after throwing one warm-up pitch, left the start.
If Teheran is forced to miss any time, it will be fantasy owners, not the Braves, bemoaning the injury. The 25-year-old has been stellar for the cellar dwellers in 2016, posting a 2.71 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 115/28 K/BB ratio through 20 starts. He was recently named to his second All-Star team.
One thing the injury likely won’t affect is the Braves’ trade deadline plans. Although the team is selling, the front office has made it known that Teheran will not be for sale. Earlier Friday, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick said it would “take a major change of heart” for the Braves to trade him.
The Braves should know more about Teheran’s outlook come Saturday.
The regular season is already half over, so be sure to keep refreshing Rotoworld’s constantly-updating player news page for all the latest. And while you’re at it, follow @Rotoworld_BB and @nate_grimm if you are on Twitter.
Trade Winds
The non-waiver trade deadline is still over a week away, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from heating up.
If not the most interesting, at least the most realistic move on the horizon seems to be Melvin Upton Jr.’s departure from San Diego. According to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, the Padres on Friday evening were telling teams that they were getting close to dealing the 31-year-old, presumably in hopes of receiving interested teams’ best offers. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported that the Orioles are among the teams having talked to the Padres about Upton, and a source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the return would include Ubaldo Jimenez, but no deal was done as of late Friday.
A year ago, it was hard to fathom Upton being a player a contending team would have interest in acquiring. But the outfielder has found new life with the Padres, hitting .259/.307/.444 with 16 home runs and 20 stolen bases this season. There’s something to be said for Upton being comfortable with his current club, but fantasy owners might not bristle at the idea of Upton moving out of Petco Park. Perhaps we’ll know where that might be in the coming days.
The Upton news was the most intriguing, but certainly not the only whisper heard Friday. The White Sox, according to Jon Heyman, are being “inundated” with calls on Chris Sale, but it certainly seems as though teams are barking up the wrong tree. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal has previously said the Sox were offered a “king’s ransom” for Sale and they refused, and other reports have said the Sox don’t want to break up their starting rotation even if they sell.
Other gossip overheard Friday included the Blue Jays having scouted CC Sabathia and Andrew Cashner‘s Thursday starts, the Rays receiving hits on Steve Pearce, the Rangers reportedly having interest in Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani, the Royals sniffing around Nick Markakis, the Orioles also scouting Cashner and the Nationals hoping to get in on the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes.
Eflin Dominates Pirates
Zach Eflin demands your attention.
The 22-year-old on Friday threw his second complete game in eight major league starts, dominating the Pirates in a 4-0 shutout. Eflin allowed just three hits while striking out six, outdueling Pirates ace Gerrit Cole in the process.
Eflin, like Cole, is a former first-round pick, but the Phillies right-hander was far less heralded than his counterpart Friday. Eflin was made the No. 33 overall pick by the Padres in the 2012 MLB Draft but was dealt, along with Yasmani Grandal and Joe Wieland, to the Dodgers for Matt Kemp after the 2014 season. A day later, the Dodgers sent Eflin and Tom Windle to the Phillies for Jimmy Rollins.
Eflin posted good numbers in the minors and has acquitted himself well since being promoted in mid-June. Through eight starts, he has a 3.40 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, going 3-3 in that span.
On Friday, he kept the Pirates off balance all night, allowing only a double and two singles in the shutout.
“[Eflin] was, for lack of a better word, filthy tonight,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “He got ahead of people, great movement on his fastball, good slider, occasional changeup, occasional curveball, but he pounded the strike zone and just went right after the hitters.”
Eflin is a pitch-to-contact pitcher making starts for a losing team, so his mixed league fantasy value is marginal. In NL-only leagues where he’s available, though, Eflin has forced owners to take a hard look.
National League Quick Hits: Dexter Fowler celebrated his return from the disabled list by going 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored in Friday’s win over the Brewers. Fresh off missing a month and change with a hamstring injury, Fowler didn’t need any time to shake the rust. The 30-year-old faded a bit in June prior to the injury, but he still owns a cool .298/.405/.504 batting line on the year … Maikel Franco was removed from Friday’s game against the Pirates after getting plunked on the wrist by Gerrit Cole. He was drilled during his first at-bat in the first inning and remained in the game another two frames before being replaced. X-rays were negative, but he had the wrist wrapped after the game and sounded pessimistic about his status for Saturday … Matt Carpenter (oblique) has been cleared to resume limited baseball activities. He was spotted fielding grounders and throwing to first base on Friday. It’s unclear when he’ll be allowed to swing a bat. Carpenter is hoping to be back in early August, although it might be closer to the middle of the month … Joe Ross (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Low-A Hagerstown on Sunday. It’s expected to be his lone rehab outing before rejoining the Nationals’ rotation, assuming all goes well. The Nationals haven’t said yet who will start in Ross’ place on Sunday, but Lucas Giolito would be on turn … Buster Posey was diagnosed with a right foot contusion and is considered day-to-day. Posey was lifted from Friday’s game after fouling a ball off of his back leg, but X-rays thankfully came back negative. Given the short bench that the Giants are playing with, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Posey back in the lineup on Saturday … Pirates manager Clint Hurdle confirmed Friday that Tyler Glasnow will start on Saturday against the Phillies. It will be the first start in Pittsburgh for the 22-year-old southpaw. He gave up four runs on three hits and a pair of walks over 5 1/3 innings in his major league debut against the Cardinals on July 7. If he pitches well, he could stake his claim to a rotation spot for the remainder of the season … Yasiel Puig (hamstring) was absent from the Dodgers’ lineup Friday. Puig tweaked his right hamstring on Thursday. It doesn’t appear that it’s a potential disabled list injury at this point, but with his history of hammy issues you never know … Jon Heyman of TodaysKnuckleball.com reports that the Indians, Rangers, Dodgers, and Blue Jays have interest in Jay Bruce. Heyman adds that the Nationals are “also on the periphery” of the market for Bruce, saying that “perhaps no outfielder is drawing as much interest” as the Red … Joe Panik (concussion) didn’t play in a scheduled rehab game Thursday because he “didn’t feel good,” according to Giants manager Bruce Bochy. Bochy didn’t specifically say that it was a setback with Panik’s concussion symptoms, but it’s safe to say that that’s the case. At this point it’s unclear when the second baseman will resume his rehab assignment. He’s been out of commission since late June … Matt Kemp blasted a pair of home runs and drove home four on Friday, powering the Padres to a 5-3 victory over the Nationals. Kemp got the Padres on the board with a solo shot off of Tanner Roark in the first inning, then tacked on a three-run blast in the fifth to cap off the club’s scoring. He has been on a home run barrage this week, launching six home runs in his last six games. With his 2-for-4 effort on Friday, Kemp is now hitting .258/.278/.484 with 22 homers and 67 RBI … Dan Straily racked up eight strikeouts over six innings of two-run ball in a victory over the Diamondbacks on Friday. The right-hander scattered five hits and three walks on the evening. The D’Backs jumped on him with two runs in the first inning, but Straily was able to settle in beautifully afterwards, finishing his night with five shutout innings … FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that the Diamondbacks are considering firing manager Chip Hale. Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa has backed Hale publicly a few times this season, but apparently something has changed. Rosenthal says that the club is mulling over whether to replace Hale with Triple-A Reno skipper Phil Nevin. The D’Backs have been one of baseball’s biggest disappointments this season at 15 games under .500, but let’s not act like Hale is the biggest, or only, problem with the club.
American League Quick Hits: Mookie Betts was forced to leave Friday’s game against the Twins due to right knee soreness. Betts started the game off with a bang, belting a leadoff home run for the second consecutive night. It’s unclear when exactly he sustained the injury, though it doesn’t sound serious. Betts is listed as day-to-day … Michael Brantley has undergone surgery to remove scar tissue from his right biceps tendon. Brantley hasn’t been able to shake his nagging shoulder issues following last October’s operation, but if he’s only a dealing with a scar tissue build-up that’s probably a best-case scenario. He’s expected to be ready to resume baseball activities sometime next week. It’s unclear when he might make it back with the Indians … Taijuan Walker (foot) threw a bullpens session Friday with no issues. He should be ready to make a rehab start soon. Walker has battled tendinitis in his right foot for a while now before finally being placed on the DL earlier this month, but it appears he’s feeling better. He should return in late July or early August … Matt Wieters (foot) remained out of the Orioles’ lineup Friday. Wieters hasn’t played since being hit by a pitch in his foot on Monday. He’s considered day-to-day … Dylan Bundy tossed five innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 win over the Indians on Friday night. It was his first MLB win as a starter. He allowed five hits and walked none while striking out five batters. The Orioles are bringing Bundy along slowly, but there’s obviously enough upside here to take a chance on him in deeper fantasy leagues … Ketel Marte will be placed on the disabled list after being diagnosed with mononucleosis. Now it makes more sense why he’s missed a week of action with what had been described as a stomach bug. Marte shouldn’t need much more than another week before being activated … Brett Lawrie (hamstring) was set to undergo an MRI Friday. Lawrie was forced to leave Thursday’s game with tightness in his left hamstring, and he was still feeling sore when he got to the ballpark Friday. Obviously more will be known about his status when the test results are in … James Paxton limited the Blue Jays to one run in seven innings as part of a 2-1 win on Friday. That’s more like it. Paxton has scuffled a bit of late, but he was flat-out brilliant in this one, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out nine … Mark Trumbo slugged his major league-leading 29th homer in Friday’s win over the Indians. It was a three-run shot against Trevor Bauer in the first inning. It was actually his first homer since July 9. In addition to leading the majors in home runs, Trumbo ranks fourth in the American League with 71 RBI. He’s loving life in Baltimore and the AL East … Astros optioned 1B A.J. Reed to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Reed’s first stint in the majors didn’t go well, as he went 7-for-45 with 19 strikeouts. His long-term future remains bright, but for now he’ll be given more time to work on things in the minors … Russell Martin is not in Friday’s lineup due to a minor knee injury. He’s sit out Saturday, as well, although that was already going to happen with R.A. Dickey starting. Martin hurt his knee when he got lightheaded in a sauna and slipped and fell. Really.
