Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Wounded Wacha
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The Cardinals made some big moves with their pitching staff Tuesday.
Michael Wacha was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury that general manager John Mozeliak said is similar to the one he had two years ago which cost him two months of action. While the club believes this ailment isn’t as serious, the GM admitted that he’s unsure what the pitcher’s status is for the rest of the season. Mozeliak also said that the recurrence of the shoulder issue could force the Cards to rethink Wacha’s long-term role with the team. It sounds like they could ultimately move Wacha to the bullpen, which would be understandable but a shame for a guy with a career 3.55 ERA over 87 appearances – 81 of which have come as a starter.
To replace Wacha on the roster, the Cardinals called up top prospect Alex Reyes from Triple-A Memphis. Ranked by Baseball America at midseason as the No. 2 overall prospect and top pitching prospect in baseball, Reyes has posted a 4.96 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 93/32 K/BB ratio over 65 1/3 innings this season at Memphis. While Reyes has arguably the most dynamic arm of any pitching prospect in the game, he still needs to work on his control and efficiency. It’s the primary reason why he’s going to be pitching out of the bullpen for now. Reyes was impressive in his debut Tuesday with a 1-2-3 inning.
Replacing Wacha in the rotation will be Luke Weaver. Weaver is a nice prospect in his own right, placing No. 75 on the aforementioned list put out by Baseball America. The upside isn’t as high as Reyes’, but Weaver has pitched much better this season, boasting an impressive 1.30 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 92/12 K/BB ratio across 83 frames between Double- and Triple-A. A first-round pick in the 2014 Draft, Weaver will face a stiff test in his major league debut, getting the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday.
Weaver, who is of no relation to Jeff and Jered, is getting the call despite having only one Triple-A start under his belt. It was a good one, though, as he tossed six shutout innings while allowing just two hits Monday in his debut for Memphis. Slated to turn 23 in a couple weeks, Weaver is worth an add in deeper redrafts and his elite control (career 1.6 BB/9) could help ease the transition to the majors. He might not be guaranteed anything beyond Saturday, though, especially with Reyes waiting the wings as another potential rotation option. Reyes is worth a speculative pick-up in fantasy leagues, as well, even as his initial role might not be fantasy-friendly. Him getting at least one or two spot starts down the stretch certainly wouldn’t be a surprise.
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Prince’s Career Over
Some unfortunate news coming out of Texas, as it appears Prince Fielder’s baseball career is over.
Fielder underwent season-ending surgery on July 29 to repair a C4/C5 herniation in his neck. It was a similar procedure to what he had in 2014, and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says doctors will not medically clear him to play following the second surgery on his neck. Fielder is not retiring, so he’ll collect every penny of the $24 million he’s owed per season through 2020. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers will pay Fielder $9 million each of those years, with insurance and the Tigers picking up the rest of the tab.
Fielder had a big bounce-back season in 2015, making his sixth All-Star team. He faded down the stretch, though, and overall just hasn’t been the same player since his first neck surgery. The big slugger missed just 13 games from 2006-13 and batted .286/.390/.528 while averaging 35 homers and 108 RBI per season over that span. He’s fallen off to .269/.350/.410 while averaging only 96 games played per season over the last three years.
Fielder, 32, will finish with 319 career home runs, which happens to be the same number his dad, Cecil, hit. The Rangers and Fielder will hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon, at which point they’re expected to confirm the bad news.
Another Setback for Brantley
The Indians have been without Michael Brantley for essentially the entirety of the season. It’s looking like they might have to make do without him for the remainder of the campaign.
Brantley has been diagnosed with chronic right biceps tendinitis after his latest meeting on Monday with a specialist, Dr. Stephen O’Brien in New York. It’s the fourth time this season that the outfielder has had to meet with doctors due to setbacks with his surgically-repaired right shoulder and biceps. A third operation might be required.
“It’s a possibility,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said of the chances of Brantley undergoing season-ending surgery. “How likely and what the exact nature of a surgery would be, that’s why we need to get all of the doctors together to figure out what their recommendation would be.”
Brantley’s latest procedure occurred on July 22 to remove scar tissue from his biceps tendon. He had been taking indoor batting practice for a week but apparently was still feeling some discomfort.
“He’s done such a good job of getting ready to play,” manager Terry Francona said. “And then, once he gets to that last step, he feels it. So, we’re trying to get to the bottom of it. The most important thing is to get to the bottom of it and, whatever needs to be done, we will. We should know something here pretty soon.”
Even if Brantley winds up going the rehab route with his latest setback, fantasy owners obviously can’t count on him for the remainder of the season. His dynasty league prospects are also looking cloudy, especially if he winds up going under the knife again.
The Indians have gotten surprising production out of their outfielders this season between Jose Ramirez, Tyler Naquin and Lonnie Chisenhall. Ramirez has since moved to third base full-time, although the Tribe also added Brandon Guyer to pair with Abraham Almonte in left field. It’s a group that would obviously look much better with a healthy Brantley in the mix, but it doesn’t appear that’s in the cards for 2016.
National League Quick Hits: A.J. Ramos was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with a fractured right middle finger, and Fernando Rodney recorded his second save as a Marlin later that night … Adam Ottavino has supplanted Carlos Estevez as the Rockies’ closer … Bryce Harper (neck) remained out of the Nationals’ lineup Tuesday … Carlos Gonzalez (ankle) sat out Tuesday’s game … Raisel Iglesias notched his first career save Tuesday against the Cardinals and Bryan Price indicated after the game that the righty could stick in the closer role … Neil Walker went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday … Gregory Polanco blasted a three-run homer in his return to the lineup Tuesday … Max Scherzer flirted with another no-hitter Tuesday, striking out 10 batters but ultimately taking a loss against the Indians … Billy Hamilton went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and three runs scored in Tuesday’s win over the Cardinals … Tom Koehler yielded just two hits over seven shutout innings in Tuesday’s victory over the Giants … John Lackey spun eight frames of one-run ball in Tuesday’s win over the Angels … Giancarlo Stanton will sit out Wednesday’s game with some minor hip soreness … Yasmany Tomas was scratched from the Diamondbacks’ lineup Tuesday due to a stiff neck … Rich Hill (blister) played catch on Tuesday without issue and remains on track to start Friday … Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) threw a successful three-inning simulated game on Tuesday … Jose Reyes (intercostal) wasn’t ready to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday as hoped …
American League Quick Hits: Cam Bedrosian landed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with right middle finger flexor tendinitis. Fernando Salas is probably the best bet to take over as the Angels’ closer … Carlos Correa went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Tuesday’s win over the Twins … Jose Altuve finished 4-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base versus the Twins … Cameron Maybin will be placed on the disabled list Wednesday with a Grade 2 left thumb sprain … Andrew Benintendi recorded his second straight three-hit game Tuesday, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored in a win over the Yankees … Blake Swihart will undergo season-ending surgery on his left ankle in the coming days … Logan Forsythe went 3-for-6 with a solo homer and two RBI in Tuesday’s win over the Blue Jays … Trevor Bauer spun 6 1/3 shutout innings in Tuesday’s victory over the Nationals … Danny Salazar (elbow) played catch Tuesday and is scheduled for a bullpen session Wednesday … Wade Davis (elbow) is aiming to resume throwing in the next couple of days … Avisail Garcia was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with a sprained right knee …
