Team-By-Team Notes
I figured I was safe in not writing about Byron Buxton last week, since even though it was starting to seem more likely that he’d reach the majors this summer, it certainly wasn’t going to happen in June. Until it did. He went 0-for-4 in his Twins debut Sunday.
I don’t blame the Twins for rushing Buxton, given that Aaron Hicks still wasn’t showing himself to be anything more than a placeholder. Still, I’m not at all convinced Buxton is ready for the assignment. He had just 60 games in Double-A under his belt, and while he was very good after a slow start (.283/.351/.489 overall), I’m not confident he’s going to hit for average or power in the majors right now. He hasn’t even seen breaking balls from wily Triple-A veterans yet, much less from full-fledged major leaguers. Certainly, it’ll all come together for him eventually. He’s a dynamic talent capable of competing for MVP awards someday. As a 21-year-old, though, expectations should be very modest.
Hopefully, the Twins and their fans are only looking for him to be better than Hicks and not an exceptional regular. If he hits .250/.310/.380 the rest of the way, well, that’s more than the team is likely to get from any of its other center field options. For fantasy purposes, he has to be picked up in mixed leagues, of course. He should steal bases at a pretty good clip, and there’s always the chance he’ll blow my projection away. So, sure, feel free to use a top waiver claim on him. That said, I doubt I’d get him in a FAAB league; someone is going to bid on him as if he might win them the league.
American League Notes
Baltimore: Miguel Gonzalez’s groin injury put Mike Wright back into the rotation for a bit. Meanwhile, Kevin Gausman (shoulder) is back making rehab starts in the minors. By the beginning of July, the Orioles could have seven starters, with Chris Tillman potentially still pitching the worst of the bunch. Tillman shouldn’t be this bad, but he wasn’t as good as the Orioles defense made him look in previous years. This season, his velocity is actually up a bit from last year, but everything besides his fastball is getting tattooed. Not one of his secondary pitches has proven reliable, leaving him vulnerable even when he gets ahead in the count. I don’t think the O’s would send him to the pen, but they might stash him on the DL if he’s still struggling when Gonzalez returns. He’s just a bad pitcher right now. … Based on Triple-A performance, Chris Parmelee was far more deserving of a promotion than Nolan Reimold. Reimold, though, had that huge spring for the Orioles and he has the better major league track record, so he was the choice last week. He’s rewarded the Orioles thus far, too. We still might see Parmelee anyway; Delmon Young and Travis Snider have combined for one extra-base hit in 63 at-bats this month.
Boston: Yikes. Well, the good news is that David Ortiz seems to have found his stroke, and the Red Sox actually scored 19 runs while getting swept by the Blue Jays over the weekend. Also, Xander Bogaerts has really picked it up. Plus… well, no, that’s pretty much it. … Rusney Castillo would have had a homer Saturday in a lot of ballparks. In Fenway, it was taken away by Jose Bautista over the short wall in right. I’m still not seeing much of anything to be excited about there. Shane Victorino (calf) isn’t rushing his return, so Castillo has another week to show what he can do. The guess right now is that he’s going back to Triple-A when Victorino returns. … No mixed leaguer should drop Eduardo Rodriguez based on Sunday’s start. He wasn’t good, but it was two dropped popups and a botched double play that turned the game against the Blue Jays into a rout.
Chicago: I hope the move to flip-flop Alexei Ramirez and Melky Cabrera in the White Sox lineup doesn’t last. Cabrera, for all of his struggles this year, still has a better OBP than Ramirez, and he’s pretty clearly the better bet going forward. Cabrera is striking out as little as ever, and while his power has been non-existent, he’s still getting the ball in the air without hitting more popups than usual. It was a lot easier to recommend patience with him while he was still batting second; his fantasy upside would take quite a hit if he’s left batting sixth, since he’s not going to steal bases and he’d rarely get driven in, Still, I think he’ll find himself back in the two hole eventually.
Cleveland: Just a week after deciding he wasn’t ready, the Indians chose to promote Francisco Lindor on Sunday. It’s clearly the right move for them; even if Lindor doesn’t give them much offense, he’ll make up for it with excellent defense. Lindor had really turned it on in Triple-A, going 18-for-45 in June to raise his average from .249 to .279. He doesn’t have major league power yet and he’s also not a very good basestealer, so I don’t see him being of use in mixed leagues initially. … The Indians sent Lonnie Chisenhall down just a couple of hours after last week’s column was published, giving Giovanny Urshela a chance at third base. Urshela has some pop and a really good glove, but I still think Chisenhall is the Indians’ best hope at third, presuming his defensive improvement holds up. Of course, Chisenhall hadn’t hit at all this season, and it’s understandable the Indians were frustrated. But I’d still peg Chisenhall having a .750 OPS the rest of the way, and I’d be surprised if Urshela comes in over .650. My guess is that it’s a temporary switch.
Detroit: Justin Verlander threw 92-95 mph while allowing two runs over five innings in his season debut Saturday. His stuff simply didn’t look that much different than it did in 2014. Ideally, he’ll keep getting stronger, but right now, I’d put him somewhere in the 40-50 range among SPs for the rest of the season. What does help his case is that the Tigers possess a better defense now than they’ve had in years. … Victor Martinez (knee) opened his rehab assignment Sunday by going 1-for-4 for Triple-A Toledo. Barring a setback, he’ll rejoin the Tigers as their DH sometime this week. What remains to be seen is whether he’ll be penciled right into the cleanup spot. Yoenis Cespedes has done great work there, so it’d make a lot of sense to bat Victor sixth until he shows he deserves to be moved back up. … Anthony Gose is hitting .228/.253/.283 with two steals in five attempts over the last month. The other thing the Tigers really should consider is batting Ian Kinsler first, Miguel Cabrera second and Cespedes third. However, they’ll probably just give Jose Iglesias more at-bats high in the lineup if Gose continues to struggle (and he likely will).
Houston: That Lance McCullers Jr. was so good after arriving probably had a little influence in the decision to promote Vincent Velasquez from Double-A last week. Velasquez is the superior prospect, and he showed why in pitching five scoreless innings Wednesday. While he was wild, his mid-90s fastball and hard changeup were very impressive. Yes, hard changeup sounds like an oxymoron, but he was throwing it 87-88 mph versus the White Sox. Velasquez’s curve isn’t as advanced, and his control will come and go. He’s worth the flier in mixed leagues anyway. … Luis Valbuena has four homers and two other hits this month. He’s batting .185 with 14 homers, six doubles and 19 singles for the season. It’s certainly not what anyone would have expected, but it’s good enough that the Astros didn’t keep Jonathan Villar around to battle him for playing time after calling up Carlos Correa last week. What’s fascinating is that Valbuena could be on a 30- or 35-homer pace next month and still get sent to the bench when Jed Lowrie (thumb) comes off the DL.
Kansas City: The Royals were 23rd in the majors in runs in May. They’re last so far in June. Still, manager Ned Yost won’t do anything to the lineup. Omar Infante is hitting .160/.171/.198 over the last month and has a .496 OPS overall. He’s had just one day off since April 24. Alcides Escobar has a .204 OBP over the last month. He’s still in the leadoff spot every day. Lorenzo Cain has a .608 OPS over the last month. He’s hitting .259/.299/.350 against right-handers for the year (compared to .338/.408/.515 against lefties). Still, he’s a fixture in the third spot regardless of the opponent. Patience is one thing. Complacency is another. The Royals are still winning a fair number of games with their pitching. However, Yost might want to try managing once in a while. … Jason Vargas will probably be on the DL a little longer this time after his flexor strain acted up again. Joe Blanton will take his place in the rotation, and while I’m rooting for him, I wouldn’t recommend him outside of AL-only leagues. … The Royals aren’t showing much concern about Yordano Ventura’s nerve issue, but I’m a little worried, especially since it seems the club is going to let him take his turn this week.
Los Angeles: The Angels have gone to Efren Navarro in left field of late. He doesn’t have the power to be of use in mixed leagues, but he should hit for average and post a decent OBP. The decision to elevate Navarro left little for C.J. Cron to do, so he was sent back down. The real playing time battle now is between Kyle Kubitza and Matt Joyce for time at DH. Kubitza was called up Wednesday because of David Freese’s hamstring problem, and though Freese returned to third base on Saturday, Kubitza might have a chance to stick if he hits. I’m not overly fond of Kubitza’s bat; he’ll be a big strikeout guy without the power to make up for it. He has hit generally hit for average in the minors despite the strikeouts and he has a very good walk rate, so it’s not a terrible idea to give him a look, especially with Joyce’s slump now in its third month. I expect Joyce will win out, though, and even if he doesn’t, it’s quite likely the Angels will bring in a bat in a trade.
Minnesota: With Buxton up, it’s only natural to wonder about Miguel Sano, who is hitting .258/.359/.500 with 11 homers and a 57/31 K/BB ratio as Buxton’s former teammate at Double-A Chattanooga. My guess is that, barring a significant injury to Joe Mauer or Trevor Plouffe, we won’t see Sano until September. Plouffe’s job is safe, and the Twins haven’t played Sano anywhere other than third base. Mauer’s struggles aren’t likely to get so bad that the Twins would really consider benching him. Mauer has done nothing else, but he’s still on 90-RBI pace.
New York: Ivan Nova (elbow) had a strong rehab start Saturday, and the Yankees are weighing returning him to the rotation this week. Unfortunately, it’d most likely be in place of Adam Warren, even though Warren has a 3.78 ERA through 12 starts. CC Sabathia is at 5.38, and Nathan Eovaldi is at 4.13. Nova probably won’t be a mixed-league guy, but he should have some value in AL-only leagues going forward. … Jacoby Ellsbury (knee) is aiming to return in two weeks, which might be as long as Mason Williams lasts. … As you certainly already know, Dellin Betances will close for at least the next few weeks because of Andrew Miller’s forearm strain.
Oakland: Ike Davis (quad) is coming back Wednesday. Of late, the A’s have mostly been using Stephen Vogt at first and Josh Phegley behind the plate. Phegley has been playing great, but he still figures to lose a lot of time now. There’s a good case for benching Billy Butler versus righties, with Vogt DHing and Phegley catching. Still, I doubt the A’s are ready to go that route. … Even though his shoulder MRI reportedly showed no structural damage, Sean Doolittle was moved to the 60-day DL last week, ruling him out until the end of July. I suspect Tyler Clippard will be traded before then, potentially putting Evan Scribner in the closer’s role. Edward Mujica (thumb) is another possibility there; he figures to come off the DL within 10-14 days.
Seattle: Carson Smith gave up a homer Tuesday, but he earned his second save anyway. It was the Mariners’ lone chance of the week. Smith allowed another run pitching in a blowout loss Sunday, so his ERA jumped from 1.08 to 1.67 on the week. Fernando Rodney, meanwhile, has pitched a couple of scoreless innings in a row. Smith will be the better pitcher the rest of the way, but it’s still likely that Rodney will get another chance to close if he can put together a couple of more scoreless appearances. … I’m not a believer in Mike Montgomery as a mixed-league starter. Still, it’s impressive what he’s given the Mariners in his first three starts.
Tampa Bay: Funny how quickly these things change; after not getting a chance to sniff the ninth his first three weeks back, Jake McGee earned three saves in four days last week. With McGee unavailable, Kevin Jepsen picked up his fifth save Sunday. Still, this ought to come down to McGee and Brad Boxberger going forward. Even though Boxberger seems out of the mix right now, he shouldn’t be dropped in mixed leagues. … Matt Moore (elbow) has yet to give up a run over 6 1/3 innings in his two rehab starts. He’ll pitch again Monday and probably make another rehab start Saturday, but there’s the chance he could be activated before the end of June.
Texas: Delino DeShields Jr. figures to join Josh Hamilton on the DL with hamstring injuries after getting hurt Sunday. Ryan Rua (ankle) could come off the DL to replace him on the roster, but he’s hit just 4-for-21 during his rehab assignment. I don’t think the Rangers would really promote Nomar Mazara to take the spot, though I’ve certainly been wrong before. Since Kyle Blanks isn’t under consideration for time in the outfield, it could be that Rua and Jake Smolinski will split time until Hamilton returns. … Or maybe just until Adrian Beltre (thumb) returns. After going seven whole games without one, Joey Gallo homered on both Saturday and Sunday. He struck out just once and walked three times in the weekend series against the Twins. The Rangers said Gallo’s promotion was temporary when Beltre was hurt, but Gallo has played a little outfield. If he keeps hitting, the Rangers will have to keep him up and give him a try in left once Beltre’s back. ... Rougned Odor is likely returning to the majors after hitting .355/.430/.645 in 29 games in Triple-A. Give him a try if you're hurting for production at second.
Toronto: Aaron Sanchez went on the DL with a strained lat Sunday, but rather than go to Daniel Norris, the Jays are planning to start Scott Copeland in his place Tuesday against the Mets. Copeland is an AL-only guy at best. I wouldn’t even give him that tepid recommendation if the Jays weren’t playing such great baseball right now. … Devon Travis (shoulder) is ready to resume his rehab assignment on Monday. If he hits right away, he could be activated this weekend. It’s more likely that he has to wait until next week.
National League Notes
Arizona: The decision to send Opening Day starter Josh Collmenter to the pen was quite a surprise, especially with him technically sporting the second-best ERA of the team’s five primary starters this year (Chase Anderson 2.82, Collmenter 5.24, Jeremy Hellickson 5.29, Archie Bradley 5.80, Rubby De La Rosa 5.84). I wasn’t actually displeased about it -- Collmenter makes more sense as a middle reliever to me -- but it just kind of baffles me how they’ve handled the entire situation. They wouldn’t go to Vidal Nuno before he was dealt and they won’t try Randall Delgado, but they would go to a guy in Allen Webster who had just missed a month with shoulder fatigue and who had a 9.00 ERA in five Triple-A starts this year. Webster pitched well Saturday in his Diamondbacks debut, but I wouldn’t trust him in NL-only leagues just yet. … Instead of moving closer to regaining his closer gig, Addison Reed appears to have lost setup duties after giving up single runs in two of three appearances. Daniel Hudson pitched the eighth in a 1-0 win Friday, and Delgado got the call up 4-2 on Saturday. Brad Ziegler is looking pretty secure right now.
Atlanta: Three bad starts in a row have pushed Mike Foltyniewicz’s ERA up to 5.19. Surprisingly, walks haven’t been a factor in his struggles. However, he’s given up eight homers in nine starts, including four in the last three. It’s probably worth giving him a little rope, but the Braves could turn to Manny Banuelos if this keeps up. Banuelos has a 2.19 ERA and a 58/29 K/BB ratio in 65 2/3 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett. Matt Wisler is more intriguing to me, but he has a 4.29 ERA to go along with a 49/13 K/BB ratio in 65 innings. Banuelos has allowed just two homers this season, while Wisler has given up five.
Chicago: Since we last checked in on Hector Rondon, he picked up an easy save Thursday and took a loss Friday after giving up an unearned run in a tie game. It looks like he’s the clear favorite for saves in Chicago right now, at least until there’s another misstep. He has a 2.73 ERA and a 3.06 FIP, after all. As for the newly signed Rafael Soriano, he’s expected to need about a month to get major league ready. If Rondon can’t reestablish himself by mid-July, then maybe Soriano could get a shot. I think it’s more likely, though, that Soriano doesn’t prove to be anything more than the fourth or fifth best righty in the pen. Pedro Strop should be No. 2 right now, and manager Joe Maddon seems to have developed a lot more faith in Jason Motte in recent weeks. … Rather than turn back to Travis Wood, the Cubs have decided to stand by Tsuyoshi Wada in the rotation. I think that suggests they’re waiting on Jacob Turner (elbow), who made his second rehab start Sunday. Once Turner’s ready in a couple of weeks, he could slide right into Wada’s spot. He’s probably not going to be mixed-league material, but he’d make for a nice stash in NL-only leagues. … Jorge Soler (ankle) could return this weekend.
Cincinnati: It’s a real shame about Zack Cozart’s knee, but at least shortstop is the one spot at which the Reds had a more-than-capable backup play. Eugenio Suarez, acquired from the Tigers for Alfredo Simon over the winter, has stepped right in and should be plenty solid the rest of the way. In fact, he already delivered a homer and a steal in his first three games. Unfortunately, he isn’t much of a basestealer; he was 3-for-5 in 85 major league games last year and 3-for-7 in 57 games in Triple-A this year. For that reason, I don’t see him having much to offer in mixed leagues. Maybe he’s a fringe guy if he gets to bat high in the order regularly. … The Reds are 28-33 despite their recent success. They just lost their shortstop. They’re probably going to trade their ace. It’d certainly seem like a good idea to bail on this idea of Devin Mesoraco coming back as a left fielder. Maybe he can grind it out and contribute as a part-time player, but for what purpose? The Reds aren’t going anywhere, and it seems nearly certain that he’ll need his hip surgery at some point. Mesoraco has yet to give up despite a setback in a minor league game Wednesday. I think common sense will eventually prevail, and he’ll get shut down.
Colorado: I don’t understand why Walt Weiss won’t just commit to a platoon at first base; starting Wilin Rosario over Ben Paulsen against back-to-back right-handers was criminal. Paulsen, though, has been in there the last three days. It’s not that Rosario is necessarily a disastrous option at first base, but he’s always been far, far better against lefties (1.003 OPS) than righties (.706 OPS). Paulsen has a .984 OPS in 74 at-bats since his callup. Since there’s still no sign that a Justin Morneau comeback is on the horizon, Paulson would have some mixed-league value if the Rockies would leave him alone.
Los Angeles: Corey Seager is the only prospect left in the entire minor leagues now. After hitting .375/.407/.675 in 20 games at Double-ATulsato begin the season, he’s at .297/.356/.459 in Triple-A. Overall, he has nine homers and a 33/18 K/BB ratio in 228 at-bats. Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins is down to .199/.260/.336 in the majors. Rollins got it going for a while last month, but the Dodgers moved him down to the bottom of the order anyway and he’s resumed struggling since. Could a switch come? Seager is playing third base once per week, but still focusing on shortstop for the most part. He has less to offer defensively than Rollins there, but he likely would be an upgrade with the bat. I don’t think it’s really clear cut. I’d count on Rollins being at least an average regular the rest of the way, and my guess all along has been that Seager wouldn’t be a factor this season. That said, Rollins could really use a hot streak. … Hector Olivera has played four games at third and three at second and gone 7-for-26 with a homer since debuting in the minors a week ago. It’s possible some of the early reps at second are a result of Howie Kendrick’s knee problems. Those knee problems haven’t prevented Kendrick from playing the last few days, but they seem to have taken a toll, particularly defensively. Of course, Kendrick’s job is safe if healthy, and Olivera is still quite a bit more likely to break in as a third baseman. I think the plan is for him to debut after the All-Star break, but plans can change.
Miami: Backing off Mat Latos for a bit seemed to do the trick. In his return from the disabled list Saturday, he showed his best velocity since 2013 on his way to striking out 11Rockies. Not only were the fastballs faster, but he was throwing his slider and splitter with authority, not at all like when he was blitzed in some of his previous starts this year. Now it just remains to be seen if Latos can repeat it. His batteries were fully charged Saturday. Will he look anywhere near as good pitching on four days’ rest against the Yankees? I wouldn’t want to have to rely on it. Still, he’s worth considering in mixed leagues if you have a bench spot open. … Martin Prado seems likely to miss at least a few days after spraining his right shoulder Sunday. Derek Dietrich and Donovan Solano will fill in.
Milwaukee: I’m not much of a believer in Taylor Jungmann, though he’s posted a nice 2.25 ERA in his first two starts. His sinking fastball will generate quite a few grounders, but left-handers should handle him well and he doesn’t have a great infield defense behind him in Milwaukee. … The Aramis Ramirez rumors didn’t produce a deal last week, but they should eventually. Ideally, the Brewers would pick up a young third baseman while selling this summer, because they don’t have any decent internal choices to take over for Ramirez. One move that would make sense: claiming Matt Dominguez off waivers after he was DFA’d by the Astros last week. … It didn’t take a trade of another infielder for Scooter Gennett to get his job back. He’ll likely finish out the season as the second baseman against righties.
New York: Daniel Murphy (quad) is eligible to return Saturday and should be ready then. The plan is for him to return as a third baseman. Dilson Herrera will play second if he hits, and the Mets will default to Ruben Tejada if he doesn’t. … Sunday’s miserable start might have been Dillon Gee’s last as a Met. Steven Matz is coming off his worst Triple-A performance to date, but he’s going to be the replacement if a Mets starter gets hurt or maybe as part of a six-man rotation if the team can make it work.
Philadelphia: Congrats to Domonic Brown, who hit his way back to the majors by having one good series for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Brown went 8-for-14 with two homers and two doubles against the Durham Bulls last week. He came in at .239 with one homer in his other 55 games this season. The Phillies have themselves a crowded outfield now, with Ben Revere as the fixture and Brown, Cody Asche, Jeff Francoeur and Odubel Herrera vying for two spots each day. Of course, Revere will likely be gone soon enough. I’m not holding out much hope for Brown, but the Phillies did need to give him one more chance at some point. … Aaron Nola was moved up to Triple-A on Sunday after going 7-3 with a 1.88 ERA and a 59/9 K/BB ratio in 76 2/3 innings for Double-A Reading. There’s no reason for the Phillies to promote him to the majors just yet, even though he most likely is one of their five best starters. We could see him after the break, but I wouldn’t predict mixed-league value right away, especially since wins will be hard to come by.
Pittsburgh: Andrew McCutchen had a bad week offensively after aggravating his knee last Sunday and sitting out Monday’s game. He’s been moving around the outfield pretty good, so there’s hope he’s not going to have a June that resembles his April.
St. Louis: Matt Holliday’s quad injury alleviated the Cardinals’ outfield crush, allowing both Randall Grichuk and Jason Heyward to play regularly for now. More damaging was Lance Lynn’s strained forearm. There’s no structural damage, supposedly, but forearm strains have been known to precede Tommy John surgeries, even when the MRIs reportedly come back clean. Tyler Lyons is going to replace Lynn in the rotation, so he’s a nice short-term grab in NL-only leagues.
San Diego: With Wil Myers back healthy, the Padres got creative Saturday, starting Yonder Alonso at third base with Ian Kennedy on the mound. That made a lot of sense, given that Kennedy is a flyball pitcher (playing Myers at first and Will Venable in center improves the outfield defense) and doesn’t give up a lot of grounders to the left side. It’s probably not going to be a particularly common occurrence. … I thought Jedd Gyorko should have been demoted at the end of April. He actually bounced back with a pretty good May (.279/.353/.443), but the Padres stopped playing him anyway and finally did send him down last week. When Gyorko eventually returns, it might be at Will Middlebrooks’ expense. … Brandon Morrow won’t be back anytime soon after his shoulder setback last week. Maybe Josh Johnson (elbow) will eventually claim that rotation spot, which currently belongs to Odrisamer Despaigne. In the admittedly unlikely best-case scenario, he could be an option right after the All-Star break.
San Francisco: Last week’s column included debate on whether Chris Heston or Ryan Vogelsong would get knocked out of the Giants’ rotation first with Jake Peavy (back) and Matt Cain (elbow) on the road back. Heston then went and threw a no-hitter against the Mets, which, at the very least, should ensure that Vogelsong loses his spot first. Besides, it’s not like there are any guarantees with Peavy and Cain. Plus, Tim Lincecum has lost his mojo again and could eventually face a bullpen demotion. Ideally, Heston is going to have his spot for the rest of the season; with his groundball ability, he figures to remain one of the team’s five best starters no matter what Peavy and Cain do. Peavy is going to get his chance soon, but his 6.48 ERA in four minor league starts hasn’t inspired a lot of confidence. … Hunter Pence couldn’t avoid the DL last week after experiencing tendon soreness near the area of the forearm break he suffered this spring. It sounds like it will be a two-week thing. Justin Maxwell and Jarrett Parker are filling in with Gregor Blanco (concussion) also absent.
Washington: Whether it was all because of the plantar fasciitis or not, Ryan Zimmerman had been rendered ineffective of late, so the Nationals had nothing to lose by placing him on the disabled list. Clint Robinson is filling in against righties and hitting better than Zimmerman has at any point. … The Nationals have yet to announce whether Doug Fister (forearm) will come off the DL on Thursday or make one more rehab start. Joe Ross will likely be sent down when Fister is ready. Stephen Strasburg (back) could also knock Tanner Roark from the rotation before the end of the month.
