Dose: Severino Strong in Debut
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Yankees pitching prospect Luis Severino made his major league debut on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium against the division rival Red Sox and threw five impressive innings. The right-hander gave up two runs on two hits, walking none and striking out seven. He flashed a mid-90’s fastball and a high-80’s/low-90’s slider. The Red Sox scored once in the second inning on Alejandro De Aza’s RBI double and once more in the fourth on David Ortiz’s solo home run. Unfortunately for Severino, the Yankees weren’t able to do much against Red Sox starter Steven Wright, scoring only once on a Carlos Beltran solo homer, so the rookie lost his debut by a 2-1 final.
Severino, 21, was signed by the Yankees in 2011 as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He has dominated at every level on his way to the major leagues, including posting a 1.91 ERA with a 50/17 K/BB ratio in 61 1/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.
Needless to say, Severino has a ton of upside that could pan out very quickly for the AL East-leading Yankees. He’s worth taking a shot on in fantasy leagues. Take a gander, as he is only owned in 43 percent of Yahoo leagues as of this writing.
Grichuk Adds to Quietly Strong Season
Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk mercifully ended a 13-inning affair against the Reds on Wednesday when he took reliever Dylan Axelrod yard for a solo home run, breaking a 3-3 tie in the top half of the frame. He also clubbed an RBI double earlier in the ballgame.
Grichuk now owns a stellar .292/.341/.581 triple-slash line along with 13 home runs, 20 doubles, seven triples 40 RBI, 39 runs scored, and four stolen bases. FanGraphs credits the 23-year-old with a 152 wRC+, which is a stat like OPS+ that uses weighted on-base average (wOBA) instead of OPS. It’s 14th-best in the majors among hitters who have stepped to the plate at least 250 times. He’s tied with Alex Rodriguez and a few paces ahead of Adrian Gonzalez and Andrew McCutchen.
Grichuk doesn’t qualify as a rookie as he spent more than 45 days on the Cardinals’ active roster last year, but he’d certainly be among the leading candidates this year if he did. He came to the Cardinals along with Peter Bourjos in the November 2013 trade that sent David Freese and Fernando Salas to the Angels. That trade seems to have worked out for the Cardinals.
Utley’s Return Could Be Imminent
Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Phillies second baseman Chase Utley will return to Philadelphia and consult with the club about a possible activation from the 15-day disabled list. Utley added that “nothing is set in stone”.
Utley, 36, has been on the disabled list since June 23 with a right ankle injury. He was hitting a miserable .179/.257/.275 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 249 plate appearances. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports noted last month that Utley said he found a flaw in his swing that was caused by the ankle injury. That’s good news for the Phillies, as they hope the second baseman can hit well enough to restore some trade value ahead of the August 31 waiver deadline.
Lawrence reported in early July that GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. declared 25-year-old Cesar Hernandez the team’s starting second baseman even when Utley returns. With a 1-for-4 performance against the Dodgers on Wednesday, Hernandez is batting .281/.357/.363 with 16 stolen bases.
However, as Stephen Gross of The Morning Call reported several days ago, interim manager Pete Mackanin said that he’s going to find playing time for Utley somewhere, adding that he is “not going to just dump him on the bench.” Utley has played some first base, so he could spell Ryan Howard from time to time, but if he’s going to get playing time, it will have to come at second base, which would displace Hernandez. Hernandez, however, has played shortstop, third base, and center field in parts of three years with the Phillies, so that’s not exactly a death sentence for the youngster.
National League Quick Hits: Mets outfielder Michael Cuddyer (knee) is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Friday … Nationals outfielder Denard Span (back) is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week … Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons (thumb) is hoping to return to the Braves’ lineup before the end of the week … Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart (inner ear disorder) will meet with a specialist in Chicago this week … Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco stayed hot, hitting an RBI double in Wednesday’s loss to the Dodgers … Seth Maness closed out the 13th inning on Wednesday against the Reds for his fourth save of the season … Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday … The Cubs re-signed pitcher Clayton Richard to a minor league contract and purchased his contract from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday … Reds reliever Sean Marshall (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, but won’t be ready to pitch until next season … Brewers starter Taylor Jungmann tossed seven innings of two-run ball – lowering his ERA to 2.26 -- with eight strikeouts to earn the win on Wednesday against the Padres … Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (thigh) expects to return to the Dodgers from the 15-day disabled list when first eligible … An MRI on Giants second baseman Joe Panik’s back showed only inflammation … Diamondbacks pitcher Chase Anderson (triceps) will return to the rotation this weekend … Padres assistant GM Fred Uhlman, Jr. said that outfielder Wil Myers’ wrist is “basically pain-free” … Rockies catcher Michael McKenry hit a walk-off two-run home run on Wednesday in a win against the Mariners.
American League Quick Hits: The Yankees re-signed 1B/OF Garrett Jones on Wednesday … The Blue Jays signed catcher George Kottaras to a minor league contract on Wednesday … Orioles starter Chris Tillman will throw again on Friday with an aim to return to the rotation on Sunday … The Rays claimed outfielder Daniel Nava off waivers from the Red Sox on Wednesday … David Ortiz hit his 21st home run of the season on Wednesday against the Yankees … Alex Gordon (groin) is expected to take batting practice this weekend … Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (thumb) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester on Friday … Starter Matt Boyd got the win in his Tigers debut, limiting the Royals to one run in seven innings … The White Sox placed pitcher Daniel Webb on the 15-day disabled list with a mid-right back strain on Wednesday … The Indians claimed pitcher Deolis Guerra off waivers from the Pirates on Wednesday … The Astros designated pitcher Dan Straily for assignment on Wednesday … Angels starter Jered Weaver (hip) will be reevaluated on Friday, which will determine if he rejoins the starting rotation … The Rangers re-signed pitcher Ross Ohlendorf to a minor league contract on Wednesday … Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said on Wednesday that Vidal Nuno will get at least one more start … Athletics outfielder Coco Crisp was held out of Wednesday’s lineup due to neck stiffness.
