Team-By-Team Notes
Johnny Cueto threw a career-high 125 pitches on April 22. He nearly matched that total by throwing 123 pitches on May 9, when he was left in to start the bottom of the ninth after the Reds scored seven runs in the top of the inning to take a 10-1 lead. Now Cueto has a stiff elbow, which resulted in him being scratched from his scheduled start Sunday. It’s uncertain whether he’ll be ready to take his next turn on Saturday.
Cueto hasn’t exactly been overworked. Even with a couple of higher-than-usual pitch counts, he’s still averaging a modest 103 pitches per start this year. Last year, he was at 108. But the problem here is that the Reds have less incentive than ever before to look out for his long-term health. Cueto is a free agent at season’s end, and it seems awfully unlikely that the Reds will come up with the dough necessary to re-sign him. If the Reds were contenders, it’d be awfully tempting to just go ahead and use him up.
Fortunately for Cueto, the Reds aren’t contenders. And since they want to keep alive the option to trade him for a huge return in July, they’d be smart to baby him now. That would mean sticking him on the DL for a bit. They’re obviously hesitant to do so, given that it hasn’t happened yet, but they have so much more to lose than to gain by taking chances with him. If they can’t get something good for Cueto in July, the already bleak outlook for 2016 would take another big hit.
American League Notes
Baltimore: Bud Norris’s first rehab start in Triple-A couldn’t have been any more of a disaster (nine earned runs in 2 2/3 innings), but that just doesn’t seem like a bad thing for the Orioles right now. Mike Wright is up to 14 1/3 scoreless innings as his replacement and should get every chance to hold on to the job. Norris, on the shelf with bronchitis, could be brought back as a reliever. … Matt Wieters (elbow) starts his rehab assignment Tuesday with an eye towards coming off the disabled list on June 4.
Boston: With Shane Victorino (calf) back on the disabled list, we’ll get a chance to see what Rusney Castillo can do for the Red Sox. I think he’ll be more solid than spectacular, but he should have mixed-league value if he keeps running. He attempted eight steals in just 18 games with Triple-A Pawtucket, getting caught twice. He won’t be allowed to maintain that pace in the majors, but a steal per week would probably be enough to make him an asset. His power should lead to more doubles than homers. How he performs over these next two weeks will determine whether he remains a regular after Victorino returns. The Red Sox have to be hoping that he relegates Victorino to fourth outfielder duties.
Chicago: Carlos Rodon’s first three starts have gone pretty much as expected. He’s been effective in two of the three, but his 13 hits allowed, 15 walks and 17 strikeouts through 16 innings are what really tell the story. Rodon’s control isn’t so dreadful that he’ll continue to walk a batter an inning, but even as he cuts that down to 5 BB/9 IP or so, he’s going to be hard-pressed to get through six innings in around 100 pitches. The short outings will cost him wins, and the walks will ruin his WHIP. That he’ll probably have some mixed-league value anyway is a tribute to his excellent stuff, but he isn’t likely to turn into a major asset until next year.
Cleveland: Yan Gomes made it back from his MCL sprain in six weeks, coming off the disabled list in time for Sunday’s game. He’ll be a part-timer initially, sparing his knee from the rigors of catching every day, but since he’ll probably do some DHing, he can be used in mixed leagues right away. … Jose Ramirez still isn’t giving the Indians much of anything, but with Francisco Lindor hitting .241/.306/.345 with no homers and one steal in Triple-A this month, the shortstop switch doesn’t figure to come when the super two “deadline” passes at the beginning of June. … It’s neat to see Shaun Marcum back in the majors as the Indians’ fifth starter. He’s just an AL-only option, but he is intriguing with starts at home against the Rangers and in Seattle this week.
Detroit: Anibal Sanchez’s struggles continue to baffle me. His velocity is fine. His strikeout rate is fine. His walk rate is fine. What’s not fine is that he’s allowed 11 homers in 60 innings. Last year, he gave up four in 126 innings. In 2013, he gave up nine in 182 innings. There’s still every reason to believe he’ll have mixed-league value the rest of the way, but maybe he needs a little break to clear his head. Sunday’s run-scoring balk, his second of the year, was just embarrassing, and it makes one question where he is mentally. … Kyle Lobstein is down with a sore shoulder, which should give Buck Farmer a look in the Tigers rotation. Farmer was used as a reliever this spring, just because the Tigers figured they’d have a much bigger need in the pen. He projects as solid bottom-of-the-rotation guy, so AL-only leaguers should give him a grab. He’s 5-1 with a 2.98 ERA and a 50/19 K/BB ratio for Triple-A Toledo. He’s allowed just one homer in 51 1/3 innings. … Jose Iglesias might land on the DL because of a left knee contusion. Andrew Romine would fill in at shortstop.
Houston: Jake Marisnick’s slump is looking like more than just a slump, but the Astros have thus far been hesitant to take his glove out of the lineup. I imagine it’s about to start happening more frequently anyway. Preston Tucker is a legitimate left-field option, and the Astros can shift Colby Rasmus to center. It downgrades the defense at two spots, but it’s probably worth it, what with the way Marisnick’s strikeout rate has skyrocketed. … One thing that doesn’t do is make any room for first baseman Jon Singleton, who is up to .284/.391/.619 with 13 homers for Triple-A Fresno. Both Evan Gattis and Chris Carter have played better this month, though not quite to the extent that the Astros were hoping for. It’s still hard to see either getting benched for Singleton, and it also wouldn’t make a lot of sense to play Gattis in left when Tucker would seem to be the better option. ... The Astros should be able to promote Carlos Correa in 7-10 days without any risk of him qualifying as a super-two arbitration case. There’s a good chance they’ll do so, and those that can pick him up in mixed leagues should go for it.
Kansas City: Hurry back, Alex Rios (hand). Paulo Orlando hasn’t hit since the first week of the season, yet he’s still being treated as the regular right fielder, even though Jarrod Dyson is the better defender and has the platoon advantage against righties. … I’d still like to see Christian Colon get more of a look over Omar Infante at second base, too. Colon doesn’t have the edge on defense, but he’s showed some skills on offense. Infante possesses a .259 OBP and mostly just has his clutchiness going for him (he’s driven in 17 runs because of his .316 average with RISP).
Los Angeles: Johnny Giavotella’s struggles have the Angels again considering their second base situation. Josh Rutledge, who was originally penciled in as the starter this spring after being acquired from the Rockies, has come in at just .253/.306/.377 for Triple-A Salt Lake, so he’s not making a case for the job. Grant Green is hitting .333/.357/.459 for Salt Lake, but he’s played in just three games at second. Unless Green starts playing a whole lot more infield in Triple-A, it seems like Giavotella will get a chance to pull out of his slump. Still, Anaheim will be an obvious destination for second basemen available in trade talks, such as Chase Utley, Brandon Phillips and Ben Zobrist. In the meantime, Aaron Hill could likely be had cheap.
Minnesota: Oswaldo Arcia (hip) will spend the week playing for Triple-A Rochester. The entire Twins organization seems to have soured on him, at least a little bit, but there’s little doubt he’s one of the team’s best hitters when healthy. So, we’ll see. There’s the chance he could be optioned out to Rochester if he fails to get off to a quick start on his rehab assignment. The one thing that’s working in his favor is that Eddie Rosario hasn’t done anything since homering in his first major league at-bat. Rosario is the one who belongs in Triple-A. The Twins, though, could send Rosario down to make room for Kennys Vargas before Arcia is ready. Vargas, demoted a week ago despite a strong showing in May, went 8-for-19 with two homers in his first five games in Triple-A.
New York: The Yankees have downplayed any long-term concerns about Jacoby Ellsbury’s knee sprain, but at the same time, they’ve already admitted they expect him to miss more than 15 days. Whether that’s something more like 4-6 weeks remains to be seen. The Yankees don’t want to use Brett Gardner in center field in the meantime, so Slade Heathcott is getting a look after hitting .285/.335/.358 with one homer and five steals in 37 games in his first go in Triple-A. He doesn’t have enough power or stolen base ability to be of a lot of interest in fantasy leagues, and he’s probably a future fourth outfielder at best. … I’m looking forward to seeing what Jacob Lindgren can do if he gets the chance after being called up Sunday. There’s no save potential, of course, but he’s one of the game’s best relief prospects.
Oakland: Kendall Graveman returned to the majors throwing a little harder and pitching a whole lot better Saturday against the Rays. Filling in for Drew Pomeranz (shoulder), Graveman worked six scoreless innings, striking out six in the process. I still don’t see a major league outpitch, but when he’s getting grounders with his sinker and cutter, he looks like a legitimate fourth or fifth starter. Still, he’s probably just AL-only material, as this year’s A’s team doesn’t seem as well suited to providing its pitchers with fantasy value as usual. … Ben Zobrist (knee) is coming back Monday, likely as the primary left fielder with Coco Crisp (neck) out. Sean Doolittle (shoulder) is expected back later in the week, but he won’t immediately assume the closer’s role. Reports on his velocity during his minor league appearances haven’t been great. Still, if he proves effective, he’ll get a chance to overtake Tyler Clippard in short order.
Seattle: This is one of the worst stretches of Robinson Cano’s career, but I can’t summon up a lot of concern. He still has one of the AL’s 25-best hard-hit rates, and he’s using all fields. He has just one homer, but he has doubled 12 times. Only the dip in his contact rate suggests any sort of real decline, and he’s still better than the league average there. I think he’ll get it going soon. … The Mariners might have to pull the plug on Taijuan Walker after another poor outing Sunday against the Blue Jays. They don’t have any great alternatives, but former Royals and Rays prospect Mike Montgomery is probably due the first look. He has a 3.83 ERA and a 40/14 K/BB ratio in 47 innings in Triple-A. … Austin Jackson (ankle) will come off the disabled list this week. With Brad Miller playing well, Dustin Ackley should fall into a reserve role. He’s hitting just .178/.220/.244 in 45 at-bats this month.
Tampa Bay: It was an ugly Sunday for the Rays, as Steven Souza Jr. (wrist), Asdrubal Cabrera (groin) and James Loney (finger) were all injured in the loss to the A’s. Souza’s injury would seem to be the serious one of the bunch, and it’d be a surprise if he avoids the disabled list. Brandon Guyer and Joey Butler should be pretty much full-time players until Desmond Jennings (knee) returns. Guyer could be an option in deep mixed leagues. … Despite words to the contrary, there’s been no sign that the Rays have any intention of deviating from Brad Boxberger in the closer’s role. Manager Kevin Cash is supposed to be open-minded to going mix-and-match with Boxberger, Jake McGee and maybe Kevin Jepsen, but everything that’s happened this month suggests that Boxberger is the traditional closer. In fact, Boxberger has appeared in eight games and earned saves in all of them.
Texas: Shawn Tolleson is the guy I wanted to close for the Rangers when Joakim Soria was traded last summer. Of course, they went to Neftali Feliz then, and it mostly worked out, with Feliz getting the job done despite some unimpressive numbers. I think Feliz looks better this year than he did then, but with the blown saves racking up, the Rangers did go to Tolleson and Tolleson came through with saves on back-to-back days against the Red Sox. I expect that the Rangers will go back to Feliz if he gives them any sort of reason to do so, but Tolleson is the surest thing in the Texas pen. Keone Kela should be the long-term guy, but it’d be for the best if he doesn’t factor into the mix for saves this year, assuming that they don’t want him setting records in arbitration a few years down the line. … Monday is Josh Hamilton day. I wouldn’t be particularly excited to have him active in mixed leagues right away, but at least it’s a seven-game week, with four of the games coming at home against the Red Sox.
Toronto: Jose Reyes is coming back Monday. It doesn’t look like Jose Bautista will replace him on the disabled list, even though Bautista received a cortisone shot for his troublesome shoulder over the weekend. Since that was going to cost him a couple of days and the Jays have a series in an NL park June 1-3, it might have made sense to let him rest for 15 days. However, it looks like the plan calls for him to DH this week. … Daniel Norris has a 3.27 ERA in his four starts for Triple-A Buffalo, but he’s walked 13 in 22 innings, which is why the Jays are holding off on giving him another shot. It’s not because of Marco Estrada’s performance; he’s 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his four starts. … Devon Travis (shoulder) is expected to come off the DL next Monday. … I could see the Jays grabbing outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis off waivers after he was DFA’d by the Mets last week. They need the outfield depth, and while Nieuwenhuis has big-time contact issues, he offers strong defense and decent pop.
National League Notes
Arizona: Jake Lamb has been hitting in extended spring training games and could return from a stress reaction in his left foot sometime next week, which would further add to the Diamondbacks’ outfield logjam if Yasmany Tomas continues to hit. The easiest solution would be to send down Tomas, but that’s not going to happen if he’s still hitting well over .300 (he’s at .333 through 96 at-bats). Assuming that Tomas sticks, David Peralta seems most vulnerable to losing a bunch of playing time. His numbers have slipped in May, and he doesn’t offer nearly as much defense as Ender Inciarte. Mark Trumbo hasn’t been great, either, but the Diamondbacks aren’t going to sabotage his trade value by sitting him more than once a week. … The Diamondbacks generate save chances so rarely it hardly seems to matter if they have a closer. Addison Reed had four save chances in five weeks before losing his job. Brad Ziegler finally converted his second save chance on Sunday.
Atlanta: A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .157/.204/.216 in May, but he’s still playing two out of every three games anyway. That’ll have to change eventually, as the Braves need to figure out whether Christian Bethancourt is going to be their long-term starter. … Chris Johnson (hand) is set to return during the second half of the week. With Alberto Callaspo ice-cold and Kelly Johnson (oblique) out, Chris Johnson should get all of the playing time he can handle. … I’m not much of a fan of Todd Cunningham, but there’s little harm in playing him against right-handers in left field when the alternatives are Jonny Gomes and Eric Young Jr. He’s strictly an NL-only guy and maybe only until Kelly Johnson gets back. … I’m excited about Cameron Maybin batting second. He’s a definite mixed-league guy now.
Chicago: Even though Chris Coghlan is hitting .191 in May and .208/.283/.440 overall, the Cubs still don’t seem to be prepping anyone to potentially take over in left field. Kyle Schwarber, who has 100 points of OPS over anyone else in the Southern League, is still being used strictly as a catcher. Javier Baez has hit .313//394/.470 in 22 games since rejoining Triple-A Iowa, but he’s only playing second and short. Albert Almora and Billy McKinney are natural outfielders, but neither seems like a good bet to outhit Coghlan this year. Arismendy Alcantara would seem to be the most likely replacement, but he’s not yet hitting well enough while playing all over the place in Triple-A to warrant a callup. Coghlan does have his odd power spike going for him, and he’ll get at least a few more weeks to get that average up a bit. … Closer Hector Rondon has blown two of his last three save chances, so he could use a good week here. I suspect that he’ll be just fine.
Cincinnati: Devin Mesoraco -- still on Cincinnati’s active roster -- wasn’t even able to DH in Cleveland over the weekend because of his injured hip. He said last week that he thought he might be able to catch soon, but then he tried to squat and it seems like he’s given up on that idea. Season-ending surgery seems to be inevitable. … Desperate to extend his career, Brandon Phillips has taken to extracting Billy Hamilton’s life force. He’s swiped six bases in May after totaling no steals in April, two in 121 games last year and five in 151 games in 2013. Enjoy it while it lasts. Obviously, Hamilton is just about tapped out, so Phillips will have to move on to Todd Frazier pretty soon.
Colorado: Early optimism about Justin Morneau missing the minimum seven days with his concussion has vanished. Ben Paulsen and Wilin Rosario are sharing time at first base in his absence. Ideally, both would be playing regularly with Corey Dickerson (plantar fasciitis) also on the DL, but Paulsen just doesn’t offer much range in left field. The Rockies have given him starts out there anyway because they need the offense, so he’s a fine short-termer in NL-only leagues.
Los Angeles: I gave the Diamondbacks considerable grief for throwing away Will Harris over the winter, but I didn’t expect Mike Bolsinger’s similar exit would prove to be much of a loss. Lo and behold, he’s 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA in four starts for the Dodgers. Making Bolsinger’s quick start even more impressive is that he’s doing it with an 86.3 mph fastball, down from last year’s already lackluster 87.9 mph average. Bolsinger has a pair of curveballs that can really keep hitters off balance, especially if he’s able to sneak in a fastball to get ahead in the count. Still, I can’t see him experiencing long-term success as a starter, not with that fastball and also no changeup to speak of. … A.J. Ellis will catch this week with Yasmani Grandal on the concussion DL. The Dodgers think Grandal will be back as soon as his seven days are up. … Despite some brief optimism Friday, it doesn’t look like Yasiel Puig (hamstring) will return this week.
Miami: As if Dan Jennings didn’t have enough on his plate as the Marlins’ new manager, he’s without three-fifths of his rotation after Jarred Cosart (vertigo), Henderson Alvarez (shoulder) and Mat Latos (knee) all went on the DL last week. Part of that was the Marlins making things harder on themselves; they acted irresponsibly in rushing Alvarez back from his first round of shoulder woes. Tom Koehler has rejoined the rotation in Cosart’s place. It sounds like Latos will be brought back soon after his two weeks are up. Andre Rienzo might make a spot start or two first. Uncertain right now is whether the Marlins will add Jose Urena or Justin Nicolino in Alvarez’s spot. Urena seems the more likely candidate, given that he has a 1.21 ERA in six starts in Triple-A and he’s already been up once this year. Nicolino, probably the better long-term prospect, has a 2.15 ERA in nine starts in Triple-A. Both are low strikeout guys, though Urena has more potential there. Neither would be of immediate interest in mixed leagues.
Milwaukee: The hope is that both Jonathan Lucroy (toe) and Jean Segura (finger) will return Friday, though Segura seems like the safer bet. Luis Sardinas should move over to second base once Segura is activated.
New York: It’s difficult to tell what’s in store for David Wright now. He’s not yet droppable in mixed leagues, but the possibility exists that he won’t be able to contribute again this season after he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. If he were ruled out, I imagine the Mets would go to Daniel Murphy as a full-time third baseman. What would be really interesting is whether they’d move Wilmer Flores to second or leave him at short, where his numbers have actually been pretty good, even if he’s still not passing the eye test. They’d probably keep him at short and trade for a second baseman, since neither the injured Dilson Herrera nor Matt Reynolds projects as much of an asset for the short term. Reynolds might have already been called up following Wright’s setback, but he’s having a tough go of late in Triple-A. Herrera is likely to miss a few more weeks with a fractured finger, so the Mets will suffer through more Eric Campbell and Ruben Tejada for now. … Lucas Duda having four homers versus lefties and one against righties might just be the craziest stat of the year to date. It looks like he might miss a couple of games this week with hamstring tightness, but he can be left active in mixed leagues barring a strong alternative.
Philadelphia: Aaron Nola looked like the most polished pitcher available in the 2014 draft, and he’s backed it up by going 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA and 39/6 K/BB ratio in eight starts for Double-A Reading. If the Phillies were contenders, there’d be talk of promoting him early next month. Since they’re not, it seems he’ll stick in the minors until after the All-Star break. He might not have mixed-league upside this year anyway, but I do think he’s one of the Phillies’ five-best starters right now.
Pittsburgh: Andrew McCutchen is back hitting like his old self. Josh Harrison has found his stroke, too. Now if only the pitching staff could get it together. Despite an improved ERA this month, Vance Worley has been sent to the pen to make room for the returning Charlie Morton (hip). I can’t argue with that, though there was at least as good of a case for demoting Jeff Locke. … That Gregory Polanco isn’t showing much power at all might have a little something to do with him hitting grounders 60 percent of the time. As it turns out, grounders rarely turn into home runs. Polanco’s strikeout rate is also rather disappointing -- he’s at 23% this year after coming in at 19% as a rookie -- but that seems like a bit of a fluke, given that his contact rate is better than last year and slightly better than the league average. I still have hopes of him taking a real step forward, but he does need to do a better job of taking advantage of pitches left up in the strike zone.
St. Louis: Jaime Garcia showed good velocity while giving up two runs in seven innings against the Mets in his season debut Thursday. Think of the five walks as an aberration. Garcia isn’t going to contribute to fantasy teams for the entire rest of the season, but he should prove helpful when healthy. There aren’t many better situations for a starting pitcher than St. Louis. … The Cardinals were without their entire starting outfield Sunday, but Matt Holliday (arm), Jon Jay (wrist) and Jason Heyward (hip) could all be back Tuesday. Jay might spend a few more days on the disabled list if the Cardinals believe he needs some at-bats in the minors.
San Diego: The Padres noticed that Will Middlebrooks was hitting like a shortstop and thus decided to play him at shortstop on Saturday. He went 0-for-3, and the team lost 2-0. On Sunday, he was back at third. My feeling is that the Padres should simply stop stressing about shortstop. Alexi Amarista has been great defensively, and while he’s hitting just .186, he’s drawing walks and not striking out overly much. He should go back to hitting his usual .230-.240, and while that’s still not much, it’s not a disaster, either, particularly as little as most teams are getting from shortstop this year. Middlebrooks should be in Triple-A with the way he’s playing. Try him at shortstop there, if you must. … No Yonder Alonso (shoulder) this week, it seems. A quick healer, he is not. … Melvin Upton Jr. (foot) went 4-for-14 with five strikeouts in his first four games for Triple-A El Paso. The Padres need offense in the worst way right now, but they’re going to give Upton at least another week in the minors before they activate him.
San Francisco: The move to designate Casey McGehee for assignment was quite a surprise, even as poorly as he was playing. It’s partly because the Giants wouldn’t seem to have anyone to trust at third base beyond Matt Duffy, who will now be the everyday guy there. Perhaps it’s a sign that they do see Triple-A Sacramento’s Adam Duvall as a viable third baseman, though that’s been in doubt in the past. Duvall is hitting .325/.359/.633 with 12 homers in 169 at-bats in the PCL, but he’s just not very good at the hot corner, which is why he’s also played a fair amount of first base the last two years. The Giants won’t consider a switch unless Duffy goes into a prolonged slump. I’m not too fond of Duffy’s bat, but he should continue to hit for a decent average.
Washington: There’s nothing wrong with Stephen Strasburg that more pitches down in the strike zone won’t cure. His stuff is fine; he’s just missing too often, usually by leaving pitches up. I still think he’ll be a stud the rest of the way. … I’m not particularly optimistic about Tanner Roark becoming immediately useful in mixed leagues after he rejoins the rotation Monday. He certainly has pitched better out of the pen lately than he did in April, but his poor strikeout rate and the Nationals’ poor defensive efficiency this year seems like a bad combination. … Those hoping Michael Taylor would have mixed-league value while Jayson Werth (wrist) was out had to be unhappy to see him on the bench three of the last four games. Clint Robinson is Matt Williams’ preferred option against righties.
June Rankings next week.
