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 02/22/2015 MLB Note - Minnesota Twins Hunter, Torii
OF Torii Hunter signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the
Twins in early December, and he is penciled in as the starting right
fielder. In 549 at-bats last season with the Tigers, Hunter hit .286
with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs.
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MLB Note - Minnesota Twins Santana, Ervin
RHP Ervin Santana signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the
Twins on Dec. 11, the largest free agent contract in team history.
Santana started 31 games for the Braves last season, going 14-10
with a 3.95 ERA in 196 innings, striking out 179 and walking 63.
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MLB Note - Minnesota Twins Perkins, Glen
LHP Glen Perkins had 34 saves a year ago but was shut down early due
to forearm and elbow soreness. An MRI showed no structural damage,
and both he and the team say he is 100 percent heading into this
season.
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MLB Note - Tampa Bay Rays McGee, Jake
LHP Jake McGee established himself as the Rays' best reliever last
year, going 5-2 with a 1.89 ERA and 19 saves in 71 1/3 innings. The
flame-throwing left-hander struck out 90 batters in 73 appearances.
He had to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in December
to remove a loose body, but he seems to be coming along well in his
recovery. McGee expects to be back in April, and baseball operations
president Matt Silverman viewed that as an optimistic timetable.
"We're looking for him just to take it slowly and make sure he's
ready. If it's in April, that's great," Silverman said. "But that's
sort of the time frame we're looking at there."
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MLB Note - Tampa Bay Rays Moore, Matt
LHP Matt Moore had Tommy John surgery last April, and so far his
recovery has been smooth sailing. Moore has yet to experience any
setbacks, putting him in line for a "June-ish" return, according to
baseball operations president Matt Silverman. "He's not pushing
himself too hard, but he's challenging himself," Silverman said.
Adding Moore will further boost an already solid Rays rotation. The
All-Star left-hander is 29-17 with a 3.53 ERA in 347 big-league
innings.
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MLB Note - Tampa Bay Rays Belisario, Ronald
RHP Ronald Belisario fits the profile as the kind of veteran
reliever the Rays tend to remake. The 32-year-old right-hander is
coming off a terrible season with the White Sox, going 4-8 with a
5.56 ERA in 66 1/3 innings. But he was 13-8 with a 3.24 ERA and 118
strikeouts in 139 innings for the Dodgers in 2012-13. That was
enough for Tampa Bay to invite him to big-league camp on a minor
league contract. With closer Jake McGee likely to return in late
April or May, there should be a spot or two open in the Rays'
bullpen. Don't be surprised if Belisario grabs one of them and
rebuilds his value this season.
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MLB Note - Tampa Bay Rays Souza, Steven
OF Steven Souza Jr. was the biggest part of the Rays' return in the
three-team trade that sent former Rookie of the Year Wil Myers to
the San Diego Padres. By opening day, he'll likely have taken Myers'
spot as the starting right fielder. If Tampa Bay is going to provide
Evan Longoria with any lineup protection, Souza might be the team's
best bet. That's a lot of pressure on a 25-year-old rookie with a
whopping 26 major league plate appearances. But the Rays are on high
on Souza, best known for preserving Jordan Zimmermann's no-hitter
with the Nationals. He's coming off a monster year in Triple-A,
batting .350 with a 1.022 OPS, 18 home runs and 75 RBIs in 96 games.
He'll compete for playing time with veteran David DeJesus and
younger options in Brandon Guyer and Kevin Kiermaier.
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MLB Note - Tampa Bay Rays DeJesus, David
OF David DeJesus has to be considered a trade target at this point
considering the Rays dealt away so many veterans this offseason and
still have a surplus of outfielders. He was penciled in as a
left-handed DH, but Tampa Bay acquired John Jaso to fill that role.
So, for now, DeJesus is the projected starting left fielder. Overall
last year, he hit .248/.344/.403 with six homers in 83 games. He's
not as strong defensively as the Rays' other options, but he can
provide some value if he stays healthy. DeJesus has a career .352
on-base percentage, and for much of last season he was the only Rays
hitter with a slugging percentage above .400. He might not be a bad
leadoff option for the Rays, at least in a platoon role.
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MLB Note - Tampa Bay Rays Jaso, John
DH John Jaso is back in Tampa Bay. The former Rays catcher was part
of the offseason trade that sent Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to
Oakland. In return, the Rays received two prospects -- including a
potential impact player in Class A shortstop Daniel Robertson -- but
Jaso will have the most immediate big-league impact. Expect Jaso to
see most of his time at designated hitter, especially given his
concussion history behind the plate, but he could slide over to
first base or a corner-outfield spot at some point down the road.
Jaso isn't your typical middle-of-the-order, power-hitting DH, but
he can get on base. Since 2010, when he broke through with the Rays,
he's posted a .260/.360/.401 batting line.
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MLB Note - Tampa Bay Rays Longoria, Evan
3B Evan Longoria is the single most important player on the Rays'
roster, as per usual. If Longoria thrives, the Rays' offense could
be viable. If not, they'll struggle to score runs. The 29-year-old
All-Star is coming off a confusing season. He played a career-high
162 games, always one of his goals. But he hit just .253/.320/.404
with 22 homers and 91 RBIs, not the kind of numbers you'd expect in
a full season from Longoria. If he can prove that last year was just
a fluke and get back to his 2008-13 production, all while staying as
healthy as he was last season, Tampa Bay will be in much better
shape than expected.
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MLB Note - Cleveland Indians Kipnis, Jason
2B Jason Kipnis has no restrictions on his defensive work and
throwing drills. Kipnis is rehabbing from offseason surgery on his
left ring finger. He could be ready to play in spring training games
shortly after the start of the exhibition schedule on March 3. This
is a big year for Kipnis, whose numbers were down across the board
in his injury-plagued 2014 season. "I think he's going to come back
with a vengeance," said Manager Terry Francona.
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MLB Note - Cleveland Indians Bauer, Trevor
RHP Trevor Bauer has a unique approach to the science of pitching,
with some training methods and between-start-routines that in some
cases run counter to the norm. Despite that, manager Terry Francona
said the Indians are very comfortable working with Bauer to help him
to get better. "He's very analytical, and that's OK," said Francona.
"Everyone is built different. When you tell him something he wants
to have some data, so we make sure we have something to show him."
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MLB Note - Cleveland Indians Swisher, Nick
DH/1B Nick Swisher is in camp continuing his rehab from last year's
season-ending double knee surgery. Swisher is expected to begin
taking fly balls in the outfield and doing some base running drills
in two weeks. He is expected to begin playing in spring training
games by the middle of March.
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MLB Note - Cleveland Indians Moss, Brandon
OF Brandon Moss is expected to begin taking batting practice on the
field by the end of February or early March. He is rehabbing from
offseason surgery on his right hip. He is expected to begin playing
in spring training games by mid-March.
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MLB Note - Minnesota Twins Buxton, Byron
OF Byron Buxton had an injury-plagued 2014, hurting his wrist in
spring training and missing the first three months of the season. He
sustained a concussion in his first game back, missed the rest of
the regular season, then dislocated his left middle finger in the
Arizona Fall League. Buxton, regarded as one of the top prospects in
all of baseball, was one of 21 players who received non-roster
invitations to the Twins' major league spring camp.
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MLB Note - Minnesota Twins Pelfrey, Mike
RHP Mike Pelfrey (right elbow surgery in June 2014) had scar tissue
cleaned up. Pelfrey, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012, is
expected to be 100 percent for spring training.
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MLB Note - Minnesota Twins Plouffe, Trevor
3B Trevor Plouffe (left forearm surgery in September 2014) is fully
recovered and ready for spring training.
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MLB Note - Minnesota Twins Sano, Miguel
3B Miguel Sano (Tommy John surgery in March 2014) missed the entire
2014 campaign. Sano is healthy and participating in all training
activities and will compete for a spot on the major league roster
during spring training.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Mesoraco, Devin
C Devin Mesoraco said last week that he's up to the challenge after
manager Bryan Price declared this winter that he'd like the
26-year-old backstop to catch 145 games. Mesoraco is coming off a
breakout season in which he hit 25 homers with 80 RBIs, becoming the
first Reds catcher since Hall of Famer Johnny Bench to hit 25 homers
in a season.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Byrd, Marlon
LF Marlon Byrd reported to camp early and told the Cincinnati
Enquirer that he accepts the pressure of being the Reds' left-field
savior. Cincinnati has used 26 different left fielders since 2008.
With the departures of Ryan Ludwick and Chris Heisey, Byrd is
expected to step into the every-day role and give the Reds lineup
some pop, similar to what he produced the past two seasons, when he
hit 25 and 24 homers for the Phillies and Mets.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Iglesias, Raisel
RHP Raisel Iglesias is being groomed as a starter. Reds manager
Bryan Price said the 25-year-old Cuban is working on his sinker,
which would give him a four-pitch arsenal. His fastball isn't
overpowering, topping out at 95 mph, but Iglesias has shown good
command for a young international. The Reds signed him to a
seven-year, major-league deal in June.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Cingrani, Tony
LHP Tony Cingrani, who missed most of last season with a left
shoulder injury, passed his first test of the spring on Friday when
he threw a bullpen session without issue. The 25-year-old Cingrani
is among the candidates to fill one of the two vacant spots in the
Reds' starting rotation.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Stephenson, Robert
RHP Robert Stephenson was shut down for a few days last week due to
shoulder discomfort. But, he was cleared to begin throwing again on
Feb. 22. Stephenson was the Reds' top draft choice in 2011 and is
currently rated by Baseball America as its 16th-best prospect.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Marshall, Sean
LHP Sean Marshall has been shut down for a couple weeks due to
inflammation in his shoulder. He'd hoped to be ready to pitch in
spring training after being limited to just 31 games the past two
seasons due to shoulder issues. The 32-year-old Marshall has made
396 career appearances. He had season-ending surgery to repair a
torn labrum in his left shoulder in June.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Votto, Joey
1B Joey Votto had yet to be evaluated by club medical staff as of
Feb. 21, but said he's been hitting, throwing, taking ground balls,
and running. Votto missed 99 games last year with a distal quad
strain in his left knee, including the final 76 contests.
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MLB Note - Cincinnati Reds Bailey, Homer
RHP Homer Bailey, who had season-ending surgery in September to
repair a torn flexor mass tendon in his right forearm, hasn't thrown
off the mound yet. Early indications are that Bailey, the club's No.
2 starter who went 9-5 with a 3.71 ERA in 23 starts, might miss a
start or two to begin the regular season.
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MLB Note - Toronto Blue Jays Dickerson, Chris
OF Chris Dickerson signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays
on Feb. 21, and he was invited to the team's major league spring
camp. Dickerson, 32, hit .224/.309/.327 with two homers and six RBIs
in 41 games for Cleveland last year. He has major league experience
with the Reds, Brewers, Yankees, Orioles and Indians.
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MLB Note - Baltimore Orioles De Aza, Alejandro
OF Alejandro De Aza lost in salary arbitration, and he will make $5
million in 2015. De Aza, who was arbitration-eligible for the first
time, filed for $5.65 million. He made $4.25 million last year.
Acquired in an August trade from the White Sox, De Aza hit .252 with
eight home runs, 41 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 477 at-bats in 2014.
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MLB Note - New York Yankees Sabathia, CC
LHP CC Sabathia, who was limited to eight starts last year after
injuring his knee in May, told reporters Feb. 21 that he is still
taking plasma-rich platelet injections to treat his "bum knee."
Sabathia said he required three injections in recent weeks to get
him ready for camp. He added that he spent a lot of time at Yankee
Stadium in the winter, working out with team trainers two or three
days per week. He threw off indoor mounds twice before arriving in
Tampa. "I'm able to go 100 percent and not feel anything," Sabathia
said.
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MLB Note - New York Mets Wheeler, Zack
RHP Zack Wheeler missed the team's first workout on Feb. 21 because
of an illness. Wheeler is under the weather, potentially fighting a
virus, a team spokesman told ESPN.com. Wheeler, 24, went 11-11 with
a 3.54 ERA with 187 strikeouts over 185 1/3 innings in 2014.
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Beachy, Brandon
RHP Brandon Beachy signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with
the Dodgers on Feb. 21. The deal includes a club option for 2016.
Beachy, 28, will begin the season on the disabled list as he
continues to recover from his second Tommy John surgery performed in
March 2014. He missed all of last season. Beachy, non-tendered by
the Braves in December, pitched in only five major league games over
the past two seasons and 18 over the past three.
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MLB Note - Milwaukee Brewers Lucroy, Jonathan
C Jonathan Lucroy will be sidelined for the next few days as he
recovers from the flu, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported
Sunday. Lucroy recently recovered from a hamstring injury. In 2014,
the 28-year-old hit .301 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs.
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MLB Note - Atlanta Braves Upton Jr., Melvin
OF B.J. Upton will be known as Melvin Upton Jr. this year. Melvin
Emanuel Upton Jr. is the 30-year-old's birth name. The change was
noted when Braves executive John Hart made a passing reference to
Melvin Upton, then confirmed that B.J. Upton would go by Melvin
Upton Jr. this season. Upton would like to alter his luck at the
plate, too. He batted .182 with nine homers in 2013, and he hit .208
with 12 homers in 2014. He signed a five-year, $75.25 million free
agent contract with Atlanta in November 2012.
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MLB Note - Atlanta Braves Simmons, Shae
RHP Shae Simmons (Tommy John surgery in February 2015) went on the
60-day disabled list Feb. 20. He will miss the entire season.
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MLB Note - No MLB Team Free Agents Solis, Ali
C Ali Solis was released by the Dodgers on Feb. 21 in a reported
contract dispute. Solis, 27, went 0-for-6 in eight major league
games for Tampa Bay last year. His only other major league action
came in 2012, when he went 0-for-4 in five games for San Diego.
Solis hit .203/.231/.283 with three homers and 25 RBIs in 73 games
for Triple-A Durham last year.
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Withrow, Chris
RHP Chris Withrow hopes for a late-2015 return after undergoing
Tommy John surgery last June. His rehab from the elbow surgery is
progressing well, but Withrow underwent surgery to repair a
herniated disc in his back in December, temporarily slowing his
comeback. The Dodgers placed him on the 60-day disabled list Feb.
21.
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