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(*) PT TODAY: E Gonzalez likely to see time with Kipnis injury

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BaseballHQ

Mar 20 2017 12:08am

(*) PT TODAY: E Gonzalez likely to see time with Kipnis injury

BaseballHQ

Mar 20 2017

Team-by-team playing time allocation charts can be found in our Teamview pages.

American League \| National League

Indians \| Jason Kipnis likely out another month
Cleveland Indians 2B Jason Kipnis (shoulder) is expected to miss four to five more weeks after a second opinion confirmed he is dealing with shoulder inflammation in his right shoulder. Source: Akron Beacon Journal - Ryan Lewis

BHQ take: Kipnis is now certain to open the season on the DL, diminishing his potential value. He set a career high with 610 AB in 2016, though the lingering shoulder issue renders him unlikely to match that total in 2017. As we noted in previous reports, CLE's replacement options are unlikely to match Kipnis' production level. Unproven Erik González is the most likely 2B option. Gonzalez slashed .296/.329/.450 in Triple-A in 2016, with 11 HR and 12 SB. His MLEs show a .267 BA with nine HR and 10 SB, though his 4% bb% and 77% ct% are problematic. He was 5-for-16 in his first MLB exposure. Other possibilities involve 3B José Ramírez shifting to 2B, with either Yandy Díaz or Giovanny Urshela playing 3B. Prospect Diaz offers perhaps the best potential on-base skills among the options here, though his MLEs and minor league numbers suggest he lacks power. Urshela is known primarily for his glove. He struggled at the plate as a rookie in 2015, showing a .606 OPS, .240 xBA and below-average power in 267 AB. Gonzalez seems most likely to get the first shot for a CLE team expecting to contend, particularly if Kipnis is likely sidelined for only a minimal span. Diaz could get an extended look if Kipnis misses a large chunk of the season. —Tom Kephart

Impact: High
Gonzalez, Erik	PT Gain: 10%
Urshela, Giovanny	PT Gain: 5%
Kipnis, Jason	PT Loss: -20%
Diaz, Yandy	PT Gain: 5%



Indians \| Cody Anderson to miss 2017 season
Cleveland Indians SP Cody Anderson (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2017 season, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Source: MLB.com - Jordan Bastian

BHQ take: Anderson's injury provides a potential opening for off-season trade acquisition Carlos Frias to make the CLE staff as a potential long reliever. Frias made only one MLB appearance in 2016, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A while also missing a sizable chunk of the season with an oblique injury. Frias is a groundball specialist with a history of solid Ctl and pedestrian Dom. He has accumulated 114 IP in MLB across multiple seasons, with 75 K/34 BB. Michael Clevinger and Ryan Merritt are also in the mix for long relief roles, and are the likely starting options if there is a rotation opening. Clevinger struggled with Ctl/Cmd as a 2016 rookie, splitting time between the rotation and bullpen. His 61% FpK suggests potential for growth moving forward. Soft-tossing southpaw Merritt hurled 11 IP in his initial MLB exposure. His MLEs are uninspiring, showing marginal Dom/Cmd. Both Merritt and Clevinger have struggled in Cactus League action. —Tom Kephart

Impact: Med
Merritt, Ryan	PT Gain: 1%
Clevinger, Michael	PT Gain: 1%
Anderson, Cody	PT Loss: -4%
Frias, Carlos	PT Gain: 1%



Red Sox \| Drew Pomeranz pulled from Sunday start
Boston Red Sox SP Drew Pomeranz (triceps) left his exhibition start Sunday, March 19, with tightness in his left triceps, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne. Source: MLB.com - Ian Browne

BHQ take: Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reported that Pomeranz was removed for precautionary reasons after two innings in only his second 2017 spring training start. With two HR, three BB, four hits and five earned runs through four innings, Pomeranz is not on track to be ready for Opening Day, which could open the door for Kyle Kendrick to take his spot during the first few cycles of the Red Sox rotation. Kendrick last pitched in the majors in 2015 when his season was shortened by shoulder surgery, and spent 2016 in Triple-A working his way back. His early 2017 spring training numbers through 18 innings are encouraging (16 K, three BB) but when translated to a 8.0 Dom and 5.3 Cmd they represent a small sample size completely incongruent with his 2007-15 body of work (4.9 Dom, 1.9 Cmd). He is likely to get a few early spot starts thanks to Pomeranz's balky left arm, but the track record screams "avoid" expecting any larger role. —Matt Dodge

Impact: Med
Pomeranz, Drew	PT Loss: -2%
Kendrick, Kyle	PT Gain: 2%



Rangers \| Chi Chi González has partially torn UCL
Texas Rangers SP Chi Chi González (elbow) has been diagnosed with a partial tear of his right ulnar collateral ligament, according to team physician Dr. Keith Meister. He woke up with soreness Friday, March 17, and an MRI exam revealed the injury. Gonzalez will receive an injection of platelet-rich plasma and will rest for six weeks but he is expected to miss the first half of the 2017 season in a best-case scenario. If Gonzalez does not show adequate progress in his recovery, he could require Tommy John surgery. Source: The Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant

BHQ take: Gonzalez was a long shot to stick with the Rangers regardless, with the likes of A.J. Griffin, Mike Hauschild, and Dillon Gee all seemingly ahead of him in the spring pecking order, and Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner expected to return from injury soon as well. Now it seems unlikely Gonzalez will pitch in the majors at all in 2017, as TEX surely won't want to push their former first-round pick too hard. Given the potential he'll miss 2018 as well if TJS is needed, those considering stashing Chi Chi in keeper leagues should probably look elsewhere. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: Low
Gonzalez, Alex	PT Loss: -1%





National League \| American League

Cardinals \| Luke Weaver optioned
St. Louis Cardinals SP Luke Weaver was optioned to Class AAA Memphis Saturday, March 18. Source: MLBRosterMoves

BHQ take: Not unexpectedly, Weaver won't be starting the year in the Cardinals' rotation. At the start of spring training, he was probably a long shot to be in the rotation, but any chance of that happening was lost when he was rocked over four spring outings. He remains one of St. Louis' top prospects -- he's #3 per BaseballHQ.com -- so a modicum of success at the Triple-A level will likely make him one of the top choices for the Cardinals' rotation if (when?) one of their starters is injured or ineffective. —Phil Hertz

Impact: Med
Weaver, Luke	PT Loss: -5%



Marlins \| Martín Prado won't be ready for opener
Miami Marlins 3B Martín Prado (hamstring, calf) has a Grade 1 hamstring strain and some discomfort in his right calf. He will not be able to return in time for the season opener Monday, April 3, against the Washington Nationals. Source: MLB.com - Joe Frisaro

BHQ take: It's not clear how much of April that Prado will miss, so for now we're only making a minor change in his predicted playing time. While he is out, Derek Dietrich figures to get the bulk of the playing time at third unless Miami acquires or signs another option. Dietrich has teased a nice upside over his career, but he was given a couple of opportunities at regular playing time in 2016 and did not succeed. Overall he could only manage a .245 xBA and 99x PX over 351 at bats. Over 974 career at bats, his numbers are only marginally better. In deep leagues, Dietrich may be valuable given his position flexibility (although in many leagues he won't start the year with eligibility at any position besides second). He may also be a decent fill-in option for Prado owners while the third baseman is out. —Phil Hertz

Impact: High
Dietrich, Derek	PT Gain: 5%
Prado, Martin M	PT Loss: -10%



Diamondbacks \| Josh Thole could be done for the season
Arizona Diamondbacks C Josh Thole (hamstring) suffered a 'significant' hamstring tear and is expected to be lost for the year, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Source: The Arizona Republic - Nick Piecoro

BHQ take: Thole, who recently signed a minor-league contract with ARI, was one of three catchers in camp vying for the backup job to presumed starter Chris Herrmann—with a fourth’s (Hank Conger’s) oblique strain keeping him out of the competition thus far in spring. This leaves the duo of Jeff Mathis and Chris Iannetta, who are cut from the same cloth: defense-first, (very) low-average hitters with occasional power who between them have hit .216 with 151 HR in close to 5000 AB over 1650 games. Herrmann’s handedness (left), position flexibility (can play OF) and .284/.352/.493 made Wellington Castillo expendable, but it should be remembered that fine season raised Herrmann’s lifetime slash line to Mathis/Iannetta territory: . 212/.280/.343. Unless Herrmann can cobble together something resembling 2016, the ARI catching core will offer little for fantasy owners. —Rob Carroll

Impact: Low
Thole, Josh	PT Loss: -5%
Iannetta, Chris	PT Gain: 5%
Herrmann, Chris
Mathis, Jeff

News feed provided by: Fantasy.USATODAY.com

Playing Time Key

The playing time percentage changes at the bottom of most news items correspond to BaseballHQ.com's Teamview pages. The percentages approximate changes in AB, IP and Saves in the following manner:

For batters, each 5% of PT% ~ 31 AB (100% total for each position = 618 AB)
For pitchers, each 3% of PT% ~ 44 IP (100% total for a team's entire pitching staff)
For relievers, each 5% of Svs ~ 2 saves (100% of a team's total = about40 saves)

A complete explanation of BaseballHQ.com's playing time allocations can be found in the article "How the Projections are Created."