(*) PT TOMORROW: AL Central—Twins surprise by signing Kendrys Morales

Minnesota Twins

The Twins surprised the baseball world by signing Kendrys Morales (1B/DH, MIN). He will be the primary DH. Morales was profiled in PT Today here. In that article Mike Shears pointed out that despite playing in a pitchers’ park (Seattle) last year, Morales hit 23 HR and posted a 134 xPX. Morales should prove to be a productive power hitter in Minnesota as well. He has hit over .300 once in his career (.306 in 2009) but BA expectations should be closer to his career xBA of .268. Morales was not sent to the minors because he is out of options, but was immediately inserted into the lineup on Monday.

The arrival of Morales will have a ripple effect on the Twins’ roster. Jason Kubel (OF, MIN) was designated for assignment. Josmil Pinto (C/DH, MIN), who has made half of his appearances at DH, will lose playing time to Morales. The prospects of Chris Colabello  (1B/OF/DH, MIN) returning to Minnesota this season, barring injuries, have also dimmed.

Danny Santana (SS/OF, MIN) has continued to play well as he has essentially taken over the centerfield job from Aaron Hicks (OF, MIN). Santana put up a .361 BA through his first 72 AB, with 10 RBI and 4 SB. The BA is not sustainable. Santana has had a 48% h%, and his career minor league BA is .274. A possible scenario is that when Sam Fuld (OF, MIN) (currently on a minor league rehab assignment) returns, Santana will move to a utility role. This would also allow the Twins to send Hicks to the minors to continue his transition from switch-hitting to batting exclusively right-handed.

 

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers made a move this week to address their shortstop problem after they found out that José Iglesias SS/3B, DET) is definitely not returning this season. Andrew Romine (SS, DET) has been disappointing offensively, batting .205 (xBA of .211) with no power (PX of 38). The Tigers designated Danny Worth (SS, DET) and called up Eugenio Suárez (SS, DET). It appears the Tigers will give Suarez every chance to show that he can be their everyday shortstop.

The 22-year-old Suarez, hadn’t played above Double-A before this year. He was profiled in Call-ups here. In 198 AB at Double-A and Triple-A this year, Suarez hit .288/8 HR/9 SB. Suarez could eventually provide both power and speed from the shortstop position, but with only 155 AB at Triple-A, he could find his first exposure to major league pitching challenging. Still, the Tigers don’t have any other viable in-house alternatives and Suarez figures to get most of the AB at short for the near term.

 

Cleveland Indians

John Axford (RHP, CLE) has pitched well since being deposed as Cleveland’s closer. In 11 appearances he has allowed only one earned run over 9.1 IP while striking out 11 and walking four. Manager Terry Francona has been using Axford in higher leverage situations again. Cody Allen (RHP, CLE) owners should be aware of the possibility that Axford could move back into the closer role at some point.

Zach McAllister (RHP, CLE) could return to the Indians after one more rehab start. The Indians hope his disastrous last six starts before going on the DL were impacted by his back injury. In those six starts McAllister allowed 25 ER in only 18.2 IP. Even if healthy, McAllister’s career 4.27 xERA, 7.4 Dom, and 2.4 Cmd suggest modest expectations. When he does return, T.J. House (LHP, CLE) will likely return to the minors. Francona has said that House has pitched well enough to warrant a return to the majors later this year if he is sent down. Despite Francona’s endorsement, House’s minor league track record does not suggest guaranteed success. He spent most of last year at Triple-A Columbus compiling a 7-10 record with a 4.32 ERA while posting a Dom of 7.0 and a Cmd of 2.0.

Nick Swisher (OF/1B, CLE) could be ready to come off the DL by week’s end. When he returns, either George Kottaras (C, CLE) or a back-end bullpen arm (Nick Hagadone (LHP, CLE) is a prime candidate) would lose their roster spot.

 

Chicago White Sox

Now that José Abreu (1B, CHW) has returned to the White Sox, Adam Dunn (1B/DH, CHW) will get most of his AB at DH. This may be good news for Dunn owners because Dunn has put up better numbers at DH than at 1B or OF. At DH Dunn is hitting .276/.394/.524 with seven HR in 127 PA. At 1B, LF, and PH, Dunn is hitting .171/.341/.412 with four HR in 91 PA. He has played the outfield in National League parks, but the White Sox only have two more games in NL parks this year (in August).

Marcus Semien (2B/3B, CHW), who was sent down to Triple-A Charlotte when Abreu was activated, has played left field as the White Sox try to increase Semien’s defensive flexibility. This may signal their desire to find a role for Semien in the major leagues without waiting for him to be able to fill one position full-time.

Andre Rienzo (RHP, CHW) has scuffled in his starting role since being called up in mid-April. He has a 5.25 ERA (4.43 xERA) and a 1.50 WHIP in nine starts. There has been some speculation that Scott Carroll (RHP, CHW), currently being used in long relief, may replace Rienzo in the rotation. If Carroll does return to the rotation, fantasy owners should remember that he has an even worse xERA than Rienzo at 4.86 and with his 3.7 Dom and 1.2 Cmd is unlikely to be consistently successful as a starter.

 

Kansas City Royals

Royals’ manager Ned Yost may be the anti-Joe Maddon. Whereas the Rays manager is known for embracing new ideas like defensive shifts and multiple lineups, Yost prefers to manage his team using a very steady predictable style. Yost rarely makes changes to his batting order stating that he believes players perform better when they know what to expect every day. He also tends to stay with players even when they are struggling.

Over the last month Eric Hosmer (1B, KC) and Omar Infante (2B, KC) have batted .171 and .148 respectively, yet they are still hitting second and third in the order. Mike Moustakas (3B, KC) has not benefitted from his 10-day stay in the minors. Since his return he is only 4-for-27 with one walk. Norichika Aoki (OF, KC) has been a disappointment all season hitting .256/.318/.311, mostly from the lead-off spot. Yost has said he intends to stick with all four players in hopes they will work out their issues.

One reason Yost may be exhibiting patience with his players is that all the Royals best offensive prospects are in the lower minors. They simply don’t have strong alternatives at Double-A or Triple-A who could have an impact at the major league level.

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