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Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. was one of two minor league players the San Diego Padres acquired in the Saturday trade involving starting pitcher James Shields, according to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune.

The 17-year-old son of former major leaguer Fernando Tatis is the No. 30 prospect in MLB‘s international prospect rankings. The White Sox signed him on July 2, per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.

Sanchez says Tatis Jr. has “a strong arm” and good instincts in the infield. The right-handed Dominican shortstop is listed at 6’1″ and 175 pounds with the potential to develop into an everyday player for the Padres.

Tatis Jr. is a raw prospect but has shown glimpses of power at the plate. That’s a good sign for someone at his age, and Jim Bowden of ESPN.com thinks he can also turn into a quality third baseman:

The key to the trade for the Padres is Fernando Tatis Jr., [a] 17-year old shortstop that’s a two way player. Might need to move to [third base] in time but some scouts think [he] can stay at short. Has a chance to develop into a high end elite type prospect has the hit tool and size to eventually be middle of the order type impact bat. Good get here for Padres.

Tatis Jr. shouldn’t see the major leagues for another few years at least, but he has unlimited and untapped potential. San Diego should know what kind of player it will have by that time. 

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The San Diego Padres sent starting pitcher James Shields to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for two minor league players on Saturday. One of those is right-handed pitcher Erik Johnson, according to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. 

Johnson was a second-round pick in 2011 by the White Sox out of Cal. The 26-year-old made his big league debut on Sept. 4, 2013, against the New York Yankees inside Yankee Stadium. He went six innings and gave up three earned runs.

That began an up-and-down tenure as an MLB starting pitcher. Johnson went 7-6 in 18 starts with a 4.50 ERA. He made two starts in 2016, both losses to the Boston Red Sox (May 5) and Cleveland Indians (May 23).

Johnson played well in eight Triple-A starts for the Charlotte Knights this year, going 2-1 with a 2.94 ERA.

Despite the inconsistent numbers, Johnson has shown he has talent. He was named the International League’s Most Valuable Pitcher in 2015 after going 11-8 in 22 starts with a 2.37 ERA. That’s Felix Hernandez territory when he won the 2010 American League Cy Young Award.

Based on that potential, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Padres insert Johnson into the starting rotation. San Diego came into Saturday at 22-34 and has nothing left to lose. It wouldn’t hurt to see if Johnson can be Shields’ immediate replacement.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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As any poker player will tell you, two aces are better than one. 

Ask the San Francisco Giants, and they’ll confirm as much.

This winter, the Giants went shopping with money to burn and holes to fill in the starting five. According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, they pursued reigning ERA king Zack Greinke, who opted out of his contract with the archrival Los Angeles Dodgers. But Greinke wound up spurning San Francisco and Los Angeles and inking a six-year, $206.5 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

So the Giants shifted to Plan B and signed Jeff Samardzija for five years and $90 million. Then they tossed six years and $130 million at Johnny Cueto. 

Both pitchers crossed the Golden Gate toting baggage, as we’ll get into shortly. Two months into the season, however, they’ve been nothing short of fantastic and have joined stud left-hander Madison Bumgarner to form one of the best top-of-the-rotation trios in baseball.

As Greinke struggles in Arizona, the Giants are basking in some early even-year vindication. 

Through 11 starts, Samardzija sports a 2.84 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 18 walks in 76 innings. Cueto, meanwhile, owns a 2.31 ERA and has fanned 72 while walking 14 in 81.2 innings.

Most importantly, San Francisco is 17-5 when Cueto and Samardzija take the hill. 

“As well as they’re throwing, it’s been impressive,” manager Bruce Bochy said of his shiny new weapons, per Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com. “You do your homework and watch these guys, and we knew we were getting two outstanding starters that could throw 200 innings and have good years for us.”

Indeed, Cueto and Samardzija have notable track records. Samardzija was a breakout All-Star in 2014 with the Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs, and Cueto led MLB in strikeouts and innings pitched that same year with the Cincinnati Reds.

Last season, however, both men wobbled.

In his first and only season with the Chicago White Sox, Samardzija led all pitchers with 228 hits and 118 earned runs allowed and watched his ERA balloon to an unsightly 4.96.

Cueto finished with better numbers, posting a 3.44 ERA, but he struggled in stretches after a trade-deadline swap to the Kansas City Royals and entered the winter trailing doubts about the health of his elbow. 

The hope for San Francisco was that the injury bug wouldn’t bite and both pitchers would benefit from the Giants’ excellent infield defense, the steadying influence of franchise catcher Buster Posey—the second-best pitch-framer in baseball, per StatCorner—and the spacious confines of AT&T Park.

So far, so great.

With Samardzija and Cueto meeting or exceeding expectations, the Giants—who sit in first place in the National League West—don’t need to bask in schadenfreude. Still, it has to feel at least a little good to glance at Greinke’s 4.71 ERA and .281 opponents’ batting average. 

Maybe Greinke would have fared better in San Francisco, for the reasons explained above. Or, maybe not.

Right now, the Giants don’t need to play the what-if game. They know what they’ve got, and the results speak for themselves, as CSN Bay Area’s Ahmed Fareed spelled out:

It’s not as if Cueto and Samardzija are getting by on smoke and mirrors either. Samardzija’s FIP—a stat that’s supposed to strip away factors beyond a pitcher’s control, such as luck and sequencing—is 2.95. Cueto’s is 2.42.

Samardzija has lasted seven innings or more in six of his 11 starts, and Cueto has hit or exceeded that threshold nine of 11 times. Along with Bumgarner’s reliable workhorse tendencies, that’s saving the bullpen and taking pressure off back-end starters Matt Cain and Jake Peavy, who have shown flashes but struggled with injury and inconsistency.

Samardzija is locked in for the duration of his deal, but Cueto can opt out after two years. Depending on how things go, that could be the best result for the Giants, as I argued in April. 

Then again, as Schulman recently opined, “during [Cueto’s] ongoing honeymoon with San Francisco, the thought of him not being with the Giants in 2018 seems as absurd as his performance thus far.”

For now, the Giants’ focus is on getting back to October and doing their every-other-year thing. The success of Samardzija and Cueto along with Bumgarner and a balanced, largely homegrown lineup make that seem attainable.

Greinke got away. But sometimes, Plan B works out pretty well.

All statistics current as of June 1 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Hunter Pence‘s injury woes don’t seem to be going away, as the San Francisco Giants outfielder is battling a serious hamstring strain and has been placed on the disabled list. It is unclear when he will be able to return.

Continue for updates. 

Pence Comments on Injury

Friday, June 3

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Pence said, per Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. “I’ll be back in a flash.”

Latest on Pence’s Recovery Timeline

Friday, June 3

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Giants are leaning toward surgery for Pence, which would put him out eight weeks after he tore the hamstring completely off the bone.

Bochy Comments on Pence Injury

Thursday, June 2

“Unfortunately, he did a pretty good job on it,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, per Baggarly. “And it’s a shame.”

Pence Has Struggled with Injuries After Long Stretch of Durability

Prior to 2015, Pence had been one of the most durable players in Major League Baseball, playing at least 154 games every season since 2008, including all 162 in 2013 and 2014. 

He started 2015 on the disabled list with a fractured left forearm suffered during a spring training game, forcing him to miss the first five weeks, and only managed to play 52 games as a result of various ailments. 

Things had been going smoothly in 2016 for Pence, who looked like his old self to start the year. He was hitting for average and power and getting on base at a high clip. 

The Giants were able to get by without Pence’s bat in the middle of their lineup for stretches last season. Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford picked up their games, though the lineup lacks depth without Pence in the middle.

San Francisco’s front office did bolster the starting rotation this offseason, signing Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto, to try to offset any potential offensive shortcomings. Sitting first in the NL West, the Giants can afford to be without Pence for a bit. But it’s obvious this has become a recurring problem. 

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias is reportedly getting another chance at the major league level after a disappointing debut.

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times wrote Tuesday, “Urias is coming back to the major leagues. Alex Wood is going on the disabled list with elbow soreness.”

The 19-year-old Urias started against the New York Mets on Friday and did not make it through the third inning before manager Dave Roberts pulled him. The Dodgers sent him back to Triple-A Oklahoma City after his debut, per Doug Padilla of ESPN.com.

Los Angeles lost Urias’ start, 6-5, as he allowed five hits and three earned runs in 2.2 innings. He also struggled with his command with four walks.

Padilla noted the teenager was the first pitcher to start in the majors before turning 20 since the Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez in 2005.

That the Dodgers called Urias back so quickly is notable because Padilla wrote they “made no secret of their desire to keep Urias’ innings to a minimum this season and have even suggested using him out of the bullpen as the season progresses.”

Wood goes to the disabled list after he pitched Monday’s game in Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. He allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings of work and has a 3.99 ERA in 10 starts in 2016. McCullough pointed out Wood “reported some triceps soreness today.”

With Wood out, Rotoworld noted Urias will take the vacated spot in the rotation and make his next start against the Atlanta Braves.

The young southpaw couldn’t ask for a better matchup considering the Braves were tied with the Minnesota Twins entering play Tuesday with the worst record in the major leagues at 15-35. Atlanta has also struggled at the dish and is dead last in baseball with 161 runs scored, which is a symptom of its overall offensive issues:

Urias is surrounded by enormous expectations. MLB.com ranked him as the No. 2 prospect in the league entering the 2016 season and pointed to his “plus or better stuff across the board.”

He is consistently in the mid-90s with his fastball and can touch 97. He also has a “big-breaking curveball and fading changeup” to work with, per MLB.com. However, Urias has never appeared in more than 87.2 innings in a single season and missed two months in 2015 to have a benign tumor taken out of his left eye.

It is easy to envision Urias and Clayton Kershaw as a dominant one-two punch for the Dodgers down the line, but he first needs to make strides and gather experience during his second chance in the big leagues.

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There were no beanballs, no ejections and no Chase Utley fireworks in Sunday night’s tussle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.

But there was Clayton Kershaw, and lately that means flat-out greatness.

Well, OK, not just lately. Kershaw has been great for years now to the point where it’s possible to take him for granted.

But over his past several starts, he’s elevated his game to yet another level and put himself on track to claim another National League Cy Young Award and, yep, MVP trophy.

The Mets were merely the latest unlucky victims.

For 7.2 innings, the Dodgers left-hander carved New York’s lineup into neat little pieces, striking out 10 with no walks and allowing two earned runs on four hits.

He surrendered a solo home run to Asdrubal Cabrera in the sixth. A second run was charged to his record when left-hander Adam Liberatore coughed up a Curtis Granderson RBI triple in the eighth, plating Kevin Plawecki, who had singled off Kershaw to lead off the inning.

The Dodgers, however, answered back with two runs in the top of the ninth on a bases-loaded Adrian Gonzalez single and went on to a 4-2 victory.

Kershaw didn’t get the win, but his record still sits at a perfect 5-0 for the month of May. During that span, he’s struck out 65 in 49.2 innings while surrendering two walks and five earned runs.

To say he’s a shoo-in for Pitcher of the Month honors is beyond an understatement. ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla was already asking if Kershaw had put together the best month ever before Sunday’s gem.

On Saturday, the story was Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard throwing a blazing fastball behind Utley in the third inning and getting tossed, then Utley launching a pair of home runs.

That, in turn, exhumed memories of Utley’s takeout slide in last year’s National League Division Series between New York and Los Angeles, which ended Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada’s season and ultimately led to an MLB rule change.

Any simmering ill will was pushed to the back burner as Kershaw took the hill opposite veteran Bartolo Colon, who yielded a pair of runs in six innings. Neither pitcher showed any hint of throwing at anyone. Cooler heads prevailed.

So did Kershaw and the Dodgers.

Eventually, he’s going to lose again. He’s not invincible, despite recent results to the contrary.

But on a flawed Los Angeles team that ranks in the bottom third in baseball in OPS and has question marks in the bullpen that bubbled up again Sunday, he’s been nothing short of a savior.

Even after taking two straight from the Mets, the Dodgers still trail the archrival San Francisco Giants by 4.5 games in the NL West. Where would they be without Kershaw?

The Chavez Ravine faithful are no doubt shuddering at the thought.

Which brings us back to talk of another MVP Award. Kershaw claimed the prize in 2014 when he posted a 1.77 ERA with 239 strikeouts in 198.1 innings.

This year, his ERA sits at 1.56, and he’s already compiled 105 strikeouts in 86.2 frames with just five walks, which inspired the following tongue-in-cheek response from former player and current ESPN analyst Doug Glanville:

Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper is mired in a slump that has lowered his average to .245, though the 23-year-old is always a threat to go off.

Heck, with so much season left, there’s time for any number of top talents to vault into the MVP conversation.

Right now, Kershaw‘s chief competition for the award might be Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who leads the Senior Circuit in home runs and slugging percentage.

On Sunday against Kershaw, Cespedes went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. It’s only one game, obviously, and Cespedes remains a force. But it felt like a message was delivered.

Again, this transcendence is nothing new for Kershaw, as MLB.com’s Michael Clair outlined:

Over the last three seasons, Kershaw has posted a 188 ERA+, a statistic that normalizes performance and compares it to the league average (which is 100). [Justin] Verlander’s best season: 172. [Tim] Lincecum’s: 171. [Felix] Hernandez: 174. That means Kershaw has been better, on average, over the past three years than any one of those guys was in his very best season.

We’re nearing the point when it will be time to talk about Kershaw not merely as one of the best pitchers of his generation but one of the best of all time. 

It will become even more unavoidable if Kershaw wins another MVP. Ten pitchers in MLB history, including Kershaw, have taken home an MVP and Cy Young in the same season. No one has done it twice.

“I wish we had 25 of him,” Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts said of his ace, per Padilla.

That’s understandable, especially given the Dodgers’ shortcomings. It’s also an impossibility.

Baseball is a game of surprise and uncertainty, but this much we know unequivocally: There’s only one Clayton Kershaw.

All statistics current as of May 30 and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com.

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With the San Diego Padres continuing to struggle in 2016, James Shields‘ solid start to the year could make him an attractive trade chip for teams seeking help in the starting rotation. 

Continue for updates. 

Report: White Sox, Padres Discussing Shields

Saturday, May 28

Per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chicago White Sox are engaged in discussions with the Padres about a deal for Shields. Lin noted the talks have “energy” at this point, though it’s not certain if anything is close to happening.   

The Padres have been looking to trade Shields basically from the moment they signed him in February 2015. He was supposed to be the anchor of their rotation after general manager A.J. Preller traded for Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and Wil Myers to bolster the lineup. 

Instead, the Padres never found their footing, and Shields endured one of his worst seasons in 2015. The right-hander did have 216 strikeouts in 202.1 innings, but he tied Kyle Kendrick for the most home runs allowed (33) and walked a career-high 81 hitters. 

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported last December the Padres were trying to push Shields on the market while noting he was owed $63 million from 2016-18. The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox also engaged the Padres in trade talks during spring training, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. 

Shields’ value has likely increased so far this season. He’s got a 3.06 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 61 hits allowed in 64.2 innings. His salary is paying him like a frontline starter, though he’s more like a good No. 3 or 4 at this point in his career. 

The White Sox would be a logical fit because they got off to a strong start and have two workhorses in Chris Sale and Jose Quintana at the top of the rotation, allowing Shields to slot in right behind them without needing to be the face of the group. 

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias, 19, became only the third teenager in the last 20 years to pitch in a major league game when he stepped onto the mound for the first inning of Friday’s eventual 6-5 loss to the New York Mets, per ESPN on Twitter.

The hard-throwing left-hander thus joined Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez (2005) and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy (2012)—both of whom also debuted at the age of 19.

Prior to Hernandez, the last 19-year-old to pitch in the majors was Todd Van Poppel of the 1991 Oakland Athletics, while Jose Rijo of the 1984 New York Yankees was the last player to debut at 18, per Baseball-Reference.com (h/t High Heat Stats MLB via ESPN.com’s SweetSpot Blog).

Widely viewed as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Urias earned his call-up by dominating the competition at Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier this season, posting a 4-1 record and 1.10 ERA through 41 innings with 44 strikeouts, only eight walks and just two home runs allowed.

The Dodgers plan to strictly monitor his pitch count, as the 19-year-old phenom has yet to eclipse 82 in any outing this year.

He lasted just 81 pitches in Friday’s debut, giving up three runs (all earned) on five hits and four walks in 2.2 innings, though he did settle down a bit after allowing all three of those runs in the opening frame.

Many baseball eyes have drawn parallels between Urias and longtime Dodger left-hander Fernando Valenzuela, as both southpaws hail from northern Mexico and were brought up by the Dodgers at 19 years old.

Although the comparisons don’t seem unfair, Urias may have to wait a bit longer to make his mark, as L.A. optioned him back to the minors after Friday’s contest, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers will send 19-year-old pitcher Julio Urias down to Triple-A, Fanatics Network reported Saturday. J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group later confirmed the report.

Urias made his major league debut Friday night against the New York Mets, allowing three runs in 2.2 innings.  

The Dodgers called up Urias Thursday to make a spot start for injured pitcher Alex Wood, who encountered a triceps issue on May 15 against the St. Louis Cardinals, according to the Associated Press (via Fox Sports). 

According to ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla, Urias was the first teenager to start a major league game in 11 years. He was the youngest Dodgers left-hander since Sandy Koufax in 1955, via ESPN Stats & Info:

While he had a good start to his outing against the defending National League champions, he was unable to get through three innings, delivering 81 pitches to 17 batters. 

He spoke about his debut after the Mets’ 6-5 walk-off winner, via Padilla: “I’m not going to lie. When I went out there, I started thinking of everything I had to go through to get here. I will never forget anything that happened in this game because this is the happiest day of my life.”

Urias is considered the Dodgers’ top arm in the minors and was ranked the sixth-best prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus in April. In seven prior starts in Triple-A, Urias was 4-1 with a 1.10 ERA with 44 strikeouts in just 41 innings.

While Wood’s injury was never going to keep him out for long, it did give the Dodgers an opportunity to give the young Urias some experience on the major league level, especially against one of the best power-hitting teams out there. 

With that limited experience under his belt, Urias will now head back to the minors and hone his craft a bit before being unleashed upon the majors full time. 

Stats courtesy of MiLB.com and ESPN.com.

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NEW YORK — The kid said it was the best day of his life, the happiest day of his life.

Do you blame him? Julio Urias is 19 years old, he was pitching in a real major league game and everyone was rushing to say how great he’s going to be.

Maybe he will be. No matter how bad the numbers were Friday night, when the kid needed 81 pitches to get eight outs and allow three runs, nothing that happened at Citi Field should change anything anyone thinks of him.

Well, almost nothing, because you know the Los Angeles Dodgers were hoping Urias was ready to hand a big spark to their underwhelming team. Manager Dave Roberts said as much Friday afternoon.

“This is a big stage, but we feel he’s ready for it,” Roberts said. “We just feel good that his time is now.”

The Dodgers should never have needed Urias’ time to be now, not with their $250 million payroll. After falling short last year because they didn’t have a third starter behind Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, they never should have begun this year without a second starter behind Kershaw.

It’s not Urias’ fault that they did, any more than it’s his fault that they could also use his help in a bullpen that lost another game Friday night on Curtis Granderson’s walkoff home run off Pedro Baez.

The Dodgers are trying to be overly protective of Urias. No matter how many times anyone brought up Fernando Valenzuela and asked if this young Mexican pitcher could do what that young Mexican pitcher did 35 years ago, it was never going to happen.

They weren’t going to let him make enough starts. They weren’t going to let him throw enough pitches.

He was out there Friday night because they had a need, and he was pitching great in Triple-A. But even before he looked nervous and struggled against the New York Mets, the Dodgers weren’t coming close to guaranteeing that Urias would make even one more start this season.

They were no more forthcoming afterward.

“We’re going to talk and see what’s best for him and for us,” Roberts said.

It may be he makes one more start before Hyun-Jin Ryu comes off the disabled list. It may be he pitches out of the bullpen, either now or later in the season.

Can he help a team that’s now just 25-24 and slipping further behind the hot San Francisco Giants? His stuff suggests that maybe he can, although Friday night we saw more of the 95 mph fastball than the changeup that reports suggest is so good.

The fastball might even play up if the Dodgers use Urias in short relief, but if they needed another reminder that velocity isn’t everything, it came when Granderson turned around a 97 mph Baez fastball and sent them home as 6-5 losers despite their ninth-inning comeback Friday.

You can bet Chase Utley won’t call this the best day of his life, even though he got to figuratively thumb his nose at all the booing fans with his three-run game-tying double in the top of the ninth. Utley is 37, and no day that ends as a loss can qualify as great.

Urias is 19, and no matter how many times scouts say he looks like a veteran when he’s on the mound, he’s still a grateful kid.

“This is the best day of my life, as it is for any big league player making a debut,” he said through an interpreter. “I’ll never forget anything that happened. This is the happiest day of my life.”

We won’t forget it, either, especially if Urias goes on to have a career as good as the prospect people say he will. The prospect people are sometimes right, so it’s worth mentioning that Baseball America had Urias fourth overall and tops among pitchers on its preseason Top 100 list.

Others agree, and Clayton Kershaw told some reporters (including ESPN.com‘s Doug Padilla) Urias is better at 19 than he was.

“Much better,” Kershaw said.

Fair enough, since Kershaw was in Class A at this point in his age-19 season. Oh, and the prospect people at Baseball America had him ranked behind Matt Garza, Mike Pelfrey, Adam Miller and a bunch of other pitchers whom he’s far better than today.

But while it’s fun to read the prospect rankings, it’s hard to completely count on them. Too many things happen, and too many players develop at their own pace.

Urias has developed quickly. He earned his spot as the first 19-year-old to start a major league game since Felix Hernandez in 2006, and the youngest Dodgers starting pitcher to debut since Rex Barney in 1943.

He earned that, but he probably didn’t need to be the guy who might help turn around this Dodgers season. It’s not his fault that the Dodgers were in this bind—the one Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke tweeted about as Urias was struggling through the three-run first inning Friday:

They have to keep searching, and maybe at some point this season Urias can even be part of the answer.

What happened Friday didn’t change that.

So let the kid enjoy the happiest day of his life.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball.

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