After struggling with a shoulder injury for the latter stages of the season, Yasmani Grandal had surgery last week to repair the damaged joint. While he'll be shut down for a couple months as he recovers from the surgery, there's a silver lining that had him overjoyed when he awoke after the procedure.

Grandal had arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair his AC joint, but there was also a prospect that his labrum would need repair as well. However, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Dodgers team physician who operated on Grandal, didn't observe any damage on his labrum worth surgically repairing while performing the surgery.

"We knew there was a chance that we … had to do the labrum. But obviously I didn't want to take longer to come back," Grandal told True Blue LA. "So, I was very happy to hear that the labrum wasn't touched once I woke up from the surgery."

Had Grandal's labrum been surgically repaired, his recovery time would have been increased by at least a couple of months and there would have been a chance he wouldn't have been ready to rejoin the team for spring training.

His current recovery time to return to full range of motion is three months.

Grandal is hopeful that his surgery will help him reclaim his All-Star-caliber play. After having a stellar first half in 2015, the 26-year-old catcher's production took a nosedive following his shoulder injury, which he sustained while catching in Philadelphia in August.

Grandal finished the regular season hitting a mere .064/.226/.096 with one home run and five RBI in 31 games after suffering the injury, and only notched one hit in 11 postseason plate appearances while striking out six times.


(foxsports.com)

After playing with injuries for the latter stages of the season, Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal are having their ailments remedied this week.

The Dodgers announced that Grandal had an arthroscopic procedure performed on the AC joint in his left shoulder on Wednesday morning and Turner will have an arthroscopic procedure performed on his knee on Thursday "to clean up loose bodies."

Both surgeries are being performed by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and both players are expected to be ready for spring training.

Turner had a breakout season with the Dodgers this year, hitting .294/.370/.491 with career highs of 16 home runs and 60 RBI. His carried his hot bat into the postseason, where he batted .526 with a 1.392 OPS and drove in four runs in five NLDS games.

Grandal began his first season in Los Angeles on a tear at the plate, but his shoulder injury, which he sustained while catching in Philadelphia in August, hampered his success for the remainder of the season. He finished the year with a .234 batting average, 16 home runs and 47 RBI.


(foxsports.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal played through a shoulder injury down the stretch and into the playoffs. Next week he’ll undergo surgery, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

The injury basically turned Grandal into a non-entity offensively, as he hit just .067 in his final 30 games before going 1-for-10 in the playoffs. Prior to that brutal stretch he’d hit .295 with 15 homers and a .913 OPS in 84 games to rank as one of the best catchers in baseball.

Grandal referred to the surgery as “just a cleanup thing,” but clearly his returning to full health is a huge key for the Dodgers heading into 2016. He was an All-Star for four months and a black hole in the lineup for two months. Or as he put it: “I’m looking forward to not having to deal with this anymore.”


(nbcsports.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal (shoulder) is in the lineup Thursday for Game 5 against the Mets.

Grandal wasn't able to start in Game 4 as he was dealing with a minor shoulder injury, however with the season on the line it looks like the 26-year-old will get the start against the Mets on Thursday. He will hit sixth in the order and take over behind the plate.



(cbssports.com)

Yasmani Grandal went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run, but the Dodgers fell to the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Grandal brought the Dodgers back in the game, hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning to make it a 6-4 affair. The backstop hadn't homered since August 1. Since then, he was hitting .113 (9-for-80). Overall, Grandal has a .249/.363/.429 triple-slash line with 16 home runs and 47 RBI.


(rotoworld.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

He was not in the lineup Tuesday, either, but ended up coming into the game in the 10th and catching seven frames during the 16-inning marathon. A.J. Ellis, who caught the first half of Tuesday's game, will return behind the plate with the Rockies starting another left-hander in Jorge De La Rosa.


(cbssports.com)

Yasmani Grandal won't play Tuesday or Wednesday due to lingering soreness in his left shoulder.

Grandal also missed Sunday's finale in Houston and some time last week. He's considered day-to-day for now and the Dodgers don't think he'll need a DL stint. A.J. Ellis is starting at catcher and batting seventh Tuesday in the Dodgers' series opener in Cincinnati.



(rotoworld.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal was not in Thursday's lineup against the Reds because of a sore left shoulder, reports the Orange County Register. Grandal is expected to take the next two games off with the Dodgers facing left-handed pitchers.




(cbssports.com)

Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire confesses he doesn't know much about switch-hitting. So he shrugs his shoulders and admits he has no explanation for catcher Yasmani Grandal's performance at the plate this season.

Grandal entered Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals hitting .350 against left-handers, second on the team to Enrique Hernandez. But just one of those hits has gone for extra bases.

Step across the plate, however, and Grandal becomes a slugger. All 15 of his home runs and 42 of his 44 runs batted in have come swinging left-handed. Among Dodgers, only Adrian Gonzalez has a higher slugging percentage against right-handers.

But Grandal, who had two walks and scored a run as a left-handed hitter Tuesday, is hitting just .277 from that side, 74 points below his average as a right-handed batter.

"It used to be the other way around," said Grandal, who hit five of his first nine big league homers as a right-handed hitter.

That changed after Grandal had season-ending reconstructive surgery on his right knee midway through his second big league year, robbing him of his power.

"For me, being a guy who is used to just sitting back on that leg and turning on it, it becomes kind of difficult," said Grandal, who has three doubles and eight RBIs right-handed since the surgery.

"It's just a comfort level," continues Grandal, who writes, brushes his teeth and does virtually everything but throw left-handed. "Even thought my knee is perfectly fine, it's one of those things were you think about it and you're used to making a certain move. Or when you do it, even though it's the right move, sometimes it's like I don't want to hurt it again."

Grandal also said platooning with A.J. Ellis, who gets most of the starts behind the plate against left-handers, has made it tough to get a rhythm going as a right-
handed hitter. He's had just 40 at-bats from that side this season.

And that's something McGwire, a right-handed slugger in his playing days, does understand.

"The more he plays, if he gets his opportunities, you'll see more home runs," the coach said of the catcher. "To me, he's fine right-handed."


(latimes.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is once again out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Braves. Grandal miss Monday's game after taking a foul ball off the mask on Sunday. The injury is not considered serious, but given Grandal's recent experience with concussion symptoms, the Dodgers are giving him at least one more day of rest.

Rookie Austin Barnes will be behind the plate for Tuesday's contest, while Grandal continues to recover.


(cbssports.com)

As Yasmani Grandal disappeared into the clubhouse in the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Manager Don Mattingly feared for the worst.

"I thought he broke his jaw," Mattingly said.

The mask covering the All-Star catcher's face was struck by a ball fouled by outfielder Michael Taylor.

Mattingly's fears were relieved, at least temporarily, when X-rays on Grandal's jaw were negative. Grandal is scheduled to undergo further testing Monday.

Pitcher Zack Greinke immediately sensed something was wrong with Grandal.

"His face wasn't really moving," Greinke said. "It was like frozen."

Grandal said his teammates and trainers had trouble understanding him because his inability to move his jaw prevented him from speaking properly.

Grandal was replaced by A.J. Ellis, who caught the remaining four innings. By the end of the game, Grandal's condition was significantly improved.

"It's a little better now," Grandal said. "It definitely hurts to swallow, hard to bite down."

Grandal didn't have any concussion-like symptoms. He was on the seven-day concussion disabled list in May after taking a couple of knocks to his head in a game against the San Diego Padres.

In addition to catching a majority of games, Grandal has established himself as a middle-of-the-order hitter. He ranks third on the team with 14 home runs. Only Adrian Gonzalez and Joc Pederson have more.


(latimes.com)

The All-Star Game was a reunion -- in a fitting place too -- for Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal and Rays pitcher Brad Boxberger. Both players were dealt from the Cincinnati Reds in 2011 in exchange for Matt Latos. Now both of them are All-Stars.

Despite his All-Star status, the Orange County Register notes that Grandal still remains under the radar. Grandal responded comparing himself to a former All-Star:

“I look back, I see Jason Varitek…[He] was one of the best catchers, overall, for a period of about 10 years. And he wasn’t recognized like he was the guy, because at any point there was some catcher who was doing a little bit better that year.”

For Grandal, those catchers would be Buster Posey and Yadier Molina. Grandal actually aspires to be like Molina. He said:

“Because how can you be better than Yadi Molina, the career he’s had?...But, yeah, one of my goals is to get to that point.”


(foxsports.com)

LOS ANGELES — Before we get to the quote, let's make clear that Yasmani Grandal looks back on his time with the Padres fondly.

He has friends in San Diego he still roots for. He exudes gratitude toward the organization that birthed his Major League career. He said he would have loved to have represented the Pads in the All-Star Game like he will the Dodgers on Tuesday.

But when asked about his old club's pitching philosophy, Grandal couldn't help but speak his mind.

"(Stuff) comes back to bite you in the (behind)," he said.

Sorry about the parentheses. Family newspaper. You can probably fill in the blanks, though.

Grandal spent his final season in San Diego as an untrusted catcher whose offensive talents were minimized. He started just 67 games behind the plate and, consequently, struggled to find his swing.

Andrew Cashner didn't pitch to him at all. Tyson Ross permanently switched to Rene Rivera in late June, then Ian Kennedy did the same in mid-July.

Granted, the latter pair each had slightly more success with Rivera than Grandal, and Rivera was just as effective in the batter's box. But in retrospect, the Padres' reluctance to use Yasmani every day may have been like repeatedly taking the popcorn kernels out of the microwave just before they were going to pop.

In 128 games last year — many of which he entered midway through the contest — Grandal hit .225 with 15 home runs. Through the first 67 games of this year — 65 of which he started — Grandal was hitting .278 with 14 home runs.

Yasmani said he he would have been more consistent with his bat if he were a regular part of the Padres' lineup, but he never approached then-manager Bud Black about it. He didn't talk to Cashner, Ross or Kennedy about his behind-the-plate banishment, either, although he has a pretty good idea of why it happened.

Despite the general San Diego approach being to throw down and away, Grandal thought the power pitchers should be throwing inside in the early part of the count before using the outer half of the plate to record the out. But the veteran hurlers weren't catching his drift, and as a result, he wasn't catching their pitches.

Of course, it may have gone beyond mere strategical disagreements. Grandal served a 50-game PED suspension in 2013, which, according to reports he would get, cost him much of the Padres' clubhouse.

He stayed positive, though. After last season, Grandal texted Cashner, Ross, Kennedy, Odrisamer Despaigne and Yangervis Solarte among others to see how he could improve his relationship with his teammates.Only Ross responded.

A few weeks later, Yasmani was part of a package shipped to the Dodgers in exchange for Matt Kemp. And while he didn't know it at the time, it was the best day of Grandal's career.

Heading into Friday's game against the Brewers, Grandal had more home runs and a better slugging percentage than any catcher in the National League. And in addition to upping his caught-stealing percentage from 13 percent last year to 26 percent this year, he also is the second-best pitch framer in baseball, according to statcorner.com.

Perhaps that's why Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke have no issue throwing to Yasmani. In fact, Greinke praised Grandal's consistency in calling his strengths after extending his scoreless-inning streak to 35.1 innings Thursday.

The cumulative effect has been Yasmani being selected to his first All-Star game after two disappointing seasons in San Diego, all the while batting clean-up for a first-place team.

"I'm the happiest I've ever been," said Grandal, adding that Kennedy was the only current Padre to congratulate him on his All-Star selection.

Don't think Yasmani doesn't pay attention to the Padres, though. After the hitters they added to the lineup this offseason, he expected his former team to compete with the Dodgers for the NL West crown.

San Diego's pitching, however, has disappointed, and Grandal can't help but wonder if that would be the case had his advice been heeded.

It wasn't, though. Didn't seem anybody wanted to hear what he had to say.

And now, one year later, Grandal's new team isn't hearing the Padres' footsteps.


(sandiegouniontribune.com)

Yasmani Grandal clubbed a three-run home run and walked in five plate appearances, helping the Dodgers outslug the Phillies in Monday's win.

Grandal, named to the 2015 National League All-Star roster on Monday, hit a game-tying three-run home run to right-center in the fifth inning against Sean O'Sullivan. The backstop has homered three times and knocked in eight runs in his last six games. As a result, he is now hitting .271/.384/.507 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI.


(rotoworld.com)

After the Dodgers were shut out in fan voting on Sunday, they did well when reserves and pitchers were announced Monday. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez, catcher Yasmani Grandal, center fielder Joc Pederson and pitcher Zack Greinke all were selected to the National League All-Star team on Monday.

Grandal is batting .277, and he leads NL catchers with 12 home runs and an .890 OPS.


(latimes.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal connected off Allen Webster in the fourth inning for his 11th home run of the season during Monday's 10-6 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Grandal finished the game 2 for 3 with one RBI and two walks. Prior to Monday's performance, Grandal was hitting .167 with two home runs and three RBI in his last 10 games.


(cbssports.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal recorded his fourth-career two-homer game in Sunday's 10-2 win over the Giants. Grandal hit a pair of solo bombs of Yusmeiro Petit in the third and fourth inning, giving him a total of 10 home runs on the year.

Grandal also singled in the game, as he went 3 for 5 with the two home runs. Before Sunday's offensive explosion, Grandal had been rather cold at the plate. The three hits he collected on Sunday match the total from his previous four starts.


(cbssports.com)

Yasmani Grandal hit a solo homer and drew a walk in Monday's loss to the Rangers.

Grandal's eighth-inning blast off Tanner Scheppers was the only offense of the game for the Dodgers. The 26-year-old has three homers in his last four games and owns a strong .272/.383/.477 batting line on the year to go along with eight homers and 23 RBI in 48 games.


(rotoworld.com)

For Yasmani Grandal, baseball is all about the small adjustments you make to stay ahead of the league.

As the Dodgers' catcher, he sees it with the batters who parade in front of him almost every day. Working with six different pitchers during a 7-6 victory over Arizona on Wednesday night, Grandal had to change how he called the game to match each hurler’s strengths and weaknesses, all the while accounting for the particular foibles of each individual hitter.

It’s a delicate balance, one that, despite his best efforts, sometimes fails. The Diamondbacks put up six runs Wednesday, including a pair of home runs from Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock.

Pollock’s four-bagger came in the top of the ninth, tying the game. Grandal can explain the exact intent and purpose of the pitch that Pollock launched into the left-field bleachers, can show how it played to Dodger closer Kenley Jansen’s strengths and Pollock’s weaknesses. But by missing just a fraction, Jansen put the ball where Pollock could adjust and send the game to the brink of extra innings.

“That’s just something you got to do as a player, as a catcher, as a pitcher,” Grandal said. “Just adjust to the league, over and over. It was a fastball that didn’t cut … and that’s kinda his sweet spot right there. Not too many guys on that team miss that pitch.”

Part of the problem might be rust; Grandal and the bullpen have not had to work too closely as of late, as the Dodgers’ starters went on a streak of six straight quality starts. But Grandal said it was a nice change of pace to see the bullpen come to the rescue this time, relieving beleaguered starter Brett Anderson after five innings.
“They did a really good job to get us out of that inning with [Joel] Peralta on second and [Mike] Ahmed on third, one out,” Grandal said. “They came back. Yimi [Garcia] did a great job … J.P. [Howell] did a great job. I even think Kenley did a great job after giving up that home run, coming back and settling down.”

When it comes to outsmarting hitters, Grandal said it all comes down to studying trends and making adjustments to exploit a batter’s weak spots, something he thinks the bullpen did a decent job of Wednesday, Pollock’s homer aside.

On the flip side, Grandal has had to make some adjustments of his own as a hitter after a slow start in June.

Coming back from a concussion at the end of May, Grandal’s offensive production suffered from his time off. His average in May (.375) dropped more than 100 points to .241, and he managed just one extra base hit and no RBIs after putting up eight and 18, respectively, in May.

Recently, however, his bat has shown signs of life, as he collected three hits in the Arizona series, including a home run Wednesday, and also drew a pair of walks while striking out just once. His three-game hit streak is the longest he has had since May 2-5.

Again, Grandal credited the recent swings in production to adjustments that pitchers made to combat his May success, and his subsequent changes in response.
“I feel fine. Hitting-wise, there were a few tweaks here and there,” he said. “I just wasn’t feeling it. That was just the result of not being able to swing for a whole week. … It was just a matter of time. We’re 60 games into the season, and I’ve changed the way I hit. And I’m hitting pitches I wasn’t hitting before, so now the league is adjusting you, and you have to adjust to the league again.”

After a day off, Grandal and the Dodgers head to San Diego to face his former team of three years. And while he said there will be no special meaning to the matchup, the third series between the two squads this year, he assuredly will have to make some adjustments.


(latimes.com)

ST. LOUIS -- Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly wasn't in the middle of the action at last December's winter meetings, the ones the Dodgers took over for a stretch of 36 hours, because he was back home in Indiana helping his wife take care of their newborn baby.

But it's fair to say he had a better idea than most people what the Dodgers were getting back in the deal that sent franchise cornerstone Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres.

Yasmani Grandal had missed much of the season recovering from knee surgery, but by the time he got his legs under him, Mattingly -- ever the keen observer of hitting -- saw some serious potential.

"At the end of the year, we couldn't get him out," Mattingly said. "I knew his swing was good and he was getting to the point that he was dangerous."

While Kemp is hitting home runs at the pace of one every 201 at-bats, Grandal has continued his recovery at the plate. He mashed the biggest road hit for the Dodgers in weeks, a three-run home run in the team's 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday night.

But he also appears to be benefiting from his exposure to a Dodgers organization that has for generations prided itself on producing catchers with a good understanding of how to work with pitchers. That was anything but Grandal's reputation in San Diego, where some of the Padres best pitchers preferred to work with the other catcher.

Grandal helped rookie right-hander Carlos Frias bounce back from a nightmare game last weekend at Dodger Stadium, one in which he only lasted four innings because the Dodgers really, really needed him to keep their bullpen from going seven or eight innings. Frias allowed 10 runs on 12 hits that day, joining a fairly exclusive club of pitchers to have been hit that hard that early. Frias was already in that club, oddly, because of one awful afternoon at Coors Field late last season.

After he held the Cardinals to one unearned run on five hits over seven innings Saturday night -- an awfully solid bounce-back -- he credited Grandal for coming up with the game plan and leaving him free to concentrate on the execution of his pitches. Grandal simplified, asking Frias to rely primarily on his mid- to upper-90s fastball in the early going. Grandal thought Frias tried to do too much in his previous outing.

"He wanted to use all four of his pitches from the beginning for some reason and I thought we could go with one or two pitches for the first three or four innings and all of a sudden mix in those other two," Grandal said.

Frias talked about his trust with Grandal, saying he never shook him off Saturday. He was perfectly happy to cede the game plan to his catcher.

"If he's thinking, he's probably not doing his job right," Grandal said.

The Dodgers haven't gotten this kind of offensive production from a catcher since Russell Martin left. By the time Grandal's career is done, Mike Piazza might be a more apt comparison, who knows? Grandal is batting .400 in May with an 1.152 OPS. He managed to continue his barrage despite a seven-day layoff after being mildly concussed when he was hit in the side of the head by a bat. He came back from that and had the only big hit the Dodgers have ever managed off Michael Wacha, including in some of their most painful postseason failures. That's not a bad thing for them.

"My first two at-bats, I wasn't getting my hands to the right spots and I was missing, swinging under pitches," Grandal said. "I was just trying to get my timing back and I think the only mistake he made all night, I was able to capitalize on."


(espn.com)

LOS ANGELES -- Yasmani Grandal will not have to spend any more time on the disabled list than what is required.

Grandal went on the seven-day concussion DL this past Saturday after he was hit on the side of his face with a backswing and then took a foul ball off his mask Friday night. Grandal has since passed all of the training staff's tests and will start his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Other than some trouble sleeping the night after it happened, Grandal has felt fine he told the team's cable network, SportsNet LA, in a pregame interview.

As long as everything goes well in his three minor league games as a designated hitter, he should be activated for Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Grandal will not catch in the rehab games in order to minimize the risk of another blow to the head or face.

"Last I heard he was not going to catch any of those games. Just doing a little drill work," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "I don't think the [medical staff] wants to take any chances. He had a concussion. The longer he can go without any kind of jolt, the better chances he has of it not reoccurring."

Grandal was the team's hottest hitter when he suffered the concussion. He leads the Dodgers in May with a .400/.492/.660 slash line, a 1.152 OPS and 15 RBIs in 61 plate appearances.


(espn.com)

Yasmani Grandal's run-scoring single in the fourth inning would be the only run scored in a 1-0 Dodger win over the Rockies on Sunday.

Grandal finished the game 1-for-2 with a walk. The two-out RBI single off of Kyle Kendrick gave Grandal 17 RBI for the season. He's also hit four homers and scored 17 runs. The catcher's been in a groove offensively and has a season-slash of .301/.421/.484 while helping to lead the 24-13 Dodgers.


(rotoworld.com)

Yasmani Grandal batted 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Dodgers' loss against the Rockies on Thursday evening. He is chugging along with a batting line of .307 / .421 / .500 that should be considered mostly sustainable, along with 4 homers, 17 runs scored, and 16 batted in.

Fantasy Impact: A season of .270 / .380 / .450 with 15 to 20 homers would almost certainly secure Grandal a top-5 finish among fantasy catchers, and that doesn't seem far-fetched at all. The breakout is real, and Grandal should be owned and started in all leagues.


(fantasypros.com)

“He’s been unbelievable back there,” Dodgers’ pitcher Zack Greinke said of his teammate and freshman Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal, “His catching is better than advertised.” When it comes to Grandal’s “advertising,” the jury is still out. He’s universally hailed as one of the best pitch-framers in the league. From 2007-2013, Grandal created 4.1 strikes above average. In 2014, Grandal had 1,668.4 predicted strikes, or pitches that should have been called strikes. In actuality, Grandal caught 1,768 called strikes. The difference is 99.6, meaning that Grandal framed, or brought the pitch back into the strike zone, nearly 100 strikes that may not actually have been strikes. This 9.6 framing difference put him at thirteenth-best among all catchers in baseball last year, and his statistical history supports that.

On the other hand, Grandal’s defensive reputation has haunted him throughout his career—even from as far back as high school. Grandal has been on the leaderboards multiple times for passed balls; last year he tied for first with 12. In fact, Grandal would’ve passed two Tuesday night if the first hadn’t automatically advanced runners with a walk. Grandal also draws criticism for his low caught-stealing percentage, a career average of 16.4%.

Grandal’s recovery from right knee surgery aggravated him last year to the point where he’s said it’s affected his performance: “The whole passed-ball thing last year—I had limitations.” Grandal also hesitated to call his numbers behind the plate as indicative of weakness. “I don’t look at it as a weakness,” Grandal told Sonya Egoian from The Sports Journal Tuesday night. “I just need to get better at everything. It’s a game—things are going to happen no matter what. You’re going to have passed balls, you’re going to have guys steal on you. I need to work enough on every aspect of my defense to minimize that.”

Grandal has also drawn attention for his value as a switch hitter, adding to a very short list of switch-hitting Dodger catchers. “He’s got pop from both sides,” manager Don Mattingly said about Grandal’s hitting. Grandal posted low numbers from the right in 2014—he batted .241 from the left versus .167 from the right—but in 2013 and 2012 his average was much more comparable from both sides of the plate. “It’s just a matter of getting in a groove and having at-bats. As soon as I went out to the Dominican and got a lot of righty at-bats, my swing came around. It’s not a matter of whether I’m hitting badly or not, it’s a matter of repetition,” Grandal told The Sports Journal.

The Dodgers acquired Grandal for Matt Kemp in a trade with the San Diego Padres, a move that had Los Angeles fans mourning the loss of their big-name star, but, at 26, Grandal is only now approaching his peak, his pitch-framing stats far exceed those of former starting catcher A.J. Ellis—not an insignificant skill when strikes lead to strikeouts that lead to outs—and between Grandal and youngster slugger Joc Pederson, the Dodgers will easily make up, if not surpass, Kemp’s production at the plate. From both a financial and developmental standpoint, the Grandal-Kemp trade was sound, and the Dodgers’ confidence in Grandal, despite knowing about his defensive reputation, is surely a representation of that.


(h4-entertainement.com)

It’s one thing to replace a popular player, and something else when he’s still on the team, highly respected by teammates, still sharing your catching position and has a close personal and professional relationship with the best pitcher on the team, if not the planet.

Yasmani Grandal was not the most popular catcher on the Padres last season. He did not catch on days Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy started. He threw out only six of 56 basestealers last year, worst for any catcher who appeared in at least 60 games.

He came to the Dodgers in the off-season trade for Matt Kemp, seemingly determined to reinvent his relationships with the pitching staff. Catcher A.J. Ellis is renowned for his work ethic and close partnerships with the staff – Clayton Kershaw in particular -- and Grandal appears to have been taking notes.

And it’s apparently working. After Zack Greinke, who was also thought to prefer pitching to Ellis, threw six strong innings Tuesday with Grandal behind the plate, he could hardly stop praising the catcher.

“He’s been unbelievable back there,” Greinke said. “His catching is better than advertised, and working with me individually, he’s been as good as you could expect. I don’t think, from what I’ve seen so far, you could ever have expected anything more.

“He’s done everything. His hands are great. He’s blocked everything I’ve thrown. People stole on him last year, but he’s had some really good throws in games I’ve thrown in spring training. And then his game calling’s been good.

“I couldn’t draw up a better catcher at the moment.”

That’s high praise, particularly from someone who doesn’t normally enjoy being effusive in his praise.

But when most of the regulars left camp a day early to head back to Los Angeles, Grandal remained back in Arizona specifically to catcher Greinke in a minor-league game.

Maybe that’s something he doesn’t do a year ago with the Padres. Right now, though, he is getting it right.

Almost like it was drawn up.


(latimes.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal drew his first start of the season Tuesday against the Padres after A.J. Ellis started in Monday's season opener. Grandal did not get into Monday's game.

Grandal hit .203 (12 for 59) with one home run, three doubles, five RBI, five walks and 15 strikeouts in 20 spring games.


(cbssports.com)

Yasmani Grandal (pictured). Can he help make the Matt Kemp trade look wise?

Objective: He has flip-flopped on which side he hits better from over his career. He had a very strong walk rate and good power from the left side last year. By now, everyone knows he has soft hands and is good at framing pitches.

Subjective: Establishing trust with the Dodgers' excellent pitching staff will have to take place quickly. A lot of factors come into play and affect him with defense and offense. It could be a pivotal year for him. Let’s see how he blends with the team and what kind of rapport he develops with the pitchers.

Consensus: The jury is out.


(espn.com)

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The San Diego Padres' top three starting pitchers preferred to work with another catcher, but Yasmani Grandal said he is determined to establish a good rapport with Clayton Kershaw and Co.

The Los Angeles Dodgers traded Matt Kemp for Grandal in December because they like his bat and highly value his ability to frame pitches, but getting Dodgers starters comfortable pitching to Grandal might take some time. Grandal caught Kershaw for the second time this spring Thursday, and the results were good this time. Kershaw pitched six strong innings, allowing a run on four hits and striking out eight.

Afterward, Grandal said he is determined to improve his reputation for working with pitchers. A report on FoxSports.com this week quoted anonymous sources on the Padres saying that Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy all preferred to work with Rene Rivera and that the team wasn’t satisfied with Grandal's apology for being suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs in 2012.

“I don’t go online and read articles. I think that’s the worst thing you could possibly do,” Grandal said. “It seemed like they all threw to [Rivera] and I was fine with it. Like I’ve been saying, I’m just going to keep doing whatever it is I’m doing and making sure the guys I’m catching, I’m on the same page with. I think last year I did a pretty good job with those new guys that came up to the big leagues.”

Grandal said he felt he had good rapport with less-experienced San Diego pitchers such as Eric Stults, Odrisamer Despaigne and Jesse Hahn.

Of course, none of those guys is Kershaw, who has won the major-league ERA title four seasons in a row. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly seems determined to dispel any notion that A.J. Ellis is Kershaw’s personal catcher.

“I didn’t shake off as much today, so I think it’s just that learning process getting better,” Kershaw said. “There are no scouting reports no or anything. He knows kind of how I operate and different pitches in different counts. Once we start looking at hitters and stuff, it’s just game to game.”


(espn.com)

Yasmani Grandal is looking for a fresh start with the Dodgers, after a tumultuous tenure with the Padres, according to FOX Sports. Clayton Kershaw, the ace of the staff, has a strong relationship with A.J. Ellis, but when asked about Grandal's past issues with San Diego, he said: "I haven't seen any of that. The only thing you want in a catcher is that he works. He does that. He's a hard worker. Not only with catching, the physical part of it, but the mental side. He knew what I did before I even talked to him.

"There are obviously some growing pains, getting to know a catcher. But he's been great. He's done everything you can ask for. Everyone always comes in with a reputation regardless. I just try to tune it out and judge for myself."

Grandal was acquired this offseason as the centerpiece in the trade that sent outfielder Matt Kemp to San Diego. The switch-hitting catcher, who is under club control through 2018, slashed .225/.327/.401 with 15 homers and 85 RBI in 2014. He posted a .795 OPS after the All-Star break last season.


(cbssports.com)

The Padres’ top three starting pitchers preferred throwing to other catchers, so what happens if the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Co. also sour on Yasmani Grandal?

The question is not unreasonable, considering Grandal’s fall from grace with the Padres and the strong relationships that the Dodgers’ A.J. Ellis maintains with Kershaw and the team’s other pitchers.

The Dodgers, however, believe that they have a unique talent in Grandal, a 26-year-old switch-hitter whom they made the centerpiece of their return for Matt Kemp. And if Grandal fails, it will not be for lack of effort.

His problems with the Padres stemmed from his strong personality; Grandal walks the line between self-confidence and stubbornness, according to major-league sources. Over time, he lost his rapport with Padres right-handers Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy and especially Andrew Cashner.

Grandal’s suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in November 2012 — and a subsequent apology that some with the Padres perceived as scripted — eroded his standing in the clubhouse, sources say. Grandal said he thought he did a “pretty good job” with his apology, and that no one with the team challenged him on it. But when he tried to assert leadership and initially did not play well, some viewed him even more skeptically, sources say.

The 2013 season was a mess for Grandal, who sat out the first 50 games with his suspension, then underwent reconstructive knee surgery in August. Rene Rivera emerged as a superior catcher in ’14 while Grandal, coming off surgery, experienced problems throwing and receiving. He tied for the NL lead with 12 passed balls despite starting only 67 games behind the plate, and only in the second half did he regain his offensive rhythm.

Now Grandal will be handling an even more established rotation and incorporating data-driven scouting reports from the Dodgers’ new front office. He has a strong backer in vice-president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes, who as the Padres’ GM acquired Grandal in the Mat Latos trade. Grandal and Ellis also will work closely with new advance scout Danny Lehmann, a former catcher at Rice whose professional career peaked at Triple A.

For Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ new president of baseball operations, Grandal amounts to a new toy. Friedman rarely employed a catcher who could hit during his nine seasons with the Rays; the team’s catchers averaged 12th in the AL in OPS during that time. Grandal last season had a .795 OPS after the All-Star Game and is under club control through 2018.

“It’s been awesome so far — the more I catch the (Dodgers’ pitchers), the better I get,” Grandal said. “The relationships will start building the more I catch, the more they see what I’m thinking back there, the more I see what they want to do.”

Kershaw, asked about the issues that Grandal had with the Padres, said, “I haven’t seen any of that. The only thing you want in a catcher is that he works. He does that. He’s a hard worker. Not only with catching, the physical part of it, but the mental side. He knew what I did before I even talked to him.

“There are obviously some growing pains, getting to know a catcher. But he’s been great. He’s done everything you can ask for. Everyone always comes in with a reputation regardless. I just try to tune it out and judge for myself.”

Kershaw’s affection for Ellis is well known, but manager Don Mattingly ended talk of any Dodgers pitcher using a personal catcher in mid-January. If Mattingly uses a strict platoon, Grandal likely will get about twice as much playing time as Ellis, who bats right-handed, turns 34 on April 9 and is coming off a trying, injury-marred season. Against a tough right-hander in Game 1 of a division series, Grandal seemingly would be the logical choice to catch Kershaw.

Assuming, of course, all goes smoothly.

Cashner declined comment when asked about Grandal, but the facts speak volumes: Grandal did not catch Cashner after July 5, 2013, a span of about 1-1/2 seasons. Grandal also did not start at catcher with Ross after last June 27 and with Kennedy after last July 18. The bulk of his work came with other Padres starters: lefty Eric Stults (now with the Braves) and righties Jesse Hahn (now with the Athletics) and Odrisamer Despaigne.

Rivera, since traded to the Rays, finished last season with a 3.10 catcher’s ERA in 734 innings. Grandal, however, did nearly as well working with lesser starters, producing a 3.35 catcher’s ERA in 607-2/3 innings. The Padres allowed the fewest runs over a 162-game season in their 46-year history, and fourth-fewest in the National League.

True, Grandal threw out only seven of 56 base stealers and played mostly at first base in the final five weeks to reduce the stress on his surgically repaired knee. His pitch-framing numbers, however, were elite. He was the best in the majors at getting called strikes when he should, and eighth among catchers who got called strikes on pitches that the Pitch F/X tracking system deemed outside the strike zone, according to ESPN.com. (Ellis’ framing numbers were not as good.)

“I got all those new guys who came up, gave them a taste of what the big leagues was like. They trusted me. They loved throwing to me,” Grandal said.

“It was a learning time for me. I never had anybody say, ‘We want to throw to this (other) guy.’ It had always been me. How do you deal with that? It was, ‘All right, concentrate on the guys you’re going to catch, be ready to catch the other guys just in case.’ And from there on, just play.”

Grandal, after finishing with only 377 at-bats, played in the Dominican Winter League to bring the number over 500 and build up his endurance behind the plate. He said that he is working closely with Ellis every morning, going over pitchers, going over hitters, talking about the Dodgers’ philosophy. And he has definite ideas about how the pitcher-catcher relationship should work.

“The way I think about, I’m open to suggestions,” Grandal said. “At the same time, there has to be that line where you’ve got to be open to suggestions, too.

“If you go through a scouting report, I’m studying the hitters, I’m doing my homework, I’m seeing exactly what they’re doing. If I pick something up and see something, just trust me with what I’m calling; I think right now this is the way it should go.

“Even though you’re the guy with the bullet, the guy who wants to throw whatever it is, I’m just giving you a suggestion. Sometimes I go up to you and say, ‘Hey, this is what we should go with,’ and you completely disagree with me. I’ll let you go, throw whatever you want. You’ve got to be confident in what you’re throwing.”

Sounds logical enough, but Grandal, as he moves into a new environment, would be wise to work on his, um, presentation. Some with the Dodgers believe the team actually will benefit from the problems that he experienced with the Padres, reasoning that he will be more diplomatic, more open to constructive exchange.

It needs to happen. For Grandal’s sake. And for the team’s.


(foxsports.com)

Clayton Kershaw stood in front of his locker Sunday and shook his head. He had just finished throwing 65 pitches in the Dodgers' 5-2 exhibition win over the Seattle Mariners and, by Kershaw's standards, it had not gone well.

"Today was rough," he complained. "I was all over the place. Had no idea where the ball was going. I'm getting worse as the spring goes on. So I've got to figure it out."

Not more than 20 feet away his catcher, Yasmani Grandal, was asked about the same performance.

"I think he did a good job," he offered brightly.

Good isn't nearly good enough for Kershaw, who last year became the first National League pitcher in 47 years to win both the MVP and Cy Young Award in the same season. Now he wants to get better.

"That's what I think we love about him," Manager Don Mattingly said of Kershaw, who gave up a run, four hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. "He's always going to be striving for perfection."

Grandal will learn. Sunday was his first experience catching Kershaw and a rapport between the two was clearly lacking. The Mariners loaded the bases against Kershaw in the first inning and got two runners on in the second, and Kershaw gave up a double, a walk and a wild pitch in the third, when Seattle scored its only run.

For Kershaw and Grandal, chemistry class is just beginning.

"It's part of the process that you've got to go through," pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. "They'll get to know each other more. And know those little things that you feel like you can say or do to get a pitcher through the tough innings."

Kershaw has that kind of relationship with A.J. Ellis, a longtime teammate and his preferred catcher. However, Ellis hit just .191 in 2014 and .238 the year before. Grandal, a switch hitter, batted .245 in three seasons with the San Diego Padres — including .357 against Kershaw.

Yet for Kershaw, who follows a rigid routine on the days when he pitches, the comfort level he has with Ellis might be worth a little more than some extra offense behind the plate.

The pitcher was careful not to blame his struggles Sunday on his catcher — "He's good back there," he said of Grandal — but he did note his performance was uncharacteristic.

"I walked three guys in three innings," he said. "I haven't done that in a long time. There's a lot of things to figure out."


(latimes.com)

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Yasmani Grandal knows he has to live with the stigma attached to having served a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s ban on performance-enhancing drugs.

“The way I see it, we make mistakes and we learn from them,” Grandal said before the start of spring training. “It’s just like the game of baseball – you make a mistake in one at-bat, you come back and learn from it.”

But the Dodgers catcher is not willing to tolerate any suggestions that the sharp dropoff in his offensive production since the suspension is an indication he cannot be the same hitter without the extra advantage he was caught seeking.

“If you look at my numbers coming up, there’s a reason why I have the second-highest average in the history of the University of Miami,” Grandal said. “There’s a reason I hit .300 with 15-plus (home runs) and 80 (RBI) my first year in the minors. There’s a reason for that.

“I don’t want to say I’m defensive. But people should do their homework.”

That homework shows Grandal hit .297 with an .863 OPS and eight home runs in just 60 games as a rookie with the San Diego Padres in 2012. Suspended for the first 50 games of the 2013 season after he tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone, Grandal has hit .224 with a .721 OPS and 16 home runs total in parts of two seasons since.

But the homework assignment Grandal has in mind goes deeper than that. He played just 28 games after returning from his suspension before suffering a torn ACL in his right knee during a play at home plate against the Washington Nationals in July of 2013. Grandal underwent reconstructive surgery on his right knee and vowed to “be Adrian Peterson.” The prognosis was for a nine- to 12-month rehab process, but Grandal pushed it and opened the 2014 season on the Padres’ active roster.

In retrospect, that might not have been the best thing to do. Grandal’s right knee was not back to full strength and the switch-hitter’s production at the plate – particularly from the right side – suffered. He finished last season with a .225 average, having struck out once every three at-bats.

“I’m a firm believer that if you don’t have your lower half, you can’t hit,” said Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire, a man familiar with how PED use can stigmatize and color the perception of a player. “I would tend to go towards the legs side (to explain his offensive dropoff) than the other side.”

Grandal’s numbers improved in the second half and he finished strong, batting .291 with four home runs and 14 RBI in September. He carried that into winter ball, heading to the Dominican Republic for a time to satisfy himself – if no one else – that “I was right.” He hit .328 in 19 games with two home runs, including one while batting right-handed that Grandal boasts was one of the longest home runs he has ever hit right-handed.

“To tell you the truth, we didn’t even talk about last year. We talked about what he did in the winter,” McGwire said. “He went down and played winter ball to prove to himself that he was healthy and that he had that good feeling from the right side. And then he called it quits and came home. That’s really cool that he did that. A lot of guys wouldn’t have done that.”

Grandal went to the Dominican a Padre and came back a Dodger, having been acquired in the trade that sent Matt Kemp south. His knee now is “110 percent,” Grandal said, and the Dodgers clearly think they acquired an undervalued asset about to become a very valued one – a catcher who can be a vital part of what they hope is a deep lineup. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called Grandal’s offensive numbers last season “an outlier” because he came back so quickly from knee surgery and “didn’t have his legs under him” until the second half of the season.

“He’s got pop from both sides. He’s a dangerous cat,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “You can tell the way he swings, he’s on pitches. At the end of the year last year, we had trouble getting him out. We didn’t really know where to go. We kept trying different things. He always seemed to square it up somewhere.”


(ocregister.com)

Yasmani Grandal went 3-for-3 with a home run and three runs batted in a tie with the Indians on Saturday.

Grandal sandwiched a fourth-inning solo home run with a pair of RBI singles in the first and sixth innings. The catcher is hitting .500 through eight spring at-bats thus far. It appears he'll be platooning with A.J. Ellis behind the dish this season.


(rotoworld.com)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal has impressed at Camp Boomer, presided over by Dodgers coach Steve "Boomer" Yeager, MLB.com reports.

"I like what I see and what I hear from him," Yeager said. "It takes time to gain the respect of the pitching staff and teammates whenever a catcher comes from somewhere else, but some of them already know him. In the old Dodger tradition, we've welcomed him with open arms. He has come in with a good attitude; you don't have to go looking for him. He's right there, ready to go to work."

Grandal was acquired this offseason as the centerpiece in the trade that sent outfielder Matt Kemp to San Diego.

"In a short time, I've already learned a lot," Grandal said. "Getting to know the guys, catching bullpens, I'm getting a feel for how they throw. Everything comes with time. Once the games start [on Wednesday], it'll definitely come a little faster. I need to get to know what guys are looking for in a catcher, what their mentality is. Some guys like you to give them a pat on the back. With others, it's a different approach."

Grandal is expected to share time behind the plate with incumbent starter A.J. Ellis this season.


(cbssports.com)

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Before every nuance of baseball came to be dissected, isolated and quantified, hitters used to assume that the best, most experienced catchers got the most calls from umpires.

“When you had Carlton Fisk or Bob Boone back there, you knew those guys were good at getting pitches,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

Now that the Information Age has pulled baseball into its orbit, a catcher’s ability to frame pitches so that they appear to be strikes has become one of the hottest areas of study. New Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has long been a proponent of the skill, which is why he lived with sub-par hitting from guys like Jose Molina in Tampa Bay.

And it’s also one of the reasons Matt Kemp is getting ready for the season five miles from here, with the San Diego Padres, instead of alongside longtime teammates Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier in Dodgers camp.

The Dodgers traded Kemp, a former MVP runner-up who led the majors in slugging after the All-Star break last year, for Yasmani Grandal, a catcher with a lifetime .245 batting average who is just a year-and-a-half removed from major knee surgery. On paper, it doesn’t jump out as one-sided in the Dodgers’ favor.

But there were motives for the trade beyond the players’ production in the batter’s box. The Dodgers were able to shed $75 million of Kemp’s $107 remaining salary and they got a catcher who, if things work out, could make the Dodgers' pitching even better.

Grandal, who is not otherwise known as a premium defensive catcher, is by all accounts one of the best pitch framers in baseball. The Dodgers’ incumbent starting catcher, A.J. Ellis, doesn’t rate highly and has vowed to work on the skill this spring.

“With Andrew and [GM] Farhan [Zaidi], you do hear a lot of it,” Mattingly said. “Now that’s part of the analytics, how he’s catching the ball and getting pitches. We do know Yasmani scores high on all of that.”

According to Baseball Prospectus, Grandal got 120 “extra” strikes called last season, an extraordinary number considering he caught just 76 games. Among other things, Grandal’s pitch framing in San Diego helped revive the career of former Dodgers left-hander Eric Stults, a finesse pitcher who makes a living at the fringes of the strike zone.

Pitch framing might be a valuable skill, but it’s not necessarily one that people like talking about at length. After all, it commodifies the fallibility of umpires. In a perfect world, how a catcher receives the baseball shouldn’t impact balls and strikes, but it has become an area where the most analytical minds in the game seek to exploit its most human element.

Grandal said he used to play a game with himself when he was behind the plate, counting how many pitches he considered balls he could get called strikes. He would be happy if he could get a half-dozen a game to go his pitchers’ way. On some days, getting that many borderline calls could be the difference between a win and a loss.

Then, a couple of years ago, people finally started noticing.

“Once somebody brought to my attention that it was a stat, it was kind of funny, because I was like, ‘I’ve kind of been playing this game for a while,’ “ Grandal said.

Grandal paused for a moment and added, “I never liked the idea of stealing strikes, because that’s making the umpire look bad. That’s the one thing I don’t want to do is make them look bad.”

Grandal said he learned his receiving skills from University of Miami assistant coach Joe Mercadante and then refined them over the years in pro ball working with veterans such as Ramon Hernandez, Pat Kelly, Brad Ausmus and A.J. Hinch. He doesn’t view pitch framing as fooling the umpire, but as making it easier for him to see the ball.

“I’m trying to make the umpire’s job easier. The better lane I give them to see the ball, the better relationship I’m going to have with them, the more they’re going to trust me,” Grandal said. “I’m always talking to them, trying to see, ‘Hey, do you have a good lane to see? Am I cutting you off? Are you seeing this pitch?’ The relationship between the catcher and pitcher is pretty important, but you also have to have a relationship with the umpire.”

The Dodgers should have a better catching situation in 2015 than last season, in part because Grandal and Ellis have skill sets that complement each another. Grandal’s best hitting typically comes from the left side. Ellis is a right-handed hitter. Grandal excels at pitch framing. Ellis is a master of game planning and calling pitches. If they put in the work and share information this spring, there’s no telling what kind of impact they could have on a Dodgers staff that finished fourth in the National League in ERA.

They also could have acquired Grandal, 26, at the right time in his career. A torn knee ligament cost him half of the 2013 season and limited him much of last year, he said.

“It kind of affected everything,” Grandal said. “Now, it’s good.”


(espn.com)

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have made a lot of noise so far this spring about wanting to break up Clayton Kershaw's reliance on A.J. Ellis so it doesn’t become a personal-catcher scenario, but most people view that as mostly lip service -- even the man who stands to lose playing time because of it.

“I’m expecting [Ellis] to catch him. Yeah, I am,” Yasmani Grandal said. “But at the same time, I need to be ready.”

After all, Grandal reasoned, “When you’ve seen a guy have success for a while, you don’t want to change that.”

Grandal caught Kershaw’s second bullpen session of the spring on Sunday. He didn’t need to squat 60 feet away to realize how special Kershaw’s ability is. He had seen that plenty of times with a bat in his hands.

“I think a guy like that, you appreciate even if you’re not catching,” Grandal said.

Plenty of catchers have made a pretty good living as a personal catcher and Kershaw’s preference might be Ellis’ clearest path to playing time, considering the Dodgers like Grandal’s bat and pitch-framing ability enough that they traded slugger Matt Kemp for him. Brian McCann and Mike Scioscia, among others, broke into the major leagues as personal catchers -- McCann for John Smoltz and Scioscia for Fernando Valenzuela.

Even if Grandal doesn’t catch Kershaw much, he said he hopes to help him succeed by watching video during games and making suggestions about game planning. Grandal said the Padres had a “real good game plan,” against Kershaw though that’s not necessarily reflected in Kershaw’s 2.25 ERA vs. San Diego. Grandal is 5-for-14 with a double and five strikeouts against Kershaw.

So, what is San Diego’s game plan against the Dodgers’ ace?

“If I tell you that, then the whole league would know, right?” Grandal said. “I won’t give you the exact thing, but our game plan was basically, ‘Stay on the heater.’ “


(espn.com)

Matt Kemp has said all the right things about his new and former club since the Dodgers shipped him to San Diego, shocking their fan base and a good deal of the baseball world. Now it’s Yasmani Grandal’s turn.

"I think both teams got what they wanted," the Padres’ former catcher said at his introduction at Los Angeles’ FanFest over the weekend. "The Dodgers were looking for a catcher. The Padres were looking for a big-time bat. That's what Kemp brought to the table, and that's what I brought to the table."

Not so hard to read between the lines, is it?

In search for a big-time bat, the Padres may very well have given up on one coming into his own.

While Grandal’s .225/.327/.401 batting line left a lot to be desired, managing 15 homers in 443 plate appearances so soon after major right knee surgery suggests the 26-year-old catcher still has room to grow.

So do his final month of the season (.291/.408/.519) and an outstanding winter ball campaign that included a .328/.469/.541 batting line, two homers and 14 RBIs in 19 games played in the Dominican Republic.

His success in winter ball, in particular, gives him confidence that his knee is 100 percent heading into his first year with the Dodgers.

“It feels like I’m back at it again, like it was before,” he said.


(utsandiego.com)

Los Angeles Dodgers C Yasmani Grandal (knee), who is expected to be the team’s main catcher this year, said his batting average was low last year because his surgically repaired right knee wasn’t at full strength. His knee hindered him most while hitting from the right side, as he hit .162 right-handed compared to .241 as a lefty, and all 15 of his home runs came from the left side. Grandal said he’s confident that his knee is fully healed now, however, and the team is encouraged with his health.


(usatoday.com)

LOS ANGELES -- Roughly 22,000 people showed up for Saturday’s FanFest at Dodger Stadium, and the fans’ loudest cheers were for Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, with Vin Scully a close second and Tommy Lasorda, Adrian Gonzalez and Fernando Valenzuela roughly tied for third.

Without Clayton Kershaw, who stayed home in Texas to be with his wife and newborn baby, there was otherwise an absence of star power at the event.

A year earlier, Matt Kemp had electrified the FanFest crowd by promising a big bounce-back season following a disappointing, injury-ravaged 2013.

On Saturday, Yasmani Grandal, the man for whom the Dodgers traded Kemp, was practically anonymous wearing his No. 9 jersey.

Grandal said he doesn’t feel any heightened expectations after the Dodgers gave up Kemp, one of their most powerful bats and a marketing cog for the team. Days after the trade, the team had to hastily change a Kemp billboard just down the hill from their stadium at the corner of Elysian Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard.

“No pressure at all,” Grandal said. “I want to keep doing the same thing I was doing in San Diego and try to help this team win. They say they needed a catcher. Hopefully, me and A.J. [Ellis] can take this team to a World Series. I think both teams got what they wanted.”

Grandal was playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic when he got a phone call from his agent alerting him that trade talks were heating up. Grandal said he was told five teams were interested in him, with the Dodgers emerging as the front-runners. The Dodgers traded Kemp and catcher Tim Federowicz to San Diego on Dec. 18 for Grandal and two minor leaguers.

The Dodgers new front office valued Grandal highly because of his ability to frame pitches, and he represented a significant offensive upgrade over Dodgers catchers, who collectively batted .181 and slugged .261 last season. Grandal has a career .763 OPS, and he’s a switch-hitter, which gives manager Don Mattingly better platoon options.

Ellis figures to catch primarily when the Dodgers are facing a left-handed pitcher or when Kershaw is pitching because of their strong relationship.


(espn.com)

A source tells Kirk Kenney and Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego that it’s a done deal. The Dodgers are sending Tim Federowicz along with Kemp to San Diego for Grandal and Eflin, as well as Joe Wieland (Joe Ross, as previously reported below, does not appear to be involved). The Dodgers are kicking in around $30 million to help offset the $107 million over five years left on Kemp’s contract.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that the Dodgers and Padres are close to a deal to send superstar outfielder Matt Kemp to sunny San Diego in a blockbuster trade. Heyman writes that the two sides are exchanging final details. A source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the deal is “closer but not done”.

On the Padres’ side, they appear to be giving up catcher Yasmani Grandal along with minor league pitchers Joe Ross and Zach Eflin. Per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers are looking for a catcher to pair with A.J. Ellis and Grandal certainly fits that bill. In 443 plate appearances for the Padres last season, Grandal hit .225/.327/.401 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI.

Kemp will earn $21 million in 2015 and $21.5 million in each season between 2016-19. The Dodgers would almost certainly be helping out with the finances. The Padres, of course, will get a big boost to their offense which ranked dead last in the National League, averaging 3.30 runs per game this past season. Kemp showed, by batting .287/.346/.506 for the Dodgers in 2014, that he can still be one of the game’s most fearsome hitters when he’s healthy.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has had a busy 24 hours, having also notched deals for shortstop Jimmy Rollins and second baseman Howie Kendrick,signing starter Brandon McCarthy to a four-year deal, and trading second baseman Dee Gordon.


(hardballtalk.com)

The Padres are looking like the most likely destination for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, according to USA Today MLB columnist Bob Nightengale. The Padres are offering catcher Yasmani Grandal and another player in a deal for Kemp, who is still owed $107 million over the next five years.

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reported last week the Padres were one of three teams showing interest in Kemp. The other two were the Orioles and Mariners.


(cbssports.com)

ESPN colleagues Buster Olney and Keith Law both have sources saying the Padres are looking to deal catcher Yasmani Grandal, with Olney writing that they “have gotten more aggressive” in those efforts.

Grandal returned from a major knee injury to play well in 2014, hitting 15 homers and posting a .728 OPS in 128 games despite calling pitcher-friendly Petco Park home.

However, his .225 batting average wasn’t pretty and apparently the Padres aren’t big fans of his defense behind the plate, which explains why they’d even entertain trading a 26-year-old catcher with 20-homer power under team control through 2018.

If the Padres trade Grandal they’d presumably turn to Rene Rivera as their primary catcher. He’s a 31-year-old journeyman who logged more than 125 plate appearances in the majors for the first time in his career this season.


(hardballtalk.com)

Padres vice president of scouting operations Don Welke said he heard good things about catcher Yasmani Grandal, who hit .328 with a .469 on-base percentage in the Dominican winter league. He also had seven doubles, two homers and 14 RBI in 19 games, while totaling 18 walks against 15 strikeouts.

"The reports were all good on Grandal," Welke said, per MLB.com. "He looked sharper offensively and defensively. You know he's doing good when quite a few teams express interest in him. I think he's got a chance to have a lot of impact."


(cbssports.com)

There probably hasn’t been a trade in the history of the Mariners that I’ve hated more than the trade that sent John Jaso to the Oakland Athletics, netting the Mariners one crappy year of Michael Morse. I am a huge fan of Jaso’s, and the Mariners losing him for an older, slower version of Morse that couldn’t play anywhere but first base was aggravating.

Fortunately, or maybe not important at all, a younger, better version of Jaso may have recently come available. Per MLB Trade Rumors:

“The Padres will listen to trade offers for their top three pitchers (Ian Kennedy, Andrew Cashner, and Tyson Ross) as well as catchers, Yasmani Grandal and Rene Rivera, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported yesterday. Presumably it would take quite an offer to part with Cashner or Ross, and Kennedy could be held and reassessed at the trade deadline. Behind the plate, the 26-year-old, former top prospect Grandal has yet to establish himself fully. Though he posted a solid 112 wRC+ last year, he also rated as one of the league’s worst defensive catchers. Rivera, meanwhile, came out of nowhere to post by far his most extensive and productive MLB season in 2014, slashing .252/.319/.432 over 329 plate appearances while grading out as one of the game’s best-fielding backstops.”

If you’re a Mariners fan you probably remember Rene Rivera’s name. He was a Mariners farmhand and spent some time with the big club. If you’re a prospect nerd or transaction nerd, you may know Grandal. He was once a top prospect, and was part of the trade that sent Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds. Grandal was considered an advanced hitting prospect as a switch hitter, and a guy that could stick at catcher for quite a while.

Then Biogenesis happened, and Grandal’s star has faded some. The same PED scandal that caused Jesus Montero’s suspension also hit Grandal, and then Grandal tore up his knee, ending his 2013 season.

Grandal is now 26 years old, and he’s never had an incredible offsensive season, and at least some people consider him a defensive liability.

Baseball Prospectus, the source from which MLBTR go their defensive valuation, had Grandal among the best defensive catchers in baseball in his shortened 2013 (and notably and for context had Yadier Molina as one of the worst), and Statcorner has Grandal as one of the league’s better pitch framers.

He’s had some issues keeping balls in front of him and throwing out base stealers, but his glove is completely passable behind the plate, and while the Mariners have Mike Zunino, Grandal’s bat is good enough to play at first base or designated hitter on the days he’s not catching and a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.

Against righties, Grandal has posted a career 125 wRC+, which is better than what Victor Martinez has done against righties. A league average left-handed first baseman posted a 111 wRC+ against righties. A league average left-handed DH posted a 112 wRC+ against righties. A league average catcher posted a 93 wRC+ overall.

Grandal’s 119 career wRC+ would have been the fourth best on the 2014 Mariners behind Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, and the soon-departed Michael Saunders. He’d make sense as a starting first baseman, he’d make sense as a starting designated hitter.

Grandal can fill three roles on the Mariners potentially. He’d be a marginal gain for the team if he only filled one of those roles, but his ability to fill three, to some degree, increases his value by whatever the additional player or two the Mariners are able to carry bring to the table. Maybe Yasmani Grandal means they can have a fifth outfielder. Maybe he means they can have a twelfth or thirteenth pitcher. Either way, he’d make this roster a lot better, and is still young enough that he may be able to reclaim some of the promise that has left him in the eyes of some analysts.

What it would take to get Grandal is something I’m not sure of. Maybe it costs a young arm. Maybe it costs a young position player. It probably wouldn’t cost a guy from the top of the Mariners farm system, and if the Mariners can trade from a strength to get him, Yasmani Grandal would make a perfect addition to the Mariners.

The post The Mariners need Yasmani Grandal appeared first on North and South of Royal Brougham.


(seattlepi.com)

.273 AVG, 33 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 10 BB, 10 SO, 947 OPS
Grandal has started in 10 games this October. He has gone hitless in only three, but in two of those games has drawn 3 and 2 walks respectively. His first home run of the season, a one-out solo shot into left field, came off of Rafael Perez (former Cleveland Indian, current Indianapolis Indian), in the top of the 8th against the Gigantes del Cibao. Yaz is seeing the most playing time along with Liriano, and is leading the Padres' representatives in hitting. He's in the middle of the pack in overall batting leaders of the Dominican League.


(gaslampball.com)

Yesterday I was listening to the MLBTR Podcast, and the host Jeff Todd and Charlie Wilmoth of MLBTR and Bucs Dugout were talking about the Pirates options at catcher. One of the options they mentioned was a trade for Yasmani Grandal.

It got me thinking should the Padres entertain the idea of moving Grandal? He was a top prospect in Cincinnati who since joining the Padres has had seasons shortened by injuries and suspensions, and has yet to play a fully healthy year. To me that looks like someone whose  value has fallen off a cliff, but he does have one good thing going for him, his age. Next week Grandal will turn 26-years-old and he’s already got 216 major league games under his belt. While some guys are just breaking into the big leagues at that age, Grandal has already gotten his fair share of experience as he gets ready to enter his prime.

Even at his young age Grandal’s value is still down from when the Padres acquired him, so why would the Padres want get 10 cents on the dollar? A philosophy some people have is that it’s better to trade someone a year early rather than a year late. If he hits anywhere close to the .225/.327/.401 he hit last year without the excuse the injury he might be devoid of value all together. With Austin Hedges, arguably the top catching prospect in baseball, getting close to being ready for the majors, the Padres would probably like to be able get some value for the guy blocking the way. 

Also the Padres could try tocapitalize on a bad situation Pittsburgh. With the limited payroll they have retaining Russell Martin will be a challenge, and if he does leave it will be a huge blow to their team. With the Cardinals, Brewers and possibly the Cubs all looking to contend for the NL Central the Pirates can’t afford a loss like that. So why would Grandal be an adequate replacement? Well let’s look at the Steamer projections for the two for 2015.

Martin: .240/.341/.392, 12 HRs, 45, RBI, 109 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
Grandal: .237/.335/.389 11 HRs, 42 RBI, 110 wRC+, 2.2 WAR

While he pales in comparison to Martin in defense and intangibles, offensively they project to be roughly the same player. With the Pirates top in house option being Chris Stewart and a free agent class led by Geovany Soto and just about nobody else a 26 year old Grandal seems like something worth going after.

If the Pirates are able to put together a strong offer for Grandal, the Padres should at least listen. This could be a make or break year for Grandal and if he doesn’t break out like the Padres are hoping he does, he might just become baggage they’re forced to carry around. All that being said I, myself, am not quite ready to give up Grandal, but if a team like the Pirates is willing to overpay for his services it might be hard not to say no.


(friarsonbase.com)

We've seen plenty of ebb and flow in the brief career of Yasmani Grandal. He was a buzzy hitting and catching prospect at the front of the decade; a hot-hitting rookie upon promotion in 2012; a suspended sophomore last year; and not much of anything this summer, invisible in the post-hype days. 

But it's time to reopen the Grandal case. He's swinging a mean bat of late, and can help you on the final weekend of the season. 

Grandal made his biggest splash of the year, most literally, in Thursday's 9-8 loss at San Francisco. He cranked a solo homer off the right-field foul pole in the sixth inning, then dunked a grand slam an inning later. Enjoy the sweet swings on the video - both balls were absolutely crushed. 

Grandal's overall stat line isn't going to entice many, but let's focus on what he's done in September. He's on a .282/.395/.535 binge, with four homers, 15 runs and 11 RBIs over the final month. Those numbers will play anywhere. And while he's a catcher for eligibility sake, he's not burdened by the tools of ignorance: 16 of his 20 starts this month have come at first base. No surprise he's hitting better, freed from the physical demands of catching. 

Add it up, let's see what we have. Grandal is an OBP machine with some pop (15 homers), a hot hitter who's up against a Giants team he generally owns. A faux catcher is always welcome for our purposes. He's free to add in 93 percent of Yahoo leagues. Take some hacks with us.


(yahoosports.com)

Yasmani Grandal doubled and had three RBI as the Padres bested the Giants 8-2 on Sunday.

Grandal brought home a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning before belting a two-run double in the seventh. Grandal has now doubled in three straight contests and has scored a run in four straight games. The catcher, who has filled in at first base in Yonder Alonso's absence, is batting a paltry .219/.316/.388 overall this year.


(rotoworld.com)

NEWS UPDATE
Grandal has used starts at first base to strengthen his surgically-repaired right knee, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Regarding his normal position, catcher, he said, "It got to a point when I went past the halfway mark this year, I was doing pretty good but my legs just started getting tired. That might've been one of the reasons I went to first a little bit more. So far, I'm happy with where I'm at. It's just another stepping stone."

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
Entering Monday's game, Grandal has taken on first base in seven of his last nine appearances, as Rene Rivera continues to garner most of the starts at catcher when one of the Padres' big three (Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy, and Tyson Ross) toes the rubber. A surprising development is their respective years at the plate. Rivera has been far more consistent, hitting .248/.316/.420, while Grandal has belted a career-best 11 homers opposite a dismal .209/.304/.361 line. Although their division of time behind the plate is warranted, Grandal intends to return to everyday duty as a backstop during winter ball in the Dominican Republic. If all goes well, the Padres' competition at catcher will be one of the more intriguing battles of spring training 2015, especially if top prospect, Austin Hedges, is given an opportunity to stick with the big club during camp.


(rotowire.com)

DENVER — Yasmani Grandal was not in the Padres’ starting lineup Sunday. Amid the elevation of Coors Field, he had caught nearly 12 full innings the night before.

Meanwhile, in the Padres’ series finale against the Rockies, Rene Rivera made his 70th start behind the plate this season.

Grandal, once the presumed No. 1 catcher, has started 63 games at the position.

The reasoning behind the unexpected division of duty can be viewed as twofold: One, Rivera has simply been too valuable a defender and game-caller while routinely catching the Padres’ top three starters. Two, Grandal is still working to regain full strength behind the plate.

Just 13 months ago, Grandal underwent reconstructive surgery on his right ACL. In order to lessen the stress on his knee and to keep his bat in the lineup, the Padres have given him 18 starts at first base this season. In 21 overall appearances there, he has committed three errors, for a .980 fielding percentage.

Seven of Grandal’s last nine starts have come 90 feet from the plate. Until this year, he had never played the position professionally, though he’d long been in the habit of taking grounders at first.

“There are a couple little things I need to work on obviously, but I feel pretty comfortable there,” said Grandal, who played first during his childhood. “I’ve definitely got to get better, but for now, I take it as it comes.”

Grandal said his agent called him earlier in the year to recommend finding a first-base glove.

“He was like, ‘Hey, you never know, they might put you at first at some point,” Grandal recalled. “I didn’t really think it was gonna happen. He said it might be a possibility since we started (the season) with three catchers. He said maybe if someone gets hurt or late in the game you might head down there. I was like, ‘All right.’”

From a health standpoint, the recent workload at first has helped.

With catching, Grandal said, “it got to a point when I went past the halfway mark this year, I was doing pretty good but by legs just started getting tired. That might’ve been one of the reasons I went to first a little bit more. So far, I’m happy with where I’m at. It’s just another stepping stone.”

Multiple times this season, Grandal has tweaked his batting stance, most notably standing straighter, to take pressure off his right knee. In 316 at-bats, he is hitting just .209 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Given Rivera’s career year, next spring could feature an intriguing catching competition. The Padres could conceivably take an even longer look at Grandal as a first baseman, though the 25-year-old said he hopes to return to catching full-time in 2015.

Grandal, who plans on playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, said he will “try to catch every day there.”

For now, he said, “the main thing is just being in the lineup. That’s why I’m playing first or third or wherever it is they need me to be.”


(utsandiego.com)

Yasmani Grandal homered and had four RBI, and the Padres beat the Diamondbacks 7-4 on Sunday.

Grandal drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning before swatting a three-run homer in the fifth. The home run was his 11th of the season. Despite the occasional power, it's been a forgettable year for the 25-year-old, who is hitting .204/.302/.376.


(rotoworld.com)

(SAN DIEGO) August 1, 2014 - ALTITTUDE Sky Lounge at the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter, along with Yasmani Grandal, catcher for the San Diego Padres, will host Masq Madness, a glamourous black tie affair, on Saturday, August 30th beginning at 9 p.m. Proceeds from this enchanting event will benefit the Gary Sinise Foundation.

"I wanted to give back to the large military population of San Diego because they are such great fans and have sacrificed so much for our country," said Yasmani Grandal. "It gives me great satisfaction knowing that the Gary Sinise Foundation is helping wounded veterans and their families within the community of San Diego."

Guests will enjoy a night of mystery and secrets as they dance into the night under the concealment of an elegant mask. The event will include appearances by Yasmani Grandal as well as a silent auction of prestigious items to benefit the Gary Sinise Foundation. Cocktails will be flowing throughout the night as guests indulge in array of hor d'oeuvres and decadent desserts.

"This masquerade ball will be the black tie affair of the season," said Jim Durbin, general manager of San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter. "We are thrilled to be hosting this event with Yasmani Grandal and raising money for a great cause."

Tickets to Masq Madness are available to guests 21+ and are priced at $130, which includes two complimentary cocktails, hor d'oeuvres and a decadent dessert bar. Tickets can be purchased online at www.MasqMadness.com.

Individuals also have the opportunity to purchase Masq Madness VIP Sponsorship Packages starting at $750. These packages include tickets, placement of company logo on website and invitation, unlimited cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and dessert bar as well as a one-on-one meet and greet with Yasmani Grandal.
Partygoers can also reserve a room at the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter at www.sandiegogaslamphotel.com.

About ALTITUDE Sky Lounge
At 22 stories above street level, ALTITUDE Sky Lounge is the West Coast's highest open-air bar and a defining feature of the award-winning San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter hotel. With panoramic views of the city and San Diego Bay as well as a bird's eye view of PETCO Park, ALTITUDE Sky Lounge is a destination for signature cocktails and modern, casual fare in a relaxed environment sought after by in-the-know locals and tourists. Accolades include Travel + Leisure's "America's Top 30 Outdoor Bars," Conde Nast Traveler's "Top 25 Best Bars in the World," Sunset's "Top 10 Rooftop Bars in the West." ALTITUDE Sky Lounge is located at 660 K Street, San Diego, Calif. 92101 and via telephone at (619) 696-0234. Visit ALTITUDE Sky Lounge online at www.sandiegogaslamphotel.com/nightlife/altitude.


(foxsports.com)

SAN DIEGO -- Padres manager Bud Black usually doesn't like his players changing their batting stances in the middle of the season -- when hitters are struggling, starting from square one in the middle of a 162-game grind could just as easily compound their problems rather than fix them.

"It's hard enough to hit when you're trying to change things all the time," Black said.

But he's made an exception for Yasmani Grandal, who has seen positive results in July after adopting more of an upright stance last month to alleviate discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee.

"We worked a ton, changing my whole batting stance and trying to get in a good spot so the knee doesn't get any stress on it," Grandal said. "Just standing up a little bit more, making sure my foot is down in a good spot and trying to stay on my back leg a little bit more. Usually those are things you do in the offseason, but we had to make the changes for health reasons."

The switch-hitting catcher was batting .293/.383/.488 in 12 July contests entering Sunday with two home runs, including a mammoth 440-foot moonshot on Saturday, the longest homer hit at Petco Park this season. It's a small sample size, but those numbers are nearly identical to the .297/.394/.469 line Grandal put up in his promising rookie campaign, when he posted a 2.7 WAR despite playing just 60 games.

Even though Grandal has been in the Majors since 2012, he hasn't accumulated 500 at-bats in his career due to injuries and a suspension for testosterone use that caused him to miss 50 games last season. So three seasons into his big league career, the Padres still don't know for sure what they have in Grandal.

Do they have a switch-hitter with power who can be their catcher of the future? Or will his balky knee and struggles from the right side, where he's hitting just .125 with 11 strikeouts in 32 at-bats entering Sunday, derail his potential?

"You never know when [the pain] is gonna come back," Grandal said. "You just take the new stance and make it your own."

His power stroke hasn't disappeared over the past couple of years -- in 2012 he clubbed eight homers in 192 at-bats, and this season he has eight homers in 202 at-bats. But he needs to hit for average, too -- he's batting at a .213 clip entering Sunday despite his recent surge.

Regardless, Grandal's overarching goal for 2014 is still within reach.

"The first day of Spring Training I said I wanted to be healthy throughout the season," Grandal said. "So far, so good."


(padres.com)

Yasmani Grandal hit his seventh home run of the season in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

Grandal hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning off former closer Sergio Romo, pulling the Padres to within two runs. The homer was his first since June 12. The catcher has been an offensive disappointment this season, batting just .206/.296/.377 with 19 RBI in 64 games.


(rotoworld.com)

Making just his third start of the month, Yasmani Grandal homered Thursday against the Phillies.

Even with Nick Hundley gone, Grandal has been taking a backseat to Rene Rivera of late. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us; the Padres are going nowhere this year and Grandal should be getting all of the playing time his body can handle after he missed most of last year. He's been a disappointment with his .187 average, but why would anyone expect consistency from him when he's playing once or twice a week?


(rotoworld.com)

NEWS UPDATE
Grandal's X-ray on his left hand came back negative, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports.

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
He won't play Wednesday and the team is off Thursday, so for now he's just considered day-to-day. The news about the X-rays is excellent, because it appeared he could have broken his hand, which would have left the Padres in a rough spot after just trading Nick Hundley.


(rotowire.com)

NEWS UPDATE
Grandal was removed from Tuesday's game after taking the full force of Paul Goldschmidt's swing on his glove hand, Fox Sports Arizona's Jack Magruder reports.

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
He was replaced by Rene Rivera, and while it's not clear how serious Grandal's injury is, it could easily have been a break, as he was called for catcher's interference on the play, and it was the full force of a bat on his hand. Consider him day-to-day for now, but the Padres may have to call up Adam Moore from Triple-A if Grandal has to hit the DL.


(rotowire.com)

Yasmani Grandal went 0-for-3 on Thursday and is without a hit since homering on May 6.

Grandal is just 4-for-32 this month, though at least all of those hits have gone for extra bases (two homers, two doubles). He hasn't stepped up as a mixed-league asset yet, though it could happen later this season.


(rotoworld.com)

SAN DIEGO -- It wasn't a 100th hit or 100th home run, but Yasmani Grandal nevertheless completed a milestone this week by catching back-to-back games for the first time this season on Monday and Tuesday.

Following reconstructive surgery on his right knee last Aug. 6, the Padres have been bringing Grandal along cautiously as they build up his strength and endurance. He had not caught consecutive games since before he was injured last July 7, and not only that, he worked above and beyond: Grandal caught all 12 innings of Monday night's game with the Royals and then he caught all 11 the following night with Kansas City.

Despite the extra duty, Grandal, who was not in Wednesday's lineup, was a happy man.

"It feels good," the catcher said. "My body is a little banged up, but the knee feels great."

Grandal expects to catch back-to-back games again this season. Rene Rivera, who has been behind the plate for each of Andrew Cashner's starts this year, again had that duty in Wednesday's rubber game with the Royals.

As for Grandal's body being a "little banged up", he said it was just the general soreness that goes along with his position.

"I didn't play for a whole year," he said. "So you get thumb soreness, hand soreness, little tweaks here and there. Your back, your legs ... typical of an athlete's body.

"But I get here early enough that by the time the game starts, I'm good to go. And when the adrenaline starts pumping, everything goes away."


(mlb.com)

Yasmani Grandal cracked a three-run homer off Yordano Ventura in Monday's 6-5, 12-inning win against the Royals.

He was hitless in his other three at-bats, but managed to draw a walk. Grandal has extra-base hits in four consecutive games, accumulating three doubles and two homers over that time. The 25-year-old backstop hasn't displayed much rust in his return from August ACL surgery. Grandal is slashing .254/.338/.465 with three homers and 10 RBI through 71 at-bats.


(rotoworld.com)

NEWS UPDATE
Grandal will start at first base and bat cleanup Tuesday against the Giants.

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
It will Grandal's first career start at first base, a position that's been a black hole for San Diego this season. Yonder Alonso is batting .172/.204/.237 and Tommy Medica has struck out in nearly 50 percent of his plate appearances. Grandal is expected to take over as the primary backstop once his knees are ready, but if he can hold his own at first, there's a chance he could see enough time there to earn dual eligibility.


(rotowire.com)

Nick Hundley started two-thirds of the Padres’ games behind the plate last season, his sixth year in San Diego, but now the 30-year-old catcher finds himself playing sparingly behind starter Yasmani Grandal and Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports that “the Padres are in active discussions with teams regarding Hundley.”

Hundley is making $4 million in his final season before free agency, so the likely return in a trade won’t be much, but aside from a disastrous 2012 campaign he’s been more or less a league-average hitter and has thrown out 28 percent of stolen base attempts.

He’d be an upgrade for most teams in the backup role and an upgrade for quite a few teams in a starter or quasi-starter capacity, bringing to the table 15-homer power from the right side of the plate.


(hardballtalk.com)

NEWS UPDATE
Grandal, who isn't in the Padres' lineup Monday at Milwaukee, will be considered the No. 1 catcher once he's displays the ability to catch every day, Bill Center of the team's official site reports.

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
The starts in San Diego's backstop break down as follows in 2014: eight for Grandal, eight for Rene Rivera, and the remaining four for Nick Hundley. Grandal will take on the majority of nods once he can handle the rigors of catching on a daily basis. However, he remains unable to do so on the right ACL that was repaired last August, leaving a committee approach to rule the day for the time being.


(rotowire.com)

CLEVELAND -- In previous seasons, when the Padres have traveled to an American League city, manager Bud Black has often used the designated hitter spot to get a position player off his feet defensively for a few days during an Interleague series.

A year ago, Carlos Quentin got 25 at-bats as a designated hitter in six Interleague games. He got 21 at-bats in five Interleague games the previous season.
But this season is different, as the Padres, just six games into the regular season, find themselves in an AL ballpark for three games this week against the Indians.

"I think this is the earliest Interleague series we've ever played," Black said.

The Padres decided to give Yasmani Grandal the start at designated hitter Monday, though that game was postponed by rain.

The club has three catchers on the 25-man roster and Grandal has already started three times with Rene Rivera getting two starts. Monday's game would have been the second start behind the plate for Nick Hundley.

Grandal, coming back from major surgery on his right knee last August, isn't to the point where he can catch nine innings in consecutive days. This allows the team to keep his bat in the lineup, as he has five walks and three hits in nine at-bats.

How will Black proceed with the designated hitter Tuesday and in Wednesday's doubleheader?

"I guess you'll know when we post the lineup," he said, smiling.


(padres.com)

The Opening Weekend series between the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres was a homecoming for the Padres' Miami duo Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal.

The two shares plenty of similarities. They were born in Cuba, raised in Miami and were teammates at the University of Miami during the year the Hurricanes won their first ever ACC Tournament Championship in 2008.

Then they got drafted by the same team. The Cincinnati Reds selected Alonso in the 2008 MLB Draft and Grandal in 2010. They were part of the same trade package that was used to bring ace pitcher Matt Latos to Cincinnati.

At least once every year, the Cuban duo returns home to Miami to see their families and play the Marlins who they grew up watching.

"It means a lot," Alonso said. "You really get a sense of having your family and friends here. So it's very special to me."

There is an inner fraternity that comes with playing baseball in Miami. Not just for the Hurricanes, but even in high school. Alonso said that he keeps in touch with fellow Canes like Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay, Dodgers reliever Chris Perez and even local high school stars like Nick Castellano who won the state championship with two different South Florida schools.

"All the guys in South Florida have a special bond," Alonso said.

There are two types of Cuban big leaguers: those who defect and immediately start their baseball career and those who make it to the States in their childhood and go through the assimilation processes through high school and college. This is where people see the difference between Yasiel Puig and Yonder Alonso.

The love of the game is still the same," he said. "They way they play, the fire of the game is still the same because in South Florida, they play just like how they do in Cuba. If anything they show their emotions a little bit more and as players, we're taught to never show your opponents emotions."

The handling of a newfound fortune is also a major difference between the two Cubans.

"I've talked to people in their mid-twenties and teams give them 3-4 million dollars and all they can think of is how to spend it all," Yasmani Grandal said. "The guys who have lived here take that money and think about how invest in it and make more money."

Unfortunately for them, they lost the series to the Marlins and now have to go from one extreme (Miami) to the other (Cleveland). That being said, they can only hope that they can reach the playoffs and the Marlins meet them there.


(examiner.com)

MIAMI — Yasmani Grandal’s surgically-repaired right knee continues to pass test after test. The next – the varying climates of an April schedule – might prove the most telling of all as he leaves behind breezy San Diego for South Florida’s humidity and ultimately the Midwest, where rain and sub-40-degree temperatures are expected to greet the Padres upon their arrival in Cleveland on Monday.

Consider Grandal prepared.

“As soon as you change climates, I’ve heard a lot of people say you’re going to feel it,” Grandal said. “But I’ve rehabbed in San Diego and Miami and Arizona and I’ve had that change going back and forth already. It will be fun, but that’s going to be a challenge.”

To date, Grandal has felt virtually nothing in the knee despite an accelerated return from ACL surgery just eight months ago. He made good on his promise to ready for opening day, stole his first career base in that game for good measure and caught nine innings Tuesday afternoon.

Now, Grandal’s bat is starting to come around.

The University of Miami product singled twice and walked twice in four plate appearances, upping his career average to .438 (7-for-16) against the Marlins. That success, not to mention the number of friends and family who flock to Marlins Park to support him – enough to let his agent handle ticket requests – was among the many reasons Grandal targeted an early return to the season.

“Obviously, it was a benchmark here to come here and play here,” Grandal said. “But it’s a process with the knee and we’re going to keep on working.”


(utsandiego.com)

SAN DIEGO -- There may have been reasons to doubt if Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal would be ready for Opening Day, especially with the March 30 opener less than eight months removed from surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

But as it's obvious to everyone now, there was no reason to doubt whether Grandal would get himself in a position to be ready for the opener, as he attacked his rehabilitation with something more than a sense of urgency and fervent determination.

"I actually believed that Opening Day was a possibility … because Yazzy believed it," said Padres general manager Josh Byrnes. "I don't think there was a day throughout the whole rehab process where Yazzy didn't think he wouldn't be ready."

This meant that Grandal had to commit himself entirely to the rehabilitation process, a program that spanned three states -- California, Florida and Arizona -- and even included a physical therapy session on the day of his wedding (Oct. 19) and an unusual workout routine on his honeymoon in Bora Bora.

Fat chance you'll find too many rehab protocols calling for water sprints in the South Pacific Ocean.

"I asked my trainer before going on my honeymoon what I could do while there," Grandal said. "He said that since I'll be around the water, that was perfect. So each day, while my wife would be sitting on the beach outside a bungalow and reading a book, I would be running sprints in the water."

That memory makes Grandal smile. It's a smile filled with gratification and satisfaction from the fact he was able to put himself in position to play on Opening Day, where he actually stole the first base of his professional career, a critical moment in the Padres' 3-1 victory over the Dodgers.

If less than eight months seems like a fast to return from such a devastating injury -- one that occurred last July when Anthony Rendon of the Nationals slid into Grandal's knee on a force play at the plate -- you're not the only one who thinks as much.

The recovery window from an ACL surgery for an athlete is generally between nine and 12 months.

"Modern medicine, each and every year with these guys, gets better and better," said Padres manager Bud Black. "And I think we're to a point now with a lot of injuries where the rehab protocol is outstanding.

"But when you think ACL, you think it takes a little longer … right?"

Grandal did have some things going for him, Byrnes said.

"In talking with our doctors, because there wasn't meniscus damage or additional issues with the knee, it seemed possible," Byrnes said. "Fortunately, his rehab went according to schedule."

Just as Grandal predicted it would last September, when, a month removed from surgery on Aug. 6, he stood in front of his locker and insisted to anyone who would listen that he would be ready to play on Opening Day.

"I'm only surprised in the sense that I didn't think I could be so far ahead of schedule," Grandal said.

That's because Grandal pushed himself hard during his rehabilitation program, one that started the day after surgery in San Diego. From there, he worked out in Florida and then in Arizona in December to get ready for Spring Training in February.

"I think the great thing about my rehab was there were three different parts to it," Grandal said. "The first part was here [San Diego], doing full range of motion and getting some of the strength back. Then, the second step was getting all the strength back. The third part was running and agility, going full-out.

"It never felt like a drill for me."

That's because Grandal was motivated to be on the field, in whatever capacity, on March 30. If there was ever a day when he considered giving himself a break or simply didn't feel like working out, all he ever had to do was look at a pocket schedule to see that day: March 30, the Dodgers at Petco Park.

"Every day, I got up and my first thought was, 'What can I do today to get my knee better?'" Grandal said.

Truth be told, though, it wasn't just Opening Day that Grandal was preparing himself for. He was getting himself ready for this weekend, as the Padres open a three-game series starting Friday in Miami against the Marlins. Grandal expects to have between 150-180 friends and family in the ballpark.

"During all of this, I've been looking forward to Opening Day, but the series in Miami … that was the one I really wanted to be ready for," Grandal said. "I wanted to show myself to my family. They saw what I was going through [rehabilitation] when I was back there.

"I'm not going to lie; getting back on the field in Miami, that's one of the things that got me to go after this even more."

Grandal caught all nine innings in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, but he isn't to the point yet where the team has let him catch consecutive games. With three catchers currently on the 25-man roster, there is no need to do so now.

That will happen, Grandal is convinced. For the time being, though, he's happy and content with where he's at and with what he's accomplished to get back on the field. The experience has humbled him.

"I feel I've come back from the very bottom to being ready for Opening Day. That's something I'm very proud of," Grandal said. "I'm also proud of everyone who worked with me and very thankful for them."


(mlb.com)

SAN DIEGO -- On Tuesday, Yasmani Grandal got the start behind the plate for the Padres, which was a good thing for him and, ultimately manager Bud Black hopes, a good thing for the Padres.

However, his mere presence in the starting lineup might have actually weakened the team's five-man bench just a little.

Grandal, after all, is a switch-hitter, which can force some uncomfortable managerial decisions across the way late in games in terms of choosing a reliever.

"His presence off the bench is real and the other team has to recognize it when they start to make some changes out of the bullpen," Black said.

"When you have switch-hitters, it's tough because you have to decide which side you want him from. It really swings to the team that has the switch-hitters that gives them a lot more comfort as far as making moves."

Grandal is the only switch-hitter on the bench and one of three switch-hitters -- in addition to shortstop Everth Cabrera and third baseman Chase Headley -- on the 25-man roster.

On Sunday, Rene Rivera got the start at catcher with Andrew Cashner on the mound. So with Grandal catching on Tuesday, chances are Nick Hundley will start in Wednesday's series finale against the Dodgers.

The Padres won't carry three catchers all season and might not for the entire month. But for now, this mix is working.

"That can help us," Black said.

At this point, the five-man bench consists of the two catchers who don't start, a fourth outfielder -- either Seth Smith or Chris Denorfia, generally -- and utility man Alexi Amarista.


(mlb.com)

San Diego Padres C Yasmani Grandal (knee) has progressed to the point where he has been able to catch nine innings in spring games, and he could make the roster as the second catcher to C Nick Hundley. However, the team likes C Rene Rivera, who is out of minor league options and would likely be scooped up if they try to pass him through waivers.

Fantasy Tip: The Friars probably won't rush Grandal back, since he's ahead of schedule in his rehab from knee surgery. He could be a nice second catching option for those in two-catcher leagues in the second half of the season, though.


(kffl.com)

PEORIA, Ariz. — Yasmani Grandal made mistakes. He paid his penance. He returned to the game.

As Everth Cabrera prepares for his final leg down the road to redemption, one lesson above all others can help carry the Padres’ 27-year-old shortstop through the coming months.

Grandal learned it well a year ago as he returned from his 50-game suspension. Even as he rehabbed his right knee throughout the offseason, Grandal made it a point to pass along anything he could to assist in Cabrera’s return to the game.

“You can’t take it back,” the Padres’ 25-year-old catcher said. “That’s the hardest thing to do. You keep on looking back. ‘What if? What if I had done this or what if I had done that?’ You can’t do that.

“Once you do that, you’re done. Your season is done. All you’re going to be doing is thinking about that.”

That, of course, is Cabrera’s and Grandal’s place in the sport’s largest police action since baseball banned eight players for life for throwing the 1919 World Series. The crime this time is documented evidence linking more than a dozen players – from a would-be Hall-of-Famer to an MVP to All-Stars to minor league free agents – to the purchase of banned performance enhancing drugs from a now-defunct Miami anti-aging clinic.

What followed Miami New Times’ initial report last year played out like a cable TV courtroom drama:

With the newspaper refusing to hand over its copies, Major League Baseball officials paid former employees of the Biogenesis of America clinic for documents to head off suspects’ reported efforts to keep damning evidence away from investigators.

Three names on the documents – including Grandal – had already served 50-game bans following failed tests from the 2012 season. The first to cop in this lot, Ryan Braun, was a suspected user who used technicalities to fight a failed test during his NL MVP campaign in 2011. He got 65 games.

From there, three All-Stars – Cabrera, Nelson Cruz and Jhonny Peralta – were among the dozen who accepted 50-game suspensions last August as the biggest name in all of this, Alex Rodriguez, lawyered up to fight the 211-game ban thrown at the game’s highest-paid player. An independent arbiter later settled on 162 games – or all of the 2014 season – for Rodriguez, who is now reportedly refusing to pay millions in legal fees racked up in appeals and lawsuits that were ultimately dropped.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING


(utsandiego.com)

NEWS UPDATE
The Padres are unsure if Grandal (knee) will be available for Opening Day on March 30 against the Dodgers, MLB.com reports. "If I'm not ready by the beginning of the season I'll go on the [disabled list] and we'll go from there," the backstop told the Associated Press. "Carrying three catchers, I don't think that's something smart. So if I'm not 100 percent it's totally going to hurt the team."

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
Since making his spring debut March 10, Grandal has fared well in his limited at-bats, batting 2-for-5 with one run scored. He has yet to display an ability to catch everyday, though, which increases the likelihood that he'll land on the DL to begin the season, honing his game at extended spring training. If the preceding comes to pass, Nick Hundley will act as the primary catcher for the Padres off the bat, and his strong spring at the plate -- .310/.333/.586 line with two homers in 29 at-bats -- could keep him there, even when Grandal achieves the requisite level of health to get in the crouch daily.


(rotowire.com)

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres still have a lot of catchers in camp, and manager Bud Black says they're all going to play in the coming days. But it's possible that the one San Diego is most interested in watching is Yasmani Grandal.

Grandal, who is coming back from July 2013 surgery to repair the anterior collateral and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee, has offensive upside, as evidenced by his .297 average, eight home run, 36 RBI production in a 60-game stint in 2012. After that season ended, Grandal was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone and ended up having his season cut short by the injury, leaving him with a .216 average and one homer in 28 games.

Things are getting better, however.

Grandal's knee has progressed quickly and he made his Cactus League debut Monday, going 1-for-2 and catching three innings in a win over the Rockies at Salt River Fields. On Wednesday morning, Padres manager Bud Black said Grandal would likely play in Thursday's home game against the Brewers, too.

"As Spring Training goes, there's a progression of how you use your players, especially the catchers, how you build their endurance to get them ready for the regular season," Black said.

"But Yasi now is a little bit behind, obviously, from where he started. He's still in a little bit of rehab mode but starting to transition toward full-time player mode. And that's a good thing. Any time you start transitioning from rehab player to player, without any restriction, that's where you want to be."

Black said there are still restrictions, but not too many.

"Physically, he's doing great, and he feels good about where he is, the medical staff feels good about where he is," Black said. "It's great to have him back out on the diamond playing."


(mlb.com)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In his first plate appearance since July 6, Yasmani Grandal wasted no time. The first pitch he saw, a fastball up and in, was redirected through the middle for a seventh-inning single.

His first appearance behind the plate, also since July 6, arrived in the bottom of the inning. Almost immediately, the Rockies challenged the Padres catcher.
Grandal was up to it. With two outs, Rosell Herrera took off from first. The would-be base-stealer slid into second but was met with a tag.

Inning over. Return begun, officially.

Indeed, Monday was one of great consequence for Grandal, a little more than eight months after he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, and barely seven months after he underwent reconstructive surgery.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Grandal said after the game. “This is what I’ve been working for since day one. Just seeing the results, seeing how I feel, means we did a good job in the offseason. Everybody I worked with did a great job with me.”

Rene Rivera started and played the first six innings of the Padres’ 5-0 shutout of Colorado. Grandal closed it out from there. Besides his single, he grounded out in his other at-bat.

Saturday, Grandal caught three innings in a simulated game. It was a major step. The next arrived Monday.

“He bounced back great from Saturday,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “There’s still a process with Yazi as we move forward. He still has to build endurance and stamina, but it’s good to see in a real game. It’s a different type of intensity and emotion, and he handled it very well today.”

The steps after Monday will include catching more innings, building up to a full nine, and then on back-to-back days. While Opening Day remains a possibility for Grandal, the build-up will remain gradual.

“It’s a process, and I understand the process,” Grandal said. “It’s a process that’s going to benefit me in the future, and that’s what we’re looking forward to. I want to be here in the playoffs. I want to be here during the season, but the playoffs is what counts.”


(utsandiego.com)

NEWS UPDATE

Grandal (knee) said his knee felt good Sunday after catching three innings in a simulated game Saturday, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
Grandal has been catching bullpen sessions for weeks now, but he's just recently been cleared to catch in simulated games and it's uncertain when he may get the green light to play in actual spring games. Though Grandal hasn't been ruled out for Opening Day, it's looking like Nick Hundley and Rene Rivera could open the year as the top options behind the plate for San Diego.


(rotowire.com)

Photobombing and videobombing are trendy, but the actions almost always will be funny. At some point, maybe during a somber interview about a dead person, it won't be appropriate. But during a baseball interview, sometimes it's necessary to move the action along. Nothing against San Diego Padres slugger Seth Smith, but whatever he must have been discussing could not have been as interesting as what teammate Yasmani Grandal did behind him.

With Smith caught completely unaware, Grandal walked up behind him and took a round of imaginary batting practice. After taking a swing, Grandal dropped to a knee and, like he was shooting skeet, aimed and fired and invisible shell at the non-existant baseball. He then turned and dropped his ghost bat and walked away. Like he sleepwalked the entire thing.

Watching it on Deadspin (unless Smith collects Yahoo mail!) is probably the first time he even realized what happened. Yes, the Padres might be a surprise team to watch in 2014.

NEWS UPDATE
Grandal (knee) must build up his stamina, before the green light will be given for an appearance in spring training, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
Grandal remains an option to start at catcher on Opening Day, but every day that goes by without an appearance places greater doubt in his availability for that tilt. If he's unable to make the necessary progress in his recovery from a torn right ACL, Nick Hundley will hold down the fort at catcher, with Rene Rivera and, potentially, prospect Austin Hedges factoring into the mix behind the plate.


(rotowire.com)ma

PEORIA, Ariz. — Yasmani Grandal has regained the trust of his teammates following a lengthy suspension.

Once he’s able to trust his surgically-repaired right knee again, the San Diego Padres catcher is confident he can put a nightmare 2013 season behind him.

Grandal, best known before his suspension for homering from both sides of the plate in his first major league start in 2012, is well ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in July.

He’s changed his batting stance — no more leg kick — to take pressure off the knee. He’s catching bullpen sessions every other day and did some running in a straight line Thursday. He’s set to run the bases Friday.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Grandal said. “It’s just in certain spots it’s weak, the strength is not there.”

But the 25-year-old is determined to be ready for the March 30 opener against the Dodgers and join Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson with one of the fastest returns from ACL surgery.

“That was the model,” Grandal said. “I want to be Adrian Peterson.”

Grandal was hurt in a home-plate collision July 6, barely a month after he rejoined the Padres following a 50-game suspension for a positive test of elevated testosterone levels.

“Guys put their arms around Yazzy and understood that his apology was meaningful and we moved on,” manager Bud Black said. “Yazzy integrated himself in spring training and came back to us in the middle of the summer as a — for lack of a better word — accepted member of our team.”

Grandal is providing similar support for teammate Everth Cabrera. The shortstop was banned the final 50 games of last year for his ties to Biogenesis, the since closed Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.

Grandal was also been named in the Biogenesis reports.

“He’s the one guy I’ve been texting this offseason, just to get his mind right,” Grandal said of Cabrera. “He’s in a good spot and I know how hard it is to come off a suspension and start playing.”

Grandal, who moved from Cuba to Miami when he was 9, was the 12th pick in the 2010 draft by Cincinnati. The Padres acquired him when in a trade that sent pitcher Mat Latos to the Reds after the 2011 season.

Grandal’s impressive two-homer debut allowed him to eventually supplant Nick Hundley as San Diego’s everyday catcher in 2012. He hit .297 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 60 games.

But the suspension, injury and a .216 average in 28 games last year have left his 2014 prospects in question. Now Hundley is back as the starting catcher and Rene Rivera is also on the 40-man roster.

“If I’m not ready by the beginning of the season I’ll go on the (disabled list) and we’ll go from there,” Grandal said. “Carrying three catchers, I don’t think that’s something smart. So if I’m not 100 percent it’s totally going to hurt the team.”

Grandal, who has also volunteered to fill in at first base if needed, will be busy working on his new stance in spring training games while building strength in his knee. And he knows he’ll continue to be heckled by opposing fans for his PED suspension.

“People are going to scream at you, but that’s why it’s called home-field advantage,” Grandal said. “It doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t affect me. If anything, it kind of gets me going.”


(washingtonpost.com)

PEORIA, Ariz. — The annual rites of spring training, traditions steeped in perennial sunshine, include a whole lot of newness. New body. New approach. New swing. All the talk of fresh beginnings can get overbearing, to the point of becoming stale.

There are the exceptions, the alterations unveiled in February that can lead to real change in, say, April and May.

Such as the latest development for Yasmani Grandal, this one coming at — not behind — the plate. Less than eight months removed from anterior cruciate ligament surgery, the catcher has adopted a new batting stance in hopes of recapturing his form of 2012, when he debuted with the Padres to rave reviews.

The changes — which are significant, if not drastic — are, too, driven by necessity.

“The main thing that we did this offseason was figure out a way to not put too much pressure on my knee,” said the switch-hitting Grandal, “...something that could put the knee in the right spot soon, so that whenever you get that vigorous turn, it doesn’t damage anything.”

Gone is the leg kick, replaced by a toe tap. Lowered is the starting point of the hands, now down to Grandal’s midsection. The overall movement is quieter and, simultaneously, more conscious.

“I was more of a guy who would get the timing just body-wise — my hands would go back by themselves,” Grandal said. “This year, with the change and not having the leg kick, now we gotta work the hands more, make sure they get to the right spot.”

When Washington’s Anthony Rendon slid into Grandal’s right knee last July, inadvertently tearing the ACL, the immediate concern was for Grandal’s ability to perform his primary task, the squatting and bending sure to test any rehabilitating catcher.

Thus far this spring, Grandal has been passing those challenges, making a full return by the season opener, indeed, an actual possibility.

The other half of his recovery, the turning and twisting, has similarly produced encouraging results. Tuesday, Grandal continued his spring run of impressive batting practices, launching shots over the fence at the Peoria Sports Complex’s practice field with regularity.

“I hit a ball over the top of the batter’s eye here. I don’t think I’ve ever done that,” said Grandal, who calls his swing the best it’s been in two years. “I think (my swing is) gonna be more compact, more powerful. I might have more extra-base hits this year.”

In other words, the hope is for a return to two seasons ago. As a rookie, Grandal hit .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 60 games.

Last season’s encore, spoiled by suspension and injury, saw him hit .216 with one home run in 28 games.

“This year,” Grandal said, “I gotta concentrate on staying on my back foot a lot, just so that I get that stress out of the front knee. Actually, I think it’s gonna work out great, because that’s one of the things that I used to do. First year in the big leagues, I did it great. Then last year, it just didn’t click.

“There’s times that that happens, especially when you start getting a little tired — obviously, your legs don’t work as much. So I think that’s the one thing that’s gonna help me out the most this year, to drive the ball.”

Assistant hitting coach Alonzo Powell has been working with Grandal on his new stance since Jan. 1.

“He’s in a better place now with the timing,” Powell said. “He’s able to simplify some things and make it easier for him to repeat his swing.”


(utsandiego.com)

PEORIA, Ariz. — Yasmani Grandal practically skipped into the Arizona sunshine on Friday, the first Padres player out the door and on the field for the first workout of spring training.

Not a surprise.

In the clubhouse earlier that morning, Grandal was on edge.

After brief salutations, I told him I’ve heard he’s been saying he’s good to go.

“I’m showing I’m good,” he said quickly, right on the border of defensive and confrontational.

And so it went for another minute, Grandal jumping on every question the way the Padres hope he’ll turn on pitches and swat them to every corner.

It was highly enjoyable, more lively than combative.

It seems there may be something new about the brash Cuban -- a maturity forged by trial, an eagerness stoked by obstacles.

It’s like there is an energy field around him, a pent-up energy field.

“Where he is in his career, what has transpired, he’s in a different spot for a number of reasons,” Padres Manager Bud Black said. “… His motivation and desire to get back on the field as a healthy player and to prove (himself) -- this guy (has been) a major-league player-in-waiting for a long time. His motivation and sense of commitment is as strong as I’ve seen it.”

Grandal is barely 25 years old, and the range of possible career arcs spans a practically limitless horizon for a guy who plays catcher and hits a bit.
But this is a crucial year for the former first-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds who was acquired by the Padres in a December 2011 trade, flourished for half a rookie season in 2012, was suspended the first 50 games of 2013 for testing positive for a banned substance, then tore his ACL in the third inning of his 28th game.

Or put another way, by Grandal: “Up, go down, up again, go down … The past year-and-a-half has been a roller coaster.”

That’s called a quick summation of an abbreviated beginning.

It’s time for a sustained, unquestioned breakout.

“It’s about proving to myself I can come back and play again with everything that has happened,” he explained.

Therein is just one small morsel for believing Grandal’s apparent maturation is legitimate.

Talking in May, just down Interstate 10 in Tucson as he played out his minor-league stint prior to joining the Padres following his suspension, Grandal spoke only of the need to prove things to others. As he still does, he wore his confidence right on his chest, just down from the chip on his shoulder. Questions about the need to maybe also show himself he could be the same player without artificial help were met then with smug assurances that he knew how good he was.
He still does. Hopefully, that never leaves. But his confidence is now infused with the kind of sensibleness that experience ripens, as he readily acknowledged a player is always fueled by inward doubts.

“Compared to 2012 and 2013,” Grandal said in response to a question about there being a difference in him, laughing as he did so as a way of expressing he believes there is no quantifying the transformation.

“Getting injured,” he said, “taught me a lot. It taught me a lot about myself, a lot about how mentally tough I am to get through things, work through things. It made me grow.”

And, oh, he still knows this: “A lot of people look at the stats of 2013 of just 28 games and they kind of see it as, ‘Oh, he didn’t do good because of this (not using a banned substance).”

His defense is that he didn’t hit all last offseason and was essentially just getting started when Anthony Rendon slid into his leg on July 6. His assertion is that “if I had played another 80 games or another 60 games” he could have gotten back near the level he’d left off in ’12, when he hit .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBI in 192 at-bats.

Well, here he is in spring training, doing things a hand injury didn’t allow last spring. The belief is that he will start the season, though he is on something of a scaled-back regimen to guard against setback.

He has a unique opportunity.

Of the 67 professional players suspended since Major League Baseball instituted its drug policy in 2004, few have come back to perform at same the level as (or better than) they did before being caught. The majority were veterans nearer the end of their career than the beginning.

Grandal is young, not even arbitration eligible until 2016, with a chance to be a key part of a franchise’s anticipated renaissance.

He’s eager to do it.


(utsandiego.com)

Of course, Yasmani Grandal believes he’ll make a speedy return from last year’s devastating knee injury. Players are supposed to say those things.

Manager Bud Black, however, added a measure of credibility to Grandal’s Opening Day target after watching his catcher work through drills on Wednesday ahead of the start of spring training.

It’s still a lofty goal, to be sure, but Black certainly believes in it more today than he did when Grandal announced his intentions shortly after a surgery that was supposed to wipe out a good portion of the 2014 season.

“Watching him (Wednesday) doing some agility drills on the field, we’re really encouraged about how he’s moving and what he’s doing on the field,” Black said. “You talk to the doctors, you talk to the therapists, you talk to the strength guys, they are really – I don’t want to say amazed – but they are extremely happy with his progression.”


(utsandiego.com)

SAN DIEGO -- Barely one month removed from reconstructive surgery on his right knee, Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal stood in front of his locker last September and proclaimed that he would be ready for the start of Spring Training.

That certainly seemed a little unlikely at the time, given the severity of the injury that he suffered after an ugly collision at the plate in July against the Nationals, when Anthony Rendon slid into his right knee trying to break up a double play.

But from the start, Grandal didn't like the 9-to-12-month recovery window that was quoted him as a guideline to how long it would take him to heal and play again after having surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament.

"I took that [estimate] as a negative … I set my goal for March 1 to be 100 percent," Grandal said. "And I think we're headed to that goal. I've stayed on point and ahead of schedule and met all my goals. So far, so good. We're confident in the knee."

Grandal has worked with Padres physical therapist Rick Stauffer, and also in Florida and Arizona, during a busy offseason in which he also got married. On Saturday, he attended FanFest at Petco Park.

To date, Grandal is running the bases and catching. He'll likely be brought along slowly during the team's six-week stay in Arizona. The Padres are certainly encouraged by his progress.

"It's gone great. I know he's worked awfully hard. The medical team, the therapists have been right on," said Padres manager Bud Black. "It has been one of those rehabs that has gone real smooth. He's hit all the markers.

"Again, he plays a demanding position. So we'll keep eye on that. But as far as the timeline goes, we're really, really happy."

The Padres would love to see what Grandal can do with a full season. He impressed in a 60-game stint in 2012, hitting .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs. But he was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2013 season for testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He hit .216 in 28 games following his return from the restricted list, but was then injured in July.

The Padres have two other catchers on the 40-man roster in Nick Hundley and Rene Rivera. Grandal was sharing time with Hundley at the time of the injury. Now, he's eyeing a return to actual games and isn't at all interested in waylaying his season.

Grandal was asked Saturday where he envisions himself on Opening Day, March 30, against the Dodgers.

"Behind home plate," he said, smiling. "There's nowhere else I want to be."


(mlb.com)

NEWS UPDATE
Padres GM Josh Byrnes said Saturday that it's "possible" Grandal (knee) could be ready for Opening Day, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

ROTOWIRE FANTASY ANALYSIS
Grandal, who underwent reconstructive ACL surgery back on Aug. 6, says he will be ready for Opening Day, but it seems the team isn't quite as certain. Byrnes wisely pointed out that Opening Day is just the start of a six-month season, so even if the 25-year-old feels 100 percent this spring, the club will limit him a bit to be safe. Rehab for an injury such as Grandal's typically takes around nine-to-12 months.


(rotowire.com)

YASMANI GRANDAL
Catcher
Opening Day Age: 25
Bats: S
Throws: R
Contract Status: Under club control.
2013 Grade: F
2013 Statistics: Hit .216 with one homer and nine RBIs in 88 at-bats in just 28 games.

2013 Review: Grandal started the season serving a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s policy prohibiting performance-enhancing drugs. Grandal tested positive in November of 2012 after hitting .297 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 192 at-bats as a rookie in 2012. Grandal made his

2012 debut on May 28 and had only three hits in his first 28 at-bats. On July 6, he suffered a season-ending tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a collision at home plate. He underwent knee reconstruction surgery on Aug. 6. He was 11-for-43 with six doubles, a homer and five RBIs in the 15 games just before his injury.

Looking Ahead: Grandal says he will be ready by Opening Day, but the protocol for his injury is for a rehab of nine to 12 months which means he will likely start the season on the disabled list. If healthy, the switch-hitting Grandal figures to be the Padres starting catcher. But there are major questions, the most obvious being was his great debut in 2012 a sign of his talent and skills or a byproduct of PEDs. Projected as a upper-echelon catcher on both offense and defense.

Plus/Minus: Offensively, Grandal is a switch-hitter with pop from both sides. Defensively, has excellent receiving tools and a strong arm. Pitchers like throwing to Grandal. He was ranked the No. 2 prospect in the Padres organization before the 2012 season.


(utsandiego.com)

Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Yasmani Grandal (knee) will "likely" open next season on the disabled list.
Grandal stated after ACL surgery in August that he expected to be ready for spring training, but that was always an overly optimistic outlook. We'll have a better idea as to Grandal's timetable once spring training begins, but for now count on seeing Nick Hundley behind the plate on Opening Day.


(rotoworld.com)

The Biogenesis fiasco that created an enormous black cloud over Major League Baseball in 2013 has all but blown over, except for the soap opera that continues to swirl around Alex Rodriguez. But I know a lot of fans who are upset with the huge contracts thrown at these “cheaters” after they served their time.

As we all know by now, the St. Louis Cardinals needed a shortstop and Jhonny Peralta was available, cashing in on a four-year, $52 million deal. Nelson Cruz is likely to get an even better package because he hits long home runs. Both Dominicans are veterans with strong work ethics. So, only God knows why they would be tempted to experiment with PEDs, unless this was an ongoing habit over several years. Certainly, the former ACES clients had an in-house connection that gave them access to whatever they needed. And it has been documented that the vast majority of players who were busted had ties to that agency.

I mentioned before that all the condemned players besides Ryan Braun were Latinos, and many of these guys believed certain banned substances sped up the healing process after injury. Many are insecure about their careers and worry about getting released and sent home. A case in point was that of Francisco Cervelli of the New York Yankees, the catcher who is in line to back up newly acquired Brian McCann next season. Over the last three years, the energetic Venezuelan has played only 63 games for the Bronx Bombers, spending most of his time in the minor leagues or on the DL shelf. During that period of time, Cervelli has suffered a broken foot, numerous concussions, a fractured right hand and an elbow issue.

“I’ve felt many times in my career that I was going to lose my job,” admits the 27-year-old receiver, who says he was looking for a “quick fix” when he visited Tony Bosch’s clinic.

Nicaragua’s Everth Cabrera, the shortstop and lead-off hitter for the San Diego Padres, has a similar story to tell. Frustrated with nagging injuries, Cabrera tinkered with remedies Bosch had sent him. Later, he tearfully told teammates in English and Spanish that he had made a mistake.

But mystery still surrounds Yasmani Grandal, another Padres player who teased fans with his ability in 2012, only to fail a urine test for excessive levels of testosterone. He was suspended on November 7, 2012, and sat out the opening 50 games last season. At age 23, the Cuban-American became the youngest major league player ever nailed for PED use. Ironically, Yasmani Grandal was one of the hottest hitters in the National League the summer of his rookie year, only to be sidelined on July 31 with an oblique strain.

I bring up Grandal because he’s a Latino player who falls into that “gray area” of PED use. I saw the kid play on numerous occasions as a collegiate star at the University of Miami, and marveled at his leadership skills and how he had a rare “feel” for the game. Not surprisingly, Grandal was the 12th overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds and inked a major league contract with a signing bonus of nearly $3 million. That would make him secure for life with no worries about his future. And the injury that kept him sidelined for about three weeks was nothing to fret about either, although oblique problems can become menacing. Since his suspension, however, Grandal has been hit with a serious case of bad karma.

Before spring training began last season, Grandal apologized to his Padres peers in a closed-door meeting that seemed to clear the air. His friend, Yonder Alonso, San Diego’s promising first baseman and a former “U” alum, seemed satisfied.

“It’s hard right now, but I know he’ll get through this and eventually clear his name,” said Alonso, who like Grandal moved to Miami from Cuba as a child.
Nick Hundley, the Padres veteran catcher who previously lost his job to Grandal, didn’t seem impressed when he spoke to the media.

“You want to talk about a guy who is unproven and had a couple of good months on steroids, (then) go ahead,” Hundley snapped at the local press.

Indeed, Yasmani Grandal did not live up to his previous hype last season, neither at the plate or behind it. Coming off a short minor league stint following his suspension, the switch-hitting phenom failed to find his stroke and had trouble throwing out runners on the base paths. Then on July 26, just when he was coming out of his funk, Grandal sustained a season-ending injury to his right knee blocking the dish in a collision with Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals. The result was ACL reconstructive surgery and a long period of recovery. Yasmani, to his credit, has accepted all the misfortune and remains cocky and confident that he will be ready next spring.

If Grandal is good to go as promised, it presents an interesting situation for Padres GM Josh Byrnes going into the winter meetings. I wonder how it will affect the San Diego clubhouse if Hundley again takes a back seat to Grandal and two begin to get chirpy. The 30-year-old Hundley has underperformed during a handsome contract that will end after next season, although there is an option open for 2015. On the other hand, there are those secretly wonder how long Grandal has been juicing during his career, and if he is really the player everyone expected. Padres manager Buddy Black has tried to dismiss those notions.
“Yazey has played at a high level for a long time,” notes Black. “We are confident he will continue to do so.”

It should be mentioned, though, the Padres have a home-grown catcher, Austin Hedges, who will likely be varsity-ready by 2015, which means either Grandal or Hundley will eventually have to clean out his locker. The outcome would seem to favor the younger Grandal, who is under team control through 2018. And moving Hundley and his salary of $4 million would give Byrnes more wiggle room to trade for a more useful player who could drive in runs.
The bottom line is how much do the Padres believe in Yasmani Grandal? The subject remains open for debate.


(throughthefencebaseball.com)

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres continued to tidy up their roster Monday when they reinstated pitcher Casey Kelly and catcher Yasmani Grandal from the 60-day disabled list, while also making several procedural moves.

Also reinstated from the 60-day DL was pitcher Jason Marquis, who then declared for free agency. Infielder Ronny Cedeno and outfielder Mark Kotsay also declared for free agency.

In September, Kotsay declared his intent to retire following the season after playing parts of 17 seasons -- including two stints in San Diego -- in the big leagues.

Finally, the Padres announced that pitcher Tommy Layne -- who was designated for assignment a week ago -- has been outrighted to the team's Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.

Kelly and Grandal are each coming off major surgeries. For Kelly, he had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow on April 2, and he won't be ready when the 2014 season starts.

Kelly is regarded as the Padres' No. 3 top prospect, according to MLB.com.

Grandal had surgery to repair his right anterior cruciate ligament on Aug. 6. He said in September that he expects to be ready to take part in workouts during Spring Training.

"It's still pretty early, but all signs are positive," Friars general manager Josh Byrnes said last week.

The Padres liked what they saw -- particularly on defense -- from backup catcher Rene Rivera, who filed in after Grandal landed on the DL. San Diego still has club control of Rivera, and he could open the 2014 season as Nick Hundley's backup if Grandal isn't ready.

Marquis, 35, made 20 starts for the Padres, going 9-5 with a 4.05 ERA before being placed on the DL with a strained right elbow on July 21. He eventually needed Tommy John surgery in August. He told MLB.com in September that he's not yet willing to retire, and will attempt to pitch when healthy.

Cedeno, 30, proved to be more than merely an admirable fill-in after shortstop Everth Cabrera was suspended for the final 50 games of the season. Cedeno hit .268 in 38 games for the Padres.

The team could possibly resign Cedeno or look elsewhere for infield bench options.


(mlb.com)

SAN DIEGO - It has only been six weeks since Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal has reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, though that hasn't stopped him from thinking about Spring Training.

Isn't that a little soon, especially for a surgery that typically requires nine to 12 months of rest, recovery and rehabilitation?

"Some guys recover faster than others," Grandal said Saturday.

Grandal said he's ahead of schedule in terms of his rehabilitation and that he's already doing strength exercises for the knee that include squats and leg presses. On Saturday, he was scheduled to ride a stationary bike for 35 minutes.

"I can't wait to start running," he said, smiling.

Grandal hasn't played since July 6, which was the day he suffered a nasty injury to his knee while he protected the plate as Anthony Rendon of the Nationals took out his legs attempting to break up a double play, a play that everyone deemed as clean.

Grandal had surgery a little over a month later. The surgery was performed by orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, who performed similar surgeries on Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson and Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

"It's coming along really well," Grandal said. "I'm expecting to play ... no matter what they say. I know I'm going to be able to do something [in Spring Training], I'll definitely be running, cutting, catching drills."

Grandal's main concern, as a catcher, is getting the knee strong enough to withstand squatting for an extended period of time.

"If I can do that, it's a piece of cake," Grandal said. "But the big deal is staying down there for prolonged periods of time."

Despite Grandal's optimism, the Padres are taking a wait-and-see approach and aren't willing to put a time frame on if and when Grandal might be ready for Spring Training.

"I'm cautiously optimistic about him being ready for a great deal of activity in Spring Training," said San Diego manager Bud Black. "My advice to Yazzy is to stay on the timeline of the rehab program."

Grandal was suspended for the first 50 games of the season for elevated levels of testosterone. He came back to the team on May 28 and hit .216 with one home run and nine RBIs in 88 at-bats.

It was a far cry from the impression he made in 2012, when he hit two home runs in his first start and hit .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 192 at-bats.


(padres.mlb.com)

Yasmani Grandal needs reconstructive ACL surgery on his right knee.

The Padres didn't provide a timetable for his return, but the normal recovery time is 9-12 months, which means he could miss a good chunk of next season. The injury, combined with his PED suspension, will result in a ton of missed time for the 24-year-old Grandal. Nick Hundley will handle the catching duties for the Padres.


(rotoworld.com)

SAN DIEGO -- Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal will need reconstructive surgery to his anterior cruciate ligament that will end his season, an MRI revealed on Monday.

It's unclear whether Grandal will be ready for the start of Spring Training, as the normal rehab for this injury usually takes about nine to 12 months.

"And everybody's different," said Padres manager Bud Black.

Grandal will have the surgery in about two weeks, after the swelling in his knee subsides. He also has damage in his posterior cruciate ligament, but that won't require surgery. The injury occurred on Saturday when the Nationals' Anthony Rendon slid into Grandal's knee on a force play at the plate. The Padres knew it was serious from the start, and the club placed him on the 60-day disabled list on Sunday.

Grandal's season ended before it really had a chance to get started. The 24-year old played in just 28 games after serving a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing testosterone to start the season. He hit .216 with one home run and nine RBIs.

The Padres have been hampered by injuries all season long and are already without their starting first baseman (Yonder Alonso), second baseman (Jedd Gyorko) and center fielder Cameron Maybin.


(mlb.com)

Apparently Padres Manager Bud Black spoke to all the media at once moments ago, in some sort of press conference. You can tell because Twitter came alive with the results of an MRI on Grandal's knee.

The injury was the result of a collision between Anthony Rendon and Yasmani Grandal at home plate. If you missed the game or the play on Saturday you can watch the replay here. It's not one of those disgusting plays where a guy's leg turns inside out or anything. It's safe to watch for those with weak constitutions.

The Padres knew the news was going to bad because they put Grandal on the 60 day DL yesterday.

Tests confirmed today that the damage to his ligaments was significant. Once the swelling subsides in several weeks he'll have surgery to repair said ligaments.

Recovery is estimated to be about 9-12 months according to Annie Heilbrunn and I assume doctors.


(gaslampball.com)

WASHINGTON (AP) - The San Diego Padres have placed catcher Yasmani Grandal on the 60-day disabled list with a sprained right knee, and selected catcher Rene Rivera from Triple-A Tucson.

Grandal was injured Saturday in the third inning of the Padres' 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals when Anthony Rendon slid into Grandal's right leg at the plate, twisting the catcher's knee. Grandal fell to the ground, but held on for the forceout before being assisted off the field.

Grandal was hitting .216 with one homer and nine RBIs in 28 games since being reinstated from the restricted list on May 28. He missed 50 games while serving a suspension for a positive testosterone test.

Rivera, who last played in the majors in 2011 for Minnesota, was active Sunday against the Nationals.


(ap.com)

MIAMI -- Monday may be San Diego's fourth day of a 10-game road trip, but Yasmani Grandal feels right at home. The Miami product has been cheered on by his mother watching from the crowd during the Padres' four-game series against the Marlins.

"It's always good to play in front of family," Grandal said. "It feels great to be here and being able to play in front of them. It's been a pretty good weekend."

Grandal also managed to reconnect with Jim Morris, his former coach at the University of Miami. Grandal batted .401 with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs and finished second for the Golden Spikes Award in his final season under Morris in 2010.

"I haven't seen him in a while," Grandal said. "We got to talk a little bit and talk about last season and how they did and the expectations next year. I obviously follow them a lot."

Familiarity has led to continued improvement for Grandal, who is batting .380 (8-for-21) since June 20, raising his batting average from .179 to .234 entering Monday's game.

Grandal was 2-for-5 with three walks and three runs scored in two starts against Miami on Friday and Sunday. He started at catcher and batted sixth on Monday.

The 24-year-old credits his improvement to increased at-bats. Two inflamed tendons in the middle finger in his left hand prevented him from picking up a bat and swinging during the winter.

"[I'm] getting a feel," Grandal said. "[I'm] getting my body under control."

The switch-hitter aims to continue improving his average with a special focus on left-handed hitting. This season, he is batting .231 left-handed compared to his .279 career average when swinging lefty.

"I've been swinging it from the right side better than the left side, and that's really unusual for me," Grandal said. "I'm trying to get my lefty swing back on track."


(mlb.com)

Yasmani Grandal is happy with his defense and the way he has handled Padres pitchers since his return May 28 from serving a 50-game suspension. But his offense is not where the switch-hitting catcher thought it would be.

“I didn’t think I would be so far back with the bat,” said Grandal, who entered Wednesday night with a four-game hitting streak — including tying a franchise record with doubles in four straight games — and a run of hitting safely in 10 of his last 12 starts.

Grandal thinks his slow offensive start is a combination of the suspension — for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug testosterone — and the fact that didn’t swing a bat for almost four months after the end of last season.

Grandal finished 2012 with two inflamed tendons on the middle finger of his left hand.

“It started hurting midway through last season, and by the end of the year it was like I had arthritis,” said Grandal, who didn’t swing a bat until two weeks before spring training.

“Offensively, my offseason hitting program was lost. So I spent a lot of time in Arizona with (Tucson manager) Pat Murphy working on catching, working with pitchers, receiving pitches and throwing.

“As a catcher, defense is really the No. 1 thing. Catching is first. And my defense has been good. I prepared and did everything I could defensively. The hitting will come.”

Padres manager Bud Black shares Grandal’s assessment of the 24-year-old catcher’s defense.

“I like the way Yasmani is receiving the ball and working with pitchers,” Black said Wednesday afternoon. “He’s done a nice job defensively.”
As for his offense ...

“My stroke is not back yet,” Grandal said. “It seems and might look like it’s back, but it’s not. I am not locked in. I usually go into the batter’s box with a plan. Right now, I’m just concentrating on getting good swings.

“Everything is timing. And timing takes time. I think I’d be ahead of where I am now if I had been able to hit over the winter. I really had no preparation.”

Grandal has hit .311 (14-for-45) since June 5 after opening his season with two hits in his first 24 at-bats. Entering Wednesday night’s game, Grandal had raised his average from .083 to .232 in 15 games.


(utsandiego.com)

Yasmani Grandal is happy with his defense and the way he’s handled Padres pitchers since his return May 28 from serving a 50-game suspension.

But his offense is not where the switch-hitting catcher thought it would be.

“I didn’t think I would be so far back with the bat,” said Grandal, who entered Wednesday night’s with a four-game hitting streak -- including tying a Padres franchise record with doubles in four straight games -- and a run of hitting safely in 10 of his last 12 starts.

Grandal thinks his slow offensive start is a combination of the suspension – for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug testosterone – and the fact that he went almost four months after the end of last season without swinging a bat.

Grandal finished the 2012 with two inflamed tendons on the middle finger of his left hand.

“It started hurting midway through last season and by the end of the year it was like I had arthritis,” said Grandal, who didn’t swing a bat until two weeks before spring training.

“Offensively, my off-season hitting program was lost,” said Grandal. “So I spent a lot of time in Arizona with (Tucson manager) Pat Murphy working on catching, working with pitchers, receiving pitches and throwing.

“As a catcher, defense is really the No. 1 thing. Catching is first. And my defense has been good. I prepared and did everything I could defensively. The hitting will come.”

Bud Black shares Grandal’s assessment of the 24-year-old catcher’s defense. “I like the way Yasmani is receiving the ball and working with pitchers,” the Padres manager said Wednesday afternoon. “He’s done a nice job defensively.”

As for offense . . .

“My stroke is not back yet,” said Grandal. “It seems and might look like its back, but it’s not. I am not locked in. I usually go into the batter’s box with a plan. Right now, I’m just concentrating on getting good swings.

“Everything is timing. And timing takes time. I think I’d be ahead of where I am now if I had been able to hit over the winter. I really had no preparation.”

Grandal has hit .311 (14-for-45) since June 5 after opening his season with two hits in his first 24 at-bats. Going into Wednesday night’s game, Grandal had raise his average from .083 to .232 in 15 games.


(utsandiego.com)

SAN DIEGO -- Yasmani Grandal has had trouble sleeping. Instead of wasting time staring at the ceiling or watching late-night TV, the Padres catcher routinely reviews scouting DVDs on his next opponent. He logs a few hours a night in front of his flat screen, looking for clues to get the other team out.

The extra work in the video room, enhanced by an offseason's worth of catching drills, has turned Grandal into a standout defensive player. The same couldn't be said last season, when he was in the lineup for his bat as opposed to his glove.

"I didn't like the way I played defensively last season," Grandal said. "This offseason, I made a point to make catching come first and let the hitting run its course."

That's why he spends so much time watching video. That's why he spent significant time on catching drills this offseason. He wanted to change his reputation as a purely offensive catcher. He wanted to be a complete player.

Since he couldn't swing a bat this offseason with strained ligaments in his left middle finger, Grandal didn't have a choice.

"I would spend 2-3 hours a day on different elements of the position, and I believe it helped me grow as a defensive player," Grandal said. "There are times when I'm at home and I can't sleep until 2 or 3 in the morning, and that's when I break down the video. That's the most productive use of my down time, because being a good defensive catcher is my number one responsibility."

His hard work has been recognized. The Padres starting rotation lauded Grandal's work and spoke highly of his commitment to catching. That's been proven in the win column too. The Padres are 10-3 in games he's started behind the plate, a short stint after serving a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's policy on performance enhancing drugs.

While Grandal has struggled offensively in that span -- he's hitting just .191 with three extra-base hits -- manager Bud Black has been impressed by his ability to separate offense from defense.

"He's been able to separate the offense from his defense," Black said. "His bat has gotten off to a slow start, but he hasn't let that affect his job behind the plate. His game calling has been outstanding, and he always seems to be in sync with the catcher. That's a big pat on the back to him."

Grandal did a little bit of everything on Saturday night. He called a quality start for Jason Marquis, and supported him with a three-run home run in the fourth inning.

"I've been making good swings, but I don't think the ball had been traveling as far," Grandal said. "When I made good contact, it seemed to be right at someone. I knew that it would turn eventually, and it was a relief to have it work out last night."


(mlb.com)

Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera and catcher Yasmani Grandal are among 20 players being targeted for possible suspensions by Major League Baseball, according to ESPN. The network is reporting a breakthrough in MLB's investigation into a Miami anti-aging clinic that has allegedly provided performance enhancing drugs to players.

Foremost on the list of 20 players reported to be facing possible suspension are two former Most Valuable Players, third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and outfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Their names alone suggest an investigation revealing perhaps the biggest drug scandal in baseball history. This in a professional sport where former superstars who obliterated most of the significant power-hitting records were alleged to have been using performance-enhancing substances in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

That was prior to the institution of MLB-wide testing for steroids and other PED's in major league baseball.

If he is indeed among the players subject to punishment, Grandal could be hit with a 100-game suspension because he recently came off a 50-game suspension for his failed testosterone test late last year. MLB might consider this a second offense.

Cabrera's name was also reportedly linked to paperwork found at Biogenesis of America, the South Florida clinic whose owner reportedly is going to cooperate with an investigation into the involvement by major league players. He would likely receive a 50-game suspension as a first-time offender.

"I haven't heard anything," said Cabrera before Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in L.A.. "I haven't seen any report. I don't know anything about this."

Grandal, a former University of Miami player traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Padres before the 2012 season, tested positive at the end of last year and has steadfastly refused to discuss details of his involvement. Even as he was about to begin serving his suspension for the first 50 games of the regular season, a Major League Baseball source told U-T San Diego that Grandal could be considered a two-time offender if the Biogenesis investigation revealed more participation on his part.

Cabrera has been enjoying a breakthrough season at the age of 26, receiving mention as an All-Star Game candidate with his play as the Padres' switch-hitting leadoff. He leads the major leagues with his 23 stolen bases, boosting his batting average to .276, and tops the Padres in hits and on-base percentage.


(utsandiego.com)

SEATTLE -- Catcher Yasmani Grandal sat on the bench in the visiting dugout at Safeco Field on Tuesday afternoon, the first time he'd done so in a big league ballpark this season.

He didn't appear or sound the least bit anxious after his return to the team from a 50-game suspension that he received in November due to elevated levels of testosterone.

If anything, Grandal sounded eager and like game No. 51 couldn't get here quick enough.

"It's not nerves. It's more like being excited," Grandal said, smiling.

Grandal was in the starting lineup and batting sixth on Tuesday against the Mariners, going 1-for-4 and scoring a run after completing his exile from the team to begin the season. He appeared in nine games with Triple-A Tucson recently, flying to Seattle on Monday to rejoin the Padres.

He has no intentions of going back and, from the sound of it Tuesday, it appears the 24-year-old switch-hitter will play a lot initially, according to manager Bud Black.

"For right now, Yazzy is going to get a number of starts to get up to speed and get going. We don't want to halt any momentum he has coming in," Black said.

Grandal, who hit .306 in 36 at-bats with Tucson, participated in Spring Training with the team and then remained behind to play in extended spring games and allow a meddlesome injury to his left middle finger to heal.

He spent time thinking about Tuesday, too.

"You're somewhere else [Arizona], you're not with your team. The one thing you have to do is try to get back and do whatever you can to get ready so when you do, you're ready to make that impact."

"From the offseason to Spring Training, it went by super slow. But as soon as we got done with Spring Training, it went by real quick. The next thing I knew, I had to go to Iowa [with Tucson]. And we're here now."

Last season, Grandal ran away with the starting catching duties after he was promoted for a second time on June 30. In his first start, he hit home runs from each side of the plate against the Rockies. He had a .297/.394/.469 line with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 192 at-bats with the Padres.

Then came the positive test for elevated levels of testosterone in the offseason. Grandal didn't speak with reporters until he reported to Spring Training in February and only then did he read a statement. He did so after apologizing to his teammates.

"That was the most critical time for him, gaining back the players," Black said. "The first couple of days, it was the team apology, the individual apology to our veteran players and his remorse and what it did to the team.

"I think all that took place in the spring. I think now coming back it's not nearly the story that it was in February."

That sentiment was shared by outfielder Will Venable, who didn't see Grandal's return as a distraction at all.

"We got enough to occupy our minds as far as taking care of our own jobs and helping our team win," Venable said. "Yaz coming back will do nothing but help that.

"We're excited to get a good player back and we know Yaz and we know what it's like having him in the clubhouse. We are looking forward to going out and taking care of our business. Nothing changes now."

Upon his return, Grandal was asked if he felt he had anything to prove. He shook his head.

"If I have to prove anything, it's to the Padres. The fans need to understand that. My job comes first. The Padres are the ones who have me in the big leagues. They're the ones who have the decision to bring me up or down," Grandal said.

"If you're in the Major Leagues, you're getting another opportunity to prove yourself, to show the team you're with that you belong here. There's no baggage that you carry around."

From the reports Black received, Grandal played well in extended spring games and with Tucson. The finger that prevented him from swinging much in the offseason is healed.

"Even as far back as extended spring, he's been playing. Tucson got him a little closer to feeling like a Major Leaguer," Black said. "I think it just serves us best for him to pop right in the lineup. I think he's ready physically, I think he's mentally ready, our Triple-A staff said he's been playing well."

The Padres optioned catcher John Baker to Tucson to make room for Grandal on the 25-man roster and also designated Minor League infielder Edinson Rincon for assignment as Grandal was reinstated from the restricted list back to the 40-man roster.

Black said catcher Nick Hundley -- who is hitting .143 in May -- will also play, but at least initially Grandal will see more playing time.

"They're both going to play. We're going to see how Yazzy plays. It's a very demanding position," Black said. "Yazzy is just starting out as a Major League catcher and he's got a lot of room to grow. We feel as though we have a really good tandem.

"On Nick's half, it might be good for him to watch a couple of games in the short term. He's had, offensively, a couple of tough offensive weeks."


(mlb.com)

SAN DIEGO -- Tick, tick, tick. …

Here comes trouble in San Diego. Or, assistance.

Hard to say which right now.

One week from Tuesday, convicted drug cheat Yasmani Grandal becomes eligible again for major-league duty, having served his 50-game penalty for a positive performance-enhancing drug test.

Which means these very well may be the final days on San Diego's major-league roster for Nick Hundley … or, more likely, for backup John Baker.

And here's the thing: As things stand right now, the Padres have turned their season around. Following a horrible 2-10 start, they regained their balance and now have won 16 of their past 24 games after dispatching the Cardinals 4-2 Monday.

In fact, the Padres' 16-8 record since April 24 is tied for the best in the National League. The Cardinals also are 16-8.

They've won 12 of their past 15 home games. And they've moved 2 ½ games ahead of the last-place Dodgers.

All of which brings up the dreaded “C” word -- chemistry.

Might the addition of Grandal alter things in a way that leads the Padres into a regression?

Or will the addition of a bat that hit .297 with a .394 on-base percentage, eight homers and 36 RBI in 60 games last season propel San Diego to even greater heights?

And another question: Was what the Padres saw last year the real Grandal? Or was some of that the Vitamin S talking?

Sorry. That was two more questions.

“Yas, in 10 days, played very well in extended spring training,” manager Bud Black says. “Granted, the competition was younger and less developed.”

The Padres right now are mostly mum on the matter, preferring not to get too far out ahead of themselves. Black sidestepped specific questions regarding the club's plan for Grandal next week, and you can't blame him. Who knows what might happen by then? One of their current catchers is injured, the Padres can avoid answering specific questions even longer than six or seven days from now.

Nothing says the Padres must activate Grandal on May 28, when he becomes eligible.

But even if they are still winning by then, chemistry only takes you so far, and right now it is impossible to overlook this:

Hundley is 2 for 40 so far in May, Baker 3 for 18.

Hundley is 1 for his last 36, has one RBI during the month and is hitting .050/.152/.075. For the season, he's at .235/.285/.387.

Baker is hitting .200/.294/.200, and before a two-run single at Baltimore last Wednesday, was in a 0 for 19 funk. For the season, he's at .162/.279/.162.

Tick, tick, tick. …

“I don't think it's an awkward situation.” veteran Padres outfielder Mark Kotsay says. “Maybe for the two individuals involved, but they'll talk and move forward.”
“There's that looming question of what's going to happen,” third baseman Chase Headley says. “But that's for the people who make those decisions.

“Whatever happens, I expect guys to, I'm not going to say be indifferent to it, but guys are going to respond to the situation in the best way they possibly can.”

Awkward or not, it has the potential to be uncomfortable for a bit. If Hundley sticks around, his playing time likely will be reduced given his prolonged slump at the plate. Hundley, who signed, a three-year, $9 million deal in March, 2012, knew the score going into the season. As he said this spring, this isn't the San Diego Boys' Club where everybody gets a turn. This is the big leagues, with big money, big expectations and big-time pressure.

“It happens all the time in baseball,” Headley says. “You see guys come and go whom you have great relationships with. It happens all the time.

“That's part of being a professional. Do your job, and put personal feelings aside.”

In Omaha, Neb., on Monday night, Grandal went 1 for 4 with a walk and a strikeout for Triple-A Tucson. In three games with Tucson, he's hitting .333 (3 for 9) with three RBIs and a .400 on-base percentage.

What's clear is that, unless things change, especially at the plate, Hundley and Baker are making this decision easier by the day for the Padres.

“Whenever a move takes place and he becomes a member of our team, we'll treat him like anybody else,” Kotsay says of Grandal. “We don't let things linger around here.”


(cbssports.com)

San Diego Padres C Yasmani Grandal returned to game action Saturday, May 18, for Triple-A Tucson, catching nine innings. He went 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI. He is allowed to play 10 minor league games before he is eligible to return from his 50-game suspension and play for the Padres May 28.

Fantasy Tip: Grandal is expected to split time behind the dish with Nick Hundley when he returns, and manager Bud Black has said he will go with the hot hand. Grandal is worth adding in all NL-only fantasy leagues, and is decent depth in mixed formats in leagues which require two starting backstops.


(kffl.com)

BALTIMORE -- It's nearly time for Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal to leave extended spring camp in Arizona and begin his road back to the big leagues.

Grandal was suspended for the Padres' first 50 games in November after he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

Grandal is eligible to come off the restricted list on May 28 when the team is in Seattle, though he can begin a Minor League stint on Saturday, a period that can't exceed more than 10 days.

The Padres have mapped out a plan for him that will see him report to Des Moines on Saturday, where Triple-A Tucson is playing. He will remain with the team during a four-game series in Omaha beginning Monday. The team returns to Tucson on May 24.

"He feels good, everything is solid, offensively and defensively," Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said recently. "We will get him ready to play in those games and evaluate where he is and where our roster is."

Grandal was able to participate in drills and games in Spring Training, and he remained in Arizona when after the team broke camp in late May.

The Padres have two catchers on their roster; Nick Hundley and John Baker. Baker, who got the start against the Orioles on Wednesday, entered the game hitting .115. Baker has Minor League options, meaning that he'll likely be the one optioned to Triple-A Tucson when the Padres deem Grandal fit to return.

Grandal made his Major League debut with the team on June 2 of last season. In his first start against the Rockies on June 30, Grandal hit two home runs.

He later missed 17 games with a strained right oblique muscle. Grandal hit .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 60 games.


(mlb.com)

Sure, Nick Hundley’s refusal to mince words says a lot about the battle Yasmani Grandal faces when he returns to the Padres a little less than three weeks hence.

“You want to talk about a guy who is unproven and had a good couple months on steroids, go ahead,” Hundley said on Wednesday.

But it’s what Hundley said next that makes this more about him than Grandal.

“I’ve got a job to do,” Hundley continued.

His job. He’s the Padres catcher.

Grandal will be eligible to return from his 50-game suspension on May 28. The Padres have publicly supported him without condoning what he did to earn that punishment.

“They’ll both have jobs,” manager Bud Black said. “They’ll both play. … This will be performance based.”

Hundley couldn’t care less.

“I haven’t given it any thought,” he said.

I believe him when he says so. Here’s why.

It was almost a month ago that I had last spoken at length with Hundley, and he talked then about his new approach.

“I don’t look too far ahead or too far behind,” he said. “I’ve wasted plenty of time in my career and in my life playing the what-if game.”

He had just finished a series against the Dodgers in which he went 7-for-11 with two doubles and a homer. It was already a fantastic start to 2013 for the man whose horrid 2012 has been hashed again and again.

He spoke of there being times the weeds threatened to choke his thoughts and how he works to quickly eradicate the negative. It was like talking to a less-annoying Tony Robbins or attending a 12-step meeting. Hundley said with utmost confidence that he was absolutely “not going to let” himself slip into the stinking thinking.

“You go back and look at the work you’ve put in,” he said.

And it is just a fact that if you weren’t rooting for Hundley to sustain his rebound, you have a cold, black, dead heart.

But over 20 years of covering sports at the highest level — of being repeatedly thrilled as well as let down, misled and used — you grow accustomed to things not quite going as you’d expect, nor as you’d prefer.

Rather than immediately writing about Hundley then, I wanted to wait to see if he was back for real.

After we spoke, he got his batting average to a season-high .367 with two doubles that night.

In 19 games since then, his average has dropped 97 points. A hitless Wednesday means he’s 0-for-17 over the past five games.

Yes, he will need to hit over a sustained period in order to keep his job.

But there is far less doubt now that he will do so.

Hundley’s progression is reflected in much more than numbers.

“You don’t see the head dropping, the shoulders slouching anymore,” said John Baker, the Padres’ backup catcher.

“There were a lot of times,” Hundley said, “I would get a solid swing and wouldn’t get the results and I’d wonder what was wrong.”

Now, he can look at his current five-game hitless streak and not be satisfied but live with the knowledge he swung well enough that he “could have easily had five or six hits.”

He knows now the hits will come.

“Last year was a big learning experience for Nick in a number of areas,” Black said.

“First of all, he learned he doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

He knows now he only has to worry about today and just be a part of the team.

He knows he is a part of the team, regardless of what happens with Grandal.


(utsandiego.com)

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Suspended Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal revealed Sunday that he hasn't picked up a bat all winter, the result of two inflamed tendons in his left middle finger.

Grandal, who will miss the first 50 games of the season for testing positive for testosterone, will hit for the first time Monday on a practice field.

"I've been looking forward to tomorrow for a long time," he said.

Grandal, a switch-hitter, said he suffered the injury toward the end of the 2012 season against Arizona on a swing. But he also feels there could have been some damage done dating back to the Arizona Fall League in 2011 when he injured the finger.

"It wasn't that bad at first, but then it got worse and worse," Grandal said. "I finished the season hitting with one hand, basically. I think I could have done a lot better had it not been hurt."

Grandal said the finger only really hurt him while hitting left-handed, as the left hand is the dominant hand in the swing. Hitting right-handed, the left hand is more of a guide, used for direction.

Grandal hit .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 60 games after a promotion from Triple-A Tucson.

This offseason, Grandal was told surgery was a distinct possibility, though four to six months of rest could remedy the issue. That meant no hitting at all, although he was able to work on the defensive side of his game.

After he moved to Phoenix from Miami, Grandal placed a call to Padres special assistant and former Major League catcher Brad Ausmus. Ausmus recommended Triple-A manager Pat Murphy to work with Grandal on his catching skills.

On Saturday, Padres manager Bud Black said Grandal would be used in Spring Training games, though the two catchers projected to make the Opening Day roster -- Nick Hundley and John Baker -- will see most of the playing time in games.

Grandal will play in games once his bat is game-ready. When the team breaks camp in late March, he'll remain in Peoria and play in extended Spring Training games.

His manager can already tell how eager Grandal is to start hitting again.

"He wanted to hit on the field a month ago, but we had to hold him back," Black said. "Players want to play."

Under terms of his suspension, Grandal's eligible to begin a Minor League stint lasting no more than 10 days and that will likely occur in May. He will be eligible to rejoin the Padres on May 28 when the team is in Seattle.

"We've had a plan for a long time. My plan is going to be the same -- just get ready for the season," Grandal said.

On Saturday, Grandal spoke to reporters for the first time since his suspension on Nov. 7 for use of a performance-enhancing drug, reading a prepared statement. He also apologized to teammates in a closed-door meeting in the morning.

"I think more than anything, he apologized for what this did to our group," Black said. "He needs to continue making amends moving forward. This is part of what he wanted to do."


(mlb.com)

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Reading from a prepared statement, San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal apologized for a second time following his 50-game suspension for a positive test for testosterone.

Grandal was suspended Nov. 7 and issued a statement then through the Major League Baseball Players Association. He read a statement Saturday at the Padres' spring training camp but did not take questions.

Grandal also did not comment substantively on last month's report by Miami New Times that he appeared in records of Biogenesis of America LLC, a closed anti-aging clinic in Coral Gables, Fla., under investigation by Major League Baseball for distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.

"I have taken full responsibility for my actions and apologized to my teammates, the fans and the San Diego Padres organization," Grandal said, taking less than 2 minutes to read his statement. "I plan to put that mistake behind me, serve my suspension and continue working hard to be the best player and teammate I can be."

As for Biogenesis, Grandal said "I am aware of the various press reports about so-called patient files from a Miami clinic, and that Major League Baseball and others are investigating those allegations."

"I intend to cooperate fully in their investigations. I have been instructed by legal counsel not to answer questions relating to the pending investigations," he said. "Based on that legal advice, I will have no further comment."

Grandal is allowed to participate in spring training and to play in exhibition games. He will remain at the Padres' training complex after the team breaks camp, while serving his suspension.

"It was part of what he needs to do," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He talked to the guys and he'll continue to make amends moving forward. He apologized for what this did to our group."

Those in attendance wouldn't discuss specifics, but several teammates volunteered that Grandal said he "hoped" they would accept his apology.

Grandal's speech was short, but apparently effective.

"He felt like he had something to take care of, and he manned up and did it," center fielder Cameron Maybin said. "He gained a lot of respect by doing it, and saying what he said. He took responsibility. He was accountable. We as a team can put this in the past. We accept his apology and now we're going to move on."

Grandal's actions may be forgiven, but Padres general manager Josh Byrnes hopes they're not forgotten.

"I don't want to be dismissive of it," Byrnes said. "There's a lesson to be learned here, because this is a serious issue with serious consequences. But I do believe that it won't happen again and that Yasmani's apology was sincere."

Grandal hit .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs as a rookie last year after being called up on June 2. While he is serving his suspension, Nick Hundley is expected to start behind the plate with John Baker as the backup.

Grandal is eligible to return May 28 at Seattle. He can join a Padres minor league team 10 days before that to prepare.


(espn.com)

San Diego Padres C Yasmani Grandal, who is suspended for the first 50 games of the season, will be allowed to play in spring training games.





(kffl.com)

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Suspended San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal plans to apologize to his teammates this weekend.

Grandal was banned in November for the first 50 games of the season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He hasn't publicly discussed the penalty beyond an initial statement.

The 24-year-old Grandal worked out Wednesday at spring training.

Grandal hasn't addressed his connection to a Miami anti-aging clinic associated with performance-enhancing drugs. He plans to talk to his teammates when the entire Padres squad gathers Saturday, and will meet with the media later that day.

Grandal is not allowed to play in major league spring training games. The Padres will rely on former starting catcher Nick Hundley and career reserve John Baker to fill the void.


(espn.com)

PEORIA, AZ — Catcher Yasmani Grandal will keep a low profile at the Padres spring training camp until after he meets with teammates after the full squad reports Saturday.

Grandal, who reported with the pitchers and catchers Tuesday, will open the 2013 season on a 50-game suspension after testing positive in September for the performance-enhancing drug testosterone.

Two weeks ago, Grandal’s name surfaced in an investigation of the Miami-based Biogenesis anti-aging clinic that has been linked to 12 baseball players, including three – Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and Grandal – who drew suspensions for using PEDs.

Grandal will likely meet with the media after he addresses his teammates.

Grandal is allowed to participate in spring training drills and can play in minor league spring training games. He cannot play in the major league games.


(utsandiego.com)

San Diego Padres Yasmani Grandal has some more explaining to do after receiving a 50-game suspension all the way back in November as new information continues to come our regarding the Florida anti-aging facility that reportedly supplied his substance.

With spring training right around the corner, the Padres are still looking for answers. Friars’ executive chairman Ron Fowler told the Mighty 1090′s “Darren Smith Show” on Friday that the team will be keeping an eye on the developing situation.

“I don’t think we really had the candor when he was first  suspended that we I think have a right to expect,” he told the show. “I think our people are going to try to get clarity on it.”

Here’s what we do know: Grandal was suspended by Major League Baseball on Nov. 7, 2012 for testing positive for having a high testosterone level. He has made no announcement that he will appeal the suspension and will serve it at the start of the 2013 season. He only half-admitted to any wrongdoing when the news initially broke via USA Today:

“I apologize to the fans, my teammates, and to the San Diego Padres,” Grandal said in his statement. “I was disappointed to learn of my positive test and under the Joint Drug Program I am responsible for what I put into my body.”

With new details emerging that further implicate the 24-year-old former University of Miami star in a lengthy report from the Miami New Times, the news could get potentially much worse for San Diego. 

“It’s very disappointing,” said Fowler “This whole issue of sports and drugs is of great concern. We’re very disappointed in Yasmani, we’re hoping that he steps up and handles this appropriately with his teammates. We want him to be candid, come clean. This is a strike one situation, and this is one area where as a team we will support him by any means possible.” 

That support is warranted, both on the field and off. Grandal quickly became a fan favorite in San Diego after coming over in the Mat Latos trade. He also produced on the field, hitting .297 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs. Now, there’s a question as to how much of that was due to an artificial performance enhancement. Despite his production and likability, however, the team is ready to take action as necessary. 

Though Fowler didn’t say it bluntly, he was clear that there would be serious ramifications if it turns out Grandal was deceitful to the organization. 

“There aren’t going to be three strikes here, Fowler went on to say. “We will move aggressively if there’s another problem, and we want him to understand that. If we have been lied to and things have been misrepresented, it’s going to give us cause to ponder.”

Where do the Padres go from here? They’ll have a significant hole to fill, and San Diego could still be searching for answers. 

“I’m concerned as to whether or not we have the true story,” added Fowler. 


(sportssouthwest.com)

According to a report by the Miami New Times, the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, Washington Nationals' Gio Gonzalez and Texas Rangers' Nelson Cruz have all been linked to an anti-aging clinic in Miami that allegedly distributed performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), including HGH. Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, and Yasmani Grandal, who have all already been suspended by MLB for PED use, were also linked to the clinic.

Records obtained by the Miami New Times suggest that Rodriguez received HGH as recently as a year ago, though he denies the allegations. This news comes about three years after Rodriguez’s emotional confession to steroid use during his tenure with the Texas Rangers.

From a fantasy perspective, Rodriguez was already a declining and damaged asset, projected to be sidelined for the next six months following hip surgery. Now, the threat of a suspension is very real as MLB begins its investigation into this report. The possibility of losing an additional 50 games is an important development for the New York Yankees and fantasy baseball owners.

If A-Rod does get hit with a suspension, then his 2013 fantasy value falls close to zero. He would be virtually undraftable, and it wouldn't be worth carrying his dead weight throughout a suspension. If a 50-game ban is looming, fantasy owners could probably look at a mid-August return as the best-case scenario. Even then, nobody knows how effective he would be. Expect to see much more of Kevin Youkilis at the hot corner for the Yankees.

Of more immediate consequence to fantasy owners are the fates of Gonzalez and Cruz.

Gonzalez, the biggest name from a fantasy standpoint, posted career bests in wins, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and opponents' batting average during his first season with the Washington Nationals. That led to a third-place finish in the NL Cy Young award voting. Normally, he would head into the 2013 season as a fantasy ace, but a possible suspension hurts that status. He would still be worthy of a draft-and-stash in most leagues, but a suspension would mean missing roughly two months or 10-12 starts. For what it's worth, Gonzalez has also denied any relationship with the Miami clinic or ever using PEDs.

Cruz has seen his production decline the past couple seasons, but fantasy owners are always hoping for that power/speed talent to break out. Now with the threat of a suspension on top of spotty production and annual injury concerns, Cruz is close to becoming no more than a late-round flier.

Meanwhile, fantasy owners will be looking to see how Jurickson Profar profits from a potential Cruz suspension, but the player who may stand to gain the most could be fellow prospect Leonys Martin. The raw-but-talented Martin is unlikely to make a big power impact, but he has 20-steal potential given everyday playing time.

Fantasy owners will need to keep a close eye on this developing story and make the necessary adjustments to their preseason rankings. We're not adjusting projections for Rodriguez, Gonzalez and Cruz just yet until we hear more about potential punishments. However, it's not a good sign that this trio is being associated with already suspended players such as Cabrera, Colon and Grandal. Stay tuned.


(sportingnews.com)