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Red Sox Claim Zack Weiss From Angels

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Right-hander Zack Weiss, who was designated for assignment by the Angels earlier this week, has been claimed off waivers by the Red Sox. Both clubs announced the move, with the Red Sox adding that Weiss has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester. Righty Corey Kluber was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on Boston’s roster.

Weiss, 31, has been on the Angels’ roster just under a year now, getting added last September. Since that time, he’s been an up-and-down depth arm, getting frequently optioned to the minors. He has thrown 18 2/3 major league innings in that time with a 3.86 earned run average. He struck out 30.9% of batters faced but also walked 11.1%.

He’s spent more time this year in Triple-A, tossing 37 1/3 innings with a 6.03 ERA. He walked 14% of hitters at that level but struck out 29.2%. Those control issues pushed him off the Angels’ roster but the Red Sox will see if they can help him rein in that command and get better results. He can still be optioned for two more seasons after this one and has yet to reach one year of major league service time, meaning they can cheaply retain him for the foreseeable future as long as he continues to hold a spot on the 40-man.

Kluber’s transfer is little more than a formality since he’s already been on the injured list for more than 60 days at this point, having landed there in June due to right shoulder inflammation. He’s eligible to return whenever healthy but he was shut down in late July after experiencing a setback. There’s been no public reporting to indicate he’s close to a return and may have trouble getting back on the mound this year with just over a month left on the schedule.

Red Sox Promote Wilyer Abreu, Place Jarren Duran On Injured List

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3:35pm: The Red Sox have now made these moves official, recalling Abreu and placing Duran on the injured list. They also reinstated right-hander Tanner Houck from the IL and optioned lefty Chris Murphy.

10:37am: The Red Sox are planning to promote outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu for his Major League debut, as first reported by Augusto Cardenas. Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe hears the same, reporting that Abreu will be called up to replace Jarren Duran, who’s headed to the injured list following this weekend’s toe injury.

Abreu, 24, was one of two prospects acquired in the trade sending catcher Christian Vazquez from Boston to Houston last summer. The Venezuelan-born outfielder has posted impressive numbers in Triple-A Worcester this season, slashing .274/.391/.539 with 22 homers, 11 doubles, a triple and eight stolen bases (in nine tries). Abreu has walked in an immense 16.3% of his plate appearances while striking out at a manageable 20.1% clip.

FanGraphs and MLB.com both currently rank Abreu 17th among Boston farmhands, while Baseball America tabs him 22nd. The 2023 season has seen a pronounced step forward in terms of power production for Abreu, despite garnering only average ratings on his power in most scouting reports. He’s done that while reducing his strikeout rate by six percentage points over last year’s levels, too, which creates some optimism that he could perhaps elevate his status over the generally projected fourth outfielder.

Abreu is regarded as a disciplined hitter at the plate who can be too selective at times. He runs well enough to handle all three outfield spots but posts impressive stolen-base totals more due to his baserunning acumen than standout raw speed. Abreu has spent more time in the corners than in center this year, but he has more than 1200 career innings in center and could certainly step in at the position for Duran.

As for the 26-year-old Duran, he suffered a toe injury when scaling the wall on a Gleyber Torres home run. He was slated to undergo an MRI to evaluate the extent of the injury, and it seems there was enough concern to at least require a 10-day absence.

The injury puts a halt to a breakout season for the former top prospect. Duran has appeared in 102 games for the Sox, slashing .295/.346/.482 with eight homers, 34 doubles, a pair of triples and 24 steals (in 26 tries). He’s dropped his strikeout rate for the third straight year, now sitting at 24.9% — still higher than average but nowhere close to the alarming 30.7% clip he posted in 2021-22. In doing so, he looks to have seized a long-term spot in the Boston outfield; even with some expected regression in his .381 average on balls in play, Duran’s plus speed, average power and penchant for making hard contact should allow him to remain an above-average offensive contributor. The Sox can control him for five more years beyond the current season.

Alex Cole Passes Away

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The Guardians announced that former big league outfielder Alex Cole recently passed away. He was 58 years old. The club also announced the passing of Dick Tomanek, who you can read about here.

Cole was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1965. He attended the State College of Florida and was selected by the Pirates in the 11th round of the 1984 draft but didn’t sign. The next year, the Cardinals took him in the second round and he put pen to paper this time around. He climbed the minor league ladder with the Cards but was twice traded in 1990, first going to the Padres and then the Indians.

It was with that latter club that he made his major league debut, getting into 63 games in that 1990 season. He didn’t show much power, not hitting any home runs in his 256 plate appearances that year. But he produced a batting average of .300 and stole 40 bases in just 63 games.

He carved out regular playing time in the seasons to come and generally produced in a similar fashion, not providing much power but using his speed to propel himself around the basepaths. He stayed in Cleveland in 1991 before being traded to the Pirates midway through the 1992 campaign. After that season, he was selected by the Rockies in the expansion draft, becoming an inaugural member of that franchise. He would eventually reach free agency, signing with the Twins for 1994-1995 and Red Sox for 1996, which would prove to be his last season in the big leagues.

Over parts of seven seasons, Cole got into 573 major league games and made 2,012 plate appearances. He batted .280 in that time, racking up 493 hits, including 58 doubles, 26 triples and five home runs. He stole 148 bases in 207 attempts. He scored 286 runs and drove in 117.

We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Triston Casas Has Arrived

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Red Sox fans have been waiting roughly a half decade to see whether 2018 first-round pick Triston Casas would eventually become a fixture in the lineup. The hulking 6’4″, 252-pound slugger was selected with the No. 26 overall pick that year and has ranked among baseball’s 100 best prospects in each of the past four offseasons according to both Baseball America and MLB.com.

As recently as this April, however, the early returns were looking questionable. Casas got a cup of coffee last season, hitting five homers and walking at a 20% clip in 95 plate appearances — but also hitting the ball on the ground at a whopping 56.8% clip. Not an ideal trait for a slow-footed slugger. Add in a sluggish start to this season, which saw Casas pare back that ground-ball rate but experience a large uptick in strikeout percentage (30.2% through 96 plate appearances), and it was hardly a promising start. Through his first 192 big league plate appearances, Casas batted .162/.319/.344 with an elite 18.8% walk rate and above-average but not elite power. He fanned in 27.2% of those plate appearances.

In the three and a half months since, however, Casas has not only turned things around — he’s emerged as a genuine middle-of-the-lineup bat — at least against right-handed pitching. In his past 301 trips to the plate, Casas has produced a mammoth .293/.379/.540 output with 16 home runs, 13 doubles and a pair of triples. His walk rate is “down” to 12.3% in that time, and he’s fanned at a 23.6% rate that’s only slightly north of the league average.

The biggest change in Casas’ first couple months of big league experience and this productive stretch has been one of passivity — or rather, lack thereof. From last year’s debut through early May this year, Casas swung at just 62.9% of the pitches he saw within the strike zone (and 40% of pitches overall). During his this streak of mashing at the plate, he’s swinging at 72.2% of pitches in the strike zone and 45.2% of the pitches he sees overall. He’s now swinging at in-zone pitches at a higher-than-average rate (league average is 68.7%) but still swinging at a lower total percentage of pitches than the league-average 47.3%. That’s because Casas is rarely enticed by pitches out of the zone; he’s chased off the plate at just a 25.6% clip — more than six percentage points beneath the 31.8% league average.

As far as the quality of Casas’ contact, it’s been excellent. He was making consistent hard contact even before his early-May turnaround began, but the increased aggression within the strike zone now just means he’s making a lot more of it. Casas has averaged 91.5 mph off the bat this season (league average is 89.1 mph) and put 46.1% of his batted balls in play at 95 mph or more (league average is 39.3%). Statcast has classified 14.5% of his batted balls as “barreled” (16.1% during his peak productivity).

Granted, some of the breakout has been a function of Casas being shielded from left-handed pitching. Casas has clear platoon issues in his young career, hitting just .193/.343/.325 against southpaws versus .257/.357/.503 against righties. This season, he’s 219th in the Majors with just 77 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. The Sox haven’t completely eliminated his playing time against southpaws, but compare his total plate appearances against southpaws to fellow lefty-swinging teammates like Rafael Devers (148 plate appearances), Masataka Yoshida (123) and Alex Verdugo (140) — and it becomes clear that the Sox have at best been selective about the opportunities they’ll give him versus same-handed opposition.

Time will tell whether this year’s usage signals intent for long-term platooning or is just a means of building some confidence in the burgeoning young slugger. If the Sox want to platoon Casas moving forward, there’s at least one natural candidate down on the farm in 28-year-old Bobby Dalbec. Once a fairly heralded prospect himself, Dalbec has been squeezed out of the mix on the big league roster but responded with an outstanding .278/.384/.589 batting line and 30 homers in Triple-A this year. Against left-handed pitching, he’s posted a ludicrous .347/.438/.640 line. Dalbec’s future in Boston — he could potentially be a trade target for a club with eyes on giving him an everyday look this winter — is a topic worth diving into on its own, but suffice it to say he’s at least played his way into consideration for such a role. If not, the free agent market this offseason will feature right-handed bats like Garrett Cooper, C.J. Cron, Donovan Solano and Darin Ruf.

The Sox started Casas against southpaw MacKenzie Gore last night and left him in to face lefty reliever Jose Ferrer. (Casas went 1-for-3, singling off Ferrer.) It’s probably in their best interest to continue giving Casas opportunities against southpaws down the stretch, both to get him additional experience in left-on-left matchups and to help evaluate whether they’ll need a platoon partner for him in the long run.

Casas is still a work in progress defensively (-4 Defensive Runs Saved, -11 Outs Above Average), and it’s an open question just how productive he’ll end up being against left-handed pitching.  If he can narrow his platoon splits and/or make some strides on the defensive side of his game, he has star potential in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. He already looks the part against right-handed pitching, however, and Casas’ dedication to the science of hitting (check out his recent Q&A with FanGraphs’ David Laurila) should serve him well as he looks to become a more complete hitter.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Red Sox Shut Down Adalberto Mondesi Due To Continued Knee Soreness

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The Red Sox have shut infielder Adalberto Mondesí down from all baseball activities because of ongoing soreness in his left knee, skipper Alex Cora told reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive). While Boston isn’t officially declaring him down for the season, there isn’t much time for his rehab to get going in earnest.

Mondesí has unfortunately struggled to rebound from an ACL tear suffered last April. There was never any doubt that’d end his 2022 campaign but the Sox felt comfortable enough with his health to roll the dice on an offseason trade. They acquired him (and minor league infielder Angel Pierre) in a swap that sent reliever Josh Taylor to the Royals. Boston expressed hope Mondesí would be ready around Opening Day — or at least early enough in the season to help cover for Trevor Story after his elbow surgery — but it hasn’t come to pass.

The trade hasn’t worked out for either team, as Taylor’s recurring back troubles resulted in him undergoing surgery in late June. Mondesí hasn’t had to go back under the knife but his rehab has been littered with stops and starts. Cotillo writes that he’d progressed to running, hitting against live pitching, and fielding grounders before the knee pain became too much to push through.

While the ACL injury is the most significant Mondesí has faced, he has battled various health concerns throughout his career. He’d played in only around half of Kansas City’s games between 2019-21 while missing time due to groin, shoulder, hamstring and oblique problems.

When healthy, Mondesí has intrigued with elite speed, strong middle infield defensive ratings and switch-hitting power upside. An extraordinarily aggressive approach has undercut his offensive production, as he’s reached base at just a .280 clip in 358 MLB games.

There’s a growing chance he doesn’t wind up making an appearance for Boston. Story is back at shortstop, while Pablo Reyes has surprisingly become a key contributor. The 29-year-old infielder is hitting .321/.360/.443 in 115 plate appearances since being acquired in a minor league trade with the A’s in May, earning him the starting second base job of late.

Mondesí is making a $3.045MM arbitration salary. He’ll be a free agent at year’s end and could be limited to minor league offers if he doesn’t make it to the diamond this season.

Red Sox Release Dan Altavilla

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The Red Sox have released right-hander Dan Altavilla, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The righty will now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity.

Altavilla, now 30, signed a two-year minor league deal with the Sox going into last year. That was a reflection of the fact that he underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2021 while with the Padres. He was outrighted by that club and became a free agent at season’s end but wasn’t likely to be able to provide too much in 2022, which led to the two-year deal with Boston. Such deals are somewhat common for players facing long rehabs, allowing the player to lock in some money and access team facilities while giving the club some longer control over their services.

The righty didn’t make it into any official action last year and began 2023 on the injured list as well. He finally began a rehab assignment over a month ago and made eight appearances in the minor leagues since then. He tossed 12 innings in those, allowing four earned runs for an ERA of 3.00. However, his 14.3% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate were both uninspiring in that small sample. It seems the Sox didn’t have much confidence in him providing much value to them down the stretch and have let him go.

He could still get chances elsewhere based on his pre-Tommy John track record. He made 119 appearances in the majors from 2016 to 2021, split between the Mariners and Padres. He had a 4.03 ERA in that time, with a high 12.1% walk rate but a strong 26.1% strikeout rate. He averaged around 97 mph on his fastball for much of that span and was able to touch triple digits at times. If he’s able to get himself back on track and earn a roster spot, he’ll have the potential to be retained for multiple years as his service time count is currently at four years and 63 days.

Joely Rodriguez’s Season In Jeopardy Due To Recurring Hip Pain

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Left-hander Joely Rodriguez has been shut down due to continued discomfort in his hip, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told MLB.com’s Ian Browne (Twitter link) and other reporters.  Rodriguez has already been on the 15-day injured list since July 29 due to his hip problem, and Cora acknowledged that the southpaw might have thrown his last pitch of the 2023 campaign.

It has been an injury-marred year for Rodriguez, who has tossed only 11 innings in his first season in Boston.  The lefty signed a one-year free agent deal last winter worth $2MM in guaranteed money, yet he suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain during Spring Training that delayed his season debut until May 17.  Rodriguez then missed another month due to shoulder inflammation, returning to action on July 8 and appearing in six games before his latest IL stint.

There was quite a gulf in Rodriguez’s performance in between IL visits, as he had an ugly 18.00 ERA over his five games and four innings prior to his shoulder-related injury absence.  In July, however, Rodriguez was much sharper, with seven scoreless innings and no walks over the six appearances before his hip injury sent him to the sidelines.  It works out to a 6.55 ERA for the season, and Rodriguez might not get a chance to improve on that total if his hip problem does indeed result in a permanent shutdown.

Rodriguez’s contract contains a 2024 club option worth $4.25MM, or the Red Sox can buy out that option for $500K.  Given the string of injuries, it certainly doesn’t seem like Boston will exercise that option, so Rodriguez is likely to be headed back to free agency.  Entering his age-32 season and with an injury-riddled 2023 behind him, Rodriguez may have to settle for a minor league deal or another low-guarantee MLB contract on the open market this winter, even if he can make it back for a few more innings near the end of Boston’s season.

The Sox have been looking for left-handed relief options for much of the year due to Rodriguez’s frequent absences, but it seems as though they have landed on a pair of solid lefties in Brennan Bernardino and Chris Murphy.  The bullpen as a whole got another boost today when Garrett Whitlock was activated from the 15-day IL, and Whitlock threw two scoreless innings and picked up the win in Boston’s 6-3 victory over the Tigers.

It was Whitlock’s first outing since July 3 due to a bout of right elbow inflammation, and the Sox plan to use him as a multi-inning reliever rather than a starter.  Whitlock has been much more effective as a reliever than as a starter over the last three seasons, plus the Red Sox also have Tanner Houck lined up for starting duty when Houck returns from his own IL stint.  Cora told Browne and company that Houck is slated to make one more minor league rehab start before being activated from the IL next week.

Red Sox Outright Dinelson Lamet

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On Saturday, August 12, the Boston Red Sox sent Dinelson Lamet outright to Triple-A Worcester, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. This comes four days after the right-hander was designated for assignment. He will have the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency, though it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so.

Lamet began the 2023 season in the Colorado Rockies organization, appearing in 16 games for the big league club. He posted a 12.66 ERA in 12 appearances out of the bullpen, and despite his struggles, the Rockies tried to transition him into a starting role. He put together a 10.80 ERA across four starts, and he was ultimately released after a four-inning, eight-run blow-up against the Braves.

Following his release, Lamet signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox and was assigned to Triple-A. The 31-year-old made five appearances (four starts) for Worcester, pitching to a 3.72 ERA in 19 1/3 innings. The Red Sox selected his contract on August 7, and he appeared in one game for the club, giving up four hits and three runs in two innings of work. He was DFA’d on Wednesday to make room for on the 40-man roster for Kyle Barraclough, another veteran right-handed arm and Lamet’s teammate from Triple-A.

It’s been a difficult few years for Lamet, who once looked like a promising member of the San Diego Padres’ core. He made his MLB debut in 2017, making 21 starts for the Padres. He threw 114 1/3 innings with a 4.57 ERA and 4.03 SIERA. He lost his 2018 season recovering from Tommy John surgery but came back strong in the second half of 2019, making 14 starts with a 4.07 ERA and 3.61 SIERA. He was even better during the shortened 2020 season, posting a 2.09 ERA in 12 starts. His ERA ranked third among qualified NL starters and finished fourth in voting for the NL Cy Young.

Unfortunately, things went south in 2021. An elbow injury that popped up at the end of the 2020 season kept him on the injured list for most of April, and forearm injuries plagued him as the year went on. The Padres eventually moved him to the bullpen, keeping him there in 2022. He continued to struggle with injury and inconsistency, and San Diego eventually flipped him to the Brewers at the trade deadline as a small piece in the Josh Hader deal. Milwaukee would designate him for assignment days later.

The Rockies scooped up Lamet for their own bullpen, where he had considerably more success. In 19 appearances, he pitched to a 4.05 ERA and 2.94 SIERA. After the season, he agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with Colorado to avoid his final year of arbitration. The Rockies are still on the hook for that since they released Lamet earlier in the year.  Lamet has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment while retaining his remaining salary, meaning it’s possible he’ll return to the open market in the coming days.

Yu Chang Accepts Outright Assignment

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Red Sox infielder Yu Chang went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated for assignment on Tuesday, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. According to Cotillo, Chang has decided to accept the assignment and report to Triple-A Worcester.

The righty-hitting infielder could’ve elected free agency, since he has more than three years of MLB service. Players with less than five years of service time would forfeit their guaranteed salary in rejecting an outright, however. Chang is guaranteed $850K on the offseason pact he inked with Boston. With roughly $238K still to be paid out, the 27-year-old will head to Triple-A.

Chang was pushed into regular shortstop duty early in the season thanks to Trevor Story’s elbow injury. Chang played well defensively but was in a massive slump at the plate for a few weeks. His regular run was cut short when he broke the hamate bone in his left wrist on a swing, costing him around two and a half months.

Boston reinstated Chang from the injured list in early July. His offensive struggles continued, as he managed only a .180/.219/.361 line through 65 trips to the dish. Story’s return this week pushed Chang off the roster entirely.

Over parts of five big league campaigns, the Taiwan native is a .204/.265/.359 hitter. Public defensive metrics have rated him highly throughout the infield, but Chang has never found a consistent footing at the plate. He owns a .260/.333/.426 mark over five Triple-A seasons. Chang joins Christian Arroyo — himself outrighted off the roster just last weekend — David Hamilton and Enmanuel Valdez among the middle infielders in Worcester. If the Sox don’t re-select his contract before season’s end, Chang would reach minor league free agency in the fall.

Red Sox Reinstate Chris Sale From 60-Day Injured List

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The Red Sox announced that they have reinstated left-hander Chris Sale from the 60-day injured list, with fellow lefty Brandon Walter optioned in a corresponding move. The 40-man roster previously had a vacancy but is now full. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported the moves prior to the official announcement. Sale will start tonight’s game against the Tigers.

Sale, 34, was once one of the best pitchers in the majors but his health has been the primary focus in recent years. He required Tommy John surgery in 2020, wiping out that season and most of 2021 as well. In 2022, a stress reaction in his ribs kept him out until July. He returned but fractured a finger when he was struck by a comebacker. While on the injured list for that ailment, he broke his wrist in a bicycle accident.

Here in 2023, it was relatively smooth sailing for a while. He tossed 59 innings over 11 starts, allowing 4.58 earned runs per nine innings but he probably deserved better. He struck out 28.5% of batters faced and walked 6%, but his .315 batting average on balls in play and 69.4% strand rate were both a bit on the unlucky side. Metrics like his 3.69 FIP and 3.47 SIERA painted a rosier picture of his season than his ERA.

In early June, he was placed on the 15-day injured list due to shoulder inflammation, though he was later moved to the 60-day IL with his condition described as a stress reaction in his shoulder blade. That has kept him out of action until now, just a bit beyond the 60-day minimum.

What the Sox will get from Sale at this point remains to be seen. His results earlier in the year were decent, but he’s already pitched more innings than in any season since 2019. Perhaps he will run into workload concerns, though his rotation mate James Paxton shows that’s not necessarily the case. The latter has thrown 80 1/3 innings this year with a 3.36 ERA after missing almost all of the previous three campaigns. Sale has one more guaranteed year remaining on his extension with a $27.5MM salary for 2024 and a $20MM club/vesting option for 2025.

Sale and Paxton figure to hold down two rotation spots for now, with Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford in the other three. Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck are both on rehab assignments right now and could factor into that mix soon, though manager Alex Cora recently said there’s “a good chance” Whitlock will be used as a multi-inning reliever upon his return.

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