The Rays optioned catcher Hank Conger to Triple-A on Monday, reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin, who adds that either J.P. Arencibia or Luke Maile will likely replace him. Before joining the Rays via trade with the Astros in the offseason, Conger served as an excellent pitch-framing defensive option and, in both 2013 and ’15, a league-average bat over 484 plate appearances. Neither has held true this year, though, as Conger has hit an ugly .194/.265/.306 through 137 major league plate trips and earned negative pitch-framing marks. The 27-year-old also had a stretch of allowing 48 straight stolen bases dating back to last season, though he put an end to that May 1. Overall, Conger threw out 8 of 35 would-be base stealers this year prior to Monday’s demotion.
More from the AL East:
- The .500 Yankees have told left-handed reliever Andrew Miller that they’ll trade him by the Aug. 1 deadline if an offer comes along that’s too enticing to pass on, he said Monday (Twitter link via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). It’s unclear what kind of package would compel the Yankees to deal Miller, but the 31-year-old has established himself as an elite bullpen weapon in recent seasons and should be able to bring back an impressive return. Miller, who’s signed through 2018 at a reasonable $9MM per year, has thrown 101 innings as a Yankee going back to last season and put up a 1.78 ERA, 15.06 K/9, 2.23 BB/9 and 51.1 percent ground-ball rate.
- The Blue Jays and pending free agent Edwin Encarnacion have not restarted dormant contract talks, the designated hitter and first baseman told Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). “Nothing. We don’t talk anymore about that,” said Encarnacion, whom MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes currently ranks as the third-best free agent in the upcoming class. With a .267/.358/.541 line and 23 home runs in 387 plate appearances, the 33-year-old has remained among the game’s most formidable sluggers this season.
- Soon-to-be 40-year-old Yankees right fielder and DH Carlos Beltran is aiming to play two more years – though he acknowledged that he’d likely to have remain in the AL because of the DH – writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The way I’m contributing and the way I feel physically, two more years would be a great accomplishment for me personally and give me a chance to win a World Series,” said the free agent-to-be and potential trade chip at this year’s deadline. A potential future Hall of Famer, Beltran has slashed .299/.338/.550 with 19 home runs in 320 PAs this year en route to his ninth All-Star selection.
Stop the miller rumors! He’s not going anywhere.
It’s not a rumor when THE YANKEES tell him they will trade him if the package offered is to good to pass up. Miller himself posted that on his Twitter page. Read the article
He’ll only go somewhere if a team builds a package similar to what the Phillies got for Giles or what the Padres got for Kimbrel. At that point, how could they say no?
I would like to keep Miller too but if Texas offers Gallo I would deal him
Ahh because the Yankees love them their high power-high strikeout guys.
Umm are the ads censored in any way at all?
Ads are a product of what you google yourself
The fact that I Google myself should have nothing to do with what ads pop up.
Yanks aren’t going anywhere this year. If someone’s desperate enough to offer them a haul in exchange for Miller, they’d be silly to hold onto him.
That’s no a fact, just your opinion…
That’s a fact. They took 3 of 4 from the Indians this weekend and were 4.5GB at the start of the series and now they are only 5.5GB. Best baseball played this weekend and they still took a step back.
The Yankees need to rebuild. No veteran should be off-limits if the offer is good enough.
What could the Yankees expect to get for another garbage reliever who couldn’t make it as a starter?
Miller isn’t a garbage reliever. And a vast majority of relievers were failed starters at some points in their career
Haha garbage reliever that’s an all star and has a sub 2 era. Keep on telling yourself he’s garbage when two or three top prospects are offered in return for him. And that’s general us
He’s legitimately one of the best in the game.
That’s gotta be one of the dumbest and more ignorant comments I’ve seen on here in a bit, and that’s saying something haha… To say Miller is a garbage reliever is laughable at best, and I attempted to take the comment as sarcasm, but after 2nd thought you’re obviously an idiot. Miller will ONLY get moved if some team puts a package on the table that rivals what the Phillies got for Giles or what the Padres got for Kimbrel. If the Cubs won’t put up Schwarber or Baez to start, they won’t be getting him. If a team wants 1 of the top 3 relievers in all of baseball the past 3 years, they will HAVE to meet the Yankees’ asking price or they won’t get Miller, plain and simple. Bobby Valentine was not a good manager in Boston, but getting Miller to change his motion was the BEST thing he ever did while in Boston.
the JAYS should go get Miller we need another quality pen arm
That’d be great and all, but who are you going to offer? Jays simply don’t have the elite prospect the Yankees will want. Maybe they’d take Alford or Pentecost but I doubt it.
I doubt Miller gets traded to another team in the ALE. Then again, he has once before.
Well murderes row … The Cubs are not putting up Schwarber or Baez … To start so keep him. In fact you would not get Schwarber or Baez even up for Miller. You are delusional.
I’m not delusional, that’s what has been reported/floated around. No team is getting a top 3 reliever in all of baseball, on an extremely team friendly contract for 2 more years without giving up a ton to get him.
When the Cubbies start fading, and Theo feels the heat, he’ll start dealing …
You do know that Schwarber would be like the 3rd piece in a 4 player deal for Miller, right? Miller is a top 3 closer at the deadline and Schwarber is an injured, bad-body DH who has an insane bust-rate due to his k-rate.
Doesn’t it go without saying that any team will trade any player if the offer is too enticing to pass on? Isn’t that what those words mean?