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Cardinals Activate Aledmys Diaz From DL

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The Cardinals have activated shortstop Aledmys Diaz from the 15-day disabled list, per a club announcement. Diaz went on the DL on Aug. 2 with a hairline fracture in his left thumb.

[RELATED: Updated Cardinals Depth Chart]

Before suffering the injury, the 26-year-old Diaz was in the midst of one of the majors’ best rookie seasons. The Cuba native burst on the scene with a .423/.453/.732 batting line and a measly four strikeouts in 75 April plate appearances, and while the opening month was high-water mark prior to fracturing his thumb, his steady play continued through July. On the whole, Diaz has batted .312/.376/.518 in 401 PAs, swatted 14 homers and posted an outstanding 13.5 percent strikeout rate. While Diaz’s work in the field has left plenty to be desired (16 errors, minus-8 Ultimate Zone Rating, minus-3 Defensive Runs Saved), his bat has made him an eminently valuable commodity – which no one expected when the Cardinals designated him for assignment in July 2015.

In theory, Diaz’s return should be a welcome one for the 75-66 Redbirds, who are a half-game up on the Mets for the second wild-card spot in the National League. However, the club’s middle infield actually fared well without him, as Jedd Gyorko, Kolten Wong and Greg Garcia have each enjoyed productive seasons. It’s unknown how manager Mike Matheny will deploy the group going forward. For now, Diaz isn’t in the Cardinals’ lineup against the Brewers on Sunday.

“Just being healthy isn’t necessarily the answer to everything right now,” Matheny said Saturday (via Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “We also have to get his timing right, get him confident with how he feels at the plate.”

Athletics Release Billy Butler

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The Athletics have released first/baseman designated hitter Billy Butler, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Slusser reported Friday that Butler would not return to the A’s in 2017, so their decision to cut ties with him now isn’t a complete surprise.

[RELATED: Updated A’s Depth Chart]

In a move that looked questionable at best from the get-go, low-payroll Oakland signed Butler to a three-year, $30MM contract in free agency after the 2014 season. The longtime Royal was coming off his worst season since 2008, having hit .271/.323/.379 with nine home runs in 603 plate appearances, and he wasn’t any better during his nearly two-year stint with the A’s. Butler, 30, combined to bat an underwhelming .258/.325/.394 with 19 homers in 843 trips to the plate with Oakland. Thanks to the package of below-average offense, defense and base running he provided to the A’s, Butler accounted for minus-1.2 fWAR with the club, tying him for the majors’ 18th-worst mark among position players since last season.

In addition to his on-field difficulties with the A’s, Butler was involved in a clubhouse altercation with teammate Danny Valencia last month. The two engaged in a verbal dispute after Butler made comments that may have interfered with an endorsement deal for Valencia. It escalated to the point of physical contact before Valencia struck Butler with one or more punches. Butler reported being fine afterward, but he then began exhibiting nausea and vomiting. While the A’s fined the pair undisclosed amounts, general manager David Forst said Sunday that the confrontation didn’t factor into Butler’s release (Twitter link via Slusser).

All told, Butler’s tenure in Oakland was an unmitigated disaster for a player who enjoyed a five-year stretch of solidly above-average offense with Kansas City from 2009-13. During that period, the 2004 first-round pick slashed a terrific .302/.372/.469 with 99 homers in 3,370 PAs. That half-decade showing ultimately led to his deal with the A’s, who will now eat the $10MM-plus remaining on his contract.

Rangers Activate Colby Lewis, Designate Michael Roth

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The Rangers have activated right-hander Colby Lewis from the 60-day disabled list and designated left-hander Michael Roth in a corresponding move, according to the team’s executive vice president of communications, John Blake.

Lewis, out since late June with a lat strain, was highly effective for the Rangers during the season’s first two-plus months. The 37-year-old registered a 3.21 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 1.74 BB/9 in 98 innings for a club that had been without ace Yu Darvish for a significant portion of time. Lewis, who will start Sunday against the Angels, will now join Darvish and Cole Hamels atop the Rangers’ rotation as the team moves toward clinching the American League West. At 85-58, Texas holds a 9 1/2-game lead in its division and owns the best record in the AL.

Roth, 26, has spent the vast majority of this year as a member of the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, Round Rock, with which he logged an impressive 2.97 ERA over 145 1/3 innings. He has thrown 3 2/3 frames with Texas this year, giving him a career 38 major league innings with the Rangers, Angels and Indians. The 2012 ninth-round pick has recorded an 8.50 ERA, 7.25 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 over that limited sample size.

Marlins Want To Re-Sign Martin Prado

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The Marlins want to re-sign impending free agent Martin Prado and could offer the third baseman a two-year deal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Prado, who will turn 33 in October, has long been a quality contributor and is amid yet another solid campaign. In 136 games and 590 plate appearances, Prado has slashed .309/.361/.418 while grading as a plus defender for the sixth straight year. Prado was also effective last season, his first in Miami, as he batted .288/.338/.394 and accounted for 3.2 fWAR in 551 trips to the plate.

Prado joined the Marlins in a December 2014 trade that has served Miami well. In addition to Prado, the Marlins acquired right-hander David Phelps from the Yankees for a package including righty Nathan Eovaldi and first baseman/outfielder Garrett Jones. Phelps has been terrific this season, while Eovaldi was inconsistent in his first year-plus as a Yankee before undergoing Tommy John surgery last month. Jones appeared in only 57 games with New York last year and is currently playing in Japan.

If Prado leaves Miami after the season, he’ll join his fifth major league team (he has also played for the Braves and Diamondbacks). That might mean landing with yet another NL East club, Philadelphia, which FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported Thursday could have interest in him. Prado is set to conclude the four-year, $40MM contract he signed with Arizona in 2013, and the career .293/.342/.424 hitter should be in line to match or surpass his current average annual value of $10MM during the offseason.

For the Marlins, losing Prado could lead to Derek Dietrich taking over at third base. Dietrich has mostly played in the infield, including logging time at third base, since making his major league debut in 2013. The 27-year-old has slashed .271/.364/.397 in 371 PAs this season.

Orioles Activate Chris Tillman

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In welcome news for the playoff-contending Orioles, the club has reinstated right-hander Chris Tillman from the 15-day disabled list. Tillman, who landed on the shelf Aug. 24 with bursitis in his throwing shoulder, will start Sunday against Detroit.

[RELATED: Updated Orioles Depth Chart]

Aside from Kevin Gausman, no Orioles starter has been superior to Tillman this season. The 28-year-old leads the team in innings (153) and is second to Gausman in ERA (3.76), though metrics like FIP (4.29), xFIP (4.49) and SIERA (4.57) indicate that Tillman has been fortunate to prevent runs at his currently above-average mark. Nevertheless, Tillman is a quality option, one the Orioles will likely need if they’re going to earn a postseason berth this year.

Baltimore is a solid 77-64, two games behind American League East-leading Boston and a game up on the Tigers in the wild-card race, but the club has gone just 26-28 since the All-Star break. Orioles starters have been in the middle of the AL pack in ERA (4.35) and toward the bottom in K/BB ratio (2.22) since the second half of the season started, and Tillman has been subpar in both categories (4.76 and 1.87) during that span. Ideally for the Orioles, he’ll revisit his first-half form (3.41 ERA, 2.28 K/BB) in the coming weeks.

A.J. Pierzynski To Retire?

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SUNDAY: The Braves have placed Pierzynski on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring, per a team announcement. Based on Saturday’s retirement rumblings, it’s possible he has played his last game.

SATURDAY, 10:52pm: In yet another twist, Pierzynski has left the door for retirement open, telling reporters, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring, but if that’s it, then it was fun” (Twitter link via O’Brien).

10:37pm: False alarm: Pierzynski is not retiring, reports O’Brien (Twitter link). Starter Julio Teheran handed out cigars to celebrate the recent birth of his son.

10:03pm: Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski has decided to retire, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Pierzynski was hugging teammates and handing out cigars after the Braves’ win over the Mets on Saturday, per O’Brien.

The polarizing Pierzynski, 39, played for seven teams in parts of 18 major league campaigns. His final season didn’t go well, as he batted just .219/.243/.304 in 259 plate appearances, but he was a quality contributor as recently as last year. In his first of two years in Atlanta, Pierzynski slashed .300/.339/.430 over 436 trips to the plate, leading the club to re-sign him last offseason to a one-year deal with a $3MM base salary.

Before joining the Braves, Pierzynski divided an unproductive 2014 between St. Louis and Boston. He previously played for the Rangers, White Sox, Giants and Twins, and will be best remembered for his time in Chicago. During his tenure with the White Sox from 2005-12, Pierzynski helped the club to a World Series title in his first year in Chicago, caught a no-hitter from Mark Buehrle and Philip Humber’s perfect game, played in no fewer than 128 games in each individual season, and earned his second and final career All-Star nod in 2006. That year, Pierzynski drew the ire of Cubs catcher Michael Barrett, who punched Pierzynski after a home plate collision and incited a brawl between the teams during a May matchup.

The year before he arrived in Chicago, Pierzynski spent 2004 in San Francisco, which acquired him in one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory. To land Pierzynski, the Giants sent southpaw Francisco Liriano, all-time great closer Joe Nathan and right-hander Boof Bonser to the Twins. While the Twins reaped the rewards of that return for several years, Pierzynski disappointed in San Francisco and then signed as a free agent with the White Sox.

Pierzynski, whom the Twins selected in the third round of the 1994 draft, hit .280/.318/.420 with 188 home runs in 7,813 career trips to the plate and was worth in the neighborhood of 23.0 WAR, according to both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference – the latter of which lists his career earnings as upward of $61MM. MLBTR congratulates Pierzynski on a fine career.

AL Notes: Shoemaker, Tigers, Red Sox

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Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker was admitted to an Anaheim-area hospital Saturday to check for swelling in his brain, Austin Laymance of MLB.com was among those to report. Shoemaker underwent surgery last Sunday on a small skull fracture and a hematoma to stop the bleeding on his brain after taking a 105 mph line drive off the head. The CT scan Shoemaker had Saturday came back negative, fortunately, though he did stay at the hospital overnight for observation.

More from the American League:

  • Tigers righty Jordan Zimmermann returned Saturday from a month-plus absence stemming from a neck strain, but the 30-year-old put up a disastrous showing in an 11-3 loss to Baltimore. Zimmermann allowed six earned runs on four hits, including three home runs, and three walks in an inning of work. After the game, manager Brad Ausmus wasn’t willing to commit to Zimmermann for another start, relays Katie Strang of ESPN.com. Fellow righty Michael Fulmer’s status complicates matters, though, as Evan Woodbery of MLive.com details. With the Tigers monitoring the AL Rookie of the Year front-runner’s workload, they might not be able to pull Zimmermann from their rotation. If Detroit elects to send Zimmermann to the bullpen and skip at least one Fulmer start, it could open the door for veteran Mike Pelfrey, but he has been out for over a month and isn’t stretched out. Whatever the Tigers ultimately decide, the production they have gotten from Zimmermann (4.94 ERA, 5.49 K/9 in 94 1/3 innings) clearly isn’t what they had in mind when they signed the ex-National to a five-year, $110MM deal in the offseason.
  • Manager John Farrell said Saturday that the first-place Red Sox are likely going to use elite infield prospect Yoan Moncada as a reserve for the rest of the season, writes Ian Browne of MLB.com. While Moncada has picked up five starts at third base since debuting Sept. 2, the 21-year-old has struck out 11 times and walked only once in 19 plate appearances. At the same time, fellow third baseman Travis Shaw has been swinging a hot bat, which doesn’t bode well for Moncada’s chances to garner playing time. “This is a great learning experience for Yoan,” Farrell said of Moncada. “I think while he got a boost of confidence by coming to the big leagues, you get challenged a little bit and you have to take a step back to rebuild that. Still, our primary goal is to win. Development in this situation does not take a front seat.”
  • Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos, out DL since Aug. 6 after fracturing his left hand on a hit by pitch, hopes to return next week. “My goal is to be back before the 18th,” he stated (via Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press). Castellanos, who has been taking ground balls and hitting in cages, will take batting practice Monday. If that goes well, the Tigers will set up a simulated game, per Ausmus. At the time of his injury, Castellanos was in the midst of a career year, having hit .286/.331/.500 with 18 home runs in 432 plate appearances. Replacements Casey McGehee and Erick Aybar haven’t come close to matching those numbers for the Tigers, who are a game out of of a wild-card spot.

MLBTR Originals

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MLBTR’s original features from the past week:

  • Zach Links was among the reporters who joined the Mets’ conference call after they signed Tim Tebow to a minor league deal Thursday. Both Tebow and Mets general manager Sandy Alderson spoke about the former NFL quarterback’s new career.
  • Jeff Todd examined the free agent stock of Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss, who has bounced back from a rough 2015 to serve as an important part of the Redbirds’ lineup in a contract year.
  • Steve Adams highlighted eight former top prospects who rejoined their major league teams this month and are now looking to make their respective marks in the season’s final weeks.
  • Before Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw returned Friday from his two-plus-month absence, I polled readers on whether the three-time Cy Young winner deserves serious consideration for the award this year.
  • Steve surveyed readers on the future of Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who could be a non-tender or trade candidate during the upcoming offseason.

Dave Roberts On Rich Hill’s Near-Perfect Game

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The Dodgers’ Rich Hill was six outs away from throwing a perfect game against the Marlins on Saturday, but manager Dave Roberts made the difficult decision to pull him after only 89 pitches. On the heels of Hill’s departure, Marlins outfielder Jeff Francoeur ended the Dodgers’ perfect game bid with an eighth-inning single off Joe Blanton.

Roberts explained why he made the move afterward, revealing that there were signs of the nagging blister on Hill’s left index finger returning, tweets Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Hill, who struck out nine and could have tossed the 24th perfect game in major league history, countered Roberts by telling reporters that his finger felt fine (Twitter link via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com).

“I feel sick to my stomach,” said Roberts, who was on the verge of tears, per McCullough (Twitter links). “I’m going to lose sleep tonight. And I probably should.” 

The Dodgers logged a 5-0 win to improve to 80-61 – good for a 4 1/2-game lead in the National League West. However, Roberts added that this particular victory feels like a loss (Twitter link via McCullough). This isn’t the first time Roberts has elected to stop one of his pitchers from a chance at making history, though his call to remove right-hander Ross Stripling from a no-hitter in his April 8 major league debut against the Giants wasn’t nearly as controversial. Stripling had already thrown 100 pitches through 7 1/3 innings, and Roberts said it was a “no-brainer” to take the rookie out of what was a tight game.

Hill, meanwhile, has cruised all year, having compiled a 1.80 ERA, 10.42 K/9 and 2.84 BB/9 in 95 innings, but injuries have robbed him of enjoying a full campaign. While the blister issue has bothered the 36-year-old journeyman since mid-July, that didn’t stop the Dodgers from trading a haul to the Athletics for him and outfielder Josh Reddick before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. LA has reaped the rewards when Hill has pitched, as he has spun 19 scoreless innings with 20 strikeouts and two walks in three starts. Ideally for the Dodgers, Hill will serve as an integral component of a playoff rotation in October, and their World Series hopes unsurprisingly factored into Roberts’ move to pull him.

“Nothing in my opinion is worth compromising our opportunity to win a championship,” offered Roberts (Twitter link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).

In addition to trying to help the Dodgers win a title, a healthy Hill could pitch his way into a rich contract during the upcoming offseason. Despite his age, limited track record and durability questions, Hill will likely cash in as arguably the best starter in a weak free agent market. Hill was toiling in the independent Atlantic League a summer ago, but he has performed like an ace since a four-start stretch with the Red Sox last September.

Giants Attempted To Acquire Wade Davis

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The Giants aggressively pursued Royals closer Wade Davis in advance of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Davis’ name came up in many pre-deadline rumors, but the chances of the Royals parting with him evaporated when the right-hander landed on the disabled list with a flexor strain July 31.

Acquiring Davis undoubtedly would have been costly for San Francisco, though there’s no word on whether any of its trade chips intrigued Kansas City enough to make a deal possible. To cite one report, the Royals were seeking premier pitching prospect Lucas Giolito from the Nationals in return for the lights-out reliever.

A healthy Davis likely would have helped the Giants’ playoff odds – which have been shrinking throughout the season’s second half – more than deadline pickup Will Smith has. In dealing pitching prospect Phil Bickford and catcher Andrew Susac to Milwaukee, the Giants paid a hefty price for Smith, who has since yielded six earned runs on 11 hits in 9 2/3 innings. However, the left-hander has impressed with 12 strikeouts against four walks and hasn’t allowed a run in the seven innings he has amassed since Aug. 18.

The Giants’ team-wide woes began well before the deadline. Since going 57-33 prior to the All-Star break, the club has recorded a dreadful 18-32 mark. At 75-65, the Giants are now in second place by four games in the National League West, a division they once led comfortably, and hold a tenuous grip on a wild-card spot. It hasn’t helped matters that San Francisco’s bullpen has been without its best option, Derek Law, since late August because of an elbow strain. Law should return next week, and it’s possible he’ll emerge as the Giants’ closer down the stretch. Santiago Casilla held that role until manager Bruce Bochy took it away from him Friday.

Looking ahead to the offseason, the Giants and Royals could once again resume talks centering on Davis, who returned from the DL on Sept. 2. Kansas City would have to be willing to listen, of course, and the reigning World Series champions could eschew moving him in favor of taking another run at a championship in 2017. The Royals are unlikely to make the playoffs this year and will face questions on whether to shop Davis, among several other veterans on soon-to-expire contracts, in the offseason. Davis has a $10.5MM club option for next season, the final year of his deal.

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