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Archives for May 2017

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/16/17

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Here are the day’s minor moves, all by way of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted:

  • Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros have released Triple-A righty Keegan Yuhl and Double-A lefty Michael Freeman (Twitter links). Yuhl, 25, had a solid Double-A season in 2016 but has been torched for 58 earned runs in 46 Triple-A innings since being promoted on the heels of his strong Double-A output last year. Freeman, also 25, had a seemingly encouraging 3.15 ERA with Double-A this year but walked 16 batters (against 14 strikeouts), hit three more and threw three wild pitches in just 20 innings. He was Houston’s seventh-round pick as recently as 2015.

Earlier Moves

  • The Diamondbacks have released veteran lefty Brian Matusz. Once a fixture in the Orioles’ pen, Matusz has struggled to regain his footing over the past two seasons. He was hit hard in nine MLB frames last year and was off to a rough start with the D-backs organization. Through 17 2/3 innings at Triple-A, he carried a 6.11 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.
  • The Padres also released first baseman/outfielder Jamie Romak, among a few others. The 31-year-old has seen brief MLB time in two seasons, then struggled badly last year in a short stint in Japan. He was, however, off to quite a nice start at Triple-A, with a .347/.392/.800 slash and 11 home runs over 102 plate appearances.
  • First baseman Ben Paulsen was given his release by the Twins, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports on Twitter. The 29-year-old, who slashed a Coors Field-aided .271/.316/.446 over the past three MLB seasons, was hitting .230/.278/.432 with three home runs over 79 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • Meanwhile, the Twins added righty Kam Mickolio, the 33-year-old reliever who has been pitching in Japan since wrapping up a brief MLB career. The towering hurler generated excellent results in the NPB, with 208 1/3 innings of 2.42 ERA ball and 6.5 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
  • The Orioles cut ties with third baseman Juan Francisco. Still just 29 years of age, the six-year MLB veteran hasn’t seen the majors since 2014 — which is also the last year in which he accumulated any playing time with an affiliated organization. Over 1,091 total trips to the plate in the majors, he owns a .236/.297/.439 slash with 48 long balls.
  • Righty Erik Cordier was released by the Red Sox, who signed him after a stint last year in Japan. Cordier, 31, has seen the majors briefly but went to the Orix Buffaloes for the 2016 campaign. He managed only a 7.30 ERA through 12 1/3 innings there. His early work at Triple-A Pawtucket in the current season was somewhat interesting. Through 8 1/3 innings, Cordier has allowed five earned runs on just four hits, with 15 strikeouts against nine walks.
  • The Nationals have parted ways with 2013 second-rounder Jake Johansen, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Johansen, 26, had reached Double-A for this first time this year. Through 11 2/3 innings, he had permitted eight earned runs on 11 hits and eight walks while recording 13 strikeouts.
  • The Royals have released righty Evan Beal, according to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (via Twitter). The former eighth-round draft pick had been working at Double-A, where he owned a 5.40 ERA through 15 innings with 5.4 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9.
  • The Giants reached a minors deal with righty Collin Balester. The 30-year-old appeared briefly last year in the Korea Baseball Organization’s Samsung Lions. His most recent affiliated action came in 2015, when he posted solid results in the upper minors but struggled to a 7.47 ERA over 15 2/3 MLB innings.

Tigers Agree To Minors Deal With Matt Den Dekker

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The Tigers have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran outfielder Matt den Dekker, Evan Woodberry of MLive.com tweets. The 29-year-old den Dekker will report to Triple-A Toledo.

[Related: Updated Tigers depth chart]

den Dekker has spent time in the Majors in each of the past four seasons, logging 237 plate appearances for the Mets in 2013-14 before tallying 149 PAs on the other side of the division rivalry with the Nationals from 2015-16. In that time, he’s recorded a .236/.318/.359 batting line with seven homers and a dozen stolen bases. Capable of playing all three outfield spots, den Dekker has received positive overall grades from Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.

As for the 2017 season, den Dekker once again opened the year in the NL East, reporting to the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans after failing to make the club out of Spring Training. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro recently reported that he’d exercised an opt-out clause after hitting .247/.280/.481 with three homers, seven doubles and a triple through 82 PAs with New Orleans.

With the return of J.D. Martinez from the disabled list, there’s one less spot in the Tigers’ Major League outfield. Both Martinez and Justin Upton are locked into the outfield corners, though center field is murkier. Mikie Mahtook has struggled at the plate all season (.184/.262/.316), while Andrew Romine has moved to center field out of necessity but cooled after a slow start (.230/.302/.391). Tyler Collins, too, is capable of playing center field but has batted just .226/.294/.323. JaCoby Jones, meanwhile, was demoted to Triple-A earlier this year and is currently hitting .250/.344/.375 in Toledo.

Mariners Place Robinson Cano On Disabled List

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The Mariners announced on Tuesday that second baseman Robinson Cano has been placed on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to May 13, with a strained right quadriceps. Though Cano hasn’t played since May 10, the newly implemented 10-day disabled list only allows teams to backdate DL stints by a maximum of three days.

Cano becomes the latest key Mariners contributor to land on the DL, as he joins the vast majority of the starting rotation — Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton, Drew Smyly — and breakout rookie Mitch Haniger on the shelf. Relievers Evan Marshall, Evan Scribner and Shae Simmons are all on the disabled list, too, as is utilityman Shawn O’Malley.

Seattle’s press release doesn’t include any quotes from GM Jerry Dipoto on Cano’s status, nor does it include any type of timetable for his return. However, to this point there’s been nothing to suggest that Cano is in for a lengthy stay on the DL. That said, even a minimal absence for Cano is a tough pill for the Mariners to swallow. Though 2017 represents Cano’s age-34 campaign, he turned in one of the finest seasons of his career in 2016 and has actually been performing at a higher level thus far in 2017. Through 34 games (152 plate appearances), the seven-time All-Star is batting .296/.362/.533 with eight homers and eight doubles.

Outfielder Boog Powell has been recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to take Cano’s spot on the active roster. While he obviously won’t be a candidate to fill in for Cano at second base, the Mariners didn’t necessarily need to recall an infielder, as reserve players Taylor Motter and Mike Freeman are both capable of playing second base.

White Sox Outright Cody Asche

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Outfielder/corner infielder Cody Asche has been outrighted off the White Sox’ 40-man roster, according to Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (Twitter link). Asche has accepted his assignment to Triple-A Charlotte, Hayes adds.

Asche’s removal from the 40-man roster leaves Chicago’s 40-man count at 39. The team opened a spot for right-hander Gregory Infante by placing Geovany Soto on the 60-day disabled list yesterday, but it’s not yet clear what the corresponding move for Asche’s outright will be.

Once one of the top prospects in the Phillies organization, the now-26-year-old Asche has stumbled in multiple auditions at the Major League level. Although he owns a strong .297/.359/.491 batting line across parts of four Triple-A campaigns (644 plate appearances), Asche has managed just a .234/.293/.376 triple slash in the Majors. That includes a woeful .105/.177/.175 effort through 62 plate appearances with the White Sox this season.

Orioles Outright Craig Gentry

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The Orioles announced that veteran outfielder Craig Gentry has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk in order to clear a spot on the active roster for Welington Castillo, who has been reinstated from the disabled list. The 33-year-old Gentry will have the option of rejecting that outright assignment in favor of free agency if he wishes.

[Related: Updated Baltimore Orioles depth chart]

Castillo’s return means that Baltimore is now carrying three catchers, as both Caleb Joseph and Francisco Pena (the latter of whom is out of minor league options) remain on the big league roster. And, as MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli points out, this move also means that Baltimore will (presumably briefly) utilize a six-man bullpen. Certainly, it seems likely that the O’s will look to get back to a seven-man bullpen in the near future.

Gentry, long a light-hitting defensive standout, has appeared in 33 games for the O’s this season but received just 44 plate appearances, with the result being a lackluster .162/.256/.270 batting line. Gentry’s struggles at the plate in limited action aren’t a new development, as he’s endured similar difficulties both 2015 and 2016.

Prior to that, he turned in a solid four-year stretch with the Rangers and A’s, during which he batted a combined .278/.353/.355 (plus 75 stolen bases in 87 attempts). The right-handed-hitting Gentry has a track record of posting useful numbers against left-handed pitching and could remain with the O’s as a depth option or latch on with a new club in need of some defensive-minded outfield depth.

Rangers Put Carlos Gomez On DL, Select Contract Of Jared Hoying

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May 16: The Rangers have now formally announced that Gomez is on the 10-day disabled list. They’ve selected Hoying’s contract from Triple-A Round Rock and transferred infielder Hanser Alberto from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL in a pair of corresponding moves.

The 27-year-old Hoying appeared in 39 games with the Rangers last year but saw just 49 plate appearances and batted .217/.265/.261. Hoying has a respectable, if unspectacular minor league track record, though, and had logged a .242/.336/.477 batting line in Triple-A to open the year. That .812 OPS is a near-mirror image of the .810 mark he logged in 100 Triple-A contests last season.

Alberto has been on the disabled list since Opening Day due to tightness in his right shoulder and is now ineligible to return until at least June 1.

[Related: Updated Texas Rangers Depth Chart]

May 15: The Rangers have placed center fielder Carlos Gomez on the 10-day disabled list due to a right hamstring strain that will sideline him for the next four to six weeks, the team announced on Monday. A corresponding roster move will be announced tomorrow.

Signed to a one-year, $11.5MM contract this offseason after a stellar September run with the Rangers last year, Gomez got off to a slow start to his 2017 season. However, the 31-year-old had come to life at the plate in recent weeks, slashing an outstanding .315/.397/.519 with six doubles, a triple, a home run and three stolen bases over the life of his past 15 games.

With Gomez on the shelf the Rangers can shift Delino DeShields Jr. to center field and once again try out a platoon of Ryan Rua and Jurickson Profar in left field, though that’s merely one of several options they’re likely considering. Texas is thin on upper-level outfield depth on the 40-man roster, though Travis Snider and Jared Hoying represent non-40-man outfielders that are on the Triple-A roster and come with big league experience.

An absence of four to six weeks is a blow to the earning power of Gomez, who had hoped to rebound from a down year in 2016 and re-enter the open market this coming offseason in search of a multi-year deal. However, if he’s able to maintain the majority of the production he was beginning to show prior to his injury upon returning, he’s still young enough and talented enough that a sizable multi-year offer could await him in his next foray into free agency.

Rangers Sign Drew Stubbs

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The Rangers have reached a minor-league deal with outfielder Drew Stubbs, per a club announcement. The 32-year-old will report to Triple-A Round Rock.

Stubbs was recently cut loose by the Giants after a 10-game run. He has seen a variety of similarly short stints over the past two seasons — including a pair with the Texas organization. Clearly, the sides are familiar with one another at this point.

[Related: Updated Texas Rangers depth chart]

All told, Stubbs owns a .242/.313/.391 batting line over his nine season of major league action. He was a regular contributor from 2010 through 2014, but has functioned more as a depth piece ever since he was cut loose by the Rockies early in 2015. He’s capable of playing center field and has handled lefties at a respectable clip throughout his career, so he could eventually resurface with the Rangers in a reserve capacity. Texas is without Carlos Gomez for the next four to six weeks due to a hamstring injury, so bringing Stubbs into the fold at Round Rock helps to cover that absence.

Blue Jays Re-Sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia

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The Blue Jays have re-signed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a minor-league deal, per a club announcement. He’ll head to Triple-A Buffalo.

Saltalamacchia, 32, opened as the Jays’ reserve backstop but had a brutal start to the season. Over his 26 plate appearances, the switch-hitter went down on strikes 16 times while reaching base just twice. He was also struggling to keep opposing baserunners at first base.

[Related: Updated Toronto Blue Jays depth chart]

While the on-base and fielding skills have always lagged for Saltalamacchia, he’ll obviously need to show more to find his way back to the majors. Still, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll rebound from that dreadful opening, though he’ll also now have to climb over both Luke Maile and Mike Ohlman on the depth chart.

“Salty” has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride in recent years. But he has been an effective hitter as recently as 2015, when he gave the Diamondbacks 194 plate appearances of .251/.332/.474 hitting. Even last year, when his OBP dipped below .300 in a 92-game run with the Tigers, Saltalamacchia blasted a dozen home runs and a .175 isolated slugging percentage — right at his career average and well over the .150 average among catchers around the game.

Reds Claim Peter O’Brien

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The Reds have claimed first baseman/outfielder Peter O’Brien off waivers from the Royals, per a club announcement. He has been optioned to Triple-A. Lefty Brandon Finnegan will head to the 60-day DL to create 40-man space.

[Related: Updated Cincinnati Reds depth chart]

Cincinnati has had some recent success with plucking high-power prospects who had fallen out of favor with other organizations, and will look to do just that here. O’Brien was designated recently by Kansas City, though he had not appeared at the major league level with the organization. Over his 115 plate appearances on the year at Triple-A, the 26-year-old owns a .162/.235/.276 slash with 31 strikeouts.

That’s a disappointing showing, to be sure, but it’s not a representative sample of O’Brien’s overall minor-league track record. He has been a steadily productive hitter, and carries a .259/.307/.503 batting line with 53 home runs in 1,083 career plate appearances at the highest level of the minors. Though his high-strikeout, low-walk approach makes him a questionable bet ever to reach base at a palatable clip in the majors, O’Brien’s power is a strong enough tool that the Reds will take a chance.

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