The Orioles will select the contracts of right-hander Ryan Meisinger and left-hander Paul Fry on Friday, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Baltimore has a full 40-man roster, so the O’s will need to make a pair of corresponding moves to accommodate the pair of new additions.
Meisinger, 24, was the Orioles’ 11th-round pick back in 2015. After a solid season in Double-A last year (3.00 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 63 innings), he opened the 2018 season for a second stint there but moved up to Triple-A in relatively short order. He’s been lights out in Norfolk since that promotion, tossing 22 innings with a 30-to-5 K/BB ratio and a 2.05 ERA. He wasn’t considered to be among the organization’s top tier of prospects heading into the season, though he’s certainly elevated his stock with a terrific showing so far in Triple-A.
For the 25-year-old Fry, this’ll be his second call to the Majors, though he’s still looking for his first MLB appearance. Baltimore recalled him last April, but he never got into a game in the two days he spent in the Majors. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster later that season.
Like Meisinger, Fry has pitched well between Double-A and Triple-A this season. In a combined 42 1/3 innings of relief, he’s worked to a 3.19 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9. Fry posted a 68.6 percent ground-ball rate in 19 innings of Double-A ball and has a 51.7 percent grounder rate in 23 1/3 innings in Triple-A. He’s allowed just four home runs on the season, and lefties have logged an awful .194/.286/.323 slash against him so far in 2018.
I’m surprised they’re not reactivating Tillman.
Tillman can’t get people out in A-ball right now.
But Tilly has a track record!
Unfortunately that track record now contains a prolonged awful stretch. Love what he’s done for the O’s during a successful organizational run but I think his career is likely over.
Sidney Ponson is available I heard. Rocky Coppinger too!
Two words. Brad. Pennington.
This has to be the end of either Mike Wright or Pedro Araujo.
Scratch that. IDk if we’ll boot Araujo off while he’s on the DL and Mike Wright has lowered his ERA and we clearly won’t give up on the guy. Maybe Vielma to the 60 day and we DFA corban joseph or maybe Susac?
Demotion of Yac and/or Ramirez? Does not have to be anything more than that.
But they need to clear 40-man spots for both of them. I think that’s what jbigz23 was talking about.
I think it’s against the CBA to release a player while he’s on the DL. They would have to activate him first, then put him on waivers, then offer him back to his original team (Cubs?) if he cleared, That would take too long,
Vielma is on the Norfolk roster and not hitting down there so he’s a candidate to be released but he is on the minor league DL so I don’t know if that complicates things. Joseph is a candidate for sure, So is Susac, but he’s one of two healthy catchers on Norfolk’s roster. Not sure if they can outright him without losing him. Tillman has looked awful in A-ball so they may just pull the plug on that life support system and wish him well in the future,
I agree. There’s no upside to keeping Tillman but we have such an aversion to eating cash. I.E. Giving up picks to get rid of Matusz and Ryan Webb a few years that we may not do that. We’re running out of options if we don’t though. Joseph is an easy choice, and we really don’t need 4 catchers on the 40 man that’s why I suggested Susac. I agree, I’m sure we would lose him if that happens. If the minor league DL muddies things up that takes out Vielma, and Chris Lee. Lee has been horrendous in AAA since he made it there. Not a lot of options.
The possible problems with DFAing Tillman are either of the following:
1. The CBA may not allow a player on the disabled list to be designated.
2. The message the O’s send to potential future free agents in general, that we may administratively embarrass you if you under-perform, might be antithetical to attracting future free agents in a broadly similar circumstance. Maybe we never want any again, but we could.
To be fair, Tillman wouldve been DFA’d on almost any other team by now. I’m not sure anything we do with him would say something to future FA’s.
Tillman can easily be activated then DFA’d in the coming days as well. He’s on a rehab assignment and is healthy.
All good comments above. Are people actually having a REASONABLE conversation about the O’s?!! Awesome—much appreciated!!
Yacabonis and Ramirez get the benefit of Buck seeing them in person, go back down and work on refining what they need; Araujo and Wright have to stay. And for what it’s worth: despite poor numbers thus far Wright is NOT the kind of pitcher the O’s should give upon on; keep and develop him more as he could still be a solid contributor.
THe numbers have said that about Wright his entire ML career. I find it very hard to believe he’s any more than a middle reliever in the best case scenario. Losing Bleier for the year makes it easier to keep Wright because we can shuttle another arm back and forth. Britton and Brach likely leaving as well so there should be space to keep him all year. At some point you have to move on though. That could easily be the end of this year or early next.
Why would they bring Tillman back send him home he finish ln13
Finish ln13
Finished
Could a big announcement be on the way? Losing 4 to Seattle was the absolute nail in the coffin. If I were the Phillies or Dodgers I would want both Machado and Britton right now. The Orioles have the most leverage at the beginning of July.
The season was over long before we lost to Seattle.
Can we DFA Roch Kubatko?
How about DFA our front office guys too