Minor MLB Transactions: 8/15/19

Catching up on some minor league moves from the past week…

• The Orioles signed left-hander Hunter Cervenka to a minor league contract.  Cervenka had a 2.95 ERA, 10.5 K/9, and 2.17 K/BB rate over 42 2/3 innings for the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate this season before being released in late July.  The 29-year-old has been able to consistently miss bats (career 9.4 K/9) over his 506 2/3 minor league innings, though given that he has also battled some at-times extreme control problems, this season’s 4.5 BB/9 is a fairly positive development for the southpaw.  Cervenka tossed 48 innings for the Braves and Marlins in 2016-17 and hasn’t been back to the big leagues since, spending 2018 pitching in the independent Atlantic League and in the Tigers’ farm system.
• The Twins released infielder Jordany Valdespin, as per Morrie Silver of the Rochester Red Wings (the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate).  2019 marked Valdespin’s first season of affiliated ball since he playing in the Tigers’ farm system in 2016, as Valdespin spent the previous two seasons in the Mexican League and with the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks.  The former utilityman played almost exclusively as a second baseman for Rochester this season, hitting .294/.343/.444 over 231 plate appearances.  It isn’t far removed from the .283/.337/.420 slash line that the 31-year-old Valdespin has posted over 2896 career minor league PA.  He also has four seasons of MLB experience, appearing in 214 games with the Mets and Marlins from 2012-15 (hitting .216/.271/.369 over those 467 PA in the majors).