Braves Sign Jonathan Lucroy
The Braves have signed catcher Jonathan Lucroy to a minor league contract, according to David O’Brien and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Lucroy will report to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The 34-year-old Lucroy had been looking for a team since the Nationals designated him for assignment April 12, though he was choosy in selecting a club. Lucroy reportedly turned down multiple minor league offers in hopes of scoring a guaranteed deal, but that was a tough sell when considering how the former star’s career has gone since his 2010-16 heyday with the Brewers and Rangers.
Lucroy spent parts of 2017-19 with five different teams – the Rangers, Rockies, Athletics, Angels and Cubs – but didn’t experience much success outside of Colorado during that span. He combined to hit .248/.315/.350 with 18 home runs and minus-0.1 fWAR across 1,263 plate appearances in those three seasons, and his once-ballyhooed pitch-framing ability eroded at the same time. As a result, he has appeared in just six games since last year (one with the Red Sox and five with the Nationals).
Lucroy will now lend some depth to a Braves team in need of it behind the plate. Starter Travis d’Arnaud underwent surgery on a torn thumb ligament earlier this month and won’t return until at least July. Likewise, Alex Jackson has been out all month with a strained hamstring. And Tyler Flowers, whom the Braves re-signed to a minors pact May 6, decided to retire Friday. Atlanta is now down to William Contreras and Jeff Mathis as its top two options at the big league level.
Athletics Activate Chad Pinder
The Athletics announced before their game against the Twins on Friday that they reinstated infielder/outfielder Chad Pinder from the 10-day injured list. He’s taking the roster spot of infielder Vimael Machin, whom the team optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
The Athletics have gone since April 4 without Pinder after he suffered a sprained left knee, robbing them of a versatile defender and useful offensive contributor. Dating back to his major league debut in 2016, the 29-year-old has lined up at every position but pitcher and catcher and hit .245/.302/.432 (99 wRC+) with 45 home runs in 1,138 plate appearances.
Pinder carries little experience at shortstop, though he could eventually be an option for an Oakland team that’s in serious need of a boost at the position. A’s shortstops entered Friday dead last in the majors in wRC+ (22) and fWAR (minus-0.8) across 156 PA, all of which have been taken by Machin and starter Elvis Andrus. Machin hit a miserable .050/.136/.050 without a home run in 22 trips to the plate before the A’s demoted him. Andrus, meanwhile, went into the day with a woeful .177/.224/.234 line and no home runs of his own in 134 PA.
Pirates, T.J. Rivera Agree To Minor League Deal
Infielder T.J. Rivera has agreed to a minor league contract with the Pirates, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The deal is pending a physical.
Rivera signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League just four days ago, but he’ll instead attempt to work his way back to the majors with the Pirates. Now 32 years old, Rivera appeared in the bigs with the Mets from 2016-17 and batted an effective .304/.335/.445 across 231 plate appearances. The Mets looked as if they had a quality piece in Rivera, but injuries helped to at least temporarily end his time in the majors during his last year with the club. He underwent Tommy John surgery then and dealt with an elbow sprain while recovering in 2018, after which the Mets released him.
On the heels of his Mets tenure, Rivera inked minors deals with the Nationals and Phillies, but he didn’t return to MLB with either team. Now, as long as Rivera passes his physical, he’ll have an opportunity to stage a comeback with Pittsburgh.
Matt Wieters Expected To Play For Team USA
Free-agent catcher Matt Wieters is expected to play for Team USA at this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. He could join several other notable veterans on the roster.
This is the first report centering on Wieters since he became a free agent at the end of last season. The 34-year-old spent the previous two seasons as a member of the Cardinals, with whom he backed up Yadier Molina and hit .212/.274/.399 with 11 home runs in 224 plate appearances. Defensively, the Cardinals’ version of Wieters threw out 8 of 20 would-be base thieves – good for a 40 percent rate that checks in above his solid career mark of 32 percent.
Wieters is also a former National, but he’s best known for his run with the Orioles from 2009-16. The fifth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Wieters was an uber-prospect (Baseball America’s ranked him No. 1 twice) who was dubbed “Mauer with Power.” He may not have lived up to that hype consistently, but he did make four All-Star appearances with the Orioles and hit between 22 and 23 home runs in three different seasons. Overall, Wieters has batted .249/.313/.409 (92 wRC+) with 146 home runs in 4,428 plate appearances as a major leaguer. Whether Wieters will resurface in the bigs remains to be seen, but it appears he’ll at least play competitively again this summer.
Mariners Place Evan White, Ty France On 10-Day IL
The Mariners announced that they have placed first baseman Evan White (strained left hip flexor) and infielder Ty France (left wrist inflammation) on the 10-day injured list. They recalled infielders Donovan Walton and Jack Mayfield in corresponding moves.
White struggled as a rookie in 2020 after signing a six-year, $24MM contract, and his offensive production has gotten even worse this season. Although White has slashed his strikeout rate by almost 12 percent since last year, he has still only mustered a .144/.202/.237 line with two home runs in 104 plate appearances. The 25-year-old’s wRC+ (29) ranks last in the majors among hitters who have amassed 100-plus PA, and though White’s .241 expected weighted on-base average paints a better picture than his .200 real wOBA, it’s still a dreary figure.
When White hasn’t started at first base this year, the Mariners have turned to France and Jose Marmolejos. They’re now also without France, who has been mired in a slump this month after a highly productive April. However, France still owns an above-average line of .229/.333/.366 (108 wRC+) with three home runs in 153 trips to the plate, and he has been versatile. Most of his work has come at designated hitter, but along with lining up there and at first base, he has logged 15 starts at second and another at third.
David Phelps Has “Significant” Lat Strain
Blue Jays right-handed reliever David Phelps is dealing with a “significant” lat strain, manager Charlie Montoyo said Friday (via Scott Mitchell of TSN). Montoyo was unable to offer a timeline for Phelps’ return.
Lat strains often lead to lengthy absences for pitchers, and it sounds as if that will be the case for Phelps. The 34-year-old has already gone almost two full weeks without pitching, having most recently taken the mound on May 2.
Phelps, whom the Blue Jays signed for $1.75MM in free agency, delivered outstanding results prior to his placement on the 10-day injured list. Now in his second stint with Toronto (he previously spent time with the club in 2019), Phelps has thrown 8 1/3 innings of two-run ball (one earned) with 15 strikeouts, four walks, eight hits allowed, and four holds. He’s one of seven Blue Jays relievers on the IL, yet the team has still found a way to a 20-16 record.
Angels Activate Anthony Rendon, Designate Jon Jay
The Angels have activated third baseman Anthony Rendon from the 10-day injured list and designated outfielder Jon Jay for assignment, the team announced.
The Angels are welcoming back Rendon from his second IL stint of the young season. He went on the shelf on April 12 with a left groin strain and landed back on it May 5 with a left knee contusion. When Rendon has been well to play, he has continued to offer high-end production, having slashed .276/.348/.466 (131 wRC+) with three home runs in 66 plate appearances. The Angels used Phil Gosselin and Jose Rojas at the hot corner during Rendon’s most recent trip to the IL.
Jay has yo-yoed on and off the Angels’ 40-man roster this year, as this is already the second time the club has designated him since the middle of April. The 36-year-old has gone 5-for-14 with all singles this season.
Padres Place Drew Pomeranz On 10-Day IL, Select Ivan Castillo
The Padres have placed reliever Drew Pomeranz on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder impingement and selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Ivan Castillo, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets.
This adds to a long history of injuries for Pomeranz, who spent time on the IL in 2020 – his first season of a four-year, $34MM contract – with a shoulder strain. Pomeranz more recently dealt with left forearm tightness during the spring, but he was ready to go when Opening Day arrived. Since then, he has continued to serve as an integral part of the Padres’ bullpen with a 1.98 ERA/2.98 SIERA and a strong 35.7 percent strikeout rate against a less impressive 12.5 percent walk rate over 13 2/3 frames. Additionally, Pomeranz ranks second on the team in holds (five), which will make him even more difficult to replace.
The injury to Pomeranz opens the door for the 25-year-old Castillo, who’s set for his big league debut. Castillo has already made his Triple-A debut this year and slashed an excellent .444/.516/.519 with two stolen bases across 31 plate appearances. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked the 5-foot-9 switch-hitter 34th in the Padres’ deep farm system earlier this week and wrote that “[h]e has fantastic feel for contact.” The question is whether that will transfer to the majors.
Cardinals Place Paul DeJong On 10-Day IL, Select Max Moroff
The Cardinals have placed shortstop Paul DeJong on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 13) with a non-displaced left rib fracture, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. In corresponding moves, the team selected infielder Max Moroff and moved reliever Jordan Hicks to the 60-day IL.
It’s unknown how much time DeJong will miss, though the obvious hope is that this won’t potentially lead to a weeks-long absence. DeJong has again been the Cardinals’ go-to option at short, where he has started 35 of the first-place club’s 38 games. The 27-year-old has had a tough time offensively for the second straight season, though, having batted .177/.277/.371 (85 wRC+) with seven home runs in 141 plate appearances. Tommy Edman figures to get the bulk of the work at short with DeJong down, leaving second base to Matt Carpenter, Katie Woo of The Athletic tweets.
Moroff, whom the Cardinals signed to a minor league contract last winter, will get his first opportunity with the team as a result of DeJong’s injury. The 28-year-old has appeared in the majors with the Pirates and Indians, though he has slumped to a line of .183/.277/.319 (60 wRC+) with seven home runs in 244 trips to the plate. Moroff has, however, offered nice production in Triple-A ball, as his .239/.372/.413 mark with 37 home runs over 1,215 PA shows.
Hicks’ placement on the 60-day IL is another blow to St. Louis, which won’t get him back until at least July 1. It’s not out of the blue, though, as expectations were that Hicks would miss six or more weeks as of May 10. The flamethrowing right-hander, a Tommy John surgery recipient in 2019, is battling elbow issues again.
Dodgers Claim Travis Blankenhorn
Infielder Travis Blankenhorn, who was designated for assignment by the Twins over the weekend, is headed to the Dodgers on a waiver claim, tweets SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson. Leroy Boyer of Blankenhorn’s hometown Pottsville Herald first reported that the 24-year-old was headed to the Dodgers. To make room for Blankenhorn, the Dodgers transferred injured righty Dustin May (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day IL, per a team announcement.
A third-round draft pick in 2015, Blankenhorn appeared in only two games with the Twins — one last year and one in 2021. He’s tallied just four plate appearances in that time and collected one hit, a double. Blankenhorn has also totaled a mere 13 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level, though he has otherwise produced solid numbers in the minors.
Blankenhorn made his Double-A debut during the most recent full minor league season, 2019, and slashed .278/.312/.474 (125 wRC+) with 18 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 410 PA. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked Blankenhorn as the Twins’ 29th-best prospect coming into this season, writing that the 24-year-old is “a situational bat-first piece who might need a change of scenery to carve out the sort of bench role I think he’s capable of playing.”
Blankenhorn now has that change of scenery with the reigning World Series champions, whose infield depth has taken a couple shots in recent weeks. Zach McKinstry has been on the IL since April 20 with a strained oblique, and Edwin Rios needs season-ending surgery on a partially torn labrum in his shoulder.