Diamondbacks Select Henry Ramos
The Diamondbacks have selected the contract of outfielder Henry Ramos, per a team announcement. Fellow outfielder Stuart Fairchild was optioned to make room on the active roster. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy, meaning a corresponding move will not be necessary there.
As soon as Ramos gets into a game, he will make his major league debut. It’s been a long journey for the 29-year-old, who was originally selected by the Red Sox way back in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. He hasn’t made much noise since then, with his only appearance on a team top 30 at Baseball America coming back in 2015, when he ranked #29 on Boston’s list. He climbed to Triple-A in the Boston system in 2016 before reaching free agency after that season. Since then, he has spent time in the minors with the Dodgers and Giants, before signing on with the Diamondbacks this year.
Ramos earned his way to this promotion by absolutely mashing in Triple-A this season. In 294 plate appearances over 75 games, Ramos has slashed .371/.439/.582, good enough for a wRC+ of 153. For a Diamondbacks team that is nowhere near contention, they can use some of their remaining season to see if he can transfer any of that production to the big leagues.
Tanner Roark Elects Free Agency
Right-handed pitcher Tanner Roark has elected free agency, according to Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Presumably, the Braves had placed him on waivers, which he then cleared. Roark had enough service time to reject the assignment and elect free agency.
It’s been a rough couple of years for Roark, after a solid seven-year run before that. From 2013 to 2019, the righty logged 1100 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.71, producing 14.6 fWAR. But after signing a two-year deal with the Blue Jays before the 2020 season, it’s been mostly rough sailing. In the shortened 2020 campaign, Roark pitched 47 2/3 innings with an ERA of 6.80. Toronto didn’t give him much room to improve this year, as they cut him loose after just seven innings over three appearances.
Roark latched on with Atlanta on a minor league deal and has spent most of this year with their Triple-A team, where things have actually gone well for him. In 46 1/3 innings, primarily as a reliever, he put up an ERA of 2.14. The Braves selected his contract in June but didn’t get him into a game.
Roark can now go back to the open market and see if any team is intrigued by those signs of resurgence in Triple-A. Because it’s now September, Roark would not be eligible for postseason play, but could help a club soak up some innings as the season winds down.
Rockies Place Austin Gomber, Connor Joe On 10-Day Injured List
Sep. 5: As expected, the Rockies have indeed moved Gomber to the 60-day IL in order to select Feltner, per a team announcement. Right-hander Antonio Santos was optioned to make room for Feltner on the active roster.
Sep. 4: The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today, including the placement of left-hander Austin Gomber and first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe on the 10-day injured list. According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, Gomber will be moved to the 60-day IL tomorrow when the Rockies select the contract of right-hander Ryan Feltner from Double-A, as Feltner will make his MLB debut by taking Gomber’s spot as the scheduled starter against the Braves.
Right-hander Jordan Sheffield has been activated off the 60-day IL, making his return after first hitting the IL on June 5 due to a right lat strain. In addition, infielder Joshua Fuentes has been called up from Triple-A.
Gomber is suffering from spondylolysis, or a stress fracture in his lower back (also known as pars defect). The 60-day IL placement will end Gomber’s first Colorado season on a painful note, though he did make a solid accounting of himself in his first full season as a starter.
Acquired from the Cardinals as part of the Nolan Arenado trade, Gomber provided some silver lining for disgruntled Rockies fans by posting a 4.53 ERA/4.28 ERA over 115 1/3 innings. Gomber missed a month due to forearm tightness, and it’s fair to speculate that Gomber’s back problems may have impacted his recent performance, as the southpaw has a 8.50 ERA over his last four starts and 18 innings. Looking at the Statcast numbers, Gomber’s strikeout and walk rate are roughly middle-of-the-road, though he has been good at limiting hard contact.
Joe left Friday’s game due to his injury, which has now been termed as a right hamstring strain. As manager Bud Black told reporters (including The Athletic’s Nick Groke), “it’s not a definite season-ending injury,” so Joe could potentially see some more action in 2021 if his hamstring cooperates. Signed to a minor league contract last winter, Joe has hit well over 211 plate appearances with the Rockies, batting .285/.379/.469 with eight home runs.
Feltner was Colorado’s fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, and the Ohio State product will make the jump to the majors without the benefit of any Triple-A experience. In 110 combined innings at high-A and Double-A ball this season, Feltner has a 2.62 ERA and 27.53% strikeout rate over 20 starts. The big league promotion is a nice late birthday present for Feltner, who turned 25 last Thursday.
Pirates Place JT Brubaker, Duane Underwood Jr. On Injured List
The Pirates announced a handful of roster moves today, placing right-handed pitchers JT Brubaker and Duane Underwood Jr. on the injured list, both with right shoulder inflammation. A couple of fellow righties, Kyle Keller and Shea Spitzbarth, are taking their place.
Brubaker has been one of the more reliable members of a Pirates club that is enduring a dismal season. His 124 1/3 innings lead the club by a significant margin, with Tyler Anderson and Wil Crowe being the only other Pirates with more than 80. Anderson, of course, isn’t even with the club anymore after being dealt to the Mariners before the trade deadline. Brubaker’s ERA isn’t great at 5.36, though his 24% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate are both slightly better than league average. He had just been activated off the injured list yesterday, after missing some time with a thumb contusion, but left his start after three innings.
Similarly, Underwood has been a solid-yet-unspectacular contributor out of the bullpen, throwing 72 2/3 innings with an ERA of 4.33. His 20.3% strikeout rate is a bit below average, though his 8.4% walk rate is slightly better than the league-wide rate of 8.7%.
With the club well out of contention, they can prioritize long-term health over short-term competitiveness at this stage of the season. Both Brubaker and Underwood are 27 years old and won’t yet be arbitration eligible by season’s end.
Nationals Place Gerardo Parra On Injured List
The Nationals have placed outfielder Gerardo Parra on the injured list with right knee inflammation, per a team announcement. Left-handed pitcher Josh Rogers has been recalled to take Parra’s placed on the roster. Rogers was already with the team as the 29th man for yesterday’s double-header.
Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com talks to Nats’ manager Dave Martinez, who says the plan is for Parra to just rest for 10 days. At that point, there would only be a few weeks remaining in the schedule, but Martinez is still hopeful Parra can return before the season ends. It’s been a subpar season so far for the 34-year-old, perhaps somewhat attributable to the knee issues, since Parra had knee surgery in the offseason. He’s slashing .232/.288/.347 on the year for a wRC+ of 71.
The club is well out of contention and Parra is a free agent at season’s end, leaving little reason to rush him back onto the field. But if he’s healthy enough, he can get some plate appearances before the winter comes, giving both Parra and the club a chance to assess his status going into the offseason.
As for Rogers, he could have perhaps earned himself a longer look in the Washington rotation after his start last night. The 27-year-old threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, three walks and three earned runs with five strikeouts, earning a win in the process.
Red Sox Place Nick Pivetta, Danny Santana On COVID IL
11:30AM: Yet another Boston player has been impacted by the ongoing virus situation. The team has announced that utility player Danny Santana has been placed on the COVID IL, with outfielder Franchy Cordero being recalled to take his place on the roster.
8:17AM: The Red Sox have placed starter Nick Pivetta on the COVID IL, per a team announcement. Pivetta was scheduled to start this afternoon’s game against Cleveland. Instead, 25-year-old righty Kutter Crawford will have his contract selected and start in Pivetta’s place.
Pivetta is now the 10th Boston player to land on the COVID IL in the past week as part of an outbreak that has been spreading through the team. The loss of Pivetta could potentially be a significant one for the club, as he has been one of the more reliable members of the rotation this season. As fellow hurlers such as Martin Perez and Garrett Richards have struggled enough to get moved into bullpen duties, Pivetta has held a rotation spot all year with solid, in unspectacular, numbers. Across 135 innings this season, the righty has an ERA of 4.67, with a 25.9% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate, both of which are within range of league average.
In more positive news, Enrique Hernandez, the first Red Sox player to hit the IL as part of this outbreak, seems to be nearing a return. According to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, he could be activated as soon as Tuesday.
For the club, the outbreak doesn’t seem to be hurting their playoff push much. They’ve gone 7-3 over their past ten games and are sitting on a four-game win streak going into today’s action. They’re currently holding down the second Wild Card spot in the American League, four games ahead of the Athletics and Mariners.
As for Crawford, this will be his major league debut. He’s been in the Red Sox organization since being drafted in the 16th round of the 2017 draft. He climbed up the ranks of the minors, reaching Double-A in 2019. Unfortunately, he had to undergo Tommy John surgery and missed all of the 2020 season. Since returning to the mound this year, he’s thrown 75 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with an ERA of 4.16. However, his rate stats are excellent, a huge 34.4% strikeout rate and a measly 4.3% walk rate. As a COVID replacement, he can be removed from the 40-man roster at a later date without being exposed to waivers.
Brewers Place Willy Adames On Injured List, Recall Tim Lopes
The Brewers have placed shortstop Willy Adames on the injured list with a left quad strain, per a team announcement. Utility player Tim Lopes has been recalled to take his spot on the active roster.
The move isn’t entirely surprising as Adames has been hampered by this quad issue for a few weeks and left last night’s game early. The club can afford to be cautious, given their 10-game lead in the NL Central. The health of Adames in the upcoming playoffs is surely more important than his health at the moment, making it perfectly logical for the Brewers to give him some time to rest.
Since coming over to Milwaukee from Tampa in a rare early-season trade, Adames has been a huge reason why the club is so comfortable in the standings right now. Though his line for the Rays this year was a paltry .197/.254/.371, his line as a Brewer is .294/.375/.529, producing a wRC+ of 141 and 3.6 fWAR. The club will surely be focussed on making sure his bat is in the lineup come October.
Luis Urias is starting at shortstop today and figures to get the bulk of the playing there in the absence of Adames. In 427 plate appearances this year, Urias is hitting .252/.338/.451, for a wRC+ of 111.
For Lopes, it’s been a bounce-around season for him, as he’s been optioned to the minors a couple times as well as having a couple of stints on the injured list. Because of that, he’s only played five games for the big league team this year. In 84 Triple-A games, he has a slash line of .224/300/.400, while splitting time between second base, third base and the outfield corners.
Twins Reinstate Luke Farrell, Designate Derek Law For Assignment
The Twins have reinstated right-handed pitcher Luke Farrell from the 60-day injured list, per a team announcement. To make room on the active roster, lefty Andrew Albers was optioned to Triple-A. Righty Derek Law was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Farrell has been out since late June with an oblique strain. Before that, the 30-year-old was having a nice season out of the Twins’ bullpen, though in a small sample size. In 13 big league games so far this year, the righty has logged 15 1/3 innings with an ERA of 1.76, along with a strong strikeout rate of 27.0% and a walk rate of 9.5%.
As for Law, he was placed on the injured list July 17th with a shoulder impingement and just began a rehab assignment on August 28th. In 15 innings with the big league club this year, he has an ERA of 4.20 but mediocre strikeout and walk rates of 20.9% and 11.9%. He’s already been designated for assignment by the Twins once this year, accepting an outright assignment back in May. If he clears waivers again, he could elect free agency or choose to stay with the organization by accepting another assignment to Triple-A.
Yankees Place Jonathan Loaisiga On IL With Strained Rotator Cuff
The Yankees are placing righty Jonathan Loaisiga on the IL with a right shoulder strain, per a team announcement. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, that the strain is in Loaisiga’s rotator cuff and he won’t throw for at least 10 days. (Twitter links) Fellow right-handed Albert Abreu has been recalled to take Loaisiga’s place on the roster.
This is very unfortunate news for both Loaisiga and the team, as the righty is having the best season of his career so far and has been one of the most valuable pitchers on the team. Through 68 innings out of the Yankees’ bullpen this year, he has an ERA of 2.25. His 24.2% strikeout rate is actually close to league average, but his 5.5% walk rate and 61.3% groundball rate are both excellent. On the season, he’s been worth 2.2 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs, third-most among Yankees pitchers, behind Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery, and tied with Josh Hader for the most among all relievers in baseball.
It’s unclear exactly how much time he will miss, but with less than a month left in the season, there’s not a lot of wiggle room remaining. If he is to miss “at least” 10 days, that means the best-case scenario would see him start throwing again September 15th. At that point, he would presumably have to throw a bullpen or two to assess his health and perhaps go on a rehab assignment before returning to the big-league club.
The Yankees are 7 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL East but are currently holding the first AL Wild Card spot, half a game ahead of the Red Sox and 4 1/2 ahead of the Athletics and Mariners.
Clayton Kershaw To Begin Rehab Assignment
Clayton Kershaw will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says the plan is for Kershaw to throw three innings for their Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. The star lefty has been out for more than 60 days, meaning he’s eligible to come off the 60-day IL at any time. Castillo also relays that another Dodgers starter, Tony Gonsolin, began a rehab assignment of his own yesterday. Both pitchers could potentially be activated soon if they don’t experience any setbacks.
If this all goes according to plan, it would be great news for the Dodgers and a rotation that has had to improvise for a lot of the season because of injuries. In addition to Kershaw and Gonsolin missing significant time, they lost Dustin May to Tommy John surgery. To cover for these losses, the club made the deadline additions of Max Scherzer and Danny Duffy, the latter of whom was also injured at the time and has yet to throw for his new team. They also signed Cole Hamels, only for him to suffer a season-ending injury before getting into a game.
Before going on the injured list, Kershaw was having another excellent season, throwing 106 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.39 and excellent strikeout and walk rates of 30.1% and 4.5%, respectively. Gonsolin has also been effective when healthy this year, throwing 35 2/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA and solid 26.6% strikeout rate, although his walk rate of 16.5% is well above the 8.7% league average. Getting one or both of those hurlers back would be a tremendous help for a team that, despite the injuries, is locked into baseball’s tightest and most exciting pennant race, with the Dodgers and Giants sharing both the top spot in the NL West and the best record in baseball. (The Rays are also tied for the latter distinction.)
Kershaw’s return is also important for him personally as the 33-year-old is a few months away from reaching free agency for the first time in his career. Assuming he can stay healthy and pitch up to his usual standard, he’d be sure to receive and reject a qualifying offer at season’s end, before hitting the open market.