MLBTR Chat Transcript
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Cubs Select Kyle Ryan, Designate Robert Stock
The Cubs announced a trio of roster moves this morning, including the news that left-hander Kyle Ryan‘s contract has been selected from Triple-A. To create roster space for Ryan, righty Cory Abbott was optioned to Triple-A and right-hander Robert Stock was designated for assignment.
Ryan returns to the active roster after being DFA’ed and then outrighted to Triple-A earlier this season. After being a major part of Chicago’s bullpen in 2019, Ryan struggled to a 5.17 ERA over 15 2/3 innings in 2020, thanks in large part to six homers allowed in that brief amount of work. However, the southpaw has given up only one homer in 21 1/3 combined innings for the Cubs and at Triple-A Iowa this year — while another small sample size, it looks like Ryan has gotten his homer problem under control.
He’ll be a fresh arm for a Chicago bullpen that also features three other lefties (Andrew Chafin, Brad Wieck, Rex Brothers), and Ryan will also contribute to a Cubs pitching staff that has prioritized keeping the ball on the ground this season. The Cubs rank fourth in the majors in pitcher groundball rate, and Ryan has a 54.5% grounder rate over his seven MLB seasons.
Stock was only selected to the active roster earlier this week, and he allowed five runs over four innings in a spot start — his first start in 53 career games in the big leagues. The Cubs claimed Stock off waivers from the Red Sox in December and already designated him and outrighted him off the 40-man earlier this season, so Stock has the option to elect free agency.
Mets Select Jerad Eickhoff, Designate Mason Williams
The Mets have selected the contract of right-hander Jerad Eickhoff. Outfielder Mason Williams was designated for assignment to create space on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
Eickhoff signed a minor league deal in December that will now pay him $1.5MM for reaching the big league roster. The righty (who turns 31 in July) has spent his entire MLB career in the NL East, having pitched with the Phillies from 2015-19 and initially looking like he could be a solid member of the rotation. Injuries overshadowed Eickhoff’s last three years in Philadelphia, however, and after being cut loose by the team, he inked minors contracts with the Padres and Rangers in 2020 but didn’t see any big league action.
After a doubleheader against the Nationals yesterday and another doubleheader set for Monday against the Braves, the Mets will give Eickhoff a quick opportunity to take the ball. Eickhoff could receive a start in one of Monday’s two games, unless he is needed to relief duty in today’s game against Washington. Since New York has yet another doubleheader coming up on Friday against the Phillies, Eickhoff might find himself in line for another outing over that weekend series against his old team. Joey Lucchesi just went on the 10-day IL, leaving the Mets a little shorthanded for pitching depth during this busy week.
Williams hit .212/.297/.333 in 37 plate appearances after his contract was selected by New York in late May. Once a top prospect coming up in the Yankees’ farm system, Williams has only played sparingly over parts of seven MLB seasons with the Yankees, Reds, Orioles, and this year’s action with the Mets.
Nationals Select Gerardo Parra, Designate Ben Braymer
The Nationals have selected the contract of outfielder Gerardo Parra from Triple-A. Parra will take the active roster spot of infielder Luis Garcia, who was optioned to Triple-A after last night’s game. Left-hander Ben Braymer was designated for assignment to open up 40-man roster space.
After playing in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants in 2020, Parra made his return to Washington by signing a minor league deal with the Nats in the offseason. The 34-year-old will now officially return to the big leagues and receive a salute from D.C. fans for his contributions to the Nationals’ 2019 World Series championship club. After originally joining the Nats on a free agent deal in May 2019, Parra’s clubhouse leadership was praised as a key factor in the team’s midseason turnaround, and he quickly became a fan favorite for his choice of “Baby Shark” as his walk-up music.
In terms of on-field production, Parra hit .250/.300/.447 over 204 plate appearances for Washington in 2019, but it has been a while since he has provided even average offensive numbers. Since the start of the 2016 season, Parra has hit .273/.315/.404 with 32 homers in 1150 PA for an 80 OPS+, and he batted a modest .267/.305/.384 for the Yomiuri Giants last season. With Andrew Stevenson recovering from a strained oblique, however, the Nats were in need of outfield depth, so Parra got the call from the minors.
Braymer posted a 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 innings for the Nationals last season, which represents the only MLB experience of his six-year professional career. An 18th-round pick for Washington in the 2016 draft, Braymer posted some solid numbers as a starting pitcher until he hit Triple-A, as he has a 7.06 ERA over 88 innings at the top minor league level. It wouldn’t be out of the question if another team claimed Braymer off waivers to see if they could get him back on track, or perhaps even just give him a look as a relief pitcher.
AL Injury Notes: Bregman, Ramirez, Duffy, Goodrum
A left quad strain sent Alex Bregman to the 10-day injured list on Thursday, but the Astros star isn’t yet sure exactly when he’ll be back on the field. “Honestly there’s no timetable really….It’s unfortunate,” Bregman told reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle. “I’m just going to trust the rehab process. I don’t really know. It’s going to be based on how I progress and how I feel. But there’s no real timetable yet.”
There still seems to be some uncertainty about the severity of Bregman’s injury, as he said that he didn’t know if it was a Grade 1 or Grade 2 strain. Manager Dusty Baker has said that Bregman will be out of action “for a while,” which would seem to indicate that the third baseman will miss well beyond the 10-day minimum. On the plus side for Houston, the team has just kept on winning even without Bregman, as the Astros have rolled a six-game win streak to move within a game of the Athletics for the AL West lead.
More on other injury situations from around the American League…
- Jose Ramirez left Friday’s game with a left foot contusion after being hit by a pitch, and he wasn’t in the Indians‘ lineup on Saturday. Speaking to The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes and other reporters, manager Terry Francona said that Ramirez “was a little more sore, I think, than maybe he anticipated and maybe we did” when he woke up on Saturday morning. “He got hit right on that arch. He’s doing OK. He’s gonna be fine.” The Tribe are 38-30 this season despite an overall lack of offense, but their chances of remaining in contention would take a big hit if their top hitter had to miss any time. Ramirez is having another impressive season, batting .270/.354/.539 with 16 home runs over his first 277 plate appearances.
- Danny Duffy “felt really good” in the aftermath of a 40-pitch bullpen session on Friday, indicating that the Royals southpaw could be nearing a return from the flexor strain that sent him to the injured list back on May 17. As Duffy told Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star, the initial tightness he felt in his forearm is now “gone, everything’s gone. It’s one of those things, modern medicine is a miracle. We’ve got the right people who get their hands on us in the training room….On the MRI, they said my ligament is completely intact, so we’re good. I’m not nervous about it at all. I’m ready to go.” No plans have yet been made about any possible rehab assignment, though manager Mike Matheny indicated that Duffy could return sometime during the Royals’ upcoming 10-game road trip from June 22-July 1. Duffy was off to a great start prior to his injury, posting a 1.94 ERA and above-average strikeout (28.2%) and walk (7.1%) rates over 41 2/3 innings.
- The Tigers placed Niko Goodrum on the 10-day injured list yesterday due to a tendon injury in his left finger. Goodrum suffered the injury while diving for a ball on Friday. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News) that Goodrum is “seeing some doctors and they are sending films to some hand doctors around the country. But essentially, he’s got an issue with the tip of his left index finger. No surgery is required, but we have to get the swelling out of his entire hand.” Goodrum has played mostly shortstop over the last two seasons but he has been a valuable utility piece for Detroit, playing all over the field during his four seasons with the Tigers. While Goodrum was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop in 2020, his defensive metrics have been subpar this year, and he has struggled at the plate for the second consecutive year — Goodrum has hit .202/.281/.332 in 398 PA since the start of the 2020 campaign. Willi Castro, Harold Castro, and call-up Isaac Paredes will all see time at shortstop while Goodrum is sidelined, Hinch said.
Fernando Tatis Jr. Leaves Game With Possible Shoulder Injury
10:09PM: Tatis was removed for precautionary reasons, Padres manager Jayce Tingler told The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and other reporters after the game. “We feel like we’re in a fairly decent position. The trainers think (his shoulder is) nowhere near where it’s been earlier on in the year,” Tingler said.
8:32PM: Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. left tonight’s game in the top of the fifth inning after appearing to hurt his shoulder. According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link), Tatis seemed “to jar his left shoulder diving for a ball” off the bat of Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin. Tatis left the field after a visit from the team trainer.
More will be known after the game, though any sort of shoulder problem is of particular concern given that Tatis is already playing with a slight labrum tear in that same left shoulder. Tatis suffered the tear while taking a big swing during an at-bat early in April, though what seemed like a very serious injury at the time resulted in only a minimal 10-day stint on the injured list.
It could be that the Padres were simply being as cautious as possible in removing Tatis at the first sign of any shoulder discomfort, and this current issue might not require another IL visit at all for the star shortstop. Needless to say, any sort of absence for Tatis would be a blow to San Diego given the fantastic numbers (.285/.364/.675 with 22 home runs) that he has posted over 231 plate appearances this season. Tatis entered Saturday as the NL leader in homers, RBI (50), and OPS, while his .677 slugging percentage was leading all MLB hitters.
NL West Notes: Muncy, Bellinger, Seager, Gray, Dickerson, Ruf, Rockies, Weil
The Dodgers are aiming to put much of their lineup back together in time for a big three-game series with the Padres beginning on Monday. As of now, the hope is that Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger could both come off the injured list in time for at least part of that series, L.A. manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (all Twitter links) and other reporters. Muncy (oblique strain) and Bellinger (hamstring tightness) both haven’t played since June 11 and are eligible to be activated off the 10-day IL on June 22. The duo each took part in a simulated game at the Dodgers’ Spring Training facility today, Roberts said. Corey Seager (fractured hand) might not be too far behind them, as he is tentatively to begin a rehab assignment next week after being sidelined since May 15 due to a fractured hand.
The news isn’t as positive for Dodgers pitching prospect Josiah Gray, as Roberts said Gray is “a ways down the road” in being ready to return from a shoulder impingement. A consensus top-100 prospect in baseball, Gray made his Triple-A debut this season but pitched in only one game before getting injured. The 23-year-old right-hander had been projected to make his Major League debut later this year assuming things went well at Triple-A, but Gray might not have too long to get healthy and then make a good impression on the mound if he is going to factor into the Dodgers’ September call-up plans.
More from the NL West…
- Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Alex Dickerson and Darin Ruf are beginning minor league rehab assignments today. Ruf was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain on May 27, while an upper back strain sent Dickerson to the IL on June 9. With so many members of the first-place Giants playing well, Slusser thinks the impending returns of Dickerson and Ruf could create a bit of a roster crunch. Someone like Mike Tauchman, for instance, couldn’t be easily moved off the roster since he is out of minor league options, so the Giants would have to first expose him to waivers if they wanted to send him to Triple-A.
- The Rockies parted ways with assistant GM Jon Weil earlier this week, with The Athletic’s Nick Groke adding some more details about the front office situation. Weil was told that the team wouldn’t be renewing his contract, which ended Weil’s 16-year run in the organization. Between Weil leaving and VP of scouting Bill Schmidt being promoted to the interim GM job, both Weil’s and Schmidt’s former roles haven’t been filled, as the team has instead moved their responsibilities around to other current employees. In addition, the baseball operations department is being overseen by Rockies president of business operations Greg Feasel. This doesn’t seem like an ideal situation for a Rockies club that looks to be approaching a critical trade deadline and potential rebuilding period, — as Groke puts it, “a potential trade of [Trevor] Story and [Jon] Gray will be left to a business-minded president with no baseball experience, an interim GM with only two remaining lieutenants, and no true research department.”
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/19/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Rangers have outrighted left-hander Hyeon-Jong Yang to Triple-A, the team announced. Yang was designated for assignment earlier this week, on the heels of posting a 5.59 ERA over his first 29 Major League innings. A veteran of 14 KBO seasons, Yang made the jump to North American baseball this past offseason, signing a minor league deal with Texas that guaranteed him a $1.3MM salary for reaching the active roster.
- Astros right-hander Francis Martes has returned from the restricted list and been optioned to Triple-A, according Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Martes was issued a 162-game PED suspension in February 2020, so it will still a while before he is eligible to pitch in the majors. Between two suspensions and a Tommy John surgery, the former top prospect hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2017 season. Astros manager Dusty Baker told Mark Berman of Fox 26 (Twitter link) and other reporters that the team plans to use Martes out of the bullpen.
- Earlier this week, the Giants purchased the contract of right-hander Akeel Morris from the independent Long Island Ducks, as announced via the Ducks’ Twitter feed. Morris pitched in parts of three MLB seasons from 2015-18, posting a 6.14 ERA over 22 total innings for the Mets, Braves, and Angels. He has since pitched in Australia and in the indy leagues before catching on with the Giants, who have assigned him to their Double-A affiliate.
Marlins Designate Deven Marrero, Select Luis Marte
The Marlins announced that infielder Deven Marrero has been designated for assignment. Taking Marrero’s place on the roster is infielder Luis Marte, who is back in the majors after his contract was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Marrero had his contract selected back on Wednesday, and the 30-year-old started at third base that day for his lone appearance in this brief stint with Miami. It marked Marrero’s first Major League game since 2019, when he played in five games for the Marlins. (Incidentally, Marrero is 0-for-8 plate appearances in those six games, so Marrero is still looking for his first hit since the 2018 season.) Now a veteran of parts of six MLB seasons, Marrero returned to the Marlins on a minor league contract back in May.
Marte has also made just one appearance in 2021, making his MLB debut on June 1 in a game against the Blue Jays. He was DFA’ed and then outrighted following that cup of coffee in the big leagues. Marte is a veteran of 10 minor league seasons with the Rangers, Braves, and Marlins organizations, and he has a .213/.228/.360 slash line over 79 PA at Triple-A this season.
Diamondbacks Sign Jake Faria, Designate Ildemaro Vargas
The Diamondbacks announced the signing of right-hander Jake Faria. Utilityman Ildemaro Vargas has been designated for assignment to open up a roster spot for Faria.
Faria had been pitching for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate before he was released earlier this week. He’ll now join a reeling D’Backs team that is looking for all the pitching help it can find, though Faria has only a 5.65 ERA over 36 2/3 innings with Triple-A Salt Lake City. The righty does have a 28.05% strikeout rate, but Faria has been hurt by the long ball, with seven homers allowed over those 36 2/3 frames.
Home runs and walks became an increasingly big problem for Faria over 170 1/3 MLB innings with the Rays and Brewers from 2017-19, as he posted a 1.3 HR/9 and 10.4% walk rate to go along with a 4.54 ERA and 20.9% strikeout rate. A pretty well-regarded arm during his way up the ladder in Tampa Bay’s farm system, the Brewers acquired Faria for Jesus Aguilar in July 2019 but Faria didn’t pitch well during the rest of that season with Milwaukee and he didn’t see any action in 2020.
Vargas has become a regular on the DFA wire, as this marks the fourth time in less than three months that the 29-year-old has been designated. Vargas began his season with the Cubs, who DFA’ed him twice and then lost him on a waiver claim to the Pirates, and Pittsburgh then traded Vargas to Arizona at the beginning of June. Vargas spent his first three-plus MLB seasons with the Diamondbacks before they designated him for assignment last August and the Twins claimed him away.
In the midst of this flurry of moves, Vargas has only hit .167/.211/.245 over 109 PA since the start of the 2020 season. Known more for his versatility than his bat anyways, Vargas has played mostly second base and third base at the big league level but he has also seen some action at four other positions.