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Archives for June 2022

NL Notes: Bryant, Marte, Severino

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Kris Bryant is set to begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday, per Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette (via Twitter). The club hopes he’ll be ready to rejoin the team when they head to Minnesota, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (via Twitter). Bryant’s first season with the Rockies certainly hasn’t gone as planned. The 30-year-old left fielder has slashed .270/.342/.333 in a mere 73 plate appearances. Needless to say, the former MVP has yet to really make his impact felt on the last-place Rockies.

  • Ketel Marte suffered a grade 1 lateral hamstring strain, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (via Twitter). Marte is day-t0-day for now. The Diamondbacks’ second baseman is hitting .269/.341/.435 over249 plate appearances this season. Unlike in years past, Marte has really been able to settle in at second base this season.
  • Pedro Severino began his rehab assignment playing first base, per The Athletic’s Will Sammon (via Twitter). The Brewers will have a bit of a logjam at catcher when Severino is ready. Victor Caratini and Omar Narvaez have both posted 0.9 rWAR while splitting time behind the dish for the Brewers. It’s not inconceivable that the team could carry three catchers, but doing so wouldn’t necessarily maximize their offense, even if Severino or Caratini spent time at first base.

Brewers Designate Lorenzo Cain For Assignment

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The Brewers have designated Lorenzo Cain for assignment. The move comes on the same day that he reached 10 years of MLB service time. Cain and the club came to a “mutual decision” about today’s roster move, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (via Twitter). Jonathan Davis was selected from Triple-A to take his roster spot, per the team.

Cain is one of the most respected players in the game, evidenced here by the Brewers’ willingness to wait until he reached 10 years of service time before the DFA. Cain’s second tour of duty with the Brewers was absolutely a success, despite this season’s struggles. The veteran center fielder was in the last year of the five-year contract he signed with the Brewers when he left Kansas City as a free agent. It’s not clear at this time what the future holds for Cain, but from his comments here, it did not sound like he would be quick to find another club.

This 10-year veteran owns a career .283/.343/.407 line through 4,758 career plate appearances with the Brewers and Royals. He was a key figure at the heart of the Royals’ World-Series-winning team back in 2015, a year in which he finished third in MVP voting. He is a two-time All-Star and a Gold Glove award winner. Though the Gold Glove that he won in 2019 was his only such award, he has long been considered a premier defender in center field.

This season, however, has not been Cain’s finest. He slashed just .179/.231/.234 over 156 plate appearances. This comes on the heels of a .257/.329/.401 effort in 2021 spelled the end for Cain in Milwaukee. Nonetheless, he has been a gigantic figure for this team over the Brewers’ run since 2018 when he joined the Brewers as a free agent on the same day that they traded for Christian Yelich. The two outfielders remade the Brewers into an NL Central contender.

Davis, 30, joins the club for this first look this season. The former Blue Jays and Yankees outfielder has hit .297/.408/.426 across 179 plate appearances in Triple-A this season. For his big league career, Davis owns a .171/.272/.248 slash line in 259 plate appearances spread out from 2018 to 2021 in Toronto and New York.

Twins Sign Braden Bishop To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed outfielder Braden Bishop to a minor league deal, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. Bishop has been assigned to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.

Up until recently, Bishop had spent the entirety of his career with the Mariners, who drafted him in the third round in 2015. He reached the majors a few years ago and got into 47 games over 2019-2021. He was only able to muster a .133/.188/.156 batting line in that time, getting designated for assignment in May of last year.

He was claimed by the Giants, who designated him again a few days later. Clearing waivers this time, he spent the remainder of the year in Triple-A Sacramento, which went well for him. He hit .326/.388/.549 in 75 games with the River Cats, which amounted to a wRC+ of 131.

But after signing a minors deal with the Diamondbacks for this season, his fortunes have changed. In 37 games with the Reno Aces, he’s hit just .232/.312/.312, for a wRC+ of 62. Thanks to those uninspiring results, he was released a couple of weeks ago. Bishop will now look to get things back on track in the Twins’ system.

Blue Jays To Select Max Castillo, Outright Bowden Francis

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The Blue Jays are going to select the contract of right-hander Max Castillo, per Alfonso E. Saer Gomez. The Blue Jays have an open spot on their 40-man roster, due to the outright of right-hander Bowden Francis, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. A corresponding move on the active roster has not been announced.

An international signing of the Blue Jays out of Venezuela, Castillo made his professional debut in his age-17 season in 2016. Since then, he’s worked his way up the minor league ladder, working primarily as a starting pitcher. This year, between Double-A and Triple-A, he’s thrown 56 1/3 innings with a 1.92 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate. There’s certainly some good fortune in there, as Castillo has a .203 BABIP and 89.8% strand rate on the year. Nonetheless, he’s showed enough to earn a spot on the club’s roster.

It’s not clear what role Castillo, 23, will play for the Jays, though the pitching staff has taken a hit in recent days with the Tommy John surgery of Hyun Jin Ryu. That has bumped Ross Stripling from a long relief role and into a primary rotation slot. Castillo could potentially head to the bullpen and attempt to take over the job of the long man out of the bullpen.

As for Francis, 26, acquired in the Rowdy Tellez trade, he was selected to the club’s 40-man roster in the fall, ahead of the Rule 5 draft that ended up getting canceled by the lockout. He made his MLB debut earlier this year, tossing two-thirds of an inning, but has spent most of his time in Triple-A. In 41 2/3 innings for Buffalo, he has an unfortunate 7.78 ERA. After regularly running strikeout rates of 23% or above in previous years, it’s slipped to 18.8% this year. His 11.7% walk rate is also a personal worst. There was no previous reporting of the team designating him for assignment, but he’s evidently cleared waivers and will now stay in the organization without occupying a roster spot.

Dodgers To Place Mookie Betts On IL With Cracked Rib

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Juan Toribio of MLB.com, that Mookie Betts is headed to the injured list due to a cracked rib. Roberts said that the corresponding move will likely be the recall of Zach McKinstry, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Betts sat out last night’s game due to this issue, though he was back in the lineup today. However, shortly before game time, he was scratched as his soreness lingered. As the club continued testing, an MRI revealed a cracked rib, per Ardaya.

The expected timeline for the absence of Betts isn’t known at this time, but the loss of a talent like his for any amount of time is significant. The former MVP is having yet another excellent campaign, hitting .273/.349/.535 for a 148 wRC+. Combining that batting line with his excellent defense and baserunning, Betts has already accrued 3.3 wins above replacement on the year, in the estimation of FanGraphs.

The Dodgers are having another excellent season, as has come to be the norm for them. However, they appear to be in for a fight this year, as their 40-24 record is just percentage points ahead of the Padres, with the Giants lurking just three games back. That means that every inch will count in the postseason race to come, with the loss of Betts marking a significant blow.

Yankees Sign Chris Owings To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have signed infielder Chris Owings to a minor league deal, per Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune. Owings has been assigned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com.

Owings, 30, is a veteran of ten MLB seasons now, appearing in each campaign from 2013 to 2022. Overall, he has a .239/.287/.366 battling line, good enough for a wRC+ of 69. In 2021, he dealt with thumb injuries and only got into 21 games but somehow had an incredible showing in that small sample. He hit .326/.420/.628 for a huge 158 wRC+, though his .481 BABIP was likely the key contributor there.

He settled for a minor league deal with the Orioles for this year, eventually making Baltimore’s Opening Day roster. Unfortunately, the baseball gods have given him the opposite treatment this year, compared to last. His .188 BABIP has helped tamp his batting line down to .107/.254/.143 this season, producing a wRC+ of just 27. He was designated for assignment and released last week.

Despite those tepid batting numbers, Owings continues to get opportunities due to his versatility. For the Orioles this year, he played second base, third base, shortstop, left field and even threw an inning on the mound. The Yankees have been remarkably healthy this year, but do have a number of older players on their roster. Should an injury situation suddenly arise, Owings will have the potential to give them cover at most spots around the diamond.

Angels Select David MacKinnon

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8:15pm: The Angels announced the selection of MacKinnon and corresponding moves. A spot on the active roster was created by right-hander Austin Warren being placed on the 15-day IL with a right triceps strain. To create room on the 40-man roster, Anthony Rendon was transferred to the 60-day injured list. It was reported yesterday that Rendon is set to having season-ending surgery on his wrist, making this transaction an inevitable formality.

7:25pm: Angels manager Phil Nevin tells Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com that the club will select the contract of first baseman David MacKinnon for the second game of today’s doubleheader. He is not currently on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be required.

MacKinnon, 27, was a 32nd round draft pick of the Angels in 2017. He’s never been a highly-touted prospect, having never appeared on the Angels’ prospect lists at either Baseball America or FanGraphs. That’s perhaps due to his age, as he was already 22 by the time he was drafted and 23 by the time he first played a professional game. He also doesn’t offer much on the defensive side of things, as he’s only capable of playing first base. (He did play one game at second base in Double-A last year.)

Nevertheless, he’s earned his way up to the majors due to his skills with the bat. In 334 games over his minor league career, he has a batting line of .294/.413/.462. This year, in Triple-A Salt Lake, he’s walking at an incredible 14.2% rate while striking out just 18.8% of the time. He’s also hit 13 home runs and is slashing .327/.423/.633 for a wRC+ of 156. Based on that tremendous output, the Angels will give him the call to make his MLB debut and see if he can translate any of that to the show.

The Angels have Jared Walsh at first base and Shohei Ohtani as the designated hitter most nights, but both of them are left-handed hitters. Since MacKinnon hits from the right side, he could potentially give either of them a day off when facing a difficult lefty pitcher, in addition to likely taking some pinch-hitting opportunities.

Mariners Select Tommy Milone, Designate Joey Gerber

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The Mariners announced some roster moves in between games of today’s doubleheader. They have selected the contract of left-hander Tommy Milone, with right-hander Matt Festa being optioned to create room on the active roster. In order to make space on the 40-man roster, righty Joey Gerber has been designated for assignment.

Milone, 35, is a veteran who appeared in each season from 2011 to 2021. As soon as he gets into a game here in 2022, it’ll mark his 12th straight MLB season. He’s appeared for many teams in that time, including a previous stint with the Mariners in 2019, as well as spells with the Nationals, Athletics, Twins, Mets, Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays. One of the softest throwers in the league, Milone is able to survive by limiting free passes. His 17.7% career strikeout rate is certainly low, given that this year’s league average is around 22%. However, his 5.6% walk rate is a few ticks below this year’s 8.3% league average.

Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, Milone has made seven starts for Triple-A Tacoma this year. In 32 innings, he has a 1.13 ERA, with a 24.8% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate. That tiny ERA is certainly nice, but is likely being depressed by a .208 BABIP and 100% strand rate, neither of which are sustainable. Nevertheless, the Mariners will give him a shot to see if he can replicate those kinds of results at the big league level.

As for Gerber, 25, he was an eighth round selection of the Mariners in the 2018 draft. A pure reliever, he’s never made a start in his professional career. He pitched well in the lower levels of the minors and earned his way up to Double-A in 2019. In 22 2/3 innings there that year, he put up a 1.59 ERA with a whopping 31.3% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 37.5% ground ball rate. In 2020, the minor leagues were wiped out by the pandemic, but he was able to reach the majors, throwing 15 2/3 innings for the Mariners that year. Despite always racking up Ks in the minors, he only struck out 9.7% of hitters he faced in the bigs, though in a small sample size.

Despite those promising minor league numbers and making his MLB debut at the age of 23, he has since hit a wall due to injuries. Back surgery prevented him from pitching at all in 2021, either in the majors or minors. This year, a forearm strain has kept him out of action, except for a single-inning appearance in the Complex League on June 11. His current health situation isn’t publicly known, but will certainly have a bearing on next steps. Since injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, it’s possible that Gerber ends up on release waivers in the coming days.

Brewers Outright Corey Ray

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The Brewers announced to reporters, including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, that outfielder Corey Ray has been outrighted to Triple-A Nashville.

Selected fifth overall in the 2016 draft, Ray came with a lot of hype when he first entered the organization, with evaluators giving praise to his athleticism and hitting ability. In 2017, Baseball America ranked Ray the #42 prospect in all of baseball. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan since then, with Ray struggling to get into a groove at the minors’ highest level.

In 2019, Ray reached Triple-A for the first time, but hit just .188/.261/.329 in 53 games that year. After the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020, Ray made his MLB debut in 2021, though he got into just one game before being optioned back down to Nashville. For the rest of the year, he struggled to stay healthy and only got into 39 games. He did managed to put up a decent line of .274/.325/.500 when on the field, but has taken a step backwards this year to the tune of .141/.175/.263.

There was no previous reporting of Ray being designated for assignment, but the club evidently got him through waivers unclaimed at some point recently. He will now stay in the organization but without occupying a roster spot. The club’s 40-man roster count is now 39.

Roster Moves: Blue Jays, Nationals

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The Blue Jays have placed Trevor Richards on the 15-day injured list with a neck strain and recalled Matt Gage to take his roster spot, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (via Twitter). The oft-used Richards actually leads the American League right now with 29 appearances, though the aggregate numbers are none too impressive for the veteran righty. Richards owns a 6.59 ERA/5.79 FIP with a 33-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Richards has particularly struggled of late, with a 13.50 ERA over his last eight appearances.

  • The Nationals placed rookie Evan Lee on the 15-day injured list with a left flexor strain, recalling reliever Andres Machado to take his roster spot, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com (via Twitter). Lee had been pitching out of the bullpen, leaving his appearance yesterday with the injury. Machado helps the bullpen immediately, which is especially important after a doubleheader yesterday. Machado, 29, has made 17 appearances on the year for the Nats with a 5.48 ERA/4.87 FIP across 23 innings.

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