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Pirates Claim Miguel Andujar Off Waivers From Yankees

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The Pirates claimed Miguel Andujar off waivers, as announced by the Yankees via Twitter.  New York designated Andujar for assignment earlier this week.

The move officially ends Andujar’s 11-year tenure in the Yankees organization, the last few of which have been marked by trade rumors and a sense that the Yankees had moved on from Andujar as an important piece of their present and future lineups.  An injury-marred 2019 season for Andujar opened the door for Gio Urshela to take over at third base, and Andujar never again received any consistent big league playing time.

Heading into that 2019 season, Andujar looked like the latest of the “Baby Bombers” to make an immediate impact in New York’s lineup.  Andujar hit .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs over 606 plate appearances in 2018, finishing second (behind Shohei Ohtani) in AL Rookie Of the Year balloting.  Though there was already some question as to whether or not Andujar’s defensive shortcomings would eventually force a move from third base, there seemed little question that his bat could play in the majors.

Since that breakout rookie year, Andujar has played only 105 MLB games over the 2019-22 seasons.  A torn right labrum sidelined him for all but 12 games in 2019, and though the Yankees experimented with using Andujar as a first baseman and left fielder, he still couldn’t find his way back to a regular spot in the lineup.  With Andujar out of favor, the Yankees explored trades and Andujar even renewed his request for a trade earlier this season, but the end result was New York getting no return, as Andujar departed on waivers.

Andujar is still only 27 years old and has two years of arbitration control remaining, and so for the rebuilding Pirates, there isn’t much risk in taking a look at him as a possible piece for 2023.  With only a .229/.250/.281 slash line over 100 PA for New York this season, Andujar has remained potent at the Triple-A level, hitting .285/.330/.487 with 13 homers over 297 PA with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

It remains to be seen whether or not Andujar can become more than a “Quad-A” type of player, but a change of scenery seemed long overdue.  He’ll now join Robert Stephenson, Michael Chavis, Zack Collins, and other former top prospects or highly-touted minor leaguers who are looking for fresh starts in Pittsburgh, as the Bucs continue to look for some late bloomers to add their collection of in-house prospects.  Looking ahead to 2023, Andujar could be a factor at first base, as Chavis has posted subpar offensive numbers.

Clayton Kershaw “Leaning Towards Playing” In 2023

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Some retirement speculation swirled around Clayton Kershaw at the end of last season, when the veteran southpaw was entering free agency and also dealing with forearm/elbow injuries that kept him from pitching during the Dodgers’ postseason run.  However, when he returned to full health, Kershaw ended all thoughts of retirement, and ended up returning to Los Angeles on a one-year contract worth $17MM in guaranteed money.

As Kershaw approaches free agency once again, health again might be the primary factor as to whether or not he’ll return for a 16th Major League season.  For now, Kershaw is feeling good, and told The Los Angeles Times’ Dylan Hernandez that “I do think I’m leaning towards playing over not, for sure….I hold the right to change my mind, but as of today, I think that I’ve got at least one more run.”

The 34-year-old is still a dominant force on the mound, posting a 2.42 ERA over 115 1/3 innings this season.  Still among the league’s best at limiting free passes (4.4% walk rate) and barrels (4.2% barrel rate), Kershaw also has excellent strikeout and hard-hit ball rates, not to mention a 47.7% grounder rate.  Perhaps the only noteworthy number is that innings total, as Kershaw has missed about two months due to hip inflammation and lower-back pain.

“At the end of the day, pitching is tough on my back.  There’s no way around that,” Kershaw told Hernandez.  “I can manage it, definitely, and maybe there’s a time where it can last for eight months of the year and be good.  I still think that’s in there.”

While serious in their own right, back and hip problems aren’t as potentially devastating to Kershaw’s future as an arm injury.  In that sense, Kershaw has fewer concerns than he did last offseason, and he noted that he was “thankful for the lockout” in terms of giving him some extra time to rehab and consider his next step.  Kershaw was known to have only been looking at two teams in free agency, and chose a return to the Dodgers over signing with his hometown Rangers.

Kershaw didn’t give any hints about his plans for the winter, saying that his focus is just on the Dodgers and the playoffs.  While any number of clubs would love to add a pitcher of Kershaw’s caliber to their rotation, it would stand to reason that Los Angles and Texas will be his top two (and probably only) options for another contract.  The Dodgers are certainly closer to perpetual contention than the Rangers, though if L.A. can win another World Series this fall, Kershaw might find it an intriguing challenge to head to Arlington and help the Rangers try to win their first championship.

NL West Notes: Anderson, Gonsolin, May, Almonte, Bumgarner, Gonzalez

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke with reporters today, and shed some light on the Dodgers’ pitching plans and health situations heading into the postseason.  Tyler Anderson was confirmed as part of the playoff rotation, as since Tony Gonsolin is still recovering from a forearm strain, Roberts said Gonsolin will throw no more than four innings in a game, if that.  Dustin May (who just went went on the injured list yesterday due to back tightness) is slated for a bullpen role if he is healthy enough to participate.

Yency Almonte might be activated from the 10-day injured list during the Dodgers’ series against the Padres that begins on Tuesday, Roberts said.  Almonte hasn’t pitched since August 3 due to elbow tightness, but the right-hander had a rehab outing scheduled for today with Triple-A Oklahoma City.  In his first season in Los Angeles, Almonte has become an underrated piece of the bullpen mix, posting an excellent 1.15 ERA over 31 1/3 innings.

Some more from around the NL West…

  • Madison Bumgarner has thrown his last pitch of the 2022 season, as while he isn’t injured, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (Twitter links) and other reporters that the D’Backs will use younger starters in Bumgarner’s usual rotation spot.  While Bumgarner avoided injury for the first time in his three Arizona seasons, there wasn’t much to love about the left-hander’s performance, either from a bottom-line (4.88 ERA in 158 2/3 innings) or Statcast perspective — Bumgarner did pitch generally well in the first half of the season before fading after the All-Star break.  The Diamondbacks owe Bumgarner $37MM over the 2023-24 seasons, the two final years of the five-year, $85MM free agent deal that has thus far been a bust for the club.
  • The Giants placed outfielder Luis Gonzalez on the 10-day injured list yesterday, as a lower-back strain has ended Gonzalez’s season.  This is the second time back problems have sent Gonzalez to the IL this season, as Giants manager Gabe Kapler told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters that Gonzalez had “been dealing with it ever since he even got off the IL, and I just think he was a more explosive, dynamic player going into that injury….He really has earned the right to be out there, he’s battled less than optimal physical condition to give us everything he’s had.”  In both his first season in San Francisco and in his first season with real Major League playing time, Gonzalez hit a respectable .254/.323/.360 over 350 plate appearances.  As Kapler noted, the back injury certainly impacted Gonzalez’s performance — he had an .808 OPS in 180 PA prior to his first IL stint, and just a .552 OPS in 170 PA after returning to action in early July.

Reds Place Art Warren On 60-Day Injured List

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TODAY: The Reds placed Warren on the 60-day injured list, and activated right-hander Daniel Duarte from the 60-day IL in the corresponding move.  Duarte made his MLB debut with three appearances for Cincinnati in April, but he has missed most of the season due to elbow problems.  The Reds will keep Duarte in Triple-A rather than promoting him to the big league roster.

SEPTEMBER 24: Reds right-hander Art Warren recently underwent a surgery to fix some UCL damage in his throwing elbow, manager David Bell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon).  The procedure wasn’t a Tommy John surgery, as Bell noted that it didn’t involve ligament replacement.

While Warren has seemingly avoided the worst-case scenario of a TJ surgery, it isn’t yet known when he might return to the mound, or if his readiness for the start of Spring Training or even Opening Day 2023 is now in question.  Warren was placed on the Triple-A injured list earlier this week, and he spent over six weeks on the Reds’ IL earlier this season due to a right flexor pronator strain.

Between these injuries and an oblique strain that resulted in a 60-day IL stint in 2021, Warren has had trouble staying healthy since being acquired by the Reds in January 2021.  The right-hander did post a 1.29 ERA over 21 innings in 2021, but his ERA (6.50), strikeout rate (24.2%) and walk rate (13.3%) were all much worse over his 36 frames of work this season.

Cincinnati was set to give Warren a look at closer heading into the season, but his struggles and injuries cost him any chance of locking down a substantial late-game role.  Unless the Reds simply don’t trust Warren’s health, it’s likely that the 29-year-old and local product will get another shot in the bullpen mix next season.  Since Warren isn’t arbitration-eligible until the 2024-25 offseason, there isn’t any real financial cost to the Reds in giving Warren another look.  Because he was in the minor leagues at the time of his injury, Warren won’t accumulate any MLB service time while he recovers.

Jake Lamb Elects Free Agency

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The Mariners announced that infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb, designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment in favor of electing free agency. As a player with more than five years of MLB service time, Lamb has the right to reject an outright assignment without forfeiting any salary.

It’s been a mercurial season for Lamb, who turns 32 years old in a couple weeks. He began the year with the Dodgers on a minor league deal that would pay him $1.5MM in the majors, but he didn’t crack the Opening Day roster. He went down to Oklahoma City and crushed baseballs for a couple of months, socking 15 home runs in 61 games and slashing .290/.395/.537, wRC+ of 131.

The Dodgers selected his contract at the end of June and he continued hitting after his promotion, producing a line of .239/.338/.433 in 25 games with the Dodgers, good enough for a wRC+ of 120, or 20% above league average. Despite that solid showing, he was flipped to Seattle on deadline day for cash considerations.

Once he moved up the coast to Seattle, things look a turn for the worse. He struggled with his new team and saw his playing time dry up, only getting into five games in the month of September. Since the trade, he hit just .167/.265/.300 and lost his roster spot.

With just over a week remaining in the regular season, Lamb is now free to sign with any team, though he wouldn’t be eligible for the postseason. Teams can only include someone on their playoff roster if the player was in the organization prior to September 1. He can now be signed for the prorated league minimum with the Mariners on the hook for the remainder of his salary. Despite his recent downturn, Lamb should finish the season with an above-average batting line, barring an extended look elsewhere down the stretch. Between Los Angeles and Seattle, he hit .216/.315/.392 for a 105 wRC+ in 41 games. The veteran corner infielder has expanded his defensive repertoire in recent seasons to include corner outfield work.

Rays Planning To Activate Tyler Glasnow On Wednesday

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The Rays expect to activate righty Tyler Glasnow from the injured list on Wednesday to start against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Glasnow will be limited to around 45 pitches.

This is a huge development for the Rays, who have been without Glasnow since he underwent Tommy John surgery in August of last year. Glasnow has been a tantalizing, if frustrating, talent ever since he broke out during the 2019 season. Between 2019 and 2021, Glasnow posted an ERA of 2.80 with a 2.87 FIP to match, with a WHIP of 0.976. These fantastic results have been belied by injury woes, however, as Glasnow only managed 206 innings across 37 starts in that timeframe.

Clearly, the Rays are betting on improved health going forward from their exciting right-hander, as they recently signed him to a 2-year contract extension worth over $30 million. This development seems to be a good sign in that regard. With the Rays half a game ahead of the Mariners for the second of the three Wild Card spots, if Glasnow’s return goes well it seems likely that he will pair with the likes of Corey Kluber, Drew Rasmussen, and Jeffrey Springs as potential playoff starters behind ace Shane McClanahan.

Glasnow has been brought along slowly in 4 rehab appearances for AAA Durham this September. In his most recent rehab start, Glasnow topped out at 46 pitches, allowing no runs and striking out six while walking one. With Glasnow expected to be limited to around the same amount of pitches on Wednesday, it’s possible that the Rays are looking at him less as a traditional starter for the playoffs and more as a dominant pitcher who can be used in shorter bursts. Such an approach would be far from unusual for the Rays, who in recent years have used pitchers such as Rasmussen and Ryan Yarbrough in a similar manner during the postseason.

Brewers Reinstate Freddy Peralta

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The Milwaukee Brewers announced this morning that they reinstated right-hander Freddy Peralta from the 15-day injured list. In a corresponding move, the team has also placed righty Luis Perdomo on the 15-day injured list with a right calf strain. In addition, it was announced that Peralta would start today’s game against the Reds.

Peralta’s return is excellent news for Milwaukee. The Brewers are just 1.5 games behind Philadelphia for the final wild card spot in the NL and are sure to receive a boost from Peralta, who has pitched effectively this year despite being limited to just 15 starts by injuries. In 70 1/3 innings pitched this year, Peralta has posted a 3.45 ERA and a 3.07 FIP.

In addition to their push to make the playoffs, the Brewers will have to figure out how best to round out their rotation ahead of a possible 3 game Wild Card series. Should the Brewers manage to make the postseason, Peralta’s return adds another potential option for a playoff rotation facing a great deal of uncertainty. The Brewers are sure to front their playoff rotation with reigning NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and fellow righty Brandon Woodruff, but it’s an open question as to who may follow them. Peralta joins Aaron Ashby and Eric Lauer as starters who have recently come off the injured list but are not fully stretched out yet; Ashby threw just 41 pitches in his most recent start, with Lauer throwing 66. Even Adrian Houser, who returned from the injured list in late August, has pitched into the sixth inning only once since his reinstatement. With all the uncertainty surrounding who could start a potential Game 3 of a playoff series for Milwaukee, an effective return start from Peralta would provide a significant boost.

This marks the end of the season for Perdomo, who has pitched 23 2/3 innings in 14 games for the Brewers. While he posted a slightly above average 3.80 ERA this year, his 4.80 FIP and significantly reduced strikeout rate from his years with the Padres indicate his success may have some luck baked into it. The Brewers will have a decision to make with Perdomo this offseason, as they can retain him for 2023 through arbitration.

Rays Outright Dusten Knight

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Sep. 25: Knight has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Sep. 23: The Rays announced a series of roster moves Friday, with right-hander Dusten Knight being designated for assignment and lefty Ryan Yarbrough hitting the 15-day injured list due to a strained right oblique. In their place, the Rays have selected the contract of righty Cristofer Ogando from Triple-A Durham and recalled righty Calvin Faucher.

Knight, who turned 32 earlier this month, has tossed 11 innings out of the Tampa Bay bullpen in 2022, yielding seven earned runs on 11 hits and four walks with nine strikeouts. Four of those hits have left the yard, contributing to Knight’s 5.73 ERA on the season. He’s had better results in Durham where he’s notched a 3.48 ERA in 54 1/3 innings with a 27.3% strikeout rate — albeit with an unsightly 13.7% walk rate. Knight, who made his MLB debut with the 2021 Orioles, has a 3.23 ERA in parts of four Triple-A seasons.

Yarbrough’s injury will bring his regular season to an end. A fixture on the Rays’ staff from 2018-21, he’s been shuttled back and forth between the big leagues and Durham this season, tossing a total of 80 innings of 4.50 ERA ball in the Majors. Given the up-and-down nature of his 2022 season and the fact that he’ll be owed a raise on this year’s $3.85MM salary, it’s feasible that the Rays could look to either move Yarbrough in the winter or decline to tender him a contract. For now, he’ll hope to rehab and contribute to the Rays in the postseason.

Ogando, 28, made his big league debut as a replacement player with the Rays during their series in Toronto earlier this season. He was optioned to Durham following that series but stuck on the 40-man roster for a few weeks after that debut before being designated for assignment and outrighted in late July. The former Marlins and D-backs farmhand has pitched to a 4.56 ERA with a 23.5% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate in 54 1/3 innings with the Rays’ Durham affiliate this season.

NL Notes: Cubs, Nationals, Marlins

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Chicago Cubs veteran starter Wade Miley left yesterday’s game with left oblique tightness after fielding a bunt, according to MLB.com. Miley, who will be 36 next season, has had a frustrating, injury-filled season. The southpaw started the season on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation and dealt with an additional left shoulder strain before being activated in early May. He would make three starts in May before being faced with injuries again, eventually being placed on the 60-day injured list with a left shoulder strain in June.

The Cubs’ acquisition of Miley via waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason was rather noteworthy, as the lefty came with a $10MM salary for the 2022 season and the Cubs were not considered contenders entering the 2022 season. Miley was coming off a rather productive four-year stretch, posting a 3.53 ERA in 425 1/3 innings and making 81 starts, albeit with a low 18.0% strikeout rate and an average 8.1% walk rate. However, Miley ranked highly in his ability to miss bats; he was in the 95th percentile for Average Exit Velocity, 83rd percentile for HardHit%, 75th percentile for Barrel %, and 77th percentile for Chase Rate in the 2021 season. With the Cubs out of contention for the 2022 playoffs and Miley a free agent at the end of the season, the Cubs may decide to end his season early and give starts to players fighting to make the starting rotation in the spring.

Elsewhere in the National League:

  • The Cubs have been searching for Anthony Rizzo’s heir, and they might have found it, reports Patrick Mooney of the Athletic. First baseman Matt Mervis has had a remarkable 2022 season. Beginning in High-A South Bend, the 24-year-old mashed pitchers to the tune of .350/.389/.650 with a 1.039 OPS in 100 at-bats before being promoted to Double-A Tennessee. Mervis picked up right where he left off, slashing .300/.370/.596/.966 with 14 home runs in 203 at-bats, earning a promotion to Triple-A Iowa and continuing to punish pitchers, posting a .297/.387/.595 slash line for a .982 OPS with another 14 home runs in 195 at-bats. On the heels of this dominant showing throughout the Minors, Cubs manager David Ross has been rather coy on the Cubs’ plans for Mervis, stating that “there’s no doubt that he’ll have a great opportunity in front of him moving forward”  and that Mervis is “definitely on the radar.”
  • As Washington Nationals’ rookie pitcher Josiah Gray wraps up his 2022 season, the Nationals are keeping a close eye on his innings count and have hinted at the possibility of shutting him down early, as reported by MLB.com. Coming to the Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the Trea Turner and Max Scherzer trade in 2021, Gray has shown flashes of brilliance and growing pains. Cumulatively, Gray has pitched to 5.17 ERA (27 starts) in 142 2/3 innings with an above-average 24.2% strikeout rate and a high 10.4% walk rate. However, these numbers do not explain the whole story, with Gray posting a 1.13 ERA in June (24 innings) and only allowing 13 hits and 3 earned runs. However, in July, Gray pitched to a 6.75 ERA (26 2/3 innings), giving up 30 hits and 20 earned runs. With the Nationals at the bottom of the NL East, they may turn their focus to the 2023 season and give Gray an extended offseason in preparation for his age-25 season.
  • In other Nationals news, southpaw MacKenzie Gore, who was acquired in the Juan Soto and Josh Bell blockbuster at the trade deadline, is working back from his left elbow inflammation, according to MLB.com. Gore has been on the injured list since July 26 and is currently continuing his rehabilitation in Triple-A Rochester. The Nationals are hoping that the 23-year-old will make at least one big league start with the team before the end of the season, and plan to have him throw 75-plus pitches in his next rehab start.
  • The Miami Marlins’ rebuild has yet to bear any fruit, and the team may be adjusting its roster for the 2023 season. Having traded Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto, and Marcell Ozuna in the span of a few years, fans were aware that the team was entering a rebuild. However, the rebuild has yet to show any moderate signs of success. After making the postseason in 2020, the Marlins seem destined to finish the season below .500 for the twelfth time in the last thirteen seasons. An article by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Marlins view former first-rounder JJ Bleday as a “serviceable starter or platoon outfielder” and that “he does not project as a full-time center fielder.” Since a late July callup, Bleday has posted a measly .169/.285/.305/.590 slash line in his first MLB season with an inflated 28.5% strikeout percentage but with a high 13% walk rate. In a similar thought, the Marlins are “no longer counting on ” Lewin Díaz as their everyday first baseman because of his poor offensive performance. In his third season of Major League action, Díaz has posted a .163/.223/.281/.504 slash line in 148 plate appearances. Importantly, Díaz has seen an increase in his strikeout percentage and is fanning at a 30.4% clip and only walking at 6.8%.

Phillies Select Chris Devenski

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The Philadelphia Phillies announced they have selected the contract of reliever Chris Devenski. In corresponding moves, left-hander Brad Hand was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 22nd, and infielder Johan Camargo was designated for assignment.

The 31-year-old Devenski re-signed with Arizona Diamondbacks on a Minor League contract before the 2022 season, but began the season on the injured list, first on the 7-day injured list and then 60-day injured list, as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery undergone in June 2021. Devenski would make his 2022 debut in late July, remaining on the Diamondbacks for a month and pitching to a 7.59 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with a low 18.8 K% and minuscule 2.1 BB% before being DFA’d and released. It’s a far cry from the once dominant performance Devenski produced in the early years of his career with the Astros. Nicknamed “The Dragon,” Devenski posted a 3.21 ERA in 305 1/3 innings and appeared in 221 games from 2016-2019 with an above-average 26.9 K% and strong 6.6 BB%, earning an All-Star berth in the process. However, since 2019 Devenski has posted a 9.14 ERA in 21 2/3 innings, undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow in 2020 and spraining his right UCL in 2021, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Devenski signed a Minor League contract with the Phillies shortly after his release from the Diamondbacks and pitched to a 1.04 ERA in 8 2/3 innings in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, with a high 33.3 K% and average 9.1 BB%. He joins a Phillies bullpen with the 9th highest collective ERA as another righty for interim-manager Rob Thomson to call upon.

Hand, an important part of the Phillies bullpen, was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow tendinitis. It is a tough break for both Hand and the Phillies, as the team currently holds the third and final NL Wild Card spot, 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers and 1/2 game behind the Padres. With the placement on the 15-day IL, Hand will unable to return until October 7th, and will miss the remainder of the regular season. He can, however theoretically return for the playoffs. Hand has posted a strong 2.80 ERA in 45 innings (55 appearances) this season after signing a one-year contract with the Phillies in the offseason. This strong performance, if continued, would likely have led to a multi-year contract in the offseason. However, teams may be warier now with the elbow tendonitis possibly being a precursor to a more serious injury.

As for Camargo, his time on the Phillies’ 40-man roster has come to a close. Signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, Camargo posted a respectable .269/.321/.365/.687 slash line in April before declining to .237/.297/.316/.613 as the season progressed. Camargo dealt with a right knee strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list twice in June before being optioned at the end of July with the return of Jean Segura. He has not fared much better in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, slashing .213/.311/.298/.609 for the season.

As a player with more than three years of MLB service, Camargo has the right to refuse the outright assignment in favor of free agency. Even if Camargo accepts this outright assignment, he’d qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season unless the Phillies add him back to the 40-man roster.

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