The Twins have designated righty Jharel Cotton for assignment, tweets Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. The move is made in preparation for the activation of Bailey Ober from the 60-day injured list, which is expected to be finalized tomorrow.
Cotton is no stranger to DFA limbo, as he’s been on and off the Minnesota roster all year. Claimed off waivers from the Rangers over the offseason, the 30-year-old opened the year on the active roster but was DFA a week into the season. He cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A St. Paul, kicking off a series of moves between the majors and Triple-A dependent on the Twins’ need for pitching depth. Minnesota has selected Cotton’s contract on four separate occasions, but he’s now been designated for assignment after each promotion.
On every prior occasion, the four-year MLB veteran has gone unclaimed and accepted an assignment back to the Saints. It’s surely frustrating not to carve out a permanent spot on the roster, but Cotton has navigated the constant shuffling and performed very well in Triple-A. Over 25 innings with the Saints, he has a 2.88 ERA with a massive 37.1% strikeout rate. He’s gotten swinging strikes on a whopping 16.9% of his offerings in the minors.
Cotton has had similar success keeping runs off the board in the big leagues this year, carrying a 2.83 ERA through 35 innings. Unlike his Triple-A production, he’s not posted especially promising peripherals against MLB hitters though. Cotton has a below-average 21.5% strikeout rate and an elevated 11.5% walk percentage. He’s benefited from a meager .182 batting average on balls in play, and Minnesota’s front office has clearly maintained justifiable skepticism Cotton can continue keeping runs off the board at his current rate.
He’ll yet again find himself on waivers in the next few days. If he clears again, it’s possible he accepts another assignment back to St. Paul, but he’ll have another opportunity to test the free agent market if no other team puts in a claim.
As for Ober, he’s slated to start tomorrow night to kick off the Twins’ biggest series of the season. Minnesota will play five straight against the AL Central-leading Guardians, including a doubleheader on Saturday. The Twins trail Cleveland by four games, with the White Sox sitting one game above Minnesota in a three-way battle for the division title. The Wild Card spots look likely to go to the Rays, Mariners and Blue Jays in some order, leaving the division as the best chance for any of the AL Central teams to secure a playoff spot.
It’s a key outing for Ober, who steps right into the fire after a three and a half month absence. First sidelined on June 2 with a right groin strain, the big righty was eventually moved to the 60-day injured list and didn’t head out on a rehab assignment until this month. He’s made two appearances in Low-A and one outing with St. Paul, working 4 2/3 innings and 66 pitches on Monday evening. He’ll presumably be on some kind of pitch count tomorrow, but it stands to reason skipper Rocco Baldelli would be happy if Ober’s capable of effectively turning the Cleveland lineup over twice.
Orioles claim.
Remember when this guy was a solid prospect? Something happened to him when the A’s traded for him. He was on the cusp of a call up and then the arm injuries started. Derailed what was looking like a promising MLB future.
It’s been a rough day for pitchers whose first names start with Jh…
It sure sounds good saying Seattle will have a spot in the playoffs. I think teams will and would be scared of Seattle. They have a great pitching staff from starters to BP. They have 5 guys who could start but I would be Leary of Marco. He needs to pitch to a team that chases and has bad bat control. Which you won’t find many in the playoffs. Castillo, Ray, Gilbert, and Kirby could all pitch. They need to get.Kirby in a not so critical game to get some experience. What 3-4 pitchers you think match up with those four in a 7 game series? Interested to hear your thoughts.
Cease, Lynn, Cueto, Giolito would be interesting
It’s a good thing the Twins AAA team is a stones throw away with how often he goes back and forth
They send them back and forth BECAUSE they’re so close
Also it’s bad for baseball for them to be close. I am a twins fans living in an east coast minor league town. I used to see the AAA twins several games a year now I never see them. Probably not coincidence that this is also the least I’ve been interested in following the twins
I can see how it would be bad for broadening the fan base. For the players however i would imagine they prefer it
It’s also a joke that pagan has been given a free pass all year to suck, while half decent arms keep getting DFA’d around him
Cotton has been DFA something like 6 times this year. It’s crazy to me that he keeps passing through waivers. He must be really happy in the Twins organization given that he keeps accepting assignment
Wonder what Jim Kaat feels about this guy ?
If only he could find a bushel full like him
Jharel is a guy who makes me appreciate how difficult scouting is.
Seeing him in the back fields as a Dodgers prospect he looked to be a mid rotation arm with upside
I’m no scout but most scouts agreed with me.
Yet he’s never panned out, really.
The continual DFA’s this guy has gotten is just the latest example of why the antiquated limit of a 40 man roster needs to be increased to 45. If not for every team at least for the lower revenue teams that are not in a position to sign free agents for big bucks.
…or relievers could be made capable of pitching more than once every 3 or 4 days by not pitching at max effort every pitch to try light up the radar gun.
Most of the guys who throw in the high 90s are not any more effective than guys who throw 94 with better location and more movement.
I don’t pay much attention to the AAA Twins, but I’m guessing pitchers aren’t overworked and on the same pitch count and third-time-through-the-lineup rule.