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Archives for June 2023

Pirates Designate Eli Villalobos, Select Henry Davis

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The Pirates announced they have selected the contract of catcher/outfielder Henry Davis, a move that was reported yesterday. To make room for Davis on the active roster, infielder Mark Mathias was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, reliever Eli Villalobos was designated for assignment.

It’s a little surprising to see the Pirates turn to a DFA as the corresponding move for Davis’ call-up. Starter Vince Velasquez could’ve been transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot after the revelation he’ll miss the remainder of the season (and a good chunk of next year) due to elbow surgery. The Pirates will hold off on a seemingly inevitable IL transfer for Velasquez and take Villalobos off the roster for now.

Pittsburgh nabbed Villalobos off waivers from the Marlins a couple months ago. The right-hander has spent his entire Bucs’ tenure on optional assignment to Indianapolis. He hasn’t performed particularly well, allowing 11 runs (eight earned) in 17 1/3 innings. Villalobos has walked 15 against just 16 strikeouts.

Combined with the six runs he allowed in 4 2/3 Triple-A frames before Miami put him on waivers, he has a cumulative 5.73 ERA with 22 free passes and 23 punchouts in 22 innings at the top minor league level this year. It’s obviously not how he wanted to follow up on a strong 2022 campaign, in which he pitched to a 2.86 ERA in the upper levels of the Miami system to secure an offseason spot on the Marlins’ 40-man roster.

Villalobos, who turns 26 next week, has not yet gotten his first MLB call. He’ll likely be put on waivers within the next seven days.

Diamondbacks Option Josh Rojas, Recall Alek Thomas

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have recalled outfielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Reno, with infielder Josh Rojas optioned to Reno in a corresponding move.

Rojas, 29 next week, had seemingly established himself as a solid everyday player over the past few years. In 2021, he got into 139 games for the Diamondbacks, hitting 11 home runs and walking in 10.5% of his plate appearances. His .264/.341/.411 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 102, indicating he was 2% above league average. He also stole nine bases and bounced around the field, playing the three infield positions to the left of first base as well as the outfield corners. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 1.8 wins above replacement on the year.

He seemed to take a step forward last year, getting into another 125 games and cutting his strikeout rate from 24.9% to 19.2%. He hit .269/.349/.391 for a wRC+ of 108 and swiped 23 bags. He didn’t play any shortstop or outfield but still moved between second and third base. FanGraphs gave him a tally of 2.7 fWAR for that campaign.

However, Rojas hasn’t been able to take another step forward or even maintain that kind of performance. Here in 2023, his walk rate has dropped to 8.6% as his strikeout rate has ticked back up to 23.3%. He’s yet to hit a home run and his overall line of .235/.301/.306 amounts to a wRC+ of just 66. Due to that tepid production, he’ll find himself optioned down to the minors for the first time since 2020.

Those struggles have coincided with a breakout campaign for Emmanuel Rivera. Acquired from the Royals at last year’s deadline, Rivera began this season in the minors but was called up in late April. He’s since hit .325/.354/.423 in 130 plate appearances for a 111 wRC+. He has just one home run and has only walked at a 4.6% clip but he’s striking out in just 15.4% of his trips to the plate. He’s seemingly supplanted Rojas at the hot corner for now and will get some rope to prove himself with regular playing time.

Rojas finished 2022 with two years and 152 days of service time, qualifying for arbitration as a Super Two player. He and the club went to a hearing, with the Diamondbacks ultimately emerging victorious, leaving Rojas making a salary of $2.575MM instead of the $2.9MM figure he was seeking. He’s already gone over the three-year mark here this season and will be eligible for arbitration again this winter, though it’s fair to wonder if the club will want to give him another pay bump on the heels of such a disappointing season. He still has a few months to turn things around but will have to get back into a good groove in Reno first.

The Diamondbacks have made the jump from development mode into competing this year, currently sporting a record of 43-29 and sitting atop the National League West. They’ve shown little hesitation in optioning struggling players this year, including Rojas, Brandon Pfaadt and Thomas. It was just about a month ago that Thomas was sent down after hitting just .195/.252/.327 in the majors through mid-May. However, he’s since been on a tear in Reno, hitting .348/.409/.518 after his demotion and earning himself another shot in the big leagues.

Red Sox To Sign Kyle Barraclough To Minor League Deal

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The Red Sox are signing right-hander Kyle Barraclough to a minor league deal, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. He will report to Triple-A Worcester.

Barraclough, 33, has plenty of big league experience on his résumé, often pairing excellent strikeout stuff with control issues. From 2015 to 2017, he made 166 appearances for the Marlins, walking 14.5% of batters faced but punching out 31.7%. Despite the free passes, he was able to register an ERA of 2.87 in that stretch while recording one save and 57 holds.

From there, his results took a bad turn when home run troubles were added into the mix. From 2018 through 2022, his strikeout rate dipped to 25.1%, still above league average but below his own previous results. His 13.2% walk rate was a slight improvement for him but still very high. Meanwhile, 21 home runs in 111 1/3 innings pushed his ERA to 4.69 in that stretch. That pushed him into journeyman mode as he bounced from the Marlins to the Nationals, Giants, Twins and Angels.

This year, Barraclough has been pitching for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League. He’s seemingly been quite flexible about his usage, tossing 18 innings over seven appearances, starting two games but finishing three others. He’s allowed just two earned runs so far, leading to an ERA of 1.00 on the year. He has 17 strikeouts, four walks and has hit one batter. His last appearance was on Wednesday when he tossed 83 pitches over five innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while punching out three.

It’s unclear if the Sox want Barraclough to continue his recent move to the rotation or go back to his customary relief role, but they have challenges in both departments. In the rotation, both Nick Pivetta and Corey Kluber struggled enough to get bumped to the bullpen and Chris Sale and Tanner Houck have landed on the injured list. The relief corps currently has each of Richard Bleier, Zack Kelly, Joely Rodríguez, John Schreiber and Wyatt Mills on the IL.

However he’s deployed, Barraclough will give the club some non-roster depth as he tries to earn his way back to the big leagues. If he makes it there, he actually has an option year remaining, allowing him to provide the club with some roster flexibility. He could also be theoretically retained for 2024 via arbitration since he won’t be able to reach six years of service time here in 2023.

Mets Select Grant Hartwig

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The Mets announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Grant Hartwig, with fellow righty John Curtiss optioned in a corresponding move. The club already had vacancies on their 40-man roster and won’t need to make another move in that regard.

Hartwig, 25, doesn’t have the typical baseball trajectory. Tim Healey of Newsday did a profile on the right-hander back in the spring, detailing his unusual storyline. In the summer of 2021, Hartwig had just graduated from Miami University of Ohio, receiving a degree in microbiology. He was then preparing to go to medical school when the Mets called him up and offered him a contract as an undrafted free agent.

He would toss 11 2/3 innings in the lower levels of the minors that year but truly put himself on the map in 2022. He shot from Single-A to High-A then Double-A and Triple-A last year, eventually posting a 1.75 ERA in 56 2/3 innings. His 10.3% walk rate was a tad high but he struck out 35.5% of batters faced. He’s been back in Triple-A this year, posting a serviceable 4.21 ERA over 25 2/3 relief innings, striking out 29.7% of opponents while walking 12.7%.

Now just two years after getting that fateful phone call from the Mets, Hartwig is set to make his major league debut, giving the Mets a fresh arm in their bullpen. Since this is his first time cracking a major league roster, he has a full slate of options and can give the club some roster flexibility going forward.

Rockies Select Connor Kaiser

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The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Connor Kaiser. He will take the active roster spot of infielder Ezequiel Tovar, who has been placed on the paternity list. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster.

Kaiser, 26, was a third-round selection of the Pirates in the 2018 draft. He rose through the ranks with that club but topped out at Triple-A and was released in 2022. He then signed a minor league deal with the Padres but qualified for minor league free agency at the end of last season.

The Rockies scooped him up on a minor league deal this winter and he’s been playing for their Triple-A club this year. He’s made 205 trips to the plate in 50 games, walking in 13.2% of those. His .278/.376/.506 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 108, indicating he’s been 8% above league average. He’s also stolen six bases on the year while playing primarily at shortstop but also a bit at third base. He hasn’t played second base this year but has in the past.

He will provide the Rockies with a versatile bench piece, at least as long as Tovar is gone. Stints on the paternity list can be between one and three days, meaning it’s possible this will be a cup of coffee for Kaiser, who has a full slate of options.

Reds Reinstate Joey Votto

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The Reds are reinstating Joey Votto from the injured list and he will be in tonight’s starting lineup, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Since Votto was on the 60-day injured list, corresponding moves will be required, though those have not yet been announced.

Once tonight’s contest begins, Votto will be playing in a major league game for the first time in 10 months. The last time he took the field was August 16 of last year, after which he required surgery on a torn rotator cuff. It was estimated that it would take about six months for him to recuperate from that procedure, though he’s ended up going beyond that. He once seemed on track to be ready for Opening Day or perhaps in April but continually delayed his return until he felt fully ready.

Much has changed for the club since Votto has been gone. The club was firmly in rebuild mode last year, trading away pitchers like Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, finishing with a record of 62-100. This year, they have been on the upswing with various younger players coming up to the majors and thriving. They are currently 37-35 and just half a game behind the Brewers in the National League Central.

Votto is a legend in Cincinnati, having debuted back in 2007 and racking up many accolades over the years. However, he’s aware that the club’s return to contention puts him in a position where the past won’t matter too much. “I was just called up. And I’m here to compete for a job,” he tells Wittenmyer. “That’s my mentality. That’s my attitude. Everything’s earned in this game, regardless. Guaranteed-contract guys get released all the time… I recognize that I have to perform well at all times.”

Now 39 years old, Votto struggled last year with a line of .205/.319/.370, though he’s not too far removed from an excellent .266/.375/.563 showing in 2021. In his absence this year, Spencer Steer has been getting the bulk of the playing time at first, responding with a strong showing of .277/.361/.477 and 121 wRC+.

Steer is also capable of moving to third base or left field, but the return of Votto is going to lead to a bit of a squeeze. Jonathan India is the everyday option at second while Matt McLain has been thriving at shortstop. Superstar prospect Elly De La Cruz has only played 11 games but has shown tremendous ability so far while playing both shortstop and third base. Perhaps Steer ends up in the outfield mix but he’ll be jockeying for playing time with Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl and Will Benson. There are also other players to consider such as Nick Senzel, Kevin Newman and Stuart Fairchild.

That busy roster situation only figures to get more crowded as Wil Myers is currently on a rehab assignment and infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand is demanding a call-up by hitting .348/.421/.687 in Triple-A.

Votto is in the final guaranteed season of the 10-year, $225MM extension he signed back in 2012. The Reds have a $20MM option for 2024 that comes with a $7MM buyout, making it a net $13MM decision.

Packy Naughton To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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Cardinals left-hander Packy Naughton will undergo season-ending surgery on June 26th, with Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Joe Trezza of MLB.com relaying word from manager Oli Marmol.

The specific details of Naughton’s surgery aren’t publicly known and it’s possible those details won’t be fully available until the procedure actually begins, but it was reported last week that Tommy John was on the table. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat adds that Naughton was visiting Dr. Keith Meister, who has performed some internal brace procedures, the TJS alternative that could also be an option.

Either way, it seems likely that Naughton is set to miss significant time. Even in the case of the internal brace procedure, a recovery period of roughly a year is required, which would likely wipe out the first half of Naughton’s 2024 season. The full Tommy John surgery, on the other hand, usually pushes into the range of 14 to 18 months, which could put his entire 2024 season in jeopardy.

That’s surely an extremely frustrating development for both Naughton and the Cards. The southpaw had tossed 32 innings last year with a 4.78 ERA but strong peripherals. He struck out 22% of opponents while walking just 5% and getting grounders at a 49.5% clip. His ERA might have been inflated by a .364 batting average on balls in play, leading to kinder marks from other metrics such as a 3.14 FIP and 3.26 SIERA.

He was looking to build off that platform here in 2023 but landed on the injured list after just four appearances due to a left forearm strain. He seemed on track to return when he began a rehab assignment a week ago but was still experiencing pain, leading to further examination and today’s news about the necessary surgery. That means that 2023 will be an almost entirely lost season with 2024 hanging in the balance as well.

Naughton is already on the 60-day injured list and will stay there for the rest of the season. However, there’s no injured list in the offseason so he will have to be added back to the roster at that point.

Angels Place Anthony Rendon On Injured List

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The Angels announced that infielder Anthony Rendon has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left wrist contusion. A corresponding move wasn’t announced and may not come until tomorrow since the club is off today. The move is presumably backdated to Friday June 16 since Rendon last played on Thursday.

Rendon was hit on the wrist with a pitch in Thursday’s contest and then sat out the weekend. The club was hoping that a few days off could get him back into game shape but it seems that hasn’t come to pass and they will now give him another week off to fully recuperate.

While this injury was a fluke that Rendon had little control over, it nonetheless continues a frustrating pattern in recent years as he’s yet to play 60 games in a season since signing a seven-year, $245MM deal with the Angels after 2019. The contract began with the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but Rendon has made multiple IL trips in each campaign since, as this will be his second stint on the shelf this year. He got into just 58 games in 2021 while dealing with a groin strain, knee contusion, hamstring strain and hip impingement. Last year, it was just 47 contests with his right wrist the primary culprit. This year, he’s been limited to 38 games so far due to a groin strain and now this wrist contusion.

Those injuries have coincided with a drop in his production. He hit .286/.418/.497 in the first year of the deal for a wRC+ of 152 but he’s slashed just .238/.338/.364 since then for a wRC+ of 98. Despite that diminished performance, his absence will be a challenge for the Halos as they also have infielders Zach Neto and Gio Urshela on the injured list.

The past two games have seen the club use an infield alignment of Luis Rengifo, Andrew Velazquez, Michael Stefanic and Brandon Drury from left to right. Jared Walsh is also an option to play first base as Drury moves over to one of the other spots. That’s a less than ideal situation as Drury is the only player in that group with much offensive success in recent seasons. Rengifo was decent in 2022 but is hitting just .203/.288/.291 this year. Walsh has some past success but has declined in recent years while battling injuries, currently batting .125/.253/.234 here in 2023. Velazquez has a career line of .193/.244/.295 while Stefanic has just 27 games of experience.

With Rendon now set to miss more time, the club can bring someone else into that mix. Jake Lamb and Liván Soto are options on the 40-man roster while non-roster options include David Fletcher. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register adds that outfielder Hunter Renfroe has been getting some work at first base lately and could be an option there, which opens the possibility of recalling another outfielder like Jo Adell.

Despite the challenges they are facing with their multiple infield injuries, the Angels are playing well, winning seven of their last 10 games and currently in possession of an American League Wild Card spot.

Phillies Designate Dalton Guthrie For Assignment

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The Phillies announced that first baseman Darick Hall has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To open a spot for him on the 40-man roster, outfielder Dalton Guthrie was designated for assignment.

Hall seemed like he was destined to take over the first base job in Philadelphia when Rhys Hoskins suffered a torn ACL during Spring Training. However, Hall suffered his own injury early in the season when he tore a ligament in his thumb and required surgery. He’s been rehabbing for the past few weeks but the club has decided to give him some more time in the minors to get into a groove after an extended absence. They’ve been using a platoon of Alec Bohm and Kody Clemens to cover first base and will presumably continue with that arrangement for the time being.

Rehab assignments come with a maximum length of 20 days for position players, so Hall needed to be reinstated from the IL, which has bumped Guthrie out of his roster spot. He was first added to the club’s roster late last year and hit .333/.500/.476 for a scorching hot debut, but in a small sample of 28 plate appearances. This year, he hit a much more tepid .167/.286/.208 in another 28 plate appearances.

He doesn’t have a ton of major league experience but he’s always performed well in Triple-A, hitting .296/.359/.467 over 609 plate appearances at that level. An infielder earlier in his minor league career, he’s moved to being primarily an outfielder as time has gone on.

The Phillies will now have a week to trade Guthrie or pass him through waivers. He has very little service time and a full slate of options, which could make him an appealing long-term depth option for a club that’s intrigued by his Triple-A offensive output.

Fantasy Baseball Chat With Brad Johnson

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Brad Johnson is a veteran of the fantasy baseball industry with a decade of experience in Roto, H2H, dynasty, DFS, and experimental formats. As an expert in the field, Brad participates in the Tout Wars Draft and Hold format and was crowned the league’s winner in 2020. Brad’s writing experience includes RotoGraphs, NBC SportsEDGE, and right here at MLB Trade Rumors. He’s also presented at the First Pitch Arizona fantasy baseball conference.

Click here to read the transcript of today’s fantasy baseball chat with Brad!

Brad will also be holding fantasy baseball chats exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, where he’ll be able to answer a much larger percentage of questions asked. Click here to learn more about Front Office.

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