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Don Hood Passes Away

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Former major league pitcher Don Hood passed away last Saturday, according to an obituary from a South Carolina funeral home. He was 73 years old.

A native of Florence, South Carolina, Hood was a first-round pick of the Orioles in the 1969 draft. He reached the majors within four years, debuting during his age-23 season. The left-hander started four of eight appearances for Baltimore as a rookie. He’d make 20 appearances (18 in relief) the next season.

After the 1974 campaign, the O’s dealt Hood alongside former MVP Boog Powell to the Indians for catcher Dave Duncan. Hood would spend the bulk of his career in Cleveland, pitching there for four-plus seasons. His best year came in 1977, when he pitched to an even 3.00 ERA over 105 innings. He worked mostly in long relief for the Indians but twice started 19 games in a season, including a career-high 154 2/3 frames during the ’78 campaign.

Halfway through the 1979 season, Cleveland flipped Hood to the Yankees for first baseman Cliff Johnson. Hood posted a 3.07 ERA in 67 1/3 frames during his only partial season in the Bronx. He bounced around late in his career via free agency, signing with the Cardinals and Royals. He closed his career with a personal-best 2.27 ERA in 47 2/3 frames for the 1983 Royals.

Hood played parts of ten years in the big leagues. He pitched in 297 games, starting 72 of them. Over 848 1/3 innings, he worked to a 3.79 ERA with 374 strikeouts. Hood won 34 contests and finished 84 games.

MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Royals Sign Adeiny Hechavarria To Minor League Deal

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The Royals have added a pair of former MLB infielders out of independent ball on minor league deals, per a team announcement. Adeiny Hechavarría is headed to Triple-A Omaha, while Jack Reinheimer will report to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Hechavarría is the more notable of the duo. He was an everyday player for the Marlins early in his career and has tallied nearly 1000 games over nine MLB seasons. A career .253/.291/.351 hitter, Hechavarría was a bottom-of-the-lineup defensive specialist. He hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2020, as he played in Japan from 2021-22.

The 34-year-old spent Spring Training with the Braves this season. He didn’t make the Opening Day roster and was released. Hechavarría signed with the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks in April. He hit .297/.382/.538 with seven homers in 38 games to earn his way back to affiliated ball.

Reinheimer, 30, has 23 games of MLB experience between the Diamondbacks and Mets in 2017-18. He’s been in the Atlantic League with the Gastonia Honey Hunters, where he’s impressed with a .313/.421/.513 line with as many walks as strikeouts. The East Carolina product is a .266/.334/.358 hitter over parts of five Triple-A campaigns.

While the Royals have added some infield experience, they’re losing a bit of catching depth. Jakson Reetz is opting out of his minor league deal, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (Twitter link). The righty-hitting backstop played in two big league contests with the Nationals back in 2021. He’s been in Omaha this year, putting together a quality .274/.349/.526 slash through 106 trips to the dish.

White Sox Place Mike Clevinger On Injured List

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The White Sox placed starter Mike Clevinger on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 15, due to biceps inflammation. Jesse Scholtens was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to replace him on the MLB roster.

Clevinger came out of Wednesday’s start once the biceps pain first developed. The right-hander acknowledged the injury “kind of scared” him at first, but he told reporters last night an MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage in his elbow or shoulder (via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). While the inflammation is still enough to keep him out for at least a few weeks, that everything is structurally intact offers hope he’ll avoid a long-term absence.

The Sox signed Clevinger to a one-year, $12MM free agent deal last offseason. They were hoping he’d more closely resemble the upper mid-rotation form he’d shown in Cleveland, but Clevinger has turned in similar back-of-the-rotation results as he had with San Diego last year. His 3.88 ERA over 12 starts belies a below-average 19.3% strikeout rate and slightly elevated 9.5% walk percentage. This season’s 9.2% swinging strike rate is the lowest of his career.

While that’s not the most exciting production, there’s value in stable back-of-the-rotation innings. That’s particularly true for a Chicago team with questionable rotation depth. The Sox had remarkably avoided an injury to any of their top five starters until now, but sixth starter Davis Martin is down for the year with Tommy John surgery.

Scholtens could be the top depth option. Manager Pedro Grifol said this evening he’s tentatively penciled in for Monday’s start against the Rangers while leaving open the possibility of deploying him out of the bullpen this weekend instead (Van Schouwen link). Scholtens made a spot start earlier this season. He’s pitched nine times with Charlotte, posting a 4.44 ERA in 46 2/3 innings.

How quickly Clevinger returns could be relevant to the trade market. The 30-40 White Sox are reluctant to deal players under club control beyond 2023. Clevinger, though, is more or less a rental. His contract contains a $12MM mutual option for next season, though those are almost always bought out by one side. He’s likely to collect a $4MM buyout and hit free agency at year’s end. If Clevinger is back on the diamond and the Sox haven’t closed the gap in a still winnable AL Central, he’d be a straightforward trade candidate.

Mitch Haniger Undergoes Forearm Surgery, Expected To Miss 10 Weeks

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Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger underwent surgery to repair a fractured ulna in his right arm, the club informed reporters (including Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic). The team estimated his return to play at ten weeks.

Haniger could make it back to Oracle Park in September. That it’s not a season-ending injury is the only silver lining to another brutal stroke of injury luck. Haniger lost a couple months last season to a high ankle sprain and had his entire 2020 campaign wiped out by core surgeries after fouling a ball off his groin. He opened this season on the injured list with an oblique strain and played only 40 games before breaking his arm on a Jack Flaherty pitch on Tuesday.

San Francisco placed Haniger on the 10-day IL on Wednesday. He’ll get moved to the 60-day IL once the club needs a spot on the 40-man roster. The Giants promoted Luis Matos to make his MLB debut with Haniger out, pushing Mike Yastrzemski from center field to a corner.

Haniger is in the first season of a three-year, $43.5MM deal. He has struggled over 160 trips to the plate, hitting .230/.281/.372 with four home runs while walking at a career-low 5.6% rate.

Dodgers Place Max Muncy On Injured List

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The Dodgers announced a handful of moves before tonight’s series opener with the Giants. Right-hander Emmet Sheehan was selected to start tonight, as previously reported. Los Angles also recalled infield prospect Michael Busch from Triple-A Oklahoma City. They put Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 13, with a left hamstring strain while optioning right-hander Michael Grove to Triple-A.

Muncy has been hobbled by the hamstring for the past few days. He’d hoped to avoid the IL but still isn’t at full strength. Skipper Dave Roberts downplayed real concern, saying the club was confident the power-hitting infielder would be back once first eligible a week from now (relayed by Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic).

Chris Taylor is getting the start at third base tonight. Busch could also factor into that mix as part of his second MLB stint. The former first-round pick got into seven games earlier in the year, hitting .211/.348/.211 over 23 trips to the dish.

Sheehan, on the other hand, is making his big league debut. It’s more than just a spot start for the Boston College product. Roberts said they’re likely to give Sheehan a couple turns through the rotation with Grove heading to the minors (relayed by Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). Grove has had a tough go this season, allowing an 8.10 ERA over 30 innings across seven appearances.

Royals Recall Samad Taylor For MLB Debut

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The Royals recalled utility player Samad Taylor from Triple-A Omaha this afternoon. Nate Eaton was optioned in a corresponding move.

Taylor, acquired from the Blue Jays as part of last summer’s Whit Merrifield swap, is in the big leagues for the first time. The 24-year-old was added to Kansas City’s 40-man roster last offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He’s spent this entire season on optional assignment to Omaha. The righty-swinging Taylor has had an excellent start for the Storm Chasers, hitting .304/.409/.463 in 62 games. He’s walking at a huge 14.1% clip against a solid 19.6% strikeout rate.

Listed at 5’8″, Taylor doesn’t have huge power. He’s an up-the-middle defender who has split his time between second base and center field. Taylor also has plus speed and has already stolen 34 bags in Triple-A this year. He’s not in tonight’s starting lineup against the Angels but could factor in off the bench.

Pirates Select Carmen Mlodzinski

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The Pirates announced they’ve selected right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski onto the major league roster. Lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny is headed to the 15-day injured list with forearm inflammation. The Bucs already had two vacancies on the 40-man roster, so no further move was necessary.

Mlodzinski, 24, gets to the big leagues for the first time. A high-profile prospect at the University of South Carolina, he went 31st overall in the 2020 draft. Mlodzinski entered pro ball as a starting pitching prospect and remained in the rotation up through Double-A. He’s moved full-time to relief this season, his first extended run with Triple-A Indianapolis.

The 6’2″ hurler has impressed in his new bullpen role. Over 25 2/3 innings across 19 outings, he has a 3.16 ERA. He’s striking out 27.2% of opponents against a slightly high but tolerable 9.6% walk percentage. Baseball America recently ranked him the #20 talent in a strong Pittsburgh farm system, crediting him with a well-rounded three-pitch arsenal.

Mlodzinski would’ve been eligible for the Rule 5 draft if not added to the 40-man roster next offseason. He broke through a little sooner than roster mechanizations required with his solid few months in Triple-A. He’ll take the bullpen spot vacated by Zastryzny, who has made 18 appearances with a 5.29 ERA on the year.

Blue Jays Promote Spencer Horwitz

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The Blue Jays recalled first baseman/corner outfielder Spencer Horwitz from Triple-A Buffalo this afternoon. Reliever Tom Hatch was optioned in a corresponding move.

It’s the first big league call for the 25-year-old Horwitz. He’s not in tonight’s starting lineup but will be available off the bench against the Rangers to potentially make his MLB debut. It’s the culmination of a strong four-year run in the minors since entering pro ball with little fanfare as a 24th round pick out of Radford in 2019.

He’s handily surpassed draft expectations by raking in pro ball. Horwitz is a career .292/.395/.445 hitter in the minor leagues. A huge Double-A showing in 2022 earned him a late-season bump to the top minor league level. He was added to Toronto’s 40-man roster last winter to ensure they didn’t lose him in the Rule 5 draft and tabbed to represent Israel in March’s World Baseball Classic.

Since the season got underway, Horwitz has continued to produce against Triple-A pitching. He’s gotten into 57 games for the Bisons, hitting .300/.421/.405 over 259 trips to the plate. He has only cleared the fences twice, but he’s walking at an outstanding 16.2% clip while keeping his strikeouts to a modest 17.8% rate. Baseball America unsurprisingly lauded his strike zone awareness in recently naming him the Jays’ #14 prospect.

Listed at 5’10”, Horwitz doesn’t have the prototypical power associated with a player who’s limited to the bottom of the defensive spectrum. Evaluators have raised questions about whether he’ll be an impactful enough slugger to play every day while manning first base or a corner outfield position. There’s little doubt about his ability to get on base, though. He’ll add some left-handed balance to a club that recently lost Brandon Belt to the injured list.

Angels Place Gio Urshela On Injured List With Pelvic Fracture

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The Angels announced they’ve placed infielder Gio Urshela on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left pelvis. Michael Stefanic was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace him on the active roster.

Urshela was forced out of yesterday’s win over the Rangers in the first inning. He was on crutches postgame and imaging has evidently revealed a fracture. The team hasn’t provided any kind of timetable but it seems likely he’ll be out past the minimal ten days.

It’s a brutally timed injury for team and player alike. The Halos lose a starting infielder for the second straight day. Rookie shortstop Zach Neto landed on the shelf last night with an oblique strain. Anthony Rendon isn’t on the injured list but is out of tonight’s starting lineup after being hit in the wrist with a pitch. Rendon finished last night’s game despite being in too much discomfort to swing because of the Halos’ lack of infield depth.

That’s not the case tonight — Brandon Drury was serving a one-game suspension for arguing with an umpire yesterday, while Stefanic is now on hand — but it highlights how quickly the Angels have been put in a precarious position. Losing Urshela likely thrusts Jared Walsh into everyday first base duty for the time being. The former All-Star has been off to a brutal start after returning from a season-opening IL stay. Walsh is hitting .119/.257/.186 in 27 games.

Urshela, acquired from the Twins over the offseason, has had a fine but unexciting first season in Orange County. He’s hitting .299/.329/.374 over 228 trips to the plate while splitting his defensive work between the two corner spots and occasional shortstop reps. He’s made plenty of contact offensively but is walking at a meager 4.4% clip and only has two home runs.

That’s a downgrade from the .285/.338/.429 line Urshela posted during his lone season in Minnesota. The injury will prevent him from building towards last year’s production for the time being. Depending on how long he’s sidelined, it could deal a hit to his market value. He’s slated to hit free agency for the first time in his career next offseason, making this a pivotal season for him.

The Halos enter play tonight with a 39-32 record. They’re four and a half back of Texas in the AL West and a game out of the Wild Card race. It’s shaping up to be an aggressive summer for Perry Minasian and his staff as they try to capitalize on Shohei Ohtani’s final season of arbitration control and push into the playoffs. Infield additions looked like a potential deadline goal even before the injuries to Neto and Urshela. That’d be all the more true if one or both is out for a long period of time.

Diamondbacks Sign Stephen Nogosek To Minor League Deal

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The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Stephen Nogosek to a minor league deal, reports Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster. He will report to Triple-A Reno on Monday and his deal contains multiple opt-out opportunities.

Nogosek, 28, was designated for assignment by the Mets a week ago and cleared waivers. Since he had previously been outrighted in his career, he had the right to elect free agency. He exercised that right and headed to the open market, quickly landing with the Diamondbacks.

The righty had a solid showing last year, posting a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings. He wasn’t likely to sustain that going forward since he had a .258 batting average on balls in play and 80.4% strand rate, leading to a 4.66 FIP and 3.80 SIERA. Nonetheless, his 22.1% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate were each close to league average.

His results took a negative turn here in 2023, with his ERA jumping to 5.61 through 25 2/3 frames. That’s coincided with his walk rate climbing up to 11.9%. He had exhausted his option years, leaving the Mets little choice but to designate him for assignment in order to remove him from the active roster.

The Diamondbacks have had a middling bullpen this season, as their relievers have a collective 4.12 ERA that places them 17th out of the 30 clubs in the league. Nogosek can provide them with some non-roster depth that will be on hand in Reno for when they require a fresh arm. He’s out of options but just recently crossed the one-year service time mark, giving him plenty of future control if he can earn his way back into a roster spot.

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