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Archives for June 2023

The Opener: Abbott, Cortes, Lowe

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As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Abbott to debut:

With Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott expected to make his MLB debut in a start today against the Brewers, roster moves to clear space for Abbott on both the 40-man and active rosters will be necessary before this evening’s game. The No. 95 prospect in the game according to MLB Pipeline, Abbott has dominated the upper levels of the minor leagues all season to this point, with a 1.15 ERA in three Double-A starts before the Reds promoted him to Triple-A, where he’s posted a 3.05 ERA in seven starts. He’s fanned 42.7% of his opponents between those two levels. That dominance has already earned Abbott not just his first start in the big leagues, but his second, as manager David Bell has indicated that Abbott will not be a spot starter and get another start this Saturday against the Cardinals.

2. Cortes to undergo MRI:

After revealing that left-hander Nestor Cortes was likely headed to the 15-day injured list with a shoulder issue, Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that Cortes was set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. After pitching to a 155 ERA+ between the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a regular member of the Yankees rotation, Cortes has struggled so far in 2023, with a 5.16 ERA and 4.60 FIP in 59 1/3 innings of work across 11 starts.

If Cortes has been dealing with a shoulder issue throughout the season that, as Boone describes it, has caused problems with his recovery between starts, it’s no wonder that New York plans to utilize a trip to the IL to hopefully get their lefty’s season back on track. The Yankees are already without Carlos Rodon and Frankie Montas, neither of whom have thrown a pitch in the Majors this season.

3. Lowe day-to-day with back injury:

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe was initially scratched from yesterday’s game against the Red Sox with what was termed “left leg discomfort,” but after the game manager Kevin Cash (as relayed by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) indicated that the issue actually involved Lowe’s back. Lowe noted to reporters that the issue cropped up after he “felt something” during a slide into third base, and that he wasn’t able to get his back to loosen up after taking swings in the batting cage. Lowe indicated he was hopeful that he would be able to play today, though he admitted that it was “too early to say anything” at this point.

Lowe has struggled after a hot start, hitting .199/.294/.392 overall on the season (96 wRC+). His performance has been particularly brutal since the end of April, with a .167/.255/.267 slash line and just five extra base hits in his past 102 plate appearances. If Lowe were to require a trip to the injured list, options to replace him would include Taylor Walls and Isaac Paredes.

White Sox Release Hanser Alberto

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The White Sox have requested unconditional release waivers on infielder Hanser Alberto, who was designated for assignment a couple of days ago, with James Fegan of The Athletic among those to relay the information. His transactions tracker at MLB.com lists him as having been released, indicating he cleared waivers.

Alberto, 30, was signed to a minor league deal this winter and made the club’s Opening Day roster as a reserve infielder. He played each non-shortstop position on the dirt and even took the mound a couple of times. At the plate, he hit .220/.261/.390 for a wRC+ of 75, indicating he was 25% below average. That actually wasn’t too far off of his career batting line of .269/.292/.381 and 77 wRC+ but he was squeezed out of the club’s plans nonetheless.

The Sox have been shuffling their roster and lineup for most of the year as various injuries have altered their primary plans. Some players have made the most of those new opportunities, such as Jake Burger and Romy González. González is a second baseman and Burger is at least being considered as a possibility there. González bounced back from a rough start to hit .289/.298/.644 since late April while Burger is hitting .266/.314/.594 for the whole year. With those players deserving of a longer look and Tim Anderson and Elvis Andrus now returned from their respective IL stints, it seems Alberto didn’t have much of a path to playing time.

Now that he’s been released, the Sox will remain on the hook for the remainder of his $2.3MM salary for the year. That will allow any of the 29 other clubs to sign Alberto for the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster with that amount being subtracted from what the Sox pay. Alberto could perhaps serve in the weak side of a platoon role somewhere, as he’s hit .324/.343/.455 against lefties in his career. That’s continued this year, as he’s slashed .357/.400/.714 against southpaws for the season.

Nestor Cortes Likely To Be Placed On IL With Shoulder Issue

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9:30pm: Judge tells Hoch that he expects to undergo X-rays and/or an MRI when the club gets back to New York.

5:58pm: Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes has a shoulder issue and is likely headed for the 15-day injured list, with Bryan Hoch of MLB.com among those to relay word from manager Aaron Boone (Twitter links). Boone hopes that Cortes will only miss one or two starts but the southpaw is undergoing an MRI to determine the exact nature and severity of the issue.

It’s not clear exactly when the issue arose, though Boone says Cortes has been having issues recovering in between his starts. If the club does indeed have to proceed without Cortes, that would obviously not be ideal, but it would perhaps at least lead to an explanation for his diminished results on the season.

The lefty bounced around to various clubs in the early parts of his career before breaking out with the Yankees in the last two years. He tossed 251 1/3 innings over 2021 and 2022, posting a combined 2.61 ERA in that time. He struck out 26.9% of opponents while walking 6.4%. Through 11 starts this year, his ERA is way up to 5.16 while his strikeout rate has dropped to 23.4% and his walks are up to 7.5%.

Despite that tepid performance, the Yanks surely don’t need yet another pitching injury to deal with. Frankie Montas and Carlos Rodón have yet to appear so far this season due to their own injuries and the club has also has to navigate absences from Domingo Germán and Luis Severino. Those latter two are now back in action, slotted alongside Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt in the current rotation.

If Cortes does indeed miss a small amount of time, the club would likely need a spot start from one of Randy Vásquez or Jhony Brito. Both of them are on the 40-man roster and have been up in the majors at times this year. The Yanks have a handful of off-days this month that would limit the need for their services, though that need would obviously grow if the shoulder issue with Cortes proves to be more significant than hoped.

Rotation help could be coming further down the line as Rodón continues his march towards his Yankee debut. He suffered a forearm strain during Spring Training and then was slowed by a back issue that doctors have told him is chronic. Nonetheless, he’s been ramping up his activities in recent weeks and will face live hitters on Wednesday, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. His return to the majors leagues isn’t imminent as he will still need to build up to a full starter’s workload, but it’s encouraging that he’s jumping through the usual hoops without issue at the moment.

Elsewhere on the roster, Aaron Judge is out of tonight’s lineup with a minor issue. He made a spectacular catch last night, crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium and busting open the bullpen gate, Twitter video per Hoch. Boone says Judge banged his toe and is sore and receiving treatment, per Hoch. There are no plans to place him on the injured list right now but it will depend how things progress. “I don’t know,” Boone tells Hoch in response to the IL question. “Not at this point. We’ll see how he is today, tomorrow and the next day.”

That will obviously be an important situation to monitor as Judge is having yet another excellent season. The reigning American League MVP has 19 home runs on the year already and is slashing .291/.404/.674 for a wRC+ of 188. With fellow outfielders Harrison Bader and Greg Allen already on the injured list, it would be a significant blow if Judge were to join them. With Judge out of the lineup tonight, the Yanks have Willie Calhoun, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jake Bauers in the outfield with Giancarlo Stanton in the designated hitter slot. Franchy Cordero is on the 40-man roster and could be recalled if Judge does eventually require an IL stint.

Roger Craig Passes Away

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The Giants announced that former big league player and manager Roger Craig has passed away. He was 93 years old.

“We have lost a legendary member of our Giants family,” said Larry Baer, Giants president and chief executive officer in a press release from the club. “Roger was beloved by players, coaches, front office staff and fans. He was a father figure to many and his optimism and wisdom resulted in some of the most memorable seasons in our history. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Carolyn, his four children, Sherri Paschelke, Roger Craig Jr, Teresa Hanvey and Vikki Dancan, his seven grandchildren, his 14 great grandchildren as well as his extended family and friends.”

Craig was born in Durham, North Carolina and began his professional career when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. A right-handed pitcher, he spent some time in the minors but military service during the Korean War prevented him from playing in 1952 or 1953. He made his major league debut in 1955, tossing 90 2/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA. The Dodgers won the pennant that year and faced the Yankees in the World Series. Craig started Game 5 and tossed six innings of two-run ball, earning the victory and giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. The Yanks would go on to win Game 6 but the Dodgers eventually won the deciding game and became champions. He went on to spend a further six years with the Dodgers, sticking with them as they moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and through the end of 1961, largely serving as a starter but also working out of the bullpen. They won another World Series title in 1959.

His tenure with the Dodgers ended when he was selected by the Mets in the 1962 expansion draft, making him one of the original Mets. The team fared poorly in their first two seasons but Craig was one of the more reliable members of the club, tossing over 230 innings in both 1962 and 1963. He gradually transitioned into more of a relief role in the next few years, pitching for the Cardinals in 1964, the Reds in 1965 and the Phillies in 1966. He won a third World Series ring with the Cards in 1964, tossing five scoreless relief innings as his club beat the Yankees in seven games.

That was his last season as a player but he quickly moved into other baseball roles. He became a scout and minor league manager with the Dodgers before being hired as the first pitching coach of the Padres, taking that role in their inaugural 1969 season. He stayed with the Padres for many years and also coached with the Astros before returning to the Friars. Just before Opening Day in 1978, Padres manager Alvin Dark was fired and Craig was put into the Skipper’s chair. They had a solid 84-78 showing that year but dropped to 68-93 the year after, leading to Craig’s firing.

Craig then joined the Tigers as a pitching coach for several years before being hired as the manager of the Giants late in 1985. That season saw the club finish with a losing record for the third straight year but they turned things around from there. They won 83 games in 1986, the first of five straight winning seasons. They won the National League West division in 1987 and 1989, losing the NLCS to the Cardinals in the former and the World Series to the Athletics in the latter. It was during this time that he earned the nickname “Humm Baby” that stuck with him from that point forward. The club’s fortunes tailed off in the next few years and Craig was fired after the 1992 season.

Craig’s playing career resulted in 1536 1/3 innings pitched with 803 strikeouts and a 3.83 ERA. On top of that, he had many postseason accolades and won three titles during his playing career. He then went on to have a lengthy coaching career, winning another title in that capacity while with the Tigers in 1984. As a manager, he went 738-737 overall but 586-566 with the Giants, leading that club to the postseason twice and the World Series once. We at MLB Trade Rumors join in the rest of the baseball community in sending condolences to his family, friends, fans and colleagues who are mourning him today.

Athletics Release Jesús Aguilar

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The Athletics announced today that first baseman/designated hitter Jesús Aguilar has been released. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

The fact that no club was willing to grab Aguilar is hardly surprising given his contract and recent performance. The A’s signed him to a one-year, $3MM deal this winter for a bit of veteran presence on a team largely consisting of younger players. However, the 32-year-old hit just .221/.281/.385 through 115 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 83. He has some third base experience but is mostly just an option at first base these days, making that production all the more untenable.

Any club who claimed Aguilar off waivers would have been responsible for the remainder of that contract. But now that none of them have done so and he’s been released, the A’s will remain on the hook for it. That will allow any of the 29 other clubs to sign him and pay him just the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the active roster, with that amount subtracted from what Oakland pays.

Despite the rough season, it’s possible that some club decides to take a chance on him with the low financial commitment. He still hit well with the platoon advantage this year, slashing .280/.362/.520 against lefties but just .167/.196/.259 against righties. He’s also not too far removed from being a solid everyday option, as he hit 22 home runs with the Marlins in 2021 and batted .261/.329/.459 for a wRC+ of 111. Perhaps a club looking for a cheap bench bat that can hit lefties will find a spot on their roster for Aguilar.

Dodgers’ Prospect Andy Pages Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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Dodgers’ prospect Andy Pages underwent surgery on a torn labrum in his shoulder last week, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The outfielder is expected to be ready for Spring Training, which seems to point towards him not returning in 2023.

It’s an obviously unfortunate development for both Pages and the Dodgers. The 22-year-old was pushing towards his first major league call-up, having recently been promoted from Double-A to Triple-A. Pages also already has a spot on the 40-man roster, having been added in November to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Those factors could have allowed him to become a legitimate depth option for the Dodgers in the latter half of this season but that now seems to be off the table.

Pages, 22, is broadly considered to be one the club’s top 10 prospects and is even considered a top 100 guy in the league by some outlets. Each of FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline and Keith Law of The Athletic have him between #59 and #67 on their respective lists, though Pages isn’t in the top 100 at Baseball America or ESPN.

Despite the somewhat divisive nature of those evaluations, it’s generally agreed that he has tremendous power at the plate. His approach in the box involves a swing designed for optimizing launch angle to the pull side. That leads to home runs but also strikeouts, though he does have a keen enough eye to draw walks.

He spent all of last year in Double-A, striking out at a 24.5% rate but also walking 10.9% of the time while launching 26 home runs. His .236/.336/.468 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 102, or 2% above league average. He returned to that level this year and showed positive signs of development, getting his strikeout rate down to 22.5% while his walk rate ticked up to 17.6%. His .284/.430/.495 batting line amounted to a 146 wRC+.

Defensively, Pages has played all three outfield positions but the consensus seems to be that he won’t really be a viable option in center field. Evaluators think he can be an average defender in a corner, with his strong arm making him a good fit for right field.

Based on his strong start this year, he was promoted to Triple-A and played one game at that level on May 16. He hasn’t played since that game a couple of weeks ago and it now seems he may not play another until next season.

The Dodgers have some fluidity to their outfield at the moment, as Mookie Betts have been spending some time in the middle infield in addition to his customary right field spot. James Outman, Jason Heyward, David Peralta and Chris Taylor have also been in the mix, though Trayce Thompson just landed on the injured list today. Manager Dave Roberts says that Thompson will miss at least a month due to his left oblique strain, per Ardaya. Roberts adds that the right-handed hitting Jonny DeLuca, recalled today in a corresponding move for Thompson, will play against left-handed pitchers.

Pages also hits from the right side and could have been in the mix for such a role were he not injured. He and DeLuca were each promoted to Triple-A on the same day and would have had similar cases for making the jump to the majors. That’s a moot point now as Pages will be focused on rehabbing for the next several months.

Dodgers To Place Trayce Thompson On 10-Day Injured List

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June 4: These moves are now official, as the Dodgers have announced that Thompson has been placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain, with DeLuca recalled as the corresponding move.

June 3, 11:50PM: Outfield prospect Jonny DeLuca will be called up from Triple-A to take Thompson’s spot on the roster, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports (Twitter link).  Los Angeles selected DeLuca to its 40-man roster during the offseason, to prevent him from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft.  DeLuca was a 25th-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2019 draft, and he has posted strong numbers at every minor league stop, including a .329/.373/.571 slash line over his first 75 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.  His first appearance on the field with the Dodgers will mark his Major League debut.

Baseball America (17th) and MLB Pipeline (20th) each rank the 24-year-old DeLuca within the top 20 prospects of the Dodgers’ deep farm system, with BA seeing him as “a platoon or reserve outfielder who bashes lefties and plays all three outfield spots.”  DeLuca is a solid-to-decent defender, with his plus speed helping both his glovework and his base-stealing (58 swipes in 63 tries over his minor league career).  Beginning his career as a switch-hitter, DeLuca seemed to unlock something after becoming only a right-handed hitter.  Pipeline’s scouting report cites his strength and “raw power” at the plate, “and he’s able to drive the ball without sacrificing contact.”

10:39PM: Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson suffered an injury to his oblique during a checked swing in tonight’s game, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).  The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, but Roberts said that Thompson will be placed on the 10-day injured list.

It’s another setback in what has been a tough season for Thompson, who is batting only .155/.310/.366 over 87 plate appearances.  The outfielder homered three times in his first game of the season and he had three hits against the Rays on May 28, but Thompson otherwise has only five hits over his other 79 PA, including an ugly 0-for-36 slump that was only just snapped with that big game against Tampa.  Naturally, Thompson’s playing time has been reduced in the wake of his struggles, even as the Dodgers’ have been looking for extra outfield help since Mookie Betts spending more time as a middle infielder.

Perhaps a dropoff was inevitable given how Thompson’s 2022 numbers greatly outpaced his otherwise modest careers, but it is still count as a letdown that he wasn’t able to continue his seeming breakout.  After Los Angeles acquired Thompson in a cash transaction with the Tigers in June 2022, Thompson became an unexpected contributor, hitting .268/.364/.537 over 239 PA for the Dodgers last season.

Luke Williams, Yonny Hernandez, and top prospect Michael Busch could all be candidates for another look in the majors to replace Thompson.  The Dodgers have enough multi-position players that they don’t necessarily need to replace Thompson with another outfielder, but Williams does have some outfield experience.  This trio are all on the 40-man roster, so L.A. would have to make another corresponding move if it wished to replace Thompson with someone who isn’t currently on the 40-man.

Brewers Notes: Urias, Adames, Woodruff, Lauer, Bush

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MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy relayed a series of significant updates regarding injured Brewers players this morning. Most encouragingly, the Brewers expect to welcome both infielder Luis Urias and shortstop Willy Adames back from the injured list this week.

Urias, who suffered a hamstring strain on Opening Day and hasn’t played since, is expected to rejoin the club on Tuesday as they begin a homestand against the Orioles. Acquired in the trade that sent Trent Grisham to San Diego prior to the 2020 season, Urias has been a key piece of the club’s infield picture for several seasons now, particularly since his offensive breakout in 2021. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Urias has slashed a solid .243/.339/.424 (111 wRC+) with a 20.6% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate in 1,046 trips to the plate.

Adames, meanwhile, has been on the 7-day concussion IL since getting struck with a foul ball in the dugout last week. McCalvy notes that the current plan is for Adames to play DH for High-A Wisconsin today before moving on to Triple-A Nashville. After two games in Nashville, Adames figures to be activated from the injured list on Thursday.

After the Brewers acquired Adames partway through the 2021 season, the then-25-year-old shortstop raked for the club in 99 games for the rest of the season, with a .285/.366/.521 slash line that was 36% better than league average by measure of wRC+. Adames followed up that performance in 2022 with a solid 109 wRC+ in 139 games, but struggled prior to his placement on the IL this season, slashing a below-average .205/.292/.384 in 51 games.

Still, the Brewers figure to be bolstered significantly by the return of their two most reliable infielders. Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, and Brian Anderson have all produced solid results in the infield while Urias and Adames have been on the shelf. Assuming the Brewers look to keep all three of them on the active roster even after the duo returns this week, it’s possible the club will look toward the likes of Brice Turang, Mike Brosseau, and Abraham Toro when clearing space for Adames and Urias on the active roster. Each of those three infielders (as well as both Monasterio and Miller) are optionable, leaving Milwaukee with plenty of options as they look to make roster decisions in the coming days.

While the updates on Adames and Urias are encouraging, the same unfortunately cannot be said regarding ace right-hander Brandon Woodruff. The 30-year-old righty made just two starts this season before going on the injured list with a subscapular strain in his right shoulder, which came with an initial timeline that figured to see him return later this month. McCalvy notes that Woodruff’s timetable for return has been pushed back, however, as the righty has yet to progress to throwing off a mound, leaving the Brewers to target a return around the All Star break for their ace.

The setback for Woodruff is a tough blow to the Brewers, who have since lost Wade Miley and Eric Lauer from their rotation to injuries (in addition to Aaron Ashby, who has yet to pitch this season after undergoing shoulder surgery). What’s more, Woodruff’s co-ace Corbin Burnes has had a somewhat pedestrian season to this point by his lofty standards, posting a 3.75 ERA (113 ERA+) and a 4.59 FIP across twelve starts while striking out 22.8% of batters faced.

Speaking of Lauer, the left-hander and reliever Matt Bush are both expected to head to Triple-A for rehab assignments on Tuesday. Lauer struggled mightily in nine appearances (eight starts) this season prior to going on the IL due to an impingement in his non-throwing shoulder, with a 5.48 ERA and a 6.73 FIP in 42 2/3 innings of work. Bush also struggled in nine games prior to hitting the IL with tendinitis in his right rotator cuff allowing seven runs on four homers and six walks in just 7 2/3 innings of work.

Giants Place Alex Wood On 15-Day IL

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The Giants announced a pair of roster moves this afternoon, as the club placed left-hander Alex Wood on the 15-day IL with a low back strain and recalled right-hander Tristan Beck from Triple-A.

Wood joined the Giants in 2021 on a one-year, $3MM deal and posted a solid 3.83 ERA with a 3.48 FIP across 26 starts as the Giants won 107 games en route to an AL West crown. That performance earned Wood a two-year, $25MM deal to return to San Francisco during the 2021-22 offseason. That deal hasn’t gone well to this point, however. Despite much of Wood’s underlying performance staying consistent in 2022, his results took a significant tumble as he posted a 5.10 ERA, 22% below average by measure of ERA+, in 130 2/3 innings despite solid underlying metrics (3.76 FIP, 3.41 xFIP, 4.00 xERA) thanks in part to an unusually low 63.9% strand rate.

In 2023, Wood has again struggled to find his footing. He managed just ten innings across three starts before heading to the injured list with a hamstring strain in mid-April that would keep him out for nearly a month. Since returning, he’s struggled to a 6.30 ERA with a 5.14 FIP in 20 innings of work that culminated in a 4 1/3 inning, six run start where Wood allowed eight hits and three walks while striking out just four batters last week. Now, Wood heads back to the injured list where he’ll look to get healthy and hopefully get his season back on track upon his return.

Taking Wood’s spot on the roster is the right-handed Beck, who made his big league debut earlier this season out of the San Francisco bullpen, posting a 4.10 ERA and 4.62 FIP in 26 1/3 innings as a multi-inning reliever for the club. It’s unclear whether Beck will take the ball in Wood’s stead Tuesday against the Rockies, or if that start could perhaps go to Sean Manaea, who was demoted to the bullpen last month but has looked good since then, with a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings of work across four appearances.

Whoever takes the ball on Tuesday, it seems unlikely to be right-hander Ross Stripling, who Susan Sussler of the San Francisco Chronicle reports received a cortisone shot after going on the IL and has made some tweaks to his delivery while rehabbing. Sussler notes that Stripling could progress to facing live hitters soon, though that timeline still puts him a ways away from returning to the big league club.

Reds To Select Andrew Abbott

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The youth movement in Cincinnati continues as the Reds are on the cusp of selecting the contract of left-hander Andrew Abbott, who will make his big league debut tomorrow in a start against the Brewers. The club announced this morning that Abbott had been added to the taxi squad, and details surrounding Abbott’s coming promotion have continued to emerge throughout the morning.

In a session with the media this morning, manager David Bell confirmed the club will go with a six-man rotation for the time being, with Hunter Greene’s next start, originally scheduled for Tuesday, getting pushed back to next Sunday against the Cardinals due to hip stiffness, as relayed by C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic. Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer adds that Bell made clear that Abbott’s call-up is not a spot start, though the club won’t stick with a six-man rotation long term. After Abbott’s start tomorrow, Luke Weaver will start on Tuesday in Greene’s place, followed by Brandon Williamson, Graham Ashcraft, and Ben Lively. Abbott will then get a second start on Saturday before Greene takes the ball on Sunday.

Abbott, who just celebrated his 24th birthday this past Thursday, is ranked 95th in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect list. A second round pick by the Reds in the 2021 draft, Abbott has dominated the upper minors this season, with a 2.50 ERA in 10 starts (54 innings) split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. In 15 2/3 innings at Double-A this season prior to his promotion to Triple-A, Abbott struck out a ridiculous 64.3% of batters faced. His phenomenal strikeout numbers have continued in Triple-A as well, as he’s punched out 34.8% of Triple-A batters in 38 1/3 innings of work.

Abbott is now tasked with joining the big league club and providing a boost to the Reds, who are in third place in the NL Central despite a weak 26-32 record. While the club’s overall record certainly leaves something to be desired, the club has seen improvement in recent weeks as they’ve made way for young prospects to make an impact on the club, highlighted by the performance of shortstop Matt McLain.

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