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Josh Jung To Undergo Thumb Surgery

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Rangers’ rookie third baseman Josh Jung will undergo surgery to stabilize a fracture in his left thumb, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). He’s expected to miss roughly six weeks.

Jung broke his thumb when he knocked down a Jorge Soler line drive in last night’s win over Miami. The Rangers placed him on the 10-day injured list today, recalling Jonathan Ornelas for his big league debut in his place. With the injury requiring surgical repair, Texas loses one of its top bats well into next month.

The six-week timetable leaves open the possibility of Jung returning during the regular season. If everything goes well, he could be back for the final two to three weeks of the schedule. Given how tightly contested the AL West is, it’s quite possible that stretch of play could determine the Rangers’ playoff standing. Texas leads the Astros by 2.5 games; they’re in strong position to at least secure a Wild Card berth, but the division would come with the added bonus of a first-round bye (since the AL Central winner is almost certain to be the third seed).

It’s a third straight season with a notable injury for Jung. After a broken foot in 2021, he injured his left shoulder in a weight room accident headed into 2022. That kept him from making his MLB debut until last September and probably contributed to a lackluster .204/.235/.418 showing in his first 26 games. After a healthy offseason, Jung has broken through as a middle-of-the-order presence in Arlington.

The former eighth overall pick owns a .274/.323/.489 line over 461 trips to the dish. While his strikeout and walk marks are middling, he has popped 22 homers. He leads American League rookies in longballs, putting him in strong consideration for Rookie of the Year. That’ll be far more challenging now.

As Ethan Hullihen points out (Twitter links), that could deal another hit to the team. Jung met the prospect criteria — appearing on at least two preseason Top 100 lists at Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and ESPN (he made all three) — for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. The Rangers carried Jung on the active roster from the start of the season. If he were to win Rookie of the Year, he’d net Texas an extra draft choice — as Julio Rodríguez did for the Mariners last season. That isn’t out of the question, but the injury reduces Jung’s chances of nabbing the award.

The more immediate concern, of course, is how to replace Jung at the hot corner. Ezequiel Duran figures to get the bulk of the playing time there. Duran, who has slumped since the All-Star Break following a stellar first half, is hitting seventh and manning third base tonight against Oakland southpaw Ken Waldichuk.

Guardians Designate Chris Vallimont For Assignment

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The Guardians announced this afternoon they’ve designated minor league right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment. The move cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Ramón Laureano, who was claimed off waivers from Oakland.

Vallimont, 26, landed in Cleveland in a cash trade with Baltimore a month ago. The Mercyhurst product didn’t make an appearance with the Guards. He spent the past month on optional assignment to Triple-A Columbus, working 10 1/3 innings over seven appearances. He allowed nine runs while walking eight and only striking out four.

The former fifth-round draftee had somewhat better numbers while pitching with the O’s top affiliate earlier in the season. He’d started seven of 10 outings there, pitching to a 5.02 ERA over 57 1/3 frames. Vallimont struck out almost 26% of batters faced with Baltimore’s top affiliate but walked over 12% of opponents. He made the lone big league appearance of his career to date for the O’s on July 3.

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Cleveland has to place Vallimont on waivers. He’s gone unclaimed once in his career already. As a result, he’d have the ability to declare minor league free agency if he clears the waiver wire this time around.

Tigers Claim Isan Diaz From Giants, Designate Zach Logue

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The Tigers have claimed infielder Isan Díaz off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo, tweets Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. Left-hander Zach Logue was designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man move. Diaz’s spot on San Francisco’s 40-man roster will go to outfielder Luis González, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Díaz returned to the majors with San Francisco a couple months ago. After a 2022 season as a non-roster player in Triple-A, he was selected onto the Giants’ 40-man last offseason. He’s spent the bulk of the year on the minor league injured list but gotten into six big league contests. The left-handed hitting infielder has a .240/.324/.490 line this season in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, striking out at an untenable 35.2% clip over 26 games.

The former top prospect had a much better .275/.377/.574 showing in Sacramento a year ago, however. Detroit baseball operations leader Scott Harris was in the Giants’ front office for the bulk of that season. He’ll take another look at Díaz, who is in his final minor league option year. The 27-year-old has only mustered a .179/.269/.277 batting line in 151 MLB games spread over four campaigns. He’s a .268/.359/.525 hitter in over 1100 trips to the dish at the top minor league level.

Detroit claimed Logue off waivers from the A’s last offseason. They quickly ran him through waivers themselves but selected him back onto the roster in late-June. The 27-year-old has thrown 11 innings of relief through a trio of appearances, allowing nine runs despite a solid 10:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Logue was hammered for a 6.79 ERA over 57 frames with Oakland a season ago and has a 6.22 mark through 63 2/3 innings with Toledo.

The Tigers will again place the Kentucky product on waivers this week. Should he go unclaimed, he’d have the right to become a minor league free agent based on his previous career outright.

González has missed the entire season after offseason back surgery. He’s now healthy but won’t step right back onto the big league roster. The 27-year-old had a solid .254/.323/.360 showing over 350 plate appearances last year — his first extended MLB action.

Mets Option Brett Baty, Place Starling Marte On Injured List

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The Mets have optioned third baseman Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse, placed outfielder Starling Marte on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain, recalled infielder Jonathan Araúz and selected the contract of journeyman outfielder Abraham Almonte. Almonte’s promotion was first reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Paired with their selection of reliever Jimmy Yacabonis over the weekend, New York’s 40-man roster is at capacity.

Baty heads back to Triple-A for the first time since April. The recent top prospect began the season in Syracuse but got off to a roaring .400/.500/.886 start. That earned him a big league call a couple weeks into the year — his second promotion after a debut late last season. Baty quickly pushed Eduardo Escobar to the bench (and eventually made him expendable in trade) and started the season well, mashing at a .333/.394/.467 clip through the end of April.

The 23-year-old has hit a major slump since that excellent first month. He’s been a below-average hitter in each month since that point. Things have particularly spiraled of late. Since the All-Star Break, Baty is hitting .130/.211/.261 while striking out in 31.2% of his 77 plate appearances. While the Mets have turned their attention towards 2024, the struggles simply became untenable. They’ll hope Baty can find his stride against lower-level pitching.

Whether he does so could have implications for Baty’s long-term earning power. He entered the season with 50 days of major league service. Between his April 17 recall and today, he has accrued roughly 112 days of additional service time. That brings him to 162 days overall. Players get to a full service year at 172 days, meaning Baty’s approximately 10 days shy of that mark. If he returns to the big leagues for a week and a half later in the season, he’ll surpass the one-year threshold and remain on pace to reach free agency after the 2028 campaign. If he spends the remainder of the season in the minors, his free agency trajectory would be pushed back until after the ’29 season — though he’ll be on pace to reach arbitration after 2025 as a Super Two player in that case.

Danny Mendick draws into the starting lineup at third base against the Cubs this evening. 23-year-old Mark Vientos seems the favorite for playing time there overall, with Mendick and Araúz offering utility depth behind him.

Marte’s rough 2023 campaign continues. He just returned from a two-week IL stay because of recurring migraine issues. The hamstring injury is obviously unrelated but represents another frustration in one of the worst seasons of his career. Around the injuries, Marte has hit only .248/.301/.324 with five homers through 341 trips to the plate.

His absence opens an outfield spot for Almonte. The switch-hitting outfielder signed a minor league deal over the offseason and is hitting .228/.331/.564 over 27 games in Syracuse. He’s striking out at a lofty 31.4% clip but has connected on 11 homers and is drawing plenty of walks. Almonte is accustomed to the role of late-season call-up. It’s his 11th straight year reaching the bigs, though he’s never played more than 82 games in any single season. Almonte will soon suit up for the eighth team of his career. He’s a .235/.302/.374 hitter in a little under 1400 MLB plate appearances.

Rockies Select Cole Tucker

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The Rockies announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Cole Tucker from Triple-A Albuquerque. Infielder Coco Montes was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Colorado had a vacancy on its 40-man roster prior to today’s moves, so the team is now at capacity in that regard.

Tucker, 27, returns to the majors for the fifth straight year. The former first-round draftee had played parts of four seasons with the Pittsburgh club that drafted him. Tucker didn’t find much big league success with the Bucs, combining for a .211/.259/.314 line over 469 big league plate appearances.

Last June, the Bucs lost Tucker on waivers to the D-Backs. He struggled offensively with Arizona’s top minor league club, resulting in an outright that paved the way for him to elect free agency at season’s end. Tucker hooked on with the Rockies on an offseason minor league pact and has spent 2023 in Albuquerque.

Tucker has had a strong offensive showing there, even in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He’s hitting .311/.419/.459 over 267 trips. Tucker only has five homers but is walking at a huge 15.7% clip against a modest 19.1% strikeout rate. Of the 92 PCL hitters with 200+ plate appearances, Tucker ranks 13th in on-base percentage.

While Tucker has plenty of shortstop experience, he has split his time with the Isotopes between the outfield and second base. He brings some defensive flexibility to Bud Black’s bench. Tucker is out of minor league option years, so the Rox have to keep him in the bigs or designate him for assignment now that he earned an MLB call. If he plays well enough to hold a roster spot all season, he won’t be eligible for arbitration until the end of next year.

Yankees Designate Deivi Garcia For Assignment, Place Carlos Rodon On Injured List

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The Yankees announced a slate of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, most notably designating one-time top pitching prospect Deivi García for assignment and placing lefty Carlos Rodón on the 15-day IL with a strained hamstring. New York also reinstated Jonathan Loáisiga from the 60-day injured list — hence the need for a 40-man spot — and recalled lefty Nick Ramirez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

García was once viewed as a potential mid-rotation arm. The 5’9″ righty appeared among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects going into both 2020 and ’21. He debuted with six starts during the shortened campaign, posting decent strikeout and walk numbers despite an ERA pushing 5.00. At the time, it seemed he was in line for a permanent rotation spot in the near future. At the very least, his high-octane stuff was expected to play out of the bullpen.

Things didn’t play out that way. García was tagged for a 6.85 ERA at Triple-A in 2021. He only made two MLB appearances that season. He followed up with a 6.89 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A the following season. The Yankees abandoned hopes of García as a starter this year, using him in relief for all but one of his 28 minor league appearances.

It hasn’t translated to markedly improved results. The 24-year-old owns a 5.67 ERA through 46 frames with the RailRiders. His 20.5% strikeout percentage is a few points below average and he’s walking almost 15% of batters faced. After three seasons of subpar production in the upper minors, the Yankees no longer feel they can keep giving him opportunities to figure things out.

Since the trade deadline has come and gone, New York will have to place García on waivers. It’s no sure thing he’ll be claimed at this point, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if another club takes a flier on his former prospect status. García still has a reasonably live arm, averaging 94.9 MPH on his heater during a pair of big league appearances this summer. There are clearly significant command issues he’ll need to iron out if he’s to emerge as even a solid middle reliever. García is in his last option season; if another team claims him, they could keep him in Triple-A for the rest of the year but would have to carry him on next year’s big league roster (if he holds a 40-man spot all offseason).

While García’s DFA marks a painful concession by the organization that he hasn’t developed as hoped, the loss of Rodón is clearly a bigger impact in the short term. Fortunately, it’s not expected to be a serious issue. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters it’s a low-grade strain that isn’t expected to keep him out for much longer than the minimum (relayed by Greg Joyce of the New York Post).

Rodón has had a frustrating first season in the Bronx. The two-time All-Star dealt with forearm and back issues that cost him the first half of the year. Since returning, he’s been ineffective through six starts. He owns a 7.33 ERA with a notably decreased 20.5% strikeout rate and lofty 14.8% walk percentage over 27 innings. His velocity remains at the same level as it was when he was dominating hitters with the White Sox and Giants the last two years. The injuries have clearly kept him from finding any kind of consistency to this point in his Yankee tenure though.

Loáisiga has missed over three months after surgery to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow. He’s been limited to three appearances on the season. When healthy, the 28-year-old righty is one of New York’s better relievers. He racks up huge grounder rates and has a 3.53 career ERA.

Astros To Select Jon Singleton

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The Astros are set to select the contract of first baseman Jon Singleton from Triple-A Sugar Land, Singleton himself tells Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press (Twitter link). He’s on his way to join the team in Baltimore. A corresponding 40-man roster move will need to be announced, though Houston already opened a spot on the 26-man roster by optioning Corey Julks to Triple-A earlier today.

The 31-year-old Singleton reached the Majors earlier this season with the Brewers — his first MLB stint since his original run with the Astros in 2014-15. Prior to making his MLB debut, Singleton inked a five-year, $10MM extension with the Astros that included a trio of club options. Both parties took some criticism from detractors, with Singleton in particular drawing flak for potentially selling himself short. In hindsight, taking the deal looks to have paid off; Singleton batted just .171/.290/.333 with the ’Stros in multiple stints before being released in 2018.

That was the first of three full seasons in which Singleton was out of baseball entirely. He turned up in the Mexican League during the 2021 season and hit well enough to draw looks with the Brewers on minor league contracts in both 2022 and 2023. Though he went just 3-for-29 with the Brewers in his return to MLB action earlier this year (to say nothing of a 34% strikeout rate), Singleton has turned in a combined .289/.409/.567 slash between the Triple-A affiliates for Milwaukee and Houston this season. He’s walked at an exceptional 17.3% clip against just a 20.6% strikeout rate between those two stops.

Houston has been on the lookout for extra left-handed bats for much of the season. Michael Brantley has yet to return to the lineup after signing a one-year, $15MM deal over the winter, as multiple setbacks have popped up in his rehab from shoulder surgery. Yordan Alvarez missed more than a month of the summer with an oblique strain, though he’s back in the lineup and again serving as a middle-of-the-order masher. GM Dana Brown said in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline that he’d love to add a left-handed bat, but no deal ever materialized, so the organization will turn to an old friend and look for a late-blooming breakthrough to help balance out an extremely righty-heavy roster.

Red Sox Designate Richard Bleier For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced Monday that they’ve designated lefty Richard Bleier for assignment and selected the contract of veteran righty Dinelson Lamet from Triple-A Worcester.

Bleier, 36, came to the Sox in the offseason trade that sent righty Matt Barnes and cash to Miami. It was a change-of-scenery swap for the two veteran relievers that hasn’t proved particularly fruitful for either side. Bleier has missed time with a shoulder issue and been tagged for a 5.28 ERA in 30 1/3 frames with the Red Sox when healthy. Barnes posted a comparable 5.48 ERA in 21 1/3 innings before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a hip impingement.

Prior to his struggles in Boston, Bleier had a history of strong ERAs despite one of the league’s lowest strikeout rates. He’s still sporting a career 3.27 ERA in his careeran despite just a 13.6% strikeout rate, thanks largely to a pristine 3.9% walk rate, a huge 60.9% ground-ball rate and a knack for avoiding hard contact. However, he’s seen his results gradually worsen each since opening his big league career with a trio of sub-2.00 ERAs from 2016-18.

Bleier is earning $3.5MM this season, with about $1MM of that sum yet to be paid out. He’s also guaranteed the $250K buyout on a $3.75MM option for the 2024 season. Given his poor results, shoulder issues and that remaining salary, he’s all but certain to pass through waivers unclaimed. If he does so, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment while retaining the remainder of his salary. Because of that, Bleier appears destined for the open market, at which point any team could sign him and owe the lefty only the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. That sum would be subtracted from the roughly $1.25MM the Red Sox still owe him (including that option buyout).

In Lamet, the Sox will turn to another change-of-scenery hopeful. The former Padres strikeout machine has seen his stock dwindle in recent seasons. Lamet was a legitimate Cy Young contender during the shortened 2020 season, but injuries have been a major issue for the 31-year-old righty in the seasons since. Lamet has encountered a biceps strain, a UCL sprain, forearm inflammation and a hip injury that required a “cleanup” procedure in the years since that scintillating 2020 effort (wherein he posted a 2.09 ERA and 34.8% strikeout rate in a dozen starts).

Since that 2020 season drew to a close, Lamet has pitched to a collective 6.69 ERA in 105 innings between the Padres and Rockies. His 27% strikeout rate remains well above the league average, but Lamet has also walked a bloated 12.8% of his opponents. His 95.4 mph average fastball, while still impressive, has dropped noticeably from its 97 mph peak during that brilliant 2020 season.

Lamet signed a minor league deal with Boston earlier this summer, and since joining their top affiliate in Worcester he’s turned in a 3.72 ERA with a pedestrian 20% strikeout rate and a solid 8.8% walk rate that could be considered encouraging, given his longstanding command issues. The Sox figure to use him as a reliever, and it’ll likely be a short stay with the organization regardless of his results. If Lamet continues to struggle as he has since 2021, the Sox will presumably move on before long. And if he rights the ship, he’ll have enough service time at season’s end to reach free agency. There’s certainly a scenario where Lamet pitches well and re-signs in Boston, but there are quite a few hurdles for the big righty to clear before that’ll be a legitimate consideration.

MLB Issues Suspensions Following Guardians/White Sox Brawl

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Per a league press release, Major League Baseball has suspended White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson for six games and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez for three games following the benches-clearing brawl between the two teams over the weekend. The league also announced one-game suspensions for Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, manager Terry Francona and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh. White Sox skipper Pedro Grifol was also suspended for one game. Guardians infielder Gabriel Arias and White Sox righty Michael Kopech were both fined an undisclosed amount.

Anderson and Ramirez are both appealing their suspensions, which will be held in abeyance until the appeals process has been completed. Clase will serve his suspension tonight, as will both managers. Sarbaugh will serve his suspension tomorrow.

The suspensions stem from a Saturday altercation on a slide at second base. Ramirez dove headfirst into the bag and felt Anderson applied a tag attempt to the head with too much force. Ramirez claimed after the game that his issues with Anderson predate Saturday’s contest, and he also alleged that Anderson was the aggressor and instigator of the fight (link via The Athletic). Anderson has not yet commented publicly.

Orioles Claim Jacob Webb

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The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve claimed righty Jacob Webb off waivers from the Angels. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Austin Voth was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Voth has already been out since mid-June due to elbow discomfort.

Webb, 29, was designated for assignment in Anaheim over the weekend. He’s appeared in 29 games this season, pitching to a 3.98 ERA through 31 1/3 innings. Webb has fanned 24.3% of his opponents but has also issued free passes at a far-too-high 14.3% clip so far on the season. He’s sitting just shy of 95 mph with his average fastball, inducing swinging-strikes at a strong 12.5% rate and has shown a knack for inducing fly-balls in the infield. On the flip side, Webb has been far too homer prone and has benefited from a .218 average on balls he’s unlikely to sustain.

Since Webb is out of minor league options, he’ll report directly to the big league bullpen. The O’s can’t send him down to the minors without first designating him for assignment and passing him through waivers. If Webb is able to continue his run of strong results and/or improve upon the command issues he’s experienced in Anaheim this season, he’d be arbitration-eligible through 2026 season.

Prior to his stint with the Halos, Webb’s only big league experience had come with the Braves, for whom he pitched during the 2019-21 seasons. He’s compiled a career 2.91 ERA in 108 1/3 innings, albeit with a roughly average strikeout rate (22.6%), a hefty walk rate (11%), and this year’s uncharacteristic home run problems (1.71 HR/9 in ’23; 1.16 career).

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