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White Sox Acquire Two Minor League Pitchers From Dodgers

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The White Sox announced they’ve acquired right-handers Aldrín Batista and Máximo Martínez from the Dodgers in exchange for international signing bonus space. Both were eligible to be traded because they haven’t been on the 40-man roster at any point this season.

Both pitchers are low-level arms with no major league experience. They’d each been in the Arizona Complex League. Batista, 20, has a 3.46 ERA while striking out just under a third of opponents in 39 innings. Martínez, 19, has a 4.73 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate over 26 2/3 frames.

While Batista has the better numbers, Martínez placed higher on Eric Longehangen’s write-up of Dodger prospects at FanGraphs over the winter. The outlet credited Martínez with a mid-90s fastball, quality curveball and advanced control. While the Sox add a pair of young arms as developmental fliers, the Dodgers pick up a bit more money they can devote to their current class of international amateurs.

Astros Release Blake Taylor, Joe Perez

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The Astros informed reporters (including Chandler Rome of the Athletic) that they’ve released reliever Blake Taylor and infielder Joe Perez. Both players had cleared outright waivers this afternoon. Rather than retain them at Triple-A Sugar Land, Houston elected to move on entirely.

Taylor made 92 appearances for Houston between 2020-22. The southpaw was generally successful at keeping runs off the board, working to a 3.06 ERA through 79 1/3 innings. Neither his 19.1% strikeout rate nor 12.6% walk percentage were particularly impressive, though, and Taylor had increasingly been pushed to low-leverage work.

He’d spent all of 2023 on optional assignment to Sugar Land. The 27-year-old carried a 5.15 ERA over 36 2/3 frames there, walking over 13% of batters faced against a modest 14.9% strikeout rate. He lost his roster spot earlier this week when Houston snagged Jake Cousins off waivers from Milwaukee.

Perez was the roster casualty from the Justin Verlander trade. The 23-year-old has one major league appearance, which came as a pinch-hitter last season. A former second-round pick, the righty-hitting Perez has a below-average .255/.328/.399 slash over 357 Triple-A plate appearances this year. Prospect evaluators have credited the 6’1″ corner infielder with promising raw power but swing-and-miss concerns. He’s gone down on strikes at a lofty 27.2% clip this season.

Tanner Tully Signs With KBO’s NC Dinos

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The Yankees announced they’ve granted minor league southpaw Tanner Tully his release to pursue a contract with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization. According to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News, he’ll be paid $200K for the stretch run. The Dinos released right-hander Taylor Widener in a corresponding move.

Tully, whose MLB experience consists of three relief outings for the 2022 Guardians, never cracked the big league roster in the Bronx. He signed a minor league deal over the winter and has spent the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Ohio State product started all 19 appearances there. His 5.64 ERA through 91 innings isn’t eye-catching, though it’s at least partially inflated by a lofty .365 average on balls in play.

The 28-year-old has kept his walks to a tidy 6.3% clip for the RailRiders. His 18.6% strikeout rate is a few percentage points below average. Tully has had a pitch-to-contact approach throughout his career. Over seven seasons in the minors, he has a 17.4% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk percentage.

Widener heads back to the free agent market and could find minor league interest in the U.S. He made 49 appearances (13 starts) with the Diamondbacks between 2020-22, working to a 4.26 ERA across 107 2/3 innings. He moved to Korea after being waived off Arizona’s roster in January. Widener’s lone season with the Dinos consisted of 11 starts with a 4.52 ERA. He fanned 22% of KBO opponents against an 8.9% walk rate.

Blue Jays Outright Mitch White

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The Blue Jays announced this afternoon that right-hander Mitch White went unclaimed on waivers. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of major league service, White has to stick in the organization at Triple-A Buffalo.

Toronto acquired White from the Dodgers at last summer’s trade deadline. That deal looks quite regrettable in hindsight, as Double-A righty Nick Frasso has developed into one of the better prospects in a strong L.A. farm system. White was brought in to battle for a spot at the back of the Toronto rotation.

He started eight of 10 games down the stretch last summer, surrendering a 7.74 ERA across 43 innings. He was nevertheless in the mix for the fifth starter role in Spring Training, but an elbow injury cost him the first couple months of the year. White returned in early June and was pushed to middle relief. He tallied 12 2/3 innings across 10 appearances, giving up 11 runs with 13 strikeouts and seven walks.

While the former second-round pick had 3.58 ERA in 105 2/3 innings as a Dodger, he owns a 7.60 mark in 55 2/3 frames since being traded. White is also out of minor league option years, leaving the Jays to either carry him on the MLB roster or designate him for assignment. They chose the latter route upon acquiring Jordan Hicks from St. Louis last Sunday.

The Jays can keep White in Buffalo for the remainder of the season as rotation or long relief depth. He’d qualify for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason unless the Jays add him back onto the MLB roster.

Padres Release Preston Tucker

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The Padres released outfielder Preston Tucker, tweets Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday as part of San Diego’s post-deadline roster maneuvering.

Tucker didn’t play in a big league game for the Friars. The lefty-hitting outfielder signed a minor league contract over the winter. He mashed at a .293/.433/.565 clip with Triple-A El Paso, walking and striking out at identical 17.9% rates while homering 11 times in 55 games. The Padres selected his contract in mid-June to keep him from opting out of the deal but immediately placed him on the injured list with plantar fasciitis.

The 33-year-old spent a month on the IL and then was sent back to El Paso on a rehab stint. The Friars would’ve soon had to carry him on the big league roster. Tucker is out of minor league option years and the allotted 20-day rehab window for position players was wrapping up. Rather than carve out an active roster spot, San Diego released him.

Assuming he clears release waivers, Tucker will return to the open market. He’s still looking for his first MLB action since 2018. Tucker has bounced between South Korea and a few Triple-A affiliates in the years since then. His big numbers in El Paso should at least find him another minor league landing spot.

Corey Dickerson Clears Release Waivers

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The Nationals announced that veteran outfielder Corey Dickerson went unclaimed on release waivers. He’s officially a free agent.

Dickerson, 34, lost his roster spot on Wednesday. The left-handed hitter signed a $2.25MM free agent contract over the winter. His stint in the nation’s capital didn’t go well. Dickerson missed six weeks with a calf strain and struggled over the 52 games he played. He hit .250/.283/.354 with a pair of home runs. The on-base and slugging marks were the lowest of his career.

Once the trade deadline passed, the Nationals decided to move on from the former All-Star. They called up former Yankees’ first-rounder Blake Rutherford for an audition in the corner outfield. It’s understandable the last-place club preferred to get a look at Rutherford, who’d be controllable for a number of seasons if he plays well enough to secure a spot.

The Nationals remain on the hook for the rest of Dickerson’s salary. He’ll likely be limited to minor league offers now that he’s back on the open market. If another club called him to the majors at any point this season, they’d pay just the prorated portion of the $720K minimum, which would be subtracted from the Nationals’ payments.

Angels Place Zach Neto On Injured List, Outright Kevin Padlo

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The Angels placed shortstop Zach Neto on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation. Brandon Drury was reinstated from his own IL stint to replace Neto on the active roster. Additionally, the Halos announced that corner infielder Kevin Padlo accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Neto told reporters he’s unsure about his return timetable, saying the back discomfort has been a lingering issue (relayed by Sam Blum of the Athletic). It’s his second IL stint in as many months. Neto also lost a few weeks between June and July after straining his oblique. They’ve interrupted a solid rookie campaign. The 22-year-old shortstop is hitting .241/.315/.411 with eight homers across 252 trips to the plate.

Drury can’t play shortstop, but his return at least backfills some of the infield depth they’re losing in Neto’s absence. Luis Rengifo can kick over from second base to cover shortstop with Drury taking the bulk of the reps at the keystone. The righty-swinging infielder has a .277/.322/.500 slash with 14 homers in 75 games during his first season in Orange County.

The Halos have outrighted Padlo twice this season. The right-handed hitting infielder has gotten into three games over a pair of brief MLB stints. He was designated for assignment after the Halos acquired C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk from Colorado last weekend. Padlo bypasses a chance at free agency to head back to Salt Lake, where he’s hitting .257/.385/.464 in 51 games.

Rays Sign Raimel Tapia To Minor League Contract

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The Rays announced they’ve signed outfielder Raimel Tapia to a minor league deal. He’ll join his third organization of the season after being waived by the Brewers a few weeks back.

Tapia began the season on a non-roster pact with the Red Sox. The lefty-swinging outfielder broke camp with Boston and wound up appearing in 39 games. Tapia had slightly below-average offensive numbers, hitting .264/.333/.368 through 97 trips to the plate. He lost his roster spot in early June but signed directly onto the Brewers’ MLB roster after going unclaimed on waivers.

His stint in Milwaukee wasn’t as productive. Over 20 games, Tapia hit just .173/.267/.288 while striking out in 20 of his 61 plate appearances. The Brewers designated him for assignment and called up top prospect Sal Frelick. Tapia elected free agency and will now have to play his way back to the big leagues.

It’ll be Tapia’s first stint in Triple-A (aside from four rehab games) since 2018. The speedy outfielder has been a fixture on MLB rosters for the past half-decade, though he’s bounced from the Rockies to the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Brewers within the past two years. Tapia has quality contact skills and is a plus baserunner, but he has below-average power and doesn’t draw many walks. He’s hitting .230/.308/.338 in 158 plate appearances this season and owns a .256/.296/.369 slash since the start of 2022.

Despite his speed, Tapia has spent the majority of his career in the corner outfield. He can cover center field if necessary but has generally rated as a slightly below-average defender in a corner.

Twins Place Byron Buxton On Injured List

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5:21pm: Minnesota will reevaluate Buxton after a two-week shutdown, bench coach Jayce Tingler tells reporters (including Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). He’ll obviously be out beyond a minimal stay.

4:52pm: The Twins placed designated hitter Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 2, with a strained right hamstring. Waiver claim Jordan Luplow takes his spot on the active roster.

Buxton had a brief IL stay a couple months ago with a rib issue. More notably, overarching right knee problems have kept the former Gold Glove winner off the field defensively. All 80 of Buxton’s appearances this season have come as a DH. He’s connected on 17 home runs but is hitting just .207 with a .294 on-base percentage.

It’s unclear how long the Twins anticipate Buxton being out of action. Matt Wallner gets the nod at designated hitter tonight against Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly. The 25-year-old Wallner could earn regular run — at least versus right-handed pitching — in Buxton’s absence. He’s hitting .254/.369/.584 in 27 big league games after a .291/.403/.524 showing at Triple-A St. Paul.

Padres Shut Down Joe Musgrove With Shoulder Inflammation

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The Padres are shutting down starter Joe Musgrove for three weeks after an MRI revealed inflammation in the capsule of his throwing shoulder, the team informed reporters (including Dennis Lin of the Athletic). While the club is hopeful he’ll be able to return at some point this season, he doesn’t figure to be back until well into September at the earliest.

San Diego placed Musgrove on the 15-day injured list before today’s matchup with the Dodgers. Trade pickup Rich Hill takes his spot on the active roster. San Diego also reinstated Eguy Rosario from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. The Friars cleared a 40-man spot by designating Brent Honeywell for assignment a couple days ago.

Musgrove began the season on the IL after breaking his toe in a Spring Training weight room accident. He was back on the Petco Park mound by late April and has again been one of the sport’s better starters. Over 17 appearances, the righty has tallied 97 1/3 innings of 3.05 ERA ball. He’s striking hitters out at a 24.3% clip against a tidy 5.3% walk rate.

It’s the kind of production the Friars have come to expect from the 30-year-old righty. Musgrove has an ERA of 3.18 or better in each of the past three seasons. He posted a career-low 2.93 mark over 30 starts last season. Midway through the year, the San Diego native signed a $100MM extension — seemingly sacrificing some earning upside to stick with his hometown club.

It doesn’t seem the Friars were aware of the seriousness of Musgrove’s injury at the deadline. The club scratched him from his scheduled start Wednesday morning but initially hoped he’d return to the mound next week. That won’t happen but makes their Tuesday acquisition of Hill all the more important. The former Pirate will assume a rotation role behind Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Seth Lugo and perhaps Nick Martinez. Righty Michael Wacha is also on the shelf with a shoulder issue.

Rosario, 23, debuted with seven games for the Friars last season. He’d missed the first four months after breaking his ankle over the offseason.

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