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Brewers Outright Jason Alexander; Raimel Tapia Elects Free Agency

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The Brewers have sent right-hander Jason Alexander outright to Triple-A Nashville, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. There had not been any previous indication Alexander had been removed from their 40-man roster, so their count drops to 39 in that department. Hogg also relays that outfielder Raimel Tapia, who was designated for assignment on the weekend, cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Alexander, 30, first cracked the big leagues last year when the Brewers selected his contract at the start of June. He worked as a swingman, making 11 starts and seven relief appearances. He finished the year with a 5.40 earned run average in 71 2/3 innings, along with a 14.3% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate.

He was set to serve as rotation depth in Milwaukee this year but suffered a shoulder injury in February that was expected to keep him out of action until May, which led the club to quickly place him on the 60-day injured list. He began a rehab assignment in June and was optioned to the minors after being activated from the 60-day IL in July. He’s thrown 31 innings in the minors this year with a 5.23 ERA, still getting solid amounts of grounders but with a strikeout rate of just 12.6%.

It appears he wasn’t in Milwaukee’s plans for the near future, so they’ve bumped him off their roster and through waivers. Since he has less than three years of major league service time and this is his first career outright, he won’t have the ability to elect free agency. He’ll stick with the organization as depth but without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Tapia, 29, began the year with the Red Sox but was released in June and landed with the Brewers. He got into 20 games with Milwaukee but hit just .173/.267/.288 before getting designated for assignment when the club promoted Sal Frelick. Since Tapia has more than five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject outright assignments while retaining his full salary, which he has done here.

He’ll now look for his next opportunity. The Red Sox remain on the hook for his $2MM salary, allowing any other club to sign him for the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Sox pay. He’s a career .273/.317/.388 hitter in 626 games, amounting to a wRC+ of 80. He’s also stolen 61 bases and provided average-ish left field defense with the ability to play the other spots on the grass as well.

Lee Jung-hoo To Require Season-Ending Ankle Surgery

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Outfielder Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO League will miss the next three months due to an ankle injury that requires surgery, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency. There’s less than two months remaining in the KBO regular season schedule, meaning this will effectively end his season.

Lee, 24, has already established himself as one of the better players in the KBO League despite his young age. He won Rookie of the Year in 2017 after hitting .324/.395/.417 when he was just 18 years old for much of the year. He continued to improve his game in subsequent seasons, including last year. He hit 23 home runs and produced a batting line of .349/.421/.575 for a wRC+ of 175. He struck out in just 5.1% of his plate appearances while walking in 10.5% of them. He also stole five bases and won a Gold Glove for a fifth straight year, with his combined efforts leading to a Most Valuable Player award.

He was surely hoping for another strong season here in 2023, since the Heroes announced in January that he will be posted for major league clubs afterwards, allowing him to attempt to make the move to North America at the age of 25. But it’s not going to end up playing out in ideal fashion for Lee. In 85 games this year, he still played well, but at a level below his MVP campaign last year. His walk rate ticked up to 12.7% but he hit just six home runs, leading to a .319/.407/.456 batting line. His 142 wRC+ indicates he’s still been way above average but not quite as outrageously as last year.

On top of that relatively diminished output, he’ll now have to miss the final few months of the season and will likely go into the winter with uncertainty surrounding his health status. It’s obviously an ill-timed development for Lee, who was surely hoping to earn a significant contract in making the jump to Major League Baseball. Since he turns 25 in August, he will no longer be considered an “amateur” by MLB rules and won’t be subject to the bonus pool system.

He will therefore be free to sign a contract of any length or dollar amount, with the signing club also responsible for paying a posting fee to the Heroes. That’s tied to the size of the contract itself, with the MLB team owing the KBO club 20 percent of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5 percent of the next $25MM and 15 percent of any dollars thereafter. That fee is on top of any dollars guaranteed to the player himself, and subsequent earning (e.g. performance incentives, contract options) are also subject to the posting system once they become guaranteed to the player.

Lee seemed to be set up to be one of the more intriguing free agents this winter, especially since the class seems heavy on pitchers and light on position players. That might still be the case, though it’s possible that this injury situation has an impact on things, depending on how he progresses between now and the winter.

Padres Release Rougned Odor

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The Padres have released infielder/outfielder Rougned Odor, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment by the Friars last week and would have been able to reject an outright assignment as a veteran with more than three years of major league service time. The club has simply skipped that formality and sent him back to the open market.

Odor, 29, signed a minor league deal with the club in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He spent over three months serving a part-time role for the Padres, taking 157 trips to the plate in 59 games. He essentially flipped his previous profile of a low-walk, high-power guy. His 10.8% walk rate this year has been far better than any previous season and well beyond his 6.1% career rate. But he hit just four home runs in that time, despite once being a 30-homer threat on annual basis.

His .210/.306/.370 batting line this year amounted to a wRC+ of 90, or 10% below league average. Despite having hit 178 home runs in his career, he’s subtracted a lot of value with his poor on-base abilities. His career batting line of .230/.288/.423 translates to an 85 wRC+.

Defensively, Odor has mostly been a second baseman but has diversified in recent years as he’s been squeezed out of regular action. He spent a bit of time at third base in the previous two seasons and the Padres also slotted him in at first base and right field here in 2023. He’ll now head to free agency and look for his next opportunity.

Braves Acquire Taylor Hearn

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The Braves announced that they have acquired left-hander Taylor Hearn from the Rangers in exchange for cash considerations, with right-hander Dereck Rodríguez designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Mark Bowman of MLB.com first reported that Atlanta was acquiring Hearn while David O’Brien of The Athletic first had the cash return. It’s the second pitching addition of the day for Atlanta, who also acquired Pierce Johnson from the Rockies.

Hearn, 28, has pitched for the Rangers since 2019, both as a starter and as a reliever but with much better results in the latter role. He’s allowed 6.36 earned runs per nine innings when starting but a far more palatable 3.94 ERA out of the bullpen. Despite that stark difference, Hearn generally got many starting opportunities as the club struggled to put a good rotation together.

They eventually did put a good starting corps together, signing pitchers like Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Martín Pérez, Jon Gray and Andrew Heaney, while trading for hurlers like Jake Odorizzi and Dane Dunning. Despite some injuries suffered by that group, it freed up Hearn to work more often as a reliever. But he spent much of 2023 on optional assignment, as he’s made just four big league appearances this year. He’s thrown 39 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.66 ERA, striking out 30.2% of opponents and getting grounders at a 45.2% clip, though also issuing walks to 13.4% of batters faced.

Despite some encouraging numbers in there, the Rangers wanted to get a look at Alex Speas, which nudged Hearn off the roster. Hearn will now get a fresh start with an Atlanta club that has a lead of 11.5 games in their division. Since no other club has a lead larger than four games, they are the biggest postseason shoo-in at the moment and seem to be making moves aimed at a postseason run. Their relievers have the second-best ERA in the league but they are still trying to improve the depth there, acquiring both Johnson and Hearn today. The latter is in his final option season and could potentially be sent to the minors when needed. If he hangs onto his roster spot through the rest of the season, he can be retained via arbitration for 2024, though he’ll be out of options next year.

In order to bring Hearn into the fold, Rodríguez is bumped off. The 31-year-old started the season with the Twins on a minor league deal, getting selected to the big league roster but designated for assignment after just one big league appearance. Atlanta put in a claim in mid-May and have used the righty as a frequently-optioned depth piece, making just two appearances at the major league level. He’s thrown 42 minor league innings this year between those two different organizations, with a combined ERA of 5.79. He’s struck out 24.1% of batters faced but walked 11.2%. Atlanta will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. In the latter scenario, he would have the right to elect free agency as a player with a previous career outright.

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.

Braves Acquire Pierce Johnson

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The Braves announced that they have acquired right-hander Pierce Johnson from the Rockies, sending pitching prospects Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon the other way. Left-hander Lucas Luetge was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Johnson.

Johnson, 32, signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Rockies in the offseason. He was coming off a strong three-year stretch with the Padres wherein he made 102 appearances with a 3.39 earned run average and 32.2% strikeout rate. His 11.3% walk rate was on the high side but it was a good performance overall.

When Daniel Bard opened this year on the injured list, that opened the door for Johnson to take the closer’s role in Denver. Unfortunately, he didn’t have ideal results in that role. He had an ERA of 7.50 in early June when the club removed him from the closer position. He’s fared much better since that time, posting a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings, striking out 36.2% of opponents.

Johnson’s ERA for the year is still high at 6.00 and he’s still issuing walks at a high rate. But he’s had improved results recently and has been able to work around those free passes in the past. Pitching for the Rockies might have played a role in his results as well, as his 16.7% rate of fly balls turning into home runs is far higher than any previous season in his career. Perhaps he’ll be able to put his rough patch from earlier this year behind him, something that the decision makers in Atlanta clearly believe is possible.

Atlanta doesn’t explicitly need bullpen upgrades, as their relievers have a collective 3.50 ERA that’s second only to the Yankees among big league clubs. But with a lead of 11.5 games in the National League East, they’re as close to a lock for the postseason as any club in the majors, making it sensible to seek any and all upgrades for the playoffs.

The right-hander signed with the Padres after a stint in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers. Players coming from overseas leagues generally get language in their contracts that allows them to circumvent the normal service time rules. That’s why Johnson was able to become a free agent this past offseason despite having between three and four years of service time. He’ll finish this year with between four and five years of service but will be ticketed for free agency again at season’s end.

The Rockies have generally been one of the most reluctant clubs when it comes to trading away established big league players at the deadline. In recent years, they’ve given extensions to players like Bard and C.J. Cron at times when outside observers expected them to be dealt. Neither Trevor Story nor Jon Gray were moved as impending free agents, leaving the club to settle for a compensatory draft pick after Story rejected a qualifying offer and signed with the Red Sox, while Gray’s departure left them completely empty-handed.

That seems to have been a symptom of the organization having a belief that their true talent has been stronger than the results, but their 39-60 record has them in last place in the National League this year. With the club now poised to finish below .500 for a fifth straight season, it seems they are opening up to do a bit more selling this time around, with manager Bud Black recently hinting as much. That means Johnson could be the first of many similar moves for the club, who could potentially move players like Cron, Randal Grichuk, Jurickson Profar, Brad Hand and others.

For now, they’ve already added a couple of young arms to their system. Vodnik, 23, was selected by Atlanta in the 14th round of the 2018 draft. He split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a combined 2.34 ERA in 34 2/3 relief innings. He struck out 31.5% of batters but walked 12.8%. He’s been back in Double-A this year with a 3.10 ERA, 32.6% strikeout rate and 14.5% walk rate through 40 2/3 innings. He’s currently listed as Atlanta’s #17 prospect at Baseball America.

Gordon, 25, was a sixth-round pick in 2019. He’s been working as a starter in the minors, posting a 4.64 ERA last year, mostly in Double-A. He has a 5.86 ERA this year between Double-A and Triple-A, though a 51.9% strand rate is probably inflating that. He’s struck out 20.5% of opponents while walking just 6.8% and has a 4.25 FIP. Both of these young pitchers will be eligible for selection in the upcoming Rule 5 draft if not added to Colorado’s 40-man roster.

In addition to parting with those prospects, the club is bumping Luetge from the roster. This is the second time he’s been designated for assignment this year, but the first one resulted in the southpaw accepting an outright assignment and getting his contract selected again. He had an awful 10.24 ERA prior to his first DFA but threw two scoreless innings since getting added back to the roster. Nonetheless, he now finds himself in DFA limbo yet again.

Atlanta will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Since he has more than three years of service time, he could reject another outright assignment and elect free agency. But since he has less than five years of service time, doing so would mean forfeiting what remains of his $1.5MM salary for this year. It’s possible that the same sequence of events happens as after his last DFA, with Luetge clearing waivers and accepting an outright to Triple-A. But perhaps someone takes a chance on his past results, as he had an ERA under 2.75 in each of the two previous seasons with the Yankees.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter links) reported the details before the official announcement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Reds Reportedly Willing To Trade Jonathan India

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The Reds have told other teams that they are willing to trade second baseman Jonathan India, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, in order to obtain young, controllable starting pitching. This marks a shift from a couple of months ago, when the club was reported to be disinclined to trading him.

The change in attitude is surprising, as India was awarded Rookie of the Year honors in the National League less than two years ago, taking that trophy in 2021. But there are also some reasons why it’s a logical pivot for the club. For one thing, the club has vaulted itself into contention this year, ahead of the expectations of just about everyone. They were 26-29 at the time of that report from June 1 that said they were disinclined to move India, but they are now up to 55-46 and just half a game behind the Brewers in the National League Central.

That ascent has been fueled by a parade of infield prospects coming up to the majors and succeeding this year. Spencer Steer made his debut last year and cracked this year’s Opening Day roster. He’s seized an everyday role by hitting .277/.363/.461 for a wRC+ of 118, a breakout that MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently looked at in more detail. Elly De La Cruz has cooled off a bit after a scorching hot start but is still a menace on the basepaths. Matt McLain is hitting .305/.371/.528 for a wRC+ of 137 while providing above-average middle infield defense.Christian Encarnacion-Strand was recently promoted after demolishing Triple-A pitching and has held his own in the majors through seven games. In addition to those youngers, veteran Joey Votto has also provided a jolt since returning from the injured list not too long ago.

The combination of those performances is a huge reason why the club is faring so well this year, but also has the side effect of crowding out their position player mix. Steer was playing third earlier in the season but moved to first a bit more when De La Cruz came up. With Votto off the injured list and Encarnacion-Strand in the mix at first as well, Steer has also seen some time in left field, joining an outfield mix that includes TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, Will Benson and Nick Senzel.

As all of that has been going on, India has cooled off from a hot start. He was hitting .282/.369/.426 through the end of May for a wRC+ of 112, which is when it was reported that the Reds weren’t planning to move him. It seemed like India was bouncing back from an injury-marred 2022 season where he hit .249/.327/.378 for a 95 wRC+, getting closer to his Rookie of the Year form from 2021 where he hit .269/.376/.459 and earned a wRC+ of 120.

But since the calendar flipped to June, he’s posted a diminished line of .214/.299/.393, which translated to an 83 wRC+. That’s brought his season-long line down to .251/.338/.411 and his wRC+ to 99, just a hair below league average for the season as a whole.

Teams generally shouldn’t wildly change their player evaluations based on a couple of months, and some bad luck has probably been impacting India’s results anyhow. He has a .228 batting average on balls in play since the start of June, well below the .329 mark he had at the end of May. But he might still end up the odd man out in Cincinnati given the success of all the aforementioned players. If India were subtracted from the picture, the club could still have an infield of Steer, De La Cruz, McLain and Encarnacion-Strand/Votto from left to right. Senzel and Kevin Newman can serve as the depth pieces, though the latter is currently on the injured list due to gastritis.

India has only played second base in his major league career, generally getting subpar grades at that spot, and brings a bit less versatility than most of the club’s other infield options. But he would still figure to have plenty of trade value based on his track record. His struggles last year coincided with multiple trips to the injured list due to hamstring issues and he seemed to be back on track here in 2023 before his recent dip. He’s also still young and cheap, having exactly two years of major league service time coming into the current campaign. That means he’ll finish this year at the three-year mark and qualify for arbitration for the first time, with free agency not slated until after 2026.

This year’s trade deadline seems like it will be unique, with so many clubs hovering near contention due to the expanded postseason and some weak divisions. That’s led to widespread speculation that there will be more so-called “baseball trades” wherein two contending clubs each trade win-now pieces, subtracting from an area of surplus in order to address an area of need. Perhaps a different season would have seen more trade rumors surrounding a prospect like Noelvi Marte, who is playing well in Triple-A, but the Reds’ theoretical trading partner might prefer an established big leaguer like India.

But the Reds quite clearly need pitching and might have to give up something to get it. Their rotation was supposed to be fronted by Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene but each has been on the injured list for over a month, with returns not likely until August. Other starters like Justin Dunn, Connor Overton and Vladimir Gutierrez are also on the IL, leaving the club with a rotation of Andrew Abbott, Ben Lively, Graham Ashcraft, Brandon Williamson and Luke Weaver. Each of the latter three have an ERA of 4.60 or higher, with Weaver’s all the way up at 7.20 this year. Lively has a 3.88 ERA but hasn’t had a regular role in the majors in years and just recently came off an IL stint due to a pectoral strain. Abbott has been great this year but his career consists of just nine total starts.

There’s plenty of question marks in there so the Reds will be looking to add pitching, with general manager Nick Krall having admitted long ago that arms will be a target for them this summer. The fact that they are willing to consider India in such talks is notable but doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a lock to be moved. They will first have to line up on a deal with a club that needs a second baseman and also has controllable pitching to move.

The Dodgers would be one speculative fit since they have dealt with various challenges in the middle infield. Gavin Lux required knee surgery during the spring and isn’t expected back at all this year. Chris Taylor also missed significant time while Miguel Rojas has hardly hit, which forced the club to move Mookie Betts in from his customary right field position to play both middle infield spots. They have plenty of the young and controllable starters that the Reds seek but are currently using it themselves. With starters like Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and Noah Syndergaard on the IL, they have rookies Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan and Michael Grove currently in their rotation.

It would be a similar story in trying to line up with other clubs. Most contenders are looking to add pitching at this time of year, not subtract it. Young and controllable pitching is generally the toughest to pry loose. The Yankees traded Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader last year, but that was when the lefty had just a year and a half of club control remaining. Even if there is a club willing to deal a controllable pitcher, they would also need to have a bit of a hole at second and believe in India getting past his recent slump. Time will tell whether anything comes together but it’s an interesting turnaround for the Reds given where things were just a few months ago, when the club seemed to be rebuilding and India felt like a core piece.

The Opener: Red Sox, Wainwright, Reds, Brewers

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Red Sox infield logjam coming to a head:

Red Sox infielder Pablo Reyes has been on the injured list for just over a month due to an abdominal strain, and most of that time has been spent on a rehab assignment. That rehab assignment is set to expire today, meaning the club will be forced to either roster or DFA Reyes, who is out of options, by the start of tomorrow’s game. That will create a logjam of middle infielders who can’t be optioned on the roster, with Enrique Hernandez, Yu Chang, and Christian Arroyo all also fitting that description.

While this logjam would seemingly create a situation where the Red Sox must trade or DFA a player in that group, MLB.com’s Ian Browne indicated yesterday that Arroyo is dealing with a jammed right thumb. If Arroyo, who hasn’t played since July 18, were to require a trip to the 10-day injured list, that would kick the can down the road for Boston until after the trade deadline on August 1, allowing them to keep all four players in the organization for longer and preserve leverage in trade negotiations.

2. Wainwright to return:

The Cardinals are turning to veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright to start today’s game against the Diamondbacks, as manager Oli Marmol told reporters (including Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). It’s been a disastrous season for Wainwright to this point, as the 41-year-old hurler posted a ghastly 7.66 ERA with a strikeout rate of just 11% against a 7.5% walk rate in 11 starts before going on the injured list with a shoulder strain earlier this month. Upon returning, Wainwright will look to rebound as he sits just two victories away from the 200th win of his enduring 18-year major league career.

3. Series Preview: Reds @ Brewers:

The Reds head to American Family Field in Milwaukee today for a three-game set against the Brewers with the NL Central lead on the line. In back-to-back three-game sets separated by the All-Star break, Cincinnati has ceded significant ground to Milwaukee by losing five of six. Outside of those games against the Brewers, however, the Reds have gone 10-3 in the month of July and are currently riding a five-game win streak. That success has allowed them to stay just half a game back of Milwaukee headed into the coming series.

Tonight’s game will feature young right-hander Graham Ashcraft (5.77 ERA) facing off against journeyman Colin Rea (4.64 ERA), while tomorrow’s game will offer a pitching duel between rookie Andrew Abbott (2.10 ERA) and ace Corbin Burnes (3.48 ERA). The series will wrap with Brewers hurler Freddy Peralta (4.72 ERA) taking the mound against Reds righty Ben Lively (3.88 ERA). The series kicks off this evening at 7:10pm CT.

Braves Claim Yonny Chirinos

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5:14PM: The Braves announced the Chirinos claim, as well as two corresponding moves.  Soroka was optioned to Triple-A, implying that Chirinos will be taking Soroka’s spot in the rotation.  Atlanta also designated right-hander Seth Elledge for assignment, just a few days after Elledge’s contract was selected to the active roster.  Elledge didn’t see any game action during his brief time in the majors before he sent back down to Triple-A yesterday.

3:42PM: The Braves have claimed right-hander Yonny Chirinos off waivers from the Rays.  Chirinos was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay earlier this week.

After Tommy John surgery limited Chirinos to 18 1/3 total innings from 2020-22, he has seemed fully healthy in pitching 62 2/3 frames this year working in a variety of different capacities for the Rays.  Chirinos has started four games, worked as a bulk pitcher (behind an opener) on multiple occasions, and also had a couple of traditional relief outings as a long man and mop-up man.  He has a 4.02 ERA to show for his efforts, though his 5.34 SIERA is perhaps more reflective of Chirinos’ overall performance.  The righty has benefited from a .244 BABIP and he isn’t missing many bats, with only an 11.8% strikeout rate.

These unfavorable secondary metrics could be why the Rays chose to DFA Chirinos, though for a team with as many pitching injuries as Tampa Bay, it still counted as something of an eyebrow-raising move.  As MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald noted last Monday when Chirinos was put on waivers, service time could have been a factor, as Chirinos has surpassed five years of MLB service time and now cannot be optioned to the minors without his permission.  This might have been a breaking point for a Rays team that often shuffles pitchers back and forth from Triple-A Durham — in fact, Chirinos himself was twice optioned earlier this season before he hit the five-year threshold.

Chirinos’ ability to work in several different roles would’ve made him a good fit on many clubs, but Atlanta is a particularly fitting landing spot given the Braves’ own pitching depth issues.  The Braves could see Chirinos as something of a replacement for Kolby Allard, who sent on the 60-day IL earlier this week due to nerve inflammation in his left shoulder.

Allard is one of a whopping eight pitchers on Atlanta’s 60-day IL, including such prominent arms as Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Jesse Chavez, and Nick Anderson.  Manager Brian Snitker said today that Fried might be one more rehab start away from returning to the active roster, but with so many other pitchers still out, Chirinos give the Braves flexibility.  Atlanta could ease Fried or Wright back into action by teaming them with Chirinos in a piggyback capacity, or Chirinos might be paired with Michael Soroka to manage innings.

Overall, Chirinos is a pretty nice pickup for the Braves to make even before they delve into further moves prior to the trade deadline.  There isn’t much financial cost (roughly $515K in remaining salary), and Chirinos is still controlled through the 2024 season via arbitration.

Diamondbacks Place Gabriel Moreno On 10-Day Injured List

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Prior to today’s game against the Reds, the Diamondbacks placed catcher Gabriel Moreno on the 10-day injured list due to left shoulder inflammation.  Catcher Jose Herrera was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Carson Kelly will be Arizona’s starting catcher while Moreno is sidelined, though Kelly had taken an increasingly large share of the playing time over the last several weeks due to Moreno’s lingering shoulder issue.  “It’s something we’ve been trying to manage for some time,” manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com and other media, and the club ultimately decided that an IL stint was necessary to allow Moreno time to rest up.

In his first full season in the majors and in his first season altogether with the D’Backs, Moreno has hit .270/.316/.360 with three homers over 244 plate appearances, translating to an 82 wRC+.  It hasn’t been in the instant impact the D’Backs were hoping to get from the former top prospect, though it is safe to guess that this nagging shoulder problem has had some impact on Moreno’s hitting.  While his bat and pitch-framing are still a work in progress, Moreno has already established himself as one of the game’s best throwing arms.  Moreno has nabbed 11 of 18 runners trying to steal, for the highest caught-stealing percentage (61%) of any backstop in the league.

Due to a fractured forearm in Spring Training, Kelly has been limited t0 20 games and 63 PA, and he has hit only .183/.206/.250.  Beyond Herrera, Ali Sanchez and Juan Centeno are the only other catchers in the Diamondbacks’ system with any MLB experience, so if Moreno is projected to be out for anything beyond the minimum 10 days, catching might emerge as a need for the D’Backs heading into the trade deadline.

Arizona probably wouldn’t pursue anything more than another depth catcher if Moreno will eventually be back, yet it creates another target for a D’Backs team that is already known to be looking for both starting and relief pitching.  GM Mike Hazen has said his front office will “be aggressive” in looking for upgrades, and the D’Backs are in need of a spark in general after a miserable July.  Arizona has lost 12 of its last 16 games, including today’s 7-3 loss to Cincinnati.

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