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NPB Players To Watch: July

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The NPB All-Star Game wrapped up this week and the second half of the 2023 season is set to start back up tomorrow. Let’s catch up with the NPB stars who may be making their way to MLB. 

For more detailed profiles and playstyles, please take a look at the first post of the series from April!

Players likely available in the 2023 offseason (most rumored or have publicly announced desire to play in MLB)

1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Orix Buffaloes

In the last update, I wrote that Yamamoto had his best month of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander has maintained his excellent form through June and through the All-Star break. Outside of a June 23 start against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks where he gave up four runs in six innings, he’s tossed at least eight innings of one-run ball in each of his last three starts, including a complete game against the Saitama Seibu Lions on July 8. 

On the season, Yamamoto has a 1.74 ERA, a solid 28.7 K%, and an impressive 3.3 BB% in 13 starts and 93 ⅓ innings pitched. He’s fourth in the Pacific League in innings despite having three fewer starts than the league leader. He’s issued just one walk in his past four starts, and hitters have a .201 batting average against him. He was a surprise and controversial snub from the initial All-Star ballot, but was eventually voted in through the “Plus One” runoff voting to earn his fifth consecutive All-Star nod. 

MLB teams are ramping up their interest in Yamamoto, with scouts of eight teams attending his July 8th start, per Sports Hochi. He also ranks second in MLBTR’s recent 2023 free agency power rankings, and as Steve Adams writes, “A contract in excess of $200MM doesn’t seem outlandish if he can remain healthy and productive.”

2. Shota Imanaga, Yokohama DeNA Baystars

The 29-year-old left-hander has been at his very best since the last update, allowing just three runs in 32 innings in his last four starts — including a one-run, complete game against the Hanshin Tigers on June 23 and a seven-inning, 15-strikeout gem against the Yomiuri Giants on July 7. He finished June with a 1.41 ERA and has a 0.60 ERA thus far in July. 

Imanaga’s ERA is down to 2.07, which is fourth among qualified pitchers in the Central League, with a 28.5 K% and a minuscule 2.4 BB% in 12 starts and 87 innings pitched. These stats were good enough for the lefty to get to his second career All-Star nod. Although he is still prone to long balls with 11 homers allowed on the season, he’s otherwise avoided trouble. Imanaga’s chances of coming to MLB are pretty high, as he signed with the U.S.-based agency Octagon to help talks toward a posting agreement last offseason. 

3. Yuki Matsui, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

The 27-year-old left-hander finished the first half with 23 saves, tied for most in NPB. He’s yet to give up a run in eight appearances in July and has been key to the Eagles going 11-3 in the month. The increased workload is a big contrast from NPB updates earlier in the season where Matsui didn’t have as many appearances due to the Eagles’ poor record. 

Matsui has a 0.55 ERA in 34 appearances, with a 36.3 K% and a 4.1 BB%. Although he was snubbed from the All-Star Game, Matsui is happy with the rest. “I’m thankful [for the increased workload], it’s my job to close out games and win so it’s a good thing,” Matsui said. Matsui has still not made his plans beyond 2023 clear, but he is definitely a name to keep an eye on for teams that need a lefty for their bullpen.

4. Kona Takahashi, Saitama Seibu Lions

Takahashi has had a rough July on paper, recording a 3.79 ERA in three starts, including two outings lasting just five innings. He’s bounced back from those outings in his most recent start on July 16, tossing a four-hit, six-strikeout, complete game shutout against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. It was his first shutout since 2020 and the fourth of his career.

The 26-year-old right-hander’s ERA now sits at 2.25 despite the rough starts in the past few months, with a 19.1 K% and a 6.8 BB% in 16 starts and 108 innings pitched. Takahashi also missed out on the All-Star game despite his strong performance in the first half thanks to a deep pool of quality starters in the Pacific League.

Takahashi’s strikeout rate has dropped in the past few weeks, but increased average fastball velocity and ability to eat innings should still be appealing to MLB teams looking for some starting pitching help. 

5. Naoyuki Uwasawa, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters

In the last update, I wrote that Uwasawa was back to his best, and finishing the season closer to a 2.50 ERA would help his chances for an MLB contract this offseason. The 29-year-old right-hander followed up his strong June with solid performances in July, including eight shutout innings against the Lions this past weekend. 

His season ERA is down to 2.87 with a 17.3 K% and 7.4 BB%. If you remove his worst start of the season against the Lions on April 15 (where he gave up eight earned runs in 5 ⅓ innings), his ERA goes all the way down to 2.31. It’s quite a remarkable turnaround for Uwasawa considering that his ERA was up to 4.62 on May 6. He is third in the Pacific League with 106 ⅔ innings in 15 starts. Uwasawa received his second career All-Star nod, his first since 2021. 

Younger stars to keep an eye on

1. Roki Sasaki, Chiba Lotte Marines

In his last three starts since the last update, Sasaki has allowed just one run in 22 frames while going at least seven innings and fanning at least 10 in every one of those starts. He also matched the record for the fastest NPB pitch at 103 MPH. In his most recent start, where he struck out 14 in seven innings, the average velocity on his fastball was at 99 MPH. There aren’t enough words to describe Sasaki’s dominance in the first half of 2023, as he finished with an NPB-best 1.48 ERA in 12 starts. He had an unfathomable 41 K%, 4.7 BB%, and a.151 opponent batting average in 79 innings pitched. It’s hard to imagine Sasaki can improve on these numbers, but with the combination of his age at 21 and 2023 being just his second full season of work, it’s certainly possible he reaches another level. Sasaki still has room to improve his in-game stamina and has some remaining physical projection. 

2. Munetaka Murakami, Tokyo Yakult Swallows

Murakami continues to look more like his Triple Crown-winning self, following up a strong June with a few solid weeks to finish up the first half of the season. He’s slashing .306/.352/.612 with four homers in July. Murakami finished the first half of the season slashing .242/.359/.451 with 16 homers and his OPS is finally above .800 at .809. Despite his horrendous slump to open the season, Murakami still finished the first half in the top three in homers and RBI in the Central League. He’s managed to regain some of his form  even though the Swallows are missing key lineup contributors with injuries: including perennial All-Star Tetsuto Yamada and Yasutaka Shiomi, who has been a .800 OPS hitter since 2020. Murakami is still striking out at an alarming 31% rate and has a strong 14.2 BB%. Murakami missed out on the All-Star Game, 

3. Kazuma Okamoto, Yomiuri Giants

Although the 27-year-old corner infielder is slashing a .297/.393/.557 with a .950 OPS, 20 homers, and 51 RBIs (all in the three in all categories in the Central League), Okamoto has cooled off significantly in July, slashing just .208/.328/.375. The All-Star break could not have come at a better time for Okamoto, who had just two hits out of 26 plate appearances in his last six games to close the first half. He was the first to reach the 20-homer mark in NPB on July 7, on a solo homer off of Imanaga, but hasn’t added to his tally since. Despite the mini-slump, Okamoto is still on pace for what would be his sixth consecutive 30-homer season.

An interesting note is that he has been mashing lefties this season, slashing .355/.463/.656 in 110 plate appearances. If he is able to continue to mash lefties, the combination of Okamoto’s consistent power numbers, solid defense at the corners (two-time Gold Glove winner), and potential for positional versatility (taking reps at left field this year) should be a compelling package for MLB teams looking to add a right-handed power bat. 

Honorable Mentions

The following players have either expressed their desire to play in the big leagues, been rumored by Japanese media, or have drawn interest from MLB scouts but have factors (age, team stance on posting system) preventing a potential move. I’ve also added top performers who may be of interest.

Shosei Togo, right-handed starting pitcher, Yomiuri Giants; Taisei Ohta, right-handed reliever, Yomiuri Giants; Hiroto Takahashi, right-handed starting pitcher, Chunichi Dragons; Kaima Taira, right-handed starting pitcher, Saitama Seibu Lions; Atsuki Yuasa, right-handed reliever, Hanshin Tigers; Shinnosuke Ogasawara, left-handed starting pitcher, Chunichi Dragons; Shunpeita Yamashita, Orix Buffaloes; Atsuki Taneichi, right-handed starter, Chiba Lotte Marines.

Royals Release Brooks Kriske To Pursue NPB Opportunity

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The Royals announced this morning they’ve placed reliever Brooks Kriske on unconditional release waivers. According to Kansas City, he’s pursuing an opportunity with a Japanese club. The move drops the Royals’ 40-man roster count to 39. While the Royals didn’t announce which team Kriske will be joining, a Japanese-language Yahoo! Japan report suggests he has agreed to terms with the Seibu Lions.

Kriske spent the 2022 campaign in Japan. The right-hander first signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. He posted a 2.57 ERA through 21 innings, striking out 29.2% of batters faced. He walked opponents at a lofty 14.6% clip, though, and bounced between NPB and their farm team.

Last winter, the 29-year-old returned to the affiliated ranks on a non-roster pact with K.C. He pitched to a 5.52 ERA across 29 1/3 frames with Triple-A Omaha. The Royals selected his contract in mid-June, plugging him into four games. Over 6 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs with six strikeouts and four walks.

Kriske was optioned back to Omaha two weeks ago. While he remained on the 40-man roster, he presumably received a stronger financial package from the Lions than he’d have made bouncing on and off the K.C. active roster. His hold on a 40-man spot might have been tenuous as a low-leverage reliever, so it’s understandable he’d prefer the guaranteed deal to return to Japan for a second season.

Red Sox Agree To Terms With Their Top Two Draft Picks

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The Red Sox agreed to deals with their top two draft choices Friday afternoon, reports Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline (Twitter links). 14th overall pick Kyle Teel received an even $4MM signing bonus against a $4.66MM slot value, while second-rounder Nazzan Zanetello landed a well above-slot $3MM figure.

Teel, 21, was viewed as the top catcher in this year’s college class. He was the second backstop off the board after Kansas City took high schooler Blake Mitchell eighth overall. Teel ranked in the back half of the top 10 on pre-draft rankings at The Athletic, ESPN, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. That made it a bit surprising he fell to Boston at 14 and the underslot signing figure most closely aligns with the slot value for the 18th selection.

A left-handed hitter, Teel put up a .407/.475/.655 line during his final season at the University of Virginia. He hit 25 doubles and 13 home runs with a modest 12.1% strikeout rate over 297 trips to the plate. He earned the ACC Player of the Year award as a result. Evaluators credit him with a well-rounded skillset headlined by excellent athleticism for a catcher and plus arm strength.

Zanetello, a Missouri high school infielder, was selected 50th overall. That selection has a slot value of $1.7MM, which the Sox handily exceeded to sign him away from the University of Arkansas. A right-handed hitting infielder, Zanetello ranked as high as 33rd on Keith Law’s pre-draft list at The Athletic but was outside the Top 100 at Baseball America. Evaluators praise his bat speed and athleticism but raised questions about the amount of swing-and-miss in his game.

Pirates Designate Wil Crowe For Assignment

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July 21: Pittsburgh officially designated Crowe for assignment Friday afternoon. They also activated Jose Hernandez from the 15-day injured list while optioning righty Yohan Ramirez to Triple-A.

July 19: The Pirates are going to designate right-hander Wil Crowe for assignment, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Crowe has been on the 60-day injured list since April and has been on a rehab assignment of late, but the Bucs evidently don’t plan on putting him back on their roster.

Crowe, 28, was a starter earlier in his career but switched to a relief role last year. He tossed 76 innings over 60 appearances for the Pirates with a 4.38 earned run average. His 20.5% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate were both a couple of ticks below average but he kept the ball on the ground at a 49.8% rate. Those solid results moved him up the club’s bullpen chart, allowing him to record four saves and 16 holds on the season.

This year, he made just five appearances before landing on the IL due right shoulder discomfort. He began a rehab assignment a couple of weeks ago and made five appearances in the minors with a 1.59 ERA, but it seems the club doesn’t want to put him back on the 40-man roster. The Pirates have been funneling various prospects to the big league level in recent weeks, which has involved selecting the contracts of players like Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and Quinn Priester, perhaps crowding things out too much for Crowe.

The Bucs will now have a week to trade Crowe or pass him through waivers. He still has an option year and has yet to qualify for arbitration, which could perhaps give him some appeal to clubs looking for an extra depth arm. If he were to clear waivers, he would not have the right to elect free agency since he has not previously been outrighted in his career and it still shy of three years of major league service time.

Nationals, #2 Overall Pick Dylan Crews Agree To Terms

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The Nationals have agreed to terms with second overall pick Dylan Crews, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link). The Talk Nats blog suggested earlier this week the framework of a deal was in place, pending a physical (on Twitter). The specific signing bonus is unclear, though Heyman indicates it’ll come in around $9MM.

That’s right in line with the selection’s $8.99MM slot value. It’s very likely that’ll go down as the second-highest bonus in this year’s class. Paul Skenes landed a record $9.2MM upon going first overall to the Pirates. The Skenes/Crews duo became the first pair of college teammates to ever go 1-2 in the MLB draft.

Crews, a right-handed hitting outfielder, has been regarded as a top amateur talent going back to high school. He went to LSU after teams declined to meet his bonus demands in the 2020 draft. Crews had a monster career for the Tigers, posting an OPS north of 1.100 in all three seasons while playing in college baseball’s top conference.

Regarded as a potential first overall pick throughout the 2023 season, Crews more than met expectations. He raked a .426/.567/.713 clip over 344 plate appearances as a junior. He connected on 18 home runs, walked at an elite 20.6% clip and kept his strikeouts to a 13.4% rate. Crews won the Golden Spikes Award as college baseball’s top performer and helped LSU to a national championship.

Going into the draft, he was still very much in the running for the first pick. Each of Baseball America, Keith Law of the Athletic, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, and MLB Pipeline rated Crews the #1 or #2 player in the class. He topped the pre-draft rankings at BA and The Athletic. Pittsburgh ultimately elected for the potential top-of-the-rotation starter in Skenes. Washington nabbed Crews at #2.

The 6’1″ outfielder is credited with a potential plus hit/power combination. He’s likely to begin his career in center field. Evaluators suggest he might eventually be bumped to right field but should be an above-average to plus corner outfielder if that happens. It’s difficult to find fault with much in his profile. Crews would likely have gone first overall in most draft classes, but Skenes is widely regarded as the best college pitching prospect in more than a decade.

Baseball America slots Crews as the sport’s #3 overall prospect behind Jackson Holliday and Jackson Chourio. He’s one slot ahead of fellow Washington outfielder James Wood (and two places above Skenes). The Nats will hope for Crews and Wood to anchor their outfields of the future once they pull out of their ongoing rebuild.

Padres To Select Jackson Wolf

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The Padres are calling up pitcher Jackson Wolf for tomorrow’s game in Detroit, manager Bob Melvin tells AJ Cassavell of MLB.com (Twitter link). The club hasn’t decided whether Wolf will start the contest or work in relief. They’ll need to formally select him onto the 40-man roster tomorrow.

Wolf, 24, was a fourth-round selection out of West Virginia in the 2021 draft. The 6’7″ lefty split his first full professional season between High-A and Double-A. He has spent 2023 with Double-A San Antonio, starting all 17 appearances. He has excelled through 85 innings, pitching to a 3.39 ERA. Wolf is striking hitters out at an elite 31.3% rate and has only walked 6% of opposing batters.

That was a strong enough showing the Friars will skip him past the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League entirely. He makes the jump straight from Double-A to at least get the opportunity for his major league debut. San Diego has been without Michael Wacha for nearly three weeks due to shoulder inflammation, leaving a rotation vacancy.

Earlier this month, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Wolf the #11 prospect in a relatively thin San Diego farm system. While his fastball only sits in the upper 80s, Longenhagen credits him with a plus slider and suggests his lower arm slot presents a particularly challenging look for left-handed hitters.

San Diego’s 40-man roster is full. They’ll likely wind up designating someone for assignment tomorrow to create space.

Rays Place Francisco Mejía On IL With MCL Sprain

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3:55pm: Mejía is expected to miss between three and six weeks, per Ackert.

1:20pm: The Rays announced that they have placed catcher Francisco Mejía on the 10-day injured list with a left knee MCL sprain, recalling fellow backstop René Pinto in a corresponding move.

Mejía, 27, departed yesterday’s game after apparently injuring himself on a play at the plate. Manager Kevin Cash later informed reporters, including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times, that the catcher would undergo an MRI. It seems that the imaging found the sprain, which will keep Mejía out of action for at least 10 days. The Rays haven’t provided any further information about the specific length of time they’re expecting him to be out.

The Rays have been using a tandem of Mejía and Christian Bethancourt behind the plate this year. Mejía is hitting just .227/.258/.400 in 50 games for a wRC+ of 81 this year. He’s not considered an especially strong defender, having a grade of -4 Defensive Runs Saved this year while also getting negative marks for his framing both from FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus.

All that being said, it’s still not a great development for the Rays. Pinto is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, and he’s now been thrust up to the big leagues to join Bethancourt. He was placed on the minor league injured list on June 7, with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relaying that it was due to a bruised hand. He only just started rehabbing from that IL stint, appearing in two Complex League games in recent days. He’ll now have to quickly jump to the big leagues, where he has just 25 games of experience, hitting .213/.241/.325 last year.

Bethancourt is having a bit of a disappointing season as well, having hit .252/.283/.409 last year but dropping to .230/.254/.392 here in 2023. His defensive grades are stronger than Mejía’s but it’s been a relatively weaker position on a Rays club that’s strong overall. Midseason catching upgrades can be challenging since an incoming backstop has to learn an entirely new pitching staff on the fly, but the Rays might have to give it some thought. Even before Mejía’s sprain, it seemed like a part of the club that could be upgraded but perhaps now even more so, depending on the severity of the injury and how much time they expect him to miss.

The Rays dominated the American League East for much of the first half of the season but have slipped recently. They are now one game back of the Orioles, though they still hold the top Wild Card spot, 4.5 games ahead of the Blue Jays and Astros. That leaves them in position to be buyers ahead of the upcoming trade deadline, which is on August 1.

Marlins Outright Jerar Encarnación

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The Marlins have outrighted outfielder Jerar Encarnación off their roster, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. There had not been any previous public reporting about Encarnación being designated for assignment, so this move drops their 40-man roster count to 39.

Encarnación, now 25, garnered attention as a prospect based on his power potential, though with questions about his strikeout tendencies. The Marlins liked him enough to add him to their 40-man roster in November of 2020, to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, but that profile has largely stayed in place.

He played 65 minor league games in 2021, mostly in Double-A, hitting nine home runs but striking out in 38.3% of his plate appearances. Last year, he played 99 games on the farm between Double-A and Triple-A, launching 22 bombs but was punched out at a 28.2% rate. He also got 81 trips to the plate in the majors but struck out in 39.5% of those. Here in 2023, he’s been in Triple-A all year. He has 19 home runs in 83 games but has gone down on strikes 39.9% of the time. His overall line of .211/.324/.438 this year amounts to a wRC+ of 87.

Encarnación is in his final option year and will be out of options next spring. It seems he was wearing out his welcome on the Marlins roster and has now been removed from it, as they quietly put him on waivers in recent days without any club putting in a claim. Since he’s shy of three years of service time and doesn’t have a previous career outright, he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency and will stick in the organization as non-roster depth. The Fish will now have an extra spot to make use of, with just over a week until the August 1 trade deadline.

Jose Trevino To Undergo Season-Ending Wrist Surgery

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The Yankees announced that they have placed catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 18, due to a right wrist tear. Fellow catcher Ben Rortvedt has been recalled in a corresponding move. Trevino tells Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter links) that he’s done for the season and will require surgery. He’s apparently had the issue since Spring Training and has been trying to fight through it. He expects to be ready for next year’s Spring Training, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Hoch also relays that the specific nature of the injury is a torn triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) ligament.

Trevino, 30, is having a poor season offensively, with the wrist issue perhaps explaining why. He hit .248/.283/.388 last year but has dipped to a line of .210/.257/.312 here in 2023, that latter line amounting to a wRC+ of 58. In terms of his glovework, he’s not on pace to match last year’s elite 21 Defensive Runs Saved, but he still has 6 DRS this year, putting him in the top 10 among all catchers in the league. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus give him strong marks for his framing, while Statcast considers him an above-average strong blocker.

Trevino may not be a star player but he’s a solid defensive option and was decent at the plate last year. Frustrating injury absences have been a key storyline for the Yanks this year. The most prominent example is Aaron Judge but they’ve also seen Harrison Bader, Carlos Rodón, Frankie Montas, Nestor Cortes, Josh Donaldson and many others miss time. That’s part of the reason why the club is having a disappointing summer, having slipped to 50-47 and four games back of a playoff spot.

The club may now have to make some difficult decisions about how aggressively to approach the deadline, which is on August 1. FanGraphs currently pegs their playoff odds at 28.3%, certainly not a hopeless situation but definitely a challenging one. Catching upgrades are generally tricky during a season, as a new backstop would have to learn the entire pitching staff on the fly. But if the Yanks want to add for a postseason push, it might be something to look into. They might have some competition within the division, as the Rays lost Francisco Mejía to a knee sprain earlier today.

For now, the Yanks will proceed with Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka, the only two other backstops on the 40-man roster. Rortvedt has dealt with his own injury issues in recent years, getting into just 48 minor league games last year and then 38 contests so far this year between the majors and minors.

In terms of non-roster depth, the club has promoted Austin Wells to Triple-A, per Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune. Wells was the Yankees’ first-round draft pick from 2020 and was recently ranked their #3 prospect by Baseball America. He had been hitting .237/.327/.443 in Double-A prior to the promotion.

AL East Notes: Story, Mullins, Green

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Red Sox infielder Trevor Story is beginning a rehab assignment today, with Ian Browne of MLB.com relaying the details. Story will play five innings at shortstop in Friday’s game before serving as the designated hitter on Saturday and returning to the shortstop position on Sunday.

The shortstop position in Boston has been in flux since it was reported in January that Story had undergone internal brace surgery on his right elbow. They’ve rotated various players through the position in his absence, including Enrique Hernández, Yu Chang, Pablo Reyes and others. The Red Sox have a collective .216/.272/.322 batting line from the position, which translates to a wRC+ of 59, placing them 27th out of the 30 clubs in the league.

Story is a career .268/.336/.513 hitter and would certainly be a boost if he could come back at that level, though it’s no guarantee that he will. He hit .251/.329/.471 in his final year in Colorado and then .238/.303/.434 last year. After missing all of this season so far, it remains to be seen what form he will be in when he gets back. The Sox are currently three games out of a playoff spot and even a diminished version of Story should be an upgrade over the production they’ve had from the shortstop position thus far.

Some more notes from the toughest division in the league…

  • The Orioles placed outfielder Cedric Mullins on the injured list earlier this week due to a groin strain, his second trip to the IL this year for that injury. Just the day prior, he had said he was hoping to avoid the IL, which made it fair to expect this stint would be minimal. That may not be the case, however, with Mullins providing more details to the media yesterday. He said that new symptoms emerged once his soreness went away, per Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner, with no timeline for his return right now. He said he’s hopeful of returning for the back end of the season, per Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball. That murkier timeline is surely an unpleasant development for the O’s, as Mullins continue to be an impact player when healthy. He’s hit .259/.347/.454 this year for a wRC+ of 123 and stolen 14 bases. His progress in the weeks to come will hopefully provide some more clarity but it doesn’t seem like an immediate return is likely.
  • Blue Jays reliever Chad Green is set to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The Jays signed Green in the offseason to a convoluted deal, knowing that he wouldn’t be an option in the first half after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He’s now rehabbing at an interesting time of the season, with the trade deadline just over the horizon. The righty has 272 appearances under his belt with a 3.17 ERA,  32.5% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. All contending clubs are looking for relief help at this time of year but Green’s impending return gives the Jays a chance to have that bullpen boost come from within. They are currently 54-43 and tied with the Astros for the second Wild Card spot. Green’s return will also give the club a couple of months to evaluate his status before deciding on the layered option structure of his contract. They first have to decide on triggering a three-year, $27MM option with $1MM in bonuses. If they decline, Green can exercise a 2024 player option with a $6.25MM salary and $2MM in bonuses. If he declines that, the Jays can trigger a two-year, $21MM option with $1MM in bonuses.

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