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Brewers Sign Jahmai Jones

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The Brewers announced Monday that they’ve signed infielder Jahmai Jones and added him directly to their 26-man Major League roster for today’s game. Infielder/outfielder Brian Anderson was placed on the paternity list in a corresponding roster move. Milwaukee already had an open spot on the 40-man roster. Jones, an ACES client, opted out of a minor league contract with the Dodgers over the weekend.

Jones, 26 next month, was a second-round pick by the Angels back in 2015 and long rated as one of the Halos’ best prospects, even cracking most top-100 lists heading into the 2018 season. He’s only logged 29 games in the big leagues to this point, hitting just .176/.228/.216 in 79 trips to the plate during that tiny sample, most of which came with the 2021 Orioles.

Struggles in that small collection of big league games notwithstanding, Jones has a strong Triple-A track record, including an excellent .293/.428/.543 slash in 263 plate appearances with the Dodgers’ top affiliate in 2023. He’s clubbed nine homers, connected on 20 doubles and added three triples this season, walking at a massive 17.5% clip against a 20.9% strikeout rate.

Jones has primarily played second base in his professional career, but he does have nearly 1700 innings of experience in center field and another 369 frames in left field, so he could have some utility appeal for the Brewers in the short-term. Owen Miller has played first base, second base and third base for the Brewers this season, and he’ll likely step in at the hot corner while Anderson is on the paternity list for up to three days. Jones could be an option there as well, though he has just nine innings at third base since being drafted.

The Opener: Kershaw, Whitlock, Orioles, Yankees

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With the calendar now flipped to July, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Uncertainty surrounding Kershaw:

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has been dealing with elbow inflammation since his most recent start last week. The Dodgers have yet to decide whether the veteran lefty would require an IL stint, but with his next start scheduled for today, they’ll need to make a call within the next few hours. As noted by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, right-hander Michael Grove is poised to take the ball against the Pirates this evening if Kershaw isn’t ready to go.

Kershaw has been the Dodgers’ most reliable starting option this season, posting a 2.55 ERA and 3.54 FIP in 95 1/3 innings of work — including a sterling 1.09 ERA in five June starts. The club has gotten a worrisome 5.26 ERA from the rest of its starters this season thanks to rough first halves from Grove, Julio Urias, and Noah Syndergaard, a stat that highlights Kershaw’s importance to the team in the long-term. What’s more, Urias and right-hander Tony Gonsolin combined for just 6 2/3 innings of work when starting the club’s past two games, leaving the Dodgers with a taxed bullpen that would be unlikely to pick up the slack if Kershaw required an early exit.

2. Whitlock to undergo MRI:

Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock is expected to undergo an MRI today on the heels of his exit from yesterday’s start against the Blue Jays after just one inning with elbow tightness. In the event Whitlock misses time, Boston will be left in a pickle regarding their rotation; the club sports just three active starters besides Whitlock in James Paxton, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford. Chris Sale and Tanner Houck are on the injured list and don’t appear close to a return, right-hander Nick Pivetta was recently demoted to the bullpen, and both aforementioned issues apply to veteran hurler Corey Kluber.

While the club could place Pivetta back in the rotation going forward, Chad Jennings of The Athletic notes that Cora has expressed hesitance at the idea of moving him out of his current role. After two appearances where he struggled to adjust to his new role, Pivetta has dominated out of the bullpen with a 1.93 ERA and 3.23 FIP in his past 11 appearances.

3. Series Preview: Orioles @ Yankees

The Orioles head to Yankees Stadium for a four-game set in New York today. The series kicks off with right-hander Tyler Wells taking on Domingo German, who will be making his first start since throwing the first perfect game in more than a decade. Both clubs  scuffled in June. The Yankees posted an 11-14 record since June 1, and while the Orioles have fared better with a 14-12 record, Baltimore has won just one of its last five series. In a highly competitive AL East, a quality showing in this series will be key for both clubs. The third-place Yankees could tie the Orioles in the standings with a sweep, while the Orioles will need a strong showing to keep pace with the division-leading Rays, who lead Baltimore by 5.5 games in the division.

Padres Chairman Peter Seidler: “We’re Not Going To Reverse Course”

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Today’s 4-3 loss to the Reds dropped the Padres to 38-46, as the team continued to languish in fourth place in NL West.  San Diego is closer to the last-place Rockies than they are to a wild card berth (8.5 games) or the first-place Diamondbacks (11.5 games), and the Padres aren’t exactly gaining momentum, with seven losses in their last eight games.

It’s a very surprising dropoff for a club that reached the NLCS last season, and has been spending to franchise-record levels to continue that success.  The Padres exceeded the luxury tax threshold in each of the last two seasons and are easily on pace for a third, with a $250MM payroll and a projected $275.8MM tax number (as per Roster Resource).  Getting to the NLCS only made the Padres hungry for more, but a busy offseason that included signing Xander Bogaerts and extending Manny Machado and Yu Darvish has thus far yielded mediocre results.

The struggles of the Padres’ first three months haven’t dampened the overall view of team chairman Peter Seidler, who first of all hasn’t written off the Friars’ chances for 2023.  “We have half the season to play.  I mean, much, much stranger things have happened….So there’s a lot of catching up for us to do. I’m on the train that says we’re gonna catch up,” Seidler told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  Just because the Padres’ plan for 2023 “hasn’t worked yet….it doesn’t make me lose sleep at night or lack confidence in what we’re doing.”

“I know we’re going to be good.  We’re gonna have every chance to be in the mix for the World Series every single year.  And so that gives me some kind of serious long-term comfort.  We’re not going to reverse course.  We’re always gonna adjust….All my focus now is on this year, because I’m as solid as I can be on the year after and two years after and three and the next decade.”

While Seidler naturally isn’t pleased with how the Padres have performed to date, he pointed to the trade deadline as an opportunity for improvement, saying “You know we’re always open for business.”  While naturally much can still change between now and the August 1 deadline, Seidler’s comment would suggest that the Padres are looking to be buyers, rather than sellers.  Of course, the team might take a middle ground and pursue both routes, perhaps trading some shorter-term assets for players who can help the Padres either in the rest of 2023 or in 2024 and beyond.

As to who could be making these calls on deadline day, Seidler expressed his total support in club CEO Erik Greupner and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.

“I’m not afraid to make changes.  I never have been.  But I really value stability,” Seidler said.  “And when I know the person as well and the skillset as well as I know A.J. and Erik, they’re not going anywhere.  Period….I believe in stability.  It is something that is undervalued, generally speaking, in organizations and maybe particularly in sports franchises.  But I’m not for mediocre stability.  I’m for excellence.  And to me, A.J. is excellence.”

“That’s the very interesting thing about professional sports.  You have a couple of bad months and fans or the media say, ’You’ve got to fire this guy.’  It’s crazy to me.  Absolutely crazy.”

Preller is one of the longer-tenured front office bosses in baseball, running the Padres’ baseball ops department since August 2014.  It hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride, as Preller’s tenure has included only two winning records in his eight full seasons, though he did oversee a substantial rebuild (albeit in the wake of an ill-fated attempt to load up on big-name talent early in his stint as general manager).  Even as recently as 2021, the Padres seemed to be stumbling both on and off the field, but the hiring of Bob Melvin as manager seemed to calm things, and San Diego went 89-73 in 2022 before making their postseason run.  Preller received a contract extension following the Padres’ playoff berth in 2020, and his current deal runs through the 2026 campaign.

Seidler endorsed Melvin as well, though as Acee noted, Seidler (like Preller in recent comments) didn’t give a full guarantee about Melvin’s future as the Friars’ manager.  Melvin’s deal with the team is up after the 2024 season, and if the Padres’ struggles were continue, a managerial change might be one logical route of shaking things up, if a larger-scale front office change isn’t happening.

That said, Seidler seemed to disagree with the premise of a true guarantee of Melvin’s job security, asking “What’s the point in saying that?  Bob is one of the great managers in our game.  I’ll leave it there.  As well as being a great guy and as trusted a human being as you’ll ever find.  But we’re talking about a job here.”

Nationals To Sign Daniel Mengden To Minors Contract

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The Nationals are signing right-hander Daniel Mengden to a minor league deal, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter).  Mengden had been pitching in the Royals’ farm system on another minors contract signed at the start of the season, but Kansas City released him from that deal earlier this week.

Mengden now moves onto the fifth different organization (four in MLB, one in the KBO League) of a pro career that began as a fourth-round draft pick for the Astros in 2014.  The righty is best known for his five years with the Athletics from 2016-20, as Mengden posted a 4.64 ERA over 302 2/3 innings during his Oakland tenure, mostly working as a starting pitcher.  An injury-plagued 2020 campaign led the A’s to outright Mengden following the 2020 season, and he then went overseas to South Korea to pitch for the Kia Tigers.

Returning to MLB in 2022, Mengden signed a minors deal with the Royals and appeared in five games (seven IP) at the big league level.  That represents his last stint in the Show, as he hasn’t pitched well or even often with Triple-A Omaha this season.  Starting three of his six games for Omaha, Mengden has a 7.36 ERA over 14 2/3 innings, with a lackluster 20% strikeout rate and 11.4% strikeout rate.

Washington might view the 30-year-old Mengden purely as rotation depth or as a bullpen candidate who can be called upon to soak up innings as a long reliever.  At the cost of a minors league deal, there’s no risk for the Nationals in seeing what Mengden can provide, whether at the Triple-A level or for spot duty in the majors.

AL East Notes: Rodon, Westburg, Hays, Whitlock, Paredes

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Carlos Rodon threw 58 pitches in a high-A rehab start on Saturday, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that Rodon emerged from the outing in good health and in good form.  It was Rodon’s third rehab start, and the Yankees’ plan is for the left-hander to make his 2023 debut on Friday against the Cubs.  It’s better late than never for Rodon, who had both a forearm strain in March and then some back tightness that put his rehab work on pause.  A cortisone injection in early May provided some relief to Rodon’s back, and it has since been relatively smooth sailing as he has slowly built up his arm strength.

Rodon joined the Bronx Bombers on a six-year, $162MM free agent contract this winter.  The early injury scare certainly created some immediate second-guessing about the Yankees’ investment, yet if Rodon displays any of his form from the last two seasons, his 60-day IL stint might just be a bump in the road, though Rodon’s lengthy career injury history will always linger.  Rodon was a top-six Cy Young Award finisher in each of the last two seasons with the White Sox and Giants, posting a 2.67 ERA, 33.9% strikeout rate, and 7.1% walk rate over 310 2/3 innings in 2021-22.  While a lack of offense has been the Yankees’ chief problem this year, adding an in-form Rodon alongside ace Gerrit Cole atop New York’s rotation will certainly help in the run prevention department, and potentially allow the Bombers to keep grinding out wins until Aaron Judge can return to boost the lineup.

More from the AL East…

  • The Orioles’ 2-1 victory over the Twins today came with some pain, as Jordan Westburg was hit on the left hand with a pitch from Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning.  The bases were loaded, so Westburg’s HBP ended up scoring the game’s winning run.  Westburg will get testing done on his hand, while the O’s had another injury concern earlier in the game when Austin Hays departed with a hip contusion.  Hays collided with Twins first baseman Donovan Solano while running out a grounder in the second inning, and Hays remained in the game until the fourth before being replaced in left field.
  • Garrett Whitlock pitched just one inning in today’s start, as the Red Sox right-hander is dealing with elbow tightness.  Whitlock told reporters (including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe) that he had been feeling some stiffness in the elbow even prior to taking the mound today, and his current issue feels differently than the bout of ulnar neuritis that put him on the injured list for a month earlier this season.  An MRI has been scheduled, and Whitlock and the Sox can only hope that the issue is nothing more than some inflammation.  Whitlock already has one major elbow surgery on his resume, as he underwent a Tommy John procedure in 2019.
  • Isaac Paredes also made an early exit from the Rays’ game with the Mariners today, due to what the Rays described as left rib discomfort.  Paredes was heading for third base while France was trying to field a grounder, resulting in a big collision between the two players.  Manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that initial x-rays revealed no rib fractures, so Paredes may have avoided a serious injury.  One of many players emerging for first-place Tampa Bay, Paredes has hit .267/.372/.494 with 14 homers over 290 plate appearances this season.

Rockies Release Logan Allen

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The Rockies have released southpaw Logan Allen, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter link).  Allen signed a minor league deal with Colorado last August, but hasn’t yet seen any time on the Rockies’ MLB roster.

Not to be confused with current Guardians left-hander Logan T. Allen (born in 1998), the elder Allen also formerly pitched for Cleveland as well as San Diego and Baltimore from 2019-22.  Allen was a former top-100 prospect who was involved in two significant trades during his career — he was one of four prospects sent by the Red Sox to the Padres in the Craig Kimbrel deal in 2015, and he was part of the big three-team swap between San Diego, Cleveland, and Cincinnati at the 2019 trade deadline.

Allen has tossed 96 1/3 innings at the Major League level, and posted only a 5.89 ERA and a very low 15.5% strikeout rate.  The results haven’t been any better at Triple-A, as the lefty has a 6.35 ERA over 253 2/3 frames at the top minor league level.  This includes a 7.20 ERA over 45 innings with Triple-A Albuquerque this season, as Allen has only a 22.2% strikeout rate and a high 12.4% walk rate.

Even with the caveat that pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League is no easy feat, Allen’s lack of results at Triple-A aren’t promising.  Still only 26 years old, his past track record could very well get him another look with another team on a minor league contract.  Speculatively, Allen might seem like a good candidate to pitch overseas, as working in an international league might help him get his career on track.

MLB Announces 2023 All-Star Rosters

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The starters for the 2023 All-Star Game were already announced earlier this week, and today the league revealed the reserve selections and the pitching staffs for the National League and American League teams.  Fan balloting determined the game’s starters, while the reserves and pitchers were picked by a combination of the player ballot and selections from the league office.

This won’t be the final list of players involved, as some more substitutions will be announced later for players who are injured or who have opted not to participate.  Every team must have at least one player represented at the Midsummer Classic, and the starting pitchers for the game will be announced on July 10.

Of note, Shohei Ohtani will be in the game as both a DH and as a pitcher for the third consecutive season.  The Braves led all teams with eight All-Stars, while the Rangers weren’t far behind with six players chosen.  This year’s All-Star Game takes place in Seattle on July 11.

National League

American League

Tigers Release Heath Hembree, Trevor Rosenthal

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The Tigers released right-handers Heath Hembree and Trevor Rosenthal, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link).  Rosenthal signed a minor league contract with Detroit in March, while Hembree inked a minors deal of his own in May.

Neither player saw any action for the Tigers this season at the big league level, in large part due to injury.  Hembree made only six appearances (pitching six innings) with Triple-A Toledo, after spending more than a month on the injured list — Toledo just activated him from the IL on Friday.  As for Rosenthal, he tossed three minor innings before undergoing elbow surgery in mid-June.

This elbow procedure is the latest in a series of injuries that has plagued Rosenthal’s career for well over five seasons.  Since the start of the 2018 campaign, Rosenthal has thrown only 39 innings in the majors, due to such varied injuries as a Tommy John surgery, thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and a hip surgery.  The nature of this latest elbow surgery isn’t known, but it is fair to wonder if it could be one setback too many for Rosenthal, and whether or not he might be considering retirement at age 33.

Hembree signed a minors deal with the Rays during the offseason and pitched in one game for Tampa before being designated for assignment.  The 11-year veteran had enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, which led to his signing with the Tigers.  Best known for his seven seasons with the Red Sox from 2014-2020, Hembree has since pitched for a whopping seven different teams, appearing at the MLB level with all of those clubs except Detroit.

Angels Place Brandon Drury On 10-Day Injured List

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The Angels placed Brandon Drury on the 10-day injured list today, as the veteran is suffering from a left shoulder contusion.  Drury’s placement is retroactive to June 30.  The Angels called up infielder Andrew Velazquez to take Drury’s spot on the roster, and the club also announced that Jake Lamb (who was designated for assignment earlier this week) has been released.

Drury hasn’t played since Thursday, when he hurt his shoulder diving for a ball in Anaheim’s 9-7 loss to the White Sox.  The IL placement seems to be largely precautionary in nature, and Drury told The Athletic’s Sam Blum and other reporters that he expects to be activated when first eligible, which is the Angels’ first game after the All-Star break.

While it doesn’t look like Drury will miss much time, his shoulder issue represents yet another injury for an Angels infielder.  The team recently acquired Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas in trades to add some infield depth, but even while a couple of previously injured players have since returned, the IL’s revolving door has now continued with Drury’s placement.  Drury joins Gio Urshela (whose season might be over due to a pelvic fracture) and Zach Neto on the IL, though Neto’s return from an oblique strain might also come once the All-Star break is over, as Blum reports that Neto has been engaging in baseball activities.

After signing a two-year, $17MM free agent deal with the Angels during the offseason, Drury’s first season in a Halos uniform has been a success to date.  The 30-year-old is hitting .277/.322/.500 with 14 homers over 307 plate appearances, translating to a solid 123 wRC+.  With a .333 BABIP and below-average strikeout and walk rates, there might be some regression in store for Drury in the second half, but the Angels are certainly hoping he can continue being a key bat in their lineup, and a regular at both first and second base.

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