Archives for 2023

Yankees Designate Aaron Hicks For Assignment

By Simon Hampton | May 20, 2023 at 11:05pm CDT

12:34pm: The Yankees have announced the move, and confirmed they’ve added Greg Allen to the active roster in his place.

12:27pm: The Yankees have designated veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks for assignment, reports Greg Joyce of the New York Post. While the Yankees are yet to make the move official, it’ll likely make room for the team to activate outfielder Greg Allen, who they acquired from the Red Sox last night.

It’ll be a costly move for the Yankees, with Hicks still owed $19.57MM by way of $9.8MM salaries in 2024-25, and a $1MM buyout on a $12.5MM club option for 2026. He’ll also be owed the remainder of his $10.8MM salary in 2023. Hicks will now be exposed to waivers, but his struggles this year and the remaining money owed make it a near certainty he goes unclaimed. Instead, the Yankees could offer to eat the remainder of his contract and try and trade him to another team, or he could be released once he clears waivers.

It’s been a challenging start to the season for Hicks, who’s slashed just .188/.263/.261 with a single home run in 76 plate appearances. He’d fallen down the pecking order in New York, with the team often favoring infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa for starts in the outfield over him. He’s also walking at the rate at his worst rate since 2016, striking out more and defensive metrics haven’t looked favorably on his work in left field this season.

Hicks, 33, was a 14th overall pick by the Twins back in 2008. He was a consensus top-100 prospect coming through the minors in Minnesota’s organization, and made his debut as a 23-year-old in 2013. He struggled that year, and would never really get going over the next three seasons with the Twins, slashing .225/.306/.349 over 247 games between 2013-15. By 2015, the Twins were ready to move on and flipped him to New York in a deal for catcher John Ryan Murphy.

While his struggles continued in his first season in the Bronx, Hicks found his groove in 2017, slashing .266/.372/.475 with 15 home runs over 361 plate appearances. Injuries restricted him to just 88 games that year, but he again impressed in 137 games in 2018, posting a .248/.366/.467 line with 27 home runs and doing enough to earn some down-ballot AL MVP votes.

Hicks’ blend of power, walks and lack of strikeouts, not to mention his solid glove in center field was enough for the Yankees to hand Hicks a seven-year, $70MM extension prior to the 2019 season, preventing him from reaching free agency the following winter. While at the time that looked like a solid rate for a player who’d just come off a 4.3 fWAR season, Hicks’ play deteriorated over the course of the deal.

In the four seasons between 2019-22, he’d be worth just 3.1 fWAR. A lot of that was down to injuries, as Hicks missed time in 2019 to back and flexor strains and appeared in just 59 games, while a 2021 wrist injury saw him appear in just 32 games that year. He did return fit in 2022, playing 130 games, but he hit just eight home runs as he struggled to find his power following wrist surgery. While he continued to walk at a decent clip, his declining power saw him hit just .216/.330/.313, while he also lost the center field job.

He did still contribute 1.4 fWAR in 2022, largely thanks to his walks and improved defense after being moved to left field. Nonetheless, the Yankees entered the past off-season with a bit of speculation over Hicks’ future. The optimistic view was that another year removed from wrist surgery would be enough for Hicks to regain his power and become a positive contributor to the lineup, while the pessimistic view was that Hicks’ declining play and advancing age meant his best years were permanently in the rearview mirror.

Now, after struggling over the first few months of the season, he’ll be made available to the rest of the league. It’s possible that a change of scenery is what’s needed for Hicks, who has been the target of plenty of criticism from Yankees fans in recent years.

Presuming he clears waivers, Hicks will be a cheap addition for any team as the Yankees are still on the hook for the remainder of his contract. In Hicks’ defense, he had started to hit a little better in recent times, putting up a .286/.375/.524 line over his last 24 plate appearances. He had also hit lefties at a .278/.381/.333 rate, and while both those lines are pulled from very small sample sizes he could make sense for a team wanting a cheap platoon bat.

Image credit: USA Today Sports

AL East Notes: Dalbec, Espinal, Barger, Cowser

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 10:25pm CDT

Trade rumors swirled around Bobby Dalbec back in December, and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) now writes that the Red Sox are still “taking trade calls on” on the former top-100 prospect. Dalbec entered today’s action with a .286/.403/.551 slash line and six home runs over 119 plate appearances for Triple-A Worcester this season, his best performance yet in his third season of Triple-A ball. Of course, there hasn’t been much question about Dalbec’s ability to hit in the minors, but his MLB output has been much more inconsistent. After a .959 OPS over 92 PA as a rookie in 2020, Dalbec has hit a much more modest .228/.292/.436 slash line over 819 PA since the start of the 2021 season.

Since first and third base are Dalbec’s primary positions, he is blocked by both Triston Casas and superstar Rafael Devers, so the Red Sox have tried Dalbec out as a second baseman, shortstop, and right fielder at the MLB and minor league level in an effort to figure out how to fit his bat into the lineup. An argument could be made that Dalbec might benefit from not just a fresh start on a new team, but perhaps also just settling into his natural spot as a corner infielder on a team with more opportunity at those positions. Dalbec isn’t exactly a youngster any more since he turns 28 in June, but as a post-hype prospect, he could be an interesting trade chip for the Sox to offer, as it looks like they’ll be competitive in at least the wild card hunt.

Diamondbacks Select Austin Adams, Place Anthony Misiewicz On 15-Day IL, Carson Kelly On 60-Day IL

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 8:54pm CDT

Prior to today’s 4-3 win over the Pirates, the Diamondbacks selected the contract of right-hander Austin Adams from Triple-A Reno. In corresponding moves, Arizona placed southpaw Anthony Misiewicz on the 15-day injured list due to a strained right calf, and moved catcher Carson Kelly to the 60-day IL.

Adams tossed two-thirds of an inning and earned a hold in today’s game, marking his first action of the 2023 campaign and making it seven straight MLB seasons with at least one appearance. Most of Adams’ Major League resume has been pretty sporadic, as he only threw 2 1/3 innings with the Padres in 2022 due to a forearm strain and then flexor tendon surgery. San Diego outrighted Adams off their roster at the end of the season and he chose to become a free agent, basically acting as an early non-tender.

Between injuries and a lack of control, Adams has yet to live up to his potential as he enters his age-32 season. That said, the idea of Adams working with heralded pitching coach Brent Strom is intriguing, as Adams has a whopping 34.2% strikeout rate over his 97 career innings. Even his 3.90 ERA is pretty respectable considering that Adams has issued free passes to the tune of a 15.5% walk rate. Over 12 2/3 innings with Reno, the results have been encouraging, as Adams posted a 2.84 ERA over 12 2/3 innings while striking out 37% of batters and at least slightly decreasing his walks (11.1BB%).

The D’Backs acquired Misiewicz in a trade with the Cardinals at the start of the season, and he has since been shuttled back and forth a couple of times between Triple-A and the big leagues. His latest stint in the majors will unfortunately be extended in painful fashion, as the left-hander strained his calf while covering first base during Friday’s game. Misiewicz had a 2.70 ERA over 6 2/3 innings with Arizona this season, but that number rose to 5.63 after he was charged with three earned runs over 1 1/3 IP in Friday’s 13-3 loss to Pittsburgh.

Kelly has yet to play this season after his right forearm was fractured by a pitch late in Spring Training. A move to the 60-day IL seemed inevitable, since between recovery time, ramp-up time, and a minor league rehab assignment, it doesn’t like Kelly will be back any time before July.

White Sox To Select Clint Frazier For Sunday’s Game

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 8:23pm CDT

The White Sox are planning to call up outfielder Clint Frazier prior to tomorrow’s game with the Royals, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (Twitter link). Frazier signed a minor league deal with the Sox in late April, a few days after he was released from another minors contract with the Rangers.

Frazier is poised to make his debut with the White Sox but not his debut with Chicago, as he played in 19 games with the Cubs last season while hitting .216/.356/.297 over 45 plate appearances. Between that lack of production, a month-long stint on the injured list after an appendectomy, and a lot of struggles with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, it was another setback for a player who was once one of baseball’s better prospects.

However, Frazier had decent Triple-A numbers with the Rangers prior to his release, and he has been crushing the ball since arriving in Triple-A Charlotte. The outfielder has hit .375/.478/.839 over 67 PA with the top White Sox affiliate, due in part to some changes in his batting stance and approach at the plate. As Triple-A hitting coach Cameron Seitzer recently told The Athletic’s James Fegan, Frazier has gone from a closed batting stance and “back to slight open. Then as he makes his forward move into the ball, he gains ground and he stays linear. So he’s actually staying on the pitcher longer.”

The results are obvious, and the White Sox will now see if Frazier can continue any of that success against big league pitching. The right-handed hitting Frazier can complement either Andrew Benintendi or Gavin Sheets (both lefty swingers) in the corner outfield, or could factor into the DH picture.

Sheets didn’t play today due to what was considered to be some minor wrist soreness, so the Sox could either just be adding some depth for precautionary purposes, or Sheets might be a candidate for the injured list if his wrist problem is more serious, or if the Sox want to give him more time to fully recover. At least one more transaction will be necessary to create space for Frazier on the 40-man roster, so the White Sox will have to designate someone for assignment or shift a player to the 60-day injured list.

Reds Place Henry Ramos, Derek Law On Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 7:49pm CDT

The Reds have placed two players on the injured list in as many days, with outfielder Henry Ramos hitting the 10-day IL today due to a right hip strain. This move comes on the heels of Derek Law being placed on the 15-day IL yesterday (retroactive to May 17) with a sprain in his right elbow. Right-hander Alan Busenitz was called up from Triple-A to replace Law, while outfielder Will Benson was called up to take Ramos’ spot.

Cincinnati signed Ramos to a minor league deal in January, and brought Ramos up to the active roster near the end of April. This represented Ramos’ second look in the Show after he debuted with 18 games with the Diamondbacks in 2021, and he has matched that total with 18 more games for the Reds this year. Ramos has hit .242/.356/.306 over 73 plate appearances for the Reds, cooling off after a hot start that saw him collect nine hits and six runs in his first 26 PA.

The switch-hitting Ramos has played mostly as a right fielder and designated hitter this year. Between Ramos’ absence and TJ Friedl’s recent IL placement with an oblique strain, Cincinnati is a little short on outfield help, but Benson will get another chance to show what he can do at the MLB level. Benson has only a .370 OPS over 82 career PA with the Reds and Guardians, and the former 14th overall pick (for Cleveland in 2016) performed very well for the Guards’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021.

Law ranks second on the Reds with 20 appearances this season, delivering a quality 2.57 ERA despite a very high 14.3% walk rate. The Reds first signed Law to a minor league deal last August, and then non-tendered him during the offseason before re-signing him to another minors deal. Manager David Bell told the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith and other reporters that the “pretty good news” is that Law has seemingly avoided a serious injury, as the veteran righty has a relatively minor flexor mass strain and will be re-evaluated in 10 days.

Dodgers Place Julio Urias On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 7:02pm CDT

7:02PM: Urias’ strain isn’t considered to be too serious, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times writes, so he might face only a 15-day absence.

6:16PM: The Dodgers have placed left-hander Julio Urias on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 19) due to a left hamstring strain. Righty Wander Suero has been called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Losing Urias is another major blow to a Dodgers rotation that will also be without Dustin May for the next 4-6 weeks, as May is dealing with a flexor pronator strain. It seemed like the L.A. rotation was finally back at full strength once Tony Gonsolin returned from the sprained ankle that cost him time at the start of the season, but the Dodgers are now suddenly down two starters in short order, again stretching the club’s depth.

Young arms like Ryan Pepiot and Michael Grove were supposed to provide some depth, yet Pepiot has missed the entire season with an oblique strain, while Grove himself hit the IL a month ago due to a groin strain. On the plus side, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that Grove was beginning a Triple-A rehab assignment, so Grove could on the way back sooner rather than later.

Gavin Stone made his MLB debut with a four-inning start on May 3, which represents the top prospect’s only big league game to date. It seems likely that Stone will be the Dodgers’ first choice in replacing Urias, unless Andre Jackson is called up from Triple-A. Outside the 40-man roster, Los Angeles could turn to Robbie Erlin, Matt Andriese, or yet another notable prospect in Bobby Miller.

Of course, there’s no easy way to truly replace an ace like Urias, even if the southpaw has been a little shakier than usual. Though seven of Urias’ 10 starts have ranged from good to excellent, he was hit hard in his other three outings, including a three-inning, six-run performance against the Cardinals in his last start on Thursday when Urias allowed four home runs. It is fair to wonder if Urias’ hamstring problems surfaced during that outing, accounting for Urias’ struggles.

Urias has a 4.39 ERA over 55 1/3 innings, with a borderline elite 4.8% walk rate and an above-average 35.4% hard-hit ball rate. However, Urias has a middling 23.3% strikeout rate, and opposing batters have been capitalizing on their contact when they have been squaring up, as Urias’ 10.6% barrel rate is far above his career norms and he has allowed a league-high 14 home runs. Urias’ signature four-seam fastball has dominated hitters for years, but the pitch has been basically average for the left-hander in 2023.

The severity of Urias’ hamstring strain isn’t yet known, and in the best-case scenario of a Grade 1 strain, Urias is still probably looking at missing a few days beyond the 15-day minimum. A longer-term absence would be an even bigger problem for Urias and the Dodgers in regards to 2023, and it could impact Urias’ chance of fully maxing out on a free agent contract this winter. Projected behind only Shohei Ohtani as the top free agent of the 2023-24 class, Urias is in line for a big payday of some sort this winter, unless an injury looms as a possible x-factor.

Since there’s plenty of time before the trade deadline and because the Dodgers already have a bit of a cushion atop the NL West, L.A. can monitor Urias, May, Grove, and any other pitchers before deciding what their next step might be with the rotation. If the injured hurlers are able to return in relatively short order or if the youngsters can provide quality innings, the Dodgers might not make starting pitching a chief priority at the deadline, which would allow the team to focus on other needs. That said, injuries in the bullpen have thinned out the club’s pitching depth as a whole, so it would be a little surprising if Los Angeles didn’t add pitching in some regard.

Padres Sign Kevin Plawecki To Minors Deal

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 6:04pm CDT

The Padres have signed catcher Kevin Plawecki to a minor league deal, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (via Twitter). The veteran backstop will report to Triple-A.

Plawecki joins his third organization in less than four months, after first signing a minor league deal with the Pirates heading into Spring Training. The Bucs let Plawecki know that he wouldn’t be making the Opening Day roster, so Plawecki then used the opt-out in his contract and landed with the Nationals on another minors deal. Earlier this week, Plawecki again opted out, since the Nats didn’t have plans to add the catcher to their MLB roster.

The path to the majors might be a bit clearer in San Diego, since Luis Campusano has missed the last month with a thumb sprain and now probably won’t be back until after the All-Star break after undergoing surgery to fix his ailing thumb. Pedro Severino also just opted out of his own minor league deal with the Padres, opening up a catching vacancy at Triple-A El Paso.

Austin Nola has been the most of the work behind the plate for the Padres this season, with rookie Brett Sullivan making his MLB debut and playing 15 games since Campusano’s injury. Neither Nola or Sullivan have provided any offense, and while Plawecki is known more for his glove than his bat, it could be that the Padres want a more experienced catcher to act as a backup, and Sullivan could head back to Triple-A.

Plawecki has mostly played in a backup or part-time capacity over his eight big league seasons, and he has provided some quality offense at times during stints with the Mets and Red Sox. For his career, Plawecki has a .235/.313/.341 slash line over 1426 plate appearances in the Show.

Angels Activate Jared Walsh, Designate Brett Phillips

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 5:41pm CDT

The Angels have activated first baseman Jared Walsh from the 10-day injured list, and designated outfielder Brett Phillips for assignment. (J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group was among those to report the news.) Walsh will be making his season debut after being plagued by insomnia and recurring headaches, and these neurological issues have plagued Walsh for over a year.

In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Walsh detailed his issues, which ranged from lack of sleep to tremors to a loss of depth perception. “It’s been hell. Not knowing what’s going on, not understanding what’s happening with my body….And not being able to get answers, not being able to figure out why I can’t do basic tasks. It’s been pretty concerning for me,” Walsh said.

Fortunately, a stint at a specialized clinic seems to have gotten Walsh on the right track, to the point that is ready to make his return to the field. A rehab stint at Triple-A Salt Lake has borne some very positive results, as Walsh had a 1.176 OPS over 33 plate appearances.

Walsh hit .280/.338/.531 with 38 homers over 693 plate appearances for the Angels in 2020-21, but his production badly fell off last season due to both his neurological problems and thoracic outlet syndrome. Walsh underwent TOS surgery last September to hopefully correct that problem, though it remains to be seen how he’ll fare in his return to the big leagues.

Brandon Drury, Gio Urshela, and Jake Lamb have handled most of the first base duties for Anaheim this season, and Drury should continue to get the bulk of work at second base while Urshela can continue to get time at shortstop and play third while Anthony Rendon is on the 10-day IL. Shohei Ohtani’s presence keeps the Angels from juggling at-bats through the DH spot, but the club will likely be a little cautious about pushing Walsh too much, and Drury or Urshela seem likely to get some first-base starts when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.

Phillips was signed to a one-year, $1.2MM deal during the offseason, but the Angels have a pretty stable starting outfield trio (Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, Hunter Renfroe) and two capable backups in Mickey Moniak and utilityman Luis Rengifo. This has made Phillips little more than a late-game fill-in for defensive purposes or as a pinch-runner, with only two starts and 16 PA over 19 games. Phillips has also collected only one hit in those 16 trips to the plate.

The Angels owe Phillips roughly $835K in remaining salary, and will remain responsible for that money unless another team claimed Phillips on waivers. If Phillips clears the DFA wire, a new team can sign him and then owe him only the prorated portion of the Major League minimum salary for any time spent in the big leagues, with Anaheim still covering the rest of the $835K. Given Phillips’ reputation as a strong defender, baserunner, and clubhouse presence, it would seem like there’s a good chance he’ll catch on with another team.

Padres Designate Adam Engel For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 5:27pm CDT

The Padres announced that outfielder Adam Engel has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a roster spot for Jose Azocar, who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.

Left elbow inflammation sent Azocar to the IL (retroactively) on May 3, and he received a cortisone shot to help heal up. Azocar collected two hits for Triple-A El Paso yesterday, and that will end up being the only game of Azocar’s minor league rehab assignment before his return to the Show. Azocar has hit only .244/.262/.293 over 45 plate appearances for San Diego this season, but he’ll step back into his customary backup outfield role, displacing Engel in the process.

Engel began the season on the IL with a hamstring injury, and didn’t make his season debut until May 7. He has appeared in only five games and gone 0-for-6 over six plate appearances, and two of his appearances came as a pinch-runner. While not exactly a lengthy audition for Engel, the Padres appear more comfortable with Azcoar as their fourth outfielder, though San Diego’s roster is a little crowded by a DH-only player in Nelson Cruz, and a mostly-DH in Matt Carpenter.

The Padres signed Engel to a one-year, $1MM deal this past winter, so they are still responsible for the roughly $700K owed to the outfielder in remaining salary unless another team claims Engel off waivers or a trade is worked out. In all likelihood, Engel will clear waivers, so a new club could pick him up at only the cost of the prorated MLB minimum salary, leaving the Padres covering the rest of that $700K. Engel has enough MLB service time that he can refuse an outright assignment from the Padres in order to return to free agency.

Engel has a respectable track record as a defensive player and baserunner, even if his career .224/.279/.349 slash line over 1546 PA (all with the White Sox before 2023) is subpar. Outfield-needy teams seem likely to check in on Engel for a no-risk minor league deal, since the Padres are footing the bill for the remainder of his 2023 contract.

Brewers Recall Colin Rea, Place J.B. Bukauskas On 15-Day IL

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2023 at 4:34pm CDT

The Brewers placed right-hander J.B. Bukauskas on the 15-day injured list due to a cervical strain (or whiplash), with the placement retroactive to May 17. Colin Rea has been called up to take Bukauskas’ spot on the active roster.

It would seem as if Rea is Milwaukee’s choice to replace Wade Miley in the rotation, as Miley will miss the next 6-8 weeks due to a posterior serratus strain. Rea has already made six starts (out of seven total appearances) for the Brew Crew this season, and the results haven’t been stellar, with a 5.52 ERA and a lot of below-average secondary metrics over 31 innings. Rea’s old problems with the long ball have again surfaced, as he has allowed six homers over those 31 frames of work.

Even if Rea isn’t an ideal rotation replacement, the Brewers don’t really have many other options, with injuries to Miley, Brandon Woodruff, Jason Alexander, and Aaron Ashby depleting the team’s once-enviable starting depth. The starting five now consists of Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer, Adrian Houser, and Rea — still a decent group overall, though obviously far from ideal for a Brewers team that has traditionally relied on its pitching.

Bukauskas was claimed off waivers from the Mariners in April and the Brewers selected his contract to the MLB roster on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he’ll now head to the IL before officially making his Brewers debut, with something of an unusual injury that doesn’t have a strict timeline. Bukauskas might only miss the minimum 15 days, or he could face a longer absence if his neck issue continues to linger.

The 15th overall pick of the 2017 draft, Bukauskas’ career has been hampered by injuries, and he has shown only 236 1/3 total innings in the majors and minor over six pro seasons (naturally with the canceled 2020 minor league season also playing a role). At the big league level, Bukauskas tossed 17 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks in 2021, and then one inning of work with the Mariners this season.

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