Padres Call Up Lake Bachar For MLB Debut
12:38PM: The Padres officially promoted Bachar, and optioned right-hander Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A. Matthew Batten was also outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers; Batten was designated for assignment earlier this week.
9:21AM: The Padres will add right-hander Lake Bachar to the active roster prior to today’s game with the Mets, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (X link). Bachar was added to the 40-man roster earlier this month, so the Padres will just have to make one corresponding move to free up space on the 26-man.
The 40-man roster placement came about due to an opt-out clause Bachar triggered in his minor league deal, as the Padres selected that contract in order to keep him in the organization. The 29-year-old righty was a fifth-round pick for the Padres in 2016, and is now seemingly in line to make his Major League debut in his ninth pro season. Bachar’s resume consists of seven years on the field plus two lost years in 2020-21 — the pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor league season, and Bachar underwent a Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of 2021.
Understandably, Bachar showed some rust when he returned to action in 2022, but he rebounded with a 2.69 ERA over 60 1/3 relief innings for Double-A San Antonio in 2023. This earned Bachar his first promotion to Triple-A this season, and he has produced a 4.12 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, and 10.6% walk rate across 67 2/3 innings for the El Paso affiliate. Bachar has allowed 11 homers this year, but all things considered, his numbers have been pretty decent for a fly-ball pitcher in a very hitter-friendly league.
As Saunders noted in another piece back in April, Bachar’s turn-around in 2023 was aided by his development of a splitter. Adding this third pitch along with his 94-97mph fastball and a slider with a lot of horizontal break put Bachar on the path that has now brought him to San Diego’s MLB roster. Even if this might be a “cup of coffee” type of call-up to get a fresh arm into the Padres’ bullpen for a few days, Bachar can officially call himself a big leaguer once he gets into a game.
Royals Place Hunter Renfroe On 10-Day Injured List
The Royals announced that outfielder Hunter Renfroe was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Outfielder Tyler Gentry was called up from Triple-A Omaha to take Renfroe’s spot on the active roster.
Renfroe was subbed out in the ninth inning of yesterday’s 11-2 Royals loss to the Phillies, and the early exit didn’t seem unusual given the game’s lopsided nature. However, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) today that Renfroe had a minor tweak of the hamstring that led the team to put him on the IL as something of a precautionary measure. Bringing Gentry up also keeps the Royals at full roster strength during a crowded section of the schedule — today is the third game in a stretch of 14 games in 13 days for Kansas City, counting tomorrow’s double-header with the Guardians.
This is the second time Renfroe has been on the IL this season, as he previously had a minimal 10-game absence after suffering a bone bruise on his left foot in June. Since returning from that prior IL stint, Renfroe has hit a respectable .274/.351/.433 with six home runs over 185 plate appearances, helping get himself on track after an ice-cold start in the first two-plus months of the season. That rough start is still dragging down Renfroe’s overall numbers, as he has a below-average 97 wRC+ from a .237/.312/.398 slash line over 372 PA.
Given how much better Renfroe has been swinging the bat over the last two months, the Royals can ill-afford to lose their starting right fielder for any lengthy amount of time as the club competes for a playoff spot. The left-handed hitting Adam Frazier has gotten the next highest amount of right-field playing time as a complement to Renfroe’s righty bat, and K.C. could opt to give Dairon Blanco more time in right along with Frazier.
Gentry also figures to be part of the mix in his first taste of Major League action. Gentry was a third-round pick for the Royals in the 2020 draft and he has spent the last two seasons at Triple-A, hitting .254/.360/.424 with 29 homers and 19 steals (out of 23 attempts) over 995 plate appearances with Omaha. Kansas City added him to the 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.
MLB Pipeline ranks the 25-year-old Gentry 15th on their list of Royals prospects, with a 60-grade throwing arm that has resulted in most of his minor league career spent in the right field position. Gentry has had a tendency to hit better later in the season during his time in the minors, so he could be peaking at the right time for his debut in the Show, or he might naturally need another adjustment period as he sees Major League pitching for the first time. Gentry is considered more of a contact hitter than a power bat, which doesn’t entirely fit the profile of a slugging corner outfield type.
Pirates Select Brady Feigl
The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Brady Feigl from Triple-A Indianapolis. Feigl will take the 26-man and 40-man roster left vacant by Hunter Stratton, who was placed on the 60-day injured list after suffering a season-ending left knee patella tendon rupture in yesterday’s game.
The call-up marks the end of a long and unlikely journey for Feigl, who is now on the verge of making his MLB debut at age 33. Feigl wasn’t drafted coming out of Mount St. Mary’s University, and he spent the 2014-19 seasons pitching in the Braves’ and Rangers’ farm systems with some level of success, though a Tommy John surgery cost him almost all of both the 2015 and 2016 campaigns.
Between the pandemic-canceled 2020 minor league season and then more injuries in 2021, Feigl spent two years away from pro ball before resurfacing in the independent Atlantic League. He pitched well enough in two Atlantic League seasons to land a minor league contract with the Pirates for 2024, and he has delivered a 3.83 ERA, 29% strikeout rate, and 6.1% walk rate over 51 2/3 innings for Indianapolis. A .333 BABIP and an inflated 19% homer rate have somewhat inflated Feigl’s ERA, but he has otherwise pitched well in his return to affiliated baseball.
Feigl isn’t exactly a prospect given his age, and he might be just a short-term add to the Pirates’ bullpen in the wake of Stratton’s sudden and unexpected injury. Still, getting onto a big league roster represents a tremendous achievement for Feigl after all of the twists and setbacks of his pro career, and he’ll get at least some opportunity to show what he can do against MLB hitters.
Pirates Place Hunter Stratton 60-Day IL After Patella Tendon Rupture
11:03AM: Stratton’s season is officially over, as the Pirates placed him on the 60-day injured list.
7:38AM: Pirates right-hander Hunter Stratton suffered a left knee patella tendon rupture during the fourth inning of the Bucs’ 10-2 loss to the Reds on Saturday. Stratton had just entered the game in relief of Jake Woodford, and his fourth pitch of the appearance was a wild pitch that evaded catcher Joey Bart. As Jonathan India raced home to score from third base, Bart’s toss to Stratton (covering home plate) bounced off Stratton’s glove and rolled to the backstop. While in pursuit of the loose ball, Stratton stumbled and jammed his left leg into the stone wall behind the plate.
Stratton was down for several minutes in the aftermath of the play, and had to leave the field on a cart. Post-game, manager Derek Shelton told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Justin Guerriero and other reporters that Stratton was receiving an MRI and that the situation “did not look good. I would say this is going to be significant time [out].”
Official word on Stratton’s status should come today when he is inevitably placed on the injured list, but between the nature of the knee injury and the late date on the baseball calendar, it would certainly seem like Stratton’s 2024 season is over. The question now is how much time the 27-year-old will need to recover, and how much of his 2025 campaign could be impacted.
A 16th-round selection for the Pirates in the 2017 draft, Stratton didn’t make his MLB debut until 2023, when he had a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings as a September call-up. Pittsburgh non-tendered Stratton following the season but then re-signed him to a new minor league contract, and he was part of the club’s Opening Day roster this year. The righty’s first full Major League season has included a six-week stint on the IL due to a triceps strain, and now this flukish patella tendon rupture that will bring his year to a close.
When healthy, Stratton has pitched respectably well, posting a 3.58 ERA over 37 2/3 relief innings. While his strikeout rate is a modest 20.9%, Stratton has done an excellent job of inducing soft contact, and he has avoided free passes to the tune of a 4.4% walk rate. The latter stat is the most significant part of Stratton’s development into a big leaguer, as he had a 12.98% walk rate across his 392 career innings in the Pirates’ farm system.
Mets Release Eddie Rosario
The Mets have released outfielder Eddie Rosario, The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports (via X). Rosario signed a minor league deal just 10 days ago, but he’ll now leave the organization after seven games with Triple-A Syracuse.
Rosario didn’t have much success in his brief time in Syracuse, as he posted just a .444 OPS with eight strikeouts over 30 plate appearances. It continues what has been an altogether rough 2024 season for the former NLCS MVP, as Rosario has hit .175/.215/.316 over 319 combined PA at the big league level with the Nationals and Braves.
Washington signed Rosario to a minor league deal last winter, and the Nationals are still on the hook for most of the remainder of Rosario’s $2MM salary. (The Braves only covered the prorated portion of the Major League minimum salary for Rosario’s 24 games on their roster.) Signing Rosario to a minors deal was therefore a no-risk move for the Mets as a way to seeing if a change of scenery could spark the veteran, but New York will now also move on from Rosario’s services.
While his results this season don’t exactly inspire confidence, it is worth remembering that Rosario was still a league-average hitter in the majors just last season, when he hit .255/.305/.450 with 21 home runs over 516 with Atlanta. It speaks to the overall hot-and-cold nature of Rosario’s big league career that he has an exact 100 OPS+ over his 10 MLB seasons, plus a 97 wRC+ that checks in slightly below the average mark.
This track record means that it wouldn’t be surprising to see another club take a flier on Rosario for a minor league deal. Signing with a new team prior to September 1 would make Rosario eligible for postseason play, as his past success in the playoffs makes this detail noteworthy even if Rosario hasn’t looked worthy of a 26-man roster spot, let alone a spot on a postseason roster. Given his struggles, Rosario might just be looking to catch on with any team (contender or non-contender) that can offer him a path back to the majors, and a chance to salvage something from a rough season.
Marlins Select Jonathan Bermudez
The Marlins announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Jonathan Bermudez from Triple-A Jacksonville. To clear space on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters, Miami optioned righty Emmanuel Ramirez to Triple-A, and moved outfielder Dane Myers from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
The 28-year-old Bermudez will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game. A 23rd-round pick for the Astros in the 2018 draft, Bermudez pitched in Houston’s farm system until he was claimed off waivers by the Giants during the 2022 season. San Francisco parted ways with Bermudez just prior to Opening Day 2023 and he then caught on with Miami, spending most of that time at the Marlins’ Double-A affiliate.
Bermudez had a 2.53 ERA over 74 2/3 Double-A innings this year, but his time in Jacksonville was much rockier, with a 6.46 ERA to show for 23 2/3 innings of work (starting three of six appearances). This performance continued Bermudez’s lack of Triple-A success, as he has a 7.16 ERA over 137 total frames of Triple-A ball counting his time with the Giants’ and Astros’ top affiliates as well as his work in Jacksonville this season. Bermudez’s career Triple-A numbers also include a 23.69% strikeout rate and 11.13% walk rate.
While Bermudez has mostly worked as a starter in his career, it seems likelier that he’ll work out of the bullpen in Miami. Andrew Nardi was just placed on the 15-day IL yesterday, leaving the Marlins with just Kent Emanuel as the lone left-hander in the relief corps. Bermudez could add more depth from the left side and eat some innings in long relief, and it certainly seems possible he might pick up a start or two as the Marlins play out the string.
Myers has been out of action since fracturing his ankle in mid-July, so the move to the 60-day IL will now push his activation date to mid-September at the earliest. In MLB.com’s most recent update on Myers’ status, he is now out of a walking boot and is starting to ramp up workouts in the hopes of a return before the season is over.
Yankees Sign Phil Bickford, Designate Michael Tonkin
The Yankees announced that Phil Bickford has rejoined the team on a new Major League contract, and the veteran righty has been selected to the club’s active roster. In the corresponding move, right-hander Michael Tonkin was designated for assignment.
Bickford first joined the Yankees on a minor league deal back in April, and after that contract was selected to the big league roster in late June, Bickford posted an ungainly 14.40 ERA in five innings over five appearances before New York designated him for assignment. Upon clearing waivers in July, Bickford opted for free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A, and he’ll now head back to the Bronx after a little less than eight weeks on the open market.
A veteran of five Major League seasons, Bickford’s high point was the 2.81 ERA he posted over 51 1/3 relief innings for the Brewers and Dodger in 2021. Since that season, Bickford has a 5.20 ERA in 133 1/3 innings with the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees, along with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate.
There isn’t much to like about Bickford’s recent MLB track record, but he did pitch quite well at the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate this season, so the club had enough comfort in Bickford to sign him to a guaranteed deal. Bickford is out of minor league options, and thus would have to be designated for assignment if New York wanted to move him down to Triple-A again.
On the surface, replacing Tonkin with Bickford seems like a curious move since Tonkin has a 3.38 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 9.1% walk rate in 56 relief innings for the New York bullpen this season. While the overall numbers are solid, however, Tonkin has a 9.39 ERA in his last 7 2/3 innings, and has been charged with multiple runs in three of his last five appearances. This includes two runs allowed over 1 2/3 innings in yesterday’s 9-2 Yankees loss to the Rockies, so today’s transaction could be a way to get Bickford’s fresher arm into the bullpen.
Tonkin is also out of minor league options, which relates to the transactional carousel that has largely defined his 2024 season. He signed a $1MM split contract with the Mets in the offsesason, then went to the Twins (his original MLB team) after being DFA’ed in April, but was claimed back by the Mets shortly thereafter when Minnesota also designated Tonkin. He hit the waiver wire yet again less than a week later and was claimed by the Yankees, and Tonkin then achieved some stability with an extended stretch of time in the Bronx bullpen before now again entering DFA limbo. If he clears waivers, Tonkin can elect free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A, but he would have to give up the remainder of his guaranteed salary.
Cardinals Place Willson Contreras On 15-Day IL Due To Finger Fracture
TODAY: The Cardinals officially announced the IL placement for Contreras, and Herrera’s promotion to the active roster.
AUGUST 24: Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras has suffered a fracture to his right middle finger and is headed for the injured list, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Per Goold, catcher Ivan Herrera is expected to replace Contreras on the active roster tomorrow. Contreras suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch during the club’s loss to the Twins this evening, and a specific timetable for his return is not yet available. Per Goold, Contreras is set to undergo scanning on the injured finger on Monday that could help determine the length of his absence.
While it’s not yet clear exactly how long Contreras figures to be out due to the injury, the news is nonetheless an incredibly frustrating development for the Cardinals. The 32-year-old has been among the club’s most reliable hitters this season with an excellent .263/.379/.470 slash line (141 wRC+) this season but has struggled to stay on the field between this latest injury and a broken arm suffered back in May when he was struck with a backswing after St. Louis coaches suggested he move closer to the plate to improve his pitch framing. With just over a month remaining in the regular season, a lengthy absence for Contreras could spell the end of his 2024 campaign.
Even if Contreras manages to return before the year comes to an end, it’s a worrisome omen for the Cardinals’ dwindling playoff aspirations. The club dropped to a 64-65 record today that puts them below .500 and in third place in the NL Central behind both the Brewers and Cubs. Given Milwaukee’s near-insurmountable 10.5 game lead in the division, however, the club’s playoff hopes have been more focused on the Wild Card in recent weeks. Unfortunately, the Cardinals are now six games back of the Braves for the final NL Wild Card spot and would not only need to make up that deficit but also surpass the Cubs, Giants, and Mets in the standings to claim a spot in the postseason.
Much of the club’s struggles this year have been due to an offense that has been rather lackluster this season. The club’s collective wRC+ of 97 is 18th in the majors, down from 13th with a 103 wRC+ when compared to last year’s 91-loss team. Improvements in the club’s rotation have helped to make the club more competitive than they were last year, but improving the starting staff’s collective ERA from 5.08 last year to 4.46 this season has not been enough to overcome the struggles of key offensive players from last year’s club like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Nolan Gorman.
On an offense that’s seen only Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn, and Brendan Donovan post numbers more than 5% better than league average by wRC+ among its qualified hitters, it’s hard to overstate the importance of Contreras as a middle-of-the-order power bat for the Cardinals. With the veteran backstop now sidelined for the foreseeable future, the club will now need to hope for improvements from pieces like Arenado and Lars Nootbaar down the stretch to keep what little playoff hopes the club has alive.
They’ll also need young catchers Herrera and Pedro Pages to step up and perform in Contreras’s absence. Pages, 25, has been a suitable back-up for Contreras this year with a .250/.299/.364 slash line that’s good for an 86 wRC+, and his .326/.356/.442 slash line since the All-Star break is encouraging, though it comes in a limited sample size of just 14 games. That leaves Herrera as perhaps the better bet to draw regular starts behind the plate. The 24-year-old youngster has seen action in parts of three big league seasons but got his first extended look earlier this year and performed solidly with a .279/.340/.378 slash line (105 wRC+) and excellent peripheral numbers such as a 9.0% barrel rate that suggest the possibility of positive regression in his future. Herrera has continued to hit quite well since he returned to Triple-A early last month, with a .280/.402/.473 slash line in 112 trips to the plate since being sent back down.
Hunter Greene Avoids UCL Damage, MRI Reveals Elbow Inflammation
When Reds ace Hunter Greene was first placed on the 15-day injured list last week, there was some optimism that the right-hander would only require a minimum stay on the shelf to combat the issue. Unfortunately, that hope has faded in the aftermath of an MRI on Greene’s elbow that revealed inflammation. As noted by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the club received three medical opinions on Greene’s arm confirmed that the ace’s UCL has not been damaged in what Bell and Greene have described as a “best case scenario.”
While that’s certainly heartening news for Reds fans, Wittenmyer notes that Greene now appears to be ticketed for an absence that will extend well past the minimum 15 days previously hoped for, as the right-hander is now not expected to resume throwing until the inflammation dissipates, which Greene suggested could take as long as two weeks. With just over a month left to go in the regular season and Cincinnati’s playoff hopes this season remote at best, that timeline could call into question whether or not the hard-throwing righty will be able to return this year. As relayed by Wittenmyer, Greene was noncommittal about his timeline for return, though he did note he hopes to pitch again this year:
“I have no clue,” Greene said when asked when he’ll be able to return. “I’d like to be able to finish with two or three more starts, but I’ve got to see how I feel in a few days or a week.”
While it does not currently appear guaranteed that Greene will be able to return to the big league mound this season, it certainly can’t be ruled out. If Greene remains shut down for two weeks, he would resume throwing in early September. It’s at least feasible to imagine that he would be able to go out for a brief rehab assignment in the middle of the month before making a couple of starts in the final weeks of the season, though such a timeline would likely require no setbacks and a somewhat limited pitch count for Greene upon his return.
Regardless of whether or note Greene is able to make it back to the big leagues this year, the fact that his UCL remains undamaged and he figures to be fully healthy for Spring Training 2025 is surely heartening news for the Reds. Even if he doesn’t throw another pitch for the club this year, Greene’s 2024 season has been an unequivocal success as he’s posted a dominant 2.83 ERA in 143 1/3 innings across 24 starts. While Greene’s 9.1% walk rate and batted ball profiles have left advanced stats somewhat less impressed with his work this year (3.41 FIP, 3.75 SIERA, 4.16 xFIP), his excellent results are backed up by premium stuff that’s allowed him to post a 27.8% strikeout rate this year.
With Greene’s breakout allowing the Reds to pencil a bonafide top-of-the-rotation arm into their rotation next season, it’s not hard to imagine much brighter days ahead in Cincinnati despite their lackluster 63-67 record this season. After all, the club figures to benefit not only from the dynamic duo of Greene and Elly De La Cruz but also returns to action from key youngsters like Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand who were hampered by injuries this year.
West Notes: Tucker, Darvish, Doval
The Astros have surged ahead of the free-falling Mariners to take control of the AL West after a rough start to the season, and they’ve largely done that without one of their best hitters. Outfielder Kyle Tucker was nothing short of incredible early in the season with a .266/.395/.584 slash line in 60 games that helped to keep Houston afloat in the midst of their early-season struggles, but hasn’t appeared in a game since June 3 after suffering a shin contusion that’s kept him out of action ever since.
Now, it appears the 27-year-old may finally be nearing a return to action after an initial target of a return early in the second half quickly turned into doubt over whether or not he’d contribute in the majors before September. In his latest update regarding the situation, GM Dana Brown suggested that he thinks Tucker will be able to return to the big league lineup during the first week of September. While a specific timeline for Tucker’s return is surely encouraging for Astros fans, The Athletic’s Chandler Rome cautions that Tucker has not yet begun running the bases or sprinting at full speed yet, and that he won’t be able to begin a rehab assignment until those boxes have been checked.
With that being said, Brown seemed to suggest yesterday (as relayed by MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) that the club could start pushing Tucker more aggressively in the near future, noting that the outfielder is currently “push[ing] a little harder” to “see where it goes.” Whenever he’s ready to return, Tucker is sure to provide a spark to an Astros lineup that will be looking to create more space between themselves and the Mariners, who currently sit 4.5 games back of them in the AL West race.
More from around MLB’s West divisions…
- Moving over to the NL, the Padres reinstated veteran right-hander Yu Darvish from the restricted list yesterday. Darvish is not yet back on the big league roster, however, as he was placed back on the 15-day injured list. The 38-year-old hurler had been shelved due to hamstring and elbow issues prior to his placement on the restricted list due to an undisclosed family matter in early July. Fortunately, manager Mike Shildt clarified to reporters (including Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune) earlier today that Darvish is no longer dealing with any physical issues and that his placement on the injured list is instead a mechanism to allow him time to build up toward returning to the club’s rotation. Darvish last threw an official pitch during a minor league rehab assignment back in June and last pitched in the majors on May 29, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’ll need time to build his stamina back up before he can return to the rotation. The veteran was pitching quite well prior to his lengthy layoff, with a 3.20 ERA and 3.52 FIP in 11 starts, and figures to be a major asset for the Padres down the stretch and into the postseason once he’s built up enough stamina to return. The righty will face live hitters tomorrow before the club determines his next steps.
- The Giants optioned longtime closer Camilo Doval to Triple-A earlier this month amid struggles that saw the 27-year-old’s ERA balloon up to 4.70 after sitting at an excellent 2.78 at the end of May and a decent 3.93 as recently as mid-July. With a 6.75 ERA from the month of June onward and a disastrous run of eight appearances prior to his option where he posted an 8.59 ERA and walked 16.7% of opponents, San Francisco sent their star reliever to reset in the minor leagues. As first reported by Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic this morning, however, Doval is now back in the majors after impressing in five appearances at the Triple-A level. The right-hander threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Mariners tonight, during which he struck out two on one hit and no walks. Despite his return to action, however, Doval will not be returning to the closer’s role, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to note that manager Bob Melvin is planning to keep Ryan Walker as the club’s primary ninth-inning option going forward.