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Reds’ Graham Ashcraft Diagnosed With Elbow Strain

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July 12: Manager David Bell told reporters on Friday that Ashcraft won’t be back until September at the earliest (X link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Reds could move him to the 60-day injured list at some point given that timetable.

July 11: The Reds optioned righty Graham Ashcraft to Triple-A Louisville earlier in the week, but they’ve now rescinded that transaction and instead placed Ashcraft on the major league 15-day injured list due to elbow discomfort. As Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer explains, Ashcraft reported elbow discomfort after being sent down. The team’s medical staff examined the right-hander, discovered the strain, and recommended a platelet-rich plasma injection. He’s been shut down from throwing entirely for the next two weeks as the team waits to see how his elbow responds to the treatment.

It’s been a tough couple months for the 26-year-old Ashcraft, who entered the season locked into a rotation spot but was sent to Triple-A for a reset in early June on the heels of some notable struggles. He returned after three weeks when the Reds placed Nick Lodolo on the IL due to a blister issue on his pitching hand.

Ashcraft started the season well, tossing seven starts (39 1/3 innings) of 3.86 ERA ball with a below-average 18.6% strikeout rate but a sharp 7% walk rate and strong 51.2% grounder rate. He struggled greatly over his next six trips to the mound, however, posting a 7.71 ERA in 28 frames with a diminished 14.9% strikeout rate.

It’s not clear to what extent the elbow was bothering Ashcraft earlier in the season, but it’s worth pointing out that the big righty averaged 95.2 mph on his sinker over his first seven starts but has checked in at an average of 94.1 mph since. He’s also lost about a half mile per hour off his cutter and 1.4 mph off his slider, on average.

The Reds aren’t providing a timetable right now, as Ashcraft’s return (and any further treatment) hinges on the outcome from the PRP injection. For now, the club hasn’t indicated that a major absence is a consideration or concern, but elbow strains in general are an ominous development for any pitcher. Ashcraft has crossed over the two-year threshold in MLB service this season, meaning he’s under club control for at least four more years — through the 2028 campaign. However, he’ll still have multiple option years remaining beyond the current campaign, so it’s possible that future optional assignments to Triple-A could push that free-agent window back even further.

With Ashcraft squarely out of the rotation picture for the time being, righty Carson Spiers will get an extended look as he aims to secure a starting job alongside Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Frankie Montas and Andrew Abbott. The 26-year-old Spiers carries a 3.64 ERA, 17.9% strikeout rate and 5% walk rate through 42 innings — five relief appearances and four starts.

Kevin Kiermaier Clears Waivers

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Kevin Kiermaier went unclaimed on waivers, the center fielder tells Hazel Mae and Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (X link). GM Ross Atkins informed Kiermaier of the news today.

The Jays placed the defensive stalwart on waivers earlier in the week. The development was reported yesterday, but it’s likely Toronto made the move on Wednesday. (The waiver resolution process takes 48 hours.) The Jays were hoping that another team would place a claim and assume the approximate $4.5MM remaining on his $10.5MM salary. All 29 other teams passed on that opportunity.

As a result, the waiver saga will likely amount to nothing. The Jays could technically try to assign Kiermaier to the minor leagues now that he went unclaimed, but there’s no real reason to do so. Kiermaier has way more than the five years of service time necessary to decline a minor league assignment while retaining his entire salary. If the Jays tried to send him to Triple-A, the four-time Gold Glove winner would surely elect free agency instead. Toronto would still owe him his salary, so all that’d achieve is opening a roster spot.

Instead, the Blue Jays are likely to simply keep Kiermaier in the majors. A team does not need to send a player down after passing that player through waivers. (As an example, the Angels retained Tyler Anderson and Randal Grichuk last season after unsuccessfully trying to offload their salaries.) Kiermaier is likely to continue serving as Toronto’s primary center fielder.

The 34-year-old will try to right the ship amidst the worst offensive season of his career. Kiermaier is hitting .191/.238/.295 with a huge 32.2% strikeout rate through 189 plate appearances. Among hitters with 150+ trips, he has the sixth-lowest OBP and is 19th from the bottom in slugging. Even with his customarily excellent glovework, Kiermaier’s overall production is hovering around replacement level.

Between the lack of offense and the fairly significant salary, no team was willing to plug Kiermaier into center field. The Jays could still try to trade him between now and the July 30 deadline, though they’d clearly need to pay down a portion of his salary to facilitate a deal. For the time being, he’ll try to help Toronto salvage their season. The Jays head into tonight’s series opener in Arizona with a 43-50 record that has them 8.5 games back of the Red Sox for the American League’s last Wild Card spot.

Rays Have Received Trade Interest In Isaac Paredes

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In a recent column at The New York Post, Jon Heyman looks at some notable players that could be dealt prior to the deadline. Heyman lists Rays infielder Isaac Paredes and says that “his name is out there more” than his teammate, outfielder Randy Arozarena.

It’s unsurprising that Paredes would come up in trade talks, both because of his performance and the way the Rays operate. Since being acquired from the Tigers ahead of the 2022 season, Paredes has hit 66 home runs in his 1,325 plate appearances. He’s also drawn walks at an 11% clip and kept his strikeout rate down to a rate of 17.7%. All that amounts to a wRC+ of 131, indicating he’s been 31% better than league average in that time.

On top of that offense, he’s provided defensive versatility, bouncing around to all four infield spots. Most of his time has been at third base, where he has racked up four Defensive Runs Saved and two Outs Above Average since coming to Tampa. His shortstop workload has been just 11 innings but he’s spent decent chunks of time at second and first base as well, with passable grades.

Now 25 years old, he just reached arbitration for the first time in the most recent offseason as a Super Two player. He’s making $3.4MM this year and is slated for three more passes through the arbitration system in the seasons to come.

With the combination of his skills, his affordability and his club control, of course clubs are interested. Those same traits also make him valuable to the Rays but there are also reasons to imagine he could be pried loose from Tampa.

The Rays, in general, trade key players before they reach free agency. It’s usually just a matter of when. With Paredes, there is no strict hurry because the club has those three extra years of control, but his trade value will only go down from here as his salary rises and his window of control shrinks.

The club isn’t in clear seller mode at 46-47, just below .500. But they are 5.5 games back of a playoff spot and could perhaps lean a bit more to the sell side, making certain players available without necessarily tanking their chances here in 2024. They already made one such move out of their rotation, trading Aaron Civale to the Brewers but quickly replacing him by recalling Shane Baz.

Amed Rosario and José Caballero are each on the roster and have a bit of third base experience. Curtis Mead has been hitting well in Triple-A since being optioned earlier this year. There’s also Junior Caminero, one of the top prospects in the league. He’s missed a lot of this year due to quad strains but recently began a rehab assignment. Austin Shenton, Osleivis Basabe and Jonathan Aranda are also on the 40-man, although Aranda is currently out with an oblique strain.

The Rays always have some degree of openness to trading a player approaching free agency and then replacing him a younger and/or cheaper version. Paredes would be an extreme example since he’s still fairly affordable and has plenty of control left, but perhaps there are factors making the front office consider it. The Playoff Odds at FanGraphs only give the Rays a 13.4% shot of cracking the postseason this year, with the PECOTA Standings at Baseball Prospectus even less optimistic at 8.9%.

They are not totally buried but perhaps they might look at their long odds and decide to prioritize the future by exchanging Paredes for whatever haul of prospects he could bring back. If Caminero or someone else can come up and replace a portion of Paredes’ production, their chances of making a late run here in 2024 wouldn’t even drop by all that much.

As always, the likelihood of a trade actually happening will depend on what kinds of offers are put on the table. The relative lack of attractive infield trade candidates could work in Tampa’s favor. Jazz Chisholm Jr. seems likely to be moved but he’s mostly been in the outfield lately, meaning a club eyeing him as an infield solution would be taking on risk in putting him back on the dirt. Luis Rengifo would draw interest but he’s currently on the injured list and the Angels are reportedly leaning towards hanging onto controllable guys. Players like Gio Urshela, Brendan Rodgers and Paul DeJong could be available as well but aren’t likely to generate much excitement.

Contending clubs such as the Dodgers, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Red Sox and others could all be on the lookout for infield help between now and the July 30 deadline. With few attractive options on the block, it’s understandable that Paredes is coming up in conversations. Perhaps the market conditions, the Rays’ depth and their position in the standings could all work to push a deal over the line in the coming weeks.

Nate Pearson Interested In Future Starting Role

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Right-hander Nate Pearson has been working out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen in recent years but he tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet that he would like another opportunity to prove himself in a starting role.

“I’ve definitely considered it, I’ve always wanted to be a starter,” the righty said. “Obviously the past couple of years before this haven’t really gone my way in terms of health, the guys we’ve signed, the roster spots and everything. So right now I’m coming out of the ’pen, trying to help our team win, whether it’s one inning, two innings. Looking into next year, if that’s an option, then I definitely want to explore it. That’s something I’ll have to sit down and talk with them about, see what the need is. But I’m definitely open to it, definitely would love to get another shot at it.”

Now 27, Pearson once seemed ticketed to be a mainstay of the Toronto rotation. He was the club’s first-round pick in 2017, getting selected 28th overall, and then became one of the top prospects in the league. As he impressed with his work in the minors, Baseball America had him on their top 100 list for five straight years starting in 2018, with Pearson getting as high as seventh overall in 2020.

But as Pearson himself referenced in the quote above, his health got in the way. He got up to the majors in the shortened 2020 season but missed time due to a flexor strain and only made five appearances, plus one more in the playoffs. In 2021, he battled a right groin strain on and off throughout the year and struggled when on the mound. He spent most of his time either on the IL or on optional assignment. He only tossed 15 big leagues innings and had a 16.9% walk rate in that time, then underwent hernia surgery in November of that year. In 2022, mononucleosis and a lat strain limited him to 15 1/3 minor league innings and none in the majors.

Since then, he’s been able to avoid the health woes while staying in a relief role. Last year, he tossed 42 2/3 innings in the bigs and another 20 2/3 at Triple-A. The major league work wasn’t especially impressive, as he had a 4.85 earned run average in that time, but a healthy season was a victory in itself after all that missed time.

He’s been healthy again in 2024 with his ERA not changing much, though his underlying numbers have shown significant improvement. In 36 1/3 innings on the season, he has a 4.71 ERA, only slightly better than last year’s. But his strikeout rate has jumped to 29% from last year’s 23.6% rate, while his walk rate has dropped from 9.9% to 8.6%. That hasn’t led to much improvement in run prevention, but luck could be a factor there. His home run to flyball rate has jumped from 11.7% to 15% and his batting average on balls in play from .261 to .344. ERA estimators like his 4.05 FIP and his 3.09 SIERA suggest he may be having a better season than a quick glance at the ERA would indicate.

Now that he’s stayed healthy for close to two years and is having some decent results, perhaps a move back to a starting role is on the table. It’s a transition that has some precedent this year, with Davidi and Pearson bringing up guys like Garrett Crochet of the White Sox, Reynaldo López of Atlanta and former Blue Jay Jordan Hicks with the Giants.

“It’s definitely encouraging to see Hicks being a reliever for years over in St. Louis and then transitioning, making the jump and being pretty successful so far this year,” said Pearson. “And then Crochet, watching him throw earlier this year, he wasn’t even a (full-time) starter in college, now he’s in the rotation, throwing pretty well. So definitely, I feel, (it) helps me out for other people to see that is possible to make that transition. I guess only time will tell. Finish out this year, hopefully put up some good numbers and then look forward to next year.”

The bullpen-to-rotation path has other success stories, such as Seth Lugo, Jeffrey Springs and more, but it doesn’t always work. MLBTR’s Steve Adams took a look at this year’s crop in May and again in July, with Crochet and López two of the best examples but with A.J. Puk on the other end of the spectrum. Puk was roughed up in four starts at the beginning of the year before landing on the injured list and the Marlins decided to move him back to the bullpen after the IL stint.

Time will tell whether Pearson can pull it off or not, but it’s understandable that he wants to try. A lot of pitchers are moved from starting roles to the bullpen not by choice but simply due to circumstances, either being squeezed out by other pitchers or their health situations, but they may still have a desire to go back. On top of the straightforward desire to succeed in a rotation role, there’s also a financial motivation as starters are generally paid more than relievers.

On top of Pearson’s aforementioned health issues, the Jays have generally had a solid rotation in recent years consisting of guys like José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, Yariel Rodríguez, Alek Manoah, Ross Stripling and Hyun Jin Ryu.

The current rotation is composed of the first five names on that list, but change is likely coming. Kikuchi is an impending free agent and likely to be traded prior to the July 30 with the Jays sliding to the back of the American League Wild Card race and reportedly making rental players available. Bassitt and Gausman have been speculated as trade candidates as well, though Bassitt has another year on his contract and Gausman has two, so they’re less likely than Kikuchi to be moved.

Deadline trades could bring in other pitchers that change the equation but it’s possible there’s a rotation opening that Pearson could seize. As mentioned by Davidi, the club’s best pitching prospects Ricky Tiedemann and Adam Macko are currently dealing with injuries and uncertain futures. Manoah had Tommy John surgery in June and will be out until late 2025 at the earliest. That could increase the club’s willingness to giving Pearson a shot but it sounds like they’re already open to it. Davidi reports that the Jays have “bounced around” the idea of stretching out Pearson this year as those injuries have thinned out their depth.

“We’ve always considered Nate to be a potential starter in the major leagues, I don’t think that will change,” pitching coach Pete Walker says. “Will he get the opportunity again? I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Right now, he’s still finding his niche and learning how to pitch out of the bullpen, which a lot of guys do. You learn a lot about yourself, how to compete in tough situations, how to make adjustments, realizing where your pitches have to be and that location is really important, even if you throw hard. He’s learning a lot right now and I could see him being a starting pitcher again, for sure.” Walker also added that the “door is always open.”

It’s not too surprising that the Jays would be open to Pearson making the move. The bullpen has also been hit by injuries this year and would lose one more member if Pearson becomes a starter, but decent relievers are generally easier to find than reliable starters, so it’s a tradeoff most clubs would be happy with. That’s especially true given Pearson’s financial situation.

He came into this year with his service time count at three years and five days. He was briefly optioned in April, getting recalled four days later when Chad Green landed on the injured list. A baseball season is 187 days long but a player needs 172 days on the active roster or IL to get a full service year, meaning Pearson is on pace to get a full year and finish this season at 4.005 in spite of that brief option period.

He’s making just $800K this year, barely over the $740K league minimum, thanks to those injuries limiting his on-field contributions in recent seasons. He’s slated for two more arbitration raises before a trip to free agency in advance of his age-30 season, unless he’s optioned to the minors again for a notable period of time.

His role, health and level of success will impact how much he earns in arbitration and free agency. If he’s able to follow the Crochet path, the best-case scenario could see him in a rotation role for the next two years, increasing his earning power and his value to the Jays. If the club is able to return to contention in future seasons, he could be a key part of that. If not, he could become a sought-after trade chip like Crochet is now. That’s a lot of ifs, but it will be an interesting situation to monitor as the Jays play out this season and figure out their plans for 2025 and beyond.

Padres To Promote Sean Reynolds

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The Padres are going to promote right-hander Sean Reynolds, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald on X. The righty will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He’s already on San Diego’s 40-man roster but the club will need to open an active roster spot.

Reynolds, 26, was a fourth-round pick of the Marlins back in 2016. He was drafted as a hitter but never did much hitting. In over 1,000 minor league plate appearances, he struck out at a 43.8% clip and slashed .178/.287/.344, never getting higher than Single-A.

He moved to the mound in 2021 and has been having more success in that role. He tossed 84 1/3 innings on the farm over 2021 and 2022 with a 3.74 earned run average and 27.7% strikeout rate. The 12.6% walk rate was a bit high but understandable for a guy fairly new to pitching.

The Marlins were intrigued enough to add him to their 40-man roster at the end of 2022, keeping Reynolds out of that year’s Rule 5 draft. He tossed another 48 2/3 innings in Miami’s farm system last year, between Double-A and Triple-A. In that time, he had a 2.77 ERA, 26.3% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate. He was also briefly promoted to the majors but didn’t get into a game.

The Padres were impressed enough to acquire Reynolds alongside Garrett Cooper in the trade that sent Ryan Weathers to the Marlins. Reynolds struggled with the move, allowing 24 earned runs in 16 innings after the deal last year.

He’s been in better form this year, though with the underlying numbers being more impressive than the surface ones. He has tossed 45 1/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 6.55 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate and 14.6% walk rate. His .365 batting average on balls in play and 57.2% strand rate are both on the unlucky side, so perhaps his 4.62 FIP is a better indicator of how he’s pitched in the Pacific Coast League this year. Control is clearly still a work in progress but Reynolds seems to have strikeout stuff, so the Padres will give him a shot to miss major league bats.

Pirates Reinstate Marco Gonzales From Injured List

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2:40pm: The Pirates have made it official, reinstating Gonzales and designating Honeywell for assignment. They also reinstated closer David Bednar from the IL and optioned right-hander Ryder Ryan.

2:15pm: Left-hander Marco Gonzales is going to start today’s game for the Pirates, with Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette among those to relay the news on X. He’s currently on the 60-day injured list and will therefore need to be reinstated to the 40-man roster, but it was reported earlier that righty Brent Honeywell Jr. is to be designated for assignment. Unless there are other moves involved, it seems it will be a simple swap of Gonzales taking Honeywell’s spot.

Gonzales, 32, was acquired from Atlanta in the offseason and started the season in Pittsburgh’s rotation. He made three starts with a 2.65 earned run average before landing on the injured list in mid-April with a forearm strain. He now returns after missing roughly three months of the season.

The lefty has generally been a solid but not overwhelming starter over his career. In 910 career innings, he has a 4.10 ERA but with a subpar strikeout rate of 17.6%. At his best, he limits damage even if he doesn’t miss bats. In 2019, he logged over 200 innings with Seattle with a 3.99 ERA. He only punched out 17% of opponents but Statcast considered his barrel rate to be in the 87th percentile of qualified pitchers.

The Bucs could have some decisions to make about how they shape their rotation for the rest of the year. Gonzales and Martín Pérez were brought aboard in the winter to ideally serve as veteran anchors in a somewhat inexperienced group but neither has been able to achieve that so far. As mentioned, Gonzales took the ball just four times before a lengthy IL stint while Pérez also missed some time due to injury and has 14 starts with an ERA of 5.15.

In the long term, Pittsburgh seems to be well set up in the rotation with a core three of Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller. Skenes has debuted this year and dominated with a 1.90 ERA through 11 starts, getting named the National League starter for the All-Star game. Jones hasn’t been quite that dominant but a 3.56 ERA through 16 starts is still quite an achievement for a rookie. Keller is in his sixth season and has a 3.40 ERA and is signed through 2028.

Jones is currently on the injured list and won’t be available for a few weeks, but the Bucs have Gonzales, Pérez, Skenes and Keller, as well as Quinn Priester and Luis Ortiz. The 23-year-old Priester isn’t generating as much hype as Skenes or Jones but he has a 4.30 ERA for the Bucs this year. The 25-year-old Ortiz started the year in the bullpen has pitched so well that he’s carved out a starting gig for himself. He has a 2.95 ERA on the year with five of his last six outings being four innings or longer. Two of his last three appearances have been six-inning starts with only one earned run allowed total over those two starts.

That gives Pittsburgh six possible starters for now and seven when Jones comes back. Bailey Falter is also on the IL with left triceps tendinitis, though it’s unclear when he’ll be back. He was also having a good season before the IL stint, with a 4.08 ERA in 17 starts.

The Bucs are currently 45-48 on the year. Despite that fairly unimpressive record, they are only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot in a relatively weak National League Wild Card race and will have to figure out how to juggle these different rotation choices. Priester has options and may end up in the minors in spite of his decent results. Ortiz could end up back in the bullpen and Pérez also has some relief work on his résumé.

With all those starting options, it’s possible the Bucs look to make someone available even if they’re not truly selling at the deadline. For example, the Rays recently welcome Shane Baz back from his Tommy John layoff and were able to trade Aaron Civale to the Brewers without significantly downgrading their rotation, getting a prospect back in return. Many teams are looking for pitching but there are few clearcut sellers, so perhaps there would be interest in a veteran like Pérez or Gonzales, allowing the Bucs to use their pile of starters to add a position player or a reliever without truly harming their chances in 2024.

Whether a trade comes together or not, the Pittsburgh rotation seems to have a lot of long-term potential between Skenes, Jones, Keller, Priester, Falter and Ortiz, as well as prospects such as Braxton Ashcraft. There’s also Johan Oviedo, who will miss this season due to Tommy John surgery but should be back next year. Everyone in that group is controlled through 2027 or longer.

Phillies Release Whit Merrifield

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The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve released veteran infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield and recalled fellow infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Merrifield signed a one-year, $8MM contract with the Phillies in free agency this past offseason. That guarantee came in the form of a $7MM salary for the current season and at least a $1MM buyout on an $8MM club option for the 2025 campaign.

Merrifield, who has struggled to a .199/.277/.295 batting line in 174 plate appearances this season, is still owed about $3.01MM of his salary plus that $1MM buyout. He’ll now be able to sign with any team, and a new club would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster or injured list. That amount would be subtracted from what the Phillies owe, but Philadelphia will remain on the hook for the majority of his remaining contract.

While things with the Phillies clearly didn’t pan out, the 35-year-old Merrifield was a decent hitter as recently as last season in Toronto, when he turned in a .272/.318/.382 slash with 11 homers, 28 doubles, a triple, 26 steals, a 6.1% walk rate and a 17.1% strikeout rate. His offense has tailed off since his peak seasons (age-29 and 30) when he led the American League in hits in consecutive seasons as a member of the Royals, but this level of decline was as unexpected as it was precipitous.

To his credit, Merrifield’s contact skills remain excellent. He’s fanned in only 10.9% of his plate appearances, and this year’s 8.6% walk rate actually ties a career-high mark for the three-time All-Star. He hasn’t hit the ball with any authority, however, turning in a bottom-of-the-barrel 83 mph average exit velocity and 17.4% hard-hit rate. Merrifield entered the 2024 season with a gaudy 24.8% line-drive rate in his career but has hit just 16.8% of his batted balls on a line this season.

The late-blooming Merrifield didn’t even reach the majors until his age-27 season in Kansas City, but he almost instantly became not just a fixture on the Royals’ roster but one of the most prolific hitters and base thieves in the league. From 2016-20, Merrifield batted .295/.342/.445 with 58 homers and 119 stolen bases. In addition to leading the majors in hits in 2018 and 2019, he also paced the American League in stolen bases in 2017, 2018 and 2021.

Between that track record, the now minimal price tag and his defensive versatility — he can play second base, third base and all around the outfield — Merrifield should find a new opportunity before long. Grim as his 2024 production (or lack thereof) has been, there are several teams around the league looking for a veteran righty bat and/or help at second base/left field.

The Yankees, Red Sox and Mariners are among the current postseason contenders who’ve received negligible production from second base this year and could speculate on Merrifield turning things around with a change of scenery. (WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweets that Boston did not have interest in Merrifield this offseason, but circumstances change.) And, Merrifield’s former Kansas City club has been on the hunt for a bat that can play both the infield and outfield, as noted last month by general manager J.J. Picollo himself.

Yankees Promote Jorbit Vivas

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12:55pm: The Yankees have formally announced the moves. Davis is headed to the IL with a bout of the stomach flu. His stint is retroactive to July 9, meaning he’ll be eligible for activation a week from now.

11:51am: The Yankees are calling up infield prospect Jorbit Vivas for his major league debut, reports SNY’s Andy Martino. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so only a 26-man roster move will be necessary. That’ll come in the form of a 10-day IL placement for infielder J.D. Davis.

Vivas, 23, came to the Yankees alongside lefty Victor Gonzalez in the offseason trade that sent infield prospect Trey Sweeney to the Dodgers. The 5’9″, 171-pound lefty hitter has primarily split his time between second base and third base in the minors. He’ll give the Yankees an option at both positions. Second base has been Vivas’ primary position (and the one at which he’s more well regarded defensively), but the Yankees have particularly struggled with regard to production from the hot corner this season.

In 169 plate appearances at the Triple-A level in 2024, Vivas has turned in a .258/.404/.424 slash. He’s swatted five homers, six doubles and a triple — chipping in nine stolen bases in 13 attempts. Vivas has also shown strong bat-to-ball skills and an incredibly disciplined approach, drawing a walk in 17.2% of his plate appearances against an 18.3% strikeout rate.

Baseball America ranked Vivas 14th among Yankees farmhands on their updated ranking of the team’s top-30 prospects just three days ago. MLB.com ranks him 15th in the system. BA’s scouting report suggests that his power is presently well below average but could still grow to the point where he can reach double-digit homers in a given season. (Being a lefty hitter at Yankee Stadium won’t hurt in that regard.) Still, Vivas’ most highly regarded tools are an above-average hit tool, average speed, a solid glove at second base and his terrific strike zone awareness.

Yankees second basemen this season have posted a collective .224/.296/.336. Most of that has been Gleyber Torres, who struggled mightily in April, rebounded in May/June, and has again fallen into a woeful July slump. At third base, the combination of Jon Berti, Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu has posted an even more bleak .236/.297/.314 slash. Given the dearth of production at both spots, Vivas should get the opportunity to spell both Torres and LeMahieu, who currently occupy the regular roles at those two positions.

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Pirates To Designate Brent Honeywell For Assignment

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The Pirates are designating right-hander Brent Honeywell for assignment, reports Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The team has not yet formally announced the move.

Honeywell, 29, was only selected to the 40-man roster this past Sunday. He’s since tossed 3 1/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits and two walks with one strikeout. The former No. 72 overall draft pick (Rays, 2014) and longtime top prospect signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason and has spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A Indianapolis, where he’s pitched 39 innings with a 4.85 ERA, 19.6% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate over the life of 31 relief appearances.

It’s the third season with some big league work for Honeywell, who once ranked as high as No. 14 on Baseball America’s top-100 prospect list but has been beset by a devastating slate of injuries. The right-hander has undergone an incredible four elbow surgeries since 2017. He’s undergone Tommy John surgery, an ulnar nerve decompression, a procedure to repair/stabilize a fracture in his elbow, and an arthroscopic procedure that the Rays said at the time was performed “to relieve mild discomfort.”

All four of those operations came before Honeywell even made his big league debut with Tampa Bay, which finally happened in 2021 — seven years after he was drafted. That Honeywell even continued his career to reach the majors is remarkable in and of itself — a testament to his grit and perseverance. He’s since tossed 60 innings at the big league level and recorded a 4.95 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate. He’s also pitched in parts of five Triple-A campaigns, totaling 277 innings with a 4.35 earned run average, 24% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate.

The Pirates will have a week to trade Honeywell, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He’s out of minor league options — unsurprisingly so, given his career arc — so any team that trades or Honeywell or claims him would have to plug him directly onto the big league roster.

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