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Rays Sign Tyler Zuber To Minor League Deal

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The Rays have purchased the contract of right-hander Tyler Zuber from the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks, the Ducks announced yesterday. Zuber will head to Tampa Bay on a minor league contract and is headed to Triple-A Durham.

Zuber, who’ll turn 29 next month, signed a minor league pact with the Guardians in the offseason and spent spring training with them but struggled in his brief look in the Cleveland organization. He served up 10 runs on 10 hits and eight walks in 5 1/3 frames this spring and unsurprisingly didn’t land an Opening Day roster spot. He was released and went on to sign with the Ducks, hoping a strong showing would bring about just this type of opportunity with another club.

Brief as his time with the Ducks was, it’s not hard to see why Zuber’s performance piqued some interest. The former Royals righty pitched just 5 2/3 innings of Atlantic League ball but held opponents to one run on five hits and one walk. He faced a total of 22 opponents and set 10 of them down on strikes (45.4%).

Zuber previously pitched for the Royals in 2020-21, debuting during the pandemic-shortened season with 22 innings of 4.09 ERA ball. He posted a gaudy 30.3% strikeout rate that year but coupled it with an alarming 20.2% walk rate. Overall, he’s pitched 49 1/3 big league innings with a 5.29 ERA, a 24.8% strikeout rate and a 16.7% walk rate.

Command was never an issue for Zuber in the lower minors, however. His overall minor league ERA sits at a tidy 3.20, and he’s paired that with a terrific 31.3% strikeout rate and a solid 8.5% walk rate. Zuber began to battle pronounced control struggles during that 2020 debut, and his penchant for walks carried over into subsequent seasons.

It’s likely that injuries played a part in the abrupt erosion of Zuber’s command. He had shoulder injuries in both 2021 and 2022, missing the entire ’22 season as a result. He was with the D-backs’ Triple-A Reno affiliate in 2023 but still walked 11.1% of his opponents in 20 2/3 innings. Given his recent struggles to locate the ball, Zuber’s impressive command in the Atlantic League is all the more notable, but time will tell whether he can carry that over in his return to affiliated ball.

Cardinals Release Josh James

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The Cardinals announced Tuesday that right-handed reliever Josh James has been given his unconditional release. The former Astros reliever had been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate in Memphis after signing a minor league deal in the offseason.

James hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2021. The 31-year-old spent the the majority of the 2022 season on the injured list before eventually undergoing flexor surgery that cost him the whole 2023 campaign. He made for an intriguing minor league flier, given some prior success in Houston, but James displayed calamitous command issues during his brief time with the Redbirds. In 7 2/3 innings this season, he’s been shelled for 17 earned runs (19.96 ERA) on 13 hits and 15 walks with only five strikeouts. James faced 51 hitters and walked 15 of them (29.4%).

Before encountering his forearm injury, James spent four seasons in the Houston bullpen as a hard-throwing middle reliever with lofty strikeout and walk totals. In 106 1/3 innings at the MLB level, James has fanned 34.3% of his opponents but also issued walks at a 13.2% clip — all en route to a 4.64 earned run average.

It’s possible he’ll get another look elsewhere, but a near-30% walk rate in Triple-A on the heels of such a lengthy injury layoff underscores that James is a project at this point. He’s quite a ways removed from the impressive 2.35 ERA, 32% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate he turned in as a rookie with the 2018 Astros.

Cubs Designate Richard Lovelady For Assignment

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The Cubs designated left-hander Richard Lovelady for assignment Tuesday, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to righty Tyson Miller, whose previously reported trade from Seattle to Chicago is now official.

Lovelady, 28, signed a minor league pact with the Cubs back in January and was selected to the big league roster in late April. He’s tossed 5 2/3 innings out of Craig Counsell’s bullpen and been tagged for five runs on nine hits and a pair of walks with six strikeouts. That marks the fifth big league season in which the southpaw has appeared; Lovelady made his MLB debut with the 2019 Royals and pitched in K.C. from 2019-21, and he logged 23 1/3 innings with the A’s last season. Overall, in 70 2/3 big league innings, he carries a 5.48 ERA but with a far more encouraging 22.7% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 49.8% ground-ball rate.

That blend of strikeouts, walks and grounders, coupled with a strong Triple-A track record, has made Lovelady appealing to MLB teams over the past year despite a history of success in the majors. The Cubs are his fourth organization since Opening Day 2023. Lovelady has been picked up by the Braves in a small trade, claimed off waivers by the A’s, and quickly selected to the big leagues with the Cubs.

In parts of six Triple-A seasons, Lovelady has a 2.95 ERA with a sharp strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates of 26.6%, 6.8% and 50.7%, respectively. He’s not a power arm, but he has added more than a mile per hour to both his four-seamer and sinker since last year’s showing with Oakland. He sat at 91 mph with both pitches last year but averaged 92.8 mph on the four-seam and 92.5  mph on his two-seam during his brief showing with Chicago.

Lovelady does have a minor league option remaining, so any club that picks him up via trade or waiver claim could send him to Triple-A without first passing him through waivers themselves. He’ll be traded, claimed off waivers or assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa within the next week (if he clears waivers). He’s been outrighted previously in his career, so Lovelady would have the right to reject a minor league assignment from the Cubs if he does go unclaimed.

The Opener: Hoskins, Lowe, MLBTR Chat

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As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Hoskins to undergo MRI:

Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins exited yesterday’s game against the Pirates in the second inning after tweaking his right hamstring. As noted by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the slugger will undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the issue. Even a brief absence for Hoskins would be a brutal blow for the Brewers, as the 31-year-old has been among their top power hitters since signing a two-year deal with the club this past offseason. In 38 games as a Brewer, Hoskins has slashed .233/.340/.474 with nine homers. Gary Sanchez and Jake Bauers could be among the club’s options to handle first base if Hoskins ends up requiring time off. Sanchez has of course been a catcher for the bulk of his career but has already made four appearances at first base this season.

2. Lowe to visit specialist:

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe has been on the shelf for over a month now due to a grade 1 oblique strain. In recent days, he’s begun a rehab assignment at the Triple-A level with solid results to show for it, slashing .300/.462/1.000 in four games. However, manager Kevin Cash revealed yesterday that Lowe “felt something” in his oblique over the weekend and is expected to see a specialist today to determine next steps (X link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Richie Palacios and Amed Rosario have split time at the keystone in recent weeks while Lowe is unavailable.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

The 2024 season is now in full swing, and trade season has begun to get underway as the likes of Luis Arraez, Robbie Grossman and Luis Guillorme have already changed clubs. If you have questions regarding your favorite club’s start to the campaign, or perhaps questions that look ahead to this summer’s trade deadline and the 2024-25 offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.

Cubs To Acquire Tyson Miller

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The Cubs are acquiring reliever Tyson Miller from the Mariners for minor league infielder Jake Slaughter, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link). Seattle had designated Miller for assignment last week.

Miller returns to the organization that selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. The Cal Baptist product reached the majors for a very brief stint during the 2020 season. The Cubs lost him on waivers to the Rangers the following year. That kicked off a nomadic stretch of his career that has seen Miller suit up for five teams without reaching even 15 innings for any of them.

The right-hander played for three teams last year. He bounced via waivers between the Brewers, Mets and Dodgers. Miller combined for 15 1/3 innings of eight-run ball and cleared waivers in September. He hit minor league free agency and inked a non-roster deal with Seattle going into 2024. The M’s called him up two weeks into the regular season.

Miller had a productive month in the Pacific Northwest. He threw 11 2/3 frames over nine appearances, allowing four earned runs. Miller punched out 12 against one walk with a solid 12.6% swinging strike percentage. It was a little surprising that Seattle nevertheless took him off the roster, although he’d been in a low-leverage role in a solid bullpen.

The Cubs have a shakier relief corps than the Mariners do. Chicago’s bullpen entered play Monday ranked 24th in the majors with a 4.58 earned run average. Their 23.4% strikeout rate is fine, but they’ve issued walks at a huge 11% clip. Chicago also has five relievers on the injured list at present. Yency Almonte landed on the shelf over the weekend, while Adbert Alzolay just went down with a forearm strain this evening.

Miller is out of options, so he’ll step right into the major league bullpen. The Cubs need to create a 40-man roster spot to finalize his acquisition and will need to make an active roster move once he reports to the team.

In return for a middle reliever who had been squeezed off the depth chart, Seattle adds an upper minors infielder who is out to a strong start. Slaughter, 27, has a .297/.392/.486 slash line over 130 plate appearances for Chicago’s top affiliate in Iowa. He has connected on five homers, stolen 10 bases in 11 tries, and drawn walks at a strong 11.5% clip. His 24.6% strikeout rate is slightly higher than average but around three percentage points lower than last year’s 27.5% mark.

Slaughter was an 18th-round pick out of LSU back in 2018. He has never drawn much prospect fanfare and has gone unselected in the Rule 5 draft twice. His numbers this season are strong enough that he has a chance to reach the majors in a reserve capacity this year, though. He would qualify for minor league free agency at the start of next offseason if Seattle doesn’t add him to the 40-man roster before then.

Yankees Release Luis Gonzalez

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The Yankees recently released outfielder Luis González from his minor league deal, according to an announcement (on X) from their Triple-A team. He returns to free agency and will likely look for another minor league opportunity elsewhere.

González signed with New York in December. The 28-year-old struggled over 10 games in Spring Training and opened the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. González appeared in 22 games for the RailRiders, tallying 91 plate appearances. His .282/.374/.397 slash line was solid, although he didn’t connect on any home runs. Hitting .400 on balls in play also compensated for an elevated 26.4% strikeout rate.

Even a more resounding Triple-A performance probably wouldn’t have gotten González a look in the Bronx. Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Alex Verdugo have the starting outfield spots secured. Trent Grisham hasn’t contributed much off the bench, but he’s a good defensive center fielder. González, on the other hand, has limited experience in center and is better suited for a corner spot. New York could welcome Jasson Domínguez back within a couple weeks, as he’ll start a minor league rehab assignment tomorrow.

González has played in parts of three MLB seasons. He saw sporadic action with the White Sox and Giants between 2020-21. The lefty hitter was a solid contributor for San Francisco in 2022, batting .254/.323/.360 through 350 trips to the dish. He hasn’t played in the majors since then, largely because of a back injury that required surgery in Spring Training last year. González was shelved for the first four months of the season. San Francisco ran him through outright waivers not long after he returned and released him entirely last September.

Twins Sign Caleb Baragar To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed left-hander Caleb Baragar to a minor league contract. The move was announced by Minnesota’s Triple-A team in St. Paul.

Baragar makes his return to affiliated ball. The 30-year-old had spent this year in the independent Atlantic League as a member of the Lancaster Stormers. Baragar tossed 16 innings over three starts, allowing seven runs (four earned) with an impressive 18:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Twins evaluators were sufficiently intrigued to give him a non-roster look.

An Indiana product, Baragar pitched in the majors for the Giants between 2020-21. Working out of the bullpen, he turned in a 2.78 ERA across 45 1/3 innings. Pedestrian strikeout and walk rates nevertheless led San Francisco to designate him for assignment in Spring Training 2022. Baragar was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks but was outrighted off Arizona’s roster a couple weeks later. He has struggled at the Triple-A level in the last two years and hasn’t gotten to the majors since his DFA.

Baragar surrendered a 5.51 ERA in 47 1/3 frames with Arizona’s Triple-A team two seasons ago. Things weren’t any better last year after he signed a minor league deal with the Guardians. Baragar was rocked for 6.54 earned runs per nine in 23 appearances. He managed a solid 27.9% strikeout percentage but issued far too many walks, handing out free passes at an 18.4% clip. Cleveland released him in early August.

He’ll try to get back to the majors with the Guards’ competitors in the AL Central. While Baragar had been starting in the Atlantic League, he has pitched in relief for the past four years while in affiliated ball. Minnesota has Caleb Thielbar, Kody Funderburk and Steven Okert as southpaws in the MLB bullpen. They’re light on experienced options beyond that trio in the high minors.

Orioles Could Pursue Closing Help At Deadline

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The Orioles lead the American League with a 26-13 record, putting them half a game above the Yankees at the top of the AL East. Baltimore again looks like one of the best teams in the league and is trending towards buying at the deadline.

One area that could be a priority this summer: fortifying the back of the bullpen. Baltimore lost star closer Félix Bautista to Tommy John surgery last fall. They signed Craig Kimbrel — their only major league free agent pickup of the winter — to a $13MM deal to solidify the ninth inning. That hasn’t worked out quite the way the front office envisioned. Kimbrel has run into recent struggles that put his status as closer into question.

Baltimore used Kimbrel in the seventh inning in last Friday’s win over the Diamondbacks. Manager Brandon Hyde was noncommittal after that game about whether that signified a permanent role change for the nine-time All-Star. The O’s haven’t had a save situation since then, though they used Yennier Cano in the top of the ninth in a tied game (a situation in which a team typically calls on its closer) on Saturday. Kimbrel threw a scoreless 11th inning in that contest and got the win when the Orioles walked off in the bottom half.

There are more than two months for Kimbrel to pitch his way back into the ninth inning before the deadline. Still, the situation is flexible enough that the Orioles could consider alternatives if the veteran’s performance remains uneven. To that end, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote over the weekend the O’s will monitor the status of established closers like Jordan Romano, Ryan Helsley and Ryan Pressly.

All three players are theoretical deadline trade possibilities, although they’re each on teams that entered the season expecting to contend. The Blue Jays are four games under .500 and sit last in the AL East. The Cardinals are at the bottom of the NL Central with a 16-24 record. At 15-25, the Astros have an even worse mark, though they’re at least ahead of the Angels in their division.

None of those clubs are going to start moving veteran players anytime soon. Houston GM Dana Brown recently shot down the possibility of selling in any capacity, although it seems likely the team would reconsider that approach if they remain well below .500 in July. All three are veteran-laden teams that surely won’t pivot to selling unless it’s clear they don’t have a path back to competing this year, though.

Romano, 31, has operated as Toronto’s closer for the last three seasons. He’s a two-time All-Star who has saved 36 games in consecutive years. Romano hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs per nine in any of the past three seasons. He opened this year on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He was reinstated in mid-April and has worked at his typical velocity (96.5 MPH fastball, 86.4 MPH slider). Romano is playing on a $7.75MM salary and is under arbitration control for one more season.

Helsley is also arbitration controlled through 2025. He’s making $3.8MM this year for the Cardinals. The 29-year-old has been one of the game’s most effective relievers on a rate basis going back to 2022. Helsley owns a 1.65 ERA with a massive 36.5% strikeout rate in 120 1/3 innings over the past two-plus seasons. The power righty pairs a fastball that averages more than 99 MPH with an upper-80s slider. After missing a good chunk of the 2023 campaign to a forearm strain, Helsley has been healthy this season. He has allowed just three earned runs with 21 strikeouts and two walks over 19 innings.

Things have been more rocky for Pressly, who has surrendered 11 runs (nine earned) in his first 14 1/3 frames. The 35-year-old righty has managed 22 strikeouts with six free passes, though, and he’s keeping the ball on the ground more than half the time an opponent makes contact. Those secondary marks and Pressly’s career track record should lead to plenty of interest if the Astros get to a point where they’d seriously consider moving him at the deadline. Pressly has worked in a setup capacity to Josh Hader this year; he saved more than 30 games in each of the last two seasons.

From a financial perspective, Pressly would be a costlier add than either Romano or Helsley. He’s playing on a $14MM salary and has a matching option for 2025 that would vest if he appears in 50 games this season. He’s at 16 appearances already and looks well on track to triggering that option barring a notable injury.

Reds Place TJ Friedl On Injured List With Thumb Fracture

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Reds center fielder TJ Friedl sustained a broken left thumb and has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Cincinnati recalled outfielder Jacob Hurtubise from Triple-A Louisville to take the open roster spot.

It’s a tough blow for Friedl, who only returned from the IL last week. The 28-year-old missed the season’s first six weeks after breaking his wrist during Spring Training. He played six games and tallied 24 plate appearances before being hit by a Kyle Harrison pitch leading off yesterday’s game against the Giants. Friedl came out of the game, with Will Benson sliding from right to center field in his place. Jake Fraley came off the bench to man right field.

Friedl was one of the Reds best players in 2023. He frequently occupied one of the top two spots in the batting order and turned in a .279/.352/.467 line across 556 plate appearances. Friedl connected on 18 home runs and stole 27 bases while playing solid center field defense. It was borderline All-Star production overall, making him a key contributor to a Cincinnati team that came up just shy of the postseason.

They’ll now be without Friedl for another undetermined period of time. Benson and Stuart Fairchild took the majority of the center field reps early in the season. Neither player has provided much offensively. That has contributed to a lack of production throughout the lineup. Cincinnati ranks 28th in on-base percentage and 26th in slugging despite playing in one of the sport’s most hitter-friendly home parks.

Hurtubise, 26, joins the outfield mix for the first time. A West Point graduate, he signed with the Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Despite lacking much prospect fanfare, he played his way onto the 40-man roster last winter thanks to huge on-base numbers in the minors. While Hurtubise has almost no power, he’s a .295 hitter with a .434 OBP in parts of four minor league seasons. He has stolen 102 bases and has nearly as many walks as strikeouts in his professional career.

The left-handed hitter adds a contact and speed element to David Bell’s bench. Hurtubise has experience at all three outfield positions, though Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote last month that he’s best served in left field.

Cubs Place Adbert Alzolay On Injured List With Forearm Strain

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The Cubs announced today that right-hander Adbert Alzolay has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. Fellow righty José Cuas was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.

It’s not yet clear how much time Alzolay is expected to miss, though there seems to be some level of worry. Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune relays word from manager Craig Counsell on X, with the skipper saying the righty became sore during yesterday’s game in Pittsburgh and is getting imaging today. Per Counsell’s framing, since Alzolay is getting testing and has been immediately placed on the IL before the team even has the results, it indicates a level of concern.

The full results of the testing will provide more details on the severity and the timing, but there’s always some uneasiness when a pitcher’s throwing arm is involved. This also isn’t Alzolay’s first IL stint of this nature, as he missed about two weeks in September last year, also due to a right forearm strain.

He’s also experienced a drop off in results. He broke out as the Cubs’ closer last year, something MLBTR covered in August. He finished the year with a 2.67 earned run average in 64 innings. He struck out 26.5% of batters faced while giving out walks just 5.1% of the time and getting grounders on 42.2% of balls in play. He racked up 22 saves in the process.

Here in 2024, he has a 4.67 ERA through 18 appearances. His walk rate is up to 8% and his strikeout rate is way down to 17.3%. The velocity is down a bit on all five of his pitches, per Statcast. He was bumped out of the closer’s role a few weeks back, with Counsell saying that “we’ve got to get Adbert some confidence.”

Time will tell whether this is just a blip or a significant setback, but it should be a challenge for the Cubs either way. Their injured list already featured six pitchers before today, with Caleb Kilian, Jordan Wicks, Yency Almonte, Julian Merryweather, Daniel Palencia and Drew Smyly now joined by Alzolay. The club’s relief core has a combined ERA of 4.58 for the year, which places them 24th in the league. As the injuries continue piling up, it will be harder for the club to improve upon that mark.

For now, Héctor Neris has taken over the closer’s role, with six saves already. He has an even ERA of 3.00 on the year despite walking more batters than he has struck out. He has an 18.6% strikeout rate and 20% walk rate. A 52.4% ground ball rate has helped him strand 86.5% of runners and keep his ERA down, but his 5.27 FIP and 5.75 SIERA suggest he may be on shaky ground. Mark Leiter Jr. has an excellent 0.53 ERA on the year with strong peripherals. He can’t keep stranding 84.2% of baserunners but his 2.14 FIP and 3.24 SIERA are still strong. Pitchers like Colten Brewer and Richard Lovelady may also have to factor into the setup mix until other arms get healthy.

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