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Rays Select Erasmo Ramirez

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The Rays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Erasmo Ramirez.  In corresponding moves, left-hander Jacob Lopez was optioned to Triple-A, and infielder Taylor Walls was shifted from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

Today’s move kicks off what is officially Ramirez’s third stint with the Rays.  The righty first pitched for Tampa during the 2015-17 seasons, before moving on to pitch for five other teams in a journeyman’s trek around the majors until landing again in Tampa Bay last summer.  After the Nationals released Ramirez in June, he spent only a few days on the open market before inking a minor league contract with the Rays, and he ended up posting a 6.48 ERA over 33 1/3 innings and 15 appearances at the MLB level.  He elected free agency at season’s end, but Ramirez then returned to the Rays on another minors deal in December.

Ramirez has a 4.37 ERA over 828 1/3 career innings, working as a starter, reliever, swingman, and bulk pitcher (behind an opener) over his 12 Major League seasons.  There have been plenty of ups and downs over this long career, and Ramirez’s 3.76 ERA over 254 frames with Tampa in 2015-16 essentially represents his peak.  The right-hander then struggled to a 4.85 ERA over 221 innings from 2017-21 until finding some stability working out of Washington’s bullpen, and posting an impressive 2.92 ERA in 86 1/3 innings in 2022.  Advanced metrics weren’t as impressed with Ramirez’s revival, however, and the regression wave hit when he posted a 6.41 ERA in 60 1/3 combined innings last season with the Nats and Rays.

Given how the Rays frequently cycle through pitchers at the back end of their bullpen, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Ramirez designated for assignment relatively soon, despite the extra machinations to add him to the 40-man roster.  Ramirez has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, though if that situation comes, he could also choose to remain in a familiar situation in Tampa Bay rather than test the market once again.  In the meantime, Ramirez (who turns 34 on May 2) will likely at least get some innings under his belt to officially mark his 13th MLB campaign, and give the Rays a known quantity for covering innings in the relief corps.

Walls had hip surgery back in October, and since his 60-day IL stint is backdated to the start of his initial 10-day placement, the shortstop won’t be making his 2024 debut until late May at the very earliest.  Rays manager Kevin Cash told MLB.com and other media last week that Walls hadn’t had any setbacks in his recovery, but was “just not going as quick as maybe we had originally anticipated,” creating some doubt as to when exactly Walls will be back in action.  The shortstop will still need to take part in an extended Spring Training ramp-up and then a minor league rehab assignment, so even a late May return might be optimistic given the lack of updates on Walls to date.

Larry Brown Passes Away

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Twelve-year Major League veteran Larry Brown passed away earlier this week at age 84.  Brown is survived by his wife Leni, their three daughters, and nine grandchildren.

Brown hit .233/.300/.313 over 3872 plate appearances and 1129 games with the Indians, A’s, Orioles, and Rangers from 1963-74.  The first nine of those seasons were spent in Cleveland, where Brown became an infield regular and the team’s starting shortstop in 1967-68 and for much of the 1969 campaign.  The large majority of Brown’s career (712 games) came at shortstop, though he had a good chunk of playing time at second base and third base.  After being acquired by the Athletics in April 1971, Brown played in 70 games for Oakland’s AL West-winning team that season, and he then made 47 appearances for the 1972 A’s team that captured the World Series (though Brown didn’t see any playoff action).

Beyond his production on the diamond, Brown was also known for one of the more frightening on-field injuries of his era.  On May 4, 1966, Brown and teammate Leon Wagner collided in pursuit of a fly ball, with Brown suffering a fractured skull, cheekbone, and nose.  Incredibly, Brown was back in action by June 16, and continued to play more or less an everyday role for the remainder of the season.

The obituary provided by Brown’s family provides many details of Brown’s life inside and outside baseball, including his 62-year marriage to Leni, the love of his life.  We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Brown’s family, friends, and teammates.

Rockies Sign Peyton Battenfield To Minors Contract

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The Rockies have signed Peyton Battenfield to a minor league deal, as per the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  In a transaction that flew under MLBTR’s radar, Battenfield was released by the Mets last month, but the 26-year-old has now caught on with the fifth different organization of his pro career.

A ninth-round pick for the Astros in the 2019 draft, Battenfield was traded to the Tampa Bay the following offseason, and then to Cleveland at the 2021 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Jordan Luplow to the Rays.  Battenfield was briefly called up to the Guardians’ active roster in 2022 but didn’t appear in a game, so his official MLB debut didn’t take place until 2023, when he posted a 5.19 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate, and 8.2% walk rate over 34 2/3 innings for the Guards.

Some injuries in Cleveland’s rotation opened the door for Battenfield to make six starts and a relief appearance, but a bout of shoulder inflammation sent him to the 60-day injured list and he didn’t pitch in the Show again after May 17.  Cleveland ended up designating Battenfield for assignment at the end of August, and the Mets claimed the righty away through Battenfield didn’t see any time on New York’s big league roster.

Battenfield has a 4.19 ERA over 210 1/3 career Triple-A innings, and a 15.48% strikeout rate that represents a sharp drop from the much stronger K-rates he posted at the lower levels of the minors.  He was also burned by the long ball, after allowing seven homers in his 34 2/3 innings with the Guardians and 13 homers in 47 2/3 frames with Triple-A Columbus last season.

This vulnerability to home runs might not bode well for a move to the Rockies, but Battenfield will give pitching-needy Colorado some rotation depth.  With German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela already on the mend from Tommy John surgeries last year, Kyle Freeland was also just placed on the 15-day injured list with an elbow strain yesterday.  Peter Lambert will move from Colorado’s bullpen to take Freeland’s spot in the rotation, and given how the Rockies are in such dire straits when it comes to pitching, Battenfield might quickly get himself on the radar for a call-up if he performs well in the minors.

Marlins To Call Up Roddery Muñoz For MLB Debut

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The Marlins are going to bring up right-hander Roddery Muñoz as the 27th man for tomorrow’s double-header, per Isaac Azout of Fish on First. The righty will be making his major league debut, starting one of the two games of the twin bill.

It’s a belated birthday present for Muñoz, who just turned 24 on Sunday. The righty hasn’t been a Marlin for very long, as he actually came up as prospect in Atlanta’s system, but since July of last year, he bounced to the Nationals, Pirates and Marlins via waiver claims or cash deals.

The righty had a bit of a breakout in 2022. He made 19 starts at the High-A level that year, with a 4.03 earned run average in his 89 1/3 innings. He struck out 26.9% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 9.5% clip and getting grounders on 45.6% of balls in play. He was promoted to Double-A for three starts at the end of the year and allowed 12 earned runs in 11 innings, but the peripheral stats were pretty similar to his High-A work.

Going into 2023, Atlanta put him on their 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America also ranked him the #22 prospect in that club’s system. But his results backed up a bit last year, which led to his aforementioned journey around the league’s DFA carousel. He eventually tossed 78 innings at his various stops throughout the year, with a 5.42 ERA in that time. His 23% strikeout rate was solid but his 15.1% walk rate was quite high.

The Marlins nonetheless took a shot on him and have since seen their starting pitching depth get thinned out. Sandy Alcántara required Tommy John surgery last year and was already known to be unavailable in 2024, but Eury Pérez has since followed him down that path. Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett also started the season on the injured list due to injuries, though Cabrera has now returned.

The rotation currently consists of Cabrera, A.J. Puk, Jesús Luzardo, Trevor Rogers and Ryan Weathers, but yesterday’s game was rained out, leading to tomorrow’s doubleheader. Since they need a sixth starter to get through this stretch, with no off-day until Thursday, the circumstances will allow Muñoz to make his debut. He has tossed 10 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level so far this year but has shown significant control problems, issuing 12 walks to just seven strikeouts.

That perhaps suggests this was mostly an emergency decision. The club also has Max Meyer and Darren McCaughan on the 40-man roster, but Meyer was just optioned to monitor his workload after he missed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery. McCaughan just pitched on Wednesday and would be pitching on short rest if recalled this weekend. Muñoz may be in for just one outing before being optioned back to the minors, but it’s undoubtedly an exciting day for him regardless.

Brock Burke Undergoes Hand Surgery

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Rangers reliever Brock Burke underwent surgery to repair a fractured metacarpal in his right (non-throwing) hand on Thursday, the team announced (X link via Kennedy Landry of MLB.com). It’s unclear precisely how long he’ll be out of action. Texas placed Burke on the 60-day injured list this week, ruling him out until at least the middle of June.

Burke suffered the injury last week when he punched a dugout wall in frustration. That came on the heels of another poor outing in what had been a rough start to the season. The southpaw has given up five runs through his first three innings. Burke had been searching for a rebound after a pedestrian 2023 campaign. In 59 2/3 innings a year ago, he pitched to a 4.37 ERA while allowing nearly two home runs per nine.

As recently as 2022, Burke looked like a potential building block. He led MLB with 82 1/3 relief innings, managing a sub-2.00 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate. The former Rays draftee has not managed to repeat that success even though his velocity and swing-and-miss rates haven’t changed much over the last year-plus.

Texas is light on left-handed bullpen options. Jake Latz is the only southpaw currently in the MLB relief group. He’d been excellent over his first nine appearances but took the loss tonight against the Braves after conceding a grand slam to Travis d’Arnaud (his third homer of the game). Antoine Kelly is on the 40-man roster but has yet to reach the majors. Chasen Shreve, Danny Duffy and Blake Taylor are non-roster options with Triple-A Round Rock.

Rockies Moving Peter Lambert To Rotation

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Peter Lambert will move from the Rockies bullpen to the starting rotation, manager Bud Black told reporters this evening (link via Patrick Newman of the Denver Post). He’ll step into the starting spot vacated by Kyle Freeland’s placement on the 15-day injured list. Righty Noah Davis, who was recalled from Triple-A as the corresponding move, will occupy the long relief role that Lambert had held.

The 27-year-old Lambert is no stranger to the rotation. He started 19 games as a rookie in 2019 and opened 11 of 25 appearances last season. The former second-round pick has generally struggled as a starter. He lost a spring battle with Dakota Hudson for the final spot in the Opening Day rotation, yet he has impressed out of the bullpen. Lambert has tossed 11 2/3 innings over six relief appearances, allowing just three runs. While his 10:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t particularly impressive, he has kept the ball on the ground at a huge 61.3% clip.

Freeland’s injury affords Lambert another opportunity to try to prove himself as a starter. He’ll make his first start of the season on Sunday as part of a doubleheader against the Mariners. It’s an important season for Lambert, who has quietly accrued more than three years of MLB service. He’s playing this year on a modest $1.25MM arbitration salary and will be controllable for another two seasons.

There’s clearly opportunity for Lambert to hold a spot in the rotation if he finds any level of success. Colorado’s rotation looked like arguably the worst group in MLB entering the year. It has indeed been a major problem. Their 6.33 ERA is more than a run higher than any other starting staff.

A lot of that has been because of Freeland, who entered the year as the staff ace. The veteran southpaw was tagged for 25 runs (23 earned) over his first 15 2/3 frames. His effort to figure things out will be halted for a few weeks by an elbow strain. Black told reporters that the team was hoping for a 4-6 week timeline for Freeland’s return to an MLB mound.

Mets Outright Tyler Jay

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Mets reliever Tyler Jay went unclaimed on waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’ll stick in the organization without holding a 40-man roster spot.

Jay, who turns 30 today, had a brief stint on the big league team. He pitched twice, allowing only one run over four innings. That cup of coffee was the culmination of a lengthy climb through the professional ranks. The sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Twins, Jay never reached the big leagues with Minnesota. Injuries, most notably a 2017 thoracic outlet procedure, stopped the Illinois product from moving past Double-A.

It looked as if Jay would never get to the majors, but he reinvigorated his career in independent ball. Jay showed enough with the Frontier League’s Joliet Slammers between 2022-23 to earn a minor league opportunity from the Mets. He made six appearances with Syracuse late last season and began this year with 5 2/3 scoreless innings there.

Despite his strong start, the Mets designated Jay for assignment when they reacquired the out-of-options Michael Tonkin on Wednesday. Jay will head to Triple-A and look to pitch his way back to the big league bullpen later this season.

Pirates’ Jason Delay Undergoes Knee Surgery

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Pirates catcher Jason Delay underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, the team informed reporters (via the MLB.com injury tracker). It’ll be six weeks before he’s cleared to return to baseball activities. He’ll surely need to embark on a minor league rehab stint once he’s ready for game action.

Delay only made one appearance before going on the shelf. He’s currently on the 10-day injured list but should move to the 60-day IL once the team needs to create a 40-man roster spot. The righty-hitting backstop got into 70 games a year ago, hitting .251/.319/.347 in 187 trips. That’s below-average but hardly disastrous production for a solid defensive catcher.

The Bucs lost presumptive catcher Endy Rodríguez to an offseason injury that required season-ending elbow surgery. They signed Yasmani Grandal to a $2.5MM free agent deal. Plantar fasciitis sent him to the IL before Opening Day. Delay’s injury almost immediately put a third catcher on the shelf. The Pirates acquired former #2 overall pick Joey Bart in a DFA trade with the Giants. He’s splitting time with another one-time top draftee, Henry Davis, behind the plate.

Davis has had a very tough start to the year, hitting .173/.286/.231 in 64 plate appearances. He has nevertheless remained the clear #1 option above Bart, who has only gotten three starts. Bart is out of minor league options, so the Bucs could be faced with a tough roster decision once Grandal is ready to return. For the time being, the Pirates figure to stick with their duo of former top picks.

The Pirates also provided an update on starter Marco Gonzales. The southpaw went on the 15-day IL over the weekend after he was diagnosed with a forearm strain. Gonzales will be completely shut down from throwing for a few weeks, but there’s presently no consideration of surgery. Pittsburgh recalled righty Quinn Priester from Triple-A to start tonight’s game against the Red Sox. He could hold a rotation spot while Gonzales is on the shelf.

Dave McCarty Passes Away

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Former major league first baseman/outfielder Dave McCarty has passed away after a cardiac event, the Red Sox announced. He was 54.

A Stanford product, McCarty was the third overall pick in the 1991 draft by the Twins. Baseball America ranked the 6’5″ right-handed hitter as a top 25 prospect in the sport over the next two seasons. McCarty reached the majors in May ’93. He played parts of three seasons in Minnesota, hitting .226/.275/.310 before being traded to the Reds. Cincinnati flipped McCarty to the Giants around six weeks later. He played parts of two seasons with San Francisco before again finding himself on the move, this time to Seattle.

McCarty had his most productive year in 2000 with the Royals. He appeared in a career-high 103 games and turned in a .278/.329/.478 batting line with 12 homers. He bounced to the Devil Rays and A’s before landing with the Red Sox on a waiver claim in 2003. McCarty played in 89 games as a role player for the World Series winning team the following season. He hit four homers, including a walk-off shot to center field against the Mariners in May. He finished his playing career after the ’05 season and worked as an analyst on NESN for the next few years.

Over parts of 11 years in the majors, McCarty played in 630 games. He hit .242/.305/.371 with 36 home runs, 68 doubles and 175 RBI. He suited up for seven teams, saw some action in the postseason in 2003, and collected a World Series ring the following year. MLBTR joins others around the game in sending our condolences to the McCarty family, his friends and former teammates.

Sawyer Gipson-Long To Undergo Internal Brace Surgery

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The Tigers informed reporters that depth starter Sawyer Gipson-Long will undergo an internal brace surgery on Monday to repair his UCL (X link via Evan Woodbery of MLive). He’ll miss the entire 2024 season.

It’s an unfortunate but not especially surprising revelation. Gipson-Long had gone for various evaluations after feeling forearm tightness a couple weeks ago. The 6’4″ righty was already on the 15-day injured list because of a groin strain, yet this obviously represents a much more serious setback. While an internal brace procedure comes with a shorter recovery timeline than the standard Tommy John UCL reconstruction, it’s likely he’ll begin the ’25 campaign on the IL as well.

Gipson-Long is a former sixth-round draftee of the Twins. Detroit acquired him at the 2022 deadline for reliever Michael Fulmer. The Tigers called him to the majors for the first time last September. Gipson-Long had an excellent showing, working to a 2.70 ERA with a near-32% strikeout rate in 20 innings. He didn’t face the toughest competition — his starts were against the White Sox, Angels, A’s and Royals — but it was about as impressive a debut as Detroit could’ve reasonably expected.

Detroit wasn’t likely to give Gipson-Long an Opening Day rotation spot even if he were healthy. Between Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning and offseason signees Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda, they have a fair amount of rotation talent. Gipson-Long would likely have been seventh on the depth chart. Even if he started the year on optional assignment to Triple-A Toledo, it’s likely he’d have been tabbed for some starts throughout the course of a 162-game schedule.

Instead, he’ll spend the entire season on the IL. The small silver lining is that he’ll be paid at the MLB minimum rate and collect a full year of service time. Detroit can transfer him to the 60-day injured list whenever they need a 40-man roster spot. There’s no IL during the offseason, so the Tigers will need to reinstate or waive Gipson-Long shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. Assuming they keep him on the roster, he’ll be controllable for at least another five seasons.

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