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Angels Sign Cole Tucker To Minor League Deal

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The Angels recently signed infielder Cole Tucker to a minor league deal, per the transactions log on Tucker’s MLB.com player page.

Tucker, 28 in July, was a first-round pick by the Pirates in the 2014 draft. He made his big league debut with the club in 2019 at the age of 22, but hit just .211/.266/.361 in 56 games during his rookie season. That remains his career high for games played in the majors to this day, as he would go on to spend the next several seasons shuttling between the majors and Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. While he built up a decent career line of .250/.350/.382 at the Triple-A level during those seasons, his performance at the big league level left something to be desired as he slashed a paltry .211/.256/.291 in 98 games with the Pirates between 2020 and 2022.

Eventually, the Pirates designated Tucker for assignment in May of 2022 to make room for infielder Yu Chang on their 40-man roster. Shortly thereafter, Tucker was claimed by the Diamondbacks. Unfortunately, he slashed just .237/.297/.325 at the Triple-A level across 35 games in the organization and never made it to the majors with the club. Tucker found himself designated for assignment once again and was assigned outright to the minors in early July. That led Tucker to become a free agent for the first time in his career ahead of the 2022-23 offseason.

Tucker didn’t spend very long on the market, as he signed with the Rockies on a minor league deal in early December. He posted some of the best numbers of his career during his time in the Rockies organization, slashing a solid .280/.391/.407 in 321 trips to the plate with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque before getting the call back to the big leagues shortly after the trade deadline. Tucker enjoyed a hot streak while in the majors with Colorado, gathering four hits and a walk in ten plate appearances. Unfortunately, those ten trips to the plate were the only ones Tucker would get in a Rockies uniform, as he was designated for assignment by the club shortly after being selected to the majors in both August and September of last year.

The switch-hitter returned to free agency this winter and lingered on the market until the end of January, when he landed a minor league deal with the Mariners. His time in Seattle was short-lived, however, as he was granted his release last month just before the season began so he could pursue a new deal elsewhere. He’s now found that deal with another AL West club in the Angels. The 27-year-old offers minimal power and has generally struggled at the plate throughout his big league career, but he does offer a switch-hitting bat and plenty of versatility that could make him a decent depth option for a bench spot in case of injuries.

Tucker has experience at every position on the diamond except catcher from his time in the minor leagues, and as a big leaguer he’s spent time at second base, shortstop, center field, right field, and even made a one-inning cameo at first back in 2021. Tucker figures to head to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City for the time being, where he’ll look to prove his stronger offensive numbers in 2023 weren’t a fluke and position himself as the next man up in case of an injury to the big league club alongside fellow non-roster veterans like Jake Marisnick and Hunter Dozier.

Giants, Padres Made Offers To Marcus Stroman During Free Agency

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When right-hander Marcus Stroman opted out of the final year and $21MM of his deal with the Cubs over the winter to test free agency, he kicked off a relatively quiet foray into the open market for a pitcher of his caliber. The veteran only received publicly-known interest from the Royals prior to him landing a two-year deal with the Yankees that guaranteed him $37MM.

At the time of Stroman’s agreement in the Yankees, Jon Heyman of the New York Post indicated that a handful of other teams were interested in the righty’s services before he ultimately landed in the Bronx. Heyman discussed Stroman’s free agency further in a recent article, expanding upon interest Stroman received from the Giants that he had previously reported while also reporting that the Padres, who had not previously been connected to Stroman, made the 32-year-old an offer.

Per Heyman, Stroman reportedly considered both two- and three-year offers from the San Francisco as well as a longer deal with a lower average annual value from San Diego. It’s not clear how the offers the veteran received from the Giants and Padres stacked up relative to the two-year, $37MM guarantee he ultimately accepted from the Yankees, though Heyman indicates that signing with the Yankees was Stroman’s preference as a Long Island native who grew up a fan of the club.

That the Giants and Padres were in the hunt for pitching throughout the offseason is hardly a surprise. After all, each club made buzzer-beater deals just before the season began to add front-of-the-rotation starters; the Giants inked left-hander Blake Snell to a two-year deal worth $62MM in late March, shortly after the Padres swung a deal with the White Sox to acquire right-hander Dylan Cease. Those weren’t the only additions made by those clubs this winter either, as San Francisco landed Jordan Hicks in free agency as well as Robbie Ray by trade while San Diego’s return for superstar outfielder Juan Soto was headlined by right-hander Michael King.

Given both clubs’ respective needs for pitching, it’s easy to see how Stroman could have fit into the rotation mix of either club. The right-hander sports a 3.40 ERA and 3.59 FIP since the start of the 2021 season and could’ve slotted comfortably into the front of San Francisco’s rotation alongside Logan Webb or replaced Snell in the Padres rotation alongside Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish. That being said, it’s possible that an early addition of Stroman may have blocked either club from pursuing their respective late-spring blockbusters due to financial concerns, much as the Yankees and Snell failed to come to an agreement following the Stroman deal despite seemingly making progress earlier in the offseason.

For the Giants, the addition of Stroman at even the $18.5MM AAV he landed in New York would have not only pushed them past the second $257MM luxury tax threshold, but also would have put them just over $5MM away from the third $277MM threshold according to RosterResource. The Padres, meanwhile, signed the likes of Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta to deals far longer than they were projected for this winter in order to tamp down the AAV on those deals. That’s allowed the club to limbo under the lowest threshold of the luxury tax, which sits at $237MM, to open the season.

It’s unlikely that the Padres would’ve been able to dip under the tax this year while still being able to afford Cease’s $8MM salary had they landed Stroman. Even a five-year deal in a similar range to the Yankees’ total guarantee would have left the veteran right-hander with an AAV in the neighborhood of $8MM, which would leave virtually no margin for error given the club sits just over $11MM below the first threshold as things stand.

White Sox Sign Wilmer Difo To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have signed infielder Wilmer Difo to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Difo’s MLB.com player page.

Difo, 32, is a veteran of eight major league seasons who last played in the majors back in 2022. After signing with the Nationals out of the Dominican Republic and making his pro debut at the age of 18 back in 2010, he made his big league debut with D.C. back in 2015. He’d spend part of six seasons in the US capital, hitting a relatively lackluster .247/.309/.348 in a bench role while playing primarily shortstop as well as second base, third base, and all three outfield spots. While he didn’t make the club’s postseason rosters, Difo played 43 games for the Nats during the 2019 season that saw them go on to win the first World Series championship in franchise history.

Difo’s time with the Nationals came to an end late in the 2020 season, when he was designated for assignment to make room for then-top prospect Carter Kieboom on the club’s active roster. Difo eventually caught on with the Pirates on a minor league deal and had the best season of his career with Pittsburgh in 2021. In 116 games with the club, Difo slashed a roughly league average .269/.329/.384 with a wRC+ of 92 while splitting time between second and third base, shortstop, and right field.

Despite that relatively solid performance as a bench player, the Pirates did not retain Difo headed into the 2022 season. He caught on with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal, but ultimately made it into just three late-September games with the club after they had already fallen out of the playoff hunt. Difo went on to spend the entire 2023 season in the Yankees organization. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to crack the club’s big league roster and struggled to a .208/.322/.303 slash line in 96 games with the club’s Triple-A affiliate.

Now, Difo has signed his fourth consecutive minor league deal with a new team and will suit up for the White Sox at the Triple-A level. Chicago entered the season at the start of a rebuild following their devastating 101-loss season last year and so far have gone just 2-12 in the young 2024 campaign. The club’s situation offers little hope of success at the big league level this season, but it’s feasible that an injury or two to the club’s current options of Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake, Lenyn Sosa, and Paul DeJong around the infield could provide a path back to the majors for Difo. In the meantime, he’ll try to break through alongside fellow non-roster veteran Danny Mendick with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte.

East Notes: Phillies, Wood, Means

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Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker began the 2024 campaign on the injured list due to a shoulder issue, but he’s making good progress en route to a return to action. As noted by Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, club manager Rob Thomson told reporters recently that Walker would begin his rehab assignment with the club’s Single-A affiliate in Clearwater, Florida this week. That first rehab outing occurred Thursday night, with Walker allowing two runs over four innings of work while striking out four and walking none.

Per Thomson, that start was the first of what is expected to be four rehab appearances for Walker before he rejoins the Phillies’ big league roster. Walker’s return to action would seem to spell the end of right-hander Spencer Turnbull’s time in the Philadelphia rotation, likely ticketing him for a long relief role in the club’s bullpen. That may not be the case, however, as Coffey relays that Thomson has indicated that there could be a path for Turnbull to remain in the rotation even after Walker returns, noting that “if he keeps putting up zeroes… that’s tough to remove him from the rotation.”

Turnbull’s certainly done everything he can to justify a regular spot in the rotation to this point in the season. Through his first two appearances with the Phillies, the right-hander has struck out 13 batters in eleven scoreless innings against the Reds and Cardinals, scattering five hits and one walk during that time. While his start today against the Pirates left something to be desired, as he allowed three runs in four innings of work, that still leaves him with a solid 1.80 ERA through three turns in the club’s rotation. While it seems unlikely that Turnbull would bump any of Walker, Ranger Suarez, or Christopher Sanchez to the bullpen (much less co-aces Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola), Thomson suggested that the club could use Turnbull as a piggyback starter or even utilize a six-man rotation later this season in order to get the right-hander more reps.

More from around the league’s East divisions…

  • Sticking with the NL, the Nationals have not yet broached the subject of a contract extension with top outfield prospect James Wood, according to Stephen Mears of TalkNats.com. Wood, 21, is a consensus top-15 prospect in the game as has carried a phenomenal spring that saw him slash .364/.509/.705 in 22 big league camp games into a strong start to the Triple-A season where he’s hit an even better .441/.558/.794 in his first 43 plate appearances. Given the youngster has not yet even made his major league debut, it’s hardly a shock that the sides haven’t engaged in extension negotiations to this point. On the other hand, its become increasingly common for top talents to sign extensions early on in or even before the start of their big league careers in recent years. Top prospects Jackson Chourio and Colt Keith both signed pre-debut extensions with the Brewers and Tigers respectively, this winter, while star youngsters such as Corbin Carroll and Julio Rodriguez are among those to sign massive extensions prior to reaching even one year of service time in the majors.
  • Looking toward the AL, the Orioles began the 2024 season with their starting rotation at less than full strength due to both right-hander Kyle Bradish and left-hander John Means starting the season on the injured list. Recent reporting has indicated that Bradish is nearing a rehab assignment as he nurses a sprained UCL, and GM Mike Elias indicated this afternoon to reporters (including the Baltimore Banner’s Danielle Allentuck) that Means is even closer to a return to action. Per Elias, Means is scheduled for a fourth rehab appearances next week and could return to the majors before the end of the month. The left-hander pitched to a strong 2.66 ERA in four starts down the stretch last year following his late-season return from Tommy John surgery and figures to slot into the middle of the Baltimore rotation behind Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez upon his return.

Reds Notes: Friedl, Rotation, Moll

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Reds fans received some disappointing news regarding the status of center fielder TJ Friedl yesterday, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer relayed yesterday that the 28-year-old will need another 7-10 days of light activities before beginning to ramp up his rehab of a fractured wrist suffered during Spring Training last month.

No timetable for Friedl’s return to action was announced at the time of his injury, though Wittenmyer indicates that Friedl was hoping to have been cleared for more activity at this point in the recovery process. Friedl is joined on the injured list by infielder Matt McLain, who is expected to miss much of the 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in late March. Despite the lack of a clear timeline for Friedl’s return to action, it appears the club is hopeful he’ll be able to return sooner rather than later, as he has not yet been placed on the 60-day IL alongside McLain.

The losses of Friedl and McLain to open the season, along with Noelvi Marte’s absence due to an 80-game suspension following a positive PED test, have tested Cincinnati’s once-impressive positional depth early in the 2024 campaign. Those losses have left the Reds with a somewhat middling offense so far this season, as their 102 wRC+ entering play today ranked middle-of-the-pack in both the majors (14th) and the NL (7th). While youngsters like Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer have gotten off to phenomenal starts this season, other key hitters such as Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have struggled badly to this point in the young 2024 season.

That uneven offense has thrust the club’s rotation mix into the spotlight. The club’s 4.11 starting ERA through their first 13 games this season is also middle of the pack, but the rotation corps received a major reinforcement today when the club announced that southpaw Nick Lodolo had been activated from the injured list to start this afternoon’s game against the White Sox. Once a consensus top-40 prospect in the sport, the 26-year-old Lodolo delivered an excellent rookie season in 2022 but was limited to just 34 1/3 innings of 6.29 ERA baseball last year amid injury issues.

Fortunately for the Reds, it appears the left-hander is once again healthy as he dominated the White Sox to the tune of 5 2/3 scoreless innings where he allowed just one hit and one walk while racking up ten strikeouts. If Lodolo can continue to provide quality production for Cincinnati going forward, he’d join Frankie Montas and Andrew Abbott at the front of the club’s starting rotation. Right-handers Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft, and Nick Martinez are also in the club’s rotation mix for the time being, though it’s possible that one of that group could be pushed to the bullpen in the near future by Lodolo’s return. Martinez appears to be the most likely candidate for such a role, given his lengthy track record as a reliever and difficult start to the 2024 campaign.

That group of six appear to be unlikely to get further reinforcements in the near future, as club manager David Bell told reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer) earlier this week that left-hander Brandon Williamson’s target date for return isn’t until late next month. Williamson is currently nursing a shoulder strain but figures to be a quality depth option for the Cincinnati rotation once healthy after he pitched to a solid 4.46 ERA (102 ERA+) in 23 starts with the club last year.

Per Goldsmith, Bell indicated that the same late May timeline Williamson is on is also the expected track for lefty relief arm Alex Young. The 30-year-old hurler has been solid in middle relief the past two seasons, pitching to a 3.36 ERA with a 4.29 FIP in 88 appearances with the Reds, Giants, and Guardians the past two seasons. Young is joined on the shelf by fellow southpaw Sam Moll, though it appears the latter lefty is much closer to a return as the Reds announced this afternoon that he’s headed to Triple-A for a rehab assignment. Acquired from the A’s in exchange for right-hander Joe Boyle at the trade deadline last year, Moll was phenomenal with the Reds down the stretch as he pitched to a 0.73 ERA in 25 appearances. While Moll and Young are on the shelf, Cincinnati has relied on Brent Suter and Justin Wilson as their primary left-handed relief options.

Yankees Place Jon Berti On 10-Day IL, Designate Josh Maciejewski

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In between games of New York’s double-header with the Guardians today, the Yankees announced a series of roster moves. Utilityman Jon Berti has been placed (retroactive to April 11) on the 10-day injured list due to a left groin strain, and left-hander Josh Maciejewski was also designated for assignment.  Right-hander Ron Marinaccio and infielder Kevin Smith have been called up from Triple-A to take the two open roster spots, and in Smith’s case, his minors deal with the team was replaced with a new Major League contract before being selected.  Left-hander Clayton Andrews was outrighted to Triple-A, while right-hander McKinley Moore was activated from the 15-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A.

Speaking with the YES Network (X link), manager Aaron Boone indicated that Berti’s injury occurred in his most recent at-bat, when Berti beat out an infield single in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 5-2 New York loss to Miami.  While the manager didn’t put a timeline on Berti’s potential return, Boone also didn’t think the issue was overly serious.

Berti was acquired as part of a three-team trade with the Marlins and Rays just prior to Opening Day, and the veteran has been splitting third base duties with Oswaldo Cabrera while DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza have been sidelined with injuries.  Cabrera is off to a scorching start at the plate, but Berti has slashed only .211/.250/.211 over his first 21 plate appearances in the pinstripes.  While Smith can continue acting as a veteran counterpart to Cabrera, Boone said he has “a lot” of confidence that Cabrera can keep producing with a larger share of the playing time with Berti sidelined.

Maciejewski’s contract was selected from Triple-A earlier this week, and the 28-year-old officially became a big leaguer after throwing a perfect inning in last Monday’s 7-0 win over the Marlins.  With his MLB debut behind him, Maciejewski now heads to the DFA wire as part of the roster churn at the back of the Yankees’ bullpen.

There’s a chance that a team in need of multi-inning bullpen help or even swingman help could put in a claim on Maciejewski, who has a 3.52 ERA over 294 1/3 innings (starting 31 of 101 games) in his minor league career.  A 10th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2018 draft, Maciejewski has had limited success at the Triple-A level, with a 4.87 ERA in 61 frames with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

In selecting Maciejewski, the Yankees designated Andrews, and the southpaw will remain in the organization after clearing DFA waivers.  Andrews made his Major League debut in the form of four appearances and 3 1/3 innings with the Brewers last season, and he joined the Yankees in a minor league trade in February after posting a 2.53 ERA over 57 innings for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate in 2023.  Control problems have limited Andrews’ effectiveness throughout his six minor league seasons, but Andrews has struggled badly in a small sample size this year — the lefty has a 14.73 ERA and six walks over just 3 2/3 innings at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Braves Sign Yuli Gurriel To Minor League Contract

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The Braves have signed first baseman Yuli Gurriel to a minor league deal, according to reporter Francys Romero (links via X).  After recently changing agencies, Gurriel is now represented by Gene Mato.

Atlanta saw plenty of Gurriel when he played with the Marlins last season, and the veteran hit .323/.382/.581 over 34 plate appearances against Braves pitching.  Unfortunately for Gurriel, he didn’t come close to this production on the whole, as he batted .245/.304/.359 with four homers over 329 PA.  It marks the second straight season of subpar offense for the 39-year-old, and his third in four years when considering his lackluster .658 OPS in 230 PA during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Even with these recent results, Gurriel has still been an above-average (108 wRC+) hitter over his eight Major League seasons.  The first seven of those years were spent in Houston, where Gurriel was part of the Astros core that won World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.  Gurriel was also a huge part of the AL championship squad that lost to the Braves in the 2021 World Series, as he posted 15 homers and .319/.383/.462 slash line while also winning the AL batting title and a Gold Glove.

2021 now seems rather far in the rearview mirror given Gurriel’s struggles in the last two seasons, and it remains to be seen what he has left in the tank as he approaches his 40th birthday in June.  Gurriel had already played 15 seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional (plus a brief stint in Japan with the Yokohama BayStars in 2014) before he even came to the big leagues on a five-year, $47.5MM contract with the Astros midway through the 2016 season.

There isn’t any risk for the Braves in giving Gurriel a minor league deal to see what he can still offer, though even if he does hit well at Triple-A, playing time figures to be scarce in Atlanta since Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna have the first base and DH positions on lockdown.  Gurriel played some second and third base earlier in his career, but again, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley have those positions covered.  With all these established starters and the Braves’ penchant for keeping those regulars on the field, Gurriel might be okay with being a little-used bench bat if it means being part of another contending team.  Or, Gurriel’s time at Triple-A Gwinnett could essentially be an audition for another team, whether via a potential trade or maybe if Gurriel has an opt-out clause in his deal.

Rangers Place Brock Burke On 15-Day Injured List

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The Rangers will be placing southpaw Brock Burke on the 15-day injured list due to a broken right hand, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today).  In corresponding moves, Texas selected the contract of right-hander Austin Pruitt, and moved infielder Justin Foscue to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space.

The injury occurred in ignominious fashion, as Bochy said Burke broke his hand while punching a wall following his rough outing yesterday.  Texas defeated Houston 12-8, though the Astros drew a lot closer after scoring five times in the seventh inning.  Burke was charged with four of those runs over two-thirds of an inning of work, including a two-run homer off the bat of Kyle Tucker.

Burke now has a garish 15.00 ERA across three innings and five appearances this season, and he’ll face an extended absence while his non-pitching hand heals up.  In a best case scenario, this might serve as a bit of a reset for Burke for just this season and really over two years as a whole, as his 2023 numbers declined after his breakout 2022 campaign.  The advanced metrics behind his 1.97 ERA in 2022 suggested some regression was in order, and Burke ended up posting a 4.37 ERA over 59 2/3 innings last season.  He couldn’t get on track in the postseason, as Burke allowed five runs over two-thirds of an inning (over two appearances) during the Rangers’ run to the World Series.

Even with Burke and Jose Leclerc struggling, Texas’ bullpen is pitching better overall than it did for much of last year’s regular season.  David Robertson could now be getting closer duties since Leclerc has been temporarily demoted to lower-leverage work, and the trio of Jose Urena, Jacob Latz, and Kirby Yates have combined for 21 2/3 innings of scoreless ball.

Pruitt now joins this mix, pitching less than an hour’s drive from his hometown of Plano, Texas.  Pruitt isn’t a hard thrower and he has had some problems keeping the ball in the park over his six MLB seasons, but the veteran reliever has posted some solid results.  The righty quietly had a 2.98 ERA in 48 1/3 innings for the A’s in 2023, even if he enjoyed some good fortune in the form of a .264 BABIP and a 78% strand rate.  The Rangers signed Pruitt to a minors deal after the Athletics non-tendered him, and Pruitt now looks to temporarily step into Burke’s multi-inning relief role.

Foscue was placed on the 10-day IL earlier this week due to a left oblique strain, and this rather quick shift to the 60-day IL indicates that Foscue’s strain is a more severe variety.  It makes for a tough start to Foscue’s big league career, as he only just made his MLB debut on April 5 and played in two games before suffering the injury.  Injuries to Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Jung, and now Foscue have left the Rangers a little thin around the infield, though Lowe is expected to start a rehab assignment this coming week as he plots his return from his own oblique strain.

White Sox Select Zach Remillard, Justin Anderson; Bryan Shaw Elects Free Agency

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TODAY: Shaw has rejected the outright assignment and chosen free agency, the White Sox announced.

APRIL 12: The White Sox announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contracts of infielder/outfielder Zach Remillard and right-hander Justin Anderson. To open active roster spots, outfielder Oscar Colás was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte while right-hander Bryan Shaw was designated for assignment. To open another 40-man spot, infielder Yoán Moncada was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

It was reported earlier this week that Moncada is going to miss three to six months due to an adductor strain. Colás was recalled to take his roster spot, but it seems that was just a temporary measure as the club figured out today’s slate of moves. Moncada’s injury left them slightly short-handed in terms of infielders, so they have optioned out Colás today and added another infielder.

Remillard, now 30, got to make his major league debut last year at the age of 29 after spending the better part of a decade in the minors. He hit .252/.295/.320 in his 160 plate appearances last year while stealing four bases and bouncing around the diamond. He played the three infield spots to the left of first base, as well as the outfield corners. He was designated for assignment in January but cleared waivers, sticking with the Sox in a non-roster capacity. Now he’ll get back to the majors, replacing an injured Moncada just as he did last year.

The Sox have been rotating Paul DeJong, Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake through the two middle infield spots so far this year. Lenyn Sosa was in a bench role but started at third with Moncada out of action on Wednesday and could perhaps continue taking that spot. If so, that would leave Remillard serving as the primary depth infielder, though his ability to also play some outfield gives the club a bit of extra flexibility.

Shaw, 36, is a veteran with well over a decade in the big leagues. He signed a minor league deal with the Sox in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster but his season didn’t get off to a great start. He has tossed four innings over five appearances thus far, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, striking out four but also walking four.

The Sox have decided to bump him off the roster in favor of some fresh blood in Anderson. The 31-year-old agreed to a minor league pact in November and had a decent Spring Training. He tossed eight innings with three earned runs allowed, striking out ten though also walking five. He reported to Triple-A to begin the season and has tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings there so far this year, with five strikeouts and no walks.

Whenever Anderson gets into a game, it will be his first major league action in years. He pitched for the Angels in 2018 and 2019, with a 4.75 ERA in 102 1/3 innings, but hasn’t been in the show since. Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2020 wiped out that year and most of 2021 as well. In the Rangers’ system in 2022, he made three Triple-A appearances before going on the minor league IL and never returning. He was in the Royals’ system in 2023 but struggled, posting an ERA of 6.87 in 36 2/3 innings.

There were some positive signs last year, however, as he struck out 35.5% of batters faced. He also got better as he went along, with a 3.44 ERA in his last 11 outings and a tiny ERA of 0.63 in the last eight. That’s a very favorable framing for Anderson, but after so much missed time due to injury, it’s possible he was just getting back on track. Since he’s continued to post decent results since joining the Sox, it seems they want to give him a look against big league hitters.

Anderson still has a full slate of options and less than three years of big league service time, so he can be a long-term depth option for the Sox if he justifies his place on the 40-man roster. As for Shaw, the club will have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. In the latter scenario, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

Red Sox Place Romy Gonzalez, Isaiah Campbell On Injured List

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The Red Sox announced that infielder Romy Gonzalez has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 11) due to a left wrist sprain.  This move comes a day after another IL placement, as Boston sent right-hander Isaiah Campbell to the 15-day injured list Friday due to a right shoulder impingement.  Infielder Bobby Dalbec was called up from Triple-A to replace Campbell, while righty Cooper Criswell was promoted today from Triple-A in Gonzalez’s spot.

As manager Alex Cora told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey and other reporters, Campbell kept his shoulder discomfort private but his attempts to pitch through the issue had disastrous consequences.  Campbell allowed eight earned runs over two innings of work in relief appearances on Wednesday and Thursday, quickly halting what had been a positive start to Campbell’s Red Sox tenure.  Acquired from the Mariners for Luis Urias back in November, Campbell had a 2.08 ERA over his first 4 1/3 innings and five appearances in a Boston uniform.  The righty will now be sidelined for at least the next two weeks, and the severity of the impingement isn’t yet known.

While Campbell worked out of the bullpen, Criswell will act as a spot starter in today’s game against the Angels, filling in after Nick Pivetta went on the 15-day IL earlier this week.  Today’s start will mark Criswell’s Boston debut after signing a one-year, $1MM free agent deal with the club after the Rays non-tendered the right-hander in November.  There’s some full-circle significance in facing Los Angeles since the Angels drafted Criswell in the 13th round in 2018, and he made his MLB debut in a Halos uniform in 2021.  After tossing 4 2/3 innings in cup-of-coffee fashion over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Criswell got a longer look with Tampa last season and posted a 5.73 ERA over 33 innings, often working as a bulk pitcher behind an opener.

Gonzalez is another offseason acquisition, picked up from the White Sox on a waiver claim in January.  Gonzalez played in two games with Boston before hurting his wrist in a fall during Wednesday’s game.  X-rays were negative on Gonzalez’s wrist, but an IL stint has been deemed necessary to give the infielder some time to fully heal up.

Dalbec’s addition can shore up the infield mix to some extent, but Gonzalez is now the fourth infield option on Boston’s injured list, joining Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom, and utilityman Rob Refsnyder.  Story will miss the entire season in the wake of shoulder surgery, while Grissom (hamstring strain) and Refsnyder (broken toe) have started minor league rehab assignments.  Grissom and Refsnyder are tentatively on pace to be activated off the IL in late April, though Grissom’s timeline is a little uncertain since injuries prevented from playing whatsoever during Spring Training.

The impact of so many missing infielders is evident in Boston’s glovework, as McCaffrey notes that the defense has essentially fallen apart since Story was sidelined.  The Red Sox are near the bottom of the league in Outs Above Average (-5) and Defensive Runs Saved (-7), and their 16 errors is tied for the most in baseball.

Three of those errors came in yesterday’s 7-0 loss to the Angels, and the lineup was also missing Rafael Devers.  Due to nagging soreness in his left shoulder, Devers has missed Boston’s last two games and will also sit out of today’s contest.

“I’ve been feeling it since Spring Training,” Devers told MLB.com and other media yesterday.  “But every time I was swinging, I was feeling it a little bit more and more.  So for me, I think like two or three days [off] could be enough.  I hope it doesn’t keep bothering me after these two or three days, but that’s something I can’t control.  That’s why I’m just trying to keep working to get stronger, to get my shoulder back in a good way.”

It’s safe to say that Devers’ shoulder has contributed to the third baseman’s slow start, as Devers is hitting just .184/.326/.395 over his first 46 plate appearances.  This relative lack of production has contributed to the lineup’s inconsistency, as the Red Sox have had trouble scoring runs despite hot starts from Tyler O’Neill and Jarren Duran.

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