Rangers Sign Derek Dietrich
The Rangers have signed infielder Derek Dietrich to a minor league contract and assigned him to their alternate training site, per a club announcement. Texas will be the third organization for Dietrich already in 2020. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds (with whom he spent the 2019 season) over the winter and latched on with the Cubs late last month after Cincinnati cut him loose. The Cubs released Dietrich just 24 hours ago.
Early last summer, Dietrich looked to be one of the best minor league pickups in all of MLB. Through his first 157 trips to the plate, he raked at a .263/.369/.684 clip and had already set a new career-high in home runs. He was thriving both at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park and on the road, but his offensive output cratered in the season’s final few months. Over his final 149 plate appearances, he hit just .102/.284/.212.
In all, Dietrich is a career .246/.334/.427 hitter with 79 home runs, 106 doubles and 21 triples in 2438 plate appearances between the Marlins and Reds. He has experience playing second base, first base, third base and the outfield corners. He’ll give the club some lefty-hitting bench depth and perhaps an alternative to the struggling Rougned Odor, who has opened the season with a disastrous .114/.205/.229 slash and 16 strikeouts in 39 plate appearances.
Rangers Release Wei-Chieh Huang
The Rangers announced today that they have released right-handed pitcher Wei-Chieh Huang, who had been playing at the team’s alternate training facility.
Huang was a member of the Rangers’ 60-man player pool, though he was not on the 40-man roster. He was acquired in the 2018 trade that sent Jake Diekman to Arizona.
Huang appeared in four games for the Rangers last year, tossing 5 2/3 innings and working to a 3.18 ERA. He struck out just two batters while walking seven. That said, he has been a strikeout pitcher throughout his minor league career, averaging 12.6 K/9 across three levels of the minors last season.
He hit a bit of a wall at Triple-A in 2019, but the 26-year-old Huang is still relatively inexperienced in the upper minors: since debuting in affiliated ball in 2015, he’s played just 43 games at Double-A or above. With that in mind, the lack of a minor league season in 2020 might be especially costly to his development; this year would have been pivotal for Huang.
Nonetheless, Huang has two option years remaining and, as mentioned, is just 26 years old. He’ll likely get another shot as a depth option with another club who can offer him more exposure in the upper minors.
West Notes: Hosmer, Rangers, Rockies, Giants
There’s a “very good chance” the Padres will activate first baseman Eric Hosmer from the injured list Saturday, manager Jayce Tingler told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com and other reporters. Hosmer has been out since July 28 with gastritis, which cut off an encouraging start to the season in which he was hitting more fly balls than ever and getting tremendous results. The Padres have mostly turned to Jake Cronenworth at first in Hosmer’s absence, and the rookie has been excellent in the early going.
- The Rangers announced that they’ve activated righty Rafael Montero and placed lefty Joe Palumbo on the IL with an ulcerative colitis flareup. Montero hasn’t pitched this season, but as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in April, he has been a real find for the club. The former standout Mets prospect amassed 29 innings of 2.48 ERA pitching with 10.55 K/9 against 1.55 BB/9 in his first year with the Rangers last season.
- The Rockies placed RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez on the IL on Friday with right biceps tendinitis and recalled fellow righty Ryan Castellani, per a team announcement. Gonzalez has made one start for the club this year, but he yielded three earned runs during that three-inning performance. Castellani, meanwhile, ranks as Colorado’s 18th overall prospect at MLB.com. He’s finally in line to make his Rockies debut six years after the team selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft. Castellani struggled to an 8.31 ERA with 9.76 K/9 and 6.23 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings in his first Triple-A action last year.
- Righty Reyes Moronta and outfielder Hunter Bishop have reported to the Giants’ alternate site, the club announced. Moronta’s continuing to work back from right shoulder surgery, while Bishop has been down since late June because of a positive coronavirus test. Bishop is now a part of the Giants’ 60-man player pool. There’s a chance Moronta will get into the Giants’ bullpen this season, manager Gabe Kapler said (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Moronta has been highly effective since he debuted in 2017, having recorded a 2.66 ERA/3.38 FIP with 11.22 K/9 and 5.12 BB/9 across 128 1/3 innings.
Rangers Trade Ariel Jurado To Mets
The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve acquired right-hander Ariel Jurado from the Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later and (not or) cash considerations. Outfielder Ryan Cordell was designated for assignment to open a spot on the team’s 40-man roster. Jurado has been assigned to the Mets’ alternate training site in Brooklyn.
Jurado, 24, was designated by assignment in Texas back on Friday when the team selected Greg Bird and Jimmy Herget to the big league roster. The former top prospect has logged 177 innings with the Rangers over the past two seasons but struggled considerably at the MLB level. Opposing hitters have clobbered him for a 5.85 ERA and posted a combined .305/.351/.502 slash against him in 782 plate appearances. Jurado has averaged 5.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and 1.42 HR/9 to go along with a 47.9 percent ground-ball rate.
Obviously, that’s not a pretty collection of numbers, but Jurado has a solid minor league track record. He’s largely skipped over Triple-A — though he pitched well in the 22 2/3 frames he did log there — but put together a more palatable 3.96 ERA with 5.6 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and 0.92 HR/9 in 302 1/3 innings of Double-A ball. Baseball Prospectus rated Jurado as the game’s No. 72 prospect back in 2017, and he’s consistently generated ground-ball rates comfortably north of 51 percent. Infield defense isn’t exactly the Mets’ strength, of course, but the organization is in need of some pitching depth after seeing Noah Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery) and Marcus Stroman (calf tear) go down with injuries. Offseason additions Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha have both struggled early as well.
Cordell, 28, went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a pair of strikeouts in his short time with the Mets. Jake Marisnick‘s hamstring injury opened the door for the former Rangers/White Sox/Brewers prospect to make the club as a reserve outfielder behind J.D. Davis, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto. However, the Mets’ recent acquisition of Billy Hamilton apparently rendered Cordell superfluous in the club’s eyes.
Cordell has appeared in parts of three big league seasons, hitting a combined .205/.267/.333 in 291 trips to the dish. Those struggles notwithstanding, he’s put together a respectable minor league track record and is capable of playing all three outfield spots, so a club needing some depth might take a look at Cordell if he’s available on the waiver wire. New York will have a week to trade Cordell, release him or attempt to run him through waivers.
Rangers Activate Joely Rodriguez, Place Greg Bird On IL
The Rangers announced that they’ve activated left-hander Joely Rodriguez from the injured list and placed first baseman Greg Bird on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Aug. 1. Bird’s dealing with a right calf strain.
The 28-year-old Rodriguez is now in position to make his Rangers debut after dealing with lat issues. The former Phillie spent 2018-19 in Japan, where he parlayed excellent production into a two-year, $5.5MM contract with Texas over the winter. Rodriguez wasn’t successful during his previous big league stint, but if all goes according to plan for the Rangers, he’ll be a steal for their bullpen.
Bird, whom the Rangers signed to a minor league contract in February, looked as if he’d debut with the club when it selected his contract July 31. Instead, another injury has cut down Bird, who has rarely been healthy during his big league career. Now 27, Bird looked like a legitimate building block for the Yankees as a rookie in 2015, but availability and production have lacked since then. Bird still hasn’t taken an at-bat as a Ranger, and considering this news, there’s a chance he won’t ever play for the team.
Rangers Place Danny Santana On 10-Day Injured List
Prior to this afternoon’s game against the Giants, the Rangers announced they’ve placed outfielder Danny Santana on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 30, with a right forearm strain. In his stead, they’re bringing up infield prospect Anderson Tejeda.
Four years removed from his previous quality season, Santana surprisingly broke out in Texas last season, hitting .283/.324/.534 (111 wRC+) with 28 home runs and 21 steals over 511 plate appearances. An elevated strikeout rate (29.5%) and below-average walk rate (4.9%) cast some doubt on the long-term sustainability of that strong output, but Santana has clearly established himself as an everyday option for manager Chris Woodward.
Tejeda, 22, is remarkably in position to make his MLB debut despite never having taken a high minors plate appearance. He’s topped out in the High-A Carolina League, putting up a solid but unspectacular .253/.327/.426 line in 703 plate appearances at that level. A switch-hitting middle infielder with power, Tejeda has a bright future but seems unlikely to get many MLB at-bats at this stage of his career.
Rangers Select Greg Bird, Jimmy Herget; Designate Ariel Jurado
The Rangers announced they’ve selected the contracts of first baseman Greg Bird and righty Jimmy Herget. To create 40-man space, the team designated righty Ariel Jurado for assignment.
Bird, 27, turned in an impressive showing upon his call-up in 2015 but has fallen flat since. He dealt with numerous injuries and couldn’t replicate his early success with the Yankees. The Texas org picked him up on a minors deal over the offseason.
As for Herget, who’s closing in on his 27th birthday, this’ll be his second look. He threw 6 1/3 innings last year with the Reds, failing to record a strikeout. In 58 1/3 Triple-A frames last year, he worked to a 2.91 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9.
Jurado, 24, was dropped after getting quite a few looks over the past two seasons. He carries a 5.85 ERA in his 177 career innings at the game’s highest level. He hadn’t yet appeared in 2020.
Rangers To Select Greg Bird, Jimmy Herget
The Rangers will select the contracts of first baseman Greg Bird and right-hander Jimmy Herget prior to tomorrow’s game, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Texas already opened a 40-man roster spot by putting injured closer Jose Leclerc on the 45-day IL, but they’ll need to create another spot tomorrow. First baseman Ronald Guzman has already been optioned to the Rangers’ alternate training site, per the Rangers’ press release announcing Leclerc’s injury.
Bird inked a minor league deal with Texas over the winter. The longtime Yankees prospect at one point looked like the first baseman of the future in the Bronx, when he debuted at 22 and slashed .261/.343/.529 slash with 11 homers through just 46 games back in 2015. Unfortunately for Bird, he missed the entire 2016 campaign after shoulder surgery and has been hobbled by injuries since. Lingering ankle issues required another surgery for the slugger, and his 2019 campaign was torpedoed by plantar fasciitis. With the emergence of Luke Voit, the Yankees cut Bird loose rather than tender him a contract this winter.
Now 27, Bird joins the Rangers’ roster as a lifetime .211/.301/.424 hitter. He’s not expected to serve as the everyday first baseman — that role is handled by veteran Todd Frazier — but Bird will be mixed in there and at designated hitter on occasion. In the meantime, Guzman, a former top prospect himself, will get some time to work things out at alternate camp.
As for Herget, he’ll be getting his second look in the Majors after debuting with the Reds a year ago. He only tossed 6 1/3 frames with Cincinnati and allowed three runs in that time. The 2015 sixth-round pick carries a career 3.12 ERA with better than a strikeout per frame in 150 2/3 Triple-A innings, but he’s also averaged four walks per nine in that time.
Rangers Place Jose Leclerc On 45-Day Injured List
5:40pm: The Rangers announced that Leclerc will be shut down for at least four weeks and will undergo platelet-rich plasma treatment later this week. He’s been placed on the 45-day injured list, which opens a spot on the 45-man roster.
5:05pm: Rangers closer Jose Leclerc has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of the teres major in his right shoulder, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). It’s the same diagnosis that recently sidelined Corey Kluber for the bulk of the 2020 season, though the club believes Leclerc’s injury to be a bit less severe. An exact timeline isn’t clear just yet, but Leclerc will miss a significant portion of the shortened 2020 season.
It’s not immediately cleae who’ll step into the ninth inning in Leclerc’s absence. Nick Goody got the call and converted a save last night with Leclerc unavailable, and he’s one of the more experienced arms in the Texas ‘pen (despite being claimed off release waivers this winter). Veterans Jesse Chavez and Edinson Volquez are the only other relievers on the roster who have even two full years of Major League service time. A committee of sorts seems likeliest for now, although Goody’s perfect inning last night could give him the inside track if the Rangers opt to go with a set ninth-inning option.
Leclerc, 26, showed the ability to miss bats in bunches as a rookie in 2017 but demonstrated alarming control issues that year. In 2018, he looked to have put everything together, though, when he fired 57 2/3 frames of 1.56 ERA ball with 12 saves, 13.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. That electric showing led the Rangers to sign him to a four-year, $14.75MM extension in March 2019. He stumbled out of the gates last year, but after a miserable month of April the flamethrowing righty pitched to a 3.57 ERA with 86 strikeouts against 30 walks in 58 frames.
The Rangers still have Leclerc signed through at least the 2022 season, and his contract contains affordable options for the 2023 and 2024 seasons: $6MM and $6.25MM, respectively. Leclerc is earning $2.25MM in 2020 (about $810K, prorated) and is guaranteed $4MM in 2021 and $4.75MM in 2022.
Predict The AL West Division Winner
With final roster decisions in the books and the 2020 season underway, it’s time to make some predictions. We’re polling the MLBTR readership on each of the game’s six divisions — though plenty more teams will crack the postseason under the rather inclusive new playoff qualification system. We’ve already surveyed the AL East, AL Central, NL Central, and NL East landscapes, and now we’ll turn to the American League West.
The Astros entered this season off three straight division titles, though they’ve undergone some major changes since winning the AL pennant in 2019. A sign-stealing scandal cost them general manager Jeff Luhnow and skipper A.J. Hinch, whom they replaced with James Click and Dusty Baker, respectively. On the field, they said goodbye to co-ace Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley in free agency. Their rotation suffered yet another massive blow this week when they placed reigning AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander on the injured list with a forearm strain. He’s one of many injured Astros pitchers, and to make matters worse, the club has been without slugger and 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez because of the coronavirus.
Despite all the issues they’re facing, the Astros at least still boast an above-average roster. They don’t look like a juggernaut in their current state, though, and that could give a division rival a chance to pounce.
The Athletics, winners of 97 games in each of the prior two seasons, boast an eminently talented roster that seems as if it’ll present the greatest challenge for Houston. The Rangers and Angels look more like wild-card possibilities than teams capable of upending the Astros, though a 60-game season could make it more likely for either to pull off an upset. Probably not the case for the Mariners, who are retooling and have gotten to a 1-4 start. While five games isn’t enough of a sample size to bury or crown anyone, the M’s have gotten crushed in three of their defeats and entered Wednesday with the majors’ worst run differential at minus-21.
Which team do you think is going to take the division title? (Poll link for app users.)
Predict the 2020 AL West Winner
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Athletics 46% (3,399)
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Astros 27% (1,956)
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Angels 14% (1,050)
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Mariners 8% (582)
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Rangers 5% (377)
Total votes: 7,364