Minor MLB Transactions: 7/14/17
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the game…
- Right-hander Josh Lindblom was granted his release by the Pirates in order to return to the Korea Baseball Organization, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports that Lindblom has agreed to a contract with the Lotte Giants that’ll pay him $475K for the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old Lindblom is no stranger to the KBO or to the Giants, having spent the 2015-16 seasons pitching in a Lotte uniform. He returned to the Majors for the first time since 2014 this season but was tagged for nine runs in 10 1/3 innings.
- The Royals announced earlier this week that right-hander Glenn Sparkman has been returned to the team following his DFA from the Blue Jays. Sparkman was Toronto’s selection in last year’s Rule 5 Draft, and he’ll head back to Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate, per the Royals’ announcement. Sparkman missed most of the season with a fractured thumb and was rocked for seven runs in one inning across two appearances upon being activated and making his MLB debut. He has brilliant numbers in Class-A Advanced and a solid but limited track record in Double-A, so he’ll continue to gain experience in the upper minors for the time being.
- The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Jake Buchanan to a minor league contract, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Buchanan, 27, allowed 13 earned runs on 24 hits and seven walks with only four strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings with the Reds earlier this season. Buchanan has a 4.73 ERA through 64 2/3 innings with the Cubs, Astros and Reds over the past four seasons, mostly working out of the bullpen. He’s been primarily a starter in Triple-A, however, and through 439 innings at the that level, he’s worked to a 4.41 ERA with 5.9 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9.
- Eddy also reports that infielder Chase d’Arnaud cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment by the Padres. The 30-year-old d’Arnaud opened the year with the Braves but then bounced to the Red Sox via waivers before landing in San Diego. Through 62 plate appearances between the three clubs, he’s batted .190/.242/.276 while appearing at all four infield positions. He’s a .223/.276/.306 hitter through 499 big league PAs.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Verlander, Cubs, D-backs, Orioles
While the Tigers have reportedly set a lofty asking price for right-hander Justin Verlander, his performance this year is going to make finding a taker difficult, says FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). Across 104 2/3 innings, Verlander has seen his ERA (4.73), strikeout (8.43 K/9) and walk (4.39 BB/9) rates trend in the wrong direction, and ERA indicators such as FIP (4.28) and xFIP (4.99) also paint a somewhat bleak picture. Thanks in part to his struggles this season, teams view Verlander as a diminishing asset and aren’t going to surrender top prospects for him unless Detroit absorbs a significant portion of his contract, reports Rosenthal. Verlander is due roughly $70MM through 2019.
More from Rosenthal:
- Because the reigning World Series champion Cubs have been mired in mediocrity all season, club officials have considered trading a young position player to jump-start the team, according to Rosenthal. Such a move would presumably land the Cubs a sorely needed controllable starting pitcher. The problem, Rosenthal points out, is that Chicago doesn’t have any obvious trade candidates among those position players. First baseman Anthony Rizzo and third baseman Kris Bryant obviously aren’t going anywhere. Meanwhile, catcher Willson Contreras and rookie outfielder/second baseman Ian Happ have also been key cogs, and, per Rosenthal, the Cubs remain bullish on struggling left fielder Kyle Schwarber. Turning to the middle infield, Major League Baseball is looking into a domestic violence allegation against shortstop Addison Russell, which doesn’t do his trade value any favors, and Rosenthal indicates that Javier Baez‘s versatility makes him too important to deal.
- With a wild-card spot in hand, the surprising Diamondbacks will take an “aggressive” approach leading up to the deadline, relays Rosenthal. Acquiring pitching depth and another bat (either in the form of a middle infielder or outfielder) are possibilities for Arizona. The Diamondbacks’ position player group has taken hits in recent weeks with shortstop Nick Ahmed‘s fractured hand an outfielder Yasmany Tomas‘ groin issues. Swinging impactful trades could be difficult for the D-backs because of their weak farm system, but Rosenthal notes that they do have some financial flexibility.
- The scuffling Orioles are unsure how they’ll approach the deadline, general manager Dan Duquette informed Rosenthal. By selling, they’d gain access to much-needed young talent, Rosenthal observes. The O’s essentially punt on international spending, evidenced recently by multiple trades that have seen them relinquish international bonus slots for run-of-the-mill minor leaguers, and Rosenthal explains that they turned in an unimpressive performance in the draft this year. So, to help restock its young talent pool, Rosenthal contends that Baltimore should shop closer Zach Britton, arguing that certain championship hopefuls would eagerly pursue a healthy version of the left-hander. Britton hasn’t been the picture of health this year, though, having landed on the disabled list multiple times (including a 60-day stint) on account of forearm issues.
Health Notes: Bettis, Tomas, Duke, Rodriguez, Astros, Davis
Rockies righty Chad Bettis has faced live hitters as he readies for a rehab assignment, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes. While he’s going to need a long build-up, the hope is that Bettis could make it back to the majors at some point in August. That’s great news for the Rox, who have plenty of options but relatively few sure things in the rotation. Bettis, of course, is returning from testicular cancer, which required not only surgery but also chemotherapy. If he can return to being the steady presence he was before hitting the DL, it could go a long way to helping the club maintain its current course for the postseason. (Adding him back to the rotation might also allow the team to bump another young arm into the bullpen.)
Here are some more health notes from around the game:
- Already out for a month due to groin issues, Diamondbacks outfielder Yasmany Tomas has now been re-diagnosed, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweets. While the injury had initially been called tendinitis, it is now said to be a mild strain. It’s not clear whether that impacts his timeline at all; Tomas has yet to undertake a rehab assignment.
- Cardinals southpaw Zach Duke is stepping up to the High-A level to begin his rehab assignment in earnest, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports on Twitter. The veteran southpaw, who is working back from Tommy John surgery, now seems on track to provide a potentially significant boost to the Cards — who are now in the thick of things in a middling NL Central.
- Speaking of earlier-than-expected returns, the Braves could welcome back infielder Sean Rodriguez by the end of the month, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). It seemed he could miss the entire season after significant offseason shoulder surgery, but evidently Rodriguez has responded quite well to treatment. Rodriguez landed in Atlanta on a two-year, $11.5MM deal but suffered the injury in a devastating offseason car accident. He could provide a strong boost to Atlanta down the stretch, with his role dependent upon the team’s experiment of utilizing Freddie Freeman at third base as well as their ultimate deadline moves — which could still conceivably include trades of either second baseman Brandon Phillips or first baseman Matt Adams.
- The Astros have successfully weathered a slew of rotation injuries of late; needless to say, though, the team will be glad to welcome back its missing arms. Righty Charlie Morton will be activated to start on Friday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle writes, and he’ll be interesting to watch upon his return. Morton has a solid 4.06 ERA and even better peripherals, though it remains to be seen whether Houston will feel comfortable relying on him (among others) for a presumptive postseason staff. Fellow righty Collin McHugh is also making forward progress; Kaplan notes he’ll make a second rehab outing at Double-A. Meanwhile, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart tweets, top lefty Dallas Keuchel may be closing in on his own rehab assignment.
- Also nearing a rehab stint is Orioles first baseman Chris Davis. As Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes, Davis says his injured oblique is cooperating as he begins ramping up baseball activities. He’s slated for a minor-league assignment over the All-Star break; so long as he progresses, he might be back to the big leagues shortly thereafter.
NL West Notes: A-Gon, Pollock, Nunez, Arroyo, Espinoza, Padres
Adrian Gonzalez‘s season and possibly even his long-term playing future have been threatened by his recurring back problems, but the Dodgers first baseman tells Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times that he intends to return to the field in September even if his back is still bothering him. “Put it this way: Even if I’m not quote-unquote 100%, I’m still going to go in September because what I have is what I have,” Gonzalez said. “If it doesn’t get better with all this time off, it’s not going to get better, so I might as well learn to play with medication.” If he isn’t healthy enough for regular play, Gonzalez said he is happy to take a pinch-hitting role or to cede playing time to Cody Bellinger since “I’m just here to win. It’s not about, ‘It’s my position,’ or, ‘It’s his position.’ It’s about winning as a team.” The piece is well worth a full read, as Gonzalez also discusses how his back problems have raised the question of retirement.
Here’s more from around the NL West…
- Outfielder A.J. Pollock has officially returned to action for the Diamondbacks, with the club announcing that he has been activated from the 10-day DL after a lengthy absence owing to a groin strain. Arizona hasn’t encountered any real troubles in his absence, but the return promises to make for an even more compelling roster. The surprising D-Backs not only seem a shoe-in for a Wild Card spot, but currently sit just two-and-a-half games out of the NL West lead.
- Eduardo Nunez didn’t play in a scheduled rehab game on Sunday due to continued discomfort in his ailing hamstring, and the Giants infielder may not return to action until after the All-Star break, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Nunez, who has been on the DL since June 24, is perhaps the Giants’ clearest trade chip as the club prepares to be deadline sellers. If he can’t return until after the break, Nunez will have just over two weeks to keep up his solid pre-injury production and prove to interested trade suitors that he is healthy, or else the Giants will have trouble gaining full value in a deal.
- Christian Arroyo suffered a fractured left hand after being hit by a pitch in minor league action on Saturday, and the Giants prospect is in danger of missing the rest of the season, MLB.com’s Chris Haft writes. Manager Bruce Bochy said he was hoping Arroyo would be healthy in time to be a September call-up for the Giants. Arroyo made his big league debut earlier this season and hit just .192/.244/.304 in 135 plate appearances, though San Francisco obviously wants to give one of its most highly-touted young players more experience in the Show. Arroyo’s development has already been stalled by another hand injury in June; in fact, Arroyo’s first game back from that prior injury was Saturday’s contest.
- Padres relievers Craig Stammen and Kirby Yates are under-the-radar candidates to be moved at the deadline, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune write as part of a reader mailbag. Stammen has a 4.53 ERA in 45 2/3 IP, a number that is somewhat inflated by a few bad outings; 10 of Stammen’s 23 earned runs this year came during a three-game stretch in April, plus he allowed a grand slam in his last game. Yates, meanwhile has an outstanding 2.08 ERA, 14.2 K/9 and 5.13 K/BB rate over 26 IP since being claimed off waivers from the Angels in April. Neither pitcher is likely to net the Padres a big return in a trade, though as Lin notes, San Diego has little in the way of healthy trade chips aside from Brad Hand.
- Also from Lin’s mailbag, he reports that star pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza is playing catch but hasn’t yet thrown off a mound. Espinoza has yet to pitch at all this season after suffering forearm tightness in early April, and then additional soreness in May that led to a shutdown. The Padres, as you might expect, are taking it slow with Espinoza’s recovery given his long-term value to the organization. Lin notes that Espinoza might possibly not pitch at all this summer, as it will still be a while before the young righty is ready for game action.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/3/17
Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the game…
- Infielder Tony Renda has been dealt from the Reds to the Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. The 26-year-old had been outrighted over the winter after struggling in his MLB debut last year. Through 198 plate appearances at Triple-A in 2017, he was slashing just .260/.305/.326 — albeit with just 18 strikeouts to go with a dozen walks.
- In another minor swap, the Giants purchased Tyler Herb from the Mariners for an undisclosed sum, both teams announced. He’ll actually represent the player to be named later in the deal that sent Chris Heston to Seattle, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, with some undisclosed technicality requiring the particular treatment. The 25-year-old was taken in the 29th round of the 2014 draft. He made it up to the Double-A level last year and has thrown well there upon a repeat assignment. Herb has made it through 98 innings in 16 starts on the year, posting a 3.31 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
- Nationals righty Jacob Turner has accepted an outright assignment after clearing waivers, per a team announcement. Still just 26, Turner has given the Nats some badly needed innings this year, though his ERA stands at 5.08 after 39 frames of action. He is expected to resume working as a starter in case he’s needed in that role at the major league level.
- Also outrighted was Blue Jays outfielder Ian Parmley, Toronto announced. He was up for a brief stretch, but will return to plying his trade at Triple-A Buffalo. over 205 plate appearances there on the year, Parmley is slashing .289/.332/.369.
- The Mariners released southpaw Nick Hagadone, according to Triple-A Tacoma announcer Mike Curto (via Twitter). As Curto notes, Hagadone has been particularly impressive of late. The 31-year-old has seen action in parts of four MLB seasons, all with the Indians, but missed all of last year after an elbow fracture. He landed in Seattle on a minors deal and has thrown 33 1/3 innings of 3.51 ERA ball — with 9.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 — since arriving in Tacoma. (It could well be, then, that Hagadone utilized an opt-out clause, though we’ve heard no indication of that as of yet.)
Earlier Transactions
- The Brewers announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Michael Blazek from Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 28-year-old was outrighted off the 40-man roster earlier this year but remained in the organization and has posted a solid 3.13 ERA in that extremely hitter-friendly setting. While all of Blazek’s 104 career appearances in the Majors have been in relief, he’s been working as a starter for his past 10 trips to the hill in Triple-A. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy suggests (via Twitter) that Blazek could very well pitch today in relief of left-hander Brent Suter. Piggybacking the two would certainly make some sense, as Suter may not be fully stretched out with his most recent start coming back on June 13. Milwaukee already had an open spot on the 40-man, so there’s no corresponding 40-man move needed to accommodate Blazek.
NL International Signings: 7/2/17
Here are some notable National League international signings not yet covered elsewhere on MLB Trade Rumors. All signing information can be found in these invaluable compilations of the initial flurry of July 2 action from Baseball America’s Ben Badler and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez; the information here is from those sources unless otherwise credited…
- The Mets agreed to deals with Dominican shortstops Ronny Mauricio and Adrian Hernandez. Mauricio will get a $2.1MM bonus while Hernandez receives $1.5MM.
- The Phillies reached agreement with Dominican shortstop Luis Garcia on a deal with a $2.5MM bonus.
- The Marlins have agree to sign Ynmanol Marinez, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. The exact figures on Marinez’s bonus aren’t known, though the 16-year-old will get in the neighborhood of $1.3MM-$1.5MM.
- The Brewers agreed to sign Dominican outfielder Larry Ernesto for a bonus in the range of $1.7MM-$1.8MM (BA had the lower figure, MLB.com the higher). Milwaukee has also reached a deal with Venezuelan outfielder Carlos Rodriguez for a $1.355MM bonus.
- The Cubs agreed to sign Mexican shortstop Luis Verdugo for a $1MM bonus.
- The Diamondbacks have an agreement with outfielder Kristian Robinson. The 16-year-old native of Nassau, Bahamas will receive $2.5MM from Arizona.
West Notes: D-backs, Angels, Dodgers
The fractured right hand shortstop Nick Ahmed suffered this week could force the Diamondbacks to address the position prior to the trade deadline, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. With Ahmed out for the foreseeable future, general manager Mike Hazen indicated that he’s open to acquiring a shortstop. “I felt like we had a clearer path,” Hazen said. “I do think, as you take on injuries, those things do change a little bit. I think over the next month, we have to be somewhat flexible given what may happen with the major-league team. I do think we have areas, like I’ve said before, that we’re going to at least focus in on to see if there are ways to improve the club.” Piecoro names the Reds’ Zack Cozart, the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias and the Phillies’ Freddy Galvis as potential targets, suggesting that each are likely defensive upgrades over the Diamondbacks’ in-house tandem of Chris Owings and Ketel Marte.
More from the majors’ two West divisions:
- When Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney underwent Tommy John surgery a year ago, general manager Billy Eppler was unwilling to rule him out for all of 2017. Now, there’s a good chance Heaney will indeed take the hill this season, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Heaney threw a 90-pitch simulated game Saturday and could embark on a rehab assignment later this month, and manager Mike Scioscia believes the 28-year-old has made “remarkable” progress. “I would say that his rehab has gone as well as you could hope for,” Scioscia said. “For him to throw the ball the way he did this afternoon, on the one-year anniversary of his surgery, is incredible. It’s very promising where he is.”
- Mike Trout‘s return from the disabled list later this month could create a dilemma for the Angels, who might have to decide between fellow outfielders Ben Revere and Eric Young Jr., writes DiGiovanna. Revere is the far pricier player, raking in $4MM to Young’s minimal salary; however, Young has slashed .275/.353/.418 with three home runs and 11 steals in 104 plate appearances to trump Revere’s output (.223/.237/.311, one homer, five steals over 152 PAs).
- Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez won’t return until after the All-Star break, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com and Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). The back troubles Gonzalez has dealt with for years continue to pose a problem, and he still hasn’t resumed baseball activities since going on the DL in the first half of June. “He’s not where he wants to be,” noted manager Dave Roberts.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/28/17
Here are the day’s minor moves…
- The Twins announced that left-hander Mason Melotakis has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. The 26-year-old lefty was designated for assignment last week in somewhat of a surprise move, as he’s long rated as one of their better bullpen prospects and had delivered strong results between Double-A and Triple-A this season. However, the former second-rounder’s velocity is also reportedly down in recent outings, which may have contributed to the decision to designate him and the lack of a claim. Through 27 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Melotakis has a 2.28 ERA with 10.4 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate north of 50 percent. He’ll head back to Triple-A Rochester and hope to work his way back into Minnesota’s plans later this year.
- The D-backs announced last night that catcher Oscar Hernandez, who was designated for assignment over the weekend, has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Double-A Jackson. The former Rule 5 pick (out of the Rays’ system in 2014) has posted a woeful .197/.263/.352 slash line through 156 Double-A plate appearances this year. Hernandez is still just 23, though, and he’s considered a strong defensive backstop. He’s shut down 43 percent of attempted stolen bases against him and has received strong framing grades from Baseball Prospectus in each of the past couple of seasons.
Injury Notes: Bird, Austin, Ahmed, Gsellman, Anderson, Jackson
There’s concern within the Yankees organization that Greg Bird won’t make it back at all this season, manager Joe Girardi admitted to the YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits (Twitter link). Bird is still feeling soreness in his injured foot/ankle — an injury that has limited him to just 25 games between the Majors and Triple-A this season. Further complicating the situation is that Tyler Austin could be DL-bound, per Girardi (via ESPN’s Andrew Marchand). Marchand notes that if Austin does indeed land on the disabled list, Chris Carter could make a quick return to the lineup after accepting today’s outright assignment to Triple-A.
More injury news from around the game…
- The Diamondbacks announced today that backup infielder Nick Ahmed has been placed on the 10-day DL with a fractured right hand, and offseason acquisition Ketel Marte has been recalled from Triple-A Reno in his place. Per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, Ahmed had three pins inserted into his hand and will be shut down from baseball activity for the next six weeks (Twitter link). It could be eight weeks before Ahmed, the team’s best defensive infielder, returns to the team. Ahmed is hitting just .251/.298/.419, but his glove will be missed. From 2015-16, Ahmed posted a +32 mark in Defensive Runs Saved and a +19.9 mark in Ultimate Zone Rating. As for Marte, the second key piece acquired in this offseason’s Taijuan Walker/Jean Segura/Mitch Haniger trade, he’ll debut in Arizona on the heels of a .338/.391/.514 batting line thus far in Triple-A.
- The Mets will be without Robert Gsellman for a few weeks, writes Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Gsellman landed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, becoming the seventh Mets starting pitcher to land on the DL this year. Gsellman is the 17th Mets player to land on the DL this season, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo notes. Rafael Montero will assume Gsellman’s spot in the rotation, though Ackert notes that the Mets were already considering that move due to Montero’s strong results as of late. Gsellman, meanwhile, has a 6.16 ERA in 76 innings this year, though that mark is partially skewed by a pair of outings this month in which Gsellman allowed a combined 14 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings.
- Right-hander Chase Anderson exited tonight’s game with what the Brewers have announced as a strained left oblique muscle. There’s no word on how long he’ll miss and won’t be until after the game, but oblique injuries more often than not mean a month or so on the disabled list for a Grade 1 strain and even longer for more severe strains. That’s a brutal loss for the Brewers, who have enjoyed a breakout year from the 29-year-old Anderson thus far. Through 90 1/3 innings, Anderson has a 2.89 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 38.1 percent ground-ball rate. There are occasionally oblique injuries that don’t require such a lengthy absence, though history isn’t on Milwaukee’s side there.
- The Indians placed Austin Jackson on the 10-day disabled list yesterday after an MRI revealed a strained quadriceps, president of baseball ops Chris Antonetti told reporters (via Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer). Antonetti said that the team’s expectation is that it’ll be three to four weeks before Jackson is able to return to the big league roster. Jackson, 30, is in the midst of a rather quiet rebound season, as he’s hitting a robust .304/.383/.500 through 120 plate appearances this season.
Knocking Down The Door: Burnes, Granite, Mahle, Moya, Smith
“Knocking Down the Door” is a weekly feature that identifies minor leaguers who are making a case for a big league promotion.
Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi)
The Brewers’ starting rotation has been much better than expected and, arguably, the biggest reason why they’re sitting atop the NL Central with a 41-37 record. But while their five starters are healthy and performing well at the moment, the team’s rotation depth has taken a hit as of late. Top prospect Josh Hader was moved to a relief role in order to balance out a right-handed heavy bullpen, and Brandon Woodruff landed on the disabled list when he suffered a strained hamstring just before his MLB debut. All of a sudden, Burnes is not only rocketing up the prospect lists with his impressive performance in 2017, he could actually help a playoff-contending Brewers team at some point.
A fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, Burnes posted a 1.05 ERA in 10 High-A starts before a June promotion to Double-A. The 22-year-old right-hander hasn’t slowed down one bit, allowing two earned runs and 10 hits over 23 2/3innings in his four Southern League starts. He threw close to 140 innings in 2016 between the NCAA and the Minor Leagues, so it’s realistic that he can exceed 150 innings this year—he’s currently at 83 2/3—and that some of those innings might actually be thrown at the Major League level.
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Zack Granite, OF, Minnesota Twins (Triple-A Rochester)
The Twins’ patience with Byron Buxton paid off as he was productive over a 146 plate appearance stretch (.746 OPS from April 21-June 14) after a slow start. But he’s gone ice cold again—he’s 5 for his last 38 with no extra bases and 13 strikeouts—while the Twins have been one of the worst offenses in baseball this month. If they’re looking for a spark, and a player who can at least spell Buxton occasionally in center field, it’s becoming clear that Granite could be a solution.
After his third consecutive two-hit game on Monday, the 24-year-old has a Triple-A slash line of .365/.419/513 in 48 games. His 17 walk-to-22 strikeout ratio might be his most enticing stat considering that Buxton and left fielder Eddie Rosario have combined for 34 walks and 127 strikeouts.
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Tyler Mahle, SP, Cincinnati Reds (Triple-A Louisville)
Mahle is the first player to earn “Knocking Down The Door” honors for a second time in 2017, although he was dominating at the Double-A level when I pegged him as a potential call-up in early May. This time around, he’s coming off of an impressive Triple-A debut in which he pitched four-hit ball over six innings with no earned runs allowed and nine strikeouts.
A struggling Reds’ rotation was hoping for a shot in the arm with Homer Bailey and Brandon Finnegan both back from the disabled list. But Bailey’s 2017 debut was disastrous (1 2/3 IP, 8 ER) and Finnegan is headed back to the DL with a shoulder injury. The Reds have already used an NL-leading 12 starting pitchers and are certain to dip into their farm for reinforcements again at some point. Will the 22-year-old Mahle be the 13th?
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Gabriel Moya, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks (Double-A Jackson)
Fernando Rodney and Archie Bradley have been the keys to solidifying what appeared to be a very suspect Diamondbacks bullpen heading into the season. But, will it hold up down the stretch as they try to lock down their first playoff berth since 2011? It would be a surprise if general manager Mike Hazen didn’t acquire some late-inning help prior to July 31st, but they could also take a look at some potential in-house options prior to the deadline. Moya, a 22-year-old who has been close to unhittable as the Double-A closer, should be considered.
The left-hander out of Venezuela has allowed a run in only two of his 26 appearances while holding opponents to a .139 batting average and walking only 12 hitters with 52 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. Right-handed hitters have a .107 batting average against him, which is at least an indication that he could be more than a situational reliever.
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Caleb Smith, SP, New York Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
With Chance Adams still waiting for a much-deserved and much-anticipated MLB call-up, Smith’s work in Triple-A has gone relatively unnoticed. The 25-year-old lefty has made 14 starts in 2017 and has allowed two earned runs or less twelve times, including back-to-back gems (13 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 13 K) to lower his ERA to 2.84 with impressive peripherals across the board (6.5 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.5 K/9).