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NL Notes: Brewers, Tellez, Naquin, Smith

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Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader combined on Major League Baseball’s record-setting ninth official no-hitter of the season, as the Brewers recorded a 3-0 victory over the Indians.  Burnes struck out 14 Cleveland batters over eight dominant innings, though since Burnes amassed 115 pitches, Hader was brought in to finish things off with a perfect ninth inning.  It was the second no-hitter in Brewers franchise history, since Juan Nieves’ gem on April 15, 1987.

Baseball’s “Year Of The No-Hitter” hasn’t been kind to the Indians, who have now set a record by being no-hit three times in a single season.  Zach Plesac has been the Tribe’s starting pitcher for all three of those games, and Plesac matches Jim Perry as the only hurler in baseball history to be on the mound opposite three no-hitters in his career (let alone in a single season).

The latest from around the senior circuit…

  • It wasn’t a perfect night for the Brewers, as first baseman Rowdy Tellez left the game prior to the bottom of the second inning due to a knee injury.  Manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that Tellez has been bothered by the nagging injury for some time, and he will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of the problem.  Acquired in a trade with the Blue Jays in early July, Tellez hit .265/.325/.464 with seven home runs over his first 166 plate appearances in a Milwaukee uniform.  Tellez has become the Brew Crew’s top first base option, though if he has to miss time on the injured list, the team can turn to a combination of Daniel Vogelbach, Eduardo Escobar, and Jace Peterson at first base.
  • A sixth-inning collision between Reds teammates Tyler Naquin and Jose Barrero resulted in Naquin leaving the game with bruised ribs.  Naquin and Barrero were both in pursuit of a short fly ball from the Cardinals’ Dylan Carlson, but the ball eluded the duo in painful fashion, resulting in an RBI double for Carlson.  In positive news, Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic) that there weren’t any concerns that either Naquin or Barrero suffered a concussion.  The Reds don’t play on Monday, so it seems likely that Naquin will get two full days off to recuperate, and it remains to be seen if the injured list will ultimately be required.
  • Caleb Smith lost the appeal of his 10-game suspension, and began serving that suspension today.  The Diamondbacks southpaw was hit with the 10-game ban after umpires discovered a foreign substance on his glove during an August 18 game.  Smith strongly protested his ejection from the game and subsequent suspension, though his appeal didn’t result in a change of the league’s initial decision.  Smith has a 5.04 ERA/4.68 SIERA over 105 innings this season, moving between Arizona’s rotation and bullpen amidst a lot of control problems.

Diamondbacks Promote Seth Beer

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4:54 pm: The team has officially announced Beer’s promotion. Infielder Drew Ellis was optioned to Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.

3:21 pm: The Diamondbacks are planning to select first base prospect Seth Beer to make his major league debut during this weekend’s series against the Mariners, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Arizona already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster after releasing righty Seth Frankoff earlier in the week.

Beer was a first-round pick of the Astros back in 2018. The left-handed hitter had a monstrous three-year run at Clemson leading up to the draft, and he’s continued to mash in pro ball. Beer has hit well at every minor league level over the past couple seasons, with that success continuing after he was traded to Arizona in July 2019 as part of the Zack Greinke blockbuster. (The three other players Arizona acquired — utilityman Josh Rojas and right-handers J.B. Bukauskas and Corbin Martin — have also reached the majors).

After spending last season at the D-Backs’ alternate training site, Beer was assigned to Triple-A Reno this year. Over 435 plate appearances there, the 24-year-old owns a .287/.398/.511 line with sixteen home runs. Those numbers are aided by a hitter-friendly environment, but Beer’s production still checks in twenty-six percentage points above the Triple-A West league average. Coupled with his previous track record of success, there’s little left for Beer to prove against minor league arms.

Despite his draft pedigree, Beer isn’t regarded as an elite prospect due to concerns about his limited defensive value. Baseball America slotted him seventeenth in the Arizona system on their midseason update, praising his offensive acumen while questioning whether Beer could develop into even a serviceable defender at first base. Many expect the National League to adopt the designated hitter in 2022 as part of the next round of collective bargaining negotiations, and few would seemingly stand to benefit more from a potential NL DH than Beer.

The Diamondbacks would have had to add Beer to the 40-man roster this offseason or else risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. They’ll get an early look at a potential long-term option as they play out the string on a terrible year. Beer could seemingly take some playing time from the struggling Christian Walker, who has hit just .234/.308/.356 in 373 trips to the plate.

Diamondbacks Release Seth Frankoff

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The Diamondbacks announced this afternoon that they’ve released right-hander Seth Frankoff. Frankoff had been on optional assignment to Triple-A Reno. The move clears a spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster.

Frankoff inked a minor league deal with the D-Backs over the offseason and was selected to the big league club in mid-May. The 32-year-old made four appearances (three starts) and tossed 14 2/3 innings of 9.20 ERA ball before landing on the injured list with forearm soreness. He’s worked 21 frames with Reno, posting an 8.14 ERA at the minors’ top level before being let go.

While Frankoff has seen MLB action in parts of three seasons, he’s only pitched a total of 19 1/3 innings at the big league level. Frankoff spent the 2018-19 seasons with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization, posting a 3.68 ERA with a fine 22% strikeout rate and a strong 7.6% walk percentage. That solid work overseas should get Frankoff a look from another club on a minor league deal despite his struggles this season.

Diamondbacks Select Brandyn Sittinger

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SEPTEMBER 7: Arizona officially announced Sittinger’s promotion. Veteran reliever Tyler Clippard was placed on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

SEPTEMBER 6: The Diamondbacks are planning to select the contract of reliever Brandyn Sittinger, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). Arizona will need to make corresponding active and 40-man roster moves.

Sittinger originally entered pro ball as a 17th-round pick of the Tigers in 2016 out of Division II Ashland University. The right-hander spent the next couple seasons in the Detroit organization but was released in July 2019, having topped out at Double-A. After being let go, he landed with the Evansville Otters of the independent Frontier League, where he spent a couple months. He impressed D-Backs’ evaluators enough in indie ball to land a minor league deal over the 2019-20 offseason.

Because of last year’s canceled minor league season, Sittinger didn’t pitch professionally. He was assigned to Double-A Amarillo to open the 2021 campaign and earned a bump to Triple-A Reno in mid-June. Across the two levels, Sittinger has worked to a solid 4.03 ERA over 38 innings. He has punched out a very impressive 32.9% of opponents across the top two levels, although he has struggled a bit with walks upon getting moved up to Reno. The Diamondbacks will give the 27-year-old an opportunity to try to carry over that bat-missing success against MLB hitters.

Diamondbacks Select Henry Ramos

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The Diamondbacks have selected the contract of outfielder Henry Ramos, per a team announcement. Fellow outfielder Stuart Fairchild was optioned to make room on the active roster. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy, meaning a corresponding move will not be necessary there.

As soon as Ramos gets into a game, he will make his major league debut. It’s been a long journey for the 29-year-old, who was originally selected by the Red Sox way back in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. He hasn’t made much noise since then, with his only appearance on a team top 30 at Baseball America coming back in 2015, when he ranked #29 on Boston’s list. He climbed to Triple-A in the Boston system in 2016 before reaching free agency after that season. Since then, he has spent time in the minors with the Dodgers and Giants, before signing on with the Diamondbacks this year.

Ramos earned his way to this promotion by absolutely mashing in Triple-A this season. In 294 plate appearances over 75 games, Ramos has slashed .371/.439/.582, good enough for a wRC+ of 153. For a Diamondbacks team that is nowhere near contention, they can use some of their remaining season to see if he can transfer any of that production to the big leagues.

Every Team’s Initial September Callups

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The limit on active roster players expanded from 26 to 28 today, as the calendar flipped to September. Every team announced at least two additions to the big league club (some teams made three or more due to injured list placements). Here’s a recap of today’s spate of transactions:

Diamondbacks Acquire Two Players From Blue Jays To Complete Joakim Soria Trade

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The Diamondbacks announced they’ve acquired two minor league players — catcher J.J. D’Orazio and left-hander Yaifer Perdomo — from the Blue Jays. The move completes the teams’ deadline day deal that sent veteran reliever Joakim Soria to Toronto.

Arizona picks up a pair of low-level developmental prospects. Entering the season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked the 19-year-old D’Orazio the #26 prospect in the Jays’ system, praising his frame and bat-to-ball skills. Perdomo has never appeared on an organizational ranking at either FanGraphs or Baseball America. The 20-year-old posted gaudy strikeout totals with the Jays’ Florida Complex League affiliate this season though. Both D’Orazio and Perdomo were recently bumped up to Low-A.

Soria hasn’t yet had much of an opportunity to make an impact for his new club. The 37-year-old went down with inflammation in his right middle finger on August 4 and missed three weeks. He’s tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the Jays and will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Diamondbacks Recall Andrew Young, Release Bryan Holaday

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The Diamondbacks have recalled infielder Andrew Young, per a team announcement. To make room on the roster, catcher Bryan Holaday has been released.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Young, in many ways. He’s been optioned to the minors and recalled six times already this season and has seen mixed results as well. In a small sample size of 67 plate appearances at the big league level, Young has shown some power but also a lot of strikeouts. His overall line is .228/.328/.596 for a wRC+ of 140, despite striking out a whopping 49.3% of the time. (MLB average is 23.4%) His Triple-A output on the year is similar, a line of .282/.380/.564, wRC+ of 128 and a strikeout rate of 35.4%.

Young can play multiple positions but has been primarily slotted into second base this year. Josh Rojas has gotten the bulk of playing time at the keystone in Arizona this season, but the club recently lost Asdrubal Cabrera on waivers, who had been the regular third baseman. With him out of the picture, that could potentially open up some infield playing time by having Young or Rojas at the hot corner.

As for Holaday, the veteran catcher has become extraneous given the presence of Carson Kelly and the emergence of Daulton Varsho. He hasn’t started a game since August 19th, only getting three pinch-hit plate appearances since then. Overall, he’s gotten 34 plate appearances on the year, slashing .194/.265/.258. He’ll now head to the open market and look for a new home.

Diamondbacks Select Jake McCarthy

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The Diamondbacks announced they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Jake McCarthy. No additional moves were necessary, as active and 40-man roster space became available when Arizona lost veteran infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera off waivers to the Reds this afternoon. (Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune reported the news before the official announcement).

Arizona selected McCarthy in the Competitive Balance Round (39th overall) in 2018 out of the University of Virginia. The left-handed hitter remains one of the more promising prospects in the organization, checking in 22nd in the system on Baseball America’s midseason update. BA writes that McCarthy has made recent swing alterations in an attempt to incorporate more power and remains athletic enough to cover center field.

McCarthy has split the 2021 campaign between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno. The 23-year-old hit .241/.333/.489 over 156 plate appearances in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting before being bumped up to Reno, where he’s hit .262/.330/.508 in a far more favorable environment for hitters. The D-Backs would’ve had to add McCarthy onto the 40-man roster this offseason to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft. With any hope of competing this season long gone, they’ll make the move a little early and get a look at him against major league pitching over the season’s final five weeks.

Reds Claim Asdrubal Cabrera

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1:45pm: The Reds and D-backs have officially announced the move.

12:44pm: The Reds have claimed veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera off waivers from the Diamondbacks, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). The teams have yet to announce the move. Cincinnati already has multiple vacancies on its 40-man roster, so the Reds will only need to open a spot on the active 26-man roster.

Cabrera, 35, will give the Reds a switch-hitting infield option off the bench for the final month-plus of the regular season — and for the postseason, should they qualify. Because Cabrera is being claimed prior to Sept. 1, he’ll be eligible for postseason play with his new club.

It hasn’t been a great year at the plate for Cabrera, but he’s posted a respectable .244/.324/.392 batting line in 321 plate appearances while splitting his time between the infield corners (in addition to one lone inning at shortstop). He’s playing out the season on a one-year, $1.75MM contract and is owed about $358K of that sum through season’s end. The Reds will be on the hook for the remainder of that salary.

The veteran Cabrera looked like an obvious trade candidate prior to the deadline, but the D-backs apparently didn’t find much interest. They’ll clear a bit of cash now that he’s been claimed, although the primary motivation here could simply have been to give a veteran player a chance to join a playoff contender.

Cincinnati doesn’t have everyday at-bats available for Cabrera — not with Joey Votto at first base, Jonathan India at second base and Mike Moustakas over at third base. However, Cabrera has been quite productive against left-handed pitching over the past two seasons and has slightly better numbers against lefties than against righties over the course of his lengthy career. And as potent as the Reds’ lineup can be, Cincinnati has quietly been one of the game’s least-productive groups against southpaws, hitting just .231/.313/.380 as a team. Their collective 86 wRC+ against lefties ranks 28th in the Majors. Cabrera gives them a slight upgrade in that regard and also gives manager David Bell some versatility for late-game maneuvering.

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