Blue Jays Claim Jordan Luplow From Braves
The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed outfielder Jordan Luplow off waivers from the Braves and optioned him to Triple-A. Luplow had been designated for assignment by Atlanta earlier this week when that club selected rookie pitcher Dylan Dodd. In a corresponding move, the Jays transferred lefty Hyun Jin Ryu to the 60-day injured list.
Luplow, 29, has appeared in the past six major league seasons, suiting up for Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Arizona. He’s largely taken on part-time duties, as his 85 games and 261 plate appearances in 2019 are both career highs. The right-handed hitter is generally viewed as a short-side platoon option, often putting up good numbers against lefties. His career batting line against southpaws is .226/.337/.505 for a wRC+ of 125, compared to a .200/.288/.355 line and 76 wRC+ against righties.
Last year, Luplow didn’t hit well against pitchers from either side, slashing .176/.274/.361 for the Diamondbacks. They could have retained him via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $2MM salary, though the D’Backs opted to cut him from the roster at the end of the season instead. Atlanta picked him by signing him to a slightly lower price point of $1.4MM, but he didn’t make the club’s Opening Day roster. They had picked up a few other candidates for part-time outfield roles, such as Sam Hilliard, Kevin Pillar and Eli White. That nudged Luplow to the minors to start the season and off the 40-man shortly thereafter.
For the Jays, they previously had a righty-heavy outfield but tipped the scales the other way this offseason. Righties Teoscar Hernández and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. were both traded away while lefties Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier were brought aboard and Nathan Lukes won the bench outfield job out of camp. Luplow will head to Triple-A Buffalo for now but he could potentially be recalled at some point to play matchups and take some at-bats against tough lefties.
He currently has between four and five years of MLB service time, meaning the Jays could retain him for next season via arbitration if he lasts the whole year on the roster. He has just one option year remaining, however, meaning he will likely be out of options next year. Once he spends 20 days in the minors, then 2023 will officially burn his last option year.
As for Ryu, this transfer comes as no surprise as he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and is targeting a return around the All-Star break. This move was an inevitable formality, with the Jays waiting until they found a player they liked on the waiver wire to make it.
Braves Recall Bryce Elder, Place Max Fried On IL
The Braves announced today that right-hander Bryce Elder has been recalled while left-hander Max Fried has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Fried’s move is backdated to April 1.
Coming into the spring, Atlanta’s planned rotation has four spots taken by Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright. The final spot was left open for a spring battle, with the frontrunners considered to be Michael Soroka, Ian Anderson and Elder. Soroka got hurt in the spring while the other two hurlers struggled. Elder tossed 11 2/3 innings over three starts with a 6.17 ERA, striking out nine opponents while allowing five walks and 11 hits, including three home runs. Both he and Anderson were optioned in the middle of March, with rookies Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd out-pitching them and jumping them on the depth chart.
Wright also dealt with an injury in camp and eventually landed on the injured list to start the year, allowing both Shuster and Dodd to get big league opportunities alongside Fried, Strider and Morton. Fried then had to depart his Opening Day start with this hamstring issue, with manager Brian Snitker recently confirming that Fried would indeed be placed on the injured list, which is now official. It doesn’t sound like the club is expecting a significant absence, but he’ll miss at least a couple of weeks to rest up.
Shuster’s first start didn’t go especially well, as he allowed four runs in the first inning against the Nationals on Sunday. He eventually settled down and got through 4 2/3 innings but was optioned yesterday when Dodd was added to the roster.
It had been reported recently that Elder and Anderson were in contention to rejoin the rotation in Fried’s absence and Elder will get at least the first nod. Though he had a rough spring, he had an encouraging debut last year, posting a 3.17 ERA over 54 innings. His strikeout and walk rates were each a bit below average but he got ground balls at a healthy 49.3% clip.
With Wright and Fried on the IL and Shuster optioned, the club’s rotation currently consists of Strider, Morton, Dodd and Elder. The club’s next off-day isn’t until April 13, over a week away, so they will likely need to make another rotation move in the coming days or else have a bullpen day. Anderson started in Triple-A on Sunday but didn’t make it out of the first inning, allowing six runs, four earned. He tossed 37 pitches while walking two and allowing four hits, including three home runs. Soroka recently spoke about how the plan for him is to start for Gwinnett tonight but said he’ll likely be limited to three or four innings while continuing to build up from his interrupted spring. Shuster was just optioned yesterday and can’t be recalled for 15 days from that point unless another player is placed on the injured list. Wright’s 15-day IL placement was retroactive to March 27, meaning he can’t return until April 11 at the earliest.
Big Hype Prospects: Grissom, Liberatore, Soderstrom, Naylor, Silseth
It feels good to breathe again – by which I mean identify players to write about based upon who is tearing up minor league ball. While there hasn’t been much action yet, we have many big-name prospects appearing in Triple-A boxscores. Catchers feature prominently this week.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Vaughn Grissom, 22, 2B/SS, ATL (AAA)
16 PA, 1 HR, 2 SB, .417/.563/1.083
One of the top performers of Opening Weekend, Grissom seeks to embarrass the Braves for choosing Orlando Arcia and Ehire Adrianza over him. This is his first exposure to Triple-A after spending most of 2022 in High-A and the Majors. The extra taste of upper-minors action could be designed to avoid a developmental setback related to facing Major League pitching. Grissom appeared overexposed late last season once scouting reports were refined. There are still questions about his shortstop defense – questions that should be answered during the course of 2023.
Matthew Liberatore, 23, SP, STL (AAA)
5 IP, 12.60 K/9, 3.60 BB/9, 0.00 ERA
Of the prospect pitchers in Triple-A, Liberatore posted the best 2023 debut. He allowed six baserunners in five innings of work with seven strikeouts. Liberatore is a complicated player to scout. His individual pitches rate well, especially a visually filthy curve ball. The issue is his curve doesn’t tunnel with any of his other offerings, making it identifiable out of the hand. Last season, Liberatore worked to a 5.17 ERA in Triple-A with a 5.97 ERA in 34.2 Major League innings.
Tyler Soderstrom, 21, C/1B, OAK (AAA)
10 PA, 1 HR, .556/.600/1.222
A first-round pick from the wonky 2020 draft, Soderstrom surged through the minors last season. His bat is his calling card. He’s particularly adept at producing high exit velocities at an ideal launch angle. Defensively, he leaves much to be desired. While he could conceivably stick at catcher with several more years of hard work, his bat is nearly Major League ready and should play at first base. For that reason, as well as the presence of Shea Langeliers, Soderstrom is widely expected to switch to the cold corner on a more permanent basis this season.
Bo Naylor, 23, C, CLE (AAA)
15 PA, 2 HR, .385/.467/.923
Naylor is coming off a huge rebound season in the minors with an aim toward building upon his reputation as a power-hitting backstop. He has above-average speed for a catcher and could potentially move off the position over the long haul. His defensive capability is viewed as below average at this time. For now, the Guardians have rostered a trio of catchers known mainly for their defense. Like Soderstrom, Naylor’s bat is his carrying trait. He is a discipline-forward slugger whose high rate of contact is offset by an unwillingness to swing at pitches he can’t barrel. The result is a high strikeout rate despite a low swinging strike rate.
Chase Silseth, 23, SP, LAA (AAA)
5 IP, 10.80 K/9, 1.80 BB/9, 0.00
Silseth popped up as a standout in Double-A early last season. The pitching-needy Angels brought him directly to the Majors where he posted a 6.59 ERA (4.24 xFIP) in 28.2 innings. Silseth has a five-pitch repertoire. I’ve received mixed notes on his command. While we know he doesn’t issue many free passes, that could be because his stuff plays in the zone against minor league hitters. His best offering is a splitter. Silseth himself blamed the splitter for his poor performance in the Majors, noting that he needed the pitch to be on to succeed. Splitter consistency is a difficult trait to develop, especially for a starting pitcher. Don’t be surprised if he’s inconsistent as he loses and regains feel for his top weapon.
Three More
Matt Mervis, CHC (25): Mervis is an odd prospect in that he continues to torch the ball, yet scouts doubt his ability to hold a regular role in the Majors. He has a 1.167 OPS through 15 plate appearances. We should see him tested against Major League pitching before the calendar flips to summer.
Brett Baty, NYM (24): Baty’s strong spring continued into Triple-A. He has two home runs, a stolen base, and a 1.257 OPS through 15 plate appearances. Mets fans on social media are eager to see Baty oust Eduardo Escobar who is currently 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts.
Connor Norby, BAL (22): The Orioles’ impending glut of middle infielders includes Norby. The second baseman consistently outperforms his modest scouting grades. Bear in mind, the Orioles’ minor league venues are far friendlier to right-handed batters than Camden Yards. Norby strikes me as an obvious trade candidate later this summer.
Braves Designate Jordan Luplow, Select Dylan Dodd
The Braves announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Dylan Dodd, who was reported last week to have secured a rotation spot. In corresponding moves, left-hander Jared Shuster was optioned to Triple-A while outfielder Jordan Luplow was designated for assignment.
Luplow, 29, was signed by Atlanta this offseason to a one-year, $1.4MM deal. The outfielder had spent 2022 with the Diamondbacks, but limped to a .176/.274/.361 batting line on the year and a wRC+ of 78. He could have been retained via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a salary of $2MM, but Arizona designated him for assignment instead. After becoming a free agent, Luplow signed that deal with Atlanta, a bit below his arb projection.
He would have been line for a bench outfield role but the club later added some more options into the competition for that job, acquiring Eli White and signing Kevin Pillar to a minor league deal. The latter of those two eventually had his contract selected and made the roster alongside Sam Hilliard, with Luplow getting optioned to the minors. Luplow’s now lost his spot on the 40-man roster as well.
The club will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Despite recent struggles, Luplow has occasionally seemed like a viable platoon outfielder. The right-handed hitter has a career batting line of .226/.337/.505 against lefties for a wRC+ of 125, compared to a .200/.288/.355 line and 76 wRC+ against righties. That could lead to some interest around the league but it’s a fairly similar profile to Darin Ruf, who was released by the Mets today and can now be signed for the league minimum. One thing Luplow offers beyond Ruf, though, is the ability to be optioned to the minors. Luplow is also shy of five years service time and therefore can be retained for 2024 via arbitration.
If Luplow were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and return to free agency, though he might not do so. Since he’s shy of the five-year service mark, he would have to leave his salary on the table in order to return to the open market. Perhaps the $1.4MM would be enough to convince him to stick in Gwinnett as depth, if that comes to pass.
As for Shuster, he has been optioned but it’s possible there are some roster shenanigans going on. Pitchers optioned to the minors can’t return for 15 days, but an exception is made when another played is going on the injured list. Manager Brian Snitker has said that lefty Max Fried will be placed on the injured list, though the club hasn’t done so yet. Once they make that move official, it’s possible that Shuster gets added back to the active roster. That being said, he didn’t exactly wow in his debut, allowing four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. He walked five opponents, allowed six hits and only struck out one. Perhaps he’ll get some more work in Gwinnett and the big league club will consider giving his spot to Dodd, Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson or Michael Soroka, at least until Fried and Kyle Wright are ready to come off the injured list.
NL East Notes: Verlander, Wright, Keuchel, Plawecki
Justin Verlander‘s tenure with the Mets got off to an unfortunate start when the veteran righty was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a teres major strain. The injury was described as “low-grade” in the Mets’ initial release, and a source tells SNY TV’s Andy Martino that Verlander’s strain is “very minor.” More will officially be known when Verlander undergoes a follow-up MRI next week, but it does seem like the ace might be able to be activated from the IL when first eligible. That could mean a home start against the Padres on April 11 or 12, or just out of added precaution, the Mets might wait to activate Verlander until April 14 when the team visits Oakland.
More from around the NL East….
- Kyle Wright is slated to throw a start at Triple-A on Wednesday, Braves manager Brian Snitker told The Atlanta Journal-Constiution’s Justin Toscano and other reporters. The team’s initial plan was to give Wright both a minor league outing and an outing in spring camp as he continues to make his preparations for the season, and Wright checked one box with a start in extended Spring Training last Thursday. Due to an offseason cortisone shot in his throwing shoulder, Wright’s normal winter routine was set back, and thus the Braves placed him on the IL to allow him more time to fully ramp up. Assuming no setbacks, Wright is projected to be activated from the IL during Atlanta’s series with the Reds from April 10-12.
- There hasn’t been any public buzz about Dallas Keuchel‘s market since the former AL Cy Young Award winner was released by the Rangers back in September, but the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies had some interest in signing Keuchel to a minor league deal, though no official offer came. Keuchel has struggled to a 6.35 ERA over 222 2/3 innings with the White Sox, Diamondbacks, and Rangers since the start of the 2021 season, so it would be something of a low-risk flier for the Phillies or any other team to bring Keuchel aboard on a minors contract. While Keuchel might not be the choice, it certainly tracks that Philadelphia would be looking for some rotation depth, since Ranger Suarez, Nick Nelson, Cristopher Sanchez, and Andrew Painter are all battling injuries to begin the season.
- The Nationals and Kevin Plawecki agreed to terms on a minor league deal earlier today, and Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes that the move was inspired by Israel Pineda‘s IL placement. Pineda suffered a fractured finger and was placed on the 10-day IL, leaving the Nats short some catching depth at Triple-A Rochester. Plawecki now joins Francisco Arcia on the Red Wings’ roster, providing support behind Washington’s big-league catching tandem of starter Keibert Ruiz and backup Riley Adams.
Braves To Place Max Fried On Injured List
Braves’ manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including David O’Brien of The Athletic) that ace Max Fried will go on the injured list as he manages a hamstring problem. Fried exited his Opening Day start after just 43 pitches. It seems the team is in no hurry to make the move official though, and may wait until Fried’s next spot (Wednesday against the Cardinals) to finalize the move.
While the news that Fried is IL-bound is never positive, there’s still nothing to suggest his injury is any more or less concerning than when Snitker initially indicated he’d probably head to the IL after his start. Snitker indicated at the time that Fried may only miss one start, so unless anything changes there seems to be a good chance that Fried only misses the mandatory 15 days. Since up to three days of backdating can be attached to IL placements, Fried’s placement might technically begin on April 2, assuming he is indeed officially sent to the injured list on Wednesday.
A short trip to the IL is undoubtedly positive news for Atlanta, but it’s always a tough blow to lose the ace of the staff early in the season. Fried has been exceptional in the past few years, working to a 2.69 ERA across 407 innings between 2020-22. The best of those years came last season when he finished second in NL Cy Young voting to Miami’s Sandy Alcantara on the back of 185 1/3 innings of 2.48 ERA ball, which included an elite 4.4% walk rate.
It’s unclear yet who the Braves will turn to in Fried’s place on Wednesday, and their rotation picture has been muddied a little by the spring injuries to Kyle Wright and Mike Soroka. Wright is on the IL while Soroka is at Triple-A building back up after only getting one start late in spring training. Wright can’t return until April 11, and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports that Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder are options to take Fried’s spot.
Braves Notes: Rotation, Soroka, Shewmake, Grissom
Braves ace Max Fried strained his hamstring during his Opening Day start, and manager Brian Snitker has already indicated the southpaw is likely to land on the 15-day injured list. Atlanta hasn’t made that transaction yet — IL stints can be backdated as many as three days — and the rotation plans for next week remain uncertain. Mark Bowman of MLB.com unsurprisingly tweets that right-handers Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder are under consideration to take the ball next Wednesday against the Cardinals in what would’ve been Fried’s spot.
Anderson and Elder entered Spring Training as the presumptive favorites for the fifth starter job behind Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright. Neither ended up securing the job out of camp, as prospects Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd jumped them on the depth chart. Both Elder and Anderson were optioned out; Shuster and Dodd each were penciled into the season-opening rotation when Wright started the year on the IL.
With Fried likely to join him, the Atlanta front office could have to choose between Anderson and Elder to fill in. The latter got the Opening Day start for Triple-A Gwinnett today, allowing four runs in six innings. He’d be lined up on standard rest for Wednesday’s outing if the Braves wanted to go in that direction.
Dodd, meanwhile, is listed as the probable starter for Tuesday’s matchup in St. Louis. That’ll be his major league debut, and the Braves will have to make a roster move before then. Atlanta has yet to select the southpaw onto the 40-man roster, preserving some flexibility in that regard until he’s tabbed to take the mound. The Braves’ 40-man is at capacity and the club doesn’t have any obvious candidates for a move to the 60-day injured list, so they could be faced with a DFA decision early next week.
Deeper on the rotation depth chart, Michael Soroka is slated to take the ball for Gwinnett on Tuesday in what’ll be his season debut. The righty was optioned after getting a late start in camp thanks to a hamstring issue. Soroka hasn’t thrown a major league pitch since 2020 because of a pair of Achilles ruptures. His 2022 campaign consisted of 25 innings between High-A and Triple-A.
Soroka tells Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal Constitution he’s likely “to be limited to about three or four innings (per outing) for a little bit.” He’ll work both in the rotation and out of the bullpen with Gwinnett as he and the club explore ways to gradually build his workload. Soroka indicated he’d be open to pitching in relief to get back to the MLB level if the team felt that the best course of action. He noted the club doesn’t currently feel low-leverage bullpen work is the best way to get him back to pre-injury form. Soroka started 37 games between 2018-20, throwing 214 innings of 2.86 ERA ball before his 23rd birthday.
That minor league experimentation isn’t limited to the pitching staff. Atlanta is using Braden Shewmake at second base in Gwinnett, as Burns writes in a separate piece for the Journal Constitution. The former first-round pick has only started nine games at the keystone — all last season — in his minor league career. The rest of his innings have come at shortstop, where he was competing for the MLB job this spring. Both Shewmake and Vaughn Grissom lost out to veteran Orlando Arcia in the camp battle, leading the two younger players to be sent to Gwinnett.
Grissom will get the majority of the shortstop reps there. Shewmake is regarded by evaluators as the superior defender of the two, while Grissom has a higher offensive ceiling. The Braves seem comfortable with Shewmake’s glove at shortstop as is, reasoning that giving the tougher reps to Grissom will hopefully lead to him taking a step forward. Whether the 22-year-old is up to the task defensively was a storyline of the offseason once it became clear the Braves would look internally for Dansby Swanson’s replacement.
Braves, Charlie Culberson Agree To Minor League Deal
The Braves have agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent utilityman Charlie Culberson, as first indicated on the MLB.com transactions log. Culberson, a Ballengee Group client, opted out of a minor league deal with the Rays earlier this week. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
It’ll be an overwhelmingly popular move among Braves fans, many of whom grew to love Culberson during his 2018-20 stretch with the club. The versatile infielder/outfielder has spent more time in a Braves uniform than any other in his 10-year career. In 230 games, he’s tallied 473 plate appearances and batted .265/.314/.454 with Atlanta. The best season of Culberson’s career came in 2018, when he set personal highs in games played (113), plate appearances (322), doubles (18) and home runs (12).
The past three seasons, including his brief final showing with Atlanta, have seen a pronounced downturn in Culberson’s production, however. Dating back to 2020, he’s slashed just .244/.289/.371 in 402 trips to the plate. The bulk of that action has come with the Rangers, for whom he played in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Culberson has appeared at every position on the diamond other than catcher and center field in his decade-long career, including 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball in mop-up duty (albeit with just one strikeout). Third base has been his primary position in the Majors, but he has more than 400 innings at second base, at shortstop and in left field as well. Culberson has generally struggled against right-handed pitching (.217/.277/.348), but he’s a .285/.313/.431 hitter against lefties in his career.
The Braves currently have Ehire Adrianza on the big league roster as a utility infielder, but Culberson could work his way up to the big league club in the event of injuries in the Atlanta infield.
Braves, Scott Blewett Agree To Minor League Deal
The Braves agreed to a minor league contract with Scott Blewett yesterday, according to the right-hander’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Blewett, 27 next month, pitched in five big league contests with the Royals between 2020-21. A former second-round pick of Kansas City, he changed organizations for the first time last year. Blewett signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, spending most of the season in Double-A. He started 22 of 24 appearances, working to a 5.03 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate across 111 innings. Blewett never got a big league look in Chicago and returned to minor league free agency over the offseason.
The New York native will try to work his way back to the MLB level in Atlanta. He’s surely a fair ways down the depth chart after a middling showing in Double-A, but he’ll add some organizational depth as the Braves navigate a number of rotation injuries. Kyle Wright opened the season on the injured list, while Michael Soroka started the year in Gwinnett after a hamstring issue set him back in Spring Training. Atlanta already tabbed a pair of rookies, Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd, for season-opening rotation spots.
The injury troubles continued today, as ace Max Fried appears ticketed for the IL after straining his hamstring during his start against Washington. Blewett’s signing predated the Fried injury and is unrelated, but the Braves now look likely to count on one of Bryce Elder or Ian Anderson to temporarily step into the rotation alongside Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Shuster and Dodd.
Max Fried Likely Headed To IL Due To Hamstring Strain
Braves left-hander Max Fried departed today’s Opening Day start after throwing just 43 pitches over 3 1/3 innings. The club would later announce that he was removed with left hamstring discomfort. After the game, manager Brian Snitker told reporters, including Mark Bowman of MLB.com, that Fried will likely go on the injured list. Snitker also said Fried has a hamstring strain, per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
To this point, there’s nothing to suggest Fried’s injury is particularly significant. Snitker said that Fried would miss at least one start, per David O’Brien of The Athletic, but would likely go on the injured list. IL stints for pitchers have a minimum stay of 15 days, so it seems that the club is expecting Fried to miss an amount of time that’s roughly in that ballpark.
Though it’s possible his absence may be on the short side, it’s still not ideal for any team to lose its best pitcher on the first game of the season. Fried has been one of the better pitchers in the league over the past few years, coming into today’s action with a career ERA of 3.09, 23.8% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate and 52.8% ground ball rate. He’s coming off the best season of his career, as he made 30 starts last year with a 2.48 ERA, getting his walk rate all the way down to 4.4%. He finished second in National League Cy Young voting to Sandy Alcantara.
An injury to a player of Fried’s caliber would be problematic at any time but the rotation has some moving parts at the moment. Spring injuries to Kyle Wright and Michael Soroka, as well as underwhelming performances from Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder, mean that the club is planning to get starts from rookies Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd early in the season. Wright is expected back after a minimum stint on the injured list, but Fried’s absence will give the club an extra rotation hole to patch over for at least one turn in the rotation and perhaps a couple weeks.