Rangers Select Daniel Robert
The Rangers selected reliever Daniel Robert onto the MLB roster for tonight’s matchup with the Angels. Texas optioned Grant Anderson to Triple-A Round Rock to clear a spot in the bullpen. In order to open space on the 40-man roster, the Rangers designated lefty Antoine Kelly for assignment.
Robert gets his first big league call a few weeks shy of his 30th birthday. Texas drafted him in 2017 as a 21st-round pick out of Auburn. Robert has pitched parts of three seasons (including all of 2024) in Round Rock. After struggling in his first two seasons there, he has posted excellent numbers across 25 appearances this year.
Through 30 2/3 innings, Robert carries a 2.35 earned run average. He has punched out more than 35% of batters faced while walking only 6.1% of opponents. It’s a massive improvement over last season, when he fanned 26.4% of hitters with a near-12% walk percentage. Robert has fanned 12 without issuing a walk in his most recent 10 2/3 frames.
His promotion bumps Kelly off the roster. The 24-year-old is a former second-round pick of the Brewers who runs his fastball into the high 90s. Milwaukee traded him to Texas at the 2022 deadline in the Matt Bush deal. Texas added Kelly to the 40-man roster to keep him out of last winter’s Rule 5 draft, but things haven’t gone well this season.
Kelly has walked 21 of the 91 hitters he’s faced in Round Rock. That’s clearly not viable and resulted in a 9.39 ERA. That pushed him back to Double-A last week and now off the roster entirely. The Rangers have five days to trade the 6’5″ lefty or put him on waivers. Kelly pitched to a 1.95 ERA with a 32% strikeout rate in Double-A last season. He still has a full slate of options and could find some interest on the waiver wire, this year’s control woes notwithstanding.
Reds Recall Rece Hinds For MLB Debut, Outright Levi Jordan
The Reds made a handful of moves before tonight’s series opener with the Rockies. Cincinnati recalled outfield prospect Rece Hinds in his first MLB promotion. They also brought up righty reliever Yosver Zulueta from Triple-A Louisville. In corresponding moves, the Reds optioned right-hander Graham Ashcraft and placed outfielder Stuart Fairchild on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 7) with a spinal disc injury.
Hinds is in the starting lineup tonight in right field. He’ll hit eighth and likely take his first big league at-bat against Colorado starter Ryan Feltner. The righty-hitting corner outfielder has been on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster since the start of last offseason. The Reds selected his contract to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He has been on optional assignment to Louisville all year.
Initially drafted as a third base prospect, Hinds was a second-round pick out of high school back in 2019. Evaluators have long been intrigued by the massive raw power he packs into a 6’4″ frame, but Hinds’ stock has dipped since he entered pro ball because of longstanding contact questions. The 23-year-old has punched out in nearly 35% of his plate appearances over parts of five minor league campaigns.
Strikeouts have again been a concern this season. Hinds has fanned at an untenable 38.4% clip through 328 trips to the plate in Louisville. While he has connected on 13 home runs, his .216/.290/.409 slash line in Triple-A is below average. The Reds remain intrigued by Hinds’ pure power potential, but it’s fair to expect a lot of swing-and-miss in his initial look at MLB pitching.
Cincinnati has tried to find a reliable righty-hitting outfielder to take some at-bats from lefties Jake Fraley and Will Benson. Fairchild has teed off on lefties at a .308/.388/.473 clip over 103 plate appearances, but he hasn’t produced at all against right-handed pitching (.127/.188/.203 in 86 PAs). He’s now out for an indeterminate amount of time, perhaps contributing to the decision to bring in Austin Slater in a late-night trade with the Giants. (Fraley is also currently away from the team tending to a family matter.)
On the pitching side, Zulueta steps into the bullpen and pushes Ashcraft back to Triple-A. It’s the second time this season that the Reds optioned the righty, who opened the year in the rotation. Ashcraft started three times since being recalled on June 26, allowing 10 runs in 15 innings. The Reds could soon welcome Nick Lodolo back from his stint on the 15-day injured list. Manager David Bell told reporters that rookie right-hander Carson Spiers will hold his rotation spot behind Lodolo, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Frankie Montas (X link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
In other Reds news, Cincinnati announced that utilityman Levi Jordan went unclaimed on waivers. He was outrighted back to Louisville. The Reds designated Jordan for assignment last week when they called up Edwin Ríos. A former 29th-round draftee, Jordan earned an MLB call in late June and appeared in seven contests. He picked up his first hit, a double off Daulton Jefferies, over 10 at-bats. He’s hitting .302/.384/.443 on the year in Triple-A.
Angels Designate Miguel Sano For Assignment
The Angeles announced they’ve designated infielder Miguel Sanó for assignment. The move opens active and 40-man roster space for Anthony Rendon, who is back from the 60-day injured list.
Sanó made a return to professional baseball this year after sitting out the 2023 season. He signed a minor league deal with the Angels in January and hit four homers in 23 Spring Training contests. That was enough to nab a spot on the Opening Day roster in a backup role. Sanó got a bit of run as a designated hitter through the season’s first couple weeks before a left knee injury sent him to the injured list.
The veteran slugger was out of action for nearly two months. The Halos reinstated him from the IL on June 25 but have only gotten him into seven games over the past few weeks. Sanó only has one hit since his activation and carries a .205/.295/.313 batting line over 95 plate appearances. Opponents have punched him out 36 times (a 37.9% rate), continuing the career-long struggle Sanó has had in making consistent contact.
Rendon’s return should push Luis Guillorme back into a glove-first utility role. Guillorme and Keston Hiura will serve as infield depth behind Nolan Schanuel, Brandon Drury, Zach Neto and Rendon. Manager Ron Washington has Rendon at the hot corner and atop the lineup tonight against the Rangers and Jon Gray. It’ll be the veteran infielder’s first game action since he suffered a partially torn left hamstring on April 20.
The Halos have five days to trade Sanó or put him on waivers. He’s not likely to draw any trade interest and could decline an assignment to the minor leagues, so he’ll very likely be released this week.
Braves Select Eddie Rosario
Eddie Rosario is back with the Braves, as Atlanta selected the veteran outfielder onto the MLB roster. The Braves also recalled right-hander Bryce Elder from Triple-A Gwinnett to start tonight’s contest with the D-Backs. Reliever Dylan Lee and utilityman Luke Williams were optioned out in corresponding moves. The Braves designated outfielder J.P. Martínez for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot for Rosario — a move that was reported this morning.
It’ll be Rosario’s fourth straight season logging MLB action as a Brave. Atlanta’s decision to buy low on the veteran outfielder at the 2021 trade deadline is etched into franchise history. The generally streaky Rosario caught fire down the stretch and into October, winning NLCS MVP honors and helping the Braves to a World Series. Atlanta re-signed him to a two-year, $18MM free agent deal that offseason.
The extension didn’t work out as hoped. He battled vision issues and slumped to a .212/.259/.328 batting line during the first season. Rosario bounced back somewhat to hit 21 home runs a year ago, though his .255/.305/.450 slash was average overall. Atlanta declined a $9MM option for the 2024 campaign, sending the 32-year-old back to the open market. Rosario lingered in free agency until Spring Training was underway. He eventually signed a minor league deal with the Nationals and locked in a $2MM salary when he made the team out of camp.
Rosario’s time in Washington was a disappointment. He got out to a dreadful first month, hitting .088 with just one homer through the end of April. The lefty-swinging outfielder connected on six longballs and five doubles in an impressive May before falling back into an extended slump. He hit .191/.200/.250 in June. The Nats pulled the plug last week, calling up top prospect James Wood and releasing Rosario after it became clear he wouldn’t play his way into being a valuable trade chip. Rosario finished his Washington tenure with a .183/.226/.329 slash across 235 plate appearances. He’s a .227/.275/.390 hitter over the past two and a half seasons.
That set the stage for another shot in Atlanta. The Braves inked Rosario to a minor league deal on Friday. After a trio of appearances for Gwinnett, he’s back in the MLB outfield. He could step into a left field platoon with the righty-swinging Ramón Laureano, who signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in May after being released by the Guardians. Laureano has been nursing a back issue for over a week, so Eli White (whose contract was just selected on Friday) started in left field for all three games of Atlanta’s weekend series with the Phillies.
Jarred Kelenic is playing every day in center field while Michael Harris II mends a hamstring strain. Adam Duvall is handling right field. The outfield is a clear weak point for the Braves since they lost Ronald Acuña Jr. to a season-ending ACL tear. It’s entirely unsurprising that they’re evaluating trade possibilities before the July 30 deadline. Rosario’s return stint with the Braves could be brief if president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his staff can land a more significant upgrade over the next few weeks.
For the time being, the Braves will take a low-cost roll of the dice on Rosario hitting a hot streak in a familiar setting. Atlanta will only pay him the prorated portion of the $740K league minimum for however long he’s on the roster. The Nats remain on the hook for the rest of his salary.
Angels Fielding Trade Interest In Carlos Estevez
There are few more evident trade candidates than Carlos Estévez. Rental relievers on non-contenders are the likeliest players to move at the deadline. Estévez fits the bill, making it all but inevitable that he’ll be on the move barring injury over the next few weeks.
Robert Murray of FanSided wrote on Wednesday that the Angels are already gauging interest from contenders on their closer. Estévez is fresh off being named the American League’s reliever of the month in June. He tossed 10 scoreless innings while striking out 10 hitters. Estévez retired 26 consecutive batters at one point and allowed only two baserunners (both on singles) in 31 plate appearances.
That might have been the best month of the hard-throwing righty’s career. The 31-year-old isn’t a one-month wonder though. He has been a generally effective late-game arm throughout his time in Los Angeles. The Halos signed him to a two-year, $13.5MM free agent pact during the 2022-23 offseason. Estévez had spent the entirety of his career with the Rockies before hitting the market. He’d been inconsistent during his stint with the Rox, but he flashed closing stuff at his best.
The Halos plugged him into the ninth inning. Estévez saved 31 games in 35 attempts a season ago, working to a 3.90 ERA over 62 1/3 innings. He earned an All-Star nod with a 1.80 ERA during the first half. Estévez struggled down the stretch, posting a 6.59 mark through his final 27 1/3 frames.
Aside from a handful of rocky outings between the middle of April and early portion of May, Estévez has put that slow finish behind him. He carries an even 3.00 earned run average in 27 frames. He’s punching out 27% of opposing hitters while walking just 3% of batters faced, by far the lowest rate of his career. He is 16-19 in save opportunities.
Estévez probably won’t maintain this level of pristine command. He’d walked nearly 10% of opponents during his final season in Colorado and posted an 11% walk rate last year. Even if he hands out a few more free passes, he should remain a quality high-leverage arm. Estévez has fanned nearly 28% of batters faced as an Angel. He has gotten swinging strikes on more than 12% of his offerings in each of the past two seasons. He’s not going to rack up strikeouts at a Mason Miller or Josh Hader level, but Estévez has better than average bat-missing ability. He pairs a 96-97 MPH fastball with a slider that checks in around 89 MPH.
Signing Estévez has been one of the better moves of Perry Minasian’s GM tenure. It hasn’t stopped the Angels from falling towards the bottom of the American League, though. A terrible August killed their chances of competing for a playoff spot in 2023. After losing Shohei Ohtani in free agency and dealing with another extended Mike Trout absence, the Halos will be clear sellers at the deadline this time around. Tonight’s shutout loss to the A’s dropped them 13 games below .500.
Estévez is making $6.75MM before returning to free agency next winter. He’s owed just under $3MM for the rest of the season. That’d drop to roughly $2.18MM in remaining commitments by the deadline. Most teams should be able to accommodate that salary for arguably the best rental reliever available. Every contender could be a realistic suitor — even teams with an established closer could push Estévez into the seventh or eighth inning — but teams like the Yankees, Royals, Padres, Mets and Cardinals could be especially motivated to add late-inning help.
Phil Bickford Elects Free Agency Following DFA By Yankees
Reliever Phil Bickford elected free agency in lieu of an outright assignment by the Yankees, according to a team announcement. New York had designated the right-hander for assignment on Sunday. He evidently cleared waivers.
Bickford only spent a little more than a week on the MLB roster. He signed a minor league pact in early April after being released by the Mets at the end of camp. The former first-rounder pitched to a 2.93 ERA across 27 2/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struck out almost 30% of opposing hitters against a 10.3% walk rate. That’s a few more free passes than ideal but isn’t unmanageable.
It was an impressive enough minor league showing to get Bickford a brief look in the Bronx. He couldn’t carry that over against MLB competition. Bickford worked five innings, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits and a walk. Bickford tossed scoreless outings in his first two appearances before allowing runs in each of his final three games. That included a five-run outing against the Blue Jays on Saturday in which Bickford only logged two outs.
The 28-year-old (29 next week) topped 50 MLB innings in every season from 2021-23. Bickford managed a 2.81 ERA between the Brewers and Dodgers three years ago. He allowed nearly five earned runs per nine in the next two seasons, albeit with solid strikeout and swinging strike numbers. Bickford will likely sign another minor league deal in the next few days. The Yankees could look to bring him back, as it’s not uncommon for players to re-sign with their prior organization after declining an outright assignment.
Orioles Moving Cole Irvin To Bullpen
The Orioles are kicking left-hander Cole Irvin to the bullpen, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (X link via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). Baltimore will stick with a starting five of Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, Albert Suárez and rookie Cade Povich.
Irvin has spent the majority of his career as a starter. Yet this is the second straight year in which he’s been squeezed out of the Baltimore rotation, at least temporarily. Acquired from the A’s going into the 2023 season, Irvin only started half of his 24 appearances a year ago. Baltimore moved him back into the rotation this year — in part because of injuries to Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells. He has started 14 of 16 outings.
The southpaw’s overall results are serviceable. Irvin carries a 4.13 ERA in 80 2/3 innings. His 16.1% strikeout rate is well below average, but Irvin’s game has never been built around missing many bats. He’s primarily a control artist and has continued to excel in that regard, walking fewer than 5% of opponents this year.
However, the vast majority of Irvin’s production came in the first two months of the season. He carried a 2.84 ERA through 50 2/3 innings into June. Opponents have teed off on him over the past couple weeks. Irvin was rocked for 6.30 earned runs per nine in 30 innings last month. His home run rate spiked to an untenable 1.8 HR/9 while opposing hitters put up a massive .341/.373/.591 slash line. Irvin’s three most recent starts have been especially poor. He allowed at least five runs in each without completing five innings in any.
The 30-year-old will try to sort things out in a multi-inning relief role. Hyde left open the possibility for Irvin to return to the rotation at any point. His chance of returning to starting could become more limited over the coming weeks. Acquiring starting pitching — ideally a third starter who could join Burnes and Rodriguez in a playoff rotation — should be a deadline priority for an O’s team holding a narrow advantage on the Yankees in the AL East. There might not be a robust supply of high-level starters this summer, which complicates things, but it’d be a surprise if the Orioles weren’t among the more aggressive suitors for starting pitching.
Irvin is playing this season on a $2MM arbitration salary. He’s out of options, so the Orioles can’t send him to Triple-A without putting him on waivers. Baltimore controls him via arbitration for two seasons beyond this one, yet it wouldn’t be surprising if they shop or even non-tender him next offseason. There’s an outside chance the O’s field trade offers on Irvin this summer (especially if they first acquire an impact stater who firmly blocks his path back to a starting job).
For now, he’s likely to serve in a long relief role in Hyde’s bullpen. Irvin had solid numbers in that capacity a season ago, working to a 3.26 ERA while striking out 23.3% of opponents in 19 1/3 frames as a reliever.
D-Backs Recall Cristian Mena For MLB Debut
The Diamondbacks recalled right-hander Cristian Mena to start tonight’s game with the Dodgers. Arizona optioned reliever Gavin Hollowell to Triple-A Reno to create an active roster spot.
Mena is already on the 40-man roster. The White Sox selected his contract before last winter’s Rule 5 draft. Chicago traded Mena, one of their more talented pitching prospects, to take a flier on young outfielder Dominic Fletcher. Arizona optioned him out of Spring Training. Mena had spent the entire season in Reno, tossing 82 2/3 innings across 16 starts.
The surface results aren’t especially impressive. Mena owns a 4.90 earned run average. His 24.4% strikeout percentage is solid, but he has walked 10.4% of opponents. Mena has allowed 1.63 home runs per nine innings despite a decent 47% grounder rate. The home runs are likely a product of the extreme hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League.
Mena is one of the younger pitchers in Triple-A. He turned 21 last December. Baseball America ranked him 14th in the Arizona system over the winter, crediting him with a well-rounded arsenal headlined by a plus curveball. Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Mena ninth among D-Backs prospects in February with similar praise for his breaking ball. Both outlets suggest he could stick as a back-of-the-rotation starter so long as he continues to develop as a strike-thrower.
Dodgers Select Matt Gage, Outright J.P. Feyereisen
The Dodgers added lefty reliever Matt Gage to the 40-man roster but will keep him on optional assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who first reported the move (X link), indicates that Gage triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal. L.A. needed to put him on the 40-man or allow him to hit free agency. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers outrighted reliever J.P. Feyereisen from the 40-man roster.
Gage has impressed over 18 appearances in OKC. He carries a 2.79 earned run average through 19 1/3 innings. Gage has fanned an excellent 32.5% of batters faced while inducing grounders on 46.7% of batted balls. A 12% walk rate is a red flag, but Gage’s ability to miss bats at the top minor league level convinced the front office not to let him head back to the open market.
It won’t immediately net him an MLB roster spot, though. Gage still has one option year remaining, so the Dodgers can keep him in OKC for the rest of the season if they retain him on the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old has logged brief major league action with the Blue Jays and Astros over the last couple years. He owns a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 MLB frames, striking out 26% of batters faced with an 11.7% walk rate. Gage is a former 10th-round pick out of Siena College. He has pitched in parts of six Triple-A campaigns, where he carries a 4.95 ERA over 261 2/3 innings.
Feyereisen has had a rough season both in Triple-A and at the big league level. He owns a 6.75 ERA through 18 2/3 frames with Oklahoma City. The 31-year-old has logged 11 big league innings, surrendering 10 runs on 11 hits and five walks with nine strikeouts. The Dodgers evidently placed Feyereisen on waivers earlier in the week. He already went unclaimed and seems likely to stick in the organization at OKC.
As a player with between three and five years of service time, Feyereisen would need to relinquish his salary to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency. He’s making $770K this season after avoiding arbitration over the winter. Assuming he sticks in the organization, Feyereisen would become a free agent next offseason if the Dodgers don’t add him back to the 40-man roster.
Whether he gets another look in L.A. should depend on whether he can recapture his best form in the minors. Feyereisen was an excellent reliever with the Brewers and Rays between 2021-22. He turned in a 2.73 ERA through 56 innings in ’21 and fired 24 1/3 frames without allowing an earned run in 2022. That stellar season was cut short by a shoulder injury that necessitated rotator cuff surgery the following offseason. The Rays traded Feyereisen to the Dodgers a week later.
MLB Announces 2024 All-Star Starting Lineups
Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2024 All-Star Game this evening. The starting lineups are determined by fan vote. Starting pitchers and reserves, which are determined by a combination of player vote and the league office, will be announced on Sunday. Each team will eventually get at least one All-Star. 10 teams had at least one starter. The Phillies, which have three-quarters of the NL’s starting infield, lead the way.
The game will be played at Texas’ Globe Life Field on July 16.
American League
- Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles (2nd selection)
- First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (4th selection)
- Second base: Jose Altuve, Astros (9th selection)
- Third base: José Ramírez, Guardians (6th selection)
- Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (1st selection)
- Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees (6th selection)
- Outfield: Juan Soto, Yankees (4th selection)
- Outfield: Steven Kwan, Guardians (1st selection)
- Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (3rd selection)
National League
- Catcher: William Contreras, Brewers (2nd selection)
- First base: Bryce Harper, Phillies (8th selection)*
- Second base: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks (2nd selection)
- Third base: Alec Bohm, Phillies (1st selection)
- Shortstop: Trea Turner, Phillies (3rd selection)
- Outfield: Christian Yelich, Brewers (3rd selection)
- Outfield: Jurickson Profar, Padres (1st selection)
- Outfield: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres (2nd selection)**
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (4th selection)
* Currently on injured list with a left hamstring strain
** Currently on injured list with a stress reaction in his right leg