Yankees Outright Josh Maciejewski
The Yankees announced this afternoon that left-hander Josh Maciejewski went unclaimed on outright waivers. He’ll stick in the organization at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre without occupying a 40-man roster spot.
Maciejewski had a brief stint in the Bronx. The former 10th-round pick was selected onto the MLB roster on April 8. He pitched once before being designated for assignment five days later when New York needed a 40-man spot for infielder Kevin Smith. Maciejewski had a perfect inning in his debut, inducing a trio of ground-ball outs against the Marlins.
The 28-year-old doesn’t throw hard, averaging around 91 MPH on his sinker during his lone big league outing. That certainly played a role in him going unclaimed, but he’s gotten off to a nice start to the year in Scranton. Macijewski has worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and a walk for the RailRiders thus far. He divided the 2023 season between three minor league levels, turning in a cumulative 2.96 ERA over 45 2/3 frames.
Dodgers Designate Taylor Trammell For Assignment
The Dodgers announced a series of roster moves in advance of tonight’s matchup with the Nationals. Los Angeles confirmed their previously reported selection of reliever Eduardo Salazar and recalls of righty Kyle Hurt and outfielder Andy Pages. To create spots on the roster, the Dodgers optioned relievers Ricky Vanasco and Nick Ramirez and designated outfielder Taylor Trammell for assignment. The latter move clears the necessary 40-man roster spot for Salazar.
Trammell only spent two weeks on the L.A. roster. The Dodgers claimed him off waivers from the Mariners on April 2. He barely played, going hitless with three strikeouts in six plate appearances. Trammell appeared in five games but only got one start. As an out-of-options player who was clearly relegated to a depth role, his spot in the organization was tenuous. Pages, one of the organization’s top prospects, will step into the vacated outfield spot.
The 26-year-old Trammell was once a top minor league talent himself. The 35th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Reds, he was twice involved in significant trades. He went to the Padres in a 2019 deadline deal and was flipped to the Mariners the following season. Trammell debuted with the M’s in 2021 and spent parts of three years in Seattle, but he never hit at the level the Mariners had envisioned.
In 351 plate appearances, the lefty hitter turned in a .168/.270/.368 slash. He drew a decent number of walks and hit 15 homers in 121 games, but he hasn’t made consistent contact. Trammell has gone down on strikes at an untenable 37.3% clip against big league pitching. That has now squeezed him off a pair of rosters.
The Dodgers have a week to trade Trammell or put him on waivers. Los Angeles was near the bottom of the waiver priority when they successfully claimed him a couple weeks ago, so they may be able to get him through the wire unclaimed. If another team does take a flier on Trammell, they’d have to keep him on the MLB team or designate him for assignment themselves.
Astros Promote Forrest Whitley
2:28pm: The Astros made it official, announcing Whitley’s recall with Spencer Arrighetti optioned in a corresponding move. Arrighetti’s rotation spot will likely be taken by Justin Verlander, who is expecting to be activated off the injured list shortly.
12:31pm: The Astros are recalling former top prospect Forrest Whitley for his first MLB promotion, reports Michael Schwab of the Juice Box Journal (X link). He’s already on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding active roster transaction.
Whitley, now 26, took a circuitous route to the majors. He was a first-round pick in 2016 out of a San Antonio high school. The 6’7″ righty dominated for his first year and a half, pitching his way to Double-A as a teenager. By 2018, he looked the part of a potential ace and the top pitching prospect in the sport.
Things haven’t played out the way Whitley or the Astros envisioned from that point. He was hit with a 50-game suspension for violating the minor league drug policy going into the ’18 season. Whitley battled shoulder issues the following year and lost his feel for the strike zone. The canceled 2020 campaign cost him another year of reps, although Houston nevertheless made the easy call to select him onto the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
Whitley has held that spot ever since, although it didn’t always seem as if that were a guarantee. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2021 and posted subpar results when he returned. His control issues resurfaced as he pitched to a 6.53 ERA in the upper minors in 2022. He got off to another rough start last season before sustaining a lat strain that ended his year in May. The Astros were granted a fourth minor league option as a result of Whitley’s injury history.
The front office decided to keep him on the 40-man roster throughout last offseason. They moved him to the bullpen this year upon optioning him to Triple-A Sugar Land. Whitley hasn’t gotten off to a great start, allowing four runs on a trio of homers in three innings, but he’s a fresh arm for a bullpen that has been tasked with 71 innings through the season’s first three weeks. Only the Dodgers and Padres — who leaned heavily on their relief groups during their abbreviated series in Seoul a week before every other team’s Opening Day — have used their bullpens more heavily than Houston has.
While Whitley’s promotion isn’t going to be met with the same level of fanfare as it would have a few years ago, it’s surely rewarding for the righty all the same. It’s the culmination of a nearly eight-year climb through the minors that has been littered with injury setbacks. It could prove to be a fairly brief call — Houston may need to continue cycling through middle relievers until their rotation finds any kind of groove — but he could get the chance to make his debut.
Injury Notes: Garrett, Davis, Lowe, Verlander
The Marlins have been without left-hander Braxton Garrett all season. A shoulder impingement sent the 26-year-old to the injured list to begin the year. Garrett seemed to be nearing a return to the majors after throwing six innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Jacksonville last week, but he has run into a bit of a setback. Manager Skip Schumaker told reporters that Garrett felt a “dead arm” when throwing a bullpen session today (link via Christina De Nicola of MLB.com).
That isn’t believed to be related to the shoulder injury, yet it could push back his return all the same. Schumaker said Garrett will go for further testing. Getting the former #7 overall pick back in fairly short order would be a needed boost for a club that is off to the worst start in franchise history (3-14). Garrett was a key piece of the rotation a year ago, working 159 2/3 innings with a 3.66 ERA.
A few other injury notes:
- The A’s placed J.D. Davis on the 10-day injured list shortly before tonight’s game against the Cardinals. The third baseman has a right adductor strain. Speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas in his place. Davis has gotten the nod at the hot corner for 14 of Oakland’s first 16 contests. He’s off to a slow start, hitting .196/.255/.373 with a lofty 29.1% strikeout rate. Manager Mark Kotsay turned to Abraham Toro at third base tonight.
- Rays outfielder Josh Lowe could be nearing his season debut. Skipper Kevin Cash said that Lowe will head out on a rehab stint with Triple-A Durham on Thursday (link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Lowe was delayed early in camp by inflammation in his left hip. As he worked back from that issue, he strained his right oblique. That knocked him out of game action for a month. Lowe is coming off a breakout season, having hit .292/.335/.500 with 20 homers and 32 steals in 501 plate appearances. The Rays have used Richie Palacios and Amed Rosario in a right field platoon with Lowe on the shelf. They’ve each hit well in the early going, but they’re both capable of bouncing around the diamond once Lowe is ready to return to the lineup.
- Justin Verlander has one final hurdle to clear before he’ll make his season debut. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters that the three-time Cy Young winner will throw a bullpen session tomorrow (X link via Chandler Rome of the Athletic). If that goes according to plan, Verlander will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list for this weekend’s series in Washington. The 41-year-old is coming off a four-inning rehab stint with Double-A Corpus Christi, in which he threw 78 pitches.
Marlins Outright Matt Andriese
Marlins righty Matt Andriese cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He has the service time to decline the assignment in favor of free agency, although it isn’t clear if he’ll do so.
Andriese could well decide to stick with the organization after signing a minor league deal over the winter. The 34-year-old got back to the majors this spring for the first time since 2021. Miami called upon Andriese for a trio of relief outings, during which he tossed five innings of three-run ball. He fanned eight without issuing a walk but surrendered a pair of home runs. Miami designated him for assignment on Saturday when they recalled Calvin Faucher to get a fresh arm in the bullpen.
Miami called Andriese to the majors before he had a chance to pitch in Triple-A this season. He spent all of last year at the top minor league level, working 93 2/3 frames with the Dodgers’ affiliate. Andriese scuffled to a 6.05 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 18.6% strikeout rate was below the league average, although he showed strong control by walking fewer than 6% of opponents.
Robert Stephenson Being Evaluated For Elbow Soreness
The Angels are dealing with a bit of a scare involving offseason signee Robert Stephenson. The righty reliever departed Saturday’s Triple-A rehab outing after facing one hitter (whom he walked). While details are still sparse, the team told reporters this afternoon that he’s headed for further testing after experiencing soreness in his throwing elbow (X link via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com).
Stephenson has spent the entire season on the injured list, but the elbow issue seems to be new. His original IL placement came as a result of some shoulder discomfort that arose during Spring Training. The abbreviated rehab appearance was his first official game action as a member of the Los Angeles organization.
The Halos signed Stephenson to a three-year, $33MM pact that represented their biggest investment of the winter. While they more or less overhauled the entire bullpen, Stephenson was the only player to whom they made a multi-year commitment. They envisioned him stepping in as a high-end setup arm in front of Carlos Estévez, but his Angels tenure has gotten off to a rocky start. Stephenson was arguably the best reliever in MLB for the final few months of the 2023 season. After being traded from the Pirates to the Rays in early June, he threw 38 1/3 innings of 2.35 ERA ball with a massive 42.9% strikeout rate.
It’s far too soon to know whether he’s in danger of missing significant time. If there is a long-term elbow issue, however, it could have an impact on Stephenson’s contract status. His three-year deal includes a provision that the Halos would receive a $2.5MM club option for the 2027 campaign if he suffers an elbow ligament injury that knocks him out of action for 130+ days.
Dodgers To Recall Ricky Vanasco, Landon Knack For MLB Debuts
The Dodgers are planning to recall right-handers Ricky Vanasco and Landon Knack from Triple-A Oklahoma City this week, reports Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic. Should either pitcher get into a game, they’d be making their respective major league debuts.
Knack and Vanasco are both on the 40-man roster, so the Dodgers would only need to make corresponding active roster moves to bring them up. Knack has actually accrued a few days of major league service, as he was in the L.A. bullpen for their season-opening set against the Padres in Seoul. He didn’t get into a game and was optioned before the team’s domestic opener.
An East Tennessee State product, Knack was a second-round senior sign in 2020. He has worked as a starter throughout his minor league career, turning in a solid 3.44 ERA over 243 professional innings. That includes a stellar 2.51 mark over 22 appearances between Double-A Tulsa and OKC last season. Knack has taken the ball three times in Triple-A this year, posting a 16:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing seven runs through 15 2/3 frames. Baseball America ranked him the #11 prospect in the system this winter, pointing to a future as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
Vanasco did not appear among L.A.’s top 30 prospects. However, the Dodgers liked him enough to sign him to a major league deal this offseason. That came a few months after L.A. had run him through outright waivers but within two weeks of his qualifying for minor league free agency for the first time.
The 25-year-old is a former Ranger draftee who once ranked among the better prospects in the Texas farm system. Control issues pushed him to the bullpen last season, but Vanasco has shown swing-and-miss stuff. He posted a 2.78 ERA with a near-32% strikeout percentage over 32 1/3 minor league frames last season. Vanasco has fanned eight hitters in four innings of Triple-A work this year, although he’s also walked six.
Marlins Select Jhonny Pereda
The Marlins announced they’ve selected catcher Jhonny Pereda onto the major league roster. He fills in for Christian Bethancourt, who is headed to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 14, as he battles a viral illness. Miami already has an opening on the 40-man roster after designating Matt Andriese for assignment over the weekend.
It’s an early birthday gift for Pereda, who turns 28 on Thursday. He reaches the big leagues for the first time after more than a decade in the minor leagues. The Venezuela native initially signed with the Cubs during the 2012-13 international amateur period. He got to Double-A in the Chicago system six years later before being traded to the Red Sox. Pereda didn’t reach the majors in Boston and became a minor league free agent after the 2021 season.
The right-handed hitter has bounced around via minor league free agency over the past few years. He spent 2022 in Triple-A with the Giants and joined the Reds last season. Pereda turned in an excellent .325/.405/.468 batting line in 68 games with Cincinnati’s Triple-A team but never got an MLB call. He inked another minor league pact — this time with the Fish — in January.
Miami assigned Pereda to Triple-A Jacksonville. He has played in eight games, collecting nine hits and five walks over his first 32 plate appearances. That brings his career slash at the top minor league level to a strong .294/.383/.404 in parts of four seasons. That was enough to make him the first one up in the event of an injury or illness to either of the catchers on Miami’s active roster.
Bethancourt and Nick Fortes had been the only backstops on the 40-man roster. With Bethancourt needing some time off, the Fish had to go to a non-roster player to back Fortes up. Pereda will fill that role for at least a week, likely getting a chance to make his MLB debut in the process. Neither Fortes nor Bethancourt has contributed much for the Marlins as they’ve limped to a 3-13 start. Miami has gotten by far the worst production in the league out of their catchers thus far: an .063/.100/.083 line over 51 trips to the plate.
Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase first reported the Marlins were selecting Pereda and placing Bethancourt on the IL.
Blue Jays Recall Yariel Rodriguez
TODAY: The Blue Jays have officially announced Rodríguez’s promotion, and right-hander Paolo Espino was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
APRIL 12: Rodríguez will get the start, manager John Schneider told reporters (including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com). Francis will be kicked to the bullpen.
APRIL 11: The Blue Jays are set to promote offseason signee Yariel Rodríguez, reports Francys Romero (X link). The Cuban-born righty will officially be recalled on Saturday, according to the report.
Rodríguez already occupies a spot on the Toronto 40-man roster. The Jays signed him to a five-year, $32MM free agent pact late in the winter. The 27-year-old might have been in consideration for the final rotation spot after Alek Manoah suffered a shoulder injury early in camp. Yet Rodríguez was slightly delayed in his own right by back spasms. He only made two Spring Training appearances as a result, tossing five innings of one-run ball.
The Jays tabbed Bowden Francis to step into Manoah’s vacated rotation spot. They optioned Rodríguez to Triple-A Buffalo to continue building his arm strength. He has pitched twice for the Bisons, working 6 1/3 scoreless frames while fanning 10 and issuing three walks. He has thrown 55 and 47 pitches in his respective appearances.
It’s fair to assume the Jays aren’t going to rely on Rodríguez to go 100+ pitches in his major league debut. He should be able to contribute in some form of multi-inning capacity out of the gate, though. That could take the form of long relief or a slightly abbreviated start. Rodríguez last pitched on Monday, so he’ll be on five days rest by the weekend.
The corresponding move isn’t clear, but the Jays currently list Francis as their probable starter for Saturday’s matchup with the Rockies. Francis’ first two major league starts have not gone well. The righty has been blitzed for 12 runs on as many hits in only 8 1/3 innings. He still has a minor league option remaining, so the Jays could send him to Buffalo if they wanted to swap Rodríguez into his place in the rotation. Alternatively, they could deploy Francis and Rodríguez in some form of tandem start, perhaps letting them each face the lineup twice without stretching their pitch counts too far.
However the Jays deploy Rodríguez, they’ll surely keep an eye on his innings tally as the season rolls along. His only competitive action in 2023 came during the World Baseball Classic. After that tournament, Rodríguez sat out the season as he waited for MLB to officially declare him a free agent. He pitched exclusively as a reliever with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball two years ago, tossing 54 2/3 frames of 1.15 ERA ball. Rodríguez threw 94 2/3 innings between the Dragons and their minor league team in 2021. The heaviest workload of his career came in 2018, when he worked 133 1/3 innings as a 21-year-old in Cuba.
D-Backs Pause Eduardo Rodriguez’s Throwing Program
The Diamondbacks are pausing Eduardo Rodriguez’s throwing program after the southpaw reported continued lat tightness, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (video provided by Arizona Sports). It’s unclear for how long he’ll be shut down, but it represents a setback in his efforts to make his team debut.
Rodriguez suffered a lat strain during his fourth Spring Training appearance. He started the season on the 15-day injured list. The Snakes reportedly expected him to be sidelined for around a month, though this will surely push that timetable back. It’s an inauspicious start to his four-year, $80MM free agent deal.
Arizona viewed Rodriguez as the necessary upper mid-rotation arm to slot behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. He turned in that level of production for the Tigers a year ago, working to a career-low 3.30 ERA with solid strikeout and walk rates over 152 2/3 innings. While there’s still plenty of time for Rodriguez to meet the organization’s expectations, it seems likely he’ll at least be out of action into May.
Within weeks of Rodriguez’s injury, the D-Backs made a surprising late strike for Jordan Montgomery. Perhaps Arizona would have found the southpaw’s asking price (one year, $25MM with a vesting player option for 2025) too good to pass up in any case. That addition could take on added importance in the wake of this setback. Montgomery is building into game shape with Triple-A Reno and is expected to be called to the majors by the end of next week.
Gallen and Kelly are again off to excellent starts, yet the final three rotation spots have been a problem. Brandon Pfaadt isn’t in any danger of losing his job but is sitting on a 6.48 ERA through his first three starts. Tommy Henry has allowed 10 runs over 14 innings, while Ryne Nelson has been tagged for eight runs in 7 2/3 frames over his first two outings. One of Nelson or Henry seems likely to head to Triple-A once Montgomery is ready to step into the big league staff.