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Rockies Outright Cole Tucker

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The Rockies have sent utility player Cole Tucker outright to Triple-A Albuquerque, per the transaction log at MLB.com. He cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Monday.

Tucker had a brief stay in Denver, appearing in three games while spending a week on the MLB roster. The return of Charlie Blackmon this week pushed him off the club. Tucker has been one of the better players in the Pacific Coast League this season, hitting .311/.419/.459 over 58 games. He’s only hit five home runs but is walking at a huge 15.7% clip against a decent 19.1% strikeout rate.

A former first round pick of the Pirates, Tucker has appeared in parts of five big league campaigns. He never established himself as a regular in Pittsburgh, posting well below-average offensive numbers in each of his limited looks. Through 477 career plate appearances, he owns a .214/.263/.316 batting line.

This is the second time in Tucker’s career in which he has gone unclaimed on outright waivers. As a result, he has the ability to test free agency in lieu of a return to Albuquerque. It isn’t clear whether he plans to do so.

The Astros’ Potential Outfield Surplus

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Entering the season, the outfield was an area of some uncertainty on an excellent Houston roster. Kyle Tucker is an established star in right field. The other two positions were more questionable. Before Opening Day, Houston brass has suggested they planned to divide left field and designated hitter reps between Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley. As it has been for a couple seasons, center field looked to involve a battle for playing time between Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers.

Brantley’s recovery from last summer’s shoulder surgery hasn’t been as smooth as hoped. The five-time All-Star began the season on the injured list, leaving rookie Corey Julks to assume the LF/DH hybrid role alongside Alvarez. Julks has had some good stretches of play but been equally prone to extended slumps. He owns a .245/.299/.353 line in his first 86 big league contests and is currently in Triple-A.

Various setbacks have continued to keep Brantley out of action all season. When Alvarez suffered an oblique strain in mid-June — an injury that’d cost him six weeks — it looked as if the outfield and/or DH could be a problem. Not only has that not been the case, Houston’s outfield has thrived.

Since Alvarez first went on the IL on June 9, Houston outfielders are hitting .281/.370/.504 in 745 trips to the plate. They trail only the Braves’ group in on-base percentage and slugging. They’re third in on-base and sixth in slugging if one also includes DH production (where Alvarez would obviously have seen some time had he been healthy for that entire stretch).

In large part, that’s thanks to Tucker. He’ll find his name on MVP ballots for a third consecutive season. The star right fielder has raked at a .323/.410/.610 clip over that stretch and is hitting .297/.377/.526 overall. Alvarez has picked up where he’d left off since returning on July 26, putting up a .282/.378/.521 mark in 19 games.

It isn’t just the established superstars though. McCormick was a quietly productive player over his first two big league seasons and has found a new gear in 2023. Over 313 plate appearances, he owns a .288/.378/.539 batting line. Of the 215 hitters with 300+ trips to the plate, McCormick ranks 18th in OBP and 12th in slugging. He has been on a particular tear of late, with a .317/.410/.593 slash since June 9.

McCormick’s strikeout and walk rates aren’t much different from his prior two seasons. His average exit velocity and hard contact percentage haven’t changed and he’s unlikely to maintain a .363 average on balls in play. Yet his uptick in production isn’t entirely about batted ball fortune. McCormick is hitting for more power than he did in his first two seasons, at least in part reflecting a conscious change in his offensive approach.

Eno Sarris of the Athletic recently chatted with the right-handed hitter about a mechanical tweak he’d made to become more upright in his stance. The goal was to open his front shoulder slightly in order to allow him to become more pull-oriented. McCormick has always had raw power, but an extreme opposite-field approach muted some of that production. Pulled fly balls clear the fence at a much higher rate than flies to center or the opposite field. Few hitters pulled the ball in the air less often than McCormick between 2021-22. That didn’t stop him from being a good player, but it left some power potential on the table (particularly with the Crawford boxes only 315 feet down the left field line in Houston).

The change certainly seems to be paying off. His rate of pulled fly balls this season is nearly twice that of the previous two years. While he’s not hitting the ball harder overall, his average exit velocity on fly balls specifically is a personal high. The production has followed. Even if his BABIP takes a step back, McCormick should be a better offensive player than he’d been over his first two seasons and certainly looks deserving of everyday playing time.

Lately, that has mostly come in left field. Brantley could soon cut into those corner outfield reps. The veteran began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday. Barring another setback, he could rejoin the big league club within the next two weeks. Skipper Dusty Baker will likely carefully monitor Brantley’s workload to ease the stress on his shoulder, but a healthy Brantley can be a key table-setter and adds a left-handed bat to a righty-heavy Houston lineup.

McCormick can play center field, so Meyers’ playing time might be most adversely impacted by Brantley’s expected return. Meyers isn’t having a great offensive season, hitting .227/.303/.385 over 304 trips to the plate. He started the year well, but unlike Tucker and McCormick, he has struggled at the dish going back to the beginning of June. Meyers is an excellent defensive center fielder, though. In 710 1/3 innings this season, he has rated between six and eight runs better than average by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast. (In his career, he’s been between 13 and 18 runs above average over 1406 frames.) Plugging Brantley in left, pushing McCormick to center, and moving Meyers to the bench should improve the lineup but will downgrade the defense.

It’s an enviable “problem” to have. Potentially juggling four starting-caliber outfielders helps Houston’s chances of tracking down their in-state rivals in a closely contested AL West. There’s likely to be some degree of concern about Brantley’s shoulder holding up down the stretch. Perhaps he or Alvarez could rotate through first base on occasion, at least while José Abreu is out. However Baker manages it, the outfield looks like a strength for the Astros as they enter the home stretch. And, with each of Alvarez (signed through 2028), Tucker (controlled through 2025), McCormick (controlled through 2026) and Meyers (controlled through 2027) standing as long-term pieces, their outfield outlook looks increasingly bright.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Nick Wittgren Elects Free Agency

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Aug. 17: Wittgren has now formally elected free agency, the Royals announced.

Aug. 16: Royals reliever Nick Wittgren is expected to elect free agency, reports Anne Rogers of MLB.com (Twitter link). He was optioned to Triple-A Omaha this afternoon when Kansas City selected John McMillon onto the big league club.

An optional assignment doesn’t typically allow a player to become a free agent. Players with over five years of major league service, however, have to consent to being optioned. Wittgren has between five and six years of service time, so he’ll have the ability to look elsewhere rather than head back to Omaha. Assuming he indeed chooses free agency, the Royals’ 40-man roster count will drop to 39.

Wittgren signed a non-roster pact with K.C. last December. He worked to a 1.25 ERA over 21 2/3 frames with Omaha, leading the Royals to select his contract at the end of May. The right-hander has since made 27 appearances, working 29 innings in generally low-leverage situations. He owns a 4.97 ERA in that stretch.

That’s marginally better than Witttgren’s run prevention marks of the past two seasons, though it’s quite a bit worse than the combined 2.97 ERA he posted in 112 appearances from 2018-20. Wittgren posted solid strikeout numbers during that peak but has seen the whiffs drop off significantly of late. He fanned a below-average 14.1% of opposing hitters with Kansas City on the heels of a 12.7% strikeout rate with the Cardinals a season ago.

Still, Wittgren should at least find minor league interest elsewhere on the strength of his early-season Triple-A production. He fanned over 24% of batters faced in Omaha, where he kept his walks to a modest 7.6% clip. Wittgren has been a solid strike-thrower throughout his career, walking 7% of opponents through 329 1/3 MLB innings.

Should he sign elsewhere by September 1, Wittgren would be eligible for postseason play. He’d have reached free agency at season’s end if the Royals had kept him on the major league roster. With the club clearly in evaluation mode, it’s sensible they’d prefer to give some innings to the hard-throwing McMillon down the stretch.

Red Sox Shut Down Adalberto Mondesi Due To Continued Knee Soreness

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The Red Sox have shut infielder Adalberto Mondesí down from all baseball activities because of ongoing soreness in his left knee, skipper Alex Cora told reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive). While Boston isn’t officially declaring him down for the season, there isn’t much time for his rehab to get going in earnest.

Mondesí has unfortunately struggled to rebound from an ACL tear suffered last April. There was never any doubt that’d end his 2022 campaign but the Sox felt comfortable enough with his health to roll the dice on an offseason trade. They acquired him (and minor league infielder Angel Pierre) in a swap that sent reliever Josh Taylor to the Royals. Boston expressed hope Mondesí would be ready around Opening Day — or at least early enough in the season to help cover for Trevor Story after his elbow surgery — but it hasn’t come to pass.

The trade hasn’t worked out for either team, as Taylor’s recurring back troubles resulted in him undergoing surgery in late June. Mondesí hasn’t had to go back under the knife but his rehab has been littered with stops and starts. Cotillo writes that he’d progressed to running, hitting against live pitching, and fielding grounders before the knee pain became too much to push through.

While the ACL injury is the most significant Mondesí has faced, he has battled various health concerns throughout his career. He’d played in only around half of Kansas City’s games between 2019-21 while missing time due to groin, shoulder, hamstring and oblique problems.

When healthy, Mondesí has intrigued with elite speed, strong middle infield defensive ratings and switch-hitting power upside. An extraordinarily aggressive approach has undercut his offensive production, as he’s reached base at just a .280 clip in 358 MLB games.

There’s a growing chance he doesn’t wind up making an appearance for Boston. Story is back at shortstop, while Pablo Reyes has surprisingly become a key contributor. The 29-year-old infielder is hitting .321/.360/.443 in 115 plate appearances since being acquired in a minor league trade with the A’s in May, earning him the starting second base job of late.

Mondesí is making a $3.045MM arbitration salary. He’ll be a free agent at year’s end and could be limited to minor league offers if he doesn’t make it to the diamond this season.

Astros, Andrew Knapp Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Astros are in agreement on a minor league pact with catcher Andrew Knapp, the club informed reporters (including Chandler Rome of the Athletic). He’ll report to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Knapp had been released from a minor league pact with the Tigers last week. The switch-hitting backstop had a respectable 70-game run with their top affiliate in Toledo, hitting .253/.337/.397 through 267 plate appearances. He struck out in just over a quarter of his trips but walked at a solid 10.1% clip.

While he didn’t get to the majors in Detroit, the former second-round draftee has seen a fair bit of MLB action. Knapp has played parts of six campaigns, five of which came in Philadelphia. He got brief stints with each of Pittsburgh, Seattle and San Francisco last year. In 325 career games, Knapp is a .209/.310/.313 hitter. Statcast has given him below-average grades for his framing and blocking. He has a modest 18.8% caught stealing rate at the MLB level but has cut down a solid 28.2% of baserunners this year in Triple-A.

Knapp brings plenty of experience as a non-roster option in the upper minors. There’s little need for catching help at the big league level, where Martín Maldonado is ensconced as the top option and backup Yainer Diaz is having a strong rookie season. The only other catcher on the 40-man roster is César Salazar, a 27-year-old with 13 games of big league experience. Knapp adds a veteran presence as injury insurance. Since he’s in the organization before September 1, he’d be eligible for postseason play if the Astros qualify.

Prosecutors In Dominican Republic Evaluating Allegations Against Wander Franco

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Prosecutors in Peravia, Dominican Republic have opened an investigation into the social media allegations against Wander Franco, a prosecuting attorney told the Associated Press. The country’s National Agency for Boys, Girls, Adolescents and Family and Gender Violence Unit is handling the case.

According to the attorney’s office, they’ve yet to have any contact with U.S. officials or anyone from MLB. It’s unclear if/when prosecutors will speak with MLB officials, though they informed the AP they could provide more information on the investigation’s status at some point next week.

Social media posts over the weekend alleged that Franco had been engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. After the posts garnered widespread public attention on Sunday afternoon, the Rays and Franco mutually agreed he’d be placed on the restricted list. Evan Drellich and Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic wrote Monday evening that the star shortstop had pledged his innocence to Tampa Bay teammates but conceded his presence around the club would be a distraction. Franco also denied the allegations in a since-removed Instagram Live video on Sunday evening.

Franco does not count against the Rays’ roster while on the restricted list, though he and the team agreed he’d still collect his salary. Rookie Osleivis Basabe has started at shortstop in each of Tampa Bay’s three games since then.

Shane McClanahan To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Rays ace Shane McClanahan will require Tommy John surgery next week, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). He’s expected to miss the entire 2024 campaign.

It’s a devastating if not entirely unexpected development. The two-time All-Star left his start on August 2 after experiencing forearm discomfort. Tampa Bay has been exploring their options for the past couple weeks, though the club had already confirmed he was expected to miss the remainder of 2023 and that surgery was a consideration. He’s already on the 60-day injured list.

Surprising or not, it’s hard to overstate the significance of losing a pitcher of McClanahan’s caliber. The former first-round draftee debuted with 25 starts of 3.43 ERA ball two seasons ago. By his second major league season, he’d broken through as one of the game’s best pitchers. McClanahan was a legitimate Cy Young contender into August last year before a shoulder impingement cost him a couple weeks.

The absence dropped the South Florida product to sixth in Cy Young balloting, but he still finished his sophomore campaign with a 2.54 ERA through 166 1/3 frames. While his ERA took a bit of a step back this season, a 3.29 mark over 21 starts still ranks 19th among big league starters (minimum 100 innings). He’s 23rd among that same group with a 25.8% strikeout rate. McClanahan earned his second consecutive All-Star nod last month.

Tampa Bay has dealt with a brutal stretch of pitching injuries over the past few months. Top prospect Shane Baz has missed the entire year after undergoing a Tommy John procedure last September. McClanahan becomes the third member of the Rays’ season-opening starting staff to require surgery this year. Jeffrey Springs required a Tommy John procedure in April; Drew Rasmussen underwent flexor tendon surgery last month.

Even after the absences to Baz, Springs and Rasmussen, the Rays had an effective top of the rotation. McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow and Zach Eflin made for an excellent trio. With McClanahan now out of the picture, Glasnow assumes the role of staff ace. Eflin — who has dealt with knee issues throughout his career but has a 3.67 ERA through 23 starts in his first season with Tampa Bay — is the #2 option.

The early-season injuries led the Rays to acquire Aaron Civale from the Guardians at the deadline. That acquisition takes on increased importance with McClanahan out. Still, there’s little recourse beyond internal options for Tampa Bay in patching together the final two rotation spots. Taj Bradley has been up-and-down as a rookie and is on optional assignment to Triple-A. The Rays have pushed Zack Littell into the rotation and recently activated Josh Fleming from the injured list.

Tampa Bay enters play Tuesday three games back of the Orioles in the AL East. They’re still in strong playoff position, 7.5 games clear of the Mariners (the top non-playoff team in the AL). Their chances of running down Baltimore to secure a first-round bye and/or making a deep run once they get into October are obviously dealt a hit by the loss of one of the game’s best starters.

This is the second Tommy John procedure of McClanahan’s career. He missed his freshman year at USF after undergoing surgery in 2016. The Rays figure to be especially cautious with his recovery as a result, although there’s a good chance he would have missed all of ’24 even if this were his first TJS.

McClanahan has just under three years of major league service. He’ll be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player next offseason. The Rays will need to carry him on their 40-man roster during the offseason but will immediately place him back on the 60-day IL next spring. He’ll collect service time while rehabbing and remains on track to first reach free agency after the 2027 campaign.

Cardinals Looking To Add Three Starting Pitchers This Offseason

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The Cardinals have made no secret of their need to add starting pitching. It’s self-evident, as a rotation that ranks 23rd with a 4.73 ERA has been a key factor in the Cards’ disappointing season. Deadline deals shipped out impending free agents Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, while Adam Wainwright is retiring at year’s end.

With three members of their anticipated starting five either already or soon to be out the door, St. Louis is gearing up to add multiple replacements. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said yesterday the club anticipated bringing in three starting pitchers next winter (relayed by John Denton of MLB.com).

It’s not the first time Mozeliak has expressed that goal. The baseball ops leader indicated a desire for a trio of starters last month. At the time, he left open the possibility of accomplishing some of that at the trade deadline.

The Cards indeed followed through on their goal of adding upper minors pitching. Lefty Drew Rom, who has spent the entire season in Triple-A, came back from Baltimore in the Flaherty deal. Double-A righty Tekoah Roby was arguably the most talented prospect the Cards received in the swap that sent Montgomery and Chris Stratton to Texas. Righties Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse — each of whom was acquired from the Blue Jays for Jordan Hicks — were assigned to Triple-A.

Since none of those hurlers have yet made their MLB debuts, it seems the Cards aren’t penciling any of them into next year’s starting five. Mozeliak conceded the front office overestimated their rotation depth coming into this season and it has clearly since been a priority to bolster the upper levels of the minors.

The only pitcher who looks assured of an Opening Day rotation job is Miles Mikolas. The right-hander is having another solid season, pitching to a 4.27 ERA over 26 starts. He’s not overpowering, but he’s an elite strike-thrower and has been a source of mid-rotation innings for five seasons in St. Louis.

Steven Matz looked to have turned a corner after a brief bullpen demotion. Since returning to the rotation, the southpaw worked to a 1.86 ERA while fanning over a quarter of opponents with an excellent 4.6% walk rate over seven starts. It had been Matz’s best stretch as a Cardinal — until he was diagnosed with a lat strain that could end his season. The recent strong run probably gives Matz an inside track on a rotation spot next spring, though it’s a small enough sample his hold on a job could be tenuous.

Since the deadline, St. Louis has given rotation looks to Matthew Liberatore and Dakota Hudson. Liberatore, a former top prospect, had a strong season in Triple-A but hasn’t carried it over against big league hitters. Over 45 2/3 MLB frames this year, he carries a 5.72 ERA with a well below-average 14.4% strikeout rate. Still just 23 with another minor league option remaining, Liberatore isn’t in danger of losing his roster spot. He’ll get another eight or nine starts down the stretch but hasn’t solidified his hold on a ’24 rotation job.

Hudson isn’t a lock to be on next year’s roster. The sinkerballer is playing this season on a $2.65MM arbitration salary. He’d be due a modest raise on that amount if St. Louis tenders him a contract. Hudson has a 4.31 ERA in 31 1/3 MLB innings, starting three of nine appearances. He worked out of the rotation with Triple-A Memphis, posting a 6.00 ERA with a modest 17.3% strikeout percentage.

Matz’s injury cleared a rotation job for former first-round selection Zack Thompson. The 25-year-old lefty has worked almost exclusively in relief at the big league level. His numbers in that capacity — a 2.59 ERA, 24.9% strikeout rate, 51.3% grounder percentage through 59 2/3 career innings — are impressive. Yet Thompson struggled mightily when the Cards optioned him to work out of the Triple-A rotation. Over 34 1/3 frames with Memphis, he was tagged for an 8.65 ERA while struggling to find the strike zone.

Between Liberatore, Thompson and a few upper minors arms — Rom and Connor Thomas could have the upper hand, since they’re already on the 40-man roster — St. Louis has a number of controllable pitchers they can evaluate over the next seven weeks. It’s hard to envision anyone in that group staking a firm claim to a season-opening rotation spot, though they can at least put themselves in line for depth work that’ll inevitably arise throughout the course of the year.

Once the offseason arrives, Mozeliak and his staff will set about identifying external targets. The upcoming free agent class is pitching-heavy. Beyond Shohei Ohtani, some names on the market include Blake Snell, NPB star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Montgomery, Aaron Nola, Julio Urías, Lucas Giolito, likely Eduardo Rodriguez and Seth Lugo (who each seem set to decline player options on their deals), and Michael Lorenzen. Veterans like Marcus Stroman (who also has a player option), James Paxton and Kenta Maeda could be limited to shorter-term contracts based on their age/injury histories but are pitching well this season.

St. Louis has never topped $80MM on a free agent deal for a pitcher. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cards set a new high-water mark in that regard next winter. Roster Resource calculates their 2024 payroll commitments around $112MM, well below this year’s Opening Day figure that landed in the $177MM range. Arbitration raises for Tyler O’Neill, Tommy Edman, Ryan Helsley and Dylan Carlson would add another $15-20MM to that projected ledger, but that leaves a fair bit of flexibility for attacking free agency.

That’s before considering the possibility of trades to potentially clear some payroll room while bringing back rotation help. Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos and Carlson were all floated in rumors this summer. St. Louis ended up holding virtually everyone who was controllable beyond this season but could certainly reopen trade talks on those players over the winter. The outfield surplus that fueled speculation about a Carlson deal still hasn’t been resolved. He seems likely to be a popular subject of trade attention yet again.

Mets Outright Abraham Almonte

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The Mets have sent veteran outfielder Abraham Almonte outright to Triple-A Syracuse, per the transaction log at MLB.com. He’d been designated for assignment on Saturday.

A journeyman who has appeared at the MLB level with eight different clubs, Almonte got into four games for the Mets. He hit 12 times, reaching base twice via a single and walk. While a very brief stay, it marked an 11th consecutive year with some major league action for the switch-hitter.

Almonte has had a nice season when healthy at the Triple-A level. The 34-year-old has been limited to 27 games there by injury but put together a .228/.331/.564 line with 11 home runs in 118 trips to the dish. He has worked exclusively in the corner outfield with Syracuse but has a fair amount of center field experience as a professional.

It’s unclear whether Almonte will return to Syracuse. He has enough service time to decline an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

Daniel Murphy Retires

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The Angels informed reporters that infielder Daniel Murphy has again retired (relayed by Sam Blum of the Athletic). The three-time All-Star had been in Triple-A with Los Angeles after signing a minor league deal a couple months ago.

Murphy had been out of professional baseball for more than two years. He’d first announced his retirement in January 2021. The 38-year-old began a comeback attempt in March, signing with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. After teeing off on independent ball pitching at a .331/.410/.451 clip, he got another affiliated look with the Halos.

The two-time Silver Slugger award winner played 38 games with the Angels’ top affiliate in Salt Lake. He hit .295 with a strong .379 on-base percentage, walking more often than he struck out. That’s no small feat for a player who’d only recently begun to face professional pitching, but Murphy only connected on one home run in 169 plate appearances in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

While Murphy’s comeback attempt didn’t get him back to the majors, he had a decent showing at the top minor league level. Of course, he had an excellent MLB run before his first retirement. A 12-year big league veteran, Murphy hit .296/.341/.455 with 138 homers in a little under 1500 career games. A high-contact but low-power second baseman early in his career with the Mets, Murphy had a barrage during the 2015 postseason. He homered in seven straight games and won NLCS MVP honors as New York played its way to the Fall Classic.

Murphy would lead the National League in slugging and OPS two years later, raking at a .347/.390/.595 clip in the first season of a three-year free agent contract with the Nationals. He earned his second All-Star nod and a runner-up finish in NL MVP balloting that season. Murphy made it back to the All-Star Game and some MVP ballots the following year, when he hit .322/.384/.543 with an NL-best 43 doubles.

The Jacksonville product had a quality 2018 campaign split between Washington and the Cubs. He inked a two-year, $24MM deal with the Rockies but didn’t make much of a power impact, hitting .269/.316/.429 in Denver to close out his MLB career. Best wishes to Murphy in his return to post-playing days.

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