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Red Sox To Select Caleb Hamilton

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The Red Sox will select catcher Caleb Hamilton onto the big league roster, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive (Twitter link). He’ll take the active roster spot of Reese McGuire, who is headed to the 10-day injured list after straining his right oblique tonight.

Hamilton will join the Sox in Minnesota. He’s no stranger to Target Field, as his only MLB experience to date has come in a Twins uniform. A former 23rd-round selection by Minnesota, he reached the majors for 22 games last year. Minnesota put him on waivers at the end of the season.

Boston claimed him and successfully passed him through waivers themselves a month later. They kept him in the organization without dedicating a spot on the 40-man roster. Hamilton has spent the season with their top affiliate in Worcester, struggling to a .174/.281/.306 line over 114 trips to the plate. The right-handed hitter had a much better .233/.367/.442 slash in Triple-A with Minnesota last year.

This season’s production isn’t eye-catching, but McGuire’s injury forced Boston’s hand. The Red Sox have only had two catchers on the 40-man roster all season. McGuire and Connor Wong have taken the entirety of the work. McGuire hurt himself on a swing this evening, necessitating a depth call-up from Triple-A.

Boston could’ve turned to Ronaldo Hernández, who has a more impressive .242/.327/.492 showing in Worcester this season. Hernández, a former top prospect, has yet to make his MLB debut. Boston will go with Hamilton, who has a bit of experience in a depth role. Both Sandy León and Mike Zunino were released Wednesday evening. The Red Sox make for a speculative fit for either player. León spent five years in Boston earlier in his career, while Zunino overlapped in Tampa Bay for a season with Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.

For now, Wong ascends to the top of the depth chart. He’s hitting .245/.314/.447 in 53 games on the year. The Red Sox will need to create a spot on the 40-man roster for Hamilton, though that can be achieved by transferring Yu Chang to the 60-day injured list. The versatile infielder has already been out since April 25 after suffering a hamate fracture in his left wrist; his IL transfer would simply be a procedural formality.

Guardians Release Mike Zunino

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The Guardians have released Mike Zunino, according to the catcher’s transaction log at MLB.com. That always seemed the likely outcome once Cleveland designated him for assignment last Friday.

Zunino signed a $6MM free agent contract over the winter. A little over half that salary remains to be paid out, making it a lock he goes unclaimed on release waivers. Once that process plays out, he’ll be a free agent. At that point, other teams could add him for the prorated portion of the $720K league minimum while leaving the Guardians on the hook for the rest of the money.

Cleveland bought low on the veteran backstop after his 2022 season was ruined by thoracic outlet syndrome. It didn’t pan out, as the 32-year-old struggled on both sides of the ball. He hit .177/.271/.306 with only three home runs in 140 trips to the plate. Zunino annually runs one of the sport’s highest strikeout rates, but this season’s 43.6% clip would be a career-high in a 162-game schedule.

Zunino has generally been a solid defensive catcher in his career. He had well below-average marks with the glove in Cleveland, however. He allowed a league-high five passed balls while throwing out 16.7% of attempted basestealers (a few points below the 20.6% league average). Defensive Runs Saved pegged Zunino as nine runs below average, tying for second-worst at the position.

Without much production on either side of the ball, Cleveland went in a different direction. The Guardians called up top prospect Bo Naylor on the heels of a .253/.393/.498 showing through 270 plate appearances with Triple-A Columbus. He’s the new starting backstop, with Cam Gallagher and David Fry on hand as reserve options.

Red Sox To Recall Brandon Walter For MLB Debut

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The Red Sox plan to recall pitching prospect Brandon Walter before tomorrow’s game in Minnesota, tweets Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. He’s likely to make his MLB debut, either as the starter or as a bulk pitcher behind an opener. Chris Cotillo of MassLive first reported (on Twitter) this afternoon the Sox were mulling a Walter promotion.

It’s the initial big league call for Walter, who first entered pro ball as a 26th-round pick in 2019. A $35K signee out of the University of Delaware, the 6’2″ southpaw didn’t begin his career with much fanfare. After the 2020 minor league season was canceled, Walter put together a breakout showing between two A-ball levels in 2021. He combined for a 2.92 ERA while striking out over 36% of batters faced thanks to a velocity spike, establishing himself on the prospect radar. He split last season between the top two minor league levels.

Each of Baseball America, Keith Law of the Athletic and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN placed Walter in the 9-11 range among Boston prospects last winter. Evaluators praised a three-pitch arsenal led by a plus or better slider. All three outlets suggested he had some chance to stick at the back of a rotation but noted injury and/or delivery concerns that could point to a future in the bullpen.

The 26-year-old has had a tough few months with Triple-A Worcester to open the season. He’s started 12 of 13 games and allowed a 6.28 ERA over 61 2/3 innings. While Walter’s 22.4% strikeout percentage and 9.1% walk rate aren’t that far from average, a lofty .362 batting average on balls in play has led to an inflated ERA.

Boston will look past that and give Walter at least his first big league look. The Sox have an opening in the rotation after Tanner Houck was struck in the face by a comebacker last Friday. Boston hasn’t announced who’ll join James Paxton, Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford in the starting staff over the long haul. Perhaps Walter will get a few opportunities to stake a claim to that job.

The Red Sox added Walter to their 40-man roster last offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. They’ll only need to clear a spot on the active roster to accommodate his promotion.

Rangers Release Sandy Leon

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The Rangers have granted catcher Sandy León his release, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The veteran backstop requested to be let go after losing his spot on the MLB roster last week.

It’s a quick turnaround. León accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock over the weekend after clearing waivers. He didn’t make another appearance there before looking for other opportunities instead. That León just went unclaimed makes it seem unlikely he has another MLB job lined up, but perhaps he’s receiving interest from a club with a clearer path to playing time than would’ve been available in Arlington.

León, 34, started the season in Round Rock. Texas called him up just four games into the season. He played in 22 MLB games as a depth option, struggling to a .146/.186/.195 line while striking out in 20 of 44 plate appearances. The switch-hitter obviously hoped for better than that, but he has rarely been an offensive threat. Aside from a BABIP-driven 2016 campaign with the Red Sox, León has been a well below-average MLB hitter. Going back to the start of 2020, he owns a .168/.255/.245 mark in 431 plate appearances over four teams.

Despite the tepid offense, León has gotten plenty of opportunities on the strength of a strong defensive reputation. He’s well-regarded for his receiving skills and has thrown out a solid 29.5% of basestealers over the course of his career. He shouldn’t have any issues finding another minor league opportunity as a result.

Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver and Sam Huff comprise Texas’ 40-man catching group and are each on the major league roster. Neither Matt Whatley nor Miguel Ojeda Jr. — the two catchers on Round Rock’s active roster — has played in the majors. Grant suggests the Rangers could look for a veteran backstop willing to sign a non-roster deal to add some upper minors experience now that León is looking elsewhere.

Nationals, Orioles Reach Settlement On 2012-16 MASN Rights Fees

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The Nationals and Orioles have settled their dispute regarding MASN rights fees between 2012-16, as first reported by Chelsea Janes and Ben Strauss of the Washington Post. The agreement comes two months after a New York appellate court ruled in favor of the Nationals and MLB as part of a longstanding legal battle with the O’s.

According to the Washington Post, the network is paying out a little less than $100MM to each franchise. (Andy Kostka and Dylan Segelbaum of the Baltimore Banner specify the payment around $99.2MM.) As Janes and Strauss note, the deal requires the network to pay equal rights fees to each organization. The payment still represents a win for Washington since the O’s have a much greater ownership stake in MASN.

The Nationals and Orioles jointly own the network, which carries local broadcasting rights for both clubs. The Baltimore organization has a majority share (presently around 76%, dropping to 67% by 2032). That came as part of the agreement between the Orioles and MLB to facilitate the relocation of the Expos from Montreal to Washington — into the Orioles’ territorial range — nearly two decades ago.

As part of that deal, the sides agreed to share telecasting money owed by MASN to the clubs for broadcasting rights. An arbitration panel was created to resolve possible disputes between the franchises in calculating those fees. After the sides failed to come to an agreement for the period covering 2012-16, the issue went to arbitration. The panel — a committee made up of representatives from three other MLB teams — ruled closer to the Nationals’ desired number than the Orioles had found appropriate (albeit nearer to the O’s proposed figure than Washington’s). Baltimore and MASN appealed, questioning the league’s impartiality.

A court found in the Nationals’ and league’s favor on that issue back in 2019. The court ruled the network owed the Nationals roughly $105MM in unpaid rights fees. The Orioles appealed that decision, but the appellate court agreed there were no grounds for contesting the arbitration panel’s findings.

However, the appellate court found the lower court had overstepped its authority in awarding the $105MM in past damages. That put the onus back on the franchises to calculate damages. They have apparently found the approximate $99.2MM figure mutually agreeable.

To be clear, this does not permanently resolve the dispute between the organizations. They’re still divided on fees for the 2017-21 period. Janes and Strauss report that MLB is preparing to put that issue before its revenue sharing committee. The sides negotiate rights fees every half-decade, so they’ll also have to figure out the 2022-26 numbers in due time.

Finding a long-term solution could be especially welcome for the Washington franchise. The Lerner family announced in April 2022 they were looking into selling the team. Negotiations with a group led by Ted Leonsis were put on pause over the winter, in large part on account of the TV rights uncertainty.

Mike Mayers Accepts Outright Assignment With Royals

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Right-hander Mike Mayers has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced. He went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend.

Mayers will stick in the Kansas City organization. He signed a minor league deal with K.C. last December. They selected him onto the big league club in mid-May. The 31-year-old carried only a 6.88 ERA over eight Triple-A starts at the time, but the Royals needed another multi-inning arm for the MLB staff.

He pitched well over his first few appearances following the promotion. Mayers allowed just two runs in 13 1/3 innings over a trio of games. He surrendered four-plus runs in five or fewer innings in his next three outings, though. That saddled him with a 6.15 ERA over 26 1/3 frames. Mayers had a below-average 14.3% strikeout rate and a modest 8.4% swinging strike percentage before Kansas City took him off the roster.

It’s a second straight down season for the former third-round pick. Mayers posted a 5.68 ERA in 50 2/3 frames with the Angels last year. He’s now a couple years removed from an excellent 2020-21 run with the Halos, when he combined for a 3.34 ERA while fanning more than 30% of opponents in 105 innings out of the bullpen.

Reds Approaching Deadline Season As Buyers, Looking To Add Pitching

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The Reds are baseball’s hottest team. After knocking off the Rockies 8-6 this evening, Cincinnati has reeled off 10 consecutive wins to push a season-high four games over .500. Their 39-35 record has them atop a wide open NL Central, half a game up on the Brewers.

Cincinnati’s surprising hot streak comes as teams are beginning to weigh their approaches to the upcoming trade deadline. Reds general manager Nick Krall met with reporters before tonight’s game and suggested they’re trending towards adding to the MLB roster.

“We’re in first place. We’re looking to win,” Krall said when asked if the team was planning to add at the deadline (relayed by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). Unsurprisingly, the GM pointed to the pitching staff — both the rotation and bullpen — as an area where they could try to improve (via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

The Reds’ midseason turnaround has been driven in large part by an influx of position players from the farm system. Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain have hit the ground running after midseason debuts. Fellow rookie Spencer Steer, who reached the majors last September, has somewhat quietly put together an excellent .278/.361/.475 showing while bouncing around the corner positions. Holdovers Jonathan India, TJ Friedl and Jake Fraley are all having strong years.

Rather suddenly, Cincinnati finds itself with a surplus of hitting talent. They designated Wil Myers — their highest-paid free agent pickup of last offseason — for assignment this afternoon rather than create room for him on the roster to return from the injured list. Corner infield prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand would likely have made his MLB debut for a number of teams by now thanks to a .348/.421/.687 showing in Triple-A. With Steer, India, McLain, De La Cruz and Joey Votto around the infield, the Reds don’t have the MLB playing time for Encarnacion-Strand at the moment.

Over the past month, only the Giants and Braves have scored more runs than Cincinnati. It’s a young lineup but one that’s firing on all cylinders. Perhaps injuries or a few slumps will open a clear need on the position player side within the next month, but there aren’t any obvious holes in the lineup right now.

The pitching staff is another story. Cincinnati entered the season with a top-heavy rotation reliant on second-year arms Nick Lodolo, Hunter Greene and Graham Aschraft. All three are presently on the injured list. Ashcraft should be back this week, but he has an ERA pushing 7.00 over 13 starts. Greene will miss at least the next two weeks; Lodolo is out into August.

Rookie left-hander Andrew Abbott has carried over a breakout upper minors showing to toss 17 2/3 scoreless innings to kick off his MLB career. While he’s obviously a very promising pitcher, he has all of three big league appearances and is already the club’s best healthy starter. Offseason signee Luke Weaver has an ERA above 6.00 and is struggling mightily to keep the ball in the yard. Brandon Williamson has a 5.40 ERA over his first seven starts. Ben Lively has acquitted himself well at the back of the staff, but he’s a journeyman who didn’t start a single MLB game between 2019-22.

Even if Greene joins Ashcraft in making a quick return from the IL, the Reds need rotation help if they’re to fight for a division title. Cincinnati’s bullpen has been a little more reliable. They entered play Tuesday ranked 10th in ERA (3.73), although they’re just 22nd in strikeout rate (22.6%).

Alexis Díaz has been almost untouchable in the ninth inning. There’s room for help bridging the gap to Díaz, with Lucas Sims, Ian Gibaut, Derek Law and Alex Young representing David Bell’s highest-leverage setup arms. Young is the only left-hander in the current group, so another southpaw could be on the wishlist.

Krall predictably didn’t delve into specific targets. Whether the Reds would seriously vie for a top impending free agent trade candidate (i.e. Lucas Giolito or old friend Aroldis Chapman) during a season in which they’re surprise contenders isn’t clear. Perhaps the front office will prioritize players with multiple years of control, simultaneously trying to support this year’s club while adding to future rosters that’ll enter seasons with higher expectations than the 2023 team did.

How the team performs over the next six weeks could determine how much the front office is willing to push in young talent. That Krall is openly positioning the team as a buyer in late June is a testament to how quickly things have looked upwards. The GM has already suggested there’s room on the books to take on some money for the stretch run, a sentiment he repeated this evening. It’s an exciting time in Cincinnati, one that looks to have changed the deadline trajectory for a team that seemed to be a seller just a few weeks ago.

Orioles Outright Noah Denoyer

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that minor league righty Noah Denoyer went unclaimed on waivers. He has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk.

Denoyer was designated for assignment a week ago. That ended what proved a fairly brief initial stay on the 40-man roster. Baltimore selected his contract over the offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. The 25-year-old has spent the entire season on optional assignment to Norfolk, working mostly as a multi-inning reliever. He has pitched to a 5.04 ERA across 30 1/3 innings, striking out an average 23.3% of batters faced against a huge 15.1% walk rate.

He’d been much more effective at throwing strikes last season. Denoyer walked only 5.6% of opponents with a massive 35.4% strikeout rate in Double-A a year ago. He hasn’t managed to find that form so far in 2023.

Denoyer had never previously cleared waivers and has yet to make his MLB debut. He doesn’t have the ability to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency. He’ll stick in Norfolk and look to recapture last season’s level to put himself back on the radar for an MLB bullpen job.

Tanner Houck To Undergo Surgery To Address Facial Fracture

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Red Sox starter Tanner Houck will undergo surgery that inserts a plate in his face next week, manager Alex Cora told the Boston beat (via Ian Browne of MLB.com). The right-hander was diagnosed with a fracture after being struck in the face by a comebacker during his start against the Yankees last Friday.

While the surgery seems like an ominous development, Cora called it “the best news we could get” (link via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). Boston has declined to provide a timetable for Houck’s return, though Speier writes the team is confident he will pitch again this season. They placed Houck on the 15-day injured list over the weekend.

Before last week’s scary incident, the right-hander had gotten mixed results in 13 outings. He owns a middling 5.05 ERA over 67 2/3 innings. Houck’s underlying marks were better than the run prevention figure. His 22.5% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk percentage are around average for a starting pitcher, while his 49.7% grounder rate is quite strong.

As has been the case throughout his career, platoon splits tell a significant story. Left-handed batters have teed off for eight home runs with a .262/.312/.500 showing in 145 trips to the plate. Houck has absolutely dominated righty opponents, holding them to a .224/.300/.272 line with just one homer over 140 plate appearances.

The Sox have stayed committed to using Houck in the rotation after shuttling him between the starting staff and the bullpen in prior seasons. He and Garrett Whitlock both made the move to full-time starting this year, eventually bumping Corey Kluber and Nick Pivetta to relief in the process. James Paxton and Brayan Bello have secured rotation spots, while Kutter Crawford was moved to the starting staff when Chris Sale landed on the injured list a few weeks ago. Boston has yet to announce who’ll take Houck’s scheduled start against the Twins on Thursday afternoon.

Triston McKenzie Shut Down For Several Weeks With UCL Sprain

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The Guardians placed starter Triston McKenzie on the 15-day injured list over the weekend. Cleveland announced the injury as an elbow sprain and indicated there was some concern about his UCL.

That hinted at a potential long-term absence, which unfortunately will come to pass. McKenzie told reporters this afternoon he’ll be shut down from throwing entirely for around a month with a UCL sprain (relayed by Zack Meisel of the Athletic). He’ll be reevaluated a few weeks from now to determine whether he can begin a throwing program.

Even in a best-case scenario that sees McKenzie cleared to start throwing around the All-Star Break, he’ll need multiple weeks to get back to game shape. The Guardians are sure to proceed cautiously with concern about his elbow ligament. It seems hard to envision McKenzie getting back on the Progressive Field mound before August given that timeline, though the club hasn’t provided any specifics beyond the righty’s shutdown period.

It’s the second significant injury of what has been a frustrating season. McKenzie strained the teres major muscle in his throwing shoulder at the end of Spring Training. That kept him from making his debut until June 4. Two starts later, he lands back on the shelf with another notable arm injury.

Getting almost nothing out of McKenzie thus far is one of the reasons for Cleveland’s underwhelming start to the season. The Guardians are 33-38, well off last year’s 92-win pace. A bleak AL Central picture still has Cleveland in the thick of the division race but the team’s early performance hasn’t been inspiring. McKenzie was among the better pitchers in the league last year, working to a 2.96 ERA over a career-high 191 1/3 innings.

As they do with regularity, Cleveland has developed a few highly-regarded young arms into productive MLB pitchers this season. Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen have performed well as rookies. They join Shane Bieber, who’s pitching below his peak level but still effectively, at the top of the staff. Top prospect Gavin Williams is poised to make his big league debut in McKenzie’s stead tomorrow, while veteran righty Aaron Civale rounds out the current group.

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