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Lucas Sims To Undergo Season-Ending Back Surgery

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Reds reliever Lucas Sims will undergo surgery next week to repair a herniated disc in his back, he tells Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll miss the rest of the 2022 season. The 28-year-old expressed confidence he’ll have a relatively normal offseason and be ready for Spring Training next year.

Sims has been dogged by back issues virtually all year. He opened the season on the injured list and missed the first two weeks. The right-hander was reinstated in late April and made six appearances, but he was tagged for seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. Cincinnati placed Sims on the IL again in mid-May, and he was transferred to the 60-day version  last month. He’ll remain on the IL all year but will have to be reinstated to the 40-man roster at the start of the offseason.

It’s a virtually lost season for Sims, who’d shown flashes of emerging as a high-leverage arm in the preceding two years. A former first-round pick of the Braves, he struggled to throw strikes as a starter but looked to have a found a home in the bullpen by 2020. During the abbreviated season, Sims posted a 2.45 ERA across 25 2/3 innings. He punched out a third of batters faced, and manager David Bell increasingly used him in key situations the following year.

Sims even spent some time as the Cincinnati closer in 2021, collecting seven saves. He watched his ERA spike to 4.40 through 47 innings, but that belied excellent secondary numbers. Sims was one of the game’s top strikeout arms, fanning nearly 40% of opponents while generating swinging strikes on almost 15% of his offerings.

The Reds and Sims failed to come to an agreement on an arbitration salary over the winter, and the sides went to an in-season hearing. The team emerged victorious, with the arbitrator setting Sims’ salary at the club’s proposed $1.2MM mark. (Sims’ camp had been seeking $1.6MM). With virtually nothing to show in terms of 2022 performance, he’d command an identical or marginally higher salary if tendered a contract for 2023. Sims will collect his salary and a full year of MLB service while rehabbing, pushing him past the four-year service threshold. He’s controllable through 2024.

Giants Place Anthony DeSclafani On 15-Day Injured List

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The Giants placed starter Anthony DeSclafani on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 28, due to right ankle inflammation. Infielder Jason Vosler has been recalled to take his active roster spot.

It’s the second time DeScalafani has hit the IL because of right ankle inflammation. His first stint cost him two months, as the righty was out from mid-April until two weeks ago. Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) the team has “real concern” about the setback. The skipper ominously added that “everything is on the table” as far as treatment options go, leaving open the possibility DeScalfani could require surgery.

It has been a frustrating season for the 32-year-old righty, who has been limited to just five starts. After allowing two runs in each of his first two appearances, he was tagged for five runs during his final start in April. He’s seemed limited even upon returning from his initial IL stint, first allowing five runs in three innings against the Braves and serving up seven through 2 2/3 frames to the Reds on Sunday.

That’s a far cry from DeSclafani’s very productive debut season in the Bay Area. Signed to a one-year deal over the 2020-21 offseason on the heels of a rough final year with Cincinnati, he bounced back in black and orange. DeSclafani threw 167 2/3 frames of 3.17 ERA ball, missing bats at a league average rate while showing excellent control. That earned him a three-year, $36MM deal to return last winter, but the ankle issues have prevented him from settling in thus far in 2022.

San Francisco has an established top four in the rotation of Carlos Rodón, Logan Webb, Alex Cobb and Alex Wood. During DeSclafani’s first IL stint, Jakob Junis stepped into the fifth spot with a strong couple months. Junis has been on the IL himself for the past few weeks. He threw a bullpen session today, Pavlovic tweets, but it remains to be seen how quickly he can return to the MLB staff. The Giants don’t have a single off day between now and the July 18 start of the All-Star Break.

Khris Davis Signs With Atlantic League’s Kentucky Wild Health Genomes

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A former MLB home run champ is headed to independent ball. Designated hitter/left fielder Khris Davis has signed with the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes of the Atlantic League, according to a team announcement.

Davis will use the independent ball opportunity as a hopeful springboard back to the affiliated ranks. The 34-year-old spent a bit of time in the Mexican League earlier in the year but struggled over 12 games with the Diablos Rojos. After a couple months away, Davis has an opportunity to rebuild his stock in the Atlantic League.

Over a nine-year MLB career, Davis has hit 221 home runs and carries a .242/.314/.491 slash line. He topped 40 home runs each season from 2016-18, including a league-best 48 longballs with the A’s in 2018. Davis was one of the game’s middle-of-the-order sluggers through that year, but he owns a .216/.291/.376 slash going back to the start of the 2019 campaign.

That includes a .206/.272/.363 mark through 114 plate appearances last season. Davis opened the year with the Rangers but was released in June. Two months later, he signed a minor league deal with the A’s and returned to Oakland as a September call-up. He hit free agency at the end of the year after appearing in 20 games in green and gold.

Brewers Place Adrian Houser On IL With Flexor Strain

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JULY 1: Milwaukee placed Houser on the IL with a flexor strain. Counsell characterized testing as positive, suggesting the organization is hopeful Houser could begin a throwing program again within a few weeks (via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com).

JUNE 30: Brewers righty Adrian Houser departed tonight’s start in Pittsburgh in the third inning after experiencing tightness in his throwing elbow. Manager Craig Counsell said after the game that Houser was headed back to Milwaukee for further examination but was sure to land on the 15-day injured list (via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

That’s an alarming turn of events, although more will obviously known once Houser goes through testing over the coming days. The 29-year-old has generally been an effective and durable arm over the past three and a half seasons. Aside from a brief absence due to COVID-19 protocols last summer, Houser had avoided the IL since recovering from a 2016 Tommy John procedure.

The sinkerballer has typically been one of the game’s preeminent ground-ball pitchers. Houser induced worm-burners on almost 60% of batted balls in both 2020 and ’21. That rate has dipped to a solid but not elite 47.1% this season, and he’s not coincidentally posted a 4.72 ERA through 76 1/3 innings. Slightly disappointing showing aside, Houser’s reliability in taking the ball 15 times has proven quite valuable for a Milwaukee staff hit hard by injuries.

The Brew Crew will be without Freddy Peralta until August because of a shoulder issue. Brandon Woodruff just returned from a month-long absence, while Aaron Ashby has missed the past ten days with forearm tightness. The southpaw could make his return as soon as this weekend, but getting Woodruff and Ashby back comes right at the time as the club loses Houser for at least a couple weeks. Jason Alexander and Chi Chi González are the top candidates to step into Houser’s rotation role alongside Woodruff, Ashby, Corbin Burnes and Eric Lauer.

Astros Promote Korey Lee

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The Astros are promoting catching prospect Korey Lee to make his major league debut, as was first reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 (on Twitter). Backup catcher Jason Castro is headed to the 10-day injured list with left knee discomfort. To clear space for Lee on the 40-man roster, lefty reliever Blake Taylor is being transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day IL.

Lee is a former supplemental first-rounder, having been taken 32nd overall in the 2019 draft. A Cal-Berkeley product, he hadn’t been seen by many public prospect evaluators as a first-round talent at the time. Houston’s decision to nab him early looks strong in retrospect, as Lee has played his way to the majors a little less than three years later.

The righty-hitting backstop has also raised his stock in the eyes of most evaluators. Each of Baseball America and FanGraphs placed him among the game’s top 100 overall prospects heading into the season. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and Keith Law of the Athletic each placed him just outside their top 100 and ranked him among the three best farmhands in the Houston system.

Across the board, those outlets suggested Lee could develop into a capable #1 catcher at his peak. His carrying tool is an arm that garners grades between plus and plus-plus (a 60 or 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale), and he’s generally regarded as a solid or better overall defender. Lee’s bat is more of a question, as he’s struggled against upper level pitching after mashing in the low minors.

The 2022 season has been particularly challenging, as Lee carries only a .226/.285/.419 line with ten home runs through 270 plate appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land. He’s flashed some power, with a .194 ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average) that’s north of the league average, but he’s only walked in 6.7% of his plate appearances against an elevated 27% strikeout rate.

Given those struggles against upper minors pitching, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lee eventually optioned back to Sugar Land. The Astros have long placed a premium on defense behind the plate, though, as evidenced by their commitment to the light-hitting Martín Maldonado in recent years. Maldonado will remain the primary option, while Lee will take Castro’s spot as his backup while the latter is out. Houston would’ve had to add Lee to the 40-man roster at the end of this season anyhow to keep him from being taken in next winter’s Rule 5 draft.

Taylor, meanwhile, has been out since June 4 with discomfort in his throwing elbow. There’s no clear timetable for his return, and he’ll now be ineligible to pitch in the majors until the first week of August. Injuries to Taylor and Parker Mushinski have left manager Dusty Baker to handle an all right-handed bullpen at times, and it stands to reason the front office will look into acquiring a southpaw over the next few weeks.

Rob Manfred Discusses Automated Strike Zone, Pitch Clocks And Potential Expansion

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In a wide-ranging piece, Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN chats with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about possible changes to the sport that could be implemented over the coming years. Of particular note are Manfred’s comments on a trio of issues: an automated strike zone, pitch clocks and the possibility of league expansion.

Manfred expressed support for the implementation of the robotic strike zone at the major league level in 2024. Precisely what form that’d take isn’t clear, as the commissioner raised two possibilities for such a setup. The first would be to have all ball-strike calls computer-generated, with the result relayed to the human umpire via earpiece. An alternative possibility is to leave the home plate umpire in charge of initial calls but institute some form of challenge system, whereby each manager would have a finite number of chances to contest a ball-strike call during the game.

MLB has tested the automatic strike zone in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for the past five weeks. The possibility of taking calls away from human umpires has been discussed for some time, with the proliferation of pitch-tracking technology making that a more viable possibility. The process hasn’t always gone entirely smoothly, however. Last month, Guardians manager Terry Francona opined to The Athletic that an automated zone used in exhibition play in 2020 was “not ready.” Francona suggested that while the zone tended to be precise on the corners of the plate, “up and down it’s got some work to do.”

In addition to having every pitch called by the robotic zone, MLB has experimented with the challenge system during certain minor league games. Two weeks ago, Manfred told reporters (including Evan Drellich of the Athletic) that the league was likely to continue both systems in the minors and didn’t intend to institute the automated zone next season. “We’re continuing to experiment in the minor leagues,” Manfred said at the time. “Big kind of development in the challenge-system alternative. The idea of using two different formats is a big change this year.”

While the automated strike zone seems unlikely to be a factor at the major league level before 2024, the pitch clock seems to be trending towards implementation next season. MLB has been testing with as few as 14 seconds between offerings when no runners are on base at certain levels of the minors. Van Natta writes that the 14-second marker would also be a target for major league implementation, while pitchers would have 18 or 19 seconds to throw when runners are on base. Manfred’s affinity for the pitch clock as a means of expediting pace of play is hardly a new development. He’s supported its testing in the minor leagues, and he expressed a desire last November for it to be part of the most recent round of CBA negotiations.

On-field rules changes ended up on the back burner as the league and Players Association focused on bigger core economics issues late in CBA talks. Yet the sides did agree to the implementation of a rules committee that’ll go into effect in 2023. The committee will be made up of four active players, six league appointees and an umpire. The league’s majority gives it de facto authority to implement many on-field rules changes it desires, and the committee will have the right to institute a new rule within 45 days of informing the MLBPA. (Under the previous CBA, the league had to wait one year after informing the PA before making a unilateral on-field rules adjustment).

This week, Andy Martino of SNY reported the identities of the people expected to be on the 2023 committee. Making up the players’ contingent are Jack Flaherty, Whit Merrifield, Austin Slater and Tyler Glasnow, with Ian Happ and Walker Buehler tabbed as alternates. On the league side will be John Stanton (Mariners), Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), Greg Johnson (Giants), Dick Monfort (Rockies), Tom Werner (Red Sox) and Mark Shapiro (Blue Jays). Bill Miller is expected to serve as the umpire representative. Along with the pitch clock, the committee is widely expected to examine the possibility of enlarging the bases and limiting defensive shifting.

While on-field rules changes figure to be relatively simple to implement, league expansion would be a much more complex process. Manfred tells Van Natta he’d “love to get to 32 teams,” although he didn’t elaborate a timetable or possible target cities for two new franchises. MLB’s last round of expansion was in 1998, when the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays were added to push the league from 28 to 30. Each of the NFL (2002), NBA (2004) and NHL (2021) have added teams to their respective leagues within the past two decades.

Manfred himself is under contract through 2024, having been unanimously approved for an extension by the league’s owners in November 2018. Van Natta reports the commissioner has a $17.5MM annual base salary under that deal, which also includes unspecified performance bonuses. Asked whether he wanted to continue in the role beyond 2024, the 63-year-old Manfred said he “hasn’t made a decision about what I’m going to do, whether I want to continue. I love the job, but I haven’t really made a decision about what’s next.“

Braves Acquire Silvino Bracho From Red Sox

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The Red Sox have traded reliever Silvino Bracho to the Braves for cash considerations, according to announcements from both teams. Atlanta has a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no further move was necessary.

Boston had just designated Bracho for assignment this afternoon. He finds another landing spot fairly quickly, and he’ll presumably get an opportunity to make his season debut at some point shortly. The Red Sox had selected Bracho onto the major league roster on Tuesday, but they designated him for assignment without his appearing in an MLB game. The 29-year-old is seeking his first big league outing since 2020 after spending the past year and a half in Triple-A.

Despite his lack of recent MLB experience, Bracho was an appealing target for the Atlanta front office based on the strength of his minor league performance. He’s worked 31 1/3 innings over 18 outings with the Sox’s top affiliate in Worcester, posting a 3.16 ERA. The righty has punched out an excellent 29.3% of opponents while walking only four of the 123 hitters he’s faced. He’ll add a multi-inning possibility to the middle frames for skipper Brian Snitker.

Bracho owns a 4.82 ERA in 89 2/3 career big league innings. Most of that time was compiled with the 2015-18 Diamondbacks. He’s made just one MLB appearance in the past three years, owing in part to a Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019. Bracho is out of minor league option years, so he’ll have to stick on the active roster or be designated for assignment again.

Close: Braves Have Fostered “False Narrative” Surrounding Freeman Negotiations

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Many both within and outside the baseball industry were surprised when Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers last offseason. The general expectation had been that he’d re-sign with the Braves, continuing his career-long stint in the organization. Yet that was foreclosed when Atlanta acquired Matt Olson from the A’s shortly after the lockout, and Freeman landed in L.A. a few days later.

The course of events over the final few days of negotiations has been a subject of controversy, one that resurfaced over the weekend when a visibly emotional Freeman made his return to Atlanta. The 2020 NL MVP received his World Series ring and caught up with many former teammates and coaches, and he understandably struggled to put into words how much his time in the Braves organization had meant to himself and his family.

On Tuesday, Buster Olney of ESPN reported that Freeman had dismissed his longtime agency, Excel Sports Management, out of frustration with how his free agent process played out. Freeman himself characterized the matter differently, conceding his representation was a “fluid situation” but leaving open the possibility of mending fences with Excel and expressing a desire to move forward with the Dodgers.

The controversy was reignited yesterday when Fox Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb tweeted that Excel’s lead negotiator Casey Close never informed Freeman about a final offer from the Braves. Gottlieb alleges Close “knew (Freeman) would have taken the Atlanta deal” but made the unilateral decision to withhold it from his client, ostensibly because he felt he could top the offer elsewhere. Close forcefully denied that notion last night, releasing a statement (on Twitter) that reads “Doug Gottlieb tweeted a wholly inaccurate characterization of our negotiations with the Atlanta Braves on behalf of Freddie Freeman. We are immediately evaluating all legal options to address the reckless publication of inaccurate information.”

This afternoon, Close put out another statement taking aim at the Braves themselves. In a release first tweeted by Jeff Passan of ESPN, Close alleged “the Braves have fostered a narrative about the negotiations which, stated plainly, is false. Part of that false narrative is the suggestion that I did not communicate a contract offer to the Freemans. To be clear, we communicated every offer that was made, as well as every communication Excel had with the Braves organization throughout the entire process.”

Close didn’t take aim at anyone specific in his statement. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that Freeman acknowledged in late March that he had a three-hour conversation with Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos “to hear his side of things” after initially implying that Anthopoulos and his staff hadn’t been especially forthcoming during the free agent process (link via Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Freeman made more general reference to communications with Braves personnel this week, telling reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times) he’d “learned a lot” about his free agency “because I talked to the other side.”

Throughout the winter, the holdup between the Braves and Freeman seemed to be on the issue of a sixth guaranteed year. Atlanta was reluctant to go beyond five years for the 32-year-old. Justin Toscano of the Journal-Constitution hears from a source who suggests Freeman’s camp had offered the Braves a choice between two offers: $165MM over five years or $175MM over six years. Atlanta declined to meet those numbers and, according to Toscano, the sides mutually agreed to move on. (Olney wrote this week that the Braves had nudged their final offer to around five years and $140MM). The Braves acquired Olson two days later; Freeman wound up signing a six-year, $162MM offer with the Dodgers, although deferrals reduced the contract’s net present value to around $149MM.

Whatever caused talks between the Braves and Freeman to hit a stumbling block, the fallout has involved an ugly spat between his former team and one of the game’s most influential agents. Excel Sports Management represents dozens of players, including stars like Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Tucker and high-profile impending free agents Andrew Benintendi and Dansby Swanson. Swanson has already stated the Freeman saga wouldn’t have any effect on his choice of representation, as he has no plans to leave Excel before his first trip to the open market.

There’s obviously some level of tension between the agency and the Atlanta organization, but it’s worth noting neither Close nor anyone with the Braves has suggested there’ll be adverse effects on negotiations between the team and other Excel clients. It stands to reason the Braves will have some interest in re-signing Swanson, a Georgia native and six-year starting shortstop who’s amidst the best season of his career.

A’s Designate Adam Kolarek, Option Cristian Pache

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The A’s announced a series of roster moves before tonight’s game in Seattle. Right-hander Adrián Martínez and infielder Vimael Machin have been promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas, as previously reported. Oakland also reinstated outfielder Skye Bolt from the 60-day injured list, placed Jed Lowrie on the 10-day IL due to a left shoulder sprain, and optioned center fielder Cristian Pache and starter Adam Oller to Triple-A. Bolt’s activation required a 40-man roster spot, which has been created by designating reliever Adam Kolarek for assignment.

Kolarek has spent the past couple seasons in Oakland. The A’s acquired him from the Dodgers in February 2021, sending infielder Sheldon Neuse the other way. (Oakland has since reacquired Neuse via waivers). Kolarek has bounced on and off the active roster since that point, making 27 combined appearances. He was tagged for ten runs in nine innings last season, and it’s been a similar struggle thus far in 2022.

Through 17 2/3 innings, the southpaw has posted a 4.58 ERA. Kolarek has struck out only 11.4% of batters faced on a 4.7% swinging strike rate, and he’s walked a personal-high 10.1% of opponents. Kolarek has never missed many bats, but he’s seen his average fastball drop from the 91-92 MPH range down to 88.1 MPH this year. The 33-year-old has also allowed eight runs over 12 2/3 frames with Las Vegas during his optional stints.

Those struggles led the A’s to move on, but Kolarek could still hold some appeal to other clubs. The sidearmer has typically been excellent at handling left-handed opponents. For his career, he’s held southpaws to a pitiful .190/.243/.260 line over 277 plate appearances. Right-handers have teed off at a .311/.383/.490 clip, but that kind of situational dominance made him a productive bullpen option in Los Angeles and Tampa Bay earlier in his career. Kolarek also routinely generates ground-balls at a 60% clip or better, and that’s been the case even as his velocity and swing-and-miss have taken a step back in Oakland.

While Kolarek’s time in the organization could be coming to an end, the A’s are surely hopeful Pache will yet emerge as a member of the long-term core. The 23-year-old was one of four players (arguably the headliner) of the Spring Training return from the Braves for Matt Olson. He’s gone on to start 60 of the team’s 72 games in center field, but his first season in green and gold has been a disappointment.

Pache carries just a .159/.203/.224 line across 214 plate appearances. He’s collected only eight extra-base hits while walking at a subpar 5.1% rate and striking out 26.2% of the time. Of the 206 MLB hitters with at least 200 trips to the plate, Pache ranks last with a 24 wRC+ (suggesting he’s been 76 percentage points worse than the league average batter). The non-competitive A’s continued to give him opportunities to get on track offensively, but his woes have spiraled of late. Dating back to the start of June, he’s collected only six hits and three walks over 19 games.

Of course, Pache has long been a glove-first player. He drew top prospect attention during his time in the Atlanta system based largely on the strength of his defense, which most evaluators suggested could be among the league’s best. Pache has lived up to that reputation early in his MLB days. He ranks fourth among outfielders in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric this season, checking in seven plays better than par. That kind of ability could make Pache a perennial Gold Glove candidate, but he’ll need to hit far better than he has this season if he’s to earn everyday run in the majors.

The Braves had optioned Pache during both the 2020 and ’21 campaigns. Assuming he spends 20+ days in the minors this year, he’ll exhaust his third and final option year. That means the A’s will need to keep him on the active roster next season, assuming they don’t want to make him available to other teams. Needless to say, organizational higher-ups will hope that this latest reboot against upper minors arms will help him take a step forward at the plate. Pache owns a more serviceable .267/.331/.414 line through 458 Triple-A plate appearances; the A’s would be thrilled if he could come anywhere close to that kind of production in the majors given his defensive acumen.

How quickly Pache returns to the big leagues will depend in large part on how he hits in Las Vegas. Getting back at some point this season would have important service time repercussions, as he’s just shy of reaching a full year of big league service. Pache entered the 2022 campaign with 79 days. Players reach a full service year upon accruing 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list, meaning he needs 93 days this season to surpass the one-year mark. Pache has tallied around 84 days in the majors to this point, so he needs about a week and a half more time in the big leagues in 2022 to keep on track towards a post-2027 free agent trajectory.

While Pache tries to find his footing, the A’s figure to turn center field over to Bolt. The 28-year-old hasn’t played in the big leagues this season due to an oblique strain, but he’ll get the nod in center tonight. Bolt has only 37 games of MLB experience under his belt, but he’s out of options and has to remain on the active roster or be designated for assignment now that he’s healthy.

Padres Select Matthew Batten, Designate Sergio Alcantara For Assignment

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The Padres announced they’ve selected infielder Matthew Batten onto the big league roster. Fellow infielder Sergio Alcántara has been designated for assignment to clear active and 40-man roster space.

Batten, who turned 27 last week, is in the major leagues for the first time. The Friars selected the 5’11” infielder in the 32nd round of the 2017 draft out of Quinnipiac University. Despite lacking draft or prospect pedigree, he’s played his way to the big leagues with a productive five-year showing in the minors. Batten is a .286/.368/.401 hitter in 420 minor league games, and he’s amidst a breakout 2022 campaign.

The Connecticut native has spent the entire season with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso. Through 264 trips to the plate, he’s hitting .299/.399/.504 with ten home runs. Batten has walked at an excellent 13.6% clip while striking out in a lower-than-average 19.7% of his trips, and he’s chipped in 13 stolen bases. El Paso is a hitter-friendly environment, but that level of production was eye-opening enough for the front office to give him an opportunity nevertheless.

Batten has a fair bit of minor league experience at each of second base, third base and shortstop. He’s seen sporadic time at first base and throughout the outfield as well, and he figures to serve a multi-positional bench role for manager Bob Melvin. That role had been filled of late by Alcántara, but he’ll lose his spot amidst a rough season at the plate.

The Padres claimed Alcántara off waivers from the division-rival Diamondbacks in early May. The out-of-options infielder stuck on the active roster and appeared in 22 games, but he offered very little offensive production during his limited at-bats. Alcántara had also struggled during his early-season stint in Arizona, and he carries just a .159/.183/.239 season line. Over a career-high 255 plate appearances with the Cubs last year, the 25-year-old (26 next month) posted a .205/.303/.327 showing.

Despite lacking much offensive punch, Alcántara has suited up for four different teams over the past three years. A highly-regarded defensive infielder, he’s capable of playing anywhere on the dirt and has drawn strong reviews from public defensive metrics for his shortstop play. The Friars will have a week to trade the defensive specialist or place him on waivers.

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Batten’s promotion before the team announcement.

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