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NL Notes: Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers

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The Dodgers’ oft-ridiculed offseason strategy of acquiring depth looks increasingly smart in retrospect, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Dodgers’ front office has taken flak for the better part of a year for acquiring large numbers of solid players rather than acquiring or retaining stars like Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke and Andrew Miller. But the team is currently just one game back in the NL West, and leads the NL Wild Card race, despite making a ridiculous 26 DL placements this year. The Dodgers have gotten solid contributions from somewhat lower-profile additions like Kenta Maeda, Chase Utley, Joe Blanton and Louis Coleman, not to mention players like Adam Liberatore, Grant Dayton, Andrew Toles and Josh Fields, who arrived in moves that were downright minor. Here’s more from the National League.

  • The Phillies could promote outfield prospects Roman Quinn and Nick Williams, but are less likely to promote top prospect J.P. Crawford, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. Quinn is already on the team’s 40-man roster, while Williams must be added this offseason anyway in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Quinn has hit well this season for Double-A Reading (.297/.370/.420) and Williams has held his own at Triple-A Lehigh Valley (.281/.311/.462), so they could at least be September callups, although, as Salisbury notes, it will be difficult for the Phillies to balance playing time for Quinn, Williams, Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera, and several other outfield options. Crawford is more highly rated than Williams or Quinn (MLB.com ranks him the third-best prospect in all of baseball), but it will be tricky for the Phillies to promote Crawford before the end of the season, since they have a variety of prospects to protect on their 40-man roster this offseason and Crawford doesn’t need to be added.
  • The Brewers have announced that a pair of prospects have inched closer to the minor leagues, with lefty Wei-Chung Wang moving from Double-A Biloxi to Triple-A Colorado Springs and righty Devin Williams heading from Class A Wisconsin to Class A+ Brevard County. Wang was only 20 and had never played above the Gulf Coast League when the Brewers selected him in the Rule 5 Draft in 2013. He predictably struggled in big-league action the next year and looked like he might become a cautionary tale about how the Rule 5 Draft can derail a player’s development if he isn’t ready for the big leagues. Since then, though, he has since worked his way back through the Brewers’ system to reestablish himself as a prospect, posting a 3.52 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings with Biloxi this season. The 21-year-old Williams, the Brewers’ first selection in the 2013 draft, posted a 3.61 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 72 1/3 innings for Wisconsin.

Marlins To Place A.J. Ramos On DL

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The Marlins will place closer A.J. Ramos on the 15-day DL, Andy Slater of 940-AM WINZ tweets. Slater adds that the team will send lefty Hunter Cervenka, who it recently acquired from the Braves, to the minors. Corresponding moves have yet to be announced, although the Marlins used eight relievers (including Cervenka and starter Andrew Cashner) in a 14-inning loss to the Giants yesterday, so bullpen reinforcements would appear to be in order.

There’s no specific word on the reason for Ramos’ DL placement, although he recently has been unavailable due to a jammed finger. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but if the finger turns out to be the only problem, the Marlins’ initial reluctance to place him on the DL might suggest they believe the injury won’t turn out to be serious. Fernando Rodney collected a save this weekend in Ramos’ absence and appears likely to continue to close until Ramos returns.

The 29-year-old Ramos has had a solid second season as the Marlins’ closer, collecting 32 saves while posting a 3.05 ERA and compensating for a high 5.3 BB/9 with an excellent 11.4 K/9. He’s now pitched parts of five seasons with the Marlins, with a career 2.69 ERA, 10.6 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/9/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the game.

  • The Twins have released outfielder Darin Mastroianni, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press tweets. Mastroianni briefly played in the big leagues for the Twins earlier this season, but they outrighted him last month. The 30-year-old has batted just .256/.327/.300 in 203 plate appearances at Triple-A Rochester this season. As Berardino notes, the Twins recently optioned Byron Buxton to Rochester, and he figures to play center field there, leaving Mastroianni without much of a role. In parts of five big-league seasons with the Blue Jays and Twins, Mastroianni has batted .206/.271/.280 in 317 plate appearances.

Yankees Sign Tommy Layne To Major League Deal

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The Yankees have announced that they’ve signed lefty Tommy Layne to a big-league contract. The signing will require a 25-man roster move, which has yet to be announced. Layne is represented by ACES.

The Red Sox designated Layne for assignment last week, then released him. The 31-year-old had a 3.77 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 28 2/3 innings with Boston this year, and was similarly effective last year, but as MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out when Layne was designated, Layne has not been as good this year against same-handed batters, allowing lefties to post a .355 on-base percentage against him. Still, Layne is a somewhat proven lefty reliever who, at the very least, gets his share of ground balls — in parts of five career seasons with the Padres and Red Sox, Layne has a 3.21 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a strong 52.4% ground ball rate.

Layne will join a Yankees bullpen depleted by the losses of lefties Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. Richard Bleier (a minor league veteran) and Chasen Shreve (who can be optioned) are the lefty relievers currently on the team’s 25-man roster.

Tim Tebow Pursuing Baseball Career, To Hold Workout For MLB Teams

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Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is “actively pursuing” a career as a baseball outfielder and will hold a workout for MLB scouts next month, ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes. Tebow has been training in Arizona and California as a baseball player for nearly a year, working with former MLB catcher Chad Moeller. His agents, Jimmy Sexton and Nick Khan, are now working with CAA’s Brodie Van Wagenen (who has worked with MLB players like Yoenis Cespedes, Robinson Cano, Todd Frazier and Ryan Zimmerman) as Tebow pursues a career in MLB.

[RELATED: Follow Pro Football Rumors On Twitter For The Latest NFL News]

“This may sound like a publicity stunt, but nothing could be further from the truth,” said Van Wagenen in a statement. “I have seen Tim’s workouts, and people inside and outside the industry – scouts, executives, players and fans – will be impressed by his talent.”

Needless to say, getting to the big leagues will be an uphill battle for Tebow, who is now nearly 29 and hadn’t dedicated himself to baseball since he was in high school in 2005. His case perhaps bears similarities to that of Michael Jordan, who left the NBA and began pursuing a baseball career in the White Sox system at the age of 31, only to struggle at Double-A.

Tebow, though, was an MLB draft prospect in high school as a lefty-hitting outfielder, as Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper tweets. Tebow did not play baseball as a high school senior or at the University of Florida, however.

Tebow won the Heisman Trophy at Florida in 2007, then led the Gators to a national championship in the 2008 season. He played three years in the NFL with the Broncos and Jets. ESPN hired him as a football analyst in late 2013.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/6/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The Brewers have announced the release of right-hander Ariel Pena, who was the last remaining piece in the organization from its 2012 trade with the Angels that sent Zack Greinke to Los Angeles. Milwaukee also received infielder Jean Segura and righty Johnny Hellweg in that deal. Pena threw 29 innings with the Brewers and logged a 5.59 ERA, 8.38 K/9 and 4.97 BB/9. The 27-year-old has struggled mightily at the Triple-A level in 2016, having recorded an 8.36 ERA and 7.65 BB/9 in 37 2/3 frames.
  • The Braves announced last night that they would selected the contract of righty Roberto Hernandez, who will start tonight against the Cardinals. (They cleared a roster space earlier today when they shipped reliever Hunter Cervenka to the Marlins.) The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona has pitched for two Triple-A teams this year, combining for a 4.60 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. He hasn’t yet appeared in the big leagues in 2016, but he appeared in all of the previous ten seasons, pitching to a career 4.58 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 56.5% ground ball rate.
  • The Pirates are expected to select the contract of Curtis Partch, MLB.com’s Adam Berry notes (Twitter links). Partch will take the roster spot of fellow hard-throwing righty Arquimedes Caminero, who was traded to the Mariners today. It’s possible Partch’s stay in the big leagues could be short, however, since the team intends to move starter Jeff Locke to the bullpen and will require an extra starter later this week. Partch has a 2.05 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He also made one appearance with the Pirates, allowing three runs without retiring a batter.
  • The Red Sox have requested release waivers on lefty Tommy Layne, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweets. Boston designated Layne for assignment this week to make room for Fernando Abad after Layne posted a 3.77 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 28 2/3 innings while struggling against lefties.

Padres Designate Matt Thornton For Assignment

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The Padres have designated lefty Matt Thornton for assignment, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The move clears space for new addition Clayton Richard.

[Related: San Diego Padres Depth Chart]

The 39-year-old Thornton signed a minor league deal with the Padres last offseason. He missed most of the first two months of the year with Achilles tendinitis, then struggled in 17 innings with San Diego, posting a 5.82 ERA, 4.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. His velocity has dropped from the mid- to high 90s as a member of the White Sox several years ago to 91.4 MPH this year, likely a key factor to his steadily declining strikeout rate over the past few seasons. He has a 3.41 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in parts of 13 years in the big leagues.

Phillies Designate Brett Oberholtzer, Release Andrew Bailey

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The Phillies have announced that they’ve designated lefty Brett Oberholtzer for assignment, a move that clears roster space for top prospect Jake Thompson, who will start today. The team also announced that it has requested release waivers on righty Andrew Bailey, who was designated for assignment earlier this week.

[Related: Philadelphia Phillies Depth Chart]

The Phillies acquired the 27-year-old Oberholtzer last offseason when they sent Ken Giles to Houston. Oberholtzer has spent the season pitching in a long-relief role in Philadelphia, posting a 4.83 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 50 1/3 innings. He doesn’t have great velocity or an outstanding breaking pitch, so his upside appears to be limited, even though he’s left-handed and is capable of starting or relieving. He has a 4.09 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in parts of four big-league seasons.

Bailey’s 2016 season has been his first full, healthy campaign in years, but it hasn’t gone well, as he posted a 6.40 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 32 1/3 innings. The 32-year-old former Athletics closer has pitched parts of seven big-league seasons, spending time with the Red Sox and Yankees in addition to the A’s and Phillies.

Injury Notes: Norris, Hill, Zimmerman, Jennings

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Here are several injury notes from around the game.

  • The Dodgers have announced that they’ve placed Bud Norris on the 15-day DL with a mild back strain (retroactive to August 1) and recalled fellow righty Ross Stripling to take his place. As SB Nation’s Eric Stephen points out (on Twitter), Norris is the 26th Dodger to head to the DL this season. Stripling will start for the Dodgers today against the Red Sox. Norris has posted a 4.34 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 29 innings with Los Angeles since arriving in a late-June trade with the Braves.
  • The Dodgers’ need to reshuffle their rotation goes beyond Norris right now, too, as new acquisition Rich Hill has been scratched from his start on Sunday (as the Los Angeles Times’ Mike DiGiovanna tweets) due to remnants of his blister problem. Brandon McCarthy will take Hill’s place. Hill remains on the DL, where he’s been since he was still in the Athletics organization. He hopes to make his Dodgers debut Friday, as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets.
  • The Nationals have placed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day DL with a left wrist contusion, MASN’s Dan Kolko tweets. Zimmerman was hit by a pitch last Sunday and has not played since. To replace him on the active roster, outfielder Brian Goodwin will begin his first stint in the big leagues. It’s been a tough season for the 31-year-old Zimmerman, who has hit just .222/.284/.394 in 335 plate appearances. The 25-year-old Goodwin, a former first-round pick and top prospect, was hitting .284/.350/.434 for Triple-A Syracuse.
  • The Rays have announced that they’ve placed Desmond Jennings on the 15-day DL with a left knee contusion, activating fellow outfielder Mikie Mahtook (hand) from the DL to take his place. It’s been a very rough go for the 29-year-old Jennings, who’s batted just .200/.281/.350 in 225 plate appearances this season while also missing time due to a hamstring strain. Notably, Jennings also missed most of last season after having arthroscopic left knee surgery and then bruising the knee late in the season.

Mariners Acquire Pat Venditte From Blue Jays

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The Mariners have announced that they’ve acquired switch-pitcher Pat Venditte from the Blue Jays for a player to be named. To clear space for him, they’ve designated righty Donn Roach for assignment. Venditte has been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma.

The 31-year-old Venditte had appeared in eight games with the Jays this season. He’d spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a 4.37 ERA and 3.3 BB/9, but with a very high 13.4 K/9. He has a 4.58 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 37 1/3 career big-league innings, suggesting his highly unusual ability to pitch with either hand is more than a curiosity. He has, however, been much better as a left-handed pitcher in his brief big-league career, and that trend also existed in the minors this year. The trade for Venditte was the Mariners’ second acquisition of a reliever today, with the first being their trade for Arquimedes Caminero of the Pirates. Whereas that move seemed designed to immediately improve the big-league roster, though, it appears they’ll use Venditte primarily as depth for now.

The 26-year-old Roach has appeared in four games with Seattle in 2016, but he’s spent most of the year with Tacoma, posting a 4.75 ERA, 5.2 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 while pitching 108 innings, mostly as a starter. He has a career 5.77 ERA, 4.6 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in parts of three seasons in the big leagues, during which he’s also appeared with the Padres and Cubs.

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