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Pirates Promote Ke’Bryan Hayes

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TODAY: The Pirates have officially called Hayes up, and also promoted recent waiver claim Anthony Alford to the active roster.  Southpaw Brandon Waddell and outfielder Jason Martin were optioned to the club’s alternate training site in corresponding moves.

AUGUST 31: The Pirates will promote top third base prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes before their game against the Cubs on Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Hayes’ promotion was slowed thanks in part to a positive coronavirus test in July.

Now 23 years old, Hayes was a 2015 first-round pick (No. 32) who has established himself as a high-end major league prospect since the Pirates drafted him. In fact, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (No. 26), FanGraphs (30), MLB.com (45), Keith Law of The Athletic (46) and Baseball America (59) recently placed Hayes among the game’s 60 best farmhands. McDaniel wrote that Hayes, the son of ex-major leaguer Charlie Hayes, possesses “plus speed, a plus arm and a potential 70 glove,” and if he proves to be a capable offensive player in the majors, the package could make him a star.

So far, Hayes has not necessarily thrived against minor league pitching. He owns a .752 OPS in the minors, and in his most recent showing at the lower levels in 2019, he batted .265/.336/.415 (92 wRC+) with 10 home runs and 12 stolen bases across 480 Triple-A plate appearances. Still, his promotion makes for a rare bit of excitement in a Pittsburgh season that has largely been devoid of it.

The Pirates are a major league-worst 10-21 and have received below-average production from the third base tandem of Erik Gonzalez and JT Riddle, two players who probably won’t be part of the solution over the long haul. Hayes, on the other hand, has a chance to emerge as a franchise cornerstone for years to come. Because the Pirates are waiting until Sept. 1 to call him up, he’ll miss out on Super Two status and won’t be on track to reach free agency until after 2026.

Cardinals Designate Jesus Cruz

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The Cardinals have designated right-hander Jesus Cruz for assignment, Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets. They also activated reliever Ryan Helsley from the injured list and optioned lefty Rob Kaminsky.

The 25-year-old Cruz had a short run on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, as the club selected him Aug. 18. He made one appearance as a Cardinal and yielded a pair of earned runs over a single inning of work. Cruz spent last season between Single-A and Double-A, where he combined for a 6.02 ERA and recorded 13.1 K/9 against 6.8 BB/9 over 61 1/3 frames.

Helsley threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in late July, but he then became one of the many Cardinals who tested positive for the coronavirus, which put a temporary halt to their season. Now that he’s back, though, the 26-year-old could be a rather useful piece for St. Louis’ bullpen down the stretch. Helsley debuted in the majors last year and has since ridden a 97 mph fastball to a stingy 2.75 ERA (with a much less impressive 4.05 FIP), 7.78 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings.

Brewers Release Justin Grimm, Select Phil Bickford

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The Brewers have released reliever Justin Grimm, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. The club also announced that it has selected right-hander Phil Bickford, placed infielder Jedd Gyorko on the bereavement list, optioned righty Trey Supak and recalled outfielder Tyrone Taylor.

Milwaukee was the fifth major league team for Grimm, who has logged a 5.14 ERA/4.20 FIP with 9.16 K/9 and 3.94 BB/9 across a lifetime 360 2/3 innings. He only racked up 4 2/3 frames as a member of the Brewers, with whom he surrendered nine earned runs on nine hits and four walks (six strikeouts). The Brewers designated Grimm for assignment Aug. 28.

Bickford, 25, entered the pros as the 18th overall pick of the Giants in 2018 and eventually became a top 50 prospect, though he hasn’t pitched above the Single-A level yet. But Bickford has been rather effective in the minors, including when he posted a 2.48 ERA/2.03 FIP with 14.6 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9 over 32 2/3 frames last season.

Rangers Make Series Of Moves

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The Rangers have made a series of moves, per a team announcement. The club reinstated shortstop Elvis Andrus and reliever Brett Martin from the 10-day injured list, placed second baseman Rougned Odor on the 10-day IL with an eye infection, selected outfielder Eli White and recalled infielder Anderson Tejeda.

Andrus is returning after landing on the IL on Aug. 20 with a lower back strain. The 31-year-old hit an ugly .184/.244/.250 in 82 plate appearances before then, and he won’t have his double-play partner, Odor, around upon his return. Odor, like Andrus, has gotten off to a difficult start this year. His IL placement is retroactive to Aug. 28.

White, 26, looks to be in line for his major league debut four years after the Athletics chose him in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. He joined the Rangers in the division rivals’ pre-2019 trade that Jurickson Profar and Emilio Pagan headlined. White reached the Triple-A level for the first time in his initial season in the Texas organization, but he only managed a .253/.337/.418 line with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases across 499 plate appearances. He ranked as FanGraphs’ 37th-best Rangers prospect before the current campaign.

Mets Designate Hunter Strickland

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The Mets have designated reliever Hunter Strickland and transferred infielder Eduardo Nunez to the 45-day injured list, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. Those moves help make room for righty Ariel Jurado, whom the team recalled.

This is the second time this year the Mets have designated Strickland, whom they brought back to their roster Monday four weeks after his previous DFA. Strickland wound up throwing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a walk last night, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the fray. The 31-year-old has now tossed 3 1/3 innings this season and yielded four runs (three earned) on five hits and four strikeouts against one walk.

Nunez, 33, has been even less of a factor for the Mets than Strickland. He totaled two at-bats on the opening weekend of the season, but Nunez has been dealing with left knee problems since then. It’s unclear whether he’ll return this year.

Mariners Acquire Alberto Rodriguez From Blue Jays

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The Mariners have acquired minor league outfielder Alberto Rodriguez from the Blue Jays to complete the teams’ trade for right-hander Taijuan Walker, Seattle announced.

The two teams swung the deal for Walker on Aug. 27, though Toronto included a player who was not in its 60-man player pool. His identity was unknown until now as a result.

Still just 19 years old, Rodriguez spent the first two professional seasons of his career playing in rookie ball for the Jays organization. He batted .274/.356/.392 with seven home runs and 34 stolen bases on 42 attempts over 458 plate appearances during his time in Toronto’s system.

Padres Acquire Taylor Williams

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4:55pm: The Mariners will receive righty Matt Brash in return, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. The 22-year-old Brash went in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and then threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings between rookie ball and Single-A last season.

3:34pm: The Padres have made yet another trade, this time acquiring right-hander Taylor Williams from the Mariners for a player to be named later, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets.

This is the second trade in as many days between the Padres and Mariners, who previously swung a seven-player deal Sunday that saw Austin Nola, Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla go from Seattle to San Diego. As was the case in landing Adams and Altavilla, the idea behind acquiring Williams is to improve a Padres bullpen that has struggled with injuries and underperformance in 2020. It’s anyone’s guess whether the 29-year-old Williams will end up as part of the solution, though, considering he has only put up a 5.34 ERA across 86 major league innings with the Brewers and Mariners. Williams has however, averaged 95 mph on his fastball and posted a 3.80 FIP during his time in the bigs. He also won’t be eligible for arbitration until after 2021, so Williams could be a valuable piece for the Padres over multiple seasons if he turns around his career.

Regardless of whether Williams rights the ship as a Padre, his pickup is yet another sign that they’re going for it in 2020. At 21-15 and trying to break a long playoff drought, the A.J. Preller-led Padres have made a series of notable trades since the weekend.

Giants Acquire Anthony Banda

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The Rays have traded left-hander Anthony Banda to the Giants, Robert Murray reports. The Giants sent cash considerations in return, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to tweet. To make room for Banda, the Giants placed outfielder Joey Rickard on the 60-day injured list with left elbow inflammation.

The 27-year-old Banda spent a short time in limbo, as the Rays designated him for assignment Sunday. Banda’s a former top 100 prospect whom the Rays acquired from the Diamondbacks in a three-way trade entering the 2018 season, though he hasn’t made much of a major league impact so far. Banda wound up throwing just 51 1/3 innings with the Rays, including seven frames this year, and recording a 5.96 ERA (and a far better 3.67 FIP) with 7.19 K/9 against 3.16 BB/9.

Zach Plesac To Start For Indians On Tuesday

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Right-hander Zach Plesac will make his return to the Indians’ rotation with a start on Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Plesac began the season brilliantly, but he hasn’t appeared in the majors since Aug. 8, after which the Indians optioned him to their alternate training site because he violated coronavirus protocols while on the road. The 25-year-old’s actions temporarily cost the Indians a hurler who performed respectably as a rookie in 2019 and then opened the current campaign with a sterling 1.29 ERA/2.37 FIP with 10.29 K/9 against 0.86 BB/9 across three starts and 21 innings.

Of course, Plesac’s largely back in the Indians’ rotation because they dealt righty Mike Clevinger – who violated COVID-19 protocols alongside Plesac – to the Padres in a blockbuster on Monday. Even without Clevinger in the fray, the Indians boast a formidable rotation, one that also includes Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Carlos Carrasco and Triston McKenzie. That quintet should help the 21-13 AL Central leaders remain in contention over the final month of the regular season.

Rangers Won’t Trade Lance Lynn, Joey Gallo

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The Rangers moved a significant contributor in left-hander Mike Minor before Monday’s trade deadline, but a couple of other big names will stay put. Righty Lance Lynn and outfielder Joey Gallo aren’t going anywhere, TR Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

The 33-year-old Lynn has been one of baseball’s top starters dating back to his debut season with the Rangers in 2019, and as someone who’s only under control through the 2021 campaign, he looked like a prime trade chip. Lynn surely drew interest from an array of teams, including the Dodgers, but the Rangers never found an offer to their liking. However, that doesn’t mean Lynn will don their uniform again next season. He’ll likely pop up in trade rumors again during the winter, as the Rangers figure to be coming off another non-playoff effort and Lynn will be set to earn a team-friendly $8MM in the last season of a three-year, $30MM contract that has worked out wonderfully for Texas.

Meanwhile, it always seemed like a long shot that the Rangers would part with Gallo, who’s just 26, one of the faces of their franchise and controllable via arbitration through 2022. Gallo hasn’t gotten off to a strong start this year, during which he has slashed .183/.336/.423 with seven home runs in 128 plate appearances, but he was one of the AL’s premier hitters in an injury-limited 2019 showing. It wouldn’t have made sense for the Rangers to sell low on him.

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