Eric Wedge Expected To Return As Mariners Manager
GM Jack Zduriencik says that he expects to retain Eric Wedge as the Mariners manager in 2014, ESPN's Jim Bowden reports on Twitter. Zduriencik would not comment on his own status, which remains somewhat in question in spite of reports that he is already under contract for next year.
Of course, Seattle's front office and field management has come under pressure after another difficult season. The M's stand at 62-73; they are 17 games out of the division lead and 13.5 back of a wild card slot. Zduriencik and Wedge have been together at the helm of the Mariners for three seasons, but have yet to produce a winning record.
Athletics Designate Luke Montz For Assignment
The Athletics have designated 30-year-old catcher and designated hitter Luke Montz for assignment, the team announced on Twitter. That move created 40-man roster space for the addition of young outfielder Michael Choice.
Montz, who has seen thirty uneventful plate appearances for the A's this season, has spent most of the last six seasons in the upper minors. He possesses a .246/.352/.541 line in 145 plate appearances at Triple-A, and did more or less the same while in the Marlins' system during 2011-2012.
Yankees Release Melky Mesa
The Yankees have released outfielder Melky Mesa, the team announced via Twitter. The 26-year-old has been with the Yankee organization since signing as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2003.
Mesa saw his most extensive big league action this year, but only logged fourteen plate appearances in the bigs, though he did notch five hits and a walk. His Triple-A line stands at .261/.295/.452 over 332 plate appearances, including thirteen home runs. On the year, he struck out 112 times and drew only eleven walks.
Rangers Release Justin Miller
The Rangers have released right-handed reliever Justin Miller, the team announced in a press release. The 26-year-old had spent his entire career in the Texas system.
Miller had been good enough to be added to the team's 40-man roster after a strong 2011, but missed all of 2012 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He has not been the same since his return, as he currently sports a 7.67 ERA over 27 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. Though Miller has managed to strike out batters at a nice 11.0 K/9 rate during 2013, he has also posted a 5.3 BB/9 walk rate and allowed ten base hits per nine.
Rangers Designate Joe Benson For Assignment
Completing a series of roster moves, the Rangers have designated outfielder Joe Benson for assignment, the team announced via press release. The 25-year-old was a second round pick by the Twins in the 2006 draft.
Texas claimed Benson on waivers from Minnesota earlier this year and then optioned him to the minors. Benson's cumulative line in 2013 stands at .215/.294/.362, with seven home runs and nine stolen bases. He had steadily moved through the Twins system and showed promise over a nice minor league run in 2010 (.881 OPS) and 2011 (.879 OPS), but Benson's career stalled after a meager big league showing late in 2011.
Orioles Designate Eric Thames For Assignment
The Orioles have designated outfielder Eric Thames for assignment, the team announced via press release. In a corresponding move, the team added pitcher Eric Beaulac to the 40-man roster and put him on the DL, which creates an extra potential post-season roster spot.
Thames was acquired from the Mariners by trade in late June, but hasn't notched an MLB at-bat this season. He has seen his big league playing time dwindle consistently since a nice rookie campaign with Toronto in 2011, when he slashed .262/.313/.456 and hit twelve long balls in 394 plate appearances. In the Seattle and Baltimore minor league systems this year, Thames has a collective .283/.367/.432 line across 420 plate appearances.
Top Prospect Promotions: Choice, Castellanos
As we learn of top prospect promotions over September, we'll try to keep tabs on them in a daily basis. Here are Sunday's promotions:
- The Athletics are set to bring up outfielder Michael Choice, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser first reported last night. Choice entered the season as the A's second overall prospect as rated by Baseball America, which praised his strength and bat speed. He currently sits as the 92nd overall prospect in the game on Mayo's list. The 23-year-old has delivered a .302/.390/.445 line and fourteen homers in 600 plate appearances over his first season at Triple-A.
- The Tigers have officially called up the team's top prospect, with the team announcing on Twitter that it has purchased the contract of outfielder Nick Castellanos. The former third baseman entered the year as a consensus top-50 prospect in all of baseball, and moved up to 11th overall in the mid-season ranking of MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. As Mayo explained, the 21-year-old hits the ball to all fields and has solid pop.
Orioles Designate Taylor Teagarden For Assignment
The Orioles have designated catcher Taylor Teagarden for assignment, reports Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The move was needed to open a 40-man spot for fellow backstop Chris Snyder, who had an opt-out clause in his deal (according to an earlier Encina tweet).
Teagarden has hit .167/.180.300 in 62 plate appearances for the O's this year. The 29-year-old has been a well-below-average hitter over his big league career The club hopes to be able to keep Teagarden in the organization, MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko notes on Twitter. Alternatively, Baltimore may look to find a trade partner for Teagarden, who can refuse an assignment if he clears waivers, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli reports (via Twitter).
Cubs Designate Eduardo Sanchez For Assignment
The Cubs have designated right-handed reliever Eduardo Sanchez for assignment, tweets Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald. With the move, the team cleared a 40-man roster spot for Ryan Sweeney's activation from the 60-day DL.
Sanchez, now 24, registered a 1.80 ERA (and notched five saves) in 30 innings for the Cardinals back in 2011. Yet with durability already one of his biggest concerns, a series of injury issues and a poor 2012-13 performance record left Sanchez to be claimed off of waivers by the Cubs earlier this year. Since switching organizations, Sanchez has struggled to a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 big league innings while walking as many as he has struck out. Across 40 Triple-A innings this season with Chicago and St. Louis, Sanchez has a 3.38 ERA, but has done so with a troubling strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.9 K/9 versus 5.2 BB/9).
Indians Designate Tim Fedroff, Juan Diaz
The Indians have designated outfielder Tim Fedroff and shortstop Juan Diaz for assignment, the team announced on Twitter. The move creates 40-man roster space for the team's September call-up plans.
Fedroff is a 2008 7th-round pick who has spent the last four years at Double-A or Triple-A without a big league appearance. Now 26, the outfielder has struggled to a .242/.334/.306 line this season at Triple-A Columbus. Last year, he had impressed with a .316/.394/.485 triple slash across 543 plate appearances in the upper minors.
Diaz, meanwhile, is a 24-year-old shortstop who has seen only seventeen big league plate appearances. In his first full season at Triple-A this year, Diaz has hit .242/.317/.348 to go with eight long balls. He is not much of a threat to steal, and has struck out at or above a 20% clip.