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Marlins Select Mike Aviles, Designate Yefri Perez

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The infield-needy Marlins have announced several roster moves. The team has selected the contract of veteran Mike Aviles, optioning catcher Tomas Telis to create a spot on the active roster while designating infielder Yefri Perez to create 40-man space.

[RELATED: Updated Marlins Depth Chart]

Aviles was signed only days ago to a minors pact. The 36-year-old struggled badly last year with the Tigers after declining at the plate over the course of a three-year run with the Indians. He hasn’t appeared since being released last year following a mid-season trade to the Braves.

It’s anybody’s guess what Aviles will be able to contribute after having only a little time to prepare, though he did hit well in limited action in the World Baseball Classic. But he’s a respected presence, and the need is acute given the flood of injuries to infielders that recently hit the organization.

Evidently, the club did not feel that the 26-year-old Perez was a better option. He saw brief MLB action last year — mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner — and had held onto a 40-man spot, but his typically poor offensive numbers had further faded this year. Over 123 plate appearances at Double-A, Perez has slashed just .131/.283/.162. He has stolen quite a few bags in past years — including 73 in 2015 — but owns only a .251/.310/.305 batting line over nine seasons in the minors.

Marco Hernandez Weighing Shoulder Surgery

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Red Sox infielder Marco Hernandez is weighing surgery that would probably keep him out for the rest of the season, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal was among those to report (Twitter links). While nothing has been decided, manager John Farrell suggested that the surgical route was increasingly likely.

Hernandez, 24, has played a surprisingly important role for Boston in the early going. Before hitting the DL, he had taken sixty plate appearances while helping to fill in at third base and also seeing action at short and second. Hernandez is hitting just .276/.300/.328 over that span.

While the Sox will be disappointed to lose the flexibility represented by Hernandez, if he does indeed go under the knife, the news doesn’t come at the worst possible time. Boston has welcomed back Josh Rutledge, whose early-season absence opened the door for Hernandez, with Pablo Sandoval and Brock Holt also on the way back.

Hernandez came to Boston as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Felix Doubront to the Cubs at the 2014 trade deadline. He finally gained traction after arriving with his new organization, moving into the upper minors and then reaching the majors for the first time last year.

Nationals Activate Koda Glover, Shawn Kelley

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The Nationals have activated righties Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley, per a club announcement. A.J. Cole and Matt Grace were each optioned back to Triple-A to create roster space.

The absence of Glover and Kelley had left a void at the back of the Nats’ bullpen. Washington has struggled to find an order of priority in the late innings as most of the relief unit has scuffled, but the righty pairing seemingly sits atop the closing depth chart at present.

Glover, 24, has been said at times to possess the stuff to handle the role and may be the club’s next homegrown closer. But it’s not clear he’s ready to handle the role now. Before going down with a hip impingement, Glover carried solid, though hardly dominant, numbers. He permitted four earned runs on seven hits over 8 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking one.

As for Kelley, he has landed among the league’s best in generating swinging strikes in recent years. But the 33-year-old is seen as requiring regular rest and careful handling given his history of elbow problems, so he may not be a standalone option in the ninth. Kelley has allowed five home runs in his first ten frames, but otherwise has been his typically dominant self, with 13 strikeouts against three walks.

It remains to be seen, of course, whether either of these pitchers can provide enough certainty in the ninth inning to foreclose the addition of a more-established closer at the trade deadline. If nothing else, though, their return will hopefully reduce the need to consider more drastic moves to shore up the the lead-protection unit far in advance of the summer trade period. Odds are, the Nats will be among the game’s most aggressive pursuers of quality relievers this summer.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/11/17

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves right here…

  • Former big league right-hander Barry Enright, who has been pitching for the Padres’ Double-A affiliate, was traded to the Rockies in a minor swap, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. (Enright himself confirmed the move on Twitter). The 31-year-old hasn’t appeared in the Major since a 2013 stint with the Angels, though he’s pitched with various Triple-A clubs and in the Mexican League since that time. Enright owns a career 5.57 ERA in 148 2/3 Major League innings and a 4.86 ERA across parts of nine minor league seasons.
  • The Mariners have signed infielder Danny Muno to a minor league deal and assigned them to their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, according to Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto (Twitter link). Muno, 28, got a brief taste of the Majors with the Mets in 2015 (32 plate appearances) but hasn’t returned to the big leagues since. He opened the 2017 season with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League, where he posted a .744 OPS through 13 games. Muno doesn’t have much power but has a history of getting on base in Triple-A, where he’s logged a .257/.363/.377 batting line in parts of three seasons. He’ll bring some defensive versatility to the Mariners’ Triple-A club, as he’s well-versed at second base, shortstop and third base.

Earlier Moves

  • The Mariners have purchased the contract of righty Tyler Cloyd from the Somerset Patriots, the indy ball club announced. Cloyd had been throwing quite well, racking up 16 strikeouts over a dozen frames while allowing just two earned runs on  eight hits and three walks. Soon to turn 30, Cloyd had struggled in two seasons of work with the Phillies and then bounced around in recent years. He returned from a stint with Korea’s Samsung Lions to join the Yankees last year on a minors deal, but missed the bulk of the season due to injury after a promising start. Over 440 2/3 total Triple-A innings, Cloyd owns a 3.49 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9.

Mariners Claim Casey Lawrence

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The Mariners have claimed righty Casey Lawrence from the Blue Jays, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune first reported on Twitter. The club has announced the move, with Evan Scribner moving to the 60-day DL to create 40-man space.

The 29-year-old Lawrence will report to Triple-A Tacoma, where he’ll provide the Seattle organization with an additional depth option. He had made two starts and two relief appearances at the MLB level for the Jays, though those didn’t go particularly well.

Over 13 1/3 innings frames with Toronto — the first of his career in the big leagues — Lawrence surrendered 13 earned runs on 21 hits with a less-than-ideal 7:11 K/BB walk rate. That said, Lawrence has also turned in three strong starts at Triple-A this year (allowing just one earned in ten innings) and has been a sturdy (if unspectacular) performer in the upper minors in recent years.

Jeurys Familia Diagnosed With Arterial Clot In Shoulder

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Mets closer Jeurys Familia has been diagnosed with an “arterial clot” in his right shoulder, per a club announcement. He’ll head for a visit with Dr. Robert Thompson, with a surgical option considered possible.

Obviously, we don’t yet know whether surgery is likely. But it seems squarely on the table given that the team noted that possibility in the announcement — a rather unusual step when the treatment course has yet to be finalized. Dr. Thompson, a noted expert in thoracic outlet syndrome and other vascular issues, recently operated on Mets starter Matt Harvey, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes on Twitter.

Familia, 27, has exhibited worrying walk issues since being activated from a suspension to start the year. Over 9 1/3 frames, he has issued eight free passes. On the other hand, he’s working in the zone at a rate (41.1%) that’s nearly identical to his career average, so it isn’t as if he’s just constantly wild. In addition to the walks, though, Familia is showing a drop in swinging strikes while drawing less chases on ball out of the zone, perhaps suggesting he’s struggling to hit his spots.

The results have generally been plenty acceptable, at least until last night’s (fielding-error-aided) meltdown. Before coughing up three earned runs while recording just a single out yesterday, Familia had allowed only one earned run on five hits through his nine frames on the season. And his average fastball velocity sits at or above his career levels (97.2 mph average four-seamer; 96.5 mph average sinker).

Whatever the precise issues, we’ll now wait to hear just how long an absence the club expects. At least some absence seems all but a foregone conclusion, with surgery potential requiring a lengthy layoff. The Mets can scarcely afford to lose Familia for a long stretch — especially with other key players already shelved on the DL. Addison Reed does represent about as good a replacement option as could be hoped for in the closer’s role, though the club will nonetheless be without a premium relief arm at the back of the bullpen for whatever stretch Familia is out.

Red Sox Option Kyle Kendrick

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The Red Sox have optioned veteran righty Kyle Kendrick back to Triple-A, as Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports. While optional assignment waivers are no longer required for players, like Kendrick, who are more than three years away from their MLB debut, the club did need to obtain his consent to the assignment as a player with five or more years of service.

Kendrick, 32, has been hit hard in two outings for the Red Sox. Lasting just 8 1/3 innings, the righty has surrendered a dozen earned runs on 18 hits while recording just three strikeouts and issuing three walks. While he showed well in spring camp, that hasn’t carried over to the regular season. Kendrick also carries a 6.00 ERA through four starts at Triple-A.

With a need for relief pitching, the club had little recourse but to make a change. Boston has brought Robbie Ross Jr. back up to take Kendrick’s spot on the active roster. As manager John Farrell explained, an upcoming off-day buys the club some time to make rotation plans.

Given that the Red Sox kept Kendrick on the 40-man roster, rather than designating him for assignment, it seems he’ll remain an option moving forward. But the club could also elect to recall one of the 40-man starters currently working at Pawtucket while it continues to wait for David Price, who is nearing a return to the majors..

Lefties Henry Owens and Brian Johnson have both generated good results thus far, though both are carrying typical peripherals. Right-hander Hector Velazquez is pitching quite well, with just three earned runs on 11 hits over his 22 frames, though he’s not on the 40-man roster. Regardless, Boston will hope that whoever does eventually come up is only needed to keep the seat warm for Price.

Phillies Extend Pete Mackanin

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The Phillies have announced an extension of the contract of skipper Pete Mackanin. He’ll receive a two-year deal that covers this year and next, with the club holding an option over one additional season.

Pete Mackanin

Mackanin had agreed to a similarly structured deal in the spring of 2016, which left the Phils committed for two seasons with an option for 2018. Now, the sides have effectively pushed that arrangement out another year, with the option season arising in 2019.

The 65-year-old Mackanin took the helm in Philadelphia as an interim replacement for Ryne Sandberg back in 2015. His performance with a club in transition earned him a longer stint, and he’s now entering his second full season running the dugout.

There hasn’t been much in the way of on-field success since Mackanin was named manager; the club carries a rough 121-161 record. But immediate results are far from the top priority for the rebuilding Phils, who are hoping rather to develop a core of young players who’ll help drive an organizational resurgence in the seasons to come. As ever, there have been some ups and downs in that pursuit, but it seems the organization’s brass remains favorably disposed toward Mackanin’s handling of the clubhouse.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AL East Notes: HanRam, Sandoval/Holt, Ramos, De Leon

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Red Sox slugger Hanley Ramirez departed tonight’s contest with what the team is calling a “right trap muscle spasm,” Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweets. There’s no real reason to expect it’s a significant problem, though Boston will surely wish to make sure that Ramirez doesn’t rush back and end up shelved.

Here are a few more notes from the AL East:

  • While the Red Sox have been walking a fine line at third base, the team may soon have a fuller set of options, as Mastrodonato also recently reported. Pablo Sandoval is nearing a minor-league assignment now that his knee is improving. And Brock Holt is moving even faster with his symptoms of vertigo finally clearing. It’s still not exactly clear how the playing time will sort out once those two are back, but presumably they’ll join Josh Rutledge in some kind of platoon situation at the hot corner, with both Rutledge and (especially) Holt also representing options elsewhere around the diamond.
  • Rays catcher Wilson Ramos is making strides in his rehab from ACL surgery, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay  Times reports. Ramos says he is “very excited” about how his surgically repaired knee is progressing, with hopes that he can begin a rehab stint before the end of May. Ramos is not only running and hitting but will soon be allowed to ramp up his work with the mask on. Tampa Bay will no doubt look forward to seeing whether Ramos can follow up on his big 2016 season, as current regular Derek Norris has struggled to a .202/.263/.303 batting line to open the year.
  • The Rays will soon get a look at another important offseason acquisition, too. As Topkin tweets, righty Jose De Leon is preparing for his first start of the year at the High-A level. He’ll presumably move up to Triple-A as his rehab from flexor mass issues continues to progress. While De Leon did reach the majors last year, the timing of his return to the bigs is currently unclear. In addition to completing his development and ensuring his health, the Rays will also be looking for the best way to boost De Leon’s workload. He still has yet to throw more than 114 1/3 innings in a given season.

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