Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Diamondbacks Select Tyler Gilbert; Drey Jameson Moved To 60-Day IL

By | at

The Diamondbacks selected the contract of left-hander Tyler Gilbert from Triple-A Reno, and optioned outfielder Kyle Lewis to Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move.  To make room on the 40-man, Arizona moved right-hander Drey Jameson to the 60-day injured list.

Gilbert’s last MLB appearance came almost a year ago, as he tossed four innings for the D’Backs on July 26, 2022.  An elbow sprain sent him to the 60-day IL and subsequently ended his season, and Arizona then designated Gilbert for assignment during the winter and outrighted him off the 40-man roster.

Best known for his no-hitter against the Padres in 2021, Gilbert hasn’t been able to sustain the momentum after that dream start (literally his first start in the majors, after three previous relief appearances).  While posting some good results throughout the rest of his 2021 rookie season, Gilbert had a 5.24 ERA over 34 1/3 innings last year and spent a lot of time in the minors.

The results haven’t been particularly good at Triple-A Reno this season, as Gilbert has a 5.67 ERA over 54 innings, though his 27.3% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate hint that he is getting a little unlucky in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League.  Gilbert also has a .343 BABIP and eight homers allowed over his 54 frames of work.

It seems like the D’Backs will use Gilbert in the long relief role left vacant when Jameson was injured, and the rather immediate move to the 60-day IL is something of an ominous sign for Jameson’s health.  The Diamondbacks only placed Jameson on the 15-day IL yesterday due to elbow inflammation, and he was set to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.  Results of that MRI haven’t yet been revealed, and even if Jameson has avoided a major injury, the D’Backs might just be showing caution with any elbow-related issue.

Jameson made three starts in a fill-in capacity for Zach Davies earlier this season, but has pitched out of the bullpen over his other 12 outings.  While the advanced metrics aren’t wild about Jameson’s modest 21.3% strikeout rate or 10.3% walk rate, the bottom-line results have been there, with a 3.32 ERA over 40 2/3 total innings.  Since he’ll now be out until at least the first week of September, the pitching-needy Diamondbacks will need to find another way to make up those innings — the club was already expected to be looking at starters and relievers heading into the trade deadline.

Brewers Designate Tyson Miller For Assignment

By | at

The Brewers announced that right-hander Tyson Miller has been designated for assignment.  Fellow righty Abner Uribe was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Uribe’s first appearance for the Brewers will mark his MLB debut.  Reporter Hector Gomez initially had the news about Uribe’s promotion, including a touching video of Uribe calling his parents to inform them of the big news.

Miller has been back and forth between the majors and minors a couple of times this season, and Milwaukee just called up back up earlier this week, resulting in one appearance — two-thirds of an inning pitched in yesterday’s 7-3 Brewers victory over the Reds.  Uribe was already on the 40-man roster so a DFA wasn’t exactly necessary to move Miller off the active roster, yet the Brew Crew have apparently decided to create some extra space at the risk of exposing Miller to the waiver wire.

Miller has already changed teams twice via waiver claim, going from the Cubs to the Rangers in June 2021 and then from Texas to Milwaukee last November.  The right-hander has a 5.79 ERA over 9 1/3 innings of MLB work this season, and a 7.92 ERA over 25 innings in parts of three seasons with Milwaukee, Texas, and Chicago.  He has a 4.75 ERA in 225 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, but that includes an improved 3.86 ERA over 25 2/3 frames for Triple-A Nashville this year, as Miller has allowed only one homer.  That is a promising development for a pitcher who has been often hurt badly by the long ball in past seasons.

The hard-throwing Uribe was added to the Brewers’ 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, as while Uribe missed most of the 2022 season due to meniscus surgery, the club still wanted to keep his promising arm away from other teams.  Uribe returned to action in fine form, posting a 1.96 ERA over 23 combined innings at Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, with a huge 42.23% strikeout rate.  However, Uribe’s career-long control issues have persisted, even if his 16.5% walk rate in the minors this year is actually an improvement over his past numbers.

MLB Pipeline ranks Uribe as the ninth-best prospect in the Brewers’ farm system, giving him an 80-grade for his blazing triple-digit baseball and a 60-grade for his plus slider.  There is obviously plenty of potential here for the 23-year-old to develop into an elite bullpen arm if he can post even an average walk rate, and with such good results in a brief showing at Triple-A, Uribe is now getting an opportunity to show what he can do against big league hitters.

Reds Designate Henry Ramos, Select Michael Mariot

By | at

The Reds announced that outfielder Henry Ramos has been designated for assignment, and that righty Tony Santillan has been optioned to Triple-A Louisville.  Both moves clear space on the 26-man and 40-man rosters for right-hander Michael Mariot, as the Reds have selected Mariot’s contract from Triple-A.

Ramos spent seven weeks on the injured list due to a hip strain, and has hit .242/.356/.306 over 73 plate appearances for Cincinnati and a scorching .318/.404/.568 in 152 PA at the Triple-A level.  The Reds’ increasingly crowded roster made it hard for Ramos to find consistent playing time, and so the team has opted to perhaps move on, or just to try and sneak Ramos through DFA waivers.  The 31-year-old’s big Triple-A numbers might attract the attention of another team interested in a waiver claim, or Ramos could control his future more directly by rejecting an outright assignment if he did clear waivers.  Because Ramos has been outrighted before in his career, he has the ability to turn down any future outright assignments and become a free agent.

Ramos was a fifth-round pick for the Red Sox back in the 2010 draft, and his long stay in the minors finally resulted in 18 MLB games with the Diamondbacks in 2021.  Before signing a minor league deal with the Reds last winter, Ramos’ career includes stints with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks, and a brief stint in the KBO League in 2022.

Mariot knows a few things about the career of a journeyman player, as the 34-year-old is set to make his first appearance in the majors since 2016.  The righty posted a 5.98 ERA over 49 2/3 innings with the Royals and Phillies from 2014-16, and subsequently bounced around the minors to several different organizations (including a previous stint with Cincinnati in 2021).  This long path back to the Show also included stops in independent baseball, the Mexican League, and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Beginning the season with the Cleburne Railroaders of the independent American Association of Professional Baseball, Mariot signed a minor league contract with the Reds last month and made a quick impression at Triple-A.  Over four starts and 24 1/3 inning in Louisville, Mariot had a 2.59 ERA and a tiny 4.2% walk rate with only one home run allowed, though his 14.6% strikeout rate is far below average.  It remains to be seen what Mariot’s role might be in Cincinnati, but with the Reds hurting for rotation depth, Mariot might get at least a spot start or perhaps some long relief work.

Jordan Montgomery Leaves Game Due To Hamstring Injury

By | at

Cardinals left-hander Jordan Montgomery was forced to leave yesterday’s game after 4 1/3 innings due to a right hamstring injury.  The problem arose on the 65th of Montgomery’s 66 pitches, as “I just kind of slipped on the mound and I guess my body tried to catch myself,” the southpaw told reporters, including Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  After making one more pitch as something of a test, Montgomery left the mound.

More will be known about Montgomery’s status after he undergoes testing, and with the All-Star break looming, Montgomery could have as many as nine days of rest before his next start.  That would essentially serve as a skipped start without technically missing any action, allowing Montgomery some extra recovery time with the possibility of avoiding the injured list together.  If a 15-day IL stint is deemed necessary, the All-Star break still helps limit the time lost, as Montgomery would miss two starts if he is able to return in a minimal amount of time.

Of course, there is another prominent timing issue at play in the form of the August 1 trade deadline.  With the Cardinals floundering to a 36-52 record, it is looking increasingly likely that St. Louis will be sellers in some regard on deadline day.  MLBTR recently ranked Montgomery and fellow St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty fourth and fifth on our list of the top 50 deadline trade candidates, as both are set for free agency this winter.  Montgomery is the more valuable of the two since he is having a much more consistent season than Flaherty, yet this hamstring injury could obviously change the equation significantly.

Over 18 starts and 103 innings, Montgomery has a 3.23 ERA and a solid 6.3% walk rate.  His SIERA is a less impressive 4.04 and his Statcast metrics are more middling than good, but the lefty has been trending upwards, with a 1.70 ERA over his last 47 2/3 innings.  Montgomery has posted generally solid numbers over his seven MLB seasons and he has already been part of a headline-grabbing deadline trade.  It was just last August that the Yankees sent Montgomery to St. Louis in a one-for-one swap for Harrison Bader.

Montgomery’s 2023 trade value is already somewhat limited since he’s a rental player, and naturally a serious injury would likely prevent St. Louis from dealing him whatsoever.  A more nebulous recovery timeframe wouldn’t necessarily preclude a trade — for instance, if Montgomery does hit the IL and is projected to miss a month of time, a team might still be willing to roll the dice on a trade if they would still get Montgomery in the rotation by early August.

That said, the Cardinals will issue Montgomery a qualifying offer this winter, and in the very likely circumstance that Montgomery rejects the QO, St. Louis would get a compensatory draft pick if he signed elsewhere.  As such, the Cards aren’t likely to trade the left-hander unless they get an offer they believe is superior to the value of a compensatory pick, and if offers are diminished in the event of a Montgomery injury, the Cardinals might prefer to just keep him.

An ill-timed injury to a premium trade chip might be just another setback in what has been an increasingly nightmarish season for the Cardinals.  The perennial contenders are on pace for their worst season in over a century, leaving the Cards in the unexpected position of having to gauge just how big of a retool is needed at the deadline.  President of baseball operations John Mozeliak has already ruled out a full rebuild, but “some changes” are certainly coming as the Cardinals try to get back on track for 2024.

Cubs Place Dansby Swanson On 10-Day Injured List

By | at

The Cubs placed shortstop Dansby Swanson on the 10-day injured list due to a left heel contusion.  The placement is retroactive to July 6.  Miles Mastrobuoni was called up from Triple-A to take Swanson’s spot on the active roster.

Swanson made an early exit from Wednesday’s game due to the injury, which occurred while he was running the bases.  The injury doesn’t appear to be particularly serious, as Cubs manager David Ross told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bill Ladson) that Swanson might have been available if necessary in Chicago’s game yesterday.  However, since Swanson had already decided to skip the All-Star Game due to his heel problem, the club has apparently opted for a 10-day IL stint to allow the shortstop to fully heal up.  The All-Star break will automatically absorb four of the 10 minimum days Swanson must miss, helping minimize his absence from Chicago’s lineup.

The Cubs are an underwhelming 41-46 as the break approaches, and the club is seven games out of both the NL Central lead and a wild card berth.  It certainly wasn’t what the Wrigleyville denizens were hoping for after the Cubs made some notable moves in the offseason, highlighted by their seven-year, $177MM free agent contract with Swanson.  While a lot has gone wrong for the Cubs in the first half, Swanson has been living up to his end of the deal, hitting .258/.343/.409 with 10 homers over 367 plate appearances.  Between his 108 wRC+ and his spectacular glovework at shortstop, Swanson has 2.9 fWAR, a total bested by only 18 position players in baseball.

Nico Hoerner has moved over from second base to shortstop in Swanson’s absence over the last two games, and will likely continue to fill in until Swanson returns.  The hot-hitting Christopher Morel will probably get most of the second base action, with Patrick Wisdom getting more time at third base if Morel is at the keystone.  Chicago is a little shorthanded in the middle infield since Nick Madrigal is sidelined with a hamstring strain, though with Swanson maybe missing only 10 days in total, the Cubs likely have enough to get by until the All-Star break.

Tigers Activate Riley Greene, Beau Brieske

By | at

The Tigers announced a quartet of roster moves in advance of this afternoon’s game with the Blue Jays.  Outfielder Riley Greene was activated from the 15-day injured list and right-hander Beau Brieske was activated from the 60-day IL, while Jonathan Schoop was designated for assignment (as reported yesterday) and Alex Faedo was optioned to Triple-A.

Greene suffered a stress reaction in his left fibula in late May, interrupting what had been a breakout season for the 22-year-old.  Greene was hitting .296/.362/.443 with five home runs and six stolen bases (in six chances) over his first 224 plate appearances.  While his 28.6% strikeout rate is still high, Greene’s 9.4% walk rate is above the league average, and he is making a lot of hard contact.  A huge .410 BABIP does hint that some regression is inevitable, yet Greene’s combination of solid contact and excellent speed makes him a candidate for better batted-ball results anyway.

Selected fifth overall in the 2019 draft, Greene is a key figure of the Tigers’ rebuild, especially given how the team is hurting so badly for any offensive production.  If Greene can pick up where he left off, Detroit might be able to get a bit closer to contention before the trade deadline, and the Tigers might be able to avoid another deadline selloff.  Despite the club’s 38-49 record, the relative weakness of the AL Central has kept Detroit on the fringes of the playoff race, as the Tigers are only six games back of the first-place Twins.

Brieske’s return will also help a pitching staff that has been hit hard by injuries for the second consecutive season.  Due to a right ulnar nerve entrapment that arose during Spring Training, Brieske has yet to pitch in 2023.  The righty posted a respectable 4.19 ERA over 81 2/3 innings in his 2022 rookie season, though he didn’t pitch after July 12 due to a forearm strain.  Brieske worked as a starter last year, but he has been used only as a reliever in the minors this season, perhaps as a way to slowly rebuild his arm strength after the long layoff.

Detroit might prefer Brieske as a multi-inning relief weapon if enough healthy options can be otherwise found for the starting five, but otherwise, it seems likely that Brieske will get some starts at some point.  An opening in the rotation might already be available with Faedo optioned, and Detroit’s staff could look quite different if the team does trade away some notable veterans (i.e. Eduardo Rodriguez or Michael Lorenzen) at the deadline.

Farhan Zaidi Discusses Giants’ Deadline Plans

By | at

The Giants are only 2-7 in their last nine games, but the club remains a factor in the playoff race.  With a 47-41 record for the season, San Francisco is 3.5 games behind the Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West, and 1.5 games out of a NL wild card position.  While obviously a lot could still happen between now and the August 1 trade deadline, the Giants are preparing at this point to be buyers, and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi highlighted one particular target area.

“We’ve got to at least evaluate what we have in the middle infield,” Zaidi told reporters, including Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  “Kind of just keep an eye on the market and see if there’s someone that can be impactful there and weigh that against continuing to give opportunities to Casey [Schmitt] and Brett [Wisely].”

Both second base and shortstop seemed pretty reasonably well covered less than a week ago, yet the loss of Thairo Estrada to a fractured hand delivered a major blow to both the middle infield picture and to San Francisco’s lineup as a whole.  Estrada was playing the majority of games at second base while also chipping in at shortstop, so his absence weakens the Giants at both positions.  Brandon Crawford remains the starting shortstop, while the rookie duo of Schmitt and Wisely figure to be the top options at second base, with veteran Wilmer Flores likely to get some work at the keystone as well.

Estrada’s recovery timeline is a little fluid, but he is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks, so it is quite possible he might not be back prior to the trade deadline.  Even if Estrada is able to return on the lower end of that timeline, that leaves the Giants shorthanded in the middle infield for a lot of crucial games in July.  Zaidi could try to swing a trade sooner rather than later, but since there’s still a lot of time until August 1, teams are likely to still have pretty high asking prices on any notable middle infielders who might be available.

Beyond the middle infield, there’s a bit more of a wait-and-see perspective about other possible needs heading int othe deadline.  “We’ll have to see how it goes with the outfield the next couple of weeks, but we like the options that we have there,” Zaidi said, and the PBO also noted that the Giants expect some outfielders back from the injured list in the second half.  Heliot Ramos is already on a Triple-A rehab assignment and looks to be nearing a return from his oblique strain, while the Giants continue to aim for early September as Mitch Haniger’s return date from forearm surgery.

Zaidi also provided an update on Luis Gonzalez, who hasn’t played this season after undergoing back surgery in mid-March.  Gonzalez has been working out at the team’s Spring Training facilities and could soon start playing in Complex League games.  His initial recovery timeline ruled him out until at least last June, so while he is a little behind schedule, Zaidi said the outfielder “could be a factor for us in August.”

Since all teams are forever on the lookout for starting pitching, Zaidi acknowledged that the Giants would check in on “a front-of-the-rotation arm that becomes available….You can always fit that.”  However, in terms of overall pitching needs, Zaidi said “I don’t really see us adding starting rotation depth because we like the guys that we have in that category.”

Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, Anthony DeSclafani, and John Brebbia have all spent time on the IL this season, with DeSclafani (shoulder fatigue) and Brebbia (lat strain) currently sidelined.  The latter two hurlers could both be back in the window between the All-Star break and the trade deadline, so the Giants might finally have a chance to see what their rotation looks like when fully healthy.

“What we’re hoping to see in the next two or three weeks leading up the deadline is a little bit more definition and clarity on the pitching staff,” Zaidi said.  “We would love to have a group of five guys that just get the ball every fifth day.  Even though we’ve had success in the bullpen games and we’ve got guys that are willing to buy in, I think it’s just the most comfortable thing for everybody.  Just have a five-man rotation and be giving five guys the ball every fifth day and try to get deep into games.  Hopefully we start seeing a little bit more of that over the next two or three weeks.”

The other x-factor surrounding the pitching staff is top prospect Kyle Harrison, and Zaidi said that the team had initially considered calling Harrison up for his MLB debut prior to the All-Star break in order to include him in the Giants’ broader evaluations of their rotation plans.  However, Harrison suffered a right hamstring strain earlier this week, and Slusser estimates that he could miss roughly 3-6 weeks.

One of the more highly-regarded pitching prospects in baseball, Harrison’s first season at Triple-A has been inconsistent, as he has a 4.79 ERA over 56 1/3 innings and 17 starts.  While the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League is a challenge for any young hurler, Harrison’s 17.3% walk rate is a sizeable red flag, yet the Giants might feel that pitching in the majors (and getting direct help from the big league coaching staff) might be a better adjustment phase for Harrison than continuing in the PCL.

This injury might also erase whatever small chance there might have been of a Harrison trade prior to the deadline, though there was no indication that San Francisco was looking to move a pitcher who projects to be a big part of the future.  Logan Webb is the only Giants starter under contract beyond the 2024 season, as the bulk of the rotation is comprised of veteran starters on shorter-term contracts.

Padres Chairman Peter Seidler: “We’re Not Going To Reverse Course”

By | at

Today’s 4-3 loss to the Reds dropped the Padres to 38-46, as the team continued to languish in fourth place in NL West.  San Diego is closer to the last-place Rockies than they are to a wild card berth (8.5 games) or the first-place Diamondbacks (11.5 games), and the Padres aren’t exactly gaining momentum, with seven losses in their last eight games.

It’s a very surprising dropoff for a club that reached the NLCS last season, and has been spending to franchise-record levels to continue that success.  The Padres exceeded the luxury tax threshold in each of the last two seasons and are easily on pace for a third, with a $250MM payroll and a projected $275.8MM tax number (as per Roster Resource).  Getting to the NLCS only made the Padres hungry for more, but a busy offseason that included signing Xander Bogaerts and extending Manny Machado and Yu Darvish has thus far yielded mediocre results.

The struggles of the Padres’ first three months haven’t dampened the overall view of team chairman Peter Seidler, who first of all hasn’t written off the Friars’ chances for 2023.  “We have half the season to play.  I mean, much, much stranger things have happened….So there’s a lot of catching up for us to do. I’m on the train that says we’re gonna catch up,” Seidler told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  Just because the Padres’ plan for 2023 “hasn’t worked yet….it doesn’t make me lose sleep at night or lack confidence in what we’re doing.”

“I know we’re going to be good.  We’re gonna have every chance to be in the mix for the World Series every single year.  And so that gives me some kind of serious long-term comfort.  We’re not going to reverse course.  We’re always gonna adjust….All my focus now is on this year, because I’m as solid as I can be on the year after and two years after and three and the next decade.”

While Seidler naturally isn’t pleased with how the Padres have performed to date, he pointed to the trade deadline as an opportunity for improvement, saying “You know we’re always open for business.”  While naturally much can still change between now and the August 1 deadline, Seidler’s comment would suggest that the Padres are looking to be buyers, rather than sellers.  Of course, the team might take a middle ground and pursue both routes, perhaps trading some shorter-term assets for players who can help the Padres either in the rest of 2023 or in 2024 and beyond.

As to who could be making these calls on deadline day, Seidler expressed his total support in club CEO Erik Greupner and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.

“I’m not afraid to make changes.  I never have been.  But I really value stability,” Seidler said.  “And when I know the person as well and the skillset as well as I know A.J. and Erik, they’re not going anywhere.  Period….I believe in stability.  It is something that is undervalued, generally speaking, in organizations and maybe particularly in sports franchises.  But I’m not for mediocre stability.  I’m for excellence.  And to me, A.J. is excellence.”

“That’s the very interesting thing about professional sports.  You have a couple of bad months and fans or the media say, ’You’ve got to fire this guy.’  It’s crazy to me.  Absolutely crazy.”

Preller is one of the longer-tenured front office bosses in baseball, running the Padres’ baseball ops department since August 2014.  It hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride, as Preller’s tenure has included only two winning records in his eight full seasons, though he did oversee a substantial rebuild (albeit in the wake of an ill-fated attempt to load up on big-name talent early in his stint as general manager).  Even as recently as 2021, the Padres seemed to be stumbling both on and off the field, but the hiring of Bob Melvin as manager seemed to calm things, and San Diego went 89-73 in 2022 before making their postseason run.  Preller received a contract extension following the Padres’ playoff berth in 2020, and his current deal runs through the 2026 campaign.

Seidler endorsed Melvin as well, though as Acee noted, Seidler (like Preller in recent comments) didn’t give a full guarantee about Melvin’s future as the Friars’ manager.  Melvin’s deal with the team is up after the 2024 season, and if the Padres’ struggles were continue, a managerial change might be one logical route of shaking things up, if a larger-scale front office change isn’t happening.

That said, Seidler seemed to disagree with the premise of a true guarantee of Melvin’s job security, asking “What’s the point in saying that?  Bob is one of the great managers in our game.  I’ll leave it there.  As well as being a great guy and as trusted a human being as you’ll ever find.  But we’re talking about a job here.”

Nationals To Sign Daniel Mengden To Minors Contract

By | at

The Nationals are signing right-hander Daniel Mengden to a minor league deal, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter).  Mengden had been pitching in the Royals’ farm system on another minors contract signed at the start of the season, but Kansas City released him from that deal earlier this week.

Mengden now moves onto the fifth different organization (four in MLB, one in the KBO League) of a pro career that began as a fourth-round draft pick for the Astros in 2014.  The righty is best known for his five years with the Athletics from 2016-20, as Mengden posted a 4.64 ERA over 302 2/3 innings during his Oakland tenure, mostly working as a starting pitcher.  An injury-plagued 2020 campaign led the A’s to outright Mengden following the 2020 season, and he then went overseas to South Korea to pitch for the Kia Tigers.

Returning to MLB in 2022, Mengden signed a minors deal with the Royals and appeared in five games (seven IP) at the big league level.  That represents his last stint in the Show, as he hasn’t pitched well or even often with Triple-A Omaha this season.  Starting three of his six games for Omaha, Mengden has a 7.36 ERA over 14 2/3 innings, with a lackluster 20% strikeout rate and 11.4% strikeout rate.

Washington might view the 30-year-old Mengden purely as rotation depth or as a bullpen candidate who can be called upon to soak up innings as a long reliever.  At the cost of a minors league deal, there’s no risk for the Nationals in seeing what Mengden can provide, whether at the Triple-A level or for spot duty in the majors.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top