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Cubs Place Seiya Suzuki On 10-Day Injured List

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The Cubs placed outfielder Seiya Suzuki on the 10-day injured list due to a sprain in the ring finger on his left hand.  As well, right-hander Robert Gsellman has been designated for assignment, and left-hander Brandon Hughes will join the Cubs after his contract was selected from Triple-A.

Suzuki’s placement is retroactive to May 27, as the outfielder hasn’t played since the injury forced to make an early exit from the Cubs’ 20-5 loss to the Reds on May 26.  After a few days of monitoring Suzuki’s condition, there wasn’t enough improvement to avoid an IL trip, and Chicago’s busy schedule likely also played a factor.  The Cubs have nine games within a seven-day span, including today’s doubleheader with the Brewers and another doubleheader Saturday against the Cardinals.

Signed to a big five-year, $85MM deal in the offseason, Suzuki’s first 163 PA in MLB have gone well overall, as his .245/.344/.432 slash line translates to a 116 wRC+ and 119 OPS+.  However, it certainly seems like pitchers have gotten a book on Suzuki, as he had a whopping 1.090 OPS over his first 72 PA but only a .545 OPS in his last 91 trips to the dish.  Suzuki’s paycheck and lengthy resume of success in Japan can obscure the fact that he is still a player seeing Major League pitching for the first time, so there are inevitable going to be some ups and downs as he adjusts.

The sprained finger adds another obstacle for Suzuki to overcome, though given that the team was still hopeful that he could return as early as today, he might not miss more than the minimum 10 days.  Clint Frazier (just back from the IL himself) and rookie Nelson Velazquez will probably get the bulk of time in right field until Suzuki or Jason Heyward return from the injured list.

Gsellman signed a minors deal with the Cubs during the offseason, and posted a 5.02 ERA over 14 1/3 innings for Chicago since his contract was selected earlier this month.  Never a big strikeout pitcher even his best years as a reliever and swingman with the Mets, Gsellman has only a 13.5% strikeout rate over 57 MLB innings since the start of the 2020 season.

Hughes rejoins the Cubs after making history in his Major League debut earlier this season, striking out the first five Pirates batters he faced on May 17.  This made Hughes the first pitcher in modern (since 1901) baseball history to record at least five outs all by strikeouts in his first big league appearance.  Overall, Hughes had a 2.57 ERA over seven innings and five appearances.

Brewers Select Luke Barker, Option Ethan Small To Triple-A

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The Brewers have made some transactions in between games of today’s doubleheader with the Cubs.  Left-hander Ethan Small (the starter in the first game) was optioned to Triple-A, while right-hander Luke Barker had his contract selected.  Righty Justin Topa was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room for Barker on the 40-man roster.

Small allowed two runs on four hits and four walks over 2 2/3 innings in Game One, as Milwaukee earned a 7-6 win over Chicago.  It was Small’s first career MLB game, and he got the call to fill the spot left in the rotation by Brandon Woodruff’s ankle injury.  While not a stellar debut, Small could potentially still be in the running for future starts depending on how long Woodruff is out, and Small’s demotion could just be so the Brewers can free up a roster space while they figure out their next step.

From one Major League debut to another, as the 30-year-old Barker has made it to the Show after being undrafted out of Chico College.  A season of indy ball in 2016 led to a contract with the Brewers, and Barker has a 2.36 ERA, 27.48% strikeout rate, and 6.33% walk rate over 255 1/3 relief innings in Milwaukee’s farm system.  The Brewers have shown a knack for turning unheralded pitchers into viable relievers at the big league level, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Barker is the latest hurler to come out of seemingly nowhere to help out the relief corps.

Topa was one of those pitchers himself in 2020, as the former 17th-rounder tossed some important innings for the Brewers in the regular season and in the playoffs.  However, Topa has been plagued by elbow problems ever since, and threw only 18 totals innings in the majors and minors in 2021.  The right-hander had recently started facing live batters, and since the clock on the 60-day IL placement begins when Topa was first placed on the shorter IL at the start of the season, he wasn’t going to be back by the first week of June anyway.

Rangers Promote Josh Smith, Place Brad Miller On IL, Designate Albert Abreu

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The Rangers announced a series of moves today, including the news that infielder Josh Smith and outfielder Zach Reks have been called up from Triple-A.  This will be the Major League debut for Smith, a second-round pick (for the Yankees) in the 2019 draft.  To create roster space, Texas placed Brad Miller on the injured list and designated right-hander Albert Abreu for assignment.

Smith was one of the players acquired from New York in the Joey Gallo trade last July, and both MLB Pipeline (#7) and Baseball America (#9) rank Smith within the top 10 of all Rangers prospects.  The LSU has done nothing but hit during his young pro career, resulting in a quick rise up the minor league ladder.  Smith made his debut at the Triple-A level this season, and has hit .273/.382/.422 over 191 PA for Round Rock.

Smith has strong command of the strike zone for such a young player, as evidenced by his .420 OBP over 683 total PA in the minors.  As noted by Baseball America’s scouting report, Smith “did an excellent job working counts to get pitches to drive, then punished balls from gap to gap.  He rarely chases, and when he swings at pitches in the zone he almost never misses.”  He has yet to develop true power, though Smith does make lots of hard contact and could be more of an extra-bases type hitter.  Smith is also a threat on the basepaths, with 40 steals in 52 career chances.

Originally drafted as a shortstop, Smith has basically split time between shortstop, third base, and center field this year, owing to the presence of Corey Seager in the Rangers’ everyday lineup.  Both BA and Pipeline observe that scouts weren’t entirely sold on Smith’s long-term viability as a shortstop anyway, and it remains to be seen what his ideal defensive position will be, if the Rangers don’t instead use him as a multi-position type of weapon.

For now, Smith will probably see much of his time at third base, essentially taking Miller’s spot as a left-handed hitting third base option alongside Andy Ibanez.  Miller’s IL placement didn’t come with a designation, so it could be related to COVID-19, though Miller also left yesterday’s game due to tightness in his right hip.

Abreu came to Texas in another trade with the Yankees, the April swap that saw catcher Jose Trevino head to the Bronx.  A former top-100 pitching prospect, Abreu has been plagued by a lack of control, and these problems again manifested themselves during his brief stint with the Rangers.  While Abreu managed a 3.12 ERA over 8 2/3 relief innings this season, he had more walks (12) than strikeouts (9).  The DFA doesn’t necessarily mean that the Rangers are giving up on Abreu, but since he is out of minor league options, the Rangers had to designate the righty and risk losing him on waivers before outrighting him to Triple-A.

Brewers To Promote Ethan Small

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May 30: The Brewers announced the selection of Small’s contract. The 40-man roster had a couple of vacancies, meaning no corresponding move was required in that regard. As for the active roster, Mark Mathias was optioned but then designated as the team’s 27th man for today’s doubleheader.

May 29: The Brewers are set to call up left-hander Ethan Small, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link).  It is the first big league promotion for Small, the 28th overall pick in the 2019 draft.  Small isn’t on the Brewers’ 40-man roster, so multiple other moves will be forthcoming to create a spot for Small before his official call-up.

Now that Aaron Ashby has lost his prospect status, Small is widely considered to be the best pitching prospect in Milwaukee’s farm system — MLB Pipeline ranks Small as the Brewers’ seventh-best minor leaguer overall, while Baseball America ranks him ninth.  Both outlets are particularly fond of Small’s changeup, a 60-grade pitch that nicely complements his lower-velocity (low 90s) but high-spin fastball.  Beyond these two plus offerings, however, Small doesn’t have a primary third pitch, as his curveball and slider are nothing special and thus not prominent parts of his arsenal.

Between the lack of a third pitch and some control problems, it remains an open question about whether Small can make it as a starting pitcher or if the bullpen is his ultimate destination.  That said, Small’s bottom-line results in his brief pro career have been impressive, as he has a 1.78 ERA and 31.95% strikeout rate over 136 2/3 innings in the minors, starting all 33 of his appearances.

This includes a 1.88 ERA over 38 1/3 innings at Triple-A Nashville this year, which was enough to convince the Brew Crew that Small was ready for the majors.  With a doubleheader coming up tomorrow against the Cubs, Small might receive just the one spot start before heading back to Nashville, though Brandon Woodruff is dealing with a bad ankle.

If Woodruff has to miss his next outing or has to be placed on the injured list, it could provide Small with a longer opportunity to show that he can do against MLB hitters.  Since Freddy Peralta is also going to be missing a big piece of the 2022 campaign, Small might now take over that “sixth starter” depth role, since Ashby has moved into the rotation.

Twins Call Up Royce Lewis, Option Jose Miranda

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2:28PM: In an unfortunate turn of events for Lewis, he had to leave today’s game with what the Twins described as right knee soreness.  Lewis made a tremendous catch of an Emmanuel Rivera fly ball in the third inning but awkwardly collided with the outfield wall in the process.  The Twins removed Lewis from the game an inning later, and he is currently undergoing more tests.  A right knee injury is particularly ominous, as Lewis missed the entire 2021 season due to a torn ACL.

11:51AM: The Twins announced that star prospect Royce Lewis has been called up from Triple-A St. Paul for another taste of the big leagues.  Infielder Jose Miranda was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

When Carlos Correa was on the 10-day injured list earlier this season, Lewis received his first MLB promotion and started 11 games at shortstop in Correa’s absence.  Lewis made the most of his opportunity, hitting .308/.325/.564 with two home runs over 40 plate appearances, and flashing some of the potential that made him the first overall pick of the 2017 draft.

With Correa holding down everyday shortstop duty, Lewis told The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and other reporters today that he has four different gloves with him, indicating the 22-year-old’s readiness to play all over the diamond.  At St. Paul this season, Lewis has seen action at third base, left field, and center field in addition to his usual shortstop duties, and Lewis also played a little second base earlier in his minor league career.

Lewis is in today’s starting lineup as a center fielder, with Byron Buxton getting a partial rest day as the DH.  Having Lewis occasionally fill in center field would be a logical way to keep the oft-injured Buxton fresh, and the right-handed hitting Lewis could also complement left-handed hitting left fielder Trevor Larnach.  There figures to be enough playing time available for Lewis in the majors, since obviously the Twins wouldn’t have interrupted his development at Triple-A just to park Lewis on the bench.

Miranda is a notable prospect in his own right, as his breakout 2021 minor league season earned him some top-100 prospect attention heading into 2022.  Minnesota promoted Miranda for his debut in the Show earlier this month, though he hit only .164/.200/.284 in 70 PA.

Mets Acquire J.T. Riddle

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The Mets have acquired infielder JT Riddle from the Reds, according to Doug Gray of the Redleg Nation blog (Twitter link).  Riddle has mostly played at Triple-A Louisville this season, but also made two appearances with Cincinnati at the big league level.

A veteran of six MLB seasons, Riddle received most of his playing time as a semi-regular with the Marlins from 2017-19, with 223 of his 252 career games coming during those three seasons.  After playing 23 games with the Pirates during the shortened 2020 season, Riddle got into just four games with the Twins in 2021.

Riddle has mostly played shortstop during his career, but has expanded his defensive repertoire to become a super-utility type over the last three years.  He’ll provide the Mets with a Triple-A depth option in the event of an injury to one of their regular infielders.  Known more for his glove and his versatility than his bat, Riddle has hit .233/.261/.354 over 797 career plate appearances in the majors.

Cubs To Promote Nelson Velazquez

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The Cubs are set to call up outfield prospect Nelson Velazquez prior to tomorrow’s doubleheader with the Brewers, as Velazquez revealed his first MLB promotion via his Instagram page (hat tip to Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago).

A fifth-round pick in the 2017 draft, Velazquez is ranked 15th on Baseball America’s list of the top 30 Cubs prospects, and 16th on MLB Pipeline’s list.  Velazquez broke out by crushing Double-A pitching in both 2021 and 2022, while in between starring in Arizona Fall League play.  Earning his first promotion to Triple-A just earlier this month, Velazquez has slowed down at the plate, batting only .214/.291/.414 over 79 plate appearances for the Iowa Cubs.

This modest production at Triple-A hints at Velazquez still being an unfinished product as a hitter, as he has struck out in 29 of those 79 PA.  The BA and Pipeline scouting reports each observe that Velazquez is prone to strikeouts and chasing pitches, but when he does make contact, the 23-year-old has shown plenty of raw power and exit velocity.  Flattening out his swing last season was one of the key factors to his improvement in Double-A ball.  Defensively, Velazquez seems big league-ready, capable of playing at least a decent center field but perhaps more suited to right field given his strong throwing arm.

That right field capability could hint at Velazquez’s role with Chicago, as Seiya Suzuki has been bothered by a sprained ring finger on his left hand.  The injury forced Suzuki to make an early exit from Thursday’s game and he hasn’t played since, so a trip to the injured list might create a vacancy in the Cubs’ outfield.

If Suzuki doesn’t require the IL, Stebbins notes two other roster possibilities for Velazquez, including the open roster spot created when Chris Martin was placed on the bereavement list earlier today.  As well, Velazquez might also just be a temporary call-up as the 27th man for Monday’s pair of games.  A 40-man roster adjustment isn’t necessary, as the Cubs already added Velazquez to their 40-man last November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Athletics Make Several Roster Moves

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The A’s selected the contracts of left-hander Sam Selman and right-hander Parker Markel from Triple-A today.  Right-hander Daulton Jefferies and outfielder Skye Bolt were each moved to the 60-day injured list to create space on the 40-man roster.  Oakland also called up right-hander Domingo Tapia, while right-hander Jacob Lemoine and southpaws Adam Kolarek and Zach Logue were all optioned to Triple-A to make way for Selman, Markel, and Tapia on the active roster.

Markel signed a minor league deal with the Athletics in March, and the 31-year-old righty is now on pace to make his first MLB appearance since 2019.  All 22 of Markel’s career Major League innings came in that season, with Markel taking the hill for the Mariners and Pirates and posting a 7.77 ERA.

A veteran of 11 pro seasons, Markel has long been plagued by control problems, though his last four seasons have seen him deliver big strikeout totals in the minors and in independent ball.  Continuing that trend at Triple-A Las Vegas, Markel has a 35.4% strikeout rate but also a 12.7% walk rate.  The free passes haven’t hurt Markel too badly, however, as he has a 1.89 ERA over 19 relief innings for the Aviators.

Tapia is also lined up for his 2022 debut, after Oakland claimed him off waivers from the Royals at the end of April.  The grounder specialist has appeared in each of the last two Major League seasons, posting a 2.61 ERA over 38 innings with the Red Sox, Mariners, and Royals.

This is the second time Selman’s contract has been selected by the A’s this season, as the team previously designated the southpaw for assignment in April and then outrighted him to Triple-A.  Selman’s tenure with the Athletics consists of a single big league game and 2 2/3 scoreless innings back on April 22.

Since Jefferies was recently diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, it wasn’t surprising to see him moved to the 60-day IL for what could be a season-ending absence if Jefferies opts for surgery.  For Bolt, his 60-day placement was attributed to a left hamstring strain, rather than the right oblique strain that initially put him on the 10-day IL in the first week of the season.  Bolt played in three rehab games before being shut down with this new injury, though it isn’t clear how much more time he’ll miss, since the 60-day period still starts at the time of Bolt’s first IL placement on April 10.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/29/22

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Catching up on some minor moves from around the baseball world….

Latest Moves

  • The Yankees announced that catcher Rob Brantly was re-signed to a new minor league contract.  Brantly was designated for assignment earlier this week and cleared waivers, but then opted to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.  After two days of testing the market, Brantly is now back in the organization and has been assigned to Triple-A.  Originally joining the Yankees back in August 2020, the veteran backstop has appeared in seven games with New York at the MLB level, including one game this year to provide depth when Kyle Higashioka was on the COVID-IL.

Earlier Today

  • The Braves announced that right-hander Tyler Thornburg has been released.  Thornburg was designated for assignment earlier this week, after posting a 3.86 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, and 10.6% walk rate over 9 1/3 relief innings.  After missing the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery, Thornburg signed a $900K deal with Atlanta, and the injury-plagued righty will now return to the open market in search of another new contract. Atlanta also selected the contract of reliever Jesus Cruz.
  • The Pirates outrighted left-hander Cam Alldred to Triple-A after Alldred cleared waivers.  Another recent DFA, Alldred made his Major League debut in cup-of-c0ffee fashion this season, tossing a scoreless inning for Pittsburgh on May 12.  Mostly working as a reliever over 178 1/3 innings in the Pirates’ farm system, Alldred has a 2.83 ERA, though with an underwhelming 23.56% strikeout rate.

Cubs Place Wade Miley On 15-Day Injured List

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The Cubs have placed left-hander Wade Miley on the 15-day injured list due to a left shoulder strain, the team announced.  Mark Leiter Jr. was called up from Triple-A to take Miley’s place on the active roster.

Miley was supposed to start yesterday’s game against the White Sox, but was held back to shoulder soreness.  Both Miley and the Cubs held out the possibility that Miley would be able to return to the mound as early as Monday, but clearly something was still amiss following the bullpen and long-toss sessions that Miley was scheduled to throw today.

This is already the second IL stint of the year for Miley, who didn’t make his first start of the season until May 10 due to some elbow inflammation that developed during Spring Training.  When he has been able to pitch, Miley has been quite effective, posting a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings over three starts.

Leiter has made three starts for Chicago already this season, and is likely the short-term fill-in for a start on Monday when the Cubs host the Brewers for a doubleheader.  Going forward, Keegan Thompson is the most probable candidate to take Miley’s spot in the rotation, as Thompson’s transition from long reliever to proper starting pitcher has thus far been very successful.  Thompson has an outstanding 1.58 ERA over 40 innings in 2022, which breaks down as a 1.38 ERA in 26 relief frames and a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings as a starter.

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