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Minor MLB Transactions: 5/10/21

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Catching up on some minor league moves from around baseball…

  • The Astros have signed righty Michael Kelly to a minor league pact, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Kelly was the 48th overall pick of the Padres in the 2011 draft, but he hasn’t made it to the bigs thus far. Along with the Padres, the 28-year-old appeared in the minors with the Orioles through 2018, recording a 5.35 ERA over 607 2/3 innings. Kelly’s most recent professional action came in 2019 with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League.

Earlier updates:

  • The Dodgers signed right-handers Kevin Quackenbush, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, and Aaron Wilkerson to minor league contracts earlier this month, and all are on the roster for the team’s Triple-A affiliate.  Quackenbush is the most experienced of the trio, with 207 2/3 MLB innings with the Padres and Reds from 2014-18, and the 32-year-old is back in the Dodgers organization after previously pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2019.  Bibens-Dirkx was a member of several organizations before catching on with the Rangers in 2016 and posting a 5.27 ERA over 114 1/3 innings from 2017-18.  Wilkerson appeared in parts of three Major League seasons with the Brewers from 2017-19, posting a 6.88 ERA over 35 1/3 frames of work.
  • The Indians signed right-hander Matt Koch to a minor league deal back in April.  Koch pitched for the Yakult Swallows in 2020, posting a 7.88 ERA over 16 innings with the Japanese club.  Formerly a member of the Diamondbacks, Koch pitched 86 2/3 of his 125 1/3 career Major League innings in 2018, when he had a 4.15 ERA/4.85 ERA while starting 14 of his 19 games for Arizona.  For his overall career, Koch has a 4.88 ERA at the big league level.

Gregory Polanco’s IL Placement Due To Protocol Violation

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TODAY: Polanco is expected back with the Pirates within a few days, manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review).

MAY 8: The Pirates placed Gregory Polanco on the COVID-related injury list on Tuesday, without any specific details (though none are required in COVID situations) given about why Polanco would be missing time.  However, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Polanco’s placement was due to a violation of healthy and safety protocols.  Polanco “utilized a training service that was outside of the Pirates’ bubble,” according to Mackey’s sources.

It isn’t yet known how long Polanco will be away from the team, or whether or not he’ll face league-mandated punishment for breaking protocol.  According to the 2021 Operations Manual, “Any Covered Individuals who are found to have violated the Code of Conduct are subject to potential discipline, including suspension or forfeiture of salary for days spent away from the Club while in mandatory self-isolation or quarantine resulting from the violation.”

In short, a suspension would cost Polanco some game checks (he is earning $11MM this season, as Pittsburgh’s highest-paid player) and it isn’t out of the question that he could also lose some money for the time he has currently missed on the COVID-IL.  It remains to be seen how the Pirates, the league, and possibly the MLBPA could approach this situation due to the lack of known information about the exact circumstances of Polanco’s violation.

Polanco tested positive for COVID-19 last July, costing him some time during the Pirates’ Summer Camp and delaying the start of his 2020 season by a few games.  Since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2018, Polanco has hit .197/.263/.369 over 431 plate appearances, missing significant time in 2019 dealing with more shoulder problems.  Beyond the shoulder injury and the positive COVID test, Polanco also suffered a wrist fracture in December.

Pitching Notes: Greene, Ynoa, Braves, Twins, Kuhl

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Shane Greene’s long free agent wait ended yesterday when he re-signed with the Braves on a one-year deal worth a prorated $1.5MM.  “It seemed early on that a return to the Braves was his preference,” SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson writes (Twitter link), as Wolfson notes that the Twins were willing to offer Greene more money.  This focus on Atlanta could explain why it took until May for Greene to land a contract, as David O’Brien of The Athletic estimated back in mid-March that the Braves were only willing to spend in the neighborhood of $1MM on Greene — given the prorated nature of Greene’s contract, he’ll end up earning around $1.1 or $1.2MM.

More pitching-related items from around baseball…

  • Another Braves/Twins link is explored by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, regarding how Atlanta acquired breakout star Huascar Ynoa from Minnesota back in 2017.  The Braves wanted to move Jaime Garcia at the trade deadline, and initially discussed a trade with the Yankees that would have sent Garcia to the Bronx for then-Yankees prospect Nick Solak.  Once those talks fell through, Atlanta pivoted and sent Garcia to Minnesota, and the Braves “did not do as much diligence on Ynoa as they normally would on a prospect” since their top priority was just to dump the rest of Garcia’s salary.  In fact, Ynoa wasn’t even Atlanta’s first ask from the Twins’ farm system, as Nick Burdi was initially part of the proposed trade.  From being a rather anonymous rookie ball pitcher and an apparent “plan C” type of pickup for the Braves, Ynoa has become an unexpected stalwart of the Atlanta rotation in 2021.  The righty has a 2.23 ERA/3.19 SIERA and an above-average 28.4% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate over 40 1/3 innings, plus Ynoa has augmented that pitching production with two home runs and a 1.267 OPS over 15 plate appearances.
  • Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl threw a live batting practice on Saturday as he continues to recover from right shoulder discomfort.  In a radio interview on 93.7 FM (hat tip to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Pittsburgh GM Ben Cherington said Kuhl will return “before too long” but will first require a minor league rehab assignment.  Kuhl has struggled in his first four starts of the year, posting a 6.32 ERA with more walks (16) than strikeouts (14) over 15 2/3 innings.

Rays Sign Adam Conley To Minors Contract

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The Rays have signed left-hander Adam Conley to a minor league deal, Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle reports.  Conley had previously agreed to join NPB’s Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, but opted out of joining the team earlier this week.

According to a statement from the Eagles (hat tip to reporter Jim Allen), Conley decided against playing in Japan due to concerns over the country’s COVID-19 situation.  Due to entry restrictions from the Japanese government, Conley had been unable to even arrive in Japan until late March, and those same restrictions prevented Conley’s family from joining him abroad.

This isn’t the first time that the coronavirus has directly impacted the southpaw’s career, as Conley was one of many Marlins players placed on the COVID-related injured list last summer due to an outbreak within the clubhouse.  Conley ended up not pitching at all in 2020, after previously seeing some big league action in each of the previous five seasons.

Initially a promising starter in the Marlins’ rotation in 2015-16, Conley ran into some struggles and then turned to relief pitching, with some success in 2018 and then a rougher experience (6.53 ERA in 60 2/3 innings) in 2019.  For his career, Conley has a 4.82 ERA, 19.7% strikeout rate, and 9.5% walk rate over 414 1/3 innings, all with Miami.

It remains to be seen what role Conley will take with Florida’s other MLB team, though given the Rays’ flexible approach to pitching, Conley could potentially be used in a number of different ways.  He could be deployed in a traditional relief role or perhaps stretched out to be given a second look as a starter, or the Rays could use Conley as an opener, a piggyback starter, a long reliever, a swingman, or perhaps all of the above.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/9/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

Latest Transactions

  • The Angels signed outfielder Dalton Pompey to a minor league contract, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets.  Once a top-50 prospect while coming up in the Blue Jays’ farm system, Pompey’s career was plagued by injuries, and he appeared in only 64 Major League games over parts of four seasons from 2014-18.  Pompey was released from a minors contract with the Diamondbacks last summer, and he spent some time in independent baseball.  Still only 28 years old, Pompey has a connection to Angels GM Perry Minasian, with Morosi noting that Minasian worked in the Jays front office during Pompey’s time in the organization.

Earlier Today

  • The Marlins signed infielder Deven Marrero to a minor league contract, and Marrero has reported to Triple-A Jacksonville.  The 24th overall pick of the 2012 draft, Marrero’s last big league exposure came in a Miami uniform, as he played five games with the Marlins in 2019.  He had reportedly signed with a Mexican League team in April but Marrero will now make his return to affiliated baseball.  Marrero has hit .194/.246/.279 over 348 career MLB plate appearances with the Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox from 2015-19.

Injury Updates: Chisholm, Alfaro, Voit, Odor, Pinder, Puk, Luzardo

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The latest on some injury situations from around baseball…

  • Jazz Chisholm and Jorge Alfaro are both set to begin Triple-A rehab assignments on Tuesday, according to SportsGrid’s Craig Mish (Twitter links).  Chisholm was sidelined with a left hamstring strain back on April 28, following an outstanding start to the season that saw the Marlins youngster hit .290/.375/.551 with four homers in his first 80 plate appearances.  (Despite the missed time, Chisholm’s seven stolen bases still led the National League heading into Sunday’s play.)  Alfaro had only a .507 OPS at the time of his IL placement on April 21, albeit over only 36 PA.  The catcher is also recovering from a left hamstring strain.
  • Luke Voit is on pace to be activated for the start of the Yankees’ series with the Rays on Tuesday, New York manager Aaron Boone told ESPN’s Marly Rivera (Twitter links) and other reporters.  Voit has yet to play this season after undergoing knee surgery in late March.
  • It isn’t yet clear if Rougned Odor could also be joining the Yankees soon, as Boone wasn’t sure if Odor will be immediately activated after the minimum 10 days.  Odor hit the IL due to a left knee sprain back on May 5, and is at least making good progress in recovery, Boone said, noting that Odor was taking grounders.
  • The Athletics visit the Twins in a series on May 14-16, and Oakland manager Bob Melvin hopes Chad Pinder will be ready to rejoin the A’s for those games.  Melvin told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Pinder will play at least three games during a Triple-A rehab assignment that starts on either Monday or Tuesday.  Pinder has been out of action since April 4 due to a left knee sprain.
  • Melvin also provided updates on a pair of Athletics pitchers, telling MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos (Twitter links) and other media that A.J. Puk could begin a rehab assignment of his own this week.  Puk has been plagued by injuries throughout his young career, including a left biceps strain that sent him to the IL on April 8.  Jesus Luzardo’s timeline isn’t as clear, since A’s head trainer Nick Paparesta said Luzardo is week-to-week in his recovery from a fractured left hand.  On the plus side, Paparesta did indicate that Luzardo might be able to return by the end of the month.

Cubs Notes: Marisnick, Heyward, Arrieta

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Cubs center fielder Jake Marisnick made an early exit from Sunday’s 6-5 loss to the Pirates, as a right hamstring strain forced Marisnick to depart during the top of the first inning.  While pursuing a Wilmer Difo fly ball to left-center field, Marisnick seemingly took a bad step and then fell to the ground as Difo’s hit fell for a single.  Marisnick was immediately removed from the game, with Kris Bryant taking over in center field and Joc Pederson replacing Bryant in left field.

Manager David Ross told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter link) and other reporters that Marisnick will undergo further tests tomorrow to determine the extent of the strain.  Hamstring problems were a recurring issue for Marisnick last season when he played for the Mets, as separate injuries to both hamstrings led to two separate trips to the injured list, and he ended up playing only 16 games in 2020.

Signed to a one-year free agent deal worth $1.5MM in guaranteed money, Marisnick was ticketed for a fourth outfielder role for Chicago.  With Ian Happ injured, however, Marisnick has seen more regular duty in center field, and delivered in something of an unexpected way.  Known for his defense more than his hitting over nine MLB seasons, Marisnick’s defense hasn’t been great (-1 Defensive Run Saved, -35.7 UZR/150) over 118 innings in center field, but he is hitting .264/.350/.623 over 60 plate appearances.

If Marisnick’s absence wasn’t enough, Jason Heyward was also removed from the game for a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning due to what Ross described as a problem with his right hand.  Heyward is also undergoing examination from team trainers.  It’s been a tough start to the season for the veteran outfielder, as Heyward is hitting just .173/.239/.317 over his first 113 PA.

The Cubs don’t play on Monday and they also have an off-day on Thursday, so it’s possible Heyward and Marisnick might have enough time to recuperate without a trip to the IL.  That being said, being down two outfielders would leave Chicago pretty short-handed with Happ and Nico Hoerner also sidelined, and it would leave Bryant as the team’s top center field option.  Cameron Maybin, Ian Miller, and Rafael Ortega are all available at Triple-A, though none are on the Cubs’ 40-man roster.

In better injury news for the Cubs, Jake Arrieta is tentatively scheduled to return from the injured list for a start against the Tigers on Friday.  In a pregame chat with reporters (including Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago), Ross said that Arrieta felt good after a bullpen session yesterday, and would throw another bullpen on Tuesday or Wednesday.  A right thumb abrasion sent Arrieta to the 10-day IL on May 4, so he would miss only the minimum 10 days if he was activated on Friday.  Arrieta has a 4.31 ERA/4.63 SIERA and a below-average 20.7% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate over 31 1/3 innings for Chicago this season.

Rays Place Kevin Kiermaier On 10-Day Injured List

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TODAY: Kiermaier was indeed placed on the 10-day injured list prior to today’s game.  Right-hander Louis Head was called up from Triple-A to take Kiermaier’s roster spot.

MAY 8: X-rays are negative on Kevin Kiermaier’s left wrist after the outfielder left today’s game due to what the team described as a wrist sprain.  The injury occurred when Kiermaier was trying to steal second base in the second inning, and the center fielder looked to be in significant pain after jamming his left arm into the bag.

It seems like another trip to the injured list could be in order for Kiermaier, whose career has been defined by both superb center field defense and (unfortunately) his inability to stay on the field.  Kiermaier averaged just 105 games per season from 2016-19 due to a variety of injuries, including a past wrist problem in 2019.  A left quad strain already sidelined Kiermaier for 12 days in April, though if there wasn’t any structural damage on his wrist, he could be able to return to action from this latest issue after another relatively short absence.

The Rays already made an IL move prior to today’s game with the Athletics, as catcher Francisco Mejia was placed on the 10-day injured list due to left intercostal discomfort.  The injury doesn’t appear to be overly serious, as manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including MLB.com’s Justice delos Santos) that the team’s initial hope was that Mejia would be fine after just a couple of days’ off, but a minimum 10-day absence will give time for Mejia to fully recover.

Given how Mejia has played in his debut season in Tampa, the Rays certainly want the young backstop to be free of any lingering injury.  Acquired from the Padres as part of the Blake Snell blockbuster last offseason, Mejia has hit .300/.348/.450 over his first 67 plate appearances for the Rays, helping to bolster a catching spot that has long been a weak link in Tampa Bay’s lineup.

With Mejia out, Mike Zunino will get the bulk of playing time at catcher, while Kevan Smith was added from the taxi squad yesterday when Ryan Yarbrough was temporarily placed on the COVID-19 list.  Yarbrough was already reinstated from the COVID-IL today, after recovering from some vaccine side effects.

To create a 40-man roster spot, Chris Archer was shifted from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL as the veteran right-hander continues to recover from forearm tightness.  It was roughly two weeks ago that Cash said Archer would need “at least” a couple of more weeks of rehab time, and today’s transaction will push Archer’s return to June at the earliest.  [UPDATE: Archer has been away from the team for several weeks due to a personal matter, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Archer’s mother passed away on May 1.  MLBTR sends our condolences to Archer and his family.]

Snitker: Ronald Acuna Jr. Could Return To Lineup Today After Hit-By-Pitch

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MAY 9: Fortunately, it seems Acuna avoided any major injury. The Braves announced last night he was day-to-day with a left pinky contusion and that X-rays had come back negative. After the game, manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Mark Bowman of MLB.com) the team “dodged a bullet” and said Acuna could be back in the starting lineup as soon as this evening if he feels fine during pregame batting practice.

8:59PM: Ronald Acuna Jr. was removed from tonight’s game in the seventh inning after the Braves star was hit in the left hand by a pitch.  Phillies reliever Sam Coonrod hit Acuna with a 97.8mph sinker, and Acuna almost immediately left the field (in visible pain) after a visit from the trainer.

More will be known post-game, though the worst-case scenario would be a serious hand injury that would sideline Acuna for several weeks or months.  Such a loss would be a potential disaster for an Atlanta lineup that has been inconsistent despite Acuna’s MVP-level performance thus far in the season.

Through 137 plate appearances, Acuna is hitting .313/.409/.652 with 10 home runs.  Entering Saturday’s action, Acuna was leading the NL in both slugging percentage and OPS, and was leading the majors in both homers and runs scored (29).  With Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, Dansby Swanson, and (the currently injured) Travis d’Arnaud all off to slow starts in 2021, it isn’t a huge exaggeration to say that Acuna has carried the Braves’ offense.

This isn’t Acuna’s first injury scare of the season, as he suffered a mild abdominal strain that forced him out of a game back on April 18.  That issue ultimately didn’t require a visit to the injured list, however, and Acuna was back in action by April 23.  It should be noted that Acuna has hit only .200/.328/.400 in the first 61 PA since that abdominal injury, though some regression was probably inevitable after Acuna’s red-hot start.

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