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Minor MLB Transactions: 7/7/19

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Here are the latest moves from around the minors…

  • Cody Decker is retiring from pro baseball, as officially confirmed by the Triple-A Reno Aces.  The 32-year-old Decker ended his career on a remarkable high note, hitting a walkoff homer on Friday to end his final game.  A UCLA product who was selected in the 22nd round of the 2009 draft by the Padres, Decker logged 3843 plate appearances over 1033 games in the minor leagues.  After spending his first seven years in San Diego’s farm system, Decker bounced around to five other organizations within the last four seasons, including two years in Reno, the Diamondbacks’ top affiliate.  Though Decker’s only MLB experience consisted of eight games for the Padres in 2015 (that saw him go hitless in 11 at-bats), his lengthy minor league career and colorful personality made him something of a folk hero to teammates and fans.  Decker hit .260/.341/.517 in the minors, and his 204 homers were the most of any active minor leaguer.  We at MLBTR wish Decker the best in his post-playing career!
  • The Rays have signed right-hander Jason Garcia to a minor league deal.  The move was announced by the Twitter feed of the independent American Association, as Garcia had been pitching for the Sioux City team since being let go by the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate last season.  Originally a 17th-round pick for the Red Sox in 2010, Garcia has a 4.94 ERA, 1.58 K/BB rate, and a 7.2 K/9 over 526 career innings in the minors, though he had posted some strong numbers for Sioux City (including a 2.73 ERA over 56 frames this season).  Garcia’s only taste of the big leagues was back in 2015, when he posted a 4.25 ERA over 29 2/3 relief innings for the Orioles.

Padres’ Franchy Cordero Out Of Action Until September

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The quad injury recently suffered by Padres outfielder Franchy Cordero while on a rehab assignment will keep him out of action until at least September 1, manager Andy Green told The Athletic’s Dennis Lin (Twitter link) and other reporters.  Cordero has been sidelined for almost three weeks since first hurting his quad, and Green said that the injury also involved some tendon damage.

Cordero initially hit the IL on April 8 after suffering a right elbow sprain, a worrying enough injury given that surgery on that same elbow ended his 2018 season after just 40 games.  He seemed to be on track for a return in June, however, before hurting his quad while trying to beat out a grounder.

It now seems like Cordero will face his second consecutive lost season, a discouraging result for a 24-year-old who has shown some intriguing potential in his young career.  After crushing Triple-A pitching in 2017, Cordero received his first taste of the big leagues that season, and then batted .247/.324/.435 with seven homers in 174 plate appearances in 2018-19.  A whopping 62 of those 174 PA ended in strikeouts, though Cordero made the most of the contact he did make, with a 48.9% hard-hit ball rate over the last two seasons.

While it’s obviously still very early in Cordero’s Major League career and the Padres control him through the 2023 season, Cordero’s checkered injury history isn’t helped his chances of breaking in on a San Diego team that is already crowded with outfield options, both at the big league level and coming up the pipeline of a loaded farm system.  Trades could address this situation, of course, plus there’s the fact that Manuel Margot and Josh Naylor have yet to establish themselves as major league-caliber regulars.  But even assuming Cordero is able to make it back on the field in 2019, he’ll need a healthy and productive Spring Training to re-establish himself as a potential building block.

Injury Notes: Stroman, Pollock, Wood, Peralta, Reed, Gennett

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The latest on some injury situations from around baseball….

  • Marcus Stroman was originally scheduled to start for the Blue Jays against the Red Sox tonight, but the team has opted to instead use Derek Law as an opener and Thomas Pannone as a bulk pitcher.  Stroman left his last outing with a left pectoral cramp, and the Jays will delay his next start by at least one day, though “there’s a chance that he won’t pitch until after the All-Star break,” manager Charlie Montoyo told media (including MLB.com’s Alexis Brudnicki.  “He’s still the same way, day to day,” Montoyo said.  “But again, if he’s not 100 percent, we’re not going to pitch him….If he plays catch today and feels like he could throw a bullpen or something nice and easy, that he could go, then we’ll pitch him.”  Stroman’s injury isn’t thought to be serious, though the Blue Jays are being as cautious as possible with their ace, particularly given his status as one of the game’s top trade deadline candidates.
  • A.J. Pollock is beginning his minor league rehab assignment tonight with the Dodgers’ high-A affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga, as per the team’s Twitter feed.  Pollock has been out of action since late April, when a staph infection in his right elbow led to surgery to remove metalwork in that elbow from a previous procedure in 2016.  The outfielder had managed only a .223/.287/.330 slash line over his first 115 plate appearances as a Dodger before hitting the IL, and is hopeful of returning to the Los Angeles roster after the All-Star break.
  • Reds manager David Bell provided updates on several injured members of the Cincinnati roster in his pregame meeting with reporters, including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Alex Wood is slated to begin a rehab assignment this week, as the lefty will pitch for the first time this season after being beset with back problems since Spring Training.  Wandy Peralta (hip) may need a minor league rehab game or two, though he had a bullpen session today and is pretty close to a return.  Cody Reed (knee strain) is back “throwing” since hitting the IL in late May, Bell said, though “he’s probably still a couple of weeks away from pitching.”
  • There has also been “no talk of IL at this point” about Scooter Gennett, Bell said, after Gennett left Wednesday’s game with tightness in his left groin.  Gennett didn’t play today, as Bell decided to give the veteran two full days of rest since the Reds have an off-day on Friday.  Gennett only recently returned from a right groin strain that had sidelined him since March 22.

Reds Place Amir Garrett On 10-Day Injured List

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Prior to this afternoon’s 1-0 win over the Brewers, the Reds placed left-hander Amir Garrett on the 10-day injured list due to a left lat strain.  The placement was retroactive to July 3.  Outfielder Josh VanMeter was called up from Triple-A to take Garrett’s spot on the 25-man roster.

Formerly a top-100 ranked prospect in 2016 and 2017, Garrett struggled as a starting pitcher in his 2017 rookie season but has since blossomed as a reliever.  Garrett has a 1.70 ERA, 13.1 K/9, 51.9% grounder rate, and 2.70 K/BB rate over 37 frames out of Cincinnati’s bullpen this season.  His walk rate (4.86 BB/9) is a bit high and Garrett’s 93.5% strand rate is likely unsustainable, but he has been a very solid weapon overall out of the Reds’ pen, dominating both right-handed and left-handed hitters.  Garrett’s signature pitch, a slider that he has used 58.8% of the time this season, has been virtually untouchable — batters have a .098 average and a .146 slugging percentage against Garrett’s slider.

The injury isn’t considered to be too serious, as Garrett told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters that it was only a case of “regular soreness,” perhaps due to throwing more fastballs than usual in Tuesday’s outing.  Between Friday’s off-day on the Reds schedule and the All-Star break, Garrett might end up missing only five games if he requires only the minimum 10-day IL stint.

As Shelton notes, however, the Reds still have a short-term issue in a lack of left-handed relievers in the pen with Garrett and Wandy Peralta both on the IL.  Alex Wood and Cody Reed are the only other southpaws on the 40-man roster, and they are both working their way back from their own injuries.  With Cincinnati increasingly looking like they’ll stay close enough in the NL Central race to be deadline buyers, one would think the team will target left-handed relief help even if Garrett is back in pretty short order.

MLB Draft Signings: 7/4/19

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We’ll use this post to track the latest noteworthy draft signings.  Click here for the full list of slot values and draft pool bonuses, and you can find prospect rankings and scouting reports from Baseball America’s Top 500,  Fangraphs’ Top 200, MLB.com’s Top 200, and the Top 50 of ESPN.com’s Keith Law …

  • The Rangers signed sixth-rounder Cody Bradford to a significantly over-slot deal, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (via Twitter).  Bradford, a fourth-year junior out of Baylor, signed for a $700K bonus that far surpasses the $284.2K recommended price for the 175th overall pick.  Bradford’s stock dropped after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, as Callis noted that the left-hander (the Big 12’s Pitcher Of The Year in 2018) was seen as a second-round pick prior to his injury.  Even after the TOS surgery, Bradford was still ranked as the 165th-best draft prospect on MLB.com’s list.

Latest On Mitch Haniger

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The Mariners have temporarily halted Mitch Haniger’s baseball activities, manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Jen Mueller of Root Sports, and MLB.com’s Greg Johns).  Haniger underwent surgery to fix a ruptured testicle almost a month ago, and hasn’t yet begun a full injury rehab, instead just sticking to more basic workouts.

Even this has been a challenge, however, as Haniger reported some soreness while trying to increase his baseball-related activity, and was informed by a doctor that he needed to take a step back in the recovery process.  “He’s just sore. We need to be really patient and give him time,” Servais said.

This isn’t the first setback for Haniger, as the initial hope was that he would already be back on the field by early July, though that timeline was recently pushed back until after the All-Star break.  This latest news would seem to indicate that Haniger will be out of action for even longer, since he would seemingly need to ramp up his preparations in pain-free fashion and then embark on some minor league rehab games.

Phillies Place Juan Nicasio On 10-Day Injured List

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Juan Nicasio has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left groin strain.  Southpaw Austin Davis has been called up from Triple-A to take Nicasio’s spot on the 25-man roster.

Acquired as part of the blockbuster trade with the Mariners that also brought Jean Segura and James Pazos to Philadelphia, Nicasio came to his new team looking to rebound from a 6.00 ERA (albeit with some very impressive peripheral numbers) over 42 innings in 2018.  The results haven’t been quite been there this season either, as Nicasio has a 5.24 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 2.07 K/BB rate over 34 1/3 frames.

Some of this damage has only recently been inflicted, and could potentially have been related to his injury — Nicasio has allowed six earned runs over his last two outings, totaling only two-thirds of an inning.  Nicasio’s advanced metrics are again outperforming his real-world ERA, though his walks are up and his strikeout rate is down from his 2018 numbers.

The Phillies have been hit hard with reliever injuries this season, with Nicasio joining Seranthony Dominguez, David Robertson, Jerad Eickhoff, and Pat Neshek on the injured list.  It isn’t known how much time Nicasio will miss, though the Phillies were already likely to be targeting bullpen upgrades at the deadline anyway given the middling numbers posted by their undermanned relief corps this season.

Twins Outright Andrew Vasquez Off 40-Man Roster

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The Twins have outrighted southpaw Andrew Vasquez off their 40-man roster, according to multiple reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).  Vasquez has been outrighted to Triple-A, where he has already been pitching for much of the season.

Vasquez made his MLB debut last September, appearing in nine games for Minnesota and posting a 5.40 ERA over five innings of work.  He has only made one big league appearance in 2019, a very rough outing against the Mets on April 10 that saw Vasquez allow three earned runs without recording an out.  The 25-year-old has also been dealing with injury, spending two separate stints on the Triple-A injured list this year due to shoulder problems.

Quick Hits: Realmuto, Dominguez, Edwards, McKay

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J.T. Realmuto was removed during the sixth inning of Sunday’s 13-6 Phillies win over the Marlins after feeling tightness in his left hamstring, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.  The issue arose while Realmuto was running the bases during a seven-run inning for the Phils, and the blowout nature of the game may have also contributed to the early exit, since Realmuto said the injury wasn’t serious.  The All-Star catcher described the problem as “just a little standard tightness thing,” and manager Gabe Kapler felt Realmuto would likely be fine for the Phillies’ next game on Tuesday.  Realmuto has yet to really catch fire since coming to the Phillies from Miami in a blockbuster trade, as his 95 wRC+ (off a .265/.319/.431 slash line in 310 PA) represents his lowest numbers since 2015.  Still, Realmuto’s .353 xwOBA far outpaces his actual .320 wOBA, so his production is likely to improve as long as he keeps up the quality contact.

Some more stray items as we head into July…

  • Also from Breen, Seranthony Dominguez will receive a re-evalution of his damaged right UCL on Wednesday.  This is the latest step in Dominguez’s quest to avoid Tommy John surgery, as the Phillies right-hander instead opted for a platelet-rich plasma treatment.  If everything checks out on Wednesday, Dominguez could begin throwing at the beginning of next week.
  • Cubs right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. is set to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment, ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers tweets.  Edwards has been on the IL (retroactively) since June 10 due to a left thoracic strain.  2019 has been a tale of two seasons for Edwards, who allowed six runs over his first 1 2/3 innings of the season and was demoted to the minors, though he then delivered a 2.03 ERA over 13 1/3 frames after being recalled.
  • Two-way star Brendan McKay made his debut on the mound for the Rays on Saturday, though it isn’t yet known if McKay will also get any plate appearances at the Major League level, MLB.com’s Juan Toribio writes.  “We’ve expressed that I don’t think the at-bats are going to come as consistent for him over the next week or so, but if there’s an opportunity to get him in there where we feel it fits with his workload, then we’ll do that,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.  McKay is set to start again on Friday, though in the interim, he’ll be both going through his usual pre-start routine and also getting some swings in, both during batting practice and in the Tropicana Field.  While McKay’s pitching was more developed than his hitting in the minor leagues, McKay did hit .265/.400/.551 over the small sample size of 60 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/30/19

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game, with the newer transactions at the top of the post…

  • The Phillies announced that righty Fernando Salas cleared waivers, and has been outrighted to Triple-A.  Salas signed a minors deal with the club earlier this month and was called to the big league roster for one game (with one inning pitched) before being designated for assignment on Friday.  This brief cameo marked Salas’ appearance in a tenth MLB season, following much longer stints with the Cardinals, Angels, and Mets throughout the decade.  The 34-year-old had a 4.50 ERA over 40 innings with the D’Backs in 2018, and after a brief stay in the Braves’ minor league system last year, didn’t land with a new team until his contract with Philadelphia.
  • The Mets have outrighted Ryan O’Rourke to Triple-A after the left-hander cleared waivers.  (MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report the news.)  O’Rourke was designated for assignment last week.  After signing a minor league contract with New York over the winter, O’Rourke appeared in two games for the Mets, marking his first MLB action since 2016 when he was a member of the Twins’ bullpen.  Beyond his 48 1/3 career big league innings, O’Rourke has a 3.83 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 3.46 K/BB rate over 404 1/3 innings as a minor leaguer for the Mets, Orioles, and Twins over nine pro seasons.

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