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Brewers’ Abner Uribe To Undergo Knee Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | June 15, 2024 at 11:36am CDT

Right-hander Abner Uribe was placed on Triple-A Nashville’s injured list last week with an unspecified knee problem, and will now undergo surgery to fix a right lateral meniscus tear, Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.  The severity of the injury won’t be fully known until doctors begin the operation, and thus Arnold indicated that the outcome could be anything from “a light cleanup” to a more intensive procedure that could threaten the rest of Uribe’s season.

The injury continues what has already been a tough season for Uribe, who posted a 6.91 ERA over 14 1/3 innings out of Milwaukee’s bullpen before he was optioned to Triple-A at the start of May.  His most notable on-field moment of 2024 was an altercation with Jose Siri in a brawl between the Brewers and Rays on April 30.  Uribe was issued a six-game suspension that was lowered to four games on appeal, though he has yet to serve any of that suspension (which applies to MLB games only) since he has been in the minors.

The move back to Triple-A seemed to get Uribe on track, as he had posted a 1.04 ERA over 8 2/3 innings and seven appearances with Nashville.  Another call-up to the big leagues seemed likely at some point, though now Uribe’s development has been interrupted and perhaps stalled altogether by this knee injury.  The righty is unfortunately quite familiar with meniscus injuries, as a torn left meniscus cost him virtually the entire 2022 season with Double-A Biloxi.

Uribe rebounded from that lost year by pitching well in the minors in 2023, and then excelling in his first taste of MLB action.  The hard-throwing reliever averaged 100.7 mph on his fastball over his 30 2/3 innings with Milwaukee last season, en route to a 1.76 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate, and a 53% grounder rate.  However, Uribe did enjoy a .239 BABIP, and his 15.7% walk rate continued the control issues that plagued him throughout his minor league career.  Those problems worsened this season, as Uribe’s walk rate rose to 18.2% while his strikeout rate plummeted to 21.2%, resulting in that inflated 6.91 ERA.  (His 4.94 SIERA is almost two full runs better, though still uninspiring.)

The surgery stands out as a lousy birthday gift for a pitcher who turns 24 later this week.  Uribe’s young age means that there is plenty of time for him to figure out his control issues and perhaps emerge as a dangerous bullpen weapon, yet Uribe has already amassed a lengthy injury history at an early stage in his career.  Because the injury occurred in Triple-A ball, Uribe won’t amass any big league service time while he is on the minor league IL, unless the Brewers at some point promote him and place him on the MLB version of the 60-day IL as a means to create 40-man roster space.

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Milwaukee Brewers Abner Uribe

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NL East Notes: Dombrowski, Phillies, Gallo, Minter

By Mark Polishuk | June 15, 2024 at 8:51am CDT

Three unnamed teams have offered catching help to the Phillies since the news broke earlier this week about J.T. Realmuto’s knee surgery, as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.  While Philadelphia is expected to look for some kind of short-term depth in Realmuto’s absence, Dombrowski didn’t sound too enamored by the options available thus far, noting that the three clubs approached the Phillies about the available catchers: “That’s usually probably not a good sign, that they’re trying to get rid of them.  Rather than the opposite way where you’re pursuing them.”  Since Realmuto is slated to miss roughly a month, Dombrowski seems content to “take a look at our young guys” like backup catcher Rafael Marchan in the interim, so the Phils don’t necessarily feel much pressure to make a trade.

Philadelphia’s outstanding 47-22 record also provides a bit more breathing room, as the Phillies have the National League’s best record and look like a lock to return to the playoffs.  Dombrowski naturally expected his team to be good, but admitted that a .681 win percentage even exceeded his expectations, especially considering that the Phils have been without Trea Turner for the majority of the season.  Turner’s impending return is an upgrade on its own, and in terms of other possible trade deadline additions, Dombrowski said it’s “way, way, way, way, way too early” to start accessing how the market might take shape.  Dombrowski cited bullpen depth as one possible area to explore, and doesn’t seem to think the Phillies will pursue a “we’re going to trade three top prospects” type of blockbuster trade.  The PBO is also cognizant of how adding and subtracting from the roster might impact team chemistry, as obviously Dombrowski doesn’t want to disrupt what has been a winning formula for the Phillies to date.

More from around the NL East…

  • The Nationals placed Joey Gallo on the 10-day IL earlier this week, and manager Davey Martinez provided reporters (including Spencer Nusbaum of the Washington Post) yesterday with some unfortunate context, as Gallo’s left hamstring strain is “significant.”  No more specifics were given about the severity of the strain or how long exactly the Nats expect Gallo to be sidelined, yet it would seem unlikely that he would be back in action before the All-Star break.  Gallo already missed three weeks earlier this season recovering from an AC joint sprain his left shoulder, and this latest injury compounds what has been a miserable 2024 campaign for the veteran.  After signing a one-year, $5MM free agent deal with Washington this past winter, Gallo has hit only .164/.285/.321 over 165 plate appearances, and striking out 71 times.
  • A.J. Minter is likely to throw a bullpen session soon, Braves manager Brian Snitker told MLB.com and other media, as the left-hander continues to recover from inflammation in his left hip.  It would appear that Minter is just about on track with the one-month timeline initially projected for his recovery, as he has started throwing side sessions to warm up his arm.  A longtime staple of the Atlanta bullpen, Minter had a 2.95 ERA in 21 1/3 innings this season before hitting the IL.
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Atlanta Braves Notes Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals A.J. Minter Dave Dombrowski Joey Gallo Rafael Marchan

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Yankees Notes: Bullpen Trade Targets, McMahon, Cole

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 10:46pm CDT

The Yankees’ 46-21 record is the best in the American League, and there aren’t many glaring holes on a team that has been outstanding on both the hitting and pitching fronts.  As such, the Yankees’ deadline needs are fairly specific at the moment, as SNY’s Andy Martino writes that the Bronx Bombers are looking to reinforce their bullpen with another left-hander, and a right-handed strikeout specialist.

New York entered Sunday’s action with the third-best bullpen ERA in baseball, so the current relief corps is far from a weak link.  However, Martino notes that “evaluators tend to slot [Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez] as the second lefty in an ideal bullpen,” so the Yankees could stand to acquire another southpaw as their top option.

Of the two in-house choices, Gonzalez has a 3.00 ERA over 18 innings but he has been drastically outperforming his peripherals.  Gonzalez’s SIERA is a much less impressive 5.65, as his walk rate (13.5%) is higher than his 10.8% strikeout rate.  Ferguson has something of the opposite issue, with a 5.03 ERA but a 3.62 SIERA in 19 2/3 innings, with a 25.8% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate.

On the right-handed side of the equation, a righty pitcher that can miss bats would be a nice complement to closer Clay Holmes, who himself throws from the right side.  Holmes is having another excellent year with a 1.23 ERA and 19 saves over 29 1/3 innings, though Holmes is an extreme ground ball pitcher with a staggering 69.4% grounder rate.  His strikeout rate is only a bit above the league average, however, so having more of a strikeout-focused power arm for certain high-leverage situation would allow the Yankees to save Holmes for the ninth inning.

As Martino observes, the Yankees’ knack for getting great results out of unheralded relievers means that the club might not need to pursue bigger names available at the deadline in order to fill these bullpen needs.  They might not even necessarily need to go outside the organization to find the right-handed strikeout artist, as Luis Gil might eventually end up in the bullpen as part of New York’s desire to conserve his innings.  Gil pitched only 29 2/3 total frames in the majors and minors over the last two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, and with 75 innings already on his ledger in 2024, it remains to be seen how much the Yankees will want him to pitch in the regular season if they’re taking the longer view of wanting Gil available throughout what they hope will be a deep postseason run.

Beyond the bullpen, both corner infield positions could be potential target areas, though Martino figures the Bombers will give the struggling Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu more time to turn things around.  LeMahieu has only played 10 games since a season-opening stint on the 60-day injured list, so it is understandable that the veteran needs more time to knock off the rust.

This isn’t to say that New York wouldn’t be open to corner infield help already, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes that the Yankees are among the teams who “would love to get their hands on” Ryan McMahon.  Adding McMahon would be more than just a short-term strike, as the third baseman is still owed roughly $51MM through the end of the 2027 season as per the terms of the six-year, $70MM extension he signed with the Rockies in March 2022.

While the Rox aren’t in contention and will sell at the deadline to some extent, moving McMahon is the type of bigger-picture move Colorado isn’t likely to make.  Indeed, earlier reports indicated that the Rockies aren’t likely to move the third baseman, as he is still viewed as a building block on the roster.

In other Yankees news, Gerrit Cole completed his second rehab start with Double-A Somerset today.  The AL Cy Young Award winner allowed one run on two hits over 4 2/3 innings, while recording four strikeouts.  Cole’s 57 pitches represented a small bump up from the 45 pitches thrown in his first rehab outing, and his velocity reached as high as 96mph, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.

Cole described the appearance to Dunleavy and other reporters as a “pretty good day, still got things to work on…Wish I would’ve been able to crisp up the location quicker. Really, that was about it.”  Naturally Cole wants to be as ready as possible for his 2024 debut, so while he is set for one more rehab start, Cole wasn’t yet sure if he’ll require another outing after that.  The Yankees obviously aren’t going to rush Cole in any regard, and the rotation’s great work in Cole’s absence means there isn’t even any immediate need for Cole to return to the big leagues.

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Colorado Rockies New York Yankees Notes Gerrit Cole Luis Gil Ryan McMahon

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MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 9:12pm CDT

Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat

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MLBTR Chats

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AL West Notes: Evans, Seager, Tucker, Athletics

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 6:23pm CDT

A few players from the 2023 draft have already made their MLB debuts, and Mariners prospect Logan Evans could potentially be coming soon due to his recent move to relief pitching.  As Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently called Evans with the idea of shifting from the Double-A rotation to the bullpen, since the M’s are currently in the enviable position of having a loaded rotation.  Working as a reliever could put Evans on the fast track to the Show, and give the Mariners an extra hard-throwing arm in an injury-depleted pen.

A 12th-round pick out of Pitt, Evans has a sparkling 1.16 ERA over 54 1/3 innings for Double-A Arkansas this season, with a 23% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate, and a 53.6% grounder rate.  MLB Pipeline’s scouting report also notes that the Mariners received trade interest in Evans as early as last offseason, after he posted an 0.60 ERA in his first 15 pro innings.

More from around the AL West…

  • Corey Seager has now missed three straight games since leaving Wednesday’s contest with tightness in his left hamstring, though Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry (X link) and other reporters that Seager is “making progress” and that an IL trip isn’t yet being considered.  Seager himself said he was feeling “fine” today but wasn’t sure if he would be back in the lineup Tuesday for Texas’ next game.  Between the scheduled off-days both tomorrow and last Thursday, Seager might’ve caught a break in having some rest built into the schedule, giving some hope he’ll be ready for Tuesday.
  • Astros star Kyle Tucker was placed on the 10-day IL earlier this week due to a shin contusion, and he expects to be fully off crutches within the next day or two, Tucker told The Athletic’s Chandler Rome (link to X) and other media.  From there, Tucker expects to restart baseball activities soon after, so he could conceivably be a candidate to be activated next week.  It seems as though Tucker and the Astros dodged a bullet in avoiding a more serious injury, which is a relief considering the MVP-caliber numbers Tucker has posted to date this season.
  • The Athletics provided MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos (X link) and other reporters with updates on several injured players, including the news that Ross Stripling and Paul Blackburn are expected to begin throwing within the next week.  Stripling has missed over two weeks due to a flexor strain his right elbow and Blackburn has missed over a month due to a stress reaction on his right foot, though Blackburn’s placement on the 60-day IL means he’ll be out until at least the All-Star break.  Kyle Muller also already started throwing this past week as he continues his recovery from a bout of shoulder tendinitis.  Among the injured position players, Esteury Ruiz (wrist sprain) and Darell Hernaiz (ankle sprain) will start strength programs this week.
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Houston Astros Notes Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Corey Seager Darell Hernaiz Esteury Ruiz Kyle Muller Kyle Tucker Paul Blackburn Ross Stripling

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Phillies Showing Trade Interest In Jake McCarthy

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 4:59pm CDT

As the Phillies look to put some final touches on a talented roster, Philadelphia is “keeping an eye on” Jake McCarthy as possible outfield help, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes.  Such a trade would naturally depend on whether or not the Diamondbacks are still in the playoff race by the deadline, and even if not, Arizona would still be hesitant about moving an outfielder who is controlled through the 2028 season.

McCarthy has been been frequently mentioned in trade rumors in the past, even if his stock has ebbed and flowed over his first two full MLB seasons.  McCarthy finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 and was subsequently a much-discussed figure that offseason as the D’Backs looked to sell from their surplus of left-handed hitting outfielders.  (Daulton Varsho ended up being the outfielder moved in the December 2022 trade that brought Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the desert.)

However, McCarthy ran into a sophomore slump last year, hitting .243/.318/.326 over 312 plate appearances and he was demoted to Triple-A, before an oblique injury then sidelined him for the Diamondbacks’ playoff run.  As per a report from Nightengale in February, Arizona offered the White Sox either McCarthy or Dominic Fletcher in a trade for pitching prospect Cristian Mena this past winter, with Chicago opting to take Fletcher.

If McCarthy’s Diamondbacks tenure really was that close to coming to an end, he has done well in his second act with the club.  McCarthy hit his third homer of the season in today’s game against the Padres, and entered Sunday’s action hitting .268/.354/.370 over his first 160 PA.  Today’s home run was a rarity for a player who hasn’t shown much power and whose barrel and hard-hit ball rates are both mediocre — McCarthy’s 22.5% hard-hit ball rate ranks only in the second percentile of all batters.

A .327 BABIP has accounted for a good chunk of McCarthy’s success, but his excellent speed has also been a benefit in turning some of those balls in play into extra hits.  His strikeout and walk rates are both above average, and on the defensive side, McCarthy has been roughly average to slightly below average as a right fielder.  The D’Backs have deployed McCarthy in left and center field on occasion, but he has mostly been used in a right field platoon with the right-handed hitting Randal Grichuk.  Oddly, McCarthy has hit southpaws much better than he has right-handed pitchers this season, with a .917 OPS in 32 PA against lefties and a .674 OPS in 128 against righties.

Between his years of control, his age (27 next month), and his past draft pedigree as the 39th overall pick in 2018, McCarthy would be far from a rental piece for the Phillies for any team looking to pry the outfielder away from Arizona.  The Phils’ acquisition of Brandon Marsh from the Angels at the 2022 trade deadline could be a comp here, as that deal also saw Philadelphia land a left-handed hitting outfielder with some past prospect appeal who hadn’t quite gotten it all together at the MLB level.  That one-for-one deal saw the Phillies land Marsh for Logan O’Hoppe, another well-regarded young player who was blocked at catcher by J.T. Realmuto, so the Phils and Angels mutually addressed each other’s needs for outfield and catching help.

Marsh has gone on to become a solid regular in the Philadelphia outfield, this season acting as the strong side of a left-field platoon with Whit Merrifield.  Marsh is currently on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury that isn’t considered too serious, so in the event that McCarthy was acquired, the Phillies would likely view him as a left-handed hitting complement to Johan Rojas in center field and even Nick Castellanos in right field.

Rojas hasn’t hit at all this season and his once-impressive center field glove has been much closer to average.  Castellanos’ defensive limitations are well-known but the bigger issue has been his bat, as Castellanos is hitting .215/.275/.360 with nine homers over 269 PA.  The veteran is on pace for the second negative-fWAR season in his three years with Philadelphia, which isn’t a great sign considering that Castellanos is still owed $40MM over the remaining two years of his five-year, $100MM contract.

The lack of production from Castellanos or Rojas hasn’t much slowed the Phillies down in their run to the NL’s best record, but the outfield does stand out as a natural area to address as one of the club’s relatively few weak links.  Acquiring a rental player at the deadline might be a more logical idea for the Phils given how Castellanos will still be in the mix for the next two years, and trading for a shorter-term outfielder would come at a much lesser prospect cost than McCarthy’s price tag.

Since only four National League teams are above the .500 mark, the Diamondbacks are still just outside the wild card picture despite their unimpressive 30-35 record.  There is still plenty of time for the reigning NL champions to turn things around, and the D’Backs would have to be pretty decidedly out of the running at the deadline for the front office to turn to selling, considering that the team has invested heavily in trying to remain a top contender.

Even if Arizona does sell, impending free agents and veteran players figure to be the team’s first options for trade candidates before getting around to considering moving controllable players like McCarthy.  Even if it’s true that the D’Backs were willing to take Mena (not a highly-touted pitching prospect) for McCarthy last winter, Arizona might be in a position to demand more in return for McCarthy now, given his improved numbers and some extra leverage the Diamondbacks might hold in shopping him to needy contenders come July 30.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Philadelphia Phillies Jake McCarthy

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Tigers Sign Miguel Diaz To Minor League Contract

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 3:34pm CDT

Miguel Diaz is heading back to Motown as the Tigers announced that the right-hander has been signed to a minor league contract.  Diaz pitched for the Tigers in 2022-23 before being claimed off waivers from the Astros in early April.

That stint in Houston resulted in just a single Major League appearance, as Diaz threw a perfect inning of mop-up relief work in an 10-2 Astros loss to the Rangers on April 5.  He otherwise pitched at Triple-A Sugar Land and didn’t have much success, struggling to a 9.64 ERA across 14 innings (13 appearances).  While Diaz didn’t help himself with a 15.2% strikeout rate, he also had the misfortune of a .392 BABIP and a 40% strand rate, explaining the big gap between his ERA and his much more favorable 3.63 FIP.

The Astros designated Diaz soon after his lone big league appearance, and he elected free agency but re-signed quickly on a new minor league deal.  The lack of results in the minors led Houston to release Diaz last week, and now the circle has been completed with his return to the Tigers organization.  Since Diaz is out of minor league options, the Tigers would have to designate him for assignment him again in the event that he is called up to the MLB roster and then the team wished to send him back down again to Triple-A Toledo.

The 29-year-old Diaz is a veteran of seven Major League seasons, with a 4.81 ERA over 127 1/3 career innings with San Diego, Detroit, and Houston.  His 41 2/3 innings in his 2017 rookie season with the Padres and his 42 innings with the 2022 Tigers represent the bulk of that resume, and Diaz has a respectable 24% career strikeout rate, albeit with some large year-to-year variance.  Diaz will give the Tigers some extra bullpen depth in the minors in the event of an injury in the big league relief corps, or if Detroit simply needs to cycle in a fresh arm.

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Detroit Tigers Transactions Miguel Diaz

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Braves Select Hurston Waldrep

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 8:30am CDT

TODAY: The Braves officially announced the selection of Waldrep’s contract this morning. Right-hander Daysbel Hernandez was optioned to the minors and Acuna was placed on the 60-day injured list in corresponding moves.

June 8: The Braves are calling up top pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep, according to multiple reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman).  Waldrep will make his Major League debut on Sunday in a start against the Nationals, as Atlanta is giving Max Fried extra rest by pushing his next outing to Tuesday.  A 40-man roster space will have be opened to accommodate Waldrep, though that could be easily accomplished by moving Ronald Acuna Jr. or Spencer Strider to the 60-day IL.

The move represents another aggressive promotion from the Braves, as it was less than a year ago that Waldrep was selected with the 24th overall pick of the 2023 draft.  There was even some speculation that Waldrep was being considered for his MLB debut near the end of last season to give the Braves an extra high-powered bullpen arm for the playoffs, though the club opted against moving quite so quickly with the right-hander’s development.  Even still, Waldrep has only 84 2/3 pro innings under his belt, and just two starts at the Triple-A level.  Waldrep recorded 11 strikeouts over six innings with Triple-A Gwinnett last Sunday, allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk in his first Triple-A outing of 2024.

This was enough to convince the Braves that Waldrep is ready for the Show, and the 22-year-old will now get an opportunity in what has become a revolving door of a fifth starter’s position.  Atlanta’s top four of Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, Charlie Morton, and Chris Sale has been very solid, but since Strider underwent season-ending elbow surgery, six other pitchers have gotten starts in Strider’s place.  None have achieved much success, so Waldrep might well get an extended look if he shows he can hang against big league hitters.

Waldrep was a consensus top-100 pick on preseason prospect rankings, with Baseball Prospectus (30th) and Baseball America (49th) the most bullish about his potential.  (He was ranked 77th by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, 80th by The Athletic’s Keith Law had him 80th, and 90th by MLB Pipeline, though Waldrep is now 72nd on Pipeline’s updated in-season list.)  There is universal acclaim for Waldrep’s splitter, which has upper-80s velocity and “completely falls off the table,” in the words of BA’s scouting report, leading to “ugly swings against hitters unable to hold back.”  Beyond this signature pitch is a fastball that regularly sits in the mid-90s and can hit as high as 99mph, and he also has a plus slider.

Controlling this arsenal has always been something of an adventure for Waldrep, so perhaps the most intriguing number on his 2024 stat line is his 7.56% walk rate over 55 1/3 total innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.  That is already a big upgrade from the 13% walk rate he posted in his first 29 1/3 pro innings in 2023, and if this improved command can continue in the majors, Waldrep has front-of-the-rotation potential.  At the very least, Waldrep might profile as an elite closer down the road if he can’t stick as a starter, but naturally Atlanta will give him plenty of looks in the rotation before deciding on that step.

The obvious comparison here is with the hard-throwing Strider, and Strider might well have matched Waldrep’s first-round pedigree if he hadn’t undergone a Tommy John surgery in college.  Of course, it would be asking an awful lot of Waldrep to match Strider’s meteoric rise to big league stardom, and if Waldrep is “only” a decent rotation arm in his first taste of the majors, that is still a huge achievement for a pitcher just a year removed from the University of Florida.

If Waldrep can stay on the Major League roster for this season and beyond, he’ll be in good position to earn an extra year of arbitration eligibility as a Super Two player.  As per the Prospect Promotion Incentive qualification system, Waldrep can earn a full year of MLB service time if he finishes first or second in NL Rookie of the Year voting, though Waldrep would have to be truly exceptional to overtake the likes of Shota Imanaga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jared Jones, or others who have excelled in the majors for the entire 2024 campaign.

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Atlanta Braves Newsstand Top Prospect Promotions Transactions Daysbel Hernandez Hurston Waldrep Ronald Acuna

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Rockies To Promote Adael Amador

By Mark Polishuk | June 8, 2024 at 4:20pm CDT

6:20pm: As relayed by Harding, club manager Bud Black confirmed to reporters this evening that Rodgers is being placed on the injured list, with Amador to be recalled in a corresponding move.

2:18pm: The Rockies are set to call up infield prospect Adael Amador for his Major League debut, according to reporter Francys Romero (X link).  Amador will bypass Triple-A entirely on his way to the big leagues, and the Rox will need to make a corresponding transaction to create room for Amador on both the 26-man roster, although he is already on the club’s 40-man roster.

It’s a surprisingly aggressive move for the Rockies considering that Amador is hitting only .194/.337/.329 over 209 PA with Double-A Hartford, though he does have 22 steals in 25 attempts.  However, it isn’t entirely clear whether or not Amador will officially be added to the roster today or if he’ll be on the taxi squad, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that the Rockies are still determining whether or not Brendan Rodgers will need to visit the 10-day injured list.  Rodgers left yesterday’s game with a hamstring injury and is currently day-to-day, so it is possible Amador might not be needed if Rodgers has a very quick recovery.

If Rodgers does hit the IL, or the Rox might give the 21-year-old Amador more or less everyday work at second base if Rodgers will be sidelined for at least the next 10 days.  Given the situation, it seems like Colorado prefers using a 40-man spot on Amador rather than create a space for any of their infield options at Triple-A, none of whom have much or any experience in the majors.  While Amador’s season-long numbers leave something to be desired, he has recently been on a tear, hitting .309/.400/.655 over his last 66 plate appearances.

While a stop at Triple-A was expected first, Amador was generally seen as an advanced enough prospect to be a candidate for his MLB debut in 2024.  Amador is ranked 32nd by MLB Pipeline and 34th by Baseball America on their constantly-updated top 100 prospects lists, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel also had the infielder 33rd on his preseason top-100 ranking.  Amador was an international signing for Colorado back in 2019, and due to the pandemic, he didn’t make his proper pro debut until he played in the Arizona Complex League in 2021.

Even if the Double-A numbers haven’t quite reflected it, Amador’s switch-hitting approach at the plate has been widely praised, and he has more walks (186) than strikeouts (172) over his minor league career.  This contact has been quality contact as well from both sides of the plate, even though Amador has yet to show much power.

It’s possible more pop could come as he gets older and perhaps gains more size (though Amador isn’t a small man at 6’0″ and 200 pounds), and even if his power numbers stay below average, it’s easy to see him driving double or triples into the big outfield at Coors Field.  Amador has stolen 73 bases of an even 100 attempts in the minors, and evaluators feel he could stick at shortstop, though the Rockies have made him pretty much a full-time second baseman since Ezequiel Tovar has the shortstop position locked down for the rest of the decade.  Since Rodgers is a free agent after the 2025 season, Amador has been viewed as Colorado’s new second baseman of the future.

Service time probably won’t be a big consideration for the moment since Amador’s first stint in the majors might not last too long (if at all), so it’s too early to speculate about Super Two qualification down the road.  Still, the fact that the Rockies are calling up Amador over their Triple-A options and are at least willing to consider starting his MLB service clock indicates that the team might have a longer look in mind for Amador later in the season.  Rodgers’ health situation will impact his potential trade value heading into the deadline, but a case can be made that the Rockies could move Rodgers before July 30 and clear the way for Amador at second base for the latter half of the 2024 campaign.

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Colorado Rockies Newsstand Transactions Adael Amador Brendan Rodgers

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Marlins Place Ryan Weathers On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | June 8, 2024 at 2:24pm CDT

The Marlins have placed Ryan Weathers on the 15-day injured list due to a strain in his left index finger.  Right-hander Roddery Munoz has been called up from Triple-A and will start today’s game against the Guardians.

An IL trip seemed imminent after Weather made an early exit from his start in last night’s game, as the left-hander lasted into only the third inning on 40 pitches before departing.  As manager Skip Schumaker told MLB.com and other media, Weathers “just said he couldn’t feel the ball anymore with his left index finger, so once I heard that, that was enough.” Some more details on Weathers’ status and a possible recovery timeline could be available when Schumaker meets with reporters earlier today, though a lack of feeling in the finger might hint at some kind of nerve issue.

It was just two days ago that MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald profiled Weathers’ strong start to the season, highlighting how the former top prospect has enjoyed a breakout in his fourth MLB campaign.  Even with Friday’s abbreviated start on his record, Weathers still has a 3.55 ERA and an excellent 51.5% grounder rate over 71 innings and 13 starts for Miami this year.  A .272 BABIP has helped limit the damage since Weathers allows a lot of hard contact, yet his 6.7% walk rate is above the league average — a major improvement given how control problems plagued the southpaw earlier in his MLB career.

Beyond just the solid results, Weathers’ greatest asset has probably been simply his availability, but he has now fallen prey to the injury bug that has ravaged the Marlins’ rotation.  Every member of Miami’s starting five has now been on the IL or is currently on the IL, as Weathers joins Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara (both gone for the season due to Tommy John surgeries), Edward Cabrera (10-day IL due to shoulder impingement) and Sixto Sanchez (on the 10-day shoulder inflammation).

Munoz’s promotion was already in the works for today, as he was stepping in for Sanchez’s spot in the rotation.  An off-day on Monday will give the Marlins a bit of time to reset, but now yet another depth arm will be needed to slot in behind Jesus Luzardo, Trevor Rogers, Braxton Garrett, and Munoz.  The recently-acquired Shaun Anderson is probably likeliest to be the next man up, and while he has plenty of starting experience in the minors, Anderson’s last big league start came in 2019.  Max Meyer excelled in his brief time on the MLB roster earlier this season, but since the Marlins are trying to manage Meyer’s innings and aren’t trying to win in 2024 anyway, the team isn’t likely to disrupt their plan for Meyer’s development unless circumstances get really dire with the rotation.

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Miami Marlins Transactions Roddery Munoz Ryan Weathers

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