Outright Assignments: Hiura, Short
Catching up on some outright assignments from around the league today…
- The Angels announced this afternoon that they’ve assigned infielder Keston Hiura outright to Triple-A. Hiura was designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for the return of infielder Luis Rengifo from the injured list. The ninth overall pick of the 2017 draft and a former consensus top-20 prospect in the sport, Hiura impressed with a big rookie season in 2019 where he slashed an impressive .303/.368/.570 in 84 games with the Brewers while playing second base, though he went on to struggle badly on both sides of the ball over the next two seasons with a combined slash line of just .192/.279/.362 in 120 games. Hiura move primarily to first base headed into the 2022 season and had a decent season where he posted a 115 wRC+, but a massive 41.7% strikeout rate led Milwaukee to part ways with the youngster. Hiura spent all of the 2023 season in the minors but resurfaced in Anaheim this year for ten games, going 4-for-27 with ten strikeouts and no extra base hits as a fill-in second baseman for the Halos.
- The Braves announced today that they’ve assigned infield Zack Short outright to Triple-A. A 17th-round pick by the Cubs in the 2017 draft, Short was swapped to the Tigers in a trade that sent Cameron Maybin to Chicago during the shortened 2020 season and debuted for Detroit the following year. After struggling badly in brief cameos at the big league level in 2021 and ’22, Short got a lengthy run in the majors last year and slashed a lackluster .204/.292/.339 in 110 games in a bench role for the Tigers. He’s played for three teams in 2024 since getting designated for assignment by Detroit back in November. He was claimed by the Mets and kept on their 40-man roster throughout the offseason but appeared in just ten games before being dealt to the Red Sox, who themselves employed Short for just two games before trading him to Atlanta. During his time with the Braves, Short demonstrated solid on-base ability but hit just .148 with minimal power, giving him an overall slash line of .148/.313/.204 in 69 trips to the plate. Short figures to remain with Atlanta as non-roster depth option going forward, though he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency at years’ end if not added back to the 40-man roster by then.
Latest On Yankees’ Deadline Plans
The Yankees swung a major trade earlier today when they acquired second baseman and center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins in exchange for a three-prospect package. The addition of Chisholm helps to address an offense that has struggled to produce when anyone other than Juan Soto or Aaron Judge is at the plate, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote in the aftermath of the Chisholm trade this evening that the club plans to continue being aggressive on the trade market as they look to return to the postseason after missing for the first time since 2016 last year.
According to Sherman, the Yankees’ ideal deadline involves acquiring at least two hitters and two relievers. The addition of Chisholm locks up one of those hitting additions, although there’s still plenty of room for improvement around New York’s lineup. Ben Rice has held his own at first base in place of the injured Anthony Rizzo, and Anthony Volpe appears certain to continue getting everyday reps at shortstop, but third base appears to be a clear hole for the club. SNY’s Andy Martino reported earlier today that the Yankees were planning to address the hot corner before the trade deadline. While it’s theoretically possible to imagine Chisholm, a former shortstop with enough arm to handle center field, sliding over to third base for the Yankees, he’s never played the position before as a professional and the club may prefer to keep him in more familiar spots on the diamond for the time being.
If the Yankees do pursue an addition at third base, Sherman suggests that Isaac Paredes of the Rays, Luis Rengifo of the Angels, and Matt Chapman of the Giants could be among the options the club entertains. Chapman’s 111 wRC+ is the lowest of those three options but any of them would be a major upgrade over the paltry 75 wRC+ the club has gotten from its third baseman this year, a figure that ranks third worst in baseball this year. A deal for a third baseman, according to Sherman, could free up the Yankees to move another bat such as second baseman Gleyber Torres or center fielder Trent Grisham in a deal for bullpen help, though it also stands to reason that Chisholm could bounce between the keystone and the outfield depending on matchups, allowing the club to sit struggling lefties like Verdugo and Grisham against southpaws while giving players like Torres and LeMahieu more days off against right-handed starters.
As for the bullpen, the Yankees are known to have interest in Marlins southpaw Tanner Scott, and today’s deal between the sides for Chisholm does not figure to stop the clubs from getting together on another deal before the deadline should they be able to reach in agreement regarding the lefty. That being said, there are plenty of other late-inning relief options that figure to be available this summer. Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan and Rays closer Pete Fairbanks are both among the arms with closing experience rumored to be available. NJ.com’s Randy Miller reported earlier today that the Rays and Yankees were in the midst of “serious talks” regarding a Fairbanks deal, though MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch subsequently reported that nothing is close between the sides regarding Fairbanks.
Failing a reliable late-inning option, there figure to be plenty of other potentially interesting options available such White Sox flamethrower Michael Kopech, Cubs veteran Hector Neris, and Blue Jays righty Trevor Richards. Each of that trio have struggled to varying degrees this year but could be a fairly interesting addition for the Yankees bullpen, particularly if acquired as a secondary addition behind a more impactful arm like Fairbanks, Scott, or Finnegan.
Another possibility for bolstering the club’s relief corps Sherman suggests would be looking at the market for rental starting pitching. As reported by Sherman, the Yankees have inquired after Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty, who sports an excellent 2.95 ERA and 3.10 FIP in 106 2/3 innings of work for Detroit this year, Sherman suggests that such a move could allow the Yankees to move right-hander Luis Gil to the bullpen as a high leverage arm. Such a move would both fortify the relief corps while also helping to limit Gil’s innings. The righty has already thrown 107 1/3 frames this year after throwing just 138 1/3 total innings between 2021 and 2023 due to a variety of injuries.
The idea of preserving Gil’s health by moving him to the bullpen might be an attractive one for New York, although it’s worth noting that it would require a starter of Flaherty’s caliber for the loss of Gil from the rotation mix not to be a downgrade overall. Gil’s first big league action since 2022 has gone exceptionally well as he’s posted a 3.10 ERA with a 3.52 FIP across 20 starts for the Yankees this year while filling out the club’s rotation in the place of injured starters—first Gerrit Cole, then Clarke Schmidt.
Mike Clevinger To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
The White Sox announced this afternoon that veteran right-hander Mike Clevinger will miss the remainder of the 2024 season following disc replacement surgery in his neck, which he’s scheduled to undergo on August 1. The 33-year-old has been on the injured list due to elbow inflammation since late May but started a rehab assignment at the Triple-A level last month.
Clevinger, 33, will ultimately make just four starts in the majors this year after signing with the White Sox on a $3MM deal shortly after Opening Day. He struggled in the limited time he was healthy enough to take the mound with a 6.75 ERA and 6.21 FIP in 16 innings of work. It’s a disappointing showing for both player and team in Clevinger’s second consecutive year with the White Sox, particularly after he delivered a solid season in 2023 when he posted a 3.77 ERA and 4.28 FIP in 131 1/3 innings of work while ending the season on a strong note with a 2.45 ERA over his final 11 starts.
That strong stretch to end the 2023 campaign was reminiscent of the veteran’s best days, when he pitched for Cleveland. After a difficult rookie season in 2016, Clevinger broke out in 2017 to become one of the better starters in the game and over the next three seasons posted a fantastic 2.96 ERA with a 3.32 FIP in 447 2/3 innings of work. Among pitchers with at least 400 innings of work across those three seasons, Clevinger’s ERA ranked sixth in the majors behind a quintet of multi-time Cy Young award winners: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Corey Kluber.
Unfortunately, things came off the rails for Clevinger shortly after he was traded to the Padres during the shortened 2020 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery late in the year and missed the entire 2021 campaign while rehabbing. He’s struggled to stay on the mound ever since, having pitched just just 303 1/3 innings of work total since the start of the 2023 season. While his overall numbers during that time paint a picture of a roughly average back-end arm, he’s frequent injury woes and step back from his peak in the late 2010’s have left him unable to contribute anything even close to his former dominant form.
While Clevinger’s injury woes and lackluster results when he did take the mound this year left him a somewhat unlikely trade candidate in the days leading up to Tuesday’s deadline, his impending surgery not only eliminates whatever remote possibility of a trade still existed but also leaves the White Sox without a veteran arm who otherwise may have been able to fill out the rotation following the possible departure of arms like Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet, both of whom have found themselves in the rumor mill quite frequently this summer.
A timeline for Clevinger’s return to the mound isn’t yet clear, though it’s worth noting that veteran outfielder Jesse Winker underwent a similar procedure in October 2022 and was back in action in time for Spring Training last year. If Clevinger follows a similar timeline, he’ll enter free agency this winter coming off a lost season in 2024 but likely to be ready to go in time for when pitchers and catchers report next February.
The Opener: Trade Market, Probable Starters, Rays, Marlins
On the heels of this summer’s first blockbuster coming together overnight, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. The trade market is heating up:
After weeks of minimal movement on the trade market, the dam appeared to finally break last night when the Diamondbacks and Marlins got together on a deal that sent southpaw A.J. Puk to Arizona. That trade was promptly followed by a late night swap between the Mariners and Rays that shipped All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena to Seattle. Both players’ overall numbers have been average this year, due to tough starts to the season, though both have heated up significantly recently. Puk has been utterly dominant since moving back to the bullpen this year, with a 2.08 ERA and a 2.42 FIP in 30 1/3 frames that should bolster Arizona’s late-inning mix alongside closer Paul Sewald. Meanwhile, Arozarena has hit .284/.397/.507 (161 wRC+) since the calendar flipped to June — a huge line that’s sure to provide a boost to Seattle’s beleaguered lineup.
With trades finally starting to trickle in, plenty of activity should be expected this weekend. Yesterday was a busy day on the rumor mill even aside from the trades, as breakout relief star Mason Miller now appears to be officially off the market after suffering a broken finger, while multiple teams have begun to show interest in Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon after the club’s front office officially declared themselves sellers earlier this week.
2. Will these probable starters actually take the mound?
This weekend features a number of probable starters who could be making their final appearances for their current teams—at least, if they aren’t scratched from those starts as a trade looms over the horizon. Saturday’s slate of games figures to see Rays righty Zack Littell (4.46 ERA), Tigers ace Tarik Skubal (2.34 ERA), White Sox righty Erick Fedde (2.98 ERA), and Angels lefty Tyler Anderson (2.91 ERA) take the mound, while White Sox ace Garrett Crochet (3.07 ERA) is slated to take the bump on Sunday.
Each of these hurlers has found their name in the rumor mill fairly frequently this summer and appears within MLBTR’s list of the Top 50 Trade Candidates for the 2024 deadline, so it would hardly be a surprise if at least one of them were to be scratched from their weekend start to avoid an injury scuttling a trade their front office was closing in on putting together. In the event these hurlers do take the mound this weekend, the starts will provide their fanbases a chance to say what could be goodbye to a major piece of their club’s rotation this year.
3. What’s next for the Rays and Marlins?
While teams such as the White Sox, A’s, Angels, Cubs, and Nationals all figure to sell to some degree or other over the coming days, last night’s sellers have been perhaps the two most active sell-side clubs on the trade market this year. In addition to last night’s trade of Puk, the Marlins jumped the market all the way back in May to ship All-Star infielder Luis Arraez to San Diego in the season’s very first blockbuster, while the Rays already shipped out right-handers Aaron Civale and Phil Maton earlier this month. With all eyes on Florida in the days leading up to the deadline, both clubs have plenty more pieces to move.
Miami southpaw Tanner Scott, the club’s closer and a free agent after the 2024 campaign, has long appeared to be a virtual lock to be moved given his 1.21 ERA and the Marlins’ clear willingness to part ways with short-term pieces. A pair of longer-term pieces have gotten more recent buzz in the rumor mill lately, as both 2022 All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz have come up in trade talks. The Pirates appear to be in on both players, as reports have indicated they’ve had “exploratory” talks regarding Chisholm and are also scouting De La Cruz. The Rays, by contrast, are less certain to auction off their assets, but right-hander Zach Eflin and third baseman Isaac Paredes have both reportedly drawn interest in recent days, with the Astros seemingly in on both players. Littell has also been a rumored trade candidate, and Tampa Bay could move at least one reliever from the ‘pen.
The Opener: Trade Market, Kershaw, A’s
With the trade deadline just five days away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Is the trade market heating up?
The slow build up to the trade deadline has continued into the early part of this week, but it’s possible things are finally starting to heat up. According to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times, White Sox GM Chris Getz believes the trade market has “come alive” in recent days with “more meaningful” conversations. Getz added that while he expects most deals to get done closer to the deadline, he “wouldn’t be surprised” if some trades started to occur as soon as today. Getz, of course, has plenty of say in what happens this summer as the baseball operations leader of one of the league’s few true sellers. The White Sox have stars Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. to dangle, but those are hardly their only trade chips. Names like Erick Fedde, Tommy Pham, Michael Kopech, Paul DeJong, John Brebbia, Chris Flexen, and Mike Clevinger will all be in play in the coming days.
2. Kershaw to make season debut:
One day after Giants lefty Robbie Ray dominated at Dodger Stadium across five innings of work, striking out eight and allowing just one run, the Dodgers will welcome a Cy Young winning southpaw of their own back from the IL for his season debut. Longtime franchise face Clayton Kershaw has been sidelined all year after undergoing shoulder surgery during the offseason, but he’s set to be activated to face San Francisco ace Logan Webb (3.59 ERA). The Dodgers will need to make corresponding moves on both the 40-man and active rosters to bring Kershaw back into the fold prior to this afternoon’s game.
One of the most decorated pitchers in MLB history, Kershaw sports a combined 2.40 ERA and 2.77 FIP in 403 appearances over the last 15 years. During that time, the lefty has made ten All-Star appearances, won three Cy Young awards, and been elected the NL MVP in 2014 while never posting an ERA higher than 3.55. He’ll look to bring that ace production to a Dodgers rotation in need of pitching depth following injuries to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler.
3. A’s activate veteran ahead of deadline:
The Athletics are one of the league’s few obvious sellers. While most of the attention has been focused on the club’s controllable trade chips like closer Mason Miller and outfielder Brent Rooker, the club figures to market an assortment of rental players to clubs looking for cheaper upgrades ahead of the deadline as well. One such rental is veteran righty Ross Stripling. A’s manager Mark Kotsay told reporters last night that Stripling will be activated from 15-day injured list today to take the ball against the Angels (via MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos).
Stripling, 34, has struggled to a 5.82 ERA in 11 starts with the A’s this year but sports a solid 3.99 FIP this season. He’s been plagued by a .359 average on balls in play and 56.4% strand rate that both seem likely to improve over a larger sample. Even with his struggles, Stripling could draw interest in a pitching-hungry market if he looks healthy and effective in his return from an elbow strain that has sidelined him since May.
The Opener: Ray, NL Wild Card, Yelich, MLBTR Podcast
With the trade deadline now just six days away, here are four things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Ray to make Giants debut:
Veteran left-hander Robbie Ray hasn’t pitched in more than 18 months after exiting the first start of his 2023 season with a flexor strain that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. At the time, he was a member of the Mariners, but over the winter Seattle swapped Ray to San Francisco in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and righty Anthony DeSclafani. He’s continued his rehab with his new club since then, and all that work getting back to the mound will finally pay off today when Ray makes his first start in a Giants uniform against the Dodgers in L.A. in a game scheduled for 8:10pm local time.
Ray will be facing right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who is coming off the IL himself but sports a strong 3.47 ERA in 18 starts this year. The Giants will be hoping that Ray, the AL Cy Young award winner in 2021, will provide a boost and halt a potential three-game losing streak. San Francisco has dropped two straight and fallen near the back of a tight NL Wild Card chase. They now sit five games out, and five teams separate them from the Mets, who currently hold the final Wild Card spot. The Giants’ play over the next few days will be crucial with regard to their deadline approach. San Francisco will also need to make a 40-man roster move to activate Ray.
2. NL Wild Card scene and its impact on the trade deadline:
As just alluded to, the NL Wild Card hunt is at a critical juncture. The Cardinals and Mets hold the second and third spots at the moment, but each of the Padres, D-backs, Pirates, Cubs, Reds, Giants and Nationals are within 5.5 games. The Cubs and Nats both still plan to operate primarily as sellers, but the direction isn’t as clear for everyone else in the mix. A series of three to four straight losses for any of these clubs would have massive deadline ramifications. For some clubs, a decision may come even sooner. The Reds are already open to moving some of their veteran relievers even as they look to hang around in the race, but a loss today could drop them 5.5 games out of the postseason picture. Every game carries heightened significance right now, creating a mini-playoff effect and leading to ample scoreboard watching.
3. Yelich exits with injury:
Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is in the midst of a resurgent season at the plate, sporting a career-best 18.4% strikeout rate and an excellent .315/.406/.504 slash line (156 wRC+) in 73 games this year. That’s been a huge part of Milwaukee’s success, but now it seems the club may need to go without its best hitter for some time after he exited yesterday’s win over the Cubs due to back tightness. According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, manager Pat Murphy told reporters after the game that Yelich “could be” due for a trip to the injured list. Frustrating as the loss of Yelich would surely be, a silver lining for the Brewers would be the fact that the club is relatively flush in quality outfield options with Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourio, and Sal Frelick all seeing regular playing time at the moment and Blake Perkins currently in a bench role.
4. Check out today’s episode of the MLBTR Podcast!
This week’s installment of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is a particularly fun one, as host Darragh McDonald is joined by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco for a two-hour megapod during which they discuss the coming trade deadline. Discussed within are not only some of the league’s most obvious buyers (Yankees, Orioles) and sellers (Marlins, White Sox), but also some of the teams facing some tough decisions this summer like the Rays and Blue Jays. The episode is currently live on both Spotify and Apple Music, and will be posted here on the site later this morning!
Krall: Reds Have Not Declared Themselves Sellers
July 23: Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall pushed back on Morosi’s report, telling Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s had conversations with the majority of the league but has “not gone down one road that specific.”
Krall’s comments came on the heels of a Cincinnati victory over Atlanta last night. That win kept the Reds within four games of a Wild Card spot in the National League, albeit in an extraordinarily tightly bunched race. Though they’re only four games back, the Reds would need to vault past the Giants, Cubs, D-backs, Padres, Pirates and one of the Mets or Cardinals in order to move into Wild Card position. The Cubs are actually a half-game up on the Reds in the standings, and their own president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, publicly conceded just last night that his focus will be on 2025 and beyond.
The next few days will likely be pivotal for the Reds as they chart their course for the remainder of the season. They have two games left against the Braves, followed by three road games against the Rays. They’ll host the Cubs on the evening of July 29 — their final game before the July 30 deadline.
July 21: Back in early July, when the Reds were 41-45 and just a few games out of the NL Wild Card race, club GM Brad Meador suggested that the club was not yet ready to commit to a strategy for this year’s trade deadline. Flash forward to today, and fallen to a record of 47-53 after getting swept by the Nationals coming out of the All-Star break. It appears that recent performance may have been enough for the club to officially set course, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the club has begun to inform rival clubs that they are willing to part with players on expiring contracts.
It’s hardly a surprise that Cincinnati would limit any sell-off to rental pieces. After all, the club has an exciting core of young talent led by star shortstop Elly De La Cruz and right-hander Hunter Greene that figures to keep the Reds in the playoff conversation in the coming years, and this season has been complicated by injuries to key pieces such as Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, TJ Friedl, Brandon Williamson, and Graham Ashcraft. By maintaining that core of players as well as veteran pieces under longer-term control such as Jonathan India and Jeimer Candelario, the Reds can remain fairly well positioned to load back up for the 2025 campaign this winter and make another attempt at returning to contention.
The Reds’ list of pending free agents is a relatively short one, but it nonetheless has some interesting names. Right-hander Frankie Montas, whose $20MM mutual option for 2025 is all but certain to be declined, is perhaps the player with the most name recognition that the club could look to move. Righty Nick Martinez has a $12MM player option for 2025 and could also be made available, while outfielder Austin Slater (who the Reds acquired from San Francisco just two weeks ago), lefty Justin Wilson, and right-handers Buck Farmer and Lucas Sims will each see their contracts run out at season’s end.
According to Morosi, the Orioles are among the clubs to have interest in Cincinnati’s rental pitchers, including Montas and Martinez. The fit between Baltimore and either of those two pieces is somewhat obvious, as the Orioles have lost starters Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells to season-ending surgery this year. That’s left them to put together a patchwork rotation filled out by Dean Kremer and Albert Suarez behind front-end duo Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez. At least one more playoff-caliber starter would make plenty of sense for the Orioles, and they would likely benefit from adding additional depth beyond that as well.
Whether Montas, 31, constitutes a playoff-caliber starter at this point in his career is up for debate. The righty has struggled badly with the Reds in 89 innings (18 starts) this year, posting a 4.85 ERA and 5.04 FIP which are both roughly 15% worse than league average. While Montas has allowed three runs or fewer in 12 of his 18 starts this year, blow-up starts have been a fairly frequent occurrence for the righty, including a combined 12 runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings in his last two starts against the Nationals and Rockies.
Bleak as his recent performance has been, Montas isn’t far removed from a stretch of mid-rotation success with the A’s from 2018 to 2022 where he posted 3.70 ERA and 3.61 FIP in 99 appearances. With that being said, it can’t be ignored that Montas underwent shoulder surgery back in February of last year. Since his return from going under the knife, his peripherals are those of a completely different pitcher. He’s struck out just 18.7% of batters faced after entering 2023 with a career 24.3% strikeout rate, and after allowing free passes to just 7.8% of opponents through the end of the 2022 season he’s watched his walk rate balloon to 10% since undergoing surgery. Even with those flaws, however, Montas’s track record as a quality mid-rotation arm could still certainly attract interest from pitching-hungry suitors.
Martinez, however, could prove to be the better fit for the Orioles’ needs. The right-hander has found a niche as one of the best swingmen in the game over the past three seasons with San Diego and Cincinnati, and this season the 33-year-old boasts a solid 3.88 ERA with an even stronger 3.15 FIP. While his 18.9% walk rate isn’t anything to write home about, he’s limited walks to a clip of just 3% this year while surrendering just six home runs in 72 innings of work. Martinez has been used primarily in relief this year, although he made five starts for the Reds early in the season and demonstrated the ability to move between the rotation and bullpen with relative ease during his time in San Diego. The veteran righty would offer the Orioles pitching depth for both the bullpen and rotation down the stretch, possibly working out of the rotation for the remainder of the regular season before moving into the bullpen during the playoffs.
Of course, Baltimore is far from the only club that could be interesting in the Reds’ available rentals. The Dodgers, Astros, Red Sox, and Padres are among the other teams known to be in the market for starting pitching, while virtually every contender is typically on the prowl for rental bullpen help this time of year and could have interest in either Martinez in a relief role or a rental bullpen arm like Wilson, Farmer, or Sims.
The Opener: Trade Deadline, Bryant, MLBTR Chat
With what figures to be a very busy week around the league ahead, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. One week until the deadline:
The trade deadline is now just one week away, and things have been fairly quiet on the transaction front to this point. Just four trades of players who weren’t already designated for assignment have been executed so far in the month of July: right-hander Aaron Civale to the Brewers, outfielder Austin Slater to the Reds, right-hander Phil Maton to the Mets, and right-hander Hunter Harvey to the Royals. That relative dearth of activity on the trade market should change quickly as teams currently on the fence between buying and selling begin to make their final decisions, as the Cubs did yesterday. Forty-nine of MLBTR’s Top 50 Trade Candidates For The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline are still on the board, and while not all of them will change teams over the next week, it’s likely that many of them will.
2. Bryant to be activated:
As noted by JustBaseball’s Patrick Lyons yesterday, Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters that $182MM man Kris Bryant could be activated from the injured list as soon as today after a strong showing at Triple-A on Sunday where he went 5-for-5 with a home run. Bryant, 32, has spent nearly two months on the shelf due to what was initially believed to be rib soreness but eventually turned out to be a strain of his internal oblique muscle.
Now in year three of his Rockies tenure, it’s been a frustrating few years for both Bryant and the Rockies as he’s dealt with a number of injuries and struggled when healthy enough to take the field. In a combined 146 games with Colorado, Bryant has posted a wRC+ of just 86 with a .247/.331/.385 slash line in 617 trips to the plate.
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
With the All-Star break and amateur draft now behind us, the attention of MLB clubs has now turned to the coming trade deadline on July 30. If you have any questions about your favorite team’s direction ahead of what should be a very busy week, or perhaps a trade idea you have in the back of your mind, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 3pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete. (Note: link to chat has been updated to include the correct link; apologies for the error)
Luke Little Suffers “Likely” Season-Ending Lat Strain
July 22: The Cubs today transferred Little to the 60-day injured list, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune on X. His roster spot goes to righty Julian Merryweather who has been reinstated from his own stint on the 60-day IL. Righty Hunter Bigge was optioned to make room for Merryweather on the active roster.
July 20: Cubs left-hander Luke Little was placed on the injured list with a left shoulder strain prior to the All-Star break last week, and today manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Patrick Mooney of The Athletic) that the injury is “likely” to end the youngster’s season.
It’s a brutal development for the 23-year-old rookie, who has generally looked excellent since making his debut with the club back in September of last year. Chicago’s fourth-round pick from the 2020 draft, Little has posted a 2.76 ERA (158 ERA+) with a 3.61 FIP in 32 2/3 innings of work at the big league level to this point in his young career and has flashed the sort of high-end talent that could make him a potential high leverage arm for the Cubs in the future.
The hard throwing lefty averages more than 96mph on his fastball and has struck out a strong 28.8% of batters faced in the majors so far, but has to this point been held back by control issues. Little has walked an excessive 15.8% of opponents to this point in his career, including 16.5% this season. While his ability to avoid giving up homers (he’s allowed just one in his career to this point) has allowed him to post strong results in spite of that lack of control, his 4.29 xFIP and 4.19 SIERA both suggest that his current production isn’t entirely sustainable unless he can curtail his wildness.
Even with those potential red flags in his profile, the loss of Little is still a devastating blow for the Cubs. Chicago’s bullpen has been shaky all season due to injuries to their primary high-leverage duo of Adbert Alzolay and Julian Merryweather, which forced the likes of Hector Neris and Mark Leiter Jr. into more prominent roles. While strong performances from internal youngsters like Little and Porter Hodge as well as savvy external pickups like Tyson Miller and Jorge Lopez have helped to steady the Chicago relief corps’s production in recent weeks, only the Rockies and White Sox have blown more saves than the Cubs’ 18.
The news regarding Little figures to further tax a bullpen that also lost right-hander Hayden Wesneski to the 15-day injured list today, although Counsell told reporters (including Mooney) that the club believes that Wesneski’s forearm issue is not serious and that he’ll be back on the mound in Chicago fairly quickly. The righty has pitched crucial innings for the Cubs while swinging between the bullpen and the rotation this year and sports a 3.96 ERA (albeit with a lackluster 4.72 FIP) across 61 2/3 innings of work this season.
The continued stacking of bullpen injuries makes the relief corps an obvious place for improvement ahead of the trade deadline on July 30, but the Cubs haven’t made their plans for this deadline clear and entered today with a 47-53 record that places them dead last in the NL Central and 4.5 games out of an NL Wild Card spot. Should the Cubs opt to stand pat or even sell short-term assets such as Neris and veteran lefty Drew Smyly, the club will be left to hope that the likes of Merryweather and Alzolay can return healthy later this year and provide a boost while youngsters such as Hodge and Hunter Bigge step up to handle meaningful innings.
The Opener: France, Braves, Dodgers
With the trade deadline just eight days away and an early morning signing already in the books, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. France on waivers:
The Mariners reportedly placed first baseman Ty France on waivers yesterday, making him available to any of the other 29 clubs in the league willing to pick up the remainder of his $6.775MM salary for the 2024 season. France, 30, is in the midst of his second consecutive down season at the plate. Dating back to the start of the 2023 season, the first baseman has slashed just .241/.328/.361 (101 wRC+), though in the three seasons prior to that he posted a far more robust .285/.355/.443 (128 wRC+) line.
Even France’s more recent production, while certainly disappointing for a first baseman, could be helpful for a contender such as the Astros or Yankees that has gotten below-average offense out of the position this year. That doesn’t necessarily mean either club (or any other team, for that matter) will claim France while he’s on waivers, however. Interested clubs could instead wait for France to clear waivers and then either sign him for the prorated league minimum if he’s released by the Mariners, or try to work out a trade where they take on less money if Seattle retains him.
2. Braves promoting top infield prospect:
The Braves are set to place second baseman Ozzie Albies on the injured list today after he suffered a wrist fracture during yesterday’s game. He’ll be out for approximately eight weeks and, Atlanta is poised to turn to infield prospect Nacho Alvarez at second base. Alvarez is not yet on the 40-man roster, and while the club’s roster currently stands at 39 that figure doesn’t including veteran utility man Whit Merrifield, who the club signed to a big league deal this morning. As such, a 40-man move will be necessary to add Alvarez to the roster. That could be accomplished by placing Albies on the 60-day IL, although it’s also possible the club instead opts to designate another player for assignment to keep the door open for Albies to return ahead of schedule.
Alvarez, 21, began the year hitting well (115 wRC+) at the Double-A level but has really taken off following his promotion to Triple-A. In 28 games at the highest level of the minors, the youngster has slashed .336/.432/.575 with seven homers and five stolen bases in just 132 trips to the plate. That tantalizing power and speed potential is paired with solid on-base ability, as Alvarez has walked (12.9%) nearly as much as he strikes out (15.2%) so far in Triple-A.
3. Dodgers likely to promote starting pitching prospect:
Last week, it was reported that the Dodgers were planning to promote right-handed pitching prospect River Ryan to the majors in the days following the All-Star break. While Ryan did not make his debut over the weekend, manager Dave Roberts confirmed to reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) on Saturday that Ryan was an option to start for the club this week, suggesting that either today or tomorrow could be on the table for the righty. Since then, the club has announced that rookie Landon Knack will take the ball tomorrow before Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow return to action later this week, leaving Ryan as a possible starter for the club’s game against the Giants tonight.
Ryan has made just five starts at the Triple-A level this year after the start of his season was delayed by a shoulder issue, but he’s looked great with a 2.76 ERA and 3.64 FIP to go along with a 28.8% strikeout rate in 16 1/3 innings of work. Should the Dodgers wind up turning to Ryan this evening, the club will need to make corresponding moves to create space for the youngster on both their 40-man and active rosters as Ryan’s contract has not yet been selected from the minors.