Marlins Select Matt Andriese
The Marlins are selecting the contract of right-hander Matt Andriese, as reported by Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Andriese will take the 40-man roster spot of Tim Anderson, who the club designated for assignment earlier this week. De Nicola adds that right-hander Anthony Maldonado was optioned to make room for Andriese on the active roster.
Andriese, 34, is a veteran journeyman who has spent parts of eight seasons in the majors since making his debut with the Rays back in 2015. The right-hander signed with Miami on a minor league deal over the offseason and already pitched in the majors for the club earlier this season. He posted a 5.40 ERA in five innings of work across three appearances before being designated for assignment in mid-April, but remained with the club after being outrighted to the minors. His time in Triple-A left much to be desired, as he allowed a 4.78 ERA in 32 innings of work across 13 multi-inning relief appearances. He struck out just 15.6% of batters faced while walking 8.5%.
Those shaky numbers didn’t stop the Marlins from giving Andriese another shot in the majors, and the righty will get another opportunity to show he’s still capable of providing solid innings like he did earlier in his career. Andriese got his start as a solid, innings-eating arm for the Rays who swung between the rotation and bullpen with roughly league average results. In parts of four seasons with Tampa, the righty pitched to a 4.30 ERA (95 ERA+) with a 4.13 FIP in 99 appearances, 48 of which were starts. After leaving Tampa, Andriese became a full-time reliever but struggled through stints with the Diamondbacks, Angels, Red Sox, and Mariners until he departed affiliated ball to pitch for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yoimuri Giants in 2022.
That stint in Japan went swimmingly for Andriese, as he posted a sterling 2.86 ERA in 63 innings of work for Yoimuri while striking out a decent 21.1% of batters faced. The right-hander returned to stateside ball last year but struggled to a 6.07 ERA in 21 appearances (19 starts) for the Dodgers at the Triple-A level that year. Those results left something to be desired even by the standards of the Pacific Coast League and its inflated offensive environment. His time with the Marlins has been an improvement on his time with Los Angeles in Oklahoma City, but it’s unclear if this latest selection of his contract to the big league roster will be a brief one like his three-appearance stint in early April or if he’ll be afforded a longer audition in the Miami bullpen.
Jordan Balazovic Signs With KBO’s Doosan Bears
Right-hander Jordan Balazovic has signed with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization, according to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. Balazovic had previously been pitching for the Twins on a minor league deal he signed back in February.
Balazovic, 25, was selected by Minnesota in the fifth round of the 2016 draft and has spent his entire professional career with Minnesota to this point. The right-hander posted big numbers in the lower minors early in his career, including a 2.69 ERA with a 33.9% strikeout rate in 93 2/3 innings of work split between the Single-A and High-A levels back in 2019. That was enough to get the Ontario native some attention on top-100 prospect lists, and his respectable 3.62 ERA in 20 starts as a 22-year-old at the Double-A level did little to dissuade that.
Unfortunately, the wheels came off from Balazovic a bit from there. Since being promoted to the Triple-A level to open the 2022 campaign, the righty has struggled mightily at the level with a 6.35 ERA with an 11.5% walk rate against a 25% strikeout rate in 68 appearances at the level. A difficult 2022 season saw the youngster move to the bullpen in 2023 and, while he made his big league debut with the Twins last year and posted a 4.44 ERA in 24 1/3 innings of work, that didn’t help him with his control as he walked 15.2% of batters faced in Triple-A last year. Those struggles led the Twins to designate him for assignment this past winter, though he re-upped with Minnesota on that aforementioned minor league pact and returned to Triple-A with the club to start the season.
Balazovic’s results have once again left something to be desired as he’s posted a 5.60 ERA in 35 1/3 innings of work this season. Those numbers hide the fact that Balazovic has looked greatly improved in terms of underlying performance, however. He’s struck out 30.1% of batters faced this year, the first time he’s punched out 30% of more of his opponents in half a decade. He’s paired that with an elevated but manageable 9.2% walk rate, and he’s even posted an impressive 56.2% groundball rate. That’s left him with strong peripherals, including a 3.21 FIP and 3.18 xFIP, but his results have been skewed by an elevated .368 BABIP allowed and a shockingly low 58.2% strand rate.
Doosan has clearly looked past Balazovic’s shaky results and is hoping that those strong peripherals in Triple-A this year can translate to success overseas. The right-hander now figures to head to Korea in hopes of finding success there and, perhaps, eventually establishing himself enough to get another crack at the big leagues at some point in the future. KBO teams are only allowed to carry a maximum of two foreign-born pitchers on their rosters, and to make room for Balazovic on the roster Yoo notes that the club parted ways with right-hander Raul Alcantara. Alcantara, 31, pitched for the A’s in the majors in 2016 and ’17 and posted a 4.76 ERA in 12 starts with Doosan this year.
The Opener: Rengifo, Rays, Bogaerts
Happy Independence Day to those who celebrate! While fans around America fire up the grill, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Rengifo to undergo imaging:
Angels infielder Luis Rengifo left the club’s game against the A’s last night after feeling pain in his wrist on a swing during the ninth inning. As noted by MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, club manager Ron Washington didn’t provide additional details on Rengifo’s status beyond noting that he was set to undergo imaging on the wrist to determine the severity of the issue. If the injury proves to be a significant one, it would be a frustrating loss for an Angels club that has already begun shopping closer Carlos Estevez ahead of the trade deadline later this month.
Rengifo, 27, is in the midst of a career season with the Angels. He’s slashed an excellent .315/.358/.442 (127 wRC+) while splitting time primarily between second and third base but also making cameos at shortstop and in right field. Those offensive numbers make him the fourth-best second baseman in baseball by wRC+ this year, behind only Ketel Marte, Jordan Westburg, and Jose Altuve. Between that strong performance with the bat, his relative youth, and the fact that he’s under team control through the end of the 2025 season, Rengifo figured to be one of the most attractive pieces the Angels could dangle this summer if they look to trade players controlled beyond this season. A major injury could take that possibility off the table entirely, however, and even a relatively minor one could impact Rengifo’s stock if it gives potential buyers pause about his ability to contribute down the stretch.
2. What’s next for the Rays?
The Rays have long been a team known to zig when others zag, so perhaps it’s not a surprise that in an era when clubs are increasingly prone to wait on trades of significance until the days before the deadline Tampa instead decided to pull the trigger on shipping right-hander Aaron Civale to Milwaukee yesterday in exchange for infield prospect Gregory Barrios. Even so, however, it’s noteworthy for a club like the Rays that sports a decent 43-43 record entering play today and sits just four games back of a playoff spot, to begin July by selling off a piece of their rotation.
Contenders around baseball will surely be keeping a close eye on the Rays in the coming days and weeks, attempting to determine whether the Civale deal was a signal that the club is open for business or simply a deal that recoups some value for a pitcher who struggled during his tenure with the club while opening up a spot in the rotation for longtime top prospect Shane Baz. If the Rays were to sell further, they have plenty of pieces who would surely be attractive to contenders including utility bat Amed Rosario and left-hander Colin Poche without even considering bigger name players like outfielder Randy Arozarena.
3. Bogaerts to begin rehab assignment:
The Padres are getting closer to adding reinforcements to their lineup, regardless of whether the club ends up buying at the trade deadline this year or not. That’s because infielder Xander Bogaerts is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at the Triple-A level today, according to an announcement from the El Paso Chihuahuas last night. The announcement went on to note that Bogaerts is scheduled to remain in Triple-A through at least July 7.
It’s of course possible that Bogaerts, who last appeared in a game on May 20 and has been sidelined by a shoulder fracture ever since, will need a longer stay at Triple-A in order to fully prepare for a return to big league games. Even so, the assignment is a major step forward for the 31-year-old and could provide the Padres lineup with a boost. After all, Bogaerts is just one season removed from posting a solid 120 wRC+ for San Diego last year. Bogaerts’ return appears likely to cut into the playing time of Donovan Solano, who has posted a 117 wRC+ in 154 trips to the plate with the club this year.
The Opener: D-backs, Lewis, Saves Leaderboard
As the trade deadline inches ever closer — and as the market begins to produce some activity — here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Mena to debut for Arizona?
As noted by Alex Weiner of AZSports last night, Diamondbacks pitching prospect Cristian Mena was in the big league clubhouse prior to last night’s game with the Dodgers. Manager Torey Lovullo simply noted that Mena was on the club’s taxi squad for their road trip to Los Angeles and did not elaborate further on the right-hander’s status, but with no starting pitcher scheduled for tonight’s game and Mena having last pitched on June 26 at the Triple-A level, it seems likely that the 21-year-old could be making his big league debut. Mena is already on the 40-man roster, meaning only an active roster move would be necessary to add him to the club’s mix.
Arizona acquired the youngster from the White Sox over the offseason in the trade that sent outfielder Dominic Fletcher to Chicago. He ranks as the Snakes’ No. 11 prospect per MLB.com and No. 14 prospect per Baseball America. Mena has struggled to a 4.90 ERA and 5.66 FIP with a 10.4% walk rate in a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. If Mena were to be recalled for a start this evening, it’s unclear whether that would be a spot start or if he would be joining the rotation alongside Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, Slade Cecconi, and Ryne Nelson on a more permanent basis.
2. Lewis to undergo MRI:
The injury woes never seem to stop for Twins infielder Royce Lewis. The youngster departed Minnesota’s game against the Tigers yesterday due to left groin tightness. Dan Hayes of The Athletic relayed last night that Lewis is set to undergo an MRI and additional testing on the issue. Hayes went on to note that Lewis seemed to expect that he’ll be placed on the injured list, although he added that a team source indicated that the club expects any stay on the IL to be a relatively short one.
Even as time on the shelf becomes increasingly familiar for the 25-year-old, losing him for any amount of time will sting for the Twins. Lewis is slashing a robust .287/.351/.678 in 97 trips to the plate this year, good for a 176 wRC+. While that’s not an especially large sample size, he’s done nothing but hit at a superstar level when healthy enough to take the field ever since his debut back in 2022. In 94 career games in the majors, Lewis has a cumulative slash line of .303/.361/.584 with 27 homers in just 379 trips to the plate. Should Lewis miss time, Jose Miranda would take over at third base.
3. History on the Saves Leaderboard:
Orioles right-hander Craig Kimbrel recorded the 437th save of his career last night, tying him for fourth place on the all-time saves leaderboard with six-time All-Star Francisco Rodriguez. The only players in MLB history with more saves than Kimbrel now are Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, and Lee Smith, all three of whom are in the Hall of Fame. Sitting just one save behind Kimbrel and Rodriguez is Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen, who has been the subject of persistent trade rumors dating back to the offseason but has shut out the noise to dominate this year with a 2.22 ERA, 2.10 FIP, and 16 saves in 28 appearances. Kimbrel has been similarly impressive this year with a 2.37 ERA and 2.70 FIP to go along with 19 saves in 34 appearances.
The pair of 36-year-olds could both continue their ascent up the all-time leaderboard as soon as tonight as Jansen looks to tie Rodriguez himself with his next save while Kimbrel looks to take sole possession of fourth place on the leaderboard. Jansen’s Red Sox are set to face the Marlins in Miami at 6:40pm local time this evening, while the Orioles will face the Mariners in Seattle at 7:10pm local time.
The Opener: Kiner-Falefa, Orioles, Mariners, MLBTR Chat
As the early stages of the 2024 second half continue, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. IKF MRI:
Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remained out of the lineup yesterday after being struck in the hand by a pitch over the weekend, and they’re now dealing with a second key injury in the lineup. Manager John Schneider told reporters (including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet) that infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa “felt something” in his knee during pregame workouts yesterday, causing the club to scratch the 29-year-old from the lineup and send him for an MRI. Results and further details are expected later today.
Kiner-Falefa has, somewhat surprisingly, been the Jays’ best hitter aside from Guerrero this year, with a strong .292/.338/.420 slash line (117 wRC+). The infielder is striking out just 13.2% of the time, a career-low, and has shown a surprising amount of pop. Kiner-Falefa has slugged seven home runs in 281 trips to the plate this year, just one dinger shy of his career-best. That high-water mark came during the 2021 season and took him a whopping 677 trips to the plate, leaving him poised to shatter that personal best with ease in the second half. This offensive uptick has come in conjunction with Kiner-Falefa’s typical steady glove all around the infield, leaving him as one of the club’s most valuable players. Ernie Clement, Spencer Horwitz, and Davis Schneider are the top options to fill in around the infield with Kiner-Falefa and Guerrero ailing.
2. Series Preview: Orioles @ Mariners:
Two AL clubs with somewhat tenuous holds on the lead in their respective division races will meet today for a three-game set that could shake up the standings ahead of the trade deadline. The 53-31 Orioles, mere percentage points ahead of the 54-32 Yankees, are set to head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the 47-39 Mariners, who sit just three games ahead of the surging Astros for control of the AL West. The series will kick off at 6:40pm local time with a duel between talented young right-handers George Kirby (3.35 ERA) and Grayson Rodriguez (3.72 ERA).
The Orioles have not announced who they’ll send to the mound opposite Logan Gilbert (2.72 ERA) in Game 2 or Bryce Miller (3.88 ERA) in the series finale at this point, though ace Corbin Burnes (2.28 ERA) could return during the series after spending a few games on the paternity list. It’s possible that third start could go to right-hander Dean Kremer (4.32 ERA), who has been on the IL since late May with a triceps strain but could make his next start in the majors, according to MLB.com’s Injury Tracker. Kremer made his third rehab start at the Triple-A level on June 27.
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
We’re now less than a month away from the July 30 trade deadline, and teams around the league have begun to tip their hands regarding their plans for the summer. If you have any questions about the upcoming deadline or your team’s direction with the All-Star break just over the horizon, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a chat with readers at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.
The Opener: Wood, Guerrero, Brewers
As the calendar flips to July, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Wood to debut:
One of the game’s very best prospects will make his big league debut today. Twenty-one-year-old outfielder James Wood had his contract selected this morning and will be in the lineup at Nationals Park tonight against the visiting Mets. Acquired from the Padres in the Juan Soto trade back in 2022 as part of a package that also included breakout star CJ Abrams and lefty MacKenzie Gore (the latter of whom will, coincidentally, take the ball for the club tonight opposite New York’s David Peterson), Wood is a consensus top-five prospect in all of baseball now.
Wood has shot through the minor leagues since joining the Nationals and took Triple-A by storm this year with an eye-popping .353/.463/.595 across 52 games in his first taste of action at the level. The budding star figures to slot directly into the regular outfield mix in Washington, where the club is currently relying on Jesse Winker and Lane Thomas in the corners alongside Jacob Young in center field.
2. Guerrero dealing with soreness after HBP:
Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. suffered a scary incident yesterday when he was struck in the hand by a pitch from Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole. X-rays after the game were negative, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, who added that the slugger noted two of the fingers on his hand were still “quite sore” following the game. Guerrero doesn’t intend to let soreness stop him from returning to the lineup for today’s game against the Astros. He told Davidi that there’s a “90 percent” chance that he’ll be back in the lineup today, although he did acknowledge the possibility that overnight swelling could change those plans.
The Blue Jays are desperately trying to climb back into playoff contention after falling 7.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot with a 38-45 record. Guerrero figures to be a huge part of any winning streak the club manages to pull off, as his .297/.375/.471 slash line not only leads the team but stands out as his best season since finishing second to Shohei Ohtani in AL MVP voting back in 2021. He’s been particularly hot since putting a tepid month of April behind him, and Guerrero has now slashed .341/.407/.539 in his last 240 trips to the plate.
3. Brewers 40-man move incoming:
The Brewers are expected to activate outfielder Garrett Mitchell from the 60-day injured list today and have reportedly already cleared an active roster spot for the 25-year-old by optioning top prospect Tyler Black to the minor leagues. Before Mitchell can officially be added back to the roster, however, the club will need to clear space for him on the 40-man. Milwaukee has no obvious candidates to be transferred to the 60-day IL currently on the shelf, so it seems fair to expect the club to designate a player for assignment this afternoon before tonight’s game in Colorado. The club’s first-round pick from the 2020 draft, Mitchell will be joining a crowded outfield mix that features Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio in the corners on a regular basis, flanking a center field platoon of Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins.
Rangers Notes: Seager, Mahle, Rocker
Rangers fans were dealt a major injury scare last night when star shortstop Corey Seager went down after being struck on the wrist by a pitch from Orioles lefty Cade Povich. Seager immediately exited the game but fortunately Rangers manager Bruce Bochy confirmed to reporters last night that initial x-rays came back negative. That indicated that the runner-up for the 2023 AL MVP award seemingly had avoided a worst case scenario, though the Rangers still planned to evaluate him further today.
Said evaluation could have been more encouraging. As noted by Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News earlier today, Bochy told reporters prior to today’s game against Baltimore that Seager was still feeling “pretty sore” and that the club is planning to have him undergo an MRI exam tomorrow when the club returns home to Texas. Even if the MRI comes back clean, however, Bochy admitted that Seager is going to be out for at least “the next couple of days” even in an absolute best case scenario.
The Rangers called up infielder Jonathan Ornelas prior to tonight’s game to serve as an extra infield option while Seager nurses his injury, but the 24-year-old youngster has just nine plate appearances to his name at the big league level and a lackluster 66 wRC+ at the Triple-A level this year. That leaves him unlikely to impact the club on more than an emergency basis, and if Seager were to go on the injured list the club would likely call up utility bat Ezequiel Duran to fill in on the infield instead. It’s possible Duran would’ve been recalled instead of Ornelas if not for Duran being optioned to the minors just last week, meaning he can’t return to the big leagues for ten days unless replacing a player headed to the IL.
While the news regarded Seager certainly could be better, Rangers fans have also received positive news regarding the status of a handful of rehabbing pitchers in recent days. As noted by Grant, right-hander Tyler Mahle threw a bullpen yesterday and is slated to begin a rehab assignment next week as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. Mahle went under the knife on the same day as top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker, who will start a rehab assignment of his own in rookie ball sometime next week. According to Grant, Bochy indicated that both Mahle and Rocker are essentially going to be on the schedule of a starter ramping up during Spring Training, meaning that Mahle could be an option to join the Rangers rotation sometime after the All Star break.
Mahle signed with the Rangers on a two-year deal this past offseason while rehabbing the aforementioned Tommy John surgery and has long appeared ticketed for a return at some point in the season half of this year. The 29-year-old has generally been a solid mid-to-back of the rotation arm when healthy enough to take the mound, with a 3.90 ERA (117 ERA+) and 3.86 FIP across 374 innings of work while striking out a solid 21.7% of batters since the start of the 2020 season. Health has been the primary question regarding Mahle in the recent years of his career, as he’s only made it to 30 starts once (a 33-start campaign in 2021) in his eight years as a big leaguer. Should he stay healthy enough to contribute, Mahle figures to provide the Rangers additional rotation depth behind their current group of Max Scherzer, Jon Gray, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, and Michael Lorenzen.
As for Rocker, the right-hander was among the best-regarded prospects in both the 2021 and 2022 drafts. He was selected 10th overall out of Vanderbilt in the 2021 draft by the Mets but ended up not signing over concerns regarding his elbow, leading the Rangers to pick him third overall the following year. Rocker posted a solid 3.86 ERA in six starts with the Rangers at the High-A level last year before going under the knife back in May, striking out a fantastic 37.9% of batters faced at the level. Now 24, Rocker figures to resume his ascent up the minor league ladder upon his return to action. While it seems unlikely that he would factor into the club’s plans at the big league level this year given his lack of pro experience, it’s easy to imagine the righty debuting in the majors as soon as next season if he sports the same high-octane stuff he flashed in the minors and the SEC prior to his surgery.
Diamondbacks To Designate Tucker Barnhart For Assignment
The Diamondbacks are designating catcher Tucker Barnhart for assignment, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Piecoro indicates that the move will clear space on the club’s roster for Gabriel Moreno to be activated from the injured list prior to the club’s next game against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Barnhart, 33, made Arizona’s Opening Day roster as the primary backup to Moreno over Jose Herrera. The veteran has struggled mightily this year, however, slashing just .165/.283/.190 in 94 trips to the plate with the Snakes this season. That line includes a surprisingly strong 13.8% walk rate, but those decent on-base skills are outweighed by his massive 33% strikeout rate and complete lack of power (as evidenced by an ISO of just .025). When Moreno went on the IL with a sprained thumb, Herrera was called up to the big leagues to join Barnhart in the catching tandem, and evidently the club has decided that they’d prefer to leave the 27-year-old in the backup role once Moreno returns from the injured list on Tuesday.
The veteran backstop has struggled to be productive at the plate throughout the majority of his career, as evidenced by a career 78 wRC+ and a 68 wRC+ over the past five seasons. Barnhart has generally made up for that lack of offensive production with a strong glove behind the plate, even winning two Gold Glove awards during his tenure with the Reds. That aspect of his game has dried up in recent years, however. After regressing defensively during his time with the Cubs last year, Barnhart was below average by all three of Statcast’s defensive metrics for catchers: Blocks Above Average, CS Above Average, and Framing. Given that reality, it’s easy to see why Arizona would turn to Herrera, who is similarly limited on offense but appears to be a superior defender as compared to Barnhart at this stage of his career.
Taking Barnhart’s place on the roster will be Moreno, who last suited up for the Dbacks on June 21 and has been nursing a thumb sprain since then. The 24-year-old youngster is in his second season with Arizona after coming over alongside Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the Daulton Varsho trade during the 2022-23 offseason. Moreno has performed solidly behind the plate in 172 games with the Diamondbacks, slashing .265/.330/.385 with a roughly league average 97 wRC+ and strong grades for his defense at catcher.
Once Barnhart’s DFA becomes official, the Diamondbacks will have seven days to either work out a trade involving the veteran or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, Arizona could attempt to outright him to the minor leagues as a non-roster depth option, but the 11-year MLB veteran has more than enough service time to reject such an assignment and test free agency.
Mariners Notes: Garver, Santos, Speier
The Mariners had an injury scare this evening as catcher Mitch Garver was strike in the wrist by a pitch from Twins right-hander Joe Ryan during this afternoon’s game and exited with what Seattle termed a right wrist contusion. As noted by MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer, manager Scott Servais told reporters after the game that x-rays on Garver’s wrist came back negative, but that the club doesn’t plan on making a decision about next steps regarding the 33-year-old until Tuesday given the club has tomorrow off.
Garver came to the Mariners on a two-year, $26MM deal over the offseason. The longtime catcher had gradually seen more and more of his time come at DH during his tenure with the Rangers and joined Seattle ticketed for a regular role at DH while occasionally spelling Raleigh behind the plate as well. Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan for Garver half a season into his Mariners tenure, however, as he’s slashed just .172/.291/.353 in 71 games this year. While he’s hit for decent power and walked at an excellent 13.5% clip, the combination of a massive 30.9% strikeout rate and his deflated .214 BABIP have left him below average overall with a wRC+ of just 90. That’s certainly passable production from a catcher, but far more is to be expected from a player who is essentially being paid to be a full-time DH.
The potential injury comes as a particularly frustrating time for the Mariners as Garver had begun to heat up in the month of June. In 91 trips to the plate this month entering play tonight, Garver had slashed a much more palatable .187/.319/.453 with a 122 wRC+. That improved production is generally backed up by solid peripherals, as well; Garver’s strikeout rate, while still elevated, has dipped to a more manageable 28.6% this month, and he’s walked at an enormous 16.5% clip. A BABIP of just .200 suggests that further positive regression could be in store for Garver, though it now seems possible that will have to wait depending on how much his wrist heals in the coming days.
Even in the event that Garver requires only a few days off, it’s possible the Mariners will look to make some sort of short-term roster move. After all, he and Raleigh are the only two catchers on the club’s active roster, meaning the club could be forced into a tough situation if Raleigh were to get hurt while Garver is down. The Mariners have Seby Zavala and Michael Perez as depth catching options at Triple-A, though neither is currently on the club’s 40-man roster.
In more positive Mariners news, a pair of key relievers appear to be making their way towards a return to action. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times relayed recently that, according to GM Justin Hollander, right-hander Gregory Santos is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Injury Tracker notes that lefty Gabe Speier is set to throw a bullpen session that same day.
The impending return of the two hurlers is excellent news for the Mariners. Santos, in particular, figured to handle late-inning duties for the club alongside closer Andres Munoz and veteran set-up man Ryne Stanek after the club swung a trade with the White Sox to acquire him just before the start of Spring Training. Unfortunately, that deal has yet to bear fruit as Santos has been sidelined the entire season to this point after suffering a lat strain in mid-March. He could prove to be an impactful arm for the Mariners in leverage situations once healthy enough to take the mound in the big leagues, however, as shown by his 3.39 ERA and 2.65 FIP in 66 1/3 innings of work with Chicago last year.
As for Speier, the lefty has missed the past month with rotator cuff issues but was in the midst of a frustrating 2024 season prior to his injury. In 22 appearances with Seattle this year, the lefty has struggled to a 6.06 ERA in spite of peripheral numbers that remain mostly solid. Speier has struck out a strong 29.3% of batters faced this year but has dealt with some poor fortune on batted balls and sequencing, as demonstrated by an elevated .325 BABIP allowed and an unsustainable strand rate of just 61.3%, far below the typical 70-75% range for the average hurler.
Not all of Speier’s struggles have been self-inflicted, of course; the lefty has allowed free passes at a worrying 13.3% clip this year, a massive change from the 5.1% walk rate he posted with the Mariners last season when he posted a 3.79 ERA and 3.35 FIP in 69 games. The Mariners will surely be hoping that’s the version of Speier they get back once he’s healthy enough to return, which MLB.com suggests is unlikely to be until after the All Star break.
Brewers To Activate Garrett Mitchell On Monday
The Brewers are set to welcome outfielder Garrett Mitchell back from the injured list tomorrow, as manager Pat Murphy told reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) this afternoon. The Brewers are optioning infielder Tyler Black to the minor leagues to make room for Mitchell on the active roster, although they’ll still need to clear a 40-man roster spot to accommodate his activation from the 60-day IL prior to tomorrow’s game against the Rockies in Colorado.
Mitchell, 25, has been sidelined for the entire 2024 campaign to this point, suffered a fractured finger on his left hand just before Opening Day back in March and has been sidelined ever since. The youngster was Milwaukee’s 1st-round selection in the 2020 draft and made his big league debut back in 2022 with a late-season call-up where he slashed an excellent .311/.373/.459 with a wRC+ of 136 in 28 games. He figured to enter the 2023 season with a strong grip on a starting role in Milwaukee but was sidelined for the majority of the season by shoulder surgery, which limited him to just 73 trips to the plate last year.
Frustrating as those setbacks have been for both the Brewers and Mitchell, the youngster finally appears poised to begin impact the club’s lineup on a more regular basis. The former top-100 prospect has performed excellently in 11 games at the Triple-A level while rehabbing this year, slashing an exceptional .310/.408/.643 in that time. While he can hardly be expected to carry that sort of slash line over to the majors, he could nonetheless provide a shot in the arm for a Brewers club that has slumped offensively in June. As a group, Milwaukee hitters have slashed just .245/.322/.347 with a 92 wRC+ over the last 30 days, just 22nd in the majors and fourth from the bottom in the National League. Thoe struggles have primarily been due to the absence of power from the lineup, as the club’s collective ISO of just .102 is dead last in the big leagues this month, lagging nearly 15 points behind the 29th-place Marlins.
It seems likely that Mitchell will get at least semi-regular at-bats upon his return to the lineup, although adding him to the club’s deep outfield mix will surely require some creativity on the part of Murphy. Franchise face Christian Yelich is sure to continue getting everyday playing time in left field and at DH, and it’s hard to imagine the Brewers cutting into top prospect Jackson Chourio‘s playing time now that he’s finally hitting his stride in the majors with a .318/.361/.546 slash line in the month of June. With both outfield corners accounted for, Mitchell’s return likely comes at the expense of some combination of Blake Perkins, Sal Frelick, and Jake Bauers.
Perkins and Frelick have been splitting time in center field this year, though both players have been a touch below average at the plate this year with Perkins struggling particularly badly against southpaws. When not taking Perkins’ place in center field, Frelick has played an outfield corner while Yelich moves to DH, kicking slugger Rhys Hoskins back to his native position of first base and Bauers, who has posted a decent 106 wRC+ in a platoon role, to the bench. The return of Mitchell as another lefty bat in the lineup could lead Frelick to spend occasional time on the infield after working to make himself playable on the dirt this spring while potentially also ticketing Yelich for more frequent DH appearances.
Heading out to Triple-A in order to make room for Mitchell is Black, who was a consensus top-100 prospect entering this season. The corner infielder has appeared in just 11 games for the Brewers this year but didn’t do much with the limited opportunity, slashing just .242/.324/.303 in 37 trips to the plate while splitting time between first base and DH. The 23-year-old figures to return to the minors, where he’s slashed an excellent .275/.375/.483 at the highest level in 53 games this year, to wait for his next opportunity in the majors.