Phillies To Promote Seth Johnson
The Phillies are planning to call up right-hander Seth Johnson to start Sunday’s game against the Marlins, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. It’ll be the big league debut for the 25-year-old righty, whom Philadelphia acquired from the Orioles in exchange for left-hander Gregory Soto prior to the trade deadline. Johnson is already on the 40-man roster, so the Phils will only need to clear space on the active roster to accommodate his promotion.
Selected with the No. 40 overall pick by the Rays in 2019, Johnson has now been dealt twice before making his major league debut. Tampa Bay sent him to the Orioles as part of the three-team deal that brought Jose Siri to the Rays and sent Trey Mancini from the O’s to the Astros.
It’s been a long and injury-paved road to the majors for Johnson. He made nine starts in the summer following his draft season, didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, and was limited to 93 innings by an elbow issue in 2021. That elbow injury flared up in 2022 after just seven appearances, requiring Tommy John surgery that shut Johnson down until late in the 2023 campaign.
The 2024 campaign has been the first full, healthy season Johnson has had since being drafted five years ago. He’s looked sharp, pitching to a combined 2.33 earned run average between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. That includes an excellent 1.52 ERA in 23 2/3 innings since being traded from Baltimore to Philadelphia. Johnson had strict workload restrictions early in the season with the O’s, rarely pitching more than four innings in a start. The Phils have slowly taken off the training wheels, so to speak, allowing him to pitch five innings, five innings and six innings across his past three Triple-A appearances. Johnson’s pitch count has climbed as high as 98 in that time, and he’s allowed only one run in that run of three starts.
Baseball America currently ranks Johnson seventh among Phillies farmhands, while FanGraphs lists him eighth and MLB.com tabs him 15th. He’s viewed as a potential mid-rotation starter — one with a heater sitting around 95 mph and a potentially plus slider, with less-impressive but still-developing offerings in his curveball and changeup.
The Phillies’ rotation has at times been as deep as any unit in the game this season. The fifth spot has been an exception since right-hander Spencer Turnbull incurred a lat strain that sent him to the 60-day IL, however. Veteran Taijuan Walker has spent time on the injured list and struggled through the worst season of his career when healthy enough to take the mound. Philly recently dropped him to the bullpen, and they’ll turn to a young arm in his place after optioning another in-house option, right-hander Tyler Phillips, on the heels of his own recent struggles.
The top four spots in the Phils’ rotation are set both this year and next, with each of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez locked into spots. Turnbull is a free agent at season’s end. Walker is signed for another two years, but with Johnson, Phillips and prospects Andrew Painter and Mick Abel among the starting candidates working their way toward the majors, Walker’s long-term outlook has become rather muddled.
A’s Designate Janson Junk For Assignment
The A’s have designated right-hander Janson Junk for assignment and recalled left-hander Brady Basso from Triple-A Las Vegas, the team announced Thursday.
Junk was claimed off waivers just six days ago. He made his first and only appearance for Oakland last night in a nightmare outing wherein he faced eight batters and allowed them all to reach base (six hits, two walks). Junk was charged with seven earned runs and did not record an out.
Disastrous as that outing was, Junk has been quite effective in Triple-A this season and had a nice year at that level with the Brewers in 2023. He’s pitched 50 innings with a 3.60 earned run average for the Triple-A affiliates of the Brewers and Astros this season, and last year the now-28-year-old righty logged 140 innings with a 4.18 ERA, 15.8% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate for Milwaukee’s top affiliate in Nashville. Junk’s calamitous outing with the A’s sent his career ERA in 40 major league innings careening from 5.18 to 6.75. He’s been far better in Triple-A, with 266 innings of 4.26 ERA ball and consistently strong walk rates.
Basso, 26, made his big league debut earlier this season and tossed 3 1/3 innings. The former 16th-round pick breezed through six Double-A starts this year (2.84 ERA, 30.5 K%, 2.9 BB%) and has now appeared in 16 Triple-A games (12 starts). In 67 2/3 innings in Vegas, he’s logged a 5.19 ERA while fanning 26.4% of his opponents against a 7.5% walk rate.
Twins Place Max Kepler On Injured List, Select DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
The Twins have placed right fielder Max Kepler on the 10-day injured list with patellar tendinitis in his left knee and selected the contract of outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. from Triple-A St. Paul, per a team announcement. Left-hander Kody Funderburk was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Keirsey, who’ll be making his MLB debut when he first gets into a game.
Kepler, 31, came out of the All-Star break on a tear, hitting .316/.357/.468 in 84 plate appearances and boosting his season line to .271/.320/.412 in the process. Coupled with his strong defense in right field, he looked to be on his way to another solid all-around season. He’s since fallen into a dreadful swoon at the plate, however, tallying just one hit in his past 17 plate appearances and batting only .116/.156/.140 in his last 45 turns at the dish. He’s been in and out of the lineup while trying to play through discomfort in his problematic knee, but after sitting out the past four contests, he’ll now head to the injured list and hope some down time will get him back to full strength.
It’s an ill-timed injury for Kepler, both in the team sense — the Twins are a very likely Wild Card club but still hoping to chase down the division-leading Guardians — and in a personal sense. He’s in the final season of an extension signed prior to the 2019 season. That deal guaranteed him $35MM over five seasons and grew to a six-year, $44MM deal when the Twins picked up a 2024 option on him after a strong 2023 season. He’s now on the cusp of reaching free agency for the first time. Kepler had already seen his output take a step back from last year’s .260/.332/.484 slash (124 wRC+) and 24 homers, but after this recent lull at the plate his season-long batting line has wilted to a sub-par .253/.302/.380.
Taking Kepler’s place on the active roster will be the 27-year-old Keirsey. The Twins selected him with their fourth-round pick back in 2018. He’s old to be considered a true “prospect” and was passed over in last year’s Rule 5 Draft even after hitting a combined .294/.366/.455 between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. The Twins are surely glad to have been able to hang onto him, as Keirsey now climbs to the majors after an impressive season that’s seen him produce a .292/.364/.477 slash in St. Paul. He’s connected on 14 home runs and swiped 36 bags in 43 attempts.
In scouting reports over the years, Keirsey has drawn praise for plus speed and athleticism. He’s seen as a viable center fielder and plus option in the corners. Scouts have questioned his hit tool, particularly after he fanned in 30% of his High-A plate appearances in 2021, but he’s trimmed that mark down to a more passable 23% in each of the past three seasons (22.8% in 2024).
If nothing else, Keirsey has the makings of a quality fourth outfielder who can be optioned back and forth between St. Paul and Minneapolis over the next few years, but he’s now had back-to-back productive seasons in the upper minors and could be something of a late-bloomer. He’ll add to a growing stock of lefty-hitting Twins outfielders on the 40-man roster. Even with Kepler set to hit free agency, the Twins have Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff and top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez all on the 40-man roster, to say nothing of center fielder Byron Buxton and infielder/outfielder Austin Martin, who hit from the other side of the plate.
Rays Designate Alex Jackson For Assignment
The Rays announced Thursday morning that they’ve designated catcher Alex Jackson for assignment and selected the contract of left-hander Mason Montgomery from Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay also optioned lefty Tyler Alexander to Durham and recalled infielder Austin Shenton.
Tampa Bay has stuck with the 28-year-old Jackson all season, giving him 158 turns at the plate as the team’s backup catcher despite a .122/.201/.237 batting line and sky-high 34.2% strikeout rate. Jackson has played strong defense, but that lack of productivity in the batter’s box has now reached its tipping point, as Tampa Bay seems poised to turn his role over to recently promoted Logan Driscoll, who’s enjoyed a strong year in Durham and will now pair with defensive standout Ben Rortvedt to comprise the Rays’ catching corps.
Jackson was taken by the Mariners with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft and for years ranked as a top prospect thanks to huge raw power and one of the most impressive high school performances in recent memory. He was in play as a possible No. 1 overall pick during his draft season and viewed as a potential middle-of-the-order hitter. The M’s were bullish enough on his bat and athleticism to move him to right field immediately in pro ball, in hopes of fast-tracking his path to the big leagues.
Instead, Jackson’s hit tool never came around to match his power. He’s bounced around the league in a series of small-scale trades and minor league contracts but never cemented himself as a consistent big leaguer. In parts of five MLB seasons, Jackson has taken 340 plate appearances and batted .132/.224/.232 with a staggering 41.8% strikeout rate.
As he’s moved back behind the plate and continued to hone his defensive skills in the minors, Jackson has become a quality defender at catcher. However, his persistent strikeout troubles extend even to the Triple-A level (29.3%). He’ll now head to waivers and be made available to the other 29 clubs. If he clears, he’ll have the opportunity to elect free agency, as is the case with all players who’ve been previously outrighted in their career.
Montgomery, 24, was the Rays’ sixth-round pick in 2021 and ranked as one of the system’s top arms for the past few seasons. He’s had a dismal year in the Triple-A rotation and is currently sitting on a 6.26 ERA in spite of a sharp 26.1% strikeout rate and an only slightly higher-than-average 8.9% walk rate. Home runs have been Montgomery’s downfall, as he’s yielded an average of 1.95 long balls per nine innings pitched.
That said, there’s reason to perhaps look at Montgomery in a more favorable light. Beyond the intriguing K-BB profile, Montgomery moved to the bullpen on a full-time basis in early August and has been borderline untouchable since. He’s fired 9 2/3 shutout innings since moving to short relief, yielding just five hits and five walks while punching out a mammoth 20 of the 38 hitters he’s faced in his new role. He’ll give the Rays a fresh arm for now but also has the potential to develop into a long-term relief weapon for manager Kevin Cash.
Darin Ruf Joins University Of Nebraska Omaha Coaching Staff
Former big league first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf has joined the University of Nebraska Omaha baseball program as an assistant coach, the school announced Wednesday. There’s been no formal announcement of retirement for the 38-year-old Ruf, but this certainly seems to indicate he’s turning the page on his playing days and moving onto the next phase of his baseball journey.
“We are thrilled to have Darin join our baseball family,” Mavericks head coach Evan Porter said in a statement within today’s announcement. “Darin’s incredible track record speaks for itself, but his character and work ethic are perhaps more impressive. I’ve been fortunate to know Darin for the past 20 years, his respect for the game and for the people around him is admirable. I couldn’t be more excited to work with Darin, he is a tremendous addition to our program.”
A 20th-round pick out of Omaha’s Creighton University back in 2009, Ruf reached the majors with the Phillies in 2012 and went on to enjoy a nine-year career in the major leagues in addition to an excellent three-year run with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization (2017-19).
Ruf’s debut campaign with the Phils was brief but showed clear potential for a meaningful big league career. He appeared in 12 games as a September call-up and popped three homers while batting .333/.351/.727 in 37 trips to the plate. The following season saw Ruf tally 293 plate appearances while hitting .247/.348/.458 with 14 round-trippers. He’d ultimately spend parts of five seasons with the Phillies, from 2012-16, batting a combined .240/.314/.433 while serving as a part-time first baseman and corner outfielder who could provide some right-handed thump off the bench.
From there, Ruf’s next stop was overseas. He not only found success with the KBO’s Lions — he took the entire league by storm. Ruf smacked 38 homers in his first Korean season and wound up posting a massive .313/.404/.564 batting line in 1756 plate appearances as a Lion. He belted 86 homers, 105 doubles and six triples during his run in the KBO, with overall offense about 45% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+.
Ruf returned stateside for the 2020 season, taking a minor league deal with the Giants that proved to be an outstanding deal for San Francisco. He cracked the Giants’ opening day roster in the shortened 2020 campaign, his age-33 season, and in 100 plate appearances turned in a .276/.370./517 slash that made him an easy call to keep for the Giants to tender him a contract in arbitration in the 2020-21 offseason. Ruf’s 2021 output was even better than that small-sample 2020 showing; in 312 plate appearances he hit .271/.385/.519 with 16 homers.
That sudden resurgence in the majors prompted the Giants to ink Ruf to a two-year, $6.25MM contract. His bat took a step back in the first season of the deal, but Ruf was still hitting at a slightly better-than-average level when the Mets acquired him at that summer’s trade deadline. His bat cratered following the move to Queens, however, and New York designated Ruf for assignment just before Opening Day 2023. He was released in early April, signed a minor league deal to return to the Giants, and split the 2023 season between San Francisco and Milwaukee, seeing brief playing time at both stops.
It now seems likely that’ll be the final stage of Ruf’s playing career. If he’s indeed shifting his focus to a coaching track, he’ll conclude his time in the majors with a career .239/.329/.427 batting line, 351 hits, 67 homers, 69 doubles, three triples, six steals, 198 runs scored and 205 runs driven in. Between MLB and the KBO, he cracked more than 150 homers and piled up more than 800 hits — all while earning more than $9MM in the majors and more than $4MM in South Korea.
The Omaha native will now help mold a younger generation of players while returning to his hometown. Ruf expressed excitement and gratitude in a statement of his own within today’s announcement:
“I am thrilled to be joining Evan’s staff in Omaha. I have been blessed with amazing coaches throughout my career and I am honored Evan has given me the opportunity to give back and work with these student athletes. I look forward to working with them on the field to become the best ball players they can be and off the field as they continue to develop into great people for the community of Omaha.”
Phillies Designate Michael Rucker For Assignment
The Phillies announced Wednesday that right-hander Michael Rucker has been designated for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to fellow righty Nick Nelson, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia also optioned righty Tyler Phillips to Lehigh Valley to open a spot on the active roster for Nelson.
Rucker, 30, was acquired in a cash deal with the Cubs back in February after he’d been designated for assignment in Chicago. He never got into a game with the Phillies in the majors, instead spending most of the season on the 60-day injured list owing to an arterial vasospasm in his right hand. The Phils reinstated and optioned him prior to the trade deadline. He’s pitched 26 minor league innings this season and been tagged for a 6.58 ERA, with the bulk of the damage coming in Triple-A.
Grim as Rucker’s run-prevention has been, his 26.7% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate are both fine marks (particularly the former). He’s also kept the ball on the ground at a strong 45.2% clip. Rucker, however, has been plagued by an astronomical .479 average on balls in play during his time with the IronPigs.
As recently as 2022, Rucker was a solid member of the Cubs’ bullpen. He pitched a career-high 54 2/3 innings and logged a 3.95 ERA with a 21.8% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate in that time. His followup effort in 2023 resulted in a more troubling 4.91 ERA in 40 2/3 frames, but his strikeout and walk numbers remained generally serviceable and his grounder rate spiked to a strong 51.4%. Overall, Rucker carries a 4.96 ERA in 123 1/3 innings as a major leaguer.
Rucker will now head to waivers, where another club could have interest in his solid Triple-A track record. If not, he’ll be outrighted off the 40-man roster and stick with the Phillies as a depth piece. Rucker lacks the three years of service or prior outright assignment to elect free agency.
The 26-year-old Phillips has had one of the strangest debut campaigns in recent memory. The unheralded righty dominated through his first four big league outings, culminating a shutout of the AL Central-leading Guardians on July 27. He didn’t last two innings in his next start, yielding eight runs to a light-hitting Mariners offense, and has yet to recover. His struggles reached a tipping point when he allowed six runs in the first inning versus the Blue Jays in yesterday’s start. Overalll, since his shutout, Phillips has yielded 23 runs in just 11 2/3 innings. His ERA has skyrocketed from 1.80 to 6.87.
Taking Phillips’ spot on the roster will be Nelson, who’s spent the past three seasons with the Phils. He only pitched in 3 1/3 innings this season and has struggled to produce in Triple-A, where he’s logged a 6.30 ERA on the season. It could be a quick stay on the 40-man roster in Nelson’s return, but he’s stretched out for multiple innings and could give the Phillies four or even five innings of work on the heels of yesterday’s marathon game for the bullpen, if needed. Nelson tossed four innings in a Triple-A appearance as recently as Aug. 24. And, while he’s struggled on the season overall, Nelson has been throwing better of late; he’s yielded only one run in his past 9 1/3 innings pitched in Triple-A.
Trevor Richards, Caleb Boushley Accept Outright Assignments With Twins
Right-handers Trevor Richards and Caleb Boushley both passed through waivers unclaimed following their recent DFAs by the Twins, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Either could’ve rejected an outright assignment to the minors, but they’ve accepted assignments to the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul.
Richards, 31, was the Twins’ lone pickup at this summer’s trade deadline. The right-hander tossed scoreless outings in seven of his 10 relief appearances as a Twin and posted a respectable, if unspectacular 4.15 ERA in 13 innings overall. However, Richards also walked 11 of the 59 batters he faced following the trade (18.6%), plunked another pair of hitters and unleashed a staggering seven wild pitches in his 13 frames with Minnesota. The command woes were glaring enough that Minnesota opted to put him on waivers.
While Richards could’ve rejected the outright and retained his salary because he has more than five years of major league service, the timing of his DFA might’ve made it hard to latch on with another club. He’s a free agent at season’s end, so non-contending clubs would have little reason to bring him in for just a few weeks. Contending clubs who feel they might be able to get him back on track with a few tweaks on a minor league deal also would’ve likely passed, as even if that proved true, Richards would’ve been ineligible for a new club’s postseason roster. As such, he’ll head to St. Paul and hope to get back on track and pitch his way into a late look with the Twins. Failing that, he’ll become a free agent when the season draws to a close.
Boushley, 30, is a depth arm who inked a minor league deal with Minnesota over the winter and has twice been selected to the big league roster this season. He’s passed through waivers both times and remained with the organization’s top affiliate in St. Paul. Boushley has pitched four innings with the Twins and allowed a pair of runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout. He’s spent most of the season in the Saints’ rotation, pitching to a 4.97 ERA in 22 starts and 116 innings at the Triple-A level.
Sean Manaea Expected To Opt Out Of Mets Deal In Offseason
Left-hander Sean Manaea has signed two-year deals with opt-out provisions in each of the past two offseasons and is poised to reenter the market for a third straight winter. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that Manaea will opt out of the second year and $13.5MM on his deal “barring unforeseen circumstances.” The lefty himself spoke to Nightengale about his recent pair of short-term deals, noting that he’d certainly consider a longer-term pact but unlike many other players doesn’t mind the short-term, opt-out-laden route.
“I like to think it’s fun because it’s a new adventure,” Manaea told Nightengale. “I mean, it’s a little nerve-wracking when you’re not with a team most of the offseason, but it’s all part of the adventure.”
Manaea, 33 in February, is in the midst of one of his best seasons. He’s started 27 games and pitched 150 1/3 frames with the Mets, working to a sharp 3.35 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate. After favoring his four-seamer over the past two seasons with the Padres and Giants, Manaea has returned to the sinker he sported with the Athletics as his primary offering, throwing the pitch 40.8% of the time. He’s maintained the increased usage of his slider (26%) at the expense of his changeup (11.7%) — while still throwing occasional four-seamers and cutters.
The new pitch blend has proven largely effective. Manaea is averaging 5 2/3 innings per outing, sitting on what’s nearly a career-high strikeout rate and only issuing walks at a slightly above-average clip. He’s kept the ball in the yard (0.96 HR/9) and done a decent job avoiding hard contact (88.8 mph average exit velocity, 38.2% hard-hit rate). He’s not drawing tons of chases off the plate (27%), but his opponents are making contact on those swings at the second-lowest rate of Manaea’s career (53.4%).
Manaea has long seemed capable of putting together this type of season. He regularly posts better-than-average walk rates and average or better strikeout rates. He was in the consideration to go in the top 10 selections of the 2013 draft but slipped to the No. 34 pick by the Royals due to a hip injury. That was the first of a few notable injury scenarios for Manaea, who most notably missed nearly all of the 2019 season after undergoing shoulder surgery late in the 2018 campaign.
Since that surgery-ruined season, Manaea has been a durable source of innings. He started a nearly full slate of 11 games in the shortened 2020 season and has since appeared in 32, 30, 37 and 27 games per season. The Giants frequently used him as a multi-inning reliever and bulk pitcher behind openers in 2023, hence that year’s 27 relief outings, but he still pitched 117 2/3 frames that year. Manaea hasn’t been on the injured list since returning from that 2018 shoulder procedure.
Given how well he’s pitched for much of the season, it’s hardly surprising that Manaea is intent on once again exploring free agency. A guaranteed multi-year deal should be there this time around, unless Manaea has come to enjoy the mercenary life and having say over his team on a yearly basis. Because he’ll he heading into his age-33 season, a four-year deal is likely the ceiling, and three years seems more reasonable to expect. Even if Manaea “only” secures a two-year guarantee, he’d almost certainly do so while signing for an annual value higher than the $13.5MM under his current contract.
The more interesting question surrounding Manaea will be one of the qualifying offer. The Mets can extend a QO to Manaea if he declines his player option, thus entitling themselves to a compensatory draft pick if Manaea signs elsewhere. They’d need to be comfortable paying Manaea the projected $21.2MM sum of this year’s QO, however.
On its surface, that’s a drop in the bucket for a deep-pocketed club like the Mets. But the Mets have paid the luxury tax every season under Steve Cohen’s ownership, falling into the top tier of penalty in the past two seasons. RosterResource projects them for a $171MM figure next year that’s well below the forthcoming $241MM tax barrier, but the Mets could see Manaea, Pete Alonso, Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, J.D. Martinez, Adam Ottavino, Harrison Bader, Ryne Stanek, Brooks Raley, Phil Maton and Jesse Winker all hit free agency. They’ll have many, many holes to fill and it won’t take much to push them right back up into luxury territory.
If the Mets return to the top tier of penalization — they’re already rumored to be among Juan Soto‘s suitors and will presumably pursue other high-end targets, particularly in the rotation — that would mean a 110% tax on that salary. That’d be a total of $44.52MM if Manaea accepts. Even if they’re in a lower tier, a 62% tax or 95% tax would still put Manaea’s total expenditure on a QO in the $34-41MM range. And, as a luxury-paying team, the Mets would only receive a comp pick after the fourth round in the event that Manaea signed elsewhere. That minimal compensation and huge tax bill might allow Manaea to hit the market without the burden of draft compensation, which would only further strengthen his free-agent case on the heels of a strong season.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
White Sox Designate Touki Toussaint For Assignment
The White Sox announced they have designated right-hander Touki Toussaint for assignment. The move will give Chicago another 40-man vacancy, as they’re filling his spot by recalling righty Matt Foster, who’s already on the 40-man. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the moves prior to the official announcement.
Toussaint, 28, has pitched in 11 games and tallied 23 innings for the ChiSox this season, but the results haven’t been pretty. The former first-rounder and top prospect has been tagged for a 7.43 ERA, thanks in no small part to a bloated 15.4% walk rate. Toussaint has unequivocally had some poor fortune on balls in play, evidence by a mammoth .464 BABIP, and the White Sox’ porous defense surely hasn’t done him any favors in that regard.
All the same, Toussaint’s hefty walk rate and average strikeout rate (22.2%) aren’t conducive to success even with a more typical average on balls in play. He’s had a particularly rough go of it lately, with 11 runs yielded over his past 9 1/3 innings. Now that he’s been designated for assignment, Toussaint will head to waivers. He’ll likely clear, at which point he’ll have the right to elect free agency (both by virtue of his major league service time and prior outright assignments).
Foster, 29, has pitched well in Triple-A and in the majors this season in what’s been his first year back from Tommy John surgery performed in April 2023. The right-hander’s velocity (91.6 mph average fastball) is down two miles per hour from his pre-surgery days, though that could build back up as he gets more work in. To this point, he’s only pitched 18 minor league frames and another three in the majors. In 115 2/3 innings, Foster owns a 4.28 ERA with a 23.6% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. The Sox can control him via arbitration through the 2026 season.