Michael Mercado Joining Phillies’ Rotation
The Phillies have seen a pair of starters go down with injuries in the past week, as Taijuan Walker hit the injured list with a hand injury and Spencer Turnbull will be out up to eight weeks due to a lat strain. That’s left a vacancy at the back of Philly’s rotation, and it’ll be filled — at least in the short-term — by 25-year-old righty Michael Mercado, reports Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A second-round pick by the Rays in 2017, Mercado’s journey to Philadelphia’s big league staff in some ways mirrors that of new rotation-mate Cristopher Sanchez. Both were traded from the Rays to the Phillies in prospect-for-prospect swaps that drew minimal attention at the time of the deal. Sanchez’s trade became one of note, as he’s risen his profile while infielder Curtis Mead (who went back to the Rays) emerged as one of Tampa Bay’s top prospects. Mercado is newer to the Phillies organization, having been acquired last November in exchange for minor league lefty Adam Leverett.
Since landing with the Phillies, Mercado’s results have been excellent. He’s pitched in 14 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, 10 of them starts, and posted a sterling 1.71 ERA in 47 1/3 frames. His 22.8% strikeout rate, 11.9% walk rate and .240 average on balls in play all suggest that ERA could be in for some regression, but it’s been a big step forward over his 2023 performance even if the microscopic earned run average doesn’t look entirely sustainable.
Mercado split the ’23 season between Double-A and Triple-A in the Rays’ system and worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen, pitching to a combined 4.79 ERA. To his credit, he fanned a massive 35.4% of his opponents working in short relief where his stuff could play up, but he also walked more than 13% of his opponents and surrendered a dozen longballs in 62 innings (1.74 HR/9).
At the time he was drafted, Mercado required an over-slot commitment to forgo his college commitment to Stanford. Baseball America called him “one of the most polished and projectable high school pitchers” in the 2017 draft class, ranking him as that year’s No. 48 draft prospect. He jumped right into the Rays’ top 15 prospects the following season. He suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament not long after the draft, however, wiping out his entire 2019 season. Like all other minor leaguers, he also lost the 2020 season when the Covid-19 pandemic led MLB to cancel the minor league campaign entirely. Home runs and walks continued to outweigh Mercado’s strong strikeout numbers throughout the remaining three years of his Rays tenure.
Now, with the Phillies in need of rotation help, Mercado will get a short-term look at the very least. Turnbull is out until at least mid-August. Walker won’t be eligible to return until at least July 7 and has struggled to an ugly 5.60 ERA in 10 starts even when healthy this season. Top Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter has yet to pitch this season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The organization’s other top-ranked arm, former first-rounder Mick Abel, has an alarming 7.08 ERA and 15.5% walk rate in Triple-A this season. Depth options on the 40-man roster like Kolby Allard and Max Castillo have also pitched poorly in Triple-A.
All of that has paved the way for Mercado to get his first big league starting opportunity, more than seven years after he was selected with the No. 40 overall pick in the draft. The Phillies have one of the most enviable starting staffs in MLB with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and the aforementioned Sanchez leading the way, which should take some pressure off Mercado. But depending on how long Walker is out and how he and Mercado perform in the short-term, the former Rays prospect could pitch his way into a more prominent role with the Phils. Mercado already made his MLB debut this week, tossing one scoreless inning after being called up as a reliever, but a larger opportunity is now there for the taking.
Pirates, Jake Lamb Agree To New Minor League Deal
The Pirates brought infielder Jake Lamb back on a new minor league contract after granting him his release when he triggered an opt-out clause last week, reports Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He’s headed back to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he spent the first two-plus months of the season.
Lamb, 33, has had a nice season in Indianapolis this year. The 2017 All-Star has appeared in 55 games and taken 234 turns at the plate, posting a .289/.380/.418 slash with four home runs, 13 doubles, a 12% walk rate and an 18.4% strikeout rate. It’s a fairly quick return to the same organization, though that’s not uncommon for veterans in this situation. New minor league deals in these scenarios can often include a larger salary in Triple-A, additional opt-out dates and/or upward mobility clauses that weren’t present in the prior pact from which the player opted out.
A veteran of 10 big league seasons, mostly with the D-backs, Lamb was a former top prospect who broke out as Arizona’s everyday third baseman back in 2016-17, slugging 59 home runs during that two-year peak. Shoulder troubles arose for the 2012 sixth-rounder, however, and he eventually underwent surgery to repair his rotator cuff in 2018. He’s since had calf and hamstring injuries in addition to some lingering issues with that surgically repaired shoulder.
Prior to the surgery, Lamb carried a career .247/.332/.448 batting line in his career — including a heftier .248/.345/.498 output during that 2016-17 run. He’s since bounced from around the league, spending time with the A’s, White Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Mariners, Angels and Yankees organizations in addition to this year’s Triple-A stint with the Bucs. In 223 big league games post-surgery, he’s a .199/.306/.363 hitter.
The Pirates stuck with first baseman Rowdy Tellez through an awful April and May stretch, and they’ve been rewarded with a much-improved .362/.413/.552 slash this month (albeit in only 63 plate appearances). That’s likely extended Tellez’s leash, but if he reverts to his early-season struggles and/or incurs an injury, it’s feasible that the Pirates could turn to Lamb and give him a look in the majors. He’s played first base almost exclusively in Indy this year — five games in right field being the only other defensive work he’s logged — so it’ll likely take a change in Pittsburgh’s first base/DH mix to get Lamb a major league opportunity.
The Cubs Keep Trying The Same Thing, And It’s Not Working
While the Cubs' 2024 season got out to a strong start that saw them sitting a season-high seven games above .500 on May 12, things have spiraled quickly. Since opening the year 24-17, Chicago has played at an abysmal 14-27 clip. That's six and a half weeks of .341 ball that has dropped them to 38-44 -- last place in the National League Central. They're 10.5 games back of the Brewers for the division lead. A four-game deficit in the NL Wild Card race normally wouldn't seem insurmountable, but it's a bit more daunting when a whopping seven teams stand between them and the final Wild Card spot.
There's no shortage of flaws with the current iteration of the Cubs. They're tied for 21st in the majors in home runs, tied for 18th in runs scored and tied for 24th in both batting average and slugging percentage. They've received no production at all from their catchers. On the pitching side, the rotation has had its share of health-related struggles. Justin Steele missed all of April and another start in May. Javier Assad just joined fellow young starters Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks on the injured list. The Cubs' defense has been middle-of-the-pack, at best.
There's one glaring struggle that's plagued them again and again in recent years, however, and one of the driving reasons behind it is easy to see.
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Padres Select Austin Davis
3:30pm: The Padres have made it official, announcing they have selected Davis to the roster. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation to open an active roster spot. To get Davis onto the 40-man, right-hander Joe Musgrove was transferred to the 60-day IL. Musgrove has a bone spur in his right elbow and has been on the IL since May 29. He’s now ineligible to return until 60 days from that date, which would be late July. He still hasn’t begun a rehab assignment and will need a few weeks to build up once he does.
11:29am: The Padres are planning to call up left-hander Austin Davis prior to tonight’s series opener against the Red Sox, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. They’ll need to formally select his contract from Triple-A El Paso and open a spot on the 40-man roster, though that can be accomplished in rather straightforward fashion by transferring Xander Bogaerts (who’s out with a fracture in his shoulder) from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL.
The 31-year-old Davis hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 but has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons. He’s posted a lackluster 5.61 earned run average in that time while showing an ability to miss bats (25% strikeout rate) but also some troubles with walks (11%) and home runs (1.25 HR/9).
Though he doesn’t have much of a big league track record, Davis has been sharp in El Paso this season. The journeyman southpaw has a 3.10 ERA in 29 frames and has been outstanding since a shaky start to the year. Over his past 23 1/3 innings, Davis boasts a 1.93 ERA with 32 punchouts and 13 walks. That’s still too many free passes, of course. It’s perhaps worth noting that four of those walks were intentional, but that’s offset by the fact that he’s also plunked four hitters along the way.
Davis’ effectively wild tenure with the Padres’ Triple-A club marks a stark turnaround from a disastrous Triple-A run with the Astros a year ago, when he walked 34 batters and allowed 32 runs in just 25 1/3 innings. Even with that career-worst performance skewing his track record, Davis sports a 4.19 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 13.6% walk rate in parts of five Triple-A campaigns.
If Davis can carry this season’s success over to the majors and carve out a longer-term spot on the roster, he’d be controllable for three seasons beyond the current campaign, though he has quite a ways to go before that’s a real consideration. The left-hander is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to stick on the roster or else be designated for assignment before he can be sent back down to the minors. Even if he were to clear waivers in such a scenario, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of the fact that he’s been outrighted previously in his career.
Rockies Designate Alan Trejo For Assignment
The Rockies have designated utilityman Alan Trejo for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to fellow infielder Aaron Schunk, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado also recalled right-hander Riley Pint from Triple-A. The team had a vacant spot on the active roster after placing reliever Jake Bird on the injured list Thursday.
Trejo, 28, has played in parts of the past four seasons with the Rockies but never provided much offense outside a 35-game showing in 2022, when his .271/.312/.424 line clocked in just slightly below league-average. He’s a career .228/.276/.324 hitter, and the 2024 campaign has been a particular struggle — evidenced by a grim .143/.182/.143 batting line in 67 trips to the plate.
Trejo has never been on the roster for his bat, however. He’s a versatile infielder who can handle every position to the left of first base. He’s drawn particularly strong ratings at second base and third base. He doesn’t run particularly well, but Trejo has shown solid range and sure hands at multiple infield positions.
Because Trejo has exhausted all three of his minor league option years, the Rockies had to designate him for assignment rather than simply option him to Albuquerque. They’ll trade him or place him on outright waivers within the next five days (and waivers themselves would be another two days if he’s eventually placed).
Schunk, 27 next month, was the Rockies’ second-round pick back in 2019. The former Georgia Bulldog ranked among the organization’s 12 best prospects each year from 2020-22, per Baseball America, but an ugly 2021 season in High-A followed by a year of pedestrian offensive output at Double-A in 2022 caused him to fall down the system’s rankings. He hit .290/.350/.461 in Triple-A last season and is at a very similar .291/.339/.469 this year while repeating the level — this time with a far 17.7% strikeout rate that’s far lower than last year’s 24% mark. That said, while Schunk’s rate stats look strong, his overall offensive production is about 7% worse than league-average in the supercharged offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.
Like Trejo, Schunk is a utility infield option who bats from the right side of the plate and is best suited for work at third base and second base (though he’s played sparingly at shortstop and first base as well). At his best, he ranked fifth in Colorado’s system, per BA, drawing praise for a plus arm, above-average contact skills and average power. The Rox will presumably hope that Schunk can fill the same bench role Trejo held but do so with some more offensive contributions.
Red Sox Recall Bailey Horn For MLB Debut
The Red Sox announced Friday that they’ve recalled left-hander Bailey Horn from Triple-A Worcester for his big league debut. They had an open spot on the active roster after optioning Isaiah Campbell yesterday, and Horn is already on the team’s 40-man roster. Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster first reported yesterday that Horn would be called up for his MLB debut.
Boston picked up Horn in an April deal with the ChiSox, sending cash back the other way after he’d been designated for assignment. Originally a fifth-round pick by the South Siders in the shortened 2020 draft, Horn bounced between the two Chicago clubs in a pair of trades, first going to the Cubs in exchange for Ryan Tepera in 2021 and then going back to the White Sox this past February in exchange for minor league righty Matt Thompson. The White Sox designated Horn for assignment about two months after reacquiring him.
Horn was hit hard and battled alarming command issues in his brief return to his original organization. In 10 1/3 innings with their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, he was rocked for 13 runs on 14 hits and 10 walks with 15 punchouts. Since landing in Worcester, he’s turned things around, however. He’s still walking too many hitters (13.8%), but Horn has fanned 29.2% of his opponents through 16 innings en route to a tidy 1.69 earned run average.
Overall, the Auburn product has a 4.37 ERA in exactly 200 minor league innings. He’s missed bats at every level, punching out 30% of his career opponents, but Horn’s command troubles date back to High-A. He’s issued a walk to 13% of his opponents in pro ball. Horn operates with a low- to mid-90s heater that he pairs with a curveball and a slider. He made 14 starts with the White Sox’ Class-A affiliates back in ’21 but has pitched exclusively in relief since (with the exception of a lone two-inning “start” this year in a bullpen game for Worcester).
Orioles Outright Nick Maton
June 28: The Orioles announced that Maton went unclaimed on outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He could’ve rejected the assignment in favor of free agency but will remain in Norfolk for now.
June 24: The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Nick Maton for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to top outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad, whose previously reported recall from Triple-A Norfolk is now official.
Maton, 27, had his contract selected to the big league roster last week but only appeared in one game with the O’s and did not make a plate appearance. Baltimore acquired Maton from the Tigers in exchange for cash over the winter and eventually passed him through waivers. He’s spent the season in their minor league system logging four rehab games at High-A after an injury and another 41 games at the Triple-A level. Overall, he’s turned in a stout .292/.390/.481 batting line with seven homers, six doubles, a triple, a huge 13.2% walk rate and a 22.5% strikeout rate.
A seventh-round pick by the Phillies back in 2017, Maton impressed during his first two big league seasons. The younger brother of reliever Phil Maton, Nick slashed .254/.330/.434 in 216 plate appearances with the Phils in 2021-22. Philadelphia sent Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands to Detroit in the trade that netted them Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens. Maton received ample playing time with the Tigers, but things didn’t pan out as hoped; he logged 293 plate appearances last season but delivered only a .173/.288/.305 batting line in that time.
Maton is out of minor league options, so the Orioles didn’t have the ability to send him back to Norfolk without first exposing him to waivers. He was previously outrighted by the O’s this year, so he’ll have the option to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he’s placed back on waivers and clears a second time.
That said, Maton has hit well in the upper minors this season and brings plenty of defensive versatility to the table. He’s spent time at all four infield positions and all three outfield positions in pro ball, albeit only 52 innings at first base and just seven innings in center. His versatility and success in the upper minors could lead to a team in need of a left-handed bat placing a claim or orchestrating a small trade. The O’s will have a week to complete a move involving Maton, whether it’s a trade or passing him through waivers.
Padres Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minor League Deal
Right-hander Nabil Crismatt is headed back to the Padres organization, the pitcher himself announced via Instagram. Crismatt, who was released from a minor league deal with the Rangers earlier this week, signed a minor league contract with San Diego, reports Annie Helibrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 29-year-old Crismatt has logged 177 innings across parts of five MLB seasons with four different teams — but the vast majority of that work (159 2/3 innings) has come as a member of the Padres. He suited up for San Diego from 2021-23 and logged a combined 3.83 ERA with a 21.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and six holds in that time. Crismatt made his big league debut with the 2020 Cardinals and has also pitched for the D-backs and Dodgers since leaving San Diego (in addition to this year’s Triple-A stint with Texas’ top affiliate).
The Dodgers signed Crismatt to a minor league deal over the winter and gave him seven innings of work in the big leagues early this season. He allowed a pair of runs on seven hits and no walks with six strikeouts in that L.A. cameo but was nevertheless designated for assignment and passed through waivers. He opted for free agency, signed a minor league pact with the Rangers in late May, and spent about a month with their Round Rock affiliate.
Crismatt has been tagged for a 6.46 ERA in 23 2/3 Triple-A frames between the Dodgers and Rangers this season, though he sports a much stronger K-BB profile than that mark would suggest: a 23.4% strikeout rate and tiny 3.8% walk rate. He’s been plagued by a BABIP near .400 between those two stops, which has helped to inflate his earned run average.
For now, Crismatt will head to El Paso to serve as a depth option for the Friars. But given their familiarity with the right-hander and his solid big league track record — a 3.71 ERA overall in his 177 MLB innings with solid strikeout and walk rates — it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got a look in the majors at some point in the relatively near future.
Marlins Release Christian Bethancourt
6:50pm: Miami is releasing Bethancourt, tweets Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. He’ll head back to free agency and could look for a minor league opportunity elsewhere.
4:50pm: Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt went unclaimed on waivers following his recent DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. As a player with more than three years of big league service, he has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency. However, Bethancourt is at 4.129 years of service, placing him 43 days shy of the five full years he’d need to elect free agency and retain the remainder of this season’s $2.05MM salary. Since he’d have to forfeit the remainder of that salary in order to elect free agency, he’ll surely accept it and report to Jacksonville.
First-year Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix was the Rays’ general manager when Tampa Bay acquired Bethancourt from the A’s, and in one of his first moves after being hired as Miami’s president of baseball ops, he brought Bethancourt to the Marlins in a cash swap with the Guardians, who’d previously claimed the catcher off waivers from the Rays.
The trade didn’t go as hoped, clearly. Bethancourt opened the season mired in a disastrous slump as the Fish received staggeringly poor production from their catching corps early on. By the time he was designated for assignment in favor of journeyman Ali Sanchez, he’d only managed to pull his batting line up to .159/.198/.268 in 88 plate appearances.
At one point, Bethancourt ranked among the game’s top catching prospects, but he’s fallen into journeyman status and at one point entirely moved on from catching in favor of outfield/infield work and even (more briefly) relief pitching. He spent the 2019 season in the KBO, didn’t play during the 2020 season, and bounced around the league in a more traditional catcher/first baseman role since 2021. That includes a 2022 season split between Oakland and Tampa Bay where he slashed a respectable .252/.283/.409 with a career-high 11 homers, but Bethancourt has been unable to replicate even that modest production since that time.
A career .292/.329/.468 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons, Bethancourt will stick with the Marlins organization and provide some additional depth behind Nick Fortes and Sanchez. If either is injured and/or if Bethancourt gets his bat going in Jacksonville, he could get a look later this season. If not, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency at season’s end, as is the case for all players with three-plus years of service who are outrighted off a 40-man roster, accept the assignment, and are not added back to the 40-man before the end of the year.
Clayton Andrews Elects Free Agency
Yankees left-hander Clayton Andrews rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in favor of free agency, the team announced. Andrews wasn’t claimed off waivers following his recent DFA. As a player who’s been previously outrighted earlier in his career (back in April by the Yankees), he had the right to decline a minor league assignment. He’ll now explore other opportunities around the league (though a new minor league deal with New York is certainly possible).
The 27-year-old Andrews appeared in one game with the Yankees this season and allowed three runs in just one-third of an inning. He’s been tagged for an unsightly 10 earned runs in a total of 3 2/3 MLB frames over the past two seasons between the Yankees and Brewers — his only big league work to date.
Andrews’ 2024 struggles extend beyond that brief time on the big league roster. He’s tossed 24 2/3 innings in Triple-A and been tagged for a 5.84 ERA with nearly as many walks (20.4%) as strikeouts (25.9%). That said, he pitched 57 innings of 2.53 ERA ball with a hearty 31.1% strikeout rate for the Brewers’ Triple-A club in Nashville as recently as last season.
Andrews has a 3.66 ERA in 91 career Triple-A innings and an overall 3.49 earned run average in parts of six minor league seasons since being selected in the 17th round by the Brewers back in 2018. Walks have always been an issue for the undersized (5’6″) lefty, but Andrews has fanned 29% of his Triple-A opponents and nearly one-third of his total minor league opponents since being drafted.