Brewers’ Robert Gasser Weighing Elbow Surgery
4:25pm: Manager Pat Murphy said he’s assuming that Gasser is done for the year, although that’s not yet confirmed, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com on X. “I hope I’m wrong,” Murphy said. “I really do.”
10:54am: Brewers lefty Robert Gasser has already received a pair of opinions — one from the team’s medical staff, another from renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache — on his ailing left elbow and is headed to meet with Dr. Keith Meister to receive a third opinion, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Gasser told the Brewers beat this weekend that his ulnar collateral ligament is “not as strong as it should be” but is also not “broken.” ElAttrache recommended surgery, Gasser explained, but more for durability concerns than to repair immediate damage. ElAttrache also told Gasser that non-surgical rehab could be a viable option because the ligament is not currently ruptured.
Understandably, it seems Gasser would prefer to avoid going under the knife if at all possible. Surgery is a last resort in these cases, and as Gasser himself said of the two opinions he’s received thus far: “They both said I can rehab. I’m just trying to figure out what the best move is.”
Any form of UCL surgery — be it Tommy John surgery, an internal brace procedure or a hybrid of the two — would wipe out the remainder of Gasser’s season. A full Tommy John or a Tommy John/internal brace hybrid would keep Gasser out of action late into the 2025 season at least. A strict internal brace without a full UCL reconstruction could have him back on the mound earlier than that.
Given that we’re now into mid-June, there’s perhaps some extra merit the non-surgical route — depending on the type of surgery being considered. Recovery from either Tommy John surgery or that hybrid procedure would come with a 12- to 16-month rehab window in all likelihood, with most cases erring toward the later end of that spectrum. Speculatively speaking, if the most realistic rehab scenario has Gasser returning in mid-to-late August next season anyhow, he could view the rest-and-rehab route as effectively risking the final six weeks of next year for a chance at pitching a whole season in 2025.
Whichever path Gasser takes, he’s in for an extended absence from the Milwaukee rotation. That’s a crucial hit, given both the left-hander’s strong results so far in his debut campaign and the wave of other injuries Milwaukee has incurred. In his first five starts, the 25-year-old Gasser pitched to a 2.57 ERA in 28 innings of work.
Gasser, acquired from the Padres in the 2022 Josh Hader trade, entered the season ranked among the Brewers organization’s best pitching prospects. His 14% strikeout rate in the majors is problematically low, but he’s offset that to this point with Maddux-esque precision, issuing a walk to just one the 114 batters he’s faced. Both of those rate stats are likely to change over a larger sample; the southpaw fanned 28% of his Triple-A opponents and walked 8.4% of them in 135 innings in 2023.
From a team perspective, the Brewers will be without Brandon Woodruff for the entire season while he recovers from last October’s shoulder surgery. Left-hander Wade Miley is done for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month. Each of Jakob Junis, Joe Ross and DL Hall is also on the injured list at the moment. That’s left the Brewers with Freddy Peralta, Colin Rea, Bryse Wilson and Tobias Myers in the rotation. Milwaukee could turn to pitching prospect Carlos Rodriguez to take the ball tomorrow.
Regardless of what happens with Gasser, starting pitching will likely be a focus for Milwaukee as next month’s trade deadline approaches. Their depth has already been stretched exceptionally thin, and any further injuries would prove difficult to overcome. Despite all their injuries, the Brewers are the only NL Central club with a winning record and currently hold a 6.5-game lead over the Reds and Cubs (both tied at 32-34 on the season). Even if the division looks quite winnable right now, they’ll still need reinforcements for a potential postseason rotation.
Pirates, Jake Woodford Agree To Minor League Deal
The Pirates have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent righty Jake Woodford, MLBTR has confirmed. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com first reported that Woodford was expected to sign with the Bucs. The Excel Sports client is headed to Triple-A Indianapolis for the time being but could work his way into the mix for a long-relief or fifth starter role with the Bucs.
Woodford opened the season with the 2024 season with the White Sox organization after signing a minor league deal back in January. He’d spent his entire career prior to that point with the Cardinals, who selected him with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The right-hander made a pair of starts in a thin ChiSox rotation but served up ten runs on 15 hits and five walks in 8 1/3 innings. He fanned seven of his 46 opponents (15.2%). Chicago designated him for assignment last week, and he elected free agency over the weekend after clearing waivers.
That brief White Sox run marked a fifth straight season with some major league work for Woodford. He’s totaled 193 frames between the Cards and Sox, working to a combined 4.57 ERA with a 15.1% strikeout rate, an 8.2% walk rate, a 46.1% ground-ball rate and 1.31 homers per nine innings pitched. Woodford doesn’t miss many bats but has generally posted above-average ground-ball marks while showing average command. He’ll rely primarily on a sinker that sits just shy of 92 mph, pairing that with a slider as his primary secondary offering. He worked in a cutter far more frequently than in the past during his brief Chicago stint this season.
Woodford is stretched out to start, giving the Pirates some additional depth in the rotation. He’s spent parts of six seasons in Triple-A, posting 4.19 ERA with a 19.5% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. He’s out of minor league options, so if the Pirates select him to the MLB roster, he’ll need to stick or else be again designated for assignment and exposed to waivers before he could be sent down. Even if he were to go unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the option to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment.
The Pirates’ rotation currently includes a pair of electric rookies — 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes and fellow top prospect Jared Jones — in addition to stalwart right-hander Mitch Keller. Entering the season, veteran lefties Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales were expected to hold down rotation spots behind Keller and Jones, but Perez landed on the injured list due to a groin strain late last month while Gonzales made only three starts before incurring a forearm strain that’s sidelined him for nearly two months now. Young righty Quinn Priester joined them on the injured list earlier this month due to a lat strain.
At the moment, the Bucs have southpaw Bailey Falter as their fourth starter behind Skenes, Jones and Keller. He’s made a dozen starts with a 3.69 ERA but far shakier marks from metrics like FIP (4.75) and SIERA (4.79). Pittsburgh has former second-round pick Braxton Ashcraft and waiver pickup Daulton Jefferies on the 40-man roster as rotation options who could be ahead of Woodford on the depth chart. Other non-roster veterans in Indianapolis include Josh Fleming, Domingo German and Michael Plassmeyer, though no one from that trio has pitched well in Triple-A this year. Woodford adds some insurance in the event of further injuries and/or some depth in the event that the team opts for some kind of innings cap on Skenes and Jones down the stretch.
Marlins Release Avisail Garcia
TODAY: The Marlins have officially released Garcia after he cleared waivers, as per Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst and the Miami Herald (X link).
JUNE 4: The Marlins are designating veteran outfielder Avisail Garcia for assignment, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The 32-year-old Garcia (33 next week) is in the third season of a four-year, $53MM contract that has proven to be a substantial misstep for the organization. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald writes that former Marlins CEO Derek Jeter “had exclusive control” over negotiations with Garcia and his representation.
That four-year contract with the Fish came on the heels of a productive 29-homer showing in Milwaukee. Garcia had hit .262/.330/.490 in his final season with the Brewers, and while he’d been inconsistent on a year-over-year basis in the seasons leading up to his big Miami payday, he notched an overall .278/.335/.464 batting line in a half-decade’s worth of at-bats prior to putting pen to paper as a free agent in South Florida. He’d also shown a repeated knack for hard contact, logging an 89.9 mph average exit velocity, 10% barrel rate and 42% hard-hit rate in that five-year span (all via Statcast).
A downward spiral for Garcia began almost immediately with the Marlins. He struggled right out of the gate in 2022, and while he did get hot for a bit in June, his overall batting line in year one of that four-year contract checked in at a tepid .224/.266/.317. By measure of wRC+, he was 37% worse than league-average at the plate. Even a modest rebound in 2023 seemed likely, but Garcia’s numbers went further in the wrong direction. Injuries limited him to only 118 plate appearances, during which he hit just .185/.241/.315 while fanning in an uncharacteristic 33% of his plate appearances. This season, he’s been on the injured list since late April due to a hamstring strain.
All in all, Garcia’s time with the Marlins will all but certainly draw to a close with a disastrous .217/.260/.322 batting line (61 wRC+). He’s still owed the balance of a $12MM salary this season (about $7.612MM), plus another $12MM in 2025 and a $5MM buyout on a 2026 club option. The Marlins technically have a week to try to trade Garcia, but a release is a near inevitability. He can’t be placed on outright waivers because he’s on the injured list — and he’d clear and reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency anyhow — and no other club is going to take on any portion of that contract.
Once Garcia clears release waivers, he’ll be a free agent who’s able to sign with any club. A new team would only owe the former Tigers, White Sox, Rays and Brewers slugger the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster/injured list. That sum would be subtracted from what the Marlins owe him, but by designating him for assignment now, Miami is effectively conceding that it will eat the overwhelming majority of the dead money on Garcia’s contract.
With Garcia no longer in the fold, the Marlins will continue to deploy an outfield/DH mix including Bryan De La Cruz, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jesus Sanchez, Nick Gordon and Dane Myers. Triple-A outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. could eventually join that mix if he can keep up his solid .280/.347/.466 start in Jacksonville — particularly if the Marlins end up moving any of their more experienced outfield options in the run-up to next month’s trade deadline.
Jake Woodford Elects Free Agency
TODAY: The White Sox announced that Woodford cleared waivers and chose to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.
JUNE 7: The White Sox have designated right-hander Jake Woodford for assignment, reports Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. He’ll be replaced on the roster by righty Jonathan Cannon, who’s being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
Drafted by St. Louis with the No. 39 overall pick in 2015, Woodford spent his entire career prior to the 2024 season in the Cardinals organization. He signed a minor league contract in Chicago over the winter. The 6’4″ righty has started two games for the South Siders but been tagged for 10 runs on 15 hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. He had a rough go in Charlotte as well, pitching 49 2/3 innings of 5.26 ERA ball across 10 starts.
Woodford did notch a 3.26 ERA in a swingman role with the Cardinals from 2021-22, although a paltry 15.4% strikeout rate and some very good fortune in terms of homer-to-flyball rate prompted fielding-independent metrics to take that number with a grain of salt. Woodford 3.93 FIP and 4.65 SIERA were both far more bearish.
In parts of six Triple-A seasons, Woodford has pitched to a 4.19 ERA with a 19.5% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and above-average ground-ball tendencies. He’s out of minor league options, so any team that acquires him in a small trade or claims him on waivers will need to add him directly to the MLB roster. If he clears waivers, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. The Sox will either trade him or put him on waivers within the next five days, with waivers themselves representing a 48-hour process. Within a week’s time, Woodford will know the result of his DFA.
Cannon, 23, made his big league debut earlier this season but was hit hard in his first three MLB starts. He’s been hit hard in the minors as well, recording a 5.50 ERA in 37 2/3 frames, but the reeling White Sox will give him another look in the big leagues at a time when Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde are their only two reliable starting pitchers. Cannon, a third-round pick in 2022, ranks among Chicago’s top pitching prospects and will likely receive ample opportunity to cement himself as a viable big league starter as the Sox navigate their latest rebuilding effort.
Mets Notes: Baty, McNeil, Alvarez, Senga
TODAY: Senga won’t return prior to the All-Star break, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told DiComo (X link) and other reporters today.
JUNE 7: The Mets and Phillies face off this weekend in MLB’s London Series, and both clubs will be afforded a 27th man for the overseas event. For the Mets, that’ll be infielder Brett Baty, who was recently optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in a move designed to help him get back on track but also to get hot-hitting Mark Vientos a legitimate audition at third base.
While Vientos is clearly outplaying his fellow corner-infield prospect at the moment, it seems the Mets are open to ideas that could keep both in the lineup, even with a full-time designated hitter (J.D. Martinez) and with Pete Alonso entrenched at first base. Baty told the Mets beat this morning that the team has informed him he’ll likely begin taking reps at second base soon down in Syracuse (X link via Newsday’s Tim Healey). It hasn’t happened in a game setting yet, but the Mets approached him about the possibility when he was optioned on May 31.
The potential addition of second base to Baty’s skill set comes at a time when longtime second baseman Jeff McNeil is struggling through the worst results of his career. McNeil, the 2022 National League batting champion, is hitting just .227/.296/.320 this season — about 16% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+.
The 32-year-old McNeil is in just the second season of a four-year, $50MM extension and thus isn’t in jeopardy of being cut loose, but this is the second straight season his offensive output has declined in notable fashion. McNeil still has elite bat-to-ball skills (11.2% strikeout rate, 87.6% contact rate), but he’s hitting more fly-balls than ever before, which is having an adverse impact on his results. (Fly-balls — at least those in play — are the easiest type of batted ball to convert into an out.) There’s still surely some poor fortune in play, as McNeil’s fly-ball rate is only a few percentage points higher than when he won his batting title, while his .246 BABIP checks in 70 points shy of his career mark. But clearly the Mets have some level of concern, and clearly they’re also still looking at ways for both Baty and Vientos to factor into the long-term plan (particularly if the club ends up re-signing Pete Alonso and thus removing a Vientos-to-first base scenario).
Baty has never played second base in his professional career. He’s logged 250 innings in left field and otherwise spent every defensive inning since being drafted at third base. But with Vientos viewed more strictly as a corner infielder and also batting an outstanding .333/.392/.621 through his first 74 plate appearances this year, the Mets will take a look at the possibility of Baty slotting in elsewhere on the diamond. Baty hit just .225/.304/.325 in 169 turns at the plate prior to being optioned, so he has some obvious work to do on the offensive side of things as well — but it’s nevertheless interesting to see the Mets experimenting with the defensive alignment in a manner that could accommodate two of the organization’s longtime top prospects who have previously had the same primary position.
Both Baty and Vientos have the potential to emerge as cornerstones in Queens, and if they’re able to do so they’ll likely slot in alongside catcher Francisco Alvarez in forming a young core of hitters around which president of baseball ops David Stearns can build. Alvarez has been out since mid-April, when he required surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. He’s been on a minor league rehab assignment and had been slated for a return early next week. However, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports that Alvarez’s return will be delayed by at least a few days. There’s no setback or new injury, but Alvarez has flown home to Venezuela to tend to a family matter.
At this point, there’s no indication Alvarez will be delayed long. A return in latter half of next week still seems feasible. The 25-year-old has already appeared in five minor league games but could get a few more under his belt before being activated. He hit .236/.288/.364 in 16 games before incurring his injury but swatted 25 homers in 123 games (423 plate appearances) last season. Alvarez has hit for a subpar .212 average in 496 big league plate appearances but makes plenty of hard contact, draws a roughly average number of walks, has clear plus power and has made substantial defensive improvements in the past couple years.
In further Mets injury news, there’s some optimism with regard to Kodai Senga‘s lengthy rehab process. He’s slated to throw a bullpen session next Monday or Tuesday, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Originally placed on the IL due to a moderate capsule strain his right shoulder, Senga has encountered multiple setbacks along the way. He progressed to facing live hitters by late April but was scaled back to try to get his mechanics back in order. While going through that step, Senga sustained a triceps injury that necessitated a cortisone injection and another five-day shutdown period.
That latter setback came in late May, but the silver lining was that his ailing shoulder looked to be healed on that MRI. It seems both the shoulder and triceps are now approaching a point where he’ll be cleared to throw. There will still be multiple steps to check off before Senga is a realistic option to return to the Mets’ rotation. He’ll likely need multiple bullpen sessions, followed by live sessions against hitters and then a minor league rehab assignment that figures to last multiple starts (with a full slate of rest between each, of course). It seems unlikely he’d be able to check all those boxes by the end of this month, making a July return far more likely.
Senga, 31, is in the second season of a five-year, $75MM contract. The former NPB standout made the All-Star team last year in his rookie season. He also finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting and seventh in NL Cy Young voting after pitching 166 1/3 innings of 2.98 ERA ball with a 29.1% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate, 44.7% grounder rate and 0.92 HR/9.
Brewers Notes: Rotation, Adames, Uribe
Rotation help looked like a potential area of deadline focus for the Brewers even heading into the season, and that was before a veritable avalanche of injuries left their starting staff in shambles. Milwaukee currently has Wade Miley, Jakob Junis, Robert Gasser, DL Hall and Joe Ross on the big league injured list alongside Brandon Woodruff. Miley (Tommy John surgery) and Woodruff (2023 shoulder surgery) won’t pitch again this season.
That series of health woes has left Milwaukee with a patchwork rotation comprised that features only three set members at the moment: staff ace Freddy Peralta, journeyman Colin Rea and swingman-turned-starter Bryse Wilson. The Brewers announced earlier today that righty Tobias Myers will start tonight’s game and has since optioned lefty Aaron Ashby to Triple-A (clearing way for the selection of righty James Meeker‘s contract). They’ll feature plenty of “TBA”s in the near future when looking at upcoming pitching matchups.
Incredibly, the Brewers are not only still in first place but have a relatively commanding 5.5-game lead over the division at the moment. Still, it’s wholly unsurprising to see FanSided’s Robert Murray suggest that starting pitching will be a major point of focus for Milwaukee’s front office in the weeks leading up to next month’s trade deadline. Murray writes that the Brewers “considered” righty Mike Clevinger in free agency before the 33-year-old re-signed with the White Sox on a one-year deal.
Milwaukee’s level of interest in Clevinger following four shaky White Sox starts and an IL placement for elbow inflammation isn’t clear, but he’d be a reasonable low-cost pickup — both in terms of salary ($3MM base) and cost of acquisition. Clevinger has pitched 16 innings with a 6.75 ERA, a 19.2% strikeout rate and an 11.5% walk rate. He did not complete five innings in any of his four starts with the Sox prior to being placed on the 15-day IL in late May. There’s still seven weeks for him to get healthy and get back to his 2023 form, when he tossed 131 1/3 innings of 3.77 ERA ball (4.28 FIP, 4.81 SIERA). If Clevinger can indeed right the ship, the offseason interest from Milwaukee will be an interesting point to keep in mind, but for now the Brew Crew is surely trying to find more immediate upgrades.
Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also writes within his latest mailbag that Milwaukee is likely to pursue pitching depth at the deadline. That’s only natural, but Hogg also fields multiple questions on the trade candidacy — or lack thereof — of Willy Adames. Milwaukee’s shortstop is just months from reaching the open market, and the Brewers have in the past been willing to trade from the big league roster in the midst of contending pushes as a means of stockpiling future talent. Their 2022 trade of Josh Hader, in particular, is the most prominent instance of this.
That said, Hogg paints a trade of Adames as unlikely, citing a recent interview with Brewers owner Mark Attanasio wherein he acknowledged that the team has not only received trade offers but compelling ones for Adames in the past — as recently as this offseason. “…[T]here may have been some merit to build for the future,” Attanasio said of the offers received for Adames. The club’s owner also touted Adames as one of the heartbeats of the clubhouse, however. And, as Hogg rightly notes, Adames is a slam-dunk qualifying offer candidate at season’s end — one who’ll surely sign a large enough contract to net the Brewers a comp pick at the end of the first round — if he indeed signs elsewhere.
The previously mentioned injury problems for the Brewers don’t stop in the rotation. Milwaukee has been without outfielder Garrett Mitchell and, even more critically, star closer Devin Williams all season. Young fireballer Abner Uribe took over some of Williams’ closing duties early in the season and had a strong start, tossing 12 1/3 innings with a 3.65 ERA, a 27% strikeout rate and three saves to begin the season. Uribe was torched for five runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Yankees in late April and gave up another run against the Rays three days later before being sent to Nashville to work shaky command that had led to a glaring 18.2% walk rate.
Now, however, Uribe is also on the shelf. He recently sustained a knee injury and was placed on the minor league injured list, general manager Matt Arnold revealed to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Uribe is slated to undergo an MRI next Tuesday, at which point the club will surely have further updates on his status.
Reds Shut Down Brandon Williamson’s Rehab Assignment
Reds lefty Brandon Williamson hasn’t pitched in the majors this season due to a shoulder strain he suffered back in spring training. He’d been out on a minor league rehab stint and looked to be nearing a potential return, but things have now hit a snag. The Reds announced today that Williamson has been pulled back from his rehab assignment — but not reinstated to the roster. Rather, he’s remaining on the injured list.
That typically indicates a setback, and shortly after the announcement, manager David Bell indeed announced to the Reds beat that Williamson is experiencing continued discomfort in his ailing shoulder (X link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). He’ll be shut down for at least the next seven days while the Reds see how his shoulder responds and evaluate their options.
It’s poor timing for Williamson, who looked as though he might have a rotation spot to fight for upon his return. Cincinnati optioned struggling righty Graham Ashcraft to Triple-A Louisville yesterday, creating an opening in the rotation behind Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Frankie Montas and Andrew Abbott. The Reds have other options to fill that spot — Nick Martinez and Carson Spiers among them — but Williamson’s apparent setback is a most unwelcome development, given that he’s an intriguing young arm and potential building block for the staff.
Williamson, selected by the Mariners out of TCU in the second round of the 2019 draft, went from Seattle to Cincinnati as part of the swap sending Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker to the M’s. The 6’6″ southpaw was ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects by Baseball America at the time of the trade and wound up making his MLB debut with the Reds last year. In 23 starts, he pitched to a respectable 4.46 ERA, though that number is perhaps skewed by a rough arrival in the majors.
Williamson posted a 5.82 ERA through his first eight starts but rebounded with 78 1/3 innings of 3.79 ERA ball in his final 15 trips to the hill. After posting lackluster strikeout and walk rates of 17% and 9.9%, respectively, in those first eight outings, the Minnesota native settled in with stronger marks of 21.6% and 6.9% in the season’s final three months. It was a strong finish to his season, and when adding in 34 Triple-A frames to his 117 MLB innings, Williams closed out the year with a career-high 151 frames. Between his late performance and his lack of workload concerns, it seemed as though he’d pitched is way onto the Reds’ starting five — or at the very least into the conversation.
Any such arrival will now be further delayed. The Reds haven’t provided further details, but it’s obviously a worrisome sign when a pitcher who’s missed more than two months with a shoulder strain reports discomfort on the heels of a fourth rehab appearance. Presumably, the Reds will provide further details at some point next weekend or early in the following week. For now, Williamson will continue to accrue big league pay and service time on the 60-day injured list. He entered the season with 139 days of MLB service and has already reached one year, placing him on course to reach arbitration after the 2025 season as a Super Two player and free agency after the 2029 campaign.
Rays Designate Harold Ramirez For Assignment
The Rays have designated corner outfielder/designated hitter Harold Ramirez for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to infielder Taylor Walls, who is being reinstated from the 60-day injured list now that his rehab from last October’s hip surgery has been completed.
Ramirez, 29, was a semi-regular with the Rays in 2022-23, particularly versus left-handed pitching. He appeared in 242 games and in 869 plate appearances logged a strong .306/.348/.432 batting line. Ramirez has more gap power than home run power (43 doubles, two triples, 18 homers in that time) but was a strong bat in a relatively limited role. He’s played both outfield corners and first base in the big leagues but is considered a defensive liability at all three spots. The Rays have used him primarily as a designated hitter.
This season has seen a precipitous drop in Ramirez’s production, however. His .268 average remains a solid mark, but Ramirez’s free-swinging approach has produced fewer walks than ever (1.8%), leading to a paltry .284 OBP. He’s also seen his limited power completely erode. In 169 plate appearances, he has just one homer and three doubles. Overall, Ramirez’s .268/.284/.305 slash is about 27% worse than league-average production, by measure of wRC+.
Ramirez is still hitting .310 against lefties this year in a small sample of 58 plate appearances. However, he hasn’t taken even one walk against a southpaw and is slugging only .379 against them. He’s essentially been a good short-side platoon singles hitter who lacks defensive value and, as importantly, lacks minor league options.
With Amed Rosario hitting quite well in an infield/outfield role and Jonny DeLuca offering far more value on the defensive end of things, the Rays opted to jettison Ramirez in order to get Walls and his versatile, slick-fielding glove back on the roster. Rosario, DeLuca, Walls and catcher Alex Jackson will comprise the Rays’ bench group for the time being. Ramirez has largely been squeezed out by DeLuca and 27-year-old Richie Palacios, whom the Rays acquired via trade this winter (DeLuca from the Dodgers in the Tyler Glasnow deal, Palacios from the Cardinals for Andrew Kittredge). Palacios has gone on to bat .262/.355/.369, and his versatility has allowed the Rays to begin to rotate Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe through the DH spot.
Ramirez himself was an oft-discussed trade candidate over the winter. Between his dwindling club control (through 2025), rising price in arbitration ($3.8MM this season) and extreme defensive limitations, he stood as a trade or even non-tender candidate. The Rays typically prefer to find this type of player/skill set early in his pre-arbitration seasons and then flip them elsewhere as that price tag climbs. But despite Ramirez’s quality results at the plate in 2022-23,the market clearly offered tepid enthusiasm for him. Tampa Bay reportedly shopped him prior to the non-tender deadline and again in spring training but never found a deal.
Because of his $3.8MM salary, Ramirez is unlikely to be claimed on waivers if he gets there. It’s unlikely that any potential trade partner would take on the remainder of his contract, but the Rays could perhaps facilitate a swap if they’re willing to pay down some of the money still owed to Ramirez. If Ramirez does reach waivers and ultimately clear, he surpassed five years of major league service time last month, giving him the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency while still retaining his entire salary.
Ramirez would surely go that route, and at that point there’d presumably be many teams interested in bringing him aboard, perhaps even on a big league deal that would land him right on a major league roster. He is, after all, a lifetime .322/.357/.455 hitter against left-handed pitching and can be controlled into next season if he can get back on track at the plate. Ramirez would only be owed the prorated league minimum for any time spent on his new team’s MLB roster. That number would be subtracted from what the Rays owe him, but Tampa Bay is going to be on the hook for the bulk of the $2.35MM he still has left on his deal.
The Rays will trade Ramirez or place him on waivers within the next five days. If he ends up on waivers, that process would take an additional 48 hours.
Blue Jays Notes: Deadline, Vlad, Horwitz
The Blue Jays enter the summer as one of the most fascinating teams to monitor ahead of next month’s trade deadline. Sitting with a disappointing 29-32 record that has them in the AL East cellar, Toronto could upend the trade market if names like Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Danny Jansen, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi and others eventually are made available to contending teams. They’ve not yet reached the point where that’s under consideration, however. GM Ross Atkins recently went on record to quash such rumblings, stating that it “doesn’t make any sense” for the Jays to consider moving Bichette and/or Guerrero.
There’s some logic behind that sentiment, to be sure. The Jays may be buried with a 14-game deficit in the division, but they’re also only four games back of the third AL Wild Card spot at the moment. That’s despite the fact that key bats like Bichette, Guerrero, George Springer and offseason signee Justin Turner have underperformed. (Turner had a blistering April but fell into perhaps the worst slump of his career in May.) It hasn’t manifested yet, but the talent is certainly there for the Jays’ offense to go on a run and surge back into the playoff picture.
Any fans hoping for a proactive trade to boost the offense or an early waving of the white flag appear to be in for a letdown, however. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Jays aren’t planning to make any firm calls on their deadline approach until after the All-Star break.
Some could read that as an indication that if the Jays’ standing in the Wild Card race dramatically falls off, perhaps they’ll reconsider moving Bichette and/or Guerrero. While there are few absolutes in the game — the Nationals famously traded Juan Soto less than two months after GM Mike Rizzo publicly proclaimed he would not do so, for instance — the overwhelming majority of instances where an executive goes on record to publicly downplay such a possibility tend to play out just as the GM or president in question indicates. That said, with Jansen, Kikuchi, Bassitt, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Yimi Garcia, Kevin Kiermaier and others all signed/controlled only through this season or next, the Jays would still have plenty of attractive trade chips if they do end up as sellers.
That All-Star break target for a final call gives the current roster about six weeks to right the ship and prove that there is indeed a playoff-caliber club here — as was the general expectation heading into the season. The Jays are already getting creative in ways to change up their defensive alignment in an effort to get more bats in the lineup, giving Guerrero some starts at third base for the first time since 2019. It’s not an everyday arrangement, but manager John Schneider has suggested Guerrero could play there every five or six games or so, giving Toronto an avenue to have Guerrero and Justin Turner at the corners with both Jansen and Alejandro Kirk in the lineup (one at DH, the other at catcher).
Some may wonder why the Jays don’t simply play Turner at third base with more regularity, given that it’s been his primary position in an excellent big league career. But the 39-year-old Turner has made 11 starts at the hot corner between Boston and Toronto over the past two seasons and committed a glaring five errors in that time. While Guerrero isn’t going to provide plus defense himself, it seems the Jays prefer him to Turner from a defensive standpoint. Turner hasn’t played third base for the Jays since May 7.
Moving Guerrero to third base on occasion isn’t the only defensive shuffle that could be on the horizon, though. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith points out that Toronto has begun getting first baseman Spencer Horwitz reps at second base down in Triple-A and could soon look to him as a second base option at the big league level. Horwitz has now made 11 starts and tallied 87 innings at the position. It’s not an overwhelming amount of experience, but with Horwitz boasting an outrageous .332/.455/.510 slash in 255 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, the Jays are understandably seeking more ways to get him into the lineup.
The added flexibility will give Schneider some more ways to creatively construct his lineup. The ostensibly looming promotion of Horwitz will require Toronto to jettison one position player from the roster, and Toronto has a number of underperforming options to consider. Daniel Vogelbach has been limited to DH against right-handed pitching and managed only a .203/.282/.328 slash on the season. The aforementioned Kiermaier is hitting only .202/.254/.303, though he remains an elite outfield defender. Cavan Biggio‘s .200/.323/.293 marks his fourth straight year of middling results at the dish.
However the Jays choose to proceed, getting Horwitz onto the big league roster in the near future seems prudent, particularly with Guerrero and Bichette beginning to turn things around at the plate. Guerrero entered today’s game hitting .356/.433/.477 over his past 150 plate appearances and has already launched a three-run homer. Bichette’s slow start lasted longer, but he entered play Thursday with a .303/.324/.470 batting line over his past 16 games (68 plate appearances).
Rockies Recall Greg Jones For MLB Debut
2:00pm: The Rockies have now made the official announcement, recalling Jones and Toglia while placing both Bryant and Bouchard on the 10-day IL. Bryant’s ailment is listed as a left rib contusion while Bouchard’s is a right ankle sprain.
1:08pm: The Rockies are set to recall infielder/outfielder Greg Jones from Triple-A Albuquerque for what’ll be his major league debut, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Jones is already with the club in St. Louis, and the Rockies appear set to place not only Kris Bryant (as reported yesterday) but also fellow outfielder Sean Bouchard on the injured list. Harding notes that Bouchard, who exited last night’s game with an apparent foot or ankle injury after running out a sacrifice bunt (video link), was on crutches in the clubhouse prior to the game.
Acquired from the Rays in a spring training trade sending pitching prospect Joe Rock to Tampa Bay, the 26-year-old Jones was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 draft. After impressing with a 2019 run in Low-A and a 2021 run in High-A, his bat stalled out in Double-A and Triple-A, however, and his prospect stock tumbled accordingly. Jones had a rebound last year when he slashed .278/.344/.467 in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting (101 wRC+), which was enough to pique Colorado’s interest and bring about that offseason swap.
While Jones spent about a month on the injured list this season, he’s gotten into 20 Triple-A games and taken 89 plate appearances, batting .240/.360/.387 with a hefty 12.4% walk rate against an also sizable 28.1% strikeout rate. Jones has popped two home runs and, despite his limited time on the field, already swiped 15 bases in 16 attempts. He’s played both shortstop and center field in Albuquerque this year, spending more time at the latter of the two.
Strikeouts have been an issue for Jones throughout his minor league tenure, but scouting reports have credited him as a 70- or even 80-grade runner with a plus arm and huge athleticism. Injuries have regularly kept him off the field though, and paired with the lost minor league season in 2020, Jones has just 293 professional games despite being drafted nearly five years ago.
Those roadblocks in his development have left him rougher around the edges than most 26-year-old minor leaguers, but there’s a clear collection of impressive tools in his skill set if he can eventually hone his bat-to-ball skills with more reps. Doing so at the game’s top level will be a challenge in and of itself, but with Bouchard and Bryant likely headed to the IL alongside outfielders Nolan Jones and Jordan Beck, the Rockies aren’t exactly teeming with outfield options. Michael Toglia is already expected to take Bryant’s spot on the big league club, and Jones is the only other outfielder on Colorado’s 40-man roster.