Astros To Select Jose Siri
The Astros are set to select the contract of outfielder Jose Siri, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Right-hander Bryan Abreu posted a video of Triple-A manager Mickey Storey telling the clubhouse that Siri was getting his first call to the big leagues. (Hector Gomez of ZSports 101 also tweeted the video.)
It’s been a long journey to The Show for the 26-year-old Siri, who initially signed with the Reds as a 17-year-old amateur out of his native Dominican Republic back in 2012. He’s grinded through parts of eight minor league seasons and may have thought his call to the big leagues would come a bit sooner than this, given that Cincinnati selected his contract to the 40-man roster back in November 2017 in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
At that time, Siri was a 22-year-old who’d just wrapped up a brilliant season in Class-A, hitting .293/.341/.530 with 24 home runs, 24 doubles, 11 triples and a whopping 46 stolen bases. His bat took a step back in each of the next two seasons, however, particularly in 2019 when he hit just .186/.252/.245 in his first 30 games of Triple-A work. The Reds designated Siri for assignment in Jan. 2020 to make room on the roster for Nick Castellanos.
Siri wound up being claimed by the Mariners, but Seattle tried to pass him through waivers themselves early in Spring Training. The Giants then claimed him, but he was designated for assignment a second time in July once the league and the union had agreed on return-to-play conditions following the season stoppage due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Giants passed Siri through outright waivers successfully, and he elected free agency this past offseason, eventually settling on a minor league deal with Houston.
Any downturns in Siri’s production since that brilliant 2017 season look like a distant memory now, as he’s put together a monster season in Triple-A Sugar Land and demonstrated why multiple clubs wanted to give him a look on the 40-man roster at various points in the past year. He’s appeared in 93 games and tallied 393 plate appearances with a .321/.372/.559 batting line in that time. Siri has clubbed 16 home runs, 29 doubles and four triples while also going 24-for-27 in stolen-base attempts. He’s appeared at all three outfield positions but spent the bulk of his time this season in center field.
The Astros technically have a full 40-man roster, but they have a pair of players currently in Covid-19 protocols — Zack Greinke and Taylor Jones — so neither counts against the 40-man roster at this time. Siri could potentially be selected as a Covid replacement player, which would mean he’d be able to be sent back down to Triple-A and removed from the 40-man roster without needing to pass through waivers, although given his brilliant season in Triple-A it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were kept on the 40-man roster even once Greinke and Jones return.
Mets Place Zack Scott On Administrative Leave; Sandy Alderson To Assume GM Duties
The Mets announced Thursday that they’ve placed acting general manager Zack Scott on administrative leave “until further notice.” Team president Sandy Alderson is assuming Scott’s responsibilities indefinitely. Scott was arrested earlier this week on a DWI charge in White Plains, N.Y. He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment earlier this morning.
It’s been a tumultuous year for the Mets’ front office, to say the least. Alderson, the team’s former general manager who stepped away years ago in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, was brought back to the organization by new owner Steve Cohen and expected to serve a broader role as team president. Cohen parted ways with GM Brodie Van Wagenen, a former agent who’d been hired by the prior Wilpon family ownership group as Alderson’s successor.
Alderson and Cohen at one point were said to be looking to hire both a president of baseball operations and a general manager but were unable to secure interviews with some top targets and had their interest rebuffed by others. Reported names under consideration at the time included Indians GM Mike Chernoff, Athletics GM David Forst and Twins GM Thad Levine, among others. The Mets eventually settled on a trio of assistant general managers a finalists in their search, selecting D-backs AGM Jared Porter as their new general manager and hiring Scott, then an AGM in Boston, as an assistant GM as well.
Porter, however, was fired just weeks after being hired once it came to light that he’d repeatedly sent unsolicited, and at times graphic and sexually explicit text messages to a reporter in 2016. Allegations against former manager Mickey Callaway, who’d since been hired as the Angels’ pitching coach, soon followed. Callaway was with another club by that point, but much of the purported behavior took place during his tenure with the Mets. Both Porter and Callaway have been placed on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list through the 2022 season.
With Porter quickly ousted, Scott was elevated to the status of acting general manager. There’d been some thought that he could be in line for a permanent appointment to that post — perhaps still with a president of baseball operations being hired to oversee things — but the recent arrest and today’s announcement have now brought his future with the organization into question.
Following the revelations regarding Callaway and Porter, Alderson spoke of improving the Mets’ vetting and background checks during future hiring processes. With another key member of their leadership team now facing a legal issue, an even brighter spotlight will be focused on who the Mets hire this coming winter. It’s possible that Scott is retained in some capacity — notably, Cohen fired Porter the day after word of his purported transgressions broke — but it seems at the very least that there will be some changes to the team’s front office looming this winter.
Mets Designate Geoff Hartlieb For Assignment
The Mets have designated right-hander Geoff Hartlieb for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the roster goes to lefty Brad Hand, whose previously reported waiver claim has now been officially announced.
Hartlieb, 27, was claimed off waivers out of the Pirates organization earlier in the summer and appeared in just three big league games with the Mets, He was tagged for seven runs through 4 1/3 innings in that tiny sample. All in all, he has a 7.46 ERA in 66 1/3 big league innings dating back to 2019. He’s also had a rough go of it in 13 Triple-A frames with the Mets, which marks a departure from a generally excellent track record in the upper minors.
His struggles since being claimed by the Mets notwithstanding, Hartlieb carries a career 3.03 ERA in parts of six minor league seasons — including a 3.18 mark in 62 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He’s fanned just shy of 29 percent of the opponents he’s faced in parts of two Triple-A seasons and posted a very strong 56.3 percent ground-ball rate in that time as well.
The Mets will now either place Hartlieb on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days. In addition to his strong numbers in the upper minors, Hartlieb has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so he could give another club some depth should they wish to place a claim.
Mets Claim Brad Hand
The Mets have claimed left-handed reliever Brad Hand off waivers from the Blue Jays, reports MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter thread). The Jays designated Hand for assignment earlier this week. Because he’s been acquired after Aug. 31, Hand would be ineligible for the Mets’ playoff roster, should the team qualify.
It proved to be a short stay in Toronto for Hand, who was acquired in a July 29th deal that sent catcher Riley Adams from Toronto to Washington. Hand had been in something of a slump with the Nats after a strong three-month start to the season and ultimately wasn’t able to turn the tide following a change of scenery. In 8 2/3 innings with the Jays, Hand yielded 10 runs (seven earned) on 13 hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Of those 13 knocks, three of them left the yard.
Hand is playing the season on a one-year, $10.5MM deal he signed with the Nationals in free agency. He’s still owed $1.75MM of that sum through season’s end, and by claiming him off waivers rather than letting him reach free agency and then attempting to sign him, the Mets are taking on the remainder of that salary.
Notably, the Mets had interest in Hand dating all the way back to the early stages of the 2020-21 offseason. Team president Sandy Alderson has gone on record to state that the team might have claimed Hand when the Indians placed him on waivers at the end of the 2020 campaign (in an effort to spare themselves the $1MM buyout on his $10MM club option). However, with the team’s ownership change not yet finalized, the Mets weren’t in a position to claim an eight-figure salary. Later in free agency, the Mets were reported to have made an offer similar to the $10.5MM deal Hand accepted from the division-rival Nationals.
That could have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Mets. Even setting aside Hand’s recent struggles, the Mets’ alternate course of action saw the team instead turn to sign southpaw Aaron Loup, who has pitched to a stellar 1.20 ERA through 45 innings while playing on a one-year, $3MM deal.
The Mets now have both lefties, and they’ll hope for a rebound for Hand. It’d likely be expecting too much to seek a return to his halcyon days with the Padres, when he pitched to a 2.62 ERA with a 33 percent strikeout rate in 240 1/3 innings from 2016-18. However, Hand pitched to a mid-2.00s ERA with the Nats up through the season’s first few months — albeit with a greatly diminished 23 percent strikeout rate and much more questionable marks from fielding-independent metrics than during his San Diego peak.
There’s not much risk for the Mets in claiming Hand, other than being out a bit of money for a player who has been struggling immensely in recent weeks. If Hand can return to form, he can help fuel an improbable postseason push and perhaps set himself up more nicely for his forthcoming return to the free-agent market. If the struggles persist, the Mets were already a long shot for the playoffs anyhow. They’re five games out of the division lead and five and a half back in the Wild Card hunt, but team president Sandy Alderson is still willing to make some moves and Cohen is still willing to spend some money to try to close that gap.
Red Sox Claim Taylor Motter
The Red Sox have claimed infielder Taylor Motter off waivers from the Rockies, per a club announcement. Colorado designated Motter for assignment earlier in the week.
Motter, 31, only got a brief look with the Rockies before being designated for assignment, going 3-for-20 in 13 games upon having his contract selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. The well-traveled, journeyman utility player had been enjoying a monster season in Albuquerque, where he’d batted .335/.460/.759 with 24 home runs, 16 doubles and a triple in just 265 plate appearances. That type of pop has never previously been there for Motter, who entered the year with 44 career Triple-A home runs through 1410 plate appearances.
The Red Sox will be the fifth big league team for Motter, a career .189/.261/.304 hitter in parts of four seasons between the Rays, Mariners, Twins and Rockies. Motter has spent the bulk of time at second base and third base in 2021, but he has at least 300 professional innings at every position other than catcher and pitcher.
With the Red Sox currently being overrun by a Covid-19 outbreak that has sent eight players to the Covid-19-related injured list, there’s ample room for them to plug Motter directly onto the MLB roster. Boston is currently without Xander Bogaerts, Enrique Hernandez, Christian Arroyo and Yairo Munoz, so adding an infielder who can play multiple positions and was enjoying a hugely productive Triple-A season is eminently logical. Whether Motter can stick on the club once the Sox get back to full strength (or close to it) will be dependent on his performance in the days to come. He’d be ineligible for the postseason roster, should the Red Sox hang onto a spot, by virtue of the fact that he was acquired after Aug. 31.
Mets GM Zack Scott Facing DWI Charge
Sept. 2: Scott pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge at this morning’s arraignment, writes Ryan Gerbosi of Newsday. He has another court date scheduled on Oct. 7.
Sept. 1: Mets acting general manager Zack Scott was arrested in White Plains, N.Y., early Tuesday morning, as first reported by Mike Puma, Craig McCarthy and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon of the New York Post. The Post reports that police found Scott “dozing” in a vehicle, at which point he allegedly refused a breathalyzer but failed a field sobriety test. CBS 2 New York indicates that an officer saw the vehicle in question “driving erratically” shortly before the arrest. Scott has been charged and is due back in White Plains City Court this Thursday, per the Post report.
The Mets issued a statement just minutes after the news of Scott’s arrest was reported, which reads as follows:
“We were surprised and deeply disappointed to learn this morning about an alleged DUI involving Zack Scott. We take this matter very seriously. Zack will not be traveling with the team for our upcoming road trip while we learn more and determine next steps.”
The 44-year-old Scott is in his first year with the Mets, having been hired out of the Red Sox organization, where he oversaw the pro scouting and analytics departments, this past offseason. Scott was originally hired as an assistant general manager but was elevated to the title of acting general manager after then-GM Jared Porter was fired.
Nationals Release Starlin Castro
The Nationals have released infielder Starlin Castro, tweets Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. The move comes in conjunction with the conclusion of Castro’s 30-game suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.
The team announced at the time of the suspension that Castro would be released once that ban had been served, so this was entirely expected. He was initially placed on administrative leave back on July 16, and the league brought forth a 30-game suspension after looking into the allegations against him.
“Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Castro violated our Policy and that discipline is appropriate,” commissioner Rob Manfred said when announcing the suspension.
“We fully support the Commissioner’s decision and will be releasing Starlin Castro upon the completion of his suspension,” the Nationals said in a statement shortly thereafter, adding that the club would have no further comment on the matter.
Castro had been playing on a two-year, $12MM contract signed in the 2019-20 offseason. He was limited to just 16 games by a fractured wrist in 2020 and logged 87 games in 2021 before being placed on administrative leave. In 103 games and 409 plate appearances with the Nationals, Castro logged a .280/.328/.387 line.
Adalberto Mondesi Moving To Third Base
The Royals reinstated Adalberto Mondesi from the injured list when rosters expanded to 28 yesterday, but he won’t be moving back to his customary spot at shortstop, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Instead he’ll split the majority of his time between third base and designated hitter for at least the remainder of the 2021 season.
It’s a decision brought about largely by a strong showing from fellow infielder Nicky Lopez, who has put together a nice season while Mondesi has been limited to just 10 games due to a pair of oblique strains (one on each side of his body) and a hamstring strain. In Mondesi’s absence, Lopez has turned in a .292/.363/.363 batting line and gone 18-for-18 in stolen bases.
The 26-year-old Lopez’s offense is heavily BABIP-dependent thanks to his lack of power, but even if his current .342 mark began to regress, his glovework at shortstop is enough to keep him in the lineup. Lopez has positive marks at shortstop across the board. He’s made just six errors in 979 innings at short and has plus rankings in Defensive Runs Saved (3), Ultimate Zone Rating (5.2) and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (11). That plus-11 mark in OAA is the fourth-highest of any Major League player at any position in 2021.
For the time being, the move to third base likely displaces Hunter Dozier, who’s been struggling to find his form at the plate all season. Dozier looked to perhaps be righting the ship with a strong July performance, but his bat wilted in the month since that hot streak. He’s hitting .203/.272/.351 on the whole as he plays out the first season of a four-year, $25MM contract extension he inked with Kansas City following what looked to be a breakout 2019 showing (.279/.348/.522, 26 home runs, 123 wRC+). Dozier can see some time at first base, at designated hitter and in the outfield corners with Mondesi at third base, and he can of course continue taking reps at the hot corner on days when it’s Monedsi who is tabbed as the designated hitter.
Looking further down the road, an eventual position change for Mondesi has never seemed far-fetched — not with top prospect Bobby Witt Jt. rapidly rising through the system. Witt, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, has split his 2021 season between Double-A and Triple-A, batting a combined .299/.364/.595 with 28 home runs, 28 doubles, four triples and 22 stolen bases. If shortstop is his eventual home on the diamond, it stands to reason that one of Mondesi or Lopez (perhaps even both) would be pushed into a more fluid role, seeing time at multiple positions. The Royals have Whit Merrifield installed at second base this season, but Merrifield can certainly handle the outfield and, speculatively speaking, could be ticketed for more time there in 2022 as the infield picture begins to shift.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore was rather candid when discussing Mondesi’s durability issues earlier this summer, stating publicly that the Royals aren’t able to count on the talented but oft-injured 26-year-old as their everyday option at shortstop. “He may not be a guy that plays more than 100 games a year, best-case scenario,” Moore said at the time. The GM emphasized that the Royals “love Mondi to death” and have no plans to move on from him but simply “can’t, obviously, count on him as an everyday player.”
The Royals control Mondesi for two seasons beyond the current campaign — the same amount of time for which they control the aforementioned Merrifield. Mondesi is making $2.525MM in 2021, and his limited number of games played will keep any raise paid out through arbitration rather minimal. How he handles the move to third base — a position he has not played at all in his professional career — could in some ways influence the Royals’ approach to the 2021-22 offseason. Moore’s prior comments suggest Kansas City won’t count on Mondesi as the regular third baseman even if he wows defensively, but if he looks relatively comfortable there it’s certainly possible that could impact their infield pursuits this winter.
Every Team’s Initial September Callups
The limit on active roster players expanded from 26 to 28 today, as the calendar flipped to September. Every team announced at least two additions to the big league club (some teams made three or more due to injured list placements). Here’s a recap of today’s spate of transactions:
- Angels: RHP Oliver Ortega (full post), INF Luis Rengifo. LHP Patrick Sandoval transferred to 60-day IL
- Astros: RHP Jose Urquidy (activated from 10-day IL), RHP Enoli Paredes
- Athletics: DH Khris Davis, C Austin Allen (full post)
- Blue Jays: RHP Nate Pearson, RHP Bryan Baker (full post)
- Braves: IF Orlando Arcia, RHP Jacob Webb
- Brewers: C Luke Maile, RHP Justin Topa, 1B Daniel Vogelbach (activated from 60-day IL). C Manny Pina placed on 10-day IL, LHP Angel Perdomo transferred to 60-day IL
- Cardinals: RHP Brandon Dickson (full post), C Ali Sanchez. RHP Ryan Helsley transferred to 60-day IL
- Cubs: RHP Adbert Alzolay (activated from 10-day IL), Dillon Maples (activated from 10-day IL)
- Diamondbacks: RHP Luke Weaver (activated from 60-day IL), OF Stuart Fairchild
- Dodgers: UTIL Zach McKinstry, RHP Ryan Meisinger. IF Sheldon Neuse, OF Luke Raley transferred to 60-day IL
- Giants: LHP Caleb Baragar, IF Thairo Estrada, RHP John Brebbia. RHP Johnny Cueto placed on 10-day IL
- Indians: RHP Triston McKenzie (activated from 10-day IL), OF Harold Ramirez (activated from 10-day IL)
- Mariners: LHP Justus Sheffield (activated from 10-day IL), IF Kevin Padlo
- Marlins: LHP Trevor Rogers (activated from restricted list), IF Joe Panik (activated from COVID-19)
- Mets: OF Albert Almora Jr., OF Khalil Lee
- Nationals: LHP Alberto Baldonado (full post), C Alex Avila (activated from 10-day IL)
- Orioles: RHP Dusten Knight, LHP Alexander Wells
- Padres: RHP Dinelson Lamet (activated from 10-day IL), RHP Taylor Williams (activated from 60-day IL). LHP Matt Strahm transferred to 60-day IL
- Phillies: RHP Cam Bedrosian, RHP Ramon Rosso (full post). 1B Rhys Hoskins transferred to 60-day IL, shortstop Didi Gregorius placed on restricted list
- Pirates: RHP Shelby Miller (full post), RHP Max Kranick
- Rangers: LHP Hyeon-jong Yang, IF Charlie Culberson (activated from COVID-19 IL), RHP Kohei Arihara (activated from 60-day IL). INF Ryan Dorow — originally selected as a COVID replacement — removed from 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A
- Rays: RHP David Robertson (full post), SS Taylor Walls
- Red Sox: RHP John Schreiber (full post), INF Jack Lopez, UTIL Danny Santana (activated from 10-day IL), RHP Ryan Brasier (activated from 60-day IL). SS Xander Bogaerts, IF Yairo Munoz placed on COVID-19 IL
- Reds: OF Delino DeShields Jr. (full post), INF Alejo Lopez
- Rockies: RHPs Antonio Santos, Justin Lawrence, Julian Fernandez (full post). Jon Gray placed on injured list
- Royals: RHP Jackson Kowar, SS Adalberto Mondesi (activated from 10-day IL), LHP Jake Brentz (activated from 10-day IL). RHP Jakob Junis placed on 10-day IL
- Tigers: RHP Wily Peralta (activated from 10-day IL), INF Niko Goodrum (activated from 10-day IL)
- Twins: RHP Randy Dobnak (activated from 60-day IL), RHP Joe Ryan (full post). RHP Kenta Maeda transferred to 60-day injured list
- White Sox: RHP Matt Foster, 1B/OF Gavin Sheets, INF/OF Romy Gonzalez (full post). Jake Lamb designated for assignment (full post), Tim Anderson placed on injured list
- Yankees: OF Estevan Florial, RHP Brooks Kriske
Athletics Select Khris Davis
Khris Davis is officially back in Oakland. The A’s announced Wednesday that they’ve selected his contract from Triple-A Las Vegas and recalled catcher Austin Allen as well, filling the two new spots on their expanded September roster.
Davis, 33, was traded from Oakland to Texas alongside catcher Jonah Heim and righty Dane Acker over the winter in a financially driven swap that brought veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus, catcher Aramis Garcia and cash back to the A’s. He lasted just 22 games and 61 plate appearances with the Rangers, however, as the struggles that plagued Davis with the 2019-20 A’s only worsened in Arlington. The Rangers released him on June 13.
The A’s brought Davis back to the organization on a minor league deal in early August, and he responded by absolutely decimating Triple-A pitching over a 16-game stretch. In 68 plate appearances with Vegas, Davis batted .333/.382/.921 with 10 home runs, three doubles and a pair of triples. He struck out just 13 times in that stretch (19.1 percent).
It’s obviously a small sample against inferior pitching in a wildly hitter-friendly setting, but Davis did everything the A’s could have hoped for (and then some) during his trial run back in Triple-A. That monstrous output in Vegas will earn him a look back in the big leagues, offering him an audition for any interested parties in the offseason, when he’ll be a free agent. If he’s back to his former self, Davis can provide the A’s a big power boost as they look to close a one-game deficit in the American League Wild Card standings and a five-game gap in the American League West.
The 27-year-old Allen has been up and down with the A’s a bit over the past two seasons since coming over in the trade that sent Jurickson Profar to the Padres. He’s had only six plate appearances this season but has enjoyed a highly productive season of his own in Triple-A, batting .321/.356/.592 (126 wRC+) with 20 long balls and 15 doubles on the season.