Rangers To Select Greg Bird, Jimmy Herget
The Rangers will select the contracts of first baseman Greg Bird and right-hander Jimmy Herget prior to tomorrow’s game, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Texas already opened a 40-man roster spot by putting injured closer Jose Leclerc on the 45-day IL, but they’ll need to create another spot tomorrow. First baseman Ronald Guzman has already been optioned to the Rangers’ alternate training site, per the Rangers’ press release announcing Leclerc’s injury.
Bird inked a minor league deal with Texas over the winter. The longtime Yankees prospect at one point looked like the first baseman of the future in the Bronx, when he debuted at 22 and slashed .261/.343/.529 slash with 11 homers through just 46 games back in 2015. Unfortunately for Bird, he missed the entire 2016 campaign after shoulder surgery and has been hobbled by injuries since. Lingering ankle issues required another surgery for the slugger, and his 2019 campaign was torpedoed by plantar fasciitis. With the emergence of Luke Voit, the Yankees cut Bird loose rather than tender him a contract this winter.
Now 27, Bird joins the Rangers’ roster as a lifetime .211/.301/.424 hitter. He’s not expected to serve as the everyday first baseman — that role is handled by veteran Todd Frazier — but Bird will be mixed in there and at designated hitter on occasion. In the meantime, Guzman, a former top prospect himself, will get some time to work things out at alternate camp.
As for Herget, he’ll be getting his second look in the Majors after debuting with the Reds a year ago. He only tossed 6 1/3 frames with Cincinnati and allowed three runs in that time. The 2015 sixth-round pick carries a career 3.12 ERA with better than a strikeout per frame in 150 2/3 Triple-A innings, but he’s also averaged four walks per nine in that time.
Dodgers Designate Terrance Gore For Assignment
The Dodgers announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Terrance Gore for assignment and recalled lefty Victor Gonzalez from their alternate training site.
Gore, 29, appeared in a pair of games with the Dodgers but didn’t get an at-bat, as he entered those contests as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. That’s how things have gone in the bigs for much of Gore’s career. His blistering speed has made him a frequent pinch-running and defensive specialist, but he has just 77 plate appearances in parts of seven MLB seasons, including 2020. The Royals gave Gore a career-high 58 plate appearances last year, and he posted a solid .275/.362/.353 slash in that small sample. However, Gore carries a .213/.307/.269 slash in 492 Triple-A plate appearances.
The 24-year-old Gonzalez will be making his MLB debut when he first gets into a game. He soared through three minor league levels last season, pitching to a combined 2.31 ERA with averages of 9.3 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9 through 89 2/3 frames along the way. Gonzalez regularly generates strong ground-ball rates and is considered to be among the Dodgers’ top 30 or so best prospects. He worked more in relief than in the bullpen last season, and although the Dodgers have had multiple injuries pop up in their rotation, it seems the ‘pen is where Gonzalez will begin.
Manager Dave Roberts announced to reporters today that right-hander Tony Gonsolin will get the starting nod tomorrow (Twitter link via J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group), so he’ll need to be recalled from the alternate training site tomorrow.
Rangers Place Jose Leclerc On 45-Day Injured List
5:40pm: The Rangers announced that Leclerc will be shut down for at least four weeks and will undergo platelet-rich plasma treatment later this week. He’s been placed on the 45-day injured list, which opens a spot on the 45-man roster.
5:05pm: Rangers closer Jose Leclerc has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of the teres major in his right shoulder, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). It’s the same diagnosis that recently sidelined Corey Kluber for the bulk of the 2020 season, though the club believes Leclerc’s injury to be a bit less severe. An exact timeline isn’t clear just yet, but Leclerc will miss a significant portion of the shortened 2020 season.
It’s not immediately cleae who’ll step into the ninth inning in Leclerc’s absence. Nick Goody got the call and converted a save last night with Leclerc unavailable, and he’s one of the more experienced arms in the Texas ‘pen (despite being claimed off release waivers this winter). Veterans Jesse Chavez and Edinson Volquez are the only other relievers on the roster who have even two full years of Major League service time. A committee of sorts seems likeliest for now, although Goody’s perfect inning last night could give him the inside track if the Rangers opt to go with a set ninth-inning option.
Leclerc, 26, showed the ability to miss bats in bunches as a rookie in 2017 but demonstrated alarming control issues that year. In 2018, he looked to have put everything together, though, when he fired 57 2/3 frames of 1.56 ERA ball with 12 saves, 13.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. That electric showing led the Rangers to sign him to a four-year, $14.75MM extension in March 2019. He stumbled out of the gates last year, but after a miserable month of April the flamethrowing righty pitched to a 3.57 ERA with 86 strikeouts against 30 walks in 58 frames.
The Rangers still have Leclerc signed through at least the 2022 season, and his contract contains affordable options for the 2023 and 2024 seasons: $6MM and $6.25MM, respectively. Leclerc is earning $2.25MM in 2020 (about $810K, prorated) and is guaranteed $4MM in 2021 and $4.75MM in 2022.
Diamondbacks Promote Daulton Varsho
4:38pm: The D-backs have formally announced the moves. Varsho’s contract has been selected, and Cron has been optioned to Salt River Fields.
1:50pm: The Diamondbacks are set to promote top catching prospect Daulton Varsho to the big leagues, as James Fox of FutureSox.com first reported (via Twitter). Varsho isn’t on the 40-man roster, so his contract will need to be formally selected. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that first baseman/designated hitter Kevin Cron is being optioned to alternate camp in a corresponding move.
Varsho, 24, entered the season widely considered to be among the game’s 100 best prospects. A second-round pick back in 2017, Varsho spent last season in Double-A, where he hit .301/.378/.520 with 18 home runs and 21 steals. Varsho ranked as the game’s No. 29 prospect on Keith Law’s preseason rankings at The Athletic and checked in at No. 34 on Kiley McDaniel’s list at ESPN.com. Baseball America (56), FanGraphs (61) and MLB.com (75) all rank him among the game’s best young talents as well. His father, Gary, spent part of eight seasons in the Majors from 1988-95, seeing time with the Cubs, Pirates, Reds and Phillies.
While the younger Varsho is a catcher first and foremost, he’s capable of playing all over the diamond. McDaniel calls him a passable defender at first base, second base, in the outfield corners and even in center field, citing his plus speed and athleticism. That ability to bounce all over the field would seem particularly valuable for a D-backs club that has demonstrated a fondness for carrying three catchers for several years now. Varsho can still serve as a backup for starter Carson Kelly and veteran Stephen Vogt behind the dish. Unlike most third catchers, though, he can get worked into the lineup on a fairly regular basis by spelling others on the diamond.
Even though we’re just a week into the season, enough time has passed that the D-backs have gained an additional year of control over Varsho by keeping him down this long. (Service time, like salary, is prorated this year.) As such, Arizona can control Varsho all the way through the 2026 season. He’d still be on track to be a surefire Super Two player and reach arbitration four times, but that’s typically of lesser concern for most organizations than delaying free agency entirely. Of course, those timelines could still change if Varsho is ultimately sent back down to alternate camp (or optioned to the minors in subsequent seasons).
Giants Designate Dany Jimenez, Option Jaylin Davis
The Giants announced a series of roster moves Thursday, as they optioned outfielders Jaylin Davis and Joe McCarthy to their alternate training site, designated Rule 5 right-hander Dany Jimenez for assignment and recalled Steven Duggar. Meanwhile, corner infielders Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria were activated from the injured list.
Jimenez, 26, was selected out of the Blue Jays organization in December’s Rule 5 Draft, but his brief time with the Giants didn’t go particularly well. He allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings of work and walked three of the eight batters he faced. Jimenez threw only 37 pitches with the Giants, and fewer than half of those offerings were strikes. The righty was certainly impressive in the minors last year — albeit against younger competition. In 59 2/3 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, Jimenez notched a 2.59 ERA with 14.2 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9.
Jimenez will be put through waivers now, and if he’s claimed by another club, he’d retain his Rule 5 status with the new team. If Jimenez goes unclaimed, he’ll be offered back to the Blue Jays. The two clubs could also work out a trade that’d allow the Giants to retain Jimenez’s rights as a non-roster player who’d no longer be tied to Rule 5 roster limitations.
It’s a bit of a surprise to see Davis sent down, as the Giants appear high on the 26-year-old slugger. Acquired from the Twins a year ago in the Sam Dyson swap that proved quite regrettable for Minnesota — Dyson had a shoulder injury he’d not disclosed to the Giants or Twins that required surgery — Davis has gotten out to a slow start. He’s appeared in four games and gone just 2-for-12 with a solo home run and six strikeouts. Today’s move notwithstanding, the Giants will surely want to take a longer look at Davis after he decimated minor league pitching to the tune of a .306/.397/.590 slash last year. It seems likely that he’ll be up again in the not-too-distant future, but for now he’ll work at the team’s alternate site while Duggar gets another go-around at the MLB level.
Mets Select Brian Dozier, Designate Hunter Strickland For Assignment
The Mets announced a series of roster moves today, placing Eduardo Nunez on the 10-day injured list with a left knee contusion and selecting the contract of veteran second baseman Brian Dozier in his place. In order to open a spot on the roster for Dozier, New York designated right-hander Hunter Strickland for assignment. Lefty Daniel Zamora is up from the team’s alternate training site to take Strickland’s spot on the 30-man roster.
Dozier, 33, inked a minor league deal with the Mets midway through Summer Camp after being let go by the Padres. He’s already in tonight’s lineup and will give the club some thump against lefty starter Martin Perez. Dozier, a former All-Star with the Twins, is a lifetime .270/.354/.500 hitter against southpaws. For a brief stretch from 2014-17, he was among the league’s best second basemen, hitting a combined .254/.338/.476 with 127 home runs in that four-year stretch. That included a monstrous 42-homer effort in 2016, which he followed up with a 34-dinger season in 2017.
A knee injury hobbled Dozier for much of the 2018 season, which surely contributed to a dismal .215/.305/.391 showing. He bounced back a bit with the World Series-winning Nationals in 2019, slashing .238/.340/.430 in 482 plate appearances. However, Dozier’s role shrunk late in the regular season and in the postseason. This winter, with an abundance of supply and considerably less demand on the second base market, Dozier settled for a minor league deal — but he’s quickly worked his way back to the bigs.
As for Strickland, he’ll depart after surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits in just 2 1/3 frames as a Met. The 31-year-old posted terrific numbers with the Giants from 2014-17 before slipping a bit in 2018 and completely cratering in 2019. Strickland still has a 3.24 ERA in 252 2/3 Major League innings, but his recent track record is concerning, and he’s had some issues off the mound. The righty broke his hand when he punched a door after blowing a save back in 2018, and he’s previously incited a benches-clearing brawl by throwing at Bryce Harper (widely believed to be in response to Harper homering off him twice in the postseason three years prior).
Mike Foltynewicz Clears Waivers, Sent Outright To Braves’ Alternate Training Site
The Braves announced Thursday that right-hander Mike Foltynewicz was sent outright to the team’s alternate training site after going unclaimed on waivers. He’ll continue to work out there in hopes of returning to form.
While some might be surprised to see a pitcher with Foltynewicz’s track record clear waivers, it’s notable that he’s earning $6.425MM in 2020 — about $2.38MM after factoring for prorated salaries. Any team that claimed him would’ve been on the hook for the entirety of that sum. At a time when some clubs still haven’t even committed to paying their minor leaguers a $400 weekly stipend through August, that additional $2.38MM in salary is surely viewed as a more sizable commitment by many owners than one would think upon first glance.
Had Foltynewicz simply gotten out to a rough start to the year, perhaps a club would’ve been willing to gamble on him. However, the right-hander also came out averaging just over 90 mph on a fastball that as recently as 2018 averaged 96.4 mph. That’s a glaring red flag — one that likely contributed to all 29 other clubs shying away from the 2018 All-Star. Manager Brian Snitker said after the game that the team wasn’t sure what prompted the velocity dip, though he acknowledged what was obvious to anyone who saw the right-hander pitch that night — Foltynewicz looks noticeably thinner than at any point in his career.
Whatever the reasons for Foltynewicz’s drop in velocity, the immediate results were ugly, to say the least. In his lone start this season, the right-hander was tagged for six runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in just 3 1/3 frames. Three of the four hits he surrendered were long balls.
Even the 2019 season was a rough one for Foltnewicz, who missed time with a bone spur and at one point was even optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. The righty looked to have found himself late in the season, as he closed out the year with a 1.73 ERA and a 36-to-10 K/BB ratio in his final seven starts — a span of 41 2/3 innings. That he managed to salvage his season in that capacity is likely what led the Braves to tender a contract to Foltynewicz, who had carried a 6.37 ERA into late June before being optioned.
It’s clear to anyone who’s followed the game in recent years that Foltynewicz is a highly talented arm with a notable ceiling. He rattled off 183 innings of 2.85 ERA ball in 2018, averaging 9.9 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 and hurling a pair of shutouts along the way. That terrific season landed him eighth in NL Cy Young Award voting. That looked to be the breakout moment for Foltynewicz, but the former first-round pick and top prospect has yet to replicate that year’s production.
The timing of Foltynewicz’s DFA likely wasn’t a coincidence. The right-hander entered the season with four years, 134 days of MLB service time, meaning he needed just 38 days of service to reach five total years. Prorated to match the shortened 2020 season, Foltynewicz needed only 14 days on the MLB roster to reach five years of service. And once a player reaches five years of big league service time, he’s able to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency without forfeiting the remainder of his salary. Had the Braves given Foltynewicz even two more starts, he could’ve taken free agency after an outright assignment and gone to another club. Now, the organization will at least have the chance to see if he can right the ship and contribute later in the season.
Rays’ Colin Poche Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
JULY 30: Poche has indeed undergone Tommy John surgery, the Rays announced.
JULY 21: Rays lefty Colin Poche has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and will miss the 2020 season, the team announced. Tommy John surgery has been recommended for the 26-year-old Poche, who has been placed on the 45-day injured list. Tampa Bay selected veteran catcher Kevan Smith to the big league roster in a corresponding move.
The loss of Poche is a tough blow for the Tampa Bay bullpen. While last season’s 4.70 ERA doesn’t exactly stand out as an impressive mark. Poche’s secondary numbers were all considerably better. The southpaw averaged 12.5 strikeouts and 3.3 walks per nine innings pitched with a 4.08 FIP in 51 2/3 frames.
In spite of that unsightly ERA, Poche overwhelmed both left- and right-handed hitters, yielding just a .167/.276/.348 slash to lefties and a .190/.277/.388 line to righties. A 67.6 percent strand rate that was vastly worse than his career mark in the minors, and Statcast pegged Poche in the 91st percentile or better in terms of swinging-strike rate and his opponents’ expected batting average, slugging percentage and weight on-base average. A breakout season for the talented lefty seemed eminently possible, but he could now be sidelined into late 2021 — if not all the way into the 2022 season.
Poche will get a year of service time in 2020 as he rehabs on the 45-day IL, and he’ll need to be placed on the 60-day IL to open the 2021 season as well. If he is indeed out until 2022, he may be arbitration-eligible as a Super Two player by the time he’s able to return to the mound, although with 114 days under his belt at the moment, he’d be a very borderline case for Super Two status.
As for the 32-year-old Smith, he’ll likely make the club’s roster as a backup catcher. Smith has seen time in each of the past four seasons — 2016-18 with the White Sox and 2019 with the Angels — hitting a combined .272/.318/.381 along the way. That’s pretty solid production from behind the plate, but Smith also owns a woeful 14 percent caught stealing rate and has posted sub-par framing numbers as well.
Latest On Marlins Outbreak And Its Ripple Effects
The most recent wave of COVID-19 tests among the Marlins produced another positive player, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). That brings the club’s total to an incredible 16 of the 33 players who traveled to Philadelphia for this past weekend’s series (the 30 on the roster plus a three-man taxi squad). The Marlins have also had two staff members test positive. Over at their alternate camp, every player tested negative on Tuesday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports (Twitter link).
The full list of Marlins players to have tested positive isn’t known, although MLB Network’s Jon Heyman added this morning that right-hander Sandy Alcantara is among the list. Speaking more generally, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that the Marlins’ pitching staff has been hit particularly hard by this outbreak. As such, it’s not surprising to see that Miami has already claimed a trio of pitchers off waivers: Mike Morin, Justin Shafer and Josh D, Smith (not to be confused with Josh A. Smith, who is also with the Marlins as a non-roster player in alternate camp). Further additions for the Marlins seem quite likely.
For now, the Marlins remain in Philadelphia and are not yet certain when they’ll travel back to Florida, Jackson tweets. The hope is that they’ll be able to do so by Friday, but that situation remains fluid. As of right now, the Marlins aren’t slated to play again until next week, when they’re scheduled to host the Phillies, of all teams.
As for the Phillies, their entire roster and staff tested negative for a second consecutive day, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). In fact, Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal tweets that outside of yesterday’s Marlins positive, there wasn’t a positive test with any of the 29 other teams. That’s certainly welcome news, although the fact that new positives are still arising with the Marlins is problematic.
The Phillies, Rosenthal tweets, won’t play on Friday as had been previously expected but will instead play the Blue Jays in a Saturday doubleheader and a third game Sunday. The extra day gives the league a bit more time to take caution and hopefully ensure that none of the Phillies players or staff members were infected in last weekend’s series. It’s not known what would happen if the Phillies had a positive test (or tests) between now and Saturday, but they’ll continue to be tested daily in the interim.
Orioles Trade Hector Velazquez To Astros
The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve traded right-hander Hector Velazquez to the Astros in exchange for a player to be named later. Baltimore had outrighted Velazquez off its 40-man roster just prior to Opening Day.
Velazquez, 31, spent the past three seasons with the Red Sox, throwing well from 2017-18 before stumbling to a 5.43 ERA in 56 frames in 2019. He’d previously logged a 3.12 ERA in 109 2/3 MLB frames, with averages of 5.9 strikeouts, 2.7 walks and 0.9 home runs per nine innings. The righty’s low strikeout right and lofty 80.7 percent strand rate prompted fielding-independent metrics to treat that ERA with some skepticism, but even metrics like FIP (4.24), SIERA (4.54) felt he was at least a passable option.
Things deteriorated last year for Velazquez when his walk and home run rates spiked. His strand rate not only regressed toward the league average (72.3 percent) but blew right by it and swung toward another extreme: 61.9 percent. Velazquez doesn’t miss many bats, but he can generate grounders with a low-spin sinker when at his best, as evidenced by a near-50 percent grounder rate in 2018.
It’s a necessary depth move for an Astros club that has been hammered by injuries on the pitching staff. Houston currently has nine rookies on its staff, including seven relievers who hadn’t accrued a single day of MLB service prior to Opening Day. It’s not clear whether Velazquez will be selected directly to the Major League roster, although given the sheer inexperience that currently permeates the Houston roster, there’d seem to be a decent chance that Velazquez will be called up in the near future.