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Athletics Select Scott McGough

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With rosters expanding from 26 to 28 today, the Athletics made a number of moves. They activated right-hander Luis Severino from the 15-day injured list, recalled infielder/outfielder Max Schuemann and selected right-hander Scott McGough. Right-hander Eduarniel Núñez was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to open up an extra active roster spot. Left-hander Ben Bowden has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot for McGough.

McGough, 35, signed a minor league deal with the A’s in June after being cut loose by the Diamondbacks. Since signing that pact, he has tossed 24 Triple-A innings with a 3.38 earned run average. His 18.4% strikeout rate in that time wasn’t great but his 7.8% walk rate and 48.6% ground ball rate were solid figures.

After a solid run in Japan from 2019 to 2022, McGough returned to North America by signing with the Diamondbacks for 2023. He gave Arizona 70 1/3 innings with a 4.73 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 48.6% ground ball rate that year. His results have backed up since then, however. Between last year and this year, he tossed 39 2/3 innings with a 7.26 ERA, 16.2% strikeout rate, 14.6% walk rate and 38.9% ground ball rate. He has seemingly righted the ship somewhat lately, so the A’s will bring him back to the majors.

As for Bowden, he was placed on the 15-day IL just over a week ago due to a lat strain. His current health status is unclear but this move indicates the A’s don’t expect him back this season. He’ll stay on the 60-day IL for the remainder of the campaign. There’s no IL in the offseason, so he’ll need to be reinstated or removed from the 40-man within five days of the conclusion of the World Series.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Images

A’s Activate Jacob Wilson From Injured List

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Jacob Wilson returns to action nearly a month after suffering a forearm fracture. The A’s activated the rookie shortstop from the 10-day injured list. He’s hitting fifth against Seattle starter Bryan Woo. The A’s optioned Max Schuemann to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. They also made a couple changes on the pitching staff. Eduarniel Núñez and Joey Estes are up from Triple-A as Ben Bowden (lat strain) and Jack Perkins (shoulder strain) land on the 15-day injured list.

Wilson’s return is the most significant of those moves. The 2023 sixth overall pick had an outstanding first half. He’s hitting .312/.354/.439 with 10 longballs and 17 doubles. Wilson had struggled a bit in July but hit .323 or better in each of the season’s first three months. His return won’t mean much in the standings with the A’s sitting 11 games below .500, but they’re obviously a much better team when he’s in the lineup.

At the time of his injury, Wilson was the frontrunner for American League Rookie of the Year. Teammate Nick Kurtz has mashed his way to that spot and probably has the award all but secure at this point. Wilson still easily leads MLB rookies with 115 hits. He has a shot to finish in second for the award, though Boston’s Roman Anthony and the Yankees’ Will Warren are among those who also have reasonable arguments for that spot.

Anthony would earn a full year of service if he manages a top two finish. While he already signed a long-term extension with the Red Sox, that’d be important for his earning power considering his deal has significant escalators dependent on his Rookie of the Year placement. The ROY finish is less meaningful for Wilson. He has been on the MLB roster since Opening Day and will get a full service year either way. He cannot earn the A’s an extra draft choice by winning the award, however, because he entered this year with more than 60 days of service. Wilson spent five weeks on the MLB injured list late last season with a hamstring strain, which is why he had that much service time while remaining Rookie of the Year eligible.

Darell Hernaiz was called up when Wilson went on the shelf. The 24-year-old has turned in a solid .261/.337/.420 slash in 20 games. That’s enough to hold his roster spot. Hernaiz had played shortstop while Wilson was down but moves to second base tonight. He’ll probably get everyday run there, kicking impending free agent Luis Urías to the bench.

Athletics Select Ben Bowden, Designate Logan Davidson For Assignment

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The Athletics announced today that they have selected the contract of left-hander Ben Bowden. Fellow lefty Hogan Harris has been optioned as the corresponding active roster move. Infielder Logan Davidson has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot.

Bowden, 30, gets back to the big leagues for the first time in four years. He got into 39 games with the Rockies in 2021, allowing 6.56 earned runs per nine, but has been stuck in the minors since then. In early 2022, the Rays claimed him off waivers and later ran him through unclaimed. He then spent some time with the Giants, Phillies and Braves in a non-roster capacity without getting called up.

He signed a minor league deal with the A’s in the offseason and has been pitching well in Triple-A this year. In 39 2/3 innings for the Aviators, he has only allowed 1.36 earned runs per nine. There’s surely a bit of good luck in there, as his .260 batting average on balls in play, 80.3% strand rate and 2.3% home run per flyball rate are all to the helpful side. However, he is striking out 25.6% of opponents, though also with a high walk rate of 11.3%.

The A’s will give him a shot to see if he can find some major league success. With Harris getting sent down, Bowden will be the second lefty in the big league bullpen, alongside Sean Newcomb. It’s possible Newcomb is traded in the next week, since he’s an impending free agent and pitching well. That could help Bowden stick around, though he does have one option remaining.

Davidson, 27, was the club’s first-round pick back in 2019. After the lost 2020 season, he struggled in the three following campaigns and fell off the prospect map. He regained a bit of form in 2024 by hitting .300/.366/.535 in 87 Triple-A contests, despite his strikeout rate remaining high at 30.5%. He then started his 2025 season with a .303/.452/.428 line in his first 186 Triple-A plate appearances, again working around a high strikeout rate of 31.2%.

That got him up to the big leagues for the first time in late May. He struck out 12 times in his first 24 plate appearances, producing a .150/.261/.200 line before getting optioned back down to Las Vegas. Since getting sent back down, he has slashed .221/.371/.372.

DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the A’s could take up to five days to explore trade interest. He is capable of playing all over the diamond and has occasionally shown some promise at the plate. He also has a full slate of options and could perhaps appeal to a club in need of some position player depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the A’s as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

A’s Sign Ben Bowden To Minor League Deal

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The A’s have signed left-hander Ben Bowden to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Bowden’s MLB.com profile page.

Bowden, 30, was a second-round pick by the Rockies in the 2016 draft. A pure relief prospect dating back to his days in the SEC, the lefty missed the 2017 due to shoulder injuries but was a fast riser in the club’s minor league system once he got going. He reached Triple-A by the end of his second full professional season after dominating the Double-A level to the tune of a 1.05 ERA with a 46.2% strikeout rate in 26 appearances. The cancelled minor league season in 2020 further delayed Bowden’s ascent to the majors, but after posting 11 2/3 scoreless frames at the Triple-A level in 2021 he was promoted to the big leagues.

In the majors, unfortunately, Bowden struggled badly. His 23.7% strikeout rate was a far cry from the gaudy numbers he posted in the minors, and his 11.9% walk rate left much to be desired. In all, Bowden posted a 6.56 ERA in 35 2/3 innings of work for the Rockies during his rookie season. His 4.85 FIP indicated that he had pitched better than his results might indicate, but even that more charitable figure was below league average. Given his 6.19 ERA away from Coors Field, it’s also difficult to blame Bowden’s struggles on his offense-inflating home ballpark.

Those lackluster results led the Rockies to leave Bowden off their Opening Day roster in 2022. The southpaw struggled badly at Triple-A Albuquerque with an 8.22 ERA in 7 2/3 innings of work before the Rockies decided to expose the lefty to waivers in hopes of outrighting him off the 40-man roster. Instead, Bowden found himself claimed off waivers by the Rays who themselves later outrighted him off of their 40-man. The lefty’s stint in Tampa went quite well despite him not making it to the majors with the club. In 22 innings of work at Triple-A for the Rays, Bowden pitched to a 2.45 ERA with a 24.7% strikeout rate, though his 14.4% walk rate left much to be desired. Tampa eventually flipped Bowden to the Giants ahead of the 2022 trade deadline in a minor deal, though Bowden struggled in his return to the Pacific Coast League and elected free agency when the season concluded.

Since reaching free agency during the 2022-23 offseason, Bowden has pitched for the Phillies and Braves for stints at Triple-A without cracking the big league roster of either club. He’s posted a 30.4% strikeout rate in 81 1/3 innings of work across the last two seasons but posted an ERA north of 4.00 in both seasons. Now, he’ll hope to make it back to the big leagues with an Athletics club that has a much less crowded bullpen than either the 2023 Phillies or the 2024 Braves, though in order to do so he’ll likely need to get past his long-standing struggles performing in the PCL’s inflated offensive environment.

Braves Sign Andrew Velazquez, Ben Bowden To Minors Contracts

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The Braves have signed infielder Andrew Velazquez, and left-hander Ben Bowden to minor league contracts, as per both players’ MLB.com profile pages.  For Velazquez, it’s a return to the organization, as he elected free agency after being outrighted off the Braves’ 40-man roster at the start of November.

His trip through the market will now take him back to Atlanta, as Velazquez is still seeking his first big league appearance in a Braves uniform.  The Braves claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Angels in early September but he played exclusively at Triple-A Gwinnett, as Atlanta never had an injury situation develop that would’ve gotten Velasquez a look on the Major League roster.

This same type of depth role probably awaits Velazquez in 2024, though since the Braves dealt Nicky Lopez to the White Sox, Velazquez might have a better shot at claiming a bench spot.  Both glove-first players, Lopez is projected for a $3.9MM arbitration salary and Velazquez $740K, though due to the non-tender, Velazquez isn’t on any kind of guaranteed salary as a minor league signing.

The 29-year-old Velazquez has appeared in each of the last six Major League seasons, hitting .189/.244/.293 over 624 plate appearances.  Most of that action (349 PA) came with the Angels in 2022, when Velazquez ended up assuming mostly everyday shortstop duties when David Fletcher fell out of favor with the team.  While he didn’t produce anything at the plate, Velasquez was a big help on defense, with +11 Defensive Runs Saved, +3 Outs Above Average, and a +3.0 UZR/150 in 906 innings at shortstop.

However, his defensive numbers were all deep into the minuses over 233 1/3 innings last year, as Velazquez appeared in only 54 games and spent most of 2023 in Triple-A.  It could be just a small sample size issue, though given Velazquez’s lackluster offense, he needs to be at least an above-average glove to get him any chance of sticking as a big league backup.  In terms of versatility, Velasquez has played mostly shortstop, with some time at second base and center field, and a handful of appearances at third base and left field earlier in his career.

Bowden’s MLB resume consists of 35 2/3 relief innings over 39 appearances with the Rockies in 2021.  A second-round pick for Colorado in the 2016 draft, Bowden has posted a lot of strikeouts during his minor league career, yet also a lot of walks and home runs.  Spending most of his minor league time in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League hasn’t helped in that regard, though Bowden also gave up eight homers in 52 1/3 innings pitching with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023 (with a 4.64 ERA, 32.2% strikeout rate, and 13.6% walk rate).

The Phillies, Giants, and Rays have all gotten looks at Bowden after Tampa first claimed him off waivers from the Rockies in April 2022, so the southpaw’s ability to miss bats is still a point of interest for clubs.  Atlanta now becomes the latest team to see if Bowden can harness his control enough to become a viable option for the Major League bullpen.

Phillies Sign Ben Bowden, Jeremy Walker, Mark Appel To Minor League Deals

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The Phillies announced a number of non-roster invitations to big league camp this morning. While most of that group was either already in the system or had previously been reported to have an agreement with Philadelphia, a trio of new names with MLB experience were among the batch: righties Jeremy Walker and Mark Appel, and left-hander Ben Bowden.

Walker, 27, has six big league appearances to his name. Those came with the Braves back in 2019, when he worked 9 1/3 innings of two-run ball out of Brian Snitker’s bullpen. Walker had posted a 3.97 ERA with quality peripherals that season for Triple-A Gwinnett and looked to be a potential middle relief option for Atlanta. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2020 season with a shoulder impingement and was released the following offseason.

The former 5th-round pick signed a minor league deal with the Giants shortly thereafter. He missed the entire ’21 season as well but returned to affiliated action last year. Walker made 28 appearances for San Francisco’s top affiliate, posting a 6.88 ERA over 35 1/3 innings in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. He had roughly average strikeout and walk marks and still attracted the interest of the Rays, who sent infielder Ford Proctor to San Francisco for Walker at the trade deadline. He closed out the year with 21 2/3 frames of 5.91 ERA ball for Tampa Bay’s top affiliate and didn’t get an MLB look before hitting minor league free agency.

Bowden also spent time in Triple-A with San Francisco and Tampa Bay last season. The 28-year-old began the season with the Rockies but landed in Tampa via waiver claim. The Rays successfully ran him through waivers and kept him in the minors before dealing him to San Francisco in late July. Between the three clubs, the Vanderbilt product posted a 5.46 ERA over 57 2/3 frames of relief. He punched out an excellent 29.9% of opposing hitters but had a similarly lofty 13.8% walk percentage.

A former second-round pick and Futures Game participant, Bowden has long tantalized with swing-and-miss stuff but struggled with shaky control in the minors. He’d spent his entire career in the Colorado organization prior to last year, reaching the majors in 2021. Bowden provided the Rox 35 2/3 innings of 6.56 ERA ball as a rookie, fanning 23.7% of opponents against an 11.9% walk rate. That’s his only MLB experience to date.

Appel is a more familiar name to Phillies fans. The former first overall pick looked as if he’d never reach the majors when he stepped away from the game after the 2017 season. He returned to the Philadelphia organization in 2021 and got another crack last year despite some initial rust. That paid off when Appel posted strong numbers at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In June, he secured his long-awaited big league call — making for one of the league’s better stories in 2022.

The 31-year-old allowed only two runs through his first 10 1/3 innings. He averaged 95 MPH on his sinker and racked up grounders at a massive 56.3% clip to put himself in the middle innings mix. That preceded an unfortunate battle with elbow inflammation that ended his season. At year’s end, Philadelphia ran Appel through waivers and sent him to free agency. He returns to the organization a few months later and will try to pitch his way back onto the 40-man roster.

Giants Acquire Ben Bowden From Rays

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The Giants acquired left-hander Ben Bowden from the Rays, as revealed by Triple-A Durham manager Brady Williams (hat tip to Durham broadcaster Patrick Kinas).  There isn’t any word yet on what the Rays sent back in the deal. Bowden makes his return to the NL West, after spending the majority of his professional career in the Rockies organization.

Colorado drafted Bowden 45th overall in 2016, and while his development was slowed by two missed seasons (2017 due to injury, and naturally 2020 due to the canceled minor league campaign), the southpaw eventually reached the majors in 2021.  Bowden posted a 6.56 ERA over 35 2/3 innings out of the Rockies’ bullpen, with a 23.7% strikeout rate and a mediocre 11.9% walk rate.

Control problems have been an issue for Bowden for much of his career, with an 11.56% walk rate to show for 168 2/3 innings in the minor leagues.  However, he has also recorded plenty of strikeouts, and has a solid 3.42 ERA to show for his time on the farm.  The 2022 season could act as a microcosm of Bowden’s inconsistency — he posted an 8.22 ERA in 7 2/3 frames with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, before delivering a 2.45 ERA for Triple-A Durham after being claimed by the Rays in April.

Even within that improvement with the Bulls, Bowden still has an ungainly 14.4% walk rate.  Tampa Bay designated the lefty for assignment in May and then outrighted him off their 40-man roster, so San Francisco and the 28 other teams all opted to pass on Bowden during that stint on the DFA wire.

Bowden has shown enough potential that it is easy to understand why the Giants (a club with a proven knack for developing pitchers) would have interest, especially since the 27-year-old is already a big league-ready arm.  With Jose Alvarez on the 60-day injured list until September, Bowden gives the Giants another left-handed depth option for their bullpen at either the MLB or Triple-A level.

AL Roster Notes: Twins, White Sox, Rays

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The Twins have reinstated Gilberto Celestino from the COVID injured list, per the team. Chi Chi Gonzalez was returned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster. It’s worth nothing that Gonzalez has an opt out clause in his contract that he can trigger next week, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP Eyewitness News (via Twitter). The 30-year-old Gonzalez made just one appearance for the Twins, yielding three earned runs in three innings of work. Let’s check on other roster moves made today in the American League…

  • The White Sox optioned Tanner Banks to Triple-A today to make room for reliever Kyle Crick, per the Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter). Crick has 10 appearances on the year with a 3.60 ERA/3.95 FIP across 10 innings with a 11-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Banks, a 30-year-old rookie, made 14 appearances spanning 21 2/3 innings with a 4.57 ERA/4.44 FIP.
  • Southpaw Ben Bowden, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Bowden, 27, was claimed off waivers earlier this season from the Rockies. He has not yet seen big league action for the Rays.

Rays Place Wander Franco On Injured List, Designate Ben Bowden For Assignment

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9:52pm: Franco told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that he hopes to return to the big league club in around two weeks but conceded the specific timetable was fairly fluid.

1:05pm: The Rays announced Tuesday that shortstop Wander Franco has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained quadriceps. His spot on the active roster will go to righty Shawn Armstrong, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay designated lefty Ben Bowden for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Armstrong.

Franco was lifted from yesterday’s game after his third hit of the day after he felt what manager Kevin Cash described as a “tug” in the same quad muscle that held him out of a few games a bit more than a week ago. He’ll now be sidelined for at least the next 10 days following a recurrence of the issue.

The Rays aren’t short on options to fill in for Franco, with Taylor Walls, Vidal Brujan and Isaac Paredes all on the big league roster at the moment. That’s not to say Franco’s absence won’t sting, of course, even if it’s abbreviated in nature. The consensus No. 1 overall prospect in baseball heading into the 2021 season, Franco has compiled a .281/.331/.447 slash through his first 498 plate appearances (121 wRC+) while turning in strong defensive ratings at shortstop.

Bowden, 27, was a waiver claim out of the Rockies organization a month ago. He’s yet to appear in the Majors this season but tossed 10 innings for Tampa Bay’s Triple-A affiliate in Durham, allowing a pair of runs on nine hits and seven walks with 10 strikeouts along the way. Those seven free passes in Durham represented a 15.9% walk rate — a continuation of the longstanding command issue that have plagued Bowden throughout his minor league career.

The Rockies selected Bowden with the 45th overall pick back in 2016. He’s at times looked like an intriguing prospect but also struggled with inconsistency over the years since that lofty selection in the draft. Bowden had terrific Double-A numbers in 2019 and was outstanding in Triple-A last year — 11 2/3 scoreless innings, 17-to-4 K/BB ratio — but his big league debut last season didn’t go nearly as smoothly. In 35 2/3 frames for the Rockies, Bowden was tagged for a 6.56 ERA with a 23.7% strikeout rate and a bloated 11.9% walk rate.

The Rays will have a week to trade Bowden, pass him through outright waivers or release him. He’s already been claimed once this season, and with any lefty who can miss bats, there’s always a chance another club will have some interest either in a small trade or via waiver claim.

Rays Claim Ben Bowden

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The Rays have claimed left-hander Ben Bowden off waivers from the Rockies, the teams announced. Tampa Bay had an open spot on its 40-man roster so no corresponding move is needed. Bowden has been optioned to Triple-A Durham. The Rays’ 40-man roster is now full, while the Rockies’ roster is now at 39 players.

The Rockies never formally designated Bowden for assignment or announced that he’d been placed on waivers, though it’s hardly uncommon for teams to simply try to clear a roster spot in this fashion without first announcing the player’s placement on waivers.

Now 27 years old, Bowden was the No. 45 overall draft pick by the Rockies back in 2016. Praised by scouting reports for a plus changeup, Bowden has regularly missed bats at a high level in the minors (34.4% strikeout rate) but has also yielded too many free passes over the years (11.1% walk rate). Heading into the 2021 season, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote about Bowden’s inconsistent fastball velocity, noting that when he’s in the mid-90s with his heater he looks like a viable big league reliever. However, Bowden doesn’t always maintain that velocity, evidenced by the 92.6 mph he averaged on his heater in last year’s MLB debut.

That 2021 debut wasn’t a pretty one for Bowden, who posted a grisly 6.56 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. True to form, he showed the ability to miss bats (23.7% strikeout rate, 11.4% swinging-strike rate) but also issued far too many walks (11.9%) and was uncharacteristically susceptible to home runs (1.51 HR/9). Bowden had a huge showing at Double-A in 2019 and fired 11 2/3 shutout frames in Triple-A last year. This season in Triple-A, however, he’s been tagged for seven runs on six hits and six walks in just 7 2/3 innings. He’s fanned 11 of the 34 hitters he’s faced, maintaining that impressive strikeout prowess, but he’ll need to improve his command and more consistently get the best out of his heater if he’s to emerge as a legitimate big league bullpen option.

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