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Dodgers Claim Conner Greene From Orioles

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The Dodgers announced Monday that they’ve claimed catcher Anthony Bemboom off waivers from the Angels and right-hander Conner Greene off waivers from the Orioles. In order to open space on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles transferred left-handers Danny Duffy and Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day injured list. The “60-day” minimum on those IL stints for Duffy and Kershaw begin with their initial placement on the IL — July 20 for Duffy and July 7 for Kershaw. Duffy would be eligible to return on Sept. 18 and Kershaw on Sept. 5.

Greene, 26, made his Major League debut with the Orioles this season but was hit hard in 3 2/3 innings. The former Blue Jays, Royals and Cardinals minor leaguer surrendered six runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts in his short time with the O’s and has had a similarly rough go of it in Triple-A this year (7.09 ERA in 20 2/3 frames).

That said, Greene averaged nearly 96 mph with his heater with the Orioles and posted strong swinging-strike and opponents’ chase rates. Greene was a prospect of note for several years, drawing 70 grades on his heater and 55s and 60s on his changeup (on the 20-80 scale). He’s had control problems throughout his minor league tenure (11.2 percent walk rate), but the Dodgers are ostensibly intrigued by his raw stuff and may have their own ideas about how to maximize his potential. Greene can be optioned for the rest of the season but will be out of minor league options in 2022.

Orioles Notes: Rutschman, Severino, Mateo

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The Orioles have promoted catcher Adley Rutschman from Double-A to Triple-A Norfolk, the team announced last night. (MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubtako first reported he’d be moving up a level.) Rutschman, who now ranks as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball at Baseball America and MLB.com following Wander Franco’s graduation from the list, opened the year at the Double-A level and posted a .271/.392/.508 batting line with 18 home runs, 16 doubles and nearly as many walks (15.4 percent) as strikeouts (15.9 percent). That slash was good for a whopping 144 wRC+ in the a very pitcher-friendly Double-A setting — the tenth-best mark of any qualified hitter in Double-A this season.

While he’s now technically just one step from the big leagues, it’s hard to imagine Rutschman would be summoned to the Majors before season’s end. The Orioles have just a 38-72 record on the season, and they’d gain another year of control over Rutschman by waiting until the third week of the 2022 season to promote him to the big leagues, barring any changes to service time structure in collective bargaining talks between MLB and the MLB Players Association. The current CBA expires on Dec. 1, and service time issues such as this are widely expected to be a talking point.

Some more notes out of Baltimore…

  • While Rutschman is the hopeful future at catcher for the Orioles, it’s been Pedro Severino there more often than anyone else over the past couple of seasons. The 28-year-old has batted .245/.316/.400 over the past three seasons in Baltimore (94 wRC+), but his bat has dipped slightly in 2021. Kubatko suggests that Severino, who’ll be a due a raise on this year’s $1.825MM salary in arbitration over the winter, is likely to instead be non-tendered by the O’s. Severino has been a solid bat relative to other catchers around the league, but defensively, he’s had his share of struggles. He’s been roughly average in terms of caught-stealing rate over the past few years, but Severino draws poor pitch-blocking ratings at Baseball Prospectus, sub-par framing marks and checked in at -19 Defensive Runs Saved since coming to the O’s in 2019.
  • The Orioles are open to eventually playing Jorge Mateo in the outfield, writes Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun, but manager Brandon Hyde also added that the team’s hope is to get the recently claimed speedster comfortable playing in the middle infield. Baltimore claimed the 26-year-old Mateo off waivers from the Padres just four days ago — a move that could finally give the former top prospect a path to regular playing time in the big leagues. Mateo originally signed with the Yankees but was traded to Oakland in the Sonny Gray swap and then to the Padres for a player to be named later. Mateo is 3-for-11 with a double, a triple and a pair of steals to begin his Orioles tenure. The Padres acquired Mateo on June 30, 2020, but on a win-now club with a crowded roster, he never had much of an avenue to playing time. He appeared in 79 games with San Diego from 2020-21 but only recorded a combined 121 plate appearances in that time.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/8/21

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The latest minor league moves from around the sport…

  • The Orioles outrighted Pat Valaika to Triple-A after the infielder cleared waivers and accepted the move off the 40-man roster.  Baltimore designated Valaika for assignment earlier this week.  Now in his second season with the O’s, Valaika has seen quite a bit of action in a reserve role, and had most recently been getting starts at second base since Ramon Urias was moved over to shortstop.  Known more for his defensive versatility than his bat over his six MLB seasons with the Rockies and Orioles, Valaika showed some pop in 2020 but is hitting only .192/.251/.280 over 212 plate appearances this year.

Orioles Place Ryan Mountcastle On IL, Recall Alexander Wells

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Ryan Mountcastle has been placed on the 7-day concussion IL, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Alexander Wells was recalled to take his spot on the roster. Mountcastle was removed from Friday’s game after being tagged on the helmet by Wander Franco and dealing with concussion-like symptoms. The team also announced that Domingo Leyba has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A.

Mountcastle has gotten his career off to a great start. Since debuting last year, he’s had 539 plate appearances, producing a slash line of .282/.308/.481, for a wRC+ of 119. The Orioles’ lineup will surely miss his bat. But there’s no reason to rush him back into action since the club is well out of contention with the worst record in the American League.

For Wells, he is continuing to live the life of the up-and-down optionable reliever. This is his third time being recalled from the minors this year. In 17 2/3 innings, he has an ERA of 7.64 with a strikeout rate of 16.1%.

Leyba has struggled at the MLB level this year in a small sample size. Though his Triple-A numbers are much better. The 25-year-old infielder will now try to work his way back into another shot at the show.

Padres Claim Shaun Anderson Off Waivers From Orioles

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The Padres claimed right-hander Shaun Anderson off waivers from the Orioles today, both teams announced. The Padres optioned the right-hander to Triple-A El Paso.

Anderson’s time with the Orioles was brief, as he made just seven appearances totalling 10 innings after being claimed off waivers from the Twins. Anderson surrendered 10 earned runs on 17 hits and five walks while striking out seven. He’ll provide depth for the Padres, whose pitching staff has struggled to stay healthy this season.

As for the Orioles, they made a number of their own roster moves today, reinstating Ryan Hartman from the injured list, recalling Isaac Mattson, and designating Conner Greene for assignment. Greene, 26, made just three appearances for the O’s, yielding six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Orioles Claim Jorge Mateo Off Waivers From Padres

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The Orioles announced they’ve claimed utilityman Jorge Mateo off waivers from the Padres. To create active and 40-man roster space, infielder Pat Valaika was designated for assignment.

Mateo has spent the past season-plus in San Diego, tallying his first 121 MLB plate appearances in the process. He’s only managed a .195/.235/.310 line with two home runs in that time, but Mateo’s also never had the benefit of regular playing time on a win-now Padres club. However, because Mateo is out of minor league options, San Diego had to keep him on the active roster or else risk losing his long-term rights. That left the 26-year-old as a sort of designated bench piece, with most of his time coming as a pinch hitter, pinch runner or late-game defensive replacement (primarily in the outfield).

As with the Padres, the O’s have to keep Mateo on the big league roster or risk losing him on waivers themselves. Mateo ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects at Baseball America for three consecutive seasons (2016-18) thanks to his blistering speed and decent raw power. There’s plenty more opportunity for the rebuilding Orioles to give him a regular look against big league pitching if they’re so inclined. If Mateo earns a permanent spot on the roster, he can be controlled through 2025.

Valaika has spent the past two seasons in Baltimore. He broke into the majors with the Rockies, briefly landed with the Diamondbacks, but wound up with the Orioles on waivers. Valaika performed well in a brief look in 2020 (.277/.315/.475 over 150 plate appearances) but he hasn’t followed up on that this season. The 28-year-old has tallied 212 trips to the dish this year and managed just a .192/.251/.280 line with four homers.

Baltimore will place Valaika on waivers in the coming days. Should he pass through unclaimed, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment by virtue of the fact that he’s previously been outrighted in his career.

Orioles Designate Shaun Anderson, Domingo Leyba For Assignment

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The Orioles announced they’ve designated right-hander Shaun Anderson and infielder Domingo Leyba for assignment. The moves were needed to clear 40-man roster space for the previously reported selections of right-handers Marcos Diplán and Dusten Knight.

Anderson has bounced around the league on waivers over the past few months and is now slated to again find himself on the wire. Traded from the Giants to the Twins in a lopsided deal that sent LaMonte Wade Jr. to San Francisco, he’s been waived by Minnesota, Texas and now Baltimore in rather rapid succession. He never pitched in the big leagues with the Rangers, but he’s combined for 18 2/3 relief innings of 9.16 ERA/5.23 SIERA ball between the Twins and Orioles this season.

The 26-year-old has yet to find much success at the major league level over parts of three campaigns. Anderson broke in as a starting pitcher with the Giants in 2019 but has worked exclusively out of the bullpen over the past two seasons. Overall, he’s logged a 5.75 ERA across 130 frames, posting worse than average strikeout and walk rates (17.3% and 10.1%, respectively).

That said, Anderson has clearly piqued the interest of a number of teams around the league. He was once a fairly well-regarded prospect, and he’s pitched to a solid 3.61 ERA over parts of three Triple-A campaigns. Anderson can be optioned for the remainder of this season and next, so he’d be a flexible depth option for a pitching staff if another club is willing to give him a 40-man roster spot. The former third-round pick has been claimed by teams near the top of the waiver priority list both times he’s previously been designated, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land elsewhere over the next few days.

Baltimore added Leyba off waivers from the Diamondbacks in early June. The 25-year-old has seen action at both second and third base but stumbled to a .115/.198/.161 line over 96 plate appearances between the two teams. Leyba is out of options, so any claiming team would need to keep him on the active roster or waive him themselves. Arizona passed him through outright waivers last November, so Leyba has the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency should he clear again.

The O’s will likely need to make another move in the coming days. Southpaw Ryan Hartman, claimed off waivers from the Astros over the weekend, was placed on the COVID-19 injured list while he goes through intake protocols. That temporarily opened space for Baltimore to reinstate infielder Richie Martin from the 60-day IL on Monday. Once Hartman is cleared to report to the team, the Orioles will have to create additional 40-man roster space.

Orioles Select Marcos Diplan, Dusten Knight

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The Orioles are set to shake up their bullpen mix a bit on Wednesday, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic, who reports that the team is set to select right-handers Marcos Diplan and Dusten Knight to the big league roster (Twitter link). Neither pitcher is on the 40-man roster, so Baltimore will need to make a couple of corresponding moves.

Diplan, 24, has bounced around the league a bit in recent years but looks to have found a home in the Orioles organization. The righty was designated for assignment by the Brewers two days prior to the 2019 deadline and traded to the Twins in exchange for cash just an hour before the deadline itself. The Twins designated Diplan a couple weeks later, prompting a waiver claim from the Tigers. Detroit held onto Diplan into the offseason, but the O’s picked him up on a waiver claim of their own in December. Baltimore then managed to pass Diplan through waivers unclaimed the following month, allowing the Orioles to keep him as a non-40-man player.

Despite that journeyman trajectory, Diplan thrived out of the bullpen in Triple-A Norfolk to begin the season — so much so that he was a surprise participant in this summer’s Futures Game. Diplan himself said he was caught off-guard by his selection but very appreciative of the opportunity (link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). At the time, he’d pitched to a 2.60 ERA with a 28.6 percent strikeout rate and a 7.8 percent walk rate. He’s yielded four runs in 2 1/3 innings since the Futures Game, but it’s nevertheless been a strong year for Diplan, and he’ll now be rewarded with his first trip to the big leagues more than eight years after he initially signed with the Rangers as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic.

Similarly, it’s been a grind for Knight to reach this point. The 30-year-old righty worked through seven minor league seasons prior to the 2021 campaign, and he also spent time pitching in Mexico and in the independent Atlantic League. He’s pitched in 272 professional games since being selected by the Giants in the 28th round of the 2013 draft, but he’ll now be able to call himself a big leaguer once Baltimore formally adds him to the MLB club later today.

AL East Notes: Eshelman, Barnes, Darwinzon, Brasier

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The Orioles announced that Thomas Eshelman has cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A. The righty was designated for assignment on Sunday. In 21 1/3 innings this year, he’s struggled mightily, with an ERA of 8.02, along with strikeout and walk rates of 6.9% and 9.8%.

Elsewhere in the AL East…

  • Matt Barnes was placed on the COVID-IL earlier today because he was experiencing some symptoms but had not tested positive. After the game, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported that Barnes subsequently tested negative and could be reactivated tomorrow. This is surely a relief on multiple fronts. But in pure baseball terms, Barnes is tremendously important to the Red Sox. The 31-year-old is having his best season to date, with an ERA of 2.30 being more than a full run better than his previous low of 3.65 in 2018. He’s also pushed his strikeout rate to 41.5%, beyond his previous best of 38.6. And his walk rate has trended downwards, coming in at 6.9%, better than every previous season except for his small-sample debut in 2014.
  • Cotillo also provided updates on a handful of other Red Sox, including an unfortunate detail about Darwinzon Hernandez. “It went from something that we felt like was going to be back soon, now he’s in pain and he’s a little more sore, so we’ve got to do other testing to see where we’re at with it,” Cora is quoted as saying in the piece. Hernandez was placed on the injured list July 31st with a right oblique strain. The hope at the time was that it would be a minimum stay on the 10-day. But there’s a chance that hope may be dashed now. The lefty has been a solid contributor out of the Boston bullpen this year, chalking up 34 innings with an ERA of 3.44, racking up strikeouts at a healthy clip of 29.9% but also a lot of walks at 16.9%.
  • “As of now, I’m very surprised, to be honest with you — pleasantly surprised — that he’s doing so well and things are trending in the right direction,” is what Cora had to say about Ryan Brasier. The 33-year-old was rehabbing a calf injury in June when he was struck in the head by a comebacker. He suffered a concussion and ear laceration at the time but now seems on the verge of throwing a bullpen and starting another rehab. The righty has been a valuable member of the Red Sox bullpen over the past three seasons but has yet to pitch at the big league level this year because of the calf injury and then the scary incident in June. But it’s very encouraging that he appears to be healthy now.

Orioles Release Three Players

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The Orioles released reliever Evan Phillips, reports Dan Connolly of the Athletic (Twitter link). Baltimore is also moving on from reliever Cody Carroll and first baseman/corner outfielder Chris Shaw, according to Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball (on Twitter). All three players had already been outrighted off the 40-man roster, so they’ll hit the open market and presumably pursue minor league deals elsewhere.

Phillips appeared in the big leagues every season from 2018-20. He broke in with the Braves and was moved to Baltimore as part of the deadline deal that sent Kevin Gausman to Atlanta. The righty has a 7.50 ERA over 54 big league innings. The 26-year-old has punched out a solid 25.4% of opponents at the highest level but has walked an elevated 14.9% of batters faced. Phillips tossed 25 innings of 5.04 ERA ball with Triple-A Norfolk this season.

Carroll came over from the Yankees in the Zack Britton trade a week before Phillips joined the organization. He’s tossed 19 innings of 13.74 ERA/5.77 SIERA ball in the majors and posted a 5.57 ERA over 21 frames for Norfolk this year. The 28-year-old has racked up plenty of strikeouts in the minors but struggled with walks and has had trouble keeping the ball in the yard against high-level hitters.

Shaw might be the most notable name of the bunch, as he’s a former first-round draft pick of the Giants. The big left-handed hitter posted strong numbers throughout his minor league career but didn’t play well over a scattered 82 MLB plate appearances with San Francisco from 2018-19. Baltimore claimed the 27-year-old off waivers last November, but he spent a good chunk of this season on the minor league injured list and didn’t hit over a brief 50 plate appearance look with the Tides upon his return last month.

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