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Outrighted: Lucroy, Mathisen

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A couple of recent outright assignments to note…

  • Veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy was assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett after clearing waivers, the Braves announced. He has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency. Once one of the game’s premier catchers, the now-35-year-old Lucroy has slipped into journeyman status. He went 1-for-5 in a brief look with the Braves, who are his second big league team of the season and fifth in the past three years (not counting his Spring Training run with the White Sox). An All-Star in 2016, it’s been a swift decline for Lucroy, who has batted just .249/.317/.350 in 1286 plate appearances split among eight teams since the start of the 2017 season.
  • Infielder Wyatt Mathisen went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma, the Mariners announced. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week. The 27-year-old Mathisen came over from the Rays in a deal that sent cash back to Tampa Bay late last month. He didn’t appear in a big league game and has struggled in 15 Triple-A contests with the Mariners, although his Triple-A track record prior to this stint has been excellent. Mathisen hit .288/.344/.525 with the Rays’ top affiliate in Durham earlier this year and posted a massive .283/.403/.601 slash through 87 games with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club back in 2019 (albeit in the juiced ball season). He has experience at second base and all four corner positions.

Anthony Swarzak Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

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The Royals announced Wednesday that veteran right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak opted for free agency over an assignment to Triple-A after going unclaimed on outright waivers. He’s now free to sign with any team.

Swarzak, 35, has pitched for both the D-backs and Royals this season but been clobbered for 13 runs on 20 hits, including four homers, in 12 1/3 innings of work. He yielded eight runs in 7 2/3 frames before being designated for assignment in Kansas City. Swarzak didn’t pitch in the Majors last year and worked to a combined 5.08 ERA in 79 2/3 innings from 2018-19 between the Mets, Mariners and Braves.

Swarzak’s best season came back in 2017, when he posted a 2.33 ERA and a career-best 30 percent strikeout rate in 77 1/3 innings between the White Sox and Brewers. He’s battled shoulder troubles and been inconsistent since that time, however. It’s been several years since Swarzak has looked like an effective big league reliever on a consistent basis, but he had a good showing in Triple-A earlier this year. Given the number of clubs around the league who are scrambling to find bullpen help, the 11-year big league veteran could well find interest from a new organization on a minor league arrangement.

Yankees Select Asher Wojciechowski, Outright Hoy Jun Park

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July 21: The Yankees formally selected Wojciechowski’s contract today and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by outrighting infielder Hoy Jun Park off the 40-man roster.

Park, 25, received just one plate appearance with the Yankees during his initial call to the Majors. Yanks fans have been clamoring for him to get a look in the big leagues after he batted .325/.475/.541 in 206 Triple-A plate appearances this season, but it seems that in spite of that strong showing, Park won’t get much of a big league look — at least for the time being.

July 20: The Yankees are planning to select the contract of right-hander Asher Wojciechowski, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). He’ll get the ball tomorrow evening against the Phillies. The Yankees have a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary in that regard.

Wojciechowski has previously pitched in the big leagues for the Astros, Reds and Orioles. He’s tallied 198 innings at the highest level over parts of four seasons, working to a cumulative 5.95 ERA/4.67 SIERA. Wojciechowski throws a high number of strikes, but he misses bats at a slightly below-average level and is an extreme fly ball pitcher, which has led to some problems with the home run ball.

New York signed Wojciechowski to a minor league deal in January. The 32-year-old didn’t make his season debut with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre until late June after leaving a Spring Training outing with lat discomfort. He’s made four appearances since returning, none of which have lasted more than four innings, so he’s unlikely to work particularly deep into tomorrow’s start. Wojciechowski has a decent 4.29 ERA over parts of eight Triple-A campaigns.

Dodgers Acquire Billy McKinney From Mets

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The Dodgers announced they’ve acquired outfielder Billy McKinney from the Mets for outfield prospect Carlos Rincon. New York had designated McKinney for assignment earlier in the week. To create space on the roster, Los Angeles designated reliever Jake Reed for assignment.

McKinney has already suited up for the Brewers and Mets this season. Between the two clubs, he’s compiled a .213/.282/.415 line with eight home runs across 202 plate appearances. That’s more or less a match for the left-handed hitter’s career .225/.288/.430 line in parts of four seasons.

The 26-year-old strikes out a bit more than average and doesn’t draw many walks — thus the low on-base percentage — but he has a fair amount of power. Over 613 MLB plate appearances (roughly one full season), McKinney has popped 26 home runs. He owns a .205 ISO (slugging minus batting average) that checks in a fair bit north of the .163 league average.

McKinney is out of minor league options. The Dodgers will have to keep him on the active roster or again make him available to other clubs. He’ll add a lefty bat to the corner outfield/bench mix and could pick up some playing time against right-handers when L.A. rests A.J. Pollock. Pollock’s having a second straight very strong season, but he’s had his share of injury issues in the past.

The Dodgers selected Reed two weeks ago, positioning the righty to log his first big league action. Reed has since tossed 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball, striking out five while issuing a pair of walks. The former Twins’ prospect has a 5.57 ERA across 21 innings in Triple-A this year, split between the Angels’ and Dodgers’ top affiliates. To Reed’s credit, he’s been much better since joining the Dodgers organization and his minor league strikeout and walk rates (29.5% and 7.4%, respectively) have been impressive.

Los Angeles will have a week to trade Reed or expose him to waivers. Between his recent success and three remaining minor league option years, it’s possible another club adds him via a minor transaction.

In exchange for McKinney, the Mets add Rincon to the farm system. The 23-year-old corner outfielder has spent the year with Double-A Tulsa, hitting .263/.343/.470 with 12 home runs across 265 plate appearances despite playing in a pitcher-friendly league. Rincon has big raw power but scouts have expressed trepidation about his approach at the plate and lack of defensive value as a corner player.

Diamondbacks Activate Tyler Clippard, Claim Ty Tice From Braves

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The Diamondbacks announced they’ve reinstated veteran reliever Tyler Clippard from the 60-day injured list. Additionally, Arizona claimed righty Ty Tice off waivers from the Braves. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the D-Backs designated lefty Alex Young for assignment.

Arizona signed Clippard over the offseason. The generally durable righty went down with a capsule sprain in his throwing shoulder during Spring Training, though, and he’s missed the entire season to date. Clippard’s return should aid an Arizona bullpen that has been one of the league’s worst, although it’s obviously far too late in a lost season to make much difference in the standings.

In theory, a contending club could swing a trade for Clippard based on his strong track record. He won’t have much of an opportunity to demonstrate he’s back to peak form, though, with the trade deadline just nine days away. He’s playing out the year on a $2.25MM salary, just under $900K of which remains to be paid.

Atlanta picked up Tice in a small trade with the Blue Jays in early June. They’ll lose him a little more than six weeks later, with the reliever having made just one major league appearance in a Braves uniform. He’s thrown eight innings of four-run ball between Toronto and Atlanta this season, his first with any big league experience. Tice has a 4.20 ERA across 45 career innings at Triple-A, striking out a fine 24.0% of batters faced but walking a lofty 13.7% of opponents. The 25-year-old has a pair of minor league option years remaining beyond this season, so he can be kept in the high minors for a while so long as he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Young, who was selected 43rd overall in the 2015 draft, was one of the better pitching prospects in the Arizona system coming up through the minors. He made his major league debut in 2019, working to a decent 3.56 ERA/4.68 SIERA across 17 appearances (including 15 starts). The 27-year-old hasn’t managed to build off that fine initial showing to this point. Since the start of 2020, Young has tossed 88 innings of 5.83 ERA/5.91 FIP ball. While he’s thrown a fair amount of strikes, Young hasn’t missed many bats (19.4% strikeout rate) and has been plagued by the long ball (2.3 HR/9).

The D-Backs will have a week to trade Young or expose him to outright waivers. He still has all three option years remaining. If another club is willing to a 40-man roster spot, they could stash him in the minors as a depth option capable of working multiple innings.

Royals Acquire Joel Payamps

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The Royals have acquired reliever Joel Payamps from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both teams. He has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Kansas City had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.

Toronto somewhat surprisingly designated Payamps for assignment last weekend. The righty has had a nice season, pitching to a 2.70 ERA/4.59 SIERA across 30 innings of relief. Payamps has only struck out 18.5% of batters faced (the league average for relievers is 24.5%), but he’s generated swinging strikes on a decent 11.6% of his offerings. Payamps has thrown strikes at an average rate and has thus far been excellent at avoiding damaging contact. The 27-year-old ranks in the 75th percentile or better in terms of suppressing opponents’ barrel rate, hard contact rate and average exit velocity, per Statcast.

Payamps is in his final minor league option year, meaning the Royals can shuttle him back-and-forth between Kansas City and Omaha for the remainder of this season. If he sticks on the 40-man roster over the winter, he’ll need to break camp on the active roster in 2022 or else again be offered around the league.

Mets Claim Roel Ramirez Off Waivers From Cardinals

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The Mets announced they’ve claimed right-hander Roel Ramírez off waivers from the Cardinals. New York had a vacancy on the 40-man roster after designating Jerad Eickhoff for assignment last night.

St. Louis selected Ramírez to the big league roster last month. He made one appearance before being optioned out, giving him two combined big league outings in as many seasons. Ramírez has otherwise the spent the year with Triple-A Memphis, where he’s tossed 29 relief innings across 20 games. Ramírez compiled a 4.34 ERA with strong strikeout and walk rates (27.8% and 7.0%, respectively) for the Redbirds.

New York’s relief corps has had to shoulder a lot of work over the past few days, particularly after last night’s starter Robert Stock was forced to depart in the second inning due to a right hamstring strain. Ramírez’s ability to work multiple innings out of the bullpen could help the Mets’ beleaguered back-end weather the next few days.

Tigers Release Nomar Mazara

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JULY 21: Detroit has requested unconditional release waivers on Mazara. He’ll almost certainly clear after 48 hours, at which point he’ll be free to sign elsewhere.

JULY 16: The Tigers announced Friday that they’ve designated outfielder Nomar Mazara for assignment and optioned infielder Willi Castro to Triple-A Toledo. Outfielder Derek Hill and infielder Isaac Paredes are up from Toledo in a pair of corresponding roster moves. Detroit has also appointed lefty Miguel Del Pozo as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader against the Twins.

Still just 26 yeas old, Mazara once ranked as one of baseball’s elite prospects, entering the 2016 season as one of the consensus 25 most promising minor leaguers in the sport. He looked the part when he made his MLB debut that season, too, hitting .266/.320/.419 with 20 home runs in 145 games. It wasn’t a dominant showing, of course, but Mazara was just 21 years old at the time and was making the jump with only 23 Triple-A games under his belt. It was an impressive showing, and it was reasonable to expect that he’d only improve with more reps against big league pitching.

That, however, never really proved true. Mazara spent the next four seasons as the primary right fielder in Texas but more or less just kept repeating his 2016 season. He posted a 93 OPS and 91 wRC+ as a rookie in ’16 and, from 2017-19, posted collective marks of 94 and 92 in those same respective categories. He hit exactly 20 home runs again in 2017 and 2018 before hitting 19 in 2019. Essentially, he’d settled in as a slightly below-average hitter with well below-average defensive grades. The Rangers trade him to the White Sox during the 2019 Winter Meetings.

At that point, Mazara was a highly interesting change-of-scenery candidate. He’d plateaued in Arlington, to be sure, but he was a former Top 25 prospect who was heading into his age-25 season with two years of club control remaining. For the White Sox, it was a sensible enough roll of the dice to see if they could help Mazara take the next step. Instead, he turned in a career-worst .228/.295/.294 batting line with just one home run and a career-high 29.5 percent strikeout rate through 149 plate appearances last summer. Chicago non-tendered him in the offseason.

Mazara took a chance with his second AL Central club, landing with the Tigers on a one-year, $1.75MM deal late in the offseason. Things have gone a bit better in Detroit than in Chicago, but only by a slight margin. Mazara’s strikeouts are down a bit and he’s shown a little more pop. However, his overall .212/.276/.321 batting line through 181 plate appearances so far simply wasn’t enough for the Tigers to keep giving him at-bats over more controllable players who are hoping to emerge as long-term fits in Detroit.

The Tigers will have a week to trade Mazara, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or place him on release waivers. Mazara has more than five years of service time, so even if he does go through outright waivers without a claim, he can reject an outright assignment to the minor leagues and retain the entirety of his remaining salary. It’s unlikely that another club would claim that salary, given his poor showing at the plate. The likeliest outcome is that Mazara becomes a free agent, whether via unconditional release from the team or via rejecting an outright assignment. At that point, he’d be free to sign elsewhere for only the prorated league minimum. That amount would be subtracted from the roughly $753K the Tigers still owe him through season’s end.

Hill, 25, is a former Tigers first-rounder who has had some sparse big league looks but hasn’t yet had a lengthy audition. He’s hitting .320./.373/.508 in 133 Triple-A plate appearances, however, and he’ll now return to Detroit for his second stint of the 2021 campaign.

The 22-year-old Paredes has been ranked among the Tigers’ better prospects since coming to the Tigers alongside Jeimer Candelario in the 2017 trade that sent Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Cubs. He hasn’t hit much in 145 prior MLB plate appearances, but his .261/.357/.412 slash in Triple-A will net him a look over the struggling Castro — another infield prospect who has stumbled to a .214/.278/.341 slash through 280 plate appearances with the big league club so far in 2021.

Mariners Select Darren McCaughan

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The Mariners announced they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Darren McCaughan. Outfielder Dillon Thomas has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to create space on the active roster. Seattle had a vacancy on the 40-man roster after placing outfielder Jake Fraley on the COVID-19 injured list last weekend.

It’s the first big league call for McCaughan, whom Seattle originally selected in the 12th round out of Long Beach State in 2017. The 25-year-old has never appeared on an organizational prospect list at FanGraphs or Baseball America, but he’s pitched well throughout his minor league career. Over parts of four professional seasons, McCaughan has worked to a 3.75 ERA with a below-average 20.8% strikeout rate but a minuscule 4.7% walk percentage.

It has been more of the same for McCaughan this season with Triple-A Tacoma. Through ten starts, he’s worked to a 3.97 ERA. That’s the fourth-lowest mark among the thirty hurlers with 40+ innings in the hitter-friendly league. McCaughan still hasn’t missed many bats (18.5% strikeout percentage) but he’s continued to pound the strike zone (5.3% walk rate) and generally been quite effective at retiring high level hitters.

Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported McCaughan’s promotion shortly before the official announcement.

Braves Activate Alex Jackson From Injured List

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The Braves announced they’ve reinstated catcher Alex Jackson from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett. Space on the 40-man roster was created when Atlanta placed outfielder Ender Inciarte on the COVID-19 injured list earlier this week. A corresponding 40-man transaction will be necessary once Inciarte returns.

Jackson has picked up 50 MLB plate appearances over the last two seasons. He hasn’t played well, but the right-handed hitter has a massive .269/.337/.667 line over 104 trips to the dish with the Stripers this year. For now, Jackson will serve as high minors’ depth behind the veteran catching duo of Stephen Vogt and Kevan Smith. He had been out since early May due to a left hamstring strain.

Atlanta placed Inciarte on the IL on Monday. The team announced at the time that he’d tested negative for the virus, suggesting he’d either been a close contact of a person who’d tested positive or had been experiencing viral symptoms.

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