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Nationals Place Starlin Castro On Restricted List, Call Up Luis Garcia

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12:42PM: Castro went on the restricted list because he is “dealing with a family matter which requires his immediate attention,” a source tells Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

11:23AM: The Nationals announced that infielder Starlin Castro has been placed on the restricted list.  Infielder Luis Garcia has been called up from Triple-A to take Castro’s spot on the 26-man roster.

No further details were released about Castro’s situation, though he didn’t play in last night’s game against the Pirates.  After his debut season with the Nats in 2020 was cut short by a broken wrist, Castro has struggled to a .239/.287/.312 slash line over 254 plate appearances this season.  Castro’s .266 wOBA is one of the lowest in the league and his .296 xwOBA isn’t much better, as the veteran isn’t making much hard contact whatsoever.

Castro has played almost every inning at third base for Washington this season, so depending on how long he is absent, the Nats will have a major hole to fill in their lineup.  Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, or Garcia could all get some playing time at the hot corner while Castro is gone.  Garcia hasn’t hit much over 152 career PA in the big leagues, but the former top-100 prospect has been swinging the bat well at Triple-A Rochester this season, hitting .270/.336/.478 with seven homers in 128 PA.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/16/21

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The latest minor moves from around the league:

  • The Red Sox announced that right-hander Brandon Brennan has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Worcester. Evidently, he’s accepted the assignment, as Brennan is listed on Worcester’s active roster. Boston designated him for assignment last weekend after he made one MLB appearance, tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He has a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this year, with eleven strikeouts and five walks.
  • The Yankees announced they’ve activated outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the injured list and passed him through outright waivers. New York selected LaMarre, whom they signed to a minor league deal over the winter, to the roster when Aaron Hicks went down in mid-May. The 32-year-old LaMarre went down with an injury himself just three days later and went on the IL. He’s been outrighted before in his career, so he has the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

COVID Notes: 6/16/21

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Here are the latest updates on coronavirus-related situations around baseball…

Latest Updates

  • The Astros are placing outfielder Kyle Tucker on the COVID-19 IL, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle was among those to relay. Tucker has missed the past two games as he’s been feeling under the weather. Infielder Abraham Toro is up from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his active roster spot. [UPDATE: General Manager James Click told reporters (including Mark Berman of Fox 26) Tucker has been placed on the IL because he developed COVID-like symptoms. The team hopes “it’s a short-term” absence.]

Earlier Notes

  • The Rays placed right-hander Collin McHugh on the COVID-related injury list, and called up right-hander Chris Mazza from Triple-A to take McHugh’s spot on the active roster.  McHugh is receiving rapid testing after feeling sick this morning, manager Kevin Cash told The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin and other reporters, so the COVID-IL placement is precautionary.  After missing the 2020 season with injuries, McHugh has rebounded to post a 2.70 ERA/2.38 SIERA over 23 1/3 innings for the Rays this year, with an elite 37.1% strikeout rate and an above-average 7.2% walk rate. [UPDATE: McHugh has tested negative for the virus and is feeling a bit better, manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Topkin).]

Cubs Select Robert Stock, Place Dillon Maples On IL

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The Cubs announced a series of moves before tonight’s game against the Mets. Robert Stock was selected to the roster, while Cory Abbott was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Dillon Maples was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 15, with a right triceps strain, and Trevor Megill was optioned to Iowa. To create 40-man roster space for Stock’s selection, Chicago transferred catcher P.J. Higgins from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Chicago claimed Stock off waivers over the winter, but they ultimately outrighted him off the 40-man before the season began. The hard-throwing righty has spent the year in Iowa, where he’s tossed 19 2/3 innings of 4.12 ERA ball. That’s not an eye-catching level of run prevention, but Stock’s peripherals look much better. He’s punched out 30.5% of opponents in Triple-A while walking just 4.9% of batters faced.

The latter number is especially crucial for Stock, who’s been plagued by control issues at the big league level in recent seasons. The 31-year-old walked an untenable 15.3% of hitters with the Padres and Red Sox between 2019-20, contributing to a 7.13 ERA over 24 frames. The Cubs will give him a chance to carry over his seeming newfound control at the big league level. Stock’s 2021 MLB debut will come tonight, as he’s on the mound as an opener against New York.

Losing Maples is a tough blow for the Cubs bullpen. The 29-year-old has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past five seasons, but his 22 2/3 innings this year is easily a career-high. Maples has pitched to a sterling 1.99 ERA over that time with elite strikeout (33.7%) and ground ball (52.3%) numbers. Maples boasts some of the best stuff in baseball, with elite velocity and spin on each of his four-seam fastball, cutter-slider and curveball. He’s always walked a fine line with his control, though, and Maples has continued to dole out free passes at an alarming rate (14.7%) this season.

Higgins went on the IL last week with a forearm strain. He’ll now be sidelined until at least mid-August. Recent testing revealed more significant damage than expected in his elbow, reports Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 28-year-old Higgins has picked up his first 25 MLB plate appearances this season, serving as a backup to Willson Contreras.

Brewers Claim Ryan Weber

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The Brewers have claimed Ryan Weber off waivers from the Red Sox, and assigned the right-hander to Triple-A.  In another move, the Brewers also announced that right-hander Chad Sobotka was outrighted to Triple-A.

Weber was designated for assignment two days ago by the Red Sox, following a single appearance that saw Weber allow 11 runs to the Blue Jays in 5 2/3 innings of mop-up duty.  It was an ugly end to a three-year tenure in Boston for Weber, who posted a 5.54 ERA over 89 1/3 innings with the Red Sox, starting eight of his 36 games.

Weber’s ability to work as a swingman or multi-inning reliever clearly intrigued the Brewers enough to make a claim.  Weber does have only a career 5.30 ERA, and his low (15.1%) strikeout rate makes him something of an outlier on a Milwaukee pitching staff that tends to favor hurlers who miss a lot of bats.  However, Weber’s 52.3% groundball rate over 163 career innings fits right into a Brewers team with a cumulative 45.6% grounder rate this season, tied for the fifth-best rate of any pitching unit in baseball.

Sobotka came to Milwaukee from Atlanta as part of the Orlando Arcia trade in early April.  Sobotka has yet to see any big league action with his new club, and the right-hander has only pitched 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville due to a sinus infection.  Sobotka has a 5.36 ERA/4.22 SIERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, and 14.2% walk rate over 47 career innings with the Braves from 2018-20.

Athletics Reinstate Ramon Laureano From 10-Day IL

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The A’s have reinstated outfielder Ramon Laureano from the 10-day injured list, the team announced.  Outfielder Skye Bolt was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

A strained right hip sent Laureano to the IL on May 28 (retroactively), so he’ll return after missing just short of three weeks.  The injury interrupted an excellent campaign for “Laser Ramon,” who was hitting .257/.332/.503 with 11 home runs over 205 plate appearances.

After an average 2020 season at the plate, this year’s performance is much closer to the numbers Laureano posted in 2018-19, increasingly his all-around value to Oakland.  Laureano’s center field defense has been either around average (0 Outs Above Average, -1 Defensive Runs Saved) or better than average (+4.9 UZR/150) depending on your metric of choice, but Laureano has nonetheless been a big contributor to the Athletics’ rise to first place in the AL West.

Braves Promote Kyle Muller

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The Braves announced that left-handed pitching prospect Kyle Muller has been called up to the Major League roster.  Muller will take the spot of southpaw Tucker Davidson, who (as expected) was placed on the 10-day injured list due to left forearm inflammation.

Baseball Prospectus gave Muller solid rankings (60th in 2020, 62nd this year) in their last two preseason top-prospect listings, and MLB Pipeline lists Muller as the fifth-best prospect in Atlanta’s farm system.  A second-round pick in the 2016 draft, Muller posted solid numbers in his first four pro seasons and pitched at the Braves’ alternate training site in 2020, though he has hit some bumps in his first stint at Triple-A this year.

Muller has a 4.60 ERA through 31 1/3 frames for Triple-A Gwinnett, with a troublingly large number of homers (six) and walks (19) that undermines his 28.9% strikeout rate.  The home runs are a new issue for Muller, who gave up just 18 home runs total in his first 326 2/3 innings in Atlanta’s organization, though his control problems also began to creep up at Double-A in 2019.  MLB Pipeline’s scouting report cites Muller’s command as his chief issue, though also praises the 23-year-old’s ceiling as a potential four-pitch starter.  He already possesses a 65-grade fastball that sits in the high-90’s and a 55-grade curveball, and Muller has been working on improving his changeup and slider as well.

The Athletic’s David O’Brien (Twitter links) notes that Muller’s last three Triple-A outings have been very strong, which could explain why the Braves turned to Muller over Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson, who have both have started games for the Braves this season.  Muller is slated for bullpen work for now, O’Brien writes, though it remains to be seen who will start in Davidson’s place on Sunday.

Dodgers Select Steven Souza, Designate Nate Jones

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The Dodgers have selected the contract of outfielder Steven Souza Jr., and designated right-hander Nate Jones for assignment in the corresponding roster move.

Souza signed a minor league deal with Los Angeles in late March, a week after the Astros released him from another minors contract.  The 32-year-old has displayed plenty of pop at Triple-A Oklahoma City, batting .279/.444/.603 with six home runs in 90 plate appearances for the Dodgers’ top farm team.

Best known for three solid years with the Rays from 2015-17, Souza has battled several injuries throughout his career, most notably a major knee injury that kept him out of action for the entire 2019 season.  He returned to play 11 games with the Cubs in 2020 before being released in September.  Souza will now move into a bench role for the World Series champions, as the Dodgers are in need of some outfield depth with Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list.

Jones was another minor league signing for the Dodgers back in May, after the Braves cut him loose after 12 appearances and 10 1/3 innings.  Jones overcame some major control and homer issues to post a 3.48 ERA in his brief time in Atlanta, but the bottom fell out in L.A. as Jones posted an 8.31 ERA in 8 2/3 innings in Dodger Blue.  Over 19 total innings in 2021, Jones has already surrendered seven homers, underlining a home run problem that has become increasingly dire over his last four seasons.

Since the start of the 2020 season, Jones has a 5.97 ERA and 12 home runs allowed in 37 2/3 total innings with the Dodgers, Braves, and Reds.  Once a borderline elite setup man during his heyday with the White Sox, Jones was hampered by numerous injuries, and he has tossed only 89 2/3 total innings over the last five seasons.

Padres Option Ryan Weathers To Triple-A

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11:37AM: The Padres have announced the move, with right-hander James Norwood called up to take Weathers’ spot on the active roster.  San Diego acquired Norwood from the Cubs in an April trade, and Norwood is now set to make his first appearance of the 2021 season and make his Padres debut.

10:42AM: The Padres are sending left-hander Ryan Weathers to Triple-A, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee.  Weathers will be stretched out again as a regular starter in the minors, though his next call-up to the big leagues could be to fill a hole in either the rotation or the bullpen.

The news represents a change of course from just two days ago, when the Padres initially planned to move Weathers to the bullpen.  The rookie had been deployed as both a starter and reliever this season, stepping into the rotation due to injuries to Adrian Morejon and Dinelson Lamet.  However, Lamet’s return from the injured list temporarily gave San Diego a six-man rotation, which the team saw as a way of keeping its starters fresh.

Now, as Acee writes, “Lamet appearing to have reached a point where he can effectively go five or more innings allowed the Padres to prioritize Weathers’ development, as they feel their second-ranked pitching prospect is better served for the long term getting consistent work as a starter.”

It creates a bit of an interesting present vs. future situation for the Padres front office.  While nothing would stop the team from quickly calling Weathers back up to the active roster if necessary, the argument could be made that Weathers is most useful right now as a reliever in the majors, given how San Diego’s bullpen has been shaky over the last month.  The leaky relief corps has been one of the reasons the Padres are only 4-12 in their last 16 games, and the team now sits five games out of first place in the NL West.

With the Giants and Dodgers not showing any signs of slowing down, it leaves the Padres with little margin for error for reaching the postseason, so having Weathers on hand to secure even one or two extra wins could make a huge difference in what might be a tight NL wild card race.  Weathers is still only 21 years old, so it wouldn’t be difficult for the team to stretch him out next spring with an eye towards resuming his career path as a starting pitcher.

That said, being a starter could also ultimately be how Weathers best contributes to the 2021 team, in the event of another rotation injury.  Having Weathers ready to go at Triple-A could be a necessity for the Padres, given their lack of healthy and experienced starting depth in the minors.  Though Weathers has all of 47 1/3 MLB innings to his name, that still makes him the Padres’ top “sixth starter” candidate waiting in the wings.

Marlins Designate Luis Madero, Select Deven Marrero

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The Marlins have selected the contract of infielder Deven Marrero from Triple-A, and Marrero will be the starting third baseman for Miami’s game with the Cardinals this afternoon.  To create roster space, the Marlins designed righty Luis Madero for assignment, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweets.

Marrero is set for his first MLB game since August 13, 2019, also as a member of the Marlins.  After being let go by the Fish following the 2019 season, Marrero didn’t sign a contract for 2020 and was seemingly lined up to join a Mexican League team in April before rejoining the Marlins on a new minor league deal in May.

Selected 24th overall by the Red Sox in the 2012 draft, Marrero will get another crack at the big leagues after hitting .194/.246/.279 over 348 career plate appearances with Boston, Arizona, and Miami.  Marrero has played at third base, second base, and shortstop at the MLB level, and he’ll give the Marlins some extra depth with Jose Devers and Brian Anderson both on the injured list.  Isan Diaz and Jon Berti figure to get the bulk of time at second and third base, with Marrero now perhaps in line for utility infield duty.

Madero is headed back to Triple-A after just two days on Miami’s roster, without any more game action.  The righty made his Major League debut in May, posting a 15.00 ERA over three innings in two appearances.  This is the second time Madero has been DFA’ed this season, as the Marlins designated him shortly after that second outing.  Assuming he clears DFA waivers, Madero has the right to reject an outright assignment and become a free agent, if he so chooses.

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