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Marlins Select Luis Madero, Option Daniel Castano

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The Marlins are selecting the contract of right-hander Luís Madero, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald was among those to relay (Twitter link). Lefty Daniel Castano was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, while right-hander Jorge Guzman was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear 40-man roster space.

Madero has bounced between a few organizations in his pro career but has yet to make his MLB debut.  Originally signed by the Diamondbacks as an international amateur, he was sent to the Angels at the 2017 trade deadline for reliever David Hernández. Madero eventually worked his way onto Los Angeles’ 40-man roster and was named the #19 prospect in the organization entering the 2019 season by Baseball America. He struggled at Double-A that year, though, working to a 5.72 ERA in a pitcher-friendly environment. The Angels designated him for assignment and lost him on waivers to the Giants after the season.

San Francisco passed Madero through waivers shortly thereafter, and he spent the 2020 season at their alternate training site. He didn’t make it back on the roster and wound up electing minor-league free agency. Miami signed Madero to a minors deal in January, and he’s earned a major league call after just one Triple-A appearance. Madero has plenty of starting experience in the minors, so he offers rotation and/or long relief depth for the Fish. The 24-year-old still has a pair of option years remaining, so he can be sent back-and-forth between Miami and Jacksonville if he keeps his spot on the 40-man.

Castano, 26, has started four games for the Marlins this year but hasn’t found much success. The soft-tossing lefty has been knocked around for a 5.19 ERA/5.47 SIERA over 17 1/3 innings. Castano prevented runs at a strong clip over seven games last season, but his peripherals always suggested that was unlikely to continue. He simply hasn’t missed enough bats to establish himself as a big league starter, compiling a minuscule 10.8% career strikeout rate.

Guzman, one of the Marlins’ better pitching prospects, has been battling elbow inflammation. General manager Kim Ng told reporters in March he’d be “out for a bit,” so it’s not particularly surprising to see him wind up on the 60-day IL.

Angels Place Alex Cobb On 10-Day Injured List

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The Angels placed right-hander Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger.  The team specified that Cobb’s placement was retroactive to May 5th.  In other news, outfielder Scott Schebler and right-hander Ben Rowen were both outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment earlier this week.

Cobb was lined up to start on Monday, though The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya tweeted that Jose Suarez was scratched from his scheduled Triple-A start tonight, so Suarez could be in line for a call-up to fill Cobb’s place on Monday.

It’s been a hard-luck season for Cobb thus far, who has a 5.48 ERA through 21 1/3 innings but only a 3.24 SIERA.  While Cobb has been hampered by a 9.8% walk rate, he also has a 30.4% strikeout rate that ranks in the 81st percentile of all pitchers.  Cobb has a .431 BABIP and only a 60.1% strand rate, adding to his lack of good fortune.

The Angels as a whole rank last in baseball with a 66.2% strand rate and second-last (.317) in team BABIP.  It probably isn’t much consolation to Anaheim fans who are frustrated with another season of subpar pitching from their club, and the Halos will take another blow if Cobb spends an extended amount of time on the IL.  Blister issues can be unpredictable, though this is the first time that a blister problem has sidelined Cobb over his 10 MLB seasons.

Astros Sign Yadiel Rivera To Minors Contract

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The Astros signed infielder Yadiel Rivera to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports (via Twitter).  Rivera will report to Houston’s Triple-A affiliate.

Rivera is a veteran of seven Major League seasons, with 111 of his 192 career games coming with the Marlins in 2018.  His seven-season resume also includes a few cups of coffee, as Rivera broke in with seven games with the Brewers in 2015, just one game with Miami in 2017, and four games with the Rangers in 2020.  He ended his brief stint in Texas on the injured list, as recovery from elbow surgery took up most of Rivera’s offseason and likely explains why he hadn’t signed with a new team until over a week into May.

With just a .175/.244/.217 slash line over 319 career PA, Rivera isn’t known much for his bat at either the MLB or minor league levels.  What he does offer is defensive versatility — Rivera has spent much of his career as a shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman, but he has also started at least one game at every other position except catcher and pitcher.  Rivera will provide the Astros with some infield depth (particularly at shortstop) down on the farm.

Padres Place Keone Kela On 10-Day Injured List

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The Padres announced that right-hander Keone Kela has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right forearm strain.  Righty Miguel Diaz was called up from Triple-A to take Kela’s spot on the active roster.

Kela pitched to just one batter during a relief appearance in last night’s 5-4 Padres loss to the Giants, as Austin Slater homered off Kela to score the game’s deciding run.  Kela was removed after facing Slater due to an injury that will now keep him out of action for at least the next 10 days, and possibly much longer given the potential seriousness attached to forearm issues.

Due to both forearm tightness and a positive COVID-19 test, Kela was limited to only two innings over three games with the Pirates in 2020.  This season saw the right-hander hit the IL again, missing roughly the 10-day minimum due to shoulder inflammation.  Injuries have been a constant for Kela throughout his pro career, with other elbow and shoulder injuries interrupting what has been a pretty solid series of performances over 227 1/3 career innings with the Padres, Pirates, and Rangers since 2015.

Kela has a 5.06 ERA/3.12 SIERA over 10 2/3 innings with San Diego this season, and while his overall Statcast numbers aren’t very impressive, it’s safe to say that Kela’s injuries have strongly hampered his performance.  Of his six earned runs allowed this season, four have come in the outings directly prior to his two IL placements, when Kela was seemingly not pitching at 100 percent.

Both the Padres’ rotation and bullpen are among the best in baseball despite a swath of injuries this season.  Kela is the 11th pitcher currently on San Diego’s injured list, with maladies ranging from relatively short-term problems to season-ending injuries (i.e. Tommy John surgeries for Adrian Morejon, Jose Castillo, and Michel Baez).

Marlins Notes: Castano, Devers, Sixto

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The Marlins called up Daniel Castano to start today’s game, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). To make room on the roster, Jose Devers was optioned to Triple-A.

Castano has three starts under this belt this season totaling 13 1/3 innings with a 4.73 ERA/5.63 FIP. He was slightly more effective last year with a 3.03 ERA/4.81 FIP across 29 2/3 innings. Castano was part of the Marcell Ozuna trade, coming to Florida with Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, and Magneuris Sierra.

Devers, just 21 years old, went 2-for-12 with five strikeouts and a sac fly. He is the Marlins’ 25th-ranked prospect per Fangraphs. Baseball America named him as the Marlins prospect with the best hit tool; they rank his as the Marlins’ No. 10 prospect. Like Castano, he was acquired via trade. He came to Miami from the Yankees as part of the 2017 Giancarlo Stanton swap.

In other news, the Marlins are hopeful that young phenom Sixto Sanchez will have his shoulder healed enough to make his season debut in June, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Sanchez has not yet appeared this season after working his way into a role as the Marlins’ No. 3 starter during last season’s playoff run.

Latest Roster Moves From Twins, Orioles

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The Twins announced a trio of roster moves today. Right-hander Cody Stashak has been optioned to Triple-A, while Derek Law takes his place in the bullpen. Law had to be added to the 40-man roster, so infielder Travis Blankenhorn was designated for assignment.

After proving himself a solid option out of the bullpen for the Twins with 40 innings of 3.15 ERA baseball from 2019-20, Stashak has stumbled badly to start the season. Stashak is still missing bats at a good clip, striking out a robust 36.5 percent of hitters, but his walk rate has skyrocketed to 13.5 percent as well. Fielding Independent Pitching suggest decent work with a 4.20 FIP, but in terms of real world production, Stashak has allowed 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings.

If this is the end of Blankenhorn’s Twins’ tenure, it will be a somewhat ignominious one. The 24-year-old appeared in one game this season, pinch-running in extra-innings and scoring a run. He’d go on to make an error in the bottom of the inning on a play that would have ended the game. The A’s beat the Twins a batter later when Luis Arraez followed up Blankenhorn’s blunder with a throwing error of his own. Blankenhorn was a third round draft pick of the Twins in the 2015 draft, and he obviously has more to offer a Major League club than he’s had the opportunity to show this season.

If someone puts in a claim for Blankenhorn, it’ll be the second player lost on waivers by the Twins this week. The Orioles claimed left-hander Brandon Waddell off waivers from the Twins today, per Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). He has been assigned to Triple-A. Waddell was designated for assignment by the Twins yesterday to make room on the 40-man roster for Trevor Larnach.

In order to make the claim, the Orioles designated Jay Flaa for assignment, notes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports. Flaa logged 1 1/3 scoreless on April 27th for the Orioles in his only big league action of his career.

Rangers Activate Khris Davis, Option Eli White

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The Rangers activated Khris Davis from the injured list today, the team announced. Eli White was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to create the open roster spot.

A Grade 2 left quad strain has kept Davis from making his Rangers’ debut after hitting .213 through 13 spring games. The former A’s slugger, of course, was acquired via trade along with Jonah Heim and Dane Acker. The move allowed the Rangers to shift Isiah Kiner-Falefa to shortstop, and hopefully, inject some right-handed pop into the lineup. Davis’ power is obvious, but he’s had trouble accessing it in-game over the last couple of seasons. He posted a disappointing .217/.294/.378 in 632 plate appearances over the past two years. Davis will presumably see some playing time against lefties, providing a respite for Willie Calhoun or David Dahl.

The 27-year-old White also came to the Rangers from the A’s via a 2018 three-team trade that sent Jurickson Profar to Oakland. White hasn’t found much consistency at the plate in small samples at the big league level with Texas. He owns a .155/.214/.194 line across 112 plate appearances between this season and last. White’s demotion means that Adolis Garcia will truly be the every down back in centerfield, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The 28-year-old has managed a revelatory .269/.317/.538 with seven home runs across 101 plate appearances, surprisingly taking the starting centerfield job by the horns. Leody Taveras and now White, meanwhile, have both been demoted.

Giants To Place Aaron Sanchez On 10-Day Injured List

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The Giants will place starter Aaron Sanchez on the 10-day injured list because of right biceps tightness, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter).

Once again, that means that Logan Webb will remain in the rotation. The Giants have been on the verge of shifting Webb to the bullpen on numerous occasions this season, but each time he’s been granted a reprieve. Alex Wood’s activation off the injured list would have sent Webb to the pen, but Johnny Cueto went down. Now that Cueto is set to return to the rotation tomorrow, Sanchez’s injury will again delay the Giants’ ability to try out Webb as a multi-inning reliever. Webb has a 5.34 ERA/3.74 FIP in 32 innings this season while excelling at burning worms with a 59.3 percent groundball rate.

Sanchez, for his part, has the makings of a comeback-type season. Through six starts, the 28-year-old righty has a 3.18 ERA/3.79 FIP across 28 1/3 innings. Like Webb, he’s done a tremendous job of keeping the ball on the ground with a 56 percent groundball rate that mirrors the type of numbers he put up early in his career with Toronto.

For the time being, then, Webb will stay in the rotation with Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood, while Johnny Cueto and Kevin Gausman will be welcomed back into the fold to round of their starting five.

Braves Designate Carl Edwards Jr. For Assignment

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The Braves announced a number of roster moves today, recalling Jasseel De La Cruz and Victor Arano from Triple-A. To create the roster space, Sean Kazmar Jr. was optioned to Triple-A and Carl Edwards Jr. was designated for assignment.

Edwards Jr. didn’t much of an audition with the Braves. The former Cub, Padre, and Mariner made just one appearance in Atlanta, serving up three earned runs on three hits and a walk. The only out he recorded was a strikeout.  On the bright side, the String Bean Slinger struck out the side in his only appearance in Triple-A. Kazmar Jr. has been called up a couple of times now, but he has just two plate appearances in three games.

As for the newcomers, the 23-year-old De La Cruz has yet to make his Major League debut. The right-hander finished 2019 in Double-A. Arano, meanwhile, made 73 appearances out of the Phillies’ bullpen from 2017 to 2019. He owns a 2.65 ERA across 74 2/3 innings. The Braves claimed him off waivers in January.

Cardinals Activate Yadier Molina

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The Cardinals have activated Yadier Molina from the 10-day injured list, per the Athletic’s Katie Woo (via Twitter). Molina is in the lineup for today’s game against the Rockies. Molina last appeared in a game on April 26th.

Ali Sanchez has been optioned to Triple-A. Sanchez, 24, made just one start, going 1-for-3 with a double. Most of the playing time has been taken by Andrew Knizner, the presumptive catcher of the future, should Molina ever slow down. The 26-year-old Knizner has slashed .208/.276/.264 through 58 plate appearances.

As for Molina, he’ll continue in his 18th career season. When we saw him last, he was as good as he’s ever been with the stick, slashing .326/.366/.631 with five home runs in 71 plate appearances.

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