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Mariners Designate Jacob Barnes For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that righty Erik Swanson has been reinstated from the paternity list. To make room for him on the active roster, fellow righty Jacob Barnes has been designated for assignment.

Barnes, 32, is a veteran in his seventh season of MLB action, having previously pitched for the Brewers, Royals, Angels, Mets and Blue Jays, before signing with the Tigers in the offseason on a minor league deal. He made Detroit’s Opening Day roster and threw 20 2/3 innings out of their bullpen, but saw his strikeouts mysteriously evaporate. Prior to this year, he had a career strikeout rate of 24.4% but saw that drop to just 11.2% this year. Given that development and his unsightly 6.10 ERA, the Tigers designated him for assignment about a month ago.

Once he cleared waivers, the Tigers were on the hook for the remainder of his $1.13MM salary. As a veteran with over five years of MLB service time, Barnes has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while still retaining his rate of pay. Any team that picked him up would only owe him the prorated league minimum, with that amount being subtracted from what the Tigers pay.

Barnes latched on with the Mariners on a minors deal about a week later and joined the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He threw four innings there and got an encouraging five strikeouts, though in a very tiny sample size. The M’s selected him to the big league club on Saturday for an extra bullpen arm but have now sent him into DFA limbo without getting him into a game. Since Barnes is out of options, this was the only way to get him off the roster to make room for Swanson.

Seattle will now have a week to trade Barnes, pass him through waivers or release him. Like his last DFA, the most likely scenario is that Barnes clears waivers and elects free agency again. He’ll then be free to work out a deal with any of the 30 teams, likely of the minor league variety.

Cardinals Transfer Jack Flaherty To 60-Day IL

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The Cardinals announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s game, activating left-hander T.J. McFarland from the COVID IL. To create space on the active roster, fellow lefty Zack Thompson was optioned to Triple-A Memphis. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, righty Jack Flaherty was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Flaherty began the year on the IL due to shoulder bursitis, returning just under a month ago. However, after three truncated appearances, he returned to the IL due to continued shoulder issues. It was subsequently announced that he would be shut down from throwing for 2-3 weeks as the club tries to return him to health.

Given today’s transfer, Flaherty will be unable to return until 60 days from his June 27 IL placement, meaning he’s now out until late August. With a weeks-long shutdown, it was going to be difficult for him to get back before than in any event, unless the club considered bringing him back as a reliever, as that course of action would require less of a ramp-up period after the shutdown. However, manager Oli Marmol says they still want to build him up as a starter, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat.

Flaherty pitched at an ace-like level in 2019, throwing 196 1/3 innings with a 2.75 ERA. However, he slumped a bit in 2020 and then has been derailed by injuries in the past couple of seasons. He and the Cardinals will surely be hoping for this rest period to allow him to come back and salvage some of his season, giving a boost to the club down the stretch.

Pirates Outright Austin Brice

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July 11: Brice has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis, per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com. It’s unclear if Brice has accepted the assignment or elected free agency.

July 6: The Pirates have designated right-hander Austin Brice for assignment and optioned lefty Cam Vieaux to Triple-A Indianapolis, per a team announcement. That pair of moves creates space for right-hander Yerry De Los Santos to return from the Covid-related injured list and for newly acquired southpaw Manny Banuelos to be added to the active roster.

Brice spent a couple weeks in the majors, having been selected to the roster in late June. Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, the 30-year-old earned a brief look with a strong showing in Indianapolis. Across 26 2/3 innings, Brice posted a solid 3.04 ERA while striking out a lofty 27.2% of opposing hitters and inducing grounders on more than half the batted balls he allowed. Since adding him to the MLB staff, Pittsburgh has deployed him on only two occasions for low-leverage relief work.

While a limited look, that did mark Brice’s seventh consecutive year stepping onto a major league mound. He’s also played for the Marlins (a pair of separate stints), Reds and Red Sox. He’s typically racked up grounders at a solid clip and sports a fastball in the mid-90s, but he’s generally had issues keeping runs off the board at the highest level. Brice has allowed fewer than four earned runs per nine innings just once in a season, and he owns a 5.16 ERA through 165 2/3 career MLB innings.

The Pirates will presumably try to send Brice through waivers over the coming days. His quality Triple-A numbers may earn him a look from another team, but he is out of minor league option years. That means any team that claims him would have to keep him on their active roster or designate him for assignment themselves. Brice cleared outright waivers twice last season with Boston, meaning he’ll have the right to refuse an assignment back to Indianapolis in favor of minor league free agency if he goes unclaimed again.

Pirates Place Bryan Reynolds On IL With Oblique Strain

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The Pirates announced a series of transactions prior to tonight’s game, with outfielder Bryan Reynolds being placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. To take his place on the active roster, outfielder Jake Marisnick was activated from the 60-day IL. To make room for Marisnick on the 40-man roster, left-hander Cam Vieaux was designated for assignment.

Reynolds was removed from yesterday’s game with some discomfort in his side, which has now been diagnosed as an oblique strain. The outfielder has been one of the bright spots of a rebuilding Pirates team in recent years, with his 2021 campaign standing out the highlight so far. Last year, he hit .302/.390/.522 for a 142 wRC+ and helping him produce 6.1 fWAR, the tenth-highest such mark across the majors. This year, Reynolds struggled for the first month or so but has looked like his old self recently. On the whole, his batting line for the season is .261/.343/.465 for a wRC+ of 126.

Given the fact that Reynolds plays at a high level on a rebuilding team, there’s naturally been much trade speculation hovering around him. However, given that he’s not slated to reach free agency until after the 2025 season, the Pirates have maintained sky-high asking prices in any trade talks, which is why no trade has come together thus far. That hasn’t stopped teams from trying, however, with reporting from earlier today indicating the club has rejected offers on Reynolds, as well as closer David Bednar. It’s always seemed like the Pirates would hang onto him, but this IL placement effectively closes the door on whatever chance there was. The club hasn’t provided an estimated timeline for his recovery, but the August 2 deadline is now just over three weeks away. Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out that oblique strains typically come with a recovery time of about a month. If that holds true in Reynolds’ case, he’d be out of action until after the deadline.

Marisnick, 31, signed a deal with the Pirates on the cusp of Opening Day but required thumb surgery in May. He got into 12 games before that but slumped to a .163/.196/.204. Marisnick is a glove-first outfielder anyway, with 78 Defensive Runs Saved on his career ledger. He should be able to help the Bucs cover center field in Reynolds’ absence. If he can get into a nice stretch of play before the deadline, he could be traded to a team seeking a strong defensive outfielder. One year ago, he went from the Cubs to the Padres in a deadline swap.

As for Vieaux, 28, he was selected to the big league roster just a few weeks ago. He was given five appearances, but his line is marred by one particular game wherein the club left him out to dry in order to save their other arms. After allowing one earned run over his first four appearances, the Bucs sent him in to pitch the top of the eighth in a game they were losing to the Brewers 9-1. Despite Vieaux getting hit around badly, there was no help forthcoming to get out of the inning. The lefty ended up tossing 56 pitches in that one frame, allowing six hits, three walks and eight runs, seven of them earned. As a result, he has a 14.40 ERA through five innings this year. In 29 2/3 Triple-A frames, however, he has a 2.12 ERA this year. Lefty relievers are always in demand and Vieaux has options remaining, making it possible some team looking to bolster its depth takes a chance on him.

Guardians Select Alex Call, Designate Oscar Mercado For Assignment

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The Guardians have informed reporters, including Zack Meisel of The Athletic, that they are selecting the contract of outfielder Alex Call with Oscar Mercado being designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Call, 27, was a third round draft pick of the White Sox in 2016 and appeared on Baseball America’s list of top farmhands in the system in 2017 and 2018. Their reports on him noted that he didn’t have a standout tool, but had the work ethic and baseball instincts to be a well-rounded player without obvious weaknesses.

In December of 2018, he moved across the division in the 2018 trade that sent Yonder Alonso to Chicago. In 2019, his first year in Cleveland’s system, he had a disappointing campaign in Double-A, hitting .205/.266/.321 for a wRC+ of 72. He also struck out at a 28.6% clip and walk just 6.8% of the time.

After the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020, Call came out flying in 2021. Returning to the Akron RubberDucks, he got into 43 games, cutting his strikeout rate almost in half to 14.4%, while walking 11.7% of the time. He slashed .310/.389/.503 for a 142 wRC+ and earned a promotion to Triple-A. His first stint with the Columbus Clippers didn’t go so well, despite keeping his rate stats in good form. In 66 Triple-A games last year, he was struck out in 14.1% of his plate appearances, walked in 12.3% of them, but hit just .229/.335/.394, 99 wRC+. This year, however, he’s got even 16.4% strikeout and walk rates while hitting .283/.418/.504 for a 148 wRC+.

Call has played all three outfield spots in his minor league career, including this year. The Guardians have used Myles Straw and Steven Kwan regularly as two of their outfielders this season. Rookie Oscar Gonzalez seemed to be earning a spot beside them until he landed on the injured list. Another rookie got his promotion a few days ago, when Nolan Jones was bumped up to the big leagues. Call will now join that group and see if he can carry any of his offensive skills up to the majors. With Franmil Reyes struggling mightily as the club’s DH, it’s also possible that these four outfielders nudge him out of some playing time there. Reyes is striking out 40.8% of the time this year and hitting  .212/.257/.369 for a wRC+ of 75.

As for Mercado, 27, this is his third DFA in less than a month. He started the year with the Guardians, who cut him loose June 21. He was claimed by the Phillies but then got his second DFA a few days later. The Guardians decided to claim him and bring him back, though his second stint only lasted about a week.

In 2019, Mercado had an excellent rookie season that seemed to establish him as a key building block in the Guardians outfield. That year, he hit 15 dingers, stole 15 bags, hit .269/.318/.443 for a 99 wRC+ and played excellent center field defense, producing 2.2 fWAR in the process. However, it’s been a rough couple of years for Mercado, which started with a disastrous 2020. In the shortened season, he hit just .128/.174/.174, with his strikeout rate shooting up to 29%, after being at 17.4% in his rookie year. He corrected things somewhat in 2021, getting his line to .224/.300/.369 for a wRC+ of 84. He couldn’t build on it in 2022, though, with his numbers slouching downwards again and forcing him into a nomadic life on the waiver wire. Given his past potential and relative youth, he’s likely to garner interest from other clubs again. The Guardians will have a week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him.

Royals Designate Foster Griffin For Assignment

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The Royals announced Monday that lefty Foster Griffin has been designated for assignment. His spot on the active roster will go to lefty Daniel Lynch, who has been reinstated from the injured list. Griffin’s spot on the 40-man roster will go to newly acquired outfield prospect Drew Waters, as the Royals announced that Waters has been selected to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Omaha.

Kansas City has also recalled lefty Angel Zerpa from Double-A Northwest Arkansas and appointed him as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader. Minor league right-hander Andrew Hoffmann and third baseman CJ Alexander, also acquired from the Braves in the Waters trade, were assigned to Double-A as well.

Griffin, 26, was the No. 28 selection of the 2014 draft but has only appeared in two big league seasons with the Royals with a total of six MLB frames pitched. For years, Griffin was generally ranked among the Royals’ more promising farmhands, although his year-to-year rankings fluctuated greatly. At his best, he looked the part of a potential third or fourth starter, staying healthy and soaking up innings in the upper minors even as his performance endured some wild swings from one season to the next.

However, Griffin suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow early in the 2020 season, and the subsequent Tommy John surgery wiped out the remainder of that season and all of the 2021 campaign. The Royals removed him from the 40-man roster at one point but re-signed him to a minor league deal and selected him to the MLB roster earlier this season.

Now working exclusively as a reliever, Griffin has been excellent in Triple-A, where he sports a 1.93 ERA and a 32-to-6 K/BB. Griffin has punched out 29.4% of his Triple-A opponents against just a 5.5% walk rate — all while showing off a huge 55.9% ground-ball rate. Between his first-round pedigree, the impressive bullpen showing in Triple-A and the fact that Griffin has all three minor league option years remaining, it’s possible that another team will have interest — be it via waivers or a small trade. There’s no sugarcoating the seven runs (six earned) Griffin yielded in just 4 1/3 MLB innings this season, but he’s averaging 93.9 mph on his heater, and teams are always on the lookout for left-handed bullpen help.

The Royals will have a week to trade Griffin, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him.

Braves Select Robinson Cano, Designate Phil Gosselin

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The Braves announced that they’ve selected the contract of veteran second baseman Robinson Cano, just hours after acquiring him from the Padres in exchange for cash. Fellow infield veteran Phil Gosselin was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man and 26-man rosters. Atlanta also reinstated Adam Duvall from the paternity list and optioned first baseman Mike Ford to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Cano, 39, was suspended for the entire 2021 season after the second positive PED test of his 17-year Major League career. Once a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate who looked like a surefire Hall of Famer (prior to the multiple PED bans), Cano is in the penultimate season of a ten-year, $240MM contract signed with the Mariners prior to the 2014 season. He’s been released by both the Mets and the Padres this season thanks to an awful .149/.182/.189 batting line through 77 trips to the plate, but Cano did post a strong .333/.375/.479 slash in 104 Triple-A plate appearances for the Padres’ top affiliate this year.

Now back in the NL East, Cano will help his former division rival try to overtake his former club in a potential revenge series this weekend. For the time being, he’ll give Atlanta a platoon partner at second base for the righty-swinging Orlando Arcia — though it stands to reason that if Cano’s form resembles his output with the Padres and Mets from earlier in the year, the leash will be quite short. The Braves are biding their time until Ozzie Albies can return from a fractured foot, but he’s likely still more than a month out.

Gosselin, 33, had a nice run in Triple-A Gwinnett this season but hasn’t hit much in a tiny sample of 24 big league plate appearances (.261/.292/.261). He’s spent parts of ten seasons in the Majors, so teams generally know what they’re getting with him at this point. Gosselin will generally hit for a passable batting average but doesn’t walk or hit for power. He’s capable of playing just about anywhere on the diamond and is a solid defender at multiple infield positions, making him a nice veteran to have on hand as a depth option. The Braves will have a week to trade Gosselin, release him or try to pass him through outright waivers. Even if he goes unclaimed on waivers, he can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Braves Acquire Robinson Cano

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July 11: The New York Post’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Braves are planning to add Cano to the roster today in advance off their series against Cano’s former Mets teammates.

July 10: The Braves have acquired infielder Robinson Cano from the Padres for cash considerations, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter link).

After being released by the Mets in May, Cano signed a big league deal with the Padres soon thereafter, but was then released again after he turned down the team’s request to go to Triple-A.  Cano’s veteran status gave him the right to opt into free agency, but after checking his options on the open market, he re-signed with San Diego on a minor league deal.

Since reporting to Triple-A El Paso, Cano has hit well, posting a .333/.375/.479 slash line over 104 plate appearances.  While obviously the minor league setting (and hitter-friendly environment) have to be taken into account, Cano’s performance does give some hint that he still has something left in the tank at age 39, and after missing the entire 2021 season due to a PED suspension.  Cano batted only .149/.182/.189 over 77 combined PA with the Padres and Mets at the MLB level this season.

The Braves obviously saw something they liked, and will now bring Cano back to the NL East to see if he can revive his career.  Atlanta has developed a knack for striking gold on struggling veterans, and it was only a year ago that the club picked up several such players (i.e. Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall) who ended up fueling their run to the World Series title.  As poor as Cano looked earlier this season in New York, Mets fans must have some trepidation over Cano suddenly catching fire and helping Atlanta overtake the Mets in the NL East.

Atlanta is thin on left-handed hitting, and there is a vacancy at second base since Ozzie Albies will be out until at least mid-August while recovering from foot surgery.  On paper, Cano is an interesting platoon fit alongside the right-handed hitting Orlando Arcia at second base, and another righty swinger in Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter.

It wasn’t long ago that Cano was still among the game’s most feared bats, as he posted an .896 OPS over 182 PA for the Mets during the shortened 2020 season.  While his positive PED test inevitably casts some doubt upon those numbers, there isn’t much risk for Atlanta in picking up Cano to see what he can contribute.  Of the $24MM owed to Cano for the 2022 season, the Braves will have to cover just the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary once Cano hits the active roster, as the Mariners ($3.75MM) and Mets are covering the rest.

Reds Outright Robert Dugger

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10:17PM: Dugger accepted the assignment to Triple-A, Bobby Nightengale reports (Twitter link).

TODAY, 3:21PM: Dugger cleared waivers and has been outrighted to the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (Twitter link).  It isn’t yet known if Dugger will accept the assignment or opt for free agency.

JULY 8: The Reds have designated reliever Robert Dugger for assignment, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The move clears an active roster spot for closer Alexis Diaz, who has been activated from the 15-day injured list.

This DFA is the latest step in what has become a fairly predictable pattern for the right-hander. This is the fourth time he has been designated for assignment in just over two months, each time after a fairly short stay in the big leagues. He started the year by signing a minor league deal with the Rays. He had his contract selected on May 1 and threw 5 1/3 innings of mop-up duty. After his first DFA of the year, he was claimed off waivers by the Reds. They, too, gave him a mop-up assignment, with Dugger getting to pitch for another three innings before his second DFA. He cleared waivers, was outrighted and then re-selected to the big league team, but got his third DFA without making an appearance. Selected yet again yesterday, Dugger tossed another 3 2/3 innings before this fourth DFA.

In total, he’s now thrown 12 MLB innings thus far this season, faring well in that small sample. He has a 4.50 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 37.5% ground ball rate. Despite those decent results, Dugger hasn’t been granted anything beyond a very brief stay on a big league roster. Since he is out of options, the only way to replace him with a fresh arm is to send him back out into DFA limbo each time. His numbers in the minors this year aren’t quite as impressive, as he has a 5.06 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate through 48 Triple-A frames.

The Reds will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers or release him. He will have the right to reject an outright assignment due to the fact that he has previously been outrighted in his career. But based on precedent, it’s possible that he clears waivers and accepts another outright assignment like he’s already done a couple of times this year.

Royals To Promote Maikel Garcia

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The Royals are preparing to promote shortstop Maikel Garcia from Double-A to the majors, El Extrabase’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes reports (Twitter link).  Garcia was added to the 40-man roster last year, but a corresponding move will need to be made to fit Garcia into the active roster, unless he is joining Kansas City as the extra 27th man for Monday’s doubleheader against the Tigers.

The timing of Garcia’s addition could be related to Whit Merrifield’s early exit from today’s game, as the infielder had discomfort in his right toe.  Kansas City manager Mike Matheny told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that the club was awaiting MRI results on Merrifield, though initial x-rays were negative.  At the very least, it doesn’t seem like Merrifield will be available for tomorrow’s doubleheader, so Garcia can provide some extra infield depth.

With the All-Star break coming up, the Royals could be considering placing Merrifield on the 10-day injured list for at least precautionary reasons, so Merrifield can return fresh for the second half (and perhaps be dangled as a trade candidate in advance of the August 2 deadline).  If Merrifield does require an IL stint, Garcia might get more time to show what he can do in his first taste of MLB action.

An international signing out of Venezuela in 2016, Garcia has some family ties to the K.C. organization, as his cousin is longtime former Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar.  Baseball America ranks Garcia as the 15th-best prospect in the Royals farm system, while MLB Pipeline has him 18th.  The 22-year-old had never even played Double-A ball prior to this season, though he has hit .283/.362/.395 over 348 plate appearances.

Since the start of the 2019 season, Garcia has shown some ability to hit for average and get on base, which is critical considering his lack of power.  Baseball America’s scouting report noted that Garcia has added more pop in the form of doubles power this year in Double-A, and he profiles as a line-drive hitter who makes a lot of solid contact.  Garcia’s baserunning is also a plus, as he has 27 steals in 30 chances this year, and is 110-for-137 over his five pro seasons.

Defensively, pundits feel his glove is more than ready for the big leagues, and Garcia’s plus fielding might be his best tool.  Bobby Witt has the shortstop position locked up for the foreseeable future in Kansas City, but Garcia has played some second base, and would probably be able to make a pretty smooth transition to the keystone or possibly third base, since he has a good throwing arm.  If Merrifield does have to miss time, the Royals could use Garcia in the second base/third base mix with Nicky Lopez and Emmanuel Rivera.

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