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Chase De Jong

Pirates Sign Chase De Jong To Minor League Deal

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 27-year-old right-hander Chase De Jong to a minor league deal, writes John Dreker of pittsburghbaseball.com. The 6’4″ De Jong has bounced around the league since the Blue Jays made him a second round pick out of high school in the 2012 draft. He never played in the Majors for Toronto, nor for his second organization, the Los Angeles Dodgers. After reaching Triple-A, the Dodgers traded De Jong to the Mariners, where he eventually made his debut during the 2017 season. He exceeded rookie requirements in 2020 with 0.110 days of service time in the Majors.

Despite just 15 career appearances, the California native has appeared in the Majors in each of the four seasons since his debut – never making more than seven appearances in a year. Overall, De Jong owns a 7.12 ERA/6.00 FIP in 54 1/3 innings, including 10 starts. At 27-years-old, De Jong is young enough to develop into something other than what we’ve seen of him thus far, especially being as he hasn’t seen much opportunity in terms of volume while appearing for the Mariners, Twins, and Astros. De Jong was a ranked prospect by Baseball America every season from 2013 to 2018, when he was the No. 16 ranked prospect in the Mariners’ organization.

Roberto Osuna, Chris Devenski, Dustin Garneau, Chase De Jong Elect Free Agency

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Astros Roberto Osuna, Chris Devenski, Dustin Garneau and Chase De Jong have elected free agency after clearing waivers, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

The most notable addition to the open market here is Osuna, whom the Astros outrighted earlier this week. Osuna has been excellent since he debuted with the Blue Jays in 2015, but he’s forever marred because of a domestic violence suspension in 2018. The Astros still traded for him that year, however, and they did benefit from his on-the-mound presence after that. But the 25-year-old’s future is now uncertain because of a right elbow injury that cost him almost all of 2020 and could force him to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The righty Devenski was a lights-out bullpen workhorse for the Astros in his first two seasons, including during their World Series-winning year in 2017, but the 29-year-old has since fallen on hard times. Not only has Devenski’s production taken a severe turn for the worse, but he threw only 3 2/3 innings in 2020 and is just over a month removed from undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. He’s not expected to recover from that procedure until sometime in the winter.

The well-traveled Garneau, 33, signed with the Astros last winter and ended up seeing time as their backup catcher. Garneau hit a meager .158/.273/.289 with one home run in 46 plate appearances, though.

De Jong began the year in independent ball before the Astros acquired him from the Sugarland Skeeters on Aug. 3. That move didn’t prove successful for Houston, as the right-handed De Jong went on to allow a whopping 12 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Latest On Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy

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A litany of health problems have slowed the Astros, who have started 2020 an even 6-6 after winning the American League a year ago. Slugger and 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez is among the team’s most important players on the shelf, likely owing to a positive coronavirus test. Alvarez is taking batting practice and running, but manager Dusty Baker suggested a return is not imminent.

“The cavalry is a ways off,” Baker said of Alvarez and right-hander Jose Urquidy, who has also been on the IL for an undisclosed reason early this year, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Urquidy just began throwing off a mound.

The 23-year-old Alvarez was a critical piece of the puzzle for the Astros last season, when he slashed .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs in 369 plate appearances. There’s obviously no realistic way to replace that type of production.

Urquidy, 25, didn’t star as a rookie last year, but he was impressive in his own right, as he amassed 41 innings of 3.95 ERA/3.68 FIP ball with 8.78 K/9 and 1.54 BB/9. The Astros, who are facing several injuries in their pitching staff, will welcome similar numbers this year if Urquidy is able to pitch.

Austin Pruitt is also among the wounded in Houston, and the club decided to transfer the righty to the 45-day IL because of an elbow ailment on Friday, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. The move opened up space for just-acquired righty Chase De Jong in their 60-man player pool. Pruitt still hasn’t pitched for the Astros, who added him in an offseason trade with the Rays, and it remains very much in question whether he’ll take the mound at all this season.

Astros To Acquire Chase De Jong

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The Astros have struck a deal to pick up righty Chase De Jong, per Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). He had been working with the indy league Sugarland Skeeters.

It’s not immediately clear whether De Jong will join the Astros’ active roster or instead head to the team’s alternative training site. Regardless, he’ll first have to pass a physical and covid screening.

De Jong, 26, is a former second-round pick who has appeared in each of the past three MLB seasons. He hasn’t found much success at the game’s highest level, allowing 31 earned runs with a 26:22 K/BB ratio in 47 total frames. He also ran into the Triple-A home run buzzsaw last year, but did carry a 3.66 ERA in 160 frames at the highest level of the minors in the 2018 campaign.

Twins Release Chase De Jong

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The Twins have released righty Chase De Jong, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). He had been pitching for the club’s top affiliate.

De Jong was acquired last summer, then designated and outrighted over the winter. He got another shot in the majors earlier this year, but was torched in his lone outing before again being dropped from the 40-man roster.

The season has been a struggle thus far for the 25-year-old, who was a 2012 second-round pick. He has allowed more than an earned run per inning at Triple-A. Through 45 1/3 innings at the highest level of the minors, he has allowed nearly as many walks (26) as he has recorded strikeouts (30) while surrendering 16 long balls.

Twins Outright Chase De Jong

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The Twins announced Friday that right-hander Chase De Jong has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Rochester. He’ll remain with the organization but is no longer on the 40-man roster. Additionally, Minnesota activated Matt Magill from the injured list.

De Jong, 25, pitched one inning for the Twins earlier this season and was tagged for four runs on three hits and three walks. He was considerably better in a small sample of innings down the stretch in 2018, pitching to a 3.57 ERA with a 13-to-6 K/BB ratio in 17 2/3 innings. The former second-round pick (Blue Jays, 2012) enjoyed a solid season between Double-A and Triple-A last year, where he logged a combined 3.66 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9, but he has yet to find consistent success in the upper minors or at the big league level. He’ll remain with the club as a depth option, should a need arise or should he force his way back into the MLB picture later this season.

As for Magill, the 29-year-old was somewhat of a diamond-in-the-rough find for the Twins a year ago. The former Dodgers/Reds farmhand was signed to a minor league contract but wound up tallying 56 2/3 innings of relief in Minnesota. Magill’s 3.81 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 94.7 mph average fastball were all encouraging, though the righty still issued too many walks (3.7 BB/9) and was far too homer-prone (1.75 HR/9) in his lone season with the Twins. He’ll look to maintain his ability to miss bats while paring back on the free passes and long balls in his second go-around with the Twins. In 5 1/3 innings on a Triple-A rehab assignment, Magill allowed a run on two hits and a walk with eight punchouts.

That said, the fact that Minnesota is relying on Magill, 30-year-old rookie Ryne Harper and converted rotation prospects Fernando Romero and Adalberto Mejia highlights the fact that the Twins have plenty of room for improvement in the ’pen as they battle the Indians in the American League Central.

Twins Select Contract Of Chase De Jong, DFA Tyler Austin

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The Minnesota Twins have selected the contract of right-hander Chase De Jong, while first baseman Tyler Austin will be designated for assignment, per The Athletic’s Dan Hayes (via Twitter).

De Jong, 25, was a 2nd round draft selection of the Blue Jays before seeing time in the Dodgers and Mariners organizations. He joined the Twins via the Zach Duke deal last July, making four starts with Minnesota in 2018, going 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA (4.92 FIP). A rough spring in which he surrendered more runs than innings pitched led to a reassignment to minor league camp, but the Twins are obviously satisfied with the progress he’s made since then.

There was some confusion as to who was getting the call, with various reports from last night suggesting that Zack Littell was being brought up. Littell will remain in Triple-A, however, while De Jong has an opportunity as the Twins’ fifth starter, though someone like Martin Perez could conceivably move from the bullpen to the rotation instead. The Twins have a day off on Monday and another next Thursday following a two-game series with the Mets, so they could conceivably go without a fifth starter until the Blue Jays come to town April 15-18.

Austin, meanwhile, has plenty of pop in his bat, but has yet to consistently get on base in the big leagues. He went 1-4 this season after slashing .230/.287/.480 with 17 home runs in 268 plate appearances between the Twins and Yankees in 2018. Those numbers track with Austin’s career averages as a .232/.291/.469 hitter across a total 371 big-league at-bats. Austin was out of options, so he’ll need to clear waivers before being reassigned.

Twins Option Tyler Duffey, Reassign Chase De Jong

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The Twins optioned reliever Tyler Duffey to Triple-A this morning, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis (via Twitter). The Twins confirmed the move via a press release.

Chase De Jong is also on the move, as the 6’4″ righty has been reassigned to minor league camp. De Jong’s reassignment cuts the Twins’ number of pitchers in camp down to 21. They have 44 players remaining in camp overall, 13 of whom are of the non-roster invitee variety.

Duffey, 28, spent parts of the last four seasons with the big league club, most notably as a starter in 2016 when he took the hill 26 times for a 9-12 record and a 6.43 ERA (4.73 FIP) across 133 frames. A move to the bullpen in 2017 provided a boost to his K-rate as he logged 8.5 K/9 versus his 7.7 K/9 mark as a starter in 2016, but he wasn’t able to repeat those numbers in 2018. Duffey has little left to prove at Triple-A as he once again put together a strong year with the Rochester Red Wings, striking out 9.61 batters per nine while mostly working as a long man, logging 59 innings in only 31 appearances out of the pen. A 2.90 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 3.35 xFIP looks good – but those results did not translate to Target Field where he accumulated -0.2 WAR while marking a 7.20 ERA (5.36 FIP, 4.29 xFIP) in 25 innings. Though he’ll begin the season back at Rochester, there’s a decent chance Duffey returns at some point to the Twins bullpen in 2019.

De Jong, 25, made four starts in his first season with Minnesota last year, going 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA (4.92 FIP). The former 2nd round draft selection of the Blue Jays also saw time in the Dodgers and Mariners organizations before coming to Minnesota in the Zach Duke deal last July. He is likely ticketed to return to Triple-A to start the year after a rough spring in which he surrendered 12 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings of work. Both he and Duffey have one option year remaining, though De Jong faces a longer return road to the majors, as he is not currently on the Twins 40-man roster.

Twins Sign Tim Collins, Justin Nicolino To Minor League Deals

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The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve added left-handers Tim Collins and Justin Nicolino on a pair of minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training. Beyond that, recently designated right-hander Chase De Jong cleared waivers and will remain in the organization. De Jong, like Collins and Nicolino, will be in Major League camp as a non-roster invitee.

Now 29 years old, Collins was once a key member of the bullpen for the division-rival Royals, but a pair of Tommy John surgeries kept him off the field from 2015-17. The diminutive southpaw returned to the Show this past season with the Nationals, however, totaling 22 2/3 innings with a 4.37 ERA and a 21-to-12 K/BB ratio. Collins’ 92.5 mph average fastball was only narrowly south of his pre-surgery velocity, and he posted a solid 11.6 percent swinging-strike rate to go along with a 31.7 percent chase rate on pitches out of the strike zone. Control has long been an issue for Collins, but he notched a solid 3.54 ERA with 9.4 K/9 in 211 innings prior to his injury troubles.

As for Nicolino, the former second-round pick (Blue Jays, 2010) was once viewed as a Top 100 prospect but has never lived up to that potential. He’s amassed 201 1/3 MLB innings, all with the Marlins, but turned in a pedestrian 4.65 ERA with just 3.8 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 in that time. He spent the 2018 season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, where he was knocked around for a 4.69 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 134 1/3 innings.

Presently, Taylor Rogers and Adalberto Mejia are the Twins’ top two left-handed relief options. Rogers finished out the year as one of the game’s most effective relievers after adopting a slider partway through the season and didn’t allow a run in his final 28 appearances. Mejia, meanwhile, is out of minor league options. Both seem quite likely to make it to the club’s Opening Day roster, barring injury. Meanwhile, southpaws Gabriel Moya and Andrew Vasquez are likely ticketed for Triple-A to open the season. That presents both Collins with quite a bit of competition in vying for a roster spot, and the rotation picture for Nicolino (if he’s still to be used as a starter), is all the more crowded.

Twins Designate Chase De Jong For Assignment

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The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Chase De Jong for assignment. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Martin Perez, whose signing is now official.

Minnesota originally acquired De Jong, 25, in the trade that sent left-handed reliever Zach Duke to the Mariners last summer. De Jong made four starts for the Twins down the stretch, pitching to a 3.57 ERA with a 13-to-6 K/BB ratio in that time. While that performance was respectable, though, De Jong has a shakier track record in the upper minors (4.97 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.4 HR/9 in 128 2/3 Triple-A innings) and was hit hard in a slightly larger sample with the Mariners a year prior. The Twins, surely, will hope to sneak him through outright waivers and retain him as a non-40-man-roster depth option if there’s no interest in him on the trade front now that he’s been designated.

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