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Cubs Promote Tyson Miller

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The Cubs are calling up righty Tyson Miller to make his Major League debut, manager David Ross announced to reporters today (Twitter link via Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago). He’ll start the second game of tonight’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. That assignment could’ve gone to righty Adbert Alzolay, but he took a ball off his forearm in a recent intrasquad game, it seems. Thankfully, Alzolay escaped with just a bruise, but he’s not yet ready to take the hill for the Cubs.

Miller, 25, was Chicago’s fourth-round pick back in 2016 and has been considered to be among the better prospects in a thin Cubs system for the past couple seasons. He breezed through Double-A in 2019, pitching to a 2.56 ERA with 80 strikeouts against just 16 walks in 88 innings before being promoted to Triple-A. Things didn’t go well in the Pacific Coast League for Miller — that’s true for most pitchers — as he was ambushed for a 7.58 ERA in 48 2/3 frames. Miller was blown up for 13 long balls in that short time after surrendering just six in his 88 Double-A innings. Some of that is surely attributable to better opponents, but the Triple-A leagues used the same ball that produced MLB’s home run boom last season. (The lower minor league levels did not.)

Baseball America credits Miller with the best control of any pitching prospect in the Cubs’ system, labeling him as a potential back-end starter. He ranks 14th in the system per BA and 25th over at MLB.com. Improvements to his changeup and an added curveball helped to drive his success at Double-A last year, per BA.

Today’s outing figures to be a spot start for Miller, who is serving as the Cubs’ 29th man. He’ll be sent back to the alternate site following the outing. However, this will also serve as Miller’s first audition for a longer-term look with the team. Each of Jon Lester, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood will see the guaranteed portion of their contracts conclude at season’s end — Lester has a 2021 option — so there could be opportunity for Miller and other young arms in the near future.

Cubs DFA Jharel Cotton, Place Tyler Chatwood On IL

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The Cubs announced a series of roster moves today, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales (Twitter links). Tyler Chatwood was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, due to a back strain. His active roster spot will be filled by right-hander Jason Adam. In turn, Jharel Cotton was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Adam on the 40-man roster.

The Cubs will have a week to trade, release, or outright Cotton to the minors. With one option year remaining and four more seasons of team control, he could be a worthwhile depth pickup for teams with thin pitching staffs. At 28 years old, Cotton is still relatively inexperienced at the Major League level and finds himself in a somewhat new role; 2019 marked the first year since his pro debut in 2012 that the majority of Cotton’s appearances came in relief.

Chatwood has started off the season looking like he’s on track for a nice bounce-back season, although you wouldn’t think so based on his unimpressive 5.40 ERA. Still, he’s striking out batters at a career-best rate (13.8 K/9) while his walks, which have thus far been the biggest obstacle to his success, have trended in the opposite direction: 2.4 BB/9, a career-low rate. That’s lent itself to a 2.60 FIP, which the Cubs ought to be pleased with given his unremarkable numbers over the previous two years.

Adam, 29, signed with the Cubs as a minor-league free agent after two Major League stints with the Royals and Blue Jays. He enjoyed a bit of success last year, posting a 2.91 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio (18 K/10 BB) was nothing special, but he’s good solid stuff: his fastball, which averaged 94.4 mph last year, brings a spin rate that ranked in the 97th-percentile last year, per Statcast. Supplemented with a curveball and changeup, that type of action can certainly play at the MLB level.

Pitcher Notes: Chatwood, Yates, Hirano

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The Chicago Cubs have pushed Tyler Chatwood’s start after the right-hander experienced tightness in his back, per Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports. Colin Rea will trot in from the bullpen to start on Saturday in his stead (technically, Alec Mills started for Chatwood on Friday, and Rea will start in Mills’ place). Chatwood has continued his streaky tenure this season in Chicago, though the good has outweighed the bad through three starts. The 30-year-old Chatwood put the Northside aflutter with a pair of quality starts in which he yielded 12 2/3 innings, two wins, 19 strikeouts, and just a single earned run. He gave it all back with 8 earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings in his third start against the Royals. The Cubs have a twin bill with the Cardinals scheduled for Monday where Chatwood will step back into the rotation, per Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).

  • Bad news could be on the horizon for the San Diego Padres. Closer Kirby Yates has been scheduled for an MRI to investigate recent elbow discomfort, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The late-blooming Yates has developed into arguably the game’s best closer over the past two seasons. He’s not been himself through 5 appearances this year. He’s currently rocking a cumbersome 10.38 ERA/5.62 FIP with 7 hits and 4 walks to 7 strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. He does have 2 saves and a hold. An injury would certainly be a blow to a San Diego bullpen already down Andres Muñoz and Trey Wingenter. Even so, the Friars are flush with potential replacements: Emilio Pagan and Drew Pomeranz are likely next in line to secure W’s in San Diego.
  • Yoshihisa Hirano is finally on his way back to the diamond after testing positive for COVID-19 early in training camp, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). After some tune-ups at the alternate site, Hirano could find himself in the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen shortly. Hirano, 36, joined the Mariners this offseason after two years with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He proved himself a reliable arm in the Dbacks’ pen. He owns a 3.47 ERA/3.85 FIP in the states after a successful career in Japan.

Pitching Notes: Hamels, Quintana, M’s, Tigers

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Left-hander Cole Hamels, whom the Braves placed on the 45-day injured list July 23, still has not thrown off a mound during his recovery from a triceps problem, Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweets. The Braves remain hopeful Hamels will pitch this year, though, per manager Brian Snitker. Of course, Hamels isn’t eligible to return until early September, so the Braves will get a very limited season from him at best. That wasn’t the outcome either side expected when the Braves signed the longtime workhorse to a one-year deal worth $18MM deal during the offseason. The Hamels injury is one of many issues the Braves’ rotation has encountered since then (most recently, they optioned lefty Sean Newcomb on Monday in the wake of a horrid performance), but the back-to-back NL East champions are still off to a solid start at 11-7.

  • Cubs southpaw Jose Quintana will throw a three-inning sim game Tuesday, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports. However, there’s still no word on when Quintana will make his 2020 debut after suffering a left thumb injury over a month ago. Even without Quintana, though, the Cubs’ rotation has come storming out of the gates. Entering Monday’s action, the Yu Darvish–Kyle Hendricks–Jon Lester–Tyler Chatwood–Alec Mills quintet was second in the game in FIP (2.76) and fourth in ERA (2.83)
  • The Mariners placed right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. on the injured list with a flexor mass strain in his forearm and recalled fellow righty Bryan Shaw from their alternate site, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times relays. Edwards’ injury sounds worrisome, though manager Scott Servais said it’s “not that serious.” But as Servais noted, even a couple weeks lost in a 60-game season is a significant amount of time. It’s unfortunate for the M’s and Edwards, who combined for an awful run in Chicago and San Diego from 2018-19 but who has come back nicely this year. He yielded one earned run on two hits and one walk (six strikeouts) across 4 2/3 innings before landing on the IL.
  • The Tigers placed righty Buck Farmer on the IL on Monday with a left groin strain and recalled righty Beau Burrows, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Farmer was a bright spot on a bottom-feeding Tigers team a year ago and has kept runs off the board at an even better clip this season, having allowed just two ER on four hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. On the negative side, Farmer has struck out only one hitter after fanning almost 10 per nine in 2019.

Cubs Release Derek Dietrich

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The Cubs announced that utilityman Derek Dietrich has been released so that Dietrich can explore a Major League opportunity with another club.  (MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian was among those to report the news.)

Dietrich signed a minor league deal with Chicago just prior to the July opener, and only three days after the Reds released him from another minors contract.  Dietrich didn’t receive a call-up to the Cubs’ active roster, and it’s fair to assume that he wasn’t in the team’s plans in the near future, which led to their granting his request for a release.  With Dietrich’s track record of multi-positional versatility and a career 107 OPS+, any number of teams could have their eye on him for regular big league duty.

Dietrich spent his first six seasons with the Marlins before playing with the Reds in a somewhat unusual 2019 season.  He hit a career-best 19 homers and posted a career-best .462 slugging percentage over 306 plate appearances, though he batted only .187.  Much of Dietrich’s 2019 production was built around an incredible 68-PA stretch in May, as Dietrich exploded to hit .293/.397/.931 and 12 home runs.

Cardinals-Cubs Series Postponed Due To Additional Covid-19 Positive(s)

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7:27pm: Outfielder Austin Dean, righty Ryan Helsley and a staff member tested positive, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

5:04pm: MLB will postpone this weekend’s Cards-Cubs series, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

12:25pm: Major League Baseball has officially announced that tonight’s game is postponed due to one additional positive test. However, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that there’s “concern” of a second positive test beyond the one the league has confirmed. That could point to some yet-inconclusive results and also explain the discrepancy between the earlier reporting on the number of positive tests. Clarity on the matter should come later today.

12:10pm: MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that there was only one new positive test. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) and a few others have heard the same, though SportsGrid’s Craig Mish tweets that there were two new positives. Whatever the exact number is determined to be, there figures to be additional testing and contact tracing performed before the league decides on the remainder of the Cubs/Cards series. The Cardinals had already been aiming to play 55 games in a span of 52 days, so the postponement of tonight’s game further adds to a notable scheduling challenge.

12:02pm: Tonight’s Cardinals game against the Cubs has been postponed due to new positive Covid-19 test(s) within the Cardinals organization, The Athletic’s Mark Saxon reports (via Twitter). The new positives dash the Cardinals’ hopes of getting back to the field for the first time since July 29. The St. Louis organization had seven players and several staff members test positive over the course of several days beginning last Friday.

This will be the first schedule interruption for the first-place Cubs, and as has continually been the case, there are potential broad-reaching implications beyond the current series. Future opponents could be impacted — the Cards are set to begin a series against the Pirates on Monday — and depending on the outcome of the remainder of this series, the Cubs could now find themselves with multiple doubleheaders added to the schedule.

The Cardinals announced this week that catcher Yadier Molina, pitchers Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley, and infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa and Rangel Ravelo had all tested positive for Covid-19. All but Ravelo were placed on the injured list the following day, as was right-hander Carlos Martinez.

Cubs Sign Kelvin Herrera, Matt Dermody

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The Cubs announced that they’ve signed right-hander Kelvin Herrera and left-hander Matt Dermody to minor league contracts and assigned them to their alternate training site. The team’s 60-man player pool is now full. Herrera, 30, was recently cut loose by the White Sox after being designated for assignment. Dermody, also 30, had been pitching in the independent Constellation Energy League.

Herrera was once a high-end setup man and eventually a closer for the Royals. The hard-throwing righty was part of a juggernaut Kansas City bullpen that fueled the team’s 2014 and 2015 World Series appearances, pitching to a 2.75 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 in 441 1/3 frames in parts of eight seasons with the Royals. He was eventually traded from K.C. to D.C. in a swap that sent minor leaguers Kelvin Gutierrez, Blake Perkins and Yohanse Morel from the Nats to the Royals.

Herrera’s time with the Nats didn’t go well, however. He missed time early with a shoulder impingement, and upon returning he suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot that ended his season. That was hardly an ideal run-up to his first foray into free agency, but Herrera’s standout track record still netted him a two-year, $18MM deal with the White Sox. The pact went even more poorly, though, as Herrera was shelled for 6.54 ERA in 53 2/3 frames with the South Siders before being released last week.

Dermody, meanwhile, has just 25 1/3 innings of big league experience under his belt — all coming with the 2016-17 Blue Jays. He’s spent his entire pro career in the Toronto organization prior to this season, during which time he’s posted a 4.12 ERA in parts of four Triple-A campaigns. His lack of track record may seem questionable, but Dermody has been lights out on the indie circuit this season, allowing just one earned run on 13 hits and six walks with 23 strikeouts in 17 1/3 frames. That showing clearly made an impression on the Cubs, who’ll now have Dermody on hand as a depth option should the need arise.

The Cubs have gotten out to a hot start, but their bullpen remains an obvious weakness. High-priced closer Craig Kimbrel has looked lost since signing in Chicago, and the team hasn’t spent on any other bullpen help in the past several years. They’re currently relying on a patchwork group that has seen Rowan Wick and the talented-but-inconsistent Jeremy Jeffress shoulder the bulk of the high-leverage situations as Kimbrel continues to struggle. Herrera is the second former AL Central All-Star on whom the Cubs are rolling the dice. They signed former Indians closer Cody Allen to a minor league deal and assigned him to their alternate training site last week.

Cubs starters rank first in the Majors in ERA (1.95), second in FIP (2.52) and sixth in xFIP (3.51). Their relievers, as a whole, rank 29th in ERA (7.20), dead last in FIP (6.90) and 23rd in xFIP (4.81).

Cubs To Promote Justin Steele To Active Roster

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10:42AM: The Cubs announced Steele’s promotion, and in a corresponding move, right-hander James Norwood was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 30) due to right shoulder inflammation.  Pitching in his third season for the Cubs, Norwood has a 16.20 ERA over 1 2/3 innings pitched this season.

9:22AM: The Cubs will promote left-hander Justin Steele to their 30-man roster prior to today’s game, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney reports (Twitter link).  Steele is already on the 40-man, though a corresponding move will need to be made to create room on the big league roster.

The 25-year-old Steele was a fifth-round pick for the Cubs in the 2014 draft, and he’ll now get his first taste of MLB action following six seasons and 320 2/3 innings pitched in the minors.  Steele has worked almost exclusively as a starter, though he will be used as a reliever in Chicago to try and help the struggling Cubs bullpen.  Some extra southpaw depth is particularly necessary since Kyle Ryan and Rex Brothers, the two lefties in the relief corps, have both gotten off to a tough start.

Steele’s career was stalled by a Tommy John surgery in 2017, though he has a 3.62 ERA, 2.41 K/BB rate, and 8.9 K/9 over his minor league career.  MLB Pipeline ranks him as Chicago’s 21st-best prospect in Chicago’s farm system, noting Steeler’s plus four-seamer and “one of the best curveballs in the system.”

Quick Hits: Cardinals Coronavirus Update, Mize, Kimbrel

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The Cardinals and Brewers scheduled doubleheader for Sunday has been postponed, MLB announced in a statement. The Cardinals had 3 players and 1 staff member test positive for coronavirus this weekend with four pending tests still unresolved, tweets ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The positive tests will affect the schedule for the next week as well. The Tigers and Cardinals were originally supposed to play a home-and-home pair of series this week in St. Louis and Detroit. Following the cases of coronavirus in St. Louis, however, all four games will be played in Detroit, including a doubleheader on Wednesday. The Brewers’ schedule will be unchanged, as they’ll head to Chicago to take on the White Sox.

  • Contrary to earlier speculation, Casey Mize will not make his major league debut for the Tigers on Sunday, writes The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen. Without a minor league pipeline in which to develop, many young players have made their debuts already this season, including highly-touted pitching prospects like Brady Singer of the Royals and Nate Pearson of the Blue Jays. For the time being, however, the Tigers continue to play coy with the future of Mize. Despite the rampant speculation that Mize would earn his promotion to take part in Sunday’s doubleheader, the Tigers finally tabbed Daniel Norris and Rony Garcia instead. Norris will make his 2020 debut after previously testing positive for coronavirus. Garcia, a 22-year-old Rule 5 pick from the Yankees, made his debut on Tuesday getting against the Royals. Garcia went 3 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 of which were earned. 
  • The Cubs are considering moving Craig Kimbrel out of the closer’s role as the veteran fireballer has continued to surrender the long ball at an alarming rate, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and others. Cubs manager David Ross was noncommital when asked to comment on the situation. Jesse Rogers of ESPN noted that Kimbrel has given up a rather shocking 11 home runs in just 22 innings since joining the Cubs midseason last year. Kimbrel is arguably one of the most successful closers the era, but he has yet to figure it out in Chicago. With the bases loaded in the seventh inning today, Ross turned the ball over to Jeremy Jeffress, who would be a top contender to replace Kimbrel. Though he too is coming off a difficult 2019, Jeffress does have experience closing out games (45 career saves). If today’s game was any indication, however, Ross may choose to deploy Jeffress in high-leverage moments while distributing closing opportunities piecemeal to some combination of Rowan Wick, Kyle Ryan, Kimbrel, and Jeffress.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/1/20

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It’s been a busy sports day with the NBA and NHL back in action, not to mention the many MLB games still underway. As the action rolls along, we’ll use this post to review some minor moves you may have missed…

  • Catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been assigned to the Red Sox alternate training site in Pawtucket after clearing waivers, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). He’ll stay in their 60-player pool after catching a total of two innings behind the plate for the big-league team. Lucroy, 34, has enjoyed a long and productive career, but a steep dropoff in production following his second All-Star appearance in 2016 has led to a meandering period for the veteran receiver. In addition to the Red Sox, Lucroy has dressed for the Cubs, Angels, Athletics, Rockies, and Rangers since coming to semi-stardom with the Brewers.
  • The Cubs signed pitcher Matt Dermody out of the Independent League, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). Everyone is in need of extra pitching depth these days it seems, though the Cubs have a particularly unsettled situation in their bullpen. Dermody is a 30-year-old southpaw who last appeared in the majors in 2017 for the Blue Jays. He made 23 appearances that season, going 2-0 with a 4.43 ERA/6.25 FIP across 22 1/3 innings. Cubs relievers have been the worst such group in the game so far this season. Prior to Saturday’s action, they pitched to a combined 9.55 ERA/9.51 FIP across 21 2/3 innings.
  • The Giants assigned catcher Rob Brantly to their alternate training site, per The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (via Twitter). The 31-year-old catcher cleared waivers after appearing in one game for the Giants, going hitless in three at-bats. Tyler Heineman and Chadwick Tromp are the catchers that remain on San Francisco’s active roster.
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