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Guardians To Select Xzavion Curry

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The Guardians will turn to right-handed pitching prospect Xzavion Curry to start the second game of today’s doubleheader, manager Terry Francona announced (Twitter link via Cleveland.com’s Joe Noga). He’ll need to have his contract formally selected to the 40-man roster, which is currently at capacity.

Curry, 24, was Cleveland’s seventh-round pick back in 2019 and has enjoyed a strong season between Double-A and Triple-A, working to a combined 3.48 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate over the life of 101 innings (17 starts, two relief appearances). Curry didn’t post dominant numbers in his college days at Georgia Tech and was listed at “just” 5’10”, which might’ve contributed to him landing in the seventh round of his draft. However, he’s had little to no problems adapting to professional ball, posting strong results at every minor league stop — culminating in a career 2.90 minor league ERA.

FanGraphs tabs Curry 12th among Guardians farmhands in an absolutely stacked system, and he lands 18th on Baseball America’s midseason rankings. Scouting reports on Curry note that even though his heater sits in the low 90s, its huge spin and his deceptive delivery help it play up as a plus pitch that can miss bats in bunches. His secondary offerings don’t garner as much praise, though his slider is regarded as a potentially above-average pitch — and Curry’s outstanding command helps all of his pitches exceed expectations at times. He’s walked just 46 off the 795 hitters he’s faced as a pro (5.8%).

Curry will give Guards fans their first look at the latest rotation option to step out of the organization’s pitching factory. Cleveland seems to grow viable big league starters on trees, with both Curry and righty Peyton Battenfield (drafted two rounds after Curry) the latest unheralded prospects to surge through the system and position themselves as potential big league contributors. The Guardians’ five-man rotation is presently full, thanks to the presence of Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac and Cal Quantrill, but both Curry and Battenfield have seemingly pitched their way to the upper levels of the organization’s depth chart.

Success in routinely turning out promising arms is one of the many reasons the Guardians have regularly been able to trade from their Major League pitching staff to keep the minor league system stacked without needing to dive headlong into a tedious, years-long rebuilding effort in recent seasons. Cleveland was reportedly open to trade offers on some controllable arms prior to the deadline — Plesac’s name was most commonly speculated upon — and promising late showings from arms like Curry who make their debuts this season will make it easier for the Guardians to renew any of those conversations this winter if they choose.

AL Central Notes: Robert, Guardians, Contreras, Tigers, Hinch

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X-rays were negative on Luis Robert’s left wrist, as the White Sox outfielder has been deemed day-to-day with a sprain.  Robert suffered the injury on a stolen-base attempt in the bottom of the sixth inning in Friday’s game, and was replaced in center field for the top of the seventh.

Chicago’s next off-day doesn’t come until August 29, so there isn’t any room for Robert to get a break without leaving the White Sox undermanned on the roster.  As such, a 10-day injured list visit could be necessary if there’s any lingering soreness, and the Sox might prefer to lose Robert for a few games now in order to get him fully healthy for the rest of the postseason race.  Though he has already missed a couple of weeks (on the COVID-IL and on the regular IL due to blurred vision), Robert has still been a big contributor to the White Sox, hitting .301/.336/.454 with 12 homers in 354 plate appearances.

Other notes from around the AL Central…

  • The Guardians were among the teams who had interest in Willson Contreras at the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.  The Cubs didn’t end up moving Contreras anywhere, while the Guards had a quiet deadline overall — they ended up moving a catcher themselves, dealing Sandy Leon to the Twins in a minor trade.  Despite interest in both Contreras and the Athletics’ Sean Murphy, Cleveland stood pat at catching, leaving Austin Hedges and Luke Maile as the primary tandem behind the plate unless the Guardians look to call up top prospect Bo Naylor.
  • A.J. Hinch ended any speculation that he might seek a move to the Tigers’ front office, telling reporters (including The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen) earlier this week “I’m the manager.  I plan on being the manager.”  However, owner Chris Ilitch did state that Hinch would have some input on who might replace Al Avila as the club’s next general manager.  To this end, Jon Heyman of The New York Post suggests that former Diamondbacks and Padres GM Josh Byrnes could be a candidate for the Detroit job — Byrnes and Hinch worked together in Arizona’s front office, with Byrnes giving Hinch his first managerial job in the Diamondbacks’ dugout.  Byrnes has been working as the senior VP of baseball operations for the Dodgers since 2014.

Previewing Upcoming Club Option Decisions: American League

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Yesterday, MLBTR checked in on the status of seven players who have vesting options in their contracts for the 2023 season. Each can (or already has) lock in some guaranteed money or the right to opt out of their current deal based on their workload or finish in awards voting this year.

Over the next two days, we’ll turn our attention to players with less of a say over their contractual status. A host of contracts around the league contain club options for 2023. Some of them will be easy decisions one way or the other, while there are others that’ll be more borderline calls. With teams having to make these calls a little over two months from now, it’s worth taking a look at how these players are performing in 2022.

Today, we’ll start with the American League. We’ll follow up with a look at the Senior Circuit tomorrow.

Orioles

Baltimore signed Lyles to a $7MM guarantee last winter, taking the form of a $6MM salary for 2022 and at least a $1MM buyout on next year’s option. He’s been a fine back-end starter, working to a 4.35 ERA across 130 1/3 innings. Lyles has below-average strikeout, swinging strike and ground-ball rates, but he leads the club in innings pitched and is throwing plenty of strikes. He’s also drawn strong reviews for his work in the clubhouse with the team’s younger arms. A $10MM call is borderline for a 4th/5th starter type, but the Orioles have almost nothing on the books next season and could keep him around as a veteran stabilizer.

Red Sox

  • James Paxton, SP (team must decide on consecutive $13MM options this offseason; Paxton would have $4MM player option for 2023 if club declines)

Paxton signed a convoluted deal last winter that reflected his atypical situation. A mid-rotation caliber starter when healthy, he’s made just six starts over the past three years and hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April. He’s making $6MM this season and could be a rotation option for a team that’ll see each of Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill hit free agency. The club will have to decide whether to trigger consecutive $13MM options (essentially a two-year, $26MM pact) this winter. If they decline, Paxton could opt in to a $4MM salary for 2023 or test free agency. How things play out largely depends on how Paxton looks down the stretch. Manager Alex Cora recently told reporters the southpaw will throw a simulated game on Friday and could soon head out on a minor league rehab appearance (link via Chris Cotillo of MassLive).

  • Hirokazu Sawamura, RP (team holds option currently valued at $3.6MM; Sawamura holds player option for 2023 currently valued at $1.8MM if club declines)

Sawamura signed a two-year, $3MM guarantee with the Red Sox over the 2020-21 offseason. The deal also included a club option for 2023 valued anywhere between $3-4MM, depending on whether Sawamura held his roster spot and based on his number of appearances. MLBTR has confirmed that escalators have already pushed the value of the club option to $3.6MM; that price escalates by an additional $100K for reaching each of 45, 50 and 60 appearances this season. (He’s presently at 43 games). If the team declines, Sawamura would have the right to trigger a player option currently valued at $1.8MM. As with the club option, the player option price escalates by $100K for reaching 45, 50 and 60 appearances. If both sides bypass their respective options, Sawamura would receive a $1MM buyout.

It seems likely that Sawamura’s team option price will fall somewhere in the $3.8MM – 3.9MM range, with a $1.8MM gap between the value of the club and player options. That’s an acceptable price to pay for a solid reliever, albeit one who’s been relied upon more in lower-leverage innings. Sawamura has a 3.14 ERA in 97 1/3 innings since coming stateside, striking out a decent 23% of opponents with a strong 51.7% ground-ball rate. He’s had issues throwing strikes consistently, but he’s an affordable power arm for a middle innings group that has been one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. That the Red Sox haven’t given Sawamura much high-leverage work in spite of their bullpen struggles is enough of a red flag to put this one in some doubt, but it seems likelier they’ll keep him around.

Yankees

Severino barely pitched between 2019-21 because of injuries, including a Tommy John recovery. He returned to the rotation this season and pitched to an impressive 3.45 ERA through 16 starts before suffering a lat injury that’ll cost him at least two months. The injury history is a real concern, but Severino still looks like an above-average starter when healthy. He’s averaged around 96 MPH on his fastball, struck out 27.2% of opposing hitters and has a tiny 7.2% walk rate. The Yankees would have to be very pessimistic about his health outlook to buy out his age-29 season, particularly since it’s only a $12.25MM decision once the buyout price is taken into account.

Rays

Kiermaier hit .228/.281/.369 over 221 plate appearances before suffering a season-ending left hip injury. It’s the latest in a long line of major health issues for the 32-year-old, and the Rays are planning to buy out the three-time Gold Glove winner. It’s possible the team tries to circle back at a lower price point, but the career-long Ray is likely to hit the open market for the first time in his career.

Blue Jays

The Jays just acquired Bass from the Marlins at the trade deadline, fortifying their bullpen with a productive middle-innings arm. Bass has an excellent 1.49 ERA through 48 1/3 innings on the year, striking out 26.2% of opponents against just a 5.9% walk rate. It’s a career-best season at age 34, but Bass has a sub-4.00 ERA for five years running. He’s an underrated bullpen piece, and the Jays are sure to bring him back for what amounts to a $2MM decision.

White Sox

This is as easy a call as any team will have to make this winter. Anderson has been one of the game’s better players four years running. He’s an elite contact hitter and baserunner, and he’s cemented himself as the Sox’s franchise shortstop. His 2022 season has been dinged by injuries, including a recent hand ligament tear that’ll cost him most of the remaining schedule. Frustrating year aside, Anderson has hit at a quality .301/.339/.395 clip this season and been an All-Star caliber performer in prior years. The White Sox are keeping him around next year, and they can do the same in 2024 via $14MM option.

Harrison signed a one-year deal in Spring Training and got off to a dreadful start. The veteran utilityman has turned things on since the calendar flipped to June, though, and he now carries a roughly league average .242/.312/.385 line through 281 plate appearances. The Sox will have to make a $4MM call this offseason on whether to bring him back for 2023. They’ll probably look for an upgrade at second base, but that’s a reasonable enough sum to dedicate to a quality infielder off the bench. Chicago already has Leury García making decent money in that role, and they might prefer to focus their finances on adding to the back of the rotation and bringing back star first baseman José Abreu.

Guardians

Shaw is a longtime member of the Cleveland organization, having spent seven of his 11 MLB seasons there. He’s a durable bullpen workhorse who’s clearly a favorite of the coaching staff and front office, but his 2022 results have not been good. The 34-year-old righty owns a 5.36 ERA across 40 1/3 innings. He’s only striking out 17.7% of opponents, walking batters at an elevated 11.6% clip and has had some home run issues. The Guardians seem likely to go in another direction this offseason.

Twins

Sanó is a longtime member of the organization who’s capable of carrying a lineup with his power at his best. His platform season has been a disaster, though, and the Twins are sure to buy out his option. The 29-year-old underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee in May. He returned briefly but went back on the 60-day injured list last week with additional knee concerns. It’s not clear whether he’ll make it back this season. Sanó has an .083/.211/.133 line in 20 games this year after slightly above-average offensive performances in 2020-21.

Just as Sanó’s option is certain to be bought out, Gray’s is a no-brainer to exercise. Minnesota acquired the right-hander from the Reds in Spring Training, sending last year’s first-round pick Chase Petty to Cincinnati. Gray lost some time on the injured list, but he’s posted an impressive 3.19 ERA with slightly above-average peripherals through his first 16 starts in a Twins uniform. A mid-rotation starter of his caliber is a solid bargain at the cost of his option, which played into the fairly high asking price the Twins had to relinquish in the trade.

The Twins bought low on Bundy on a one-year free agent deal, hoping he’d rebound from a dismal 2021 and look more like the mid-rotation arm he resembled in 2020. That hasn’t really transpired, as the right-hander has a 5.01 ERA through 93 1/3 innings. He’s averaging a personal-low 89.2 MPH on his fastball, and while he’s throwing plenty of strikes, that lack of velocity has been reflected in both his 18.6% strikeout rate and higher than average home run rate. It seems likely the Twins will decline the option and reallocate that $10MM elsewhere, particularly with the recent acquisition of Tyler Mahle and Kenta Maeda’s expected return reducing the urgency to add to the rotation next season.

Astros

Acquired in a one-for-one deadline swap that sent Jake Odorizzi to Atlanta, Smith is having a generally disappointing year. He has a 4.17 ERA through 41 innings, striking out a personal-worst 24.1% of batters faced with a career-high 11.2% walk rate. Smith was an effective late-game arm as recently as a season ago and is still generating swinging strikes at a quality 14.2% clip, but the $12MM price tag seems likely to be too hefty given the mediocre strikeout and walk numbers.

Athletics

Piscotty has spent five seasons in Oakland after being acquired from the Cardinals heading into the 2018 campaign. He had an excellent first season in green and gold, but he’s been a well below-average hitter fours years running now. Going back to the start of 2019, Piscotty has a .231/.288/.380 line in just under 900 trips to the plate. He’s sure to be bought out and could be looking at minor league offers next winter.

Mariners

  • Ken Giles, RP ($9.5MM option, $500K buyout)

Seattle signed Giles to a two-year deal knowing he’d miss all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately, hopes of a year two payout have been largely derailed by a finger issue that delayed his season debut and some shoulder tightness that has kept him out of action for the past month. Giles has thrown just 4 1/3 innings in a Seattle uniform, surrendering only one hit but four walks with six strikeouts. He’s averaged 94.8 MPH on his fastball, still solid but down from the 96.9 MPH range he showed during his incredible 2019 season with the Blue Jays. There’s a non-zero chance Giles returns — he’s currently on a rehab assignment in Triple-A — and dominates down the stretch to make Seattle think about the option. For the moment, though, it’s trending towards a buyout.

Rangers

Texas signed the 34-year-old Richards to a one-year guarantee over the offseason, hoping he’d build off the promise he showed in a late-season bullpen stint with the Red Sox. That hasn’t panned out, as he has a 5.35 ERA across 38 2/3 innings of relief. Richards has an excellent 52.1% ground-ball rate, but he’s not missing as many bats as one would like and he’s giving up a lot of hard contact. Texas seems likely to buy him out.

Texas signed Leclerc to an early-career extension in 2019, locking him in after a 1.56 ERA season the year before. He struggled with his control the following season, then missed virtually all of 2020-21 battling elbow issues that eventually culminated in Tommy John surgery. Leclerc returned to the mound in June but has a 4.01 ERA with a personal-low 20.4% strikeout percentage in 24 2/3 innings of generally low-leverage work. He’s still throwing hard and missing plenty of bats with his slider, so there’s a chance Texas takes an optimistic view and keeps him around. His deal also contains a $6.25MM option for 2024, so he’d be under control for multiple seasons if the Rangers are willing to give him a bit of a longer leash. This feels like it could go either way depending on how he performs down the stretch.

The Rangers signing of Calhoun to a one-year deal over the winter hasn’t panned out. He’s hitting .211/.269/.363 through 350 plate appearances and is currently on the injured list with a heel issue. It’s a second straight below-average season for the veteran outfielder, who’ll be 35 in October. The Rangers will almost assuredly decline the option and look elsewhere in right field as they aim for legitimate competitiveness in 2023.

Cubs Claim Franmil Reyes From Guardians

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2:20pm: The Cubs have announced the claim.

2:10pm: The Cubs are “adding” slugger Franmil Reyes, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Reyes had been designated for assignment by the Guardians on Saturday. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Cubs have presumably claimed Reyes off waivers. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Reyes has indeed been claimed off waivers. The Cubs had a couple of vacancies on their 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move won’t be required in that regard.

Reyes, 27, has an impressive track record as a power hitter, though he’s enduring an unfortunate swoon here in 2022. He debuted with the Padres in 2018 and then went to Cleveland in a three-team trade in 2019 that involved six other players. From his debut through the end of the 2021 campaign, he hit 92 home runs and walked in 9% of his plate appearances. His 29.5% strikeout rate was definitely on the high side, but he still managed to hit .260/.325/.503, production that was 19% above league average by measure of wRC+.

This season has been a complete nightmare by comparison, however. Reyes has struck out in 37.1% of his plate appearances, walked in only 5% of them and hit just nine homers. His overall batting line for the campaign sits at a paltry .213/.254/.350, wRC+ of 69. Cleveland has been using him as a designated hitter, ultimately deciding it could no longer withstand that meager output from a lineup spot that’s supposed to deliver more potency. He was optioned to the minors last week and designated for assignment a few days after that.

For a rebuilding Cubs team, it’s a logical move to take a chance on Reyes and hope that he bounces back to his previous form. He’s making $4.55MM this year, leaving around $1.5MM left to be paid out over the remainder of the campaign. He can be retained for two more seasons via arbitration and likely won’t require a huge raise due to his poor showing this year. The Cubs don’t have a dedicated designated hitter, with impending free agent Willson Contreras getting most of the time there. If Reyes successfully bounces back in any way, he could take over DH duties. He is capable of playing corner outfield, though has only trotted onto the grass for 26 total games in the past three years.

There are reasons to be optimistic Reyes could turn things around. Despite the strikeout woes and general struggles this year, he’s still in the 92nd percentile among MLB hitters when it comes to barrel percentage, 93rd in average exit velocity, 88th in hard hit percentage and 86th in max exit velocity. If he can cut down on the strikeouts even a little bit, he’s still crushing the ball with enough power that he could be a useful pickup, either sticking with the Cubs or being traded in the future.

Nationals Claim Alex Call From Guardians

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Outfielder Alex Call has been claimed off waivers by the Nationals from the Guardians, per announcements from both clubs. Call had been designated for assignment by the Guards on Friday. He has been optioned by the Nationals to Triple-A. The Nats had an open 40-man roster spot, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary.

A third round draft pick of the White Sox, Call switched organizations in the trade that sent Yonder Alonso from Cleveland to Chicago. He was selected to the big league club and made his MLB debut in July. Though he drew four walks in 16 plate appearances, he didn’t impress much otherwise in his small sample. He currently has a line of .167/.375/.167 in his brief MLB career. In 71 Triple-A games this year, he has an excellent .280/.418/.494 line for a wRC+ of 146, with almost equal walk and strikeout rates of 16.1% and 16.4%, respectively.

Of course, the Nationals made huge headlines in recent weeks with the lead-up to the Juan Soto deadline trade, arguably the most significant transaction in history. By giving up on a generational talent that they could have kept around through the 2024 season, they’ve clearly waved a white flag on near-term competitiveness. As such, it makes sense that they would be interested in taking fliers on controllable players such as Call. He will head to Rochester as outfield depth and try to work his way up to a big league club that currently has Victor Robles, Lane Thomas, Yadiel Hernandez and Josh Palacios as part of the regular outfield mix.

Guardians Designate Franmil Reyes For Assignment

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The Guardians have designated DH/outfielder Franmil Reyes for assignment, reports Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Though his 2022 numbers have fallen well below his career marks, the move still comes as something of a surprise given Reyes’ age (2022 is his age-26 season) and his prodigious raw power. He had been optioned to Triple-A Columbus earlier this week. Jake Jewell has been selected onto the roster in his place.

Since debuting with the Padres in 2018, Reyes has been one of the more consistent home run threats in the game despite playing his home games at San Diego’s Petco Park (the most pitcher-friendly stadium in the majors) and Progressive Field (comparatively neutral but still pitcher-friendly), going deep in 5.6% of his career plate appearances (the league-wide average over the same span is 3.3%). That number has fallen to 3.2% in 2022, however, while his strikeout rate has ballooned to 37.1% (against a career 30.7% mark) and his walk rate has fallen to 5% (8.4% career).

These unfortunate trends translated into a meager .213/.254/.350 triple-slash, a far cry from his career .253/.314/.478 batting line — particularly in the power department. The Guardians, who entered play on Saturday two games behind the Twins in the AL Central and a game behind the Rays for the final wild card spot, will likely continue to rotate Josh Naylor and Owen Miller between first base and Reyes’ erstwhile DH spot.

Given his very real power potential — and the passing of the trade deadline — there could be some very real interest in Reyes from contending teams, perhaps even before he’s cleared waivers. Any team claiming the slugger would owe him a pro-rated portion of his $4.55MM 2022 salary, while he’d be owed only a pro-rated portion of the minimum salary thereafter. Reyes actually has two years of team control remaining, though he’ll be in line for at least a modest raise should a team choose to tender him a contract.

Guardians, Padres Discussed Eric Hosmer Prior To Trade Deadline

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It was a quiet trade deadline for the Guardians, as Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the club “at times…felt they were close” to landing Sean Murphy from the Athletics, yet no deal was completed.  Murphy was known to be a trade target for the Guards, though another somewhat surprising name was at least briefly on their radar, as Hoynes reports that Cleveland and San Diego had some talks about first baseman Eric Hosmer.  However, those discussions didn’t get far, as the Guardians are one of the 10 teams on Hosmer’s no-trade list.  Hosmer also used his no-trade protection to scuttle his involvement in the Padres’ blockbuster deal with the Nationals for Juan Soto, so the Padres instead moved Hosmer to the Red Sox.

San Diego dealt Hosmer and two prospects to Boston for lefty pitching prospect Jay Groome, and the Padres also covering basically all of the $44MM remaining on Hosmer’s deal (which runs through the 2025 season).  It’s fair to guess that the Guardians might have had interest in something similar, with Hosmer joining Josh Naylor and Owen Miller as part of the first base/DH mix.  Hosmer might have been viewed by the Guards as just a one-season fill-in now that the team is seemingly willing to part ways with Franmil Reyes, but with the Padres footing the bill, Cleveland could have kept Hosmer around as a veteran complement to their younger players.

  • Tigers right-hander Beau Brieske had a Triple-A rehab start yesterday, and manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky) that Brieske is perhaps on track to be activated from the 15-day injured list in time to start the Tigers’ game with the Guardians on Wednesday.  Forearm soreness sent Brieske to the IL on July 18, but it appears as though the rookie has avoided any serious setback — a rare bit of good health news within an injury-plagued season for Detroit pitchers.  All of these injuries open the door for Brieske to make his Major League debut, and the righty posted a respectable 4.19 ERA over his first 15 starts and 81 2/3 innings in the Show.

Guardians Designate Alex Call For Assignment

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The Guardians designated outfielder Alex Call for assignment this afternoon. The move cleared the necessary 40-man roster spot for Hunter Gaddis, who was promoted to make his major league debut against the Astros.

Call made it to the majors for the first time a few weeks ago. The 27-year-old outfielder was brought up in mid-July, ultimately appearing in his first 12 big league games. He collected two hits (both singles) with four walks and strikeouts apiece before being optioned back to Triple-A Columbus. The former White Sox’s third-round pick has spent the bulk of the season with the Clippers, posting excellent numbers. Through 301 trips to the plate, Call owns a .281/.420/.498 line with 11 home runs and matching 16.3% strikeout and walk rates.

He’s split his time fairly evenly between all three outfield spots and still has all three minor league option years remaining. That could draw him some attention from opposing clubs once he hits the waiver wire in the next few days.

Guardians To Select Hunter Gaddis

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The Guardians will select righty Hunter Gaddis to make his major league debut tomorrow, manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal). Kirk McCarty has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus to clear an active roster spot, while the team will announce a corresponding 40-man roster move tomorrow.

Gaddis, 24, was Cleveland’s fifth-round pick out of Georgia State in 2019. The 6’6″ righty has posted incredible strikeout numbers virtually from the day he entered the professional ranks. He’s fanned 32.6% of opposing hitters throughout his minor league career, including a nearly identical clip between Double-A Akron and Columbus this season. The bulk of his work has come in Akron, where he’s pitched to a 4.24 ERA through 76 1/3 innings with a 32.7% strikeout rate and a decent 8.3% walk percentage. He was promoted to Triple-A a couple weeks ago and made just two starts there before earning his first big league look.

Baseball America recently ranked Gaddis the #19 prospect in a strong Guardians farm system. The outlet cited his four-pitch mix, including a low-mid 90s fastball and a pair of quality secondary offerings in his slider and changeup. He’s generally shown solid control throughout his time in the minors as well, although his incredibly low ground-ball rates have led to some home run concerns.

Gaddis would’ve been eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason if not added to the 40-man roster. Cleveland will give him a roster spot a few months early and plug him right into the fire, starting a game against the Astros while the Guards are just a game back of the Twins in the AL Central. With Aaron Civale beginning a rehab assignment in Columbus tomorrow, it’s possible Gaddis’ initial stint consists of just a spot start. That he’s now on the 40-man firmly cements him as viable rotation depth for the big league club down the stretch though.

Guardians Promote Tyler Freeman

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The Guardians have called up infield prospect Tyler Freeman for his Major League debut and optioned infielder Ernie Clement to Triple-A Columbus in his place, per a team announcement. (Zack Meisel of The Athletic first reported that Freeman was being called up). Freeman is already on the 40-man roster, so the Guardians didn’t need to make any additional transactions to accommodate the move.

Freeman, 23, was the No. 71 overall pick back in 2017 and has long rated as one of the best prospects in the organization — if not the entire league. Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB.com all ranked him inside the game’s top-100 minor leaguers heading into the season, although Freeman has fallen just off some of those lists on midseason updates. He still ranks seventh in their system at both BA and FanGraphs.

That’s not to say he’s had a poor year in 2022, but Freeman underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder last summer and hasn’t quite picked up where he left off with the bat. After turning in a strong .323/.370/.470 batting line in 180 plate appearances at the Double-A level last year, he’s hitting .279/.372/.364 in 340 Triple-A plate appearances this season. The six home runs he’s hit in 2022 are already a career-high, but he hasn’t been producing the other extra-base hits typically expected (seven doubles, zero triples).

Freeman, similarly to teammate Steven Kwan, was always viewed as a player with a plus hit tool and below-average power, though he’s typically been able to rack up doubles and the occasional triple. That hasn’t been the case this year, but his bat-to-ball skills have been on full display, as he’s punched out in just 9.1% of his plate appearances. Adding Freeman to a lineup that also features Kwan (8.9% strikeout rate), Jose Ramirez (9.5%), Myles Straw (14.7%) and Amed Rosario (14.9%) should only further drop Cleveland’s already MLB-low 18.6% strikeout rate.

It’s an unorthodox approach to lineup construction in today’s brand of three-true-outcome baseball, particularly given that the glut of contact comes at the expense of power. Cleveland has trotted out a mostly punchless lineup for much of the season and ranks 29th in MLB with 82 home runs as a team. Guardians hitters also don’t walk much, landing 22nd with a 7.6% walk rate, and Freeman (7.4% walk rate in Triple-A, 4.4% in Double-A last year) isn’t going to bolster their outlook in that regard. Still, Cleveland ranks 16th in the Majors in runs scored and 17th with a collective 99 wRC+, so the approach of surrounding the superhuman Ramirez with generally high-contact slashers has combined for middle-of-the-pack offensive output.

The question regarding Freeman will be one of where he slots into the lineup. He’s split his time quite evenly between the two middle infield slots this season, but the Guardians have Andres Gimenez in the midst of a breakout year at second base (Freeman’s best position) and Rosario is having a solid year at shortstop. Freeman gives Cleveland a bench upgrade over Clement (particularly with the bat), but it doesn’t appear as though there are regular at-bats to be had, barring an injury that’s yet to come to light.

Freeman could always be mixed in as a utility option, spelling Gimenez, Rosario and Ramirez on occasion while also seeing time at designated hitter in light of Franmil Reyes’ recent demotion to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland has shielded lefty-swinging rookie Nolan Jones from facing southpaws, and first baseman Josh Naylor has floundered against lefties himself — so Freeman could add a righty bat to the mix against southpaws, giving manager Terry Francona some additional platoon scenarios. Freeman has struggled badly against lefties in Triple-A this season (.241/.339/.278), but that’s a sample of just 62 plate appearances and he’s crushed southpaws in each of his other four minor league campaigns.

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