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Guardians Promote Nolan Jones, Designate Sandy Leon

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The Guardians announced a series of roster moves to reporters tonight, with Zack Meisel of The Athletic among those to relay them on Twitter. Prospect Nolan Jones has been promoted to the big leagues, while catcher Austin Hedges was activated from the seven-day concussion list. To create room for those two, outfielder Richie Palacios was optioned to Triple-A and catcher Sandy Leon was designated for assignment.

Jones, 24, was a second round selection of Cleveland in the 2016 draft. Considered by most evaluators to be a bat-first prospect, he mashed his way through the lower levels of the minors and jumped onto top prospect lists in 2019. Baseball America ranked him the #96 prospect in the league that year, with Jones pushing up the list as the season went on. However, that campaign ended on a bit of a sour note, as Jones underwent thumb surgery in October of 2019.

That was the first of a couple of obstacles that slowed his ascent to the big leagues. 2020 saw the minor leagues wiped out entirely by the pandemic, and Jones showed some rust when organized games returned in 2021. He improved as the season went along, though, finishing the year with a .238/.356/.431 line in 407 Triple-A plate appearances, good enough for a wRC+ of 113. Unfortunately, an ankle injury in August finished his season and caused him to start his offseason with a surgery for a second time.

Things seem to be back on track here in 2022, however, as Jones has hit .311/.417/.500 through 108 plate appearances in Triple-A this year, producing a 146 wRC+. If he can carry any of that over to the big leagues, it will provide an offensive boost to a team that’s lacking in that department. Despite an even 40-40 record, the team’s overall slash line is .243/.307/.377 for a wRC+ of 95, ranking them 21st in the league.

Defensively, things are a bit less certain for Jones. He largely played third base in his first few minor league seasons, but due to questions about his abilities there, coupled with the presence of Jose Ramirez, Jones has been moved to other places on the diamond. He started playing right field last year, with that spot becoming his regular home so far this season. He also played one game at first base last year and a couple in left field here in 2020. With Palacios being optioned out, Jones should step into the outfield mix next to Myles Straw and Steven Kwan.

As for Leon, 33, he started the year with the Reds on a minor league deal. The Guardians acquired him recently when Hedges landed on the IL. He got into nine games and hit .133/.381/.133. He’s never been much of a hitter outside of a surprise surge in 2016, instead earning his keep with quality game-calling and defense. The Guardians will have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. If he were to clear waivers, Leon would be eligible to reject an outright assignment by virtue of being a veteran with over five years of MLB service time.

Giants Acquire Tobias Myers From Guardians

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The Giants announced they’ve acquired right-hander Tobias Myers from the Guardians in exchange for cash considerations. Cleveland had designated him for assignment last week. Myers has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, while Anthony DeSclafani was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Myers has still yet to reach the majors, but he’s now been traded three times as a professional. Originally drafted by the Orioles in 2016, he was sent to the Rays at the following year’s trade deadline. Myers spent the next few seasons in the Tampa Bay system but was slated to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft last offseason were he not added to the 40-man roster. The Rays apparently weren’t prepared to do so, but they acquired low level outfield prospect Junior Caminero from the Guardians, who did select his contract.

The addition didn’t pan out as Cleveland had hoped, as Myers struggled badly over his couple months in the organization. He made 14 starts with Triple-A Columbus, allowing six earned runs per nine innings with a meager 14.1% strikeout rate and an elevated 11.6% walk percentage. The Guardians fairly quickly moved on, but the Giants will take a shot at getting him back on track.

Myers had quite strong strikeout and walk numbers during his final season in the Rays’ organization. Between the top two minor league levels in 2021, he struck out more than 30% of opponents against just a 5.8% walk rate. Myers’ fly-ball ways led to some home run issues and a solid but unspectacular 3.90 ERA, but he’s flashed enough upside against high-level hitters to catch the attention of the San Francisco front office. He’s only in his first of three minor league option years and is still 23 years old, so there’s plenty of developmental time if the Giants are willing to keep him on the 40-man roster for the long haul.

As for DeSclafani, his IL transfer was only a matter of time. The right-hander is soon to undergo surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right ankle. He’ll miss the rest of the season.

Orioles Claim Kirk McCarty, Designate Marcos Diplan For Assignment

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The Orioles announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed lefty Kirk McCarty off waivers from the Guardians and opened a spot on the roster by designating righty Marcos Diplan for assignment. Baltimore also shuffled up its bullpen by optioning lefty Nick Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk and recalling righty Beau Sulser in his place.

McCarty made his big league debut with the O’s this season but was hit hard, surrendering 13 runs (12 earned) on 18 hits and six walks with eight punchouts in a dozen innings. Of those 18 hits he yielded, a whopping six were home runs.

That said, the 26-year-old McCarty has pitched fairly well in Triple-A this season, notching a 3.77 ERA with a below-average 18.7% strikeout rate but a strong 7.1% walk rate. He also has all three minor league option years remaining (2022 included), which creates the potential that he could serve as rotation depth in Baltimore beyond the current season. The Orioles’ rotation has been in a constant state of flux throughout their rebuild, so having some extra optionable depth on hand is never a bad thing.

Alternatively, the O’s could try McCarty in the ’pen to see just how much his 92 mph average fastball velocity might tick up (and perhaps to focus more heavily on one of his three secondary offerings — likely his curveball). The O’s are currently getting excellent work from both Cionel Perez and Keegan Akin, but there’s plenty of fluidity on the fringes of the relief corps and no reason the O’s couldn’t carry three lefty relievers.

As for the 25-year-old Diplan, he’s appeared in each of the past two seasons with the O’s, pitching to a combined 4.04 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate in 35 2/3 innings off work. He’s yielded just one run earned run in 5 2/3 big league innings so far in 2022, albeit with a less-appealing 8-to-5 K/BB ratio. He also carries a 3.12 ERA in a a total of 43 2/3 career innings of Triple-A ball, but those same command issues have persisted in the upper minors; Diplan has walked 24 of the 197 hitters he’s faced in Triple-A (12.2%) and hit another pair.

The O’s have passed Diplan through outright waivers unclaimed on two occasions in the past — once in 2020 and once in 2021. Both times, he’s returned to the organization. Because of those prior outrights, he can reject another outright assignment if he clears waivers a third time. The O’s will have a week to trade him, try to put him through waivers, or release him.

Guardians Promote James Karinchak, Place Anthony Gose On 15-Day Injured List

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The Guardians have called up flamethrowing reliever James Karinchak from Triple-A, per Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. Karinchak was activated from a rehab assignment and optioned to Triple-A only yesterday, but an injury in the bullpen prompted Cleveland to call on their one-time stopper. He will make his season debut for the big league club whenever he first gets into a game.

Karinchak was briefly the preeminent fireman in the game during a breakout 2020 campaign that saw him post a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances over the final two months of the season. Karinchak picked up eight holds and a save while striking out an absurd 48.6 percent of opposing batters. There seemed little doubt that the former ninth-round draft pick would be a key part of the Guardians’ end-of-game formula moving forward.

It began that way in 2021 as Karinchak picked up 11 saves and didn’t even allow an earned run until his 14th outing of the season. Things took a turn for the worse, however, and Karinchak ended the year on the injured list. Not to draw a direct correlation, but it was certainly a point of interest that Karinchak began to struggle around the time of MLB’s crackdown on sticky stuff. From June 21 when MLB started checking for banned substances until the end of the season, Karinchak’s ERA bloated to 5.70 ERA/6.09 FIP. Of course, he also sustained an injury, and there could be any number of mitigating circumstances that led Karinchak’s effectiveness to wane down the stretch.

In the corresponding move, Anthony Gose was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left triceps. The injury isn’t thought to be serious. Ridenour provides this quote from pitching coach Carl Willis, who said of the roster move, “Unfortunately we had to go the IL route just because with the doubleheaders and the schedule as it is, we can’t go short one day.”

Gose is perhaps the heartwarming, this-is-why-we-love-this-game story of the year. The 31-year-old former outfielder has successfully pulled off a reverse Rick Ankiel and made himself into a valued piece of Cleveland’s bullpen. The southpaw has appeared in 22 games, logged 21 innings of work, and posted an overall 4.71 ERA/5.07 FIP while striking out an impressive 30.4 percent of enemy combatants. He has struggled a bit with his command, however, walking 15.2% of batters, almost double the Major League average 8.2 percent walk rate. Based on Willis’ comments, the Guardians likely expect Gose to return once his 15 days are up.

Guardians Claim Oscar Mercado, Designate Yohan Ramirez

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The Guardians have announced that they claimed outfielder Oscar Mercado off waivers from the Phillies, with right-hander Yohan Ramirez being designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

It’s a quick return to Cleveland for Mercado, as the Guardians just designated him for assignment on June 21. He was claimed by the Phillies on June 27 before being designated for assignment again on July 1 and now being claimed and becoming a Guardian yet again.

Cleveland fans are likely familiar with the trajectory by now, with Mercado giving a tantalizing debut in 2019 but disappointing results since then. In that 2019 campaign, Mercado hit 15 homers and stole 15 bags, putting up a batting line of .269/.318/.443. Combined with his defensive contributions, he was worth 2.2 wins above replacement that year, according to FanGraphs.

Given that he was just 24 years old at the time, it seemed reasonable to expect that might have just been the tip of the iceberg, with even better results to come as he matured. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened, with Mercado putting up a line of .198/.254/.330 in the 2 1/2 seasons since then, a line that amounts to a wRC+ of 60.

After those tepid results, Cleveland seemingly gave up on him a couple weeks ago but has had a quick change of heart. It seemed possible that the Phillies would give him a real shot, given their troubles in the outfield. Though perhaps they were only interested in trying to pass him through waivers to be stashed as extra depth. Whatever their intentions, his stay in Philly has concluded after just a single plate appearance.

As for Ramirez, 27, he was an Astros prospect until Seattle nabbed him in the 2019 Rule 5 draft. He stuck with the Mariners through the shortened 2020 season, throwing 20 2/3 innings with a 2.61 ERA despite walking 21.3% of the batters he faced. In 2021, he logged another 27 2/3 innings at the big league level with a 3.90 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate and 34.4% ground ball rate. He couldn’t sustain that this year, however, as his ERA shot up to 7.56 in 8 1/3 innings with the Mariners.

He was designated for assignment and eventually traded to Cleveland for cash considerations. The Guardians gave him just a single appearance at the big league level but 10 1/3 innings in Triple-A. His 4.35 ERA with Columbus isn’t awful, but that’s come despite an alarming 22.7% walk rate. The 27-year-old still has options and intriguing strikeout numbers. He could garner interest from other clubs, especially if any of them think they can help him with his control issues. The Guardians will have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers.

Guardians Select Alex Young, Designate Kirk McCarty For Assignment

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The Guardians announced to reporters, including Zack Meisel of The Athletic, a series of roster moves. Right-hander James Karinchak has been recalled to the active roster, while left-hander Alex Young has had his contract selected. In corresponding moves, lefty Anthony Gose was placed on the injured list with a left triceps strain, Anthony Castro was optioned to Triple-A and lefty Kirk McCarty was designated for assignment. (The Guardians had an active roster of 27 for yesterday’s doubleheader but needed to get it back down to 26 today, which explains why they are adding two players to the roster but subtracting three.)

Young was a second-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks in 2015, making his MLB debut with them in 2019. In 83 1/3 innings, he put up an ERA of 3.56, along with a 20.3% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 48.1% ground ball rate. Things went the wrong direction in subsequent seasons, however, as Young’s ERA jumped up to 5.44 in 2020 and then 6.26 with the DBacks in 2021. He was designated for assignment and claimed by Cleveland last year, putting up a 7.84 ERA with them in 10 1/3 innings after the claim.

In November, the Guardians made a huge roster overhaul prior to the Rule 5 draft, selecting ten players and designating seven for assignment. Young was one of those in the latter group, eventually clearing waivers and staying in the organization. He’s made 27 relief appearances for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers this season and has fared quite well. He has an ERA of 3.14, along with a 37.1% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate and 46.9% ground ball rate. Based on that successful run, he’ll get another crack at the majors.

McCarty, 26, was selected to the big league club in April, making it to the MLB level for the first time. He’s thrown 12 innings in the show, but with an unfortunate ERA of 9.00 in that sample. He’s fared much better in Triple-A, with a 3.77 ERA in 43 innings, but the club has decided to risk losing him. The Guardians are in the midst of a particularly gruelling portion of their schedule, after Friday’s game was rained out, leading to a doubleheader yesterday. Since they also have a doubleheader to play against the Tigers tomorrow, that means they are playing five games in three days, with two more games before the next off-day. Due to the need for fresh arms, it seems the collateral damage is McCarty losing his roster spot. The team will have seven days to trade him or put him through waivers.

Guardians Notes: Middle Infielders, Trade, Blitzer

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  • The Guardians figure to make some middle-infield prospects available at the trade deadline, as The Athletic’s Zack Meisel writes that the club has such a surplus that some names will eventually need to be moved by this offseason at the latest.  In terms of deadline targets, Meisel figures Cleveland will look to add in the bullpen and perhaps at catcher, though the rotation (for the first time in a while) could also be an area of need.  Adding one more quality starter would help reinforce a rotation that has been only okay this season, rather than its normal above-average quality.
  • David Blitzer is now officially a minority owner of the Guardians, though GM Mike Chernoff told Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal and other reporters that “I wouldn’t expect our operating philosophy to change.  The industry economic model is what it is and so we know what our challenges are being a small market.  We don’t shy away from those at all.”  While the financial status quo will remain in place for now, it remains to be seen what could happen if Blitzer eventually becomes the Guards’ majority owner — in six years’ time, Blitzer has an option to buy a majority share of the franchise.

Guardians Announce Series Of Roster Moves

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The Guardians announced a batch of roster moves prior to today’s doubleheader. Left-hander Kirk McCarty has been recalled as the club’s “27th man” for the twin bill. The club also recalled infielder Gabriel Arias, with outfielder Oscar Gonzalez going on the 10-day injured list as a corresponding move. Furthermore, right-hander James Karinchak was reinstated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A, with fellow righty Tobias Myers being designated for assignment to open a spot for Karinchak on the 40-man roster.

The Guardians haven’t yet announced an injury designation for Gonzalez, but he was reportedly dealing with some abdominal tightness recently. This IL placement will put a pause on his nice breakout campaign, as the rookie has hit .285/.315/.431 through his first 32 big league games. Despite a 3.8% walk rate that’s less than half the league average, he’s hit enough to produce a 112 wRC+, indicating he’s been 12% better than the league average hitter overall. With him out of action, Richie Palacios could potentially be line for more regular playing time next to Steven Kwan and Myles Straw in the Cleveland outfield. Manager Terry Francona tells Mandy Bell of MLB.com that an MRI on Gonzalez revealed some swelling near his ribs that will shut him down for about a week.

Myers, 23, was first added to the club’s 40-man roster in November as part of a huge shuffle. At the deadline to add players prior to the Rule 5 draft, which ended up not happening, the Guardians designated seven players for assignment in order to add ten prospects to the squad. In addition to all of that, they acquired Myers from the Rays and added him to the roster as well. Originally drafted by the Orioles, he was traded to the Rays for Tim Beckham in 2017. Since then, he climbed the ladder in Tampa’s system, pitching in Double-A and Triple-A in 2021. He made 22 starts last year with a 3.90 ERA, 30.5% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. That surely enticed Cleveland to bring him aboard as rotation depth, though he hasn’t been able to maintain those results this year. In 14 Triple-A starts, he has an ERA of 6.00, along with a 14.1% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. Based on those diminished results, he has lost his roster spot and has now entered DFA limbo. The club will have one week to trade him or place him on waivers. Despite his poor season thus far, teams may be willing to take a chance on him on the hope he can rebound into his previous form.

As for Karinchak, 26, he seemed to emerge as an elite bullpen weapon in the shortened 2020 season. He threw 27 innings that year with a 2.67 ERA and an absurd 48.6% strikeout rate, though a concerning 14.7% walk rate as well. In 2021, he came back down to earth with a 4.07 ERA over 55 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate fell to 33.2%, still very good, but was also still issuing free passes at a 13.6% rate. He has yet to pitch in the majors this year as he began the season on the IL due to a teres major strain. He’s been rehabbing for the past month, throwing 11 Triple-A innings with a 5.73 ERA. He’s still getting Ks 32.1% of the time but also giving a free trip to first base to 20.8% of batters faced. There’s surely some rust to deal with after a long injury layoff, which he will try to shake off by staying in Columbus.

Dodgers Claim Ian Gibaut From Guardians

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The Dodgers have claimed reliever Ian Gibaut off waivers from the Guardians, according to an announcement from GuardsInsider. Los Angeles has transferred reliever Daniel Hudson from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Cleveland designated Gibaut for assignment on Tuesday, just one day after selecting him to the big league roster. The righty did make an appearance, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings during a blowout loss to the Twins. Gibaut averaged 96.9 MPH on his fastball during that lone stint, two ticks harder than his average heater from last season. Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, the 6’3″ righty had otherwise spent the season with Triple-A Columbus. He tossed 19 2/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball, striking out a fine 24.1% of opponents against an elevated 10.1% walk rate.

Gibaut induced grounders on over the half the batted balls he allowed with the Clippers. Between his capable minor league showing and seeming 2022 velocity uptick, the Dodgers were intrigued enough to give him a look. Gibaut is out of minor league option years, so he’ll have to stick on Los Angeles’ active roster or be designated for assignment. Also a former Ray, Ranger and Twin, the 28-year-old owns a 5.19 ERA in 34 2/3 big league innings over the past four years.

Hudson’s IL transfer is a formality. The veteran righty suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee last week.

Guardians Outright Tanner Tully

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The Guardians have outrighted left-hander Tanner Tully to Triple-A Columbus, tweets GuardsInsider. He’d been designated for assignment on Monday, just two days after being selected onto the roster.

Tully, 27, also saw brief major league action in April. That promotion came as a designated COVID-19 substitute, while he was added as a more traditional call-up over the weekend. The Ohio State product has made a pair of big league appearances, allowing four runs in five innings with five walks and a strikeout. He soaked up three innings out of the bullpen during Sunday’s loss to the Red Sox.

A former 26th-round pick, Tully will remain in the upper levels of the farm system. He’s never previously been outrighted and doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an assignment, so he’ll head to Columbus. He’s spent much of the season there, making 12 starts and tossing 63 2/3 innings of 5.23 ERA ball. Tully only has a 14.9% strikeout rate at the minors highest level, but he’s walked a meager 3.5% of opponents and induced grounders on over the half the batted balls against him.

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