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Indians Activate Zach Plesac

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The Indians are reinstating right-hander Zach Plesac from the 10-day injured list to start this evening’s game against the Royals, the team informed reporters (including Mandy Bell of MLB.com). Righty J.C. Mejia was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to create active roster space.

Plesac has missed about a month and a half since suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb in late May. Before the injury, the 26-year-old had tossed 58 2/3 innings of 4.14 ERA/4.50 SIERA ball over his first ten starts. That’s a step back from the sterling 2.28 ERA/3.41 SIERA he pitched to over 55 1/3 frames in 2020, but it’s still solid production.

Cleveland hasn’t gotten much decent work from the starting staff in recent weeks. The Indians lost Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale to IL stints of their own after Plesac went down, leaving them relying on an unproven rotation. Over the past month, Indians starters have pitched to a woeful 7.16 ERA that bests only the Orioles rotation (8.40). That’s contributed to a significant drop in the standings, as the Indians are amidst a nine-game losing streak that has knocked them back to .500 (42-42), eight games behind the division-leading White Sox.

Mejia has been a big part of those struggles. Over his seven starts, the 24-year-old has given up 25 runs in 25 1/3 innings. It has also been a difficult season for Triston McKenzie, who has walked 20.6% of opposing hitters en route to a 6.38 ERA. That led the Indians to option McKenzie last month, but he’ll be recalled to start tomorrow evening’s game, relays Zack Meisel of the Athletic (Twitter link).

Indians Place Eddie Rosario On 10-Day IL, Select DJ Johnson

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The Indians announced a series of moves prior to today’s doubleheader with the Rays, including the placement of outfielder Eddie Rosario on the 10-day injured list due to a right abdominal strain.  Left-hander Logan Allen was also optioned to Triple-A.  To fill these roster spots, the Tribe selected the contract of right-hander DJ Johnson from Triple-A and called up outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder Owen Miller (for the doubleheader, Miller will serve as the 27th man).  To create 40-man roster space for Johnson, Josh Naylor was shifted to the 60-day injured list in the wake of his recent leg surgery.

Rosario has been bothered by abdominal issues for the last week, and after he was an early removal from Monday’s game, an IL placement was deemed necessary to give the outfielder a chance to fully heal.  With a .309/.330/.489 slash line over his last 100 plate appearances, Rosario is finally starting to heat up at the plate, and his absence will remove another bat from the struggling Cleveland lineup.

Signed to a one-year, $8MM free agent deal last winter, Rosario’s first two months with the Tribe were rough, resulting in an overall .254/.296/.389 slash line in 306 PA despite his success over the last four weeks.  The dropoff in slugging is of particular concern, as Rosario was (if anything) a power-first player during the previous four seasons with the Twins.  Since Rosario has never posted good hard-hit ball numbers or taken many walks, the lack of power has curtailed Rosario’s offensive production, though his numbers in June provide some hope that he can get on track in the second half of the season.

A platoon of Daniel Johnson and Oscar Mercado could be the Tribe’s top option to fill in for Rosario in the outfield, and even if Rosario is able to return from the IL pretty quickly, it’s fair to assume that Cleveland will continue to explore trading for an outfielder as the deadline approaches.  The Indians are 42-40 but still within striking distance of the postseason, 6.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central and 4.5 games back of a wild card berth.  Between a lack of hitting and a bunch of injuries within the rotation, however, the Cleveland front office has a lot of needs to address while at the same time keeping payroll in check and (as always) keeping an eye towards the future.  If the team slumps over the next two weeks, the Tribe’s deadline activity is likely to lean more towards selling than buying, though the Indians have often tried to accomplish both goals in multi-player trades over the last few years.

DJ Johnson inked a minor league deal over the winter, and now looks on the verge of his first big league action since the 2019 season.  After posting a 4.88 ERA over 31 1/3 innings with the Rockies in 2018-19, Johnson played in Japan in 2020, and was also in the mix for a spot on the U.S. Olympic baseball team at the upcoming Summer Games.

Indians Activate Roberto Perez, Designate Rene Rivera For Assignment

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The Indians activated catcher Roberto Perez from the injured list and designated Rene Rivera for assignment, per MLB.com’s Mandy Ball (via Twitter).

Cleveland has been without their starting catcher since May 5th when a fracture of his ring finger sent Perez to the injured list. While Perez doesn’t produce much at the plate, he’s nevertheless been considered a core piece of the Indians’ roster for the way he handles the pitching staff. He has won a Gold Glove Award in each of the past two seasons. At the plate, he was hitting .131/.274/.295 over 73 plate appearances to start the year.

The veteran Rivera appeared in 21 games as coverage for Perez’s absence, slashing .236/.300/.400 in 63 plate appearances. The well-traveled veteran could be claimed by one of the other 29 teams, and if not, he’ll likely have the opportunity to accept an assignment to Triple-A or elect free agency.

Austin Hedges is firmly entrenched as the other piece of the Indians’ catching tandem, so Rivera isn’t likely to see the roster again in Cleveland unless there’s another injury. That said, Hedges has struggled at the plate as well, putting up a paltry .159/.213/.262 line across 139 trips.

Indians Activate Franmil Reyes Off 10-Day IL

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While top players continue to hit the injured list on a near-daily basis, several notable names also made their return to the field today.  The latest…

  • The Phillies activated shortstop Didi Gregorius off the 10-day injured list prior to today’s 4-3 victory over the Padres, with infielder Nick Maton heading to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Gregorius hadn’t played since May 12, as his initial right elbow injury was slow to heal, and led to a setback in his minor league rehab assignment.  The veteran shortstop had hit only .229/.266/.364 in his first 128 plate appearances of the season, but Gregorius celebrated his return to the lineup with a solo home run and a walk in four PA tonight.
  • Franmil Reyes was activated off the Indians’ 10-day IL, and infielder Yu Chang was optioned to Triple-A.  Reyes suffered an internal oblique strain on May 23, and he’ll return about halfway between his projected recovery timeline of 5-to-7 weeks.  The struggling Cleveland lineup is in need of Reyes’ offensive production, and he picked up where he left off by collecting three hits in tonight’s 6-3 Tribe loss to the Astros.  Reyes is now hitting .268/.325/.577 with 11 home runs over 163 PA.
  • Sonny Gray tossed five innings of one-run ball (on five hits and one walk, with eight strikeouts) in the Reds’ 2-1 victory over the Cubs.  A right groin strain sidelined Gray on June 9, and his return will boost a Cincinnati team that is trying to stay close in the NL Central and NL wild card races.  With tonight’s outing in the books, Gray has a 3.27 ERA and an impressive 30.8% strikeout rate over 55 innings this season.  Right-hander Ashton Goudeau was optioned to Triple-A to create roster room for Gray’s activation off the 10-day IL.

Indians, Wilson Ramos Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Indians and Wilson Ramos are in agreement on a minor league contract, Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base reports (via Twitter). Presumably, the Octagon client will head to Triple-A Columbus once the deal is formally announced.

Ramos, 34, inked a one-year deal worth $2MM with the Tigers over the winter and opened the season as their primary catcher, but his production crumbled after a hot start to the year. The former All-Star homered in six of his first nine games with the Tigers, batting .281/.343/.875 through his first 37 plate appearances with the club. He wasn’t able to sustain anywhere near that level of offensive output, however, and over his next 91 plate appearances the veteran slugger managed only a .170/.198/.216 batting line.

Ramos made two trips to the injured list due to back strains during his short time with the Tigers organization. He was designated for assignment upon being reinstated from his second IL stint, and he was released five days later after clearing waivers.

For several years, Ramos was regarded as one of the better-hitting catchers in the game. His peak performance, from 2016-18, saw him post a combined .298/.343/.483 slash in 1163 plate appearances. That offensive ability helped to balance out a dwindling defensive reputation, but in recent years, the downturn in his glovework has become more glaring as his offense has also begun to deteriorate. Ramos was a roughly league-average hitter in two seasons with the Mets but began to lose playing time to the defensively superior Tomas Nido. Over the past three seasons, Ramos carries just a 16 percent caught-stealing rate, sub-par framing metrics and an overall -16 mark in Defensive Runs Saved.

Ramos’ early surge in 2021 offered a glimpse of life in his bat, and he’s only a couple years removed from a .288/.351/.416 showing as the Mets’ primary catcher. The Indians are currently relying on the defensively strong but offensively challenged combination of Austin Hedges and Rene Rivera behind the plate; Ramos brings something of the opposite skill set to their depth chart, although it’s been a couple years since we’ve seen sustained production from him at the plate. Roberto Perez, the Indians’ starter behind the dish, has been out since early May after undergoing surgery to repair a broken finger, but he’s been working through a minor league rehab assignment and could return in the coming days.

Josh Naylor To Undergo Fibula Surgery

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TODAY: Surgery is set for tomorrow to address “multiple fibula fractures and ligament tearing” in Naylor’s right leg (Ryan Lewis of The Akron Beacon Journal was among those to report the official diagnosis).  A timetable will be known following the procedure, though it would certainly appear as though Naylor’s season is in jeopardy.

JUNE 28: Naylor has been diagnosed with a closed fracture and dislocation of his right ankle, tweets Meisel. He’s traveling back to Cleveland today for further testing and to determine a timetable for potential surgery.

JUNE 27, 4:20pm: Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Zack Meisel of the Athletic) that Naylor has been diagnosed with some type of fracture. He’s under evaluation at a Minnesota hospital, and the team hopes to know more about his condition in the coming hours.

3:03pm: Indians corner outfielder/first baseman Josh Naylor injured his right leg in this afternoon’s game against the Twins. Playing right field, Naylor came in on a pursuit of a shallow fly ball off the bat of Jorge Polanco. He collided with second baseman Ernie Clement, who was tracking the ball over his head. Naylor was sent airborne and landed awkwardly on his right leg/ankle.

Naylor was in visible anguish as he was attended to by the training staff. His leg was immobilized and he was carted off the field, notes Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. There’s no official diagnosis as of yet, but all indications are that the 24-year-old suffered a serious injury of some sort.

Naylor has started 61 of Cleveland’s 72 games this season. The bulk of that time has come in right field, with occasional work at first base. Through 248 plate appearances, the left-handed hitter has slashed .255/.304/.403 with seven home runs.

Owen Miller Recalled As 27th Man

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The Mariners have reinstated Marco Gonzales from the paternity list, the team announced. Donovan Walton has been optioned to Triple-A to create the roster spot. Gonzalez was gone for just a couple of days, and he’ll step right back into his rotation spot. Walton, meanwhile, has appeared in 21 games and posted a .205/.254/.365 line.

Let’s make the rounds and check in on some roster moves and injury updates…

  • The Tigers and Indians will play a doubleheader today, meaning both teams get to add a 27th man for the day. The Indians have brought up infielder Owen Miller, per Mandy Bell (via Twitter). The Tigers, meanwhile, will add Derek Hill, who only recently has been healthy enough to return from the injured list.
  • Ryan Castellani has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A, the Rockies announced. Castellani made one start for the Rockies this year, tossing 3 1/3 innings and allowing two earned runs. The 25-year-old will look to put together more productive outings in Triple-A where he owns a 7.82 ERA across 35 2/3 innings.
  • Mets infielders Jonathan Villar and J.D. Davis will both begin rehab assignments with the Syracuse Mets today, tweets Tim Britton of The Athletic. What began as a hand contusion has ended up keeping Davis out for all but 14 games of the season thus far. Villar filled in ably for much of the year, but he, too, went down with a calf strain. Both now appear to be on the mend.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/29/21

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Some minor moves from around the game…

  • The Twins have signed lefty reliever Sean Gilmartin to a minor league contract, per his MLB.com transactions log. He had been pitching for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Gilmartin has seen big league action in each of the past six seasons, although he’s only made three appearances over the past two years combined. Gilmartin had a strong rookie campaign with the Mets, pitching to a 2.67 ERA/3.44 SIERA over 57 1/3 innings in 2015. He’s never managed to follow up on that success, though. In 54 2/3 frames since the start of 2016, the 31-year-old has a 6.09 ERA/6.71 FIP.
  • Catcher Ryan Lavarnway went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Columbus, per the Indians’ transactions log at MLB.com. Lavarnway has bounced all over the league for the past decade, logging big league time with eight different teams (primarily the Red Sox). He’s a career .216/.274/.344 hitter in 468 MLB plate appearances and a .271/.361/.432 hitter in parts of 10 different Triple-A seasons. Lavarnway has previously been outrighted (and also has the requisite three-plus years of service), so he can reject this assignment in favor of free agency if he chooses.

Indians To Sign Zack Godley

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The Indians are signing Zack Godley to a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (Twitter link). The veteran righty elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Brewers last week.

Godley made a pair of appearances for Milwaukee this season, working a combined 3 1/3 innings of seven-run ball. He was far better with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, where he pitched to a 2.40 ERA with a strong 28.6% strikeout rate across six appearances (five starts). He has the third-lowest ERA and thirteenth-highest strikeout percentage among the 94 Triple-A hurlers with at least 30 innings pitched this season.

A one-time solid mid-rotation starter with the Diamondbacks, Godley hasn’t found much success at the major league level over the past three years. Nevertheless, it’s easy to see the appeal for an Indians club that is particularly short-handed in the rotation at the moment. Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale are all on the injured list. That’s left the Indians with an unproven starting staff of Cal Quantrill, Sam Hentges, Eli Morgan, J.C. Mejia and Logan Allen.

Despite the injuries, Cleveland remains in the thick of the AL Central mix. The Indians trail the division-leading White Sox by two and a half games. In addition to Godley, Cleveland added veteran righty Brad Peacock on a minor league deal last week, and Plesac is getting closer to returning. The 26-year-old is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Akron tomorrow, Zack Meisel of the Athletic was among those to note.

Indians To Sign Brad Peacock

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The Indians are signing right-hander Brad Peacock to a minor league contract, reports Mandy Bell of MLB.com (Twitter link). The 33-year-old spent the 2013-20 seasons with the Astros.

Peacock was quite often a valuable swing man in Houston. He started 21 of his 34 appearances with the Astros’ 2017 World Series-winning club, pitching to a 3.00 ERA/3.76 SIERA. Despite that quality performance, Peacock found himself squeezed out of a loaded rotation the following season. He was equally effective in a relief role, working to a 3.46 ERA/2.40 SIERA across 65 frames in 2018. Peacock returned to starting in 2019, where he was again productive.

Unfortunately, Peacock’s 2020 season was almost entirely derailed by injury. He only made three relief appearances due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. Ultimately, he required arthroscopic surgery last October and spent the entire offseason recuperating. Peacock returned to health in April, but his market remained quiet until he threw a showcase in front of interested teams earlier this week.

Evidently, Cleveland’s brass was impressed enough with his form to add him to the organization. The Indians have been reeling from a series of injuries to their top trio of starting pitchers. Each of Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale are on the injured list at the moment. That’s left the Indians with an unproven, generally underwhelming starting staff. At 41-31, the Indians are nevertheless only two games back of the White Sox in the American League Central. They’re trying to hang in contention while weathering the injuries to their top starters.

Given that outlook at the big league level, it seems Peacock has a good chance to pitch his way back into a big league rotation relatively quickly. (The Cleveland bullpen is in much better shape health-wise and has been the strength of the team all year). Presumably, Peacock will report to Triple-A Columbus and build up into game shape as a potential starting option for Cleveland in the coming weeks.

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