Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Hoby Milner

Angels Announce Roster Moves

By | at

The Los Angeles Angels announced a number of roster moves today. Luis Rengifo and Ryan Buchter have been recalled from the team’s alternate site, while Hoby Milner hits the 10-day IL and the recently-acquired Franklin Barreto has been placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

Barreto’s placement on the COVID IL is a matter of protocol, as it will take a couple of days to complete the intakes tests before joining his new squad. Barreto was acquired on Friday in a straight-up swap for Tommy La Stella. La Stella, however, is already in the Oakland lineup for tonight’s game against the Astros.

Rengifo re-joins the club and figures to get some extra playing time at the keystone until Barreto passes testing protocols. David Fletcher steps in as the de facto everyday second baseman now that Andrelton Simmons has returned to shortstop. Fletcher, however, can play all over the diamond and will likely continue to do so in order to give some run to Rengifo and/or Barreto.

Presumably, Maddon and the Angels will give time to all three players with the hopes of clarifying their second baseman arsenal ahead of 2021. Thus far, Barreto has managed just a 50 wRC+ mark in 211 at bats spread across four seasons, while Rengifo saw semi-regular playing time last year in his debut season. He’s off to a slow start this year, however. In total, Rengifo owns a 82 wRC+ mark across 466 at bats.

On the pitching side, Milner heads to the injured list with right back spasms. The move is retroactive to August 26th. Milner, 29, has been utilized liberally this season out of the pen by Maddon. Across 11 appearances, the journeyman southpaw has managed a 3.86 ERA with 6 strikeouts to 2 walks in 7 innings.

Buchter takes over at least temporarily as a lefty option for Maddon. The former Oakland Athletic has made 9 appearances this season with the Angels, sporting a 5.40 ERA across 5 innings. Like Milner, the 33-year-old Buchter has been called upon fairly often, but rarely for more than a couple of batters at a time.

Angels Select Jacob Barnes, Hoby Milner

By | at

The Angels announced today that they have selected the contracts of righty Jacob Barnes and lefty Hoby Milner. They’ll both make the Opening Day roster.

As had been anticipated, righty Justin Anderson will go on the 45-day injured list as he readies for Tommy John surgery. That opened a 40-man spot.

Notably, starter Julio Teheran is not listed on the active roster. He’ll presumably open the year on the injured list after getting a late start. Newly signed star Anthony Rendon will avoid an IL stint, which seems to reflect good news as he rehabs an oblique injury.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/9/19

By | at

The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization have inked right-hander Drew Gagnon to a $650K contract with a $200K signing bonus, Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reports. The Tigers also re-signed outfielder Preston Tucker on a $550K salary with a $300K bonus. The Mets released the 29-year-old Gagnon in late November, which came after a couple brief but rough seasons in New York. Gagnon pitched to a 7.32 ERA across a combined 35 2/3 innings as a Met, but he did have a productive 2019 at the Triple-A level. Tucker, also 29, didn’t hit much in major league stints with the Astros, Braves or Reds, though he performed well after leaving the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate last May to head to Korea. In his first year as a Tiger, Tucker batted .311/.381/.479 with nine home runs in 399 plate appearances.

Now for the latest minor moves from the bigs…

  • The Angels announced that right-hander Jose Rodriguez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. The move leaves the Angels with one open spot on their 40-man roster. The 24-year-old Rodriguez made his major league debut in 2019, and though he managed a 2.75 ERA during that 19 2/3-inning span, he also totaled almost as many walks (11) as strikeouts (13). Furthermore, Rodriguez had difficulty across 44 1/3 frames at the Triple-A level, where he stumbled to a 6.29 ERA with 9.14 K/9 and 4.47 BB/9.
  • In another Angels transaction, the club signed lefty Hoby Milner to a minor league contract, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com tweets. While Milner spent the previous two seasons with the Rays, the ex-Phillie didn’t log much major league time in either campaign. But the 28-year-old amassed plenty of impressive innings last season as a member of Triple-A Durham, with which he worked to a 3.06 ERA and recorded 12.99 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 over 61 2/3 frames.
  • The Marlins have picked up infielder Gosuke Katoh on a minors deal, Wells Dusenbury of the Sun Sentinel writes. His agreement comes with an invitation to big league spring training. Notably, there are now members of the Miami front office who were in New York’s FO when the Yankees picked Katoh in the second round of the 2013 draft. Evidenced in part by his high selection (No. 66), Katoh was once a highly promising prospect. While Katoh hasn’t made it to the majors since then, the 25-year-old did have a nice season in 2019. In his first action at the Triple-A level, Katoh slashed .279/.382/.443 with 11 homers and eight steals in 308 PA.
  • The Mets have signed catcher David Rodriguez to a minors pact with an invitation to MLB camp, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Rodriguez, 23, spent his first seven professional seasons in the Rays’ system, making it to the Double-A level in each of the past two years. He hit .225/.303/.366 with seven homers over 295 PA in 2019.

Rays Outright Hoby Milner

By | at

The Rays have outrighted Hoby Milner off of their 40-man roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter).  The left-hander will reject his outright assignment to the minors and instead become a free agent.

Milner, 28, posted a 3.06 ERA, 6.85 K/9, and 13.0 K/9 over 61 2/3 bullpen innings for Triple-A Durham in 2019.  Despite this impressive performance, Milner only tossed 3 2/3 Major League innings, with injuries perhaps keeping him from getting more of a look once the minor league season was over.  Milner was placed on the 60-day injured list in September due to a cervical neck injury.

Assuming good health, one would assume Milner’s impressive Triple-A track record would net him a new contract with another team.  Originally a seventh-round pick for the Phillies in the 2012 draft, Milner has a 3.40 ERA over 42 1/3 career innings in the big leagues.

Rays Select Johnny Davis

By | at

The Rays announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Johnny Davis from Double-A Montgomery. Left-hander Hoby Milner was placed on the 60-day injured list to create a roster spot. Milner is dealing with a “cervical neck injury” and will be shut down for at least three weeks before he’s reevaluated.

Davis, 29, will get his first look at the Major League level — a reality that would’ve seemed difficult to fathom even a month ago. Davis only signed with the Rays on Aug. 29, having spent the entire season to that point playing in the Mexican League. The former Brewers draft pick (2013, 22nd round) played only nine games of affiliated ball in 2018, splitting the rest of that season between the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association and los Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican League.

Davis’ appeal to Tampa Bay is easy to see; he swiped 54 bases in 106 games in Mexico this season and has racked up 82 steals in just 161 career games in the Mexican League. He’s also appeared in parts of three seasons at the Double-A level (including five games with the Rays’ affiliate this year) and stolen 71 bases in 207 games. Davis a career .304/.364/.424 hitter in Mexico and a .262/.314/.337 hitter in Double-A, but his abilities with the bat are secondary, at best. He’ll give the Rays a valuable pinch-running/base-stealing option late in games as the club looks to hang onto the top Wild Card spot in the American League.

The Rays currently hold a 1.5-game lead over the Athletics for that top spot, with Oakland leading Cleveland by a mere half game for that second position. Taking an extra base late in games can prove vital — just ask the 2014-15 Royals — and Davis seems likely to take on a Terrance Gore/Quintin Berry-esque specialty role for at least the remainder of the regular season and perhaps for the postseason as well. Davis will indeed be postseason-eligible, given that he joined the organization prior to Sept. 1.

Rays Select Aaron Slegers’ Contract

By | at

The Rays have selected the contract of right-hander Aaron Slegers from the Triple-A Durham Bulls, as per a team announcement.  Righty Hoby Milner has been optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move, and Tampa Bay already had open space on its 40-man roster.

Slegers was acquired from the Pirates in late March, and the 6’10” right-hander has had his share of struggles for Durham this season, with a 5.49 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 2.72 K/BB rate, and 20 home runs allowed over 98 1/3 innings.  Slegers has started 13 of his 24 games, though he has pitched somewhat better out of the bullpen (4.75 ERA in 36 IP) than the rotation (5.92 ERA).

It could be that Slegers will only receive a cup of coffee with the Rays, given how the team so often shuttles pitchers back and forth between Triple-A and the majors to get fresh arms into the mix.  Milner, for instance, had his contract selected on Monday, he tossed two innings in Tuesday’s 7-4 loss to the Mariners, and is now already headed back to Durham.

Assuming Slegers gets into a game in due course, it will mark his third straight season of MLB action.  Originally a fifth-round pick for the Twins in the 2013 draft, Slegers posted a 5.90 ERA over 29 innings for Minnesota in 2017-18.

Rays Select Hoby Milner’s Contract

By | at

The Rays have selected the contract of left-hander Hoby Milner from Triple-A Durham, Juan Toribio of MLB.com tweets. Milner will take the 25-man spot of lefty Brendan McKay, whom the Rays optioned.

The Rays took a 9-3 beating at the hands of the Mariners on Monday, when McKay yielded seven runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks over two innings of work. McKay has regularly shuttled between the majors and minors in what has been a promising but frustrating debut campaign for the touted 23-year-old. While McKay has pitched to a weak 5.55 ERA in 35 2/3 innings, he has logged 10.35 K/9 against 3.03 BB/9 at the same time.

Milner, whom the Rays acquired from the Phillies in July 2018, threw just 7 1/3 major league innings last year and hasn’t pitched in the bigs yet this season. The 28-year-old has, however, thrived at Durham, where he has put up a 3.32 ERA/3.09 FIP and 13.11 K/9 against 2.05 BB/9 across 57 frames.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/7/18

By | at

Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Brewers announced a minor-league deal with catcher Tuffy Gosewisch. He’ll receive an invitation to MLB Spring Training as part of the arrangement. The 35-year-old has seen sporadic MLB action over five seasons, but has never hit enough (.190/.228/.271) to hang onto a job. He spent last year at Triple-A in the Nationals organization, where he batted .219/.310/.335. It’s conceivable that Gosewisch will compete in camp with fellow journeyman Erik Kratz, though the latter surely has the inside track to a big-league job. Of course, the club still could add another player to pair with Manny Pina behind the dish.
  • Former Giants outfielder Jarrett Parker has inked a minor league pact with the Angels, Fancred’s Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter). Parker, who’ll turn 30 on New Years Day, hasn’t appeared in the Majors since a 2017 season that was cut short by a broken collarbone. However, he has at times looked like a potentially productive corner outfielder, compiling a career .257/.335/.456 slash with 15 home runs in 382 MLB plate appearances — the majority of which have come in the vast expanses of San Francisco’s AT&T Park. If he makes the Angels’ roster, he’ll give the team a much-needed lefty bat off the bench.
  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that left-hander Hoby Milner accepted an outright assignment from the Rays after being removed from the 40-man roster and will be in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Milner was outrighted late last month but did have the option to reject his assignment in favor of free agency. Instead, he’ll vie for a bullpen spot in 2019. Soon to turn 28, Milner has an appealing 3.03 ERA in 38 2/3 career innings, but that’s accompanied by a lofty 4.9 BB/9 mark and an 86.2 percent strand rate that isn’t sustainable over the long run. Fielding-independent metrics suggest his ERA should be well north of 5.00. If Milner were to be used as a strict lefty specialist, though, he could likely find plenty of success. Left-handed opponents have hit just .177/.292/.277 against him in 98 big league plate appearances.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/27/18

By | at

We’ll track today’s minor moves from around the league here…

  • The Cardinals announced yesterday that right-hander Derian Gonzalez has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Memphis. The 23-year-old pitched to a 3.51 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.1 BB.9 across three levels (Rookie, Double-A, Triple-A) in 33 1/3 innings during an injury-shortened 2018 season. That marked the first action in either Double-A or Triple-A for Gonzalez.
  • Left-hander Hoby Milner cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A by the Rays, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). He’ll head to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee in hopes of once again cracking the roster. The 27-year-old Milner (28 in January) owns a 3.03 ERA in 38 2/3 big league innings, but there’s a fair bit of smoke and mirrors at play in that regard. Milner has just 7.0 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9 in the Majors and has stranded an unsustainable 86.2 percent of the runners he’s put on base. Fielding-independent metrics cast a much less favorable picture than his ERA (5.30 FIP, 5.65 xFIP, 5.07 SIERA). To his credit, Milner has held lefties to a laughable .177/.292/.277 slash through 98 plate appearances.
  • The Marlins announced that right-hander Ben Meyer and outfielder Braxton Lee have both cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans and Double-A Jacksonville, repsectively. The 25-year-old Meyer made his MLB debut in 2018 but was hammered for 22 runs in 19 innings. The 2017 season was much better for the righty, as he worked to a 2.02 ERA with 10.8 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 in 111 1/3 innings — albeit against much younger competition between Class-A and Class-A Advanced. Lee, meanwhile won a Double-A batting title in 2017 but hit just .233/.316/.294 across three minor league levels in 2018 in addition to a weak showing in a brief MLB debut of his own (18 plate appearances). Lee received plus grades for his speed and above-average marks for his outfield defense in the past but has never shown any power.
  • The Marlins have signed outfielder Harold Ramirez to a minor league contract, per John Dreker of PiratesProspects.com (Twitter link). The 24-year-old Ramirez spent a third consecutive season at the Double-A level in 2018 and put together a strong campaign, hitting .320/.365/.471 with 11 homers, 37 doubles and 16 steals in 505 trips to the plate. Ramirez was once considered to be on the fringes of the game’s top 100 prospects, but his stock has dipped in recent seasons — particularly in 2017 (.678 OPS in his second full season of Double-A ball).
  • Australian righty Todd Van Steensel tweeted last night that he’s signed a minor league pact with the Padres. The 27-year-old has spent the past six seasons in the Twins organization, where he’s topped out at the Double-A level. Van Steensel has a career 2.11 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 in 110 2/3 innings at that level, with all but two of his 66 Double-A appearances coming out of the bullpen.

Rays Designate C.J. Cron, Announce Other Roster Moves

By | at

The Rays will designate first baseman C.J. Cron for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. He had been projected by MLBTR to earn $5.2MM in arbitration.

That’s just one of a flurry of late-breaking 40-man moves for the Rays. Relievers Oliver Drake and Hoby Milner were also designated, while right-hander Jose Mujica was outrighted.

All those precious roster spaces were needed to allow the team to add a host of new talent — and thereby protect it from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Lefties Kyle Bird and Brock Burke, righty Ian Gibaut, and outfielders Joe McCarthy and Jesus Sanchez are all now on the 40-man.

It’ll certainly come as a surprise to some that Cron is on his way out of Tampa Bay. After all, the club was rewarded for nabbing him from the Angels last year. Cron drove the ball over the fence thirty times and produced a strong 122 wRC+ with his .253/.323/.493 slash.

Of course, the Rays rarely rest on their laurels — or indulge in excessive spending. While Cron isn’t slated to command an immense salary, and the Rays actually have ample payroll space with which to work, the earning power of players of his kind has been gutted in recent years. That’s not to say that another organization won’t see the value. It doesn’t hurt that Cron is still controllable for another campaign.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top