Astros Designate Robel Garcia For Assignment
The Astros are designating infielder Robel García for assignment, relays Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Reliever Rafael Montero was also transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. The moves create a pair of vacancies on the 40-man roster needed to reinstate Taylor Jones and Andre Scrubb from the injured list (Jones from the COVID-19 IL, Scrubb from the 60-day version). Both Jones and Scrubb were optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land.
García has had one of the crazier career arcs of any player over the past few seasons. He spent a few years at the lowest levels of the Indians system but was released having topped out in Low-A. The Cubs spotted García playing professional ball in Italy a few years later and signed him to a minor league deal going into the 2019 season.
Assigned to Double-A, García mashed over the season’s first month before being bumped up to the minors’ top level. He popped 21 home runs in just 296 Triple-A plate appearances to earn his first big league call that July. The switch-hitting infielder hit another five homers in 80 trips to the plate at the big league level, but he also struck out 35 times.
Chicago designated García for assignment last July, and he spent the campaign at the Reds’ alternate training site after Cincinnati claimed him off waivers. He briefly landed with the Mets and Angels via waiver claim over the offseason and stuck with Houston after the Astros claimed him in February. He’s taken 117 plate appearances at the major league level this season, struggling to a .151/.216/.208 line with a huge 35.9% strikeout rate. The utilityman has had similar swing-and-miss issues in Triple-A, hitting .189/.321/.422 in 109 trips to the plate.
The Astros will now place García on outright or release waivers. His combination of power and ability to cover any position on the dirt has attracted the interest of a few teams around the league, although his continued strikeout problems have kept him from producing much to date at the big league level. García still has a minor league option year remaining after this season, so it’s possible a team could claim him and keep him in the system as high minors infield depth.
Houston acquired Montero alongside Kendall Graveman as part of a deadline deal with the Mariners. Montero had underperformed in Seattle and was included in the deal largely to offset salary. He performed well over his first four appearances with the Astros, tossing six innings of one-run ball. Unfortunately, right shoulder discomfort landed him on the IL just a couple weeks after the trade.
Today’s transfer rules Montero out for sixty days from August 10, the date of his initial IL placement. It’s theoretically possible he could make it back for a postseason run, but it seems more likely he won’t return this season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the fourth and final time of his career this offseason. If tendered a contract, he’d be in line for a slight raise on this season’s $2.25MM salary.
Scrubb returns for the first time since mid-July, when he landed on the IL with a shoulder strain. The 26-year-old has worked 19 2/3 frames of 5.03 ERA ball, striking out a decent 24.4% of batters faced but issuing walks at an alarming 16.3% clip. Jones, meanwhile, is back after missing a couple weeks upon testing positive for the coronavirus. He’s hitting .245/.269/.402 across 108 plate appearances.
AL West Notes: Calhoun, Yordan, Murphy
Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun missed nearly three months of the 2021 season after suffering a broken arm upon being hit by a pitch, but he’s expected to return to the lineup this week, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The club has 18 games left to get a look at Calhoun before determining whether to tender him a contract in arbitration this winter, and manager Chris Woodward offered no certainties when discussing Calhoun’s future. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t played enough for us to really evaluate him,” Woodward said (via Grant). “So, we may have to make a really tough decision one way or the other. We’re going to have to kind of go out on a limb.”
Calhoun, 27 this offseason, was the headlining prospect the Rangers received from the Dodgers in 2017’s Yu Darvish trade. He’s yet to establish himself as a consistently productive hitter, however, and was batting a rather pedestrian .254/.323/.385 in 226 plate appearances before heading to the injured list. Calhoun’s lack of playing time and career .248/.304/.418 batting line to date will limit his arbitration price. That, coupled with the fact that he has a minor league option remaining in 2022, could be a saving grace. So long as the Rangers don’t mind carrying him on the 40-man roster, there’s little downside in tendering him a contract, but Woodward’s mention of a “tough decision” appears to indicate that there’s at least some debate on how to proceed.
Some more notes from the division…
- Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is getting increased defensive reps in at first base and could begin seeing time there in games, manager Dusty Baker told reporters this week (link via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). Alvarez, 24, played some first base in the minors but hasn’t appeared there in the Majors yet. He’s only played 317 innings of defense since debuting in 2019 — all of which have come in left field. The ‘Stros have Yuli Gurriel as their everyday option at first base, and his $8MM club option for the 2022 season is a no-brainer to be exercised after a terrific 2021 season. Still, getting Alvarez some work at first would provide a safety net should Gurriel need to miss time and would also give the Astros an option on days where they hope to rest Gurriel, who’ll turn 38 next June. Looking beyond the ’22 campaign, at which point Gurriel will be a free agent, it’d obviously be a bonus if the ‘Stros felt comfortable playing Alvarez at first base on at least a part-time basis. Given the knee troubles he’s already had in his career, Alvarez might not be a full-time option either in left field or at first base for Houston, but the more ways they have to keep him and his outstanding career .293/.375/.584 batting line (906 plate appearances) in the lineup, the better.
- Mariners catcher Tom Murphy chatted with Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times about his rebound from an awful start to the year — a stretch he called “the lowest point in my baseball career.” Murphy’s roster spot looked to be in jeopardy at one point, but he’s rebounded since mid-May, hitting .236/.346/.408 with eight homers in his past 208 trips to the plate. His season line still rests at an ugly .205/.304/.373, but that’s weighed down by those first six weeks. Murphy didn’t play in 2020 after fouling a ball into his foot and suffering a fracture during Mariners “Summer Camp,” so the slow start after such a long layoff is somewhat understandable. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for a second time this winter, giving the Mariners three potential options behind the dish alongside Luis Torrens and prospect Cal Raleigh. Had Murphy’s struggles continued, he’d have been a clear non-tender candidate. That possibility can’t be expressly ruled out even with the rebound, but the forthcoming raise on his modest $875K salary figures to be relatively minimal. Murphy hit .273/.324/.535 in 281 plate appearances with the Mariners back in 2019.
Astros Outright Jacob Wilson
The Astros have passed utilityman Jacob Wilson through outright waivers, relays Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Houston needed to create a 40-man roster spot to activate Zack Greinke from the COVID-19 injured list, which they’re expected to do tomorrow.
Wilson joined the Astros on a waiver claim from the division rival A’s last month. He’s played in six big league games and has logged ten games with their top affiliate in Sugar Land. A longtime minor league veteran, Wilson made his big league debut with Oakland in July but has only picked up 21 plate appearances between the two stops. He’s spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A, where he’s hit .274/.365/.570 with fifteen home runs in 223 plate appearances.
Most of that production has come with the A’s highest affiliate in Las Vegas, one of the more hitter-friendly environments in affiliated ball. That’s no doubt aided Wilson’s production somewhat, but he’s generally been a quality offensive player regardless of the surroundings. The right-handed hitter has posted solid numbers throughout much of his minor league tenure, and he also hit .251/.351/.433 over 268 plate appearances with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization in 2019. He’s also shown some amount of defensive flexibility, logging action at each of first, second and third base and in left field this year.
Wilson has never previously been outrighted, and he doesn’t have the requisite service time to elect free agency. He’ll stick around with Sugar Land and hope to play his way back onto the big league roster before the end of the season. If the Astros don’t reselect him to the majors, the 31-year-old will qualify for minor league free agency this offseason.
AL West Notes: Chapman, Fiers, Greinke, Cobb, Rodriguez
X-rays were negative on Matt Chapman‘s left foot/shin area after the Athletics third baseman fouled a ball off himself during today’s 8-6 loss to the Rangers. Chapman’s last plate appearance took place in the third inning, though he returned to the field in the next inning before being removed from the game prior to the top of the fifth. A’s manager Bob Melvin told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Chapman likely won’t play on Sunday out of precaution.
Since the A’s don’t play on Monday, Chapman would get a full two days of recovery time, with an eye towards returning when the Athletics begin a road series with the Royals on Tuesday. It has been an inconsistent season overall for Chapman, though he has been one of Oakland’s hotter players in the second half, batting .223/.338/.538 with 13 home runs in his 154 plate appearances entering today’s game.
More from the AL West…
- Mike Fiers has missed almost the entire season due to injury, though the veteran righty might yet be able to return to the Athletics before the 2021 campaign is out. Fiers threw 25 pitches during a live batting practice session on Friday, and Bob Melvin told reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) that Fiers is set for a Triple-A rehab outing this week. A right elbow sprain has sidelined Fiers since May 6, so he would almost surely be returning as a reliever if he does get back to Oakland’s active roster, since there doesn’t seem to be enough time for Fiers to ramp up for a starting pitcher’s workload. Between that elbow sprain and an early-season hip issue, Fiers has tossed only 9 1/3 innings in 2021, with a 7.71 ERA.
- After being placed on the Astros‘ COVID-related injury list on August 31, Zack Greinke is scheduled to return and start on Tuesday when the Astros face the Rangers. Greinke, his wife, and his two sons all tested positive for the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated, the right-hander told reporters (including The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome), and all are now recovered. Greinke has a 3.66 ERA/4.55 SIERA over 159 2/3 innings this season, as one of the league’s best walk rates (5.0%) has helped Greinke succeed despite a 17% strikeout rate, his lowest K% since the 2005 season.
- Alex Cobb threw three simulated innings yesterday, and Angels manager Joe Maddon told Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register (Twitter links) that Cobb could potentially be activated off the 10-day IL for a start this week. Cobb has been out of action since July 30 due to right wrist inflammation. Despite this missed time and an earlier injured-list stint due to blister problems, Cobb has been one of the Angels’ better starters this year, with a 3.82 ERA/3.65 SIERA, 53.8% grounder rate, and a career-best 25.7% strikeout rate over 77 2/3 innings.
- Also from Maddon, he announced that right-hander Chris Rodriguez has been shut down for the remainder of the season. Rodriguez has been on the minor league IL due to a lat strain for almost a month, and he also spent a month on the Angels‘ injured list due to shoulder inflammation earlier this season. Injuries have plagued Rodriguez for much of his pro career, though he did make his MLB debut this year, and posted a respectable 3.64 ERA over 29 2/3 innings (starting two of 15 games).
Astros Select Marwin Gonzalez, Option Josh James
The Astros have selected the contract of Marwin Gonzalez, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Josh James was optioned to make room on the active roster.
The Astros 40-man roster had a vacancy because Zack Greinke and Taylor Jones were recently placed on the COVID IL. Neither counts against the 40-man roster at this time. Gonzalez, and the recently-called-up Jose Siri, could potentially be considered COVID replacement players, which would mean they’d be able to be sent back down to Triple-A and removed from the 40-man roster without needing to pass through waivers.
Gonzalez was released by the Red Sox a few weeks ago after a disappointing season. In 77 games for Boston, he slashed .202/.281/.285, producing a wRC+ of 56, the second-lowest such mark of his career, behind only his 54 way back in 2013. The Astros added him on a minor league deal on August 27th. Gonzalez will now see if a return to the Houston organization can bring him back to something resembling the best stretch of his career, which came as an Astro from 2014 to 2018. Over those seasons, he hit .271/.328/.438, for a wRC+ of 111. Since the minor league deal was signed before the end of August, Gonzalez is eligible to play in the postseason for the Astros.
Astros To Select Jose Siri
The Astros are set to select the contract of outfielder Jose Siri, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Right-hander Bryan Abreu posted a video of Triple-A manager Mickey Storey telling the clubhouse that Siri was getting his first call to the big leagues. (Hector Gomez of ZSports 101 also tweeted the video.)
It’s been a long journey to The Show for the 26-year-old Siri, who initially signed with the Reds as a 17-year-old amateur out of his native Dominican Republic back in 2012. He’s grinded through parts of eight minor league seasons and may have thought his call to the big leagues would come a bit sooner than this, given that Cincinnati selected his contract to the 40-man roster back in November 2017 in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
At that time, Siri was a 22-year-old who’d just wrapped up a brilliant season in Class-A, hitting .293/.341/.530 with 24 home runs, 24 doubles, 11 triples and a whopping 46 stolen bases. His bat took a step back in each of the next two seasons, however, particularly in 2019 when he hit just .186/.252/.245 in his first 30 games of Triple-A work. The Reds designated Siri for assignment in Jan. 2020 to make room on the roster for Nick Castellanos.
Siri wound up being claimed by the Mariners, but Seattle tried to pass him through waivers themselves early in Spring Training. The Giants then claimed him, but he was designated for assignment a second time in July once the league and the union had agreed on return-to-play conditions following the season stoppage due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Giants passed Siri through outright waivers successfully, and he elected free agency this past offseason, eventually settling on a minor league deal with Houston.
Any downturns in Siri’s production since that brilliant 2017 season look like a distant memory now, as he’s put together a monster season in Triple-A Sugar Land and demonstrated why multiple clubs wanted to give him a look on the 40-man roster at various points in the past year. He’s appeared in 93 games and tallied 393 plate appearances with a .321/.372/.559 batting line in that time. Siri has clubbed 16 home runs, 29 doubles and four triples while also going 24-for-27 in stolen-base attempts. He’s appeared at all three outfield positions but spent the bulk of his time this season in center field.
The Astros technically have a full 40-man roster, but they have a pair of players currently in Covid-19 protocols — Zack Greinke and Taylor Jones — so neither counts against the 40-man roster at this time. Siri could potentially be selected as a Covid replacement player, which would mean he’d be able to be sent back down to Triple-A and removed from the 40-man roster without needing to pass through waivers, although given his brilliant season in Triple-A it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were kept on the 40-man roster even once Greinke and Jones return.
Every Team’s Initial September Callups
The limit on active roster players expanded from 26 to 28 today, as the calendar flipped to September. Every team announced at least two additions to the big league club (some teams made three or more due to injured list placements). Here’s a recap of today’s spate of transactions:
- Angels: RHP Oliver Ortega (full post), INF Luis Rengifo. LHP Patrick Sandoval transferred to 60-day IL
- Astros: RHP Jose Urquidy (activated from 10-day IL), RHP Enoli Paredes
- Athletics: DH Khris Davis, C Austin Allen (full post)
- Blue Jays: RHP Nate Pearson, RHP Bryan Baker (full post)
- Braves: IF Orlando Arcia, RHP Jacob Webb
- Brewers: C Luke Maile, RHP Justin Topa, 1B Daniel Vogelbach (activated from 60-day IL). C Manny Pina placed on 10-day IL, LHP Angel Perdomo transferred to 60-day IL
- Cardinals: RHP Brandon Dickson (full post), C Ali Sanchez. RHP Ryan Helsley transferred to 60-day IL
- Cubs: RHP Adbert Alzolay (activated from 10-day IL), Dillon Maples (activated from 10-day IL)
- Diamondbacks: RHP Luke Weaver (activated from 60-day IL), OF Stuart Fairchild
- Dodgers: UTIL Zach McKinstry, RHP Ryan Meisinger. IF Sheldon Neuse, OF Luke Raley transferred to 60-day IL
- Giants: LHP Caleb Baragar, IF Thairo Estrada, RHP John Brebbia. RHP Johnny Cueto placed on 10-day IL
- Indians: RHP Triston McKenzie (activated from 10-day IL), OF Harold Ramirez (activated from 10-day IL)
- Mariners: LHP Justus Sheffield (activated from 10-day IL), IF Kevin Padlo
- Marlins: LHP Trevor Rogers (activated from restricted list), IF Joe Panik (activated from COVID-19)
- Mets: OF Albert Almora Jr., OF Khalil Lee
- Nationals: LHP Alberto Baldonado (full post), C Alex Avila (activated from 10-day IL)
- Orioles: RHP Dusten Knight, LHP Alexander Wells
- Padres: RHP Dinelson Lamet (activated from 10-day IL), RHP Taylor Williams (activated from 60-day IL). LHP Matt Strahm transferred to 60-day IL
- Phillies: RHP Cam Bedrosian, RHP Ramon Rosso (full post). 1B Rhys Hoskins transferred to 60-day IL, shortstop Didi Gregorius placed on restricted list
- Pirates: RHP Shelby Miller (full post), RHP Max Kranick
- Rangers: LHP Hyeon-jong Yang, IF Charlie Culberson (activated from COVID-19 IL), RHP Kohei Arihara (activated from 60-day IL). INF Ryan Dorow — originally selected as a COVID replacement — removed from 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A
- Rays: RHP David Robertson (full post), SS Taylor Walls
- Red Sox: RHP John Schreiber (full post), INF Jack Lopez, UTIL Danny Santana (activated from 10-day IL), RHP Ryan Brasier (activated from 60-day IL). SS Xander Bogaerts, IF Yairo Munoz placed on COVID-19 IL
- Reds: OF Delino DeShields Jr. (full post), INF Alejo Lopez
- Rockies: RHPs Antonio Santos, Justin Lawrence, Julian Fernandez (full post). Jon Gray placed on injured list
- Royals: RHP Jackson Kowar, SS Adalberto Mondesi (activated from 10-day IL), LHP Jake Brentz (activated from 10-day IL). RHP Jakob Junis placed on 10-day IL
- Tigers: RHP Wily Peralta (activated from 10-day IL), INF Niko Goodrum (activated from 10-day IL)
- Twins: RHP Randy Dobnak (activated from 60-day IL), RHP Joe Ryan (full post). RHP Kenta Maeda transferred to 60-day injured list
- White Sox: RHP Matt Foster, 1B/OF Gavin Sheets, INF/OF Romy Gonzalez (full post). Jake Lamb designated for assignment (full post), Tim Anderson placed on injured list
- Yankees: OF Estevan Florial, RHP Brooks Kriske
Astros Sign Drew Butera
The Astros announced they’ve signed catcher Drew Butera to a minor league contract. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land. Butera had been in the Angels’ organization but was released today, setting the stage for this new opportunity.
Butera provides some security for a Houston club that lost fellow catcher Jason Castro to the 10-day injured list last week. Martín Maldonado and Garrett Stubbs are the only other backstops on the 40-man roster. Adding Butera — a respected veteran presence and well-regarded defender — to the high minors offers some additional cover in case Castro doesn’t make it back to the field in the near future.
While Butera saw brief big league time with the Angels this year, he’s spent much of the campaign at Triple-A. The right-handed hitter has posted a .222/.328/.354 line in that hitter-friendly environment. Of course, Butera has never been known for his offense. The 38-year-old owns a career .196/.252/.290 slash over parts of twelve seasons in the majors.
It’s no coincidence the AL West-leading Astros added Butera tonight. Signing him before September 1 means he’ll be eligible for Houston’s postseason roster. For now, he’ll hang around in the high minors as an insurance option. Butera will reach free agency at the end of the season.
Astros Place Zack Greinke On COVID-19 Injured List
The Astros are placing starter Zack Greinke and corner infielder Taylor Jones on the COVID-19 injured list, Mark Berman of Fox 26 was among those to pass along. Righty Josh James and infielder Robel García have been recalled in corresponding moves.
It isn’t yet clear whether either of Greinke or Jones has actually tested positive for the virus. Players can land on the COVID list for feeling viral symptoms or for exposure. However, manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle) that Greinke won’t make his next scheduled start. Greinke last pitched on Sunday, when he was tagged for six runs in four innings against the Rangers. That brought his season line to a 3.66 ERA/4.55 SIERA across 159 2/3 innings.
That rotation spot could be filled by José Urquidy. The righty has been on a minor league rehab assignment for around two weeks. Urquidy, who has a 3.38 ERA in 77 1/3 innings, hasn’t pitched since June 29 because of shoulder discomfort.
West Injury Notes: Paddack, Gray, Ibanez, Ohtani, Astros
Padres starter Chris Paddack appears to be ready to come off the IL to start Monday’s game in Arizona, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Acee says that Padres manager Jayce Tingler didn’t confirm the plan, but then later listed Paddack as Monday’s starter on Twitter.
For Paddack, his third big league season has been a disappointing one, logging an ERA of 5.13 over 93 innings. That’s a spike from last year’s 4.73 and his 3.33 mark from 2019. His strikeout rate has also gone in the wrong direction. After a solid 26.9% rate in his debut season, it dropped to 23.7% last year and sits at 22.5% so far this year. However, his walk rate has stuck around 5% in every season, which is excellent. (MLB average is 8.7% this year.)
Despite those struggles, the team has certainly missed Paddack. Since the righty went on the shelf July 31st with an oblique issue, the team has been on a disastrous slide. They’ve gone 9-15 so far in the month of August, surrendering the final National League playoff spot to Cincinnati. During that time, the rotation was missing not only Paddack, but also Yu Darvish. They tried to patch over those absences with the addition of Jake Arrieta, only to see him land on the IL himself after just one start of 3 1/3 innings. With Darvish having already returned and Paddack on the way, that could allow the team to steady the ship and finish strong, as they try to retake the Reds over the season’s final weeks.
Other notes from the west…
- Rockies starter Jon Gray left last night’s start after 48 pitches. Manager Bud Black told reporters, including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, that the move was precautionary and related to some forearm tightness. Nick Groke of The Athletic gets a bit more granular, explaining that the injured area appears to be away from the ulnar collateral ligament, hopefully negating the worst fears of Rockies fans. Though the extent of the injury remains to be seen, it makes sense for the club to be cautious, as they are 11 games out of a playoff spot. Gray is a free agent at year’s end, but the Rockies are reportedly hoping to sign him to an extension. They will also have to decide on whether or not to issue him a qualifying offer at the end of the season. Gray would surely warrant the offer if he’s healthy. Over 806 2/3 career innings, Gray has an ERA of 4.52 while pitching primarily in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the league, producing 15.7 fWAR.
- Rangers infielder Andy Ibanez left last night’s game with left hamstring tightness, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. She quotes Rangers manager Chris Woodward as being “not optimistic” about the injury. Regardless of the eventual severity of the injury, the club has every reason to be cautious, as they have one of the worst records in the league and no shot at contending. If this is the end of the season for Ibanez, it will go down as a solid rookie campaign for the 28-year-old. He’s hit .260/.304/.415, wRC+ of 96, while splitting time between first, second and third base, as well as one game in left field.
- Shohei Ohtani was hit on the hand by a pitch in last night’s game, while serving as the designated hitter. However, he stuck around for the remainder of the contest and x-rays on the hand came back negative. Angels manager Jeff Madden told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that Ohtani should be fine to make his scheduled start on Tuesday. That is good news for the club and baseball fans in general, as Ohtani is having the most unique and fascinating season that baseball has seen in quite some time, if not ever. He’s currently the MLB home run leader with 41, and has an overall slash line of .264/.363/.623, producing a wRC+ of 160 which is currently bested by only two other qualified hitters. (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bryce Harper) All of that is combined with Ohtani’s 105 innings in the Angels’ starting rotation with an ERA of 3.00.
- The Astros could be getting a couple of players back this week. Jose Urquidy is pitching in a rehab game tonight, which could be his last before returning, according to Jake Kaplan of The Athletic. Urquidy has only been able to make 14 starts this season because of injuries but has been excellent when healthy, putting up an ERA of 3.38. It’s unclear who would be bumped from the rotation in his absence, but some have speculated that Luis Garcia could be an option. Garcia has already set a career high in innings pitched this year and has seen his results slip a bit recently. Since July 26th, he has an ERA of 4.22. The club has already moved another young starter, Cristian Javier, to the bullpen as a way to manage his workload. The Astros could also be welcoming Chas McCormick back later this week. General manager James Click told various reporters, including Mark Berman of Fox 26, that the outfielder could be back as soon as Friday. The club hasn’t suffered much in McCormick’s absence, given that Jake Meyers has been manning center field and has been on a tear. Since having his contract selected last month, in the first 20 games of his career, Meyers is slashing .323/.348/.523.