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Minor MLB Transactions: 7/7/21

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Today’s minor transactions:

  • Left-hander Ryan Buchter has cleared outright waivers, the Diamondbacks announced. Arizona designated the veteran reliever for assignment earlier in the week. Buchter was a generally productive middle innings arm between 2016-19, but he didn’t see much action in 2020 and has had a poor season in 2021. Buchter tossed 14 2/3 innings with the D-Backs, pitching to a 5.52 ERA with 13 strikeouts and walks apiece. As a player who has previously been passed through outright waivers, he has the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.
  • The Red Sox have released left-hander Bobby Poyner, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive (Twitter link). Poyner tossed 34 innings out of the Boston bullpen between 2018-19, working to a 4.50 ERA/3.68 SIERA. Boston passed him through outright waivers in January 2020, and he’d spent the 2021 campaign with Triple-A Worcester. Poyner has struggled in 13 innings at the minors’ highest level this year, allowing 15 runs on 22 hits (including six homers), two walks and three hit batsmen.
  • Nationals infielder Humberto Arteaga has apparently cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend. Arteaga has been back in action for the Nats Triple-A affiliate in Rochester the past two nights. He’s spent most of the year with the Red Wings but was selected to the major league roster for a day last week, going 0-3 with a sacrifice fly. Arteaga was waived after the Nats acquired Alcides Escobar from the Royals to fill their vacant utility infield role.

Nationals Place Kyle Schwarber, Alex Avila On 10-Day Injured List, Select Alcides Escobar

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The Nationals announced a host of roster moves, the most notable placing Kyle Schwarber on the 10-day injured list. Catcher Alex Avila also heads to the 10-day injured list because of bilateral calf strains. Humberto Arteaga was designated for assignment. In terms of additions, the Nats selected the contract of Alcides Escobar, recalled Yadiel Hernandez and catcher Tres Barrera.

Nats fans have been expecting the news on Schwarber since he was pulled from yesterday’s game. Still, there’s plenty of uncertainty in regards to how long he’ll be out. Schwarber himself said he didn’t think this injury would keep him out as long as the 2016 injury that sidelined him for a full season, per Todd Dybas of Inside the Clubhouse (via Twitter). Manager Dave Martinez said it’d definitely be more than 10-day IL stint. Full accounting, then, puts Schwarber’s timeline somewhere between ten days and six months, which doesn’t exactly clue us into the severity of the strain.

The headline, however, is that Schwarber doesn’t need surgery. He’ll be resting until the swelling subsides and doctors can decide what kind of treatment he needs moving forward, per The Athletic’s Maria Torres (via Twitter).

In the meantime, Hernandez returns to the roster after a very successful 14-game, .309/.367/.618 stint with Triple-A Rochester. He’ll likely take over the everyday job in left, as he did in right field to cover for Juan Soto’s injury earlier this season. The 33-year-old Cuban rookie hit .370/.438/.481 from April 20th until May 4th while Soto was out. Gerardo Parra will spell him from time to time, but it should be Hernandez’s job to lose.

The other headline here is that Escobar is back in the Majors for the first time since 2018. The 34-year-old was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the World Champion Royals in 2015, but it’s been a long time since he provided positive value to a big league team. With Trea Turner dealing with a day-to-day injury, the window to impress might be very small for Escobar. That said, with Jordy Mercer out, Escobar is currently the only backup infielder on the Nats’ roster.

Such was the case for Arteaga, who has been designated for assignment after one game with the Nats. He went 0-for-3, though he did drive in a run with a sac fly.

Avila’s injury comes as somewhat of a surprise, as the backup catcher was well enough to make a spot start at the keystone the other night. Regardless, the switch-hitting backstop will be on the shelf for a bit after slashing .167/.345/.288 in 85 plate appearances.

Barrera will be Yan Gomes’ backup until Avila is healthy. Barrera served an 80-game suspension last July for violating the league’s PED program. The glove-first catcher has long been one of the Nats’ higher-rated catching prospects, but this will be his first opportunity at real playing time.

Nationals Select Humberto Arteaga

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The Nationals announced they’ve selected the contract of infielder Humberto Arteaga. He’ll get the nod at shortstop tonight against the Dodgers. Fellow infielder Jordy Mercer has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 1, with a right quad strain. To clear 40-man roster space, right-handed pitching prospect Steven Fuentes was placed on the 60-day IL due to a strain in his throwing shoulder.

Washington has been lacking infield depth in recent days. Star shortstop Trea Turner is still day-to-day after jamming his finger diving into third base on a triple on Wednesday, and Mercer has been unavailable with his leg issue. That forced Washington to start catcher Alex Avila at second base last night. While Avila held his own, that’s obviously not a scenario the Nationals wanted to rely on for multiple days.

Arteaga has 135 major league plate appearances to his name, all with the 2019 Royals. He hit just .197/.258/.230 in that brief look. He’s been better at the plate throughout his minor league career, but has struggled immensely with Triple-A Rochester this season. The right-handed hitter has a .288/.321/.379 career mark at the minors’ highest level, but he’s slumped to .227/.266/.280 in 79 trips to the dish with the Red Wings in 2021. He should, however, at least offer a capable defensive option on the dirt while the regulars recover.

Washington selected Fuentes to the 40-man last October. He has yet to make his major league debut, appearing in four games for Rochester this season. Entering the year, Baseball America named the 24-year-old the #20 prospect in the Nationals system, praising his low-mid 90s sinker and quality changeup.

Royals Make Multiple Roster Moves

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The Royals announced (Twitter links) several minor moves today, including the news that infielder Humberto Arteaga has been released.  Kansas City also outrighted left-hander Randy Rosario to the team’s alternate training site, while minor league righties Jonathan Bowlan and Jon Heasley have both been added to the 60-man player pool and will also report to the alternate site.

Rosario will remain in the K.C. organization after he was designated for assignment on Thursday to clear a spot for newly-acquired outfielder Edward Olivares.  After coming to Kansas City on a waiver claim last September, Rosario’s first full season with the Royals has been a struggle, over the small sample size of 3 1/3 innings.  Rosario has a 8.10 ERA after allowing three runs from seven hits and three walks over four appearances.

Arteaga had been part of the Royals’ 60-man player pool but never got the call up to the big league roster this season.  An international signing from the Dominican Republic in 2010, Arteaga’s long stay in the Royals’ farm system finally paid off with his first MLB promotion in 2019, as he hit .197/.258/.230 in 135 plate appearances.  Arteaga has mostly played shortstop during his career, but he also offers experience at second and third base to any new team who could be looking for utility infield depth.

Bowlan and Heasley are both 23 years old, and were both members of the Royals’ 2018 draft class — Bowlan was selected in the second round (58th overall) and Heasley in the 13th round.  Neither pitcher has worked above the A-ball level, so it’s probably unlikely that either will be promoted to the MLB roster, though their inclusion at the alternate training site will help continue their development given the lack of any proper minor league baseball this season.

Royals Re-Sign Humberto Arteaga, Erick Mejia

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The Royals have re-signed infielder Humberto Arteaga and outfielder/infielder Erick Mejia to minor league contracts, the team announced.

Both players have quickly returned to the Royals two weeks after the club non-tendered them. The two debuted in the majors last season, but the 25-year-old Arteaga garnered more experience. Arteaga totaled 135 plate appearances, but he batted a nonthreatening .197/.258/.230 without a home run during that span and managed minus-0.7 fWAR along the way. The light-hitting Arteaga didn’t pack much of a punch over 302 PA in Triple-A ball, either, as he slashed .299/.333/.394 with five HRs and 11 stolen bases.

Mejia, whom the Royals acquired from the Dodgers in a 2018 three-way trade, went to the plate 27 times at the big league level in 2019 and hit .227/.333/.273. Like Arteaga, the 25-year-old Mejia also produced at a below-average rate in Triple-A ball, where he put up a .271/.339/.382 line and logged seven long balls with 19 steals over 556 PA.

Teams Announce Final Non-Tenders

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We’ve been tracking the day’s arbitration decisions in the run-up to tonight’s deadline, which has produced a bevy of last-minute calls. In addition to those already covered elsewhere (with all projected salary figures from MLBTR/Matt Swartz projections) …

  • The Padres announced they have non-tendered Miguel Diaz and Pedro Avila. Neither hurler had yet been eligible for arbitration, so this amounts to no more than a roster cleanup. Avila had already been designated for assignment. Diaz, meanwhile, saw extensive action as a Rule V pick in 2017 but has only sporadically logged MLB time since.
  • Relievers Javy Guerra and Koda Glover were non-tendered by the Nationals, per a club announcement. Guerra would have cost a projected $1.3MM. Glover announced earlier today that he would retire.
  • The Red Sox non-tendered infielder Marco Hernandez and reliever Josh Osich, per a team announcement. Neither projected at big dollars — $700K and $1.0MM, respectively — but obviously the club felt it could put the roster spots to better use on other players.
  • The Blue Jays have non-tendered relievers Derek Law and Jason Adam, along with backstop Luke Maile. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter) and Scott Mitchell of TSN (on Twitter) were on the news. Law projected at $1.3MM, while Maile was in line for a $800K payday. Adam is still pre-arb eligible.
  • The Giants announced today that they have non-tendered outfielder Joey Rickard ($1.1MM projection), southpaw Tyler Anderson ($2.625MM), and righty Rico Garcia (pre-arb). Both Anderson and Garcia were claimed from the division-rival Rockies after the end of the 2019 season.
  • In addition to other moves earlier today, the Braves have non-tendered catcher John Ryan Murphy and outfielder Rafael Ortega. Each provided depth down the stretch in 2019 for the Atlanta organization. Murphy would’ve been owed a projected $1.2MM, while Ortega remains shy of arbitration eligibility.
  • A host of players were non-tendered by the Royals, per a club announcement. Righty Jesse Hahn was cut loose along with infielders Humberto Arteaga, Cheslor Cuthbert and Erick Mejia. Among these players, Hahn (projected $900K) and Cuthbert ($1.8MM) have the most MLB experience. With these 40-man trimmings, the K.C. org should be able to place some claims and/or make Rule 5 selections in the coming weeks.
  • Righties Ian Gibaut and Wei-Chieh Huang are each heading to free agency after being non-tendered by the Rangers. Neither is anywhere near the service time needed for arbitration eligibility, so this was just an opportune time for the Texas org to drop them from the MLB roster.

Royals Place Adalberto Mondesi On 10-Day IL, Designate Ben Lively

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The Royals announced a series of roster moves today. Shortstop Adalberto Mondesi is headed to the 10-day injured list with a groin injury. His placement is backdated to the 19th.

To replace Mondesi on the active roster, the club selected the contract of infielder Humberto Arteaga. Righty Ben Lively was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot.

The Royals are going nowhere fast in 2019, and there doesn’t appear to be any long-term concern, so the loss of Mondesi should be only a temporary blip. The 23-year-old switch-hitter hasn’t been quite as good with the bat this year as last, but he has been close enough to league average at the plate and good enough in the field and on the bases to rack up 2.2 fWAR.

Lively was knocked around in his only MLB outing of the year. He carries a 4.07 ERA in 42 frames at Triple-A, with a 41:19 K/BB ratio. The 27-year-old as had his share of chances over the years but has not yet managed to hold down a steady big league job.

Royals Roster Notes: Moylan, Mondesi, Soler, Gore

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A number of Royals moves on Monday moved the team closer to setting their 25-man roster for the start of the season, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star and other reporters have noted. Here’s the breakdown of where the Royals’ roster stands:

  • First, the team optioned lefty Scott Alexander and outfielders Billy Burns and Peter O’Brien to Triple-A Omaha and assigned catcher Zane Evans, infielder Humberto Arteaga and relievers Yender Caramo, Eric Stout, Al Alburquerque and Malcom Culver to minor-league camp. The moves left veteran righty Peter Moylan as the Royals’ clear choice for the last spot in their bullpen. (Another veteran, Seth Maness, remains in camp, but he is recovering from injury and will not be ready for Opening Day.) Moylan’s minor-league deal with the Royals contains an opt-out clause tomorrow, so the team seems likely to place him on their 40-man roster shortly. Moylan allowed just one run in eight Spring Training innings, striking out six and walking one.
  • Royals manager Ned Yost also announced that Raul Mondesi would serve as the team’s starting second baseman, beating Whit Merrifield, Christian Colon and Cheslor Cuthbert. Cuthbert will make the team, while Merrifield and Colon are still competing for a bench job. The 21-year-old Mondesi was the surprise winner of the job after batting just .185/.231/.281 in 149 plate appearances in his rookie season in 2016, but he was previously a top prospect and had a very strong spring, batting .378/.391/.623.
  • Finally, Jorge Soler, who had been projected to start in right field, suffered a strained oblique this weekend and appears likely to begin the season on the disabled list. It’s only a grade I strain, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets, and Soler may be able to begin resuming baseball activities in a week, so perhaps he can avoid a lengthy absence. That means Paulo Orlando will likely begin the season as the team’s right fielder, with Brandon Moss also occasionally helping at the position. Terrance Gore, who the Royals value for his speed and defensive ability, now seems likely to occupy a bench spot with Soler on the shelf.

Royals Sign Venezuelan Shortstop For $1.1MM

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The Royals officially signed Venezuelan shortstop Humberto Arteaga for $1.1MM, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The Royals like the 16-year-old’s quickness, positioning and running speed. Arteaga has a compact swing, so the club expects him to make contact and produce lots of line drives, though his power potential seems limited.

As Badler points out, Arteaga joins Adonis Cardona (Blue Jays), Ariel Ovando (Astros), Renato Nunez (A’s), Phillips Castillo (Mariners) and Danry Vasquez (Tigers) in the group of international prospects who have signed for more than $1MM this summer.

The Royals have been spending big on draftees and international players. Last year, for example, the club committed millions to both Noel Arguelles and Wil Myers.

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