Injury Notes: Olivares, Greene, Wheeler
The Royals announced today that outfielder Edward Olivares was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, with first baseman Nick Pratto getting optioned in a corresponding move. Olivares went on the IL in mid-July due to a left quad strain. The club already had a vacancy on its 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move was required in that department.
The injury was ill-timed for Olivares, 26, as he seemed on the verge of a breakout prior to that. In 36 games this year, he’s hit .303/.358/.434 for a 125 wRC+. With just over two weeks remaining until the offseason, he will try to get back into a groove and go into the winter with a strong finish. He’ll jump into the outfield mix with Michael A. Taylor, Drew Waters, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Dozier and Nate Eaton, with catcher MJ Melendez occasionally heading onto the grass as well.
Other injury updates from around the league…
- The Reds announced that right-hander Hunter Greene was reinstated from the 15-day injured list. He is slated to start the second game of today’s doubleheader. Fellow righty Raynel Espinal was optioned in a corresponding move, while righty Kyle Dowdy is serving as the “29th man” for the twin bill. One of the top prospects in the game coming into this year, Greene hasn’t exactly been dominant in his MLB debut. He has a 5.26 ERA through his first 102 2/3 innings in the big leagues, though with a very strong 28.8% strikeout rate. Since the Reds have traded away established pitchers like Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle this year, they will need the prospects to step up and form the core of the next rotation. It’s possible there’s already a decent nucleus in place, with Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft all showing some signs of promise this year.
- The Phillies have been without Zack Wheeler for almost a month but he could return this week without a rehab assignment, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The tentative plan is for the righty to start Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays, though probably not for very long. His most recent work was throwing two innings in a simulated game, which he will be gradually building on over the final two weeks of the regular season. As Gelb notes, Wheeler could potentially be lined up to start the first game of the Wild Card playoff round, but the Phils will have to make it there first. The club is in decent position to make the postseason since they are currently in possession of the second of three NL Wild Card spots, 1.5 games ahead of the Padres and 3 ahead of the Brewers. Getting Wheeler back will be tremendously helpful, assuming he doesn’t have any rust from his absence. Through 138 innings on the season, he has a 3.07 ERA, 26.7% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate and 44.1% ground ball rate.
Mark Littell Passes Away
The Royals announced that former big league reliever Mark Littell has passed away. He was 69 years old.
A Missouri native, Littell split his MLB career between the state’s two clubs. He signed with the Royals as an 18-year-old in 1971, and he reached the majors just two years later. The right-hander struggled over his first eight outings, including seven starts, posting a 5.68 ERA. That’s hardly surprising for a 20-year-old hurler, though, and Littell spent most of the following two seasons at Triple-A.
After a brief return to the majors in 1975, Littell moved to the bullpen full-time by ’76. He thrived in that role, working multiple innings as an old-school fireman and finding great success. He pitched to a 2.08 ERA in 104 innings over 60 outings that season, finishing 37 games in the process. Littell’s contributions even earned him some down-ballot MVP support.
That year didn’t end as Littell would’ve liked, as he surrendered Chris Chambliss‘ famed walk-off home run to clinch the American League Championship Series for the Yankees. That was the only run he allowed in 4 2/3 innings through the series, though, as Littell continued to pitch exceptionally well until his final offering of the season. He returned to throw another 104 2/3 innings the next season, posting a 3.61 ERA. Littell made two appearances in that year’s postseason, allowing three runs in as many innings in another defeat to the Yankees.
The following offseason, Kansas City traded him to their in-state rivals in a deal that brought back former Cy Young finalist Al Hrabosky. Littell had two great seasons to kick off his tenure with the Cardinals, working to a sub-3.00 ERA while tallying more than 60 appearances in each of 1978-79. His production dipped thereafter, and he threw his final big league pitch in 1982. Littell didn’t partake in that year’s postseason, but he’d been a member of the St. Louis squad that won the World Series.
Altogether, Littell appeared in nine MLB seasons, working to a career 3.32 ERA over 532 innings. He finished 181 of his 316 appearances, including 56 saves. Littell fanned 466 batters, a 20.5% rate that was well above the league average at the time.
MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends, loved ones and former teammates.
Royals Outright Daniel Mengden
Sep. 4: The Royals announced that Mengden has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Omaha. Although he has the ability to reject that outright and elect free agency, it seems he will accept, per Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star.
Sep. 2: The Royals announced Friday that they’ve recalled right-hander Wyatt Mills from Triple-A Omaha and designated fellow righty Daniel Mengden for assignment in order to create roster space. Mengden was selected to the big league roster just yesterday and started last night’s game for Kansas City, but it appears that’ll go down as a spot start.
Mengden, 29, tossed just 2 2/3 innings in last night’s start against the White Sox, yielding three runs on five hits and a walk with a pair of strikeouts. It was his second stint with the Royals this year, as he’d previously made four bullpen appearances back in June. Overall, Mengden has pitched seven innings with the Royals and allowed four earned runs on ten hits and a walk with eight punchouts.
A fourth-round pick of the A’s back in 2014, Mengden was a regular on the Oakland pitching staff from 2016-20, working primarily as a starter but never quite securing a long-term spot in the rotation. The mustachioed righty appeared in 60 games with Oakland — 48 of them starts — and totaled 302 2/3 innings with a 4.64 ERA, a 17.3% strikeout rate, a solid 7.8% walk rate and 39% ground-ball rate.
Mengden then spent the 2021 season with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kia Tigers, for whom he notched a 3.60 ERA over the life of 21 starts. He’s spent the bulk of the current season with the Royals’ Triple-A club in Omaha, pitching to a 4.55 ERA in 91 innings. He’s ineligible to be traded because he’s been on a big league roster this year and the trade deadline has passed, so Mengden will hit outright waivers or release waivers within the next seven days. All 29 other clubs will have the opportunity to claim him.
Mills, 27, came to the Royals by way of the June trade that sent Carlos Santana to Seattle. He’s appeared in 18 games out of the Kansas City bullpen already this year but struggled to a 5.30 ERA with a 17-to-10 K/BB ratio in 18 2/3 innings. He’s been sharp in Triple-A for the second straight season, however, and now carries a career 2.53 ERA, a 36.7% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate at that level.
Every Team’s Initial September Call-Ups
Each season as the calendar flips to September, we see a flurry of transactions around Major League Baseball. Active roster sizes jump from 26 to 28 for the season’s final month, with teams permitted to bring up no more than one additional pitcher. We’ve already covered a host of transactions with 40-man roster implications throughout the day at MLBTR. Here’s a full round-up of teams’ initial September roster moves.
American League West
Houston Astros:
- Selected contract of RHP Hunter Brown
- Selected contract of C Yainer Diaz
- Corresponding moves: IF Niko Goodrum and RHP Peter Solomon designated for assignment
Los Angeles Angels:
- Selected contract of OF Ryan Aguilar
- Selected contract of RHP Zack Weiss
- Corresponding moves: OF Steven Duggar and INF Jose Rojas designated for assignment
Oakland Athletics
- Selected contract of LHP Ken Waldichuk from Triple-A Las vegas
- Recalled OF Cody Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas
- Corresponding move: RHP David McKay designated for assignment
Seattle Mariners
- Reinstated LHP Matthew Boyd from 60-day injured list
- Recalled OF Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Tacoma
- Corresponding moves: None required
Texas Rangers
- Selected contract of RHP Jesus Tinoco from Triple-A Round Rock
- Recalled OF Nick Solak from Triple-A Round Rock
- Corresponding move: Transferred RHP Josh Sborz to 60-day injured list
American League Central
Chicago White Sox
- Recalled OF Adam Haseley from Triple-A Charlotte
- Recalled RHP Matt Foster from Triple-A Charlotte
- Corresponding move: None required
Cleveland Guardians
- Recalled SS Ernie Clement from Triple-A Columbus
- Reinstated RHP Cody Morris from 60-day injured list
- Corresponding move: Designated RHP Anthony Castro for assignment
Detroit Tigers
- Recalled 1B Spencer Torkelson from Triple-A Toledo
- Selected contract of INF Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo
- Corresponding move: Transferred RHP Rony Garcia to 60-day injured list
Kansas City Royals
- Selected contract of RHP Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Omaha
- Recalled OF Nate Eaton from Triple-A Omaha
- Corresponding move: None required
Minnesota Twins
- Added LHP Austin Davis (previously claimed off waivers from Red Sox) to active roster
- Selected contract of OF Billy Hamilton from Triple-A St. Paul
- Corresponding move: Transferred OF Trevor Larnach to 60-day injured list
American League East
Baltimore Orioles
- Selected contract of 1B Jesus Aguilar from Triple-A Norfolk
- Recalled LHP DL Hall from Triple-A Norfolk
- Corresponding move: Designated INF Richie Martin for assignment
Boston Red Sox
- Recalled C Connor Wong from Triple-A Worcester
- Selected contract of RHP Eduard Bazardo
- Corresponding moves: None required
New York Yankees
- Recalled SS Oswald Peraza from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
- Activated INF Marwin Gonzalez from paternity list
- Corresponding moves: None required
Tampa Bay Rays
- Reinstated RHP Matt Wisler from the 15-day injured list
- Recalled INF Jonathan Aranda from Triple-A Durham
- Corresponding moves: None required
Toronto Blue Jays
- Recalled RHP Casey Lawrence from Triple-A Buffalo
- Added OF Bradley Zimmer (claimed off waivers from Phillies this week) to active roster
- Corresponding moves: None required
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Selected contract of IF Wilmer Difo from Triple-A Reno
- Reinstated RHP Keynan Middleton and LHP Kyle Nelson from 15-day injured list
- Corresponding move: Designated RHP Noe Ramirez for assignment
Colorado Rockies
- Recalled INF Alan Trejo from Triple-A Albuquerque
- Recalled RHP Chad Smith from Triple-A Albuquerque
- Corresponding moves: None required
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Reinstated LHP Clayton Kershaw from 15-day injured list
- Recalled 3B Miguel Vargas from Triple-A Oklahoma City
- Corresponding moves: None required
San Diego Padres
- Recalled INF Matt Beaty from Triple-A El Paso
- Recalled RHP Reiss Knehr from Triple-A El Paso
- Corresponding moves: None required
San Francisco Giants
- Selected contract of recently-acquired OF Lewis Brinson
- Recalled IF David Villar from Triple-A Sacramento
- Corresponding move: Outrighted LHP Jonathan Bermudez to Triple-A Sacramento
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
- Selected contract of RHP Jeremiah Estrada from Triple-A Iowa
- Recalled INF David Bote from Triple-A Iowa
- Corresponding move: Transferred Wade Miley from 15-day injured list to 60-day injured list
Cincinnati Reds
- Selected contract of 2B/3B Spencer Steer
- Selected contract of RHP Fernando Cruz
- Corresponding moves: Transferred INF Mike Moustakas and RHP Jeff Hoffman from 10-day injured list to 60-day injured list
Milwaukee Brewers
- Recalled RHP Luis Perdomo from Triple-A Nashville
- Recalled OF Esteury Ruiz from Triple-A Nashville
- Corresponding moves: None required
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Recalled RHP Johan Oviedo from Triple-A Indianapolis
- Recalled OF Calvin Mitchell from Triple-A Indianapolis
- Corresponding moves: None required
St. Louis Cardinals
- Selected contract of OF Ben DeLuzio from Triple-A Memphis
- Recalled RHP James Naile from Triple-A Memphis
- Corresponding moves: None required
National League East
Atlanta Braves
- Reinstated IF Orlando Arcia from 10-day injured list
- Added recently-claimed RHP Jesse Chavez to active roster
- Corresponding moves: None required
Miami Marlins*
- To recall OF Bryan De La Cruz
- To recall RHP Jeff Brigham
- Corresponding moves: None required
New York Mets
- Selected contract of INF Deven Marrero from Triple-A Syracuse
- Recalled RHP Adonis Medina from Triple-A Syracuse
- Corresponding move: Designated RHP Connor Grey for assignment
Philadelphia Phillies
- Selected contract of RHP Vinny Nittoli from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
- Recalled C Donny Sands from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
- Corresponding moves: None required
Washington Nationals
- Recalled C Tres Barrera from Triple-A Rochester
- Recalled RHP Mason Thompson from Triple-A Rochester
- Corresponding moves: None required
*Marlins moves reported by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link)
Royals Planning To Select Daniel Mengden
The Royals have listed right-hander Daniel Mengden as the probable starter for tomorrow’s game against the White Sox (h/t to Anne Rogers of MLB.com). They’ll have to formally select his contract to add him to the roster, but they won’t need to make any corresponding moves to do so. Active rosters expand from 26 to 28 players with the calendar flipping to September, and Kansas City already has an opening on the 40-man roster.
Mengden will be up for the second time this season, although he’ll be making his first start of the campaign. Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, he was promoted to the majors in the middle of June. He worked out of manager Mike Matheny’s bullpen during his first stint, making four appearances and tossing 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out six without walking a batter. Despite that quality showing, the Royals nevertheless ran Mengden through waivers and outrighted him back to Triple-A Omaha.
While Mengden hasn’t started an MLB game in two seasons, he does have a fair bit of rotation experience. He worked primarily as a starter during his early-career run with the A’s, opening 48 of his 60 appearances with Oakland between 2016-20. Mengden’s pitch-to-contact approach led to some decent results in a spacious Oakland ballpark early in his tenure, but he ran into more trouble from 2019 onward as his walk tallies escalated.
Mengden has worked primarily from the rotation with the Storm Chasers. He’s started 17 of 21 outings, working to a 4.55 ERA across 91 innings. The Texas A&M product has struck out 19.5% of opponents against a heightened 12.8% walk percentage in the minors this season.
Royals Sign Jakson Reetz To Minor League Deal
The Royals signed catcher Jakson Reetz to a minor league deal last week, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had recently elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Brewers.
Reetz, 26, got a sip of a cup of coffee in the majors last year, making two plate appearances over two games with the Nationals. That’s the extent of his big league experience thus far. He was designated for assignment in September and eventually signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.
His season got off to a great start, as he hit 22 home runs in 64 Double-A games, getting bumped up to Triple-A. In August, the Brewers added him to their 40-man roster to prevent him from triggering an opt-out, but they kept him down on the farm. Though the club liked him enough to try to retain him, he got squeezed off the roster two weeks later.
The Royals subtracted from their catching depth on deadline day, sending Cam Gallagher to the Padres for outfielder Brent Rooker. They still have Salvador Perez taking the majority of playing time behind the dish, with MJ Melendez also on hand, though he’s been playing more outfield to get his bat in the lineup alongside Salvy. Sebastian Rivero is also on the roster to act as bench catcher when both of Perez and Melendez are in the lineup. Reetz will be on hand in the minors should they need him to step up and help out the big league team.
Royals Place Zack Greinke, Josh Staumont On Injured List
The Royals announced that starter Zack Greinke is headed to the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 21, with forearm tightness. Reliever Josh Staumont is also going on the 15-day IL with biceps tendinitis. Collin Snider and Anthony Misiewicz were recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take the vacated active roster spots.
Greinke last took the mound on Sunday but came out of his start against the Rays after four innings due to forearm discomfort. How severe the issue is remains unclear, but it’s worrisome enough the Royals will keep him out of action for at least the next two weeks. It comes at an unfortunate time, as Greinke had allowed only three earned runs in 16 1/3 innings over his most recent three starts. Of course, with the Royals near the bottom of the American League standings and looking ahead to 2023, there’s little reason for Greinke and the club not to exercise caution with any arm issues.
Signed to a one-year, $13MM guarantee over the offseason, Greinke has made 21 starts during his second stint in Kansas City. He owns a 4.14 ERA through 108 2/3 innings despite a career-low 13.7% strikeout rate. The 38-year-old no longer throws hard or misses many bats, but he retains elite command and has provided the club with generally solid back-of-the-rotation production. He’ll again hit the free agent market this winter.
Staumont has had a very inconsistent 2022 campaign. Long considered one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, Staumont looked to have settled in as a quality late-game reliever over the prior two seasons. Between 2020-21, he tossed 90 1/3 innings of 2.76 ERA ball while striking out 29% of batters faced. As he had throughout his minor league career, he struggled to throw strikes at times, but his power arsenal was on full display.
He’d remained generally effective through the first few months of this season, working to a 3.67 ERA with a 27.1% strikeout percentage through the All-Star Break. Things have gone completely off the rails in the second half, however, as he’s been tagged for 16 runs with 11 strikeouts and walks apiece in 10 2/3 innings over his past 12 outings. Staumont will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is controllable through 2025.
Misiewicz is now in position to make his team debut. Acquired from the Mariners at the start of the month, he was promptly optioned to Omaha. He’s allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings there since the trade, striking out seven with just one walk. The left-hander had made 104 MLB appearances with Seattle over the past three seasons, working to a 4.48 ERA over 88 1/3 frames.
Injury Notes: Kopech, Pasquantino, Ashcraft, Tigers
The White Sox placed starter Michael Kopech on the 15-day injured list this afternoon due to a left knee strain. The righty seemed to suffer the injury during warm-ups before yesterday’s start against the Royals, and his velocity was well down during the outing. Kopech didn’t record an out, allowing two hits, a walk and a hit batsman before being taken out of an eventual 6-4 loss. Alarming as that showing was, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times relays that the club expects Kopech to return when first eligible two weeks from now (Twitter link).
Even a minimal IL isn’t ideal for a Chicago team that entered play Tuesday three games back of the Guardians in the AL Central. Kopech has been one of the club’s more effective pitchers, carrying a 3.58 ERA through 110 2/3 innings (and a 3.25 mark if one throws out yesterday’s performance as an injury anomaly). Kopech’s strikeout and walk numbers haven’t been as impressive, however, and there are lingering questions about precisely how many innings the 26-year-old may be equipped to throw this year. He worked primarily in relief last season and tallied 69 1/3 frames during his first season back after missing all of 2019-20. He’s already eclipsed that mark by over 40 innings this year.
Catching up on some other injury situations around the game:
- The Royals placed rookie designated hitter/first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder discomfort this afternoon. Like Kopech, the 24-year-old was injured in yesterday’s contest between Chicago and Kansas City. After a breakout 2021 season in the minors, Pasquantino emerged as one of the game’s top offensive prospects heading into this year. He mashed in Triple-A and has hit the ground running as a big leaguer, carrying a .263/.350/.434 showing with eight home runs and an excellent combination of walks (11%) and strikeouts (13.5%) through his first 200 MLB plate appearances. The left-handed hitter looks like a key long-term piece for a Kansas City team with its attention firmly turned towards 2023. Fellow top prospect Nick Pratto should pick up the first base playing time in Pasquantino’s absence, while Ryan O’Hearn and Hunter Dozier may get the majority of the DH at-bats. Kansas City didn’t specify a timetable on Pasquantino’s return.
- Reds starter Graham Ashcraft landed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 20, with biceps soreness. The rookie right-hander is headed for an MRI, but skipper David Bell indicated the club was optimistic about his ability to return before the end of the season (via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The 24-year-old made his big league debut debut in May and has joined Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene as rookie rotation cogs for the Reds. Through 16 starts, the hard-throwing hurler owns a 3.97 ERA on the strength of an excellent 54.8% ground-ball rate. Ashcraft looks to have made a strong case for a rotation role next season, generally outperforming both Lodolo and Greene — each of whom has been more highly-regarded by most prospect evaluators.
- The Tigers placed second baseman Jonathan Schoop on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 21, with a sprained right ankle. It’s the first IL stint in two years for the veteran infielder, who has played in just under 95% of Detroit’s games since the start of 2021. Schoop posted above-average numbers last year to earn a contract extension in August, but he’s had a dreadful showing offensively this season. Over 447 plate appearances, he’s hitting only .202/.235/.318 with nine home runs. Defensive metrics have been enamored with his glovework at the keystone, but no other qualified hitter is within 19 points of Schoop’s league-worst on-base percentage. He’s likely to exercise a $7.5MM player option this winter to return to the club for 2023.
- Sticking with the Tigers, manager A.J. Hinch cast doubt on the possibility of seeing catcher Jake Rogers this season (via Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic). Rogers underwent Tommy John surgery last September, and he’s spent the entire year on the 60-day injured list while rehabbing. It’s almost been a calendar year since that operation. The 27-year-old Rogers hit .182/.264/.378 in 255 plate appearances between 2019-21.
Royals Promote Drew Waters
The Royals have recalled outfield prospect Drew Waters from Triple-A Omaha and optioned outfielder Nate Eaton to Triple-A in his place, per a team announcement. It’ll be the Major League debut for Waters, whom Kansas City acquired from Atlanta last month (alongside two other minor leaguers) in a trade that sent a Competitive Balance draft selection back to the Braves.
Waters, 23, was a second-round pick back in 2017 and long rated as one of the more promising all-around prospects in the game. The switch-hitter was a consensus top-100 prospect each year from 2019-21, but at the time of the trade sending him to Kansas City, his stock was down a fair bit. Waters had mashed his way through the Double-A level but seen his bat stall out in Triple-A, where he’d slashed .246/.324/.383 in just shy of 800 total plate appearances across parts of three seasons. Of even greater concern was the 30.7% strikeout rate he’d posted in those three Triple-A stints.
The Royals, however, remained enamored of Waters’ skill set and clearly held him in high regard. The day after the trade, Kansas City general manager J.J. Picollo touted Waters as a “true center fielder” and “plus defender” with still-developing skills at the plate. All indications based both on Picollo’s comments and on the mere fact that the Royals targeted Waters in that trade was that the club still viewed him as an intriguing prospect and a potential everyday option in center field.
To this point, the Royals have to be thrilled with how Waters has responded to the move. Since joining his new organization, Waters has been on absolute fire in Omaha, raking at a .295/.399/.541 pace with seven home runs, five doubles, a pair of triples and a perfect 13-for-13 showing in stolen bases. It’s just a 31-game, 143-plate appearance sample, but the results are quite encouraging. Waters has also walked at a 14% clip that would be the highest single-season mark of his entire career by a fairly wide margin. Strikeouts are still an issues, as he’s punched out at a bloated 28.7% clip since the trade — actually a slight increase from this year’s 27.1% rate in the Braves organization.
Still, the recent production from Waters has surely restored some of the shine on his name, and he ought to be in line for regular work with the Royals as the season draws to a close. At 25 games under .500 and 16.5 games out of the AL Central lead with the third-worst run differential in MLB (-149), the focus in Kansas City is now on the future rather than on the 2022 season. It’s in the Royals’ interest to get Waters some work at the big league level to evaluate whether he’s ready for a prime role in next season’s outfield or whether he might need further time in the minors (perhaps prompting a short-term outfield addition this winter).
There’s no way for Waters to reach a full year of service time in 2022, so even if he’s in the big leagues for good, the Royals will control him all the way through the 2028 season. He’s also being called up for his debut well past the point at which Super Two status could be achievable, so he won’t reach arbitration until the 2025-26 offseason at the earliest. Future optional assignments could delay both that arbitration timeline and Waters’ free-agent timeline, of course. Waters only had his contract selected for the first time this past November, meaning he’s in his first minor league option year and will have a pair of minor league options remaining beyond the current season.
Athletics Claim Joel Payamps
The A’s announced that they have claimed right-hander Joel Payamps off waivers from the Royals, who designated him for assignment earlier this week. To create room on the 40-man roster, fellow righty Paul Blackburn was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Payamps, 28, has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past four seasons, spending time with the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and Royals. With KC this year, he’s logged 42 2/3 innings out of the bullpen with a 3.16 ERA. His 17.6% strikeout rate is a few ticks below league average, but his 53.3% ground ball rate is a few points above.
For the rebuilding A’s, they will take a shot on Payamps, which makes sense for a couple of reasons. His low-strikeout, pitch-to-contact profile could be a good match for the spacious confines of the Coliseum. He’s also yet to reach arbitration, having come into this season with just over a year of service time. If he sticks with the low-spending A’s as a valuable bullpen piece, they can keep him around cheaply for years to come.
As for Blackburn, it was reported earlier this week that he’s been shut down for the remainder of the season. That means today’s transfer is a mere formality.