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Minor MLB Transactions: 5/3/19

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

  • The Angels announced that right-hander John Curtiss cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A following his prior DFA. The Halos designated Curtiss, 26, for assignment Tuesday when they selected the contract of top pitching prospect Griffin Canning. Curtiss came to the Angels in a minor offseason swap with the Twins and has struggled mightily in Triple-A to open the season. Through 8 2/3 innings there, the once-well-regarded Twins prospect has allowed nine runs on 11 hits and eight walks with 11 strikeouts. He appeared in one game for the Angels early this season as well and in 2 1/3 innings worked with a fastball that was down roughly three miles per hour from his 2017 MLB debut. Curtiss has never been outrighted before and has fewer than three years of MLB service time, so he doesn’t have the option to reject the assignment. He’ll remain with the Angels organization and continue working in Triple-A as he hopes to round back into form.

Angels Expect To Activate Shohei Ohtani Soon

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  • Shohei Ohtani is nearing activation by the Angels, manager Brad Ausmus tells reporters including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The precise timeline isn’t yet clear, but the DH is expected to return to action before the club opens a homestand on May 17th. Ohtani won’t be able to make it back to the mound this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2018 season, but he’ll be able to contribute from the batter’s box.

Angels Designate John Curtiss For Assignment

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The Angels announced that they’ve designated right-hander John Curtiss for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for prospect Griffin Canning, whose contract has now formally been selected from Triple-A Salt Lake. It was reported last week that Canning would make his MLB debut today.

Acquired in a minor January swap that sent infielder Daniel Ozoria to the Twins, Curtiss made just one appearance with the Angels, tossing 2 1/3 inning and allowing a run on two hits and three walks with a strikeout. It was only one appearance, but Curtiss averaged 92.1 mph on his heater in that outing — a substantial dip from the 95.2 mph he averaged as a rookie with the Twins in 2017.

Curtiss, long one of the more promising bullpen prospects in Minnesota’s system, has also struggled quite a bit in Triple-A early in the season. Through 8 2/3 innings, the 2014 sixth-rounder has been tagged for nine runs on 11 hits and eight walks with 11 strikeouts. The Angels will have a week to trade Curtiss, release him, or try to pass him through outright waivers. Even with his early 2019 struggles, Curtiss still has a career 3.16 ERA with nearly 11 strikeouts per nine frames at the Triple-A level (88 1/3 innings); given that success and the fact that he still has a minor league option remaining, he could draw interest from other clubs — assuming the velocity drop was a blip on the radar and not part of a larger-scale issue.

As for Canning, he’ll ascend to the Majors less than two years after being the Angels’ second pick in the 2017 draft. The Mission Viejo, Calif. native skyrocketed up three levels in the Angels’ system last season and has torn through Triple-A lineups early in 2019, pitching to a 0.56 ERA with a 17-to-2 K/BB ratio in 16 innings out of the rotation. He entered the year as a consensus Top 100 prospect and is viewed by the organization as a potential mid-rotation piece who could help to stabilize the rotation for years to come.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/29/19

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Here’s the day’s lone minor MLB roster move of note:

  • The Angels have outrighted lefty Sam Freeman, per the team’s transactions page. It is not yet known whether the 31-year-old will accept or reject the assignment to Triple-A; he has the service time to make his own election. Freeman made just one appearance after being selected recently to the MLB roster. He continued to dish out a worrying number of walks, as he had in his initial action at Triple-A. Freeman has always battled with the free passes, though that issue hasn’t prevented him from throwing 228 2/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball at the game’s highest level.

Shohei Ohtani Not Ready To Make 2019 Debut

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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani won’t make his season debut during their homestand from April 30-May 5, manager Brad Ausmus told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and other reporters Sunday. The two-way star is still on the mend from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on his right elbow last October, which will keep him from pitching this season but won’t prevent him from helping the Angels’ offense. Los Angeles entered Sunday with a middle-of-the-pack offense, though designated hitters Albert Pujols and Kevan Smith have only combined for average hitting to this point relative to their position. Ohtani was far better than that as a rookie in 2018, when he slashed .288/.361/.564 with 22 home runs and 10 steals over 367 plate appearances.

Angels To Promote Griffin Canning

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The Angels are set to promote top pitching prospect Griffin Canning, the team informed reporters including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). He’s expected to start on Tuesday.

Canning will debut just before turning 23 in early May. A 2017 second-rounder out of UCLA, the righty was tabbed as a consensus top-100 leaguewide prospect entering the current season following a strong showing last year.

After working hard in his final collegiate campaign, Canning slipped a bit in the draft and then waited to make his debut. The patience has paid off thus far, as he ran through the Halos system in his first year as a pro.

Though his results took a step back upon reaching Triple-A, the overall effort was impressive. Canning threw 113 1/3 frames of 3.65 ERA ball with 9.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, with all but 8 2/3 of those innings coming in the upper minors.

Canning isn’t necessarily seen as a budding ace so much as a polished, highly capable hurler with a deep arsenal who is as good a bet as anyone to become a quality MLB starter. The Angels obviously didn’t need to see more after watching him allow just one earned run and post a 17:2 K/BB ratio in 16 innings over three starts to open the year back at Salt Lake City.

Of course, the Angels are also responding to need at the MLB level. The club is in last place in the AL West and is still waiting for a variety of injured players to filter back to the roster. If there’s to be a postseason run this year, it may take some inspired showings from players that opened the year on the farm.

Angels Place Cody Allen On 10-Day IL

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The Angels have placed reliever Cody Allen on the 10-day injured list, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to cover on Twitter. He’s said to be dealing with a lumbar spine strain, though details remain scant.

It’s one of several Halos pitching moves. Matt Ramsey was sent down on optional assignment, leaving two openings to accommodate the return of starter Tyler Skaggs and activation of Luke Bard.

Allen’s health trouble comes amidst an exceedingly rough stretch on the mound. He has issued ten walks and three home runs in nine innings thus far. In light of those figures, his 6.00 ERA actually represents a merciful series of outcomes to date.

The risks were well known to the Halos when they signed Allen to a $8.5MM contract over the winter. Long a quality closer for the Indians, Allen exhibited newfound walk and long ball issues in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

Allen will take a step back and try to sort things out. His average fastball velocity is down to 93.1 mph thus far, the fifth-straight season of year-over-year decline. He has responded by going to his curve more than ever before (48.0%), but is out of the zone more than ever before (34.9% zone%) and generating only a 10.1% swinging-strike rate (his lowest level since his debut campaign).

Angels Place Zack Cozart On IL, Promote Luis Rengifo

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The Angels announced Thursday evening that they’ve placed infielder Zack Cozart on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 24) due to a neck strain. In his place, the Halos have recalled infielder Luis Rengifo for his big league debut.

Cozart, 33, signed a three-year contract with the Halos prior to the 2018 season but, to this point, has had much of his Halos tenure ruined by injuries. A shoulder subluxation last year limited Cozart to just 58 games last season, and his output when healthy enough to take the field, was nowhere near his brilliant 2017 levels. In 253 plate appearances last year, Cozart hit only .219/.296/.362, and his 2019 line of .109/.157/.125 is markedly worse.

Cozart’s injury occurred when he collided with DJ LeMahieu upon diving back into the second base bag a couple of nights ago. There’s no word from the Angels organization yet on how long he’s going to be sidelined.

In place of Cozart, the Angels are turning to the 22-year-old Rengifo — a prospect widely regarded as one of the ten best in a dramatically improved Halos farm system. The Venezuelan-born Rengifo skyrocketed three levels through the system last year, hitting .299/.399/.452 with seven homers and a whopping 41 stolen bases along the way.

The switch-hitting Rengifo’s scouting reports at Fangraphs and MLB.com laud his above-average speed and give him average to above-average marks in terms of hit tool, glove and throwing arm. He’s off to a slow start in 2019, hitting .240/.284/.387 through 81 plate appearances. He’ll join an Angels infield mix that has Andrelton Simmons entrenched at shortstop, with David Fletcher and Tommy La Stella serving as options at second base and third base.

Angels Remove Cody Allen From Closer’s Role

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The Angels are removing right-hander Cody Allen from the closer’s role for the time being, manager Brad Ausmus revealed prior to Wednesday’s tilt with the Yankees (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger). There won’t be a set closer in his place, it seems, as each of Ty Buttrey, Hansel Robles and Luis Garcia could receive looks depending on availability and matchup, Bollinger notes.

Signed to a one-year deal worth $8.25MM this offseason, Allen hoped to bounce back in his new environs following the worst full season of his MLB career in 2018. Allen gave the Indians five straight seasons of sub-3.00 ERA ball with at least 11.3 K/9 from 2013-17 before stumbling in his final season of arbitration; last year, the righty posted a 4.70 ERA with 10.7 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a career-high 1.5 HR/9.

The start of the 2019 season hasn’t gone any better. Allen is a nominal 4-for-4 in save opportunities, but he’s yielded five earned runs on six hits and seven walks with nine strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. The home-run troubles that plagued him last year are all the more pronounced in 2019, as he’s already served up a trio of dingers on the young season. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that Allen’s 92.2 mph average fastball is a full two miles per hour lower than it was in 2017 and three miles slower than it was back in 2014. As one might expect with that type of velocity dip, Allen’s swinging-strike rate has plummeted from 14.9 percent in 2017 to 10.4 percent in 2019.

It remains to be seen whether the change in role can help to get Allen back on track. At 30 years old, it’s not out of the question that he can rediscover some of his lost velocity. It’s also certainly possible that a pitcher with his track record and wipeout curveball can learn to be effective even with reduced life on his heater, though doing so may come with an adjustment period.

Fantasy players asking who’s in line for the bulk of saves won’t have a true answer until we see how Ausmus deploys the other late-inning relievers in his bullpen. But to this point in the season, both Buttrey and Robles have been terrific. Each has struck out at least one third of the hitters he’s faced while walking fewer than eight percent of opponents. Buttrey has paired his outstanding K-BB% with a hefty 56.5 percent ground-ball rate (dwarfing Robles’ 25.0 percent), underscoring the difficulty that opponents have when it comes to elevating his pitches.

Since being acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for Ian Kinsler, Buttrey has a 2.10 ERA and a 33-to-8 K/BB ratio and zero home runs allowed in 25 1/3 innings for the Angels. Robles, since being claimed off waivers from the Mets, has a 3.02 ERA and a 52-to-18 K/BB ratio in 47 2/3 frames. Between the two, Buttrey has induced more swinging strikes and grounders and seems like the more prototypical closer, though it’s possible that Ausmus will err on the side of veteran experience and give the first looks to Robles.

Angels Select Matt Ramsey, Designate Sam Freeman

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The Angels announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Matt Ramsey from Triple-A Salt Lake and designated veteran left-hander Sam Freeman for assignment in order to open spot on the 25-man and 40-man roster.

It’ll be the MLB debut for Ramsey, 29, who is in his first year in the Angels’ system. The journeyman minor league hurler spent the 2018 campaign in the Astros organization, where he pitched to a 2.04 ERA with a 63-to-16 K/BB ratio in 53 innings of relief between Triple-A (47 innings) and a quick stint with Houston’s Rookie-level affiliate (six innings). He’s off to a shaky start in Salt Lake, having allowed seven runs (three earned) on 11 hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings of relief.

Freeman, 31, just made his Angels debut last night, allowing a run on three hits and two walks in two innings of relief. He spent the 2017-18 seasons in the Braves’ bullpen, pitching to a combined 3.34 ERA in 110 1/3 innings. Freeman’s numbers deteriorated across the board in 2018, however, and Atlanta cut him loose during Spring Training. He latched on with the Halos on a minor league deal and posted a 3.00 ERA in nine Triple-A innings, though his 7-to-6 K/BB ratio wasn’t particularly encouraging.

If Freeman clears waivers, he has enough service time to elect free agency, so it’s possible that today’s DFA could spell the end of his time with the organization after just a few weeks.

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