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AL West Notes: Fister, Segura, Brugman, Doolittle

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Doug Fister’s first start with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate went quite well, as the veteran right-hander tossed five innings of one-run ball and allowed just four hits and no walks to go along with seven strikeouts. Of the 11 balls put into play against him, seven were hit on the ground (63.6 percent rate). Fister reportedly has a June 21 opt-out in his contract with the Angels, so the Halos can get another couple of looks at him before making a decision on whether to promote him to the Majors, though his first outing was certainly encouraging.

More from the AL West…

  • Mariners ownership gave GM Jerry Dipoto a “unanimous go for it” when he approached them about pursuing an extension with shortstop Jean Segura, Dipoto said at yesterday’s press conference announcing the deal (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). “I can speak for [CEO John Stanton] and [president Kevin Mather] as well. When I brought it to them the first time, I know it was shared with the ownership group to give them the ok to roll ahead with negotiations, everybody was absolutely in back of the negotiations or the proposal each step of the way. They were all for it.” Dipoto acknowledged that a full no-trade clause isn’t something he considers “typical” in extension talks, but Segura’s agent, CAA’s Nez Balelo, explained that due to the three previous trades in his Segura’s still-young career, it was an important element to secure.
  • The Athletics are promoting outfield prospect Jaycob Brugman to make his Major League debut this weekend, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s not yet clear what the corresponding roster move will be, though Brugman was added to the 40-man roster, so Oakland needn’t necessarily designate someone for assignment in order to bring him up. Ranked as the organization’s No. 21 prospect by MLB.com and No. 24 by Baseball America, Brugman is off to a fine start in Triple-A Nashville, slashing .288/.373/.364 through 150 plate appearances. He’s capable of playing all three outfield positions and possesses roughly average pop and speed, per the previously linked scouting reports. The 25-year-old Brugman is pegged as more of a fourth outfielder than a starter by both reports but will inject some youth into what is currently a fairly old mix of outfielders.
  • Slusser also notes that Sean Doolittle is expected to be activated from the disabled list as the 26th man for one of the two games of Saturday’s doubleheader. The A’s will need to drop back down to 25 players, so Brugman could be optioned out quickly after his first look in the Majors. However, Slusser also notes that relievers Frankie Montas and Josh Smith are both candidate to be sent down as well. Speculatively speaking, if both are optioned, Oakland could once again have a four-man bench, though it’d be shifting back to a 12-man pitching staff in that case. (Related: Oakland Athletics depth chart)

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/5/17

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Monday’s minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Mariners announced that outfielder Andrew Aplin has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma. Aplin, whom Seattle designated for assignment last Friday, joined the team in a trade with the division-rival Astros in late May. The 26-year-old still doesn’t have any major league experience on his resume, and has only hit .245/.341/.333 in 979 Triple-A plate appearances. Aplin’s defense has drawn positive reviews, however, with Baseball America lauding his “above-average, accurate arm” and “good routes and reads.”
  • The Angels have signed left-hander Jason Gurka to a minor league contract, as shown on the Pacific Coast League transactions page. Gurka opened the season with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate and posted a 5.40 ERA over 16 2/3 innings, thereby cancelling out excellent strikeout and walk rates of 10.8 and 1.08 per nine, respectively. The 29-year-old comes with some major league experience, though run prevention has been a significant issue for him at the game’s highest level. In 17 1/3 frames with the Rockies from 2015-16, Gurka logged a 9.35 ERA, but he did pair respectable strikeout and walk numbers (7.27 and 2.08) with a solid ground-ball rate (47.7 percent).

West Notes: Angels, Rangers, Rockies, Padres, Mariners

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Hours after Marlins right-hander Edinson Volquez threw the first no-hitter of the year, Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols added another notable accomplishment to the 2017 ledger, belting his 600th home run. Pujols skied a grand slam off Twins right-hander Ervin Santana to become the ninth player in the history of the sport to go deep at least 600 times. The former Cardinal has already hit nine homers this year, and he figures to pass both Sammy Sosa (609) and Jim Thome (612) on the all-time list by the end of the season.

As Pujols joins his teammates and fans in celebrating his historic feat, here’s more from the West divisions…

  • An Adrian Beltre trade is something the Rangers will have to consider if they end up as sellers at the trade deadline, opines Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Beltre has established himself as a franchise icon since joining the Rangers in 2011, but the potential Hall of Famer will turn 39 next April and is due $18MM in 2018 to conclude his contract. As such, it might make sense for the Rangers to shop him, though Grant doubts they’d be willing to eat any of the money left on his deal. It could be a moot point, anyway, as Beltre has the ability to block any trade via his 10-and-5 rights.
  • The Rockies will place left-hander Tyler Anderson on the disabled list Sunday, retroactive to May 31, with left knee inflammation, per Nick Groke of the Denver Post. While Anderson has dealt with the issue since early May, he doesn’t believe it’s serious. Neither does manager Bud Black, who indicated that Anderson’s DL placement is “precautionary.” Anderson is one of four Rockies to make 11 starts this year, but he has allowed home runs on 24.1 percent of fly balls en route to a 5.85 ERA over 60 innings. For now, Anderson’s spot in the rotation will go to well-regarded right-hander Jeff Hoffman.
  • The Padres entered the season with three picks from last winter’s Rule 5 draft on their roster, and one – outfielder/shortstop Allen Cordoba – has stood out, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Cordoba, then a member of the Cardinals organization, spent last season in the rookie-level Appalachian League. Now, he’s a .298/.333/.442 hitter over 111 plate trips with the Padres. Manager Andy Green has taken notice of the 21-year-old’s success, saying that Cordoba “continues to impress. He’s earned every bit of the opportunity that he’s receiving right now. Nothing’s been given to him. He’s earned the right to be out there. He’s earned the right to be hitting at the top of the order, and it’s been very, very impressive.”
  • Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said Friday that Jean Segura could miss two months with a high ankle sprain, but the shortstop has a much more optimistic outlook, relays Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. “I don’t think this is going to take a month,” Segura stated. “Maybe a couple of weeks. We’ll see how it feels the next couple of days.” Segura went on the DL on Friday after slashing a stellar .341/.391/.462 in his first 198 plate appearances of 2017.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/3/17

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Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the page…

  • The Angels have signed outfielder Cesar Puello to a minor league contract, as their Triple-A roster in Salt Lake indicates.  Puello, 26, hit free agency when he exercised an opt-out clause in his deal with the Rangers on Friday. That came after Puello hit .247/.307/.420 in 179 plate appearances with their Triple-A affiliate. Although Puello ranked as Baseball America’s 77th-best prospect after the 2010 season, when he was with the Mets, he still hasn’t debuted in the big leagues. The majority of his work has come at Triple-A, where he owns a .261/.365/.403 line in 839 trips to the plate.
  • The Rays have released outfielder Dayron Varona, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reports (Twitter link).  After a very impressive seven-year stint in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, Varona signed a minor league deal with the Rays in May 2015 and struggled in his first stint at Triple-A last season.  The 29-year-old Varona had posted a .268/.325/.479 slash line over 77 PA this year, though he spent much of May assigned to Tampa’s short-season A-ball affiliate in Hudson Valley.

Angels Designate Deolis Guerra, Outright Daniel Wright

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The Angels have announced a series of transactions, including right-hander Deolis Guerra’s designation for assignment. Righty Daniel Wright, whom the Angels designated on Wednesday, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. The team also optioned infielder Jefry Marte and recalled a pair of players, first baseman C.J. Cron and righty Damien Magnifico.

The Halos have outrighted Guerra in the past, meaning the out-of-options reliever will have the ability to reject a minor league assignment and become a free agent if he clears waivers. The 28-year-old is in his second season with the Angels, who chose him in the 2015 Rule 5 draft. Guerra pitched well in 2016, notching a 3.21 ERA, 6.08 K/9, 1.18 BB/9 and a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate in 53 1/3 innings, but got off to a poor start this year prior to his designation. Across 20 2/3 frames this season, Guerra has seen his ERA (5.66), BB/9 (4.35) and grounder rate (36.6) trend in the wrong direction, thus offsetting an increase in strikeouts (8.27 K/9).

Like Guerra, the 26-year-old Wright hasn’t been part of the solution for the Halos this season, having posted a 5.19 ERA, 5.71 K/9, 3.63 BB/9 and a 32.7 percent grounder mark in 17 1/3 innings. Even though Wright has two minor league options remaining and could have gone to Triple-A had another team claimed him, the league’s other 29 clubs passed on the ex-Red.

AL West Notes: Segura, Athletics, Street

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Here’s the latest on some injury situations around the AL West…

  • It doesn’t seem as if the Mariners are terribly optimistic about getting shortstop Jean Segura back in the near future. GM Jerry Dipoto tells Dave Mahler of Sportsradio 960 KJR (Twitter link) that the injury could cost Segura a significant chunk of the season. “It’s more likely to be a month than 10 days, which is a somewhat optimistic view,” said Dipoto. “Could be as much as 2 months.” That’s rough news for an organization that came into the year expectations of contending but currently sits five games under .500. The 27-year-old Segura has slashed a robust .341/.391/.462 on the year. His primary replacement, Taylor Motter, has filled in all over the diamond to this point, showing some pop (.180 isolated slugging) but failing to reach base at a palatable clip (.281 OBP).
  • Athletics reliever Sean Doolittle is officially out on a rehab assignment for his shoulder injury, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The late-inning southpaw may need only two or three outings before rejoining the club, which could occur as soon as the middle of this month.
  • There’s news on two Athletics starters as well. Kendall Graveman tells MLB.com’s Jane Lee (via Twitter) that his shoulder MRI came back clean. He has begun to work on strengthening the joint, though it’s unclear when he’ll resume throwing. Fellow righty Jesse Hahn, meanwhile, says he thinks he’ll return directly from the DL to the major league rotation, as Lee further tweets. Hahn is dealing with a seemingly minor triceps issue.
  • The latest news is generally positive on Angels reliever Huston Street. His triceps soreness, which halted his rehab, doesn’t appear to be a major issue; Street tells Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) that he expects to get back on the hill soon.

Angels To Sign Michael Bourn

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The Angels have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran outfielder Michael Bourn, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). He had recently opted out of his deal with the Orioles.

Los Angeles is building up its outfield depth in the wake of injuries to Mike Trout and Cameron Maybin, each of whom are on the DL. Bourn will head to Triple-A Salt Lake City, which just lost Eric Young Jr. and Shane Robinson to the MLB roster.

Bourn, 34, finished his 2016 season on a strong note in a productive 24-game run with the Orioles. But he had struggled earlier in the year with the Diamondbacks and hasn’t been a productive regular since 2013.

Still, it seems reasonable to hope that the fleet-footed veteran could function as a useful bench or platoon player. He was getting on base at an excellent .373 clip through 51 plate appearances at Triple-A in the Baltimore organization, though he was lagging in batting average (.220) and power (.317 slugging percentage).

Angels Pause Huston Street’s Throwing Program

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The Angels have paused the throwing program for injured right-hander Huston Street, the team announced to reporters on Thursday night (link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). Street was on a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake but felt some tightness in his right triceps. He’s been out the entire year thus far due to a strained right lat muscle.

In the absence of Street and fellow righty Cam Bedrosian, the Angels have received some relatively surprising contributions from an unlikely collection of relievers that were acquired at a bargain rate. Veteran Bud Norris has stepped into the closer’s role and pitched quite well (last night’s lackluster outing notwithstanding), while Blake Parker, David Hernandez and Yusmeiro Petit have all made strong contributions out of the bullpen as well.

The 33-year-old Street is currently playing out the second season of a two-year, $18MM contract and is earning $9MM this year (plus a $1MM buyout of a 2018 option). The contract hasn’t worked out the way the Halos had hoped, to say the least. Last season, Street limped to a 6.45 ERA through 30 1/3 innings as he dealt with knee and oblique injuries that likely contributed to a career-worst 88.2 mph average fastball velocity.

It doesn’t seem especially likely that Street will be handed the reins to the ninth inning when (or if) he is ultimately deemed healthy enough to return. Norris has excelled in closer’s role, pitching to a 2.08 ERA with 24 strikeouts against nine walks in 17 1/3 innings since being asked to lock down his first save of the season. And while Norris’ success and affordable salary on a one-year commitment make him an obvious summer trade candidate, the much-younger Bedrosian looked every bit the part of a big league closer last year when logging a 1.12 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.6 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings for the Angels.

Mike Trout Undergoes Thumb Surgery

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May 31: The Angels announced today that Trout “underwent successful surgery to the ulnar collateral ligament of his left thumb as well as a repair of his dorsal capsule today.” The general timetable for his return is currently pegged at six to eight weeks, per the team.

May 29, 10:26pm: Trout will undergo surgery on Wednesday, the club announced. He is expected to miss approximately six to eight weeks.

6:33pm: The Angels will place superstar center fielder Mike Trout on the 10-day DL for the first time in his career, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (via Twitter). An MRI today revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament in Trout’s left thumb, the team announced and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (Twitter link).

Surgery is on the table at this point, though a decision has yet to be made. If the 25-year-old does end up going under the knife, he could be facing an extended absence for the first time in his already-storied career.

Los Angeles has selected the contract of veteran journeyman Eric Young Jr. to replace Trout on the roster. Young, who just turned 32, signed with the organization on a minor-league deal over the winter.

Injuries have hit the Angels rather hard through the first two months of the season, especially in the pitching staff, though the team has managed to hover around .500. That’s due in no small par to the otherworldly contributions of Trout, who entered today’s action with a ridiculous .337/.461/.742 batting line and a league-leading 16 home runs.

Trout had a less-than-sizzling start to his career upon a late-season call-up in 2011, his age-19 season, but has otherwise been utterly exceptional. He also has enjoyed more or less flawless health during his historic run since the start of 2012, playing in all but 45 of the Angels’ games until today.

Clearly, there’s no replacing Trout, but the Halos are set up about as well as could be hoped to weather an absence up the middle. Cameron Maybin and Ben Revere each have significant experience in center, and Young has spent a good bit of time there as well.

Young has seen action in each of the last eight MLB seasons, though he made it into only six games in 2016. While he has never hit much at the game’s highest level, Young is slashing a robust .354/.419/.528 with five home runs and 15 steals through 201 Triple-A plate appearances this year.

Angels Designate Daniel Wright, Select Contract Of Shane Robinson

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The Angels announced today that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Shane Robinson and designated right-hander Daniel Wright for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Righty Parker Bridwell was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake to clear a spot on the active roster.

[Related: Updated Los Angeles Angels depth chart]

Robinson, 32, saw action in 65 games with the Halos last season and hit .173/.257/.235 over the life of 111 plate appearances. The veteran outfielder has seen action in each of the past six big league seasons, though the resulting .227/.298/.302 batting line has clearly been sub-par. Robinson, though, has plenty of experience at all three outfield positions and has routinely delivered above-average ratings in left field, center field and right field. He’ll give the Halos a defensive-minded reserve in the absence of Mike Trout, as Cameron Maybin and Ben Revere each see an uptick in playing time while Trout recuperates.

The 26-year-old Wright, meanwhile, has pitched just 17 1/3 innings with Anaheim this season after logging 39 2/3 frames between the Reds and Angels last year. Through 57 Major League innings, Wright owns a 5.84 ERA with 5.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 37.1 percent ground-ball rate. Wright has a respectable track record in Double-A but has struggled in both Triple-A and the Majors across the past two seasons. He does have a pair of minor league options remaining, so a club in need of optionable pitching depth could pick him up and send him to the minors without once again exposing Wright to waivers.

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