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Outrights: Sheffield, Peacock

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A couple of updates on some recent DFAs who were passed through waivers…

  • Right-hander Jordan Sheffield went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque, the Rockies announced. Selected by the Rox out of the Dodgers organization in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, the hard-throwing Sheffield has thrown 31 1/3 innings of 3.16 ERA ball in the big leagues across the past two seasons, though there’s plenty of reason to be skeptical of that number. Sheffield has fanned just 16.9% of his Major League opponents — against an unsightly 12.1% walk rate. While he doesn’t have an especially loud contact profile, Sheffield has benefited from a .226 average on balls in play he’s unlikely to sustain. He’s also struggled immensely in 18 2/3 career Triple-A frames: 10.61 ERA, 23 hits (eight home runs), 18 walks and just 15 strikeouts. Sheffield will remain in the Rockies organization but will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.
  • Blue Jays righty Matt Peacock, designated for assignment last week when the team signed Jackie Bradley Jr., has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Buffalo, per the transactions log at MLB.com. Peacock, 28, hasn’t pitched for the Jays this year but did log 10 innings between the D-backs and Royals, during which time he yielded six runs on a dozen hits and four walks with six punchouts. Peacock has a 4.95 ERA in 96 1/3 big league innings, mostly coming with Arizona, and has recorded a massive 59.3% grounder rate in that time. He has only a 13% strikeout rate but also a solid 7.4% walk rate. In parts of five minor league seasons, Peacock has a 3.71 ERA.

Blue Jays Sign Jackie Bradley Jr., Designate Matt Peacock

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2:55pm: The Blue Jays have announced the signing, optioning utility player Otto Lopez to make space on the active roster and designating righty Matt Peacock for assignment to create space on the 40-man. Peacock was claimed off waivers from the Royals in July and has thrown ten innings for the Jays this year with a 5.40 ERA.

2:20pm: The Blue Jays are signing outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., reports Ezekiel Telemaco of WEEI. Chris Cotillo of MassLive confirmed the deal on Twitter, reporting that it’s a major league deal. The Blue Jays have a full 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be required.

Bradley, 32, was just released by the Red Sox last week and will now land with their division rivals in Toronto. The defensive specialist is having yet another down season at the plate, hitting .210/.257/.321 on the year. That production is 42% below league average, by measure of wRC+. The Red Sox let rookie Jarren Duran take over the center field position in recent months, with Bradley kicked to a corner. He was further nudged out of the outfield mix when they acquired Tommy Pham at the deadline, leading to Bradley’s release.

Despite that tepid offensive production, Bradley can still provide value with his glove. Defensive Runs Saved has given him a five on the year, a drop from last year’s 12 but still quite good. Ultimate Zone Rating has given him a 4.9 on the campaign so far after a 10.7 last year. Outs Above Average has given him three on the year already, after accruing four last year. That puts him in the 84th percentile among fielders across the league this season.

The Blue Jays recently put George Springer on the injured list, but acquired Whit Merrifield at the deadline for some extra outfield depth. That gives them a current outfield rotation of Merrifield, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer. It seems unlikely that Bradley would get regular playing time over those first four, given his struggles with the bat. Zimmer, however, has been used primarily as a defensive replacement and pinch runner, hitting a meager .107/.212/.240 when in the lineup this year for a wRC+ of just 28. Perhaps the Blue Jays view Bradley as a better option for that defensive replacement and pinch runner position.

Bradley has shown more promise with the bat in the past, putting up a batting line of .283/.364/.450 as recently as 2020, producing a wRC+ of 119 in the shortened season. It was on the heels on that strong campaign that the Brewers signed him to a two-year, $24MM deal. However, Bradley struggled in his first year outside of Boston, hitting just .163/.236/.261. He was traded back to the Red Sox in the offseason, along with two prospects, while Hunter Renfroe went to Milwaukee. Though Bradley hasn’t been as bad as he was last year, it was still enough to get released. The Red Sox will still be on the hook for the bulk of his contract, with the Blue Jays only having to pay the prorated league minimum, which be subtracted from what Boston pays.

Blue Jays Claim Matt Peacock

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The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander Matt Peacock off waivers from the Royals, as first reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link). Kansas City had designated Peacock for assignment last week.

Peacock, 28, has split the 2022 season so far between the Diamondbacks and Royals, yielding six runs in 10 big league innings. The former 23rd-round pick debuted with the D-backs last season but posted a pedestrian 4.90 ERA over 86 1/3 innings, logging an ugly 13% strikeout rate in that time. However, Peacock also posted a strong 7.7% walk rate and an outstanding 59.2% ground-ball rate in his debut campaign, and his rate stats from this season’s small sample of work generally match those displayed in his rookie effort.

He’s still only pitched 18 career innings at the Triple-A level, and the resulting 7.50 ERA isn’t much to look at. Peacock, though, has a 3.02 mark through a much larger sample of 116 2/3 innings at the Double-A level and has a history of huge ground-ball rates and low walk rates. He’s in his second minor league option year, so if the Jays hang onto him for more than a brief stint, he can be optioned freely both this year and next. If nothing else, he’ll provide some short-term depth to a staff that hasn’t performed up to expectations this year.

The Toronto pitching staff ranks 22nd in baseball with a 4.15 ERA and 16th with a 4.01 FIP. Part of that has been due to injury. Hyun Jin Ryu is done for the season and much of next following June’s Tommy John surgery. Nate Pearson has yet to throw a big league frame owing to both a lengthy bout of mononucleosis and now a lat strain. In the bullpen — Peacock’s likely role — the Jays are currently without Yimi Garcia and Julian Merryweather.

That said, the Jays also haven’t gotten the contributions they expected or hoped for from some key members of the staff. Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi have struggled for much of the season in the rotation, as has Trevor Richards in the bullpen. Jordan Romano’s numbers overall are strong, but he’s hit a few bumps in the road after notching a 1.35 ERA through the season’s first month (4.02 ERA, 15.7% walk rate over his past 15 2/3 innings).

Royals Claim Ryan Weiss, Designate Matt Peacock For Assignment

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The Royals have claimed right-hander Ryan Weiss off waivers from the D-backs and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha, per a club announcement. Right-hander Matt Peacock was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, fellow righty Wyatt Mills, whom the Royals acquired from the Mariners in this week’s Carlos Santana trade, has been recalled from Omaha to take Peacock’s spot on the big league roster. He’ll be making his team debut when he gets into a game.

Weiss, 24, was Arizona’s fourth-round pick back in 2018 and ranked 18th among D-backs farmhands a year later in 2019. At the time, BA praised his prototypical starter’s frame, athleticism, delivery and a repertoire fronted by three above-average pitches. However, Weiss has posted lackluster results in Double-A and pitched poorly in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting since that time, and the Snakes have moved him to a bullpen role this season. In 26 2/3 frames on the year, he’s logged an unsightly 5.74 ERA (which includes eight runs in 9 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level).

The 28-year-old Peacock has split the 2022 season between these same two teams — D-backs and Royals — pitching to a combined 5.40 ERA in 10 innings. He made his big league debut with Arizona last season but struggled to the tune of a 4.90 ERA over the life of 86 1/3 innings. Peacock owns a career 3.02 ERA in Double-A but has just 18 rocky Triple-A innings and 96 1/3 similarly tough MLB frames under his belt so far. The Royals will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers or release him.

AL Central Injury Notes: Moncada, Smith, Staumont, Meadows

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White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada should be activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, manager Tony La Russa told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and other reporters.  Moncada’s placement (due to a right hamstring strain) was retroactive to June 18, so Tuesday would represent the minimum 10 days for the infielder.

Between this brief IL visit and the oblique injury that sidelined Moncada for the first month of the season, Moncada seems to have barely gotten out of the blocks in 2022, hitting only .179/.230/.292 in 113 plate appearances.  While the Sox are happy to remove a name from their increasingly crowded injured list, they’ll need Moncada to get back to his old form in order for Chicago to start making a move in the playoff race.

Let’s catch up on some other injury situations from around the AL Central…

  • The Twins placed veteran reliever Joe Smith on the 15-day injured list due to tightness in his upper trap muscle.  Left-hander Jovani Moran was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Now in his 15th Major League season, Smith has 2.78 ERA over 22 2/3 innings out of Minnesota’s bullpen, with his 62.7% grounder rate helping make up for an unimpressive set of Statcast metrics.
  • The Royals placed right-hander Josh Staumont on the 15-day IL (retroactive to June 23) due to a neck strain.  In corresponding moves, K.C. also optioned lefty Foster Griffin to Triple-A and called up right-handers Jackson Kowar and Matt Peacock.  Staumont told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters that his neck problem had been “lingering for the past couple games,” and Rogers noted that Staumont’s velocity had clearly been impacted over those last few outings.  Staumont has a 3.81 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, and a high 14.7% walk rate over 26 innings for the Royals this season, and six of Staumont’s 17 walks allowed have come over his last four games.
  • Austin Meadows will start a minor league rehab assignment this week, with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch telling reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News) that Meadows will likely start game action on Tuesday.  Meadows was placed on the COVID-related IL on June 17 after testing positive for the coronavirus, but he has now cleared health protocols.

Royals Announce Four Roster Moves

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The Royals reinstated right-hander right-hander Matt Peacock and left-hander Gabe Speier from the injured list.  In corresponding moves, right-hander Albert Abreu was designated for assignment, and righty Arodys Vizcaino was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha.

Kansas City acquired Abreu from the Rangers just two weeks ago, but he loses his roster spot after four appearances. He only allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings with K.C., but he also issued four walks and only fanned three batters. Abreu also had more walks than strikeouts (12:9) during his early-season stint in Texas, and those control woes have pushed him off two rosters.

Abreu can’t be optioned to the minor leagues, so teams have to either keep him on the active roster or designate him for assignment. That status has squeezed the hard-throwing reliever off both the Yankees’ and Rangers’ rosters recently, but he’s drawn the attention of rival clubs both times. Kansas City will now have a week to try to work out another trade or see if he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed.

Vizacino signed a minor league deal over the offseason and made it back to the majors in late May after posting a 1.76 ERA through 15 1/3 frames in Omaha. The former Brave appeared in seven games, tossing 5 2/3 frames of four-run ball. He issued seven free passes and struck out just three hitters, however, and he’ll lose his 40-man roster spot as a result. Having already cleared outright waivers, Vizcaino will have the right to elect minor league free agency and look for opportunities elsewhere if he doesn’t want to rejoin the Storm Chasers.

Royals Place Zack Greinke On 15-Day Injured List

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The Royals announced a flurry of roster moves this afternoon, adding four players (outfielder Kyle Isbel, right-handers Arodys Vizcaino and Jose Cuas, and left-hander Foster Griffin) to the active roster, sending three (left-hander Gabe Speier and right-handers Matt Peacock and Zack Greinke) to the injured list, and returning one (outfielder Brewer Hicklen) to Triple-A Omaha.  Of the four activated, Isbel was reinstated from the injured list, Griffin was recalled from Triple-A, and Vizcaino and Cuas were each selected from Triple-A, meaning that they were also added to the club’s 40-man roster.

Greinke is the only one of the three IL players who is going to the 15-day IL with a designated issue, implying that Peacock and Speier are on the COVID-related injury list.  Isbel had also been on the COVID list due to virus symptoms, though it ended up being a non-COVID illness that sidelined the outfielder for four days.

Greinke is suffering from a right flexor strain, and the veteran righty recently told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters that he has been dealing with related soreness for “a little bit.”  While any injury in the forearm or elbow area is a red flag, Greinke added that he has been dealing with some degree of elbow problems for years, so it’s possible that a 15-day absence might be all it takes for Greinke to heal up.

The injury could explain Greinke’s lack of success in his last four starts, as the former Cy Young Award winner has a 9.50 ERA in his last 18 innings of work.  His ERA now sits at 5.05 over 51 2/3 innings, with only a minuscule 11.2% strikeout rate.  Between this lack of whiffs and a lot of hard contact allowed, there isn’t much to like about Greinke’s numbers apart from his typically excellent walk rate (4.5%).

Vizcaino is on the verge of his first MLB appearance since the 2019 season, when he tossed four innings for the Braves before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.  The veteran didn’t return to the field at all until 2021, when he tossed 7 2/3 innings with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, and Vizcaino then inked a minor league with the Royals this past winter.

After essentially three full years off, it’s hard to know what to expect from Vizcaino in his return to the Show, though he was a very capable bullpen arm for Atlanta in his heyday.  He has also looked quite good with Triple-A Omaha, posting a 1.76 ERA and 29.7% strikeout rate in 15 1/3 innings.  Vizcaino’s 9.4% walk rate is a little on the high side, but actually an improvement over his career 10.8% walk rate at the big league level.

The 27-year-old Cuas has finally reached the majors after a pro career that has seen him bounce around the minors and independent leagues, and change his position entirely from infielder to pitcher.  An 11th-round draft pick by the Brewers in 2015, Cuas wasn’t getting anywhere as a position player, but his fortunes changed after converting to relief pitching in 2018.  Over 126 2/3 career innings in the minors, Cuas has a 2.63 ERA, with a sidearm delivery and a sinker-slider combo that induces a lot of grounders and a good amount (22.22%) of strikeouts.

Royals Place Jake Brentz On 10-Day Injured List

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Prior to tonight’s game, the Royals placed left-hander Jake Brentz on the 10-day injured list due to a left flexor strain.  Righty Matt Peacock was called up from Triple-A Omaha to take Brentz’s spot on the active roster.

The injury adds to what has been a thoroughly disastrous start to Brentz’s 2022 season.  The southpaw has allowed multiple runs in four of his eight outings, and he has been charged with a whopping 10 runs over his last 1 1/3 innings.  Brentz’s most recent appearance on Friday saw him pitch to six Yankees batters without recording an out, leaving the game after allowing five runs (four earned).  For the year, Brentz has a ghastly 23.63 ERA in 5 1/3 total frames.

As per MLB.com, Brentz underwent an MRI Friday that didn’t reveal any structural damage.  Royals manager Mike Matheny told reporters that Brentz had been dealing with the sore arm for some time, which would explain Brentz’s lack of success.

Pitching in his second Major League season, Brentz was looking to build on a successful rookie year that saw him post a 3.66 ERA, 49% grounder rate, and 27.3% strikeout rate in 64 innings out of the Kansas City bullpen.  This was despite some middling hard-contact numbers, and a 13.3% walk rate that ranked among the worst in the league.  Brentz was ticketed for a setup role or possibly even some save opportunities heading into the season, but he’ll likely now be put into low-leverage situations once he returns from the IL and re-establishes his effectiveness.

Peacock joins the Royals just six days after being acquired in a trade from the Diamondbacks, who designated the right-hander last week.  Peacock is also in his second MLB season, debuting with a 4.90 ERA over 86 1/3 innings (starting eight of 35 games) in 2021.  This year, Peacock had only a 6.75 ERA in 2 2/3 frames of work out of Arizona’s relief corps.  As a low-strikeout grounder specialist, Peacock represents an interesting contrast to Brentz’s hard-throwing repertoire, and his past starting experience could allow Kansas City to use him in something of a swingman role.

Royals Acquire Matt Peacock, Designate Domingo Tapia

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The Royals announced that right-hander Matt Peacock has been acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations.  To make roster space for Peacock, Kansas City has designated righty Domingo Tapia for assignment.

Arizona designated Peacock for assignment earlier this week, and he’ll now head to the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate after spending his entire pro career in the Diamondbacks organization.  A 23rd-round pick in the 2017 draft, Peacock made his Major League debut last season and posted a 4.90 ERA over 86 1/3 innings, starting eight of his 35 appearances.  In 2022, Peacock made two appearances out of Arizona’s bullpen before getting DFA’ed.

Peacock is a grounder specialist who regularly topped the 60% groundball-rate threshold during his time in the minors, and he also has respectable walk totals, though he doesn’t record many strikeouts.  The D’Backs regularly used Peacock as a starter prior to the canceled 2020 minor league season, and he hasn’t recorded a minor league start since (albeit in limited action at Triple-A), so it will be interesting to see how the Royals will opt to deploy the righty.  Conceivably, the Royals might use Peacock in a flexible swingman role depending on their needs, and his grounder-heavy arsenal could be particularly effective on a solid defensive team like K.C.

Tapia’s resume is pretty similar to Peacock, as both are right-handed groundball specialists who pitched in their first big league game in 2020.  Tapia took a longer path than Peacock, as Tapia was an international signing for the Mets back in December 2009.  After long stints in the New York and Cincinnati farm systems, Tapia finally broke into the Show with the Red Sox in 2020, then posted a 2.67 ERA over 33 2/3 combined innings with the Mariners and Royals in 2021.

Over 718 1/3 career innings in the minors, Tapia has a 4.12 ERA and 17.68% strikeout rate.  Tapia has been more or less a full-time reliever since 2018, and his efforts to win a job in the K.C. bullpen this spring were hampered by a lack of control (six walks in 5 1/3 Cactus League innings).

Diamondbacks Select Matt Davidson, Designate Matt Peacock

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The Diamondbacks announced several roster moves today, selecting the contract of Matt Davidson. To open a spot on the active roster, right-handed pitcher Corbin Martin was optioned to Triple-A Reno. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Matt Peacock was designated for assignment.

This will be a homecoming for Davidson, who was drafted by Arizona in 2009 and made his MLB debut with the D-Backs in 2013. He has one of the more unusual résumés in the game, as he’s primarily been a power-hitting corner infielder with a penchant for strikeouts, but also tried his hand at being a two-way player, throwing 6 1/3 MLB innings thus far in his career. However, he hasn’t pitched in the majors or minors since 2020, suggesting he’s focusing on hitting for now. In addition to the Snakes, he’s spent some time in the big leagues with the White Sox and Reds, hitting 52 homers in 298 career games. His overall slash line is .223/.292/.433, with a 34.2% strikeout rate. He spent last year hitting well for the Dodgers’ Triple-A team but never got the call to the show. Arizona signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason and he’s gotten off to a tremendous start, hitting eight homers in 11 games and slashing an incredible .386/.471/.955, though still striking out 27.5% of the time.

He’s been exclusively at first base and designated hitter so far this year, meaning the D-Backs will likely use him in the same way at the big league level. Christian Walker has seen the bulk of playing at first for Arizona this year, but is hitting just .132/.267/.316 thus far. If Davidson can provide even half of what he was doing in the minors, he’d be a big upgrade. He also has three years and 112 days of service time, meaning he could be kept around for another couple of seasons via arbitration if the 31-year-old can emerge as a regular in the lineup, like he was for the White Sox in 2017-18.

As for Peacock, he was a 23rd round selection of the club in the 2017 draft. He was added to the team’s 40-man roster prior to the 2020 Rule 5 draft. He made his MLB debut last year and tossed 86 1/3 innings with a 4.90 ERA. His 13% strikeout rate was well below average, but he paired that with a strong 59.2% groundball rate and 7.3% walk rate. He’s tossed 2 2/3 innings for the big league club so far this year. Now 28 years old, Peacock will likely head to the waiver wire in the coming days. He still has options and could attract the attention of teams in need of extra pitching depth in the minors.

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