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Minor MLB Transactions: 6/16/21

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The latest minor moves from around the league:

  • The Red Sox announced that right-hander Brandon Brennan has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Worcester. Evidently, he’s accepted the assignment, as Brennan is listed on Worcester’s active roster. Boston designated him for assignment last weekend after he made one MLB appearance, tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He has a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this year, with eleven strikeouts and five walks.
  • The Yankees announced they’ve activated outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the injured list and passed him through outright waivers. New York selected LaMarre, whom they signed to a minor league deal over the winter, to the roster when Aaron Hicks went down in mid-May. The 32-year-old LaMarre went down with an injury himself just three days later and went on the IL. He’s been outrighted before in his career, so he has the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

Cashman Discusses Trade Deadline, Payroll, Coaching Staff

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The Yankees collected a 6-5 victory over the Blue Jays last night, though New York’s 34-32 record is still well below the team’s expectations.  General manager Brian Cashman was blunt in speaking to reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News) prior to yesterday’s game, saying that “Talk is cheap.  No one really cares about all the hard work, all the good intentions.  All they care about, and understandably so, is the results and the results just have failed so far.”  In terms of addressing these problems, Cashman said the team is prepared to make additions prior to the July 30 trade deadline, with pitching and center field looking like obvious areas of improvement.  It remains to be seen whether or not the front office will be allowed any additions that would put the Yankees over the $210MM luxury tax threshold, but Cashman said he would present ownership with “all recommendations that include that we’re going to have opportunities that present themselves that are money related.”

The GM also gave something of a vote of confidence to manager Aaron Boone and his coaches, saying that “I believe in the same coaching staff and same manager that’s had a lot of success here.”  Cashman also made note of his track record in sticking with his personnel, as Cashman hasn’t made an in-season managerial or coaching change since becoming the Yankees’ general manager in 1998.

Luke Voit Begins Rehab Assignment

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The Yankees announced yesterday first baseman Luke Voit was beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 30-year-old has missed a little less than three weeks after suffering a Grade 2 oblique strain. It’s been an injury-marred campaign so far for Voit, who also missed the first six weeks of the season with a meniscus tear in his knee. Last season’s home run leader, Voit has only managed 50 plate appearances in between the two IL stints. His forthcoming return will be a welcome development for the Yankees, whose first baseman have hit a dreadful .176/.266/.270 in 2021. Only the Indians have gotten less offensive production at the position this season.

Luis Severino Headed For MRI Due To Groin Injury

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JUNE 13: Severino will undergo an MRI this afternoon and go for further examination on Monday, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

JUNE 12, 5:24PM: Early indications are that Severino has suffered a groin injury, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).

JUNE 12, 4:57PM: Luis Severino’s recovery from Tommy John surgery hit an apparent setback today, as the right-hander left his minor league rehab outing due to a lower-body injury.  Reporter G.T. Julian Guilarte (Twitter link) has footage of the aftermath, as a clearly pained Severino had to be helped off the field.

While perhaps the only consolation is that Severino didn’t suffer another arm injury, it certainly looks like the right-hander will now have to work his way back from another serious-seeming problem.  Since Severino wasn’t expected to be an option for the Yankees until at least the start of July and likely closer to the All-Star break, it is possible that his latest injury could threaten his entire season.

Such a scenario would make it essentially three lost seasons in a row for Severino.  Shoulder and lat injuries limited him to 20 1/3 combined innings in the 2019 regular season and postseason, while the 2020 season was a total writeoff after Severino underwent Tommy John surgery in February of that year.

New York was eyeing Severino as a midseason rotation boost, adding depth to a starting five that has been generally solid thanks to Gerrit Cole, Domingo German, and Jordan Montgomery.  Corey Kluber had also been pitching well before a rotator cuff injury sent him to the 60-day IL until at least late July, while Jameson Taillon has struggled — a nightmarish outing against the Phillies today boosted Taillon’s ERA to 5.74 over 53 1/3 innings.  Michael King has been filling in for Kluber, and if Severino is unavailable, Deivi Garcia and Nick Nelson are now the top depth options if Taillon can’t get on track or if another injury surfaces.

Yankees DFA Mike Ford, Reinstate Zack Britton, Option Brooks Kriske

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The Yankees announced a number of roster moves today, including the return of southpaw Zack Britton. Britton has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Mike Ford has been designated for assignment, and right-hander Brooks Kriske has been optioned to Triple-A.

Britton will make his first appearance of the season, potentially making an already-strong Yankee bullpen even stronger. Yankees’ relievers are fourth among relief units in the Majors with a 3.30 ERA this season. For his part, Britton is coming off back-to-back sub-2.00 ERA seasons.

Ford has been designated for assignment after struggling offensively the past two seasons. Ford mashed in Triple-A back in 2019, earning a promotion to the bigs where he continued his good work at the plate with a .250/.350/.559 line in 163 plate appearances. Since then, Ford has batted just .134/.250/.276 across 156 plate appearances.

Kriske was a sixth round draft pick out of USC back in 2016. He rose steadily through the Yankees’ organization, but has struggled in short stints in the Majors. This season, Kriske served up five earned runs in four innings of work, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out three.

In other news, Luis Severino took a step forward in his rehab, earning a promotion from Low-A to High-A, per the team. Severino has made just three starts going back through 2019.

Yankees Not Planning To Exceed Tax Line

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By all accounts, the Yankees will continue to treat the $210MM luxury tax line as a soft cap, per the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. That gives GM Brian Cashman just about $4MM of accessible payroll space. As Rosenthal notes, those limited financial resources could account for a perceived “lack of urgency” from the front office. The Yanks are now 2-8 in their last ten and just two games over the .500 mark. Of course, even if the Yankees were ready to spend, there aren’t necessarily pieces out there to buy. The market tends to move as one, and it’s tough to get much traction until selling teams feel they have heard from a large enough swath of potential buyers. In early June, there simply aren’t enough buyers at the auction.

  • Adam Frazier is generating trade interest, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The Pirates’ second baseman is one of the surest bets to find a new squad this trade season, as the 29-year-old is one of few veterans on a last-place Pirates team that’s one of the game’s few sure-thing sellers. He’s affordable, making just $4.3MM this season, and with one more year of team control, it’s the optimal time for GM Ben Cherington to net a high-impact return. While his .332/.394/.472 line hardly seems sustainable – nor does a .368 BABIP – he’s a versatile veteran with enough team control to convince potential buyers of his short-and-long-term value. The Yankees are a team that would seem like a particular fit for Frazier, though Murray writes that New York isn’t “among the teams to express early interest.”

Yankees Select Chris Gittens’ Contract

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1:01PM: Gittens has been officially signed to a Major League deal and selected to the Yankees’ roster.  Corey Kluber was moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a 40-man spot for Gittens.

9:37AM: The Yankees will select the contract of first baseman Chris Gittens prior to today’s game against the Red Sox, The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler reports (Twitter link).  Reliever Nick Nelson was optioned to Triple-A after last night’s game, so while there is an opening on the active roster, another transaction is necessary to add Gittens to the 40-man roster.

Now in his seventh pro season, “Hard Hittin’ Gittens” is set to make his Major League debut after being a 12th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2014 draft.  The 27-year-old is a classic first base/DH slugger, though not quite a three-true-outcomes type — Gittens has a .265/.375/.476 slash line and 75 homers over 1727 career plate appearances in the minors.  He does have 476 strikeouts on his resume, though Gittens has cut down on his strikeout rate considerably during what has been a breakout season at Triple-A.

Playing at Triple-A for the first time in his career, Gittens has hit .283/.486/.585 over 74 PA for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  These offensive numbers would stand out in any circumstance, but they especially appeal to a Yankees team that has been surprisingly mediocre at the plate this season, with especially little coming from the first base position.  Luke Voit has missed much of the year due to injury, and New York first basemen have combined for a 76 wRC+, ranking 26th of 30 teams.

The door is certainly open for Gittens to earn some regular playing time if he can even approach his Triple-A production, as Voit isn’t expected back from his oblique strain until late June.  Gittens’ audition at first base will essentially push Rougned Odor out of New York’s lineup, as DJ LeMahieu will likely move from regular first-base duty to supplant the struggling Odor at second base.

Latest On Corey Kluber

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  • Ji-Man Choi has been battling left groin tightness and might require a trip to the injured list.  Choi missed Thursday’s game with the Yankees due to the issue, and Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that “I don’t think that he necessarily felt that great today” even after Choi received treatment throughout the game.  Arthroscopic knee surgery in March delayed Choi’s season debut until May 16, and he has been making up for lost time with a scorching .304/.448/.522 slash line in his first 58 plate appearances.  [UPDATE: the Rays have placed Choi on the 10-day IL with a left groin strain.]
  • Corey Kluber’s recovery from a rotator cuff strain is still projected to keep the righty out of action until around the last week of July, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone did provide some positive news in an update with reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News).  After receiving second and third opinions from doctors, Kluber is expected to start throwing on flat ground within a few days’ time — his initial diagnosis would have kept him from throwing whatsoever for four weeks.

Yankees Acquire Connor Cannon To Complete Mike Tauchman Trade

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The Yankees have acquired infielder Connor Cannon from the Giants to complete the April 27th trade that sent Mike Tauchman to San Francisco for Wandy Peralta and a Player To Be Named Later. The Yankees announced the completion of the deal.

Cannon was drafted in the 17th round of the 2019 draft out of UC Riverside. The 23-year-old hit .326/.399/.689 in rookie ball during his first taste of pro action after being drafted, but he has yet to appear this season. Probably a first baseman, Cannon pitched some at college, but his power at the plate is by far the greater talent.

The 6’5″, 240 pounder will be on the older side for a prospect wherever he ultimately reports this season, but he does have some promise at the plate, particularly for an American League club that might envision him as a designated hitter. FanGraphs named his as the Giants’ 40th-ranked prospect, crediting him with top-of-the-scale, 80-grade raw power but bottom-of-the-scale, 20-grade speed.

Mike Montgomery To Sign With KBO’s Samsung Lions

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Veteran left-hander Mike Montgomery will finalize a contract with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization today, MLBTR has confirmed. Naver Sports in South Korea first reported that a deal between the Lions and the Ballengee Group client was “likely.”

Montgomery, 31, was in Spring Training with the Mets but didn’t land a roster spot. He quickly signed with the Yankees back on April 5, but his minor league deal contained an opt-out clause that he’s now exercised. Montgomery was hit hard in a tiny sample of 16 2/3 innings with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he of course has a rather successful track record in parts of six Major League seasons.

The No. 36 overall pick by the Royals back in 2008, Montgomery was traded to the Rays 2012’s Wil Myers/James Shields/Jake Odorizzi deal before being flipped to the Mariners in exchange for Erasmo Ramirez in 2015. A third trade in 2016 then sent him to the Cubs in exchange for Daniel Vogelbach, and the Cubs completed the circle when they traded him back to Kansas City in a 2019 swap that sent Martin Maldonado to Chicago.

Montgomery has spent the bulk of his career in Chicago but also appeared with Seattle and Kansas City. On the whole, he’s put together a 3.84 ERA in 541 Major League frames, striking out 18 percent of his opponents against an 8.8 percent walk rate. He’s also generated grounders at a healthy 53.6 percent clip during his big league tenure. He opened the 2020 season on the Royals’ staff but was ultimately limited to just 5 1/3 innings after suffering a lat strain that sent him to the 60-day injured list. That marked the second straight season in which a lat strain had sidelined Montgomery.

According to the Naver report, the Lions are on the lookout for a replacement for right-hander Ben Lively, who was recently diagnosed with a shoulder injury. Montgomery would step onto the Lions’ roster as their second foreign pitcher, the maximum allowed under KBO rules, joining former Phillies righty David Buchanan, who has been excellent for the Lions since joining them for the 2020 season.

Montgomery will have the opportunity to finish out the 2021 season with the Lions. If he enjoys success in his new environs, that could lead to either an offer to return in 2022 or perhaps interest elsewhere overseas or back in North America.

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