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Reds Designate Brett Kennedy For Assignment

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The Reds announced today that they have activated left-hander Alex Young from the 60-day injured list, with right-hander Brett Kennedy designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Kennedy, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Reds in the offseason. He was just selected to the roster last week but he didn’t get into a game in the interim. The club likely wanted Kennedy around in case someone was needed to throw multiple innings of long relief. But in four of the past five games, Cincinnati starters threw at least 5 1/3 innings. The one exception was Nick Martinez, who tossed 4 1/3 behind opener Brent Suter while Carson Spiers pitched another 3 1/3 in relief.

Prior to having his contract selected, Kennedy made eight Triple-A starts with a 6.86 earned run average in 40 2/3 innings. His 18.9% strikeout rate in that span was a bit below average but he limited walks to just a 4.7% clip.

The Reds will now have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He has a previous career outright, meaning he would have the right to reject another such assignment in favor of electing free agency. His major league experience consists of 26 2/3 innings with the 2018 Padres and another 18 frames with the 2023 Reds. In the 44 2/3 combined innings, he has a 6.65 ERA, 12.8% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate.

Young, 30, started the year on the IL due to a back issue. He had a solid season in Cincinnati last year, posting a 3.86 ERA over 63 appearances. He struck out 21.2% of batters faced, gave out walks at an 8.5% clip and got grounders on 48.8% of balls in play. That included some leverage work, as he picked up one save and 13 holds. He’ll give the club a third lefty in the bullpen alongside Suter and Sam Moll.

Athletics Designate Tyler Nevin For Assignment

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The Athletics announced today that they have reinstated infielder Aledmys Díaz from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, infielder/outfielder Tyler Nevin has been designated for assignment.

It’s an unwelcome birthday present for Nevin, who will reach the age of 27 tomorrow, likely while in DFA limbo. He landed with the A’s earlier this year via a waiver claim and hit well for a while but has cooled off lately. He was slashing .325/.375/.500 through May 1 but has just one hit since then, leading to a line of .023/.192/.047 in his past 52 plate appearances.

Thanks to that rough patch and the fact that he’s out of options, he has been bumped off the roster. The A’s will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Despite the recent struggles, it’s not impossible to imagine another club having interest.

Nevin has generally performed well in Triple-A in recent years but not in the big leagues. Dating back to his 2021 debut, he has hit just .208/.309/.314 in 453 major league plate appearances. His 10.8% walk rate in that time has been decent but a .259 batting average on balls in play has dragged him down a bit.

But in 576 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level over 2022 and 2023, he slashed .315/.394/.522 for a wRC+ of 134. He hit 22 home runs and walked at a 10.2% clip. He can also play all four corner spots, which could perhaps help him serve as a versatile bench piece somewhere.

His continued struggles in the majors will tamp down interest but it’s not all bad. Even in his rough stretch that started after May 1, he drew a walk in 15.4% of his appearances and had an unsustainably low .034 BABIP, perhaps leaving some hope for a bounceback. After burning his final option year in 2023, he bounced around a bit in the offseason. He went from the Tigers to the Orioles via a cash deal, but didn’t make Baltimore’s Opening Day roster, which led to him landing in Oakland.

If there’s any interest left around the league, the A’s will have a few days to suss it out. If any team were to acquire Nevin, he can potentially be retained for four more seasons beyond this one since he has less than two years of major league service time.

Díaz, 33, dealt with both a groin strain and a calf strain during Spring Training and has been on the IL for the whole season until today. He’s in the second season of a two-year deal he signed with the A’s but the first season in Oakland didn’t go well. He hit just .229/.280/.337 in 2023 for a wRC+ of 72.

The A’s will undoubtedly be hoping for a strong couple of months from the veteran so that he can be traded before his contract runs out. He’s hit .261/.314/.429 for his career overall, which translates to a 100 wRC+.

Pirates Place Martín Pérez, Joey Bart On Injured List

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The Pirates have placed left-hander Martín Pérez on the 15-day injured list due to a left groin strain and placed catcher Joey Bart on the 10-day injured list with an left thumb injury, per a team announcement. (Further details on Bart’s injury aren’t yet available.) In a pair of corresponding moves, Pittsburgh reinstated third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from the injured list and selected the contract of catcher Grant Koch, who’ll make his big league debut when he first gets into a game.

Pérez exited his Sunday start after three innings. The 33-year-old appeared to tweak something while covering first base on a third-inning grounder (video link). While he finished out the frame, he was replaced in the fourth inning. Bart also departed yesterday’s contest early, but the severity of his injury — or even a formal diagnosis — has not yet been provided by the team.

Pittsburgh signed Pérez to a one-year, $8MM contract in the offseason, hoping he could provide some veteran stability at the back of a rotation they were expecting to rely heavily on Mitch Keller, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes. Through his first 11 starts, he’s more or less been that. Pérez has pitched to a pedestrian 4.71 ERA with an 18% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate in 57 1/3 innings. That number is still skewed to an extent by one nightmare outing that saw Pérez shellacked for nine runs at the hands of the Brewers. His combined ERA in 10 other starts sits at a far more palatable 3.61 mark.

While the veteran is on the shelf, the Bucs will still have that trio of Skenes, Jones and Keller to anchor the rotation, with Bailey Falter alongside them as well. They will likely need to find a fifth starter at some point, but they should have some time to figure that out. They were off yesterday and will be off again on Thursday and Monday. That means they could theoretically keep those four guys on regular rest through the first week of June without need of another starter.

Whether they wait until then or decide to bring up another arm sooner, they have some options. Quinn Priester and Daulton Jefferies are each on the 40-man roster and currently on optional assignment. They also have some non-roster guys with major league experience, including Domingo Germán and Wily Peralta.

Behind the plate, Bart’s injury gives the Bucs three catchers on the IL, as Jason Delay and Endy Rodríguez were already on the shelf. Rodríguez is out for the year due to UCL surgery while Delay underwent knee surgery earlier this year. Delay recently started a rehab assignment but has only played two games as part of that so far.

The Bucs have Yasmani Grandal on the roster and could have perhaps recalled Henry Davis to join him. Davis was optioned after hitting just .162/.280/.206 in the big leagues but has slashed .297/.444/.672 at Triple-A since being sent down. That latter line has come in a small sample of just 18 games and perhaps the club wants him to keep getting regular playing time away from the bright lights of the show. It’s also possible that Delay will be ready shortly and they didn’t want to promote Davis just for a few days. Another explanation is just that Koch happened to be available, as Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays on X that Koch was on the taxi squad.

Whatever the logic, the result is that Koch will get to the big leagues for the first time. The 27-year-old was drafted back in 2018 and has been climbing the minor league ladder since then. He has never really been on the radar of prospect evaluators and has hit just .203/.284/.322 in his minor league career. That includes a line of .167/.211/.259 in Triple-A this year while striking out in 42.4% of his plate appearances.

Despite the lackluster offense, Koch was the primary backstop of Skenes when the two were both at Triple-A, as relayed by Alex Stumpf of MLB.com on X. Stumpf then theorizes that the two could perhaps work together tomorrow, when Skenes is scheduled to start. Whatever the plan is, Koch will be making his major league debut as soon as skipper Derek Shelton sends him onto the field.

Astros Claim Kaleb Ort From Orioles

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Kaleb Ort has been claimed off waivers by the Astros. There was no previous indication Ort was removed from Baltimore’s 40-man, so this move drops their count to 39. The Astros have optioned the righty to Triple-A, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X.

Ort, now 32, was with the Red Sox last year but spent the offseason riding the transaction carousel around the league. He went to the Mariners, Marlins, Phillies and Orioles this offseason, the first three via waiver claims before the O’s got him in a cash deal.

Baltimore sent Ort to Triple-A to start the year and the results have not been pretty. In 12 2/3 innings for Norfolk, he has allowed 17 earned runs and is currently sporting an ERA of 12.08 for the year. That’s surely at least somewhat a mirage, as his .463 batting average on balls in play and 42.6% strand rate are both far into the unlucky side. His 23.2% strikeout rate is around average but he hasn’t done himself any favors with a 14.5% walk rate. His 5.48 FIP suggests he hasn’t been quite as bad as his ERA would suggest, but still not great overall.

Since the Orioles didn’t make a corresponding transaction, it’s possible they were hoping to quietly sneak Ort through waivers while his numbers are poor. But the righty was plenty popular in the offseason, as mentioned, and the Astros had an open roster spot that they have used to grab him.

Though Ort has been struggling this year, he still has an option and can be kept in the minors until he shows improvement or Houston needs a bullpen reinforcement. He has an unimpressive 6.27 ERA in his 51 2/3 major league innings but the Astros are undoubtedly intriguing by his Triple-A numbers, which were strong before this year’s struggles. In 97 2/3 Triple-A innings over the 2021-23 seasons, he had a 2.76 ERA while striking out 31.1% of opponents. The 10.9% walk rate in that time was on the high side but much better than what he’s done so far this year.

The Astros will see if Ort can get back on track in a new environment. He’ll be out of options next year but that still leaves them with a few months of flexibility. He also has just over a year of service time and can be retained into the future if he continues holding onto his 40-man spot.

Twins Select Diego Castillo

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The Twins announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Diego Castillo. The club opened a 40-man roster spot by transferring right-hander Justin Topa to the 60-day injured list. They opened an active roster spot yesterday by optioning left-hander Kody Funderburk. Going into yesterday, they were using 39 spots on their 40-man but reinstated right-hander Josh Winder from the 60-day IL and optioned him to Triple-A. Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press was among those to relay the Winder news on X.

Declan Goff of SKOR North relayed on X yesterday that Castillo was on his way to join the team but Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com relayed on X that “travel snags” were preventing Castillo from getting to the ballpark. The St. Paul Saints were playing in Buffalo and Castillo had been making his way from upstate New York. The righty didn’t make it on time and this transaction had to wait a day but is now finally official.

Castillo, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Twins back in March and has tossed 18 innings for the Saints. He has allowed 2.50 earned runs per nine innings while striking out 29.7% of batters faced, giving out walks at an 8.1% clip and getting grounders on 54.5% of balls in play.

Perhaps that gives the Twins some hope that he can back to his previous form at the big league level. The righty pitched 259 2/3 innings for the Rays and Mariners over the 2018 to 2022 period. In that time, he had a 3.12 ERA, 28.1% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate and 50.7% ground ball rate.

The 2023 season was a struggle for Castillo, as he had a 6.23 ERA through 8 2/3 innings when the Mariners outrighted him off their 40-man roster. He also had a 5.13 ERA in Triple-A last year and elected free agency at season’s end. He signed a minor league deal with the Rangers but didn’t make that club out of camp, which then led to his minor league deal with the Twins.

If Castillo can put that rough 2023 campaign behind him, he’ll be a nice find for the Twins and one that could theoretically help them beyond this year. He came into 2024 with four years and 150 days of service time. Since he won’t be able to get to the six-year mark this year, he could be retained for 2025 via arbitration. He also has a couple of options left and can be sent back down to Triple-A, but there’s a bit of a ticking clock there. He’s 22 days away from getting to five years of service and can’t be optioned without his consent once he hits that line.

As for Topa, his move is a mere formality. His “60 days” are backdated to his original IL placement, which was at the end of March. That means he’s already been on the IL more than 60 days and can be reinstated whenever he’s healthy, which is not imminent. Two weeks ago, he was diagnosed with a partial tear in the patellar tendon in his left knee, with a no-throw plan of six weeks.

Winder landed on the 60-day IL back in February when the Twins acquired Manuel Margot. He has been rehabbing for about a month and is now healthy enough to be reinstated, though the club will keep him in Triple-A as optionable depth until needed.

Diamondbacks Release Kolten Wong

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The D-backs have released veteran infielder Kolten Wong, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Wong had been playing with their Triple-A affiliate in Reno after signing a minor league contract. He’s now a free agent.

A two-time Gold Glove winner at second base, the now-33-year-old Wong entered the 2024 campaign in hopes of rebounding from a disastrous 2023 season that saw him bat just .183/.256/.263 in 250 plate appearances between the Mariners and Dodgers. Wong signed a minor league deal with Baltimore and spent spring training with the Orioles but opted out of that pact when he didn’t make the team. He subsequently signed with the D-backs, putting pen to paper on a second minor league deal back on April 10.

Through 31 games, Wong has turned in a .271/.339/.383 batting line that looks respectable enough relative to MLB batting lines but is about 18% worse than average (by measure of wRC+) in the supercharged offensive environment of Triple-A’s Pacific Coast League. He’s homered twice, swiped a pair of bags and collected six doubles. Wong has also shown modest improvements in his strikeout and walk rates, which sat at 21.2% and 7.2% in the big leagues last year but are at 18.2% and 8.3% in Reno.

Miserable as Wong’s 2023 season was, the veteran infielder is still just one season removed from a .251/.339/.430 performance with the 2022 Brewers — a season that saw him swipe 17 bases and club a career-best 15 home runs with a strong 9.3% walk rate and considerably lower-than-average 17.7% strikeout rate. From 2017-22, Wong was an above-average regular at second base between St. Louis and Milwaukee, hitting a combined .269/.349/.414 with 54 homers, 72 steals, a roughly average walk rate, strong bat-to-ball skills and plus defense.

The D-backs haven’t needed any help at second base with Ketel Marte logging a .275/.322/.493 slash in his first 233 trips to the plate this season, and there are other second base options on the 40-man roster ahead of Wong on the depth chart as well. But there are plenty of teams around the game — Red Sox, White Sox and Angels, to name a few — that have struggled to get much of anything out of their second basemen this season. Wong could make sense as a depth option with any of those clubs or even an immediate big league replacement in some spots, if a team wants to send a struggling young player back to Triple-A for some more seasoning.

Live Chat With Fantasy Baseball Expert Nicklaus Gaut

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Fantasy baseball expert Nicklaus Gaut will be holding a live chat today at 11am central time, exclusively with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event, and read the transcript afterward.

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The Opener: Hernandez, Astros Pitchers, MLBTR Chat

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Two months after Opening Day, here are three things to keep an eye on around the world of baseball this Tuesday:

1. Angel Hernandez retires:

Umpire Angel Hernandez, a controversial figure in Major League Baseball for more than 30 years, is hanging up his hat. He issued a statement via MLB on Monday evening confirming his decision. Hernandez said umpiring in the majors was a “childhood dream” come true, but cited spending “more time with my family” as the primary reason for his retirement. However, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that Hernandez “reached a settlement to leave Major League Baseball,” effective immediately. Bob Nightengale of USA Today adds that the sides had “spent the past two weeks negotiating a financial settlement before reaching a resolution over the weekend.”

Hernandez was one of the most senior umpires in the league, but he has long had a reputation for making incorrect calls and unnecessary ejections. In recent years, he has been in and out of the headlines as he attempted to sue Major League Baseball for racial discrimination. He ultimately lost the suit and his subsequent appeal.

More on Hernandez and his retirement will likely trickle out in the coming days, such as statements from his fellow umpires and the commissioner’s office, and perhaps more news about the terms of his settlement.

2. Cristian Javier, José Urquidy to undergo imaging:

Astros manager Joe Espada says his starting pitchers Cristian Javier and José Urquidy will undergo imaging today (per Chandler Rome of The Athletic). The team will likely offer an update on their respective injuries ahead of tonight’s game against the Mariners. Javier landed on the injured list on Monday (retroactive to May 24) with right forearm discomfort. Urquidy, who has been out all season with a right forearm strain he suffered in spring training, recently left a minor league rehab start with the same issue: more forearm discomfort in his pitching arm.

The Astros have had to deal with several injuries to their starting pitchers this season, though thankfully for Houston, Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander are back in the rotation, as is Ronel Blanco, who was recently suspended for 10 games for violating MLB’s foreign substances policy. Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti currently round out the big league rotation, while recent minor league signing Eric Lauer offers additional depth.

3. MLBTR chat today:

This past weekend brought the news of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending injury and a report that teams are planning for NPB star Roki Sasaki to be posted this winter. If you have any questions about how your favorite team is playing so far, or perhaps questions that look ahead to the July 30 trade deadline or the upcoming offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.

A’s Outright Jordan Diaz

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The Athletics announced that third/second baseman Jordan Diaz has been assigned outright to Triple-A Las Vegas after clearing waivers. Oakland had designated him for assignment last week when they called up Daz Cameron.

Diaz hasn’t played in the majors this season. The Colombian-born infielder appeared at the highest level in both 2022 and ’23. Diaz hasn’t produced much against big league pitching, hitting .227/.276/.358 over 344 plate appearances. He was productive against upper minors arms over that two-year stretch, but his Triple-A numbers have cratered over this season’s first two months.

A .204/.288/.327 batting line in 111 plate appearances is well below average, particularly in the Pacific Coast League. It’s not surprising that squeezed Diaz off the A’s roster and led the 29 other teams to decline a chance to add him. This is the first career outright for Diaz, who less than three years of MLB service. That means he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency, so he’ll remain in Vegas and look for better form at the plate.

Diaz would be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of this season if the A’s don’t reselect him onto the 40-man roster. Abraham Toro and Zack Gelof are handling the respective third and second base positions in Oakland. J.D. Davis has moved over to first base, but he’s hitting just .220/.261/.367 in 115 plate appearances.

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