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Twins Outright Kyle Garlick To Triple-A

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Kyle Garlick has accepted an outright assignment to the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, the team announced.  Minnesota designated Garlick for assignment earlier this week and he cleared waivers, but Garlick had the right to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency, since he has previously been outrighted in his career.

Instead, the 31-year-old outfielder has chosen to remain in the Twins organization.  Finances certainly played some role in Garlick’s decision, as he would’ve forfeited the remainder of his guaranteed salary for the season (roughly $375K) by becoming a free agent.  But, it could be that Garlick is also comfortable with the Twins, and is confident that he’ll get another look at the big league team.

Garlick initially came to the Twins on a waiver claim from the Braves in February 2021, and the outfielder has hit .227/.278/.444 over 299 plate appearances and 116 MLB games since the start of the 2021 season.  His production in 2023 has dropped off in both the majors (.662 OPS in 30 PA) and minors (.735 OPS in 143 PA), largely due to a big decline against left-handed pitching.  The right-handed hitting Garlick has traditionally posted very solid numbers against southpaws, which has helped him carve out a niche over his five Major League seasons with the Dodgers, Phillies, and Twins.

Angels Acquire Mike Moustakas

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The Angels acquired infielder Mike Moustakas tonight, sending minor league righty Connor Van Scoyoc to the Rockies.  The deal, which is now official, was first reported by Robert Murray of Fansided.  The Halos designated infielder Kevin Padlo for assignment to open a spot for Moustakas, reports MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger.

Moustakas, 34, was released by the Reds in January, with the club eating $22MM in the process.  He hooked on with the Rockies on a minor league deal in March and cracked the Opening Day roster with a strong spring.  With the Rockies, Moustakas was used as a backup at the infield corners behind C.J. Cron and Ryan McMahon.  Cron has been on the IL with a back injury since mid-May, but Elehuris Montero has been drawing a good number of starts at first base in his stead.

After a pair of injury-wracked seasons, the left-handed-hitting Moustakas bounced back to a degree in his 136 plate appearances with Colorado this year by posting a 101 wRC+.  Moustakas effectively got to walk over to the visitors’ clubhouse tonight, after the Angels set various franchise records with a 25-1 drubbing of the Rockies at Coors Field.

Moustakas didn’t get to play in that one, but he’ll move from the NL’s worst team to a Halos club that is tied for the third AL wild-card spot with the Blue Jays.  The Angels are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.  With the Moustakas acquisition tonight, they’ve added a three-time All-Star, 2015 World Champion, and 13-year MLB veteran.  Moose hit 35 home runs in 2019, the fifth time he’d hit at least 20 in a season.

Moustakas’ initial two bouts with free agency were disappointments.  The first time through in 2017-18,  he turned down a $17.4MM qualifying offer from the Royals only to return in March on a one-year, $6.5MM deal.  The next time, he lingered on the market until February before re-signing with the Brewers for $10MM.  Moustakas was able to use his 2019 All-Star season as a springboard to a surprising four-year, $64MM deal with the Reds.  Unfortunately, Moustakas played in only 140 games for the Reds from 2021-22 due heel injuries, a right biceps strain, calf strains, and stints on the COVID-IL.

Moustakas spent some time at second base in 2019-20, but since then he’s been utilized at the infield corners and designated hitter.  The Angels have used a cast of players at first this year, with over 100 innings apiece going to Brandon Drury, Jared Walsh, Gio Urshela, and Jake Lamb.  Lamb was optioned to Triple-A in May, and Walsh followed him on Saturday.  Urshela recently suffered a season-ending fractured pelvis.

Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon went on the IL last Monday with a bruised wrist.  Luis Rengifo had been getting the nod at the hot corner, until the Angels picked up switch-hitter Eduardo Escobar as something of an Urshela replacement in a trade with the Mets on Friday.  Escobar, the Mets’ starting third baseman last year, could complement Moustakas at first and dabble at second base once Rendon returns.  Escobar has hit lefties quite well in recent seasons, with a 131 wRC+ in 398 plate appearances against them since 2021.  Moustakas hit righties to the tune of a 115 wRC+ from 2015-20, and may need to do so again to maintain his roster spot.

As for the Rockies, Moustakas could perhaps be the first domino to fall in advance of the August 1st trade deadline.  GM Bill Schmidt didn’t give much away in his comments on the topic on the Rockies broadcast about a week ago, but the team’s potential free agents include Charlie Blackmon, Randal Grichuk, Jurickson Profar, C.J. Cron, Pierce Johnson, Brent Suter, and Brad Hand.

In Van Scoyoc, the Rockies picked up a 23-year-old righty who’s served as a starting pitcher for the High-A Tri-City Dust Devils this year.  He was an 11th round pick by the Angels out of an Iowa high school back in 2018.  Van Scoyoc has posted a 2.76 ERA in 62 innings at that level on the strength of a 51.2% groundball rate.  Oddly enough, Van Scoyoc also switched clubhouses to join his new team, notes Doug Taylor on Twitter.

The 26-year-old Padlo had signed a minor league deal with the Angels back in December, earning a Major League look by hitting .273/.396/.555 at Triple-A.  The Angels selected his contract on Monday and gave him eight plate appearances, but now he’s lost a 40-man spot once again.  Padlo, a corner infielder, has also seen MLB time with the Rays, Mariners, Giants, and Pirates.

Aaron Judge Suffering From Torn Ligament In Big Toe

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12:44PM: Judge discussed his injury with Hoch (Twitter links) and other reporters, saying “It’s not going to be perfect here in a couple of weeks.  Once we can manage the pain, we’re going to be in a good spot….I don’t think too many people in here have torn a ligament in their toe.  If it was a quad, we’d have a better answer.  If it’s an oblique or hamstring, we have answers and a timeline for that.  With how unique this injury is, and it being my back foot, which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot.”

12:26PM: Aaron Judge suffered what was thought to be a sprained right big toe and a bruise when he crashed into the concrete support beam under the Dodger Stadium right-field bullpen door on June 3, while making a spectacular catch.  Judge hasn’t played since, and while he has reportedly been making steady progress in his recovery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was non-committal about predicting when Judge might return.

Another detail has now come from Judge himself, who told reporters (including Newsday’s Erik Boland and The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) that his injury included a torn toe ligament, not just a sprain.  Judge is still feeling pain when he walks, and while he might be starting some limited baseball-related activities soon, he won’t yet be able to run until he can at least walk without discomfort.

While this is new information to the public, it obviously isn’t a surprise to the team, so it isn’t clear if this materially changes whatever very loose timeline might be in place for Judge to return to New York’s lineup.  Boone suggested that Judge could get back to action before the All-Star break, and that might appear to be a best-case scenario given how relatively far away Judge seems to be from truly ramping up his rehab work.

Speaking with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and other reporters today, Boone said he believes Judge will be back before the end of the 2023 season, though he didn’t guarantee it.  As ominous as this sounds, Boone may have been holding back on linguistic grounds (since a guarantee is “an absolute.  I can’t say that about anyone.”) rather than out of genuine concern over a truly long-term injury to the reigning AL MVP.  That said, it is certainly disconcerting that there’s even a slim chance Judge’s toe injury might bring a premature end to his season.

The Yankees have a mediocre 6-10 record since Judge’s last game, with a league-worst 66 wRC+.  Considering that severe lack of offense, a 6-10 record might actually be an achievement, and the Yankees have remained in a wild card spot due to some struggles from other AL playoff contenders.  Needless to say, New York’s chances of staying in the playoff race will be heavily diminished if Judge can’t get back to the field soon, given his outsized role in carrying the Yankee lineup.

West Notes: Campusano, San Jose, Urquidy, Moore

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Padres catcher Luis Campusano is making notable progress in his rehab from a sprained left thumb. As Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes, Campusano hit on the field prior to today’s game against the Nationals before catching a bullpen session for right-hander Yu Darvish. As noted by MLB.com, manager Bob Melvin considered today’s steps forward “significant” as Campusano continues his rehab process, but the club has not yet set a timeline for the catcher to begin a rehab assignment.

Campusano appeared in just seven games this season prior to going on the injured list, leaving much of the catching duties to Austin Nola, who’s struggled to a brutal .144/.263/.195 slash line this season. More recently, the Padres have learned on in-season addition Gary Sanchez behind the plate. In 80 plate appearances since arriving in San Diego, Sanchez has slashed .206/.275/.521 with a wRC+ of 114 while grading out as a roughly average defensive catcher. Still, Campusano’s eventual return figures to give the Padres insurance if Sanchez’s production takes a turn for the worse and an alternative to Nola as the second catcher on the roster.

More from around MLB’s western divisions…

  • As reported by John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose mayor Matt Mahan and four previous mayors of the city have issued a letter to commissioner Rob Manfred pleading the city’s case for an MLB expansion or relocation team. In the letter, the mayors argue that San Jose presents a unique opportunity for MLB considering its population, annual GDP, and its relationship with major tech companies. As Shea notes, the Giants currently have territorial rights over San Jose following an agreement between San Francisco and Oakland in 1990. That agreement was a major factor in the failure of a bid by the Athletics to move to San Jose back in 2013. While the idea of San Jose as a potential expansion team location farfetched considering MLB’s decision to support the Giants in their dispute with the A’s over territorial rights a decade ago, the situation is nonetheless worth noting as groups around the country such as those in Nashville and Salt Lake City prepare for the possibility of expansion in the coming decade.
  • Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy threw a bullpen session today and told reporters, including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, that he was sitting 88-89 with his fastball, down from his typical velocity of 93-94. That’s not much of a cause for concern at the moment, however, considering how early it is in Urquidy’s rehab from shoulder woes that have kept him on the injured list since the beginning of May. Urquidy, who has long been expected to return sometime in July, told reporters that the current plan is for him to throw two more bullpen sessions before advancing to facing live hitters. It seems reasonable to expect a rehab assignment to be in the near future for Urquidy once he begins facing live batters, assuming everything goes well up to that point.
  • Angels lefty Matt Moore is making progress in his rehab from an oblique injury that has left his sidelined for nearly a month, though he told reporters, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, that today’s bullpen didn’t go well enough for him to be activated from the injured list on Monday. While how Moore feels tomorrow will decide a lot of the process, the Halos reliever indicated that he expects to throw at least one more bullpen before he’s activated from the IL. Moore has been stellar for the Angels this season when healthy, with a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings, though the club has managed to maintain a solid bullpen in his absence thanks to the efforts of players like Carlos Estevez, Jaime Barria, and Chris Devenski.

AL East Notes: Duvall, McClanahan, Givens

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Speculation has begun to swirl around Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall as a potential trade chip for the club this summer. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe notes that rival executives think that Boston is play Duvall virtually every day despite the success of Jarren Duran in center field earlier this season in hopes that the 34-year-old slugger will catch fire and become a tradable asset ahead of the deadline on August 1. Meanwhile, MassLive’s Sean McAdam echoes the sentiment that Chaim Bloom’s front office could look to move Duvall, noting that starting pitching, left-handed relief, and middle infield help are among the weaknesses the Red Sox could look to patch up in return for Duvall’s services.

Duvall got off to one of the hottest starts to open the season across the league, slashing an incredible .455/.514/1.030 in eight games for the Red Sox prior to being sidelined with a fractured left wrist. He returned to action earlier this month, but has struggled in 13 games since returning from the IL with a slash line of just .146/.255/.268 in that time. Of course, both Duvall’s performance before and after the injury are incredibly small sample sizes, and the slugger has less than 100 plate appearances total on the season, meaning there’s still plenty of time for his numbers to stabilize one way or another as Boston weighs its options regarding their veteran outfielder.

More from around the AL East…

  • Rays fans can breathe a sigh of relief regarding ace Shane McClanahan today, as Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times notes that the young lefty woke up “in a good spot” Friday morning after exiting Thursday’s start with mid-back tightness. Still, Ackert notes that the club is exercising caution with its prized left-hander, and considering utilizing Monday’s off-day to push his next start back until next weekend against the Mariners in Seattle. Ackert adds that McClanahan was not sent for imaging and has continued his usual routine between starts. That McClanahan seems to be healthy is great news for the Rays, as the 26-year-old lefty has put himself squarely in the midst of the AL Cy Young award discussion with an MLB-leading 2.23 ERA in 93 innings of work this season.
  • Orioles right-hander Mychal Givens was scratched from his planned rehab appearance at Triple-A tomorrow, as noted by Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun. Instead, Givens is set to return to Baltimore for an evaluation. Further details about the evaluation are limited, though it certainly seems to be an ominous sign for the right-hander, who’s been on the shelf with shoulder inflammation since the beginning of the month and had the start to his 2023 campaign delayed by knee inflammation. While Givens has been limited to just four innings of work by those injuries, the Orioles bullpen has nonetheless excelled thanks to the emergence of Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano as perhaps the best relief duo in baseball this season. [UPDATE: Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that Givens has some soreness in his throwing shoulder but there is a relatively “low level” of concern about a serious setback.]

Dodgers Notes: Muncy, Rotation, Thor

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters today (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) that he expects infielder Max Muncy to return to the lineup at third base for Tuesday’s game against the Rockies in Denver. J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register adds that the club will wait to see how Muncy feels following Tuesday’s game before determining whether or not he’s ready to play on back-to-back days.

Muncy’s return figures to provide a huge boost to a beleaguered Dodgers club that’s been outscored 44-29 since he last played on June 11. While the 32-year-old slugger has hit above the Mendoza line just once in the past four seasons, his overall slash line of .214/.342/.450 is good for a wRC+ that’s 18% better than league average during that time frame. That’s thanks to Muncy sporting a combination of power and plate discipline that stands among the game’s best. Since joining the Dodgers in 2018, Muncy ranks 4th in the NL in both walk rate (15.4%) and home runs (157). Michael Busch has held down the fort at third base while Muncy was on the shelf.

Also set to re-join the club in the coming days is lefty Julio Urias, who Hoornstra notes is expected to return to the club during next weekend’s series in Kansas City. A free agent at season’s end, Urias will look to improve upon the uncharacteristic 4.39 ERA and 5.30 FIP he posted across his first 11 starts of the season prior to hitting the injured list. Urias figures to be among the top free agents available this offseason behind Shohei Ohtani, even after his struggles to start the season, given his pedigree as a hurler with a career ERA of 2.95 who won’t turn 27 until August.

Hoornstra adds that, according to Roberts, young right-handers Emmet Sheehan and Bobby Miller both figure to remain in the rotation even after Urias is activated. Roberts heaped praise on the pair of youngsters, describing their performance at the big league level so far as “100th percentile” when it comes to handling the opportunity to pitch in the majors. Entering play today, Sheehan has posted a 1.50 ERA across two starts with the club while Miller has impressed to the tune of a 2.83 ERA in five starts.

That figures to leave right-hander Noah Syndergaard without a job in the rotation going forward. As noted by Hoornstra, the right-hander threw three simulated innings prior to today’s game against the Astros, without being hindered by the blister that sent him to the 15-day IL earlier this month. That being said, Roberts described Syndergaard’s session today as simply “checking a box” for the right-hander, adding that “we’re still a ways away” from Syndergaard returning to the active roster. After signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers this past winter, Syndergaard has struggled badly with a 7.16 ERA in 55 1/3 innings of work.

Nationals Designate Chad Kuhl For Assignment

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The Nationals announced this evening that the club has designated right-hander Chad Kuhl for assignment. In a corresponding move, Washington has recalled right-hander Paolo Espino.

The move likely brings Kuhl’s tenure with Washington to an end. The 30-year-old veteran joined the Nationals on a minor league deal back in February, and Kuhl managed to crack the club’s Opening Day rotation after youngster Cade Cavalli was sidelined for the 2023 campaign by Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately, Kuhl struggled massively across five starts with the Nationals, posting an 9.41 ERA in 22 innings of work with a FIP of 6.91.

Kuhl was placed on the 15-day IL at the beginning of May after a difficult April with a sprained big toe in his right foot, and returned to the Nationals at the end of May in a multi-inning relief role. The results improved from there, but only slightly, as Kuhl allowed 15 runs (13 earned) in 16 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen across 11 appearances. While those numbers are slightly inflated by two implosions against the Diamondbacks and Padres during which Kuhl allowed a combined eight runs in just 3 1/3 innings, it’s still easy to see why the Nationals pulled the plug on the veteran hurler.

Prior to his time in DC, Kuhl pitched for the Pirates in five seasons, swinging in and out of the rotation. He was a perfectly serviceable back-of-the-rotation arm during that time, with a 4.44 ERA (95 ERA+) in 439 2/3 innings of work during his time in Pittsburgh. Following his departure from the Pirates, Kuhl signed on with the Rockies on a one-year, $3MM deal that offered him a permanent spot in the Colorado rotation. Kuhl failed to impress with the opportunity, however, delivering a 5.72 ERA and 5.26 FIP across 27 starts with the Rockies.

Going forward, Kuhl seems likely to clear waivers and have the opportunity to choose between accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A with the Nationals or looking to catch on with another club on a minor league deal, though it’s at least theoretically possible that the Nationals could work out a trade with another club interested in Kuhl’s services.

As for Espino, the 36-year-old right-hander has been with the Nationals since 2020, pitching to a 4.56 ERA (88 ERA+) in 229 innings of work with the club split between the rotation and the bullpen. He’s posted similar numbers in Triple-A for the club this season, with an identical 4.56 ERA in 11 starts at the level this season. Espino figures to move back to the bullpen now that he’s with the big league club, as the Nationals stick with a starting five of Josiah Gray, Patrick Corbin, Trevor Williams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin.

Angels Designate Chris Okey For Assignment

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The Angels have designated catcher Chris Okey for assignment and transferred Gio Urshela to the 60-day injured list, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic. The moves completes a series of roster moves from earlier today that saw infielders David Fletcher and Eduardo Escobar added to the 40-man and active rosters.

Okey, 28, agreed to a minor league deal with the Angels back in April and made his team debut in May following injuries as the club battled through injuries to Max Stassi, Logan O’Hoppe, and Chad Wallach behind the plate. He appeared in just two games for the Angels, striking out in both of his plate appearances. Prior to his time in Anaheim, Okey made his big league debut in Cincinnati last June. He appeared in seven games for the Reds in 2022, slashing .167/.231/.167 in 13 plate appearances before being designated for assignment in July. Prior to 2023, Okey had spent his entire career in the Reds organization.

Though he certainly didn’t tear the cover off the ball in the minor leagues, Okey owns a career .233/.300/.362 slash line at the Triple-A level, including a .276/.325/.410 line in 33 games with the Angels’ affiliate in Salt Lake City this season. Those numbers could indicate that Okey has more to offer at the plate than his abysmal career wRC+ of -4 in the majors would indicate, though his numbers with the Salt Lake Bees are somewhat inflated due to the offensive environment in the Pacific Coast League.

Looking ahead, the Angels will have seven days to trade, waive, or release Okey. In the likely event that he clears waivers, Okey will have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment to the minors after being outrighted previously in his career, leaving him with the option to continue acting as catching depth for the Angels or attempt to catch on with another club on a minor league deal.

Rays GM Peter Bendix On Deadline Approach

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The Rays have boasted the best record in the majors all season long and currently sit at 56-23 with a five game lead over the Orioles in the AL East. Given the club’s phenomenal performance in the first half of the 2023 campaign, it’s of little surprise to hear that the club’s front office is planning to make additions at the trade deadline this season. Given that, it should come as no surprise that GM Peter Bendix made just that claim in conversation with reporters including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

“This year’s club is really strong,” Bendix said. “We have a chance to do some special things. So, I think we’re going to be doing everything we can to make this club stronger, give it the best chance to win a World Series.”

While the news comes as little surprise given the club’s fantastic performance in the first half, it’s noteworthy nonetheless thanks to the Rays’ reputation for always keeping one eye on the future. After all, this is the same front office that didn’t let an AL pennant in 2020 stop them from trading ace Blake Snell to the Padres. While Bendix didn’t completely shut the door on the possibility of a trade or two with an eye toward future seasons, he did push back on the idea the club would entertain moves that extreme, saying that the club is “unlikely to be removing good players from this team, especially if you don’t have another player to back it up.”

Of course, it’s fairly easy to make the argument that the club is deep enough in position player talent that it could weather losing a hitter or two in trade this summer. Even with Brandon Lowe on the IL, the Rays sport a phenomenal infield of Yandy Diaz, Taylor Walls, Wander Franco, and Isaac Parades. Meanwhile, each of Luke Raley, Josh Lowe, Jose Siri, Randy Arozarena, and Harold Ramirez have made compelling cases for regular starts in the outfield. Given this, it’s not hard to imagine the club looking to take advantage of its considerable depth to address weaknesses in other areas, even as Bendix’s comments would indicate the likes of Franco, Diaz, Arozarena and Parades are all varying degrees of off the table in trade discussions.

Bendix goes on to discuss what those weaknesses are, readily admitting that the club is likely to look to bolster its pitching staff this offseason. That hardly comes as a surprise considering that the club has lost Josh Fleming and Drew Rasmussen to injury in the rotation while the bullpen’s 4.51 FIP is bottom three in the AL this season while their 3.94 ERA ranks in the bottom five. Topkin, for his part, cautions that it seems unlikely that the Rays would add “veterans due tens of millions of dollars” or win a bidding war for highly sought-after pitchers.

That would imply a serious pursuit of perhaps the two top starters who could be available on the trade market this deadline, Marcus Stroman of the Cubs and Eduardo Rodriguez of the Tigers, may not be in the cards. Not only has each veteran hurler impressed with fantastic run prevention numbers in the first half this season, but each is guaranteed a hefty sum of money beyond 2023, should they choose to opt-in and forgo the open market: Stroman holds a player option for 2024 worth $21MM, while Rodriguez has three years and $49MM left on his contract following this season should he not exercise his opt-out clause.

Even without a pursuit of a player of Stroman or Rodriguez’s caliber, plenty of interesting options figure to be available nonetheless. In the event the Cubs sell, they could make former Ray Drew Smyly available in addition to Stroman, while the Cardinals could consider dealing pending free agents like Jack Flaherty or Jordan Montgomery as they look to retool their roster. Mike Clevinger of the White Sox, Rich Hill of the Pirates, and Michael Lorenzen of the Tigers are among other pending free agents who could be made available at the deadline, speculatively speaking.

The Rays figure to have a much wider array of options as they look to rework their bullpen. The Royals have already indicated that the likes of Aroldis Chapman and Scott Barlow will be made available to clubs, while Brent Suter and Daniel Bard of the Rockies, Kyle Finnegan of the Nationals, Joey Kelly and Reynaldo Lopez of the White Sox, and Alex Lange of the Tigers all also seem likely to be available if rival clubs come calling. Any of those names would provide a boost to a Tampa bullpen that has struggled to find health and consistency outside of Jason Adam, Kevin Kelly, and Colin Poche.

Of course, with over a month left before the trade deadline on August 1, the landscape of the pitching market is sure to change in the coming weeks. There’s still time for a team currently tentatively expected to sell to turn things around, or for teams currently planning on buying to struggle and be forced to reconsider their stances. Pitching also isn’t the only place where the Rays could look to improve their club, as Topkin opines that the club could make a move at catcher if an upgrade over their current tandem of Christian Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia presents itself.

Regardless of how the trade market ultimately develops from here, the Rays have given their fans plenty to be excited about with their start to the season, and if Bendix’s words are any indication, the front office plans to be active in improving the club as they head into the second half.

Padres Select Matt Waldron

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TODAY: The Padres have officially announced their selection of Waldron’s contract. To make room for Waldron on the active roster, left-hander Ray Kerr was optioned to Triple-A. Kerr had a 6.00 ERA and 5.77 FIP in six innings of work out of the San Diego bullpen, and now figures to serve as depth with El Paso going forward.

JUNE 23: The Padres will promote knuckleballer Matt Waldron to start tomorrow night’s game against the Nationals, the club informed reporters (including Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune). He’s not on the 40-man roster but San Diego has an opening after designating Nabil Crismatt for assignment on Tuesday. Michael Wacha had been slated to start the game. The Friars are skipping his outing due to some shoulder fatigue, tweets AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

Waldron, a 26-year-old righty, entered the professional ranks as an 18th-round pick of the Indians back in 2019. Cleveland traded him to San Diego after the 2020 season as the player to be named later in the Mike Clevinger/Josh Naylor, Cal Quantrill blockbuster.

The University of Nebraska product has slowly progressed up the minor league ranks over the two and a half years since then. He reached Triple-A El Paso midway through last season and has spent all of 2023 there. He has a 7.02 ERA over 66 2/3 innings this year, starting 12 of 14 appearances.

That’s obviously not a strong run prevention mark, even in the context of the brutal Pacific Coast League setting for pitchers. Waldron ranks 27th among 38 PCL hurlers (minimum 40 innings) in ERA. He’s seventh among that group in strikeout rate, however, fanning just under a quarter of opponents. He has kept his walks to a manageable 7.8% clip, with the inflated ERA largely attributable to a batting average on balls in play just shy of .400.

It’s unclear if Waldron will get more than one start in his initial MLB look. Even if it’s a one-off appearance for now, it’ll mark both a major personal achievement and a win for fans of the knuckleball.

According to Statcast, there hasn’t been a single knuckleball thrown in the major leagues (outside of a few scattered eephus pitches from position players in mop-up duty) in either of the last two seasons. Mickey Jannis made one relief appearance for the Orioles in 2021; the last knuckleballer to pitch more than twice was Steven Wright back in 2019.

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