Sponsored: Win Father’s Day With Dugout Mugs
The following is a sponsored post from Dugout Mugs.
Baseball dads are the unsung heroes of the ballpark, and deserve more than just a pat on the back for their unwavering support. They’re the real MVPs, juggling schedules, cheering from the stands, being a human snack dispenser, and playing catch until the mosquitos come out. So, when it comes to gifts, let’s ditch the clichés (ties, gift cards, and stretched out polos) and step up to the plate with something truly unique.
Enter Dugout Mugs. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “A mug? Really?” But picture this: a hollowed-out baseball bat barrel, transformed into a one-of-a-kind drinking vessel. YES, we’re serious…it’s the perfect blend of form and function, just like that one kid on the team who’s surprisingly good at bunting.
But wait, there’s more! The Dugout Mug isn’t just a drinking apparatus; it’s a conversation starter. With customizable options galore, you can slap on a team logo (MLB, travel ball, etc) a custom message, or even a picture. This is DEFINITELY a home run in the nostalgia department!
“Shut up and take my money,” right? Not just yet. We haven’t even told you about the rest of their roster. We’re talking bottle openers made from baseballs and bat handles, wine glasses that are more bat than glass, shot glasses made from bat knobs, whiskey mugs, and more.
But perhaps the best part of all is the sense of community that comes with each Dugout Mug. Don’t believe us? Just ask any of of their 3 million (plus) followers online, or read some of their 50,000+ 5-star reviews they have online (yes, seriously).
So, there you have it, folks. The guys over at Dugout Mugs have your back this Father’s Day, so give them the nod and have them come out of the bullpen to close the deal!
D-backs, Matt Beaty Agree To Minor League Deal
The D-backs have agreed to a minor league contract with first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty, as noted on the transaction log at MiLB.com. Beaty is now listed on the roster for Arizona’s Double-A affiliate in Amarillo.
Beaty, 31, is making his rounds through the National League West, having been drafted/developed by the Dodgers, who then traded him to the Padres in 2022. He also got into four games with the Giants last season, so the Snakes will be his fourth NL West club if he reaches the MLB level at any point.
In 675 big league plate appearances dating back to 2019, Beaty is a .247/.323/.394 hitter with 18 homers, a 16.7% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate rate. Most of the former 12th-round pick’s production came during a 2021 showing with the Dodgers that saw him post a hearty .270/.363/.402 line in 234 trips to the plate. Beaty has struggled mightily since that time, hitting just .173/.277/.240 in a small sample of 119 plate appearances between the Padres, Giants and Royals.
In addition to last year’s sparse big league work, Beaty spent 44 games in Triple-A between Omaha (Royals) and Sacramento (Giants), slashing a combined .279/.395/.455. That level of production is par for the course for Beaty in the upper minors. He’s played in parts of five Triple-A seasons and sports a .287/.386/.421 line overall, thanks largely to excellent contact skills (15% strikeout rate) and a keen eye at the plate (9.2% walk rate).
The Diamondbacks have been one of baseball’s least-productive teams against right-handed pitching, which the left-handed-hitting Beaty handles far better than he does fellow southpaws. D-backs hitters have logged a combined .224/.308/.357 against righties, sitting 25th in the majors by measure of wRC+ (92).
Joc Pederson has absolutely feasted on right-handed pitching, while Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno have provided strong on-base marks against right-handers. However, the D-backs have received poor production against righties from veteran Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and even more surprisingly from lefty-swinging Corbin Carroll, whose overall output at the plate this season has been shockingly anemic. Lefty bench bat Pavin Smith has struggled as well and (barring a turnaround) would seemingly be the most at risk if Beaty shows well in the minors. Any such decision is likely a ways off, however. Beaty hasn’t played yet this season — his Instagram reveals he and his wife welcomed a child midway through the offseason while he was a minor league free agent — and he will presumably need some time to ramp up before he’d even be considered a big league option.
The Opener: Devers, Ross, MLBTR Chat
With 30% of the 2024 regular season now in the books, here are three things that we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Devers approaching history:
Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been on an otherworldly tear as of late. Over Boston’s last six games, Devers has hit an excellent .292/.346/1.042 with a homer in six straight games. That home run streak is good for the Red Sox franchise record and makes him one of just 33 players in MLB history to hit a home run in at least six games in a row, per MLB.com.
The all-time record, which is shared by Don Mattingly, Dale Long, and Ken Griffey Jr. stands at eight consecutive games with a home run. Should he hit a seventh consecutive homer tonight, Devers would join six other players who have achieved a seven-game home run streak: Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, Kendrys Morales, Kevin Mench, Joey Votto, and Mike Trout. Devers and the Red Sox are currently in Tampa for a series against the Rays, with right-hander Zack Littell set to take the mound opposite Boston today. Littell already contributed one homer to Devers’ streak during his last start — one of just four homers surrendered by Littell this season.
2. Ross to the IL?
Brewers right-hander Joe Ross exited his start against the Marlins last night after just one inning due to what Milwaukee has termed a low back strain. It’s not only an unfortunate birthday surprise for Ross, who turns 31 today, but difficult news for a Brewers team that has already lost DL Hall and Jakob Junis to the injured list to say nothing of season-ending injuries for Wade Miley and Brandon Woodruff. Through nine starts this season, Ross has pitched to a 4.50 ERA and 3.94 FIP in 42 innings .
Manager Pat Murphy indicated to reporters last night (per MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) that a trip to the shelf could be in the cards for Ross, though the righty suggested they’ll wait until they see how he feels today before making a decision. Should he wind up sitting down for the next 15 days, Aaron Ashby, Tobias Myers, and Janson Junk are the starting depth options the Brewers have at their disposal on the 40-man roster.
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
The 2024 season is now in full swing, and we’ve seen a handful of names traded at an unusually early stage of the season (e.g. Luis Arraez, Luis Guillorme, Robbie Grossman). If you have questions regarding your favorite club’s start to the campaign, or perhaps questions that look ahead to this summer’s trade deadline and the 2024-25 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.
Guardians Designate Ramon Laureano For Assignment
The Guardians have designated outfielder Ramon Laureano for assignment, tweets Zack Meisel of The Athletic. In his place, the team is promoting outfield prospect Johnathan Rodriguez for his MLB debut. Rodriguez is already on the 40-man roster, so the move also frees up a 40-man spot for Cleveland. Guardians Prospective first reported that Rodriguez was getting the call to the big leagues.
Laureano, 29, came to the Guardians early last August after the A’s placed him on waivers in hopes of finding a taker for the remainder of last season’s salary. The Guardians obliged, hoping that Laureano would provide a boost down the stretch as they tried to keep pace in the American League Central. The veteran did provide a bit of offense, hitting .243/.342/.382 following the claim (106 wRC+), but the Guards wound up missing the postseason.
It was something of a surprise to see a budget-conscious team like Cleveland tender Laureano a contract this winter. He wound up agreeing to a $5.15MM salary, which amounted to a significant portion of the Guardians’ very limited offseason resources. The team made that commitment despite Laureano having turned in a bleak .224/.304/.371 slash (91 wRC+) on the season overall — and a .218/.296/.373 batting line in 2022-23 combined (93 wRC+).
The decision didn’t go at all as the Cleveland front office or the player himself hoped. Laureano’s strikeout rate has absolutely erupted to a career-worst 38.6% this season. He’s hitting just .143/.265/.229, albeit in a small sample of 83 plate appearances. Just four of his 10 hits have gone for extra bases (one homer, three doubles). The Guardians will have a week to try to trade Laureano, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Given the pronounced nature of Laureano’s struggles at the dish and his relatively notable salary, they won’t find a trade market for his services. Laureano is overwhelmingly unlikely to be claimed on waivers due to that salary and will thus likely clear and become a free agent. He has enough service time to retain all of his salary even if he rejects an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Earlier in his career, Laureano was a quality regular in Oakland. From 2018-21, he turned in a sound .263/.335/.465 batting line (119 wRC+) with 49 homers and 34 steals over the life of 1257 plate appearances. That came while playing strong defense across all three outfield spots. Laureano was an oft-rumored trade candidate and might well have been part of Oakland’s fire sale, but an 80-game PED suspension midway through the 2021 season tanked his value. That proved all the more costly, as his suspension surely played a role in pushing the A’s to part with left-hander Jesus Luzardo to acquire Starling Marte from the Marlins in a rental deal while Oakland made a push for the postseason.
As for the 24-year-old Rodriguez, he’ll step into the Cleveland outfield for his MLB debut after hitting .276/.389/.449 in 185 Triple-A plate appearances this season. The 2017 third-rounder entered the season ranked 23rd among Guarda farmhands at Baseball America, 16th at MLB.com and 30th at FanGraphs.
The 6’0″, 225-pound Rodriguez draws praise for his plus raw power but also some skepticism for his penchant to chase and whiff. He’s walked in a huge 15.7% of his plate appearances in Triple-A Columbus but also fanned at a 25.4% clip. That’s a suboptimal mark against Triple-A pitching but also a marked improvement over 2023’s 32.4% strikeout rate in 202 Triple-A plate appearances. Rodriguez is a former switch-hitter who now bats exclusively from the right side of the plate. He popped 29 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and he’s already slugged seven long balls on the season.
Strikeouts will likely continue to be a part of his game, but probably not to the extremes that Laureano experienced this season. Rodriguez will also add some legitimate thump to a Cleveland lineup that in recent years has been light on power but is turning a corner this season. Thanks in part to a big step forward from emerging star Josh Naylor, the Guards rank ninth in the majors with 51 big flies on the season. Rodriguez gives them another power bat. He won’t be nearly as strong a defender in the outfield corners as Laureano was, but MLB.com pegs him as a potentially average right fielder and Baseball America touts his plus throwing arm.
Giants Sign Donny Sands To Minor League Deal
The Giants recently signed catcher Donny Sands to a minor league contract. The 28-year-old made his organizational debut with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, going 0-5 with three strikeouts.
That was Sands’ first affiliated action of the 2024 season. The Tigers released him at the end of March. Sands subsequently had a brief stint in Mexico, suiting up in 16 games for the Toros de Tijuana. He hit .245/.339/.490 with four home runs to earn another crack at Triple-A pitching.
Sands spent most of last year with Detroit’s top affiliate in Toledo. Acquired over the 2022-23 offseason alongside Matt Vierling and Nick Maton in the deal sending Gregory Soto to Philadelphia, Sands slumped to a .225/.318/.353 batting line in 371 plate appearances with the Mud Hens. He never appeared in an MLB game with Detroit. The Tigers outrighted Sands from the 40-man roster in January and released him after he went 1-8 in Spring Training.
To this point in his career, Sands has appeared in just three major league games — all of which came with the Phillies in 2022. He’ll add short-term cover for a team dealing with a couple injuries behind the plate. Patrick Bailey is on the concussion injured list. Tom Murphy will be out until at least July because of a sprained left knee.
The Giants signed Curt Casali to a big league deal late last week. He and Blake Sabol are sharing the catching duties at the MLB level until Bailey returns. Jakson Reetz, who is on the 40-man roster, is on optional assignment to Sacramento. Sands joins him with the River Cats as a potential competitor for the third catcher role.
Nabil Crismatt Elects Free Agency
Reliever Nabil Crismatt elected free agency over the weekend after going unclaimed on waivers, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. The Dodgers had designated the right-hander for assignment last week when they selected Elieser Hernández onto the big league roster.
Crismatt had two brief stays on the Los Angeles roster. The Colombian-born righty inked a minor league deal in December and was twice selected onto the MLB team. He tossed seven innings of low-leverage relief through five appearances. Crismatt allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He struck out six and didn’t issue a walk. Between his MLB stints, he tossed 12 2/3 frames over four appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City. While Crismatt allowed eight earned runs on three homers in the Pacific Coast League, he fanned 15 without walking anyone.
The 29-year-old is looking to reestablish himself as a valuable long reliever in a major league bullpen. Crismatt played that role for the Padres very effectively between 2021-22, combining for a 3.39 ERA across 148 2/3 innings. He was hit hard over 13 MLB frames with San Diego and the Diamondbacks last season, leading him to clear waivers a few times over the past calendar year.
Crismatt should be able to land a minor league deal in the coming days. While he doesn’t throw hard, his command and ability to work multiple innings make him a solid non-roster relief option.
Dodgers Designate Eduardo Salazar For Assignment
The Dodgers announced they’ve designated right-hander Eduardo Salazar for assignment. They needed to create a 40-man roster spot for Yohan Ramírez, whom they acquired from the Mets this morning. Los Angeles optioned Landon Knack to Triple-A Oklahoma City to open a spot on the active roster.
Los Angeles signed Salazar to a minor league deal early last offseason. The 26-year-old cracked the big league roster in April. He only made it into one game, tossing two scoreless innings of relief. Salazar has otherwise spent the season in OKC. He has worked out of the rotation at the top minor league level. Salazar has taken the ball seven times and thrown 33 2/3 innings. He has allowed 5.61 earned runs per nine with a well below-average 13.7% strikeout rate.
To his credit, Salazar has kept the ball on the ground at a huge 58.6% clip in Oklahoma City. He posted similar numbers last season as a member of the Cincinnati organization. Salazar had a 51.1% grounder rate in eight MLB appearances with the Reds. He induced worm-burners at a 54.8% clip for their Triple-A team in Louisville, but a subpar 16.1% strikeout rate contributed to him allowing more than a run per inning.
The Dodgers have a week to trade Salazar or put him on waivers. The Venezuela native went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated by Cincinnati last summer. That gives him the right to decline any additional outright assignments in his career, so he’d be able to elect free agency if he clears again.
Mariners Notes: Crawford, Raley, Emerson
Before tonight’s matchup with the Yankees, the Mariners reinstated J.P. Crawford from the 10-day injured list. Seattle optioned Leo Rivas to Triple-A Tacoma to open a roster spot. Dylan Moore is starting at shortstop tonight, but Crawford will be available off the bench and could return to the lineup tomorrow.
Crawford appeared in 22 games before suffering an oblique strain in late April. He was off to a slow start, hitting .198/.296/.302 with two homers over 98 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting infielder had the best season of his career in 2023, when he popped a personal-high 19 homers with a .266/.380/.438 slash over 145 games. Crawford walked at a near-15% clip while striking out less than 20% of the time.
Moore has played shortstop in Crawford’s absence. The right-handed hitter has performed admirably, hitting .239/.316/.507 with 11 extra-base hits in 22 games. Moore has played well enough that he should stay in the lineup in a multi-positional role with Crawford’s return. In the short term, that could come at second base, where Jorge Polanco remains day to day as he battles hamstring soreness. Luis Urías has drawn in the lineup at third base in recent days, pushing Josh Rojas to the keystone.
Seattle could also mix and match more frequently at first base, although that’s not on account of injury. Luke Raley got the start there against Corbin Burnes in yesterday’s series finale in Baltimore. That pushed Ty France to the bench and allowed Dominic Canzone to draw into left field. It was Raley’s fourth start of the season at first base, in addition to his 24 starts in the outfield.
Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes that manager Scott Servais could more frequently pencil Raley in at first base against right-handed starters. That’d allow the M’s to get the lefty bats of Raley and Canzone into the lineup while cutting into France’s playing time. France, a 2022 All-Star, slumped to a roughly league average .250/.337/.366 line last season. He’s off to an even slower start in 2024, hitting .235/.285/.359 through his first 165 plate appearances.
Raley (.297/.327/.444) and Canzone (.220/.289/.488) have made more of an offensive impact, particularly from a power perspective. The Mariners aren’t planning to utilize a strict first base platoon that’d keep France out of action against right-handed pitching entirely. To that end, he’s in tonight’s lineup against Yankees righty Marcus Stroman. Raley and Canzone are starting in the corner outfield, pushing Mitch Haniger to DH and Mitch Garver to the bench. With each of Garver, Haniger and France underperforming, Servais could trim into the playing time for any of that group to keep Raley and Canzone in the lineup.
Beyond the major league shuffling, the M’s provided an update on one of their top minor league infield talents. Colt Emerson, whom Seattle took with the 22nd pick in last year’s draft, will miss some time for Low-A Modesto. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer tweets that Emerson recently suffered a fracture after fouling a ball off his foot and is expected to be out of action for 4-6 weeks. The 18-year-old is a consensus top 100 minor league talent. He was out to an excellent .271/.441/.414 start with more walks than strikeouts over 19 games before the injury.
Rays Place Zach Eflin On Injured List
The Rays announced a few transactions before this evening’s game against the Red Sox. Zach Eflin landed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to yesterday, with lower back inflammation. Brandon Lowe is back from the 10-day IL to take the vacated roster spot. Tampa Bay also optioned reliever Manuel Rodríguez to Triple-A Durham to open a bullpen spot for Richard Lovelady, who has joined the team after being acquired from the Cubs on Saturday.
Eflin has turned in solid results in 10 turns through the rotation. The right-hander is averaging just under six innings per start and has worked to a 4.12 earned run average. While his 17.9% strikeout rate is on track to be his lowest since 2017, he has compensated by essentially never handing out free passes. Eflin has only walked four batters all season, a 1.6% rate that is the lowest among all pitchers with 50+ innings.
The 30-year-old has been one of Tampa Bay’s more valuable pitchers this year, although his performance is a step down from last year’s work. Eflin had a brilliant first season in St. Petersburg, turning in 177 2/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball to earn a sixth-place finish in AL Cy Young balloting. He did lose a couple weeks early in the ’23 campaign to lower back tightness, though.
Eflin told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (X link) that this year’s back issue feels similar to last season’s minor injury. Eflin suggested he could be back in around two weeks, while manager Kevin Cash indicated it was likely to be a 2-4 week absence. Tampa Bay has off days on Thursday and next Monday, so they could function with a four-man starting staff of Aaron Civale, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell and Tyler Alexander into next week.
Lowe returns after a nearly six-week absence due to an oblique strain. The second baseman is in the cleanup spot against Tanner Houck tonight. Since Lowe landed on the IL, the Rays have rotated Curtis Mead, Amed Rosario and Richie Palacios through the keystone. Mead struggled enough that he has since been optioned to Triple-A. Palacios and Rosario have each hit well in their first seasons in Tampa Bay. They’re each capable of playing multiple positions and should still see fairly regular playing time around the diamond.
In other injury news, the Rays sent Jeffrey Springs to the Florida Complex League on a rehab assignment. The left-hander threw one inning this afternoon in his first game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery last April. Pitchers are typically allotted 30 days on a rehab stint, but returnees from Tommy John are usually allowed more than a month to build back into game shape. Springs could be ready for MLB action by the second half of June.
Mariners’ Sam Haggerty Suffers Torn Achilles
Mariners utilityman Sam Haggerty suffered a torn Achilles tendon while trying to run down a deep fly-ball with the team’s Triple-A affiliate over the weekend, general manager Justin Hollander announced to reporters Monday (X link via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). The injury will cost him the remainder of the 2024 season.
Haggerty opened the season on the injured list, was optioned to Triple-A in mid-April, recalled in late April, and then optioned back to Tacoma just last week after a cold spell at the plate. Playing center field for Tacoma, he was tracking a hard-hit fly ball that dropped just beyond his reach. Haggerty, running hard toward the gap, climbed/ran up the outfield wall to slow himself down and crumbled to the warning track upon landing (video link via MiLB Mariners on X). He was in clear agony while being checked on by teammates and the training staff.
The 29-year-old Haggerty has played in just eight big league games this season and went 1-for-15 in that time, but he’s been an oft-used bench/utility player for manager Scott Servais when healthy in recent years. A shoulder injury, a groin strain and a concussion have limited his time on the field even before this gruesome Achilles tear, but Haggerty hit .255/.342/.382 in 135 games from 2022-23, appearing at all three outfield spots and every infield position other than shortstop.
In parts of six big league seasons, Haggerty is a .232/.312/.351 hitter with nine homers and 33 steals (in 36 attempts) through 477 plate appearances. His right-handed bat has been overmatched by fellow righties (.209/.278/.272), but he’s pounded left-handed opponents at a .263/.355/.452 pace in his big league career.
That the injury occurred in the minor leagues is particularly unfortunate for Haggerty, as he’ll be placed on the minor league injured list rather than the MLB injured list for the time being. If the Mariners want to free up a 40-man roster spot at any point, they can recall Haggerty to the majors and place him on the 60-day IL, where he’d accrue big league service time. Haggerty entered the year with 3.044 years of service and agreed to a $900K salary to avoid arbitration this offseason. He’s under club control through the 2026 season and would be arb-eligible again this winter. Coming off a season-ending injury after only 16 plate appearances, he’d very likely command that exact same salary again for the 2025 campaign.