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Athletics Select Zach Neal, Place Mason Miller On IL With Forearm Tightness

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4:10pm: The A’s announced Neal’s selection, along with the recall of right-hander Luis Medina. In corresponding moves, righty Rico Garcia was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas while righty Mason Miller was placed on the 15-day injured list. Catcher Manny Piña was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man for Neal. Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle relays that Miller’s IL placement is due to right forearm tightness. Pina has been on the IL all year due to a lingering wrist issue and was recently pulled off his rehab after suffering a setback. He won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from the initial IL placement, which would be late May.

10:04am: The A’s are set to select the contract of righty Zach Neal prior to tonight’s game, reports Martin Gallegos of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’s expected to make a spot start tonight against Nathan Eovaldi and the Rangers. Neal inked a minor league deal with the Athletics last month.

It’ll be the second stint with Oakland for Neal, who also pitched there in 2016-17, logging a combined 4.89 ERA in 30 appearances (six starts). That accounts for the vast majority of Neal’s big league experience, though he also tossed one inning for the Dodgers in 2018. Overall, he carries a 4.94 ERA, 10.5% strikeout rate and 2% walk rate in 85 2/3 innings at the MLB level.

Now 34 years old, Neal hasn’t pitched in the Majors since that one-off  appearance with the ’18 Dodgers. He spent the 2019-21 seasons with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, working to a combined 4.49 ERA with a 12.4% strikeout rate against a 5.6% walk rate. Neal logged a 2.87 ERA in 100 1/3 innings in his first year with the Lions but was north of 5.00 in his second and third seasons in Japan.

Neal spent the 2022 season with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate but was tagged for a 6.87 ERA in that hitter-friendly setting. He’s opened the 2023 campaign with similarly shaky results in another hitter-friendly setting, Las Vegas, allowing seven runs on eight hits and five walks with 11 punchouts in 11 1/3 innings (5.56 ERA).

The A’s have a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding transaction to get Neal onto the roster. They’ve already turned over nearly their entire bullpen since the season began and could make yet another move there to accommodate Neal’s addition. Righty Zach Jackson and lefty Sam Moll are the only two members of Oakland’s Opening Day relief corps who are still currently in the bullpen.

Mariners’ Offseason Trade Acquisitions Off To Slow Starts

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The Mariners mostly shied away from the free agent market on the heels of their drought-ending playoff berth. Instead, Seattle turned to trade to add to a lineup that had been a bit top-heavy in 2022. Their two most notable transactions took place within the first few weeks of the offseason: reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko were shipped to Toronto for slugger Teoscar Hernández, while the M’s dealt Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to the Brewers for second baseman Kolten Wong.

Both Hernández and Wong are in their final seasons before free agency. Milwaukee had exercised a $10MM club option on Wong before trading him in what amounted to a roughly cash-neutral deal considering they took back Winker’s salary. Seattle took on a decent chunk of 2023 money to accommodate Hernández, who’d earn $14MM for his final season of arbitration eligibility (compared to the $1.25MM Swanson is making in his first of three arbitration years).

Hernández, in particular, could eventually net the club a compensatory draft choice by rejecting a qualifying offer and signing elsewhere next offseason. Yet both trades were primarily about bolstering the lineup in 2023 while avoiding the longer-term downside associated with a multi-year free agent deal.

To this point, neither player has met Seattle’s expectations. Hernández is sitting on a .215/.260/.396 batting line over 154 plate appearances. That’s nowhere close to the .283/.333/.519 line he’d compiled between 2020-22 to pick up a pair of Silver Slugger awards and down-ballot MVP finishes. His raw slash stats always seemed likely to dip somewhat with the move from Rogers Centre to T-Mobile Park. This has been a far more significant drop-off than is solely attributable to park factors and Hernández is performing worse on the road than he is in Seattle.

Hernández has popped seven home runs, putting him on a 27-homer pace over 600 plate appearances. He’s still barreling the ball up and making hard contact when he puts the ball in play. The middle-of-the-order form he’d shown for years in Toronto still looks to be there. Yet his plate discipline has been rough thus far, resulting in a career-worst 3.2% walk rate and a massive 35.1% strikeout percentage.

Selectivity has never been Hernández’s specialty. He’s always been an aggressive hitter, one who’s willing to trade some walks for power impact. He has pushed that too far to the extreme through his first few weeks in Seattle, though, as he’s chased nearly 40% of pitches outside the strike zone. It’s the 23rd-highest rate among 204 hitters with 100+ plate appearances; Hernández was closer to league average in that regard during his last few seasons in Toronto.

Wong, meanwhile, has been one of the least effective hitters in the majors to this point. He’s yet to connect on a homer in 94 trips to the plate, posting a .195/.287/.220 line overall. He has played well through his first five games in May after carrying a .171/.263/.186 slash through the end of April. The Mariners weren’t counting on Wong to be an impact bat but surely hoped for something approximating the solid .262/.337/.439 showing he put together over two years in Milwaukee.

The lefty-hitting Wong has long been a quality, well-rounded regular. He’s typically hit around a league average level, compensating for fringe power with plus contact skills. At his peak, he’s been a Gold Glove second baseman and a plus baserunner. His typically stellar defensive marks dropped off during his last season with the Brewers, as both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average gave him subpar grades in 2022.

Wong attributed his defensive drop to playing through leg injuries, offering some hope he’d turn things around after an offseason of rest. The early returns haven’t been promising, however. DRS has pegged Wong as an MLB-worst eight runs below average through 226 2/3 innings of second base work; Statcast has him one run worse than expected. Public defensive metrics can be wildly variable in small samples, but it’s a discouraging start for the 32-year-old’s efforts to recapture his formerly excellent form with the glove.

Without many early contributions from Hernández or Wong, Seattle’s position player group hasn’t been especially good. They’re 22nd in runs scored (157) and 25th in both on-base percentage (.302) and slugging (.372). After accounting for their pitcher-friendly ballpark, they’re 19th in offensive production as measured by wRC+. Their pitching and defense has kept them around average overall — they’re in fourth place in the AL West at 18-19 with a +14 run differential — but they’ll need more out of the lineup to earn a repeat playoff berth in an American League playoff mix that has 10 to 12 teams with realistic aspirations.

There’s certainly time for Seattle’s top offseason acquisitions to get things back on track. The M’s have by no means played themselves out of contention. Whether they make a serious run for the division and/or a Wild Card spot could be determined in large part by how quickly Hernández and Wong find their previous levels. With both players headed to the open market six months from now, their free agent outlooks are also to be determined based on their performances this summer.

Rangers Designate Ian Kennedy For Assignment

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The Rangers announced that they have recalled left-hander John King from Triple-A Round Rock while right-hander Ian Kennedy has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Kennedy, 38, spent many seasons as an effective starter for the Diamondbacks, Padres and Royals. He’s moved to a relief role in recent years with inconsistent results. He posted an ERA of 3.41 with the Royals in 2019 but saw that figure spike to 9.00 in the shortened 2020 season. He got back on track in 2021 with a 3.20 ERA between the Rangers and Phillies, then parlayed that into a $4.75MM deal with the Diamondbacks for 2022. That led to another downturn, however, as he had a 5.36 ERA with the Snakes last year.

With his recent seasons alternating between good and bad, it would have seemed superficially like Kennedy were due for a rebound this year. He returned to the Rangers on a minor league deal and cracked the Opening Day roster but has a 7.20 ERA through his first 11 outings and has now lost his roster spot in Texas.

Looking under the hood, things might not be quite as bad as that ERA seems. Kennedy has struck out 28.3% of batters faced against a 6.5% walk rate. He’s allowed a .357 batting average on balls in play and has a 36.8% strand rate, both of which are on the unlucky side of average, particularly the latter figure. The league averages for those stats this year are .295 and 71.6%. Advanced metrics feel Kennedy deserved much better, including his 3.21 FIP, 3.36 xERA and 3.22 SIERA.

The Rangers will now have a week to trade Kennedy or pass him through waivers. There will likely be clubs willing to overlook the 7.20 ERA in a small sample, especially with many teams around the league dealing with various injuries amid their respective pitching staffs. Though in the event Kennedy clears waivers, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

Franmil Reyes Elects Free Agency

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The Royals announced Thursday that outfielder/designated hitter Franmil Reyes went unclaimed on outright waivers following his DFA earlier this week. He’s rejected an outright assignment from the team in favor of free agency. He can now sign with any club.

Reyes, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Royals back in February and made the team’s Opening Day roster. He slugged a pair of homers early in the season but fell into a swoon that saw him fail to reach base in 20 straight plate appearances. The Royals optioned him to Triple-A at that point, with Reyes toting an ugly .186/.231/.288 batting line and a 36.9% strikeout rate.

That marks a continuation of a downturn that began in 2022, when Reyes hit just .213/.254/.350 with a 37.1% strikeout rate in Cleveland before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Cubs. He improved slightly in Chicago, slashing .234/.301/.389, but it wasn’t enough for the Cubs to keep him the roster. He was outrighted off the 40-man, elected free agency, and eventually signed this deal with Kansas City.

Prior to that ugly 2022 campaign, the 6’5″ Reyes was a feared middle-of-the-order hitter. He’s turned in a pair of 30-homer campaigns in his career, including a career-high 37 big flies in 2019. From 2018-21, he took 1540 plate appearances and batted .260/.325/.503 with 92 home runs between San Diego and Cleveland. Strikeouts were an issue even then, as he fanned in 29.5% of his plate appearances, but he had enough power and drew enough walks (9%) that he was still a well-regarded offensive player (19% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+).

Reyes’ struggles in 2022-23 figure to make it tough for him to land a big league deal that’d place him right back on a 26-man roster, but a team searching for some right-handed power could certainly take a flier on a minor league pact and hope to get Reyes trending back toward that 2018-21 form.

Ken Giles To Hold Showcase For Interested Clubs

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Free agent right-hander Ken Giles is planning to throw live bullpen sessions for interested clubs on Friday, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Giles previously held a showcase for clubs in February and then threw in front of Padres officials at that club’s Arizona complex shortly thereafter, but a deal didn’t come together and he remains unsigned. Heyman notes that Giles has spent the past five weeks working out with Driveline, the data-driven biomechanics company, at their Arizona facility.

The 32-year-old Giles has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball at times in his career but has been dealing with some challenges recently. From 2014 to 2019, he pitched for the Phillies, Astros and Blue Jays, posting a 2.67 ERA in that time while racking up 114 saves. He struck out 33.3% of batters faced while issuing walks at just a 7.5% clip.

He was only able to make four appearances in 2020, ultimately requiring Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2021 season. He signed a two-year deal with the Mariners that covered 2021 and 2022, with the club knowing the first year of that deal would be dedicated primarily to rehabbing the surgery. He made five scoreless appearances for the M’s last year but walked 22.2% of the batters he faced. His 94.8 mph fastball velocity was a few ticks below the 97-99 mph range he managed in previous seasons. He was designated for assignment in August, elected free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Giants but was released about a week later.

Despite that rough stretch, a healthy Giles should garner interest, especially if the work with Driveline did anything to get him closer to his previous form. When he was last able to pitch for an extended stretch in 2019, he posted a 1.87 ERA for the Jays while striking out 39.9% of opponents against an 8.2% walk rate. With various clubs throughout the league dealing with pitching injuries and the trade deadline still a few months away, taking a flier on Giles might be intriguing for clubs that could use a boost in the bullpen.

Pirates, Ryan Borucki Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates and left-hander Ryan Borucki have agreed to a minor league deal, per the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. Borucki elected free agency earlier in the week after the Cubs passed him through waivers unclaimed.

Borucki, 29, has logged big league time in each of the past five seasons — the vast majority coming as a member of the Blue Jays. He posted a 3.87 ERA in 17 starts as a rookie back in 2018 but has pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen since, due in large part to elbow surgery that wiped out most of his 2019 season. Since returning, the left-hander has posted a 4.66 ERA in 65 2/3 big league innings, fanning 22.3% of his opponents against a 12% walk rate.

Borucki opened the 2023 season with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Iowa, where he was roughed up for a dozen runs on 13 hits and six walks with 11 strikeouts in nine innings. In need of a fresh arm for the bullpen, the Cubs selected Borucki’s contract in late April, but he was designated for assignment before even getting into a game.

It’s been a tough few years for Borucki, but even when struggling to a 5.68 ERA in 25 1/3 innings between Toronto and Seattle in 2022, the southpaw averaged 95.1 mph on his sinker and posted a strong 12% swinging-strike rate. He’s moved away from his changeup and begun to rely primarily on his sinker and slider over the past two seasons, which has helped him up his ground-ball rate to a hefty 54.3% in that time.

The Bucs currently have lefty relievers Jarlin Garcia and Rob Zastryzny on the injured list. Garcia, notably, is on the 60-day and does not have a timetable for his return. Rule 5 pick Jose Hernandez has been the only left-handed option in manager Derek Shelton’s bullpen for the past couple weeks. Borucki won’t immediately be added to the mix, but he gives the Pirates an experienced option to take a look at in Triple-A.

Yankees Select Ryan Weber

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The Yankees announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Weber from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Fellow righty Jonathan Loaisiga was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

It’s a familiar story for Weber, who spent the 2022 season with the Yankees and was selected to the Major League roster on four different occasions. Because he’s out of minor league options, Weber was designated for assignment and passed through outright waivers each time, opting all four times to briefly elect free agency but immediately re-sign with the Yankees on a new minor league deal.

For all of last year’s trips through the DFA carousel, Weber only got into five games with the Yankees. He pitched quite well, holding opponents to one run in 10 2/3 innings of work over that quintet of appearances. He was also sharp in Triple-A, sporting a 3.86 ERA in 39 2/3 frames for the RailRiders in 2022.

The 2023 season hasn’t begun as well for Weber. He’s made seven starts and compiled 34 1/3 innings with an ugly 5.77 ERA to show for it. He’s picked up the pace over his past four turns, however, yielding 10 runs through 22 2/3 frames (3.97 ERA) with a 13-to-3 K/BB ratio. Weber has never missed many bats, but he possesses good command and regularly posts above-average ground-ball rates — which has also been the case in these season’s handful of starts with Scranton.

The Yankees don’t need a starter in the next few days, but they’ve relied heavily on their bullpen this week. Weber will give them some length in the event of another high-scoring game. Last year’s usage of Weber tells us that this could be another brief stay on the roster, but Weber and the Yankees clearly have a good working relationship, so even if he’s designated for assignment in the near future, there’s a good chance he’d just wind up back in Scranton, be it via accepting an outright assignment or electing free agency and re-upping on a new minor league pact.

Angels, Reyes Moronta Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Angels have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Reyes Moronta, MLBTR has learned. The 30-year-old righty had been in spring training with the Rangers but signed with the Mexican League’s Diablos Rojos after being cut loose by Texas. He posted a 2.35 ERA with a 13-to-5 K/BB ratio in 7 2/3 innings there before being picked up by the Halos.

Moronta was a high-end setup man for the Giants from 2017-19, pitching to a combined 2.66 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate and a fastball that averaged 97.1 mph over the life of 128 1/3 innings. Command was an issue for the big righty, evidenced by a 13.6% walk rate in that time, but his ability to miss bats still helped him move from lower-leverage spots into a position that allowed him to pick up a save and 27 holds during that time.

Shoulder surgery ended Moronta’s 2019 season a few weeks early and wiped out nearly all of his 2020-21 seasons, however. He returned to toss four innings with the Giants in 2021, allowing just one run in that time but also sporting a fastball that clocked it at an average of 94.3 mph — a nearly three mile-per-hour drop. The Giants removed him from the 40-man roster in September, and Moronta cleared outright waivers and subsequently elected free agency at season’s end.

The Dodgers signed Moronta to a minor league deal once the 2021-22 lockout was lifted, and less than three weeks into the season he’d made it up to their big league bullpen. He spent the next couple months as an up-and-down arm in L.A. before ultimately being designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the D-backs. Overall, his 2022 campaign ended with 37 2/3 frames of 4.30 ERA ball, a 23.6% strikeout rate and an 11.2% walk rate. Moronta regained a bit of life on his heater, but last year’s 95.3 mph average was still a ways off from its peak levels.

The Angels have already lost Jose Quijada and Austin Warren to Tommy John surgery, and they’re also currently without veteran lefty Aaron Loup, who’s on the IL with a hamstring strain. They may also have to dip into their bullpen to stretch out Chase Silseth as a starter, with Jose Suarez on the shelf due to a shoulder strain.

Angels relievers still rank sixth in the Majors with a combined 3.24 ERA, but the group isn’t as deep as it was to begin the season. Adding Moronta, who has a career 3.02 ERA and 28.1% strikeout rate, to see if he can recapture some of his pre-surgery form makes for a sensible depth option.

The Opener: Glasnow, Senzatela, Seager

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With six weeks of the 2023 regular season now in the books, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Glasnow removed from rehab start:

Oft-injured ace Tyler Glasnow was on track to return to the Rays sometime this month as he began his second rehab start of the season in Triple-A yesterday. Unfortunately, Glasnow was removed from yesterday’s rehab start after just one inning due to left side tightness. According to Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Florida, the issue was very mild but the club and player both decided not to push things further, with the Rays noting that there was “no upside” in continuing the start this early in Glasnow’s rehab process.

The Rays are surely hoping Glasnow’s side tightness doesn’t become a more significant setback in the coming days, as Glasnow is one of the league’s premiere talents when healthy. His 2.75 ERA since the start of the 2019 season would certainly be a welcome addition to a Rays rotation that currently sports just three regular starters in Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Zach Eflin.

2. Senzatela to be evaluated:

Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela was removed from yesterday’s game after 2 2/3 innings of work due to forearm tightness. Senzatela, who missed much of last season due to a torn ACL, had only recently returned to the rotation, with last night’s abbreviated outing marking just his second start of the 2023 campaign. Senzatela noted after the game that he was specifically experiencing soreness near his elbow and expressed concern about the injury, which will be evaluated further today.

Senzatela, who is currently in the second year of a five year, $50.5MM contract extension, has figured to be a key stabilizing force in a Rockies rotation that recently lost German Marquez to Tommy John surgery and Noah Davis to elbow inflammation. Now, Senzatela’s presence in the rotation going forward is yet another question mark for the Rockies, whose 4.73 ERA as a club ranks 8th worst in the majors.

3. Seager to begin rehab assignment:

The Rangers have been without Corey Seager for exactly one month due to a hamstring strain, but he’s slated to head out on a minor league rehab assignment beginning today. The 29-year-old Seager, who inked a ten-year, $325MM contract in free agency two offseasons ago, got out to a blistering start with Texas this season, slashing .359/.469/.538 with a homer, four doubles, and more walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven) in his first 49 plate appearances of the season.

Texas has turned to young Ezequiel Duran to hold down the fort in Seager’s absence, and 23-year-old has responded with a .305/.340/.474 slash in exactly 100 plate appearances this year. Manager Bruce Bochy recently told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he planned to find “creative” ways to keep Duran in the lineup even when Seager returns. It’s indeed been a strong start, though with just one walk in those 100 trips to the plate and a sky-high .379 average on balls in play, there’s likely some regression in store for the former top prospect.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Willson Contreras Out At Catcher For Cardinals, Braves Rotation, Rays, Astros

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Episode 6 of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Simon Hampton is joined by Katie Woo of The Athletic to discuss:

  • The Cardinals’ decision to move Willson Contreras out of the catching position for the time being (3:16)
  • Nolan Arenado’s early-season struggles (8:22)
  • Will the Cardinals trade an outfielder to fill other needs? (9:49)
  • Jordan Montgomery, possible extension candidate? (12:06)

After Katie talked Cardinals with Simon, MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald comes on the podcast to dig into:

  • The Braves’ rotation in the wake of Max Fried’s forearm strain (15:56)
  • Why have the Rays been so good? (19:17)
  • The Astros’ sluggish start to the season (25:16)

Check out our past episodes!

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

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