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Giants Planning To Use Ross Stripling Primarily In Relief

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The Giants went into the season with a somewhat fluid rotation. San Francisco added Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea to a staff that already included Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Cobb and Alex Wood. That left some question about how skipper Gabe Kapler would divvy up the starts, though there’s more clarity a few weeks into the season.

In an appearance on KNBR radio yesterday, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the Giants would primarily use Stripling out of the bullpen for now (link via Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News). The front office leader indicated Stripling could take an occasional start as needed to keep others rested, essentially functioning in a swing capacity.

The veteran righty is plenty familiar with that kind of role. Stripling has 105 starts and 102 relief appearances at the big league level. He’s worked at least partially in relief during each season of his career. Stripling logged a career-high workload with the Blue Jays last season, tossing 134 1/3 innings over 32 outings. He’d worked in a swing role through the end of May before assuming a full-time rotation job with Toronto. Stripling posted an excellent 3.01 ERA while keeping his walks to a meager 3.7% clip during that season.

San Francisco added Stripling and Manaea on matching contracts — two years and $25MM with an opt-out after the first season. Manaea came out of the bullpen for his first appearance on April 3 but has started his last two outings, including tonight’s extra-inning loss to the Tigers. Stripling, conversely, started on April 2 and was called upon in relief for his next two appearances. It seems that arrangement will continue, at least assuming everyone’s healthy.

Stripling is off to a tough start to his Giants tenure. He’s been tagged for ten runs in as many innings, serving up a staggering six longballs. His velocity and swing-and-miss rates remain in line with last season’s respective marks but the volume of hard contact in the early going has been untenable.

It’s obviously far too early to make any definitive judgments on the acquisition. There’s plenty of time left in the season. Stripling figures to get consistent rotation run at some point again since virtually no club makes it through a full season without encountering starting pitching injuries. Still, it’s not the start the Giants or Stripling had envisioned — particularly since the inclusion of the opt-out clause in his deal gave Stripling a path to retesting free agency after replicating last year’s success as a starting pitcher.

Manaea’s early results have also been a little rocky. The southpaw has surrendered six runs in 11 1/3 frames, albeit with a solid 13:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Manaea has come out with an early-season velocity spike, though, offering optimism he’ll improve his performance over the coming weeks. He entered play Friday averaging 94.5 MPH on his sinker. That’s more than three ticks above last year’s 91.2 MPH average heater. Manaea topped the 97 MPH mark for the first time in his career during his relief outing, per Brooks Baseball. His velocity predictably wasn’t quite that high during his first start but the 94.2 MPH average fastball he demonstrated was higher than in any of his outings last season.

Austin Wynns Elects Free Agency

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The Giants announced this afternoon that backstop Austin Wynns has elected minor league free agency (relayed by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). He went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier in the week. As a player who has been outrighted multiple times in his career, Wynns had the right to refuse a minor league assignment.

Wynns only appeared in one game for San Francisco this year. The 32-year-old had gotten into 66 games for the Giants last season. He held his own with a respectable .259/.313/.358 line in a depth capacity. Wynns didn’t hit for much power or walk very often but he did a decent job putting the ball in play. He’d preceded his time in San Francisco with an otherworldly .365/.504/.500 line in 33 games for the Phillies’ top affiliate.

The Fresno State product has a more modest overall track record in ten professional seasons. He’s a .230/.274/.335 hitter in 510 major league plate appearances. Wynns owns a .279/.374/.401 line through 163 career games at the Triple-A level.

San Francisco lost veteran catcher Roberto Pérez to a season-ending rotator cuff injury earlier this week. With Wynns no longer in the organization, they’re down to Joey Bart and Rule 5 selection Blake Sabol as catchers on the 40-man roster. They’ll have a little more than two weeks to make a call on Gary Sánchez, who can opt out of his minor league deal on May 1 if he’s not promoted.

Jeffrey Springs Expected To Miss Multiple Months With Arm Injury

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Rays southpaw Jeffrey Springs left yesterday’s start with ulnar neuritis in his throwing arm. That indicated some degree of nerve inflammation in the area and the issue is apparently serious. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Springs is expected to miss two months at a minimum.

The club is still seeking further evaluation, but Topkin ominously adds that the issue extends beyond the nerve. It’s not out of the question that surgery could be required, which would obviously extend Springs’ recovery timetable. Even in a best case scenario, Tampa Bay will be without one of its top starters for an extended stretch.

Springs went for an MRI this morning. Specifics on imaging aren’t clear, though manager Kevin Cash acknowledged to reporters before tonight’s game that he’d miss time. Springs will surely land on the 15-day injured list and seems likely to find himself on the 60-day IL at some point.

It’s a brutal development for a Tampa Bay club that has been firing on all cylinders. Springs has played his part in the Rays’ 13-0 start with a brilliant start to the season. He’d allowed only one run in 16 innings, punching out 24 while walking just four. He’d looked on his way to backing up last year’s breakout showing, when he moved from long reliever to key rotation piece after pitching to a 2.46 ERA through 135 1/3 innings.

The Rays are now down another important starter. Tampa Bay will be without Shane Baz for most or all of the year after last summer’s Tommy John surgery. Tyler Glasnow went down with an oblique strain in Spring Training and isn’t expected to return at least until the middle of May. Offseason signee Zach Eflin hit the 15-day injured list with back tightness earlier in the week.

Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen are locked into the rotation. Josh Fleming has operated at the back of the staff and figures to have a long leash given the injuries. The Rays called upon top prospect Taj Bradley for his MLB debut this week. Bradley was optioned back to Triple-A Durham after that start but can be recalled to replace Springs once he lands on the IL. Luis Patiño and Yonny Chirinos are on the 40-man roster as options for the back end.

A potentially serious injury to Springs would be a tough blow from a longer-term perspective as well. The Rays bet on Springs sustaining last year’s breakout, inking him to a $31MM extension over the offseason. He’s under contract through 2026 with a club option for the ’27 campaign.

Retraction On New Balance Fresh Foam 3000

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Today, we posted a story about how New Balance Fresh Foam 3000 cleats violated regulations set by the Japanese High School Baseball Federation, and are therefore not allowed in Japan’s high school Koshien tournament.  While that is true, we wrote that the cleats were “marketed as a Shohei Ohtani product,” which is not correct.  We regret the error.

Nationals Sign Nomar Mazara, Richie Martin To Minor League Contracts

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The Nationals announced they’ve signed outfielder Nomar Mazara and infielder Richie Martin to minor league deals. Both players have been assigned to Triple-A Rochester.

Mazara has logged MLB time in seven consecutive seasons. The former top prospect never emerged as the middle-of-the-order bat that evaluators and Rangers fans had expected after he mashed through the minor leagues. Mazara had serviceable numbers as a rookie but didn’t take the anticipated step forward over the next few seasons. The left-handed hitter was a slightly below-average offensive player for four seasons before being dealt to the White Sox going into 2020.

Since leaving Arlington, Mazara has fallen on particularly hard times. He’s suited up for the White Sox, Tigers and Padres, logging between 100 and 200 plate appearances in each season. Going back to the start of 2020, Mazara owns a cumulative .235/.295/.324 line with only six home runs and a 25.7% strikeout rate in 501 plate appearances.

The 27-year-old (28 later this month) signed a minor league deal with the Orioles over the winter. He spent the spring with Baltimore, hitting .231/.286/.308 in 39 at-bats. After failing to crack the roster out of camp, he was released at the end of Spring Training. A couple weeks later, Mazara catches on with the Nationals — the sixth organization of his career.

Martin’s only MLB experience has come in Baltimore. Selected out of the Oakland organization with the first pick of the 2018 Rule 5 draft, he hit .208/.260/.322 over 309 plate appearances as a rookie. That enabled the Orioles to retain his long-term contractual rights but he only appeared in 50 more games for the club over the following three seasons.

The University of Florida product is a career .212/.261/.311 hitter over 170 big league games. Martin carries a .240/.336/.366 line at the Triple-A level. Despite the tepid offense, he’s drawn interest as a depth option for his defense throughout the infield. He’ll add some insurance behind the middle infield tandem of CJ Abrams and Luis García with Rochester.

Mariners Select Tommy Milone, Designate J.B. Bukauskas

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The Mariners announced that they have selected left-hander Tommy Milone. He will take the active roster spot of fellow lefty Marco Gonzales, who has been placed on the paternity list. To open a spot on the 40-man for Milone, right-hander J.B. Bukauskas was designated for assignment.

Milone, 36, is a veteran journeyman who has suited up for the Nationals, Athletics, Twins, Mets, Mariners, Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays in his career. Though he was capable of holding down a full-time rotation spot earlier in his career, he’s mostly been called upon for emergency spot start duties or long relief in recent years. Since the end of the 2019 season, he’s made 22 appearances, including 10 starts, posting a 6.33 ERA over 69 2/3 innings. He doesn’t rack up strikeouts but has strong control, with a 5.6% walk rate in his career.

Last year, Milone made seven appearances for the M’s, posting a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings. He also tossed 40 1/3 innings in Triple-A with a 2.68 ERA. He signed a minor league deal with the club over the winter and has already made one Triple-A start here in 2023, tossing five scoreless innings back on April 4.

The Mariners went into the season with six solid starters, pushing Chris Flexen to a long relief role in the bullpen. However, Robbie Ray landed on the injured list just a few days into the season, with a rough expectation of an absence of four to six weeks. That required putting Flexen back into the rotation and now Milone will step up to start tonight’s game while Gonzales steps away for the birth of his child. Stints on the paternity list are allowed for between one and three days, so it seems likely this will be just a single spot start for Milone.

That roster shuffling results in Bukauskas being designated for assignment for the third time in as many months. The former first round pick was let go by the Diamondbacks over the offseason. Seattle grabbed him off waivers but quickly DFA him themselves. He went unclaimed that time and stuck in the organization. The M’s brought him back last week but will take him back off the roster following one appearance.

Bukauskas has 22 MLB games under his belt. He’s allowed 21 runs in 18 2/3 innings at the highest level, though he did post a 2.66 ERA over 20 1/3 Triple-A frames last year. The Mariners will have a week to deal him or put him back on waivers. Because he’s already gone unclaimed once, Bukauskas would have the ability to elect minor league free agency if he clears waivers.

Athletics Select Tyler Wade, Designate Cal Stevenson

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The A’s announced a series of roster moves today, recalling left-hander Hogan Harris and selecting utility player Tyler Wade. In corresponding moves, righty Adam Oller and infielder Nick Allen were optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. To open a spot for Wade on the 40-man roster, outfielder Cal Stevenson was designated for assignment.

Wade is back in the majors for what’ll be a seventh straight year. A longtime prospect of some regard with the Yankees, the left-handed hitter settled into a depth role in the Bronx. He never tallied more than 145 plate appearances in a season, though he got into 103 games as a frequent pinch-runner and defensive replacement in 2021. Wade’s plus speed has allowed him to swipe 38 bases in his MLB career.

The 28-year-old got his most notable playing time after being traded to the Angels heading into 2022. He picked up 163 trips to the plate but only connected on one home run with a .218/.272/.272 batting line. The Halos outrighted him off their 40-man roster and traded him back to the Yankees last summer. He didn’t return to the majors with New York and elected minor league free agency at year’s end.

Wade hooked on with the A’s on a non-roster deal and has appeared in ten games for Las Vegas. He doesn’t have an extra-base hit but has walked six times while striking out on just seven occasions. Between his contact skills, speed and ability to cover any infield position and all three outfield spots, he’s earned a look on the big league bench. Wade doesn’t have any minor league options remaining, so the A’s will have to keep him in the big leagues or designate him for assignment now that he’s secured a spot on the 40-man roster.

While Wade steps into the infield mix, Oakland sends Allen out for the moment. The defensive specialist has long been regarded as one of the better prospects in the A’s system. He’s an excellent gloveman at both middle infield positions but faces questions about his offensive upside. Allen limped to a .207/.256/.291 line over 326 plate appearances as a rookie last season. He’s gotten starts in just five of the first 13 games this year and opened the season in a 1-16 slump. Oakland has given Aledmys Díaz and Kevin Smith most of the shortstop run in the past few days.

Wade’s promotion necessitated bumping a player from the 40-man roster. Stevenson loses his spot despite starting the season with eight hits and six walks over 29 plate appearances for Las Vegas. The 26-year-old outfielder hasn’t gotten much run at the major league level, appearing in 23 games last season with the A’s and struggling to a .167/.261/.217 line after being acquired in the Christian Bethancourt trade.

A former tenth round pick, Stevenson has been involved in a few trades as a professional. He’s also appeared in the Blue Jays, Astros and Tampa Bay organizations and put together an impressive .294/.409/.420 line over parts of five minor league seasons. Stevenson has never gotten much favor from prospect evaluators despite his plate discipline, largely because of limited power potential in his 5’9″ frame. Oakland will have a week to trade him or look to run him through waivers.

Twins Acquire Alex De Goti From Marlins

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The Twins have acquired infielder Alex De Goti from the Marlins in exchange for cash considerations, per an announcement from the St. Paul Saints, Triple-A affiliate of the Twins. He was with the Marlins on a minor league deal and wasn’t on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required.

De Goti, 28, has spent most of his career with the Astros thus far, having been selected by them in the 15th round of the 2016 draft. He worked his way up the minor league ladder and was able to get into a couple of big league games in 2021 as a COVID replacement player. He got two hits and a walk in his seven plate appearances, leading to a career batting line of .333/.429/.333.

He spent all of last year with the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys, hitting nine home runs and drawing walks in 12.7% of his 577 plate appearances. His .253/.352/.377 batting line was actually a bit below average in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, leading to his 87 wRC+. But he also stole eight bases and provided defensive versatility, lining up at all four infield positions.

Since signing De Goti back in December, the Marlins added various infielders to their organization, including Luis Arraez, Jean Segura, Yuli Gurriel, Garrett Hampson, Jacob Amaya and José Iglesias. Those moves cluttered the depth chart and stacked the deck against De Goti making it back to the big leagues in Miami. The Twins, on the other hand, currently have all of Jorge Polanco, Alex Kirilloff, Kyle Farmer, Royce Lewis and Joey Gallo on the injured list. That’s pushed depth options like Donovan Solano and Edouard Julien into regular action and thinned out the safety net a bit. De Goti will change uniforms and provide Minnesota with a bit more infield security, an important factor for a club that was largely undone by injuries last year.

White Sox Claim Nick Solak; Place Yoán Moncada On IL

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The White Sox announced a batch of roster moves this afternoon. Outfielder Eloy Jiménez was reinstated from the injured list, swapping places with third baseman Yoán Moncada, who lands on the 10-day IL retroactive to April 11 with lower back soreness. Infielder/outfielder Nick Solak was also claimed off waivers from the Mariners and optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, with right-hander Matt Foster transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Additionally, right-hander Jesse Scholtens was optioned to Charlotte while left-hander Tanner Banks was recalled.

Solak, 28, has bounced around the league quite a bit over the past six months or so. After spending four seasons with the Rangers, he was flipped to the Reds for cash considerations in November. He didn’t impress in spring and was designated for assignment on Opening Day. The Mariners acquired him at that time, with Solak being dealt for cash yet again. After a couple of weeks in the Mariners’ system, he was designated for assignment again and now lands with the Sox.

The fact that Solak is in a limbo zone where various teams are interested in his abilities yet he keeps losing his roster spot is a reflection of his uneven career so far. He debuted with the Rangers in 2019 by posting a .293/.393/.491 batting line and 126 wRC+ in 33 games. But he hit just .246/.317/.354 in the next three seasons for a wRC+ of 88. Despite those struggles at the big league level, he’s continued to flash promise in the minors, hitting .289/.368/.503 in Triple-A.

The White Sox will now be the latest team to give him a shot and see what happens. He still has an option remaining and will head to Charlotte for now. A second baseman earlier in his career, he was pushed into a corner outfield role when the Rangers signed Marcus Semien. It remains to be seen how the Sox deploy Solak for the Knights, but they do have a question mark at second base, as Tim Anderson’s injury has moved Elvis Andrus over to shortstop. That leaves utility players like Romy González, Hanser Alberto and Lenyn Sosa covering second, though Moncada’s injury means they’re needed at third base as well. The outfield corners are a bit more secure with Andrew Benintendi and Óscar Colás taking those spots on a regular basis.

Moncada has been dealing with the back issue for the past few days, having last started on Sunday. Just a few days ago, manager Pedro Grifol said it was possible that Moncada could be ready for action by this weekend, per James Fegan of The Athletic, but it seems the club will give him a bit of a breather to recuperate. He was off to a hot start, currently hitting .308/.325/.564, but that will now be put on pause. By backdating the IL placement, he could potentially be back in a week if he heals up as hoped. His roster spot will go to Jiménez, who is back after just a minimum stay on the IL. He was originally expected to miss about two or three weeks but has beaten that timeline slightly. Within days of going on the IL, he told Fegan that he was feeling much better and would have been available to pinch hit if were still active.

As for Foster, he started the season on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain. It’s unclear what his timeline for return is, but he will now be ineligible until late May. The 60-day count goes from his initial IL placement and not today’s transfer.

Yankees Designate Colten Brewer For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that they have recalled right-hander Greg Weissert from Triple-A, with fellow righty Colten Brewer designated for assignment in a corresponding move. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Brewer, 30, began the year in the Rays’ system on a minor league deal. He had a strong performance in spring but didn’t make that club’s Opening Day roster, but a clause in his contract allowed the Yankees to give him the roster spot that the Rays would not. The out-of-options righty was installed into the Yankee bullpen and has served a multi-inning role recently, tossing two scoreless innings in his first appearance and three scoreless innings in his second.

Unfortunately, the club’s pitching staff was dealt a very unfortunate blow yesterday. Starter Jhony Brito was shelled for seven runs while only recording two outs, leaving manager Aaron Boone in a difficult spot to get through the game. Brewer was brought in to get the final out of the first inning and stayed for three more innings after that. He eventually yielded four earned runs over his 3 1/3 innings, tossing 52 pitches in the process. The Yanks also used Ian Hamilton for three innings and Jimmy Cordero for one before throwing utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa in there for a frame in the 11-2 loss. With the low-leverage half of their bullpen essentially torpedoed, they clearly felt the need to get a fresh arm in the mix and Brewer has lost his roster spot as a result.

Prior to this season, Brewer had pitched for the Padres and Red Sox but spent 2022 with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate. He recorded a 4.76 ERA over 36 appearances with a 24.9% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate and 51.9% ground ball rate. The Yanks will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. In the event he clears waivers, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, by virtue of having a previous career outright.

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