Yankees Activate Frankie Montas
The Yankees announced this afternoon that they had activated right-hander Frankie Montas from the 60-day injured list. In corresponding moves, the club placed outfielder Jasson Dominguez on the 60-day IL and optioned right-hander Randy Vasquez to Triple-A.
Montas is expected to make his 2023 season debut as a multi-inning piggyback starter in one of the club’s final two games against the Royals. It will be just Montas’s ninth appearance with the Yankees since they acquired him from the A’s ahead of last year’s trade deadline. In eight starts with the club last year, Montas struggled to a 6.35 ERA with a 4.93 FIP. He struck out just 17.8% of batters faced with the Yankees and walked 8.1% before being placed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation last September. The issue eventually required surgery back in February, and Montas has missed the entire 2023 campaign to this point while rehabbing.
Despite Montas’s tumultuous Yankees tenure, the 30-year-old right-hander appears to hope to return to the club in 2024. Montas told reporters (including Greg Joyce of the New York Post) that he hopes to re-sign in New York this coming offseason, though he added that the sides have not yet discussed a potential new contract at this point.
Although his history in the Bronx to this point has been rough, a reunion could make sense for both sides. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Nestor Cortes appear to be the only three players locked into rotation spots headed into the 2024 campaign, and the addition of a veteran arm like Montas could ease the pressure on youngsters like Michael King, Clarke Schmidt, and Vasquez. Montas would surely be a fairly short-term, low-cost signing given his recent history, meaning the Yankees’ ability to take a bigger swing at a top-of-the-market arm like Blake Snell or Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be unaffected, should they be interested in such a deal.
For Montas, it would give the righty a familiar place to re-establish himself as the mid-rotation starter he has been throughout his career. From 2018-2021, Montas posted a 3.57 ERA with a nearly matching 3.55 FIP in 401 innings of work. That body of work was 17% better than league average by measure of ERA+, and is right in line with the performance Montas delivered in 2022 prior to departing Oakland. In 19 starts (104 2/3 innings) with the A’s last year, Montas posted a 3.18 ERA (116 ERA+) and 3.35 FIP with a strikeout rate of 25.8% against a walk rate of just 6.6%. If Montas is able to recapture the form he had in the first half last year, he’d surely be an asset to the rotation of the Yankees or any other club looking to add a mid-rotation arm this offseason.
Phillies Select Michael Plassmeyer
The Phillies announced this evening that the club had selected the contract of left-hander Michael Plassmeyer. In corresponding moves, the club recalled right-hander Erich Uelmen before placing him on the 60-day IL with a right flexor strain and optioned right-hander Luis Ortiz.
Plassmeyer, 25, made his MLB debut with the Phillies last year. The southpaw posted a 3.68 ERA and 3.38 FIP over two long relief appearances, racking up seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings of work. He’s been pitching at the minor league level for Philadelphia since then, and sports a 4.64 ERA in 75 2/3 innings of work across 19 appearances (17 starts) at the High-A and Triple-A levels. Plassmeyer figures to give the Phillies volume out of the bullpen for the second game of today’s doubleheader, should it be necessary.
To make room for Plassmeyer on the 40-man roster, the club recalled Uelmen to Triple-A before immediately placing him on the 60-day IL. Uelmen appeared in just one inning for the Phillies previously this season, allowing four runs on three hits and two walks while striking out just one. The righty posted a 4.08 ERA in 17 2/3 innings of work across three levels of the minor leagues this season, and made just three appearances June 4 due to injuries.
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Ortiz makes room for Plassmeyer on the active roster. Ortiz was called up just earlier today for the first half of the doubleheader, during which he struck out two over a scoreless inning of work. Entering today, Ortiz owned a 3.50 ERA and 3.25 FIP in 18 innings of work with the Phillies since being claimed off waivers from the Giants this past offseason.
Rangers Select Matt Bush
The Rangers announced this afternoon that the club has selected the contract of right-hander Matt Bush. In corresponding moves, the club optioned left-hander Jake Latz to Triple-A and designated right-hander Alex Speas for assignment.
Bush, 37, was selected first overall by the Padres in the 2004 draft but didn’t make it to the majors until 2016 thanks to off-the-field issues. Bush’s rookie season with the Rangers was an impressive one, as the righty posted a 2.48 ERA in 61 2/3 innings of work. He’d go on to post a 3.34 ERA in 177 2/3 innings of work across five and a half years as a member of the Rangers organization before being traded to the Brewers at the 2022 trade deadline.
While Bush had a 2.95 ERA and a 29.8% strikeout rate at the time of the deal, his time in Milwaukee saw things take a turn for the worse. He posted a pedestrian 4.30 ERA the rest of the way with the Brewers in 2022 before struggling badly in 2023, allowing 11 runs in 10 1/3 innings of work before the Brewers ultimately released him in early July. Bush landed back in Texas on a minor league deal shortly thereafter and has been pitching in the Rangers’ minor league system ever since. Bush has posted strong numbers at the minor league level this season, with a 2.27 ERA in 35 2/3 innings of work between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Now, Bush will get a chance to pitch for the Rangers as they look to clinch their first postseason appearance since 2016.
Exiting the roster in favor of Bush is left-hander Jake Latz, who has posted 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the Rangers across three appearances since being called up earlier this month. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rangers DFA’d Speas, a 25-year-old rookie. The right-hander made his MLB debut back in July but struggled badly across three appearances, allowing three runs in two innings of work.
Padres Announce Several Roster Moves
The Padres announced this afternoon that the club has selected the contract of catcher Chandler Seagle. In corresponding moves, catcher Luis Campusano was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain, while right-hander Joe Musgrove was transferred to the 60-day IL to open space on the 40-man roster.
Seagle, 27, was a 30th-round pick by the Padres in the 2017 draft. He’s never hit much throughout his career in the minors, with a career .204/.277/.287 slash line in 287 games as a professional. Still, Seagle has managed to climb through the minor leagues steadily throughout his career thanks to a strong glove behind the plate. That defensive prowess has now earned him his first big league opportunity, where he’ll provide insurance for the Padres behind Brett Sullivan. If Seagle gets into a game before the regular season comes to a close tomorrow, it will be his major league debut.
The opportunity for Seagle comes at the expense of Campusano, whose season has ended prematurely. The 24-year-old backstop dealt with injuries throughout much of the 2023 campaign, with a sprained thumb causing him to miss three months. Since returning from the injured list, however, Campusano has done nothing but hit with a .331/.375/.500 slash line in 152 trips to the plate. The offensive potential Campusano flashed through the season’s final months serves as a reminder of the young catcher’s former top prospect status; he was a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport as recently as the 2022 season. Looking ahead to 2024, Campusano figures to get every opportunity to seize an everyday role as the club’s catcher coming out of Spring Training.
Musgrove’s move to the 60-day IL comes as no surprise and is nothing more than procedural; the right-hander has been out since late July with shoulder inflammation and was announced as shut down for the season earlier this month. Musgrove was limited to just 97 1/3 innings across 17 starts this season due to injuries but was effective as always when healthy, with a 3.05 ERA and 3.52 FIP. Heading into next year, Musgrove figures to again be a front-of-the-rotation piece for the club during his age-31 season.
Mets Place Brandon Nimmo On 10-Day Injured List
Brandon Nimmo‘s 2023 season is over, as the Mets placed the outfielder on the 10-day injured list due to a right shoulder sprain. The placement is retroactive to September 29, and catcher Michael Perez was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding roster move.
Manager Buck Showalter told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (X links) and other reporters that Nimmo’s injury is related to his AC joint. An MRI didn’t reveal any damage to the rotator cuff, so it doesn’t appear to be a particularly serious issue or anything that would hamper Nimmo’s readiness for Spring Training. Nimmo even told the Athletic’s Tim Britton and other media that he would’ve kept playing if the Mets had still been in playoff contention, and that he should need only 10-14 days to recovery.
Injuries have often plagued Nimmo during his career, yet he followed up a career-best 151 games and 672 plate appearances in 2022 by narrowly topping both marks in 2023, playing 152 games and making 682 trips to the plate. Nimmo his .274/.363/.466 with a career-high 24 home runs this year, with a 130 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR.
While the Mets’ season as a whole was a disappointment, Nimmo was a bright spot, and his continued good health provides some extra relief given his long-term importance to the team. New York re-signed Nimmo to an eight-year, $162MM free agent deal last winter, which outpaced even the most optimistic projections for a player whose injury history (though not his production when healthy) was such a question mark. It’s obviously too early to call the signing a clear win just yet, but Nimmo’s continued strong play beyond his contract year is a good sign that he can be a big part of what the Mets hope will be an eventual return to contention.
Phillies Place Dylan Covey On 15-Day Injured List
The Phillies announced four roster moves today, including the news that right-hander Dylan Covey was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 28) due to lower back pain. Infielder Rodolfo Castro was also optioned to the club’s Spring Training complex now that the minor league season is over, while right-hander Luis Ortiz and utilityman Weston Wilson were called up from Triple-A to fill the two open spots on the active roster.
Covey is now ineligible to return until at least October 12, so he wouldn’t be available for a playoff roster unless the Phillies reached the NLCS. Even in that best-case scenario, the Phillies might not prefer to activate a pitcher coming off an extended layoff, and Covey might have been something of a borderline candidate to make the postseason roster even if healthy.
Regardless of the unfortunate ending, 2023 has still been Covey’s most successful season in the big leagues. He posted a 6.57 ERA over 264 1/3 innings with the White Sox and Red Sox from 2017-20 before heading to the Chinese Professional Baseball League for two seasons with the Rakuten Monkeys. Covey pitched well enough to attract the attention of North America, and he inked a minor league deal with the Dodgers that resulted in a single MLB game in Dodger Blue.
Covey was designated for assignment after that lone game in May but quickly claimed off waivers by the Phillies. Powered by a 54.3% grounder rate and a lot of soft contact, Covey has a 3.69 ERA over 39 innings with Philadelphia, posting some quality bottom-line results despite a very modest 15.7% strikeout rate. Even his ERA is somewhat skewed by Covey’s lone start with the Phillies, as he lasted just two-thirds of an inning while allowing five earned runs. In 42 1/3 other innings as a reliever in 2023, Covey’s ERA is 2.76.
Orioles Designate Jorge Lopez For Assignment
The Orioles announced that right-hander Jorge Lopez was designated for assignment. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann was called up from Triple-A to take Lopez’s spot on the active roster.
Baltimore claimed Lopez off waivers from the Marlins at the start of September, and Lopez posted a 6.10 ERA over 10 1/3 innings of work in the orange-and-black. While Lopez had a 28% strikeout rate and a 4.0% walk rate over his brief time with the O’s, he also allowed four home runs, sending his ERA skyrocketing. Lopez was ineligible for postseason play since he was acquired after September 1, and since he was looking like a clear non-tender candidate anyway, the Orioles look to have started his path to free agency a little early. In all likelihood, Lopez will clear waivers and then be released, unless a team wants to take a quick evaluation before the offseason officially begins.
Lopez has a 5.53 ERA over 478 1/3 innings in the majors, appearing with five different teams over an eight-season career that began in 2015. The clear highlight of Lopez’s career came during his first stint with the Orioles, when his exceptional first-half performance earned him a spot on the 2022 All-Star team. The O’s were in postseason contention at last year’s trade deadline, but the team opted to sell high on Lopez by dealing him to the Twins for a four-player package that included Yennier Cano (an All-Star himself in 2023) and left-hander Cade Povich, arguably Baltimore’s top current pitching prospect.
It was a wise move on the Orioles’ part, as Lopez immediately started to regress in Minnesota. Those struggles deepened in 2023, as Lopez posted a 6.12 ERA over 57 1/3 combined innings with the Twins, Marlins, and Orioles. Minnesota dealt Lopez to Miami at the trade deadline for Dylan Floro in something of a mutual change-of-scenery deal for both relievers, though neither got on track on a new team. (By coincidence, the Twins just released Floro yesterday.)
Lopez earned $3.625MM in 2023, and would be in line for some kind of minimal raise in his third and final year of arbitration eligibility. The 30-year-old may have to settle for a minor league deal this winter, in the wake of such a disappointing season.
NL West Notes: Melvin, Haniger, Musgrove, Rojas
With the Giants looking for a new manager and Bob Melvin’s future with the Padres perhaps in question, there has already been speculation that the two situations could be simultaneously resolved by Melvin leaving San Diego to take over the Giants’ dugout. Melvin is both from the Bay Area and is both a former Giants player (1986-88) and A’s manager (2011-21). It was during that stint in Oakland that Melvin worked with Farhan Zaidi, when the Giants’ current president of baseball operations was a member of the Athletics’ front office.
Melvin is under contract for the 2024 season, so the Padres would have to fire the skipper to allow him to change jobs. While there have been plenty of rumblings that Melvin might be replaced, the possibility that he might immediately join a division rival could complicate the situation for the Padres, and they might explore the possibility of some kind of trade if the Giants did have interest in hiring the veteran manager. A meeting of Padres officials is set to take place Monday, so some kind of resolution to Melvin’s status in San Diego could possibly be coming pretty quickly.
More from around the NL West…
- In other Giants news, the club placed Mitch Haniger on the 10-day injured list yesterday (retroactive to September 26) due to a lower back strain. The move will officially end Haniger’s season, a disappointing campaign that saw the outfielder hit .209/.266/.365 over 229 plate appearances. The limited playing time is certainly a factor, as Haniger played in only 61 games due to a right forearm fracture that cost him roughly 2.5 months of the season, as well as an oblique injury in Spring Training that delayed his 2023 debut until April 24. Signed to a three-year, $43.5MM free agent deal last winter, Haniger can only hope for much better health heading into his second year in San Francisco.
- Joe Musgrove hasn’t pitched since July 28 due to a bout of shoulder inflammation, as the Padres opted to shut Musgrove down rather than risk any further injury, as San Diego’s hopes of reaching the playoffs looked dim. Musgrove provided Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune with a health update, saying that his shoulder is feeling good and that he is making “a very easy, slow progression” towards his normal offseason throwing routine. In a pinch, Musgrove said he could have been able to pitch if the Friars had make the playoffs and reached the second round. However, the right-hander will now look to rebound after an injury-riddled 2023, as Musgrove was limited to 98 innings due to his shoulder issue and a broken toe suffered during Spring Training.
- X-rays were negative on Miguel Rojas‘ left hand after the Dodgers infielder was hit by a Sean Hjelle pitch on Friday. Rojas was removed from the game as a precaution, and manager Dave Roberts (speaking with Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters) feels Rojas will be okay, though he’ll undergo more testing today. The Dodgers’ first-round bye means that they won’t begin their postseason run until October 7, giving Rojas plenty of time to heal up.
NL Central Notes: Wainwright, Azolay, Hoerner, Duarte
Adam Wainwright‘s 200th career win (from seven innings of shutout ball against the Brewers on September 18) has been confirmed as the last pitching appearance of the right-hander’s outstanding career, but Wainwright stepped up to the plate one final time in yesterday’s 19-2 Cardinals loss to the Reds. With the game already out of hand by the sixth inning, Wainwright pinch-hit for DH Luken Baker, and grounded out to second to conclude the 847th plate appearance of his career.
There was a loose plan in place to give Wainwright at least one PA during the final series of his career, though with the Reds still alive in the playoff race, the Cardinals weren’t going to do anything to do impact the integrity of the game just for the sake of a ceremonial at-bat. However, the lopsided score Friday provided an opportunity for Wainwright to hit for what will likely be the final time, barring another blowout result in the next two games or if the Reds are officially eliminated from contention. Wainwright has a .194/.221/.293 slash line and 10 homers during his career.
More from the NL Central…
- The Cubs activated Adbert Alzolay from the 15-day injured list yesterday, as the closer was able to return a little less than three weeks after suffering a right forearm strain. Alzolay threw a scoreless inning of relief in Friday’s 4-3 extra-innings loss to the Brewers, which dropped Chicago 1.5 games behind the Marlins for the final NL wild card berth. The Cubs are now 6-14 in their last 20 games, and with several bullpen meltdowns contributing to that poor record, it isn’t a stretch to say that the loss of Alzolay (as well as a few other reliever injuries) might end up costing Chicago a playoff berth. The injury news got worse for the Cubs yesterday when second baseman Nico Hoerner had to make an early exit due to a bruised knee, after fouling a ball off the inside of his knee during a sixth-inning plate appearances. X-rays were negative on Hoerner, though it remains to be seen if he’ll be ready to play during a must-win game for the Cubs today.
- The Reds placed right-hander Daniel Duarte on the 15-day injured list yesterday (retroactive to September 28) due to tightness in his throwing shoulder. Righty Carson Spiers was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move. The injury will conclude Duarte’s rookie season with 31 2/3 innings and a 3.69 ERA working out of the Reds’ bullpen, though Duarte was perhaps fortunate to post such a respectable ERA given that his walks (20) almost matched his strikeout total (23). Duarte made his MLB debut with three games for Cincinnati in 2022 but spent most of the season on the injured list with elbow problems. He made it back for a full and relatively healthy season in advance of his new shoulder issue, and Duarte’s 31 2/3 frames came in between several options up and down from Triple-A.
Twins Release Dylan Floro
The Twins released right-hander Dylan Floro, according to the club’s official transactions page. Floro was designated for assignment earlier this week, and it isn’t yet known if the Twins just released Floro entirely, or if he rejected an outright assignment off Minnesota’s active roster.
Regardless, the outcome is the same for the veteran reliever, who will now hit free agency and look to turn the page on a disappointing 2023. Floro posted a 4.76 ERA over 56 2/3 innings with the Marlins and Twins, as a trade deadline move to Minnesota didn’t help the righty turn things around. Miami dealt Floro for another struggling pitcher in Jorge Lopez, and the Marlins have also since parted ways with their end of the trade, as Lopez was put on waivers and claimed by the Orioles at the start of September.
While Lopez’s overall numbers have been lackluster, Floro’s performance is harder to parse, as the 32-year-old has a case as one of the unluckier players of the 2023 season. Floro’s inflated ERA could simply be attributed to an enormous .401 BABIP, which is particularly lethal for a pitcher who relies so heavily on grounders — Floro has a 51.7% career groundball rate, including a 54.4% mark this year.
Playing for two lackluster defensive teams like Minnesota and Miami certainly didn’t help in this regard, and Floro’s defense-independent numbers (2.95 FIP, 3.29 xFIP, and a 3.34 SIERA) indicate that he deserved a much better fate. Floro’s 23.4% strikeout rate was middling, but his walk and hard-hit ball rates were both well above average, and his 2.9% barrel rate was one of the best of any pitcher in baseball. Floro only allowed three home runs over his 56 2/3 frames, continuing his career-long knack for keeping the ball in the park.
Between these metrics and the 2.96 ERA he posted over 252 2/3 innings from 2018-22, Floro will surely get plenty of looks in free agency, and he is one of the more intriguing bounce-back candidates on the open market. Since this obviously isn’t the platform season Floro wanted heading into free agency, it seems likely that he’ll aim for a one-year contract in the hopes of re-establishing himself for a bigger payday in the 2024-25 offseason. Floro’s relative lack of strikeouts might put something of a ceiling on his earning power even in the best of times, yet his solid track record (when he has even a modicum of batted-ball luck) is hard to ignore.