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Brewers Acquire Bennett Sousa

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The Brewers have acquired left-hander Bennett Sousa from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations and international bonus pool space.  Both teams have announced the trade.  Milwaukee placed Aaron Ashby (who could miss the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery) on the 60-day injured list in order to create 40-man roster space.

The trade adds to a busy week for Sousa, who was designated for assignment by Cincinnati on Wednesday and then celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday.  It also marks the second time in less than two months that Sousa will be changing teams, as the Reds just claimed him off DFA waivers from the White Sox back in February.

Sousa made his MLB debut last season, posting an 8.41 ERA over 20 1/3 relief innings for Chicago.  With only a 12.5% strikeout rate and an inflated 10.4% walk rate to go along with the rough ERA, there wasn’t a lot to like about Sousa’s first stint in the majors, apart from perhaps a 49.3% grounder rate.  Sousa’s ability to keep the ball on the ground has fluctuated over his five minor league seasons, but his overall grounder is over the 50 percent threshold.

He also showed a lot more aptitude for strikeouts in the minors, including a 32.24% strikeout rate over 50 1/3 Triple-A innings.  Control has been a bit more of an issue for Sousa since returning from the canceled 2020 minor league season, yet there’s enough in his skillset that it isn’t surprising why a team with a 40-man roster spot to spare might have interest.  The Brewers have had a lot of success with unheralded relief pitchers in recent years, so they might see some untapped potential in Sousa.

Mariners Place Andres Munoz On 15-Day IL, Select J.B. Bukauskas

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The Mariners announced five roster moves today, including the news that right-hander Andres Munoz has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 8) with a right deltoid strain.  Seattle also placed first baseman Evan White on the 60-day IL with a left adductor strain, since it was known White would be out of action for the next two months.  Right-handers Justin Topa and J.B. Bukauskas are up from Triple-A, and in Bukauskas’ case, the Mariners selected his contract.  Matt Festa was optioned to Triple-A to create further space.

Coming off a dominant 2022 campaign, Munoz hasn’t allowed a run in 3 1/3 innings of work so far this season, though his strikeout rate has declined to only 20 percent.  Manager Scott Servais told reporters (including The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and The Athletic’s Corey Brock) that imaging didn’t reveal any structural problems for Munoz, though he has been feeling pain in the back of his shoulder and he has had trouble recovering after outings.  Likely related to this issue, the Mariners haven’t used Munoz on back-to-back days yet.

Munoz didn’t have quite a normal Spring Training, as the team took a slower progression to his ramp-up work as a nod to Munoz’s recovery from offseason foot surgery.  It could be that Munoz just needs a little more time to properly build his arm strength, and the IL placement seems somewhat precautionary in nature.  “We’re playing the long game,” Servais said, referring to the Mariners’ hope that this IL stint gets Munoz on track for the remainder of the season.

Seattle didn’t enter the season with a true closer, as while Paul Sewald got the bulk of save chances in 2022 and was expected for more or less the same this year, the M’s were taking a more situational approach to their late-game situations.  Munoz was seen as a candidate to perhaps eventually become the first-choice closer, or the Mariners could have simply continued to use him when needed in any sort of high-leverage scenario.  Servais said that Matt Brash will now get more usage in Munoz’s role with the righty out of action.

Bukauskas was claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks in January, and then designated for assignment and outrighted off of Seattle’s 40-man roster.  His only other MLB action came in 2021, when he posted a 7.79 ERA over 17 1/3 innings for Arizona.  A former top-100 prospect during his time in the Astros farm system, Bukauskas has posted some interesting numbers since becoming a full-time relief pitcher the minors, and the move to the bullpen looks to have solved the control problems that began to emerge for Bukauskas as a starter.  He’ll now get another crack at the majors as part of the Mariners’ bullpen shuffle.

California Notes: Walsh, Padres, Dahl, Engel, Cruz, Morejon, Pomeranz, A’s, Blackburn, Rucinski

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Jared Walsh has yet to suit up for the Angels this season, as he has been on the 10-day injured list recovering from insomnia and recurring headaches.  Manager Phil Nevin provided media (including MLB.com and J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group) with an update on Walsh’s condition, saying that “He’s doing okay.  He feels like he’s making a lot of progress, getting some clarity on what’s going on.”  The recovery process has included a two-week stint with a specialist in Utah, which has limited Walsh’s baseball-related training activity mostly to weekends with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City.

Owing to the unpredictable nature of his problem, there isn’t yet a timeline for Walsh’s return, as Nevin noted that the first baseman will need some level of a rehab assignment or a ramp-up period before he gets onto the field.  Walsh was already making a comeback from an injury-hampered 2022 season, as he struggled to a .215/.264/.374 slash line in 454 plate appearances before undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in September.

More from the Golden State’s teams…

  • Padres outfielder David Dahl suffered a quad injury during a sprinting drill, manager Bob Melvin told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and other reporters.  The injured list might be necessary for Dahl, which would further thin the Padres outfield situation since Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t yet eligible for reinstatement and Adam Engel has yet to play this season due to a hamstring strain.  Engel’s timeline isn’t yet clear, but he is participating in games at extended Spring Training to make up for time lost due to both his hamstring and a calf injury during Cactus League play.  Melvin suggested that Nelson Cruz might be an option for the Padres in the outfield, even though Cruz has been a virtual DH-only player (apart from one game at first base with the Rays in 2021) for the last four seasons.
  • In other Padres injury updates, Adrian Morejon is on the 60-day IL with an elbow sprain, but he played his first game of catch Friday in almost a month.  Drew Pomeranz threw a live batting practice session on Saturday as the reliever works his way back from flexor tendon surgery in August 2021.  San Diego played Pomeranz on the 15-day IL to begin the season after he had some elbow inflammation during spring work.
  • Athletics right-handers Paul Blackburn and Drew Rucinski are expected to begin Triple-A rehab assignments this week, according to MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos (Twitter links) and other reporters.  Blackburn already had a rehab outing in A-ball on Friday, and his planned Triple-A start on Tuesday will increase his workload to three innings or 45 pitches.  Rucinski came out of a 40-pitch side session on Saturday in good condition, so he is also expected for a three-inning/45-pitch outing with Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.  Blackburn (fingernail avulsion) and Rucinski (hamstring strain) each began the season on the 15-day IL, and are on track to enter Oakland’s rotation when healthy.

Marlins Select Devin Smeltzer, Designate Eli Villalobos

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The Marlins selected the contract of left-hander Devin Smeltzer, according to the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson (Twitter link).  In corresponding moves, lefty Daniel Castano was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Eli Villalobos was designated for assignment.

Smeltzer signed a minor league deal with the Marlins back in January, and the southpaw will now lock in a $1MM guaranteed salary for making the team’s Major League roster.  Once he appears in a game with Miami, it will mark Smeltzer’s fifth season in the big leagues, after spending his first four years with the Twins.  With a 3.99 ERA over 140 career innings, Smeltzer’s bottom-line results have been solid, even if advanced metrics haven’t been sold on his low-velocity and low-strikeout repertoire.

The left-hander has only a 16.6% strikeout rate at the MLB level, but he has shown solid control with a 6.4% walk rate.  Working as both a starter and a reliever, Smeltzer was a useful swingman for the Twins, and started 12 of his 15 appearances last season.  With Johnny Cueto on the 15-day injured list, Braxton Garrett has been filling in as part of Miami’s rotation, so Smeltzer could provide more starting depth.

The Marlins added Villalobos to their 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, protecting the 25-year-old from any teams intrigued by his impressive minor league numbers.  Over 61 1/3 innings at Double-A and 17 1/3 innings at Triple-A in 2022, Villalobos had a combined 2.86 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate, and 9.4% walk rate.  Unfortunately, things haven’t gone nearly as smoothly for the righty this season, as Villalobos was rocked for an 11.57 ERA in 4 2/3 innings at Triple-A, with two homers allowed and as many walks (seven) as strikeouts.  These numbers might dissuade teams from making a waiver claim, but it’s possible a club might still be intrigued by Villalobos’ ability to miss bats.

Braves Place Travis D’Arnaud On Seven-Day Concussion IL

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TODAY: The Braves officially announced d’Arnaud’s IL placement.  Tromp was called up from Triple-A.

APRIL 8: Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud will go on the seven-day concussion IL, manager Brian Snitker told reporters including Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. D’Arnaud was involved in a collision at home plate during the Braves match with the Padres tonight. He was removed from the game.

D’Arnaud has made a hot start to the season, slashing .355/.355/.452 with eleven hits over 31 plate appearances. Despite a putting up his best campaign to date last year and earning a trip to the All Star game, there was some speculation that the Braves may move on from D’Arnaud after they acquired Sean Murphy from Oakland. The team opted to hang on to d’Arnaud and his $8MM salary, instead preferring to slip catching duties between the pair and rotate them through the DH spot. So far, d’Arnaud has made three appearances at catcher and four at designated hitter.

Presumably Murphy will now handle an even greater majority of the catching duties while d’Arnaud is sidelined. The team hasn’t announced who it’ll likely turn to as a back up for Murphy, but they have Joe Hudson and Chadwick Tromp at Triple-A.

Orioles Reinstate James McCann From 10-Day Injured List

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James McCann is set to make his Orioles debut, as the catcher has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.  The O’s announced that outfielder Kyle Stowers was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

McCann suffered an oblique strain fairly late in Spring Training, as he played his last Grapefruit League game on March 20.  Beginning just as soreness in his left side, the issue was announced as a strain when McCann was placed on the 10-day IL just prior to Opening Day.  Fortunately for McCann and the Orioles, the injury appears to have been pretty minor in nature, as opposed to a more lingering oblique problem — McCann suffered such an injury himself just last season that kept him out of action for almost a full month of the 2022 campaign.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of McCann’s activation is the player going the other way.  Stowers hasn’t seen much playing time in the early going, starting only one of the Orioles’ eight games and making six plate appearances over three total games.  While a move to Triple-A seems logical to get Stowers more regular at-bats, Baltimore now has something of a short bench, and three catchers on their active roster.

Adley Rutschman will naturally continue to get the bulk of time behind the plate, with McCann and Anthony Bemboom are splitting backup duties for now.  The DH spot is available to give Rutschman a partial rest day while maintaining his everyday spot in the lineup, and McCann has some past experience as a first baseman if the O’s want to get a little creative.  Also, Bemboom is out of minor league options and can’t be sent to Triple-A without first being designated for assignment, so the Orioles might not yet want to expose him to the waiver wire.  Dan Connolly of The Athletic believes that the Orioles’ decision could be related to a string of left-handed starters coming up on the schedule, since Bemboom can act in a more regular backup catcher role while both Rutschman and the right-handed hitting McCann are in the starting lineup.

The Orioles acquired McCann in a trade with the Mets in December, with Baltimore responsible for just $5MM of the $24MM owed to the veteran catcher over the 2023-24 seasons.  McCann signed a four-year, $40.6MM free agent deal with New York during the 2020-21 offseason, but struggled to only a .220/.282/.328 slash line over 603 PA and 182 games over the first two years of that contract.  Injuries played a particular role in McCann’s underwhelming 2022 season, as beyond his oblique problem, he also missed time due to hamate bone surgery.

Zach Davies Leaves Diamondbacks Game With Strained Left Oblique

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Zach Davies left the Diamondbacks game against the Dodgers with a strained left oblique, the team announced. Davies pitched 4 1/3 innings (86 pitches), giving up four earned runs on five hits and four walks. While it’s too early to know the severity of the strain, obliques are always reason for concern and often require multiple weeks, and even months, on the sideline.

This was Davies’ second start of the year after re-signing on a one-year, $5MM deal with the Diamondbacks. In his first, he threw five innings of one run ball, giving up four hits and recording four strikeouts. Last year, Davies tossed 134 1/3 innings of 4.09 ERA ball over 27 starts for the Snakes.

The former Brewer, Padres and Cub has had a solid career in the bigs, providing useful back-of-the-rotation innings. All told, he owns a 4.12 ERA over 183 big league starts. His best year came in the shortened 2020 season with San Diego, when Davies worked to a 2.73 ERA across 12 starts.

This could open the door for the Diamondbacks to hand top pitching prospect Brandon Pfaadt a big league debut. Pfaadt is off to a rough start at Triple-A, giving up five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his only start, but he worked to a 2.63 ERA in ten starts there last year. The 24-year-old ranked fourth on Keith Law’s prospect rankings in The Athletic (38th in all of baseball), with Law describing him as “at least a mid-rotation starter”.

Tommy Henry is also at Triple-A and made nine starts for the Diamondbacks last season, and despite those starts going for a 5.36 ERA he could be an option if the team thinks Pfaadt needs more time to develop. They could also turn to former first round picks Blake Walston and Slade Cecconi as options to get their first taste of the big leagues.

Pitching Notes: Red Sox, Kahnle, Lorenzen

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The Red Sox are on the verge of a boost to their rotation, with starters Brayan Bello and Garrett Whitlock set to return. Whitlock will be the first, with Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe reporting that Whitlock will pitch Tuesday against the Rays.

Whitlock has been taking a little extra time to prepare for the season following hip surgery in September. While he’s excelled mostly as a reliever for Boston, the team came into the year planning to use him as a starter and it appears they’re not deviating from that. Whitlock owns a 2.24 ERA in 112 2/3 relief innings, and a 4.15 ERA in nine starts and 39 innings over his two big league seasons.

It’s unclear yet who will drop out of the rotation, although Kutter Crawford’s spot would appear most at risk. Boston doesn’t get a day off until April 27, so the boost to their struggling rotation is timely. Whitlock’s return could be closely followed by that of Bello. The youngster is scheduled to make another rehab start on Tuesday, with the hope being he’ll go for six innings. As Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe notes, manager Alex Cora wouldn’t commit to him coming of the IL after that, but if he goes that sort of length without any issues then a return can’t be far away.

Bello, 23, worked to a 4.71 ERA over 57 1/3 innings last year. It was a promising rookie season for Bello, and underlying numbers such as FIP (2.94) looked a lot more favorably on his work. Bello had been dealing with forearm tightness during spring training, forcing his delayed start to the season. Like Whitlock, he figures to be a key part of any success Boston’s rotation might have this year.

Here’s some more from around the game:

  • Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle was transferred to the 60-day IL today, meaning the earliest he’ll return will be the end of May. That’s a significant blow for a banged up Yankees bullpen that also lost Jonathan Loaisiga to the IL today. Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, manager Aaron Boone did not consider Kahnle to have suffered a setback as a reason for the move to the 60-day, but instead that they just anticipated he’d have a longer buildup. Boone added that he could see Kahnle appearing in minor league rehab games in early May. Kahnle re-joined the Yankees this winter on a two-year, $11.5MM deal.
  • The Tiger announced (Twitter) a series of medical updates, including that right-hander Michael Lorenzen is scheduled to make a rehab start Triple-A today. Lorenzen did indeed make that start, going 2 1/3 innings (56 pitches) and giving up four earned runs. Lorenzen is returning from a left groin strain. The team also announced that right-hander Beau Brieske continues to receive further medical evaluation on his right upper arm discomfort. Meanwhile, starter Casey Mize is playing catch three times a week and Tarik Skubal is playing catch six times weekly.

Diamondbacks Place Kyle Lewis On IL, Recall Pavin Smith

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The Diamondbacks announced they’ve placed outfielder Kyle Lewis on the 10-day injured list due to an illness. The team added that they’ve recalled Pavin Smith from Triple-A Reno.

Lewis, acquired from the Mariners this winter, had scuffled to start the season, going 3-for-18 with a single home run. That’s been the story of his career since winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2020. Since then, Lewis has hit just .211/.291/.368 across 227 plate appearances, a far cry from the .262/.364/.437 line he put up in 2020 on the way to his Rookie of the Year award.

Arizona acquired the 27-year-old in exchange for Cooper Hummell this winter hoping that a change of scenery would help, and while it’s certainly far too early to write off Lewis yet, it’s hardly the ideal start to his time with the Snakes.

Now, the Diamondbacks will turn to Smith, a 27-year-old first baseman/outfielder who was initially competing with Lewis for a spot on Arizona’s active roster. Smith, the seventh overall pick in 2017, debuted with Arizona in 2020, and has compiled a .253/.320/.392 line with 21 home runs over 866 plate appearances since then. The bulk of that came in 2020-21, as Smith took a step back in 2022 hitting just .220/.300/.367.

It’s unclear how long the Diamondbacks expect to be without Lewis, but Smith will now have a chance to cement a spot on their bench.

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