Cardinals Select Kyle Leahy
The Cardinals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Kyle Leahy, with left-hander Matthew Liberatore optioned in a corresponding move. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster after outfielder Óscar Mercado was designated for assignment earlier in the week.
Leahy, 26, cracks a big league roster for the first time and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. The righty was selected in the 17th round of the 2018 draft and worked primarily as a starter in the earlier portions of his professional career but has transitioned into more of a relief role of late.
He’s spent all of this year in Triple-A, tossing 51 innings over 28 outings, three of those being starts. He has a 4.06 ERA in that time, striking out 22.1% of batters faced against a 10% walk rate. He’ll now get to try his hand at getting outs at the major league level.
The option of Liberatore seems to open the door for lefty Steven Matz to return to the rotation, a possibility that was recently covered by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Matz had a rotation spot to begin the year but posted a 5.72 ERA through 10 starts and got moved to the bullpen. Since making the switch, he has a 2.81 ERA while Liberatore has posted a 6.75 for the year.
The Cards signed Matz to a four-year, $44MM deal going into 2022 but haven’t received much return on that investment yet. A shoulder impingement and a torn left MCL limited him to just 48 innings last year with a 5.25 ERA, which was followed by the aforementioned rough start here in 2023. But his recent work has been encouraging enough to get him back into the rotation.
The Cards have very little rotation certainty going forward as Adam Wainwright is set to retire after this year while each of Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty are impending free agents. That leaves Miles Mikolas and Matz as the core of next year’s rotation, with depth options like Liberatore and Dakota Hudson potentially in the mix. The club will undoubtedly pursue pitching at this year’s trade deadline and in the upcoming offseason but it would be a big help to them if Matz could get back on track in the second half of this year, with two seasons still remaining on that deal.
Red Sox Sign Jorge Alfaro To Major League Contract
The Red Sox have signed catcher Jorge Alfaro to a Major League deal, tweets Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. He’s already in the clubhouse and will be active for tonight’s game. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo adds that Caleb Hamilton has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Alfaro, 30, began the season in the Red Sox organization on a minor league deal and raked with their Triple-A club in Worcester, batting .320/.367/.520 but never receiving a call to the Majors before exercising an opt-out in his deal. He became a free agent and signed another minor league deal with the Rockies, who selected him to the Major League roster after just three Triple-A games.
Things didn’t go particularly well for Alfaro in Colorado. The veteran backstop appeared in 10 games, tallied 32 plate appearances and batted just .161/.188/.387 before being designated for assignment. The Rockies passed him through outright waivers, but as a player with five-plus years of service, Alfaro had the ability to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. The Rockies never publicly confirmed that outcome, but today’s news makes clear that’s precisely the route Alfaro took. He’ll now head straight to the Red Sox’ big league roster, supplanting Hamilton and pairing with Connor Wong behind the dish.
Formerly one of the top catching prospects in the sport, Alfaro has appeared in parts of eight seasons but hasn’t seen his on-field production line up with the fanfare he received prior to his debut. In 1690 plate appearances as a big leaguer, he’s a .254/.302/.396 hitter. Defensively, he’s never been regarded as a premier defender, which led the Marlins to try him in left field for a bit back in 2021. He’s primarily been a catcher and designated hitter in the minors this year, though the Sox did give him a pair of starts at first base as well.
Hamilton, 28, appeared in four games with the Sox but went hitless in six plate appearances. He was hitting .180/.285/.310 in 116 Triple-A plate appearances prior to his promotion to the big leagues and is a lifetime .206/.316/.377 hitter in parts of four seasons at that level. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Hamilton, pass him through outright waivers, or release him.
White Sox Place Joe Kelly On Injured List
The White Sox announced Thursday that reliever Joe Kelly has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow. The move is retroactive to July 5. Fellow righty Nick Padilla was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move, and the ChiSox also added right-hander Jimmy Lambert as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader.
Kelly’s injury comes with the trade deadline just under four weeks away and as his White Sox increasingly look like sellers. Chicago is seven and a half games out of first place in the AL Central, and while they’ve improved since an awful April, the gains haven’t been significant enough to position themselves as a strong contender. A healthy Kelly could well find himself on the trade market, but this move complicates any efforts to find a taker and, if he’s not back by Aug. 1, could keep him off the market entirely.
The 2023 season has been a mixed bag for Kelly. The right-hander owns an ugly 4.82 ERA in 28 innings out of Pedro Grifol’s bullpen, but his 30.8% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate, 12.7% swinging strike rate and huge 56.9% ground-ball rate are all far more appealing. Fielding-independent metrics like SIERA (2.90) and FIP (3.22) feel Kelly’s performance has been far better than his baseline run-prevention numbers would suggest.
Kelly is playing out the second season of a two-year, $17MM contract, so he’s not exactly a bargain even at full strength and peak effectiveness. That contract carries a club option with a net $8.5MM price, which seems unlikely to be exercised at this point given Kelly’s ERA and now a pair of trips to the injured list. (The other was in April due to a groin strain.) He has enough track record that a quick return from the IL and strong finish to the season could change that outlook, however.
For the time being, with Kelly joining Liam Hendriks on the shelf, the White Sox will lean more heavily on the quartet of Kendall Graveman, Keynan Middleton, Reynaldo Lopez and Aaron Bummer in late-inning situations.
Mariners Designate Tommy Milone For Assignment
The Mariners are calling up right-hander Isaiah Campbell, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, with left-hander Tommy Milone designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Campbell is already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Milone, 36, was selected to the club’s roster just yesterday and plugged in for a spot start to cover for the injured Bryce Miller. Milone was able to toss 4 1/3 solid innings, allowing four hits and four walks but just two runs, only one of which was earned.
Even before Milone took the hill, it seemed possible that this would be a one-and-done start. Miller’s injury doesn’t appear to be of the long-term variety, as it’s just a blister. With the All-Star break coming up, the club can survive with their four regular starters of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo until then. After the break, that group should be rejoined by Miller, assuming that his blister is in better condition after two weeks of rest.
Milone was a regular starter earlier in his career, but this is the type of role he’s served in recent years. Since the end of 2019, he’s played for Baltimore, Atlanta, Toronto and Seattle, making fewer than 10 appearances and logging less than 40 innings in each season from 2020 to the present. This is the second time this year that the M’s have called on his services and promptly cut him from the roster immediately after. They will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment but is clearly comfortable with the organization and already chose to stay when he cleared waivers in April.
As for Campbell, 25, he has the rare distinction among major leaguers of being born in Portugal. According to Baseball Reference, the only other MLB player in that category was Frank Thompson, who played 12 big league games way back in 1875.
Campbell went to high school in Kansas and then attended the University of Arkansas. The Mariners selected him with the 76th overall pick in the 2019 draft. The minor league seasons were canceled by the pandemic in 2020, delaying his professional debut until 2021. He spent that year in High-A, tossing 19 1/3 innings with a 2.33 ERA. Last year, he split his time between High-A and Double-A, throwing 46 innings between those two levels with a tiny 1.57 ERA, striking out 33% of hitters while walking just 6.7%.
That performance was strong enough for the Mariners to add him to their 40-man roster in November, preventing him from being selected in last year’s Rule 5 draft. This year, he has a 2.63 ERA in 24 Double-A innings with a 28.4% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate. He was recently ranked the club’s #21 prospect at FanGraphs and #16 at MLB Pipeline.
Red Sox Have Multiple Infield Decisions Looming
The Red Sox are planning to reinstate Yu Chang from the injured list and install him as their starting shortstop within the next couple of days, but that’s only the first of several decisions regarding their infield mix. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com outlines the situation neatly, noting that there are ostensibly three roster spots for four infielders: Chang, Christian Arroyo, Enrique Hernandez and Pablo Reyes.
Like Chang, Reyes is expected to be activated from the injured list before long. Based on overall track record — he’s a career .250/.312/.361 hitter — the 29-year-old would seem to be the odd man out. Reyes is hitting .303/.338/.364 so far this season, however, and while it’s only come in a sample of 72 plate appearances, that’s still better output than the rest of the group. Arroyo is batting .243/.278/.375 in 163 plate appearances, while Hernandez has struggled immensely this year with a .225/.282/.333 slash in 291 plate appearances. Each of Arroyo, Chang and Reyes is out of minor league options, while Hernandez cannot be optioned by virtue of his Major League service time.
Further muddying the infield mix, manager Alex Cora told the team’s beat last night that Justin Turner could begin mixing in at second base soon (Twitter link via Ian Browne of MLB.com). The 38-year-old has just nine innings at second base since 2015, eight of which came earlier this season. He hasn’t started a game at second in eight years, but he’s been one of Boston’s best hitters (.282/.354/.461), and Cora voiced a desire to maximize the offensive potential for a club that has averaged fewer than two runs per game during a 5-8 slump over the past 13 games. It seems unlikely that the Red Sox would install Turner at second base on a full-time basis, given his age and lack of recent experience there, but even occasional reps at the position will cut into opportunities for Arroyo, Hernandez and others.
Looming further in the distance is the return of shortstop Trevor Story, who could begin a minor league rehab assignment following the All-Star break, per Cora (Twitter link via Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald). While Story has previously spoken about the possibility of returning as a DH in July before moving to shortstop in August, it seems that won’t happen. Cora indicated that when Story returns, it’ll be as a shortstop. That’s still a ways down the road, but it’d likely push Chang either into a utility role or, depending on the outcome of the upcoming roster decisions, perhaps into a more frequent role at second base.
Health and performance leading up to the returns of Chang, Reyes and Story can certainly impact the eventual roster management, but even independent of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the Red Sox will have a handful of roster decisions to make in the relatively near future.
Reds Designate Ricky Karcher For Assignment
The Reds announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Ricky Karcher for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-hander Tony Santillan, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Righty Brett Kennedy was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to open a spot for Santillan on the active roster.
Karcher, 25, made his big league debut last month when he worked a scoreless inning out of the Cincinnati bullpen. The former 13th-round pick has struggled for the majority of the season in Triple-A Louisville, however, pitching to a dismal 7.18 ERA with more walks (44) than strikeouts (36) in 31 1/3 innings. He’s never had many problems missing bats, but command issues have plagued him throughout his career, evidenced by his 172 walks (and 225 strikeouts) in 174 1/3 total innings as a professional.
The Reds will have a week to trade Karcher or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He’s in the first of three minor league option seasons and can reach triple digits with his heater, in addition to a slider that grades as an above-average offering, but his location issues are an obvious red flag for other clubs.
Santillan, 26, has yet to pitch in 2023 due to a pair of injuries. Lower back issues derailed his 2022 season, and he was eventually diagnosed with a stress fracture. While still rehabbing his back earlier this season, Santillan was shut down after incurring a knee strain.
In 2021, Santillan looked like an intriguing long-term piece in the bullpen, pitching 43 1/3 innings of 2.91 ERA ball with a 29.5% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate as a rookie. The previously mentioned back issues limited him to just 19 1/3 innings last year, however, and he was hit hard during that time. While Santillan saw his velocity tick up to an average of 96.3 mph, he was also torched for a 5.49 ERA with a greatly reduced 21.9% strikeout rate and even higher 12.5% walk rate. Santillan was a starter earlier in his minor league career, and the Reds are in need of rotation help, but he’s been working in short relief during his rehab assignment and figures to once again occupy a bullpen spot moving forward.
Dodgers Outright Ricky Vanasco
Dodgers right-hander Ricky Vanasco cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Double-A Tulsa, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. The log technically indicates that he was outrighted to Triple-A, but Vanasco is listed as active on the team’s Tulsa roster rather than their OKC roster. Whichever affiliate Vanasco lands with, the broader takeaway is that he’ll remain in the organization following his recent DFA but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.
Vanasco, 24, has spent the vast majority of his career in the Rangers organization, but the Dodgers acquired him on June 1 after Texas had designated the former 15th-round pick for assignment. Once regarded as one of the more promising pitchers in the Rangers system, his career has been slowed by repeated health troubles. Vanasco posted an outstanding 1.81 ERA in 11 starts back in 2019 but didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and has spent the majority of the 2023 campaign on the shelf as well.
So far in 2023, Vanasco has tossed just 4 1/3 innings, yielding six hits and four walks while also plunking a pair of hitters. All 12 of the batters he’s allowed have come around to score, although only eight have been earned runs. The 2022 season was the lone campaign in which he’s been healthy; he pitched 92 1/3 innings of 4.68 ERA ball with a hefty 28.9% strikeout rate but also a concerning 12.7% walk rate.
Vanasco has yet to pitch at the Triple-A level, and it seems he’ll head back to Double-A Tulsa and continue building up there. The Dodgers have had one of the game’s better pitching pipelines in recent years, and they’ll hope to add Vanasco as another success story for their player development group.
The Opener: Ruiz, Graterol, Astros, Mariners
With the beginning of All-Star festivities just around the corner, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:
1. Ruiz to undergo testing:
A’s outfielder Esteury Ruiz injured his throwing shoulder while diving back towards first base during yesterday’s win over the Tigers, manager Mark Kotsay told reporters, including Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Ruiz will undergo x-rays and potentially an MRI today. The 24-year-old rookie, who was shipped to Milwaukee from the Padres in the Josh Hader trade at the deadline last year before joining Oakland in the three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, has had an unusual season as the club’s starting center fielder. Ruiz owns a slash line of just .257/.310/.329 across 369 plate appearances this season, good for a wRC+ of just 85.
While that performance at the plate certainly leaves something to be desired, it’s been paired with solid defense in center field and a whopping 43 stolen bases, a figure that leads the majors. With fellow outfielder Ramon Laureano already on the injured list himself, outfielder JJ Bleday seems likely to slide over to center if Ruiz misses time, opening up more starts for Brent Rooker and Seth Brown in the outfield corners.
2. Dodgers to make IL decision on Graterol:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) that right-hander Brusdar Graterol has been dealing with an arm issue that’s caused him to be unavailable for the past two days. Trips to the injured list can be backdated a maximum of three days, so it’s hardly shocking that Roberts indicated a decision on whether Graterol will require an IL stint for the issue will be made prior to tonight’s game against the Pirates.
Graterol, 24, is among the few bright spots in the Dodgers’ bullpen this season. The hard-throwing righty sports an ERA of just 1.95 with a 3.10 FIP in 37 innings of work. Alongside closer Evan Phillips and left-hander Caleb Ferguson, Graterol creates the backbone of a Dodgers bullpen that has struggled outside of its core, resulting in collective 4.47 ERA that ranks seventh-worst in the majors. Should Graterol miss time, lefties Alex Vesia, Justin Bruihl, and Victor Gonzalez are all on the 40-man roster at the Triple-A level, as is righty Nick Robertson.
3. Series Preview: Astros vs. Mariners
A series to watch begins in Houston this evening, as the Astros take on the Mariners. The Astros haven’t looked like the same dominant team that stormed to their second World Series championship in six seasons last October, sporting a 49-38 record that puts them in second place in the AL West. Similarly, the Mariners have slipped since ending MLB’s longest active postseason drought last year, with a record of just 42-43 in 2023.
The four-game set, which kicks off 7:10pm CT this evening, could have significant implications for both clubs going forward. The Astros are just two games behind the Rangers for the division crown after going 8-2 over their last ten games. With Texas facing a 34-52 Nationals squad in their final series before the All-Star break, Houston will likely need a strong series to stay on their heels. Meanwhile, the Mariners are one of several preseason playoff contenders who have struggled to this point in the 2023 campaign. A particularly strong or weak showing during this series from Seattle could impact their front office’s decision-making ahead of the trade deadline on August 1.
The Mariners will send George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert to the mound. Houston, meanwhile, has tonight’s starter listed as TBD, with a trio of Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Brandon Bielak to follow. Chandler Rome of The Athletic tweets that Cristian Javier will not start a game during the team’s final series before the break.
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MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Free Agent Power Rankings and Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers
The latest episode 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 Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:
- Free Agent Power Rankings: June Edition (1:30)
- Upcoming list of top trade candidates (18:20)
- Royals trade Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers (19:15)
- Padres Chairman Peter Seidler on deadline approach (22:25)
- Brewers GM Matt Arnold on deadline approach (25:35)
Check out our past episodes!
- The Angels Trade for Infielders, Indecisive NL Central Teams and Aaron Judge’s Toe – listen here
- Exciting Youth Movements in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Bad Central Divisions and the Dodgers Want Pitching – listen here
- Marcus Stroman Lobbies for Extension, Mets’ Woes and Astros Seeking Bats – listen here