Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Diamondbacks Select Wilmer Difo, Designate Noe Ramirez

By | at

The Diamondbacks announced they’ve selected infielder Wilmer Difo onto the big league roster. They’ve also reinstated relievers Keynan Middleton and Kyle Nelson from the 15-day injured list. To create space on the active and 40-man rosters, Arizona designated right-hander Noé Ramirez for assignment.

Difo gets his first MLB crack of the year, reaching the big leagues for what’ll be an eighth straight season. A switch-hitting middle infielder, Difo has decent contact skills but doesn’t offer much in the way of power production. He’s a .251/.313/.355 hitter in exactly 1300 MLB plate appearances split between the Nationals and Pirates, with the vast majority of that time coming in Washington. Difo has ample experience all throughout the infield, and he’s generally rated well in the eyes of public defensive metrics as a shortstop.

It’s been a similar story in Triple-A Reno this year. The 30-year-old has logged plenty of action at shortstop and third base, and he’s compiled a .269/.311/.398 line over 306 trips to the plate. Difo has struck out in just 13.4% of his plate appearances, but his lack of extra-base impact has been glaring in one of the more hitter-friendly environments in affiliated ball. He’ll nevertheless get a look on the strength of his glove, offering manager Torey Lovullo a defensive specialist off the bench for the stretch run. Difo will be arbitration-eligible this winter and could be kept around for next season, although he’s a likelier non-tender candidate given his journeyman status and below-average offensive showing in Triple-A.

Nelson and Middleton have each missed over a month dealing with injuries: back spasms for Nelson, an ankle strain for Middleton. The former has made 38 appearances during his first season in the desert, working to a sparkling 1.57 ERA in 34 1/3 innings but only striking out 20.5% of opponents. The latter has only pitched 12 times, pitching to a 1.64 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate in 11 frames.

With Nelson and Middleton returning to the bullpen, the D-Backs had to cut one of their incumbent pitchers. (Teams must devote one of the two extra roster spots in September to a position player). The veteran Ramirez finds himself as the odd man out after posting a lackluster 5.22 ERA through 50 innings. Ramirez has punched out 23.7% of batters faced on a solid 11.8% swinging strike percentage, but he’s also walked batters at an alarming 12.1% clip.

The 32-year-old Ramirez spent most of last season in Arizona as well. He signed a minor league deal after being released by the Angels and made the big league roster in June. Ramirez impressed enough down the stretch the D-Backs agreed to bring him back on a $1.25MM salary. They weren’t prepared to do so again this winter, and they’ll now place him on waivers in the next couple days.

If no other team wants to assume the remaining $240K on his contract, Ramirez is likely to head to the open market. He has more than five years of major league service time, giving him the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency while still collecting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.

Cubs Select Jeremiah Estrada

By | at

The Cubs announced a series of transactions as part of the expansion of active rosters from 26 to 28 players. Infielder David Bote was recalled from Triple-A Iowa, while pitchers Justin Steele and Adrian Sampson were reinstated from the restricted list after missing the team’s series in Toronto. Jeremiah Estrada and Brendon Little had each been brought up as temporary substitutes for that series.

Little has been returned to the minor leagues and will not occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, but Chicago is keeping Estrada with the big league club. His contract has been formally selected, and he now occupies a permanent 40-man spot. To create room on the roster, the Cubs transferred starter Wade Miley from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Estrada, 23, made his first MLB appearance on Tuesday, tossing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. He struck out two while averaging a blistering 98.1 MPH on his fastball. The right-hander has had a strong season in the minors, working 48 1/3 frames across three levels. He has a cumulative 1.30 ERA with a massive 40.4% strikeout percentage, although his 10.4% walk rate is a bit worrisome. The former sixth-round pick clearly has high-octane stuff and has shown himself capable of missing bats in the minors, and he’ll now get a month to audition for a spot in next year’s season-opening bullpen.

Miley’s transfer is a formality that won’t affect his recovery window. Out since mid-June with a shoulder strain, he’s already spent more than 60 days on the injured list and will be eligible for reinstatement when he’s ready. An impending free agent, Miley has maintained he plans to make it back to the majors this season to showcase his form before he hits the open market. The club hopes he can begin a minor league rehab assignment this week, tweets Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Giants Select Lewis Brinson, Outright Jonathan Bermudez

By | at

The Giants announced they’ve selected outfielder Lewis Brinson onto the major league roster. Brinson, who was acquired from the Astros for cash considerations in a minor league trade this morning, will step right into the big leagues as a September call-up. In a corresponding move, San Francisco sent left-hander Jonathan Bermudez outright to Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants hadn’t previously announced that Bermudez had been designated for assignment, but he’s apparently already cleared waivers and no longer occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.

It was a short stay on the 40-man for Bermudez, who was just claimed off waivers from Houston a week ago. The left-hander has yet to throw a pitch in the San Francisco organization. Added to Houston’s 40-man roster last offseason to prevent him from being taken in the Rule 5 draft, Bermudez has had a disappointing year in Triple-A. The 26-year-old started 14 of his 19 games with the Astros top affiliate in Sugar Land, but he only managed an 8.96 ERA through 67 1/3 frames. He surrendered a staggering 16 home runs in that time (2.14 HR/9) while only striking out 20% of batters faced.

The season obviously hasn’t been kind to Bermudez, but he’d posted huge strikeout numbers up through the Triple-A level coming into this year. He’ll remain in the organization, with San Francisco’s player development staff having an opportunity to help him get back on track. Bermudez will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if he’s not added back onto the 40-man roster by the start of the offseason, but it seems unlikely he’d be selected after this year’s rough showing barring a major bounceback this month.

San Francisco announced that reliever Andrew Vasquez has likewise gone unclaimed on waivers. Designated for assignment yesterday, Vasquez has also been outrighted to Sacramento. Unlike Bermudez, he’ll have the right to refuse that assignment and test free agency as a player who has previously cleared outright waivers in his career. Vasquez has been a part of the Blue Jays, Phillies and Giants organizations this season, but he’s only appeared in nine MLB games (all with Toronto). The left-hander has had an excellent year in the minors, working to a cumulative 1.86 ERA over 19 1/3 innings, mostly at Triple-A.

Rangers Select Jesus Tinoco

By | at

The Rangers announced they’ve selected reliever Jesús Tinoco onto the major league roster. Outfielder Nick Solak has also been recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to take the two active roster spots created by September expansion. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, Texas transferred righty Josh Sborz from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Tinoco signed a minor league deal with Texas over the offseason. The hard-throwing righty has spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A, although he did join the MLB club as a temporary replacement while they navigated some COVID-19 issues in June. He appeared in five games, working 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball while averaging 96.4 MPH on his fastball, before heading back to Round Rock. That brief showing marked his fourth consecutive year logging some MLB action. Previously a Rockie and Marlin, Tinoco owns a 4.88 ERA over 51 2/3 career innings.

The 27-year-old has yet to establish himself in a big league bullpen, but he’s had a strong 2022 campaign in the minors. Through 44 Triple-A frames, he owns a 3.27 ERA in a hitter-friendly league. He’s backed up that run prevention with an above-average 28.5% strikeout rate and an elite 58.7% ground-ball percentage. Tinoco will now get another opportunity to try to carry that over against big league hitters as he looks to stake a claim to a spot in next year’s bullpen. He’s out of minor league option years, however, so the Rangers have to keep him in the majors or expose him to waivers now that he’s earned a 40-man spot.

Solak has bounced on and off the MLB roster on a couple occasions this year. A former well-regarded hitting prospect, he hasn’t managed to find much in the way of consistent success against big league arms. Since a strong 2019 rookie season in limited action, Solak has posted below-average numbers at the plate. He’s also fallen down the defensive spectrum, moving to the corner outfield after struggling as a second baseman. Those issues on both sides of the ball have kept the 27-year-old primarily in Triple-A this season, but he’s responded to the demotion well to earn another look. Through 259 plate appearances with the Express, Solak is hitting .278/.371/.489 with ten home runs and a robust 11.6% walk rate.

Sborz just landed on the IL a couple days ago with an elbow sprain. He’s now officially shut down for the season. He’ll finish the campaign with a 6.45 ERA over 22 1/3 innings of relief, although he did strike out an excellent 32% of batters faced.

Guardians Designate Anthony Castro For Assignment, Activate Cody Morris

By | at

The Guardians have designated right-hander Anthony Castro for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for fellow righty Cody Morris, who’s been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, MLB.com’s Mandy Bell tweets. Infielder Ernie Clement has also been recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

Castro, 27, was acquired in the Opening Day swap that sent outfielder Bradley Zimmer to Toronto. He appeared in a dozen games with Cleveland and posted a 7.43 ERA with a 12-to-10 K/BB ratio in 13 1/3 innings of relief. Castro averaged 95.2 mph on his heater and induced grounders at a 51.2% clip — both solid marks — but the bottom-line results and shaky command clearly weren’t encouraging. He’s notched a 3.94 ERA and an impressive 29.5% strikeout rate in 29 1/3 Triple-A innings this season but also posted a cringe-worthy 15.2% walk rate in that time.

Dating back to 2020, Castro has totaled 39 Major League innings between the Tigers, Blue Jays and Guardians but limped to a 6.00 ERA in that time. He throws hard and has missed plenty of bats in Triple-A, but command has long been an issue and Castro will be out of options in 2023. Cleveland will place him on outright waivers or release him within the next week.

Morris, 25, likely would’ve made his MLB  debut by now were it not for a strained teres major muscle that shut him down back in Spring Training. Cleveland selected him to the 40-man roster back in November on the heels of a 2021 season that saw him log a sparkling 1.62 ERA and 93-to-20 K/BB ratio in 61 innings across three levels.

Though he spent most of the season on the injured list, Morris has been able to go out on a minor league rehab assignment recently, and the results have been outstanding. He tossed three scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and no walks for the Guardians’ Rookie-ball affiliate before jumping to Triple-A and holding opponents to four runs with a 30-to-6 K/BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings of work. Between the past two seasons, Morris has tallied 52 innings of Triple-A work with a 1.90 ERA, a massive 40.6% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate.

Mets Designate Connor Grey For Assignment

By | at

The Mets have designated righty Connor Grey for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to journeyman infielder Deven Marrero, whose previously reported selection from Triple-A has now been made official. New York also recalled right-hander Adonis Medina as the second of their two September call-ups.

Grey, 28, hasn’t pitched in the Majors to this point in his career but was added to the Mets’ 40-man roster last month amid a series of roster moves to get some fresh arms in the ’pen. Grey has made 21 starts and a relief appearance in Triple-A Syracuse but struggled to a 5.52 ERA with lackluster strikeout and walk ratios (17.9% and 9.5%, respectively).

Originally a 20th-round pick by the D-backs in 2016, Grey posted solid numbers up through the Double-A level but has yielded an ERA north of 6.00 in parts of three Triple-A seasons. He’ll be placed on outright waivers or released within the week.

Medina, 25, will give the Mets an extra arm in the bullpen. The former Phillies top prospect has appeared in 13 games with the Mets this season and tallied 23 1/3 innings while pitching to a 4.63 ERA. He’s logged a below-average 16.5% strikeout rate but also walked only 4.9% of his opponents in that small sample. Medina has a 3.71 ERA in 26 1/3 innings with Syracuse, though he’s walked a much more problematic 12.1% of his opponents there.

Angels Designate Steven Duggar, Jose Rojas For Assignment

By | at

The Angels announced Thursday that outfielder Steven Duggar and infielder Jose Rojas have been designated for assignment. Their spots on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder Ryan Aguilar and righty Zack Weiss, both of whom have had their contract selected from Triple-A Salt Lake.

Duggar, 28, was a sixth-rounder with the Giants back in 2015 and had some solid showings in San Francisco. He never established himself as a consistent presence in their outfield, however, in part due to injury troubles. Duggar suffered a torn labrum that required surgery in 2018, ending his rookie campaign. He avoided surgery on a second shoulder injury, sustained in August of 2019, but that issue still ended his season.

Duggar received minimal playing time in the shortened 2020 season but returned with a career-best .257/.330/.437 batting line in 297 trips to the plate in 2021. That success hasn’t carried over to the current campaign, however. He’s appeared with three different teams this season and batted .153/.225/.222 in 80 trips to the plate. Duggar, who’s capable of playing all three outfield spots, has already been traded once and claimed off waivers this season, so it’s possible there’s another club out there who’ll be interested in carrying him on the 40-man roster once he hits waivers. That outcome is a formality at this point; he’s ineligible to be traded and thus will be placed on outright or release waivers in the coming week.

Rojas, 29, has appeared in 83 games with the Halos over the past two seasons but managed just a .188/.245/.339 batting line in 241 plate appearances. He’s a .277/.344/.524 hitter in parts of four Triple-A campaigns, however, and has a minor league option remaining beyond this year, which enhances his appeal. Rojas also has notable amounts of experience in both outfield corners and at every infield slot other than shortstop, although he doesn’t have strong defensive grades at any of those spots in mostly limited MLB action.

Aguilar, 28 later this month, made his big league debut this year as a replacement player during the Angels’ series in Toronto. He’s in his first season with the Angels organization after spending his career in the Brewers system. Through 342 plate appearances of Double-A ball, he’s slashed .280/.427/.517 with 15 homers, 13 doubles, two triples and 11 steals.

Weiss, 30, is also in his first season with the Angels organization. The former Reds farmhand signed a minor league deal in the offseason and has turned in 50 innings of 4.50 ERA ball with a 29.7% strikeout rate against a 9.6% walk rate. Weiss received an extremely brief cup of coffee  with the 2018 Reds but did not retire any of the four batters he faced (two walks, two home runs allowed). He’ll obviously hope for a shot at redemption four years after the fact.

Twins Select Billy Hamilton

By | at

12:23pm: The Twins announced that Hamilton’s contract has been selected and that lefty Austin Davis, whom they claimed off waivers from the Red Sox earlier this week, has been added to the active roster. Outfielder Trevor Larnach was moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Hamilton. Larnach has been out more than 60 days already after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia back in late June, so the move to the 60-day IL is a pure formality. The Twins are still hopeful that he can return this month.

8:53am: The Twins are set to select the contract of veteran speedster Billy Hamilton, as first reported by TwinsDaily’s Ted Schwerzler. It’s an off-day for Minnesota, but Hamilton will be with the team for tomorrow’s series opener against the division-rival White Sox, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North radio. The team will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move for Hamilton, as they’re currently at capacity.

Hamilton, 32 next week, signed a minor league deal with the Twins last month after declining an outright assignment with the Marlins, for whom he went 1-for-13 while appearing in 20 games (mostly as a defensive replacement) earlier this summer. He’ll be joining his eighth Major League team when he suits up for Minnesota. The longtime Reds center fielder is considered one of the best defensive players in the sport and will give the Twins two of the game’s most dynamic outfield gloves once Byron Buxton returns from the 10-day IL. (He’s eligible this weekend, though the team has not yet indicated when he’ll be reinstated.)

Hamilton’s blistering speed and glovework helped to overshadow perennial lackluster showings at the plate for the first several seasons of his career in Cincinnati. He hit just .244/.297/.332 in 2714 plate appearances from 2014-18 but remained the Reds’ everyday option in center thanks to his glove and an average of 53 stolen bases per season. His offense fell off even harder in 2019, however, and the switch-hitting Hamilton has moved into journeyman status, batting a combined .209/.266/.293 in 539 plate appearances spread across six teams in the past four years.

With the Twins, Hamilton will provide a valuable late-game defensive replacement and pinch-running option as Minnesota looks to close a 1.5-game deficit and retake the AL Central lead from the Guardians. And, at least for now, with Buxton, Trevor Larnach and Alex Kirilloff all on the injured list — Kirilloff’s season is over, following August wrist surgery — there could be some additional opportunities to make a few starts. At present, the Twins have shortstop-turned-outfielder Nick Gordon in left field, Gilberto Celestino in center and stalwart Max Kepler in right field. Kyle Garlick gives them a corner option against left-handed pitching, and lefty-swinging Jake Cave gives them another outfielder capable of playing any of the three positions.

Because Hamilton was in the organization prior to Sept. 1, he’ll be postseason-eligible, although the fact that he wasn’t on the 40-man roster as of midnight last night means he’d require league approval as postseason replacement for a player on the injured list. Still, teams make such swaps every year, so if Minnesota ultimately qualifies for the playoffs and wants to roster Hamilton as a bench option, they’ll be able to do so.

Orioles Select Jesus Aguilar, Designate Richie Martin For Assignment

By | at

The Orioles announced another series of roster moves Thursday, selecting the contract of first baseman Jesus Aguilar (whom they signed to a minor league deal yesterday), recalling top pitching prospect DL Hall from Triple-A Norfolk and designating infielder Richie Martin for assignment.

An All-Star when he hit 35 home runs for the 2018 Brewers, the now-32-year-old Aguilar was with the Marlins from 2020 up until a couple weeks ago, when Miami designated him for assignment and released him. Aguilar was a solid middle-of-the-order bat for the Fish in 2020-21 but has stumbled to a .236/.286/.388 batting line through 456 plate appearances this season — including a dismal .188/.246/.347 output since the All-Star break.

Ugly as those numbers are, Aguilar hit a combined .262/.338/.476 in just shy of 2000 plate appearances from 2017-21, so there’s a track record of solid productivity in his bat. The O’s will hope that he can return to form and provide a boost to a lineup that has struggled to score runs of late. If Aguilar can indeed recapture that form, he’ll help to replace the production of Trey Mancini, whom the Orioles shipped to Houston at the trade deadline despite being within striking distance of a Wild Card berth. Mancini hit .268/.347/.404 in 401 plate appearances this year prior to being traded.

Hall, the No. 21 overall pick back in 2017, made his big league debut earlier in 2022 but was tagged for five runs in 3 2/3 innings that day. He’s had an uneven season in the minors this year, pitching to a combined 4.48 ERA with a huge 36.6% strikeout rate but an ugly 13.4% walk rate in 84 1/3 innings between one start in High-A, one in Double-A and another 22 appearances (18 starts) in Triple-A.

Those shaky numbers notwithstanding, Hall still ranks among the game’s top 100 prospects due to a fastball that reaches triple digits and a collection of offspeed pitches that all have the potential to be plus offerings. This year’s 13.4% walk rate is an exact match with his career mark in the minors, however, which underscores the ongoing location issues he’s battled throughout his time as a professional.

Martin, 27, was the top pick in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft. A former first-rounder of the Athletics, Baltimore pounced on the opportunity to add him to the organization and hoped he could eventually carve out a role on the big league club. That hasn’t happened yet, however, as Martin floundered through a rookie season in which he couldn’t be optioned due to his Rule 5 status, hitting .208/.260/.322 in 2019. He’s only had 138 Major League plate appearances during that time, due in no small part to a fluke pair of broken wrists — both his left and his right — which obviously led to considerable time on the injured list.

Overall, Martin is a .212/.261/.311 hitter in 447 Major League plate appearances, and his .234/.333/.349 slash in 390 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level aren’t all that much better. It’s fair to wonder whether his development would’ve turned out differently were it not for that pair of fractures, but as a 27-year-old former prospect on a team that’s looking to turn the corner and emerge from a years-long rebuilding effort, Martin’s place on the 40-man roster has increasingly looked to be on shaky ground. He’ll be placed on outright waivers or released within a week’s time, as he’s ineligible to be traded at this point in the season.

Dodgers Activate Clayton Kershaw, Place Brusdar Graterol On Injured List

By | at

The Dodgers announced Thursday that left-hander Clayton Kershaw has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list and infield prospect Miguel Vargas has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. That pair represents the team’s initial September call-ups, though it’s not the only pair of moves made today. Los Angeles also placed right-hander Brusdar Graterol on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow. Fellow righty Phil Bickford is up from Oklahoma City to take his spot on the roster.

Kershaw wound up missing just under a month of action after being placed on the injured list due to a lower back injury. He’ll step back into the rotation and look to continue what has been yet another largely successful campaign when healthy; in 85 1/3 innings this season, Kershaw carries a 2.64 ERA with a sharp 26.2% strikeout rate against a tiny 4.5% walk rate. He’ll join the recently activated Dustin May, Julio Urias, Andrew Heaney and Tyler Anderson in a Dodgers rotation that is currently missing Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery) and Tony Gonsolin (forearm strain).

For Graterol, it’ll be a quick return to the injured list. The 24-year-old flamethrower was out from July 14 through Aug. 22 due to a shoulder injury and will now be placed back on the shelf for a yet-to-be-determined period of time. He’s been an integral part of a Dodgers relief corps that has been frequently beset by injuries in 2022, contributing 44 2/3 innings of 3.02 ERA ball with a 22.2% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate and massive 62.9% ground-ball rate. The Dodger bullpen has remained strong even amid myriad injury troubles, however, and they’re expected to reinstate Blake Treinen, who’s been out since late April, as soon as tomorrow, which should help to soften the blow of losing Graterol.

This is the second Major League stint of the season for the 22-year-old Vargas, who’s widely considered to be among the game’s 50 or so top prospects. He’s had a big year in the upper minors, hitting .304/.404/.511 in 520 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Bickford, 27, has a 5.14 ERA in 49 innings of bullpen work with the Dodgers this season.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top