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Mets Designate Deven Marrero, Outright Nick Plummer

By Darragh McDonald | August 19, 2022 at 4:40pm CDT

The Mets announced to reporters, including Tim Healey of Newsday, that infielder Deven Marrero has been designated for assignment. That move paves the way for the activation of infielder Yolmer Sanchez, who was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox yesterday. Additionally, outfielder Nick Plummer cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse.

This ends a very brief stay on the roster for Marrero, as the 31-year-old was only selected on Monday. He got into three games but made just four plate appearances before losing his roster spot. He has now played for four big league teams, after previously appearing in games for the Red Sox, Diamondbacks and Marlins.

He was outrighted off the Marlins’ roster at the end of last season and signed a minor league deal with the Mets in July. In 32 games at Triple-A this year, he hit .236/.325/.358 for a wRC+ of 86. Though he’s never been a strong hitter, Marrero does provided defensive versatility. The former first round pick has played second, third and short this year, in addition to having played first base and left field in previous seasons.

With the trade deadline now gone and Marrero DFA’d, the Mets will have no choice but to place him on waivers, either the outright kind of the release kind. Since he’s previously been outrighted in his career, he would be eligible to reject an outright assignment and return to free agency.

The same can’t be said of Plummer, who was signed by the Mets to a major league deal in November, which was his first time joining a 40-man roster. He hit .138/.194/.379 in 14 big league games and .231/.317/.370 in 58 Triple-A games. He was designated for assignment earlier this week and has now cleared waivers. Since this is his first outright and he has less than three years of MLB service time, he is unable to reject the assignment. He will remain with the Mets as depth but without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Rockies Place Antonio Senzatela On IL With Torn ACL

By Darragh McDonald | August 19, 2022 at 4:20pm CDT

The Rockies announced that right-hander Antonio Senzatela has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a left ACL tear. Fellow righty Jhoulys Chacin has been reinstated from the injured list to take his place on the roster.

Senzatela left yesterday’s game after injuring himself while attempting to field a ground ball, falling to the ground in obvious discomfort. It was reported earlier that he would be going for an MRI to get more information, which has apparently revealed the bad news of the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post spoke to fellow Colorado hurler German Marquez about the situation, with Marquez saying he spoke to Senzatela, who will undergo surgery at some point.

Nick Groke of The Athletic tweets that the club expects Senzatela to miss 6-8 months, meaning this will certainly finish his season and will quite likely have a significant impact on next season as well. Next year’s Spring Training is already about six months away at this point. It will go down as a disappointing season for the righty, the first of his five-year, $50.5MM contract extension he signed with the Rockies. He registered a 5.07 ERA over 19 starts with a below-average 13.1% strikeout rate. He limited walks to a 5.6% rate and got ground balls on 49.4% of balls in play, but many of them found holes. His .383 batting average on balls in play this year was well above his .318 career rate.

In the short-term, the Rockies will eventually need to fill Senzatela’s spot in the rotation next to Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Jose Urena and Ryan Feltner. Chad Kuhl could help eventually, though he landed on the IL two weeks ago with a hip flexor strain. Austin Gomber got bumped to the bullpen after disappointing results but could come back to make some starts.

In the long-term, the Rockies will have to think about next year’s rotation, which was likely going to need some work even before this development. Kuhl and Urena are scheduled to reach free agency at season’s end, leaving the club with Marquez, Freeland, Feltner and perhaps Gomber as holdovers for next year. However, Freeland’s 4.82 ERA this year is the lowest of that bunch.

James Paxton Diagnosed With Lat Strain

By Darragh McDonald | August 19, 2022 at 3:55pm CDT

Aug. 19: Cotillo tweets that the strain appears to be mild, though Paxton will undergo an MRI to confirm. He’s shut down from throwing for the time being.

Aug. 18: Red Sox lefty James Paxton began a rehab assignment today but left after facing just two batters. This was initially reported to be lat tightness by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, with manager Alex Cora later telling Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe that Paxton has a lat strain.

Cotillo adds that Paxton is seeing a doctor tomorrow to determine the severity of the issue, but there’s no question this is a significant setback for the hurler. Today was his first attempt to pitch in an organized game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April of last year. He was still going to need some time to ramp up for a starter’s workload and will now have to push that further down the road. Even a mild lat strain usually requires a recovery period of 2-3 weeks, which means the southpaw will likely be sidelined until some time in September even in a best case scenario.

It’s another disappointing development for Paxton, one of many in recent years, following on the heels of an excellent four-year stretch of effectiveness. From 2016 to 2019, he threw at least 121 innings in each season, keeping his ERA under 4.00 in each campaign as well. He had a 22.9% strikeout rate in 2016 but got it up near 30% for the latter three years of that stretch.

Unfortunately, injuries limited him to just five starts in 2020 and then just a single outing in 2021 before landing on the injured list. Despite two essentially lost seasons, the Red Sox took a chance on him this past winter, hoping he could recover his previous form once he returned to health. The contract reflected his uncertain status, with Paxton receiving a $6MM salary here in 2022 while rehabbing. At the end of the year, Boston will have to decide whether or not to trigger two $13MM club options for 2023 and 2024, effectively a two-year, $26MM deal. Should they decline, Paxton will then get to decide on a $4MM player option for next season.

If Paxton had come through this rehab looking like the solid mid-rotation arm he had been previously, there would have been good reason for the Red Sox to consider triggering their option, especially with Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill and Michael Wacha slated to reach free agency this fall. There’s also the uncertainty surrounding Chris Sale, who has thrown less than 50 total innings over the past three seasons due to his own injury concerns. However, the longer Paxton remains out of action, the more the needle will move towards the club declining their end of the deal. As for Paxton’s side of things, that will also surely depend upon the severity of his injury and whether he thinks he can top $4MM in the open market this offseason.

In the short-term, the Red Sox surely would have loved for Paxton to come back and help them with the stretch drive here in 2022, but that’s looking increasingly unlikely with today’s setback. Boston is currently four games behind Toronto and Tampa Bay for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, with three other clubs in between them.

Tigers Reinstate Eduardo Rodriguez, Designate Wily Peralta

By Darragh McDonald | August 19, 2022 at 3:45pm CDT

The Tigers have reinstated left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez from the restricted list, tweets Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extra Base. Right-hander Wily Peralta was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Rodriguez, 29, was signed in the offseason to a five-year, $77MM contract, with the Tigers hoping he could be a veteran anchor of their young rotation. Detroit had debuted many promising young starters in previous seasons, including Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Tarik Skubal and others. It was hoped that those youngers, combined with the addition of Rodriguez, could give the club a strong rotation and help them emerge from their years-long rebuild.

Unfortunately, Murphy’s law has been applied to the Tigers in the strictest possible terms this season, with their rotation being heavily targeted. Mize made just two starts before landing on the injured list, eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery, keeping him out of action for this year and likely most of next year as well. Manning has since returned but missed almost four months due to shoulder issues, having made just five starts so far this year. Skubal stayed healthy for a while, making 21 starts, but recently underwent a flexor tendon surgery that will finish his 2022 and likely keep him out of action for part of 2023 as well.

As for Rodriguez, he landed on the injured list in May due to a ribcage sprain. He started a rehab assignment in early June but was then transferred to the restricted list due to a personal matter which was later reported to be a marital issue. He returned to begin another rehab assignment in early August, working back up to a starter’s workload before today’s return. In the end, Rodriguez spent just over two months on the restricted list, during which time he didn’t take up a spot on the 40-man roster or earn any salary. Prior to that extended absence, he made eight starts for Detroit, registering a 4.38 ERA in 39 innings.

With the club’s rotation being so snakebit all year, they have had to churn through various backup plans over the course of the season. One of those was Peralta, 33, who was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason. He was selected to the roster in mid-April and appeared in 28 games. In 38 1/3 innings on the year, he has a 2.58 ERA, not missing bats entirely but at least missing the most important part. His 19% strikeout rate is below league average but he’s in the 89th percentile in terms of barrel percentage. Perhaps due to keeping hitters off-balance, his 5.6% HR/FB rate is less than half his career rate, helping to keep his ERA down.

Despite those solid results, Peralta will head to the waiver wire in the coming days, as the trade deadline is now behind us. Manger A.J. Hinch spoke to reporters about today’s moves, including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, explaining that they want to use the remainder of the season to evaluate younger pitchers. “We’re giving Wily Peralta a chance to pitch somewhere else while we look at some guys who are more likely to be here,” Hinch said.

Hinch also explained that Daniel Norris and Garrett Hill will be moved to the bullpen, as the club has multiple off-days coming up and can survive with a four-man rotation for a few weeks. In Hill’s case, the move is about limiting his innings down the stretch in order to avoid overworking him. The club’s rotation for the time being will consist of Rodriguez, Manning, Tyler Alexander and Drew Hutchison.

Angels Reinstate Mike Trout

By Darragh McDonald | August 19, 2022 at 2:50pm CDT

The Angels announced that outfielder Mike Trout has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. After Wednesday’s game, they opened a spot on the active roster by optioning fellow outfielder Steven Duggar.

The return of Trout after just over a month on the IL will surely be a tremendous sigh of relief for the Angels and their fans, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was just last year that Trout landed on the injured list due to a seemingly minor calf injury. However, that injury lingered and Trout was never able to return, limiting him to just 36 games on the season.

Secondly, this year’s injury, which was initially termed “ribcage inflammation” at the time of his IL placement, was followed by a very ominous-sounding report from Mike Frostad, the club’s head trainer. Frostrad relayed that Trout had been diagnosed with a “a costovertebral dysfunction” in his back, adding that Trout “has to manage it, not just through the rest of this season, but also through the rest of his career probably.”

Given that Trout had already lost most of his 2021 season due to a nagging condition, this update caused understandable consternation among the fanbase. With Frostad’s description of the issue making it seem chronic and ongoing, some wondered if Trout would ever get back to his previous elite level, but the superstar was quick to shrug off those concerns. “I appreciate all the prayer requests, but my career isn’t over,” Trout quipped at the time of Frostad’s report. Subsequent developments helped part the storm clouds hanging over the situation, as Trout later saw a specialist and began ramping up physical activities by the end of July, eventually leading to today’s return.

Before landing on the injured list, Trout was still one of the best players in baseball. He hit 24 home runs in 79 games and produced an overall batting line of .270/.368/.599. That production amounts to a wRC+ of 169, or 69% above league average, fourth-highest in baseball among those with at least 300 plate appearances on the year.

While Trout’s return will be most welcome for the Angels, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the team in terms of this year’s standings. The Halos are 12 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and have a 0.0% chance of a miracle comeback, according to the playoff odds calculated by FanGraphs. However, just returning to health and getting back onto the field is still a positive development, considering last year’s frustrations and the worries surrounding this recent issue.

White Sox Sign Elvis Andrus

By Steve Adams | August 19, 2022 at 2:19pm CDT

Aug. 19: The White Sox have officially announced the signing of Andrus, with Sosa getting optioned to make room on the active roster. A space on the 40-man was created by yesterday’s outright of Yoan Aybar.

Aug. 18: The White Sox are in agreement on a contract with free-agent shortstop Elvis Andrus, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). He’s expected to join their Major League squad in Cleveland tomorrow. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported late last night that the Sox were in talks with Andrus, who was released by the Athletics yesterday.

The 33-year-old Andrus (34 next week) is a natural fit for a White Sox club that will be without Tim Anderson for the next three to five weeks as he continues rehabbing a torn ligament in his left hand. Andrus isn’t a premier defender at this stage of his career but is a more natural fit at short than young Lenyn Sosa, who’s been handling the position in place of Anderson recently and has managed just a .118/.143/.235 slash in an admittedly small sample of 35 plate appearances. Andrus’ .237/.301/.378 line isn’t a major improvement but is only narrowly shy of the league-average hitter in 2022.

That’s a far cry from Andrus’ .297/.337/.471 peak in 2017, when he also smashed 20 homers and swiped 25 bags to go along with quality defensive contributions at shortstop. Plugging a veteran shortstop with only slightly below-league-average offense into the lineup wasn’t something the Sox wouldn’t have been able to do just a few days ago, however, so they’re surely quite pleased to be able to add Andrus to the fold.

Defensive Runs Saved pegs Andrus’ glovework at a dismal -6 runs this season, but Ultimate Zone Rating (2.4) and Outs Above Average (zero/average) are more bullish. Even if the defense is now slightly sub-par, Sosa is considered by scouting reports a second baseman who’s ill-equipped to handle shortstop, and the early returns (-2 DRS, -2 OAA in just 41 innings) do nothing to suggest otherwise. Andrus ought to be a steadier option at the position.

Prior to his release, Andrus was playing out the final season of an eight-year, $120MM contract originally signed with the Rangers. The White Sox will only owe him the prorated league minimum for the remainder of the season, with the A’s still on the hook for the remainder of Andrus’ $14MM salary. That previous contract included a vesting $15MM player option upon Andrus reaching 550 plate appearances — he’s currently at 386 — but that’s a moot point now that he’s been released from his prior contract and signed a new one with Chicago. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season.

It’s been a frustrating season at Guaranteed Rate Field, where the Sox have endured lengthy absences from key players like Lance Lynn, Eloy Jimenez, Yasmani Grandal and now Anderson (to say nothing of shorter IL stints for Luis Robert, Lucas Giolito and others). Things haven’t gone as the front office envisioned when putting together this enviable young core, but the Sox have played better ball of late and, despite some early-season doldrums, are only two games behind the division-leading Guardians and one game back of the second-place Twins. The American League Central should be the tightest three-team race in Major League Baseball down the stretch, so even if Andrus proves a mere incremental upgrade, that marginal improvement could play a pivotal role.

Rays Select Kevin Herget

By Steve Adams | August 19, 2022 at 11:53am CDT

The Rays have selected right-hander Kevin Herget from Triple-A Durham and optioned righty Luis Patino back to Durham in his place, per a team announcement. Tampa Bay had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so Patino’s option is the only corresponding move necessary.

It’ll be the Major League debut for Herget, a 31-year-old former 39th-round pick who has spent nine years grinding through the minor leagues. He’s in his first season with the Rays organization after spending the vast majority of his career in the Cardinals’ farm system. While this is Herget’s fifth season with at least some time spent at the Triple-A level, he’s unquestionably had the finest results of his career in 2022, logging a 2.45 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate, a minuscule 3.4% walk rate and a 34.4% ground-ball rate.

The Rays don’t necessarily need a spot starter at the moment, as Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen are lined up to start Friday and Saturday. They’re currently listing Sunday’s starter as TBD, although Corey Kluber would be on regular rest if he were to take the mound that day. Herget could potentially get the ball for that series finale against Kansas City, but if not, he’ll add some length to the bullpen for the time being.

It’s a quick trip back to Triple-A for Patino, who impressed yesterday with 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball against the Royals. However, with McClanahan, Rasmussen, Kluber, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Yarbrough all healthy and pitching well of late, he’ll apparently continue to get his innings in at the Triple-A level while awaiting a more permanent spot in the rotation. The 22-year-old ranked as one of the game’s best all-around prospect prior to his big league debut, and while he’s yet to solidify himself as a mainstay in the Tampa rotation, he’ll likely be afforded the opportunity to do so before too long.

Dodgers Release Tony Wolters

By Steve Adams | August 19, 2022 at 11:20am CDT

Aug. 19: The Dodgers have released Wolters, per the transactions log at MLB.com.

Aug. 15: The Dodgers announced Monday that catcher Austin Barnes has been reinstated from the family medical emergency list. Fellow backstop Tony Wolters was designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for Barnes’ return.

Wolters, 30, was added to the roster as the corresponding move when Barnes initially stepped away from the team for family reasons thus past Friday. He appeared in a pair of games over the weekend but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his very brief time as a member of the Dodgers. He’ll now be placed on outright waivers or released in the next week.

A familiar face for the Dodgers and their fans thanks to a lengthy stint as the primary catcher for the Rockies, Wolters has appeared in just 16 big league games since leaving Colorado following the 2020 season (14 with the Cubs last year, plus these two with L.A.). He caught 391 games with the Rox from 2016-20, hitting .238/.323/.319 with strong defensive marks for most of his time calling Coors Field home.

Wolters was batting .216/.311/.270 in 193 plate appearances with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate at the time of his selection to the big league roster. In all, he’s a .235/.321/.314 hitter in parts of seven Major League seasons (1266 plate appearances).

Antonio Senzatela To Undergo MRI Following Knee Sprain

By Steve Adams | August 19, 2022 at 10:49am CDT

Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela is headed for an MRI today after sustaining what looked to have been a potentially serious knee injury in yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals. Chasing down a Brendan Donovan grounder to the right side of the infield, Senzatela pivoted from trying to field the ball to cover first base and came up hobbling before collapsing in foul territory behind the first base bag (video link). He had to be helped off the field. Manager Bud Black told reporters yesterday that Senzatela has a left knee sprain (Twitter link via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post).

The 27-year-old Senzatela is in the first season of what was a surprising five-year, $50.5MM contract extension that bought out his final two arbitration years and three would-be free agent seasons. It’s been a rough season for the right-hander, who currently has a 5.07 ERA through his first 92 1/3 innings since inking that deal. Fielding-independent metrics are a bit more forgiving (4.06 FIP, 4.48 SIERA), as Senzatela has undeniably been dinged by a .383 average on balls in play. That’s particularly problematic for Senzatela, who allows more balls in play than just about any starting pitcher in the game; his 13.1% strikeout rate this season is the lowest among all MLB pitchers with at least 90 innings.

If Senzatela is indeed headed to the injured list, he’ll join fellow starter Chad Kuhl (strained hip flexor) on the shelf. The Rockies have a thin group of replacement options for that pair, particularly in light of the immense struggles of lefty Austin Gomber (5.86 ERA in 106 innings). Gomber, who started 23 games and posted a 4.53 ERA with the Rox a year ago, was moved to the bullpen earlier this summer and came on in relief of Senzatela yesterday — only to surrender five runs in 2 1/3 innings.

German Marquez and Kyle Freeland have been mainstays in the Colorado rotation and are both under long-term contract — Freeland, like Senzatela, after signing an extension this offseason. Both have struggled in 2022, however, pitching to an ERA near 5.00 this year. Journeyman Jose Urena has a 4.80 ERA in a dozen appearances (eight starts), and rookie right-hander Ryan Feltner has been tattooed for a 6.39 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts). Colorado’s innings leaders in Triple-A — Zach Neal, Brandon Gold and Riley Smith — all have ERAs north of 6.00.

Given that context, it’s perhaps likeliest that Gomber will simply step back into the starting mix should Senzatela require an absence. The rash of poor performance and struggles/injuries among the team’s depth options and top-ranked pitching prospects alike, however, underscore the Rockies’ need for pitching help this offseason. The Rockies have steadfastly refused to enter into a rebuild phase under owner Dick Monfort, so it’ll be incumbent on general manager Bill Schmidt to bolster a rotation and bullpen that both rank 29th in the Majors in ERA (5.26 and 4.85, respectively).

Marcell Ozuna Arrested On DUI Charge

By Steve Adams | August 19, 2022 at 9:13am CDT

Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna was arrested and charged with DUI and Failure to Maintain Lane, Atlanta’s CBS 46 reports. Ozuna was booked into Gwinnett County Jail at 4:39am, per the report. The Braves have not yet commented on the matter.

It’s the second time in the past 15 months that Ozuna has been arrested. The 31-year-old was arrested in May 2021 on assault and battery charges, which resulted in a lengthy stay on administrative leave and Ozuna eventually receiving a retroactive suspension under Major League Baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. Felony charges against Ozuna were dropped and replaced by a pair of misdemeanor charges (family violence battery and simple assault) in August. He agreed in September to enter into a six-month domestic violence intervention program, in addition to 200-plus hours of community service, as well anger management counseling.

The 2022 season is the second year in a four-year, $65MM contract Ozuna signed with Atlanta back in the 2020-21 offseason. He’s appeared in just 155 games in the nearly two years of the contract and posted a dismal .214/.271/.381 line with poor ratings for his defense and baserunning. Ozuna is being paid $16MM in 2022 and is owed $18MM in each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. His contract contains a $16MM club option for the 2025 campaign, which comes with a $1MM buyout.

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