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Dodgers Place Yency Almonte On 15-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that right-hander Yency Almonte has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow tightness.  In the corresponding move, righty Andre Jackson was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Almonte will get an MRI to investigate the injury, manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (Twitter links) and other reporters.  On the plus side, Almonte said that he is familiar with this type of tightness, and isn’t overly concerned about his status.

After spending his first four Major League seasons with the Rockies, Almonte was outrighted off Colorado’s 40-man following last year, and he chose free agency.  That led to a minor league deal with the Dodgers and an excellent bounce-back season for the 28-year-old.  Almonte has a 1.15 ERA over 31 1/3 relief innings for Los Angeles, inducing a lot of soft contact and limiting the long ball (only two homers allowed) despite a below-average 24.6% strikeout rate.

Almonte showed flashes of such performance in Colorado, posting impressive results in both 2018 and 2020 when he has been able to keep the ball in the park.  In 2021, however, he gave up nine homers over 47 2/3 innings, and between the home runs and an inflated walk rate, Almonte posted an ugly 7.55 ERA.

Jackson made his MLB debut in 2021, with 11 2/3 innings over three games for L.A.  He was briefly on the Dodgers’ active roster back in April but didn’t get any game action, so his 2022 resume consists of a 5.20 ERA over 55 1/3 innings at Triple-A.  Jackson battled control problems earlier in his minor league career, and those issues returned with a vengeance this year, as he has 48 free passes in his 55 1/3 innings (against 59 strikeouts).

Still, Roberts suggested that Jackson might receive a spot start for the Dodgers on Wednesday, filling in for the injured Clayton Kershaw.  It will depend on whether or not Jackson is needed in relief over the next couple of days, and the Dodgers also have an off-day Monday to factor into their rotation set-up.

Anthony Banda Elects Free Agency

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Left-hander Anthony Banda has chosen to become a free agent, rather than accept an outright assignment to the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team.  Toronto designated Banda for assignment after the trade deadline, and he cleared outright waivers yesterday.  Since Banda has previously been outrighted in his career, he was eligible to reject the Jays’ assignment in favor of testing the open market.

The Blue Jays acquired Banda from the Pirates for cash considerations in early July, adding a bit of left-handed relief depth to the bullpen.  Banda appeared in seven games with the Jays (including one appearance as an opener), and posted a 4.26 ERA over 7 1/3 innings.  For the 2022 season as a whole, Banda has a 5.88 ERA in 26 combined frames with Toronto and Pittsburgh.

Just a couple of days away from his 29th birthday, Banda now hits the open market in search of another change of scenery.  A veteran of seven different MLB organizations, Banda has had playing time at the big league level with five of those clubs since debuting in 2017.  Given that Tim Mayza was just placed on the 15-day injured list, it might not be surprising to see the Blue Jays pursue a quick reunion with Banda, in order to add another left-hander to Toronto’s thin array of southpaws.

Derek Law Elects Free Agency

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Aug. 7: The Tigers announced that Law has cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Aug. 4: The Tigers are designating reliever Derek Law for assignment, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press was among those to relay (Twitter link). The move clears an active roster spot for Bryan García, who’ll be selected onto the major league roster to start tomorrow’s game against the Rays. Detroit’s 40-man roster tally will remain at 39.

Law was just selected onto the Detroit roster over the weekend. He got into two games, surrendering five runs (one earned) while striking out two and issuing a walk in two frames. The right-hander is out of minor league option years, meaning he had to hold onto to an active roster spot or be taken off the 40-man. He quickly found himself squeezed off the roster once the Tigers needed a pitcher capable of working multiple innings, and he’ll now land on the waiver wire over the next few days.

The 31-year-old Law has now pitched in the big leagues in parts of six seasons. He’s suited up for four teams — the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers — and pitched to a 4.22 ERA through 183 1/3 innings. Much of that success came back in 2016 as a rookie in San Francisco, as Law has a 5.12 ERA dating back to the start of the 2017 campaign. He’s pitched quite well at Triple-A Toledo this year, though, working to a 3.23 mark with an above-average 27.2% strikeout rate and a quality 6.2% walk percentage for the Mud Hens.

García was up briefly last week, getting a start against the Blue Jays as a designated COVID-19 substitute. It was his first MLB start in 73 appearances and his first big league outing in any capacity in 2022. The 27-year-old allowed a pair of runs on three hits and two walks while punching out three in 3 2/3 innings. He was returned to the minor leagues after the game — as a virus substitute, he didn’t have to pass through waivers — but he gets called back up quickly.

This time, García’s contract selection is typical. He’d have to be run through waivers if the Tigers want to take him off the 40-man, although his pair of remaining minor league option years mean they can send him back to Toledo without designating him for assignment (which wasn’t the case for Law). García has an impressive 2.90 ERA in 40 1/3 innings across 31 appearances with Toledo this season, although he’s only punched out 17.6% of batters faced while issuing walks at a lofty 12.5% clip.

Rockies Claim Dinelson Lamet, Designate Ashton Goudeau

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Aug. 7: The Rockies announced that Goudeau has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque. He will remain in the organization as depth but without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Aug. 5, 1:00pm: The Rockies announced the claim of Lamet, adding that right-hander Ashton Goudeau has been designated for assignment in order to create roster space.

12:46pm: The Rockies have claimed right-hander Dinelson Lamet off waivers from the Brewers, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports (Twitter link). Lamet, whom the Brewers acquired alongside Taylor Rogers and prospects Esteury Ruiz and Robert Gasser in Monday’s surprising Josh Hader trade, was designated for assignment just 48 hours after being acquired.

At the time of Lamet’s DFA, Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns told reporters that Lamet “has a good arm and was included in the trade to help balance out the deal” but that “subsequent transactions” made him a tougher fit on the roster. The Brewers added right-handers Matt Bush and Trevor Rosenthal in separate trades one day after acquiring Lamet.

Still, the quick DFA makes it fair to wonder how prominently Lamet ever truly factored into the plans. The 2020 Cy Young candidate has been beset by injuries since late in that truncated season and has yielded 14 runs in just 12 2/3 innings this season. His fastball, which averaged 97 mph in 2020, has averaged 95.3 mph this season. Of particular note for the Padres, who are barreling toward a second straight season paying the luxury tax, Lamet is earning $4.775MM in 2022. Including him in that trade meant not only jettisoning a player who had ostensibly been squeezed out of a roster spot but also who’d have a non-zero impact on the team’s luxury ledger. Stearns’ usage of the phrase “balance out the deal,” then, could be interpreted as referencing talent or in more fiscal terms.

Regardless, the Rockies now stand to potentially benefit from both their division-rival and the NL Central leaders feeling their rosters lacked space for Lamet. As recently as 2020, the 6’3″, 228-pound Lamet looked like a foundational piece in San Diego. He made a full slate of 12 starts during that pandemic-truncated campaign, pitching to a brilliant 2.09 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 36.9% ground-ball rate. That showing was good enough to land Lamet, then having just turned 28 years old, a fourth-place finish in National League Cy Young voting.

However, Lamet’s 2020 season also ended with him heading to the injured list with a biceps injury sustained in his final outing of the season. He’d go on to miss the 2020 postseason, and his 2021 season was limited to just 47 innings on account of a forearm issue that twice sent him to the injured list.

Those injuries, coupled with this year’s poor showing, have resulted in a grisly 5.46 ERA in the now-30-year-old Lamet’s past 59 1/3 Major League innings. In addition to the diminished fastball, he’s seen his strikeout rate plummet from that 34.8% mark to 26.9%, while his walk rate has spiked from 7.5% to a dismal 11.4%. Lamet may have had some bad luck in 2021, posting a .344 batting average on balls in play despite allowing hard contact at well below-league-average levels, but that’s not been the case at all in 2022. Yes, his .412 BABIP is through the roof, but so too is his opponents’ average exit velocity (a blistering 93.1 mph) and his 50% hard-hit rate.

For a pitching-needy team like the Rockies, however, there’s little harm in taking a relatively low-cost look at Lamet. They’ll be owed the prorated portion of his salary — about $1.6MM between now and season’s end — but can also control him via arbitration this winter if he impresses down the stretch. Viewed through that lens, there’d have been a case for any of the clubs higher on the waiver priority (e.g. Nationals, A’s, Tigers, Royals, Pirates) claiming Lamet, but despite the right-hander’s obvious talent, not every club is going to be bullish on his chances to rebound (or on taking on that extra chunk of cash at this point in the season).

Goudeau, also 30, has pitched 20 1/3 innings in this, his second stint with the Rockies, for whom he made his MLB debut back in 2020. He’s been tagged for a 7.08 ERA with a 17% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate, however, both well worse than the league average. His work in Triple-A Albuquerque has been even rougher, evidenced by 43 earned runs allowed in just 37 innings of work (10.46 ERA).

Giants Claim Steele Walker From Rangers

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The Giants announced to reporters, including Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, that they have claimed outfielder Steele Walker off waivers from the Rangers. The Giants already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move will be required. Walker has been optioned to Triple-A.

Walker, 26, was a second-round draft pick of the White Sox who went to the Rangers in the Nomar Mazara trade. He was selected to the big league club for the first time this year, making his MLB debut and getting into five games.

He’s spent most of the season in Triple-A, playing 50 games there and hitting .277/.353/.435, wRC+ of 98. Those aren’t world-beating numbers, but Walker does have encouraging plate discipline and bat-to-ball numbers, having walked in 9.3% of his plate appearances with Round Rock this season while striking out just 16.3% of the time.

Pirates Claim Kevin Padlo, Release Jake Marisnick

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The Pirates announced that they claimed infielder Kevin Padlo off waivers from the Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A. In a corresponding move, outfielder Jake Marisnick has been released. The club also announced that catcher Taylor Davis has cleared waivers and been outrighted.

Padlo, 26, made his MLB debut last year with the Rays but went to the Mariners on a waiver claim. In April of this year, the Mariners designated him for assignment in April and traded him to the Giants. The Giants DFA’d him in June and the Mariners claimed him again, before he was sent into DFA limbo yet again a few days ago, now landing with the Pirates.

Amid all of that, Padlo has played 20 games at the MLB level between last year and this year, hitting a paltry .143/.211/.200. He has better numbers in the minors this season, hitting .245/.327/.455 for a wRC+ of 92. His best attribute is arguably his plate discipline, as he frequently ran up double-digit walk rates in his rise up the minor leagues. He’s only at 9.3% on the farm this year, but the Pirates will give him a shot based on that track record.

As for Marisnick, 31, the defensive specialist was signed by the Pirates in April but required thumb surgery in May, which ended up costing him about two months. He has since returned and increased his tally of games on the season to 31. His batting line for the campaign is .234/.272/.390, wRC+ of 80, roughly in line with his career numbers. The defensive metrics are still giving positive reviews for his work on the grass, meaning this move isn’t likely a reflection of his performance. Rather, the rebuilding club probably just wants to devote its playing time and roster spots for controllable players who they will audition for future roles on the team. It wouldn’t be surprising if Marisnick garnered interest from a contender who wanted his speed and defense on the bench. At last year’s trade deadline, for instance, he was traded from the Cubs to the Padres for such a role.

Angels Claim Steven Duggar, Designate Dillon Thomas

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The Angels announced that they have claimed outfielder Steven Duggar off waivers from the Rangers. In order to create a space for him on the 40-man roster, they have designated Dillon Thomas for assignment.

Duggar, 28, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Giants in 2015 who came over to the Rangers in June in exchange for Willie Calhoun. Last year was his best and lengthiest showing in the big leagues, as he got into 107 games for the Giants, hitting .257/.330/.437 for a wRC+ of 107. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to build on that here in 2022, missing over two months due to an oblique strain and not really getting into a groove when healthy. Between San Fran and Texas, he’s hit .189/.241/.245, wRC+ of 39, striking out in 48.3% of his plate appearances on the year.

Despite those poor results this season, the Angels will give him a shot and see if he can recapture anything resembling his 2021 form. The need for an outfielder arose last night, when Mickey Moniak was attempting a bunt and the ball hit his finger. After the game, interim manager Phil Nevin told reporters that the news was not good, per Sam Blum of The Athletic. Today, the club has announced that Moniak has a fractured left middle finger, relays Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. The timeline of his injury is still not known, but it was enough that the club was motivated to go out and grab Duggar. Moniak himself tells Bollinger that it’s unclear if he’s out for the season, which suggests he won’t be returning soon.

As for Thomas, this is the third time he’s gone gently into DFA limbo in recent months. He signed a minor league deal with the Angels in the offseason, getting selected to the roster in June. After just a few days with the Angels, he was designated for assignment and was claimed by the Astros. After just over a week in Houston’s system, he was designated again, returning to the Angels on another waiver claim and today getting DFA’d for a third time. He’s only played eight MLB games and made 14 plate appearances amid all those transactions. He’s fared well in 73 Triple-A games, however, split between the Angels’ and Astros’ orgs. His line on the year is .294/.389/.500, wRC+ of 123.

Nationals Claim Alex Call From Guardians

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Outfielder Alex Call has been claimed off waivers by the Nationals from the Guardians, per announcements from both clubs. Call had been designated for assignment by the Guards on Friday. He has been optioned by the Nationals to Triple-A. The Nats had an open 40-man roster spot, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary.

A third round draft pick of the White Sox, Call switched organizations in the trade that sent Yonder Alonso from Cleveland to Chicago. He was selected to the big league club and made his MLB debut in July. Though he drew four walks in 16 plate appearances, he didn’t impress much otherwise in his small sample. He currently has a line of .167/.375/.167 in his brief MLB career. In 71 Triple-A games this year, he has an excellent .280/.418/.494 line for a wRC+ of 146, with almost equal walk and strikeout rates of 16.1% and 16.4%, respectively.

Of course, the Nationals made huge headlines in recent weeks with the lead-up to the Juan Soto deadline trade, arguably the most significant transaction in history. By giving up on a generational talent that they could have kept around through the 2024 season, they’ve clearly waved a white flag on near-term competitiveness. As such, it makes sense that they would be interested in taking fliers on controllable players such as Call. He will head to Rochester as outfield depth and try to work his way up to a big league club that currently has Victor Robles, Lane Thomas, Yadiel Hernandez and Josh Palacios as part of the regular outfield mix.

Cubs Release Andrelton Simmons

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Aug. 7: Simmons has been granted his unconditional release, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

Aug. 6: The Cubs designated shortstop Andrelton Simmons for assignment today, the club announced. The move came shortly after he was activated from the 10-day IL. He had been out since mid-July with a right shoulder strain.

Simmons never really got off the ground in Chicago after signing a one-year, $4MM deal with the Cubs in the offseason. He struggled with shoulder soreness from the jump and had logged only 85 plate appearances on the season. In that small sample, he logged a meager .173/.244/.187 batting line and notched only a single extra-base hit. In his absence, Nico Hoerner has handled most of the innings at shortstop, logging a 107 wRC+ while playing solid defense, rendering the veteran surplus to requirements for a non-contending team.

While Simmons has been spoken of as one of the best defensive shortstops in the game since his 2012 debut, his offensive production — he sports a career 86 wRC+ — has fallen off a cliff since leaving the Angels after the 2020 season. In roughly a full season of action (536 PAs), he’s produced at a .216/.277/.261 clip, good for a wRC+ of only 51.

Still, provided his shoulder doesn’t prove an ongoing issue, Simmons could still catch on with a contender as a high-end defensive option, though likely not until after he’s cleared waivers. He’s won four gold gloves and finished second (to Carlos Correa) in the Fielding Bible’s 2021 defensive rankings. In fact, since 2013, he’s finished lower than third only once and won the award for six consecutive seasons (2013-2018). Advanced metrics back up Simmons’ continued defensive value; per Fangraphs, Simmons has accumulated 19 DRS (defensive runs saved) between 2021 and 2022 and a prodigious 201 for his career.

In parts of 11 seasons with the Braves, Angels, Twins, and Cubs, Simmons owns a career .263/.312/.366 triple-slash. Though he’ll enter 2023 at 33 years old, Simba will likely draw at least some interest in the offseason should he wish to continue playing, if perhaps as a non-roster invitee. Regardless of where his career goes from here, though, his glovework will remain the stuff of legend in Atlanta and Orange County.

Alex Kirilloff To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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The Twins have announced to reporters, including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that first baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff will undergo season-ending wrist surgery on Tuesday.

Kirilloff, 24, was a highly-touted prospect, getting selected by the Twins 15th overall in 2016. As he worked his way toward the big leagues, he was considered to be among the top 35 prospects in baseball for three straight years from 2019 to 2021.

However, he’s been repeatedly dogged by issues in his wrist, even going back to his time in the minors. After making his MLB debut in early 2021, he landed on the IL in May of that year with a wrist sprain. He returned a few weeks later but went to the IL again in July with wrist ligament year, which ended up finishing his season. Here in 2022, he landed on the shelf in April due to wrist inflammation and returned in May, though a wrist contusion sent him to the IL yet again in August.

Through 104 games at this point in his career, Kirilloff hasn’t impressed much, putting up a line of .251/.295/.398. That amounts to a wRC+ of just 90, 10% below league average, though it’s fair to wonder how much these persistent wrist issues are preventing him from reaching his full potential.

Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com relays some more details from Kirilloff about the surgery, which he first discussed as a possibility back in May. It will apparently involve manually breaking his ulna, shortening it to create more space, and then inserting a plate and screws.

Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic relays word from manager Rocco Baldelli about the situation. “Anytime you’re talking about shaving a bone down or shortening a bone, that’s a substantial procedure,” Baldelli said. “But we’re hopeful that by getting it down now it gives us a chance to use the offseason to get right, to start swinging the bat again, to feel good, and to start getting ready for next year.”

Kirilloff and the Twins will be hoping that the surgery pays dividends in the long run. In the short term, the club will likely be using Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda to cover first base, with Miguel Sano having been recently placed on the 60-day IL. As for the outfield picture, Byron Buxton is dealing with a sore knee and has been DHing, last taking the field about a week ago. Max Kepler just returned from the IL and can have one slot, with Nick Gordon likely taking another on most days, with Jake Cave and Gilberto Celestino also in the mix.

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