Phillies Select Darick Hall
2:10pm: Philadelphia officially confirmed Hall’s promotion. Infielder Johan Camargo has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 26, with a right knee strain. To create a 40-man roster spot, the Phils recalled minor league righty James McArthur from Double-A Reading and placed him on the MLB 60-day injured list. McArthur, who’s dealing with a stress reaction in his throwing elbow, will be paid at the prorated amount of the $700K league minimum salary and collect big league service time while on the IL.
10:54am: The Phillies are planning to select the contract of first baseman Darick Hall from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. They’ll need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
It’ll be the big league debut for Hall, a 14th-round selection of the Phillies back in 2016. The 26-year-old has earned his ticket to the big leagues this season, hitting at a .269/.346/.548 clip with 20 home runs, 18 doubles, five steals (in six tries), a 9.5% walk rate and a 20% strikeout rate through his first 315 plate appearances of the season. Hall’s left-handed bat won’t make up for the loss of Harper, of course, but he’ll give interim skipper Rob Thomson another option with some power to mix-and-match while the reigning MVP is sidelined.
With Harper on the shelf, the Phillies are looking at several platoon options around the diamond, but their current slate of left-handed hitters hasn’t performed well — even against righties. Mickey Moniak is hitting .167/.259/.167 in 27 plate appearances, while Odubel Herrera is batting just .218/.248/.412 against right-handers. Hall, meanwhile, has struggled against lefties in Triple-A but absolutely torched right-handed opponents to the tune of a .312/.391/.656 batting line. Seventeen of his 20 long balls have come against righties, as have a dozen of his 18 doubles.
Mariners Select Marcus Wilson
The Mariners announced they’ve selected outfielder Marcus Wilson onto the big league roster. He’ll replace Taylor Trammell, who lands on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Seattle also optioned corner infielder Kevin Padlo to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled utilityman Sam Haggerty to add some defensive flexibility to the bench. In order to create a 40-man roster spot for Wilson, catcher Tom Murphy has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.
Wilson, 25, would make his major league debut if he gets into a game. He’s spent time on a 40-man roster before, having been added to the Red Sox’s roster to keep him from being taken in the 2019 Rule 5 draft. Wilson spent a year and a half on optional assignment to the minor leagues before being designated for assignment by Boston at last summer’s trade deadline. Seattle grabbed him off waivers and kept him in Triple-A for the remainder of last season.
The California native struggled during his initial two months in the M’s organization, leading Seattle to take him off the 40-man at the end of last year. Wilson passed through waivers unclaimed and remained in the system, and he’s spent this season in Tacoma. Through 209 plate appearances, he owns a .209/.336/.469 line with 12 home runs and eight stolen bases. As he has for most of his minor league tenure, Wilson has shown some power, speed and excellent strike zone awareness to work walks at a nearly 15% clip. He’s paired those promising tools with alarming swing-and-miss concerns throughout his time in pro ball, though, and he’s again punched out in more than a third of his plate appearances with Tacoma this season.
Wilson has experience at all three outfield spots but has spent much of this season in right field. That’s where Trammell has suited up for much of the year, putting together a solid .235/.323/.457 showing over 32 games. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old went down with a hamstring strain during last night’s contest. It’s the second time that’s happened to Trammell, as he spent around six weeks on the minor league IL earlier this season with the same injury. Whether his current strain is as severe as the one he suffered in April isn’t clear, but he’ll at least need some time on the shelf.
The Mariners figure to rely on some combination of Justin Upton, Dylan Moore and Wilson to cover right field for the next few weeks. Opening Day right fielder Mitch Haniger has been out since late April after suffering a high ankle sprain. He’s recently begun baseball activities but has yet to embark on a minor league rehab assignment; Haniger has maintained he hopes to be back in the big leagues around the All-Star Break.
Seattle could’ve elected to recall Jarred Kelenic, who was optioned six weeks ago at the time the M’s brought Trammell up. Kelenic has responded with a strong .295/.340/.576 showing in Tacoma, but he’s struck out at an alarming 27.7% rate while only walking at a 5.7% clip. The organization clearly feels the 22-year-old would be better served with continued run against high minors pitching — he’d had only 30 career Triple-A games entering this season — rather than returning to the majors to hold down right field until Haniger is healthy.
Murphy, meanwhile, has been out of action since May 7 after dislocating his left shoulder attempting a tag at home plate. He later suffered a setback, and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times relayed last week that he’ll require season-ending surgery. That makes today’s IL transfer nothing more than a formality.
It’s an obviously frustrating end to the year for Murphy, who only managed to appear in 14 games. The 31-year-old had performed very well in that limited stretch and looked as if he’d reemerged as a viable #1 option for the Mariners. Murphy had a stellar .273/.324/.535 showing while suiting up in just under half the team’s games in 2019, but he missed the entire following season after fracturing his left foot. Murphy returned last season but managed a less inspiring .202/.304/.350 showing through 325 trips to the plate.
Murphy’s efforts at a bounceback season are cut short by the shoulder issue. He’s playing this season on a $1.575MM salary after avoiding arbitration. The Mariners can keep him around via that process for a final time in 2023. Whether they’ll do so figures to depend on the long-term prognosis for his recovery. Murphy’s abbreviated season won’t earn him much of a raise relative to this year’s modest salary, but it’s possible Seattle looks for a new starting catcher next winter given his recent injury woes.
Yankees Select Ryan Weber
The Yankees have selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Weber, per a team announcement. He’ll return to their big league roster for a second stint this season. Weber will take the roster spot of lefty JP Sears, who was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following last night’s game.
Weber, 31, appeared with the Yankees once this season already, logging 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run in a long relief outing. It was a one-off appearance for Weber, who was designated for assignment and elected free agency after clearing waivers. He quickly re-upped with the Yanks on a new minor league deal, however (as is fairly common for journeymen arms in this mold), and has continued to pitch well in Scranton. Through 24 2/3 frames for the RailRiders, Weber has a 2.55 ERA with an outstanding 19-to-1 K/BB ratio and a solid 47.4% ground-ball rate.
The Yankees are the seventh Major League team for which Weber has pitched since debuting with the Braves back in 2015. He’s logged big league time each season since that debut but has never appeared in more than 14 games and has maxed out at 43 Major League innings in any given season. Through 170 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, Weber has a 5.22 ERA with a well below-average 14.8% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.4% walk rate and a strong 53.2% grounder rate.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a similar DFA carousel play out this time around for Weber, but he’ll nevertheless pick up at least a few extra days of big league service time and (most notably for him) Major League pay. Despite appearing in parts of seven MLB seasons, Weber hasn’t yet reached three years of service and has never been arbitration eligible, so even brief Major League stints carry extra weight for him.
Follow NBA Free Agency At HoopsRumors
NBA free agency kicks off tomorrow at 5pm CT, and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news, rumors and transactions for each of the league’s 30 teams.
The Knicks are considered the strong frontrunners to land Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, reportedly being willing to offer a four-year deal in the range of $110MM. To free up cap space to sign Brunson, New York is trading some of their excess draft picks and a few veteran players to Detroit. The Knicks are also rumored to be pursuing Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray via trade, so clearly they’re trying to make a splash and bolster their backcourt.
Kyrie Irving decided to pick up his $36.9MM player option for next season, ending rampant speculation that the Nets might be forced to tear down the roster if Kevin Durant asked to be traded. The Clippers have already been active, agreeing to an extension with starting center Ivica Zubac, and are reportedly set to land five-time All-Star John Wall once he clears waivers after being bought out by the Rockets.
The Hornets have said they’re going to bring back restricted free agent Miles Bridges, but will they being willing to match a maximum-salary offer sheet if a rival team offers it? What will happen with Suns center Deandre Ayton, another restricted free agent who has reportedly grown unhappy in Phoenix? Will the former No. 1 overall pick land the max deal he covets?
For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! There will be a whirlwind of activity over the next couple of weeks as teams reshape their rosters for next season, and we’ll be covering it all. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.
Austin Meadows Placed On Injured List With Achilles Strains
Austin Meadows’ injury-plagued first season in Detroit continues, as the Tigers announced this evening that he’s been placed on the 10-day injured list with Achilles strains in both legs. The outfielder had been on the COVID-19 list for the past 11 days; he’d been set to go on a minor league rehab assignment but the Achilles issues represent a notable setback. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press writes there’s currently no timetable for his return.
Meadows also lost a couple weeks in May while fighting vertigo-like symptoms. The series of health issues has kept him to 36 games thus far, and his production at the plate has taken a step back. Meadows is hitting .250/.347/.328 across 147 plate appearances, and he’s yet to hit his first home run in a Tiger uniform. The left-handed hitter popped 27 homers and 29 doubles for the Rays last season, but he’s unfortunately not had much of an opportunity to get into a groove this year.
Needless to say, it’s not been the kind of season the Tigers front office envisioned when acquiring Meadows from the Rays for infielder Isaac Paredes and a draft choice just before Opening Day. It’s been something of a Murphy’s law season altogether for the Tigers, who have been hit by a host of injuries in the starting rotation and an offensive drought throughout the lineup. Detroit entered play tonight 28-44 and is certain to move some shorter-term players over the coming weeks after their hopes of competing this season were dashed early on.
Meadows is playing this season on a $4MM salary after avoiding arbitration with the Rays over the winter. He’s controllable twice more via the arb process and can stick around in Detroit through the end of the 2024 campaign.
Reds Outright Colin Moran
8:16pm: As expected, Moran has decided to accept the outright assignment, the club announced (via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
5:58pm: The Reds announced that corner infielder Colin Moran has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Louisville. He has the right to refuse a minor league assignment as a player with between four and five years of big league service time, but doing so would require forfeiting what remains of his $1MM guaranteed salary. C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic tweets that Moran has not yet informed the Reds of his decision.
Cincinnati hadn’t previously announced that Moran had been designated for assignment. The outright drops the club’s 40-man roster tally down to 39, although they’ll need a spot for reliever Jeff Hoffman whenever he’s ready to return from the COVID-19 injured list.
The Reds signed Moran to a one-year deal during Spring Training. He’d been cut loose by the division-rival Pirates after a four-year run in Pittsburgh. He typically offered league average production at the dish during his time in the Steel City, combining for a .269/.331/.419 line. After struggling defensively at the hot corner, however, he was increasingly limited to first base time of late. His solid but unspectacular offense at a bat-first position wasn’t enough for the Bucs to keep him around through his arbitration seasons.
While Cincinnati hoped they’d add a productive left-handed bat to their bench, Moran hasn’t performed especially well in 2022. He’s posted a .210/.299/.360 line with four home runs through 117 plate appearances during his major league action. That’s led to a pair of optional assignments to Louisville, where he’s punched out in 16 of his 52 trips against upper minors pitching. Those struggles made it such that no other team wanted to assume the remaining guarantees on his contract.
If Moran stays with the Bats on outright assignment, he’ll try to play his way back onto the 40-man roster before the end of the season. He’d technically remain controllable via arbitration through 2023 in that instance, but the 29-year-old would need an excellent second half to convince the club to tender him a contract. Moran would have another opportunity to qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season if he’s not selected to the major league roster by then.
Diamondbacks Place Zach Davies On 15-Day Injured List
The Diamondbacks have placed starting pitcher Zach Davies on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 26, due to right shoulder inflammation. Reliever Sean Poppen was recalled from Triple-A Reno to take his place on the active roster.
A timetable for Davies’ return isn’t clear, although the injury could have an impact on the summer trade market. The right-hander is one of the game’s more straightforward trade candidates if healthy. He’s an inexpensive veteran role player, and Arizona’s recent slump has dropped them to 33-41 and almost assuredly out of contention. Davies’ contract contains a mutual option for the 2023 season, but those are rarely trigged by both player and team. He’s an impending free agent in all likelihood, and the D-Backs figure to move some players on short-term deals for future value.
The Cubs acquired Davies from the Padres as part of the Yu Darvish trade over the 2020-21 offseason. He made 32 starts for the North Siders last year but struggled to a 5.78 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts over 148 innings. It was arguably the worst season of his career and diminished his value before his first trip to the open market. Davies lingered in free agency until late March before landing with the Snakes on a modest $1.75MM guarantee.
He’s quietly had a nice bounceback season in the desert, posting a 3.94 ERA over 15 turns through the rotation. He’s still not missing many bats, but the 29-year-old has righted the uncharacteristic control woes that cropped up last year. After walking over 11% of opponents in 2021, he’s cut the rate of free passes below 8% this season. Paired with an average 43.2% ground-ball rate and his durability prior to this shoulder issue, Davies again looks like a stable source of back-of-the-rotation innings.
There are exactly five weeks until the August 2 trade deadline. If Davies can return from the IL in relatively short order and demonstrate his health, he figures to be among a host of back-end arms who could change hands this summer. A lengthier stint may jeopardize the D-Backs chances of moving him. Players on the injured list are eligible to be traded, but it’s likely contending clubs in search of innings would look elsewhere if Davies were still on the shelf at the end of July. The team will presumably provide more details on his recovery outlook over the coming days.
Freddie Freeman Reportedly Changing Agencies
In the wake of a still-stunning departure from the Braves in free agency, former NL MVP Freddie Freeman has dismissed his longtime agents at Excel Sports Management, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney. Freeman is currently listed as self-represented within MLB’s central database, and, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link), the MLBPA sent an email to agents requesting that they not contact Freeman — a common occurrence when a player is in the process of changing representation.
Freeman, however, isn’t characterizing things quite so definitively. The Dodger slugger issued a statement to Mark Bowman of MLB.com suggesting that he has not yet fully committed to parting ways with his reps (Twitter link):
Last weekend in Atlanta was a very emotional time for me and my family. I am working through some issues with my longtime agents at Excel. My representation remains a fluid situation and I will update if needed.
That’s hardly a firm denial of the report but at least leaves open the window for the relationship to be repaired and remain in place. Freeman largely deferred to his statement when addressing the topic with L.A. beat reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). The five-time All-Star said he “learned a lot” about the free agent process after speaking with “the other side” — presumably a reference to his post-signing chat with Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos — but called it “time to move on and focus on winning championships with the Dodgers.”
Olney reports that the timing of negotiations coming out of the league’s lockout were particularly frustrating for Freeman, who had a standing offer of five years and $135MM from the Braves once the transaction freeze was listed. Multiple counteroffers from Freeman’s camp failed to produce a deal, and the Braves pivoted to acquire/extend Matt Olson — a sequence that is said to have shocked Freeman. Olney’s piece goes into more detail on the purported sequence of negotiations for those curious about the ostensible specifics.
The reports and Freeman’s statement come on the heels of an emotional weekend series that saw Freeman return to Atlanta for the first time since signing a deferral-laden six-year, $162MM contract with the Dodgers. Freeman was set to address the media at a press conference there but, upon entering the room, had to step out and attempt to collect himself. An outwardly emotional Freeman fought back tears while professing a lifelong love for the Braves organization despite signing elsewhere in free agency. He was emotional upon receiving his World Series ring from manager Brian Snitker as well, and was understandably choked up when the Atlanta faithful showered him with a standing ovation as he stepped to the plate in his first at-bat of the series.
Whether Freeman remains with Excel or indeed hires new representation has little bearing for most fans moving forward — though it’s obviously of keen interest to those working within the industry. Excel has represented Freeman throughout his career, negotiating an eight-year, $135MM contract extension that still stands as the largest contract ever signed by a player with between three and four years of Major League service time despite being signed back in 2014.
Excel represents dozens of big leaguers, including Freeman’s now-former teammate and free-agent-to-be, Dansby Swanson. Asked by Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution whether the Freeman saga might make him think twice about his agency, Swanson replied that he would never leave Excel nor let any decision made by Freeman impact his own representation choices (Twitter link).
Archie Bradley Shut Down For At Least Four Weeks With Elbow Fracture
Angels reliever Archie Bradley was placed on the 15-day injured list with a fracture in his throwing elbow this evening. Trainer Mike Frostad tells reporters (including Sam Blum of the Athletic and Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times) that he’ll be shut down from throwing entirely for at least four weeks. Frostad estimated it’ll be multiple months before he’s able to return to the majors. Bradley suffered the injury during Sunday’s brawl between the Halos and Mariners, when he slipped trying to climb over the dugout railing.
Signed to a $3.75MM guarantee over the offseason, Bradley has made 21 appearances on the year. He owns a 4.82 ERA across 18 2/3 innings, striking out just 19.2% of batters faced. It’s the second consecutive season in which he’s not missed many bats, but Bradley has continued to shoulder high-leverage innings late in games. To his credit, the right-hander has induced grounders on almost three-fifths of batted balls against him, an excellent rate that has contributed to his allowing just one home run all season.
Unfortunately, the Halos will now be without one their more trusted late-game arms for the foreseeable future. An eventual transfer to the 60-day injured list seems all but inevitable, as the 29-year-old is seemingly looking at a September return at the earliest. That obviously won’t afford him much time to demonstrate his health before he again hits the open market next winter.
The fracture also all but eliminates the possibility of the Angels moving Bradley midseason. Entering play Tuesday with a 36-40 record, the Halos could find themselves dealing away short-term players in advance of the August 2 trade deadline. Flipping Bradley wouldn’t have brought back a massive return, but there’d likely have been some interest from other clubs given his high-leverage experience and lofty ground-ball numbers.
Players on the injured list can still be traded, but it’s hard to envision another team dealing for Bradley at this point. He seems unlikely to be available for more than the final month of the regular season, at best, and his status as an impending free agent means there isn’t any long-term upside in acquiring him for a contending club.
Dodgers To Select Jake Lamb
The Dodgers are planning to select Jake Lamb onto the major league roster, manager Dave Roberts announced (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). The veteran infielder would’ve soon been able to opt out of his minor league contract had he not been added to the 40-man roster. Utilityman Zach McKinstry is headed to the 10-day injured list with neck soreness in a corresponding move. Los Angeles had a 40-man roster vacancy after designating Stefen Romero for assignment last week.
Whenever he gets into a game, it’ll be the ninth consecutive year of big league action for Lamb. A longtime division rival as a member of the Diamondbacks, he’s also suited up with the A’s, White Sox and Blue Jays over the past few seasons. Lamb had a couple nice seasons early in his Arizona tenure, including a 2017 campaign that earned him an All-Star nod. Since suffering a shoulder injury that eventually necessitated surgery, the University of Washington product has been up-and-down offensively.
Lamb owns a .203/.308/.355 line in a bit more than 700 MLB plate appearances dating back to the start of the 2018 season. He’s walked at an excellent 12% rate over that stretch, but he’s punched out in almost 27% of his trips to the plate and not maintained the same kind of power he showed at his peak. It was a similar story last year, as Lamb hit .194/.306/.368 in 55 games between Chicago and Toronto.
The Dodgers signed Lamb to a minor league contract over the offseason. The 31-year-old has spent the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, earning his way back to the big leagues with a strong performance. Lamb has a .290/.395/.537 mark with 15 home runs over 276 plate appearances for OKC. He’s continued to demonstrate the high-walk, high-strikeout form he’s shown in the majors of late, but Lamb has had a power resurgence in the minors. In addition to the 15 round-trippers, he’s collected 12 doubles and posted a whopping .247 ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average).