Blue Jays Option Cavan Biggio
The Blue Jays announced this evening they’ve activated Cavan Biggio from the COVID-19 injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The Jays had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.
Biggio has appeared in minor league games on rehab stints over the past couple seasons, but this is the first time he’s been sent to the minors as an official assignment since he made his MLB debut in May 2019. That he’s been squeezed off the active roster for the time being is a testament both to his recent struggles and the strong work of new starting second baseman Santiago Espinal.
Over his first two MLB seasons, Biggio posted above-average offensive numbers revolving around excellent on-base skills. An exceedingly patient hitter, he was among the game’s best at drawing walks and reached base at a .368 clip in a bit shy of 700 plate appearances. Both his walk and power numbers took a step back last season, though, and he struggled to a .224/.322/.326 line across 79 games.
In spite of that downturn, Biggio was the Jays’ Opening Day second baseman this year. He collected just one hit and three walks over his first 13 games, however, and he’d begun to cede playing time to Espinal even before landing on the IL on April 27. The latter has continued to produce after the calendar flipped to May and owns a .282/.347/.445 line through 124 plate appearances. Espinal has seized a place in the regular infield alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman, leaving no room in the starting lineup for Biggio.
Biggio entered this season with two years and 129 days of service, putting him on a trajectory to reach free agency after the 2025 season. He has accrued roughly 39 more service days this year, leaving him just a few days shy of hitting the three-year threshold. (Players are credited with a full service year upon reaching 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list). Assuming he’s recalled at some point this season — which seems likely barring major struggles or injury in the minors — his free agent trajectory won’t be affected by today’s demotion.
Marlins Notes: Poteet, Meyer, Sanchez
The Marlins’ rotation took a hit over the weekend when left-hander Jesús Luzardo landed on the injured list due to a forearm strain. That leaves a vacancy alongside the top four of Pablo López, Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Rogers and Elieser Hernández, and the long-term plans still appear to be up in the air.
The team announced yesterday that long reliever Cody Poteet would step into Luzardo’s spot for tomorrow’s game against the Nationals. General manager Kim Ng didn’t commit to the righty making more than one start, however, noting only that the team “will be flexible after that” (via Daniel Álvarez Montes of El Extrabase). Poteet started seven games for the Fish last season, so he could probably handle a rotation spot with Luzardo out, but that’d thin the bullpen mix.
Of course, Miami’s organizational strength is their controllable pitching, and the Fish have some young arms whom they hope will be rotation stalwarts over the long-term. 2020 #3 overall pick Max Meyer reached Triple-A Jacksonville at the end of his first full professional season, and he opened this year there as well. The right-hander has overpowered opponents, pitching to a 2.97 ERA with excellent peripherals in seven starts. Meyer has a lofty 29.5% strikeout rate, has only walked 6.8% of batters faced and has induced grounders on over half the batted balls against him.
That’s a continuation of very strong high minors work for Meyer, who was equally dominant in 101 Double-A innings last year. As he’s continued to tear up the minors, there’s been speculation the University of Minnesota product could be on the radar for a big league call. The Luzardo injury won’t be the immediate catalyst for his first MLB promotion; Craig Mish of SportsGrid tweeted this afternoon that Meyer will start for Jacksonville on Tuesday.
Still, Ng’s nebulous statement about being “flexible” with the vacant rotation spot long-term doesn’t figure to quell any speculation among the fanbase about the possibility of Meyer heading to Miami at some point in the relatively near future. Mish and Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald wrote earlier this month there’d been some “internal discussion” about whether to promote Meyer for relief work before Luzardo’s injury. Meanwhile, Hernández’s continued struggles with home runs may eventually put him in jeopardy of losing his hold on a rotation spot.
Another of Miami’s exciting young arms, Sixto Sánchez, reached the big leagues for the first time in 2020. The fireballing righty made seven strong starts as a 22-year-old, but he missed all of last season battling shoulder concerns. Sánchez landed back on the injured list to start this year, but the team informed reporters he’s progressed to throwing from 90 feet (via Jordan McPherson of the Herald). There’s obviously still a long way to go in his rehab process, but that he’s throwing is a promising development. Sánchez spent the first few weeks of the season in a shutdown period after he battled continued soreness during the spring.
Diamondbacks Select Jake Hager
The D-Backs announced tonight they’ve selected infielder Jake Hager onto the big league roster. Nick Ahmed has been placed on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.
Hager is up for the first time this season. The righty-hitting utilityman reached the big leagues last year, appearing in 14 games between the Mets and D-Backs. The Snakes outrighted him off their 40-man roster in September, and he reached minor league free agency after the season. Arizona brought him back via non-roster deal, and he’s spent the year with Triple-A Reno.
In 21 games for the Aces, Hager has a .239/.363/.380 line with one home run. He hit .240/.311/.461 in 344 Triple-A plate appearances a season ago. The 29-year-old doesn’t have a great offensive track record in the minors, but he’s played quite a bit of shortstop in his pro career. He’ll give manager Torey Lovullo some middle infield cover while Ahmed’s out.
It’s not clear for how long that’ll be, as the team hasn’t specified whether the shortstop tested positive for the virus. Ahmed, who began the year on the IL because of a right shoulder problem, is hitting .231/.259/.442 with three homers through 17 games. Geraldo Perdomo is getting the start at shortstop tonight against the Dodgers and figures to be the primary option there while Ahmed’s sidelined.
Giants Activate Tommy La Stella, Place Anthony DeSclafani On 60-Day IL
The Giants announced a series of moves before tonight’s contest with the Rockies. Infielder Tommy La Stella has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list, with outfielder Luis González optioned to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding active roster move (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). San Francisco also selected reliever Mauricio Llovera and optioned Yunior Marté. To create space on the 40-man roster for Llovera, starter Anthony DeSclafani was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.
La Stella is in tonight’s lineup as the designated hitter, setting him up to make his season debut. Signed to a three-year deal over the 2020-21 offseason, the lefty-hitting second baseman dealt with a few injuries during his first season in San Francisco. La Stella missed a few months due to a left hamstring strain and then a right hand fracture. He was then hampered by left Achilles soreness late in the season, and he was forced to undergo surgery in late October.
Recovery from that procedure lingered into the regular season and wound up costing La Stella the first five weeks of the year. Now that he’s back, he’ll likely step into a regular second base role. La Stella posted a .250/.308/.405 line in 242 plate appearances during his first season as a Giant, but he’d put up an excellent .281/.370/.449 mark in virtually the same amount of playing time during the shortened 2020 campaign. One of the game’s top contact hitters, La Stella could eventually be a top-of-the-lineup table setter for skipper Gabe Kapler. His forthcoming return no doubt played a role in the Giants’ decision to deal utilityman Mauricio Dubón to Houston over the weekend.
Llovera is back with the big league club for the second time this season. The former Phillies reliever signed a minor league deal over the winter and was selected in late April while the team was dealing with COVID-19 concerns. He appeared in four games and worked as many innings, allowing one run while striking out five without a walk. Despite the solid work, Llovera lost his 40-man roster spot as the club returned to health.
The 26-year-old’s first call-up came as a designated COVID substitute, meaning the team could return him to Sacramento without running him through waivers. That isn’t the case this time around, suggesting the Giants plan to keep him on the 40-man roster for a longer while. That’s understandable after Llovera has tossed 12 2/3 scoreless innings in the minors, fanning 17 batters against a pair of walks. Llovera does have a minor league option year remaining, so he can still bounce between San Francisco and Sacramento while maintaining a 40-man roster spot.
DeSclafani originally landed on the 10-day IL on April 22 as he battled right ankle inflammation. Today’s transfer keeps him out of MLB action for sixty days from that date, meaning he won’t return to an Oracle Park mound until at least late June. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, as the righty had progressed to mound work during his recovery last week.
Kapler stressed that DeSclafani didn’t suffer a setback (via Maria Guardado of MLB.com). Rather, it seems the club is just committed to a cautious rehab for the 32-year-old, whom they re-signed to a three-year deal over the offseason. DeSclafani tossed 167 2/3 innings of 3.17 ERA ball last season.
Guardians Acquire Yohan Ramirez From Mariners
The Guardians have acquired reliever Yohan Ramirez from the Mariners in exchange for cash, according to announcements from both teams. Cleveland placed James Karinchak on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding 40-man roster move.
Seattle designated Ramirez for assignment last week. Rather than wait for the 27-year-old to land on waivers, the Guardians jumped the line by sending cash to the M’s. Ramirez still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so he’ll add a bullpen depth option with some roster flexibility to the organization.
Originally an Astros’ farmhand, Ramirez landed in Seattle via the 2019 Rule 5 draft. He stuck on the active roster for the shortened 2020 season, tossing 20 2/3 innings of primarily low-leverage work. The right-hander posted a 2.61 ERA as a rookie, but he walked an untenable 21.3% of batters faced. Ramirez averaged nearly 96 MPH on his fastball and struck out 27.7% of batters faced, though, and the M’s were impressed enough to keep him around in hopes he could emerge as a long-term middle innings option.
That didn’t wind up coming to fruition, even as Ramirez made marginal improvements from a control perspective. Home runs became a particular problem, as he was tagged for nearly two homers per nine innings over 25 appearances in 2021. He’s allowed another trio of longballs in 8 1/3 innings early this season, and the M’s decided to reallocate his spot on the 40-man roster.
That Ramirez can bounce between Cleveland and Triple-A Columbus is no doubt of some appeal to the Guardians front office. His career 13.6% swinging strike percentage is above-average, and he’s induced infield fly balls at a rate nearly double the league mark. That was enough promise for Cleveland to add him to the bullpen depth chart.
Karinchak hasn’t pitched this season. He opened the year on the IL due to a lower back strain, and today’s transfer means he won’t return until the first week of June at the earliest. A specific timetable for his recovery isn’t clear, although it’s not likely Karinchak would’ve been in position to return by the end of this month anyhow given that he’s yet to embark on a minor league rehab assignment.
The 26-year-old made his MLB debut at the end of the 2019 season and looked like a late-game stopper the following year. The righty struck out a laughable 48.6% of opponents in 27 innings that year en route to a 2.67 ERA. He did show some strike-throwing issues, though, and his walk concerns became more pronounced when his strikeout rate fell to a mortal (although still excellent) 33.2% last season. Karinchak pitched to a 4.07 ERA in 55 1/3 frames in 2021.
Boras: Michael Conforto Not Ruling Out Late-Season Return
Michael Conforto was the most notable unsigned free agent of this past offseason. The outfielder rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets and didn’t find a deal to his liking before the league locked out the players in early December. The following month, he injured his right shoulder during training and remains unsigned.
Conforto underwent surgery last month, and reports at the time suggested the procedure would end his 2022 season before it began. That may not actually be the case, as his agent Scott Boras now tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post it’s not out of the question Conforto could make it back to the majors by September. “There is a possibility the swinging modality can be back to normal at a much earlier date than the throwing aspect,” Boras told Sherman. “He had his surgery in April. There’s a chance depending on how he progresses that (hitting in the majors late in the season) is a possibility.”
Based on those comments, it seems the path back for Conforto would be as a hitter only. If he’s still unable to throw by September, clubs certainly aren’t going to plug him back into right field (and probably wouldn’t risk him at first base either). Yet there’s apparently at least some chance he makes a late-season return as a designated hitter and/or bench bat, which hadn’t previously appeared possible.
Even if Conforto’s shoulder progresses well enough he could make it back to the diamond, he’d of course need to find a contract offer to his liking. Teams aren’t going to commit the kind of multi-year deal he’d been looking for entering the offseason, and Conforto and Boras may eventually decide it’s better for the 29-year-old to continue rehabbing on his own and look for a new team next year.
That said, clubs figure to keep an eye on Conforto’s progress over the next few months. While he posted only marginally above-average offensive numbers last season, he hit at a .261/.365/.478 level between 2018-20. Something approaching that production would be a boon to virtually every lineup, and a contending club looking for a bit more left-handed punch could have interest in a late-season pact if he’s healthy. That kind of arrangement, meanwhile, could allow Conforto to showcase his form for a few weeks (and into a possible postseason run) while still hitting the market next winter.
In any event, a resolution won’t be coming for several months. Conforto’s clearly not near an imminent return to game shape, and he’ll have to continue working on his own for at least the next two months. Any team would forfeit an amateur draft choice were they to sign Conforto now because he rejected the Mets’ QO. Certainly, no team is going to do that for a player with such an uncertain health status. Pick forfeiture will no longer apply once the draft concludes on July 19, however, so there’d be no penalty (aside from whatever guarantee he receives) for a team to add him after that point. The Mets won’t receive any compensation if he signs a post-draft deal.
Whether Conforto will sign anywhere this year won’t be known until at least after the All-Star Break, and quite likely for a while longer. That it’s even possible after news of his shoulder surgery makes for a surprising development, though, one that’ll be worth monitoring later in the season.
Rays To Place Brandon Lowe On Injured List
The Rays are planning to place second baseman Brandon Lowe on the 10-day injured list, manager Kevin Cash told media members (including broadcaster Neil Solondz and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). He’s dealing with a lower back issue and will head for further testing to determine the extent of the injury. Isaac Paredes will be recalled from Triple-A Durham to take his place on the active roster.
It’s obviously a tough blow for the Rays, who trail the Yankees by four and a half games in the early going. Lowe is one of the team’s top position players, an impact bat capable of slotting both at the top and in the middle of the lineup. The University of Maryland product blasted 39 home runs last season en route to a tenth-place finish in AL MVP balloting, his second consecutive year earning down-ballot support. Lowe strikes out a bit more often than the average batter, but he typically draws enough walks to maintain strong on-base numbers and is one of the game’s better power hitters.
Lowe is off to a bit of a slow start by his lofty standards. He’s hitting just .212 with a .293 on-base percentage through 32 games, and each of his early triple-slash marks are career worsts. That’s in the context of a league-wide offensive outage through the season’s first month and a half, though, and Lowe’s production has still been solid against that backdrop. The left-handed hitter has been 16 percentage points above-average by measure of wRC+, and he’s started 28 of the club’s 35 games at the keystone.
Tampa Bay does have a collection of highly-regarded young infielders capable of stepping into a greater role. Taylor Walls has been playing regularly all around the infield, and he and Vidal Bruján figure to see steady playing time. Paredes, acquired from the Tigers just before Opening Day for Austin Meadows, could see time at either of second or third base. As he has throughout his young career, he’s hitting very well at Triple-A. Paredes has a .263/.354/.484 mark in 25 games with Durham.
Pirates Claim Tyler Heineman, Designate Andrew Knapp
The Pirates have claimed catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Blue Jays, per announcements from both teams. Pittsburgh designated fellow catcher Andrew Knapp for assignment in order to create space on the roster.
Heineman, 30, wasn’t formally designated for assignment on the Blue Jays, nor was it announced that he’d been placed on waivers. Toronto surely hoped to open up a 40-man roster spot by passing Heineman through waivers while still keeping him in the organization to preserve some depth, but he’ll head to Pittsburgh and join the club as the new backup to Roberto Perez now that Knapp has been designated for assignment.
Set to turn 31 next month, Heineman is in his third big league season. Originally an eighth-round pick by the Astros back in 2012, he’s become something of a journeyman, having since bounced to the Brewers, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Marlins, Giants, Cardinals and Jays organizations. Heineman logged big league time with the ’19 Marlins and ’20 Giants and, in 78 career Major League plate appearances, is a .221/.284/.324 hitter. As one would expect, his work in Triple-A has been considerably better; the switch-hitting Heineman carries a .283/.350/.413 batting line in 1163 plate appearances.
Defensively, Heineman ought to provide the Bucs with a solid glove. He’s nabbed 38% of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him in his professional career, and Baseball Prospectus credits him with above-average framing marks and average marks on blocking pitches in the dirt.
As for Knapp, the longtime Phillies backstop inked a Major League contract with the Pirates during Spring Training but simply didn’t provide the team with enough offense to keep his spot on the roster. Chances were limited — such is the life of a backup catcher — but in 35 plate appearances, Knapp slashed just .129/.229/.161. His career .210/.310/.315 line is a good bit better than that, but the Pirates will hope for more immediate production out of the well-traveled Heineman.
Pittsburgh will have a week to trade Knapp, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Tigers Place Austin Meadows, Victor Reyes On 10-Day IL
May 16: The Tigers have formally placed Meadows (vertigo) and Reyes (right quad strain) on the 10-day injured list. Righty Alex Faedo and outfielder Daz Cameron have been recalled from Toledo in their place.
May 15: Austin Meadows and Victor Reyes both made early exits from the Tigers’ 5-1 win over the Orioles today, and postgame, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck) that the two outfielders would be placed on the 10-day injured list.
Meadows missed three games last week due to a sinus infection, and he hadn’t played in Detroit’s previous two games due to what he described as dizziness or vertigo-like symptoms. Attempting to play today, Meadows managed only one inning before having to depart, with Hinch saying that Meadows felt nauseous and lightheaded in addition to continued dizziness. The skipper said that Meadows will meet with a doctor Monday in Florida when the Tigers travel to visit the Rays.
Reyes was only just activated from the IL earlier today after missing three weeks with a left quad strain. Unfortunately for Reyes, he suffered a strain of his right quad while running the bases after a double in his first at-bat. Reyes had to be immediately replaced by a pinch-runner.
The Tigers were going to call up Alex Faedo to start Monday’s game against Tampa Bay, so Faedo will take the roster place of one of the injured outfielders. It would seem like a position player would be the other callup in order to help bolster the bench, and this could provide an opening for the recently-demoted Akil Baddoo to return to the majors. However, Baddoo hasn’t hit much during his week in Triple-A, so the Tigers might want to give him more time to really get on track before calling him back up the Show.
Derek Hill and Willi Castro can fill in for Meadows and Reyes in the outfield, but losing more position players won’t help a Detroit team that has been collectively ice-cold the plate. Meadows is one of the only Tigers with above-average production to date, with a .270/.365/.350 slash line over his first 115 plate appearances.
White Sox Select Johnny Cueto
The White Sox announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Johnny Cueto from Triple-A Charlotte. Cueto, who signed a minor league deal with the Sox last month, will start tonight’s game against the Royals. Infielder Danny Mendick was optioned to Charlotte in a corresponding move. Chicago’s 40-man roster is now at capacity.
Cueto had a May 15 opt-out clause in his contract, so he could’ve become a free agent had the Sox not selected him to the big league roster. Whether Cueto formally triggered that clause yesterday isn’t clear — teams typically have 48 hours to add a player to the roster once an opt-out of that nature is exercised — but with Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn currently on the IL, there was a natural opening for him anyhow. Cueto will earn a prorated $4.2MM salary now that he’s been selected to the Majors.
Through four starts in Triple-A Charlotte, the 36-year-old Cueto posted a tepid 5.17 earned run average, but the remainder of his numbers were far more encouraging. The former Cy Young runner-up fanned 27% of his opponents against a very strong 6.3% walk rate — complementing those solid K/BB numbers with a hefty 57.1% ground-ball rate. It’s a small sample against lesser competition, of course, but Cueto was a generally solid arm with the Giants last season as well. In 114 2/3 innings with San Francisco, he notched a 4.08 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate and a 6.1% walk rate.
While Cueto still appeared to be a viable back-of-the-rotation option, his market was slow to come together this winter. Several teams expressed interest following the lockout — the Twins and Tigers reportedly among them. However, once Opening Day was within arm’s reach, the possibility of a Major League deal ultimately evaporated, as interested parties knew that Cueto wouldn’t be game-ready come Opening Day after looking for a suitable offer throughout the duration of Spring Training.
Cueto will still be able to earn approximately $3.32MM under the prorated terms of his White Sox deal, and he’ll be in the Majors with just 39 days of the trimmed off the calendar. Depending on how he fares early on, it’s possible there’ll be a long-term opportunity for him. Both Dallas Keuchel and Vince Velasquez have struggled to ERAs north of 5.50 through their first six starts, while righty Jimmy Lambert had his own struggles through a pair of spot starts thus far. Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and, once healthy, Giolito and Lynn all seem like locks for long-term rotation spots, health-permitting — but the fifth spot in the rotation is a bit less certain. Keuchel’s weighty contract may well keep him in that spot for now, but if he continues pitching at his current pace and Cueto is able to replicate last year’s solid form, it’d be hard for the Sox not to make a switch.