Mets Activate Taijuan Walker From 10-Day Injured List
Taijuan Walker is set to make his return from the 10-day injured list, as the righty is the Mets’ scheduled starter tonight against the Phillies. In advance of Walker’s activation, righty Yoan Lopez was optioned to Triple-A to create an open spot on the active roster.
Walker only tossed two innings in his first start of the season (on April 11) before leaving the game with shoulder inflammation. The injury was later diagnosed as right shoulder bursitis, as Walker was placed on the IL the next day. Fortunately, the issue wasn’t serious enough for Walker to miss too much time, which is a particular relief in Walker’s case given how he also battled some shoulder problems in 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
2022 is a big season for Walker, who can enter free agency this winter if (as expected) he declines his $6MM player option with the Mets for the 2023 season. Walker will receive a $3MM buyout if he does opt out, so for the sake of an extra $3MM, it is exceedingly likely that he’ll return to the open market in search of a much pricier multi-year deal. Walker had a roller-coaster of a 2021 season, as his excellent first half earned him his first career All-Star appearance, but he posted an ugly 7.13 ERA in 64 1/3 innings after the Midsummer Classic.
Walker returns to a red-hot Mets team that has been getting great production from its entire rotation. Getting Walker back in the mix is the proverbial nice problem to have for the Amazins, and the rotation will be further bolstered later this season whenever Jacob deGrom is able to return from the injured list.
Mariners Sign Konner Wade To Minor League Deal
The Mariners have signed right-hander Konner Wade to a minor league contract, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post (Twitter link). Wade elected free agency last October after being outrighted off the Orioles’ 40-man roster.
Wade signed a minors deal with Baltimore prior to the 2021 season, and his Orioles tenure resulted in his Major League debut. The righty appeared in seven games with the O’s last year, posting an 11.68 ERA over 12 1/3 innings. That number was inflated by two particularly poor outings against the Angels and Blue Jays, as Wade allowed 11 runs in three total innings over those two games.
The 30-year-old is a veteran of eight pro seasons, mostly spent in the Rockies organization after Colorado drafted him in the seventh round in 2013. Wade was actually dealt to the Orioles during the 2017 offseason but was released near the end of Spring Training, and then moved on to pitch in independent baseball and in the Red Sox farm system.
Over 735 career innings in the minors, Wade has a 3.76 ERA and only a 15.27% strikeout rate. After being a grounder specialist earlier in his career, Wade’s strikeout total did jump up a bit while pitching with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate last year. Wade has worked as both a starter and reliever, so he could serve as minor league depth for the Mariners in a variety of different roles, whether the team wishes to use him as a swingman, long reliever, or perhaps a spot starter.
Roster Notes: Rangers, Cubs, Pirates
The Rangers announced a pair of interlocking roster moves today, optioning Spencer Howard to Triple-A and recalling outfielder Zach Reks. Howard has been shelled in 6 2/3 innings of work this season, working to a 12.15 ERA, but the demotion is reportedly more about building him up as a “full-fledged” starter, per Jeff Wilson of Rangerstoday.com (via Twitter). Whatever the reason for the move, the Rangers will surely want to see a more productive couple of appearances in Triple-A out of Howard.
Reks, meanwhile, steps right into the starting lineup, starting today’s ballgame in left field. It will be Reks first appearance with the Rangers after being acquired from the Dodgers this past November. In other roster moves…
- The Cubs have optioned Mark Leiter Jr. to Triple-A, activating Locke St. John in his place, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Leiter Jr. appeared in four games for the Cubs, starting three, but yielding nine earned runs over 10 1/3 innings. St. John, meanwhile, was recently added to the 40-man roster to satisfy a condition of the minor league contract he signed over the winter. For now, he’ll join Daniel Norris and Sean Newcomb in a full Chicago bullpen.
- The Pirates have reinstated Cole Tucker from the COVID Injured List and optioned Tucupita Marcano to Double-A in order to give the infielder regular playing time, per Kevin Gorman of Tribune-Review Sports (via Twitter). Marcano, still just 22, was promoted to fill the void in the short-term. He was the key piece in last season’s trade that sent Adam Frazier to the Padres.
AL Notes: Blue Jays, White Sox
The Blue Jays have sent southpaw Tayler Saucedo to the 10-day injured list with right hip discomfort. Taking his roster spot, Bowden Francis has been brought back to the active roster, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (via Twitter). Francis was only just optioned to Triple-A yesterday. Saucedo was roughed up in 2 2/3 innings of work, yielding four earned runs and six hits, including three home runs.
- The Blue Jays have a couple of key players that might be coming back soon. Teoscar Hernandez and Hyun Jin Ryu have both returned to baseball activities and could be gearing up for a rehab assignment, per The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath. Ross Stripling has held the line in Ryu’s stead, but the offense could use a jolt of Hernandez’s trademark power.
- Yoan Moncada is beginning his rehab assignment today, per the lineup card posted by the Charlotte Knights’ Twitter account. An oblique strain has kept Moncada out of the lineup for the entirety of the season thus far. 26-year-old Jake Burger has been starting games at third in his stead, slashing .260/.275/.420, good for a 105 wRC+ despite walking at just a 1.9% clip.
- X-rays on Andrew Vaughn‘s hand came back negative. He was hit on the hand with a pitch in yesterday’s game. He’s day-to-day for now, per The Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter). Vaughn has gotten off to a hot start at the plate, slashing .283/.367/.566 across 60 plate appearances.
Angels Place Archie Bradley On 10-Day Injured List
The Angels placed reliever Archie Bradley on the 10-day injured list with a left abdominal strain, per Jeff Fletcher of the SoCal News Group (via Twitter). Elvis Peguero has been recalled to take his roster spot.
Bradley signed a one-year, $3.75MM contract to join the Angels bullpen this season. The 29-year-old is off to a rough start, yielding seven earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven over 8 2/3 innings. The Angels would be fair to expect quite a bit more from Bradley, who posted a 3.71 ERA/4.35 FIP over 51 frames last season for the Phillies.
Peguero, 25, has impressed in Triple-A this season with a 1.74 ERA in six appearances covering 10 1/3 innings with an impressive 13-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Peguero joined the Angels organization from the Yankees as part of the Andrew Heaney deal.
A’s Claim Domingo Tapia From Royals, Designate Mickey McDonald For Assignment
The A’s have claimed right-hander Domingo Tapia off of waivers from the Royals and optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas, the team announced. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Athletics designated Mickey McDonald for assignment.
Tapia, 30, has not appeared with the Royals this season. He appeared with the Royals, Mariners, and Red Sox over the past two seasons, however. Tapia owns a career 2.61 ERA over 38 innings between the three teams, notching most of that experience with the Royals last season.
McDonald, 27, has walked twice but failed to notch a base hit in his first six plate appearances. The switch-hitter doesn’t hit for power, but he did put together a .305/.402/.390 line in 430 plate appearances with Double-A and Triple-A last season. He’s likely to pass through waivers and return to the A’s Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.
Padres To Sign Shogo Akiyama To Minors Deal
The Padres have reached an agreement to sign former Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama to a minor league deal, per The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans (via Twitter).
There were rumors even earlier today that the Seibu Lions were interested in bringing Akiyama back to the organization where he made his name, but the Japanese outfielder apparently is not yet done with Major League Baseball. With the Reds, he made 183 trips to the plate in each of 2020 and 2021, hitting a combined .224/.320/.274 in that time.
The Padres seem almost continually to shuffle their roster in reaction to injury. So long as Trent Grisham remains healthy, he’ll be the man in center field, though health has been an issue at times for Grisham. With Wil Myers recently going on the injured list, however, it’s been a new collection of bodied patrolling the grass including Matt Beaty, Trayce Thompson, and Jose Azocar. Akiyama could provide necessary depth in this area.
Giants Acquire Mike Ford From Mariners For Cash Considerations
The Mariners have traded Mike Ford to the Giants in exchange for cash considerations, per a team announcement. Ford had been designated for assignment by Seattle. Ford has been added to the Giants active roster.
In a corresponding move, the Giants have optioned outfielder Ka’ai Tom to Triple-A, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter). Tom, 28, had made just one plate appearance for the Giants. Tom bounced around last season after the A’s got him from the Guardians as a Rule 5 pick. The Pirates claimed him off waivers when Oakland readied to send him back to Cleveland. He finished out the season with Pittsburgh, who released him over the winter.
In Ford, the Giants get a little more coverage for the absence of Brandon Belt at first base. Ford, like Tom, has bounced around over the past year. He has only appeared in the Majors with the Yankees, however, with whom he suited up in each of the past three seasons. In the past year, Ford has appeared in Triple-A for the Yankees, Rays, Nationals, and Mariners. Ford owns a career .199/.301/.422 line in 319 plate appearances.
Twins Place Bailey Ober On Injured List, Recall Cole Sands
The Twins have placed starter Bailey Ober on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain, per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, Cole Sands has been recalled from Triple-A to make his Major League debut.
Ober has gotten off to a strong start for Minnesota, making four starts and posting a 2.75 ERA/3.56 FIP spanning 19 2/3 innings. He’d lasted at least five innings in each of his first three before being pulled early due to the injury.
Sands had an excellent season in Double-A last year, posting a 2.46 ERA in 80 1/3 innings. He hasn’t gotten off to quite that grand of a start in Triple-A, but the sample is small after just 12 2/3 innings. He is the Twins 15th-ranked prospect per Baseball America.
Quick Hits: Musgrove, Alford, Kreidler, Arenado
The Padres and Joe Musgrove remain far apart in their potential extension talks. The latest offer from San Diego was reportedly in the ballpark of an eight-year deal with an $11MM AAV, per The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal. The length of the deal is somewhat surprising for the 29-year-old Musgrove, though the overall value is probably south of what the righty is seeking. Musgrove was arguably the Friars’ most reliable starter last season, tossing 181 1/3 innings with a 3.18 ERA/3.70 FIP, 27.1% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate, and 43.5% groundball rate. He is a free agent at the end of the year.
- Outfielder Anthony Alford has cleared waivers and joined the Pirates Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, per Jason Mackey of PG Sports Now (via Twitter). Alford has appeared in the Majors in each season going back to 2017, including this one. The 27-year-old went 1-4 in two games. He made 148 plate appearances last season, a career high, slashing .233/.311/.406, good for a 93 wRC+. Alford’s ability to man all three outfield spots could be a factor in finding his way back to the bigs, either for the Pirates or elsewhere later in the season.
- Tigers prospect Ryan Kreidler suffered a right hand fracture that will knock the Triple-A infielder out indefinitely, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. The 24-year-old had yet to make his Major League debut, though with a .246/.346/.462 line through 78 plate appearances in Triple-A, he was on his way.
- Nolan Arenado was able to cut his suspension from two games down to one, per The Athletic’s Katie Woo (via Twitter). He will serve the suspension today, per MLB.com’s John Denton (via Twitter). The Cardinals third baseman was suspended for his part in a bench-clearing brawl with the Mets. The tiff was sparked by a high-and-tight fastball on Arenado from Yoan Lopez.