Blue Jays Select Tayler Saucedo
Prior to today’s 7-2 victory over the Red Sox, the Blue Jays selected the contract of left-hander Tayler Saucedo from Triple-A Buffalo. In corresponding moves, right-hander Jeremy Beasley was sent to Triple-A to create a 26-man roster spot, while A.J. Cole was moved to the 60-day injured list to create an opening for Saucedo on the 40-man roster.
Saucedo didn’t pitch in today’s game, so he is still looking for the first Major League appearance of his six-year pro career. A 21st-round pick for the Jays in the 2015 draft, the Hawaii native has a 4.30 ERA and 17.4% strikeout rate over 521 innings in Toronto’s farm system.
Most of Saucedo’s usage has come out of the rotation, though he was shifted to the bullpen in 2019 and has been used as a full-time reliever this season. The results have been impressive, as Saucedo has a 2.20 ERA and a whopping 35% strikeout rate in 16 1/3 innings for Triple-A Buffalo, against just two walks and no home runs allowed. Saucedo has consistently posted high grounder rates throughout his minor league career, and he has managed to keep the ball on the ground (51.4% rate) at Buffalo this year while spiking his strikeout rate at the same time.
With the Blue Jays hurting for relief help, Saucedo has plenty of opportunity to stick in the majors if he can come close to replicating his Triple-A numbers. Saucedo and Tim Mayza are the only left-handers in Toronto’s bullpen, as Ryan Borucki and Travis Bergen are both on the injured list.
Cole will now also see his stay on the IL extended into at least August. The righty was initially placed on the 10-day IL on June 2 with neck tightness, but today’s placement indicates that Cole has also suffered a left oblique strain. Cole has signed with the Jays on minor league contracts in each of the last two seasons, and he has delivered quality results — a 2.59 ERA over 31 1/3 total innings in a Blue Jays uniform.
Dodgers Designate Dennis Santana, Select Andy Burns
The Dodgers announced a trio of roster moves, with Andy Burns joining the active roster after the infielder’s contract was selected from Triple-A. Right-hander Dennis Santana was designated for assignment to open up a spot for Burns on the 40-man roster, and right-hander Mitch White was optioned to Triple-A.
Burns’ big league resume consists of 10 games with the Blue Jays back in 2016. Since being drafted as an 11th-round pick in 2011, Burns’ pro career has been mostly spent in Toronto’s farm system, but he also spent parts of three seasons playing overseas in South Korea and Australia. After signing a minor league deal with Los Angeles last winter, Burns has been ripping up Triple-A pitching, with a .330/.427/.598 slash line over 117 plate appearances with Oklahoma City.
As is typical with most Dodgers players, Burns offers defensive versatility. The 30-year-old has mostly played second and third base over his career, but also has quite a bit of experience at shortstop, first base, left field, and a handful of games as a right fielder. Burns joins Zach McKinstry and Matt Beaty as L.A. bench options who can handle multiple positions, while Albert Pujols remains limited to first base and pinch-hit duties.
Santana has appeared in each of the last four seasons for the Dodgers, totaling a 6.42 ERA and 18.7% strikeout rate over 40 2/3 Major League innings. Control has increasingly emerged as a problem for Santana, with inflated walk totals at both the MLB and Triple-A levels in 2019 and 2021 — this season, the righty has 11 walks against only eight strikeouts.
Cubs Option Kohl Stewart, Recall Trevor Megill
The Cubs have optioned Kohl Stewart to Triple-A and recalled Trevor Megill, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
Stewart has been a spot starter for the Cubs this season, his first with the club after being signed as a minor league free agent. The 26-year-old former Minnesota Twin has made three starts giving up eight earned runs in 12 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts to two walks, though he has also hit two batters.
Megill has two scoreless innings under his belt this season, his first action at the big league level. Megill was a seventh round draft choice of the Padres back in 2015.
Brewers Place Tyrone Taylor On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Tim Lopes
Brewers place Tyrone Taylor 10-day injured list with right shoulder strain, per the Athletic’s Will Sammon (via Twitter). Tim Lopes has been recalled from Triple-A.
Taylor himself has been a key injury replacement for the Brewers this season. Their four-man first team of Christian Yelich, Jackie Bradley Jr., Lorenzo Cain, and Avisail Garcia have dealt with a variety of injuries this season. Ultimately, Taylor has played a role at each outfield spot, accounting for four percent of the playing time in left, five percent in center, and three percent in right. The 27-year-old is generally regarded as a strong defender, but he’s also posted a 111 wRC+ in exactly 100 plate appearances.
With Yelich, Bradley Jr., and Garcia all healthy right now, Taylor has not had as much playing time of late. In his absence, Pablo Reyes becomes the primary backup outfielder, but Jace Peterson, Daniel Robertson, and Lopes are capable of playing in the grass.
As for Lopes specifically, the 26-year-old right-hander has logged playing time in Majors with the Mariners in each of the past two seasons. He put together a .252/.315/.362 line across 279 plate appearances while mostly playing in the outfield corners. He has a .193/.308/.330 line at Triple-A this season.
AL Roster Moves: Rays, Mariners, Tigers
The Rays have officially added Matt Wisler to their active roster, per the team. Wisler was acquired via trade from the Giants yesterday. To make room on the active roster, southpaw Ryan Sherriff was optioned to Triple-A. The Rays continue to adeptly re-work their bullpen, adding Wisler to previous trade acquisitions J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen (though the latter is currently in Triple-A). Wisler presents a unique challenge for Tampa, as he is out of options and, therefore, must stay on the active roster, lest they expose him to waivers. In other AL roster moves…
- The Mariners announced a slew of roster moves ahead of today’s game. Dylan Moore has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list, and Yohan Ramirez has been recalled from Triple-A. On the way out, Dillon Thomas and Donovan Walton were optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. Catcher Jacob Nottingham has also been outrighted to Triple-A.
- Tigers infielder Jeimer Candelario has been reinstated from the bereavement list, per the team. He has been placed on the injured list as he goes through intake protocols. Candelario has been out since June 6th. He has batted .266/.336/.381 in 241 plate appearances this season.
Pirates Option Mitch Keller, Place Trevor Cahill On 10-Day Injured List
Mitch Keller has been optioned to Triple-A, per Kevin Gorman of the Tribune-Review (via Twitter). Trevor Cahill has also been placed on the injured list with a left calf injury.
This is a disappointing, if potentially short-term development for the Pirates’ young right-hander. Keller is still just 25-years-old, but he’s had a rough go of it on the hill in 2021. In 12 starts, Keller has been tagged for a 7.04 ERA across 47 1/3 innings. A 4.95 FIP and .355 BABIP points to some bad luck for Keller this season. He has a 22.4 percent strikeout rate and 12.7 percent walk rate, and while both numbers are below-average, they do represent an improvement over his 2020 output.
Per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, manager Derek Shelton said, “Mitch Keller is going to be a good major league pitcher. When young players, young pitchers have struggles, it’s our job to come up with a program and a plan to help them get back to this level and be successful at this level. That’s what we’re doing with Mitch.”
Cahill has similarly been dealt some hard luck as the veteran has posted a 6.57 ERA, but just 4.04 FIP across 37 innings. In the short term, Wil Crowe will step into Cahill’s spot in the rotation. The former Nationals’ farmhand has eight appearances on the season (seven starts) with a 7.26 ERA/6.12 FIP across 31 innings.
Geoff Hartlieb has also been recalled, notes John Dreker of Piratesbaseball.com. The 27-year-old has just one appearance this season, though he posted a 3.63 ERA in 22 1/3 innings of work last season.
NL Roster Moves: Marlins, Rogers, Reds, Santillan, Phillies, Haseley, De Los Santos
Marlins’ breakout starter Trevor Rogers has been placed on the injured list without an injury designation, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). It’s safe to assume the move relates to COVID-19 in some form or fashion, though speculatively speaking, it could be that Rogers is dealing with side effects from the vaccine. McPherson notes that the injured list stint is not expected to be long. That’s obviously welcome news for the Marlins, given Rogers performance in 13 starts this season. The 23-year-old rookie has logged 75 2/3 stellar innings with a 2.02 ERA/2.56 FIP.
In the meantime, Preston Guilmet had his contract selected, and he has been added to the active roster. The 33-year-old has not appeared in the Majors since 2018. He owns a 9.27 career ERA in 33 innings dating back to his 2013 debut with the Indians. Guilmet has also seen game action with the Orioles, Rays, Brewers, Cardinals, and Blue Jays. Elsewhere in the National League…
- The Reds have recalled reliever Tony Santillan from Triple-A Louisville this morning, per the team. Santillan, 24, will make his Major League debut if he gets in a game. Fangraphs ranked him as the Reds’ 14th-ranked prospect at the start of this season, while Baseball America has him as high as ninth, noting some late-game potential for Santillan down the line.
- The Phillies recalled Enyel De Los Santos from Triple-A, optioning catcher Rafael Marcan to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per the team. Outfielder Adam Haseley was also reinstated from the restricted list and optioned to Triple-A.
Padres Reinstate Trent Grisham From Injured List, Option Brian O’Grady
The Padres are getting a big bat back in the lineup today. Trent Grisham has been activated from the 10-day injured list, while Brian O’Grady has been optioned to Triple-A.
O’Grady has been the first man up from Triple-A for the Padres most of this season. The 29-year-old is a capable defender, but he’s hit just .167/.279/.333 in 44 plate appearances in the Majors this season.
Grisham is a key bat and defensive player for the Padres, despite his relative lack of Major League experience. The 24-year-old has 589 plate appearances in his career – more-or-less one full professional season – but that time has been broken up between 183 plate appearances with the Brewers in 2019, 252 plate appearances for the Padres during the shortened 2020 season, and 154 plate appearances around a couple of injured list stints this season. When healthy, he’s proven a potent and well-rounded contributor, slashing .301/.383/.515 with six home runs and seven stolen bases in 2021.
The Pads will be eager to get Grisham back, especially right now, as their offense has been in a bit of a funk of late. They have an 89 wRC+ as a team going back to May 15th.
Brewers Acquire Hunter Strickland From Angels For Cash Considerations
The Brewers have acquired right-hander Hunter Strickland from the Angels today in exchange for cash considerations. Both teams have announced the deal. The Angels had designated Strickland for assignment earlier this week.
Strickland has at various point in recent seasons provided quality bullpen work in uniform for the Mets, Nationals, Rays, Angels, and Mariners going back to 2019, when he won a World Series ring with the Nats. Prior to that, he was a steady hand out of the Giants’ pen from 2014 to 2018. The Brewers will be his third team of 2021. He has a 4.03 ERA/5.03 FIP in 22 1/3 innings with the Rays and Angels, though he particularly struggled in his short time with the Angels, giving up seven earned runs in just 6 1/3 innings of work.
To make rooom on the 40-man roster, the Brewers transferred Travis Shaw to the 60-day injured list. Shaw provided the media with an update today. He will attempt to rehab his shoulder dislocation, but if there’s not enough improvement at a certain point, he will be shut down for the year, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter).
Yankees DFA Mike Ford, Reinstate Zack Britton, Option Brooks Kriske
The Yankees announced a number of roster moves today, including the return of southpaw Zack Britton. Britton has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Mike Ford has been designated for assignment, and right-hander Brooks Kriske has been optioned to Triple-A.
Britton will make his first appearance of the season, potentially making an already-strong Yankee bullpen even stronger. Yankees’ relievers are fourth among relief units in the Majors with a 3.30 ERA this season. For his part, Britton is coming off back-to-back sub-2.00 ERA seasons.
Ford has been designated for assignment after struggling offensively the past two seasons. Ford mashed in Triple-A back in 2019, earning a promotion to the bigs where he continued his good work at the plate with a .250/.350/.559 line in 163 plate appearances. Since then, Ford has batted just .134/.250/.276 across 156 plate appearances.
Kriske was a sixth round draft pick out of USC back in 2016. He rose steadily through the Yankees’ organization, but has struggled in short stints in the Majors. This season, Kriske served up five earned runs in four innings of work, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out three.
In other news, Luis Severino took a step forward in his rehab, earning a promotion from Low-A to High-A, per the team. Severino has made just three starts going back through 2019.