Mike Montgomery To Sign With KBO’s Samsung Lions
Veteran left-hander Mike Montgomery will finalize a contract with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization today, MLBTR has confirmed. Naver Sports in South Korea first reported that a deal between the Lions and the Ballengee Group client was “likely.”
Montgomery, 31, was in Spring Training with the Mets but didn’t land a roster spot. He quickly signed with the Yankees back on April 5, but his minor league deal contained an opt-out clause that he’s now exercised. Montgomery was hit hard in a tiny sample of 16 2/3 innings with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he of course has a rather successful track record in parts of six Major League seasons.
The No. 36 overall pick by the Royals back in 2008, Montgomery was traded to the Rays 2012’s Wil Myers/James Shields/Jake Odorizzi deal before being flipped to the Mariners in exchange for Erasmo Ramirez in 2015. A third trade in 2016 then sent him to the Cubs in exchange for Daniel Vogelbach, and the Cubs completed the circle when they traded him back to Kansas City in a 2019 swap that sent Martin Maldonado to Chicago.
Montgomery has spent the bulk of his career in Chicago but also appeared with Seattle and Kansas City. On the whole, he’s put together a 3.84 ERA in 541 Major League frames, striking out 18 percent of his opponents against an 8.8 percent walk rate. He’s also generated grounders at a healthy 53.6 percent clip during his big league tenure. He opened the 2020 season on the Royals’ staff but was ultimately limited to just 5 1/3 innings after suffering a lat strain that sent him to the 60-day injured list. That marked the second straight season in which a lat strain had sidelined Montgomery.
According to the Naver report, the Lions are on the lookout for a replacement for right-hander Ben Lively, who was recently diagnosed with a shoulder injury. Montgomery would step onto the Lions’ roster as their second foreign pitcher, the maximum allowed under KBO rules, joining former Phillies righty David Buchanan, who has been excellent for the Lions since joining them for the 2020 season.
Montgomery will have the opportunity to finish out the 2021 season with the Lions. If he enjoys success in his new environs, that could lead to either an offer to return in 2022 or perhaps interest elsewhere overseas or back in North America.
Reds Release Nicky Delmonico, Cheslor Cuthbert
The Reds have released former big leaguers Nicky Delmonico and Cheslor Cuthbert, as announced this morning by their Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Both are now free agents.
Delmonico, 28, spent parts of the 2017-20 seasons in the Majors with the White Sox, serving as a left fielder, first baseman and designated hitter. He turned in an impressive rookie effort back in ’17, hitting at a .262/.373/.482 clip through 166 plate appearances.
It’s been a steady decline for the former Orioles and Brewers farmhand since that time, however. In 408 big league plate appearances from 2018-20, Delmonico hit just .210/.287/.346. Things haven’t gone too much better in Triple-A so far in 2021, as Delmonico has managed a rather tepid .221/.312/.382 output — albeit in a small sample of just 77 plate appearances. In parts of five Triple-A campaigns, Delmonico is a .259/.342/.421 hitter.
The 28-year-old Cuthbert, meanwhile, was once one of the Royals’ premier prospects but has never produced much in the big leagues. He did connect on a career-high 12 home runs back in 2016, his lone season as a regular in the Majors (510 plate appearances), but he carries an overall line of .250/.300/.378 in 1161 trips to the plate. Like Delmonico, he’s struggled with the Reds’ Triple-A club, hitting just .203/.330/.338 in 88 plate appearances.
He’s played primarily third base in his pro career, but Cuthbert does have some experience at first base and second base as well. This year’s struggles notwithstanding, Cuthbert is a career .281/.350/.463 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons.
Marcell Ozuna Arrested On Assault, Battery Charges
June 1: Michael Seiden of WSB-TV Channel 2 News in Atlanta obtained an arrest affidavit, providing additional details on the highly troubling incident. Of note, the court filings indicate that “the strangulation was witnessed by an officer” upon arrival at the scene.
Ozuna has been released on a $20,000 bond for the time being and is under court order to avoid contact with his wife, according to the Associated Press. The couple was in the process of divorcing at the time of Ozuna’s arrest, per the AP. Ken Rosenthal and David O’Brien of The Athletic lay out the reasons that it’s unlikely the Braves will be able to simply void Ozuna’s contract.
May 29, 8:52pm: The Braves released a statement: “We learned of Marcell Ozuna’s arrest earlier this evening and immediately informed the Commissioner’s Office. The Braves fully support Major League Baseball’s policy on domestic violence which stresses to the fullest that our society cannot and will not tolerate domestic violence in any form. Until the investigation is completed, we will have no further comment and all inquiries into the matter should be referred to the Office of the Commissioner.”
8:27pm: Marcell Ozuna was arrested today in Sandy Springs, Georgia on charges of aggravated assault strangulation and misdemeanor battery – family violence, according to WSB-TV’s Miles Garrett and ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (Twitter links). Passan provides a transcript of the police report detailing the allegations (on Twitter). Ozuna is expected to be investigated by the league under the provisions of the MLB/MLBPA’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.
Under the provisions of the joint policy, the league has the authority to issue discipline regardless of the outcome of the criminal charges leveled against Ozuna, though Ozuna could challenge any discipline to an arbitration panel. Since the policy was instituted in 2015, suspensions have ranged from anywhere from 15 games to a full season, as per the discretion of the Commissioner’s Office.
Ozuna was placed on the 10-day injured list yesterday due to two dislocated fingers on his left hand, and he was expected to miss at least six weeks. Should Ozuna be suspended, he would forfeit any salary owed to him during the missed games. Ozuna re-signed with the Braves on a four-year, $65MM deal this past offseason, and he has roughly $8.12MM remaining on his $12MM salary for the 2021 season.
Luis Severino Targeted To Begin Rehab Assignment On Sunday
Yankees right-hander Luis Severino continues to make his way back from Tommy John surgery, with a pair of big checkpoints on the horizon. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record) that Severino will toss a three-inning simulated game today, and if all goes well, Severino is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday.
Severino underwent his TJ procedure in February 2020, so while his recovery is taking a bit longer than the usual timeline of 13-15 months, that probably isn’t unexpected given that Severino also missed most of the 2019 season. Shoulder and lat problems limited Severino to only 20 1/3 combined innings in the regular season and postseason in 2019, so the Yankees will have essentially gone almost two and a half seasons without Severino before he is finally able to get back onto a big league mound.
It’s been a tough haul for a pitcher who looked like one of the better arms in the sport in 2017-18, when Severino made two All-Star teams and posted a 3.18 ERA/3.26 SIERA and 28.8% strikeout rate over 384 2/3 innings. The Yankees haven’t usually worked out contract extensions in recent years, but they were impressed enough by Severino’s work to lock him up on a four-year, $40MM deal covering the 2019-22 seasons, with a $15MM club option ($2.75MM buyout) for 2023. Between the shoulder issues and the Tommy John surgery, of course, Severino has barely pitched since signing that extension.
Given the long layoff, it might be optimistic to assume that Severino will immediately look like a front-of-the-rotation arm upon his return, though the Yankees will happily take anything close to that form. New York has gotten strong results from its rotation as a whole this season, but Corey Kluber will now be sidelined through July and Jameson Taillon (who is himself returning from a long Tommy John rehab) has been inconsistent over 42 2/3 innings.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/31/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball:
- The Orioles have released left-hander Josh Rogers, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. Rogers, soon to turn 27, was part of the return the Orioles received from the Yankees in a July 2018 trade centering on reliever Zack Britton. He wasn’t regarded as a high-end prospect at the time, and his stock took a hit when he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2019. Rogers did appear in the majors with the Orioles during his first two seasons with the organization, but he could only muster an 8.65 ERA in 26 innings. While Rogers has returned to the mound at the Triple-A level this season after his TJ procedure, his struggles continued before the O’s cut him loose, evidenced by a 7.79 ERA in 17 1/3 frames.
Evan Longoria To Undergo MRI
Giants third baseman Evan Longoria exited their win over the Angels on Monday with soreness in his right side. Longoria will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, though he’s hopeful that he isn’t dealing with a serious injury, Maria Guardado of MLB.com tweets.
The Giants entered 2021 mired in a four-year playoff drought, while Longoria has struggled of late in his own right, but the two have come alive again. San Francisco is 34-20, a half-game up in the National League West race, and Longoria has been one of its top contributors. The 35-year-old, formerly a standout with Tampa Bay, saw his numbers drop precipitously over the past few seasons, but the three-time All-Star has looked more like his younger self in 2021. He went 2-for-2 with a home run on Monday, raising his line to an outstanding .274/.360/.510 (140 wRC+) with nine homers in 178 plate appearances this season. Longoria’s success doesn’t seem to be a fluke, either, as he ranks near the top of the majors in most relevant Statcast categories.
San Francisco, which replaced Longoria with Mauricio Dubon on Monday, can only hope he will avoid a stint on the injured list. The Giants already have a few infielders on the IL in first basemen Brandon Belt and Darin Ruf and second baseman Tommy La Stella, the latter of whom won’t return until at least July.
Latest On Kevin Gausman
MAY 31: Gausman’s MRI came back clean, and he’s optimistic he’ll make his next start, Kapler said (Twitter link via Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group).
MAY 30, 6:35PM: The hip problem has been bothering Gausman for weeks, manager Gabe Kapler told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links) and other reporters after the game. The feeling is that Gausman should be able to keep pitching through the issue, though Gausman will get an MRI “for some peace of mind.”
6:16PM: Giants right-hander Kevin Gausman left today’s start after six innings due to tightness in his left hip, the team announced. The removal was specified as being precautionary in nature, so it remains to be seen whether or not Gausman’s issue is anything serious or if the Giants were just taking it easy with their ace.
San Francisco already held a 5-0 lead over the Dodgers at the time of Gausman’s removal and he had thrown six innings, though the righty wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue. Gausman had tossed only 72 pitches while allowing two hits over six scoreless frames of work. In his final out of the sixth, however, Gausman did have to make a stretch to field a Matt Beaty grounder, which may have led to the hip problem.
Counting his quality start today, Gausman now has a tiny 1.40 ERA over 70 2/3 innings in 2021. With a 30.86% strikeout rate, 5.95% walk rate, and a host of impressive Statcast numbers, Gausman has put himself in the early running for Cy Young Award consideration. In addition to helping the Giants contend for a playoff spot, Gausman is also positioning himself as one of the top arms available in next winter’s free agent market.
Mets Make Several Roster Moves
The Mets have reinstated first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Kevin Pillar and reliever Seth Lugo from the injured list, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. In other moves, the Mets designated outfielder Cameron Maybin and right-hander Sam McWilliams for assignment; selected outfielder Mason Williams; and optioned outfielder Khalil Lee, catcher Patrick Mazeika and reliever Sean Reid-Foley.
The returns of Alonso, Pillar and Lugo (all previously reported) will add some reinforcements to a New York team that has been ravaged by injuries this year. Despite their health issues, though, the Mets have started a solid 25-20 en route to a 3 1/2-game lead in the National League East.
Thanks in part to their injuries, the Mets acquired Maybin from the Cubs on May 18. The Mets bought extremely low on Maybin, whom they picked up for a dollar, but they got little bang for their buck. The 34-year-old totaled 33 plate appearances, collected one hit (a single) and struck out 12 times before they designated him.
McWilliams, meanwhile, signed a major league contract with the Mets last offseason despite having never pitched in the bigs. He also hasn’t reached the majors this season, instead throwing 8 1/3 innings of 10-earned run ball at the Triple-A level. The 25-year-old owns an ugly 8.60 ERA with 53 strikeouts against 25 walks in 52 1/3 Triple-A frames.
Injured List Returns: Fraley, Lopes, Wahl
As injury news continues to dominate baseball, here’s the latest on a few players who are returning to action…
- The Mariners reinstated outfielder Jake Fraley from the 10-day injured list, with infielder Eric Campbell heading to Triple-A to make room for Fraley on the active roster. Fraley has been on the IL since suffering a left hamstring strain while making a diving catch in Seattle’s 10-4 loss to the White Sox on April 6. He has seen action at all three outfield positions during his 24-game MLB career, and he’ll provide the Mariners with some depth behind the regular outfield trio of Kyle Lewis, Mitch Haniger, and Jarred Kelenic.
- The Brewers announced that utilityman Tim Lopes and right-hander Bobby Wahl were optioned to Triple-A after being reinstated from the 60-day IL. Both players have been sidelined by oblique strains suffered during Spring Training. Lopes is still looking to make his Brewers debut after being claimed off waivers from the Mariners back in December. Wahl has appeared in parts of three MLB seasons with the A’s, Mets, and Brewers, tossing 2 1/3 innings for Milwaukee in 2020 after missing the entire 2019 campaign recovering from a torn ACL.
Phillies Place Roman Quinn On 60-Day Injured List, Select Travis Jankowski
TODAY: Quinn’s season is over, as the Phillies announced that he will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Quinn will be sidelined for the next nine-to-12 months.
MAY 30: Quinn is indeed going to miss a substantial amount of time, as the Phillies announced they placed him on the 60-day IL this morning. Jankowski was selected to the roster in his place. The 29-year-old Jankowski has never hit much in the majors (.238/.315/.313 over 994 plate appearances) but he’s capable of playing all three outfield positions. He was off to a good start at the plate at Lehigh Valley, slashing .304/.451/.375 over his first nineteen games.
MAY 29: Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn left today’s game after suffering an injury to his left Achilles. It certainly looks as if Quinn is facing a lengthy absence, as manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia) that Quinn would be examined by doctors but “I don’t expect to get any good news from the MRI. We’re pretty sure it’s not good.”
The injury occurred as Quinn was trying to score from first base on a Ronald Torreyes double in the fifth inning. Quinn fell while rounding third base and managed to score the run while hopping to home plate, but he then had to be carried off the field. Matt Joyce replaced Quinn in right field for the bottom of the fifth.
This isn’t the first Achilles injury Quinn has faced during his career, as a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2014 cost him a big chunk of his minor league season with high-A ball Clearwater. Considered a top-100 prospect earlier in his career, Quinn’s progress has been hampered by numerous trips to the injured list over the years, and was only just activated off the 10-day IL on Tuesday after missing three weeks due a laceration on his right index finger.
Quinn is hitting .173/.306/.288 over 62 plate appearances this season, playing in 28 games and serving mostly as part of the Phillies’ revolving door in center field. With Odubel Herrera having taken over center field duties in the last month, Quinn has since seen action in both corner outfield spots since returning from the IL, including two starts in right field in place of the injured Bryce Harper.
With Quinn joining Harper and Scott Kingery on the injured list, the Phillies’ outfield mix is down to Andrew McCutchen, Herrera, Joyce, and utilityman Brad Miller. Nick Maton might be a candidate for the outfield mix once Didi Gregorius returns to handle shortstop, and Mickey Moniak, Travis Jankowski, Jorge Bonifacio, and Ryan Cordell are among the options at Triple-A.