Brad Brach Elects Free Agency
Veteran reliever Brad Brach has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star reports. The Royals designated Brach for assignment on Saturday.
Brach had a short stay on the Royals’ roster, as the team designated him just one day after selecting his contract. The 35-year-old right-hander joined the Royals on a minor league contract over the winter, which came after the Mets designated him.
Brach has seen major league action with five teams since he debuted with the Padres in 2011, and he has enjoyed a solid career. Through 522 2/3 innings, Brach has registered a 3.39 ERA/3.78 SIERA with a 25.1 percent strikeout rate and an 11.1 percent walk rate. Unfortunately, though, Brach’s production has gone downhill dating back to 2019. Between the Cubs and Mets over the previous two seasons, he tossed 66 2/3 frames of 5.66 ERA ball (with a more palatable 4.91 SIERA) and logged a 24.7 percent strikeout rate against a 15.0 percent walk rate. While Brach has normally averaged around 94 mph on his fastball, that number dipped to a personal-worst 90.4 last year.
Brewers Select Pablo Reyes
The Brewers have selected the contract of utility player Pablo Reyes and optioned outfielder Corey Ray, the team announced.
A member of the Pittsburgh organization from 2012-20, Reyes joined the Brewers on a minor league deal this past winter. An 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs wiped out Reyes’ 2020 season, but he did see major league action in each of the previous two campaigns. The 27-year-old made an impressive debut over 63 plate appearances in 2018, but his production plummeted across a much larger sample size (157 PA) the next season. Overall, Reyes has batted .229/.295/.368 with five home runs in 220 trips to the plate at the game’s highest level.
Defensively, Reyes has played both middle infield positions, third base and all three outfield spots in the majors. Even if Reyes doesn’t hit well, he’ll at least give the Brewers a defensively versatile option off their bench.
Cubs Select Trevor Megill
The Cubs have selected the contract of right-hander Trevor Megill, placed righty Rowan Wick on the 60-day injured list and optioned RHP Jason Adam, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.
Megill, 27, entered the professional ranks as a seventh-round pick of the Padres in 2015, but they lost him to the Cubs during the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. Thanks in part to the lack of a minor league season, the 6-foor-8 Megill didn’t pitch a year ago, though he did log solid production among High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2019. That year, Megill tossed 60 2/3 innings of 3.86 ERA ball and averaged 10 strikeouts against 1.9 walks per nine. Megill added a 4.32 ERA with 12 strikeouts and two walks in 8 1/3 innings this past spring.
Wick was one of the Cubs’ most effective relievers from 2019-20, during which he combined for a 2.66 ERA with a 25.7 percent strikeout rate, a 10.3 percent walk rate and a 48.1 percent groundball rate over 50 1/3 frames. An intercostal strain has prevented Wick from taking the mound this year.
Rangers Select Hyeon-Jong Yang, Option Leody Tavares
The Rangers have selected the contract of left-hander Hyeon-Jong Yang, the team announced. In corresponding moves, Leody Taveras was optioned to the alternate training site, while infielder Ronald Guzman (who underwent season-ending knee surgery on Friday) was moved to the 60-day injured list.
After signing a minor league contract with Texas during the offseason, the 33-year-old Yang will now get his first crack at the major leagues, and also lock in a $1.3MM guarantee for reaching the Rangers’ active roster. Beginning his career with the Kia Tigers in 2007, Yang has posted a 3.83 ERA and 19.77% strikeout rate over 1986 career innings in KBO action.
2020 wasn’t one of his finer seasons, as Yang had a 4.70 ERA over 172 1/3 frames and a spike in his walk rate. However, at the cost of $1.3MM and a minors deal, the Rangers felt it was worth seeing what Yang could do in North American baseball, even if he can just eat some innings at the back of the rotation. Yang has tossed at least 171 1/3 innings in each of the last seven seasons, and durability was only part of his appeal, as that seven-year stretch also included two league ERA titles, the KBO MVP Award in 2017, and a championship ring with the Tigers that same year as Yang won Korean Series MVP honors.
That said, it isn’t yet clear if the Rangers will use Yang in the rotation or if he’ll be deployed in their injury-riddled bullpen. Texas already has several left-handers among their current relief options, though Yang could be used in a long relief or swingman role to get him accustomed to MLB hitters.
Taveras made his own Major League debut in 2020 and posted some respectable numbers over 134 plate appearances, but he hasn’t hit at all this season, with only an .087/.160/.087 slash line in 50 PA. Taveras’ demotion should fully clear the way for more playing time for Adolis Garcia in center field.
Phillies Activate Jose Alvarado, Matt Moore; Select Odubel Herrera
The Phillies have activated left-handers Jose Alvarado and Matt Moore from the injured list and selected the contract of center fielder Odubel Herrera, per a club announcement. The team optioned lefty Bailey Falter, righty Spencer Howard and outfielder Mickey Moniak in corresponding moves.
The Phillies went the past week without Alvarado and Moore, whom they placed on the COVID list along with infielder Ronald Torreyes on April 19. None of those players tested positive for the virus.
The most noteworthy move here is the return of Herrera, a 29-year-old who last appeared in the majors in 2019. Herrera was a standout with the Phillies earlier in his career, leading the team to sign him to a five-year, $30.5MM extension heading into the 2017 season. Two years later, though, Major League Baseball issued an 85-game suspension to Herrera for a violation of the MLB-MLBPA joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy. The Phillies outrighted Herrera in January 2020, and he was off their 40-man roster until today.
Philadelphia’s hope is that Herrera will provide a spark in center, which has been a problem position for the club this season. The Phillies have divided playing time among Moniak, Adam Haseley and Roman Quinn, though their production has been horrid. They’ve hit a combined .114/.213/.177, which pales in comparison to Herrera’s lifetime .276/.333/.423 mark through 2,492 plate appearances.
Twins Reinstate Andrelton Simmons From COVID List
Andrelton Simmons is back in the Twins lineup, as the team reinstated the shortstop off of the COVID-19 injured list. Infielder Nick Gordon was optioned in the corresponding move, and Gordon will remain on the Twins’ taxi squad.
Simmons tested positive for the coronavirus on April 14, and had “very mild” symptoms, according to manager Rocco Baldelli. Fortunately, Simmons has been able to return in relatively short order, and will now look to continue what had been a red-hot start to the season. After signing a one-year, $10.5MM free agent deal in the offseason, Simmons began his Minnesota tenure by hitting .355/.474/.452 over his first 38 plate appearances. While that level of production isn’t likely to continue, an above-average hitting performance from Simmons (akin to his numbers in 2017-18 with the Angels) paired with his usual stellar glovework would make him a major addition for the Twins.
Gordon was called up from the alternate training site on Friday, but he is still looking to make his official MLB debut after not getting into any games over the weekend. It was Gordon’s first Major League call-up since being selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2014 draft.
Orioles Select Jay Flaa’s Contract
The Orioles have selected the contract of right-hander Jay Flaa, the team announced. The Orioles already had an opening on their 40-man roster, and room was created on the 26-man active roster when left-hander Zac Lowther was optioned to the alternate training site.
A sixth-round pick out of North Dakota State in the 2015 draft, Flaa has a 3.41 ERA and 26.75% strikeout rate over 258 2/3 minor league innings. Working as a reliever in all but three of his 165 professional games, Flaa has been able to miss some bats but he has also had some control issues, posting a below-average 11.25% walk rate. As the Orioles continue to explore and audition multiple pitchers during their rebuild, Flaa will get a chance in the team’s bullpen, and is on track to make his Major League debut at age 28.
Lowther made his own debut just yesterday, tossing an inning of scoreless relief in Baltimore’s 8-1 victory over the Athletics. Lowther will now head back to the alternate site after his cup of coffee in the bigs, as the southpaw was only called up prior to Sunday’s game.
NL East Notes: Fried, Maton, Duvall
Sunday was a day to forget for the Braves, as the team had only one hit in the first game of a doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, and then had zero hits against Madison Bumgarner in the nightcap. As per the official record, Major League Baseball is not recognizing Bumgarner’s feat as a no-hitter since the game was only a seven-inning contest, so the Braves avoided being no-hit for the 18th time in their franchise history. (Though there has already been enough controversy over the league’s ruling that one wonders if Bumgarner could be retroactively awarded a no-hitter in time.) The Braves did achieve one infamous distinction, however, as they now hold the record for fewest hits by any team in a doubleheader.
More from the NL East…
- Max Fried‘s stay on the injured list has already gone beyond the minimum 10 days, though MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that there’s a chance Fried could be available to pitch in this weekend’s series between the Braves and the Blue Jays. Bowman wrote last Friday that there wasn’t yet a timeline on Fried’s recovery from a hamstring strain, though the southpaw was taking part in fielding drills and he threw a side session. Facing the Jays in an AL ballpark would also keep Fried from having to take any at-bats — he suffered his hamstring injury while running the bases. It has been a very rough start to the season for Fried, between the IL stint and the 11.45 ERA he has posted over his first 11 innings.
- Nick Maton‘s MLB career has gotten off to a dream start, as the 24-year-old has hit .500/.542/.636 over his first 24 plate appearances as a big leaguer. Maton was initially called up to fill in for Didi Gregorius and then Jean Segura while the two were nursing injuries, though the Phillies are now looking for ways to get Maton into the lineup whenever possible. “I told him to take flyballs everywhere. You never know in the National League game what’s going to happen,” manager Joe Girardi told NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Corey Seidman and other reporters. A seventh-round draft pick for the Phils in 2017, Maton mostly played shortstop in the minors and saw some action at second and third base, though he has never played the outfield as a professional. Maton has been working out at all three outfield spots, though Seidman notes that center field has been the biggest problem area for the Phillies, as Adam Haseley, Roman Quinn, and Mickey Moniak have all struggled at the plate.
- Speaking of new center fielders, Adam Duvall got his first-ever start at the position in yesterday’s 4-3 Marlins loss to the Giants. Duvall played the first seven innings up the middle before moving over to right field for the bottom of the eighth. Miami skipper Don Mattingly told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola and other reporters that the move was made to add more offense, since “obviously we’re having a battle trying to put some runs on the board,” though Mattingly admitted that “it’s a catch-22 that we make ourselves a little different defensively in center.” With Starling Marte on the injured list due to a rib fracture, the Marlins have mostly gone with Lewis Brinson as the center field replacement, but Brinson hasn’t been hitting. Duvall has been mostly a corner outfielder and first baseman over his eight-year MLB career, though he did make one other appearance as a center fielder; Duvall played an inning at the position on August 11, 2020 when he was a member of the Braves.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/26/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Tigers have outrighted Renato Nunez to their alternate training site, the team announced. Nunez cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. Nunez inked a minor league deal with the Tigers after being released by the Orioles prior to December’s non-tender deadline, and Nunez has hit .148/.207/.444 with two home runs over his first 29 plate appearances for Detroit. As noted by Evan Woodbery of MLive.com, Nunez had the right to reject the outright assignment, but he decided to stick with the Tigers rather than return to the free agent market.
Latest On White Sox Rotation
Lucas Giolito suffered a “freak minor injury,” pushing his start back from yesterday to Tuesday and allowing the White Sox to keep Michael Kopech in the rotation for one more go. He delivered with his longest and most-impressive outing of the season, using 87 pitches to get through five innings, striking out ten, giving up four hits, zero walks and one run in a win against the Rangers.
White Sox manager Tony La Russa believes in Kopech’s long-term potential as a rotation arm, but he’ll go back to a hybrid role out of the bullpen for now. Per the Athletic’s James Fegan, La Russa said, “This is definitely not the time to think about moving Michael into the rotation. Michael Kopech is going to be a top-line starting pitcher. But right now it made sense to get him in condition and add more and more pitches. More importantly, the fact that he has competed so well shows that he has guts when he goes out there; he keeps his cool and concentration. I don’t have a crystal ball, but if he pitched — and I use the (Adam) Wainwright experience from ’06 — he can pitch in the bullpen all year long and maybe next year win 20 (games), or maybe later on he pitches this year as a starter.”
Kopech has made a pair of spot starts this year in his first game action since 2018. He’s also come out of the bullpen four times for a total of 15 2/3 innings – already a big-league career-high – with a sparkling 1.72 ERA/1.25 FIP. He’s striking out batters at an elite 46.6 percent rate while allowing a very strong 6.9 percent walk. It’s early, of course, but even out of the pen, the lanky 24-year-old with electric stuff is proving to be a weapon for the White Sox.
Kopech has come a long way since being a centerpiece of the Chris Sale trade back in 2016. It’s somewhat amazing that he’ll turn just 25 years old this upcoming Friday. Fegan detailed Kopech’s journey back to the Majors for a piece well worth a read here in the Athletic.