Angels Move Julio Teheran To Bullpen
Right-hander Julio Teheran was a key offseason acquisition for the Angels, but the right-hander has struggled out of their rotation so far. Manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday the Angels will move Teheran to their bullpen as a result, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report. The Angels haven’t named a replacement, though Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register suggests it could be Jaime Barria or Matt Andriese.
The 29-year-old Teheran joined the Angels on a one-year, $9MM contract in free agency. At the time, he was coming off a long and respectable run as a workhorse in Atlanta, where he pitched from 2011-19. Teheran ended his Braves tenure with seven straight seasons of over 170 innings and a cumulative 3.67 ERA/4.23 FIP.
The production Teheran gave Atlanta would’ve been (and still would be) welcome for the Angels, who have struggled to find consistent rotation options in recent years. But Teheran, whose 2020 was delayed because of coronavirus concerns, has fallen flat in three starts, in which he combined for a mere eight innings. At the same time, he has already given up 11 earned runs on 13 hits, including six homers, with five walks against six strikeouts.
Of course, Teheran’s far from the only disappointment on an Angels club that hoped to contend this year but has instead gotten off to a dismal 8-16 start. They seem to be lining up as sellers heading into the Aug. 31 trade deadline, and with Teheran just a few months from another trip to free agency, the Angels could try to move him. That will be a tall order, though, unless he rebounds from their bullpen over a short period of time.
Twins Activate Rich Hill, Outright Cory Gearrin
The Twins have activated left-hander Rich Hill from the injured list, the team announced. They also outrighted reliever Cory Gearrin to their alternate site after he cleared waivers and optioned righty Zack Littell.
Hill, who will start the Twins’ game against the Brewers on Wednesday, missed roughly three weeks with shoulder fatigue. While injuries have been a consistent problem during Hill’s late-career renaissance, he has offered front-line numbers with several teams when he has been able to take the mound. The 40-year-old has made just one start this season for the Twins, who signed him during the offseason, but it was an effective one, as he threw five innings of scoreless, two-hit, two-walk ball in a win over the Cardinals. He’ll rejoin a Twins rotation that has gotten superb production from Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak, while Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi have come out of the gates slowly.
The well-traveled Gearrin, 34, signed with the Twins on a minors pact in the offseason. He threw two scoreless innings for the team Aug. 9 before it designated him for assignment.
Rays Place Yonny Chirinos On Injured List
The Rays have placed right-hander Yonny Chirinos on the injured list with strain in his pitching elbow, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com. The team recalled righty Aaron Slegers from its taxi squad to take Chirinos’ place.
It’s always troubling when a pitcher goes down with an arm injury, especially considering Chirinos just came from an IL stint by a triceps issue. Chirinos spent the minimum amount of time on the shelf then, but it’s unclear how long he’ll need to return from this injury.
Chirinos was a productive swingman for the Rays from 2018-19, a 44-appearance, 25-start span in which he combined for a 3.71 ERA/4.07 FIP with 7.63 K/9 and 2.14 BB/9 in 223 innings. He has only been able to throw 11 frames in three starts this year, but the bottom-line production (2.38 ERA, 7.94 K/9 and 3.18 BB/9) has been palatable again.
Including Chirinos, the Rays – known for thinking outside the box – have already used eight different pitchers to start games this season. The 15-9 club could get one of its “traditional” starters, the injured Charlie Morton, back this weekend.
Rockies Place David Dahl On IL, Recall Brendan Rodgers
The Rockies have placed outfielder David Dahl on the 10-day injured list with lower back soreness and recalled infielder Brendan Rodgers from their alternate site, the team announced.
Injuries have been all too frequent for Dahl, who has dealt with a litany of health woes during his career. He missed the entire 2017 season and sat out a combined 147 regular-season games from 2018-19. Dahl did offer solid offensive production during that period, but his numbers have cratered in the early going this year. Eighty plate appearances into his season, Dahl has batted .189/.237/.243 (16 wRC+) without a home run. As a result, Garrett Hampson has taken over as the Rockies’ regular center fielder of late.
The 24-year-old Rodgers is back in the mix after an unproductive, injury-limited first look in the majors last season. Rodgers hit a homer-less .224/.272/.250 (25 wRC+) in 81 PA before undergoing right shoulder surgery. Still, to Rodgers’ credit, he had a huge season in the minors, joined the Rockies as one of the game’s best prospects and continues to rank high on various lists now. There may be an opening for Rodgers at second base, as Ryan McMahon and Chris Owings have given the Rockies little offense there.
Mariners Designate Dan Vogelbach, Outright Bryan Shaw
The Mariners have designated first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach for assignment and outrighted reliever Bryan Shaw to their alternate training site, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. The club also recalled a pair of players – outfielder Braden Bishop and utilityman Sam Haggerty – and optioned reliever Art Warren to their alternate site.
This continues a rapid fall from grace for Vogelbach, who seemed to be amid a breakout season just over 12 months ago. He began the 2019 campaign as a .238/.375/.505 hitter with 21 home runs in the first half. That production earned Vogelbach an All-Star nod, but his numbers have fallen off a cliff since he earned that honor. Vogelbach only managed a .162/.286/.341 line with nine homers in the second half of the season, and and although he did end up with 30 HRs in 558 plate appearances, his .208/.341/.439 showing was a significant letdown considering how the first few months of his year went.
Vogelbach and the Mariners no doubt hoped he’d rebound from 2019’s disastrous finish, but he has instead gotten worse this season. The 27-year-old took 64 PA prior to his designation and batted a ghastly .094/.250/.226 (40 wRC+) with two long balls. His .132 isolated power number represents a .100-point drop-off from last season’s mark. As such, Vogelbach began losing DH time recently to Tim Lopes, who also hasn’t offered much production.
Seattle will now have a week to trade, release or outright Vogelbach, who is out of minor league options. However, he is on a minimum salary this season and comes with four years of arbitration eligibility. He’s slated to make his first trip through the arb process during the upcoming offseason.
Shaw, meanwhile, had the option of declining his outright, but he’ll remain with the M’s organization. He was blown up for 12 earned runs on 13 hits and six walks in six innings before Seattle designated him Aug. 15.
Yordan Alvarez To Undergo Surgery, Miss Rest Of Season
4:38pm: Baker announced Alvarez will undergo surgery on a partial tear of his right patella tendon and miss the rest of the season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets.
1:12pm: The Astros welcomed reigning AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez back for one game before knee troubles forced him from the lineup and eventually landed him on the injured list. Now, manager Dusty Baker tells Ross Villarreal of Sports Talk 790 in Houston that the slugger’s season is in jeopardy (Twitter link). “Yordan Alvarez, it looks like he’s done, maybe for the year,” Baker said of his designated hitter.
Knee troubles are nothing new for Alvarez, as he dealt with discomfort throughout his excellent rookie season and was hobbled during the original iteration of Spring Training as well. Details on the status of his knees have always been somewhat muddled, though. And as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle points out (via Twitter), the Jeff Luhnow/A.J. Hinch regime and the James Click/Dusty Baker-led Astros have both been similarly vague when it comes to discussing Alvarez’s knees.
It’s been an injury-decimated season for the Astros. Justin Verlander has made just one start, while closer Roberto Osuna has been diagnosed with UCL damage. Brad Peacock and Jose Urquidy have yet to pitch. Right-hander Chris Devenski, Austin Pruitt and Rogelio Armenteros are all out with elbow troubles. On the position-player side of things, George Springer has been slowed by wrist troubles, and Houston has both Michael Brantley (quadriceps strain) and Aledmys Diaz (groin strain) on the 10-day IL at the moment.
Houston has reeled off six straight wins, boosting its record to 13-10 and surging back into the AL West race. They still trail the division-leading Athletics by two and a half games, but as the current second-place team in the AL West, they’re squarely in postseason position. The ‘Stros have received huge performances from rookies Brandon Bielak and Cristian Javier in the rotation, which has helped to keep them afloat amid that barrage of injuries. Their schedule between now and the Aug. 31 trade deadline includes two games in Colorado, three in San Diego, three at home against the Angels and another three at home against the A’s. Houston’s play over the next two weeks will likely determine the deadline strategy, and that final three-game set against Oakland could be particularly pivotal in that regard.
White Sox Add Jake Burger To 60-Man Player Pool
The White Sox have added third baseman Jake Burger to their 60-man player pool, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He’ll join their alternate training site.
This is an important step for Burger, a recent first-round pick (No. 11 in 2017) whom injuries have ravaged during his professional career. Burger tore his left Achilles twice in 2018 and didn’t play at all that year. He also missed all of last season because of heel problems. Considering those serious issues, it’s encouraging that the 24-year-old is managing to work his way back yet again.
When Burger was actually healthy enough to play in the minors during his draft year, he logged a .263/.336/.412 line with five home runs in 217 plate appearances between rookie ball and Single-A. Baseball America then ranked Burger as the White Sox’s seventh-best prospect heading into 2018, making note of his impressive power and writing that “his leadership-oriented makeup is legendary.”
Mariners Acquire Jimmy Yacabonis
The Mariners announced that they’ve acquired non-roster right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis from the Padres in exchange for cash. He’d been in San Diego’s 60-man player pool at their alternate training site and will now head to the Mariners’ alternate site.
Yacabonis, 28, spent parts of the 2017-19 seasons in the Orioles’ bullpen but has yet to find his footing in the big leagues. He’s tallied 101 2/3 innings but carries a 5.75 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 5.0 BB/9 in that time. The former 13th-round pick averages about 94 mph on a fastball that generates above-average spin, and he has a solid enough track record in the minor leagues despite his lack of success in the Majors. He’ll give the Mariners a bit of bullpen depth and may eventually emerge as an option to join a bullpen that could undergo some changes between now and the Aug. 31 trade deadline.
Tigers Select Casey Mize, Jorge Bonifacio
The Tigers announced a series of roster moves Wednesday, formally selecting the contract of right-hander Casey Mize (as had been previously announced) and also selecting the contract of outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. They’ll both join the big league roster. Righty Dario Agrazal and first baseman C.J. Cron have also been transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, utilityman Harold Castro is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring.
Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick, will make his MLB debut against another debuting first-rounder: White Sox righty Dane Dunning. Mize is regarded as one of the game’s premier pitching prospects and a potential foundational piece of a rebuilding Tigers squad — one whom the club hopes can pitch atop its rotation through the 2026 season at least. He dominated opponents at Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2019, working to a combined 2.55 ERA with a terrific 106-to-23 K/BB ratio in 109 1/3 frames.
Bonifacio is no stranger to the AL Central, having spent several years with the Royals as a right fielder and designated hitter. He’s a career .247/.319/.408 hitter in 713 Major League plate appearances and is looking for a rebound opportunity after a PED suspension more or less ended his tenure in Kansas City. Bonifacio did tally 21 plate appearances after being reinstated from that suspension, but he’d since been surpassed on the depth chart and was ultimately cut loose last November.
The injury to the 26-year-old Castro deprives the Tigers of some versatility off the bench. He’d appeared at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions in 2020 already — all while posting a respectable .276/.364/.379 slash through 33 plate appearances.
Red Sox Claim Andrew Triggs, Designate Stephen Gonsalves
The Red Sox have claimed righty Andrew Triggs off waivers from the Giants and designated southpaw Stephen Gonsalves for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, per a team announcement. Triggs has been optioned to their alternate training site.
Back in 2016-17, the Athletics looked as though they might’ve unearthed a useful starter in Triggs after claiming him from the Orioles. He gave the A’s 121 1/3 frames of 4.29 ERA ball but with more encouraging secondary numbers: 3.88 FIP, 3.96 xFIP and SIERA, 7.8 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 50.3 percent grounder rate. It wasn’t a world-beating performance, but Triggs looked like a capable fourth starter — a mighty fine outcome for a simple waiver claim.
Injuries, however, have spoiled those hopes. Triggs had surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip in 2017, cutting his season short, and 14 months later he underwent thoracic outlet surgery. He was bothered by nerve irritation for months leading up to that second procedure, and Triggs has totaled just 41 2/3 innings in the Majors since the end of that ’17 season (including one-third of an inning with the Giants in 2020).
The Red Sox are in dire need of serviceable options on the pitching staff, though, and Triggs’ background is clearly of some interest to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and his staff. The right-hander won’t join the big league staff just yet, but he could be an option at virtually any time given the ragged state of the Red Sox’ Major League staff.
Gonsalves, 26, could have a brief stay in the Red Sox organization. Boston claimed him earlier this month after the Mets designated him for assignment. The former fourth-round pick at one point a top-100 prospect as he rose through the ranks with the Twins, but Gonsalves has battled some arm troubles in recent years and struggled at the MLB level in very limited opportunities. The Sox likely hope to be able to sneak him through waivers and keep him in the player pool as a depth piece, but another club could show some interest in a waiver claim of its own.