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Blue Jays Select Derek Law, Designate Alen Hanson

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The Blue Jays have selected the contract of right-hander Derek Law, per a club announcement. He’ll take the roster spot of utilityman Alen Hanson, who was designated for assignment.

Both of these players came to the Toronto organization in the same early-season swap with the Giants. Law had already been removed from the San Francisco 40-man, while Hanson was in DFA limbo at the time of the deal.

Law, 28, has been off to an impressive start with his new organization. He’s carrying a 1.69 ERA with 17 strikeouts and three walks through 10 2/3 innings in eight outings. He has shown it in the majors before as well, but has yet to repeat his strong 2016 debut season at the game’s highest level.

As for Hanson, the 26-year-old switch-hitter has been one of quite a few players clamoring for opportunities in the Jays’ infield/outfield mix. He received 48 plate appearances over the first month of the season, but managed only a .163/.229/.163 batting line with 17 strikeouts.

Mets Select Adeiny Hechavarria, Option Dominic Smith

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4:35pm: Hechavarria recently triggered an opt-out clause in his deal, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (via Twitter), thus forcing the Mets to decide between bringing him onto the MLB roster and allowing him to become a free agent.

Notably, he has agreed to an advance consent clause with the Mets, Tim Britton of The Athletic tweets. If the club outrights Hechavarria, and he clears waivers, he will not be able to elect free agency while still receiving his full remaining MLB salary (as players with 5+ years of service are allowed to do by rule).

Righty Drew Smith was shifted to the 60-day IL to create 40-man roster space.

4:13pm: The Mets have selected the contract of veteran infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, the club tells reporters including Tim Britton of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll take the active roster spot of first baseman Dominic Smith, who was optioned back to Triple-A.

The 30-year-old Hechavarria is a slick-fielding shortstop who settled for a minor-league pact this winter. He’ll boost the club’s defensive flexibility, though he isn’t historically much with the bat. Hechavarria is off to a strong start at Triple-A (.348/.382/.446 in 102 plate appearances).

Smith, 23, has hit quite well in limited chances this year in the big leagues. Through 37 plate appearances, the former top prospect owns a .333/.459/.400 slash with six walks against just seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, he’s a bit buried on the depth chart. Carrying a lefty bench bat of this sort is something of a luxury for a National League team. It’s certainly possible to imagine Smith reemerging to play an important role if a need arises; he might also become interesting trade bait.

Rockies Activate Chris Iannetta, Designate Drew Butera

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The Rockies have designated catcher Drew Butera for assignment, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (Twitter link). His place on the active roster will be taken by Chris Iannetta, who has been activated from the injured list.

Butera helped fill in for Iannetta, which is just why he was brought in on a minors deal over the winter. He managed only three hits and a walk over 19 plate appearances. Offensive output isn’t the reason that Butera has managed to appear in the majors in each of the past ten seasons. His sturdy presence behind the dish will ensure that he lands back at Triple-A with the Rockies or perhaps with another organization.

Iannetta ended up missing just over two weeks with a strained lat muscle. The 36-year-old will be looking to bounce back from a poor start with the bat this year, which followed a subpar 2018 campaign. He’s earning $4.15MM this year; his contract includes a $4.25MM club option for 2020 ($750K buyout).

Giants To Select Mike Gerber, Designate Gerardo Parra

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3:01pm: This move is now official. In other news, the club has bumped catcher Erik Kratz to the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain to make way for the promotion of Tyler Beede.

2:19pm: The Giants are planning a bit of a shake-up in the outfield. They’ll select the contract of Mike Gerber, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). To create a roster opening, the team will designate veteran Gerardo Parra, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.

Gerber, 26, had a miserable showing in his first taste of the majors last year. But the Giants saw enough to claim him from the Tigers, later bumping him from their 40-man roster but hanging onto his rights.

The low-risk move has paid off to this point. Gerber is off to a .357/.402/.655 start with six home runs over 92 plate appearances at Triple-A. He also has struck out 27 times while drawing only five walks, but the quality of contact remains intriguing.

Parra, who’s closing in on his 32nd birthday, is an eleven-year MLB veteran who settled for a minor-league deal with the Giants. It was widely expected that he’d claim a roster spot once camp closed, and that indeed proved to be the case.

Things haven’t shaken out as hoped to this point. Parra carries a meager .198/.278/.267 batting line through 97 plate appearances. He’s sure to hold appeal to other organizations as a depth piece, but will almost certainly have to spent some time at Triple-A for the first time in a long while (excepting a few short rehab stints).

It isn’t known whether Parra agreed to an advance consent clause before season. If so, the club would be able to cut him loose without paying him the full $1.75MM salary called for in his contract. If not, the obligation would remain (less any other big-league earnings he’s able to command later in the season).

Corey Kluber Placed On Injured List With Fractured Forearm

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May 3: The Indians announced today that Kluber has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Right-hander Jon Edwards is up from Triple-A Columbus in his place.

At the moment, it’s not believed that Kluber’s arm will require surgical repair. While that’s surely a sigh of relief for Cleveland fans, Kluber still looks to be facing a sizable absence. He’ll be reevaluated after three to four weeks without throwing (Twitter link via Tom Withers of the Associated Press). There’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to resume throwing at that point, though, and even if that were the case, he’d surely require a rehab assignment to build arm strength.

May 1: The Indians have suffered another injury in the rotation, as two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his right ulna tonight, per a team announcement. The injury occurred when Kluber was struck on the right arm by a 102 mph comeback line-drive off the bat of the Marlins’ Brian Anderson. Kluber will be reevaluated Thursday when the team returns to Cleveland, at which point a timetable for his return will become clear.

Kluber, 33, was off to one of the worst starts of his excellent career in 2019, having posted a dismal 5.80 ERA with 9.6 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 40 percent ground-ball rate in 35 2/3 innings of work (including tonight’s truncated outing). Those struggles notwithstanding, the injury is a devastating blow to an Indians rotation that is already without Mike Clevinger for what figures to be more than two months due to a rather significant teres major strain. Kluber had been haunted by a .380 average on balls in play and an abnormally low 64.5 percent strand rate so far in 2019, and fielding-independent metrics pegged him as a rebound candidate moving forward.

Now that Kluber is sidelined, the once-formidable Indians rotation suddenly looks quite top-heavy. Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco remain premium rotation horses (despite one disastrous outing from the latter earlier this year), and young righty Shane Bieber carries plenty of promise. But the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation will likely be entrusted to inexperienced righties Jefry Rodriguez and Adam Plutko — neither of whom has enjoyed sustained success at the MLB level to this point in his career.

Cleveland already trails the Twins by two games in the American League Central (2.5 games if the Minnesota bullpen can hold its current 5-0 lead over Houston for one more inning). While there’s certainly plenty of season left, the pitching staff — and the rotation, in particular — was supposed to be the lifeblood of a roster that currently ranks 25th in the Majors in runs scored and 28th in wRC+.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/3/19

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We’ll track Friday’s minor moves from around the league here…

  • The Angels announced that right-hander John Curtiss cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A following his prior DFA. The Halos designated Curtiss, 26, for assignment Tuesday when they selected the contract of top pitching prospect Griffin Canning. Curtiss came to the Angels in a minor offseason swap with the Twins and has struggled mightily in Triple-A to open the season. Through 8 2/3 innings there, the once-well-regarded Twins prospect has allowed nine runs on 11 hits and eight walks with 11 strikeouts. He appeared in one game for the Angels early this season as well and in 2 1/3 innings worked with a fastball that was down roughly three miles per hour from his 2017 MLB debut. Curtiss has never been outrighted before and has fewer than three years of MLB service time, so he doesn’t have the option to reject the assignment. He’ll remain with the Angels organization and continue working in Triple-A as he hopes to round back into form.

Cubs Reinstate Oscar De La Cruz, Transfer Tony Barnette To 60-Day IL

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The Cubs announced Friday that they’ve reinstated minor league right-hander Oscar De La Cruz from the restricted list now that his 80-game suspension has been completed. In order to open a spot for De La Cruz on the 40-man roster, Chicago transferred Tony Barnette from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

De La Cruz, 24, received an 80-game suspension last July after testing positive for the banned substance furosemide. He’d been working through his first season at the Double-A level and struggling a bit, having pitched to a 5.24 ERA with diminished control through 16 starts.

De La Cruz was the Cubs’ top-ranked prospect by some outlets back in 2017 but has seen his stock dip in recent years — even before being hit with this suspension. He’s made three starts with Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach this season, as the league’s drug policy allows players to make unpaid rehab appearances to get up to speed at the tail end of suspensions. He’ll head to Double-A Tennessee.

As for Barnette, the former Rangers reliever was signed to a big league contract this winter but hit the injured list late in Spring Training due to inflammation in his shoulder. The 35-year-old had been pitching on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Iowa, but the Cubs’ press release indicates that Barnette was pulled back from that assignment. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets that Barnette is still experiencing tightness in his problematic shoulder, so it seems as though he won’t be an option for the Cubs anytime in the near future.

Reds Promote Nick Senzel

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of Nick Senzel, making the promotion of one of baseball’s premier prospects official. Senzel will join the active roster in place of right-hander Matthew Bowman, who has been optioned to Triple-A Louisville. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Cincinnati transferred Scooter Gennett from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Senzel is in today’s lineup, batting second.

Nick Senzel | Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

There’s been a sense that this move was coming since earlier in the week when MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported the possibility, which has built a steady sense of anticipation among Reds fans in recent days. Senzel, the No. 2 overall pick in 2016, entered the season ranked as one of the top 10 overall prospects in baseball and has sufficiently recovered from the late-March ankle injury that sidelined him. He’s not off to a blistering start in Triple-A by any means, hitting .257/.316/.371, but he’s generally been viewed as an MLB-ready bat despite that tiny eight-game sample.

Drafted as an infielder, he’s moved to the outfield in order to fast-track his arrival on the MLB roster, and he should step directly into the Reds’ everyday center field role, hopefully jump-starting what has been a stagnant offensive unit of outfielders. Scouting reports on Senzel laud his potential for above-average tool across the board, including a 65- or even 70-grade hit tool. He’s walked at a solid clip throughout his minor league career and has never had a major issue with strikeouts over a large sample, suggesting that he has the discipline to complement that hit tool and serve as a middle-of-the-order bat for years to come.

A career .312/.388/.508 hitter with 28 homers and 40 steals in 239 minor league games, Senzel should provide an upgrade over Scott Schebler in center, as the 28-year-old Schebler has slumped to a woeful .127/.258/.228 slash to open the season. There will be some growing pains on the defensive side of things, as Senzel only began playing the outfield in game settings this spring and has been sidelined for a bit this year. He was originally slated to get his feet wet in center field during the Arizona Fall League last year, but he instead required surgery to remove a pair of bone spurs from his left (non-throwing) elbow. That capped off a frustrating, injury-filled year for Senzel, who also missed time due to vertigo symptoms and a fractured finger.

The Reds has already reassigned Senzel to minor league camp when he incurred the aforementioned ankle injury, meaning he was destined for Triple-A to start the year. However, the ankle issue sidelined him long enough that there was never any question about whether he’d accrue enough service time in 2019 to reach free agency as quickly as possible. Senzel can’t earn more than 151 days of MLB service in 2019, meaning the Reds effectively control him for seven years rather than six. Assuming he’s in the big leagues for good, Senzel will be arbitration-eligible as a Super Two player following the 2021 season and won’t be a free agent until the 2025-26 offseason.

It remains to be seen just how the Senzel promotion will impact playing time for the rest of the Reds’ outfielders. Jesse Winker is the only one of the incumbent bunch who has been at all productive to this point in the season (.224/.315/.490), while each of Schebler, Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig has struggled. Puig still figures to see the lion’s share of at-bats in right field, given his age and track record, which could largely relegate Kemp and Schebler to pinch-hitting and occasional starts based on platoon matchups.

AL Central Notes: Boyd, Indians, Mize, Sox, Cease

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Matthew Boyd elevated his stock considerably with a strong start to the season and a heavier reliance on four-seamers and sliders, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently took a look at whether the Tigers might be open to trading the 28-year-old lefty. While the rebuilding Detroit club likely isn’t in a position to wholly refuse offers on virtually anyone on the roster, the Tigers do have a preference if they’re to move Boyd, Rosenthal reports. Given the glut of young pitching in the upper minors, the team’s ideal trade package for Boyd would center around a controllable young hitter with substantial upside. The Tigers needn’t feel compelled to move Boyd either this summer or even in the 2019-20 offseason, as he’s still controlled for another three seasons, but his improvements thus far appear more legitimate than many early-season, small-sample success stories. It’s easy to imagine that he’s already more appealing to other clubs than he was a month ago, and even if the Tigers ultimately hang onto him, Boyd will surely be one of the most sought-after arms in the game this summer if he maintains his early output.

Here’s more from the American League Central…

  • Right-hander Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, tossed a no-hitter in his Double-A debut following a midweek promotion, but the Tigers aren’t planning to accelerate his timeline to the Major Leagues based on that dominant effort, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “[General manager Al Avila] has told me, ’Don’t even look at them,'” manager Ron Gardenhire tells McCosky of Mize and fellow top pitching prospects Matt Manning and Alex Faedo. “So, I am happy they’re doing well, but they are not in my thoughts.” Both Avila and assistant GM David Chadd were present to watch Mize’s one-walk, no-hitter live and will watch Faedo an Manning this week as well. However, McCosky notes that the pair isn’t getting live looks at those young arms with an eye toward a near-term promotion. Faedo has just 89 innings above A-ball, while Manning has just 39 1/3.
  • The Indians left themselves little margin for error this past offseason and are now paying the price, writes Zack Meisel of The Athletic (subscription required). Cleveland pinned its hopes on a dominant rotation but is already down Mike Clevinger and Corey Kluber. While the former is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a teres major strain, he can’t be activated until June 7 given his placement on the 60-day injured list, and there’s no timeline yet for the latter. As far as in-house alternatives, Adam Plutko is still working his way back from a forearm issue, leaving Jefry Rodriguez as the de facto fourth starter and a collection of question marks behind him in the fifth slot. Chih-Wei Hu and non-roster journeyman Asher Wojciechowski are perhaps the likeliest fifth options for an Indians club that currently faces a three-game deficit in the division.
  • Although Tommy John surgery is “on the table” as an option for injured White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon, his health won’t impact top prospect Dylan Cease’s timeline to the big leagues, general manager Rick Hahn told reporters Thursday (link via LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune). “[N]o one is going to be promoted to Chicago simply because there’s a need in Chicago,” said Hahn, stressing that Cease or any other prospect will only be promoted when the player’s development dictates a promotion. “(Cease’s) timeline is not in any way affected by anything that happens with Carlos. It’s only going to be affected by what happens with (Cease).” The 23-year-old Cease, who entered the year as a consensus Top 50 prospect in the game, has done a good job making an early case for a big league debut. Through 24 1/3 innings at Triple-A, he’s pitched to a 3.33 ERA with a 30-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 55.1 percent ground-ball rate.

Health Notes: Kluber, Ohtani, Donaldson, Soto, Turner

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We can expect an update tomorrow from the Indians on injured righty Corey Kluber, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. It’s not yet known whether Kluber will require surgery for a forearm fracture. Even if he’s able to avoid a procedure, though, he’s likely to be sidelined for a lengthy stretch. Kluber is one of the game’s most accomplished hurlers, even if he hasn’t quite been himself to open the yea. The hope is that he’ll at least be able to target a late-summer return.

While we wait to learn more on that health situation, here’s the latest on a few others of note from around the game:

  • Shohei Ohtani is nearing activation by the Angels, manager Brad Ausmus tells reporters including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The precise timeline isn’t yet clear, but the DH is expected to return to action before the club opens a homestand on May 17th. Ohtani won’t be able to make it back to the mound this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2018 season, but he’ll be able to contribute from the batter’s box.
  • The Braves seem to have averted a significant problem with third baseman Josh Donaldson and his ailing calf. That’s the same area that wiped out a huge chunk of his 2018 season. But Donaldson is due back this weekend, manager Brian Snitker tells reporters including Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). The 33-year-old Donaldson has thus far rewarded the faith of the Atlanta organization, slashing a smooth .258/.395/.495 through 119 plate appearances with the club.
  • There’s also generally positive news for the Nationals on the injury front. Outfielder Juan Soto was held out tonight owing to back spasms, but MLB.com’s Jamal Collier tweets that an MRI did not reveal any cause for concern. It’s not yet clear when he’ll be back in action, but Soto hasn’t gone on the injured list and will likely be slotted right back in the lineup as soon as he feels up to it. The club also can begin to look forward to a return from shortstop Trea Turner. As Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter), Turner is moving a bit faster than had been expected and could be ready to begin swinging a bat this weekend. That’s a significant step for a player nursing a fractured finger.

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