Marlins Announce Series Of Roster Moves
The Marlins announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Brian Moran and catcher Tyler Heineman from Triple-A New Orleans. In order to open space on the 40-man roster, Miami transferred Brian Anderson from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list and designated catcher Wilkin Castillo for assignment. Additionally, outfielder Magneuris Sierra was recalled from New Orleans and added to the active roster.
Sierra, 23, will rejoin the club for the first time since the 2018 season. Acquired with Sandy Alcantara in the trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis, it was hoped that he could serve as a long-term piece in the Miami outfield mix. That didn’t look to be the case by any stretch of the imagination in 2018 when Sierra batted just .190/.222/.211 in 156 big league plate appearances with the Marlins. His 2019 season in the minors has been better but not particularly impressive; in 549 trips to the plate between Double-A and Triple-A, Sierra has batted .275/.316/.387 with seven homers, 19 doubles, nine triples and 33 stolen bases (in 44 attempts).
This will be a big month for Sierra, who’ll be out of minor league options in 2020. That’s not to say he’s at jeopardy of losing his 40-man spot if he doesn’t show well in September, but a strong final impression in 2019 would surely improve his positioning for the 2020 campaign. Conversely, if he flounders in a similar fashion to his 2018 struggles, he’ll make it difficult for the organization to bank on any contributions from him next year.
Neither Heineman nor Moran seems like a long-term piece for the Marlins, but each will get his first look at the MLB level this month. Heineman, 28, was acquired from the D-backs in exchange for cash back in June. He’s batted a combined .336/.400/.590 in the Pacific Coast League’s supercharged offensive environment but has never hit much in four prior seasons at that level (most coming with the Astros, who drafted him in the eighth round back in 2012).
Moran will turn 31 later this month and has grinded through 10 minor league seasons leading up to today’s breakthrough to the Major Leagues. It’s undoubtedly an emotional day for the former Mariners farmhand, who has pitched to a 3.15 ERA with 11.6 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 in 60 innings of relief in New Orleans this season. Moran has spent parts of five seasons in Triple-A, compiling a 3.67 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 176 2/3 innings.
Anderson was already known to be done for the season after incurring a fractured hand last month. Miami’s best all-around player, the 26-year-old Anderson batted .261/.342/.468 with a career-high 20 home runs and 33 doubles in 520 plate appearances this year. He’s controlled all the way through the 2023 season and looks like a building block in South Florida.
Castillo, meanwhile, returned to the Majors in 2019 for the first time in a decade. He appeared in just two games but nonetheless was able to relish the bright lights of the Major Leagues after a long journey through the minors. Castillo has just 24 big league games to his credit, but the 35-year-old has played in 581 career Triple-A games, hitting .245/.283/.358 along the way.
Yankees Activate Edwin Encarnacion
TODAY: As expected, Encarnacion has been activated.
YESTERDAY: The Yankees are set to welcome Edwin Encarnacion back to the big league roster after a month-long absence due to a fracture in his right wrist, Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune tweets. Encarnacion cleaned out his locker with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in Scranton following today’s game and told Foley that he feels “100 percent” and is “ready to go.”
Encarnacion, 36, hit .238/.327/.497 with nine home runs an 10 doubles through 36 games and 162 plate appearances between his mid-June acquisition and his IL placement on Aug. 3. It’s a step back from the .241/.356/.531 pace he managed with the Mariners prior to the swap, but his return will nonetheless provide a boost to a Yankees lineup that continues to hit even as it deals with the absence of numerous regulars.
The Yankees recently welcomed Luke Voit back from the injured list and have been enjoying a torrid hot streak from Mike Ford, who has belted six home runs in his past 10 games. Major League rosters have expanded to 40 players this month, so the Yankees won’t need to option anyone out to accommodate Encarnacion’s return. Given the health of Voit and Ford’s recent excellence, Encarnacion could be eased back into action, as that trio is each restricted to first base/designated hitter duties only. As such, manager Aaron Boone can now play matchups as he sees fit with that trio — Ford has hit just .176/.278/.318 against lefties — and always have another dangerous bat on the bench.
Encarnacion is owed the balance of this year’s $20MM salary between now and season’s end — some of which is being paid by both the Rays (who were involved in the three-team Encarnacion trade in the winter) and the Mariners. Encarnacion’s contract comes with a $20MM club option for the 2020 season, which includes a $5MM buyout.
Pirates Select Steven Baron
The Pirates have selected the contract of catcher Steven Baron, per a club announcement. Also heading onto the active roster are outfielder Jason Martin, righty Yacksel Rios, and infielder Cole Tucker.
While the Bucs have plans to pursue upgrades at the catching position in the long run, the club needs to stay afloat at the position for the meantime. The Pittsburgh organization recently bid adieu to veteran Francisco Cervelli, leaving a timeshare situation with Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings.
Baron, 28, has twice previous received brief MLB stints but has managed only one hit in 16 plate appearances. He was hitting a paltry .180/.264/.248 in 149 trips to the dish this year at Triple-A. Baron is a former first-round pick of the Mariners.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
White Sox Select Contract Of Danny Mendick
The White Sox announced today that they have selected the contract of infielder Danny Mendick. He’ll be joined on the active roster by a trio of other September call-ups: righty Dylan Covey, catcher Zack Collins, and outfielder Daniel Palka.
Mendick is a 25-year-old who is capable of playing short, second, or third base. He just wrapped up his first full season at the Triple-A level, where he slashed .279/.368/.444 with 17 home runs. That’s not quite the big season it might appear to be at first glance, but it does equate to a sturdy 109 wRC+.
Tigers Claim Troy Stokes
The Tigers have claimed outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. off waivers from the Brewers, per a club announcement. To create 40-man space, the Detroit organization released lefty Ryan Carpenter.
Stokes has at times been considered a solid prospect, but lost his 40-man spot recently. He has managed only a .233/.341/.385 batting line this year in 381 plate appearances at Triple-A.
Carpenter, who just turned 29, has been on the injured list but obviously wasn’t in the Tigers’ future plans. He has struggled to an 8.57 ERA in 63 career MLB frames.
Giants Claim Corban Joseph
The Giants have claimed infielder Corban Joseph off waivers from the Athletics, per a club announcement. Righty Tanner Anderson was outrighted after clearing waivers, the Oakland organization also announced.
It’s yet another addition for the insatiable Giants, who placed Pablo Sandoval on the 60-day injured list to clear roster space. The 30-year-old Joseph becomes the latest player to catch the eye of president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Just what kind of opportunity he’ll have late this season remains to be seen.
Joseph debuted way back in 2013 but has appeared in only 27 lifetime MLB contests. He struggled this year with a brief chance in Oakland, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. In 425 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League, he slashed a robust .371/.421/.585 with 13 long balls. The left-handed-hitting Joseph is primarily a second baseman; he could see some time there along with the righty swinging Mauricio Dubon.
Royals Activate Jesse Hahn, Add 3 Players To 40-Man Roster
The Royals have announced a series of transactions involving their 40-man roster. Righty Jesse Hahn was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and added to the active roster.
The club has also selected the contracts of three players — first baseman Ryan McBroom, utilityman Erick Mejia, and lefty Gabe Speier — who’ll also be active. Each will make his MLB debut with his first game action.
Hahn is a two-time Tommy John recipient who’ll be making his way back to the majors for the first time since 2017. He carries a 4.19 ERA in 286 lifetime innings at the game’s highest level. Hahn only completed 3 2/3 innings in four appearances before the minor-league season ended, so he’ll presumably be utilized as a reliever down the stretch.
McBroom was just acquired after a strong showing at Triple-A with the Yankees organization. He slashed .315/.402/.574 with 26 homers in 482 plate appearances, a big stat line even in the International League.
The 24-year-old Mejia will presumably be considered as a future utility infield candidate. He carried a .271/.339/.382 batting line through 556 plate appearances this year in the Pacific Coast League.
As for Speier, he has had some home run troubles at Triple-A and carries only a 5.63 ERA there over forty frames. But he was still able to compile a 45:17 K/BB ratio at the highest level of the minors and had been more effective in terms of results (2.42 ERA) earlier in the year at Double-A.
Cubs To Activate Willson Contreras
The Cubs will activate catcher Willson Contreras and install him in tonight’s lineup, skipper Joe Maddon (h/t Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, via Twitter). Veteran Ben Zobrist is also set to return to action for the first time since early May.
Contreras has been sidelined for about a month, leaving the team without a key regular. Jonathan Lucroy was added to partner with Victor Caratini and hold down the fort, but the club is well shy of full strength without its first-choice receiver.
The Cubs obviously feel that Contreras has recovered fully from the hamstring strain that forced him to the sideline. Otherwise, he’d presumably remain on ice. The club can ill-afford an aggravation of the malady, which might risk Contreras’s postseason availability. At the same time, he’s certainly needed to help the club as it attempts to chase down the Cardinals and hold off Wild Card contenders over the final month of the season.
Orioles Select Mason Williams, Designate Jace Peterson
The Orioles announced today that they have selected the contract of outfielder Mason Williams. To create roster space, infielder Jace Peterson was designated for assignment.
Williams was expected to come onto the active roster for the month of September, but needed to be added to the 40-man. A host of other players that already held 40-man spots are also heading for the big-league dugout: lefty Ty Blach, catcher Austin Wynns, and righties David Hess, Evan Phillips, and Chandler Shepherd.
Once a well-regarded Yankees prospect, the 28-year-old Williams got his first extended chance at the majors last year with the Reds. He produced at close to the league-average rate offensively but was outrighted at season’s end. Williams has spent the entire season to this point with the Orioles’ top affiliate, slashing .308/.371/.477 with 18 home runs in 494 plate appearances.
As for Peterson, he has struggled since the O’s summoned him to help fill out the position-player mix. The six-year MLB veteran carries a .220/.269/.330 batting line in 108 trips to the plate on the season.