Pirates Release Jung Ho Kang
TODAY: The Pirates have released Kang, John Dreker of Pirates Prospects tweets.
FRIDAY: The Pirates have designated infielder Jung Ho Kang for assignment, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Twitter. Erik Gonzalez and Pablo Reyes are coming onto the active roster, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic tweets.
It has been a forgettable season for Kang, who re-signed with the Bucs for $3MM after sitting out virtually all of the prior two campaigns. He had only himself to blame for the absence and lost earnings, as it resulted from his history of multiple instances of being caught driving under the influence of alcohol.
Kang has by all accounts carried himself in a more responsible manner off the field since returning to the Pittsburgh organization. But he has not returned to his days of high-quality offensive production at the plate.
Through 185 plate appearances in 2019, Kang carries a meager .169/.222/.395 batting line with ten home runs but also a whopping sixty strikeouts and only eleven walks. That’s a surprising turn for a player who carried a 21.4% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate in his most recent full season in the majors.
It remains to be seen how Kang’s career will progress from this point. The 32-year-old’s power is still intact, so he could be given a shot with another MLB outfit (likely on a minors deal). It seems plausible to imagine also that he could elect to go back to his native Korea or another Asian league if the opportunities here are not satisfactory.
Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela Removed From Game With Injuries
12:30AM: Eusebio Torres, Gleyber’s father, tweeted (hat tip to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch for the translation) that his son is headed to Baltimore with the team, and “everything is fine” following his release from hospital. Urshela also told Hoch and other reporters that he was traveling with the team, though Hoch noted that Urshela’s legs were both wrapped in bandages.
11:33PM: The injury-riddled Yankees are once again having to hold their breath about some health situations, as infielders Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela both made early exits from Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Red Sox.
Torres left the game after the seventh inning with what manager Aaron Boone described as “a core issue” in his postgame talk with media (including the YES Network). Boone was “not sure” when the injury occurred, and Torres was undergoing tests to further explore the problem.
Urshela’s issue was less mysterious, as he fouled two different pitches off his right knee area and left shin within the same at-bat in the sixth inning. Despite an on-field visit from team trainers, Urshela remained in the game through the next two frames, before finally being replaced in the field prior to the top of the ninth inning. In positive news, Boone said x-rays were negative on Urshela.
Torres and Urshela are two of the few Bronx Bombers who have avoided the injured list this year, and Torres is New York’s team leader in games played (103 of 111 contests). Torres is enjoying another excellent year, hitting .286/.353/.514 with 23 homers over 432 plate appearances.
Urshela isn’t far behind, with a .314/.359/.522 slash line and 12 homers over 320 PA. It’s been an astonishing breakout performance for a player who hadn’t shown anything remotely close to this level of offensive production in 499 Major League PA prior to this season, or over his 11 professional seasons in the major and minor leagues.
It’s been because of unheralded bench players like Urshela that the unbreakable Yankees have surged to a 72-39 record this season, despite losing almost every single member of their roster to the IL at one time or another with injuries ranging from minor setbacks to season-ending concerns. If either Torres or Urshela had to go on the IL, DJ LeMahieu would likely be shifted away from first base (as he was covering the position since Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion are both sidelined with injuries) and Breyvic Valera is on hand as the utility infielder. Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada are on hand both at Triple-A for further depth.
Report: Tigers Were Offered Baez, Bregman In 2017 Offers For Michael Fulmer
Between a down year in 2018 and then Tommy John surgery in March 2019, Michael Fulmer has fallen off the radar for many fans outside of the Motor City. Yet it wasn’t long ago that Fulmer was one the most sought-after trade chips in baseball, hotly pursued by multiple teams in the aftermath of a Rookie Of The Year season in 2016, and a strong sophomore year that saw him post a 3.83 ERA, 2.85 K/BB rate, and 6.2 K/9 over 164 2/3 innings in 2017, though Fulmer’s year was cut short by elbow surgery.
It was during that 2017 season that the Tigers finally went into full rebuild mode, trading Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, and others before the trading period finally halted at the end of August. Fulmer received plenty of attention from trade suitors, though he wasn’t as obvious of a moveable asset given that he still had so many years of team control remaining.
Nonetheless, the Tigers received some sizeable offers for his services, and according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, these offers included two blockbusters for future All-Stars. The Tigers reportedly declined a three-player package from the Cubs that would have seen Javier Baez head to Detroit in exchange for Fulmer, while the Astros were willing to give up Alex Bregman for both Fulmer and left-hander Justin Wilson.
It makes for an eye-popping case of hindsight for the Tigers and their fans, considering how the three principal figures of those offers have since performed. Baez and Bregman are simply two of the game’s best players, each collecting All-Star appearances in both 2018 and 2019, while Baez finished second in NL MVP voting last season while Bregman racked up a fifth-place finish in the 2018 AL MVP race and also played a big role in the Astros’ 2017 World Series title.
Fulmer, by contrast, hasn’t matched his early potential due to injuries and perhaps simply some statistical regression. Whether he can regain his former front-of-the-rotation status is a question that can’t be answered until at least a few months into the 2020 season (or perhaps until 2021, if Fulmer is one of many pitchers who under-performs in their first several starts back from TJ surgery).
There were some rumors about a Cubs/Tigers trade involving Fulmer back in 2017, prior to Chicago’s acquisition of Jose Quintana from the White Sox, though Detroit reportedly wanted both Baez and Ian Happ as part of a Fulmer trade package. Bregman and Fulmer were never linked in any trade talks, and one wonders if the Astros only floated the idea fairly early in the year, since Bregman was installed as the team’s everyday third baseman from Opening Day onward. Needless to say, Bregman was no longer on the table by the time Houston and Detroit collaborated on their actual 2017 blockbuster, the championship-deciding deal that sent Verlander to the Astros on August 31.
In fairness to the Tigers, every front office has countless examples of instances where they missed out on a trade or a signing that would have been a steal. Likewise, from the Cubs’ and Astros’ perspective, every team can cite numerous cases where they lucked out in not making a transaction. But the Fulmer situation looms large, Fenech notes, given how Detroit has been unable to maximize the return on several of their top trade assets during their rebuild.
Several scouts from around the league weren’t very impressed by the four total prospects Detroit received from the Cubs and Braves in trade deadline swaps of Nicolas Castellanos and Shane Greene. The Tigers also weren’t able to trade Matt Boyd, perhaps their most valuable trade chip, at all. While “multiple executives indicated Boyd’s trade value will never be as high as it was at 3:59 p.m. on Wednesday” prior to the trade deadline, it seems that Detroit’s asking price on Boyd was simply too exorbitant. One National League exec told Fenech that the Tigers’ demands were “borderline comical,” and an AL executive describing Detroit’s front office as “impossible to deal with.”
The Tigers also asked for a lot in their attempts to trade Greene. For instance, Detroit asked the Nationals for top infield prospect Carter Kieboom, and Fenech also reports that the Nationals turned down an offer for Luis Garcia, another prized young infielder.
MLBTR Chat Transcript: Trades, D’Backs, Blue Jays, Yankees
Click here to join Sunday night’s baseball chat, moderated by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk
Diamondbacks To Designate Zack Godley For Assignment
The Diamondbacks have told right-hander Zack Godley that he has been designated for assignment, the Arizona Republic’s Richard Morin reports. MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweeted that such a move seemed imminent earlier today, as Godley was seen saying his goodbyes to teammates in the Arizona clubhouse.
The news ends a nightmare of a season for Godley, who posted a 6.39 ERA, 1.66 K/BB rate, and 6.9 K/9 over 76 innings for the D’Backs. He lost his rotation job at the end of April (minus a few spot starts the rest of the way) and couldn’t get on track coming out of the Snakes’ bullpen.
After posting solid results as a starter for the D’Backs in 2017-18, Godley looked like a promising mid-rotation arm before his numbers fell off virtually across the board from his performance in the previous two seasons. Godley’s strikeout fell markedly after he averaged better than a strikeout per inning in 2017-18, while his grounder rate, home run rate, swinging strike rate, and hard-contract rate all went in the wrong direction.
Since Godley was out of options, Arizona couldn’t send him to the minors and had no choice but to designate him and expose him to outright waivers. Despite his struggles, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team make a claim on Godley, given how difficult it is to obtain pitching now that the trade deadline has passed. Godley isn’t even arbitration-eligible yet until this winter, so non-contenders are also likely to have interest in seeing if they can land a controllable arm that could be a potential bargain if he can get on track. While his career home-road splits are pretty even, Godley has pitched a bit better outside of Chase Field this year, so perhaps a change of scenery is required.
Injury Notes: Cano, Chirinos, Sanchez, Suter
Robinson Cano went 3-for-3 in the Mets‘ 13-2 win over the Pirates today, though the veteran infielder’s big day was tarnished by a left hamstring strain. Cano had to be removed from the game after suffering the injury while running the bases during a fourth-inning single. An MRI is scheduled for Monday, and it seems likely that Cano will face the third injured-list stint of the season due to his left leg — a pair of quad injuries sidelined the veteran second baseman earlier in the year. While Cano is still hitting only .252/.295/.415 over 346 PA this season, he was in the midst of a hot streak at the plate, as Sunday marked his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.
We’ve already had quite a bit of injury news from around the game today, and here are updates on some other situations…
- Yonny Chirinos‘ start was cut short after five innings and 63 pitches today due to right middle finger inflammation. Chirinos will undergo tests on Monday, though the Rays right-hander told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters that he doesn’t think his finger is a major concern. Today’s outing boosted Chirinos to a 3.62 ERA and 7.82 K/9 (against just a 1.99 BB/9) over 126 2/3 innings this season, as Chirinos has increasingly been used in a traditional starting pitching role rather than as the “bulk pitcher” behind an opener. Chirinos’ emergence has helped a Rays rotation that has continued to rely heavily on openers and bullpen games, particularly with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow both on the injured list.
- Gary Sanchez is tentatively scheduled to return to the Yankees’ lineup during their series with the Blue Jays from August 8-11, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets. Sanchez is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment, in the wake of a left groin strain that sent him to the IL on July 24. At the time of the injury, Sanchez was suffering through a brutal slump that had seen him post only a .370 OPS over his previous 93 plate appearances, which dropped his season slash line to .229/.299/.508 over 328 PA.
- After beginning a minor league rehab assignment for the Brewers‘ rookie league affiliate, left-hander Brent Suter will continue the process at Double-A, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Suter underwent Tommy John surgery in late July 2017 and is still hopeful of returning to the hill for the Brewers before the season is over. The soft-tossing Suter posted a 3.91 ERA, 3.54 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 204 2/3 innings for Milwaukee from 2016-18, overcoming his lack of velocity by becoming a master at generating soft contact from opposing batters.
Blue Jays Release Alen Hanson
The Blue Jays have released utilityman Alen Hanson, as per the Twitter page of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Hanson struggled to a .187/.232/.271 slash line over 180 PA for Buffalo this season.
It’s been an all-around rough year for Hanson, who had only a .392 OPS over 48 Major League plate appearances for the Jays before the club outrighted him off their 40-man roster in May. Hanson was part of the three-player trade package Toronto acquired from the Giants for Kevin Pillar soon after the start of the season, though Hanson didn’t produce in what little playing time he received in a Jays uniform.
After receiving some top-100 prospect recognition while coming up in Pittsburgh’s farm system earlier in the decade, Hanson hasn’t delivered on that promise over 625 MLB plate appearances (.232/.266/.368) for the Pirates, White Sox, Giants, and Blue Jays from 2016-19. Hanson is still only 26 and has multi-positional ability, so it’s possible he could get another look on a minors contract from another team interested to see if he could be a late bloomer.
Nationals Sign T.J. Rivera To Minors Deal
The Nationals have signed infielder T.J. Rivera to a minor league contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Rivera has been assigned to Washington’s Double-A affiliate.
A late bloomer who didn’t reach the majors until he was 27, Rivera hit .304/.335/.445 over 344 plate appearances for the Mets in 2016-17. He hasn’t been back to the Show, however, since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2017, and was limited to only six minor league appearances in the Mets’ farm system in 2018 before being released in Spring Training.
Rivera then took time off to get fully healthy before inking a deal with the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks in early July, and hit .273/.323/.440 over 93 PA for the Ducks. He’ll now provide the Nationals with some versatility around the infield, as Rivera has a wealth of experience at second, third, and first base (plus some shortstop early in his career, and a handful of games as a corner outfielder). Though his Double-A assignment doesn’t hint that a big league call-up is imminent, Rivera nonetheless provides some extra depth for a Nats club that just lost Howie Kendrick to the injured list earlier today.
Astros Suspend Reymin Guduan
The Astros have suspended left-hander Reymin Guduan for what GM Jeff Luhnow described as a “disciplinary issue” at Triple-A, the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome writes. Guduan will be suspended for the rest of the season. Specifics aren’t known about what caused the punishment, as Luhnow only said that Guduan “broke our team rules and is being disciplined because of it.”
Guduan has appeared in 32 games for the Astros over the last three seasons, with just 24 2/3 innings amassed over that limited big league action. The hard-throwing southpaw has an 8.03 ERA as a Major Leaguer, including an 11.81 mark in only 5 1/3 frames this season. Even in the minors, Guduan hasn’t exhibited much consistency — a 4.64 ERA over 382 career innings in Houston’s farm system, with an 11.1 K/9 that has been undermined by a 6.2 BB/9. Between this lack of a track record and now a lengthy suspension, it’s fair to wonder if this could mark the end of Guduan’s time with the Astros organization.
Though Guduan wasn’t likely to be much of a factor for the Astros down the stretch this season, though his absence does remove some depth in an area that was already something of a thin area for the team. As Rome notes, Wade Miley, Framber Valdez, and Cionel Perez are the only left-handers on Houston’s entire 40-man roster. Of that trio, Miley is a starter, Valdez and Perez are in the minors, and Perez is additionally on the injured list. While the Astros haven’t much sweated their lack of left-handed relievers over the last couple of years, the lack of an August waiver trade period this season would make it all the more difficult for the team to acquire another pitcher if it felt another lefty arm was needed.
Reds Sign Tim Collins To Minors Contract
The Reds have signed left-hander Tim Collins to a minor league deal, as first listed on MLB.com’s official transactions page. Collins made his debut for Triple-A Dayton this afternoon.
Collins has only 8 2/3 MLB innings (with a 3.12 ERA) to his name this season, as he has been shuttling between the Cubs’ 25-man roster and their Triple-A affiliate. The veteran southpaw was designated for assignment last week, and he chose to become a free agent in search of a new opportunity rather than accept an outright assignment to Chicago’s farm system.
Amir Garrett and Wandy Peralta are the only left-handed relievers on Cincinnati’s Major League roster, and Collins’ addition gives the Reds some depth once Garrett begins serving the suspension issued for his role in the recent brawl between the Reds and Pirates. While Garrett is appealing that suspension and could possibly get it reduced from eight games, he will very likely still miss some time, and Collins’ presence at Triple-A gives the Reds a veteran option who will be ready to go once Garrett sits.
Collins has a 3.60 ERA, 9.1 K/9, and 1.80 K/BB rate over 242 1/3 innings in a big league career that began in 2011, though also didn’t see any MLB action from 2015-17 due to a long recovery from two Tommy John surgeries.