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Tigers Select Nick Ramirez, Promote Gregory Soto

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The Tigers have selected the contract of southpaw Nick Ramirez, per a club announcement. He’ll take the place of the optioned Zac Reininger. The club had an open 40-man slot to work with.

Ramirez will be joined imminently by fellow lefty Gregory Soto. As Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News first reported on Twitter, the 24-year-old is slated for a call-up. He’s expected to start tomorrow.

It has been a long and winding road to this point for Ramirez, who reaches the majors for the first time just before his 30th birthday. A fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft, the Cal State Fullerton product had to switch from hitting to pitching in order to finally break through.

Though Ramirez’s move to the mound showed promise at times with the Brewers, his original organization, he didn’t show enough of a spark to force his way up. He ended up landing in the Detroit organization on a minors pact over the offseason.

Ramirez has had an intriguing start to the season. He’s working as a starter for the first time and showing newfound strikeout potential. Through 23 1/3 innings (covering two Triple-A and three Double-A starts), Ramirez carries a 2.31 ERA with 11.6 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9.

As for Soto, he has thrown just three games above the High-A level, all coming this year at Double-A. He’s a power pitcher who needs to hone his command, which he has done in the early going this year. Soto is hardly the class of this farm system’s impressive crop of hurlers, but he did get top-30 organizational billing from MLB.com. Since he’s on the 40-man roster already, the Tigers will make use of him for a spot start, though it seems likely he’ll be sent back down thereafter.

James Loney Retires

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Veteran first baseman James Loney, who’d launched a comeback bid when he signed with the Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters, announced his retirement from baseball Friday.

It’s been three years since Loney, now 35, appeared in a big league game. His last Major League work came in 2016 when he batted .265/.307/.397 through 366 plate appearances with the Mets. Loney had a brief stint with the Korea Baseball Organization’s LG Twins, did not play in 2018 and appeared in just 11 games with the Skeeters this season before today’s announcement.

Although it’s been a bit since Loney was prominent in Major League Baseball, he’s still a well-known name to most fans thanks to a solid 11-year run at the MLB level. Selected by the Dodgers with the 19th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Loney debuted as a 21-year-old less than four years later and quickly solidified himself as a viable long-term piece in Los Angeles. He hit .284/.342/.559 in 111 plate appearances during that rookie effort and followed it up with a brilliant .331/.381/.538 showing in 375 plate appearances during the 2007 season.

That cemented Loney’s place in the L.A. lineup, and while his bat never matched that lofty standard again, he was a solid offensive presence for the Dodgers over the next four years, consistently hitting for average with quality on-base skills and one of the game’s lowest strikeout rates. In parts of seven seasons with his original organization, Loney hit .284/.341/.423 all while providing the Dodgers with above-average defense at first base.

Loney struggled in a brief run with the Red Sox after being included in 2012’s epic Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett blockbuster and settled for a one-year deal with the Rays in hopes of rebuilding his stock. He did just that. Loney turned in a .299/.348/.430 performance with his characteristically strong glovework in his first season with Tampa Bay, and he parlayed that success into a three-year, $21MM deal to remain with the Rays. He’d give Tampa Bay a second season of above-average output before struggling in year two of that pact and eventually being released prior to the final season of the deal. It was at that point that Loney latched on for what now proved to be his final season — the aforementioned Mets run.

All told, Loney logged 1443 games in the Majors and hit .284/.336/.410 with 108 home runs, 267 doubles, 21 triples, 38 stolen bases, 528 runs scored and another 669 knocked in. Beyond that, Loney was a monster in the postseason, hitting .350/.429/.525 through 91 plate appearances across parts of eight different series (mostly with the Dodgers). Between his first-round bonus and his 11 seasons in the Majors, Loney racked up more than $38MM in career earnings.

Rays Place Mike Zunino On IL, Select Anthony Bemboom

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The Rays announced that they’ve placed catcher Mike Zunino on the 10-day injured list due to a left quad strain and selected the contract of fellow backstop Anthony Bemboom. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported that the move was coming and suggests that Zunino will be out about three weeks (Twitter links). Tampa Bay also activated Austin Meadows from the IL, as expected.

Tampa Bay has now lost its top two catchers in the span of 48 hours. Michael Perez was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday morning due to oblique tightness and replaced on the active roster by Nick Ciuffo, who’ll now serve as the Rays’ primary catcher for the time being. Ciuffo, a 2013 first-round pick, has yet to establish himself as much of an offensive option in Triple-A, where he’s hit .236/.272/.347 in 316 career plate appearances. He does control the running game quite well — 42 percent caught-stealing rate in his minor league career — and graded out as an above-average pitch framer in 2018, per Baseball Prospectus.

Bemboom, 29, has only played in eight games this season himself thanks to injuries of his own. An eight-year minor league veteran, he’s in his first season with the Rays organization having previously spent six years in the Halos’ minor leagues ranks as well as the 2018 season in the Rockies’ system. Bemboom is a career .249/.344/.382 hitter in Triple-A and carries a 31 percent caught-stealing rate since being drafted in the 22nd round back in 2012. He posted above-average marks in pitch framing in each of the past two seasons, as well.

Certainly, it’s not an ideal pairing of catchers for a first-place club. As noted Wednesday at the time of the injury, though, there’s not much in the way of readily available veteran help. Perhaps they’ll explore the market for a short-term backup option, but it’s unlikely that the trade market at this stage of the season would yield anyone who can be reasonably expected to provide more offense than Ciuffo.

Preston Tucker, KBO’s Kia Tigers Agree To Deal

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Outfielder Preston Tucker is set to sign with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization, per an announcement from the Tigers (link via Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). He’ll take a physical for them on Monday. Tucker had been with the White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate to begin the 2019 season but will seemingly be granted his release. With the Tigers, he’ll take the spot of another former MLB outfielder, Jeremy Hazelbaker, who is being released.

Tucker, 28, had two separate stints with the Braves in 2018 as well as one with the Reds, hitting a combined .229/.299/.404 with six homers and 11 doubles in 184 plate appearances. He was one of several unexpected contributors who helped to carry the Braves early in the season before the debut of Ronald Acuna last season, raking at a .288/.333/.538 clip through his first 18 games (and, like Hazelbaker with the ’16 Cardinals, serving as a reminder that April stats can be quite misleading). He posted just a .626 OPS from that point through season’s end, however.

Tucker has seen 651 plate appearances at the MLB level and has a rather meek .222/.281/.403 slash to show for his efforts, though he sports a much heftier .273/.341/.467 line in 1411 PAs across parts of six Triple-A seasons.

As for the 31-year-old Hazelbaker, he signed a one-year deal with the Tigers in the offseason but will see his stint there end after just 11 games and a .146/.239/.341 batting line through 46 plate appearances. Hazelbaker had a down year in a 2018 season he split between the Triple-A affiliates for the Twins and the Rays, but he’s a lifetime .259/.327/.436 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A campaigns.

Rangers Notes: Martin, Minor, Seise

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The latest from Arlington…

  • With Shawn Kelley off to the IL with a bacterial infection, Chris Martin will step in as the Rangers’ closer, manager Chris Woodward told MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan and other reporters.  Martin did well in his first crack at the role on Wednesday, tossing a perfect inning against the Pirates for his second career save.  Jose Leclerc was demoted from the closer’s job last week and isn’t yet ready to again reclaim the ninth inning.  While Woodward was optimistic about Leclerc’s progress earlier today, Leclerc had another rough outing in tonight’s 4-2 loss to the Astros, allowing a run on three walks and a hit in two-thirds of an inning.
  • Mike Minor has followed up a solid 2018 season with some of the best numbers of any pitcher in baseball in the early part of 2019, which led Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News to wonder if the Rangers would be better off keeping Minor rather than shopping him at the trade deadline.  Minor is still under contract through the 2020 season, and since Texas is perpetually in need of starters, Sherrington feels it could be worth retaining or even extending Minor if the front office can’t find a very favorable trade offer.  Evan Grant, also of the Dallas Morning News, feels there is still a “significantly greater” chance that Minor is traded, and the Rangers should be prepared to move quickly on a sell-high deal should a rival team indeed step up with a big offer.
  • Shortstop prospect Chris Seise will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left labrum, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).  It’s the second brutal injury in as many years for Seise, who missed all of 2018 after undergoing rotator cuff surgery on his other shoulder.  Picked 29th overall by the Rangers in the 2017 draft, Seise’s injuries have limited him to only 72 games over parts of three seasons as a professional.

Dee Gordon Leaves Game After Being Hit In Wrist

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Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon was hit in the right wrist by a J.A. Happ fastball during the third inning of tonight’s 3-1 loss to the Yankees, causing Gordon to be removed from the game.  Seattle manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times and MLB.com’s Greg Johns) after the game that Gordon would receive more tests on his wrist tomorrow, as initial x-rays weren’t conclusive.  Speaking to Divish, Johns, and other media after the game, Gordon said his wrist was “very sore,” and had some harsh words about Happ’s pitch location.

After a disappointing first season in Seattle that included an ill-advised position switch to center field, Gordon seemed to be back on track in 2019 after returning to his original second base position.  Gordon entered Thursday’s action hitting .304/.327/.406 through 149 plate appearances, plus 10 steals in 11 attempts.  Gordon has also already hit three home runs, a startling figure for a player who has never hit more than four long balls over an entire season.

Servais intimated that some type of roster move would need to be made before tomorrow’s game in Boston, as backup infielder Dylan Moore is also battling a wrist injury and will undergo his own set of tests.  Moore replaced Gordon on Thursday, though had to be himself removed for pinch-hitter Jay Bruce since Moore was feeling pain while swinging the bat.  The chain reaction of position switches led to Edwin Encarnacion making his first career appearance as a second baseman, and then getting an injury scare himself after Encarnacion made a diving attempt at a ground ball.

With Gordon and Moore each hurting, it stands to reason that one or both of J.P. Crawford or Shed Long could get the call from Triple-A Tacoma to fill the holes in Seattle’s infield.  Crawford already may be the choice, as Lauren Smith of the Tacoma News Tribune reported that Crawford was scratched from tonight’s Rainiers’ lineup.

Crawford would be making his Mariners debut after being the young centerpiece of the five-player trade between the M’s and Phillies last December that saw Jean Segura go to Philadelphia and Carlos Santana (temporarily) come to Seattle.  Crawford has thus far acquitted himself well in his new organization, with a .319/.420/.457 slash line through 138 Triple-A plate appearances.  Long, ranked by MLB.com as the 12th-best prospect in the Mariners’ farm system, has also been hitting well at Triple-A this season and would be making his Major League debut if a promotion is indeed in the cards.

Rays Expected To Activate Austin Meadows On Friday; Nate Lowe Demoted

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Outfielder Austin Meadows is expected to be activated from the 10-day IL prior to the Rays’ game with the Yankees on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  Meadows will take the 25-man roster spot left open by Nate Lowe, as the Rays sent the highly-touted youngster down to Triple-A following yesterday’s game.

Meadows hit the injured list on April 21 due to a sprained right thumb, so his return will fall just short of the projected timeline of “a few weeks” mentioned by Rays general manager Erik Neander a day after the IL placement.  It’s good news for the Rays, since Meadows’ hot start was a huge reason for Tampa’s early-season success.  Meadows was hitting .351/.422/.676 with six homers over 83 plate appearances at the time of his injury, and while some regression is inevitable (.400 BABIP, .454 wOBA compared to a .408 xwOBA), it certainly isn’t out of the question that a former top prospect like Meadows could be a big contributors in his first full Major League season.

With Meadows back, Lowe’s first taste of big league action will come to an end after nine games and a .257/.289/.314 slash line over 38 PA.  It was perhaps a little surprising to see Tampa promote Lowe so soon, though the 23-year-old had been ripping up Triple-A pitching and the Rays had a need for another bat with both Meadows and Joey Wendle on the IL.  Rather than keep Lowe in the majors as a bench player, the club will instead send him back to Triple-A where he can everyday at-bats and continue his development.

In terms of service time, Lowe’s clock stopped almost as soon as it started, so it’s hard to yet determine the impact on his future team control.  While it stands to reason Lowe will be back in the majors at some point in 2019, the Rays already control him through at least the 2025 season, and the team might not bring him back until they can ensure that he won’t be a Super Two candidate.  (Of course, this could all be moot if Lowe becomes the latest Rays prospect to sign an early-career extension, a la Brandon Lowe, Matt Moore, or Evan Longoria.)

Lowe has played only first base and DH in his young career, making him an imperfect fit at this point on a Rays roster that values multi-positional versatility.  Lowe’s first base duties will again likely be split between Ji-Man Choi and Yandy Diaz, though Diaz has seen an increasingly amount of time at third base in recent days due to Daniel Robertson’s struggles.  Brandon Lowe could also see some time at first base, with Robertson or Andrew Velazquez filling in at second, so the Rays are hardly short on potential lineup options.

Mets Notes: Lowrie, Roster Crunch, Frazier

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The latest out of Citi Field….

  • Jed Lowrie’s official Mets debut will wait a few more days, as the infielder will play in more minor league rehab games through the weekend rather than be activated off the injured list on Friday.  (Mike Puma of the New York Post was among those to report the news.)  Lowrie has yet to play this season due to a capsule strain in his left knee, though his extended rehab stint isn’t due to any sort of health setback, but rather simply the fact that the Mets want to give the veteran infielder more time to get ready.  Lowrie missed almost all of Spring Training due to the injury, and he has only two hits in 25 plate appearances during the six rehab games he has already played.  The 35-year-old Lowrie signed a two-year, $20MM contract with New York as a free agent over the offseason.
  • With Lowrie’s return delayed, the Mets will get a bit of extra time to figure out a bit of a roster crunch situation.  As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes, demoting either J.D. Davis or Dominic Smith would cost the Mets a productive player, though Davis could at least benefit from playing every day as a left fielder at Triple-A.  If not Davis or Smith, the team could also designate veteran Adeiny Hechavarria for assignment, though that would leave the shortstop position thin behind Amed Rosario.  Lowrie has a lot of shortstop experience, of course, though he has played only two games at the position since the start of the 2016 season.  DiComo doesn’t think that Keon Broxton (who is out of options) is a candidate for DFA limbo when Lowrie joins the 25-man roster.
  • Todd Frazier also won’t be moved to make room for Lowrie, as a source tells Newsday’s Tim Healey.  With just a .143/.160/.265 slash line through 50 plate appearances, Frazier has yet to get on track following his own Spring Training injury, an oblique strain that kept him out of action until April 22.  The injury continued a frustrating stretch for Frazier since joining the Mets, as he was hoping to rebound from a subpar 2018 season.  New York’s crowded infield will likely lead to less playing time for Frazier, who is cognizant of the situation but still confident that he can regain some of his old form.  “I don’t know if this will be my last year with the Mets. I know I’m a free agent after this year, so I want to put my best foot forward and make an impact on this team again,” Frazier said.  The 33-year-old is still owed roughly $7.2MM of his $9MM salary for the 2019 season, making him an expensive cut if the Mets decided to part ways with him entirely.
  • In other Mets news from earlier today, Steven Matz was placed on the 10-day injured list due to radial nerve discomfort.

Nationals Designate Jimmy Cordero For Assignment

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The Nationals announced a trio of roster moves, including the news that right-hander Jimmy Cordero has been designated for assignment.  The club’s previously-reported signing of outfielder Gerardo Parra was also made official, while outfielder Andrew Stevenson has been sent to the 10-day IL due to back spasms to create room for Parra on the 25-man roster.  Cordero’s designation creates a 40-man spot for Parra.

The 27-year-old Cordero made his Major League debut last season, posting a 5.68 ERA and an even 12 walks and 12 strikeouts over 19 innings out of Washington’s bullpen in 2018.  The righty earned that promotion after a strong showing (1.96 ERA, 10.4 K/9) over 46 Triple-A innings last season, though he struggled at the same level this year, with just a 6.00 ERA over 15 innings.

Cordero is a hard-thrower who averaged 97.5mph on his fastball during his brief stint in the bigs, and he also has a grounder rate of better than 50% over his 282 2/3 career minor league innings.  That said, he has also begun to experience some issues with both the home run ball and limiting walks over the last few seasons.

Nationals Sign Gerardo Parra

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TODAY: The Nationals have officially announced the signing, adding Parra on a one-year contract.

YESTERDAY: The Nationals are moving fast on newly minted free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra. After hitting the open market just yesterday, he’s now reportedly due to join the Nats on their current road trip.

Parra, 32, had been designated for assignment by the Giants as they cleared the deck for younger options. He is slashing just .198/.278/.267 through 97 plate appearances on the season.

For the Nats, the veteran left-handed hitter may help plug one of the team’s many leaks. Andrew Stevenson suffered a back injury after being called up to bolster the outfield unit while Juan Soto works back to health. With lefty slugger Matt Adams also sidelined, the club is short of southpaw swingers.

Parra is known more for his glovework in the outfield than his bat, though he has at times been an above-average hitter. Through nearly five thousand MLB plate appearances over eleven seasons, he owns an 88 wRC+ — though he’s closer to league-average (96 wRC+) when hitting with the platoon advantage, as he likely will for the most part in D.C.

It is not yet known how the Nationals will clear the necessary roster space for this move. Placing Stevenson on the injured list could open an active roster spot, but that wouldn’t account for the 40-man.

Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News first made the connection on Twitter. ESPN’s Jose Rivera first tweeted that a deal was agreed to. Also reporting the match were Sam Fortier of the Washington Post (Twitter link) and Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

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