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Angels Select Matt Ramsey, Designate Sam Freeman

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The Angels announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Matt Ramsey from Triple-A Salt Lake and designated veteran left-hander Sam Freeman for assignment in order to open spot on the 25-man and 40-man roster.

It’ll be the MLB debut for Ramsey, 29, who is in his first year in the Angels’ system. The journeyman minor league hurler spent the 2018 campaign in the Astros organization, where he pitched to a 2.04 ERA with a 63-to-16 K/BB ratio in 53 innings of relief between Triple-A (47 innings) and a quick stint with Houston’s Rookie-level affiliate (six innings). He’s off to a shaky start in Salt Lake, having allowed seven runs (three earned) on 11 hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings of relief.

Freeman, 31, just made his Angels debut last night, allowing a run on three hits and two walks in two innings of relief. He spent the 2017-18 seasons in the Braves’ bullpen, pitching to a combined 3.34 ERA in 110 1/3 innings. Freeman’s numbers deteriorated across the board in 2018, however, and Atlanta cut him loose during Spring Training. He latched on with the Halos on a minor league deal and posted a 3.00 ERA in nine Triple-A innings, though his 7-to-6 K/BB ratio wasn’t particularly encouraging.

If Freeman clears waivers, he has enough service time to elect free agency, so it’s possible that today’s DFA could spell the end of his time with the organization after just a few weeks.

Joey Wendle Diagnosed With Fractured Wrist

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The Rays announced today that infielder Joey Wendle has been diagnosed with a fractured right wrist, as MLB.com’s Juan Toribio was among those to cover on Twitter. The injury occurred when he was hit by a pitch in today’s game.

It’s rough news for a player who only just made it back to the active roster after opening the season on the IL. Soon to turn 29, Wendle had hoped that the 2019 campaign would represent an opportunity to build off of an excellent first full season in the bigs.

Last year, Wendle slashed a robust .300/.354/.435 while hitting seven long balls and swiping 16 bags. That showing earned him a fourth-place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Entering play today, the late-bloomer had managed only a single hit in 22 plate appearances on the new season. He was 2-for-2 on the day before the errant pitch changed the course of his season.

Phillies Select Sean Rodriguez, Designate James Pazos

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The Phillies announced a series of transactions today. Two have 40-man roster implications. The club selected the contract of infielder Sean Rodriguez and designated reliever James Pazos to make way.

Joining Rodriguez on the active roster is righty Enyel De Los Santos. To create space, infielder Mitch Walding and righty Drew Anderson were optioned back to Triple-A.

Rodriguez turns 34 on Friday, so this makes for an early birthday gift. He’s in the starting lineup today at shortstop, representing his first MLB action since he was designated last August by the Pirates. Rodriguez has struggled at the plate in recent seasons but is off to a .267/.327/.622 start with the bat at Triple-A. He’ll help fill in while Jean Segura is sidelined.

As for Pazos, who’s closing in on his 28th birthday, it seems the Phillies have been quite underwhelmed since receiving him via trade over the winter. He was a quality relief piece in 2018 and has plenty of cheap control remaining, but had struggled badly in a Phillies uniform. Over 14 2/3 innings between Spring Training and the start of the Triple-A season, the southpaw has managed just six strikeouts against 11 walks.

That said, Pazos pitched to a strong 3.39 ERA with better than a strikeout per inning in 103 2/3 frames with Seattle in 2017-18. While he was dominant against either righties or lefties, he demonstrated an ability to limit damage against each; right-handed hitters managed a .248/.327/.393 line to left-handers’ collective .248/.326/.353. During that two-year run with Seattle, Pazos averaged just under 95 mph on his heater while posting a 10.9 percent swinging-strike rate and 32.6 percent opponents’ chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone. Given the number of teams in need of bullpen help throughout the league, there’s a solid chance he’ll generate interest from another team.

Minor-League Signees Seeing Significant MLB Action: Relief Pitchers

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We recently explored the position players who earned big early-season roles after entering camp on minor-league deals. That’s no guarantee of continued success — or even ongoing opportunities. Some have already been dropped from their respective rosters. The same holds to an even greater extent in the ever-changing world of relief pitching.

Let’s have a look at the relievers who have already thrown at least six frames after settling for minors pacts over the offseasons …

  • Nick Vincent, Giants: Perhaps we should stop being surprised by Vincent, who has mostly churned out quality results at the MLB level. He owns a 2.03 ERA through 13 1/3 innings with the Giants and is on track to hold onto a big-league job all season long — perhaps in a different city, if he’s dealt.
  • Alex Wilson, Brewers: Another pitcher who struggled to find a job despite an established track record of solid innings, Wilson has not found success thus far in Milwaukee. He’s generating 10.6 K/9 but an untenable 6.6 BB/9 and 1.64 HR/9, leaving him with an unsightly 8.18 ERA.
  • Ryne Harper, Twins: He’s carrying a 2.70 ERA through ten frames of action. While the peripherals don’t jump off of the page, it’s a solid start for a pitcher who waited a long time for a shot at the majors.
  • Javy Guerra, Blue Jays: Though he was recently designated for assignment, Guerra was able to generate a dozen strikeouts in ten innings. He did that in spite of a middling 6.5% swinging-strike rate, however, and was drawing grounders just 28.0% of the time.
  • Luis Avilan, Mets: The 29-year-old has generated very little soft contact to this point and has coughed up two long balls. That has left him with ten earned runs in his nine innings, though the Mets will likely allow him some leash to right the ship.
  • Luke Bard, Angels: He was given a shot to open the season but was just optioned after 8 2/3 innings. Bard gave up three long balls in that span, but did show a 13.6% swinging-strike rate and managed to hold onto his 40-man spot for the time being.
  • Jeanmar Gomez, Rangers: The veteran has solid K/BB numbers but has been tagged for a whopping .481 batting average on balls in play. He’s just not fooling anyone at the moment (6.3% SwStr%, 50.0% hard-hit rate).
  • Francisco Liriano, Pirates: It has been a pleasing return to Pittsburgh for the southpaw, who’s getting strikeouts (12.3 per nine) and grounders (52.6%) to begin the season. The 35-year-old is also doling out a few too many free passes, as usual, but a 14.8% swinging-strike rate suggests that the ball is coming out of his hand well.

Yankees Option Chad Green, Activate Gary Sanchez

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The Yankees have announced a few notable roster tweaks. Struggling reliever Chad Green was optioned down to Triple-A to sort things out, with southpaw Stephen Tarpley recalled to take his active roster spot. And the club activated catcher Gary Sanchez while optioning down fellow backstop Kyle Higashioka.

Green has simply not been himself this year. After two outstanding campaigns in the New York bullpen, he has been bombed for 14 earned runs on 15 hits (including four dingers) in his 7 2/3 innings this season.

It’s tough timing for Green , as he is trying to set the stage for his first season of arbitration eligibility. With 2.077 years of service accrued through yesterday, he can only afford to miss 64 of the remaining potential MLB service days before the season ends if he’s to cross the threshold to a third year of service. (If he falls short of that, he could potentially still qualify for arb as a Super Two, though that’d put free agency one season further in the distance.)

The Yankees will hope they can figure out what is going on with Green. His velocity is down a bit, though he’s still sitting just under 95 with his heater, and his swinging-strike rate has dropped to 10.4%. While his groundball rate has shot up to 48.4% — a level he hasn’t worked at since he was in the minors — Green is giving up loads of hard contact.

Meanwhile, the club will welcome the return of Sanchez to a lineup that has been racked by injuries. The slugger bounced back quickly from a calf strain. Several other key players remain sidelined, but the hope is that a variety of fill-in pieces can keep the team above water in the meantime.

Mariners Acquire Mike Wright

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The Mariners have acquired righty Mike Wright from the Orioles, per a club announcement. Infield Ryne Ogren will head to the Baltimore organization in return.

Wright was designated for assignment recently by the O’s. The out-of-options hurler will head onto the active roster for the M’s. He’ll need to remain there or be exposed to waivers.

The results haven’t been there for Wright, who carries a 5.95 ERA through 242 career frames in the majors. He has been hurt by the long ball this year, surrendering five in just 13 1/3 innings of work en route to a ghastly 9.45 ERA.

It’s not entirely clear what the Mariners hope to accomplish with the move beyond adding another arm to the stable. Perhaps their analytics department has an idea for how to squeeze improved results from his raw stuff, which includes a four-seam fastball that sits at around 94 mph.

As for Ogren, the 22-year-old was a 12th-round draft pick in 2018. He has been stationed at the Class A level to open the 2019 season, where he carries a .229/.319/.343 slash in 48 plate appearances.

Padres Promote Ty France, Place Jose Pirela On IL

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The Padres have brought third baseman Ty France up to the active roster, the club has now announced after Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the move (via Twitter). It seems he’ll take the place of Jose Pirela, who is going on the injured list with an oblique strain.

France already owned a 40-man roster spot, but this’ll be his first taste of regular-season MLB action. His most direct path to playing time was cut short when the club inked Manny Machado over the winter. But France has instead blazed his own trail with an inspired effort to open the year at Triple-A.

A solid effort at the plate in 2018 earned France his roster placement over the offseason, when he’d otherwise have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft. But he has taken things to a whole new level in the new season, compiling 92 plate appearances over which he carries a remarkable .423/.500/.885 slash with nine home runs.

France, who entered the professional ranks as a 34th-round draft pick, has only played on the corners during his minor-league career. That makes it tough to see how he’ll fit into the plans in San Diego, though perhaps the club will simply throw him into the mix at second base or the corner outfield and hope for the best. Otherwise, he’ll presumably be limited to spelling Machado and Eric Hosmer while functioning as a late-inning pinch hitter.

It may not be a full showcase for France, given the awkward fit, but it’ll still be interesting to see where things lead. He’s not considered one of the better prospects in a talent-rich organization, but is nevertheless an increasingly interesting player to watch. France could theoretically force his way into the picture or boost his trade stock, creating some interesting possibilities.

Report: Brewers “Front-Runner” To Sign Gio Gonzalez

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The Brewers are the “front-runner” to land free agent starter Gio Gonzalez, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). They’re one of a variety of teams that make conceptual sense for the southpaw, who just opted out of his deal with the Yankees.

Gonzalez spent time with the Milwaukee organization late last season after being acquired from the Nationals. He was solid down the stretch but scuffled in the postseason. While the club got what it bargained for, it never reportedly showed much interest in a reunion over the offseason.

Circumstances have changed since the start of the 2019 campaign. The Brewers have received underwhelming work from the rotation. While Jimmy Nelson is still on the mend and there’s still hope for the club’s solid overall talent base to shine through, the club can’t afford to sit back and wait in a division that figures to be tightly contested all season long.

There are certainly other plausible landing spots for Gonzalez, but it seems he’s trending toward a return to Milwaukee. The Mets were connected rather heavily, but MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweeted yesterday that their interest level is “more curious than fervent” and Mike Puma of the New York Post now labels them a “longshot” (via Twitter). Other potential suitors are more hypothetical.

MLBTR Poll: Who’ll Sign Gio Gonzalez?

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Last night, we examined the market landscape for Gio Gonzalez, who’s back on the open market after exercising an opt-out clause in his now-defunct deal with the Yankees. As we explained there, the veteran lefty has a variety of plausible landing spots.

There’s indication that multiple clubs have already extended offers to Gonzalez, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand recently tweeted. While a deal isn’t imminent, it seems reasonable to think he could put pen to paper at any time. Having already built up his pitch count, Gonzalez ought to be ready to jump in and make a start at a moment’s notice.

If you’re interested in revisiting the breakdowns of each team’s situation vis-a-vis Gio, then check out the above-linked post. We’ll only list the teams that we pegged as the likeliest suitors in the poll below. Let’s see how the MLBTR readership expects things to shake out. (Response order randomized; link for app users.)

Predict The Landing Spot For Gio Gonzalez
Brewers 61.80% (3,273 votes)
Mets 13.09% (693 votes)
Other Team 9.08% (481 votes)
Angels 4.15% (220 votes)
Padres 3.34% (177 votes)
Cardinals 3.30% (175 votes)
Athletics 3.21% (170 votes)
Mariners 2.02% (107 votes)
Total Votes: 5,296

AL Pitching Injury Notes: Snell, Carrasco, Smyly, Estrada, Hardy

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The Rays have decided to start ace lefty Blake Snell today after he bounced back quicker than expected from a minor toe fracture, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. There are some obvious risks to bringing him back before he’s ready, but the organization obviously feels that isn’t the case. The reigning American League Cy Young winner has been outstanding once again early in 2019, with a 2.16 ERA and 13.0 K/9 against 1.4 BB/9 over 25 frames.

More on the health front, focusing on some other AL hurlers:

  • Indians righty Carlos Carrasco departed his start yesterday early with some left knee discomfort and will undergo an MRI to make sure there isn’t an injury. It’s being billed as a precautionary measure, as MLB.com’s Mandy Bell reports (via Twitter). The Indians will hope it comes back clean, as he’s a key part of the team’s plan to fend off challengers in the AL Central. Carrasco has had a few rough outings this year, but has also spun a pair of 12-strikeout gems and was getting the job done yesterday before tweaking the joint.
  • Rangers starter Drew Smyly was placed on the 10-day injured list yesterday with what the club described as mid-arm nerve tightness in his left arm. It seems the hope is that he’ll only miss a start or two; the placement was back-dated to April 20th. The 29-year-old Smyly hasn’t quite had the bounceback campaign he was hoping for to this point, with a 7.80 ERA, 19:10 K/BB ratio, and four home runs allowed through 15 innings over four starts. Right-handed Wei-Chieh Huang is up to take the open roster spot. He made his MLB debut earlier this season and has been throwing well at Double-A.
  • The Athletics sent righty Marco Estrada in for an “ablation procedure” on his balky back yesterday, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to cover (Twitter links). It seems he’ll be out through at least early May, though there isn’t a precise timeline just yet. The hope seems to be that this surgery will speed things up a bit. Meanwhile, the A’s hoping that reliever Lou Trivino will bounce back quickly after he was struck in the thumb by a baseball. He’s taking a few days but not slated to hit the injured list at the moment.
  • The Tigers announced yesterday that lefty Blaine Hardy was heading to the IL with a left forearm strain. Injuries to that area can be quite concerning for a pitcher, but there’s no real indication at this point of the outlook for the 32-year-old. After dabbling with the rotation in 2018, Hardy has been utilized in a multi-inning relief capacity thus far, throwing a dozen frames in eight appearances. Fellow southpaw Jose Fernandez takes his spot on the active roster.

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