Rays Activate, Option Jose De Leon
Rays righty Jose De Leon has at long last returned to active duty, the club announced. But he’ll return to Triple-A on optional assignment as he looks to get his injury-addled career back on track.
De Leon, once a top prospect who is now almost 27 years of age, underwent Tommy John surgery last March. His rehab assignment was twice extended, as is permissible for hurlers working back from TJ procedures, extending it to a total of ninety days. With that time up, the club swung a deal earlier today to clear a 40-man spot for De Leon’s activation from the 60-day injured list.
During his lengthy rehab stint, De Leon threw 34 innings over 11 outings. He worked to a 3.97 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. That’s not a perfect showing, by any stretch, but it seems promising that he was able to generate swings and misses from top-level minor-leaguers.
It’s certainly possible that De Leon will be seen as a MLB option in the near future. Odds are he’d be utilized as less than a full-fledged starter, much like most of the rest of the Tampa Bay staff. In De Leon’s case, he has only once topped one hundred innings in a given professional season (2015).
Athletics To Designate Aaron Brooks, Activate Blake Treinen
The Athletics are set to designate right-hander Aaron Brooks for assignment, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com was first to indicate (Twitter link). His 25-man roster spot will go to closer Blake Treinen, who’s set to return from a short stay on the injured list.
Brooks has been a regular for the A’s pitching staff this season, having amassed 50 1/3 innings in 15 appearances (six starts). However, the results have been underwhelming. Brooks has only managed a 5.01 ERA/5.67 FIP, in part because he has surrendered home runs on 19.4 percent of fly balls. On the other hand, the 29-year-old has logged decent overall strikeout and walk rates (7.69 K/9, 2.5 BB/9) and racked up almost a K per inning as a reliever.
Brooks is in his second stint with the Athletics, who acquired him from the Brewers last September in a minor trade. He was previously a member of the A’s in 2015 when they landed him and Sean Manaea from the Royals in a deal for Ben Zobrist. Brooks didn’t pitch for the A’s that year, though, and wound up going to the Cubs in a February 2016 trade for Chris Coghlan.
In a combined 111 career innings for the A’s, Royals and Cubs, Brooks has notched a 6.65 ERA/5.39 FIP with 6.81 K/9 and 2.68 BB/9.
Rays Place Ji-Man Choi On 10-Day IL
The Rays announced today that first baseman Ji-Man Choi is heading to the 10-day injured list, as MLB.com’s Juan Toribio was among those to cover via Twitter. He’s said to be dealing with a sprained left ankle.
Infielder Mike Brosseau will come up to take the open active roster spot. He’s in the majors for the second time this season after a brief prior promotion. Brosseau has been aflame at Triple-A, where he carries a .317/.408/.590 batting line with 15 home runs and a 51:33 K/BB ratio.
It’s at least a bit interesting to see the Rays tap Brosseau rather than first base prospect Nate Lowe. The left-handed-hitting Lowe struggled in a ten-game stint earlier this year, but would seem to be a more direct replacement for Choi. Perhaps the Tampa Bay club preferred to carry some added defensive versatility; no doubt the fact that they’ll face several lefty starters in the next week was also a factor. The presence of starter/first bagger Brendan McKay on the roster also reduces the need for a lefty bat.
In any event, there’s no indication that Choi will be sidelined for a lengthy stint. He’s slashing a respectable .266/.351/.423 on the season, good for a 111 wRC+. With Choi only commanding league-average money, he’s a cost-efficient player, but it’s certainly possible the club will see cause to pursue an upgrade at some point this summer.
Dodgers Acquire Casey Sadler From Rays, Move Rich Hill To 60-Day IL
The Dodgers have picked up recently designated righty Casey Sadler in a trade with the Rays, per club announcements. Minor-league hurler Nathan Witt is headed back to the Rays in return.
To create 40-man space, the Los Angeles org shifted southpaw Rich Hill to the 60-day injured list. He has been sidelined for about two weeks already with a flexor strain and obviously is going to require a lengthy respite before trying to ramp back up.
Soon to turn 29, Sadler sported a 1.86 ERA and 54.1% groundball rate in 19 1/3 innings with the Rays before getting the boot. His 11:5 K/BB ratio was less than impressive, though Sadler’s 8.9% swinging-strike rate was better than it had been in his prior efforts at the majors.
Sadler will open his tenure with the Dodgers on optional assignment at Triple-A. He’ll represent a depth option if and when a need arises. More significant relief upgrades remain a clear possibility this summer.
The Rays obviously fielded interest from some other teams since they were able to come away with something from the deal. Witt has only advanced to the Class A level at 23 years of age, but does carry 11.8 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 in his 23 2/3 innings there this season.
Indians Acquire Andrew Velazquez From Rays
The Indians have announced a swap with the Rays in which they’ll acquire utility infielder Andrew Velazquez. An unstated amount of international spending capacity will head to Tampa Bay in return.
To create 40-man roster space, the Indians have designated righty Chih-Wei Hu for assignment. The 25-year-old has been hit hard this year at Triple-A, allowing 16 home runs in 48 2/3 innings.
Soon to turn 25, Velazquez is an exceptionally versatile player. In limited MLB action, he has already been trusted to play shortstop, second, third, and all three outfield positions.
Velazquez has shown some stolen-base ability and a bit of pop in the upper minors, though he’s not exactly a premium offensive prospect. He has swung through quite a few pitches in his early exposure to MLB pitching and has gone down on strikes 154 times in 602 career Triple-A plate appearances, over which he carries a .261/.320/.418 slash.
Rangers Agree To Terms With Top Two Draft Picks
TODAY: Jung will earn $4.4MM and Wendzel $1.6MM, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). That leaves the team a fair bit of added padding to work with as it tries to wrap up the remainder of its draft class.
YESTERDAY: The Rangers have agreed to terms with their top two selections in the 2019 draft, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. They’ll announce deals with Texas Tech third baseman Josh Jung and Baylor third baseman Davis Wendzel, per Grant. That duo’s No. 8 and No. 41 slots come with respective values of $5.18MM and $1.81MM. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman first tweeted that Wendzel had agreed to a deal, pegging his bonus in the $1.5-$1.7MM range.
Jung, 21, was selected a bit higher than most pre-draft rankings pegged him. Fangraphs tabbed him as the No. 12 prospect in the draft, while Jung ranked 16th at MLB.com, 17th at Baseball America and 18th at ESPN. All of the scouting reports on Jung praise his hit tool and all-fields approach, though there are questions as to whether develop above-average power as a professional. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen note in their report at Fangraphs that Jung’s glovework has improved in 2019 — so much so that he even played some shortstop this season (though he’s unlikely to do so in the pros). Jung hit .342/.476/.636 with 14 homers, 22 doubles and a triple this season while drawing 52 walks against 39 strikeouts in 286 plate appearances.
Wendzel, 22, hit .367/.484/.610 with eight homers, 19 doubles and 11 steals in 223 PAs at Baylor this season. Like Jung, he’s viewed as a hit-over-power third baseman in most scouting reports. He draws strong reviews for his plate discipline and his solid defensive skills. MLB.com’s report notes that Wendzel has played all over the diamond in college and suggests that he “might even be able to handle catching, giving him some intriguing versatility.” He ranked 47th on MLB.com’s rankings, 55th at BA, 65th at ESPN and 82nd at Fangraphs.
MLB Draft Signings: 7/3/19
We’ll use this post to track the latest noteworthy draft signings. Click here for the full list of slot values and draft pool bonuses, and you can find prospect rankings and scouting reports from Baseball America’s Top 500, Fangraphs’ Top 200, MLB.com’s Top 200, and the Top 50 of ESPN.com’s Keith Law …
- The Diamondbacks have a $750K deal with southpaw Tommy Henry, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). The 74th overall selection came with a $844K slot value, so there are some savings here for the team to work with. Henry recently capped a strong season with an excellent showing in the College World Series. Now, he’ll launch his pro career with the Arizona organization. Henry ranked just inside the top 50 among all draft prospects on the BA board, with MLB.com (#59) and Fangraphs (#64) generally concurring with that range of placement. While there were some ups and downs in Henry’s arsenal over the course of the 2019 campaign, he’s said to command a strong, three-pitch mix at his best.
Yankees Activate Domingo German
The Yankees announced today that they have activated starter Domingo German from the injured list. Southpaw Stephen Tarpley was optioned down to open active roster space.
German ultimately missed just shy of a month of action owing to a hip flexor strain. He’ll rejoin the rotation this evening in a Subway Series matchup.
The Yanks will hope that the 26-year-old can get back to the form he showed for most of the early portion of the season. Through his first ten starts of the year, German carried a 2.60 ERA. He was tagged for seven long balls and 14 earned runs in his next three outings, though, leaving him with a cumulative 3.86 ERA over seventy total frames.
Despite an array of health issues and a few performance lapses, the Bronx Bombers are now easily pacing the AL East. But the rotation figures to be the prime area of focus at the deadline. The team’s need in that area will be reduced greatly if German can rediscover his groove. Tamping down on the long balls figures to be a key.
Tigers Select Tyler Alexander, Designate Jose Fernandez
The Tigers have announced that they’ve selected the contract of lefty Tyler Alexander. To open roster space, the club designated fellow southpaw Jose Fernandez for assignment.
Alexander was formally optioned down to Triple-A while also being brought onto the active roster as the 26th man for the team’s doubleheader. He’s scheduled to take the ball this evening for his first MLB start.
Though he only carries a 6.23 ERA in 73 2/3 frames at the highest level of the minors, Alexander carries an appealing combination of 10.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Like many of his fellow International League hurlers, he has been stung by the long ball, allowing 17 already to this point.
As for the 26-year-old Fernandez, he just hasn’t panned out as hoped when he was claimed from the Blue Jays over the offseason. Fernandez was tagged in brief MLB action and has underwhelmed at Triple-A. In his 27 2/3 innings at Toledo, he carries a 3.90 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
Criminal Charges Against Odubel Herrera Dropped
Criminal charges against Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera were dropped this morning, Megan Montemurro of The Athletic reports on Twitter. Herrera had been facing a count of simple assault relating to a domestic violence incident in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His girlfriend, the alleged victim, did not wish to proceed with prosecution.
This news seems to bring an end to the legal jeopardy for Herrera, who was alleged to have struck his girlfriend in such a manner that she “had visible signs of injury to her arms and neck.” He will be required to undergo sixty days of counseling, per Amy Rosenberg of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
That does not necessarily mean that he will be able to resume his playing career right away. Herrera has been on paid administrative leave since the 28th of May, the day after his arrest, a period covering 34 of the team’s games (including today’s scheduled contest). The leave period has been extended several times, most recently through this coming Friday, as Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted on Twitter.
When Herrera will be reinstated remains to be seen. Commissioner Rob Manfred could yet issue a suspension pursuant to the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. His authority to do so is not dependent upon whether or not criminal charges are pursued (and, if so, whether a player is convicted). Should Manfred issue a suspension, Herrera’s time on administrative leave would be counted as time served, but he would be required to sacrifice his earnings for the entire period.
It is also unclear at this point how Herrera will be handled by the Philadelphia organization. He is owed a total of $5MM this year, with another $20.5MM remaining thereafter on the extension he signed in December of 2016. The contract runs through 2021 and includes a pair of club options.
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