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Blue Jays Select Contract Of Darnell Sweeney

By Jeff Todd | June 29, 2018 at 3:46pm CDT

The Blue Jays have selected the contract of utilityman Darnell Sweeney, as Ben Nicholson-Smith first observed on Twitter. He’ll take the open roster spot created by last night’s trade of Steve Pearce.

Sweeney, 27, has only seen brief action in the majors, with a brief run with the Phillies back in 2015. He hasn’t shown enough offensive potential in the upper minors to force further opportunities, with a .255/.323/.397 cumulative slash in 400 career games a Triple-A.

That said, Sweeney does offer immense versatility, with significant professional experience in the infield (at second, third, and shortstop) and outfield (left and center). Though he has swiped quite a few bags in the minors, Sweeney has also been caught rather frequently. In total, he has 156 steals but has been tagged out 83 times.

Cardinals Claim Tyler Webb

By Jeff Todd | June 29, 2018 at 3:08pm CDT

The Cardinals have claimed lefty Tyler Webb off waivers from the Padres. The San Diego organization, which announced the move, had designated Webb for assignment recently.

A tenth-round pick in the 2013 draft, Webb moved quickly to the upper reaches of the Yankees system and has always produced quality K/BB numbers. But the 27-year-old has received limited opportunities in the majors. He has just 13 total MLB innings on his ledger, with those coming with three different teams over the past two seasons.

This season, Webb has thrived at Triple-A. Through 22 innings, he has allowed just five earned runs while recording 28 strikeouts against eight walks. But in his time in the bigs, he has shown only a low-nineties fastball and swinging-strike rate of just over eight percent.

Tigers Fire Pitching Coach Chris Bosio

By Jeff Todd | June 29, 2018 at 2:39pm CDT

FRIDAY: Sources that spoke with Ken Rosenthal and Katie Strang of The Athletic painted quite a different picture than did Bosio. Whereas Bosio asserted that he was making a comment to others that was overheard and taken out of context by a team employee, this new report indicates that a racial epithet was directed from Bosio to the employee. Multiple sources specifically disputed Bosio’s account of what occurred, per The Athletic.

THURSDAY: Bosio has given his version of events to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, asserting that the situation arose from a misunderstanding and claiming he was unfairly dismissed. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press provides additional information regarding a key aspect of Bosio’s account (see here and here).

Avila again declined to go into specifics, but generally disputed that the team was wrong to react as it did. “We know what we did, and why we did it,” he said, “and we’ll see where it goes from there. The action we took was appropriate. There were things involved. But I can’t comment any further.”

WEDNESDAY, 3:02pm: Rick Anderson will move from bullpen coach to pitching coach for the remainder of the season, Avila says (via Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, on Twitter).

2:49pm: The Tigers announced today that they have fired pitching coach Chris Bosio. Per a club announcement, the decision was due to “insensitive comments.” The full statement reads as follows:

“Effective immediately, the Detroit Tigers have terminated the contract of pitching coach Chris Bosio for his insensitive comments that violated Club policy and his Uniform Employee Contract. The organization holds all of our personnel to the highest standards of personal conduct both on and off the field. We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior. The Club will have no further comment on this matter.”

It is not entirely apparent at this time precisely what led to the termination, but general manager Al Avila tells reporters that the comments in question were made by Bosio to a team employee (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Jason Beck).

Bosio was in his first year with the organization after spending five seasons in the same role with the Cubs. The 55-year-old pitched in the majors for eleven years, from 1986 through 1996.

Red Sox First-Round Pick Triston Casas Out For Season Following Thumb Surgery

By Steve Adams | June 29, 2018 at 1:53pm CDT

Red Sox prospect Triston Casas, the team’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb, according to a team announcement. Casas, an 18-year-old third baseman, appeared in just two games for the Red Sox’ Rookie-level affiliate in the Gulf Coast League before incurring the injury.

Clearly, it’s a discouraging outcome for both the organization and for Casas, who forewent a college commitment to the University of Miami in order to sign with the Sox for a $2,552,800 bonus. Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston hears that there’s optimism that Casas will at least be able to participate in the instructional league this fall (Twitter link).

It’s been a rough year for Boston prospects on the whole. In addition to the Casas injury, the Sox lost top prospect Jay Groome to Tommy John surgery. The organization’s No. 2 prospect, Michael Chavis, was hit with an 80-game suspension in early April following a failed PED test and has not yet played a game in 2018.

Yankees Recall Brandon Drury

By Steve Adams | June 29, 2018 at 1:19pm CDT

1:19pm: The Yankees have formally announced the move.

11:00am: The Yankees will recall infielder Brandon Drury from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Drury will fill the roster spot of Luis Cessa, who the team has already formally optioned to Triple-A.

It’s been a strange season for Drury, who was acquired in February to provide depth at both second base and third base for a Yankees team that eventually had those positions earmarked for top prospects Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. Drury opened the season on the roster but quickly was placed on the disabled list due to severe migraines that were causing blurred vision.

By the time he was healthy enough to return to action, however, both Torres and Andujar were enjoying productive stretches at the big league level. Rather than activate Drury and utilize him in a utility role, the Yankees made the somewhat surprising decision to simply option Drury to Triple-A.

[Related: New York Yankees depth chart]

Drury was understandably frustrated to be spending time in the minors after having previously established himself as a solid big league contributor with the Diamondbacks, and his play in Scranton certainly showed that he was worthy of playing in the Majors. In 203 Triple-A plate appearances, Drury hit .314/.419/.488 with five homers, 13 doubles and a triple.

With Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade currently in Triple-A, Drury will join Neil Walker as a utility option who can bounce around to several positions. It’s possible that Drury could see some time at first base in the immediate future, as George A. King III of the New York Post writes. Given Greg Bird’s recent struggles and an injury to Tyler Austin in Triple-A, the right-handed-hitting Drury could be called upon with the Red Sox set to throw three consecutive lefties at the Yankees this weekend.

Twins Designate Felix Jorge For Assignment

By Steve Adams | June 29, 2018 at 12:54pm CDT

The Twins will select the contract of catcher Willians Astudillo from Triple-A Rochester and clear a spot on the 40-man roster by designating right-hander Felix Jorge for assignment, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Minnesota is clearing an active roster spot for Astudio by placing utilityman Taylor Motter on the 7-day DL with concussion-like symptoms. Motter recently crashed hard into the wall while trying to chase down a deep fly-ball to the right-center field gap against the White Sox.

Jorge, 24, made his big league debut with Minnesota in 2017, tossing a combined 7 2/3 innings but allowing nine runs in a pair of spot starts. Inauspicious as that debut may have been, the righty did turn in a strong season in Double-A last year, working to a 3.54 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.74 HR/9 and a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate in 134 2/3 innings (22 starts).

This season has been a lost affair for Jorge so far, as he’s been sidelined due to a triceps issue in the minors (as Berardino recently noted). He made a pair of rehab assignments for the Twins’ Rookie-level affiliate in the Gulf Coast League, but he’ll now have to go through the DFA process before it’s determined if he’ll join the rotation in Triple-A Rochester or end up with another club — either via trade or via waiver claim.

There’s certainly reason to believe that other clubs would have interest in Jorge, if healthy. He’s long rated as one of the Twins’ better prospects, ranking among their top 30 in each offseason dating back to 2012-13, per Baseball America. While Jorge’s upside is limited by a pedestrian fastball, he’s said to have at least an average slider and changeup, and he’s demonstrated strong control throughout his minor league tenure, averaging just 2.2 walks per nine innings pitched in 689 innings. He also has a pair of minor league options remaining, which obviously enhances his appeal.

That said, Jorge is also behind a number of starters on the Twins’ depth chart in Triple-A, as each of Fernando Romero, Stephen Gonsalves and Adalberto Mejia (who’ll start Saturday in Minnesota in his 2018 debut), and between this year’s triceps issue and the best-case scenario of a back-of-the-rotation arm, the Twins felt comfortable jettisoning him from the 40-man roster.

As for Astudillo, he’ll be making his MLB debut with the Twins and will arrive on the scene as something of an oddity. The 26-year-old has a comically low strikeout rate in the minors both this season (4.8 percent) and throughout his career (3.2 percent). He also rarely walks, though, doing so at a 2.7 percent clip this year and 3.4 percent for his career. Put another way, the 5’9″, 225-pound Astudillo has walked in just five of his 188 PAs this season but has also struck out on just nine occasions. He’s hitting .290/.321/.489 with seven homers on the season and will give the Twins another option behind the dish, where they’ve struggled tremendously all season long.

NL Central Notes: Norris, Turley, Reds

By Steve Adams | June 29, 2018 at 11:48am CDT

The Cardinals’ signing of Bud Norris didn’t come with much fanfare, but he’s cemented himself in the ninth inning in St. Louis and now tells Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch that he hopes to remain with the Cardinals for the long haul. “I get chills on my neck thinking about it,” said Norris. “Yes, I would love to end my career here and I would love to have a multi-year contract here. That would mean the world to me and my family … There’s something very, very special about this place.” Norris said he’s willing to pitch in any role over the long run, though after originally being reluctant about the transition from rotation to bullpen, he’s now embraced the mindset of a late-inning reliever and enjoys the challenge. Through 33 2/3 innings this season, Norris has pitched to a 3.21 ERA with even better supporting metrics — 11.8 K/9, 1.3 BB/9, 1.07 HR/9, 2.65 FIP, 2.41 xFIP. He’s playing on a one-year, $3MM deal with the Cards, though he’s certainly well on his way to earning a raise.

Pirates Release Johnny Hellweg To Pursue Opportunity In Japan

By Steve Adams | June 29, 2018 at 10:15am CDT

June 29: Hellweg has signed with the Hiroshima Carp, per an announcement from the club (link via the Japan Times). He’ll earn a $300K base salary and can increase that total via incentives.

June 25: The Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate announced on Monday that right-hander Johnny Hellweg has been granted his release in order to pursue an opportunity to play in Japan. Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com first tweeted the news.

Hellweg, 29, was once considered one of the Angels’ better prospects and was one traded to the Brewers alongside Jean Segura in the 2012 Zack Greinke blockbuster. Hellweg wasn’t able to establish himself with the Brewers, however, totaling just 30 2/3 innings with Milwaukee in 2013. Hellweg sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament in 2014 that limited him to 20 innings that season, and he pitched just 60 2/3 innings in Triple-A in his final season with the Brewers organization in 2015.

Since that time, Hellweg has pitched for the Padres and has had two stints with the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am Association as well. The 2018 season was his second in the Pirates organization, and he’d been throwing quite well in Triple-A, leading to the interest from overseas. In 27 innings, he’s posted a 1.33 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 with a superlative 68.1 percent ground-ball rate.

Orioles To Select Ryan Meisinger, Paul Fry

By Steve Adams | June 29, 2018 at 8:33am CDT

The Orioles will select the contracts of right-hander Ryan Meisinger and left-hander Paul Fry on Friday, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Baltimore has a full 40-man roster, so the O’s will need to make a pair of corresponding moves to accommodate the pair of new additions.

Meisinger, 24, was the Orioles’ 11th-round pick back in 2015. After a solid season in Double-A last year (3.00 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 63 innings), he opened the 2018 season for a second stint there but moved up to Triple-A in relatively short order. He’s been lights out in Norfolk since that promotion, tossing 22 innings with a 30-to-5 K/BB ratio and a 2.05 ERA. He wasn’t considered to be among the organization’s top tier of prospects heading into the season, though he’s certainly elevated his stock with a terrific showing so far in Triple-A.

For the 25-year-old Fry, this’ll be his second call to the Majors, though he’s still looking for his first MLB appearance. Baltimore recalled him last April, but he never got into a game in the two days he spent in the Majors. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster later that season.

Like Meisinger, Fry has pitched well between Double-A and Triple-A this season. In a combined 42 1/3 innings of relief, he’s worked to a 3.19 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9. Fry posted a 68.6 percent ground-ball rate in 19 innings of Double-A ball and has a 51.7 percent grounder rate in 23 1/3 innings in Triple-A. He’s allowed just four home runs on the season, and lefties have logged an awful .194/.286/.323 slash against him so far in 2018.

Red Sox Acquire Steve Pearce

By Jeff Todd | June 29, 2018 at 8:10am CDT

June 29: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Blue Jays included $1.66MM as part of the deal. That’s a bit more than half of what Pearce is owed through season’s end and will help to keep the Red Sox from eclipsing the top tier of penalties in the luxury tax bracket. Boston is just narrowly shy of exceeding the tax threshold by a total of $40MM. Were Boston to cross that $237MM threshold, the team’s top pick in next year’s draft would be moved back 10 spaces.

June 28: The Red Sox have acquired infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce from the Blue Jays, per a club announcement. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe had reported that the team was close to acquiring a right-handed-hitting player (via Twitter).

Minor-leaguer Santiago Espinal will head to the Jays in return. Toronto will also send some cash to their division rivals to help offset Pearce’s salary. The amount of cash remains unknown.

Pearce, 35, was set to return to the open market after the season, when his two-year contract will expire. He’s earning $6.25MM this year, some portion of which will remain on the Toronto books. Pearce, interestingly, has now appeared with each of the five AL East organizations, in addition to time spent with the Astros and Pirates.

To this point of the season, Pearce has been limited to 26 games of action due to injury — a recurring problem for a player who has otherwise generally been quite productive. He’s slashing a robust .291/.349/.519 through 86 plate appearances in 2018. Since the start of the 2013 campaign, he owns a cumulative 121 OPS+. When healthy, then, he’s a rather accomplished hitter — especially against left-handed pitching.

While his calling card is his bat, Pearce also brings solid versatility to the table. He has shown an ability to perform at least passably in the corner outfield, corner infield,and even at second base. For Boston, Pearce could share time at first with the lefty-swinging Mitch Moreland and perhaps also line up at times in left. Whether he’ll be an option at second isn’t yet clear, though that has certainly been an area of some attention given concerns over Dustin Pedroia. (For what it’s worth, the announcement lists Pearce specifically as a first baseman and outfielder.)

With the move, the Jays have likely launched a long-anticipated summer sell-off. Given the state of affairs in the division, and a tough Wild Card race as well, it’s not surprising to see the organization begin moving veterans. It remains to be seen, though, how willing the Blue Jays will be to consider moving more controllable assets.

For their trouble, the Blue Jays will not only save some cash but will also pick up a potentially useful prospect asset. Espinal, a tenth-round pick in the 2016 draft, is hitting well this year at the High-A level. The 23-year-old carries a .314/.364/.478 slash with seven home runs and nine steals over 280 plate appearances. He has lined up primarily at shortstop but has also seen time at second and third base as a professional.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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