MLB Weekend Roster Roundup: Fowler, McCullers, Myers, Osuna, Snell
ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(August 4th-August 5th)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- CINCINNATI REDS | Depth Chart
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- Promoted: RP Austin Brice
- Brice was the 26th man for Saturday’s double-header.
- Promoted: RP Austin Brice
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- COLORADO ROCKIES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Antonio Senzatela (shoulder inflammation)
- Promoted: OF David Dahl
- LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Alex Wood (adductor tendonitis)
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Zac Rosscup
- MILWAUKEE BREWERS | Depth Chart
- Acquired: P Jordan Lyles (claimed off waivers from Padres)
- Lyles will be added to the 25-man roster before the team’s upcoming series beginning on Tuesday.
- Placed on 10-Day DL: RP Taylor Williams (elbow discomfort)
- Promoted: RP Jacob Barnes
- Acquired: P Jordan Lyles (claimed off waivers from Padres)
- NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: RP Anthony Swarzak (shoulder inflammation)
- Promoted: RP Jacob Rhame
- PITTSBURGH PIRATES | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Corey Dickerson
- Dickerson played LF and batted 1st on Sunday.
- Promoted: RP Casey Sadler
- Optioned: INF/OF Christopher Bostick, RP Alex McRae
- Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Corey Dickerson
- SAN DIEGO PADRES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Wil Myers (foot contusion/bone bruise)
- Promoted: OF Franmil Reyes, RP Trey Wingenter (contract purchased)
- Reyes played RF and batted 7th on Friday.
- SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Pierce Johnson, RP Derek Law
- Optioned: INF Kelby Tomlinson, SP Chris Stratton
- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Dexter Fowler (fractured foot)
- Activated from 10-Day DL: 2B Kolten Wong
- Wong played 2B and batted 7th/6th on Saturday/Sunday.
- Acquired: SP Tyson Ross (claimed off waivers from Padres)
- Ross is expected to step into the rotation on Wednesday or Friday.
- WASHINGTON NATIONALS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Austin Voth
- Voth was the 26th man for Saturday’s double-header.
- Promoted: RP Austin Voth
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
- BOSTON RED SOX | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 2B Ian Kinsler (strained hamstring)
- Promoted: INF/OF Tony Renda (contract purchased)
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: 2B Dustin Pedroia
- HOUSTON ASTROS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Lance McCullers Jr./strong>. (elbow discomfort)
- Reinstated from Restricted List: RP Roberto Osuna
- LOS ANGELES ANGELS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Tyler Skaggs (strained adductor)
- Promoted: SP Deck McGuire, RP Taylor Cole
- Designated for assignment: 1B/3B Luis Valbuena
- MINNESOTA TWINS | Depth Chart
- Added to 25-man roster: RP Oliver Drake (claimed off waivers from Blue Jays)
- Placed on Paternity List: RP Matt Magill
- NEW YORK YANKEES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: SP Chance Adams (contract purchased)
- Adams made his MLB debut on Saturday (5 IP, 3 ER, L).
- Optioned: RP Tommy Kahnle
- Promoted: SP Chance Adams (contract purchased)
- OAKLAND ATHLETICS | Depth Chart
- Acquired: RP Shawn Kelley (acquired from Nationals)
- Kelley will likely be added to the 25-man roster before Tuesday’s game.
- Placed on 60-Day DL: OF Jake Smolinski (blood clot in leg)
- Acquired: RP Shawn Kelley (acquired from Nationals)
- TAMPA BAY RAYS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Blake Snell
- Placed on 10-Day DL: INF/OF Daniel Robertson (sprained thumb)
- Expected to undergo surgery that will likely end his season.
- Promoted: 2B/OF Brandon Lowe (contract purchased)
- Lowe played LF and batted 7th in his MLB debut on Sunday.
- Optioned: RP Austin Pruitt
- TEXAS RANGERS | Depth Chart
- Acquired: SP Drew Hutchison (MLB contract)
- Hutchison made his Rangers debut on Sunday.
- Placed on 7-Day DL: OF Delino DeShields Jr. (concussion)
- Promoted: OF/INF Drew Robinson
- Robinson played CF and batted 9th on Sunday.
- Optioned: RP Austin Bibens-Dirkx
- Acquired: SP Drew Hutchison (MLB contract)
- TORONTO BLUE JAYS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Kevin Pillar
- Pillar played CF and batted 9th on Friday.
- Optioned: RP Brandon Cumpton
- Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Kevin Pillar
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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- LAD: SP Ross Stripling is expected to return from the DL on Thursday August 9th or Friday August 10th, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
- NYY: SP J.A. Happ will likely be activated from the DL on Thursday August 9th, according to Erik Boland of Newsday.
- SDP: SP Brett Kennedy will make his MLB debut during the team’s upcoming series versus the Brewers (Tuesday August 7th-Thursday August 9th), according to Dennis Lin of the Athletic.
Injury Updates: Springer, Altuve, Sale, Devers, Erasmo
The latest on some injury situations from around baseball…
- George Springer left today’s game in the third inning with what the Astros described as “left thumb discomfort.” Springer suffered the injury while sliding into second base on an attempted steal, with manger A.J. Hinch telling MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (Twitter video link) and other reporters that Springer’s thumb was clipped by the glove of Dodgers shortstop Chris Taylor during the tag. The severity of the problem isn’t yet known, though McTaggart tweets that Springer’s x-rays were negative. Jake Marisnick took Springer’s spot in the lineup, and one would think Marisnick or youngsters Kyle Tucker or Derek Fisher would get the bulk of playing time if Springer had to miss significant time. Losing Springer would be another blow to a Houston team that has suddenly been bit by the injury bug, as such key figures as Lance McCullers Jr., Chris Devenski, and (most of all) Jose Altuve have all been placed on the DL within the last two weeks.
- Speaking of Altuve, he won’t return from the disabled list after the 10-day minimum, as he’ll instead head to Houston to have his right knee re-examined by team doctors (the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome was among those who reported the news). The star second baseman hit the DL on July 28, with a backdated placement of July 26, due to knee soreness. “I don’t know that we can consider it a setback other than we can consider that he needs more time to heal,” A.J. Hinch said, while GM Jeff Luhnow said the team saw the re-examination as a “checkpoint on where [Altuve is] at.” The absolute earliest Altuve could return is on Thursday for the start of the Astros‘ series with the Mariners.
- Chris Sale will also spend some extra time on the DL, as the Red Sox ace wasn’t listed as a probable starter during Boston’s three-game series in Toronto from Tuesday to Thursday. (MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith was among those with the information.) Mild shoulder inflammation sent Sale to the DL on July 31 (retroactive to July 28), and the expectation was that Sale would only miss one start, with a return targeted for Wednesday’s game. Instead, Brian Johnson will take the hill for the Sox against the Blue Jays.
- The Red Sox could get third baseman Rafael Devers back for that Wednesday game, as the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato tweets that Devers will rejoin the team in Toronto after playing in a minor league rehab game on Monday. A hamstring strain sent Devers to the DL on July 28, and Wednesday is the first day he is eligible to return. Devers also missed some time earlier this month with shoulder inflammation. The young slugger has been inconsistent (.245/.295/.425 in 396 PA) over his first full Major League season, and his particular struggles against left-handed pitching could put Devers in platoon duty down the stretch rather than an everyday role at third base.
- Erasmo Ramirez is slated for a rehab outing today and is expected to rejoin the Mariners sometime this week, the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish writes. Ramirez has been sidelined since April recovering from a teres major strain, and has only made two appearances this season after another DL stint (lat strain) to begin the 2018 campaign. It isn’t yet clear if Ramirez will work as a starter or reliever when he is activated, as his role could hinge on whether the struggling Felix Hernandez can get on track.
Athletics Acquire Shawn Kelley
4:52pm: The Athletics announced that they’ve acquired Kelley for international slot money. To clear room for him, they placed outfielder Jake Smolinski on the 60-day disabled list with a blood clot in his left calf.
4:46pm: The Athletics have acquired reliever Shawn Kelley from the Nationals, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports. There’s no word yet on what the Nationals received in exchange, but given that they designated Kelley for assignment earlier this week, it’s likely to be an insubstantial return.
Even though it’s competing for a playoff spot in the National League, Washington elected to move on from Kelley after he admitted he “acted like a baby” in a 25-4 rout over the Mets on Tuesday. Kelley slammed his glove after allowing a home run in that game, which offended general manager Mike Rizzo and others in the Nationals organization.
“If you’re not in, you’re in the way,” Rizzo said (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post).
It’s clear Kelley’s actions didn’t turn off Oakland, which is pushing for a playoff berth in the AL. If his results to this point of the campaign are any indication, the 34-year-old Kelley should help the Athletics break their three-year playoff drought. Kelley logged a 3.34 ERA with 8.91 K/9 and 1.39 BB/9 in 32 1/3 innings with the Nats this year, though that came with a 27 percent groundball rate and a 4.56 FIP. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $15MM contract and is making $5.5MM.
Quick Hits: Realmuto, Marlins, Astros, Red Sox, Angels, Eloy
Along with the previously reported Nationals, the Astros had interest in Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Both teams’ interest in Realmuto dates back to at least last offseason, but neither they nor anyone else have been able to pry the star backstop out of Miami. Instead of Realmuto, the Astros ended up acquiring the much less exciting Martin Maldonado from the Angels before the deadline. He’s backing up Max Stassi, who has emerged as the Astros’ starter since Brian McCann underwent knee surgery a month ago. Stassi got off to a great offensive start this year before cooling off significantly over the past couple months, though he is having an elite season behind the plate.
- The Red Sox inquired about Marlins closer Kyle Barraclough before the deadline, but Boston ultimately “backed off,” Cafardo writes. Barraclough wound up staying with the Marlins, who placed a high asking price on the flamethrowing right-hander. The 28-year-old hasn’t been good of late, as his ERA has skyrocketed from .99 to 3.28 since the beginning of July, but he still comes with a quality track record and affordable team control. As a result, the Marlins elected to keep Barraclough, who will make his first of three possible trips through arbitration during the winter.
- In an interestingly timed move, the Angels announced Sunday that special assistant Eric Chavez will manage their Triple-A team in Salt Lake for the rest of the season. Previous manager Keith Johnson will finish the year on the Angels’ coaching staff, and GM Billy Eppler said Sunday that the Halos want him to work with their young infielders (Twitter link via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). The decision to replace Johnson with Chavez raised eyebrows, though, given that the latter has come up as a potential replacement for Angels skipper Mike Scioscia, who’s reportedly going to retire at the end of the season. The 40-year-old Chavez, a longtime major league third baseman, had never managed at any level until the Angels handed him the Triple-A reins.
- Standout White Sox outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez is “getting really close” to earning a major league promotion, director of player development Chris Getz said Sunday (via 670 The Score, on Twitter). The 21-year-old Jimenez, whom Baseball America, MLB.com and FanGraphs all regard as the game’s third-best prospect, has hit an astounding .376/.425/.679 with eight home runs and a .303 ISO in 120 plate appearances since the White Sox moved him to Triple-A Charlotte in late June.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia Will Reportedly Retire After Season
SUNDAY, 3:38pm: In response to Nightengale’s report, Scioscia told media (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times): “This is insanity. That’s it.”
12:58pm: Scioscia decided before the season began that this will be his final year as a manager with the Angels or anyone else, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. He plans to retire at the end of the season, according to Nightengale.
10:38am: For what it’s worth, Scioscia denied Rosenthal’s report on Sunday, telling media members (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register): “Nothing has changed since we talked last October. That’s the best way I can put it. There’s always chatter out there. The only word I have is poppycock. That’s all it is.”
SATURDAY: Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who’s in the last season of a 10-year, $50MM contract, is expected to step down at the end of the campaign, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required). Scioscia’s not under pressure from the club to walk away, according to Rosenthal. Rather, the soon-to-be 60-year-old would depart of his own volition, and it’s unclear whether he’d be open to managing elsewhere in the future.
Scioscia, the longest-tenured manager in baseball, has been atop the Angels’ dugout since the club hired him prior to the 2000 season. The union between the Angels and Scioscia, a former Dodgers catcher, has been fruitful. The franchise won its only World Series title under Scioscia in 2002, taking out Barry Bonds and the Giants in a memorable seven-game set. The Scioscia-led Angels have also gone to the playoffs in six other seasons, each of which included a division title, and combined for a 1,625-1,402 regular-season record. Only 17 other managers have won more games than Scioscia, and 12 are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
While the Scioscia era has gone well in the aggregate, recent Angels teams haven’t been able to approach the early success the franchise had with him at the controls. Despite having the majors’ best player, center fielder Mike Trout, dating back to his breakout 2012 season, the Angels haven’t won a playoff series since 2009. They haven’t even won a postseason game with Trout, who was part of the most recent Angels playoff team – the 2014 club that Kansas City swept in the ALDS.
With Trout in his third-last year of team control, the Angels made several key moves this past offseason to return to prominence. Most notably, the Halos signed Japanese-born superstar Shohei Ohtani, a starting pitcher/designated hitter who was the majors’ top free agent in the offseason. Ohtani has wowed as a two-way player, but a right elbow sprain has kept him off the mound since June 6 and limited him to 49 1/3 innings. He’s among a host of Angels who have dealt with injury issues this season, which has helped lead to an underwhelming 55-57 record. As a result, the Angels are well out of the playoff race, trailing the AL West-leading Astros by 15 1/2 games and another division rival – the Athletics – by 10 1/2 for a wild-card spot.
Barring a miraculous comeback (and a change of heart from Scioscia), it appears his tenure in Anaheim will conclude in disappointing fashion and with a fourth straight non-playoff season. The Angels’ next skipper will be taking over for a team icon, one who has garnered AL Manager of the Year honors twice. Rosenthal notes that individual may come from inside the organization, though he does expect the Angels to explore outside candidates, too. The Halos hired former Tigers manager Brad Ausmus last winter as a special assistant to GM Billy Eppler, and he stands out as their most obvious in-house Scioscia successor. Otherwise, fellow Eppler assistant Eric Chavez or Scioscia’s bench coach, Josh Paul, could be possibilities, per Rosenthal.
Regardless of whether the Angels’ next manager ultimately comes from within, the club shouldn’t have difficulty attracting interest in the job. Led by Trout and Ohtani, there’s enviable talent on the Angels’ roster, and the franchise has consistently run high payrolls under owner Arte Moreno. This year’s team entered the campaign with the game’s seventh-most expensive roster, but unfortunately for the Angels and Scioscia, a dreary ending appears to be in store.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Trades, Vlad Jr., Archer, Braves, Brewers
This week in baseball blogs…
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed recaps the non-waiver trade deadline.
- theScore reports on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s first Triple-A series.
- Pitcher List shares an interesting piece on perceived velocity.
- Both The Point of Pittsburgh and Bucs Dugout react to the Pirates’ Chris Archer acquisition.
- Outfield Fly Rule (links: 1, 2, 3) reviews the Braves’ deadline moves.
- Foul Territory breaks down deadline moves that will impact the AL playoff race.
- The First Out At Third is on board with the Brewers’ acquisition of Jonathan Schoop.
- Sox On 35th runs down what star White Sox prospect Eloy Jimenez may have to do to earn a major league promotion.
- Mets Daddy explains why the team was better off keeping its top trade chips at the deadline.
- Call to the Pen (links: 1, 2, 3) names potential waiver trade pickups for the Yankees; approves of the Cubs’ Brandon Kintzler acquisition; and looks at how the Phillies’ plan to maximize the versatility of their position players has worked thus far.
- Motor City Bengals lists four players the Tigers could still trade.
- Notes from the Sally scouts Braves outfield prospect Greyson Jenista.
- The Giants Cove criticizes certain retired players’ old-school beliefs regarding baseball.
- Reviewing The Brew believes Sonny Gray would be a perfect August trade target for the Brewers.
- The Sports Tank has high hopes for the Dodgers in the wake of their Brian Dozier addition.
- Rotiserrie Duck questions if it was worth it for the Braves to let Sean Newcomb throw 134 pitches last Sunday in an attempt for a no-hitter.
- Infield Chatter wonders if the Tigers’ rebuild is off to a poor start.
- Bronx To Bushville applauds the Yankees’ deadline moves.
- Chin Music Baseball (links: 1, 2) ranks the 10 best and worst players of July.
- SportsTalkPhilly.com highlights superstars the Phillies could pursue in the coming years.
- Rising Apple contemplates if the Mets will reunite with any of Daniel Murphy, Neil Walker or Asdrubal Cabrera in free agency.
- The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2, 3) isn’t thrilled with the Yankees’ decision to essentially trade Adam Warren for Lance Lynn; breaks down the Twins’ top rest-of-season story lines; and profiles Roger Clemens‘ four sons.
- Friars On Base names three things the Padres could do to become more watchable this season.
- Everything Bluebirds sees a lack of high-end talent with the Blue Jays.
- The Pinch Runner revisits the Mets’ 2015 acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes from the Tigers.
- The K Zone interviews White Sox pitching prospect Ryan Burr.
- A’s Farm looks at the team’s top-performing prospects for the month of July.
- Pinstriped Prospects focuses on the impact the MLB trade deadline had on the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate in Staten Island.
Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com
Astros Reinstate Roberto Osuna, Place Lance McCullers On DL
2:30pm: Houston issued a statement Sunday in regards to acquiring Osuna, all of which is available here via the team’s Twitter account. Here’s a portion of it: “Our decision to acquire Roberto was based on the entirety of information that we gathered during our extensive evaluation. That included as much information as we could gather about the specific incident and the charges that were filed but it also included as much information as we could gather about his actions before and after the incident, as well as his personal reputation among his former teammates and coaches. The information regarding this specific incident weighed heavily on our decision but when evaluating the entirety of the information, we felt that Roberto deserved a second chance.”
12:12pm: The Astros have reinstated reliever Roberto Osuna from the restricted list and sent starter Lance McCullers Jr. to the 10-day DL with right elbow discomfort, per a team announcement.
Osuna is now in position to make his debut with Houston, which acquired him in a headline-grabbing deal on the eve of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. To land Osuna, the Astros gave up three players – including their former closer, Ken Giles – in a move that hasn’t been received all that well from Houston’s point of view. While Osuna has been an excellent reliever since debuting in 2015, the 23-year-old’s career may be forever tarnished by an early May arrest on a domestic assault charge. Major League Baseball then issued Osuna a 75-game suspension, which he’s just returning from now.
Although Osuna has served MLB’s punishment, he’s not out of legal hot water in Canada. Osuna had a court date on Aug. 1, though there was no resolution at that hearing and he has another one scheduled for Sept. 5, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported earlier this week. It’s not clear, then, whether Osuna will even be available toward the end of the season as the playoff-bound Astros vie for their second straight World Series title.
From solely an on-field standpoint, the Osuna addition figures to help the Astros’ cause. Osuna was a lights-out closer during his 223-inning Toronto tenure, saving 104 games on 124 tries and logging a 2.87 ERA.
NL Notes: Callaway, Pirates, Ozuna, Reds
Although this has been a nightmarish year for the Mets, it doesn’t appear rookie manager Mickey Callaway’s job is in jeopardy. Even if the Mets hire a new general manager, Callaway is expected to return in 2019, Steven Marcus of Newsday reports. Sandy Alderson, the GM who played a key part in hiring Callaway last offseason, went on leave in June to battle cancer. Whether the soon-to-be 71-year-old Alderson will return to his post in 2019 is unclear, but in the meantime, the Mets have essentially been utilizing tri-GMs in John Ricco, J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya. Any of those three could be candidates for the team’s full-time GM role if Alderson doesn’t come back next year, but regardless of who ultimately holds the position, it seems that individual will be working with Callaway.
Here’s more from the National League…
- Prior to their midseason resurgence, the Pirates were leaning toward selling at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, general manager Neal Huntington told KDKA-FM on Sunday (via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). However, the team never gave any thought to dealing two of its top controllable assets, right-hander Jameson Taillon or closer Felipe Vazquez. “When club hit rock bottom at seven (games) under (.500 on July 7),” Huntington said, “(we began to consider), ‘Maybe ‘18 isn’t our year. How do we strengthen ’19, ’20, and ‘21 moving on?’ (But) it was never a consideration to trade Felipe Vazquez, and trading Jameson Taillon was never a consideration for us.” The Pirates actually fell to eight games under .500 on July 7, but they then ripped off 15 wins in 19 games before July 31 and ended up as buyers, acquiring right-hander Chris Archer from the Rays and reliever Keone Kela from the Rangers.
- This has been a disappointing offensive season for Cardinals left fielder Marcell Ozuna, whom the team acquired from Miami over the winter on the heels of a career year in 2017. After posting a 142 wRC+, mashing 37 home runs and recording a .237 ISO last season, Ozuna’s down to 90, 13 and .124 in those respective categories this year. It’s possible right shoulder problems are at least partly to blame, as Ozuna told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com and other reporters that he has been battling tendinitis and inflammation dating back to last season. The Cardinals were aware of that when they picked up Ozuna, per president John Mozeliak, though Langosch adds that the team hasn’t considered surgery for the 27-year-old. Regardless, Ozuna’s arm strength has taken notable steps backward, Langosch details in her piece.
- Meanwhile, Reds outfielder Scott Schebler is dealing with his own right shoulder troubles, and they may shelve him until September, manager Jim Riggleman announced (via Kyle Melnick of MLB.com). Schebler went on the DL on July 15 with a sprained AC joint, and even though the Reds activated him Friday when his 20-day rehab stint ended, he’s still unable to throw properly. Schebler had been in the midst of a fine season before going on the DL, with a .278/.351/.470 line and 12 homers in 299 plate appearances.
Brewers Claim Jordan Lyles
The Brewers have claimed right-hander Jordan Lyles off waivers from the Padres, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. San Diego has decided to let Lyles go for no compensation, Acee adds.
The 27-year-old Lyles, a first-round pick of the Astros in 2008, has generally struggled since debuting in the majors in 2011. However, Lyles was decent this year as a member of the Padres, with whom he logged a 4.29 ERA/4.45 FIP with 7.82 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 46.7 percent groundball rate in 71 1/3 innings. He worked primarily out of San Diego’s bullpen before it said goodbye to him, totaling eight starts in 24 appearances.
Lyles will presumably begin his Brewers tenure in relief, and his presence could help a Milwaukee club whose pitching depth has recently taken multiple hits in the form of serious injuries to Brent Suter and Zach Davies. Judging by the work he has done as a reliever this year, Lyles looks capable of serving as an asset for the Brewers, who own a 65-49 record and are 2 1/2 games up on a wild-card spot. In 24 1/3 frames out of the bullpen this season, Lyles has pitched to a 3.33 ERA/3.53 FIP with 8.14 K/9 and 2.96 BB/9, and limited opposing hitters to a .200/.276/.330 line.
Should the Lyles experiment go well for the Brewers this year, they’ll have a chance to keep him in 2019 on a $3.5MM club option (or they could buy him out for $250K). In the meantime, he’s on an ultra-affordable $750K salary this season.
Cardinals Claim Tyson Ross
The Cardinals announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Tyson Ross off waivers from the Padres. He’ll join the Cardinals on Monday.
There’s no indication St. Louis gave up anything for Ross, which means the team will only take on what’s left of his $1.75MM salary (approximately $500K). Ross will presumably slot into a Cardinals rotation that has been dealing with its share of injury issues. Top starter Carlos Martinez just went on the disabled list for the third time this season on Tuesday, while both Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha have each been out for a significant period with injuries of their own. As a result of their absences, the Cardinals’ rotation currently consists of Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Luke Weaver, John Gant and Austin Gomber. Either Gant or Gomber could exit the group in favor of Ross.
The 31-year-old Ross, whom arm injuries have weighed down as his career has progressed, had been amid a strong bounce-back season until July. That disastrous month, in which Ross posted an 8.87 ERA with matching strikeout and walk rates of 5.79 per nine over 23 1/3 innings, seemingly went a long way toward killing his trade value.
In all, Ross has logged a useful 4.45 ERA/4.55 FIP with 7.81 K/9, 3.79 BB/9 and a 43.8 percent groundball rate over 123 1/3 innings, though ineffectiveness against left-handed hitters and struggles during his second and third times through opposing batting orders have negatively affected his numbers. Ross has given up a .294/.380/.462 slash versus lefty-swingers, and he has seen his ERA rise from 2.59 while facing an order for the first time to 4.47 the second and 7.59 the third.
Despite his flaws, the Cardinals have taken a low-risk flyer on him as they continue to hold out hope of earning a postseason berth. That’ll be a tall order for 57-54 St. Louis, which is 7 1/2 games out of playoff position.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.