Giants Activate Mark Melancon, Designate Jose Valdez
The Giants have activated veteran reliever Mark Melancon from the disabled list, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to report (via Twitter). To create a roster spot, the club designated righty Jose Valdez for assignment (technically, after activating him from the 10-day DL).
Melancon will appear for the first time this season. He has dealt with ongoing elbow and forearm issues since joining the San Francisco organization on a four-year, $62MM contract before the 2017 season.
Though he signed to be a closer, Melancon is expected to spend some time working up to speed before his role settles out. Hunter Strickland has handled the ninth inning to open the year, performing well though perhaps not putting the job in a stranglehold, either.
It remains to be seen how that’ll all shake out. Generally, it’s preferable to have that problem than for Melancon still to be on the shelf. It is fair to wonder, though: since the Giants are paying Melancon top dollar, perhaps they would prefer to see him return to closing rather than running up Strickland’s future arbitration tab by giving him save opportunities.
Valdez, 28, has been knocked around in five MLB innings on the year, allowing three long balls among eight total base hits. He carries a 6.34 ERA in 55 1/3 total frames at the game’s highest level over the past four seasons.
Cameron Rupp Opts Out Of Rangers Contract
Catcher Cameron Rupp has exercised his opt-out clause with the Rangers, as T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reported (Twitter link) and the team has since announced. The Texas organization passed on adding Rupp to its MLB roster and has instead given him his release.
Rupp ought to generate interest in free agency, as there’s always a need for catching depth and he has quite a bit of recent MLB experience. He appeared in 274 games for the Phillies in the past three seasons, slashing a combined .236/.301/.417 with 39 home runs.
That power-heavy output is quite solid for a backstop. And Rupp has had no trouble squaring up the pitchers he has faced thus far at Triple-A.In his 125 plate appearances for Round Rock, he’s slashing .264/.328/.509 with seven long balls.
Though he graded poorly as a framer last year, he was within range of average in prior seasons. And Rupp has generally received solid marks in throwing and block. Though it’s hard to know exactly how organizations leaguewide view Rupp’s work behind the dish, it’s notable evidence that he was trusted with so much time by a Phillies organization that was bringing along some young hurlers over the past few years.
All things considered, there’s a case to be made that Rupp could sign directly onto a major-league roster. At a minimum, he should be widely pursued by teams that have any uncertainty at the MLB level and/or opportunity available at Triple-A. Rupp will also be eligible for arbitration at least two more times. He had agreed to a $2.05MM salary this year with the Philadelphia organization, which paid him a buyout of just over half a million dollars by cutting him loose late in camp.
Red Sox Place Mookie Betts On 10-Day DL
The Red Sox have placed star outfielder Mookie Betts on the 10-day DL, the team announced. He has been diagnosed with a left abdominal strain.
Boston had been hoping to avoid this outcome. Betts last played on May 26th, but the move can only be made retroactive to the 29th. That same consideration explains why the team made the placement today: the club will be shorthanded tonight anyway — by two players, in fact, with Dustin Pedroia also in a holding pattern — but this way Betts can return one day sooner.
Clearly, then, there’s going to be another hitter on the way tomorrow. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets that Sam Travis has been pulled from the lineup at Triple-A, which certainly suggests that he will be tabbed to function as a bench bat.
Needless to say, there won’t be any replacing Betts, who has been on an otherworldly tear all season long. He’s sporting a monster .359/.437/.750 slash with 17 home runs, 13 steals, and 24 walks against just 25 strikeouts through 213 trips to the plate thus far in 2018.
While the Sox need everything they can get from their star outfielder, as the division race is shaping up to be a season-long epic, they are surely also mindful of avoiding any complications from what seemed initially to be a fairly minor injury. Hopefully, that’s still the case, but Betts will now be given as much time as he needs to rest and heal up without any concerns as to whether the team will be down a man in a given game.
Brewers Place Zach Davies On 10-Day DL, Recall Ji-Man Choi, Outright Jett Bandy
The Brewers announced a slate of roster moves today. Righty Zach Davies is headed to the 10-day DL with rotator cuff inflammation. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by first baseman/outfielder Ji-Man Choi.
In other news, the Milwaukee organization has outrighted catcher Jett Bandy. He had been designated for assignment recently and will now head to Triple-A after clearing waivers.
Davies, 25, spent nearly a month on the DL already and has struggled in two starts since returning. On the year, he carries a 5.23 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in 43 innings over eight starts.
While he has been a solid rotation piece over the past two seasons with less-than-exciting K/BB numbers, Davies has been easier to square up so far in 2018. He has already surrendered seven home runs and has allowed opposing hitters to make hard contact at a hefty 43.8% clip. Still, measures such as fastball velocity, swinging-strike rate, and groundball rate indicate that Davies is still much the same hurler as before.
With Davies on the shelf, the Brewers will need another starter in a few days. For the time being, though, they’ll go with an extra man on the bench. Choi has impressed consistently of late with the bat. in his 154 plate appearances at Triple-A, he has posted a .290/.416/.452 slash with four home runs and 28 walks against 31 strikeouts.
Bandy, meanwhile, will remain available if a need arises behind the dish. The 28-year-old has struggled at the plate, with a .218/.282/.365 slash in his 492 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level. Still, the Milwaukee organization will be glad to retain Bandy, particularly since Stephen Vogt is already likely out for the year and the team’s current MLB duo of Manny Pina and Erik Kratz does not exactly make for an imposing unit.
Dodgers Place Clayton Kershaw On 10-Day DL
6:06pm: Manager Dave Roberts suggests that there’s at least a preliminary expectation that Kershaw will miss over a month of action, Moura tweets.
5:22pm: Star Dodgers hurler Clayton Kershaw returned from the disabled list to start yesterday, but he’s now headed right back to the shelf, as Pedro Moura of The Athletic was among those to indicate on Twitter and the team has now announced. Kershaw has been diagnosed with a lower back strain, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
It’s really not surprising to hear that Kershaw will need at least at least a brief additional respite. He reported a tight back yesterday that required an MRI and kept him from traveling with the club. During his five innings of action, Kershaw never topped 90 mph with his fastball, which is hardly a promising sign.
At the moment, there’s no firm indication as to the seriousness of Kershaw’s new injury concern. His prior DL stint this year was for biceps tendinitis, but he has dealt with back troubles in the past two years, including a five-week absence last year for an injury with the same description as this one. Until we learn more, though, there’s no way to know how long Kershaw will be down. And the length of the absence will surely be tied to his progress.
Kershaw is hardly the Dodgers’ only injured starter, which complicates matters in the near term. The club just brought up youngster Dennis Santana for his first taste of the majors to help account for the missing arms. Now, righty Brock Stewart will be recalled to take the open spot on the active roster.
Blue Jays Place Josh Donaldson On 10-Day DL
The Blue Jays have placed veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. Taking the open roster spot will be lefty Tim Mayza, the club also announced.
Calf tightness is the official cause for the placement, which is backdated to May 29th. Donaldson previously missed time this year owing to a shoulder ailment.
It’s obviously disappointing for the Jays to see Donaldson again hit the DL. There had been at least some hope that he’d manage to avoid it, but evidently the injury was not coming along as hoped. His outlook remains largely unknown, though it seems generally promising that the club felt it worthwhile to wait a few days before deciding upon the move.
Donaldson’s every move is under a microscope given the circumstances. He’s a pending free agent playing for a team that is now six games under .500 and already staring at a 13.5 game deficit in the AL East. That makes Donaldson a potentially significant trade chip. And that’s all before considering his status for the upcoming free agent market.
The 32-year-old Donaldson has long been seen as a big part of a much-hyped 2018-19 free agent class. But he has not been quite himself on the field, with a .234/.333/.423 slash through 159 plate appearances, and the injuries are of increasing concern. There’s certainly plenty of time for Donaldson to get back to health and show he’s still capable of playing to his exceedingly lofty standard, though.
Many of the Toronto faithful will perhaps see this as an opening that ought to be filled by top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The 19-year-old third baseman has laid waste to Double-A pitching all year long, but there’s no indication as of yet that the front office is considering him for a potential MLB promotion.
David Dahl Diagnosed With Broken Foot
4:14pm: Dahl says he expects to miss six to eight weeks, per Nick Groke of The Athletic (via Twitter).
3:58pm: The Rockies announced today that outfielder David Dahl will head to the 10-day DL after being diagnosed with a broken right foot. In more promising news, infielder DJ LeMahieu was activated from his own DL stint.
Dahl has certainly had a snakebitten start to his MLB career. After a strong debut in 2016, injuries kept him from appearing in the majors at all last year. He had only made it back for 32 big-league games before this most recent problem arose.
Since his return, Dahl has shown mixed signals. He carries a .275/.309/.484 slash line, which lands right at league average (100 OPS+; 97 wRC+) once adjusted for context. Though it’s certainly promising to see his power up (.209 isolated slugging), Dahl’s plate discipline mix (28.9% strikeout rate and 4.1% walk rate) isn’t particularly compelling.
Tigers Activate Miguel Cabrera, Designate Pete Kozma
The Tigers have activated star slugger Miguel Cabrera from the 10-day DL, as Jason Beck of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Detroit designated infielder Pete Kozma for assignment to clear a roster spot.
A hamstring injury had shelved Cabrera since early this month. He’ll look to pick up where he left off. Through his first 108 plate appearances of the year, the veteran posted a .323/.407/.516 slash.
The 30-year-old Kozma had appeared at short, second, and third in his 15 games of action this year. He managed just seven hits and a walk in 41 plate appearances. The light-hitting utilityman owns a career .212/.277/.286 slash in 781 trips to the plate at the MLB level.
In other roster news, the club recalled righty Zac Reininger. He’ll take the place of lefty Ryan Carpenter, who hit the DL yesterday.
Mets Select Jose Lobaton, Designate Scott Copeland
The Mets have selected the contract of veteran catcher Jose Lobaton, as Tim Healey of The Athletic reports on Twitter. To open a roster spot, the team designated just-promoted righty Scott Copeland for assignment.
Lobaton already spent some time in the majors with the Mets earlier this year, but lost his roster spot after hitting just .152/.250/.239 in his 52 plate appearances in the majors. It’s certainly possible that this second stay will be even shorter, unless the club decides to keep three catchers for a stretch.
As for the 30-year-old Copeland, his return to the majors proved fleeting. Though he worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings last night, he was mostly called up to give the team a fresh arm. Now, unless he’s claimed, he’ll end up back in the minors, waiting for another opportunity.
Reds Designate Rosell Herrera, Select Curt Casali
The Reds have designated utilityman Rosell Herrera for assignment, per a club announcement. That move opens a 40-man spot for just-acquired backstop Curt Casali, whose contract was selected.
It became clear yesterday that Casali would be moving right onto the active roster, as the team announced it was optioning Tony Cruz. Making things official still required another roster decision, though, and that waited until today.
Herrera, 25, got his first brief taste of the majors with Cincinnati after joining the organization as a minor-league free agent over the winter. He has spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a strong .280/.337/.524 slash with three home runs in ninety plate appearances.