Brewers Designate Aaron Brooks, Select Quintin Berry
The Brewers have designated righty Aaron Brooks for assignment, per a club announcement. His 40-man spot will go to outfielder Quintin Berry, whose contract was selected.
Brooks, 27, was claimed off waivers recently from the Cubs. He has not pitched in the majors since brief showings with the Royals and Athletics in 2014 and 2015. Over 145 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2017, Brooks has been tagged for 29 long balls and 192 hits and carries a 6.12 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9.
In Berry, the Brewers will be adding a notable speed-and-defense option to their bench down the stretch. The 32-year-old has played little this year in the minors and last cracked the majors briefly in 2015. But he’s a popular late-season roster addition and has appeared in the postseason previously (in 2012 with the Tigers and in 2013 with the Red Sox).
NL Injury Notes: Imhof, Goldschmidt, Ahmed, Carpenter, Fedde
Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer sat down with former Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof to discuss the tragic accident that derailed his once-promising career and left him without his right eye. His journey offers worthwhile lessons to everyone, especially those with a passion for baseball.
Here are the latest updates on injury situations from around the National League:
- The Diamondbacks are awaiting the results of an MRI on the right elbow of star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Goldschmidt himself suggests he’s not too concerned about the discomfort he has experienced in the joint — he describes it as tightness that recedes once he has loosened up — though the team is surely wise to take a proactive approach with such a key player.
- Meanwhile, Diamondbacks infielder Nick Ahmed will undergo surgery after suffering a fractured wrist, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweets. Odds are, then, that he’s done for the year after twice suffering broken bones on pitched balls. The 27-year-old will qualify for arbitration this fall, though his injury-shortened season and lack of offensive output will tamp down on his earning power quite a bit. In just over three hundred total major league games, Ahmed has established himself as a quality defender but owns only a .226/.273/.345 batting line with twenty home runs.
- The Cardinals are dealing with a few position-player injuries, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Infielder Matt Carpenter will likely undergo an MRI and may also require an injection to deal with ongoing shoulder issues. It seems those problems have nagged Carpenter all season long, though it became a particular problem during yesterday’s contest and may now require some rest. Outfielder Tommy Pham is also dealing with some shoulder difficulties, though he’s not expected to miss time at this point.
- Nationals righty Erick Fedde will be shut down for the rest of the season after he was diagnosed with a strained flexor mass, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. Though GM Mike Rizzo explained that the injury isn’t all that worrisome — the strain occurred away from the elbow joint, which is not damaged — the club decided the time was right to put its best pitching prospect on ice. Fedde, 24, is generally seen as the organization’s top pitching prospect, though he has gone through some struggles over the second half of this season since moving up to Triple-A and then on to the majors. Depending upon the club’s offseason moves, Fedde could challenge for a rotation or bullpen spot next spring.
MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Altherr, Chen, Herrera
ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
- Activated from DL: 3B/OF Adonis Garcia
- Promotions: 2B/OF Micah Johnson
- LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
- Promotions: INF Charlie Culberson (contract purchased)
- Activated from DL: RP Josh Fields
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: SP Brandon McCarthy
- MIAMI MARLINS | Depth Chart
- Activated from DL: RP/SP Wei-Yin Chen
- Chen will pitch out of the bullpen. He threw a scoreless inning in Monday’s game.
- Activated from DL: RP/SP Wei-Yin Chen
- PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES | Depth Chart
- Activated from DL: OF Aaron Altherr, OF Odubel Herrera
- Neither player was in the starting lineup in Monday’s game.
- Activated from DL: OF Aaron Altherr, OF Odubel Herrera
- PITTSBURGH PIRATES | Depth Chart
- Acquisitions: RP Jack Leathersich claimed off waivers from Chicago Cubs.
- Leathersich has been optioned to Triple-A.
- Acquisitions: RP Jack Leathersich claimed off waivers from Chicago Cubs.
- WASHINGTON NATIONALS | Depth Chart
- Promotions: C Pedro Severino, SP A.J. Cole
- Cole made a spot start on Monday.
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Erick Fedde (strained forearm flexor)
- Promotions: C Pedro Severino, SP A.J. Cole
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
- Optioned: RP Adam Plutko
- Plutko will pitch in the playoffs for High-A Lynchburg.
- Optioned: RP Adam Plutko
- HOUSTON ASTROS | Depth Chart
- Activated from DL: C Max Stassi
- LOS ANGELES ANGELS | Depth Chart
- Promotions: INF/OF Jefry Marte
- Acquisitions: RP Dayan Diaz claimed off waivers from Houston Astros.
- Diaz was optioned to Rookie Level Orem. He’ll presumably be recalled once their season ends.
- Designated for assignment: SP Daniel Wright
- MINNESOTA TWINS | Depth Chart
- Promotions: SP Aaron Slegers
- Slegers is scheduled to start on Wednesday.
- Promotions: SP Aaron Slegers
- NEW YORK YANKEES | Depth Chart
- Promotions: INF/OF Tyler Wade
- SEATTLE MARINERS | Depth Chart
- Acquisitions: OF Jacob Hannemann and SP/RP Seth Frankoff claimed off waivers from Chicago Cubs.
- Hannemann will be recalled from minors on Tuesday.
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: RP David Phelps
- Phelps (elbow impingement) is officially out for the remainder of the season.
- Designated for assignment: RP Zac Curtis
- Acquisitions: OF Jacob Hannemann and SP/RP Seth Frankoff claimed off waivers from Chicago Cubs.
- TAMPA BAY RAYS | Depth Chart
- Promotions: 3B/1B Trevor Plouffe (contract purchased)
- TEXAS RANGERS | Depth Chart
- Promotions: OF Jared Hoying, RP/SP Yohander Mendez
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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- ATL: INF Johan Camargo will be activated from 10-Day DL on Tuesday September 5th, according to Braves reporter Grant McAuley. He had been scheduled to return on Monday, but was pushed back one day. INF/OF Danny Santana was also set to return on Monday, but might not return this week due to quad discomfort. SP Luiz Gohara is likely to have contract purchased from minors, also according to O’Brien. | Braves Depth Chart
- CIN: SP Amir Garrett, SP Rookie Davis, SP Cody Reed and SP Jackson Stephens will be recalled from minors on Tuesday September 5th, according to the team. | Reds Depth Chart
- CLE: SP Danny Salazar will be activated from 10-Day DL on Tuesday September 5th, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. | Indians Depth Chart
- HOU: SP Lance McCullers Jr. will be activated from 10-Day DL on Wednesday September 6th, according to the team. | Astros Depth Chart
- LAA: SP Garrett Richards will be activated from 60-Day DL on Tuesday September 5th, according to Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times. | Angels Depth Chart
- LAD: OF Joc Pederson and OF Trayce Thompson will be recalled from minors on Tuesday September 5th, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group; RP Walker Buehler will have contract purchased from minors on Wednesday September 6th. | Dodgers Depth Chart
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/4/17
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Dodgers have selected the contract of infielder Charlie Culberson, per a club announcement and as J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group first reported on Twitter. Veteran righty Brandon McCarthy was placed on the 60-day DL to create roster space, though he’s still progressing through a rehab assignment and could also rejoin the active roster later this month. Culberson, 28, hasn’t seen the majors yet this year but has appeared in 182 total MLB games over parts of four seasons, including a brief stint with the Dodgers last year. (Indeed, Culberson made the roster for the NLDS.) At Triple-A, he carries a .250/.299/.336 slash over 414 plate appearances. Los Angeles is in need of some shortstop depth while the team lets Corey Seager rest his balky elbow.
Marlins Activate Wei-Yin Chen
After an absence of a bit more than four months, Marlins left-hander Wei-Yin Chen has been activated from the 60-day disabled list, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (Twitter links). He’ll head to the bullpen for the time being.
Chen’s return is not insignificant for a Marlins club that has ridden a historic Giancarlo Stanton hot streak back to the fringes of the National League Wild Card race. While they’re still five games out of the second Wild Card spot (with three teams to vault), the Marlins have at least managed to make things interesting down the stretch.
Of course, what the Fish could really use right now is a quality starting pitcher. That’s just what the team thought it was getting when it signed Chen to a five-year, $80MM deal before the 2016 season.
Instead, Chen has worked to a 4.85 ERA over just 150 1/3 innings since arriving in Miami. He has made only five starts this year, spending most of the season rehabbing through a partial UCL tear.
There’s no chance at this point that Chen will opt out of the remaining $60MM over three years left on his contract. Hopefully for both he and the team, however, he’ll at least be able to get back on track late in 2017 and come into camp healthy for the 2018 season.
Mark Melancon Will Require Forearm Surgery
SEPT. 4: The problem that requires surgery is chronic compartment syndrome in Melancon’s forearm pronator muscle, according to Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. That has left him with a persistent feeling of tightness in the elbow joint, Baggarly explains, which a surgical procedure will relieve.
Melancon suggests he is hoping to wait until the season is over to go under the knife, though he notes it’s “literally day to day” as to when it’ll take place. (Basically, it seems, he’ll keep pitching unless the problem isn’t allowing him to do so regularly and tolerably.) The fairly unusual procedure is expected to require a two- to three-month layoff, so Melancon ought to be ready to go next spring regardless of when the surgery occurs.
SEPT. 1: Giants reliever Mark Melancon is likely to undergo forearm surgery relatively soon, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). It is not yet clear exactly when Melancon will stop pitching this year.
It still isn’t even known precisely what procedure the veteran righty is contemplating, beyond the fact that it’s to address a longstanding issue to his forearm. But Bochy said the recovery time is expected to be from six to eight weeks.
While the club isn’t concerned that Melancon could further injure himself by continuing to throw, it also wants to ensure that he has plenty of time to get healthy and ramp back up next spring. After all, the team has a long-term interest to protect and isn’t going anywhere in 2017. In the meantime, Sam Dyson will likely continue to operate as the close.
Melancon is under contract for three more years and $38MM after the end of the current season. There’s an opt-out opportunity after 2018, though at present that seems unlikely to be taken.
San Francisco will hope that Melancon can not only stay off the DL in 2018 and beyond but also that he can improve upon his current 3.95 ERA. He allowed just 1.80 earned per nine over the prior four seasons, setting up the big contract despite his relatively advanced age.
It is encouraging, at least, that Melancon has continued to post similar strikeout-to-walk (8.6 K/9 vs. 1.7 BB/9) and groundball (54.2%) numbers to those he carried in recent years. He has surrendered a few more hits (.358 BABIP-against) and homers (0.99 HR/9; 14.3% HR/FB) than is typical, helping to explain the difference in the bottom-line results.
Dodgers To Promote Walker Buehler
The Dodgers will promote top pitching prospect Walker Buehler for his first taste of the majors on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters including J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (Twitter link). Los Angeles will need to open a 40-man spot to make the addition.
Buehler, 23, starred at Vanderbilt before the Dodgers took him with the 24th overall pick of the 2015 draft. He underwent Tommy John surgery just after becoming a professional, but has steadily raised his stock since finally taking the hill late last year.
Prospect analysts were already excited by Buehler before the 2017 season, as he entered some top-100 lists despite a track record that went just five innings deep. Buehler has rewarded that and then some so far in his first full campaign as a pro.
Buehler opened the year at the High-A level, but quickly earned a promotion after overwhelming the competition there. He then turned in 11 quality starts at Double-A, recording a 3.49 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.
By the time Buehler was nearing a move to the highest level of the minors, he was streaking up the mid-season prospect charts. Baseball America listed him 17th among all prospects leaguewide, with ESPN.com’s Keith Law tabbing him the 11th-best pre-MLB player.
Los Angeles has slowed things down a bit as Buehler nears one hundred frames on the season. He has moved to a relief role at Oklahoma City — where he hasn’t been quite as dominant — and will remain in the pen upon reaching the majors.
Whether or not this stint will be more than an opportunity for Buehler to dip his toes in the water remains to be seen, though it’s perhaps not inconceivable that the talented youngster could force his way into postseason roster consideration. Regardless, now that he’s taking up residence on the 40-man roster, it’s clear that he’ll factor into the team’s pitching plans for 2018 (and well beyond). Since he’ll only pick up about 25 days of service, Los Angeles will still be able to manage his accumulation of service time moving forward to the extent that the club wishes to delay his entry into arbitration and free agency.
Pirates Agree To New Contract With Clint Hurdle
The Pirates have reached agreement on a four-year extension with skipper Clint Hurdle, according to a report from Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hurdle, 60, will now be under contract through 2021.
This represents the lengthiest commitment the club has made to Hurdle, who has been at the dugout helm since 2011. He originally signed a three-year contract, then added a year and an option, then inked a three-year extension with another option season. That last deal left the club with the right to keep Hurdle around for 2018; instead, though, the organization elected to strike a lengthier pact.
When Pittsburgh initially hired Hurdle, who had previously managed the Rockies, the organization had yet to post a winning season since way back in 1992. That did not change right away, but Hurdle and GM Neal Huntington helped oversee a return to prominence beginning in 2013.
The Bucs ran off an impressive 280-206 record from 2013 through 2015, though somehow the club never managed to take a division crown in a competitive NL Central. Unfortunately, too, Pittsburgh fizzled in all three trips to the postseason.
Since that time, the Pirates have faltered. After a disappointing 2016 campaign, the team has again fallen shy of expectations — though it’s tough to find much cause to blame Hurdle for the notable roster absences the club has dealt with.
What’s not yet known is whether Hurdle will continue to partner with GM Neal Huntington. Pittsburgh can also retain Huntington through a 2018 club option. At this time, there’s no real indication as to how that situation will play out.
Phillies To Promote J.P. Crawford
The Phillies will promote long-time top shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford, Tom Housenick of The Morning Call reports on Twitter. He will need a 40-man roster spot before he can be called up.
Crawford, 22, has been viewed as one of the game’s elite prospects for the past two or three years. While evaluators mostly forgave a less-than-inspiring run at Triple-A in 2016, though, they began to raise questions about Crawford’s outlook as he struggled there again this year.
On mid-season ranking lists, Crawford plummeted. He currently rates 60th on MLB.com’s listing and 92nd on Baseball America’s, while missing on a spot amongst the top fifty prospects named over the summer by ESPN.com’s Keith Law.
The change of heart seemingly motivated the former 16th overall draft pick, as Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote recently. Indeed, Crawford has been on a tear of late. In sixty games since the start of July, he’s slashing .284/.383/.533 with a dozen home runs. It’s especially promising to see the power coming for a player who is most known for his glovework and on-base/contact ability.
Philadelphia will hope that Crawford can maintain that momentum with him to the majors. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s utilized upon his arrival. Freddy Galvis has moved around of late, opening some daylight at shortstop, though Crawford himself has spent some time appearing at other positions. Ultimately, the organization surely hopes that Crawford will take over everyday duties at short, so he’ll likely have an opportunity to stake a claim that job at some point.
Angels Claim Dayan Diaz, Designate Daniel Wright
The Angels announced on Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Dayan Diaz off waivers from the Astros. Fellow right-hander Daniel Wright was designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move.
Diaz was already linked to the Angels in one respect anyhow, as he’d been designated for assignment by the Astros in order to clear a roster spot for Cameron Maybin, who’d been claimed off waivers from the Halos. In essence, the Angels will swap Maybin and Wright out off the 40-man roster for Diaz, though there’s still a chance that they could keep Wright in the organization for the time being.
The 28-year-old Diaz made his Major League debut with the Reds last season but was cut loose at season’s end, at which point he signed a minor league deal with the Astros. In a combined 19 2/3 MLB innings, Diaz has an unsightly 9.15 ERA. While he’s picked up an impressive 23 strikeouts in that short time and averaged 94 mph on his fastball, he’s also walked 11 batters and thrown four wild pitches. In 161 career innings at the Triple-A level, Diaz has a much more appealing 2.96 earned run average with 8.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9.
Like Diaz, Wright debuted with the Reds last season but didn’t find much success in the Majors. The 26-year-old tossed 19 2/3 innings with the Halos this year, working to a 4.58 ERA with an 11-to-8 K/BB ratio in that time. Overall, he owns a 5.61 ERA with 4.9 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 56 1/3 Major League frames. Wright has logged considerably more time in Triple-A, though the results there have been even less favorable; through 176 1/3 innings at the top minor league level, he’s posted a 6.58 ERA with 126 punchouts against 60 free passes.