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Padres Select Austin Davis

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3:30pm: The Padres have made it official, announcing they have selected Davis to the roster. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation to open an active roster spot. To get Davis onto the 40-man, right-hander Joe Musgrove was transferred to the 60-day IL. Musgrove has a bone spur in his right elbow and has been on the IL since May 29. He’s now ineligible to return until 60 days from that date, which would be late July. He still hasn’t begun a rehab assignment and will need a few weeks to build up once he does.

11:29am: The Padres are planning to call up left-hander Austin Davis prior to tonight’s series opener against the Red Sox, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. They’ll need to formally select his contract from Triple-A El Paso and open a spot on the 40-man roster, though that can be accomplished in rather straightforward fashion by transferring Xander Bogaerts (who’s out with a fracture in his shoulder) from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL.

The 31-year-old Davis hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 but has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons. He’s posted a lackluster 5.61 earned run average in that time while showing an ability to miss bats (25% strikeout rate)  but also some troubles with walks (11%) and home runs (1.25 HR/9).

Though he doesn’t have much of a big league track record, Davis has been sharp in El Paso this season. The journeyman southpaw has a 3.10 ERA in 29 frames and has been outstanding since a shaky start to the year. Over his past 23 1/3 innings, Davis boasts a 1.93 ERA with 32 punchouts and 13 walks. That’s still too many free passes, of course. It’s perhaps worth noting that four of those walks were intentional, but that’s offset by the fact that he’s also plunked four hitters along the way.

Davis’ effectively wild tenure with the Padres’ Triple-A club marks a stark turnaround from a disastrous Triple-A run with the Astros a year ago, when he walked 34 batters and allowed 32 runs in just 25 1/3 innings. Even with that career-worst performance skewing his track record, Davis sports a 4.19 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 13.6% walk rate in parts of five Triple-A campaigns.

If Davis can carry this season’s success over to the majors and carve out a longer-term spot on the roster, he’d be controllable for three seasons beyond the current campaign, though he has quite a ways to go before that’s a real consideration. The left-hander is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to stick on the roster or else be designated for assignment before he can be sent back down to the minors. Even if he were to clear waivers in such a scenario, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of the fact that he’s been outrighted previously in his career.

Reds Designate Peyton Burdick For Assignment

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The Reds announced today that catcher Tyler Stephenson has been placed on the paternity list. Fellow backstop Austin Wynns has been selected to take his place on the active roster. To open a 40-man spot for Wynns, the Reds designated outfielder Peyton Burdick for assignment. Last night, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on X that Wynns was likely stepping in for Stephenson.

Wynns was selected to the roster a week ago while Stephenson was dealing with a minor injury, but was passed through waivers shortly thereafter and now has his roster spot back. He has hit just .226/.273/.324 in his career but is generally considered a strong defender behind the plate. He will share the catching duties with Luke Maile while Stephenson is away.

The Reds signed Wynns to a split deal in the offseason that pays him $950K while in the majors and $300K in the minors. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment but not enough to do so while keeping that deal intact. Since signing that deal, the Reds have twice passed Wynns through waivers and had him accept his outright assignment, which may happen again when Stephenson returns.

To get Wynns in to cover for Stephenson, the Reds are risking losing Burdick. They claimed the 27-year-old outfielder off waivers in April but have kept him on optional assignment. In 43 Triple-A  games since that claim, he has a strong 11.7% walk rate but has been struck out 43.3% of the time.

He was once a notable prospect as he put up huge numbers through Double-A but the strikeouts have been a problem ever since he reached Triple-A. He now has just under 1200 plate appearances at that level, striking out in 34.6% of them while slashing .209/.320/.416. He has also received 139 big league plate appearances with a 38.1% strikeout rate there.

The Reds will have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. If anyone is interested and acquires him, he can still be optioned for the rest of this year and one more season as well. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Reds as non-roster depth.

Drew Smith Likely To Require Tommy John Surgery

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Mets right-hander Drew Smith says that his ulnar collateral ligament has significant damage and will likely require Tommy John surgery, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X. The righty is getting a second opinion but seems slated for a lengthy absence.

If surgery is ultimately required, it’s terrible timing for Smith. He is set for free agency at the end of this season and was putting up some decent numbers. He has made 19 appearances for the Mets so far this year, allowing 3.06 earned runs per nine innings. His 11.4% walk rate is a bit high but he’s countered that with a strong 29.1% strikeout rate.

He’s also been playing a key role in the club’s bullpen in recent years, with two saves and six holds here in 2024. He also saved three games last year and got double-digit hold numbers in each of the previous two seasons. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has a 3.35 ERA in 161 1/3 innings with a 26.2% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate.

That would have been a decent platform to take into free agency if he were healthy and continued pitching well for the next few months. Instead, it seems likely that he’ll be going into the open market while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, the second of his career. He already went under the knife in March of 2019, missing that season and most of 2020.

An emotional Smith spoke to reporters, with video relayed on X by SNYtv. As Smith himself articulated, there’s never a good time to undergo this kind of procedure but it would be especially frustrating for it to both conclude his time with the Mets and also hamper him going into his first trip to free agency.

Players in this position will sometimes find two-year deals, with the signing club aware that they are unlikely to get much return on their investment in the first year, but hopefully getting a bounceback at a discount in the second year. He’s already on the 15-day injured list and will likely be transferred to the 60-day IL once the Mets need his roster spot.

For the Mets, this will give them a bit less bullpen depth for the rest of the year. They’ve already lost Brooks Raley to Tommy John surgery while Sean Reid-Foley and Shintaro Fujinami are also on the IL at the moment. Edwin Díaz is a big question mark at the moment as he has struggled in his return after missing all of last year and is currently serving a ten-game sticky stuff suspension.

Despite some challenges, the Mets are just one game back of a playoff spot at the moment. If they hang around for the next month, they could perhaps look to upgrade their relief corps at the deadline, though a significant losing streak could also push them into seller position.

Rockies Designate Alan Trejo For Assignment

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The Rockies have designated utilityman Alan Trejo for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to fellow infielder Aaron Schunk, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado also recalled right-hander Riley Pint from Triple-A. The team had a vacant spot on the active roster after placing reliever Jake Bird on the injured list Thursday.

Trejo, 28, has played in parts of the past four seasons with the Rockies but never provided much offense outside a 35-game showing in 2022, when his .271/.312/.424 line clocked in just slightly below league-average. He’s a career .228/.276/.324 hitter, and the 2024 campaign has been a particular struggle — evidenced by a grim .143/.182/.143 batting line in 67 trips to the plate.

Trejo has never been on the roster for his bat, however. He’s a versatile infielder who can handle every position to the left of first base. He’s drawn particularly strong ratings at second base and third base. He doesn’t run particularly well, but Trejo has shown solid range and sure hands at multiple infield positions.

Because Trejo has exhausted all three of his minor league option years, the Rockies had to designate him for assignment rather than simply option him to Albuquerque. They’ll trade him or place him on outright waivers within the next five days (and waivers themselves would be another two days if he’s eventually placed).

Schunk, 27 next month, was the Rockies’ second-round pick back in 2019. The former Georgia Bulldog ranked among the organization’s 12 best prospects each year from 2020-22, per Baseball America, but an ugly 2021 season in High-A followed by a year of pedestrian offensive output at Double-A in 2022 caused him to fall down the system’s rankings. He hit .290/.350/.461 in Triple-A last season and is at a very similar .291/.339/.469 this year while repeating the level — this time with a far 17.7% strikeout rate that’s far lower than last year’s 24% mark. That said, while Schunk’s rate stats look strong, his overall offensive production is about 7% worse than league-average in the supercharged offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Like Trejo, Schunk is a utility infield option who bats from the right side of the plate and is best suited for work at third base and second base (though he’s played sparingly at shortstop and first base as well). At his best, he ranked fifth in Colorado’s system, per BA, drawing praise for a plus arm, above-average contact skills and average power. The Rox will presumably hope that Schunk can fill the same bench role Trejo held but do so with some more offensive contributions.

Red Sox Recall Bailey Horn For MLB Debut

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The Red Sox announced Friday that they’ve recalled left-hander Bailey Horn from Triple-A Worcester for his big league debut. They had an open spot on the active roster after optioning Isaiah Campbell yesterday, and Horn is already on the team’s 40-man roster. Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster first reported yesterday that Horn would be called up for his MLB debut.

Boston picked up Horn in an April deal with the ChiSox, sending cash back the other way after he’d been designated for assignment. Originally a fifth-round pick by the South Siders in the shortened 2020 draft, Horn bounced between the two Chicago clubs in a pair of trades, first going to the Cubs in exchange for Ryan Tepera in 2021 and then going back to the White Sox this past February in exchange for minor league righty Matt Thompson. The White Sox designated Horn for assignment about two months after reacquiring him.

Horn was hit hard and battled alarming command issues in his brief return to his original organization. In 10 1/3 innings with their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, he was rocked for 13 runs on 14 hits and 10 walks with 15 punchouts. Since landing in Worcester, he’s turned things around, however. He’s still walking too many hitters (13.8%), but Horn has fanned 29.2% of his opponents through 16 innings en route to a tidy 1.69 earned run average.

Overall, the Auburn product has a 4.37 ERA in exactly 200 minor league innings. He’s missed bats at every level, punching out 30% of his career opponents, but Horn’s command troubles date back to High-A. He’s issued a walk to 13% of his opponents in pro ball. Horn operates with a low- to mid-90s heater that he pairs with a curveball and a slider. He made 14 starts with the White Sox’ Class-A affiliates back in ’21 but has pitched exclusively in relief since (with the exception of a lone two-inning “start” this year in a bullpen game for Worcester).

Cardinals Promote Gordon Graceffo

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June 28: The Cardinals have made it official today, announcing they have selected Graceffo to the roster. Righty Kyle Leahy was optioned to open an active roster spot while Matz was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot.

June 27: The Cardinals are planning to promote pitching prospect Gordon Graceffo before tomorrow night’s matchup with the Reds, reports Katie Woo of the Athletic (X link). The 24-year-old will be available out of the bullpen behind scheduled starter Andre Pallante.

Garceffo signed for an overslot $500K bonus as a fifth-round pick out of Villanova in 2021. The 6’4″ righty had a breakout season the following year, working to a 2.97 ERA across 139 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. He garnered some attention as a Top 100 caliber prospect heading into 2023, but his stock took a hit last year. Graceffo missed some time with a shoulder issue and wasn’t especially effective in his first crack at Triple-A. He allowed 4.92 ERA through 86 innings at the top minor league level.

Entering the season, Graceffo ranked in the back half of the organization’s top 10 prospects at both Baseball America and on Keith Law’s write-up at The Athletic. Both outlets wrote that Graceffo looked like a back-end starter last season after flashing mid-rotation potential during the ’22 campaign. Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice of FanGraphs slotted Graceffo 25th among St. Louis farmhands in May, suggesting he may fit better in relief unless he recaptures the command he showed a couple seasons ago.

The 24-year-old has started 14 times for Triple-A Memphis this year. He owns a solid 3.84 ERA, albeit with pedestrian strikeout (21.4%) and walk (8.9%) rates. Graceffo hasn’t missed a ton of bats since he first reached the Double-A level. Working in shorter stints could improve that — either by pushing his velocity back to the mid-90s range he’d shown before the shoulder injury or allowing him to lean heavily on a slider that evaluators credit as an above-average to plus pitch. While Graceffo’s first MLB look will come out of the bullpen, the Cards could eventually send him back to Memphis to keep him stretched out for potential rotation work down the line.

Graceffo is not on the 40-man roster. St. Louis will select his contract tomorrow. Their 40-man roster is at capacity, but they can open a spot by transferring Steven Matz to the 60-day injured list after his recent setback. The Cards will need to take another pitcher off the active roster in a corresponding move.

Phillies To Place Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber On Injured List

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The Phillies are taking two big hits today, announcing that both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are going on the 10-day injured list. Harper has a left hamstring strain while Schwarber has a left groin strain. They have reinstated infielder Kody Clemens from the injured list and recalled outfielder Johan Rojas in corresponding moves.

Schwarber exited last night’s game with left groin tightness. Harper was clearly injured on the final play of the game, as he limped to first base after attempting to run out a ground ball. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported the IL placements for Harper and Schwarber prior to the official announcement, adding that both injuries are fairly mild, as Harper has a low-grade hamstring strain and could be back by July 9, but the Phils might also let him stay on the IL through the July 15-18 All-Star break for some extra rest. Schwarber’s left groin strain is mild enough that he could be back after the 10-day minimum.

The fact that both issues are fairly mild is undoubtedly good news, but the two absences will still be a challenge for the Phils. Schwarber is having yet another excellent season at the plate in his typical fashion, blending power and patience. He has a 16.1% walk rate and 17 home runs, leading to a .250/.373/.447 batting line and 133 wRC+. Harper has 20 homers, a 14% walk rate, .303/.399/.582 batting line, 169 wRC+ and the defensive metrics like his work at first base.

The Phillies have the best record in baseball at 53-28 but losing two of the better hitters in the game, even for a short time, is obviously less than ideal. It also adds to a growing injury problem, as J.T. Realmuto, Taijuan Walker, Spencer Turnbull and others are already on the IL.

Given the club’s strong record and the fact that the injuries aren’t too serious, it’s not a catastrophe, but the club will have to improvise for a little bit. Clemens was in good form before landing on the IL, as he currently has a .256/.293/.615 line on the year. But that was in a small sample size of 41 plate appearances, with all but six of those coming with the lefty swinger facing right-handed pitching. Perhaps he and Alec Bohm could share first base, with the right swinging Edmundo Sosa covering third base when a left-hander is on the mound. Sosa performed well when Trea Turner was on the IL but has had less playing time since Turner returned.

Schwarber’s IL placement does come with one silver lining, which is that the club will have more ability to rotate players into the DH slot. That could perhaps allow them to put Nick Castellanos in there fairly regularly, as he’s generally not considered to be an especially strong defender. Rojas is a strong defender but was optioned not too long ago as he struggled offensively. If Castellanos is in the DH slot, Rojas would be part of an outfield group that also includes Brandon Marsh, David Dahl, Cristian Pache and Whit Merrifield.

Orioles Outright Nick Maton

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June 28: The Orioles announced that Maton went unclaimed on outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He could’ve rejected the assignment in favor of free agency but will remain in Norfolk for now.

June 24: The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Nick Maton for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to top outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad, whose previously reported recall from Triple-A Norfolk is now official.

Maton, 27, had his contract selected to the big league roster last week but only appeared in one game with the O’s and did not make a plate appearance. Baltimore acquired Maton from the Tigers in exchange for cash over the winter and eventually passed him through waivers. He’s spent the season in their minor league system logging four rehab games at High-A after an injury and another 41 games at the Triple-A level. Overall, he’s turned in a stout .292/.390/.481 batting line with seven homers, six doubles, a triple, a huge 13.2% walk rate and a 22.5% strikeout rate.

A seventh-round pick by the Phillies back in 2017, Maton impressed during his first two big league seasons. The younger brother of reliever Phil Maton, Nick slashed .254/.330/.434 in 216 plate appearances with the Phils in 2021-22. Philadelphia sent Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands to Detroit in the trade that netted them Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens. Maton received ample playing time with the Tigers, but things didn’t pan out as hoped; he logged 293 plate appearances last season but delivered only a .173/.288/.305 batting line in that time.

Maton is out of minor league options, so the Orioles didn’t have the ability to send him back to Norfolk without first exposing him to waivers. He was previously outrighted by the O’s this year, so he’ll have the option to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he’s placed back on waivers and clears a second time.

That said, Maton has hit well in the upper minors this season and brings plenty of defensive versatility to the table. He’s spent time at all four infield positions and all three outfield positions in pro ball, albeit only 52 innings at first base and just seven innings in center. His versatility and success in the upper minors could lead to a team in need of a left-handed bat placing a claim or orchestrating a small trade. The O’s will have a week to complete a move involving Maton, whether it’s a trade or passing him through waivers.

Padres Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minor League Deal

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Right-hander Nabil Crismatt is headed back to the Padres organization, the pitcher himself announced via Instagram. Crismatt, who was released from a minor league deal with the Rangers earlier this week, signed a minor league contract with San Diego, reports Annie Helibrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The 29-year-old Crismatt has logged 177 innings across parts of five MLB seasons with four different teams — but the vast majority of that work (159 2/3 innings) has come as a member of the Padres. He suited up for San Diego from 2021-23 and logged a combined 3.83 ERA with a 21.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and six holds in that time. Crismatt made his big league debut with the 2020 Cardinals and has also pitched for the D-backs and Dodgers since leaving San Diego (in addition to this year’s Triple-A stint with Texas’ top affiliate).

The Dodgers signed Crismatt to a minor league deal over the winter and gave him seven innings of work in the big leagues early this season. He allowed a pair of runs on seven hits and no walks with six strikeouts in that L.A. cameo but was nevertheless designated for assignment and passed through waivers. He opted for free agency, signed a minor league pact with the Rangers in late May, and spent about a month with their Round Rock affiliate.

Crismatt has been tagged for a 6.46 ERA in 23 2/3 Triple-A frames between the Dodgers and Rangers this season, though he sports a much stronger K-BB profile than that mark would suggest: a 23.4% strikeout rate and tiny 3.8% walk rate. He’s been plagued by a BABIP near .400 between those two stops, which has helped to inflate his earned run average.

For now, Crismatt will head to El Paso to serve as a depth option for the Friars. But given their familiarity with the right-hander and his solid big league track record — a 3.71 ERA overall in his 177 MLB innings with solid strikeout and walk rates — it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got a look in the majors at some point in the relatively near future.

Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR’s Anthony Franco held a live chat today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Anthony took questions on the appeal of going underslot in the draft, the Rockies' pitching development challenges, Guardians' outfield targets, Jurickson Profar's market value, Ben Cherington's GM tenure in Pittsburgh, the Tigers' deadline approach, whether teams can move more pitchers from the bullpen to the rotation, and much more.

 

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