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Cubs Release Dan Straily, Kyle McGowin

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The Cubs released right-handers Dan Straily and Kyle McGowin from their minor league contracts with the team, as per the official transactions page for the Triple-A Iowa affiliate.  Straily signed with Chicago in April and McGowin signed in May, with both pitchers returning to the affiliated minors after initially signing deals with the independent Atlantic League for the 2024 season.

Straily posted a 4.56 ERA across 803 1/3 innings with six different Major League teams from 2012-19, primarily pitching for the A’s, Marlins, and Reds.  He followed up that MLB tenure with a four-season stint in Busan with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, through Straily also briefly pitched in the Diamondbacks’ farm system in 2022.  Straily had a 3.29 ERA over 503 innings with the Giants, though that overall successful number masks some inconsistency, primarily in a 2023 season that saw the righty deliver only a 4.37 ERA in 80 1/3 frames before being released last July.

The results also haven’t been there for Straily in his age-35 season, as he has a 5.49 ERA, 21.4% strikeout rate, and 10.8% walk rate over 78 2/3 innings for Iowa.  A lot of the damage has been caused by the home run ball, as Straily has given up 18 round-trippers during the limited sample size of his time with the Cubs’ top affiliate.  Keeping the ball in the park was often a struggle for Straily during his days in the big leagues — he allowed a National League-high 31 homers in 2016 when a member of the Reds rotation, and he gave up an incredible 22 home runs in only 47 2/3 innings while pitching for the Orioles in 2019.

McGowin has also had a tough time in Iowa this season, posting a 6.13 ERA in 10 starts and 47 Triple-A innings.  The righty showed much better form in Double-A (2.22 ERA in 28 1/3 IP) and in his brief time with the Atlantic League’s Charleston Dirty Birds (2.70 ERA in 10 innings), but McGowin’s lack of success in Iowa led the Cubs to part ways with the 32-year-old.

McGowin’s big league resume consists of a 5.98 ERA over 64 2/3 innings, all with the Nationals in parts of every season from 2018-21.  His 4.20 ERA over 30 innings in 2021 marked both his best ERA and his highest innings total over a single MLB season, though the Nats outrighted him off their 40-man roster at season’s end and McGowin hasn’t since gotten another look in the Show.  The righty didn’t pitch at all in 2022 while recovering from a UCL injury but resurfaced in 2023 to pitch in independent ball, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and 62 1/3 innings with the Astros’ Triple-A club.

Giants Sign Spencer Howard To Minors Contract

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The Giants signed Spencer Howard to a new minor league deal earlier this week, and the righty tossed a scoreless inning for Triple-A Sacramento last night in his return to the organization.  Howard began the season with the Giants before being traded to the Guardians in early July, but he was designated for assignment and then outrighted by Cleveland before the end of the month, with Howard opting for free agency rather than the outright assignment.

The brief trip back to the open market has now led Howard back to Sacramento.  Howard has a 5.75 ERA over 40 2/3 innings for the Triple-A affiliate this season, as well as a 6.21 ERA in 29 combined innings (24 with the Giants, five with the Guardians) at the big league level.  Though a .398 BABIP has contributed to Howard’s struggles in the majors, his 18.8% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate are both below average, and he has allowed five homers in his 29 frames of work.

Home runs have been a consistent problem for Howard over his five MLB seasons, contributing to his rough 7.00 ERA in 144 career innings with the Guardians, Giants, Rangers, and Phillies.  A highly-touted prospect during his time in Philadelphia’s farm system, Howard just recently turned 28 and is still trying to find a firm foothold in the majors.

The Giants have used the right-hander in a variety of roles (starter, reliever, opener, bulk pitcher) this season without much success, and Howard will again be on hand at Triple-A to provide some pitching depth.  Howard is out of minor league options, if San Francisco did select his contract back to the active roster, the club would again have to pursue the DFA route in order to try and move Howard back to the minors.

Marlins Outright Nick Gordon

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Infielder/outfielder Nick Gordon has been sent outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.

Gordon, 28, is a former first-round pick and top 100 prospect with some major league success on his track record. But the fact that no club was willing to claim him off waivers demonstrates how much his stock has fallen lately.

His best major league season was 2022, when he got into 138 games for the Twins. He hit .272/.316/.427 for a wRC+ of 111 while stealing six bases and bouncing around the diamond, playing the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as the outfield.

But then he put up a dismal line of .176/.185/.319 in 2023 before fracturing his tibia by fouling a ball off himself, which ended his season in mid-May. He was traded to the Marlins coming into 2024 and bounced back a bit, but not much. He slashed .227/.258/.369 on the year before getting cut from the roster this week.

Despite his former prospect pedigree and defensive versatility, he’s now out of options and has a .244/.283/.386 batting line in over 1,000 major league plate appearances, which translates to a wRC+ of 86. Any club could have nabbed him off waivers but they all passed.

Gordon has more than three years of major league service time, which gives him the right to reject this outright assignment and elect free agency. But since he has less than five years of service, he would have to forfeit what’s left of his salary in order to do so. He’s making $900K this year, leaving roughly $246K left to be paid out. Rather than leave that on the table, he might report to Jacksonville and provide the Marlins with some non-roster depth.

Giants Acquire Ryan Watson From Orioles

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The Orioles announced that they have traded right-hander Ryan Watson to the Giants in exchange for cash considerations. Trades after the deadline are allowed if the players involved have not been on a 40-man roster this year, which applies in this case.

Watson, 26, wasn’t selected in the 2020 draft, which was shortened to five rounds as a result of the pandemic. He then signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent and worked as a swingman for a few years with fairly unremarkable results. From 2021 to 2023, he tossed 259 2/3 innings across various levels with a 4.30 earned run average.

Here in 2024, he’s been working exclusively in relief with some signs of encouragement. He has tossed 22 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.38 ERA. He has struck out 26.1% of batters faced while giving out walks at an 8% clip.

Despite those decent numbers, the O’s never called him up. They bolstered their bullpen at the deadline by acquiring Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto from the Phillies, making it even less likely that Watson would be tapped. The Giants, on the other hand, traded Luke Jackson prior to the deadline and optioned their former closer Camilo Doval to the minors earlier tonight.

Watson hasn’t received much love from prospect evaluators but the Giants seem to be encouraged by his results this year. He will provide their bullpen with some non-roster depth and try to earn himself a roster spot.

Giants Interested In Longer-Term Deal With Matt Chapman

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The Giants’ late offseason dealings saw them sign two of the four prominent free agents who lingered on the market late into the offseason, inking Blake Snell on a two-year, $62MM deal and Matt Chapman on a three-year, $54MM pact. Both contracts came with opt-out opportunities this offseason — Chapman’s also has an opt-out opportunity post-2025 — and despite an early slate of injuries for Snell, both are looking like shrewd pickups now.

Snell has garnered more attention recently, which is understandable on the heels of a 15-strikeout performance that was immediately followed by a no-hitter in Cincinnati’s homer-happy Great American Ball Park. But while Snell draws headlines, Chapman continues to more quietly post excellent numbers. Both players look like locks to opt out at season’s end right now, although Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the Giants have interest in signing Chapman to a long-term deal that’d keep him in San Francisco.

For the 31-year-old Chapman, the 2024 season has played out in almost inverse fashion to his 2023 campaign. Last year, Chapman roared out of the gates with a Ruthian start to his season, hitting .384/.465/.687 through the end of April. He was never going to sustain that level of production, but the extent to which his bat cratered was nonetheless alarming. The two-time Platinum Glove winner hit just .205/.298/.361 the rest of the way. A hand injury suffered in August likely contributed to a truly dismal finish, but even leading up to that injury, Chapman had been a below-average hitter for a stretch of more than three months.

That cold snap carried over into the 2024 season, as Chapman hit just .222/.266/.385 through the end of April. Since then, however, he’s turned his season around. In 367 plate appearances since May 1, Chapman is touting a .257/.360/.473 batting line. He’s homered 15 times, walked at an impressive 13.1% clip and cut his strikeout rate from last year’s 28.4% down to 24.3% in that stretch. (If you truly want to cherry-pick, Chapman is slashing .275/.382/.519 since May 17.)

It’s been an odd stretch for Chapman, who from May 1, 2023 to May 1, 2024 looked the part of a hitter very much on the decline. He’s now spent more than half a season’s worth of plate appearances distancing himself from that slump, however — and he’s done so while playing his customary brand of standout defense. Between his renaissance at the plate and his always excellent glovework, Chapman has been worth 5.3 wins above replacement (per Baseball-Reference) and 3.8 WAR, per FanGraphs. The discrepancy stems primarily from bWAR using Defensive Runs Saved in its equation (which credits Chapman as an elite defender), whereas fWAR uses Ultimate Zone Rating and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (which feel he’s been “merely” above-average). Regardless of one’s preferred version of the stat, Chapman has graded out as a star-caliber player this season. If he continues this pace, he’ll likely garner some down-ballot MVP votes.

Given the manner in which his season has played out, it’s not all that surprising to hear the Giants have interest in keeping him around. It can’t hurt that San Francisco brass was quite familiar with Chapman even before he signed there. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was an assistant general manager with the A’s in 2014 when they selected Chapman with the 25th overall pick in the draft. Skipper Bob Melvin managed Chapman in Oakland from 2017-21.

Many of the roadblocks that prevented Chapman from landing the nine-figure deal most anticipated last year still persist. He’s 31 years old and will turn 32 next April. There’s minimal precedent for position players at that age signing for $100MM+. Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, Jose Altuve and Manny Machado are the only hitters in the past decade to sign contracts of that magnitude beginning in their age-32 season (or later). Of course, rare precedent doesn’t rule out the possibility — and there’s also nothing yet suggesting that Chapman is dead set on a nine-figure deal (though given the strength of his season it certainly seems like a likely goal for Chapman and agent Scott Boras).

The Giants have just under $85MM in guaranteed salary on the books next season (not counting the buyout on Chapman’s $18MM option). That’d jump to more than $135MM if each of Snell ($30MM), Chapman ($18MM) and Wilmer Flores ($3.5MM) picked up their player options. Flores seems likely to do so, but he could be the only one if Snell and Chapman stay healthy. Arbitration raises will be owed to Mike Yastrzemski (earning $7.9MM this year), LaMonte Wade Jr. ($3.5MM in ’24), Tyler Rogers ($3.2MM), Thairo Estrada ($4.7MM) and first-time-eligible closer Camilo Doval, regardless of the fact he was optioned to the minors tonight.  No one from that group is going to push the Giants into uncharted payroll territory, and Estrada’s not guaranteed to be tendered a contract in light of his injuries and offensive struggles.

Looking further down the road, the only players on the books beyond the 2025 season are Robbie Ray (signed through 2026), Jordan Hicks (through 2027), Logan Webb (through 2028) and Jung Hoo Lee (through 2029). Ray can opt out after the current season (unlikely at the moment), while Lee can opt out after 2027 (although it’s far too soon to tell whether that’s realistic). Regardless of how those opt-outs play out, the Giants are just over $80MM in terms of guaranteed payroll in each of the next two seasons and around $60MM in 2026 and $45MM in 2027. There’s ample room on the payroll to factor in a long-term arrangement for Chapman, if the two sides can come to terms on a price point that’s agreeable for all parties.

Mookie Betts To Return To Right Field When Reinstated From Injured List

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Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts moved from right field to a middle infield role before landing on the injured list due to a left hand fracture in June. He is set to return from the IL on Monday but will be moved back to right field, per manager Dave Roberts. Juan Toribio of MLB.com was among those to relay the news on X.

Roberts explained that he and Betts had a conversation about the decision, citing Betts’ comfort level as well as the improved performance of Gavin Lux as part of the reasoning. J.P. Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation relayed video of the comments on X.

“Each player, wherever they’re playing, they’ve got to feel most confident,” Roberts said. “And you have to then, obviously, layer in what’s best for the ball club. And I think that, where we’re at, he is most confident, right now, in right field versus at shortstop. And so, you look at how Gavin’s playing and he’s earned the right to continue to play second base for us.” Betts said the conversation was mostly mutual, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register on X, saying that “you have to be real with yourself” and that he just wants to win.

Betts played plenty of second base as a prospect in the Red Sox’ system but was blocked by Dustin Pedroia and was moved to right field. He then spent the majority of the past decade becoming one of the better players in the sport, winning Gold Gloves in right while also hitting at an elite level, winning American League MVP in 2018.

He continued serving as an excellent right fielder after being traded to the Dodgers but did occasionally toy with his old spot at the keystone. He got into one game there in 2020 and then seven games in both 2021 and 2022. Last year, the experiment took off a bit more meaningfully. Thanks to some injuries to other players, Betts eventually finished 2023 with just over 700 innings in right field but also 485 at second base and 98 at shortstop, his first major league innings at the shortstop position.

The Dodgers were clearly pleased by the work Betts did there because, in December, Roberts declared him the club’s everyday second baseman. Lux was planned to be the primary shortstop but he struggled with his throws in Spring Training and the club decided in the first week of March to flip him and Betts.

It was a fairly unprecedented situation for Betts to attempt to become an everyday shortstop on a club with World Series aspirations during his age-31 season, but he didn’t seem fazed by it. He slashed .304/.405/.488 in 72 games for a 155 wRC+ before his injury. The reviews on the glovework were mixed, as he was credited with four Defensive Runs Saved but -5 Outs Above Average. But for him to be even passable at what is considered to be the sport’s most demanding position with so little experience and at this stage of his career was a testament to his incredible athleticism.

But without Betts for roughly the past two months, the picture has changed. As Roberts alluded to, Lux has caught fire at the plate. He was hitting just .207/.263/.282 through July 7 but has put up a monster slash of .377/.450/.638 since then.

The Dodgers could have put Betts back at shortstop next to Lux but it seems they prefer to roll with the duo of Miguel Rojas and Nick Ahmed there. Both are excellent defenders who haven’t hit much in their careers, but Rojas is having a decent season with a .270/.314/.403 batting line and 103 wRC+. The club also acquired Tommy Edman prior to the deadline and will have him around as another option but he is mostly going to be playing center field, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic on X.

The outfield mix has been a bit more shaky this year, with guys like James Outman, Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor having rough years. The Dodgers acquired Kevin Kiermaier from the Blue Jays prior to the deadline, but he’s also having a tough year at the plate. Betts is a strong defender in right, 132 Defensive Runs Saved and 54 Outs Above Average in his career, but his move might be more about bumping those guys out of the lineup in favor of Rojas. The fact that the Dodgers even had that choice to make illustrates the value of Betts and why clubs crave versatility in general.

Once Betts is ready to be reinstated, he should be an everyday player in right as the club has Shohei Ohtani in the designated hitter spot. Teoscar Hernández will be in left field while Andy Pages, Jason Heyward, Edman and Kiermaier also pick up some time.

Though the Dodgers once had a nine-game lead in the National League West, it has tightened of late, thanks to a few stumbles from the Dodgers and some strong play elsewhere. The Padres are just 2.5 games back and the Diamondbacks are just one game behind the Friars, 3.5 games back of the Dodgers. Even the Giants are just eight games off the division lead at this point. The Dodgers’ roster is still strong and returning Betts will obviously be a help, though the club is trying to use its flexibility to optimize things for the stretch run.

Guardians Designate Anthony Gose For Assignment

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The Guardians announced that right-hander Alex Cobb has been reinstated from the injured list, a move that was reported earlier today. In a corresponding move, left-hander Anthony Gose has been designated for assignment.

Gose, 33, was selected to the club’s roster just three days ago. He has made one appearance since then, which was in the first game of Cleveland’s doubleheader against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He pitched an inning and a third, striking out one but also allowing two earned runs thanks to a walk and a home run.

Not much can be gleaned from such a small sample size, but Gose was likely not a big part of the club’s long-term plans. Though he has just 29 innings pitched, that’s mostly due to his circuitous route to being a big league pitcher.

Gose was an outfielder at the big league level from 2012 to 2016 but never hit much and eventually tried a move to the mound. Incredibly, he succeeded in this late-career conversion, tossing 27 2/3 innings for the Guards over the 2021 and 2022 seasons with a 3.90 ERA, 31.9% strikeout rate and 13.8% walk rate. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery in September of 2022 put the feel-good story on ice.

He was non-tendered by Cleveland at the end of that season and re-signed on a two-year minor league deal to cover his recovery period. On his rehab assignment this year, he showed that he still has some strikeout stuff, punching out 34.2% of Triple-A hitters. However, the lack of control was still an issue, as he walked 14.3% of batters faced. In his small sample of major league work, his velocity was down a bit. His fastball averaged 99.3 miles per hour in 2021 and was at 97 in 2022, but that was down to 94.5 mph this week.

Though Gose has a nice story and the Guards have stuck by him for a while, he’ll turn 34 years old tomorrow and still has some wildness. Cleveland has the best bullpen in the majors this year, with their collective 2.68 ERA being far ahead of second-place Atlanta’s 3.20. They’re also in a tight playoff race right now, just 2.5 games ahead of the Twins in the Central and only 3.5 clear of the Royals, so taking on a bit of a project like Gose maybe isn’t in the cards.

With the trade deadline now passed, the club will have to put him on waivers in the coming days. Perhaps some other club will be enticed by his strikeouts and put in a claim, hoping that more reps as he distances himself from the surgery will help him harness his command. If someone does put in a claim, he has over three years of service time and would pass the four-year mark if he stays in the majors for the rest of the year. He’s out of options but could be controlled via arbitration for two seasons beyond this one.

With over three years of service, he will have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Since he has less than five, doing so would mean forfeiting whatever money he’s still owed on his deal, but it’s likely a minimal amount since it was a minor league pact.

Orioles Sign Jean Segura To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles announced that they have signed infielder Jean Segura to a minor league deal. The veteran has been out of affiliated ball for over a year, having been released by the Guardians at the start of August last year. He could perhaps report to Triple-A Norfolk shortly but may also go to another affiliate for a tune-up after his long layoff.

It’s a surprising signing that comes completely out of the blue. Not only has Segura not played any official games in the past year, he also wasn’t featured in any substantive offseason rumors, nor does it appear that he played in any winter or foreign leagues.

The absence comes on the heels of his worst career season. He hit .219/.277/.279 for a 52 wRC+ in 85 games for the Marlins last year, the first season of a two-year, $17MM deal that he signed with the Fish. He and Kahlil Watson were flipped to the Guardians for Josh Bell at the deadline, but the Guards immediately released Segura, indicating his inclusion was simply for financial reasons. No team signed Segura for the final two months or for 2024, until now.

Prior to his awful 2023 season, he had a lengthy run as a solid player in the big leagues. From 2016 to 2022, he got into 849 games between the Diamondbacks, Mariners and Phillies. He got to double-digit home runs in every full season of that stretch and had at least nine stolen bases in all of them. Overall, he hit 84 long balls and slashed .295/.345/.434 for a wRC+ of 107 while swiping 109 bases. He was gradually moved from shortstop to second base in that stretch, playing a bit of third base as well, and produced 21.9 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs.

Whether Segura can engineer a bounceback after his rough 2023 season and long stint away from the game is anyone’s guess, but there’s no real risk for the Orioles in trying. The Guardians are still on the hook for the final year of his contract, so the O’s would only have to pay Segura the prorated league minimum for any time he ultimately spends on their roster, which would be subtracted from what Cleveland pays.

Not too long ago, the Baltimore infield was characterized by having more good players than opportunities, but the situation has changed significantly in the past few weeks. They included Connor Norby in the Trevor Rogers deal and also saw Jordan Westburg and Jorge Mateo land on the injured list.

They still have a solid infield mix though third base is perhaps a little less impressive than the other spots. Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle are sharing first base while Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson have the middle spots covered. At the hot corner, Ramón Urías and Coby Mayo are the top options at the moment. Mayo just got called up but his first 15 major league plate appearances have resulted in a line of .000/.133/.000. Urías has a much better line of .234/.309/.364, though that still leads to a subpar 95 wRC+. Urías does have a strong defensive reputation but his numbers in that department are down this year: -3 Defensive Runs Saved and -6 Outs Above Average from the third base spot.

The O’s can take a close-up look at the veteran Segura in the coming weeks and see how it goes. Perhaps he can convince the club’s decision makers that he’s an upgrade over their current options or simply provide them with some non-roster depth in case another injury pops up in the coming weeks. He’ll be competing with guys like Terrin Vavra and Liván Soto, who are each on the 40-man roster but currently on optional assignment, as well as non-roster guys like Niko Goodrum, J.D. Davis and Nick Maton.

Twins Showing Interest In Rich Hill

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The Twins have been in contact with veteran left-hander Rich Hill, who hosted a showcase for big league scouts earlier today, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic. The Red Sox were also in attendance for Hill’s showcase, WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweets, though it’s not clear whether they’ve spoken to Hill about a potential reunion. The Yankees and Dodgers were previously connected to Hill and thus presumably also in attendance this morning.

Minnesota’s interest comes at a time when Joe Ryan was just diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder that puts the remainder of his season in jeopardy. Ryan joined righty Chris Paddack on the 15-day IL earlier today, leaving Minnesota with an inexperienced group of options — Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, Louie Varland — behind veterans Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober in the starting rotation.

Hill, 44, has said since last year that his plan for the 2024 season was to pitch — but only in the season’s second half. The southpaw signed a one-year deal with the Pirates in the 2022-23 offseason and pitched well early before beginning to show signs of fatigue. He still managed to eat up 146 1/3 innings between Pittsburgh and San Diego (who acquired him at last year’s trade deadline), but it was generally a tale of two seasons for Hill. The lefty notched a respectable 4.34 ERA and matching FIP through his first 15 starts, punching out 21.1% of his opponents against an 8.6% walk rate. In his final 63 1/3 innings, he was torched for a 6.82 ERA with a 17.7% strikeout rate, 9% walk rate and 1.71 HR/9.

Waiting until later in the season affords MLB’s elder statesmen some perks beyond potentially keeping him fresh. Most importantly, Hill has spoken on record before about the additional time he was able to spend with his family, coaching his son’s team (link via MLB.com’s Ian Browne). Signing in August also ensures that he’s able to land with a club that has a good shot at making the postseason.

Minnesota would fit that bill. The Twins have been in second place in the AL Central and holding onto an AL Wild Card spot for most of the season. At 63-50, the Twins are 3.5 games behind Cleveland in the division, but they’re also hosting the Guardians for a four-game set this weekend that would shake up the top of the division if Minnesota can manage a sweep. (They’re currently leading the Guards in Game 1 of today’s doubleheader.)

Hill is no stranger to the Twins organization, having pitched there during the shortened 2020 season. Injuries limited him to eight starts, but he posted a 3.03 ERA in 38 2/3 innings as a Twin and reached the postseason that year. Bradford spoke to a scout who was at Hill’s showcase this morning, noting that the lefty threw more than 100 pitches and looked “impressive” (X link). Hill himself tells Bradford that he believes he’s built up to the point where he’s ready to go throw five or six innings in a start right now (video link).

Hill isn’t the only reinforcement the Twins are pondering, though second alternative is nearly half Hill’s age. Top prospect Zebby Matthews has skyrocketed up prospect rankings this season on the back of a dominant showing in High-A and Double-A. He was recently bumped up to Triple-A St. Paul, and president of baseball operations Derek Falvey confirmed to the Twins beat that Matthews is under consideration for a promotion to the majors.

“I think Zebby’s definitely in the conversation,” Falvey said this afternoon (X link via KSTP’s Darren Wolfson). “Obviously, he’s pitched exceptionally well for the whole year all the way through levels he’s been at. He’s now at Triple-A and knocking on the door. With the injuries we have, he’s certainly in the conversation. As we think about the needs for next week, he’s certainly a name that we’re talking about.”

Matthews, the Twins’ eighth-round pick in 2022, already looks like a nice find for the organization. The right-hander posted sub-2.00 ERAs in both High-A and Double-A before his recent promotion to Triple-A. He’s had two solid starts and two rough starts at the top minor league level. Collectively, he’s posted a 2.60 ERA with an impressive 30.5% strikeout rate and a staggering 1.8% walk rate. Matthews has fanned a hefty 114 opponents and issued just seven walks all season.

Matthews has ridden that breakout season all the way to the No. 61 spot on Baseball America’s recent update to their top 100 prospects, where they note that Matthews has perhaps the best command in minor league baseball. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranks Matthews 60th in the sport, and MLB.com has him as their No. 100 prospect.

Falvey also added that the aforementioned Paddack is still expected back this season. He’s “tracking really well,” per the Twins’ baseball ops leader (X link via The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman) and could begin a throwing program in the near future. Paddack has had a Jekyll-and-Hyde season, at times looking dominant and others looking fatigued in his first full season back from the second Tommy John procedure of his career. He’s twice punched out 10 hitters in a game and allowed two or fewer runs in 10 of his 17 starts. However, he’s also had starts where he’s been rocked for seven runs and nine runs, leading to a 4.99 ERA on the season.

Paddack’s 88 1/3 innings this season are already more than his combined total from 2022-23 while he underwent and rehabbed from that Tommy John procedure. Nevertheless, the Twins plan to use him as a starter when he’s ready to return, per Falvey. There’s no clear timetable for that yet, but if he can begin a throwing progression soon, a return sometime next month seems feasible. Paddack last pitched on July 14 and has been out since with a forearm strain.

Marlins Designate Kyle Tyler For Assignment

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The Marlins announced Friday that they’ve designated right-hander Kyle Tyler for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to lefty Kent Emanuel, whose contract has again been selected from Triple-A Jacksonville. Miami also optioned righties Darren McCaughan and Emmanuel Ramirez to Jacksonville and added recent waiver claims Brett de Geus and John McMillon to the active roster. Isaac Azout of Fish On First reported earlier today that McMillon, de Geus and Emanuel would be joining the Marlins’ big league roster.

Tyler, 27, has pitched 31 2/3 innings for the Fish this season and limped to a 5.40 ERA. His 17.6% strikeout rate is nearly five percentage points shy of average, and he’s walked an unpalatable 12.7% of his opponents as well. It’s the third season of big league experience for Tyler, a 17th-round pick of the Angels back in 2018. He’s also suited up more briefly for both the Halos and Padres. In 48 career innings, he has a 4.31 ERA, 15.9% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate. The right-hander sits in the low 90s with a four-seamer and cutter, and he also works in a roughly 82 mph slider and 77 mph curveball to round out his arsenal.

While Tyler hasn’t pitched well in the big leagues, he sports a decent Triple-A track record and has been doing his best work at that level in 2024. He’s tossed 50 innings with Jacksonville and logged a 3.06 earned run average with a 21.6% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate. The Oklahoma native is in the second of three minor league option years and has experience working as both a starter and reliever. He’s been starting recently for the Marlins and is stretched out to the point where he tossed 84 pitches in his last outing and has recently climbed as high as 94 pitches. A team seeking rotation depth could place a claim. The Marlins will place him on outright waivers or release him by next week.

As for Emanuel, this will be the fifth time Miami has selected the left-hander’s contract in 2024 alone. He’s been designated for assignment and outrighted a remarkable four times already this season but has accepted the assignment to Jacksonville each time.

Emanuel signed a minor league deal over the winter and in four previous stints this season has combined to allow seven earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. He’s struggled in Triple-A as well, working to a 6.15 ERA in 45 1/3 innings. Given the Marlins’ prior usage of the lefty, it could very well be another brief stay on the roster. It’s probably not the way he’d have preferred to go about it, but Emanuel has picked up more than three weeks of big league service time and big league pay this year while ping-ponging back and forth between Jacksonville and Miami.

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